A.D. 1516-1588.
KINGS OF SCOTLAND:--
James V., 1513-1542.
Mary, 1542-1567.
James VI., 1567-1603.
Doings in Sutherland--Battle of Torran-Dubh--Feud between
the Keiths and the clan Gun--John Mackay and Murray of
Aberscors--Alexander Sutherland, the bastard, claims the
Earldom--Contests between John Mackay and the Master of
Sutherland--Earls of Caithness and Sutherland--Dissensions
among the clan Chattan--Hector Macintosh elected Captain--His
doings--Disturbances in Sutherland--Feuds between the Clanranald
and Lord Lovat--The ‘Field of Shirts’--Earl of Huntly’s
Expedition--Commotions in Sutherland--Earl of Huntly and the
Clanranald--The Queen Regent visits the Highlands--Commotions
in Sutherland--Queen Mary’s Expedition against Huntly--Earl and
Countess of Sutherland poisoned--Earl of Caithness’ treatment
of the young Earl of Sutherland--Quarrel between the Monroes
and clan Kenzie--Doings of the Earl of Caithness--Unruly
state of the North--The clan Chattan--Reconciliation of the
Earls of Sutherland and Caithness--The Earl of Sutherland
and the clan Gun--Disastrous Feud between the Macdonalds
and Macleans--Disputes between the Earls of Sutherland and
Caithness--Reconciliation between Mackay and the Earl of
Sutherland.
In the year 1516, Adam Earl of Sutherland, in anticipation of
threatened dangers in the north, entered into bonds of friendship
and alliance with the Earl of Caithness for mutual protection and
support. The better to secure the goodwill and assistance of the Earl
of Caithness, Earl Adam made a grant of some lands upon the east side
of the water of Ully; but the Earl of Caithness, although he kept
possession of the lands, joined the foes of his ally and friend. The
Earl of Sutherland, however, would have found a more trustworthy
supporter in the person of Y-Roy-Mackay, who had come under a
written obligation to serve him the same year; but Mackay died,
and a contest immediately ensued in Strathnaver, between John and
Donald Mackay his bastard sons, and Neill-Naverigh Mackay, brother
of Y-Roy, to obtain possession of his lands. John took possession
of all the lands belonging to his father in Strathnaver; but his
uncle Neill laid claim to them, and applied to the Earl of Caithness
for assistance to recover them. The Earl, after many entreaties,
put a force under the command of Neill and his two sons, with which
they entered Strathnaver, and obtaining an accession of strength
in that country, they dispossessed John Mackay, who immediately
went to the clan Chattan and clan Kenzie, to crave their aid and
support, leaving his brother Donald Mackay to defend himself in
Strathnaver as he best could. Donald not having a sufficient force
to meet his uncle and cousins in open combat, had recourse to a
stratagem which succeeded entirely to his mind. With his little band
he, under cloud of night, surprised his opponents at Delreavigh in
Strathnaver, and slew both his cousins and the greater part of their
men, and thus utterly destroyed the issue of Neill. John Mackay,
on hearing of this, immediately joined his brother, and drove out
of Strathnaver all persons who had favoured the pretensions of his
uncle Neill-Naverigh. This unfortunate old man, after being abandoned
by the Earl of Caithness, threw himself upon the generosity of
his nephews, requesting that they would merely allow him a small
maintenance to keep him from poverty during the remainder of his
life; but these unnatural relatives, regardless of mercy and the ties
of blood, ordered Neill to be beheaded in their presence by the hands
of Claff-na-Gep, his own foster brother.[164]
In the year 1517, advantage was taken by John Mackay of the absence
of the Earl of Sutherland, who had gone to Edinburgh to transact
some business connected with his estates, to invade the province of
Sutherland, and to burn and spoil every thing which came in his way.
He was assisted in this lawless enterprise by two races of people
dwelling in Sutherland, called the Siol-Phaill, and the Siol-Thomais,
and by Neil-Mac-Iain-Mac-Angus of Assynt, and his brother John
Mor-Mac-Iain, with some of their countrymen. As soon as the Countess
of Sutherland, who had remained at home, heard of this invasion, she
prevailed upon Alexander Sutherland, her bastard brother, to oppose
Mackay. Assisted chiefly by John Murray of Aberscors, and Uilleam
Mac-Sheumais-Mhic-Chruner, chief of the clan Gun in Sutherland,
Alexander convened hastily the inhabitants of the country and went in
search of the enemy. He met John Mackay and his brother Donald, at a
place called Torran-Dubh or Cnocan-Dubh, near Rogart in Strathfleet.
Mackay’s force was prodigious, for he had assembled not only the
whole strength of Strathnaver, Durines, Edderachillis, and Assynt,
with the Siol-Phaill and Siol-Thomais; but also all the disorderly
and idle men of the whole diocese of Caithness, with all such as
he could entice to join him from the west and north-west isles,
to accompany him in his expedition, buoyed up with the hopes of
plunder. But the people of Sutherland were nowise dismayed at the
appearance of this formidable host, and made preparations for an
attack. A desperate struggle commenced, and after a long contest,
Mackay’s vanguard was driven back upon the position occupied by
himself. Mackay having rallied the retreating party, selected a
number of the best and ablest men he could find, and having placed
the remainder of his army under the command of his brother Donald,
to act as a reserve in case of necessity, he made a furious attack
upon the Sutherland men, who received the enemy with great coolness
and intrepidity. The chiefs on both sides encouraged their men to
fight for the honour of their clans, and in consequence the fight was
severe and bloody; but in the end the Sutherland men, after great
slaughter, and after prodigies of valour had been displayed by both
parties, obtained the victory. Mackay’s party was almost entirely cut
off, and Mackay himself escaped with difficulty. The victors next
turned their attention to the reserve under the command of Donald
Mackay; but Donald dreading the fate of his brother, fled along with
his party, which immediately dispersed. They were, however, closely
pursued by John Murray and Uilleam Mac-Sheumais, till the darkness of
the night prevented the pursuit. In this battle, two hundred of the
Strathnaver men, thirty-two of the Siol-Phaill, and fifteen of the
Siol-Thomais, besides many of the Assynt men, and their commander,
Niall-Mac-Iain-Mac-Aonghais, a valiant chieftain, were slain. John
Mor-Mac-Iain, the brother of this chief, escaped with his life after
receiving many wounds. Of the Sutherland men, thirty-eight only were
slain. Sir Robert Gordon says that this “was the greatest conflict
that hitherto hes been fought in between the inhabitants of these
cuntreyes, or within the diocy of Catteynes, to our knowlege.”[165]
Shortly after the battle of Torran-Dubh, Uilleam Mac-Sheumais, called
Cattigh, chief of the clan Gun, killed George Keith of Aikregell with
his son and twelve of their followers, at Drummoy, in Sutherland,
as they were travelling from Inverugie to Caithness. This act was
committed by Mac-Sheumais to revenge the slaughter of his grandfather
(the Cruner,) who had been slain by the Keiths, under the following
circumstances. A long feud had existed between the Keiths and the
clan Gun, to reconcile which, a meeting was appointed at the chapel
of St. Tayr in Caithness, near Girnigoe, of twelve horsemen on each
side. The Cruner, then chief of the clan Gun, with some of his sons
and his principal kinsmen, to the number of twelve in all, came to
the chapel at the appointed time. As soon as they arrived, they
entered the chapel and prostrated themselves in prayer before the
altar. While employed in this devotional act, the laird of Inverugie
and Aikregell arrived with twelve horses, and two men on each horse.
After dismounting, the whole of this party rushed into the chapel
armed, and attacked the Cruner and his party unawares. The Clan Gun,
however, defended themselves with great intrepidity, and although the
whole twelve were slain, many of the Keiths were also killed. For
nearly two centuries the blood of the slain was to be seen on the
walls of the chapel, which it had stained. James Gun, one of the sons
of the Cruner, being absent, immediately on hearing of his father’s
death, retired with his family into Sutherland, where he settled, and
where his son William Mac-Sheumais, or Mac-James otherwise William
Cattigh, was born.
As John Mackay imputed his defeat at Torran-Dubh mainly to John
Murray of Aberscors, he resolved to take the first convenient
opportunity of revenging himself, and wiping off the disgrace of
his discomfiture. He, therefore, not being in a condition himself
to undertake an expedition, employed two brothers, William and
Donald, his kinsmen, chieftains of the Sliochd-Iain-Abaraich, with
a company of men, to attack Murray. The latter having mustered his
forces, the parties met at a place called Loch-Salchie, not far from
the Torran-Dubh, where a sharp skirmish took place, in which Murray
proved victorious. The two Strathnaver chieftains and the greater
part of their men were slain, and the remainder were put to flight.
The principal person who fell on Murray’s side was his brother
John-Roy, whose loss he deeply deplored.
Exasperated at this second disaster, John Mackay sent John Croy and
Donald, two of his nephews, sons of Angus Mackay, who was killed at
Morinsh in Ross, at the head of a number of chosen men, to plunder
and burn the town of Pitfour, in Strathfleet, which belonged to John
Murray; but they were equally unsuccessful, for John Croy Mackay
and some of his men were slain by the Murrays, and Donald was taken
prisoner. In consequence of these repeated reverses, John Mackay
submitted himself to the Earl of Sutherland on his return from
Edinburgh, and granted him his bond of service, in the year 1518.
But, notwithstanding this submission, Mackay afterwards tampered with
Alexander Sutherland, the bastard, and having gained his favour by
giving his sister to Sutherland in marriage, he prevailed upon him
to rise against the Earl of Sutherland. All these commotions in the
north happened during the minority of King James V., when, as Sir R.
Gordon says, “everie man thought to escape unpunished, and cheiflie
these who were remotest from the seat of justice.”[166]
This Alexander Sutherland was son of John, the third of that name,
Earl of Sutherland, and as he pretended that the Earl and his mother
had entered into a contract of marriage, he laid claim, on the death
of the Earl, to the title and estates, as a legitimate descendant
of Earl John, his father. By the entreaties of Adam Gordon, Lord of
Aboyne, who had married Lady Elizabeth, the sister and sole heiress
of Earl John, Alexander Sutherland judicially renounced his claim
in presence of the sheriff of Inverness, on the 25th of July, 1509.
He now repented of what he had done, and, being instigated by the
Earl of Caithness and John Mackay, mortal foes to the house of
Sutherland, he renewed his pretensions. Earl Adam, perceiving that
he might incur some danger in making an appeal to arms, particularly
as the clans and tribes of the country, with many of whom Alexander
had become very popular, were broken into factions and much divided
on the question betwixt the two, endeavoured to win him over by
offering him many favourable conditions, again to renounce his
claims, but in vain. He maintained the legitimacy of his descent, and
alleged that the renunciation he had granted at Inverness had been
obtained from him contrary to his inclination, and against the advice
of his best friends.
[Illustration: Old Dunrobin Castle.]
Having collected a considerable force, he, in absence of the earl,
who was in Strathbogie, attacked Dunrobin castle, the chief strength
of the earl, which he took. In this siege he was chiefly supported
by Alexander Terrell of the Doill, who, in consequence of taking
arms against the earl, his superior, lost all his lands, and was
afterwards apprehended and executed. As soon as the earl heard of
the insurrection, he despatched Alexander Lesley of Kinninuvy, with
a body of men, into Sutherland to assist John Murray of Aberscors,
who was already at the head of a force to support the earl. They
immediately besieged Dunrobin, which surrendered. Alexander had
retired to Strathnaver, but he again returned into Sutherland with a
fresh body of men, and laid waste the country. After putting to death
several of his own kinsmen who had joined the earl, he descended
farther into the country, towards the parishes of Loth and Clyne.
Meeting with little or no opposition, the bastard grew careless,
and being observed wandering along the Sutherland coast, flushed
with success and regardless of danger, the earl formed the design
of cutting him entirely off. With this view, he directed Alexander
Lesley of Kinninuvy, John Murray, and John Scorrigh-Mac-Finlay, one
of the Siol-Thomais, to hover on Sutherland’s outskirts, and to keep
skirmishing with him till he, the earl, should collect a sufficient
force with which to attack him. Having collected a considerable body
of resolute men, the earl attacked the bastard at a place called
Ald-Quhillin, by East Clentredaill, near the sea side. A warm contest
ensued, in which Alexander Sutherland was taken prisoner, and the
most of his men were slain, including John Bane, one of his principal
supporters, who fell by the hands of John Scorrigh-Mac-Finlay. After
the battle Sutherland was immediately beheaded by Alexander Lesley on
the spot, and his head sent to Dunrobin on a spear, which was placed
upon the top of the great tower, “which shews us” (as Sir Robert
Gordon, following the superstition of his times, curiously observes),
“that whatsoever by fate is allotted, though sometymes forshewed, can
never be avoyded. For the witches had told Alexander the bastard that
his head should be the highest that ever wes of the Southerlands;
which he did foolishlye interpret that some day he should be Earl
of Southerland, and in honor above all his predicessors. Thus the
divell and his ministers, the witches, deceaving still such as trust
in them, will either find or frame predictions for everie action or
event, which doeth ever fall out contrarie to ther expectations; a
kynd of people to all men unfaithfull, to hopers deceatful, and in
all cuntries allwise forbidden, allwise reteaned and manteaned.”[167]
The Earl of Sutherland being now far advanced in life, retired for
the most part to Strathbogy and Aboyne, to spend the remainder
of his days amongst his friends, and intrusted the charge of the
country to Alexander Gordon, his eldest son, a young man of great
intrepidity and talent. The restless chief John Mackay, still
smarting under his misfortunes, and thirsting for revenge, thought
the present a favourable opportunity for retrieving his losses.
With a considerable force, therefore, he invaded Sutherland, and
entered the parish of Creigh, which he intended to ravage, but
the Master of Sutherland hastened thither, attacked Mackay, and
forced him to retreat into Strathnaver with some loss. Mackay then
assembled a large body of his countrymen and invaded the Breachat.
He was again defeated by Alexander Gordon at the Grinds after a keen
skirmish. Hitherto Mackay had been allowed to hold the lands of
Grinds, and some other possessions in the west part of Sutherland,
but the Master of Sutherland now dispossessed him of all these as
a punishment for his recent conduct. Still dreading a renewal of
Mackay’s visits, the Master of Sutherland resolved to retaliate, by
invading Strathnaver in return, and thereby showing Mackay what he
might in future expect if he persevered in continuing his visits to
Sutherland. Accordingly, he collected a body of stout and resolute
men, and entered Strathnaver, which he pillaged and burnt, and,
having collected a large quantity of booty, returned into Sutherland.
In entering Strathnaver, the Master of Sutherland had taken the road
to Strathully, passing through Mackay’s bounds in the hope of falling
in with and apprehending him, but Mackay was absent on a _creach_
excursion into Sutherland. In returning, however, through the Diric
Moor and the Breachat, Alexander Gordon received intelligence that
Mackay with a company of men was in the town of Lairg, with a
quantity of cattle he had collected in Sutherland, on his way home to
Strathnaver. He lost no time in attacking Mackay, and such was the
celerity of his motions, that his attack was as sudden as unexpected.
Mackay made the best resistance he could, but was put to the rout,
and many of his men were killed. He himself made his escape with
great difficulty, and saved his life by swimming to the island of
Eilean-Minric, near Lairg, where he lay concealed during the rest of
the day. All the cattle which Mackay had carried away were rescued
and carried back into Sutherland. The following day Mackay left the
island, returned home to his country, and again submitted himself to
the Master and his father, the Earl, to whom he a second time gave
his bond of service and manrent in the year 1522.[168]
As the Earl of Caithness had always taken a side against the
Sutherland family in these different quarrels, the Earl of Sutherland
brought an action before the Lords of Council and Session against the
Earl of Caithness, to recover back from him the lands of Strathully,
on the ground, that the Earl of Caithness had not fulfilled the
condition on which the lands were granted to him, viz., to assist the
Earl of Sutherland against his enemies. There were other minor points
of dispute between the earls, to get all which determined they both
repaired to Edinburgh. Instead, however, of abiding the issue of a
trial at law before the judges, both parties, by the advice of mutual
friends, referred the decision of all the points in dispute on either
side to Gavin Dunbar,[169] bishop of Aberdeen, who pronounced his
award at Edinburgh, on the 11th March, 1524, his judgment appearing
to have satisfied both parties, as the earls lived in peace with one
another ever after.
The year 1526 was signalized by a great dissension among the clan
Chattan. The chief and head of that clan was Lauchlan Macintosh
of Dunnachtan, “a verrie honest and wyse gentleman,” says Bishop
Lesley, “an barroun of gude rent, quha keipit hes hole ken, friendes
and tennentis in honest and guid rewll;”[170] and according to Sir
Robert Gordon, “a man of great possessions, and of such excellencies
of witt and judgement, that with great commendation he did conteyn
all his followers within the limits of ther dueties.”[171] The
strictness with which this worthy chief curbed the lawless and
turbulent dispositions of his clan raised up many enemies, who, as
Bishop Lesley says, were “impacient of vertuous living.” At the
head of this restless party was James Malcolmeson, a near kinsman
of the chief, who, instigated by his worthless companions, and
the temptation of ruling the clan, murdered the good chief. Afraid
to face the well-disposed part of the clan, to whom the chief was
beloved, Malcolmeson, along with his followers, took refuge in the
island in the loch of Rothiemurchus; but the enraged clan followed
them to their hiding places and despatched them.
As the son of the deceased chief was of tender age, and unable to
govern the clan, with common consent they made choice of Hector
Macintosh, a bastard brother of the late chief, to act as captain
till his nephew should arrive at manhood. In the meantime the Earl
of Moray, who was uncle to young Macintosh, the former chief having
been married to the earl’s sister, took away his nephew and placed
him under the care of his friends for the benefit of his education,
and to bring him up virtuously. Hector Macintosh was greatly incensed
at the removal of the child, and used every effort to get possession
of him; but meeting with a refusal he became outrageous, and laid
so many plans for accomplishing his object, that his intentions
became suspected, as it was thought he could not wish so ardently
for the custody of the child without some bad design. Baffled in
every attempt, Hector, assisted by his brother William, collected
a body of followers, and invaded the Earl of Moray’s lands. They
overthrew the fort of Dykes, and besieged the castle of Tarnoway, the
country surrounding which they plundered, burnt the houses of the
inhabitants, and slew a number of men, women, and children. Raising
the siege of Tarnoway, Hector and his men then entered the country of
the Ogilvies and laid siege to the castle of Pettens, which belonged
to the Laird of Durnens, one of the families of the Ogilvies, and
which, after some resistance, surrendered. No less than twenty-four
gentlemen of the name of Ogilvie were massacred on this occasion.
After this event the Macintoshes and the party of banditti they had
collected, roamed over the whole of the adjoining country, carrying
terror and dismay into every bosom, and plundering, burning, and
destroying everything within their reach. To repress disorders which
called so loudly for redress, King James V., by the advice of his
council, granted a commission to the Earl of Moray to take measures
accordingly. Having a considerable force put under his command, the
earl went in pursuit of Macintosh and his party, and having surprised
them, he took upwards of 300 of them[172] and hanged them, along
with William Macintosh, the brother of Hector. A singular instance
of the fidelity of the Highlanders to their chiefs is afforded in
the present case, where, out of such a vast number as suffered, not
one would reveal the secret of Hector Macintosh’s retreat, although
promised their lives for the discovery. “Ther faith wes so true to
ther captane, that they culd not be persuaded, either by fair meanes,
or by any terror of death, to break the same or to betray their
master.”[173]
Seeing no hopes of escaping the royal vengeance but by a ready
submission, Hector Macintosh, by advice of Alexander Dunbar, Dean
of Moray, tendered his obedience to the king, which was accepted,
and he was received into the royal favour. He did not, however,
long survive, for he was assassinated in St. Andrews by one James
Spence, who was in consequence beheaded. After the death of Hector,
the clan Chattan remained tranquil during the remaining years of the
minority of the young chief, who, according to Bishop Lesley, “wes
sua well brocht up by the meenes of the Erle of Murray and the Laird
of Phindlater in vertue, honestie, and civile policye, that after
he had received the governement of his cuntrey, he was a mirrour of
vertue to all the hieland captanis in Scotland.”[174] But the young
chieftain’s “honestie and civile policye” not suiting the ideas of
those who had concurred in the murder of his father, a conspiracy was
formed against him by some of his nearest kinsmen to deprive him of
his life, which unfortunately took effect.
The Highlands now enjoyed repose for some years. John Mackay died in
1529, and was succeeded by his brother Donald, who remained quiet
during the life of Adam Earl of Sutherland, to whom his brother had
twice granted his bond of service. But, upon the death of that
nobleman, he began to molest the inhabitants of Sutherland. In 1542
he attacked the village of Knockartol, which he burnt; and at the
same time he plundered Strathbroray. To oppose his farther progress,
Sir Hugh Kennedy collected as many of the inhabitants of Sutherland
as the shortness of the time would permit, and, being accompanied by
Gilbert Gordon of Gartay, John Murray of Aberscors, his son Hutcheon
Murray, and Mac-Mhic-Sheumais of Killiernan, he attacked Mackay
quite unawares near Alt-Na-Beth. Notwithstanding this unexpected
attack, Mackay’s men met their assailants with great firmness, but
the Strathnaver men were ultimately obliged to retreat with the loss
of their booty and a great number of slain, amongst whom was John
Mackean-Mac-Angus, chief of Sliochd-Mhic-Iain-Mhic-Hutcheon, in
Edderachillis. Though closely pressed by Gilbert Gordon and Hutcheon
Murray, Donald Mackay made good his retreat into Strathnaver.
By no means disheartened at his defeat, and anxious to blot out the
stain which it had thrown upon him, he soon returned into Sutherland
with a fresh force, and encamped near Skibo. Hutcheon Murray
collected some Sutherland men, and with them he attacked Mackay, and
kept him in check till an additional force which he expected should
arrive. As soon as Mackay saw this new body of men approaching, with
which he was quite unable to contend, he retreated suddenly into
his own country, leaving several of his men dead on the field. This
affair was called the skirmish of Loch-Buy. This mode of annoyance,
which continued for some time, was put an end to by the apprehension
of Donald Mackay, who, being brought before the Earls of Huntly and
Sutherland, was, by their command, committed a close prisoner to the
castle of Foulis, where he remained a considerable time in captivity.
At last, by means of Donald Mac-Iain-Mhoir, a Strathnaver man, he
effected his escape, and, returning home, reconciled himself with the
Earl of Sutherland, to whom he gave his bond of service and manrent,
on the 8th of April, 1549.
During the reign of James V. some respect was paid in the Highlands
to the laws; but the divisions which fell out amongst the nobility,
the unquiet state of the nation during the minority of the infant
queen, and the wars with England, relaxed the springs of government,
and the consequence was that the usual scenes of turbulence and
oppression soon displayed themselves in the Highlands, accompanied
with all those circumstances of ferocity which rendered them so
revolting to humanity. The Clanranald was particularly active in
these lawless proceedings. This clan bore great enmity to Hugh,
Lord Lovat; and because Ranald, son of Donald Glass of Moidart,
was sister’s son of Lovat, they conceived a prejudice against him,
dispossessed him of his lands, and put John Macranald, his cousin,
in possession of the estate. Lovat took up the cause of his nephew,
and restored him to the possession of his property; but the restless
clan dispossessed Ranald again, and laid waste part of Lovat’s lands
in Glenelg. These disorders did not escape the notice of the Earl of
Arran, the governor of the kingdom, who, by advice of his council,
granted a special commission to the Earl of Huntly, making him
lieutenant-general of all the Highlands, and of Orkney and Zetland.
He also appointed the Earl of Argyle lieutenant of Argyle and the
Isles. The Earl of Huntly lost no time in raising a large army in
the north, with which he marched, in May, 1544, attended by the
Macintoshes, Grants, and Frasers, against the clan Cameron and the
clan Ranald, and the people of Moydart and Knoydart, whose principal
captains were Ewen Allenson, Ronald M’Coneilglas, and John Moydart.
These had wasted and plundered the whole country of Urquhart and
Glenmorriston, belonging to the Laird of Grant, and the country of
Abertarf, Strathglass, and others, the property of Lord Lovat. They
had also taken absolute possession of these different territories
as their own properties, which they intended to possess and enjoy
in all time coming. But, by the mediation of the Earl of Argyle,
they immediately dislodged themselves upon the Earl of Huntly’s
appearance, and retired to their own territories in the west.
In returning to his own country, Lovat was accompanied by the
Grants and Macintoshes as far as Gloy, afterwards called the
Nine-Mile-Water, and they even offered to escort him home in case of
danger; but, having no apprehensions, he declined, and they returned
home by Badenoch. This was a fatal error on the part of Lovat, for,
as soon as he arrived at Letterfinlay, he was informed that the
Clanranald were at hand, in full march, to intercept him. To secure
an important pass, he despatched Iain-Cleireach, one of his principal
officers, with 50 men; but, from some cause or other, Iain-Cleireach
did not accomplish his object; and, as soon as Lovat came to the
north end of Loch Lochy, he perceived the Clanranald descending the
hill from the west, to the number of about 500, divided into seven
companies. Lovat was thus placed in a position in which he could
neither refuse nor avoid battle. The day (3d July) being extremely
hot, Lovat’s men, who amounted to about 300, stript to the shirts,
from which circumstance the battle was called _Blar-Nan-Leine_,
_i.e._, the Field of Shirts. A sort of skirmish at first took place,
first with bows and arrows, which lasted a considerable time, until
both sides had expended their shafts. The combatants then drew
their swords, and rushed in true Highland fashion on each other,
with fierce and deadly intent. The slaughter was tremendous, and
few escaped on either side. Lord Lovat, with 300 of the surname of
Fraser, and other followers, were left dead on the field. Lovat’s
eldest son, a youth of great accomplishments, who had received his
education in France, whence he had lately arrived, was mortally
wounded, and taken prisoner. He died within three days. Great as was
the loss on the side of the Frasers, that on the opposite side was
comparatively still greater. According to a tradition handed down,
only four of the Frasers and ten of the Clanranald remained alive.
The darkness of the night alone put an end to the combat. This was
an unfortunate blow to the clan Fraser, which, tradition says, would
have been almost entirely annihilated but for the happy circumstance
that the wives of eighty of the Frasers who were slain were pregnant
at the time, and were each of them afterwards delivered of a male
child.[175]
As soon as intelligence of this disaster was brought to the Earl of
Huntly, he again returned with an army, entered Lochaber, which he
laid waste, and apprehended many of the leading men of the hostile
tribes, whom he put to death.
The great power conferred on the Earl of Huntly, as
lieutenant-general in the north of Scotland, and the promptitude
and severity with which he put down the insurrections of some of
the chiefs alluded to, raised up many enemies against him. As he in
company with the Earl of Sutherland was about to proceed to France
for the purpose of conveying the queen regent to that country, in
the year 1550, a conspiracy was formed against him, at the head of
which was Macintosh, chief of the clan Chattan. This conspiracy
being discovered to the earl, he ordered Macintosh to be immediately
apprehended and brought to Strathbogie, where he was beheaded in the
month of August of that year. His lands were also forfeited at the
same time. This summary proceeding excited the sympathy and roused
the indignation of the friends of the deceased chief, particularly
of the Earl of Cassilis. A commotion was about to ensue, but matters
were adjusted for a time, by the prudence of the queen regent, who
recalled the act of forfeiture and restored Macintosh’s heir to all
his father’s lands. But the clan Chattan were determined to avail
themselves of the first favourable opportunity of being revenged
upon the earl, which they, therefore, anxiously looked for. As
Lauchlan Macintosh, a near kinsman of the chief, was suspected of
having betrayed his chief to the earl, the clan entered his castle of
Pettie by stealth, slew him, and banished all his dependants from the
country of the clan.
About the same time the province of Sutherland again became the scene
of some commotions. The earl having occasion to leave home, intrusted
the government of the country to Alexander Gordon, his brother, who
ruled it with great justice and severity; but the people, disliking
the restraints put upon them by Alexander, created a tumult, and
placed John Sutherland, son of Alexander Sutherland, the bastard,
at their head. Seizing the favourable opportunity, as it appeared
to them, when Alexander Gordon was attending divine service in
the church at Golspikirktoun, they proceeded to attack him, but
receiving notice of their intentions, he collected the little company
he had about him, and went out of church resolutely to meet them.
Alarmed at seeing him and his party approach, the people immediately
dispersed and returned every man to his own house. But William
Murray, son of Caen Murray, one of the family of Pulrossie, indignant
at the affront offered to Alexander Gordon, shortly afterwards killed
John Sutherland upon the Nether Green of Dunrobin, in revenge for
which murder William Murray was himself thereafter slain by the Laird
of Clyne.
The Mackays also took advantage of the Earl of Sutherland’s absence,
to plunder and lay waste the country. Y-Mackay, son of Donald,
assembled the Strathnaver men and entered Sutherland, but Alexander
Gordon forced him back into Strathnaver, and not content with acting
on the defensive, he entered Mackay’s country, which he wasted, and
carried off a large booty in goods and cattle, in the year 1551.
Mackay, in his turn, retaliated, and this system of mutual aggression
and spoliation continued for several years.[176]
During the absence of the Earl of Huntly in France, John of Moydart,
chief of the Clanranald, returned from the isles and recommenced his
usual course of rapine. The queen regent, on her return from France,
being invested with full authority, sent the Earl of Huntly on an
expedition to the north, for the purpose of apprehending Clanranald
and putting an end to his outrages. The earl having mustered a
considerable force, chiefly Highlanders of the clan Chattan, passed
into Moydart and Knoydart, but his operations were paralyzed by
disputes in his camp. The chief and his men having abandoned their
own country, the earl proposed to pursue them in their retreats
among the fastnesses of the Highlands; but his principal officers,
who were chiefly from the Lowlands, unaccustomed to such a mode of
warfare in such a country, demurred; and as the earl was afraid to
entrust himself with the clan Chattan, who owed him a deep grudge
on account of the execution of their last chief, he abandoned the
enterprise and returned to the low country. Sir Robert Gordon says
that the failure of the expedition was owing to a tumult raised in
the earl’s camp by the clan Chattan, who returned home; but we are
rather disposed to consider Bishop Lesley’s account, which we have
followed, as the more correct.[177]
The failure of this expedition gave great offence to the queen,
who, instigated it is supposed by Huntly’s enemies, attributed it
to negligence on his part. The consequence was, that the earl was
committed a prisoner to the castle of Edinburgh in the month of
October, where he remained till the month of March following. He
was compelled to renounce the earldom of Moray and the lordship of
Abernethy, with his tacks and possessions in Orkney and Zetland, and
the tacks of the lands of the earldom of Mar and of the lordship of
Strathdie, of which he was bailie and steward, and he was moreover
condemned to a banishment of five years in France. But as he was
about to leave the kingdom, the queen, taking a more favourable view
of his conduct, recalled the sentence of banishment, and restored him
to the office of chancellor, of which he had been deprived; and to
make this act of leniency somewhat palatable to the earl’s enemies,
the queen exacted a heavy pecuniary fine from the earl.
The great disorders which prevailed in the Highlands at this time,
induced the queen-regent to undertake a journey thither in order to
punish these breaches of the law, and to repress existing tumults.
She accordingly arrived at Inverness in the month of July, 1555,
where she was met by John, Earl of Sutherland, and George, Earl of
Caithness. Although the latter nobleman was requested to bring his
countrymen along with him to the court, he neglected or declined
to do so, and he was therefore committed to prison at Inverness,
Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, successively, and he was not restored to
liberty till he paid a considerable sum of money. Y-Mackay of Far was
also summoned to appear before the queen at Inverness, to answer for
his spoliations committed in the country of Sutherland during the
absence of Earl John in France; but he refused to appear. Whereupon
the queen granted a commission to the Earl of Sutherland, to bring
Mackay to justice. The earl accordingly entered Strathnaver with
a great force, sacking and spoiling every thing in his way, and
possessing himself of all the principal positions to prevent Mackay’s
escape. Mackay, however, avoided the earl, and as he declined to
fight, the earl laid siege to the castle of Borwe, the principal
strength in Strathnaver, scarcely two miles distant from Far, which
he took after a short siege, and hanged Ruaridh-Mac-Iain-Mhoir, the
commander. This fort the earl completely demolished.
While the Earl of Sutherland was engaged in the siege, Mackay
entered Sutherland secretly, and burnt the church of Loth. He
thereafter went to the village of Knockartol, where he met
Mackenzie and his countrymen in Strathbroray. A slight skirmish
took place between them; but Mackay and his men fled after he had
lost Angus-Mackeanvoir, one of his commanders, and several of
his followers. Mackenzie was thereupon appointed by the earl to
protect Sutherland from the incursions of Mackay during his stay in
Strathnaver. Having been defeated again by Mackenzie, and seeing no
chance of escape, Mackay surrendered himself, and was carried south,
and committed a prisoner to the castle of Edinburgh, in which he
remained a considerable time. During the queen’s stay in the north
many notorious delinquents were brought to trial, condemned and
executed.
During Mackay’s detention in Edinburgh, John Mor-Mackay, who took
charge of his kinsman’s estate, seizing the opportunity of the Earl
of Sutherland’s absence in the south of Scotland, entered Sutherland
at the head of a determined body of Strathnaver men, and spoiled
and wasted the east corner of that province, and burnt the chapel
of St. Ninian. Mac-Mhic-Sheumais, chief of the Clan-Gun, the Laird
of Clyne, the Terrell of the Doill, and James Mac-William, having
collected a body of Sutherland men, pursued the Strathnaver men, whom
they overtook at the foot of the hill called Ben-Moir, in Berridell.
Here they laid an ambush for them, and having, by favour of a fog,
passed their sentinels, they unexpectedly surprised Mackay’s men,
and attacked them with great fury. The Strathnaver men made an
obstinate resistance, but were at length overpowered. Many of them
were killed, and others drowned in the water of Garwary. Mackay
himself escaped with great difficulty. This was one of the severest
defeats the Strathnaver men ever experienced, except at the battle of
Knoken-dow-Reywird.
On the release of Mackay from his confinement in the castle of
Edinburgh, he was employed in the wars upon the borders, against
the English, in which he acquitted himself courageously; and on
his return to Strathnaver he submitted himself to the Earl of
Sutherland, with whom he lived in peace during the remainder of
the earl’s life. But Mackay incurred the just displeasure of the
tribe of Slaight-ean-Voir by the committal of two crimes of the
deepest dye. Having imbibed a violent affection for the wife of
Tormaid-Mac-Iain-Mhoir, the chieftain of that tribe, he, in order to
accomplish his object, slew the chief, after which he violated his
wife, by whom he had a son called Donald Balloch Mackay. The insulted
clan flew to arms; but they were defeated at Durines, by the murderer
and adulterer, after a sharp skirmish. Three of the principal men of
the tribe who had given themselves up, trusting to Mackay’s clemency,
were beheaded.[178]
In the early part of the reign of the unfortunate Queen Mary, during
the period of the Reformation in Scotland, the house of Huntly had
acquired such an influence in the north and north-east of Scotland,
the old Maormorate of Moray, as to be looked upon with suspicion by
the government of the day. Moreover the Lords of the Congregation
regarded the earl with no friendly feeling as the great leader of the
Roman Catholic party in the country, and it was therefore resolved
that Mary should make a royal progress northwards, apparently for
the purpose of seeing what was the real state of matters, and, if
possible, try to overawe the earl, and remind him that he was only
a subject. The queen, who, although Huntly was the Catholic leader,
appears to have entered into the expedition heartily; and her
bastard brother, the Earl of Murray, proceeded, in 1562, northwards,
backed by a small army, and on finding the earl fractious, laid
siege to the castle of Inverness, which was taken, and the governor
hanged. The queen’s army and the followers of Huntly met at the hill
of Corrichie, about sixteen miles west of Aberdeen, when the latter
were defeated, the earl himself being found among the slain. It was
on this occasion that Mary is said to have wished herself a man to be
able to ride forth “in jack and knap-skull.” This expedition was the
means of effectually breaking the influence of this powerful northern
family.
George, Earl of Caithness, who had long borne a mortal hatred to
John, Earl of Sutherland, now projected a scheme for cutting him
off, as well as his countess, who was big with child, and their
only son, Alexander Gordon; the earl and countess were accordingly
both poisoned at Helmsdale, while at supper, by Isobel Sinclair,
wife of Gilbert Gordon of Gartay, and sister of William Sinclair
of Dumbaith, instigated, it is said, by the earl; but their son,
Alexander, made a very narrow escape, not having returned in time
from a hunting excursion to join his father and mother at supper.
On Alexander’s return the earl had become fully aware of the danger
of his situation, and he was thus prevented by his father from
participating in any part of the supper which remained, and after
taking an affectionate and parting farewell, and recommending him
to the protection of God and of his dearest friends, he sent him to
Dunrobin the same night without his supper. The earl and his lady
were carried next morning to Dunrobin, where they died within five
days thereafter, in the month of July, 1567, and were buried in the
cathedral church at Dornoch. Pretending to cover himself from the
imputation of being concerned in this murder, the Earl of Caithness
punished some of the earl’s most faithful servants under the colour
of avenging his death; but the deceased earl’s friends being
determined to obtain justice, apprehended Isobel Sinclair, and sent
her to Edinburgh to stand her trial, where, after being tried and
condemned, she died on the day appointed for her execution. During
all the time of her illness she vented the most dreadful imprecations
upon her cousin, the earl, who had induced her to commit the horrid
act. Had this woman succeeded in cutting off the earl’s son, her own
eldest son, John Gordon, but for the extraordinary circumstances of
his death, to be noticed, would have succeeded to the earldom, as
he was the next male heir. This youth happening to be in the house
when his mother had prepared the poison, became extremely thirsty,
and called for a drink. One of his mother’s servants, not aware of
the preparation, presented to the youth a portion of the liquid into
which the poison had been infused, which he drank. This occasioned
his death within two days, a circumstance which, together with the
appearances of the body after death, gave a clue to the discovery of
his mother’s guilt.[179]
Taking advantage of the calamity which had befallen the house of
Sutherland, and the minority of the young earl, now only fifteen
years of age, Y-Mackay of Far, who had formed an alliance with
the Earl of Caithness, in 1567 invaded the country of Sutherland,
wasted the barony of Skibo, entered the town of Dornoch, and, upon
the pretence of a quarrel with the Murrays, by whom it was chiefly
inhabited, set fire to it, in which outrage he was assisted by the
Laird of Duffus. These measures were only preliminary to a design
which the Earl of Caithness had formed to get the Earl of Sutherland
into his hands, but he had the cunning to conceal his intentions in
the meantime, and to instigate Mackay to act as he wished, without
appearing to be in any way concerned.
In pursuance of his design upon Alexander, the young Earl of
Sutherland, the Earl of Caithness prevailed upon Robert Stuart,
bishop of Caithness, to write a letter to the governor of the castle
of Skibo, in which the Earl of Sutherland resided, to deliver up the
castle to him; a request with which the governor complied. Having
taken possession of the castle, the earl carried off the young man
into Caithness, and although only fifteen years of age, he got him
married to Lady Barbara Sinclair, his daughter, then aged thirty-two
years. Y-Mackay was the paramour of this lady, and for continuing the
connexion with him she was afterwards divorced by her husband.
The Earl of Caithness having succeeded in his wishes in obtaining
possession of the Earl of Sutherland, entered the earl’s country, and
took possession of Dunrobin castle, in which he fixed his residence.
He also brought the Earl of Sutherland along with him, but he treated
him meanly, and he burnt all the papers belonging to the house of
Sutherland he could lay his hands on. Cruel and avaricious, he, under
the pretence of vindicating the law, for imaginary crimes expelled
many of the ancient families in Sutherland from the country, put
many of the inhabitants to death, disabled those he banished, in
their persons, by new and unheard-of modes of torture, and stripped
them of all their wealth. To be suspected of favouring the house of
Sutherland, and to be wealthy, were deemed capital crimes by this
oppressor.
As the Earl of Sutherland did not live on friendly terms with his
wife on account of her licentious connexion with Mackay, and as
there appeared no chance of any issue, the Earl of Caithness formed
the base design of cutting off the Earl of Sutherland, and marrying
William Sinclair, his second son, to Lady Margaret Gordon, the
eldest sister of the Earl of Sutherland, whom he had also gotten
into his hands, with the view of making William earl of Sutherland.
The better to conceal his intentions the Earl of Caithness made a
journey south to Edinburgh, and gave the necessary instructions to
those in his confidence to despatch the Earl of Sutherland; but some
of his trusty friends having received private intelligence of the
designs of the Earl of Caithness from some persons who were privy
thereto, they instantly set about measures for defeating them by
getting possession of the Earl of Sutherland’s person. Accordingly,
under cloud of night, they came quietly to the burn of Golspie, in
the vicinity of Dunrobin, where, concealing themselves to prevent
discovery, they sent Alexander Gordon of Sidderay to the castle,
disguised as a pedlar, for the purpose of warning the Earl of
Sutherland of the danger of his situation, and devising means of
escape. Being made acquainted with the design upon his life, and the
plans of his friends for rescuing him, the earl, early the following
morning, proposed to the residents in the castle, under whose charge
he was, to accompany him on a small excursion in the neighbourhood.
This proposal seemed so reasonable in itself, that, although he was
perpetually watched by the Earl of Caithness’ servants, and his
liberty greatly restrained, they at once agreed; and, going out, the
earl being aware of the ambush laid by his friends, led his keepers
directly into the snare before they were aware of danger. The earl’s
friends thereupon rushed from their hiding-place, and seizing him,
conveyed him safely out of the country of Sutherland to Strathbogie.
This took place in 1569. As soon as the Earl of Caithness’s retainers
heard of the escape of Earl Alexander, they collected a party of men
favourable to their interests, and went in hot pursuit of him as far
as Port-ne-Coulter; but they found that the earl and his friends had
just crossed the ferry.[180]
Shortly after this affair a quarrel ensued between the Monroes and
the clan Kenzie, two very powerful Ross-shire clans. Lesley, the
celebrated bishop of Ross, had made over to his cousin, the Laird
of Balquhain, the right and title of the castle of the Canonry of
Ross, together with the castle lands. Notwithstanding this grant,
the Regent Murray had given the custody of this castle to Andrew
Monroe of Milntown; and to make Lesley bear with the loss, the Regent
promised him some of the lands of the Barony of Fintry in Buchan,
but on condition that he should cede to Monroe the castle and castle
lands of the Canonry; but the untimely and unexpected death of the
Regent interrupted this arrangement, and Andrew Monroe did not,
of course, obtain the title to the castle and castle lands as he
expected. Yet Monroe had the address to obtain permission from the
Earl of Lennox during his regency, and afterwards from the Earl of
Mar, his successor in that office, to get possession of the castle.
The clan Kenzie grudging to see Monroe in possession, and being
desirous to get hold of the castle themselves, purchased Lesley’s
right, and, by virtue thereof, demanded delivery of the castle.
Monroe refused to accede to this demand, on which the clan laid siege
to the castle; but Monroe defended it for three years at the expense
of many lives on both sides. It was then delivered up to the clan
Kenzie under the act of pacification.[181]
No attempt was made by the Earl of Sutherland, during his minority,
to recover his possessions from the Earl of Caithness. In the
meantime the latter, disappointed and enraged at the escape of his
destined prey, vexed and annoyed still farther the partisans of the
Sutherland family. In particular, he directed his vengeance against
the Murrays, and made William Sutherland of Evelick, brother to the
Laird of Duffus, apprehend John Croy-Murray, under the pretence of
bringing him to justice. This proceeding roused the indignation of
Hugh Murray of Aberscors, who assembled his friends, and made several
incursions upon the lands of Evelick, Pronsies, and Riercher. They
also laid waste several villages belonging to the Laird of Duffus,
from which they carried off some booty, and apprehending a gentleman
of the Sutherlands, they detained him as an hostage for the safety
of John Croy-Murray. Upon this the Laird of Duffus collected all
his kinsmen and friends, together with the Siol-Phaill at Skibo,
and proceeded to the town of Dornoch, with the intention of burning
it. But the inhabitants, aided by the Murrays, went out to meet the
enemy, whom they courageously attacked and overthrew, and pursued to
the gates of Skibo. Besides killing several of Duffus’ men they made
some prisoners, whom they exchanged for John Croy-Murray. This affair
was called the skirmish of Torran-Roy.
The Laird of Duffus, who was father-in-law to the Earl of Caithness,
and supported him in all his plans, immediately sent notice of
this disaster to the earl, who without delay sent his eldest son,
John, Master of Caithness, with a large party of countrymen and
friends, including Y-Mackay and his countrymen, to attack the
Murrays in Dornoch. They besieged the town and castle, which were
both manfully defended by the Murrays and their friends; but the
Master of Caithness, favoured by the darkness of the night, set fire
to the cathedral, the steeple of which, however, was preserved.
After the town had been reduced, the Master of Caithness attacked
the castle and the steeple of the church, into which a body of
men had thrown themselves, both of which held out for the space of
a week, and would probably have resisted much longer, but for the
interference of mutual friends of the parties, by whose mediation
the Murrays surrendered the castle and the steeple of the church;
and, as hostages for the due performance of other conditions, they
delivered up Thomas Murray, son of Houcheon Murray of Aberscors,
Houcheon Murray, son of Alexander Mac-Sir-Angus, and John Murray,
son of Thomas Murray, the brother of John Murray of Aberscors. But
the Earl of Caithness refused to ratify the treaty which his son had
entered into with the Murrays, and afterwards basely beheaded the
three hostages. These occurrences took place in the year 1570.[182]
The Murrays and the other friends of the Sutherland family, no
longer able to protect themselves from the vengeance of the Earl
of Caithness, dispersed themselves into different countries, there
to wait for more favourable times, when they might return to their
native soil without danger. The Murrays went to Strathbogie,
where Earl Alexander then resided. Hugh Gordon of Drummoy retired
to Orkney, where he married a lady named Ursla Tulloch; but he
frequently visited his friends in Sutherland, in spite of many
snares laid for him by the Earl of Caithness, while secretly going
and returning through Caithness. Hugh Gordon’s brothers took refuge
with the Murrays at Strathbogie. John Gray of Skibo and his son
Gilbert retired to St. Andrews, where their friend Robert, bishop of
Caithness, then resided, and Mac-Mhic-Sheumais of Strathully went to
Glengarry.
As the alliance of such a powerful and war-like chief as Mackay would
have been of great importance to the Sutherland interest, an attempt
was made to detach him from the Earl of Caithness. The plan appears
to have originated with Hugh Murray of Aberscors, who made repeated
visits to Strathbogie, to consult with the Earl of Sutherland and his
friends on this subject, and afterwards went into Strathnaver and
held a conference with Mackay, whom he prevailed upon to accompany
him to Strathbogie. Mackay then entered into an engagement with the
Earl of Huntly and the Earl of Sutherland, to assist the latter
against the Earl of Caithness, in consideration of which, and on
payment of £300 Scots, he obtained from the Earl of Huntly the
heritable right and title of the lands of Strathnaver; but Mackay,
influenced by Barbara Sinclair, the wife of the Earl of Sutherland,
with whom he now publicly cohabited, broke his engagement, and
continued to oppress the earl’s followers and dependents.
From some circumstances which have not transpired, the Earl of
Caithness became suspicious of his son John, the Master of Caithness,
as having, in connection with Mackay, a design upon his life. To put
an end to the earl’s suspicion, Mackay advised John to go to Girnigo
(Castle Sinclair), and to submit himself to his father’s pleasure,
a request with which the Master complied; but, after arriving at
Girnigo, he was, while conversing with his father, arrested by a
party of armed men, who, upon a secret signal being given by the
earl, had rushed in at the chamber door. He was instantly fettered
and thrust into prison within the castle, where, after a miserable
captivity of seven years, he died, a prey to famine and vermin.
Mackay, who had accompanied the Master to Girnigo, and who in all
probability would have shared the same fate, escaped and returned
home to Strathnaver, where he died, within four months thereafter, of
grief and remorse for the many bad actions of his life. During the
minority of his son Houcheon, John Mor-Mackay, the cousin, and John
Beg-Mackay, the bastard son of Y-Mackay, took charge of the estate;
but John Mor-Mackay was speedily removed from his charge by the Earl
of Caithness, who, considering him as a favourer of the Earl of
Sutherland, caused him to be apprehended and carried into Caithness,
where he was detained in prison till his death. During this time
John Robson, the chief of the clan Gun in Caithness and Strathnaver,
became a dependent on the Earl of Sutherland, and acted as his factor
in collecting the rents and duties of the bishop’s lands within
Caithness which belonged to the earl. This connexion was exceedingly
disagreeable to the Earl of Caithness, who in consequence took a
grudge at John Robson, and, to gratify his spleen, he instigated
Houcheon Mackay to lay waste the lands of the clan Gun, in the
Brea-Moir, in Caithness, without the knowledge of John Beg-Mackay,
his brother. As the clan Gun had always been friendly to the family
of Mackay, John Beg-Mackay was greatly exasperated at the conduct
of the earl in enticing the young chief to commit such an outrage;
but he had it not in his power to make any reparation to the injured
clan. John Robson, the chief, however, assisted by Alexander Earl of
Sutherland, invaded Strathnaver and made ample retaliation. Meeting
the Strathnaver men at a place called Creach-Drumi-Doun, he attacked
and defeated them, killing several of them, and chiefly those who had
accompanied Houcheon Mackay in his expedition to the Brea-Moir. He
then carried off a large quantity of booty, which he divided among
the clan Gun of Strathully, who had suffered by Houcheon Mackay’s
invasion.[183]
The Earl of Caithness, having resolved to avenge himself on
John Beg-Mackay for the displeasure shown by him at the conduct
of Houcheon Mackay, and also on the clan Gun, prevailed upon
Neill-Mac-Iain-Mac-William, chief of the Sliochd-Iain-Abaraich, and
James Mac-Rory, chief of the Sliochd-Iain-Mhoir, to attack them.
Accordingly, in the month of September, 1579, these two chiefs, with
their followers, entered Balnekill in Durines during the night-time,
and slew John Beg-Mackay and William Mac-Iain-Mac-Rob, the brother of
John Robson, and some of their people. The friends of the deceased
were not in a condition to retaliate, but they kept up the spirit of
revenge so customary in those times, and only waited a favourable
opportunity to gratify it. This did not occur till several years
thereafter. In the year 1587, James Mac-Rory, “a fyne gentleman and
a good commander,” according to Sir Robert Gordon, was assassinated
by Donald Balloch-Mackay, the brother of John Beg-Mackay; and two
years thereafter John Mackay, the son of John Beg, attacked Neill
Mac-Iain-Mac-William, whom he wounded severely, and cut off some of
his followers. “This Neill,” says Sir R. Gordon, “heir mentioned,
wes a good captain, bold, craftie, of a verie good witt, and quick
resolution.”
After the death of John Beg-Mackay, and William Mac-Iain-Mac-Rob, a
most deadly and inveterate feud followed, between the clan Gun and
the Sliochd-Iain-Abaraich, but no recital of the details has been
handed down to us. “The long, the many, the horrible encounters,”
observes Sir R. Gordon “which happened between these two trybes, with
the bloodshed, and infinit spoills committed in every pairt of the
diocy of Catteynes by them and their associats, are of so disordered
and troublesome memorie, that, what with their asperous names,
together with the confusion of place, tymes, and persons, would yet
be (no doubt) a warr to the reader to overlook them; and therefor,
to favor myne oune paines, and his who should get little profite or
delight thereby, I doe pass them over.”[184]
The clan Chattan, about this time, must have been harassing the
surrounding districts to a terrible extent, and causing the
government considerable trouble, as in 1583 we find a mandate
addressed by King James “to our shirreffs of Kincardin, Abirdene,
Banf, Elgen, Fores, Narne, and Invernyss; and to our derrest
bruthir, James, Erle of Murray, our lieutenant generale in the
north partis of our realme, and to our louittis consingis [ ... ]
Erle of Suthirland; John Erle of Cathnes,” &c., &c., commanding
them that inasmuch as John M’Kinlay, Thomas Mackinlay, Donald
Glass, &c., “throcht assistance and fortifying of all the kin of
Clanquhattane duelland within Baienach, Petty, Brauchly, Strathnarne,
and other parts thereabout, committs daily fire-raising, slaughter,
murder, heirschippis, and wasting of the cuntre,” to the harm of
the true lieges, these sheriffs and others shall fall upon the
“said Clanquhattane, and invade them to their utter destruction by
slaughter, burning, drowning, and other ways; and leave na creature
living of that clan, except priests, women, and bairns.” The “women
and bairns” they were ordered to take to “some parts of the sea
nearest land, quhair ships salbe forsene on our expenses, to sail
with them furth of our realme, and land with them in Jesland,
Zesland, or Norway; because it were inhumanity to put hands in the
blood of women and bairns.” Had this mandate for “stamping out” this
troublesome clan been carried out it would certainly have been an
effectual cure for many of the disturbances in the Highlands; but we
cannot find any record as to what practical result followed the issue
of this cruel decree.[185]
In the year 1585 a quarrel took place between Neill Houcheonson,
and Donald Neilson, the Laird of Assynt, who had married Houcheon
Mackay’s sister. The cause of Donald Neilson was espoused by Houcheon
Mackay, and the clan Gun, who came with an army out of Caithness and
Strathnaver, to besiege Neill Houcheonson in the isle of Assynt.
Neill, who was commander of Assynt, and a follower of the Earl of
Sutherland, sent immediate notice to the earl of Mackay’s movements,
on receiving which the earl, assembling a body of men, despatched
them to Assynt to raise the siege; but Mackay did not wait for their
coming, and retreated into Strathnaver. As the Earl of Caithness
had sent some of his people to assist Mackay, who was the Earl
of Sutherland’s vassal, the latter resolved to punish both, and
accordingly made preparations for entering Strathnaver and Caithness
with an army. But some mutual friends of the parties interfered to
prevent the effusion of blood, by prevailing on the two earls to meet
at Elgin, in the presence of the Earl of Huntly and other friends,
and get their differences adjusted. A meeting was accordingly held,
at which the earls were reconciled. The whole blame of the troubles
and commotions which had recently disturbed the peace of Sutherland
and Caithness, was thrown upon the clan Gun, who were alleged to
have been the chief instigators, and as their restless disposition
might give rise to new disorders, it was agreed, at said meeting, to
cut them off, and particularly that part of the tribe which dwelt
in Caithness, which was chiefly dreaded, for which purpose the Earl
of Caithness bound himself to deliver up to the Earl of Sutherland,
certain individuals of the clan living in Caithness. To enable him
to implement his engagement a resolution was entered into to send
two companies of men against those of the clan Gun who dwelt in
Caithness and Strathnaver, and to surround them in such a way as to
prevent escape. The Earl of Caithness, notwithstanding, sent private
notice to the clan of the preparations making against them by Angus
Sutherland of Mellary, in Berriedale; but the clan were distrustful
of the earl, as they had already received secret intelligence that he
had assembled his people together for the purpose of attacking them.
As soon as the Earl of Sutherland could get his men collected he
proceeded to march to the territories of the clan Gun; but meeting
by chance, on his way, with a party of Strathnaver men, under the
command of William Mackay, brother of Houcheon Mackay, carrying off
the cattle of James Mac-Rory, a vassal of his own, from Coireceann
Loch in the Diri-Meanigh, he rescued and brought back his vassal’s
cattle. After this the earl’s party pursued William Mackay and the
Strathnaver men during the whole day, and killed one of the principal
men of the clan Gun in Strathnaver, called Angus-Roy, with several
others of Mackay’s company. This affair was called Latha-Tom-Fraoich,
that is, the day of the heather bush. At the end of the pursuit, and
towards evening, the pursued party found themselves on the borders of
Caithness, where they found the clan Gun assembled in consequence of
the rising of the Caithness people who had taken away their cattle.
This accidental meeting of the Strathnaver men and the clan Gun
was the means, probably, of saving both from destruction. They
immediately entered into an alliance to stand by one another, and
to live or die together. Next morning they found themselves placed
between two powerful bodies of their enemies. On the one side was the
Earl of Sutherland’s party at no great distance, reposing themselves
from the fatigues of the preceding day, and on the other were seen
advancing the Caithness men, conducted by Henry Sinclair, brother to
the laird of Dun, and cousin to the Earl of Caithness. A council of
war was immediately held to consult how to act in this emergency,
when it was resolved to attack the Caithness men first, as they were
far inferior in numbers, which was done by the clan Gun and their
allies, who had the advantage of the hill, with great resolution.
The former foolishly expended their arrows while at a distance from
their opponents; but the clan Gun having husbanded their shot till
they came in close contact with the enemy, did great execution. The
Caithness men were completely over-thrown, after leaving 140 of
their party, with their captain, Henry Sinclair, dead on the field
of battle. Had not the darkness of the night favoured their flight,
they would have all been destroyed. Henry Sinclair was Mackay’s
uncle, and not being aware that he had been in the engagement till he
recognised his body among the slain, Mackay felt extremely grieved
at the unexpected death of his relative. This skirmish took place
at Aldgown, in the year 1586. The Sutherland men having lost sight
of Mackay and his party among the hills, immediately before the
conflict, returned into their own country with the booty they had
recovered, and were not aware of the defeat of the Caithness men till
some time after that event.
The Earl of Caithness afterwards confessed that he had no intention
of attacking the clan Gun at the time in question; but that his
policy was to have allowed them to be closely pressed and pursued by
the Sutherland men, and then to have relieved them from the imminent
danger they would thereby be placed in, so that they might consider
that it was to him they owed their safety, and thus lay them under
fresh obligations to him. But the deceitful part he acted proved very
disastrous to his people, and the result so exasperated him against
the clan Gun, that he hanged John Mac-Iain-Mac-Rob, chieftain of the
clan Gun, in Caithness, whom he had kept captive for some time.
The result of all these proceedings was another meeting between
the Earls of Sutherland and Caithness at the hill of Bingrime in
Sutherland, which was brought about by the mediation of Sir Patrick
Gordon of Auchindun, who was sent into the north by his nephew, the
Earl of Huntly, for that purpose. Here again a new confederacy was
formed against the clan Gun in Caithness, who were now maintained
and harboured by Mackay. The Earl of Sutherland, on account of the
recent defeat of the Caithness men, undertook to attack the clan
first. He accordingly directed two bodies to march with all haste
against the clan, one of which was commanded by James Mac-Rory and
Neill Mac-Iain-Mac-William, chief of the Sliochd-Iain-Abaraich, who
were now under the protection of the Earl of Sutherland; and the
other by William Sutherland Johnson, George Gordon in Marle, and
William Murray in Kinnald, brother of Hugh Murray of Aberscors.
Houcheon Mackay, seeing no hopes of maintaining the clan Gun any
longer without danger to himself, discharged them from his country,
whereupon they made preparations for seeking an asylum in the
western isles. But, on their journey thither, they were met near
Loch Broom, at a place called Leckmelme, by James Mac-Rory and Neill
Mac-Iain-Mac-William, where, after a sharp skirmish, they were
overthrown, and the greater part of them killed. Their commander,
George Mac-Iain-Mac-Rob, brother of John Mac-Iain-Mac-Rob, who was
hanged by the Earl of Caithness, was severely wounded, and was taken
prisoner after an unsuccessful attempt to escape by swimming across a
loch close by. After being carried to Dunrobin castle, and presented
to the Earl of Sutherland, George Gun was sent by him to the Earl of
Caithness, who, though extremely grieved at the misfortune which had
happened to the clan Gun, dissembled his vexation, and received the
prisoner as if he approved of the Earl of Sutherland’s proceedings
against him and his unfortunate people. After a short confinement,
George Gun was released from his captivity by the Earl of Caithness,
at the entreaty of the Earl of Sutherland, not from any favour to
the prisoner himself, or to the earl, whom the Earl of Caithness
hated mortally, but with the design of making Gun an instrument of
annoyance to some of the Earl of Sutherland’s neighbours. But the
Earl of Caithness was disappointed in his object, for George Gun,
after his enlargement from prison, always remained faithful to the
Earl of Sutherland.[186]
About this time a violent feud arose in the western isles between
Angus Macdonald of Kintyre, and Sir Lauchlan Maclean of Duart, in
Mull, whose sister Angus had married, which ended in the almost total
destruction of the clan Donald and clan Lean. The circumstances which
led to this unfortunate dissension were these:--
Donald Gorm Macdonald of Slate, when going on a visit from Slate to
his cousin, Angus Macdonald of Kintyre, was forced by contrary winds
to land with his party in the island of Jura, which belonged partly
to Sir Lauchlan Maclean, and partly to Angus Macdonald. The part of
the island where Macdonald of Slate landed belonged to Sir Lauchlan
Maclean. No sooner had Macdonald and his company landed, than, by an
unlucky coincidence, Macdonald Tearreagh and Houcheon Macgillespic,
two of the clan Donald who had lately quarrelled with Donald Gorm,
arrived at the same time with a party of men; and, understanding that
Donald Gorm was in the island, they secretly took away, by night,
a number of cattle belonging to the clan Lean, and immediately put
to sea. Their object in doing so was to make the clan Lean believe
that Donald Gorm and his party had carried off the cattle, in the
hope that the Macleans would attack Donald Gorm, and they were
not disappointed. As soon as the _lifting_ of the cattle had been
discovered, Sir Lauchlan Maclean assembled his whole forces, and,
under the impression that Donald Gorm and his party had committed
the spoliation, he attacked them suddenly and unawares, during the
night, at a place in the island called Inverchuockwrick, and slew
about sixty of the clan Donald. Donald Gorm, having previously gone
on board his vessel to pass the night, fortunately escaped.
When Angus Macdonald heard of this “untoward event,” he visited
Donald Gorm in Skye for the purpose of consulting with him on the
means of obtaining reparation for the loss of his men. On his return
homeward to Kintyre, he landed in the Isle of Mull, and, contrary
to the advice of Coll Mac-James and Reginald Mac-James, his two
brothers, and of Reginald Mac-Coll, his cousin, who wished him to
send a messenger to announce the result of his meeting with Donald
Gorm, went to the castle of Duart, the principal residence of Sir
Lauchlan Maclean in Mull. His two brothers refused to accompany him,
and they acted rightly; for, the day after Angus arrived at Duart,
he and all his party were perfidiously arrested by Sir Lauchlan
Maclean. Reginald Mac-Coll, the cousin of Angus, alone escaped.
The Rhinns of Islay at this time belonged to the clan Donald, but
they had given the possession of them to the clan Lean for personal
services. Sir Lauchlan, thinking the present a favourable opportunity
for acquiring an absolute right to this property, offered to release
Angus Macdonald, provided he would renounce his right and title to
the Rhinns; and, in case of refusal, he threatened to make him end
his days in captivity. Angus, being thus in some degree compelled,
agreed to the proposed terms, but, before obtaining his liberty, he
was forced to give James Macdonald, his eldest son, and Reginald
Mac-James, his brother, as hostages, until the deed of conveyance
should be delivered to Sir Lauchlan.
It was not, however, the intention of Angus Macdonald to implement
this engagement, if he could accomplish the liberation of his son
and brother. His cousin had suffered a grievous injury at the hands
of Sir Lauchlan Maclean without any just cause of offence, and he
himself had, when on a friendly mission, been detained most unjustly
as a prisoner, and compelled to promise to surrender into Sir
Lauchlan’s hands, by a regular deed, a part of his property. Under
these circumstances, his resolution to break the unfair engagement he
had come under is not to be wondered at. To accomplish his object he
had recourse to a stratagem in which he succeeded, as will be shown
in the sequel.
After Maclean had obtained delivery of the two hostages, he made a
voyage to Islay to get the engagement completed. He left behind, in
the castle of Duart, Reginald Mac-James, one of the hostages, whom he
put in fetters, and took the other to accompany him on his voyage.
Having arrived in the isle of Islay, he encamped at Eilean-Gorm, a
ruinous castle upon the Rhinns of Islay which castle had been lately
in the possession of the clan Lean. Angus Macdonald was residing at
the time at the house of Mulindry or Mullindhrea, a comfortable and
well-furnished residence belonging to him on the island, and to
which he invited Sir Lauchlan, under the pretence of affording him
better accommodation, and providing him with better provisions than
he could obtain in his camp; but Sir Lauchlan, having his suspicions,
declined to accept the invitation. “There wes,” says Sir Robert
Gordon, “so little trust on either syd, that they did not now meit
in friendship or amitie, bot vpon ther owne guard, or rather by
messingers, one from another. And true it is (sayeth John Colwin, in
his manuscript) that the islanders are, of nature, verie suspicious;
full of invention against ther nighbours, by whatsoever way they may
get them destroyed. Besyds this, they are bent and eager in taking
revenge, that neither have they regaird to persone, tyme, aige, nor
cause; and ar generallie so addicted that way (as lykwise are the
most pairt of all Highlanders), that therein they surpasse all other
people whatsoever.”
[Illustration: Castle Duart.]
Sir Lauchlan, however, was thrown off his guard by fair promises,
and agreed to pay Macdonald a visit, and accordingly proceeded
to Mulindry, accompanied by James Macdonald, his own nephew, and
the son of Angus, and 86 of his kinsmen and servants. Maclean and
his party, on their arrival, were received by Macdonald with much
apparent kindness, and were sumptuously entertained dining the whole
day. In the meantime, Macdonald sent notice to all his friends and
well-wishers in the island, to come to his house at nine o’clock
at night, his design being to seize Maclean and his party. At the
usual hour for going to repose, Maclean and his people were lodged
in a long-house, which stood by itself, at some distance from the
other houses. During the whole day Maclean had always kept James
Macdonald, the hostage, within his reach, as a sort of protection
to him in case of an attack, and at going to bed he took him along
with him. About an hour after Maclean and his people had retired,
Angus assembled his men to the number of 300 or 400, and made them
surround the house in which Maclean and his company lay. Then, going
himself to the door, he called upon Maclean, and told him that he
had come to give him his reposing drink, which he had forgotten to
offer him before going to bed. Maclean answered that he did not
wish to drink at that time; but Macdonald insisted that he should
rise and receive the drink, it being, he said, his will that he
should do so. The peremptory tone of Macdonald made Maclean at once
apprehensive of the danger of his situation, and immediately getting
up and placing the boy between his shoulders, prepared to preserve
his life as long as he could with the boy, or to sell it as dearly
as possible. As soon as the door was forced open, James Macdonald,
seeing his father with a naked sword in his hand and a number of his
men armed in the same manner, cried aloud for mercy to Maclean, his
uncle, which being granted, Sir Lauchlan was immediately removed to
a secret chamber, where he remained till next morning. After Maclean
had surrendered, Angus Macdonald announced to those within the house,
that if they would come without their lives would be spared; but he
excepted Macdonald Terreagh and another individual whom he named.
The whole, with the exception of these two, having complied, the
house was immediately set on fire, and consumed along with Macdonald
Terreagh and his companion. The former was one of the clan Donald of
the Western Islands, and not only had assisted the clan Lean against
his own tribe, but was also the originator, as we have seen, of all
these disturbances; and the latter was a near kinsman to Maclean, one
of the oldest of the clan, and celebrated for his wisdom and prowess.
This affair took place in the month of July, 1586.
[Illustration: MACLEAN. (Tartan)]
When the intelligence of the seizure of Sir Lauchlan Maclean reached
the Isle of Mull, Allan Maclean, who was the nearest kinsman to
Maclean, whose children were then very young, bethought himself of an
expedient to obtain the possessions of Sir Lauchlan. In conjunction
with his friends, Allan caused a false report to be spread in the
island of Islay, that the friends of Maclean had killed Reginald
Mac-James, the remaining hostage at Duart in Mull, by means of which
he hoped that Angus Macdonald would be moved to kill Sir Lauchlan,
and thereby enable him (Allan) to supply his place. But although this
device did not succeed, it proved very disastrous to Sir Lauchlan’s
friends and followers, who were beheaded in pairs by Coll Mac-James,
the brother of Angus Macdonald.
The friends of Sir Lauchlan seeing no hopes of his release, applied
to the Earl of Argyle to assist them in a contemplated attempt
to rescue him out of the hands of Angus Macdonald; but the earl,
perceiving the utter hopelessness of such an attempt with such forces
as he and they could command, advised them to complain to King
James VI. against Angus Macdonald, for the seizure and detention of
their chief. The king immediately directed that Macdonald should be
summoned by a herald-at-arms to deliver up Sir Lauchlan into the
hands of the Earl of Argyle; but the herald was interrupted in the
performance of his duty, not being able to procure shipping for
Islay, and was obliged to return home. The Earl of Argyle had then
recourse to negotiation with Macdonald, and, after considerable
trouble, he prevailed on him to release Sir Lauchlan on certain
strict conditions, but not until Reginald Mac-James, the brother of
Angus, had been delivered up, and the earl, for performance of the
conditions agreed upon, had given his own son, and the son of Macleod
of Harris, as hostages. But Maclean, quite regardless of the safety
of the hostages, and in open violation of the engagements he had
come under, on hearing that Angus Macdonald had gone on a visit to
the clan Donald of the glens in Ireland, invaded Isla, which he laid
waste, and pursued those who had assisted in his capture.
On his return from Ireland, Angus Macdonald made great preparations
for inflicting a just chastisement upon Maclean. Collecting a large
body of men, and much shipping, he invaded Mull and Tiree, carrying
havoc and destruction along with him, and destroying every human
being and every domestic animal, of whatever kind. While Macdonald
was committing these ravages in Mull and Tiree, Maclean, instead of
opposing him, invaded Kintyre, where he took ample retaliation by
wasting and burning a great part of that country. In this manner did
these hostile clans continue, for a considerable period, mutually to
vex and destroy one another, till they were almost exterminated, root
and branch.
In order to strengthen his own power and to weaken that of his
antagonist, Sir Lauchlan Maclean attempted to detach John Mac-Iain,
of Ardnamurchan, from Angus Macdonald and his party. Mac-Iain had
formerly been an unsuccessful suitor for the hand of Maclean’s
mother, and Sir Hector now gave him an invitation to visit him
in Mull, promising, at the same time, to give him his mother in
marriage. Mac-Iain accepted the invitation, and on his arrival
in Mull, Maclean prevailed on his mother to marry Mac-Iain, and
the nuptials were accordingly celebrated at Torloisk in Mull. No
persuasion, however, could induce Mac-Iain to join against his own
tribe, towards which, notwithstanding his matrimonial alliance, he
entertained the strongest affection. Chagrined at the unexpected
refusal of Mac-Iain, Sir Lauchlan resolved to punish his refractory
guest by one of those gross infringements of the laws of hospitality
which so often marked the hostility of rival clans. During the dead
hour of the night he caused the door of Mac-Iain’s bedchamber to
be forced open, dragged him from his bed, and from the arms of his
wife, and put him in close confinement, after killing eighteen of his
followers. After suffering a year’s captivity, he was released and
exchanged for Maclean’s son, and the other hostages in Macdonald’s
possession.
The dissensions between these two tribes having attracted the
attention of government, the rival chiefs were induced, partly by
command of the king, and partly by persuasions and fair promises,
to come to Edinburgh in the year 1592, for the purpose of having
their differences reconciled. On their arrival they were committed
prisoners to the castle of Edinburgh, but were soon released and
allowed to return home on payment of a small pecuniary fine, “and a
shamfull remission,” says Sir Robert Gordon, “granted to either of
them.”[187]
In the year 1587, the flames of discord, which had lain dormant for
a short time, burst forth between the rival houses of Sutherland and
Caithness. In the year 1583, Alexander, Earl of Sutherland, obtained
from the Earl of Huntly a grant of the superiority of Strathnaver,
and of the heritable sheriffship of Sutherland and Strathnaver, which
last was granted in lieu of the lordship of Aboyne. This grant was
confirmed by his Majesty in a charter under the great seal, by which
Sutherland and Strathnaver were disjoined and dismembered from the
sheriffdom of Inverness. As the strength and influence of the Earl
of Sutherland were greatly increased by the power and authority
with which the superiority of Strathnaver invested him, the Earl of
Caithness used the most urgent entreaties with the Earl of Huntly,
who was his brother-in-law, to recall the gift of the superiority
which he had granted to the Earl of Sutherland, and confer the
same on him. The Earl of Huntly gave no decided answer to this
application, although he seemed rather to listen with a favourable
ear to his brother-in-law’s request. The Earl of Sutherland having
been made aware of his rival’s pretensions, and of the reception
which he had met with from the Earl of Huntly, immediately notified
to Huntly that he would never restore the superiority either to him
or to the Earl of Caithness, as the bargain he had made with him had
been long finally concluded. The Earl of Huntly was much offended at
this notice, but he and the Earl of Sutherland were soon reconciled
through the mediation of Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindun.
Disappointed in his views of obtaining the superiority in question,
the Earl of Caithness seized the first opportunity, which
presented itself, of quarrelling with the Earl of Sutherland,
and he now thought that a suitable occasion had occurred. George
Gordon, a bastard son of Gilbert Gordon of Gartay, having offered
many indignities to the Earl of Caithness, the Earl, instead of
complaining to the Earl of Sutherland, in whose service this George
Gordon was, craved satisfaction and redress from the Earl of
Huntly. Huntly very properly desired the Earl of Caithness to lay
his complaint before the Earl of Sutherland; but this he declined
to do, disdaining to seek redress from Earl Alexander. Encouraged,
probably, by the refusal of the Earl of Huntly to interfere, and the
stubbornness of the Earl of Caithness to ask redress from his master,
George Gordon, who resided in the town of Marle in Strathully, on the
borders of Caithness, not satisfied with the indignities which he had
formerly shown to the Earl of Caithness, cut off the tails of the
earl’s horses as they were passing the river of Helmsdale under the
care of his servants, on their journey from Caithness to Edinburgh,
and in derision desired the earl’s servants to show him what he had
done.
This George Gordon, it would appear, led a very irregular and wicked
course of life, and shortly after the occurrence we have just
related, a circumstance happened which induced the Earl of Caithness
to take redress at his own hands. George Gordon had incurred the
displeasure of the Earl of Sutherland by an unlawful connexion with
his wife’s sister, and as he had no hopes of regaining the earl’s
favour but by renouncing this impure intercourse, he sent Patrick
Gordon, his brother, to the Earl of Caithness to endeavour to
effect a reconciliation with him, as he could no longer rely upon
the protection of his master, the Earl of Sutherland. The Earl
of Caithness, who felt an inward satisfaction at hearing of the
displeasure of the Earl of Sutherland with George Gordon, dissembled
his feelings, and pretended to listen with great favour to the
request of Patrick Gordon, in order to throw George Gordon off his
guard, while he was in reality meditating his destruction. The _ruse_
succeeded so effectually, that although Gordon received timeous
notice, from some friends, of the intentions of the earl to attack
him, he reposed in false security upon the promises held out to
him, and made no provision for his personal safety. But he was soon
undeceived by the appearance of the earl and a body of men, who,
in February, 1587, entering Marle under the silence of the night,
surrounded his house and required him to surrender, which he refused
to do. Having cut his way through his enemies and thrown himself into
the river of Helmsdale, which he attempted to swim across, he was
slain by a shower of arrows.
The Earl of Sutherland, though he disliked the conduct of George
Gordon, was highly incensed at his death, and made great preparations
to punish the Earl of Caithness for his attack upon Gordon. The Earl
of Caithness in his turn assembled his whole forces, and, being
joined by Mackay and the Strathnaver men, together with John, the
Master of Orkney, and the Earl of Carrick, brother of Patrick, Earl
of Orkney, and some of his countrymen, marched to Helmsdale to meet
the Earl of Sutherland. As soon as the latter heard of the advance
of the Earl of Caithness, he also proceeded towards Helmsdale,
accompanied by Mackintosh, Roderick Mackenzie of Redcastle, Hector
Monroe of Contaligh, and Neill Houcheonson, with the men of Assynt.
On his arrival at the river of Helmsdale, the Earl of Sutherland
found the enemy encamped on the opposite side. Neither party seemed
inclined to come to a general engagement, but contented themselves
with daily skirmishes, annoying each other with guns and arrows
from the opposite banks of the river. The Sutherland men, who were
very expert archers, annoyed the Caithness men so much, as to force
them to break up their camp on the river side and to remove among
the rocks above the village of Easter Helmsdale. Mackay and his
countrymen were encamped on the river of Marle, and in order to
detach him from the Earl of Caithness, Macintosh crossed that river
and had a private conference with him. After reminding him of the
friendship which had so long subsisted between his ancestors and the
Sutherland family, Macintosh endeavoured to impress upon his mind the
danger he incurred by taking up arms against his own superior the
Earl of Sutherland, and entreated him, for his own sake, to join the
earl; but Mackay remained inflexible.
By the mediation of mutual friends, the two earls agreed to a
temporary truce on the 9th of March, 1587, and thus the effusion of
human blood was stopped for a short time. As Mackay was the vassal
of the Earl of Sutherland, the latter refused to comprehend him
in the truce, and insisted upon an unconditional submission, but
Mackay obstinately refused to do so, and returned home to his own
country, highly chagrined that the Earl of Caithness, for whom he
had put his life and estate in jeopardy, should have acceded to
the Earl of Sutherland’s request to exclude him from the benefit
of the truce. Before the two earls separated they came to a mutual
understanding to reduce Mackay to obedience; and that he might not
suspect their design, they agreed to meet at Edinburgh for the
purpose of concerting the necessary measures together. Accordingly,
they held a meeting at the appointed place in the year 1588, and
came to the resolution to attack Mackay; and to prevent Mackay from
receiving any intelligence of their design, both parties swore to
keep the same secret; but the Earl of Caithness, regardless of his
oath, immediately sent notice to Mackay of the intended attack,
for the purpose of enabling him to meet it. Instead, however, of
following the Earl of Caithness’s advice, Mackay, justly dreading
his hollow friendship, made haste, by the advice of Macintosh and
the Laird of Foulis, to reconcile himself to the Earl of Sutherland,
his superior, by an immediate submission. For this purpose he and
the earl first met at Inverness, and after conferring together they
made another appointment to meet at Elgin, where a perfect and final
reconciliation took place in the month of November, 1588.
FOOTNOTES:
[164] Sir Robert Gordon, p. 90.
[165] Sir R. Gordon, p. 92.
[166] Sir R. Gordon, p. 93.
[167] Sir R. Gordon, pp. 96, 97.
[168] Sir R. Gordon, p. 97.
[169] It was this excellent Bishop who built, at his own expense,
the beautiful bridge of seven arches on the Dee, near Aberdeen. The
Episcopal arms cut on some of the stones are almost as entire as when
chiselled by the hands of the sculptor.
[170] _Hist. of Scotland_, p. 137.
[171] P. 99.
[172] This is the number given by Bishop Lesley, whose account must
be preferred to that of Sir R. Gordon, who states it at upwards of
200, as the Bishop lived about a century before Sir Robert.
[173] Sir R. Gordon, p. 100.
[174] _Hist._, p. 138.
[175] Lesley, p. 184.--Sir R. Gordon, pp. 109, 110.--Shaw’s _Moray_,
pp. 265, 266.
[176] Sir R. Gordon, p. 133.
[177] Lesley, p. 251.
[178] Sir R. Gordon, p. 136.
[179] Sir R. Gordon, p. 147.
[180] Sir R. Gordon, p. 154.
[181] Sir R. Gordon, p. 155.
[182] Sir R. Gordon, p. 156.
[183] Sir R. Gordon, p. 173.
[184] _History_, p. 174.
[185] See Spalding Club _Miscellany_, vol. ii. p. 83.
[186] Sir R. Gordon, p. 185.
[187] _History_, p. 192.