William of Orange, the last foreign conqueror to invade England

Episode 21 Rediscovering the Celts

The Celtic World

Dr Jennifer Paxton (2018)

Film Review

According to to Paxton, the first scholarly inquiry into Gaelic culture and language began in the 16th century, after Scottish historian George Buchanan (1506-1582) discovered a linguistic link between different Celtic languages. A native Gallic speaker, he wrote in Latin and Scots* and was the first to refer to a Celtic “race”. After reading the Irish Book of Invasions, which traces the origin of the Celts to Scythia, he used common place names (eg the Irish god Lugh) to uncover links between Scottish and Irish Celts and pre-Roman Gaul.

Two other key figures in the revival were the 17th century Irish historian Geoffrey Keating, who circulated a manuscript reviving interest in Irish mythology, and Paul Ivres Pezron, (1639-1706) a French Cistercian monk familiar with the Breton language. In addition to writing a history of Gaul, Pezron was the first to refer to a Celtic group of languages and to identify a link between Breton and Welsh (establishing Welsh as a Celtic language).

Finally Welsh linguist Edward Lhuyd (1660-1709) identified the distinction between Q-Celtic and P-Celtic languages. See Celtic Languages in the Ancient World

During the 18th century, this knowledge achieved wide public awareness, thanks to the Jacobites (the descendants of James II, who was driven from the English and Scottish thrones in 1688*).

When the 1746 Battle of Cuulloden essentially ended the Jacobite Rebellion, King George II passed the Dress Act, which banned wearing tartan plaids (except for Scottish regiments in the British army). The ban paradoxicaly increased their popularity. Historically different tartans were regional, based on locally available dyes. However the British Army’s standardization of tartans by regiment led them to be linked to clans, rather than regions.

Claiming his work to be a translation of a Gaelic epic poem by the medieval warrior poet Ossian, in 1761 Scottish writer James McPherson popularized the mythical giant Finn McCool throughout Europe. The result was a sudden interest in all things Scottish, leading to the formation of the Highland Society in 1778 in London. The latter enabled Highland expats in England to meet and talk about Highland culture.

In 1782 the Dress Act was repealed.

*Scots is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in Northern Ireland,

**Paxton states James II was dethroned due to incompetence, but most historical sources indicate the Dutch prince William of Orange invaded England with the intention of capturing both the English and Scottish throne for himself

Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://pukeariki.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/5701024/5701066