Everything about Clan Maclachlan totally explained
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,
Anrothan O'Neill. 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.
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.
History
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
heiress 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.
Early history
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.
Sometime between 1306 and 1322 Gillespie received, in charter from
Robert I of Scotland, the ten
pennyland of "Schyrwaghthyne" (Strathlachlan) and other lands. in 1309. Gillespie was one of the sixteen Scottish magnates who signed a letter to
Philip IV of France in 1309. 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. 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. 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.]]
In 1487 Iain Maclachlan of Strathlachlan, witnessed a bond by Dougall Stewart of Appin to
Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. Archibald had only daughters and in turn was succeeded by his nephew Lachlan Og ("Lauchlane oig Macklauchlane his brothers sone"). In 1748, Rev. John MacLachlan of Kilchoan, in a letter to Rev. Robert Forbes, Bishop of Ross and Caithness, 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 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,
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.
Castle Lachlan
Castle Lachlan 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. 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 north to south, east to west, and at its highest point 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. 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 estate, has been divided in two with the chief residing in one part and the second available for rent.
Clan profile
Origin of the name
Clan Maclachlan claims as its
eponymous ancestor Lachlan Mor. The
surname 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").
Crest badge, clan badge, pipe music, clan chief and seat
- Crest badge: Note: the crest badge is made up of the chief's heraldic crest and motto,
- Chief's crest: Out of a crest coronet, A castle set upon a rock, all proper.
- Chief's motto: Fortis et fidus (translation from Latin: "Strong and Faithful").
Clan chief: Euan John Maclachlan of Maclachlan, Chief of Clan Maclachlan, 25th of Maclachlan and Baron of Strathlachlan.
Clan seat: new Castle Lachlan. » The most popular MacLachlan tartan today. First published in Smibert's The Clans of the Highlands in 1850.
Dress. » 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Clan Maclachlan'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://clan_maclachlan.totallyexplained.com">Clan Maclachlan Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
