The Robertsons are one of the oldest Highland clans, traditionally tracing their ancestry to Crínán of Dunkeld, the 11th-century lay abbot of Dunkeld and hereditary ruler of Atholl. Through Crínán came King Duncan I of Scots, immortalised in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and from this royal line the Clan Donnachaidh — later known as Clan Robertson — emerged. While parts of the early genealogy belong more to clan tradition than provable documentation, the clan’s connection to the old royal house of Dunkeld is widely accepted in Scottish historical tradition.
The clan’s original Gaelic name, Clann Dhònnchaidh (“Children of Duncan”), comes from Donnchadh Reamhar(“Stout Duncan”), a 14th-century chief who supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Clan tradition holds that Donnchadh fought at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, although like many medieval clan accounts, direct contemporary evidence is limited. Nevertheless, the Robertsons were firmly associated with the Bruce cause and gained influence in Perthshire during this period.
The surname Robertson derives from Robert Riabhach Duncanson (often anglicised as Robert Riach, meaning “grizzled” or “brindled Robert”), one of the most celebrated early chiefs. He became renowned for his loyalty to the Stewart kings. After the assassination of King James I of Scotland at Perth in 1437, Robert Riabhach played a major role in pursuing and capturing several of the conspirators involved in the murder. In recognition of his service, the Crown confirmed and enlarged the family’s lands around Struan in Perthshire, elevating them into a feudal barony.
Clan tradition also states that Robert Riabhach received an augmentation to his coat of arms to commemorate the capture of the regicides. The Robertson chiefs thereafter bore a crest depicting a hand holding an imperial crown, along with imagery representing captured enemies in chains. Heraldic details changed over time, but the symbolism reflected the family’s loyalty to the Scottish monarchy.
The Robertsons’ history through the late medieval and early modern periods was turbulent. Like many Highland clans, they were involved in frequent territorial disputes, particularly with the powerful Earls of Atholl and neighbouring clans. During the 15th century the Robertsons temporarily lost control of parts of the Struan estate, though they successfully recovered much of their ancestral territory by the early 17th century, including formal restoration in 1606.
The clan remained strongly loyal to the House of Stewart during the Jacobite era. The Robertsons supported James VII and II after the Revolution of 1688 and later took part in both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite Risings. One of the most famous chiefs, Alexander Robertson of Struan, known as the “Poet Chief,” fought in the 1745 Rising despite being nearly eighty years old. Following the defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden in 1746, the clan suffered forfeiture of lands and political influence, although not all Robertson estates were permanently lost. Some members of the chiefly family spent periods in exile in France alongside the Jacobite court.
Despite these setbacks, the chiefly line survived. The traditional seat at Struan remained central to clan identity, and the chiefs of Clan Donnachaidh retained burial rights in the family ground there. Today the clan is represented by the modern Chief of Clan Donnachaidh, and both the names Robertson and Duncan remain strongly associated with the clan throughout Scotland and the wider Scottish diaspora.
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Clan Robertson and the Highland Clearances.
Its often been suggested that the Robertson clan escaped the worst effects of the highland clearances but the role of the Robertson chiefs in the Highland Clearances is complicated because different branches of the wider clan were involved in different ways, and later clan tradition sometimes softened or disputed their responsibility.
The chiefly line of the Robertsons of Struan does not appear among the very worst Highland clearing landlords such as the Sutherlands or MacDonalds of Glengarry. In fact, some clan histories argue that certain Robertson chiefs tried to protect tenants for as long as financially possible, even mortgaging or selling land to support clansfolk. However, parts of Robertson-controlled territory were unquestionably affected by clearance policies during the 19th century.
The clearest and best-documented examples were the Glencalvie (Croick) Clearance of 1845 and the Greenyards Clearance of 1854 in Ross-shire. These evictions were carried out by the estate factor James Gillanders on behalf of Robertson landowners — specifically William Robertson of Kindeace and later Major Charles Robertson. Hundreds of tenants were removed to make way for large-scale sheep farming, part of the wider economic transformation of the Highlands.
The Glencalvie clearance became especially infamous because witnesses described elderly people and families being forced from their homes in severe weather. Many gathered in desperation around Croick Church, where emigrants scratched farewell messages onto the church windows before leaving for Canada. The event became one of the symbolic episodes of the Highland Clearances. Although the actual removals were conducted by factors and estate managers, the landowners themselves benefited from the conversion of traditional tenant farms into more profitable sheep runs.
It is important, though, to distinguish between:
- the chiefly Struan Robertsons in Perthshire,
- and other Robertson landed families such as the Robertsons of Kindeace in Ross-shire.
Clan society histories often emphasise that the old Struan chiefs had already lost much of their ancestral land and wealth by the mid-19th century, limiting their direct involvement in large-scale clearances. By that period, many “clan chiefs” across the Highlands had evolved from traditional patriarchal leaders into commercial landlords operating under modern economic pressures.
The Clearances on Robertson-associated estates also left a strong mark on Gaelic culture. Gaelic poets condemned the evictions, especially James Gillanders, whose name appears bitterly in emigration poetry and songs from both Scotland and Nova Scotia. One famous Gaelic poet associated with the period was Eòghainn MacDhonnchaidh (Ewan Robertson), remembered as the “Bard of the Clearances.”
The Clan Today:
Although the chiefly family no longer controls the vast Highland estates it once held around Struan, Rannoch and Atholl, the clan retains a strong symbolic connection to Perthshire. Historic clan lands remain central to gatherings, genealogy, and heritage tourism, particularly around:
- Struan
- Loch Rannoch
- Pitlochry
- the ruins of Dunalastair House
Many chiefs of the clan are still buried in the traditional family burial grounds in clan country.