Ros(s) in the Netherlands

It is for various reasons that in the past members of Clan Ross settled in the Netherlands.

Trade This is one of the oldest reasons. One of the noted places where the Scots settled is Veere. The Scots were able to make a deal with this place for their trade of wool. Traces of this still can be found, for example the 'Scottish Houses' (Schotse huizen) in this place. But also in other trading place the Scots settled. This shows from the Scots Churches in places like Dordrecht, Breda, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Scots Church, Rotterdam

Army An other reason are the Scots soldiers. One of the most well-known "export articles" of Scotland has been it's soldiers. Scots soldiers served in many countries. Some examples are Sweden, Poland, Russia and France. In the course of the 80 years war the protestant Dutch searched for help with the also protestant Scots. From that time onwards many Scots served in the Dutch Army. At one time there were even nine Scots regiments in the Dutch service, about 10.000 soldiers. This lasted until the end of the 18th century. Many a Scots soldier stayed here after his service period and married a Dutch girl.

Regiment Gordon, 1757

Industry
With the rise of the industry as a result of the Industrial Revolution which started in Great Britain, many inhabitants of the highlands went to industrial places like Glasgow. The development of the industry went quick and offered opportunities for those who wanted to secure a fair existence with the help of knowledge and experience gained in Scotland.

Maritime shipping
Besides the earlier mentioned reasons, many a Scotsman seized the opportunity to earn his money by signing up as a sailor. Of them, many stayed in the foreign harbours which they visited. This shows from the register of banns in Amsterdam between 1578 and 1811. From this period 1100 registrations are known concerning Scots subjects. Most of the men involved had as profession 'varensgesel' (sailor).

Genealogy
Many of those who came over from Scotland and settled in the Netherlands were admitted in the Community and begot descendants. Some of them, interested in their roots, started to do some investigation. Especially through genealogical research they did stumble on a Scottish ancestor that aroused their interest for Scotland and the Clan system. (See also our genealogical page)

The above-mentioned applies also for our own family. Over a period of several years we gained lots of experience about genealogy. Besides this we were able to come into contact with several Clan Ross Associations and David Ross of Ross and Balnagown, the chief of Clan Ross.

With this site we like to help anyone who is interested to know more about this subject. If you have questions don't hesitate to contact us.

E-mail: George Ross      georgeross@home.nl

               David Ross        davidross@ziggo.nl