Descendants of the O'Beolain Earls

Chiefs descended in the Pitcalnie line are shown to the left of the KEY CHART. For the most part, the transition from one chief to the next was a smooth process, but there is one example during events surrounding the time of the Battle of Culloden which is worth noting.

Malcolm #27, eldest son of Alexander Ross of Pitcalnie #26, was a student at Aberdeen University when the rebel ferment arose in that area. In spite of the fact that father Alexander had raised a Ross Independent Company and uncle Duncan Forbes was charged with the protection of Inverness Castle, Malcolm joined the regiment raised by the 3rd Earl of Cromarty in support of a Scottish king . . . i.e. Bonnie Prince Charlie, albeit a Jacobite. George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromarty, a Freemason, was Grand Master of Scotland 1737-1738 and his regiment of about 500 men fought at the Battle of Falkirk in 1746.

In tribal times, such high spiritedness in a chief's son earned clan respect when he, in turn, became chief, but in these times, Malcolm was disinherited and the Pitcalnie line continued through Alexander's second son who was Malcolm's half brother.

As we soon discovered, religion played a very small part in an individual's decision where his political loyalty stood. From the English point-of-view, all opponents were considered "rebels", and this stand is represented by http://www.ross-ter.com/Tales/OurPioneers/rebel.html. On the other hand, a number of factors swayed Scots to remain loyal to their own kind, and this view is represented by http://www.ross-ter.com/Tales/OurPioneers/patriot.html. [NOTE: Please use the BACK button of your browser to return to this webpage.]

The monument at the end of Loch Sheil to clansmen who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie Stewart at Culloden in 1745 may be visited at http://www.ross-ter.com/Travel/UK/2007/Scotland10/0067.html. The bridge seen in the Harry Potter movies is included at the bottom of the web page. On location, you could turn around 180 degrees from watching the monument to see the famous bridge of the Hogwarts Express.

When you view the chart of the House of Shandwick, you will immediately note that the transition from one chief to the next became a very disjointed process.

This line is descended from Hugh Ross #11 of the O'Beolain line and 4th of Balnagowan through his son William Ross of Little Allan, and it continued in orderly fashion to Walter Ross #143 (1st of Shandwick), Donald Ross #144 (2nd of Shandwick), Andrew Ross #145 (3rd of Shandwick, who obtained a charter to the lands of Shandwick in 1624), and Donald Ross #146 (4th of Shandwick, who sold the estate to his cousin William Ross #152 (5th of Shandwick in 1626, who became involved in numerous lawsuits and ruined his family's fortunes). William's son, David #153, was murdered in Invereshie forest in 1651 while travelling to Stirling in order to assist Charles II in an invasion of England. The right to the title of 6th of Shandwick fell to William's second son, Andrew Ross #154, in 1651. When Andrew died in 1675, the successor as 7th of Shandwick was his son Andrew Ross #155 but, aside from the small estate of Midfearn, all of his property (including Shandwick) passed to his stepmother by virtue of her marriage contract.

William Ross #156 became a writer in Edinburgh and attempted to re-establish the economic fortunes of his family but, unfortunately, he drowned in April of 1739 between Peterhead and Orkney without any descendants. Another son of Andrew, Hugh Ross #157 (Bailie of Tain), fought a duel with another person of rank, and he was forced to escape in exile to Sweden for an extended period. Of two of Hugh's sons, Alexander #163 died in infancy and Andrew William #164 died unmarried. Meanwhile, cousin Andrew Ross #165 had three sons . . . of whom William #167 died unmarried before 1765 and Hugh Ross #168 died young before 1749; Andrew himself was drowned in 1739 while crossing a stream in India. David Ross #170, the fifth of Andrew's sons, had a son William #171, who went to India and returned with sufficient wealth that he was able to purchase many properties including Shandwick; when the unmarried William fell in a duel in 1790, the properties were distributed to his nieces and other relatives.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Ross #161 was one of the beneficiaries, and a stronger line of succession was created through General Sir Campbell Claye Grant Ross to Ronald Ross (discoverer of the cause of malaria) and Sir Charles Campbell Ross, Q.C. (who was recognized by Rosa Williamson Ross, 13th of Pitcalnie, as her successor). Thus David Ross of Ross and Balnagowan and Shandwick, the son of Sir Charles Campbell Ross, became the current chief of Clan Ross.