Clan Macnab Website

Historians know little about the earliest inhabitants of the country we know as Scotland. Some historians believe they were a strong-built, black-haired people much like the Basques of Spain.

A thousand years before Christ was born Celtic invaders entered Britain and continued northward. They brought bronze tools with them and spoke The Gaelic language. When the Romans conquered Britain in the first century A.D. they called the country we know as Scotland, Caledonia, and they called the people they found there, Picts, or Painted Men. The Romans invaded Scotland in 80 A.D. and fought against the Picts, but failed to conquer them. They finally withdrew their forces and had little influence on the country during the time they remained in Britain.

The Picts were probably the descendants of the original inhabitants, however, their culture was Gaelic. This is an indication of the strong influence that the Celtic invaders had on the country.

The Scots left northern Ireland in the early 500's and came to Scotland. Anglo-Saxon invaders who came from Germany settled colonies on the eastern shores of Scotland in the late 500's. Then in the 800's and 900's the Norsemen came to the northern islands and also established colonies in the north and east. All of these people contributed to the ancient culture of Scotland. However, the clan system which became typical of Scottish life, came from the Picts and the Scots gave Scotland its name. The first kingdom of the Scots was established in 844 when Kenneth MacAlpine, King of the Scots, claimed the throne of the Picts. Wars followed throughout the lives of several kings against the Angles and Norsemen.

King Duncan was the first ruler of the historical kingdom of Scotland. His reign ended when he was overthrown by Macbeth, who was one of his generals. Macbeth was an able ruler but was killed in battle in 1057.

King Duncan's son, Malcolm III, then came to the throne. Malcolm's wife, Margaret, was an English Princess and she gets credit for bringing English court life to Scotland. It was during this time that the feudal system of land ownership came to Scotland. Towns were chartered and a parliament like that of England developed and the English language took the place of Gaelic. The last in this line of kings was Alexander [] (1249-1286), his reign Marked the Golden Age of Scotland. After the death of Alexander there was a long snuggle for the throne through a number of kings till the county was united with Great Britain in 1707. The Scots benefited from the union with the British but their problems did not end. There was a rebellion in 1716 that failed. Then in 1745 the Highlanders supported "Bonnie Prince Charlie" Stuart who arrived from France with one ship and seven men to try to regain the throne for his father who was living in exile in France. His charm and his belief in the Stuart cause was so strong that within a year he had massed an army of 5000 Highlanders and won a string of victories. The Clansmen overwhelmed the English troops and marched in to England where they were forced to retreat. They met the English in battle on Culleden Moor in 1746 and were defeated and the hopes of The House of Stuart were lost forever. Prince Charles escaped from the English and returned to exile in France.

The Scots cherish the symbols of their romantic history. The Royal Crown of Scotland is kept in the castle of the Scottish kings in Edinburg. The old Royal flag pictures a red lion on a yellow background. Many Scottish Highlanders still like to wear their knee-length pleated skirts or *kilts* on special occasions. Each Highlander Clan had a plaid or Tartan woven in a design different from all others.

The Macnab Clan was a pan of the early history of Scotland, but most of their older records were destroyed when the English burned the Macnab Castle in 1654. We therefore must rely on a Clan history published by The Clan Macnab Society of Scotland.

The Macnab name which is spelled in several different ways, ail of which are acceptable, comes from the Gaelic "Mac an aba" which in English means The Children of the Abbot. In early times there were lay abbots as well as clerical abbots, all of which were allowed to many and raise families. According to tradition, the original ancestor of The Macnab Clan was the younger son of Kenneth McAlpine, the King of the Scots, who united the Picts and the Scots. He was abbot of Glendochart and Strathern. The Macnabs are members of the Soil-an-Alpine, otherwise called Clan Alpine.

The first record of the use of the name Macnab dates back to 1124 A.D. One of the important historical landmarks of Scotland is the remains of the old MacNab Castle of Island Ran, which is located on an island off the north bank of the river Lochay. The Macnab lands were located along die south side of Lock Tay as far as its eastern end.

The seat of the Clan for many years was Kinnel House near Killin. Kinnel House is a Scottish mansion with historical significance that was built by a member of the Clan in 1633. The present chief, James C. Macnab, lived there when I visited him in 1976. He no longer lives in Kinnel House, but still lives near Killin. He is always happy to visit with McNabbs when they ere in Scotland. The Macnab Clan, like other Highlanders, were a part of the snuggle for Scottish independence, sometimes they were on the winning side and sometimes on the losing side.

In the end, like the other Highland Clans, they lost their influence and their lands.