Clan Hierarchies

[xman]

... as far as 'septs' are concerned your looking to a degree at a Victorian invention, see The Romantic Myth of Clan Septs

Thank-you. The writer's description of what a sept actually is is exactly how I understand the term. My step father, a Paton is a sept to Clan Anderson today merely by a chance of power structures at the time these things were being recorded. Not all Patons will be considered septs of Anderson.

You could have a confederation of Clans such as Clan Chattan,

This seems to describe Clan Donald too. Useful term that one.