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	<title>ScotClans &#124; Scottish Clans &#187; Lamont</title>
	<atom:link href="http://109.74.200.198/category/scottish-clans/lamont/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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		<title>The Castle v the &#8216;Cooncil&#8217; &#8211; the Sad Tale of Castle Toward.</title>
		<link>http://109.74.200.198/the-castle-v-the-cooncil-the-sad-tale-of-castle-toward/</link>
		<comments>http://109.74.200.198/the-castle-v-the-cooncil-the-sad-tale-of-castle-toward/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:55:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>rodger moffet</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lamont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[castle toward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cowal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dunoon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bletherskite.net/?p=6302</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>A short ferry trip from Gourock to the west of Glasgow takes you to the town of Dunoon. This seaside town was once a favoured destination as families from the polluted tenements of Glasgow would seek a respite from the foul air. The Cowal peninsula is a gateway to the highlands and one of the [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/the-castle-v-the-cooncil-the-sad-tale-of-castle-toward/">The Castle v the &#8216;Cooncil&#8217; &#8211; the Sad Tale of Castle Toward.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A short ferry trip from Gourock to the west of Glasgow takes you to the town of Dunoon. This seaside town was once a favoured destination as families from the polluted tenements of Glasgow would seek a respite from the foul air. The Cowal peninsula is a gateway to the highlands and one of the prettiest spots to ever be within easy reach of a major city. But the area has seen much decline over the years. The town of Dunoon has a patina of decay which even large scale events such as the Cowal Highland Games struggles to clean off. The industries have all gone and as Billy Connoly famously sang “A nightlife that ends in the afternoon”, “Why wont they come back to Dunoon?”</p>
<p>If ever there was an area of Scotland, blessed with natural beauty that needed a shot in the arm to bring much needed tourists back it was Cowal. You would think that the local council would be exploring every possible avenue in order to bring forth some shoots of regeneration?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://scotclans-wp.scotclans.dyndns.tv/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toward1.jpg" alt="toward1" width="700" height="314" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-47441" /></p>
<p>If you think that then you don’t know much about Argyll and Bute Council.<br />
Argyll and Bute council; famous in recent years for being the council that tried to bully a nine year old schoolgirl who challenged their paltry school meals by photographing them for her blog. Schoolgirl Martha Payne&#8217;s &#8216;Never Seconds&#8217; blog raised awareness of the School nutrition on offer and into the bargain raised around £20,000 for African charities and had the backing of celebrity chefs but the council tried to shut her down &#8211; the plan backfired spectacularly then the story went viral and the bean counters at the council had a fair helping of egg on their faces and reluctantly backed down.</p>
<p>Clearly this episode has caused some sort of goodwill meltdown at the council chambers because once again they are on the counterbalance to public opinion, once again the media, and this time the government too are calling them out and once again they have reverted back to siege mentality</p>
<p>A short drive south from Dunoon takes you to Toward point and a little further on to Castle Toward. Its a stunning spot; the mountain range of Arran rises from the sea to the south and the ruin of old castle Toward a stronghold of the <a href="/scottish-clans/clan-lamont/">Lamont Clan</a> with a terrible tragic past keeps a lonely vigil partially hidden by centuries of undergrowth. Nearby lies the large victorian mansion house known as the more modern Castle Toward.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_47445" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 360px"><img src="http://scotclans-wp.scotclans.dyndns.tv/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/toward4.jpg" alt="Toward Castle" width="350" height="203" class="size-full wp-image-47445" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Toward Castle</p></div>
<p>The castle was once a home to Lord Provost of Glasgow; Kirkman Findlay (one can only imagine the wages were better in those days) Later the castle was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and played a vital part in the liberation of Europe as the base from where landing craft crews were trained for the amphibious assault on D-Day. In later years it became an outdoor education centre and residential school.</p>
<p>In 2009 on the recommendation of fire officers the building was forced to close and has remained that way ever since. A year later the idea of a community buy out was explored and a full scale campaign to raise money began. Over the years the  South Cowal Community Development Company (SCCDC) has managed to raise £750,000 to purchase the estate and has produced a solid business plan to back it up.</p>
<p>Voices in Cowal were crying out to save the building and bring much needed employment and tourism into the area &#8211; but Argyll and Bute Council turned their deaf ear towards them.</p>
<p>The council (who incidentally paid £1 for the estate after a boundary change and also have to find nearly £350,000 a year in security and maintenance costs on the building settled on an asking price of £1.75m for the property. One of the most experience estate agents in Scotland, Savills (they actually sell estates!) valued the property at £850,000 but the council refused to budge on the ridiculous asking price.</p>
<p>Council leader Dick Walsh then suggested that the council loan the SCCDC £1m to make up the difference. Naturally the SCCDC refused stating that such a loan would bankrupt the venture. Undeterred the council then suggested that it would be OK if they defaulted on the loan since the council would just take back the assets.</p>
<p>So lets get this right &#8211; the council lends the money to the community scheme, who then put in the considerable time, money and effort to renovate the building and make it fit for purpose and produce an excellent facility for the area, then when they cant find the cash to pay back the council they come in and take the whole lot back.</p>
<p>There is one other operation that works this way, you may be familiar with them if you are a fan of Mario Puzo novels. There are the Mafia. In all honesty I cannot think of a more despicable and underhand bit of business perpetrated by a local authority. Its underhand and downright nasty</p>
<p>Naturally the local community are up in arms about the council’s intransigence. It would be safe to say that many of them will find their tenure at the council will not be renewed come local election time but that day of reckoning will come far too late for this worthwhile project. Land reform legislation on the book of the Scottish Government will prevent this sort of debacle from recurring but that legislation will come too late for Toward.</p>
<p>But there is chink of light still glimmering in the window of this faded mansion. thrown open to the wider global community many have thrown their weight behind a campaign to force the council to see sense. <a href="https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-castle-toward-1">signing the online petition</a> for example will take a few seconds out of your day and might, just might tip the balance that ensures this forgotten jewel does not go the way of its predecessor and sadly many of its contemporaries around Scotland.</p>
<p>There may only be days left….</p>
<p>For more information see the save Castle Toward site at: <a href="http://www.savecastletoward.com" target="_blank">www.savecastletoward.com</a></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/the-castle-v-the-cooncil-the-sad-tale-of-castle-toward/">The Castle v the &#8216;Cooncil&#8217; &#8211; the Sad Tale of Castle Toward.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
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		<title>Clan Event Fund Recipients Announced</title>
		<link>http://109.74.200.198/clan-event-fund-recipients-announced/</link>
		<comments>http://109.74.200.198/clan-event-fund-recipients-announced/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:32:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nadine Lee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[CLANS - Big List of Scottish Clans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lamont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacDougall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacGregor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacLachlan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacLaren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacThomas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moffat]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fergus Ewing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Homecoming 2014]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Clan Event Fund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bletherskite.net/?p=5860</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Recipients of the Scottish Government&#8217;s Clan Event Fund were announced today, with over £26,000 in funding awarded to clan events as part of 2014 Homecoming Scotland celebrations. Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing announced that all ten applicants to the fund have been offered grants to support the staging of clan events across the country. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/clan-event-fund-recipients-announced/">Clan Event Fund Recipients Announced</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Recipients of the Scottish Government&#8217;s Clan Event Fund were announced today, with over £26,000 in funding awarded to clan events as part of 2014 Homecoming Scotland celebrations.</p>
<p>Enterprise and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing announced that all ten applicants to the fund have been offered grants to support the staging of clan events across the country. <a href="http://www.bletherskite.net/2013/10/23/government-announces-clan-event-fund/" target="_blank">In October last year the £200,000 fund was put in place</a> to provide support for activities promoting clan tourism outside of Edinburgh and Galsgow over the next three years. Such events are a major attraction to the hundreds of thousands from across the globe who visit Scotland to explore their ancestry.</p>
<p>The 2014 recipients are:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Clan Munro Association</strong> &#8211; 10th International Clan Munro Gathering.<br />
Foulis Castle, Evanton. Awarded £5000.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Lachlan Gathering &amp; Strathlachlan Community Festival.</strong><br />
Castle Lachlan, Strathlachlan. Awarded £5000.</li>
<li><strong>MacDougall of Dunollie Preservation Trust</strong> &#8211; Clan MacDougall International Gathering 2014.<br />
Dunollie House plus various local locations. Oban, Argyll. Awarded £5000.</li>
<li><strong>Clan MacThomas Society</strong> &#8211; 2014 Diamond Jubilee Gathering.<br />
Perth and Kinross, Pitlochry/Glenshee/Kirkmichael. Awarded £1070.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Gregor Society</strong> &#8211; International Clan Gregor Gathering 2014.<br />
Based at Stirling University then at Dalmally, Argyllshire. Awarded £1750.</li>
<li><strong>Clan MacLaren</strong> &#8211; Clan MacLaren at the Lochearnhead Highland Games and Gathering.<br />
Balquhidder and Strathyre. Awarded £1000.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Hay Society</strong> &#8211; Tartan Ties 2014.<br />
Stirling and Aberdeen. Awarded £2500.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Lamont Society</strong> &#8211; Clan Lamont Family Fun Day.<br />
Toward Castle, Dunoon. Awarded £3000.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Moffat UK</strong> &#8211; Clan Moffat International Gathering.<br />
Moffat. Awarded £1000.</li>
<li><strong>Clan Donnachaidh</strong> &#8211; Society Gathering.<br />
Killiecrankie Hall, Pitlochry, and Clan Centre at Bruar. Awarded £1000.</li>
</ul>
<p>Mr Ewing said he was delighted to announce the initial allocation of funding, saying clan events generate income and provide a colourful spectacle in communities where they take place. He said: &#8220;This is the year that Scotland gives a warm welcome to visitors from around the world as we showcase the history and traditions of Scottish Clans during our second year of Homecoming.&#8221;</p>
<p>“Not only will the Scottish Clan Event Fund help support activities during this year’s celebrations, but will also provide a legacy by supporting Clan events through to our planned Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/clan-event-fund-recipients-announced/">Clan Event Fund Recipients Announced</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
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		<title>The Clans of Ireland</title>
		<link>http://109.74.200.198/the-clans-of-ireland/</link>
		<comments>http://109.74.200.198/the-clans-of-ireland/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:26:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nadine Lee</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[CLANS - Big List of Scottish Clans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaelic Heritage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lamont]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacLachlan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MacNeil of Barra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Munro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gallowglass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Irish Clans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert the Bruce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Standing COuncil of Irish Chiefs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bletherskite.net/?p=5812</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>This time tomorrow I&#8217;ll be jet-setting across the ditch to Ireland for a quick break with my wee brother who is currently visiting me in Edinburgh. We&#8217;ll be spending some time in Dublin and Galway, before heading up to Northern Ireland, then back home to Scotland. I&#8217;m looking forward to connecting some ancestral puzzle pieces, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/the-clans-of-ireland/">The Clans of Ireland</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_38982" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 547px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/map_of_irish_clans_1485.jpg" data-lightboxplus="lightbox[38753]" title="The Clans of Ireland"><img class="size-full wp-image-38982" alt="Clan Map of Ireland, 1485" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/map_of_irish_clans_1485.jpg" width="537" height="588" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Clan Map of Ireland, 1485</p></div>
<p>This time tomorrow I&#8217;ll be jet-setting across the ditch to Ireland for a quick break with my wee brother who is currently visiting me in Edinburgh. We&#8217;ll be spending some time in Dublin and Galway, before heading up to Northern Ireland, then back home to Scotland. I&#8217;m looking forward to connecting some ancestral puzzle pieces, as well as enjoying the obligatory first pint of &#8216;real&#8217; Guinness in the famed stout&#8217;s homeland.</p>
<p>I have to admit that even though my ancestry is Irish rather than Scottish, I&#8217;m a complete newbie when it comes to Irish clans. The extent of my knowledge is that for hundreds of years there&#8217;s been an awful lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the clans, as many Scottish and Irish clans claim ancestry from each other. Clan MacLachlan, Clan Lamont, Clan Ewen of Otter and Clan MacNeil of Barra all claim descent from Ánrothán Ua Néill, an Irish prince of the O&#8217;Neill dynasty who left Ireland for Kintyre in the 11th century. Clan Munro also emigrated to Scotland from Ireland &#8211; The 11th century chief Donald Munro was granted lands in the Highlands for services rendered to Malcolm II of Scotland in defeating the Danish Viking invasion.</p>
<p>Similarly the Irish Clan Sweeney is Scottish in origin &#8211; in the early 14th century, Clan Sweeney were in cahoots with the MacDougalls &#8211; bitter enemies of Robert the Bruce. In 1310 when Bruce had most of Argyll and the North Channel in his favour, Clan Sweeney attempted to reclaim their lands at Knapdale. However they failed miserably, and were forced to reestablish themselves as Gallowglass mercenary soldiers in Donegal. The Gallowglass are an interesting story in themselves &#8211; following the Scottish Wars of Independence in the late 13th and early 14th century, many Scottish clans of Norse-Gaelic origin were dispossessed of their lands for choosing the wrong side in the war. These clans ended up in Ireland, settled by Irish nobles in return for providing services as a class of elite soldiers, famed as a heavily armoured, trained aristocratic infantry to be relied upon as a strong defence for holding a position.</p>
<p>So you see, there really is so much clan history overlapping between Scotland and Ireland. And I haven&#8217;t even mentioned the language yet &#8211; I&#8217;m told Scottish Gaelic is an older, more conservative form of Irish Gaelic (although that&#8217;s probably a topic for another day). The clan systems in both countries have their differences, however surprisingly the modern day versions of the ancient clans seem to have organised themselves in very similar ways.</p>
<p>The clan system formed the basis of society in Ireland up until the 17th century. From ancient times, Irish society was organised around traditional kinship or groups, which can trace their origins to larger pre-surname population groupings such as Uí Briúin in Connacht, Eóghanachta and Dál gCais in Munster, Uí Neill in Ulster, and Fir Domnann in Leinster. Underneath each larger grouping were various septs, who through war and politics became more powerful than others and were accorded the status of royalty in Gaelic Ireland. The largely symbolic role of High King of Ireland rotated amongst the leaders of these royal clans. Like the Scottish clans, the chief of each Irish clan was responsible for maintaining and protecting their clan and the property, and the clan was composed of those who were related by blood as well as those who were adopted or fostered into the clan.</p>
<div id="attachment_38984" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 402px"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Kinsale-1602.jpg" data-lightboxplus="lightbox[38753]" title="The Clans of Ireland"><img class="size-full wp-image-38984" alt="Siege of Kinsale Battle Map" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Kinsale-1602.jpg" width="392" height="290" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Siege of Kinsale Battle Map</p></div>
<p>The early 17th century marked a huge turning point in clan history in Ireland. The Siege of Kinsale was a three month battle ending on 3rd January 1602 that is kind of like Ireland&#8217;s version of Culloden. Kinsale was the ultimate battle in Tudor England&#8217;s conquest of Ireland, campaigned by Aodh Mór Ó Néill, Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill and other Irish clan leaders against English rule. Just like the Jacobites at Culloden, the Irish were defeated, and the clan system was effectively and decisively stamped out. The Tudor re-conquest marked the destruction of Gaelic aristocracy, and when the senior Gaelic Chiefs of Ulster left Ireland in 1607 to unsuccessfully recruit support in continental Europe, the English authorities in Dublin were able to establish real control over Ireland for the first time.</p>
<p>Despite this almost eradication of the clans, followed by the subsequent loss of ancestral lands and forced and willing emigration, today the clans of Scotland and Ireland still employ a huge part of each countries&#8217; culture. In the 1940s Edward MacLysaght, the first Chief Herald of Ireland, drew up a list of 243 Irish clans and began to publish a number of works on the history and background of Irish families. Modern Irish clans were reformed in the latter half of the twentieth century and in 1991 sixteen of the nineteen bloodline chiefs were received by the President of Ireland, Dr. Mary Robinson. This was the first time in modern history that the bloodline chieftains of Ireland had gathered to form a new Council of Irish chiefs, established by the President to bring together the Chiefs of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland as recognised by the Chief Herald. The only other recorded meeting of the Irish chiefs was before the Siege of Kinsale.</p>
<p>In January 2013 the Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Finte na hÉireann &#8211; an authentication and registration body for the Clans of Ireland. This historic event took place at a meeting of the board on 26 January 2013 at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The MOU was signed for Clans of Ireland by Dr. Michael J.S. Egan, Cathaoirleach and for the Standing Council by Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor. As part of the agreement both organisations agree to recognise each other&#8217;s authority over clans and to support each other&#8217;s respective goals, working together well into the 21st century just as the clans of each country had (allbeit in a less bloody way) for hundreds of years before.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/the-clans-of-ireland/">The Clans of Ireland</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
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		<title>The Flodden 500 Service at St Giles, Edinburgh.</title>
		<link>http://109.74.200.198/the-flodden-500-service-at-st-giles-edinburgh/</link>
		<comments>http://109.74.200.198/the-flodden-500-service-at-st-giles-edinburgh/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2013 08:59:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[<p>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 [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198/the-flodden-500-service-at-st-giles-edinburgh/">The Flodden 500 Service at St Giles, Edinburgh.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://109.74.200.198">ScotClans | Scottish Clans</a>.</p>
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				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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 read by Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank and Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, a rendition of Flowers o the Forest by Isla St Clair and an excellent reading by historian Alistair Moffat.</p>
<p>I&#8217;d like to continue by reproducing Alaistair Moffat&#8217;s reading given at St Giles. It was an excellent account of the battle and the aftermath.</p>
<p>&#8212;</p>
<blockquote>
<div><strong>FLODDEN ADDRESS. – ALISTAIR MOFFAT</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>When dawn broke on the morning of 10th September, 1513, the landscape of hell was revealed. On the gently undulating northern ridges of Branxton Hill more than 10,000 men lay dead or dying. In the midst of the carnage were the naked, plundered bodies of King James IV of Scotland, his half-brother, Alexander Stewart, Archbishop of St Andrews, George Hepburn, Bishop of the Isles, two abbots, nine great earls of Scotland, fourteen lords of parliament, innumerable knights and noblemen of lesser degree and many thousands of farmers, ploughmen, weavers and burgesses. It was the appalling aftermath of the battle of Flodden, the greatest military disaster in Scotland&#8217;s history.</div>
<div></div>
<div>In the grey light of that terrible dawn, sentries posted around the captured Scottish cannon could make out where the brunt of battle had been joined. Below them, at the foot of the slope ran the trickle of a nameless burn now choked with slaughter, a wrack of mangled bodies, broken pikeshafts, shattered shields and everywhere blood and the sickening stench of death, vomit and voided bowels. Not all of the bodies were yet corpses. Through a long dark night the battlefield had not been a silent graveyard. Trapped under lifeless comrades, crippled, hamstrung or horribly mutilated, fatally wounded men still breathed. Bladed weapons rarely kill outright and they were often used to bludgeon men to their knees or into unconsciousness. In the churned mud of the battlefield some men will have lost their footing, fallen and been hacked at before they could get up. Many bled to death, maimed, lacerated by vicious cuts, screaming, fainting and screaming once more in their death agonies. Some will have been put out of their misery by parties of English soldiers scouring the field by torchlight for plunder, stripping the bodies, ransacking them for valuables. But other men will have lingered on in</div>
<div>unspeakable pain, praying to their God, passing in and out of consciousness, slowly bleeding to death. The fury of the battle on Flodden field may have been stilled and awash with death and defeat. But all was not yet over. In an instant the plunderers and scavengers looked up and the sentries by the cannon stood to, frantically peering through the morning light. They could hear the rumbling thunder of hoofbeats – and then, suddenly, riders erupted over Barelees Rig. With 800 horsemen at his back, Lord Alexander Home galloped hard across the horrors of the battlefield and up the slopes of Branxton Hill. They had not come back to Flodden to rejoin a lost battle but to rescue their captured ordnance. And they very nearly succeeded. After a sharp skirmish, the English gunners managed to load and get off a volley at Home&#8217;s squadron, and they scattered.</div>
<div></div>
<div>And so it ended. As the Border horsemen wheeled round and raced out of range, the remnants of the shattered Scottish army were limping across the Tweed at Coldstream. There was no organised pursuit. The victorious English army had taken heavy casualties and the Earl of Surrey and his captains were exhausted. In any event, their bloody work was done. The floors o&#8217; the Forest were a&#8217; wede awa, Flodden was a national disaster, a harbinger of lawlessness in the shape of the Border Reivers, the beginning of a long period of political uncertainty and the last medieval battle in the history of Britain. The last time a king was to die leading his army.</div>
<div></div>
<div>It was also an epic. As two huge armies mustered and marched into history, extraordinary scenes had been witnessed. At Ellemford, high in the Lammermuirs above Duns, where sheep now graze on the flanks of the hills, where buzzards hang in the updrafts and an elegant bridge crosses the Whiteadder, King James IV and his army camped. Huge guns were trundled down the hill trails, dragged by oxen, and by 21st August 1513, almost 30,000 men had massed in this beautiful, now lonely valley. Two days later, the largest force ever to leave Scotland crossed the Tweed at the fords below Coldstream. They had declared war, they had entered the realm of the Tudors, of the ferociously ambitious and bull-like Henry VIII.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Meanwhile Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, and the Bishop of Durham carried the standard of St Cuthbert before their battle-hardened troops. In front of the high altar of the great cathedral, Howard had watched the bishop bless the flag of the Haliwerfolc. The lands of Palatinate, of the Prince-Bishops of Durham, reached to the Tweed and beyond, and in an early definition of Englishness, their people were known as the Holy Man&#8217;s Folk, the Haliwerfolc. Ancient allegiances were being roused and summoned.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Between 2nd and 9th September two vast armies circled each other in a small corner of North Northumberland, like heavyweight boxers looking for weaknesses or waiting for wrong moves. After the Earl of Surrey had despatched a herald, the Rouge Croix, it was finally agreed that battle would be joined on 9th September. Supplies for almost 70,000 men, horses and camp followers were running dangerously low</div>
<div>and neither army could remain in the field much longer.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Realising the strength of the Scots&#8217; entrenched position, Surrey led his men to the east, skirting Flodden Edge and staying out of artillery range. On the morning of the appointed day, he crossed the River Till and took up a position to the north of James IV&#8217;s army, barring any retreat to Scotland. And then, on a damp afternoon, the greatest battle ever fought between England and Scotland began.</div>
<div></div>
<div>On the left wing of the Scottish host, the Highlanders led by the Earl of Huntly massed in formation with Lord Home&#8217;s Borderers, and in the moments before their chiefs roared the claideamh mor, the order to charge, the Gaelic-speaking warriors did something remarkable. They began to summon the army of the dead. They began the sloinneadh, the naming of the names of memory. To bolster his courage, each man began to recite his genealogy. Many waiting to charge could go back 20 generations. As if they were offering up the murmur of prayer, each man remembered why he had come to fight. Is mise mac Iain, mac Ruaridh, mac Domhnuill. I am the son of John, the son of Roderick, the son of Donald. And once their quiet voices stilled, the roar of the claideamh mor rent the air and they broke into the charge. With their broadswords and Lochaber axes, the Highlanders tore into the English ranks, the division led by Edmund Howard, They scattered and a rout was only prevented when Lord Dacre rode to the rescue with his English Borderers. As history rumbled across Branxton Hill, fortune appeared to be smiling on the Scots.</div>
<div></div>
<div>At the same time, James IV was about to make a catastrophic decision, a crucial error of judgement. Instead of occupying an elevated position at the rear of his vast army, he chose to lead from the front. His division raced down Branxton Hill and as they reached the lower slopes and much softer ground, many men began to skid and lose their footing. This unsteadiness made it very difficult for them to control their long, 12 foot pikes. The wet ground made them charge out of formation, only engaging piecemeal with the solidly planted ranks of English billmen, With their shorter, more easily handled bills, they began to slice into James IV&#8217;s division. And as the men at the back saw the Scottish pikes go down, they hesitated and many of them ran, believing their king to be killed. By leading from the front, James was immediately submerged in the ruck of the fighting, only able to see what was directly in front of him, in no position to direct his forces. The result was disaster.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The legacy of Flodden was most immediately and keenly felt in the Borders. North of the Tweed the memory of the battle is kept alive in the fabric of the midsummer common ridings. At Selkirk the ceremony of the casting of the colours is unique in Britain and it is based on the return of a soldier known as Fletcher, traditionally believed to have been the only one of sixty from the town to return. In his bloodied hand he held aloft, in a gesture of desolate defiance, a flag captured from the men of Macclesfield in Cheshire. Many Englishmen had fought and fallen at Flodden. And passions still run high. When the Mayor of Macclesfield recently wrote to the Provost of Selkirk asking for the return of the flag, he was told that he would need to come to the Borders and take it.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Flodden is an immense story. Like Culloden in 1746, it signalled the end of a fading, feudal Scotland.  And it also ushered in a century of lawlessness, the criminal society controlled by the appalling Border Reivers. Across Europe, renaissance, enlightenment and the reformation were changing lives, forming new ideas and creating the institutions of the modern world. In the first half of the 16th century, central authority broke down in a leaderless nation, and while swords and spears spoke in Scotland, the law was often silent.</div>
<div></div>
<div>What is to be learned from all of that suffering and slaughter, from all of those ancient enmities? First that they are ancient and must remain firmly in the past. In 2014 Scotland faces a historic choice and whichever way the people of Scotland vote, it must be a signal lesson of Flodden that enmity, even ancient enmity can have no part. And it is to the credit of politicians on all sides of the argument that it has not reared an ugly head. But it might.</div>
<div></div>
<div>And alongside that it mustmbe important to remember, to understand the visceral, bloody realities of whatmwent on on that terrible day 500 years ago. Lest we forget, Flodden should become a place of remembrance and of pilgrimage, a place where the uncomfortable lessons of history can be learned and never forgotten.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Two weeks ago, on one of the countless beautiful evenings of this glorious summer, I drove over to Branxton. As the sun threw long shadows across the gently undulating fields, I tried to imagine the 10th of September, 1513, the distant roar of thousands of men, the screams, the fear and feral closeness of hand-to-hand fighting when</div>
<div>men can smell the breath, smell the sweat of men grunting pushing, hacking, swearing at them, trying to kill them. In a Gaelic phrase, I tried to listen for the music of the thing as it happened. I tried to listen to the slow, sad music of our history. I hope that many in Scotland and England hear it too.</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Prior to the sir Malcolm MacGregor (who has admitted that try as he might he can not find a single MacGregor involved in the battle) researched the casualty lists. The following names are clans and families who are known to have fought at Flodden along with notable people who fell in the battle:</p>
<p><strong>From the Highland Clans: </strong></p>
<p>Campbell, Erskine, Fraser, Gordon, Graham, Guthrie, Haldane, Hay, Keith, Leslie, Lindsay, Macaulay, Macfarlane, Mackay, Maclean, Macnab, Menteith, Moncreiff, Moray, Murray, Ogilvy, Oliphant, Ramsay, Rattray, Ross, Ruthven, Seton, Sinclair, Stewart, Forbes, Forsyth, Grant, MacKenzie, MacNaughton, Ross, Skene, Buchanan Of Leny, MacDonald</p>
<p><strong>The Lowland and Border Clans and Families:</strong></p>
<p>Adair, Abercromby, Adam, Anstruther, Baillie, Baird, Balfour, Barclay, Blackadder, Bonar, Boswell, Carnegie, Cathcart, Cleland, Cockburn, Colville, Craig, Crauford, Crichton, Cunningham, Dunbar, Dundas, Edmonstone Of Duntreath, Elphinstone, Fotheringham, Gray, Grierson, Haig, St.Clair Of Roslin, Henderson, Hepburne, Herries, Home, Hoppringle, Houston, Lauder, Liddel, Lockhart, Lumsden, Lyon, Masterson, Maitland, Maule, Maxtone, Maxwell, Melville, Muirhead, Mure, Napier, Rollo, Sempill, Somerville, Spottiswood, Stewart Of Traquair, Allardice, Ballingall, Kerr, Colville, Crammond, Eliott, Ferguson, Fleming, Foreman (Standard Bearer), Inche, Inglis, Johnstone, Kirkcaldy, Knolis, Logan, Montgomery, Morton, Muir, Nelson Of Madinpap, Otterbrun, Pitcarin, Pringle, Reid, Rorison, Savage, Scott, Seton, Tunstall, Vallanche, Wood Of Raik, Kennedy, Douglas, Hamilton, Livingstone, Wemyss, Wallace, MacLellan, MacCulloch, MacDowall</p>
<p><strong>Chief Or Notable Head Of House/Family</strong></p>
<p>King James IV, Archbishop Of St.Andrews (King&#8217;s Son), Earl Of Morton ( Grandson Of James 1), Earl Of Glencairn, Douglas Of Drumlanrig, Sir James Dunbar, Dundas, Lord Elphinstone, Lord Erskine, Earl Of Huntly, Earl Of Montrose, Sir Alexander Guthrie, Haig Of Bemersyde, Haldane Of Gleneagles, Earl Of Errol, Earl Of Bothwell, Sir William Keith, Earl Of Cassilis, Earl Of Rothes, Earl Of Crawford, MacDowal, Earl Of Garthland, MacFarlane Of Arrochar, Hector MacLean Of Duart, Maxwell Lord Of Carlaverock, Sir John Moncreiffe Of That Ilk, Moray Of Abercairney, Ramsay Of Dalhousie, Rattray Of That Ilk, Rollo Of Duncrub, Master Of Ruthven, Lord Sempill, Lord Seton, Earl Of Caithness, Earl Of Atholl, Earl Of Lennox, Lord Darnley, Master Of Angus, Anstruther Of That Ilk, Ballingall Of That Ilk, Master Of Eliott, Lord Forbes, Master Of Lovat, Sir Alexander Gordon Of Lochinvar, Sir Alexander Gordon Of Knockenshene, Grant Of Freuchie, John Henderson Of Fordell, Lord Alexander Home, Sir Patrick Houston Of That Ilk, William Johnstone Of That Ilk, Lord Keith, Lord Lorn, Lyon (Sons Of Lord Glamis), MacKenzie Of Kintail, Sir Alexander MacNaughton Of That Ilk, Andrew Pitcairn Of Pitcairn And 7 Sons, Lord Ross, William Ruthven Of That Ilk, Sir Walter Scott Of Buccleuch, Alexander Skene Of That Ilk, Sir David Wemyss, Earl Of Argyll, Lord Kinnaird, Master Of Cathcart, MacDonald Of Lochalsh.</p>
<p>&#8212;&#8211;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chiefs1aGT-1024x7521.jpg" data-lightboxplus="lightbox[5369]" title="The Flodden 500 Service at St Giles, Edinburgh."><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-5936" alt="Chiefs1aGT-1024x752" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chiefs1aGT-1024x7521.jpg" width="614" height="451" /></a>The St Giles Service&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Just over 40 clan chiefs  attended the St Giles service. At the end of the service they mustered for a photograph on the steps. To help you identify who was there we have been given a sketch with a key to the names:</p>
<p>1. Sir Walter Riddell of Riddell 2. The Hon. Elizabeth Fairbairn 3. Madam Pauline Hunter of Hunterston 4. Sir David Bannerman of Elsick 5. Lord Polwarth 6. Andrew Wallace Younger of that Ilk 7. Andrew Dewar Durie of Durie CBE 8. Michael Ancram, Marquess of Lothian 9. Andrew MacThomas of Finegand 10. Earl of Dundee 11. David Campbell of Strachur 12. Roderick Macneil of Barra 13. Sir James McGrigor 14. Earl of Eglinton and Winton 15. Professor David Hannay of Kirkdale and of that Ilk 16. Henry Trotter Younger of Charterhall 17. John MacArthur of that Ilk 18. Duncan Paisley of Westerlea 19. Richard Carmichael of Carmichael 20. Earl of Caithness21. Earl of Lauderdale 22. The Hon. Alexander Leslie 23. Earl of Erroll  24. Lord Napier and Ettrick 25. Madam Arabella Kincaid of Kincaid 26. David Cranstoun of that Ilk 27. Jamie Macnab of Macnab 28. Earl of Wemyss and March 29. Sir Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw  30. The Hon. Kate Nicolson 31. Duke of Montrose 32. The Hon. Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk 33. Martin Haldane of Gleneagles 34.  Lord Sempill 35.  Andrew Marjoribanks of that Ilk 36. Donald MacLaren of MacLaren  37.  Duke of Hamilton 38. Field Marshal the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank 39. Isla St Clair 40. Marquess of Ailsa 41. Madam Margaret Eliott of Redheugh 42. Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor 43. Lord Macdonald of Macdonald 44.  Richard Oliphant of that Ilk</p>
<p>This image will help you identify the chiefs:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bletherskite.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/001.jpg" data-lightboxplus="lightbox[5369]" title="The Flodden 500 Service at St Giles, Edinburgh."><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-5374" alt="001" src="http://www.bletherskite.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/001-1024x745.jpg" width="1024" height="745" /></a></p>
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