The Shaws are one the principal Clans of the powerful Clan Chattan confederation, an alliance of related Clans renowned throughout Scotland for its strength and tenacity. This group of Clans, including the Clans Macintosh, MacPherson, Macbean, Davidson and Farquharson would all amass under a single flag to confront any foe foolhardy enough to arouse the ire of the mighty Chattan. Clan Shaw descend from the early MacKintosh chiefs, who are also the leaders of Clan Chattan. It is little wonder that the Shaws have always been an important part of Clan Chattan, even leading the Clan during critical confrontations. The name Shaw comes from the Gaelic "Sheagh", stemming from an ancient Indo-European word which has given rise to a number of names for "leader" throughout the western world. These include "Shah" "Tsar" "Caesar" and "Kaiser". The legendary figure of Farquhar Shaw Mor, or "Big Farquhar Shaw", the great grandson of Angus, 6th MacKintosh Chief, was the leader of the Clan Chattan forces at the Battle of North Inch in 1396.
In this conflict, fought in the presence of Robert III, 30 Chattan warriors squared off against 30 champions from a rival Clan, battling with such ferocity that at the end of the day, only 11 of the Chattan fighters remained alive and but one of their enemies was left to tell the tale. In reward for his valour, Farquhar received the lands of Rothiemurchus, to which his grandson, Alisdair succeeded. Rothiemurchus is considered to be the original Shaw heartland, and it is in the Rothiemurchus graveyard that the final resting place of the great Farquhar can be found. By the 16th Century, the Shaw chiefs had shifted their residence to Tordarroch in neighbouring Strathdearn, where the Clan continued to flourish. However, the ownership of these lands reverted to Clan MacKintosh in 1760, leaving the Clan Shaw without a seat for its chief and clansfolk. The Shaws were undaunted and endeavoured to regain their lands, which they achieved with some success, purchasing back the Tardarroch lands, which the Clan Shaw still possesses. The Shaws were never reticent about taking up arms for the sake of Scotland, and their tradition of valour in battle continued through the centuries.
During the 17th Century Civil War, the Shaws stood steadfast beside Charles I against Cromwell's Republican roundhead forces, fighting bravely in the ranks of Montrose's royalist army. By the 18th Century, the Clan had rallied to the cause of the dethroned Stuart monarches, joining the 1715 Jacobite Rising in the hope of restoring their exiled king's birthright. Clan Shaw has produced some renowned soldiers, including the enormously strong Big Jack Shaw whose legendary service with the Life Guards finally came to an end at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Even his death was a source of some awe, with the big man slaying ten French cuirassiers before he lay down his life on the battlefield. Other Shaws include the famed playwright George Bernard Shaw, who was descended from the Scottish Captain William Shaw, who settled in County Tipperary, Ireland in the late 17th Century.
The 22th Chief of Clan Shaw is John Shaw of Tordarroch, and the Clan Shaw crest is of a hand holding a dagger. The Shaw's proud motto reads "Fide et Fortitudine" meaning in Latin "By faithfulness and fortitude".
Your ancestral
Shaw Clan Crest ring is a very powerful emblem of your heritage.
A true family heirloom, to be cherished for centuries by Your descendants.
