The Feuds of the Clans

[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

The Feuds of the Clans
by Alexander MacGregor
[1907]



This is an account of the feuds of the Highlanders of Scotland. While most feuds stem from trivial causes, they have always been a source for high literature, from the Iliad to the Mahabharata. These Scottish feuds take on an epic quality of their own, as they play out their grim logic of retribution.


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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

The

Feuds of the Clans

BY THE

Rev. ALEXANDER MACGREGOR, M.A.

TOGETHER WITH

THE HISTORY

OF THE

FEUDS AND CONFLICTS

AMONG THE CLANS

IN THE NORTHERN PARTS OF SCOTLAND

AND IN THE WESTERN ISLES,

FROM THE YEAR MXXXI UNTO MDCXIX

First published in 1764 "from a MS. wrote in the reign of King James VI."

STIRLING:

ENEAS MACKAY, 43 MURRAY PLACE

[1907]

Printed at the Sentinel Press, Stirling.

[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

NOTE.

The first part of this book was written by the late Rev. Alexander Macgregor, M.A., on 21st October, 1875, and delivered as a lecture to the Working Men's Club at Inverness on 19th November, 1875.

The second part is from a MS. written in the reign of King James VI., and first published in 1764 by Messrs. Foulis, Glasgow; reprinted by Messrs. Robertson, Glasgow, in 1780; and again reprinted in Miscellanea Scotica, Vols. I.–II., 1818. It was also reprinted in the Celtic Magazine, Vol. XI., 1885–1886.



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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

CONTENTS.

 PAGE
 
The Feuds of the Clans,
 1
 
The Description of Sutherland,
 51
 
Conflicts—
 
 
   The Conflict of Drumilea,
 53
 
   The Conflict of Embo,
 54
 
   The Conflict of Bealach-na-Broige,
 55
 
   The Conflict of Clachnaharry,
 56
 
   The Conflict of Clan Chattan and Clan Kay,
 58
 
   The Conflict of Tuiteam-Tarbhach,
 59
 
   The Conflict of Lon-Harpasdal.
 61
 
   The Conflict of Druimnacoub,
 61
 
   The Conflict of Ruaig-Shansaid,
 65
 
   The Conflict of Blar-Tannie,
 66
 
   The Conflict of Blar-na-Pairc,
 67
 
   The Conflicts of Skibo and Strathfleet,
 68
 
   The Crowner Slain by the Keiths in the Chapel of St. Tayre,
 69
 
   The Conflict of Aldicharrish,
 70
 
   The Skirmish of Dail-Riabhach,
 72
 
   The Conflict of Torran Dubh,
 73
 
   The Conflict of Alltan-Beath,
 75
 
   The Conflict of Garbharry,
 77
 
p. viii
 
 
 
 PAGE
 
Conflicts (continued)—
 
 
   The Burning of the Dornoch Cathedral,
 79
 
   The Conflicts of Allt-Gamhna and Leckmelm,
 82
 
   Troubles in the Western Isles in the Year 1586,
 84
 
   The Troubles Between Sutherland and Caithness in 1587–90,
 96
 
   The Troubles Between the Earls of Huntly and Moray,
 101
 
   The Troubles Betwixt the Forbeses and the Cordons in the Years 1571 and 1572,
 120
 
   The Brig of Dee,
 129
 
   A Tumult in Ross in 1597,
 131
 
   The Death of Sir Lauchlan Maclean in 1598,
 132
 
   Troubles in the West Isles Betwixt the Clan Donald and the Siol Tormoit in 1601,
 136
 
   The Troubles Between Lord Kintail and Glengarry,
 140
 
   Troubles in the Island of Raasay in 1611,
 141
 
   The Troubles of the Lewis,
 145
 
   Some Troubles Betwixt Sutherland and Caithness in 1612,
 156
 
   The Spanish Blanks, and What Follows Thereupon,
 160
 



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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

The Highlands and Islands have in no previous age received greater attention, in regard to their natural beauties, than in these latter times. Until within the last thirty or forty years these romantic territories were almost a terra incognita to such tourists as now frequent them in hundreds, and were known only to the natives, and to such as, in piratical and feudal times, made bloody inroads upon them. Until of comparatively late years, those interesting localities were next thing to inaccessible to the southerns from the want of roads, and of all sorts of public conveyances. Indeed, of old, few tourists ever thought for a moment of crossing the Moray Frith, but still fewer were even aware of the splendid scenery that is to be found, towards the western coasts of Inverness, Ross,

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

and Sutherland shires, and the many interesting isles that lie beyond. Even still, there are many lakes, mountains, and localities of interest that remain but very partially explored in Coigeach, Assynt, and the internal regions of the county of Sutherland. It is but of late that the singular natural embrasures of the beautiful Loch Maree have been seen. Until within the last few years the rough country pathway was quite impassable for, wheeled carriages of every description, and even to the traveller, if a stranger, it was anything but pleasant. The consequence was that few indeed had ever seen it but the natives alone. Pennant and M‘Culloch are, we believe, the only two scientific men who, until of late years, had visited it. But how rich the reward when attained! The mountains around the lake are of great height, and of a beautifully characterised and irregular outline. The shores present an immense variety of very interesting and romantic scenery. In fact, the mountains, and the loch, with its many islands, are among the finest specimens of the grand and picturesque to be found in Scotland.

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

and Sutherland shires, and the many interesting isles that lie beyond. Even still, there are many lakes, mountains, and localities of interest that remain but very partially explored in Coigeach, Assynt, and the internal regions of the county of Sutherland. It is but of late that the singular natural embrasures of the beautiful Loch Maree have been seen. Until within the last few years the rough country pathway was quite impassable for, wheeled carriages of every description, and even to the traveller, if a stranger, it was anything but pleasant. The consequence was that few indeed had ever seen it but the natives alone. Pennant and M‘Culloch are, we believe, the only two scientific men who, until of late years, had visited it. But how rich the reward when attained! The mountains around the lake are of great height, and of a beautifully characterised and irregular outline. The shores present an immense variety of very interesting and romantic scenery. In fact, the mountains, and the loch, with its many islands, are among the finest specimens of the grand and picturesque to be found in Scotland.

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

of the Highland, Sutherland, Caithness, and Skye Railways, which have opened up more of the Highlands and Islands in a few years than has ever been done before. By means of these enterprising Companies, cheap and easy access can now be had to every parish and province in the far north and west. The most distant corners of the land, from John o’ Groat's to the Butt of Lewis, are brought within the range of a day's journey. Mountains and lakes, glens and dales, forests and plains, may be seen gliding past as if in a panoramic view when the inexhaustible iron horse speeds its rapid course along. Railways will create a revolution in the manners, customs, and language of the Highlands and Islands. Whilst our Gaelic Societies and our Celtic enthusiasts are straining their efforts to the utmost to prolong the existence and to preserve the speaking of the Gaelic tongue, the iron-horse alone is more powerful to counteract than are all their efforts to foster the progress of the Celtic language. The railway, although unintentionally, will do more to undermine the advancement of the Celtic as a spoken language in the Highlands

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

than a battalion of Blackies around a Celtic chair, or delivering eloquent lectures in every Highland town and parish, can possibly achieve to cherish it. In one point of view this is to be regretted, but in another it is not. Every philanthropist must acknowledge that two different languages spoken in two sections of a kingdom cannot tend to the civilisation of those who speak not the language of the nation at large. The sooner the sections become amalgamated and assimilated to each other in customs and language the better. The Highlanders are now, and ever were, faithful and fearless, and it is surely very delightful to see such qualities still existing in all their pristine strength, and existing, too, without that alloy of fierceness and ferocity which characterised them in the turbulence of feudal times. The Highlanders had their faults, no doubt, but a peculiar political situation was the cause of their faults, and that which swept away the cause has rendered the effects a tale of olden times.

I have said that the railway has opened up the romantic recesses of Skye and the

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

other isles to the delighted tourist, but another cause has operated powerfully to attract numberless sight-seers to the "Isle of Mist" to witness not only many points of attraction, but likewise other localities which, in olden times, were the scenes of many skirmishes and bloody feuds. That other cause is simply this—the eloquent, graphic, racy description of Skye given by my good friend, Sheriff Alexander Nicolson of Kirkcudbright, in his late articles contributed to "Good Words." Himself a son of the "Isle of Mist," gentle and generous, clannish and kind-hearted, to the back-bone a Highlander, the account given by him of his native isle is worthy of himself. The learned Sheriff has likewise published lately in a monthly periodical called the "Gael," a beautiful poetical description of Skye scenery, both in Gaelic and English, of which I may give a brief specimen in each of these languages. The learned gentleman says in Gaelic:—


An toigh leat na beanntan mòr,
  Cruachan ’s na neoil gu h-ard?
Coireachan, frithean, dachaidh an fhìr-eoin,
  ’San cluinnear na h-easan a’ gàir'.

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

An toil leat na glacagan grianach,
  Innìsean sgiamhach na’m bò,
Iuàghan ’bheir fonn ri guth nan tonn?
  Siubhail gu Innis a’ cheò!

Translated—


Lovest thou mountains great,
  Peaks to the clouds that soar,
Corrie and fell, where eagles dwell,
  And cataracts dash evermore?

Lovest thou green grassy glades,
  By the sunshine sweetly kist,—
Murmuring waves and echoing caves?
  Then go to the "Isle of Mist."


Of Cor-uisge and Quiraing the Sheriff says:—


An Coruisg chi thu sud fo dhùbh-ghrùaim,
  Cùl-uamhais measg strìth nan dùl;
’Nuair bhriseas an torunn le fuaim na doininn,
  Is màirg nach lùbadh an glùn!

Is chi thu ard-iogbnadh Chuith-Fhràing,
  Le bhaidealan aibheiseach mòr,—
’San Stòrr cho cas le bhinneinean glas,
  Eadar do shealladh ’sna neoil.


Translated—


There frowns the dark Coruisg,
  Which made the great Wizard wonder,
Even Voltaire might heve worshipped there,
  Methinks, in the time of thunder!

There towers the wild Quiraing,
  With its battlements grim and high,
And the mighty Stòrr, with its pinnacles hoar,
  Standing against the sky!


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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

If these lofty pinnacles had tongues to speak, what tales might they relate of the many bloody frays and desperate struggles that took place at their bases in the days of yore. No doubt the aborigines of this and the surrounding Isles had early to defend themselves against the incursions of foreign enemies. The aboriginal people, according to tradition, were a mixture of the ancient Caledonians, or Picts, and the Albanaich, or first settlers of what is now known as the Kingdom of Scotland. The general character of the original population must have been considerably changed by the influx of the Scandinavian enemies, under the command of their sovereigns, the Vikingr, or piratical Kings from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. These Scandinavian rovers appeared on the east coast of England about the year 785, and a hundred years before they obtained a footing in the Western Isles, which they overcame after much hard. fighting, and added them to the Crown of Norway. The Islesmen had great cause to deplore the barbarities of their new oppressors. They destroyed their "cills," or places of worship, which the

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

Culdees had erected some centuries before, and caused desolations and ravages of the most sweeping description in every quarter. Even still, tradition makes mention of the scenes of desperate fights with their piratical foes from the north, although the coasts were well fortified with strong "Dùns," or fortresses, the ruins of which are still distinctly visible. It would be needless, in the meantime, to attempt making mention of the succession of Vikingr, or Kings of the Isles, who reigned therein for several hundreds of years; in short, up to the beginning of the twelfth century, when the powerful dynasty of MacDhòmhnuill, or the Lords of the Isles, had their origin. MacDhòmhnuill was also designated as "Righ nan Eilean," that is, King of the Isles. This great and warlike family sprung from Somerled, Lord of Argyle, and were for a succession of centuries justly renowned for their many achievements and military prowess. At the beginning of the twelfth century, Olave the Red, King of Man, extended his dominion over all the Hebride Isles. He was succeeded by Godred the Black, and one of his daughters, Ragnhildis,

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

was married to Somerled, King of the Isles, in 1140. From this marriage, therefore, sprung the celebrated dynasty, so well known in the history of our Kingdom as the Lords of the Isles.

The original population of the Hebride Isles, whether Pictish or Scottish, in the reign of Kenneth MacAlpine, must have been materially changed by the perpetual inroads and settlements of the warlike Scandinavians. During the two hundred years that intervened from the time of Harold Harfager to that of Olave the Red, the Western Isles were all along the scenes of wars and bloody engagements with their northern invaders. This change in the population must have been perceptible among all classes, but particularly so in the higher ranks, from the natural tendency of invaders to make their possessions more secure by means of matrimonial alliances with the aboriginal natives. That such was the case is well known from the patronimical names of the inhabitants in subsequent ages. It has, therefore, come to pass that at this early date Celts and Scandinavians became amalgamated, and, as it were, of one blood.

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[Goddess of Peace, Justice & Order]

 It cannot well be ascertained to what extent this mixture was carried, but it would appear that the Celtic race must have predominated, from the fact that the Celtic tongue entirely prevailed, with the exception of the names of localities, which are almost altogether Scandinavian.

Having shortly spoken of the inhabitants of the Western Isles as we find them in the beginning of the twelfth century, I will now briefly allude to the rise, progress, and fall of the powerful dynasty of the Lords of the Isles, and the more so from the circumstance that the influence of that warlike sept extended itself in diversified ramifications throughout not only the Western Isles, but over the length and breadth of Scotland. Before entering on the consideration of any of the feuds that disturbed the peace of the Highlands and Islands, it would be well to consider that the history of this portion of Scotland naturally divides itself into three distinct periods. The first part may embrace its early history and the rise and fall of the great lordship of the Isles; the second part may relate to the various feuds which arose after

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