On the use of the word MacHamish, ‘son of James’
The anglicised word MacHamish simply means descended from James the eldest son of Coroner Gunn; there were many Gunns in the Scottish Highlands so the need to clarify which Gunns were meant was obviously of importance[1] especially in some historic legal documents.
Mythic Gunn history, however, has made MacHamish a word which equates with ‘Chief[2] of the Clan Gunn’. MacHamish does not equate with Chief. If MacHamish meant ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ then as ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ is how the MacHamishes would have been known in documents as Chief of a Clan was far more important than being ‘named’ after the anonymous James. In other words, there is no reason for the term MacHamish to exist if MacHamish had meant ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’, as ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ would have made MacHamish irrelevant.
The word MacHamish applied to more than one individual at a time; consider how one branch of the descendants of Robert, the generally accepted second son of Gunn Coroner, are known as MacRobs. Another branch, the Braemore Gunns, is known by the name of their estate. The similarity between MacHamish and MacRob is obvious; the application of each word should be the same – it should apply to all descendants. MacHamish of Killernan[3] is nothing more than the equivalent of MacRob and Braemore blended together for all Killernan based (or originated from) descendants of the Coroner’s first son[4].
This wider use of the term MacHamish also makes sense as the nuclear family had not been invented – extended generations of one family lived together. And the estate of Killernan was large[5] and so could look after many MacHamishes at the one time, although the exact specifics of the estate in the 1500s are not known.
If one believes there was only ever a single person MacHamish at one time then one moves into historical impossibilities. One example - the Braehour Papers in Thomas Sinclair’s text (pages 151-153) show that both ‘Chief’ John MacHamish and ‘Chief’ Alexander MacHamish were criminally active at the same time in a June 1624 document, this is clear proof that MacHamishes could co-exist. They are also mentioned as being brothers; MacHamishes did not always descend one to the other as mythic history has it.
In summary, the word MacHamish merely shows a specific Gunn family line, and the term applied to all descendants, the mythic idea of the word being a singular honour for one individual at one time is just wrong.
*****
[1] To rely on place to identify a Gunn family line (such as Gunn of Wick) was inadequate as many Gunns could live in one named area. Gunn of Braemore – or Killearnan – was more specific.
[2] As well, Coroner Gunn is known as Coroner, not Chief. Sir Robert Gordon’s history page 92 does say of a MacHamish that he was ‘cheeff of the Clan-Gun in Southerland’ and page 92 ‘Chieftaine of the Clangun’ and similar comments. These views are picked up in Mark Rugg Gunn’s book page 62, Smibert page 172 and elsewhere. The MacHamish point still stands namely that MacHamish would not exist as a term if this line was the Clan Gunn Chief line; and given there had never been Clan Gunn Chiefs before so why (and how) would William become one? All Gordon is doing is using ‘Chief’ as shorthand for ‘the most important Gunn family in an area’ because for most Scottish families ‘important’ and ‘Clan Chief’ are the same thing. Gordon has reduced the unique Gunn history to fulfil a stereotype. I note that Gordon page 92 says the Gunns originated from Denmark so his Gunn knowledge is not always correct.
[3] To have MacHamishes of Killernan also allows for Gunns who are not descendants of James to have lived and worked at Killernan.
[4] I note the estates held by the first and second son of the Coroner; one wonders how the Coroner was paid for his coronial duty at Caithness. Was all the property seized by him as part of his legal work fully accounted?
[5] Wester Killernan and Easter Killernan ran to ten named tenants (four; six) in 1811/1812; it is possible that Killernan in the 1500s may have been both of these areas. That’s ten adults to run the land, more than enough for a few MacHamishes. Page 102, Sutherland Estate Management 1802-1816 Volume 1.
Mythic Gunn history, however, has made MacHamish a word which equates with ‘Chief[2] of the Clan Gunn’. MacHamish does not equate with Chief. If MacHamish meant ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ then as ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ is how the MacHamishes would have been known in documents as Chief of a Clan was far more important than being ‘named’ after the anonymous James. In other words, there is no reason for the term MacHamish to exist if MacHamish had meant ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’, as ‘Chief of the Clan Gunn’ would have made MacHamish irrelevant.
The word MacHamish applied to more than one individual at a time; consider how one branch of the descendants of Robert, the generally accepted second son of Gunn Coroner, are known as MacRobs. Another branch, the Braemore Gunns, is known by the name of their estate. The similarity between MacHamish and MacRob is obvious; the application of each word should be the same – it should apply to all descendants. MacHamish of Killernan[3] is nothing more than the equivalent of MacRob and Braemore blended together for all Killernan based (or originated from) descendants of the Coroner’s first son[4].
This wider use of the term MacHamish also makes sense as the nuclear family had not been invented – extended generations of one family lived together. And the estate of Killernan was large[5] and so could look after many MacHamishes at the one time, although the exact specifics of the estate in the 1500s are not known.
If one believes there was only ever a single person MacHamish at one time then one moves into historical impossibilities. One example - the Braehour Papers in Thomas Sinclair’s text (pages 151-153) show that both ‘Chief’ John MacHamish and ‘Chief’ Alexander MacHamish were criminally active at the same time in a June 1624 document, this is clear proof that MacHamishes could co-exist. They are also mentioned as being brothers; MacHamishes did not always descend one to the other as mythic history has it.
In summary, the word MacHamish merely shows a specific Gunn family line, and the term applied to all descendants, the mythic idea of the word being a singular honour for one individual at one time is just wrong.
*****
[1] To rely on place to identify a Gunn family line (such as Gunn of Wick) was inadequate as many Gunns could live in one named area. Gunn of Braemore – or Killearnan – was more specific.
[2] As well, Coroner Gunn is known as Coroner, not Chief. Sir Robert Gordon’s history page 92 does say of a MacHamish that he was ‘cheeff of the Clan-Gun in Southerland’ and page 92 ‘Chieftaine of the Clangun’ and similar comments. These views are picked up in Mark Rugg Gunn’s book page 62, Smibert page 172 and elsewhere. The MacHamish point still stands namely that MacHamish would not exist as a term if this line was the Clan Gunn Chief line; and given there had never been Clan Gunn Chiefs before so why (and how) would William become one? All Gordon is doing is using ‘Chief’ as shorthand for ‘the most important Gunn family in an area’ because for most Scottish families ‘important’ and ‘Clan Chief’ are the same thing. Gordon has reduced the unique Gunn history to fulfil a stereotype. I note that Gordon page 92 says the Gunns originated from Denmark so his Gunn knowledge is not always correct.
[3] To have MacHamishes of Killernan also allows for Gunns who are not descendants of James to have lived and worked at Killernan.
[4] I note the estates held by the first and second son of the Coroner; one wonders how the Coroner was paid for his coronial duty at Caithness. Was all the property seized by him as part of his legal work fully accounted?
[5] Wester Killernan and Easter Killernan ran to ten named tenants (four; six) in 1811/1812; it is possible that Killernan in the 1500s may have been both of these areas. That’s ten adults to run the land, more than enough for a few MacHamishes. Page 102, Sutherland Estate Management 1802-1816 Volume 1.