Birlinn New Title Catalogue Spring 2017

David Caldwell
MAY 2017
Islay
Land of the Lordship
Until his retirement Dr
David Caldwell was
Keeper of Scotland & Europe
in the National Museums of
Scotland. He is the author
of Islay, Jura and Colonsay:
A Historical Guide (2001),
which provides a gazetteer
of sites and monuments to
complement this book.
This is the history of Islay up to the
present day with a particular focus
on the people of the island. Islay was
originally part of Dal Riata, the early
kingdom of the Scots, but was then
colonised by Scandinavian settlers
in the ninth century. It was also
the home of the MacDonalds, who
established the Lordship of the Isles
during the Medieval Period and who
mounted a challenge to the Stewart
dynasty for control of Scotland.
It also looks at the lesser folk, especially
during the time of the Campbell
lairds, from the early 17th century
onwards. Archaeology combined with
documentary research has helped to
build up a picture of how the people
of Islay lived, the way the land was
farmed and the development of local
industries, including the distilling of
whisky.
Format: 234 x 156mm R-pbk
ISBN: 9781780274652
Price: £17.99
Extent: 432pp
Illustrations: 24pp col. plates, maps, line illus.
May 2017
'For visitors and historians and
indeed all who love Islay, those who
have family there, or whose ancestors
once lived there, this book is a musthave'
– Scots Magazine
Also available
ISLAY, JURAY AND COLONSAY
ISBN: 9781841589619
Price: £9.99 Paperback
21