Legend has it that Clan Lamont is descended the royal house of Dalriada and from the Ó Neill princes of Tyrone in Ireland in the 11th century. But the first firm evidence for the name is in the early 13th century when Laumanus, son of Malcolm, granted land at Kilmun and Kilfinan in Argyll to the monks from Paisley Abbey. The name is of great antiquity in southern Argyll where the chiefs were known as "Mac Laomain Mor Chomhail Uile" or "The Great MacLamont of all Cowal." Surnames regarded as septs (sub-branch) of the Lamont clan include Black, Blake, Brown, Burdon, Clement, Lamb, Lambie, Lammond, Lamondson, Landers, Lemond, Limond, Limont, Lucas, Luke, MacClymont, MacGilledon, MacLamond, MacLucas, MacLymont, MacPatrick, Meikleham, Munn, Patrick, Toward, Turner, White, Whyte.
Chronicle to the reign of Lagman What became of Lagman the Saga does not tell, but finding him afterwards as King of the Isles, and remembering the statement in the Saga of King Hacon, that King Magnus conquered the Isles from Gødred, we must needs guess that he was made free on condition that his father not only ceded Dublin to Muircertach, but even, together with Lagman, did homage to the Norwegian king, and acknowledged him as their liege lord. The period of seven years must begin during the lifetime of Gødred, and Lagman have been his co-regent or under-king. It is said here that Gødred had appointed Lagman his lieutenant in, and defender of the Northern islands and that King Magnus, striving to get hold of him, followed him from island to island, until he caught him near the Isle of Skye, being on the point of crossing over to Ireland, and kept him in chains for a while. As Gødred, according to the Irish annals, was so much occupied with his affairs in Ireland, and no doubt even regarded Dublin as his principal seat, it was quite natural that he should entrust his other kingdom, or at least the northern part thereof, to his eldest son and heir-presumptive. It is likewise not to be doubted that Lagman intended going to Ireland, because his father was there.
It is said in the annals of Ulster that Gødred died in the yeare after his expulsion, from the plague; or, according to another translation, of a broken heart;10 if the latter be the right one, his grief may have been caused partly by his reverses in Ireland, partly by the feuds between his sons. For, from what is explained above, it would appear that the rebellion of Harold against his brother Lagman, had begun during the lifetime of Gødred; the seven years of Lagman's reign being no doubt to be reckoned from 1089 or perhaps even 1085, the very yeare when the war broke out between Muircertach and Donald. Lagman's death on his voyage to Jerusalem being known at home in 1096 or 1097 (the yeare 1075 or 1095 given in the Chronicle cannot possibly be admitted, being the death-year of Gødred), he must have left his country early in 1096, and cannot have gone very far when death overtook him. It was no doubt his intention to join the Crusaders, now flocking together on their first expedition under Peter of Amiens. The catastrophe of his brother Harold probably occurred in the latter part of 1095, immediately after the death of Gødred.
Godred, (A. D. body,) was succeeded by his eldest son, LAGMAN; who having murdered his brother Harold, on suspicion of promoting a rebellion among the soldiery, resigned his crown for the cross: and, according to the devotional absurdity of those ages, undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, as an expiation for his fraternal barbarity. He died at Jerusalem; (A. D. Dog,) and his youngest brother OLAVE, the third son of Gødred the Conqueror, being then very young, the Nobility of the Isles sent to Murcard O'Brian, King of Ireland; soliciting him to appoint some person of royal descent, as regent of the kingdom during Olave's minority. In compliance with their request, the King sent Donald Tade, who, for his oppression and barbarity, was soon expelled the Island by an indignant people. Olave, their natural Prince, was then a youth in the court of Henry the First: and the Chiefs of the Isles being anxious to seate on the throne a man of mature abilities, elected Mac Manis(1), whose merit amply sanctioned their choice. From the pride and jealousy of Earl Outher, a conspiracy was however, (A. D. ..,) formed against him; and in the combat which it occasioned, both the Prince and conspirator, with many of their partizans, were slain. By this civil contest the kingdom being considerably weakened, it became an easy prey to Magnus, King of Norway; who, influenced by an absurd superstition, resigned his own crown, and spread havock and rapine through the neighbouring countries. He reigned for six years in this Island; but in attempting the reduction of Ireland, he was surrounded by the natives, and with the greater part of his followers, after fighting with astonishing valour, was at length slain.
Now the word "Lagman" (logmašr lagmašr As. lahmon) literally signifies "a man of the law," and afterwards in Norway, as in Sweden, was the title of the chief judges. Here, however, it is used as the peculiar title of some of the chieftains; and perhaps we mnay conclude from this that these chieftains were invested with a special judiciary power. It is worth while here to remark that afterwards, in the very family of the Insular kings, and most probably of this "Mac Harold" himself, the nanme Lagman (Logmašr) was used as a noun proper, being the name of one kimmg at least, as we shall see further on. This may, perhaps, be explained thus, that the natives of the Isles, hearing the title of "lawnman" bestowed upon a chieftain, fancied it to be his real name, and adopted it as such themselves, whence again it found its way as such back to the Norwegian conquerors, who intermarried with the native families, and, as usual in Norway, often happened to give to one of their sons the name of his maternal grandfather.