i've just read the St George was a Turk thread, ...that's nothing -
some say Napoleon was a Scot!

freda

after reading the thread about St George being and African Turk, I thought the following may be of interest....

Napoleon was one of us, says Scottish archive: By Richard Savill

THE family of Napoleon Bonaparte may have come from a tiny Scottish community, according to new research. Evidence that [Napoleon's] grandfather came from Balloch, near Crieff, Perthshire, has been uncovered by a local historian, Robert Torrens.

Mr Torrens has now embarked on a detailed investigation to try to prove a link between the French emperor and an 18th century labourer, William Bayne. He believes that Napoleon's grandfather may have been a soldier. Mr Torrens stumbled across the link in a dusty book called Crieff: Its Traditions and Characters.

He said: "The book dates from 1881 and carries a story claiming that Napoleon was really a third generation Scot. The archive "was highly thought of at the time and the story was vouched for by some respected figures."

Mr Torrens said that, according to the book, a labourer named Bayne and his family decided to leave Balloch shortly after the collapse of the 1745 Jacobite uprising.

It says: "Having had a strong leaning to the Duke of Perth and Prince Charlie after '45, Bayne resolved to seek a home in another land. With this intent he and his family and others set sail. A storm came on and they were driven on to Corsica, where they were hospitably received. They were known as Bayne or Buon and his party. In course of time his sons were called Buon-de-party.

"His grandson was named Buon-de-parte or Buonaparte and now figures in the history of the world as the great Napoleon." Mr Torrens said that no descendants of the Baynes were left in Balloch, so the archive's claims were difficult to verify.

Perthshire Tourist Board said it was keen to adopt Napoleon as part of the area's historical attraction if the claim could be substantiated. ." The Weekly Telegraph, No. 396, February 24 - March 2, 1999; Napoleon 'had Scots ancestor' - by Richard Savill

…Follow-up to the Bonaparte news item - The Weekly Telegraph, March 3-9, 1999: Letters to the Editor:

- Nelson's clan connection
Sir - As a historian of the Clan Glenell, I was very interested in the suggestion that Napoleon was a third-generation Scot (Issue 396). The name Bain is connected with the Glenells, and it could be that Napoleon was connected to the clan. But if that were the case it would be ironic, since Nelson is also a name associated with the clan. Admiral Horatio Nelson was extremely proud of his Scottish ancestry, which dated back to the 13th century.

It might also be pointed out that during the Hundred Years' War many Scots mercenaries married into the French aristocracy, and there is a good possibility that the name de Gaulle originated from the Scots Dougal.
M. W. BRANDER
Haddington, East Lothian