Clan MacCallum
MacCallum is an Argyll clan from Lorn and Craignish, linked to the Malcolms of Poltalloch. The family took the name Malcolm in the late eighteenth century, and both names are now counted as one clan.
History
MacCallum and Malcolm share one origin in the Gaelic form of the name of St Columba, so each means a follower or devotee of that saint. The clan society places the early MacCallums in Lorn, in Argyll. Electric Scotland repeats a tradition that they were an offshoot of the MacLeods of Raasay, known as MacGhille Challum. It gives that as a legend, and the evidence is thin.
The earliest record dates to 1414, when Reginald MacCallum of Corbarron received land in Craignish and on the shores of Loch Avich from Sir Duncan Campbell of Lochow. Electric Scotland adds that the grant carried the hereditary constableship of the castles of Lochaffy and Craignish. The Campbells were by then spreading into Lorn, which put the MacCallums next to them from the outset.
The most important line is that of Poltalloch, near Kilmartin. According to the society, Maol Caluim was granted Poltalloch in 1510 and passed it to his son Gillespic. Donald, Gillespic's son, received a charter from Duncan Campbell of Duntrune in 1562, and the society counts him as the first Laird. The Corbarron lands passed to the Poltalloch family in the seventeenth century, according to Electric Scotland.
The change of name came late. Dugald MacCallum succeeded to Poltalloch in 1779 and, by the accounts we have read, was the first to take the name Malcolm for good. The society says he simply decided to. Electric Scotland puts it more cautiously, calling him the first to adopt it permanently. The society and COSCA treat the two names as one clan under the Poltalloch chiefship, and we follow them.
In 1792 the Malcolms bought Duntrune Castle from the Campbells. The thirteenth Laird, Neill Malcolm, had Poltalloch House built about 1850. The family left it in 1959, and its ruins remain in the grounds. John Wingfield Malcolm, the fifteenth Laird, sat for Argyll and received the title Lord Malcolm of Poltalloch in 1896. The peerage ended with his death in 1902. The estate and chiefship passed to his brother.
The society founded in North America in 1971 keeps the MacCallum-Malcolm name alive abroad. It describes Robin Malcolm, the nineteenth Laird of Poltalloch, as the late chief, and says it awaits his successor. COSCA and the Standing Council have not yet caught up with that. On that basis we call the clan armigerous for now, and we will update the page when a successor is confirmed.
Clan MacCallum 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.
MacCallumClan tartan · Register ref. 2306The Register records this sett with a date of 1832. It quotes D. W. Stewart, who said the family lost the old sett and had this modern design prepared from the memories of old people in Argyllshire. The Register also notes that the black beside the azure is counted as 4 in older registers but as 10 in Stewart's woven silk sample.
MacCallum of BerwickOther sett · Register ref. 2309The Register dates this sett to 2002 and credits the Scottish Tartans Society archive. It gives no further background, and we have not found a source linking it to the Poltalloch line.
Get the kilt
When you order a kilt, ask for the tartan by its full name — for example “MacCallum” — 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 MacCallum 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
- Duntrune Castle. Overlooks Loch Crinan in Argyll. Bought from the Campbells by the Malcolms of Poltalloch in 1792.
Surnames
The clan name and its spellings
- MacCallum
- Mac Callum
- Mac Collum
Names associated with Clan MacCallum
- Malcolm
- Malcolmson
- Callum
- Callam
- Collum
- Colm
- Allum
- Malcolm: The name the chiefs have used since 1779. Clan Malcolm has its own page on this site.
- Malcolmson: Listed by COSCA and Electric Scotland.
- Callum: Listed by COSCA and Electric Scotland.
- Callam: Listed by Electric Scotland.
- Collum: Listed by COSCA.
- Colm: Listed by COSCA.
- Allum: Listed by COSCA.
“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 MacCallum tartan?
The Scottish Register of Tartans lists MacCallum as a clan sett dated 1832, in green, azure, blue and black. The Register also holds a separate MacCallum of Berwick sett dated 2002.
What is the MacCallum clan motto?
COSCA gives the motto as 'In ardua tendit', which it translates as 'He has attempted difficult things'. The clan society renders it 'He attempts difficult things'.
Are MacCallum and Malcolm the same clan?
The clan society and COSCA treat them as one clan under the Malcolm of Poltalloch chiefship. Dugald MacCallum of Poltalloch took the name Malcolm in 1779, though not every writer sees the two names as the same.
Where is Clan MacCallum from?
Argyll. The clan society places the early MacCallums in Lorn, and the first record, from 1414, concerns lands in Craignish and at Loch Avich. The Poltalloch family later bought Duntrune Castle on Loch Crinan.
Sources
- MacCallum — COSCA - Council of Scottish Clans & Associations
- Members — Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
- A Brief History of Clan MacCallum/Malcolm — Clan MacCallum-Malcolm Society of North America
- Clan Chief — Clan MacCallum-Malcolm Society of North America
- Clan MacCallum — Electric Scotland
- MacCallum / Malcolm — Electric Scotland
- MacCallum (ref. 2306) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- MacCallum of Berwick (ref. 2309) — Scottish Register of Tartans
Clan histories are contested and sources disagree. If you can correct something here with a source, write to hello@tartanflag.com. Last updated 10 November 2026.