Our E-M35 Ancestor:
"The Clan MacArthur Heir Who Changed Everything”
The DNA and History Behind the McCarter–Colquhoun Legacy
In 1495, a man named John MacArthur of Tirivavich stepped forward to claim what was rightfully his — the leadership of Clan Arthur.
He wasn’t just any claimant. He was described in charters as the “nephew” of the last formally recognized chief, Iain (John) MacArthur, executed by King James I of Scotland in 1428.
For nearly 70 years, the MacArthur name — once one of the most powerful in Argyll — had been in exile from its own lands. The chief’s execution was a political earthquake, and his estates were seized by the Crown. But in the political chess game of the Scottish Highlands, power never stays buried for long.
In 1495, a sliver of that lost birthright was restored when John of Tirivavich received charters returning him lands at Loch Awe. These weren’t the full MacArthur estates, but they were a foothold — and a statement.
The DNA Proof: 15+ Testers and growing, One Story
Today, through Y-DNA testing, we have 15+ McCarter, McCarty, and MacArthur male testers who all fall under the E-BY3078 haplogroup.
These men descend from Moses McCarter and his first cousin, John McCarter Sr. of Bart Township, whose lines share a common paternal ancestor in the haplogroup chain:
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E-BY3078 → E-BY5776 → E-BY5778 → E-BY5775
That final marker — E-BY5775 — matches the pre-1702 Colquhoun chief line of Loch Lomond.
This isn’t just a lab result; the dating range for that shared paternal line falls between 1400–1500, perfectly aligning with the appearance of John MacArthur of Tirivavich in the historical record.
The Working Theory
Based on the genetic timeline, the charters, and the family connections, my working theory is this:
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John MacArthur of Tirivavich, born around 1460, may be our first E-M35 McCarter–Colquhoun — or the son of the first.
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He could be the grandson of Elizabeth MacArthur, sister to the executed chief of 1428.
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Through Elizabeth, the MacArthur name survived, but the paternal Y-DNA signature shifted to E-M35, creating our line.
And here’s the critical point:
If this had been a true non-paternal event (NPE), John of Tirivavich would never have been named heir to the executed chief. His recognition in 1495 is, in itself, enough confirmation to give this theory real strength.
This was not an accident — it was a female inheritance switch, a legitimate and historically documented method of Highland succession.
Before the Fall: MacArthur as the Head Clan
Few realize that Clan MacArthur was once the Head Clan, and Clan Campbell was merely a sept under them.
The Campbells’ rise came later — and at the MacArthurs’ expense.
The 1567 Drowning at Loch Awe
By 1567, the balance of power had tipped. The MacArthurs, though diminished, still posed a threat. That year, Duncan MacArthur, clan chief, along with his son Finlay and several clansmen, attempted to flee Innis Chonnel Castle — the MacArthur stronghold on Loch Awe.
They never made it. Campbell forces attacked during the escape, forcing the MacArthurs into the loch’s cold waters where they drowned. This single act erased the last vestiges of MacArthur leadership and remains one of the most infamous examples of Campbell treachery.
Why This Matters to E-M35 Descendants
If you carry the surnames McCarter, McArthur, Colquhoun, or are connected to MacFarlane, Grant, Campbell, Lennox, Leckie, Bruce, Stewart, Kirkpatrick/Kilpatrick, Douglas, MacAuley, McKinlay, MacAusland, or Keith — this is your history.
You may be part of the E-M35 legacy — a line that survived execution, exile, and betrayal to endure for more than five centuries.
The Truth Always Finds the Light
History is often written by the victors, but DNA doesn’t lie. Our Y-DNA tells the story of the old histories left out.
Clan Arthur has new information on the drowning of the Chief of Tirivadich:
ReplyDelete"In 1567 AD a feud erupted between Duncan MacArthur of Tirivadich, Chief of Clan Arthur (Loch Awe), and Archibald Campbell of Inverawe, whose family had acquired the castle on Fraoch Eilean and neighbouring lands which had formerly been under the control of the MacNaughtons. The dispute was over the construction of a property which Duncan MacArthur was building on Inistrynich. Campbell sources inform me that Inistrynich had been leased from Inverawe by the 1st Earl of Argyll (d1493). The 5th Earl of Argyll (1532-1573) unaware of the lease agreement, granted Inistrynich (which was not in his ownership) to his lawyer Duncan MacArthur. Archibald Campbell and his son Dougall were furious but did not take their case to court.
It is believed instead, that Duncan MacArthur, who was the captain of the Campbell prison at Innischonnel, was lured to a false meeting with the Inverawes, and that he had to bring his charter and documents with him for proof of ownership of Inistrynich. It is also believed (from Clan lore) that Archibald Campbell had set a trap and Duncan MacArthur was ambushed from behind an island on his way to the meeting.
It is further believed that the Clan Arthur galley was rammed by Archibald Campbell’s galley and the MacArthur galley was overturned and sunk. Whatever the reality of the preamble, the historical result is that Duncan MacArthur, his eldest son Iain, and several MacVicar oarsmen were drowned in Loch Awe. (The MacVicars were a sept of the MacNaughtons and would have still held an interest in their former lands which they had been dispossessed of). It is not known if bodies were recovered, but it is unlikely.
The calamity caused an uproar in the Loch Awe community and would have had to have been settled quickly to avoid further conflict. The date of Dougall Campbell’s trial on 2nd December suggests that “The Drowning” occurred in November 1567."
This is available on our history page: https://clanarthur.org/history/
That information was deeply researched by Hugh MacArthur, FSA Scot, the Seannachie of Clan Arthur.
According to the Peerage of Britain, after Duncan and Finlay were drowned, the chiefship of Clan Arthur of Loch Awe would have passed to Finlay's son, John; then to John's second son, Patrick; then to Patrick's son, John; then to John's son, Duncan; then to Duncan's son, Patrick; then to Patrick's son, Duncan; and finally to Duncan's son Patrick.
The following is from Hugh MacArthur, also on the Clan Arthur history page:
"Life in post Culloden Scotland was harsh. The Chiefs were stripped of their powers, culture and people as the British Government smashed an ancient way of life and occupied the country. MacArthur of Loch Awe’s fortunes declined and the estates were sold off to fund a doomed sugar cane enterprise in Jamaica. Sale of the last clan lands were not completed until 1776 AD. When reminded that he had forgotten Inishail, Patrick MacArthur reputedly replied “Let the tail go with the head”. Clan Arthur’s Holy Isle remained unclaimed until recent years. Patrick “of Inistrynich”, the last Chief of Clan Arthur died without heir soon after arriving in Jamaica in February 1771 AD, and so an ancient and honourable clan lost their chiefship and their last toe hold in the ancestral homeland."
Kind regards,
JC Carter, FSA SCOT - Webmaster and Aide to the Seannachie of Clan Arthur, Trustee in the Clan Arthur Ancestral Land Trust, and representative of the Clan Arthur Association, USA.
DNA may not lie, but genealogy can get confusing, particularly when families used the same names generation after generation (Patrick, Duncan, and John). Also, prior to the 18th century, surnames were not fixed in the highlands of Scotland. Your surname was often Mac + your father's first name. The English forced fixed surnames, as they considered the Scottish practice "barbaric."
ReplyDeleteIn 1308, Arthur Campbell of Strachur, son of Duncan "Dow" and first cousin to Colin Mor Campbell (House of Argyll), fought alongside Robert Bruce at the battle of the pass of Brandner along with the MacArthurs of Loch Awe.
Arthur Campbell was made the captain of Dunstaffnage and given an earldom in Garmoran. He gave those lands to one of his sons while his eldest son was given his lands in Strachur. Both took the surname MacArthur, after their famous father. The son given Strachur was the ancestor of Chief Iain MacArthur, who was beheaded by James I of Scotland.
Bruce gave the land of Tirivadich, now called Hayfield, formerly held by the MacDougalls of Lorne to the MacArthurs of Loch Awe.
The MacArthurs of Loch Awe take their clan name (at the time it would have been Mac-ic-Arthur, or the Grandchildren of Arthur) from their ancestor Arthur Andrairan (born 1025), who fathered the lines of MacArthur of Loch Awe through his son, Patrick Drynach, and the MacArthurs of Darlieth in Lennox through his son, Duncan. Arthur Andrairan was also Arthur MacArthur for his father, Arthur Armdhearg (Arthur of the Red Armor) who was born in 1004 and was made the Earle of Lorne by King Malcolm II of Alba, grandfather to both Kings Duncan and Macbeth (yes, THAT Duncan and Macbeth).
Though, according to the Campbells, Arthur Armdherg's son, Paul, is the progenitor of the Campbell line, so technically, the Campbells and the MacArthurs share the same common ancestor.
The current Chief of Clan Arthur, John MacArthur of that Ilk, is the direct descendent of John MacArthur of Drissaig, brother of Chief Duncan MacArthur of Tirivadich (who was drowned by Campbell of Inverawe). This genealogy was approved by the Lord Lyon, who made John's father James, the new Chief of Clan Arthur in 2003. It was passed to John when James died.
That is very interesting information. I'm of a E-M35 Campbell line.. I'm possibly a descendant of this Campbell lineage prior to Arthur.
DeleteOf course, this is all beyond speculation but on the Campbell side, just a slight correction. In History of Clan Campbell, Alastair Campbell writes: Arthur Armdhearg and his brother, Dhuine Deudgheal (‘White-toothed’) were both sons of Diarmid O’Dhuine. Arthur Armdhearg begat Clan Arthur while his brother, Dhuine Deudgheal, begat Clan Campbell.
ReplyDeleteSo, while in the mists of fantasy, the MacArthurs and the Campbells share a common ancestor, Campbell historians believe that this ancestor would be Diarmid O’Dhuine. This is supported by the Highland Papers and Sharpe’s Peerage. It is also indirectly supported by the notion that the Campbells are known as Siol Dhiarmaid, ‘The seed of Diarmid’.