Colquhoun
|
Colquhoun is a territorial
name from Dumbartonshire. Sir Humphrey de
Kilpatrick obtained the land from Malcolm, Earl
of Lennox, in the reign of Alexander II
(1214-49). His son, Ingram, took the name
Colquhoun, but in 1259 Robert de Colquhoun was
the first to use the surname. The lands of Luss
were added in the next century, when Robert de
Kilpatrick married "The Fair Maid of
Luss". In 1457 Luss became a barony.
The Colquhoun lands lie on the
natural route between the Highlands and the
Lowlands and the clan had much trouble with their
neighbours, especially the Buchanans, Mac Farlanes and Mac Gregors. In 1602, the Colquhouns
were commissioned by King James VI to lure the
Mac Gregors into a trap and exterminate them. The
Mac Gregors heard of the scheme and were
prepared. At Glenfruin 300 Mac Gregors defeated
700 Colquhouns, chased the chief home and stormed
his castle. The king was furious that his plan
had gone wrong, and it is said that 60 Colquhoun
widows mounted on white ponies and carrying 220
bloody shirts on poles cried to him for
vengeance. He outlawed the Mac Gregors, making it
a capital offence for them to use their own name.
The 13th chief was a dabbler
in the Black Arts, yet despite this, was created
a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1625 by Charles I. He
married the Marquis of Montrose’s sister,
and eloped with another sister.
Sir Humphrey, 17th Laird of
Luss, sat in the last Scottish Parliament, and
voted against the Union with England. His only
daughter, Anne, married James Grant of
Pluscardine in 1702. Her father surrendered the
baronetcy and arranged matters so that the clan
name and property would be inherited by second
sons and so prevented Luss passing to Grant of
Grant.
In 1781 the younger son of
James Grant succeeded and took the name
Colquhoun. The 7th baronet and 28th chief was Sir
Iain Colquhoun of Luss, who died in 1948. Sir
Iain, who did much to preserve the beauty of Loch
Lomond, was chairman of the National Trust for
Scotland. Unfortunately, recently the village of
Luss was put up for sale. |
|
Clan
Tartans
