Lachlan Mor Maclean
Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean, 14th Chief | |
---|---|
Hector Og Maclean, 15th Chief , son | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1558 |
Died | 1598 (age 40) Lachlan Og MacLean, 1st Laird of Torloisk |
Parent | Hector Og Maclean, 13th Chief |
Sir Lachlan Mór Maclean (1558 – 5 August 1598) or Big Lachlan Maclean, was the 14th
Life
He was born in 1558 to
"He was called 'Big Lachlan,' both on account of his stature and the greatness of his mind. He was the most accomplished and warlike chief that ever held sway in Duart. His military talents were of a very high order; his chivalrous character commanded the respect of his most inveterate foes, and his personal interest for and kindness toward his followers endeared him to his clansmen. So great were his qualities that historians have been forced to pay tribute to his memory."[1]
In June 1588, he was charged with massacring 18 members of Clan Donald who attended the wedding party of his mother Janet Campbell and his new stepfather John MacKane in April 1588 at Torloisk. John MacKane of Ardmurchin was imprisoned and tortured. Because he failed to appear to answer the charges, he was denounced as a rebel.[3]
In September 1588 a ship from the
Maclean fought for James VI at the
The
Marriage and children
He married Lady Margaret Cunningham of Glencairn, daughter of William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn. They had the following children:[1]
- Hector Og Maclean, 15th Clan Chief
- Lachlan Og Maclean, 1st Laird of Torloisk
- Gillean Maclean, married to Mary the elder, daughter of John Dubh Maclean of Morvern
- Allan Maclean, married to Mary the younger, daughter of John Dubh Maclean of Morvern
- Charles Maclean
- Bethag Maclean, married to Hector MacLean of Lochbuie, 9th Chief
Death
He died on 5 August 1598 in the
His remains were left on the battlefield. A day or two after the battle, it is said that two women, of whom different accounts are given — some calling them strangers, some
Sir Lachlan Mor MacLean was buried in the churchyard of Kilchoman on Islay, near the south wall of the church, and over his grave is laid a great stone. There is another churchyard, Kilnave, closer to the battle-field; but the body was taken to Kilchoman that it might be more honored, for he was buried inside the church, and when a new church was built there, around 1829, the wall was so constructed that the grave was left outside the church.[1]
Legacy
The plaque that marks the spot where he died says: "This cairn indicates the spot where, on the 5th August, 1598, Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean of Duart fell in a desperate encounter with his nephew Sir James Macdonald of Knockrinsay. The battle of Traigh Ghruinneart is the best known incident in the feud between the Macleans and the Macdonalds for the Rinns "[11][12]
Ancestors
Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean | Father: Eachuinn Og Maclean
|
Paternal Grandfather: Eachuinn Mor Maclean
|
Paternal Great-Grandfather: Lachlan Cattanach Maclean
|
Paternal Great-grandmother: Katherine, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll | |||
Paternal Grandmother: Mary MacDonald of Islay and the Glens |
Paternal Great-Grandfather: Alexander MacDonald of Islay and the Glens | ||
Paternal Great-Grandmother: | |||
Mother: Janet Campbell of Argyll |
Maternal Grandfather: Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll |
Maternal Great-Grandfather: Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll | |
Maternal Great-Grandmother: Jean, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly | |||
Maternal Grandmother: |
Maternal Great-grandfather: | ||
Maternal Great-Grandmother: |
References
This article incorporates text from A history of the clan Mac Lean from its first settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the present period: including a genealogical account of some of the principal families together with their heraldry, legends, superstitions, etc, by John Patterson MacLean, a publication from 1889, now in the public domain in the United States.
- ^ a b c d e f MacLean, John Patterson (1889). A History of the Clan MacLean from Its First Settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the Present Period: Including a Genealogical Account of Some of the Principal Families Together with Their Heraldry, Legends, Superstitions, etc. R. Clarke & Company. p. 224.
Sir Lachlan Mor became chief. He was called "Big Lachlan," both on account of his size and the greatness of his mind. It is recorded that he was the most accomplished and warlike chief that ever held sway in the castle. This assumption might be owing to the nearness of his time, whilst those remote might grow dim as ages melt away. His military talents were of a high order; his chivalrous character everywhere commanded respect, and his devoted interest in behalf of his people endeared him to all. Historians have written of him in unstinted praise. His reign covers a very interesting period, though varied and much given to tumult. He fell in a clan battle with the MacDonalds of Islay, on August 5, 1598 ... His issue by Margaret, daughter of William Cunningham, sixth earl of Glencairn, was Eachann Og, his eldest son and successor, Lachlan Og, of whom the family of Torloisk was descended, Gillean, married to Mary the elder, Allan, married to Mary the younger, both daughters of John Dubh of Morvern, and Charles. The only daughter married Hector MacLean of Lochbuy, the first Protestant of his family also.
- ^ "Mór". MacBain's Dictionary. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
great, Irish mór, Old Irish mór, már, Welsh mawr, Old Welsh, Cornish maur, Breton meur, Gaulish -mârós; Gothic -mêrs, famed, mêrian, proclaim, Old High German mâri, famed, -mar in Germanic names German märchen, a tale, Norse moerr, famous; Slavonic -meru (Vladimir, etc.); Latin merus, English mere. A shorter form of the stem (mâro-) appears in mò, greater (mâ)
- ^ David Masson, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland: 1585-1592, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1881), pp. 290-1.
- ^ William Boyd, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1915), pp. 618-9, 627-9, 635.
- ^ David Masson, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland: 1585-1592, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1881), pp. 341-2.
- ^ Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 684-5.
- ^ M. S. Giuseppi, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1952), pp. 3-4.
- ^ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1882), p. 295.
- ^ Rev Angus Macdonald and Rev Archibald Macdonald (1900). The Clan Donald, Volume 2.
A fierce battle was fought at a place called Traigh Ghruinneart, at the head of Loch Gruinneart. ...
- ^ Conflicts of the Clans: The Death of Sir Lauchlan Maclean in 1598. Foulis Press. 1764.
Sir Lauchlan Maclean's ambition, together with his desire of revenge, thrust him on to claim the inheritance of the whole Isle of Islay, being always the possession and ancient inheritance of the Clan Donald, all which Maclean thought easily now to compass, Sir James Macdonald (the just inheritor thereof) being young, and his father, Angus Macdonald, aged. ...
- ^ NR2767 : Lachlan Mor Maclean of Duart Fell Here. geograph. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ^ Cairn - Flickr flickr. Retrieved 26 January 2015