Clan Henderson

Clan Origin & Name

Henderson is one of Scotland's most widespread surnames — sometimes a clan in its own right from Caithness, sometimes a branch of the Clan Gunn, sometimes a branch of the MacKays. All trace their name to Mac Eanruig, son of Henry.

History

Henderson in Scotland represents several distinct families who happen to share the same anglicised surname. The Gaelic Mac Eanruig — son of Henry — produced Henderson across different parts of Scotland through different lineages. The main branches are:

The Hendersons of Caithness, who are considered a separate clan in their own right, with their chief territory in the far north of Scotland. Clan Henderson of Caithness claims descent from a Henry who was himself descended from the ancient Pictish kings of that area. Their chief's seat was at Longformacus in Berwickshire in later periods.

The Hendersons of Glencoe, who were the original inhabitants of the Glencoe valley before the MacDonalds arrived. The MacIain branch of Clan Donald who settled Glencoe are said to have descended from a Henderson through female line — making the famous 1692 Glencoe Massacre all the more complex, as the perpetrators (Campbell soldiers acting on government orders) killed a community with Henderson blood in its ancestry.

The Hendersons of Fordell in Fife were a family of lawyers and churchmen who rose to prominence in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Alexander Henderson (1583–1646), the great Presbyterian divine and drafter of the National Covenant of 1638, came from a Fife Henderson family and was one of the most influential figures in Scottish ecclesiastical history.

Alexander Henderson and the National Covenant

Alexander Henderson drafted the National Covenant of 1638, which asserted the rights of the Scottish Kirk against the religious innovations of King Charles I. The Covenant mobilised Scottish resistance that ultimately contributed to the English Civil War. Henderson represented Scotland in negotiations with Charles I and died, exhausted, in 1646. His influence on Scottish Presbyterianism — and through it on American Presbyterianism — was immense.

Henderson in the diaspora

Henderson spread widely across Scotland and is particularly common in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the Borders as well as the north. The Scots-Irish Henderson families of Ulster carried the name to America, where it appears throughout Appalachia and the South. Henderson County exists in multiple US states. In Australia and Canada, Henderson is a common Scottish-descent surname in all major cities.

Notable Henderson Families

• Alexander Henderson — Drafter of the National Covenant (1638), Presbyterian divine
• Fletcher Henderson — African-American jazz bandleader and arranger, of Scottish descent
• Rickey Henderson — Baseball Hall of Famer, the greatest leadoff hitter in history