The Clan MacLea is a
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
Scottish clan
A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...
, which was traditionally located in the district of
Lorn in
Argyll
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
,
and is seated on the
Isle of Lismore
Lismore ( gd, Lios Mòr, possibly meaning "great enclosure" or "garden") is an island of some in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The climate is damp and mild, with over of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a maj ...
. There is a tradition of some MacLeas
Anglicising their names to Livingstone, thus the Clan Livingstone Society's website also refers to the clan as ''the Highland Livingstones''.
The current chief of Clan MacLea was recognised by
Lord Lyon
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
as the "''
Coarb
A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish ''comharba'', Latin: ''hērēs''), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears intercha ...
of
Saint Moluag
Saint Moluag (c. 510 – 592; also known as ''Lua'', ''Luan'', ''Luanus'', ''Lugaidh'', ''Moloag'', ''Molluog'', ''Molua'', ''Murlach'', ''Malew'' ''" and the "''Hereditable Keeper of the Great Staff of Saint Moluag''."
Origins
Origin of the names MacLea and Livingstone
There are conflicting theories of the
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of MacLea, MacLay and similar
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
s, and they could have multiple origins. The name may be an
Anglicisation
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
of ''Mac an Léigh'' (
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
), meaning ''son of the physician''.
In addition to MacLea, the Gaelic language surname Mac an Léigh is also anglicized to
McKinley (surname)
McKinley, MacKinley or Mackinlay is a Scottish and Irish surname historically associated with northwestern Ireland's County Donegal, the over-kingdom of Ulaid in northeastern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.
One derivation given is that the McK ...
and MacNulty. The leading theory today, however, is that the name MacLea is derived from the patronymic ''Mac Dhunnshleibhe'', meaning ''son of Donn Sléibhe'' (''son of'' + ''the brown haired'', or ''chieftain'' + ''of the mountain'').
In 1910
Niall Campbell, 10th Duke of Argyll
Niall Diarmid Campbell, 10th and 3rd Duke of Argyll (16 February 1872 – 20 August 1949) was a Scottish peer and historian, the 10th Duke of Argyll and 25th Scottish clan chief, Chief of Clan Campbell.
Background
Campbell was the son of Capt ...
maintained that the surname MacLea evolved from the name Maconlea, which was originally Mac Dhunnshleibhe. By the eighteenth century the standard form of the name had become MacLea or other forms with similar spellings (MacLeay,
McClay McClay is a Scottish surname. It is a Highland’s adaption of the Irish Gaelic ''Mac Duinnshléibhe'' (Anglicised Donlevy) where the Scots aspirated the “D” and then dropped the final “e” from the Irish language form of the name.
When the ...
, etc.). This is largely a distinction without significance, though, as Mac an Léigh is a nickname surname which was given to the Mac Dhunnshleibhe by the indigenous populations in both Ulster and the Scottish Highlands and which was, eventually, adopted as a substitute surname by the Mac Dhunnshleibhe themselves. The Mac Dhunnshleibhe royals were also one of Ireland's ancient hereditary medical families.
The surname Livingstone/Livingston is derived from the placename, modern
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
, which is in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
[Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The ]Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...
). Published in 1994. Pages 414 - 415. Livingston was in turn named after an individual named Leving who appears in the early twelfth century in the charters of
David I of Scotland
David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...
.
This Leving was the progenitor of the powerful aristocratic Livingston family. There are multiple theories of the origin of Leving (
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
,
Fleming,
Frank
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curr ...
,
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
, and even
Hungarian).
In the mid seventeenth century James Livingston of
Skirling
Skirling is a parish, community council area and village in Peeblesshire in the Scottish Borders situated 2½ miles east of Biggar in Lanarkshire. Biggar Water, a tributary the River Tweed forms the southern boundary of the parish with the pa ...
, who was of a branch of these Lowland Livingstons, was granted a nineteen-year lease of the Bishoprics of Argyll and the Isles.
Sometime before 1648, James Livingston seems to have stayed at
Achanduin Castle
Achanduin Castle, (also known as Achadun Castle and Acha-Dun), is a castle, now in ruins, located about west of Achnacroish on the north-western coastline of the island of Lismore, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The castle overlooks Loch Linnhe a ...
on Lismore, and it is thought that around this time that the surname Livingstone would have been adopted by MacLeas on the island.
Descent from Dunshleibe
The Duke of Argyll wrote that it was possible that the eponymic progenitor of all the Mac(Duns)leves, (MacLeas, ''highland'' Livingstones, etc.), of Lismore may be Dunshleibe son of
Aedh Alain O'Neill
Aodh ( , , ; sga, Áed) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic male given name, originally meaning "fire".The modern word ''aodh'' meaning 'inflammation' or as a phrase with the Irish word for 'itch' (''tochas''), giving ''aodh thochais'', 'burning itc ...
.
[''The Highland Clans'', p.117-119.] Aed Alain was the son of the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
prince
Anrothan O'Neill, who traditionally is said to have married a Princess of
Dál Riata
Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is now ...
, inheriting her lands of
Cowal
Cowal ( gd, Còmhghall) is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the Firth of Clyde.
The northern part of the peninsula is covered by the Argyll Forest Park managed by Forestry and Land Scotland. The Arrochar ...
and
Knapdale
Knapdale ( gd, Cnapadal, IPA: kraʰpət̪əɫ̪ 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, ...
. Anrothan in turn was a son of
Aodh O'Neill Aodh may refer to:
* Aodh (given name) (Old and Middle Irish spelling ''Áed''), a masculine given name
*Aed (god)
Aed, or Aodh, is the prince of the Daoine Sidhe and a god of the underworld in Irish mythology. He is known from inscriptions as t ...
,
King of Ailech
The Kings of Ailech were the over-kings of the Medieval Ireland, medieval Irish Provinces of Ireland, province of Ailech in north-western Ireland. It encompassed the territories of the Cenél nEógain and Cenél Conaill. After the battle of Cloí ...
(r.1030-1033).
From him the family would ultimately descend from
Niall of the Nine Hostages
Niall ''Noígíallach'' (; Old Irish "having nine hostages"), or Niall of the Nine Hostages, was a legendary, semi-historical Irish king who was the ancestor of the Uí Néill dynasties that dominated Ireland from the 6th to the 10th centuries. ...
,
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...
, who reigned in the fifth century, although the
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...
actually take their name from his descendant
Niall Glúndub
Niall Glúndub mac Áeda (Modern Irish: ''Niall Glúndubh mac Aodha'', "Niall Black-Knee, son of Áed"; died 14 September 919) was a 10th-century Irish king of the Cenél nEógain and High King of Ireland. Many Irish kin groups were members of th ...
, a High King of Ireland living five centuries later. Dunshleibe is also thought to have been the common ancestor of clans in western Argyll including the
Lamonts
Lamonts was a chain of department stores founded in Seattle, Washington. The chain was started in 1970 when Pay 'n Save renamed its suburban branches of Rhodes, a department store chain the company acquired in 1965. Lamonts remained a division o ...
, the
MacEwens of Otter, the
Maclachlans, the
MacNeils of Barra, and the
MacSweens.
Dunshleibe Ua Eochadha
An alternative and the modernly accepted theory, however, is that the MacLea are descended of Ruaidhri Mac Duinnsleibhe, the 54th Christian and last king of Ulidia.
The Coarbs of Saint Moluag are proposed to be closely related to the rigdamnai or
Royal Family of Ulster and their use of the name Mac Duinnshleibhe to be a proud reminder and declaration of that fact.
According to
Byrne '
Byrne (also O'Byrne) is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Broin'' or ''Ó Beirn''.
There are two Irish surnames which have Byrne as their English spelling; the most common comes from Ó Broin, which refers to the Leinster-b ...
the
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...
rigdamnai alone used the name Mac Duinnshleibhe
:''“ So for instance when after 1137 the
Dál Fiatach
Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland during the Middle Ages. It was part of the over-kingdom of Ulaid, and they were its main ruling dynasty for most of Ulaid's ...
kingship was confined to the descendants of Donn Sleibe Mac Eochada (slain in 1091), the rigdamnai set themselves apart from the rest of the family by using the name Mac Duinnshleibhe (Donleavy)." '' Francis John Byrne, Irish Kings and High-Kings page 128.
It seems as though Ruaidhri Mac Duinnsleibhe was the last king of Ulidia, dying at the end of the twelfth century. Rory, son of Dunsleve, is number 54 on O'Hart's roll of the kings of Ulidia and described as "the last king of Ulidia, and its fifty-fourth king since the advent of St. Patrick to Ireland."
In Irish Pedigrees – The Stem of the Dunlevy family, Princes of Ulidia, O'Hart says
:''"Tuirmach Teamrach, the 81st Monarch of Ireland, had a son named Fiach Fearmara, who was ancestor of the Kings of Argyle and Dalriada, in Scotland: this Fiach was also the ancestor of MacDunshleibe and O’Dunsleibhe, anglicised Dunlevy, Dunlief, Dunlop, Levingstone and Livingstone. …''
:''According to Dr O’Donovan descendants of this family (Cu-Uladh the son the last MacDunshleibe King of Ulidia), soon after the English invasion of Ireland, passed into Scotland, where they changed their name."''
Coarb of Saint Moluag
![Lismore Island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Lismore_Island.jpg)
Saint Moluag was a Scottish missionary, and a contemporary of
Saint Columba
Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...
, who evangelized the
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
of Scotland in the sixth century. According to the
Irish Annals
A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...
, in 562 Saint Moluag beat Saint Columba in a race to the large
Isle of Lismore
Lismore ( gd, Lios Mòr, possibly meaning "great enclosure" or "garden") is an island of some in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The climate is damp and mild, with over of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a maj ...
. The nineteenth-century historian
William F. Skene
William Forbes Skene WS FRSE FSA(Scot) DCL LLD (7 June 1809 – 29 August 1892), was a Scottish lawyer, historian and antiquary.
He co-founded the Scottish legal firm Skene Edwards which was prominent throughout the 20th century but disapp ...
claimed the Isle of Lismore was the sacred island of the Western
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
and the burial place of their kings whose capital was at
Beregonium, across the water at
Benderloch
Benderloch ( gd, Meadarloch, ) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The name is derived from ''Beinn eadar dà loch'', meaning "mountain between two lochs".
Benderloch lies on the A828 road in the coastal parish of Ardchattan, Argyll, Sc ...
.
The Coarb, or successor, of the saint was the hereditary keeper of his pastoral staff. The Great Staff of Saint Moluag, or ''Bachuil Mor'' is thought to be the sixth-century saint's
crozier
A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...
or staff.
The ''Bachuil Mor'' is a plain wooden staff that is about 38 inches long. There is evidence that the ''Bachuil Mor'' was at one time covered with plates of
gilt copper of which some remain.
[''The Celtic Magazine'', p.287.] On 21 December 1950 on the petition of Livingstone of Bachuil, the
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
ruled that Livingstone was the Coarb of Saint Moluag. Livingstone's ancestor Iain McMolmore Vic Kevir appears in a charter of 1544 as "''with keeping of the great staff of the blessed Moloc, as freely as the father, grandfather and great-grandfather and other predecessors of the said Iain.''"
Since St. Moluag was the founder and head of three schools (
Lismore,
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie ( sco, Rossmartnie, from gd, Ros Mhaircnidh meaning "promontory of the horse stream") is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in Ross-shire (Ross and Cromarty), northern Scotland.
Geography
Rosemarkie lies a quart ...
and
Mortlach) and several subordinate monasteries, he is viewed as a "sovereign lord" by the Lord Lyon. As his successor, the Coarb is viewed as a sovereign baron and is granted a unique
Cap of Maintenance
Typical of British heraldry, a cap of maintenance, known in heraldic language as a ''chapeau gules turned up ermine'', is a ceremonial cap of crimson velvet lined with ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or ...
of Gules doubled Vair to place in his coat of arms.
History
Despite claiming ancient heritage the clan was not formally recognised by the Lord Lyon until 2003. The first
clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard c ...
of Clan MacLea to be recognised was William Jervis Alastair Livingstone of Bachuil, in 2003. The late chief represented the clan as a member of the
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...
.
William Jervis Alastair Livingstone of Bachuil died in February 2008 and was succeeded by his son
The Much Hon. Niall Livingstone.
Civil War and Jacobite risings
During the
Scottish Civil War of the 17th century the Livingstones remained loyal to the Crown and as a result their estates suffered, firstly at the hands of the Scottish
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...
s and later at the hands of
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
's Parliamentarians.
During the 18th century the Clan Livingstone supported the
Jacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts
The House of Stuart, ori ...
and as a result their titles were forfeited.
The MacLeas (later referred to as Livingstones) fought in the Appin Regiment at the
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...
in 1746. Donald Livingstone, Bun-a-mhuilinn, Morvern, was of the Livingstones of Achnacree, Benderloch and was 18 when he fought at Culloden saving the Appin Standard.
Clan battles
*
Battle of Bealach na Broige. The Battle of Bealach na Broige was fought between various north-western highland clans from the lands of
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
, against the
Earl of Ross
The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland.
Origins and transfers
In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12th ...
and his followers. Though the date of the battle is obscure, what is known is that the rising consisted of the "''Clan-juer''" (Clan Iver), "''Clantalvigh''" (Clan-t-aluigh, i.e.
Clan Aulay), and "''Clan-leajwe''" (Clan-leaive, i.e. Clan Leay).
[''Traditions of the MacAulays of Lewis'', p. 381. Sir Robert Gordon's ''Genealogie of the Earles of Southerland''."] The
Munroes and Dingwalls pursued and overtook the rising clans at Bealach na Broige, where a bitter battle ensued, fed by old feuds and animosities. In the end, the MacIvers, MacAulays and MacLeays were almost utterly extinguished and the Munroes and Dingwalls won a hollow victory, having lost many men including their chiefs.
*Achnacree. 1557. The McLeays of Achnacree were almost wiped out, losing 80 men supporting the MacDougalls of Lorn against the
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...
of Inverawe in a clan battle. McLea Manuscript, Highland Papers, Vol. IV, 1296 to 1752, third Series, Scottish History Society, pp 94 to 103.
*Dunaverty. 1647. Many of the clan MacLea seem to have been killed when they took the side of the
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan, historically based in and around Argyll. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in Scotland, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as ...
against the Campbells of Inverawe, a conflict exemplified by the
Dunaverty Massacre
The Battle of Dunaverty involved a battle and the siege of Dunaverty Castle in Kintyre, Scotland, in 1647. The events involved the Covenanter Army under the command of General David Leslie on one side and 200–300 Highland troops under t ...
. Placed prominently at the top of the second column of a list of those massacred at Dunaverty, 1647, supporting the MacDougalls were these McLeas: Iain Mc Iain Vc ein dui alias Mc onlea, Dunsla M'ein Vc onlea and Iain M'onlea, his brother, (''Highland Papers, II, p. 257'').
Clan profile
Crest badge, clan badge and clan chief
*
Crest badge
A Scottish crest badge is a heraldic badge worn to show allegiance to an individual or membership in a specific Scottish clan. Crest badges are commonly called "clan crests", but this is a misnomer; there is no such thing as a collective ''clan' ...
:
Note: the crest badge is made up of the chief's heraldic crest
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after the ...
and motto
A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...
.
**Chief's crest: A demi-man representing the figure of Saint Moluag Proper, his head ensigned of a circle of glory Or, having about his shoulders a cloak Vert, holding in his dexter hand the great Staff of Saint Moluag Proper and in his sinister hand a cross crosslet fitchée Azure, and in an Escrol over the same this Motto ''CNOC AINGEIL''.
**Chief's motto (
slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...
): ''CNOC AINGEIL'' (translation from Scottish Gaelic: "Hill of fire").
Note: this motto or slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...
is derived from a Pictish burial mound behind the chief's house at Bachuil.
**Chief's motto (alternate, not used in crest badge): ''NI MI E MA'S URRAIN DHOMH''
(translation from Scottish Gaelic: "I shall do it if I can").
Note: This motto is said to be a play on words of the unrelated Livingston's heraldic motto: ''Si Je Puis'' ("If I can").
*
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 affixed to the bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge ...
: The Flower of the
Grass of Parnassus.
*
Clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard c ...
: Niall Livingstone of Bachuil, Baron of the Bachuil, Coarb of St Moluag, Abbot of Lismore
Tartans
See also
*
Maclay Maclay may refer to:
Institutions
* Maclay School, PK–12 private school in Tallahassee, Florida
* Claremont School of Theology, formerly the Maclay School of Theology, Claremont, California
* Maclays Brewery, brewery in Alloa, Scotland
Places
* ...
disambiguation
Footnotes
References
*Mackenzie, Alexander (editor). ''The Celtic Magazine'', (vol.6).
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
: A. & W. MacKenzie, 1881.
*
Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Sir Ian. ''The Highland Clans''.
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1982. .
*Stewart, Donald C. ''The Setts of the Scottish Tartans, with descriptive and historical notes''.
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1974. .
*Thomas, Capt. F W L. "Traditions of the MacAulays of Lewis". ''Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland'', 14 (1880).
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20130513000148/http://clanmclea.co.uk/
An Account of the Name of McLeaLivingston/MacLea/Boggs Surname DNA Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clan Maclea
Lismore, Scotland
MacLea
The Clan MacLea is a Highland Scottish clan, which was traditionally located in the district of Lorn in Argyll, Scotland, and is seated on the Isle of Lismore. There is a tradition of some MacLeas Anglicising their names to Livingstone, thus t ...