Alba Historical

 Central and Southern Scotland Place names rooted in Welsh Many place names in central and southern Scotland are derived from British, the language very close to Welsh which was spoken by the Northern Britons, Glasgow, originally Glasgau, means the green hollow in Britonic.  Edinburgh first appears in Welsh sources as the fort of Din Eidyn. When the Bernicians took over they translated this into English as Edinburgh. Lanark Lanerc: the clearing (Welsh-lanerch).  Peebles-Pebyl: the shielings (Welsh-pebyll).  Partick-Perthec: the copse (Welsh-perth); also the derivation of Perth, Paisley-Pasaleg a church word based on Basaleg, a Welsh borrowing from Latin-basilica, mother-church. Penicuik-Pen y gog: cuckoo's headland.  Cramond Caer Amond: the fort on the River Almond.  Moscow-Maes coll: Hazelfield (Welsh-maes and coll).  Bathgate-Baeddgoed: Boar-wood (Welsh-baedd and coedi)  Melrose Moelrose: the bald/bare headland.  Ecclefechan: perhaps the li...

 Govan's ancient treasures It is easy to pass Govan Old Parish Church without suspecting the remarkable history that lies within. On the banks of the River Clyde, flanked by the Pearce Institute and the offices of a housing association, the church does not outwardly reflect antiquity. It was built in 1820, but the land on which it stands has been used for Christian worship since the 9th century when it was the Britons major Christian centre before that. It is home to a collection of early carved stones that attract archaeologists from all over the world.  Long before the birth of Christ, this was a significant place. Evidence has been found that Bronze Age people settled in Govan. It was then almost an island in the River Clyde, which could be reached only by a ford. It is not certain when the first church was built there, but the collection of sculpted stones spanning the 9th to 11th centuries suggests it was very early indeed. In fact, they represent a major school of stone-...

 Ystrat Clud Britons are the ancestors no one seems to have heard about. They were Christians, spoke Welsh, worshipped at Govan, and ruled from Carlisle to Glasgow for 600 years. They are the nearest thing we have to a 'native' people! They called it Ystrat Clud - Strathclyde. Their church was at Govan, their hunting estate at Partick, their stronghold was Cadzow near Hamilton. They were the Welsh forefathers of today's Glaswegians. They were the Britons. Of all the peoples who made up Scotland in the early historic period, the group who are probably least well. Known to the average Scot was the Britons. This is odd, as these are the people who were here when written history began, the nearest thing Scotland has to a “native” people. When the Romans arrived in Britain, first in the 1st century BC, and then during their forays into Scotland in the 1st century AD, Britain was inhabited by Britons from south to north. The Romans called them Brittones. The languages spoken thro...

 Forgotten folk Close to the centre of Glasgow is a collection of early Scottish works of art, which attracts experts from around the world. It is a national treasure, as important as lona, yet its historical importance has been neglected by the city fathers and the tourist industry. So much so, that 16 priceless stone carvings were scooped up and dumped as rubble. It seems incredible, but these symbols of our Christian heritage from more than a thousand years ago are virtually hidden, looked after by the minister and elders of Govan Parish Church. Few people knew about them. And the reason appears to be simply that no one knows about the people who created them, the Britonic people, who were the first Glaswegians. The belief is widely held that The when the Romans left Scotland, they turned off the lights, plunging us into centuries of barbarism known as the Dark Ages. Wrong. This was the time when the Kingdom of the Scots started to take shape with the blending of differing natio...