Dunbartonshire, Scotland
There are multiple spellings of the Calhoon/Calhoun name. All come from the same Scottish family. In fact, all Calhoons/Calhouns descended from one man. The variant spellings seem to have originated from the Americanizing of the original Scottish spelling of Colquhoun.
The Clan Colquhoun dates back to the mid 1200s. Around 1240 Malcolm, the earl of Lennox, granted Umfridus of Kilpatrick, or Humphrey, a great deal of land in Dunbartonshire in the western part of Scotland. This land was called Colquhoun. There a many theories as to the origin of the name. The most plausible indicting that it was derived from a word for "corner" reflecting the shape of the parcel of land.
Later, Umfridus' descendants took Colquhoun as a surname. This land is still associated with the Colquhoun family name and the central part of the land was recently sold to a golf club that uses the clan house as the club house.
The land itself has played a major role in history. Much of the story of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce was set in and around Dunbartonshire. The site of Robert the Bruce's hunting lodge is just 2-3 miles south of the current Colquhoun estate. The Loch Lomond Youth Hostel now sits on this site.
Around 1368, the Colquhoun's acquired the village of Luss when, the then clan chief, Sir Robert Colquhoun married the maid of Luss. This village still exists about 3 miles north of the Colquhoun estate on the western bank of Loch Lomond in the shadow of a mountain called Ben Lomond. Luss is a fairly popular tourist attraction.
The Village of Luss
There is a small parish church in the village. There are many Colquhouns buried in the churchyard pictured below.
Luss Churchyard
Facing east north-east from Luss and the churchyard, one looks across Loch Lomond to Ben Lomond.
Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond from Luss
Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond from the Luss Churchyard
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