Scottish History

Veitch History

By Edward Veitch

       The Veitch’s are said to have come from Scotland. The name was originally “La Vache”. La Vache is French for “the cow”. The family is also found in the Austrian area. They spell their name “Veitsh”. The name also is found in Germany, spelled “Veith”.
Where did we come from? Who are we? That is the question. It would be hard to say.

Ancient Britain

       The Ice Age, during which Neanderthals and then Cro-Magnons inhabited Great Britain, ended about 8000 BC. The rising sea levels created by the thawing ice made Great Britain an island. By 3000 BC the Iberians, or Long Skulls, were farming Southern England. These were an ancient people of Spain that migrated from Africa. From about 2500 BC to around 1000 BC. The pastoral Beaker folk had established themselves in Great Britain. The Picts, around 1000 BC, were in Western Europe. The Picts were described as a fearsome warrior race. They were short and dark headed.They had crossed the Channel and were moving into Ireland from Scotland in 200 BC. These were great sailing people.They were described as people much alike the Iberians whom Rome fought in Hispania. They wore paint or tattoos from head to toe. They did not have a king. They were very tribal, but managed to stand off the Roman Empire. Rome managed to take very little land from the Picts. What land they did take, they protected with a wall. The wall built by the Romans, was called Hadrians Wall. Meanwhile, the Roman Empire was taking up the lands in the first and second century. The Roman people came from Latia, Sabine and Etruscan people. All Latin based people. Rome began falling in the 400’s. Then they pulled out. The Celts were in the lands just north of the Alps. The Celtic people were a warrior race. They were blue eyed and fair-haired people.In the first century, the Celts overran the British Isles, as they did virtually all of Western Europe. They settled the whole area, fighting and mingling with the Picts. The Irish people were described as Gaelic. Gaelic were Irish Celtic people. So the area was under constant feuds. The Saxons were a Germanic tribe that pressed southward from the North Sea area (Denmark), in the second, third and fourth century. The Saxons joined with the Angles and Jutes, and took the Great Britain area in the seventh century. The Angles and Jutes were also a Germanic tribe from Southern Denmark and Northwestern Germany. Next in line were the Franks. The Franks were also a Germanic tribe. They were from the middle and lower Rhine River. They also started to invade this area in the third century. Pepin the Short was the first Frankish king whose coronation was blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. Pepin the Short sent his son Charles the Great or Charlemagne to defeat the Anglo-Saxons. These wars lasted many years. Charlemagne’s kingdom ruled over what are now France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Low Countries and Italy. Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings raided and even settled in Great Britain. The Vikings were a Nordic people- Danes, Swedes and Norwegians.
       The year 1066 was a turning point in English history. William 1, the Conqueror, and his sons swept through England. English aristocracy went through a restructure, and took on a French look and feel. The Norman’s were given title to lands in Great Britain. This is probably where the Veitch,s came into their land. This is the basis of who the Veitch’s are. A La Vache signature was found in the Scottish Ragland Rolls from the year 1066.So it would be safe to say that this man came in with William the Conqueror.William the Conqueror being of Frankish (Norman) decent. But, the French people came from Germanic decent. Who are we?