Clan Chattan

Clan Chattan
Profile
Region	Highland
District	Inverness
Chief
John Mackintosh of Mackintosh(according to the most recent Clan Mackintosh history).
Historic seat	Tor Castle in Lochaber
Septs of Clan Chattan Clan Mackintosh, Clan MacPherson,[1]Clan Davidson, Clan MacBean, Clan MacPhail, [1] Clan Farquharson, Clan MacGillivray, Clan MacQueen, [1] Clan Shaw of Tordarroch.[1] Clan MacThomas.[2][3] the Macleans of Dochgarroch, MacIntyres of Badenoch, Clan Tarril (extinct), Clan Andrish (status unknown)

Clan Chattan (Scottish Gaelic: Na Catanaich or Scottish Gaelic: Clann Chatain)^[4] is a unique confederation of Highland clans.^[5] The clan is distinctive in highland clan history in that it was acknowledged to be a community or confederation,^[6] of twelve separate Scottish clans,^[7] who each had their own clan chief recognized under Scottish law, but who were united under and bound to a superior chief of the confederation for mutual solidarity, sustenance and protection in the Middle Ages and early modern period in the Scottish Highlands.

Origins

There are multiple theories about the true origins of this clan:

• The name Chattan may have come from the Catti who were a tribe of Gauls that had been driven out by the Romans.^[5]

• Another theory is that the name comes from Catav in Sutherland.^[5]

• The most widely accepted theory is that they descended from Gillichattan Mor who was the great servant of Saint Cathan.^[5] Gillichattan is believed to have been appointed the co-arb or bailie of the abbey lands of Ardchattan Priory, by the Lord of Argyll, Duncan MacDougall.^[5][8]

In the time of Malcolm II of Scotland the Clan Chattan possessed the lands of Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig.^[5] It was here that Tor Castle became the clan chief's seat.^[5] Not much is certain about the history of the clan until towards the end of the 13th century.^[5] Eva, daughter of Gilpatric or Dougal Dall, 6th chief of Clan Chattan in Lochaber, married Angus Mackintosh, 6th chief of Clan Mackintosh, in 1291.^[5] Thus Angus Mackintosh became 7th chief of Clan Chattan.^[9] They lived together at Tor Castle before withdrawing to Rothiemurchus due to the enmity of Aonghus Óg of Islay, chief of Clan Donald.^[5] As a result, the lands at Arkaig were occupied by Clan Cameron who claimed that they had been abandoned.^[5] This was the beginning of a long and bitter feud that was fought between the Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron until 1666.^[5]

Another reason for the migration is explained in MacPherson clan traditions in that in 1309 Robert the Bruce offered the lands of Badenoch to them if they destroyed the Bruce's enemies, the Clan Comyn.^[10]

The earliest official document which recognises the Clan Chattan is dated 1467; but Bower, writing about 1440, speaks of Clan Chatan in 1429. Bellenden, in his translation of Boece, about 1525, is the first who talks of the clan having been at the Inches in Perth in 1396, and this probably owing to a misprint in the original, of Clan Quhete for Quhele'. He calls it Quhattan.^[11]

Clans belonging to Clan Chattan Federation

Prior to the 14th century, the Clan Chattan was a conventional Scottish clan.^[5] However it evolved into an alliance or confederation of clans which was made up of:

• firstly of the descendants of the "blood" or the original clan (Clan Cattanach, Clan MacPherson, Clan MacPhail and Clan Davidson (according to Skene) and possibly Clan MacBean (or McBain),^[12] The MacMartins of Clan Cameron and MacMillians are also sometimes described as have being originally related to the Old Clan Chattan but parted ways.^[13][14]

• secondly of the Clan Mackintosh and their cadet branches (Clan Shaw, Clan Farquharson, Clan MacThomas) and Clan Davidson (according to the Kinrara MS).

• thirdly of families who were not originally related by blood (Clan MacGillivray, the Macleans of Dochgarroch ('Clan Tearlach'),^[15] the MacQueens of Strathdearn, the MacIntyres of Badenoch ('Clan an t-Saoir'), Clan Andrish or the MacAndrews ('Clan Gillandrish').^[16][5]The Kinrara MS. States a Donald MacGillandris, was part of a bridal retinue of Mora MacDonald of Moydart, future wife of the 10th Chief of Mackintosh. Settled at Connage in Petty. Clan Tarril: a small clan from Strathnairn under the protection of Clan Chattan. The Kinrara MS. states, " In the time of Lachlan (8th of Mackintosh, who died in 1407) Clan Tarril, a family that lived in Petty, were followers of Mackintosh." Within two generations however, their status changed. Gillespie, a brother of the Earl of Ross, entered Petty with reivers driving off cattle and inhabitants. The invaders were surprised at Culloden by Duncan and two other sons of Malcolm Mackintosh, recovering the stolen goods, but too late for Clan Tarril, nearly all of whom were slain. ^[17]

The Skene assumption

Skene, however, gives a different version of how Clan Chattan was formed prior to the Mackintosh alliance.^[18] Clan Vuirich (Clan MacPherson) and Clan Day (Clan Davidson) were the original co-founders and referred to as old Clan Chattan.^[18] Added to these were six "stranger septs" who took protection from the clan.^[18] These were Clan Vic Ghillevray (Clan MacGillivray), the Clan Vean (Clan MacBean), the Clan Vic Govies, the Clan Tarrel, the Clan Cheanduy, and the Sliochd Gowchruim or Smiths.^[18]

However, Skene's phrase about 'stranger septs' and the names linked to them is not supported by any of the works of the respected Clan Chattan historians,^{[19][20][21][22]} and may therefore be a historical error by Skene, whose shortcomings have been noted by later writers - one of Skene's harshest critics was the Scottish philologist Alexander MacBain.

Sir Æneas Mackintosh/Charles-Fraser Mackintosh assumption

Noted historian of Clan Chattan, Charles Fraser-Mackintosh, in his 'An Account of the Confederation of Clan Chattan; its kith and kin' (the work known as 'Minor Septs of Clan Chattan') publishes the list of 16 associated tribes of Clan Chattan, along with an associated date reference, as written down by Sir Æneas Mackintosh. It begins with The Clan vic Gillivray, 1271. The second clan is The Clan Wurrich (Macpherson), 1291 and the third is The Clan Vean (Macbeans), 1292; then the fourth is The Clan Day (Davidsons), 1350. Others follow including (No.9) The Clan Tearlich (Macleans of the North), 1400, (No.10) The Clan Revan (Macqueens), 1400 and (No.14) The Clan Phail (Macphails), 1500.^[23]

In his 'The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan' (1903), A. M. Mackintosh arranges his chapters to provide a history of Clan Chattan, its chiefs and its Mackintosh branches, then in Chapter XV details the 'Tribes and Families of Clan Chattan other than the Mackintoshes of Inverness-shire'.

• He begins (page 405) with the heading 'Clans Springing from the Mackintoshes': the Shaws, the Farquharsons, the Mackintoshes of Dalmunzie, the McCombies and Clan Thomas.

• Then A. M. Mackintosh comes to Part II of this chapter headed 'Clans Supposed to be of the Blood of the Old Clan Chattan' (i.e. not Mackintoshes, but members of Eva's family): the MacPhersons, the Cattanachs, the MacBeans and the MacPhails.

• The author then covers in Part III of the same chapter, headed (page 496) 'Clans Not of the Blood of either MackIntoshes or Old Clan Chattan': the MacGillivrays, the Davidsons, the Macleans of Dochgarroch, Clan Tarril, the Smiths or Gows, the MacQueens or Clan Revan, Clan Andrish and the Clarks or Clan Chlerich.

The Members Today

Today, the Clan Chattan Association, which is based in Scotland with members across the world, comprises the following principal clans:^[24]

• Clan Davidson
• Clan Farquharson
• Clan MacBean
• Clan MacGillivray
• Clan MacKintosh
• Clan MacPhail
• Clan MacPherson
• Clan MacQueen of Strathdearn
• Clan MacThomas
• Clan Shaw of Tordarroch
• MacIntyres in Badenoch
• Maclean of Dochgarroch (the Macleans of the North), (See 15th century Battle of Harlaw)

Chiefs

Old Chattan Chiefs

The following is a list of the traditional chiefs of the Clan Chattan before marriage between Eva, heiress of Clan Chattan, with the Chief of Clan Mackintosh, through whose marriage a new line of Mackintosh Captains (Chiefs) of Clan Chattan was created :^[9] See: Chiefs of Clan Mackintosh for later chiefs of Clan Chattan. In 1942, the Lyon Court separated the leadership of Clan MacKintosh and Clan Chattan. The leadership of Clan Chattan passed to the Mackintosh of Torcastle line.

The Chattan Federation Chiefs

The Chief of Clan Mackintosh had been at the same time Captain of Clan Chattan, until the death of Alfred Donald Mackintosh of Mackintosh CBE, who chose as his heir to the Mackintosh inheritance Rear-Admiral Lachlan Donald Makintosh CB DSO DSC. The omission of a stipulation in Alfred's will, concerning inheritance of the captaincy of Clan Chattan, led The Lord Lyon of the day to create the historic separation of the two titles. Lachlan became The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, and his cousin Duncan Alexander Eliott Mackintosh became Mackintosh of Mackintosh-Torcastle, and Head of the hail kin of Clan Chattan.^[25]

Duncan Alexander Eliott Mackintosh of Mackintosh-Torcastle was born on 1 December 1884 and died on 29 May 1966. He married Ellen Primrose Smith and they had three sons and two daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son and second child, Kenneth Mackintosh, born 23 November 1916, who became the 32nd Chief of Clan Chattan. He married Margaret Farmer and had two children. According to Burke's Peerage, his heir was their eldest son Duncan Alexander John Mackintosh, born in 1946. However, a genealogy published in an updated history of the Clan Mackintosh noted that Duncan died young, and that his younger brother Malcolm Mackintosh (born 20 October 1950) succeeded their father, who died in 1976, as 33rd Chief of Clan Chattan, becoming styled as Malcolm Mackintosh of Mackintosh-Torcastle and Clan Chattan.^[26][27]

Battles, Skirmishes and Raids

Clan Chattan as a whole or as individual clans were involved in the following events:

• 1263 Battle of Largs
• 1314 Battle of Bannockburn
• 1337 Battle of Drumlui
• 1346 Battle of Neville's Cross
• 1370 Battle of Invernahavon
• 1391 Raid on Angus by Clan Shaw and led by the Wolf of Badenoch, a bastard son of King Robert II.^[28]
• 1396 Battle of the North Inch, Judicial combat
• 1407 Invasion of Chattan lands by brother of Earl of Ross, Chattan Clan Tarril completely slain.^[29]
• 1411 Battle of Harlaw
• 1424 Clan Shaw ambush and skirmish with Clan Comyn at Lag na Cuimenach near Loch Pityloulish.^[30]
• 1424 Comyns invasion of Mackintosh lands at Meikle, Geddes and Rait, as well as subsequent attack on Moy where they unsuccessfully tried to drown the Mackintoshes on their island of Moy. Subsequent reconciliation between the two parties at the Rait Castle led to the slaughter of the Comyn hosts.^[31]
• 1429 Battle of Palm Sunday
• 1429 Battle of Lochaber
• 1431 Battle of Inverlochy
• 1441 Battle of Craig Cailloch
• 1450 Clan MacPherson retaliatory raid on the Clan Comyn (MacNivens) for stealing cattle near Raitt's Cave^[32]
• 1454 Battle of Clachnaharry
• 1491 Raid on Ross
• 1526 Hector Mackintosh, uncle of the infant chief of Mackintosh raised the town of Dyke against the Earl of Moray who had the infant in his custody^[33]
• 1531 Clan Mackintosh lay siege to Darnaway Castle^[34][35]
• 1544 Battle of the Shirts
• 1547 Battle of Pinkie
• 1562 Battle of Corrichie
• 1568 Battle of Langside
• 1570 Battle of Bun Garbhain
• 1594 Battle of Glenlivet, Both sides
• 1602 Raid on GlenIsla, Largest recorded cattle raid in Scottish history when MacGregors, MacDonells of Glengarry and Clan Chattan, carried away over 2000 cattle, and were ambushed by the Roberstson's of Straloch ^[36]
• 1604 Raid on the Earl of Airlie, Cattle raid by Finlay Farquharson ^[37]
• 1606 Raid on Delreddy, Cattle raid by Donald Farquharson and others^[38]
• 1607 Raid on Gask, Cattle raid by Clan Mackintosh^[39]
• 1612 Raid on Kilvarock, Cattle raid by Clan Mackintosh^[40]
• 1624 Raid on John Steward, Cattle raid by Gillichallum Mackintosh^[41]
• 1634 Raid on Hew Ross, Cattle raid by Clan Mackintosh^[42]
• 1665 Stand-off at the Fords of Arkaig
• 1688 Battle of Mulroy, Fort Dunachton destroyed ^[43][44]
• Jacobite rising of 1689
  • 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie
• Jacobite rising of 1715
  • 1715 Battle of Preston
• Jacobite rising of 1719 see William Mackintosh of Borlum
• Jacobite rising of 1745
  • 1745 Clifton Moor Skirmish
  • 1745 Battle of Inverurie
  • 1746 Battle of Falkirk Muir
  • 1746 Atholl raids
  • 1746 Battle of Culloden

Clan profile

• Plant badge: Red Whortleberry Latin vaccinium vitis-idaea

• Crest badge: A cat salient, proper.

• Clan's motto: Touch not the cat bot a glove^[45][46] (The archaic spelling of 'catt', and the use of either 'but' or 'bot' are present in different sources in various combinations).

Tartan

The individual Clans of Clan Chattan have their own tartans. However, there is also a specific Clan Chattan tartan, formerly known as Mackintosh Chief, recognised by The Lord Lyon in 1938.^[47]

Attempts at breaking the unity of Clan Chattan

Throughout the 16th Century, Clan Chattan was caught up in the machinations of the Earls of Mar, Moray and Huntly, particularly George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly. This lead to external attempts to divide the various tribes of Clan Chattan by undermining known internal disputes.^[48]

Confederation Agreements

The list below shows some of the more important agreements of the Confederation in terms of Bonds of union, friendship, maintenance and manrent.

1397 Bond Of Union

The Chattan Federation‟s first bond may have been created in 1397 after the Battle of North Inch, but it only lasted 14 years until 1411 when Clan MacPherson decided to take a different stand than the rest of the Chattan Confederation in regional politics.^[49]

1609 Bond of Union

The Chattan Federation came together again at Termit about five miles from Inverness in 1609 to sign a new Band. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the 1609 Clan Chattan Bond of Union.^[50]

2009 Bond of Union

A new Band of Union was signed in 2009 to renew the clans historic connection.^[51][52]

Other Bonds

• 1467: Friendship with Lord Forbes and others, on the one part; and Duncan Macintosh, of Clan Chattan, Hugh Rose of Kilravock and others, on the other part.
• 1481: Maintenance between Farquhar Macintosh, son and apparent heir of Duncan Macintosh, of Clan Chattan, to Hugh Rose of Kilravock^[53]
• 1588: Friendship with William Macleod of Macleod, 13th chief of Clan Macleod.^[54]
• 1591: Manrent between Macpherson and the Earl of Huntly signed at Huntly Castle.
• 1595: Manrent between Clan Farquharson and Clan Chattan and acknowledgement of the Chief of the Mackintosh as their superior chief. ^[55][56]
• 1609: Manrent between Donald Macqueen of Corrybrough and the chiefs of Clan Chattan^[57]

Clan Association

The activities of the Clan are carried on by the Clan Chattan Association, a descendant of the original association established in 1727 for the purpose of defending the interests of the clan "against all who would seek the injury of any of its subscribers".^[58]

In the nineteenth century, many clan societies and associations emerged, with the aim of promoting social interaction between people linked by a common name, and interest in their clan's history. Among these was the second Clan Chattan Association, founded in Glasgow in 1893. Initial support for the association was strong with the meetings, lectures and dances described as "a brilliant success", but it faded out by about 1900. Even so, clan historians of that period produced several works which are still used today.^[58]

In the summer of 1933, the third Clan Chattan Association was founded in London. Now based in Scotland, the association has worldwide membership. It organizes a number of activities, such as the annual events in early August at Moy Hall in conjunction with the Highland Field Sports Fair. Members are kept informed of events through the annual journal of the association.^[58]

Modern Council of Clan Chattan

The council of Clan Chattan comprises eight Chiefs, who represent all of the individual clans, as President and Vice Presidents:^[59]

• John Mackintosh of Mackintosh (President)
• Philip Farquharson (Vice President)
• James Brodie Macpherson of Cluny (Vice President)
• Iain Shaw of Tordarroch (Vice President)
• Richard McBain of McBain (Vice President)
• Grant Guthrie Davidson of Davidston (Vice President)
• Andrew MacThomas of Finegand (Vice President)
• The Very Reverend Allan MacLean of Dochgarroch (Vice President)

Of the remaining clans of Clan Chattan:

• Clan MacGillivray has a clan Commander but no claimant to the chiefship
• Clan MacPhail's last reported chief died in Australia in the early 1900s^[60]The Clan has however started a process to select a commander.^[61]
• Clan MacQueen's chiefly line moved to New Zealand and although descendants remain, there has been no claimant to the chiefship.

See also

• Cateran
• Ardchattan Priory
• Scottish wildcat
• St Catan
• Tor Castle
• Moy Castle

References

External links

• Clan Chattan Association

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This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 19:24