Historical and genealogical essay upon the family and surname of Buchanan

FAMILY OF BUCHANAN. 139
rians, I judged it cannot be esteemed any dispar-
agement to me, or to the subject I resolve to treat
of, to be obliged to found the account of the origin
of the surname of Buchanan in general, and of
six of the first principal men of that family succes-
sively in particular, upon probable and uncontro-
verted tradition. In regard, conform to the more
modern method used in genealogizing that sur-
name, the origin of the same is extended to a
more ancient date than the reign already men-
tioned. Though, mean while, 1 am much more
inclinable to join sentiments with those of the
more ancient seneciones, or genealogists, who, upon
very solid grounds, contend the generality of our
clans, and more ancient surnames, whose origin is
truly Scottish, to be the real and genuine progeny
of the Gathelian, or Scottish colonies, which in
the several junctures before and afterwards, under
the conduct of the two kings Fergus I. and II.
came from Ireland, and planted Scotland. And
for confirmation of this supposition, these demon-
strate, that many of the most potent and ancient
surnames in Ireland are of the same denomination,
(except what must be allowed to some little differ-
ence of the dialect and accent of the Irish language
used in both nations,) with a great many of the
most ancient and modern of our Highland clans ;
as the O'Donels and CNeils with our MacDonalds
and MacNeils ; MacCustulas, almost the same with
MacAuslan, the ancient denomination of the now
surname of Buchanan, with divers others. A good
many of the clans do as yet closely adhere to this
ancient kind of genealogy. Some others of them.