Clan MacFarlane (

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 Phàrlain ) 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 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 ...

. Descended from the medieval

Earls of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first ea ...

, the MacFarlanes occupied the land forming the western shore of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of ...

from Tarbet up-wards. From

Loch Sloy ''Loch Sloy'' was a Scottish sailing barque that operated between Great Britain and Australia from the late 19th century until 1899. Her name was drawn from Loch Sloy, a freshwater loch which lies to the north of the Burgh of Helensburgh, ...

, a small sheet of water near the foot of Ben Vorlich, they took their war cry of Loch Slòigh. The clan was noted for the night time cattle raiding of neighbouring clan lands, (particularly those of Clan Colquhoun), and as such a full moon became known locally as "MacFarlane's Lantern". The ancestral lands of the clan were held by the

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

s until they were sold off for debts, in 1767. Since 1866 the chiefship has been dormant, no one having claimed or obtained rematriculation of the Chief Arms making Clan MacFarlane a supposed Armigerous clan.

History

Origins

Clan MacFarlane claims descent from the original Earls of Lennox, though the ultimate origin of these earls is murky and has been debated. The nineteenth-century Scottish

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts, archaeological and historic si ...

George Chalmers, in his ''Caledonia'', quoting the twelfth century English chronicler

Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...

, wrote that the original Earls of Lennox descended from an Anglo-Saxon – ''Arkil'', son of ''Egfrith''. This Arkil, a

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

n chief, was said to have fled to Scotland from the devastation caused by the

Harrying of the North The Harrying of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate northern England, where the presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Ætheling, had encouraged Anglo- Danish re ...

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, and later received control of the Lennox district from

Malcolm III of Scotland Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head ...

, though alternative theories state that the original Earls of Lennox may have been of Gaelic descent.Moncreiffe of that Ilk, pp. 201–203. These two views are not mutually exclusive, as what is now southern Scotland and northern England had, in the post-Roman and early Mediaeval era, been a flux of Gaelic, Brittonic, Scandinavian and Germanic ethnicities. Clan MacFarlane claims its descent from the original line of the Earls of Lennox, through Gille Chriosd, brother of Maol Domhnaich, Earl of Lennox, who received in charter, "de terris de superiori Arrochar de Luss", the lands of Arrochar which the MacFarlanes held for centuries until the death of the last chief. Gille Chriosd's son, Donnchadh, also obtained charters for his lands from the Earl of Lennox, and appears in the Ragman Rolls as "Dunkan Makilcrift de Leuenaghes"Thompson, p. 145. (''Duncan son of Gilchrist of Lennox''). Donnchadh's grandson was Parlan (or Bartholomew), from whom the clan takes its name from. There is no contemporary evidence of this Parlan or his elided father, only centuries-retrospective assertions that private documentation existed at the time of the Macfarlane attempt to claim the defunct earldom of Lennox. Maolchaluim Mac Pharlain, the son of Parlan, was confirmed the lands of Arrochar and others, and "hence Maolchaluim may be considered as the real founder of the clan".Maclauchlan & Wilson & Keltie, pp. 173–175. Maolchaluim, in turn, was succeeded by his son, Donnchadh, who obtained by charter the lands of Arrochar, dated in 1395 at Inchmurrin. Donnchadh seems to have married Christian, daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Loch Awe, as stated in a charter of confirmation by

Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox Donnchadh of Lennox was the Mormaer of Lennox, 1385–1425. He was a son of Baltar mac Amlaimh and Margaret, daughter of Domhnall, Earl of Lennox. When Domhnall of Lennox died in 1365, Donnchadh's mother Margaret became ruler of Lennox. It had b ...

, also dated in 1395. Iain Mac Pharlain, in 1420, received confirmation to his lands of Arrochar.

In support of the Stewart earls of Lennox

Not long after, the ancient line of the Earls of Lennox died with the execution of Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox, by

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 ...

in 1425. After the earl's death it seems that the MacFarlanes claimed the earldom as heirs male. This claim, though, proved disastrous and the family of the chief were murdered, with the clan's fortunes reduced severely. The destruction of the MacFarlanes would have been inevitable but for an Anndra MacFarlane, who married Barbara, daughter of John Stewart, Lord Darnley, who had been created Earl of Lennox in 1488. Skene claimed that even though Anndra Mac Pharlain, through his marriage, had saved the clan from destruction, he still was refused the chiefship of the clan. Skene also showed that even his son, Sir John MacFarlane, assumed the subordinate designation of "Capitaneus de Clan Pharlane" (''Captain of the clan''). Though Alexander MacBain, in a later edition of Skene's work, pointed out that ''Capitaneus'' was really

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...

for ''Chief''. From this period on the clan appears to have loyally supported the Stewart Earls of Lennox, and for several generations there is little history attributed to the clan.

=Battle of Glasgow Muir

= In the mid sixteenth century, Donnchadh Mac Pharlain of Mac Pharlain, appears to have been a steady supporter of

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, ...

. In 1544, Mac Pharlain led three hundred of his men, and joined Lennox and Glencairn at the Battle of Glasgow Muir, where they were narrowly defeated. The Mac Pharlains were affected by the forfeitures that followed, though were saved by their very powerful friends, and the chief obtained a remission for his lands. After the defeat, the Earl of Lennox was forced to flee to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, and married a niece of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, and afterward returned to Scotland with a huge force supplied by the

English king The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

. For fear of further repercussions, the chief of the clan did not personally support Lennox, but instead sent a relative, Bhaltar MacFarlane of Tarbet, with four hundred men, in support of the Earl. The MacFarlane clansmen are said to have acted as light troops, and as guides to the Earl's main force. The sixteenth century, English chronicler,

Raphael Holinshed Raphael Holinshed ( – before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on ''The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande'', commonly known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles''. It was the "first complete printe ...

described this MacFarlane force as follows: "In these exploytes the Erle had with him Walter McFarlane of Tarbet, and seven

score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...

of men of the head of Lennox, that spoke both Irishe and the English Scottish tongues very well, light

footmen A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

very well armed in the shirtes of

mayle The Chestnut Ridge people (CRP) are a mixed-race community concentrated in an area northeast of Philippi, Barbour County in north-central West Virginia, with smaller related communities in the adjacent counties of Harrison and Taylor. They are of ...

, with bows and two-handed swords; and being joined with the Scottish

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

s and shotte, did much avayleable service in the streyghts,

marishes Marishes is a civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The parish has an area of some , and is located between Malton and Pickering in the low-lying Vale of Pickering. Whilst the main occupation of the residents in the parish is agricultural ...

, and mountayne countries".

=Battle of Pinkie Cleugh

= At Irwine in 1545, a bond of manrent was granted to Hugh, Master of Eglinton to Duncan, uncle of the Laird of MacFarlane. Later in 1547 the clan suffered grievously at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

, in which the chief, Duncan was slain along with many of his men. The clan, led by Duncan's son, Andrew, fought under the

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotland for hi ...

, against the forces of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, at the Battle of Langside in 1568. The clan's part in the battle is related to by Holinshed: "In this battayle the vaiancie of an Hie-land gentle-man named M'Farlane, stood the Regent's part in great steede; for in the hottest brunte of the fight, he came in with three hundred of his friends and countrymen, and so manfully gave in upon the flanke of the queen's people, that there was great cause of the disordering of them".Nisbet, pp. Appendix 60–61. After the battle, the clan also boasted of capturing three standards of the Queen's army, which were preserved as trophies for a long time afterwards. For his clan's aid, Andrew was awarded the crest of a "demi-savage ''proper'', holding in his dexter hand a sheaf of arrows, and pointing with his sinister to an imperial crown, ''or'', with the motto, ''This I'll defend''", by the

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particu ...

. The crest bestowed on the MacFarlane chief alludes to the defence of the Crown and Kingdom of Scotland, as Mary was seen as rebellion against the Crown. Nothing is known of Andrew's son, though his grandson, Walter MacFarlane was a staunch supporter of the King. In his time, he was twice besieged in his house, and his castle of Inveruglas was later burned down by English forces. MacFarlane of MacFarlane arms

Fall of the clan

The clan was denounced by the Government in 1594, to have committing theft, robbery, murder, and tyranny. Later, in 1624, after the Battle of Glen Fruin when the MacFarlanes and their friends the MacGregors killed about 80 members of Clan Colquhoun and their allies, several members of the clan were tried and convicted of such acts, with some being pardoned and others executed. Many others were removed to

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

and Strathaven in

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Mora ...

, where they assumed the names ''M'Caudy'', ''Greisock'', ''M'James'' and ''M'Innes''. Some to fled to Ireland, and with the

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompan ...

there, emigrated further to America where the surname would evolve to McFarland. The last clan chief, in the direct male line, William Macfarlane, 20th Clan Chief, was born in 1813 and died without issue in 1866. The heir of line then passed to his sister, Jane Watt MacFarlane, who was born in 1817 and who married a Mr James Scott and settled in Sunderland, England. A successful draper, she died in 1887 leaving several children. A current clan chief could be found from one of their descendants. Several of the clan left and settled in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, as part of the force of their superior the Earl of Lennox when he took up his 3000-acre landholding during the plantation (resettlement) of Ireland in the reign of

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, and the leading representative of this branch, McFarland of Hunstown House, from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, made claims (unsuccessful) to the chiefship of the clan. Today the chiefship of the clan is dormant, and the clan can be considered an Armigerous clan.Official Scottish Clans and Families
Retrieved on 2007-11-21

Clan profile

*Clan Badge: Two plant badges have been attributed to the clan. **

Cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

.Story of the Clan
Retrieved on 2007-11-08 The clan shares this badge with

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 Argyl ...

, which tradition gives a descent from the old Earls of Lennox. **

Cloudberry ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to cool temperate regions, alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. This herbaceous perennial produces amber-colored edible fruit similar to the blackb ...

.The Scottish Clans & Their Tartans by W&A.K.Johnston & G.W.Bacon ltd part 50: Clan MacFalane (Attributed to the clan by Skene). *Clan

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 ...

: Loch Sloidh (

Anglicised 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 ...

as: Loch Sloy) (translated from Gaelic: The Loch of the Host). *Clan Motto: This I'll Defend. *Clan Crest: A demi-savage brandishing in his dexter a broad sword Proper and pointing with his sinister to an Imperial Crown or standing by him on the wreath. *Clan Pipe Music ('' Pibroch''): **'Thogail nam bo theid sinn (translation from Gaelic: Lifting the cattle).''The Scottish Clans and Their Tartans'', p. 49. or, Thogail nam Bo theid sinn (translation: To Lift the cows by the light of the moon). **Spaidsearachd Chlann Pharlain (translation from Gaelic: MacFarlane's march).Eyre-Todd, pp. 91–98.Adam, p. 420. **Saved from extinction by Robert Macfarlan in the late 1800s.
Thogail nam Bo, The Clan MacFarlane Gathering *Clan Tartan: There are six reported MacFarlane tartans:
MacFarlane Tartan Red (Modern, Ancient, Weathered); Hunting (Modern, Ancient, Weathered); Black & White / Mourning (Modern, Ancient), Black & Red; Dress; and Lendrum.

Origin of the name

The surname '' MacFarlane (disambiguation), MacFarlane'', and other variations of the name, are Anglicisations of the Gaelic patronymic ''Mac Pharlain'', meaning "son of Parlan". The Gaelic Parlan or ''Parthalán'' is likely a

Gaelicisation Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaelic, or gaining characteristics of the ''Gaels'', a sub-branch of celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread from Ire ...

of the Latin ''

Bartholomaeus Bartholomeus or Bartholomaeus or Barthelomaeus is a masculine Latin given name, the Latin equivalent of Bartholomew. The German cognate is Bartholomäus. Notable people with the name include: * Bartholomeus Amadeus degli Amidei (died 1266), Ital ...

''.McFarlane Name Meaning and Origin
Retrieved on 2007-11-08 In Moncreiffe's opinion the name was linked with Partholón of

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...

, writing: "''Par-tholon'' or 'Sea-Waves' appears in Irish mythology as the first to take possession of Ireland after the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

Associated names

The following names are considered, by the International Clan MacFarlane Society, to be associated with the clan. Note that the prefixes ''Mac'', ''Mc'', and ''M are interchangeable. Many of the associated names listed are claimed by other clans. ;Associated names of Clan MacFarlane *Condey / Condie / Condy. *Gruamach. *MacCondey / MacCondie / MacCondy. *MacIock / MacJock. *MacInally. *MacNide / MacNite. *MacNoyer / MacNuyer. *MacWalter. MacFarlaine *Monach / Monnock. *Parlane *Parlin *Weaver. *Webster. *Weir. ;Associated names of Clan MacFarlane that are also claimed by other clans *Allan / Allen. *Allanach. *Allanson. *Allison. *Arrell / Arroll. *Barclay. *Bart. *Bartholomew. *Bartie/y. *Bartson. *Brice / Bryce. *Caa / Caw. *Calla/ende/ar. *Cunnison / Kennison. *Galbraith. *Galloway. *Grassick / Griesk. *Greusaich. *Knox. *Lea/iper. *Lenox / Lennox. *MacAllan / MacAllen. *MacAndrew. *MacAndro. * MacCaa / MacCaw. *MacCause. *MacEa/och. *MacEachern. *MacEoin. *MacErrachar. *MacFarquhar. *MacGaw. *MacGreusich/k. *MacInstalker. *MacJames. *MacKin(d)la/ey. *MacNair / MacNayer. *MacRob / MacRobb. *MacWilliam. *Michie. *Millar / Miller. *Rob / Robb. *Spruell (and assoc. spellings). *Stalker. *Williamson. *Wilson *Wylie / Wyllie.

Notes

References

;Works cited *''The Scottish Clans and Their Tartans, With Notes, Library Edition''. W. & A. K. Johnston, Ltd. *Adam, Frank. ''The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands 1934''. Kessinger Publishing, 2004. . *Eyre-Todd, George. ''The Highland Clans of Scotland: Their History and Traditions''. Charleston, SC, USA: Garnier & Company, 1969. *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. * Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Sir Iain. ''The Highland Clans''. London: Barrie & Rockliff, 1967. * Nisbet, Alexander. ''A System Of Heraldry''. (Vol. 2). Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1816. * Skene, William Forbes. ''The Highlanders of Scotland, Their Origin, History, And Antiquities''. London: John Murray, 1837. *Thompson, Thomas (ed). ''Publica Sive Processus Super Fidelitatibus Et Homagiis Scotorum Domino Regi Angliæ Factis A.D. MCCXCI-MCCXCVI''. Edinburgh: Bannatyne Club, 1834.

External links

The Homepage of Clan MacFarlane Worldwide, Inc.The Clan MacFarlane Society, Australia Inc.The Homepage of the International Clan MacFarlane Society, Inc.MacFarlane Castle Preservation & Archaeology on Island I Vow (Ellan Vhow)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlane Scottish clans Armigerous clans