Clan Gillean

Malcolm. 43
daughter of the Lord of Carrick, his wife may
have had at least a life interest in some lands in
that district. By regarding the two Malcolms as
the same person, we find a substantial foundation
for Hugh Macdonald's traditional statement. In
1325 Malcolm Maclean's three sons were appar-
ently living in or near Kintyre. In that year
Robert Bruce paid a visit to some of the Western
Islands. Donald Maclean, Malcolm's eldest son,
sent a ship in the King's service around the Mull
— evidently the Mull of Kintyre — to West Tarbert.
Neil and John, Donald's brothers, sent some of
their men to watch the ship, while it remained at
Tarbert.
Tradition states that Malcolm Maclean fought
under Robert Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn
in 1314, and that Bruce granted him some of the
lands which had belonged to the Macdougalls of
Lorn. It is highly probable that this tradition is
true. It is clear that Bruce and Malcolm's sons
were on very friendly terms in 1325. Then, at
that time or shortly afterwards, the King ap-
pointed Neil, Malcolm's second son, constable of
the castle of "Scraburgh," which is in all proba-
bility a misreading for Karnaburgh or Cairnburgh.
In 1329 Neil received ten pounds in part payment
for keeping the castle. If the Macleans had not
supported Bruce in his hour of need — if they had
not fought for him at Bannockburn — it is not
likely that one of them would have been placed in
charge of a royal garrison, as " Scraburgh," what-
ever place he meant, must have been.