Winter History Visit With Music To Parish Church And Graveyard Forteviot Perthshire Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video, with Scottish Music, of photographs from a Winter ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to the church and graveyard in Forteviot, Perthshire. Forteviot was the site of an important Pictish settlement in the reign of King Oengus. With the defeat of the Picts by the Scots in the ninth century Kenneth MacAlpin had his palace here, and a basilica existed from the first half of the 8th century. This church, the third, was erected in 1778. It was remodelled in the middle of the 19th century. On the Scottish west coast, the MacAlpin family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the son of the blond one, or son of Alpin. The surname MacAlpin was first found in Argyllshire, Gaelic erra Ghaidheal, the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they were descended from King Kenneth MacAlpin who was murdered by the Picts near Dundee in the year 834. MacAlpin is generally considered to have been the first king to rule both Scots and Picts, and as such, was the first king of Scotland. MacAlpin has appeared as MacAlpine, MacAlpin, MacAilpein (Gaelic) and others. Of his father, Alpin, little is known, though tradition credits him with a signal victory over the Picts by whom he was killed three months later. Kenneth succeeded him in Dalriada and ruled in Pictavia also, ruling for 16 years. The period is obscure. The gradual union of the two kingdoms from 843 doubtless owes much to intermarriage. By the Pictish marriage custom, inheritance passed through the female. Nevertheless, Kenneth probably made some conquests among the eastern Picts and possibly invaded Lothian and burned Dunbar and Melrose. After attacks on Iona by Vikings, he is believed to have removed relics of St. Columba, probably in 849 or 850, to Dunkeld, which became the headquarters of the Scottish Columban church. He died at Forteviot, not far from Scone in Pictish territory, and was buried on the island of Iona. Robert MacAlpin settled in New York State, America, in 1740; Hugh and James MacAlpin, settled in New York, America, in 1811. Officially, the Scottish winter runs from the 21st of December through to the 20th March. All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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