The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

APPENDIX TO PART II.
As the simple conclusion to which we have arrived, after the
investigation contained in this Work, both as to the origin of the
Highlanders generally and of the Highland clans in particular,
is, that the whole Highland clans are, with very few exceptions,
descended from one Gaelic nation, who have inhabited the same
country from time immemorial,— it follows that the plan of this
Work must exclude all those families to whom a long residence
in the country have given the name of Highlanders, but who are
not of Gaelic origin. But as these families are not very numer-
ous, it will be proper, in order to complete
this sketch of the
Highlanders, that we should shortly state, in an Appendix, the
reasons for considering them of foreign origin. There are,
perhaps, few countries into which the introduction of strangers is
received with less favour than the Highlands of Scotland. So
strongly were the Highlanders themselves imbued with an
hereditary repugnance to the settlement of foreigners among
them, that assisted as that prejudice was by the almost impenetrable
nature of their country, such an occurence must
originally have been nearly impossible, and at all times exceedingly
difficult. In this respect, however, the extinction of the
ancient earls or maormors produced some change. Norman and
Saxon barons, by the operation of the principles of feudal succes-
sion, acquired a nominal posse.ssion of many of the great Highland
districts, and were prepared to seize every favourable
opportunity to convert that nominal possession to an actual
and although their influence was not
occupation of the country ;
great enough to enable them materially to affect the population
of the interior of their respective districts, yet, under their pro-
tection, many of the foreign families might obtain a footing in