favourable opportunity for attempting a second Rising, and of again
stirring up his adherents in Scotland, whither he was actually
on his way, until strongly remonstrated with on the folly and
hoplessness of such an undertaking. It was pointed out to him that
it could only end in the ruin of his family pretentions, and in
that of many of his friends who might be tempted to enter on the
rash scheme more through personal attachment to himself than from
any reasonable prospect they might see of success. He therefore
retraced his steps to Boulogne; and the Earl of Seaforth having
been pardoned in the same year, [By letters dated 12th July, 1726,
King George I. was pleased to discharge him from imprisonment or
the execution of his person on his attainder, and King George II.
made him a grant of the arrears of feu-duties due to the Crown
out of his forfeited estate. An Act of Parliament was passed in
1733, to enable William Mackenzie, late Earl of Seaforth, to sue
or maintain any action or suit notwithstanding his attainder, and
to remove any disability in him, by reason of his said attainder,
to take or inherit any real or personal estate that may or shall
hereafter descend to him. - "Wood's Douglas' Peerage."] felt free
once more to return to his native land, where, according to Captain
Matheson, he spent the remainder of his life in retirement, and
"with few objects to occupy him or to interest us beyond the due
regard of his personal friends and the uninterrupted loyalty of
his old vassals." He must, however, have been in tightened
circumstances, for, on the 27th of June, 1728, he writes a letter to
the Lord Advocate, in which he refers to a request he had made to Sir
Robert Walpole, who advised him to put his claim in writing that it
might be submitted to the King. This was done, but "the King would
neither allow anything of the kind or give orders to be granted what
his Royal father had granted before. On hearing this, I could
not forbear making appear how ill I was used. The Government in
possession of the estate, and I in the interim allowed to starve,
though they were conscious of my complying with whatever I promised
to see put in execution." He makes a strong appeal to his friend
to contribute to an arrangement that would tend to the mutual
satisfaction of all concerned, "for the way I am now in is most
disagreeable, consequently, if not rectified, will choose rather
to seek my bread elsewhere than continue longer in so unworthy a
situation." ["Culloden Papers," pp. 103-4] Notwithstanding the personal
remission granted in his favour for the part he had taken in the
Rising of 1715, the title of Earl of Seaforth, under which alone
he was proscribed, passed under attainder, while the older and
original dignity of Kintail, which only became subordinate by a
future elevation, remained unnoticed, and, consequently unvitiated
in the male descent of Kenneth, first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail,
granted by patent on the 19th of November, 1609, and it has accordingly
been claimed. [This Act (of Attainder) omits all mention of the
subordinate though older title of "Lord Kintail," which he and
all the collateral branches descended of George, the second Earl,
had taken up and assumed in all their deeds and transactions, though
there was no occasion to use it in Parliament, as they appeared
there as "Earls of Seaforth." It is questionable therefore, if the
Act of Attainder of "William, Earl of Seaforth," by that designation
only could affect the "barony of Kintail;" and as the designation to
the patentee of it, "Suisque heredibus maxulis," seems to render
the grant an entailed fee agreeable to the 7th of Queen Anne, c. 21,
and the protecting clause of 26th Henry VIII. c. 13, the claimant
George Falconer Mackenzie, is entitled to the benefit of such
remainder, and in fact such remainder was given effect to by the
succession of Earl George to his brother Colin's titles as his heir
male collateral. - "Allangrange Service."]
Earl William married in early life, Mary, the only daughter and
co-heir of Nicholas Kenet of Coxhow, Northumberland, with issue,
three sons -
I. Kenneth, who succeeded his father.
II. Ronald, who died unmarried.
III. Nicholas, who was drowned at Douay, without issue.
IV. Frances, who married the Hon. John Gordon of Kenmure, whose
father was beheaded in 1715.
He died in 1740 in the Island of Lewis, was buried there in the
Chapel of Ui, and was succeeded by his eldest son,
XVIII. KENNETH, LORD FORTROSE,
Which courtesy title he continued to bear as the subordinate title of
his father; and under this designation he is named as a freeholder
of Ross in 1741. In the same year be was elected as member
of Parliament for the Burgh of Inverness, for his own County of
Ross in 1747, and again in 1754. In 1741, the year after Earl
William's death, the Crown sold the Seaforth estates, including
the lands of Kintail, the barony of Ellandonnan, and others, for
L25,109 8s 31/2d, under burden of an annuity of L1000 to Frances,
Countess Dowager of Seaforth. The purchase was for the benefit
of Kenneth, Lord Fortrose. [Fraser's "Earls of Cromartie."] He does
not appear to have passed much of his time in the Highlands, but
about a year after his succession, he seems, from a warrant issued
by his authority to have been in the North. It is signed by Colin
Mackenzie, Baillie," and addressed to Roderick Mackenzie, officer
of Locks, commanding him to summon and warn Donald Mackenzie,
tacksman of Lainbest, and others, to compear before "Kenneth,
Lord Fortrose, heritable proprietor of the Estate of Seaforth, at
Braan Castle, or before his Lordship's Baron Baillies, or other
judges appointed by him there, upon the 10th day of October next,
to come to answer several unwarrantable and illegal things to be
laid to their charge:" Dated at "Stornoway, 29th September, 1741."
There is no doubt that in early life Lord Fortrose, during the
exile of his father, held communications with the representative
of the Stuarts. It is a common tradition in Kintail to this day
that he and Sir Alexander Macdonald of Sleat were school companions
of the Prince in France, and were among those who first imbued
his mind with the idea of attempting to regain possession of his
ancient Kingdom of Scotland, promising him that they would use their
influence with the other northern chiefs to rise in his favour,
although when the time for action came neither of them joined him.
The unfortunate position in which Kenneth found himself by the
Jacobite proclivities of his ancestors, and especially those of
his father, appears to have made a deep impression upon his mind,
and to have induced him to be more cautious in supporting a cause
which seemed certain to land him in final and utter ruin. But
though he personally held aloof, several of the clan joined the
Prince, mostly under George, third Earl of Cromarty, and a few
under John Mackenzie, III. of Torridon. Several young and powerful
Macraes, who strongly sympathised with the Prince, though
unaccompanied by any of their natural leaders, left Kintail never
again to return and, it is said, that several others had to be
bound with ropes by their friends, to keep them at home. The
influence of Lord President Forbes weighed strongly with Mackenzie
in deciding him to support the Government, and, in return for his
loyalty, the honours of the house of Seaforth were, in part,
afterwards restored to his son.
In 1744 an exciting incident occurred in Inverness in which his
Lordship played a conspicuous part, and which exemplifies the
impetuous character of the Highland chiefs of the day. A court of
the Freeholders of the county was being held there at Michaelmas
to elect a collector of the land tax, at which were present, among
others, Lord President Forbes, Norman Macleod of Macleod, Lord
Fortrose, Lord Lovat, and many leading members of the Clan Fraser.
A warm debate upon some burning business arose between Lords Lovat
and Fortrose, when the former gave the latter the lie direct. To
this Mackenzie replied by giving Lovat a smart blow in the face.
Mutual friends at once intervened between the fiery antagonists. But
the Fraser blood was up, and Fraser of Foyers, who was present,
interfered in the interest of the chief of his clan, but more,
however, it is said, in that capacity than from any personal esteem
in which he held him. He felt that in his chief's person the
whole clan had been insulted as if it had actually been a personal
blow to every man of the name, and he instantly sprung down from
the gallery and presented a loaded and cocked pistol at Mackenzie's
head, to whom it would undoubtedly have proved fatal had not one
of the gentlemen present, with great presence of mind, thrown his
plaid over the muzzle, and thus arrested and diverted its contents.
In another moment swords and dirks were drawn on both sides, but
the Lord President and Macleod laid hold of Mackenzie and hurried
him from the Court. Yet he no sooner gained the outside than
one of the Frasers levelled him to the ground with a blow from a
heavy bludgeon, notwithstanding the efforts of his friends to protect
him. The matter was, however, afterwards, with great difficulty,
arranged by mutual friends, between the great clans and their
respective chiefs, otherwise the social jealousies and personal
irritations which then prevailed throughout the whole Highlands,
fanned by this incident, would have produced a lasting and bloody
feud between the Frasers and the Mackenzies.
In the following year, shortly after the Lord President arrived at
Culloden from the south, he wrote a letter to Mackenzie dated the
11th of October 1745, in which he tells him that the Earl of Loudon
had come the day before to Cromarty, and brought some "credit"
with him, which "will enable us to put the Independent Companies
together for the service of the Government and for our mutual
protection." He requested Fortrose to give immediate orders to
pick out those who are first to form one of the companies, that
they might receive their commissions and arms. Alexander Mackenzie
of Fairburn was to command. There was, the President said, a report
that Barrisdale had gone to Assynt to raise the men of that country,
to be joined to those of Coigeach, who were said to have orders to
be in readiness to join Macdonald, and with instructions to march
through Mackenzie's territories in order to find out how many of
his Lordship's vassals could be persuaded, by fair means or foul,
to join the standard of the Prince. "I hope this is not true,"
writes the President; "if it is, it is of the greatest consequence
to prevent it. I wish Fairburn were at home; your Lordship will
let me know when he arrives, as the Lord Cromarty has refused the
company I intended for his son. Your Lordship will deliberate to
whom you would have it given." ["Culloden Papers," pp. 421-2.]
Exasperated at this time by the exertions made by President Forbes
to obstruct the designs of the disaffected, a plan was formed to
seize him by some of the Frasers, a party of whom, amounting to
about 200, attacked Culloden House during the night of the 15th of
October, but the President being on his guard they were repulsed.
[Fraser's "Earls of Cromartie."]
On the 13th of October Mackenzie had written to Forbes that he
surmised some young fellows of his name attempted to raise men for
the Prince, but that he sent expresses to the suspected parts,
with orders to the tenants not to stir under pain of death without
his leave, though their respective masters should be imprudent
enough to desire them to do so. The messengers returned with the
people's blessings for his protection, and with assurances that they
would do nothing without his orders, "so that henceforward your
Lordship need not be concerned about any idle report from benorth
Kessock." In a letter dated "Brahan Castle, 19th October 1745," Lord
Fortrose refers to the attempt on the President's house, which, he
says, surprised him extremely, and "is as dirty an action as I ever
heard of," and he did not think any gentleman would be capable of
doing such a thing. He adds, "as I understand your cattle are taken
away, I beg you will order your steward to write to Colin, or anybody
else here, for provisions, as I can be supplied from the Highlands.
I am preparing to act upon the defensive, and I suppose will soon be
provoked to act on the offensive. I have sent for a strong party to
protect my house and overawe the country. None of my Kintail men
will be down till Tuesday, but as the river is high, and I have
parties at all boats, nothing can be attempted. Besides, I shall
have reinforcements every day. I have ordered my servants to get,
at Inverness, twelve or twenty pounds of powder with a proportionable
quantity of shot. If that cannot be bought at Inverness, I must
beg you will write a line to Governor Grant to give my servant the
powder, as I can do without the shot ... Barrisdale has come down
from Assynt, and was collared by one of the Maclauchlans there
for offering to force the people to rise, and he has met with no
success there. I had a message from the Mackenzies in Argyllshire
to know what they should do. Thirty are gone from Lochiel; the rest,
being about sixty, are at home. I advised them to stay at home and
mind their own business."
On the 28th of the same month his Lordship writes to inform the
President that the Earl of Cromarty and his son, Macculloch of
Glastullich, and Ardloch's brother, came to Brahan Castle on the
previous Friday; that it was the most unexpected visit he had
received for some time, that he did not like to turn them out, that
Cromarty was pensive and dull; but that if he had known what he knew
at the date of writing he would have made them prisoners, for Lord
Macleod went since to Lochbroom and Assynt to raise men. He enclosed
for the President's use the names of the officers appointed to the
two Mackenzie companies, and intimated that he offered the commission
to both Coul and Redcastle, but that both refused it. It was from
Coul's house, he says, that Lord Macleod started for the North, and
that vexed him. On the same day Forbes acknowledges receipt of this
letter, and requests that the officers in the two companies should be
appointed according to Mackenzie's recommedations, "without any
further consideration than that you judge it right," and he desires
to see Sir Alexander of Fairburn for an hour next day to carry a
proposal to his Lordship for future operations. "I think," he adds,
"it would be right to assemble still more men about Brahan than you
now have; the expense shall be made good and it will tend to make
Caberfey respectable, and to discourage folly among your neighbours."
In a letter of 6th November the President says, "I supposed that your
Lordship was to have marched Hilton's company into town (Inverness)
on Monday or Tuesday; but I dare say there is a good reason why it
has not been done."
On the 8th of November Mackenzie informs the Lord President that
the Earl of Cromarty had crossed the river at Contin, with about a
hundred men on his way to Beauly, "owing to the neglect of my spies,
as there's rogues of all professions." Lord Macleod, Cromarty's
son came from Assynt and Lochbroom the same day, and followed his
father to the rendezvous, but after traversing the whole of that
northern district he did not get a single volunteer. "Not a man
started from Ross-shire, except William, Kilcoy's brother, with
seven men, and a tenant of Redcastle with a few more and if Lentran
and Torridon did go off last night, they did not carry between
them a score of men. I took a ride yesterday to the westward with
two hundred men, but find the bounds so rugged that it's impossible
to keep a single man from going by if he has a mind. However, I
threatened to burn their cornyards if anybody was from home this
day, and I turned one house into the river for not finding its
master at home. It's hard the Government gives nobody in the
North power to keep people in order. I don't choose to send a
company to Inverness until I hear what they are determined to do
at Lord Lovat's."
The Earl of Loudon writes to Marshal Wade, then Commander-in-Chief
in the North, under date of 16th November, saying that 150 or 160
Mackenzies, seduced by the Earl of Cromarty, marched in the
beginning of that week up the north side of Loch-Ness, expecting to
be followed by 500 or 600 Frasers, under command of the Master of
Lovat, but the Mackenzies had not on that date passed the mountains.
On the 16th of December Fortrose writes asking for L400 expended by
him during two months on his men going to and coming from the
Highlands, for which he would not trouble him only that he bad a
very "melancholy appearance" of getting his Martinmas rent, as the
people would be glad of any excuse for non-payment, and the last
severe winter, and their having to leave home, would afford them a
very good one. He was told by the President in reply, that his
letter had been submitted to Lord Loudon, that both of them agreed
that his Lordship's expenses must have been far greater than what
he claimed, "but as cash is very low with us at present, all we can
possibly do is to let your Lordship have the pay of the two
companies from the date of the letter signifying that they were
ordered to remain at Brahan for the service of the Government.
The further expense, which we are both satisfied it must have
cost your Lordship, shall be made good as soon as any money to
be applied to contingencies, which we expect, shall come to hand,
and if it should not come so soon as we wish, the account shall
be made up and solicited, in the same manner with what we lay
out of our own purses, which is no inconsiderable sums." This
correspondence will show the confidence which then existed between
the Government and Lord Fortrose.
On the 9th of December the two Mackenzie companies were marched
into Inverness. Next day, accompanied by a detachment from
Fort-Augustus, they proceeded to Castle Dounie for the purpose of
bringing Lord Lovat to account. The crafty old Simon agreed to
come in to Inverness and to deliver up his arms on the 14th of the
month, but instead of doing so he of course made good his escape.
After the battle of Prestonpans, the Government, on the recommendation
of the Earl of Stair, forwarded twenty blank commissions to
President Forbes, with orders to raise as many companies of 100
men each, among the Highlanders. Eighteen of the twenty were sent
to the Earls of Sutherland and Cromarty, Lords Fortrose and Reay,
the Lairds of Grant and Macleod, and Sir Alexander Macdonald of
Sleat, with instructions to raise the Highland companies in their
respective districts. The Earl of Cromarty, while pretending to
comply with the instructions of the Lord President, offered the
command of one of the companies to a neighbouring gentleman, whom
he well knew to be a strong Jacobite, and at the same time made
some plausible excuse for his son's refusal of another of the
commissions.
When Lord John Drummond landed with a body of Irish and Scotch
troops, in the service of the French, to aid Prince Charles, he
wrote to Mackenzie announcing his arrival and earnestly requesting
him to declare at once for the Stuart cause, as the only means
by which he could "now expect to retrieve his character." All the
means at Drummond's disposal proved futile, and the Mackenzies
were thus kept out of the Rising of 1745.
That Prince Charles fully appreciated the importance of having the
Mackenzies led by their natural chief, for or against him, will be
seen from Lord Macleod's Narrative of the Rebellion. [Printed at
length in Fraser's "Earls of Cromartie."] "We set out," his Lordship
says, "from Dunblain on the 12th of January, and arrived the same
evening at Glasgow. I immediately went to pay my respects to the
Prince, and found that he was already set down to supper. Dr
Cameron told Lord George Murray, who sat by the Prince, who I was,
on which the Lord Murray introduced me to the Prince, whose hand
I had the honour to kiss, after which the Prince ordered me to
take my place at the table. After supper I followed the Prince to
his apartment to give him an account of his affairs in the North,
and of what had passed in these parts during the time of his
expedition to England. I found that nothing surprised the Prince
so much as to hear that the Earl of Seaforth had declared against
him, for he heard without emotion the names of the other people
who had joined the Earl of Loudon at Inverness; but when I told him
that Seaforth had likewise sent two hundred men to Inverness for
the service of the Government, and that he had likewise hindered
many gentlemen of his clan from joining my father (the Earl of
Cromarty) for the service of the Stuarts, he turned to the French
Minister and said to him, with some warmth, "Hc! mon Dieu! et
Seaforth est aussi contre moi!""
At this stage a hero named Mackenzie, who had done good service
to the Prince in his wanderings through the Highlands after the
battle of Culloden, may be mentioned. Such a small tribute is due
to the gallant Roderick Mackenzie, whose intrepidity and presence
of mind in the last agonies of death, saved his Prince from pursuit
at the time, and was consequently the means of his ultimate escape
in safety to France. Charles had been pursued with the most
persevering assiduity, but Roderick's ruse proved so successful on
this occasion that further search was for a time considered
unnecessary. Mackenzie was a young man, of respectable family, who
joined the Prince at Edinburgh, and served as one of his life-guards.
Being about the same age as his Royal Highness, and, like him, tall,
somewhat slender, and with features in some degree resembling his, he
might, by ordinary observers not accustomed to see the two together,
have passed for the Prince himself. As Roderick could not venture
with safety to return to Edinburgh, where still lived his two maiden
sisters, he after the battle of Culloden fled to the Highlands and
lurked among the hills of Glenmoriston, where, about the middle of
July, he was surprised by a party of Government soldiers. Mackenzie
endeavoured to escape, but, being overtaken, he turned on his
pursuers, and, drawing his sword, bravely defended himself. He was
ultimately shot by one of the red-coats, but as he fell, mortally
wounded, he exclaimed, "You have killed your Prince! You
have killed your Prince!" whereupon he immediately expired. The
soldiers, overjoyed at their supposed good fortune, cut off his
head, and hurried off to Fort-Augustus with their prize. The Duke
of Cumberland, quite convinced that he had now obtained the head of
his Royal relative, packed it up carefully, ordered a post-chaise,
and at once went off to London, taking the head along with him.
After his arrival the deception was discovered, but meanwhile it
proved of great assistance to Prince Charles in his ultimately
successful efforts to escape.
Shortly after the battle of Culloden a fleet of ships appeared off
the coast of Lochbroom, under the command of Captain Fergusson.
They dropped anchor at Loch-Ceannard, when a large party went ashore
and proceeded up the Strath to the residence of Mr Mackenzie of
Langwell, connected by marriage with the Earl of Cromarty. Langwell
having supported the Prince, fled out of the hated Fergusson's
way; but his lady was obliged to remain at home to attend to a
large family of young children, who were at the time laid up with
smallpox. The house was ransacked. A large chest containing the
family and other valuable papers, including a wadset of Langwell
and Inchvannie from her relative, George, Earl of Cromarty, was
burnt before her eyes; and about fifty head of fine Highland cattle
were mangled by the swords and driven to the ships of the spoilers.
Nor did this satisfy them. They committed similar depredations,
without any discrimination between friend or foe, for eight days
during which they remained in the neighbourhood. ["New Statistical
Account of Lochbroom."]
It is well known that Mackenzie had strong Jacobite feelings
although his own prudence and the influence of Lord President Forbes
secured his support for the Government. "Though many respectable
individuals of the Clan Mackenzie had warmly espoused the cause of
Charles, Lord Fortrose seems at no time to have proclaimed openly
for him, whatever hopes he might have countenanced when in personal
communication with the expatriated Sovereign, as indeed there is
cause to infer something of the kind from a letter which, towards
the end of November, 1745, was addressed by Lord John Drummond to
Kenneth, pressing him instantly to join the Prince, then successfully
penetrating the West of England, and qualifying the invitation by
observing that it was the only mode for his Lordship to retrieve
his character. Yet so little did Fortrose or his immediate followers
affect the cause, that when Lord Lovat blockaded Fort-Augustus,
two companies of Mackenzies, which bad been stationed at Brahan,
were withdrawn, and posted by Lord Loudon, the commander-in-chief
of the Government forces, at Castle Dounie, the stronghold of
Fraser and, with the exception of these, the Royal party received
no other support from the family of Seaforth, though many gentlemen
of the clan served in the King's army. Yet it appears that a still
greater number, with others whose ancestors identified themselves
with the fortunes of the House of Kintail, were inclined to espouse
the more venturous steps of the last of the Stuarts. George, the
last Earl of Cromarty, being then paramount in power, and, probably
so, in influence, even to the chief himself, having been, for
certain reasons, liable to suspicions as to their disinterested
nature, declared for Charles, and under his standard his own levy,
with all the Jacobite adherents of the clan, ranged themselves,
and were mainly instrumental in neutralizing Lord Loudon's and the
Laird of Macleod's forces in the subsequent operations of 1746,
driving them with the Lord President Forbes, to take shelter in
the Isle of Skye." [Bennetsfield MS.]
Kenneth married on the 11th of September, 1741, Lady Mary, eldest
daughter of Alexander Stewart, sixth Earl of Galloway, with issue -
I. Kenneth, his heir and successor.
II. Margaret, who on the 4th of June, married William Webb.
III. Mary, who married Henry Howard, of Effingham, with issue.
IV. Agnes, who married J. Douglas.
V. Catherine, who on the 1st of March, 1773, married Thomas Griffin
Tarpley, student of medicine.
VI. Frances, who married General Joseph Wald.
VII. Euphemia, who, on the 2nd of April, 1771, married William
Stewart of Castle Stewart, M.P. for the County of Wigton.
His wife died in London on the 18th of April, 1751, and was buried
at Kensington, where a monument was raised to her memory. Kenneth
died, also in London, on the 19th of October, 1761, and was buried
in Westminster Abbey, when he was succeeded by his only son,
XIX. KENNETH, SIXTH EARL OF SEAFORTH,