Click on above photo to enter site.

Castle Dunscaith, shown above, was the home of the MacUisdean or McUisdean family (with many modern spellings) at least by 1469, when Uisdean MacDonald (known historically as Hugh of Sleat) received official confirmation of his title to the peninsula of Sleat on the Isle of Skye, which is located off the western coast of Scotland. However, he initially received a grant to Sleat as early as 1449 and, in 1461, he signed a charter for his brother John, last Celtic Lord of the Isles, as "Hugh of Sleat." His first son, also named John, was born in or just before 1460, and a second son, Donald, was on his way within that same year, so 1460 is as good a year as any to date the birth of our name . . . a name which is now (as of 2020) 560 years old!

Uisdean's first four sons are recorded as some version of MacUisdean. This family name has developed into many different spellings over the last 560 years. The year 1460 is the most likely birth year of the name, and Dunscaith Castle is the most likely place where that birth happened. I have been researching this family's history for a few decades and have been online with it since 1996. This website contains the most comprehensive history of our family (with all its spellings) that has ever been or will likely ever be written. Unfortunately, it was built a little at a time, and new information is always cropping up. I do this as a hobby so, even though I am sincere about what is presented here, I admit it may need editing. Please keep that in mind as you read through the thousands of words I have written on our family. Click on the castle drawing above to enter the website . . . and enjoy.

BTW, I also have written a 286 page book on the family which is available on Amazon, called McUisdean. It is slightly more up-to-date.

Jim McQuiston

PS: You can also check out my old blog with some historical writings and analysis. Though I haven't kept it up, there are some interesting tales here to read, also. Someday I will get all of this organized better, but for now, you'll find it built a little bit here and a little bit there, as the years have passed. There is so much information, so many ways to distribute it, and just so much time to analyze and present it. You can reach the old blog by clicking here.

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