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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from National Library of Scotland http://archive.org/details/historyofmathesOOmack HISTORY OF THE MATHESONS. This Edition is limited to— Small Paper JfiO Copies. Large „ 50 PRINTED BY WILLIAM MACKAY, 27 HIGH STREET, INVERNESS. : HISTOKT OF THE MATHESONS WITH Genealogies of the Various Faailies BY ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, F.S.A. (Scot.) THE CLAN HISTORIAN. SECOND EDITION. EDITED, LARGELY RE-WRITTEN, AND ADDED TO BY ALEXANDER MACBAIN, M.A., AUTHOR OF " AN ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE GAELIC LANGUAGE." Stirling : ENEAS MACKAY, 43 Murray Place. Xonoon GIBBINGS & COY., LTD., 18 Bury Street, w.c. 190 0. TO Sir KENNETH MATHESON, Bart. OF LOCHALSH, A WORTHY REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE OF THE MOST CAPABLE, BRAVE, AND STALWART OF HIGHLAND FAMILIES. PREFACE. The first edition of the late Mr Mackenzie's "History of the Mathesons" appeared in 1882, and the book has now been long out of print. Mr Mackenzie had a difficult task in writing this work, for though the Clan in the 14th century undoubtedly rivalled in position and power the neighbouring Mackenzies, yet through the action of the Macdonalds in the following century its unity was broken, and it became a " minor clan," with no charters, and with no references thereto in public documents. The individual history of the Northern Clans at best begins with the 15th century, but here Mr Mackenzie had only the clan traditions to avail himself of until the 17th century, when the minor clans all over the North come into the light of history from under the shadow of the larger clans and their chiefs. Mr Mackenzie's chief concern was with gene- alogies, not origins, and in this work he showed his usual excellence, limiting himself, however, very much to the families that have come to prominence in present times. The new edition has spread the net wider, and all the minor septs about which information has been available are dealt with. The first 55 pages, dealing with origins and traditions, and then with the chief family of Bennetsfield, are practically intact, save that the genealogies are brought up to date, and the chiefship, which, as in so many other cases, has been drifting from cousinship to cousinship, has been fol- lowed to the present undoubted owner of the title. viii. THE MATHESONS. The rest of the book, save the house of Attadale and the Mathesons of the Lews, has been re-written and re-cast, and more than doubled, while the appen- dices are all new. Appendix B should be read in connection with the early history of the Clan con- tained in the first 20 pages, and Appendix D in con- nection with page 26. The reason for these cautions arises from the fact that, after much of the work was in type, a third Matheson MS. turned up, and also numerous letters, written by Duncan Matheson, teacher in Lochalsh and missionary in Manchester (1836-57). This has proved the most important source of all our information about the Mathesons. The Editor is indebted to the willing work of many friends. To Sir Kenneth Matheson he owes the Note on the Matheson Arms, and other sugges- tions ; to Rev. Dr Masson, Edinburgh, is entirely due the tracing out of the present Chief's family, and also the additions to the Bennetsfield genealogies, besides which he kindly contributed the Note on Dr Matheson of Montreal (App. H) ; to his namesake, Mr James Matheson M'Bain, Arbroath, he is under the deepest obligation, for it is he who possesses Duncan Mathe- son's MS. and letters, and he most kindly and un- reservedly lent them for use or publication ; to Mr Roderick Matheson, Buccleugh Place, Edinburgh, for lending the Iomaire MS. ; to Miss Bessie Matheson, Dornie, for lending her brother, Captain Matheson's least, MS. ; and lastly, but by no means he has heartily to thank Mrs Murdoch Matheson of Bal- macarra for her assistance in the genealogies of all the Lochalsh families. CLAN MATHESON TARTAN LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Barrett, F. T., Esq., for the Mitchell Library, Glasgow. Barron, James, Esq., Ness Bank, Inverness. Blaikie, W. B., Esq., Edinburgh. Brown, William, Esq., Edinburgh. Campbell, A. D., Esq., J.P., Cape Colony, S.A. Cazenove, C. D., & Son, London. Cook, W. B., Esq., Stirling. Doulton, Ronald D., Esq., Lambeth, London, S.E. Drysdale, William, Esq., Stirling. Falconer, John, Esq., Lasswade. Finlayson, Farquhar, Esq., Inverness. Finlayson, John, Esq., Inverness Graham, John, Esq., Inverness. Graham, John, Esq., Burghead. Graham, Rev. Fred. W., Glasgow. Holmes, W. and R., Glasgow. Houston, Mrs Wallace Charles, Glenbrittle, Isle of Skye. Inverness Public Library, per K. Macdonald, Esq. Johnston, D., Esq., Edinburgh. Johnston, T. W. R., Esq., Stirling. Leng & Co., Sir John, Dundee. Lyall, Major, Royal Artillery, 10 Elvaston Place, Kensington, London, S.W. Macandrew, J., Esq., London, S.W. M'Bain, J. A. D., Esq., Bombay. M'Bain, James Matheson, Esq., F.S.A. (Scot), Arbroath. Macbain, Alexander, Esq., M.A., Inverness. 0* x. THE MATHESONS. Macdonald, John M., Esq., Lombard Street, London. Macdonald, Kenneth, Esq., Inverness. Mackay, D., Esq., Inverness. Mackay, James S., Esq., Dakota, U.S.A. Mackay, John, Esq., Glasgow. Mackay, John, Esq., Stirling. Mackay, William, Esq., Inverness. Mackay, William H., Esq., Salisbury, South Africa. Mackenzie, William, Esq., Edinburgh. Macleod, M. C, Esq., Dundee. Macrae, Rev. Alexander, London. Macrae, A., Esq., London. Macrae, Paul, Esq., Glasgow. Masson, Rev. D., M.A., M.D., 36 Comiston Drive, Edinburgh. Mathieson, A. J., Esq., Merchant, Bennetsfield, South Carolina, United States. Matheson, A. Ross, Esq., M.D., Brooklyn, N.Y. Matheson, Alan F., Esq., Perth, Ontario, Canada. Matheson, Arthur J., Esq., Perth, Ontario, Canada. Matheson, Alex., Esq. (J. Macphee, Esq., Merchant, Dunbarton). Matheson, Alex., Esq., of Hudson Bay Company, Nepigon, Ontario, Canada. Matheson, D. L., Esq., Invercargill, New Zealand. Matheson, Donald, Esq., London. Matheson, Duncan, Esq., Hudson Bay Company, Montreal, Canada. Matheson-Mackenzie, Dr F., Inverness. Matheson, Heylin Fraser, Esq., Eastbourne College, Eastbourne, Chief of the Clan. SUBSCRIBERS. xi Matheson, Mrs H. M., 2 Chesterfield Gardens, Hamstead, London, N.W. Matheson, H. M., Esq., London. Matheson, Sir Kenneth, Bart., Duncraig Castle, Ross-shire. Matheson, John, Esq., Greenwich. Matheson, John, Esq., London, N.W. Matheson, John E., Esq., London, N.E. Matheson, John, Esq., M.A., M.D., 14 Gibson Square, London. Matheson, Kenneth, Esq., Glen Devon, by Dollar. Matheson, Kenneth, Esq., 14 Cable Hospital, Cerro Alegre, Valparaiso. Matheson, Murdo, Esq., Coillemore, Balmacarra, Lochalsh. Matheson, Roderick B., Esq., 211 Stewart Street, Ottawa, Canada. Matheson, R. G, Esq., 13 Holmbush Road, Putney, S.W. Matheson, Torquhil G, Esq., London. Matheson, W. S., Esq., Galashiels. Matheson, Mrs, 3 Beauchamp Square, London. Melvin, William, Esq., M.A., Glasgow. Menzies & Co., John, Edinburgh. Middleton, Thomas, Esq., Farness, Invergordon. Milne-Miller, Miss, 25 Charles Street, St. James's Sq., London, S.W. Munro, John, Esq., Stirling. Noble, R., Esq., Inverness. Orrock & Son, Edinburgh. Rodgers, William, Esq., Stirling. Smith, James, Esq., M.D., Sunderland. Stewart, Rev. Dr Alexander, Nether Lochaber. Stirling Public Library, per R. White, Esq., Secretary. ARMS OF THE MATHESONS OF BENNETSFIELD. (From the Tomb at Suddie.) — . CONTENTS. Title 111. Dedication . , v. Preface vii. List of Subscribers . ix. The Mathesons, Origin of 3 The Bennetsfield Family 24 Family of Lochalsh 57 The Mathesons of Lochalsh and Attadale . 59 Branches of the Lochalsh Family I. Duncan Mac Ian Og Branch 78 II. Dugald Mac Ian Og Branch 86 III. John of Achtaytoralan Branch 87 IV. Perth Canada Branch 93 V. Donald Macalastair Branch . 96 VI. Donald of Balmacarra Branch 100 The Family of Dugald Og . 106 Families of Iomaire and Glas-na-Muclach "3 The Family of Iomaire "5 The Family of Glas-na-Muclach 125 The Sutherland Mathesons 131 The Mathesons of Sutherland '33 The Mathesons of Shiness, Achany, and the Lews *37 Appendices— (A) Matheson History MSS. 147 (B) The Mathesons and their History . 148 Index of Matheson Genealogy i53 (C) Murdoch of Balmacarra 154 (D) The Iomaire Family 154 (E) Number of Mathesons in 1845-6 155 ( F) Matheson Armorial Bearings, by Sir Kenneth Matheson 157 (G) Dr. Matheson of Montreal, by Rev. Dr Masson 159 (H) The Matheson Tartan 161 (I) Robert Michael Milne-Miller 162 . ILLUSTRATIONS The Chief of Clan Matheson Facing Title. The Matheson Tartan Facing viii. Bennetsfield Arms xiv. Tomb of the Bennetsfields 56 Old Attadale House . 58 Arms of Sir Alex. Matheson 59 Duncraig Castle 73 Castle of Ellandonnan Facing 115 Tomb of Sir James Matheson 132 Stornoway Castle Facing 136 Arms of the Shiness Mathesons 137 Arms of Sir Kenneth Matheso n 156 — — THE MATHESONS. jHE antiquity of this clan has given rise to considerable speculation among antiquarians and the family Seanachies, but, as in the case of previous clan histories, it is not our intention to go into these pre-historic mists at any length here. Scarcely any notice of the Mathesons is to be found in the public records, and in the following account of the family we shall have to draw largely upon two family MSS., copies of which we are fortunate to possess.* After some preliminary observations, the author of the "Iomaire" MS. refers to—the early origin of the family in the following terms : " Whether the Mathe- sons emigrated from Denmark to Scotland before they went to Ireland, and from thence to Scotland, we know not, but certain it is that they are an old race in Ireland. In Ossian's Poems mention is made of a Calmar Mac- Mahon,f an Irish chieftain who assisted Fingal in one of his wars in Ireland. It is well known that Ossian, the aged Scottish bard, flourished between the third and fourth centuries of the Christian era, so that the time when his father Fingal fought his battles, in the vigour of youth, must have been a number of years *These two MSS.

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