Siol Alpin (from Gaelic, Sìol Ailpein: Seed of Alpin) is a family of seven

Scottish clans A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, 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 ...

traditionally claiming descent from Alpin, father of Cináed mac Ailpín,

King of the Picts The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths o ...

, of whom the Scots tradition considered 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 sovereign state, state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thoug ...

. The seven clans that make up Siol Alpin are:

Clan Grant Clan Grant is a Highland Scottish clan. History Origins One theory is that the ancestors of the chiefs of Clan Grant came to Scotland with the Normans to England where the name is found soon after the conquest of that country, although some h ...

Clan Gregor Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a 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 is also known to hav ...

Clan MacAulay Clan MacAulay ( gd, Clann Amhlaoibh, ), also spelt Macaulay or Macauley is a Scottish clan. The clan was historically centred on the lands of Ardincaple, which are today consumed by the little village of Rhu and burgh of Helensburgh in Argyll ...

Clan Macfie Clan Macfie is a Highlands Scottish Clan. Since 1981, the clan has been officially registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon, which is the heraldic authority of Scotland. The clan is considered an armigerous clan because even though the ...

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 ...

, Clan Macnab, and

Clan MacQuarrie Clan MacQuarrie (also Quarrie, MacQuarie, McQueary, McQuary, MacQuaire, Macquarie) is an ancient Highland Scottish clan which owned the islands of Ulva, Staffa and Gometra as well as large tracts of land on the Isle of Mull, which are all ...

Historical examples of a Siol Alpin tradition

There are several historical examples that show the strength of the Siol Alpin tradition.

Clan Gregor and Clan Grant

The Siol Alpin tradition was so strong in the clans Gregor and Grant that in the early part of the eighteenth century the two clans met at

Blair Atholl Blair Atholl (from the Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr Athall'', originally ''Blàr Ath Fhodla'') is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Gr ...

to discuss re-uniting them. In the discussions, which lasted fourteen days, it was agreed that if the

proscription Proscription ( la, proscriptio) is, in current usage, a 'decree of condemnation to death or banishment' (''Oxford English Dictionary'') and can be used in a political context to refer to state-approved murder or banishment. The term originated ...

against the

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

''MacGregor'' could be reversed then the new clan would take that name, otherwise ''MacAlpin'' of ''Grant'' would then be used. On the issue of the chiefship of the combined clan there was disagreement, and discussions eventually broke down. Though several Grants, including the Laird of Ballindalloch, "showed their loyalty to the ancient kinship by adding the MacGregor

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

to their name".

Clan Gregor and Clan MacAulay

On 27 May 1591 Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple and Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae entered into a

bond of manrent Manrent refers to a Scottish contract of the mid-15th century to the early 17th century, usually military in nature and involving Scottish clans. The bond of manrent was commonly an instrument in which a weaker man or clan pledged to serve, in ...

. In the bond the two chiefs promised to aid each other against anyone but the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. Also, Ardincaple acknowledged being a cadet of the House of MacGregor, and promised to pay the MacGregor chief his ''calp''. (A ''calp'' was a tribute of cattle or the best eighth of a part of goods. The payment of the calp was a significant custom in Gaelic society; giving one's best animal to the person acknowledged as his Chief). A passage from the bond runs: "Alexander M'Gregor of Glenstray on the ane part and Awly M'Cawley of Ardingapill on the other part understanding ourselfs and our name to be M'Calppins of auld and to be our just and trew surname". From this statement Skene concluded that there was no doubt that the MacAulays claimed descent from Siol Alpin.

Clan McKinnon and Clan MacNab

On 12 July 1606 Lauchlan MacKinnon of Strathairdle and Finlay Macnab of Bowaine, entered into a ''bond of friendship''. In the bond the two chiefs claimed to "come from one house and one lineage", promising to lend aid to each other. This bond was seen as further proof, by Skene, that the MacKinnons were descended from Siol Alpin.

Clan Gregor and Clan MacKinnon

Another bond involving the MacKinnons , this time between the MacKinnons and MacGregors, has also been seen as proof on a Siol Alpin descent. In 1671, in Kilmorie, Lauchlan MacKinnon of Strahairdle and James Macgregor of Macgregor, entered into the bond, stating that the two chiefs descended "fra twa breethren of auld descent".

Clan Grant and Clan Mackinnon

Following the failed

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts The House of Stuart, ori ...

, Iain Dubh, chief of Clan MacKinnon, lost his lands under the

Act of Attainder A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of people, guilty of some crime, and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attai ...

. His forfeited lands were then bought from the Government by the chief of Clan Grant and then handed over to Iain Dubh's heirs. The author, Charles MacKinnon, claims that there can be no reason that a chief, so far removed from the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, bought another clan's lands and then gave them back - other than a belief in common ancestry. And that the two clans belonged to the same family, Siol Alpin.

Heraldic examples of the Siol Alpin tradition

The belief in their Alpinian descent is shown in the clan badges (sometimes known as plant badges) of the seven clans. Clan badges were worn in the bonnets of highlanders to distinguish friend from foe, and all seven clans share

Scots Pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orang ...

as their clan badge. In addition to the clan badges, the

mottoes A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

used within the

crest badge A Scottish crest badge is a heraldic badge worn to show allegiance to an individual or membership in a specific Scottish clan. Crest badges are commonly called "clan crests", but this is a misnomer; there is no such thing as a collective ''clan' ...

s of several of the clans allude to the Siol Alpin tradition. For instance, Clan Gregor: S Rioghal Mo Dhream'' (translation from Gaelic: "Royal is My Race"); Clan Macfie: ''Pro Rege'' (translation from Latin: "For the King"). While the

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

of Clan MacKinnon is ''Cuimhnich bas Alpein'' (translation from Gaelic: "Remember the death of Alpin").

References

{{Royal houses of Britain and Ireland Clan MacAulay Clan Mackinnon Clan Grant Gaels