McLaggan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

In the ancient Scottish-English border region, the ancestors of the name McLaggan lived among the Boernician clans and families. They lived in Logan, near Auchinleck. These place names derive from the Gaelic word lagan, from lag meaning "a hollow." 1

Early Origins of the McLaggan family

The surname McLaggan was first found in Ayrshire where they first appeared in the records in the village of Logan in 1204. A number of Logans swore an oath of allegiance to Edward I of England when he conquered Scotland in 1296: Thurbrend Logan (Lord of Crougar), Lord of Crougar in Cunningham; Phillip Logan of Montrose; Walter Logan of Lanarkshire; and Andrew Logan of Wigtown. 1

In 1329, Sir Robert Logan and Sir Walter Logan were killed in Spain while accompanying Sir James Douglas to the Holy Land with the heart of Bruce (thus the Clan's Crest). They were attempting to fulfill Robert the Bruce's request to have his heart buried in the Holy Land.

Early History of the McLaggan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McLaggan research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1555, 1573, 1606, 1609, 1635, 1653, 1665, 1669, 1671, 1674, 1688, 1699, 1700, 1701, 1712, 1718, 1729, 1730, 1733, 1736, 1740, 1751, 1776, 1778, 1784, 1798, 1814, 1817, 1842, 1851, 1875 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McLaggan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McLaggan Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. McLaggan has been spelled Logan, Loggan, Loganaich, MacLennan and many more.

Early Notables of the McLaggan family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was James Logan (1674-1751), William Penn's agent in America and man of science, born at his father's house at Lurgan, co. Armagh, 20 Oct. 1674, was son of Patrick Logan, a grandson of Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig. He came to know Penn, who persuaded him to accompany him to Pennsylvania as his secretary. They sailed in September, and landed in Philadelphia in December 1699, and Logan lived in the same house in Second Street with Penn until the latter in 1701 finally returned to England. Logan was then made secretary to...
Another 209 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McLaggan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McLaggan family to Ireland

Some of the McLaggan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McLaggan migration to Canada +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name McLaggan or a variant listed above:

McLaggan Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Peter McLaggan U.E. who settled in Carleton, [Saint John West] New Brunswick c. 1784 2

McLaggan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

McLaggan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John McLaggan, aged 29, a wright, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 3

Contemporary Notables of the name McLaggan (post 1700) +

John McLaggan, New Zealand developer who built Old St. Paul's Church, Wellington in 1865
John McLaggan, British Natural Law political candidate for Bristol East in the 1997 General Election
William "Doug" McLaggan, Scottish squash player at the 1950, 1951 and 1952 Men's British Open Squash Championship
Murray Adams McLaggan, British Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan (1990-2002)

The McLaggan 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: Hoc majorum virtus
Motto Translation: This is the valour of my ancestors.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html