|info@mcleanscotland.com

Huntingtower Castle. Living as I do in Perth, my latest historical blog, features a castle just along the road - originally called The Palace of Ruthven, the castle comprised of a single tower house built by Clan Ruthven in the mid 15th century.  By the end of that century a second L-Plan tower was [...]

Rob Roy MacGregor, spy, thief, brigand, or poor PR and injustice?

Sir Walter Scott, portrayed Rob Roy as a dashing and chivalrous outlaw.  Of course, the truth was a little less glamorous. Robert acquired the name of ‘Roy’ early in life due to his mop of red curly hair. In the early eighteenth century, Rob Roy MacGregor had established a protection racket, charging farmers an [...]

Maclean building brochs again in Scotland

Project 4. Build a broch and tourism centre  The reconstruction of a broch would have several benefits - in addition to providing an iconic tourist attraction, it would provide employment from the construction phase through to long after the building has been completed.  Drystone dyking workshops would be provided, allowing the public to come [...]

Jacobite tales, brought together by Paul McLean

Our thanks to Jacobite History, catch them on facebook, a huge source of excellent information. This just a wee collection of stories/truths I have found, I hope you read and take it further yourself! Dalrymple authorised the Glencoe massacre - the story of this man: John Dalrymple, the 1st Earl of Stair. The Dalrymples, [...]

Kidnapped

Robert Louis Stevenson, a famous Scotsman Robert Lewis (later: “Louis”) Balfour Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on 13 November 1850. His father Thomas, belonged to a family of engineers who had built many of the deep sea lighthouses around the rocky coast of Scotland. His mother, Margaret Isabella Balfour, came from a family of [...]