Clan Macfie

Clan Macfie is one of the oldest Scottish Clans with a history going back before records were kept. The ancient name for our Clan is Macdubhsith. While literally meaning “dark man of peace”, sithe is also the term used for supernatural beings that populated the islands and the highlands and the term dubh or dark also had mystical and supernatural connotations. The ancestral homeland for the Macfies is the islands of Colonsay and Oronsay in the Western Isles of Scotland.

In 1623, Malcolm, the last Chief of the Clan Macfie, was captured by the infamous Colla Ciotach MacDonald. He was tied to a Standing Stone, known as Carraig Mhic a’ Phi at Balaruminmore, on our ancestral island of Colonsay, and summarily shot. The Clan Macfie was dispossessed of its lands and dispersed as a “broken” Clan.

That is, until 27th May 1981, when the Clan was reactivated and again formally recognised as an “active” Clan by the Lord Lyon. Macfies all over the world celebrate that date as Clan Macfie Day - new ‘birthday’ for the Clan Macfie. As no hereditary Chief has been traced, a Ceann-Cath, or Clan Commander, was appointed to head the Clan. The current Clan Commander is Alexander (Sandy) C. McPhie who resides in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.







Colonsay
Ferry Approaching Scalasaig Wharf







Are You a Macfie?



CLAN MACFIE SURNAMES


The following names are recognised by the Commander of Clan Macfie, Ceann-Cath A. C. (Sandy) McPhie, as being current acceptable surname spellings for members of the Clan. Variations in the spelling of these names are acceptable. Mac/Mc prefixes are considered to be interchangeable.

ATHEY ATHIE CATHEY CATHIE
COFFEE COFFEY DUFFEE DUFFIE
DUFFEY DUFFY FEE GUFFEY
GUFFIE HAFFEY HAFFIE MacAFEE
MacAFIE MacCAFFER MacCAFFREY MacCAFFIE
MacCATHEY MacCATHIE MacCUISH MacDUFFEE
MacDUFFIE MacDUFFEY MacDUFFY MacDUFFIN
MacFEE MacFIE MacGUFFEY MacGUFFIE
MacGUFFIN MacHAFFIE MacHAFFY MacPHEE
MacPHIE MacVEE MacVIE MAHAFFEY
MEHAFFEY PHEE PHIE


In addition, the Clan Commander recognises the historical links Clan Macfie had with the Macdonald Lords of the Isles, Clan Cameron in Lochaber and a branch of the MacNicol family in Glenorchy. More recently, the close links established with Clan Macfie by the Thorburn family in Sweden and the Brew family in New Zealand are also acknowledged by the Clan Commander.



COLONSAY AND ORONSAY, TRADITIONAL HOMELAND OF CLAN MACFIE




The island of Colonsay lies in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Fifteen miles to the north lies the island of Mull; the eastern and southern horizons are bounded by the islands of Jura and Islay; and to the south west, just visible from a high point on a clear day, is the coast of Donegal in Ireland. For further information regarding Colonsay and Oronsay see http://www.colonsay.org.uk





Kiloran Bay, Colonsay







CLAN MACFIE SYMBOLS AND HISTORY



Clan Macfie Crest
Clan Macfie Motto: "Pro Rege" ("For The King")
Our Badge (Plant): Scots Pine (Giuthas), Darag (Oak) or Dearca Fithich (Crowberry)



The Clan Macfie Tartan



The above red and green Clan Macfie Tartan was recorded in the Books of the Court of the Lord Lyon on 29th August 1991.

Thread count for the tartan is:
2 white/yellow; 24 red; 4 green; 2 red; 32 green


Other Macfie tartans have been registered with The Scottish Tartans Society.











Clan Commander Sandy McPhie at the Macfie Cairn in front of Dun Eibhinn on Colonsay






CLAN MACFIE
DUN EIBHINN


The detached rocky knoll situated on the skyline directly in front of the viewer is the site of Dun Eibhinn (Dun Eivan). This dun, or fort, is believed to have been built by the High King Gillee Adamnan as a royal residence in the early 11th century. It was a seat of Viking power in the Western Isles and occupied by descendants of Gille Adamnan, including Somerled and his grandson Donald, progenitor of Clan Donald. The fort came into Clan Macfie possession in the early part of the 13th century.
The Macfie or MacDuffie Chiefs were Keepers of the Records for the Lords of the Isles and the Clan provided many of the Priors for the Priory on Oronsay. Malcolm, last Chief of Clan Macfie, moved from Dun Eibhinn in the early 17th century and the fort fell into disuse from that time.

The Wording On The Plaque On The Dun Eibhinn Cairn, Colonsay






   
Wording on the Macfie Standing Stone, Colonsay

CARRAGH MHIC A PHI


IN 1623 MALCOLM, LAST CHIEF OF OUR CLAN WAS MURDERED AT THIS STONE BY A RENEGADE MACDONALD. DAMAGED OVER THE CENTURIES IT WAS REPAIRED BY ULF MACFIE HAGMAN, SWEDEN, CHARLES MACPHEE, AUSTRALIA AND DUNCAN MACPHEE, SCOTLAND. THE PLOT OF GROUND WAS GIVEN TO THE CLAN MACFIE BY LORD STRATHCONA AND FENCED BY GIFTS FROM CLAN FOLK. ON 10TH MAY 1977 ULF HAGMAN AND DR. EARLE MACPHEE, CANADA, A CLAN HISTORIAN, DEDICATED THE MEMORIAL TO OUR CLAN.
COLONSAY MEN HUGH MCDOUGALL, ANGUS CLARK, DUNCAN MCDOUGALL, PETER MACALLISTER, DION ALEXANDER ASSISTED IN THE PROJECT.






CLAN MACFIE HISTORY


Although its origins are obscure, Clan Macfie is acknowledged as one of the oldest Scottish Clans. It has been claimed that the Clan originated in Ireland before becoming established in Scotland and this may well be the case. Traditionally though, it’s homeland is held to be the islands of Colonsay and Oronsay off the west coast of Scotland. A Clan presence in Lochaber, Galloway and on several other Hebridean islands is also evident from the earliest times.

The Gaelic spelling of the Clan name was MacDhubhsith. This became anglicised to MacDuffie or MacPhee which names appear interchangeable in some early manuscripts. The Clan name to-day is Macfie, the spelling recognised by the Lyon Court in Scotland and used by many of the Clan’s clan societies around the world.

In keeping with the times, the early years of Clan history had their turbulent periods as well as those of stability and honour. The islands of Colonsay and Oronsay were visited by the Vikings during their domination of the Western Isles and used as a base for raids to the south. There was Macfie contact with Iona in 1164 which no doubt led to the building of the Augustinian priory on Oronsay some 160 years later with a MacDuffie traditionally the Prior.

Macfie of Colonsay was present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when Robert the Bruce defeated the English under Edward II. The Macfie Chief was the hereditary Custodian of the Records of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. In 1463 Macfie of Colonsay appears as a member of the Council of the Isles and in 1549 a successor is recorded as holding lands on Jura in addition to those on Colonsay.

In 1531 Macfie of Colonsay was cited for treason, still being a supporter of the forfeited Lordship of the Isles. Clan clashes with the Macleans of Durat on Mull were frequent in the latter part of that century. In 1609 Macfie of Colonsay was one of a number of Hebridean Chiefs forced to sign the Statutes of Iona. But in 1615 Malcolm, the last Macfie Chief, supported the uprising of Sir James MacDonald and thus started a chain of events which culminated in his murder in 1623 by his former colleague Col Kitto MacDonald. With the death of Malcolm, the Clan was dispossessed of its lands and dispersed as a broken clan. No line of succession from Chief Malcolm has been established.

The Clan heartland then moved to Lochaber where many Macfies lived beside the Camerons. A Macfie was one of two pipers at Glenfinnan when Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his banner there in 1745. The following year many Clan members died on the right flank at Culloden fighting alongside the Camerons. They share a common grave on that desolate moor.

Clan fortunes waned and many members in Scotland and Ireland became caught up, either voluntarily or through compulsion, in the dispersal of the Scots to North America and later Australia and New Zealand.

In 1864 Grants of Arms were made to Robert Macfie of Langhouse and Airds and to Robert Andrew Macfie of Dreghorn, the first Clan members to be so honoured in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. This Register had come into being in 1677, 54 years after the Clan’s last Chief was murdered. These Macfies were highly successful businessmen in the sugar industry and R. A. Macfie was elected Member of Parliament for Leith for a number of years.

The strap and buckle badge commonly depicted to-day as being that of Clan Macfie actually belongs to the Macfie of Dreghorn. The red and green Macfie tartan was probably originally designed at that time but it was not until 29th August 1991 that this tartan was formally recorded in the Books of the Court of the Lord Lyon as being the official Tartan of Clan Macfie.

In 1968 Dr. Earle Douglas MacPhee of Vancouver, BC, Canada, initiated a worldwide movement to have Clan Macfie recognised once again as an active clan and to have a new Chief appointed. Dr. MacPhee wrote a definitive history of the Clan and encouraged the formation of Clan Macfie Societies in all centres of major Clan population around the world. His efforts were highly successful with Clan Macfie being formally recognised by the Lord Lyon as an active clan on 27th May 1981. Dr. MacPhee was appointed the Clan’s first Ceann-Cath, or Clan Commander, on 6th November 1981, but sadly he died on 25th September the following year. To-day the 27th May is celebrated by Clan members worldwide as CLAN MACFIE DAY.



The late Dr. Earle Douglas MacPhee
First Commander of Clan Macfie


On Colonsay, the Standing Stone against which the Clan’s last Chief, Malcolm, was stood and shot so many years ago has been repaired and has become a focal point for Clan members around the world. In 1993 the Clan’s second Ceann-Cath, or Commander, Alexander (Sandy) McPhie of Toowoomba in Queensland, Australia, had the honour of leading some 160 Clan members ashore on Colonsay for the Clan’s first organised return to it’s homeland islands in 370 years.

To-day Clan Macfie has nine active Clan Societies around the world in Scotland, Sweden, Canada, United States of America (4), New Zealand and Australia. Sandy McPhie, now of Townsville, continues in office as Clan Commander, an appointment made by the Lord Lyon King of Arms on 7th September 1989. International Gatherings of the Clan and Clan Parliaments are held in Scotland every four years - the next International Gathering of Clan Macfie is scheduled for Sweden in July 2007 and a Clan Parliament and associated Gathering is due in Scotland in 2009.






The Arms of the Clan Commander


     The Arms of Clan Commander A. C. (Sandy) McPhie of Townsville, Q’ld, Australia, inherited undifferenced from his late father Hector Kitchener McPhie of Toowoomba, Q’ld, Australia on 25th September 1985.

Per fess indented Azure and Or, in chief a sword Argent point downwards, hilted and pommelled of the second, between two pheons also points downwards of the last, in base a lymphad Sable under sail of the third and flagged of the first, within a bordure chequy Or and Azure for difference. Above the shield is placed an Helmet befitting his degree, with a Mantling Azure doubled Or, and on a Wreath of the liveries is set for Crest a demi-lion rampant Sable charged with a pheon point downwards Or, and in an Escrol over the same this Motto “PRO REGE”.




Clan Commander Profile


Alexander (Sandy) Carpendale McPhie of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia was appointed Ceann-Cath or Commander of Clan Macfie on the 7th September 1989 by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.

Born in Charleville, Q., on the 10th February 1929, the only son of Hector Kitchener and Florence Nellie McPhie, he grew up in Toowoomba. On completing schooling he worked as a livestock and rural property salesman with the family business, McPhie & Company. In 1954 he ventured onto the land as a farmer until a serious accident forced him to leave. In 1962 he was granted a Commission in the Royal Australian Air Force as an Air Traffic Control Officer, retiring twenty years later with the substantive rank of Wing Commander.

He married an Air Force Nursing Sister, Helen Michell, in 1964. They have three children, Lyndal (b. 1965), Scot (b. 1966) and Katrina (b. 1972) and six grandchildren. A second son, Malcolm (b. 1968) died shortly after birth. In 1983 Sandy was elected to the Queensland State Parliament as Member for Toowoomba North and served two three year terms in government.

A keen sportsman, Sandy has a long record of involvement with many community organisations from the 1950s onwards including as vice-president of the Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland for a number of years. In 1974 he formed The Macfie Clan Society of Australia and continued as its President until 1998. He inherited undifferenced his father’s Arms in 1985.

Sandy and Helen have lived in Townsville in North Queensland since 1998 where their two daughters and families also live.







Information current as at 26th of January 2008