The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

404 THE HIGHLANDERS [excursus
the Gael at Forteviot, surely speaks against Skene's views, and implies
conquest.
Page 53, line 2. The Mormaor of Moray was often by the Irish Annalists
loosely called ri Alban. This Malcolm was not the King Malcolm (1005-
1034)-
Page 53, line 16. Read " Mormaer Moreb," Mormaor of Moray. For
Mormaer see Excursus above.
Chapter V. The Norse Invasions, &c. Here Skene tries to write the
history of Scotland from 843 to 1057 from new sources, viz., the Norse Sagas
checked by the Irish Annals, He never refers to the native Chronicles,
which during this period are no longer mere lists of kings. The results of
Skene's departure from native sources are here again disastrous. The chap-
ter may well be omitted in reading the book, for it is entirely misleading.
The facts are correctly given in Celtic Scotland, where Dr. Skene makes the
Chronicles his basis, and adds interesting particulars from the Norse Saga.
But even in Celtic Scotland he failed to appreciate the full force of the Norse
Invasions. For a period of over four hundred years the Norse were in possession
of the Western Isles and a fringe of the mainland (Kintyre, &c.), and
for shorter periods they held Argyle in all its extent to Lochbroom (Dalir),
Sutherland, and Caithness. With less firm hand they held Ross to the
Beauly Valley (Dingwall, "County Meeting Field," being still the Norse
name of the capital of Ross). The place names prove this. The Hebrides
could have no Gaelic left spoken in them. The place names in Lewis are in
the proportion of 4 Noise to i Gaelic. This surely speaks for itself. In
Islay, however, the proportion of Gaelic is to Norse as 2 to i. It is certain that
Gaelic had to reconquer (if it was there before) the Hebrides, Skye and
Sutherland (in great part). The ethnological characteristics of the people of
these parts fully bear this out, as Dr. Beddoe shows. The Norse element is
very strong throughout.
Page 60. The Norse settled in the Isles early in the 9th century.
Page 61, line 11. ^'Native chiefs" there were ; scarcely any left. It was
Norse chiefs who rebelled against Harald.
Page 63, line 22. The " Native chiefs " could scarcely then have recovered
Sutherland. The Sagas were unfortunately written when Caithness became
part of Scotland (i 196-1200).
Page 65, line 4. There were no " Midland Cruithne." See correction of
this mistake at note on p. 25 above. The elaborate argument about the
is useless and
Ptolemy names and those of the loth century (pp. 65-69)
groundless.
Page 71, line 14. The Malcolm that succeeded in 1005 to the throne of
Scotland was Malcolm Mac Kenneth, who reigned 30 years. The other
Malcolm was only Mormaor or King of Moray. This error is acknowledged
by Dr. Skene in Celtic Scotland, i. p. 400.
Pages 69-76. All these pages are from Norse Sagas, and as given here
are useless as history. Macbeth's connection with Thorfinn and the Norse
is a matter of doubl. His name never appears in the Sagas. The name
Mac-beth, Gaelic Mac-bethadh, means "Son of Life." Dr. Skene evidently
thought that there was a Gaelic personal name Beth, and he would not allow