Dear Clan MacDonald Conferee,
The current Proprietor of the historic feudal BARONY OF
MACDONALD, direct successor to the semi-sovereign LORDSHIP OF THE
ISLES, is presently seeking to resettle this Barony.
Erected by Royal Charter under the Great Seal of Scotland
on 13th February 1727 for the estates of Sir Donald MacDonald
of Macdonald, 3rd Bt. of Sleat, Chief of the Name and Arms
of MacDonald, in his capacity as the direct successor to the
historic semi sovereign LORDSHIP OF THE ISLES, the Scots feudal
BARONY OF MACDONALD remained in the direct succession of the
MacDonald of Macdonald -- until 1974 when the sale of 23,000
acres of historic MacDonald Lands resulted in the BARONY OF
MACDONALD passing
out of the MacDonald Clan.
Long considered to be the most prestigious feudal
Barony-Title in Scotland because it was erected as the direct
successor to THE LORDSHIP OF THE ISLES, the BARONY OF MACDONALD
is now being discretely offered for resettlement by its present
Proprietor through the good offices of Mr. Brian Hamilton,
Rockhall, Collin, Dumfries DG1 4JW, Scotland, UK
Mr. Hamilton may be directly contacted as follows:
•UK Telephone: 01387 750580
•Int'l calls: 011 +44 -1387 - 750580
•UK Fax: 01387 750522
•Int'l fax: 011 +44 - 1387 - 750522
•E-Mail:
bghrockhall@btinternet.com
As a still-existing tenure of land in Scotland, feudal
Baronies may be legitimately bought and sold in commercio. Upon
petition to the Lord Lyon (chief herald of Scotland), the
purchaser of a Barony is recognised by the UK Government as a
feudal Baron and is entitled to all the titular and heraldic
prerogatives of a feudal Baron. Information on the modern
resettlement of Scots feudal Baronies may be found at the
web-site of Scottish Barony Titles:
www.baronytitles.com/
Historic provenance of BARONY OF MACDONALD:
Being directly derived from mist of antiquity via the
LORDSHIP OF THE ISLES, the historic provenance of the BARONY OF
MACDONALD is as follows:
- The entire House of MacDonald is
ultimately derived from Somerled, provincial King of Argyll, who
fell at Renfrew in 1164 in a campaign against King Malcolm IV
of the Scots. (See The
Scots Peerage, Vol. V, p. 27)
- Reginald of the Isles, eldest son
of Somerled, was styled 'King of the Isles, Lord of Argyll
and Kintyre
- Donald of the Isles, eldest son
of Reginald, was proclaimed 'King of the isle of Man.
- Angus Mhor MacDonald, Lord of
Inchegal, son of Donald, became a vassal of the Scottish Crown
in 1266.
- John Mac Donald, Lord of the Isles,
grandson of Agnus Mhor, initially proclaimed himself an
independent sovereign, but resumed his allegiance to the King
of the Scots in 1369,
- By tanistry the Lordship of the
Isles was resettled in 1387 upon Donald Mac Donald, the son of
the 2nd wife of John Macdonald, who fought the Battle of
Harlaw in 1411 to claim the Earldom of Ross.
- Alexander MacDonald, Lord of the
Isles and Earl of Ross, was the son of Donald MacDonald. In
1426 he was forced to surrender himself to King James I of
the Scots. However by 1435 Alexander recovered the Earldom of
Ross and much of his power as Lord of the Isles.
- John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles
and Earl of Ross, and Warden of the Marches inherited these
dignities from his father, Alexander. He was declared forfeited
in the Scots Parliament in 1475 on account of having made a
Treaty with England at Ardtornish in November 1461. However,
he recovered his position wad was created "Lord of the Isles"
in the Peerage of Scotland on 1st July 1476.
- However, in 1494 John MacDonald
resigned his Lordship, estates and arms to the King of the
Scots. These were annexed to the Crown of Scotland, and the
title "Lord of the Isles" was made part of the style of the
Heir to the Throne: Today, as Duke of Rothsay (the Scots
equivalent of Prince of Wales) Prince Charles bears the title
"Lord of the Isles".
- Upon the 1660 Restoration of the
Monarchy, the Name, Arms, and feudal, heraldic, and nobiliary
representation of MacDonald were restored to the rightful heir
of line of the Lordship of the Isles to Aeneas, Macdonald,
Lord MacDonnell and Aros, 8th feudal Baron of Glengarry. He
was specifically recognised by the Privy Council as 'Chief of
the Name and Clan of MacDonald". He was succeeded in 1680
by his kinsman, Sir Donald MacDonald of Macdonald, 3rd Bt. of
Sleat, who was recognised in Parliament as the Laird of
Macdonald and The MacDonald of MacDonald
- Derived originally from the
Lordship of the Isles, the historic estates of MacDonald were
erected by Crown Charter of 13 February 1727 into the BARONY
OF MACDONALD and were vested in Sir Alexander MacDonald of
MacDonald, the grandson of Sir Donald of MacDonald.
- Sir Alexander's son, also Sir
Alexander MacDonald of MacDonald and Sleat, was elevated to the
Peerage on 17th July 1776 by the peerage title of "Baron
Macdonald": Thus, he held feudal tenure of the historic
estates of MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, in his capacity as
the Scots feudal BARON OF MACDONALD, and was also a peer of
the realm under the specific peerage title of
"Baron MacDonald". To all intent and purpose, the feudal
BARONY OF MACDONALD is the direct successor to our ancient
Macdonald LORDSHIP OF THE ISLES.
- In this specific connection, the
Lord Lyon King of Arms (chief herald of Scotland) restored
the ancient arms of MacDonald of Macdonald to the 7th Baron
MacDonald on 1st May 1947 in his capacity as the Inheritor of
the Feudal Barony of MacDonald.
- The feudal dignity of 'Baron of
MacDonald' and the separate peerage dignity of 'Barony
MacDonald' remained united in personal union in the same
Scottish nobleman until 1974 when 23,000 acres of historic
MacDonald Lands (derived from the Lordship of the Isles)
constituting the feudal BARONY OF MACDONALD were sold by the
7th Baron MacDonald. The current Proprietor of the
feudal BARONY OF MACDONALD is presently offering this latter
dignity for
resettlement through the good offices of Mr. Brian Hamilton,
a specialist in feudal conveyancing.
Unique organisational vehicle for Clan
MacDonald Association offered by resettlement of the historic
BARONY OF MACDONALD:
Recently, the Baron Courts of Scots feudal baronies have
been revived and recast as tax-deductible family, historical,
and charitable organisations as a dynamic operational vehicle for
Scots Clan and Family Associations. Combined with an inter-net
web-site, a revived Baron Court of a feudal Barony resurrects a
modern, twenty-first Century functional role for such Baronies
known as "CybreFeudalism" ©.
"CyberFeudalism" actively maintains all of the beloved traditions
of a medieval Scottish feudal Barony innovatively recast in
modern form and executing all the functions of a family
heritage organisation in a time-honoured feudal and familial
manner.
Dr. Gordon Willis Prestoungrange,
Baron of Prestoungrange, a successful marketing expert, has paved
the way for "CyberFeudalism" by reviving the Baron Court of
Prestoungrange and recasting it in the modern form of a dynamic
clan association of family, friends, and followers operating as
a recognised charitable organisation promoting educational,
cultural, and social activities -- similar to those promoted by
Scots Clan & Family Associations or Clan Land Trusts.
Please see the web-site of "The
Baron Courts of Prestoungrange & Dolphinstoun" and the photos
contained therein to visualise the exciting, innovative modern
uses undertaken by a revived actual 'working' Baron Court:
www.prestoungrange.org/prestoungrange/index.html
This web-site offers a working model for a future revival of
the Baron Court of the BARONY OF MACDONALD as a
possible organisational vehicle for the Clan Donald Land Trust
and
Clan/Family Association for all the MacDonald's, Branch Clans,
and related Septs.
In medieval times a Baron Court
was the 'executive' of a Scots feudal Barony. The Baron,
himself, was in effect a 'territorial' chief or chieftain --
corresponding with the well-known familial Chiefs and Chieftains
of Clans. Appointed by the feudal Baron, the Officers of a
Baron Court administered the affairs of a feudal Barony, a
tenure of land in Scotland investing the owner of such land
with public law executive and judicial authority over the public
affairs of that Barony:
•The Baron-Baillie was the principal administrative officer of
a
Scots feudal Barony; the Baillie's insignia of office was a Cap
of
Justice, a Black legal Robe, and a medal of office on a
chain
•The Baron-Clerk acted as administrative secretary of the
Barony.
•The Dempster was responsible for executing the judicial
decisions of a Baron Court.
•The Baron-Sergeant kept order in the Court, summoned the
parties and enforced civil decrees of the Court; the Sergeant's
insignia of office is a 37" white Ellwand and a Horn to
summon
attendance at the Baron Court
•The Procurator Fiscal operated as the civil and criminal
prosecutor in matters before the Baron Court.
•The Keeper of the Castle was a steward in charges of the
affairs of the Baron's tower house castle or other home; the
Keeper's insignia of office is a Key.
Fascinating historical details about Scots feudal Baronies,
Baron
Courts, Baronial Officers, and heraldry associated with feudal
Baronies may be found at the excellent web-site of the
Convention
of the Baronage of Scotland:
www.scotsbarons.org/contents.htm
In his modern revival of the Baron Court of Prestoungrange,
Dr.
Gordon Willis Prestoungrange, Baron of Prestoungrange, has
fittingly
delegated the administrative matters of the Baron Court to the
Baron-Baillie, the operational affairs of the Baron Court to the
Baron-Sergeant, and financial matters to the Procurator-Fiscal.
This
demonstrates the modern operational functions which can be
assigned
to the traditional Officers of a 'working' Baron Court --
constituting the legal entity of a Scots feudal Barony.
Authorised
ceremonial regalia exists for the Baron and each of the
Officers
of the Baron Court.
Membership in the Laird's Household of the 'working' Baron
Court
of Prestoungrange consists of those family, friends, and
followers
invited by the Baron. They are entitled to wear the
distinctive
Baronial Crest in a strap-and-buckle as well as the distinctive
tartan plaids accredited to the Baron Court of Prestoungrange by
the Scottish Tartan Society.
Recast as a 'working' family and clan association, membership
in
the Household of a revived Barony Court of Macdonald could be
accorded to all present members of existing Macdonald
associations,
etc., with the right to wear such badges as might be granted
by
the Lord Lyon and registered tartans.
As Baron of Prestoungrange, Dr. Gordon Willis Prestoungrange
has
appointed a variety of purveyors of goods and services as
Suppliers
to the Baron Court of Prestoungrange. Such appointments could
be
duplicated by a Clan or Family Association recast as a
'working'
Baron Court -- to publicise Clan-approved products and to
assist
in the defrayment of expenses. If desired, the style 'By
Appointment to the Baron Court of X' could appear on the label
of
such goods.
Careful study of the fascinating material and pictures
contained
in the web-site of the Barony Court of Prestoungrange reveal
the
many innovative and modern uses of a revived 'working' Barony
Court
. . . and will, undoubtedly, suggest even more uses which
might
be made of a future resurrected Barony Court of MACDONALD:
www.prestoungrange.org/prestoungrange/index.html
Examination of this web-site leaves me brimming with
anticipation
-- as I am sure that it does you.
Acquisition of historic feudal BARONY OF MACDONALD:
Due to the unique historic provenance of the BARONY OF
MACDONALD arising from its mystic origin in our Macdonald
Lordship
of the Isles -- a quality possessed by no other feudal
Barony
in Scotland, the consideration for the resettlement of this
most
prestigious Barony is anticipated to range in the high six
figures
to low seven figures.
The exact consideration would have to be negotiated through
the
good offices of Mr. Brian Hamilton, who is acting for the
current
Proprietor of the BARONY OF MACDONALD.
Although this consideration is too high for ordinary
Clans-Folk
like ourselves, collectively raising such amount would not be
beyond
the united capacity of the world-wide members and followers of
Clan Donald, its Branches, Septs, and Followers -- as presently
organised through out the Commonwealth and in the States as
Clan
and Family associations and in the Clan Land Trust back home
in
Scotland.
As raising the necessary funds will clearly be a matter of
intense discussion amongst ourselves, please forward this
information
on to the Officers and Members of the local and national
MacDonald
associations to which you belong as well as to kinsfolk and
other
interested persons.
If sufficient interest can be generated, at some point the
responsible Officers of our Clan and Family associations will
need
to contact Mr. Brian Hamilton,
bghrockhall@btinternet.com
, to initiate
negotiations.
Because the resettlement of our historic BARONY OF MACDONALD
is
being offered commercially, if we as a Clan and Family fail to
undertake collective action to rescue the Barony from which we
are
all derived, there is the danger that a commercial business,
such
as McDonald's Hamburger Corporation might acquire our Barony as
a
promotional gimmick for its products....
Hoping that we can rise to the proven valour of our
MacDonald
ancestors in Bonnie Scotland to rescue our historic BARONY OF
MACDONALD, I remain with every best personal wish for the New
Year,
Your kinsman,
Stephen MacDonald ("Mac") Kerr
Professor of International Law |
