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, comeContinue Reading
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
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 theContinue 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
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
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 makeContinue Reading
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below. …Continue Reading