Scottish clan Clan Grant. During the Wars of Scottish Independence, feudal tenures were introduced by Robert the Bruce that harnessed and controlled the prowess of clans by the award of charters for land in order to gain support in the national cause against the English. For example, the Clan MacDonald were elevated above the Clan MacDougall, two clans who shared a common descent from a great Norse-Gaelic warlord named Somerled of the 12th century. Clanship was thus not only a strong tie of local kinship but also of feudalism to the Scottish Crown. It is this feudal component, reinforced by Scots law,
Clan Trotter Clan Trotter Clan Trotter is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Borders. The name Trotter is believed to be derived from the French word which means "runner" or "messenger". There is a tradition that a brother of Lord Gifford was given the name for delivering a message with great speed to James III of Scotland. The chiefs of the clan in the Scottish Borders were the Trotters of Prentannan in Berwickshire. They followed the Clan Home on many of their forays across the border. A junior branch of the clan, the Trotters of Mortonhall claim to have held their lands