Deriving their name from the word toiseach meaning “leader”, the first chief of Clan MacIntosh was Shaw, second son of Duncan MacDuff, Earl of Fife of the royal house of Dalriada (a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western coast of Scotland and the north-eastern coast of Ireland).
Shaw would initially rise to prominence as an ally of King Malcolm IV on an expedition to Morayshire in 1160 and he was rewarded for his efforts with land in the Findhorn valley to the east of Inverness. These lands would go on to become the traditional heartlands of the clan and the burial place of the clan’s chiefs.
The clan would continue to be heavily involved in national affairs even after the death of shaw and Ferquhar, the fifth chief, would fight alongside Scottish forces at the Battle of Largs in 1263 as he was killed in a duel whilst trying to suppress an invasion by Norweigan forces.
Dying at such a young age, Ferquhar left his infant son, Angus, as his heir and the young chief would be raised by his uncle, Alexander of Islay, the Lord of the Isles. Despite losing his father at such a young age, this move to the court of his uncle had undoubted benefits for both Angus and his clan as Alexander’s influence led to him gaining a splendid match and the marriage of Eva, the only daughter of Dougal Dal, chief of Clan Chattan.
Bringing with her the lands of Glenloy and Loch Arkaig, the influence and reach of the MacIntosh chiefs grew significantly and this would only increase further as the MacIntoshes became the dominant family within the confederation of clans known as ‘Clan Chattan’.
From this dominant position, the chiefs would then support Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence before an inter-family conflict led to the chiefship changing hands as the ninth chief, Ferquhar, was forced to surrender his title in favour of Malcolm, a stronger leader who would extend the influence of the clan even further. In particular, Malcolm is famous for his bitter feud with the Comyn clan over the control of lands at Meikle Geddes and Rait as he retaliated against the Comyns’ capture of the territory by killing numerous leading members of the family.
After an unsuccessful attempt to drown the MaIntoshes as revenge their relatives’ deaths, there was an effort to end the feud as a feast of reconciliation was hosted at the Comyn’s castle in Rait. This was, however, a trap gone wrong by the Comyns as despite them planning to slaughter the MacIntoshes upon the appearance of a bull’s head in the banquet hall, the MacIntosh men were alerted before the event was to take place and slaughtered their hosts before the reverse could happen to them.
From this point onwards, the MacIntosh clan would become the strongest clan in the area to the south of Inverness and would remain so until their numbers were decimated following their support of the Jacobite pretenders during the uprisings of the 18th century. In particular, many defeated clansmen were transported to America following the Battle of Preston in 1715 and it is from here that the family’s presence would grow in the New World while shrinking in their traditional home.
In more recent times, the clan’s chiefs would remain resident at their seat of Moy Hall until the death of Lachlan, Lord Lieutenant of Lochaber in 1996. He has since been succeeded by his son John, who despite living in Singapore, continues to participate in clan duties as the chief of Clan MacIntosh and the President of the Clan Chattan Confederation.