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Hi Neil:
McBain was the author of the very popular "The Clans and
Tartans of Scotland" published just after W.W. II in pocket book form and
quickly became the bible for tartan hunters world wide in mid 20th
century. There was no real competition until the 80's and now we
have dozens of books and many with more than one page of text per
clan.
Yours aye ...............rory
Niven; the following was indeed some more to add into the
Argyll mysteries and history. Where did you come across this info if you
have a sitation it would be appreciated. There are two sources you
reference, one is the Sept summary and the second is the McBain reference.
Who was/is McBain and where is this comment published if known? The spanish
theory is a new twist to the origins. Any idea as to the origins of this
theory. Many thanks for advancing the discussion.
Neil Sinclair Toronto/PEI /& Forever
Argyll
Whilst looking for some information on an
unrelated subject, I came across the following on Sinclair
septs and
although I know there has been considerable discussion about the
Sinclairs of Argyll, the
following may be of some
interest:
CLAN
SINCLAIR SEPTS
(1) Caird - the Cairds
(Clann-na-ceairde) including both of that name and the romantic
'Romany'
Gypsies of Scotland are reckoned as
a sept of the Sinclair Clan. The name signifies
(Gaelic
ceard or craftsman) a
worker in metals*.
The name has appeared
in various forms such as Macnecaird, MacNokerd, MacIncaird,
etc.
- most frequently on the borders
of Argyll and Perthshire.
MacBain remarks on the Cairds
(Sinclairs) as follows:
"In
the course of inflection the name, Sinclair, when borrowed into
Gaelic,
as it stands, becomes 'Tinkler' pronounced like Scotch
'tinkler', a caird,
and,
in looking about for a suitable equivalent or translation for M'Na
Cearda,
the
popular fancy hit upon what was at once a translation and an
equivalent
M'Na-Cearda
translated into Scotch Tinkler, and passed by a law of
Gaelic
phonetics
into Sinclair (Ma-an-t-Sinclair)
(2) Clyne - as far back
as 1561 the Sutherlands of Berriedale were dispossessed by the Earl of
Caithness
in consequence of their cruel treatment of the Clynes, dependents of
the
Caithness family, several members of the former having been killed by
the
Sutherlands.
(3)
Gallie - Gunns from Caithness who settled in Ross in the
seventeenth century were
locally
termed
na Gallaich - the Caithness men. They would appear to be a
Sinclair
sept
by all normal rules**.
* As mentioned in an earlier
contribution to the Sinclair Discussion List, these 'workers in
metal'
were thought to have been the armorers from
the Spanish galley which sank in Tobermory Bay
in
1588. In support of this suggestion the Sinclairs of Argyll
are said to be of a darker complexion
than their
Northern namesakes.
** One wonders what the Gunns would
make of this suggestion?
Niven
Sinclair
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