Clan MacLellan

Clan MacLellan is a lowland Scottish Clan originating in the Galloway region of Scotland. It is believed that MacLellan is derived from the term MacGille Fholain which translates to, the son of the servant of St. Fillan. The first mention of the MacLellan surname was in a 1217 charter, it is believed that they had significant land holdings in Galloway at the time.

The Clan’s motto is Think on and the crests features a head, on the point of a dagger.

The historic seat of the clan is MacLellan’s Castle located in the town of Kirkcudbright. The castle was built in the 16th century by the MacLellan family on top of an old monastery. The MacLellan’s remained in the castle until 1752 when it was sold to Sir Robert Maxwell. The castle was handed over to the government in 1912 and is now cared for by Historic Scotland. The castle is currently open to the public and tickets can be purchased to tour the castle.

The last chief of the clan was the Rt. Hon. Camden Gray Maclellan who passed away in 1832 leaving only a daughter, the chiefdom has been dormant since his death.

The was a second group of MacLellans based in the hebrides. As apposed to the southern MacLellans who were protestants, the northern group were Catholic.

The Clan MacLellan organization started in 1981 as a small group and now claim that they have a growing membership from all over the world. Membership in Clan MacLellan is open to anyone with MacLellan ancestry.