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Post by UKarchaeology on Apr 1, 2016 16:03:07 GMT
 Archaeologists are to investigate the remains of a turf house building that they believe could have a connection to the Massacre of Glencoe.The ruin was recently discovered at Achtriochtan, one of the places where some of the 38 murdered members of the MacDonald clan lived. The killings in Glen Coe in February 1692 were carried out on the orders of the government. A National Trust for Scotland team will visit the site next week. The discovery was made during a routine inspection of known archaeological sites in the area by trust staff. Little of the building survives, but the workers were able to see the rough rectangular outline of it. Full story/pics: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35558646 |
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Post by thejollybard on Apr 5, 2016 13:18:40 GMT
Some interesting reading...  Back in the Day: The truth about the most famous – and certainly most bizarre – clan battle in Scottish history
THERE is always a problem when dealing with the history of the clans in Scotland. You can say something about a clan, perhaps praising it to the heavens, and members of another clan, usually their former enemies, will condemn you to Hell, and vice versa. Suggest, for instance, that the Campbells weren’t entirely responsible for the Massacre of Glencoe, as this column did a few weeks ago, and you will probably not be on any MacDonald Christmas card list for a while. At one time or another, every neighbouring clan in the Highlands appears to have been at war, or at least in plenty of battles with each other, even if some of them were just skirmishes or land or cattle grabs. At the risk of annoying clans everywhere – especially in the USA, where they take these things very seriously – it can be safely said that the most famous and certainly the most bizarre clan battle of all took place in September 1396. It was the Battle of the North Inch, or Battle of the Clans or Clan Combat, a mediaeval jousting tournament in all but name, except that this fight on foot featured 60 men trying to hack each other to death, and mostly succeeding. There is very little that can be said with complete accuracy about the battle. Even a supposed eyewitness, Andrew of Wyntoun, mixed up some of the details in his Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland. But then he wrote the original story of Macbeth and the witches, so is hardly a reliable correspondent anyway. Like all the best fights, the names are not fully remembered but the gory details have been recalled with relish for centuries. Full story: www.thenational.scot/culture/back-in-the-day-the-truth-about-the-most-famous-and-certainly-most-bizarre-clan-battle-in-scottish-history.14389 |
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