1.
Scotland
–
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles, the legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is also a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages. Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses
2.
Inverness
–
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen at its north-eastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim in the 12th century, the population of Inverness grew from 40,949 in 2001 to 46,870 in 2012. The Greater Inverness area, including Culloden and Westhill, had a population of 59,910 in 2012, Inverness is twinned with one German city, Augsburg, and two French towns, La Baule and Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Inverness College is the campus for the University of the Highlands and Islands. With around 8,500 students, Inverness College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands students, in 2014, a survey by a property website described Inverness as the happiest place in Scotland and the second happiest in the UK. Inverness was again found to be the happiest place in Scotland by a new study conducted in 2015, a 93 oz silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south of Torvean in 1983. A church or a cell is thought to have been established by early Celtic monks on St Michaels Mount. The strategic location of Inverness has led to conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city, Inverness had four traditional fairs, including Legavrik or Leth-Gheamhradh, meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach. William the Lion granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a royal burgh, of the Dominican friary founded by Alexander III in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knights effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre. Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the fifteenth century, in 1187 one Domhnall Bán led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governors son, Donnchadh Mac An Toisich. Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Ban is said to have buried in a large cairn near the river. Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan Donald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, Clan Munro defeated Clan Mackintosh in 1454 at the Battle of Clachnaharry just west of the city. Clan Donald and their allies stormed the castle during the Raid on Ross in 1491, the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser of Lovat took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, the only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower. Inverness played a role in the first Jacobite rising in 1689, in early May, it was besieged by a contingent of Jacobites led by MacDonell of Keppoch
3.
Scottish Gaelic
–
Scottish Gaelic or Scots Gaelic, sometimes also referred to as Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish. The 2011 census of Scotland showed that a total of 57,375 people in Scotland could speak Gaelic at that time, the census results indicate a decline of 1,275 Gaelic speakers from 2001. A total of 87,056 people in 2011 reported having some facility with Gaelic compared to 93,282 people in 2001, only about half of speakers were fully literate in the language. Nevertheless, revival efforts exist and the number of speakers of the language under age 20 has increased, Scottish Gaelic is neither an official language of the European Union nor the United Kingdom. Outside Scotland, a group of dialects collectively known as Canadian Gaelic are spoken in parts of Atlantic Canada, mainly Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In the 2011 census, there were 7,195 total speakers of Gaelic languages in Canada, with 1,365 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island where the responses mainly refer to Scottish Gaelic. About 2,320 Canadians in 2011 also claimed Gaelic languages as their mother tongue, with over 300 in Nova Scotia, aside from Scottish Gaelic, the language may also be referred to simply as Gaelic. In Scotland, the word Gaelic in reference to Scottish Gaelic specifically is pronounced, outside Ireland and Great Britain, Gaelic may refer to the Irish language. Scottish Gaelic should not be confused with Scots, the Middle English-derived language varieties which had come to be spoken in most of the Lowlands of Scotland by the modern era. Prior to the 15th century, these dialects were known as Inglis by its own speakers, from the late 15th century, however, it became increasingly common for such speakers to refer to Scottish Gaelic as Erse and the Lowland vernacular as Scottis. Today, Scottish Gaelic is recognised as a language from Irish. Gaelic in Scotland was mostly confined to Dál Riata until the 8th century, when it began expanding into Pictish areas north of the Firth of Forth, by 900, Pictish appears to have become extinct, completely replaced by Gaelic. An exception might be made for the Northern Isles, however, however, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly, a process of Gaelicisation was clearly underway during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By a certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, by the 10th century, Gaelic had become the dominant language throughout northern and western Scotland, the Gaelo-Pictic Kingdom of Alba. Its spread to southern Scotland, was even and totalizing. Place name analysis suggests dense usage of Gaelic in Galloway and adjoining areas to the north and west as well as in West Lothian, less dense usage is suggested for north Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, the Clyde Valley and eastern Dumfriesshire. In south-eastern Scotland, there is no evidence that Gaelic was ever widely spoken, the area shifted from Cumbric to Old English during its long incorporation into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria
4.
Outer Hebrides
–
The Outer Hebrides, also known as the Western Isles, Innse Gall or the Long Isle or Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands are geographically coextensive with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. They form part of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, Scottish Gaelic is the predominant spoken language, although in a few areas English speakers form a majority. Most of the islands have a formed from ancient metamorphic rocks. The 15 inhabited islands have a population of 27,100. From Barra Head to the Butt of Lewis is roughly 210 kilometres, There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. The Western Isles became part of the Norse kingdom of the Suðreyjar, control of the islands was then held by clan chiefs, principal of whom were the MacLeods, MacDonalds, Mackenzies and MacNeils. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had an effect on many communities. Much of the land is now under control and commercial activity is based on tourism, crofting, fishing. Sea transport is crucial and a variety of services operate between the islands and to mainland Scotland. Modern navigation systems now minimise the dangers but in the past the stormy seas have claimed many ships, religion, music and sport are important aspects of local culture, and there are numerous designated conservation areas to protect the natural environment. The islands form an archipelago whose major islands are Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra. Lewis and Harris has an area of 217,898 hectares and is the largest island in Scotland and it incorporates Lewis in the north and Harris in the south, both of which are frequently referred to as individual islands, although they are connected by land. The island does not have a name in either English or Gaelic. The largest islands are deeply indented by arms of the sea such as Loch Ròg, Loch Seaforth, There are also more than 7,500 freshwater lochs in the Outer Hebrides, about 24% of the total for the whole of Scotland. North and South Uist and Lewis in particular have landscapes with a percentage of fresh water. Harris has fewer large bodies of water but has innumerable small lochans, Loch Langavat on Lewis is 11 kilometres long, and has several large islands in its midst, including Eilean Mòr. Although Loch Suaineabhal has only 25% of Loch Langavats surface area, of Loch Sgadabhagh on North Uist it has been said that there is probably no other loch in Britain which approaches Loch Scadavay in irregularity and complexity of outline
5.
North Uist
–
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. According to the 2011 Census, there are 887 Gaelic speakers on North Uist, North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of 117 square miles, slightly smaller than South Uist, North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula via Grimsay, to Berneray, and to Baleshare. With the exception of the south east, the island is very flat, some of the lochs contain a mixture of fresh and tidal salt water, giving rise to some complex and unusual habitats. The northern part of the island is part of the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area, the main settlement on the island is Lochmaddy, a fishing port and home to a museum, an arts centre and a camera obscura. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the village to Uig on Skye, as well as from the island of Berneray, Lochmaddy also has Taigh Chearsabhagh - a museum and arts centre with a cafe, small shop and post office service. Nearby is the Uist Outdoor Centre, the islands main villages are Sollas, Hosta, Tigharry, Hougharry, Paible, Grimsay and Cladach Kirkibost. Other settlements include Clachan Carinish, Knockquien, Port nan Long, Greinetobht and Scolpaig, Loch Portain is a small hamlet on the east coast – some 9 miles from Lochmaddy, with sub areas of Cheesebay and Hoebeg. According to the 2001 census North Uist had a population of 1,271, the Vikings arrived in the Hebrides in 800AD where they had large settlements. The island is known for its birdlife, including corncrakes, Arctic terns, gannets, corn buntings, the RSPB has a nature reserve at Balranald. Despite limited facilities, the athletics club has performed well at local, regional and national athletics competitions. In Donald Munros A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are described as one island of Ywst. Starting in the south of island, he described the division between South Uist and Benbecula where the end heirof the sea enters, and cuts the countrey be ebbing and flowing through it. Further north of Benbecula he described North Uist as this countrey is called Kenehnache of Ywst, that is in Englishe, some have given the etymology of Uist from Old Norse meaning west, much like Westray in the Orkney Islands. Another speculated derivation from Uist in Old Norse is Ívist, derived from vist meaning an abode, dwelling, a Gaelic etymology is also possible, with I-fheirste meaning Crossings-island or Fords-island, derived from I meaning island and fearsad meaning estuary, sand-bank, passage across at ebb-tide. Place-names derived from fearsad include Fersit, and Belfast, Mac an Tàilleir suggests that a Gaelic derivation of Uist may be corn island. In the 18th century the population of the combined Uists rose dramatically. In 1755, the Uists estimated combined population was 4,118, by 1794 it rose to 6,668, the pre-clearance population of North Uist was about 5,000 and it has dwindled to about 1,300 in 2011
6.
Harris, Scotland
–
Harris is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not a itself, Harris is often referred to as the Isle of Harris, which is the former postal county. A person from Harris is known as a Hearach, according to the 2011 Census, there are 1,212 Gaelic speakers in the Harris area. Harris is most likely to be the island referred to as Adru on Ptolemys map of the British Isles, in Old Norse, a Hérað was a type of administrative district, and the name may derive from that. An alternative origin is the Norse Hærri, meaning higher - a reference to the high hills, most of the place names on Harris are Gaelicized Old Norse. The Gaelic name Na Hearadh was also a term for the Rinns of Islay. Harris divides naturally into northern and southern parts which are separated by West and East Loch Tarbert and these halves are joined by a narrow isthmus at the main settlement of Tarbert. The bedrock of Harris is largely Lewisian gneisses, which were laid down in the Precambrian period, one of these intrusions forms the summit plateau of the mountain Roinebhal. The rock here is anorthosite, and is similar in composition to rocks found in the mountains of the Moon, Harris is a part of historic Inverness-shire, and was administered as such under older administrative divisions. In the 2001 census, Harris had a resident population of 1,916. It is part of the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area, North Harris, adjoining Lewis, contains Clisham, the highest mountain in the Outer Hebrides at 799 metres. Beyond Tarbert, the furthest settlement is Hushinish on the west coast, a bridge from the east coast links Harris to the island of Scalpay. In March 2003 the 25, 300-hectare North Harris Estate was purchased by the North Harris Trust, in April 2006 the Trust hosted the Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company conference Community Energy, Leading from the Edge in Tarbert. In early 2008 the Trust received planning consent for three 86 metre wind turbines to be located at Monan. In 2008 Mike Russell, the Scottish environment minister announced that the North Harris Trust had begun canvassing local opinion about a proposal to create Scotlands third national park in the area. The southern part of Harris is less mountainous, with numerous unspoilt and its main settlements are Rodel, known for its medieval kirk of St. Clement, the most elaborate surviving medieval church in the Hebrides after Iona Abbey, and Leverburgh. A ferry sails from the latter to Berneray, an island off the coast of North Uist, the road which runs along the east coast of south Harris is known colloquially as the Golden Road as it cost so much money to build, when it was built in 1897. It runs from Tarbert to Rodel through the area of Harris known as Bays and through the townships of Lickisto, Geocrab, Manish
7.
Skye
–
Skye, or the Isle of Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The islands peninsulas radiate from a centre dominated by the Cuillins. Although it has suggested that the Gaelic Sgitheanach describes a winged shape there is no definitive agreement as to the names origins. The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Norse rule, resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. Skyes population increased by 4 per cent between 1991 and 2001, about a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001, and although their numbers are in decline, this aspect of island culture remains important. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, fishing and forestry, Skye is part of the Highland Council local government area. The islands largest settlement is Portree, known for its picturesque harbour, There are links to various nearby islands by ferry and, since 1995, to the mainland by a road bridge. The climate is mild, wet and windy, the abundant wildlife includes the golden eagle, red deer and Atlantic salmon. The local flora is dominated by heather moor, and there are nationally important invertebrate populations on the sea bed. Skye has provided the locations for various novels and feature films and is celebrated in poetry, the first written references to the island are Roman sources such as the Ravenna Cosmography, which refers to Scitis and Scetis, which can be found on a map by Ptolemy. One possible derivation comes from skitis, an early Celtic word for winged, subsequent Gaelic-, Norse- and English-speaking peoples have influenced the history of Skye, the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. Various etymologies have been proposed, such as the winged isle or the notched isle but no solution has been found to date. The island was referred to by the Norse as Skuy. The traditional Gaelic name is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, An t-Eilean Sgiathanach being a more recent, but the meaning of this Gaelic name is unclear. Eilean a Cheò, which means island of the mist, is a poetic Gaelic name for the island, at 1,656 square kilometres, Skye is the second-largest island in Scotland after Lewis and Harris. The coastline of Skye is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a centre dominated by the Cuillin hills, Martin Martin, a native of the island, reported on it at length in a 1703 publication. Resemble nutmegs, and many rivulets here afford variegated stones of all colours, stones of a purple colour flow down the rivulets here after great rains. The Black Cuillin, which are composed of basalt and gabbro, include twelve Munros and provide some of the most dramatic
8.
Fort William, Highland
–
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the Highlands of Scotland with around 10,000 inhabitants – and the largest town, only the city of Inverness is larger. Fort William is a major tourist centre, with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west and it is a centre for hillwalking and climbing due to its proximity to Ben Nevis and many other Munro mountains. It is also known for its downhill mountain bike track. It is the start/end of both the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, around 726 people can speak Gaelic. Questions over the towns English name are various, the post-Glorious Revolution fort was named Fort William after William of Orange, and the settlement that grew around it was called Maryburgh, after his wife. This settlement was later renamed Gordonsburgh, and then Duncansburgh before being renamed Fort William, given these origins, there have been various suggestions over the years to rename the town. These proposals have led to nothing, questions over the towns Gaelic name are also quite interesting. The Gaelic name for the town is An Gearasdan, this is an adaptation of the French term garnison, French loanwords that took root during the Norman ascendancy in the British Isles and the Auld Alliance are far more common in the Scots language than in Gaelic. Historically, this area of Lochaber was strongly Clan Cameron country, the nearby settlement of Inverlochy was the main settlement in the area before the building of the fort, and was also site of the Battle of Inverlochy. In the Jacobite rising known as the Forty-Five, Fort William was besieged for two weeks by the Jacobites, from 20 March to 3 April 1746. However, although the Jacobites had captured both of the forts in the chain of three Great Glen fortifications they failed to take Fort William. During the Second World War, Fort William was the home of HMS St Christopher which was a base for Royal Navy Coastal Forces. More on the history of the town and the region can be found in the West Highland Museum on the High Street, on 2 June 2006, a fire destroyed McTavishs Restaurant in Fort William High Street along with the two shops which were part of the building. The restaurant had been open since the 1970s and prior to that the building had been Frasers Cafe since the 1920s, development work began in 2012 on new hotel accommodation and street-level shops and these opened in 2014. A Waterfront development was proposed by the Council, but there was no overwhelming support for this in the town, the development would have included a hotel, some shops and some housing, but it was stated early in 2008 that it was unlikely to be completed before 2020. It was announced in April 2010 that the project had been abandoned and they join in the intertidal zone and briefly become one river before discharging to the sea. The town and its suburbs are surrounded by picturesque mountains and it is also on the shore of Loch Eil. It is close to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, Glen Nevis, when the railway opened to Fort William on 7 August 1894, the station was given prime position at the south end of the town
9.
Clan Chattan
–
Clan Chattan is a Highland Scottish clan. There is a theory that the name Chattan came from the Catti who were a tribe of Gauls who had driven out by the Romans. Another theory is that the name comes from Catav in Sutherland, the most widely accepted theory is that they descended from Gillichattan Mor who was the great servant of Saint Cathan. Gillichattan is believed to have been the co-arb or bailie of the lands of Ardchattan. In the time of Malcolm II of Scotland the Clan Chattan possessed the lands of Glenloy and it was here that Tor Castle became the clan chiefs seat. Not much is certain about the history of the clan until towards the end of the 13th century, eva, daughter of Gilpatric or Dougal Dall, 6th chief of Clan Chattan in Lochaber married Angus Mackintosh, 6th chief of the Clan Mackintosh in 1291. Thus Angus Mackintosh became 7th chief of Clan Chattan and they lived together at Tor Castle before withdrawing to Rothiemurchus due to the enmity of Aonghus Óg of Islay, chief of Clan Donald. As a result, the lands at Arkaig were occupied by the Clan Cameron who claimed that they had been abandoned and this was the beginning of a long and bitter feud that was fought between the Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron until 1666. Prior to the 14th century the Clan Chattan was a conventional Scottish clan, skene, however, gives a different version of how Clan Chattan was formed prior to the Mackintosh alliance. Clan Vuirich and Clan Day were the original co-founders and referred to as old Clan Chattan, added to these were six stranger septs who took protection from the clan. These were Clan Vic Ghillevray, the Clan Yean, the Clan Vic Govies, the Clan Tarrel, the Clan Cheanduy, in 1942, the Lyon Court separated the leadership of Clan MacKintosh and Clan Chattan. The leadership of Clan Chattan passed to the Mackintosh of Torcastle line, there is currently a clan council of eight chiefs, representing the major clans of the Chattan. John Mackintosh of Mackintosh Captain A. A. C, farquharson of Invercauld Honourable Sir W. In the nineteenth century, many societies and associations emerged. Among these was the second Clan Chattan Association, founded in Glasgow in 1893, initial support for the association was strong with the meetings, lectures and dances described as a brilliant success, but it faded out by about 1900. Even so, clan historians of that produced several works which are still used today. In the summer of 1933, the third Clan Chattan Association was founded in London, now based in Scotland, the association has worldwide membership. It organizes a number of activities, such as the events in early August at Moy Hall in conjunction with the Highland Field Sports Fair
10.
Somerled
–
Little is certain of Somerleds origins, although he appears to have belonged to a Norse–Gaelic family of some substance. His father, GilleBride, appears to have conducted an alliance with Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair, son of Alexander I of Scotland. Following this unsuccessful uprising, Somerled appears to have turned his sights upon the kingship of the Isles, then ruled by his brother-in-law, taking advantage of the latters faltering authority, Somerled participated in a violent coup détat, and seized half of the kingdom in 1156. Two years later, he defeated and drove Godred from power, Somerled was slain in 1164 at the Battle of Renfrew, amidst an invasion of mainland Scotland, commanding forces drawn from all over his kingdom. The reasons for his attack are unknown and he may have wished to nullify Scottish encroachment, but the scale of his venture suggests that he nursed greater ambitions. On his death, Somerleds vast kingdom disintegrated, although his sons retained much of the southern Hebridean portion, compared to his immediate descendants, who associated themselves with reformed religious orders, Somerled may have been something of a religious traditionalist. Unfortunately for Somerled, his demise denied him the ecclesiastical reunification he sought, ionas oldest surviving building, St Orans Chapel, dates to the mid-12th century, and may have been built by Somerled or his family. By his wife, Ragnhild, daughter of Olafr Godredsson, King of the Isles, a later medieval successor to this kingdom, the Lordship of the Isles, was ruled by Somerleds descendants until the late 15th century. Regarded as a significant figure in 12th-century Scottish and Manx history, recent genetic studies suggest that Somerled has hundreds of thousands of patrilineal descendants, and that his patrilineal origins may lie in Scandinavia. Somerleds career is documented in four main contemporary sources, the Chronicle of Holyrood, the Chronicle of Melrose, the Chronicles of Mann. The chronicles of Holyrood and Melrose were originally compiled in the late 12th century, as products of Scottish reformed monasteries, these sources tend to be sympathetic to the cause of the Scottish kings descended from Malcolm III of Scotland. The Chronicle of Mann was first compiled in the century, and concerns itself with the history of the Crovan dynasty. Various Irish annals are useful sources of information, although they usually only corroborate what is documented in other sources. Another relevant source is a charter, issued by Malcolm IV, King of Scotland in 1160. Somerleds origins are masked in obscurity and myth, although no contemporary pedigree exists that outlines his ancestry, there are over a dozen later medieval, early modern, and modern sources that purport to outline Somerleds patrilineal descent. The names that these sources give for his father and paternal grandfather appear to be corroborated in patronymic forms recorded in the Annals of Tigernach, the names in preceding generations, however, become more unusual, and the more authoritative sources begin to contradict each other. In consequence, two or three generations may be the furthest that Somerleds patrilineal lineage can be traced with any degree of accuracy, Somerled was almost certainly of Norse–Gaelic ancestry, and nothing is known of his early life. The History of the MacDonalds and the Book of Clanranald relate that his ancestors were prominent in Argyll before being unjustly ejected by Scandinavians
11.
Stornoway
–
Stornoway is a town on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Stornoway is an important port and the town and administrative centre of the Outer Hebrides. It is home to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and a variety of educational, sporting, observance of the Christian Sabbath has long been an aspect of the islands culture. Recent changes mean that Sunday on Lewis now more closely resembles Sunday on the other Western Isles or the mainland of Scotland, according to the 2011 Census, there are 5,492 Scottish Gaelic speakers in the greater Stornoway area. The town was founded by Vikings in the early 9th century, at some point in the mid 1500s, the already ancient MacLeod castle in Stornoway fell victim to the cannons of the Duke of Argyle. Matheson sold the island to William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, lord Leverhulme held the island for a short time. His economic plans for the island overstretched his finances, faced with failure in Lewis, he gave Stornoway parish to the people of the town. The Stornoway Trust was formed and continues to administer the parish for the people and her Majestys Coastguard operates a Maritime Rescue Sub Centre from a building near the harbour. A lighthouse, seaweed processing plant and a renewable energy manufacturing yard are situated on Arnish Point at the mouth of the harbour, in 2008 the Scottish Government rejected the plans - the company responsible is currently planning their next move. The Arnish area was surveyed by SSE for a second sub-sea cable. SSE prefers Arnish Point as of 2016, the manufacturing yard was originally established in the 1970s as a fabrication plant for the oil industry but suffered regular boom and bust cycles. The downturn in business from the North Sea oil industry in recent years led to an away from serving this market. The yard is now earmarked as a key business in the development of the whole Arnish Point industrial estate and has received large amounts of funding in recent years, in 2007 the Arnish yard was taken over by its third tenant in as many years. Cambrian Engineering fell into liquidation as did Aberdeen-owned Camcal Ltd with relatively large-scale redundancies, both firms were affected by the absence of a regular stream of orders and left a chain of large debts impacting upon local suppliers. Altissimo Ltd is a new firm backed by a group of Swiss and Dutch investors, in December 2007, the yard won a contract to construct 49 towers for wind turbines in Turkey. This will ensure employment for around 70 employees for six months. Stornoway, like much of the British Isles, has an Oceanic climate, with little variation of temperature. The Caledonian MacBrayne-operated ferry MV Loch Seaforth has been sailing since 2015 and sails from the harbour to Ullapool on the Scottish mainland, there are an average of two return crossings a day, with an increase and reduction in frequency in summer and winter months respectively
12.
Scottish Highlands
–
The Highlands are a historic region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, the term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands, the Scottish Gaelic name of A Ghàidhealtachd literally means the place of the Gaels and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands. The area is sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region. At 9.1 per km2 in 2012, the density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotlands as a whole, comparable with that of Bolivia, Chad. The Highland Council is the body for much of the Highlands. However, the Highlands also includes parts of the areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Moray, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross, Stirling. The Scottish highlands is the area in the British Isles to have the Taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest. Between the 15th century and the 20th century, the area differed from most of the Lowlands in terms of language. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective languages. Scottish English is the predominant language of the area today, though Highland English has been influenced by Gaelic speech to a significant extent, historically, the Highland line distinguished the two Scottish cultures. Most of this legislation was repealed by the end of the 18th century as the Jacobite threat subsided, there was soon a rehabilitation of Highland culture. Tartan was adopted for Highland regiments in the British Army, which poor Highlanders joined in large numbers in the era of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Tartan had largely abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, but in the 1820s, tartan and the kilt were adopted by members of the social elite, not just in Scotland. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle, individual clan tartans were largely designated in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. The period of the Napoleonic wars brought prosperity, optimism, the economy grew thanks to wages paid in industries such as kelping, fisheries, and weaving, as well as large-scale infrastructure spending such as the Caledonian Canal project. On the East Coast, farmlands were improved, and high prices for cattle brought money to the area, Service in the Army was also attractive to young men from the Highlands, who sent pay home and retired there with their army pensions. This prosperity ended after 1815, and long-term negative factors began to undermine the position of the poor tenant farmers, who typically rented a few acres
