Clan MacLaine of Lochbuie
The MacLaines of Lochbuie held the south coast of Mull from Moy Castle for about six centuries. Lochbuie began as a Maclean line, but the clan society stresses that it was independent and it has its own chief.
History
Lochbuie lies on the south coast of Mull, at the head of Loch Buie. The MacLaines of Lochbuie take their name from it. They were one of the two great houses of the old Maclean kindred, the other being Duart. Both families first wrote the name as Maclean. The spelling Maclaine, which marks the Lochbuie line, was used by one chief, Hector, by 1804 at the latest, to set the house apart from Duart.
The two houses share a founding story. It says that around the middle of the fourteenth century two brothers, Lachlan and Hector Reaganach, sons of John Dubh, won lands on Mull from John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. Hector is the ancestor of Lochbuie and Lachlan of Duart. One account dates this to about 1345, and the clan society gives the grant as 1360. A legend tells how Hector obtained his ground by asking for a sheepfold and then building a castle on it. Treat that as tradition.
Lochbuie is usually called a cadet of the Macleans, but the matter is argued. The Maclean history site holds that both houses had their lands straight from the Lord of the Isles, so Lochbuie was independent in practice, and it finds no record of a Lochbuie chief owing fealty to Duart. Lochbuie has its own chief, and it is listed separately by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.
Relations with Duart were not always warm. The clan society records that in 1539 the Lochbuie estates were taken over by Murdoch of Scallastle, who had the Duart chief's support. Lochbuie men were again at odds with Duart in 1598 and 1600, when they joined the MacDonalds of Islay in battle against it.
The family backed the Stewart cause early. In 1689 Hector, the twelfth chief, led Lochbuie men in the first Jacobite success of that rising, at Knockbrecht, and he later fought at Killiecrankie. According to the Maclean history site, Lochbuie took no part in the 1715 rising and its men stayed at home in 1745. The same site says the chiefs kept Moy Castle until 1920, apart from short interruptions.
Donald, the twenty-second chief, is said to have grown rich through trade in exports while in Batavia. The chiefship went on, and the clan society lists the present chief as the twenty-sixth.
Clan MacLaine of Lochbuie 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.
MacLaine of LochbuieClan tartan · Register ref. 2590The Register records this sett from W & A K Johnston's 1906 book on the tartans of the clans and septs. It gives no date for the sett itself.
MacLaine of Lochbuie (Coburn)Clan tartan · Register ref. 2591The Register says a sample survives in the Cockburn Collection at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, from before 1810, and that Grant first published it in 1886. It adds that the MacLaines of Lochbuie once disputed the Maclean chiefship, and that the matter was settled by tanistry in favour of Duart.
MacLaine of Lochbuie HuntingHunting tartan · Register ref. 2592The Register says Adam also recorded the sett in 1908 and that the hunting version first appeared in H. Whyte's work for Johnston's. It notes D. W. Stewart's 1893 remark that the heavy use of blue is unusual among old setts.
Get the kilt
When you order a kilt, ask for the tartan by its full name — for example “MacLaine of Lochbuie” — 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 MacLaine of Lochbuie 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
- Moy Castle. Tower house at the head of Loch Buie on Mull, kept by the chiefs of Lochbuie until 1920, apart from short interruptions, according to the Maclean history site.
Surnames
The clan name and its spellings
- MacLaine
Names associated with Clan MacLaine of Lochbuie
- MacFadyen
- MacFadzean
- MacFadden
- MacPhaidein
- MacCormick
- Black
- MacGilvra
- Macilvora
- Rankin
- MacFadyen: Listed by Electric Scotland and by the clan society as a principal sept; the Lochbuie MacFadyens are said to be the earlier occupiers of the land. Also found in other families.
- MacFadzean: Listed by Electric Scotland and the clan society. Also found in other families.
- MacFadden: Given by the clan society as a form of MacFadyen. Also found in other families.
- MacPhaidein: Given by the clan society as a form of MacFadyen.
- MacCormick: Listed by Electric Scotland and the clan society, which says the name was admitted through service to Murdoch Gearr. Also found in other families.
- Black: Listed by the clan society. A common name with many origins.
- MacGilvra: Listed by Electric Scotland and the clan society.
- Macilvora: Listed by Electric Scotland.
- Rankin: Listed by the clan society, which links it with a hereditary piping family of Mull. Also found in other families.
“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 MacLaine of Lochbuie tartan?
The Scottish Register of Tartans lists a clan sett (ref. 2590), a second clan sett known as Coburn (ref. 2591) and a hunting sett (ref. 2592). The Coburn sett has the oldest record, a sample in the Cockburn Collection from before 1810.
What is the MacLaine of Lochbuie motto?
The motto is 'Vincere vel mori', Latin for 'to conquer or die', as given by Electric Scotland and the clan society.
Is MacLaine of Lochbuie part of Clan Maclean?
Lochbuie and Duart descend from two brothers and both once spelt the name Maclean. Lochbuie is often called a Maclean cadet line, but its society stresses its independence, and the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs lists a MacLaine chief of its own.
Which surnames are linked to MacLaine of Lochbuie?
Electric Scotland and the clan society list MacFadyen, MacFadzean, MacCormick, MacGilvra and others, and the society adds Black and Rankin. We treat all of these as associated, and several are shared with other families.
Sources
- Lochbuie Clan Chiefs — Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie society (clanmaclaine.org)
- Cadets, Septs & Families — Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie society (maclaine.org)
- Clan: Maclaine of Lochbuie — Electric Scotland
- House of Lochbuie — Maclean history (macleanhistory.org)
- Members — Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs
- MacLaine of Lochbuie (ref. 2590) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- MacLaine of Lochbuie (Coburn) (ref. 2591) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- MacLaine of Lochbuie Hunting (ref. 2592) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- Maclaine of Lochbuie Heraldry — Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie society (maclaine.org)
Clan histories are contested and sources disagree. If you can correct something here with a source, write to hello@tartanflag.com. Last updated 9 November 2026.