Quick Review
With the understanding that there is much history that predates the family, which finally became known as Clan Uisdean or McUisdean in all its many spellings, we see that the beginnings of the family name are centered on the Isle of Skye, and with the rule of Hugh of Sleat as Chief of Clan Donald North, or Clan Uisdean (as this family is called many times in Scottish historical records). Skye, of course, didn't exist in a vacuum and we'll now look at some of the neighboring lands.
Neighboring Lands
NORTH and SOUTH UIST
The Isle of Skye is the largest of the West Isles. Not too far distant, to the west, are the islands of North and South Uist. Hugh of Sleat held a charter to lands on these islands too, and he is buried on North Uist at a place called Sand.
It shouldn't escape the notice of anyone of the similarity between the name Uist, and the name Uisdean. This is especially interesting when we see "uist" used in various modern spellings of our name such as my spelling of McQ - uist - on.
I have searched history books and the Internet and I have yet to find the origin for the name of Uist. It seems to predate Hugh of Sleat, and logic would say that he might have been named after an ancestor for whom the islands were also named. Hugh of Sleat had a great uncle named Hugh. This Hugh, however, did not distiguish himself in anyway and it is not a "given" that he is the source for Hugh's name or the name of the Uist islands.
Hugh descended from a great Gaelic hero named Somerled who, in turn, was descended from two men, very far back in his genealogy, who might also have served as a source for the Uist name.
One man was Eystien, a King of Norway. Eystien is similar to Uisdean. The other was Aoidh, which translates as Hugh. The McAoidh family lived in nearby Ross and from their name came McKay, McCoy, McGee and other similar names.
Finally, there was a knight from 1066 who married into the Lord of the Isles family by wedding the granddaughter of Somerled. His name was Hugh De Paduinan. It is from him that some of the Houston name claim their descent. He would not be a direct ancestor of Hugh but he may have lent his name to the family. He was a knight from Brittany, located near France, and Hugh is sometimes said to be a name taken from the French name of Huchon. It is also said to be translated as "Spirit".
It is possible that one of these men mentioned gave their name to the Uist islands and to Hugh of Sleat and it is easy to see that there may be much yet to learn. We do know that Hugh of Sleat and his family had many dealings on the Uist islands.
The final theory I have found is that "Uist" meant "West" and considering the Uist is west of Skye perhaps there is some merit here.
THE ORKNEYS
Above Skye, and Scotland, for that matter, are the Orkney Islands. It is here that we first hear of Hugh of Sleat. He is found in battle with the Jarl, or Earl of Orkney. The story is a good one, and a long one, so it will be told elsewhere. The Orkneys were generally ruled by the Viking family of Sinclair. Both the Sinclair and McDonald families used a ship with three oars on their coat of arms and this object is sometimes associated with the boat symbol of the goddess, Isis. Both families had a tradition of being related to each other, and also of being from the "true family" of the Peace Kings of Norway, although the Clan Donald Celtic blood, from Ireland, is given equal status.
Some of the oldest buildings in Europe exist on the Orkney Islands. A fair amount of important Scottish history took place here, and there are even traditions of expeditions leaving the Orkneys for North America, predating Christopher Columbus.
The Orkneys are particularly important to us because it was Hugh's battle there, and his subsequent landing on the mainland at Caithness, that produced the son who it appears is the next in line of our family name. Caithness is pronounced as Kate-ness.
CAITHNESS
Hugh's first son, John Makhuchone, had no children. Hugh's second son, Donald, was given birth by Elizabeth Gunn, daughter to the Coroner of Caithness, who greeted Hugh with a major celebration after his defeat of the Earl of Orkney in 1460.
Donald was likely born the very next year, 1461. He was surnamed Gallach due to his Viking blood, principally from his mother's side of the family. The word Gall has often referred to things of Viking origin and it means "stranger" or "foreigner". The West Isles were sometimes referred to as Innes Gall, or "islands of the stranger" or "islands of the Viking".
Donald was raised in Caithness by his mother's family and, when his half-brother, John Makhuchone (who had succeeded Hugh of Sleat) died without children of his own, Donald was accepted as Chief of Clan Donald. It is from Donald Gallach that the current chiefs of Clan Donald and of Sleat are descended. He also seems to be the source for our family line.
I found an old record that mentioned a person by the name of Nein Donle VickHuiston in Caithness. I would find that "Nein" meant "granddaughter of" so the person being spoken of was actually the granddaughter of a man named Donle VickHuiston. This granddaughter was found at the port of Thurso in Caithness. This port is exactly where Hugh of Sleat would have landed on his visit from the Orkneys.
I just recently learned that Vick is not to mean the exact same as Mc. Mc or Mac meant "son of" but the Gaelic Mec, pronounced Veck. meant "of son". VickHusiton then would have meant of the son of Uisdean, indicating that the girl being spoken of was the grandaughter of Uisdean, of his son, Donald. If this is the proper interpretation, then this means this Donle or Donald, spoken of, was in fact the actual son of Uisdean, not just a McUisdean, generally speaking.
This girl's grandfather seems to be Uiston, and his granddaughter is found at the port where our Uisdean would have landed. He was found in the homeland of Donald Gallach, son of our Uisdean. It seems very ikely that Donle VickHuiston was, in fact, Donald Gallach McUisdean, born and raised near Thurso, in Caithness.
If this is the case then we have the first two sons of Hugh of Sleat recorded as John Makhuchone and Donle VickHuiston. Hugh had four other sons, all by different women, and none of these are considered legitimate. Two of them had no children. I will explain all of this better, at a later date, but suffice it to say that it appears the McUisdean family and the current Chiefs of Clan Uisdean and of Clan Donald all descend from Hugh through his second son, Donald Gallach.
THE ROSS HIGHLANDS
Roughly speaking, between Caithness and the coastline near Skye lay the Ross Highlands. Hugh's great grandfather fought the bloodiest battle ever fought on Scottish soil over these Highlands, in 1411. Hugh's father became Earl of Ross, a title shared later by Hugh's brother, John, last Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross. It was in the Ross Highlands that John Makhuchone is first mentioned, and so these lands are of equal importance to our story.
OTHER ISLANDS
The spray of islands below Skye include Mull, Rum, Eig, Iona and others. Hugh owned land on some of these islands as well, though not on Iona, the center of Celtic Christianity for centuries. Further below are the island of Islay and the area known as Kintyre. Both would play important roles in the history of the McDonald Clan, though not particularly in our family history. Hugh's great, great grandfather was Good King John of Islay (pronounced eye lay).
John of Islay married Princess Margaret, great granddaughter of Robert Bruce, the hero king of Scotland and so we have a trace of his blood in us too. In fact, Hugh's grandfather, Donald, was both Lord of the Isles and grandson of the king of Scotland, King Robert II. This Donald was educated at Oxford in its earliest years of existence.
ARGYLL, PAISLEY, WIGTON
On the mainland below the Ross Highlands lies an area known as Argyll. Here the Campbell family ruled and we had many associations with them including war and marriage. Below Argyll are areas of importance such as Paisley and further south, Wigton. My ancestor, Robert McCuiston, was born in Paisley. Many McQuiston families (for that is how the majority spell the name there) are located in Wigton, and claim their family came over from Ireland.
THE EAST COAST
While Hugh and his family spent many days in Edinburgh meeting with the king, we had little association with the east shore of Scotland - places like Aberdeen and St. Andrews. We seem to have chosen the west coast of Scotland, the Islands, Highlands and Northern Ireland as our haunts.
THE ISLE OF MAN
The only other significant island of mention is the Isle of Man, which was much further south. It enters the picture in the early days when Somerled defeats the Viking king of Man, and later when John McCuistion, father of three 1735 immigrants to America, marries Isabel Crelon, whose family name is found on Man. The name on Man seems to have become McCoistan or McChristian in a few cases, and these then became Coistan and Christian. DNA research could help verify this someday.
NORTHERN IRELAND - ANTRIM and LONDONDERRY
The final piece of the old country puzzle is Northern Ireland, west across the Irish Sea. There is an area above the town of Belfast known as Antrim and just west of there is Derry or Londonderry. Antrim was the center for Clan Donald South. Londonderry was the home to some important family history, and was the jumping off point for all the major early lines of our family immigrating to America. These two areas are located at the top righthand corner of Ireland in an area called Ulster. This was home to the Ulster Scots, or the Scotch-Irish.
We know that Hugh's grandson, Alexander Gallach, came to Ballycastle, in County Antrim, about 1565. His son, Donald, also lived there. Later we find James McQuiston, and John and Alexander MkQueston all in this area. Eventually we find Daniel and John McCuistion in Dungiven located roughly between Ballycastle and Derry, although closer to Derry. There is not much distance between any of these places. It is quite possible that this represents the actual family line from Hugh, to Donald Gallach, to Alexander Gallach, to Donald, to James, to John and/or Alexander, to Daniel, to John. John is the father of the 1735 immigrants, Robert, James and Thomas.
DALRIADA or THE SEA KINGDOM
In the mind of the Gael, most of these places mentioned were considered as a separate kingdom from Scotland or Ireland. They were originally the kingdom of Dalriada and later became the Sea Kingdom of the Gael, led by Clan Donald.
Some claim a more lowland source for the Scotch-Irish race but I have a record book from the Scotch-Irish Society of America from 1892 in which the proposal was made that the original Scotch-Irish were the Gaels from the Sea Kingdom. In fact, we know that the oldest and earliest known mention of the name Scotch-Irish, on April 14, 1573, spoke specifically of Clan Donald in Ireland, and a handful of McUisdeans were in that mix.
Again, looking at this area with a bird's eye view, there was one big Sea Kingdom, albiet contested by Scotland and England, which was home to a race made up of Celtic/Viking blood, which was led by Clan Donald, and their branch clan, Clan Uisdean, the McDonalds of Skye.