Clan Macgillivray
Encyclopedia
Clan Macgillivray is a Scottish clan
. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan
.
, progenitor of the MacDonalds
drove the Norsemen
from the western Isles. The Clann Mhic Gillebràth were dispersed after King Alexander II of Scotland
subdued Argyll
in the year 1222.
which was headed by the chief of the Clan Mackintosh
. The clan have always distinguished themselves by their prowess and bravery. One of them, Ivor MacGillivray was killed at Drumlui in a battle with the Clan Cameron
in about the year 1330. Ivor was the son of chief Duncan MacGillivray. This Duncan married a natural daughter of the sixth Clan Mackintosh
chief.
and other lands held from the Bishop of Moray
, the names of a son and two grandsons of this Ian Ciar appear in the list of witnesses. Other Mackintosh documents show the race to have been settled by that time on the lands of Dunmaglass (the fort of the grey man’s son), belonging to the thanes of Cawdor.
for " two taxations of his £4 lands of Domnaglasche, granted by the nobility to the King."
It was in his time, in 1594, that the MacGillivrays fought in the royal army under the young Earl of Argyll at the disastrous Battle of Glenlivet
.
.jpg)
Alastair’s son, Ferquhar, appears to have been a minor in 1607 and 1609, for in the former of these years his kinsman Malcolm MacBean was among the leading men of Clan Chattan called to answer to the Privy Council for the good behaviour of Clan Chattan during the minority of Sir Lachlan Mackintosh its chief; and in the latter year, when a great band of union was made at Termit, near Inverness, between the various septs of Clan Chattan, responsibility for the " haill kin and race of the Clan M’Illivray" was accepted by Malcolm MacBean, Ewen M Ewen, and Duncan MacFerquhar, the last-named being designated as tenant in Dunmaglass, and being probably an uncle of young Ferquhar MacGillivray.
The Macgilivrays were one of the oldest and most important of the clans of the Chattan Confederation
, and from 1626, when their head, Ferquhard MacAllister, acquired a right to the lands of Dunmaglass, frequent mention of them is found in extant documents and registers.
in 1715 and the Battle of Falkirk (1746)
. Chief Alexander MacGillivray led the Chattan Confederation
where he was killed at the Battle of Culloden
in 1746. A wall at Culloden where he fell still bears his name. He is perhaps the best known of the heads of this clan. He was fourth in descent from the Ferquhard who acquired Dunmaglass in the 17th century . This gentleman was selected by Lady Mackintosh to head her husband's clan on the side of Prince Charlie in the '45, even though the chief of Clan Mackintosh was loyal to the government. Lady Mackintosh ensured the Mackintoshes and their allies supported the Jacobites.
The MacGillivray chief was shot through the heart. His body, after lying for some weeks in a pit where it had been thrown with others, was taken up by his friends and buried across the threshold of the kirk of Petty. His brother William was also a warrior, and gained the rank of captain in the old 89th regiment, raised in about 1758. After the Battle of Culloden the clan emigrations began across the Atlantic. Some of the MacGillivrays emigrated to Nova Scotia between 1792 and 1812 where they settled primarily in Antigonish County. Members of the Canadian MacGillivrays can be found in settlements such as Maple Ridge, Bailey's Brook, Lakevale and Arisaig, Antigonish County where they were able to maintain a Gaelic speaking culture well into the twentieth century. According to recent Canadian census material, the surname MacGillivray is the third most common surname in Antigonish County and many more MacGillivrays can be found throughout Cape Breton.
es to the Americas.
to live at Dunmaglass was the 13th laird, Capt. John William MacGillivray, who had to sell his estate and died without an heir in 1914. The chiefship then passed to a cousin of his, John Farquhar MacGillivray, who lived in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. John Farquhar MacGillivray was chief for 32 years when he died in 1942 without an heir, and the last chief of Clan MacGillivray. Another Canadian, Col. George B. Macgillivray, later petitioned Lord Lyon King of Arms
three times between 1953 to 1989 to be recognised as chief. Lord Lyon, not satisfied with the proofs Macgillivray submitted, denied him status of chief, but commissioned him as Commander of the Clan. Macgillivray served as Commander for five years before dying in 1994, and to this day the clan remains without a leader.A Dr Angus MacGillivary {d,1947} tried to claim the Chieftainship but was unable to prove his lineage-although he was awarded a variation of the Macgillivray coat of Arms in 1914 Possibly the Chieftainship lineage has not died out-Lachlan McGillivray
{1718-1799}-the father of Alexander McGillivray
and the great-uncle of William McIntosh and related to George Troup
, is reported to have been of the Lineage Chiefs line.
, though common variations of the names MacGillivray and McGillivray, associated with the clan, are listed as follows. Note that the prefix Mac/Mc are interchangeable, as well as the capitalisation of the second syllable.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan
Armigerous clan
An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
.
Origins of the clan
The MacGillivrays were a principal clan even before King SomerledSomerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
, progenitor of the MacDonalds
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
drove the Norsemen
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
from the western Isles. The Clann Mhic Gillebràth were dispersed after King Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
subdued Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
in the year 1222.
14th century & clan conflicts
The Clan MacGillivray eventually joined the Chattan ConfederationChattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
which was headed by the chief of the Clan Mackintosh
Clan MacKintosh
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
. The clan have always distinguished themselves by their prowess and bravery. One of them, Ivor MacGillivray was killed at Drumlui in a battle with the Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
in about the year 1330. Ivor was the son of chief Duncan MacGillivray. This Duncan married a natural daughter of the sixth Clan Mackintosh
Clan MacKintosh
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
chief.
15th century
A hundred years later, in about the middle of the fifteenth century, the chief of the MacGillivrays appears to have been a certain Ian Ciar (Brown). At any rate, when William, fifteenth chief of the Mackintoshes, was infefted in the estate of MoyMoy
-Places:* Loch Moy, a loch south of Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.** Moy, Highland, a village beside Loch Moy** Moy Hall, also near the loch and the ancestral home of the chiefs of Clan Mackintosh** Rout of Moy, an event in the Jacobite rising of 1745...
and other lands held from the Bishop of Moray
Bishop of Moray
The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics...
, the names of a son and two grandsons of this Ian Ciar appear in the list of witnesses. Other Mackintosh documents show the race to have been settled by that time on the lands of Dunmaglass (the fort of the grey man’s son), belonging to the thanes of Cawdor.
16th century
Ian Ciar MacGillivray was apparently succeeded by a son, Duncan, and he again by his son Ferquhar, who, in 1549, gave letters of reversion of the lands of Dalmigavie to Robert Dunbar of Durris. Ferquhar’s son, again, Alastair, in 1581 paid forty shillings to Thomas Calder, Sheriff-Depute of Nairn and chief of Clan CalderClan Calder
Clan Calder is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan.-Origins of the Clan:...
for " two taxations of his £4 lands of Domnaglasche, granted by the nobility to the King."
It was in his time, in 1594, that the MacGillivrays fought in the royal army under the young Earl of Argyll at the disastrous Battle of Glenlivet
Battle of Glenlivet
The Battle of Glenlivet was fought on 3 October 1594 near Allanreid and Morinsh in Scotland.-Background:This battle is often seen as a religious conflict, and was fought by the Catholic forces of the George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly and Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, who were victorious over...
.
17th century
The Macgilivrays were one of the oldest and most important of the clans of the Chattan Confederation
Chattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
, and from 1626, when their head, Ferquhard MacAllister, acquired a right to the lands of Dunmaglass, frequent mention of them is found in extant documents and registers.
18th century & Jacobite Risings
As Episcopalians they were persecuted by Calvinist and Presbyterian neighbours yet fought both in the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings including the Battle of SheriffmuirBattle of Sheriffmuir
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rebellion in England and Scotland.-History:John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, standard-bearer for the Jacobite cause in Scotland, mustered Highland chiefs, and on 6 September declared James Francis Edward Stuart as King...
in 1715 and the Battle of Falkirk (1746)
Battle of Falkirk (1746)
During the Second Jacobite Rising, the Battle of Falkirk Muir was the last noteworthy Jacobite success.-Background:...
. Chief Alexander MacGillivray led the Chattan Confederation
Chattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
where he was killed at the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746. A wall at Culloden where he fell still bears his name. He is perhaps the best known of the heads of this clan. He was fourth in descent from the Ferquhard who acquired Dunmaglass in the 17th century . This gentleman was selected by Lady Mackintosh to head her husband's clan on the side of Prince Charlie in the '45, even though the chief of Clan Mackintosh was loyal to the government. Lady Mackintosh ensured the Mackintoshes and their allies supported the Jacobites.
The MacGillivray chief was shot through the heart. His body, after lying for some weeks in a pit where it had been thrown with others, was taken up by his friends and buried across the threshold of the kirk of Petty. His brother William was also a warrior, and gained the rank of captain in the old 89th regiment, raised in about 1758. After the Battle of Culloden the clan emigrations began across the Atlantic. Some of the MacGillivrays emigrated to Nova Scotia between 1792 and 1812 where they settled primarily in Antigonish County. Members of the Canadian MacGillivrays can be found in settlements such as Maple Ridge, Bailey's Brook, Lakevale and Arisaig, Antigonish County where they were able to maintain a Gaelic speaking culture well into the twentieth century. According to recent Canadian census material, the surname MacGillivray is the third most common surname in Antigonish County and many more MacGillivrays can be found throughout Cape Breton.
MacGillivray families today
Some MacGillivray families live on the East Coast in New York & Massachusetts, and the clan was also one of the clans who brought domesticated European varieties of potatoPotato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es to the Americas.
Clan chief
The last chiefScottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
to live at Dunmaglass was the 13th laird, Capt. John William MacGillivray, who had to sell his estate and died without an heir in 1914. The chiefship then passed to a cousin of his, John Farquhar MacGillivray, who lived in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. John Farquhar MacGillivray was chief for 32 years when he died in 1942 without an heir, and the last chief of Clan MacGillivray. Another Canadian, Col. George B. Macgillivray, later petitioned Lord Lyon King of Arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
three times between 1953 to 1989 to be recognised as chief. Lord Lyon, not satisfied with the proofs Macgillivray submitted, denied him status of chief, but commissioned him as Commander of the Clan. Macgillivray served as Commander for five years before dying in 1994, and to this day the clan remains without a leader.A Dr Angus MacGillivary {d,1947} tried to claim the Chieftainship but was unable to prove his lineage-although he was awarded a variation of the Macgillivray coat of Arms in 1914 Possibly the Chieftainship lineage has not died out-Lachlan McGillivray
Lachlan McGillivray
Lachlan McGillivray was a prosperous fur trader and planter in colonial Georgia with interests that extended from Savannah to what is now central Alabama...
{1718-1799}-the father of Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray
Alexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
and the great-uncle of William McIntosh and related to George Troup
George Troup
George Michael Troup was an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. He served in the Georgia General Assembly, U.S. House of Representatives, and Senate before becoming the 32nd Governor of Georgia for two terms and then returning to the Senate...
, is reported to have been of the Lineage Chiefs line.
Associated names
Clan MacGillivray does not have any septsSept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
, though common variations of the names MacGillivray and McGillivray, associated with the clan, are listed as follows. Note that the prefix Mac/Mc are interchangeable, as well as the capitalisation of the second syllable.
- MacGillavery.
- MacGillavry.
- MacGillivary.
- MacGillivoor.
- MacGillivrey.
- MacGillivry.
- MacGillvary.
- MacGillveary.
- MacGillviray.
- MacGillvray.
- MacGillvrey.
- MacGilvary.
- MacGilveray.
- MacGilvery.
- MacGilvra.
- MacGilvray.
- MacGilvreay.
- MacGilvry.
- MacIlbra.
- MacIllevorie.
- MacIlvora.
- MacIlvoray.
- McGilvra.
- MacIlvrae.
- MacIlvray.
- McGilvray.
- McGilvrey.
- McGilvery.