Everything about Clan Macintyre totally explained
Clan Macintyre is a
Scottish clan.
History
Origins of the clan
In Gaelic, the name Macintyre is rendered ‘Mac an t-Saoir’, meaning ‘son of the carpenter’.
A traditional account dates the origins of the name to the early twelfth century, when
Somerled was establishing his lordship in the
Western Isles. After
Olav the Red, Norse
King of Mann and the Isles, resisted Somerled’s ambitions, he then resorted to diplomacy, and sought the hand of the king’s daughter,
Ragnhild, in marriage. Somerled’s nephew, Macarill or Maurice, assured his uncle that he could devise a scheme to win the bride. It is said that Macarill sabotaged Olav’s galley by boring holes in the hull, which he then plugged with tallow. He contrived to be a passenger on the king’s galley, and went well supplied with wooden plugs. Heavy seas washed out the tallow and the galley began to founder, at which point Macarill promised to save the king’s life if he'd promise his daughter’s hand to Somerled. The pact was sealed, and the plugs used to stop the leaks. Macarill was thereafter known as the ‘wright’ or ‘carpenter’, and found high favour with his uncle.
Macarill’s descendants later established themselves on the mainland where, according to legend, they were warned by a spirit only to settle where a white cow in their herd came to rest. The land they settled was the rich and fertile Glen Noe by Ben Cruachan on Loch Etiveside. By the end of the thirteenth century the Macintyres were foresters to the Lord of Lorn, an office they held through the passing of the lordship from the
Clan MacDougall to the
Stewarts and finally the
Clan Campbell.
Tradition suggests that the MacIntyres originally lived in Sleat on the Southern tip of the Isle of
Skye. The MacIntyres moved from Sleat to the mainland on Loch Etive in
Argyll. They settled at a place called Glen Noe on the North Slope of
Ben Cruachan and the South shore of
Loch Etive. Exactly when the MacIntyres arrived here's unclear, but is was sometime between
800 and
1200 AD, give or take a few hundred years. Once they arrived at Glen Noe the MacIntyres naturally became connected with the larger Clans in the area. They were foresters to the MacDougalls of Lorn and then with the Appin Stewarts. The largest clan bordering their small glen were the Campbells with whom they also share their war cry - Cruachan. It was either good fortune, good strategy or both, that the MacIntyre Chiefs often married Campbell's. The Campbell Chiefs also thought it was a good strategy and routinely had their daughters marry the Chiefs of neighboring clans. More often than not, this resulted in the Campbell's acquiring the other clan's territory and sometimes the entire clan when there was no heir except for the Campbell widow. Fortunately, MacIntyre Chiefs continued to produce heirs or outlive their wives, but that didn't deter the Campbell's who eventually got the MacIntyre land anyway.
MacIntyres are probably the only independent clan that has close connections with both the
Campbells and
MacDonalds, who were fierce rivals. It is Donald, the grandson of
Sommerled, who is the progenitor of Clan Donald. However, it's highly likely that it was the nephew of Sommerled through his sister, who is the progenitor of Clan MacIntyre. His first name is variously called Maurice or Murdach and his surname MacArill, MacNeill or O'Neill. It is likely that the MacIntyre Chiefship predates by at least one generation and probably more that of Clan Donald, but MacIntyres lacked the power inherited by Sommerled's son and grandson.
Sommerled and Thane of Argyll wanted the Western Isles which at that time were possessed by Olav the Red,
Norse King of Mann and the Isles. Sommerled hoped to accomplish this without fighting by aiding Olav in his own conquests further South in
England and by marrying Olav's daughter, Ragnhild. Olav didn't take the bait but Sommerled's nephew stole aboard Olav's
galley and bore holes in the side above the water line and plugged them with wax. When Olav's
galley went out to sea, the waves began to wash out the wax and the galley took on water. To save himself, Olav agreed to the marriage and the nephew saved the galley using wooden plugs he'd prepared. There is reason to believe that the nephew's reward was Glen Noe and thenceforth he gained his nickname, "the wright" or carpenter. His son was the son of the carpenter, the name that was inherited by the descendent from that time hence. This connection with Sommerled explains the number of similarities with Clan Donald, such as the white heather badge, and the galley,
eagle and cross crosslet fitchee on the coat of arms.
Of course, it's a habit of Clans with greater
military or territorial strength to spread rumors that smaller clans are their Septs or inferiors. Clan Donald has used the similarities mentioned before to insist that MacIntyres are a Sept of Clan Donald and they do this to this day at Scottish gatherings. Not only is there no evidence for this but there's evidence to the contrary. In addition to what has already been mentioned, Clan Donald's own official historian fails to mention MacIntyres even once in his extensive and authoritative History of Clan Donald. To the contrary, in the 1994 edition of Scottish Clan and Family Encyclopedia, which is sponsored by The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, the heroic role of the progenitor of Clan MacIntyre in achieving the marriage of Sommerled to Ragnhild, daughter of Olav the Red, is mentioned under MacDonald of MacDonald as predating the formation of Clan Donald. This heroic act was reason enough for Sommerled to give his nephew Glen Noe on the mainland to and to give him a Chiefship in his own right, if wasn't one already. The MacIntyre name may have originated at that time but the hereditary line probably went back much further. There is evidence that Maurice was connected with three royal lines, one Norse and two Irish (which at that time was called Scotia).
In any event, his heroic and historic act clearly predates the formation of Clan Donald. The Standing Council includes the Chief of Clan MacIntyre along side the Chiefs of Clan Donald. Likewise, but not a blatantly, the Campbell's whisper that the MacIntyres are their feudal inferiors. This was never the case as evidence by the fact that James III, the MacIntyre Chief wasn't obligated to supply men at arms and didn't personally fight on the side of the Campbell's and Government against
Bonnie Prince Charlie. At the same time, a number of MacIntyres fought with the Stewart of Appin regiment and five died at
Culloden for the
Jacobite cause.
It seems obvious that as Chiefs, MacIntyres held full rights to Glen Noe at some time in their history. That this was modified is also clear. It seems that in the early
1300 Glen Noe was still part of the Chief inheritance. However, the sons of the Chief apparently killed some Campbell's and the punishment was to require a symbolic payment of a fatted calf in December and a snowball in June. It was Donald II who accepted payment of a small sum of money in place of the symbolic calf and snowball.
The Chief of Clan MacIntyre is called by one name, Glenoe, after the place in Scotland, on Loch Etive near
Oban, where they lived for centuries until 1816. Although the MacIntyre Chiefs were recognized by other Clans and by the Kings of Scotland, it was only in 1991 that the Lyon Court of Scottish Heraldry gave their recognition to James Wallace MacIntyre of New York, the tenth Chief of Record. Glenoe's son, James Thomas MacIntyre, the younger, is age one. The Chiefs of Clan MacIntyre have alternated their given name between Donald to James since Donald, the second Chief of record. It was in
1822 that the MacIntyre Chiefs finally left Scotland and emigrated to the United States as did many other Scots. In
1955, the Lyon Court recognized and awarded arms to Camus-na-h-Erie, a cadet branch of descent from the younger brother of a Glenoe many years before written records are available.'
MacIntyres have always been a small, industrious, and well-respected Clan that usually kept out of trouble by keeping out of politics and major battles. This is perhaps why they remained an independent clan. However, they lost clear title to Glen Noe as a free hold as punishment for an accidental
homicide of a person belonging to Clan Campbell. The only other significant battle that affected the MacIntyres directly was at Culloden in 1746 where ten MacIntyres were killed or wounded as part of the Stewart of Appin regiment that supported Bonnie Prince Charlie. There is no record of fatalities of MacIntyres fighting for the Government. These fatalities were not the cause of MacIntyres leaving Glen Noe but Culloden was fatal to the
highland way of life and governance.
MacIntyres distinguished themselves in cultural activities.
Duncan Ban MacIntyre, born in 1725 in
Glen_Orchy on the other side of Ben Cruachan, is considered by scholars to be the "Burns of the Highlands". He spoke only
Gaelic and in the oral Gaelic tradition composed and passed on his songs in public and private presentations. It was left to others to write down and publish his "songs". Although he fought against Bonnie Prince Charlie, he was imprisoned for a song he wrote against the Act or Proscription of the Highland Dress that was imposed after the '45 rebellion failed. His contemporary, James MacIntyre, third Chief of record, was also a poet and wrote with great force and sarcasm against the criticism of Scottish life by Samuel Johnson, the famous English writer and lexicographer. MacIntyres of Rannoch were hereditary pipers to the Menzies of Menzies.
In the 1490s the MacIntyres were admitted as the sixteenth clan to the Clan Chattan Confederation. This confederation is probably the longest, continuous extant alliance in the history of the world!
MacIntyres living in Cladich, not far from Glen Noe near
Loch Awe, were highly acclaimed for their weaving and for some time their "Cladich Garters" (stockings) were an essential part of the Highland Dress. It has been said that these garters were the forerunners to the "Argyll Socks" that many a young lady knitted for her boyfriend in the
United States in the 1940s and 50s.
17th century & Civil War
As the family records have been lost, the Macintyre chiefs can't be listed with any accuracy, but the first chief of record was Duncan, who married a daughter of Campbell of
Barcaldine. The chief led the clan in support of the
Duke of Argyll at the
Battle of Inverlochy (1645) when the
Clan Campbell of Argyll were surprised by Montrose and routed. Duncan died in 1695 and was buried in Ardchattan Priory in a tomb worthy of his rank.
18th century & Jacobite Risings
Originally the MacIntyres held their land by right of sword but they'd acquired feudal obligations to the Campbells, which were purely symbolic until the 18th century.
James, the third chief, was born around 1727. He was sponsored by the Campbell,
Earl of Breadalbane and studied law, being regarded as a good scholar and a poet. On his father's death he returned to
Glen Noe. When Prince
Charles Edward Stuart raised his father's standard at Glenfinnan in 1745, James Macintyre would have joined him but for the influence of his
Campbell wife and neighbours. Many Macintyre clansmen, however, slipped away and fought for the Jacobites, like those who fought in the Appin Regiment at Culloden. On the other hand, the great Macintyre bard, Duncan Ban, fought for the government side at the battle of Falkirk (1746)after being hired to fight in place of a gentleman. His military career was less successful than his art, as the gentleman refused to pay him after Duncan lost his sword in the battle. A monument to the poet's memory was erected in 1859 near Loch Awe.
When the Campbells of
Breadalbane imposed a rent that progressively grew too great, first Duncan, then Donald, 4th & 5th Chiefs respectively, emigrated to America by 1806.
Clan profile
Further Information
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