Clan Mac Bain - Coats of Arms

Coats of Arms

Coats of Arms are granted to single individuals. Only the Chief of Clan McBain may bear the undifferenced arms of McBain, but the Clan Badge (see picture above) may be worn by any member of the Clan, some of whom may themselves have been granted arms.

In 1672, the then Lord Lyon - Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo - made a formal declaration in favour of the then Mackintosh of Mackintosh's claim in a dispute with his kinsman Macpherson of Cluny over the right to the Chieftainship of Clan Chattan. The entirety of this declaration is found in Lachlan Mackintosh of Kinrara's book A Chronicle of the Family of Mackintosh to the year 1680, edited by Jean Munro and published by The Clan Chattan Association in 2009. In terms of heraldry, the key words of the Lord Lyon for MacBeans are these: ....that we find the Laird of MacIntosh to be the only undoubted Chief of the Name of MacIntosh and to be Chief of the Clan Chattan, comprehending the Macphersons, MacGillivrays, Farqcuharsons, MacTarrils, MacQueens, MacBeans, MacPhails and others that we have given and will give none of these Families any arms but as cadets of the Laird of MacIntosh his Family, whose predecessor married the heretrix of Clan Chattan in Anno 1291 and that in particular we declare that we have given Duncan Macpherson of Cluny a Coat of Arms as a Cadet of the foresaid Family;

This, therefore had a bearing on the design of the first recorded coat of arms that the Lord Lyon granted to a MacBean - William MacBean, Merchant of Inverness - that very same year 1672, and it was on that design that the Lord Lyon based the grant of arms in 1960 to the 21st Chief.

William MacBean, Merchant of Inverness - 1672 - the following is an extract from A. M. Mackintosh’s 1903 book The Mackintoshes and Clan Chattan, and appears in the Appendix, page 538:

In 1672 William Macbean, merchant in Inverness obtained from the Lyon Office a grant of arms as follows, - quarterly, 1 or a lion rampant gu.; 2 arg. a dexter hand couped in pale gu.; 3 arg. a sword in pale ppr. within a bordure indented gu.; 4 or a lymphad, oars in saltire, sable.

Who this William Macbean was, or what was his position in the Clan Vean, is not apparent; it is even possible that he was not a Macbean proper at all, but of some family of Shaw who had retained the patronymic occasionally used by the Shaws of Tordarroch in the beginning of the 17th century, as the arms registered by him are the same as those on the tombstone of Donald Shaw, who died in 1645 (p. 531, ante) - with the exception of the bordure in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately the only description of William in the Lyon Register is 'merchant of Inverness'; no indication of his parentage or family connection is give.1 The same arms, however, except the bordure, are on the tombstone of Gillies McBean of Wester Drakiues, who d. 15 Sept. 1701, though perhaps this does not count for much. There is some confusion at this time with the name William Macbean. In a contract of wadset of the lands of Durris dated 26 July 1669, four of this name appear - William McAndrew vic William in Achnashangach, and William son to William burgess in Inverness; while in the sasine of 1 Dec. following is William brother-German to Paul of Kinchyle, who is also found in 1662-6. He may have been the William burgess of Inverness. Another William was son and successor of Paul of Kinchyle (but he could scarcely have been the William of 1672), and still another is styled William McBean alias McConill Og in 1679. Note below the text above: 1 He was evidently of good connection and repute, as he is found in company with Alex. Mackintosh of Connage and Andrew Macpherson apparent of Cluny as witness to the baptism of a son of James Mackintosh of the Kyllachy family at Petty on 22 Sept 1657. - Petty Register

We now know that this William MacBean was the 2nd son of John MacBean of Kinchyle, whose eldest son Paul MacBean of Kinchyle succeeded as Chief. This information is given in words of The Lord Lyon's grant of Arms to Paul's descendant Hughston Maynard McBain of McBain, the 21st Chief of Clan McBain (MacBean), whose arms were matriculated on 8 March 1960 and referenced Volume XLIII, page 108 in the Register of All Arms and Bearings of Scotland. The arms of his kinsman the 20th Chief of Clan McBain - Stewart McBain of Glenbain - were also matriculated on the same day, 8 March 1960, and recorded in Volume XLIII, page 111 of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. These two McBains appear, firstly Hughston McBain and underneath him Stewart McBain on page 430 of The Edinburgh Gazette on 27 May 1966, under the heading: ROLLS OF THE CHIEFS, and HEADS OF TERRITORIAL HOUSES (in continuation of that last published in the Edinburgh Gazette of 16th June 1964, for the years 1958 and 1959) in the Styles or Ordinary Names wherein they have been officially-Recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in matriculating arms 'of that description' (i.e., of the names of titles specified) in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland.

Presumably, since Stewart McBain's arms appeared two pages later than Hughston McBain's, it was to record a change in the former's arms resulting from the succession of the latter as Chief, since only the current Chief of Clan McBain can bear the undifferenced arms of McBain. Alternatively, Stewart McBain's arms as chief were granted first, then granted undifferenced to Hughston McBain, resulting in another matriculation of differenced arms granted by the Lord Lyon to Stewart McBain, now "of Glenbain" rather than "of McBain".

Here is an extract from the grant to the 21st Chief, with the reference to William MacBean of Inverness highlighted in bold print:

Transcriptions from an extract of Matriculation and Confirmation of the Arms of McBain of McBain - by the Lord Lyon 8 March 1960.

To all and sundry whom these presents do or may concern, We, Sir Thomas Innes.......Lord Lyon King of Arms, send Greeting; Whereas; Hughston Maynard McBain of McBain, Chief of the Name and hereditary head of the Clan McBain........ ...............; That the Petitioner’s said father, born 1863 and died 1907, was the third son but eventual heir-male and Representative of William McBain and his wife Catherine Mackintosh; That the Petitioner’s said grandfather, born in Saint Amicet, Ontario, Canada, 1823, was son and heir of Alexander McBain of La Guerre, Ontario, and his wife Susan Davidson (who as his widow married John Macdonald by whom La Guerre estate was appropriated); Which said Alexander McBain of La Guerre, killed by lightening 1830, was third son of William McBain of Pittourie and his wife Christina Macdonald; Which William was great-grandson and eventual Representative of William McBean of Kinchyle, Chief of the Clan McBain, grandson and heir of John McBain of that Ilk and Kinchyle, Chief of the Clan McBain, in name of whose second son "William McBean" differenced Ensigns Armourial were matriculated in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland (Vol.1.fol.359) circa 1672; That the Petitioner’s third cousin, the now deceased Stewart McBain of Glenbain, Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, Chief of the Clan McBain (lineal descendant and heir male and Representer of Farquhar McBain, died 1865, Chief of the Clan McBain, eldest son of the aforementioned William McBain in Pittourie, the Petitioner’s great-great-grandfather) did by Instrument of date 8 December 1958 for grave and weighty reasons therein set forth Resign the Chiefship of the Clan McBain in favour of the Petitioner; AND the Petitioner having prayed that We would Officially Recognise him and his son and grandson in the name McBain of McBain and Maintain, Ratify and Confirm unto him the Arms of McBain of McBain without brisur or mark of cadency as Chief of the Name and Clan McBain KNOW WE THEREFORE, that an Interlocutor having been pronounced by Us in Our Court of date 24 March 1959 FINDIN Inter alia IN FACT (1) That Stewart McBain of Glenbain, the Renouncer, is lineal descendant and heir-male of Farquhar McBain, eldest son of William McBain who died 1849 and his wife Christina Macdonald; (2) That the Petitioner, Hughston Maynard McBain is lineal descendant and heir-male of Alexander McBain, third son of the said William McBain and his wife Christina Macdonald; IN LAW That by virtue of the Renunciation of Stewart McBain of Glenbain the Petitioner is now subject to confirmation and reinvestiture by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in the undifferenced arms of McBain of McBain and Kinchyle, Chief of the Family, and in the Gaelic Head of the Clan McBain; (PRIMO) We do by these Presents the Petitioner in name and style Hughston McBain of McBain (by reason of the Renunciation of the said Stewart McBain of McBain) and the Petitioner’s son and heir as James Hughston McBain of McBain, younger, and the Petitioner’s said grandson as Richard James McBain of McBain, younger; and (SECUNDO) Maintain, Ratify and Confirm unto the Petitioner Hughston Maynard McBain of McBain, Chief of the Name and Head of the Clan McBain, the following Ensigns Armorial (matriculated on the 108th page of the 43rd Volume of Our Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland conform to our Warrant for that effect) videlicet: - Quarterly; 1st, Or, a lion rampant Gules; 2nd, Argent, a dexter hand couped in pale Gules; 3rd, Argent, a sword in pale proper, 4th, Or, a lymphad Azure sails furled proper, oars in saltire Gules and flagged of the last. Above the Shield is placed an Helm befitting his degree with a Mantling Gules doubled Argent and on a Wreath of the Liveries Or and Azure is set for Crest a grey demi-catamountain salient, on his sinister foreleg a Highland targe Gules and in an Escrol over the same this Motto TOUCH NOT A CATT BOT A TARGE; and on a Compartment below the shield, along with this Slogan "KINCHYLE" are set two boxwood plants proper being the proper plant Badge of his Clan McBain; and for his Badge a grey demi-catamountain as in the Crest within a chaplet of boxwood proper which is depicted upon a guidon unsplit, eight feet in length, and having the Arms of McBain of McBain in the hoist and his livery, Azure, and the word "KINCHYLE" in letters Or; and for his Pinset, Or, the Crest of McBain of McBain within a strap Azure buckled and furnished, Or with his Motto TOUCH NOT A CATT BOT A TARGE in letters Or and within a circlet Vert bearing his name and title McBAIN of McBAIN in letters Or and in the fly a spray of boxwood Vert surmounted of an Escrol Azure bearing his Slogan "KINCHYLE" in letters Or, which Slogan is also to be made of record issuant from the mouth of a Staghorn-Crier’s head and shoulders, habited in a plaid of the proper tartan of the Clan McBain videlicet: - Red