Scotland's Forgotten Past: A History of the Mislaid, Misplaced and Misunderstood

by Alistair Moffat

While Scotland’s history cannot be separated from its kings and queens, saints, and warriors, there is a rich story to tell about the country’s lesser-known places, people, and events. This colorful history of Scotland from award-winning writer Alistair Moffat chooses episodes, half-forgotten or misunderstood, that have been submerged by the wash of history. Bringing these stories to light and to life, this entertaining book reveals the richness and complexity of this nation on the northwest edge of Europe.

Moffat takes us from the geological formation of the land that makes up Scotland to the first evidence of human habitation and then up to modern times. In the process our discoveries include: the cave of headless children; the origins of the Scottish kings and the real heroes of Scottish independence; the invention of tartan and the romance of the Highlands; Scotland’s answer to Shakespeare; the many US presidents with Scottish heritage, and other fascinating tales brought to life by Joe McLaren’s attractive woodcut-style illustrations. Even the most knowledgeable history buff will experience a sense of newfound knowledge and appreciation for this unique country, its history, and its people.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scotland, Audiobook, Travel, European History, Historical

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2023

About the author

Alistair Moffat is an award winning writer, historian and former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television.

Moffat was educated at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 1972 with a degree in Medieval History. He is the founder of the Borders Book Festival and Co-Chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland.

Reviews

[historic_chronicles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a proud Scot myself, this book was compelling from the start as Moffat discusses 36 areas within Scottish history that have often been forgotten or misunderstood in its recollections.

Whether that be the Wars of Independence which have suffered the Hollywood treatment of inaccuracies, or the ancient death ceremonies which included a cave full of decapitated children, or even the tale of a forgotten Berwickshire blacksmith named James Small who invented the swing-plough and thus helped to revolutionise Scottish agriculture and the breeding of the famous Clydesdale horse, Moffat treats each chapter as a singular story worthy of much attention and appreciation.

The author does not shy away from showing the darker side of Scotland's history. He does not feel the need to sing her praises. I found the chapter that detailed the so-called "Scottish Cringe" to be invaluable in exploring the culture that seems to hold a life of its own. While the TV programme he used as an example, The White Heather Club, is I admit, a little before my time I can still consider his thoughts in my own experiences of living in Edinburgh, a hugely popular tourist destination.

I found this book completely riveting and I was shocked by how much of it I had not heard of before. The illustrations created by @mclarenjoe also provide a remarkable job of showcasing the charm of this brilliant book. This is, without a doubt, a book that I feel everyone should read at some point in their lives if they have any interest in the history of Scotland.

I would like to thank Caitlin @thamesandhudson for offering me this book to review, it was wonderful.

[Fern A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whistle stop tour of a variety of events in Scottish history. I quite liked that Moffat included some quite obscure events as well as a general overview of history, meaning that there was something for everyone within this. It has made me want to learn some more about certain areas of history as in a few places I found one brief chapter wasn’t enough and I wanted to know more. (That is the beauty of these types of books though is that they are often a starting place on a map to gain more knowledge and work out what area you want to go on a fact finding mission next). A very readable writing style. I didn’t quite agree with all of Moffat’s interpretations of historical events but enjoyed it nevertheless.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whistlestop tour through Scottish history, sometimes fun, sometimes furious, and focused at all times on the twists of fate and oddities of happenstance that have conspired across the country to make the country the inimitable place it is.

[Margaret Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wee gem from Alistair Moffat I’ve read and own some of his books and he writes in such a way he makes history interesting. He was a Director of the Edinburgh Fringe and former Rector of The University of St Andrews, a very prestigious university we Scots all know.

I’m so very glad I had such a wonderful history teacher at Airdrie Academy but this book has just brought back many memories of the times we studied from the beginnings of Scotland right through the ages. Tough times way back then with the invasions of the Norsemen in the north and the Picts in the lowlands which led us up through all the battles. Some have been made into movies, some good and some a bit tongue in cheek!

I’m a bit biased coming from Scotland but every now and again it’s good to go back in time to those lessons in the 60s and early 70s which stay with you forever. Scotland is a proud nation and I hope she survives the turmoil but I doubt I’ll ever live to see her becoming an independent country. That needed to have been done when She was rich in oil and industry but not any more after that certain PM killed Scotland in the early 80s. This is well worth a look as it goes through those lesser known times and so are his other books. A very enjoyable read and a good Bibliography at the end to further your reading.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a self-described "whistlestop tour" of various noteworthy points in the history of Scotland, from the earliest bits of history pieced together through anthropological study to more recent developments in the 21st century. Moffat aims to highlight various points of particular impact and astonishment rather than focusing on stereotypical depictions, though interspersed with a number of unique historical surprises there are still plenty of familiar topics on tap from Bannockburn to Burns. Each brief chapter is meant to only provide a taste of its content without being comprehensive, and while it certainly succeeded in whetting my appetite as was certainly Moffatt's intention, to fully satiate myself I will have to turn to further research.

[Euan Robertson-Sword · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short chapters made it hard to put down so I rattled through it. A great range of topics, that allowed for a sense of Scottish identities to be explored. Moffat writes very well and I’m keen to read more of his!

[ayyluluu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a fiction, it is a compilation of fun facts rather than historical account. Author claims that events are chronological, but there are easily few centuries skipped. Chapters are only 3-4 pages long, and almost none of the references are quoted, difficult to know what is "romantised history" and what real, historical facts. Too much of focus was on the 17-19 centuries, and on politics. However, very entertaining companion whilst travelling through Scotland, and perhaps was intended like this.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you’re lookin for an all encompassing book to learn about scotland’s history, tis a good option! i felt like the author was writing for a scottish audience so there were times i was like “what the actual f is this guy saying”, but overall i got the gist.

it’s a good reminder to readers that scotland is so much more than just kilts and bagpipes. you get to learn about scottish athletes, age old monarchies, the set up of scotland’s parliament, etc. the chapters are also relatively small, so it’s perfect for a morning or before bed read.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely enjoy non-fiction books, but this was a fantastic exception.
From little-known events to different angles on well-known events; this book encompasses the entirety of Scotland's timeline.
A snapshot, but an interesting one.

"The past is rarely a reliable prologue for the present, but it is all we have."

[Briar 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fair amount of this seems too recent and too big to be forgotten already, but there is a lot of information that is indeed hidden or forgotten and the stories are told with charm and verve.

[Maria Senatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book about the story of Scotland, from the first days till today. Each short chapter is a door opening on a subject, the book gives the basic information to know Scotland and Scottish people.

[Stuart Corbett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not so good at reading historical books because of the lack of story arc. It was pretty short tho and some interesting facts.

[Liefke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

I am so ready to bombard you all with facts about Scottish history now *plays the Scotland Forever bagpipes meme*

[Greta Yoka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book of the history of Scotland

[Nezahat Yesim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book with digestible chapters - he is right, it is almost impossible to find a good book about Scotland’s history that’s organized and contextual. However two things: as influential and as important Knox was, he was also a known sexist (hence his problems with Mary, Queen of Scots) and Jacobites, Culloden are not properly featured - we jump from the unification and then to culture but the book does not address how the unification went down really. Two three more chapters would have given a fuller picture.

[Nicholas (was Allison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.3 Stars
Notes: This book has a lot of well-researched information in it, and as someone who has researched Scotland’s history before (more than most regular people have), I really liked this novel. It was very well-written in my opinion and I really liked how the sentences were edited, so I could tell that there was a lot of effort put in writing this book.

There are various different chapters in this novel across different centuries, so there’s a ton of different nonfiction info in this book. I read this for several days so that I could understand what was in this book, even as it is between 200-250 pages, there is a lot of info in here (more than I could describe in words). I’m very glad I found this book from a website online, from how much information I learned in it.

Anyways, I have in fact read other books about Scotland (from the consistent history obsession that I always have), that I have not shelved on here. So, this was really interesting for me, and I most likely will not be forgetting this for a while. I would recommend this to others who have already read nonfiction books before, as this is more on the complex side. This is a good summary of necessary info, if you’re interested in this book at all/Scotland’s past.

[Laura Snyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Scotland, I love it as a country and I love reading about it, but I don’t think this book is written for anyone who is not a Scot. The reason being a lot of these passages omit important context that would make it easier to follow. The writing in the beginning was pretty all over the place, the author jumped from one idea to the other in the same paragraph sometimes. It got a little better pages 87-157 because there was so much history. I learned a lot about global innovations that can all be accredited to Scotland, that was so exciting to learn! Examples, the political climate that paved the way for William Wallace, Robert Bruce’s claim to the thrown, the grown of education and universities in Scotland (and it was interesting to learn about John Knox’s contribution to increasing education and literacy in Scotland despite his controversial imagine in being an adversary of Mary Queen of Scots). I liked learning about leaders of the Scottish Enlightenment and James Small, the farmer who revolutionized the plough which impacted American and European agriculture in the coming decades and century ahead. Learning about the origins of Tweed and Peter Pan was also interesting. It just lost me again when he went into WW2, Scots in the Moscow Olympics despite the soviet union invading Afghanistan and modern day politics and there was a weird chapter loosely trying to connect Nixon, Johnson and a priest to their Scottish heritage (the point being a lot of US presidents have Scottish DNA). It felt like a lot of these chapters had information better explained on Wikipedia.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

read it twice to try to bone up on history before I got to Scotland - tibits about places. Learned a bunch about the Author's soapbox - how what we now think of as Scotland's history was coaxed by England and the real history of the island and its peoples has been obscured, distorted, or forgotten.

“In fact, until the late 20th century histories of Scotland often began not with the people who lived there but with invaders who came from somewhere else, ignoring 8 millennia of our prehistory and opening with the defeat of our ancestors by an army that had marched from the south.”

“Geology, fire, and ice formed the mosaic that makes up the story of Scotland.”

“Tuberculosis, measles, and smallpox originated in cattle. And if the farmers drank cow’s milk it was a fatally simple matter to ingest the pathogens. Pigs transmitted influenzas and whooping cough.”

“Over the long centuries of copying manuscripts as well as maps more mistakes crept in. Scribes simply sometimes wrote it down wrong. From nowhere it seems an r crept into Ibidae and the western archipelago forever became the Hebrides.”

“The name Scotland itself is obscure. It may derive from ‘scod’ - an old Gaelic word for a sail. A reference to sea raiders or pirates which is what the first Scots were when they began to attack Argyl. First impressions often stick. The Saxons are so called because they use the seax knife, a long dagger that can still be seen on the arms of the old counties of Essex and Middlesex. And the names of the Francs came from their destructive incursions into the Roman empire. It means ‘the fierce people’. The Gaelic word for Scotland is Alba, pronounced Al-a-pah and it was conferred by the Irish sea raiders and means something like ‘white land’ - perhaps a reference to the snow capped mountains they could see from their ships.”

“Too often we read history backwards and see a clear path behind us that was always going to lead to now. We invest events with far too much certainty and that can be a mistake, a misreading. The original derivation for the word history is from the Greek ‘histor’ meaning a witness. To understand our history better we should try to think like witnesses, try to grasp how events and the forces that shape them appeared to people at the time, not looking backwards knowing what the outcome was. Uncertainty ought to insist on its place as a constant theme.”

“The phrase ‘my right hand man’ is a memory of fighting in a shield wall. Most warriors were right handed and when they raised their sword arm to strike a blow they exposed their ribs to the thrust of a spear or an enemy’s sword. The defensive role of the right hand man was therefore critical but it also produced another effect. In a shield wall warriors also pushed their comrades forward especially if their shields were tight together, rim to boss. And this made battlefronts move to the right - wheeling like rugby scrums sometimes do. Right-hand men have a different supporting role in modern society. Perhaps it is not accidental that the best man at a wedding ceremony traditionally stands to the right of the groom.”

“Other names are functional. Cape Wrath, the farthest northwestern point of the Scottish mainland has nothing to do with anger. It too comes from Norse and basically means ‘turn left’.”

“The creation of fiction is an essential part of any spy’s set of skills.”

“The king’s jaunt was stage-managed by Sir Walter Scott and it saw the beginning of the wholesale adoption of highland iconography by all Scots. Which is very surprising. Only 60 years before the Highlands and Highlanders had been the victims of repressive legislation that attempted to break the power of the clans and succeeded. Now only had their been a concerted campaign of genocide and clearance after Culloden, acts of parliament banning the wearing of tartan and the playing of the pipes were put in place and lasted until 1782. And yet here was a portly king swathed in the stuff, swathspaying, reeling, and no doubt sweating around the halls of Holyrood palace. Something had changed. Very different stories were being told. In place of the highlands as a trackless resort of treacherous savages of warlike clans speaking a different language of a people intent on bringing down the British state, romance began to swirl around the bens and the glens.” (1760 James McPherson publishes poetry & stories from highlands →romance)

“In 1815 the Highland Society of London (by definition a club where sentiment always trumped reality) wrote to each of the clan chiefs asking for a swatch of their clan tartan so that it could be classified and registered. Most had no idea that any such thing existed. In a near contemporary painting of the highland charge at Culloden, clansmen are shown wearing a kilt of one set and a jacket or plaid of another. No two men are dressed the same. One historian has counted 23 different sets. This attempt at classification developed such momentum that more…fakery was cobbled together to support it. Two brothers by the name of John and Charles Edward Sobieski Stewart produced what they claimed was an ancient list of clan tartans called the Vesteriaum Scotticum. It was all hocum. No one ever saw a copy. But none of that mattered either. People wanted to believe. In the 19th Century monarchs set fashion trends and if the King wore a kilt then so did the rest of high society and even the middle classes. The textile mills of the border thrummed with good business.”

“No fewer than 14 of the US presidents claimed descent from the immigrants. In fact from 1829 to 1921 the White House was occupied for only 15 years by men who were not of Scotch Irish descent.”

“In many ways the kilts, the tartan sashes, and the pawky humor were part of a Scotland defined by England…Walter Scott has a great deal to answer for. Scotland is at its best when its horizons extend far beyond the Cheviots to the rest of the world as they did during the enlightenment. When Scots retreat into the cloying, paradic world of tartanry they are patronized, put in a box marked marginal, forever backward looking to a past that never existed.”

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alistair Moffat's books are always an interesting read, even if some more so than others. In this little book, which has some beautiful illustrations, he attempts to use bits from Scottish history to show how it's a complex land, much more so than recent depictions of it (tartan, castles and haggis) make it out to be. Overall, he touches on some interesting stories and even manages to link events that may have taken place centuries apart. His writing style, as always, is great and a breeze to read.

On the other hand, I have some problems with the book too. Firstly, while the title, cover and goal may make it attractive to people who don't know much about Scotland (e.g. tourists, I can see this book being sold in most gift shops in Scotland), you actually need to know quite a few things about Scottish history. I'd go as far as saying that you need to have a good overview of most of the important bits beyond just William Wallace and Walter Scott. This may be a natural consequence of the format, but it also makes it less accessible for many readers.

Secondly, something I notice often with AM is that his history always reads a bit biased. He's a great storyteller, but from assumptions and declarations he makes about prehistorical events, to his view on more recent historical events and figures, I often feel I'm not getting a purely historical perspective. This is especially evident in chapters like the one on John Knox. I'm not expert on the man and AM's writing does convince me he has done good things. But in an attempt to draw us away from the stereotype of Knox (grumpy man who won't let Mary Queen of Scots be) he ends up veering completely in the other direction, ending his chapter with something close to a small eulogy.

Lastly, representation. This is a larger problem in history, stemming partly from available documentation etc, though some authors like Janina Ramirez are trying to change it. That being said, for a history of the 'mislaid, misplaced and misunderstood', I'd hoped to find more stories about at least women (beyond mentions of Elizabeth, Mary and Thatcher).

[Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is strong here for sure, and if you aren't Scottish/somewhat familiar with the geography this might be a tough read. The start was slow, except for the helpful explanation I hadn't realized was needed for how folks came to the British Isles in the first place - the Ice Age crossing known as Doggerland. Despite being exhausted by the constant reference to Scottish provinces and historical figures I had never heard of, I did pick up a decent bit of the violent history of the Picts, Northumbrians, Britons, Vikings, etc, and the linguistic and cultural evolution of the region. The story of the great Scot Bill Millin marching on Normandy with nothing but a small knife in his kilt, and bagpipes in his arms (and surviving! - the Nazi's thought he was mad) tugged at my heartstrings, and was a favorite moment of the book. The theft of the Stone of Destiny by a few college kids, tales of the Scottish reformation (and subsequent devotion to education), and the Edinburgh-based friendship of Hume and Smith were other high moments. The Scottish Nazi tale added nuance to the historical overview, while chapters on US presidents and Scottish athletics missed the mark for me. The portrayal of Sir Walter Scott as someone who sold a narrow and romantic version of Highland existence (with tartan, kilts, and all) to a hungry, predominantly English, audience was new and intriguing to me. Altogether a fun and easy read - for someone currently living in Scotland.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by hidden history: the stuff that doesn't usually make the cut into mainstream narratives of power and statehood, or get films made about it. This is a very general and accessible starting point to what is still an ongoing project: the evolution of a conversation about identity and nationhood. What does it mean? Why does it matter? What I like about it is the pulling in of lots of strands: geography, geology, culture, food and drink, music, religion and spirituality, travel etc, so you get a wider idea of what you could call the experience of Scottishness past, present, home and abroad.
Mercifully brief episodes concern themselves with the grim Wars of Independence, and more about before and after that (although to my mind, John Knox is a difficult man to rehabilitate despite Moffat's efforts).
I must mention the illustrations which, in their stark monochrome and rough-hewn lines add so much atmosphere to the writing.
Yes it's necessarily brief and superficial but it serves the purpose to which it aspires: to inform and to intrigue in equal measure!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book by Alistair Moffat I've now read. The first foray into his work was so life-altering I wrote a review, posting it to my blog (see https://robslitbits.com/2023/02/20/is...).

There are three particular authors to which I turn for the highest quality writing at the intersections of history, geography, humour, and style: Canadian, Wil Ferguson; American, Bill Bryson; and now, Scot, Alistair Moffat. These writers are for me a holy trinity who write at the nexus of historical gravitas, geographical impetus, and socio-political awareness. The result is a spirituality of place, whether intended or not, that roots soul with space, shoes with spirits, heart with hearth, and all without saccharine sentimentality, literary egoism, sloppy jingoism, or preachiness.

Mr. Moffat, I've committed to read everything you have penned. I look forward to the endeavour. I'm in your debt for such easily devoured, thoughtfully compelling work. Five stars and "two enthusiastic thumbs up."

Thank you, sir.

[Alison C · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Scotland’s Forgotten Past” is an enjoyable recounting of numerous incidents and events in the history of Scotland that have either been forgotten or misrepresented in popular culture (for example, the “traditional tartans” of the Highlands was invented by Lowlander Sir Walter Scott). The author graduated with a degree in history from St. Andrews University and much later in his career served as the 48th Rector of that august university, so any worries about the historical accuracy of the stories told here are alleviated. Moreover, his writing style is engaging, informative without being in the least stodgy and even exhilarating in places (such as the formal reopening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 when Dr. Winifred Ewing stated: “The Scottish Parliament, adjourned on the 25th day of March, 1707, is hereby reconvened”). If you’re interested in the history of Scotland, from the geological formations that created the physical land to the most recent pushes for independence, this is an excellent place to start; recommended!

[Hexenwelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this on my travels this summer, as is custom for me when it comes to informing myself about the places I am visiting.

And yes, it was the cover, but also the promise of getting a lot of, interesting information about the not so stereotypical history of Scotland. And I did!

Although I wish that the chapters were longer at times I am overall satisfied with what I got. The only quarrels I have with it besides the above, is the hint of nationalism that accompanies the work. Which to be fair, most people probably consider to be normal. It just so happens that I come from a country with a very weird relationship to nationalism and ride in a country so I guess that will always kind off jump at me.

Lastly I do want to note, that I found it quite amusing how the Vikings were described as “pagans” as if it were bad thing, but with the Gaelic invaders came the reminder, that they were Christians after all, so I found that to be a weird double standard.

[J C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really interesting up until the last chapter.

Scotland’s forgotten past showed us many stories of things I never knew anything about and want to find out more about. The history of tweed, the railways and Aberdeen Angus and the story of JM Barrie have all whetted my appetite for more.

But was the last chapter really necessary. It’s not a forgotten past - it is very much a story of the present. It is not as the subtitle suggests “a history of the mislaid, misplaced and misunderstood”, the last chapter left me feeling that there was a very big political statement being made that the rest of the book was leading us towards. Politics books should deal with politics and history books deal with history.

The book would be a reasonable 4 stars if this chapter was dropped.

[Charles Sheard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable quick dip into numerous bits of Scotland's history, avoiding the major more well-known points except by reference. It reminded me a bit of the great James Burke television series, "Connections", though without quite as much focus on the connections themselves. For a non-native, it opened up windows onto whole new areas I want to explore, and no doubt I'll also be grabbing more of Moffat's works.

I probably would have finished it in just a few days, but my reading was interrupted by a flight and cross-country drive. Otherwise, although you can put it down with ease after any of the short self-contained chapters, you're more than tempted to keep reading and find it finished all too quickly.

[Neil Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moffat has such an easy style that the reader (wellI was) is drawn to the end of each tale.

This is not a turgid dry history of our wee nation but an entertaining read albeit in snippets of what could be a deeper, broader and more detailed understanding of who we are, where we came from and how many Scots have shaped the world within and beyond our boundaries. And where we might be going and what we might become (if that is we can free ourselves of England's shackles).

That last bit was me. In Mofdat's writings there is certainly an underlying pride in Scotland; his curiosity is combined with a realism and an almost.real-politik view of the world without coming down on a side (unless that side happens to be telling Scotland’s story accurately, warts and all).

[Allison Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not an in-depth look at Scotland's history, this book offers a cursory glance over several high importance and some pop culture events in Scottish History. Describing them briefly, this book intrigues and perhaps in meant to inspire the readers to look further into the historical events mentioned.
I would have loved a little more detail from the author about some of the events talked about in the book but because I have prior knowledge about a good few of the events mentioned in the book, I already knew a decent amount and the book added extra detail and tidbits that were interesting to know.

The pictures are gorgeous in the book and give it a unique character.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, I found the early history of Scotland the most interesting, Scotland wasn't always going to end up being the Scotland we know, it could have easily been otherwise.

There are various stories from Scottish history, some more interesting than others, I was surprised how Protestant Scotland was/is.

The author believes that Scotland is misunderstood, being so much more than whisky, tartans and bagpipes, but doesn't explain what he thinks Scotland should be about instead, other than saying Scotland ought to take on the world like they did in the enlightenent period, and not live in England shadow.

3 stars.