Clan Mitchell
Paul R. Mitchell, Sr.
Mitchell? My father tells me that his grand father was Alexander
Buchanan Mitchell, born in Glasglow. Beyond that I have no
information.
Thank you,
Paul Mitchell
Sheila McGregor
sl...@xmission.com "Scott Jorgensen" writes:
> I've spent the last eight
> years of my life searching for information on my mother's side
> (Mitchell). She told me many years ago that our ancestors through
> her were Scottish, with a few moving to Wales for reasons I still
> haven't ascertained. During my search, I've been to Scotland three
> times on extended visits to try and gather genealogical information.
> Here is some of what I discovered about Clan Mitchell.
>
> There are two (not necessarily differing) viewpoints as to the
> origin of the name Mitchell. One says that it is a slurring of the name
> "MacMichael", and the other that it is a baptismal name (referring to
> the biblical Michael) coming from "Michel" of Norman origin. My
> sources in Inverness and Drumnadrochit tell me that Mitchells are a
> very old clan, which makes me wonder about the Norman
> explanation of our name. A map of clan regions shown to me
> indicated that Mitchells were predominantly from the northwest, in
> the area of Skye. However, many prominent Mitchells came from the
> east coast; a John Mitchell was the Bishop of Aberdeen in the 1400s.
> Clan Mitchell was granted lands by James VI of Scotland at Bandeth
> in County Stirling. Another Mitchell (the first name has eluded me)
> attempted to steal Dumbarton castle from the Royal Crown about
> 1420, but somehow miraculously managed to talk his way out of a
> beheading for his efforts (he was pardoned). Although at one time
> Mitchell was a powerful clan, for reasons I have yet to discover, they
> broke apart and became septs of a few larger clans: Innes, Stewart of
> Appin, and McDonnell of Keppoch, to name a few. Many of them got
> infamous reputations as "cadgers" (con-men? swindlers? something
> like that), but others also were noted architects, archivists, poets,
> engineers and designers. Perhaps this is why the Mitchell crest
> shows a hand holding a quill pen, although this is guesswork on my
> part. Our tartan looks remarkably like the Galbraith tartan (maybe
> because the Mitchells and Galbraiths were neighbors and went to the
> same weavers?), and our crest motto is "Favente Deo Supero". Most
> sources say that our plant (clan badge) is the Great Bullrush, but this
> is under some dispute. If we have our own pipe music, I haven't
> found out what it is yet.
I have some very vague information about Mitchell as a name. First
of all, a cadger was a cattle-drover, nothing worse. They may have
looked disreputable but between droves they were used for confidential
messages often involving large sums of money and were absolutely
trustworthy. This points to a Highland/Lowland position, and sure
enough Black has a Mitchell cadger in Carnwath, on the old route
south through Lanarkshire. This, I think, ties in with the name
Meikle, discussed some time ago, supposed to mean 'big' but also
linked to Michael.
However I don't believe either name has anything to do with
"Michael". The related name Mitchelhill, found in Selkirk, points
to a place-name origin. I have read that there is a place somewhere
in England, called Mitchell-something or other, where the witch
milked the giant cow. Sorry this is very garbled. I worked out
the word might possibly mean 'butter' or 'fat'; if so, it is
some kind of Gaelic, and a place-name, probably to do with good
grazing (the word "butter" also means good grazing, which may be
a coincidence) (or not). Where did the witch milk the giant cow?
I've been trying to remember this for weeks. It was unexpected to
find what I thought of as a Scottish place/sur-name in England.
--
Sheila McGregor
Scott Jorgensen
>Thank you,
> Paul Mitchell
Paul,
You and I share a clan, it seems! I've spent the last eight
I realize that this is some very general information regarding
Clan Mitchell, but perhaps something in there will aid your own
search. Good luck!
Gu nu slan dh'an
Chuideachd,
Scott Jorgensen Clan
Mitchell
Scott Jorgensen
Sheila...
Thanks for that interesting stuff on Clan Mitchell. I don't know
where you dig all this up, but it's always good to get your input on
these things.
Gordon Johnson
Read details of the Mitchell name in Black, G.F.: The surnames of
Scotland, pub. New York Pub. Library, 1946. reprints available, but
try any large library.
On "cadgers", some of my relatives were fish cadgers, and an old
trail in Angus from a fishing village was known as the Cadger's Road.
So, a cadger really amounts to a salesperson, peddler, small
travelling merchant, anything of that nature, not cattle drovers.
Sheila McGregor
kin...@wintermute.co.uk "Gordon Johnson" writes:
> On "cadgers", some of my relatives were fish cadgers, and an old
> trail in Angus from a fishing village was known as the Cadger's Road.
> So, a cadger really amounts to a salesperson, peddler, small
> travelling merchant, anything of that nature, not cattle drovers.
> mitc...@mail.snip.net (Paul R. Mitchell, Sr.) wrote:
Sorry to disagree or, as Jamieson's Dictionary would put it, to
caw again, but ca, or caw, is a walk (ie a road) for cattle,
from caw, to drive, because cattle were driven through on a
caw. A cadger was originally someone who drove cattle.
Since they spent a lot of time waiting around in places like
Edinburgh for a drove to go through, they were used to run
errands, hence cadie or caddy, one who gains a livelihood by
running errands; the caddies or cadgers of Edinburgh were formed
into a society for this purpose. They were dirty, ragged and
lived rough, since they were not natives of the town. The word
seems to have become linked with Fr cadet, for a younger son,
but Jamieson's examples make it quite clear that a caddy was
originally a drover. Chambers adds that it also meant a hawker
or someone who picked up a living on the streets. Neither of
them, strangely enough seems to have the word 'cadger' which
we both know from different places.
--
Sheila McGregor
Tim Allison
<sl...@xmission.com> wrote:
I missed the beginning of this thread, but I am of course fascinated. When
I've gone to Scottish Festivals, they told me that there is no Mitchell
clan and I need to find out what part of the country my ancestors came
from to know if I should identify with one of three different groups that
claim adherents named Mitchell. I would really like to know what you have
discovered
TIA
Carol Mitchell
Scott Jorgensen
ere is no >Mitchell clan .....
Nonsense. I've spent the last eight years of my life, and multiple trips to Scotland, researching the Mitchell clan, and they n=
ot only exist but have a looooong history there. The *ahem* FOLKS who gave you this erroneous information either had their mouths r=
unning before their brains were engaged, or were pulling your leg. The ancenstral Mitchell
stomping grounds were near Lewis and Skye, they are septs of the clans
McDonnell of Keppoch, Stewart of Appin, and Innes, their crest is a hand holding a quill pen, and their motto is "Favente Deo Supero=
".
If you want any more info on the clan, e-mail me and I'll see what I can provide you with.
If their were no Mitchell Clan, I wouldn't be here.....
Scott Jorgensen Clan Mitchell
ri...@columbia.edu
Please keep me posted, as I will you regarding any information on Clan
Mitchell. I've been trying
to track down information myself, but haven't had too much luck. I
believe they were a sept of
Clan Innes.
Thank you
William Charles Baird Mitchell
In article <4gcd7l$b...@Titania.wintermute.co.uk>, kin...@wintermute.co.uk
(Gordon Johnson) wrote:
>Sorry to butt in so late, just arived on the net.
>Read details of the Mitchell name in Black, G.F.: The surnames of
>Scotland, pub. New York Pub. Library, 1946. reprints available, but
>try any large library.
>On "cadgers", some of my relatives were fish cadgers, and an old
>trail in Angus from a fishing village was known as the Cadger's Road.
>So, a cadger really amounts to a salesperson, peddler, small
>travelling merchant, anything of that nature, not cattle drovers.
>mitc...@mail.snip.net (Paul R. Mitchell, Sr.) wrote:
>
>>Can anyone tell me where I can obtain information about the Clan
>>Mitchell? My father tells me that his grand father was Alexander
>>Buchanan Mitchell, born in Glasglow. Beyond that I have no
>>information.
>
>>Thank you,
>
>> Paul Mitchell
--
"Is there someone else up there we could talk to?"
Aidan O'Hara
I am reaching out to you from Storied Collection, a hospitality company that represents historic castles, manor houses, and grand estates turned accommodations in the UK & Ireland. We focus on connecting travelers with their ancestral homes.
We’ve discovered that the last name of Mitchell has ties to one of our member properties, Georgian House.
To learn more (or even book a trip!) here is the link to Georgian House - https://storiedcollection.com/georgian-house/
We’d be happy to create a custom offer or tour for your clan. Please feel free to reach out to our Managing Director, Michael Goldin, gol...@storiedcollection.com to coordinate.
If you’d like to follow along, our Instagram is @storiedcollection!
Thanks,
Aidan
Storied Collection
https://storiedcollection.com/