Clan Macleod of Lewis
| Clan MacLeod of the Lewes | |||
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| Sìol Thorcaill | |||
Crest: A golden sun in splendour
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| Motto | I birn quil I se | ||
| Profile | |||
| District | Lewis, Raasay | ||
| Chief | |||
| Torquil Donald MacLeod of the Lewes | |||
| Historic seat | Stornoway Castle, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. | ||
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Clan MacLeod of The Lewes, commonly known as Clan MacLeod of Lewis, is a Highland Scottish clan, which at its height held extensive lands in the Western Isles and west coast of Scotland. From the 14th century up until the beginning of the 17th century there were two branches of Macleods: the MacLeods of Dunvegan and Harris (Clan MacLeod); and the Macleods of Lewis. In Gaelic the Macleods of Lewis were known as Sìol Thorcaill ("Seed of Torquil"), and the MacLeods of Dunvegan and Harris were known as Sìol Thormoid ("Seed of Tormod").
The traditional progenitor of the MacLeods was Leod, whom tradition made a son of Olaf the Black, King of Mann and the Isles. Tradition gave Leod two sons, Tormod - progenitor of the Macleods of Harris and Dunvegan (Sìol Thormoid); and Torquil - progenitor of the Macleods of Lewis (Sìol Thorcaill). In the 16th and early 17th centuries the chiefly line of the Clan Macleod of The Lewes was nearly extinguished by the bloodthirsty and power hungry chief "Old Rory" and his various offspring. This feuding directly led to the fall of the clan, and loss of its lands to the Clan Mackenzie. One line of the 16th century chiefly family, the Macleods of Raasay, survived and prospered on their lands for centuries thereafter. The current chief of Lewis descends from this latter family.
Today both the Clan MacLeod of The Lewes and Clan Macleod are represented by "Associated Clan MacLeod Societies", and the chiefs of the two clans. The association is made up of nine national societies across the world including: Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and the United States of America.
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