fc^iUuA \4a. THE HIGHLANDERS OF SCOTLAND. VOL. IL G, WOODFALL, ankki < oubt, skinner mbket, lonuo.v. : THE HIGHLANDERS OF SCOTLAND, THEIR ORIGIN, HISTORY, AND ANTIQUITIES; WITH A SKETCH OF THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, AN ACCOUNT OF THE CLANS INTO WHICH THEY -WERE DIVIDED, AND OF THE STATE OF SOCIETY -n'HICH EXISTED AMONG THEM. BY WILLIAM F. SKENE, F.S.A. Scot. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. 11. LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. MDCCCXXXVII. t, Dl &FKN lls^Ca. ^0 ^y CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. PART II. THE HIGHLAND CLANS. CHAPTER I. Page Traditionary Origins of the Highland Clans. — History of Highland Tradition Succession of false Traditions in the Highlands — Traces of the oldest and true Tradition to be found. — Effect to be given to the old Manuscript Genealogies of the Highland Clans .... 3 CHAPTER II. I. The Gallgael. 26 Argyll 33 I. Siol Cuinn 35 1. Clan Rory, or Macrorys . .54 CHAPTER III. 2. Clan Donald, or Macdonells . .58 CHAPTER IV. Clan Donald, continued . .91 3. Clan Dugall, or Macdugalls . .107 II. Siol Gillevray 113 ] . Clan Neill, or Macneills . .115 CONTENTS OF VOLUME 11. Page 2. Clan Lachlan, or Maclachlans . .118 3. Clan Ewen, or Macewens . ,120 III. Siol Eachern 121 1. Clan Dugall Craignish, or Campbells of Craig- nish ib. 2. Clan Lamond, or Lamonds . .123 CHAPTER V. Atholl . .127 IV. Clan Donnachie, or Robertsons . .140 V. Clan Pharlane, or Macfarlanes . .149 CHAPTER VI. II. Moray 161 I. Clan Chattan, or Macphersons 170 CHAPTER VII. II. Clan Cameron, or Camerons 193 III. Clan Nachtan, or Macnachtans 201 IV. Clan Gille-eon, or Macleans 205 V. Siol O'Cain .... 214 1. Clan Roich, or Monros 215 2. Clan Gillemhaol, or Macmillans 218 CHAPTER VIII. III. Ross 222 I. Clan Anrias, or Rosses 228 II. Clan Kenneth, or Mackenzies 233 III. Clan Mathan, or Mathiesons 241 IV. Siol Alpine 243 1. Clan Gregor, or Macgregors 244 2. Clan Grant, or Grants . 254 3. Clan Fingon, or Mackinnons 258 4. Clan Anaba, or Macnabs 2G0 CONTENTS OF VOLUME II, age 5. Clan Duffie, or Macphies 262 6. Clan Quarrie, or Macquarries 263 7. Clan Aulay, or Macaulays 264 CHAPTER IX. IV. Garmoran .... 266 I. Clan Leod, or Macleods . 272 II. Clan Campbell, or Campbells . 280 V. Caithness .... 285 I. Clan Morgan, or Mackays . 287 VI. Ness . 294 I. Clan Nical, or Macnicols . 297 VII. Sutherland .... 299 Conclusion . 303 Table of the Descent of the Hijihland Clan . 305 APPENDIX. Stewarts . 308 Menzies . 310 Erasers . 311 Chisholms . 313 PART II. THE HIGHLAND CLANS. — THE HIGHLAND CLANS. CHAPTER I. Traditionary Origins of the Highland Clans. — History of High- land Tradition — Succession of false Traditions in the High- lands —Traces of the oldest and true Tradition to be found. Effect to be given to the old manuscript Genealogies of the Highland Clans. In the second part of this Work, it is proposed to examine the history, individually, of the different clans of the Gael of the Highlands of Scotland, to trace the origin of each, their distinctive designations, descent, branches into which they have subsequently spread out, and the affiliation of the different clans with respect to each other, with such particulars of their earlier history as may seem to be supported by good evidence. It has been considered unnecessary to load these accounts with the more recent details of family his- tory, as possessing in themselves little variety or interest to the general reader, and in no respect B 2 4 THE HIGHLAND CI.ANS. [PART II. affecting the main object of this Work— namely, that of dispelling the obscurity and inconsistencies in which the early history of the Gael has been in- volved. When the outline has been distinctly traced, and the sixbject reduced to what it is to be hoped may appear a well-founded system of history, that outline wor.ld admit of being easily filled up, and the notice of each individual family brought down in full to the present time, were such details compatible with the necessary limits of a Work of the present description. In order to explain the nature of the aiTangement in ubich the clans have been placed, it will be ne- cessary to recall to the recollection of the reader, that one gxeat feature of the system of history established iu this Work is, that previous to the thirteenth cen- tury the Highlanders of Scotland were divided into a few great tribes, which exactly corresponded with the ancient earldoms, and that from one or other of these tribes all the Highlanders are descended. Accord- ingly, the different claiis will be found under the name of the ancient earldom, or tribe, of which they originally formed a part, and, throughout, the rela- tion of the different clans to each other will be accu- rately maintained, llefore entering, however, upon the history of the Highland clans, it may not be amiss to notice an objection which may be made to this view of their origin. ; Cl!AP. I.] THE HIGHLAND CLANS. The I'ictish In the early part of this Wuik it has bc^t^n origin of •' ^ ^?d"dfn"s demonstrated, so far as a fact cf that nature by" radiifox is Capable of demonstration, that the mo- dern Highlanders are the same people v^ith those who inhabited the Highlands cf Scotland in the ninth and tenth centuries, and that these inhabitants were not Scots, as is generally supposed, bat were the descendants of the great northern division of the Pictish naiion, who were altogether unaffected by the Scottish conquest of the Lowlands in 843, and who in a great measure maintained their independ- ence of the kings of that race. It has also been shewn that these Northern Picts were a part of the Caledonians, the most ancient inhabitants of the country, and that they spoke the same language, and bore the same national appellation, with the present Highlanders. Now to this idea, it may be said, that the traditionary origins at present existing among the clans are radically opposed, and that it is difficult to believe that, if such was their real origin, a tiaditiou of an opposite nature could exist among theni. At first sight this objection will appear a serious one but that arises, in a great measure, from not duly investigating tlie nature and history of the Highland traditions. History of In examining the history of the Highland traditions, cians, the enquirer will first be struck by the diversity of the traditionary origins assigned to them. He will find them to have been held by some to be originally Irish, by others Scandinavian, Nor- ^ 6 THE HIGHLAND CLANS, [PART II. man, or Saxon, and he will find different origins assigned to many of the clans, all of which are sup- ported by arguments and authorities equally strong. Among so many conflicting traditions and systems, he will probably feel himself in considerable uncer- tainty, and the presumption which naturally arises in his mind is, that all these systems and traditions are equally false, and that the true origin of the High- landers has yet to be discovered. This presumption will be strengthened when he remarks, that in none of these traditions is a native origin ever assigned to any of the clans, but that, on the contrary, they are all brought from some one foreign people or another; a system which reason shews to be as impossible as it is unsupported by history and inconsistent with the internal condition of the country. But a closer inspection will discover to him a still more remark- able circumstance— viz., that there has been in the Highlands, from the earliest period, a suc- ' Succession '-' _ cessiou of traditious regarding origin of tfons^fn the the "'^ ° the different clans, which are equally op- posed to each other, and which have equally ob- tained credit in the Highlands, at the time when they severally prevailed. It will be proper, there- fore, to notice shortly these successive systems of traditionary origin which have sprung up at different times in the Highlands, and the causes which led to their being adopted by the clans. The immediate effect of the Scottish conquest, in 843, was the overthrow of the civilization and learn- C UAP. 1.] THE HIGHLAND CLANS. f ing of the country. The Southern Picts, a people comparatively civihzed, and who possessed in sorac degree the monkish learning of the age, were over- run by the still barbai'ous Scottish hordes, assisted by the equally barbarous Pictish tribes of the moun- tains. After this event, succeeded a period of confu- sion and civil war, arising from the struggles between the races of the Scots and of the Northern Picts, for preeminence on the one part, and independence on the other ; and when order and learning once more lifted up their heads amongst the contending tribes, a race of kings of Scottish lineage were firmly esta- blished on the throne, and the name of Scot and Scotland had spread over the whole country. A knowledge of the real origin of the Highland clans was, in some degree, lost in the confusion. The na- tural result of the preeminence of the Scottish name in the country was a gradual belief in the Scottish origin of the Highland clans ; and this belief, which must eventually have prevailed even among the clans themselves, was firmly fixed in their minds at an earlier period by a circumstance in the history of Scotland which will be afterwards noticed. The First gene- first systcm, then, which produced a change ln°ruh^* in the traditional origin of the Highlands "he^cian".