Clan Chattan ( or ), also sometimes referred to as "Clan Dhugaill" (Quehele) after its progenitor Dougall-Dall, is a unique confederation of Highland Scottish clans. This distinctive allied community comprised at its greatest extent seventeen separate clans (currently twelve), who each had their own clan chief recognized under Scottish law, but were further united and bound to the superior chief of the Confederation for mutual solidarity, sustenance and protection in the Middle Ages and early modern period in the Great Glen and Cairngorms. A tribal coalition of this magnitude was a source of apprehension to both the Lord of the Isles and the Kings of Scots and records exist of machinations to "crying doon the Clan Chattan" by fomenting internal dissension.
Origins and early history
There are multiple theories about the true origins of this clan:
The name Chattan may derive from the Catti who were a Germanic tribe that had been driven out by the Romans. Another theory is that the name comes from Catav in Sutherland. The most widely accepted theory is that they descended from Gillichattan Mor (or Mòr) who was the great servant of Saint Cathan. Gillichattan is believed to have been appointed the co-arb or bailie of the abbey lands of Ardchattan Priory, by the Lord of Argyll, Duncan MacDougall.
In the time of Malcolm II of Scotland, the Clan Chattan possessed the lands of Glen Loy and Loch Arkaig. It was then that Tor Castle became the clan chief's seat. Not much is certain about the history of the clan until towards the end of the 13th century.
The merging of the Chattan and Mackintosh clans Eva (most probably incorrectly anglicized from Aife), daughter and heiress of Gilpatric or Dougal Dall, 6th chief of Clan Chattan in Lochaber, married Angus Mackintosh, 6th chief of Clan Mackintosh, in 1291. Thus Angus Mackintosh also became 7th chief of Clan Chattan.pg 12-13 Some members of alternative male inheritance lines have however questioned the validity of this decision through a female line, has led to occasional discord. Neither side of this dispute has questioned the historicity of Aife, merely the inheritance line.MacIntosh, Donald; A collection of Gaelic proverbs, and familiar phrases; accompanied with an English translation, intended to facilitate the study of the language; illustrated with notes. ... By Ge d’ db’eignicbear an fean-f bocal, cha bbreugaicbeare, Edinburgh,1785, pg. 19
Migration out of Lochaber The couple resided at Tor Castle before withdrawing to Rothiemurchus, apparently due to the enmity of Aonghus Óg of Islay, chief of Clan Donald, the uncle of Angus Mackintosh. Tradition has it that he had intended to marry Eva off to one of his family members, and in so doing acquire the Clan Chattan lands. As a result, the lands at Arkaig were occupied by Clan Cameron who claimed that they had been abandoned. This was the beginning of a long and bitter feud that was fought between the Clan Chattan and Clan Cameron until 1666.
Another reason for the migration, explained in MacPherson clan traditions, is that in 1309, Robert the Bruce offered the lands of Badenoch to them if they destroyed the Bruce's enemies, the Clan Comyn.
Earliest written documents The earliest official document, the MS 1467, which recognises the Clan Chattan is dated 1467; but the chronicler Bower, writing about 1440, speaks of Clan Chattan in 1429. Bellenden, in his translation of Boece, about 1525, is the first who mentions this clan having been at the Inches in Perth in 1396, and this probably owing to a misprint in the original, of Clan Quhete for Quhele. He referred to it as Quhattan.
From singular clan to Confederation Prior to the 14th century, the Clan Chattan was a conventional clan. However it evolved into an alliance or confederation of at least seventeen clans, which was made up of:
the descendants of the "blood" or the original clan (Clan Cattanach, Clan Vurich/Clan MacPherson, Clan MacPhail and Clan Dhai/Clan Davidson (according to Skene) and possibly Clan Vean/Clan MacBean (or McBain)). The MacMartins of Clan Cameron and Clan MacMillan are also sometimes described as having been originally related to the Old Clan Chattan but having parted ways. the Clan Mackintosh and their cadet branches (Clan Shaw, Clan Farquharson, Clan MacThomas) and Clan Davidson (according to the Kinrara MS, the clan's principal account of their origins and early history).Cathcart, A. Patterns of kinship and Clanship: the Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan from 1291 to 1609, University of Aberdeen 2001 especially chapter 4 families who were not originally related by blood or who took protection: Clan MacGillivray (joined early around 1268), Clan Tearlach/the Macleans of Dochgarroch,, the Clan Revan/MacQueens of Strathdearn who came as protectors of a bride and the Clan Inteir/MacIntyres of Badenoch. Other lesser-known clans are also recorded: The Vic Gories, who took protection around 1369. The Dhus of Strathnairn, who took protection around 1373. Clan Slioch Gow Chruim/The Gows or Smiths, who took protection around 1399. Clan Clerich/The Clarks, who took protection around 1400. Clan Tarril: the Kinrara MS also states, "In the time of Lachlan (8th of Mackintosh, who died in 1407), a small clan from Strathnairn settled in Petty, becoming followers of Mackintosh." Within two generations however, their status changed. Gillespie, a brother of the Earl of Ross, entered Petty with reivers driving off cattle and inhabitants. The invaders were surprised at Culloden by Duncan and two other sons of Malcolm Mackintosh, who recovered the stolen goods, but were too late for Clan Tarril, nearly all of whom were slain. The Sliochd Gillie vor (mhòr?) MacAonas who took protection around 1485. The Finlay Cheir who took protection around 1502. and 'Clan an t-Saoir', Clan Andrish or the MacAndrews ('Clan Gillandrish'). The Kinrara MS states that a Donald MacGillandris was part of a bridal retinue of Mora MacDonald of Moidart, future wife of the 10th Chief of Mackintosh. Settled at Connage in Petty, this family is mentioned in a royal summons for the "Maisterfull spoliatioun" of Halhill in 1513 with Dougal Mor Mackintosh.The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan by A.M. Mackintosh, Edinburgh, 1903 pp 517
Another unique process was the assimilation of other clans' septs by force, such as the MacNivens, a sept of Clan Comyn. With the invasion of Badenoch by Clan MacPherson under instruction from Robert the Bruce, Comyn allies such as the MacNivens were attacked and their lands seized. This led to events such as the Nine Sons Incident and the Siege of the Cellar. With no male heirs left, the MacNiven co-heiresses agreed to marriage to the Mackintosh lairds, becoming a protected sept of the Mackintosh and stopping further attacks by the Macphersons. Details of this arrangement can be found in The Gordon Castle Indenture, a primary legal record dated 23 September 1475Cathcart, Alison. Kinship and clientage : Highland clanship, 1451-1609 / by Alison Cathcart. p. cm. — (The Northern world, ISSN 1569-1462 ; v. 20) Based on the author’s thesis (Ph.D.—University of Aberdeen). Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 90-04-15045-5 (alk. paper) 1. Clans—Scotland—Highlands—History—15th century. 2. Clans—Scotland—Highlands—History—16th century. 3. Scotland—Politics and government—1371-1707. 4. Highlands (Scotland)—History. I. Title. II. Series. DA880.H6C38 2006 941.1’5—dc22 2005058205
The Skene assumption William Forbes Skene, however, gave a different version of how Clan Chattan was formed prior to the Mackintosh alliance.pg 310–313 Clan Vuirich (Clan MacPherson) and Clan Day (Clan Davidson) were the original co-founders and referred to as old Clan Chattan. Added to these were six "stranger septs" who took protection from the clan. These were Clan Vic Ghillevray (Clan MacGillivray), the Clan Vean (Clan MacBean), the Clan Vic Govies, the Clan Tarrel, the Clan Cheanduy, and the Sliochd Gowchruim or Smiths.
However, Skene's phrase about "stranger septs" and the names linked to them is not supported by any of the works of the respected Clan Chattan historians,Margaret Mackintosh of Mackintosh: The History of the Clan Mackintosh and the Clan Chattan. 1st Edition by W. & A. K. Johnston, 1948; 2nd edition by Macdonald Publishers 1982. 3rd revised edition (edited by Celia Mackintosh of Mackintosh) by the Pentland Press, 1997Lachlan Mackintosh of Kinrara: A Chronicle of the Family of Mackintosh to the Year 1680. MS, Latin. An edition published in 2009 by the Clan Chattan Association, edited by Jean Munro. and may therefore be a historical error by Skene, whose shortcomings have been noted by later writers – one of Skene's harshest critics was the Scottish philologist Alexander MacBain.
Sir Æneas Mackintosh/Charles-Fraser Mackintosh assumption Noted historian of Clan Chattan, Charles Fraser-Mackintosh, in his 'An Account of the Confederation of Clan Chattan; its kith and kin' (the work known as 'Minor Septs of Clan Chattan') published a list of 16 associated tribes of Clan Chattan, along with an associated date reference, as written down by Sir Æneas Mackintosh. It begins with The Clan vic Gillivray, 1271. The second clan is The Clan Wurrich (Macpherson), 1291 and the third is The Clan Vean (Macbeans), 1292; then the fourth is The Clan Day (Davidsons), 1350. Others follow including (No.9) The Clan Tearlich (Macleans of the North), 1400, (No.10) The Clan Revan (Macqueens), 1400 and (No.14) The Clan Phail (Macphails), 1500.
In his 'The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan' (1903), A. M. Mackintosh arranges his chapters to provide a history of Clan Chattan, its chiefs and its Mackintosh branches, then in Chapter XV details the 'Tribes and Families of Clan Chattan other than the Mackintoshes of Inverness-shire'.
He begins (page 405) with the heading 'Clans Springing from the Mackintoshes': the Shaws, the Farquharsons, the Mackintoshes of Dalmunzie, the McCombies and Clan Thomas. Then A. M. Mackintosh comes to Part II of this chapter headed 'Clans Supposed to be of the Blood of the Old Clan Chattan' (i.e. not Mackintoshes, but members of Eva's family): the MacPhersons, the Cattanachs, the MacBeans and the MacPhails. The author then covers in Part III of the same chapter, headed (page 496) 'Clans Not of the Blood of either MackIntoshes or Old Clan Chattan': the MacGillivrays, the Davidsons, the Macleans of Dochgarroch, Clan Tarril, the Smiths or Gows, the MacQueens or Clan Revan, Clan Andrish and the Clarks or Clan Chlerich.
The members today Today, the Clan Chattan Association, which is based in Scotland with members across the world, comprises the following twelve principal clans:Home Page Clan Chattan Association. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
Clan Davidson Clan Farquharson Clan MacBean Clan MacGillivray Clan Mackintosh Clan MacPhail Clan MacPherson Clan MacQueen of Strathdearn Clan MacThomas Clan Shaw The MacIntyres in Badenoch The Macleans of Dochgarroch (the Macleans of the North), (See 15th century Battle of Harlaw)
Chiefs
Old Chattan Chiefs
The following is a list of the traditional chiefs of the Clan Chattan before marriage between Aife/Eva, heiress of Clan Chattan, with the Chief of Clan Mackintosh, through whose marriage a new line of Mackintosh Captains (Chiefs) of Clan Chattan was created : Name 1Gillicattan Mor, first known chief of Clan Chattan2Diarmid3Gillicattan,4Muirach, father of Gillicattan, and Ewan Ban, father of the 3 branches of Clan Macpherson5Gillicattan6Dougal or Gilpatric, his daughter married Angus Mackintosh, 6th chief of Clan Mackintosh, thus Mackintosh became 7th chief of Clan Chattan. Thereafter the Chiefs of Clan Mackintosh are also the Chiefs of Clan Chattan. See: Chiefs of Clan Mackintosh.
The Chattan Confederation Chiefs