Maclean of Ardgour facts for kids

The Macleans of Ardgour are a Scottish family. They are a branch of the ancient Clan Maclean. This is a famous Scottish clan from the Scottish Highlands. In Scottish Gaelic, they are called Mac Mhic Eoghainn. This name means the son of the son of Owen.

The Macleans of Ardgour: A Scottish Family

How the Macleans of Ardgour Began

The main leaders of Clan Maclean are the Macleans of Duart Castle. The Ardgour branch of the family started with Lachlan Bronneach Maclean. He was the 7th Chief of Clan Maclean. His son, Donald Maclean, 1st Laird of Ardgour, was born before his parents were married. Because of this, he grew up with his mother's family.

When Donald was old enough to fight, his grandfather took him to Ardtornish Castle. This castle was in Morvern. MacDonald of the Isles lived there. They asked MacDonald to help Donald find a place to live. MacDonald saw that Donald was a promising young man.

At that time, MacMaster, the Laird of Ardgour, had upset MacDonald. MacDonald saw a chance to get back at MacMaster. He hinted that Donald and his grandfather should take over Ardgour. They understood the message. They went to Ardgour and fought MacMaster and his sons. The Macleans took control of the land.

MacDonald then officially gave Donald the land of Ardgour. This was later confirmed by the King.

Donald had three sons. They were Ewen Maclean, 2nd Laird of Ardgour, Niall Ban Maclean, and John Ruadh Maclean. Niall Ban started the MacLeans of Borreray family. John Ruadh helped look after his grand-nephew, John MacAllen, when he was young. Donald also had another son, Gillespig, who started the Clan Ewenraoch family. Donald died before 1463. His son, Ewen Maclean, 2nd Laird of Ardgour, took his place.

The family name for the Macleans of Ardgour is Mac Mhic Eoghainn. This means "the son of the son of Hugh." The Hugh mentioned in the name was killed around 1482. This happened at the Battle of Bloody Bay. He is a direct ancestor of the current Laird.

Leaders of Ardgour: The Maclean Lairds

The "Mac Lean" illustration by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, 1845.

Here are the main leaders, or Lairds, of the Maclean family of Ardgour:

• Donald Maclean, 1st Laird of Ardgour, known as 'The Hunter'. He was born around 1411 and died before 1463. He was the son of Lachlan 'Bronnach' MacLean.
• Ewen Maclean, 2nd Laird of Ardgour. He was killed around 1482 at the Battle of Bloody Bay.
• Lauchlan Maclean, 3rd Laird of Ardgour. He did not marry. The leadership passed to his brother Charles' son, John.
• John Maclean, 4th of Ardgour. He was pardoned by King James V in 1542 for acts of piracy. His lands were made into the Barony of Ardgour. He was one of 17 Barons in the Council of the Isles in 1545. He had no children, so his cousin took over.
• Allan Maclean, 5th Laird of Ardgour. Born around 1520, he died in 1592.
• Ewen Maclean 'Eoghain na hilaig', 6th Laird of Ardgour. He was killed around 1592 by mistake.
• Allan Maclean, 7th Laird of Ardgour. Born around 1582, he died about 1681. Two of his sons were killed in the Battle of Inverkeithing in 1651.
• John 'Crùbach' Maclean, 8th Laird of Ardgour. Born around 1603, he died in 1695. 'Crùbach' means 'Cripple'.
• Ewen Maclean, 9th Laird of Ardgour. Born around 1639, he died in 1694.
• Allan Maclean, 10th Laird of Ardgour. Born in 1668, he died on November 10, 1756.
• John Maclean, 11th Laird of Ardgour. Born in 1700, he died on March 2, 1739.
• Hugh MacLean, 12th Laird of Ardgour. Born in 1736, he died on September 4, 1768. He built Ardgour House in 1765. He was a captain in the 1st Regiment of Argyle Fencibles.
• Alexander Maclean, 13th Laird of Ardgour. Born on April 16, 1764, he died on September 8, 1855. He worked for the government collecting taxes in Scotland. He was also a Colonel in the Argyllshire Militia.
• Alexander Maclean, 14th Laird of Ardgour. Born on February 11, 1799, he died on November 28, 1872. He worked for the East India Company.
• Alexander Thomas Maclean, 15th Laird of Ardgour. Born on April 1, 1835, in India, he died on December 14, 1890. He was a Judge in India.
• Alexander John Hew Maclean, 16th Laird of Ardgour. Born on December 1, 1880, he died on May 27, 1930. He was a Major in the 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
• Catriona Louisa Maclean, 17th Laird of Ardgour. Born on August 27, 1919, she died on March 16, 1988.
• Robin Maclean, 18th Laird of Ardgour. Born on October 12, 1952. His original name was Robin Michael Torrie.

Other Maclean Family Branches

The Macleans of Ardgour have several other family branches:

• Maclean of Borreray: Donald, the second son of the first Laird of Ardgour, received lands from Huistor Bane MacDonald.
• Maclean of Treshnish: Donald (Dubh) John Maclean, the first of Treshnish, was a son of Ewen, 2nd of Ardgour.
• Maclean of Inverscaddle: Charles tried to take over as Laird instead of his nephew, Allan. To keep the peace, he was given lands at Inverscaddle in 1604. He became the ancestor of the Macleans of Inverscaddle.
• Maclean of Blaich: Hector, the first of Blaich & Achnadale, was a son of Ewen, 2nd of Ardgour.

Ardgour House

Ardgour House is the home of the Macleans of Ardgour. This large house was built in 1765. Today, it is rented out for holidays.

A house has been on this site since 1542. The current house was built in 1765 by Hugh Maclean, the 12th Laird of Ardgour. It was rebuilt in 1825 after a big fire by Hugh's son, Alexander. The original staircase might have survived. Most of the inside of the house dates from 1825. This includes the fancy iron railings on the stairs. The side wings were added at that time too.

Coat of Arms

The Macleans of Ardgour have a special coat of arms. It was officially registered in 1909 for Alexander John Hew Maclean, the 16th Laird.

The shield on the coat of arms has four sections:

• The first section shows a red lion standing on its hind legs on a silver background.
• The second section shows a castle with three towers on a blue background.
• The third section shows a red hand holding a blue cross on a gold background.
• The fourth section shows a ship with its sails down and oars crossed on a gold background. Below the ship, there is a green sea with a silver salmon.

Above the shield is a helmet. On top of the helmet, there is a branch of laurel and cypress. These are crossed and have a battle-axe on top. The family motto is "Altera Merces".