| The Macleans of Duart are recognized as the
head of the clan Maclean, a great sea-faring tribe which spread far and
wide throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland after it was founded
by Gillean of the Battleaxe, who fought at the 13th-century Battle of Largs
against the Norsemen. Most clan Maclean branches still incorporate a battle-axe
in their badges in his memory. Duart Castle overlooking the Sound of Mull
was built in the 13th century and given to Lachlan Maclean after he married
Mary MacDonald, daughter of the Lord of the Isles, along with other lands
in Mull.
The Macleans of Duart had held the earlier office of Chamberlain to the Lord of the Isles, a title which was confirmed by the crown in 1495 even after the Lordship was abolished. The clan Maclean's extensive lands included the islands of Mull, Tiree, Coll and Islay, as well as mainland Morvern and Lochaber. As the clan expanded, it split into a number of different branches, including the Macleans of Coll and the Macleans of Ardgour. |
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| Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean, was Chief of Duart, the Maclean stronghold on Mull. He served as a special agent of Queen Elizabeth, and once, trying to bargain with her threatened to use his highland mercenaries to help the Irish rebels. There was also a rumor that they were intimate, though this can not be confirmed. On his death in 1598 during a feud with the MacDonalds his body was left on the field. Two women from his clan hired a cart and retrieved his body. They soon killed the driver and dumped his carcus in a ditch, then took Lachlan's body home. Through all this the clan remained loyal to the crown. |
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| Our Lachlan Maclean is portrayed by Jeff Bennett of Westminster, CA. He is happily married with a lovely daughter who comes to Faire when she can. His weapon of choice is the "lochaber", an axe-like device. |
