The Scottish Diaspora ~ The Global Scots
In the English Parliament of 1606, when a union between England
and the inhabitants of Scotland was proposed it was met with
indignant opposition.
"If we admit them into our liberties, we shall be
overrun with them, as cattle (naturally) pent up by a slight hedg
will (spill) over
it into a better soyl, and a tree taken from a barren place will
thrive to excessive and exuberant branches in a better (place).
"
That one, simple, 400 year old paragraph admirably sums up the
amazing phenomenon of the Global Scots. That great family that has
spread out into every corner of the world as mercenaries, traders,
missionaries, engineers, doctors, teachers, naturalists,
adventurers and every trade and profession known to Man.
We make no attempt to explain it but rejoice that from this
often cold and tiny island on the northern fringe of mainland
Europe, have come so many high achievers who have altered the
course of history in so many nations and contributed so much to the
well-being of the world that we know today.
Just how many Global Scots are there? Figures of 40 to 60
million are often bandied about - 8 to 12 times the population of
modern Scotland!
In this corner of the web site we've laid out the welcome mat
for those of Scottish descent now enjoying the citizenship of the
USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand . . . . and there's plenty
room for more - Sweden, the Netherlands, Brazil . . . wherever
there are significant numbers of Scots descendants who want to pull
their chair up to the home fire now and again . . . there's a
welcome and the promise of a good bit of 'crac'
We're actively seeking a representative from each country
featured (or to be featured) who would take it upon themselves to
keep us abreast of what's happening in the Scottish world where
they live. Perhaps provide us with a list of Scottish/Celtic events
and organisations, stories of early Scottish pioneers and settlers.
. . . The sky's the limit? If that appeals to you - drop us a line!
The diaspora is not just limited to the Commonwealth. In
RussiaGeneral Patrick Gordon expanded the empire of Peter the
Great, andField Marshall Barclay de Toly saw off the military
threat of Napoleon.In Japan, Thomas Blake Glover from Fraserburgh
helped turn the countryinto an industrial giant by bringing young
samurai to Scottishcolleges, by starting the imperial navy, and by
founding the companywhich later was to become Mitsubishi. In China,
France, Hungary, India,Italy, Poland and other countries there are
monuments and statues inhonour of Scots who contributed to their
new homeland.
Not all the emigrants became the stuff of legend, of course. The
menand women who struggled through the wastelands from Hudson's Bay
tofound Winnipeg are not known today individually. The 30,000 Scots
whosettled in Poland in the late Middle Ages have largely merged
with thelocal population, though their placenames remain. The
descendants ofmissionaries planted in "Little Scotland" in the
Caucasus by the FreeChurch may have ended up as keepers of the
Botanic Gardens in StPetersburg, but the family Bible from home is
still there.