Touch Not – Magazine of the Clan Chattan Association€¦ · Mountain Games in Atlanta, Georgia...

Chairman’s Welcome 2019Dear Fellow Clansfolk,

Ihave now been your associationchairman for the last two and a halfyears and my term of office will come

to an end in August. It has been aninteresting and eventful period. Sadly Ihave not been able to develop a plan toencourage younger clans people to join ourassociation, which was my objective whenI agreed to be elected as the chairman. Ithas been on the councils agenda at everymeeting and it was clear to all that it may bean impossible task. This is mainly due tothe fact that our association unlike all otherClan Associations is a confederation ofmany clans and families who also havetheir own one name associated clans andassociations. So although our membershipis looking healthy we are not getting wholefamilies joining us. The association’scouncil meetings have been well attendedand debate has been to a high level in allour meetings. Our annual gathering in August aroundInverness proved to be a successful eventwith good attendance and a well runAnnual General Meeting. We werehonoured to have the Lord Lyon as ourguest for the evening and to see so manyfellow members from all around theworld. Once again we kept to our newtradition of having our association clanpiper, Cindi McIntosh pipe the councilinto the meeting, which really sets anappropriate tone for the nights events.

Our gathering at the Field Fair at Moy wasmainly dry this year with a goodattendance through the Association’s tent,where anyone with an interest is welcometo speak to council members and to findout a little more about the Association andthe names of those within ourconfederation clans. A big thanks goes toCelia Mackintosh of Mackintosh, for herwarm hospitality at her home at Moy,which we very much appreciate. Your Association council are now lookinginto ways of including more councilmembers from around the world into ourcouncil meetings. Due to distance it is verydifficult to have everyone attend meetingsthroughout the year, as some live inCanada, Australia, USA, Europe andaround the UK, which we all know cantake as long to get from London toEdinburgh as it sometimes can from NewYork to Edinburgh. So we need to find asensible way to hold Skype or otherinternet meetings so everyone cancontribute to the great work theAssociation do on our members behalf. I would like to thank Donald and Denisefor the long hours and hard dedicatedwork they perform on our behalf. They arethe ones who prepare everything for all theevents and who do the work on the day toensure that we can all come along and joinin the fun and enjoy the events which allrun extremely smoothly and without fuss.I personally thank them both. On a personal note, plans are in motionfor Cheryl and my marriage at the end ofJuly at our home in York. We are notholding a traditional Scottish ceremony,but a very rural based old traditionalmarriage with processions and plenty offood and music. However hopefully ourAssociation piper may be on hand to pipein the couple at the end of the ceremony.Something we are all looking forward toafter being together for 29 years. I am notone to rush in. I wish you all a very interesting andprosperous 2019 and hope we will see youat our AGM in August. Yours faithfully

John E Mackfall.Chairman of the CCA.

Clan Chattan Association Magazine - March 2019

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Touch Not – Magazine of the Clan Chattan Association

John E Mackfall. Chairman of the CCA

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Gradfather MountainGames

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Colonel Anne - Pure Theatre

*

A Mysterious Case

*

Not Moving Mountains

*

Petty Mausoleum

*

Macleans of the North

*

How We Celebrate Our ScottishHeritage Every Summer

*

Highland Games in Holland

*

The Mackintosh’s Shopping List

*

The Annual Gathering

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The Battle of Glenshiel

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And more…


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THE GRANDFATHER MOUNTAINHIGHLAND GAMES NORTH CAROLINA,USA - 11-15 JULY 2018

After I addressed the leaders of theClan Societies at the StoneMountain Games in Atlanta,

Georgia in 2016, about the Clans'participation the following year in theEdinburgh Military Tattoo, I wasapproached by the Vice-President of theGrandfather Mountain Games, SteveQuillin, who invited me to be the Chieftainof the Grandfather Mountain HighlandGames (GMHG), in conjunction withMargaret Elliot, 26th. Chief of Clan Elliot,in 2018. The GMHG is one of the largestand most prestigious events of this type inthe US and, as I was last there 39 yearsago, I readily accepted. I arrived at Charlotte, the State Capital ofNorth Carolina, in the evening ofWednesday 11 July, having flown in fromthe UK, to be met by the North American(NA) Branch Convenor of our ClanSociety, Rob McComas. Rob and I madeour way to the Appalachian Mountains(sometimes known as the Blue Ridge orGreat Smokey Mountains) where theGames are held. It was a two-hour drivebefore we reached the Host hotel andfinally I got to bed about 1.00 am. It wasa long journey.

At 8.00 am the next day, I awaited thearrival of my fellow Chief, Margaret Elliot,who I have known for several years, andwho had kindly invited me to spend theday with her visiting Biltmore House,while Rob and his team put the finishingtouches to the Clan MacThomas tents on

the Games Field. Biltmore is a palatialVictorian House situated in 8000 acres. Itwas built in 1895 by the Vanderbilt family,an American family of Dutch origin, whomade a vast fortune in shipping andrailroad. Open to the public since 1930's,Biltmore is the largest privately ownedhouse in the US. In the gardens, there is amagnificent display of awe inspiringcolourful glass works and sculptures bythe world-famous artist, Dale Chihuly. Itwas a much needed few hours ofrelaxation after the flight before the Gamesbegan that evening with a stunningtorchlight ceremony on the Games Field,during which all 118 participating Clanscreated a spectacular cross of light in theshadow of Grandfather Mountain. After breakfast in my hotel on Fridaymorning, I met up with former NAConvenor, Wendy Thomson fromMichigan, and Clan Member CarolynHinton from Pennsylvania, who hadattended the 2017 Gathering in Glenshee.On arrival on the Games Field at 9.30 am,I greeted several other Clan members fromthe South-East states of the Carolinas andGeorgia as well as Graham Thoms fromToronto in Canada and welcomed severalprospective members before being tornaway to attend the Opening Ceremony andofficially open the 63rd GrandfatherMountain Highland Games. The Games Field sits in a fabulousposition about half way up Grandfather

Mountain. In Scotland, Highland Gamesare local events with no more than threeClan tents present at most. At this year'sGrandfather, what was quite amazing wasthat there were one hundred and eighteenclans represented, each with their ownindividual tents, which were situated intwo rows around the Games Field. It wasan incredible sight! As one of this year'shonoured Clans, the Clan MacThomashad two tents - one on either side of "ClanRow"! Branch Convenor, Rob McComas,had printed banners lining the walls of ourmain tent, which told the story of our Clan,including our Sept names andphotographs of Glenshee. Our tents werewell kitted out and looked impressive. I had indicated to Rob McComas that atlunchtime, I should like to visit the top ofGrandfather Mountain, which is a lothigher than Ben Nevis. Virginia McComb,the new Editor of the NA BranchNewsletter, accompanied us. There is awalkway bridge there which straddles twopeaks. The mist swirled around at timesbut, when the sun came out, the view wasspectacular! Over a snack lunch, the threeof us took the opportunity to discuss thecurrent state of the NA Branch and plan acourse of action for the following year. Thediscussions included setting up a BranchExecutive team, a network ofState/Province representatives, improvingcommunications with exiting Membersand how to recruit more Members. Bobby

Marching at Grandfather Mountain Photos courtesy of James Shaffer

MacThomas of Finegand

Thomas and Wendy Thomson were left tolook after the tent and on returning I wasdelighted to learn that much interest hadbeen shown, a good amount of stock sold,with my book being particularly popular,and some new members had joined theSociety. The evening was taken up with theSponsors' Dinner at the Host Hotel wherewe were joined by my son, Clan SocietyVice-President, Tom MacThomas. Saturday is the biggest day of the Gameswith a daily attendance of about 12,000,with many milling around the clan tentsand others watching the high standard ofScottish dancing, piping, running events,sheep dog trials and Scottish heavyathletics, where the Clan MacThomas wasrepresented by Virginia McComb'shusband, Nathan. Thankfully, it hadrained slightly in the night and there wassome cloud cover which meant that it wasnot as hot as the previous day. Just beforelunch, Margaret Elliot, my fellow Chiefand I took our places for the day's openingceremony, each saying a few words.Afterwards, we both attended and spokeat the annual meeting of COSCA, theClan's umbrella organisation in the USA,which has close links with the StandingCouncil of Scottish Chiefs. I mentionedmy involvement with Clan Chattan. Afterthat Tom and I visited about half of the 118Clan tents. At the various Chattan Clantents on the field, we received aparticularly warm welcome. Once back atthe MacThomas tent, I discovered morenew members had been recruited andseveral members waiting for me to sign mybook. Unbeknown to me, one of the newMembers signed up was a piper calledRobert Thomas, who has wornMacThomas tartan for thirty years but hadnever come across a MacThomas tent atany of the Games he attended. He was sothrilled to meet us all and is to learn theClan pipe tunes. That night at the NA Branch dinner, whichwas held at the Host Hotel, the case for theClan MacThomas to appoint StateRepresentatives at the main Games in NA,of which there are thousands overall,became that much clearer. At Atlanta in2016, we were around ten in all for dinner.This year, as a surprise, I was piped intodinner by Robert Thomas, where I foundnumbers had doubled, which isencouraging. Virginia had arranged for the

tables to be nicely dressed and Robertplayed again during dinner which wassplendid. After the meal was over,Members were invited to stay on for theannual NA Branch meeting before retiring,during which several helpful ideasemerged. Sunday came along far too quickly andtweed jackets turned out to be quiteunsuitable on what was a hot day. Tomand I got to the Games Field early so wecould visit the remaining Clan tents beforehaving to attend the Reviewing Standwhere I had to "take the salute", inconjunction with Margaret Elliot, duringthe Parade of the Tartans which, with somany Clans participating, took well overan hour. In all these events, RobMcComas, Bobby Thomas, GrahamThoms and Wendy Thomson took turnscarrying my personal banner and the otherClan flags. After lunch, there was just timefor the Official photograph of the GamesTrustees and their Honoured Guests at theMemorial Cairn. There was a weatheredplaque there laid in 1979, which listedseveral Clans whose Chiefs had been toGrandfather and I found MacThomaslisted next to Elliot. How fitting!

It was time for Tom and me to say ourfond farewells to Steve Quillin and theother Trustees who had looked after us sowell and to all those Clans folk who hadmade the journey to GrandfatherMountain. The Branch recruited well overa dozen new Members, sold a healthyamount of stock, found a North AmericaClan piper and created much goodwill. I

was able too to promote and support theChattan Clans present. Tom and I receiveda typically warm welcome wherever wewent. My thanks go to Rob McComas formaking all the arrangements and drivingme around and to all those Members whomade our time at Grandfather Moutain soenjoyable and worthwhile. I was delightedto support the Scottish community inAmerica and I am sure the NorthAmerican Branch and the Clan Movementin the USA will continue to go fromstrength to strength.

Finegand.


Tom & Andrew MacThomas of Finegand

The Bride and Groom are : Amy MacThomas and CharlesPelham marriage 27th October 2018

L-R Gillian MacThomas, Charles Pelham, Amy MacThomas,The MacThomas of Finegand, Madam MacThomas ofFinegand, Tom MacThomas, Younger of Finegand

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Colonel Anne– pure theatre“Colonel” AnneF a r q u h a r s o nMackintosh, one ofthe heroes of the ’45Rebellion, has featuredin several raunchynovels. Now she is thesubject of a new play, byDavid Shirreff, a distantrelation, who describes how the play wasborn.Many members of Clan Chattan are aware of“Colonel” Anne Farquharson Mackintosh,the resourceful lady who raised a Highlandregiment for Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.She also probably saved his life by somequick thinking on a February night in 1746,an action dubbed the Rout of Moy.In October 2017 my cousin James Shirreffdrew my attention to Colonel Anne as a goodsubject for a play: young, beautiful,independent, and defiant of her husbandAngus, the Laird of Mackintosh, who hadsigned up as a captain in King George II’sBlack Watch. There are two historical novelsabout her, one good, one bad. But her story isthe stuff of drama for stage or screen, as Isoon discovered.My researches led me to Inverness, whereAnne Fraser at the Highland Archive Centre,was extremely helpful with the genealogy. Ivisited Culloden in February, as grim as it canbe under patches of snow; and Moy Hall,where Celia Mackintosh showed me the relicsof the Rout of Moy, including Bonnie PrinceCharlie’s bed.On February 16th 1746 Lord Loudoun,commander of the Government’s forces in theNorth of Britain - and incidentally stayingwith Anne’s mother-in-law, LadyMackintosh, at No 43 Church Street,Inverness – discovered that Bonnie PrinceCharlie was a guest at Moy, eight miles away.Loudoun decided on a night raid. Luckilyword reached Colonel Anne first. She actedpromptly, sending out her blacksmith,Donald Fraser, and four other men to makethe din of an entire army: drums, muskets,bagpipes and shouts of “Claymore!” The trickworked. Lord Loudoun and his men fledback to Inverness pursued, as they thought,by thousands of Jacobites; the next day theyabandoned the town altogether. Doublewhiskies all round.

The biggest conundrum presented by thestory is how Anne and Angus managed tostay friends and presumably lovers duringand after the Rebellion. Angus was takenprisoner by the Jacobites in February 1746and put in the custody of Anne,occasioning their famous greeting:“Your servant, Captain.”“Your servant, Colonel.”How did they then treat each other?

Did she have a brief affair with AlasdairRuadh Macgillivray, the six-foot-four warriorwho led her troops at Culloden and perished?After Culloden, Anne was imprisoned for sixweeks in Inverness before being returned toAngus at Moy. How did they then greet andtreat each other? Two years later they were inLondon, as minor celebrities, at a ball givenby Prince William the “Butcher” Duke ofCumberland, victor of Culloden. Cumberlandasked Anne to dance to his tune “Up AndWaur Them A’, Willie”, after which shepersuaded him to dance to hers, a Jacobiteditty, “The Auld Stuarts Back Again.” Somenerve.Anne and Angus lived at Moy for anothertwo decades until his death in 1770. Officiallythey had no child. But in my play I inventedone, a daughter begotten on the eve ofCulloden by warrior chief Macgillivray. Thatis the only time I depart from history. Ingeneral the story has its own wonderfulsymmetry and seems to write itself. Forexample, Lady Mackintosh, Angus’s motherin Inverness, plays host first to Lord Loudon,then Bonnie Prince Charlie, and finally“Butcher” Cumberland. The Mackintoshfamily is thus, by accident, at the epicentre ofthe ’45 Rebellion, but without anyone losinghis head. Angus for all his equivocation as aJacobite manages to save himself, his wife,and his estates to live another day. Those whomeddled more deeply – Ewan Macphersonof Cluny, Simon Fraser Lord Lovat – losteverything. Footnote: This has no bearing on ColonelAnne’s heroic story, but I am proud to saythat she and her husband Angus are distantforebears. Angus Mackintosh and AnneFarquharson Mackintosh officially had noissue, but their great niece, the granddaughterof Angus’s brother Alexander - also calledAnne Farquharson Mackintosh - marriedDavid Shirreff of Kinmylies, my - and cousinJames Shirreff’s - great-great-greatgrandfather, in 1794.


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New MembersMarch 2018 – February 2019

Charles MacIntosh USA

Linda Poissant USA

Bobby Bean USA

David Gray Australia

Peter Gillespie UK

Linda MacRitchie-Graf USA

Antoine Gabrielli-Del Deo France

Alasdair McIntosh UK

Wayne Winder USA

Deborah Sage USA

Mitch Kase USA

Fiona MacVane Phipps UK

Dan Macqueen USA

April Lowe USA

Janet Merrill USA

Georgina Ware UK

David Shirreff UK

James Shirreff UK

Guenter Mascheck Germany

Meredith Ruxton McIntosh USA

Elizabeth Converse USA

Donna Moffat Canada

Dean Clark USA

Iain Shaw of Tordarroch Spain

Rupert Lt Col. RHS Shaw MBE UK

Anthony West USA

Gavin Meldrum UK

Daniel Durrant USA

Andrew MacQueen UK

Yvonne Davis USA

Katherine Pauley USA

Kathleen Chattin USA

Devon Lott USA

John McIntyre UK

This poem was written by AnneCarola Edmond ( 1929 -1987 ) tocommemorate the 200th

anniversary of the Battle of Culloden in1946. She was a direct descendant of FloraMacDonald.

The Dead at Culloden.Bravely we fought, as men

will always do,Now our green tombs are moistened

by the dewOur graves are nameless.

Only on the moorWhere rose the mighty shout

‘Claymore! Claymore!’And for our Prince we dared

to fight and dieGrey stones upraise their

silence to the sky.One word on each is carved.

It stands for allOf the name who, obedient to the call

For King and Faith; and at their Chief’s first word,

Took from the thatch the long secreted sword

And caring not for politics, or aughtSave that his son, for whom

their sires had fought,Was trusting to their oft-proved loyalty,

Rose as one man and vowed their fealty.Read the proud names upon the

weathered stones;Camerons, Grahams, here repose

our bones.Next to our kin we sleep, both

rich and poorUnited by our deaths upon this moor.

We ask no other fate. Men know our worth

Who love the Cause for which we were called forth.

A.C.E June 1946.

It is likely that there were a number ofGrahams there on the day but no ClanGraham as such.It is thought that the name was used as ametaphor for all the Clansmen who foughtin the battle.

Submitted by Sonia Cameron Jacks.


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“Scotland Is”

This is a collection of thoughts, designed to lead you to Scotland for your nextholiday. After being amongst the Macphersons in Newtonmore and Kingussie lastsummer, and with Clan Chattan the week before, I felt the call to share my

memories of this beautiful land and lovely people.

Scotland IsNot just the sheep on the hills,

Not just a whisky by the warm peat fire,Not just men in kilts,

Not just lush flower gardens,Not just golf,

Not just the sticky toffee pudding,Not just the dramatic and ever-changing landscape,Not just white clouds against the darkened skies,

Not just the falcon in flight,Not just the lone piper on the hill,

Not just the heavy brogue (talk to me some more),Not just the rain, the misty rain, bucketing,

Not just the lay-bys, and the winding, twisting roads,Not just the mossy stones, under the ancient trees,

Not just haggis and black pudding,Not just pheasants and grouse,

Not just driving on the left, and round the roundabouts,Not just the Highland lass dancing to the fiddler’s bow,

Not just the steep stone steps, up the ruined towers,Not just the ancient castles and cathedrals.

Not just this, but more.It’s the magic of the moment as the mist starts moving in.

It’s the purple heather beckoning from the distant hills beyond.It’s the easy understanding you have with one who has

been there, really been there.It’s the music of the fiddlers and the mood it sets upon you.It’s the darkening of the skies bringing the buckets of rain.It’s the moment the bald eagle lands on your gloved arm

during the falconry lesson.It’s the clouds gathering over the mountains across the loch,

still daylight at eleven pm.It’s the peacock on the gate post, about to dive into your car.

It’s the open arms and happy smile of a fellow Clansman welcoming you home.It’s the chaos on the dance floor as we all get up to Strip the Willow.

It’s the richness in our voices and the soulful look in our eyes as we crossarms, hold hands in a circle, and sing Auld Lang Syne.

It’s the ache in your heart and the catch in your voice when you try toexplain the land and the people and how you desperately must return

soon and stay longer next time.It’s all this, and more!

Donna “Dee McPherson” Rucks


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A Mysterious Case

Celia Mackintosh of Mackintoshbrought this little story to myattention and thought that I would

share it with you……….Kevin and Edith Miller (No ClanConnections) of Chelmsford visited anantiques centre some years ago and boughta leather luggage case which they thoughthad an interesting look to it. Sometimeafter, a friend, on seeing the case, remarkedupon the inscription on the case. Theinscription reads ‘Moy Hall Inverness NB’.The Millers were excited to connect thecase to a location and maybe in time to aperson and were particularly excited whenthey learned of the history of Moy Hall.For some time the Millers were reluctant tomake contact for fear of the present

occupier not having any sense ofconnection with the cases history.

During a holiday to the Highlands in 2018and in particular to Inverness they decidedto take a chance to visit Moy Hall. Theywere overwhelmed and delighted to meetMrs Mackintosh of Mackintosh who wasintrigued by their story and photographs

of the case. After a visit to the museumand some highland hospitality the Millersleft to continue their holiday content thatthey had made this connection after allthese years.P.S. The initials NB – are they the initialsof the owner? Ormaybe……………………

Not Moving MountainsBy David Mackintosh

During my last stay in the Highlands I came across a leafletproduced by the Cairngorms National Park which seeks toprovide an introduction to the meaning and pronunciation

of many of the place names in the area. Having studied, if nevermastering, linguistics and with an interest in history I was delightedto take a copy. Upon reading it I was intrigued to discover a featurecalled Càrn Mhic an Tòisich, MacIntosh’s Mountain. Where, Ipondered was this and looking it up on the map saw it placed nearthe Lecht Pass, not far from Corgarff Castle (which on the “to visit”list). Now with ideas of perhaps trying some hill walking I decidedto see what further information I could find on paths, accessibility,time to walk, local watering holes, eating places and the otheressentials. This is where things got confusing.There are a number of excellent sources of information about Scottishmountains and hills. Càrn Mhic an Tòisich does appear, is listed at678m, is relatively easy to walk, but appeared to have migrated! It isto be found between Glen Moriston and Plodda Falls, the other sideof the Great Glen. Given this apparent error I got in touch with theCairngorms National Park and was surprised, but pleased, to learnthat I was the first to raise this with them. Much more pleasing washearing they are hoping to update this great resource and that theywould look to correct this error.I will confess to feeling slightly pleased with myself in havingcorrected this cartographical error. However, I was still intrigued asto what had led to this mountain being named as such. Now I haveyet to discover the story behind this, but I did learn that actually theCairngorms National Park map creator was not in fact, wrong! Veryclose to the Lecht Ski Centre there is a feature with the same name.Essentially part of Beinn à Chruinnich it seems to have attractedlittle comment from the hill walking fraternity. But I am eager to hearfrom anyone who can explain the origins of not one, but two,MacIntosh mountains…

A mysterious case

Inscription 'Moy Hall Inverness'

Gone but not forgottenDuring the last year we have been informed of the

passing of some of our long standing members. W.A. Davidson from British Columbia, Canada.

Joined the Association in 1959.Iain MacGillivray from Hampshire, UK. Also joinedaround 1959 and I am told was an active member,visiting Moy and Inverness on several occasions.

C.W. MacIntosh from Nova Scotia, Canada had been amember since 1969.

R.I. MacKintosh from Dorset, UK was a long standingmember who also had joined in 1959.

Dorothy and William McIntosh, Kirriemuir, Scotland. Bill and Dorothy joined the association in 1989 and

travelled to Moy for the Gathering every year with their son Callum.

Laurence Young from Virginia USA had been a member since 2002 and was a former president

of Clan Mackintosh North America.Graham McIntosh from Bickley in Kent UK .

Graham had been a member since 1992 and attendedthe Clan Chattan Association Annual dinner every year.

Graham had a successful career as a Detective ChiefInspector in the police. He was passionate about

his Scottish ancestry and researched and restored a family grave in Banchory.

They will be fondly remembered and sadly missed.The Association would also like to remember David

Sellar MVO, MA, LLB, FRHistS, FSA (Scot), LLD, formerLord Lyon King of Arms. Although he was not a memberof the association he oversaw the signing of the Band of

Union at our 400th anniversary celebrations in 2009. A man of infinite knowledge, he guided us patiently

through all the aspects of the signing.


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Petty MausoleumBy Louisa Cross

This was created with significant input fromRex Davidson for which I am extremelygrateful

The Mackintosh Mausoleum was builtin the late-17th Century by Mackintoshof Kinrara, brother to the 18th Chief of

Mackintosh, at Petty, between Inverness andNairn and adjoining St. Columba’s Church.The Church was probably based on a Culdeechurch of the 4th or 5th Centuries, and isadjacent to a motte of even earlier times. Thechurch was rebuilt in the 1840s. Theconnecting gable between the mausoleumand the church, therefore, predates theMausoleum. Archaeological work has yet tobe done on the sites of the motte, the Churchand the Mausoleum.The Mausoleum itself is of immense historicimportance to the Mackintoshes, to the widerChattan clans and to Highland’s heritage.Many of the chiefs of Mackintosh and ClanChattan were buried there -- some with theirwives and children -- over more than fourcenturies from 1600. The location of themausoleum near Termit, where a ClanChattan Band of Union was signed in 1609,is on the ancient lands of the Mackintoshesand several of its septs. At Termit amonument was unveiled in 2009 by ClanChattan clansfolk from around the world andanother band of friendship and union wassigned on the 400th anniversary in 2009. Throughout history – and for years before --Clan Mackintosh and Clan Chattan havebeen, and are still closely interwoven, as wasso evident in that 2009 Gathering year.Sadly, following the collapse of the roof in2012, the Mausoleum is in need of extensiveconservation work if it is to be properlyrestored as a clan and historic site. A detailedarchitectural historical conservation reportwas commissioned by Highland Council in2013 and the Mackintosh family is currentlyworking with a conservation architect toinvestigate remedial and restoration work.Scaffolding has been erected to protect theruin and maintain public safety whileattempts are under way to find a means ofsalvage for posterity.To give a sense of the heritage value of themausoleum, I hope that this article willprovide some basic information on the Chiefswe know to be buried there.

(1) Lachlan, known as ‘Mor’, was the 16thchief of Mackintosh, and the first we know tohave been buried at Petty. He died in 1606almost ninety years before the mausoleumwas built. It is likely – although not yet certain– that his lead-lined coffin, and that of hiswife, were reinterred at the time ofconstruction early in the 1690s. Lachlan’schiefship had witnessed many events andgreat changes in Scotland, including thedethronement of Mary of Scots, herimprisonment and execution, the triumph ofthe Reformation, and the uniting of the twokingdoms under one sovereign, the King ofScots. In his time the estate was enlarged(and then diminished) by the inclusion ofCulloden, of lands in Strathnairn, in Daviotand early mentions of those of Inverarnie,Tordarroch and elsewhere. He entered intomany bands, some among the Camerons,during which he invaded Lochaber andforced then to pay rent on the old ClanChattan lands they then occupied. Lachlanhad seven sons and six daughters. Amongthem were Angus, the 18th Chief, who diedand was buried at Padua 1593.(2) Sir Lachlan, the 17th chief, who inheritedat the age of thirteen. It was this Lachlan –then known as ‘of Dunnachton’, the ancientholding of the Mackintoshes and the ClanChattan in Badenoch, who signed the 1609Band at Termit. (3) William, the 18th Chief, lived through thecivil war that broke out in Scotland andEngland at the same time. He was physicallyunwell during most of his life and, althoughnot able to undertake active service himself,remained intellectually and emotionallystrong and loyal to the Crown. In 1644 hewas named by King Charles as one in whomthe King reposed ‘a special trust’ and to whomhe gifted a sword, still at Moy Hall. Many ofthe Clan Chattan in Badenoch, Strathnairnand Strathdearn took up arms in support,

and when William died in1660 he had livedlong enough to see the restoration of themonarchy. We know he and his wife,Margaret, were buried at Petty, and assumethat they, too, were reinterred when themausoleum was built by William’s brotherjust a few years later.

(4) Lachlan, the 19th chief of Mackintosh,died at Dalcross Castle in December 1704.During his long life the ancient dispute withthe Camerons over the lands of Glenlui andLocharkaig in Lochaber was resolved. Suchwas the respect by which he was held that2000 armed clansmen attended his funeraland the procession extending all of the fourmiles from Dalcross to the churchyard inPetty. The ‘feasts and entertainments…keptup for an entire month.’ (5) Lachlan the 20th Chief of Mackintosh and21st of Clan Chattan, who died at Moy in

St Columba’s Church and the Mackintosh Museum pre-collapse

Large Monument containing ‘This Tablet’ and ‘In Memoriam’


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1731, is interred at Petty together with his wifeAnn Duff Mackintosh, who survived him by19 years. Ann Duff was the ‘Old LadyMackintosh’ who raised the alarm fromInverness that Lord Loudon was to attackMoy and capture Prince Charles in early1746, where the Prince was staying under theprotection of the renowned Colonel AnneFarquharson Mackintosh. Ann Duff sent ayoung Mackintosh boy to Moy, enabling theMoy blacksmith, four others and stacks ofdrying peat to deceive Lord Loudon and his1500 men in what has become known as theRout of Moy, no doubt saving the Prince’s life. (6) Sir Aeneas, the 23th Chief of Mackintoshand 24th of Clan Chattan, succeeded hisuncle Angus in 1770. He served in theAmerican War of Independence at the Battleof Brooklyn in 1776 and in campaigns from1771-1781. Aeneas and his men were takenprisoner when Lord Cornwallis capitulated.He was imprisoned and did not return hometo Moy until 1783 to build the third Moy Hallafter the second Hall had accidentally burned.He was created a baronet by King George IIIin 1812, but died in 1820 with no issue, sothe baronetcy did not continue. Sir Aeneas’widow, Dame Margaret Mackintosh, built the70 ft high granite obelisk on the island inLoch Moy, site of earlier Mackintosh hallsand villages, in his memory. (7) Alexander, the 24th Chief built DaviotHouse, where he lived while Dame Margaretcontinued to live with life rent at her belovedMoy Hall. Alexander was Sir Aneas’ secondcousin and was raised at Castle Leathers, afarm in the Inshes area east of Inverness. Hebecame a successful merchant in Jamaica.When he inherited the chiefship in his late60s he returned to the Highlands. He diedunmarried in 1827 and was succeeded by hisbrother. (8) Angus, the 25th Chief of Mackintosh and26th of Clan Chattan. Angus had settled inUpper Canada at a place he called Moy. Hewas a fur trader, initially in New York butsettling in Upper Canada where he became amember of the Legislative Council of theProvince. During the Frontier War with theUnited States, he gave the Governmentvaluable assistance at considerable cost tohimself. He returned to Daviot House on thedeath of his brother and died himself in 1833.(9) Alexander, the 26th Chief of Mackintoshand 27th of Clan Chattan, was born inDetroit in 1787 and worked in his father’s furtrading business. He was captain of the ship

Nancy and brought the cannons from thatship over to Moy Hall in 1836, just after hemoved there from Daviot House. Thesecannons are still on the terrace of the current(4th) Moy Hall. Alexander’s first wife, MaryGlas, died in 1840 and is buried at Petty.Alexander and Mary had married in Canadain 1812 and moved back to Scotland whenhis father Angus became chief in 1827. Theyhad no children. Alexander later marriedCharlotte MacLeod of Dalvey, by whom hehad two sons. She is commemorated by herhusband on a monument by the front drive toMoy Hall, with the inscription ‘Spectator,injure not this tribute to virtue’.(10) Lachlan Donald, the 29th Chief, mygrandfather, was the last chief to be buried atPetty. His wife, my grandmother, Margaret(Peggie) Elizabeth Darroch, who wrote theHistory of the Clan Mackintosh and the ClanChattan in 1947 is buried in DaviotChurchyard, as is my father, Lachlan RonaldDuncan, the 30th Chief of Clan Mackintosh,who revised his mother’s history in 1982.Margaret placed the two cast iron wildcats atthe entrance to the Petty Mausoleum inhonour of her husband. Unfortunately, Lachlan Donald diedsuddenly in 1957 at 60, so never met hisdaughter-in-law, Celia Bruce, or hisgrandchildren, Louisa, Anne, Bridget andJohn. Lachlan had a distinguished career inthe Royal Navy covering both the First andSecond world Wars, having joined as a cadetin 1913. Awarded the Distinguished ServiceCross in WW1, he then commanded thedestroyer Medea as a Lieutenant in 1919.After the war, he specialised in naval aviation,qualifying in the first course of Naval AirObservers in 1921. He learned to fly in 1925.He served in many aircraft carriers, and waspromoted to Commander in 1930. Hecommanded the destroyers Brazen andBoadicea and was promoted to Captain in1938. In WWII, Lachlan commanded thecruiser Charybdis and the aircraft carrierEagle, from which he was saved, with most ofhis crew, when the Eagle was sunk while

escorting a convoy to Malta in 1942 and wasin the aircraft carrier Victorious as Chief ofStaff to Sir Lumley Lyster, Rear Admiral,Aircraft Carriers, when the North Africanlandings took place in 1942. He was alsoawarded the Distinguished Service Order forservices in the Mediterranean. He thencommanded the Victorious, which formedpart of the US Fleet in the South Pacific in1943. He was awarded the Legion of Meritwith degree of Commander by the UnitedStates President. In 1944, he was Chief ofStaff to Vice Admiral Sir Henry Moore,Second in Command of the Home Fleet forthe successful air attack which disabled theGerman battleship Tirpitz in 1944. In 1944he commanded the new aircraft carrierImplacable, leaving her at the end of the yearto become an Assistant Chief of the NavalStaff (Air) to the Admiralty, in the rank ofActing By the time he retired in 1950, he hadbeen promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.Meanwhile, at Moy, he consolidated theestates to cover death duties and in 1939sponsored evacuee children to be housed inthe estate factor’s house and in Moy Hall untilthe Highland winter chill and a Luftwaffebomb bouncing on Loch Moy droveGovernment to find other accommodation forthem. In 1944, the Hall was used asheadquarters for an armoured brigade.Lachlan demolished the 3rd Moy Hall andstarted construction of the 4th (and current)Moy Hall after the war, but died before itscompletion in 1957.One of the tablets in the Mausoleum is ‘InMemoriam’ of chiefs and their spouses buriedother than at Petty. In future issues of TouchNot we will tell you about them. We thinkthat others in the Clan Chattan family areinterred in our Mausoleum at Petty and willcontinue to seek knowledge of them too. In the meanwhile, these people – our people-- were fine examples of the best of Highlandchiefs. May they ever be remembered.

(Evidence for this article is taken from myGrandmother’s book, my Father’s edition tothat book, the ‘Kinrara MS’ of c1670, AMMackintosh’s ‘The Mackintoshes of ClanChattan’ 1903 and Rex Davidson’s notesfrom the past’. Thanks to Nick Hide for thephotographs and his article on PettyMausoleum in Clan Chattan Journal 2015and to Rex Davidson for his inspirationand advice.)

Vice Admiral Lachlan Donald Mackintosh of Mackintosh


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Wilfried OtmarMackintosh (1918-2017)May 7th 2017 yetanother remarkableMackintosh passedaway.

My father, amost loved andrespected man, died on that day at

the age of 99 just a few days aftercommemoration day in The Netherlands.Early 19th century two brothers, Lawyers inInverness – so the story goes - left in a hurryand via the Caribbean ended up inSuriname. Now an independent republic inSouth America in between Cayenne andBritish Guyana. One of them was AlexanderMackintosh who married Ann Cameronboth born in Inverness, Scotland around1770. They had three kids of which the twoolder ones were born in Inverness. William,James and Alexander. William marriedNancy Campbell. Alexander, Ann and theiroffspring owned several plantations by thename of “Inverness”, “Fairfield”, “Maryshope”, “Huntly”, “Paradise” and alike.Moving back and forth the ownershipbetween the British and the Dutch, theColony finally became permanently Dutch.My great-grandfather James GordonMackintosh was adistricts commissionerof the district Albina, mygrandfather ReginaldIsidore Mackintosh,department head withthe ministry of health. My father dreamed at a very early age ofgoing to sea and joined Her Majesty’s RoyalNavy in 1936. After his first military trainingin The Netherlands he was send to Indonesiaa Dutch colony at the time where he wasstationed when the 2nd WW started in thepacific. In the aftermath of the battle of theJava Sea he was commissioned on a smallmine-layer to flee for Australia. Regretfullyafter three days they were discovered andattacked by the Japanese. The ship sankrapidly with the majority of the crew. Myfather survived with another 12. His bestfriend was killed by enemy fire standing justa couple of feet away from him. Somethinghe lived to remember every 4th of May, theDutch commemoration day. Surviving on a

rescue boat they landed on a smallIsland. The local people promisedto keep them safe but one day laterthey were handed over to theJapanese and so he became a POW.After a month in prison in thepenitentiary Glodok in Batavia, hewas transported to Rangoon inBurma to start working on theconstruction of the notorious Burma-Siam Railroad. Each and every

railroad tie represents two people died in theconstruction as they say. He was there from beginning to the end, andhas seen each and every mile of it and all thatcame with it. When the railroad was finished,they were transported to Ubon in what isnow Vietnam, to build an airstrip for theJapanese. It was there, when the war ended,August 1945 that they were liberated by aBritish Gurka regiment. Ever since that dayhe had a profound respect for the Gurka’s inthe British army.A fellow POW also a Dutch navy seamanoriginating from the province of Zeeland,survived as well and they agreed thatwhenever one of them would get married, theother would be his best man. So in 1948 ithappened, that at that very wedding myfather met my mother, who was a closefriend of the bride, for the first time. Theymarried in 1949.After the war my father continued to serve inthe Dutch Royal Navy until a well-earnedretirement in 1971, after which he became afulltime dad.In his lifetime he unfortunately not onlyexperienced the atrocities of the 2nd WW.Being stationed in the city of Vlissingenwhere we, me and my two brothers, wereraised, he also was active in the rescueoperations after the catastrophic flood inFebruary 1953. More than 1800 peopledrowned in the south-west part of theNetherlands following an unseen storm onthe North Sea. He spent days rescuing peoplefrom their roofs and getting bodies out of thewater. My father always had the down to earthstand, that he did not do more than just hisduty. He felt not special, especially not in thelight of those who he has left behind in thewar. So, it was not earlier then the last eightyears that he accepted the invitation of theDutch National committee 4and5 May. Eversince he attended, in the presence of then ourQueen and now our present King, the

commemoration ceremonies in Amsterdam.In 2015 – 70 years after the end of WW2 –at the order “Attention” he raised from hiswheel chair to salute during the 2 min silenceat the Dam Square in Amsterdam and assuch was spotted by a cameraman onNational TV. A tumultuous couple of daysfollowed. On the 5th of May, when wecelebrate the end of the war in The Kingdomof The Netherlands and our freedom eversince, he was interviewed by local andnational tv. At the end of the day he andalmost all his grandchildren were present at

a very popular talk show. He enjoyed it butit also made him feel humble because hesurvived and so many did not.For his outstanding naval career, he wasawarded Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau, with the swords. An award he wasrightfully very proud of.I always remember my father saying the 4thand 5th of May are an inseparable whole.You can not only remember the atrocities andcommemorate those who died, withoutcelebrating why they have died and rightfullyenjoy and celebrate our freedom. We are very proud of our father for what hedid, for who he was, for what he taught usbut above all for being a loving father.He died on the 7th of May 2017 not beingable anymore to attend the ceremonies on the4th of May because of his condition.Although reluctant to leave him, he made mego with my daughter to lay flowers at ourNational Monument to pay respect to thepeople who he soon would meet again. Hewas convinced of that. He also longed for themoment to be reunited with our mother whopassed away in 2008 and whom he missedtremendously. Our mom and dad were anextraordinary couple.Following his passing we received a verypersonal letter of our prime minister statingthat he really was special, a strong person anexample for many of us who will be trulymissed. In loving remembrance

Siwart Alexander Mackintosh


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Macleans of the North

Council member, Augusta Macleanof Dochgarroch had a verysuccessful art exhibition in

Edinburgh, during the Fringe, sellingvirtually all her canvases, including one toDon and Den [on Don’s birthday!].She advertises herself as: a Scottish artistwho studied Fine Art at Oxford BrookesUniversity, graduating in 2016. Now basedin Edinburgh she still paints heratmospheric landscapes."I work towards creating artwork with asense of mood and atmosphere. My worksmostly rely on my emotions, and thiscomes across in the completed work. Mostof all I strive to produce exciting andindividual work which anyone can enjoy."

See https://www.augustamaclean.comAugusta and Sir Timothy O’Shea

Sea and Sky - oil on canvas by Augusta Maclean

From Durham to Deuglie: Finding Father’s ForebearsBy Valery J E Cowley nee Haggie

Since writing my first article for TouchNot in 2010, I have continued towork backwards to discover more

about my Fife – Perth ancestry and I amstill exploring, profitably.To my delight, I have found Haggies longestablished in the Arngask area (originallyin Fife) with David, baptised there in 1743,son of David, who, according to the parishregisters, was a weaver in Deuglie, near thesource of the river Farg (now inPerthshire). A succession of three Williamsworked on local farms and had pendicles,(a small piece of land attached to a larger),to supplement supplies. Visiting the areaand using Ordinance Survey maps andolder maps helped me to explore thetopography and find at least the sites orruins of buildings they occupied; forexample, Lustylaw, an abandoned historictownship going back to Roman times.Online aerial photographs show theirrelation to the M9 motorway aroundGlenfarg. I can take You Tube video toursto supplement previous Ochil Hill ponytrekking, walking over Lustylaw or diningat the Bein Inn and reading ‘ The Annalsof Arngask’. I now have a StrathearnDistrict tartan scarf, popularised by theCountess, to add to my MacIntoshaccessories.

Scottish inclusion of wife’s maiden namesin records has been a great help, as hasonline information about Scottish namingpatterns: siblings and cousins are oftenuseful to pursue, especially pre – 20c.Websites such as scotlandspeople, fmp(find my past), family and local historyhave been invaluable. I was unfamiliarwith forenames such as Christian andLilias ( a pet name for Elizabeth ) andfound Duncans and Donalds alongsideAlexanders.I have a plethora of Scottish branchsurnames: Allan, Campbell, Christie,Dow, Glass, Guild, Henderson,McIlchonell, McGruther, Mailer, (verylocal to Perth ) Richard and Rutherford.Their often Gaelic origins are fascinating,as are those of place names.Emigrants’ websites, from Ontario to Oz,can be enlightening, if used cautiously, asare one-name studies. I now use HearthTax records, local male heads of familieslists, Scots Monumental Inscriptions,probate records, etc., all online. Myknowledge of Scottish social historyincreases. For example, my great x5grandfather, Joseph McEwen, wasbaptised on November 5th , 1715, inMuthill Episcopal Church: the Battle ofSheriffmuir was on November 13th andthe consequent Jacobite devastation of 5neighbouring villages. I had to read notonly McEwen but also detailed militaryhistory and religious background. Sacred

sites and local saints such as Serf andFillan are intriguing. Re my great x7grandmother, Isobell McIlchonell, I founda heritage website about that famiy’sboatbuilding , especially of birlins, ( halfdecked rowing boats) and forestry skills.I still use boxed file cards for individualsand locations; fan files for sheets of familybranches; and box files for photographs,maps and background material. Thisreluctant i-pad user also resorts tohusband’s Apple Mac, naturally.

Thomas William Haggie Gosport 1926

How We Celebrate Our ScottishHeritage Every SummerBy Bonnie McPherson

George and I had another wonderfulvisit to Scotland August 2018. Wealways enjoy seeing old friends

and meeting new ones as well. One of thehighlights of our trip every summer is theClan Chattan AGM and Gathering. Weusually renew our annual dues at thisGathering, but this year, we chose to renewfor five years.This year, we were joined by our friendsfrom California, Dave and MeredithMcIntosh. Dave is the current Presidentof Clan Mackintosh of North America.We met Dave and Meredith many yearsago while living in California and enjoyedattending the Pleasanton HighlandGames. Dave and Meredith had beenplanning their trip to Scotland for sometime, and we looked forward to meeting upwith them and spending some time withthem around Scotland. A visit to Culloden Battlefield and theClava Carins earlier in the week, wasfollowed by the Clan Chattan AGM andGathering on Thursday evening at theLochardil House Hotel in Inverness. Firstrefreshments, then followed the AnnualGeneral Meeting. Always a good meeting

to learn how the Clan Chattan is doingand its future plans for the years to come.After the meeting, we took a short breakand enjoyed dinner together. The hoteland committee does an excellent job ofputting on a lovely meal. The major highlight of the entire eveningwas the presentation by Reverend CannonDr. Joseph John Morrow, Lord Lyon KingOf Arms Scotland. The Lord Lyon gave avery informative presentation on thefactors that make a clan, and the processfor becoming approved as a clan throughthe Lord Lyon office. Even moreinteresting, was the presentation he madeon the process to be approved as a Chief ofa clan. Some clans do not have a Chief,and the Lord Lyon has an objective towork through the process to determine therightful Chief of each clan. (Pictured)

After the presentation, George and I hadthe opportunity to chat with the Lord Lyon.Dave and Meredith are working with theLord Lyon to try to get him to attend thePleasanton Highland Games on the Westcoast of the US, and George and I areworking with the Lord Lyon to try to gethim to attend a large Games on the Eastcoast of the US. The Clan Chattan AGM and Gathering isa great way to start celebrating a longweekend of our Scottish heritage. TheThursday evening event is followed by allof the Clan Macpherson activities inNewtonmore and Kingussie on Friday,Saturday, and Sunday.Of interest to people from the US, it wasmade quite clear that the “Clan ChattanUSA” has no official connection to theClan Chattan Association. “Clan ChattanUSA” is not sanctioned by the Chief ofClan Chattan, and therefore not sanctionedby the Lord Lyon. We caution all US folksto be careful in joining “Clan ChattanUSA”. George and I encourage all ClanMacpherson members in the USA to jointhe official Clan Chattan Association. Onemay join online atwww.clanchattan.org.uk.


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Bonnie & George with The Lord Lyon

Events 2019April 13th- Culloden Memorial service meet at the Visitors Centre 10.30 am

April 19th – 20th – Maclean Highland Gathering

June 7th -9th – Commemoration of The Battle of Glenshiel (see Article)

July 20th – Inverness Highland Games – Bught Park Inverness.

August 1st – 3rd - The Clan Chattan Association Gathering

August 2nd – 5th – Clan Macpherson Association Annual Gathering

August 3rd – Aboyne Highland Games

August 8th - Ballater Highland Games

September 7th - The Braemar Gathering


14

HIGHLAND GAMES IN HOLLAND

Although, traditionally, HighlandGames are most popularlyassumed to be Scottish, there is no

doubt that many are held in thosecountries where Scots have settled over thecenturies. Where one might not expectto attend a Highland Games Gatheringand particularly one for a specific Clan,would be in Holland but that is exactlywhat I did in Autumn 2017. So how did that come about? I have beeninvolved with the Clan McGillivrayInternational Association for many yearsand when I was organising the 2015 ClanGathering I had an indication of interestfrom someone in Holland and, indeed, heand his wife and two sons attended theGathering and he subsequently attendedthe Family Convention which we held thefollowing year in order to nominate aCommander. I had always been aware of the links withHolland not least because the late EdwinMacGillavry (the name is spelleddifferently in Holland, often with a spaceafter Mac) was a keen supporter of theClan and, indeed, matriculated Arms. Hedid much to promote the Clan in theNetherlands which was recognised whenthe late Colonel George MacGillivrayappointed him as a Commissioner.Colonel George MacGillivray ofThunderbay, Canada had petitioned onseveral occasions to be Chief of the Clanbut had never been able to gather togethersufficient evidence to satisfy the Lord LyonKing of Arms. In the late 1980s, afteranother failed attempt, the then Lord LyonKing of Arms granted him the honour ofbeing Commander to the Clan but sadlythat was a position he only held until hisdeath about 5 years later. One of theinitiatives he undertook, and it issomething that I think was an extremelyimportant one, was to appointCommissioners to represent the mainareas in the world where the Clan wasactive – the UK, America, Canada,Australia and the Netherlands. Sadly,only two Commissioners are still with usbut during all their respective lifetimesthey did much to promote the Clan in theirhome countries and, in my own view, it isthanks to them that we have such an activeClan now.

A Dutch MacGillivray? Back in the1790s a MacGillivray soldier, one WilliamMacGillivray - from the Elgin area - wentto the Netherlands as part of the ScottishRegiment. He enlisted on 23rd March1781, was the son of a drover, JohnMacGillivray, and is described as beingshort and stocky with reddish fair hair andblue eyes. His regiment fought at theBattle of Nijmegen as part of theNapoleonic Wars. William was one ofmany who were injured, and he was takennorth to Zwolle and settled there,becoming a teacher of English. He metand married a lady whom he met there –Elisabeth Landeveldt who was 22 yearshis junior - and founded the family, nowmuch extended, which is still in existencetoday and which clearly still has a verystrong link with its heritage. They hadthree daughters and two sons. Their sonWilliam had a son, grandson and twogreat grandsons but sadly through warthere are no survivors from that branch.From their other son Hendrick descendsthe substantial number of MacGillavrysthere are, not only in the Netherlands, butelsewhere the world. I am in touchthrough Facebook with one in America.I flew over to Amsterdam at the end ofSeptember 2017 and was affordedwonderful hospitality by SeanMacGillivray and his family, they beingthe ones who attended the 2015 Gathering.Our new Commander, Iain McGillivrayand his sister also came over and they toostayed with Sean and his family. TheGathering was on Sunday 1st October andIain’s parents Duncan, our Clan Piper, inScotland, and his wife Janes Marie cameover for the day, something which wasgreatly appreciated by those running theGames.

They were held in the grounds of awonderful scout hut facility at Nootdorpnear Utrecht and although the weatherlooked a little threatening, it was actuallya great day for such an event as it was nottoo warm, no wind but not too sunnyeither. The scout hut facility is on thebanks of a canal within sight of a windmillso all very much what one would expectto see. Although there was no HighlandDancing there were all the usual gamesand there was also a piper in attendancethroughout, wonderful food was suppliedand entertainment from a Scottish bandwho are based on Holland. Thephotographs give only a flavour of howtremendous a day it was. There wasmusical entertainment by a Dutch groupknown as the Sassenachs and clearly morethan familiar with Scottish music.

The day was compered by Wout Zijlstra, arenowned Highland Games heavyweight.James MacGillavry, the Dutch Commissionerof the Clan was one of the organisers and heis seen below with Sean, both resplendentin their kilts. By another of thosecoincidences James had his made by theScottish business in Holland which isowned and run by my neighbour’sdaughter Fiona and husband! You willimagine my surprise when a photographarrived in Messenger earlier last year ofJames and Fiona when he went in to orderhis kilt and discovered she and I kneweach other.BBC Alba had commissioned filming ofour new Commander over a period of ayear and the film company were also inattendance and several of us did interviewswith them which were then shown in thefilm. I reckon there were well over 100people there but other than myself, ourCommander and his family and two othercouples everyone else either descendedfrom that first soldier or was married to

The Sassenachs

Sean and James

someone who was. A truly memorableday for the Clan and a superb weekend forthose of us from Scotland.

This is a photo of my treasuredMacGillivray bear who came all the wayfrom America to live with me. He wasmade by a lady whom I had met atseveral events here in Scotland andwhose daughter I had got to know onFacebook not through the Clan link butbecause she, in turn, is a Facebook friendwith a local friend of mine, they bothhaving Curly Coat Retrievers. Thedaughter, Diann, was over here last yearand the three of us met up at the ClanChattan Games at Moy – a first meetingfor all three of us! Bear came with me toHolland and is sitting at the side of theMacGillavry Family Tree put together, Iunderstand, through Edwin. It is trulyfantastic.

Elizabeth N McGillivray, LlB (Hons) NP FRSA


15

L-R Sean MacGillavry, Commander Iain MacGillivray andJames MacGillivray

The Mackintosh’s Shopping List

My grandfather, John Macpherson took over his uncle’s hunting, shooting and fishingbusiness in Inverness in the late 1890s. One of his best customers was TheMackintosh of Moy Hall, so it was no surprise when I was clearing out some family

papers that I came across one addressed simply to “The Mackintosh, Moy Hall”.On further investigation I discoveredthere was no envelope. The paper hadbeen neatly folded and secured by ared wax seal. The list did notcomprise an order for guns,ammunition and fishing tackle, asexpected, but for cloth, ribbons andsilks. On further investigation, Ifound the list had been stamped witha Penny Red, dated in the 1840s,some 50 years before Macpherson’sSporting Stores was established.

Finally, I realised the order hadnot been given to my father, butto my mother who was an avidstamp collector and itsimportance to her, was the PennyRed. At the recent Clan ChattanAGM, I donated the list forinclusion in “Touch Not”, whichI am sure you will read withinterest.

Shelagh Macpherson NobleVice PresidentClan Macpherson Association

Part detail ofshopping list

Mackintosh's shopping list - the Penny red

Here is a snippet about myancestor John Bean of Exeter.By Tony West.

John MacBean (later truncated to Bean)was born 1634 in Strathdearn,Inverness-shire, Scotland. In the spring

of 1650, when Oliver Cromwell threatenedto invade Scotland, great numbers ofScottish highlanders enlisted to defend theirhomeland. The Scots lost the Battle ofDunbar on September 3, 1650, but exactlya year later, a reorganized Scottish armyprepared to fight Cromwell at what becameknown as the Battle of Worcester. It wasduring this battle, that at the age of sixteen,John was a soldier in General Monk’s army,roughly 12,000 Royalist, Scottish troops.

On September 3, 1651, they went forth withthe design to place Charles II as king on thethrone which was vacant by the execution ofhis father King Charles I. Charles II failedto provide the ammunition he had

promised, and during the 10 hour battle thatensued, roughly 3,000 Royalists were killedand 7,000 taken prisoner, likely at TuthillFields prison in London.On November 11, 1651, the ship “The Sarahand John” with 272 of these prisonersaboard, set sail for Boston, arriving there onFebruary 24, 1652. Upon arrival inAmerica, the prisoners were sold intoindentured servitude. John, and six others,worked for Nicholas Lissen, owner of sawmills on the Exeter River and the OysterRiver in New Hampshire.In April 18, 1654, John married NicholasLissen's daughter, Hannah Lissen in Exeter,New Hampshire and was given twentyacres of land as dowry by his father-in-law.Hannah and John had three children.Hannah died in childbirth of their thirdchild. John eventually married Hannah'ssister Margaret and had another 9 children.John died in Exeter, New Hampshire at theage of 83 and is buried in the Church Yardof the Congregational Church.


16

Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd August 2019

THE HIGHLAND FIELD SPORTS, MOYTHE CLAN TENT

Relax and enjoy some Highland hospitality in the Clan Tent. Browse throughsome of the past journals and visit the museum or take a walk up to the Lachlan

Mackintosh memorial and enjoy the view.

The Clan Tent will be open

Friday 2nd August 10am – 5pm

Saturday 3rd August 10am – 2pmPlease note that there is an entry fee for the Field Sports

(cash only)

There is no charge for car parking

THE ANNUALGATHERING OF

THE CLANCHATTAN

ASSOCIATION

1st - 3rd August 2019

THE ANNUALGENERAL MEETING

THE LOCHARDILHOUSE HOTEL,

INVERNESSThursday 1st August 2019

4pm: Gather together. Light refreshments will be available

5pm: The AGM of the ClanChattan Association

7pm: Clan Chattan Association Dinner

£35.00

Remember to fill in your reservation form and send it off with your remittance

as soon as possible.

Or go to www.clanchattan.org.uk and pay on-line

Clan Gathering 2019

The Battle of Glenshiel

The Battle of Glenshiel in 1719, wasthe end of the final attempt to keepalive the aim of the 1715 Jacobite

Rising, which ended so ignominiouslyafter the Battle of Sheriffmuir.A group of those who escaped returned toScotland three years later, in expectationof significant support from a strongSpanish force. However, only 300 men ofthe Regiment Galicia from Spain, under itsColonel, Don Nicolás de Castro Bolaño,landed in Kintail in the WesternHighlands, to help a small Jacobite force,made up largely of Mackenzies, Cameronsand Macgregors. Brigadier Mackintosh ofBorlum worked closely with Don Nicolás.Brigadier William Mackintosh of Borlumhad taken a leading part in 1715 and somemilitary historians consider that he shouldhave led the rising instead of the Earl ofMar. The outcome might have been verydifferent if that had been the case! He wascaptured at Preston, but escaped fromNewgate Prison in London, and wenteventually to France.The Battle of Glenshiel of 10th June 1715,although the Jacobites had the betterposition, and the greater force, was lost to

the Government or Hanoverian side, whohad brought over mortars from FortAugustus. Unusually for a Highlandbattle there was no charge and no hand tohand fighting. The Spaniards had alreadylost some for their men at Eilean DonanCastle, when it was destroyed and blownup. One Spanish soldier famously died ofheatstroke! Eventually, sometime after thebattle, the rest were repatriated; andBrigadier Mackintosh escaped, thoughthere are differing accounts of where andwhen he was subsequently captured.Depending on when he was takenprisoner, the Brigadier may have beenincarcerated in Edinburgh Castle for thelast twenty two years of his life, dying thereon 7th January 1743, aged about 85. Hespent his time in the Castle writing andpublishing his ideas about agriculturalimprovements for the Highlands. There isa memorial to him in the Friar’s Yard inInverness, probably put up by a latermember of his family, Charles Fraser-Mackintosh MP, which states: ‘To the Memory of Brigadier WilliamMackintosh of Borlum, son of William,son of Lachlan, son of William, son ofLachlan Mhoir Mackintosh, 16thCaptain of Clan Chattan. Throughout a

long life, and unto death the constantadherent of the Royal House of Stewart’.It is thought that the Brigadier camestraight from France in 1719, and so didnot raise the Mackintoshes or ClanChattan clans for the Rising.The Association of Highland Clans andSocieties, of which the Clan ChattanAssociation is an integral part, DonaldMcintosh being on the committee, isorganising the commemoration of theBattle of Glenshiel in June. There arethree days [7-9 June] of activities andmembers of the Clan ChattanAssociation will be very welcome to signup for them. The Friday, hosted by the1745 Association, will be in and aroundCulloden and looking at the Rout ofMoy, with evening talks to set the scenein 1719; Saturday will involve coachtrips from Inverness to Kintail, visits toEilean Donan, and special talks anddisplays, with a commemoration at thebattle site and wreath laying, followedby an evening ceilidh in Inverness,hosted by the Clan Mackenzie; and onSunday it is hoped to have a ‘Kirkin ofthe tartan’ in Inverness. Booking formsand details will be available fromDenise.


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News from Clan DavidsonNick Hide, Clan Davidson Association

2018 was a special year for the ClanDavidson Association because ourChief Grant Guthrie Davidson and

his wife Brenda travelled from NewZealand to take part at theAGM/Gathering weekend held atAberdeen during the last weekend ofSeptember. This was the first time GrantDavidson had attended such an event inthe UK since he inherited the title fromhis late father. The weekend was a verysuccessful event with over 80 membersand guests taking part includingmembers from Poland, Canada,Holland, France, Australia, Ireland, andthe USA. This year our Chairman’sCharity raised substantial funds whichwere donated to CLAN, a localAberdeen based charity whichspecialises in helping cancer patientsand their families from across NorthEast Scotland.On Saturday evening, at the ClanDinner, gift presentations were made tothe Clan Chief Grant Davidson and hiswife Brenda by the Alan Lawtie onbehalf of the Provost of Aberdeen, andby CDA President Lord Davidson ofGlen Clova.

Grant Davidson with the Plaque showing the Arms of the City of Aberdeen.

In May and again in October,commemorative events held on Islay tomark 100th Anniversary of the twowartime shipping disasters whichoccurred off the west coast of the islandin 1918. In February 1918 the SS Tuscania, atroop ship carrying large numbers ofAmerican soldiers was torpedoed withthe loss of nearly 200 lives. In October1918 HMS Otranto [Captain Ernest G.W.Davidson], also carrying large numbers

of American soldiers founded after beingin collision with SS Kashmir, anothertroopship. There was no loss of life onthe Kashmir, but 470 lives were lost fromthe Otranto. The small Islay communityhad to cope with the aftermath of thesetwo terrible disasters which happenedwithin 8 months of each other.Prior to the first burials in February1918, a group of local Islay womenworked through the night to sewing aStars and Stripes flag when it wasrealised that there was no American flagavailable on the island. This flag meanta tremendous amount to the Americansurvivors. Soon after this flag was giftedthe President Woodrow Wilson and isnow held by the Smithsonian Museumin Washington. This same flag has beenspecially brought over from theSmithsonian for display in the Museumof Islay Life at Port Charlotte as part ofthis year’s commemorative events. Itprovides a very poignant reminder ofhow the Islay community rallied to copewith these disasters 100 years ago.In May, there were major public eventsheld in Port Ellen led by HRH PrincessAnne, and her husband Sir TimLaurence. In addition there were also anumber of smaller events which involvedthe descendants of those who survived,


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Re-discovery of the MacBean ofTomatin tartanBy Philip Beddows

In his ‘The Tartans of Clan Chattan’,published by the Clan ChattanAssociation in 2002, Jamie Scarlett

mentioned a MacBean tartan described byD.W. Stewart (Scottish Notes & QueriesJuly/August 1892) as worn by the head ofthe Tomatin branch of Clan MacBean,who didn’t recognise the trade tartan. Itwas the Mackintosh tartan with a slightvariation of proportion and added darkblue overstripe. Scarlett described it as ‘agenuine old sett worthy of note’ and founda small piece of this tartan in the InvernessMuseum. I thought it would be fun to seeif the swatch could be still found in themuseum and compare it with a 100+ yearold blanket of MacBean of Tomatin tartanthat we had in the family, which mightwell be the largest sample that survives.

The quest to find Scarlett’s piece proved tobe harder than expected. It started inJanuary 2016 and did not conclude untilEaster 2018. Knowledge of this piece oftartan had been lost at Inverness Museum,but then new curator Kari Moodie found acolleague who knew of ‘a very old samplebook’ that had been lying quietly alone ina vault. I got in touch with Scotland’s finest livingtartan historian, Lieutenant Colonel PeterMacDonald, who liaising with themuseum, and then making a visit one day,managed to find the missing piece ofMacBean of Tomatin tartan. It was a greatsurprise to find that it had, veryappropriately, been made by AlexanderMcBean & Sons in Inverness. Peterreported that the piece was a soft wool typeof sample, dating to c1880-1930. Heconcurred with Jamie Scarlett that theoverstripe is blue. The tartan is labelledsimply ‘MacBean’; in the corner of thepage, in smaller writing, probably added

at a later date is ‘(MacFadyen)’. The tartanwas an identical match to my family’s oldblanket.It’s a wonderful thing that this sample of agenuine old sett, modelled on Mackintoshand associated with the MacBeans ofTomatin, has been rediscovered. I am verygrateful for Peter MacDonald’s help intracking it down. Perhaps this olderMacBean sett may be worn again one day.

The MacBean (of Tomatin) tartan in Inverness Museum –photograph by Peter MacDonald, published here with hiskind permission.

the descendants of the rescuers from thelocal community, as well as somedescendants of those who lost their lives.Nick Hide of the Clan DavidsonAssociation representing the family ofhis grandfather Captain Ernest G. W.Davidson who died when HMS Otrantofoundered, took part in the events heldon the beach at Machir Bay. It was offthis beach that HMS Otranto founderedon a reef in October 1918. CaptainDavidson was buried with othermembers of his crew in the nearbyKilchoman War Cemetery, located justabove the beach.

Sir Tim Laurence, Vice Chairman of the CommonwealthWar Graves Commission with Nick Hide at Kilchoman WarCemetery beside the grave of his grandfather CaptainErnest G. W. Davidson RN

On 6 October Nick Hide returned toIslay with many others to take part inthe community memorial events heldat Kilchoman War Cemetery and laterat the nearby Kilchoman Distillerymarking the 100th anniversary of theloss of HMS Otranto off Machir Bay,on the west coast of Islay. Jenni Mintoand her husband Les Wilson and thelocal Islay team are to be congratulatedfor making the events so memorable.In May, George Davidson was thewinner of the Master Fiddler title at the35th Oban Music and Dance Festival.This is the 3rd time George Davidsonhas won this title. George Davidson iswell known to the Clan DavidsonAssociation. He is the grandson of thelate Jonathan Davidson, a long timeand enthusiastic Clan member fromTarves, near Aberdeen. George and hisyounger brother player Stuart playedfor us at the special Clan DavidsonDinner held in Edinburgh in 2009 aspart of the Year of Homecomingcelebrations. Since then he has takenpart in many competitions andfestivals across Scotland. Now 22, heis an acclaimed musician.

George Davidson, the Master Fiddler

We also took part in the Inverness ClansTent event in July. A busy day and a dryone. Sadly there were not so many visitorsto the tent this year. However, a group ofFrench bikers found us, one of whom wasa Davidson. Unfortunately we wereunable to establish details of his family buthe was definitely wearing a Davidson kilt. In August, CDA member Hugh Davidsonmade another donation to the CaithnessArchives at Wick. This year he donated hisextensive book collection which includesmany important editions of early booksrelevant to the history of Caithness. Thisimportant donation is in addition to themajor donation of his Davidson familypapers made last year. Hugh’s Davidsonancestors can be traced back to the 16thcentury in Caithness with indications thatthey possibly migrated to Thurso from theInverness area at some earlier point intime.On 28 October 2018, the Clan DavidsonAssociation took in the unveiling of a newmemorial at St Martins, near Perth forWilliam Davidson Bissett VC, [1893-1971].He was awarded the Victoria Cross as aresult of his leadership of his infantrycompany at a battle which took place atFamars, in northern France on 25 October1918. A special service was held in thekirk, following by a simple unveilingceremony at the war memorial withrepresentatives from France, the Provost ofPerth and the ArmyWilliam was a young lieutenant in theArgyle & Sutherland Highlanders at thetime of the event. He survived the 1stWorld War and served again in the 2ndWorld War. William’s Davidson ancestryand the family connection with St Martinsis well known to the Clan DavidsonAssociation. For some unknown reason,his Davidson name has been excludedfrom the inscription on this new memorial.

Lt William Davidson Bissett wearing his VC (photo)

2018 saw many commemorations to markthe 100th anniversary of the first stage ofwomen’s right to vote in the UK.In July 2018 a new book was published aboutEmily Wilding Davison by Lucy Fisher whohas drawn on the suffragette’s own words,contemporary press reports and academicscholarship to paint a vivid picture ofDavison’s unusual tale and tragic finale. On11 Sept 2018 a new statue of Emily WildingDavison was unveiled in Carlisle Park,Morpeth, Northumberland to commemoratethis famous suffragette and her familyconnections with the area. Suffragette EmilyDavison died after falling under a horseduring the 1913 Epsom Derby. The statuewas commissioned by NorthumberlandCounty Council and created by Durhamsculptor Ray Lonsdale.Members of the Clan Davidson Associationhas been much involved with the researchinto the history of this Davison familyNewStatue of Emily Wilding Davison at MorpethThe Clan Davidson Association publish 3Newsletters each year with member’s newsand events. We also publish an annualjournal, The Pheon, which has beenpublished for 27 years. The Pheon is packedwith illustrated articles about the history ofDavidsons and sept names associated withthe Clan Davidson submitted by membersworldwide.


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Statue of Emily Wilding Davison


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The Clan Chattan Association website has been up and running for a few years now and mostly it has been very successful.There has been the odd glitch in the shop but in most cases it has been fixed quickly.

However as is the will of the world now, technology has whizzed past us and it is needing to be upgraded and the security tightenedup. To these ends we will be handing over the work of the website to a web master who has been with us from the start. He willmaintain all aspects of the website, although we will have control of content. It is hoped that with his help we will, at long last, be able to set up a members only area where we should be able to show the pastjournals and Touch not magazines. This area will be for you, the members, so if there is a particular item you would like to see onit then let us know, can’t guarantee but we can always try. The most important thing is for you to send us your photos of your tripsto Scotland or any Clan related events you have attended, it is great to hear about you. A members only site will only work if youthe members join in!!Over the years I have often been asked about how to find information on all sorts of aspects of Clan affairs, genealogy and othergeneral Scotland related matters. Here are a few links that may be useful to those who have internet connection.

The website of the Clan Chattan Association www.clanchattan.org.uk

The association of Highland Clans and societies

http://www.highlandclans.org/

The Highland Archive Centre in Inverness

www.highlifehighland.com/highland-archive-centre/

Visit Scotland www.visitscotland.com

Scotlands’ people www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Highland Field Sports Fair www.moyfieldsportsfair.co.uk/what-s-on

Culloden Battle Field www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culloden

We have tried to include all the Clan Chattan Clans on our links page on the CCA website.

If you find that any of these websites have changed address or contacts please let us know.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The postal address for this Association has changed to

The Clan Chattan Association

36 Rullion Road

Penicuik

EH26 9HXPlease do not use the PO Box address as it will no longer reach us.

Thank you.

Denise McIntoshMembership Secretary

Touch Not – Magazine of the Clan Chattan Association€¦ · Mountain Games in Atlanta, Georgia...

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