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THE following publication
was suggested by the frequent applications made to the Publishers for
information as to the limits and positions of the districts occupied by
the CLANS OF SCOTLAND, and as to the correct line of separation between
the Highlands and the Lowlands. At first nothing more was intended than a
reproduction of one of the old maps, which have now become scarce, but a
little investigation showed that the best of them were very imperfect and
inaccurate, and not worth reproducing. In these circumstances it was found
necessary to commence the work from the beginning, taking as a basis the
Acts of Parliament of 1587 and 1594, for the reason given in the note
explanatory of the Map. After having produced the Map, it was thought that
some interesting additions could be made to the publication by combining
with it, in a convenient form, several articles connected with the
Highlands not of easy access to the general public—such as the Roll of the
Clans, Strength of the Highland Forces, their War Cries, Badges, etc.
Having gone so far, it followed, almost as a matter of course, to
introduce the last appearance of the Clans as an Army, when they rallied
round the standard of the unfortunate Prince Charles, an interest in whose
adventures, and those of his gallant followers, can never cease to be felt
so long as the exquisite songs and ballads in which they are narrated
maintain their place as "household words," not only in every house in this
country, but also in every distant land in which the Scottish emigrant has
found a home. This led to the Map of the Prince’s Wanderings, the Plans
and Descriptions of his Battles, and, as a sequel, the Act of Parliament
of 1746 for disarming the Highlands and restricting the Use of the
Highland Dress.
It will thus be seen that
the work is not in any sense a history of the Clans, although it is hoped
that it may be found a useful companion to any history of Scotland, or of
the Highlands.
August 1872. |
