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The ancient past
Clan MacLeod of Lewis
Includes “MacAulay” (MacCorley; Coll) as a sept of theirs.
MacAULAY
(See also Aulay, Caulay, MacAlley, MacAllay, MacCaulay, MacCauley, MacAuley, Calley, Coll & MacCorley)
A sept of MacLeod of Lewis according to “Scots Kith & Kin.” Black’s “The Surnames of Scotland” says Auley is of twofold origin. The Hebridian form is from Olafr/Aleifr. In early Irish, the name appears with various spellings & results in MacAulay in the Hebrides. (pg 37)
Black also states MacAulay is from MacAmhalghaidh, an old irish personal name pronounced almost as MacAulay. From MacAmhlibh/MacAmhlaidh (son of Amlaib, the old Gaelic form of Olafr) comes the Hebridean name of MacAulay. (pg 445).
Black also says that MacCorley was most probably a corruption of MacAulay. (pg 476)
According to James Ayars, Genealogy coordinator of the Associated Clan MacLeod Society on 7/3/2000, “MacAuley is both a sept of Clan MacLeod & Clan Donald, and a clan in its own right. There are two origins for the surname: the first is Ireland, with MacAuley being one form of an ancient surname found there. The other is of Norse origin in the Western Hebrides. Auley is one of several Gaelic/English forms for the Norse name, Olaf.
The descendants of a Norseman who settled in the Hebrides are called MacAuley & constitute the Clan MacAuley. However, this Norseman was under the protection of another, more powerful ruler — in the case of the sept, the Norseman, (Leotr or Leod of MacLeod or Somerled, the founder of Clan Donald).
As such, the MacAuleys, although a clan, constitute a clan under the protection of another clan, and are thus a sept of that protective clan....” ”There is another branch of MacAuleys under the protection of the Earl of Lennox.”
See also Clan MacAuley.