Clan MacGregor

Clan Chief:           Sir Malcolm Gregor Charles MacGregor

Origin of Name:   From Gregor, third son of Alpin, King of Scots.

Gaelic Name:       MacGrioghair

Clan Crest:           A lion’s head wearing an antique crown  

Clan Motto:          S rioghal mo dhream (My race is Royal).

Lands:                  Argyll and Perthshire

To the west and north of Loch Lomond, amidst some of the most wild and beautiful countryside in Scotland, encompassing Glenlyon, Glenorchy, Glenstrae and Glengyle, lies the ancient homeland of the MacGregors. The Clan is also known as McGregor, "Mac" being Gaelic for "son of" and the "Mc" prefix being an abbreviation of this. The Clan descends from King Alpin, who reigned in the ninth century and this is reflected in their motto - ‘S Rioghal Mo Dhream, - Gaelic for "Royal Is My Race". The MacGregors were both famed and feared for their fighting abilities and fierce warlike nature and were forever defending their lands against larger clans, especially the Campbells. When the Campbells gained possession of a good part of the lands by legal manipulation, the MacGregors began the long war to retrieve their land. The Clan carried out guerrilla campaigns in the mountains, earning them the nickname of "Children of the Mist."Their aggressive conduct eventually brought them the displeasure of King James V1 and in 1603 he ordered a military expedition to enter their lands and punish the MacGregors. This commission was given to a force of several hundred of the Colquhoun Clan who were allies of the Campbells. Alerted to this situation, the MacGregors secretly crossed Loch Lomond and routed the Colquhouns in Glen Fruin, slaughtering a great number of them and driving off their livestock. The King immediately outlawed the whole of the Clan and a number of measures were passed against the Clan. These included, prohibiting anyone from bearing the name of MacGregor, freedom from prosecution for anyone who killed a MacGregor and severe penalties for those who sheltered MacGregors. The Chief and several of his followers were executed and high rewards put on the heads of his Clansmen.

The fierce reputation of the MacGregors ensured that few people were eager to try to earn these rewards. The proscription of the MacGregor name was not finally lifted until 1775 and it is a tribute to their endurance and indomitable spirit that the MacGregor name still exists.

In 1959, Brigadier Sir Gregor MacGregor, 6th Bt, of Lanrick and Balquhidder, became 23rd Chief of Clan Gregor, he was also a Grand Master Mason of Scotland . He had a very distinguished military career. Of his immediate ancestors, five died in battle, four were beheaded, twenty two were hanged, three were assassinated and one escaped from the violence to America in 17th century, - where he was killed in a battle with Indians. Other notables of the Clan were no strangers to danger. Rob Roy MacGregor, who became an outlaw & folk hero in Scotland, had an action studded life but, strangely enough, died in his old age, peacefully in bed. Simon Bolivar’s main fighting General in his liberation of South America was Gregor MacGregor and another Clansman in the 18th century became "Father of the Russian Navy".

The current chief of Clan Gregor is Major Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor, 7th BT, of Lanrick and Balquhidder, 24th Chief of Clan Gregor. He is a renowned landscape photographer.

The Gregor Clan Crest carries a lion’s head wearing an antique crown and the proud Gregor Clan motto, " ‘S rioghal mo dhream" meaning (My race is Royal).

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