Clan MacDonald/Clan Donald
Clan MacDonald or Clan Donald is the largest of the Scottish Clans. Located in the Scottish Highlands, Clan Donald can trace its beginning to before twelve hundred and fifty, when Donald, the grandson of King Somerled, founded the clan on Islay island. The later chiefs have traditionally been known as the lord of the Isles, it is said they have been powerful enough to challenge the crown of Scotland.
Clan Donald’s motto is Per mare per terras, meaning, by sea and by land, and their badge crest or sigil features a crest coronet, an armored hand holding a cross.
Clan MacDonald has many branches with clan chiefs of their own. These include:
Clan Macdonald of Sleat
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald
Clan MacDonald of Largie
Clan MacDonell of Glengarry
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch
Clan MacAlister
In 1493 after an unsuccessful attempt to gain more power in Scotland, the MacDonald chief was stripped of his title “Lord of the Isles” by the Scottish King James IV. For years the MacDonalds worked to restore this title with little progress.
In the 15th century the crown began granting charters to the various branches of Clan MacDonald based on their separate land holdings. This was a crown policy to successfully keep the large and powerful clan divided.
During the Jacobite rebellion in the 18th century clan MacDonald supported the House of Stuart against the British government. The MacDonald Clan began to decline in the late 17 hundreds due to losses during the rebellion and to the highland clearances that saw much of its clan emigrate to the new world.
The historic seat of Clan Donald is Finnlaggan Castle, on the island of Islay. The castle was built in the 13th century on top of what they believe was an Iron Age fort. The castle was demolished sometime in the 15th or 16th century.
In 1971 the last remaining properties held by a member of the MacDonald clan located on the Island of Skye came up for sale. The lands were purchased by the Clan Donald Lands Trust and house a museum located in Castle Armdale that preserves the history of the clan.
Septs and Dependents – Connall, Connell, Colson, Coulson, Darroch, Donald, Donaldson, Galbraith, Kean, MacBride, MacCall, MacCaul, MacCodrum, MacColl, MacConnell, MacCoul, MacEachran, MacEachern, MacHowell, MacGilp, MacGorrie. MacGoun, MacGown, Maclan, MacIlvride, MacIlwraith, MacKean, MacKechnie, MacKillop, MacLardie, MacLarty. MacLaverty, MacLeverty, MacPhilip, MacRaith, MacRory, MacRuer, MacRury, MacSporran, MacWhannel, Martin, Philipson, Purcell, Rorison, Whannel.
