a b c d e f g h i Coventry, Martin (2008). Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans. Musselburgh: Goblinshead. pp.398–399. ISBN 978-1-899874-36-1. Mcpherson Name Meaning Scottish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Phearsain ‘son of the parson’ (see Parsons). This is the surname of various ecclesiastical families in Aberdeenshire and Argyll; it is also established in northern Ireland. Was Clan MacPherson at Culloden? First published in 1976, the book does feel a bit outdated for a start. As a warning, there is one instance of a racially offensive word, which did rather take me by surprise. I imagine a fair few readers might also feel rather uncomfortable with the romantic elements between first cousins (I usually don't mind this in historical fiction where such practice would have been much more the norm e.g Austen's Mansfield Park, here though in a story set in the 1970s, it did feel a little awkward, especially as Bryony had grown up with her cousins too). Bryony and her father, Jonathan, live at Ashley Court, but since money is short and the family fortunes have diminished, they now live in a cottage on the estate, renting out the house itself to a rich American tycoon and his family. Ashley Estate is bound by a Trust, and there are several restrictions which had been put in place by William Ashley, the 19th century owner, to protect it and ensure its proper inheritance. One was that only male heirs could inherit, and another that every member of the family must agree to any sale of land or property. Clan Macpherson ( / m ə k ˈ f ɜːr s ən/, listen ⓘ) is a Highland Scottish clan and a member of the Chattan Confederation. [2] History [ edit ] Origins [ edit ] A romantic depiction of a clansman illustrated by R. R. McIan, from James Logan's The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, 1845. Clan Chief Sir William Macpherson (right), and clan relative Cmdr. Xerxes Z. Herrington II wearing two different Macpherson tartans. [3]

The book is evocative and enjoyable with well drawn characters, from Bryony herself, her father (although we never actually meet him, he's very real) her cousins, the tough US businessman with a friendly wife and spoiled daughter who are renting the house, the vague minister, the kind and helpful pair of foreign Doctor and local Solicitor to the farm manager / man of all work, Rob Granger.The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is Mac a' Phearsain which means son of the parson. [4] The Celtic church allowed priests to marry and the progenitor of the chiefs of Clan Macpherson is believed to have been a man named Muireach or Murdo Cattenach who was the priest of Kingussie in Badenoch. [2] The Clan Macpherson is part of the Chattan Confederation (Clan Chattan). [2] In 843 the chief of Clan Chattan was Gille Chattan Mor and one of his sons, the first chief of Clan Macpherson was forced to resettle in Lochaber by Kenneth MacAlpin, first king of Scots. [2] The chief could have been the lay prior of Ardchattan and he seems to have been named in honour of Saint Cathan. [2] Touch not the cat bot a glove. 'Bot' means without. The 'glove' of a wildcat is the pad. If the cat is 'ungloved', its claws are unsheathed. The motto serves as a warning that one should beware when the wildcat's claws are 'without a glove'. It is a reference to the historically violent nature of the clan and serves as a metaphorical warning to other clans that they should think twice before interfering with Macpherson business.

At this point I seriously began to wonder whether Mary Stewart was writing a parody of a romantic novel. Thankfully they are few.I read my first Mary Stewart (Madam Will You Talk?) recently and it was wonderful. I loved everything about it. This, my second Stewart book, didn’t enchant me as much.

I've recently re-discovered Mary Stewart and even though I read this book many years ago, more than enough time has passed for me to feel it was a brand new read. The only Mary Stewart title I have read often in the last 30 years or so was Airs Above the Ground (there are horses in it, it HAD to get read over and over) but I did not know if Touch Not The Cat would be as fast-paced as Airs. I tried not to expect anything, tried to read it with the fresh eyes that my long absence gave it. Rob and Bryony’s relationship is sweet; I suppose that’s a spoiler, but it’d be hard to review this without mentioning that James is not Bryony’s ‘secret friend’. I really didn’t need all the stuff about how Rob is really an Ashley; it makes the plot that much more convoluted, but ends up reinforcing that whole snobbery about the lady of the family not marrying the kitchen boy.Fortunately, it's nothing like. We're tossed right into Bryony's experience growing up with a mental connection to someone she becomes very close to and then falls in love with, though she has no idea who he is aside from a guess that he's one of her cousins. And the story takes off from there, leading Bryony into a couple of mysteries centered on her family home. But, how true is this marvellous story? Ewen MacPherson of Cluny, Chief of Clan MacPherson, joined the Stewart army with about six hundred men but missed the fateful battle at Culloden as he had been sent to guard the passes in the Badenoch.

With regards to Bryony herself, I didn't exactly dislike her as a heroine, however I did find her far too much a pushover in the way she just accepted things and let the twins walk all over her. Even when it came to her 'lover' she seemed very passive in her decision making, for instance New Zealand was his dream, yet because of this 'shared mind' between them, it just automatically became her dream too.The history of clan Macpherson has been called “the posterity of the three brethren” as the three grandsons of Muriach were the antecedents of the three main Macpherson clan lines – Cluny, Pitmain and Invereshie. McPherson and MacPherson are the main surname spellings today. What is MacPherson tartan? They shared a love of nature, Greek and Roman history, music, theatre and art, and all of these are evident in Mary Stewart’s books. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av Scots Kith & Kin. HarperCollins. 2014. p.78. ISBN 9780007551798.