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Clan Buchanan (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Buchanan

Gaelic Name: Cononach

Clan Crest: A dexter hand holding up a ducal cap, Proper, tufted on the top with a rose Gules, within two laurel branches in orle, also Proper

Clan Motto: Clarior Hinc Honos (Hence the brighter honour)

Origin of Name: from Both-Charain (Canon’s Seat)

Clan Badge: Bilberry

Lands: Loch Lomond area

Clan Chief: John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan of that Ilk and Arnprior

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Clan Buchanan History

The Buchanan name has been rooted in the lands surrounding Loch Lomond since 1225, when the Earls of Lennox granted land to Sir Absalon of Buchanan, referred to in contemporaneous sources as 'clericus meus,' i.e. a clergyman.

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

The name's Gaelic derivation lends credence to such a claim: 'Buth chanain' is Gaelic for 'House of the Canon,' implying that the first Buchanans may have been a family dedicated to the service of the ancient Celtic church, or may have had pre-charter, hereditary clerical tenure. Furthermore, the clan can be traced back to Anselan O Kyan, the son of an Ulster King who arrived in Argyll around 1016. He was given the lands of Buchanan to the east of Loch Lomond in exchange for his services against the Danes.

It has also been suggested that the benefactor was Gilbert, seneschal to the Earl of Lennox, and that the lands were located in Stirlingshire. In 1282, these lands were granted baronial rights through a charter to Morris of Buchanan, who also owned a small island called Clarinch, which became the clan battle cry.

The Buchanans backed the Bruce in the war of independence, ensuring the family's dominance in the post-Banockburn era. With a few exceptions, the Buchanan shield is virtually identical to the Royal Arms of Scotland. The lion and the double treasure of fleur de lis are changed from red to black in the Buchanan version of the arms, thought to be an allusion to Sir Walter Buchanan's marriage to the only daughter of Murdoch, Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland.

In 1425, the regent's cousin, James I, was to behead him, confiscate his lands, and end the line of the Regent's family when his son died heirless. The coloration of the Buchanan arms is said to reflect a mourning for the loss of status as closest relatives to this branch of the disinherited family.

The Buchanans of Arnprior held lands in Kippen, Perthshire, and were known as the 'Kings of Kippen'. This popular nickname is derived from a Walter Scott story in which James V arrived at Arnprior disguised due to his penchant for traveling his lands in disguise. He was greeted with a level of hospitality befitting his status - the Laird was eating and could not be disturbed, he was told.

The disguised James V requested that the Laird's doorman inform the 'King of Kippen' of the following: "The Goodman of Ballengreich has arrived for a feast."

Buchanan realized he was in the presence of true royalty when he heard these words and begged forgiveness.

John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan was appointed Chief of the Name and Arms of Buchanan in August 2018. He is the Clan's first Chief in 337 years. John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan of that Ilk and Arnprior Chief of the Name and Arms of Buchanan is his full name.

Clan Buchanan Places & People

People of Clan Buchanan

George Buchanan (1506–1582)

In 1506 this poet and protestant reformer was born in Killearn, Stirlingshire. From 1520 onwards, he spent part of his education in Paris and traveled extensively on the continent, forging the start of a literary career amid the intellectual ferment of the Reformation. Only two years after his return to Scotland as a Calvinist convert, he was appointed as tutor of classics to Mary, Queen of Scots.

Despite the Royal favor he had received, his literary talents were focused on his obscene attacks on the Queen, allegedly written in the most prosaic and elegant Latin. These tracts circulated for centuries, tainting our historical perspectives of the time period.

Following Mary's abdication, he was appointed preceptor and tutor to the young James VI, and is thus credited with the monarch's academic talent, though he also turned the child James VI against his mother and helped shape a perverted character.

Ken Buchanan (born June 28, 1945)

Ken Buchanan is a former professional lightweight boxer. Buchanan, who was born in Edinburgh in 1945, turned pro in 1965 and became the undisputed world lightweight champion in 1971. In 2000, Ken Buchanan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British boxers of all time.

Clan Buchanan Locations

The following locations are historically or currently associated with Clan Buchanan.

Buchanan Auld House is located in Stirlingshire.

The Chiefs of Clan Buchanan, who owned the house and its surrounding lands, resided at Buchanan Auld House. The lands were held by the Buchanans from around 1230 until 1682, when they were purchased by Clan Graham following the death of John Buchanan. The only thing that remains of Buchanan Auld House are ruins.

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Killearn's Buchanan Monument

The Buchanan Monument was built in 1788 to honor poet and historian George Buchanan.

Buchanan (1506-1582).

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Craigend Castle is located in Milngavie.

Craigend estate was purchased by the Smith family in the 1600s. After John Smith's death in 1812, his son James transformed the house he built in the 18th century into a larger, more elaborately designed mansion. Craigend was purchased by Sir Andrew Buchanan in 1851 and remained in the Buchanan family until the early twentieth century. Craigend Castle is now in ruins.

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West Dunbartonshire's Dunglass Castle

The Colquhoun clan built Dunglass Castle for the first time in 1380. By the 1730s, the castle was in ruins, and much of the stone was used to repair a nearby quay as well as to construct other structures. When Andrew Buchanan of Auchentorlie purchased the castle in 1812, this practice came to an end.

Clan Buchanan Tartans

The Buchanan tartan is one of the most well-known and popular tartans today. However, the unusual asymmetric sett that lends it its allure may have resulted from an error. McIan was working on his Victorian illustrations for the Clans of Scotland in 1845. The sample he was painting was thought to be symmetrical, but McIan, who was known for his accuracy, painted it asymmetrical, and this quickly became the sett.

The term'modern' refers to the dye shades, which are typically darker, whereas 'ancient' colors are typically lighter.

Threadcount B/8 K4 G12 B8 G12 K4 B8 K4 R16 W4 R16 K4 B8 K4 Y12 K4 Y12 K4

Buchanan Historic

Buchanan Contemporary

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The Vestiarium Scoticum inspired the modern Hunting Buchanan tartan. There appears to be no prior knowledge of the sett, and it appears to be one of Sobieski Stewart's designs. It is, however, nearly 200 years old.

The term'modern' refers to the dyes' shades, which are typically darker.

Threadcount LB/8 T20 G20 T20 Y4 T20 G20 B20 G20 B20 G8 B20 G20 T40

Modern Buchanan Hunting

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Before McIan's asymmetrical painting mishap, the Buchanan old sett was thought to be the correct version.

The term 'ancient' refers to lighter dye shades, whereas'modern' refers to darker dye colors. The term 'weathered' refers to dye shades that attempt to replicate the colors of a tartan fragment discovered buried on a battlefield.

Threadcount G64 LB/8 K4 LB8 K4 Y16 K4 Y16 K4 LB8 K4 R64 W/8

Buchanan Ancient Sett

Weathered Buchanan Old Sett

Clan Buchanan Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Buchanan Coat of Arms

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

A dexter hand holding a ducal cap, Proper, tufted on top with a rose Gules, between two laurel branches in orle, also Proper.

Coat of Arms of Clan Buchanan

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.

Shield of the Buchanan Society

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Arms of John Buchanan's ilk

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THAT TYPE OF BUCHANAN

Or, a lion rampant, Sable, armed and langued, Gules, within a double tressure, flory counterflory, of the second kind.

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Charles Alexander Buchanan's Touch Arms

The second son of Robert Buchanan of Fintona, County Tyrone, bore these arms. The family spent some time in Ireland and appears to be descended from William Buchanan of Blairvockie. Buchanans from

Blairvockie are Spittal cadets through Walter Buchanan of Spittal.

Walter Buchanan of Spittal was the German brother of George Buchanan of that ilk, who married Elizabeth Preston and had John Buchanan, the last laird of Buchanan as a son. Members of the family immigrated to Canada, and A.W.P. Buchanan, author of the Buchanan Book, is related to them.

Lyon Register Volume 30 - Page 24 - 3 March 1932 contains the arms.

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