a UxlLL-. Avuxf** ***\.

HISTORY OF THE MATHESONS. This Edition is limited to—

Small Paper IfiO Gobies.

Large „ 50 „

PRINTED BY WILLIAM MACKAY, 27 HIGH STREET, .

Vtovhi' trfts* : HISTOEY

OF THE MATHESONS

WITH of the Various Families

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.

SLonoon : GIBBINGS & COY., LTD., 18 Bury Street, w.c

190 0. ** TO

Sir KENNETH MATHESON, Bart.

OF ,

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, , 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, , for lending her brother, Captain Matheson's

MS. ; and lastly, but by no means least, he has heartily to thank Mrs Murdoch Matheson ' of Bal- macarra for her assistance in the genealogies of all the Lochalsh families.

|40 /ff, ) /, CLAN MATHESON TARTAN

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

Barrett, F. T., Esq., for the Mitchell Library, .

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, .

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, ;. 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, Hanistead, P/ 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. C, Esq., 13 Holmbush Road, Putney, S.VV.

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.