A CLAN gathering has spotlighted the remarkable relationship between one of Scotland’s historic families and a leading independent legal firm.
Lindsays supported heritage talks at the Clan Cameron gathering, which attracted global visitors to their historic seat on the Achnacarry Estate, Spean Bridge, over the weekend.
The event recognised the firm’s longstanding role in advising the family, a connection believed to be one of the longest in Scotland.
Michael Yellowlees, a Partner in the Rural Services department at Lindsays, holds a doctorate in Scottish history.
He is also a director of the Scottish Barony Register and an expert in clan-related matters and heraldry.
Dr Yellowlees has researched the connections between the lawyers and the landowner from the Lochaber Archive Centre in Fort William and other archives.
Dr Yellowlees discovered the earliest explicit mentions of Lindsays – then known as Lindsay Howe & Co. W.S. – in the estate papers from Queen Victoria’s reign, including legal documents from the 1880s. However, indications of the relationship stretch further back.
Dr Yellowlees explained, “In estate papers, there is a nineteenth-century letter from Lindsay Howe & Co. acting for the Duke of Argyll relating to the conditions for Lochiel tenants on the Duke’s lands.
“A further clue can be found in the Highland Council Archives in the form of an 1861 Report by Donald Lindsay, accountant in Edinburgh, on the accounts of the Trustees of the late Donald Cameron of Lochiel covering the period from 1858 to 1860.
“A further clue can be found in the Highland Council Archives in the form of an 1861 Report by Donald Lindsay, accountant in Edinburgh, on the accounts of the Trustees of the late Donald Cameron of Lochiel covering the period from 1858 to 1860.
“Donald Lindsay was the brother of John Mackenzie Lindsay who, in 1815, together with Frederick Fotheringham, founded the partnership that became Lindsays LLP.”
References to Lindsay Howe & Co. become more common during the latter half of the 19th century.
Visitors to the gathering, travelling from as far as North America and New Zealand, participated in walks, talks, and receptions to learn about the clan’s history.
Donald Cameron of Lochiel, the 28th chief of the Clan Cameron, remarked, “Ours is one of the proudest and most romantic clans in Scotland.
“As chieftain, it’s a privilege to spend time with those who carry our name or trace their family history back to it.
“For Camerons or those interested in Highland history, it was a fascinating gathering that highlighted our connections to some of the biggest dates in Scotland’s history. Many were enthralled by it.”
Clan Cameron consolidated its position as the dominant clan in Lochaber from the Middle Ages, feuding with other clans, notably Clan Mackintosh, for over 300 years.
One notable conflict was the War of the Three Kingdoms (1639-1653). On 2 February 1645, the Camerons fought in the Royalist army at the Battle of Inverlochy, near Fort William, routing the Covenanters.
Although Lindsays has roots in Edinburgh, the firm has acted for or associated with the descendants of at least ten main protagonists mentioned in the Battle of Inverlochy order – an intriguing historical coincidence.
