Colquhoun

Gaelic Name: Maca’Chobaich

Clan Crest: A hart’s head couped Gules, attired Argent

Clan Motto: Si Je Puis (If I can)

Origin of Name: Placename, Dunbartonshire

Clan Badge: Hazel

Lands: Loch Lomond-side

Clan Chief: Malcolm Colquhoun of Luss Bt

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Colquhoun Clan History

Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, granted the lands of Colquhoun in Dunbartonshire to Humphrey of Kilpatrick in 1241, during the reign of Alexander II. Humphrey's son Ingram is the first person to be given the surname Colquhoun.

Sir Robert Colquhoun acquired Luss on Loch Lomond through marriage around 1368. Since then, the chiefship has been referred to as Colquhoun and Luss.

Iain Colquhoun of Luss, his grandson, married Margaret, the daughter of the Earl of Lennox. When James I (pictured above) returned from English imprisonment a few years later in 1424, he exacted vengeance on the unsupportive Lennox. Lennox's position was decimated, and Iain of Luss used this to gain the King's favor by capturing Dumbarton Castle from Lennox.

Sir John Colquhoun's 1457 Rossdhu Castle remains.

By 1427, he was Sheriff of Dumbarton, and by 1439, he was dead, killed by those he had treated so badly, like his King. In exchange, James II made Luss a free barony for Colquhoun's grandson Sir Iain. This was the case until the 1745 Rising.

In 1603, thieving MacGregors raided Luss, resulting in a bloody battle and defeat of 500 Colquhoun men, 300 of whom were on horseback, by 400 MacGregor men at Glen Fruin. Over 200 Colquhoun men were killed when the MacGregors, who had split into two groups, attacked from the front and back, forcing the horsemen onto the soft ground of the Moss of Auchingaich.

It meant the abolition of Clan Gregor.

The enmity between the clans was not resolved until the eighteenth century, when the chiefs of Clan Gregor and Colquhoun met and shook hands at Glen Fruin, the site of the massacre.

Sir John Colquhoun, the 11th Laird of Luss, was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1625. However, he vanished along with Lady Catherine Graham, his wife's sister, seven years later. He was accused of wooing her with witchcraft and sorcery and, wisely, never returned to clear his name.

Today, the family is seated in the magnificent Rossdhu mansion.

Clan Colquhoun Places & People

People of Clan Colquhoun

Colquhoun, Robert (1914–62).

Colquhoun, who was born in Kilmarnock, won travel scholarships after studying at Glasgow School of Art with his articulate portrait drawings. In 1937 and 1939, he was able to study in Italy. Colquhoun shifted from Neo Romantic landscapes to figure work under the influence of Jankel Adler, which became the foundation of his greatest period, which lasted from 1944 to 1947.

His work at the time, like Picasso's melancholy images, depicted people in moods of despondency and wretchedness. After this point, the quality of his output and the public's receptivity shifted, and his drinking became an impediment.

He was back on form, however, when he was commissioned to design the sets and costumes for the Scottish Ballet's production of Massine's 'Donald of the Burthens' in 1951, and his work for George Devine on Stratford's 'King Lear' in 1953.

Colquhoun met Robert MacBryde at the Glasgow School of Art, with whom he had a life-long professional and romantic relationship, and the pair became known as "the two Roberts."

At the age of 47, Robert Colquhoun died of alcoholism in 1962.

Clan Colquhoun Locations

The following locations have current or historical ties to the Colquhoun family.

The ruins of Dunglas Castle and the modern building

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The Dunglas Castle

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Rossdhu's Old Castle

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Old Rossdhu Chapel

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Rossdhu House, the current clan seat, around 1900

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The Barony of Luss's Gallowshill and the Gamekeeper's House

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Sir James Colquhoun built the Church of Luss in 1771.

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Luss's Bannachra Castle

Colquhoun Clan Tartans

Wilson's of Bannockburn tartan Colquhoun is well documented. In 1810, it was added to the Cockburn collection, and a sample was sent to the Highland Society of London around 1816, signed and sealed by the Chief himself.

The term 'ancient' refers to lighter dye shades, whereas'modern' refers to darker colors.

Threadcount B/4 K4 B32 K32 W4 G32 R/8

Colquhoun Contemporary

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Colquhoun the Elder

Clan Colquhoun Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Colquhoun Coat of Arms

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

Gules, a hart's head couped, attired Argent

Coat of Arms of Clan Colquhoun

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.