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A Clan (Gaelic for a tribe or family), among the Highlanders of Scotland, consisted of the common descendants of the same progenitor, under the patriarchal control of a chief, who represented the common ancestor. The name of the clan was frequently formed of that of the original progenitor with the affix mac (son): thus the MacDonalds were the sons of Donald, and every individual of this name was considered a descendant of the founder of the clan, and a brother of every one of its members. The chief exercised his authority by right of primogeniture, as the father of his clan: the clansmen revered and served the chief with the blind devotion of children.
The clans each occupied a certain portion of the country, and hostilities with neighbouring clans were extremely common. Next in rank to the chief were a certain number of persons, commonly near relations of the chief, to whom portions of land were assigned, during pleasure or on short leases. Each of these usually had a subdivision of the clan under him, of which he was chieftain, subject, however, to the general head of the sept. The jurisdiction of the chiefs was not very accurately defined, and it was necessary to consult, in some measure, the opinions of the most influential clansmen and the general wishes of the whole body. It was latterly the policy of the government in Scotland to oblige the clans to find a representative of rank to become security at court for their good behaviour; the clans who could not procure a suitable representative, or who were unwilling to do so, were called broken clans, and existed in a sort of outlawry
The most notable instance of a proscribed and persecuted clan was that of the ancient clan MacGregor, who long continued to hold their lands by the coir a glaive, or right of the sword. The rebellions of 1715 and 1745 induced the British government to break up the connection which subsisted between the chiefs and the clansmen. The hereditary jurisdiction of the chiefs was therefore abolished, the people disarmed, and even compelled to relinquish their national dress. Few traces of this institution now remain, except such as have a merely sentimental character; thus all those who possess the same clan name may still talk of their 'chief,' though the latter have now neither land nor influence.
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William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland was the second son of George II of England. He was born in 1721 and died in 1765. At the battle of Dettingen he was wounded when fighting at the side of his father, and though unsuccessful at Fontenoy, where he had the command of the allied army, he rose in reputation by somewhat brutally subduing the insurrection in Scotland caused by the landing of Charles Edward Stuart in 1745. In 1747 he was defeated by Marshal Saxe at Lafeld, and in 1757 he lost the battle of Hastenbeck, against D'Estrees, and concluded the convention at Closterseven, by which 40,000 English soldiers were disarmed and disbanded, and Hanover placed at the mercy of the French. He then retired in disgrace from his public offices, and took no active part in affairs.
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The Swiss Guards were a regiment of bodyguards to the French throne raised in 1616 under the title Les Gardes du Roi. The Swiss Guards distinguished themselves during the French revolution with their loyalty and devotion to Louis XVI, which resulted in them being disarmed and massacred after they had resisted the mob which invaded the Tuileries on August the 10th 1792.
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The Braunschweig was a German Braunschweig Class battleship of 13200 tons displacement launched in 1902. The Braunschweig was powered by eight Schulz-Thornycroft coal-fired boilers providing a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 8800 km at 10 knots. She carried a complement of about 743 and was armed with four 11-inch guns; fourteen 6.7-inch guns; eighteen 3.4-inch (22 pdr) guns; machine-guns and six 17.7 inch torpedo tubes, five submerged in the bow and broadside and one above water at the stern. After the Great War she was disarmed.
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The Elsass was a German Braunschweig Class battleship of 13200 tons displacement launched in 1903. The Elsass was powered by eight Schulz-Thornycroft coal-fired boilers providing a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 8800 km at 10 knots. She carried a complement of about 743 and was armed with four 11-inch guns; fourteen 6.7-inch guns; eighteen 3.4-inch (22 pdr) guns; machine-guns and six 17.7 inch torpedo tubes, five submerged in the bow and broadside and one above water at the stern. After the Great War she was disarmed.
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HMS Folkestone was a British unarmed surveying warship of 1045 tons displacement launched in 1930 originally as an escort vessel, but later disarmed and modified. HMS Folkestone was powered by two Admiralty 3-drum type boilers providing a top speed of 16 knots.
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HMS Frobisher was a British Cavendish Class light cruiser of 9860 tons displacement launched in 1920. She had a top speed of 30 knots and carried a crew of 712. Armaments consisted of five 7.5 inch calibre BL MkV main guns; five 4 inch calibre QF HA MkV secondary guns; eight Vickers 2-pounder Mark VIII anti-aircraft guns; ten Oerlikon 20 mm/65 guns; six 21 inch torpedoes. Disarmed and used as a cadet training ship in December 1936, she was converted back to a cruiser in September 1939 as a Hawkins Class vessel and re-entered active service in February 1942, before being converted back to a training ship in October 1944 and sold for scrap in May 1949.
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HMS Hawkins was a British Cavendish Class light cruiser of 9800 tons displacement designed during the Great War, launched in 1917 and completed in 1919. She had a top speed of 30 knots (exceeded during trials) and carried a crew of 712. Armaments consisted of seven 7.5 inch calibre BL MkV main guns; four 4 inch calibre QF HA MkV secondary guns; eight Vickers 2- pounder Mark VIII anti-aircraft guns; ten Oerlikon 20 mm/65 guns; six 21 inch torpedoes. Disarmed and placed in reserve in January 1937 she was rearmed in September 1939 and entered active service again in January 1940 as a Hawkins Class vessel. She was sold for scrap in 1947. HMS Hawkins was the first British warship to be fitted with a recreation room for the crew, barber's shops, &c.
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The Hessen was a German Braunschweig Class battleship of 13200 tons displacement launched in 1903. The Hessen was powered by eight Schulz-Thornycroft coal-fired boilers providing a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 8800 km at 10 knots. She carried a complement of about 743 and was armed with four 11-inch guns; fourteen 6.7-inch guns; eighteen 3.4-inch (22 pdr) guns; machine-guns and six 17.7 inch torpedo tubes, five submerged in the bow and broadside and one above water at the stern. After the Great War she was disarmed, and in 1937 was rebuilt as a wireless-controlled target ship with a reduced displacement of 13040 tons, oil fired boilers and a top speed of 20 knots.
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The Lothringen was a German Braunschweig Class battleship of 13200 tons displacement launched in 1904. The Lothringen was powered by eight Schulz-Thornycroft coal-fired boilers providing a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 8800 km at 10 knots. She carried a complement of about 743 and was armed with four 11-inch guns; fourteen 6.7-inch guns; eighteen 3.4-inch (22 pdr) guns; machine-guns and six 17.7 inch torpedo tubes, five submerged in the bow and broadside and one above water at the stern. After the Great War she was disarmed.
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The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
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©1993 - 2009 The Probert Encyclopaedia
Southampton, United Kingdom
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