Pedigrees, Power And Clanship: The Genealogical Work Of David Sellar. Author: Hector L. MacQueen1
ABSTRACT
This article presents an overview and critique of the genealogical writings of the late David Sellar (1941-2019), Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland 2008-2014. Sellar focussed on the medieval genealogies of the chiefs of the West Highlands and Islands, especially Somerled and his descendants, the MacDonalds, and the MacDougalls. He was also interested in the Gaelic-Norse descent of the MacLeods and the Nicolsons as well as the possibly British Campbells, while he posited an Irish-Gaelic settlement of the lands of Cowal and Knapdale. While some of his findings have been overturned by more recent scholarship and the findings of DNA research, Sellar was a pioneer in his field who established a genealogical methodology of enduring value and use in the broader context of research, not just in Scotland, but also in other parts of the British Isles and in continental Europe.