Scots-Irish Links, 1575-1725: Part Six

During the 18th century as many as 100,000 Scottish Lowlanders relocated to the Plantation of Ulster (Northern Ireland). Within a few generations, the descendants of these Ulster Scots emigrated in substantial numbers across the Atlantic, where, as the Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish), they made a major contribution to the settlement and development of colonial America.

This is the fifth volume (sixth part) in a series compiled by Mr. Dobson to identify the Lowland Scots who migrated to Ulster between 1575 and 1725–many of whose progeny may have emigrated to America. As he has for the prior volumes, Mr. Dobson here relies on primary and secondary source material found in Scotland and Ireland. With one or two exceptions, Mr. Dobson has extracted his findings from sources not consulted for the previous volumes, such as the National Archives, London; the Prerogative Court of Canterbury; the Presbytery Book of Kirkcaldy, 1630–1653; the Extracts of the Records of the Burgh of Stirling; and a number of other sources. It is useful to point out that perhaps a majority of the individuals identified in Part Six were ordered into military service, including “Patrick McClelland, mustered with a sword and snaphance, in the barony of Raphoe, Donegal, 1630.”

As with previous volumes, each listing provides the person’s name, occupation, place of residence, a date, and the source. In all, Mr. Dobson has uncovered an additional 1,500 Lowland Scots who re-settled in Ulster, and many of their progeny would cross the Atlantic.