Statutes of Iona facts for kids

The Statutes of Iona were important laws made in Scotland in 1609. These laws told Highland clan leaders, known as chiefs, that they had to send their children who would inherit their positions to schools in Lowland Scotland. These schools taught in English and were Protestant.

Because of these laws, some clans, like the MacDonalds of Sleat and the MacLeods of Harris, started to follow the Protestant religion. But other clans, such as the MacLeans of Morvern & Mull, MacDonalds of Clanranald, Keppoch, Glengarry, and Glencoe, chose to stay Roman Catholic.

What the Laws Said

The Statutes of Iona included several rules that changed life in the Highlands. These rules aimed to bring the Highlands more in line with the Lowlands.

Supporting New Ways of Life

• The laws made sure that Protestant religious leaders were provided for and supported in Highland areas.
• They also said that inns, which are like small hotels, should be built in good spots across the islands. This was to help travelers and stop a practice called "sorning." Sorning was when people would demand free food and a place to stay.
• It became against the law for people to be beggars.

Rules About Goods and Education

• The laws stopped the general buying and selling of wine and whisky. Only clan chiefs and other important gentlemen were allowed to buy wine and a strong drink called "aquavitae" (which was like whisky) from the Lowlands for their own homes.
• Children of any "gentleman or yeoman" (a farmer who owned land) who had more than sixty cattle had to go to schools in the Lowlands. There, they were expected to learn to "speak, read, and write English well enough."

Controlling Weapons and Culture

• People were not allowed to carry "hagbuts" (an old type of gun) or pistols outside their homes. They also couldn't shoot deer, hares, or birds.
• The laws banned bards and other people who kept traditional Gaelic culture alive through stories and songs. These people were seen as "pretending to have the freedom to flatter and praise." The laws said they should be caught, put in stocks (a device used for punishment), and made to leave the islands.
• It also became illegal to protect people who were running from the law.

Some historians believe these laws were the first in a series of actions by the Scottish government. These actions were specifically designed to reduce the use of the Gaelic language, break down its traditional culture, and control the people who practiced it.