Duncan in Gaelic is "Donnchaidh" (pronounced Donna key) from which our clan takes its Gaelic name of clan Donnchaidh or sons of Duncan. His full Gaelic name was Donnachaid Reamhar. Reamar means the fat or more generously, the stout. He inherited from his father part of the estates of the Earls of Atholl. By twice marrying into wealthy families, Duncan increased his lands in Rannoch district. His first wife was the daughter of Malcolm, 5th Earl of Lenox. His second wife was the daughter of Ewen de Ensalis, a.k.a. Agnus Meer.
Duncan was a strong supporter of Robert the Bruce in the competition with Comyn to ascend to the throne of Scotland. Bruce eliminated John "the red" Comyn, the Lord of Badenock, as a claimant by murdering him right in a Dumfries church in February of 1306. This did not sit well with the MacDougall clan chief as he was maternal uncle of Comyn. Later that year, Duncan lit a cross on fire as a sign to the clansmen to gather at a predetermined glen connecting Rannoch with Glererochty. This was "Fea Choire" meaning the assembly place and was the clan rallying point to defend clan territory. The MacDougalls were marching northward to find and kill Bruce. Bruce was staying in Rannoch, our friendly clan territory following his defeat in the battle of Methven. Our chief deployed the clansmen at the east end of Loch Rannoch where a glen ends into flat lands. We and our allies won the battle of Innerhadden. There are places on today's map to mark the spot. Dalchosnie means "field of victory". Glen Sassunn means "glen of the English", where English allies of clan MacDougall broke and ran when faced by Bruce himself. Lassintullich is where the victory beacon was set.
MacDougalls attacked again not long afterward, marching southeast and camped 2 miles from Loch Rannoch on our clan turf. Our scouts detected them and told Duncan, who decided to see for himself before committing our forces to battle. He therefore dawned a beggar's clothing and infiltrated the MacDougall camp in a covert operation to determine enemy strength. The great stature of Duncan the stout gave him away, but was able to outdistance all but one of his pursuers. Duncan slew him at the cost of giving the others time to catch up and trap him at Leum Donnachadh Reamhar on the river ericht. They had Duncan by his tartan clothing until he unfastened it. Attached to the tartan was our clan crest which the MacDougalls captured and kept to this day. Duncan purportedly leapt 16 feet across the rocky shores of the river and made good his escape. Leum Donnachadh Reamhar is Gaelic for stout Duncan's Leap.
Based on the intelligence gained, Duncan mounted a surprise attack so successful the enemy leader, Alexander MacDougall, was captured. Duncan imprisoned him in the "Isle of the Gulls", which was a fortress on an island at the western end of Loch Rannoch. Unfortunately, Alexander was able to trick his captors and escape in his jailor's boat.
Yet again, the clan was summoned to Fea Choire. On their way to Bannockburn battlefield in 1314, clan "Donnchaidh" played "Laird of Struan's Salute" on the bagpipes, with Duncan as leader. Today, this tune is a.k.a. "Coming of the Robertsons". Following a rest on the way to Bannockburn, Duncan's standard pole was pulled from the ground. There a rock was pulled from the spot and carried into battle. The rock's name in Gaelic was "Clach na Brataich" meaning ensign stone. It was since carried by all our chiefs when leading the clan into battle. For this, the Bruce granted Duncan even more large tracts of land. These lands around loch Rannock became known as Strowan or Struan. Accordingly, Duncan became the first Earl of Struan. There is even a story that King Robert the Bruce called our clansmen his true children to explain the name Robertson. But you must read on to see the real origin of Robertson.
Duncan's son, Robert became second Lord of Struan about 1355. Through his second marriage, he acquired the lands of Stermont. However, his first marriage to the daughter of Sir John Sterling of Glenesk created some friction due to shared inheritance of the lands of Glenesk in Angus with her sister who married Sir Alexander Lindsay. The Lindsays had a son, Sir David Lindsay. The Lindsays were very powerful, owning 2/3 of Angus County and were overlords of the highland district of Strathnairn. The division of land to the two sisters may have annoyed our chief. Sir David Lindsay expected trouble from his aunt's family, and quite rightly so as it turned out. He arranged a meeting with Robert to discuss the matter. Robert did not attend. Sir David Lindsay sent a scout to find out what was going on. The scout never returned. Robert did not attend the meeting, instead secretly met with Sir Duncan Stewart who was backed by his men and the Roses from Strathnairn. Robert had 3 younger half brothers, through their father's second marriage. They were Patrick of Lude, Thomas of Strowan and Gibbon. These brothers led a small army of our clansmen and secretly joined with Sir Duncan Stewart and his men to form an army of over 300 in 1392. They marched into Angus to the east and killed many Lindsays and their Ogilvies allies and their homes were burnt. Three thousand head of Angus cattle were stolen and driven to Rannoch. The surviving enemy regrouped and caught up with our clan near Blairgowrie. At the battle of Glasclune, the Angus men were defeated, but we suffered heavy losses. The cattle were driven along the valley of Strathardle to our clan territory.
Still the enemy was not content to let it stand. Sir Walter Ogilvie, hereditary Sheriff of Angus, got it in his head that our clan's action was on shaky legal ground. He and his possy joined the retreating Angus men previously defeated and caught up with our men at Glenbrierachan in western Strathardle, six miles northeast of Pitlochry. Sixty mounted knights and sundry others comprised the enemy. This steel armour and long lances were matched against our array of weapons:
This was not annihilation as the surviving enemy whined at their ally, Sir Robert Earl of Fife who pushed through an Act of Parliament which declared our chief's half brothers outlaws and put the clan under forfeiture. King Robert III was not amused as he outlawed our chief's uncles and laid the clan under forfeiture. Our chief had to give up all claim to the north part of Rannoch to have the forfeiture removed. This was the land given by Robert the Bruce to Duncan, our first chief, for our part in the battle of Bannockburn.
Robert's son was Duncan, third Earl, who acted as a hostage to the Sasunnach in England for the ransom of King James I of Scotland.
Duncan's son was Robert. He was known as Robert "Reoch", meaning "the Swarthy". Others say his second Gaelic name was "Riabhach", meaning "Grizzled". King James I of Scotland was murdered in the Black Friars Monastery in Perth in 1437 and the country was close to civil war. Those who committed the regicide were sheltered by Walter, Earl of Athole. Robert and his clan, aided by John Gorm Stewart, arrested the Earl, Sir Robert Graham and others hiding in a small glen "with great courage and intrepidity" and delivered them to the government. The prisoners were duely drawn and quartered at Sterling Castle. When James II reached the age to assume power, one of his first acts was to reward Robert. All that Robert wanted was confirmation of the ownership of the lands he already possessed. Accordingly, August 15, 1451 for "the capture of that vile traitor the late Robert of Graham" he received a charter under the great seal of Scotland erecting all his land into the free barony of Strowan, "as fully and freely as the same had been possessed and enjoyed by his predecessors". Free meant that Robert was freed from being a vassal of the Earl of Atholl. Robert took the motto, "Virtulis gloria merces", Latin for "Glory is the reward of valour". Included with the 1451 charter from James II was what became the Robertson Crest Badge of a right hand supporting the crown of Scotland to commemorate the capture. Another version of a crest included a wild man in chains to represent the capture. Perhaps the modesty of Robert's request can be found in the fact that during the king's minority in 1444, Robert had aided powerful nobles such as Douglas, Crawford and Hamilton in lawless acts which resulted in Robert's excommunication following an attack on Bishop Kennedy of St. Andrews who opposed them. Robert had a fight over the lands of Little Dunkeld with Robert Forrester of Torwood near the village of Auchtergaven. He bandaged his head wound with white cloth and rode to Perth and obtained a new grant of the lands of Strowan from the King. Robert returned home only to die of his wound in 1460. Robert married Lady Margaret Stewart.
Alexander was the eldest son of Robert. Alexander adopted the name "ROBERTSON" (son of Robert) which has been passed down ever since. His first wife was Elizabeth Stewart who was daughter of John, Earl of Atholl and half brother (same mother "Uterine") of James II. Alexander's second wife was Elizabeth Lyon.
Alexander's son was Robert who married Isabell Stewart, daughter of John, Earl of Athol. Robert predeceased his father, so Alexander was succeeded by his grandson, William, in 1507 or 1508 as sixth chief of the clan. Because of William's minority, the clan was led by a group which included William MacPatrick Robertson, the 28 year old whose father was Patrick Robertson, younger son of Alexander, the previous chief. Not only did William inherit Alexander's lands, but also a 1,592 pound Wadset meaning mortgage on clan territory held by the Earl of Athole. The Earl's advisors tried to foreclose in 1515. William MacPatrick Robertson fought back against the foreclosure similar to the raid of 1392. When the Earl of Athol was away, he and some clansmen burned down a large part of Blair Castle. When the Earl returned, his men were ordered to find William MacPatrick Robertson. The quarry was captured while visiting his maternal Uncle, John Crichton where upon he was brought before the Earl of Athol's court. Previously, William MacPatrick Robertson, some of our clansmen teamed up with some local MacGregors to form a mob of 800 who indulged in criminal activity over 3 years. Because William MacPatrick Robertson was deemed in arms against the crown, the Earl could legally execute him if the Earl were given orders from the crown as a representative of the crown. Royal authority from King James V's regent arrived on April 7, 1516 and sentence was speedily carried out. William MacPatick Robertson was beheaded at Tulliemet with his uncle John Crichton of Strathurd. The Earl exercised his mortgage over the lands of Strowan by seizing nearly half of the Robertson estate. Followers of the Earl of Athol murdered William, our clan chief in 1530 or 1532. However, in 1606, much of the lands were bought by John Robertson, a wealthy merchant in Edinburgh.
In January 1893 the Clan Donnachaidh Society was formed in Scotland to renew and maintain family bonds among clansmen around the world. In 1967 the Clan bought a facility on former clan territory to operate a clan museum. In 1994 a gift shop was added to finance the museum. It is located in Bruar Falls, a few miles northwest of Pitlochry in Perthshire.