Feature: Long-lost clan papers brought back to Scotland after 150 years

One hundred and fifty years after disappearing, rare and valuable documents of a Hebridean clan have been brought back to Scotland. When the island of Coll was sold in 1856, the Macleans, the lairds of Coll, were scattered across the globe. Recently, a large group of their family papers turned up in South Africa, and were acquired by Nicholas Maclean-Bristol, who lives in Breacachadh Castle on Coll in the Inner Hebrides.

They include a royal charter of 1528 and other family and legal documents. Two letters written in 1646 by the Marquess of Montrose to Maclean of Coll thank him for sending his sons to fight for the King. By chance a British dealer spotted the lost papers in a house clearance sale in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It turned out that some Macleans had emigrated to Natal after the estate was sold.

Through the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), which was not in a position to acquire them, the papers were bought by Major Maclean-Bristol, who has been fascinated by Hebridean history for many years. Fifty years ago, then a young officer in the King's Own Scottish Borderers stationed in Glasgow, he asked the Scottish Record Office (as the National Archives of Scotland used to be known) to help him find the Maclean of Coll estate papers. They discovered a box in an Edinburgh solicitor’s office inscribed 'Maclean of Coll'. There was nothing in it. The papers had gone as salvage in the Second World War.

Undaunted, Maclean-Bristol went on to search in other records. The result is his book 'From Clan to Regiment: 600 Years in the Hebrides 1400-2000' which has been published recently. His search also led him to purchase Breacachadh Castle, the ruined family stronghold in the Isle of Coll, which he then set about restoring.

In turn this led him to found the Project Trust, the first 'Gap Year' organisation which since 1967 has sent some 5,500 eighteen year-old volunteers to serve in 50 developing countries. Currently it sends some 200 young men and women to 25 different countries stretching from China to Chile. This year 34% of those going overseas come from Scotland.

All candidates for Project Trust places spend a week on selection in the Isle of Coll. They perform tasks to prove that they are suitable to spend 12 months overseas. They also study the history of Coll, which is used as a model to help them understand a community which is very different to the one they come from. Candidates return to Coll for training, and then again for de-briefing at the end of their time overseas. The Trust now employs some 16% of the population of Coll. It has helped make the island one of the most dynamic communities in the Hebrides. The history of the Hebrides has, however, helped inspire a new generation in the United Kingdom to serve overseas and helped revive an island.

What is the point of studying history? Some people say that it is irrelevant to the 21st century. The tangible link between clan history and the modern life of an island provides one answer.

The Maclean of Coll papers
The papers of the Macleans of Coll date from 1528 onwards. In addition to extensive legal documents about the estate, there are many fascinating personal papers. A letter from India in 1782 came from Coll’s younger son, who had been captured by Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore. Other clan papers include details of the feud between the Macleans of Coll and the Camerons of Lochiel.

In the early sixteenth century the Macleans of Coll owned Lochiel. In 1519 they were defeated by Ewen Allansoun, Chief of the Clan Cameron at the battle of Blarnicara, and lost their Lochaber estate. In the 1530s the Macleans of Coll took Cameron to court and were found to be the rightful owners of Lochiel. They were, however, unable to get it back. Two hundred years later the then Maclean of Coll appealed to the King. He claimed that because Cameron had forfeited his estate for siding with Prince Charles Edward Stuart in the '45, whilst the Macleans of Coll had fought for King George and sent innumerable men into the British Army, they should be granted Lochiel again. Once more they were unsuccessful.

It is expected that a catalogue of the Coll papers will be added to the National Register of Archives for Scotland. The Register consists of lists of historical documents in private hands. It is maintained by a branch of the National Archives of Scotland. For over 60 years the NRAS has advised and assisted private owners in maintaining their papers. This has helped preserve many historically important collections, and assisted historians by arranging for access with owners.

Papers go on display
A selection of the Maclean of Coll papers are on display in the NAS at West Register House, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. The display is entitled 'An Island Clan: Maclean of Coll. Newly-discovered documents from Breacachadh, Isle of Coll' and is open from 09:00-16:30 Monday to Friday until Friday 29 June 2007.