The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

4i8 THE HIGHLANDERS [excursus
this, too, tliough Kenneth was manifestly a prominent vassal
Cluny ! And
of the Earl of Ross, whose men alone are mentioned by Fordun. Mackenzie
comes from G. Coinneach, " Fair one " it has ; nothing to do with Kenneth.
The r in the name arose from mistaking old g for ^, Kengie being the real
form.
Page 328, line 6 from end. John, last Earl of Ross, was the only
legitimate son of Alexander, Earl of Ross. His sons, Celestine and Hugh,
were both illegitimate : Celestine of Lochalsh, and Hugh of Sleat, ancestor
of Lord Macdonald.
Page 331. Clan Matheson. The Gaelic is Mac-Mhathan, "Son of
Bear." Like the Mackenzies, they were vassals of Ross, but at the forfeiture
of the Earldom they, unhappily, were vassals to Celestine and his son
.Alexander, of Lochalsh, and so did not get free like the Mackenzies. Good
genealogies to about 1600 can be made out for the leading families.
Page 331. .Siol .\lpine. This is pure tradition, made famous by Sir
\\'alter Scott's Lady of the La]*i\ and therefore requiring respectful notice.
Page 332. Clax Gregor. The name is the Latin Gregorius, from late
"
Greek gregorios, Watchful." There was no King Gregory the ; name
meant is Cyric, debased into Girig. A genealogy to Kenneth Mac Alpin
appears in the Dean of Lismore's Book a ; quite different one appears in
MS. 1450, going back to Ferchar Foda of Lorn. An account of the lands
held in Glenorchay by the Macgregors will be found in ii.
Orig. Parochiales^
part i. p. 138.
Page 339. Clax Grant. The name means undoubtedly "great," and
is the Norman-French grand or grant (compare Blound, Blount, &c.) The
first of the name are mentioned on p. 340— Laurence Le Grant and Robert
— the former being Sheriff of Inverness. They were Xorman-French
interlopers. The clan itself, like the rest of the population, is native. The
Bissets, Grants, and Prats were neighbours both
&c.) and in Northern Moray
in England (Nottingham,
in the 13th century. Many le Grants are mentioned
as connected with the North in 1292- 1307. Gilbert of Glencarnie
icirc. 1360) was not a Grant, as Skene asserts ; but Matilda of Glencarnie
was mother of the first undoubted Chief of Grant (Sir Duncan Grant, 1434-85),
her father being (jilbert of Glencarnie or Duthil. Many Grants appear in
the 14th century, and confusion reigns in the Grant genealogy for that reason.
Sir Duncan's father was possibly John Roy Grant, who died young.
Page 341. The MacKixnons. The name Fingon was common in
older times, a Celtic Vindo-gonios, denoting " Fair-bairn.'" The original
habitat of the clan was Mull (Mishinish the chief place), where they held
lands under the Lord of the Isles, and from the crown after their forfeiture.
They had also the estate of Strathardle in Skye (parted with in 1791, the last
(;f their land). They were closely connected with lona in the 15th century,
and John Mackinnon was the last abbot. See " Memoirs of Clan Fingon,"
by Rev. Donald D. Mackinnon, M.A. (1899). Their Clan Gregor connection,
though asserted by a bond, seems mere fancy. There was a bond also
between the Mackinnons and Macnabs, asserting kinship.
Page 343. Mac-nab, "Son of the Abbot"; likely the abbot of
Glendochart, where there was a great Celtic monastery.