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7 unusual facts about Atholl


Athol, New Zealand

It seems probable it was named after Atholl in Perthshire, Scotland and this might be because the Superintendent of Southland Province at the time of the survey, Dr. James Menzies, came from there.

Badenoch

Badenoch (from the Scottish Gaelic Bàideanach meaning drowned land) is a traditional district which today forms part of Badenoch and Strathspey, an area of Highland Council, in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber.

Clan Rattray

In 1463 Sir Silvester Rattray of Rattray was an ambassador to England and inherited from his mother large estates around Fortingall in Atholl.

Kenneth MacAlpin

For example, Atholl, a name used in the Annals of Ulster for the year 739, has been thought to be "New Ireland", and Argyll derives from Oir-Ghàidheal, the land of the "eastern Gaels".

MacGillonie

MacGillonie or MacGill'Eoinidh, according to MacIntosh was a famous hunter in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland and several vestiges of his huts were seen in the mountains of Atholl in 1785.

Murray of Aberscross

Despite their name, this Murray family were not part of the Clan Murray in Atholl but were in fact a sept of the Clan Sutherland, whose chiefs were the Earls of Sutherland.

Westminster Stone theory

The Stone of Destiny was kept by the monks of Iona, the traditional headquarters of the Scottish Celtic church, until Viking raiding caused them to move to the mainland, first to Dunkeld, Atholl, and then to Scone.


Amlaíb Conung

A short while after that battle was fought in his 14th year at Dollar between the Danes and the Scots, the Scots were annihilated at Atholl.

Antient Grand Lodge of England

This Grand Lodge was also informally called the Atholl Grand Lodge because the Third and Fourth Dukes of Atholl presided over it as Grand Masters for half of its 62-year existence.

Atholl Highlanders

The Atholl Highlanders USA has the distinction of being the first pipe band to play at the Super Bowl, when it appeared at Super Bowl XXXIV.

Canadian Aviation Corps

1 Burgess-Dunne two-seater tailless swept-wing pusher floatplane built by Blair-Atholl Syndicate Limited of England

David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl

, of Felton, Jesmond, Ponteland, and Tarcet (in Thormeburre), was Knight of the Shire for Northumberland (as Adomar de Atholl) in 1381.

David Kenworthy, 11th Baron Strabolgi

The title of Baron Strabolgi was created in 1318 for the tenth Earl of Atholl.

George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly

He then involved himself in a private war with the Grants and the Mackintoshes, who were assisted by the Earls of Atholl and Moray; and on 8 February 1592 he set fire to Moray's castle of Donibristle in Fife, and stabbed the earl to death with his own hand.

James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl

On 6 April 1763, Atholl resigned the office of privy seal on being appointed keeper of the great seal in succession to Charles Douglas (1698-1778), Duke of Queensberry and Dover.

John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl

Bruce Murray, now 12th Duke of Atholl (born 6 April 1960), who was educated at Saasveld Forestry College and in 1984 married Lynne Elizabeth Andrew, the first daughter of Nicholas Andrew, of Bedfordview, South Africa.

John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl

In 1932 Atholl came to national attention when he launched a lottery in an attempt to stop money going abroad to the Irish Free State Hospitals Sweepstakes.

Katharine Stewart-Murray, Duchess of Atholl

Institute of Education Archives, Girls' Day School Trust collection 'Katherine, Duchess of Atholl', 1960.

Landscape painting in Scotland

Probably a student of the Nories was Charles Steuart (fl. 1762-90), who produced a series of Perthshire landscapes for the Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle, including The Black Lynn, Fall on the Brann (1766).

Stanley, Perthshire

The Dempster & Co company was established in 1787 by seven men including Richard Arkwright, George Dempster and William Sandeman to build the mill on land feued from the Duke of Atholl to provide employment to Highlanders affected by the clearances.

T. T. Lewis

Born Atholl Edwin Seymour Lewis, T. T. Lewis was one of a set of twins born in Drax Hall, Barbados.


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