Hector Mor Maclean, 12th Chief explained

Hector Mor Maclean, 12th Chief
Birth Date:1497
Death Date:1568
Term:1523-1568 (45 years)
Predecessor:Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief, father
Successor:Hector Og Maclean, 13th Chief, son

Eachann Mór Maclean (1497–1568) or Hector Mor Maclean, or Hector Maclean the Great, was the 12th Chief of Maclean. Mór or Mor translates as great when added to a name in Scottish Gaelic.[1] He was the 8th laird of Duart Castle.

Biography

He was born in 1497 in Scotland.

Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief was succeeded as Chieftain and Laird of Duart by his son Eachann, better known as Hector Mor Maclean, or Hector the Great, in 1527. In 1533 his Scottish galleys captured a large English ship, the Mary Willoughby, which then joined the navy of James V of Scotland.[2]

He is described by the seanachaidhs as being good, kind, affectionate, and brave, an accomplished politician and an approved warrior; and that in him the clan realized all it desired in a noble chieftain. To most of his vassals he granted extended leases, by way of encouragement in the improvement of lands and the building of more comfortable dwellings. He lived altogether, while permitted to do so by his troublesome neighbors with which he was surrounded, more like a noble of modern times than a feudal baron. He made many improvements on the demesne of Duard; and was the founder of that noble addition, the Great Tower, to Duart Castle. His alliance was courted by many of the powerful lords; and the king thought it of importance to secure his loyalty by calling him into his council. Hence, we find him taking his seat in parliament as one of the lords of the kingdom. In private life his character was above reproach, and in his warlike pursuits he acted upon that system which had legal sanction.[3]

Hector Mor Maclean died about the year 1568.[3]

Marriage and children

Hector Mor Maclean married Mary MacDonald of Islay and the Glens, daughter of Alexander MacDonald, 5th of Dunnyveg, by whom he had two sons and seven daughters:[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mór . 2009-04-17 . great, Irish mór, Old Irish mór, már, Welsh mawr, Old Welsh, Cornish maur, Breton meur, Gaulish -mârós; Greek @G-mwros, great, famed (@Ge@'ghesí-mwros) in spear-throw; Gothic -mêrs, famed, mêrian, proclaim, Old High German mâri, famed, -mar in Germanic names German märchen, a tale, Norse m@oerr, famous; Slavonic -meru (Vladimir, etc.); Latin merus, English mere. A shorter form of the stem (*mâro-) appears in mò, greater (mâ), q.v. . .
  2. C. S. Knighton & David Loades, Navy of Edward VI and Mary I (Navy Records Society, 2011), p. 495.
  3. Book: MacLean, John Patterson . John Patterson MacLean. A History of the Clan MacLean from Its First Settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the Present Period: Including a Genealogical Account of Some of the Principal Families Together with Their Heraldry, Legends, Superstitions, Etc. . 1889. R. Clarke & Company. Hector Mor married Mary, daughter of Alexander MacDonald of Islay and the Glens, by whom he had two sons and seven daughters : Eachann Og, his heir and successor, and John Dubh, predecessor of the family of Kinlochaline ; Marian, married to Norman MacLeod of Harris; Mary, to Donald MacDonald of Sleat; Catherine, died unmarried; the second Catherine, first to Archibald Campbell, fourth Earl of Argyle, and secondly to John Stewart of Appin — Catherine was a high-spirited woman, and was distinguished for her beauty and culture; Julian, married first to Calvagh O'Donnell of Tirconnell, and secondly to the great O'Neill, in Ireland; Una, to Cameron of Lochiel; and Janet, to MacDonald of Keppoch. Hector Mor died about the year 1568. . 224 .
  4. By 30 May 1561, Calvagh had married, as his last wife, Catherine Maclean, widow of the 4th Earl of Argyll. Popular accounts of this family's genealogy sometimes mistakenly refer to Calvagh's wife as Julian Maclean, a supposed sister of this Catherine. However, Calvagh's wife is frequently referred to as the Countess or former Countess of Argyll in contemporary English government correspondence. "Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland of the Reign(s) of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth", originally published 1860, Vol. 1, page 591. Accessed here through Google Books 17 Dec. 2107.
  5. "Mercenaries and Paid Men: the Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages", by John France, published 2008. Page 377. Accessed here 17 Dec. 2017 through Google Books.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hector Mor Maclean, 12th Chief".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.