Clan history

The name MacLean is rendered in gaelic "MacGille Eoin" or "son of the servant of St. John". The first of the name on record, Gillean, lived in the reign of Alexander III (1249-1286), and fought against the Norsemen at the battle of Largs.

Gillean of the Battleaxe

"Gillean of the Battleaxe" is said to be the founder of the clan and he fought at the Battle of Largs against the Vikings in 1263. His great-great-grandson settled in Mull and in 1390, Donald, Lord of the Isles gave land to his two brothers-in-law, thus starting the two main branches of the clan - MacLean of Duart and MacLaine of Lochbuie (both on the island of Mull where the name is still frequently found). The clan extended its influence to other Hebridean islands such as Tiree and Islay and onto the mainland. "Red Hector of the Battles" from Duart fought for the MacDonald Lord of the Isles at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411 and Lachlan of Duart was killed at the Battle of Flodden.

Lachlan Mor, chief of Duart

The MacLeans were united with their Campbell in-laws in a mutual dislike of the MacDonald clan, one of the most powerful families in the Western Isles. In the sixteenth century, Lachlan Mor, chief of Duart, continually harried the MacDonalds of Islay and after his death in 1598, his sons took revenge on his suspected murderers, the MacDonalds, by carrying out a massacre of the people of Islay which lasted for three days. The quarrel between the Macleans and the Macdonalds of Isla and Kintyre was, at the outset, merely a dispute as to the right of occupancy of the crown lands called the Rhinns of Isla, but it soon involved these tribes in a long and bloody feud, and eventually led to the destruction nearly of them both. The Macleans, who were in possession, claimed to hold the lands in dispute as tenants of the crown, but the privy council decided that Macdonald of Isla was really the crown tenant. Lachlan Maclean of Dowart , called Lachlan Mor, was chief of the Macleans in 1678. Under him the feud with the Macdonalds assumed a most sanguinary and relentless character.

Later decline

The MacLeans rose in support of the Jacobite Uprising in both 1715 and 1745 - the clan chief was killed at the Battle of Culloden The massacre of the MacDonald clansmen marked the point when the fortunes of the MacLean clan began to wane, and by the seventeenth century the Campbells had gained possession of Duart Castle and most of the MacLean estates. However, Duart castle was reclaimed by the family in 1911 and has been restored as the family seat.

The four branches of the MacLean clan

• MacLeans of Dowart
• MacLeans of Lochbuy
• MacLeans of Coll
• MacLeans of Ardgour