The Helix Heirs: Forgotten, Four Lasses Who Rewrote History

The Helix Heirs: Forgotten

Four Lasses Who Rewrote History 

By Tiffany McCarter Evans 

30 July 2025

The Lennox Chronicles | Clans of Scotland DNA Society

Disclaimer: The views and research presented herein are those of the Clans of Scotland DNA Society. This article is intended for genealogical and historical exploration.

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Graphic is A.I generated and created by Tiffany McCarter Evans

Introduction: Where the Past Whispers

Scottish history is not written in ink alone. It is whispered in glens, buried beneath cairns, and etched in the helix of DNA. For centuries, historians have accepted the male-driven origins of the clans at face value. But what if the founding bloodlines of some of Scotland’s noble houses didn’t come through the sword of a father—but the wombs of four forgotten daughters?

This is the story of Anne Kirkpatrick, the Fair Maid of Luss, Anne Colquhoun, and Elizabeth MacArthur (In order left to right)—women whose legacies may lie in the very foundations of Clan Colquhoun, MacArthur of Tirivadich, and even the fractured haplogroup lines we trace today. This article is not only the result of thirty years of historical and genealogical research—it is a call to re-examine what we think we know.

It is a theory. But it is one grounded in evidence. And in the heart of every Scot, the truth matters.

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Section I: A Familiar Name, A Different Legacy

In traditional narratives, Umfridus de Kilpatrick, later known as Humphrey de Colquhoun, is cited as the son of Sir Ivone de Kirkpatrick and Lady Euphemia de Brus, great-aunt of Robert the Bruce. His emergence in charters begins around 1226 AD, when he is granted the lands of Colquhoun by the Earl of Lennox.

But modern DNA testing tells another tale.

• Closeburn Kirkpatricks today consistently test within R1b > R-L21 > L1335, consistent with southwest Scotland’s ancient paternal lines.

• Yet, Colquhoun descendants from Umfridus’s line—including McCarter/MacArthur descendants and pre-1702 Colquhouns—carry E-M35 > E-BY5775, a haplogroup with links to Eastern Mediterranean ancestry, likely entering Scotland through Roman, Norse-Gaelic, or even earlier Scythian migration.

This discrepancy definitively rules out a direct paternal connection between Umfridus and the Kirkpatricks of Closeburn.

So, what explains this?

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Section II: The Daughters in the Shadows

History often forgets the daughters. And yet, when we follow the threads, they lead us to four women who quietly changed the course of Scottish legacy and genetics:

1. Anne Kirkpatrick (c.1175–?)

• Daughter of Ivone de Kirkpatrick and Euphemia de Brus

• Married outside the Kirkpatrick male line, possibly Gilbert de Kilpatrick

• Gave birth to Umfridus, born c.1190 AD, founder of Clan Colquhoun. Anne would have been approximately 15 at the time of his birth—a common and socially accepted age for noblewomen in 12th-century Scotland to begin bearing children. Her placement in this timeline aligns with known birth dates of her siblings and her mother, Lady Euphemia de Brus (b. c.1152).

• Introduced E-M35 to a line otherwise dominated by R1b-L21

2. The Fair Maid of Luss (fl. 1368)

• Heiress of Godfrey de Luss, 6th of Luss

• Married Sir Robert Colquhoun, 5th of Colquhoun

• Reinforced E-M35 in the Colquhoun-Luss line. Her father's paternal line was R1b-L21, the same haplogroup found in Clan Galbraith, MacAuley, and MacFarlane, all of whom shared early Lennox ancestry.

3. Anne Colquhoun (b. late 1600s, m.1702)

• Heiress of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, 5th Baronet of Nova Scotia

• Married James Grant of Grant, who adopted the Colquhoun name

• Their 4th son, Sir James Colquhoun, reclaimed the Colquhoun title

• Shifted the line to R1b-L21 > Z17274, verified by modern Y-DNA testing

4. Elizabeth MacArthur (b. c.1340)

• Possibly daughter of the MacArthurs of Tirivadich

• Potential sister of John “Iain” MacArthur, executed in 1428 by James I

• The 1495 charter names his sister's son or niece’s son, also John MacArthur, as heir—yet his haplogroup is E-M35 > E-BY5775, not R1b-L21

• This evidence supports the hypothesis that Elizabeth was the maternal progenitor of the subsequent MacArthur chief, likely through a non-paternal event that introduced a distinct Y-chromosome lineage. The haplogroup in question corresponds with that of the pre-1702 Colquhoun chiefs—specifically the E-M35 lineage observed in Sir John Colquhoun, 8th of Colquhoun and 10th of Luss—and may have been transmitted through him or one of his sons, whether born in or out of wedlock. Notably, this proposed event aligns almost precisely with the estimated timeline established by FamilyTreeDNA for when the MacArthurs diverged from the Colquhoun chief line, offering strong support for a shared paternal ancestry via Elizabeth’s line.

• This line includes Donald MacKartair (b.1628), great-grandfather of Moses and John McCarter, matching the same E-M35 lineage of Umfridus de Kilpatrick. He is their direct ancestor, providing clear genetic continuity from the 12th-century founder to 17th-century emigrant lines.

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Section III: What the Four Lassies Reveal

Year	Event	Y-DNA Shift
c.1190 AD	Anne Kirkpatrick births Umfridus de Kilpatrick	Shift to E-M35 (Colquhoun origin)
c.1368 AD	Fair Maid of Luss marries Sir Robert Colquhoun	E-M35 reinforced in Luss-Colquhoun line
1428–1495	Elizabeth MacArthur’s descendant becomes MacArthur chief	Shift from R1b-L21 (MacCarthy Mor) to E-M35
1702 AD	Anne Colquhoun marries James Grant	Shift to R1b-L21 > Z17274 (Grant line)

Each time, a woman became the genetic pivot point of an entire clan.

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Section IV: Scythians, Picts & the Arrival of E-M35

New evidence suggests E-M35 may have arrived in Scotland as early as 246 AD, carried by Scythian warrior tribes referenced in the Declaration of Arbroath. These warriors, painted in blue, may have intermarried into Pictish communities.

• The Roman Britons called them Picti, referencing their blue-painted war attire

• The Scythians were known for tattoos, steppe warfare, and patrilineal tribal kingship

• The Declaration of Arbroath claims they descended from 113 kings since their arrival in 246 AD—written in April 1320, this spans approximately 1,074 years. That suggests a generational turnover every 9.5 years, which may sound short by today’s standards, but could reflect early succession in tribal warrior societies where leadership often passed quickly due to warfare, mortality, or shifting alliances. Even if some were legendary or symbolic rulers, the number aligns with ancient traditions of rapid dynastic lineage.—perhaps clan chieftains of the Scythian tradition

• The E-M35 haplogroup lines up genetically and historically with a 3rd-century arrival

Where R1b-L21 dominates the Highlands, E-M35 remains the mystery inside the myth—a genetic echo of the painted peoples, still alive today.

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Section V: Sources and Supporting Evidence

1. FamilyTreeDNA Projects: Colquhoun, McArthur, McCarter, Grant test results (E-M35 & R1b-Z17274)

2. Closeburn Kirkpatrick Lineage Studies: R1b-L21 > L1335 SNP matches

3. National Records of Scotland (GD220): Colquhoun and Lennox charters c.1226–1400

4. The Scots Peerage, Sir James Balfour Paul, Vol. V

5. Bruce Family DNA Projects: R1b-U106 lineages from Annandale

6. Charter of 1495 naming John MacArthur as nephew and heir

7. Declaration of Arbroath (1320) references to Scythians and 113 kings

8. Archaeological reports on Pictish and Scythian material culture

9. Roman accounts of painted northern tribes and warrior traditions

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Section VI: The Call to Action

We do not ask for blind belief. We ask for collaboration.

• Are you a descendant of Colquhoun, MacArthur, McCarter, Kirkpatrick, or Grant? Consider Big Y-700 testing.

• Do you have records on early MacArthurs of Lochawe or Elizabeth MacArthur? Share them.

• Are you a scholar of Pictish or Scythian archaeology? Let’s connect our timelines.

Let’s put names to these mothers. Let’s honor the lassies who built the clans.

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Final Words: Four Lasses, One Legacy

“History remembers the lords. But DNA remembers the lassies.”

These women—Anne, the Fair Maid, Anne again, and Elizabeth—quietly shaped the bloodlines of Highland clans through marriage, inheritance, and survival. Each brought not just a name or dowry, but a genetic transformation.

And in doing so, they left behind a living record in us.

Because the old ways still matter. Because the truth still matters.

And because somewhere in the mists of Scotland, the mothers of the clans are whispering: Don’t forget us again.

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Contact & Join the Effort
📧 Email: clansofscotlandenquiries@gmail.com
🌐 Join: Clans of Scotland DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA
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