This information was compiled by Richard McCullough of the Coffee County Tennessee McCulloughs.The first of the name was Cullagh, son of Allil, who was killed in a skirmish with the Picts in 864. As far back as the 11th century, this ancient family held the lands of Cardoness, Myretoun, Ardwall, and Kirkcudbrightshire. The McCullough name first appears in records in 1296 when Thomas Maculagh del counte de Wyggetone, as the sheriff of Wigtownshire, Scotland, rendered homage to king Edward I. He appears in records again in 1305 with his brother Michel, as a juror on inquest at Berwick, Scotland. Other early McCulloughs include Sir Patrick McCoulagh and Gilbert McCoulaghe in Galloway, Scotland in 1354. Records show that Sir Patrick McCoulagh was awarded “100 marks in recompense of his suffering and loss of lands in Scotland for his allegiance to the King of England in 1360.” Patrick Mackullouch was listed as being the vicar of Arbroath, Scotland.
The surname McCullough appears to be patronymical in origin and is an old Galwegian name (Galwegian means inhabitant of Galloway, Scotland). Research indicates that the original name means “son of the boar’ and was derived from the Gaelic word culagh. To the Celts, the boar was a symbol of fearlessness in battle and was used as a synonym of McCullough. The Scots used the prefix “Mac” to denote “son of” and Mac was sometimes abbreviated Mc or M’. There were two distinct groups of Scottish surnames the Highland and Lowland. The Highland Scots designated a man by his father’s name, and they generally were associated with a clan. The clan system was largely responsible for preserving the old ways of the Highlanders. A man would join a clan for protection and, to show allegiance to the clan chief, he would adopt a clan surname; usually Mac followed by the chief’s name.
|Antrim, Northern Ireland - Many McCulloughs left Scotland in the seventeenth century for this beautiful land. Today there are more McCulloughs living in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the British Isles.|
Much obscurity enshrouds the true origins of the ancient McCullough name. McCulloughs are said to be descended from Somerled through his second son Reginald Somerled was a leading figure in the western Highlands and islands of Scotland in 1130 A.D. when he defeated the Norse and became King of the Isles. His oldest son, Dougall, is the father of Clan MacDougall. From Reginald, his second son, not only did the McCulloughs come but also the mighty Clan Ranald (MacDonald). The MacDonalds descended from Donald, the oldest son of Reginald and the McCulloughs sprang from the seed of Ulgrie, King of the Strathclyde Britons. Records show that in 1507, when the Earl of Derby, King of Man, raided the town of Kirkcudbright, Cutler McCulloch, chief of the clan, sailed to the Isle of Man, which he ravaged and plundered. In 1514, a charter was granted to M’Culloch of Myretoun to the lands of Merton, constituting them into a barony until the year 1566. In 1587, William McCullouch of Cardoness and his wife, Mary, granted to their nephew, William McCullouch, the lands of Ardwall. In 1634, this family was raised to the rank of baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles I. The
|The ruins of Dunlance Castle in Antrim, Ireland.|
last baronet was Sir Godfrey McCullouch of Ardwall. He was beheaded at Edinburgh on March 26, 1697 for shooting William Gourdon. The clan members left the area in large numbers and migrated to Ireland and North America. The primary area of settlement in Ireland was Ulster, principally in the counties of Antrim, Down, and Tyrone. Although there are still many McCulloughs (with various spellings) in Scotland, the greatest concentration of McCulloughs in the British Isles are in Northern Ireland, There are approximately 5,000 McCulloughs with various name spellings in Northern Ireland today. The best-known people of the name were Ulstermen: James MacCullagh (1809-1847), born in Strabane, Ireland was an eminent mathematician and physicist; John Edward McCullough (1 837-1885), born at Coleraine, was a leading tragedian in America. The McCullough Coat of Arms as listed in Burke’s General Armory. A Coat of Arms was granted as a gift to the recipient by the King, which gave the bearer the right to bear arms. The McCullough motto is “Vi et animo”, which is translated from Latin meaning “By strength and courage”
The clan map shows the McCulloch clan in the northeast corner of Scotland in the Ross-shire district. The McCullochs of Scotland descended from two groups: the McCullochs of Myretoun descended the McCullouchs of Drummoral and Mull and the McCullochs of Piltoun descended the McCullochs of Cadboil. These descendants have lived in the house of Ardwall since 1587. Walter McCulloch of Ardwall is the 6th in direct line and is today residing in Ardwall. He appointment of Sheriff of Kirkcudbrightshire for many years. The McCulloughs were closely allied with the MacDonalds and the MacDougalls through land holdings and marriages throughout the period of the clans. McCulloughs are believed to have held the accompanied Alexander MacDonald, the tenth Earl of Ross, to Ross-shire in the fifteenth century and were granted the lands surrounding the town of Tain. The name McCullough is recognized as being a sept of the clans MacDonald, MacDougall, Ross, and Munro.
The author dressed in traditional Scottish Highland wear. The plaid is the Munro tartan. The McCullough’s are considered to be a sept (recognized surname) of Clan Munro. The tartan is a woolen or worsted cloth woven in various colors and widths crossing at right angles. Each Tartan is comprised of repeating patterns and is perfectly symmetrical. Each clan has one or more of its own unique Tartans.