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The HebrideanHomecomingby Elaine MacMillanSt Paul, MN, USAElaine MacMillan is pictured, far right,with from left: Teresa McMillan, Madison, MS, USA;Lorna McMillan, Paisley, Scotland;and Margaret Taylor, Weston, ON, Canada.I first heard about theHomecoming at the ClanMacMillan Society of NorthAmerica gathering in 2012.Knowing that my ancestors hadsailed from the Hebrides toCanada in the early 1800s madethe Hebridean Homecomingtrip very appealing to me.When I learned that we wouldbe spending all our time on theOuter Hebrides I decided thenand there that I would travel toScotland in 2014.So, on Saturday, June 21, 2014I found myself on the grounds ofFinlaystone, home to the Chief,George MacMillan and theMacMillan International Centre. Iarrived in time to participate inour very own Highland gamesreplete with the tossing of turnips,cabers and “Wellies.”On display at Finlaystone wasa wooden Kirkpatrick-MacMillanbike. This bike seemed to be morea precursor to the Ellipiticalmachines, currently familiar inmost gyms, rather than today’sbicycles. As a theologian I teachabout the Reformation so to seethe Yew Tree under which Knoxis reputed to have celebrated thefirst Reformed communion inScotland in 1556 was particularlymoving for me.At Finlaystone I felt as if I wason the set of one of my favouriteBBC series, Monarch of the Glen. AsI wandered around the groundsset on the banks of the Clyde, Iadmired the walking trails, theGardens (including the “SmellyGarden” for visually impaired)and the creative ways in whichthe Chief and his family haveadapted to the changing times.Though I’ve been toScotland before, this experiencewas very different. Everywhere Ilooked there were MacMillans/McMillans/McMullins even aMcMillion. And there were asmany permutations andcombinations of tartans as therewere spellings of our last name. Icouldn’t help reflecting that allour ancestors had sailed fromScotland and here we weremaking the return trip buthailing from as far away as NewZealand, Australia, Canada,Europe, the USA, and, ofcourse, the British Isles.Our trip to the Hebridesnecessitated a long coach ride toUig on Skye where we embarkedon a ferry to Benbecula. Myprevious trips to Scotland hadbeen to the East Coast. Bycomparison, I discovered theWest Coast to be a geologicalmarvel all its own. The Chiefand one of my clansmen are wellversed in both the geology andhistory of the region. Theyprovided me with an excellentand engaging commentary onthe terrain and history of the6Highlands through which we werepassing.The West Coast of Scotlandseemed to me to be composed ofhundreds if not thousands oflochs, sea lochs and islands. Morewater than land in some places,the Highlands are impressive.Their rugged beauty is marked bywinding narrow roads and deephillside gorges. These hills arerocky, barren and windswept andthe terrain is not for the faint ofheart. I had expected to see moresheep grazing and perhaps someHighland cattle but the further wetraveled north the fewer livestockwe saw. All the while I keptthinking about my ancestorsleaving this place for PrinceEdward Island. How did they feelas they left their Highland home?How did they feel when theylanded on PEI, a wooded islandwith rich, red and very fertile soil?The only book I took to readduring the trip was entitled Howthe Scots Invented the Modern World:The True Story of How WesternEurope's Poorest Nation Created OurWorld & Everything in it.Amazon.com promotes it in thefollowing way: “Who formed thefirst modern nation? Who createdthe first literate society? Whoinvented our modern ideas ofdemocracy and free marketcapitalism? The Scots.” As I readthe book and travelled throughthe Western Isles I was very

moved to learn about the manyScottish innovations that continueto influence my life today.Foremost among these is theinvention of public lendinglibraries which enabled even thepoorest of Scots to be literate. Asan avid reader, I rely heavily onpublic libraries and it wasgratifying to learn that they are aScottish “invention.”On the ferry ride from Skye toBenbecula it became clear thatGaelic (pr. Gal-ic & not Gale-ic asI had been doing) is very much aliving language as most of thepeople I met were bilingual.Though Gaelic uses the Latinalphabet with which I’m familiar, Icouldn’t even begin to sound outthe words let alone interpret whatthey meant.We landed in Benbecula to thesounds of a solitary piper. Newsof our arrival made it into thelocal paper. “The MacMillans areComing!” the headline read thenext day.Visiting religious sites likeTrinity Chapel on Benbecula wasa powerful experience for me,both professionally andpersonally. The Chapel had been amonastery and a college and wasfounded and expanded by women.Duns Scotus, a famous medievaltheologian is reputed to have beeneducated there. Though themonastery and college weredestroyed after the Reformation,they were rebuilt in the 18thcentury. Today all that is left areits remains.Another of our day trips tookus to the magisterial stone circlesat Callanish on the Isle of Lewis.These stone circles reminded meof Stonehenge and I was surprisedto learn that many more suchstone circles exist elsewhere onthe Western Isles. A map atCallanish indicated that there arealso whole groupings on the EastCoast of Scotland. Erected duringthe Neolithic age, their originsremain a mystery and we can onlyspeculate about why they exist.Until we visited the Isle ofHarris I had thought that HarrisTweed was simply a brand ofjacket. I discovered that themaking and marketing of“Harris Tweed” is protected byan Act of Parliament and isstrictly regulated. At the “BlackCottage” we visited on Harris adocent demonstrated howHarris Tweed is woven. Visitingthe “Black Cottage” I againreflected upon the lives myancestors probably lived prior toemigrating. Though no one hadlived in the “Black Cottage” for45 years or more, the smell ofpeat still permeated it and it hada very dark interior. I was onlyin the Cottage for a short timebut longed for sunshine andfresher air almost immediately.The Isles of Barra andVatersay were achingly beautiful,even on a misty, overcast day.They are the most southerly ofthe Western Isles and for manyyears the islanders were able tosupport themselves thanks tothe abundance of herring thatwas close at hand. Remnants ofthe herring industry could stillbe seen in the cove and the“Herring Walk” recounted theeconomic history of the Island.Sadly, commercial trawlers haveoverfished the herring stocks,decimating the local economybut not the natural beauty ofBarra. Blessed with incrediblywhite, sandy beaches and manyinlets and coves, it’s a vacationdestination waiting to bediscovered. Barra boasts anairport with natural runways onthe sand. We made anunscheduled stop at the airport’scafé for afternoon tea andscones, a serendipitous anddelightful change in ouritinerary. I was hoping to see aplane land on or take off fromthe sand but such was not to be.Our last day on Benbeculaincluded an induction ceremonyinto the Community of theTonsured Servant (CTS).Becoming a member of the CTSincludes a public commitment to7uphold the Clan Motto. It alsoincluded a ritual “tonsuring” butnot like the traditional MacMillanone, thank goodness. The Abbottsimply cut a lock of hair fromeach of us new members. Thesermon focused upon the ClanMotto: “I learn to give succor tothe distressed.” Again, I couldn’thelp thinking of my ancestors andhow, with my theology degrees, Iwas situated within a long line oftheologically educated men andpossibly even women. The churchcommunity where the ceremonywas held, extended HighlandHospitality to us and treated us totea in china cups no less andscones. Delicious!I arrived home filled withmany memories of a wonderfultrip. I’m already preparing for mynext clan gathering in Ottawa anda future trip to Scotland. In themeantime I’m reliving myHebridean Homecomingexperiences with gratitude for allthose, especially Graeme, our clangenealogist, who organized it sowell. I’m also remembering withfondness my clanswomen andmen and especially our Chief,George MacMillan, whose gentle,quiet leadership and wonderfulsense of humor made the trip amemorable experience for me.Rev. Bruce McMillan (front) and Rev.Chris McMullen entering the churchfor the CTS Investiture Service.

New History New DiscoveriesCormac’s Cross?One of the most interestingthings to emerge from our HebrideanHomecoming was the fact thatDNA tests sh owed An gu sMacmillan’s ancestors on Benbeculawere really MacMhuirichs. Angus’sresearches have also suggested thisancient bardic family may once haverun a college in Knapdale at Kilberry- a place also associated with theMacMillans. Is this just coincidence?Kilberry is famous for its carvedstones, which at one time theCampbell lairds vandalised to builda bridge with. Fortunately the stoneshave since been rescued, and are nowon public view in a little shelterbetween the house and the farm atKilberry (shown above right).Mike McMillen and GraemeMackenzie went there in Septemberto take some pictures for the newwebsite Mike is creating, and for thenew clan history Graeme is writing.The possible significance of one of thestones will become apparent from thisextract from the first draft ofGraeme’s new history dealing withGilchrist Maolan’s father Cormac.Cormac Gilleasbuig MorAccording to the MS1467pedigrees, Cormac macAirbertaich was the ancestor of anumber of clans that had theirseats in Argyll or Perthshire;most notably the Mackinnons,Ma cQua rrie s, Ma cMi lla n s,Ma cPhees, Ma cna bs, a ndMacGregors(and a fewassociated with Ross-shire, suchas the MacLennans, MacKenzies,Mathesons, and Gillanders).Though conventional writtenhistory can only support thedescent of the first three or fourof these clans from Cormac,DNA family history projectshave recently thrown up a fewintriguing results that suggestthere may be some truthbehind one or two of theseother historic claims. TheMacMillans’ descent fromCormac is however one ofthose now well established,with the early generationsshown in MS1467 supported bythe 1560 Leny family tree, andconfirmed by contemporarynotes in the Book of Deer.The Book of Deer notes,which constitute the earliestknown example of writtenScots Gaelic, not only providecontemporary proof ofCormac’s existence (somethinglacking for his father), but alsoemphasise his importance inthe Scots kingdom, both asBishop of Dunkeld and as asenior representative of theCenel Loairn. It may have beenin the latter role that he appearsin the Book of Deer note dated1131/32, when as the recipientof a grant for the abbey of Deerhe appears to be acting as atrustee for an institutionoutside his own diocese, butwhose chief patrons are shownin the other notes to have beenthe Cenel Loairn rulers ofMoray (the last of whom hadbeen deposed in 1130). The factthat Cormac’s son Gilchrist —8the future Maolan/AnGillemaol—appears as a witnessto the grant, also shows that thiswas in part a family matter.Despite this importantcontemporary evidence, weknow very little about Cormacapart from the episcopal positionhe held from at least 1114/17 to1131/32. The fact that he wasgiven the name of a famous Irishsaint tends to support the ideathat his father had lived inIreland, though the nameCormac is not as uniquely Irishas Airbertach.It’s notable that most of theScottish churches dedicated tothe saint of that name are in orclose to areas at one timeinhabited by MacMillans orother descendants of BishopCormac: Cill-ma-Charmaig atArdeonaig on Loch Tayside;Kirkcormack near Gelston in theGlenkens of Galloway;Kilchamaig on the south shore ofWest Loch Tarbert; Kilvicharmaigat Keils in North Knapdale, andthe chapel on the nearby EileanMor MacCormaig. Indeed, theRev. Dr Hugh Macmillan, thefirst member of the clan toattempt a written history of it,tells us that the whole parish ofKilmory, in Knapdale, wasoriginally called Cil MhicO’Charmaig.

The remains of the Lenys’ little swordas drawn in Archaelogia in 1789The future bishop wasprobably educated at one of thetwo great Columban abbeys inIreland, Kells or Derry. Possibleancestral links with The Ailech,just to the west of Derry, suggestthe latter as the more likely; aswould Derry’s close connectionwith Dunkeld. Derry had beenthe final resting place for theshrine of Saint Columba after ithad been taken first from Iona toDunkeld, and then to Ireland toescape plundering by theVikings; and as such it hadbecome the seat of the ComarbaColuim Chille, the head of theColumban church.Derry is also remembered inIreland as the burial place ofSaint Catan, and an area nearbycalled the Ciannachta was the seatof the Irish kindred named forhim: the Ui Cathain or O’Cahans.The Scottish clan Buchananclaimed descent from them, andthe northern Irish O’Millanswere one of the O’Cahans mostimportant septs (which may bethe origin of William Buchananof Auchmar’s claim that theMacMillans in Scotland were asept of the Buchanans). Atraditional account of theScottish Clan Chattan, of whichthe MacMillans were once aleading part, also says that itsfounder came to Lochaber fromthe Ciannachta; and, while itnames him as GillicattanMacGillespick and dates the eventto 1215, it’s not impossible that itactually refers to the arrival inScotland a century before ofCormac, bringing with him aspecial veneration for the saintburied at Derry.From Derry the youngCormac may have joined theliberation of the InnerHebrides, and the subsequentsettlement of his kin on Mulland neighbouring islands. Hisdescendants the Lenys, whocalled him Gilleasbuig Mor(Great Bishop), certainlyremembered him as a mightywarrior, and fighting clericswere by no means unusual inthe early middle ages. Theplace of the sword as adefining symbol of his kindredreinforces that suggestion.According to Auchmar’shistory “ the Lennies, whileOwners of that Estate, had noCharters of the same, but alarge Sword, with which, itseems, he, who first of thatname acquired there Lands,had performed some signalAtchievement, being a Meansof his first Advancement.” Indue course the claighmor (greatsword) suggested by Auchmarand depicted on the MacMillancrest, was replaced in the Lenyfamily by a symbolic claighbeg(small sword),whichnonetheless was still connectedwith their warrior ancestor, asnoted on their 1539 family tree:The MacMillan monuments atKilmory Knap. At the back,Alexander’s Cross with theclaighmhor on the shaft, and infront, the shaft of Duncan’scross with the Great Rider orknight at the bottom.9Great Rider on Duncan’s Cross“It is uel knain bi theShinachies in the first aleuin ofthi auld Laynis uer Reidhariswhilk is to say Knightis and sumof them uar famus men, notinlythe reidhar moir wha got theclaibeg fra the King fur his guiddeidis ”. The little sword issaid to have served as a charterfor the Leny lands for centuries,and is described elsewhere asbeing silver and inscribed withthe name “Gillispic Moir”. Itsurvived in the possession of theLenys’ heirs the Buchanans ofArnprior until at least 1789 whenit was drawn for the magazineArchaelogia (see above left).Given the importance of thesword as a symbol shared by thedescendants of Cormac both inthe east and the west, it seemspretty certain that the surnamethey used in the Lowlands wasderived from the Gaelic lann orlainne, meaning “the blade of asword” rather than, as hadpreviously been thought, fromthe place name leanaidh meaning“wet meadows”. Early membersof the Leny family are usuallydocumented in contemporaryrecords as “de Lany” or “deLanyn” rather than “de Leny”,which would appear to supportthis contention; as would the factthat the Lenys’ Midlothian estateon the outskirts of Edinburgh(the seat of an ecclesiasticalpalace belonging to the Bishop ofDunkeld) was originally calledLanin or Lanyne.

The kindred’s great swordappears most impressively onone side of AlexanderMacMillan’s cross at KilmoryKnap (see picture overleaf); butit’s on the shaft of the nowheadless second MacMillancross at Kilmory—raised byAlexander’s grandson Duncanfor himself and his fatherMalcolm—that we find the mostimpressive confirmation of theconnection between this westHighland clan and theirLowland cousins the Lenys.Duncan and Malcolm’s crossat Kilmory has, at the bottom ofthe shaft, a helmeted man onhorseback carrying a lance(shown overleaf). This is in starkcontrast to the unmountedwarriors that usually appear onmedieval Highland tombs. Assuch it’s a clear echo of the 16thcentury description of the Lenyancestors on the family tree, as“Reidharis whilk is to sayKnightis”, which goes on toname the first of three suchknights as the “reidhar moir”; i.e.the Great Rider.Given the rarity of suchmounted warriors on medievalmonuments in the westHighlands, it’s even morestriking to find a second one onthe shaft of a cross at anotherplace in Knapdale at one timeassociated with the MacMillans;Bishop & Horseman at KilberryThe Knight on the Kilberry Cross see outline of it and bishop belowi.e. Kilberry (which also has alegend about its ancient lairdshaving the charter for theirlands carved on a stone by thesea sh ore). W ha t’ s mo stastonishing however about thecross at Kilberry, which is alsonow headless, is that above thehorseman is carved theunmistakable figure of a robedand mitred bishop.Sadly there is no survivinginscription to identify thewarrior or the bishop, to saywho commissioned the cross,or when it was erected. Thestyle merely indicates the 14thor 15th centuries, which mightmake it contemporary with theKilmory Crosses—and is theera when MacMhaolain Mhorwas probably at his height inKnapdale. This monument nowstands beside another withnothing on one side but a hugesword—a common symbol onwest Highland burial slabs atthis time—and the temptationto identify the bishop andhorseman with the MacMillans’ancestor Cormac GilleasbuigMor is irresistible.The Leny tradition is thatGilleasbuig Mor was loyal tothe king, and it’s clear from theresponsibilities given him asBishop of Dunkeld that Cormacmac Airbertach was someoneMalcolm Ceanmor’s son,Alexander I, felt he could trust.This is particularly significantin light of the fact that in101115/16 Alexander had faced aserious rebellion in the north thatwould almost certainly haveinvolved some leading membersof the Cenel Loairn. It’s quitepossible that Alexander came toan agreement with Cormac at thetime of that rebellion—which theking is said to have put downwith great ferocity—in order toguarantee the neutrality, orindeed the support, of Cormac’sbranch of the old ruling house ofMoray. Contemporary Irishpractice shows that where kingsdecisively defeated a challengefor their throne from therepresentative of another branchof their kindred, they sometimesoffered their vanq

Lamar McMillin, USA . Connall Bell, USA . Margaret Pool, New Zealand . June Danks, Australia . Blanche McMillan, Canada . Robert Bell, USA . Jerry Pilkington, USA . Treasurer: Arthur MacMillan . Genealogist & Editor: Graeme Mackenzie. Clan MacMillan International (CMI) - the worldwide organisation based at the home of Clan Chief George MacMillan