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The name Henderson or
MacKendrick (Henry's son) is the same as Henryson or in Gaelic MacEanruig. The legendry
ancestor of the Hendersons is Eanruig Mor Mac Righ Neachtan "Big Henry, son of King
Nectan", said to be a Pictish King who reigned from A.D. 700 to 720. Unfortunately,
it is impossible to substantiate this claim and it is more probable that the clan is
descended from one Dughald MacEanruig who flourished in the 1300's. The principal family
came from Glencoe, and were hereditary pipers to Clan Abrach. However, the male line came
to an end when the heiress of Clan MacEanruig married into the MacDonalds of Glencoe
through Iain Abrach of the MacIains of Glencoe. This clan of MacIain is long remembered as
being the clan who was massacred at Glencoe in 1692. Another branch of the Hendersons in
the north was a sept of Clan Gunn descending from Henry, a son of the chief George Gunn
who was coroner of Caithness. There were also Hendersons of Fordell who resided at Fordell
Castle near Inverkeithing in Fife. The castle was built in the 16th Century after the
lands were acquired by James Henderson in 1511. The most distinguished of this branch was
Alexander Henderson, leader of the Reformation who, with Archibald Johnstone, drew up the
historic National Covenant of protest in 1638. This branch of the Hendersons is now the
chiefly line although the present-day chief no longer lives in Scotland but in Queensland
Australia.
Learn more
about the Henderson's of Scotland and America from this book in pdf
format...
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