Clan MacBain
Encyclopedia
Origins of the clan
There are several possible GaelicScottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
origins for this name but the most likely is ben or ban which means "higher ground" and to a lesser extent bheathain and the step form MacBain which means "life". This could also have been rendered as Mac ic Bheatha which means MacBeth, a name which was very important in early Scottish history. When King Malcolm II of Scotland
Malcolm II of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda , was King of the Scots from 1005 until his death...
removed the MacBeth line from the Scottish throne, his power was constantly challenged by the powerful Scottish noble families of Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
. Various members of the family sought shelter in other parts of the kingdom. According to tradition the MacBains sought out his kin among descendents of Gillichatten Mor more commonly known as the Chattan Confederation
Chattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
.
The earliest certain record of the name in its more modern form appeared in an old Kinrara manuscript of the mid 14th century, which names both Bean Macmilmhor and his son, Milmor MacBean.
Wars of Scottish Independence
In the 14th century during the Wars of Scottish IndependenceWars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
the Clan MacBain supported King Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
. The MacBains are credited with killing the steward of John the Red Comyn, who was Bruce's rival to the throne. John the Red Comyn was the Chief of Clan Cumming/Comyn
Clan Cumming
Clan Cumming, also known as Clan Comyn, is a Scottish clan from the central Highlands that played a major role in the history of 13th century Scotland and in the Wars of Scottish Independence and were instrumental in defeating the English at the Battle of Roslin in 1303...
, he was stabbed to death by Robert the Bruce himself at Greyfriars Church
Greyfriars Church
Many churches have been named after the Grey Friars , and often they originated as Franciscan monasteries. Notable examples are:*Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh*Greyfriars Church, Leicester*Greyfriars Church, Reading*Greyfriars Church, Dumfries...
in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in 1306.
16th Century
In 1597 the Battle of LogiebrideBattle of Logiebride
The Battle of Logiebride or Logie-Riach, also known as a Tumult in Ross was more of a small skirmish rather than an actual battle. The disturbance is said to have taken place on 4 February 1597 at the Logie Candlemas market near Conan House between men of the Clan Mackenzie against men of the Clan...
took place. At a time of peace between the Clan Mackenzie
Clan MacKenzie
Clan Mackenzie is a Highland Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire.-Origins:The Mackenzies, a powerful clan of Celtic stock, were not among the clans that originated from Norman ancestry. Descendants of the long defunct royal Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, they...
and Clan Munro
Clan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
a fight broke out at a fair in Logiebride which almost put the whole of Ross-shire into combustion. The fight began between John Macgillichallum MacLeod (brother to the Laird of MacLeod Raasay) and Alexander Bane (brother to Duncan Bane of Tulloch). The Munros took the side of Alexander Bane and the Mackenzies took the side of John Macgillichallum MacLeod. John Macgllicham was killed along with John Mac-Murdo Mac-William and three others from the Clan Mackenzie. Alexander Bane escaped but three on his side were also killed; John Munro of Culcraggie, his brother Hutcheon Munro and John Munro Robertson. The clans Mackenzie and Munro then began assisting each side in preparing to invade each other. However nothing ever came of it and peace was resumed.
Alexander Bane was the brother of the chief of Clan MacBain. Alexander's descendants later left the Clan MacBain and Chattan Confederation
Chattan Confederation
Clan Chattan or the Chattan Confederation is a confederation of 16 Scottish clans who joined for mutual defence or blood bonds. Its leader was the chief of Clan Mackintosh.-Origins:The origin of the name Chattan is disputed...
. They moved north and became a sept of the Clan Mackay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
.
17th Century
Paul MacBean the 12th chief of the clan was in huge debt and was forced to relinquish his lands in 1685. The loss of the lands at Kinchyle must have been sorely felt however the present chief has done much to retrieve some of the Clan MacBain clan lands and establish a MacBain memorial park on the slopes of Loch NessLoch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
.
18th Century & Jacobite Uprisings
The Clan MacBain supported the Jacobite Uprisings of 1715. Many of the MacBains were captured and transported to the plantations in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
after the Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
defeat.
The Clan MacBain also took the side of the Jacobites during Uprisings of 1745 to 1746 where many of them fought at the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
. During the battle Gillies MacBean, a man said to be at least 6ft 4ins tall, with his back to a wall cut down 13 to 14 of his enemy until he was mortally wounded. It is said that a government officer made an attempt to call back his men to save him but MacBean was already dead. It was a MacBain who assisted the Chief of Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands is the mountain Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The chief of the clan is customarily referred to as...
of Lochiel who was injured and unable to walk and escape to safety. However the Clan MacMillan
Clan MacMillan
Clan MacMillan is a Highland Scottish clan.-Origins of the clan:The MacMillans are one of a number of clans - including the MacKinnons, the MacQuarries, and the MacPhees - descended from Airbertach, a Hebridean prince of the old royal house of Moray who according to one account was the...
also claim to have carried Lochiel off the field at Culloden. After Culloden the chief struggled to keep the remaining clan lands together and they were finally sold in 1760.
19th Century & Boer Wars
It was a MacBain who commanded the Gordon Highlanders regiment against the Boers of South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1881 during the Boer Wars.
The Clan Today
The present chiefly line descends from the younger son of Paul MacBean, the 12th chief during the 17th century, the elder line having ended in a daughter, Elizabeth Margaret Macbean, who married Dougald Stuart around 1790, but died without issue. The present chief has continued the work of his father, who retrieved some of the clan lands and established the Macbain memorial park on the slopes above Loch NessLoch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
.
Castle & Clan Seat
The seat of Clan MacBain was located at Tulloch CastleTulloch Castle
Tulloch Castle is located in the town of Dingwall in the Highlands of Scotland. It dates from the 12th century, when it is thought to have been built by Norsemen. Over the years, it has served as a family home for members of the Bayne and Davidson clans, as a hospital after the evacuation of...
in the royal burgh of Dingwall, 14 miles northwest of Inverness. Eventually, Kenneth Bayne, 8th Laird of Tulloch, sold the estate to his cousin, Henry Davidson, on the 13th of January 1762
Meaning of the Name
The names Bain, Bane, Bayne, Bean, Vean, etc. come from the GaelicScottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
word "Bheathain" which means "the lively one". The "Mac" prefix translates to "son of".