Articles

We are collecting together a set of articles about the Clan, its history and genealogy. In the main these were originally written either for the annual Clan Newsletter or for a Branch newsletter or web site. There is also a companion list of books.

Contributions of articles to add to this list are always welcome!

The following articles are classified into a number of categories to make search easier. Within a category, except where alphabetical order is most appropriate, the articles are listed in reverse order of publication since knowledge of the Clan's history and genealogy has developed over the years and it is usually easiest to the start with the latest view and work back to see how this has developed.

The articles were mostly originally published on the Clan Society's web sites, this one and the branch sites, particularly the Australian and New Zealand ones which contain a lot of this material. In the case of the branch sites we have chosen those articles with a likely international interest so, if you are specifically interested in the Clan in a particular country (or just want to know more), please also look at that country's site; there's a wealth of interesting information on them. Note also that newsletter articles have sometimes been collected together into book form and are listed on that page (see above).

The links below are often to a complete publication, eg a newsletter, in which the article appeared with a page reference given alongside. The New Zealand site has its own page with an index to its articles and this is well worth visiting in addition to those listed below.

Clan Genealogy - Historical

  • Who was the Rightful Chief Of The Clan? – a 19th Century Controversy; Dr Alister Farquhar Matheson; Article (Mar 2026) copied from the author's Web Site.
  • Genealogy Corner - The Clan's links to Europe; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2023, pps 9,10.
  • Genealogy Corner - Matheson Clerics in Sutherland; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2022, pps 8,9.
  • Genealogy of the Mathesons in Norway (1639-); Einar Christian Matheson; Clan Newsletter 2016, p11.
  • Genealogy Corner - The Mathesons of Assynt; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2013, pps 3,4.
  • Genealogy Corner - The Shinness Mathesons; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2012, pps 3,4.
  • The Churchyard at Kirkton of Lochalsh; Major Sir Torquhil Matheson, Bart. Article extracted from Clan Newsletter 1969.
    As well as some gravestone inscriptions from The Churchyard at Kirkton of Lochalsh, this article contains general observations from the Clan Chief at the time about Clan history, including the need for contributions from members - still as true today as it was in 1969!

Clan Genealogy - DNA based

  • Genealogy Corner - Using DNA Y chromosome testing; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2020, pps 17,18.
  • Where to start with DNA analysis; Colin Matheson; Australian Branch Newsletter May 2020, pps 4-5.
  • How Unique is Matheson DNA?; Alice M. Fairhurst; Clan Newsletter 2013, pps 10,11.
  • Clan DNA News - December 2011; Alice M. Fairhurst; Clan Newsletter 2012, p10.
  • Clan Matheson DNA Project Update; Alice M. Fairhurst; Clan Newsletter 2011, p10.
  • DNA News; Alice M. Fairhurst; Clan Newsletter 2009, p7.
  • Genealogies of the Mathesons; William Matheson; Article published in Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness 47 (1971-72): 172-217.
    Builds on "History of the Mathesons" (see books list) based on more recent research mainly on the Mathesons of Lochalsh and the Isles, introducing new material and clarifying some issues from the book. There has been work towards producing a 3rd edition of the book based on this.

Clan History

  • Introduction to the Matheson Timeline (1200-1607); Dr Alister Farquhar Matheson; PDF Article (Mar 2025) copied from the author's Web Site.
  • What were the Politics that led to the End of the House of Alister MacMurchy?; Dr Alister Farquhar Matheson; PDF Part 1 (Feb 2025), Part 2 (Mar 2025) copied from the author's Web Site.
  • After the Battle of Poul An Tarie; Dr Alister Farquhar Matheson; PDF Part 1 (Sep 2023), Part 2 (Dec 2023) copied from the author's Web Site.
  • Genealogy Corner - How the Clan's varying fortunes depended on kinship, alliances and the tacksmen; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2021, pps 8,9.
  • Matheson Manuscripts; Colin Matheson; Australian Branch Newsletter Dec 2021, pps 6-9.
    The three manuscripts leading to the History of the Mathesons, 2nd Edition, with especial emphasis on the Iomaire manuscript.
  • Scottish Emigration to Victoria in the 19th Century; Margaret Fleming; original article.
  • Mapping Mathesons - Migration within the UK; Andrew Matheson; NZ Website article.
  • Genealogy Corner - Expanding the Clan Society's collective historical memory; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2019, p18.
  • Genealogist Corner - Our Pictish Roots; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2017, pps 6,7.
  • Genealogist Corner - The Military Role of the Mathesons; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2023, p3.
  • Early History of the Clan in Ireland and Scotland; R.J. Matheson; Article extracted from Clan Newsletter 1972.

Techniques and Tools

  • Online Family Trees; Andrew Matheson; NZ Website article.
  • Free and Freemium Websites; Andrew Matheson; NZ Website article.
  • Planning the order in a Family History Book - Notes for a lecture; Margaret Fleming; Australian Branch Newsletter May 2022, pps 7-9.

Maps

  • Useful Maps of the NW Highlands; Dr Alister Farquhar Matheson; PDF Maps (Feb 2025) copied from the author's Web Site where they accompany several of his articles also reproduced here. They are also useful accompaniment to other articles on this site and more generally.
  • Traditional Sites of Matheson History in Lochalsh; Torquil Matheson of Matheson; PDF map produced to accompany his book of the same title (see Books page).
  • Maps - Linking People to Places; Andrew Matheson; NZ Website article.

General

  • Glenmorangie - Single Malt Scotch Whisky; Colin Matheson; Article from the Australian Branch web site.
  • Clan Matheson Tartans; Colin Matheson; Australian Branch Newsletter May 2022, pps 4-9.
    A detailed explanation of the various versions of the Matheson Tartan.
  • Genealogy Corner - Claims over succession to the chiefships of clans; John Faid; Clan Newsletter 2011, p3.

Individuals and Families