A sept ( / s ɛ p t / ) is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland , where it may be translated as sliocht , meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person (for example, Sliocht Bhriain Mhic Dhiarmada , "the descendant of Brian MacDermott"). The word may derive from the Latin saeptum , meaning "enclosure" or "fold", or via an alteration of "sect".
15-659: The Siol Murdoch were an ancient Scottish family and a sept of the Clan Donald or MacDonald, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands . Siol Murdoch in Scottish Gaelic means seed of Murdoch with the full Gaelic being Siol Mhurchaidh and may also be known by the Anglicised Gaelic surname of MacMurchie . They inhabited North Uist . The Siol Murdoch are noted for their feud during
30-643: A new loch, the present Loch Hosta, and in the resulting deluge many people of Siol Murdoch were killed. The survivors however attacked the Siol Gorrie near the township of Udal and there was only one survivor who found refuge in Lochboisdale . According to tradition there are those in Uist who pride themselves as being descended from the legitimate and honourable Siol Gorrie and not from the deceitful and illegitimate Siol Murdoch. A short Gaelic verse about
45-482: A sept of the Clan Cameron would have seen themselves as distinct within their own lands, but would have also seen themselves as Camerons if operating elsewhere outside Lochaber. Bonds of manrent and friendship tied obviously non-related kin groups into a wider military, political, and land/food resource sharing clanship. Today, sept lists are used by clan societies to recruit new members. Such lists date back to
60-574: The British Isles , were linked to particular clans. For example, the surname Miller / Millar was made a sept of Clan MacFarlane , and Taylor of Clan Cameron , Mason was made a sept of Clan Sinclair . Furthermore, patronymic forms of common personal names were also linked to particular clans. This has led to the false impression that many surnames have one origin and are all related to one another, and that such surnames are historically connected to one particular clan. Historically,
75-605: The Dál gCais , Uí Néill , Uí Fiachrach , and Uí Maine . Recently, Edward MacLysaght suggested the English word "sept" be used in place of the word 'clan' with regard to the historical social structure in Ireland, to differentiate it from the centralised Scottish clan system. This would imply that Ireland possessed no formalised clan system, which is not wholly accurate. Brehon Law , the ancient legal system of Ireland clearly defined
90-601: The 14th and 15th centuries with the Siol Gorrie (surname MacGorrie) who were another sept of the Clan Donald. The Siol Gorrie were apparently the legitimate possessors of North Uist but this was disputed by the Siol Murdoch and a struggle began between the two factions. The Siol Murdoch inhabited the valley of Hosta and the Siol Gorrie apparently dug away the soil embankment of a nearby loch, which in turn formed
105-477: The 19th century, when clan societies and tartan manufacturers attempted to capitalise on the enthusiasm and interest for all things Scottish. Lists were drawn up that linked as many surnames as possible to a particular clan, regardless of whether there was an actual historical connection to that clan surname. In this way, individuals without a "clan name" could connect to a Scottish clan and thus feel "entitled" to its tartan. Also, common surnames , found throughout
120-426: The Siol Murdoch is as follows: Gu traigh! gu traigh! Siolach a Mhurachaidh, Gu traigh! gu traigh! Siolach a Mhurachaidh, Gu traigh! gu traigh! Siolach a Mhurachaidh, Siol dugh nan car ! Siol dugh nan car ! Siol dugh nan car ! Siol nan cuilichiann or cuiligionn. This translates in English as: To the strand! to the strand! ye seedlings of Murdoch, To the strand! to the strand! ye seedlings of Murdoch, To
135-544: The chief's larger clan. A sept might follow another chief if two families were linked through marriage, or, if a family lived on the land of a powerful laird , they would follow him whether they were related or not. Bonds of manrent were sometimes used to bind lesser chiefs and his followers to more powerful chiefs. According to the Oxford Companion to Scottish History , the MacMartins of Letterfinlay who were
150-515: The clan system in pre-Norman Ireland, with its electoral system limited to the senior sept's members (see derbfine ), which collapsed after the Tudor Conquest in the 16th century. The Irish, when speaking of themselves, employed their term "clann", which means "children" in Irish . Common surnames (Redirected from Common surnames ) Lists of
165-457: The development of novel surnames and/or the rise of the family such that it may be considered a clan in its own right. Such septs were common in Scotland, where the clan system was well-developed. In the context of Scottish clans , septs are families that followed another family's chief, or part of the extended family and that hold a different surname. These smaller septs would then be part of
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#1732788089078180-955: The most common surnames by continent Lists of the most common surnames by continent : Lists of most common surnames in African countries Lists of most common surnames in Asian countries Lists of most common surnames in European countries Lists of most common surnames in North American countries Lists of most common surnames in Oceanian countries Lists of most common surnames in South American countries See also [ edit ] List of family name affixes List of most popular given names List (surname) [REDACTED] This article includes
195-643: The strand! to the strand! ye seedlings of Murdoch, The black-hearted seedlings! The black-hearted seedlings! The black-hearted seedlings! The seedlings of Murdoch. Angus MacDonald who was a member of the Siol Murdoch family (Sio Mhurchaidh in Gaelic) from North Uist was named as the last piper of the Great Highland bagpipes who could play the Lament for the Laird of Valley all the way through. This Angus MacDonald
210-428: The term "sept" was not used in Ireland until the 19th century, long after any notion of clanship had been eradicated. The English word "sept" is most accurate in referring to a subgroup within a large clan, particularly when that group has taken up residence outside their clan's original territory (e.g. the O'Neills , MacSweeneys , and O'Connors ). Related Irish clans often belong to larger groups, dynasties, such as
225-758: Was a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars . Sept Síol is a Gaelic word meaning "progeny" or "seed" that is used in the context of a family or clan with members who bear the same surname and inhabited the same territory, as a manner of distinguishing one group from another; a family called Mac an Bháird ( anglicised as "Ward") might be divided into septs such as Síol Sheáin Mhic Bhriain , Síol Chonchobhair Óig , Síol Sheáin Chuinn , or Síol Chon Chonnacht . Each of these individual septs may further subdivide into more septs, which may sometimes lead to
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