Chapter 2A: Historical Forces Driving the Migration of Scots to the New World

The major forces, as I see them, leading to the vast outpouring of Scots from (particularly) the Highlands, include: the role of the clans in shaping Scottish society and the power of the clan chieftains, particularly regarding ownership of the land; the failed Jacobite Rebellion, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, which led to the subjugation of Scotland to the English; the absence of land reform in Scotland in the face of transforming pressures of industrialization and, with it, urbanization; and the economic development and concomitant opportunities to be found in offshore locations, particularly North America.

The Scottish Clans: Their Roots and Role in Structuring Scottish Society

It seems to me that we cannot fully relate to the Scottish migrations without taking into account the pivotal role of the clans in Scottish society and the power of the clan chieftains over the clansmen, particularly in the Highlands where the Glennies and Reids and their respective clans were situated.

The origins of the oldest and most powerful clans lie deep in Celtic mythology, and chieftains of these clans trace their lineage to ancient kings and heroes known from legend as well as history.[1] What is considered by many to be the most ancient of the Scottish clans, Clan MacNeil, was founded in the 5^th century. In my review, it seems that the clans were most firmly enmeshed into the governing and social fabric of Scotland by Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s king during the early 14^th century. It was “The Bruce” who, through his military prowess and statesmanship, waged victorious campaigns against the English and gave Scotland its greatest victory on the field at Bannockburn (1314). It was this battle that, during Bruce’s rule as King of Scotland, led to Scotland’s being recognized by the English as an independent nation and the Scottish king a free king.[2]

Bruce, in his campaigns, was well served by clans supporting the cause of liberation from England. The sixth Mackintosh chief was a stalwart supporter of the Bruce during the War of Independence against England as was Duncan, leader of the Robertson Clan. Both clans fought for Scottish independence at Bannockburn.[3] As the Glennies were a sept (family) in the Mackintosh Clan and the Reids a sept in the Robertson Clan[4], forefathers of the Glennies and Reids were in on the ground floor in establishing Scotland as a free and sovereign nation.

Within the clans, the chieftains’ rule was close to absolute. Having heredity titles, their estates and authorities were passed from generation to generation. In theory, the clan chieftains reported to the king, but, with their vast estates and income generated there from and with their dominion over the men who made up the armies, they were powerful rulers of their domains. Their rule over their clansmen was absolute. They allocated use of their land, approved marriages, sent clansmen to war, and presided over legal proceedings. According to highlands lore, the chieftains were at the same time not without compassion and rewarded loyalty with security and even relative comfort, but not with land ownership. While perhaps more fused with nostalgia than historical record, a common perception of the traditional clan chiefs, in this case The MacNeil of the Western Isles, is recorded below:

The MacNeils exercised great jurisdiction over their tenants. When the wife of a tenant dies, it was customary for the surviving spouse to appeal to the Chief, who would select for him another wife…. In a similar manner, a widow addressed herself to MacNeil, who straightway chose for her another husband….

But the MacNeils had their good points too, for when an inhabitant became too old and frail to till the soil any longer, he was admitted into the family, where he was maintained during the remaining years of his life. Again, if owing to the severity of the weather, or to any other unfortunate cause, a tenant should lose a milch cow, it was the recognized custom for the Chief to compensate him for his loss by providing him with another cow.[5]

And so it went until Bonnie Prince Charles led the Scots, with ardent support by the Mackintosh and Robertson clans, in the disastrous Jacobite Rebellion. Scotland was never to be the same.

[1] Plean, George way of, and Squire, Romilly, Scottish Clan and Family Encyclopedia. (New York: Barnes & Noble), 1994, p. 13.

[2] Ibid, pp. 88-95.

[3] Ibid. pp. 230, 302.

[4] See Appendix A for more information about these 2 clans.

[5] MacGregor, Alasdair Alpin, Behold the Hebrides!. Edinburgh: W, & R. Chambers, Ltd., 1925, pp. 8-9.