Chiefs of Clan MacLeod: Twenty generations at Dunvegan Castle, Scotland
This evening, I am focusing on MacLeod of MacLeod the chiefs of which have occupied Dunvegan Castle (above and below) on Isle of Skye for twenty generations. Over this long period of occupation the MacLeods have hemorrhaged some of their extensive lands due to inadequate (or non-existent) legal titles. The Chiefs of Clan MacLeod claim descent from Leod , a high-born Norse-Gael who is thought to have lived in the 13th century, but whose ancestors are known from multiple pedigrees at least into the early 12th or late 11th centuries. The MacLeods adhered to the Roman Catholic faith during turbulent times in the 17th and 18th centuries. They fought for the Royalist cause in the Civil War of the 17th century and suffered huge losses at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. However, the MacLeods are perhaps best known for their cultural achievements, viz: 8th Chief, Alasdair Crotach,(1450-1547) rebuilt the church of Rodel on Harris, built ...