The existence of that show “Who do you think you are”, which features celebrities researching their own personal family histories, just goes to show that people are fascinated by learning about their ancestry. I, like many Americans, am a complete European mutt, with different branches coming from Germany, France, and England, but I’ve always identified with the Scottish branch, mostly because that’s the paternal line, and therefore my last name. Now, I always knew that the Matheson Clan wasn’t really a major clan back in the glory days of kilts & bagpipes, especially nothing to compete with the Campbells, McGregors, Makenzies, etc. (You never see magnets with the Matheson tartan around!) But I did want to dig around a little to see what I could find while I was driving around Scotland last year. Good news- it is incredibly easy to do any level of family history research! There are literally shops in every tourist destination where you can look up your family name to see what’s what. Thanks to my dearly departed father’s interest, I already knew the basics and therefore was looking for something a bit more. Luckily, my Mom remembered that our clan was based somewhere around Kyle of Lochalsh, so after my lovely day on the Isle of Skye I crossed the bridge for a night in my ancestral hometown.
I had heard that there was some sort of “castle” associated with the family near the village of Plockton, which is about twenty minutes north of Kyle (via yet more teeny, windy little roads, which I was becoming used to in the highlands!). It was yet another miserably rainy day, but even with the rain I could tell this little sea-side town was adorable. I found what passed as a Tourist Information office right by the little marina and wandered in. I plucked up the courage and spoke to the lady at the counter and MY GOODNESS – she was just the sweetest thing ever. She brought me over to a section of books about the area, one of which was a detailed history of Clan Matheson written by cousin whoever (I forget his name, and my Mom MISPLACED the book so it is currently lost in the bowels of her house – grr). She explained that she would’ve brought me over to his house (!!!), but he was out of town that particular day (love that she knew that). Amazing – such a friendly and open people! She then gave me directions to find the little “castle” built by my ancestor Alexander, who had returned to the area in the 1860’s after making his fortune in opium in the far east. (Apparently the Matheson name is a big deal in Hong Kong, thanks in part to the opium trade and perhaps Alexander & his kin…). So, off I went, new little Matheson history book in hand, to find “Matheson Castle”. It turns out that it’s actually called Duncraig Castle and is in the process of becoming a B&B, so soon, you can actually stay there! Check it out: http://www.duncraigcastle.co.uk/ I snapped a few quick pics, including our family shield which features prominently, but it was rainy & I was worried about getting yelled at for trespassing, so I didn’t tarry. 😀
I then headed down to the actual main attraction of the area: Eilean Donan Castle. This is noted as one of the most picturesque castles in the Highlands, and has actually been featured in all sorts of movies (notably, “The Highlander” back in the ’80’s). I was more personally interested as the Matheson Clan were at one time a steward of the castle, though I found out later that it was usually managed/controlled by our “frenemy” clan, but whatever – it was certainly a lovely & interesting spot. No photos inside, but I specifically remember how fabulous the main room was, filled with tartans and broadswords and that sort of thing. They did have a huge (and I mean, larger than me huge) genealogy chart in one of the alcoves, and I was able to sneak a quick little (blurry) shot of the Mathesons that were involved, thanks to the be-kilted guard nicely turning a blind eye for me. It even shows that a few sons went to North Carolina in 1774, which I THINK would be one of my direct great-grand fathers. TOO COOL! None of my pictures are really any good, again because it was yet another grey, rainy day, but this is one of the top spots to visit in Scotland for a reason – and not JUST if your family had some vague, long-ago interest in the land the castle was protecting.
So, as you can see, if you have a Sottish (or Irish – I think you’d have similar experiences in Ireland) family name, it’s really fun and easy to do a little family history sleuthing yourself. You can go whole-hog and in depth with visiting actual archives and such, or you can just be an amateur like me and have some fun. I did eventually go read the family history book I picked up in Plockton, which included some really interesting tidbits about history in the highlands in general which really rounds out my appreciation of the country as it is today.
Next up, I headed over to Loch Ness and Inverness for yet more history lessons, all through territory I later read about in the Outlander series, which is coming to TV this week! I can’t wait to see if I recognize any of their filming locations.