Traditionally, the ancient home of this clan was Dunstaffnage, near Oban. A descent from King Alpin is claimed but has never been proved. However, the clan's early crest was the royal boar of the early Kings of Scots in Dalriada.

The origin of this clan stems from a confederation of clans who got together in order to counter-balance the influence of Clan Chattan. Disagreeing upon various inaugural matters, the confederation came to nothing.

There is very limited resources concerning this clan and after much searching have not found another relevant detail worth passing on.

The only other thing I could find was that an Edith MacAlpine who was born 1725 married an Archibald MacGregor who was born in 1721, Archibald allegedly fought for the Jacobite cause at the battle of Culloden when Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) led his Jacobite army to defeat at the hands of the Government troops led by Cumberland . When the battle had finished many Scots wounded were murdered by the government troops as they lay helpless in the heather.

There was a nationwide hunt for all Scots who had taken part in the Jacobite cause to replace the Hanoverian usurpers with the true monarchy of Scotland .

Chief: Not Known

Clan Seat: Not Known

Plant: Not Known

Memorials :Not Known

Of Celtic origin, the Macarthur's were the hereditary pipers to the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles. People have tried to claim that the family are in some way connected to the legendary King Arthur but that has never been proven without doubt. It is also thought that the name may derive from the Greek word Arktouros; meaning ‘keeper of bears' or as strong as a bear' There was a King Arthur in the sixth century who was a great Celtic Chief who had a son and called him Arthur, but it was written down as' Aedan MacGabhrain',

There is an old Scottish saying: “As old as the hills, the Macarthur's, and the devil”. The family are undoubtedly very ancient in the realms of Scottish history.

King James the first, however, was attempting to subdue the Highland clans and unfortunately for them the Macarthur's bore the brunt of his attacks. The King had the MacArthur beheaded and forfeited his lands. Later, the family was able to obtain a part of Strachur, in Cowal, Argyllshire, and would later own a portion of Glenfalloch and Glendochart. The family clan survived but never did regain their homelands nor the clan unit ever again. The MacArthur name is still very well known around the world to the present day but they have no real place to call home at this moment in time.

The beautiful but very dangerous, Loch Awe has been an inspiration to many of the Macarthur family and they were known to be experts at boating and seamanship. Many times the family clan would have died of hunger if it had not been for the ‘Fruits of the Loch ' The Loch was their protector and their benefactor too.

The MacArthur family with their tradition of Bagpipe players would play in the evenings and the beautiful melodies would float over the darkened Loch . There are people to this day swear that in the evening if the wind is still you can hear a piper playing across the Loch.

Chief: MacArthur of Tirracladdich

Clan Seat: Tirracladdich, on Loch Awe

Plant: Wild Thyme

Memorials: None

It is a matter of record that the MacAulay family signed the “ Rag Mans Roll” in the year of 1296. By signing this document they were swearing allegiance to Edward the first the hammer of the Scots. He had forced the Chiefs and Peers of Scotland to attend Berwick to sign their loyalty to him. Edward had slaughtered the whole town and left the bodies on the streets as a warning to any rebellious Scots.

This was put to rights when King Robert the Bruce (who had signed the rag mans roll) defeated Edwards son at the battle of Bannockburn on the twenty-forth of June 1314.

Scotland 's honour was restored for many years.

On the twenty-seventh of May 1591 the MacAulay's of Ardincaple entered into a bond with MacGregor of Glenstrae. It would be a Manrent and Deed of Clanship bond. This charter gave the MacAulay Clan the protection that they required by being associated with a larger Clan. The MacAulay family had to pay a tribute every year to their superiors this was called a “Calp” and was very much the Highland way of life. This tribute was cattle to be brought to a place predetermined by the giver of the bond. Failure to attend would mean forfeiture of any lands or service that the bond bearer supplied.

When The MacGregor Clan fell into difficulties with the Government and even the use of their name was banned. Sir Aulay MacAulay went out of his way to be very hard on the clan. This was seen as a way of distancing the MacAulay's from the MacGregor's. The MacAulay's were against the Stuarts Jacobite Struggle of 1715 and 1745, and indeed the raised a company of ‘Fencibles' in defence of the Hanoverian William and Mary who were the usurpers of the Scottish crown.

Glenerm, in Antrim, Ireland, was acquired by the family and formed a branch in Ireland . In 1767, the last territorial vestiges of the clan were sold by the 12 th chief to the Duke of Argyll.

The MacAulays of Lewis, from whom Lord MacAulay, the historian, has no connection with the MacAulays of Ardincaple.

Chief: Macaulay of Ardincaple

Clan Seat: Ardincaple Castle, Row, Dunbartonshire

Plant: Scots Fir

Paul Macbain the twelfth chief was forced to sell his lands in the year 1685, because the whole clan was weighed down by massive debts. The loss of their homeland must have been a cruel hard blow to the whole MacBain family clan.

The Clan rose for the Jacobite Struggle in 1715 and after the Stuart defeat many of them were deported to plantations across the vast Atlantic Ocean to America where they went to work in places like, Virginia , Maryland and South Carolina .

During the “45” a division of the clan was “out” with Lochiel but normally they would have been mustered to their acknowledged High Chief who was Macintosh. The clan Chiefs of the Macintosh division, which fought for Prince Charlie, was a Major in the Macintosh clan and both he and his father were swordsmen for the Prince. Major Gillies MacBean was a man of huge stature and fought at the battle of Culloden.

His heroic stand at a gap in a wall to defend his fellows with his broadsword resulted in the death of thirteen government troops including Lord Robert Kerr. He finally was defeated by overwhelming odds and fell to the English bayonets.

There were other MacBain heroes that day, to numerous to mention but one sticks out, and he was the person who although injured himself aided the badly wounded Lochiel from the battleground, and to relative safety. After the defeat at Culloden in 1776 the Clan had to get rid of their land and sadly they sold it in 1760, although the present Macbains have now managed to get some of their land back.

Some Clans did not always use the “Mac” prefix. The Bains or Baynes from Tulloch in Ross-shire have never used it at any time. Their present Chief owns a small part of their ancestral land at Kinchyle.

Chief: MacBain of that Ilk

Clan Seat: Kinchyle, Inverness-shire

Tryst: Kinchyle

Plant: Boxwood

Memorials : Dunlichity Kirk

His predecessor King Duncan died at his hand. MacBeth himself was then slain at Lumphanan Aberdeenshire in 1057. Macbeth was taken and buried at Iona , as this was the normal sepulchre for the Scottish Kings in that century. Macbeth had a stepson who succeeded him but he too was slain at Essie in Strathbogie. For some generations to come the throne would be contested unsuccessfully against the line of King Duncan. The Lord of the Isles played a part in a treaty, which seemed to resolve the bitter dispute.

The name MacBeth is famous not only in his home country of Scotland but is known all over the world through the writing of the English playwright William Shakespeare. If only MacBeth's life had been as idyllic as Shakespeare portrayed it, he would have been a happy man, but sadly this was not the case.

The clan history can be a bit confusing by the many clans' people changing their name to the Englified version which is Beaton, and the waters became murkier in a genealogical sense when they went further and changed their name to Bethunes. Who also were of the healing, physician stock, but came from the island of Skye . There are other former MacBean's who are now MacVeigh from the Gaelic usage of the letters; BH= V.

The later history of the MacBeths and the Highland Beatons and Bethune's becomes even more confusing as people tend to use what name they like best, and can actually be referring to the same family.

Reginald had a son named Donald. He was known as a great fighter and a fierce warrior on the field of battle. He committed in his eyes many terrible sins in the protection of his homeland and actually feared for his own salvation. He eventually went to Rome to seek absolution from the pope. Donald was succeeded by Angus Mor in the year 1269 or thereabouts. Angus Mor fought for King Alexander the third at the battle of Largs in the year 1263. Angus Og fought on the side of Scotland 's most celebrated King who was Robert the Bruce, at the Battle of Bannockburn on the twenty-fourth day of June in the year1314. this was the day that the numerically superior English army were totally defeated, and their commander King Edward the second was forced to retreat to his home country. The family were greatly rewarded by a grateful Bruce.

Angus Og was succeeded by his son, John the Good, who assumed the title ‘ Lord of the Isles' The MacDonald clan is one of the greatest clans to ever come out of Scotland, and it appears in all aspects of Scotland's chequered past. Until the year of 1493 the MacDonald clan were still recognised as being the Sovereigns of the Islands .

Eventually after the devastating fall from grace that the MacDonald clan suffered when they lost their great title as Lord of the Isles, Glengarry then the Lords of Sleat held Chieftainship of the clan. The main branches of the family clan MacDonald at that time were as follows; Macalisters, MacIans of Ardnamurchan, MacDonalds of Glencoe, Clanranald, Dunyveg in Islay, Keppoch, Loch Alsh and Sleat.

The third Lord MacDonald settled the Chieftainship and the Peerage onto his younger son and obtained an act of parliament in 1847. This issue was resolved for good and has been sorted, since the year of 1947 Lord MacDonald has borne the Undifferenced Arms of the head of Clan Donald

Chief: Lord MacDonald

Clan Seats: Dunscaith Castle ; Armadale Castle , Ostaig House all in Skye

Plant: Heather

Memorials: Iona

During the whole of the fifteenth century the Clanranald had been engaged in feuds regarding the lands of Garmoran and Uist; first, with the Siol Gorrie, or race of Godfrey, eldest brother of Ranald, the founder of the tribe, and afterwards with the MacDonalds or Clanhuistein of Sleat, and it was not till 1506, that they succeeded in acquiring a legal title to the disputed lands.

John, eldest son of Hugh of Sleat, had no male heir, so he made over all his estates to the Clanranald. This was including the lands occupied by them at this present time. Archibald, or Gillespock, Dubh, natural brother of John, having slain Donald Gallach and another of John's brothers, endeavoured to seize the lands of Sleat, but was expelled from the North Isles by Ranald Bane Allanson of Moydart, eldest son of the chief of Clanranald. The latter married Florence , daughter of MacIan of Ardnamurchan, and had four sons; the first being, Ranald Bane; secondly, Alexander, who had three sons, John, Farquhar, and Angus, and a daughter; thirdly, Ranald Og; and 4. Angus Reochson. Angus Reoch, the youngest son, had a son named Dowle or Coull, who had a son named Allan, whose son, Alexander, was the ancestor of the MacDonnell's of Morar

The Clanranald distinguished themselves under the Marquis of Montrose in the civil wars of the seventeenth century. At the battle of Killiecrankie, their chief, then only fourteen years of age, fought under Dundee , with five-hundred of his men. They were also at Sheriffmuir. In the struggle for truth in the year 1745, the Clanranald took an active part. On the following day, however, young Clanranald, accompanied by his kinsmen, Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale and 'Neas Macdonald of Dalily, the author of a Journal and Memoirs of the Expedition, went on board the prince's vessel. And readily offered him his services. He afterwards joined him with two-hundred of his clan, and was with him throughout the Jacobite struggle for truth. At the battles of Preston and Falkirk , the McDonalds were on the right, which they claimed as their due, but at Culloden the three Macdonald regiments of Clanranald, Keppoch, and Glengarry, formed the left. It was probably their feeling of dissatisfaction at being placed on the left of the line that caused the Macdonald regiments, on observing that the right and centre had been given away to turn their backs and leave the field without striking a blow. One of the attendants of Prince Charles, who, after Culloden, embarked with him for France , was Neil MacEachan Macdonald, a gentleman sprung from the branch of the Clanranald in Uist. He served in France as lieutenant in the Scottish regiment of Ogilvie, and was father of Stephen James Joseph Macdonald, marshal of France, and Duke of Tarentum, born in November1765; died September the 24, 1840.

Chief: Ronald MacDonald

Clan Seat: Castle Tioram

Plant: Heather

The title Lord of the Isles had been removed, and they found that they were now feudal vassals to the Stewart's of Appin.

The next few years were turbulent for the small Scottish clan and they found themselves shunted from pillar to post by the things that were now happening in Scotland . Mary Queen of Scots and all the fighting and struggling that was so prevalent at the time took its toll on the small Glencoe clan.

The MacDonalds of Glencoe lived in a natural fort like valley. It was in fact a natural fortress against the outside world. There were no castles or huge structures to be seen on the mysterious glen's slopes. Because of the environment of Glencoe, the people who lived there had to be a certain type of person. They would inevitably be brawny and well able to suffer the extremes of heat and cold. Nature in Glencoe did not look kindly on any weakness, and only gave power a second chance.

The coming of King William the third of Orange to usurp the British throne cost the MacDonald of Glencoe clan dearly. There had always been bad blood between their near neighbours, Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, first Earl of Bredalbane.

The chiefs of the clans had been ordered to make their oath of submission to the nearest authority before the first day of January 1692. MacIain, who was an old man at this time, delayed his departure as he thought he had only to go to the nearby Fort William . On arriving there he was informed that they did not have the authority to accept their oath and that they would have to go south to Inveraray. The clan did not reach the town until the sixth day of January 1692. Although they were late they were told that the oath had been accepted and they headed for home. This was not to save their lives as later that year a detachment of troops arrived in the glen and stayed for a fortnight. One evening after everyone was in bed the murdering started. The clan were attacked as they slept. It was a brutal and callous attack on innocent people but the final count was thirty-eight people dead, including the old chief and his wife. The Campbells were blamed for the massacre but that is not really the truthful account of what happened. Sir John Dalrymple was furious that any MacDonalds had escaped Glencoe, which was committed in the name of his boss, King William The third of Orange . They were also a Jacobite clan and fought bravely for the Struggle for Truth in 1715 and 1745.

Chief: MacIain of Glencoe

Clan Seat: Glencoe

Plant: Heather

Memorials: Glencoe Kirk

When John re-married the daughter of Robert the second he produced another four sons - Donald, Lord of the Isles, the ancestor of the MacDonalds of Sleat; John Mor, from whom proceeded the McConnell's of Kintyre; Alister, the progenitor of Keppoch; and Angus, who does not appear to have left any descendants. That Amy, the daughter of Roderick was John's legitimate wife, is proved. First, by a dispensation which the pope granted to John in the year 1337; and secondly, by a treaty concluded between John and David the second in the year of 1369, when the hostages given to the king were a son of the second marriage, a grandson of the first, and a natural son. Besides, it is certain and without any doubt, that the children of the first marriage were considered as John's feudal heirs; a circumstance which clearly establishes their legitimacy. It is true that Robert the second., in pursuance of the policy he had adopted, persuaded John to make the children of these respective marriages feudally independent of each other, and that the effect of this was to divide the possessions of his powerful vassals into two distinct and independent lordships. These were, first, the lordship of Garmoran and Lochaber, which was held by the eldest son of the first marriage, - and secondly, that of the Isles, which passed to the eldest son of the second marriage; and matters appear to have remained in this state until the year of 1427, when, as formerly mentioned, the Lord of Garmoran was beheaded, and his estates were forfeited to the crown.

In the year 1680, Sir James MacDonald, second Baronet of Sleat, was recognised in the British Parliament as Laird of MacDonald , and for the seventh baronet, Sir Alexander MacDonald, the estate was made a barony of MacDonald, which in turn has devolved to the present Lord MacDonald, while the Chiefship of Clan Huistean has remained in the custody of the Baronetcy of Sleat.

Chief: MacDonald of Sleat

Clan Seat: Duntulm Castle , Skye

Plant: Heather

Memorials: None

The Clan Donal is a huge Clan and this branch derives from Archibald second son of John VII Lord of the Isles. There had been Royalist supporters among the clan, Angus 9th of Glengarry was granted a peerage at the time of the Restoration. He became Lord MacDonell and Aros. On his death, the peerage expired and the Chieftainship passed to his cousin 2 nd of Scotus and 10 th of Glengarry. Of the Jacobites imprisoned in the Tower of London was one Alistair MacDonell of Glengarry. A MacDonell tried to re-create the ancient state of Highland Chief; he was called Alistair and was the 15 th Glengarry.

He had a friendship with the famous Sir Walter Scott and sat for a painting by Raeburn the artist. He liked to take a full complement of retainers with him all dressed in full Highland regalia.

Chief: Aeneas Ronald Donald MacDonell of Glengarry

Plant: Common Heath

In 1562 a direct descendent of the MacDougall who had fought with Bruce entered the lands of Dunolly. He lived there until his death in 1598. Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchys daughter married Sir John of Dunolly when he succeeded to the title.

People who supported the old pretender forfeited their lands and John of Lorn was one of them. However, his lands were later returned to him.

The land is still held by the same family MacDougall of MacDougall.

There exists several more MacDougall Clans, MacDougalls of Freugh, Garthland, Gillespick, Logan, Makerstoun and Muirtoun. Ardchattan Priory on Loch Etive is the ancestral burial place for the Clan.

The MacDougall Clan have a distinguished war record the most notable being Colonel MacDougall who while in the service of the Swedish service, defeated the Imperialists of Leignitz.

Chief: MacDougall of MacDougall and Donollie

Clan Seats: Donollie Castle , Oban; Gylen Castle Kerrera, Argyll.

Plant: Bell Heather

Chief: Duff of Braco

Clan Seat: Duff House, Banff. Keithmore, Dufftown, Banffshire.

Plant: Oak

Memorials: Duff House Mausoleum