Clan Gregor

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Welcome to Clan Gregor

Clan Chief:

Crest:

Motto:

Slogan/War Cry:

Region:

Historic Seat:

Plant badge:

Pipe music:

Gaelic name:

Clan Team

Team Goals

The focus of this team's work is to identify, improve and maintain profiles associated with the Lairds and Chiefs of Clan MacGregor together with members bearing the name MacGregor, the related families and those recognised as septs of Clan MacGregor.

Team To Do List

This list will be developed by the Team. If you are working on a specific task, please list it here:

• promoting the entries of those bearing the name MacGregor on Wikitree.
• ensuring entries appearing on Wikitree are as accurate as possible, correcting mistakes once spotted.
• encouraging interest in and study of Clan MacGregor.

Orphaned Profiles outside Scotland

The following profiles need research and/or sources to confirm they should be included as Clan members.

• John Arnold, via his daughter and her husband John McGregor (abt.1840-)

Septs

Clan History

Clan Branches

Other Names Associated with the Clan

Allied Clans

Rival Clans

Clan Research and Free Space Pages

Source Material

Image Credits and Acknowledgements

Information below this line should be summarized and incorporated into this team page. Detailed information should be moved to additional Clan pages

Clan Chief: Sir Malcolm Gregor Charles MacGregor of MacGregor, 7th Bt, of Lanrick and Balquhidder, 24th Chief of Clan MacGregor. Succeeded his father in 2003.

Clan Gregor

Clan Gregor (also Griogair, MacGregor, Mac Gregor, McGregor, M'Gregor) is a Highland Scottish clan. It is considered the most senior clan of Siol Alpin, translated as 'Seed of Alpin', referring to King Kenneth I Mac Alpin), descending from the ancient Kings of the Picts and Dál Riata although there is no evidence to support this claim. Outlawed for nearly two hundred years after a long power struggle with the Clan Campbell, the Clan Gregor Claims descent from Constantin and wife and cousin Malvina, first son of Doungallas and wife Spontana (daughter of a High King of Ireland) and grandson of Giric, the third son of Alpin II Mac Eochaidh, the father of Kenneth I Mac Alpin, the first King of Scotland, a descent which is proclaimed in the clan motto, 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream, translated as 'Royal is my Race'. [1]

Crest: a lion's head erased Proper, crowned with an antique crown Or. crest

Clan Badge: Scots Pine.

Motto: ‘S Rioghal Mo Dhream (translation from Gaelic: Royal is My Race).

Clan Slogan: Ard Choille! (translation from Gaelic: The woody height!).

Pipe tune: Ruaig Ghlinne Freoine (translation from Gaelic: The Chase (or Rout) of Glen Fruin).

Septs of the Clan: Black, Caird, Comrie, Fletcher, Greer, Gregor, Gregorson, Gregory, Greig, Grewar, Grier, Grierson, Grigor, Gruer, King, Leckie, Lecky, MacAdam, Macara, Macaree, MacChoiter, Maccrouther, Macgrewar, Macgrowther, Macgruder, Macgruther, Macilduy, MacLeister, MacLiver, MacNee, MacNeish, MacNie, MacNish, MacPeter, Malloch, Neish, Nish, Peter, Petrie, White, Whyte.

Names associated with the clan: Gregg, ... See names

See also:

• You Tube - Clan MacGregor - all in a name
• Siol Alpin, clans traditionally thought to descend from Alpin.
• Battle of Glen Fruin, the famous battle with Clan Colquhoun.
• Robert Roy MacGregor, the historical Rob Roy.

Images:

• The Clan Gregor connection to King Alpin of Dál Riata
• John Gregg Cane

Additional Reading

• Hunt Down The MacGregors!, American Clan Gregor Society,Inc.

Research Links

• American Clan Gregor Society, Inc.

Who are the MacGregor's

Clan Gregor, or Clan MacGregor, is a Highland Scottish clan. Outlawed for nearly two hundred years after losing their lands in a long power struggle with the Clan Campbell, the Clan Gregor claims descent from Constantin and wife and cousin Malvina , first son of Doungallas and wife Spontana (daughter of a High King of Ireland) and grandson of Giric, the third son of Alpín mac Echdach, the father of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scotland, a descent which is proclaimed in the motto, 'S Rioghal Mo Dhream, translated as Royal is my Race.^[1][2]

Origins of Clan Gregor: The surname MacGregor is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Griogair meaning "son of Griogar". The personal name Griogar is a Gaelic form of the personal name Gregory. ^[3]

The Clan Gregor is believed to have originated in Scotland during the 800s. The MacGregor's suggest that they take their name from Gregor (derived from the Latin 'Gregorius' and the Late-Greek 'Gregorios' which means "Alert, Watchful, or Vigilant"). Gregor is said to be a son of the Scottish king Alpin II Mac Eochaidh and younger brother of Kenneth MacAlpin, the now famous Scottish king who first united Scotland in A.D. 843. Alpin II was the son of Eochaidh VI 'the Poisonous,' High King of Scots, by his marriage to his cousin, the Pictish Princess Royal, and thus had claims to the Scottish and Pictish Thrones.

Alpin family line

Alpin was defeated and allegedly beheaded in his attempt to gain the Pictish Throne. His son, Kenneth, was successful, taking advantage of Viking harassment of the Picts from the east. While there is no surviving concrete record of a younger 'Prince Gregor', the Gregg Family website claims that an ancient Latin record of the Alpinian family mentions a Gregor who was a commander in the army of Kenneth Mac Alpin. Kenneth had a least one other known brother, Donald, who succeeded him as king of Scots. Unfortunately, most of the early public records of Scotland were destroyed by order of the English King Edward Plantagenet, during his occupation of Scotland at the end of the 13th century.

A Victorian era, romanticised depiction of a member of the clan by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845. It was not unusual for the Mac Alpin kings to give Latin or Scandinavian names to their sons. Typical examples are Constantine, named after the famous Roman Emperor, and Indulf, named after a Viking leader. Gregor would probably have been named after the famous Pope Gregory 'the Great' (Gregorius).

The Y-chromosomal data supports the Alpinian royal claim as the hierarchical family Y-DNA is consistent with that of the other clans claiming similar descent. The data supports descent from the Dalriadic kings. Historians have suggested the clan descends from Griogair, son of Dungal, who is said to have been a co-ruler of Alba, an area of north central Scotland, between AD 879 and 889. The Y-DNA data does not support this second contention.^[4][5]

In very early times the land on both sides of Glen Lyon as far south as Loch Awe, belonged to the MacGregor Clan, and there is every likelihood that the clansmen had a Keep of some kind on the site of Meggernie Castle, as this would command the whole district. The MacGregors claimed to be descended from Alpin, King of Scots, and were sometimes known by the cognomen of Clan Alpin or Mac Alpin. Their motto to this day asserts a lofty origin, as the Gaelic S’rioghal Mo Dhream signifies, "My Race is Royal." The statement has been made that a MacGregor chief built the Castle of Coalchuirn (sometimes spelled Kilchurn) on Loch Awe, but this is not well founded. The clan suffered misfortune at the hands of their two neighbours, the Campbells of Argyll and the Stewarts of Cardney. The MacGregors had been vassals of the Earl of Ross in the time of Alexander II., who reigned from 1214 till 1249, and the Earl bestowed upon them the lands of Glenorchay, at the head of Loch Awe which they had chosen as a residence, and which became their headquarters. The clan became a powerful one, and took a prominent share in the Battle of Bannockburn. But David II., the son of Robert Bruce, forgot his obligation to the Clan Gregor, and deprived them of Glenorchay, which he gave to the branch of the Campbells that had settled at Loch Awe, and the dispossessed clansmen had to retire to the Muir of Rannoch. The policy of the Campbells had long been one of lawless acquisition, and they drove the MacGregors out of Glen Lyon and seized upon their property.^[6]

The Clan Gregor held lands in Glen Orchy, Glenlochy and Glenstrae. According to Iain Moncreiffe the MacGregors were descended from an ancient Celtic royal family, through the Abbots of Glendochart. This is alluded to in the clan's motto: "Royal is my race". There is a tradition that Gregor was the son of Kenneth MacAlpin, which is supported by the Scottish historian, William Forbes Skene, but there is no evidence to support this tradition. It is possible that he might have been Griogair, son of Dungal, who was allegedly co-ruler of Alba.

Most modern historians have agreed that the first chief of Clan Gregor was Gregor of the golden bridles. His son was Iain Camm One eye, who succeeded as the second chief sometime before 1390.

The barony of Loch Awe which included much of the MacGregor lands was granted to the chief of Clan Campbell by Robert the Bruce. The Campbells had already built Kilchurn Castle which controlled the gateway to the western Highlands and they harried the MacGregors who were forced to retire deeper into their lands until they were restricted to Glenstrae.

16th century and clan conflicts

Iain of Glenstrae died in 1519 with no direct heirs. He was the second of his house to be called the Black. The succession of Eian was supported by the Campbells and he married a daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy. In 1547 Eian's son, Alistair, fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh but died shortly after.^[7]

Colin Campbell refused to recognise the claim of Gregor Roy MacGregor to the estates and for ten years Gregor waged a war against the Campbells. He was an outlaw who raided cattle and sheltered in the high glens. However in 1570 he was captured and killed by the Campbells. The chiefship was claimed by his son, Alistair, but he was unable to stem the Campbell's persecution of the MacGregors who became known as the Children of the Mist.

John Drummond, of Clan Drummond was the king's forester and he was murdered after hanging some MacGregors for poaching. The chief took responsibility for the murder and it was condemned by the Privy Council.

17th century, clan conflicts and civil war

In 1603 Alasdair MacGregor marched into Colquhoun territory with a force of over four hundred men. The chief of Clan Colquhoun had been granted a royal commission to suppress the MacGregors. Colquhoun assembled a force of five hundred foot and three hundred horse and advanced to Glen Fruin to repel the Highland raiders.[4] MacGregor split his force in two and while the main MacGregor force and the Colquhouns engaged in combat the second MacGregor force attacked the Colquhouns from the rear. The Colquhouns were driven into the Moss of Auchingaich where their cavalry was useless and over two hundred Colquhouns were killed.[4] At the end of the eighteenth century the chiefs of the two clans met and shook hands on the very site of the former slaughter.

James VI of Scotland issued an edict in April 1603 that proclaimed the name of MacGregor as altogidder abolisheed. This meant that anyone who bore the name must renounce it or suffer death. In 1604 MacGregor and eleven of his chieftains were hanged at Mercat Cross, Edinburgh. As a result the Clan Gregor was scattered with many taking other names such as Murray or Grant. They were hunted like animals and flushed out of the heather by bloodhounds.

An Edinburgh burgess, Robert Birrel, who kept a diary of events at the time, described the episode thus:

"[MacGregor] wes convoyit to Berwick be the Gaird to conforme to the Earl's promese: for he promesit to put him out of Scottis grund. Swa [so] he keipit ane Hieland-manis promes; in respect he sent the Gaird to convoy him out of Scottis grund: But thai were not directit to pairt with him, but to fetche him bak agane! The 18 Januar, at evine [evening], he come agane to Edinburghe; and upone the 20-day he wes hangit at the Croce, and xj [eleven] of his freindis and name, upon ane gallous: Himself being Chieff, he wes hangit his awin hicht aboune the rest of hes freindis."

An Act of the Scottish Parliament from 1617 stated[6] (translated into modern English): "It was ordained that the name of MacGregor should be abolished and that the whole persons of that name should renounce their name and take some other name and that they nor none of their name and that they nor none of their posterity should call themselves Gregor or MacGregor under pain of death .... that any person or persons of the said clan who has already renounced their names or hereafter shall renounce their names or if any of their children or posterity shall at any time hereafter assume or take to themselves the name of Gregor or MacGregor .... that every such person or persons assuming or taking to themselves the said name .... shall incurr the pain of death which pain shall be executed upon them without favour."

Despite the savage treatment of the MacGregors they actually fought for the king during the Scottish Civil War. Two hundred men of the Clan Gregor fought for the Earl of Glencairn in what was known as Glencairn's rising, against the Commonwealth. In recognition of this Charles II of England repealed the proscription of the name but William of Orange reimposed it when Charle's brother James VII was deposed.

18th century and Jacobite risings

Rob Roy MacGregor was born in 1671, a younger son of MacGregor of Glengyle. However he had been forced to assume his mother's surname of Campbell. The adventures of Rob Roy MacGregor have been immortalised and romanticised by Sir Walter Scott in his novel Rob Roy. Rob Roy was undoubtedly a thorn in the flesh of the government until he died in 1734. He supported the Jacobite cause in 1715 and after the Battle of Sheriffmuir he set out plundering at will. In one such raid on Dunbarton, the town was put into panic and Dunbarton Castle was forced to open fire with its cannon. He also led the Clan Gregor at the Battle of Glen Shiel in 1719. He is buried in Balquhidder churchyard.

During the 1745 to 1746 uprising some of the Clan Gregor who were under the Duke of Perth fought as Jacobites at the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745. The Clan Gregor were amongst the Jacobite force that was defeated at the Battle of Littleferry in 1746 in Sutherland,^[8] and therefore missed the Battle of Culloden that took place the next day.^[9]

Persecution of the MacGregors did not end until 1774 when the laws against them were repealed^[10]

19th century and restored clan

To restore pride in the clan the chiefs needed to be re-established. Eight hundred and twenty six MacGregors subscribed to a petition declaring General John Murray of Lanrick to be the true chief. Murray was in fact a MacGregor who was descended from Duncan MacGregor of Ardchoille who had died in 1552. His son was Sir Evan who played a part in the visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822, where he and his clansmen guarded the honours of Scotland. ^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

MacGregor Gregg Gragg

Celtic Name origins^[16]

Clan MacGregor Septs

^[17][18]

Scottish Tartans Society

^[19]

Clan MacGregor Facts

^[20]

History of the Scots Irish in North America

This Northern Ireland documentary follows American Senator Jim Webb, author of Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, as he charts the incredible story of the Scots-Irish, and discovers how they helped build one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Born Fighting sees Senator Webb, himself of Scots-Irish heritage, travel from his home in the United States to Scotland and Northern Ireland, where he visits Belfast, Carrickfergus, Newtownstewart and Londonderry, to tell the story of the Scots-Irish and how they shaped present day America.

Dramatic reconstructions take viewers through key historical moments such as Bannockburn, the siege of Derry and the American Civil War, and we hear from leading historians such as Dr. Patrick Fitzgerald from the Centre for Migration Studies in Omagh.

"For the first time ever, this series has captured all three elements of this historic journey, from Scotland to the north of Ireland and finally into America, in a way that shows both the struggles of the Scots-Irish and their incredible impact on American culture and government.

"I wrote Born Fighting after many years of thought and painstaking research," noted Senator Webb. "It is a pleasure to have been able to work with UTV, STV and the Smithsonian Chanel, to bring the essence of this book into a powerful visual format."^[21]

Sources

1. ↑ http://genealogy.euweb.cz/brit/macalpine.html
2. ↑ http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macgreg2.html
3. ↑ McGregor Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com
4. ↑ "MacGregor information from Electric Scotland"
5. ↑ MacGregor history from ScotsClans.com"
6. ↑ http://www.electricscotland.com/history/castles/meggernie.htm?
7. ↑ http://www.thepeerage.com/p50407.htm#i504062
8. ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pfwilson/d0003/g0000389.html#I00249
9. ↑ Way, George and Squire, Romily. Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia
10. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Gregor
11. ↑ http://www.thefullwiki.org/Clan_Gregor
12. ↑ http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclanmacgregor.htm
13. ↑ http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/Clan_Gregor
14. ↑ Black, George Fraser (1946) The Surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning and history. [From the "Bulletin of the New York Public Library", 1943–46.] New York: New York Public Library
15. ↑ The Clans, Septs & Regiments of the Scottish Highlands (8th ed.). Edinburgh: Johnston and Bacon. pp. 541–543.
16. ↑ See: https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Clan_MacGregor-4
17. ↑ http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-macgregor/macgregor-septs/
18. ↑ http://www.clangregor.com/membership/sept-family-names/
19. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Tartans_Society
20. ↑ http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-macgregor/macgregor-facts/
21. ↑ http://www.electricscotland.com/history/scotsirish/scotsirishndx.htm

See also:

• "Add source here"
• "History of Clan Gregor [[1]] Volume 1"
• "History of Clan Gregor [[2]] Volume 2"

Notes

The Mercat Cross

Located just to the east of St. Giles Kirk on Edinburgh's Royal Mile is the Mercat Cross, still the point at which certain important proclamations are formally read to the populous. What exists today was assembled in 1885 at the instigation of William Gladstone (1809-98), Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Midlothian, who also paid for the work. It incorporates parts of the original early 15th Century Mercat Cross. The unicorn finial was the work of sculptor John Rhind (1828-92).

The old Mercat Cross stood nearby from 1617 following a reconstruction involving John Mylne (d.1621). As well as being the focus for official announcements and business dealings, the Mercat Cross was a place of execution; notably of James Graham, the Marquess of Montrose (1650) and Archibald Campbell, the Marquess of Argyll (1661).

The cross had been dispensed with in 1756, perhaps because it was from here that Prince Charles Edward Stuart proclaimed his father as true monarch in 1745. It was removed as a trophy to Drum House in the south of the city, although the shaft was broken in the process. This old cross was retrieved and restored before being placed on the octagonal platform which was created by Sydney Mitchell (1856 - 1930), a somewhat larger version of the original. A replica of the Cross can still be found in the grounds of Drum House.( http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featurefirst7856.html )

A wee note from Chris & Shawna McGregor:

"Here is the geneology of William Mcgregor of Osian's glen or there abouts:

William sr had three known sons William jr, and twins named Ezekiel and Willis. Ezekiel was born 1784 on Nov. 26 in Stanly co. North Carolina he married Sarah Ware her parents were Roland and Temperance Ware. Ezekiel begat 9 children there names were 1. Temperance (F) 2.Willis Nard (M) 3. Jason (M) 4. Jemima"Minnie" (F) 5. Wiley A. (M) 6. Avie (F) 7.Henderson(M) 8. Clinton (M) 9. Susan(F) Ezekiel died on 9/23/1856 in Warren co Tennesee.

Willis Nard had 10 children Willis was born in 1812 died in 1859 his children were as follows 1. William Washington (M) 2. Audley Harrison (M) 3. Sarah Elizabeth (F) 4.Jemima (F) 5. George H. (M) 6. John, died of Pneumonia in the civil war 7. Mexico "Aunt Mac" (F) 8. Wiley Bud (M) 9. James Joseph James Clinton Pleasant Henderson "Coon" (M) 10. Rev. Newton Ezekiel "( http://www.thefullwiki.org/Clan_Gregor )

The Ulster-Scots Society of America; Immigrants From The North Of Ireland

"This is about a group of immigrants from the north of Ireland in the 18th Century who came to be known as the Scotch-Irish, which is a completely American term and very misleading--since very few of the people in this migration had any Irish blood at all. To understand who these people really were, a brief history lesson is needed. Over a period of several centuries, there was almost constant war between England and Scotland. The battles took place in the border counties of both countries and the people who lived there, whether English or Scottish, were living in a war zone. This made their lives quite different than anywhere else in the British Isles; they had much more in common with each other than with the rest of England or the rest of Scotland. The men were very warrior-like and often away at battle. They lived with constant economic oppression because soldiers trampled their crops, rustlers stole their livestock, taxes were high, and wages were low. The border kept changing; sometimes both countries claimed the border counties at once. Eventually, many of these went to the north of Ireland during the great Plantation period of the 17th century, settling in the province of Ulster. In the period between 1717 and 1775, these descendants of people from the English and Scottish Border lands (also known as “borderers”) came into the port at Philadelphia in great numbers. They came from the Ulster counties of Donegal, Derry, Down, Armagh, Antrim, and Tyrone.. A few native Irish came with them, but most of the people in this migration were of English or Scottish extraction who had been in Ireland at least four generations. When they arrived, their behavior, dress, and speech patterns were so very different from those people (mostly Quakers) already living in Pennsylvania that they were rejected, ridiculed, and called "Scotch-Irish"--a derogatory term used to be certain nobody would think they were English!

The reason for this migration was much different than previous immigrants. The yearning for religious freedom was there, but for the most part it involved the pursuit of material betterment. They were not the poorest of the poor (those people didn't have enough money to migrate) but they were mostly from the economic lower class. They were farmers and semi-skilled craftsmen. They were of mixed religious backgrounds. The largest number were Presbyterian, but there were Anglicans and other Protestant Denominations represented as well. In spite of their poverty, they were a very proud people--and this was a source of further irritation to their neighbors. They settled in the "back- country" of Pennsylvania and, when the roads to the south began to open, they left and went down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. They continued to follow this pattern of living in the "back country" for years, going first into the Carolinas, then into Tennessee and Kentucky, then further west to Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma (If this was the migratory pattern of your ancestors, they may have been Scotch-Irish).

Family life was different for these immigrants from the north of Ireland . They lived mostly in nuclear families, but the extended family was much more extended than for most other people. The family extended out for 4 generations and connected one nuclear family to another and one generation to the next. This group was somewhat like a Highland clan. “Clans” tended to live and move together. This was the way in the borderlands of England and Scotland and it continued to be the way in the north of Ireland as well as in the back country of America. These descendants of “Borderers” had large families just like the Puritans. The age at marriage was much younger than in any of the groups of British immigrants. The average age for men was 21 and for women 19. Weddings were wild affairs, full of ritual, and costly. Sometimes brides were abducted, usually (but not always) willingly. First cousins often married to "keep it in the clan". There was a shortage of clergy in the back country and sometimes couples got tired of waiting. Premarital pregnancies were common. But they were not thought to be scandalous. They often made a joke of it! Family life was very different. Men were warriors and women were workers. For generations these men had to be warriors in the old countries of Scotland, England and Ireland. The pattern didn't change just because they migrated to America. The most important possessions for a man were his gun and his horse. In any society where the men go off to war, the women do much more heavy labor at home. This was true for these Scotch-Irish as well. In these families, the women labored in the fields right beside their husbands. Families were male dominant; women and children were supposed to obey. These families also had a strange mix of love and violence in their homes. And feuds between extended families sometimes occurred.

They brought their Borderers child-naming practices with them. There was a pattern but they were the least likely group to follow it. The pattern in this male dominant society was for the two eldest sons to be named after their grandfathers and the third son after his father. They also used Biblical names (John the most common), Teutonic names (Richard or Robert the most common), names of Border saints, such as Andrew, Patrick, or David, Celtic names, such as Ewan/Owen, Barry, or Roy, names from other cultures, such as Ronald or Archibald, names of Scottish Kings, such as Alexander, Charles, or James, names of brave border warriors, such as Wallace, Bruce, Perry, or Howard, place names, such as Ross, Clyde, Carlisle, Tyne or Derry. Sometimes they made up names or feminized family names and gave them to their daughters (i.e. Hoyt=Hoyette). The most common names for girls were the same as in all 3 of the other groups of English immigrants--Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah. There were also some naming taboos: they did not use Scottish Highlander names, such as Douglas, Donald, Kenneth, Ian, or Stewart; they did not use Irish Gaelic names, such as Sean, Kathleen, Maureen, or Sheila.

Child-rearing practices in the back country were very different. Scotch-Irish parents were highly indulgent and permissive. Socialization began at birth. Children, especially boys, were taught to exercise their wills. They doted on their male children, who were reared to have fierce pride, stubborn independence, and a warrior's courage. Girls were taught the domestic virtues of patience, industry, sacrifice, and devotion to others. Men shared in the care of their children from infancy. Corporal punishment was often used."( http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ulster_scots/ulster3.htm )

The Ulster-Scots Society of America; The Great Migration from Ulster to America

"The Great Migration from the north of Ireland (Ulster) to America began in 1717. In some instances Ulster families had immigrated to the New World before 1717, but those instances were few and isolated.

Some families left Ulster in search of religious freedom, but most left in response to economic hardships. The English Parliament began to impose trade restrictions on the manufacture and sale of woolen articles in the late-1690s. Up to that time, Ulster had thrived on her wool and linen industries and had prospered more than any other province in Ireland. The arrival of the French Huguenots (French Reformed Church) in the 1680s to Ulster had strengthened her already strong wool industry by introducing some new methods for the manufacture of linen from flax. The prosperity Ulster was experiencing was seen as a threat by the English who, in 1698, petitioned the King to protect their own interests. The Irish Parliament, at the King's urging, passed the Woolens Act in the following year. The Woolens Act prohibited the exportation of Irish wool and cloth to anywhere except England and Wales. The Woolens Act resulted in a period of economic depression throughout Ulster.

Coupled with the economic hardships spawned by the Woolens Act, was a legal practice known as rack-renting which was instituted in the early-1700s. Rack-renting was the practice whereby a renter could legally raise the rent when a lease had run out. Although that practice does not seem unusual in this day and age, it was quite a departure from the traditional practice during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The traditional practice was for a lease to run approximately thirty years with the option of being renewed at the same rate. The renter would be inclined to improve the property under the assumption that he would be able to reside there indefinitely and then pass the lease on to his own sons. Money was hard to come by and rack-renting forced many renters to default on their payments. A widespread hatred of the practice and those landlords who employed it swept through Ulster. Having received favorable reports from others who had gone to America, many families resolved to leave Ireland.

The final development which led to the Great Migration came in the form of a severe drought that stretched from 1714 to 1719. The drought affected not only food crops, but also hindered the growing of flax and thereby adversely affected the linen industry. Lack of sufficient grass for grazing, and the disease known as rot, killed the sheep needed by the wool industry. Most Ulster families came because of the droughts and the failing economy in their homeland. Altogether, nearly 250,000 people, mostly Protestant and primarily the descendants of Lowland/Border Scots and Northern English who had settled in Ulster earlier, left Ulster and sailed for America between 1717 and 1775. They initially chose the colony of Pennsylvania as their destination but later moved on to the southern colonies in search of cheaper land. Their contribution to the founding of our republic was incalculable."( http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ulster_scots/ulster4.htm ), ( http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ulster_scots/index.htm )