Scottish clan chief
Encyclopedia
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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
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...
. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and represents the clan as well. In the Scottish clan system, the term chief denotes a greater chief than that of a chieftain. In consequence, branch chiefs (heads of branches of a clan) are designated chieftains. Scottish clans who no longer have a clan chief are referred to as 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...
s.
Functions of the Clan Chief
Historically the principal function of the chief was to lead his clan in battle on land and sea. The chief and the chieftain were at one time in the Scottish HighlandsScottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
influential political characters, who wielded a large and often arbitrary authority. However, none of this authority now remains. Highland chiefship or chieftainship in the modern sense is no more than a high social dignity. The existence of chiefship and chieftainship has been recognized by Scottish law, however, the disarming of the Highland clans after the 1745 Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
effectively eliminated clanship from ordinary civil or statutory law. Most notable was the Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act
Heritable Jurisdictions Act
The Heritable Jurisdictions Act, 1746 was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1746. It abolished the traditional rights of jurisdiction afforded to a Scottish clan chief...
, of 1746 that abolished traditional rights of jurisdiction afforded to Scottish clan chiefs.
"Clan Chiefs" and "Clan Chieftains"
While Scottish law recognizes the existence of Scottish ClansScottish 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...
, Chiefs and Chieftains, this recognition is only one of social dignity or precedence, and as such does not involve any interest which the law has jurisdiction. The Lyon Court can make a recording of the dignity of a chiefship acknowledged by attestation, but can not declare judicially a chiefship. Further, no Scottish court can exercise a jurisdiction to determine disputes of competing claimants to a chiefship or chieftainship; to quote Lord Aitchinson in the Court of Session
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
: "Historically the idea of a chief or chieftain submitting his dignity to the arbitrament of it Court of law is really grotesque. The chief was the law, and his authority was derived from his own people.".
"Chief of the Name and Arms"
The Lyon Court, whose jurisdiction is heraldic, can confirm an application for the Chief of the Name and Arms of a Scottish family. However, the "Chief of the Name and Arms" is a heraldic term, originating from the French "chef du nom et des armes" and refers to the head of a heraldic armigerous family. There is no evidence of any practice that would point to the use of chief of clan, or chieftain of branch of clan, as correct heraldic descriptions of headship of an armigerous family. The term chief of clan and principals of branches is not to persons bearing coats of arms; chiefship and chieftainship have no armorial significance.an exception to this armorial insignificance being the chief's right to supportersSupporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...
if he or she has a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, see paragraph "Clan Chief prerogatives: supporters" hereto. The chief of clan and Chief of the Name and Arms may, of course, concur in the same person, however, they are not the same term. See Chiefs of Clan Fraser
Chiefs of Clan Fraser
The following is a list of the chiefs of the Clan Fraser, in chronological order. The Chiefs of Clan Fraser often use the Gaelic patronym MacShimidh, meaning Son of Simon. Simon is the favoured family name for the Chiefs of Clan Fraser. They are often numbered 1st MacShimidh, 2nd MacShimidh, 3rd...
for an example of chief of clan and Chief of the Name and Arms not being held by the same person.
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"Clan Commander"
In cases where a clan has no chief, or a family wishes for recognition as a clan, clan or family members can formally get together in a derbhfine and appoint a clan commander. The Lyon Court can recognize this appointment for an interim period of ten years, whereupon a further derbhfine will be required. Clans with clan commanders are still referred to as armigerous clanArmigerous 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...
s.
Supporters
Clan Chiefs are entitled to supporters on their coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
to specify a very high dignity. A requirement of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs is the organisation of the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans. The SCSC is the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System.-History:...
for membership, is that an applicant chief must demonstrate a right to hereditary supporters. A chief without supporters could only be allowed to serve on the Council for his or her lifetime, and each successive heir would have to be re-elected in the same manner.
Eagle feathers
Elements of the chief's armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
are often found in the crest badge
Scottish crest badge
A Scottish crest badge is a heraldic badge worn to show allegiance to an individual or membership in a specific Scottish clan. Crest badges are commonly called clan crests, but this is a misnomer; there is no such thing as a collective clan crest, just as there is no such thing as a clan coat of...
worn, usually on a bonnet
Tam o'shanter (hat)
A Tam o' Shanter is a Scottish style hat originally worn by men. The hat is named after a character in a poem written by Robert Burns in 1790...
, by members of Scottish clans. These crest badges contain, in most cases, the chief's heraldic crest, and heraldic motto (or sometimes the chief's secondary motto or slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
). Clan chiefs are entitled to wear three eagle feathers behind their crest badge. Clan Chieftains are entitled to two eagle feathers. A clan member is not entitled to any feathers unless he or she has been granted arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, in which case they are an armiger
Armiger
In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a coat of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous.-Etymology:The Latin word armiger literally means "armour-bearer". In high and late medieval England, the word referred to an esquire attendant upon a knight, but bearing his own unique...
and can wear a crest badge containing elements from their own arms.
Form of address
For the correct way to address a Scottish Clan Chief, see this table.See also
- Standing Council of Scottish ChiefsStanding Council of Scottish ChiefsThe Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs is the organisation of the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans. The SCSC is the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System.-History:...
- Clan seat
- Statutes of IonaStatutes of IonaThe Statutes of Iona, passed in Scotland in 1609, required that Highland Scottish clan chiefs send their heirs to Lowland Scotland to be educated in English-speaking Protestant schools. As a result some clans, such as the MacDonalds of Sleat and the MacLeods of Harris, adopted the new religion...
- ClanClanA clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
- Chief of the name