BS: Campbells & MacDonalds: A U.S. View

Subject: Campbells & MacDonalds: A U.S. View
From: The Pooka
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 12:28 PM

I see there's a current "The Massacre of Glencoe - Favorite Version" thread, and past threads citing same. For any lairds of the Clan MacMudcat who may be interested, here's columnist Susan Campbell - click here in my U.S. local paper (The Hartford Courant) today, on the abovecaptioned subject. As always, I troll no wait I mean, I hope for erudite intellectual discussion; learned historical correction; and rhetorical murder & slaughter with virtual claymores clanging and heads to roll & go. (Ye want haggis wi' thot?). My "teaser" excerpt:

"As you read this, we are tromping around the Highlands of Scotland trying to clear the family name....The problem stems from some very bad behavior on the part of a handful of Campbells in the much-memorialized (at least here in Scotland) Massacre of Glencoe. In the 1690s - yes, memory goes back that far in Scotland - the Highlanders of Scotland were a thorn in the side of the British men who would rule them. Add to that the Campbells' traditional propensity for seizing property - much of it MacDonalds' land...."

Subject: RE: BS: Campbells & MacDonalds: A U.S. View
From: The Walrus
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 04:37 PM

As I understand it, the real problem wasn't that the Campbells massacred the MacDonalds, that (in all combinations), was fairly common practice during feud/ clan/ tribal warfare.
The real crime committed by the Campbells was that they carried out this massacre WHILE GUESTS, they broke the rules of hospitality, making them pariahs throughout the highlands when the news spread.
As one of the modern residents of Glencoe was heard to say (on the radio) "I've nothing against the Campbells, I just wouldn't spend a night under the same roof as one"

Walrus

Subject: RE: BS: Campbells & MacDonalds: A U.S. View
From: GUEST,sorefingers
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 04:48 PM

Does the name Campbell mean something like 'wry mouth'?