Clan Macfie
are proud to make available an online electronic edition of the definitive
work on Macfie origins and history by Dr Earle Douglas MacPhee, founding
father and first Commander of the modern era of clan Macfie.
THE
MYTHOLOGY, TRADITIONS and HISTORY
OF
MacDHUBHSITH , MacDUFFIE CLAN
By
Earle Douglas MacPhee
(1894
- 1982)
M.M., M.A., M.Educ., LL.D., D.U.C., D.C.L.
Emeritus Dean
University of British Columbia
The late Dr.
Earle Douglas MacPhee
First Commander of Clan Macfie
In 1968
Dr. Earle Douglas MacPhee of Vancouver, BC, Canada, initiated a worldwide
movement to have Clan Macfie recognised once again as an active clan
and to have a new Chief appointed. Dr. MacPhee at that time was engaged
in writing a definitive history of the Clan and encouraging the formation
of Clan Macfie Societies in all centres of major Clan population around
the world.
The seed
was planted in his mind when he was invited to spend some weeks at a
friends' country house at Lochaline, Morvern, in autumn 1943, having
just resigned as deputy chairman of Short Brothers when the company
was nationalised by the wartime government. He had been responsible
for overseeing wartime production of bombers and flying boats.
His friend had an extensive antiquarian's library in his country house,
and Dr Earle availed himself of the opportunity to pore over the works
of Skene, Grieve, Loder, Grant and many other sources of ancient clans'
histories, while his wife Jean who had accompanied him, collected stories
about the adjacent castle of Ardtornish where chiefs of Clan Macfie
had been hereditary Keepers of the Records for the MacDonald Lords of
the Isles. Being a highly disciplined and tenacious academic, he committed
himself in principle to compiling a definitive history of our clan,
and the first edition was eventually published between 1972 and 1974.
*
His
efforts were highly successful with Clan Macfie being formally
recognised by the Lord Lyon as an active clan on 27th May 1981.
Dr. MacPhee was appointed the Clan’s first Ceann-Cath, or
Clan Commander, on 6th November 1981, but sadly he died on 25th
September the following year. Every year the 27th May is celebrated
by Clan members worldwide as CLAN MACFIE DAY.
With the permission
and encouragement of Dr Earle's niece Barbara, his monumental
work, originally made available in 3 volumes and subsequently
republished including extra information, has been scanned and
proofed by Robin McPhee of New Zealand as a set of pdf documents
for download by anyone interested. To make the information easier
to access Robin has updated the original volume numbering scheme
and produced 5 online volumes. |
Robin &
Louise McPhee
|
The volumes
and a guide to the contents of each are available here:
Volume
contents summary and downloads
*Source:
"Footsteps" an autobiography by Earle Douglas MacPhee, Published
by Versatile Publishing Co. Ltd Vancouver July 1978