Siol Alpin, is a family of seven Scottish clans that were thought to have been able to trace their descent from Alpin

Alpin

Alpin may refer to:*Alpin , a weekly supplement of Prothom Alo, a Bangladeshi newspaper*Alpín mac Echdach, two kings of the same name - one the father of Cináed mac Ailpín, the other a king of Dál Riata...

, supposed father of Cináed mac Ailpín, King of the Picts, of whom the Scots tradition considered the first King of Scots. The seven clans that make up Siol Alpin are: Clan Grant

Clan Grant

-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of Siol Alpin, and descend from the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots; and also of Norse origin, from settlers who are the descents of Haakon inn Riki Sigurdarsson , Jarl of Hladr, Protector of Norway ,-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of...

, Clan Gregor, Clan MacAulay

Clan MacAulay

Clan MacAulay is a Scottish clan. The clan was historically centred around the lands of Ardincaple, which are today consumed by the little village of Rhu and burgh of Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute. The MacAulays of Ardincaple were located mainly in the traditional county of Dunbartonshire, which...

, Clan Macfie

Clan Macfie

Clan Macfie is a Scottish clan. Since 1981, the clan has been officially registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon, which is the heraldic authority of Scotland...

, Clan Mackinnon

Clan MacKinnon

Clan Mackinnon or Clan Fingon is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the islands of Mull and Skye, in the Inner Hebrides.Popular tradition gives the clan a Dalriadic Gaelic origin. The 19th century historian W. F. Skene named the clan as one of the seven clans of Siol Alpin - who according to...

, Clan Macnab

Clan MacNab

Clan Macnab is a Highland Scottish clan.-History:Clan Macnab is often said to have been a branch of the Clan Macdonald. However a bond of manrent exists to say that the Clan Macnab was an ally of the Clan Mackinnon and the Clan Gregor...

, and Clan MacQuarrie

Clan MacQuarrie

Clan MacQuarrie is a Highland Scottish clan, associated with the islands of Ulva, Staffa and the Isle of Mull, which are all located in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. The last chief of Clan MacQuarrie died in 1818 and since the clan does not have a current Chief recognized by Lord Lyon it can be...

. Of these seven clans, Clan Gregor was considered by the nineteenth century historian, W. F. Skene, to have been the senior.

Historical examples of a Siol Alpin tradition

There are several historical examples that have been claimed to show the strength of the Siol Alpin tradition.

Clan Gregor and Clan Grant

The Siol Alpin tradition was so strong in the clans Gregor and Grant that in the early part of the eighteenth century the two clans met at Blair Atholl

Blair Atholl

Blair Atholl is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains. The Gaelic place-name Blair, from blàr, 'field, plain', refers to this location...

 to discuss re-uniting them. In the discussions, which lasted fourteen days, it was agreed that if the proscription

Proscription

Proscription is a term used for the public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state. It is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a "decree of condemnation to death or banishment" and is a heavily politically charged word, frequently used to refer to state-approved...

 against the surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 MacGregor could be reversed then the new clan would take that name, otherwise MacAlpin of Grant would then be used. On the issue of the chiefship of the combined clan there was disagreement, and discussions eventually broke down. Though several Grants, including the Laird of Ballindalloch, "showed their loyalty to the ancient kinship by adding the MacGregor patronymic

Patronymic

A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...

 to their name".

Clan Gregor and Clan MacAulay

On May 27, 1591 Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple

Aulay Macaulay of Ardincaple

Sir Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple was a Scottish laird, knight, clan chief, and a shire commissioner. He was the son and heir of Walter MacAulay Ardincaple, who was the laird of Ardincaple and chief of Clan MacAulay...

 and Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae entered into a bond of manrent. In the bond the two chiefs promised to aid each other against anyone but the King. Also, Ardincaple acknowledged being a cadet of the House of MacGregor, and promised to pay the MacGregor chief his calp. (A calp was a tribute of cattle or the best eighth of a part of goods. The payment of the calp was a significant custom in Gaelic society; giving ones best animal to the person acknowledged as his Chief). A passage from the bond runs: "Alexander M'Gregor of Glenstray on the ane part and Awly M'Cawley of Ardingapill on the other part understanding ourselfs and our name to be M'Calppins of auld and to be our just and trew surname". From this statement Skene concluded that there was no doubt that the MacAulays claimed descent from Siol Alpin.

Clan Mackinnon and Clan Macnab

On July 12, 1606 Lauchlan Mackinnon of Strathairdle and Finlay Macnab of Bowaine, entered into a bond of friendship. In the bond the two chiefs claimed to "come from ane house and one lineage", promising to lend aid to each other. This bond was seen as further proof, by Skene, that the Mackinnons were descended from Siol Alpin.

Clan Gregor and Clan Mackinnon

Another bond involving the Mackinnons, this time between the Mackinnons and MacGregors, has also been seen as proof on a Siol Alpin descent. On 1671, in Kilmorie, Lauchlan Mackinnon of Strahairdle and James Macgregor of Macgregor, entered into the bond, stating that the two chiefs descended "fra twa breethren of auld descent".

Clan Grant and Clan Mackinnon

Following the failed 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...

 of 1715, Iain Dubh, chief of Clan Mackinnon, lost his lands under the Act of Attainder. His forfeited lands were then bought from the Government by the chief of Clan Grant and then handed over to Iain Dubh's heirs. The author, Charles MacKinnon, claims that there can be no reason that a chief, so far removed from the Isle of Skye, bought another clan's lands and then gave them back - other than a belief in common ancestry. And that the two clans belonged to the same family, Siol Alpin.

Heraldic examples of the Siol Alpin tradition

The belief in their Alpinian descent is shown in the clan badges (sometimes known as plant badges) of the seven clans. Clan badges were worn in the bonnets

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...

 of highlanders to distinguish friend from foe, and all seven clans share Scots Pine

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...

 as their clan badge. In addition to the clan badges, the mottoes used within the crest badges of several of the clans allude to the Siol Alpin tradition. For instance, Clan Gregor: S Rioghal Mo Dhream (translation from Gaelic: "Royal is My Race"); Clan Macfie: Pro Rege (translation from Latin: "For the King"). While the 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...

of Clan Mackinnon is Cuimhnich bas Alpein (translation from Gaelic: "Remember the death of Alpin").