
Breadalbane (; ,
meaning "upper
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...
" or "upland of Alba") is a region of the southern/central
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
, within the
Grampian Mountains
The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...
range. It is a mountainous region comprising the
watershed of
Loch Tay
Loch Tay () is a freshwater loch in the central Scottish Highlands, highlands of Scotland, in the Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Stirling Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, council areas, the largest body of fresh water in ...
; its boundaries are roughly the
West Highland Way
The West Highland Way () is a linear Long-distance trail, long-distance route in Scotland. It is long, running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William, Highland, Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, with an element of hill walking i ...
in the west,
Rannoch Moor
Rannoch Moor (; ) is an expanse of around of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, from where it extends into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Scottish Highlands, Highland), and the area of Highland Scotland ...
in the northwest,
Loch Rannoch in the north, the
River Tummel in the east, the Highland boundary in the southeast, and
Loch Earn and
Loch Voil-
Loch Doine in the south. The former Breadalbane district was surrounded by the districts of
Atholl,
Strathearn,
Menteith,
The Lennox,
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...
and
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; ) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a distric ...
. The
Breadalbane Hydro-Electric Scheme lies within the region.
The ''Atholl and Breadalbane Gathering'' is a popular 2/4 March tune for the
Great Highland Bagpipes.
History
350px, A 1689 map, showing the borders of Breadalbane as a distinct Province (in blue, at the centre of the map, as "broad alba-in")
Breadalbane formed one of the
traditional provinces of Scotland, surrounded by
Atholl,
Lorn,
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...
,
The Lennox,
Menteith, and
Strathearn (anti-clockwise from North). The province is referred to by the title of
Earl of Breadalbane and Holland (the inclusion of ''Holland'' comes from a separate title which was inherited by the same person); later the title was upgraded to
Marquess of Breadalbane.
The Breadalbane branch of
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell ( ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...
is the origin of the province as a distinct unit; prior to 1449 the area had been part of Atholl.
Colin Campbell (second son of
the head of Clan Campbell) was awarded the land by king
James II as thanks for capturing the assassins of
James I. The Campbells established the area's de facto independence from Atholl, and in 1681 were rewarded for their loyalty to the royal family by the formal conversion of the area into an independent Earldom, awarded to Colin Campbell's heir.
Breadalbane was at the centre of a vast area of central Scotland, comprising Atholl, Menteith, and Strathearn, which had been controlled by the assassins. Before them, Atholl, Menteith, and Lennox, had been controlled by James I's uncle
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
(and
Robert's son, and
Robert's son's father-in-law), who had ruled Scotland for three decades, while James I was imprisoned, and James' father was too frail; Robert had suppressed attempts to free James, and was suspected of assassinating James' older brother. The establishment of the Campbell presence in the region helped the king remove the danger from such a large central area with a habit of disloyalty.
As a largely rural and isolated area, shrieval oversight was provided by the sheriff based at
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. Hence, when mid 19th century local government reforms replaced the ancient provinces by
new Counties (''shires''), aligned to
sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...
boundaries, Breadalbane formed part of the new county of
Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
. Gradually Breadalbane once again became indistinguishable from Atholl.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Much of Breadalbane is in the
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
Ben More is the highest mountain in the national park.
The ''Breadalbane'' area of the National Park covers a larger region than the province of Breadalbane. It is subdivided into four communities, covered by the community council areas of
Balquhidder
Balquhidder ( or ) is a small village in Perthshire located north-west of Callander. It is administered by the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area of Scotland and is overlooked by the dramatic mountain terrain of the "Braes of Bal ...
,
Killin,
St Fillans, and
Strathfillan. Balquhidder was not historically part of Breadalbane, although it was land owned by the Campbell family.
Ecology
Breadalbane is known for containing some of, if not the, richest arctic-alpine flora in the United Kingdom. The area contains numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for this reason, among many other natural heritage interests.
Influence
Broadalbin, New York was named after Breadalbane.
There are Breadalbane Streets in both
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada and
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada.
Breadalbane is a village in the province of
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
in Canada.
Breadalbane, New South Wales
Breadalbane () is a small village located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Upper Lachlan Shire. It is located on the Lachlan River headwaters and not far from Goulburn, New South Wales, Goulburn. At the , Breadalbane h ...
is a small village located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.
References
External links
Lyon, Lawers and Lochay- Breadalbane photographs
{{Authority control
Geography of Highland (council area)