THE BOOK
There must be very few corners left
in the British Isles against whose picturesque and historical background so
many dramas and epic tales have been played, but yet about which so little
has been written. Such a place is Morvern a roughly triangular-shaped
peninsula lying west of Fort William and at the foot of the
Great Glen. Immortalised by James MacPherson (as the home of Ossian, the
Heroic Fingalian warrior) Tennyson and Scott, it is now a remote and little
known part of what was Argyll lost in the anonymity of the Highland Region.
Morvern A Highland Parish (first published as Reminiscences
of a Highland Parish) was so popular from its first appearance in 1867
that it went through many editions. It was loved for its piety, for its glimpse of life in a Highland manse and for its family
values.
The value of the book today lies in
its encapsulation of the past, its humour, its evocation of the scenery of
Morvern and surroundings and its specific appreciation of the remarkable
natural intelligence and concern for humanity. It speaks of Morvern, but
describes a whole breed of West Highlanders. Even more importantly it clarifies
the Highlander's own view of the Clan, a very necessary exercise at a time
when notions of what a Clan is, are becomingly romantically distanced from
the reality.
Due to political
correctness, the names and places were substituted when the book was first
published. These have been reconstructed by Iain Thornber, who has lived in
Morvern for many years, in this newly edited edition, which also includes
detailed notes on all aspects of the text, lists of names for those seeking
ancestors and many unpublished photographs, family trees and maps.
THE AUTHOR
Norman MacLeod belonged to
the most famous family of ministers in
Scotland
the MacLeods of
Fiunary, which has now given more than 550 years of ordained service to the
Church. He was born in 1812, the eldest son of Norman
MacLeod, better known as Caraid nan Gaidheal, the friend of the
Highlander in recognition of his great work in the Highlands. He was appointed chaplain
to Queen Victoria in 1850.
CONTEMPORARY PRESS QUOTES
One of the most
refreshing and delightful books which can anywhere be found Scotsman.
It is difficult to give
an idea of the variety of the book. The account of Rory, the minister's
man, so clever as a steersman; the chapter on the Fools, the legends of the
Highland churchyard, especially the myth of the Spanish Princess and the
snowstorm tales all breathe the air of the Highlands, and give life and
warmth to the picture
Saturday Review.
