MACBETH family history: Perhaps the best remembered is Shakespeare's arch-hero who became King c.1040, and whose peaceful reign was far from the tale related by the 'bard' - although he did in fact die in battle, at Lumphanan - not when Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane as is often believed. The name Mac Beatha was also that of a family of physicians who served the Lords of the Isles, and such are thought to have originally come from Ireland in the train of a Macdonald bride. On the fall of the Lordship in 1493 they migrated to various locations along the western seaboard, but mainly to Penny cross on Mull, where they exercised their `physic' under the Macleans. Others duly removed to the shires of Inverness, Sutherland & Easter Ross and the name was also found in Moray where they had association with the Macbeans. In Angus, 'Mac Beths' received a charter from David II in 1369, but this family was of the ancestral line of the Fife Bethunes, who anciently held lands in the area. The later history of the Mac Beths, the Highland Beatons and Bethunes has become hopelessly confused for, in the various lands with which they are associated, both forms were used, often referring to the same family, sometimes even to the same person. Their story became even more complicated when many Mac Beths anglicised their name to Beaton and became further confused with a lineage of Bethunes.
Further reading:See the excellent Scotch history online at www.clan.com/history/features/origins and in particular Chapters 3 and the beginning of Chapter 4 are relative to Mac Beth’s reign. This historical novel PRIDE OF LIONS (ISBN 0-312-85700-4) by Morgan Llywelyn has a detailed genealogical chart at the beginning of the book showing the kinship of Brian Boru to Mac Beth.
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