Chiefs of Clan Mackenzie

The chiefs of the Scottish highland Clan Mackenzie were historically known as the Mackenzies of Kintail. By tradition the Mackenzie chiefs descend from Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st of Kintail (d. 1304) however their earliest ancestor proven by contemporary evidence is Alexander Mackenzie, 6th of Kintail (d. 1488). The chiefly line became the Earls of Seaforth during the 17th century but this title was later forfeited in the 18th century due to support of the Jacobite Rising. The current official chief of the Clan Mackenzie is John Ruaridh Grant Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie.

The current chief is John Ruaridh Grant Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie. His father was Roderick Grant Francis Blunt-Mackenzie, 4th Earl of Cromartie, who legally changed his surname to Mackenzie and was appointed chief of Clan Mackenzie by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1979. He therefore the second modern 'chief'. Roderick was born a Blunt and later changed to Blunt-Mackenzie after marrying Sibell Lilian Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Countess of Cromartie) and he inherited his titles and Mackenzie descent through his mother Sibell (even she only claims a Mackenzie descent as a great-great-great-great-granddaughter of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie). The Earl of Cromartie still owns lands in clan country however, the largest remaining Mackenzie landowner by some margin is Mackenzie of Gairloch, with an estate which extends to over 50,000 acres (like the clan chief, Mackenzie of Gairloch has inherited his clan name and lands through the female line). The last acknowledged chief through agnatic seniority i.e. male descent was James Fowler Mackenzie, VIth of Allangrange (died 1907).

The following is a list of some of the previous clan chiefs as listed by Alexander Mackenzie in his book A History of the Clan Mackenzie, published 1890. The last three, cited here, are disputed and the acknowledged chiefs were the Mackenzies of Allangrange; George Falconer Mackenzie, IVth of Allangrange; his son, John F.; and his younger brother, James Fowler Mackenzie (died 1907).

The question of the legitimate heir-male of the Mackenzie Clan chiefs is most contentious: the Mackenzies of Allangrange were acknowledged as chiefs, both by election (in 1829, of George F. Mackenzie by jury) and being considered the heirs-male of the clan by the Lord Lyon, as their progenitor was Simon Mackenzie of Lochslinn. Colin Cam Mackenzie's son, Kenneth Mor Mackenzie, Lord Mackenzie of Kintail, was father to both Colin (1st Earl of Seaforth), George (2nd Earl) and Simon of Lochslinn, (his seventh son).

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