Difference between Border and Lowland Clan?

[Jock Scot]

Cheers Chas!

[MacSpadger]

I was brought up to believe that the Lowlands and the Borders were all the same thing; Anywhere south of Stonehaven.
Is that no' rich't?

Buchanan - A border clan? They were from the eastern side of the Loch Lomond area. Milngavie PB wear their tartan, (muted, thankfully).
I was up there last year and will be heading up again in less than two weeks. Here's a pic I took of Glen Fruin where the Buchanans, Colquhouns, Grahams and many others including unarmed divinity students from Glasgow University, were wiped out in a MacGregor ambush in 1603.

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[Tobus]

How could we forget those Campbell chappies and some Macgregors and Macfarlanes, too.

Don't forget the Colquhouns either!

[ForresterModern]

post removed.

[Jock Scot]

Well that is your slant Jeff, but not a local one and I wonder where you have developed those ideas. I ask purely out of interest not for any other reason. Ben Nevis the UK's highest peak, by your definition of speaking geographically and the Cairngorms are in the cental highlands, what about Argyll? Many of the movers and shakers of Highland and Scots history hail from south of the Great Glen too. Interestingly the further North and Western Isles too, one goes in the Highlands it is the Norse influence that starts to take a large chunk of the cultural influence. No sorry Jeff, I think you need a bit of a rethink. However, I grant you the influences of the lowlands must have crept over the highland line from time to time, paticularly in the last ,say, 75/100 years.

It is interesting that a large proportion of visitors only get as far as the Great Glen and think they have seen the Highlands, well they have, though only some of it. Which part could be described as the centre of traditional Highland thinking------what is that anyway?------ I really could not say, it depends on what the parameters are and who you ask I suppose, but interestingly I would not go much further North of the Great Glen before Norse influences start to take hold. An accademic question really, that is beyond my capabilities to answer.

[David Thorpe]

...the influences of the lowlands must have crept over the highland line from time to time, paticularly in the last ,say, 75/100 years...

Is that not a road that runs both ways? I'm thinking about the enthusiasm by Lowlanders for the "cultural revival" following the Sir Walter Scott/King George show of 1822.

[Mither Tap]

I would agree that Aberdeenshire is a queer beast indeed. Geographically there are bits of it that are lowland and bits that are highland (no mountains / mountains).

Culturally it has much more in common with the highlands than the lowlands. Lumping NE Grampian in with the borders Edinburgh and Glasgow is really an error. The two highlands and NE worked together closer than people realise with its black and white, lowland / highland issue.

Take the Frasers for example (as its local to me) the Frasers of Philorth (near Fraserburgh) are the senior line and are a teutonic, Norman family by all accounts while the Gaelic Frasers from invernessshire are the highland clan from the same origins. Most people take that as evidence and leave it at that....

However most people dont realise, the area has many connections to the highland clan Fraser. The Frasers of Inverallochy (literally 30 seconds drive from Philorth) led the highland frasers brigade at Culloden when Lord Lovat was elsewhere on Jacobite business and that Strichen Frasers (about 5 miles from Fraserburgh) took over the Title of Lovat and became chiefs of the highland Gaelic clan. This makes me think that although The area is lowland geographically, but the "divide" that people always insist existed between the two may have been a lot murkier than folk think.

Given the abundance of gaelic place names in the area (inverallochy, Cairnbulg, Strathbeag, Mormond (from Mor Monadh) etc.) and there certainly is a history of kilt wearing. The Gordon highlanders etc.

Maybe the NE is culturally unique and should claim independance haha

Chris S

[Jock Scot]

Is that not a road that runs both ways? I'm thinking about the enthusiasm by Lowlanders for the "cultural revival" following the Sir Walter Scott/King George show of 1822.

Well to a point, but I think much more to do with the romantic and theatrical ideas of Sir Walter and his cronies. Something that has fed the more than willing, starry eyed tourist industry and blighted factual Scottish history ever since.

[MacSpadger]

Maybe the NE is culturally unique and should claim independance

Nae' the furst time some cheil' his' speiled that ane'. Is Aiberdeenshire Heilan? In some auld books and maps it is, like Logan's far the Heilan line rins fae' Stonehaven tae' the sooth o' Argyllshire. Thing is, maist Aiberdeenshire loons and quines dinnae' think o'wer muckle o' themsel's as Heilanders, jist folk that spik the guid aul' spik o' the folk. Toonsers are toonsers, tcheuchters are tcheuchters and that's jist aboot the size o' it really. Culturally Aiberdeenshire hid' it's ain' form o' localised Gaelic that didnae die oot till the early 20th century, far' a sma' poooch o' it hid survived in Gamrie. So thinkin' aboot the Gaelic, mibbee there is a claim for Aiberdeenshire tae' be ca'ed Heilan, aifter a'; Far' aboots is Balmoral Castle, far' we get much o' the day's Heilan custom fae? Aye, that's richt, Aiberdeenshire. Far' aboots did the Victorian royalty fae' Balmoral hiv' their early Heilan games fan neabuddy else wis' de'in it? ? Braemar? Far' aboots is that? Aye, that's richt, Aiberdeenshire again.
Richt' eno, the Gordon Highlanders were raised in Aiberdeenshire, but mind the local militia wis' the Royal Aberdeenshire Highlanders. The yase of the word Highlanders in the titles micht' gie' a clue as tae' hoo' the locals thocht aboot themsell's.

[hkjrb623]

Buchanan - A border clan? They were from the eastern side of the Loch Lomond area. Milngavie PB wear their tartan, (muted, thankfully).
I was up there last year and will be heading up again in less than two weeks. Here's a pic I took of Glen Fruin where the Buchanans, Colquhouns, Grahams and many others including unarmed divinity students from Glasgow University, were wiped out in a MacGregor ambush in 1603.
]

I knew they were from Loch Lomond, but I saw a few sources that called them Borderers and one that claimed them as lowlanders. It seemed really strange to me, but you never really know until you ask.