Clan McLaren and the MacLaren Stone

Clan MacLaren and the McLaren Stone

Balquhidder Glen is one of the best known homes of the Clan MacLaren. They had probably been there since around the 9th century. Their descent is reputed to be from a 6th century king of Dalriada called 'Lorn', but the name MacLaren came more recently from Abbot Labhran of Auchtubhmor. The clan badge is the Laurel leaf, derived from the gealic name for laurel - labhras. The MacLarens were the dominant clan in the area until the arrival of the MacGregors who moved there after being dispossessed of their own lands by the Clan Campbell.

Another McLaren settlement was at Ardveich on the north shore of Lochearn where a small burial ground may be visited.
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The small knoll behind Balquhidder church is known as Creag an Tuirc (the hill of the boar) and on the rocky south facing promentory of this knoll is the 'MacLaren's Meeting Place', this being marked by a stone monument named 'the Boar's Rock'.

The first church at Balquhidder was built by Abbot Labhran, this being replaced in 1631 by Lord Scone who built a new church incorporating part of the older one. The present church was built for David Carnegie of Stronvar in 1845. In the graveyard of this church, and just south of the wall of the older parish church stands the 'MacLaren Stone', memorial to John MacLaurin who died in 1788.

The stone bears not only the memorial inscription, but also a fair history of the Clan MacLaren. A photo of the stone is on the right and the text is reproduced below (within the constraints of the legibility of the stone).

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MR JOHN MACLAURIN OF LECHSCRIDAN THE SON OF DUNCAN SON OF FINLAY SON OF DONULL MACLABHRAINN OF AUCHLESKINE WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE THE 20^TH DECR 1788 AGED 71 AND OF HIS SPOUSE JANET MACGREGOR DAUGHTER OF MR HUGH THE SON OF DUNCAN THE SON OF JOHN MACGREGOR OF AUCHTOWMORE (ALL IN THE PARISH OF BALQUHIDDER) WHO DIED OCTR 1797 AGED 50 WHOSE MORTAL REMAINS WITH THOSE OF JANET, ROBERT, MARGARET, CHRISTIAN, AND CATHERINE, FIVE OF THEIR CHILDREN WHO DIED IN INFANCY, TOGETHER WITH THE REMAINS OF MANY OF THEIR KINDRED, THE AUCHLESKINE BRANCH OF THE ANCIENT CLAN LABHRAINN OR THE CHILDREN OF LAURIN ARE DEPOSITED NEAR THIS SPOT. IN MEMORY ALSO OF DUNCAN MACLAURIN OF LOMBARD STREET LONDON, GENTLEMAN, ELDEST SON OF THE ABOVE JOHN MACLAURIN, AND JANET MACGREGOR WHO DIED AT WALTHAMSTOW NEAR LONDON THE 21 NOVR 1823 AGED 53. BELOVER OF HIS FAMILY AND GREATLY RESPECTED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM AND WHERE A HANDSOM MONUMENT TO PERPETUATE HIS MEMORY HAS BEEN RAISED OVER THE VAULT CONTAINING HIS MORTAL REMAINS.

THIS ANCIENT PATRONYMICK EVIDENTLY DERIVED FROM THE DALRIADIC CHIEF LAURIN OF LAURIN IN ARGYLL WHOSE DESCENDANTS AND KINDRED AT AN EARLY PERIOD OF OUR SCOTTISH HISTORY WERE NUMEROUS AND POWERFUL IN THE DISTRICTS OF MENTEITH LENNOX STRATHERN AND BALQUHIDDER HAS OF LATE ( BY SCOTTO-SAXON TRANSCRIBERS, IGNORANT ALIKE OF GAELIC ORTHOGRAPHY AND ITS PROPER PRONUMCIATION) BEEN CORRUPTED TO MACLAREN AND MACLARIN AND THUS BY THE MERE OMISSION OF THE SINGLE VOWEL U, EQUIVALENT TO OE IN THE GAELIC FOUND IN THE ORIGINAL SPELLING OF THE PROPER NAME, THE IDENTITY OF THIS MODERN NAME WITH THE ANCIENT AND EUPHONICK NAME OF MAC LAURIN IS ALMOST ENTIRELY DESTROYED. TO THE MERE GAEL, THIS MODERN CORRUPTION OF AN OLD CLAN NAME IS ENTIRELY UNKNOWN WHEREAS THE PROPER NAME IS WELL KNOWN AND NEVER PRONOUNCED OTHERWISE IN THE GAELIC THAN MAC LABHRAIN AND IN ENGLISH MAC LAURIN