The Scottish Clans

Gaelic Name: Sutherlarach
Motto: Sans Peur (Without fear)
Badge: Cotton Sedge
Lands: Sutherland
Origin of Name: Placename, Scotland
Pipe Music:
The Earl of Sutherland’s March

History
The Earldom of Sutherland is claimed to be the oldest in Britain.

The Sutherland clan derive their name from the territory known as Sudrland by the Norsemen who had conquered much of the Scottish mainland north of Inverness. The family are thought to be of Flemish origin, descendants of Freskin, who is also an ancestor of the Murrays of Atholl.

The Earls of Sutherland maintained feuds with many neighbouring clans, in particular Clan McKay. Relations with the Sinclairs of Caithness were also strained, and the 11th Earl of Sutherland and his wife died of poisoning, at the instigation of the Earl of Caithness.

The first Duke of Sutherland was renowned for being a keen reformer and he cleared his tenants ruthlessly from the land to set up new industries on the coast. He was responsible for virtually destroying the old ways of life in Sutherland and was never forgiven by many people for these clearances.

The principal seat of the chiefs of clan Sutherland is the fairy tale castle of Dunrobin, which has been transformed from a traditional Scottish castle into a vast palace in the French chateau style. Now open to the public, it remains in the possession of the Sutherland family.

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The Original Scottish Clan Stamp MacLennan - Russell US $18.97 Auction Ends: Sunday May-20-2012 12:24:18 PDT   | Watch this Item

Gaelic Name: Stiùbhard
Motto: Virescit vulnere virtus (Courage grows strong at a wound)
Badge: Thistle
Lands: Renfrewshire, Teviotdale and Lauderdale
Origin of Name: From the High Steward of Scotland
Pipe Music: Bratach Bhan nan Stiubhartach (The white banner of the Stewarts)

History
The Stewart family records its traditional descent from Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, who makes an appearance as a character in William Shakespeare’s MacBeth. Historically, however, the family appears to be descended from an ancient family who were senechals of Dol in Brittany.

They acquired lands in England after the Norman conquest and moved to Scotland when David I ascended to the throne of Scotland. The family were granted extensive estates in Renfrewshire and East Lothian and the office of High Steward was made hereditary in the family.

It is through marriage with the daughter of Robert the Bruce that we can begin to trace the descent of the Royal House of Stewart. The royal line of male Stewarts continued uninterrupted until the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. As a family, the Royal Stewarts held the throne of Scotland, and later that of England, in the direct line until the death of Queen Anne in 1714. In fact, the present Royal family still has Stewart blood links.

The Stewart tartan is worn by the regimental pipers of the Scots Guards and was referred to by King George V as “my personal tartan”. Known as the “Royal Tartan”, it is still traditionally the official tartan of the Royal House of Scotland.

The Stewarts of Appin form the West Highland branch of the great Royal family of Stewart, and have come to form a branch clan of considerable importance. Through marriage with the family of Lorne they became firstly Lords of Lorne and subsequently received a grant of lands at Appin. It was at Appin that was built the family seat of the Stewarts of Appin Castle Stalker, on the Cormorant’s Rock at Loch Linnhe. It is from this location that was derived the rallying cry of the clan ‘Creag an Sgairbh’, or in English ‘Cormorant’s Rock’. Castle Stalker was built as a seat for royal hunting and fowling expeditions and is still one of Scotland’s finest sights.

The Stewarts of Appin were staunchly Jacobite and in the aftermath of the 1745 rising, the famous Appin murder took place. This incident is immortalised by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel ‘Kidnapped’. The chief of clan Appin, Allan Breck Stewart was the main suspect for the killing of Colin Campbell. He escaped justice however, and his half brother was arrested and tried by jury composed entirely of Campbell men. Not surprisingly, he was convicted and was later hanged. Today a cairn marks the place of his execution.

Another famous branch are the Stewarts of Atholl are directly descended from one of the most notorious Stewarts of the fourteenth century Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, more commonly known as ‘The Wolf of Badenoch’. Alexander is most widely known for leading the raid which led to the burning of Elgin Cathedral in 1391. Later he built his stronghold the Castle of Garth and settled there. The descendants of Alexander Stewart became known as Athollmen and gave their allegiance to the new Murray Earls of Atholl.

In 1822 an estimate was recorded that there were upwards of 4,000 Stewarts living in the province of Atholl, all descended from this one individual. The Atholl Stewarts were renowned for their fighting strength, and were able to raise a fighting force of 1,500 men during the reign of William of Orange.

They were also present in force at the Battle of Killiecrankie.This prowess in battle is celebrated by the fact that the present Duke of Atholl maintains the Atholl Highlanders as the only private army in the kingdom.

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Gaelic Name: MacSgian
Motto: Virtutis regia merces (A palace the reward of bravery)
Lands: Skene
Origin of Name: Placename, Aberdeenshire

History
The family of Skene is thought to be an exceptionally early sept of Clan Donnachaidh, from before it adopted the name Robertson.

The Skene clan is known in Gaelic as Siol Sgeine or Clann Donnachaidh Mhar. The traditional origin of the name is found in an eleventh century legend of the Robertsons. It is said that a younger son of Robertson of Struan saved the life of the king by killing a savage wolf with only a small dagger or ‘sgian’. He was rewarded for this deed with a grant of lands in Aberdeenshire, named after the weapon that had brought him such good fortune.

Subsequently the family took their name from their ownership of this land. This story is commemorated in the shield of the Skene chief, which displays three wolves’ heads impaled on daggers or ‘durks’.

The first recorded bearer of the name Skene is John de Skeen, who lived during the reign of Malcolm III.

The clan Skene does not have a record of great fortune in battle, with three clan chiefs being killed on the battlefield at Harlaw, Flodden and also the battle of Pinkie. The unfortunate history of the Skenes culminated in 1827 when the direct line of Skenes of Skene finally died out. All estates of the family then passed to a nephew, the Earl of Fife, whose family holds them to this day.

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Gaelic Name: Mac na Ceardadh
Motto: Commit thy work to God
Badge: Whin
Lands: Midlothian, Orkney and Caithness
Origin of Name: Placename, French de Sancto Claro
Pipe Music: Spaidsearachd Mhic nan Cearda (The Sinclair’s March)

History
St. Clare in Pont d’Eveque in Normandy is generally thought to be the birthplace of this great northern clan.

The family received a grant of the Barony of Roslin in Midlothian during the twelfth century. Through marriage, the family obtained the Earldom of Orkney, and in the next century received land in Caithness. The earldom or kingdom of Orkney was later resigned by order of James III.

The chief of clan Sinclair at this time split the family lands, giving the lands of Caithness to his elder son, and the lands at Roslin to his younger son. It was around this point that the spelling “Sinclair” came into general use, although the Earls of Roslin still prefer to use the older form of “St. Clare”.

The Earls of Caithness engaged in a long succession of feuds with their neighbours and within the family. This resulted in the 4th Earl imprisoning his son in Girnigoe Castle, where he starved to death.

Much of the Sinclair lands in Caithness had to be sold off to pay debts. Within the family, rights to estates were disputed and culminated in a battle between the Sinclairs and the Campbells on the banks of Altimarlech, near Wick. It is said that, as a result of this battle, “so many Sinclairs were killed that the Campbells were able to cross the water without getting their feet wet”.

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Gaelic Name: Mac Ghille Sheathanaich
Motto: Fide et fortitudine (By fidelity and fortitude)
Badge: Red whortleberry
Lands: Strathspey
Origin of Name: Gaelic, Seaghdha (Pithful)

History
The Shaw clan is derived from Shaw MacDuff, who was a younger son of the Thane of Fife. Shaw was made keeper of the royal castle of Inverness and his heirs became known as the ‘Mhic an Toiseach’ or the ‘sons of the Thane’.

The Shaw family were constantly beset by the belligerent powers of their neighbours, Clan Comyn, and they sought support by allying themselves through marriage to the powerful MacDonalds. From this union emerged the large tribal confederation to be known as the Clan Chattan, and from this the first chief of Clan Shaw.

The clan Shaw went on to become one of the principal septs of Clan Chattan. The second, and best known, chief of the clan was Shaw Macghillechrist Mhic Iain, who was commonly known as ‘Sgorghiaclach’, which translates as ‘bucktooth’. He led the clan Chattan under the notorious Wolf of Badenoch, most notably on the legendary raid on Angus in 1391.

The Clan Chattan took part in a long standing feud with the neighbouring Cameron clan, which threatened the stability of the whole neighbourhood. It was decided to resolve this dispute with a trial by combat of champions. Shaw Bucktooth led the clan Chattan and over sixty Highlanders fought at Perth before an illustrious audience, which included the Dauphin of France.

Today the clan Shaw is recognised as a line of unbroken continuity to the ancient earls of Fife.

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Motto: Hazard yet forward
Badge: Yew
Origin of Tartan: From the “Vestiarium Scoticum”

History
It is generally thought that the name of Seton derives from the village of Sai, near Exmes in Normandy. Another school of thought, however, argues that the clan derives its name from the ‘sea town’ of Tranent, near Edinburgh.

The family fortunes of the Seton family were secured at an early stage by marriage into the family of Robert the Bruce. However in the nineteenth century the family luck seemed to run out, when all the sons of the Seton line were killed in battle. The estates and lands of the family were retained through the female side of the line.

The Setons were great supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots and it was to Lord Seton that she turned when in trouble. In fact, the Seton clan played a large part in her escape from imprisonment in Lochleven Castle. Their loyalty to Mary is recorded by the inclusion of Lord Seton’s wife Mary in the song of ‘The Queen’s Maries’.

It was around this time that the Setons also completed work on the building of their own family seat the magnificent Palace of Seton. The Seton family has always been well served by its own historians, with the publication of ‘A History of the Family of Seton during Eight Centuries’.

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The Original Scottish Clan Stamp MacLennan - Russell US $18.97 Auction Ends: Sunday May-20-2012 12:24:18 PDT   | Watch this Item

Gaelic Name: Scotach
Motto: Amo (I love)
Badge: Blaeberry
Lands: Borders and Fife
Origin of Name: National name

History
The Latin word “Scotti” originally denoted the Irish Celts and later the Gaels in general.

The earliest certain record of the name was of Uchtredus filius Scotti, who lived around 1130. From him were descended the Scotts of Buccleuch and the Scotts of Balwearie.

The Scotts married well and acquired more lands and in time became one of the most powerful border clans. In fact, by the end of the fifteenth century it was said that the chief of the Scotts could easily call upon “1000 spears” to enforce his will.

In common with most Borders families, the Scotts quarrelled regularly with their neighbours and would gather for battle at Bellendean, near the head of the Borthwick Water in Roxburghshire. “A Bellendaine” is cited in ballad books of the time as their war cry, and it is also the slogan of the clan Scott upon the standard of the “Bold Buccleuch”, as they are known.

The importance of the Scott clan is shown in the splendid marriage of Anne Scott to James, Duke of Monmouth (the illegitimate son of King Charles II) and in the fact that he adopted the name Scott when the marriage was agreed. The Scott family is known today for the internationally acclaimed Buccleuch art collection housed in the three great houses of the family.

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The Original Scottish Clan Stamp MacLennan - Russell US $18.97 Auction Ends: Sunday May-20-2012 12:24:18 PDT   | Watch this Item