| Norman
is a sept name of the MacLeods Clan
The name was derived from an Old Norse nickname "Ljótr"
meaning "ugly" and the original "Leod"
(pronounced "lodge" in Gaelic) was said to have
been descended from the Norse King Godfrey of the Isle of
Man and the Hebrides. The MacLeods became established on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and also
on Skye,
Assynt and Strathpeffer on the other side of Ross and
Cromarty. Castle Leod in Strathpeffer was eventually
taken over by the MacKenzies
.
The MacLeods were supportive of the Lord of the Isles,
including participating in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, which did
not endear them to the King of Scotland at the time. The
chief failed to produce a charter confirming ownership of
Lewis and King James VI attempted to establish
immigrants from Fife. While this did not succeed,
MacKenzie of Kintail obtained possession of Lewis
following this.
It was a MacLeod chief who established a college for
MacCrimmon pipers in the middle of the 16th century.
Chief Rory "Mor" MacLeod who lived at Dunvegan
Castle on Skye was knighted around 1613.
No friend of the Stewart kings, many of the MacLeods
did not get involved in the Jacobite Uprisings of 1715 and 1745 (which
may explain why Dunvegan Castle on Skye survived as the
home of the clan chief for 700 years). Even so, it was
Donald MacLeod who escorted Bonnie
Prince Charlie for seven weeks, as he evaded capture
after the Battle of Culloden. Another Donald
MacLeod published a book "Gloomy Memories" in
Canada of his experiences during the Highland Clearances in Sutherland.
In 1935, the chieftainship passed to Dame Flora
MacLeod (who was the last person to be born at 10 Downing
Street, the residence of the UK Prime Minister). Clan
gatherings have been held at Dunvegan Castle which holds
the "Fairy Flag of Dunvegan"
and a medieval drinking horn (which holds a bottle and a
half of claret) which is used at the inauguration of clan
chiefs.
The clan motto is "Hold fast."
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| There are two main branches of the MacLeods, the 'sons
of Leod' of the Isle of Lewis, who was son of Olaf Lord
of the Isle of Man and the Northern Isles.These two
branches descended from Leod's two sons, Tormod and
Torquil. Tormod was the ancestor of the MacLeods of
MacLeod, of Glenelg, Harris, and Dunvegan. From Torquil
came the MacLeods of Lewis and the MacLeods of Assynt.
Torquil was the 2nd Lord of Lewis, and his family held
the island until thrown out by the MacKenzies at the
beginning of the 17th century; they held Assynt much
longer. Tormod MacLeod claimed the chiefship of the whole
clan. One of his descendants supported Robert the Bruce.
His son Malcolm MacLeod received a charter from David II
(1329-70) giving him Glenelg lands. By then, the chiefs
were calling themselves MacLeods of MacLeod. William, the
7th Chief, was killed in a feud with the MacDonalds; he
had already acquired Dunvegan. His son Alasdair Crotach,
the 8th Chief received a charter from James IV for
Trotternish at the end of the 15th century.
After the death of the 8th Chief, there was a long-drawn-out
dispute over the chiefship, but by the beginning of the
17th century Rory Mor MacLeod was recognized as 16th
Chief. He was knighted in 1603 and died in 1626. The clan
supported Charles I in the Civil War, and some of them
fought for Charles II at the Battle of Worcester (1651).
After the Restoration in 1660, the MacLeods felt a major
grievance that Charles II had not been sufficiently
grateful for their exertions on his behalf, and they
never supported the Stewart kings again. The MacLeods
took no part in Claverhouse's campaign of 1688-89, nor in
the first Jacobite rising of 1715. In the second rising (1745-46),
the MacLeods raised a battalion for the Government forces.
Torquil's line continued until the 16th century, but
after the death of Malcolm, 9th Chief of the MacLeods of
Lewis, there followed years of dispute over the chiefship.
In the early 17th century, the direct MacLeod line became
extinct and the MacKenzie Earls of Cromartie obtained the
Chiefship of the lsle of Lewis. The Raasay estate
remained in the MacLeod family until it was sold in the
1840s.
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