Who are the Glencoe McDonalds?

     The McDonalds were at one time the most powerful clan in Scotland.  They were a highland clan.  Scotland is generally divided into the lowlands, the midlands and the highlands.  The highlands were more isolated from England and held more strongly to their Gaelic roots than the lowland Scots.  The McDonalds have a repuration as being proud and honorable warriors, although honorable may mean different things to different people.  For example, among the highland clans, stealing cattle or killing in a fair fight was considered honorable enough.  During periods in which Scotland was united (or nearly united) against England, the McDonalds were among the first to enter the battle, and traditionally they charged from the left side. 

    The correct way to refer to the clan is Clan Donald, and the Clan Donald Society is the "official" organization for the clan.  Clan Donald was distributed in many areas of the highlands.  The areas generally take on the name of the place they are from, such as the Keppoch McDonalds, the McDonalds of Glengarry, the McDonalds of Skye, etc.  All of the members of the clan trace their lineage to Donald, who was

    Glencoe is a small village in the northwest of Scotland.  The Glencoe area has been inhabited for a very long time.   There are bronze age graves and Druid artifacts in the area.  The Picts were in the area before the Gaelic people.  The great Gaelic poet Ossian is said to have lived in a cave near Glencoe (It is still referred to as Ossian's Cave).  The Glencoe McDonalds held fairly closely to their Irish roots.  There are connections with several Irish clans, and after the massacre of 1692, a number of McDonalds from Glencoe went to Ireland. 

    Glencoe and the Glencoe McDonalds are probably most widely known because of the Glencoe Massacre of February, 1692, in which British soldiers (and a group from from the Campbell clan), after staying with the McDonalds for about 2 weeks, arose early one morning and attempted to kill all of the Glencoe McDonalds.  They did not succeed (obviously), but they did kill about 40 on the spot, and a number of others who escaped the massacre died in the winter snow.  Still others were being killed on the spot when they surrendered to British forces, even a few months later.  The order for the massacre was given high in British Government offices  (here is the order), and the political repercussions were to have a major impact on British policy toward the highlanders.  The "Readings" link has a number of books and other materials listed if you want to find out more about the massacre.

    Following the massacre, many of the McDonalds did return to Glencoe, and remained resistant to British government up to the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on Scottish soil.  Afterwards, it became clear that the highlanders simply could not offer a resistance organized enough to defeat the British.  During the late 1700s and 1800s, the era of the Clearances began, and it appears that most of the Glencoe McDonalds left Glencoe during this time.  One source I read said that by 1750 the Glencoe McDonalds were gone.  Many went into military service, sought jobs in the lowlands, or emmigrated to Ireland, Australia or the United States. 

    This website is dedicated to this small branch of Clan Donald in the hope that we can share our knowledge and our dead ends so that we can help each other find out as much as possible about these fascinating people.  Researching family among any of the highland clans is difficult, but the Glencoe McDonalds offer some special challenges.  In my study, I have found the following general information that may be useful to some:

    1)  The Glencoe McDonalds were Episcopalian according to several sources, although one source says Roman Catholic.  Both of these religions were essentially illegal while much of the immigration was going on, so a researcher will have a very difficult time locating any birth or marriage records prior to about 1820.   The exception will be found when a minister from an "acceptable" church would write down a birth or marriage.  I have found this written as a kind of special code, such as the following entry I found in the Scottish Records Office:

M^cDonald, James Stewart son to James M^cDonald, Salt Officer in Saltcoats. Born June 28^th Bapt. 30^th. Done Privately by M^cDonald minister at Argyll.

This entry indicates a McDonald who was baptized privately by a minister in Argyll, which may indicate an Episcopalean or Catholic baptism, especially since it appears that the minister was a McDonald as well.

    2)  The McDonalds left Glencoe earlier than many highlanders left their homes; before the clearances were in full swing.  It is difficult to say exactly why this was so - it may have been any  of a number of reasons - but in any event, most of the McDonalds appear to be gone from Glencoe before the clearances have become as strong a force as they were to become. 

Note:  I am using the Mc spelling of the name because that is the way my name is spelled.  The Mac spelling is the same name, and people who know far more than I do about the names still argue over which is 'correct.'   In the U.S., I take the McDaniel name and McDaniel name as the same as well.  See the FAQ for more about names and spellings.