MacKall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The traditions that gave rise to the name MacKall began among the Boernician of the Scottish/English Borderlands in the medieval era. It is derived from the son of Amalghaidh, (an old Irish personal name). The distinguished name MacKall is derived from the Gaelic name MacAmhalghaidh and was generally found in Dumbartonshire. Alternatively, the name could have come from the Gaelic name MacAmhlaibh or MacAmhaidh, which means son of Amlaib and in this case, the name was originally derived from the Norse King Olafr. This latter branch was generally found in the Hebrides.

Early Origins of the MacKall family

The surname MacKall was first found in at Ardencaple, in Dumbartonshire. Ardencaple "cape of the horses," was the ancestral home of the Lairds of Ardencaple and is located on the shores of the Gare Loch, in the historical district of Lennox, county Dumbarton. They were one of the Clans of MacAlpine.

The history of the MacAulay Clan is particularly complex as there are two distinct branches, in addition to an infusion of MacAulays during the reign of Robert the Bruce. The name of Aulay, brother of the Earl of Lennox, is found on the Ragman Rolls, which confirms his pledge of allegiance to King Edward I of England. This branch entered into a bond of manrent with MacGregor of Glenstrae in 1591.

The second branch of this Clan is that of the MacAulays of the Isle of Lewis. These Clansmen claimed descent from Aula (Olaf the Black), who was a thirteenth-century king of the Isles. Their lands were traditional centered around Uig. This branch was probably related to the numerous MacAulays of Ross and Sutherland.

Finally, some members of a branch of the MacAulay Clann from Ireland were invited by Robert the Bruce to Scotland to help in his wars against the English. These last MacAulays may be ancient relatives to those of Ardincaple, Dumbartonshire. It was some while later that the MacAulays were first recognized as a Clan.

Early History of the MacKall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacKall research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1767 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacKall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKall Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. MacKall has appeared under the variations MacAuly, MacAwley, MacAuley, MacAullay, MacAulley, MacAwlay, MacCaulay, MacCawley, MacGawley, Magawley, Cauley, Caulay, McCamley and many more.

Early Notables of the MacKall family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was the 'MacCawlis' who appear on the roll of Broken Clans in 1595. Their fortunes fell, the last of their lands of...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacKall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the MacKall family to Ireland

Some of the MacKall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

MacKall migration to the United States +

The Scots who crossed the Atlantic were often on the run from poverty as well as persecution. They brought little with them, and often had nothing of their home country to hand down to their children. In the 20th century, Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Boernician Scots to recover their lost national legacy. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name MacKall were among those contributors:

MacKall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Danl Mackall, who landed in Virginia in 1653 1
James Mackall, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 1

Contemporary Notables of the name MacKall (post 1700) +

Private John Thomas "Tommy" Mackall (1920-1942), American soldier who died as a result of being mortally wounded in Operation Torch, eponym of Camp Mackall, a U.S. Army training facility in North Carolina
William W. Mackall (1817-1891), American Confederate general in the American Civil War
Lily Mackall, American messenger for Rose Greenhow, a Confederate spy in the American Civil War
Benjamin Mackall IV (1745-1807), American planter, lawyer, and jurist from Calvert County, Maryland
Alexander Lawton Mackall (1888-1968), American author, journalist, gastronomy expert and critic
Stephen "Steve" Mackall (b. 1959), Canadian voice-over announcer, voice actor, and screenwriter

The MacKall Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dulce Periculum
Motto Translation: Danger is sweet

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)