“GIVING VENT TO LONG SIMMERING ANNOYANCES”-PART THREE: The War Cry

The imagination seems to yearn for colorful details about one’s ancestors. That one is descended from a person who barely existed by scratching out a living uneducated and impoverished is not nearly as compelling as the picture conjured by a clansman, targe and broadsword in hand, charging the enemy’s line while screaming a slogan shared by his fellow highlanders. But how far back do these battle cries actually go? Is there any evidence for their existence?

An example of the dubiousness of the battle cry can be found on the website for the Clan MacLachlan Association of North America. Here it is stated that the MacLachlan’s battle cry at Culloden Moor was “Life or Death!” How could anyone know this unless there is a record by those at the battle and why not provide the evidence of where it’s located? Is there a journal by a combatant of either side describing this? When did it appear in clan lore?

The clan system was already dying at the time of the ’45 and the Jacobite loss at Culloden dragged it to its grave and threw dirt in its face. I find the assertion that this war cry, if it existed at all, was used subsequently to be pure wishful thinking.

If it is indeed a fabrication of the Scottish Revival, I'd advocate the selection of a new war cry. "Life or Death!" suffers from an extreme lack of meaning and every time I read it I think of Eddie Izzard's "Cake or death?" bit from his Dressed to Kill special.

“GIVING VENT TO LONG SIMMERING ANNOYANCES”-PART TWO: The Plant Badge

While I’m personally happy with the MacLachlans having two plant badges, the rowan (Sorbus aucuparia aka European Mountain Ash) and the periwinkle (vinca minor), I’ve never seen any reference to when or where these plants were originally associated with Clan MacLachlan. Is there a sheepskin scroll in gaelic somewhere linking these plants to the surname or is this another invention similar to the tartan fraud of the Sobieski Stuarts? Perhaps it’s merely a product of the revival of interest in things Scottish attributed to Queen Victoria’s visit to Scotland early in her reign.

JAMES THE SCHOOLMASTER

I can trace my surname lineage as far back as the 1851 Census in Durham County, England. There is the entry for James McLauchlan, a schoolmaster in the village of Crook. The entry is not easy to read and the last name looks as though it is spelled “McLauchland” by the entrant.

I remember my excitement when the page arrived in the mail because I knew that the 1851 Census was the first one listing the place of birth for individuals. I scanned across the line for my ancestor to “Birthplace” to discover the entrant listed only “Scotland.” Good taste prevents me from fully describing my disappointed reaction.

I refer to this ancestor as “James the Schoolmaster” though I’ve seen his name listed variously as James W. McLauchlan, James W. McLauchlan, Jr., James McLauchlan, and (arguably) James McLauchland.

I once had a correspondence with a distant cousin in England who was in possession of some letters that James had written during a trip to Scotland. I subsequently wrote and asked for copies but never received any. That was some years ago and I don’t know if this relative is even still living. I need to dig out my research as I’m sure I saved this correspondence. If memory serves me correctly, he did mention the letters were written from two different Scottish towns, but he didn’t know if these had been James’ destination or simply towns he passed through on his way to or from.

Once I find these documents I’ll scan them and try to figure out a way to post them on this blog.

WHAT IS REALLY KNOWN ABOUT SCOTTISH CLAN HISTORY or "GIVING VENT TO LONG SIMMERING ANNOYANCES"-Part One

One of my pet peeves (yes, I have many) is the regurgitation of unsubstantiated information in clan histories. Popular books and websites on Scottish clans and tartans repeat the same tired basic facts on a given clan and we accept them as true as though they sprung forth from the collective unconscious. And, of course, the clan tartan, strap & buckle, and associated plant badges are listed. Sometimes a clan’s war or battle cry makes an appearance. While the readers of such fare may not demand rigorous scholarship regarding these matters, the clan sennachies should make the effort to separate out the reality from the fiction so that our treasured histories are true to the documented facts.

OTHER SURNAMES IN MY FAMILY

Although this is certainly not exhaustive of the names in my family, I'll also be discussing ancestors with the surnames Corey, Drake, Oestreicher, McBain, Hearst, and Hope. Stay tuned.

BLOG WON'T BE RESTRICTED TO ONLY "McLAUCHLAN"

There are something in the neighborhood of 200 spelling variations of this surname. I'll be commenting on topics involving a number of them. I used the particular spelling above because it's particularly relevant to my own genealogy and because I didn't want this blog to appear as though it were an official organ of Clan MacLachlan or any or its affiliates in the UK or North America.