Clan MacQuarrie (also Quarrie, MacQuarie, McQueary, McQuary, MacQuaire, Macquarie) is an ancient Highland

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised ...

which owned the islands of Ulva,

Staffa Staffa ( gd, Stafa, , from the Old Norse for stave or pillar island) is an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Vikings gave it this name as its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were built from ver ...

and Gometra as well as large tracts of land on the Isle of Mull, which are all located in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. Clan MacQuarrie (''

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

'' for: son of Guaire) is one of the seven

Siol Alpin Siol Alpin (from Gaelic, Sìol Ailpein: Seed of Alpin) is a family of seven Scottish clans traditionally claiming descent from Alpin, father of Cináed mac Ailpín, King of the Picts, of whom the Scots tradition considered the first King of Scots ...

clans descended from the Kings of the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from e ...

and

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is n ...

. Clan MacQuarrie is one of the four oldest Highland clans and can trace its ancestry to 9th century Kenneth MacAlpine, the first

King of Scots The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...

. A 1450 manuscript describes the descent of Clan MacQuarrie from their namesake progenitor ''Guaire'' (''Scottish Gaelic'' for: noble), brother of ''Fingon'' (ancestor of

Clan MacKinnon Clan MacKinnon ( gd, Clann MhicFhionghain ) is a Highland Scottish clan from the islands of Mull and Skye, in the Inner Hebrides. Popular tradition gives the clan a Dalriadic Gaelic origin. The 19th-century historian W. F. Skene named the clan ...

) and ''Anrias'' (ancestor of

Clan Gregor Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Clan ...

). They were fierce fighters in the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

and fought in support of King

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

at the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...

in 1314.

History

Clan MacQuarrie is first found in possession of the island of Ulva in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, and followed the

Lords of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...

. The first record of Clan MacQuarrie is of the chief John Macquarrie of Ulva, who died in 1473.Maclauchlan & Wilson & Keltie, pp. 262-265 John's son, Dunslaff, was the chief of the clan during the forfeiture of the Lord of the Isles, after which the MacQuarries gained independence as a small, respected clan surrounded by a powerful ally in Clan MacLean.Skene, vol. 2, pp. 263-264. Following the fall of the Lordship of the Isles the clan followed Maclean of Dowart, and with the

Macleans ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

, the MacQuarries supported

Domhnall Dubh Domhnall Dubh (died 1545) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of Aonghas Óg, chief of Clan Donald (Clann Domhnaill), and claimant to the Lordship of the Isles, which had been held by his grandfather John of Islay, Earl of Ross (Eoin MacD ...

's quest for the Lordship of the Isles at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1504 MacGorry of Ullowaa, along with other chiefs, was summoned to answer for aiding in Domhnall Dubh's failed rebellion. The clan suffered grievously at the

Battle of Inverkeithing The Battle of Inverkeithing was fought on 20 July 1651 between an English army under John Lambert and a Scottish army led by James Holborne as part of an English invasion of Scotland. The battle was fought near the isthmus of the Ferry Pe ...

on 20 July 1651, where they fought on the side of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

against an English Parliamentarian army led by

John Lambert John Lambert may refer to: *John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII *John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War * John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...

. During the battle many Scots deserted, and the remaining Scots were decisively defeated by the well-disciplined

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

of the English. Amongst the slain were Allan Macquarrie of Ulva, chief of Clan MacQuarrie, and most of his followers. Clan MacQuarrie currently does not have a chief. The last chief of Clan MacQuarrie was Lauchlan Macquarrie of Ulva. MacQuarrie was head of the clan when

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

and

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

visited Ulva in 1773. Debts to creditors forced the last chief to sell off his lands; and in 1778, at the age of 63, he joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. The chief then served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, and died at the age of 103 on 14 January 1818.Smibert gives Lachlan Macquarrie's age on joining the Army as 62, and his date of death 1817 aged 102. Maclauchlan & Wilson & Keltie give his age on joining the Army at 63, and his date of death as 1818, aged 103. The last chief and his wife Alice Maclean, daughter of

Donald Maclean, 5th Laird of Torloisk Donald Maclean, 5th Laird of Torloisk was the 5th Laird of Torloisk. Biography He was a son of John of Tarbert. John of Tarbert was the third son of Hector Maclean, 2nd Laird of Torloisk. Donald was noted for the urbanity of his manners and the ...

, Isle of Mull, had eight children - four sons and four daughters. Three of his sons joined the British Army and died without issue; the only one to have children was his third son Donald, who was born around 1745. In July 1761, Donald was commissioned as one of the junior Ensigns in the

Fencible The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Frenc ...

Men of Argyllshire. After discharge from the army he moved to Liverpool, and on 28 October 1790 married Martha Lea at St Nicholas Church,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. They had one daughter, as recorded in a manuscript genealogy found amongst the papers of Lt. Colonel Charles MacQuarrie. It was compiled during the lifetime of the last Chief and because of certain births that are mentioned it was written sometime between 28 March 1816 and 14 January 1818. It states that Donald "''follows the seafaring business and has one daughter who is married, in Liverpool, to the master of a trading vessel, who is employed in the foreign trade''." Furthermore, the Liverpool Directory for the year 1818 describes Donald as "''a Mariner, of 13 Ansdell Street, Liverpool''." The above-mentioned daughter, and thus granddaughter of Lauchlan MacQuarrie the XVI and last Chief of the clan, was called Agnes MacQuarrie and she was married on 28 January 1816 at Holy Trinity Church, Liverpool, to Captain William Danson, Master of the ''Frances'', a ship named after his mother, and later Master of the ''Thisbe of Liverpool''. A record of their marriage was published in the Monthly Magazine Vol. 41, 1816 - "''Capt. William Danson of

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

to Miss McQuarrie of Liverpool''". On 6 April 1824, the ''Thisbe of Liverpool'' was reported to have sailed from Liverpool to Quebec, but it never arrived. The wreck of the ''Thisbe'' was reported in the

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

on 24 Sep 1824: "A Jolly Boat with ''Thisbe of Liverpool'' on the stern, was picked up by the ''Margaret Ann'', arrived at Miramichi, in longitude 36. The boat was bottom up. This vessel, it is stated sailed from Liverpool in April last with a very valuable cargo for Montreal and has not since been heard of." Captain William Danson, his wife Agnes, née MacQuarrie, and four of their children perished on this journey, but their daughter Thisbe Danson (who was born at sea and named after the ship) survived and had issue, with descendants living today in the UK (Lancashire & Cumbria) and Pennsylvania, USA. Donald MacQuarrie of Ansdell Street was buried in Liverpool on 10 June 1821 aged 75, and his wife Martha on 16 December 1827 aged 71. A large portion of the ancient patrimonial property was repurchased by Major-General

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...

, brother of Lt. Colonel Charles MacQuarrie (see above) and Governor of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and from whom

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

and

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

in the South Pacific derive their names. On 16 July 1804 both Lachlan MacQuarrie, the last Chief of the Clan, and his son Donald were present at the "christening" of Jarvisfield, the estate belonging to Major General Lauchlan Macquarie on the Isle of Mull. Governor Lachlan's mother and the last Chief were half-cousins. They both shared Lachlan MacQuarrie, the XIV Chief, as grandfather, but descended from different wives. Today, the clan MacQuarrie is very much alive with an active society of global members. Since nobody has claimed to be the next Chief for almost 200 years now, the chiefdom has lain dormant. The current heir is a descendant of Thisbe Danson. The Coat of Arms belonging to the Chief of the MacQuarries of Ulva is on display at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...

in honour of Lachlan Macquarie.

Military members

All of the following notes are taken from: ''Lachlan MacQuarrie XVI of Ulva'', with notes on some Clansmen in India. By R. W. Munro, printed for private circulation, MCMXLIV. * Archibald MacQuarrie, 86th Regiment (fl. 1802). A commission in the 86th Regt. was obtained for Archibald MacQuarrie (of Lagan-Ulva) by Major-General Lachlan MacQuarrie (see below). * Charles MacQuarrie, 77th Regiment (fl.1796). Commissioned on 16 Jan. 1792 as Ensign in 77 Regt., in which Major-General Lachlan Macquarrie (see below) was then a Captain, but does not appear to have joined for some time after his appointment. Removed on 10 Jan. 1796 to 99th Regt. * Major-General

CB (1762-1824), 5th Governor of

and considered "The Father of Australia."

Notable members

Ralph McQuarrie Ralph Angus McQuarrie (; June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, the film '' ...

(June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) Academy Award-winning American conceptual designer and illustrator who designed the original

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

trilogy. * Sir

Albert McQuarrie Sir Albert McQuarrie (1 January 1918 – 13 January 2016) was a British Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1987. Early life Albert McQuarrie was born on 1 January 1918 in Greenock, Inverclyde. McQuar ...

(January 1, 1918 - 13 January 2016) Conservative Member of Parliament for East Aberdeenshire 1979 - 1983. Banff and Buchan 1983 - 1987. Freeman City of Gibraltar 1982; Knight Batchelor 1987

English spelling variants

As the MacQuarrie surname is very ancient and of

origin, a precisely accurate translation to the English language is impossible. Due to

anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

and migration over eleven centuries many variants of the name MacQuarrie have been promulgated. Individuals and families with the following established spelling variants are members of clan MacQuarrie: MacQuarrie, MacQuarie, MacQuary, MacQuarry, McQuarrie, McQuarie, McQuary, McQuarry, McQueary, McQuerry, M'Quarrie, M'Quarie, M'Quary, M'Quarry, MacQuery, MacQuore, MacQuorie, MacQuorrie, MacQewry, McQuery, McQuore, McQuorie, McQuorrie, McQewry, M'Query, M'Quore, M'Quorie, M'Quorrie, M'Qewry, MacQuire, McQuire, MacQuaire, MacQuairie, MacQuhirrie, McQuharrie, McQuhurrie, McQuhore, McQuhorre, MacQuhirr, M'Quhoire, M'Quhury, M'Quhurrie, M'Quhurie, M'Quhyrry, M'Quhirrich, M'Qwhyrrcht, Makquhurrie, Makquhory, Makquharry, Makquhary, Makquharie, Makquyre, Makquoyrie, Quarry, MacWharrie, MacWharrey, Wharrey, M'Worich, M'Warie, M'Vorich, Makwidy, Wharrie, M'Coirry, M'Corry, Corry, McCwerie, McCrary, McCreary, Makcory, Makcorry, Makcurre, M'Rore, MacGuaidhre, MacGuarie, MacGorrie, MacGorry, McGorre, McGorry, McGory, M'Goyre, M'Gourie, M'Gowry, M'Geir, Gorey, MacGurrie, MacGurr, Gurr, MacGuaire, MacGuire, MacGuire, MacGwyer, MacGwier, MacGyver, McGuaire, McGuire, McGwyer, McGwier, M'Guaire, M'Guire, M'Guire, M'Gwyer, M'Gwier, Maguire, MacGeir, and Querry.

Notes

References

*Maclauchlan, Thomas & Wilson, John & Keltie, John Scott. ''A History of the Scottish Highlands, Highland Clans and Highland Regiments''. Edinburgh and London: A. Fullarton & Co., 1875. * Skene, William Forbes. ''The Highlanders of Scotland, Their Origin, History, And Antiquities''. London: John Murray, 1837. *Smibert, Thomas. ''The Clans of the Highlands of Scotland''. Edinburgh: James Hogg. 1850. *David Dobson ''The Scottish Surnames of Colonial America''.

External links

Official website for the Clan MacQuarrie Society
Macquarie University Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie Room website:

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacQuarrie Armigerous clans Scottish clans