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Author Topic: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.  (Read 2236 times)

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.
« Reply #9 on: Monday 16 September 19 20:34 BST (UK) »
To paraphrase my great-aunt- "If you have to ask which one you belong to then you don't"  ;)
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline Skoosh

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Re: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.
« Reply #10 on: Monday 16 September 19 22:26 BST (UK) »
Ur great aunt wisnae daft!  ;D

Skoosh.

Offline Forfarian

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Re: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.
« Reply #11 on: Wednesday 18 September 19 09:33 BST (UK) »
Quote from: aghadowey on Monday 16 September 19 20:34 BST (UK)
To paraphrase my great-aunt- "If you have to ask which one you belong to then you don't"  ;)
That is just exactly what went through my mind!

The important thing to understand that the clans were a feature of society in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands and Islands. Most people in Scotland live in the Lowlands, and while there are many illustrious families in the Lowlands and the Borders, they are not and never were clans.

Unfortunately a combination of Sir Walter Scott, the Brigadoon industry and the rose-tinted views of Scotland from afar has created this myth that all Scots belong to a clan. It is simply not true, and unless you have actually traced your own ancestors to a family who bore a genuine clan surname, or who can be proved to have given their allegience to one, you are wasting your time trying to work out which clan you belong to, because you probably don't belong to one at all.


Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Offline Skoosh

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Re: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday 18 September 19 09:48 BST (UK) »
Most people in Scotland now are city folk but back in the day the Highland population was bigger than the Lowland. FF is right though, anent Walter Scott & Balmorality

Skoosh.

Offline Craclyn

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Re: Trying to figure out if I'm Clan Gunn, Clan MacKay, or Clan MacFarlane.
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday 18 September 19 10:04 BST (UK) »
Since there is no Williamson clan you would have to offer your allegiance to a clan chieftain and hope to be accepted. What do you expect to achieve by doing this?
Crackett, Cracket, Webb, Turner, Henderson, Murray, Carr, Stavers, Thornton, Oliver, Davis, Hall, Anderson, Atknin, Austin, Bainbridge, Beach, Bullman, Charlton, Chator, Corbett, Corsall, Coxon, Davis, Dinnin, Dow, Farside, Fitton, Garden, Geddes, Gowans, Harmsworth, Hedderweek, Heron, Hedley, Hunter, Ironside, Jameson, Johnson, Laidler, Leck, Mason, Miller, Milne, Nesbitt, Newton, Parkinson, Piery, Prudow, Reay, Reed, Read, Reid, Robinson, Ruddiman, Smith, Tait, Thompson, Watson, Wilson, Youn
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