Macpherson Clan Membership

[ThistleDown]

Probably this isn't the place to go too deeply into the 1396 Battle on the North Inch since it is one of the most controversial issues in Scottish history and we are unlikely to resolve difficulties of translation and bias here on XMarks; in brief, though, the myths and legends have taken over as they usually do and much that has been written is just that -- myth and legend. For bits of fact you might (or might not) want to turn to: The Kinrara MS, a Chronicle of the Family of Mackintosh to year 1680 by Lachlan Mackintosh of Kinrara, 1680s (edited by Dr Jean Munro 2009); the MS in its original latin, as published (with a translation) by Walter H McIntosh in 1981; The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan by A.M. Mackintosh (Shaw) 1880 and its important revision published in 1903; Skene's 1872 translation of John of Fordun's Chronicle and his take on the work of Fordun's "continuator" Bower; the Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun, Prior at Loch Leven, supposed to have been written about 1420 (my copy is in two volumes, 1795, edited by David MacPherson); and Hector Boece's History and Chronicles translated by John Bellenden 1821.

Wyntoun and Fordun were contemporaries although they did not know each other. Their works are considered to be the basis on which all Scottish history after James I (1394 – 1437) is written.

In referring to the Battle on the North Inch the combatants are not given any names by Wyntoun or Fordun that are recognised as clans today, except Seath (Shaw) as the leader of one of the two, and Mackay which was very wrongly translated as Macdhai in the 19C. The Dhai of the day was nothing more than a
large family living in a triangle of land at the confluence of the Truim and the Spey.

Shaw, on the other hand, was exclusively a Mackintosh name from its progenitor, the fifth son of the Earl of Fife; Shaw Mor Corliacalich acquired the lands of Rothiemurcus about the time of the battle. Shaw Mor is buried at St Tuchaldus near Doune. It is taken from this that the Clan Chattan was one of the two combatants -- and the victorious -- at the North Inch.

It's not a certainty, but it could be the other combatant was another branch of the old Clanchattan similarly consisting of many small groups, and now called Clan Cameron.

In any case, your question about the formation of the Clan Chattan is best answered by calling it a "superclan". Its founding family is lost in the myths of time, but it is known that the only child of its last old-clan chief, Dougal Dall, was Eva. She was named his heir and she married Angus, Sixth of Mackintosh, in the last half of the 13C. Angus was a fairly powerful chap in the fertile lands east of Inverness (Petty) and in the uplands of Strathdearn and Strathnairn. She carried with her into the "new" and more powerful clan Chattan many families from the old, including Cattanach, Macpherson, Macdhaibhidh, Macbean, Macphail, and others. These smaller clans kept their own identities under their new Captain (as the Clan Chattan chief is called) and, over time, took in others who sought their protection: Macgillivray, Macqueen, Macleans of the north, being just three, and expanded with others descended from the main Mackintosh line: Shaw, Farquarson, Macthomas, Macritchie.

Today the Clanchattan captain is Mackintosh of Mackintosh-Torcastle. The chiefs within the superclan are John Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Captain Alwyn Farquharson of Invercauld, The Hon. Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, John Shaw of Tordarroch, Very Reverend Alan Maclean of Dochgarroch, James McBain of McBain, Alister Davidson of Davidston, Andrew MacThomas of Finegand. There are no recognised chiefs of Macqueen, Macphail or Macgillivray, but until the 18C it is fairly widely acknowledged that the Shaws, Macbeans, Davidsons, Macqueen's, Macgillivrays, Macritchies and others functioned variously under their own patronymic and that of Mackintosh. In a similar manner there were Hardies, Coutts and MacCaigs who were also named Farquharson in Deeside, Cattanachs (and some Davidsons) called Macpherson in Badenoch, and Combie called Macthomas in Glenshee.

Today these chiefs still sit together as the Council of the Clan Chattan, an association originally formed by their ancestors in the early 17C as a 'modern' form of the clan system.

[TheOfficialBren]

Oh! I had no idea that there was any amount of controversy, ThistleDown. My apologies
Secondly, thank you for the overview. Very interesting stuff.

[ThistleDown]

Not at all, Bren. The controversy is just old Victorian romantic notions carried forward into the 21C. Have a read of Walter Scott's "The Fair Maid of Perth".

[james.mccarson]

A big warm welcome to Clan Macpherson from Newport News, VA.

[creagdhubh]

Probably this isn't the place to go too deeply into the 1396 Battle on the North Inch since it is one of the most controversial issues in Scottish history and we are unlikely to resolve difficulties of translation and bias here on XMarks; in brief, though, the myths and legends have taken over as they usually do and much that has been written is just that -- myth and legend. For bits of fact you might (or might not) want to turn to: The Kinrara MS, a Chronicle of the Family of Mackintosh to year 1680 by Lachlan Mackintosh of Kinrara, 1680s (edited by Dr Jean Munro 2009); the MS in its original latin, as published (with a translation) by Walter H McIntosh in 1981; The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan by A.M. Mackintosh (Shaw) 1880 and its important revision published in 1903; Skene's 1872 translation of John of Fordun's Chronicle and his take on the work of Fordun's "continuator" Bower; the Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun, Prior at Loch Leven, supposed to have been written about 1420 (my copy is in two volumes, 1795, edited by David MacPherson); and Hector Boece's History and Chronicles translated by John Bellenden 1821.

Wyntoun and Fordun were contemporaries although they did not know each other. Their works are considered to be the basis on which all Scottish history after James I (1394 – 1437) is written.

In referring to the Battle on the North Inch the combatants are not given any names by Wyntoun or Fordun that are recognised as clans today, except Seath (Shaw) as the leader of one of the two, and Mackay which was very wrongly translated as Macdhai in the 19C. The Dhai of the day was nothing more than a
large family living in a triangle of land at the confluence of the Truim and the Spey.

Shaw, on the other hand, was exclusively a Mackintosh name from its progenitor, the fifth son of the Earl of Fife; Shaw Mor Corliacalich acquired the lands of Rothiemurcus about the time of the battle. Shaw Mor is buried at St Tuchaldus near Doune. It is taken from this that the Clan Chattan was one of the two combatants -- and the victorious -- at the North Inch.

It's not a certainty, but it could be the other combatant was another branch of the old Clanchattan similarly consisting of many small groups, and now called Clan Cameron.

In any case, your question about the formation of the Clan Chattan is best answered by calling it a "superclan". Its founding family is lost in the myths of time, but it is known that the only child of its last old-clan chief, Dougal Dall, was Eva. She was named his heir and she married Angus, Sixth of Mackintosh, in the last half of the 13C. Angus was a fairly powerful chap in the fertile lands east of Inverness (Petty) and in the uplands of Strathdearn and Strathnairn. She carried with her into the "new" and more powerful clan Chattan many families from the old, including Cattanach, Macpherson, Macdhaibhidh, Macbean, Macphail, and others. These smaller clans kept their own identities under their new Captain (as the Clan Chattan chief is called) and, over time, took in others who sought their protection: Macgillivray, Macqueen, Macleans of the north, being just three, and expanded with others descended from the main Mackintosh line: Shaw, Farquarson, Macthomas, Macritchie.

Today the Clanchattan captain is Mackintosh of Mackintosh-Torcastle. The chiefs within the superclan are John Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Captain Alwyn Farquharson of Invercauld, The Hon. Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, John Shaw of Tordarroch, Very Reverend Alan Maclean of Dochgarroch, James McBain of McBain, Alister Davidson of Davidston, Andrew MacThomas of Finegand. There are no recognised chiefs of Macqueen, Macphail or Macgillivray, but until the 18C it is fairly widely acknowledged that the Shaws, Macbeans, Davidsons, Macqueen's, Macgillivrays, Macritchies and others functioned variously under their own patronymic and that of Mackintosh. In a similar manner there were Hardies, Coutts and MacCaigs who were also named Farquharson in Deeside, Cattanachs (and some Davidsons) called Macpherson in Badenoch, and Combie called Macthomas in Glenshee.

Today these chiefs still sit together as the Council of the Clan Chattan, an association originally formed by their ancestors in the early 17C as a 'modern' form of the clan system.

*** Excellent information indeed, Rex. Thank you for sharing.

Cheers,

[TJMACPHERSON]

Welcome to the clan!

-T.J.