Bannatyne manuscript (Clan MacLeod)

Not to be confused with the Bannatyne Manuscript of Edinburgh merchant and amateur poet George Bannatyne (1545–1608).

The Bannatyne manuscript is a traditional account of Clan MacLeod, consisting of 142 sheets of foolscap paper. The author's name does not appear upon it; however, it is considered to have been written by William Bannatyne, Lord Bannatyne — from whom it takes its name. Lord Bannatyne was the son of Roderick MacLeod, and a great-grandson of Sir Norman MacLeod of Bernera. Lord Bannatyne's mother was a daughter of Bannatyne of Kames and through her he succeeded his uncle's estate and took the name "Bannatyne". The manuscript is thought to have been written in about the 1830s. Lord Bannatyne also wrote an earlier account of the clan in 1767. The Bannatyne manuscript is the main authority for much of the information on the clan's earliest chiefs. It has been stated that Lord Bannatyne based his manuscript on early traditions, which had been handed down through the ages orally by bards and senachies.