While Gaelic was spoken across the Scottish Borders and Lothian during the early High Middle Ages it does not seem to have been spoken by the majority and was likely the language of the ruling elite, land-owners and religious clerics.
Skønt gælisk blev talt i Scottish Borders og Lothian i den tidlige højmiddelalder, lader det ikke til, at det har været talt af flertallet, og det var sandsynligvis sproget for jordejerne, den herskende og den religiøse klasse.