Clan Lamont Society of Australia
An organization for the descendants and friends
of the ancient Scottish Clan Lamont
Purpose
What is a Sept?
The Clan Lamont Society of Australia’s purpose is to “To bring into one organisation those
descendants of the Lamont families of Scotland; to study and preserve the history of the Lamont
Clan; the preservation of the history of the Lamont families as well as the general history of
Scotland and the preservation of Scottish tradi tions and customs.” To further those goals, we
participate in many Highland Games and acti vi ties throughout Australia and publish a
ne wsle tte r. Our quarte rly ne wsletter, The Crab Apple, contains information on acti vi ties of
members throughout the Australia and articles relating to Clan and Scottish history.
Septs are families that follo wed anothe r family’s chief. These smaller septs would then make
up, and be part of the chief’s larger clan. In some cases, a sept would follo w anothe r chief if
t wo families we re linked through marriage. Ho we ve r, if a family li ved on the land of a
po we rful laird, they would follo w him whe the r they we re related or not. The listed sept
family names have a kno wn historical kinship wi th the Clan Lamont.
Ho w to Join the Clan Lamont Society
If you desire to join the Clan Lamont Society Australia because your family name is associated
wi th Clan Lamont, or you simply have an interest in our ancient Royal Clan; all you need to do is
fill out our application and submit it wi th the required fees to our Society President. You can
also contact your regional Coordinators wi th questions.
Lieutenant to the Chief and Society President:
James Burden
jjburden@ westnet.com.au
Regional Vice President’s:
Damian Do wnie [email protected]
Ben Calcraft
[email protected]
Additional information and Membe rship Forms are available online:
http://clanlamont.org/ (Clan Lamont Society of Australia Web Site)
Aldownie, -y
Black
Blackie
Blaik
Blaikie
Blake
Blaker
Blakey
Broun
Brown
Burden
Burdon
Clement
Lamb
Lambie
Lammie
Lammon
Lammond
Lamon
Lamond
Lamonds on
Lander(s)
Lemmon
Lemon
Lemond
Lamond
Lamont
Limon
Limond
Limont
Lucas
Luck
Luckie, -y
Luke
MacAlduie
MacAldowie
MacClammie,- y
MacClement(s)
MacCluckie, -y
MacClymont
MacEaracher
MacErcher
MacErracher
MacFarquhar
MacGilledow
MacGilleg owie
MacGorie, -y
MacGorrie
MacIldowie
MacIlwham
MacIlwhom
MacInturner
MacKerchar
MacKerracher
MacLammie, -y
MacLamond
MacLemmon
MacLemon
MacLucas
MacLuckie, -y
MacLugas h
MacLuke
MacLusa
MacLymont
MacMunn
MacPatrick
MacPhunn
MacSorley
MacSurely
Meickleam
Meickleham
Meiklehem
Meiklejohn
Meiklem
Munn
Munt
Patrick
Pater~on
Phorich
Sorlie, -y
Toward
Towart
Turner
White
Whyte
Present Clan Chief
The current Chief of Clan Lamont is the 29th, Father Pete r Noel Lamont of that Ilk. Fathe r
Lamont is Parish Priest in Sydney, Australia.
The Lamont Tartan
Tartan cloth is of undoubted great antiquity, but, contrary to popular belief, there is little or no
e vidence of “Clan Tartans” before 1747 and the banning of the wearing of tartan. There are
paintings of clan chiefs made in the 17th and 18th centuries, which sho w them wearing more
than one tartan at a time, none of which match current clan tartans. Apparently, the main
means of indicating clan affiliation was the sprig of plant badge worn on the bonnet. Afte r the
repeal of the ban in 1782, there was more inte rest in tartan, but it was not until Si r Walter
Scott’s romantic Waverley Novels, that inte rest surged about the highlands and their tartans. It
was 181 7, before the issuing of the Wilson’s patte rn book, that our Chief, John Lamont,
registered the Lamont tartan.
What is a Clan?
The Clan system was the effecti ve means of gove rnment in the Highlands of Scotland from
some time before the year 1000 AD until it was essentially eliminated by the E ng lish in 1745.
It gre w out of the similar system of Celtic Ireland, from whence the Scots came.
What is a Clan? An anthropologist has defined a clan as a group whose membe rship shares
a descent from a common ancestor. A Clan might, be defined as a group of cousins. Si r Iain
Moncreiffe has said in describing the Scottish clans, much more appealingly: “A Maclean or
a Campbell, a Came ron or a Mackintosh was distinguished by features which cut clean
across class. Although people often speak of ‘old Families’, in fact no family is older than any
othe r. What is meant is that the particular families called ‘old’ have managed to maintain
their identity and re tain records of thei r past longer than the majori ty of othe r fol k. In
E ngland and abroad, this is too often true only of a limited aristocracy. In the Highlands,
ho we ver, e ve rybody was e ventually descended one way or anothe r from se ve ral of the great
historic royal clans.”
Is Our Clan Rele vant?
No w that the clans have dispersed to near and far corners of the wo rld, what is left beyond
a vague remembrance of Scots descent? What remains is the clan: a sense of family, of
common roots, of a place from whence we all came, strengthened by the romance of history,
the skirling of pipes, the s wi ng of the kilt, the remem brance of a dour and hard, but
beautiful land and above all Highland pride and loyalty.
Ancient
Modern
Hunting
Clan Crest
Clan Lamont Society of Australia Scholarship
The Clan Lamont Clan Crest is a dexter hand couped at the wrist Proper, wi th the motto
of Ne Parcas Nec Spe rnas. The translation is: " Neither Spare Nor Dispose" . The Red
Hand of Ulste r symbolises both the Irish province of Ulster and a descent from the Uí
Néill. The Lamonts claim descent from Anrothan O'Neill, an Irish prince. The hand
wi thin the crest badge ve ry likely alludes to this descent.
The aims and objecti ve s of the Clan Lamont Society of Australia scholarship is a long
term investment in the community by providing funds for training and education in
various areas supporting Scottish culture for Clan Lamont me mbers and their children.
The amount of $ 500 is available each financial year for the Clan Lamont Society of
Australia Scholarship A ward. Scholarship monies may be a warded in full or part at the
discretion of the Scholarship Committee.
Any current financial member of Clan Lamont Australia, who wishes to be considered for
the granting of a scholarship, must apply in wri ting on the official application form
available from the Clan Lamont Society of Australia or do wnl oaded from this website by
the 1st May e ve ry year.
The scholarship shall be granted in full or part to a Clan Lamont Society of Australia
member or member’s child (financial family member) who is participating in learning
Scottish dancing, Scottish Gaelic, the bagpipes or other instrument associated wi th
Scottish culture or participating in a project to furthe r their unde rstanding of Scottish
culture.
Decisions in relati on to the a warding of the scholarship shall be made on the 1st July e ve ry
year and the successful applicant’s details will be published in the Clan Lamont Society of
Australia Ne wsletter (The Crab Apple) in the same financial year. For furthe r
information please email your State Vice President.
Clan Lamont Plant Badge
Crabapple Tree or in Gaelic, Craobh-ubhal fhiadhain
Clan History
Clan History cont…
Clan Lamont is a Highland Scottish clan. Clan Lamont claim descent from Lauman who li ved
in Co wal in 1238. Traditi on gi ves this Lauman a descent from an Irish prince named Anrothan
O'Neill. Clan Lamont like se ve ral othe r clans, such as Clan MacE we n of Otter, Clan
Maclachlan, Clan MacNeil of Barra, and the MacS weens, all claim descent from Anrothan
O'Neill, who left Ireland for Kintyre in the 11th century. From this descent the clan claims a
descent from the legendary Niall Noigíallach, High King of Ireland, who li ved in the pe riod
bet ween the mid-4th century and early 5th century.
During the destruction their forces wrought on the Campbells, MacColla's men commi tted
many atroci ties and e ven the Lamonts themsel ve s when they attacked the To we r of Kilmun.
Once the to we r had surrendered unde r promise of their li ves being spared, the prisoners we re
then " taken thrie myles from the place and most cruelly put to Death, except one who was in
the hot fe ve r" . Sir James Lamont ravaged the lands of Strachur, killing thirty-three men,
women and children. His force destroyed much grain and drove off 340 cattle and horses.
The surname Lamont has se veral origins, though in regards to this clan it originates in
Scotland and Northe rn Ireland. The name is deri ved from the medie val personal name Lagman
which is from the Old Norse Logmaðr. The Old Norse name Logmaðr is composed to t wo
elements: log which is plural of lag meaning "law" (from leggja meaning " to lay do wn" ) + maðr
meaning " man" .
The first record of the Lamonts is found in the mid 13th century and the early chiefs of the clan
we re described as " The Great MacLamont of all Co wal" (Scottish Gaelic: Mac Laomain mor
Chomhail uile). In 1456 a John Lamont was Baillie of Co wal. Later in around 1463 the lands
belonging to Lamont of that Il k fell to the Cro wn by reason of non-entry, and for almost a
century were held by a branch of the family kno wn as the Lamonts of Inve ria.
The darkest era of Clan Lamont was undoubtedly during the mid 17th century which ended in
what is kno wn as the Dunoon massacre. The chief of the clan during this time was Sir James
Lamont of that Ilk. In 1634 Si r James represented the Barons of Argyll in Parliament, though
t wo years later he was plotting for the Royalist cause with other clan chiefs such as,
Macdonald of Sleat, Macleod of Dunvegan, Maclean of Duart, Stuart of Bute, and Ste wart of
Ardgo wan. Though once the E arl of Argyll (the chief of Clan Campbell) found out Lamont
was forced to recant his posi tion.
With the start of the follo wing Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Lamont was sent a charter by
Charles I of Scotland to crush the rebels - the Campbells. E ven though the Lamont chief was a
Royalist sympathiser he had no choice but to join forces with the supe rior forces of the E arl of
Argyll. After the Covenante r loss at the Battle of Inve rlochy Sir James was released by the
Royalist victors and then sided wi th the Marquess of Montrose and acti vely supported the
Royalist cause. Si r James Lamont of that Il k then joined forces wi th Alasdair MacColla and
togethe r they invaded the lands of the Campbells. Sir James' brother, A rchibald, led a force of
Lamonts across Loch Long and together wi th MacColla's Irish contingent they landed at the
Point of Strone. Their force then laid waste to large areas under Campbell control. The
Lamonts we re particularly brutal in North Co wal, and singled out Dunoon.
Se ve ral months later in May 1646 while the Lamonts we re home at castles of To ward and
Ascog they we re besieged by Campbell forces see king re venge. By June 1, 1646 the Campbells
had cannon brought to shell the Lamont strongholds. Two days later Si r James Lamont, in a
wri tten agreement of quarte r and liberty for himself and his follo we rs surrende red and
persuaded the othe r garrison at Ascog Castle to like wise laydo wn arms and surrender to the
Campbells. Although the Campbells had agreed to the Lamonts te rms of surrende r, they
immediately took the surrende red garrisons to Dunoon by boat.
The Lamont strongholds we re then looted and burnt to the ground. Si r James and his closest
kin we re shipped to Inve rary and he was held in the dungeons of Dunstaffnage Castle for the
next fi ve years. In the churchyard at Dunoon about a hundred Lamonts we re sentenced to
death and executed. Thi rty-six of the clan's high-ranking gentlemen we re hanged from a tree
in the churchyard, cut do wn and then buried either dead or al i ve in a common grave.
After languishing in capti vity for years Sir James Lamont was brought to Stirling Castle in
1651 to ans we r for his actions wi th Alasdair MacColla for their de vastations in Argyll. Lamont
was e ventually spared trial though, when Cha rles II of Scotland led his ill-fated Scots forces
into E ngland to be later defeated at the Battle of Worceste r. Lamont was finally released when
the forces of Oli ve r Crom well took Sti rling. It has been reputed that the total damage inflicted
by the Campbells upon the Lamont estates was in excess of £600,000 Scots (£50,000 sterling).
Argyll himself was able to recove r £2,900 Scots (almost £245 ste rling) for the ente rtainment
and lodging of the Lamont chief while in capti vity. In 1662, the ringleader of the massacre, Sir
Colin Campbell, was brought to justice. He stood trial, was found guilty and beheaded.
*This document is reproduced with many thanks and adapted from the original created by the Clan Lamont
Society of North America.