* George Gordon (1637-1720) Scottish 1st Earl of Aberdeen
* George Hamilton Gordon (1784-1860) Scottish Prime Minister
* James Campbell Hamilton Gordon (1847-1934) Scottish 7th Earl of and 1st Marquis if Aberdeen
* Byron George Noel Gordon (1788-1824) British poet and 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale
* Alexander Gordon (c.1745-1827) Scottish 4th Duke of Gordon
* George Gordon (d. c.1502) Scottish 2nd Earl of Huntly
* George Gordon (1514-1562) Scottish 4th Earl of Huntly
* George Gordon (1562-1636) Scottish 6th Earl of Huntly
* George Gordon (1751-1793) English anti-Catholic agitator
* Charles George Gordon (1833-1885) English soldier
* Cyrus Herzl Gordon (1908-) American Hebrew scholar
* David Gordon (1936-) American dance/choreographer
* John Watson Gordon (1788-1864) Scottish painter
* Noele Gordon (1922-1985) English actress
* Patrick Gordon (1635-1699) Scottish soldier
* Robert Gordon (1580-1661) Scottish cartographer
* Dexter Gordon (1923-1990) jazz musician
* Gale Gordon (1906-) American actress
* Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870) Australian poet
* Dexter Keith Gordon (1923-1989) American jazz musician
* Ruth Gordon American actress
Mac, Mc prefix
Scottish and Irish patronymic surnames frequently have the prefix Mac or Mc. When these surnames were originally developed, they were formed by adding the Gaelic word mac, which means son of, to the name of the original bearer's father. For example, the surname MacDougall literally means son of Dougal. In later times, these prefixes were also added to the occupation or nickname of the bearer's father. For example, MacWard means son of the bard and MacDowell means son of the black stranger.
Numerous variations of this prefix emerged, for a number of reasons. It was rendered Mag before vowels and aspirated consonants. Historical records concerning Irish and Scottish names reveal that the common prefix Mc and the less common prefixes M' and Mcc developed as abbreviations of the original Gaelic prefix Mac. Thus, the popular beliefs that Mc is a distinctively Irish prefix while Mac is exclusively Scottish, and that one prefix is used by Catholic families while the other one is specifically Protestant are erroneous. In actuality, the same person often had his surname recorded using both Mac and Mc on separate occasions.
Picts
The Picts were a mysterious warrior people of ancient Britain. According to tradition, the Picts migrated from the shores of Brittany around the 15th century BC. They sailed northward to Ireland, but were refused permission to settle there by the ancient kings of that land. However, the Picts were granted permission to settle in the northeastern part of Scotland on the condition that each Pictish king marry an Irish princess, thus providing the Irish with a colony whose rulers were of royal Irish blood. This Pictish settlement was ruled by a matriarchal hierarchy unlike any other form of government in British history.
The Picts were noted for their ferocious resistance to the incorporation of Britain into the Roman Empire. The Romans gave the Picts the name by which we know them, and their name for themselves is now lost. The name Pict is derived from the Latin word pictus, which means painted, and refers to the designs painted by fierce Pictish warriors upon their bodies. The Picts and their rivals to the west, the Dalriadan Scots, relentlessly harried the Roman legions in Britain, leading to the construction of Hadrian's Wall as a defence against their raids. Nevertheless, even this barrier could not protect the Romans. The Picts and Scots overran the wall in 367 AD and slew a prominent Roman military commander.
Following the withdrawal of the Roman legions during the 4th century, the dramatic history of the Picts and their intense rivalry with the other tribes of Britain continued. The Pictish king Nechtan, who was recorded around 724 AD, was overthrown by Alpin, the product of a political marriage who had both Pictish and Dalriadan blood in his veins. His son, Kenneth Mac Alpin united Scotland after a victory over the Picts and became the first king of that nation. The Picts themselves were further compressed by the invasion of the Orcadian Vikings from the north, and were left with a territory stretching from Inverness to Edinburgh on the east coast of Scotland.
Regions
GRAMPIAN
The region of Grampian is in the northeast. It shares a western border with the Highland region, and is bordered in the south by the region of Tayside. The ancient counties contained within the Grampian region include Aberdeen, Moray, and Banff.
FIFE
Fife is one of the smallest regions in present-day Scotland. It is located on the eastern coast, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. It shares its northern border with the region of Tayside, and is bordered by Central to the west. Across the water, to the south, is the region of Lothian. The ancient counties contained within the region of Fife are Kincardine and Fife.
HIGHLAND
The Highland region is the largest geographical division in Scotland. This region is in the northwest, and shares borders in the southeast with Grampian and Tayside, and is bordered in the immediate south, by the region of Strathclyde. The ancient counties contained within the massive region are Caithness, Sutherland, and Nairn, and the eastern parts of Inverness and Ross and Cromarty.
LOTHIAN
The region of Lothian is in the southeast of Scotland, and is bordered on the north by the Firth of Forth. It shares a northwestern border with the region of Central, a western border with the region of Strathclyde, and a southern border with the region of Borders. The ancient counties located within this region are East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian, and Edinburgh.
ORKNEY
The region of Orkney is an islands region, in the extreme north of Scotland. The nearest mainland region to the Orkney islands is the Highland region, which is to the southwest. In the Middle Ages, this region was known as the county of Orkney.
SHETLAND
The region of Shetland was known in the Middle Ages, by the name Zetland. This is another island region, and is in the east. The nearest mainland regions are the Highland region, to the west, and the Grampian region, to the south. In the medieval era, this region was known as the Zetland (Shetland) Islands.
STRATHCLYDE
The Strathclyde region is another large geographical area, which is in the west. It is bordered to the north, by the Highland region, to the east, in descending order, by Tayside, Central, Lothian, and Borders, and in the south, by Dumfries and Galloway. The ancient counties contained within this region are Renfrew, Argyll, Lanark, Bute, and Ayr. The western part of the county of Peebles is also in this region.
WESTERN ISLES
The Western Isles region is the largest island region in Scotland. It is in the Atlantic Ocean, to the immediate west of the Highland region. It is separated from that region by the North and Little Minch, in the north, and by the Hebrides in the south. In the Middle Ages, part of the counties of Inverness, and Ross and Cromarty were in this region.
TAYSIDE
The region of Tayside is in the central eastern part of Scotland. This county is bordered in the north by the region of Grampian, in the west by the Highland and Strathclyde regions, and in the south by the regions of Central and Fife. The ancient counties contained within this region are Kinross, Angus and Perth.
Mary Queen of Scots
Many people wonder which spelling of this Scottish name is the older. The quick answer is Stewart. The line of Stewart monarchs of Scotland began in 1371, descending from the union of Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce and Walter, the 6th High Steward of Scotland. Mary, Queen of Scots was born in 1542, a few days later her father died and she became infant Queen of Scotland.
Mary was sent to France as a child, and by the time of her return to Scotland, she was spelling her name ‘Stuart’ in the French fashion. She has remained one of history’s best known figures for her legendary beauty, her strong character (she was the Catholic Queen of a nation is the throes of the Protestant Reformation), and her untimely execution: death in the Tower of London at the bequest of her cousin Elizabeth I of England on February the 8th, 1587.
Kings and Queens of Scotland
Fergus Mor c.500-501
Domangart mac Fergus 501-507
Comgall mac Domangart 507-538
Gabhran mac Domangart 538-558
Conall mac Comgall 558-574
Aedan mac Gabhran 574-608
Eochaid Buide 608-629
Connad Cerr 629
Domnal Brecc the Freckled 629-642
Ferchar mac Connad 642-650
Dunchad mac Conaing 650-654
Conall Crandomna 650-660
Domangart mac Domnal 660-673
Maelduin mac Conall 673-688
Domnall Donn 688-695
Ferchar Fota 695-697
Eochaid Crook-Nose 697
Ainbcellach mac Ferchar 697-698
Fiannamail mac Conall 698-700
Selbach mac Ferchar 700-723
Dungal mac Selbach 723-726
Eochaid mac Eochaid 726-733
Alpin mac Eochaid 733
Muiredach mac Ainbcellach 733-736
Eogan mac Muiredach 736-739
Aed Find the White 739-778
Fergus mac Eochaid 778-781
Eochaid the Venemous 781
Constantine mac Fergus 781-820
Oengus mac Fergus 820-834
Drust mac Constantine 834-837
Eoganan mac Oengus 837-839
Alpin mac Eochaid 839-841
Kenneth I mac Alpin 841-859
Donald I 859-863
Constantine I 863-977
Aed Whitefoot 877-878
Eochaid 878-889
Giric 878-889
Donald II Dasachtach 889-900
Constantine II 900-943
Malcolm I 943-954
Indulf 954-962
Dubh 962-967
Culen 967-971
Kenneth II 971-995
Constantine III 995-997
Kenneth III 997-1005
Malcolm II 1005-1034
Duncan I the Gracious 1034-1040
Macbeth 1040-1057
Lulach the Simple 1057-1058
Malcolm III Canmore Bighead 1058-1093
Donald III Bane 1093-1094; 1094-1097
Duncan II 1094
Edmund 1094-1097
Edgar 1097-1107
Alexander I the Fierce 1107-1124
David I the Saint 1124-1153
Malcolm IV the Maiden 1153-1165
William I the Lion 1165-1214
Alexander II 1214-1249
Alexander III 1249-1286
Margaret the Maid of Norway 1286-1290
John de Baliol 1292-1296
Robert I the Bruce 1306-1329
David II 1329-1332; 1338-1371
Edward de Baliol 1332-1338
Robert II 1371-1390
Robert III 1390-1406
James I 1406-1437
James II 1437-1460
James III 1460-1488
James IV 1488-1513
James V 1513-1542
Mary Queen of Scots 1542-1567
James VI 1567-1625
Charles I 1625-1649
Charles II 1649-1685
James VII 1685-1689
Mary II 1689-1694
William II 1689-1702
Anne 1702-1707
Strathclyde Britons
Considered to be one of the founding peoples of the north, the Strathclyde Britons were of Celtic descent and were divided into three sub-kingdoms. The Selgovae dwelled north of the Clyde, while the Novantii lived in Galloway in the southwest of Scotland. The Rhiged lived in what later became the counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire in England.
The lands of the Strathclyde Britons were constantly beset by invaders from all directions. Gaels assailed their territory from Ireland in the west. Attempting to protect their colony in the south, the Roman Empire launched a military campaign under Julius Agricola around 78 A.D. During the 5th century, the Angles invaded from the east. The Picts and Dalriadans followed, overrunning the lands from the north, and the Vikings extended their influence into the borderlands, attempting coastal landings from the Isle of Man. The kingdom of Strathclyde, which flourished from the 7th to 10th centuries, was extinguished when King Cnut of Denmark conquered Cumberland during the early 11th century.
Nevertheless, the Strathclyde Britons thrived in the face of these threats. Despite the lawlessness of the borderlands, where horse thievery and cattle raids were a common part of life, they came to live in relative peace with their eastern neighbours, the Boernicians, with whom they shared a common way of life. The Strathclyde Britons were unaffected by the artifical line that demarcated the Scottish/English border and had more loyalty to their own clans than to either the Scottish or English crowns.
Septs of Scotland
Scottish Clans also contained septs or branches, which were founded when powerful or prominent clansmen established their own important families. Clans often had many septs that were often related through marriage. During difficult times, the families sought to ally themselves with larger more powerful clans for protection from enemies and other feuding clans alike. This practice, which often included paying homage to the Clan Chief at important events was effective in building respect, devotion and familiarity between different families within the same clan.
Nowadays, this relationship is all but lost, but today septs often wear that clan tartan and proudly display their clan's badge.
Some septs became so powerful that they later became clans in their own right.
In Ireland, septs were the Irish equivalent to the Scottish Clan in political and economic stature.
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