| ![Show Contents]() MacClean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of MacCleanWhat does the name MacClean mean? The ancestors of the MacClean family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from a devotion to St. John. The surname is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Gille Eathain, a patronymic name meaning "son of the servant of Saint John." The Clan is descended from Eachan Reaganach, (brother of Lachlan the progenitor of the Macleans of Duart). These two brothers were both descended from Gilleathain na Tuaidh, known as 'Gillian of the Battleaxe', a famed warrior of the 5th century. Eachan, or Hector was given the lands of Lochbuie from John, the first Lord of the Isles, some time in the 14th century. MacClean Coat of Arms CreationThe Macleans claim descent from one Gill-Eathain na Tuaighe, so called from his carrying as his ordinary weapon a battle-axe ; and they have for their crest a battle-axe surrounded by a laurel or cypress branch. This they are said to have adopted from the following incident in their founder's career : Gill-Eathain was engaged, with others, in a stag hunt at Beinn Talaidh in Mull, and wandered away from the rest of the party in pursuit of his quarry. The mountain suddenly became enveloped in mist and he lost his way. For three days he wandered about unable to recover his track. On the fourth day, utterly exhausted, he crept under a laurel bush, where, after fixing the handle of the battle-axe in the earth, he lay down and slept. On the evening of that day his friends saw the head of the battle-axe above the bush, and found Gill-Eathain alseep on the ground with his arm round the handle. This clan has two slogans, " Bets no beatha " (Death or life), and "Another for Hector." The second slogan had its origin in an incident, at the battle of Inverkeithing in 1651, which demonstrates the devotion of the clansmen to their chief. In July of that year Cromwell's forces, under General Lambert, opposed the Scots army, under Holborn of Menstrie. Holborn with his cavalry fled soon after the battle began. Sir Hector Roy Maclean of Duart was there with 800 men. They were encircled by the English and were being cut to pieces. Sir Hector's clansmen saw that the English objective was to get their chief. They therefore flocked round him, and at every attempt on their chief's life a clansman threw himself upon the enemy and fell, one after the other exclaiming " Another for Hector " until eight Macleans lay dead ere Sir Hector himself fell. 1 Early Origins of the MacClean familyThe surname MacClean was first found in the Western Isles where the Clan held extensive lands on almost every island in the Western Hebrides. Early History of the MacClean familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our MacClean research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1320, 1370, 1411, 1500, 1560, 1582, 1604, 1620, 1630, 1645, 1649, 1650, 1651, 1658, 1666, 1670, 1674, 1687, 1716, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early MacClean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. MacClean Spelling VariationsHistorical recordings of the name MacClean include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacLean, MacLaine, MacLane, MacLeane, MacClean, MacClain, MacClaine, MacGhille Eoin (Gaelic) and many more. Early Notables of the MacClean familyHector MacLean, Lord of Dowart (c.1560-c.1630), Scottish Lord of the Clan MacLean; Francis Cleyn (Clein, Franz Klein) (c. 1582-1658), a painter and tapestry designer; Sir John Maclean, 1st Baronet, (1604-1666); Sir Hector Maclean, 2nd Baronet of Morvern (c.1620-1651), the 18th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean from 1649 to 1651; Sir Allan Maclean, 3rd Baronet of Morvern (1645-1674)...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early MacClean Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the MacClean family to IrelandSome of the MacClean family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| MacClean migration to the United States | + |
Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name MacClean or a variant listed above:
MacClean Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Hugh Macclean, who landed in Maryland in 1747 3
MacClean Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- David MacClean, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
- James MacClean, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
- M MacClean, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
| MacClean migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia included the Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Third Fleet - Mr. Edward MacClean, (b. 1731), aged 56, English labourer convicted in Maidstone, Kent on 15th March 1784, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 2
Following the Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include: MacClean Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Robert MacClean, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
- Mr. Israel Macclean, (b. 1811), aged 32, English convict who was convicted in Maidstone, Kent, England for 14 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1881 5
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: Virtue mine honour
Motto Translation: Virtue is my honour.
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
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