Celtic Scotland
A History of Ancient Alban
Celtic Scotland 3 Volume Set Series

The historian William Forbes Skene (1809?92), encouraged to learn Gaelic by Sir Walter Scott, a friend of his father, combined a career as a lawyer in his family's firm with a deep interest in the history of the Celts, which was strengthened by a period of philological study in Germany. This three-volume history of Celtic Scotland (or Alban, to give it the name used in the subtitle), regarded as his most important work, was published between 1876 and 1880. Skene's intention was 'to ascertain the true facts of the early civic history' of Scotland, given that the works of medieval Scots historians could not be relied upon for a factual narrative. The three volumes are organised by topic. After an introductory chapter, Volume 1 considers the history and ethnology of early Britain, the advance of the Romans northward, and the four early Scottish kingdoms, ending in the thirteenth century.

Preface; Introduction; Part I. History and Ethnology: 1. Advance of the Romans to the firths of Forth and Clyde; 2. The Roman province in Scotland; 3. Britain after the Romans; 4. Ethnology of Britain; 5. The four kingdoms; 6. The kingdom of Scone; 7. The kingdom of Alban; 8. The kingdom of Scotia; 9. The kingdom of Scotia passes into feudal Scotland; Appendix.