the old castle of Dingwall stood, or on the hill to the west of
Dingwall, either of which would have been very suitable situations;
but the Tutor who had in view to erect a castle where he afterwards
erected Castle Leod, induced the Lord High Chancellor, Seaforth's
father-in-law, to prevail upon him to build his castle upon his
own ancient inheritance, which he subsequently did, and which was
then one of the most stately houses in Scotland. He also added
greatly to the Castle of Chanonry, and "as be was diligent in
secular affairs, so be and his lady were very pious and religious."
They went yearly to take the Sacraments from the Rev. Thomas
Campbell, minister of Carmichael, a good and religious man, and
staid eight days with him; nor did their religion consist in form
and outward show. They proved its reality by their good works.
He had usually more than one chaplain in his house. He provided
the kirks of the Lewis without being obliged to do so, as also
the five kirks of Kintail, Lochalsh, Lochcarron, Lochbroom, and
Gairloch, all of which he was patron, with valuable books from
London, the works of the latest and best authors, "whereof many are
yet extant" He also laid the foundation for a church in Strathconan
and Strathbran, of which the walls are "yet to be seen in Main
in Strathconan, the walls being built above the height of a man
above the foundation, and he had a mind to endow it had he lived
longer." He mortified 4000 merks for the Grammar School of
Chanonry, and had several works of piety in his view to perform
if his death had not prevented it. The last time he went to Court
some malicious person, envying his greatness and favour, laboured
to give the King a bad impression of him, as if he were not thoroughly
loyal; but the King himself was the first who told him what was
said about him, which did not a little surprise and trouble the
Earl, but it made no impression on the King, who was conscious
and sufficiently convinced of his loyalty and fidelity. After his
return from Court his only son, Lord Alexander, died of smallpox
at Chanonry, on the 3d of June, 1629, to the great grief of all
who knew him, but especially his father and mother. His demise
hastened her death at Edinburgh, on the 20th February, 1631. She
was buried with her father at Fife on the 4th of March; after
which the Earl contracted a lingering sickness, which, for some
time before his death, confined him to his chamber, during which
"he behaved most Christianly, putting his house in order, giving
donations to his servants, etc." He died at Chanonry on the 15th
of April, 1633, in the 36th year of his age, and was buried there
with his father on the 18th of May following, much lamented and
regretted by all who knew him. The King sent a gentleman all the
way to Chanonry to testify his respect and concern for him, and to
attend his funeral, which took place, on the date already stated,
with great pomp and solemnity. "Before his death he called his
successor, George of Kildene, to his bedside, and charged him with
the protection of his family; but above all to be kind to his men
and followers, for that he valued himself while he lived upon their
account more than upon his great estate and fortune." [Ardintoul,
Letterfearn, and other Family MSS.] On the occasion of his last
visit to London the King complimented him on being the best archer
in Britain.
Colin married, first, Lady Margaret Seton, daughter of Alexander,
Earl of Dunfermline, Lord High Chancellor of Scotland, with issue -
I. Alexander Lord Kintail, who died young.
II. Anna, who married Alexander, second Lord Lindsay, who was
created Earl of Balcarres by Charles II. in 1651. By him Lady Anna
had two sons, Charles and Colin. Charles succeeded his father,
and died unmarried. Colin then became third Earl, and married
Jane, daughter of David, Earl of Northesk, by whom he had issue
an only daughter, who married Alexander Erikine, third Earl of
Kellie. Secondly, the Earl of Balcarres married Jane, daughter of
William, second Earl of Roxburgh, by whom he had an only daughter,
who married John Fleming, sixth Earl of Wigton. This Earl
of Balcarres married a third time Margaret, daughter of James
Campbell, Earl of Loudon, by whom he had two sons, Alexander and
James. Alexander succeeded his father, but died without issue,
and was succeeded by James, fifth Earl of Balcarres, from whom the
present line descends uninterruptedly, carrying along with it, in
right of the said Anna Mackenzie, daughter of Colin, first Earl
of Seaforth, first Countess of Balcarres, the lineal representation
of the ancient House of Kintail. Anna married, secondly, Archibald,
ninth Earl of Argyll, beheaded in 1685, and died in 1706.
III. Jean, who married John, Master of Berriedale, with issue,
George, sixth Earl of Caithness, who died without issue in 1676.
She afterwards married Lord Duffus, with issue, and died in 1648.
His lordship died, as already stated, at Chanonry on the 15th of
April, 1633, and was buried in the Cathedral Church of Fortrose
in a spot chosen by himself. His son, Lord Alexander, having died
before his father, on the 3d of June, 1629, and Colin having had
no other issue male, he was succeeded by his brother,
XIV. GEORGE, SECOND EARL OF SEAFORTH,
THIRD LORD MACKENZIE OF KINTAIL, eldest son of Kenneth, the
first Lord, by his second marriage. During the life of his father
and brother he was known as George Mackenzie of Kildun. In 1633
he was "served heir male to his brother Colin, Earl of Seaforth,
Lord Mackenzie of Kintail, in the lands and barony of Ellandonnan,
including the barony of Lochalsh, in which was included the barony
of the lands and towns of Lochcarron, namely, the towns and lands
of Auchnaschelloch, Coullin, Edderacharron, Attadill, Ruychichan,
Brecklach, Achachoull, Delmartyne, with fishings in salt water
and fresh, Dalcharlarie, Arrinachteg, Achintie, Slumba, Doune,
Stromcarronach, in the Earldom of Ross, of the old extent of L13
6s 8d, and also the towns of Kisserin, and lands of Strome, with
fishings in salt and fresh water, and the towns and lands of Torridan
with the pertinents of the Castle of Strome; Lochalsh, Lochcarron,
and Kisserin, including the davach of Achvanie, the davach of
Achnatrait, the davach of Stromcastell, Ardnagald, Ardneskan, and
Blaad, and the half davach of Sannachan, Rassoll, Meikle Strome,
and Rerag, in the Earldom of Ross, together of the old extent of
L8 13s 4d." ["Origines Parochiales Scotiae", p. 401.] He was served
heir male to his father Kenneth, Lord Mackenzie of Kintail, in
the lands and barony of Pluscardine, on the 14th of January, 1620;
and had charters of Balmungie and Avoch, on the 18th of July,
1635; of Raasay, on the 18th of February, 1637 and of Lochalsh, on
the 4th of July, 1642.
His high position in the North, and his intimate friendship at
this period with the powerful House of Sutherland, is proved by
the fact that he and Sir John Mackenzie of Tarbat, on the 2d of
November, 1633, stood godfathers to George Gordon, second son of
John, Earl of Sutherland; and there cannot be any doubt that to
the influence of the latter must mainly be attributed Seaforth's
vacillating conduct during the earlier years of the great civil
wars which became the curse of Scotland for so many years after.
In 1635 the Privy Council, with the view of putting down the
irregularities then prevalent in the Highlands, demanded securities
from the chiefs of clans, heads of families, and governors of
counties, in conformity with a general bond, previously agreed
to, that they should be responsible for their clans and surnames,
men-tenants, and servants. The first called upon to give this
security was the Earl of Huntly; then followed the Earls of
Sutherland and Seaforth, and afterwards Lord Lorn and all the chiefs
in the western and northern parts of the Kingdom.
In the following year the slumbering embers of religious differences
broke out into a general blaze all over the country. Then began
those contentions about ecclesiastical questions, church discipline
and liturgies, at all times fraught with the seeds of discontent
and danger to the common weal, and which in this case ultimately
led to such sad and momentous consequences as only religious feuds
can. Charles I. was playing the despot with his subjects, not
only in Scotland, but in England. He was governing without a
Parliament, defying and trying to crush the desires and aspirations
of a people born to govern themselves and to be free. His infatuated
attempt to introduce the Liturgy of the Church of England into the
Calvinistic and Presbyterian pulpits of Scotland was as insane as it
was unavailing. But his English as well as Scottish subjects were at
the same time almost in open rebellion for their liberties. He tried
to put down the rising in Scotland by the sword, but his means and
military skill were unequal to the task. He failed to impose the
English Liturgy on his Scottish subjects, but his attempt to do so
proved the deliverance of his English subjects from high-handed
tyranny. It is only natural that in these circumstances Seaforth,
though personally attached to the King, should be found on the side
of the Covenant, and that he should have joined the Assembly, the
clergy, and the nobles in the Protest, and in favour of the renewal
of the Confession of Faith previously accepted and confirmed by
James VI. in 1580, 1581, and 1590, at the same time that these
several bodies entered into a covenant or bond of mutual defence
among themselves against all opposition from whatever source.
The principal among the Northern nobles who entered into this
engagement were the Earls of Seaforth and Sutherland, Lord Lovat,
the Rosses, Munroes, Grant of Grant, Mackintosh of Mackintosh,
Innes, the Sheriff of Moray, Kilravock, Cumming of Altyre, and
the Tutor of Duffus. These, with their followers under command of
the Earl of Seaforth, who was appointed General of the Covenanters
north of the Spey, marched to Morayshire, where they met the Royalists
on the northern banks of the river ready to oppose their advance. [On
May 14, 1639, 4000 men met at Elgin under the command of the Earl of
Seaforth, and the gentlemen following, viz.: The Master of Lovat, the
Master of Ray, George, brother to the Earl of Sutherland, Sir James
Sinclare of Murkle, Laird of Grant, Young Kilravock, Sheriff of
Murray, Laird of Innes, Tutor of Duffus, Hugh Rose of Achnacloich,
John Munro of Lemlare, etc. They encamped at Speyside, to keep the
Gordons and their friends from entering Murray; and they remained
encamped till the pacification, which was signed June 18, was
proclaimed, and intimated to them about June 22. - "Shaw's MS. History
of Kilravock."] An arrangement was here come to between Thomas
Mackenzie of Pluscardine, Seaforth's brother, on behalf of
the Covenanters, and a representative from the Gordons for their
opponents, that the latter should recross to the south side of the
Spey, and that the Highlanders should return home. About the same
time Seaforth received a despatch from Montrose, then at Aberdeen
and fighting for the Covenant, intimating the pacification entered
into on the 20th of June between the King and his subjects at
Berwick, and requesting Seaforth to disband his army - an order which
was at once obeyed. Shortly after, however, Montrose dissociated
himself from the Covenanters, joined the King's side and raised the
Royal standard. The Earl of Seaforth soon after this was suspected
of lukewarmness for the Covenant. In 1640 the King arrived at
York on his way north to reduce the Covenanting Scots, after they
had resolved to invade England, and, as a precautionary measure, to
imprison or expel all suspected Royalists from the army. Among
the suspects are found the Earl of Seaforth, Lord Reay, and
several others, who were taken before the Assembly, kept in ward
at Edinburgh for two months; and in 1641, on the King's arrival
in Scotland, the Earl of Traquair, who had been summoned before
Parliament as an opponent to the Lords of the Covenant succeeded
in persuading the Earls of Montrose, Wigton, Athole, Hume, and
Seaforth (who had meanwhile escaped), and several other influential
chiefs, to join in a bond against the Covenanters.
Soon after this Montrose leaves Elgin with the main body of his
army, and marches towards the Bog of Gight, accompanied by the
Earl of Seaforth, Sir Robert Gordon, Grant of Grant, Mackenzie
of Pluscardine, and several other gentlemen who came to him at
Elgin, to support the King. After this, however, fearing that
depredations might be committed upon his followers by a garrison
of two regiments then stationed at Inverness, and the other
Covenanters of that district, he permitted Seaforth, Grant of
Grant, and other Morayshire gentlemen, to return home in order to
defend their estates, but before permitting them to depart he made
them swear allegiance to the King and promise that they should never
again under any circumstances take up arms against his Majesty or
any of his loyal subjects, and to rejoin him with all their available
forces as soon as they were able to do so. Seaforth, however,
with unaccountable want of decision, disregarded his oath, again
joined the Covenanters, and excused himself in a letter to the
Committee of Estates, saying that he had joined the Royalists
through fear of Montrose, at the same time avowing that he would
abide by "the good cause to his death" - a promise not much to be
trusted.
He is soon again in the field, this time against Montrose. Wishart
says that "the Earl of Seaforth, a very powerful man in those
parts (and one of whom he entertained a better opinion) with the
garrison of Inver-ness, which were old soldiers, and the whole
strength of Moray, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness, and the sept
of the Frasers, were ready to meet him with a desperate army of
5000 horse and foot." Montrose had only 1500 - the Macdonalds
of Glengarry and the Highlanders of Athol having previously gone
home, against the earnest solicitude of Montrose that they should
complete the campaign, according to their usual custom, to deposit
the booty obtained in their repeated victories under their great
chief, but on the plea of repairing their houses and other property
which had been so much injured by their enemies in their absence.
The great commander, however, although he knew many of the garrison
to be old soldiers, decided to attack the superior numbers against
him, correctly surmising that a great many of his opponents were
newly raised recruits "from among husband-men, cowherds, tavern-boys
and kitchen-boys," and would be raw and unserviceable. Fortunately
for Seaforth and his forces, matters turned out otherwise. The
gallant Marquis, on his way to Inverness, was informed of Argyll's
descent on Lochaber, and, instantly changing his route, he fell
down upon him at Inverlochy so unexpectedly, that when Argyll, by
an ignominious flight in one of his boats, made himself secure, he
had the well-merited reward of personal cowardice and pusillanimity
of witnessing fifteen hundred of his devoted adherents cut down,
among whom were a great number of the leading gentlemen of the clan,
who deserved to fight under a better and less cowardly commander.
Among those who fell were Campbell of Auchinbreck, Campbell
of Lochnell, his eldest son, and his brother Colin; Macdougall
of Rara, and his eldest son, Major Menzies, brother to the Chief
of Achattens Parbreck, and the Provost of the Church of Kilmuir.
The power of the Campbells was thus broken, and so probably would
that of Seaforth had Montrose attacked him first.
After this brilliant victory at Inverlochy, on the 2d February,
1645, Montrose returned to Moray, by Badenoch, where on his march to
Elgin, he was met by Thomas Mackenzie of Piuscardine and others,
sent by Seaforth and the Covenanters as commissioners to treat
with him. They received an indignant answer. The Marquis declined
any negotiation, but offered to accept the services of such as
would join and obey him as the King's Lieutenant-General. The
Earl of Seaforth was then sent by the Committee of Ross and
Sutherland, in person, and meeting the Marquis between Elgin and
Forres, he was arrested and for several days detained prisoner. He
was subsequently released, but all the authorities plead ignorance
of the terms.
When the Royalists marched south, the Laird of Lawers, who was
then Governor of the Castle of Inverness, cited all those who had
communications with Montrose in Moray, and compelled them to give
bonds for their appearance, to answer for their conduct, before
Parliament, if required to do so. Among them were Thomas Mackenzie of
Pluscardine; and, after the affair at Fettercairn, and the retreat
of Montrose from Dundee, the Earls of Seaforth and Sutherland,
with the whole of the Clan Fraser, and most of the men of Caithness
and Moray, are found assembled at Inverness, where General Hurry,
who had retreated before Montrose, joined them with a force of
Gordons - 1000 foot and 200 horse - the whole amounting to about 3500
of the former and 400 of the latter, which included Sutherlands,
Mackenzies, Frasers, Roses, and Brodies, while the followers of
Montrose consisted of Gordons, Macdonalds, Macphersons, Mackintoshes,
and Irish, to the number of about 3000 foot and 300 horse. [Shaw's
MS. History.] Montrose halted at the village of Auldearn, and
General Hurry finding such a large force waiting for him at Inverness,
decided to retrace his steps the next morning, and give battle to
the Marquis at that village.
The author of the Ardintoul MS. tells how Seaforth came to take
part in the battle of Auldearn, and gives the following interesting
account of his reasons and of the engagement: "General Hurry sent
for Seaforth to Inverness, and during a long conference informed
him that although he was serving the States himself he privately
favoured the King's cause. He advised Seaforth to dismiss his men
and make a pretence that he had only sent for them to give them new
leases of their lands, and in case it was necessary to make an
appearance to fight Montrose, he could bring, when commanded to do so,
two or three companies from Chanonry and Ardmeanach, which the Marquis
would accept. It was, however, late before they parted, and Lady
Seaforth, who was waiting for her lord at Kessock, prepared a
sumptuous supper for her husband and his friends. The Earl and his
guests kept up the festivities so long and so well that he 'forgot
or delayed to advertise his men to dismiss till to-morrow,' and
going to bed very late, before he could stir in the morning all the
lairds and gentlemen of Moray came to him, most earnestly entreating
him by all the laws of friendship and good neighbourhood, and for
the kindness they had for him while he lived among them, and which
they manifested to his brother yet living amongst them, that his
lordship would not see them ruined and destroyed by Montrose and the
Irish, when he might easily prevent it without the least loss to
himself or his men, assuring him that if he should join General
Hurry with what forces he had then under his command, Montrose would
go away with his Irish and decline to fight them. Seaforth,
believing his visitors, and thinking, as they said, that Montrose
with so small a number would not venture to fight, his opponents
being twice the number, and many of them trained soldiers. Hurry
told him that he was to march immediately against Montrose and being
of an easy and compassionate nature, Seaforth yielded to their
request, and sent immediately in all haste for his Highlanders,
crossed the ferry of Kessock, and marched straight with the rest of
his forces to Auldearn, where Montrose had his camp; but the Moray
men found themselves mistaken in thinking the Marquis would make off,
for he was not only resolved but glad of the opportunity to fight
them before Baillie, whom he knew was on his march north with
considerable forces, could join General Hurry, and so drawing up his
men with great advantage of ground he placed Alexander Macdonald,
with the Irish, on the right wing beneath the village of Auldearn,
and Lord Gordon with the horse on the left. On the south side of
Auldearn, he himself (Montrose) biding in town, and making a show of
a main battle with a few men, which Hurry understanding and making
it his business that Montrose should carry the victory, and that
Seaforth would come off without great loss, he set his men, who were
more than double the number of their adversaries, to Montrose's
advantage, for he placed Sutherland, Lovat's men, and some others,
with the horse under Drummond's command, on the right wing, opposite
to my Lord Gordon, and Loudon and Laurie's Regiments, with some
others on the left wing, opposite Alexander Macdonald and the Irish,
and placed Seaforth's men for the most in the midst, opposite
Montrose, where he knew they could not get hurt till the wings were
engaged. Seaforth's men were commanded to retire and make off before
they had occasion or command to fight; but the men hovering, and not
understanding the mystery, were commanded again to make off and
follow Drummond with the horse, who gave only one charge to the
enemy and then fled, which they did by leaving both the wings
and some of their own men to the brunt of the enemy, because they
stood at a distance from them, the right wing being sore put to
by my Lord Gordon, and seeing Drummond with the horse and their
neighbours fly, they began to follow. Sutherland and Lovat suffered
great loss, while on the left wing, Loudon's Regiment and Lawrie with
his Regiment were both totally cut off betwixt the Irish and the
Gordons, who came to assist them after Sutherland's and Lovat's men
were defeated. Seaforth's men got no hurt in the pursuit, nor did
they lose many men in the fight, the most considerable being John
Mackenzie of Kernsary, cousin-german to the Earl, and Donald Bain,
brother to Tulloch and Chamberlain to Seaforth in the Lewis, both
being heavy and corpulent men not fit to fly, and being partly
deceived by Seaforth's principal ensign or standard-bearer in the
field, who stood to it with some others of the Lochbroom and Lewis
men, till they were killed, and likewise Captain Bernard Mackenzie,
with the rest of his company, which consisted of Chanonry men and
some others thereabout, being somewhat of a distance from the rest of
Seaforth's men, were killed on the spot. There were only four
Kintail men who might make their escape with the rest if they had
looked rightly to themselves, namely, the Bannerman of Kintail,
called Rory Mac Ian Dhomh'uill Bhain, alias Maclennan, who, out of
foolhardiness and indignation, to see that banner, which was wont to
be victorious, fly in his hands, fastens the staff of it in the
ground, and stands to it with his two-handed sword drawn, and would
not accept of quarter, though tendered to him by my Lord Gordon in
person; nor would he suffer any to approach him to take him alive, as
the gentlemen beholders wished, so that they were forced to shoot
him. The other three were Donald the bannerman's brother, Malcolm
Macrae, and Duncan Mac Ian Oig. Seaforth and his men, with Colonel
Hurry and the rest, came back that night to Inverness, all the men
laying the blame of the loss of the day upon Drummond, who commanded
the horse, and fled away with them, for which, by a Council of
War, he was sentenced to die; but Hurry assured him that he would
get him absolved, though at the very time of his execution he made
him keep silence, but when Drummond was about to speak, he caused
him to be shot suddenly, fearing, as was thought, that he would
reveal that what was acted was by Hurry's own directions. This
account of the Battle of Auldearn I had from an honourable gentleman
and experienced soldier, as we were riding by Auldearn, who was
present from first to last at this action, and who asked Hurry,
'Who set the battle with such advantage to Montrose and to the
inevitable loss and overthrow of his own side?' to whom Hurry,
being confident of the gentlemen, said, 'I know what I am doing,
we shall have by-and-bye excellent sport between the Irish and
the States Regiments, and I shall carry off Seaforth's men without
loss;' and that Hurry was more for Montrose than for the States
that day is very probable, because, shortly thereafter when he
found opportunity, he quitted the States service, and is reckoned
as first of Montrose's friends, who, in August next year, embarked
with Montrose to get off the nation, and returned with him again
in his second expedition to Scotland, and was taken prisoner at
Craigchonachan, and sent south and publicly executed with Montrose
as guilty of the same fault."
Montrose gained another engagement at Alford on the 2nd of July,
after which he was joined by a powerful levy of West Highlanders
under Colla Ciotach Macdonald, Clanranald, and Glengarry, the
Macnabs, Macgregors, and the Stewarts of Appin. In addition to
these some of the Farquharsons of Braemar and small parties of
lesser septs from Badenoch rallied round the standard of Montrose.
Thus, as a contemporary writer says, "he went like a current speat
(spate) through this kingdom." Seeing all this - the great successes
of Montrose and so many Highlanders joining - Seaforth, who had
never been a hearty Covenanter, began to waver. The Estates sent
a commission to the Earl of Sutherland appointing him as their
Lieutenant north of the Spey, but he refused to accept it. It was
then offered to Seaforth, who likewise declined it, but instead
"contrived and framed ane band, under the name of an humble
remonstrance, which he perswaded manie and threatened others
to subscryve. This remonstrance gave so great a distast to both
the Church and State, that the Earl of Seaforth was therefore
excommunicate by the General Assemblie; and all such as did not
disclaim the raid remonstrance within some days thereafter, were,
by the Committee of Estates, declared inimies to the publick.
Hereupon the Earl of Seaforth joined publicly with Montrose in
April, 1646, at the siege of Inverness, though before that time be
had only joined in private councils with him." [Gordon's "Earldom
of Sutherland," p. 529.]