Blair Collection > Surnames & place-names of the Isle of Man

Suttnamea bcrttrctJ ftrmtt Crafts, rfr. 77
On a stone at the Friary, Arbory, Professor Rh^s has
recently discovered the name Mac Leog, in the Ogam
character. This late form would seem to show that Ogam
writing lingered in the Isle of Man till the ninth century.
' MacLiag, Chief Poet of Erinn,' A.D. 1014.*
' Gilla MacLiag (Gelasius), the son of Rory, the successor
of St. Patrick, and Primate of Armagh and of all Ireland
.... died A.D. ii73.'t
In 1405, Gilbert Cleg received letters of protec-
tion from Henry IV. to come to the Isle of Man.:]:
It is possible, but not probable, that the forms
Cleg and Clegg may be derived from (O.N.)
kleggi, ' a horse-fly.' The word Cleg is used in the
Isle of Man, as well as in Scotland and the north
of England, to designate this insect. Clague is
now the commonest form, but did not become so
till early in the eighteenth centur3^
Cleg [1405], MacClewage, MacCluag [1511], Clev-
age [1521], Cloagge, Cloage [1601], Claige
[1622], Clogue [1625], Cleage [1644], Clauge
[1652], Clague [1655], Cloauge [1660], Cluage
[1673], Cloiage [1674], Cluag [1676], Claig [i6g6],
Claigue [1702], Cloag [1719], Clage [1775],
Clegg [1790].
Marown, Santon (vc), Malew, Michael, Jurby, Lezayre,
Ballaiigh, Braddan, Lonan, Maughold, Rushen (c), else-
where (u).
Kerd and Mac Kerb [15 ii] (obsolete), from Ccard, ' an
artificer, artist-mechanic'
KiNViG and Kinred seem to have been originally nick-
names, which became surnames at a comparatively
recent date. The prefix kin is the genitive of kione
' head,' which would preclude their being simply
* Chron. Scot., p. 257. f Four Mast., Vol. III., p. 13.
X Manx Society, Vol. VII., p. 231.