John MacLeod of MacLeod, (born John Wolrige-Gordon; 10 August 1935 – 12 February 2007) was the 29th
Chief of
Clan MacLeod
Clan MacLeod (; gd, Clann Mac Leòid ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan, whose chief is MacLeod of MacLeod, are known in Gaelic as ' ("se ...
. Faced with the need for expensive repairs to the
clan's seat at
Dunvegan Castle
, native_name_lang =Gaelic
, alternate_name =
, image = Dunvegan Castle.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = The south-west face of the castle
, map =
, map_type = Scotland Isle of Skye ...
on the
Isle of Skye, his proposed methods to raise funds caused considerable controversy. His twin brother,
Patrick Wolridge-Gordon (1935–2002), was
MP for East Aberdeenshire.
Biography
John was born as ''John Wolrige-Gordon'' in
Ellon, Aberdeenshire
Ellon ( gd, Eilean) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formart ...
, on 10 August 1935. He was the elder of the twin sons of Captain Robert Wolrige-Gordon,
MC and his wife Joan Walter. His mother, Joan, was the daughter of
Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod
Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod, (3 February 1878 – 4 November 1976) was the 28th Chief of Clan MacLeod.
Biography
Flora Louisa Cecilia MacLeod was born at 10 Downing Street, London, in 1878, the home of her grandfather Sir Stafford Northco ...
, the 28th Chief of Clan MacLeod.
His younger twin brother,
Patrick Wolrige-Gordon
Patrick Wolrige-Gordon (10 August 1935 – 22 May 2002), was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party politician.
Biography
Patrick Wolrige-Gordon was one of twin sons of Captain Robert Wolrige-Gordon, MC and his wife Joan Walter, the daughte ...
, would later become a
Tory
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
.
The twins had an older brother, Robert Wolrige-Gordon, who would later succeed their father as the 21st
Laird
Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...
of Hallhead, 10th
Baron of Esslemont.
John was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
,
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
, and the
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He started a career in acting and singing after
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
in the
Black Watch Regiment
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
.
In 1951, he was named
heir to his grandmother, changed his surname to ''MacLeod of MacLeod'', and was recognised by 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 ...
as ''John MacLeod of MacLeod,
Younger''. He matriculated
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
at
Lyon Office
The Court of the Lord Lyon (the Lyon Court) is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...
in 1962.
[ He later succeeded as Chief of Clan MacLeod in 1976.] In 2000, faced with the high cost of repairs to Dunvegan Castle, his clan's seat for more than 800 years, he put the Black Cuillin
The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Slig ...
range in Skye on the market for £10 million. He also planned to build an 80-bedroom hotel on his Skye estate with the proceeds of the sale. The planned sale caused outrage at the time and was never completed. He had also considered transferring the range to a charitable trust for public ownership.
Family
John married Drusilla Mary Shaw on 25 July 1961. The marriage was later dissolved by divorce, without issue, on 31 March 1971. He also had a natural son
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
, Stephan, born in 1971. On 19 March 1973, he married Azima Melita Kolin, daughter of Duko Kolin of Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
. The couple had two children, Hugh Magnus
Hugh Magnus (french: Hugues le Grand) (1007 – 17 September 1025) was co-King of France under his father, Robert II, from 1017 until his death in 1025. He was a member of the House of Capet, a son of Robert II by his third wife, Constance ...
and Elena Mary Nadezhda, born in 1973 and 1977, respectively. His second marriage was also dissolved by divorce on 28 August 1992.[ On 27 March 2004, he married Ulrika Thram.]["Clan MacLeod Magazine", p. 73, issue No. 100, April 2005]
Cricket
During the 1980s, John became a keen playing member of th
Poet's and Peasants' Cricket Club
a group of amateurs (largely musicians) that included founding member Bramwell Tovey
Bramwell Tovey (11 July 1953 – 12 July 2022) was a British conductor and composer.
Life and career
Tovey was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as ...
. The club's poet was Alan Gibson
Norman Alan Stewart Gibson (28 May 1923 – 10 April 1997) was an English journalist, writer and radio broadcaster, best known for his work in connection with cricket, though he also sometimes covered football and rugby union. At various times ...
, ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' cricket correspondent and former Test Match Special commentator. Such was John's modesty that few of the members knew about his background until a piece appeared about him in one of the Sunday broadsheets. John was by all accounts a decent batsman and would usually open the batting for the Peasants with a statuesque West Indian named Tony Jenkins who drove trains on London's Central Line. The club was based in Essex and most of the fixtures were played in this county - some considerable distance from John's London home in Chelsea.
Death and successor
On 12 February 2007, John died of leukaemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
, aged 71, in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
, England. His funeral was held at Duirinish Free Church of Scotland, at Dunvegan. He was buried at the ruined stone church at Kilmuir. John was succeeded by his second son, Hugh Magnus MacLeod, as 30th Chief of Clan MacLeod.
Ancestry
Heraldry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macleod, John Macleod of
1935 births
2007 deaths
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Black Watch officers
Deaths from cancer in England
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
Deaths from leukemia
McGill University alumni
People educated at Eton College
People from Ellon, Aberdeenshire
People from the Isle of Skye
20th-century Scottish businesspeople