The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

AND NOTES] .
OFSCOTLAND
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that Comes Beth mentioned twice in the Chartulary of Scone is manifestly a
mistake for Comes Heth, of Moray [Celtic Scotland, iii. 62). He is the ancestor
of the famous Mac-Eths, and was married to the daughter of King Lulach.
The name is Aed, "fire," a favourite old name, later Aodh, Englished as
Hugh and lost, but still living in the surname Mackay and Mackie.
Page 79, &c. Thorfinn's mainland power is vastly exaggerated in the
Sagas. Its southern limit was Beauly Valley, where the Norse names fail.
He had also the Kingdom of the Isles and the West Coast fringe (old Argyle
or Dalir, as they called it).
Page 81, line 21. Donald Mac Malcolm here mentioned is, of course,
King Malcolm's own son.
Page 81, line 28. For Mortlach, see Celtic Scotland, ii. 379.
Page 81, Ime 3 from bottom. This is the same Donald as in I, 21. King
Maelsnechtan is in the Annals ri Moreb. His father Lulach was Macbeth's
successor for half a year.
Page 82, line 4. Caithness, Sutherland, and old Argyle were still Norse
or under Norse rule. It was King William who really annexed Caithness and
Sutherland to the Scottish Crown ; and Argyle was finally subdued in 1222.
Page 82. Donald Bane was " elected "
king. He was at first tajiist.
Page 85. Ladmann or Lament, son of Donald, was slain by the Moray
men. He was really son of the Donald on p. Si, already mentioned. See
Celtic Scotland, i. 453. The argument is therefore wrong.
Page 86. Too much is made of the " Boy of Egremont." The conspiracy
of the six earls is unexplained. See Celtic Scotland, iii. 66, where the Boy is
cautiously suggested.
Page 90, line 13. Dr. Skene here suggests that the fall of the Macdonalds
meant the fall of the Highland clans. Why, it was the rise of the modern
Highland clans. It freed the great clans of Maclean, Macleod, Mackay,
Cameron, and especially, Mackenzie, not to mention minor clans, who in the
15th century all freely got
chiefs.
Crown charters independent of the Macdonald
Page 96, line 26. Oae of the greatest factors in the change of the Highlands
from mediaivalism to more modern habits of thought was the inflow of
Presbyterian ideals in religion. Before the '45 the Highlanders were from a
religious standpoint neither good Episcopalians nor Presbyterians at all.
Indeed, they resisted Presbyterianism. A religious revival rose in the last
half of the i8th century and spread slowly all over the north, which assured
the success of Presbytery.
Chapter VII. This chapter is rendered almost valueless by later research,
which is given in full in Celtic Scotland, iii. chaps, iv. to viii.
Page 100. Modern Highland clans have been feudal in succession and
tenure of land ; but the kinship feeling still remained.
Page 102, line 16. The officer of Engineers was Captain Burt. His book
was reprinted lately.
Page 103. Law of Succession. Dr. Skene says in Celtic Scotland thdX
the Irish law of succession was "hereditary in the family, but elective in the
individual." This has been shown already. In this work he confuses
Pictish and Gaelic succession together.