Farquharson
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Farquharsons traced their
origin back to Farquhar, fourth son of Alexander
Cier (Shaw) of Rothiemurcus, who possessed the
Braes of Mar near the source of the river Dee in
Aberdeenshire. His descendants were called
Farquharsons, and his son, Donald, married Isobel
Stewart, heiress of Invercauld. Donald’s
son, Finla Mor, was the real progenitor of the
clan. The Gaelic patronymic is MacFionlaigh Mor.
He was royal standard bearer at the Battle of
Pinkie, where he was killed in 1547. From his
lifetime onwards the clan grew in stature,
important branches being founded through the nine
sons of his two marriages. The Farquharsons were
not as numerous as some of their neighbours, but
formed part of the confederation known as Clan
Chattan. When the Erskines set out to reassert
their claim over the ancient Earldom of Mar at
the end of the sixteenth century they were
opposed around Braemar by the increasing power of
the Farquharsons. John Erskine built a castle at
Braemar to defend his lands, but it ultimately
passed into the hands of the Farquharsons.
The Clan’s fierce
reputation led to their being known as the
fighting Farquharsons and they were staunch
supporters of the Stuarts. Donald Farquharson of
Monaltrie fought with Montrose in 1644, and the
family later supported Charles II. John
Farquharson of Inverey, known as the Black
Colonel, declared for James VII and followed
Graham of Claverhouse, the famous "Bonnie
Dundee", in 1689. In the Jacobite rising of
1715, John Farquharson of Invercauld joined the
Clan Chattan regiment of which he was colonel.
Undaunted, the Farquharsons
supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and at Culloden
in 1746 were led by Francis Farquharson of
Monaltrie, the chief’s nephew. He was taken
prisoner and condemned to be executed at the
Tower of London, only being reprieved along with
two other Highland officers on the very morning
of the execution. The chief died in 1750 and was
succeeded by his son, James, who died in 1805.
From his marriage to Amelia, daughter of Lord
George Murray, the renowned Jacobite general, 11
children were born but all but his youngest
daughter, Catherine, predeceased him. In 1815 she
was recognized by Lyon Court as chief of the name
of Farquharson. She was succeeded by her son,
James. On the death in 1936 of James’s
descendant, Alexander Haldane Farquharson of
Invercauld, the arms were confirmed to his
daughter, Myrtle Farquharson of Invercauld, but
she was killed in an air raid in 1941. The
succession then passed to her nephew, Captain
Alwyne Compton Farquharson of Invercauld. Much of
the ancestral estates still remains in the family
hands, and Braemar Castle is fully restored and
now open to the public. The Braemar Highland
Gathering is world famous, having enjoyed royal
patronage since the reign of Queen Victoria. |
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Clan
Tartans
