Glencoe
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Glencoe. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a valley in the county of Argyle, near the head of Loch sides by almost perpendicular mountains Etive, Scotland. It is bounded on both over 3,000 feet high . The valley was the scene of a tragedy known as the mas sacre of Glencoe. The state of the great anxiety to the government. Al- Highlands after 1690 was a subject of though the Highlanders had ceased any important operations since the death of Dundee at Killiecrankie, they had not lamation was issued promising pardon laid down their arms. In 1691 a procto all who should swear allegiance on with the exception of one Ian of Glencoe, or before Dec. 31, 1691. All the chiefs, complied. The latter had unfortunately certificate which he produced to prove exceeded the prescribed period, and a that he had offered to take the oaths at Fort William was suppressed, as is thought by Stair. The king's signature MacDonalds. On Feb. 1 a party of was obtained to an order to extirpate the soldiers, 120 in number , commanded by Captain Campbell of Glenlyon, marched up the glen and took quarters as friends. The soldiers belonged mostly to the clan Campbell, enemies of the MacDonalds, merrily for 12 days. At 5 in the mornbut they were well treated , and all went suddenly fell on the MacDonalds. Thirtying of the 13th Glenlyon and his men who had escaped perished in the snow, eight men were murdered, but many sank into bogs, or died for lack of food.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a valley in Argyllshire, Scotland. It opens westward upon Loch Leven. It is about twelve miles in length. It is celebrated for romantic, even sublime, scenery. It is noted in history as the scene of the Massacre of Glencoe. In 1691 all Highlanders were commanded to take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary on or before the thirty-first of December. The Macdonalds of Glencoe, for some reason, delayed making their allegiance until the sixth of January following. Their enemies, the Campbells, led by clan hatred, procured an edict for the extermination of the Macdonalds. One hundred twenty soldiers under Captain Campbell visited the glen. Under pretense of friendship they lulled the suspicions of the inhabitants and remained for twelve days, enjoying their hospitality. The night of the thirteenth of February the Campbells arose after the manner of savages and began massacring the inhabitants of the valley. Thirty-eight men, women, and children were put to death. Through the failure of a guard to reach the pass ere the appointed time, the remainder of the inhabitants, 150 in number, fled in the darkness up the glen and escaped. The Massacre of Glencoe, as it is called, appears to be one of the most unnecessary, uncalled for atrocities recorded on the pages of Scottish history. The scene of the outrage is reached easily by tourists who may go by boat from Glasgow.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The history in both accounts still stands in outline, though the dating needs care: the oath deadline was 31 December 1691, MacIain of Glencoe swore late at Inveraray on 6 January 1692, and the killing took place on the morning of 13 February 1692 — Aiton's 1910 entry puts the massacre in the wrong year, and Collier's 1921 text muddles the sequence. A Scottish parliamentary inquiry in 1695 had already laid the blame on Sir John Dalrymple, Master of Stair, much as Collier's suspects, and modern historians still treat it as "murder under trust" rather than simple Campbell clan hatred, since the regiment was Argyll's but the orders came from Edinburgh and London. What has changed utterly is the glen itself: Aiton's tourists who "may go by boat from Glasgow" now drive the A82, and since 1935 the heart of Glencoe has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland, bought with money from the mountaineer Percy Unna. It is now a National Scenic Area, one of Britain's best-known climbing and hillwalking grounds, with a ski centre on Meall a' Bhuiridh and a memorial service held in the village each 13 February.
Written for this edition, 2026.