MCPHERSON.-The name of a Scotch Highland Clan commonly called the Clan Chattan, fam'd for antiquity and valour. They draw their original from the Chatti, or Catti, the antient inhabitants of Hessia and Thuringia, in Germany, whence they were expelled by the Hermondures, with the assistance of the Romans, in the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. Cattorum Castellum, one of the Landtgrave of Hesse's Palaces, and Cattorurn Melibceci or Catzenellebogen, which is one of the family's Titles, do still preserve the memory of the antient Catti, who being forced to leave their Country, came lower down upon the Rhine into Battavia, now Holland, where Catwick, &c., still bears their name; thence a colony of them came for Scotland, and landing in the North of that Kingdom were kindly received by the King of Scots, who gave them that part of the Country, where they landed, which from them was called Caithnesse - ie., the Catti's Corner.

                Being settled here, they did many eminent services against the Picts, and other enemies of the Scots, till the time of king Alphinus, when the Chief of the Catti, called Gilly Catton Moir - ie., the great for his extraordinary conduct and valour, being married to a
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sister of Brudus, King of the Picts, he was in a streight how to behave himself betwixt both Kings, who in a little time after fell out, and as the best expedient resolves upon a Neutrality. In the reign of Kennethus II, who also had war with the Picts, this Gilly Catton Moir, amongst others of the Scotch nobility, was summoned to attend the King's Standard: he excused himself by reason of his age; but to evidence his loyalty, though allied to the Picts, he sent one of his sons, with half of his clan, to join the Scots, which did not a little contribute to that fatal blow that issued in the utter ruin of the Picts.

                Most of the Clan Chattan, with their valiant leader, falling in the battle, the old man died for grief, and the remaining part were, by the advice of their enemies, prosecuted as favourers of the Picts, expelled Caithness, and, with much ado, obtained leave to settle in Lochaber, where they remain to this day; and the son of the Captain of the clan, who fell in the battle against the Picts, was in consideration of his father's merit created Knight Marshal, from whom the illustrious family of Keith, now great Earl Marshal of Scotland, are said to be descended.

                The chief of those who settled in Lochaber was, in a little time after, made Hereditary steward of that Country, and the family, for some ages, had a standing Commission from the crown to suppress rebellions, by virtue of which, they ruined the family of the Cummins, one of the greatest in the Kingdom, but engaged in an incurable rebellion in the time of Bruce.

                Muirach MIGilly Chattan, called Albanach abroad, where he travelled, because of his Country, was second son to Dermond M'Gillychattan, Chief of the Clan, and for his extraordinary piety had a church preferment, and was made Prior of Kinguishy. Celibacy having not then obtained amongst the Scotch Clergy, he married the Thane of Calder's daughter, by whom he had Dugal Ovir, or the swarthy, his eldest son, afterwards Captain of the clan ; Evan Bane, or the fair, from whom comes Clunie M'Pherson; Niel Cromb, or the stooping Smith, so called from his round shoulders and the curious works which he made in Iron and Brass, from whom comes the family of Breakoe-Smith and others. Farchard Gillybrae, so called from his swiftness and expedition, of whom are the family of M'Gillybrayes of Dunmaglash on the river of Nairn, and David Dow, or the black, from whom are descended the Davidsons of Invernahavine. These, and some others, were all Muirach's sons, and besides their petty nicknames from complexions or temper, and the Patronymicks derived by their posterity, from their several sects, they were always called Clan Wirich in memory of their father, and clan Pherson or M'Pherson from his Office.

                This Muirach's eldest brother dying, he succeeded as chief of the clan, and having settled his affairs, left his eldest son, Dugal Ovir above-named, in possession of the Estate, and went in Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and arriving there on the third of May, he kept that day ever after, and bound his family in a curse to do the like, which they observe to this day. In his return he took Rome, Spain, and Ireland in his way, and happening to come thither, when there was a contest for the crown of Leinster, and being in great reputation for his quality and piety, he was applied to, for reconciling the differing factions, in which he behaved himself with such extraordinary Conduct, that though neither of them would yield to one another, they unanimously chose him a little after, being, by this time a widower and well stricken in years, he married the daughter of O'Neal, one of the Competitors, and gained so much love from the people, that they made the Succession Hereditary to his family. He died in the 23rd of his reign, and was buried in the Cathedral of Dublin. His son Evar M'Muirach succeeded, governed well, and died in the 49th of his reign. His son Dermond
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M'Wirich succeeded, who for his Tyranny, and particularly ravishing the wife of Maurice O'rock,¹ King of Meath, was expelled his Kingdom, and restored again by HenryII., king of England, who laid claim to the crown of Ireland afterward; so that Muirach's progeny were outed of the soveraignty, but the family of the McMuirachs, still remaining in Ireland, derive their pedigree from him.

               Dugal Ovir above-mentioned, who was left Chief of the Clan in Scotland, had only one son, and he an only daughter, who marrying a stranger called M'Kintosh --ie., the Thane's son, being son or grandson to the Thane of Fife,-- the estate was transferred into another family, whence the Laird of M'Kintosh is lineally descended, and that family pretended to be chief of the clan Chattan as marrying the Heiress; but the M'Donalds, who were superiour to all the Clans, determined it often in favour of the Laird of Cluny's predecessors, and it was finally determined on his side, by the Council of Scotland, in the reign of Charles II., who declared the M'Kintoshes and M'Phersons different families, because M'Kintosh did not take the name and bearing of the Heiress's family.

               Evan Bane, before-mentioned, had for his Lady a daughter of M'Leans, by whom he had Kenneth, the eldest Cluny's predecessor - and Gilly's, II., of whom the family of Inveressie, and one John, by another woman, of whom the family of Pitmean. This family has had many fewds with neighbouring clans, but more especially with the Clan Cameron's, having in one battle killed their chief, the Laird of Lochzell, with about 600 of his clan, and taking the rest, brought them to Cluny's house, where some were for cutting them off, but he generously set them at liberty, saying that his family would grow effeminate if they wanted an enemy to exercise their valour.

                It was also the M'Phersons who fought that bloody combat of thirty on a side in the Inch of Perth, in presence of the King, and came off with the Victory; and it was that clan who held out the Castle of Ruthven for the Earl of Huntly against the Earl of Argile in Queen Mary's time. This family appeared in the field for King Charles I., with 600 Men, under the Marquis of Montrose, and Win. M'Pherson, Laird of Inveressie, was killed under their command at the Battle of Old Earn [Auldearn]. They also declared for King James, under the Viscount of Dundee, and six-and-twenty of them were killed at Crombdale by Sir Thomas Levingston, Commander of King William and Queen Mary's Forces -- but since that time they have submitted to the Government, and their chief hath been ordered to raise men for its service.

               This clan can bring a regiment of well-armed men to the Field. In time of peace they are said to be as courteous and industrious as the lowlanders, and in time of war, can endure the fatigue of the rudest Highlanders.

               Their ancient bearing was a ship, in memory of their voyage by sea; and the cross Croslet, in memory of the above-mentioned pilgrimage, and the bloody hand, in remembrance of Exterminating the Cummins. Their Chief's coat is now party par pale or and azure, in the Dexter Canton, a hand holding a dagger Saltirewise, and in the sinister a cross croslet, fitche Gules, and the supporters are two Highlanders with their slit doublets, naked from the Girdle downwards, with their shirts tied betwixt their thighs, their swords, Durks and Helmets proper, and for his crest a cat Rampant proper, with this motto, "Touch not the Cat but a Glove."
               Collier adds: " This narrative was collected by a person of quality of the family, and one of its principal branches."
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¹ [O'Rourke?]

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                "The document is a well-known one. It was first published in 1701 as an article under the title of 'McPherson' in Jeremy Collier's Great Historical, Geographical, Genealogical, and Political Dictionary. This was an early attempt at a one-volume encyclopedia rather than what we now understand as a dictionary. It was republished in 1893 by Alexander Macpherson, Provost of Kingussie and Factor of the Cluny estate, in his book Glimpses of Church and Social Life in the Highlands in Olden Times and Other Papers.

                "What is interesting about your copy in manuscript is that Badenoch Macphersons emigrating to the New World in the 1770s knew of this paper and copied it. I suspect that the copy was made from the printed Version of 1701 rather than from the original manuscript. Your copy, apart from minor differences in the spelling of names, is identical with the 1701 version. But yours omits the technical and official description of the chief's coat of arms just before the reference to the motto (last sentence). The 1701 version includes an editorial note by Collier: 'This narrative was collected by a person of quality of the family and one of its principal branches.'

               "It has always been assumed that this person of quality was Sir Aeneas Macpherson of Invereshie, author of The Loyall Dissuasive. There is a section devoted to him in my Posterity of the Three Brethren. On the other hand, the 1701 version does not include the note about the authors at the end of your copy, and this is very interesting to me because these are precisely the authorities used by Sir Aeneas in The Loyall Dissuasive. ² It makes it pretty certain that he was the author of the article.ū

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² "The Authors from which this is collected are Tacitus, Liber, Paslitenssis, Irish Annals, Buchanan, Spotswood, Sir George McKenzie's heraldry."