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Buchanan Clan

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Top Surnames

Buchanan, Buchanan of Buchanan, Campbell, Cousland and 12 others
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Profiles

  • VI William Buchanan of Auchmar (b. - 1747)
    VI WILLIAM BUCHANAN OF AUCHMAR The Question of Identity William Buchanan of Auchmar, here treated, is not the same person as William Buchan, Sailor in the parish of Airth . William Buchanan of Auchmar,...
  • Kathrine Buchanan (bef.1710 - d.)
    KATHRINE BUCHANAN The Question of Identity Kathrine Buchanan, here treated, who it is claimed was the wife of John McCauley , is not the same person as Katharine Buchan , who is certainly know...
  • Catherine Cousland (1814 - 1870)
    Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 Name Robert Buchanan Gender Male Spouse Marion Frame Child Catherine Buchanan * Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy : Sep 16 2023, 20:25:37 UTC
  • Robert Buchanan (1781 - 1832)
    Biography Robert Buchanan was born in 1781 in Callander, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom. Robert married Agnes Park on April 4, 1785 in Glasgow City, Scotland, United Kingdom. Together they had th...
  • Arthur Buchanan (1750 - 1829)

Buchanan Clan

Image, right. Clan Arms
  • Arms Or, a lion rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules, within a double tressure flory counterflory of the Second.
  • Crest or Badge: A dexter hand coupee holding a ducal cap, or duke’s cornet, proper, with two laurel branches wreathed surrounding the crest, disposed orleways proper

//media.geni.com/p13/c0/5e/0c/88/5344483b4df4586d/buchanancrest_medium.jpg?hash=ff09ad76294a6fb95b8d7d837f7a3f250d1a167ea17746ff72f90cd87df43343.1733558399

  • Gaelic Name: Cononach
  • Motto: Clarior hinc honos or “Henceforth forward the honour shall grow ever brighter”
  • War cry: Clar Innes
  • Plant - Bilberry
  • Origin of Tartan:
  • Name Variations:
  • Lands Loch Lomond-shire; Stirlingshire
  • Seat:
  • Clan Chief:

//media.geni.com/p13/b8/bc/b2/b9/5344483b53354447/buchanan_r_original.jpg?hash=79ea6e3f8cd3c87cd0696187b1e2b6547c6e2cb5b71cb2eea23b44aec1e7226d.1733558399

Image from - R R McIan's THe Clans of the Scottish Highlands

//media.geni.com/p13/1c/a7/ce/37/5344483b4df4586b/buchanan_clan_map_large.jpg?hash=77b115fa64bfb46a507a54291dfd016f55b9c882aa82ea27bd721adef63f15cc.1733558399

Origins of the name

Macauselan (meaning son of Anselan). Mac a Chanonaich (The Son of the Canon) and Buth Chanain (meaning house or seat of the canon) are given as the root of the territorial name Buchanan. [Maclauchlan, Thomas (1857). Celtic Gleanings. Maclachlan and Stewart. p. 168.; Keay, John (2000). Collins encyclopaedia of Scotland. Harper Collins. p. 114.]

The origins of the Buchanan Clan are said to lie in the 1225 grant of lands on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond to clergyman Sir Absalon of Buchanan by the Earl of Lennox.

From the Wikipedia page: -
Traditionally, Clan Buchanan can trace its chiefly line back to Anselan O Kyan who was a son of Okyan, provincial king of south Ulster who landed in Argyll in 1016. However, the traditional account is inconsistent with other accounts for the period in Ireland, and may be little more than an origin myth. For his services against the Danes he received the lands of Buchanan from king Malcolm II which lie to the east of Loch Lomond around the village of Killearn.
During the reign of Malduin Mormaer (Earl) of Lennox, 1217-1250, Anselan (third of that name) was granted, in 1225, the island of Clareinch. He is referred to as 'clericus meus', meaning 'my clergyman'. He is subsequently recorded as Absalom de Buchanan and it is understood that to have this title, there must have been other grants of land in the parish of Buchanan. During the reign of king Alexander II (1214-1249), Gilbert de Buchanan, seneschal to the Earl of Lennox, received, in 1231, a charter confirming Clareinch and other lands in Buchanan. It is from the lands of Buchanan that the Clan name is derived.
[References: Buchanan, Watson W. (2002) 'History of Clan Buchanan and its Septs: a Millennial Update' Pro Familia Publishing, Toronto, Canada, p 7f; Buchanan of Auchmar, William (1733). The Historical and Genealogical Essay Upon the Family and Surname of Buchanan. Glasgow. p 15f; Robert Bain. 1938. The Clans and Tartans of Scotland. Glasgow and London: Fontana/Collins. p. 50.]

From The Clans of the Scottish Highlands - The Costumes of the Clans - R R McIan and text by James Logan.

"The Mac Mhaolanich, or Mac Millans, a branch of this clann, settled at Cnap, in Argyle, but in consequence of the slaughter of a person of some note, called Marallach mòr, they were obliged to seek refuge in Lochabar, where they were named Mac Gille Veol. Loicheil found them useful auxiliaries, as they could take 100 good men into the field, who were ready to engage in the most desperate enterprises".

Buchanan People

George Buchanan (b.1506) - poet and protestant reformer was born in Killearn, Stirlingshire in 1506.

Snippetts

  • The origins of the Buchanans has been traced to one Gilbert, a Steward of the Earl of Lennox, about the middle of the thirteenth century.The earl conferred upon Gilbert a part of the lands of Buchanan. from which he took his name. Maurice of Buchanan, his successor, received the same grant from the 6th Earl of Lennox. Maurice married the daughter of Menteith of Rusky, and thus his son became connected with the Roytal House. The latter married the sole heiress of the ancient family of Leny. lt is said that at the battle of Bauge­-en-Anjou, in 1421, Sir Alexander, their eldest son, slew the Duke of Clarence . The former was killed at the battle of Verneuil in 1424, when his second brother, Walter, succeeded to the Buchanan estates, and his third brother to the Leny estates. Walter married Isabel, Countess of Lennox. Their eldest son, Patrick, married the heiress of Killearn and Auchreoch, while Thomas, their youngest son, founded the House of Drumikil, of which the famous historian, George Buchanan, was a descendent. Patrick's son, Walter, married a daughter of Lord Graham, and by her had a younger son who became known as "King o Kippen." Walter, a grandson of Patrick, and founder of the Line of Spittal, was twice married. By his second wife he had William, founder of the now extinct line of Auchmar. The principal line became extinct in 1682, when representation was claimed by Buchanan of Auchmar, whose line perished in 1816. The family lands are now possessed by the Duke of Montrose.

From "The Scottish Tartans illust. by William Semple" 1950 Document attached
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Sharon Doubell started a Buchanan Clan project after she found the line had been mis-merged into a birds nest of no small proportions :-): http://www.geni.com/discussions/124164?msg=877300. I’m putting up a work-in-progress Template to function as a stabilizing record outside the profiles themselves - of how we think the main Chief line should look, and invite everyone managing these profiles over all the generations to come and contribute; change; start Discussions about the ambivalences. Please come and help, as I'm sure many people will have expertise in this area. Warm regards Cuzzin Sharon in South Africa

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Chiefs of Clan Buchanan

The first six Clan Chiefs are poorly represented in historical records and are included by some Clan historians and omitted by others. Buchanan of Auchmar and Guthrie Smith commence their respective numbering of Chiefs at a different person, and describe a different order and number of Chiefs following Sir Walter 11th of Buchanan. In part this is due to the heir apparent not succeeding to the chiefship before he dies and chiefship passing directly from grandfather to grandchild. The following lineage reconciles Guthrie Smith and Buchanan of Auchmar and their respective numbering is in parenthesis.

The two main Clan historians, Buchanan of Auchmar[23] writing in 1723 uses the term ‘laird of Buchanan’, while Guthrie Smith[24] writing in 1896 uses the term ‘laird of Buchanan’ to describe the chiefs up to and including Sir Maurice the 10th of Buchanan and then ‘Buchanan of that Ilk’ up to and including Sir George the 15th of Buchanan and thereafter Buchanan of Buchanan.
Wikipedia

  • 1st – Anselan O'Kyan,[62][63] son of a petty king from Ulster, Ireland, in the service of Malcolm II of Scotland from whom he received a grant of land in Lennox. He married an heiress of Denniestoun and by her had a son,
  • 2nd – John, whose son and successor was
  • 3rd – Anselan, whose son and successor was
  • 4th – Walter, whose son and successor was
  • 7th – Anselan McCausland, (Guthrie Smith identifies him as the 7th Laird of Buchanan and commences his numbering of Chiefs from him.) Seneschal to Earl of Lennox in about 1225 and obtained the charter for the Loch Lomond island of Clareinch (the Clan’s call to war and alternately rendered as Clairinch or Clar Innis), had three sons
  • 2 Methlin the ancestor of the MacMillans, and
  • 3 Coleman the ancestor of the MacColemans).
  • 8th – Gilbert Buchanan,(Guthrie Smith identifies him as 2nd Chief and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 8th Chief) whose son and successor was
  • 9th – Sir Maurice Buchanan,] (Guthrie Smith identifies him as 3rd Chief and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 9th Chief) had three sons
  • 3 John the first ancestor of the cadets of Auchneiven).
  • 11th – Sir Walter Buchanan, (Guthrie Smith identifies him as 5th Chief and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 11th Chief) married Margaret and had three sons
  • 2 Alexander who reputedly killed the Duke of Clarence at the battle of Beaugé in 1421 and who later died in the battle of Verneuil in 1424, and
  • 3 John [Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 12th Chief ] who married Janet de Leny the heiress of Leny and was the first ancestor of the cadets of Leny and had two daughters
  • 12th – Sir Walter Buchanan, (Guthrie Smith identifies him as 6th Chief and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 13th Chief) first married an unidentified women and by her three sons
  • 3 Thomas (first ancestor of cadets of Gartincaber, Drumikill and Carbeth)
  • 4? and one daughter.
He married secondly to Isobel Stewart.
  • (Walter his successor and a daughter
  • (Anabella. He also had an illegitimate son
  • 14th – Walter Buchanan, (Guthrie Smith identifies him as 8th Chief and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 15th Chief) married Isobel Graham and by her four sons
  • 1 Patrick [Guthrie Smith identifies him as 9th Chief but then goes on to advise that the Chiefship passed from Patrick’s father to Patrick’s son and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 16th Chief] who married Margaret Buchanan the daughter of the Earl of Argyle and by her had
  • George who succeeded his grandfather;
  • 2 John first ancestor of cadets of Arnprior;
  • 4 Walter first ancestor of cadets of Spittal)
and two daughters
  • John [Guthrie Smith identifies him as 11th Chief but then goes on to advise that the Chiefship passed from John’s father to John’s son and Buchanan of Auchmar identifies him as 18th Chief] who married Elizabeth Livingston and by her had
  • George who succeeded his grandfather and two daughters (Helen and Susanna).
Second he married Janet Cunningham and by her had a son
  • William first ancestor of the cadets of Auchmar) and a daughter
  • John his successor) and two daughters (Helen and Susanna).

Sources:

  • Smibert, Thomas (1850). The clans of the Highlands of Scotland: an account of their annals, with delineations of their tartans, and family arms. Edinburgh: James Hogg. p. 36.
  • Guthrie Smith. p. 283. Guthrie Smith, John (1896). Strathendrick and its Inhabitants from Early Times (1st ed.). Glasgow: James Maclehose and Son.
  • Buchanan of Auchmar. Buchanan of Auchmar, William (1733). The Historical and Genealogical Essay Upon the Family and Surname of Buchanan. Glasgow.

Naming Conventions

Thank you Justin for providing us with this:

  • '"Scottish women in this period used their Birth Surnames"' & did not change them upon marrying. Discussion here
  • By both custom and law, Scotland follows the same rule as France -- a territorial designation is part of the surname. It is not a suffix, as it would be in England. A territorial designation is part of the surname of the head of the family, his wife, his eldest son, and all his daughters. It is not part of the surname of younger sons.
  • The word "laird" means any large landowner. Many of the people we call lairds were actually feudal barons. Feudal barons were not peers who sat in Scottish parliament, but they owned lands that gave them baronial jurisdiction. Their baronies could be bought and sold.Clan chiefs who have no baronial jurisdiction in their lands, or who have no lands, are considered to be lairds. The clan following is their "estate", so they normally take a territorial designation by duplicating their surname. They can do this in two ways. They might call themselves, for example, Johnstone of Johnstone, or Johnstone of that Ilk. Both of those are surnames.The form "Allan Cameron, 10th of Lochiel" is colloquial. His name would correctly be Allan Cameron of Lochiel, 10th Baron of Lochiel. Colloquially, he would be the 10th Laird of Lochiel, 10th of Lochiel, etc.Putting all of this together, we know that Sir Maurice Buchanan, 10th Laird of Buchanan is the wrong form for his name. He was either Sir Maurice Buchanan of Buchanan, or he was Sir Maurice Buchanan of that Ilk. Further, he was either 10th Baron of Buchanan or 10th Laird of Buchanan (if Buchanan was just a large estate but had no baronial rights). Hint: the Wikipedia article on Clan Buchanan has a section for "Title of the Chief" that answers this question.

References and Sources

  • Logan, James (1899). The clans of the Scottish Highland. Columbia University:
  • Smibert, Thomas (1850). The clans of the Highlands of Scotland: an account of their annals, with delineations of their tartans, and family arms. Edinburgh: James Hogg. p. 35.

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