|
For 559 years the
Clan MacFarlane held legal sway over the Parish of Arrochar, Scotland,
from the tip of the sea loch Loch Long, down to Glen Douglas and north to
the upper reaches of Loch Lomond, Its an area of great natural beauty but
very meagre resources. The Macfarlanes, therefore had to cling
tenaciously to their very existence by supplementing these meagre rations
with ill-gotten gains from their richer neighbours to the south. That they
became the best in the business at the Highland art of Cattle rustling is
underlined with the well documented local nickname for the Moon, "MacFarlanes
Lantern".
With our present day outlook this type of behaviour in the modern world
would be totally unacceptable, However in the 14th, 15th and 16th
centuries in Scotland the ritual of cattle stealing from each other was
commonplace. The MacFarlanes were unfortunate that their skill emphasised
their notoriety and led to the inevitable attention of the authorities.
Despite this their pride in their skill is shown in the name of their Clan
Pipe Pibroch "Thogail nam bo theid sinn" (to Lifting the cattle we shall
go) written by their 12th chief, Andrew the Wizard.
The Macfarlanes too engaged in more edifying activities down through these
5 centuries. Always in defence of the Scottish Crown as is evidenced by
their Coat of Arms with imperial crown and Motto of This I'll Defend. They
had strong participation at Bannockburn in 1314, Flodden, in 1513, Pinkie
in 1547, Most notably at Langside in 1568 and Bothwell Bridge in 1679,
when their ferocious Highland charges won the day. They also supported the
great Marquis of Montrose in the campaigns in the 1640's Their defence of
the crown in fact led to the destruction of their Island castles in Loch
Lomond at Eilean-a-Bhuth and Inveruglas by Cromwellian forces led by
General Monck during the Imperialist English invasions in the 1650's.
In 1767 Walter MacFarlane,who was their 20th Chief being a respected
Antiquary and Scholar and original Friend of Loch Lomond who planted most
of the magnificent Oaks trees in the area, he died leaving debt. This was
made worse by his brother William 21st chief, to settle them he had to
sell the lands of Arrochar in 1784, leading to all Macfarlane people being
evicted and scattered around the globe. The last Chief died in 1866.
Today however fortunes are looking up for the Clan. Under their
imaginative leadership through the international Clan MacFarlane Society,
Inc. (Originally founded in 1911 in Glasgow and London and re-established
at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, USA in 1973.) They were granted
Arms by The Lord Lyon King of Arms making them the only chiefless
Armigerous society and they are thriving and striving to take the
descendants of MacFarlane back where they belong. They are currently
fund-raising to set up the Clan MacFarlane Heritage Centre and Museum of
Highland Life in Tarbet, Loch Lomond, The target they require is $400,000
US, and they have in a few months collected $100,000 US. So they are well
on their way.
The heritage centre will be located on the Main road between Tarbet and
Arrochar in the old Free Church at Ballyhennan. This building is currently
known as the "Black Sheep" and houses a viable Craft Shop and Licensed
Restaurant. There is an upper level that will house the Museum and
Archive. The Churchyard holds mainly MacFarlane Graves, including
certainly one MacFarlane Chief. The Clan MacFarlane Society seeks to
create a focal point for all Macfarlanes world-wide and create a permanent
institution so future generations will be able to enjoy their heritage.
The Society is also working on regaining Islands of Inveruglas and
Eilean-a-Bhuth (I Vow) in Loch Lomond that house the ruins of their
ancestral Castles with a view to future restoration.
The Museum will include not only information and artefacts from the Clan
Macfarlane but will also tell the story of how life was for people
throughout the West Highlands. Local Schools will enjoy free access to the
Museum and future excavations, with the hope that children in Scotland
will be able to learn more about their heritage. It will also include a
genealogy database on the Clan Macfarlane and will also support
Archaeological surveys and excavations and restorations of Historical
Macfarlane sites like the castles in Loch Lomond and the more than 50
ancient settlements in their ancestral homelands.
The Clan MacFarlane Society urgently needs the Support of all Macfarlanes
and the Scottish Community worldwide to bring this to fruition. To find
out how you can help or join CMSI please visit:
http://www.macfarlane.org
PRESS RELEASE- CLAN MacFARLANE HERITAGE TOUR & 30TH ANNUAL AGM
The Clan MacFarlane Society, Inc., an international organization with
members throughout the world will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its
reorganization with a Heritage Tour of the future home of the MacFarlane
Heritage Center and Museum as well as other historical MacFarlane sites.
The Clan MacFarlane Society was founded in 1911 in Glasgow and London and
reorganized in the US in 1973. The trip, which begins on July 13th will
accommodate those interested in one week and two week tours. The tour
will include trips to many other venues and will finalize the first week
with our annual dinner/ceilidh. For additional information please contact
Harriet MacFarlane at
treasurer@macfarlane.org
The
Heritage Tour will include a trip to the The Black Sheep, on the main road
between Tarbet and Arrochar in the former home of the Old Free Church at
Ballyhennan, future home of the Clan MacFarlane Heritage Center and
Museum. For more information on the Center and information on how to
support the Center, archaeological surveys, excavations and restorations
of the historical MacFarlane sites please visit our web site:
http://www.macfarlane.org. |
