Watson Clan

[Wareyin]

I am trying to learn which Clan(s) I have family ties to, and we do have the surname Watson in the family. There is a Watson tartan, and there used to be a Clan Watson Society. But I am also finding that Watson is a sept of Buchanan. Are there different branches of Watson, or did Buchanan absorb Watson once there was no longer a Chief? Or something else entirely?

Thank you for any help!

[Bruce Scott]

These links may be of interest:

http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclanwatt.htm

http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-watson/

http://www.clanwatson.co.uk/

http://www.scotland.com/forums/clans...an-watson.html

http://www.cassoc.ca/clans/watson/frameset.htm

[Wareyin]

Thank you, Bruce Scott for the links. Sadly, none of them explains the relationship between Watson and Buchanan, and none of them leads to an existing website for Clan Watson. Apparently there was such a site in 2000, but it is no longer existing.

[Bruce Scott]

The problem with clan sept names is that there is seldom an explanation as to how and when the name became associated with a particular clan (sometimes it's clans).

According to this site, Watson may be a sept of both Clan Buchanan and Clan Forbes: http://www.rideau-info.com/ken/genea...tson-sept.html

“Septs must be regarded as a rather wonderful effort of imagination” and “The very word ‘sept’ is delusive. . ."
Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, GCVO WS Lord Lyon King of Arms, 1945-1969.

More here on 'The Romantic Myth of Clan Septs': http://www.clans-families.org/clan-septs.html

[ctbuchanan]

The history of the Clan Buchanan traces it's origins of the Watson line back to the several chiefs named Walter. Because Buchanan was originally a place name and applied only to the chief their sons used other names. In the case of Walter, his nickname was Watt or Wattie and the patronymic became MacWatt, MacWattie, Wattison and Watson etc. Also Walters, Walterson etc.

The issue of course, as with many sept names, is that there were obviously other men name Walter who used Watt or Wattie as well and they may or most often, were not, of the Clan Buchanan. But today in the northeast USA there are many, many Watsons who when they came to places like Nova Scotia knew that they were Buchanans. The sept name is very common in this area.

[Balaamsass51]

Hello Wareyin. Clan Watson is a clan, but it is an armigerous clan, that is one without a living clan chief. (the last one died in the 1700's). We are also a sept of Buchannan, Forbes, and some say Hay and perhaps Gunn. Yes, there was a Clan Watson Society quite a while ago, a lady out west ran it but she was very old and went into a nursing home so it folded. The Clan Watson group in Nova Scotia is very active and has a lot of history on their web site. There is a fellow in England who ran a Watson forum, perhaps he is still in business. Hope some of this helps.