Information

Ceud mile fàilte!

Welcome to Clan-Fergus-deviants.

This group is going to be a unique concept I thought I'd experiment with. That is, with this group, I'll be making an attempt at catching the attention of any deviants who have Ferguson/Fergusson either as a surname or maiden name, or, have a surname or maiden name that is a sept of Clan Ferguson, or, have ancestors (mother, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc) who are have Ferguson/Fergusson as a surname or maiden name, or, have ancestors who have surnames or maiden names that are septs of Clan Ferguson. This group will give anyone who fits this description a place where they can share their art. What kind of art? ANY kind of art! The art genres accepted are global. However, while any kind of art is accepted, membership will be closely moderated so that we can make sure that members fit the mentioned description. The idea is to provide an all-art group for those who can claim to be, in some way, a member of Clan Fergus. Even women married to men who fit the description are welcome.

So how does this work, exactly? Let's start with a basic lesson on the "Clan" system of Scotland.

Long ago, the word "Clan" (Gaelic: clann) was not used so much used, so much as the word "cinneadh" [kin-EH] was used. Cinneadh, in early times, literally meant "tribe". Some people make the mistake of thinking that everyone in a clan is of blood relation, and furthermore, that they all descend by blood from the person who founded the clan. This is not true; some do, but most do not.
Essentially, a "clan" was not a "family". At least, not in the "blood relative" sense. Clans were basically groups of people - sometimes individual families - who pledged their allegiance and dependence to one or more leading families.
Often, one particular peerage of a clan claimed descent from the clan's "eponymous ancestor". Eponymous ancestor almost literally means "name father"; a single historical patriarch figure for which the clan "gained its name". However, not everybody in a clan is descended from this person.
Additionally, not everybody in a clan has the same surname.
The early Scots did not originally have surnames as we do now. They used patronymics. That is, an individual's "second name" was the genitive case of the name of their father by birth-right, prefixed in between with either "mac" (son of) for a boy, or "inghean" (daughter of) for a girl. Some women, upon marriage, replaced their patronymic with "ban" (wife of) followed by the genitive case of their husband's name.
However, somewhere around the 14th or 15th century, the English passed a bill called the "Act of Union", which eliminated this tradition, making any "patroymic" a person already had at the time their "permanent surname", so as to be passed down to all future generations of their family.
That said, we come to the point of "septs". Septs were family names which were dependants of one or more clans. Sometimes a sept was not a clan of its own. Sometimes it was. Sometimes it was a sept of more than one clan.
There were a number of ways a sept could be formed within a clan;
1.) An unaligned family looking for help could join a clan as their sept.
2.) A clan would save the lives of one or more important people from an unaligned family; their allegiance as a sept was reward.
3.) An unaligned family would offer gift, payment or tribute, or special promise, such as a wife, money, land, livestock, workers, supplies, artisan services, food, or allegiance in battle, as incentive to join a clan as their sept.
4.) A member of a clan was affected by the Act of Union, and their new permanent surname hence becomes a sept of the clan.
5.) Census errors on the spelling of an individual's surname; the new "erroneous surname" hence becomes a sept of the clan.
6.) Some Scottish surnames were never patronymics, instead being geographic or occupational surnames, such as "Fleming" (a Scottish surname of Belgian-Dutch origin, referring to the "Flemish" people of Flanders. A sept of Clan Murray), or "Fletcher" (both a clan itself, and a sept of Clan Gregor; an occupational surname referring to one who makes archery arrows). Sometimes, individual families within a clan would decide to "adopt their own surname", but also decide to remain as a sept of their parent clan. Hence, the newly spawned surname becomes a sept of the clan.

And there are probably other ways a sept could be formed within a clan, too.

So, a clan is really more like a "really big gang" in crude layman's terms. "A bunch of people watching each others' backs", with one main family as 'the boss family'.

So, if...

1.) Your surname or maiden name is Ferguson/Fergusson
or
2.) Your surname or maiden name is a sept of Clan Fergus
or
3.) You have ancestors (mother, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc) whose surnames or maiden names are Ferguson/Fergusson
or
4.) You have ancestors whose surnames or maiden names are septs of Clan Fergus
or
5.) You are the wife of a man who's surname is Ferguson/Fergusson, or a sept of Clan Fergus.

Then: You may feel free to join

Septs of Clan Fergus (in alphabetical order, including the two spellings of the clan itself):
Eshanian, Hemmati, Farries, Fergus, Fergushill, Ferguson, Fergussill, Fergusson, Fergie, Ferrie, Ferries, Ferris, Ferriss, Forgan, Forgie, Furgerson, Grevsack, Hardie, Hardy, Keddie, Keddle, Ketchen, Kidd, Kiddie, Kydd, MacAdie, MacCade, Madani, MacErries, MacFergus, MacFerries, MacFerris, MacFhearghuis, MacFirries, MacHerries, MacInlay, MacIrish, MacKeddie, MacKerras, MacKersey, MacKestan, MacMagnus, MacTavert

How do I join?:
Simply click on the "Join our Group" button at the top of the group page. When the box pops up, just type in a brief and straight-forward explanation of how you're member of Clan Fergus, and click submit. You'll need to wait until we can accept your application. Please be patient. Blank applications, spam applications, and applications that do not explain your connection to the clan, will be declined. You do not need to give us your full real name; if your actual surname/maiden name is a sept of Clan Fergus, then simply the surname/maiden name by itself is enough. No first names necessary.

Looking forward to meeting some clansfolk, and seeing their art.

Slàinte!

~"Seumas"