The Clan MacPherson Story

Clan MacPherson ~ "Touch not the cat bot a glove" Mac a' Phearsain - Son of the Parson

MacPherson Clan Tartan

MacPherson Clan Location ~ Badenoch, The Highlands

The MacPhersons are a Scottish clan from the highlands, Badenoch to be specific. They belong to Clan Chattan, a confederation of clans - an allied community of once seventeen clans from the Great Glen and Cairngorm regions.

In Celtic tradition, priests could marry, resulting in the believed origins of the MacPherson name - son of the parson. The first MacPherson is said to be Murdo Cattenach, the priest of Kingnussie in Badenoch.

MacPherson clan tradition states that in 1309, Robert the Bruce offered the lands of Badenoch to the chief of Clan MacPherson if they destroyed is enemy, Clan Comyn. They succeeded.

Their motto refers to the far from conflict shy MacPhersons. "Bot" means "without". The "glove" refers to a wildcat unsheathing it's claws. And ultimately the motto "Touch not the cat bot a glove" means don't mess with a MacPherson without protection - they're far from "feart" of showing their claws!

In 1370 the battle of Invernahavon took place between the Clan Chattan Confederation and their rivals to the west, Clan Cameron. Within the Chattan confederation a feud was rumbling between the MacPhersons and the Davidsons, it fell to the Chief of Clan Macintosh to put this feud to bed...and he favoured the Davidsons. The MacPhersons left the battle enraged but were eventually convinced to return and fight - the confederation won.

This Clan is steeped in folklore. The Black Chanter being one of the better known stories. Following a battle, a piper appeared in the sky, played a few notes on bagpipes made of crystal then dropped the pipes to the ground where they shattered....except the chanter which, being made of wood, only suffered a crack. The piper of Clan Chatten collected the chanter and began to play. The chanter is now in the Clan MacPherson Museum.

Fast forward in time to the Jacobite era and the MacPhersons were staunch Jacobite supporters! They fought for James Francis Edward Stuart, son of the deposed King James VII, in the 1715 uprising with a clan strength said to be 220 fighting men. They then fought for the Old Pretenders son, Charles Edward Stuart in the 1745-46 rebellion where Chief Euan MacPherson of Cluny was a notable leader. Following the Jacobite defeat at Culloden, Euan escaped despite the £1000 bounty on his head and eventually made it to France in 1755. His relatives were not so lucky, some perishing at battles throughout the '45. Like many clans...a generation later they were fighting for the Government they once fought against, some in the American Wars of Independence.

MacPherson's have a number of tartan variants to enjoy. My favourite is MacPherson Muted - I like the jewel tones, it is subtle and yet vibrant at the same time. The shades appeal to me for their ability to be dressed up or down easily.

The same iconic MacPherson sett is also available in ancient and modern colours. This sett derives from the Wilson's of Bannockburn MacPherson tartan design however there are some slightly different variations also - namely where a single white stripe is used over the red band in place of two blue lines. The MacPherson hunting is a little unexpected. It is a different sett with a grey background, a step away from the traditional incorporation of lots of green to achieve a hunting tartan. There is also MacPherson of Cluny tartan in the collection.

Related posts ~ Ballindalloch Castle