Clan MacLachlan
Encyclopedia
Clan Maclachlan, also known as Clan Lachlan, is a Highland
Scottish clan
that historically centred on the lands of Strathlachlan on Loch Fyne
, Argyll
on the west coast of Scotland. The clan claims descent from Lachlan Mor, who lived on Loch Fyne in the 13th century, and who has left his name upon the countryside he once controlled: places such as Strathlachlan, Lachlan Castle
and Lachlan Bay. Tradition gives Lachlan Mor a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty
, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill
, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain
, died 1036. Clan Maclachlan has been associated with other clans, such as Clan Lamont
, Clan MacEwen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra, and the MacSweens
: as all claim descent from Anrothan O'Neill who left Ireland for Kintyre
in the 11th century. From this descent the clan claims a further descent from the legendary Niall Noigíallach, High King of Ireland
, who lived from the mid 4th century to early 5th century.
The clan took part in the Jacobite Risings as loyal supporters of the Stuart
kings of Scotland. The seventeenth chief of the clan was killed in the Battle of Culloden
in 1746. Following the Jacobite defeat, a Government warship is said to have damaged the clan seat of old Castle Lachlan.
Today the clan is alive and lives as the Clan Maclachlan Society and the Lachlan Trust. The Lachlan Trust is a registered Scottish charitable organisation which takes donations to preserve the heritage of Clan Maclachlan. The Clan Maclachlan Society consists of eight branches around the world, including Australia, Britain
& Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America.
of the King of Scots and gained lands campaigning there. Moncreiffe
wrote that it was more likely Anrothan married a local king of Argyll or a sub-king of Cowal. Through this marriage, Anrothan's descendants gained control of the lands of Knapdale
and Cowal
, and several Scottish clans claim a descent from him including Clan Lamont, Clan MacEwen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra
, and the MacSweens who became the Irish Sweeney Clan who left Scotland and returned to Ireland in the 14th century as leaders of Gallowglass
.
In about 1230 Gilchrist Maclachlan was witness to a charter of Kilfinan granted by Laumanus, ancestor of Clan Lamont
. The first documentary evidence of the clan's ownership of lands was recorded in 1292, when Gilleskel Maclauchlan received a charter of his lands in Ergadia from John, King of Scots
.
According to the historian G. W. S. Barrow
, Gillespie Maclachlan appears in the Ragman Rolls
, when the magnates of Scotland signed their allegiance to Edward I of England
, in 1296, "clerks of this period writing Anglo-French documents often had difficulty with the name Lachlan, and rendered it by some form of the more familiar name Rothland, or Roland. Thus, unnoticed by historians of Clan Lachlan, Gillespie MacLachlan figures on the Ragman Roll as 'Gilascope fiz Rouland, de counte de Perth'".
Sometime between 1306 and 1322 Gillespie received, in charter from Robert I of Scotland
, the ten pennyland
of "Schyrwaghthyne" (Strathlachlan) and other lands. He also appears on the list of Scottish magnates who sat at the first Parliament of the king of Scots at St Andrews
, in 1309. Gillespie was one of the sixteen Scottish magnates who signed a letter to Philip IV of France
in 1309. The King of France had asked for Scottish assistance in a Crusade he was forming, with the Scots answering that they were at war with England and had their hands full. His name appears on one of the seal tags with that letter, though the actual seal that had been attached to the tag has since been lost.
In 1314 "Guyllascop Maclouchlan in Ergadia" (Gillespie Maclachlan of Argyll) granted forty shillings sterling
to the Preaching Friars of Glasgow
, the sum of which were to be paid from his pennylands of Killbride near Castle Lachlan. ("juxta castrum meum quod dicitur Castellachlan"). Gillespie was dead by 1322 and was succeeded by Patrick his brother. Patrick married a daughter of James the Steward of Scotland, and had a son, Lachlan, who later succeeded him. In 1410 Iain Maclachlan, lord of Strathlachlan, ("Johonne Lachlani domino de Straithlaon"), witnessed a Lamont charter. In 1456 Lachlan's son, "Donaldus Maclachlane dominus de Ardlawan" ("Ardlachlan", or Castle Lachlan), like his ancestor Gillespie, granted the Preaching Friars of Glasgow six shillings and eight pence per year, from the same pennylands of Killbride beside his home Castle Lachlan.
One tradition of the Maclachlan lairds was thought to date from the era of the Crusades
. The tradition was that the laird of Strathlachlan (Maclachlan of Strathlachlan) and the laird of Strachur (Campbell of Strachur) would attend the funerals of each other and "lay his neighbour's head in the grave". This tradition was thought to originate from the Crusades because, "it is said the heads of these two families went together to the war, and each solemnly engaged with the other to lay him in his family burying-place if he should fall in battle".
. Iain died sometime around 1509 and his son Gillescop (or alternately Archibald) married a daughter of Iain Lamont of Inveryne, the chief of Clan Lamont. Iain was succeeded by his son, Lachlan, who later on forcibly ejected Archibald Lamont of Stroiog from his lands. For this, the Maclachlan chief was summoned before the Privy Council, which ruled that even though Lachlan claimed Lamont lands through his maternal grandfather (the chief of Clan Lamont), that a Lamont heir was more preferable to a Maclachlan heir. Lachlan died sometime between 1557 and 1559, and was succeeded by his second son, Archibald. In 1587, the chief of the clan, "M'Lauchlane", appears on the roll of names of the landlords in the highlands and the isles, on whose land broken men dwelt. Archibald had only daughters and in turn was succeeded by his nephew Lachlan Og ("Lauchlane oig Macklauchlane his brothers sone").
Not long after assuming the chiefship, Lachlan Og was forced to resign some of his lands to the chief of the Lamonts, because of the murder of Robert Lamont of Silvercrags by Lachlan Maclachlan of Dunnamuch. Lachlan Og led the clan in the Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
's campaign against Sir James Macdonald of Islay and his rebellion in 1615.
Lachlan Maclachlan of that Ilk was succeeded by his son Archibald, who is reckoned as the fifteenth chief of the clan. In 1680 Archibald had his lands erected into a Barony by Charles II of England
called the Barony of Strathlachlan which was centred around Lachlan Castle. To this day the chief of the clan is styled as Baron of Strathlachlan.
. They were said to have been present at the Battle of Killiecrankie
in 1689. In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 Lachlan Maclachlan of that Ilk "signed the Address of Welcome to the Old Chevalier, the rightful King James VIII Stuart, on his landing in Scotland". Archibald Brown, in The History of Cowal, wrote, "The chief of MacLachlan appeared with the Earl of Mar
at Sheriffmoor
as Colonel in the Pretender's army, and for this act it is said Campbell of Ardkinglas followed MacLachlan like a sleuthhound for five years and shot him dead in 1720".
Lachlan, the seventeenth chief of Clan Maclachlan played a part in the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and lost his life leading the clan at the Battle of Culloden
. Lord President
Duncan Forbes
estimated that the Maclachlan force of that time was about 200 men. In 1748, Rev. John MacLachlan of Kilchoan, in a letter to Rev. Robert Forbes
, wrote,
Following the Jacobite defeat a Government ship sailed up Loch Fyne and shelled Castle Lachlan, forcing the chief's family to abandon their residence, and in Edinburgh
the Maclachlan colours were burned on the orders of the Duke of Cumberland. It had been assumed that the chiefs lands had been forfeited for his support of the Young Pretender and the Jacobite cause, but it was ruled that he had been killed before he could be attainted. The chief of the Campbells, the Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
, who although helped crush the Jacobite forces, aided Donald, son of the deceased Maclachlan chief, and helped saved his lands. On 12 February 1747 Donald Maclachlan of that Ilk received a charter for his lands "at the intercession of the Duke of Argyll
", though it was considerably unpopular decision at the time, and Maclachlan's estates were "surveyed but afterwards found not to be forfeited".
.
Today the clan is alive and lives as the Clan Maclachlan Society and the Lachlan Trust. The Clan Maclachlan Society consists of eight branches around the world, including Australia, Britain & Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America. The Lachlan Trust is a registered Scottish charitable organisation which takes donations to preserve the heritage of Clan Maclachlan. The trust, in part with Historic Scotland
and the Heritage Lottery Fund
, helped raise £
100,000 for the preservation of Kilmorie Chapel, the traditional burying place of the chiefs. The project was completed in 2006, as a memorial to the twenty-fourth chief (the present chief's mother). Future projects may involve the preservation of old Castle Lachlan.
The new Castle Lachlan which stands about a ten minute walk away from the ruinous old Castle Lachlan, is the seat of Clan Maclachlan. It was first built in the late 18th century, with the construction overseen by Donald Maclachlan. The new house was first built in the Queen Anne Style, then later at the end of the 19th century the "castle" was transformed into the Scottish baronial
house that stands today. The castle, upon the 1500 acre (2.3 sq mi; 6.1 km²) estate, has been divided in two with the chief residing in one part and the second available for rent.
Maclachlan
is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Lachlainn which is the patronymic
form of the Gaelic personal name
Lochlann
meaning "stranger". Lochlann was originally a term to describe Scandinavia
, composed of the elements loch (meaning "lake" or "fjord
") + lann (meaning "land").
. The crest badge used by members of Clan Maclachlan contains the Latin
motto FORTIS ET FIDUS, which translates to "strong and faithful". The blazon of the crest within the badge is (Issuant from a crest coronet of four (three visible) strawberry leaves Or) a castle set upon a rock all Proper. Another clan symbol used to show a clan member's affiliation is a clan badge
or plant badge. Consisting of a particular plant, these badges are sometimes said to be the original means of identification used by Scottish clans. Clan Maclachlan has two clan badges attributed to it. These include: rowan (or mountain ash) and lesser periwinkle.
Many clans are also attributed pipe tunes. Clan Maclachlan's pipe music is Moladh Mairi (translation from Gaelic: "In Praise of Mary").
s attributed to the clan.
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
that historically centred on the lands of Strathlachlan on Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne is a sea loch on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs...
, Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
on the west coast of Scotland. The clan claims descent from Lachlan Mor, who lived on Loch Fyne in the 13th century, and who has left his name upon the countryside he once controlled: places such as Strathlachlan, Lachlan Castle
Lachlan Castle
Lachlan Castle is a ruined 13th century castle on Loch Fyne, Scotland. It was the stronghold of Clan MacLachlan until 1746 when it was attacked by British Government forces...
and Lachlan Bay. Tradition gives Lachlan Mor a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty is a group of families that have held prominent positions and titles throughout European history. The O'Neills take their name from Niall Glúndub, an early 10th century High King of Ireland from the Cenél nEógain...
, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill
Flaithbertach Ua Néill
Flaithbertach Ua Néill was king of Ailech, a kingdom of north-west Ireland. He abdicated in 1030 and undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, for which reason he was known as Flaithbertach an Trostáin...
, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEógain
Cenél nEóġain is the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Eógan mac Néill , son of Niall Noígiallach who founded the kingdom of Tír Eoghain in the 5th century...
, died 1036. Clan Maclachlan has been associated with other clans, such as Clan Lamont
Clan Lamont
Clan Lamont is a Highland Scottish clan. Clan Lamont claim descent from Lauman who lived in Cowal in 1238. Tradition gives this Lauman a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain, died 1036...
, Clan MacEwen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra, and the MacSweens
Clan Sweeney
Clan Sweeney is an Irish clan of Scottish origin. The clan did not permanently settle in Ireland before the beginning of the 14th century, when they became Gallowglass soldiers for the O'Donnell dynasty of Tyrconnell...
: as all claim descent from Anrothan O'Neill who left Ireland for Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
in the 11th century. From this descent the clan claims a further descent from the legendary Niall Noigíallach, High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, who lived from the mid 4th century to early 5th century.
The clan took part in the Jacobite Risings as loyal supporters of the Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
kings of Scotland. The seventeenth chief of the clan was killed in the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
in 1746. Following the Jacobite defeat, a Government warship is said to have damaged the clan seat of old Castle Lachlan.
Today the clan is alive and lives as the Clan Maclachlan Society and the Lachlan Trust. The Lachlan Trust is a registered Scottish charitable organisation which takes donations to preserve the heritage of Clan Maclachlan. The Clan Maclachlan Society consists of eight branches around the world, including Australia, Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
& Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America.
Origins
Clan Maclachlan claims descent from Lachlan Mor, who lived on the shores of Loch Fyne in the 13th century. Lachlan belonged to the family who originally emigrated from Ireland to Scotland in the 11th century. The progenitor of this family, Anrothan, son of Aodh O'Neil, king of the north of Ireland, is said to have married the heiressBeneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
of the King of Scots and gained lands campaigning there. Moncreiffe
Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk
Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC was a British officer of arms and genealogist. He used various forms of his name: His columns for Books and Bookmen wete signed Iain Moncreiffe; Royal Highness is by Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Bt.; Simple Heraldry is by...
wrote that it was more likely Anrothan married a local king of Argyll or a sub-king of Cowal. Through this marriage, Anrothan's descendants gained control of the lands of Knapdale
Knapdale
Knapdale forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, North Knapdale and South Knapdale....
and Cowal
Cowal
thumb|Cowal shown within ArgyllCowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands.-Description:The northern part of Cowal is mostly the mountainous Argyll Forest Park. Cowal is separated from the Kintyre peninsula to the west by Loch Fyne, and from Inverclyde and North Ayrshire to...
, and several Scottish clans claim a descent from him including Clan Lamont, Clan MacEwen of Otter, Clan MacNeil of Barra
Barra
The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...
, and the MacSweens who became the Irish Sweeney Clan who left Scotland and returned to Ireland in the 14th century as leaders of Gallowglass
Gallowglass
The gallowglass or galloglass – from , gallóglach – were an elite class of mercenary warrior who came from Norse-Gaelic clans in the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland between the mid 13th century and late 16th century...
.
Early history
Clan Lamont
Clan Lamont is a Highland Scottish clan. Clan Lamont claim descent from Lauman who lived in Cowal in 1238. Tradition gives this Lauman a descent from an Irish prince of the O'Neill dynasty, Ánrothán Ua Néill, son of Áed, son of Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Ailech and Cenél nEógain, died 1036...
. The first documentary evidence of the clan's ownership of lands was recorded in 1292, when Gilleskel Maclauchlan received a charter of his lands in Ergadia from John, King of Scots
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
.
According to the historian G. W. S. Barrow
G. W. S. Barrow
Geoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow DLitt FBA FRSE is a British historian and academic. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh, and arguably the most prominent Scottish medievalist of the last century....
, Gillespie Maclachlan appears in the Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
, when the magnates of Scotland signed their allegiance to Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, in 1296, "clerks of this period writing Anglo-French documents often had difficulty with the name Lachlan, and rendered it by some form of the more familiar name Rothland, or Roland. Thus, unnoticed by historians of Clan Lachlan, Gillespie MacLachlan figures on the Ragman Roll as 'Gilascope fiz Rouland, de counte de Perth'".
Sometime between 1306 and 1322 Gillespie received, in charter from Robert I of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, the ten pennyland
Pennyland
A pennyland is an old Scottish land measurement. It was found in the West Highlands, and also Galloway, and believed to be of Norse origin. It is frequently found in minor placenames.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:The Rev...
of "Schyrwaghthyne" (Strathlachlan) and other lands. He also appears on the list of Scottish magnates who sat at the first Parliament of the king of Scots at St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, in 1309. Gillespie was one of the sixteen Scottish magnates who signed a letter to Philip IV of France
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
in 1309. The King of France had asked for Scottish assistance in a Crusade he was forming, with the Scots answering that they were at war with England and had their hands full. His name appears on one of the seal tags with that letter, though the actual seal that had been attached to the tag has since been lost.
In 1314 "Guyllascop Maclouchlan in Ergadia" (Gillespie Maclachlan of Argyll) granted forty shillings sterling
Sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
to the Preaching Friars of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the sum of which were to be paid from his pennylands of Killbride near Castle Lachlan. ("juxta castrum meum quod dicitur Castellachlan"). Gillespie was dead by 1322 and was succeeded by Patrick his brother. Patrick married a daughter of James the Steward of Scotland, and had a son, Lachlan, who later succeeded him. In 1410 Iain Maclachlan, lord of Strathlachlan, ("Johonne Lachlani domino de Straithlaon"), witnessed a Lamont charter. In 1456 Lachlan's son, "Donaldus Maclachlane dominus de Ardlawan" ("Ardlachlan", or Castle Lachlan), like his ancestor Gillespie, granted the Preaching Friars of Glasgow six shillings and eight pence per year, from the same pennylands of Killbride beside his home Castle Lachlan.
One tradition of the Maclachlan lairds was thought to date from the era of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. The tradition was that the laird of Strathlachlan (Maclachlan of Strathlachlan) and the laird of Strachur (Campbell of Strachur) would attend the funerals of each other and "lay his neighbour's head in the grave". This tradition was thought to originate from the Crusades because, "it is said the heads of these two families went together to the war, and each solemnly engaged with the other to lay him in his family burying-place if he should fall in battle".
Late 15th century onwards
In 1487 Iain Maclachlan of Strathlachlan, witnessed a bond by Dougall Stewart of Appin to Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of ArgyllColin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll
Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the son of Gillespic Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville. Elizabeth Somerville was the daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord Somerville and Helen Hepburn...
. Iain died sometime around 1509 and his son Gillescop (or alternately Archibald) married a daughter of Iain Lamont of Inveryne, the chief of Clan Lamont. Iain was succeeded by his son, Lachlan, who later on forcibly ejected Archibald Lamont of Stroiog from his lands. For this, the Maclachlan chief was summoned before the Privy Council, which ruled that even though Lachlan claimed Lamont lands through his maternal grandfather (the chief of Clan Lamont), that a Lamont heir was more preferable to a Maclachlan heir. Lachlan died sometime between 1557 and 1559, and was succeeded by his second son, Archibald. In 1587, the chief of the clan, "M'Lauchlane", appears on the roll of names of the landlords in the highlands and the isles, on whose land broken men dwelt. Archibald had only daughters and in turn was succeeded by his nephew Lachlan Og ("Lauchlane oig Macklauchlane his brothers sone").
Not long after assuming the chiefship, Lachlan Og was forced to resign some of his lands to the chief of the Lamonts, because of the murder of Robert Lamont of Silvercrags by Lachlan Maclachlan of Dunnamuch. Lachlan Og led the clan in the Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll , also called "Gillesbuig Grumach", was a Scottish politician and military leader.-Biography:...
's campaign against Sir James Macdonald of Islay and his rebellion in 1615.
Lachlan Maclachlan of that Ilk was succeeded by his son Archibald, who is reckoned as the fifteenth chief of the clan. In 1680 Archibald had his lands erected into a Barony by Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
called the Barony of Strathlachlan which was centred around Lachlan Castle. To this day the chief of the clan is styled as Baron of Strathlachlan.
Jacobite Risings
The Maclachlans were loyal JacobitesJacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
. They were said to have been present at the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
in 1689. In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 Lachlan Maclachlan of that Ilk "signed the Address of Welcome to the Old Chevalier, the rightful King James VIII Stuart, on his landing in Scotland". Archibald Brown, in The History of Cowal, wrote, "The chief of MacLachlan appeared with the Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar
John Erskine, 22nd and de jure 6th Earl of Mar, KT , Scottish Jacobite, was the eldest son of the 21st Earl of Mar , from whom he inherited estates that were heavily loaded with debt. By modern reckoning he was 22nd Earl of Mar of the first creation and de jure 6th Earl of Mar of the seventh...
at Sheriffmoor
Battle of Sheriffmuir
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rebellion in England and Scotland.-History:John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, standard-bearer for the Jacobite cause in Scotland, mustered Highland chiefs, and on 6 September declared James Francis Edward Stuart as King...
as Colonel in the Pretender's army, and for this act it is said Campbell of Ardkinglas followed MacLachlan like a sleuthhound for five years and shot him dead in 1720".
Lachlan, the seventeenth chief of Clan Maclachlan played a part in the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and lost his life leading the clan at the Battle of Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
. Lord President
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
Duncan Forbes
Duncan Forbes (judge)
Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden was a Scottish politician and judge. He was President of the Court of Session.-Early life and education:...
estimated that the Maclachlan force of that time was about 200 men. In 1748, Rev. John MacLachlan of Kilchoan, in a letter to Rev. Robert Forbes
Robert Forbes (bishop)
Robert Forbes was the bishop of Ross and Caithness for the Scottish Episcopal Church. He is best remembered for his vocal Jacobite views.-Life:...
, wrote,
Following the Jacobite defeat a Government ship sailed up Loch Fyne and shelled Castle Lachlan, forcing the chief's family to abandon their residence, and in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
the Maclachlan colours were burned on the orders of the Duke of Cumberland. It had been assumed that the chiefs lands had been forfeited for his support of the Young Pretender and the Jacobite cause, but it was ruled that he had been killed before he could be attainted. The chief of the Campbells, the Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay was a Scottish nobleman, politician, lawyer, businessman and soldier...
, who although helped crush the Jacobite forces, aided Donald, son of the deceased Maclachlan chief, and helped saved his lands. On 12 February 1747 Donald Maclachlan of that Ilk received a charter for his lands "at the intercession of the Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
", though it was considerably unpopular decision at the time, and Maclachlan's estates were "surveyed but afterwards found not to be forfeited".
The modern clan
In the early 19th century, a new Castle Lachlan was built for the chiefs of the clan, and it remains the seat of the clan to this day. The last of the male line chiefs of Clan Maclachlan was John Maclachlan who died in 1942. He was succeeded by his daughter, the twenty-fourth chief of the clan, Marjorie Maclachlan of Maclachlan. Under her the Clan Maclachlan Society was formed in 1979, and on her death in 1996, she was succeeded by her eldest son Euan John Maclachlan of Maclachlan, Chief of Clan Maclachlan, 25th of Maclachlan and Baron of Strathlachlan, who is a member of the Standing Council of Scottish ChiefsStanding Council of Scottish Chiefs
The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs is the organisation of the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans. The SCSC is the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System.-History:...
.
Today the clan is alive and lives as the Clan Maclachlan Society and the Lachlan Trust. The Clan Maclachlan Society consists of eight branches around the world, including Australia, Britain & Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America. The Lachlan Trust is a registered Scottish charitable organisation which takes donations to preserve the heritage of Clan Maclachlan. The trust, in part with Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
and the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
, helped raise £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100,000 for the preservation of Kilmorie Chapel, the traditional burying place of the chiefs. The project was completed in 2006, as a memorial to the twenty-fourth chief (the present chief's mother). Future projects may involve the preservation of old Castle Lachlan.
Old Lachlan Castle
Old Lachlan Castle lies on the eastern shore of Loch Fyne, near Newton. According to the Clan Maclachlan Society website, the original castle dates back to the 13th century. See www.oldcastlelachlan.com, a website launched in 2010 to promote fund-raising for a conservation project of this nationally important building. The original castle was later replaced in the 15th century with the keep or tower that today is in ruins. The ruinous castle lies about 70 feet (21.3 m) north to south, 54 feet (16.5 m) east to west, and at its highest point 43 feet (13.1 m) feet high.The new Castle Lachlan which stands about a ten minute walk away from the ruinous old Castle Lachlan, is the seat of Clan Maclachlan. It was first built in the late 18th century, with the construction overseen by Donald Maclachlan. The new house was first built in the Queen Anne Style, then later at the end of the 19th century the "castle" was transformed into the Scottish baronial
Scottish baronial style
The Scottish Baronial style is part of the Gothic Revival architecture style, using stylistic elements and forms from castles, tower houses and mansions of the Gothic architecture period in Scotland, such as Craigievar Castle and Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The revival style was popular from the...
house that stands today. The castle, upon the 1500 acre (2.3 sq mi; 6.1 km²) estate, has been divided in two with the chief residing in one part and the second available for rent.
Clan profile
Clan chief
The current chief of Clan Maclachlan is Euan John Maclachlan of Maclachlan, Chief of Clan Maclachlan, 25th of Maclachlan and Baron of Strathlachlan. The chief's seat is new Castle Lachlan.Origin of the name
Clan Maclachlan claims as its eponymous ancestor Lachlan Mor. The surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Maclachlan
MacLachlan
MacLachlan is a Scottish surname, and may refer to:* Angus MacLachlan* Ewen MacLachlan, Gaelic scholar and poet* Kyle MacLachlan* Malcolm MacLachlan* Patricia MacLachlan* Robert Mac Lachlan* Ross MacLachlan...
is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Lachlainn which is the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
form of the Gaelic personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Lochlann
Lochlann
Lochlann is a geographical region in Classical Gaelic literature and in the history of Early Medieval Ireland. In the modern Gaelic and Welsh languages it signifies Scandinavia, and more specifically Norway...
meaning "stranger". Lochlann was originally a term to describe Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, composed of the elements loch (meaning "lake" or "fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
") + lann (meaning "land").
Clan symbolism
Members of Scottish clans show their allegiance to their clan and chief by wearing crest badges. These are usually worn on a bonnet. Crest badges are usually made up of the chief's heraldic crest surrounded by a strap and buckle with the chief's heraldic motto or sloganSlogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
. The crest badge used by members of Clan Maclachlan contains the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
motto FORTIS ET FIDUS, which translates to "strong and faithful". The blazon of the crest within the badge is (Issuant from a crest coronet of four (three visible) strawberry leaves Or) a castle set upon a rock all Proper. Another clan symbol used to show a clan member's affiliation is a clan badge
Clan badge
A clan badge, sometimes called a plant badge, is a badge or emblem, usually a sprig of a specific plant, that is used to identify a member of a particular Scottish clan. They are usually worn in a bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge, or attached at the shoulder of a lady's tartan sash...
or plant badge. Consisting of a particular plant, these badges are sometimes said to be the original means of identification used by Scottish clans. Clan Maclachlan has two clan badges attributed to it. These include: rowan (or mountain ash) and lesser periwinkle.
Many clans are also attributed pipe tunes. Clan Maclachlan's pipe music is Moladh Mairi (translation from Gaelic: "In Praise of Mary").
Tartan
There are several tartanTartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
s attributed to the clan.
- Standard, or Modern.
- The most popular MacLachlan tartan today. First published in Smibert's The Clans of the Highlands in 1850.
- Dress.
- First published in 1845 in the Vestiarium ScoticumVestiarium ScoticumThe Vestiarium Scoticum was first published by William Tait of Edinburgh in a limited edition in 1842...
. The Vestiarium, shown to be a forgery, is the source of many of todays clan tartans.
- Maclachlan hunting, or Old MacLachlan.
- First published in 1893. This sett appears in the Collection of the Highland Society, 1812. Although one of the oldest tartans this sett has never been very popular with the clan.
- Small MacLachlan, or Old Maclachlan, also known as Moncreiffe.
- This tartan was in the Wilsons of Bannockburn pattern book of 1790, listed as # 66. Over time the tartan had become associated with the Maclachlans. In 1974 the chief of Clan MoncreiffeClan Moncreiffe-Origins of the Clan:The Moncreiffes are of great antiquity, and possibly descend through a female stem of the Celtic Royal Dynasty. The name Moncreiffe is derived from the Barony of Moncreiffe in Perthshire. Their lands take their name from the Gaelic name Monadh Croibhe meaning hill of the sacred...
, Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that IlkIain Moncreiffe of that IlkSir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC was a British officer of arms and genealogist. He used various forms of his name: His columns for Books and Bookmen wete signed Iain Moncreiffe; Royal Highness is by Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Bt.; Simple Heraldry is by...
, asked the 24th chief of Clan Maclachlan, Madam Maclachlan of Maclachlan, to be assigned the right to use this tartan, as the colours of it matched the colours in his Coat of ArmsCoat of armsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
. Today it is known as a Moncreiffe tartan.
See also
- Claflin familyClaflin familyThe Claflin family are a Scottish American family of 17th century New England origins. The descendants of Robert Mackclothlan of Wenham, Massachusetts, a Scottish soldier and prisoner of war who probably belonged to the Clan Maclachlan, and his wife Joanna Warner, members have distinguished...
- Scottish clanScottish clanScottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
- LochlannLochlannLochlann is a geographical region in Classical Gaelic literature and in the history of Early Medieval Ireland. In the modern Gaelic and Welsh languages it signifies Scandinavia, and more specifically Norway...
, description and history of the word that the surname Maclachlan is derived from - Harriet Maclachlan (Mrs Alexander Campbell of Possil), elder daughter of Donald Maclachlan, painted by Sir Henry Raeburn.