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Sgian Dubh
It is thought that the progenitor of the Macleods is Leod who was Olaf the Black’s younger son, brother of Magnus and one of the last Norse Kings of Man and the North Isles. Olaf died c. 1237, and Leod inherited the Islands of Lewis and Harris with part of Skye. Through the marriage to the Norse seneschal the family acquired Dunvegan Castle, which remains in the family to this day. The Macleods followed the Macdonald Lord of the Isles in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, but were able to steer a hazardous political path when James IV sought to break the Macdonald's power. Royal policy at that time was to suppress the Hebridean chiefs but the 8th chief, Alasdair Crotach survived their attacks. Avoiding James V ‘s wrath, Alasdair actually secured a title to Trotternish in 1542 which had long been disputed with the Macdonalds of Sleat. Ruaraidh Mor, succeeded as the 15th chief in 1595. He was knighted by James VI continuing the work of Alasdair Crotach and establishing Dunvegan as the cultural centre of the Isles. The 18th chief fought for the royalist cause at the Battle of Worchester in 1651 but lost to Cromwell. The Harris estates were sequestrated, but the chief was admitted into the protection of the Commonwealth by General Monk in 1665. Although loyal to the Stuarts, the clan’s loss at Worchester prevented the Macleods from taking a leading role in the rising of 1715 and in 1745 believed that Prince Charles Edward’s arrival was ill-conceived, bluntly refused to join his standard. Norman Macleod born near the ruins of Ardvreck Castle in 1780 became one of the first Calvanist preachers of his day. Taking his congregation to Nova Scotia he founded a religious community later following him to Australia and New Zealand. In 1988 Torquil Macleod of Raasay rematriculated his arms to be recognised by the Lord Lyon as Macleod of the Lewes, "Chief and Head of that Baronial House under the Macleod of Macleod."
Septs of the Clan: Clan MacLeod of Harris: Beaton, Bethune, Beton, Beaton, Grimmond, Harold, MacCaig, MacClure, MacCrimmon, MacGuiag, MacHarold, Macraild, MacWilliam and Norman. Clan MacLeod of Lewis: Callum, Lewis, MacAskill, MacAulay, MacCallum, MacCAskill, MacCorkindale, MacCorquodale, MacLewis, MacNicol, Malcolmson, Nicholl, Nicol, Nicoll, Nicholson, Nicolson, Tolmie. |
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