CHAPTER II. DESCENT OF CLUNY FROM GILLICATTAN MOR1
Footnote 1 shown below states that this material was taken from the earlier publication. This material involves a delicate subject which has engendered much debate over a period of 700 years. Its sources can be found in Glimpses Appendices 9, 16 and 20. Readers should reserve judgement on the material that follows until they have read pp 10-14 of Alan G. Macpherson's Posterity of the Three Brethren which is based on more recent scholarship. This latter book should have a prominent place in the library of anyone who is serious about the history of the Clan Macpherson. It is available from the Clan Store at the ridiculously low price of $9. Other points of view on the subject can be found by returning to the Glimpses Menu Page and clicking on "Other Opinions on the Clan Chattan Controversy"
Although a number of differences in dates, the numbering of the chiefs, and other details will be discerned between the Memorial and The Posterity, there is much valid, unduplicated information to be gained from what follows. Note that dates for the reigns of the various Kings of Scots are inserted by me to provide a time framework. It should be remembered that at that time the Memorial was written, Cluny was considered to be the Chief of Clan Chattan as well as the Clan Macpherson, by many Macphersons at least. Some of us still do. Prof. Alan G. states that the two were held to be identical. He tells us that "It was unfortunate that the Victorian clansfolk used the term Clan Chattan, where the 17th century clansmen identified themselves with the Old Clanchattan or Clann MacGhillechatain, i.e. the pre-MacIntosh clan out of which the Clann Mhuirich emerged. In neither century did the Macpherson chiefs attempt to lead the whole of the historic Clan Chattan (including the MacIntoshes): they just claimed to be independant of MacIntosh. I hope you see the distinction." Rory Mor, Editor.
The earlier portion of the following abridged account is said to have been handed down by the genealogists of the clan, and from the time of Muirach the Parson it can be fairly corroborated. The first Gillicattan would appear to have been so named in honour of St Catan, to whom there were several dedications in Scotland -- notably the Priory of Ardchattan in Lorn, and as he was probably the name-father of the Clan Chattan, we begin our account with him, although the clan history has been carried much farther back.
1. GILLICATTAN MOR, head or Chief of the Clan Chattan, lived in the reign of Malcolm Canmore [1058-1093], and left a son,
2. DIARMID, who succeeded his father about the year 1090, and was father of
3. GILLICATTAN (second of that name), who flourished in the reign of David I [1124-1153], and left issue two sons, Diarmid and Muirach. He was succeeded by his eldest son,
4. DIARMID, who did not long survive his father, and dying without issue anno 1152, was succeeded by his brother,
__________
1 From the Memorial of Cluny's Golden Wedding, published in 1883
---------------------------------------------------------299-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------300-----------------------------------------------------------
5. MUIRACH, parson of Kingussie, who, on thus becoming head of his family and Chief of Clan Chattan, married, about 1175, a daughter of the Thane of Calder, by whom he had five sons -- viz., Gillicattan, Ewen ban, Neill crom, Ferquhard Gillirioch, and David dubh. From this Muirach or Murdoch it is that the Macphersons derive their Gaelic name of Clann Mhuirich. He died in the end of the reign of William the Lion [1165-1214], and was succeeded by his eldest son,
6. GILLICATTAN (third of that name), who lived in the reign of King Alexander III [1249-1286]; he left issue only one son,
7. DOUGAL DALL, who died in the reign of King Alexander III., leav [sic] issue a daughter,
Eva, his only child and sole heiress, who, anno 1292, was married to Angus Mackintosh, head of the family of Mackintosh, who with her got a good part of the Clan Chattan territory.
Dougal dall having died without male issue, as above mentioned, in him ended the whole male line of Gillicattan the third, eldest son of Muirach the Parson. The representation therefore devolved upon his cousin and heir-male, Kenneth, eldest son of Ewen ban before mentioned, to whom we now return.
Ewen ban, second son of Muirach the Parson, was called Macpherson, or son of the Parson; and surnames about this time becoming hereditary, it became the distinguishing clan appellation of his posterity, who were sometimes, however, indifferently named Macphersons, Macmhuirichs, and Clan Chattan. He left issue three sons--
1. Kenneth, progenitor of Sliochd Kynich vic Ewen, or first branch of the Macphersons, from whom the present Chief Cluny is lineally descended; [the words in italics are not Gaelic but phonetic English approximations of the Gaelic -- Ed.]
2. John, progenitor of Sliochd Ian vic Ewen, or second branch of the Macphersons, from whom Berkeley Macpherson, Esq., is said to be lineally descended; and
3. GillÏosa, progenitor of Sliochd Ghilliosa vic Ewen, or third branch of the Macphersons, represented by Phoness and Invereshie in the earliest records of the clan, and now by Sir George Macpherson-Grant of Invereshie, Bart. [The Gaelic name Gilliosa means servant of Jesus. Note also that the reference to 'Berkley Macpherson' above is not clear. But if it is a reference to Lt. Genl. Robert Barclay Macpherson who died in 1858, he was the last of the Macphersons of Breakachie and therefore of the Sliochd Choinneach, not the Sliochd Iain. -- RM.].
From the three sons of Ewen ban above mentioned all the Macphersons are descended, and from that circumstance they were at one time known in their own tongue as Sliochd nan triuir bhraithrean, or the Posterity of the Three Brethren.
---------------------------------------------------------300-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------301-----------------------------------------------------------
8. KENNETH, the eldest son of Ewen ban, upon the decease of his cousin Dougal dall without issue male, became undoubted male representative of the family, and consequently Chief of Clan Chattan. But as the family of Mackintosh, by marrying the heir of line, got possession of the Lochaber estate, the inhabitants thereof behoved to follow Mackintosh as their landlord, who was thereupon designed Captain of that part of the Clan Chattan of which he had thus got the command. The rest of the clan, who followed this Kenneth as their true Chief and heir-male, retired to Badenoch, where they settled, and where, for their special services to the king and country, they soon got large possessions. He married ____ ____ , and had by her three sons, Duncan, Lachlan, and Donald.
9. DUNCAN, eldest son of Kenneth, married Isobel, daughter of the Laird of Mackintosh, and had by her two sons, Donald mor and Bean.
10. DONALD MOR, eldest son of Duncan, married M'Gillichguich, daughter of the Chieftain of the M'Gillichguichs (who were then a strong people in Badenoch), and had by her two sons, Donald dall and Gillicallum beg. [Prof Alan G. tells us that 'McGillichguich' should read 'McGillichynich' (Son of the Servant of St Kenneth). The 'y' was read as a 'g', and the 'n' as a 'u'. The true spelling is to be found in Sir Aeneas Macpherson's manuscript. Donald mor was the first to live at Clunie.]
11. DONALD DALL, eldest son of Donald Mor, married _____ Macpherson, daughter of William Macpherson of Rimore, and had by her nine sons--viz., Donald og, Thomas, Ewen, Malcolm, Duncan, Bean, Alexander, John, and William og.
12. DONALD OG, eldest son of Donald dall, married _____ Gordon, daughter of James Gordon, then of Ardbrylach, and had by her four sons, Ewen, James, Paul, and William. [He was killed at the Battle of Corriche in 1562, a battle in which the Fourth Earl of Huntly, his feudal seigneur was also killed. He had another son Donald ban who murdered in Kingussie.]
13. EWEN, eldest son of Donald og, married _____ Mackintosh, daughter of Donald Mackintosh of Stron, and had by her three sons, Andrew, William, and John.
14. ANDREW, eldest son of Ewen, married _____ Gordon, daughter of Gordon of Achamachy, and had by her an only son, Ewen.
Ewen (who predeceased his father, who lived to a great age) married _____ Forbes, daughter of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, and had by her two sons, Andrew and Duncan, and three daughters. He was a colonel in the army of Montrose, the first in Scotland to join him and fought with the whole clan in all his battles. , [Actually, the Macphersons were only with Montrose during the period1644-1646. Ewen died in 1650, and the clan was not at the disaster at Carbisdale or Montrose's final defeat at Philliphaugh. -- RM]
15. ANDREW, eldest son of Ewen, succeeded his grandfather Andrew, and died unmarried.
---------------------------------------------------------301-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------302-----------------------------------------------------------
16. DUNCAN, second son of Ewen, succeeded his brother Andrew, and married (1) Isabel, daughter of Robert Rose, Provost of Inverness, by whom he had an only child, Ann, who was married to a son of the Laird of Calder. He married (2) Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Aradoul (relict of John Rose of Allanbuy), and had by her an only son, George, who died in childhood. He died in 1722, and was succeeded in the chiefship by his cousin and heir-male.
17. LACHLAN (of Noid), third in descent from John, third son of Ewen, thirteenth Chief. He married Jean, daughter of Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, and had by her seven sons and three daughters.
18. EWEN, eldest son of Lachlan, born 1706, married Janet, eldest daughter of Simon, Lord Lovat, by whom he had one son and one daughter.
19. DUNCAN, only son of Ewen, born 1750 [actually 1748], married, in 1798, Catherine, daughter of Sir Ewen Cameron of Fassifern, by whom he left issue four sons and four daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
20. EWEN, the [then] present Chief, and twentieth in succession from Gillicattan mor, born in 1804, married, in I832, Sarah Justina, daughter of Henry Davidson, Esq. of Tulloch, by whom he has issue:--
1. Colonel Duncan, C.B., late of the 42d Royal Highlanders. [Born in 1883; died in1886. He succeeded his father as Chief #21].
2. Ewen Henry Davidson, colonel commanding the 93d Highlanders. [Born in 1836; died in 1900. He succeeded his brother as Chief #22]
3. George Gordon, late captain in the Coldstream Guards. [He was disinherited by his father who paid off huge gambling debts that his son amassed.]
4. Albert Cameron; and three daughters. [Born 1854; died 1932]*
__________
* [. Prof Alan G. tells us that Albert inherited Cluny when his brother Ewen died but he never considered himself to be Chief of the Clan. Rather he acknowledged the son of George Gordon, Ewen George (born 1891) as Chief #23. However, other members of the Clan do not subscribe to the elimination of Albert Cameron as Chief #23 and recognized Ewen George as #24. This is the view of the present chief, Sir William Alan.
In any event, John L. Macpherson of Mittagong, NSW, Australia tells us that his research reveals that Ewen moved to Australia in 1911 at the age of 19 or 20 and settled at Darwin in the Northern Territory. During World War I he returned to United Kingdom and served in the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Royal Scots Greys) as a trooper. He returned to Australia (Northern Territory) in 1921 and married in 1933, a union that resuted in the birth of two daughters -- Georgina (now deceased) and Heather (living in Darwin in 2008). Ewen joined the Australian Army in 1939 and served until he was discharged in March 1942. In December 1942 he enlisted in the Civil Construction Corps and served until Janury 1944.
When Ewen died in 1965 the nearest descendant was Francis Cameron born in 1901. He was the grandson of 'Old Cluny's brother, John Cameron and presumably became Chief #25. When he died less than a year later in 1966, the nearest descendant was Brigadier Alan David of the Blairgowrie branch who was born in 1887, the seventh-generation from Andrew, brother of Lachlan (Chief #19) became Chief #26 by his own reckoning and served until his death in 1969. He was succeeded by his son, William Alan who was born in 1926 and is the present chief who uses #27 as his number.
In the final analysis, the number assigned to a particular chief is doubtful at best. This doubt stems from the fact that there are gaps in the chronology of the genealogy for certain individuals that are many years longer than any reasonable expectation for a human lifespan. These gaps suggest to me that there are probably some chiefs who existence has been forgotten.
---------------------------------------------------------302-----------------------------------------------------------
A number of efforts have been made to find evidence of Muriach in Badenoch to no avail. This included a search of the Vatican archives. On the other hand there is strong evidence that Duncan, his great grandson was the parson of Laggan parish. In my view it is quite likely that the Gaelic name of the Clan -- Clann Mhuirich -- did derive from Muriach but the first sons of the parson were the sons of Duncan -- Donald Mor and Bean.
Prof Alan G. tells us that "we don't know where Duncan Parson [persun] lived in Laggan, but it was not at Clunie. Donald mor was the first in Clunie."