The Key to the Mid Argyll Group

The key to the Mid Argyll Group research is the historical figure of Donnchadh Mac Eáin.  As Captain White, who did the survey of Donnchadh's burial slab in 1875, pointed out when speaking about the slab, it is one of the few burial slabs that can be linked to a historical figure.

To quote Captain White, 'The writing in this case is tolerably perfect, and there is no difficulty in reading the initiatory words, ''Hic iascet Duncanus." Now, in 1479, King James III granted to Colin, Earl of Argyll, the lands of Gareald, Craigenewir (in the vally of the Add) and Tangladlew (within the barony of Glassary), resigned by Duncan Makcane.  With the aid of this information, if we turn again to the inscription, the following, I think, can be deciphered--  Hic iacet Duncanus Roy M'Allan --  and at the top of the slab the name 'Lachlan.' This appears to be one of those rare instances where we are enabled to identify a mediaeval tombstone in the West Highlands with a substantive individual of whom there is documentary record.' 

Captain White was correct Donnchadh appears is the Scottish crown records and the Argyll records.  He is the vector.   Through him we can follow his descendants and those of his three brothers, Dónall, Eáin Riabhach, and Giolla Chríost. 

In most of the 1400s and 1500s records that Donnchadh and his descendants appear, they continue the use of the Mac Eáin surname.  Usually is found put into Lallans, but sometimes left in a Gaelic spelling. 

It is interesting that we know so much about Donnchadh as his House, at Dunemuck, was not the head of the clan, it was his older brother Dónall who was the Taoiseach of the Dunadd Mac Lachlainns.  The House were Dónall of Dunadd, Donnchadh Mór of Dunemuch, Eáin Riabhach of Killiemuchanock, and Giolla Chríost of Creig an Tairbh. 

As the research progresses I will post more of these brothers and their descendants from the primary sources.  Luckily the habit of writing a man's Derbfine name was often followed in the Argyll records, so that we not only get the man's name, but his line of descent, usually for four, sometimes three, generations. 

Mid Argyll Group DNA website link

Link:  Mid Argyll Group DNA Project public website

Mid Argyll Group DNA Project Launched

The research into the Mid Argyll Kinship Group picking up pace with the creation of the Mid Argyll Group DNA project.  The project will collect DNA results from those men are in the group, which means every man will have the same paternal ancestry.  The project is only open to men that are a paternal DNA match to the group.

The project's goal is to research the Mid Argyll Kinship Group circa 1300 to late 1500s. . The geographic area of the study is the parish of Kilmichael Glassary and the surrounding districts, such as Bute, Arran, Cowal, etc.

The surnames in the group are Duncan, Gay, Gray, Henry, Henrie, McAlpin, McCain, McCane, McKane, McKain, McKean, McKeen, McDonald, and McLea.  In Gaelic, Mac Donnchaidh, Mag Aodh, Glass, Mac Eanruig, Mac Ailpín, Mac Eáin, Mac Dónaill, and Mac an Leagha.   Another surname of interest in the research are McLachlain (Mac Lachlainn) and the project is open to any male that is high level DNA match to the group.
 
The reason are so many surnames in the group is because surnames were not fixed in Argyll in the 1500s.  Gaelic families often followed traditional patronymic customs of mid Argyll.  This generated several surnames within the same family during that century.  This is why we have McAlpin, Henry, Duncan, McDonald, etc., showing up within the same paternal clan.

The surnames in the DNA match group were in use in Kilmichael Glassary in the 1500s.  Most of these surnames appear in records connected to the Mac Lachlainn 'clan'  of Dunadd.   It is speculated that the Mid Argyll Kinship group is actually the Mac Lachlainn of Dunadd family. 

This project will have Dr Kyle MacLea as an administrator, he is a geneticist by profession and teaches at a university.   I will be a co-administrator helping out with the primary source research and Gaelic language elements. 






Link to Join the Mid Argyll Kinship Group DNA project:   Mid Argyll Group

Mid Argyll Group Surnames

The Mid Argyll Kinship Group includes the surnames, listed in their anglicised forms and then in Gaelic, MacAlpin (Mac Ailpin), McCain (Mac Eáin), MacDonald (Mac Dónaill), Duncan (Mac Donnchaidh), Henry (Mac Eanruig) and MacLea (Mac an Leagha).[i]  These are not ‘clan’ surnames, meaning they do not necessarily relate to historical clans from mid Argyll.  They are surnames created from Gaelic patronymic naming customs.  Surnames were not fixed in Argyll until very late, circa 1500s into the 1600s.  Even then the use of clan surnames was not universal and was often a form only found on legal documents written by government officials, rather than the surname a family actually used in their community.[ii]  Clan surnames were used more by older sons of landed families.  The fact that the Mid Argyll Kinship families shared the same paternal kinship, but were using at least five different surnames is not unusual.  They do share some obvious connections.  They are all of Highland Gaelic ancestry and have histories connected to Argyll.  Several of the families have primary source records that placed them in specific locations in mid Argyll. 

---

[i] McCain Family DNA Project, http://mccaindna.ulsterheritage.com/

[ii], Michael Newton, A Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World, Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2000, pages 136, 137. 

Argyll Redshank 1577

Argyll Redshank 1577