The Clan Lamont Story
The story of the Lamont Clan, along with that of all the Highland clans really ended in 1746 but the post-Culloden suppression was the finishing off of a long process of change brought about by a variety of factors, "the long death of clanship" as Professor T M Devine put it. It could be said that the end came rather earlier for Clan Lamont, as it did for Clan Gregor, through having the misfortune of having Clan Campbell as their neighbour.
Since Culloden there are really two stories, that of our Chiefs and their ilk which ended when the last of the clan land and property was sold; and that of the many bearing the name of Lamont or one of its associated names who are scattered throughout the United Kingdom and to "aa the airts" around the world, keeping their culture alive through Caledonian societies, Highland games, Burns Suppers, St Andrew's Day celebrations and in music, dance and folklore. That is our part in the story of the Scottish Diaspora and that story is far from ended.
There are many sources of information about the clan's history and the related history of Scotland on the internet but we have to remember that Google is an undiscriminating instrument which does not evaluate the accuracy of the material it points out. We, however, can confidently draw your attention to The Lamont Clan 1235-1935 by Hector McKechnie (1938) and A History of the Clan Lamont by Margaret Hubbard and Robert Reid (2022) and to a variety of books and articles which contribute to knowledge and understanding of our history, our contribution to the world and the preservation and celebration of our culture.
The Lamont Clan, 1235-1935
Seven Centuries of Clan History from Record Evidence
Hector McKechnie
Printed for the Clan Lamont Society by McNeill and Co,
Edinburgh 1938
The authoritative history of the clan, this is a scholarly and comprehensive account from the earliest recorded evidence to the 20th Century. It is very much the historian's history and at 620 pages, a challenging read but as a reference work, invaluable. It was first published in a limited edition in 1938, printed on behalf of the Clan Lamont Society by McNeil and Co. of Edinburgh and is a very rare book. The Society holds copies and you can search here for libraries in your part of the world which hold copies. A 1983 reprint by Scotpress is quite difficult to come by and such copies as are available are quite expensive .
A digitalised version of the original is accessible through Internet Archive.
This is a concisely informative illustrated history, written by Margaret Hubbard and Robert Reid, volunteer researchers with the Castle House Museum in Dunoon. It is available, priced £8, from the Museum and through this website. The booklet was prepared in conjunction with the development of a permanent Lamont Exhibition in the Museum.
The authors rightly point out that the story of a group of people does not exist in a vacuum but takes place in and is influenced by national and International happenings:
"The story of the Lamonts happened within the political contexts of the centuries they lived through. In writing this history of the Lamonts we have told their story inside their times; how they responded to events playing out close to them, in other parts of Scotland, and indeed globally. To tell their story therefore we have taken account of events elsewhere but always coming back to the part they played. Their story is woven throughout."
It is a story well told, a succinct account of the clan's history in the context of the wider events which shaped it.
A History of the Clan Lamont
Margaret Hubbard and Robert Reid
Published by the Dunoon and Cowal Heritage Trust 2022
Buchan, John, Montrose
Devine, T.M., To the Ends of the Earth: Scotland's Global Diaspora, 1750-2010
Devine, T.M., The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, 1600-1900,
Moffat, Alistair, The Highland Clans,
Paterson, Raymond Campbell Glencoe - Myth & Reality,
Pittock, Murray, Culloden,
This section is being developed. Please feel welcome to send us references of books, articles or studies which advance our knowledge of clan history and the stories, past and present of our kinsfolk worldwide. Your comments are also welcome.
Further reading
Expansion of the Kingdom of Dalriada. Adoption of Gaelic and Christianity.
Late 5th Century
Migration of Irish Gaels from Antrim to Argyll, Cowal and the Inner Hebrides
1263
Timeline
Late 5th Century
844
Vikings arrive and gain control over the western isles. Always a perceived threat to the mainland through to the 13th Century
End of 8th Century
11th & 12th Centuries
Kenneth McAlpine crowned King of Scotland, moving the court to Scone. The western seaward parts of Scotland remain under Gaelic/Norse control
Earliest known record of the Lamonts. The Kilfinan Church and patronage, land at Kilmun and Kilmory on Loch Gilp granted to Paisley Abbey. The spread of these places across a wide area is indicative of the growing strength of the family in Cowal.
The Battle of Largs
Kings Alexander II and III seek to end Norse hegemony in the West. The Battle of Largs puts an end to Norse dominance in the West, but the MacDonalds emerge as the strongest force and take control with their Chief as Lord of the Isles.
1236
Late 13th Century
Timeline
First World War. 790 serving Lamonts noted by the Imperial War Museum
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/searchlives/field/lastname/Lamont/filter