History of The Clan Buchanan, part 2
So, The 18th chief tried unsuccessfully to marry off his daughters to help with the debts, but eventually sold lands, including the clan Seat (Auld house) to the Third Marquess of Montrose. Auld house was subsequently lost to a fire (and the Marquess built a new castle elsewhere, confusingly called Buchanan castle).
When John Buchanan of that Ilk died in 1681, he had no male heirs or grandchildren.
Without a Chief or a Seat, that’s where the principal line of the Clan Chiefs effectively stopped.
Life went on for the remaining Buchanan’s and Cadets (ie, the Buchanan’s of Leny, Arnprior, Spittel, Auchmar and Drumakill), and there were attempts for some of the remaining Chieftons to claim chiefdom.
But Scotland as a whole was also under financial pressure (the Darian scheme, industrial revolution and famines) and sovereignty pressure from England.
And, in the 1740s, a rebellion (called the Jacobite rebellion) sought to push back against the English…
The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 – sometimes referred to as "the 45" –
resulted in Highland culture being deemed illegal and punishable by death
Known Jacobite supporters:
Alexander Buchanan, born 1728, son of the Laird of Auchleishie, Callander, Perthshire, Stirlingshire, Jacobite Captain in the Duke of Perth's Regiment, prisoner at Perth, Canongate, Carlisle, ship, and London; transported 22 Apr 1747 from Liverpool to the Colony of Maryland on the ship "Johnson" 41,42,43
John Buchanan, servant to Alexander Buchanan, resident of Auchterarder, Perthshire, Jacobite in the Duke of Perth's Regiment, prisoner at Auchterarder, Stirling, and Carlisle; transported 24 Feb 1747 on the ship "Gildart" to the Colony of Maryland. 44,45
John Buchanan, brewer from Kilmahog, Callander. Joined the Jacobites and went with them to Crieff. Released.44,45
Francis Buchanan, of Arnpryor, Lenny House, Callander. Arrested before battle of Culloden for stockpiling weapons.
Writing to Philip Webb on 9 Sep 1746, Lord Milton, the Lord Justice Clerk, said of Francis Buchanan that it would be of "more consequence to His Majesty’s Service … to get rid of such a person than to convict 99 of the lowest rank." 45,46,47
Some regard Francis as “the defector Chief”, for further details, click here. Buchanan of Arnprior was taken to Carlisle Castle where he was put in irons. This treatment is believed to have justified due to a suspicious death that he was connected with: he had had an argument with Alexander Stewart of Glenbuckie concerning the post of Major in the Duke of Perth’s Jacobite regiment. Stewart of Glenbuckie returned to Leny House with Buchanan for the evening, but in the morning was found dead in his bed with a pistol in his hand. Buchanan argued that he had no part in the death, but it is believed that this incident affected how he was treated during his trial.
Buchanan of Arnprior was found guilty and was sentenced to be executed for “High Treason”, a sentence which was carried out on 19 October 1746. Before his death he supposedly expressed regret that he had not supported the Jacobites openly and joined Prince Charles when he arrived in Scotland.
Patrick Buchanan, brother of Francis Buchanan of Arnpryor, brewer from Kilmahog, Callander. Joined the Jacobites in the Duke of Perth's Regiment and went with them to Crieff. Tried at Carlisle and acquitted on account of his youth. 44,45,48
Thomas Buchanan, brother of Francis Buchanan of Arnpryor. Tried and acquitted on account of his youth.48
Robert Buchanan, Jacobite Captain in the Duke of Perth's Regiment, son of Baillie Buchanan in Boghastle, Callander. Killed at Culloden.45,49
John Buchanan, in Stuart of Appin's Regiment, died in prison.50
John Buchanan, in Gordon of Glenbuckett's Regiment, from Inverness-shire, assumed died at Culloden.51
John Buchanan, servant to David Stewart of Ballachallan in Strathallan's Perthshire Horse. Subsequent condition unknown.52
Duncan Buchanan, prominent Jacobite agent and clerk to Aeneas MacDonald, the banker to Charles Edward Stuart in Paris. He was one of "The Seven Men of Moidart.". Subsequent condition unknown. 53,54
Known Government supporters:
A complete list of Buchanans serving in British Army, Royal Navy or other Government roles at the time of the Jacobite uprisings has yet to be compiled.
Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier, Tobacco Lord and Lord Provost of Glasgow (1740–42). After the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Prestonpans (21 Sep 1745), John Hay, quarter-master of Prince Charles’ Jacobite Army, arrived at Glasgow 25 Sep 1745 with a letter demanding a loan of £15,000. Buchanan and five others were chosen to negotiate with Hay and succeeded in obtaining a reduction to £5,500.[55] On account of Buchanan's zeal in raising new levies on behalf of the government, the Jacobites demanded in December 1745 a special levy of £500 from him. Despite threats of military execution, he replied "they might plunder his house if they pleased, for he would not pay one farthing."56,57
Archibald Buchanan of Drummakill (alternate spellings: Drumnakil, Drumakiln and Drumnakiln), overt supporter of the Government, magistrate and militia officer. After the defeat at Culloden on 16 Apr 1746, the escaping William Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, took refuge in the Loch Lomond house of Archibald Buchanan of Drummakill (husband of Tullibardine's cousin). Depending on the source, Drummakill accepted the surrender of the exhausted Tullibardine, captured him or, in defiance of Highland hospitality norms, betrayed him to the garrison at Dumbarton Castle. Most sources cite the 'betrayal' version of events and advise that Drummakill was forever after ostracised in Scotland. Tullibardine died 9 Jul 1746 as a prisoner at the Tower of London.58,59
Leader of the Jacobites in the Culloden Battle: Bonny Prince CharlesCharles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart (b.20 December 1720 d.30 January 1788) AKA Bonny Prince Charles was the eldest son of James Francis Edward Stuart, and the Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain. And friend to James Buchanan of Auchlessie, 2nd of Arnprior (direct descendent of the current chief) He is best remembered for his role in the 1745 rising: his defeat at Culloden in April 1746 effectively ended the Stuart cause. His escape from Scotland after the uprising led to his portrayal as a heroic failure. |
The Jacobite rebellion culminated in the Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746
Which the Jacobites lost. As a result any Scottish ‘rebel’ was sought and killed. “The Act of Proscription” outlawed most highland activities - like the carrying of weapons, banners, the wearing of kilts, even the playing of bagpipes!
Did Clan Buchanan participate in the Battle of Culloden?
The Buchanan clan as such did not participate in the Battle as a unified force. However, we found about six of the name Buchanan on the walls of the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre as participants in the battle.
Why didn’t the clan come out in force?
It is speculated that as we had no recognised Chief there was no leader to make a clan decision. In addition, the clan may have considered its position in relation to the surrounding clans that were either neutral (Clan Graham) or on the Government side (Clan Campbell) and so, leaderless and circumspect, it did not participate.
What was the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden?
After Culloden, government forces under the Duke of Cumberland (the “Butcher Cumberland”) spent several weeks searching for rebels, killing all who they thought were Jacobites – men, women and children, confiscating cattle and burning church meeting houses. 3,500 captured Jacobites were indicted for treason. Of these, 120 were executed, primarily deserters and members of the Manchester Regiment. Some 650 died awaiting trial; 900 were pardoned and the rest transported. The Jacobite leaders were beheaded. So, its very easy to understand why any highlander would lay low from then on!
The Act of Proscription was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, which came into effect in Scotland on 1 August 1746. It was part of a series of efforts to assimilate the Scottish Highlands, ending their ability to revolt, and the first of the "King's laws" that sought to crush the Clan. The Act can be seen as Parliament asserting the supremacy of the Civil Courts over unconstitutional military coercion.
The Act outlawed anyone (in defined parts of Scotland) from having "in his or their custody, use, or bear, broad sword, poignard, whinger, or durk, side pistol, gun, or other warlike weapon" unless authorised. The penalties for wearing "highland clothing" as stated in the Dress Act 1746 were "imprisonment, without bail, during the space of six months, and no longer; and being convicted for a second offence before a court of justiciary or at the circuits, shall be liable to be transported..." No lesser penalties were allowed for.
However, because of Francis Buchanan ("the Buchanan of Arnprior"… and a likely contender to be new chief of clan Buchanan)’s role as Armorer and Treasurer of the Jacobite rebellion, and his public execution, we believe that clan Buchanan was particularly targeted by the Government.
Our lands were seized; artifacts destroyed; wealth distributed and history stricken.
Next
Fearing persecution, it made sense for the remaining Buchanan’s to lay low. For the next 3 centuries, without a chief, without lands or assets and fearing persecution or death, clansmen departed to more opportune settlements in US, Canada and Australia. Buchanan and the 50 or so families were relegated to nothing more than a surname, and maybe a tartan or crest. But that was about the extent of the ‘clan’…
In the new worlds there was both in inherent fear of persecution, eagerness to assimilate and thrive; so parents stopped our oral histories. Buchanan’s especially seemed to lose our family trees, without an active Clan connection. An English narrative replaced Scottish lore, even in the colonies. Clans with more presence fared better when the clearances ended in the 1820’s, and they became a generic form of Scottishness; making Clan Buchanan more obscured by comparison.
The Act of Proscription laws were finally repealed on 1 July 1782
Resurgence
Until, in the 70s in America, amongst the nostalgia of Highland games, a group of Buchanan’s formed the “Clan Buchanan Society of America” and started the process of scraping together our history and heritage.
Since then, the spirit and members have been growing, and the society became the Clan Buchanan Society International (CBSI); and the CBSI has invested in a range of projects to rebuild the clan, like DNA research, genealogy archives, publications, websites and attendance at Highland games across the US and Australia.
In 1999 Scottish parliament reconvened, and passion for being Scottish only improves.
In Scotland the descendant of one of the lines; a Buchanan of Arnprior, decided to formally apply to become Chief of the clan. After years of research (by acclaimed genealogist Hugh Peskett) a formal petition to Lord Lyon (overseer of Scottish heraldry) was made, and a chief declared: John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan of that Ilk and Arnprior, as the Chief of the Name and Arms of Buchanan.
And now things are really escalating for the clan:
The chiefs inauguration will create history and public interest;
With a leader we will have focus, direction, enthusiasm and momentum;
Stories and artifacts are being revealed — collectively sharing our story and undertaking projects to preserve and unveil our history (archaeological and cultural).
The CBSI is motivating active participation (increased membership);
We are developing a collaborative participation in cultural pursuits with neighbouring highland clans (such as Clans Colquhoun, MacFarlane, Graham and Hunter)