www.ClanChattan.org

Home News PawPrints Newsletter About Us Join Clan Chattan
Clans of Clan Chattan Septs of Clan Chattan History of Clan Chattan Tartans of Clan Chattan Badges of Clan Chattan
Endangered Scottish Wildcats Scottish Wildcats Rescue Scottish Wildcats Images Chiefs of Clan Chattan Clan Chattan Board of Trustees
Scottish Recipes Scottish Humour Maps of Scotland Scottish Webcams Scottish Freebies & Free Clip Art
Links How to Wear A Kilt Rules & History of Golf Online Haggis Hurl & Solitaire Contact Us
Events Calendar & Highland Games USA & World-Wide: Listed by State, Province & Country
Shop Clan Chattan The WebMomCat's
OtherCrazyCatStuff
If you do not see today's date below, please hit REFRESH/RELOAD on your browser, otherwise you will be viewing a older cached page, not the current page.
index sitemap advanced
site search by freefind



History of Clan Chattan
Clan and Sept Names
Clan Badges


HISTORY OF CLAN CHATTAN



Clan Chattan is one of the oldest Highland clans; however its history is quite complex and almost has to be told in two separate parts, as you cannot discuss the Clan Chattan history without also discussing the history of the Clan MacKintosh.

Clan Chattan means the clan of the cats. The Clan Chattan is believed to have descended from Gillichattan Mor, who was "Servant of St. Chattan" and had the galley coat-of-arms. Clan Chattan was founded in Lochaber at the close of the thirteenth century. The Clan consisted of various families or septs, bearing diverse names, who had banded themselves together under one chief for mutual protection.

Eva was descended from Gillichattan Mor and her father was Gilpatric, or Dougal Dall, sixth in line from Gillichattan Mor. In 1291 Eva married Angus Mackintosh, sixth chief Mackintosh.

In 1291 the Chattan chief gave to Angus Mackintosh, with his daughter Eva, the chiefship of Clan Chattan and the lands of Glenloy and Loch Arkaig. The chieftanship of Clan Chattan was regarded as a hereditary honor, and the son-in-law became Chief in right of his wife, just as the husband of a Scottish countess became earl in her right.

On the death of Dougal, Angus Mackintosh succeeded to the lands and chiefship of Clan Chattan, with the approval of the entire clan, and lived at Torcastle. Angus was the seventh Chief of Clan Chattan and sixth Chief of Mackintosh.

Clan Mackintosh's earliest authentic ancestry is traced to Shaw MacDuff, son of the third Earl of Fife, who was of the Royal Family. MacDuff took the name of Mackintosh "Mac-an-Toisich" which means son of the Chief or Thane. In 1163 he came to the north to suppress a rebellion. As a reward for his services, he was made keeper of the Royal Castle of Inverness. Shaw Mackintosh, the first Chief of the Clan, died in 1179.

Captain Farquharson of Invercauld writes: "Greetings to the Clan Chattan Association from Clan Farquharson and many congratulations on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. We are bound by ancestral ties of kinship and members all of a large and diverse family long since scattered throughout the wide world. No longer are we driven to join forces as of yore by the necessity of seeking common protection against our enemies. Instead we now come together with the outstretched hand of friendship, conscious of our heritage, and with determination to carry forward our proud Banners toward a better future. If our Clan Chattan motto should seem to others to boast an overweening feline fury, may it ever be seen none the less to stand in defence of those traditions and qualities of character most worthy of our past.

From Clan Chattan Golden Jubilee Journal (1933-1983)





CLAN AND SEPT NAMES


Clan Chattan
"Touch Not The Cat But A Glove"


Clan Mackintosh
Clan MacPherson
Clan Shaw
Clan MacBean
Macleans of Dochgarroch
Clan Farquharson
Clan Phail
Clan Davidson
Clan MacGillivray
Clan MacQueen
Clan MacThomas
Macleans of Dochgarroch, MacIntyre, Badenoch


Clan Mackintosh

Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh

Adamson
Ayson
Aysons of N.Z.
Clark
Clarke
Clarkson
Clerk
Crerar
Dallas
Elder
Esson
Glen
Glennie
Gollan
Heggie
Hardie
Hardy
MacAndrew
MacAy
MacCardney
MacClerich
MacChlery
MacConchy
MacGlashan
MacHardie
MacHardy
Machay
MacKeggie
MacKillican
MacLerie
MacRitchie
Niven
Noble
Ritchie
Shaw
Tarrill
Tosh
Toshach

Clan Index


Clan MacPherson

Clan MacPherson

Cattanach
Clark
Clarke
Clarkson
Clerk
Clunney
Currie
Fersen
Gillespie
Gillies
Gow
Keith
Lees
MacChlerich
MacChlery
MacCurrach
MacGowan
MacKeith
MacLeish
Maclerie
MacLise
MacMurdo
MacMurdoch
MacMurrich
MacVurrich
Murdoch
Murdoson

Clan Index


Clan Shaw

Clan Shaw Clan Shaw

Ayson (N.Z.)
Adamson
Esson
MacAy
MacHay
Shiach
Shreach
Sheath
Seith
Seth
Skaith
Scaith
Shay

Clan Index


Clan MacBean

Clan MacBean Clan MacBean

Bain
Bean
MacBean
McBain
MacBain
McBeath
MacBeth
Macilvian
MacVean

Clan Index


Macleans of Dochgarroch

Clan Maclean

Smith
Gows
Clarks

Clan Index


Clan Farquharson

Clan Farquharson Clan Farquharson

Coutts
Farquhar
Findlay
Findlayson
Finlay
Finlayson
Grevsach
Hardie
Hardy
Leys
Lyon
MacCaig
MacCardney
MacEaracher
MacFarquhar
MacGruaig
MacHardie
MacKerchar
MacKerracher
MacKinlay
Reoch
Riach

Clan Index


Clan Phail

Clan Phail Clan Phail

McPhail
MacPhail
McFail
McPhaul
McFaul
Fail
Fall
McPaul

Clan Index


Clan Davidson

Clan Davidson Clan Davidson

Davie
Davis
Dawson
Dow
MacDade
MacDaid
MacDavid
Kay

Clan Index


Clan MacGillivray

Clan MacGillivray Clan MacGillivray

Gilroy
MacGillivoor
MacGilroy
MacGilvra
MacGilvray
Macilroy
Macilvrae

Clan Index


Clan MacQueen



MacCunn
MacSwan
MacSween
MacSwen
MacSwyde
Swan

Clan Index


Clan MacThomas

Clan MacThomas

Combe
Combie
McColm
McComas
McComb
McCombie
McComie
McComish
Macomie
Macomish
MacThomas
Tam
Thom
Thomas
Thoms
Thomson

Clan Index


Macleans of Dochgarroch, MacIntyre, Badenoch, Andersons or MacAndrew

Macleans of Dochgarroch MacIntyre MacAndrews

Clan Index



BADGES OF CLAN CHATTAN



Red Whortleberry
MacIntosh, Shaw
Clan Chattan

*Red Whortleberry, Cowberry, "Cranberry," Mountain Cranberry, vaccinium vitis-ideaa: Lus nam braoileag. a or s Boxwood: Bosca; aighban

The identity of the common badge of another confederation, Clan Chattan, is an example of the confusion which can exist. Today it is the red-berried, evergreen, red whortleberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, lus nam braoileag, registered in Lyon Court. MacIntosh has additionally bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, grainnseag or braoileag nan con. The confederation included MacIntosh as a leading family with its principal branches of Farquharson of Invercauld, Shaw of Tordarroch and MacThomas of Glenshee; MacLean of Dochgarroch near Loch Ness; and Davidson, MacBean (MacBain), MacGillivray, MacPherson, MacQueen, and others. Among these boxwood has been used as a substitute, in the absence of the real thing; for the leaf of box resembles red whortleberry. This may indeed have erected it into a prime choice within certain clans. Farquharson and Shaw wear the common badge, but the former gives precedence to pine.

It may here be added that the red whortleberry is frequently called cranberry in Scotland; it may be confused with, or even have been supplanted by, Vaccinium oxycoccos, the true cranberry of the British flora. It would be good if "mountain cranberry" or "cranberry heath" were used as alternative names for red whortleberry. Indeed it is accounted a heath, closely related to the Ericas.

The antiquity of the red whortleberry badge for the MacIntoshes has been held to be doubtful, for Lachlan Shaw stated that they wore holly--long before James Logan named the red whortleberry. Did he identify Sir Aeneas' "tuft of heath" as the cranberry of heath and hill, recording it reasonably for MacIntosh and other Chattan branches and adherants, while yet footnoting that some seannachies held boxwood to be the true suaicheantas? Did he exclude holly as the common badge because it was borne in the community only by the MacLeans of Dochgarroch, as indeed they do in individual right today? Further, Sobieski Stuart alone among the early listers named holly for the MacDuffs whose medieval chiefs, the earls of Fife, shared territorial borders with the MacIntoshes and, by tradition, common ancestry.


Clan Chattan Badge Clan Davidson Clan Davidson Clan Farquharson Clan Farquharson Clan Gow Clan MacAndrews Clan MacBean Clan MacBean Clan MacDuff Clan MacDuff Clan MacGillivray Clan MacGillivray Clan MacIntyre Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh Clan Maclean Clan Phail Clan Phail Clan MacPherson Clan MacThomas Clan Phail Clan Phail Clan Shaw Clan Shaw Clan Smith
Home | News | Paw Prints Newsletter | About Us | Join Clan Chattan USA
Events Calendar & Highland Games USA & World-Wide
Chiefs of Clan Chattan | Clan Chattan USA Board of Trustees
Clans, Septs, History & Badges of Clan Chattan | Maps of Scotland
Endangered Scottish Wildcats | Scottish Wildcats Rescue
Scottish Humor | Scottish Recipes | Shop Clan Chattan
Links | Webcams | Site Map | Search | Contact Clan Chattan
Clan Chattan of the United States is a non-profit corporation
California ID #C-1145554 - IRS ID #95-3734860
Website © 2007 Clan Chattan/USA
Website sponsored by Michael Akers
Website designed and maintained by WebMomCat Sasha Sokolnikov
Last Update Info is located at the bottom of our Home Page