Updated 16.1.17 1

Here is the latest list of what Clans are marching on what days for The Touch of Tartan.

There will be a series of Clan Parades that will take place each night of the Tattoo. This will be a major event within the Clan-themed events that will be happening throughout this year, backed by the Scottish Clan Event Fund.

There are 25 performances of the Edinburgh Tattoo. Tickets have been put aside for the clans to buy for each performance to make sure that as many tartan-clad clansmen, women and children attend as possible.  Each Clan has seats allocated at the Tattoo.

For more information please contact  info@clanchiefs.org.uk

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Rallying the Clans together. Chiefs of Clans Bruce, Leslie, Macnab and Carmichael on Salisbury Crags with Edinburgh Castle below.

Clan chiefs have been sending out rallying calls to their Clansmen and Clanswomen all over the world to come and join them at the Edinburgh Tattoo this August.  Rather than setting a fire on-top of a hill – this time they’re using the internet.

Back in 2009 many of us remember the epic Clan March up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to the Castle, Clans walking behind their banners and many with their Clan Chiefs, being cheered on by thousands of onlookers.  This was the largest Clan display by far seen in Scotland, Over 125 Scottish Clans took part in the parade . Since then Clans have had their individual gatherings and clusters of Highland games but nothing touching what happened in 2009.

Jamie Macnab – Chief of Clan Macnab said in an interview for The Times  .”It was absolutely phenomenal… I don’t think anyone who took part that weekend will ever forget it.”

Clan Douglas at the Clan Parade in 2009

So now in 2017 the Clans will be marching again – this time to the Tattoo. It will be a series of Clan Parades that will take place each night of the Tattoo. This will be a major event within the Clan-themed Events that will be happening throughout this year, backed by the Scottish Clan Event Fund.

There are 25 performances of the Edinburgh Tattoo. Tickets have been put aside for the clans to buy for each performance to make sure that as many tartan-clad clansmen, women and children attend as possible.

The Edinburgh Tattoo

The Tattoo’s Chief,  Brigadier David Allfrey approached the Standing Council last August to gain support for his ‘Splash of Tartan’ theme for the Tattoo. This opportunity provides an excellent platform to promote Ancestral Tourism to International audiences. 2017 is Visit Scotland’s year of History, Heritage & Archaeology. The Clans will be playing a large part.

Clan Chiefs have been contacted and have signed up, now it’s all about mustering up support to get people to follow  them up the Royal Mile. Currently 53 Clan Chiefs have signed up, so each night there will be 2 Clans in the parade. Some Clans have already got 100 people signed up.

Jamie Macnab explains that this is a great opportunity to reposition the views within Scotland of Clan Heritage.  Here especially it can be seen as a bit twee – a shortbread version of Scotland, one that is just for tourists not for the people that live here.   Jamie adds:
” My hope is that our involvement in the Tattoo will get some home-based engagement and Scots will don their tartan and go, ‘Right, I’m putting my kilt on and going on my clan night.’ I mean, I think this is the first time the Tattoo has ever done anything like this so hopefully it will generate some interest.”

Clan events have always attracted people from oversees. the Convenor of the Standing Council, Sir Malcolm MacGregor has been over in the US trying to drum up support for this event.

Visit Scotland’s research has shown that history and heritage is the second most popular reason cited by visitors coming to Scotland from overseas. First was landscape and scenery.

So if you’re interested in joining your Clan – please contact your Clan Society and join in, let’s make this a great event!

For full list of clans and dates please see: http://www.scotclans.com/list-of-clans-and-dates-for-tattoo-clan-parade/

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The Eagle Stone

Nestling among the houses on a quiet hillside there is a small fenced off patch of grass, in the centre a modest standing stone with ancient carvings – this is the famous ‘Eagle Stone’, also known as the Clach an Tiompain or ‘Sounding Stone’

The stone is featured in one notable prophesy by the Brahan Seer – he foresaw a great tragedy that would befall the area should the stone topple over three times, over the years it has been known to have fallen twice and superstitious locals have ensured it moves no more by cementing it in place.

Local legends have claimed the stone was erected after a skirmish between the Clan Munro and the McDonalds of the Isles on the way to the battle of Harlaw in 1411 – a sort of practice friendly on the way to the knockout stages. Recent evidence has proven it to be much older though.

Although almost certainly Pictish in origin one famous folk tale links the stone again to Clan Munro, who’s crest symbol also depicts an eagle, the Eagle of Foulis.

On a high ridge on the other side of the valley lies the remains of an iron age fort known as Knockfarrel (literally ’stone fort’). The very first chief of Clan Munro lived here as the clan established its presence in the area. Around the fortification a small village or ‘clachan’ grew. The valley has lush farmland, ideal for grazing and growing all manner of crops, sheltered from the worst of the weather.

Knockfarrel is easily approached via a gently sloping trail up the side of the ridge but treacherous cliffs fall steeply away to one side – high on a rocky pinnacle in these cliffs a great eagle had made its nest. whether the Munro clan took their symbol from this eagle or it was just a remarkable coincidence we do not know but the clansmen saw the eagle as a good omen and were happy to share the valley with this magnificent creature. Even when the bird would lift a young lamb or goat kid they would take this as just an acceptable loss and the chief forbade anyone from doing harm to the eagle.

All was peaceful in the valley until one summers evening. It had been a beautiful day and the womenfolk worked preparing the evening meals and sewing. The children laughed and played between the small houses, outside one house towards the edge of the village one small boy sat, Lachlan, barely a toddler he rested on the grass and watched as his mother busied herself around him.

All at once a great dark shadow was cast across the valley and a terrible screeching was heard, In a blur of feathers and claws the huge eagle swooped down from its nest and caught the poor child in its massive talons. Before anyone could react he lifted the boy high into the air and carried him up the cliffside.

The cries of alarm went up throughout the village and the wailing of the grief stricken mother alerted young Hugh, the chieftain of the clan. When Hugh arrived at the scene he realised that he had to act and act quickly. He called for a length of rope and set off up the cliffside in pursuit. Not entirely sure what he would face when he reached the pinnacle.

Higher and higher Hugh clambered up the sheer face, as the village fell away below he heard a beating of wings and a rush of air – the great eagle was bearing down upon him. Holding onto the rope for dear life he tried to fend off the angry bird. The eagle soared away again and Hugh pressed on. In the fading light he caught a glimpse of a tangle of branches above him and with one last effort he hauled himself up and into the eagles nest.

Lying in the centre of the nest lay baby Lachlan. cooing away to himself as if nothing had happened. Hugh was relived that the boy despite his ordeal had barely a scratch on him but he realised that the hardest work lay ahead. No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the huge eagle appeared again – even angrier than before. Hugh grabbed a large branch and swinging it like a club tried to fend it off, time and time again the eagle pecked and clawed and Hugh soon became exhausted. His clothes torn and his body bruised and bloody from the ferocious attack.

All this time little Lachlan laughed away thinking it no more than a silly game for his own amusement.

Munro Clan Crest

As the eagle made one more pass Hugh decided on an other tactic; he ducked under the thrashing wings and grabbed at the birds legs. Unsettling the creature just for a second he was able to pull it towards the nest and turn it over onto its back. With the advantage of surprise he reached up and got hold of the bird by the throat and squeezed with all his might.

Gradually the bird began to loose its grip on life, the struggle began to die and with one last effort Hugh squeezed the life from the mighty creature.

Meanwhile far below the cliff the villagers looked up, not knowing if the poor boy or Hugh for that matter were alive or dead. They had heard the terrifying shrieks of the bird and feared the worst. Then suddenly the distant figure of Hugh appeared, holding the corpse of this massive Eagle in his hand. They cheered and shouted and Hugh tossed the bird down, A gust of wind caught the feathers and the eagle’s broken body wheeled and glided down to the valley below, coming to rest at the edge of the village. Where the eagle fell the villagers placed a stone – the Eagle stone in recognition of the brave deeds of their chief and from respect to the noble creature that was such a powerful symbol of their clan.

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James Edgar emigrated from Edinburgh in 1878 when he was thirty-five, hoping to find work in America.  He went on to own department store in Brockton, Massachusetts, but his real legacy is he was to inspire a tradition that has defined Christmas for millions of children.

Research by an amateur genealogist has revealed the story of James Edgar.

James Edgar

His story was rediscovered by distant relative Hugh Smith, 69, from Thornliebank, Glasgow, when he began looking through family archives and found research from his uncle, James Edgar Grant Lockhart, a keen family historian.

Mr Smith said: “My late uncle was a great one for the family tree. I was clearing out a cupboard when I found his research, which told the tale of James Edgar, my grandmother’s cousin. It’s great to think that the first Santa in the biggest nation in the world was Scottish.”

As well the family tree, Mr Smith found an article from a defunct magazine called Modern Maturity, which featured an interview with James Edgar, a “roly-poly” man who left his home in Berwickshire to search for a better life in America.

He founded Edgar’s Department Store in 1878 and would stand on its the roof every Saturday morning to scatter pennies for local children. He would even offer impoverished youngsters jobs at his department store, even if he had no need for new employees.

“My life in Scotland was a poor one,” Mr Edgar once said. “When I came to this country I had to scratch to get by. I never really had a childhood because I was out working. I think that’s why I enjoy children so much. I was trying to make up for the childhood I never had.”

One Christmas he hit upon the idea of dressing up as a clown to walk around his store and choose a girl with the prettiest bow in her hair to win a doll.

One of James’ Costumes

James was known for dressing up and walking around the store.  One of his favourites was to dress in full Scottish regalia.

As a Scottish Chieftain

He then decided to dress as Father Christmas, adopting the familiar white beard and a red Santa suit that he based on famous 1863 illustrations by Thomas Nast, a celebrated cartoonist who invented the modern image of Father Christmas.

Thomas Nast’s Santa

In an interview James answered the question ‘How did you come up with the idea of dressing like Santa Claus?’:

“Last year I dressed as a clown and walked around the store. The children loved it! Recently I saw an illustration of Santa Claus by Thomas Nast.

Ah, the one he did for “The Night Before Christmas?”

Yes, that’s the one. I thought, “Ha, Santa looks like me!” Then I thought that would even be better than a clown. The children would love it! I have never been able to understand why the great gentleman lives at the North Pole. He is so far away…only able to see the children one day a year. He should live closer to them.

I tried to find a Santa Claus suit, but couldn’t find one. So I had one special made, based on Nast’s illustration. I was surprised by the reaction. The children had smiled at me when I dressed as a clown, but when I approached them as Santa, their eyes got big. They yelled, “Look! It’s Santa Claus!””

Edward Pearson, who remembered meeting Edgar as Santa, was interviewed in the Modern Maturity article. He said: “Nowadays Santa Claus is everywhere, but back in 1890 we had only seen him in newspapers or magazines. We never thought we would have a chance to meet him unless we sat up all night on Christmas Eve.”

After his first appearance, word soon spread that Santa was appearing in person and families flocked to see him. Demand grew to such an extent that another Father Christmas had to be hired as children began coming from as far away as New York to meet the hirsute Christmas hero. The following year, hundreds of stores across America copied his example and installed their own Santa.

Although the fact Edgar invented a fundamental Christmas tradition is often forgotten, he managed to achieve one wish.

“I have never understood why Santa lived at the North Pole,” Edgar added. “He is so far away and only able to visit children once a year. He should live closer to them.”

Now, when every child who chooses to can meet Father Christmas, the Scottish Santa’s ambition has been realised.

Located across the street from the original Edgar’s Department Store on the City of Brockton’s Adams Parking Garage is a bronze plaque to honor James Edgar, the first Department Store Santa.

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In the early half of 1745, Charles Edward Stuart or Bonnie Prince Charlie, saw an opportunity to reclaim what he considered to be his father’s two kingdoms, Great Britain, formally united in 1707, and Ireland. George II and the British army were occupied in the War of the Austrian Succession, leaving only around 6,000 troops to defend England. Aided by the early support of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, XIX chief of Clan Cameron, he and is party of men were successful in raising a force of 2,000 Scots.

With word of this force ready to march on the Lowlands, it was up to Sir John Cope to give a response root he government. Cope was the general in command of the 4,000 government troops stationed in Scotland, but unfortunately the most of his troops were only recently raised and as a result inexperienced. Cope and his troops marched on Fort Augustus in the heart of the Highlands in an effort to awe the Highlanders into surrender and end the rebellion before it had truly begun. Upon hearing that the rebel army was looking to oppose him at Corryarrack, he instead marched to Inverness hoping to be the one to decide the battleground. Cope had underestimated the men commanding the rebel forces.

Bonnie Prince Charlie and his troops marched straight down to the Lowlands, which by now were almost undefended. A small force which held Edinburgh retreated in the face of the superior foe, leaving the city open for the taking. On 16 September, some of Prince Charles’s army captured the city with little or no fighting, though Edinburgh Castle was still defended for the government. Cope meanwhile furiously marched to Aberdeen  are he had urgently ordered ships, so he and his troops could make haste o the south. On the same day the Jacobites took Edinburgh, Cope and his men disembarked in Dunbar.

Even though Cope knew his troops were far from the best, he was determined to engage the Jacobite force. His intelligence told him that the rebels only numbered around 2,000 men, and whilst they were fit and hardy, they were ill-equipped. Cope believed this would mean his force, in two regiments of dragoons and three and a half regiments of infantry, should easily overpower them. It was even said that on their march towards Edinburgh they assured the locals that there would be no battle.

It was on the 20th of September that the two forces first met, just outside Prestonpans near Preston house. The Jacobite army had secured the high ground to the south of Cope’s position, but Cope was determined to face the rebels and made the best of his situation. He drew up his force facing south using the park walls of Preston house to provide protection for the right flank and a marshy bog to the front. Although they had secured a good position the Jacobites were dismayed by the way Cope had taken advantage of the land. A traditional Highland charge would flounder in the marshes and be decimated by musket and cannon fire. The senior Jacobite officers knew they must change their plans if they were to come away victorious but could not agree on what should be done. It was Lord George Murray who pushed for them to move their force to the East so they could assault the exposed left flank of the government forces and it was Lieutenant Anderson, a local farmers son, who knew the lay of the land and knew of a way to get the force where it needed to go. At 4am on the 21st the Jacobites began to move, 3 abreast along a narrow defile, in order to reach the east flank.

Meanwhile, Cope had noticed some movement in the opposing force juts before dark, though this move was the result of confusion in the Jacobite ranks and was abandoned. He feared that the Jacobite planned to attack both his flanks and thus redeployed in forces in a north south front, the formation that they would fight in the next day. He also ordered that 200 dragoons and 300 infantryman should take on picket duty and light fires in the front of his position in order to thwart any plans for a surprise night attack. Cope felt secure with these measures and in addition ordered 3 companies of Louden’s Highlanders to guard the baggage park in Cockenzie, as well as dismissing some 100 volunteers ordering them to report back in the morning. Cope also made a last minute attempt to gain reinforcements from Edinburgh Castle,  requesting Artilleryman to attend his position. It would be for nought though, as the battle would take place a lot earlier than Cope had expected.

At the crack of dawn on the 21st September, Cope’s Dragoons beheld a spectacle that would send a shiver down any sane mans spine. Out of the early morning mist, making “wild Highland war cries and with the bloodcurdling skirl of the pipes” came 1,400 Highlanders charging straight towards Cope and his men. Cope’s inexperienced army wheeled to meet a foe they were not expecting to come from the east, and Cope even managed to scramble some artillery into position. Undaunted by the light and inaccurate fire the Highlanders continued their charge. The centre of this charge became bogged down in an are of marshland, which meant the straight line of the charge became a v formation. The wings on either side met with the dragoons on either side of the British force, which caused them to immediately flee.

This meant that Cope was left with only the centre of his force, which also happened to be the experienced Royal Infantry. Unfortunately for hem the unplanned flanking manoeuvre by the Jacobites, which happened when the wings of the v wrapped around the side of the Royal Infantry and the centre met them head on, meant the were effectively surrounded by Highlanders and they suffered for it. After sustaining heavy casualties they eventually gave way.

Around 10 minutes after the battle had begun, it was over. Hundreds of government troops were dead or injured, and thousands were taken prisoner whom Bonnie Prince Charlie himself ordered should be treated with the greatest of care. The Jacobite’s on the other hand had only suffered around 100 casualties. Cope still in charge of around 200 men, pulled them away to reorganise and rally them in an adjacent field, but they refused to engage the enemy further. Cope had no choice but to retreat and make the long journey south to the relative safety of Berwick-upon-tweed.

Cope’s baggage train in Cockenzie was seized giving the Jacobites around £5000, many muskets and plenty of ammunition but this was not all the victory gave to the cause. It signalled the true beginning of the rebellion, greatly boosting the morale of the Stuart supporters, and causing a surge in recruitment to the Jacobites in Scotland. The battle cemented the seriousness of this new Jacobite rebellion and it’s effectiveness to claim victory in the battles to come.

A cairn was erected in 1953 to commemorate the memory of all those that fell in the battle. A coal bing was also erected, atop which flies Prince Charlie’s battle flag, using the remains of the area’s coal shale shaped into an obelisk to provide a vantage point for today’s visitors.

In 2006 the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust was established with the goal to ensure much better presentation and interpretation of the battle. Plans include a visitor Centre in the grounds of Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum, ‘Living History’ battle re-enactments, battle-related storytelling and new novels, and a new ‘Flowering of the Arts’ including embroidery.

In 2008 the Trust commissioned Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division to undertake a comprehensive survey, followed by selective excavation, of the battlefield. Although it was thought that the location of the battlefield was known for years the team actually discovered that the true site was located some 500 yards away. Based on concentrations of musket balls and other evidence, this new site is where it is believed the Highlanders charge actually took place.

Details of all the Trust’s activities can be found at its website - www.battleofprestonpans1745.org

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 We asked our many fans if they had ever been and if they could share their pictures in an effort to take a look at some different perspectives of the battlefield and surrounding areas. We couldn’t have been more shocked at the amazing response we had, especially on our Twitter page. Loads of amazing people shared some fantastic images alongside some of their thoughts about the site so we would like to take a little time to share them here and let everyone see how impactful such a site can be for generations to come. Take a look at a few of our favourites below and click on them to see the original post…

We would love to hear your thoughts on this historic site and if you’d like to share any images of your own feel free to email them to info@scotclans.com, and remember this is something we like to do every so often on Facebook and Twitter so make sure you like and follow us so you can keep an eye out and join in!

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The Hector was a fully rigged fluyt built in the Netherlands sometime before 1750. She was employed in the local trade off the coasts of Great Britain but was also involved in the immigrant trade to North America. Whilst she had already made a trip carrying Scottish emigrants to Boston, Massachusetts in 1770, she had never before made a voyage to Canada. By the time of this voyage the Hector was an old ship and had definitely seen better days.

This famous voyage began with her departure from Loch Broom in the second week of July, 1773. Mr. John Pagan, the ships owner, had purchased three shares of land near Pictou, Nova Scotia, along with Dr. John Witherspoon, a presbyterian minister who is most famous for being one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. John Ross was hired by Pagan and Witherspoon to act as a recruiting agent for settlers willing to emigrate to Nova Scotia and was given authority to offer free passage, one years worth of free provisions and a farm as an incentive. John Ross recruited those that went from Greenock and Lochbroom in Rossshire, with the majority coming from Lochbroom. Most of those that boarded the Hector were poor crofters and artisans who only spoke Gaelic. There was a school teacher onboard, William McKenzie, who was one of only a few passengers who spoke both English and Gaelic.

The arduous journey was a long one and was not without troubles. The journey was delayed by 14 days due to increasingly bad weather. Dysentry and smallpox spread throughout the passengers and claimed the lives of 18 passengers. But spirits were not dampened, and in fact, were raised with the birth of a child not far fro the Canadian coast. A long 11 weeks after it left Scotland the Hector finally reached Pictou harbour. On the 15th September 1773 she made her landing at Browns Point, immediately west of the present day town of Pictou, just as the harsh winter weather was setting in.

Unfortunately the provisions they had been promised never materialised and the settlers had to hurry to build shelter without them before the harsh weather set in and starved them. This was a hard task, but the hardy Scottish settlers managed and proceeded to tame a small part of this wild new continent, naming it Nova Scotia in honour of their roots.

The town of Pictou holds great significance within the history of the Scots spreading throughout Canada. It is known as the ‘Birthplace of New Scotland’. Whilst there was already a great number of Scots settled in other areas of Nova Scotia by the time of the towns founding, it was the first settlement that was primarily made up of Scottish immigrants and was a receiving point for many Scottish immigrants moving to a new home in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island following the Highland Clearances.

During the early 90′s, officials in Nova Scotia sought to commemorate the Hector‘s contribution to Pictou’s, and Nova Scotiain, history. The Ship Hector Foundation was formed in 1992 as a result. Consisting of volunteers from Pictou county, the group began to raise funds in order for a replica of the Hector to be built. After several years of fundraising and construction, the replica Hector was launched with great fanfare and media coverage on September 17, 2000 and can still be visited today.

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The Clan system was soon to end.  The defeat of the Jacobite cause at Culloden in 1746 heralded the beginning of the end for the Clan system that had sustained the old way of life across the highlands. Retribution for supporting Bonnie Prince Charlie was swift. Raiding parties were sent into the straths and the glens throughout the highlands seeking out those who had supported the Prince. Strathglass suffered from a number of bloody incursions by Cumberland’s troops.  The people who lived in this area were known to be Catholic and possible Jacobites.  Now the British crown had control.
So families in the Strathglass area had survived Catholic persecution, then the hunting down of Jacobites but nothing prepared them for what was to happen next.  In the latter half of the 18th century the infamous Highland Clearances saw people cleared from the land, often by their own kinfolk, to provide grazing for sheep. These were gaelic people who expected to live and die on the same land their ancestors had.

Tenants were forcibly evicted

The population of Strathglass and the surrounding glens were decimated as they were forced to leave their homeland forever, many starting a new life in the new world. This was a harsh desperate time where human lives counted for nothing and land owners just wanted money from having sheep on their land.  But in the midst of all this inhumanity were real heroes – in this case heroines -  landowners fought against the Clearances.

The Chief of the Chisholms (Known as the “fair-haired Chisholm”) at this time was Chief Alexander XXIII with the support of Elizabeth and their only daughter Mary, he resisted the temptation to put the clansmen out of their homes and lease the Chisholm lands to southern sheep farmers.  In doing so defied the orders and pressure coming from London.

When the chief Alexander died in 1793, he left his widow, Elisabeth the rental of a number of crofting settlements – ‘townships’ as they were called.

Elizabeth Wilson (1760-1826), the wife of Chief Alexander XXIII

The chiefship of Clan Chisholm had gone to Alexander’s brother William.    The widow Elizabeth and her only child, Mary, kept the tenantry intact for 33 years, never turning anyone off their land.  Once, soon after Alexander’s death, the new chief came over to see Elizabeth at Comar together with many Southern men to try and intimidate her and arrange a deal for the best parts of the Glen to be turned over to sheep. Mary, a teenager, objected, and was sent to bed in disgrace. She crept down to the kitchen and told the servants what was afoot. By early next morning about a 1,000 men had gathered outside Comar House, and the southerners avoided trouble by slipping out of the back. When they looked back they saw the chief, carried on the shoulders of his clansmen being piped back from Comar to Invercannich House.

Comar Lodge

While Elizabeth and her daughter, Mary, did everything they could to stop the evictions of their tenants the chief William, the 24th Chisholm, began the clearances in Strathglass in 1801.

“By and bye, I will tell you how the tenantry were treated by the young Chief and his advisers. But I feel bound to tell you first, that repeated efforts were made by some of those who were acting for the Chief to get hold of the land still in possession of the widow. However, the great good sense of this noble- minded Edinburgh lady, and the sincere attachment of her daughter, Mrs Gooden, to her father’s tenantry stood firm against all the advances made to deprive her of the faithful Highland tenantry entrusted to her care.

For the long space of thirty-three years she kept her tenantry intact, never turned one of them out of a farm, nor did she ever deprive any man of an acre of land. As The Chisholm, her husband, left them at the time of his death in 1793, so they were left by his beloved widow at the time of her death in 1826. This excellent lady was well known and distinguished in the Highlands by the endearing term of “A Bhantigheama-Bhan”—the English equivalent of which is “the fair lady.”(From ‘From the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness’)

Many who rented on the Chief’s land were forcibly removed to make way for the sheep farming. Many of the evicted families fled across the Atlantic and settled principally in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.

“They gave the names of some Strathglass farms to their freehold lands in their adopted country. In the Island there is even the county ot Inverness.” (From ‘From the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness’).

They sailed from Fort William to Pictou in Nova Scotia on the Sarah.  During the passage, some fifty persons died of smallpox, the disease having been spread by a family called Robertson.

The first Chisholm families at Long Point, Judique would appear to have been those of Colin, William, Alexander, John and Alexander Ban. They too came to Pictou from Strathglass in 1801.  They crossed over to Long Point a year later where they built grist and saw mills and, as soon as possible, established a school.  Soon after, Alexander Chisholm was killed by a falling tree.  He was the first person to be buried in the Long Point graveyard.  Over his remains was mournfully sprinkled consecrated earth brought by the emigrants from Strathglass.

In Cape Breton Donald Chisholm, who left Strathglass for Nova Scotia in 1803 at 68 settled near Antigonish, in mainland Nova Scotia wrote a poem called  ’When I was young in Strathglass’ (‘Bah mi ogam a Strathglais’)  in it he expresses his sorrow at having to leave home in old age and his anger at the clan chiefs for betraying the old social order.

When I was young in Strathglass
I had no thought of leaving,
Now that the gallant men have gone, I too, shall leave
The coward who now rules us
Evicted his own, few remain
He prefers sheep in the hills to a kilted retinue.

(From The Last of the Celts by Marcus Tanner)

William, the chief, was always in delicate health, and the management of the estates fell largely into the hands of his wife, whom the natives of Strathglass to this day blame for having cleared the whole clan out of their native glen.   In the period of one year, half of the clan were evicted.

After William’s death, his son was still a minor; but his wife Elizabeth continued with the evictions for one sole purpose – to pay for her son’s (the future 25th Chisholm) education at Cambridge.

Bishop Chisholm had pleaded with her to end the evictions:

“Oh! Madam, you would really feel if you only heard the pangs and saw the oozing tears by which I am surrounded in this once happy but now devastated valley of Strathglass, looking out all anxiously for a home without forsaking their dear valley; but it will not do, they must emigrate!”

She promised the tenants, who had gone to her for help, to come up with a solution.  But she never did.  Two sheep farmers, Thomas Gillespie and William MacKenzie, had convinced her that she should continue with the “improvements” to her land.

The evictions continued with the Cambridge educated son, Alexander.  He followed in his parents’ footsteps and totally depopulated Strathglass.  It was said that only one Chisholm remained.  Bard and poet in the old Gael tradition, Donald Chisholm, wrote these words:

“Our chief is losing his kin! He prefers sheep in the glens, and his young men away in the camp of the army!”

A man of the time described Alexander as wanting nothing so much as to replace all his people, “his family from the beginning of time,” with sheep. And, unfortunately, it was true.

One house belonging to a man called William Chisholm was especially singled out.  Chisholm was a tinker, and probably a squatter, but this does not condone the act.  In the house was the mother of Chisholm’s wife, a bed-ridden woman of over ninety.  When Sellar was told that she was too ill to be removed, he replied: “Damn her, the old witch; she has lived too long.  Let her burn!”’

The house was set on fire and by the time she was pulled out, the blankets she was covered with were also burning.  She was set down in an adjoining shed, which only with great trouble they were prevented from burning also.  The old woman died within the week.

The news of this, and other acts, began to ripple through the country.  Sellar was taken into custody and a trial began on 23 April 1816.  The jury consisted of 15 men; eight were local landed proprietors, two merchants, two tacksmen, and one a lawyer.  Most were magistrates and Justices of the Peace.  Sellar was charged with culpable homicide.

When Lord Pitmilly came to sum up, he instructed the jury to bear in mind the character of the tinker, Chisholm, versus the character of the accused.  The jury were quite clear what he meant and returned a verdict of not guilty in fifteen minutes.

Sellar’s work as a factor for Stafford would be remembered as Bliadhna an Losgaidh, the year of the burnings.

Joe K. Chisholm’s farm at Harbour Centre, Antigonish. Joe’s great grandparents came from Strathglass to Nova Scotia in 1801 on the Nora.

Sadly Elizabeth  passed away in 1826. Her nephew, The Chisholm, Alexander William, having succeeded his father in 1817, succumbed immediately, and Round 2 of the Chisholm clearances commenced.

The post The Fair Lady of Strathglass – Heroine of The Clearances appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Danus Skene

Mr Skene was ‘a gentleman and a scholar’, terms often used when describing him. A man deeply passionate about politics but also a historian, musician and a minister. He loved the outdoors, but most of all he loved Scotland.

He is best known as a politician. In this year’s Holyrood elections he stood for the SNP for Shetland and Orkney but lost to Tavish Scott. Throughout the campaign he was blighted with ill health, even though he was out knocking on doors and speaking to people.

Mr Skene also served as the chairman of Shetland Arts and was active in the Church of Scotland, serving as a Kirk elder.

Danus George Moncrieff Skene was born in Dundee in 1944. He was educated at Eton College, and also studied at the University of Sussex, University of Chicago and University of Aberdeen before becoming a schoolteacher in Elgin. Mr Skene’s teaching career later included stints in Israel and Kenya, work in the education department of Tayside Regional Council, and also service on the board of the Scottish Qualification Authority.

He initially joined the labour party then in 1976, he founded the Scottish Labour Party (SLP), a split from the Labour Party. Then in 1979 he became secretary of the northern “Yes for Scotland” campaign during the Scottish devolution referendum. Just before the referendum, he joined the Liberal Party, for which he was elected to Perth and Kinross Council in 1980.

In early 1990s, Skene was approached by American-based members of Clan Skene who believed that he might be head of the clan. This was confirmed by the Lord Lyon, and in 1994, Skene was confirmed as Chief of the Name and Arms of Skene.

Mr Skene was very interested in history and would often help people research their roots, even offering Clan Skene members his services as a personal guide and driver when visiting Scotland.

Mr Skene stated on the Clan Skene Website (see http://www.clanskene.com/chief.html):
“My ambition as Chief is to bring together Skene clansmen worldwide in active fellowship, and to expand an awareness of modern Scotland throughout our global community.” – Danus

Our deepest sympathy goes out to all his many friends and his family.

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