Kenneth McRae - World Champion Athlete
Written by Peter MacRae, London, September 1999 INVERNESS is famous as the birthplace of noted athletes - Charles McLean, Donald Ross, A. A. Cameron, nd many others were born and brought up in that country; but had no one else besides the stalwart Highlander, whose name heads this page, come from the shire, it would […]
Helena Tolmie 1840-1881
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, Helena with their two-year-old, Isabella […]
Dornie Manuscript
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. The document does maintain interest […]
The Macraes of Strathglass
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 since the turn of the century. […]
Descendants of Maurice of Clunes (1 - 10) and (11-15)
Generation No. 1 Maurice Of Clunes1 MacRath1 was born Abt. 1280 in Ireland, and died Abt. 1350 in Scotland. Notes for Maurice Of Clunes MacRath: Of a possible migration of the Clan MacRae to Scotland from Ireland, little is known, but their first known home in Scotland was on the lands of Lord Lovat of […]
Lyon Court
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 time as the office of Lord […]
The Scottish Nation
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 stated to be of Irish origin […]
Domesday Book
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 to gather information from each of […]
Clan Without A Chief
© 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 Clan MacRae." Major John MacRae-Gilstrap representing […]
Introduction to the Derivation of Scottish Surnames
By William L. Kirk, Jr., Ph.D.1 July 1992 The whole subject of Scottish surnames, and their connection with kinship, is surrounded by complications. Professional etymologists have attempted to classify how Scottish names came about. And, whereas the work is largely successful, the many exceptions and the metamorphosis of names make the study of Scottish names […]