The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland, 1493 – 1625

by Donald Gregory, Martin MacGregor (Introduction)

Exploring the turbulent and compelling past of Scotland’s west Highlands and islands in the late medieval era, this history of the lands of the former MacDonald "Lords of the Isles" charts the failure of the series of attempts to restore MacDonald's dominance in the west and the struggle to fill the resultant vacuum of power. This meticulously researched narrative travels through the changing fortunes of Scottish clans between 1493 and 1625 and the various ways in which those histories have been relayed and recorded for posterity. Initially published in 1836 and now updated with an enlightening new introduction, this invaluable edition is a classic piece of scholarship on an era of Highland history often neglected.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scotland, Research

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1836

Reviews

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful in understanding my ancestry

Enjoyable read. I found information on clans I didn’t know existed., and I It helped in doing my ancestral research.

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older history, originally published in the nineteenth century, and hence, I did struggle with the language at times. Still, I was impressed by the author's citations (sometimes earlier and even contemporary historians don't do the best job of sharing where they're getting their information) and I can see why this book has been reprinted. It definitely captured my imagination about what was happening in the Scottish Highlands in the 16th century and made me want to read more on the subject.

[Kathleen Cochran]

Interesting introduction to a country I'm about to visit.