MOTTO: Ne parcas nec spernas-"Neither spare nor dispose".
BADGE: A raised hand.
TARTAN: The Lamont tartan is similar to the Campbell of Argyll tartan, except that it has no yellow stripes.
CLAN SEPTS: There are many clan septs, including Black, Brown, Clement, Douglas, Forsyth, Lamb, Lucas, MacClymont, MacFarquhar, Mackerchar, Maclemon, MacMunn, MacPatrick, MacSorley, Paterson, Patrick, Toward, Turner and White.
The Clan Lamont is of great antiquity and at one time held considerable lands in Argyllshire before the encroachment of the Campbells and other clans.
The name is thought to derive from the Old Norse for "lawman", and according to Highland tradition the Lamonts were founded by Ferchar who lived around 1200. They were the ancient proprietors of Council and the Stewarts, Maclachlans and Campbells obtained their possessions in the district by marriage with the daughters of that family. The first record of the name in Scotland is of one Ladhmunn,son of Donald, son of Malcolm III who was killed by Moray men in 1116. Because the Lamonts opposed Robert the Bruce, they suffered accordingly during his reign but John Lamont of that ilk later held a charter from James III and was knighted in 1539. He had his lands united into the Barony of Inveryne,his principle seat being Toward Castle where he entertained Mary Queen of Scots in 1563. During the disturbed period of the Civil War several of the Campbell chiefs ravaged the Lamont country and in 1646 treacherously massacered 200 Lamonts at Dunoon. (This massacre formed one of the charges against the Marquis of
Argyle for which he was executed in 1661). Not surprisingly what remained of the Clan scattered and the chiefship passed to a cadet branch which later immigrated to Austrailia where the present cheif now lives. John the 9th chief commanded the Gordan Highlanders at Corunna in 1809. The Lamonts were connected by marriage to many of the titled families in Scotland.
Clan Lamont is one of the oldest Scottish clans, with an oral tradition of descent streatching back to the Kings of Ireland. The name is derived from a chief of the 13th century, Sir Lauman, whos charter granted lands to the Paisley Abbey, is still in existence. Few clans can document their existence at such an early date. Althought the name comes from the 13th century chief, the clan is much older being known as MacKerracher before Sir Laumon's time. Sir Walter Scott referred to him in "Antiquary" as "Lamon Mor", or the Great Lamont in English. Sir Laumons mother is beleived to have been a daughter of the great Somerled, ancestor of the MacDonalds. Tradition supported by a genealogical work of 1682 found in Inverary Castle, maintains the a son of Sir Laumon, had to flee Cowal as the result of a murder, and founded the Lyons of Glamis. He took the name Lyon from the Lamont Arms, and chose as his arms, the reverse of the Lamonts, a blue lion on a silver field.
As the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth is a Lyon of Glamis, if this tradition is correct, then Queen Elizabeth the II is a Lamont on her mothers side.
In the early 1300's, came a great downturn in the Clans fortunes. Laumon's grandson Sir John supported the MacDougalls of Lorne against Robert the Bruce. The Lamonts of Ardlamont, however, who held their land as vassels of the High Stewart in Brute, may have fought in Bruce's bodyguard at Bannockburn. When Bruce was secure on the Scottish throne the Lamont Chief suffered with the house of Lorne and the Clan's land was claimed by the King's loyal supporter, Campbell, Black Knight of Lochawe. By the end of the 14th century a great deal of original terriory of the clan had been lost; and thus began a feud between the Lamonts and the Campbells which continued on and off for centuries in spite of considerable intermarriage.
In the 17th century wars of Montrose, Sir John, 14th chief, who had been knighted by King Charles after much shilly-shallying, joined Argyll's convenant army and in the inglorious rout of that force at Inverlochy he and his brother, with Colkittos's fighting Irish, crossed Loch Long in boats provided by the Lamont's and landed at the Point of Strone. After defeating the Campbell forces in the heights above the point the Royalist army mustered at Toward and the harried far and wide in the Campbell lands. The Lamont's had their share in this killing and plundering particularly in North Cowal, and they attacked the old Tower of Kilmun, and the bishop's house in Dunoon. Dunoon is a place of grim memory for the Lamonts. There the Campbells carried out one of massacres which stain their clan's history. In 1646, the Campbells made a concentrated attack on the Lamont castles of Toward and Ascog, and, when the garrisons surrendered under written guarantee of liberty, the Campbells ignored the terms of
capitulation. The survivors of the defenders were carried by boats to Dunoon and in the church were sentenced to death. About 100 were shot or stabbed to death and another 36 of the "special gentlemen" were hanged from a tree in the churchyard and dead and dying were buried in the pits. The Chief and close kin were hustled away to Inverary, where some were hanged. The Chief and his brothers being kept prisoner for 5 years. It was 16 years before the ringleaders of the massacre were brought to justice, and Sir Colin Campbell was beheaded. The Clan Lamont Society in 1909 raised a monument on the spot were so many met their deaths.
After 1646, the much reduced Clan Lamont had a fairly peaceful history, finally having the good sense or luck to not get involved in any more losing causes. We stayed out of both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings. This may have been due to the fact they were pretty much surrounded by Campbells, who always sided with the English government ( to their great profit).
With the desctruction of the Clan System in 1745, the structure of Highland society was changed for all time. When the power of the chiefs was eliminated, so was their need for dedicated clansmen to protect and expand the clan's lands. The result of this, in time, was the infamous Highland clearance; where the Chiefs cleared the land of coffers, and substituted the more profitable sheep. As was the case with the Lamont's, some chiefs tended to sell of the clan lands instead of switching to sheep. Sadly, as a result of this policy, they're are none of the ancestral lands in the clans hands. Starting very early, even before 1600, Lamonts have tended to dispurse, and are now one of the most widespread of clans.
THE ARMS OF LAMONT
*information on this page is courtesy of the Clan Lamont Society of North America.
