Kilt: It’s what happened to the last person who called it a skirt! Anonymous
Most Americans with Southern roots have Scottish blood in their lineage. So, it becomes a matter of which clan do you want to claim? In the old days in Scotland, picking a clan would have been a matter of life or death, but as modern Americans, it is for fun and for a sense of belonging!
After compiling and documenting the Rockett Complete Ancestry at my lineage website https://rockettslanding.neocities.org/RockettCompleteAncestry, I noticed a LOT of Scottish ancestors that I didn’t know we had in our lineage. Many of the Scottish ancestors in this lineage are associated with clans that don’t have a modern, living chief with a physical seat. So, I decided to see how many clans we descend from who do have a living chief and physical seat. The number is seven: Bruce, Buchan, Campbell, Forbes, Keith, MacKenzie, and Munro.
Now just looking at these seven clans, Bruce and Buchan are Lowland families and the other five are Highland clans. Here are the numbers of generations we descend through for each clan: Bruce (2), Buchan (6), Campbell (3), Forbes (3), Keith (5), MacKenzie (8) and Munro (3).
Clearly, we have more Highland MacKenzie blood in our line, since we descend from eight generations of MacKenzies. So, this post will focus on our new-found Highland MacKenzies!
Highland Clan MacKenzie:
We are descended from Chief Alexander MACKENZIE “The Upright” (b. Bef 1436, d. Bef 2 Sep 1488) through eight generations:
1. Chief Alexander MacKenzie;
2. Chief Kenneth MacKenzie;
3. Chief John MacKenzie;
4. Chief Kenneth “of the Whittle” MacKenzie;
5. Chief Colin MacKenzie “Cam (One-Eyed)";
6. Alexander MacKenzie of Coul and Applecross;
7. Sir Kenneth MacKenzie of Coul, First Baronet; and
8. Jean MacKenzie of Coul.
Crest Badge: A mount in flames
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_clans#/media/File:Mackenzie_crest.gif by Tomasz Steifer, Gdansk.
Motto: Luceo non uro “I shine not burn”
Plant: Variegated holly or deergrass
Clan Chief: John Ruaridh Grant MacKenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie
Photo posted by Debbie Banes on Pinterest
Clan Seat: Castle Leod, near Strathpeffer in east Ross-shire, Scotland, built on the site of a very ancient Pictish fort. It is open to the public on a limited number of days. Visitors can plant a tree on the grounds. Address: Castle Leod, Strathpeffer, Ross-shire, IV4 9AA.
Clan Tartan:
What’s the difference in tartans? The Tartan Plaid website gives a quick description with MacKenzie tartan pictures from LochCarron of Scotland:
MacKenzie Ancient - Before the 1860s, the only materials available to artisans were vegetable colors derived from plants and animals. As a result, the final results of these very rudimentary dyes were not particularly stable, and the color faded fast. After only a few years of fading, the tartans’ colors became light and delicate, and this is what today’s Ancient Tartans strive for. Greens and blues, for example, are particularly muted, while red frequently appears more orange in Ancient Tartan designs.
MacKenzie Modern - Modern tartans are based on historical tartan designs established after 1860. At this point in history, more chemical dyes became accessible, allowing tartans to be more color-fast (that is, maintain their color better). These synthetic dyes gave rise to the unique bolder, deeper colours of Modern Tartan. Blues appear dark, while greens appear more bottle green.
MacKenzie Weathered - In contrast to other tartans, weathered tartans use a color palette that imitates tartans exposed to the harshest weather factors that Scotland has to offer, such as rain, sun, and wind. This produces muted colors that are most reminiscent of those worn centuries ago, when Scottish men wore their kilts day and night.
MacKenzie Hunting - Old Scottish clans employed Historical Hunting Tartans while hunting, and modern forms have more greens and browns in them than old and Modern versions, to better blend in with the flora. That doesn’t mean that current Hunting Tartans are just worn for hunting; like many other tartans, they’re also worn for various formal and social occasions.
MacKenzie Dress - Dress Tartans, arguably among the easiest tartans to recognize, are most usually linked with highland dance. Dress Tartans typically have some type of white in their design, a pattern influenced by 18th century women’s dress. Many individuals have noticed that many Dress Tartans are simply versions of typical clan tartans with their main color changed to white.
Allegiances:
ALLIED CLANS | RIVAL CLANS |
Clan Campbell (we are also descendants) | Clan MacDonald |
Clan Mackintosh | Clan MacDonalds of Clanranald and of Glengarry |
Clan MacLennan | Clan MacDonalds of Keppoch and of Lochalsh |
Clan MacRae | Clan MacLeods of Assynt and of Lewis |
Clan Matheson | Clan Munro (we are also descendants) |
Clan Morrison | Clan Rose |
Clan Stewart | Clan Ross |
| Bain of Tulloch Family |
Clan Map of Scotland:
Map of Scottish highland clans and lowland families. Originally based on the "Clan Map of Scotland" from The Scottish Clans & Their Tartans, W. & A.K. Johnston, 1939. Also used a map from ScottishRadiance. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_clan
Clan Website: The Clan MacKenzie Society of Scotland & the UK. Membership open to overseas persons. Active clan participates in Highland Games, events, and publishes a magazine. Single membership £15.00 (US$18.95 as of June 23, 2024). https://clanmackenziesociety.co.uk/
Sources:
Castle Leod, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Leod
Clan Chief: John MacKenzie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mackenzie,_5th_Earl_of_Cromartie
Clan MacKenzie, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Mackenzie
List of Scottish Clans, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_clans
Tartan Fabric: LochCarron of Scotland, https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/fabric-cloth-shop/tartan-fabric with an excellent selection of ancient, dress, hunting, weathered, and modern tartan fabrics, clothes, and products in different weights.
Tartan Plaid https://tartanplaid.co/blog/the-differences-between-various-types-of-tartan-fabrics/
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