Older Than the Hills Clan MacArthur, DNA Clues, and the Lost Charters of Loch Awe By Tiffany McCarter Evans, Clan Historian 7/25/2025 1. A Proverb That Pre‑Dates the Devil “There is none older, save the hills, the Devil, and MacArthur.” Because the Devil reached Argyll only with St Columba in 563 AD, the saying places the MacArthurs squarely in the pre‑Christian dawn. Clan memory, poetry, and the Red Book of Argyll all point to a sixth‑century Strathclyde war‑chief named Arthur —whether mounted hero or fully fledged “King” matters less than the fact that his descendants carved out territory long before the kingdom of Scotland existed. 2. Two MacArthur Branches—Two Y‑DNA Signatures Branch Medieval Seat Probable Y‑DNA Modern Surname Links Tirivadich / Loch Awe Hayfield (Hatfield) & Inishail E‑M35 → E‑BY5775 McCarter, Colquhoun (Camstradden) Strachur / Glen Lean Strachur Estate R1b‑L21 cluster Campbell, Bruce, Stewart, Grant, MacGregor, MacFarlane, Lennox Fresh DN...

“Lanterns on the Loch” — a rollicking tale of Maldoven, 3rd Earl of Lennox (c. 1217 – 1250) Picture the Bonnie Banks in the early 1200s: mist curling off Loch Lomond, ospreys dive‑bombing for breakfast, and a chorus of bagpipes tuning up like geese with kazoos. Into this scene strides Maldoven ‑ Gaelic name Maol Domhnaich ‑ freshly installed as 3rd Earl of Lennox after the death of his father, Ailín (Alwyn) II. Unlike many neighbours who were busy handing castles to slick Norman knights, Maldoven’s idea of “continental flair” was adding extra heather to the thatch. He kept the earldom stubbornly Gaelic, earning modern scholars’ praise as “one of the more conservative Gaelic rulers” of the age. Wikipedia The earl who said “aye” to the king (and “och, nae chance” to everyone else) Although Maldoven loved his own turf, he was no rebel. In 1232 he packed his teenage son Maol Choluim off with King Alexander II’s campaign to Moray (the medieval Scottish equivalent of summer boot‑camp). Wi...

    Official Announcement:  A New Chapter  for Loch Lomond Clans DNA Clan friends, researchers, and DNA adventurers, After much reflection (and more cups of tea than any lab coat should legally allow), we’re widening our lens. 🔍 While the Colquhoun name—and all its spirited spellings, from Calhoun to Cahoone—remains dear to our hearts and very much in our database, it will no longer be the sole compass guiding our research. Where we’re headed Back to the roots: Our primary beacon is now the Fair Maid of Lennox —her paternal line of de Luss traces to Maldouen, 3rd Earl of Lennox . By following this ancestral branch, we’ll illuminate how the Earls’ descendants—Clans MacFarlane, Galbraith, Lennox, and the wider Loch Lomond kinship network—intertwine on the tree of mankind. Broadening the genetic net: Expect deeper dives into R‑M269‑L21 Calhoun testers while still tracking our trusty E‑M35 Colquhoun cousins. Understanding why “Colquhoun” sprouted so many o...