B is for
Banffshire but the letter ‘B’ is not
otherwise very significant as the initial letter to much of
MacLachlan history. Even the woman’s name
‘Barbara’ is seldom found in the West Highlands and
appears not to have a Gaelic equivalent.
The Roman Catholic religion was once strong in Scotland but was proscribed by the reformation Parliament in 1560 although, as in many other matters, the Highland parishes did not necessarily conform; Strathlachlan and others in Cowal persisted as Catholic for some time after. At Glenlivet in Banff there was a seminary with strong links with Rome for much of the proscribed period. The Earl of Moray had a Catholic priest, Fr Paul McLachlan (1805-83) from Banff, at his Doune Castle estate two hundred years ago and his steward Peter McLachlan (1783-1862) was a Catholic as are Peter’s descendents to this day, several of them entering the priesthood and convents.
The Roman Catholic religion was once strong in Scotland but was proscribed by the reformation Parliament in 1560 although, as in many other matters, the Highland parishes did not necessarily conform; Strathlachlan and others in Cowal persisted as Catholic for some time after. At Glenlivet in Banff there was a seminary with strong links with Rome for much of the proscribed period. The Earl of Moray had a Catholic priest, Fr Paul McLachlan (1805-83) from Banff, at his Doune Castle estate two hundred years ago and his steward Peter McLachlan (1783-1862) was a Catholic as are Peter’s descendents to this day, several of them entering the priesthood and convents.