The family's financial setbacks ultimately led to the loss of Cromarty and many other important Urquhart lands in the Black Isle. Yet support for the royal Stuart cause continued unabated. The 15th Chief, Col. James Urquhart of Cromarty took an active part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and later served as principal Jacobite agent in Scotland for the exiled King James, father of Prince Charles Edward, Bonnie Prince Charlie.

At the death of Colonel James in 1741, the chiefship of the clan passed to his cousin, William Urquhart of Meldrum in Aberdeenshire. From then until 1898 Meldrum was the seat of the chief. Kenneth Urquhart explains that "This came to an end at the death of the 21st Chief of Clan Urquhart, Major Beauchamp Colclough Urquhart of Meldrum, an officer of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. A bachelor, he was killed in action in 1898 at the Battle of Atbara during the Sudan Campaign. The chiefship then passed to his nearest male relative, his cousin, Rev. Edward William Urquhart who died in 1916; then it passed to Edward's cousin, David Urquhart of Braelangwell, head of a younger branch of the family.

"By the time David became chief, the house and most of the land of Braelangwell had been lost as the result of the extravagant lifestyle of his uncle, Charles Gordon Urquhart, an officer in the Scots Greys who was killed in 1828 while serving as Governor of the Island of Karabusa during the Greek War of Independence. All that remained of the Braelangwell estate for David to inherit was the ancient little church and burial ground of Kirkmichael on the south shore of the Cromarty Firth."

By this time many Urquharts had migrated from Scotland to other parts of the world. Among those who had established themselves in North America was George Urquhart, ancestor of the present chief. Kenneth describes how, "in 1766, hoping to make his fortune in the New World, George Urquhart, a younger son of the Urquhart of Braelangwell line, set sail for what was then British West Florida, settling initially in the capital Pensacola and then moving to the Mississippi River in 1772. At various points in his career George served as a member of the Assembly of West Florida, a Justice of the Peace, Deputy Collector of Customs, and a Magistrate while becoming a successful indigo planter, merchant and businessman. When he died in 1779, his widow and two young sons moved to New Orleans, capital of Spanish Louisiana, the colony adjacent to British West Florida. Our line of Urquharts has remained there to this day.

"George's great-great grandson, Wilkins Fisk Urquhart, was my father. After establishing his identity as ‘Urquhart of Braelangwell’, he was recognised by the Lord Lyon as Chief of the Name and Head of Clan Urquhart in 1959 - assuming a role which had lain dormant since 1934 when the 24th Chief, Francis Fortescue Urquhart of Braelangwell - his cousin - died."

In 1974 Kenneth Trist Urquhart succeeded his father as 26th Chief of Clan Urquhart. Sharing a passion for history, father and son collaborated on a number of important historical and cultural projects. They were responsible for saving the Confederate Museum in New Orleans from closure and they also played crucial roles in the revival of the Louisiana Historical Association and its transformation into the leading historical association in the State of Louisiana.

Retired academics, the current Clan Chief and his wife, Mary Virginia, are now devoting much of their time to researching Clan Urquhart in preparation for writing a comprehensive history. Kenneth views the role of Clan Chief as very important. The living embodiment of the chiefs who went before him, he has the responsibility of leading and inspiring the clan. Much of his time is devoted to the preservation of the clan’s heritage, and to making Urquharts throughout the world aware of it.

An important date that will undoubtedly go down in clan history is that of May 1994 when members of the Clan Urquhart gathered in Scotland for the first international family reunion in modern times. "This event", says Kenneth, "fulfilled the long-standing desire of the chief and the Clan Urquhart Association that an international gathering of Urquharts be held in Scotland." Although he did not live to participate in the 1994 gathering, a major force in bringing it about was Major-General Robert Elliott ("Roy") Urquhart, a distinguished hero of WWII whose bravery as Commander of the British First Airborne Division at Arnhem has gone down in history and who was immortalised by Sean Connery in the film A Bridge too Far. General Urquhart was appointed Commissioner of Clan Urquhart for Scotland by the chief in 1982 and he took the lead, assisted by Bruce Urquhart of Craigston, in organising the British branch of the Clan Urquhart Association which had been established as an international organisation in 1976 by the Chief of the Clan. The British branch, under the leadership of General Urquhart’s son, Adam, was responsible for organising the 1994 international gathering.

At the 1994 clan reunion, family members from various parts of the UK and overseas joined together to renew their commitment to the heritage of their clan and to celebrate their pride in being Urquharts. They visited places of historical significance to the clan, being welcomed at Craigston Castle and visiting the town of Cromarty and the eighteenth-century Cromarty House, built on the site of the clan's old castle.

In 1999 a second international gathering was held, when the programme of events included the dedication of the Clan Urquhart Room in the old, restored Cromarty Courthouse located in the town where for centuries Urquhart barons and sheriffs officiated over the local population, maintaining the peace and dispensing justice. They also made a pilgrimage to the clan’s birthplace, Glen Urquhart, and visited Urquhart Castle on the shoreline of Loch Ness - home to a legendary and elusive monster reputedly first spied by St. Columba on his mission to convert the Gaels to Christianity.

Today members of the clan are widely scattered throughout the world. The 26th Clan Chief explains: "We Urquharts have become a worldwide family, Scottish by origin and Scottish by conscious choice; a family of members who, despite their diversity, view themselves as one; and proudly call themselves 'Urquharts'. We look to Scotland as our home and we have a special attachment to Glen Urquhart, Cromarty, and the Urquhart estates in Aberdeenshire.

"It is our hope that Clan Urquhart will grow and prosper and that its Association and its projects to preserve and promote the heritage of the clan will be successful. One of Clan Urquhart's great challenges in the twenty-first century is the restoration of Castle Craig, our historic hereditary seat overlooking the Cromarty Firth. The restored castle would provide a permanent clan centre and a base in Scotland for all members of Clan Urquhart. In pursuit of this end, as in all things, let us live up to our ancient clan motto: 'Meane Weil, Speak Weil and Doe Weil', which is surely as meaningful today as it has ever been."

The next international gathering of Clan Urquhart is scheduled for 2004 when it is hoped that an archaeological dig will take place at Castle Craig as a preliminary to commencing restoration work.

The Association now numbers over 500 members with families hailing from the USA, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and, of course, Scotland and England - a membership expected to increase substantially over time as further Urquharts are identified and located. Branches of the Association operate in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. Through the Clan Urquhart Foundation, members' subscriptions have already enabled substantial contributions to be made to the Craigston Castle Maintenance Trust, the Cromarty Courthouse, Cromarty's historic East Church, the Ship Hector Foundation, and the National Trust’s Culloden Battlefield.

Membership of the Clan Urquhart Association is open to all Urquharts, their descendants, members of families having variations on the name Urquhart, such as Orcutt, Erquitt, and people bearing the name Cromarty, a sept of Clan Urquhart.

For further details, contact:
United Kingdom: Adam Urquhart, Balfron Station, Glasgow G63 0QY, Scotland. Email Adam Urquhart

Australia & New Zealand: Susan Cromarty, PO Box 675, Bowral, NSW, Australia 2576. Email Susan Cromarty

USA & Canada: Christie Urquhart Walsh, 507 Jefferson Park Avenue, Jefferson, New Orleans, Louisiana 70121, USA. Email Christie Urquhart Walsh

Clan website addresses:
The website of the chief and the headquarters of the clan
The website of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
The website of the Sennachie of Clan Urquhart

Urquhart Genealogical Database: The Sennachie of Clan Urquhart, Robert Jeffrey Urquhart, maintains an Urquhart Genealogical Database which currently contains over 20,000 names. He is always looking for additional information about members of the clan. He can be reached through his website or by email