Llelen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of Llelen

The age-old tribe of the Strathclyde Britons of the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first people to use the name Llelen. It is derived from the son of the servant of Fillan. Fillan is derived from the word fail which means wolf. In Gaelic, the name was spelled Mac Gill Fhaolain

Llelen Coat of Arms Creation

There is a Maclellan Castle in Kirkcudbright, and the Maclellans, once a numerous clan in Galloway, held it for long. The Irish, or at least Saracens or gipsies 'from Ireland, made incursions into their territory, and were so troublesome that the people had to ask the aid of King James II., who promised the estate of Bombie to the man who slew the formidable leader of the marauding band. Young Maclellan got to know how fond this leader was of strong drink, and arranged that on their next coming his men should flee before them, lead the pursuers over a dry area beyond which was a well, which he carefully filled with spirits.

The leader, thirsty after the chase, reached it, tasted, drank his fill, and, while thus drugged, was slain by young Maclellan, who took for his crest a Moor's head on the point of a sword. When he went to claim the estate the King said he could remember no such promise, but was told to " Think on," which became the motto of the Maclellans. 1

Early Origins of the Llelen family

Early History of the Llelen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Llelen research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1347, 1450, 1457, 1466, 1513, 1547, 1597, 1633, 1641, 1647 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Llelen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Llelen Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Llelen has appeared as MacClelland, McClellan, MacLellan, McLellan, MacLelland, McLelland, MacClelland, McClelland, Clelland and many more.

Early Notables of the Llelen family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was Sir William Maclellan of Bombie, knighted by King James IV of Scotland, who fought for the king in the losing Battle of Flodden Field in 1513. According to folklore, McLellan threw his gauntlet at the king's feet, shook his fist and...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Llelen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Llelen family to Ireland

Some of the Llelen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Llelen family

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them: Andrew McLellan, banished to New Jersey in 1685; Archibald Maclellan, who arrived in New York in 1790; Donald Maclellan, a "prisoner of the '45' sent to Barbados or Jamaica in 1745.