Welcome

This website was put together to collate part of the work Linda Livingstone and Alan Livingstone did after many years of saying it was something they should do. Finally push came to shove and what we see here is what happens when there is enough shoving. The plan is to have a general tree and a family link that details a lot more than a tree could give. This will have stories and whereabouts of the people involved and just add a bit more depth to each person. Hopefully we can find links to some other trees and increase it even more.

News

Family link now active - Starting from Alan Livingstone (1970)
This site is very new. Please come back when we have updated all the information.

The Highland Livingstones

The Highland Livingstones from the Isle of Lismore and the districts of Lorn and Appin in Argyll did not descend from the Livingsones of West Lothian. Those Livingstones are of territorial origin from the lands of that name in West Lothian deriving from a Saxon named Leving, who settled in Scotland during the reign of Edgar (1097-1107). His grandson is designated in a charter of William the Lion "of Livingstone" .

The Highland Livingstones Gaelic name was MacLeay from "Mac an Leigh" (son of the physician) or MacDhunnshleibhe (son of Dunsleve). In 1641 James Livingston of Skirling, Baron of Biel was the Keeper of the Privy Purse to King Charles I and was granted the lease of the lands and the rights of the bishopric of Argyll and the Isles and in this capacity he resided for a while at Achandu castle at Lismore. It was probably at this time that the MacLeays adopted the name Livingstone.

The Argyll Livingstons became the hereditary Keepers of the crozier or baculum of the Bishops of Lismore (from St. Moluag who died in 592) and as such received grants of the land in Lismore and the title of Barons of Bachyll. Another branch of the MacLeays or Livingstones became followers of the Stewarts of Appin descending from one of the Beatons, the physicians to the Lord of the Isles. They were out with the Appin Stewarts in the '45 and at the Battle of Culloden Donald Livingstone saved the "White Banner of the Stewarts" and carried it safely to Appin. It is supposed Ardshiel, before he escaped to France left it for safe keeping with Alexander Stewart of Ballachulish in whose family it has since remained.