Quote Originally Posted by Ranald
In light of recent threads and their contents, I would like to know simply what is it that enables someone to call themselves a clansman.
This is posted as a serious question and may sound strange to those that know the answers, but I would rather look a fool for a while than to never know at all.
The Lord Lyon's web site has one of the best definitions I have seen:

Quote Originally Posted by The Lyon Court

Who is a member of a clan?

Every person who has the same surname as the chief is deemed to be a member of the clan. Equally a person who offers allegiance to the chief is recognised as a member of the clan unless the chief decides that he will not accept that person's allegiance.

There is no official list of recognised septs. This is a matter for each chief to determine. But where a particular sept has traditionally been associated with a particular clan it would not be appropriate for that name to be treated by another clan chief as one of its septs.

http://www.lyon-court.com
Cheers,

Todd