Periods in Highland History

by Isabel Frances Grant, Hugh Cheape

A structured history of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland from prehistoric, pre-Christian times to the present. This lengthy timescale is divided into seven periods, each analyzed in terms of its political, economic and cultural conditions. Scottish history, and Highland history more so, lack the convenient labels of English history - Norman, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian and Victorian, the names of their ruling dynasties or monarchs - by which specific period characteristics across a broad range of culture may be identified and discussed. This had led to the mistaken belief that there is no clearly discernible sequence of events and social conditions. The authors, who both have extensive knowledge of the Highlands, dispute this and propose a framework of seven clearly distinguishable periods to make sense of the sequence of events, the pattern of developments and social conditions, and the not inconsiderable achievements of art, craft and literature. Concise in style and informed by great erudition, Periods of Highland History offers a wealth of details on topics ranging from clan warfare to the origin of the Highlanders' distinctive dress, to the agricultural methods they used to support themselves in their beautiful but rugged land. Until recently, change came slowly in the Highlands, making distinct phases hard to identify. To help distinguish them the authors have highlighted processes such as the development of strong clan identities, the flowering of Gaelic verse and the recovery of Highland morale after the defeat at Culloden.

Genres: History, Scotland

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Dr. Isabel Frances Grant MBE was a Scottish ethnographer, historian, collector and pioneering founder of the Highland Folk Museum.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with information about a broad range of Highland history, life, culture and society. Only problem will be retrieving specific points on future visits as the indexing is cursory.

[Krys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry so far, but very informative

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read and a book that probably deserves to be updated with a new edition as both the tone and presentation are somewhat dated.