Scottish Clan Book - MacQuarrie

Of royal race through their descent from a son of King Alpin, who reigned from 834 to 837, the MacQuarries were for centuries at the heart of the near anarchy that from time to time prevailed throughout the Western Highlands and Islands.

Deriving their name from a Gaelic personal name meaning ‘noble’, or ‘proud’, their ancestral home is the island of Ulva, off the coast of Mull.

Loyal to the Crown in times of peril to the nation, they were ready to take up arms in its defence – a tradition that stretched back to battling Norse invaders.

In more peaceful times, Lachlan MacQuarrie, 16th chief of the clan, entertained Dr Samuel Johnston and James Boswell at his home on Ulva in 1773 during their celebrated tour of the Western Isles while, in the form of ‘Macquarie’, Lachlan Macquarie, born on Ulva in 1761, is recognised as the founder of what became the nation of Australia.