My grandfather's Glengarry

[glenlivet]

I asked my mom about that, even though I suspect that she doesn't know much more about it than me--he wasn't her father, he was her father-in-law and she'd never met him. But she found a group picture with him in it, and on the back it said it was the Cameronian Society. This was in Richmond, VA, some time in the 30's and 40's.
Myself, I thought the Cameronians were an extremely conservative group of Covenanters. Yes, my grandfather was a Presbyterian, but the church he was a member of was also the church I later grew up in. It was conservative, but not sure it ever impressed me as being extremely repressive.
Maybe it was just a local group of Scottish immigrants sticking together to honor their heritage & keep the flame burning?

[macwilkin]

I asked my mom about that, even though I suspect that she doesn't know much more about it than me--he wasn't her father, he was her father-in-law and she'd never met him. But she found a group picture with him in it, and on the back it said it was the Cameronian Society. This was in Richmond, VA, some time in the 30's and 40's.
Myself, I thought the Cameronians were an extremely conservative group of Covenanters. Yes, my grandfather was a Presbyterian, but the church he was a member of was also the church I later grew up in. It was conservative, but not sure it ever impressed me as being extremely repressive.
Maybe it was just a local group of Scottish immigrants sticking together to honor their heritage & keep the flame burning?

The Cameronians, or followers of one Richard Cameron, were a group of Covenanters who signed the Sanquhar Declaration in 1680 denouncing Charles II and declaring themselves for a "Protestant, Presbyterian Scotland", in the same vein as the Solemn Leauge & National Covenants.

The 26th Regiment of Foot, a.k.a. the Cameronian Regiment, was recruited from former Cameronians, many of whom had stood as armed guards at illegal conventicles (church services held in isolated rural areas) to warn for approaching government troops. The regiment was raised in 1689 by the Earl of Angus of the House of Douglas -- the Cameronians wore the Douglas tartan in honour of their first OC. The regiment was amalgamted with the 90th (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot in 1881, and became known as the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The old 90th, the new 2nd Battalion, had none of the "religious" history of their counterparts in the 1st Battalion.

Whenever the 1st Battalion would attend church parade, it would post armed sentries at the four corners of the kirk, and the padre could not begin the service until an officer shouted "all clear!", in memory of the illegal conventicles in days of yore.

The Cameronians chose to be disbanded in 1968, rather than be amalgamated with another regiment. The Cameronian religious movement's descendants today is the Reformed Presbyterians.

An excellent source of information is this web site: http://www.cameronians.org/index.html.

The 79th Regiment of Foot, or the Cameron Highlanders, is a completely different regiment, raised from Highlanders under Sir Allan Cameron of Erracht in 1793. It was originally known as the "Cameronian Volunteers". Amalgamated in 1961 with the Seaforths to become the Queen's Own Highlanders, it was again joined with the Gordons in 1994 to make simply "The Highlanders", and is now a battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The badge on the glengarry is a Cameron Highlanders badge.

T.

[glenlivet]

The regiment was raised in 1689 by the Earl of Angus of the House of Douglas -- the Cameronians wore the Douglas tartan in honour of their first OC.

Thanks for all that! and btw, perhaps just coincidence, but my grandmother's maiden name was Douglas, and I think I recall seeing her and my aunt in the group pic as well. Maybe she's the main tie-in? It wasn't an all-male group by any means, and it was called the Cameronian Society.

[macwilkin]

Thanks for all that! and btw, perhaps just coincidence, but my grandmother's maiden name was Douglas, and I think I recall seeing her and my aunt in the group pic as well. Maybe she's the main tie-in? It wasn't an all-male group by any means, and it was called the Cameronian Society.

It could be a group of Reformed Presbyterians, as I mentioned above.

T.