Clan MacLea - Livingstone

The Official Home of the Clan McLea (The ancient historical name of the Livingstones)

The Lismore Abbey Lands

According to Professor GWS Barrow Appin literally means

“the jurisdiction of, and hence territory owned or ruled by, an ab or abbot, chief dignitary of a monastic community in the pre-twelfth century Celtic Church”.

The Coarb of St Moluag ruled this land, which at one time was very extensive including the ancient parish of Lismore which embraced Appin and Eilean Mund.

The parish of Eilean Mund covered a large section of Inverness-shire, including Onich, Mamore, and seven merklands and a half of the lands of Glenevis, the boundary approximating the course of the burns Altkeiran, Treig, and Nevis.

It is also likely to have included Kingairloch and Morvern districts as it was not until 1891 the Boundary Commission transferred the Kingairloch and Morvern part of the parish of Lismore to that of Kilmallie. Further evidence to support this land as originally being part of the Abbey lands is the fact that Abbot Cuduilig was able to appanage his heirs, later known as MacLeans, on this land.

The lordship of Lorn now totals 700 merks of land. Lismore itself comprises 80 merks. Taking into account the lands around Loch Etive, described in the section on Cadets, it looks as though the clan had a very substantial portion of the lands of Lorne - well in excess of a third.