From R.R. MacIan's The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, 1848
Clan MacLachlan is one of the oldest of all Scottish Clans. According to Irish manuscripts, the Clan is descended from the same line as the O'Neills, High Kings of Ireland. The name MacLachlan means "son of Lachlan", and Lachlan itself is from the older Gaelic name Lachlann which literally means "land of lochs". It was a common Christian name in the family tree of the High Kings.
As early as 1230 Gilchrist MacLachlan witnessed a land charter and in 1292 Gilleskel MacLachlan received a charter for his land in Argyll. A MacLachlan served in the first parliament of Robert The Bruce in Saint Andrews. The MacLachlans were loyal supporters to the Stewarts and fought in all the royalist campaigns. In the 1745 uprising with Prince Charles Edward Stewart, the Chief of the Clan served the Prince and was lost at Culloden while commanding a regiment of 300 men. The loss of the battle and war resulted in the destruction of the castle by the British in 1746.
The present Castle Lachlan was built in 1790 and is the home of Euan John Rome Maclachlan of Maclachlan, the 25th Chief. It is located in Strathlachlan, near Strachur, on the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll.
Clan MacLachlan Worldwide has a book available that summarizes the history of the clan, its tartans, its castles and its heritage.
The crest is the family emblem usually displayed on top of the helmet as part of the family's coat-of-arms. When encircled by a strap and buckle bearing the Clan's motto, any member of the clan may wear the crest on a badge. The Clan MacLachlan Crest is a triple towered castle standing upon a rock with the rock cradled in a crown.
The Clan MacLachlan motto is Fortis Et Fidus which means Strong and Faithful (trusty), terms that accurately describe the history of our clan.
The plant badge is believed to be a charm or magic plant that is carried beside the Clan standard or fixed on a staff or spear. It was also used as a form of identification. Clans folk can wear a sprig of the plant pinned behind the silver crest on their bonnet or sash-badge brooch. The Clan MacLachlan plant badges are the Rowan (or Mountain Ash) tree and the Lesser Periwinkle.
The Clan MacLachlan pipe song is Moladh Mairi (In Praise of Mary).
Clan MacLachlan has five registered tartans and one tartan associated with the clan that predates registration: Modern, Dress, Hunting, Ancient and Weathered. In addition to these, any MacLachlan may wear the Moncreiffe tartan, known commonly as Old MacLachlan or Pattern 66.
The battle cry Life or Death was used by the United Regiment of MacLachlans and MacLeans, commanded by Lachlan MacLachlan, 17th Chief of Clan MacLachlan, in their charge against the government lines at the Battle of Culloden. It has since been adopted as the Clan's war cry.
The Gaelic spelling of the name is MacLachlainn.
There are over 500 different spellings of the three names associated with Clan MacLachlan: MacLachlan, Gilchrist and MacEwen. This number is growing as new variations are identified.
The first name, MacLachlan, is the chief's surname. The second, Gilchrist, is a sept. The third, MacEwen, is a protectorate dating from the middle of the 15th century.
Through the efforts of several sister organizations, Clan MacLachlan has been represented at Scottish gatherings and events around the world for over three decades. From small groups of dedicated people who gave of their energies to foster these young organizations, Clan MacLachlan now has members from all corners of the earth.
The objectives of Clan MacLachlan Worldwide are to promote the general interest of the Clan and to cultivate the spirit of kinship and fellowship among its members throughout the world; to generate, collect and preserve literary, historical, and genealogical records, documents and relics relating to the Clan and to Scotland; to honor our Scottish heritage and to cultivate among our members and descendants the pride and spirit of our Scottish ancestors.
Please send any comments or questions you have about Clan MacLachlan, via e-mail, to secretary@maclachlans.org
or by regular mail to:
In North America:
Outside North America:
Clan MacLachlan is a proud member of the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations, Inc. (COSCA).
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This page has been prepared by the CMANA, Inc. It was last updated August 24, 1999.
© 1996-1999 Clan MacLachlan Association of North America, Inc.