Ceud Mile Failte! One hundred thousand welcomes!
This website is for the research & preservation of the ancient Royal families of Scotland. ***
Greetings my kinsmen & noble friends, this project is dedicated to the long history of the Ruling Elite that was established by the hands of the Almighty God & His only begotten son Jesus Christ from the foundation of the world.
Here you will learn of the Ancient Family Trees that have been acknowledged worldwide as the root of all aristocracy, from the Biblical times unto the recent past.
Please feel free to use our query system to post your surnames to other researchers who are dedicated to our genealogical community.
We have a mailing list & query forums you may join to help you in your research of history and the fine art of Heraldry & Arms. We intend to build a strong community of friendships & long lost relations between the descendants of these Ancient Blood Lines.
Blessed is the name of the Most High God Creator of Heaven & Earth!
You are Visitor to our website!
My name is Darren McCathern which in the Gaelic tongue is translated as Great Son of the Warriors. I descend from noble families from the Highlands & Lowlands and abroad. Take a journey with me into the ancient past and learn the history of the Celts. Together we will explore the Kingdoms, Nations & Empires that have come to pass through the bloodlines of the Ruling Elite. -Enjoy! ***
Throughout the centuries time has given way to some of the most interesting histories, among those that are closest to my heart, Alba is my favorite.
My Scotsman roots run very deep, so deep in fact that they go directly to the original people called the Picts. My direct descent from the Pictish leaders at Dalraida to Kenneth MacAlpin (31st Great Grandfather) embodies the very history of Alba. The father of the famous leader was Alpin of Scotia, his mother was a Princess of the Picts.
From ancient times these Picts, which means "Painted Men", were a brave and noble people who repelled the Roman Empire to such an extent that the invaders left what they called Caledonia to someone else to try and conquer.
To say that the Romans feared the Painted Men is an understatement, they in fact built a wall to keep them out and prevent the Picts from entering the Empire.
This wall did not in fact do what it was supposed to do, however it did settle things down enough to allow the Romans to build forts south of the wall some miles away.
The Pictish rulers were almost always in a constant state of war, this was due mostly because of the Roman invaders looting and wreaking havoc across the country. It seems that everywhere they went, burning and death were the result.
I have thus far been able to trace my direct lineage to the year 235 to a Celtic ruler by the name of Fiacha Srabhteine (47th Great Grandfather), not much is known about him except he was indeed a ruler of this great nation.
Interestingly enough, his wife Aiofe was the daughter of Old Coel of Britian.
Around 500 A.D. warriors that were led by Fergus Mor McErc The Great (42nd Great Grandfather) arrived and started the Kingdom of Dalriada. At this time the country was under the rule of Irish/Scot leaders. After this invasion, the Scotch Nation begins to take root, being established from the descendants of the rulers of Ireland, followed by a long line of Christian leaders!
The Gospel was brought to Alba almost from the beginning of the dispensation of the Apostles of Christ. St. Andrew, the brother of St. Peter, was among the first to preach the Word of the Lord in Europe, and according to tradition, he established the faith among the Scots quite early.
It is accepted by most biblical scholars that Caledonia was among the earliest of countries that converted to the Christianity, this was done almost overnight! As a result of the spreading of the Gospel among the Scots, Ireland quickly ceased to rule since at this time, there was a Druid on the throne of Ireland who apparently persecuted the new Christians, therefore over time it caused a split between the two countries.
This branch is the most ancient in Scotch ancestry, as all of the successive Rulers of the country are descended from this root. Later, when the Normans arrived and their kingdoms were set up, they married into these houses, thus making their decendants of noble lineage as well.
The line from which I am descended also intertwines with the English through Malcolm III's wife Princess Margaret (24th Great Grandparents), whose Grandfather was Edmund II "Ironside".
It is no surprise that Edmund II "Ironside", traced his lineage directly from the ancient Welsh nobles.
The Daughter of Malcolm III whose name was Matilda married Henri I "Beauclerc" (23rd Great Grandparents). Their daughter Princess Elizabeth married Fergus Lord Of Galloway.
House of Plantagenet
Henry II Henry III
(21st Great Grandfather) (19th Great Grandfather)
On my Mother's side I descend from the Rulers of Britain through the Plantagenet family, so within my own generation in recent times we have a union between these two branches.
As a result of these connections, it works out that Edward III was in fact my 16th Great Grandfather.
Another interesting note is that President Bush is of the same branch of Bulkeley as my Mother is descended from, so he is in fact my cousin.
My Grandfather and the elder President Bush share the same 10th Great Grandfather.
The Bush's descend from Joan of Acre daughter of Edward I and then on down to the President.
This in fact brings me three generations closer than the Bush's to the House of Plantagenet.
Another tidbit of interesting history is thatEdward IVmarried my 14th Great Grandmother Elizabeth Wydevilleascending the throne on May 26, 1465.
They in turn had a son Edward V who was 12 years old when his father died, so he became ruler for one month in the year 1483 just before he was exiled by his uncle Richard III.
Richard was also in turn later exiled by Henry VII.
In these days there was a war between the Wydevilles and the Tudors.Edward VI, whom was the brother of future Queens Mary & Elizabeth I, was in fact a minor and due to his failing health from tuberculosis, his protector the Duke of Northumberland made provision for continuing protestant rule by having his own son Lord Dudley marry Lady Jane Grey.
As a result, Edward accepted Lady Jane as his heir to the throne.
Because Jane Grey was a Protestant, Princess Mary whom was a devout Catholic seized the throne by military force after Lady Jane was enthroned for only nine days and executed all the kinfolk, thus bringing to pass the rule of the House of Tudor by the simple means of killing all of the legitimate heirs.
As a result of this treachery, people was then forced to follow the "Religion of the Queen" and she enacted "Heresy Laws" that in effect said, that to practice a religion other than that of herself as the sovereign was an act of defiance and disloyalty and anyone whom did so was guilty of treason.
This included well loved Bishops and Clergy among the non-catholic people. Over 300 people were burned in three years as a result of her imposing her religion!
Meanwhile.. Back to Alba...
The descendants of Malcolm often were embittered with each other over the succession of the throne, this resulted in a feud between Robert The Bruce "The Competitor" and John Bailiol whom Sir William Wallace died supporting as the rightful heir.
These branches were embroiled in battle with each other for centuries. Edward Longshanks stole and removed the ancient Stone of Scone (Lia Fail) in 1296 on which all of the monarchs were crowned except Robert The Bruce, this was done so that no future heirs would be crowned upon it.
In 1996, Prime Minister John Major returned the Stone of Scone as a gesture of goodwill. In 1999, the country set up a new Parliment to govern for the first time in over three centuries.
Kingdom of Jerusalem 1098-1291
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was created in 1098 when the first crusaders captured the city and elected Godfrei Duke of Loraine the Ruler of Jerusalem (23rd Great Grandfather).
The ChristianRulers of Jerusalem held control of Jerusalem for 193 years until the year 1291 when the muslims took the city. This is quite amazing considering that this was quite a bit longer than the rulers of Babylon had control of the region before it was liberated by the Persians.
The Scottish & French Baronies are closely intertwined by reason of history.
This is one of the main reasons that these two Nations were considered allies, and would often come to each other's defense against common enemies.
History has proven that the English apparently were not nearly as forthcoming as these two countries in sending their Knights to fight for the Christian Crusades.
Britain during these times in fact was being reprimanded by Rome to cease squandering their resources in fighting their neighbors and to instead concentrate their attention to the spreading of the Christian Faith in the Holy Land.
France & Alba have a unique history together. It is important when tracing ancestry to keep this in mind so one does not become confused. Many of the Baronies did indeed come directly from Normandy and many of the Clans trace their first Chiefs to the province.
Below is a list of links that are very good for research, hopefully they may be of use to you! Happy Surfing!
