AboutKaye McAlpine Expertise Lifecycle (birth, marriage, death) customs in Scotland, Early Modern Scottish social
customs, modern Scottish social customs, Border March laws and procedures, criminal
processes and judicial execution practices, social history in Early Modern Scotland,
ephemera printing in Scotland. While I have knowledge of the clan system and function of
the clan society (Highland and Lowland), I am not a an expert in clan genealogy.
Experience Freelance tutor in outreach courses from Edinburgh University on Scottish Culture and Tradition, including lifecycle customs, broadsheet ballads in Scotland, the traditional ballad and history. Freelance writer, guest presenter on Ch4 History Hunters programme, contributor to BBC Radio Scotland's 'Songlines' series on 'The Dowie Dens of Yarrow'. Currently co-director of amedia production company
Publications Books: Forthcoming - Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, chapter on The Traditional and the Border Ballad; The Harris Repertoire (2000, Scottish Text Society, co-editor), The Ballad in History (chapter on Border ballads). Journals include Folklore, The Review of Scottish Culture,Sottish Studies, and The Scottish Literary Journal
Question My father was born & raised in the highlands (Wester Ross)& is 85, he is adamant that the Mackenzie clan battle cry was Cabarfiedh, while his knowledge of scottish history is usually highly accurate, i would appreciate if you could confirm or deny this as i have found no research 2 back it up. If you have the time or opportunity i would really like to know if this is true or not? thank you for any information you may be able to provide.
Answer Hello Calum
I've had a shifty around in books and online. 'Tulach Ard' was the clan's war cry (Tulach Ard is a mountain in the McKenzie heartland of Kintail).
Caberfeidh is a title bestowed upon the the clan chief - it means 'deer's antlers' and probably relates to the arms of the chief which features a stag's head with three gold rings set between the antlers. I think this is from the Seaforth McKenzies.
'Incorporating the original Mackenzie shield of a Stag's Head with the motto: "Cuidich 'N Righ" meaning "Help the King". The motto and stag's head come from the heroic rescue of King Alexander III by Colin MacCoinneach in 1263 who saved the king from a charging stag by shooting it dead with an arrow. For this deed and for his victory at the battle of Largs against the Danes in 1263, he was awarded the lands of Kintail, the free Barony of Kintail, the arms of a golden stag's head with a trickle of blood from between its eyes on a blue background and the right to be the hereditary Royal body guard (a tradition that was upheld until the battle of Pinkie in 1547).'
It may be that the McKenzies may also have used 'caberfeidh' as a rallying cry - and this is only a surmise on my behalf - a bit like 'to the chief', or to use a movie reference, Eomer's cry 'To the King!' during the battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers.
It may be that your father has got the mottos and the war cries mixed up, but the war cry - according to the clan pages, as well as my rather old books - is Tulach Ard ('the high hill')
