The life of my great-great grandmother, Helena MacRae, has fascinated me for more than a decade. She was born in Salachy, Lochalsh, Ross-shire in 1840 and married a grocer, Roderick Tolmie in Beauly, Kilmorack, Inverness in 1859 when she was 18 and he was 23. Roderick and the heavily pregnant,Continue Reading

The following is a representation of the document known as the Dornie Manuscript, the history of the Clan Mackenzie transcribed by Colin Mackenzie of Newburnside in 1760. We do not have a verified copy of the manuscript, and cannot confirm this as an accurate representation, or only a subset thereof.Continue Reading

by Peter A. MacRae Part I: INTRODUCTION Before setting out this brief history, it is important to set certain matters straight. First, consider the name and spelling of ‘MacRae’: the spelling used here, it is conceded, is the modern evolved version, which is ordinarily met with in most accounts sinceContinue Reading

The Court of the Lord Lyon All heraldry in Scotland is controlled by the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, commonly known as the Lyon Court, and located at New Register House in Edinburgh. The origins of the Lyon Court are literally lost in the mists of timeContinue Reading

By William Anderson Excerpt … Macrae, a minor clan of Ross-shire, which has from time immemorial been subordinate to the Seaforth branch of the Mackenzies. The badge of the Macraes was the fir-club moss, and they are generally considered of the pure Gaelic stock, although they have also been statedContinue Reading

Leslie A. McRae This was the name given to a survey that was commissioned by ‘William the Conqueror’ (King William I) in AD1085 at his Christmas Court. Previous records, held at Winchester, were examined and provided a starting point for the survey. William sent Royal Commissioners out into England toContinue Reading

© Peter MacRae, London 1999 A dissertation concerning the Chiefship Issue in The Clan MacRae. The MacRaes are conspicuously ‘A Clan without Chief’, none having ever been determined. In 1909 Sir Colin MacRae of The Inverinate Branch petitioned Lyon Court for recognition of his position as “Chief of The ClanContinue Reading