James Charles Macnab of Macnab JP (14 April 1926 – 11 January 2013), otherwise known as The Macnab, was the 23rd Chief of

Clan Macnab Clan Macnab is a Highland Scottish clan. History Origins of the clan Traditional origins The name Macnab is derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''Mac An Aba'', which means ''child of the abbot''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish ...

, and a member of the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland, is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a pers ...

, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

's bodyguard in Scotland.

Early life

Born in London,Clan chief James Charles Macnab of Macnab
''The Courier'', 26 January 2013 the elder son of Lieutenant-Colonel James Alexander Macnabb

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

TD, ''de jure'' the 21st Macnab of Macnab, by his marriage to Ursula Walford (formerly Barnett), of

Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...

, the young Macnab was educated at Cothill House,

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley or the College of St. Peter at Radley, is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent boarding school) for boys near the village of Radley, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingd ...

, and

Ashbury College Ashbury College is an independent day school, day and boarding school, boarding school located in the Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was originally founded in 1891 by former faculty of Bishop's College School in Quebec to acc ...

, Ottawa.'Macnab of Macnab, James Charles' in '' Who's Who 2012'' (London: A. & C. Black, 2011)

Career

Between 1944 and 1945, during the closing stages of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Macnab served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...

in 1945. In 1948 he transferred to the

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

Police Force, serving successively as an Assistant Superintendent, then Acting Deputy Superintendent, and retired in 1957. He returned as a Captain into the Seaforth Highlanders (Territorial Army), from 1960 to 1964, and was a justice of the peace for

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

from 1968 to 1975, then for Stirling from 1975 to 1986. In 1961 he was elected to the Western Perthshire District Council, and from 1964 to 1975 was a County Councillor for

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

. He became a Member of the Central Regional Council in 1978, serving until 1982. He was an Executive Consultant with

Hill Samuel Hill Samuel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group's Offshore Private Banking unit. It was formerly a leading British merchant bank and financial services firm before the takeover by TSB Group Plc. in 1987, which itself merged with ...

Investment Services from 1982 to 1992.

Marriage

In 1959 Macnab married Diana Mary, daughter of

William Anstruther-Gray, Baron Kilmany William John St Clair Anstruther-Gray, Baron Kilmany, MC PC (5 March 1905 – 6 August 1985) was a Scottish Unionist Party politician. Background The only son of Col William Anstruther-Gray of Kilmany and Clayre Jessie Tennant, he was bo ...

. They have two sons and two daughters.

Clan chief

In 1860 Archibald MacNab of MacNab, the 17th Chief, and last in the direct male line of Chiefs, died in France at the age of eighty-three. Sarah Anne McNab, his daughter, is now considered the 18th Chief. After she died in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

in 1894 the succession was disputed until the 1950s. After long years of research, begun in earnest in 1907, the Arthurstone Macnabbs, who were descended from a younger son of a Chief who died in 1645, were able to establish their claim. James William Macnabb of Arthurstone (1831–1915) is now deemed to have succeeded as 19th Chief, thus making his grandson James Alexander Macnabb (1901–1990) the 21st Chief ''de jure''. However, in 1949 his uncle Archibald Corrie Macnabb bought Kinnell House,

Killin Killin (; ) is a village in Perthshire in the central Highlands of Scotland. Situated at the western head of Loch Tay, it is administered by the Stirling Council area. Killin is a historic conservation village and sits within the Loch Lomond ...

, and a large part of the former Macnab estate from the Breadalbane Trustees, and in 1956 James Alexander Macnabb gave up his rights in favour of his uncle, whom the

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officer of State, Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scotland, Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...

recognised as 22nd Chief ''de facto'', while confirming James Charles Macnab as his

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

.Know Your Chief
at macnabclanuk.org. Retrieved 25 February 2012 In 1970 Macnab succeeded his great uncle, Archibald Corrie Macnab of Macnab, as Chief. However, he was faced with high

death duties International tax law distinguishes between an estate tax and an inheritance tax. An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and prop ...

, with the result that in 1978 he had to sell Kinnell House and much of the estate. He went on living at Finlarig, Killin, until 1985, when he moved to Fife following the death of his wife's parents. The Macnab lived at Leuchars Castle Farmhouse,

Leuchars Leuchars (pronounced or ; "rushes") is a town and parish near the north-east coast of Fife in Scotland. The civil parish has a population of 5,754 (in 2011) Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by Nati ...

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...

, Fife, and was a member of the

New Club The New Club is a private social club in the New Town, Edinburgh, New Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 1787, it is Scotland's oldest club. The club occupied premises on St Andrew Square from 1809 until 1837, when it moved to purpo ...

, Edinburgh. His elder son James William Archibald Macnab, (born 1963), became the 24th Chief of Clan MacNab on his death.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnab, James Charles 1926 births 2013 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Councillors in Scotland People educated at Cothill House People educated at Radley College Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Scottish clan chiefs Seaforth Highlanders officers Members of the Royal Company of Archers 20th-century Scottish businesspeople Ashbury College alumni

Early life

Career

Marriage

Clan chief

See also

Notes