Category:Maclean (of Duart, Isle of Mull) arms

Basic arms & blazon[edit]

Blazon: Quarterly of 4:

• 1: Argent, a rock gules (Possibly referring to the Isle of Mull, although another popular theory is that it symbolizes the Maclean fortress of Cairnburgh located in the Treshnish Isles to which the Macleans regrouped after Duart Castle was conquered by the Campbells in 1681. The first The use of the rock was recorded in the Seton Armorial in 1591, before which arches featured into the Chief’s arms. The Lindsay Manuscript of 1542 contains the oldest known depiction of the Maclean chief’s arms which feature an arched rock near water. This rock arch is likely the Carsaig Arches, located on the Ross of Mull on the south of the Isle of Mull (macleanhistory.org[1], citing: Alastair Campbell of Airds (Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms), A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry)
• 2: Argent, a dexter hand fessways couped gules holding a cross crosslet fitchée in pale azure (Attributed arms of St Moluag) (macleanhistory.org[2], citing: Alastair Campbell of Airds (Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms), A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry)
• 3: Or, a Scottish lymphad oars in saltire and sails furled sable pennoned gules (Lord of the Isles; "Demonstrates the Clan’s affiliation with the Lordship of the Isles. All clans that were associated with the Lordship of the Isles used the lymphad in their arms. The origins of the lymphad are clearly from Norse royalty and are symbolic of prowess at sea" (macleanhistory.org[3], citing: Alastair Campbell of Airds (Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms), A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry)
• 4: Argent, a salmon naiant proper and in chief two eagle's heads erased respectant gules ("The Exchequer Rolls record the fact that on several occasions the Chiefs of the Clan Maclean supplied hawks to the King for his personal and military use. The arms of the West Highland Clans depicted their social and political alliances rather than their bloodlines. To the ancient Gaels the salmon represented ancient wisdom and eternal life as it always returns to its birthplace to spawn; this important symbol in silver is a reference to the noble Dálriadic origins of Gilleain na Tuaighe" (macleanhistory.org[4], citing: Alastair Campbell of Airds (Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms), A Closer Look at West Highland Heraldry))