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Glen Lyon
is a glen in the Perth and Kinross
region of Scotland. It is the longest
enclosed glen in Scotland and runs for
34 miles from Loch Lyon in the west to
the village of Fortingall in the east.
This glen was also known as "An Crom
Ghleann", (the bent glen). The land
given over to the MacGregors was
Scottish Gaelic: An
Tòiseachd. It forms part of the Loch
Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic
Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland,
which are defined so as to identify
areas of exceptional scenery and to
ensure its protection from inappropriate
development by restricting certain forms
of development. Sir Walter Scott
described Glen Lyon as the longest,
loneliest and loveliest glen in Scotland.
Quite densely inhabited from prehistoric
times (as many archaeological sites
attest), though its present population
is of modest size, the glen has been
home to many families, including
MacGregors, Lyons, Menzies, Stewarts,
Macnaughtans, MacGibbons and the
Campbells of Glen Lyon. At the end of
the eleventh century the de Leons (later
shortened to "Lyon") had come north with
Edgar, son of Malcolm III of Scotland to
fight against his uncle, Donald Bane.
Edgar was victorious and the de Leons
received lands that were later called
Glen Lyon in Perthshire. Glen Lyon is a
corruption from the Gaelic "lithe"
meaning "flood", a frequent state of the
River Lyon. Robert Campbell of Glenlyon
(1630–1696), led the detachment of
government troops responsible for the
infamous Glencoe Massacre, of the
MacDonalds of Glencoe in 1691. A
magnificent silver-gilt brooch set with
precious stones belonging to the
Campbells of Glen Lyon (that has been
dated to the early 16th century) is
currently in the collection of the
British Museum.
Glen Lyon, also written Glenlyon, has
been the home of (among others) early
Christian monks (including Adomnán
[locally Eonán] (died 704), Abbot of
Iona and biographer of St Columba),
warriors, literary figures, explorers,
castles (Meggernie Castle [still
inhabited] and Carnbaan [ruined]) and
arguably the best cattle in Scotland.
Its history is described in Alexander
Stewart's A Highland Parish
(1928), and Duncan Campbell's The
Lairds of Glenlyon (1886).
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