No comments about The Knights Templar and Scotland.

2 comments about Skye: The Island & Its Legends.

1. The late Mrs Swire writes passionately about the place she loved. Locations are described clearly, enabling anyone but the very worst navigators to find what she describes. She also gives background information for most of the places she lists, along with appropriate legends and histories. No corner of the island is ignored in her writings. Many of the sites she discusses are illustrated with photographs and/or maps. In short, this is an essential guide when visiting Skye.



2. I loved the language and stories in this book. It was delightful to be reading history one second and then jumping into a faerie tale. Skye is imbued with the magic of storytelling, which is what we humans seem to do best.

1 comments about The Original Scots Colonists of Early America, 1612-1783.

1. I am happy with the transaction from date ordered to date delivered; and the book is what I had imagined it to be: wonderful!
   Thank you kindly..

No comments about Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors The Official Guide.

No comments about The Complete Book of Tartan.

2 comments about Rosslyn Revealed: A Library in Stone.

1. This is an interesting and thought-provoking book (see also the beautifully crafted video by the authors on YouTube). However fascinating the ideas put forward in the text, they do not address Rosslyn Chapel's fundamentally orthodox Christian Roman Catholic origin and purpose. The 'light-box' has no basis in historical fact as it was installed in the 1860s, along with all the stained glass visible today. The original medieval stained glass was forcibly removed at the Scottish Reformation (1560), the wooden screens taken out, the altars razed to the ground, the church plate and vestments and liturgical books destroyed by marauding bands of Reformers. The Chapel as we see it today is a victim of well-meaning Victorian 'restoration' and the equally well-meaning interior paint applied by the Ministry of Works in the 1950s. The Freemasonry symbols were also added by the Fourth Earl in the 1860s when damaged stone carvings were replaced; as for the Knights Templar, the Sinclairs were Crusaders - Templars had to swear vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, while the Sinclairs were rich, married and not committed to any religious monastic Rule. There is no American Corn, the Apprentice pillar is a widespread popular cautionary tale. For more on this, read 'Rosslyn Chapel Revealed' (Sutton Publishing Ltd., 2007).



2. The previous reviewer must have read a different book. How anyone can understand Rossyln Chapel as an orthodox Catholic construction is beyond me.
   It might be worth the reviewer considering the fact that Oliver Cromwell made a point of destroying Catholic churches on his travels in Scotland, but not only did he leave Rosslyn Chapel untouched, he billeted his troops there. Still we shouldn't be surprised....people still exist who consider the Knights Templars to have been fundamentalist Catholics. No, this is an excellent piece of research. They have a hard time explaining all the "Green Man" carvings at Rosslyn, but then again so does everyone else. All in all, it's probably the best book on Rosslyn I've come across, and hopefully there will be more in the future.

5 comments about When Scotland Was Jewish: DNA Evidence, Archeology, Analysis of Migrations, and Public and Family Records Show Twelfth Century Semitic Roots.

1. This was a very interesting book that stirs one to question the status quo of written history. DNA studies are confirming oral traditions and rewriting history as we know it. The book includes DNA evidence, Documents and records of the surnames in Scotland, that I have not seen elsewhere. Much more than pictures and what of, like, coulds, maybe.
   .Many pictures of Churchs, Cemetary stones, Architecture. A valuable resource for you studies of Scotland and Melungeon Heritage



2. The DNA evidence in this work only includes DNA-Y 12 markers. Everyone in the business knows that the 12 marker is ONLY used to disprove relationships. It takes 37 markers in a Y-DNA test to prove a relationship!



3. I found this book very interesting. I found links to my dad's family through three of his grandparents. I was not surprised to find Coopers my paternal grandfather's family but I was very surprised to find my paternal grandmother's family, both sides, Crocketts, and Rosses. I also found links to my Harvey cousins. One of them has had his DNA tested and found it very interesting indeed. I will definitely look for more research on this subject. This book was interesting and gave me some very good leads to follow.
   M Cooper



4. Not for the casual, light reader. Caldwelll-Hirshman and Yates back up their theories of Scotland's non-celtic history, with thorough, tireless research; and their DNA results of America's Melungeon people leaves convincing proof as to the Melungeons origins.
   Except for the clinical DNA reports, this non-fiction is written in a concise, logical manner that allows the non-science, lay person to adequately follow and understand the book's wealth of information.



5. This book is a complete fabrication. Anyone with genuine Scottish ancestry would be appalled at the stupidity of the supposed genealogical and historical research. The DNA evidence is not evidence. It is a group of people with no clear understanding of who they are grasping at ideas and trying to make actual DNA proof fit their desired history and not the actual known history of Scotland or the borderlands. I question if these people even have any connection at all to either Scotland or Judaism.
   
   The fact is that Haplogroup R1b1 is found at a high frequency in Western Europe. Most men from Spain, France and the United Kingdom have this DNA and there is no connection to Judaism. If you are from Scotland and you have a twelve marker DNA test indicate that your Haplotype is R1b1 it is highly unlikely your ancestor came from the Middle East. R1b1 does not indicate Sephardic Jewish ancestry. Other nonsense in this book includes claiming that one Jewish man is the ancestor to several royal lineages simply because they all have the same 12 markers. 77% of Scotland has the same 12 markers. It is stupidity and desperation to a degree that most genealogists and geneticists should ignore or, as I am doing, speak out against it.
   
   Even a quick google search would disprove these claims. There were no Jews in England prior to 1066. It was an inhospitable place. William the Conqueror allowed Jews to travel to the Kingdom after 1066. They garnered so much hatred that they were expelled in 1292 by King Edward I. At the most there 16,000 Jews who lived in England and that is an extremely high estimate. Most Jewish men were executed in their homes after the order of expulsion and 300 more were tried and executed at the Tower of London. The rest of the Jewish population were ordered to leave and many died or were murdered on their way out. They were very unpopular due to their notable financial fraud and scams and the accusations of ritual murder including the nephew of Godwin Stuart. The Jews that survived settled along the Rhine and have zero connection to the Sephardic Jews of Spain and Portugal.
   
   There were no Jews that escaped to the borderlands of Scotland or Wales. The Jews living in England at that time were well known and usually were forced to live near the nobility for protection. There is zero DNA evidence of a Jewish presence in either Scotland or Wales. This area was not a place to hide and a Jewish person would have been found out. There was no intermarriage between the Jews and the local population either. Not one marriage between an English Jew or an English man or woman with known Jewish ancestry and a non-Jewish native English person was ever recorded prior to the Jewish expulsion.
   
   My Grandfather descends from early settlers who traveled through the Southern United States with Daniel Boone and may have a Jewish connection. There is evidence that Daniel Boone was not Jewish but my grandfather's DNA tested within the J1 Haplotype and this would indicate Middle Eastern ancestry. There may be truth to Melungeons having a Jewish or Muslim connection but it has nothing to do with Jewish ancestors in Scotland because they didn't exist.

5 comments about The Town Below the Ground: Edinburgh's Legendary Underground City.

1. I only gave this book 4 stars because I felt that it was too short and abbreviated. Then again, I'm the type of person who likes rich historical details. The author doesn't bore you with dates or technical details, the story of the origins of Edinburgh's underground city are told with a marvelous gift of oratory, making you feel like you're hearing a story told in front of a fire, a story that grows more and more chilling.

   The story is simple, due to overpopulation, numerous underground chambers and vaults were built to accommodate the fast growth of Edinburgh's Old Town. The poorest of the poor lived in these dark cramped vaults and more often than not died there too, having never known anything but poverty and misery. You are told of the kinds of people who lived there: villians and widows, families and loners. You hear of how they lived, from the people too sickly to work to the poor children forced to climb inside chimneys to clean them. Full of misery, disease and hoplessness, it's no wonder the underground city has gained a reputation for being haunted.

   Tales of the supernatural happenings are also found in this book, tales of a mischeivious yet harmless ghost who haunts a pub to the frightening stories of tourists and tour guides alike being assaulted by unseen hands and claws.

   Whether a history buff or a fan of ghosts stories, you're sure to enjoy this book. It's easy reading, educational AND entertaining.




2. ...those readers who don't come from Edinburgh found the book entertaining, but those who do found it disappointing, and I must add my name to the latter category.

   As a lifelong Edinburgh resident I've heard stories of the underground city all my life, and the emergence of this book offered the promise of a full and final explanation of what's really there and what isn't. However, aside from a reasonably interesting general history of old Edinburgh, the book is astonishingly lacking in facts of any kind. It's all conjecture, rumour and myth. At least fifty percent of the book is merely a series of fables and ghost stories with absolutely no descernable facts or evidence to either back them up or dismiss them.

   If someone's going to bother writing a book on the underground city, wouldn't you expect them to have something to TELL? Not so Jan-Andrew Henderson. For him the gathering together of a few myths and legends was enough. No solid research, maps, plans or diagrams, descriptions of exactly what remains of the underground city; No reports of excavations, eyewitness accounts; no rummaging through old property plans or title deeds to discover reports of mysterious doorways in lost cellars that seem to lead nowhere. None of this.

   If you're really interested in learning about the underground city you'd be better off saving your money, and instead paying a visit to one of Edinburgh's many pubs in the old town, where you'll encounter characters who can tell you much more about it than anything in this book




3. I must start by saying that I haven't actually read this book. I did, however, visit Edinburgh a week ago and embark upon a tour of the old city that focused sites of murder and mayhem. On that tour, my guide was Jan-Andrew Henderson. He brought an overlarge group of American teenagers to silent, rapt attention with his description of the old city of Edinburgh inside the Floyden wall. We ended at Greyfriar's churchyard, home to 400 monuments and approximately 800,000 bodies. He was a charismatic and knowledgable story-teller, and if he writes at all in the manner in which he speaks, anything he could put on paper would be worth reading. ~ Interested in History

   P.S. On this tour Henderson made no mention of his name or plug for his book. I found out his identity later from my overall holiday tour guide (completely independent from Henderson's tour) who had accompanied my school group for the experience.




4. I found this book to be very entertaining and interesting! I don't usually like "ghost stories", and do not believe in ghosts (though I don't want to go looking for them in case I'm wrong...ha, ha); however, having been in Edinburgh 5 months ago, the underground city fascinated me. Though the book can often only reference "stories" and can not be factual, since most of the items in this book are impossible to verify, the author includes a lot of accurate historical information too. I took a tour of South Bridge when I was visiting Edinburgh, and fortunately, did not encounter any ghosts or strange occurences. After reading the section on South Bridge, I was even more glad that I didn't encounter any strange incidences (ha, ha). The author does not try to sell you anything and doesn't use his book as a publicity plug, which is nice. I recommend this book for its entertaining and interesting information!



5. This book is a good starting point if you want to get information about Edinburgh. It is entertaining and offers some interesting information about the town's history. And then there are the fables and ghost stories it offers as well.
   
   The book is split in two parts. The first part offers some historical information about the town and Scottish history. It helps one to understand how the Old Town looked like in the 18th century and how its inhabitants coped with normal life. Let me tell you: I wouldn't have wanted to live in the Old Town back then. However, the author offers only a rather superficial glance into Edinburgh's history and this book cannot be more than a starting point for the interested reader.
   
   The second part of the book offers ghost stories, myths and legends. I have visited Edinburgh in 2008 and took part in one of the ghost tours. We went into the vaults under the South Bridge. And boy... it was really spooky down there and it wasn't hard to imagine that something weird is going on.
   
   I wished that the author would have put more emphasis on the first part of the book. But I guess ghost stories sell better when it comes to tourists and Edinburgh. Nevertheless, this book was a fun read. Don't expect more from it and you will enjoy what you have.

2 comments about Scottish Clan and Family Names: Their Arms, Origins and Tartans.

1. This is an invaluble resource for anyone looking for information relating to the Scottish Clans. It includes colour pictures of coats of arms and tartans for each as well as information relating to their history and origins. The book is also liberally illustrated with excellent colour photographs of places of significance to the names under consideration. The introuction includes first rate information regarding coats of arms in Scotland, tartans, the Clan system, Scottish royalty and so on. Slightly dissappointing is the brevity of the histories for some of the Clans, for example Macrae only merits seventy words.



2. This book is an encyclopedia of Scottish Clans and family names. After a very informative introduction, which gives some interesting facts on tartan, and a great thumbnail history of Scotland, it launches into a list of the Scottish Names. A short history is given of the family, and a coat of arms is shown (in-color, of course) along with a colorful picture of the clan's tartan. Along the way, the reader is treated to many large and attractive color pictures from Scotland.
   
   Overall, I found this to be a great book, and quite a resource for anyone of Scottish descent (such as myself). I loved this book and highly recommend it to all my fellow Scots!

3 comments about Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. Lineages from Afred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert ... other Historical Individuals. Eighth Edition.

1. This book has an extreme amount of valuable information contained in it, but for the novice researcher, you may want to wait on this one. There's no plot to this book, simply titles, dates & places of birth/death, spouses and parents. Occasionally you'll get tidbits like 'participant in War of 1066' or 'Sheriff of Berkley Castle'.



2. Just cut to the chase. This book is in its 8th edition due to the devotion of Weis and his colleagues who carry on his life work. Do NOT spend hundreds of dollars buying research that the geneologist gathers from free online sources. FIRST, if you have ancestors from Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Conneticutt and Virginia you very probably are descended from or cousin to many lines documented from about 350 A.D. Gallo Roman period right through to the Pilgrims, Puritans, etc. Why? Because as Nathaniel Philbrook states in his book, 'Mayflower,' 35 million AMericans are descended from the 52 survivors of the first winter in Plymouth. Why are they related to uddles of British and continental nobles? Because the some 2,000 Norman families who ruled England married the rest of Europes nobles and by 1600 they had grown to 20,000 and had more spare children than Davey Crooket has money. The spares took up Puritism and or wanted to flip properties in the new world. SECOND, load up a good family tree software program (about $30.00)... Spent 2 years entering...



3. For anyone who has a link from New England to England of any of the colonists listed at the beginning of the book, this is an essential book. The eighth edition is the best of the editions. The amount of research it took to gather all the information is amazing. It is great to see that more recent researchers are carrying on in the tradition of Frederick Lewis Weis. I bought it new on amazon.com, and have used it extensively. It has post-it notes sticking out of half the pages, since I seem to end up looking at just about every other page. The resources given are excellent, and I'm glad they have given plenty of resources for each entry. If I want more information, I know where to go.