Clan Livingstone
A small Highland clan of Lismore and Lorn in Argyll, also known as MacLea. Its chief is Baron of the Bachuil and keeper of the staff of St Moluag. A separate Lowland family shares the name.
History
There are two Livingstone stories, and they should be kept apart. This page is mainly about the Highland one. The Lowland Livingstons took their name from the lands of Levingstoun in West Lothian. The Highland family came from Lismore, an island in the Firth of Lorn, and from Lorn and Appin on the mainland. The Scottish Register of Tartans notes that the two are unconnected.
The Highland family's Gaelic name was spelled in several ways. One form is Mac Dhunnshleibhe, usually given as son of Donn Sleibhe. It wore down over time to MacOnlea and then MacLea. Another form, Mac an Leigh, is read as son of the physician. Clan sources favour the first route, and there is a tradition that links the family to the old royal line of Ulster. That claim is hard to test.
The family's standing came from a staff. Saint Moluag set up a religious community on Lismore in 562, and his pastoral staff, the Bachuil, stayed on the island for centuries. Its keeper held a small estate by the cathedral and bore the title Baron of the Bachuil. He was also almoner, passing on the bishop's charity to the parish poor. The earliest charter, of 1544, confirmed the lands and the great staff to Iain, son of Molmoire, on the same terms of free tenure that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had enjoyed. The arrangement is therefore older than that charter, and the family still has the Latin document.
The surname changed later. In 1641 James Livingston of Stirling leased the lands and rights of the bishopric of Argyll and the Isles and lived for a time at Achadun on Lismore. From the middle of the seventeenth century to the middle of the eighteenth, many MacLeas took Livingstone as their surname, probably following the newcomer's example. For that reason many Highland Livingstones descend from families that were once MacLeas.
In December 1950 the Lord Lyon ruled, on the petition of Livingstone of Bachuil, that he was Coarb of St Moluag. Recognition as clan chief came much later. In 2003 the Lord Lyon recognised William Jervis Alastair Livingstone of Bachuil as chief of the Highland clan MacLea, the first such recognition. He died in 2008, and his son Niall, the present chief, succeeded him. The chief's slogan, Cnoc Aingeil, means Hill of fire and is said to refer to a mound behind the house at Bachuil. The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs lists the clan, which is also known as MacLea-Livingstone.
Clan Livingstone tartans
Names and reference numbers follow the Scottish Register of Tartans. Mills sell most setts in modern, ancient and weathered colourways. The pattern is the same; only the shades change.
LivingstoneClan tartan · Register ref. 2134The Register records this sett from W & A K Johnston's The Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland (1906), with no firmer date. It is a plain pattern of green and red.
Livingstone #2Clan tartan · Register ref. 2135A close variant of the first sett, with black rather than green lines between the green bands. The Register quotes D.C. Stewart, who noted in 1950 that it does not look like the tartan of any clan the Livingstones were linked with, though it resembles a MacDonell of Keppoch sett.
Livingstone DressDress tartan · Register ref. 2136The Register says this dress sett came from W J A Livingstone of Bachuil. It also records a claim that it was held by a Canadian whose grandparents lived in the early nineteenth century, so its age is uncertain.
Get the kilt
When you order a kilt, ask for the tartan by its full name — for example “Livingstone” — and say which colourway you want. “Modern” is dark and strong, “ancient” is lighter, “weathered” is muted. The sett is the same in each.
We are choosing retailers we trust and will list them here soon.
Wear the colours
Our own Livingstone range is on its way: the name, the tartan and the motto on a heavyweight tee, a hoodie and a mug. About the shop.
Lands and seats
- Bachuil, Isle of Lismore. The historic seat of the Barons of the Bachuil, close to the old cathedral church of St Moluag.
Surnames
The clan name and its spellings
- Livingstone
- Livingston
Names associated with Clan Livingstone
- MacLea
- McLea
- MacLeay
- McLeay
- Lea
- Lee
- MacDunsleve
- MacOnlea
- MacLea: The older Gaelic-derived form of the Highland name.
- Lea: Clan sources say bearers who can trace their families to Argyll may count as part of the Highland clan.
- Lee: Same caution as Lea; the name is common elsewhere.
- MacDunsleve: An early form of the Gaelic name, as MacDunsleeve in clan sources.
- MacOnlea: An intermediate form between MacDunsleve and MacLea.
“Associated” means the name appears in published sept lists for this clan. It does not prove descent, and many names are linked to more than one clan. Where your family lived is often the better clue.
Questions people ask
What is the Livingstone tartan?
The Scottish Register of Tartans lists three Livingstone setts for the clan: Livingstone (ref. 2134), Livingstone #2 (ref. 2135) and Livingstone Dress (ref. 2136). The first two are green and red; the dress sett is blue, grey and black.
Is Livingstone the same as MacLea?
For the Highland family, yes in origin. The Livingstones of Lismore and Lorn were once MacLeas and took the Livingstone name in the seventeenth century. The clan is now called MacLea-Livingstone by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
Who is the chief of Clan Livingstone?
Niall Livingstone of Bachuil, Baron of the Bachuil and Coarb of St Moluag. He succeeded his father in 2008. The first chief of the Highland clan to be recognised by the Lord Lyon was his father, in 2003.
Where do the Livingstones come from?
The Highland Livingstones come from the Isle of Lismore and the districts of Lorn and Appin in Argyll. A separate Lowland family took its name from Levingstoun in West Lothian.
Sources
- Livingstone tartan (ref. 2134) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- Livingstone #2 tartan (ref. 2135) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- Livingstone Dress tartan (ref. 2136) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- MacLea-Livingstone — Council of Scottish Clans & Associations (cosca.scot)
- Members of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs — clanchiefs.org.uk
- Clan Livingstone - Charter of 1544 — clanlivingstone.info
- Clan Livingstone - The Barons of Bachuil — clanlivingstone.info
- The Chief of Clan Livingstone — clanlivingstone.info
- St Moluag and Bachuil — Isle of Lismore community website (isleoflismore.uk)
Clan histories are contested and sources disagree. If you can correct something here with a source, write to hello@tartanflag.com. Last updated 2 October 2026.