Iain Macleod
Iain Macleod was born at Clifford House, Skipton, Yorkshire, on 11 November 1913. His father, Dr. Norman Alexander Macleod, was a well-respected general practitioner in Skipton, with a substantial poor-law practice (providing medical services for those who could not afford to pay); the young Macleod would often accompany his father on his rounds. His parents were from the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles of Scotland, belonging to the branch of the Macleods of Pabbay and Uig. They moved to Skipton in 1907. Macleod grew up with strong personal and cultural ties to Scotland, as his parents bought in 1917 part of the Leverhulme estate on the Isle of Lewis, where they often used to stay for family holidays.
Norman Macleod (1812–1872)
His father, at that time minister of Campbeltown, was himself an exceptional man. His entire life was closely bound to the Highlanders of Scotland, catering to their spiritual and intellectual needs. He was the author of an extensive literature described by Professor Blackie as the "great work of classical Gaelic prose...written in a dialogue form, enriched by the dramatic grace of Plato and the shrewd humour of Lucian", and played a major role in the creation of an educational infrastructure for the Highlands and Islands. He was an untiring supporter of the interests of the Highlanders, and his name was respected throughout the North and West of Scotland.