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Unravelling Septs
Nearly three years ago, a very short time in Scottish history, we wrote an article explaining what the word clan means, which gave a short insight into clan history and the origins of the clan system. But there is more to it than what has already been explored! Coincidentally, the What is a Clan? post features the crest badge of Clan MacLean, our Clan of the Month for May, so when better to further explore clan structures than right now?
What are septs?
In very basic terms, a sept of Clan MacLean is a family which is part of Clan MacLean without its members being called MacLean, or any of the other many spelling variations. Septs are by no means exclusive to Clan MacLean, but since the MacLeans are our Clan of the Month, we will use them as an example.
In What is a Clan? it is mentioned that Clan membership was and is not only restricted to those who share a direct lineage with the founders of a Clan. Families that lived on the territories over which the clan chief ruled were also part of the clan and often adopted the clan name over time. And then there are the clan septs that also belong to the clan. So lets have a closer look at septs and which families are affiliated with Clan MacLean!
How does a family become a sept?
There are different reasons why families became septs of a clan, but usually the septs are smaller family groups that by becoming a sept, receive protection from the clan they join. Here’s an example: the Duie family is listed as a sept of Clan MacLean, which means that this family is part of the clan and is under MacLean protection.
An unrelated and independent family could become a sept of Clan MacLean by moving close to the MacLean lands and swearing their loyalty to the clan chief. A member of the extended family of the MacLean could create a new sept through marriage to someone of another family name. Some clan septs consider themselves as a small clan and at the same time as a part of the larger clan that they are affiliated with.
So the question of direct lineage and sept affiliation is not easily answered and the lines between clans and septs seem to be blurry at times!
Is your family a MacLean sept?
If your name is Duie or Rankin, Beath or Gillandthen, Paton or MacFetridge (or many others - visit the clan page to check the list) your family is part of a MacLean sept! Of course, these are not the only septs of Clan MacLean. Shakespeare’s famous MacBeth would have also been an affiliate of the MacLean Clan since Beath and MacBeth are both septs of Clan MacLean. If your surname hasn’t been mentioned here, don’t worry, there are many more septs which you can find on the MacLean post, or on the clan’s association website!
Your name isn't on the list of septs of MacLean?
Don’t give up yet! The MacLean Clan isn’t an exception, most clans have septs and on our clan pages we have lists of the names that allow you to discover which families are septs of what Clan. If we have missed one out or you figured out you are part of a clan sept, and have story to tell, let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
This blog was written by Nena Pralle, an international student of history at Stirling University. You can learn more about Nena and the work of her fellow students here.
