Sir Reginald MacLeod of MacLeod (1 February 1847 – 20 August 1935) was the 27th
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
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 ' ("see ...
.
Life
Sir Reginald MacLeod of MacLeod was born on 1 February 1847. He was the son of
Norman MacLeod of MacLeod
Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (18 July 1812 – 5 February 1895) was the 25th Chief of Clan MacLeod.
Biography
Norman MacLeod of MacLeod was born on 18 July 1812 at Dunvegan, Skye. He was the son of John Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (1788–1835 ...
(1812–1898), 25th Chief of Clan MacLeod, and his wife Louisa Barbara St. John (1818–1880), only daughter of the 14th
Baron St John of Bletso
Baron St John of Bletso, in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1582 for Oliver St John.
For a period, the title Baron St John was subsumed within the title Earl of Bolingbroke which was granted to the ...
. He was educated at
Harrow and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
.
On 17 April 1877, Sir Reginald married Lady Agnes Mary Cecilia Northcote (d. 26 October 1921), the daughter of
Sir Stafford Northcote
Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh (27 October 1818 – 12 January 1887), known as Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt from 1851 to 1885, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1874 and 18 ...
,
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
at the time and later 1st
Earl of Iddesleigh
Earl of Iddesleigh ( ), in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for the Conservative politician Sir Stafford Northcote, 8th Baronet, of Pynes in the parish of Upton Pyne near Exeter in ...
, and Cecilia Frances Farrer. They had two daughters.
In the
1885 general election, he stood unsuccessfully for the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
in
Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...
losing the seat to an Independent Liberal. In 1889, he became the
Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer
The King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer is an officer in Scotland who represents the Crown's interests in ''bona vacantia'', ''ultimus haeres'' and treasure trove.
The K<R holds two offices, both instituted at the foundation of the Court ...
, an office of the
Court of the Exchequer which was originally concerned with the recovery of dues, penalties, and debts owed to the Crown. In February 1900, he was appointed the fourth
Registrar General
General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital records ...
, and in this role he presided over the
1901 census. Two years later, in August 1902, he was appointed
Permanent Under Secretary for Scotland. He was knighted in 1905. After a further unsuccessful attempt to be elected to Parliament in 1911 he retired from public life and became a director of
Shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
** Thin-shell structure
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard ou ...
, the first of several directorships he held.
Sir Reginald became 27th Chief of Clan MacLeod in 1929 on the death of his elder brother
Norman Magnus. Sir Reginald was the
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 the islands of
St Kilda in 1930, when the last inhabitants left the islands. In 1931, he sold the islands to Lord Dumfries, later
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.
Family history
John Stuart ...
. The famous
Fairy Flag
The Fairy Flag (Scottish Gaelic: ''Am Bratach Sìth'') is an heirloom of the chiefs of Clan MacLeod. It is held in Dunvegan Castle along with other notable heirlooms, such as the Dunvegan Cup and Sir Rory Mor's Horn. The Fairy Flag is known ...
of the MacLeod's was mounted by Sir Reginald. An expert from the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
discussed with Sir Reginald the possible origins of the flag, avoiding reference to the supernatural. Sir Reginald listened and said, "You may believe that, but I know that it was given to my ancestor by the fairies."
Family
His daughter
Olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
was noted for her journey of into the heart of Africa in 1910–1911 to visit her fiancé's grave.
The MacLeod waterfalls on the
Moa Kabi river are named after her. She went on to marry
Charles Lindsay Temple
Charles Lindsay Temple (20 November 1871 – 9 January 1929) was Lieutenant-Governor of Northern Nigeria from January 1914 until ill health caused him to relinquish the post in 1917.
Temple was the only child from the second marriage of Sir Rich ...
, who was later
Lieutenant-Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
of
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...
.
Succession
Sir Reginald's elder brothers had both died without male issue and his younger brother's only son, Iain Breac, had been killed in the sinking of
HMS ''Goliath'' in 1915. As there were no immediate male heirs, he was succeeded by his eldest daughter
Dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
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 ...
(1878–1976), 28th Chief of MacLeod and the second female chief of the clan.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macleod, Reginald, Of Macleod
1847 births
1935 deaths
People educated at Harrow School
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Reginald
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language.
Etymology and history
The meaning of Reginald is “King". The name is derived from the Latin ''Reginaldus'', which has been influenced by the Latin word ''regina'', meaning "queen". Th ...
Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Registrars-General for England and Wales
MacLeod, Reginald MacLeod, 6th Lord