A late 1500's listing of Scottish Clans in an Act of Parliament.

[Tam Piperson]

First let me say that I apologize if this information has been posted here on this forum before, but I thought it might be of some interest to others here who may not have seen it elsewhere.

I was recently looking at some early Scottish documents that pertain to clans and I came across the following which may be one of the very earliest listings of Scottish clans. It appears at the end of an Act of Parliament of 1587 "for the quieting and keeping in obedience of the disordered subjects, inhabitants of the borders, highlands and isles," which was directed at "the captains, chiefs and chieftains of all clans, as well on the highlands as on the borders, and the principals of the branches of the said clans....which clans dwell upon the lands of diverse landlords and depend upon the directions of the said captains, chiefs and chieftains (by pretence of blood or place of their dwelling).”

"The roll of the clans that have captains, chiefs and chieftains whom on they depend, often times against the will of their landlords, as well on the borders as highlands, and of some special persons of branches of the said clans."

Middle March:

• Elliotts
• Armstrongs
• Nicksons
• Crosiers
  
  West March:

• Scotts of Ewesdale
• Batesons
• Littles
• Thomsons ("Thomesonis" in the untranslated version)
• Glendinnings
• Irvings
• Bells
• Carruthers
• Grahams
• Johnstons
• Jardines
• Moffats
• Latimers
  
  Highlands and Islands:

• Buchanans
• MacFarlanes, Arrochar
• MacNabs
• Grahams of Menteith
• Stewart of Balquhidder
• Clan Gregor
• Clan Laren
• Campbells of Lochnell
• Campbells of Inverawe
• Clan Dowell of Lorne
• Stewart of Lorne or of Appin
• Clan MacKean of Ardvorlich
• Stewarts of Atholl and parts adjacent
• Clan Donachie in Atholl and parts adjacent
• Menzies in Atholl and Apnadull
• Clan MacThomas in Glenshee
• Fergusons
• Spaldings
• MacIntoshes in Atholl
• Clan Cameron
• Clan Ranald in Lochaber
• Clan Ranald of Knoydart, Moidart and Glengarry
• Clan Lewis of the Lewis
• Clan Leod of Harris
• Clan Neil
• Clan Kinnon
• Clan Ian
• Clan Chattan
• Grants
• Frasers
• Clan Kenzie
• Clan Andrew
• Munroes
• Murrays in Sutherland
  
  http://www.electricscotland.com/webc...y_register.htm

[Sir Didymous]

Thanks for posting this. I have been working of building a reenactment persona and was wanting to use the name of Ferguson (from which I am descented), and this confirms the name for me. I'm building a Highland dye merchant portrayl from around the time of this document.

[OC Richard]

Thanks for posting, very interesting!

I'd love to see the original spellings.

No MacDonalds?

[David Thorpe]

No MacDonalds?

Nor MacPhersons, MacLochlans, MacNaughtens, Farquharsons, Forbes or MacTavishes. But then it's not the first or last time that Parliament got it wrong.

[madmacs]

Context may have an influence on which clans were named, what was the act about?

" Our sovereign lord and his three estates convened in this present parliament, considering the wicked inclination of the disordered subjects, inhabitants in some parts of the borders adjacent to England and in the highlands and isles, delighting in all mischiefs and most unnaturally and cruelly wasting, slaying, harrying and destroying their own neighbours and native country people, taking occasion of the least trouble that may occur in the inner parts of the realm when they think that care and thought of the repressing of their insolence is in any way forgotten, to renew their most barbarous cruelties and godless oppressions"

Looks like a bad boys club... wasnt that everyone in Scotland other than Campbell of Argyll... ?

A lot of the other clans are covered under the named individuals... [James Lamont], laird of Lamont, [Lauchlan] MacLean of Duart, etc

Would the Macphersons be covered under Clan Chattan?

[ThistleDown]

Mackeans, Ranalds and Ians comprised what is now called the Clan Donald; Macphersons and Farquharsons are Clan Chattan, as are Glenshee MacThomases and the Atholl Mackintoshes (MacRitchies) although named separately in this list. Forbes was one of those who prepared the list. MacTavish was a Campbell dependant.

[EagleJCS]

Interesting that the only Scott's mentioned were the Scotts of Ewesdale. At the time, the Scott's (of Buccleuch) were one of the more powerful clans in the Middle March. The list has their neighbors/rivals, the Armstrongs, Elliots, Nicksons (Nixons), and Crosiers.

[ThistleDown]

Remember that this is a list of clans and individuals at odds with the Parliament of the day. Buccleuch was not one of those. Most of the powerful Lowland families are not included simply because they were listing the ones that caused them personal problems as though they were national ones.

[bdkilted]

Looks like most of the Lothian clans are missing too. I think Madmacs has it right. This is not a list of clans, but a list of clans that someone didn't like. The Earl Marishal of Scotland was a Keith, so obviously the Keiths are missing from this list.

[The farqcom]

Clan Farquharson which was part of the Chattan Confederation, did not become a Clan of any note until the early 1600s. Donald(1st) of Castleton and Tillygarmond was the first to be called Chief of Clan Farquharson by the Privy Council in 1599.