Clan MacBean supported the Jacobite Cause during the 1715 and 1745 Risings. After the 1715 defeat, a large number of those clansmen who had been captured at the Battle of Preston were transported to Virginia and South Carolina.
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
Each tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Clan MacBean’s origins were in Lochaber, in the vicinity of Glen Loy, where they were a branch of the original, historic Clan Chattan, whose legendary founder was Gillichattan Mòr.
The story in the earliest histories says that the first MacBean chief formed part of the wedding party that accompanied Eva the heiress of Clan Chattan, daughter of Gillipatrick son of Dougal Dall, at her wedding to Angus, Chief of Clan Mackintosh, in 1291. Following fierce conflict between the MacBeans on the side of the Mackintoshes and Robert the Bruce against their mutual enemies in Lochaber (the Comyns), the family of the MacBean’s founder migrated with other branches of Clan Chattan to Badenoch, and later came to Connage in Petty, near Inverness, where they took protection and dependence of William mac Angus Mackintosh.
The family’s most significant stronghold was an area named Kinchyle, located on the shore of Loch Ness. Unfortunately, the 12th Clan Chief found himself weighed down by heavy debts and had to mortgage the main part of the estate, including Kinchyle House itself, to avoid financial ruin.
This loss must have been sorely felt by the MacBeans, but luckily, a later Chief managed to buy back a small amount of land that has become a significant gathering place for the Clan.
In the 1960s, Hughston McBain purchased a stretch of land in Kinchyle to honour his clan ancestors, and built a Clan MacBean monument and memorial park within the grounds.
The other principal branches of the clan were the MacBeans of Faillie in Strathnairn, the MacBeans of Tomatin in Strathdearn (whose extensive estate encompassed the site of today’s Tomatin Distillery) and the MacBeans of Drummond above the shore of Loch Ness, south of Dores.
The current Chief of Clan MacBean is Richard McBain of McBain. Richard was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1956, and studied Photography and English at Southern Illinois University.
He has been actively involved in the clan for decades, helping to restore the McBain Memorial Park in 2013 after it suffered from theft and vandalism. He also spent many years attending the Highland Games with his father, taking the time to greet the representatives of each clan, bolstering a sense of clan community.
He succeeded his father and became the 23rd Hereditary Chief of Clan MacBean on the 7th of March 2022 and intends to dedicate his time to keeping Scottish history alive. He was formally declared and inaugurated as hereditary chief in succession to his father (James McBain of McBain the son of Hughston McBain of McBain), in front of a gathering of his clan and chiefs and representatives of other Clan Chattan clans, at the McBain Memorial Park, on Saturday 6th August 2022. This unique and historic inauguration ceremony was led by the Clan’s Seanachaidh, and overseen in person by The Lord Lyon.
The Clan’s name ‘MacBean’ derives from the personal name of the founder of the clan – its first recognised Chief: Bean. In Gaelic it was ‘Beathan’, which as MacBheathain (Son of Bean) is pronounced with the ‘h’ and ‘th’ virtually silent – hence phonetically ‘MacBain’.
The great Gaelic Scholar, and member of the Clan, Dr Alexander MacBain, states in his Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language that the Gaelic ‘Beathan’ was anglicised as ‘Bean or Benjamin: life’s son, from the Gaelic ‘beatha’ meaning ‘life’. This means that MacBean may be interpreted as son of the ‘lively one,’ perhaps meant as an homage to the patriarch’s valiant and dynamic spirit.
The earliest known record of the name MacBean appears in Lachlan Mackintosh of Kinrara’s 17th century manuscript history, which references Bean McMilmor and his son, Milmor McBean, in the early years of the 14th century. Revd Lachlan Shaw, in his 1775 History of the Province of Moray calls the Clan’s founder ‘Bean-mor, son of Maolmuir MacGilonie of the ancient Clan Chattan’. The translation of this name is: Big Bean son of the Servant of (Saint) Mary (the Virgin) son of the Servant of the Storm – Beathan Mòr mac Maolmoir mac Gille Anfaigh. Other, later MacGillonies of the older Clan Chattan remained in Lochaber and formed the most important component of what emerged as Clan Cameron.
A plant badge was worn by members of clans particularly during the 17th and 18th century as a way of identifying themselves and signifying allegiance to their Chief. They were typically worn on bonnets or attached to the shoulder of a sash.
Clan MacBean’s plant badge is boxwood, a hardy plant that was likely chosen as it symbolises longevity, strength, and endurance. Fitting for this resilient family! The supporters in the Chief’s coat of arms are two Boxwood bushes.
Kinchyle is an estate and township located in Strath Dores, on the northern tip of Loch Ness, held from an early time by the Chiefs of Clan MacBean and the house of Kinchyle became their ancestral home. The family owned the lands until 1760 when they were sold to Simon Fraser, sometime Commissary at Gibraltar, after a period of time when the estate had been in the hands of creditors. Within the lands of Kinchyle is the Clan MacBean Monument, which is inside the grounds of the McBain Memorial Park. The memorial park was created, and monument erected by Hughston McBain, the clan’s 21st Chief.
In the 1950s, Hughston and some of his cousins were doing research into his genealogy and discovered there had been no formally recognised clan chief since the death c.1790 of Captain Donald MacBean of Kinchyle, who was the Chief when the old lands were sold in 1760. After years of research and subsequent application, Hughston was recognised as Chief and matriculated with the undifferenced arms of the Chief of the Clan MacBean, by the then Lord Lyon King of Arms, on 8th March 1960. He then went on to purchase some of the Kinchyle lands in order to pay respects to the previous members of his clan, now known as the McBain Memorial Park.
The first tartan to reach the Moon was that of Clan MacBean. The fourth man to walk on the moon, Captain Alan LaVern Bean, carried with him on Apollo 12 a piece of MacBean tartan, which he had specially woven, and he carried this on him when he walked on the Moon; and then brought it back again to Earth, in 1969. This is why Clan MacBean is known as ‘The Moon Clan’!
Alan gave some of the cloth to the Clan MacBean Association and also to St Bean’s Church in Wester Fowlis. A piece of this out-of-this-world fabric was sold in an auction in 2016. But if you'd like a more earthly piece of the cloth, we can help you with that.
Not only did he walk on the Moon, Alan created amazing paintings as a response to his experience, which in his words was over far too quickly. He tried to capture the feeling of his mission and you can certainly get a sense of it in his Online Gallery here.
Image credit: NASA / Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)
The Chiefly family of Clan MacBean set up home in Strath Dores, on the northern shore of Loch Ness, in the Parish of Dores.
Loch Ness is one of the most famous freshwater lochs in the world. Stretching to about 23 miles long, it is also the largest loch in Scotland by volume! It is set in the Great Glen, a natural fault line running across Scotland, and is surrounded by stunning countryside, making it a popular tourist attraction.
It is arguably even better known, however, for the great legend of Nessie, the mysterious creature that supposedly lives in the water’s depths. The story of the ‘Loch Ness monster’ has captivated imaginations for centuries, with numerous reported sightings only adding fuel to the fire. Have you ever seen the famous Nessie?
Image credit: VisitScotland / The Loch Ness Centre
You can join Clan MacBean, Inc. and connect with your clan through the association. Its benefits include subscription to a bi-annual newsletter and access to their genealogical records. Their purpose is to educate, promote and celebrate the clan's part in Scottish history and heritage, as well as the clan's association with Clan Chattan Confederation of Scotland.
The Chief, Richard McBain of McBain is one of the constituent chiefs and Vice Presidents of the Clan Chattan Association.
Who knows what you might discover!
Join on their website and find out more about your clan: https://www.clanmacbean.org
Clan MacBean are notorious for their military prowess and bravery on the battlefield. They particularly made an impression at the famous Battle of Culloden.
The family had already supported the earlier Jacobite rising of 1715 and suffered many of their ranks being transported to plantations in Virginia, Maryland, and South Carolina after the Stuart defeat. This, however, did not put them off pledging their fighting services once again.
The then Chief, Gillies Mòr MacBean, one of the clan’s most famous warriors, took up a commission as a Major in Lady Anne Mackintosh’s Regiment, to fight for Bonnie Prince Charles, and fought heroically at Culloden. He is said to have been a giant of a man – the tallest in the Prince’s army. In a rear-guard action, even though already wounded, he urged those around him to escape while he held back the pursuing Government soldiers. With his claymore broadsword he is said to have killed 13 or 14 of his opponents, before he himself was sadly mortally wounded. His son Captain Donald MacBean was captured, and later freed and, as a tribute to his father’s remarkable heroism, granted a commission in the British Army by Cumberland himself. Donald ended up serving in Fraser’s Highlanders and fought at the Battle of Quebec.
Other members of the MacBean clan also made names for themselves at Culloden, with another Gillies MacBean - of Free by Tomatin, formerly of Faillie - helping lead a badly injured Cameron of Lochiel, carried by his Cameron kinsmen to safety, via a ford across the River Nairn near Craggie, after fighting off some pursuing Government soldiers. Another tale is told of an Aeneas MacBean who managed to make his own escape by displaying stunning strength and stamina, exhausting his pursuers by leaping repeatedly from one side of a stream to the other, forcing the enemy to give up and let him go.
Photo © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0)
Clan MacBean's war cry is 'Kinchyle', referring to the Chief’s ancestral home located in Strath Dores at the northern end of Loch Ness. It was shouted by the clan as they went into battle to unite them as one force and remind them of their duty to protect their land.
We’re sure the rousing cry also worked in their favour by intimidating the enemy, as it displayed the great bond of Clan MacBean’s best warriors.
The crest badge worn by members of Clan MacBean is taken from the crest of the clan’s chief, described heraldically as: a grey demi-catamountain salient, on his sinister foreleg a Highland targe Gules, i.e. a grey mountain / Scottish Wildcat rearing up on its hind legs and holding a red shield – typically part of a Highland warrior’s armour. In this instance it's a specific tribute to the clan’s great hero Chief Major Gillies Mòr MacBean, who is described in a poem dedicated to him as having faced his final fight at Culloden with his ‘breast to the targe’, his claymore ‘full flashed’ in the face of the charge of his opponents.
Surrounding this crest, within a strap and buckle is the Chief’s motto: TOUCH NOT A CATT BOT A TARGE, which means ‘don’t attack a Scottish Wildcat unless you have a shield to protect you’. This functions as a warning to any potential enemy that they should expect a fierce reaction if they ever dare to attack Clan MacBean!
The Scottish Wildcat is the ancient symbol of Clan Chattan and appears in the crests of a number of its clans’ chiefs – most famously that of Mackintosh.
Clan MacBean have some very famous connections. The family famously supported Robert the Bruce in the fight for Scottish independence, and were famously recorded as having killed the Red Comyn’s Steward of Inverlochy, and two more of his servants in that area of Lochaber – recalled as Patten and Kesson. John Comyn, nicknamed ‘The Red Comyn’ was the notorious competitor and enemy of Robert the Bruce, who was stabbed to death by Bruce himself in Greyfriars Church, Dumfries, in 1306.
Clan MacBean’s tartan is a striking sight, combined of earthy green, deep red, blue and white threads. Here at ScotlandShop, we stock MacBean Clan (in Ancient and Modern shades), MacBean Hunting, and MacElvain Ancient, and can print MacBean Dress, MacBean of Tomatin and McBain Chief onto certain items. Each option offers a different design and colour tone, so you are sure to find one that suits you!
Owning your clan’s tartan is the perfect way to connect with both your heritage and your fellow clan members, and we have plenty of products to choose from. Whether you could do with a new pair of shoes, a stretch of beautiful ribbon, or perhaps a trendy waistcoat, we’re sure we can help!
Clan MacBean have excelled in military pursuits across the world. Donald McBane from Inverness, one of the Duke of Marlborough’s soldiers, joined the Royal Scots and became the most famous swordsman and dualists of his generation. His remarkable story, and instruction manual for sword-fighting, is recounted in his autobiography published in Glasgow in 1728: ‘The Expert Swordsman’s Companion’ or ‘The True Art of Self Defense’. During the War of Spanish Succession he took part in 15 skirmishes and 16 battles including Blenheim in 1704 and Malplaquet in 1709. His escape from the Battle of Killiecrankie became immortalized – the spot where he jumped 18 feet across the River Garry is known to this day as ‘the Soldier’s Leap’.
In 1778, Lieutenant General Forbes MacBean, from a cadet branch of the chiefly family, was appointed commander of artillery in Canada. Major-General William McBean, when a young officer in the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment, won a Victoria Cross (‘VC’), the highest award for gallantry in battle, in March 1858 during the storming and capture of the Kaiserbagh at Lucknow. He killed 11 opponents with his claymore, thereby emulating the heroism of his kinsman Major Gillies Mòr MacBean. William had earlier taken part in the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, within the famous ‘Thin Red Line’ of Highland infantrymen who faced the Russian Cavalry. He later fought at the Battle of Balaclava, in which his kinsman Captain Thomas Hamilton McBean, Quartermaster of the Royal Scots Greys, took part in the victorious Charge of the Heavy Brigade, uphill against overwhelming odds – an action often overlooked by the disaster of the Charge of the Light Brigade.
Major-General Forbes Macbean was mentioned in dispatches for his actions earlier in his career, at the taking of the heights of Dargai in 1897, and later commanded the Gordon Highlanders during the Second Boer War. In his ‘Our Regiments in South Africa 1899-1902’, John Stirling wrote that: ‘The Gordons were led by Lieut.-Colonel Burney and by Colonel Forbes Macbean, who has perhaps seen more hard fighting than any officer now alive and with his regiment’.
Thomas Hamilton McBean’s grandson Captain Alexander Hamilton McBean, of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, led the 9th (Scottish) Division contingent from the Army of Occupation at Cologne at the great Victory Parade in Paris on Bastille Day, 14th July 1919. One month later his 1st cousin Captain Russell Hamilton McBean of the Royal Navy won a DSO (the second highest award for gallantry after the VC) for his part (as a Lieutenant) in the remarkable Raid on Kronstadt, in August 1919, destroying ships at the Bolshevik Fleet headquarters in the Baltic, which had been bombarding the Baltic nations fighting for their independence.
Learn about their famous connections, their “out-of-this-world” tartan, plant badge and more.
Clan MacBean have long been an impressive and accomplished family. Over the years, members of the clan have achieved great things in a vast range of fields, from military exploits producing many Generals to clothing design and photography to sporting feats, and even space travel! Read on to meet a few of Clan MacBean’s most striking characters.
Image credit: Seasider53
There are six Clan MacBean tartans to choose from - vote in our poll to let us know your favourite(s)!
Clan MacBean exercised great influence over their ancestral territory in the stunning Scottish Highlands. Luckily, there are a number of locations that still show the impact of their presence, and we have identified several that would be perfect to visit if you are looking to connect with your ancestors, envision the lives they led, and pay your respects.
Image credit: Philip Beddows, Seanachaidh of Clan MacBean
How much do you think you know about Clan MacBean? Enough to get all 12 questions correct? Test your MacBean Clan Knowledge now!
This month we are delving into all things Clan MacBean!
Join John and Carrie as they explore the clan’s name and origins, notable sites and battles, and a couple of their famous faces who’ve achieved amazing feats.
Clan Motto: Touch Not A Catt Bot a Targe (don't mess with a Wildcat unless you have a shield)