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The standard bearers to the McDonalds were traditionally the McColls, We discovered this while in Scotland looking into my husbands family. Funnily enough, he is a McColl while I am a Henderson, we found the connection fascinating,
Sue
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SurnameDB: Mckillop surname meaning
Some of the namebearers are said to have been standard-bearers to the Campbells of Dunstaffnage, others are included as septs of MacDonald of Glencoe and of ...
www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=McKillop - 25k - Similar pages
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Many thanks for your assistance here. I have seen some of this info before. It seems to be 'general' in a sense. What I am trying to find out especially, if my family legend has any truth to it, would the Hendersons you have illustrated - Pipers and body guard to the McDonalds, have been 'The Standard Bearers' as well? As our tail suggests? Anything I have found says the Hendersons were the body guard and Pipers. But would that have meant they would have been the standard bearers too?
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Henderson Clan Crest: An arm, the hand holding an estoile (six pointed star) surmounted by a blue crescent.
Henderson Clan Motto: Sola Virtus Nobilitat (Virtue alone ennobles).
Henderson Clan History:
Tradition has it that Big Henry, otherwise Eannig Mor Mac Righ Neachtan, son of King Nectan, ruler of Caledonia in the 8th century, founded the Clan Henderson of Glencoe. The Lowland Hendersons of Fordell, in Fife, are thought to descend from the Henrysons of Dumfries. In 1374, a William Henderson is listed as being Chamberlain of Lochmaben Castle, responsible to Edward III of England.
Clan Henderson of the North lived in Glencoe in Argyllshire and took their name from an anglicised version of their Gaelic name Maceanruig. Traditionally, they formed the bodyguard for the MacIan Macdonald Chiefs of Glencoe. When the Massacre of Glencoe took place in 1692, Big Henderson of the Chanters, the Chief's piper, was among those killed.
A branch of Clan Gunn also carries the name Henderson, claiming descent from a Chief of Clan Gunn during the 15th century.
Alexander Henderson of Fordell (1583-1646), was a Professor of Philosophy and bitterly opposed to Charles I's attempt to reform the Church of Scotland. He was responsible for drafting the Solemn League of Covenant in 1638. Thomas Henderson (1798-1844) was born in Dundee and became Scotland's leading astronomer.
Places of Interest:
Fordell Castle, Inverkeithing, Fife. The Estate was acquired in the 16th century by James Henderson, who became lord Advocate of Scotland. The castle dates from that period, but was sold by the family in the 19th century. In the 20th century it was restored by Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, who became Solicitor General for Scotland.
Glencoe, Argyllshire. The notorious massacre took place on 13th February 1692. The MacIan Macdonalds of Glencoe were late in swearing allegiance to the incoming King William (of Orange) and Queen Mary and were put to the sword on the instructions of the Master of Stair. Today there is a National Trust for Scotland Visitor Centre which explains the story.
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[edit] Origins
The Hendersons claim descent from the Pictish prince Big Henry, son of King Nechtan (Eanruig Mor mac Righ Nechtan), who in 1011 came to Kinlochleven in Lochaber, just north of Glen Coe.[1] His male descendants took the name mac Eanruig, ("son of Henry"), which would later be anglicised as McHenry, Henryson, Henderson and so on. Over time, the descendants of other prominent Henrys took the same name, and eventually these families coalesced into a single clan identity. They lived at Callert, on the north shore of Loch Leven, until they were evicted by Clan Cameron in the fifteenth century.[1] In 1511 the lands of Fordell in Fife were given to Clan Henderson by King James IV.
In Caithness, Clan Henderson associated with Clan Gunn. A separate family grouping arose in Liddesdale and Ewesdale, being one of the smaller families of Border Reivers. The Scots makar, Robert Henryson, one of the earliest historical figures bearing the clan name, may have hailed from Fife. He certainly lived there in the decades prior to the royal grant of lands.
[edit] 17th and 18th centuries
The Hendersons were known for their size and strength and became the personal body guards of the chief of the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe. This meant they were among the victims of the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692. After the massacre, many Hendersons emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and the New World. This process was further stimulated by the Highland Clearances from 1746 to 1822.
[edit] In the New World
Patrick Henry of Virginia urged armed revolution with his cry "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Ulster-born physician James McHenry served as George Washington's Secretary of War. (The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America, depicts the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry near Baltimore in 1814.) Hendersons loyal to the British Crown played important roles in the British settlement of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
[edit] Chief
The Chief of Clan Henderson is Alistair Donald Henderson of Fordell, an environmental engineer specialising in air pollution control who lives in Brisbane, Australia. The Chief is recognized by Lord Lyon, King of Arms, and is a member of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
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The Hendersons are an ancient Clan, tracing their ancestery back to the Picts, Scotland's earliest people. Clan Henderson descend from the Pictish prince Eanruig Mor, meaning "Big Henry", whose family became known in the Gaelic tongue as Maceanruig, or "son of Henry". Through the course of the centuries the name became anglified to the current form of Henderson, although Gaelic forms of the name still exist. Eanruig Mor is known to be the son of King Neachtain, who ruled the Pictish kingdom from 700 to 724, and is reputed to have contructed the great Pictish fortress of Abernethy.
Clan Henderson lived amid the rugged splendour of Glencoe in the northern Highlands, while other branches of the Clan settled in the Scottish border territory, and in the far north district of Caithness. The border Hendersons soon rose to prominence, holding powerful positions in the mighty strongholds which were such an integral part to the defence of Scotland. One of these great men, William Henderson, was the chamberlain of Lochmaben Castle during the 14th Century. Another, James Henderson, became Lord Advocate in 1494, was appointed to the bench, and acquired the lands of Fordell in Fife for the Clan. Here he built the magnificent fortified mansion of Fordell Castle. The Hendersons were classed as a riding clan, but were sufficiently loyal to evade the Scottish Parliament's 1594 list of turbulent border clans that were to be suppressed.
The success of the Clan Henderson continued to escalate, and by the 17th Century the Clan boasted one of the most notable figures in Scottish politics and church affairs. Alexander Henderson draughted the National Covenant in 1638, in defence of the Scottish Church and denouncing the changes that Charles I intended to introduce. Alexander was elected moderator of the General Assembly, and was responsible for meeting and negotiating with the King after he surrendered to the protection of the Scottish army in 1646, during the Civil War. Another great Henderson, Thomas Henderson, was a 19th Century astronomer of the highest status, and was appointed as the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland.
The Hendersons of Glencoe were closely aligned to the great Clan MacDonald, for whom they acted as heriditary pipers. The Hendersons were renowned for their fighting ability, and they traditionally formed the bodyguard of the MacDonald chief. This duty they performed with verve, and many Hendersons were killed during the infamous Glencoe massacre. On this dark day, the Campbells villanously broke all the rules of Highland hospitality and murdered their hosts, the MacDonalds of Glencoe. The chief's piper and right hand man, Big Henderson of the Chanters, a strongman over six and a half feet tall, was among those who laid down their lives to defend their friends and allies in the Clan MacDonald.
The Clan Henderson crest is a hand holding an estoile, or a six-pointed star, surmounted by a crescent. The proud motto of the Hendersons reads "Sola virtus nobilitat" which means, in Latin "Virtue alone ennobles". The chief of the Clan Henderson is John Henderson of Fordell, who resides in Australia.
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We have a family legend that says 'our Hendersons where from Glen Coe, we where the Standard Bearers for the McDonalds'. I dont know if this is tru or not, but am following it up. I know 'Clan Henderson' was aligned to the McDonalds, and where from Glen Coe. Does anyone know anything about this clan? Where there any Hendersons 'the standard bearers for the McDonalds. I know some of the 'Glen Coe Hendersons' where body gurads to the McDonalds. Or where I could find this out? And what became of 'Clan Henderson of Glen Coe'?
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