Lachlan Mor Maclean

Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean, 14th Chief
14th Clan Chief 10th Laird of Duart
In office 1573-1598
Preceded by	Hector Og Maclean, 13th Chief, father
Succeeded by	Hector Og Maclean, 15th Chief, son
Personal details
Born	1558
Died	1598 (age 40) Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart
Cause of death	Killed in action
Spouse(s)	Margaret, daughter of William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn
Children	Hector Og Maclean, 15th Chief Lachlan Og MacLean, 1st Laird of Torloisk
Parent	Hector Og Maclean, 13th Chief

Sir Lachlan Mór Maclean (1558 – 5 August 1598) or Big Lachlan Maclean, was the 14th Clan Chief of Clan MacLean from late 1573 or early 1574 until 1598. Mór or Mor translates as big in English, or magnus in Latin, when added to a name in Scottish Gaelic.

Birth

He was born in 1558 to Eachuinn Og Maclean. Sir Lachlan became the 14th Maclean Clan Chief at the death of his father in 1573 or 1574.

"He was called 'Big Lachlan,' both on account of his stature and the greatness of his mind. He was the most accomplished and warlike chief that ever held sway in Duart. His military talents were of a very high order; his chivalrous character commanded the respect of his most inveterate foes, and his personal interest for and kindness toward his followers endeared him to his clansmen. So great were his qualities that historians have been forced to pay tribute to his memory."

Marriage and children

He married Lady Margaret Cunningham of Glencairn, daughter of William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn. They had the following children:

• Hector Og Maclean, 15th Clan Chief
• Lachlan Og Maclean, 1st Laird of Torloisk
• Gillean Maclean, married to Mary the elder, daughter of John Dubh Maclean of Morvern
• Allan Maclean, married to Mary the younger, daughter of John Dubh Maclean of Morvern
• Charles Maclean
• Bethag Maclean, married to Hector MacLean of Lochbuie, 9th Chief

Death

He died on 5 August 1598 in the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart on the Island of Islay. He was killed by the forces of Sir James MacDonald, 9th of Dunnyveg.

His remains were left on the battlefield. A day or two after the battle, it is said that two women, of whom different accounts are given — some calling them strangers, some clanswomen, some relations of the dead — grieving to think that the body of so notable a chief as Sir Lachlan Mor should be unburied and uncared for on the moorland, came from a distance in search of it. They hired a vehicle, the only one to be had in the neighborhood, and having found the corpse, proceeded to carry it to the nearest burying-grounds, about six miles distant. The way was rough, and the driver looking behind him saw the head of the great chief, which extended beyond the car, nodding to him at every jolt, as if it had life, and were giving him directions. At the next heavy rut he looked again to please his savage soul with ferocious enjoyment. But this time the elder female, who had watched him, acted as described in the ballad, and killed the brutal driver with the chieftain's dagger. Then, along with her companion, she brought the mortal remains of Sir Lachlan to the place where they still lie buried.

Sir Lachlan Mor MacLean was buried in the churchyard of Kilchoman on Islay, near the south wall of the church, and over his grave is laid a great stone. There is a churchyard, Kilnave, near the battle-field; but the body was taken to Kilchoman that it might be more honored, for he was buried inside the church, and when a new church was built there, around 1829, the wall was so constructed that the grave was left outside the church.

Legacy

The plaque that marks the spot where he died says: "This cairn indicates the spot where, on the 5th August, 1598, Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean of Duart fell in a desperate encounter with his nephew Sir James Macdonald of Knockrinsay. The battle of Traigh Ghruinneart is the best known incident in the feud between the Macleans and the Macdonalds for the Rinns "

Ancestors

Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean's ancestors in three generations

Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean	Father: Eachuinn Og Maclean	Paternal Grandfather: Eachuinn Mor Maclean	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Lachlan Cattanach Maclean
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Katherine, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll
		Paternal Grandmother: Mary MacDonald of Islay and the Glens	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Alexander MacDonald of Islay and the Glens
			Paternal Great-Grandmother:
	Mother: Janet Campbell of Argyll	Maternal Grandfather: Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll	Maternal Great-Grandfather: Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll
			Maternal Great-Grandmother: Jean, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly
		Maternal Grandmother:	Maternal Great-grandfather:
			Maternal Great-Grandmother:

References

 This article incorporates text from A history of the clan Mac Lean from its first settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the present period: including a genealogical account of some of the principal families together with their heraldry, legends, superstitions, etc, by John Patterson MacLean, a publication from 1889, now in the public domain in the United States.