2011 Schotland Glen Lyon Carn Mairgmassief2 6-06-2011 18-15-21

Glen Lyon ( gd, Gleann Lìomhann) is a glen in the Perth and Kinross region of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is the longest enclosed glen in Scotland and runs for from Loch Lyon in the west to the village of Fortingall in the east. This glen was also known as ''An Crom Ghleann'' ("The Bent Glen"). The land given over to the MacGregors was gd, An Tòiseachd. It forms part of the

Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area The Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area is a national scenic area (NSA) covering the area surrounding Loch Rannoch, Glen Lyon, and the Ben Lawers ranges of mountains in Scotland. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defi ...

, one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development by restricting certain forms of development. Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

described Glen Lyon as the "longest, loneliest and loveliest glen in Scotland". Apart from a few scattered farms and cottages throughout the glen, the only real settlements are at Fortingall and

Bridge of Balgie Bridge of Balgie is a hamlet in Glen Lyon ( Perth & Kinross, Scotland) and lies at the junction between the east–west single track road along the foot of the glen from Fortingall to Loch Lyon and the unclassified mountain road running over the w ...

. The Glen contains several small hamlets and has a Primary school where Gaelic is taught weekly.

History

Quite densely inhabited from prehistoric times (as many archaeological sites attest), though its present population is of modest size, the glen has been home to many families, including MacGregors, Lyons, Menzies, Stewarts, Macnaughtans, MacGibbons and the Campbells of Glen Lyon. At the end of the eleventh century the de Leons (later shortened to "Lyon") had come north with Edgar, son of Malcolm III of Scotland to fight against his uncle, Donald Bane. Edgar was victorious and the de Leons received lands that were later called Glen Lyon in Perthshire. Glen Lyon is a corruption from the Gaelic "lithe" meaning "flood", a frequent state of the River Lyon. Robert Campbell of Glenlyon (1630–1696), led the detachment of government troops responsible for the infamous

Glencoe Massacre The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allege ...

, of the MacDonalds of Glencoe in 1691. A magnificent silver-gilt

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with g ...

set with precious stones belonging to the Campbells of Glen Lyon (that has been dated to the early 16th century) is currently in the collection of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

.British Museum Collection
/ref> Glen Lyon, also written Glenlyon, has been the home of (among others) early Christian

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s (including Adomnán ocally Eonán(died 704), Abbot of Iona and

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

of St Columba),

warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

s, literary figures,

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

s, castles (

Meggernie Castle Meggernie Castle is a castle in the heart of Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland. It is located halfway up Glenlyon, where the river Lyon flows through on its way to join the river Tay, shortly below Loch Tay. From 1920, until his death in 1958 ...

till inhabitedand Carnbaan uined and arguably the best

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

. Its history is described in Alexander Stewart's ''A Highland Parish'' (1928), and Duncan Campbell's ''The Lairds of Glenlyon'' (1886).

Book of Lismore

James MacGregor, parish priest of Fortingall in the early 16th century, compiled the

Book of the Dean of Lismore The ''Book of the Dean of Lismore'' ( gd, Leabhar Deathan Lios Mòir) is a Scottish manuscript, compiled in eastern Perthshire in the first half of the 16th century. The chief compiler, after whom it is named, was James MacGregor (''Seumas Mac ...

, the most important surviving collection of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. His ''Chronicle'', covering local events in a mixture of Scots and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, is also extant, and is an important historical source for the central

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

Gallery

File:2011 Schotland Glen Lyon rivier 6-06-2011 18-24-02.png, River Lyon File:2011_Schotland_Glen_Lyon_vee_6-06-2011_18-20-06.png, Cattle in Glen Lyon

References

{{Scottish provinces, minor Glens of Scotland Protected areas of Perth and Kinross National scenic areas of Scotland Valleys of Perth and Kinross