56°20′24″N4°16′26″W / 56.340°N 4.274°W /56.340; -4.274
Breadalbane (/brəˈdɔːlbən/ ⓘ;Scottish Gaelic:Bràghaid Albann,[1] meaning "upperAlba" or "upland of Alba") is a region of the southern/centralScottish Highlands, within theGrampian Mountains range. It is a mountainous region comprising thewatershed ofLoch Tay; its boundaries are roughly theWest Highland Way in the west,Rannoch Moor in the northwest,Loch Rannoch in the north, theRiver Tummel in the east, the Highland boundary in the southeast, andLoch Earn andLoch Voil-Loch Doine in the south. The former Breadalbane district was surrounded by the districts ofAtholl,Strathearn,Menteith,The Lennox,Argyll andLochaber. TheBreadalbane Hydro-Electric Scheme lies within the region.
TheAtholl and Breadalbane Gathering is a popular 2/4 March tune for theGreat Highland Bagpipes.
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Breadalbane formed one of thetraditional provinces of Scotland, surrounded byAtholl,Lorn,Argyll,The Lennox,Menteith, andStrathearn (anti-clockwise from North). The province is referred to by the title ofEarl of Breadalbane and Holland (the inclusion ofHolland comes from a separate title which was inherited by the same person); later the title was upgraded toMarquess of Breadalbane.
The Breadalbane branch ofClan Campbell is the origin of the province as a distinct unit; prior to 1449 the area had been part of Atholl.Colin Campbell (second son ofthe head of Clan Campbell) was awarded the land by kingJames II as thanks for capturing the assassins ofJames I. The Campbells established the area's de facto independence from Atholl, and in 1681 were rewarded for their loyalty to the royal family by the formal conversion of the area into an independent Earldom, awarded to Colin Campbell's heir.
Breadalbane was at the centre of a vast area of central Scotland, comprising Atholl, Menteith, and Strathearn, which had been controlled by the assassins. Before them, Atholl, Menteith, and Lennox, had been controlled by James I's uncleRobert (andRobert's son, andRobert's son's father-in-law), who had ruled Scotland for three decades, while James I was imprisoned, and James' father was too frail; Robert had suppressed attempts to free James, and was suspected of assassinating James' older brother. The establishment of the Campbell presence in the region helped the king remove the danger from such a large central area with a habit of disloyalty.
As a largely rural and isolated area, shrieval oversight was provided by the sheriff based atPerth. Hence, when mid 19th century local government reforms replaced the ancient provinces bynew Counties (shires), aligned tosheriffdom boundaries, Breadalbane formed part of the new county ofPerthshire. Gradually Breadalbane once again became indistinguishable from Atholl.
Much of Breadalbane is in theLoch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.Ben More is the highest mountain in the national park.
TheBreadalbane area of the National Park covers a larger region than the province of Breadalbane. It is subdivided into four communities, covered by the community council areas ofBalquhidder,Killin,St Fillans, andStrathfillan.[2] Balquhidder was not historically part of Breadalbane, although it was land owned by the Campbell family.
Breadalbane is known for containing some of, if not the, richest arctic-alpine flora in the United Kingdom. The area contains numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for this reason, among many other natural heritage interests.
Broadalbin, New York was named after Breadalbane.[3]
There are Breadalbane Streets in bothToronto,Ontario, Canada andHamilton,Ontario, Canada.
Breadalbane is a village in the province ofPrince Edward Island in Canada.
Breadalbane, New South Wales is a small village located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.
