As we all know, Scotland was not always the united landmass and people as we know it today. Scotland has been known by many names such as Pictland, Caledonia and Alba and was possessed by many groups, all incomers, such as Picts, Irish, Britons, Angles, Norsemen and Normans forming small kingdoms. Battles and war were the order of the day as various groups tried to maintain their authority within their own borders or expand into other territories. Out of all this turmoil and confusion the few great tribes into which they had previously been divided formed into smaller divisions or clans, each of which had acquired a local habitation and a name and dwelt in its own valleys under the rule of its chief. Others branched off of established clans and evolved into separate groups with their own identification as a clan.

So it was with Clan Farquharson who descend from Farquhar, the fourth son of Alexander 'Ciar' Mackintosh of Rothiemurchus who was fifth Chief of Clan Shaw. Through Clans Shaw and Mackintosh the Farquharson roots run far and deep into the mists of time, back to the Pictish-Scottish royal house of MacDuff.

In the late 1300's or early 1400's Farquhar departed from Rothiemurchus, crossed over the Cairngorm Mountains and settled in the Braes of Mar on Deeside where he already had considerable possessions. He was made Baillie and Chamberlain of Mar about the time that the Earldom was annexed to the Crown on the death of Alexander Stewart (c. 1435). He was also granted additional lands as a reward for his services to the crown.

This Farquhar was first in line of descent from Alexander 'Ciar' Mackintosh. He married Margaret, daughter of Patrick Duncanson. Their son Donald was second in line of descent and was born in 1371. Donald married Ann, a daughter of Robert of Calvine. Their son Farquhar was third in line of descent and died c.1480. This Farquhar was succeeded by his son Donald who was fourth in line of descent. It is this Donald that married Isobel, the daughter of Duncan Stewart of Invercauld. It is through this marriage that Findla, 'their eldest son and successors bearing still ever after the title of Invercauld'. Findla was fifth in line of descent and was born in 1487 and was commonly called Findla Mor because of his great size. It is to Findla Mor that all branches of Clan Farquharson ascribe the honour of being their founder and common ancestor and in due course was recognised as the first Chief of Clan Farquharson. It is also from him that they have their Celtic appellation of Clann or Siol Fhionlaidh. Before this time they were called in the Gaelic language Clan Eracher and most of the family were called MacFhearchar (MacKeracher). Although the name Farquharson derived from the original Farquhar it does not appear to have become fixed until late in the 17th century, for as late as 1628 some deeds named the leading men as 'Mackintosh alias Farquharson'.

Finla accompanied the Earl of Huntly, who was the king's constable in Mar, to the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 and was the Royal Banner bearer. As the army descended toward the sea he was killed by a cannon ball from the enemy (English) ships. He died at the age of sixty and his body is interred in Inveresk churchyard near Musselburgh in a plot known as the 'Lang Heiland man's Grave'.

From the eleventh century the territory of Mar had been feudal. Feudal lords were vassals of the king, holding their lands in return for the provision of local law and order, together with other tangible support in the form of men and revenue. The Earls of Mar were hereditary custodians of the territory. While the Earl of Mar remained constable of the castles that he erected, the King remained 'superior and master of all forests'. The local custodian had the task of upholding the forest laws, which were designed to maintain the game population. After the death of Alexander Stewart in the early part of the 1400's the Earldom of Mar fell into difficulties and was annexed to the crown. The Earldom was restored to its rightful line by Queen Mary in 1564. During this minor power vacuum settlement proceeded in the Braes of Mar, notably with the Farquharsons which involved the grafting of clan society onto the established feudal base.

As the feudal earldom declined the Farquharson clan evolved and grew in importance and prominence. The Farquharsons, with their base at Invercauld Castle in upper Deeside effectively controlled the important north-south route through Glenshee. They also controlled the Lariag Ghru pass to the wealthy lands of the northeast. The City of Aberdeen paid out an annual sum of money to the Farquharson chiefs to maintain a clan army of three hundred men to protect the landward side of the city from marauding mountain clans.

Following the restoration of the earldom lands to the Erskin line, John Erskin, in 1628, built a new strong castle (Braemar Castle) with 'iron gates and barred windows' to replace the decayed Kindrochit Castle. Braemar Castle, only a mile or so away from Invercauld Castle, was built as a veiled warning that the Earl of Mar was their feudal superior. During the rising of 1689-1690, it was captured and burned by John Farquharson of Inverey (the legendary Black Colonel) to prevent its use by General MacKay in his campaign against Bonnie Dundee. It remained a burned out shell for the next sixty years but the stone walls stood firm. It was restored in 1748 and rented for the next ninety-nine years to the government to house a garrison of troops.

'It was not till Robert Farquharson of Invercauld, about the year 1632, acquired such influence in the affairs of the country that they [the Farquharsons] were accounted worthy of being esteemed an important Highland Clan'. It was this Robert who, as 5th Chief from 1636 to 1652, first obtained for them their Armorial Bearings in a grant of arms from the Lord Lyon King of Arms which were entered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland. The 'fighting Farquharsons', as they were known, fought always for the House of Stuart. The Farquharsons fought under Montrose in 1644 and also formed part of the Scottish army under Charles II at Worchester in 1651. The links with the Mackintoshes remained strong and Farquharson of Invercauld brought 300 fighting men to The Mackintosh for an expedition into Lochaber in 1665 against Clan Cameron. In 1672 the Privy Council made Alexander Farquharson of Invercauld, 7th Chief, enter into a bond for the good behaviour of his clansmen and others on his lands. This was an attempt by the authorities to control the lawless highlanders by making the chiefs responsible for those within their territories. Alexander in turn entered into a bond with all of the Farquharson branches. In 1679 Alexander Farquharson made the first major extension to Invercauld House which, until that time, was only the square keep. The Farquharsons joined forces under Viscount Dundee in 1689 for James VII.

A significant factor in the playing out of history at that time was the longevity of John Farquharson of Invercauld, 9th Chief, from 1695 to 1750, thus spanning the eventful periods of the 1715 and 1745 risings. A senior laird, John Farquharson was both legally and morally responsible for the behaviour of his people and much depended upon his attitude towards Jacobites and his reading of the likelihood of success. The indications are that he entered into the 1715 rising reluctantly. His options were strictly limited by the fact that the prime instigator of the rising was his feudal superior, the Earl of Mar. When the Earl of Mar arrived at Braemar to raise the clans in an attempt to restore the exiled Stuart king to the throne of Britain, he stayed at Invercauld House. On August 26th the Earl of Mar met with twenty-six of the highland chiefs. A notable absentee from the meeting was John Farquharson of Invercauld who saw the foolishness of the uprising and was unwilling to make available the clan's arms. Despite Invercauld's reluctance he was made Commander of Mar's own regiment. As Lieutenant-Colonel, John Farquharson joined the regiment with four officers and one hundred and forty men. On September 6th 1715 the Earl of Mar raised the standard of King James VIII at Braemar on top of the knoll now built upon by the Invercauld Arms Hotel. The ceremony was watched by over two thousand highlanders. The highland army marched south into England. Two months later, at Preston, when the Scots were first threatened the Farquharsons march out to Ribble Bridge to attack the English army but were ordered to rejoin the main body. The English moved to surround the town and three days later the Scottish army was defeated and John Farquharson of Invercauld was taken prisoner and held for ten months in Marchalsea prison at London. After the collapse of the campaign the Earl of Mar's estates were forfeit to the crown and John Farquharson was released from prison to return to the Braes of Mar to sort out the many problems resulting from the forfeiture of his feudal superior's lands, which had left an appalling gap in the administrative machinery of Mar. In the years of peace which followed, the Farquharsons and their estates prospered producing cattle, timber and venison. As well, Invercauld took part in a number of commercial enterprises, including shipping and fisheries in Aberdeen. His commercial acumen was exemplified by his election as a burgess of Inverness in 1720. He also organised patrols to protect the countryside from cattle rievers.

John Farquharson of Invercauld took no part in the 1745 rising, although his family were heavily committed and played prominent roles. His nephew, Francis Farquharson of Monaltrie, known as the Baron Ban, James Farquharson of Balmoral, known as Balmoral the Brave and his daughter, known as Colonel Ann all came out vigorously in support of the Young Pretender, Prince Charles. The Farquharsons beseiged Stirling Castle, joined up with the retreating Jacobite army and fought at the Battle of Falkirk on 17th of January 1746, where Balmoral the Brave, wounded in both legs, demanded that his clansmen carry him forward toward the enemy. At the Battle of Culloden, on the 16th of April 1746 three hundred Farquharsons were in the centre of the front lines where the fighting was the heaviest and they sustained grievous losses. Ann, the 20 year old daughter of John Farquharson of Invercauld was newly married to Eneas (Angus) Mackintosh of that Ilk, Chief of Clan Mackintosh. Both her father and her husband were loyal to the Hanoverian government and in fact Angus was a captain in the Black Watch. When both were gone, Ann immediately raised Farquharson and Mackintosh clansmen and led them herself to Prince Charles. She also masterminded the Rout of Moy when the Earl of Loudon with a regiment of government troops were dispatched from Inverness to capture the Prince at Moy Castle. They were put to flight by five men.

In the aftermath of the 1745 rising, Balmoral the Brave was proscribed for high treason but was pardoned in 1753. The Baron Ban was condemned to death in London but was reprieved the night before. Colonel Ann was captured and imprisoned but eventually allowed to return home. John Farquharson of Invercauld died in1750 with both his lands and his honour intact. He had escaped forfeiture because he had not taken part in the uprising. His honour was intact because he had not prevented the clan from coming out. He was succeeded by his son James as 10th Chief of Clan Farquharson.

James Farquharson of Invercauld introduced new methods of agriculture and steadily improved his estates. By careful purchases he put together an estate of 25,000 acres in Perthshire and 110,000 acres in Aberdeenshire. He married Amelia, daughter of Lord George Murray, Lieutenant-General of Prince Charles' army. They had eleven children who all died except the youngest, a daughter, Catherine. When James died in 1805 he and his father, John, had been Chiefs of Clan Farquharson for a remarkable 111 years.

As the eighteenth century progressed the Braes of Mar became less remote as transportation improvements were introduced. The old forest of Mar was heavily exploited commercially. Game in and around the surviving vestiges of the Mar forest remained abundant. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the extensive care and conservation by the Farquharsons of Invercauld have not only maintained but improved both forest and animal life.

Catherine Farquharson married Captain James Ross, Royal Navy, on the 16th of June 1798. He adopted the surname Farquharson, thus ensuring the continuance of the line. By virtue of Lyon Court Decree, 1815, assigning the chief arms and supporters, she was head of the central or stem family of Farquharson of Invercauld and so was 11th Chief of the Clan. She was succeeded by her son James as 12th Chief, who was a magistrate and deputy-lieutenant of Abredeenshire. He was succeeded by his son, also James, as 13th Chief. He was succeeded by Colonel Alexander Haldane Farquharson of Invercauld who died in 1936. His daughter, Myrtle Farquharson of Invercauld, was confirmed 15th Chief by Lyon Court Decree on the 3rd of December 1936. Unfortunately she was killed in an air raid on London in 1941. The succession then passed to her nephew, Captain Alwyne Arthur Compton Farquharson of Invercauld as 16th Chief of Clan Farquharson. He was by Lyon Court in 1949 confirmed MacFionnlaidh. He was educated at Eaton and Oxford and served throughout the Second World War with the Royal Scots Greys in Palestine, North Africa, Italy and France. He was wounded in 1944 and was awarded the Military Cross for gallant and distinguished service in action. Captain Farquharson of Invercauld has acted as Chieftain of the Ballater Highland Games for over 50 years and also hosts Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the Braemar Highland Games. Over these many years he has devoted himself to the improvement, care and upkeep of the Invercauld estates and to the betterment of all those people living upon those lands. He has demonstrated his sincere interest in Clan Farquharson and its people both in Scotland and around the world by his discreet but effective leadership and guidance.

The traditional highland games were resurrected in 1817 under the aegis of the local lairds, the venue of the annual gathering alternated between Mar Lodge, Braemar Castle and Invercauld House. The revived fashion was confirmed by new royal interest initiated by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The highland games, while no longer the rather intimate gatherings of the Victorian period, remain a major event of the social calender. The Braemar Highland Games continue to be held in Braemar at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park. The land use established from the medieval time period onward remains a major part of the economy of the Braes of Mar. Royal interest in Balmoral appears to be undiminished. The Farquharsons remain a major landholder in the Braes of Mar with their seat at Invercauld House where they have been for over five hundred years.

REFERENCES:-

1. Records of Invercauld 1547 to 1828. Edited by Rev. John G. Michie.
2. War and Peace in the Braes of Mar by John S. Smith.
3. A History of Clan Shaw by Major C.J. Shaw of Tordarroch.
4. A History of the Highlands, Highland Clans and Highland Regiments.
Edited by John S. Keltie, F.S.A. Scot., (Vols. I & II ; 1877.)
5. Journal of the Clan Chattan Association, Vol. X - No. 6; 2000.

Information compiled by David R. Porter - 1992.
Revised by David R. Porter - 1999.