John MacLeod of MacLeod, bornJohn Wolrige-Gordon (10 August 1935 – 12 February 2007) was the 29thChief ofClan MacLeod. Faced with the need for expensive repairs to theclan's seat atDunvegan Castle on theIsle of Skye, his proposed methods to raise funds caused considerable controversy. His twin brother,Patrick Wolrige-Gordon (1935–2002), wasMP for East Aberdeenshire.

John was born asJohn Wolrige-Gordon inEllon, Aberdeenshire, on 10 August 1935. He was the elder of the twin sons of Captain Robert Wolrige-Gordon,MC and his wife Joan Walter. His mother, Joan, was the daughter ofDameFlora MacLeod of MacLeod, the 28th Chief of Clan MacLeod and a descendant ofJohn Walter, founder ofThe Times.^[1] His younger twin brother,Patrick Wolrige-Gordon, would later become aToryMember of Parliament.^[1] The twins had an older brother, Robert Wolrige-Gordon, who would later succeed their father as the 21stLaird of Hallhead, 10thBaron of Esslemont.^[2]

John was educated atCheam School,Eton College,McGill University and theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He started a career in acting and singing afterNational Service in theBlack Watch Regiment.^[3]

In 1951, he was namedheir to his grandmother, changed his surname toMacLeod of MacLeod, and was recognised by theLord Lyon King of Arms asJohn MacLeod of MacLeod,Younger. He matriculatedarms atLyon Office in 1962.^[2] He later succeeded as Chief of Clan MacLeod in 1976.^[1] In 2000, faced with the high cost of repairs toDunvegan Castle, his clan's seat for more than 800 years, he put theBlack Cuillin range inSkye on the market for £10 million. He also planned to build an 80-bedroom hotel on his Skye estate with the proceeds of the sale.^[1] The planned sale caused outrage at the time and was never completed.^[4] He had also considered transferring the range to a charitable trust for public ownership.^[5]

John married Drusilla Mary Shaw, daughter of actorSebastian Shaw,on 25 July 1961. The marriage was dissolved by divorce, without issue, on 31 March 1971. He had anatural son,Stephan, born in 1971.^[6] On 19 March 1973, he married Melita Kolin, daughter of Duko Kolin, ofSofia. The couple had two children,Hugh Magnus and Elena Mary Nadezhda, born in 1973 and 1977 respectively. His second marriage was also dissolved by divorce on 28 August 1992.^[7] On 27 March 2004, he married Ulrika Magdalena Tham, daughter of Nils Johann Carl Henrik Tham.^[8]

During the 1980s, John became a keen playing member of thePoet's and Peasants' Cricket Club, a group of amateurs (largely musicians) that included founding memberBramwell Tovey. The club's poet wasAlan Gibson,The Times cricket correspondent and former Test Match Special commentator. Such was John's modesty that few of the members knew about his background until a piece appeared about him in one of the Sunday broadsheets. John was by all accounts a decent batsman and would usually open the batting for the Peasants with a statuesque West Indian named Tony Jenkins who drove trains on London's Central Line. The club was based inEssex and most of the fixtures were played in this county, some considerable distance from John's London home inChelsea.

On 12 February 2007, John died ofleukaemia, aged 71, inLondon, England.^[9] His funeral was held at Duirinish Free Church of Scotland, atDunvegan. He was buried at the ruined stone church atKilmuir.^[10] John was succeeded by his second son,Hugh Magnus MacLeod, as 30th Chief of Clan MacLeod.

Coat of arms of John MacLeod of MacLeod

Notes TheLatin motto,murus aheneus esto, translates into English as "be thou a wall of brass".[11] The 1st and 4th quarters represent the Macleod family; the 2nd and 3rd quarters represent the supposed royal Manx heritage of the clan. Adopted Lyon Office 2 June 1962.Crest: Lyon Office January 1943.[7] Crest A bull's head cabossedsable, hornedOr, between two flagsgules, staves of the first.[7] Escutcheon Quarterly; 1st and 4th,azure, a castles triple-towered and embattledargent, masoned sable, windows and porch gules; 2nd and 3rd, gules, three legs in armour proper, garnished and spurred Or, flexed and conjoined in triangle at the upper part of the thigh.[7] Supporters Two lions reguardant gules, armed and langued azure, each holding a dagger proper.[7] Motto Hold fast (above the crest); murus aheneus esto (on a compartment below the shield).[7]

• 1935 births
• 2007 deaths
• Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
• Black Watch officers
• Clan MacLeod Chiefs
• Deaths from leukemia in England
• McGill University alumni
• People educated at Eton College
• People from Ellon, Aberdeenshire
• People from the Isle of Skye
• 20th-century Scottish businesspeople

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