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On the Scottish west coast, the Dougalls family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Dougal. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Dhughaill and literally means son of Dougal.
The surname Dougalls was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they were descended from Dugall eldest son of Somerled, first Lord of the Isles, and his son Duncan who received the lands of Lorn. The Clan was a bitter foe of Robert the Bruce, who made a narrow escape during one battle with the MacDougals only by discarding his cloak. The brooch of this cloak, now known as the Brooch of Lorn, is a treasured possession of the Chief of the Clan. The Clan faced heavy retaliation and was stripped of their lands once Robert the Bruce secured the Scottish throne. The lands were restored to the Clan upon the death of the king, but passed to the Stewarts in 1388 when the last member of the senior branch of MacDougals died without issue.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dougalls research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1244 and 1316 are included under the topic Early Dougalls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the Middle Ages, the translation between Gaelic and English was not a highly developed process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and so, an enormous number of spelling variations appear in records of early Scottish names. Dougalls has appeared as MacDougall, MacDowall, MacDowell, MacDugald, MacDill and many more.
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dougalls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
These settlers arrived in North America at a time when the east was burgeoning with prosperous colonies and the expanses of the west were just being opened up. The American War of Independence was also imminent. Some Scots stayed to fight for a new country, while others who remained loyal went north as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of them went on to rediscover their heritage in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic Scottish events. The Dougalls were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Ralph, Patrick and Mary MacDougal settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767; Dougal and Hugh MacDougal settled in Charles Town in 1767.