The Barony of Dowart (also called Doward or Duart) was erected by a royal charter on 8 October 1496 for Lauchlane McGilleon (Lachlan McLean), the 10th chief of Clan McLean. The barony was created to encompass the lands previously held from the McDonald Lords of the Isles after the abolition of the Lordship.
The lands included much of Mull with additional holdings in Ardnamurchan, Lochaber, Jura, Islay, Tiree and Ulva. The Barony of Dowart was lost by debt to the Earl of Argyll,
the head of Clan Campbell, who, by 1678, controlled the lands in Mull and Duart Castle, the caput of the barony. The barony was passed down by inheritance through the successive Earls, Marquises and Dukes of Argyll. The dignity of the Barony of Dowart (otherwise Duart) was assigned by the Thirteenth Duke of Argyll, The Most Noble Torquhil Ian Campbell, in favor of the present holder on 11 August 2017. The ancestral home of the current Baron of Dowart is in the Rhinns of Islay, historically claimed by the McLean Barons of Dowart.
