Hi- Good to see the Norman/Viking connection is not always negative- my Hendersons were from Tynron and my Thomsons were Orcadian and one grows weary hearing about the bloodthirsty stereotype of the Norsemen- Please add more to your welcome snippets from the book- cheers Thompson in PEI Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cliff. Johnston" <moments-in-time@comcast.net> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, January 01, 2010 9:53 PM Subject: [DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY] From: History of the Johnstones 1191-1909 >I have been very fortunate to have been given a copy of "History of the >Johnstones 1191-1909" by C.L. Johnstone. To say that I am finding the book >fascinating would be an understatement. > > As one reads the modern spin on this period in history one is most often > lead to believe that our Border Clan and the Border families were all > slaughterers, blackmailers, reivers, etc. who were never happier than when > they were riding and wreaking havoc upon the countryside. Fortunately > there are some voices from the past who can still talk with us via their > writings about the Scottish side of this time period in history. One such > exerpt follows from page 2: > > "...It was the Border warriors who for centuries preserved Scotland's > integrity and bore the brunt of every invasion, and Camden, writing in the > time of James VI., points out that among these the Johnstouns [sic] were > the most noted. They owed their civilisation, superior in the Middle Ages > to that prevailing in Galloway and the Northern Highland, to the Norman > blood pervading the chief families. The adaptable Normans intermarried > with the natives of the districts where they received lands, and > introduced law, order and a rude justice." > > I will try to post other pieces as I come across them - hopefully others > will find them of interest. > > Good hunting, > > Cliff. Johnston > "May the best you've ever seen, > Be the worst you'll ever see;" > from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >