In this, the third of a series of articles on the McAuslands of Caldenoch, we will examine MacBeath, possible 11th Baron of Caldenoch.

Macbeath Macauslan, possible 11th Baron of Caldenoch, flourished circa 1390 to before 4th July 1395

The source for this baron is William Buchanan of Auchmar, who on page 164 of his “Historical and genealogical essay upon the family and surname of Buchanan” (1723), mentions in passing “one Macbeath Macauslan, proprietor of that little interest called the barony of Macauslan in the Lennox, who lived in the reign of king Robert III. and of whose uncommon stature and strength some accounts are retained to this very time.“

King Robert III (circa 1337 – 4 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. However, a “Johne MacAuslane of the Caldenocht” witnessed a charter on 4th July 1395. Therefore, if Auchmar was correct – and this was not always the case – Macbeath Macauslan presumably died between the accession of Robert III in 1390 and 4th July 1395.

As noted in another article, BigY700 DNA analysis has revealed that McAuslands of the chiefly line are members of haplogroup R-FGC32576, which could be associated with Sir Maurice Buchanan (or McAusland) of that ilk, 10th Chief of Clan Buchanan.

Therefore Macbeath Macauslan may have been the son of Sir Maurice Buchanan, 10th chief of Clan Buchanan and the younger brother of Sir Walter Buchanan, 11th chief of Clan Buchanan. MacBeath is also assumed to the first person who was not a Chief of Clan Buchanan to hold the title of Baron of Caldenoch.

The “Johne MacAuslane of the Caldenocht” who witnessed a charter on 4th July 1395, is assumed to be MacBeath’s son.

Sources

The source used by William Buchanan of Auchmar for Macbeath Macauslan is as yet unknown, and so must be read with caution. As Clan Buchanan International note:

“According to the Clan’s “Origin Myth“, Clan Buchanan can trace its chiefly line back to Anselan O Kyan (of the clan Ó Catháin), a provincial king of north Ulster (seat in Limavady, County Londonderry) who landed in Argyll (Scotland) in 1016. According to this story, for his services against the Danes he received from King Malcolm II the lands of Buchanan. 10, 11, 12, 13

“This account of origin, land derivation and name establishment is inconsistent with other accounts (in Ireland or in Scotland), as well as extensive DNA information collection, and is officially considered to be little more than a myth. 17 

“As such, a special meeting was held on 23 January, 2021 for the Conveners of CBSI wherein Clan President, David Byrne, informed all present members:”

 “…that origin myth has been in our history books and in our tents forever. Auchmar, in his history of the clan, was the one who really pushed that forward… and it’s the one everyone has clung to. It’s a great story. The problem is that it’s not accurate. It didn’t happen.“

Next Article in the Series

In the next article we will look the first McAusland Baron to appear in a historical document: John McAuslane of Caldenocht, possible 12th Baron of Caldenoch, who witnessed a charter on 4th July 1395.