Clan Duncan

[JonathanB]

Wearing my kilt (Black Watch) to church on Sunday a man of Jamaican family asked me what I could find out about his family name, Duncan.

I went back and consulted my copy of the Collins Scottish Clan Encyclopaedia and could find no mention.

A Google search came up with a website for Clan Duncan, which appears to be of great antiquity but merged with the Robertsons a few centuries back.

I thought someone here will no a bit more about it, so rather than googling away I thought it more fun to start a thread here.

(There's the interesting question of West Indians with Scottish names, but I'll start another thread some time.)

[Father Bill]

My tiny contribution is the tartan link: http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/qRe...hString=duncan

My Jamaican friend is a Buchanan. We've been friends long enough that we've long teased about the difference in colour between us. I asked him how a man with a "factory-installed suntan" like his came up with a Scottish name like that, and he told me with his beautifully musical accent, "Well Bill, there must have been a Scotsman in the woodpile." He says that Scottish names are very common there.

[Carlo]

I can only send you Jonathan to the wiki-page.

My tiny contribution is the tartan link: http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/qRe...hString=duncan

My Jamaican friend is a Buchanan. We've been friends long enough that we've long teased about the difference in colour between us. I asked him how a man with a "factory-installed suntan" like his came up with a Scottish name like that, and he told me with his beautifully musical accent, "Well Bill, there must have been a Scotsman in the woodpile." He says that Scottish names are very common there.

I heard some rumours that, back in the day, slaves used/had to use their owners name.
I'm already expecting the QI-Klaxon.

[creagdhubh]

Have you visited this website? It appears to be in good working order, complete with current information regarding the clan association/society. I would contact John Duncan of Sketraw (see contact details below) for more information.


Clan Duncan Society's Main Office:

Sketraw of Muiryhill
Alvah, Banff
Aberdeenshire, AB45 3DA
Scotland
Tel: +44 (0)131 208 2270
Email: info@clan-duncan.co.uk

[creagdhubh]

My tiny contribution is the tartan link: http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/qRe...hString=duncan

My Jamaican friend is a Buchanan. We've been friends long enough that we've long teased about the difference in colour between us. I asked him how a man with a "factory-installed suntan" like his came up with a Scottish name like that, and he told me with his beautifully musical accent, "Well Bill, there must have been a Scotsman in the woodpile." He says that Scottish names are very common there.

They are common there indeed. As we know, many exiled Jacobites were sent to the West Indies. More notably was John Wedderburn of Ballendean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_We..._of_Ballendean

[Nathan]

It's not just in the West Indies. African American names are overwhelmingly Scottish also. There are some shameful parts to this history and all roads don't lead to stories of forbidden love. Academic Willie Ruff has done some interesting work linking Gaelic psalm singing on Lewis with the tradition of "singing the line" or "lining out" in African American churches which eventually formed the basis for Gospel music.

[sydnie7]

Clan Donnachaidh is "children of Duncan" and welcomes Reid, Robertson, Duncan and associated names.

[MacRobert's Reply]

So now you have two options: the Donnachaidh, which is a clan with a chief recognised by the Lord Lion, and the Clan Duncan Society which does not (or not yet) have a recognised chief.

Of course some Scots owned plantations in Jamaica but a much larger proportion were there as indentured labour. Among them, Scots who were transported for their political or religious affiliations (which were often linked), such as Jacobites and Covenantors; or were transported as criminals; or were kidnapped by press gangs in Scotland and found themselves bound for the Caribbean; or, driven by poverty, emigrated seeking a better life; or fled to Jamaica after the failure of the Darien scheme.

There is little evidence that most of them ever returned to Scotland even when their period of indentured service ended.

[creagdhubh]

So now you have two options: the Donnachaidh, which is a clan with a chief recognised by the Lord Lion, and the Clan Duncan Society which does not (or not yet) have a recognised chief.

Of course some Scots owned plantations in Jamaica but a much larger proportion were there as indentured labour. Among them, Scots who were transported for their political or religious affiliations (which were often linked), such as Jacobites and Covenantors; or were transported as criminals; or were kidnapped by press gangs in Scotland and found themselves bound for the Caribbean; or, driven by poverty, emigrated seeking a better life; or fled to Jamaica after the failure of the Darien scheme.

There is little evidence that most of them ever returned to Scotland even when their period of indentured service ended.

Exactly. Well said.

[Bluescelt]

The present Donnachaidh chief's line had lived in Jamaica from the 1800's and when a previous chief died without issue it passed to the present chief's branch of the family. the chief now lives in Kent England. Many towns in Jamaica have Scottish names too.