Clan Mac Bain - Clan Seats and Other Main Branches of The Clan

Clan Seats and Other Main Branches of The Clan

The principal seat of the MacBeans was at Kinchyle, in the parish of Dores, Inverness-shire, and this accounts for the clan's war-cry of "Kinchyle" that appears on the chief's banner and grant of arms from The Lord Lyon.

Other main branches of the family had their seats at: Tomatin, Faillie, Drummond and Daars.

The MacBeans of Tomatin

The MacBeans of Tomatin held their estates the longest and were by far the most successful branch of the clan. At the time of 'the '45' the head of this family was a child so uninvolved. His descendants became involved in successful commercial activities that stretched from Glasgow to the West Indies, which helped them enhance and extend their estate at Tomatin. It was only in the 20th Century that the Tomatin estate was sold by Duncan Moore MacBean to the Glynne-Percy family. The MacBeans of Tomatin appear to have emigrated to Zimbabwe, from where many old archival papers were sent back to the archives at Inverness, following the death in a car accident of a Mrs Duncan MacBean; her successors wrote that they wanted the family's papers deposited in the land of their forebears. It is a fortunate thing that these records of the MacBeans of Tomatin have been 'recovered' back to where they historically belong. It is believed that there are many MacBeans of Tomatin still in existence, with some in America.

The MacBean of Tomatin tartan:

Interestingly, the Tomatin MacBeans are known to have worn a different design of Tartan, which pre-eminent tartan expert (and husband of a MacBean) James D. Scarlett believed potentially to have been an original older design: In Scottish Notes and Queries for July/August 1892, D.W. Stewart (father of D.C. Stewart) remarked upon a tartan, worn by the head of the family of Tomatin in 1872, which he described as Mackintosh with a black line centred on the main red ground, going on to say that the Chief (he meant MacBean of Tomatin) did not recognise the 'trade' tartan. On the face of things, one could expect that a black line added to the Mackintosh would be no more than a Victorian affectation in Gillies' memory, but I found a small piece of the tartan in Inverness Museum and satisfied myself that the overcheck is actually the same dark blue as is used in the rest of the pattern; the proportions of the colours are also slightly different from Mackintosh, which shows great consistency in earlier specimens. The basic framework, two broad green stripes and two blue of half the width, makes its way down south by way of the Findhorn valley and thence over the hills to Badenoch, a regular route in olden times, and so such a variant on the Mackintosh theme would be quite appropriate in the Tomatin area. As a weaver would be unlikely to add black, an extra colour, if dark blue would do, there seems to be a good probability that this 'black line' MacBean tartan is a genuine old sett and, as such, worthy of note.

In its design, this Tomatin MacBean tartan (see another example here) is very like the Red Shaw of Tordarroch dress tartan. The Shaws are a branch off the original Mackintosh line. As ever, The Scottish Tartans Authority provide some helpful detail on this - click here to see this Shaw tartan, or for another example click here.

The Baynes of Tulloch

The seat of the Bain family of Tulloch, who are not related to the Clan MacBain, was located at Tulloch Castle in the royal burgh of Dingwall, 14 miles northwest of Inverness. The Bains of Tulloch were in fact a branch in the paternal line of the Clan Mackay who had changed their name from Mackay to Bain. Eventually, Kenneth Bayne, 8th Laird of Tulloch, sold the estate to his cousin, Henry Davidson, on 13 January 1762. Henry Davidson appears to be a member of the Davidson sept of Clan Chattan, which may explain the link assumed with the Clan MacBain who were also members of Clan Chattan.