Scottish Highlanders by Charles MacKinnon

by Charles MacKinnon

This impassioned study presents a fascinating picture of an oppressed people; of a race who have left a lasting impression on the world which is far in excess of their apparent numerical, geographical, or political importance.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Charles Roy Stuart-Vernon (1924-2005), was the hereditary chieftain and laird of the Clan MacKinnon of Dunakin. He lived in his native Scotland and wrote popular novels of diverse genres and historical books about his loved Scotland and his clan. He also used the pennames of Charles Stuart, Charles MacKinnon, Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin, C. R. MacKinnon of Dunakin, C. R. MacKinnon, Graham Montrose, Iain Torr, I. Torr, Vivian Stuart, Vivian Donald and Barbara Lynn.

Reviews

[Hannah Figgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this to be an engaging and very helpful general overview of the history of the Scottish Highlanders. Handy and enjoyable, and a useful reference in a research project I did.

[Tom Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful look into the history of Scottish Highlanders. A journey from the early Picts up until after the persecution of the Jacobites and the clearances. The book follows with a brief history of each Clan, which is a fascinating.

I learnt that my family are descendants of Hugh McDonald and Houston comes from Hugh's son. This was due to the clan members not wanting to use surnames after the Highland Clearances and moving down south in search of work. The birth of Clan Huisden aka Houston. It states that anybody with Houston blood is a true highlander and descendant of the McDonalds of Sleat.

Very enjoyable history book.

[Stephanie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was definitely the most useful and interesting. For clan-specific histories I think I would enjoy (and retain) a more in-depth approach. I really liked the genealogies and lists in the Appendix. Very useful!

[Dalton Hirshorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sort of primer on the history of the Highland clans, it provides a good overview of Scottish events leading up to the Battle of Culloden and the '45. There are individual clan histories as well, which are informative and contain a lot of fun facts. The author is perhaps the a bit too fond of the exclamation point!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first half of this, as the second half consists of specific clan histories. I was only interested in the general history and the history of my grandfather's clan (the Macnabs). It was an interesting read, but assumes that you already have some familiarity with the topics (I didn't, aside from seeing Braveheart).

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference book for a quick overview of Clan history. Great little tidbits are given thoughout the book. The first section is overall history. Interesting. Not in depth but is not meant to be. A book I will keep in my family reference library. Worth owning if you are looking into your Scot past.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I great book on Highland Scottish anthropology and history for those with a small amount of knowledge on British/Scottish history. The highlight of the book is the authors commentary on events, keeping everything in a larger context and often providing a source of humor in what otherwise would be a very dry text.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-written and well organized book. I felt like in his general history section, he left out a few important things. The second half is devoted to clan histories, which are both a good reference and contain lots of funny little antecdotes.