Clan History

In 1160 King Malcolm 4th had cause to travel north to Moray to quell an uprising. He was aided in this venture by a Shaw Macduff who was the second son of Duncan the Earl of Fife.
As reward for assistance in this venture, in 1163, Shaw was made constable of the new Inverness Castle that Malcolm's men were just completing. He was also given the lands at Petty in the valley of the Findhorn river.
Shaw is recognised today as the first Chief of the Clan Mackintosh and the lands at Findhorn were to be the base from where the clan were to emanate.

One hundred years later the clan had expanded to such an extent that Ferquhar Mackintosh, the fifth clan chief, took the clan south to support King Alexander 3rd at the Battle of Largs in 1263. Ferquhar having survived Largs was to die two years later in a duel.
The chieftainship passed on to his his son Angus, who although a child at the time was groomed to the ways required as leader of his clan.
At the age of thirty he married Eva who was the only child of the Dugal Dal the 7th Chief of Clan Chattan.
From the time of Shaw the family had added to their original land-holding by leasing at Rothiemurchus ( which they later bought in 1464 ) and acquiring the lands at Meikle Geddes and the castle of Rait at Nairn. However during Angus's minority years, the Comyn Clan seized Rait Castle, Meikle Geddes and also the castle at Inverness forcing The Macintoshes further south into Rothiemurchus.
The marriage to Eva brought the lands of Glenloy and Loch Arkaig and stretched down the south side of Loch Ness to Lochaber near the foot of Ben Nevis. This also made Angus not only the Chief of the Mackintoshes but also the Captain of the Chattan clan. Angus and Eva at that time moved the combined clan seat to Torcastle where Angus was styled as Mackintosh of Torcastle.
At the beginning of the fourteenth century Robert the Bruce was securing his position in the country and in 1308 ejected the Comyn's from Inverness castle. Angus who would support anyone who opposed the Comyn Clan was a natural ally for Robert.
The Mackintosh Chief moved back into Rothiemurchus.

The Chattan Clan appear had been a bit more of an open family than other clans at that time. Possibly their woman folks were more handsome than others ( joke ), whether it was through marriages or not they had a lot of close associations or friendships with other family groups or clans.

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