Farmer claims Scots clan title

A retired Christchurch farmer has lodged a claim to be high chief of one of Scotland's most famous clans.

Colin MacDonald, 83, says he is a direct descendant of Alisdhair Macdonald of Glencoe, a clan chief who was among 37 people murdered in the 1692 Glencoe Massacre.

He lodged a claim with the Lord Lyon, the authority that deals with such matters two years ago, only to see it came under threat from another family line.

The Scotland on Sunday reported a love affair between Alasdair Macdonald's great-great-great grandson Ewen and an Indian woman which produced a daughter, Ellen.

Women cannot become chiefs but Ewen was said to have legally ensured Ellen would succeed her father, providing she married someone who changed his name to Macdonald of Glencoe. Ellen's husband did just that and the pair had seven children.

Whether their descendants legally inherited the honorary title should be decided early next year.

"I'm 83 now," says Colin MacDonald. "I'd love to hear about it before I go."