Passion, pride and power

Few aspects of our history are as colourful - or as bloody - as the Scottish clan system. From their ancient origins in the Celtic, Norse or Norman-French traditions, the clans had grown firm roots in the Highlands by the 13th century. Clan means family or children in Gaelic - although it should be noted that not everybody in the same clan was related to each other. The clans lived off the land, with cattle being their main source of wealth - and, along with border disputes, the prime cause of inter-clan unrest. The most important clan chiefs held real power over the lands within their control, being part-king, part-protectorate and part-judge and jury.

The system remained largely intact until the time of the bloody battle of Culloden in 1746, where the Jacobite rebellion was mercilessly crushed by the royal troops of King George II. In any case, improved trade and communication links between the clans of the north and the sassenachs (meaning of Saxon origin) of the south was already leading to the dilution of the clan system. The end effectively came with the infamous Highland Clearances, when many thousands of Scottish land workers sought the promise of a better life on distant shores.

Many clans can be traced back to a specific part of Scotland, the MacLeods of Skye for example, or the MacNabs of St Fillan on Loch Earn. For those with a clan history, a trip to the clan homeland is an absolute must. You can find out more about your own particular clan by using our clan search.

There you'll find a history of the clan and the set of its tartan. For some clans you'll also find a special itinerary to help you walk in your clan ancestors' footsteps when you visit Scotland.