The Scalan was a Scottish Catholic seminary and one of the few places where underground education by the Catholic Church in Scotland was kept alive during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the 16th-19th century.
History
The island in Loch Morar known as Eilean Bàn was briefly the location of a clandestine Catholic seminary founded by Bishop James Gordon, until the Jacobite rising of 1715 forced its closure and eventual reopening at Scalan in Glenlivet. For most of the rest of the 18th century, Scalan was one of the only places in Scotland where young men were trained to be Catholic priests, the so-called "heather priests". From 1717 to 1799, over a hundred priests, including Bishop Hugh MacDonald, were trained there despite the best efforts of the Hanoverian government and the Established Church. As it was strictly illegal, Scalan was burned to the ground on several occasions by redcoat soldiers sent from beyond the Highlands, but was always rebuilt.
The college played a vital role in keeping the traditional Catholic faith alive in northern Scotland. It was named after the Gaelic word for turf sheilings ("galan") found in the local Braes during that period. In 1799, the college was moved to a less remote site, Aquhorthies College, which had larger premises and more accommodation.
Alexander Geddes, Scottish theologian and scholar, and his brother, Bishop John Geddes, was among the famous figures who studied or taught at the college. George James Gordon, known as the "heather priest" was educated here and then taught here as a non-Jesuit for many years.
The last permanent resident of the Scalan was Sandy Matheson, who died in late 2005.
Today
Visitors today will note that the college is largely invisible until you are very close to the college, a factor invaluable in evading detection by the Hanoverian soldiers.
The Scalan is now a museum and is open all year for visitors.
The Scalan Association seeks to promote the preservation of the college of Scalan and its history.
Masters
- George Innes 1716 (?); 1718–22
- Alexander Smith, 1716–18
- J. Alexander Grant, 1722–24; 1725–26
- John Tyrie, 1724–25
- George Innes, 1726–27
- George J. Gordon, 1727–38
- Alexander Gordon 1738–41
- William Duthie, 1741–58
- George Duncan, 1758–59
- William Gray, 1759–62
- John Geddes, 1762–67; 1793
- John Thomson, 1767–70
- John Paterson, 1770–83
- John Farquharson, 1783–84
- Alexander Farquharson, 1784–87
- Andrew Dason, 1787–88
- George Hay, 1788–93
- John Ingram, 1791–92 (acting)
- Andrew Carruthers, 1793 (acting)
- James Sharp, 1793–99
Gallery
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Buildings
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Outbuilding
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History displayed in vicinity
References
- Odo Blundell (1917), The Catholic Highlands of Scotland, Volume II, pp. 88-89.
- Ground floor plan from Scalan.co.uk, retrieved 15 June 2016
- J. Prebble, (1961) Culloden (London: Pimlico, 1963), p. 50.
- "St. Mary's Cathedral :: A Brief History".
- GlenlivetEstate.co.uk, retrieved 15 June 2016
- Scalan.co.uk, retrieved 15 June 2016
- Watt, John (1999). Scalan: The Forbidden College 1716-1799. Phantassie: Tuckwell Press Ltd. p. 246.
External links
57°15′36″N 3°15′05″W / 57.26000°N 3.25139°W / 57.26000; -3.25139
| Catholic seminaries in Scotland | |
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| Vicariate Apostolic of the Highland District |
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| Vicariate Apostolic of the Lowland District |
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| National junior seminary |
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| Archdiocese of Glasgow |
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| Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh |
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| National seminary |
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