Scottish History
The man who escaped a hanging, a tale from Arran
While camping on the Isle of Arran we visited Brodick Castle which is on the east coast of the island. A castle owned mainly by the Hamiltons, it was used recently as a hunting lodge. In front of th...
Lochranza Castle
Lochranza Castle on Arran was built in the 13th century. It passed to the Stewarts of Menteith and became a royal castle when Robert Stewart became King in 1371. In the 1450s the Tower House was...
Topics:
Arran, Lochranza Castle, Montgomery, Robert II, Stewart
The Tragedy of Mary Hamilton
by Donald
The well known ballad "Mary Hamilton", or "The Fower Maries" is a sixteenth century song about Mary Hamilton awaiting execution and telling the story of her downfall. Mary was a lady-in-waiting to a Q...
Topics:
Carmichael, Fleming, Hamilton, James V, Livingstone, Mary Hamilton, Mary of Guise, Mary Queen of Scots, Murder, Russia, Seton
The Fyrish Monument
by Donald
On a hill overlooking the Cromarty Firth is a striking, most un-highland monument. It is a replica of the gates of Negapatam, a port in Madras (now Chennai) in South East India. Negapatam was origin...
The Witches of Logie
Lisa Bumgarner likes this.
This weekend we have been staying at the lovely Witches Craig campsite, just a stones throw (well maybe a few throws) away from The Wallace Monument at Abbey Craig. Next to the campsite are the remain...
Topics:
Graham, Scottish Myths, wallace

The Gordons at Otterburn
by Donald
On the 5th of August, 1388, the Battle of Otterburn took place. This was a skirmish between Scotland's James, 2nd Earl of Douglas, and England's Henry "Hotspur" Percy, the son of the Earl of Northum...
Topics:
1388, Battle of Otterburn, Douglas, Gordon, Graham, Henry "Hotspur" Percy, Johnstone, Lindsay, Montgomery
History of Kilts Worn in Battle
by Donald
There is no documentation for the kilts we know today before 1575. There are many kilt like clothing that is worn with armour, like that a Roman soldier would wear. Or The Leine Croich or belted saffr...
Topics:
First World War, Kilts!, War
Royal Middleton Roots
by Donald
Gordon Casely, a heritage consultant in Aberdeen, has inadvertently discovered that Prince William was a direct descendant of a 17th century Middleton from the small town of Luthermuir in south Aberd...
Topics:
Kate Middleton, lyon, Middleton, Prince William
World's First Colour Photo of Tartan Ribbon
by Donald
This picture of tartan ribbon is pretty unique as it is world's first ever colour photograph. The three colour method, which is the basis of virtually all practical colour processes, was suggested by...
McMummy - Chinese unearth 4000 year old mummy in a kilt...
A 4000 year old female mummy found in China has been identified as a Scot - due to its red hair and the fact it was wearing a kilt-like dress.
There has been much debate about the origins of th...
Urquhart Castle and The Magic Well
Way back in the days before Urquhart Castle existed in the days when the Great Glen was just starting to have settlers - perhaps some of our Urquhart ancestors before the name of Urquhart was even...
Topics:
Urquhart, Urquhart Castle
Massacre Cave - The MacDonalds of Clanranald and The Ma...
The Isle of Eigg is situated in the heart of Clanranald country, this small ...
Topics:
MacDonald, MacDonald of Clanranald, MacLeod
£460,000 windfall for man who discovered Iron Age torcs...
David Booth an amateur metal-detecting enthusiast came across more than the usual tin cans and coins when he unearthed a collection of 2000 year old Iron Age golden neckbands in a field near Stirli...
Topics:
ironage
DNA proves Celtic hero Somerled had Viking roots
A leading DNA expert has shown that the celtic hero Somerled who was credited with driving the Vikings out of western Scotland was himself descended from a Norseman
It had always been believed that S...
Topics:
MacAlister, MacDonald, MacDougall, Somerled