ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1079 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1079 ************************************ From: "Brian M. Scott" 19 Jul 1998 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked for information about the origin and history of your Scottish or Irish last name, , and any coat of arms that might go with it. Alan Terlep, one of our members, has already referred you to a Web site that explains the complex relationship between names and coats of arms, so in this letter I'll discuss the name itself. is an English spelling of a Gaelic name, but without further genealogical information there appears to be no way to determine which of two Gaelic names it represents. In Ireland generally represents the Gaelic name (where the slash stands for an acute accent over the preceding vowel); other Anglicizations are , , , and assorted minor variants thereof. The name is of Scottish origin and means 'son of '. The personal name is a compound of 'black' and the genitive case [1] of 'peace, concord'; it is generally understood originally to have signified 'black man of peace'. [3, 6] One of our Irish sources gives a little history, saying that the Scottish family for many centuries held the island of Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides; our best Scottish source merely says that Colonsay seems to have been their home. A branch of the family settled in Ireland, in County Antrim, in the 16th century. In 1745 the Scottish clan supported Prince Charlie and suffered severely at Culloden Moor. [2, 6] In Scotland can also represent Gaelic , but 16th and 17th century evidence suggests that it's more likely to represent 'son of the servant of (St.) Cathbhadh' or the shorter 'Cathbhadh's son', especially in Galloway. The name is also preserved in the place-name (Gaelic 'Cathbhadh's Rock') in the parish of Inch in Galloway. [2, 5] In its older form it is most familiar as the name of a druid in the Ulster cycle of Irish legends featuring the hero Cuchulainn. [4] Emil Stecher also contributed to this letter. We hope that the information will serve you well at the king's table at the Texas Renaissance Festival; if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to write again. For the Academy, Brian M. Scott ===== Notes and References: [1] The genitive case here is roughly equivalent to the English construction . [2] Black, George F. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History (New York: The New York Public Library, 1989 [1946]) s.nn. Macfee, Maccaffie [3] MacLysaght, Edward. The Surnames of Ireland (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985) s.n. Mahaffy. [4] Squire, Charles. Celtic Myth and Legend (Hollywood: Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., 1975 [1905]), p. 162. [5] Watson, William J. The History of the Celtic Placenames of Scotland (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1986 [1926]), p. 174. [6] Woulfe, Patrick. Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993 [1923]), p. 122 & s.n. Mac Dhuibhshi/the.