_Ollaghair Olaf_or_Olaus Odhar GODREDSON _
_Leod OLAFSON _______________|_Christina ROSS __________________________
_Tormod [Norman] MACLEOD ______|
| | _Armuin MACRAILD _________________________
| |_Heiress_of Armuin MACRAILD _|__________________________________________
_Malcolm Gillecaluim MACLEOD _|
| | __________________________________________
| | _____________________________|__________________________________________
| |_Fingula [or_Flora] MACCROTAN _|
| | __________________________________________
| |_____________________________|__________________________________________
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|--Murdo MACLEOD
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!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE CHIEFS OF CLAN MACLEOD, East Kilbride, Scotland, 1986. Murdo,Š became the ancestor of the MacLeods of Gesto. [BANNATYNE MANUSCRIPT].
!SOURCE: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon, and Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section III, Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod Society, 1970, pp. 262-269. According to the BANNATYNE MANUSCRIPT, this family is descended from Murdo, the third son of Malcolm, the 3rd Chief of the MacLeods of Harris. "He received as his patrimony the MacLeod half of Glenelg, which his family held for generations. The race became known as the MacLeods of Gesto, and the "head of the family was always known as Mac vic Tormod". We are fortunate to possess the Gesto pedigree compiled by Captain Neil MacLeod (c. 1754-1836), the last of the family to hold the ancestral tack, and he had apparently received it from the family bard. A cursory glance at the document leaves no doubt that it is far from complete. At least 4 members of Captain Neil MacLeod's ancestors are omitted. Murdo, the progenitor of the Clann mac mhic Tharmaid must have been born about 1332. Captain Neil MacLeod of Gesto was born about 1754. Between these dates there is a span of some 422 years, and if we represent a generation on the average as 32 years, there should be 14 and not 11 "mac mhic Tharmaids' in the pedigree list. The BANNATYNE MANUSCRIPT gives a good clue that the first blunder in the genealogy occurred at the very beginning. The MANUSCRIPT states quite clearly that Tarmad Caol, a notable warrior in his day, was the son of Murdo MacLeod the progenitor of the family. Ye he is strangely omitted from the Gesto pedigree, where he has obviously been confused with Tormod, the 2nd Chief of the Clan MacLeod. It will be noted that Tormod in the Gesto pedigree had a son Malcolm, who is also presumed to be the Chief of the Clan. We know that Malcolm the 3rd Chief was married (1) to a daughter of Sir Neil Campbell of Loch Awe and (2) to Martha, daughter of Donald, Earl of Mar. Yet Malcolm, who appears in the Gesto pedigree married a daughter of Gillies, a great Skye chief. This proves that he was not Malcolm, the Clan Chief, but a member of the Clann mhic Tharmaid or Gesto family. Malcolm, in turn had a son, Murdo, whom the Gesto pedigrees assumes to be the progenitor of the race. Our previous deductions make this impossible for he was a son of Malcolm 3rd of the Clann mac mhic Tharmaid. Instead of being Murdo 1st, he would be Murdo 4th. His pedigree should read as follows: Murdo son of Malcolm son of Norman son of Murdo son of Malcolm 3rd Chief son of Norman 2nd Chief. Here the first group of three names is identical with the second group of three names, which probably led to the confusion of the early members of the Clann mhic Tharmaid with the chiefs of the Clan MacLeod as shown in the Gesto Pedigree of Captain Neil MacLeod. The discovery of these early missing members of the Clann mac mhic Tharmaid will go far to enable us to compile a full pedigree of this ancient race. 1. Murdo MacLeod (c. 1332 - c. ) Murdo was the third son of Malcolm 3rd Chief of the Clan MacLeod of Harris, probably by the daughter of Sir Neil Campbell of Loch Awe. He was granted the MacLeod half of Glenelg, which his father had secured by Royal Charter in 1342, although the area had been possessed by the MacLeods for generations. Murdo was married and had issue, Tarmad Caol (Norman, the slender), who succeeded him.