A history of Scotland:

Scotland’s early history is marked by standing stones known as ‘Brochs’, which are essentially circular stone towers used as burial chambers for Scotland’s earliest and possibly wealthiest residents. Little more than these towers remain today and we know little about those that occupy them beyond their millennia worn remains. What we do know is that at the time of the Roman invasion in AD 82, the land to the North of England was occupied by a tribe known as the Picts, meaning ‘painted ones’. Despite viscous and ongoing battles these ‘Wode Warriors’ were never conquered and proved a constant thorn in the side of the Romans. It is for this reason that Emperor Hadrian built his eponymous wall, effectively marking the upper most limits of Rome’s influence and the beginnings of what was to become the untamed and wild frontier of Scotland. It is a little unclear as to what happened next as the Gaelic tribes didn’t keep written records and relied mainly on oral tradition to pass their knowledge and history on, however it is evident that sometime before 500 AD the Irish calling themselves ‘Scots’ successfully colonized the country.

After the Roman Empire withdrew from England to bolster the defense of its Capital, the Dark Ages that followed were a time of great change for Scotland. While tension was understandably high when the Scots first arrived, by 843 they were galvanized by the pressures of invasion by both Scandinavia to the East and England to the South. It was at this time that Scotland moved from being a land of disparate and loosely affiliated tribes and became a relatively coordinated entity with a common interest, the preservation of what was to become Scotland’s borders and sovereignty. It was under Malcolm II in 1005 that this was fully consolidated as the tribes to the South West and South East of Scotland’s mainland joined the Picts and the Scots to become one. However, it wasn’t all happy families and old divisions remained strong, exacerbated by the natural terrain of Scotland, whose rich and diverse Lochs and Mountains created natural territorial divides. As with most early civilizations the inhabitants of Scotland became preoccupied with territorial battles and clan allegiances, something which remains to this day with the well known Protestant and Catholic divide.

It was during the Middle Ages that that most of Scotland’s legendary heroes were created. Particularly noteworthy is William Wallace who lived from 1270 to 1305 and who drove the English out of Perth and Sterling. The Mel Gibson film ‘Braveheart’ portrays him brilliantly and if you haven’t seen it yet you really must. Then there was Robert the Bruce who lived at the same time as William Wallace (1274 – 1329). He beat the English forces at Bannockburn and was later crowned at Scone in 1306, eventually and decisively beating Edward the II in 1314.

After a long and arduous war with England as it sought to invade and ultimately appropriate Scotland as its own, Barons loyal to the Scottish King Robert the Bruce wrote a letter to the Pope that became known as the Declaration of Arbroath. This letter, undersigned by Scotland’s ruling elite, was way ahead of it’s time as it detailed not only Scotland’s clear independence from England but also expressed abstract ideas such as freedom and liberty, ideals that wouldn’t be addressed by other countries for many years to come.

The Reformation of the 16^th century spearheaded by Henry VIII hit Scotland’s already turbulent political scene with as much vehement and upheaval as it had hit England’s. The driving force behind this was a man named John Knox, a devoted friend and follower of the Geneva born Protestant John Calvin. Knox’s character reflects all the traits of the archetypal Scotsman, a strong mix of morality, piety and intellectual independence that was to create the philosophically rich Scotland of the 20^th century. That aside, Knox made waves in the religious establishment and he changed the face of the Scottish Church. He successfully implemented the notion of self governing congregations, that is to say he pushed for literacy throughout all walks of life, especially schools.

As a zealous protestant Knox was strongly opposed to the rule of Mary Queen of Scots as he saw her as a foreign power, devoted to an illegitimate faith ruling a country she knew very little about. She was a Roman Catholic of French upbringing trying to rule an already untamed country during the midst of a reformation. Needless to say, she eventually fled Scotland and ended up being imprisoned and finally executed in England at the hands of cousin, Elizabeth I. For more information on this read my Mary Queen of Scots section. Ironically, Mary’s son James VI of Scotland succeeded the childless Elizabeth to become the King of England and Scotland, thus meaning for the first time a Scot was ruling the entire dominion.

For the most part, the 17^th century undid a lot of the hard work that the likes of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce had done in previous centuries. Scottish sovereignty started to be corroded as the Scottish elite spent more and more time in London, perhaps drawn by the tantalizing allure and splendor of the European Court. In any case, the last Stuart King – the Catholic James VII fled London to France and his protestant daughter Mary took the throne, effectively ending the rule of the Scots and in 1707 Scotland had no choice but to formally merge with England to create Great Britain. Although the Scottish Parliament was now abolished, those loyal to the Stuarts attempted to restore that line to the throne, despite defeat in 1715, they didn’t give up.

Those loyal to the Stuarts were known as the Jacobites and they embarked upon furthermore maneuvers for the English throne. In 1745 a man known as Charles Edward, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender, was the figurehead for the 1745 revolt. It was at first very successful with successive victories in the Highlands all the way down to Derby in Northern England. However while only 125 miles away from London they made an ill conceived tactical retreat to Scotland and their flame of rebellion was eventually extinguished at the Battle of Culloden which took place near Inverness.

The age of bloody battle and rebellion had ended by the 18^th and the union with England proved to be a prosperous one. The rapid economic growth and progress achieved through the industrial revolution produced many influential and powerful Scots who made many significant contributions to all aspects of endeavor at that time. Renowned for their inventiveness and intellect, many of the devices invented by the Scots went on to literally change the world. One such invention is the Steam Engine, arguably the single most important invention since the wheel. Because of the union with England, Scotland became swept up in the tide of England’s industrial and economic progress and as a result its economy underwent a radical transformation. Trade with British overseas colonies such as India, the Americas and Africa increased exponentially and ports such as Glasgow became major trade hubs. Its merchants and traders grew rich on imports such as tobacco and the entire country enjoyed the benefits of an increased standard of living.

Yet not everyone benefited. As the march of change pushed ever forwards, farmers in the Highlands were forcibly moved from their ancestral lands to make way for grazing land for sheep in what became known as the Highland Clearances of 1750. So too were the people of the Scottish lowlands moved. Increased urbanization and industrialization changed the demographic of the country forever.

It was at this time that Edinburgh’s New Town was built and influences of the era abound to this day as you can imagine the rich merchants walking the cobbled and austere streets by candlelight.

Modern day Scotland is no longer the industrial powerhouse that it once was and instead relies on tourism and the service industry for income. The Scottish Parliament has reopened and has limited powers although major policy such as foreign, immigration and defense is still handled by London. The fierce fighting and bloody conflict that marked its past is no longer present and an era of peace of prosperity is shared with its neighbour, England. Although it is at ease with its mutually beneficial bond with England it is still an independent country with its own culture, history and ideals. Scotland’s countryside is as beautiful and wild as it has ever been while its symbols of conflict and industry, at once dividing a nation and enriching it, now serve as its income.

The Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament  is located in Holyrood in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. It is the legislative centre for all of Scotland.

The Parliament, informally known as "Holyrood",  is made up of 129 democratically elected 'members' that are known as Members of the Scottish Parliament, or in short, MSPs. Each member serves a four-year term and 73 MSPs represent individual geographic areas through what's known as the 'first past the post system' of pluraility voting. This is a very similar system to that employed in England.

The last general election to the Parliament happened on the third of May 2007.

The very first Parliament of Scotland, known then as the ' Estates of Scotland ', was the governing body of the then independant Kingdom of Scotland, and lasted from the beginning of the 13th century right up until Scotland eventually merged with England under the 1707 Acts of Union, giving rise to Great Britain. From then on, Scotland was governed by the English Parliament in Westminster.

Castles

Scotland is famed for its castles, a fact that is testament to its turbulent and chaotic history. Probably its most famous is Edinburgh Castle, whose importance in popular culture has been enhanced by Edinburgh's romantic and idealized image; something echoed throughout all of Scotland but nowhere as much so as that iconic city. However, Edinburgh Castle is by no means the only castle in Scotland as the country is pock marked and battle scarred with these stone-clad reminders of it's fascinating past.

The first castles in Scotland were known as Motte and Bailey castles. These first came into existence in the 12^th century and were basically small fortified mounds. Two mounds or hills stood next to each other and upon these two structures were erected. The lesser would have been the bailey and this housed the living areas, storehouses and other facilities. It would have been surrounded by a wooden wall which would have later been upgraded to stone. The Motte was the greater of the two mounds and was more fortified as it contained the keep. The keep was a tower of again either wood or stone and was the residence of the chief, lord, or other person of importance. These would both have been enclosed by ditches and walls. Variations on this formula could be found throughout all of Scotland but the general theme was a keep set atop a hill surrounded by various fortifications largely dependent on the time available to construct them and available resources. Duffus Castle north of Elgin is a great example of the stone version of the Motte and Bailey Castle.

In the 13^th century, due to Norman influence, walled castles began to appear across Scotland. These were huge circular stone enclosures with a central courtyard whose defenses were gradually strengthened over time. For example, the enclosure wall of Rothesay Castle was surmounted by a rampart walk and surrounded by moats, before being flanked by two angel towers in the 13^th century and later, a fortified entrance in the 16^th century. As technology improved so too did the defenses. What was once a small wooden wall became stone and a primitive ditch became a deep foreboding moat complete with draw-bridge. If the attackers were unlucky enough to breach the other defenses such as the moat then they were greeted by such innovations as the portcullis and murder holes, small openings from which all manner of deadly substances and missiles could be dropped onto the attackers heads as they became stuck between the portcullis in front and the seething mass of their own army behind. Arrow slits were another great innovation and were either vertical slits or crosses that were slightly hollowed behind so that the archer or crossbowman could shoot easily from the inside while presenting a very small target to the attackers. As gunpowder spread across Europe, castle design in Scotland evolved in response. The square stone towers of old, so easily smashed by the immense physical force of a cannonball, were replaced by rounded towers with the ability to deflect these shots or at least absorb a measure of their lethality.

Castles also made great use of natural defenses such as steep hills or sheer cliffs descending into the sea. Edinburgh Castle is a good example of a castle using the natural terrain to great advantage as is Dunnotar Castle which stands on a rocky promontory that is unassailable on three sides.

In the 14^th and 15^th centuries a number of stone keeps were transformed into tower houses. Even if the enclosure contained a number of outbuildings such as kitchens, living quarters or armouries, the tower was still designed as a completely autonomous unit. The only entrance was reached by a ladder of removable wooden staircase so that even if the other defences are breaches, the lord and his men could still find sanctuary within the tower house itself. The cellars and dungeons were in the basement and the kitchens occupied the entire second floor or were found adjoining the banqueting areas. The private living quarters were found above that and another exclusive reception room could often be found on the top floor. This was all linked by a winding circular staircase made of stone that could be very easily defended if one held the higher ground. Defensive positions were on the top and usually consisted of a low crenulated wall through which archers and the like could shoot down upon the enemy. Much like modern houses when space was needed they simply built an extension to the existing structure. This is why many castles of the time had a distinct L or Z shape

However, as time moved on and warfare changed, castles throughout Scotland became increasingly geared towards comfort and style rather than defensive capability. In the 16^th century the emphasis was very much on the outline of the castle. Roof decorations became much more individual, with turrets, skylights, gables and corbelled chimneys crowning what were at one time bare rampart walks. Crenelations lost their defensive function and became purely symbolic. This decorative exuberance created a link between the Scottish chateaux of the period and the Renaissance of northern Europe. Traquair House by the tweed is the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. The largely unadorned, roughcast exterior dates from the 16^th century, when a series of extensions were built around the original 15^th century tower house.

 During the 17^th century Scottish Castles evolved even further. They were completely re designed and extended to meet the new criteria of symmetry, space and the separation of public and private spaces. In the case of Thirlestane Castle, two pavilions were added to the main building in the 1670s. The former tower house was given a monumental staircase and its windows were enlarged. The wings with pavilions were added in the early 19^th century.

Scottish Palaces were introduced alongside the traditional Castle in line with the Renaissance of Northern Europe. It primarily came about because the Stewart Kings believed that sophistication and culture increase the prestige of the monarchy and so the renovation of existing castles and the building of new palaces reflected the Renaissance ideals of growing intellectual and artistic interest. These trends started in France, England and Italy and were quickly adopted by Scotland. New and exciting architectural ideas flourished, paving the way for a slew of magnificent castles and public buildings being built all over Scotland.

The first such residence was Linlithgow Palace, the first royal residence to meet the new requirements of the Royal Court. It was commissioned by James I and was a grand homage to European style. It provided apartments and privacy for their royal family and their entourage in a safe, modern castle built around a central courtyard. While many of the new palaces retained some of the defensive features of old they were purely symbolic and designed to inspire and create awe and emotion rather than repelling an attack. Emblems, symbols and monuments were designed to evoke medieval ideals of chivalry to symbolise and legitimise the absolute rule of the Stewarts. Heraldic Arms were used extensively by Scottish nobility to advertise their status and pledge royal allegiance. The finest example is at Huntly Castle, where the doorway to the staircase tower is surmounted by a magnificent carved pier decorated with the royal coat of arms and those of the Gordon Family and is well worth checking out.  Another good example can be found at Edzell Castle, near Brechin.

Many palaces had four huge wings surrounding a central courtyard. They were completely self contained and had hundreds of rooms serving a myriad of functions. For example, Linlithgow Palace’s west wing was added in the 15^th century and housed the king’s private apartments. There is the antechamber with the royal guard which opened up into the throne room where foreign ambassadors were received. Affairs of state were discussed in the Bedchamber while the study was the most private of all rooms.

In the 18^th century castles were replaced by classical-style symmetrical mansions. They offered greater privacy and comfort by attributing a specific function to each particular area. Robert Adam emphasised the relationship between architecture and the landscape by choosing spectacular settings for his Scottish houses which served to emphasise their neoclassical harmony. The 19^th century reinterpreted medieval and Renaissance styles by creating Scots Baronial Style which combined past architectural styles with modern comfort.

The Baronial Style which dominated the design of castles throughout Scotland until the 20^th century is characterised by the marked asymmetry of the facades. Those of Torosay Castle, built in 1850 by David Bryce appear even more asymmetrical when viewed from the gardens below. Stepped gables, corbeled towers, split level roofs and projections create an interplay of light and shadow.

Some of the most notable examples of Castles in Scotland are;

Torosay Castle, Culzean Castle, Duff House and Inverary Castle.

Geology

Geologists have a literal field day when it comes to Scotland as the country's natural landscape exhibits rock formations far greater than any museum could possibly contain. The rocks are a timeline of the country's evolution and display three billion years of development, from the solid granite found in the Western Isles and used to construct most of Edinburgh, earning it the title of the 'Athens of the North', to the Quartzite peaks of the Tor-ridon range.

Scotland's granite was formed before life of any description could be found on earth. Although it has been around long before Scotland's famous oral tradition of storytelling, it can tell a story all of its own. It tells a story of tumultuous lava flows, crushing ice ages and the building of some of Scotland's iconic Highland Mountains. The best way to think of it is as a map divided into four distinct geological regions, these regions being made up of fault lines and thrust lines and generally running from North East to Southwest.

Some of the most notable geological formations to be found in Scotland are; the Gabbro rock that can be found in the Cuillin Hills on the misty island of Skye. This is a very dark substance that was created in the tertiary period by underground magma flows, an ancient period marked by the disappearance of the dinosaurs and the spread of mammals across the globe. Interestingly, around this time, Scotland was connected to North America and England was connected to a landmass known as Gondwana. Due to continental drift these two countries eventually collided rather appropriately not too far from their current political boundaries. It would be nice to think that the Scottish are descended from these ancient people, drifting on a continent across vast oceans to finally find home next to England. While that is an idea of pure fantasy, the truth, if it were known, would probably be just as fantastic.

The Basalt columns found on the Isle of Staffa were formed some 60 million years ago and were created when lava slowly cooled, fracturing in distinct hexagonal patterns similar to the Giants Causeway in Ireland and reminding me of a massive upturned mushroom.

There is also a lot of Devonian sandstone to be found in the Orkney Islands. It occurs when the sea erodes the layered sandstone into such a way that leaves huge sharp spires are towering monoliths teetering upon the cliff-edge to spectacular effect. One of the most famous examples of this is the ‘Old Man of Hoy’

The valleys of the Scottish Highland take on a very distinctive V and U shape as the immense weight and frictional forces of last ice age forged great paths through the mountains, breaking off spurs and eventually flattening and rounding where they meet at the bottom.

Lewisian Gneiss is to be found throughout the western Isles and in keeping with the character of the country it is one of the most ancient substances on earth. It was made three billion years ago within the earth’s lower crust. It was eventually pushed upwards through the crust and into the world as we know it. Over time the exposed rock became filled with small lochs and rivers but nothing dare grow on this barren and infertile terrain.   

Genealogy

Genealogy is a popular pursuit these days and people are discovering their lost heritage all the time. Where at one time the search for one’s ancestors meant trawling through endless library stacks and dusty books (not necessarily a bad thing), now you can trace your family history through the internet with ease. If you have a surname beginning with Mac which is literally translated as ‘Son of’, or one of the other common names from the lowlands such as Armstrong or Burns then chances are you have some Scottish blood in and your trip to Scotland will be more of coming home than going away. Chances are you’re ancestors would have belonged to a clan and would have had their own tartan. Clans are essentially a large extended family or group of Kinsmen with a common ancestry. Many now operate their own museums throughout Scotland and if you ask at a local tourist office or search the internet you will be able to find out where they’re located.

You will be able to search through the museum and look your very ancestors in the face as you gaze upon the relics of your proud Scottish history. On-site bookstores will stock clan maps and histories for you to take away with you.

Genealogical records are maintained at the General Register Office for Scotland which is located in Edinburgh and can be reach by calling; 0131 334 0380, remembering the +44 prefix if you’re calling from overseas. To search your genealogy costs a nominal fee and the office can become very busy in the summer.

If you can’t get to Edinburgh but still fancy checking to see if you have Scottish roots then you’re in luck, the Scottish Government has placed the office record for Genealogical data online for everyone to use. The web address is www.Scotlandpeople.gov.uk but again this isn’t free to use. A basic search through the archives of the site’s 100 year old census data costs around 6 pounds or $11.