Clan Colquhoun ( gd, Clann a' Chombaich ) is a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised ...

History

Origins of the clan

The lands of the clan Colquhoun are on the shores of

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of ...

. During the reign of Alexander II, Umphredus de Kilpatrick received from Malduin,

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first ear ...

, the estates of Colquhoun, Auchentorily and Dumbuck. The clan chief's early stronghold was at Dunglass Castle, which is perched on a rocky promontory by the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

. Dunglass was also close to the royal

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dum ...

, of which later Colquhoun chiefs were appointed governors and keepers. The chief's title was that of the Barony of Luss which came to the clan when Sir Robert of Colquhoun married the heiress of the Lord of Luss in about 1368.

15th and 16th centuries

During the minority of

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

, Sir John Colquhoun was appointed governor of the royal Dumbarton Castle. However he was murdered during a raid at Inchmurrin in 1439. He was succeeded by his son, another Sir John, who rose to be Comptroller of the Royal Household. He received a charter incorporating all of his lands into the free barony of Luss in 1457. A year later he also received the forests of Rossdhu and Glenmachome together with the lands of Kilmardinny. In 1474 Sir John Colquhoun was part of an embassy to

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

which was to negotiate the marriage between Edward's daughter, Cecilia and the infant

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sau ...

. Sir John fought at the siege of

Dunbar Castle Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scotti ...

which was being held by rebels and there he was killed by a cannonball. The clan Colqhuhoun also controlled Camstradden Castle that had been acquired by a younger son of Luss in 1395. The sixth Colquhoun Laird of Camstradden was a renowned knight and in 1547 fought at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

17th century

Colquhoun lands were particularly vulnerable to raids due to their strategic nature. In 1603 Alasdair MacGregor marched into Colquhoun territory with a force of over four hundred MacGregor clansmen. The chief of clan Colquhoun had been granted a royal commission to suppress the MacGregors. He assembled a force of five hundred foot and three hundred horse and advanced to Glen Fruin to repel the Highland raiders. MacGregor split his force in two and while the main force and the Colquhouns engaged in combat the second MacGregor force attacked from the rear. The Colquhouns were driven into the Moss of Auchingaich where their cavalry was useless and over two hundred men were killed. At the end of the 18th century the chiefs of the two clans met and shook hands on the very site of the former slaughter. In 1625 Sir John Colquhoun of Luss was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James I ...

. However, in 1632 he was accused of absconding with his wife's sister, Lady Catherine Graham, daughter of the Earl of Montrose. He was accused of using sorcery and witchcraft and perhaps wisely he did not return to answer these charges. He became a

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

and his estates were forfeited. Sir John's eldest son recovered the estates in 1646.

18th century

In 1703 Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, fifth Baronet, represented

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Pe ...

in the last Scottish Parliament. He strongly opposed the Treaty of Union. He died without male issue and the title passed to his daughter's husband, James Grant of Pluscardine. However, when Pluscardine's elder brother died he re-assumed the name of Grant. He was the ancestor of the Earls of Seafield and Barons Strathspey, on whom the baronetcy devolved. The estate was succeeded to by Sir James Grant Colquhoun who was the fourth son of James Grant and Ann Colquhoun. He built the mansion of Rossdhu which remains the seat of the Colquhoun chiefs.

Clan Colquhoun today

Sir Ivar Colquhoun, 30th Laird of Luss and 32nd Chief of Colquhoun succeeded as chief of the clan in 1948. He was the longest serving chief of the clan having served for almost 60 years until his death in 2008. Upon his death he was succeeded by his surviving son Malcolm.McElroy, Steve
"FAREWELL SIR IVAR"
12 February 200
''dumbartonreporter.co.uk''
Retrieved on 25 February 2008 Sir Malcolm is married to Katharine, Lady Colquhoun. His heir-apparent, Patrick Colquhoun, Younger of Luss, was born of his first wife Susan Timmerman. Altogether there are three children. Sir Malcolm chairs the Luss Estates. In 2012, they opened the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel in

Luss Luss (''Lus'', 'herb' in Gaelic) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond. The village is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. History Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its origina ...

Clan septs

The Clan Colquhoun International Society, the official organization representing the clan considers the following names as

septs A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person (f ...

of clan Colquhoun. However several of the names are claimed by other clans, including clan Gregor – traditional enemy of clan Colquhoun. * Calhoun, Cahoon, Cahoone, Cohoon, Colhoun, Cowan, Cowen, Cowing, Ingram (or Ingraham), Kilpatrick, King, Kirkpatrick, Laing (or Lang), McCowan, McMains (or McMain), McManus, McClintock and McOwan, Covian, McCovian.Clan Historical Facts
Retrieved on 25 February 2008

References

External links

* *
McMains and Clan Colquhoun, an article written by James Pearson of the Clan Colquhoun Society of the United Kingdom, reprinted by permission on The Mcmains Research and Collaboration Site

Clan Colquhoun Pipe Band – one of the oldest pipe bands (outside the military) in the world
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