Clan of the Month - Great Gunn

Clan Gunn is one of the oldest and most northerly clans in the whole of Scotland. The name Gunn, or Guinne in Gaelic, is derived from the Old Norse name Gunnr or Gunnhildr, meaning war.

Norse by name and Norse by nature, Clan Gunn claims a direct lineage from the fierce Viking warrior Gunni. Gunni himself was said to have been the grandson of the " Ultimate Viking" and hero of the Orkneyinga Saga, Sweyn Asleifsson. The Norse connection doesn't end there, with the clan also having relations with Norse "Jarls" or Earls of Orkney.

Through their Viking heritage, the clan has many different septs. From Jameson and Robson to Kean and Nelson, many can claim Viking blood through the ancient Clan Gunn.

Clan Gunn may be descended from the Jarls of Orkney, but their lands encompass Caithness and Sutherland. These lands were inherited through the Jarls in 1198, by the clan's second chief. By the 13th Century, the clan were at the peak of their powers and were said to have controlled the whole of Caithness. Here they built many castles including Dirlot, Clyth and Halberry, although none are standing today.

The Clan Gunn motto is Aut Pax Aut Belllum, meaning "Either Peace or War". This embodies the clan's name which means "war" in Old Norse and its history of battling neighbouring clans.

Clan Gunn's crest shows a hand grasping a raised sword, further strengthening the clan's warrior roots from their Viking heritage to battling neighbouring clans.

The clan's official plant is juniper. The berries of the juniper plant are commonly used to make gin.

Clan Gunn has three amazing tartans to choose from, each of which you can discover below.

Gunn Ancient

This tartan consists of a pale blue base with an overlapping green and black check which is highlighted with a red line. The ancient variant is lighter in tone to replicate the original colours historically created using animal and plant dyes. Blueberries and alum with club moss produced the beautiful soft blues, with wine or gorse bark, broom and knapweed producing shades of green.

Gunn Modern

Gunn Modern uses the same colours as the ancient variant, however, in considerably darker tones which came in . The pale blue of the ancient becomes a navy, with an overlapping bottle green and black checks highlighted with a bright red line. The stronger modern colours came in the second half of the 1800s when Perkin, a young chemist trying to find a new method of producing quinine, discovered a synthetic dye for mauve. Peter Griess went on in 1876 to discover the diazo reaction which made the manufacture of a large range of colours possible.

Gunn Weathered

The colours used in Gunn Weathered give the tartan a worn or faded appearance. This is used to replicate the effects of the harsh Scottish weather on the fabric.

Although Clan Gunnwas at the peak of their powers during the 13th and 14th Centuries, little is known about the history of the clan during this period. However, there is some evidence to suggest that Sir James Gunn, then clan chief, set sail across the Atlantic alongside Henry Sinclair of Orkney some 90 years before Columbus. In the town of Westford, Massachusetts, there is a carving of a medieval knight cut into a rock face that is thought to be the mighty clan chief. This effigy is widely considered to be the work of Native Americans who had occupied the area during that time.

During the late 14th and early 15th Centuries, Clan Gunn had many skirmishes against the neighbouring clans. They battled the Sinclairs and Keiths; in addition to many other clans who had been granted land by the Scottish Kings and were trying to increase their influences on the far reaches of their kingdom. Clan Gunn was set upon from the North, South and West of their territories with the clan losing much of their land in the more fertile regions of Caithness.

It was during this period that Clan Gunn played out their very own Greek tragedy, that coincidently also centred on a woman of great beauty name Helen. Helen was the only daughter of the clan chief, Lachlan Gunn of Braemor. She was celebrated for her unrivalled beauty and was due to marry her cousin Alexander. Dugald Keith, who held the title of Keith of Ackergill had on occasion attempted to woo Helen but was consistently rebuffed. Keith was bitter, responding with jealousy and violence. On the day of her wedding, Keith surprised the Gunns, circling the home of the chief and began slaughtering the unsuspecting Gunns.

Keith captured Helen in the chaos that ensued, imprisoning her in his home at Ackergill. Following months of imprisonment and despair, Helen climbed to the. top of the tower, jumping to her death. The feud that followed this series of unfortunate events was very long and bloody, with attacks upon each clan. One costly but indecisive battle occurred at Harpsdale near Thurso, in 1426.

Following years of onslaught from rival clans, Gunn of Ulbster, Chief of Clan Gunn and Crowner of Caithness held his main lands at Ulbster and Clyth. Here he established the clan's main seat at Halberry Castle, on Halberry Head, which is situated on the East Coast of Caithness.

After years of warring, the clans Gunn and Keith planned to meet to end their longstanding feud. This meeting took place at the Chapel of St Tears, near Ackergill Tower, which was owned by the Keiths at the time. The clans had both agreed to bring 12 men to the meeting but the treacherous Keiths brought double that number with two men per horse. They quickly overcame Clan Gunn, killing the clan chief. However, one of his sons was able to escape in the heat of the battle and swore to seek vengeance on the Keiths. This opportunity arose soon after, where he killed the Keith Chieftan as he celebrated his victory at the Castle of Dirlot, near Westerdale.

With the death of the chief and his sons at Ackergill, Clan Gunn split into three separate branches. James, the chief's eldest son who had survived the battle, settled in Kildonan, Sutherland, where he obtained lands from the Earl of Sutherland. Robert the second surviving son, travelled to Braemore in the Southern Heights of Caithness where he established the clan Robson or Caithness Gunns. The chief's third surviving son settled in Cattaig in Strathmore in the higher reaches of the River Thurso near Westerdale.

In 1978, the Earl of Kintore, Chief of Clan Keith, and Iain Gunn of Banniskirk, Commander of Clan Gunn finally settled the clan's differences. The pair met at the site of the Chapel of St Tears, where they signed a Treaty of Friendship, thus bringing an end to their five-hundred year-long feud.

Clan Gunn Today

The last chief of Clan Gunn to be officially recognised was in 1785, which was due in part to the suppression of the clan system following the Battle of Culloden. Although efforts had been made by the Clan Gunn Society to find a new chief in the 1890s, that particular society did not last.

The present Clan Gunn Society was founded in 1960 by William Gunn of Banniskirk and his nephew Iain. William was appointed as the Commander of Clan Gunn in 1967 by Lyon Innes of Learny but sadly passed away in 1972. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his nephew Iain of Banniskirk who was appointed Commander of Clan Gunn in the same year.

Following over forty years of research on the lineage of the clan, Iain Gunn of Banniskirk was appointed Chief of Clan Gunn in April 2016, becoming Iain Gunn of Gunn. This marked 230 years since the clan's last fully recognised chief.

The Clan Gunn Society is still thriving and growing today, offering a great opportunity for Gunns around the world to join together and celebrate their clan history. The society was due to celebrate its 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebrations this month from the 2nd-5th of April, however, this has now been postponed to November, due to the outbreak of COVID-19. It is set to be an amazing event, with visits planned to Inverness, Culloden, Caithness, and Dunrobin Castle to celebrate the clans long and illustrious history.

In addition to the society, the clan also have their heritage centre. The Clan Gunn Heritage Centre is housed in the old parish church building in Latheron, Caithness, which was built in 1734. It was gifted to the Clan Gunn Society in 1974 and opened its doors n the 22nd of August 1985. The centre tells the story of the clan from is Nordic roots to the present day against the backdrop of the history of the North of Scotland.