Clan Gunn
Clan Gunn, also known as Na Guinnich in Scottish Gaelic, is a Scottish clan hailing from the highlands of northeastern Scotland. The clan's ancestral lands include Caithness, Sutherland, and potentially the Orkney Isles. It is widely recognized as one of the oldest Scottish clans, with roots tracing back to the Norse Jarls of Orkney and the Pictish Mormaers of Caithness.
According to traditional lore, the Clan Gunn's progenitor was Gunni, a Viking adventurer who arrived in Caithness in the late 12th century. Gunni's wife, Ragnhild, inherited estates from her brother, Harald Maddadsson, who served as the Earl of Orkney. Gunni's lineage was allegedly descended from Viking warriors, with his grandfather Sweyn perishing in a raid on Dublin in 1171. However, historian Smibert asserts that the Gunns were of Gaelic origin.
Further information on the Norse origins of Clan Gunn is found in an article written by Michael James Gunn, who quotes Sir Robert Gordon's A Genealogical History of The Earldom of Sutherland from the 17th century. Gordon's work includes an interview with Alexander Gun of Kilearnan and Navidale, 4th Mackeamish, who passed away in 1655. In the interview, Mackeamish's family asserts that they are descendants of Clan Gun, whose ancestor was a king of Denmark's son named Gun. However, it is important to note that at the time of Clan Gun's arrival in Orkney and Caithness, Norway was a separate kingdom from Denmark, and the ancient Gaelic sennachies described the Gunns as Norwegians, not Danes. The Union of Kalmar in 1391 united the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway under the Danish crown.
