MacCulloch
Encyclopedia
Clan MacCulloch is a Lowland
Scottish clan
. As it no longer has a Clan chief, Clan MacCulloch is an Armigerous clan
.
near the Water of Luce
. Unlike other MacCulloch families the MacCullochs of Myreton were not septs
of another clan but owned their own territory and were seated at Cardoness Castle
. Myreton is in southwest Scotland along the coast. Across the bay from Myreton lies another MacCulloch region related to Ardwell
. King Robert the Bruce of Scotland
of Scotland knighted Captain Cullo O'Neil and chose him to be his standard-barrer and Secretary of State around 1317. He gave Sir Cullo O'Neil lands in Lorn, Myreton, and Achawan which encompass Killerar and Ardwell in Galloway
. Sir Cullo O'Neil died in 1331 and left his estate of Myreton and other lands in Galloway to his eldest son Sir Godfrey, who assumed the surname of McCullo. The progenitor of this race is lost in antiquity and it is not until the 13th century that we have a positive record of the name. The first noted swore fealty
to Edward I of England
c.1296, and this lineage held the lands of Torhouse, Myreton and Ardwell in Galloway until, in 1682, Sir Godfrey Macculloch, through imprudence, was obliged to sell his inheritance and live in reduced circumstances. Following a fatal fight over some cattle with a Clan Gordon
neighbour he fled the country for a time, but returned, only to be apprehended and executed in 1697. This story became the basis of an old Scottish legend.
and Clan Ross
. Several MacCullochs became Canons Regular
of the Premonstratensian Order at Fearn Abbey
in Ross-shire. In 1486 Angus MacCulloch of Tarell was killed at the Battle of Auldicharish
fighting against the Clan MacKay
who had long been at feud with the Clan Ross.
In 1497 they aligned themselves as a sept of the Clan Munro
in Ross-shire. The family had considerable tenure of lands around Tain
. Their principal designation 'of Plaidis' was held until John Macculloch, Provost of Tain, bought the lands of Kindeace from Munro of Culnald in 1612, after which they became 'of Kindeace'. Other lands held by the Maccullochs in Easter Ross included Piltoun, Mulderg and Easter Drumm, the latter coming into their possession in 1649.
, and the island of Kerrara, on the West coast of Argyll, where Macculloch of Colgin was long recognised as the representative of his line, who were said to be descended from a race of MacLulichs who had inhabited Benderloch under the patronage of the Clan MacDougall
.
That various MacCullochs allied themselves with other clans is undoubted but, given their individual land holdings, they no doubt held themselves to be the equal of any.
and Clan Ross
, are permitted to wear either of those clans' tartans and the MacCullochs of Oban, as septs of the Clan MacDougall
, may wear their tartan or even the District of Galloway tartan. However the MacCullochs themselves also have their own clan tartan as well as a second "dress" tartan.
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
Scottish clan
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
. As it no longer has a Clan chief, Clan MacCulloch is an Armigerous clan
Armigerous clan
An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
.
MacCulloch of Myreton
1. The MacCullochs of Myreton were a Lowland family who lived in southern Scotland overlooking Luce BayLuce Bay
Luce Bay is a large bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland. The bay is 20 miles wide at its mouth and is bounded by the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the Machars to the east....
near the Water of Luce
Water of Luce
The Water of Luce is a river in Dumfries and Galloway, in south west Scotland.The Main Water of Luce rises in South Ayrshire, flows south to New Luce, where it is joined by the Cross Water of Luce, and flows into the Solway Firth at Luce Bay....
. Unlike other MacCulloch families the MacCullochs of Myreton were not septs
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of another clan but owned their own territory and were seated at Cardoness Castle
Cardoness Castle
Cardoness Castle is a well-preserved 15th Century tower house just south west of Gatehouse of Fleet, south west Scotland. It was originally owned by the MacCulloch family of Galloway also known as the MacCullochs of Myreton. They abandoned the castle in the late 17th Century, following the...
. Myreton is in southwest Scotland along the coast. Across the bay from Myreton lies another MacCulloch region related to Ardwell
Ardwell
Ardwell is a village in the Scottish unitary council area of Dumfries and Galloway. It lies on the shores of Luce Bay in the southern part of the Rhins of Galloway. The A716 road to Drummore or the Mull of Galloway passes through the village...
. King Robert the Bruce of Scotland
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
of Scotland knighted Captain Cullo O'Neil and chose him to be his standard-barrer and Secretary of State around 1317. He gave Sir Cullo O'Neil lands in Lorn, Myreton, and Achawan which encompass Killerar and Ardwell in Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
. Sir Cullo O'Neil died in 1331 and left his estate of Myreton and other lands in Galloway to his eldest son Sir Godfrey, who assumed the surname of McCullo. The progenitor of this race is lost in antiquity and it is not until the 13th century that we have a positive record of the name. The first noted swore fealty
Fealty
An oath of fealty, from the Latin fidelitas , is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible or saint's relic, often contained within an altar, thus binding the oath-taker before God.In medieval Europe, fealty was sworn between...
to Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
c.1296, and this lineage held the lands of Torhouse, Myreton and Ardwell in Galloway until, in 1682, Sir Godfrey Macculloch, through imprudence, was obliged to sell his inheritance and live in reduced circumstances. Following a fatal fight over some cattle with a Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
neighbour he fled the country for a time, but returned, only to be apprehended and executed in 1697. This story became the basis of an old Scottish legend.
MacCulloch of Plaidis
2. Another MacCulloch family, the MacCullochs of Ross-shire, were known to have established themselves in Easter Ross by the 14th century, where they are first noted as followers of the Earl of RossEarl of Ross
The Mormaer or Earl of Ross was the leader of a medieval Gaelic lordship in northern Scotland, roughly between the River Oykel and the River Beauly.-Origins and transfers:...
and Clan Ross
Clan Ross
Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...
. Several MacCullochs became Canons Regular
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
of the Premonstratensian Order at Fearn Abbey
Fearn Abbey
Fearn Abbey - known as "The Lamp of the North" - has its origins in one of Scotland's oldest pre-Reformation church buildings. Part of the Church of Scotland and located to the southeast of Tain, Ross-shire, it continues as an active parish church .The original Fearn Abbey was established in either...
in Ross-shire. In 1486 Angus MacCulloch of Tarell was killed at the Battle of Auldicharish
Battle of Auldicharish
The Battle of Aldy Charrish was a Scottish clan battle that took place on 11 July 1487...
fighting against the Clan MacKay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
who had long been at feud with the Clan Ross.
In 1497 they aligned themselves as a sept of the Clan Munro
Clan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
in Ross-shire. The family had considerable tenure of lands around Tain
Tain
Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
. Their principal designation 'of Plaidis' was held until John Macculloch, Provost of Tain, bought the lands of Kindeace from Munro of Culnald in 1612, after which they became 'of Kindeace'. Other lands held by the Maccullochs in Easter Ross included Piltoun, Mulderg and Easter Drumm, the latter coming into their possession in 1649.
MacCulloch of Oban
3. A third 'clan' of Maccullochs, the MacCullochs of Oban, inhabited lands in the vicinity of ObanOban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
, and the island of Kerrara, on the West coast of Argyll, where Macculloch of Colgin was long recognised as the representative of his line, who were said to be descended from a race of MacLulichs who had inhabited Benderloch under the patronage of the Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan consisting of the descendants of Dubgall mac Somairle, son of Somerled, who ruled Lorne and the Isle of Mull in Argyll in the 13th century...
.
That various MacCullochs allied themselves with other clans is undoubted but, given their individual land holdings, they no doubt held themselves to be the equal of any.
McCulloch lineages and related families
In 1966, with the death of his father, Walter Jameson McCulloch became the 14th of Ardwall, as well as sixth of Hills, the latter Maxwell estate near Lochrutton having been in the McCulloch family since 1710. He had three sons: Andrew Jameson (b.1935); John David (of Auchindinny) (b.1937) and Alexander Patton (1946). His extensive book which was published for private family use contains trees of the following McCulloch lineages and related families:- McCulloch of Myreton
- McCulloch of Ardwell (later of Myretoun)
- McCulloch of Killasser
- McCulloch of Torhouse
- McCulloch of Drummorrel
- McCulloch of Inshanks and Mule
- McCulloch of Torhousekie
- McCulloch of Cardiness
- Gordon of Cardiness
- McCulloch of Barholm
- McCulloch of Kirkclaugh
- McCulloch of Auchengool
- McCulloch of Ardwall (Nether Ardwall)
- Maxwell of Hills.
MacCulloch Tartans
The MacCullochs of Ross-shire, as septs of the Clan MunroClan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
and Clan Ross
Clan Ross
Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...
, are permitted to wear either of those clans' tartans and the MacCullochs of Oban, as septs of the Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan consisting of the descendants of Dubgall mac Somairle, son of Somerled, who ruled Lorne and the Isle of Mull in Argyll in the 13th century...
, may wear their tartan or even the District of Galloway tartan. However the MacCullochs themselves also have their own clan tartan as well as a second "dress" tartan.
Castles
- Cardoness CastleCardoness CastleCardoness Castle is a well-preserved 15th Century tower house just south west of Gatehouse of Fleet, south west Scotland. It was originally owned by the MacCulloch family of Galloway also known as the MacCullochs of Myreton. They abandoned the castle in the late 17th Century, following the...
, which was built in the 1470's, was the seat of the MacCullochs of Myreton. - Barholm CastleBarholm CastleBarholm Castle is a tower house located five miles south-west of Gatehouse of Fleet, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. The tower dates back to the late 15th century, and has been recently restored from a roofless state into a family home. Located at , Barholm was a stronghold of a...
was the seat of a branch of the MacCullochs of Myreton, who became known as the MacCullochs of Barholm. - Killaser Castle, another seat of the MacCullochs of Myreton in Ardwell, now in ruins.
- Myreton Castle was another seat of the MacCullochs of Myreton which was built in the 16th century but was sold to the Clan Maxwell in 1685. The castle was built on the site of a 12th-century motte. Today it lies in ruins.
Spelling variations
Although MacCulloch is the most frequently encountered spelling, because few people could write centuries ago, the spelling of the name has varied. This may mean that even members of the same family may have spelled their names differently. Spelling variations include:- Culloch
- Gulloch
- McCulloch
- McCullough
- MacCoulaghe
- MacChullach
- MacAlach
- MacCullaigh
- MacCullough
- MacClullich
- MacLullich
- MacLullick
- Makcullocht
- McCully
See also
- Earl of RossEarl of RossThe Mormaer or Earl of Ross was the leader of a medieval Gaelic lordship in northern Scotland, roughly between the River Oykel and the River Beauly.-Origins and transfers:...
- Clan MunroClan Munro-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
- Clan RossClan RossClan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...
- Sept (social)Sept (social)A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
- McCulloch (disambiguation)