I have also been asked about naming conventions in Scotland and in particular the use of a Family name used in conjunction with a first and family name i.e.. John CLELLAND Hocknull. The likelihood is that the Family name included comes from the maternal side of the family and in most cases at least one generation has gone by as with mine and with Morag's (Morag SCOTT Gregor).

The inclusion of the maternal family name in the name of a child usually ends up with the child having a hyphen in the name. With more women retaining their maiden names with their married surname these conventions are becoming less clear. Also bear in mind that in Scotland it was not until recent history i.e.. late the last century that Scots women adopted their husbands surname. They were still referred to as Morag Gregor wife of John Hocknull not Mrs Hocknull.

As for first name traditions
The eldest son named after the paternal grandfather
The 2nd son named after the maternal grandfather
The 3rd son named after the father
The eldest daughter named after the maternal grandmother
The 2nd daughter named after the paternal grandmother
The 3rd daughter named after the mother
Subsequent children were named after earlier relatives.
Many Clelands have contacted me and the name Stormont Castle is referred to with regard to their ancestors. Stormont Castle is the building in which the parliament of Northern Ireland sits. As many Clelands moved to what is now Northern Ireland in the 1500's and gained a Mac or a Second L their details are now held in the Northern Irish Records.

Any member of the Society that travels the Highland Gathering circuit in their home country is quite welcome to arrange for a similar banner to be made as long as the Cleland Coat of Arms is not used and that the Crest is exactly the same as that on the name badges. The protocol for such things is quite specific and as we have as yet to locate our Chief it is not correct form to display the Coat of Arms.
I would encourage all Clan members to visit all Scottish gatherings that they can and promote the Clan Society as this is probably where you will gain most of the information you are looking for with regard to your family trees.
The furtherance of Scottish culture should also be one of our aims but on a more personal basis. I find it very rewarding to attend these events and share my experiences of researching the clan as a whole with many others in a similar situation.

Don't be afraid to correct the misinformation that the various purveyors of Scottish memorabilia hand out about the Cleland history. It is not their fault that they have incorrect information and they very much appreciate being brought up-to-date (especially the ones with the computers and fancy certificates).
On a visit to Scotland my father obtained a photocopy of a map of Lanarkshire published in 1816 showing the locations of Monkland House, Faskine House, Auchinlea House, Knownoblehill House, Cleland House, Blairlin House.

For those that are interested a copy can be obtained from the Scottish Record Office, HM General Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY, SCOTLAND Attention: The Keeper. The map reference number is RHP3613 and it cost 7pounds 14pence mailed within the United Kingdom, therefore overseas postage would be a little more.

If anybody intends writing to the Scottish Record Office a contact persons name is Alan Borthwick of the West Search Room. Crossed cheques and or postal orders should be made payable to the Scottish Record Office.
The map is of particular interest in that it shows the surnames of the owners of these properties written in italics and at the time of printing Cleland House was owned by Dalrymple Esq ., however, between Wishaw Town and Steuart Town a MH Cleland owned some acreage .

These old maps make for very interesting scrutiny and no doubt my collection will get bigger as time goes by. I have had the one provided by my father laminated therefore it will stand up to a deal of punishment.

Also acquired is a map showing when registers were commenced in various commissariats. The most relevant to us is Hamilton 1645, Monkland 1695, Bothwell 1671, Dalziel 1648, Cambusnethan 1634, Carluke 1690, Stonehouse 1696, Glassford 1692, Lesmahagow 1692, Lanark 1647. Therefore should you be looking at researching beyond these dates you may find some difficulties.

The Genealogical Society of Utah has available on micro fiche the International Genealogical Index. These can be ordered at 25cents(Aust) per card with a delivery time of 2 to 3 months therefore if you have access to a viewer or reader/printer (most large public libraries have these) and you know the number of the fiche card required you will be able to have a hard copy to refer to. I find this quite a good way to work.

I have been reliably informed that the information that is available will soon be put on Compact Disk - Read Only Memory for a computer and therefore those that have this technology will be able to take copies of the data onto a floppy disk and transpose this information into their own computer. It looks as though I will be looking seriously at buying a CD attachment to my system.

I would encourage all members to contact their nearest co-members and have a get together and possibly make contact with their local newspapers to obtain some publicity of the event. I am quite happy for members to write letters to the editors of their newspapers letting their readers know that the Society is in existence, what our aims are and that they are welcome to contact the writer or make a direct enquiry to me.

Please do not be backward in coming forward on behalf of the Society as you have as much right as I do to speak on behalf of your family. When we find our Chief then we will have to be more diplomatic but until then 'GO FOR IT'

I know there are many members in Canada that have gatherings amongst their immediate family from time to time and perhaps I could let others know thereby possibly reuniting lost generations.

I know of a very large family gathering in New Zealand that took place in the last couple of months and I am sure that those members would have liked to extend an invitation to others in New Zealand to visit on a particular day.

Should any one of you wish to take on the task of coordinator of an area or country please let me know so that we can get the ball rolling and start getting together. Those of you that have some interesting news that you want to share please send it through and I'll include it in the next update.

My father acquired micro-film of the latest marriages and births/christenings for the county of Lanark as at March 1991. The dates on this micro-film range from the early 1600's through to 1850's therefore more information is becoming available on micro-film. I took this micro-film to the State Reference Library and had hard copies made for ease of reading and research.

( Our eldest son's wedding. The first all Cleland Tartan occasion, except for  mother in her McGregor )