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a branch of laurel and a branch of cypress in saltire surmounted of a battle axe in pale all Proper
Vincere vel mori (To conquer or die)
No standard available
Two wolves Proper
Quarterly, 1st, Argent, a lion rampant Gules; 2nd, Or, a lymphad sails furled, oars in saltire Sable, flagged Gules; 3rd, Or, a dexter hand fessways couped Gules, holding a cross crosslet fitchée Azure; 4th, a tower embattled Argent masoned Sable
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The Maclaines of Lochbuie formed an important part of the clan structure
of the Hebrides. They are descended from Gillean of the Battleaxe, a
fierce warrior who lived in the mid thirteenth century and held lands
in Mull and Morvern. Gillean and his three sons fought valiantly at
the Battle of Largs, and they were well received by Alexander II. He
was succeeded by Gille-Iosa, whose son, Malcolm, fought at the head
of his clan at Bannockburn. Iain Dubh, Malcolms son, was the father
of Eachainn Reaganach, Hector the Stern, founder of the Macleans of
Lochbuie, and Lachlan Lubanach, Lachlan the wily, who founded the Macleans
of Duart. These are the two main independent branches of the family,
each with their various cadets, and the spellings of the names of both
remained identical until the late sixteenth century.
Hector was granted lands in Mull by the Lords of the Isles around 1350
and he sat on the Council of the Isles, as did subsequent Lochbuie chiefs
until the forfeiture of the lordship in 1493. Hector chose a site for
his castle on Mull at the head of Loch Buie on the lands formerly held
by the Macfadzeans. Moy Castle, a typical Scottish tower house, was
built in the late fourteenth century and was the chiefs residence
until 1752, when Lochbuie House was built. Lochbuie held land on Mull,
Scarba, Jura, Morvern, Locheil, and the bailliary of the south part
of Tiree and of Morvern. Lands were also granted in Duror and Glencoe
but they were never taken into possession. In 1542 the lands held by
the sixth Lochbuie chief were united into the barony of Moy.
One of the most famous legends associated with the clan is that of
the headless horseman. Prior to 1538 the fifth chief, Iain Og, had a
son, Ewan, who lived on a crannog, or artificial island, in Loch Sghubhain
just north of Lochbuie. Ewans wife, who earned the nickname, the
black swan, pressed Ewan continuously to ask his father for more
land. Ewan at last consented, but when he confronted his father a heated
argument ensued which resulted in their setting a time and place for
battle. They met at Glen Cannir, with Iain Og supported by the Macleans
of Duart. In the heat of battle, Ewan left himself open to the swing
of a claymore, which completely severed his head from his body. His
horse kept galloping with the headless body held in place by the stirrups.
The horse eventually stopped and Ewans body was buried on that
spot which is still marked by a cairn. His body was later taken to Iona,
where his gravestone can still be seen. It is said that whenever a member
of the family is about to die, hoofbeats of Ewans horse will be
heard and his headless ghost may be seen in his green cloak galloping
through the night on his black charger.
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John Mor, seventh chief, was renowned as an excellent swordsman. When
an Italian master-at-arms challenged Scottish nobles to meet him in
duel John Mor accepted the challenge, and fought and killed him in the
presence, and to the delight, of the king and the court. His son, Hector,
eighth of Lochbuie, initiated the spelling of the surname Maclaine,
which became the accepted spelling by subsequent chiefs. Murdoch Mor,
tenth chief, fought alongside the Marquess of Montrose in 1645 and thereby
forfeited his lands, which were not restored until 1661. The twelfth
chief, Hector, was the victor in the first battle of the Jacobite campaign
of James VII when, in 1689, at Knockbreck in Badenoch, he overcame five
troops of horse sent by Mackays army to intercept him. He also
participated in the Battle of Killiecrankie later that year in which
the Highlanders almost annihilated Mackays forces.
John, seventeenth chief, was host to Dr Samuel Johnson and James Boswell
on the last stop of their famous tour of the Hebrides in 1773. Boswell
said of John, Lochbuie proved to be a bluff, comely, noisy old
gentleman, proud of his hereditary consequence and a very hearty and
hospitable landlord. John had a plaque placed above the door of
Lochbuie House to commemorate the visit.
One of the more colourful Lochbuie chiefs was Murdoch, twenty-third
of Lochbuie, born in 1814. It is reported that, after his late arrival
to a formal dinner in Oban, the Duke of Argyll sent a butler to ask
him to come and sit at the head of the table. Murdoch retorted, Where
Lochbuie sits is the head of the table. Murdoch, along with the
Duke of Argyll, founded the Argyllshire Gathering and Ball in 1871.
He had a distinguished military career, and while serving as military
correspondent of The Times during the FrancoPrussian War in 1871,
was awarded the Iron Cross by the Kaiser. Murdochs son and heir,
Kenneth Maclaine, the twenty-fourth chief, made a mark for himself by
going on the stage as a singer to try to forestall the closure of the
Lochbuie estates. Unfortunately, the onset of the First World War made
it impossible for him to avoid the inevitable, and the entire estates
of some thirty thousand acres were lost. Kenneth served with distinction
throughout the war, being awarded the Military Cross twice and the Croix
de Guerre with Palm.
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