Reconsidering the Highland Roots of Adam Ferguson

438 Pages·2013·3.98 MB·English

‘A Bastard Gaelic Man’: Reconsidering the Highland
Roots of Adam Ferguson

Denise Ann Testa

College of Arts

University of Western Sydney

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Humanities and Languages

September 2007

Supervisor: Dr David Burchell

© Denise Testa 2007
DEDICATION

In memory of Anna Sutherland
Acknowledgements
A postgraduate student cannot successfully complete their task without the aid of numerous people. Dr
David Burchell, my supervisor has been unwavering in his support and generosity. His patience has been
exceptional. I also must commend the University of Western Sydney for the patience and support I received
within the institution. Three months of research in Edinburgh and London, would not have been possible without
the generous financial support of the Centre for Cultural Research at UWS and a grant from the Australian
Bicentennial Scholarship Committee.
The staff of the University of Western Sydney’s branch libraries supplied the all too numerous document
delivery requests I placed. A special thank-you must go to Judy Egan, Cheryl Harris and the staff of Blacktown
and Ward libraries. Thanks must also go to the staff of Fisher Library at the University of Sydney, the National
Library of Australia, the National Archives of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the British Library.
The staff at the Special or Rare books Collections at Fisher Library, the University of Canberra, the University of
Edinburgh and the University of Stirling also came to my aid.
A special thank-you must go to Associate Professor Brian Taylor for his encouragement over the years
and also the help of his son, Alasdair Taylor, who supplied moral support and introduced me to some contacts in
Edinburgh. Dr Wilson Macleod kindly permitted me to have access to the Celtic and Scottish Studies specialty
Libraries at the University of Edinburgh. For this, I was very grateful. I also benefited from an unpublished
book chapter sent to me by Dr P. Howard Gaskill of University of Edinburgh.
Such a project cannot be undertaken without the help and support of other academic staff and
postgraduates. I especially would like to pass on my appreciation for her patience and support to Associate
Professor Carol Liston, head of the School of Humanities and Languages at UWS. I could not have completed
the work without the suggestions and skill of a fellow postgraduate student, Alison Harwood, who helped with
the proofreading phase of the work. She was also a great source of solace during the writing process. I would
also like to thank professional proofreader, Jean Cooney, for the assistance she gave in compliance with the
Australian Standards for Editing Practice. Thanks to Reenard Hoekzema, who translated a Dutch journal article
at my request. I owe a great debt to John and Katie Graham who taught Scottish Gaelic in the Centre for Celtic
Studies at the University of Sydney. They gave me advice on certain aspects of the work. I could not have made
it without their encouragement over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Major Ronnie
Proctor for his kindness and hospitality when I visited the Museum of the Black Watch at Balhousie Castle in
Perth. Although he was unable to furnish me with new information on Adam Ferguson, meeting him was a
highlight of my research trip to the United Kingdom. The following people provided support with computer
problems or kept me in a good operational state: Gary Wong, Susan Britton, Karl Baumgart, Professor Les
Barnsley, and Associate Professor Glen Croxson. Karen Frost was a great support and helped me with sorting
and checking work in the final stages. I cannot forget to acknowledge the unconditional support of my mother
who braved uproar in the home when software and hardware problems arose, but who was always there for me
when things got desperate.
Statement of Authentication

The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original
except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this
material, either in part or in full, for a degree at this or any other institution.

Denise Ann Testa 20 September 2007
Table of Contents

List of Tables.........................................................................................................iii
List of Figures........................................................................................................iv
Abbreviations......................................................................................................................v
Abstract.................................................................................................................vii
Introduction.............................................................................................................1
Chapter 1 Logierait - The Prelude: Setting and Daily Round.............................24
Chapter 2 Adam Ferguson or Adhamh Fhearghuis: Ferguson and the Gaelic
Language............................................................................................60
Chapter 3 'The Gosple according To Logyreat': Fergusson and Son, Highland
Moderates in the Church of Scotland...............................................103
Chapter 4 'In the garb of old Gaul with the fire of old Rome': Ferguson, the
Military and Highland Scotland.......................................................149
Chapter 5 'For the honour of our ancestors': Ferguson, the Macphersons, Ossian
and related Works............................................................................198
Chapter 6 The artless song of the savage: Ferguson and oral tradition...........241
Chapter 7 Ferguson, primitive roots and societal progress...............................276
Chapter 8 'The peculiar genius of nations' Ferguson as proto anthropologist:.......
concluding reflections......................................................................318
References............................................................................................................354
Table of Contents
Appendices
Appendix A Portraits of Adam Ferguson through various stages of life..........410
Appendix B The Fergusons’ close ties with Sir Walter Scott’s family.............412
Appendix C Logierait parish and language usage..............................................414
Appendix D Further characteristics and features of the Gaelic language..........415
Appendix E The Macphersons’ Gaelic..............................................................417
Appendix F Comparison chart of consonants and vowels in Australian English,
Ancient Greek and Gaelic..............................................................419
Appendix G Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair and Gaelic Prohibition in Highland
Schools..........................................................................................422
Appendix H Milton’s Sonnet No. 11.................................................................424
Appendix I Preamble and text of The Garb of Old Gaul..................................426
Appendix J Stoicism, shame-honour, Enlightenment and Ferguson................428
Appendix K Background to the inception of the Scottish Militia, 1793–97......431
Appendix L The service careers of Ferguson’s offspring..................................433
Appendix M Ferguson’s epitaph and memorial.................................................435
Appendix N An example of rhythm and repetition in puirt-a-beul...................437
Appendix O The Family of Adam Ferguson.....................................................438

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List of Tables
Appendices
Table F-1. Australian English consonants........................................................420
Table F-2. Ancient Greek consonants...............................................................420
Table F-3. Scottish Gaelic consonants..............................................................420
Table F-4. Australian English vowels...............................................................421
Table F-5. Ancient Greek vowels.....................................................................421
Table F-6. Scottish Gaelic vowels....................................................................421
Table G-1. Examples from Alexander MacDonald’s Glossary........................423
Table I-1. The Text of The Garb of Old Gaul in English and
Gaelic..............................................................................................427

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List of Figures
Chapters
Figure 1. Roy Map showing Logierait...........................................................................24
Figure 2. Logierait Cross Slab showing reverse............................................................33
Figure 3. Logierait Cross Slab showing front................................................................33
Figure 4. Logierait Hotel on the site of the Old Regality Court....................................33
Figure 5. Neidpath Castle..............................................................................................57
Figure 6. 1867 Ordnance Survey Map of Logierait showing its location......................57
Figure 7. A soldier of the Black Watch......................................................................149
Figure 8. Mutiny leader, Farquhar Shaw.....................................................................149
Figure 9. Painting by Thomas Faed of Scott and his friends at Abbotsford...............274
Figure 10. A positive calotype of Sir Adam Ferguson..................................................274
Figure 11. The meeting of Burns and Scott in Ferguson’s drawing room at Sciennes.276
Figure 12. Carved oak panel of the meeting of Burns and Scott..................................303
Figure 13. Rear of Sciennes Hill House before restoration..........................................303
Figure 14. Sciennes Hill House from Sciennes House Lane........................................304
Figure 15. Sciennes Hill House showing commemorative plaque...............................304
Appendices
Figure A-1. Adam Ferguson in his prime by Sir Joshua Reynolds..............................410
Figure A-2. Ferguson by an artist, after Henry Raeburn..............................................410
Figure A-3. Ferguson in his ninetieth year (1813) by an unknown artist....................411
Figure B-1. Sir Adam Ferguson by Sir William Nicholson.........................................412
Figure B-2. The Abbotsford Family by Sir David Wilkie...........................................413
Figure B-3. The edifice of Huntly Burn.......................................................................413
Figure C-1. Logierait showing surrounding parishes and the encroachment of English414
Figure I-1. Engraving of a soldier of the Black Watch, then known as Sempill’s Rgt 427
Figure M-1. Ferguson’s salt-corroded epitaph..............................................................435
Figure M-2. Ferguson’s memorial in the walls of St Andrews Cathedral....................436
Figure M-3. The house in South Street, St Andrews, where Ferguson died.................436

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Abbreviations
BL British Library
CCG Classical Common Gaelic
Correspondence Correspondence of Adam Ferguson.
ed./eds Edition, editor (s)
Edin. Rev. Edinburgh Review or Critical Journal
EPG East Perthshire Gaelic
Essay Essay on the History of Civil Society (Ferguson)
EUL Edinburgh University Library
f. folio
Fasti Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae.
Fig. figure
GB Great Britain
Handbook Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World. (Michael Newton)
Ibid Ibidem – the same place.
IOR India Office Record
JMH Journal of Modern History.
JPs Justices of the Peace
Life The Life and Letters of James Macpherson. (Saunders)
Letters Letters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland. (Burt)
MA Master of Arts
MP Member of Parliament
MS Manuscript
MSS Manuscript(s)
NAS (formerly the SRO) National Archives of Scotland
NLS National Library of Scotland
OED Oxford English Dictionary.
Principles Principles of Moral and Political Science. (Ferguson)
P/pp page/pages
Pt. Part
Records Official Records of the Mutiny of the Black Watch. (MacWilliam)
Reflections Reflections Previous to the Establishment of a Militia
Report The Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland,
appointed to Inquire into the nature and Authenticity of the Poems of
Ossian. (Mackenzie)
SAS Statistical Account of Scotland. (Sinclair)
Sermon A Sermon Preach in the Ersh Language (Ferguson)
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Abbreviations

Sister Peg Sister Peg: A Pamphlet Hitherto unknown by David Hume. (Raynor)
or The History of the Proceedings in the Case of Margaret, commonly
called Peg, only lawful Sister to John Bull, Esq. (Ferguson)
Sketches Sketches of the Characters, Manners and Present State of the
Highlanders of Scotland. (Stewart)
SPCK Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge.
SSPCK Society in Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge
Vol. /Vols Volume (s)
VP Verb phrase
VSO Verb-Subject-Object
WN An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
(Smith)
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Idiosyncratic spelling encountered in quotations within this thesis corresponds to that found in the original
texts or documents.

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