Clans of Scotland

GALLERY

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CLAN MacDUFF

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This is the tartan of Clan MacDUFF

According to D. W. Stewart, " it will be observed that the MacDuff tartan is substantially the Royal Stuart with the white and yellow lines removed. Whether this indicates it as a sources of the Stuart tartan, or the association of the Earls of Fife with the crown, remains to be determined ".
James Logan published this sett in his book in 1831, whilst the earliest known date is 1816.

Clan Duff was originally the royal Scoto-Pictish line of which Queen Gruoch (travestied by Shakespeare as Lady Macbeth) was the senior representative. After the death of her second husband King MacBeth - who also belonged to the house of Duff - her son, by her first husband, succeeded as King Lulach, but was murdered in his turn in 1058. 

Malcolm Canmore thus won the crown, and as much of the territory of southern Scotland as he had been able to conquer with English military help. Although he possessed a son by his first marriage within the Scottish royal house, it was his sons by his second marriage to the Saxon Princess Margaret who usurped the throne after him, again with English help.

But Margaret's eldest son, for whom she chose the very English name of Aethelred, was also by-passed by his younger brothers. The explaination may be that he had already made his marriage with the heiress of the senior line of the Scottish royal house, and preferred this legitimate heritage to the crime of usurping the crown of his elder half·brother. The heiress was a grand-daughter of Queen Gruoch and sister of King Maelsnechtai, who reigned in Moray where the arms of Canmore had not penetrated.

Aethelred's name became transformed into the Gaelic form of Aedh, and with the earldom of Fife he also succeeded to the position of hereditary Abbot of Abernethy, the ancient Pictish capital whose round tower is one of the finest surviving monuments of the Columban church. After his death in about 1128 the men of Moray made several unsuccessful attemps to gain the throne for his sons.

But finally Clan Duff gave its allegiance to the usurping line of Queen Margaret, and were rewarded with unique privileges. The Earl of Fife became the premier subject of the kingdom, bore the heraldic red lion rampant of the royal house, and enthroned the King of Scots on the stone of Scone at his coronation. Kinsmen of the Earl could escape the penalties for homicide by seeking sanctuary at the MacDuff cross near Abernethy, and making a fixed payment.

The male line of Earls failed in 1353, and passed through an heiress until it reached the royal Stewart who was Regent during the captivity of James I in England.

In 1425 the earldom passed to the crown.
Meanwhile, in the northern territories of Macbeth and Gruoeh's kingdom, families of Clan Duff emerged in historical record, assuming a royal descent that could no longer be proved. Among these was David Duff of Muldavit in Banffshire in the year 140l, and Willian Duff of Braco, whose descendant was created Duke of Fife in 1889 when he married the daughter of Edward VII. Others of the clan have assumed the name of MacDuff. while the direct line of the ancient house has been continued in the family of Wemyss.

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