| This Cullen history was meant to be free
of any copyright but, as a work in progress, distribution
of the text needs to be controlled. To this end what I have
decided to do is to copyright it entirely. Private use will be
allowed in every case; no questions asked and under only one
condition - you must ask first. This will be handled on a case by
case basis. Commercial use of any type is not authorized. The only
reason for this is to prevent copies of this family history ending
up on some commercial site when it is only partially complete. If
any does appear on ANY OTHER SITE, without permission, rest
assured I will vigorously protect my Family interests. If
you have any questions on the use of the text of the history,
please feel free to contact me.
Because Genealogy is constantly under
review, no one can say with any finality that the Project is
finished. When the history is complete these
restrictions may be removed and the text will then be in
the public domain as was originally intended. I will announce when
the text is completed. Although changes may be made to the history
after that time, it is then the responsibility of the individual
user to keep his (or her) copy up to date.
As work progresses on this Cullen history, it
becomes apparent that some sets of maps to accompany the text is
necessary. The maps, now in progress, are based on the modern
County divisions in Scotland. It is important to note that
provincial and County divisions did not exist in ancient Scotland
except in the most rudimentary form. Divisions between major
tribal groups were more likely to occur along rivers or mountain
chains or other natural barriers. In the case of a group of people
settled in desirable (or perhaps not so desirable) lands, their
boundaries may have been whatever area they were able to defend,
based on the local population and thus the number of warriors able
to be drawn up in their defence.
In this light, a large and
powerful dynasty firmly rooted in their territory would be just as
real a boundary as any mountain or river. Though widely recognized
by name and by reputation, barriers such as these are not
permanent. Boundaries between tribal groups changed over time,
either swelling or shrinking, due to warfare, famine, pestilence,
or other factors. In large part, the size of ones territory was
determined by ones ability to survive and recoup from these
natural and man-made disasters.
These ancient boundaries of course
no longer exist and, in many cases, modern scholars are hard
pressed to determine their original locations. Septs or groups of
septs, in part or in whole, may have relocated at various times
for any number of reasons, further complicating matters. Some
ancient divisions were more durable and survive to this day. Such
is the case of the diocese, which was based more on the ability to
maintain frequent and reliable communication between various
church institutions in early Christian Scotland. Such concerns
exist even today and the boundaries are still very much
applicable.
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