What is an arminger?

Medieval Heraldry holds to a complex set of rules and regulations… Read More

What do Landed Property, Clare Constat, and Sasine have to do with the title of Chief?

These three terms come from old Scots feudal law, and together they explain how landownership and succession to a clan’s chiefly seat were historically documented and proven.

Landed Property refers to the actual clan lands — for MacTavish, this is the seat of Dunardry in Knapdale, Argyll.
Sasine (from the Latin saisina, “seizing”) was the formal legal act of taking possession of land. Every time land changed hands — by sale or inheritance — it had to be recorded through an act of sasine.
Clare Constat (Latin for “it clearly appears”) was a legal document, a precept of clare constat, issued when an heir inherited land rather than purchased it, confirming their right to succeed before sasine could follow.

Together, a documented chain of these instruments created a legal paper trail proving unbroken inheritance from one generation to the next — and this is exactly the kind of record that has historically supported claims of legitimate clan succession.

Clan MacTavish is fortunate to have this chain documented in unusual depth. The Poltalloch Writs — legal instruments from the Malcolm of Poltalloch estate archive, researched and transcribed by Patricia Adams during her tenure as Clan Genealogist (1999–2003) — trace the Dunardry estate through 26 consecutive feu charters, sasines, precepts of clare constat, and related instruments from 1517 to 1785, each naming the MacTavish chief of the day by name and land. Among these is a 1752 precept of clare constat naming Dugald McTavish as son and heir of Archibald McCavis alias McTavish — a document that captures the very moment the modern spelling “MacTavish” became fixed in the family’s legal records. You can read the full transcription of the Poltalloch Writs here.

The MacTavish presence at Dunardry goes back well before this written chain begins. The Argyll Transcripts — records compiled from the Inveraray Castle archives by Niall Diarmid Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll — record a Baron Duncan McThamais among the Barons of Argyll in 1355, identified as the chief of Dunardry of that period, nearly two centuries before the Poltalloch chain of Argyll-superior charters commences.

Who is the projenitor of Clan MacTavish?

The founder of Clan MacTavish was Tamhais Mhór — Tavis the Great — born around 1145 AD. According to Patrick L. Thompson’s research in History of Clan MacTavish, Tamhais Mhór took lands in Cowal during the 12th century, earning him the appellation “the Great,” and is considered the eponymous first chief of the clan in Knapdale. You may encounter older sources, including some early Campbell genealogies, that name a “Taus Coir” or “Tavis Coir” as the clan’s progenitor — describing him as a son of Colin Maol Maith and a daughter of Suibhne Ruadh (Sween the Red), builder of Castle Sween, with Colin Maol Maith said to have died at Dunstaffnage Castle fighting for King Alexander I. This account comes entirely from Campbell-derived traditional genealogies — among them the Craignish Manuscript and the writings of Buchanan of Auchmar — which describe Tavis Coir as an illegitimate Campbell descendant.

Patrick L. Thompson’s research treats this tradition with considerable caution: the Dunstaffnage episode cannot be independently verified, and Argyll and the Isles were under Norse rather than Scottish royal authority at the time it is said to have occurred. Thompson’s own analysis suggests Tavis Coir may in fact be a later figure — possibly a son of Tamhais Mhór himself — rather than the founder, though the surviving records do not allow this to be established with certainty. Our position, based on the earliest independently verifiable evidence, is that Clan MacTavish’s documented identity as an independent patronymic predates any proposed Campbell connection by decades: the Glenmasan Manuscript of 1238 AD, held in the National Library of Scotland, names “Eoin M’Tavis” — John MacTavish — as an established name in its own right, well before the first dateable Campbell ancestor appears in any record. – Learn more about Clan MacTavish’s ancient history.

What is the proper way to address the Chief, either verbally or in writing?

The old style of address was that when a Chief had charter lands, he was known by his lands’ name: Dundardry (pronounced: Duh-nar-dree). Alternatively, he would formally be called by his name: Steven MacTavish of Dunardry. Many times, we simply call him “Chief.” Respect is shown in this manner and in celebration of our Scottish Heritage.

What is the significance of the eagle feathers? & What do the numbers mean?

Eagle feathers worn behind a Scottish crest badge are a long-standing tradition indicating rank within the clan system:

Three eagle feathers — worn by the Clan Chief, the sole individual entitled to bear the clan’s undifferenced arms.
Two eagle feathers — worn by a Chieftain, the head of a branch or cadet family of the clan.
One eagle feather — worn by an Armiger, someone who has petitioned for and been granted their own personal coat of arms by the Court of the Lord Lyon, or inherited a recorded coat of arms from an ancestor.

This is a matter of custom rather than heraldic law — the Lord Lyon does not govern or enforce the wearing of feathers, and instead recommends that clan members consult their own Chief on the matter, since it’s the Chief’s prerogative to grant additional recognition, such as allowing an individual appointed to a position of honor in the clan to wear feathers beyond what their own arms alone would entitle them to. For more detail on crest badges and feather protocol, see the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs’ guide to crests