I’ve been reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series the last week or two. I got the first book from the BC e-book library service, loved it, put in requests for the next two, had to wait a couple weeks, got them, read 1800 pages in 4 days, and now I’m waiting for the next two books to come available. As I wait, I have to catch up on the basement clear out, because the moment they are on the e-reader, I will be travelling to other worlds for a few days.
My own family tree is firmly rooted in the South and West of England, and on Continental Europe (France and Prussia). There are no Scots in my lineage, but there are in my husband’s side. In fact, his father is the clan genealogist for the Clan Rattray. Their traditional lands are 20 miles north of Perth and Dundee (make an equilateral triangle, and you’ll find the family seat near Blairgowrie at Craighall Rattray). Some clan maps show them as a Highland clan and others as a Lowland clan, since it’s right on the border.
I wondered whether any of the ancestors had been at Culloden, and did some research. I discovered that the son of his great great great great great great granduncle James was John Rattray, a surgeon from Edinborough, was in fact at Culloden. Moreover, he was serving there as the personal physician of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Kind of makes the heart flutter.
Did I mention my husband is also called John?
Believe it or not, Dr. Rattray was a golfer. He won the world’s first golf tournament, was head of the world’s first golf club (it later became St. Andrew’s) and is a signatory to the creation of the official rules back in 1744. (see here) In a historical story that is almost comical (but certainly something that could have been in a Diana Gabaldon novel!) after being taken at Culloden, he was reprieved from the gallows by the intervention of a golf buddy- Lord President Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden, himself.
The Rattrays are a sept of the neighboring Murray Clan (or allied with, but not actually a sept, according to some sources). On the other side of the bordering Murray land, are the Frasers. Around the time of Culloden, the Rattrays had just won back Atholl Castle from the Stewarts, so I suspect they weren’t on the best of terms. One wonders about the political initiatives that led to their involvement in the Jacobite uprising.
Knowing something of your family history brings the past alive. Knowing our people were there, doing this, brings an immediacy to events. It also makes a historical fiction seem even more possible.
Oh. There’s a stone circle at Craighall-Rattray, too.
Got goosebumps yet?
.
Shawn L. Bird 
that bloody Scot November 4, 2011
Tags: Diana Gabaldon, jamie fraser, outlander
I’ve been reading through the Outlander books in the last month or so. As a result, I’ve been exploring fan sites and such, pondering the romantic attraction of Jamie Fraser, since he does seem to have a lot of ladies all over the world in quite a tizzy.
I’ve written some ideas down already, but another one just occured to me. Here is a rare man- a manly man of the purest order, a man with so much testosterone that he is noticed everywhere he goes, is bitterly hated, lusted after. etc, but when he comes home to his woman, wounded from the fight and sorrowful over the hard responsibilities of having to kill or maim to keep his people safe, he talks about his feelings.
Oh yes. Women aren’t impressed so much by all that killing and cunning stuff, but they adore a man who can talk about his feelings. Jamie is astute, he knows about his own feelings, he understands Claire’s feelings, and when he doesn’t, he asks her about them, and he listens. He talks about the mushy stuff, he isn’t afraid to admit his weaknesses, he listens and he understands. Wow. Now THAT’s a man. He doesn’t sound much like an 18th century man, does he? or a 21st century one, either for that matter. Women can only dream of finding a man like that.
Particularly one wearing a kilt.
Share this: