MacLaren

Gaelic Name: MacLabhruinn

Clan Crest: A lion’s head erased Sable crowned with an antique crown of six (four visible) points Or, between two branches of laurel issuing from the Wreath at either side of the head, both Proper

Clan Motto: Creag an Tuirc (The boar’s rock)

Origin of Name: Gaelic, ‘Son of Laurence’

Clan Badge: Laurel

Lands: Perthshire

Clan Chief: Donald MacLaren of MacLaren

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MacLaren Clan History

The clan MacLaren is known as "Clann mhic Labhrainn" in Gaelic. The clan's origins are murky and speculative, though one traditional account claims descent from Lorn, son of Erc, who arrived in Argyll in A.D. 503.

However, there is no concrete evidence that Lorn is the family's progenitor. Another, more likely, origin of the MacLaren clan is a branch of a Celtic dynasty, with the name Laurence of Achtow derived from a thirteenth century abbot.

This theory is supported by the clan's rallying cry, "Creag a Tuirc," which translates as "Boars Rock." The aforementioned rock is located near Achtow in Balquhidder.

The MacLarens were a warlike clan with many feuds with neighboring families, but they formed a strong alliance with the powerful Stewart clan in the fifteenth century when a MacLaren daughter married a Stewart Lord of Lorne. Dougal, the first son of this union, became the progenitor of the famous Stewarts of Appin.

By the end of the fifteenth century, many MacLaren clansmen had emigrated to serve in the military in France and Italy, and they were described as a "broken clan" by the mid sixteenth century.

By the time of the Thirty Years War, a branch of the family had made a name for itself in Sweden, and the modern Swedish writer Carl G. Laurin is one of many who bear the clan name in Scandinavia.

MacLaren Places & People

People of Clan MacLaren

Colin Maclaurin (1698–1746)

Colin Maclaurin was born in Kilmodan, Argyll, and began attending the University of Glasgow at the age of eleven. I started at the University at the age of eleven and graduated at the age of fourteen. He stayed in Glasgow after graduation to study divinity for a while before becoming professor of mathematics at Marischal College, University of Aberdeen, in 1717, at the age of nineteen.

On the recommendation of Isaac Newton, he was appointed deputy to the mathematical professor at Edinburgh, James Gregory, in 1725. Newton was so impressed with his work that he offered to pay Maclaurin's salary. Maclaurin eventually succeeded Gregory.

In 1733, he married Anne Stewart, the daughter of Walter Stewart, the Solicitor General of Scotland. He actively opposed the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and helped defend Edinburgh, but had to flee to York when the Highlanders arrived. He returned after the Jacobite army marched south, but the events had harmed his health and resulted in his death indirectly. He is buried in Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard.

John MacLaurin (1734-1796)

Lord Dreghorn, who established his claim to the clan's throne through a family who controlled the Isle of Tiree.

Prof. Digby John MacLaren (b.1919)

A well-known Canadian geologist who has contributed significantly to the field.

Colin McLaren (born 1940)

He is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 3 and 4.

MacLaren Tartans

Ancient MacLaren

MacLaren Contemporary

Weathered by MacLaren

MacLaren Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan MacLaren Crest

The head of a lion has been removed from the crest. Sable crowned with an antique six-pointed crown (four visible) Or, between two laurel branches emanating from the Wreath on either side of the head, both Proper

Coats of Arms of MacLaren

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.