There are those that do consider the term "allied family" or "associated family" as being more appropriate than the term "sept". While this is probably true, it is much easier to use "sept" than to continually say "allied family" or "associated family", at least in this author's opinion. Therefore I will use "sept" within the confines of this article as it is a term so readily recognized today, especially by those new members or those just getting interested in their "Scottish roots", that they are sure to have come across the term and it avoids needless confusion. Just keep in mind that all these terms refer to the same thing for all intents and purposes, at least in the context of both the modern Clan Grant Society, and this article (It is only a point of serious contention for the pedantic Type-A's amongst us.)
There were two ways in which "sept" names came to be associated with a clan; by adoption into the clan, and by "blood". I'll explain both.
To understand the concept of the "septs" you need to understand the concept of the clan system as it existed in the Highlands of Scotland. Early on, the clans were made up of a large family group, that family being headed by a "chief" and the clan consisting of all those of his family who shared his surname. These people were of the same bloodline as the chief and were his immediate family. As the clans evolved, they adopted more and more of the feudal system of the lowlands, and of England, and they became less and less "tribal". In doing so, the concepts of "fealty" were introduced into the clan system. In exchange for the rights to live on and work the land of a given clan, a person gave that clan's chief his loyalty. Typically this also involved an agreement to military service when it was called for by the chief.
So it was in this way
that the clans grew in size and strength, as landholders adopted the surname
of the clan chief, and threw in with that chief in terms of military service
and alliance. Many of the so-called "septs" of a clan, came to be associated
with the clan in this fashion. Keep in mind, as well, that many of these
people with different surnames probably intermarried with blood members
of the clan over time too. Either way, through actual intermarriage and
direct blood ties, or simply through "adoption", those with "sept" names
became full clansmen. As Hank Grant has pointed out though, in his excellent
article in the latest "Craigellachie", there were possibly many of the surname
Grant living on the lands of chiefs other than the Chief of Grant, who would
have therefore given their loyalty to that particular chief, and vice versa.
Meaning you would have had (and did have) MacDonald's, MacGregor's, Frasers,
Camerons, etc, who lived on the lands of the Grants and would have given
their loyalty to the Chief of Grant! If you find this all very confusing,
you're not alone, but this is the way it was from a purely historical context.
There were also those of certain surnames who most definitely were associated
with Clan Grant, such as "MacJockie" and its variants, who are today not
recognized as a "Sept" of Clan Grant, but who probably should be.
However, today,
those of a given clan surname give their loyalty to the clan of that name,
whether or not their ancestors may have lived in some other region of
Scotland, and whether or not their loyalty may have been to some chief
other than that of their given surname's associated clan name. Thus all
of the surname "Grant" are "Grants", meaning they belong to "Clan Grant",
and the Chief of Grant is their recognized chief, even though historically
their Grant ancestor may have been living on the lands of, for instance,
the Gordons, or the Frasers, and would have actually given his allegiance
to their Chief. Certain "sept" names have also become associated with
certain clans, today (some surname's, such as "Allan" for instance, are
associated with more than one clan! This will be explained shortly, read
on!), and likewise this is the clan to which they belong today, no matter
what clan they may have been allied with in a historical context. There are many
historical precedents for formal adoption, such as is told by the story
of the "Race of the Trough". In the 17th century the Earl of Huntly, Chief
of the Gordons, engaged the Chief of Grant in an alliance against Clan
Farqhuarson (the reasons for this feud are too involved to get into here).
They fell upon the Farqhuarsons and nearly annihiliated the entire clan.
A year later, Huntly invited the Chief of Grant to dinner at his home.
After dinner was finished, the Gordon chief led the Chief of Grant to
a balcony overlooking the kitchens to watch some "rare sport". A command
was given, and a trap door was opened and a mob of half-naked and half-starved
children were let into the kitchen to fight for leftovers and scraps of
food from a large "trough". The Chief of Grant was horrified, and he asked
the Earl of Huntly to be allowed to take the children back to his home
and care for them. Huntly allowed this, and so the children were taken
back to Castle Grant and given into the care of Grant clansmen. These
children were formally adopted into Clan Grant, and though they were Farqhuarsons,
they became recognized as Grants and took the surname. They were, however,
saddled with the ignominious label of "Children of the Trough" down through
history. Another (and happier) tale of formal adoption is that of the
family of John More of Drumchork. John More lived on Grant lands and left
for the new world in the 18th century. Our Chief's late father, the 32nd
Chief of Grant, formally adopted descendants of the Mores of Drumchork
into Clan Grant in the early 1980's, and they are now a recognized "sept"
of Clan Grant. So, many of the
sept names came into association with a clan through "adoption", either
informally as landholders took on the surname of the chief on whose lands
they lived, or through formal adoption by the chief himself. The second
way in which sept names evolved was either from nicknames or from what
are called "patronymics"; in some cases these were actually Grants who
had adopted a different surname, and in other cases merely the surnnames
of landholders and tenants. A "patronymic" is a surname that is derived
from the father's first name or "given" name. The best examples of this
in Clan Grant are the "Allan" and "MacAllan" sept names. "Allan Grant"
took the surname "Allan", and one of his sons took on the surname "MacAllan"
(Mac = "son", or "son of Allan"). The other form, a nickname, is given
in the example of surnames like "Gilroy" or "MacGilroy, which comes from
the Gaelic "Ghille ruaidh" meaning "red-haired lad", thus making "MacGilroy
(McIlroy, McElroy, Mackalroy, etc) "son of the red-haired lad". Even though
the Allan's and MacAllan's, Gilroys and MacGilroys, do not have the surname
Grant, they are, indeed, all "Grants" in the sense that they are members
of "Clan Grant". In this way, some blood relatives of the chief's family
sometimes evolved a different surname, but that surname is recognized
by the overall clan as they are most definitely full, blood, members
of that clan in most cases!
If you bear a surname that is one of the names that is derived from a "patronymic" (from a father's first name), or from a nickname, then you possibly run into a bit of diffculty in deciding which clan you belong to. Why is this? Well, certain patronymic surnames, such as "Allan", and nickname derived surnames, such as MacGilroy, can be associated with more than one clan! "Allan", for instance, is not just associated with Clan Grant, it can also be part of Clan MacDonald, Clan MacFarlane, or Clan MacKay! This makes deciding which clan you belong to a bit more involved. Typically, you must do some genealogical research and try and find where your family came from (geographical region) in Scotland. For instance, if your surname is "Allan" and you know your family came from the northeast of Scotland, then you may be a "Grant", but if your family came from the Hebrides or western Scotland, then you might be a "MacDonald", and so on. In the list of names, below, I mention which of the sept names of Clan Grant are derived from patronymics or nicknames. If you bear one of these surnames, you should definitely pursue your family's genealogy to determine where your family came from in Scotland. However, if, as with most Americans, you cannot trace your family beyond your grandfather or great-grandfather, then as I jokingly tell people, "pick the clan with the tartan you like best and join them!".
All kidding aside, what is important to remember is that whether your surname is associated with a clan by blood ties, or through "adoption" into the clan, you are accepted as a full clansman. Some clan societies are restrictive in their membership and require genealogical proof before membership is granted to those with certain sept names. This is not the case with the Clan Grant Society! If you bear one of the surnames considered a sept name of Clan Grant, and choose to join the Clan Grant Society, then you are welcome. In contrast, only people with the surname of "Grant" can consider themselves part of the Clan Grant (the family, not the Society) without genealogical proof. People with surnames of the septs of Clan Grant could belong to other clans or not be historcally associated with the clan, so it is best to check your genealogy to verify specifically where your ancestors lived.
The following surnames are the septs of Clan Grant. Spelling is not critical! Inquire if your name is not shown or you think your name is a spelling variant of one of these sept names.If you have information on one of these surnames that will help me correct, enhance or clarify the explanation given for a specific sept name, then please contact me at: webguy @ clangrant-us.org. I cannot guarantee that your information will be accepted and added to the page, but I promise I will absolutely give full consideration to all information that is sent to me.
- Allan (Allen, Alan, etc) - A "patronymic" derived from the first name of "Allan Grant", the son of an early Chief of Grant. Since there were other families who also derived their surname from the first name "Allan", this surname could possibly be associated with Clan MacDonald, Clan MacFarlane, or Clan MacKay as well as with Clan Grant. You may need to do some genealogy work to decide which clan is the one to which you most likely belong. If your family comes from the Strathspey region in the northeast, or the region of Glenmoriston on the western shores of Loch Ness, then you are in all likelihood a "Grant". Allan and its variants are Grants by blood. The Allans of Rhynagairn, descending from George Allan of Rhynagairn in Birnie is currently the only line of this name accepted as a member of Clan Grant without further documentation.
- Bisset (Bissette, Biset, Bizet, etc) - The Bissets are an ancient family from Normandy who history tells us had strong ties of friendship with the Grants. There are some who think that the Grants were brought north to Scotland when the Bissets returned from their exile in the 1240's. There are others who believe the opposite, that the Grant's ventured south in the company of the Bissets after establishing a strong friendship with the family in Scotland. There is documentation recording the bonds of friendship between the Grants and Bissets in the north and two Grants were witnesses to a charter for a Bisset in the late 13th century. William le Graunt married Albreda Bisset in England, bringing the Grant's lands in both Nottinghamshire and in Stratherrick. The Bissets are an example of an adopted surname, as the two families have ancient ties of friendship. Clan Fraser also claims the Bissets as a sept name.
- Bowie (Buie, etc) - At the time of this writing, I have no information on how the Bowies came into association with Clan Grant. But it is recognized as a sept name of the Clan. The Bowies are also possibly associated with Clan MacDonald; if your Bowie ancestors were from the northeast of Scotland, or Glenmoriston near Loch Ness, then they are associated with Clan Grant, if from the west of Scotland or the Islands, Clan MacDonald.
- Gilroy - A nickname derived from the Gaelic "ghille ruaidh" or "red-haired lad", you may need to do some genealogy work as this surname is also possibly associated with Clan Fraser or Clan MacGillivray, in addition to Clan Grant. Gilroy is associated with the Grants of Glenmoriston, though I have no information on how this name came into association with Clan Grant (whether it was by blood, or adoption). If your Gilroys are from the region of Glenmoriston or Glenurquhart, they would in all likelihood be associated with Clan Grant, if not, then possibly Clan Fraser or Clan MacGillivray.
- MacAllan (McAllan, MacAllen, McAllen, MacCallan, Allanson etc) - A "patronymic" derived from the son of "Allan Grant" (see above), "Mac" = "son of", thus "MacAllan" is "son of Allan". As with "Allan", above, you may need to do some genealogy work as this surname is also possibly associated with Clan MacDonald, Clan MacFarlane, or Clan MacKay in addition to Clan Grant. If your MacAllan ancestors came from the Strathspey region in the northeast, or the region of Glenmoriston on the western shores of Loch Ness, then you are in all likelihood a "Grant". MacAllan and its variants are Grants by blood.
- MacGilroy (McElroy, MacIlroy, Mackalroy, etc) - A "patronymic" derived from a father's nickname, the Gaelic "ghille ruaidh", or "red-haired lad". "Mac" = "son of", thus "MacGilroy" is "son of Gilroy" or "son of the red-haired lad". As with "Gilroy", above, you may need to do some genealogy work as the variations of this surname are also possibly associated with Clan Macgillivray in addition to Clan Grant. As with Gilroy, above, MacGilroy and its variants are associated with the Grants of Glenmoriston, though I have no information on how this name came into association with Clan Grant (whether it was by blood, or adoption). Thus if your Gilroys are from the region of Glenmoriston or Glenurquhart, they would in all likelihood be associated with Clan Grant, if not, then possibly Clan Fraser or Clan MacGillivray.
- MacKerran (McKerran, MacKiaran, MacKern, MacHurron, McHurron, etc) - A "patronymic" derived from Chiaran, or Lucas Ciar, one of the sons of an early Grant chief. The Clan Chiaran (Ciar having the same meaning as "Grant" in the Irish, apparently) is a sept of the Grants of Dellachaple. MacKerran and the variants of this name are only associated with Clan Grant. The MacKerrans, like the Allans and MacAllans, are Grants by blood.
- Pratt - The Pratts are on record in the 12th century in Nairn and appear to have had close ties to both the Bissets and the Grants, in England. There is a historical account that a Sir John Pratt bestowed the lands of Coulmony on Robert Grant about 1258. It is likely due to this account that the Pratts were adopted into Clan Grant. Thus the Pratts, as with the Bissets, are an example of a family adopted into the Clan because of ancient ties of friendship.
- Suttie - As with the Bowies, I have no specific information on how the surname Suttie came into association with Clan Grant. There is a family of Grant-Suttie, in Perthshire, but I am unsure of the connection with Clan Grant at this time. This appears to be another surname whose members are adopted into the Clan.
- Mores of Drumchork - John More of Drumchork lived on the lands of Clan Grant in the 18th century, where he was a farmer. He left for the New World sometime in the mid 18th century. In the early 1980's, the 32nd Chief of Clan Grant formally recognized the descendants of John More of Drumchork as members of Clan Grant and the Mores of Drumchork were adopted into the Clan.
- Cairns (Carnes, Kearns, etc) - There is some confusion about the name "Cairns" and its variants and its association with Clan Grant. While the name is not an officially recognized sept name by the U.K. Society, there is a tradition that the Cairns wear the Grant tartan out of friendship. I have no further information on why this tradition exists, but many Cairns have associated themselves with Clan Grant. As the Society's membership is open to all those who are interested in Clan Grant, or in sympathy with the Clan, many Cairns have joined the Society as members.
About the surname "Cairns":
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