From roots in Saxon England and the French provinces of Anjou and Normandy, the Simpsons found themselves at the forefront of Scotland's bitter Wars of Independence with England and later rallied to the doomed cause of Prince Charles Edward Stuart.
• In the Borders, a family of Simpsons gained a fearsome reputation as lawless raiders, while in the distant north they forged a kinship with the clansmen.
• In more peaceful times and pursuing a more constructive pursuit, Sir James Young Simpson, born in 1811, was the Scottish surgeon who pioneered the use of anaesthetics. This was 1847, when he became the first to apply ether as an anaesthetic to reduce the pain of childbirth.
Kennedy Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With their main territories in Carrick, in Ayrshire, and further southwest in Galloway, the roots of the ancestors of the Kennedys of today are not known with certainty. • But one theory is that, in...
Carmichael Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With roots in both the Lowlands and the Highlands of Scotland, the Carmichael name has for centuries figured prominently in the pages of the vibrant drama that is the nation's history. • With sword...
Duncan Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Tracing a descent from the ninth century King Kenneth MacAlpine, recognised as the founder of what became the Scottish nation, King Duncan I was enthroned in 1034, only to be later slain by the...
Weir Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
A name strongly identified from at least the mid-twelfth century with the Lanarkshire area of Lowland Scotland, ‘Weir’ features prominently in the record of the nation's frequently turbulent history...
Williamson Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
In Gaelic forms that include MacWilliam, the Williamson name has Celtic roots that are deeply embedded in the soil of Scotland. • Although heirs to their own proud tradition, bearers of the name...
Kennedy Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With their main territories in Carrick, in Ayrshire, and further southwest in Galloway, the roots of…
Carmichael Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
With roots in both the Lowlands and the Highlands of Scotland, the Carmichael name has for centuries…
Duncan Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
Tracing a descent from the ninth century King Kenneth MacAlpine, recognised as the founder of what b…
Weir Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
A name strongly identified from at least the mid-twelfth century with the Lanarkshire area of Lowlan…
Williamson Ancestry Scottish Clan History Booklet, Scottish Gift
In Gaelic forms that include MacWilliam, the Williamson name has Celtic roots that are deeply embedd…