Every year during the third week of October, you’d be forgiven for thinking a little piece of Atlanta was in fact a little piece of Scotland. Over one weekend, the picturesque grounds of Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park meadow resound with the sounds of bagpipes, fiddles and harps, as it plays host to one of the […]
On Monday Amanda and I were privileged to be able to attend the service in commemoration for the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden held at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Over 40 Clan Chiefs were in attendance and you will be able to read the list of names below. The service included lessons […]
Men and women have long been recognised in Scotland as equals. A good example of this is that female chiefs supply a goodly number of places in the current 135-strong listings of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. They hold exactly the same responsibilities as their male counterparts. Here are some shining examples of female […]
One evening in the 1680s, as the light was starting to fade and the colour of day drained away turning eveything to grey an ominous dark character can be seen striding over Ladhope Moor with two large dogs. He is seeking covenanters whom he is sure are holiding an assembly meeting somewhere nearby. His shiny […]
James V of Scotland was determined to subject his Border subjects to his rule. His visit to the Scottish Borders in 1530 would see the end of not only Johnnie Armstrong but also Cockburne of Henderland and Adam Scott, known as the King of Thieves.
Not all men in the 16th century Border Country were Border Reivers. Many endeavoured to live in peace but were inevitably caught up in the theft, feud and blackmail. It would seem Jamie Telfer was one who fell foul of the animosity and confrontation yet, in this incident, achieved a more than satisfactory outcome.
By the middle of the sixteenth century the Border Reivers had a strangle hold on the lands on each side of the English Scottish Border. None more so than the Elliots and Armstrongs of Liddesdale. Murder, theft, arson, blackmail and feud were the canker of the Border Marches. Whatever resources, initiatives or amendments to the […]
One of the visitors to our site told us about this great Clan Johnstone legend: The Battle of Dryfe Sands on the 6th of December, 1593 saw the Johnstones and the Maxwells fight it out near the town of Lockerbie. On the day of the battle Lady Johnstone went out with her maidservant to see […]
