Clan MacLean

Clan Chief:             27th MacLean Chief is Sir Lachlan MacLean

                          of Duart and Morven

Origin of Name:    Gaelic, MacGille-Eoin 

                          (Son of the Servant of St. John)

Gaelic Name:         MacGille-Eoin

Clan Crest:             A castle tower with battlements

Clan Motto:            "Virtue mine honour”

Lands:                     Inner Hebrides

Amid the breathtaking beauty of the Sound of Mull stands an ancient castle, which rises above the rugged landscape like a monument to Scotland's glorious past. Castle Duart, built in the 14th Century, is the seat of the great Clan MacLean, a hardy people renowned throughout Scotland as adventurers and seafarers. The MacLeans are descended from Gillean of the Battleaxe, who fought off the Viking invaders at the Battle of Largs in 1263. Four generations later, Lachlan MacLean married the Lord of the Isles' daughter Mary, and was given Duart Castle and lands in Mull by his father-in-law. The MacLeans held the position of Chamberlain to the Lord of the Isles, which the Crown confirmed in 1495. Clan MacLean's power grew and they controlled extensive lands, including the islands of Tiree, Mull, Coll and Islay, and large sections of the mainland, including Morven, Lochaber and Lochbuie.

The Clan MacLean are well remembered in Scotland's history for rallying to the Scottish cause during pivotal events which shaped the nation. Gillean's great-grandson Gillecullum fought beside the famed Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, helping to drive the English occupiers from a proudly independent Scotland. This relationship to the Scottish Crown was compounded through the centuries, with various MacLean chiefs assisting the in affairs of the state. Hector MacLean obtained an assurance of safe passage from the English King Henry IV in order to visit his captured sovereign James I in the southern land. Another chief, Lachlan MacLean, bargained with Queen Elizabeth I of England, threatening to raise Highland mercenaries to fight for the Irish rebels if she would not meet his demands. Such spunk ensured the ensured the success of the MacLeans, and by the 17th Century the Clan MacLean was at the height of its power. The Crown rewarded the MacLeans' verve in 1633, when Sir Lachlan MacLean was made a baronet of Nova Scotia. His son, Sir Hector, stood steadfast beside King Charles I during the Civil War, rallying with the Clan in the fight against Cromwell's Roundheads. Sir Hector was slain at the Battle of Inverkeithing, but not before seven brothers had lain down their lives to protect the chief, crying as they fell "Fear eile airson Eachainn" meaning, in Gaelic "another for Hector". This has become the battle cry of the MacLeans. 
The Clan stood firmly under the banner of Bonnie Prince Charlie during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, flexing their muscle for the sake of Charlie's birthright. The Clan MacLean fought bravely on the fateful field of Culloden, even though their chief was held in London as a political prisoner. 
The 27th MacLean Chief is Lord MacLean, Lord Chamberlain to Her Majesty's Household, who resides, as have generations of his forefathers, at Duart Castle on the Sound of Mull.  

The MacLean Clan Crest is a castle tower with battlements and the proud MacLean clan motto, “Virtue mine honour