#Duncan Forbes of Culloden

[nosasblog]

Chapelton Farm, near Inverness: A Fond Farewell

by Marion Ruscoe Our towns and cities are surrounded by farms which have been in existence, in some cases, for many hundreds of years.  They are all vulnerable to urban development and over the last 50 years Inverness has spread in all directions, swallowing up many farms to the east and south.  The latest development project to the east of Inverness is at Chapelton Farm, Balloch. Chapelton…

[clancarruthers]

POST CULODEN - CLAN CARRUTHERS CCIS

  POST CULLODEN   AFTER THE FORTY-FIVE AFTER THE REBELLION   In the days when he was a hunted man, expecting every moment to be taken, Charles confessed that all his thoughts were for his unfortunate followers.   The very moment the victory was won saw a beginning of those atrocities which have earned lasting infamy for Cumberland.     The soldiers were encouraged to refuse quarter; a hut into…

[scotianostra]

On February 3rd 1700, a fire broke out on the north side of Cowgate in Edinburgh's Old Town.

From there the flames spread and burnt down the close and its close surroundings, including the merchant’s Exchange building, where the Three Sister bar now is.

The fire extended rapidly up hill to involve the tall tenements on the south and east sides of Parliament Square. One, fifteen storeys high, the tallest building in Edinburgh, was reduced to a heap of ashes and ‘made a prodigious blaze"

The buildings were densely occupied and about three or four hundred families lost their homes, including many notables such as the President of Parliament, the President of the Court of Session and other Lords, lawyers, clerks and poorer families. Several lives were lost and a great number seriously injured.

Offices of businesses were destroyed including the recently opened Bank of Scotland – the only bank in Scotland at that time. Mercifully the Parliament Hall and St Giles escaped major damage. The Advocates, who lost their library in the fire, were given space in the Laigh Hall below Parliament House.

Although it escaped major damage the fire allowed the council to rebuild the Parliament “in a uniform style of architecture” regulating the buildings appearance to prevent fire. The rest of the close was given a grand entry and the courtyard was rebuilt uniformly with a continuous arcade along the front.

Cassells Old & New wrote this short account bout the Parliament building:

This magnificent hall and the buildings connected with it had a narrow escape in the “Great Fire” of 1700. It broke out in Lord Crossrig’s lodging, at Mr. John Buchan’s, near the meal-market, on a night in February; and Duncan Forbes of Culloden asserts in a letter to his brother the colonel, that he never beheld a more vehement fire; that 400 families were burned out, and that from the Cowgate upwards to the High Street scarcely one stone was left upon another.

A broadsheet entitled Fire! Fire! stated that the fire had been started by someone throwing a bottle of whisky into an open hearth.. The fire engines were of little or no use, water being scarce and the old closes so narrow that they could not gain access. As mentoned in Cassells. Duncan Forbes wrote to his brother that it was the greatest fire he ever saw ‘notwithstanding I saw London burne’, It reads;

All the pryde of Edenr. is sunk; from the Cowgate to the High Street all is burnt, and hardly one stone left upon another…the Parliament House very hardly escapt; all Registers confounded; Clerks Chambers, and processes, in such confusion, that the Lords and Officers of State are just now mett at Rosse’s Taverne, in order to adjourneing the Sessione by reason of the disorder…twenty thousand hands flitting ther trash they know not wher…These babells, of ten and fourteen story high, are down to the Ground, and their fall’s very terrible….This Epitome of dissolution I send you, without saying any more, but that the Lord is angry with us, and I see no intercessor.

Of course the clergy couldn't let this go without blaming someone, preaching sermons in which they attributed the fire to God’s punishment for the wickedness of the populace. The Town Council also took to preaching and on 4th December 1702 introduced an ‘Act anent suppressing Immoralities,’ which contained the following:-

…considering the great growth of immoralities within the City and Suburbs, and the fearful rebukes of God, by a dreadful Fire in Parliament Close….which happened about midnight upon 3rd February 1700….also, remembering the terrible Fire….on the north side of the Lawn market….28 October 1701 with several lives lost. Likewise reflecting upon other Tokens of God’s wrath lately come upon us… We…being moved with the zeal of God….do in the Lord’s strength resolve to be more watchful over our hearts and ways than formerly; And each of us in our several capacities, to reprove vice with due zeal and prudence as we shall have occasion…. under penalty of Twenty Merks Scots.

The height of the new tenements was restricted to eleven storeys rather than the fifteen storeys of their predecessors but even so Tobias Smollett writing in 1770 observed that ‘I cannot view it without horror; that is, the dreadful situation of all the families above, in case the common stair-case should be rendered impassable by a fire in the lower stories’.

The council's supposed "fireproofing" of the Parliament meant little as 124 years later a large section of the High Street went up in flames in "The Great Fire"

[ayeshaqasim786]

Why do scots wear kilts?..

Men in Scotland, and not only Scots by birth, will frequently wear kilts to formal occasions, especially weddings, graduations and moves or ceilidhs. They at times additionally wear them less officially, for instance with a jumper and climbing boots to rugby matches and outside occasions. It’s a practically a definite fire method of getting a lift in case you’re catching a ride abroad.

Men look and feel fantastic in kilts. You see them stand differently and develop a swagger. It’s amazingly appealing! My child as of late went to a college hit the dance floor with Polish and Iranian companions. All wore kilts, and they looked wonderful.

The Kilt For Men has been worn since at least the 16th Century. Before that, Medieval men wore longer tunics with a heavy woolen cloak. When wool became more available this outfit mutated into recognizable Scottish garb. The tunic step by step got more limited, at last into a long free cloth shirt (the cutty sark). Interim, the fleece shroud expanded and was utilized as a ‘multi-useful wrap. 

Two electrical discharges were sewn together longwise. The wearer arranged these into pleats and belted it around the waist. The lower bolt of cloth hung down to the knee. The upper half could be wrapped around the body as a warm and almost windproof covering. This is how the “great kilt” – the feileadh Mòr came into being.

At night, the kilt was taken off and became a large blanket or make-shift shelter. They were extraordinarily reasonable, and would have been somewhat capable the Highlanders’ endurance in a variable and regularly brutal atmosphere.

A description from 1746 states:

The garb is certainly very loose, and fits men inured to it to go through great fatigues, to make very quick marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, and shelter in huts, woods, and rocks upon occasion; which men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure. [See Ref]

Around the late 17th – early 18th Century, a less cumbersome version of the kilt, the fèileadh beag, was developed. Essentially, this was made from one bolt of cloth, omitting the the over-shoulder plaid. The pleats were permanently stitched into place, so the cloth could no longer be opened into a blanket. It is this form of the kilt which survives to the present day.

I get enthusiastic on this subject and could all too easily write more. If anyone wants further details about the history of kilts, including how they were banned following the Jacobite uprising of 1745, send me an A2A. I will close now before this becomes a dissertation.

Reference:

Forbes, Lord Culloden, Duncan (1815), Culloden Papers, London: T Cadell & W Davies, p. 289

[celticbarb]

Book: Pretty in Plaid

by Eliza Knight

Series: Prequel to Prince Charlie’s Angels

Publisher: Knight Media

Cover Design: Kimberly Killion @ The Killion Group

Edited by Erica Monroe

Bookstore Ratings: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blog Rating: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Inverness, Scotland

Culloden House

February 14, 1743

Jacobite rebel, Sorley MacLeod, who is known as the retriever to get his Laird’s niece

Kenna Forbes and bring her to the Isle of Skye the Dunvegan castle as soon as possible. Laird MacLeod is her mother’s brother, yet she had been sent to her father’s family at Culloden House. Her Uncle Duncan her father’s brother was a loyalist and a big supporter of the Hanoverian King. Everything Kenna was against but had to keep it secret to herself that she was a Jacobite supporter and wanted a Scottish Stuart on the throne!

When Sorley MacLeod first appeared Kenna rejected his wish, still feeling rejected by her MacLeod Uncle. Yet when she realized the Dragoon’s had been eavesdropping and were going to most likely murder both she and Sorley she showed him a secret pathway to exit the house. It hid much of her Uncle Duncan’s wealth so she felt he would not share this information with the Dragoon’s yet.

This was the start of their merry adventure but their lives were both on the line. As the Dragoon’s were searching the house. Now they were on the run so it would be obvious Kenna was a Jacobite supporter. Except Sorley and Kenna also were falling in love even though their lives were in peril. Will they be caught executed or worse? Read and find out.

This is another Eliza Knight winner! More of a prequel novella to her new release “You’ve Got Plaid” releasing May 25th. As Sorley was a secondary character in this upcoming novel which I read early and is brilliant. You will see a couple cameo appearances from a couple of Prince Charlie’s Angels too including a well known villain too! It shows how much danger the Jacobite rebels were in even before the devastating Culloden Battle. I really love the feisty heroine in this book and plus I love Sorley.

I highly recommend both Pretty In Plaid andYou’ve Got Plaid ! For me I could not read one without the other, as I wanted to know more information about Sorley and Kenna.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Prince Charlie’s Angels Series by Eliza Knight

1)The Rebel Wears Plaid (Jenny & Toran)

2)Truly Madly Plaid (Annie & Craig)

3)You’ve Got Plaid (Fiona & Brogan)

[isaiahrippinus]

Politics, Privilege, and Miscalculation Propelled Scotland’s First Distillery From Boom to Bust in the 1700s

In the early days of Scotch whisky, Ferintosh distillery stood above the rest. Founded in the late 17th century, the distillery and its whisky were believed to outshine its local competitors; and when it eventually traveled to new markets, such as London, it is said to have been the first whisky asked for by name. According to historians, despite its strong family lineage, favorable tax negotiations, and popularity abroad, Ferintosh was doomed from the start.

Ferintosh’s success — and eventually its demise — was inexorably tied to the politics of the day. Purchased in 1667 by “Grey” Duncan Forbes (the first Laird of Culloden and the patriarch of the prominent Forbes family), Ferintosh was burned down in 1688 by the Jacobites, the Catholic supporters of King James II (or King James VII of Scotland), who had recently been forced to abdicate the throne. The arson was an act of revenge against Forbes, who supported King James’s Protestant successor, King William.

With the distillery in ashes, Grey Duncan Forbes’ grandson, Duncan Forbes (the third Laird of Culloden), petitioned the Scottish Parliament to provide the family with restitution. The Protestant-supporting members agreed, giving Forbes an exemption from excise duty “in perpetuity.” Forbes’ annual excise duty would have been an estimated £40,000 (around £6 million by today’s standards), and without it, the family owed a simple annual fee of about £26.

Unsurprisingly, “the ‘privilege’, as it was known, gave it a huge commercial advantage,” says Charles Maclean, Scotch whisky historian. Unburdened by the taxes faced by competitors, Ferintosh was able to grow uninhibited, increasing production capacity and eventually building satellite locations throughout the region. By 1750, the distillery’s unchecked growth had resulted in the formation of seven villages, all of which relied on Ferintosh for employment.

“By the late 1760s, two-thirds of all the legal whisky produced in Scotland came from the Ferintosh distilleries,” author Neil Wilson writes in the 2018 article “The Forbes Family of Ferintosh.” By 1780, Ferintosh was producing 562,500 liters of whisky, up from 187,000 liters in 1763, more than tripling its whisky production in 17 years.

As with modern-day corporations that avoid paying taxes, Ferintosh’s success severely disrupted the balance of the industry. “The other licensed distillers got really pissed off,” Maclean tells VinePair, “and they were very powerful and lobbied parliament in London to have the dispensation removed.”

Hoping to settle the issue, Arthur Forbes (the 7th Laird of Culloden) proposed to Parliament that the “privilege” be revoked in exchange for a lump-sum payment. The government agreed, and the Forbes family received a settlement of £20,000. However, they gravely miscalculated. Ferintosh’s income under “privilege” was far greater than how much it earned with taxes reinstated, and the distillery closed within a year.

While Fernitosh’s closure was a blow for a great many admirers, perhaps none was as aggrieved as the famed Scottish poet Robert Burns, who in 1784 wrote the poem “Scotch Drink”:

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost! Scotland lament frae coast to coast! Now colic grips, an’ barkin hoast May kill us a’; For loyal Forbes’ chartered boast Is tae’en awa?

The article Politics, Privilege, and Miscalculation Propelled Scotland’s First Distillery From Boom to Bust in the 1700s appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/first-whisky-distillery-scotland/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/621095102786551808

[johnboothus]

Politics Privilege and Miscalculation Propelled Scotlands First Distillery From Boom to Bust in the 1700s

In the early days of Scotch whisky, Ferintosh distillery stood above the rest. Founded in the late 17th century, the distillery and its whisky were believed to outshine its local competitors; and when it eventually traveled to new markets, such as London, it is said to have been the first whisky asked for by name. According to historians, despite its strong family lineage, favorable tax negotiations, and popularity abroad, Ferintosh was doomed from the start.

Ferintosh’s success — and eventually its demise — was inexorably tied to the politics of the day. Purchased in 1667 by “Grey” Duncan Forbes (the first Laird of Culloden and the patriarch of the prominent Forbes family), Ferintosh was burned down in 1688 by the Jacobites, the Catholic supporters of King James II (or King James VII of Scotland), who had recently been forced to abdicate the throne. The arson was an act of revenge against Forbes, who supported King James’s Protestant successor, King William.

With the distillery in ashes, Grey Duncan Forbes’ grandson, Duncan Forbes (the third Laird of Culloden), petitioned the Scottish Parliament to provide the family with restitution. The Protestant-supporting members agreed, giving Forbes an exemption from excise duty “in perpetuity.” Forbes’ annual excise duty would have been an estimated £40,000 (around £6 million by today’s standards), and without it, the family owed a simple annual fee of about £26.

Unsurprisingly, “the ‘privilege’, as it was known, gave it a huge commercial advantage,” says Charles Maclean, Scotch whisky historian. Unburdened by the taxes faced by competitors, Ferintosh was able to grow uninhibited, increasing production capacity and eventually building satellite locations throughout the region. By 1750, the distillery’s unchecked growth had resulted in the formation of seven villages, all of which relied on Ferintosh for employment.

“By the late 1760s, two-thirds of all the legal whisky produced in Scotland came from the Ferintosh distilleries,” author Neil Wilson writes in the 2018 article “The Forbes Family of Ferintosh.” By 1780, Ferintosh was producing 562,500 liters of whisky, up from 187,000 liters in 1763, more than tripling its whisky production in 17 years.

As with modern-day corporations that avoid paying taxes, Ferintosh’s success severely disrupted the balance of the industry. “The other licensed distillers got really pissed off,” Maclean tells VinePair, “and they were very powerful and lobbied parliament in London to have the dispensation removed.”

Hoping to settle the issue, Arthur Forbes (the 7th Laird of Culloden) proposed to Parliament that the “privilege” be revoked in exchange for a lump-sum payment. The government agreed, and the Forbes family received a settlement of £20,000. However, they gravely miscalculated. Ferintosh’s income under “privilege” was far greater than how much it earned with taxes reinstated, and the distillery closed within a year.

While Fernitosh’s closure was a blow for a great many admirers, perhaps none was as aggrieved as the famed Scottish poet Robert Burns, who in 1784 wrote the poem “Scotch Drink”:

Thee, Ferintosh! O sadly lost! Scotland lament frae coast to coast! Now colic grips, an’ barkin hoast May kill us a’; For loyal Forbes’ chartered boast Is tae’en awa?

The article Politics, Privilege, and Miscalculation Propelled Scotland’s First Distillery From Boom to Bust in the 1700s appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/first-whisky-distillery-scotland/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/politics-privilege-and-miscalculation-propelled-scotlands-first-distillery-from-boom-to-bust-in-the-1700s

[travel-voyages]

How Scotland’s 35-Year Kilt Ban Backfired in Spectacular Fashion

The English banned the kilt hoping to do away with a symbol of rebellion. Instead they created a symbol of Scottish identity.

At the behest of England's national Anglican church, 1688's Glorious Revolution—also called the Bloodless Revolution—deposed the country's last Catholic king. It is widely considered Britain's first step toward parliamentary democracy. It is less known, however, for setting the table for a kingdom-wide kilt ban decades later.

That year, King James II (he was also James VII of Scotland) became the proud poppa of a baby boy—and England's parliament was not happy about it. James was Roman Catholic, a deeply unpopular religion, and the birth of his son secured a Catholic lineage that, in the opinion of England's Anglican parliament, guaranteed a future of religious tyranny. To stop this, the establishment pushed James off the throne and handed the seat to his Protestant daughter and son-in-law, Mary and William of Orange (who ruled jointly as William and Mary). Over the next 60 years, a series of bloody uprisings ensued as James's supporters, called Jacobites, attempted to restore their anointed Catholic king back to the big chair. Many of these supporters were Scottish.

Scottish Jacobite armies regularly went to battle wearing tartan kilts. A staple of Highland dress dating to the early 16th century, these outfits didn't resemble the skirt-like kilts we're familiar with today; rather, these kilts were 12-yard swaths of cloth that could be draped around the body. The garment, which could be looped and knotted to create different outfits to accommodate the fickle Highland weather, was part of a practical workman's wardrobe. As the politician Duncan Forbes wrote in 1746, "The garb is certainly very loose, and fits men inured to it to go through great fatigues, to make very quick marches, to bear out against the inclemency of the weather, to wade through rivers, and shelter in huts, woods, and rocks upon occasion; which men dressed in the low country garb could not possibly endure."

Because the kilt was widely used as a battle uniform, the garment soon acquired a new function—as a symbol of Scottish dissent. So shortly after the Jacobites lost their nearly 60-year-long rebellion at the decisive Battle of Culloden in 1746, England instituted an act that made tartan and kilts illegal.

"That from and after the first day of August, One thousand, seven hundred and forty-six, no man or boy within that part of Britain called Scotland, other than such as shall be employed as Officers and Soldiers in His Majesty's Forces, shall, on any pretext whatever, wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland clothes (that is to say) the Plaid, Philabeg, or little Kilt, Trowse, Shoulder-belts, or any part whatever of what peculiarly belongs to the Highland Garb; and that no tartan or party-coloured plaid of stuff shall be used for Great Coats or upper coats." 

Punishment was severe: For the first offense, a kilt-wearer could be imprisoned for six months without bail. On the second offense, he was "to be transported to any of His Majesty's plantations beyond the seas, there to remain for the spaces of seven years."

The law worked … mostly. The tartan faded from everyday use, but its significance as a symbol of Scottish identity increased. During the ban, it became fashionable for resistors to wear kilts in protest. As Colonel David Stewart recounted in his 1822 book, many of them worked around the law by wearing non-plaid kilts. Some found another loophole, noting that the law never "specified on what part of the body the breeches were to be worn" and "often suspended [kilts] over their shoulders upon their sticks." Others sewed the center of their kilt between their thighs, creating a baggy trouser that must have resembled an olde tyme predecessor to Hammer pants.

According to Sir John Scott Keltie's 1875 book A History of the Scottish Highlands, "Instead of eradicating their national spirit, and assimilating them in all respects with the Lowland population, it rather intensified that spirit and their determination to preserve themselves a separate and peculiar people, besides throwing in their way an additional and unnecessary temptation to break the laws."

By 1782, any fear of a Scottish uprising had fallen and the British government lifted the 35-year-old ban. Delivering a royal assent, a representative of parliament declared: "You are no longer bound down to the unmanly dress of the Lowlander."

But by that point, kilts and tartan were no longer staples of an ordinary Scottish laborer's wardrobe. In that sense, the law had done its job. But it also had an unintended consequence: It turned the tartan into a potent symbol of Scottish individuality and patriotism. So when the law was lifted, an embrace of kilts and tartan blossomed—not as everyday work clothes, but as the symbolic ceremonial dress that we know today. The law, which was intended to kill the kilt, very well might have helped saved it.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-scotland-s-35-year-kilt-ban-backfired-in-spectacular-fashion

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-scotland-s-35-year-kilt-ban-backfired-in-spectacular-fashion

[akissatmidnight]

We received so much interest in our last clan history post, which you can read here, that we thought it was a good idea to do a second. This installment is made entirely of clans that you readers wanted to know more about! In fact, so many of our followers asked to learn more about their personal clans, a part 3 is currently in the works, so make sure to check back in!

Clan Armstrong

Clan Motto: Invictus Maneo- I Remain Unvanquished

Let’s learn some fun clan facts!

There hasn’t been an Armstrong chief since the clan was outlawed by the British in the 17th century, after decades of unrest between them.

Neil Armstrong took a piece of the Armstrong tartan up to him when he went to the moon!

The Armstrong clan was so wild with their raids and battles, it is said that in 1524 the Bishop of Glasgow cursed them. He said something like this…

“I curse their head and all the hairs of their head; I curse their face, their eyes, their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their neck, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their belly, their arms, their legs, their hands, their feet, and each and every part of their body, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind…”

Lord John Grey’s full name is John William Bertrand Armstrong Grey!

Clan Fergusson

Clan Motto: Dulcius Ex Asperis- Sweeter After Difficulties

War Cry: Clann Fhearghuis gu brath!- Clan Fergusson goes on forever!

Here are some interesting things about this clan…

They are widely known as “The Sons of Fergus”.

They claim to be descended from Fergus Mór, the king of Dál Riata (an area that encompass parts of Scotland and Ireland. In turn, King Fergus claimed to be descended from King Arthur, the legendary British leader. So if you’re a Fergusson, there’s a chance you could be double royal!

There aren’t any Fergussons in Outlander, but here’s a wee Fergus to tide you over!

Clan Donnachiadh/Clan Robertson

Clan Motto: Virtutis Gloria Merces- Glory is the reward for valor

War Cry: Garg ‘nuair dhùisgear!- Fierce when roused!

hunting tartan

modern tartan

Let’s learn a few fun things about this clan…

One of the oldest clans, the Donnachiadhs took on the secondary name of Robertson when they were hearty supporters of Robert the Bruce, AKA King Robert I, in the 1300s.

This clan is in possession of the Clach na Bratach, a sacred quartz stone that is said to have been pulled from the ground by their King Duncan in the 1300s on the eve of a battle. They say it has healing powers and has been carried into battle by every chief since.

Clan Ross

Clan Motto: Spem suvvessus alit- Success nourishes hope

Here are a few things to know about this clan…

In 1689, a hundred Ross men were sent to spy on the Mackenzies at Castle Leod to ensure there wasn’t any Jacobite uprisings in the works.

Their traditional seat, Balnagowan Castle, is now owned by Mohammed Al-Fayed, former owner of the Harrod’s Department Store. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his son Dodi was killed with Princess Diana in 1997. Thankfully, Al-Fayed is in the process of restoring it.

Shout out to Ross!

Clan Gordon

Clan Motto: Bydand- Steadfast

Clan War Cry: A Gordon! A Gordon!

dress tartan

traditional tartan

Here are a few facts about the Gordon clan:

They supported Robert the Bruce and William Wallace in the Scottish Wars of Independence.

Clan Forbes were their bitter enemies and they spend decades killing each other. Like the Forbes once invited some Gordons to dine, only to murder them and then the Gordons turned right around and slaughtered a tower full of Forbes. It took two Acts of Parliament to get them to stop killing each other every other week.

then chief of Clan Gordon is always known as the “Cock o’ the North”.

And here’s Sir Fletcher Gordon, the governor of Wentworth Prison!

Clan MacNeil

Clan Motto: Cuaidh No Bas- Victory or Death

Macneil of Barra tartan

MacNeil of Collonsay tartan

Let’s learn about the MacNeil Clan!

They are said to be descendents of the Irish King Niall of the Nine Hostages, who lived in the 300s. In the legend of his birth, it’s said that his dad was such a d*ick, he forced Niall’s mom to do hard labor, hoping she would miscarry. When Niall was finally born, his mother abandoned him out of fear and he was brought up by a poet. He later returns to his rightful home and rescues his mom. When it comes time for his bio-dad to name his successor, he gives his sons, including Niall, different tasks. One was kissing a hideous monster. The other guys chickened out, but old Niall gave that nasty beast the time of her life and was rewarded by her turning into a beautiful maiden and giving him the fealty of the people for many generations.

There is also a large number of MacNeil’s of African descent, more so than any other clan name. It came from the Scotch-Irish servants who served with them or the MacNeil slave masters. While there is no data showing exactly how many, a DNA test could prove to almost any MacNeil, regardless of race, if they had come from the historic MacNeil clan.

The Grant Clan

Clan Motto: Craig Elachie- this was the name of the rallying point for the Grants. They would light signal fires at the bottom of Craig Elachie, also known as “The Rock of Alarm” to call the clan.

Clan War Cry: Stand fast, stand sure!

New tartan

old tartan

Here are some fun things about the Grant clan!

They most likely descended from Normans who came to Scotland with the British.

During the 1600s, the Grants hid a number of MacGregor outlaws from the British crown, resulting in fines and threats.

After the Battle of Culloden, eighty-four Grants were taken to Barbados and sold as slaves.

Clan Grant was affected little by the great Highland clearance that affected many other clans. This is because their chief during that time cultivated a town called Granton-on-Spey that provided enough work to sustain the clan.

Clan Stewart

Clan Motto: Virescit Vulnere Vistus- Courage Grows Strong at a Wound

The Stewarts originally came from Brittany, France, during the Norman conquest of England.

During the Wars of Independence, they were originally sided with the British, then quickly turned to support Robert the Bruce.

The Stewarts took the crown of Scotland when Walter Stewart married Robert the Bruce’s daughter, Marjorie. When Robert died, the crown passed to Water and Marjorie’s son, also named Robert. The Stewarts firmly held the crown until 1714.

There are 21 sub-clans of Stewarts.

Mary Queen of Scots and “Bonnie” Prince Charles Stuart descended from this line.

Here are some lovely Charlie gifs…

The MacDougall Clan

Clan Motto: Buaidh no bàs– Victory or Death

Let’s get a little historical up in here…

They got their name from their first chief Dougall, who descends from the royals of Norway. In fact, one of his sons, was given the title “King of the Isles” by the King of Norway in the 1200s.

The MacDougalls kept the vikings out of Scotland and even won the country the Hebrides from the Norse in the 1260s.

The Bruces and MacDougalls hated each other, which made things pretty awkward during the Scottish Wars for Independence, when they both supported William Wallace and independence from England. The MacDougalls kept things chill until Robert the Bruce was crowned king, then they went wild and ambushed him, defeating the Bruces in battle and taking some rather expensive jewelry for their troubles. But Robert was like, “nah, f*uck this,”and overtook the MacDougals three years later. Robert gave all their lands to the Campbells, who have always been loyal to him.

Clan Shaw

Clan Motto: Fide et Fortitudine- By Fidelity and Fortitude

War Cry:Na Bean Ris A Chat! Touch not the cat! (Because even the Scots know that cats can be as*holes)

Clan Chattan tartan

Green Shaw

Red Shaw (most common)

The history of how Clan Shaw came to be is fuzzy, and it seems to be as a result of a mixture of marriages, chiefs, and second sons wishing for power, but they’re greatly connected to the Macintosh clan.

They are a part of Chattan Confederation, a federation of twelve smaller clans, who often worked together. The Shaws were known for their strength and bravery in battle.

Mackintosh Clan

Clan Motto: Touch not the cat bot a glove-Touch not the cat without a glove (Scots and their cats…)

Clan War Cry: Loch Moigh- the name of a lake where the clan would rally

They are the chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.

They are descendents from Shaw MacDuff, making them the “cousins” of the Shaw Clan.

They were heavily involved in an ongoing feud with Clan Cameron that lasted 250 years.

The clan saved Prince Charlie during the Jacobite Rebellion. When she heard that the British were coming to get Charlie, Lady Macintosh rallied the men to hide along the road. When the British troops passed, the Macintosh men began shooting and calling for the Cameron and Donald men to advance. It was a buff, neither of those clans were there, but it worked and British retreated.

The Forbes Clan

Clan Motto: Grace, me guide

Clan War Cry: Lonach!- a mountain on their lands where they would rally

The name “Forbes” refers more to an area than a family name. The first record of Forbes referring to a person was in 1271.

The Forbes, who were Protestant, were really salty that the Gordons remained Catholic after the reformation. So, naturally, the Fobes killed a bunch of Gordons then the Gordons killed the Forbes…they stopped, eventually, but it took two Acts of Parliament.

Clan Bruce

Clan Motto: Fuimus- We Have Been

Ancient tartan

Modern tartan

Lets learn about the Bruce clan!

This clan came from the French de Brus in Normandy.

in 1219 Robert the Bruce married the wealthy Isobel of Huntingdon, the niece of King William the Lion, who has a king of Scotland. When King Edward I of England forced the King of Scotland, John, to abdicate, the Scots were left without a king. Robert, who was made the ‘Guardian of Scotland’ along with John Comyn after Willaim Wallace was executed was all, “hey, you know what Isobel? I should be king, not just guidian. I gotta ditch Comyn. He’s cramping my style!” So Robert stabbed him, was excommunicated by the Catholic Church, and crowned king. But the Bruce reign ended when Robert’s son David died without an Heir.

Robert the Bruce  was the real “Braveheart” and had his heart removed from from his body after he died, because he wanted his heart to go on a crusade, because who said adventure ends when you die? It was taken for a ride, but the holder died in battle and Robert’s heart was sent back to Scotland all willy nilly. It finally found a resting place in Melrose, Scotland.

A reconstruction of what Robert the Bruce looked like.

Are you a member of any of those clans? Didn’t see your clan? Let us know, because a third installment of Outlandish Clan History is in the works and we can add your family name to the list!

Look what contemporary romances Sarah is working on here and read about Kelsey’s Contemporary and Scottish historical romances here!

An Outlandish Clan History Part2 We received so much interest in our last clan history post, which you can read here…

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John Rattray, the Scottish Jacobite Surgeon and golfer was born on September 22nd 1707, at Craighall Castle, Rattray, Perthshire.Another extraordinary man from our history, it has become a 20th century cliché that the best business contacts and opportunities for professional promotions may be made on the golf course. For one 18th century Edinburgh surgeon, however, it was his golfing connections which literally saved his life.In 1731 he joined the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland to this day. He was a proficient archer winning the Archer’s Silver Bowl on four occasions. On two further occasions in 1735 and 1744 he won the Silver Arrow, presented each year to the champion archer.John Rattray also proved to be a proficient golfer, and was the winner of the first recorded open golf championship in April 1744, the month before he and several others formed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who put down on paper the first 13 rules of golf, which are more or less still adhered to, to this day. A contemporary poem ‘The Goff’ by Rev. Thomas Mathison published in 1743, the first poem devoted to the sport of golf, it mentions both Rattray, and the man who would later save him from being executed, Duncan Forbes of CullodenNorth from Edina eight furlongs and more,Lies that fam’d field, on Fortha’s sounding shore.Here Caledonian Chiefs for health resort,Confirm their sinews by the manly sport.Macdonald and unmatch’d Dalrymple plyTheir pond'rous weapons, and the green defy;Rattray for skill, and Corse for strength renown’d,Stewart and Lesly beat the sandy ground,And Brown and Alston, Chiefs well known to fame,And numbers more the Muse forbears to name.Gigantic Biggar here full oft is seen,Like huge behemoth on an Indian green;His bulk enormous scarce can 'scape the eyes,Amaz’d spectators wonder how he plies.Yea, here great Forbes, patron of the just,The dread of villains and the good man’s trust,When spent with toils in serving human kind,His body recreates, and unbends his mind.John’s father was an Episcopalian priest who became the Bishop of Dunkeld, then of Brechin and was elected Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. On his death in 1743 his elder son James became clan chief and inherited the estate. As the second son John had no such inheritance and he trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh by apprenticeship to the surgeon John Semple between 1728 and 1735, when he began surgical practice in Edinburgh.Following the Battle of Prestonpans, Rattray treated the wounded on the battlefield and joined the Jacobite army travelling with them throughout the campaign.By the time of the Battle of Culloden in April 1746 he had become the personal physician to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Rattray was captured after the battle but was freed after a personal plea to the Duke of Cumberland from Rattray’s old golf playing partner, Duncan Forbes of Culloden, who was Scotland’s most senior judge and a supporter of the government.His intercession on Rattray’s behalf secured his release from prison and saved him from certain hanging, the fate of most Jacobite officers. He was re-arrested by the Hanoverians in Edinburgh and held under house arrest until the spring of 1747. Thereafter he returned to life in Edinburgh practicing as a surgeon and winning the Silver Club of the honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1751. He continued to practice as a surgeon and died at his home in Leith Walk, Edinburgh, in July 1771.A relatively new statue and series of plaques honouring Rattray and the golfers now takes pride of place on Leith Links where the first golf tournament and meeting took place.

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On February 3rd 1700, a fire broke out on the north side of Cowgate in Edinburgh's Old Town.

From there the flames spread and burnt down the close and its close surroundings, including the merchant’s Exchange building, where the Three Sister bar now is.

The fire extended rapidly up hill to involve the tall tenements on the south and east sides of Parliament Square. One, fifteen storeys high, the tallest building in Edinburgh, was reduced to a heap of ashes and ‘made a prodigious blaze"

The buildings were densely occupied and about three or four hundred families lost their homes, including many notables such as the President of Parliament, the President of the Court of Session and other Lords, lawyers, clerks and poorer families. Several lives were lost and a great number seriously injured.

Offices of businesses were destroyed including the recently opened Bank of Scotland – the only bank in Scotland at that time. Mercifully the Parliament Hall and St Giles escaped major damage. The Advocates, who lost their library in the fire, were given space in the Laigh Hall below Parliament House.

Although it escaped major damage the fire allowed the council to rebuild the Parliament “in a uniform style of architecture” regulating the buildings appearance to prevent fire. The rest of the close was given a grand entry and the courtyard was rebuilt uniformly with a continuous arcade along the front.

Cassells Old & New wrote this short account bout the Parliament building:

This magnificent hall and the buildings connected with it had a narrow escape in the “Great Fire” of 1700. It broke out in Lord Crossrig’s lodging, at Mr. John Buchan’s, near the meal-market, on a night in February; and Duncan Forbes of Culloden asserts in a letter to his brother the colonel, that he never beheld a more vehement fire; that 400 families were burned out, and that from the Cowgate upwards to the High Street scarcely one stone was left upon another.

A broadsheet entitled Fire! Fire! stated that the fire had been started by someone throwing a bottle of whisky into an open hearth.. The fire engines were of little or no use, water being scarce and the old closes so narrow that they could not gain access. As mentoned in Cassells. Duncan Forbes wrote to his brother that it was the greatest fire he ever saw ‘notwithstanding I saw London burne’, It reads;

All the pryde of Edenr. is sunk; from the Cowgate to the High Street all is burnt, and hardly one stone left upon another…the Parliament House very hardly escapt; all Registers confounded; Clerks Chambers, and processes, in such confusion, that the Lords and Officers of State are just now mett at Rosse’s Taverne, in order to adjourneing the Sessione by reason of the disorder…twenty thousand hands flitting ther trash they know not wher…These babells, of ten and fourteen story high, are down to the Ground, and their fall’s very terrible….This Epitome of dissolution I send you, without saying any more, but that the Lord is angry with us, and I see no intercessor.

Of course the clergy couldn't let this go without blaming someone, preaching sermons in which they attributed the fire to God’s punishment for the wickedness of the populace. The Town Council also took to preaching and on 4th December 1702 introduced an ‘Act anent suppressing Immoralities,’ which contained the following:-

…considering the great growth of immoralities within the City and Suburbs, and the fearful rebukes of God, by a dreadful Fire in Parliament Close….which happened about midnight upon 3rd February 1700….also, remembering the terrible Fire….on the north side of the Lawn market….28 October 1701 with several lives lost. Likewise reflecting upon other Tokens of God’s wrath lately come upon us… We…being moved with the zeal of God….do in the Lord’s strength resolve to be more watchful over our hearts and ways than formerly; And each of us in our several capacities, to reprove vice with due zeal and prudence as we shall have occasion…. under penalty of Twenty Merks Scots.

The height of the new tenements was restricted to eleven storeys rather than the fifteen storeys of their predecessors but even so Tobias Smollett writing in 1770 observed that ‘I cannot view it without horror; that is, the dreadful situation of all the families above, in case the common stair-case should be rendered impassable by a fire in the lower stories’.

The council's supposed "fireproofing" of the Parliament meant little as 124 years later a large section of the High Street went up in flames in "The Great Fire"

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December 10th 1747 saw the death of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Duncan Forbes was born on 10 November 1685, in Culloden House, near Inverness, second son of Duncan Forbes, 3rd laird of Culloden, and Mary Innes. His elder brother, John was 12 years older. Forbes attended the local grammar school and then matriculated at Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1699. His brother John inherited the Culloden Estate when their father died in 1704. Forbes briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in 1705, then received his law degree from Leyden University in the Netherlands. He returned to Scotland in 1707 and in married Mary Rose in 1708. They had one surviving child, John Forbes Upon his brother John’s death in 1734, Forbes inherited the Culloden Estate.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Forbes and his brother raised independent companies and fortified Culloden and Kilvarock. They joined forces with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and forced Inverness to surrender to them just before the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. As a reward, Forbes was made Depute-Advocate in March 1716. This required him to prosecute Jacobite prisoners being held in Carlisle, contrary to the accepted practice they be tried in the counties where the actions were alleged to have taken place. Forbes regarded this as unjust and apparently collected money for the support of Scottish prisoners in Carlisle.

In 1721, Forbes represented Ayr Burghs as a Member of Parliament (MP.) Then in 1722, he was elected for Inverness Burghs, a seat he held until 1737 when he resigned. Forbes was appointed as Lord President of the Court of Session, becoming the senior legal officer in Scotland. He held this position until his death in 1747.

The 1745 Jacobite Uprising began when Prince Charles and a few companions landed on Eriskay on 23 July. Forbes received word of the landing on 9 August and he notified the British Government in London. After the Jacobite army entered Edinburgh and achieved a victory at Prestonpans in September, Forbes and John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun based themselves in Inverness with around 2,000 recruits. They were forced to retreat to the Isle of Skye when the Jacobites retreated to Inverness after abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746. Prince Charles used the Culloden Estate as his headquarters during the preparations for the Battle of Culloden. After the British Government victory in Culloden in April, Forbes returned home to find his house looted and all his cattle stolen.

While he supported severe penalties for the leaders, Forbes counselled that 'Unnecessary Severitys create Pity.' He opposed the 1746 Dress Act banning Highland attire except when worn in military service, arguing it was unnecessary and enforcement of the 1716 Disarming Act was more important. This advice was largely ignored.

Forbes himself was financially ruined by the Rising, due to the damage done to his estate and because he was never reimbursed for the monies spent on behalf of the government. He died on this day in 1747 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near to his brother John. A statue of him by Louis-François Roubiliac was erected in the Parliament House, Edinburgh by the Faculty of Advocates in 1752.

You can find out a lot more about the man and the enrtire history of the family here https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/edinburgh

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December 10th 1747 saw the death of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Born at Culloden House in the Highlands, November 10th 1685, there is next to nothing written about his early life, Forbes attended the local grammar school and then matriculated at Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1699. His brother John inherited the Culloden Estate when their father died in 1704. Forbes briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in 1705, then received his law degree from Leyden University in the Netherlands. He returned to Scotland in 1707 and in married Mary Rose in 1708. They had one surviving child, John Forbes Upon his brother John’s death in 1734, Duncan inherited the Culloden Estate.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Forbes and his brother raised independent companies and fortified Culloden and Kilvarock. They joined forces with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and forced Inverness to surrender to them just before the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. As a reward, Forbes was made Depute-Advocate in March 1716. This required him to prosecute Jacobite prisoners being held in Carlisle, contrary to the accepted practice they be tried in the counties where the actions were alleged to have taken place. Forbes regarded this as unjust and apparently collected money for the support of Scottish prisoners in Carlisle.

In 1721, Forbes represented Ayr Burghs as a Member of Parliament (MP.) Then in 1722, he was elected for Inverness Burghs, a seat he held until 1737 when he resigned. Forbes was appointed as Lord President of the Court of Session, becoming the senior legal officer in Scotland. He held this position until his death in 1747.

The 1745 Jacobite Uprising began Forbes received word of the Prince and the Seven Men of Moidart landing on Eriskay and notified the British Government in London. After the Jacobite army entered Edinburgh and achieved a victory at Prestonpans in September, Forbes and John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun based themselves in Inverness with around 2,000 recruits. They were forced to retreat to the Isle of Skye when the Jacobites retreated to Inverness after abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746. Charles Stuart used the Culloden Estate as his headquarters during the preparations for the Battle of Culloden. After the British Government victory in Culloden in April, Forbes returned home to find his house looted and all his cattle stolen.

While he supported severe penalties for the leaders, Forbes counselled that 'Unnecessary Severitys create Pity.' He opposed the 1746 Dress Act banning Highland attire except when worn in military service, arguing it was unnecessary and enforcement of the 1716 Disarming Act was more important. This advice was largely ignored.

Forbes himself was financially ruined by the Rising, due to the damage done to his estate and because he was never reimbursed for the monies spent on behalf of the government.

A keen golfer, after the ‘45, he saved the life of his friend, John Rattray, Charlies personal physician, he also represented the notorious Colonel Francis Charteris who gained the unenviable nickname "The Rape-Master General" Accused of rape for the third time in 1730, he was sentenced to death but Forbes is said to have been instrumental in obtaining a pardon; Charteris left him £1000 when he died in 1732.

Duncan Forbes of Culloden died in Edinburgh on 10th December 1747 and is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near to his brother John. A statue of him by Louis-François Roubiliac was erected in the Parliament House, Edinburgh by the Faculty of Advocates in 1752.

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December 10th 1747 saw the death of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Duncan Forbes was born on 10 November 1685, in Culloden House, near Inverness, second son of Duncan Forbes, 3rd laird of Culloden, and Mary Innes. His elder brother, John was 12 years older. Forbes attended the local grammar school and then matriculated at Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1699. His brother John inherited the Culloden Estate when their father died in 1704. Forbes briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in 1705, then received his law degree from Leyden University in the Netherlands. He returned to Scotland in 1707 and in married Mary Rose in 1708. They had one surviving child, John Forbes Upon his brother John’s death in 1734, Forbes inherited the Culloden Estate.

​

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Forbes and his brother raised independent companies and fortified Culloden and Kilvarock. They joined forces with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and forced Inverness to surrender to them just before the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. As a reward, Forbes was made Depute-Advocate in March 1716. This required him to prosecute Jacobite prisoners being held in Carlisle, contrary to the accepted practice they be tried in the counties where the actions were alleged to have taken place. Forbes regarded this as unjust and apparently collected money for the support of Scottish prisoners in Carlisle.

​

In 1721, Forbes represented Ayr Burghs as a Member of Parliament (MP.)  Then in 1722, he was elected for Inverness Burghs, a seat he held until 1737 when he resigned. Forbes was appointed as Lord President of the Court of Session, becoming the senior legal officer in Scotland. He held this position until his death in 1747.

The 1745 Jacobite Uprising began when Prince Charles and a few companions landed on Eriskay on 23 July. Forbes received word of the landing on 9 August and he notified the British Government in London. After the Jacobite army entered Edinburgh and achieved a victory at Prestonpans in September, Forbes and John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun based themselves in Inverness with around 2,000 recruits. They were forced to retreat to the Isle of Skye when the Jacobites retreated to Inverness after abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746. Prince Charles used the Culloden Estate as his headquarters during the preparations for the Battle of Culloden. After the British Government victory in Culloden in April, Forbes returned home to find his house looted and all his cattle stolen.

​

While he supported severe penalties for the leaders, Forbes counselled that 'Unnecessary Severitys create Pity.' He opposed the 1746 Dress Act banning Highland attire except when worn in military service, arguing it was unnecessary and enforcement of the 1716 Disarming Act was more important. This advice was largely ignored.

Forbes himself was financially ruined by the Rising, due to the damage done to his estate and because he was never reimbursed for the monies spent on behalf of the government. He died on this day in 1747 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near to his brother John. A statue of him by Louis-François Roubiliac was erected in the Parliament House, Edinburgh by the Faculty of Advocates in 1752.

[scotianostra]

December 10th 1747 saw the death of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Born at Culloden House in the Highlands, November 10th 1685, there is next  to nothing written about his early life, Forbes attended the local grammar school and then matriculated at Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1699. His brother John inherited the Culloden Estate when their father died in 1704. Forbes briefly attended the University of Edinburgh in 1705, then received his law degree from Leyden University in the Netherlands. He returned to Scotland in 1707 and in married Mary Rose in 1708. They had one surviving child, John Forbes Upon his brother John’s death in 1734, Duncan inherited the Culloden Estate.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Forbes and his brother raised independent companies and fortified Culloden and Kilvarock. They joined forces with Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, and forced Inverness to surrender to them just before the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Sheriffmuir.  As a reward, Forbes was made Depute-Advocate in March 1716. This required him to prosecute Jacobite prisoners being held in Carlisle, contrary to the accepted practice they be tried in the counties where the actions were alleged to have taken place. Forbes regarded this as unjust and apparently collected money for the support of Scottish prisoners in Carlisle.

​

In 1721, Forbes represented Ayr Burghs as a Member of Parliament (MP.)  Then in 1722, he was elected for Inverness Burghs, a seat he held until 1737 when he resigned. Forbes was appointed as Lord President of the Court of Session, becoming the senior legal officer in Scotland. He held this position until his death in 1747.

The 1745 Jacobite Uprising began Forbes received word of the Prince and the  Seven Men of Moidart landing on Eriskay and  notified the British Government in London. After the Jacobite army entered Edinburgh and achieved a victory at Prestonpans in September, Forbes and John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun based themselves in Inverness with around 2,000 recruits. They were forced to retreat to the Isle of Skye when the Jacobites retreated to Inverness after abandoning the siege of Stirling Castle in February 1746. Charles Stuart used the Culloden Estate as his headquarters during the preparations for the Battle of Culloden. After the British Government victory in Culloden in April, Forbes returned home to find his house looted and all his cattle stolen.

​

While he supported severe penalties for the leaders, Forbes counselled that 'Unnecessary Severitys create Pity.' He opposed the 1746 Dress Act banning Highland attire except when worn in military service, arguing it was unnecessary and enforcement of the 1716 Disarming Act was more important. This advice was largely ignored.

Forbes himself was financially ruined by the Rising, due to the damage done to his estate and because he was never reimbursed for the monies spent on behalf of the government. 

A keen golfer, after the ‘45,  he saved the life of his friend,  John Rattray, Charlies personal physician, he also represented the notorious  Colonel Francis Charteris who gained the unenviable nickname "The Rape-Master General"  Accused of rape for the third time in 1730, he was sentenced to death but  Forbes is said to have been instrumental in obtaining a pardon; Charteris left him £1000 when he died in 1732.

Duncan Forbes of Culloden  died in Edinburgh on 10th December 1747 and is buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, near to his brother John. A statue of him by Louis-François Roubiliac was erected in the Parliament House, Edinburgh by the Faculty of Advocates in 1752.

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John Rattray, the Scottish Jacobite Surgeon and golfer was born on September 22nd 1707, Craighall Castle, Rattray, Perthshire.

Another extraordinary man from our history,  it has become a 20th century cliché that the best business contacts and opportunities for professional promotions may be made on the golf course. For one 18th century Edinburgh surgeon, however, it was his golfing connections which literally saved his life. 

In 1731 he joined the Royal Company of Archers, the Sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland to this day. He was a proficient archer winning the Archer’s Silver Bowl on four occasions. On two further occasions in 1735 and 1744 he won the Silver Arrow, presented each year to the champion archer.

John Rattray also proved to be a proficient golfer, and was the winner of the first recorded open golf championship in April 1744, the month before he and several others formed  The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who put down on paper the first  13 rules of golf, which are more or less still adhered to, to this day. A contemporary poem ‘The Goff’ by Rev. Thomas Mathison published in 1743, the first poem devoted to the sport of golf, it mentions both Rattray, and the man who would later save him  from being executed,  Duncan Forbes of Culloden

North from Edina eight furlongs and more, Lies that fam’d field, on Fortha’s sounding shore. Here Caledonian Chiefs for health resort, Confirm their sinews by the manly sport. Macdonald and unmatch’d Dalrymple ply Their pond'rous weapons, and the green defy; Rattray for skill, and Corse for strength renown’d, Stewart and Lesly beat the sandy ground, And Brown and Alston, Chiefs well known to fame, And numbers more the Muse forbears to name. Gigantic Biggar here full oft is seen, Like huge behemoth on an Indian green; His bulk enormous scarce can 'scape the eyes, Amaz’d spectators wonder how he plies. Yea, here great Forbes, patron of the just, The dread of villains and the good man’s trust, When spent with toils in serving human kind, His body recreates, and unbends his mind.

John’s father was an Episcopalian priest who became the Bishop of Dunkeld, then of Brechin and was elected Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. On his death in 1743 his elder son James became clan chief and inherited the estate. As the second son John  had no such inheritance and he trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh by apprenticeship to the surgeon John Semple between 1728 and 1735, when he began surgical practice in Edinburgh.

Following the Battle of Prestonpans, Rattray treated the wounded on the battlefield and joined the Jacobite army travelling with them throughout the campaign.

By the time of the Battle of Culloden in April 1746 he had become the personal physician to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Rattray was captured after the battle but was freed after a personal plea to the Duke of Cumberland from Rattray’s old golf playing partner, Duncan Forbes of Culloden, who was Scotland’s most senior judge and a supporter of the government. 

His intercession on Rattray’s behalf secured his release from prison and saved him from certain hanging, the fate of most Jacobite officers. He was re-arrested by the Hanoverians in Edinburgh and held under house arrest until the spring of 1747. Thereafter he returned to life in Edinburgh practicing as a surgeon and winning the Silver Club of the honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers in 1751. He continued to practice as a surgeon and died at his home in Leith Walk, Edinburgh, in July 1771.

A relatively new statue and series of plaques honouring Rattray and the golfers now takes pride of place on Leith Links where the first golf tournament and meeting took place.