Clan Chiefs

Mac Nab History

The Clan Mac Nab, a branch of the Siol Alpine, are of ecclesiastical origin, being termed in Gaelic Clann-an-Aba, ‘children of the abbot’, and claim descent from the abbots of Glendochart in Perthshire, where the clan lands were for several centuries. As early as the 12th century they were an important clan, but they joined the Mac Dougalls in their fight against Robert the Bruce.
After Bannockburn, the Mac Nabs lost all their lands except the Barony of Bovain in Glendochart, which was confirmed to them by a charter from David II to Gilbert Mac Nab in 1336. Towards the end of the 15th century, Finlay, 4th chief, added greatly to the family estates. In 1552, however, Finlay, 6th chief, mortgaged most of his lands to Campbell of Glenorchy, but the clan refused to acknowledge Glenorchy’s superiority. In 1606, Finlay, 7th chief, entered into a bond of friendship with his cousin, Lachlan Mac Kinnon of Strathardle, which is often quoted as proof of their common descent.
The Mac Nabs, under their chief ‘Smooth John’, supported the Stuarts during the Civil Wars, and the chief was killed at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. In 1745, the then chief sided with the government but the clan supported Prince Charles. Francis, 12th and last chief in the direct male line, was a noted eccentric and the subject, in Highland dress, of Raeburn’s striking portrait.