Farquharson

Gaelic Name: MacFhearchair

Clan Crest: On a chapeau, Gules, furred Ermine, a demi-lion, Gules, holding in his dexter paw a sword, Proper

Clan Motto: Fide Et Fortitudine (By fidelity and fortitude)

Origin of Name: Gaelic, Fearchar (Dear man)

Clan Badge: Scots fir

Lands: Invercauld, Aberdeenshire

Clan Chief: Capt. Alwyne Farquharson of Invercauld

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Farquharson Clan History

This clan belonged to the Clan Chattan confederation. Farquhar was the fourth son of Alexander Cier (Shaw) of Rothiemurchus, owner of the Braes of Mar in Aberdeenshire, near the source of the River Dee.

R.R. McIan's 19th-century depiction of a Farquharson clansman

 Farquhar had a son, Donald, who married Isobel Stewart, the heiress of Invercauld, and had a son, Finla Mór. Finla Mor was possibly the first Farquharson. He was the standard bearer at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 and died in the battle. He left nine sons who were as eager to father as he was, and the clan quickly grew large and powerful.

They were not yet as powerful as some who desired Farquharson property in 1595, so they wisely entered into a bond of manrent with the chief of the MacKintosh, thus associating themselves with the Clan Chattan confederation. In 16th century Scotland, this was a popular form of household insurance.

Around this time, the Erskines attempted to reclaim the Earldom of Mar. In 1628, John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar, built Braemar Castle to that end. However, with his opponents quickly becoming known as 'the fighting Farquharsons' due to their increasing ferocity, the castle was eventually taken from him and his plans ruined.

Angus, an officer in the Black Watch fighting against the Jacobites, was the chief of MacKintosh during the 1745 Rising. His wife, however, was Anne, daughter of Farquharson of Invercauld, and she rallied the Clan MacKintosh to fight for the Jacobite cause under Clan Chattan.

Angus was sent home to his wife after being captured at the Battle of Prestonpans. 'Your servant, Captain,' Anne said as she greeted him. 'Your servant, Colonel,' he famously retorted. Colonel Anne has been her name since then. Colonel Anne was imprisoned at Inverness for six weeks after rescuing Bonnie Prince Charlie from capture.

Captain Alwyne Compton Farquharson of Invercauld was appointed Clan Chief in 1941. His estate is world famous for the Braemar Highland Gathering, which has been a favorite of royalty since Queen Victoria's reign. Captain Alwyne Farquharson of Invercauld died in 2021. Phillip Compton Farquharson of Invercauld is his grand nephew and the new Chief.

Farquharson Places & People

People of Clan Farquharson

Findla Mor (died in 1547)

Findla Mor is considered the first Farquharson. He was killed while carrying the royal standard during the Battle of Pinkie (shown above), near Musselburgh in East Lothian.

Beatrix Garden (circa 1550)

Beatrice Garden, Findla Mor's widow, was an acclaimed musician known throughout the country for her exceptional ability on the clarsach, a small Celtic harp, which she elevated to a new level of sophistication.

Queen Mary presented her with a specially commissioned clarsach, one of only two remaining in the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh.

Anne McKintosh (circa 1745)

'Colonel Anne' was Farquharson of Invercauld's daughter.

While her husband, a Captain, was away leading men for the Hanovarian army, Anne, twenty, rallied the Clan MacKintosh for the Jacobite cause. Her husband, Angus, was captured during the Battle of Prestonpans.

He was sent home on the condition that he not take up arms against the Jacobites for a year. When he arrived home, his wife greeted him with the words "Your servant, Captain." 'Your servant, Colonel,' he famously retorted.

Anne was imprisoned for six weeks in Inverness after it was discovered that she had assisted Prince Charles in evading capture.

Monaltrie's Francis Farquharson (fl.1746)

At the Battle of Culloden, Francis Farquharson, Baron Ban, led the Farquharsons, with his three hundred men positioned in the center of the front line.

He was apprehended and brought to London for execution at the Tower. However, on the morning of his execution, he and two other Highland officers were granted a reprieve.

He remained in prison and was eventually granted parole on the condition that he stay in England. He would not return to Scotland for another twenty years.

Farquharson Tartans

The Farquharson tartan is said to have been created in 1774, but the first known record of it is from 1831 in James Logan's 'Scottish Gael'.

Farquharson Historic

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Farquharson Contemporary

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Weathered by Farquharson

Farquharson Crest & Coats of Arms

Crest of the Clan Farquharson

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest: 

Gules, furred Ermine, a demi-lion, Gules, holding a sword in his dexter paw, Proper

Coat of Arms of Clan Farquharson

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.  

Invercauld resident FARQUHARSON

First and fourth quarters, Or, a lion rampant, Gules, armed and langued, Azure (for MacDuff); 2nd and 3rd, Argent, a fir tree, growing out of a mount, in base, fructed, Proper; on a chief, Gules, the Royal standard of Scotland, displayed, bendwise (in allusion to the battle of Pinkie*), and on a canton, of the field, a hand, issuing from the sinister, holding a dagger, point downwards, Proper

By ScotsTee

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