The houses of Clan Gregor

Clan Gregor splits into a number of cadet houses - branches of the clan, each with its own seat and, in some cases, its own recognised chieftain. Glen Discovery's genealogy carries per-house pages for the principal ones, and this entry catalogues them with founders, fork points, and a brief note on where each stood across the medieval and proscription periods. It is a working list rather than an exhaustive one; Glen Discovery's pages cover many further sub-branches and individuals beyond the houses listed here.

The line of chiefs and the lateral moves between branches when the senior line failed are traced separately in the chiefs entry; the chieftaincy of the Glengyle / Dougal Ciar branch in particular has its own entry.¹

The diagram below shows the chiefly trunk down its left side - just the fork-point chiefs labelled with their numerals - and the principal cadet houses fanning off to the right at the chief from whom each diverges. Houses with uncertain fork points (Ardlarich, Fortingall, Glenlednock) aren't placed and are described only in prose below.

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Glenstrae - the chiefly seat

The chiefly seat itself. From chief V Patrick of Glenstrae (~1410 - 1461) the chiefs held the Glenstrae estate at the head of Glen Strae, west of Loch Awe. The line continued through the proscription period to chief XIV James MacGregor “of that ilk” (1647 - 1679), at which point the chiefship passed laterally to a cadet line and the Glenstrae seat itself ceased to be the chiefly residence.

Pre-1604 cadet houses

Roro

Founded by Donnchadh mor, also called Iain dubh nan lann (b. ~1360), a son of chief II Iain Cam. The line settled in Roro, in upper Glen Lyon, and is well-documented across several medieval and early-modern generations.

McAnecham / Brackley

Founded by Gregor McAnecham (~1341 - 1415), also a son of chief II Iain Cam. The line is sometimes called Brackley after a later seat. The McAnecham descendants are carried on a per-house page distinct from the chiefly chain.

Clann Dubhgall Cheire (Glengyle)

Founded by Dubhgall Ciar (~1458, with an alternative ~1430 reading flagged in the chieftaincy entry), a son of Eoghan and so descended from chief III Iain dubh MacAnecham via Alasdair, the second son of III. Glengyle is one of the principal houses with its own recognised chieftaincy - twelve generations of chieftains from Donnchadh MacDubhgall Ciar (c. 1475) down to Norman MacGregor (1842 - 1938), after whom the chieftaincy is dormant. The seat is at the western head of Loch Katrine.

Inverlochlarig

A sub-branch of Glengyle. Founded by Maol-coluim oig (Malcolm the younger, b. ~1541, executed 1604), a son of Maol-coluim MacDonnchadh - the 2nd chieftain of Glengyle. Settled at Inverlochlarig in upper Balquhidder; the line is documented separately on Glen Discovery and was active through the proscription period.

Ardlarich (MacCondochy MhicAlasdair)

A cadet line associated with Ardlarich on Loch Rannoch, traced from Donnchadh ban (Duncan ban, b. ~1526). The patronymic MacCondochy MhicAlasdair (“son of Duncan, son of Alexander”) places it back into the early chiefly line, but the precise fork point isn't laid out cleanly on the per-house page.

Fortingall

A cadet line associated with Fortingall in Perthshire. Glen Discovery carries a per-house page for the Fortingall descendants without (in that page itself) tying them firmly back to one of the early chiefs.

Patricksons in Glenlednock

The Patrickson line in Glenlednock, the glen running south from Comrie. Figures include Duncan Donaldson (murdered 1549) and Patrick (d. 1593 in Invergeldie); the line continued through pardons and executions during the proscription years.

Post-1604 chiefly-supplying houses

When the chiefship moved laterally after the proscription, it passed through three cadet houses in succession before settling on the modern line.

Stukinroy

Founded by Malcolm of Stukinroy (~1620), a grandson of chief VIII Alasdair of Glenstrae via Eoghan / Ewin “the tutor” (~1540 - bef. 1601) and Duncan McEwin (~1572 - 1649). Malcolm's son Gregor became chief XV of Clan Gregor when the chiefship moved from chief XIV in 1679.

Kilmanan

Founded by Eoghan / Ewin “1st of Kilmanan” (~1621), a younger brother of Malcolm of Stukinroy and so a co-grandson of the Tutor. Eoghan's son Archibald became chief XVI of Clan Gregor in 1693, when the chiefship moved sideways from his first-cousin Gregor of Stukinroy.

Balhaldies

Founded by Patrick Drummond alias McInvallich (~1595 - 1646), who obtained a royal charter of the lands of Balhaldies in Dunblane parish in August 1642. The family used the Drummond alias through the proscription of the MacGregor name. Patrick's grandson Alexander Drummond of Balhaldies (~1663 - 1749) was elected 17th chief of Clan Gregor in 1714, the first formal exercise of the chiefship after the long proscription dormancy. The Balhaldies cadet line itself runs back via Donnchadh breac (~1470, in Comrie) and Eoin malloch (~1446) to founder Gregor's younger son, also called Gregor (~1316) - a long cadet descent off the very top of the chiefly tree.

Glencarnaig / Lanrick

The house of the modern chiefs. Loosely founded with Iain og beag (~1668 - 1744) of Glencarnaig, in Balquhidder; the line runs through Evan Murray (~1717 - 1778) and his son Sir John Murray-MacGregor of Lanrick (1745 - 1822) - elected 18th chief in 1787 and created 1st Baronet in 1795 - down through six baronet generations to Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, the present chief. The chiefly recognition of 1787/1795 settled the succession; the cadet ancestry of Iain og beag himself further back into the chiefly tree is what's still debated in Lawrie's notes - see the chiefs entry for the candidate readings.

Further sub-branches

Glen Discovery also carries per-house pages on the descendants of Ewin the tutor, Alasdair galt, Padraig Odhar, Alasdair pudrach, Duncan Glen, Padraig Adholaidh, Eoin dubh in Stronfearnan, Eoin malach in Ardeonaig, Niall in Fearnan, and Duncan Abrach. These are well-documented sub-branches but are not usually counted among the principal houses with a distinct seat or a recognised chieftainship.

Things to chase

• The fork points for Ardlarich and Fortingall. The per-house pages name a founder a few generations into the line but don't always tie back cleanly to one of the early chiefs. Identifying the exact branching point would let those houses sit on the chiefs diagram explicitly.
• Inverlochlarig in its own right. Treated here as a Glengyle sub-branch, but Inverlochlarig has its own per-house page and may be argued as a separately-recognised house. Worth a closer look.
• Whether each house here held a Lyon-recognised chieftaincy. Some of these (Glengyle, Glenstrae itself) clearly did; others (Ardlarich, Fortingall, Glenlednock) are less clear, and the answer would shape how the catalogue should describe them.

Footnotes