What happened to the 8,000 Lithuanians in Scotland?

[@SV-yf4et]

Great video, as a Lithuanian I was suprised to learn about this. Realy loved this video! BTW did you knew that there was a scottish community in Lithuania in 16-17 centuries? Mostly in Kedainiai and Klaipeda(central and west Lithunia). Mostly rich merchant presbitarian families lived there.

[@willhawkins9806]

Amazing!

[@ihavegreeneyes14]

@@willhawkins9806 I recommend every Scot who visits Lithuania to go to Kėdainiai - there is a great local museum there which celebrates the Scottish history in Lithuania as well as some Scot-themed restaurants. Scottish tourists usually cannot believe it when they visit :D

[@LukeEvans-vx3ww]

Fascinating and very well told story of a little-known episode in Scottish history. More please!

[@willhawkins9806]

That's really kind! Thank-you... more on its way!

[@Bad_Artist_]

My maternal grandfather was one among those 8000, but I know nothing about the details of his work experience in the mines, except that he was 15 when he migrated to Scotland. He eventually settled in Boston. People assumed he was Scottish because he spoke English with a heavy Scottish accent. Now I'm curious to do some research on this topic.

[@chrisk5651]

My maternal grandfather was born in Scotland of mostly Irish extraction & was the oldest & had to give up on education to help support his family (lots of younger siblings) by working in a mine & left Scotland as a young man for the States.

[@lamalama-p1i]

Geat Video, so sad to see only few comments and views, I believe this video and work you've put- worth x100000000 times more! Thanks tho!

[@janice506]

Hi I’m Scottish & I just done a my heritage dna , & was surprised to learn 83% Irish Scottish & Welsh this I expected my dads family came over from Ireland , 11.4 Southern Italy & 5.6 % Baltic . I never knew about the Lithuanians so that narrows down the Baltics to one country now . Can’t wait to share this new info with my family thank you . Ps. We actually do live in Lanarkshire .

[@Artur_M.]

What's interesting is that back in the times of the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, there was the immigration of Scots in the opposite direction. There's a book "Scots in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 16th-18th Centuries: The Formation and Disappearance of an Ethnic Group" by Peter Paul Bajer. Also, the probably best Western historian specialising in Poland-Lithuania of this period - Robert I. Frost, also happens to be Scottish. You can find multiple lectures and conversations with him on KZbin, and in some of them, he mentions the Scottish connections with the PLC.

[@Slezyy]

Correct! In Kėdainiai (Lithuania) old Town some Scottish buildings is still remaining and they was one of wealthiest trades in region, sellers of tabacco and other imports

[@stiklas6712]

Ačiū, buvo įdomu sužinoti, dalelę istorijos.

[@josephpashka7369]

My father was born in 1913 & remembered that as a little boy, his father Kazimieras took him one Sunday afternoon to a nearby creek in Glasgow Scotland, to catch minnows in a glass jar from a Pickle factory near the foundry's Carnbroe Lanarkshire tenements where the Lithuanian immigrants lived before WW1. Grandpa was then sent back to serve in the Czar's army near Kharkyv. When the revolution broke out, he walked back to Lithuania. Because my father was born in Scotland, his later immigration to the USA was successful as a "subject of the Queen". Luck.

[@willhawkins9806]

Hi Joseph! Thanks for sharing this - what a fascinating story.

[@aurimasbogacionok9516]

Congrats with your roots my mate

[@janice506]

It’s amazing how far people’ have been getting about even before planes trains etc great story

[@maglin15]

I think that it is interesting that when Lithuanians were pushed (for example russification) to change we resisted even harder and developed deeper love for our language and traditions but if not pushed and we see the benefit we adapt and assimilate to other cultures like during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or in this video example. Recommending to research a bit about Lithuanian book carriers during russification period.

[@vygaspyga]

I knew about a large Scottish community in Lithuania, in the town of Kėdainiai, but I did not know about the Lithuanian community in Scotland. Thank you

[@willhawkins9806]

Thank you!

[@tomaskla9030]

Thank you for this interesting video. You did it well.

[@thomascrochunis6183]

Very enjoyable overview of the story of Lithuanians in Scotland. I've been trying to learn about the itinerary of a branch of my family that I know from a family document passed through Lanarkshire before arriving in the US. It's funny, but I've always felt a connection to Scotland in my scholarship and research...even before I knew this family story. It's been good to learn the larger context of their migration from material like yours.

[@autumn_rain]

Very interesting for a Latvian. Glad you reminded the world about pussification.

[@pontiuspilates]

I knew a few persons from Kedainiai & Jonava that had Scottish origin surnames. Apparently, there was a Scottish population in Kedainiai since 1600s, but most of the people assimilated long time ago. However, there are still a few Scottish places there. You can see the Scottish flag in the Old Town.

[@linaso9739]

Really interesting story. Sad part - history tends to repeat itself. We've already experienced few recent waves of emigration.

[@linasma235]

My grandfather was born in Glasgow and returned to Lithuania at the age of 15, his father worked in the coal mines and I heard family stories, part of the family stayed in Scotland, I have no contact with them, but this is the first time I see it on you tube, thank you for that

[@Briedys101]

What an interesting story. I'm Lithuanian, but I have never heard of it.

[@Slezyy]

Hello, just today seen this video. Thanks for this topic! Anyway as watching it I remembered one pretty know Scottish Lithuanian Gentle Johny the bank robber(yeah I know) But that guy was from a coal miners family like one in this video, and he was very interesting person- because of this amazing skills of cracking safes and infiltration he joined commandos and is mentioned in song and even a book dedicated to this career as safecracker and war hero, and as I recollect has murial portait in Glasgow en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Ramensky (aslo as you mentioned a name was changed to be more British)

[@V.MGaming]

Geography of Lithuania : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lithuania 😉

[@Vhisper]

For the sake of god stop calling Lithuania an "Eastern" country. It has always been Northern, the fact that it controlled Eastern Europe doesn't make itself Eastern just like Sweden controlling some of Germany's parts doesn't make it Central European.

[@willhawkins9806]

Geography clearly not my strong suit...! Thanks for the feedback!

[@Vhisper]

@@willhawkins9806 Thanks for recognizing the mistake, many simply ignore

[@iBreakAnkles4Fun]

Lithuania has like 500 years of history which is intertwined with Poles and Eastern Europeans such as Belorussians and Russians. Our Baltic language is the closest relative to Slavic and have always had large populations of Slavs living in Lithuania since 1200s. When thinking of Northern Europe most people would probably imagine Scandinavia or Finland and if you've ever been to Lithuania you'd know the architecture, climate and people and aren't much different than their eastern neighbors. I know Lithuania is technically categorized as being Northern European but grouping it with other Northern European countries seems misleading when we have so much in common with our Eastern neighbors and basically no relation to the North.

[@Vhisper]

@@iBreakAnkles4Fun what are you saying, I'm from Klaipėda, been living in Lithuania my whole life, now living and studying in Finland and if feels like richer Lithuania, but generally same Northern vibe, and no, Lithuanian is actually closer to Finnic language than you think, Baltic and Finnic tribes were living together loooong before slavs came, itbis evident by the words such as 🇱🇹 Mokytoja 🇫🇮 Opettaja 🇬🇧 Teacher, 🇱🇹 Tiltas 🇫🇮 Silta 🇬🇧 Bridge, 🇱🇹 Geltonas 🇫🇮 Keltainen 🇬🇧 Yellow, 🇱🇹 Siela 🇫🇮 Sielu 🇬🇧 Soul. Lithuania in it's core is Northern and slavic influence doesn't change that, within 30 years we are most likely to join the Nordic council, since we already are Observers in it. And hell nah, Lithuanians are nothing like Poles or Belarusians, I've been to Belarus and I know what I'm talking about, those are 2 completely different civilizations, while Nordic people are both culturally and generally close to Lithuania, it is also evident by my own experience as a Lithuanian man because number 1 question I get is "wait you are not Finnish?? Where are you from then??". If you want to know more about Lithuania I suggest reading more of Vaidas K. articles on quora, they explain everything I mentioned before + give visual explanations.

[@iBreakAnkles4Fun]

@@Vhisper Maybe that's just cos youre from Klaipeda which has had recent German occupation and ethnic mixing while the rest of Lithuania didnt. I'm from Druskininkai at the south and I don't know how you failed to realise that Lithuanian architecture is literally the same as Russian because the residential buildings were built by them. Even the series about Chernobyl wasnt filmed in Ukraine or Poland, it was filmed in Vilnius and Kaunas because it looks more soviet lol... There are loads of basic Lithuanian words that are similar to Slavic, Žemė/Ziemia, Žiema/Zima, Nėra/Niema, Paduok/Podaj, Žmona/Żona, Tavo/Twoj, Tvirtovė/ Twierdza. These are all just off the top of my head that I noticed because my girlfriend is Polish and I don't speak Russian or Polish but noticed plenty of words that sound similar.. There are loads of others, I haven't even googled any.. Our people split from the Slavs around 3000BC with a polulation of only 10 to 20 thousand, we worshipped the same gods Perkūnas (Pierūn in Polish) and didn't differenciate from Slavs for a long time. Google Balto-Slavic origin. If you don't like Poles or slavs in general thats understandable but you still can't deny that our language families are cousins (google it) and that we have hundreds if not thousands of years of history, good and bad, since they came to our lands at least 2000yrs ago. From what I remember seeing, we have Finno-ugric ancestry because we migrated to the baltics 5000yrs ago along the same routes near Ural mountains (Where Finno-Ugric gets its name) and mixed with those people along the way. Our history with the Slavs is incomparably more extensive and recent. As for the Nordic council thing, that is marely for economic purposes which makes sense because Scandinavia is obviously way richer than Poland. However no Scandinavians or nordics for that matter ever populated Lithuania as far as I know.

[@mattdragonrider7888]

My Aunts mother was Lituanian , her family came over before WW1 and her father worked in the Lanarkshire coal mines ,i believe he returned to fight in Russia during WW1

[@TheMiniMaestroMan]

There are a lot of people in Glasgow with the surname Bendoris, which is an Anglicization of the Lithuanian surname Bendorious.

[@davidness5491]

Billy McNeill, the first British footballer to lift the European Cup, grandparents were Lithuanian

[@dansmith1763]

Yes he was Belshill in Lanarkshire and coal mines were the industry then, I grew up there and several neighbours were Lithuanian descent

[@chrisk5651]

Based on his last name (unless it was changed at some point), it would seem that not all 4 grandparents were Lithuanian or 100% so.

[@Oberschutzee]

Lithuania was already under German management by 1915 so I don't think they had to fight for Russians when returned back

[@valdasnetavo8746]

Northern Europe.

[@karolyyss]

Two of my master grandparents were born in Scotland. I just managed to find were one was born, as only document we have, is his birth certificate. Very poorly translated by russians. My master grandfather came back to Lithuania with his family in around 1920, at the time he was 6 years old. Until his death he fluently spoke English. He even though me basics of English, when I was like 4 year old. Despite his father was working in a coal mine, he said their life was way better then back in Lithuania.

[@whtz9000]

Very interesting story. Ty.

[@angusstewart6237]

This is interesting as i discovered possible Eastern European links from this period within my grandmothers family from old photographs

[@chrisk5651]

8,000 is such a small number!

[@chrisk5651]

Of course groups from both what is now Ireland & Scotland went back & forth in waves over millennia - also of course the original "Scots" came from Ireland (at least the name did).

[@dansmith1763]

I’m from Lanarkshire, I remember my father telling me some of those from Lithuanians had been told they were going to America, and when they arrived in an English speaking country they didn’t all realise straight away they were not in US. Not sure how true it is.

[@johnrobdoyle]

From 1870's to the early 1900's thousands of Lithuanian Jews emigrated to Ireland, In the 1901 and 1911 censuses their Place of birth was recorded as being in Russia.

[@aurimasbogacionok9516]

Thats the circle of life

[@patriciameany1238]

Very interesting form Lanarkshire Scotland second generation scot from Ireland

[@andrewsills8963]

the map used has modern borders

[@mariletepassarinho9880]

Me gusta escucharte.🤞

[@naktisnaktiss9880]

typical LT peasant would be not Matis, - rather Motiejus.

[@willhawkins9806]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@REGameFly]

A sad fact about Lithuanian integration to this day

[@SaorAlba1970]

had the Lithuanian and Polish Empire had not invaded Russia and subjugated Russia for years then the Lithuanian and Polish empire might have existed today,

[@ihavegreeneyes14]

Your comment is historically incorrect. Russia did not really exist when Lithuanian and Polish commonwealth was created. Russian Empire is the one which occupied parts of Lithuanian and Polish commonwealth and was one of the forces which caused the commonwealth's destruction. Lithuanian and Polish commonwealth was a very accepting and tolerant nation for its time, it did not subjugate any nationality.

[@imyarek]

@@ihavegreeneyes14 Russia did really exist since the 9th century, just under different names. And the transition from the Russian Tsardom (which was actually attacked by Lithuania) to an empire was mostly technical as it was the same political structure, same ruling dynasty, etc.

[@ihavegreeneyes14]

@@imyarek okay, lets pretend this is true. Did Russia ever attack Lithuania and/or Poland?

[@Oberschutzee]

@@ihavegreeneyes14 Yes?

[@Stong1337]

My pap was Lithuanian born in Scotland. His parents met each other in Scotland but both where Lithuanian . Feels similar to the Ukrainian issue now adays. Cool to learn about my families history. I have a very prominent Lithuanian face as many people tell me I do not look Scottish.

[@algiben]

Thanks, very interesting. I didn't know anything about it. Greetings from Lithuania

[@willhawkins9806]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@1MuchButteR1]

Wonder if catholicism is the reason behind Lithuanian rather weak tied to the land identity.

[@Oberschutzee]

I don't think that's the reason a lot of people migrated from northern, and eastern Europe for better opportunities and chances in the west....