Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Cargill, Donald

(Encyclopedia)Cargill, Donald, 1619?–1681, Scottish Covenanter. He was a minister in Glasgow from c.1655 until 1662, when he was expelled for denouncing the Restoration and resisting the establishment of the epis...

Cawdor

(Encyclopedia)Cawdor kôˈdər [key], village, Highland, NE Scotland, SW of Nairn. Cawdor Castle, the earliest remaining piece dating from 1454, was represented by Shakespeare, following tradition, as the scene of ...

Blind Harry

(Encyclopedia)Blind Harry or Henry the Minstrel, fl. late 15th cent., supposed Scottish poet. He is considered the author of the patriotic epic, The Wallace, which celebrates the life of Sir William Wallace. Violen...

Northumberland

(Encyclopedia)Northumberland nôrthŭmˈbərlənd [key], county (1991 pop. 300,600), 2,019 sq mi (5,229 sq km), NE England; administratively, Northumberland is a unitary authority (since 2009). Northernmost of the ...

Lovat, Simon Fraser, 11th Baron

(Encyclopedia)Lovat, Simon Fraser, 11th Baron lŭvˈət [key], 1675?–1747, Scottish nobleman and Jacobite conspirator. The nephew of the 9th baron, he and his father contested the passing of the title to his cous...

Mainland

(Encyclopedia)Mainland. 1 Island (1991 pop. 14,150), 178 sq mi (461 sq km), N Scotland. The largest of the Orkney Islands, it is also called Pomona. Kirkwall, the seat of the Orkney Islands council area, is on the ...

Mar, John Erskine, 2d (or 7th) earl of

(Encyclopedia)Mar, John Erskine, 2d (or 7th) earl of, 1558–1634, Scottish nobleman; son of the 1st (or 6th) earl. In 1578 he was persuaded by James Douglas, 4th earl of Morton, to assert his claims to Stirling Ca...

Hamilton, James Hamilton, 3d marquess and 1st duke of

(Encyclopedia)Hamilton, James Hamilton, 3d marquess and 1st duke of, 1606–49, Scottish nobleman; grandson of John Hamilton, 1st marquess of Hamilton. He succeeded (1625) his father as marquess of Hamilton and ear...

Stuart, Robert, 1st duke of Albany

(Encyclopedia)Stuart or Stewart, Robert, 1st duke of Albany, 1340?–1420, regent of Scotland; third son of Robert II. As earl of Fife and Monteith, he held commands under his father and more than once raided Engla...

bagpipe

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Scottish bagpipe bagpipe, musical instrument whose ancient origin was probably in Mesopotamia from which it was carried east and west by Celtic migrations. It was used in ancient Greece and Ro...