Tour Scotland short 4K travel video clip, with Scottish bagpipes music, of Loch Morar on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Lochaber, Highlands, Britain, United Kingdom. It is the deepest freshwater body in the United Kingdom. In common with Loch Ness there are occasional reports of large unidentified creatures seen in Loch Morar. The monster has been dubbed Morag by locals. After Nessie, it is among the best known of Scotland's legendary monsters. The name Morag is a pun on the name of the Loch, and of the Scottish female name, Morag. Sightings date back to 1887, and include some 34 incidents as of 1981. Sixteen of these involved multiple witnesses. In 1948 " a peculiar serpent like creature about 20 ft long " was reported by nine people in a boat, in the same place as the 1887 sighting. The appearance of the monster traditionally heralds the death of a Clanranald MacDonald. Clan Macdonald of Clanranald is a Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald one of the largest Scottish clans. The founder of the Macdonalds of Clanranald is Reginald, 4th great grandson of Somerled. The Macdonalds of Clanranald descend from Reginald's elder son Allan and the MacDonells of Glengarry descend from his younger son Donald. During the post Culloden search for Jacobites, John Ferguson, commander of the Royal Navy vessel Furnace, received information Lord Lovat was hiding on the island of Loch Morar, where he was arrested on 7 June. Lodged in the Tower of London, Simon awaited his trial for high treason which began in March 1747. The trial at Westminster Hall took seven days, with the first five consisting of evidence against the accused. On the sixth day he spoke in his defence, but the result was a foregone conclusion, and the guilty verdict passed at the end of the day. On the final day, his punishment of a traitor's death by hanging, drawing and quartering was announced, which was later commuted by the King to beheading. The day of his execution, 9 April 1747, saw many spectators arrive at Tower Hill, and an overcrowded timber stand collapsed, leaving nine spectators dead, which made Lovat laugh aloud at the ridiculous irony of it all. His laughter at this incident, even as he was being executed, is said to be the origin of the phrase "to laugh one's head off" as that is what he literally did, and for exhibiting that amount of style his trial is worth a read. Among his last words was a line of Horace: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori (Latin: "It is sweet and seemly to die for one's country"). He died, in his own eyes, as a Scottish patriot. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. @tourscotland
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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