Ideas on the Ancient Origins of our MacLea Family

There are several branches, or cadets, of the Clan MacLea. They are:

• Livingstone/MacLea of Achnacree

• Livingstone/MacLea of Lochnell

• Livingstone/MacLea of Achnacloich

• McLea of Lindsaig, descended from the McLeas of Achnacree

• McLea of Ach na skioch

• McLea of Strathconnon

It is my current hypothesis that our MacLeas descend from the MacLeas of Bute, who are believed to be descended from the McLeas of Lindsaig and in turn the MacLeas of Achnacree.

As Rob Livingston said:

The MacLeas of Linsaig were a family who lived in the Parish of Kilfinan, just to the north of the Isle of Bute. They were followers of the MacDougals of Lorn and for many years held six merk of land in the district of Cowal in Argyllshire. The last of the MacLeas of Linsaig was buried at the church yard in Kilfinan in the 1500s. This family was related to the MacOnleas of Lismore and Appin who were loyal to the Stewarts of Appin in a very local way, but the clan as a whole really owed their alligiance to the MacDougalls of Lorne with whom they shared a very long history (Actually, the MacDhunsleibhs, forebears of the MacLeas are said to have arrived in Scotland 300 years before the MacDougalls). Most MacLeas, MacOnleas, Mac-on-leighs (there are many differnt spellings depending upon the scribe of the time) of Argyll adopted the surname Livingstone during the early 18th century. By the 1750s, the old surnames had almost completely disappeared with only a handful of families in Bute still holding onto the name (I have found a total of 14 MacLea births in all of Aryllshire between 1750 and 1855). The surname MacLea is today more frequently found in Ireland and the New World than it is in Scotland due to the emigration of MacLeas prior to the 18th century.