Clan Arthur
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Clan Arthur or Clan MacArthur, (
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 as ...
: Clann Artair) is a
highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
Scottish clan 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 ...
that once held lands on the shores of
Loch Awe Loch Awe (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Obha'') is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such ...
opposite
Inishail Inishail (alternate Inchald) is an island and former parish,Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone in Loch Awe, Scotland. Geography The island lies at the north end of the loch in the co ...
. The clan has been described as one of the oldest clans in Argyll. Clan Arthur and
Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...
share a common origin, and at one point the MacArthurs challenged the seniority of the leading Campbell family. A branch of MacArthurs 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 ...
were a
sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...
of the
MacDonalds of Sleat McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger st ...
, and were hereditary pipers for the MacDonalds of the Isles. In late 18th century the chief of the clan died without an heir, leaving the clan leaderless until the late 20th century. In 2002, the first chief of Clan Arthur (James Macarthur) was recognised in about 230 years.


History


Early history

During the reign of Alexander III (r.1249-1286), the Clan Campbell made its first appearance, and was divided into two branches; ''Mac Cailinmor'' and ''Mac Arthur''. The nineteenth century
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
William F. Skene William Forbes Skene WS FRSE FSA(Scot) DCL LLD (7 June 1809 – 29 August 1892), was a Scottish lawyer, historian and antiquary. He co-founded the Scottish legal firm Skene Edwards which was prominent throughout the 20th century but disapp ...
wrote that during the reign of
Robert I Robert I may refer to: *Robert I, Duke of Neustria (697–748) *Robert I of France (866–923), King of France, 922–923, rebelled against Charles the Simple *Rollo, Duke of Normandy (c. 846 – c. 930; reigned 911–927) * Robert I Archbishop of ...
(r.1306–1329), the ''Mac Cailinmor'' branch (descendants of Colin ''Mor'' Campbell) did not possess any land in what is now
Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
, while Mac Arthur, head of the ''Mac Arthur'' branch was in possession of extensive territory in the earldom
Garmoran Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles. History The medieval lordship of Garmoran was ruled by the MacRuar ...
, which was the original seat of the Campbells. Skene wrote that "it is therefore impossible to doubt that Mac Arthur was at this time the head of the clan, and this position he appears to have maintained until the reign of
James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...
." Arthur Campbell, of the ''Mac Arthur'' branch, along with Neil Campbell, of the ''Mac Cailinmor'' branch, supported Robert the Bruce and were richly rewarded by the king with the forfeited lands of his opponents. Arthur Campbell was made keeper of
Dunstaffnage Castle Dunstaffnage Castle ( gd, Caisteal Dhùn Stadhainis) is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It lies NNE of Oban, situated on a platform of conglomerate rock on a promontory at the south-west of the entrance to Loc ...
along with extensive territory in the district of Lorne. Later, during the reign of David II, the ''Mac Cailinmor'' ever becoming more powerful, since the marriage of Sir Neil Campbell with a sister of Robert I, were resisted from taking control of the clan by the ''Mac Arthur'' branch with the obtaining of a charter "Arthuro Campbell quod nulli subjictur pro terris nisi regi," by Arthur Campbell. In 1427 James I held parliament at
Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
and summoned the Highland chiefs. Iain MacArthur, the chief of the MacArthurs, was one of the unlucky chiefs who were beheaded by the king of Scots. This chief had been described as "a great prince among his own people and leader of a thousand men". With the execution of Iain MacArthur, and Alexander, Lord of Garmoran, the MacArthurs lost possession of all their lands with the exception of
Strachur Strachur; ( gd, Srath Chura) and Strathlachlan; ( gd, Srath Lachlainn) are united parishes located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne. Geography Cowal is the l ...
and lands of
Glenfalloch Glenfalloch is a private garden and restaurant near Macandrew Bay on Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. The gardens are owned and run by the Otago Peninsula Trust. Glenfalloch was established in 1871 by George Gray Russell, who bought the land from pi ...
and
Glen Dochart Glen Dochart ( gd, Gleann Dochard) in Perthshire, Scottish Highlands is a glen which runs from Crianlarich eastwards to Killin, following the course of the River Dochart as it flows through Loch Dochart and Loch Iubhair. It is met by Glen Ogle ( g ...
in
Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
. From this time, and on, the ''Mac Cailinmor'' branch were the head of the clan and the Campbells continued their rise in power.


Modern history

In 1771 Patrick MacArthur, chief of Clan Arthur, died in Jamaica without a male heir. With his death, the official title of Chief of Clan Arthur ceased to exist. In 1986 senior members of Clan Arthur hired a genealogist to trace back through the last chief's family tree to find a living representative with a common ancestor to the chiefs of Clan Arthur. Genealogical research concluded that the chiefly line of the MacArthurs, the ''MacArthurs of Tirivadich'' could be traced as far back as 1495, to a John MacArthur of Tirivadich. The MacArthur chiefly line was traced nine generations down from this John MacArthur of Tirivadich, through his eldest grandson: Duncan MacArthur of Tirivadich; and three generations through John MacArthur of Tirivadich's younger grandsons: Niall MacArthur of Querlane and John MacArthur of Drissaig. Research showed that the main line had become extinct, however a living descendant through John MacArthur of Drissaig was found – a Canadian born man named James Edward Moir MacArthur. This man traced his descent from a Margaret MacArthur Moir, who died about 1775. A great nephew of hers, Archibald MacArthur Stewart, recorded
Arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...
in 1775 and traced his descent from John MacArthur of Milton, who died in 1674. The genealogical research conducted on behalf of Clan Arthur linked this John MacArthur of Milton back to John MacArthur of Drissaig. In 1991 a ''
derbfine The derbfine ( ; ga, dearbhfhine , from ''derb'' 'real' + ''fine'' 'group of persons of the same family or kindred', thus literally 'true kin'electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language s.vderbḟine/ref>) was a term for patrilineal groups and po ...
'' was organised by
armiger In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous. A family or a cl ...
s of the clan. There it was determined that James Edward Moir MacArthur of Milton should petition the
Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
to be appointed Clan Commander of Clan Arthur. Ten years later he did so, successfully, and in August 2002 was recognised James Edward Moir MacArthur of that Ilk as the rightful heir to the arms of MacArthur of Tirivadich, and that he was entitled to the chiefship of Clan Arthur. Later in April 2003, he was officially inaugurated by clan members as Chief of Clan Arthur. He was the first official chief of the clan in about 230 years. Upon his death in 2004, he was succeeded as chief by his son, John Alexander MacArthur of that Ilk. The current chief of Clan Arthur represents the clan as a member of the
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...
.


Tartans


Clan symbols

The current chief of Clan Arthur is John Alexander MacArthur of that Ilk. The chief bears the
undifferenced arms In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way to distinguish arms displayed by descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which ...
of the name ''MacArthur'', and is the only person legally entitled to these arms under
Scots law Scots law () is the legal system of Scotland. It is a hybrid or mixed legal system containing civil law and common law elements, that traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. Together with English law and Northern Ireland l ...
. The
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...
of the chief's armorial shield is ''Azure, three antique crowns Or'' and corresponds to one of the
attributed arms Attributed arms are Western European coats of arms given retrospectively to persons real or fictitious who died before the start of the age of heraldry in the latter half of the 12th century. Arms were assigned to the knights of the Round Table ...
of the legendary
King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
. A modern
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' ...
, suitable for wear by a member of Clan Arthur contains the chief's
heraldic crest A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after the ...
and
heraldic motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
. The chief's crest is ''two branches of bay in orle, proper''. The chief's heraldic motto is ''FIDE ET OPERA'' which translates from
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
as "by fidelity and work" or "by faith and work". The chief's
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 ...
is ''EISD O EISD'' which translates from Scottish Gaelic to "Listen!, O Listen!". Several
clan badge A clan badge, sometimes called a plant badge, is a badge or emblem, usually a sprig of a specific plant, that is used to identify a member of a particular Scottish clan. They are usually worn affixed to the bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge ...
s have been attributed to Clan Arthur. These include: Wild Thyme . There are several tartans attributed to the MacArthurs. The most commonly used tartan today is the ''MacArthur'' tartan and was first published in the ''
Vestiarium Scoticum The ''Vestiarium Scoticum'' (full title, ''Vestiarium Scoticum: from the Manuscript formerly in the Library of the Scots College at Douay. With an Introduction and Notes, by John Sobieski Stuart'') was a book which was first published in 1842 by ...
'' in 1842. The ''Vestiarium'' was the work of the dubious "
Sobieski Stuarts In the 1820s, two English brothers, John Carter Allen (1795–1872) and Charles Manning Allen (1802–1880) adopted the names John Sobieski Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart, moved to Scotland, became Roman Catholics, and about 1839 began to claim ...
" and has been proven to be a forgery and a hoax. A group of MacArthurs from the Isle of Skye were hereditary pipers to the MacDonalds, and this tartan shares the same basic form of the MacDonald, Lord of the Isles tartan. Another MacArthur tartan is the ''MacArthur of Milton Hunting'' tartan. This tartan is considered the elder of MacArthur tartans and is similar to the Campbell tartan. The source of this tartan is ''Wilson's '1823' Sample Book''.


See also

*
Campbell of Strachur The Campbells of Strachur, also known as the MacArthur Campbells of Strachur, may be the oldest branch of the Clan Campbell. The family traces its descent from Sir Arthur Campbell, who is said to have been a son of Duncan Dubh, who in turn may ha ...


Footnotes


References


External links


Clan Arthur Website ''(clannarthur.com)''Clan Arthur Association USA ''(clanarthur.org)''
{{Scottish clans
Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...