 Clan MacLeod of Lewis crest The Clan MacLeod of Lewis is a Highland Scottish clan which is a branch of the main Clan MacLeod of Skye. Clan map of Scotland Scottish clans give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relatives throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which controls the heraldry and Coat...
MacLeod Crest. ...
History
Origins of the Clan The Clan MacLeof claims its descent from Leod, a younger son of Olaf the Black, one of the last Norse kings of Man. Leod married a daughter of the Norse steward of Skye, which brought the family to Dunvegan. From there, the clan divided into two main branches, the Clan MacLeod of Skye, and the Clan MacLeod of Lewis, the "Siol Torquil". The progenitor of the MacLeods of Lewis branch was Torquil, a son of Leod. MacLeod Crest. ...
14th Century In the fourteenth century King David II of Scotland granted a charter to Torquil MacLeod for the barony of Assynt in Sutherland. This estate and other acquisitions of land gave the Siol Torquil the power to rival their cousins the Siol Tormod Clan MacLeod]] in importance. On these grounds the chieftenship of the whole Clan MacLeod was always disputed. The Lewis Macleods held that island as vassals of the Macdoanlds of Isla from 1344, and soon came to rival the MacLeods of Skye also known as of Harris branch of the Macleods in power and extent of territory, and even to dispute the chiefship with them. Their armorial bearings, however, were different, the family of Harris having a castle, while that of Lewis had a burning mount. The possessions of the Siol Torquil were very extensive, comprehending the isles of Lewis and Rasay, the district of Waterness in Skye, and those of Assynt, Cogeach, and Gairloch, on the mainland. David II (March 5, 1324 – February 22, 1371) king of Scotland, son of King Robert the Bruce by his second wife, Elizabeth de Burgh (d. ...
Sutherland (Cataibh in Gaelic) is a traditional county which is now within the Highland local government area of Scotland. ...
15th Century The MacLeods of Lewis were an ambitious branch of the Clan MacLeod. They assisted Donald Dubh MacDonald in his rebellion to obtain the Lordship of the Isles. When his attempts failed , the MacLeod's estates were forfeited and were not restored for five years. The Donald Clan Crest. ...
Lord of the Isles, now a Scottish title of nobility, originally referred to a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of galleys. ...
Alastair Matheson, Chief of the Clan Matheson died in 1427. He left a widow with two sons, and his widow presently married again, her second husband being a son of the chief of the Clan MacLeod of Lewis. This individual took advantage of the youth of his stepsons to endeavour to establish himself in possession of their property, and at last, finding themselves probably in actual danger, the young Mathesons fled from Lochalsh. While the younger went to Caithness, John, the elder of the two, went to his mother’s father, the chief of the Clan MacKintosh. He did not, however, give up the hope of recovering his property, and by having arrived at years of manhood, he obtained from his grandfather a force of men from the Clan MacKintosh for his purpose, and set out to surprise the MacLeods. It was night when the party arrived at Lochalsh, and having observed the utmost precautions of secrecy, young Matheson succeeded in his purpose. Making a sudden assault, he set the castle on fire, and as the garrison was forced to come out they were slain or captured by the Mackintoshes. Anxious to save his mother’s life, Matheson took up a position at the gate, and when she appeared, she was, by his orders, safely passed through the lines of the Mackintoshes. In the midst of the tumult, however, and flashings of the torches, it was not perceived that she was walking in an unusual way. She was wearing an arisaid, or wide plaited garment with heavy folds doubled around the hips. Under this she had managed to conceal her husband, and in a few moments the latter was beyond the light of the torches and able to escape in the darkness. Caithness (Gallaibh in Gaelic)[1] is a committee area of Highland Council, Scotland; a lieutenancy area; and a registration county, Caithness was formerly a district within the Highland region from 1975 to 1996 and a local government county with its own county council from 1891 to 1975. ...
Clan MacKintosh Crest Clan MacKintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. ...
The Matheson chief then took possession of his property, but he was not allowed to enjoy it long in peace. MacLeod, hastening to the Lewis, raised a considerable force, with which he returned and deliberately invaded the Matheson country. In the encounter which took place he was finally forced to retreat, and as he fell back upon his birlinns or galleys, his force suffered severely from the flights of arrows poured into it by a company of Matheson bowmen under a certain Ian Ciar MacMurghai Mhic-Thomais. From this incident the battle is remembered as Blar-na-saigheadear. However MacLeod was not yet completely discouraged. Once more he gathered his men on the Lews, and once more came back. But in this second attempt MacLeod was defeated and slain, and the MacLeods troubled the Mathesons no more.
16th & 17th Century During the sixteenth century the Siol Torquil, MacLeods of Lewis were involved in a succesion of feuds with neighbouring clans and with members of their own clan. However in the early seventeenth century the main line of the Lewis MacLeods became extinct and the chieftenship passed to the MacLeods of Rassay branch. Later the Lewis MacLeod clansmen were forced to accept the ascendancy of their cousins at Dunvegan and the two MacLeod clans became one.
As a result the Barony of Lewis fell into the hands of the chief of the Clan MacKenzie. The last chief of the MacLeods of Lewis had married a daughter of the MacKenzie chief. The MacKenzie chief thereby claimed the barony of Lewis as his own and to this day the MacKenzie chief's seat is at Castle Leod which was once the MacLeod of Lewis's seat. Clan MacKenzie Crest: I Shine, Not Burn. ...
However the MacLeods of Lewis clansmen prosperd under the chieftenship of the Clan MacLeod of Skye chief who led them and the other MacLeods at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. MacLeod Crest. ...
The Battle of Worcester was the final battle of the English Civil War. ...
Clan Chief The current Chief of the Clan MacLeod of Lewis is Torquil MacLeod of the Lewes
Clan Profile - Gaelic Name: MacLeòid
- Motto: Luceo non uro (I shine not burn)
- Badge: Red whortleberry
- Lands: Lewis
- Origin of Name: Gaelic MacLeòid (Son of Leod, from Norse ljot, ugly)
See Also MacLeod Crest. ...
Clan map of Scotland Scottish clans give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relatives throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which controls the heraldry and Coat...
An armigerous clan or Family, is a Scottish clan which does not currently have (a) a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms and therefore has no official position under Scots law and (b) a member of which is armigerous. ...
External Links - Official Clan MacLeod website
- http://www.scotclans.com/clans/MacLeod%20of%20Lewis/history.html
- http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/macleod2.html
- http://www.myclan.com/clans/MacLeod_89/
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