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Yes... we have our own Clan Gregor museum

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The Clan Gregor Society has a museum located at Castle Menzies at Weem, near Aberfeldy in Scotland

The Clan Gregor museum is accommodated within Castle Menzies, which is around 15 miles from Killin at the other end of Loch Tay and approximately 1.5 miles from Aberfeldy.  It is a glorious building with a fascinating history in a wonderful location.

 

Seat of the Menzies chiefs for over 500 years it was involved in much of the turbulent history of the highlands.  Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at the castle on his march to Culloden, followed just four days later, by the Duke of Cumberland, commander of the Government forces (we recommend visiting www.castlemenzies.org and www.menzies.org to see the castle and to read about Clan Menzies).

Why is the Clan Gregor museum at the Clan Menzies Castle?

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A little historical context…

 

If you are wondering ‘why a Menzies castle for a MacGregor museum?’  The answer is the moor of Rannoch.  Ronald Williams, in his superb book ‘Sons of the Wolf’, tells how when the Gregarach were dispossessed from Glens Strae, Orchy and Lochy some of the wilder elements of the clan settled around Rannoch… a vast wilderness of peat moss and remote ridges of rock and heather.  They acquired some land at Stronfernan from the Clan Robertson and at Dunan as tenants of Menzies of that Ilk, but mostly they held by the coir a' chlaidheamh (power of the sword).  They fortified a small island in Loch Rannoch and made it their stronghold. Raiding out of Rannoch, the ‘Children of the Mist’ caused mayhem.

 

In 1523 when the MacGregors of Dunan were causing particular nuisance, Sir Robert Menzies of Weem refused to obey an order of the Privy Council to put and keep them out of his lands of Rannoch on the grounds that it was impossible for him to do so because ‘MacGregor, on force, entered the said Robert’s lands of Rannoch and withholds the same from him masterfully, and is of far greater power than the said Robert, and will not be put out of the said lands’.

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Castle Menzies may be found at:

Weem, Aberfeldy PH15 2JD 

United Kingdom

See the map for directions

We’ve not always had the easiest of relationships with Clan Menzies but we can only thank them, most graciously, for what they’ve provided to the Clan Gregor Society now.  We’ve had nothing but kindness and support from the Menzies Society, the castle staff and from Mr Scott McMaster, the castle manager. 

 

During our International Gathering in 2018 we held our formal dinner there, for 120 members.  Mr Neil Menzies of the charitable trust was an honoured guest.

 

We strongly urge readers and members to visit the Clan Gregor museum and Castle Menzies.  It is a fabulous place with great ambiance, full of interest, and a wonderful venue for our museum.

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A collage of photos from the McGregor Museum

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