the fascinating history of clan gregor
The best source of reliable and incredibly deep information on our history is the remarkable work of Peter Lawrie. Click on the picture below to visit Peter's site Glen Discoveries
A Clan that refused to disappear. Few Scottish clans have experienced a history quite like Clan Gregor. The Clan's traditional origins reach deep into medieval Highland Scotland. Its ancestral territories included areas around Glen Orchy, Glenstrae, Glenlyon, Glengyle and neighbouring districts. Traditions concerning the Clan's earliest ancestry are ancient, although—as with much early Highland history—the distinction between documented history and inherited tradition needs to be treated carefully. What is beyond dispute is that the MacGregors developed a powerful sense of collective identity. Over succeeding centuries, political struggles and conflicts over land increasingly brought the Clan into confrontation with powerful neighbours and the Scottish Crown. Eventually even the MacGregor name was proscribed. Members of the Clan survived by adopting other surnames and by dispersing, but they continued to maintain their sense of kinship. That extraordinary survival is one of the defining themes of Clan Gregor history. Rob Roy MacGregor The best-known MacGregor is undoubtedly Robert "Rob Roy" MacGregor, born at Loch Katrine in 1671. The historical Rob Roy was considerably more interesting than the romantic outlaw of later legend. He was involved in cattle dealing and Highland politics and participated in the Jacobite rising of 1689. During the proscription he was forced to use his mother's surname, Campbell. Financial disaster subsequently contributed to his being declared an outlaw and his home at Inversnaid being destroyed. (Clan Gregor Society) His remarkable life subsequently became part history, part legend. Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy, published in 1817, helped carry the MacGregor story to an international audience. But the history of Clan Gregor is much greater than the story of one famous clansman. It is ultimately the story of generations of families who retained an identity even when circumstances made doing so extraordinarily difficult.
The best source of reliable and incredibly deep information on our history is the remarkable work of Peter Lawrie. Click on the picture below to visit Peter's site Glen Discoveries
A Clan that refused to disappear. Few Scottish clans have experienced a history quite like Clan Gregor. The Clan's traditional origins reach deep into medieval Highland Scotland. Its ancestral territories included areas around Glen Orchy, Glenstrae, Glenlyon, Glengyle and neighbouring districts. Traditions concerning the Clan's earliest ancestry are ancient, although—as with much early Highland history—the distinction between documented history and inherited tradition needs to be treated carefully. What is beyond dispute is that the MacGregors developed a powerful sense of collective identity. Over succeeding centuries, political struggles and conflicts over land increasingly brought the Clan into confrontation with powerful neighbours and the Scottish Crown. Eventually even the MacGregor name was proscribed. Members of the Clan survived by adopting other surnames and by dispersing, but they continued to maintain their sense of kinship. That extraordinary survival is one of the defining themes of Clan Gregor history. Rob Roy MacGregor The best-known MacGregor is undoubtedly Robert "Rob Roy" MacGregor, born at Loch Katrine in 1671. The historical Rob Roy was considerably more interesting than the romantic outlaw of later legend. He was involved in cattle dealing and Highland politics and participated in the Jacobite rising of 1689. During the proscription he was forced to use his mother's surname, Campbell. Financial disaster subsequently contributed to his being declared an outlaw and his home at Inversnaid being destroyed. (Clan Gregor Society) His remarkable life subsequently became part history, part legend. Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy, published in 1817, helped carry the MacGregor story to an international audience. But the history of Clan Gregor is much greater than the story of one famous clansman. It is ultimately the story of generations of families who retained an identity even when circumstances made doing so extraordinarily difficult.
