on shore, and flocked to the fore part of the boat, striving to
escape, thus capsizing and filling the birlinn. Discovering their
position, and seeing a long stretch of sea lying between them and
the mainland, they became quite confused, and were completely at
the mercy of their enemies, who sent some of their men ashore to
despatch any of the poor wretches who might swim ashore, while
others remained in their boat killing and drowning the Macdonalds.
Such of them as managed to reach the land were also killed or
drowned by those of the Kintail men who went ashore, not a soul out
of the sixty men on board the galley having escaped except Angus
Macdonald himself still breathing, though he had been wounded twice
in the head and once in the body. He was yet alive when they took
him aboard their galley, but he died before morning. Hearing the
uproar, several of the Lochalsh people went out with all speed in
two small boats, under command of Dugall Mac Mhurchaidh Matthewson,
to take part in the fray; but by the time they arrived at the
scene of action few of Macdonald's followers were alive. Thus
ended the career of Angus, younger of Glengarry, a chief to whom
his followers looked up, and whom they justly regarded as a bold
and intrepid leader, though deficient in prudence and strategy.
The remainder of Macdonald's fleet, to the number of twenty-one,
following behind his own galley, having heard the uproar, returned
to Kyleakin in such terror and confusion that each thought his
nearest neighbour was pursuing him. Landing in Strathardale,
they left their boats "and their ill-cooked beef to these hungry
gentlemen," and before they slept they arrived in Sleat, from
whence they were sent across to the mainland in the small boats
of the laird.
The great concern and anxiety of her ladyship of Ellandonnan can
be easily conceived, for all that she had yet learnt was the simple
fact that an engagement of some kind had taken place, and this she
only knew from having heard the sound of cannon during the night.
Early in the morning she noticed her protectors returning with
their birlinn, accompanied by another great galley. This brightened
her hopes, and going down to the shore to meet them, she heartily
saluted them, and asked if all had gone well with them. "Yea,
Madam," answered their leader, Duncan MacGillechriost, "we have
brought you a new guest, without the loss of a single man, whom
we hope is welcome to your ladyship." She looked into the galley,
and at once recognising the body of Angus of Glengarry, she ordered
it to be carried ashore and properly attended to. The men proposed
that he should be buried in the tomb of his predecessors, "Cnoc nan
Aingeal," in Lochalsh; but this she objected to, observing that,
if he could, her husband would never allow a Macdonald, dead or
alive, any further possession in that locality, at the same time
ordering young Glengarry to be buried with her own children,
and such other children of the predecessors of the Mackenzies of
Kintail as were buried in Kilduich, saying that she considered it
no disparagement for him to be buried with such cousins; and if
it were her own fate to die in Kintail, she would desire to be
interred amongst them. The proposal was agreed to, and everything
having been got ready suitable for the funeral of a gentleman of
his rank-such as the place could afford in the circumstances-he
was buried next day in Kilduich, in the same tomb as Mackenzie's
own children. This is not the most generally received account
regarding Angus Macdonald's burial; but we are glad, for the credit
of our common humanity, to find the following conclusive testimony
in an imperfect but excellently written MS. of the seventeenth
century, otherwise remarkably correct and trustworthy: "Some person,
out of what reason I cannot tell, will needs affirm he was buried in
the church door, as men go out and in, which to my certain knowledge
is a malicious lie, for with my very eyes I have seen his head raised
out of the same grave and returned again, wherein there was two
small cuts, noways deep." [Ancient MS.]
The author of the Ardintoul MS. informs us that MacLean had actually
invaded Ardnamurchan, and carried fire and sword into that and the
adjoining territory of the Macdonalds, whereupon the Earl of Argyll,
who claimed the Macdonalds of those districts as his vassals and
dependants, obtained criminal letters against MacLean, who, finding
this, sent for his brother-in-law, Mackenzie of Kintail, at whose
request he had invaded the country of the Macdonalds. Both started
for Inveraray. The Earl seemed most determined to punish MacLean,
but Mackenzie informed him that "he should rather be blamed for
it than MacLean, and the King and Council than either of them,
for he having obtained, upon good grounds, a commission of fire
and sword against Glengarry and such as would assist him, and
against these men's rebellious and wicked courses, which frequently
his lordship seemed to own, that he did charge, as he did several
others of the king's loyal subjects, MacLean to assist him." So
that, if Maclean was to be punished for acting as his friend and
as a loyal subject, he hoped to obtain a hearing before the King
and Council under whose orders he acted. After considerable
discussion they parted good friends, Argyll having agreed not
to molest MacLean any further. Mackenzie and MacLean returned
to Duart, where his lordship was warmly received and sumptuously
entertained by MacLean's immediate friends and kinsmen for the
service which he had just rendered to their chief. While thus
engaged, a messenger arrived at the castle from Mackenzie's lady
and the Kintail men.
After the funeral of young Angus of Glengarry, she became concerned
about her husband's safe return, and was at the same time most
anxious that he should be advised of the state of matters at home.
She therefore despatched Robert Mac Dhomh'uill Uidhir to arrange the
safest plan for bringing her lord safely home, as the Macdonalds
were still prowling among the creeks and bays further south.
Robert, after the interchange of unimportant preliminaries, on his
arrival in Mull, informed his master of all that had taken place
during his absence. MacLean, surprised to hear of such gallant
conduct by the Kintail men in the absence of their chief, asked
Mackenzie if any of his own kinsmen were amongst them, and being
informed they were not, Maclean replied, "It was a great and
audacious deed to be done by fellows." "Truly, MacLean," returned
Mackenzie, "they were not fellows that were there, but prime
gentlemen, and such fellows as would act the enterprise better
than myself and kinsmen." "You have very great reason to make
the more of them," said Maclean; "he is a happy superior who has
such a following." Both chiefs then went outside to consult as
to the best and safest means for Mackenzie's homeward journey.
MacLean offered him all his chief and best men to accompany him
by land, but this he declined, saying that he would not put his
friend to such inconvenience, and would return home in his own boat
just as he came; but he was ultimately persuaded to take MacLean's
great galley, his own being only a small one. He sailed in
his friend's great birlinn, under the command of the Captain of
Cairnburgh, accompanied by several other gentlemen of the MacLeans.
In the meantime, the Macdonalds, aware that Mackenzie had not yet
returned from Mull, "convened all the boats and galleys they could,
to a certain island which lay in his course, and which he could
not avoid passing. So, coming within sight of the island, having
a good prospect of a number of boats, after they bad ebbed in
a certain harbour, and men also making ready to set out to sea.
This occasioned the captain to use a stratagem, and steer directly
to the harbour, and still as they came forward he caused lower the
sail, which the other party perceiving made them forbear putting
out their boats, persuading themselves that it was a galley they
expected from Ardnamurchan, but they had no sooner come forgainst
the harbour but the captain caused hoist sail, set oars and steers
aside, immediately bangs up a bagpiper and gives them shots. The
rest, finding the cheat and their own mistake, made such a
hurly-burly setting out their boats, with their haste they broke
some of them, and some of themselves were bruised and bad broken
shins also for their prey, and such as went out whole, perceiving
the galley so far off; thought it was folly to pursue her any
further, they all returned wiser than they came from home. This is,
notwithstanding other men's reports, the true and real narration of
Glengarrie Younger his progress, of the Kintail men their meeting
him in Kyle Rhea, of my lord's coming from Mull, and of the whole
success, which I have heard verbatim not only from one but from
several that were present at their actings." [Ancient MS. The
authors of the Letterfearn and Ardintoul MSS. give substantially
the same account, and say that among those who accompanied Mackenzie
to Mull, was "Rory Beg Mackenzie, son to Rory More of Achiglunichan.
Fairburn and Achilty's predecessor, and who afterwards died parson
of Contine, from whom my author had the full account of Mackenzie's
voyage to Mull."]
Mackenzie arrived at Ellandonnan late at night, where he found his
lady still entertaining her brave Kintail men after their return
from Glengarry's funeral. While not a little concerned about the
death of his troublesome relative, he heartily congratulated his
gallant retainers on the manner in which they had protected his
interests during his absence. Certain that the Macdonalds would
never rest satisfied until they wiped out and revenged the death of
their leader, Mackenzie determined to drive them out of the district
altogether. The castle of Strome still in possession of Glengarry,
was the greatest obstacle in carrying out this resolution, for it
was a good and convenient asylum for the Macdonalds when pursued by
Mackenzie and his followers; but he ultimately succeeded in wresting
it from them.
The following account is given in the Ancient MS. of how it was
taken from them: "In the spring of the following year, Lord Kintail
gathered together considerable forces and besieged the castle of
Strone in Lochcarron, which at first held out very manfully, and
would not surrender, though several terms were offered, which he
(Mackenzie) finding not willing to lose his men, resolved to raise
the siege for a time; but the defenders were so unfortunate as to
have their powder damaged by the women they had within. Having
sent them out by silence of night to draw in water, out of a well
that lay just at the entrance of the castle, the silly women were
in such fear, and the room they brought the water into being so
dark for want of light, when they came in they poured the water
into a vat, missing the right one, wherein the few barrels of
powder they had lay. And in the morning, when the men came for
more powder, having exhausted the supply of the previous day, they
found the barrels of powder floating in the vat; so they began
to rail and abuse the poor women, which the fore-mentioned Duncan
Mac Ian Mhic Gilliechallum, still a prisoner in the castle, hearing,
as he was at liberty through the house, having promised and made
solemn oath that he would never come out of the door until he was
ransomed or otherwise relieved." This he was obliged to do to
save his life. But having discovered the accident which befel the
powder, he accompanied his keepers to the ramparts of the castle,
when he noticed his country men packing up their baggage as if
intending to raise the siege. Duncan instantly threw his plaid
over the head of the man that stood next to him, and jumped over
the wall on to a large dung heap that stood immediately below.
He was a little stunned, but instantly recovering himself, flew
with the fleetness of a deer to Mackenzie's camp, and informed
his chief of the state of matters within the stronghold. Kintail
renewed the siege and brought his scaling ladders nearer the
castle. The defenders seeing this, and knowing that their mishap
and consequent plight had been disclosed by Duncan to the enemy,
they offered to yield up the castle on condition that their lives
would be spared, and that they he allowed to carry away their
baggage. This was readily granted them, and "my lord caused
presently blow up the house with powder, which remains there in
heaps to this day. He lost only but two Kenlochewe men at the
siege. Andrew Munro of Teannouher (Novar) was wounded, with two
or three others, and so dissolved the camp." [Ardintoul MS.]
Another writer says - "The rooms are to be seen yet. It stood
on a high rock, which extended in the midst of a little bay of
the sea westward, which made a harbour or safe port for great
boats or vessels of no great burden, on either side of the castle.
It was a very convenient place for Alexander Mac Gillespick to
dwell in when he had both the countries of Lochalsh and
Lochcarron, standing on the very march between both."
A considerable portion of the walls is still (1893) standing, but
no trace of the apartments. The sea must have receded many feet
since it was in its glory; for now it barely touches the base of
the rock on which the ruin stands. We have repeatedly examined
it, and with mixed feelings ruminated upon its past history, and
what its ruined walls, could they only speak, might bear witness
to.
In the following year (1603) the chief of Glengarry Donald
Gruamach having died, and the heir being still under age, the
Macdonalds, under Donald's cousin, Allan Dubh MacRanuil of Lundy,
made an incursion into the country of Mackenzie in Brae Ross,
plundered the lands of Cillechriost, and ferociously set fire
to the church during divine service, when full of men, women,
and children, while Glengarry's piper marched round the building
cruelly mocking the heartrending wails of the burning women and
children, playing the well-known pibroch, which has been known
ever since by the name of "Cillechriost," as the family tune of the
Macdonalds of Glengarry. "Some of the Macdonalds chiefly concerned
in this inhuman outrage were afterwards killed by the Mackenzies;
but it is somewhat startling to reflect that this terrible instance
of private vengeance should have occurred in the commencement
of the seventeenth century, without, so far as we can trace, any
public notice being taken of such an enormity. In the end the
disputes between the chiefs of Glengarry and Kintail were amicably
settled by an arrangement which gave the Ross-shire lands, so long
the subject of dispute, entirely to Mackenzie; and the hard terms
to which Glengarry was obliged to submit in the private quarrel seem
to have formed the only punishment inflicted on this clan for the
cold-blooded atrocity displayed in the memorable raid on Kilchrist."
[Gregory, pp. 302-3.]
Eventually Mackenzie succeeded in obtaining a crown charter to
the disputed districts of Lochalsh, Lochcarron, and others, dated
1607; and the Macdonalds having now lost the three ablest of their
leaders, Donald's successor, his second son, Alexander, considered
it prudent to seek peace with Mackenzie. This was, after some
negotiation, agreed to, and a day appointed for a final settlement.
In the meantime, Kintail sent for twenty-four of his ablest men in
Kintail and Lochalsh, and took them, along with the best of his
own kinsmen, to Baile Chaisteil (now Grantown), where his uncle
Grant of Grant resided, with the view to purchase from him a
heavy and long-standing claim which he held against Glengarry for
depredations committed on Grant's neighbouring territories in
Glenmoriston and Glen-Urquhart. Grant was unwilling to sell, but
ultimately, on the persuasion of mutual friends, he offered to
take thirty thousand merks for his claim. Mackenzie's kinsmen and
friends from the West were meanwhile lodged in a great kiln in the
neighbourhood, amusing themselves with some of Grant's men who went
to the kiln to keep them company. Kintail sent a messenger to the
kiln to consult his people as to whether he would give such a large
amount for Grants "comprising" against Glengarry. The messenger was
patiently listened to until he had finished, when he was told to go
back and tell Grant and Mackenzie, that had they not entertained
great hopes that their chief would "give that paper as a gift to his
nephew after all his trouble," he would not have been allowed to
cross the Ferry of Ardersier; for they would like to know where he
could find such a large sum, unless he intended to harry them and
his other friends, who had already suffered quite enough in the wars
with Glengarry; and, so saying, they took to their arms, and desired
the messenger to tell Mackenzie that they wished him to leave the
paper where it was. And if he desired to have it, they would sooner
venture their own persons and those of the friends they had left at
home to secure it by force, than give a sum which would probably be
more difficult to procure than to dispossess Glengarry altogether by
their doughty arms. They then left the kiln, and sent one of their
own number for their chief, who, on arriving, was strongly abused
for entertaining such an extravagant proposal and requested to leave
the place at once. This he consented to do, and went to inform
Grant that his friends would not hear of his giving such a large
sum, and that he preferred to dispense with the claim against
Glengarry altogether rather than lose the goodwill and friendship of
his retainers, who had so often endangered their lives and fortunes
in his quarrels. Meanwhile, one of the Grants who had been in the
kiln communicated to his master the nature of the conversation
which had there passed when the price asked by Grant was mentioned
to the followers of Mackenzie. This made such an impression upon
Grant and his advisers, that he prevailed upon Mackenzie, who was
about starting for home, to remain in the castle for another night.
To this Kintail consented, and before morning he obtained the
"paper" for ten thousand merks - a third of the sum originally
asked for it. "Such familiar relationship of the chief with his
people," our authority says, "may now-a-days be thought fabulous;
but whoever considers the unity, correspondence, and amity that was
so well kept and entertained betwixt superiors and their followers
and vassals in former ages, besides as it is now-a-days, he need not
think it so; and I may truly say that there was no clan in the
Highlands of Scotland that would compete with the Mackenzies, their
vassals and followers, as to that; and it is sure their superiors
in former times would not grant their daughters in marriage without
their consent. Nor durst the meanest of them, on the other hand,
give theirs to any stranger without the superior's consent; and I
heard in Earl Colin's time of a Kintail man that gave his daughter
in marriage to a gentleman in a neighbouring country without the
Earl's consent, who never after had kindness for the giver, and,
I may say, is yet the blackest marriage for that country, and others
also, that ever was among their commons. But it may be objected
that now-a-days their commons advice or consent in any matter of
consequence is not so requisite, whereas there are many substantial
friends to advise with; but its an old Scots phrase, 'A king's
advice may fall from a fool's head.' I confess that is true where
friends are real friends, but we ordinarily find, and partly know
by experience, that, where friends or kinsmen become great and
rich in interest, they readily become emulous, and will ordinarily
advise for themselves if in the least it may hinder them from
becoming a chief or head of a family, and forget their former
headship, which was one of the greatest faults, as also the ruin
of Munro of Miltown, whereas a common man will never eye to become
a chief so long as he is in that state, and therefore will advise
his chief or superior the more freely." What a change in the
relationship between the chiefs and clansmen of to-day!
Sir William Fraser, who quotes the foregoing narrative from the
former edition of this work, says that John Grant, fifth of
Freuchie, in whose time this incident is said to have occurred,
was not "uncle" but cousin to Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail. But
he adds that the "story is so far corroborated by the fact that
about the time the incident is said to have happened, the young
Chief of Kintail granted a receipt to the laird of Freuchie for
the charter of comprising, granted on 4th May, 1548, to James Grant
of Freuchie, which, with relative papers, was now handed over to
Mackenzie, in terms of a disposition by the Laird to him of lands
in Kessoryne, Lochalsh, Lochcarron, etc." The original discharge,
dated 1st May, 1606, Sir William says, is at Castle Grant. ["Chiefs
of Grant," vol. i. p. 178.] A bond of manrent is entered into
between Grant and Mackenzie on the same date, at Inverness.
The day appointed for the meeting of Mackenzie and Glengarry to
arrange terms soon arrived. The former had meanwhile brought up
several decrees and claims against the latter at the instance of
neighbouring proprietors, for "cost, skaith and damage," which
altogether amounted to a greater sum than the whole of Macdonald's
lands were worth. The two, however, settled their disputes by an
arrangement which secured absolutely to Mackenzie all Glengarry's
lands in the county of Ross, and the superiority of all his
other possessions, but Glengarry was to hold the latter, paying
Mackenzie a small feu as superior. In consideration of these
humiliating concessions by Macdonald, Mackenzie agreed to pay
twenty thousand merks Scots, and thus ended for ever the ancient
quarrels which had existed for centuries between the powerful families
of Glengarry and Kintail. "Thus ended the most of Glengarrie's
troubles tho' there was severall other bloody skirmishes betwixt
ym-such as the taking of the Stank house in Knoidart, where there
was severalls burnt and killed by that stratagem; as also young
Glengarrie's burning and harrying of Croe in Kintail, where there
was but few men killed, yet severall women and children were both
burned and killed. I cannot forget ane pretty fellow that was
killed there, who went himself and three or four women to ane
outsett in the Croe, where there was a barn (as being more remote),
where they sleept yt night. But in the morning the breaking of
the dore was their wakening, whereupon the man, (called Patrick
McConochy Chyle) started and finding them about the barn, bad them
leave of and he would open it. So, getting his bow and arrow, he
opens the door, killed 4 of them there, (before) they took nottice
of him, which made them all hold off. In end they fires the barn
and surrounds it, which he finding still, started out, and as he
did he still killed one of them, till he had killed 11. The barn
in end almost consumed and his arrows spent, he took him to his
heels, but was killed by them, and two of the women, the third
having stayed in the reek of the barn, and a rough hide about her."
[Ancient MS.]
On the 18th of July, 1610, Lord Kenneth made over to Sir Roderick
Mor Macleod, XIII. of Dunvegan, the five unciate lands of Waternish,
which his lordship had previously purchased from Sir George Hay
and others, who obtained possession of them on the forfeiture of
the Macleods of Lewis, to whom Waternish formerly belonged. As
part payment, Sir Roderick Mor Macleod disponed to Mackenzie two
unciates of lands in Troternish, Isle of Skye, which belonged to
him, along with the Bailliary of the old extent of eight merks
which had been united to the Barony of Lewis, and in which William
Macleod, XII. of Dunvegan, had been served heir to his father in
1585. On the 24th of the same month the Lords of the Privy Council
ordain that Lord Kintail should pay Norman Macleod's expenses in
prison in all time coming.