The Scalan: Scotland's Secret Seminary in the Heather

In this episode, Lucas and Luna uncover the story of the Scalan, a hidden Catholic seminary in the Braes of Glenlivet that operated during the brutal decades after the Jacobite rising of 1715. When the British government outlawed Catholic education and hunted priests, a handful of brave men built a tiny college in a remote glen, training priests in secret for a persecuted Church. We explore the life of Bishop James Gordon, who founded the Scalan in 1717; the harsh conditions students endured, sleeping in a loft above a byre; the constant threat of Redcoat raids; the famous 'Scalan boys' who smuggled themselves across the Highlands; and the eventual move to a new college at Blairs in 1799. It's a story of resilience, faith, and quiet defiance that shaped Scottish Catholicism for generations. #Scalan #Glenlivet #ScottishCatholicism #JacobiteEra #BishopJamesGordon #PenalLaws #HighlandSeminary #HiddenChurch #18thCenturyScotland #RecusantHistory #BraesOfGlenlivet #BlairsCollege #ScottishHistory #CatholicEducation #Persecution #Clergy #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo