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NOT much
is known of the origin of the name and race of the
MacBeans. According to some the cognomen means "the son
of the Ben" or mountain; but such a name would be
applicable to many Highland tribes, and is not specific
enough to convey any distinctiveness. Had this been the
origin of the name there would almost certainly have
been some local or colour qualification added. But no
one has ever heard of a family called MacBean Dearg or
MacBean Vorlich. Dr. Almand MacBain, the well-known
Gaelic scholar, considers the race and name to be the
same as that of MacBeth. Both, he says, came from Moray,
a Badenoch branch was actually called "Chlann ‘Ac-al-Bheath,"
and the name MacBheathain would formerly have been Mac-’ic-Bheatha,
or MacBeth. It seems much more likely, however, that the
name took its origin from the outstanding characteristic
of an ancestor. One of the Scottish Kings of the
eleventh century was known as Donald Ban, or Donald the
Fair, and the adjective is commonly enough, as a
distinction, attached to the name of clansmen at the
present day, a notable instance being that of Duncan Ban
MacIntyre the Gaelic poet. In the matter of race, the
MacBeans have been claimed as a sept of Clan Cameron,
chiefly by reason of the fact that some of them fought
under the banner of Lochiel at Culloden. But on that
occasion a still larger party fought in the ranks of the
Mackintoshes, and there is further reason to believe
that from very early times the clan regarded itself as a
part of Clan Chattan. The Kinrara MS. records several
facts of the time of King Robert the Bruce which make it
certain that at any rate one family of the name then
recognised Mackintosh as its chief. The first reference
mentions how in the time of Angus, the sixth Mackintosh
chief "Bean MacDomhnuil Mor lived in Lochaber and was a
faithful servant to Mackintosh against the Red Comyn,
who possessed Inverlochy. "Shortly afterwards the MS.
records show, "In the time of William, first of the
name, and seventh of Mackintosh, William Mhor MacBean
Vic Domhnuill-Mhor, and his four sons, Paul, Gillies,
William-Mhor, and Farquhar, after they had slain the Red
Comyn’s steward at Inverlochie, came to Cosinage, where
Mackintosh then resided, and for themselves and their
posterity, took protection of him and his." The same
annalist refers to another incident which would seem to
show that, a century later, the MacBeans were regarded
as distinctly a sept of the same great confederacy. "No
tribe of Clan Chattan," the history relates, "suffered
so severely at Harlaw as Clan Vean."
Mr. A. M.
Mackintosh in his History of the Machintoshes and
Clan Chattan quotes a number of charters and bands
which show that the MacBeans took an intimate part in
the affairs of the Mackintosh chiefs. In 1490 Donald
MacPaul or Macphail (son of Paul) witnessed a band
between the lairds of Mackintosh and Kilravock, and two
years later Donald Macphail and Gillies Macphail
witnessed a contract between Ferquhard Mackintosh and
the Dunbars. This Gillies, Mr. Mackintosh identifies
with the Gillies M’Fal who appears in the Exchequer
Rolls as tenant of Dulleter in 1502-8, and his son as
the William MacGillies MacFaill who signed Clan
Chattan’s band in 1543.
So far
the family were merely tenants of land. The next head of
the house, Paul M’William vic Gillies, who in 1568
witnessed the infeftment of the sixteenth Mackintosh
Chief in Dunachton, is designated merely as "in
Kinchellye." Even in 1609, when the head of this house
was clearly recognised as chief of his race, he was
still only a tenant. In that year Angus MacPhail "in
Kinkell" signed the Band of Union, "taking the full
burden in and upon him of his kin and race of Clan
Vean." In 1610, however, Angus obtained a feu of his
lands from Campbell of Cawdor, and he duly appears as
laird "of Kinchyle" in the Valuation Roll of 1644.
Angus’s
son John was the first to bear clearly the present
family name. He received his sasine of the lands of
Kinchyle in 1651 as "John MacBean, alias M’Angus vic
Phaill, lawful son and nearest heir of Angus M’Phaill
vic William vic Gillies."
John’s
son and successor Paul took no part in Mackintosh’s
feudal demonstration in Lochaber in 1667, but in 1667 he
atoned to the Captain of Clan Chattan by giving him a
regular bond of manrent in the ancient style,
undertaking to "follow him as his chief, with all his
men tenants, family, and followers of the Clan Vean,
against all men except only the King, Lord Huntly, and
the Laird of Calder." Later, with two others, he
undertook, for a payment of blackmail, to protect the
lands of Strathdearn, Strathnairn, and adjoining
districts against the depredations of cattle thieves.
Paul’s
son William, who was infefted in the family estate in
his father’s lifetime, seems to have fallen into money
difficulties. In 1697 he and his father were put to the
horn; in 1708 he had to grant sasine of his lands of
Kinchyle, Dores, Chapelton, Achnashangach, and others,
to Mackintosh of Borlum, on a bond for 8000 merks; and
ten years later Mackintosh of Culclachy held a wadset
over Dores and Chapelton for £5000.
From
these embarrassments the family seems never to have
recovered, and its difficulties were certainly not
lessened by the part taken by its chiefs in the Jacobite
risings of 1715 and 1745. AEneas or Angus MacBean,
William’s eldest son, was a captain in Mackintosh’s
regiment in the Earl of Mar’s army, while the fifth son
John was a lieutenant. They shared the march into
England and surrender at Preston. AEneas is believed to
have been living in 1745, so that his brother, Gillies
Mor, who played a heroic part then, was not "of Kinchyle"
as is generally stated. At the proving of his will he
was described as son to Kinchyle and late tacksman at
Dunachton, domiciled at Dalmagerry. Among his property
was a copper still valued at seven pounds; in the "List
of Persons concerned in the Rebellion" he is described
as a "brewer "; and it has been conjectured that, his
farm at Dunachton having proved unsuccessful, he was the
innkeeper at Dalmagerry.
Another
member of the clan, of the same name, Gillies MacBean of
Free, formerly of Falie, also fought at Culloden, but
under the banner of Lochiel. He received two bullets in
his leg, but was able to leave the field. Coming up with
Lochiel, who had been wounded in both ankles, and was
being carried out of action by two near relatives,
MacBean undertook to convey him to a place of safety
whence he might easily get to his own country. On
crossing the Nairn at Craigie they were intercepted by
some of Cumberland’s men. Compelled to fight, they
killed some of their opponents and the others made off.
At home the wife of Gillies dressed Lochiel’s wounds,
and with a pair of scissors extracted the bullets from
her husband’s leg. MacBean lived to be an old man, and
has his virtues recorded in a Gaelic inscription in the
churchyard of Moy.
Still
another gentleman of the clan, AEneas MacBean, whose son
was afterwards Secession minister at Inverness, was
pursued from the battlefield by two dragoons. His path
was barred by a torrent, and he was about to be cut down
when by a tremendous effort he leaped across. The
dragoons followed, but the fugitive making a circuit,
again leapt the chasm, and with tremendous exertion he
repeated these tactics till his pursuers tired of the
effort, and gave it up. He also lived long afterwards to
tell the tale.
Meanwhile
Donald, the son of Major Gillies MacBean, who also had
taken part in the battle, and had escaped, succeeded his
uncle AEneas as Chieftain and Laird of Kinchyle.
Obtaining a commission in the first regiment raised by
the Hon. Simon Fraser in 1757, he proceeded on service
to North America. The trustees whom he left in charge of
his affairs, finding them hopelessly embarrassed, sold
Kinchyle and the other family estates to Simon Fraser, a
Gibraltar merchant, who also purchased the Mackintosh
estate of Borlum. After the disbanding of Fraser’s
Highlanders in 1763 MacBean became a captain in Lord
Drumlanrig’s regiment, and retiring later, lived in 1780
at Teary, near Forres.
It seems
probable that the succession was carried on by one of
the kinsmen named as trustee by Donald MacBean when he
went abroad. This Captain-Lieutenant Forbes MacBean of
1757, seems to have been the grandson of Paul MacBean of
Kinchyle who infefted his son William in his estates in
1689. The Captain-Lieutenant became General Forbes
MacBean, R .A., and according to Mr. A. M. Mackintosh,
the historian of Clan Chattan, the representative,
through three generations of distinguished soldiers was,
in 1903, Archibald MacBean, late captain in the 37th
Regiment.
The three
most important cadets of Clan Vean were the MacBeans of
Failie, of Tomatin, and of Drummond. Of these branches
the first and last no longer possess their family lands.
Only MacBean of Tomatin remains a land-owner in the old
country of his clan.
Still
another branch of the race were the Bains or Baynes of
Tulloch in Ross-shire. About the time when the Kinchyle
family were being definitely recognised as chieftains a
fray occurred at a market in Ross-shire which showed
that the Bains of Tulloch were a family of considerable
position and esteem. At a market at Logieree on the
Conan on Candlemas Day, 1597, a brother of Macleod of
Raasay, swaggering about with a "tail" of six or eight
henchmen, not only refused to pay for certain wares he
had bought, but proceeded to assault the merchant and
his wife. Indignant at the outrage, Ian Bain, brother of
the Laird of Tulloch, remonstrated with the aggressor.
The latter answered scornfully, and from hot words the
dispute came to blows. Bain had only his foster-brother
to support him, but he slew Macleod and two of his men.
The Mackenzies then took the side of the Macleods, while
the Munros came into the fray to support Ian Bain. In a
running fight as far as Mulchaich several were slain on
both sides, but Bain and his foster-brother escaped
unhurt, and took refuge with Lord Lovat at Beauly. Lovat
not only protected them, but sent his kinsman, Fraser of
Phopachie to represent their case at court, with the
result that Bain was assoilzied, while proceedings were
ordered to be taken against his opponents.
Holders
of the name of Bain, MacBean, and MacVean have long been
outstanding in the municipal and business life of
Inverness. In the eighteenth century James Baine,
minister of Killearn and Paisley became minister of the
first Relief congregation in Edinburgh in 1766, and
published a history of modern church reformation. Of the
same period was Alexander MacBean, one of the six
amanuenses whom Dr. Samuel Johnson employed in the
compilation of his dictionary. And in our own day the
clan has been able to count such notable members as the
late Australian statesman Sir James MacBean, K.C.M.G.;
Alexander MacBain, the well-known antiquary, and man of
letters, editor of Reliquiae Celtica and other
works; and George Bain, author of the History of
Nairnshire, and The River Findhorn, and
editor of The
Nairnshire Telegraph.
Septs of
Clan MacBean: Bean, MacBeath, MacBeth, Macilvain,
MacVean.
Thanks to
James Pringle Weavers for the following information
MACBEAN,or MACBAIN: The
true origin of this race must remain uncertain, for
while it is alleged they left Lochaber with Eva,
heretrix of Clan Chattan when she married Angus
MacKintosh of that Ilk about 1291, other legends
describe them as a Moray clan akin to the MacBeaths.
That they had early affinity with the Mackintoshes and
Clan Chattan is undoubted, for at Harlaw in 1411 they
suffered heavily fighting in their cause. It is claimed
that a line of MacBain chiefs can be traced through the
14th and 15th centuries but no 'duthus' can be
ascertained until 1609, when Angus MacBain, de jure
chief, received a charter of the lands of Kinchyle in
Dores parish from Campbell of Cawdor. Kinchyle, as
representer of his race, signed the Bond of Union
between the kindred of Clan Chattan the same year, and
in 1672 the clan was officially recognised by Lyon Court
as a branch of the Chattan Confederation. Principal
cadet families were those of Drummond near Dores; of
Faillie in Strathnairn, and Tomatin in Strathdearn. In
the Jacobite Rising of 1745 the chief's son was a Major
in the Regiment raised for the Prince by 'Colonel Anne',
Lady Mackintosh, and many MacBains/MacBeans appear in
the 'muster rolls' of the same regiment. Kinchyle was
lost in 1760 when lawyers acting for MacBain sold his
lands to meet debts while he was fighting the French in
America as an officer in the Fraser Highlanders. The
chiefly line continued in Canada until 1958 when MacBean
of Glen Bean resigned the chiefship in favour of
Hughston M. MacBain, a U.S. citizen, who was vested in
the chiefly arms as McBain of McBain by decree of Lyon
Court in 1959. He recovered part of Kinchyle and created
the MacBain Memorial Park there above Loch Ness. The
Bains, or Baynes of Tulloch in Ross-shire are regarded
as a sept of the Clan Mackay, who also claim origins in
the old Royal House of Moray and as Bain/Bean and
MacBain/MacBean are interchangeable in the records, with
the Beaths and MacBeaths (MacBeths) of Moray and the
vicinity, most may well share common origin. |
