MacKinnon Crest

A boar's head erased and holding in its mouth the shank bone of a deer

 

MacKinnon Arms

Quarterly, 1st Vert, a boar's head erased Argent, holding in its mouth the shank bone of a deer all Proper for the name of MacKinnon

2nd, Azure, a castle triple towered and embattled Argent, masoned Sable, windows and portcullis Gules (MacLeod)

3rd, Or, a lymphad oars in saltire Sable

4th, Argent, a dexter hand couped fesswavs Proper holding a cross crosslet fitchèe Sable (the last two quarters for Macdonald)

Supporters dexter, a lion Proper; sinister, a leopard Proper

 

MACKINNON, MacFhionghuin ,MacFhionnghain or McFionguine.

The old Gaelic personal name occurs in the Book of Deer in the genitive as Finguni.

The middlehh Irish forms are Finghin and Finnguine,Fingwne, and modem Irish Findgalne. These forms point to prehistoric Gaelic , Vindo-gonio-s, 'fair-bom.' Finguine mac Drostain was killed in a civil war among the Picts at Monticarno in 728 .

The Mackinnons, a branch of the great Siol Alpin; (Clan Alpin) are of Royal descent and descended from and named by Fingon, brother to Andrew who was ancestor to Grigor and the MacGregors, and great-grandson of Kenneth MacAlpine.'Fingon' in Gaelic means fair-born.

The clan slogan or battle cry is 'Cumhnich Bas Alpin' 'Remember the death of Alpin'. Alpin was slain by Bruch, King of the Picts, in 837. Findanus, the fourth chief, brought Dunakin into the clan around 900 by marrying a Norse princess.

The castle, properly called Dun Haakon, was a broch (a circular dry-stone tower) commanding the narrow sound between Skye and the mainland.

They held lands in Mull and were vassals of the Lords of the Isles in East Skye around the year 1400. Ewan, Chief of the Clan, received from James V, in 1542, a charter for the lands of Mishnish in Mull and Strathardal in Skye and the MacKinnons had a stronghold in Dunringel Castle, commanding the Kyle of Lachalsh. Other branches extended from Tiree to Arran.

The Mackinnons were closely connected with the abbacy of Iona, Like the other Alpin branch MacFie, they had at least a interest in the holy Isle of Iona, where several MacFingons or MacKinnons were abbots.

The last Abbot of Iona was John MacKinnon.Their connection with the affairs of Iona, however, as the editor of Highland Papers remarks, was "not always apparently to the advantage of the church". In the old burial ground known as Cladh Beg at Kirkapoll, Tiree, is the tombstone of a prior of this name:

Fingonivs. prior. de. Y. me. dedid. Philippo. Iohannis. et. svls filiis. Anno. Domini. M°CCCC°XCV° .

Lachlann Makfingane witnessed a charter by Donald de Ile, dominus Insularum, to Hector Macgilleone, dominus de Doward, 1 November 1409 ( recited in confiimmation charter of 1495, RMS., II, 2264). A later Lachlann M'Fynwyn de Myschenys witnessed a charter by the lord of the Isles in 1467 . John, son of Lachlann, was abbot of Iona in the end of the fifteenth century. In 1489 he erected a cross in memory of his father and himself:

Hec: est: crvx: Lacclannl: meic: Fingone: et: eivs: filiii: Johannis: X: abbatis de Hy: facta: anno: domini: m°cccc°lxxx°ix° (Drummond, Sculptured monuments in lona, pl.xxxvi).

He died in 1500, and on the edge of his own monument is inscribed:

[loh]annes Macfingone abbas de Y qvi obiit anno dni millesimo qvin [gentesimo] ( ibid., pL xlv ) .

The Mackinnons on Arran gave shelter to Robert the Bruce during his time as a fugitive, helping him make his escape to Carrick. After the king's victory at Bannockburn they were rewarded with land on Skye.

The Scots kings since the reign of James IV had undermined the power of the island chiefs. In 1606 James VI sent Lord Ochiltree to Mull to make proposals to the chiefs on his plans for government of the isles. When they disagreed with Ochiltree's plans, he seized the chiefs and imprisoned them in castles on the mainland. In 1609, Lachlan Mackinnon of that Ilk and other chiefs were forced to subscribe to the Statutes of lona, which placed many restrictions upon their power and english was to become the language of the chiefs and firearms were banned.

Despite this, the Mackinnons were loyal to the Stuarts, and fought in the army of Montrose at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1645 . Their chief, Lachlan Mor was, at the time in the custody of Argyll. In 1650, Lachlan raised a regiment which fought on the royalist side at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The chief was created a knight banneret by Charles II on the field of battle.

The clan remained loyal to the Stuarts in the next century, and sent one hundred and fifty men to join the Earl of Mar at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. For this act the chief was declared forfeit for treason. The Mackinnons were also out in both Jacobite Rebellions, in 1715 and 1745. In July 1746 marching to Edinburgh to join Prince Charles. They fought at Culloden, where Prince Charles dreams of the Crown were crushed.

The Mackinnons took over from Flora MacDonald and the prince was sheltered in a cave, and it was lain Og, who was over seventy years old, sent for his galley to take the prince to Mallaig, avoiding two Government warships on the way. He was less fortunate on the return voyage, however, and was captured in Morar. He was incarcerated in a prison ship at Tilbury, where he languished until 1750.