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Clan MacLellan

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Clan MacLellan
Mac-a-ghille-dhiolan – (son of the bastard)[1]
MottoThink On
Sapit Qui Reputat
Superba Frango
Profile
RegionGalloway
Clan MacLellan no longer has a chief, and is anarmigerous clan
The 10thLord Kirkcudbright
Historic seatMacLellan's Castle
Last ChiefThe Rt. Hon. Camden Gray Maclellan
Died1832
Septsof Clan MacLellan
Cannon of Killochy
Donaldson
MacCane
Clan branches
Bardrockwood
Barscobe
Barholm
Bombie
Borgue
Colvend
Gelston
Glenshinnoch
Kilcruikie
Kirkconnel
Kirkcormick
Kirkgunzeon
Ravenston
Sorbie
Troquhain
Allied clans
Rival clans

TheClan MacLellanis aScottish clanof theScottish Lowlands.[2][3][4]The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered anArmigerous clan.[2]

History[edit]

The privatecoat of armsofLord Kirkcudbright,[5]the lastChief of the Name and Armsof MacLellan.
arms—argenttwochevronsSable;
crest— a naked cubit arm, supporting upon the point of a sword, erect, amoor's head, all ppr.;
supporters—Dexter:achevalierin complete armour, holding in his right hand abaton,all ppr.;Sinister:a horse argent furnishedgules;
Mottoes—Think on;andSuperba frango

Origins[edit]

The name MacLellan is derived fromMac-a-ghille-dhiolan[1]which meansson of the bastard,and appears originally in the 1273 charter forSweetheart AbbeyasMcGillolane.[6]The leadership of the clan can be traced back to Cane McGillolane, a knight in the service ofJohn Balliolin the later thirteenth century. Cane was the son ofThomas of Galloway,[7][8]who was the illegitimate son ofAlan of Galloway.Cane's son, Donald Mac Cane (The Lord Donald) resided onThreave Island[9]until he was removed byEdward Brucewho then replaced him as the Lord of Galloway. Eventually theBlack Douglas,was made Lord of Galloway igniting a feud with MacLellans that lasted for well over a century. Threave Island was a residence for the priorLords of Galloway,includingFergusand Cane's grandfather, Alan.[10]Donald's son, Gillebertus MacLelan Galvediensis[11]was Captain of Clenconnan[12]and was Bishop of Sodor and Man.[3]Lord Gilbert's brother was Cuthbert of Galloway.[13][14]

Wars of Scottish Independence[edit]

During theWars of Scottish Independence,McGillolanes backed their cousin John Balliol. In 1305, Patrick M'Lolan was recorded capturing Dumfries Castle from The Bruce. After Balliol was deposed at the hands ofEdward I,MacLellans still opposed Bruce, helping to re-captureDumfries Castlefollowing the murder of the rival claimantSir John Comyn.[15]With Balliol ascended to the throne of Scotland, M'Lolanes could take their rightful place as Lords of Galloway. Under Bruce, that title would fall to Douglas.

15th century and clan conflicts[edit]

After maintaining forlorn support for the house of Baliol into the mid-fourteenth century, the MacLellans were ushered back into service of the Scottish crown under David II. So successful was their reintegration that during the early 15th century there were reputedly no fewer than fourteenknightsin Galloway of the name MacLellan.[2]One of these, Sir Alexander MacLellan was cited by the sixteenth-century historian David Hume of Godscroft (drawing on the monastic Book of Pluscarden) as the Scotsman who slew the duke of Clarence while fighting in French service at theBattle of Baugéin 1421. In 1451,TheTutorof Bomby,[16]SirPatrick Maclellan,Sheriff of Galloway clashed repeatedly withWilliam Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglasover outbreaks of lawlessness committed by the earl's retainers. These conflicts culminated when MacLellan rejected Douglas's appeal to join an aristocratic conspiracy against King James II. Douglas captured the sheriff and imprisoned him inThreave Castle.MacLellan's uncle, Sir Andrew Gray of Foulis held high royal office and sent his son, Sir Patrick Gray, into Galloway, with letters from the crown ordering Douglas to release his prisoner. However, Douglas had MacLellan murdered when presented with the royal warrant, whilst he entertained his guest at dinner.[2]Patrick Gray escaped from the castle, and his vow of revenge was realized in brutal form when he stood at the forefront of the loyalist nobles who assassinated the earl of Douglas in front of the king at Stirling in February 1452. Local tradition holds that the MacLellans themselves used the celebrated Scottish cannonMons Megto batter down Threave Castle in retribution for the murder of their chief.[2]The MacLellan's use of the Mons-Meg cannon against Douglas became symbolized in an additional crest with A Mortar-Piece and the mottoSuperba frangowhich translates toI humble proud things.[17]

As the feud escalated n the following generation, the MacLellan estates were forfeited after repeated raids on the Kirkcudbrightshire lands of theClan Douglas.[2]However,James IIrestored the family to their lands whenSir William MacLellan,son of Sir Patrick captured theleader of a band of gypsieswho had been terrorizing the district.[2]William carried the head of the brigand to the king on the point of his sword.[2]The story is one explanation for the MacLellan clan crest, however aMoors' head has also been considered as an allusion to theCrusades[2]or potentially connected to the similar, prior Lords of Bomby's crest, The Adairs. These events established the MacLellans as a bastion of support for the Stewart crown in a region prone to lawlessness and aristocratic powerplay. Their affiliation was confirmed in 1488 when Sir Thomas MacLellan supported James III against the rebellion that ended in the death of the king after theBattle of Sauchieburn.With most of the magnates of the south-west and the borders fighting in support of the insurrection, MacLellan's residence was burned to the ground after the monarch's defeat.[18]

16th century and Anglo-Scottish Wars[edit]

The family suffered severely during theAnglo-Scottish Warsof the reigns of James IV and James V. Sir William Maclellan of Bombie was knighted by KingJames IV of Scotlandbut was killed at theBattle of Floddenin 1513 fighting for the king.[19][2]William's son, Thomas, was killed in Edinburgh at the door ofSt Giles' CathedralbyGordonof Lochinvar in 1526.[2]Thomas's younger brother, William Maclellan of Nunton presided over the family as Tutor of Bombie while Thomas's son was in infancy, and mobilised the successful defence of Kirkcudbright against English besiegers in 1547. The younger Thomas Maclellan was killed in the same year at theBattle of Pinkie.In the following generation, Sir Thomas Maclellan of Bombie fought for Mary, Queen of Scots at theBattle of Langside,and prospered subsequently under her son James VI.[20]He served as Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the king, and as provost of Kirkcudbright, constructingMacLellan's Castleas a fashionable gentleman's residence overseeing the town.

17th century and Civil War[edit]

Sir Robert MacLellan, was a courtier both toJames VIandCharles I.[2]In 1633 he was raised to the peerage as Lord Kirkcudbright.[2]During theScottish Civil Warthe third Lord was such a zealous royalist that he incurred enormous debts in the king’s cause.[2]As a result, the estates were completely ruined.[2]

18th to 19th centuries[edit]

There were two claimants to the chief's title at the beginning of the 18th century and the dispute was finally settled by theHouse of Lordsin 1761.[2]However, the title became dormant again when the tenth Lord died inBrugesin 1832.[2]

Castle[edit]

MacLellan's Castle

MacLellan's Castle,found inKirkcudbrightin south-west Scotland was the seat of the chief of Clan MacLellan. The castle's beginnings lie in theReformationof 1560 which led to the abandonment of theConventof Greyfriars which had stood on the site since 1449. The materials used to build the castle were taken from Lochfergus in Bomby in 1582 from a castle previously owned by the Lords of Galloway and where John M'Lelan of Lochfergus is mentioned in 1448.[21]

Hebridean MacLellans[edit]

There are concentrations of MacLellans found in theWestern IslesonUist.The surname borne by these MacLellans is represented by the GaelicMac Gille Fhialain,instead of the usual formMac Gille Fhaolainborne by other MacLellans.[22][note 1]The Uist MacLellans were once known collectively asNa Faolanaich.TheNorth UistMacLellans are also known asClann Iain Mhóir,after Iain Mór (John Mor MacLellan), a seventeenth-century ancestor. It is possible that this family descends fromSouth UistMacLellans who migrated to North Uist.[22]

See also[edit]

  • Black Morrow,traditional story of the crest used in MacLellan heraldry.
  • Maure,the head of a Moor used in heraldry.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Other forms of the Gaelic surname borne by the Uist MacLellans include:Mac 'ill' Fhialain,[23]andMacIllFhialain.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^abLower, Mark Antony(1860).Patronymica Britannica: A Dictionary of The Family Names of The United Kingdom.36Soho Square,London andLewes:John Russell SmithandG. P. Bacon.p.209.Retrieved2 November2022.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopqWay, George and Squire, Romily.Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia.(Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, TheStanding Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 424 - 425.
  3. ^abMcCulloch, Andrew (2000).A Land Apart.Galloway.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^"History Kirkcudbright".heritagearchaeology.au.Retrieved12 December2021.
  5. ^Burke, John(1832).A General And Heraldic Dictionary of The Peerage And Baronetage of The British Empire.Vol. II.New Burlington Street,London:Henry ColburnandRichard Bentley.pp.43-44.Retrieved3 November2022.
  6. ^Selby, Walford Dakin;Harwood, H. W. Forsyth; Murray, Keith W (1900).The Genealogist.Vol. XVI. York Street,Covent Garden,London andExeter:George Bell & Sonsand William Pollard & Co. p.218.Retrieved3 November2022.
  7. ^"Old Kirkcudbright".old-kirkcudbright.net.November 1891.Retrieved3 November2022.
  8. ^Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society.Third. Vol. LXXIX. 2005. p. 105.Retrieved5 November2022.Thomas of Galloway, his wife and his son
  9. ^Barbour, John (2010).The Bruce.Canongate Books. p. 345.
  10. ^Barbour, John Gordon.Lights and Shadows of Scottish Character and Scenery.pp. 17–18.
  11. ^Munch, Peter Andreas;Goss, Alexander(1874).Chronica regvm Manniæ et insvlarvm.Vol. XXII.Douglas, Isle of Man:Manx Society for the Publication of National Documents.pp.118-119.Retrieved2 November2022.
  12. ^(RMS i, App. 2, no. 912, A & B)
  13. ^The Chronicle of Man:Et Cudberto, frater domini Gilberti, quondam Episcopi in pattern expensarum factarum circa sepulturam ejusdcm.1329. p. iiii lib.
  14. ^"People of Medieval Scotland. PoMS no 19464 - Cuthbert of Galloway".poms.ac.uk.Retrieved3 November2022.
  15. ^Paul, James Balfour(1908).The Scots Peerage - Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland - Containing an Historical And Genealogical Account of The Nobility of That Kingdom.Vol. V. Edinburgh:David Douglas.p.256.Retrieved3 November2022.
  16. ^Agnew, Andrew(1864).The Agnews of Lochnaw: A History of the Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway.Edinburgh:Adam and Charles Black.p.69.Retrieved5 November2022.
  17. ^Fairbairn, James (1905).Fairbairn's Book of Crests of The Families of Great Britain And Ireland.Vol. I. 34Henrietta Street, Covent Garden,London and Edinburgh: T. C & E. C Jack. p.80.Retrieved5 November2022.MacKlellan{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  18. ^Dawson, Jane(2007).Scotland Re-formed, 1488-1587.
  19. ^Guthrie, William(1767).A General History of Scotland.Vol. 4.Paternoster Row,London: A. Hamilton, Robinson and Roberts. pp.371-373.Retrieved8 May2023.
  20. ^Agnew, Andrew(1893).The Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway.Vol. I. 10Castle Street, Edinburgh:David Douglas.pp.256and393-394.Retrieved5 November2022.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location (link)
  21. ^McKerlie, P. H (1878)."Old Kirkcudbright - History of The Lands and Their Owners in Galloway".old-kirkcudbright.net.Retrieved5 November2022.
  22. ^abMatheson, W (1983). "Notes on North Uist Families".Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness.52:318–372 – viaGoogle Books.
  23. ^MacLellan, A (1997).Stories From South Uist.Edinburgh:Birlinn.ISBN1-874744-26-2.
  24. ^Mac an Tàilleir, I (2016)."Ainmean Pearsanta"(DOCX).Retrieved21 December2018– viaSabhal Mòr Ostaig.

External links[edit]

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