Scottish exodus : travels among a worldwide clan

by James Hunter

Paper Book, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

DA774.5.H86 2007

Publication

Edinburgh : Mainstream, 2007.

Description

"Millions of Scots have left their homeland during the last 400 years. Until now, they have been written about in general terms. Scottish Exodus breaks new ground by taking particular emigrants, drawn from the once-powerful Clan MacLeod, and discovering, with help from their descendants, what happened to them and their families. These people became, among other things, French aristocrats, Polish resistance fighters and revolutionaries, Irish priests, Texan ranchers, New Zealand shepherds, Australian goldminers, prairie homesteaders, Aboriginal and African-American activists, Canadian mounted policemen, Confederate rebels and Nova Scotian farmers. One nineteenth-century MacLeod even went so far as to swap his Gaelic for Arabic and his Christianity for Islam before settling down comfortably in Cairo. This gripping account of Scotland's worldwide diaspora is based on unpublished documents, letters and family histories. It is also based on the author's international travels in the company of today's MacLeods - some of them still in Scotland, others in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Poland, France, New Zealand and South Africa. Scottish Exo… (more)

Language

ISBN

9781845961169

Media reviews

Private Collection
I found this book difficult to put down as it examines an extremely interesting subject from a very human perspective. I also found it easy to read. James Hunter is the author of a number of Scottish Books including: “The Making of the Crofting Community”, “Last of the Free”, “Culloden
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and the Last Clansman”, “Glencoe and the Indians”, and “A Dance Called America”. He generally takes a very human perspective on events, and this book is no exception. The book looks at the origins of Clan Macleod, and then takes particular emigrants and determines what happened to them and their families. Although about McLeod's, these adventures are likely to be similar to those of members of other clans, including Macmillan's. It provides significant context to the migrations from Scotland, and the challenges found in their new adopted homes. The book tells the stories of families in a very personal way, and in doing so, brings to life the mass migration that has occurred from Scotland over the last 400 years. It also brings to the fore, the feelings of the ancestors of those who migrated, in relation to clan and Scotland. To give an idea of the diversity of the stories, it is interesting to note that these “.. People became amongst other things: French aristocrats, Polish resistance fighters, Texan ranchers, New Zealand shepherds, Australian gold miners, Aboriginal and African-American activists, Canadian mounted policemen and Confederate rebels.” All in all, a book well worth reading
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Physical description

414 p.; 22 cm

Pages

414
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