Clan Chief:
38th Chief, Madam Anne Gunhild
MacKinnon,
Bridgewater, Somerset, England.
Origin of Name: MacFhionghinn (Son of the fair one)
Gaellic Name:
Mac Fhionghinn
Clan Crest:
A boar’s head with the shank of a
deer in its
mouth
Clan Motto:
Audentes fortuna juvat (Fortune assists
the daring)
Lands:
The Clan
Mackinnon are an ancient people, tracing their ancestery back to the royal
blood of Alpin, the famed 9th Century King of Scots. The Mackinnons
descend from Alpin’s great-grandson Fingon, whose name means “the fair born” in
the Gaelic tongue, and it is from this great man that the Clan Mackinnon assumed
their name. The 4th Chief, Finadus, linked his own regal lineage with
that of the Norwegian royal family through his marriage to a beautiful Norse
princess. This blue blooded union held bountiful rewards for the Mackinnons
when they received Dunakin Castle from their powerful Viking relatives.
The Clan Mackinnon made good use of this stronghold’s location, controlling the
narrow sound that runs between Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland. The
canny Mackinnons ran a hefty chain across the Sound, and grew rich from the
tolls they demanded from all passing ships. The Mackinnons were a great
seafaring Clan, controlling land on the western isles of Mull, Tiree, Scalpa,
Arran and Skye. It is little wonder that the Clan was closely involved with
religious life in the islands, particularly in Iona, the cradle of the Celtic
church, and christianity in Scotland. The Celtic church allowed their priests
to marry, and a branch of the Mackinnon chiefs became the heriditary abbots of
Iona. The last abbot was Iain Mackinnon, who died in 1500.
The Clan
Mackinnon are remembered for their loyalty to the Scottish Crown, and they were
never reluctant to take up arms for the sake of Scotland. The Mackinnons
sheltered the mighty Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, during his time as a
fugitive from the infamous English overlord, Edward I. The Clan supported Bruce
at the glorious Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where the Scots defeated the
occupying English army and proudly affirmed their nation’s independence. This
fealty to the Scottish kings continued down through the centuries, and the Clan
Mackinnon were unswerving in their support of the Stuart monarchs. During the
17th Century Civil War, the Mackinnons were steadfast champions of Charles I
against Oliver Cromwell’s Roundhead army, fighting for the king at the battles
of Inverlochy in 1645 and Worcester in 1651. Such was the Stuart’s esteem for
their fierce Mackinnon collegues that Charles II created the chief a knight
baronet on the field of battle.
The
Mackinnons continued to be loyal to the Stuart cause after their fall from the
throne, and were active participants in the Jacobite Rebellions aimed at
restoring the exiled monarchs. The Clan supported Bonnie Prince Charlie in his
quest for the kingship, marching to Edinburgh to join with the Jacobite armies
in 1745. After a campaign of mixed fortunes, the Jacobites were finally
defeated on the fateful field of Culloden in 1746. The Mackinnons still stood
beside the young prince, sheltering Charlie in a cave while the chief, Iain sent
for his own personal galley to transport the prince to the coastal town of
Mallaig. For his actions the aged chief was imprisoned in England for a year,
but the old Mackinnon was still defiant on his release, saying of the
Hanoverian sovereign, “had I the King in my power I would repay him the
compliment by sending him back to his own country.”
The current
Mackinnon Chief is Madam Anne Gunhild Mackinnon of MacKinnon, who resides
at Bridgewater, Somerset, England.
The MacKinnon
Crest shows a boar’s head holding in its mouth a shank of a deer, and the proud
MacKinnon clan motto “Audentes fortuna juvat” meaning (Fortune assists the
daring).
Our Scottish Heritage is the common
bond that unites our MacKinnon family name forever.
Septs/Spelling Variations of MACKINNON CLAN
LOVE of MACKINNON CLAN MACINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MACKINNING of MACKINNON CLAN MACKINVEN of MACKINNON CLAN MACMORROW of MACKINNON CLAN MACSHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN SHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN SHERRY of MACKINNON CLAN MCMORROW of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINVEN of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINNING of MACKINNON CLAN MCINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MCSHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN
LOVE of MACKINNON CLAN MACINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MACKINNING of MACKINNON CLAN MACKINVEN of MACKINNON CLAN MACMORROW of MACKINNON CLAN MACSHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN SHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN SHERRY of MACKINNON CLAN MCMORROW of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINVEN of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MCKINNING of MACKINNON CLAN MCINNON of MACKINNON CLAN MCSHERRIE of MACKINNON CLAN
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