« Reply #16 on: Sunday 13 August 17 12:57 BST (UK) »
Rena, briefly, on a post-card! Pictavia didn't come as far south as the present border, the south of Scotland was the territory of the kingdom of Strathclyde, so Welsh speaking. These Britons were squeezed by the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria & the Vikings from Ireland. The Scots & Picts were united by Kenneth MacAlpine & Northumbria was defeated by the York Vikings who took Deira & the Scots & Picts took Bernicia post the Battle of Carham. The Scots king inherited Strathclyde thus uniting Scotland, leaving only a bit of territorial tidying-up taking territory back from Norway & getting the Northern Isles eventually from Denmark. Gaelic became the language of the whole kingdom for a time as the place-names testify, Galloway already Gaelic speaking. The Northern Isles excepted.
Skoosh,
Ta ever so
That could explain why my not very common lowland surname that I've only taken back to late 17th century, is also to be found in Wales.
Aberdeen: Findlay-Shirras,McCarthy: MidLothian: Mason,Telford,Darling,Cruikshanks,Bennett,Sime, Bell: Lanarks:Crum, Brown, MacKenzie,Cameron, Glen, Millar; Ross: Urray:Mackenzie: Moray: Findlay; Marshall/Marischell: Perthshire: Brown Ferguson: Wales: McCarthy, Thomas: England: Almond, Askin, Dodson, Well(es). Harrison, Maw, McCarthy, Munford, Pye, Shearing, Smith, Smythe, Speight, Strike, Wallis/Wallace, Ward, Wells;Germany: Flamme,Ehlers, Bielstein, Germer, Mohlm, Reupke