Scalan

For much of the 18th century, the college at Scalan in the Braes of Glenlivet was the only place in Scotland where young men were trained to be Catholic priests, the so-called "heather priests". From 1717 to 1799, over a hundred were trained despite numerous attacks by Hanoverian soldiers. Scalan was burned to the ground by them on several occasions but was always rebuilt. The college played a vital role in keeping the traditional Catholic faith alive in northern Scotland. It was named after the Gaelic word given to turf-roofed sheilings () found in the Braes during that period. In 1799, the college was moved to a less remote site, Aquhorthies College, which had larger premises and more…