Robert Dumeyer (center with the Rampant Lion) represents the Clan faithfully at numerous events in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area.
Here he is at the Celtic Monument in Bristol for the local Tartan Day Celebration.

Barbara Alexander, Matriarch of the Alexander Girls, sent me this wonderful little piece a while back about their meeting with Diana Gabaldon, the author of the great Scottish historical novels, starting with “Outlander”.  The picture above features, from left to right, Tara [Alexander] Barnard, Ms. Gabaldon, Toney [Alexander] Gausewitz, and Barbara:

A highlight of the year was meeting the author, Diana Gabaldon. It is she who must take the blame/credit for my becoming involved in “all things Scottish.” Her Outlander series is what got me started, and if there are any of you who have not read these books, RUN…….do not walk…..RUN to your nearest bookstore. You might even get to meet her yourself at your local
bookstore. That’s how Toney and Tara and I met her.  (Well, Tara had met her before as she is one of the hosts of the AOL online reading group, The Outlander, which is the largest online reading group anywhere, with over 600 members. Tara was one of the 4 original members, and when the group began to grow so fast, the author took an interest and then invited Tara and 3 others to Phoenix to have lunch with her. Forgive me for bragging, but that’s a mama’s prerogative)

Anyway, Diana (notice I am on a first name basis here!) was going on a book signing tour of the west coast last June, and Tara e-mailed her that she and her sister and mother would be coming to the one in Livermore, Ca. (in the Bay Area) Diana e-mailed back that maybe we could all have dinner together afterwards. You cannot imagine how thrilled we all were. I think Tara would have quit her job if she could not have gotten the time off.  So we went to both the bookstores in the Bay Area where Diana was signing books, and afterwards Diana said she was staying at a hotel in San Francisco and asked if we would mind giving her a ride there , and if so, she would let her escort go on home. Would we mind giving her a ride? Would we mind!!!! San Francisco was 45 minutes away…..we would have Diana to ourselves for 45 whole minutes ! And that was not counting dinner with her! Would we mind !!!!!

Tara drove and Diana sat in the front seat with her. After a lovely dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf, we took Diana to her hotel and prepared for the long drive back home. Tara would not let me get in the front seat unless I would drive and let HER sit where Diana had sat, and she told me I must never wash that seat!

Thanks Barbara!  Now, all you MacAlisters, Saunders, etc, all three of the first Fortiter Online! issues have featured stories prepared by Alexanders, so send me your pieces of Clan interest before they take over!

by Vance McAlister, FSA Scot

There is simply something that appeals to me about crannogs.  I am not sure whether it is the idea of living on the water, the longevity of their use in the Western Isles, or just the interesting name: crannog.  In short, a crannog is a home built in a lake or river, either on poles driven into the water, or by building up an artificial island for the purpose, then linking this to the shore by a walkway.  These truly unique homes were used in the Western Isles of Scotland and in Ireland from the Stone Age down to the mid-1700′s, making them one of the most persistent forms of habitation ever.

Building upon this simple concept, there were many variations in size and shape, as with all housing.  The size of the structure itself seems to have varied mostly between 15 to 30 yards across, and sometimes had more than one building. We are still unsure about the degree the “stilt” versions were used, most of the evidence available is of the built-up islands.  Of course, these would be more durable, and the evidence of the stilt versions would be more scarce.  In any case, there are dozens of known sites for the island versions in the Western Isles alone.  The houses built on these islands were most often the large, round thatch-roofed buildings we are familiar with from early Celtic times.  These had a central hearth and communal area and often rooms were divided around the outer “ring” of the circle, depending on the size.

Why on a lake?  The most obvious answer is defense.  As much from the wildlife as their fellow humans.  Sometimes they expanded and existing island or sandbar (if lucky enough to get this head-start), but most often it seems they had to find a suitable location, a rise in the lake bottom not too far from shore, then begin adding stones and earth until an artificial island was created of the size desired.  I have had correspondence with a graduate student, Mark Holley, an American who had done field research in the Western Isles, and he had set up a wonderful website showing all of his archeological sites, and a large number of pictures.  You can find his page here.

There have been a number of “living history” re-creations of crannogs, and for some reason these are usually of the stilt variety, as these pictures show.  One on Loch Tay in Scotland is a regular field trip site for local school children.

While the typical crofter’s cottage, with dry-stone walls and thatch or turf roofs may have been the standard housing for the island residents, these crannogs, when available, seem to have been popular alternatives.  There are multiple sites on nearly every lake (I should say “loch”, of course) and waterway in the Isles. Established crannog sites were used repeatedly for thousands of years, the actual structures being replaced numerous times.  One interesting point made by Holly is the difference in building material between the mainland crannog structures, which were mostly of wood, and those in the Isles, which were of stones.  He states this is simply based on the materials locally available.

There is no evidence of a particular MacAlister connection to a crannog, but such a connection is very possible.  There were a number on Islay and the surrounding lands of the Lordship.  Regardless, every little insight into life in the Isles in ancient and medieval times gives us a fuller picture of our ancestors’ world.  Besides, I just like crannogs!