by Scott Grant
There are many ancient oral traditions within Clan Grant, but one of the
oldest and strongest traditions is that of the Siol Alpin (She-OAL AHL-pin), the Seed of Alpin. This tradition
ecompasses a belief that Clan Grant is one of the seven Highland clans that claim a common descent from King Alpin,
who reigned from 833-841 A.D.
As Charles MacKinnon points out in his book "Scottish Highlanders", these seven clans were not a confederation of clans, such as the clans that make up Clan Chattan, but were a family of seven clans that claim a common descent from King Alpin I, the last of the Dalriadic kings.
The seven Highland clans which make up the Siol Alpin are as follows: |  |
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The following tree shows the genealogy of the Siol Alpin clans and their descent from King Alpin I. (This chart is based on
the one in Charles MacKinnon's "Scottish Highlanders", from "Appendix I - MacAlpin, the Clan That Wasn't", from which much of this source material is drawn.)
The belief in the Siol Alpin tradition, amongst the individual clans that claim to be
part of it, is without question a strong one. All seven clans, for instance, shared the same plant badge - the Scots Pine - worn in their
bonnets. Certain members of Clan Grant even went so far as to take the surname MacAlpin. Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus tells
the tale of Rob Roy's legendary assistance to Patrick MacAlpin Grant of Rothiemurchus during an incident with the Shaws. Patrick Grant
went by the name of Patrick MacAlpin. And it's clear that Rob Roy's association with MacAlpin, and vice-versa, was based on feelings of family
and kinship, and not simple friendship.
There are many historical examples which point to the strong beliefs each clan had in the Siol Alpin, the most profound of which is the aid given by Clan Grant to Clan Gregor during the MacGregor's proscription by the crown (being proscribed meant that anyone aiding anyone of the name MacGregor was subject to fine and/or punishment, and that anyone could kill a MacGregor on sight, without being subject to prosecution for murder, etc) in the 17th century. The Grants in particular, because they held such strong familial ties to the MacGregors (though MacKinnon's genealogical chart shows the Grants descending from the MacGregors, it should be noted that each of the clans has its own slightly different belief, or story, about their genealogical descent from King Alpin - this chart is presented as an example) gave an inordinate amount of aid to the MacGregors during the period of their proscription. Documents show the Chief of Grant paid out huge sums, in fines, for providing aid to proscribed MacGregors during this period and there can be no other reason for this than a belief by the Chief of Grant, himself, that he was protecting and aiding his own kin.
The belief in the close relationship and blood-ties between the Grants and MacGregors was so strong, in fact, that at one point the Grants and MacGregors met at Blair Athol to discuss actually merging the two clans into one. This meeting broke up when it could not be decided which clan's name they would take, or who would be Chief. However, this is another strong example of how closely the two clans believed themselves to be related.
MacKinnon points to another historical example of the Siol Alpin tradition, involving the Grants. After the Jacobite rising of 1715, the MacKinnon lands on Skye were forfeit. The Chief of Grant stepped in and bought the MacKinnon lands back, and sold them back to a MacKinnon clansman, who settled the lands on the heirs of the attained Jacobite MacKinnon chief, so that in effect, the lands were not lost. MacKinnnon flatly states that there can be no reason a chief so far removed from Skye, would buy up the lands, only to essentially return them to the clan, other than a belief in a common ancestry, of belonging to the same 'family', as indeed they did.
Though Charles MacKinnon makes the claim that the overarching clan of MacAlpin was not a clan in and of itself, and he asserts that those of the surname MacAlpin never held their own lands and in almost all cases they belong to one of the other seven clans, members of the Clan MacAlpin Society, today, are challenging this belief and are pursuing the goal of being recognized as a clan in their own right.
Update: 1/14/03: Researchers and historians of the Clan Grant have put their latest findings on-line. Visit the Clan Grant History site to view the latest research into the origins of the Grant surname and the history of the clan.The latest research into the origins of the Grant surname, and the clan, suggest that oral tradition of the Siol Alpin, particularly the descent of the Grants from MacAlpin and their relationship to the MacGregors, is quite different than previously understood. To view the latest findings on the Siol Alpin and the Clan Grant, go here.
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