Skip to main content

Full text of "Urquhart and Glenmoriston; olden times in a Highland parish"

See other formats 


Presented  to  the 

LIBRARY  of  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO 

by 

JOSEPH  BUIST 


URQUHART    AND   GLENMORISTON 


n 
URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

OLDEN    TIMES 


IN   A 


HIGHLAND    PARISH 


BY 

r\ 

WILLIAM    MACKAY,    LL.D. 


SECOND   EDITION 


41  Remember  the  days  of  old,  consider  the  years  of  many  generations." 
Deut.  xxxii.  7 


THE  NORTHERN  COUNTIES  NEWSPAPER  AND  PRINTING  AND 
PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  LIMITED 

1914 


PRINTED  AT 
NORTHERN  CHRONICLE 
INVERNESS 


WILLIAM     MACKAY,      LL.D. 


PREFACE  TO   THE   FIRST  EDITION 


THE  following  pages  are  the  result  of  much  gathering, 
begun  during  my  school  and  college  days,  of  the 
traditions  and  legends  and  songs  of  my  native 
Parish,  and  of  much  searching,  in  more  recent 
years,  for  written  records  referring  to  it.  I  have 
endeavoured  to  give  in  them  a  plain  and  accurate 
account  of  the  Olden  Times,  and  a  true  picture  of 
the  Past.  The  work  is,  however,  that  of  a  novice 
in  book-writing,  who  has  written  it,  for  his  own 
diversion  and  recreation,  during  hours  of  freedom 
from  the  labours  and  anxieties  of  a  busy  profes- 
sional life;  and,  while  no  effort  has  been  spared  to 
ensure  accuracy  of  statement,  the  book  is  probably 
not  without  blemishes  of  a  literary  nature  which  it 
might  have  escaped  in  other  hands,  and  under  more 
favourable  circumstances. 

I  have  received  generous  help  in  connection  with 
the  work.  My  parents,  whose  wonderful  store  of 
legend  and  song  first  suggested  it,  and  the  old 
people,  all  over  the  Parish,  whose  tales  at  many  a 
ceilidh  are  still  a  pleasing  recollection,  are  now 


VI  PREFACE 

beyond  the  reach  of  this  expression  of  my  gratitude ; 
and  so  is  The  Chisholm,  who  placed  his  family 
papers  at  my  disposal.  Others  who  helped  are, 
happily,  still  with  us.  To  Caroline,  Countess 
Dowager  of  Seafield,  I  am  specially  indebted, — for 
free  access  to  the  numerous  and  invaluable  ancient 
papers  preserved  at  Castle  Grant.  My  thanks  are 
also  due  to  Mr  Eraser-Mackintosh  of  Drummond, 
for  the  use  of  interesting  documents  in  his  posses- 
sion; to  Dr  Dickson,  Curator  of  the  Historical 
Department,  Eegister  House,  Edinburgh;  Mr  Clark, 
of  the  Advocates'  Library;  Mr  Law,  of  the  Signet 
Library;  the  Eev.  Walter  Macleod,  Edinburgh;  Mr 
Francis  James  Grant,  W.S.,  Edinburgh  (a  worthy 
descendant  of  the  learned  James  Grant  of  Corri- 
mony) ;  the  Clerks  of  the  Synod  of  Moray  and  of 
the  Presbyteries  of  Inverness  and  Abertarff;  and 
the  officials  of  the  Eecord  Office,  London, — for  much 
courtesy  and  aid  in  the  course  of  my  researches;  to 
Provost  Eoss,  Inverness,  for  the  very  successful 
"restoration"  of  the  Castle,  which  forms  the  frontis- 
piece, and  for  the  architectural  description  and 
ground  plan  of  the  Castle;  to  Mr  Mackintosh,  artist, 
Inverness,  for  the  sketches  of  the  Bridge  of  the 
Leap  and  Mac  Uian's  Pool;  to  Mr  Grant  of  Glen- 
moriston,  for  the  loan  of  the  Killicrankie  Shield,  of 
which  an  illustration  is  given,  and  for  the  portrait  of 


PREFACE  Vll 

Patrick  Grant,  the  protector  of  Prince  Charles;  to 
Mrs  Grant,  senior,  of  Glenmoriston,  for  the  drawings 
of  Iain  a'  Chr  again 's  Sword  and  the  Glenmoriston 
Pillory;  to  Miss  Cameron,  late  of  Lakefield,  for  the 
drawing  of , the  Urquhart  Brooch;  to  the  Council  of 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  for  the  illus- 
trations of  the  Balnalick  Urn  and  Bronze  Blade,  and 
of  the  Balmacaan  Sculptured  Stones;  to  Mr  J.  E. 
N.  Macphail,  M.A.,  advocate,  Edinburgh,  who  has, 
at  great  trouble,  revised  almost  all  the  proof-sheets; 
to  Mr  Alexander  Macbain,  M.A.,  Inverness,  who,  in 
connection  with  the  appendix  on  Place-Names,  has 
freely  given  me  out  of  the  abundance  of  his  Celtic 
learning;  to  my  father-in-law,  Mr  John  Mackay, 
Hereford,  author  of  "  Sutherland  Place-Names,"  for 
valuable  suggestions  on  the  same  subject;  and  to 
my  Wife,  who  has  relieved  me  of  much  of  the  labour 
connected  with  the  transcription  of  old  writings. 

It  has  been  the  will  of  Fate  that  the  story  of  the 
Parish  should  be  told  by  the  last  man  who  has  a 
home  or  a  holding  in  it  of  a  family  who,  for  centuries, 
acted  some  little  part  in  that  story.  I  hope  I  am 
doing  the  old  place  a  service  and  not  a  wrong  by 
publishing  it.  I  trust,  also,  that  no  one  will 
find  cause  of  offence  in  anything  I  have  recorded 
concerning  his  or  her  forefathers.  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  historian,  however  humble  he  or  his  subject  may 


Vlll  PREFACE 

be,  to  tell  his  tale  truthfully  and  without  favour; 
and  I  have,  in  endeavouring  to  act  up  to  that 
duty,  experienced  the  pain  of  having  to  record 
unpleasant  things,  not  only  about  my  own  forbears, 
but  also  regarding  ancestors  and  relatives  of  some 
of  my  best  friends  on  earth.  The  only  comforting 
reflection  is  that  the  men  of  the  Past  ought  not  to 
be  judged  by  the  moral  standard  of  the  Present. 


WILLIAM  MACKAY. 


CRAIGMONIE,  INVERNESS, 
Christmas,  1893. 


NOTE  TO   SECOND   EDITION 

THE  first  edition  having  for  some  time  been  out  of 
print,  the  Publishers  find  themselves  encouraged  to 
issue  a  second.  A  few  necessary  corrections  have 
been  made,  and  here  and  there  new  information  has 
been  given.  Mr  W.  J.  Watson,  LL.D.,  author  of 
1  Place-Names  of  Boss  and  Cromarty,"  has  read  the 
proofs  of  the  Appendix  on  Place-Names,  and  I  am 
indebted  to  him  for  valuable  suggestions  on  difficult 
and  doubtful  points. 

WILLIAM  MACKAY. 

CRAIGMONIE,  INVERNESS, 
March,  1914. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER     I 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— BEFOEE  1296 

PAGE 

The  Early  Ages. — Physical  and  Climatic  Changes. — Early  Man. — 
The  Caledonii.— The  Picts.— Urchard  in  Moravia.— The 
Legendary  Origin  of  Loch  Ness. — The  Children  of  Uisneach. 
—The  Wars  of  the  Picts.— The  End  of  their  Kingdom.— 
Incursions  of  the  Norse. — Monie,  Son  of  the  King  of 
Scandinavia. — The  Conflict  of  Craigmonie. — The  Risings  of 
the  Moraymen. — Conachar  in  Urquhart. — The  Big  Dog  and 
the  Wild  Boar. — Origin  of  the  Forbeses,  Mackays,  and 
Urquharts. — The  Harrying  of  the  Church  Lands. — The  Pope's 
Protection  to  the  Church  of  Urquhart. — Gillespic  Mac- 
Scolane's  Deeds  and  Death. — Urquhart  Granted  to  Thomas 
Durward. — Sir  Alan  Durward. — Dispute  regarding  Church 
Lands. — The  Settlement. — Sir  Alan's  Death. — The  Cummings  1 

CHAPTER     II 
OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1296  TO  1362 

Edward  I.  invades  Scotland. — John  of  Glen-Urquhart. — Urquliart 
Castle  taken  by  the  English. — Sir  William  Fitzwarine  Con- 
stable.— He  is  harassed  by  Andrew  Moray. — A  Sabbath  Day's 
Journey  and  Fight. — The  Countess  of  Ross  in  Urquhart. — 
Moray  Besieges  the  Castle. — Death  of  William  Puer  and 
Fitzwarine's  Son. — An  Army  of  Relief. — The  King's  Instruc- 
tions.— Fitzwarine's  Letter  to  the  King. — Sir  William 
Wallace. — The  English  expelled  from  Urquhart. — Forbes 
Constable. — Fitzwarine  in  Prison. — His  Wife's  Devotion. — 
Edward's  Great  Invasion. — The  English  again  in  Urquhart. — 
Forbes  and  his  Garrison  put  to  the  Sword. — His  Wife's 
Escape. — Sir  Alexander  Gumming  Constable. — Bruce. — 
Thomas  Randolph  Proprietor  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. 
— His  Highland  Followers. — His  Regency  and  Administration 
of  Justice. — His  Murder. — Death  of  his  Son,  Thomas 
Randolph.— John  Randolph. — Sir  Robert  Lauder  holds  the 


CONTENTS 

PAQ« 

Castle  against  Baliol. — His  Visitors  at  the  Castle. — Sir  Eobert 
Chisholm. — John  Randolph  Slain,  and  Chisholm  made 
Prisoner. — Chisholm  Constable  of  the  Castle. — Death  of 
Lander. — His  Character 1$ 


CHAPTER     III 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1346  TO  1455 
The  Barony  of  Urquhart  reverts  to  the  Crown. — Is  granted  to  the 
Earl  of  Sutherland. — Acquired  by  the  Earl  of  Stratherne. — 
Sir  Robert  Chisholm. — His  Urquhart  Possessions  go  to  the 
Wolf  of  Badenoch. — Stratherne  lets  the  Barony  to  the  Wolf. 
—The  Wolf  withholds  the  Rent. — A  Royal  Quarrel. — Appeal 
to  the  King. — The  Wolf  and  the  Bishop. — The  Burning  of 
Elgin  Cathedral.— Thomas  Chisholm.— The  Wolf's  Death.— 
Scramble  for  his  Possessions. — Urquhart  seized  by  Donald  of 
the  Isles. — Charles  Maclean. — Parliament  deals  with  the 
Castle. — The  Red  Harlaw. — The  Barony  possessed  by  the  Earl 
of  Mar. — Claimed  by  the  Duke  of  Albany. — A  Compromise. — 
.  The  Castle  repaired  by  the  King.— Death  of  Mar.— The  Lord 
of  the  Isles  seizes  the  Barony.— Hector  Buie  Maclean's 
Exploits. — The  Tragedy  of  Caisteal  Spioradan. — Ogilvy  of 
Balfour  holds  the  Castle  for  the  King. — The  Castle  taken  by 
John  of  the  Isles. — No  Rent. — Parliament  annexes  the  Barony 
and  Castle  to  the  Crown  ........  38 


CHAPTER     IV 
OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1455  TO  1509 

The  Lordship  of  Urquhart  granted  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  for 
Life. — He  and  his  Highlanders  in  England. — His  Rebellion 
and  Attainder. — The  Earl  of  Huntly  in  charge  of  the  Lordship 
and  Castle. — The  Macleans  claim  Urquhart. — Their  Position 
and  Power. — A  Thirty  Years'  War. — The  Lordship  let  to 
the  Baron  of  Kilravock. — Opposition  to  him. — Arbitration. — 
Bonds  of  Friendship. — Strange  League  against  the  Baron. — 
He  throws  up  his  Lease. — The  Parish  Waste. — Sir  Duncan 
Grant  to  the  Rescue. — His  connection  with  the  District. — The 
Conflict  of  Foyers. — The  Red  Bard  in  Urquhart. — Struggle 
for  the  Lordship. — Lease  to  the  Bard. — The  Bard  King's 
Chamberlain. — He  trades  with  the  King. — The  Lordship 
granted  to  Himself  and  his  Sons  absolutely. — The  reasons 
for  the  Grants  59- 


CONTENTS  XI 

CHAPTER     V 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1509  TO  1535 

PAQB 

The  Charters  of  1509. — The  New  Baronies  of  Urquhart,  Corrimony, 
and  Glenmoriston. — Eeservation  of  Church  Lands. — The 
Proprietors'  Duties  and  Services  to  the  Crown. — The  Castle 
to  be  added  to  and  Strengthened. — The  Inhabitants  to  be 
Protected. — Waste  Lands  to  be  Eeclaimed. — The  King's  High- 
way to  be  Improved. — Bridges  to  be  Maintained. — Hemp  and 
Flax  to  be  Cultivated. — Strange  Division  of  the  Parish. — 
Gradual  re-adjustment  of  Marches. — Troubles  with  the 
Inhabitants. — Troubles  with  the  Crown. — Compositions  for 
Crimes. — The  Last  of  the  Macleans. — Invasion  of  Sir  Donald 
of  Lochalsh. — A  Large  Booty. — Prices  of  the  Period. — The 
Bard's  Proceedings  against  Sir  Donald. — The  Bard's  Treaty 
with  Lochiel. — Death  of  the  Bard. — Seumas  nan  Creach. — 
Barbarous  Decree  against  the  Clan  Chattan. — Urquhart 
exempted  from  the  jurisdiction  of  Local  Courts  .  .  .77 

CHAPTER     VI 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1535  TO  1560 
Troubles  in  the  Western  Highlands. — Feud  between  Ranald  Gallda 
and  John  of  Moidart. — The  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston 
assist  Ranald. — Battle  of  Blar-na-Leine. — Glengarry  and 
Lochiel  invade  Glenmoriston  and  Urquhart. — The  Great 
Raid. — The  Spoil  and  the  Despoiled. — Urquhart  Burnt. — 
Incidents  of  the  Raid. — The  Strong  Woman  of  Richraggan. — 
The  Big  Smith  of  Polmaily. — His  Adventures  with  the 
Fairies.— A  Wonderful  Filly.— The  Smith's  Sons  Slain.— 
Legal  Proceedings  against  Glengarry  and  Lochiel. — Their 
Lards  apprised  to  the  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston. — 
Glenmoriston's  Death. — His  Character  and  Influence. — Dis- 
pute regarding  his  Succession. — The  Ballindalloch  Feud. — 
Death  of  the  Laird  of  Grant.— Sad  state  of  the  Country.— The 
Justiciar  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. — A  ghastly  Gift  to 
the  Queen  Regent. — The  Reformation. — The  Church's  Patri- 
mony Alienated. — John  Mackay  acquires  Achmonie. — The 
other  Church  Lands  fall  to  the  Grants  .  .  .  .  .  94 

CHAPTER     VII 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1560  TO  1626 

The  Camerons  and  Clan  Ranald  plan  another  Raid. — Mackintosh 

and   Mackenzie  of   Kintail   ordered   to   protect  the  Parish. — 

League  of  Loyalty  to   Queen  Mary. — The  Men  of   Urquhart 

and   Glenmoriston   in   Arms  for  her. — Their  March  into   the 


XI 1  CONTENTS 

PAGK 
South. — Urquhart    Feu-duties    applied    toward    the    Queen's 

Maintenance  in  Lochleven  Castle. — Patrick  Grant  of  Glen- 
moriston  invades  Ardclach. — He  marries  the  Thane  of 
Cawdor's  Daughter. — The  Thane  builds  Invermoriston  House, 
— Iain  Mor  a'  Chaisteil  of  Glenmoriston. — His  Combat  with 
an  Englishman. — His  Fir  Candles  in  London. — His  Influence 
and  Acquisitions. — Appointed  Chamberlain  of  Urquhart. — 
He  murders  a  Packman. — Criminal  Letters  against  him. — 
Feud  between  the  Macdonalds  and  the  Mackenzies. — The  Raid 
of  Kilchrist. — The  Conflict  of  Lon-na-Fala. — Allan  of  Lundie's 
Leap. — The  Murder  of  the  Mason  of  Meall-a'-Ghro. — Bonds 
of  Friendship  between  the  Laird  of  Grant  and  Glengarry  , 
and  Allan  of  Lundie. — A  Big  Timber  Transaction. — The  Laird 
saves  Allan  .  118 

CHAPTEE     VIII 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1603  TO  1640 
The  Proscribed  Macgregors  seek  Shelter  in  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston.— Their  Harbourers  Fined. — Their  Evil  Influence  on 
the  Men  of  Urquhart. — Doule  Shee's  Raid. — Commission  of 
Fire  and  Sword. — Housebreaking  at  Balmacaan. — The  Carron 
and  Ballindalloch  Feud. — Career  of  Seumas  an  Tuim. — His 
Supporters  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. — The  Castle 
Repaired. — The  Clan  Chattan  in  Urquhart. — Their  Friends 
Prosecuted. — The  Earl  of  Moray  persecutes  Grant  of  Glen- 
moriston.— Grant  visits  the  King,  and  His  Majesty  Intervenes. 
Death  of  Glenmoriston  and  the  Laird  of  Grant. — The  Story 
of  the  Covenant. — The  Covenant  subscribed  by  the  Lairds  of 
Grant  and  Glenmoriston. — Opposed  by  the  Parish  Minister 
and  Lady  Mary  Ogilvy,  Liferentrix  of  Urquhart. — A  Short 
Conflict. — The  Minister  Yields. — Attempts  to  stent  Urquhart 
for  the  Army  of  the  Covenant. — Lady  Mary's  Concessions  .  136 

CHAPTER     IX 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1640  TO  1647 
The  Solemn  League  and  Covenant. — Montrose  and  Alasdair  Mac 
Cholla  Chiataich  take  the  side  of  the  King.— The  Laird  of 
Grant  and  the  Tutor  of  Glenmoriston  hold  aloof. — Alasdair's 
Requisition  on  the  Tutor.— The  Tutor's  Trick.— A  Brilliant 
Campaign. — Battle  of  Inverlochy. — The  Laird  of  Grant  sends 
men  to  Montrose. — The  Covenanters  invade  Glen-Urquhart. — 
Lady  Ogilvy  robbed  and  driven  out  of  the  Parish. — Her 
Appeal  to  her  Son. — Undertaking  to  support  the  King. — 
Montrose's  description  of  the  Laird's  Recruits. — Urquhart 
Men  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Auldearn. — Montrose's  Higli- 


CONTENTS  Xlil 

PAGE 

landers  in  Glen-Urquhart. — Kaid  upon  the  Aird. — Lovat  calls 
upon  The  Chisholm  to  drive  the  Eoyalists  out  of  the  Parish. — 
Disputes  and  Notarial  Writs. — Montrose's  vengeance  on  the 
Frasers. — His  skirmish  in  Glenmoriston. — His  Exile. — Huntly 
takes  the  field  for  the  King. — Middleton  defeats  Huntly  in 
Glenmoriston. — Lady  Ogilvy's  Troubles  and  Death. — Feud 
between  her  tenants  and  those  of  Glenmoriston. — A  Fight  at 
a  Funeral. — Death  of  the  Big  Miller. — The  Condition  of  the 
Castle 150 

CHAPTER     X 

« 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1647  TO  1668 
Landing  of  Charles  II.— He  is  supported  by  the  Laird  of  Grant. — 
Patrick  of  Clunemore  at  Worcester. — The  Fate  of  his  Fol- 
lowers.— Cromwell's  Soldiers  in  the  North. — Glencairn's 
Eising  for  the  King. — Lochiel  and  Kenmure  in  Urquhart. — 
Middleton  supersedes  Glencairn. — Middleton  pursued  by 
Monck. — Monck  in  Glenmoriston  and  Kintail. — Middleton 
defeated. — Dalziel  of  Binns  and  Middleton  in  Glenmoriston  and 
Strathglass. — The  Chisholm  tried  by  Court-Martial,  and  Fined 
and  Imprisoned. — The  English  place  the  First  Ship  on  Loch 
Ness. — The  Story  of  the  Event. — Peace  and  Prosperity. — The 
Eestoration. — The  Caterans  Let  Loose. — The  Hanging  of 
Hector  Maclean. — The  Burning  of  Buntait. — Dispute  between 
Glenmoriston  and  Inshes. — Glenmoriston  Burns  the  Barns 
of  Culcabock. — He  seizes  Inshes  and  keeps  him  Prisoner. — Is 
apprehended  by  the  Eobertsons  of  Struan. — The  Dispute 
settled. — Donald  Donn  and  Mary  Grant. — Donald's  Career, 
Capture,  and  Death  .  166 

CHAPTER     XI 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1668  TO  1690 
The  Laird  of  Grant's  Chamberlain  killed  by  Mackay  of  Achmonie. 
— Mackay  forced  to  surrender  Achmonie  to  the  Laird. — Fatal 
fight  in  Slochd-Muic. — Achmonie  conferred  on  William 
Grant. — Eestored  to  the  Mackays. — Thomas  Grant  of  Bal- 
macaan. — Culduthel's  Eaid  on  Borlum. — The  Castle  repaired. 
—The  Monmouth  Eebellion. — Unsettled  state  of  the  Country. 
— The  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  support  King 
James. — The  Eevolution. — The  Laird  of  Grant  supports 
William  and  Mary. — The  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
adhere  to  James. — Dundee's  Campaign. — The  Camerons'  Eaid 
on  Urquhart. — Quarrels  in  Dundee's  Camp — Killicrankie. — 
Adventures  of  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  in  the 


XIV  CONTENTS 

Battle. — Iain  a'  Chragain's  Troubles. — Invermoriston  House 
Burnt,  and  Glenmoriston  Devastated. — A  Whig  Garrison  in 
Urquhart  Castle. — The  Castle  besieged  by  the  Jacobites. — 
Supplies  for  the  Garrison. — The  Haughs  of  Cromdale. — Close 
of  the  War 191 

CHAPTER     XII 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1690  TO  1708 
The  Parish  Unsettled. — The  Castle  garrisoned  by  the  Whigs. — 
They  Vacate  and  Destroy  it. — Its  Last  Eecord. — Its  Chambers 
of  Treasure  and  Pestilence. — King  William's  Measures  to 
subdue  the  Highlands.  —  Devastation  of  Urquhart.  —  The 
Losses  of  the  Laird  of  Grant  and  his  Tenants. — Compensation 
recommended  by  Parliament,  but  refused  by  the  King. — 
Insecurity  of  Life  and  Property. — Raids  and  Dackerings. — 
Proceedings  against  Achmonie. — Eaids  by  Glenmoriston 
Men  on  Dalcross,  Glencannich,  and  Dunain. — Colonel  Hill 
endeavours  to  stop  their  Adventures. — Horses  stolen  from 
Shewglie.— The  Track  and  its  Eesult.— The  Macmillans  of 
Loch-Arkaig-side  take  a  Spoil  from  Glenmoriston. — The  Fight 
of  Corri-nam-Bronag. — The  Eaid  of  Inchbrine. — The  Conflict 
of  Corribuy. — Death  of  Shewglie. — His  Son's  Revenge. — 
Death  of  Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart 210 

CHAPTER      XIII 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1693  TO  1736 
Fairs  Established  in  Glen-Urquhart. — Erection  of  the  Eegality  of 
Grant. — Sir  Ludovick  Grant  acquires  Abriachan,  Culnakirk, 
and  Clunemore. — He  makes  over  Urquhart  to  Brigadier  Grant. 
— The  Brigadier's  Career. — The  Fifteen. — The  Brigadier  on 
the  side  of  King  George. — The  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston support  the  Chevalier. — Glengarry  and  Glenmoriston 
in  Argyll. — Sheriffmuir. — Keppocli's  Eaid  on  Urquhart. — The 
Brigadier  and  the  Jacobites  of  Urquhart. — Attainder  of  Iain 
a'  Chragain. — Invermoriston  House  Burnt,  and  Glenmoriston 
Forfeited. — The  Forfeited  Estates  Commissioners  and  their 
Difficulties.— The  Court  of  Sir  Patrick  Strachan.— The  Battle 
of  Glenshiel. — The  Commissioners'  Factors. — The  Factors  in 
Glenmoriston. — Patrick  Grant  joins  Donald  Murchison. — The 
Fight  of  Afch-nam-Muileach. — General  Wade. — Fort-Augustus 
Built. — Wade's  Eoads. — Galley  placed  on  Loch  Ness. — Glen- 
moriston purchased  for  Iain  a'  Chragain. — The  Price  and  its 
Application. — Iain  a'  Chragain's  Death. — His  Career  and 
Character  .225 


CONTENTS  XV 

CHAPTER     XIV 

OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1719  TO  1746 

PAGE 

Sir  James  Grant.— The  Forty-Five.— The  Three  Alexanders  of 
Urquhart  support  Prince  Charles. — A  Message  of  Welcome 
to  the  Prince. — Agitation  and  Threatenings. — Jacobite 
Recruits  from  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. — Ludovick  Grant's 
Policy  of  Caution. — The  Prince's  Letter  to  the  Gentlemen  of 
Urquhart. — His  Cause  espoused  by  the  Minister. — A  Sabbath- 
Day's  Meeting  in  support  of  the  Prince. — The  Factor's 
Reports  to  Ludovick. — Ludovick's  Letters  to  the  Factor. — 
Patrick  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  joins  the  Prince. — Their  Firet 
Interview. — Prestonpans. — Colonel  Macdonell's  Demand. — 
Achmonie's  Mission  to  Castle  Grant. — Ludovick's  Message  to 
the  Gentlemen  of  Urquhart. — Macdonell  in  Urquhart. — An 
interrupted  March. — The  Macdonalds  and  the  Erasers  in 
Urquhart. — The  Conference  of  Tornashee. — Doubts  and  Hesita- 
tions.— Corrimouy  and  Achmonie  visit  Ludovick. — The  Earl  of 
Cromartie,  the  Master  of  Lovat,  and  Macdonald  of  Barisdale 
in  the  Parish. — Achmonie's  Undertaking  to  the  Laird  of 
Grant. — The  Cause  of  the  Prince  prospers  in  the  Parish. — 
The  Factor  in  Despair. — The  Prince's  arrival  in  Inverness. — 
New  Recruits  from  Urquhart  ......  241 


CHAPTER     XV 
OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH— 1746 

The  Battle  of  Falkirk.— The  Duke  of  Cumberland  in  Scotland.— 
Prince  Charles  at  Inverness. — Cumberland  crosses  the  Spey. 
— The  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  summoned  to  join 
the  Prince. — Culloden. — Incidents  of  the  Battle  and  Flight. — 
Alexander  Grant's  Exploits. — Heroic  Wives. — Ludovick  Grant 
and  his  Eight  Hundred  in  Urquhart. — Rebel-Hunting. — Pro- 
tections promised,  and  the  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
Surrender. — Fears  and  Forebodings. — Treachery. — Despair 
and  Maledictions. — Ludovick's  Intercession  and  its  Result. — 
Shewglie  and  his  Son  and  the  Minister  in  Tilbury  Fort. — 
Shewglie's  Death. — Release  of  his  Son  and  the  Minister. — 
Banishment  to  Barbados. — The  Fate  of  the  Exiles. — Notices 
of  some  who  Returned. — Donald  Mackay. — William  Grant.- - 
Donald  Macmillan. — Alexander  Grant. — Donald  Grant. — 
Alexander  Ferguson. — Donald  Ferguson  ....  271 


XVI  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER     XVI 
OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PAEISH— 1746  TO  1747 

The  Government's  Treatment  of  Ludovick  Grant. — Glen-Urquhart 
harried  by  the  English  Cavalry. — The  Blanket  Eaid. — Inver- 
moriston  House  Burnt,  and  the  Glenmoriston  People 
Plundered. — Cumberland  at  Fort-Augustus. — Atrocities  in 
Glenmoriston. — A  Eeign  of  Terror. — The  Story  of  Eoderick 
Mackenzie. — Cattle  dealing  between  English  Soldiers  and 
Southern  Drovers. — Gay  Life  in  the  English  Camp. — Horse- 
Eacing  Extraordinary. — The  Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston. — 
The  Wanderings  of  Prince  Charles. — The  Prince  in  Glen- 
moriston.— His  Three  Week's  Life  with  the  Seven  Men. — An 
Oath  of  Secrecy  and  Fidelity. — The  Prince's  Movements. — His 
Escape. — His  Appearance  and  Habits. — Devotion  of  the  Seven 
Men. — The  English  leave  Fort- Augustus. — Famine  and 
Pestilence  in  the  Parish. — The  Use  of  Arms  and  the  Wearing 
of  the  Hghland  Dress  Prohibited.— A  Terrible  Oath.— Eesults 
of  Culloden.— Close  of  the  Olden  Times  .  .291 


CHAPTER     XVII 
THE  CHUECH  IN  THE  PAEISH— BEFOEE  THE  EEFOEMATION 

Introduction  of  Christianity. — St  Ninian  and  Ternan. — The 
Temple,  or  St  Ninian's  Chapel. — The  Story  of  Merchard. — 
His  Church  in  Glenmoriston. — Traditions  concerning  Him. — 
His  wonderful  Bell. — Drostan,  Patron  Saint  of  Urquhart. — 
His  Chaplainry  and  Croft. — Eelapse  of  the  People  into 
Paganism. — St  Columba's  Mission. — Marvellous  deeds  in  the 
district  of  Loch  Ness. — Opposition  of  the  Druids. — Columba 
in  Urquhart. — Conversion  of  Emchat  and  Yirolec. — Inver- 
moriston  Church. — Columba's  Well. — St  Adamnan. — The 
Church  of  Abriachan. — The  Mission  of  Curadan. — The  Church 
of  Corrimony. — Gorman. — The  Churches  of  Lag  an  t-Seapail, 
Achnahannet,  Pitkerrald,  Kilmichael,  and  Kilmore. — The 
Celtic  Clergy  and  their  Services. — Fall  of  the  Druids. — Their 
Eeligion  and  its  Eemains. — The  Eomau  Catholic  Church 
Established. — Origin  of  Parishes  and  Church  Endowments. — 
Erection  of  the  Parish  of  Urquhart.— The  Parish  Church  and 
its  Property. — The  Chapels  and  their  Crofts. — The  Chancellor 
of  Moray. — The  Clergy  of  the  Church  and  Chapels. — The 
Eeformation. — The  Parish  Priest  turns  Protestant. — Loss  of 
the  Church  Lands  in  the  Parish. — The  People  Spiritually 
Destitute  320 


CONTENTS  Xvil 

CHAPTER     XVIII 

THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH— FEOM  THE  REFORMATION 
TO  THE  REVOLUTION 

PAGE 
The  Church  of  the  Reformation. — John  Knox's  Superintendents. — 

Episcopacy. — Presbytery  Established. — Scarcity  of  Preachers. 
— Exhorters  and  Readers. — Mr  James  Farquharson,  Exhorter 
in  Urquhart. — The  Parish  under  the  Charge  of  Andrew 
McPhail. — John  McAllan,  first  Protestant  Minister. — The 
Rev.  Alexander  Grant. — New  Churches. — Grant's  Troubles 
with  the  Church  Courts. — He  resists  the  Covenant,  but  is 
forced  to  Subscribe.— The  Rev.  Duncan  Macculloch.— His 
Want  of  Maintenance,,  and  Troublous  Career. — His  Deposition. 
— A  Six  Years'  Vacancy. — Restoration  of  Episcopacy. — Mac- 
culloch Reinstated. — A  Presbyterial  Visitation. — Lamentable 
state  of  the  Parish. — Macculloch's  Resignation. — How  he 
slew  a  Glenmoriston  Man.— Loose  and  unruly  walking  in 
the  Parish. — Searching  for  a  Minister. — The  Rev.  James 
Grant. — His  Presbyterial  Trials. — Induction  Ceremonies. — 
Persecution  of  Roman  Catholics. — Papal  statistics  of  the 
Parish. — The  Rev.  Robert  Monro  appointed  Preacher  in 
Abertarff  and  Glenmoriston. — His  Difficulties,  Privations, 
and  Irregularities. — Lord  Lovat's  Midnight  Marriage. — 
Presbyterial  visitation  of  Urquhart. — Peace  and  Prosperity. 
— The  Elders. — The  Rev.  Robert  Gumming. — Monro's  Pro- 
test.— Prelacy  in  the  Parish. — Troubles  in  the  Church. — The 
Revolution. — Presbytery  Re-Established 345 

CHAPTER     XIX 

THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH— FROM  THE  REVOLUTION 
TO  THE  DISRUPTION 

Episcopacy  in  the  Parish. — The  Rev.  Robert  Cumming  remains 
Episcopalian,  but  retains  the  Living. — Cumming  and  the 
Presbyterian  Clergy.— The  State  of  the  Parish.— Presbyterian 
Missionaries. — Presbytery  Meetings  in  the  Parish. — The  Rev. 
William  Gordon. — A  Missionary  Preacher  settled  in  Glen- 
moriston.— The  Rev.  John  Grant. — He  favours  Prince 
Charles  and  is  imprisoned  in  England. — His  Death  and 
Character. — The  Rev.  James  Grant. — The  Rev.  James  Fowler. 
— Troubles  in  the  Parish. — The  Meetings  of  Duncan  of 
Buntait. — The  Factor  interferes  and  mysteriously  Dies. — 
The  Rev.  James  Doune  Smith. — Charges  of  Immorality. — 
The  People  desert  the  Church. — Presbyterial  Enquiry. — 
Smith  interdicts  the  Presbytery. — The  Disruption. — The 
Rise,  Influence,  and  Character  of  the  Men. — State  of  Religion 


XVI 11  CONTENTS 

PAGE 
in   Glenmoriston. — The  Rev.   Robert   Monro. — Royal   Bounty 

Missionaries. — Glenmoriston  erected  into  a  Parish  quoad 
sacra. — Churches  and  Chapels  in  Olden  Times. — Worship  and 
Church  Service  in  the  Past. — Legends  and  Relics  of  the  Saints. 
— Festival  Days. — Gaelic  Liturgy. — The  Gaelic  Bible. — Gaelic 
Tunes. — The  Sabbath  in  Olden  Times. — Sports  and  Pleasures. 
-  -Sunday  Christenings  and  Penny  Weddings. — Lykewakes. — 
atroduction  of  Puritanism. — Its  Progress  and  Effects  .  .  370 

CHAPTER     XX 
EDUCATION  AND  CULTURE  IN  THE  PARISH 

Education  before  the  Reformation. — The  Parochial  System. — 
Unsuccessful  attempts  to  plant  Schools  in  the  Parish. — The 
First  School. — Charity  Schools  at  Duldreggan,  Milton,  Pit- 
kerrald,  and  Bunloit. — The  First  Parish  School. — Subsequent 
Agencies. — The  Education  Act. — Old  Salaries. — Old  School 
Books. — Gaelic  in  Schools. — Old  Punishments. — Cock-fighting 
and  other  Sports. — Urquhart  Authors. — James  Grant  of  Corri- 
mony. — Charles  Grant. — Lord  Glenelg. — Sir  Robert  Grant. — 
James  Grant. — John  Macmillan. — Buchanan  Macmillan, 
King's  Printer. — Patrick  Grant. — James  Grassie. — Angus 
Macdonald. — William  Grant  Stewart. — William  Somerled 
Macdonald. — James  Grant,  Balnaglaic. — Allan  Sinclair. — 
The  Bards  of  the  Parish. — Iain  Mac  Eobhainn  Bhain. — Ewen 
Macdonald. — Shewglie  and  his  Daughter. — Alasdair  Mac  Iain 
Bhain. — Iain  Mac  Dhughaill. — John  Grant. — Archibald  Grant. 
— Angus  Macculloch. — Lewis  Cameron. — Angus  Macdonald. — 
William  Mackay. — Hugh  Fraser. — Survival  of  Bardism  .  393 

CHAPTER     XXI 
FOLK-LORE  IN  THE  PARISH 

Decay  of  Folk-lore.— Decline  of  the  Ceilidh.— Satan  in  the  Parish. 
— His  Conflicts  with  the  Men. — The  Death  of  the  Factor. — 
Fair  Ewen  of  the  Goblin. — Hags  and  Goblins. — Cailleach  &' 
Chrathaich. — Destruction  of  the  Macmillans. — Cailleach  Allt- 
an-Diinain. — Death  of  Macdougalls  and  Macdonalds. — 
Cailleach  Allt-Saigh.  —  Cailleach  Chragain-na-Caillich. — 
Donald  Macrae's  Adventure. — Daibhidh  and  Mor  of  Corri- 
Dho. — Their  Feud  against  the  Men  of  Urquhart. — Bocan  na 
Sleabhaich.— The  White  Mare  cf  Corri-Dho.— The  Death  of 
Alasdair  Cutach. — The  Fairies  and  their  Haunts. — Theft  of 
Mothers  and  Babes. — Other  Depredations. — Fairy  Love- 
making  and  its  Results. — Gay  Life  in  Fairy  Knowes. — The 


CONTENTS  XIX 

PAGE 

Fairy  Smith  of  Tornashee. — The  Witches  of  the  Parish. — 
Their  Pastimes  and  Pursuits. — Divination. — Dead  Men  and 
Demon  Cats. — A  Famous  Seer.-^The  Evil  Eye. — Second  Sight. 
— Sacrifices  and  Safeguards 417 

CHAPTER     XXII 
INDUSTRIAL  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE  IN  THE  PARISH 

Origin  and  History  of  Agriculture  and  Laud-Ownership. — Davachs 
and  other  Divisions. — Rise  and  Fall  of  Population. — Sub- 
Division  of  Holdings. — The  Occupiers  of  the  Soil. — Origin  of 
the  Crofter. — Leases. — Agricultural  Productions  and  Customs. 
— Ancient  Trade  in  Cattle,,  Skins,  Wool,  and  Furs. — Rents 
and  Services. — Foundation  of  Lewistown  and  Milton. — 
Famines. — Game  Laws. — An  Ancient  Royal  Forest. — Timber 
Traffic.  —  Trades.  —  Old  Industries.  —  Copper  Mine. — Iron 
Works. — Lime  Manufacture. — Distaff  and  Spindle. — Linen 
and  Woollen  Factories. — Introduction  of  Spinning  Wheels. — 
Ale. — An  Ancient  Brew-House. — Whisky-Making. — Modern 
Breweries. — Roads  and  Bridges. — Traffic  on  Loch  Ness. — 
Ancient  Boats. — CromwelFs  Frigate. — The  Highland  Galley. 
— Steamboats. — Highland  Hospitality.— Inns. — Samuel  John- 
son at  Aonach. — The  Dwellings  of  the  Past. — Modern  Improve- 
ments.— Law  and  Order. — Sanctuaries. — Baron  Courts  and 
their  Procedure. — Curious  Administrative  Division  of  the 
Parish. — Church  Courts. — The  Poor. — Social  Customs. — Fights 
and  Feuds. — Modern  Changes. — The  Conclusion  .  .  .  437 


APPENDICES 
APPENDIX  A: 

Description  of  Urquhart  Castle 467 

APPENDIX  B : 

I.  Details  of  Spoil  taken  from  Glenmoriston  in  October,  1544 

II.  Details  of  Spoil  taken  from  Tenants  in  Glen-Urquhart  in 
April  and  May,  1545 .471 

APPENDIX  C : 

I.  Lease  by  the  Bishop  of  Moray  to  John  Mackay  and  his 

Wife,  of  Achmonie.     1554 479 

II.  Lease   by   the   Laird   of   Grant   to   Donald   Cumming   of 
Dulshangie,  of  Meikle  Pitkerrald.     1660      .         .         .         .480 

III.  Articles  of  Agreement  between  James  Grant,  Esquire  of 
Grant  [afterwards  Sir  James  Grant],  and  James  Delias, 

Mason  at  Garthkeen.     1770         .         .  .  482 


XX  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

APPENDIX  D  : 

Charter  by  the  Bishop  of  Moray    to  John  Mackay  and  his 

Wife  and  Son,  of  Achmonie.     1557 483 

APPENDIX  E  : 

Donald  Donn 487 

APPENDIX  F : 

Proceedings  Brigadier  Grant  against  Alexander  Mac  Uisdeau 

Glass  in  Buntait  and  his  Mother          .....  490 

APPENDIX  G : 

Accompt  Ludovick  Colquhoun  of  Luss  with  the  Publick  for 
the  Purchase  Money  of  the  Estate  late  of  John  Grant, 
late  of  Glenmoriston,  attainted 463 

APPENDIX  H : 

I.  A  List  of  the  Persons  in  Urquhart  who  were  Concerned  in 

the  Rebellion,  Surrendered  themselves  Prisoners  to  Sr. 
Ludovick  Grant,  and  were  by  him  brought  in  to  Inverness. 
1746 494 

II.  A  List  of  all  the  Men  in  Glenmoriston  that  Surrendered 
themselves  to  Sr.  Ludovick  Grant,  May  the  4th,  and  by 
him    delivered    to    his    Royall    Highness    the    Duke    of 
Cumberland,  May  the  5th,  1746 495 

III.  List  of  Arms  Surrendered  to  Ludovick  Grant  at  Balma- 
caan,  May,  1746 498 

APPENDIX  I : 

Report  of  the  Cattle  and  other  Effects  taken  by  the  Army 

from  the  Country  of  Urquhart  in  1746        ....  499 

APPENDIX  J : 

Extracts  from  Bishop  Forbes"  "  Lyon  in  Mourning"  .  .  501 
APPENDIX  K: 

The  Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston 502 

APPENDIX  L : 

Notices  of  the  Principal  Families  of  the  Parish        .         .         .  505 

APPENDIX  M : 

Letters  of  Collation  by  the  Bishop  of  Moray  in  favour  of  Sir 

John  Donaldson  to  the  Chaplainry  of  St  Ninians.     1556  .  515 

APPENDIX  N : 

Stipend  of  the  Parish  Minister  at  various  periods  .         .         .  518 

APPENDIX  O : 

Selections  from  the  Productions  of  the  Bards  ....  519 

APPENDIX  P : 

Baron  Court  Records    .........   546 


CONTENTS  XXI 

APPENDIX  Q: 

I.  Abstract  Accompt  of  the  Bussiness  done  at  the  Manufac- 

tureing  Station  of  Glenmoriston  and  Neighbourhood  by 
me,  Alexander  Shaw,  Undertaker  for  said  Station,  the 
year  1764 555 

II.  Accompt  of  the  Distribution  of  Wheels  and  Eeels  ordered 
by  the  Honourable  Commissioners  of  Annexed  Estates  to 
the  Inhabitants  in  the  Neighbourhood  of  the  Manufac- 
tureing  Station  of  Glenmoriston,  the  year  1764         .         .    556 

APPENDIX  R : 

Extracts  from  the  Drumnadrochit  Inn  Visitors'  Book     .         .   557 

APPENDIX  S : 

The  Poor,  and  Fools 562 

APPENDIX  T : 

Papers  concerning  the  Marriage  of  an  Urquhart  Heiress  in 

1737 564 

APPENDIX  U  : 

The  Urquhart  Settlement  in  Nova  Scotia  .....   570 
APPENDIX  V : 

Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  Place-Names  .....   572 


INDEX  .  .  589 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Urquhart  Castle  in  the  Olden  Times       ....      Frontispiece 

Urn  and  Bronze  Blade  found  at  Balnalick       .         .       facing  page  3 
Pac-simile  of  Letter  by  the  Governor  of  the  Castle  to  Edward  I. 

in  1297 facing  page  20 

The  Bridge  of  the  Leap 73 

Mac  Uian's  Pool 75 

Iain  a'  Chragain's  Shield          ........  205 

Iain  a,'  Chragain's  Sword 209 

Ruins  of  the  Castle  .......       facing  page  211 

The  Urquhart  Brooch 212 

Patrick  Grant,  one  of  the  Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston  .         .         .  314 

Ancient  Trees  at  Site  of  Temple      ....      facing  page  336 

Ancient  Sculptured  Stones  at  Balmacaan       .         .      facing  page  338 

Stone,  with  Cross  Inscribed,  from  The  Temple      ....  385 

The  Glenmoriston  Pillory 463 

Ground  Plan  of  the  Castle facing  page  467 


URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE     I 

BEFOEE  1296 

The  Early  Ages. — Physical  and  Climatic  Changes. — Early 
Man. — The  Caledonii. — The  Picts. — Urchard  in  Moravia. 
— The  Legendary  Origin  of  Loch  Ness. — The  Children  of 
TJisneach.— The  Wars  of  the  Picts.— The  End  of  their 
Kingdom. — Incursions  of  the  Norse. — Monie,  Son  of  the 
King  of  Scandinavia. — The  Conflict  of  Craigmonie. — The 
Risings  of  the  Moraymen. — Conachar  in  Urquhart. — The 
Big  Dog  and  the  Wild  Boar. — Origin  of  the  Forbeses, 
Mackays,  and  Urquharts. — The  Harrying  of  the  Church 
Lands. — The  Pope's  Protection  to  the  Church  of  Urquhart. 
— Gillespic  Mac  Scolaiie's  Deeds  and  Death. — Urquhart 
Granted  to  Thomas  Durward. — Sir  Alan  Durward. — 
Dispute  regarding  Church  Lands. — The  Settlement.— 
Sir  Alan's  Death. — The  Cummings. 

"  I  BEND  mine  eye/5  sings  the  Gaelic  bard,  "on  the 
ages  fled;  seen  but  in  slender  gleams  is  all  that  was 
— like  to  the  glimmer  of  a  sickly  moon  on  water 
winding  through  the  glen."1  And  as  it  was  in  the 
days  of  the  bard,  so  it  is  even  now;  for  slender, 

1 "  Tha  mo  shealladh  air  linnte  a  dh'aom, 
Cha'n  fhaicear  ach  caol  na  bli'ann — 
Mar  dhearrsa  na  geallaich  tha  faoin 
Air  linne  tha  claon  's  a'  ghleann." 

— OSSIAN  :  "  Cath  Loduinn." 


2  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

indeed,  and  few  are  the  gleams  that  cheer  the 
student  of  the  past  on  his  dark  journey  through  the 
early  ages.  In  the  beginning,  says  our  oldest 
Book,  the  earth  was  without  form,  and  void;  and 
Geology  tells  how,  during  the  slow  course  of  im- 
measurable time,  it  assumed  its  present  aspect- 
how  the  rocks  were  made,  the  mountains  raised,  the 
valleys  formed,  and  the  sea  divided  from  the  dry 
land.  In  the  process  great  changes  came  over  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Not  to  go  beyond  our  own  Scot- 
land, the  land  at  one  time  rose  high  above  the 
ocean :  at  another,  it  sank  deep  beneath  its  waves.1 
For  untold  ages  it  was  exposed  to  the  scorching 
rays  of  a  tropical  sun :  for  another  period  of 
perhaps  equal  duration  it  lay  buried  under  an 
overwhelming  weight  of  ice,  that  crushed  its  rocks 
and  rounded  its  mountain  sides.2  The  marks  of 
these  great  changes  still  remain;  but  there  is  little  or 
no  trace  of  its  earliest  inhabitants.  We  step  almost 
into  modern  times  before  we  get  the  first  glimpse  of 
man  as  he  slowly  emerges  from  a  state  scarcely 
higher  than  that  of  the  beasts  of  the  field.  Fol- 
lowing him  down  through  the  centuries,  we  are 
able  to  trace  his  progress  by  such  land-marks 
as  the  use  of  weapons  and  implements — at  first 
made  of  stone,  and  thereafter,  as  his  knowledge 

1  The  margin  of  a  lake,  which  in  former  ages  covered  the  lower 
portions  of  Urquhart,  is  still  seen  in  the  beautiful  terrace  which  almost 
surrounds  the  Strath. 

2  Deep  ice  markings  on  the  rocks  beyond  Achtuie  indicate  the 
course  of  one  great  glacier  which  passed  over  the   ridge  from  the 
direction  of  Strone  Point,  and  of  another  which  came  down  the  Glen, 
from  the  direction  of  Corrimony. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  D 

widens,  of  bronze  or  of  iron;1  the  abandonment  of 
the  natural  caves  of  the  earth  for  habitations  built 
with  his  own  hands;  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil 
for  the  production  of  food  for  himself  and  the 
animals  which  he  has  tamed  for  his  service.  There 
is  no  written  record  of  the  earlier  ages.  For  the 
first  references  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Highlands 
we  must  search  the  pages  of  certain  Latin  authors 
who  derived  their  knowledge  of  them  from  the 
Eoman  soldiers  who  served  the  Cassars  in  Britain. 
From  Lucan  and  other  writers  of  the  first  century 
we  learn  that  in  their  time  our  part  of  the  island  was 
inhabited  by  the  Caledonian  Britons  (Caledonii 
Britanni) ,  the  same  who  valiantly  opposed  the 
legions  of  Agricola  at  the  battle  of  Mons  Grampius. 
We  gather  from  the  geographer  Ptolemy,  who 
flourished  about  the  year  120,  that  in  his  day  the 
country  extending  from  Loch  Long  (Lemannonius 
Sinus)  to  the  Beauly  Firth  ( Varar  ffistuarium2) , 
and  embracing  the  glens  which  now  bear  the  names 
of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  was  peopled  by  the 
Caledonii,  one  of  several  tribes  into  which  the  Cale- 
donian Britons  were  then  divided;  and  in  the  time 
of  Severus  (A.D.  208),  those  tribes  were  combined 
into  two  nations — Caledonii  and  Mosatce — which,  a 
century  later,  appear  under  the  general  name  of 

1  Numerous  stone  implements  have  been  found  in  the  Parish.     In 
1887   a  beautiful   bronze   blade   was   found   in   a   sepulchral   urn   at 
Balnalick,  for  a  description  of  which  (by  Mr  Angus  Grant)  see  Proc. 
of  Society  of  Antiq.  of  Scot.,  1887-8. 

2  The  name  Varar  still  survives  in  the  River  Farrar,  and  Glen 
Strathfarrar— the  Glen  of  the  Strath  of  Farrar. 


4  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

Picti,  a  name  well  known  and  much  dreaded  during 
the  latter  years  of  the  Eoman  occupation.  North 
of  the  Grampians  were  the  Northern  Picts.  The 
Southern  Picts  inhabited  the  country  lying  to  the 
south  and  east  of  that  range.  Those  divisions  were 
again  sub-divided  into  provinces,  the  most  noted  of 
which  was  Muireb  or  Moray,  which  extended,  on 
the  one  hand,  from  the  Spey  to  the  Forne  or  Beauly 
(the  ancient  Varar),  and,  on  the  other  hand,  from  the 
Moray  Firth  to  Lochaber.  In  Moray  was  situated 
that  district  the  history  of  which  this  book  is  to  tell 
— the  "  Urchard  in  Moravia,"  and  "  Urquhart  in 
Murrayland, ' '  of  former  annalists. 

The  legendary  element  bulks  largely  in  the  early 
story  of  the  district.  Once  upon  a  time,  says  one 
pretty  myth,  the  great  glen  which  now  lies  under 
the  waters  of  Loch  Ness  was  a  beautiful  valley, 
sheltered  from  every  blast  by  high  mountains, 
clothed  with  trees  and  herbs  of  richest  hues.  This 
vale  was  covered  with  verdant  pasture,  over  which 
roamed  the  flocks  of  the  people;  and  through  it 
flowed  a  majestic  river  in  which  was  found  every 
fish  good  for  the  food  of  man.  Although  the  people 
were  many,  peace  and  friendship  prevailed.  The 
women  plied  the  distaff,  and  their  homes  and 
children  they  did  not  forsake;  and  when  the  men 
did  not  hunt  the  boar  in  the  forest  they  chased  the 
deer  on  the  mountain,  and  when  they  did  not  chase 
the  deer  on  the  mountain  they  tended  their  cattle 
on  the  plain. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  5 

There  was  a  spring  in  this  happy  vale  which  was 
blessed  by  Daly  the  Druid,  and  whose  waters  were 
ever  afterwards  an  unfailing  remedy  for  every 
disease.  This  holy  well  was  protected  from  pollu- 
tion by  a  stone  placed  over  it  by  the  Druid,  who 
enjoined  that  whenever  the  stone  was  removed  for 
the  drawing  of  water,  it  should  be  immediately 
replaced.  '  The  day  on  which  my  command  is 
disregarded,"  said  he,  "  desolation  will  overtake  the 
land."  The  words  of  Daly  were  remembered  by  the 
people,  and  became  a  law  among  them;  and  so  day 
followed  day,  and  year  gave  place  to  year. 

But  on  one  of  the  days  a  woman  left  the  child  of 
her  bosom  by  the  fireside,  and  went  to  the  well  to 
draw  water.  No  sooner  did  she  remove  the  stone 
from  its  place  than  the  cry  reached  her  ear  that  the 
child  had  moved  towards  the  fire.  Eushing  to  the 
house,  she  saved  the  infant — but  she  forgot  the 
word  of  the  Druid,  and  omitted  to  replace  the 
stone.  The  waters  rose  and  overflowed  the  vale; 
and  the  people  escaped  to  the  mountains  and  filled 
the  air  with  lamentation,  and  the  rocks  echoed 
back  the  despairing  cry — Tha  loch  'nis  ann,  tha  loch 
'nis  ann! — "  There  is  a  lake  now,  there  is  a  lake 
now  !"  And  the  lake  remained,  and  it  is  called  Loch- 
Nis  to  this  day.1 

The  Tales  of  the  Sons  of  Uisneach  account 
otherwise  for  the  name  of  the  Loch.  In  the  days  of 
Conachar  Mac  Nessa,2  who  was  King  of  Ulster  in 
the  first  century,  there  lived  in  Ireland  a  man  of  the 

l  Loch-Nis  :   so  written  in  Gaelic ;  pronounced  Loch  Neesh. 
2  Conachar — anciently  Conchobar. 


6  URQUHART    AND    GLENMOEISTON 

name  of  Colum  Cruitire,  whose  daughter  Deirdire, 
or  Dearduil,  was  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her 
age.  "  She  was  the  fairest  drop  of  blood  between 
earth  and  sun,  and  there  never  was  born  in  Ireland 
a  drop  of  blood  so  fair  as  she."  Conachar  resolved 
to  make  this  daughter  of  beauty  his  wife.  :c  Give 
me  but  a  year  and  a  day  in  my  maidenhood,"  said 
she;  and  her  request  was  granted.  Before  the  end 
of  the  year  and  day,  who  visited  the  King  but 
his  cousins  Naois,  Aillean,  and  Ardan,  the  renowned 
sons  of  Uisneach.  Naois  fell  in  love  with  Dearduil, 
and  Dearduil  loved  Naois;  and,  accompanied  by 
Aillean  and  Ardan,  they  fled  together  to  Scotland. 
On  the  shore  of  Loch  Naois  (Loch  Ness)  they  built 
a  tower  from  the  window  of  which  they  could  slay 
the  salmon,  and  from  the  door  the  bounding  stag; 
and  here  they  for  a  season  lived  in  safety  and 
happiness.  But  their  retreat  became  known  to 
Conachar,  and  he  sent  Farquhar  Mac  Eo  to  them 
with  an  assurance  of  his  friendship  and  an  invitation 
to  a  great  feast  which  he  was  about  to  give.  Dear- 
duil foreboded  evil,  and  entreated  Naois  not  to  go; 
but  he  would  not  listen  to  her,  and  they  all  accom- 
panied Farquhar  Mac  Eo  to  Ireland.  The  King's 
promises  were  fair,  but  his  heart  was  false;  and  the 
Sons  of  Uisneach  were  treacherously  slain,  and  their 
bodies  laid  in  one  grave.  Then  Dearduil  looked 
into  the  open  grave  and  said—  : '  Let  Naois  of  my 
love  move  to  one  side  :  let  Aillean  press  close  to 
Ardan :  if  the  dead  could  only  hear,  you  would 
make  room  for  me."  And  the  dead  did  make  room 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  7 

for  her;  and  she,  laying  herself  by  her  husband's 
side,  expired.  But  the  King  would  not  have 
Naois  and  Dearduil  lie  in  the  same  grave,  and  he 
caused  her  to  be  buried  on  the  opposite  bank  of  an 
adjoining  stream;  and  a  tender  pine  sprang  out  of 
the  grave  of  Naois,  and  another  out  of  the  grave  of 
Dearduil,  and  the  pines  grew  and  joined  above  the 
stream.1 

Although  the  Children  of  Uisneach  were  thus 
slain,  their  fame  did  not  die  in  Alban;  and  as  the 
name  of  Naois  is  borne  by  Loch  Ness,  the  river 
Ness,  and  Inverness,  so  does  the  vitrified  fort  of 
Dun  Dearduil,  on  the  Stratherrick  side  of  the  lake, 
bear  that  of  his  faithful  Darthula.2 

The  Eomans,  whose  dominion  never  extended 
over  the  territory  of  the  Northern  Picts,  were 
forced,  in  the  year  410,  for  ever  to  quit  Britain; 
and  for  the  next  century  and  a  half  the  history  of 
the  North  of  Scotland  is  hidden  in  impenetrable 
mists.  When  the  clouds  rise,  we  find  Brude  Mac 
Mailcon,  the  Pictish  King,  who  had  his  seat  on  the 

1  See  the  full  Gaelic  version  of  this  tale  (by  Mr  Alex.  Carmichael, 
LL.D.)  in  Transactions  of  Inverness  Gaelic  Society,  Vol.  XIII. 

2  The  legendary  origin  of  the  name  of  Loch  Ness  must  not  be 
accepted  seriously.     The  true  origin  will  be  discussed  in  the  appendix 
on  place-names.     The  Children  of  Uisneach,  however,  who  gave  many 
place-names  to  the  district  of  Loch  Etive,  appear  also  to  have  been 
associated  with  the  district  of  Loch  Ness.     In  Deirdire's  Lament  for 
Alba,  Naois  and  herself  are  thus  referred  to  : — 

lie  sent  to  her  a  frisking  herd — 

A  wild  hind  and  a  fawn  at  its  foot; 

And  he  went  to  her  on  a  visit 

As  he  returned  from  the  host  of  Inverness. 

— Transactions  of  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Dublin  (1808); 
Translation  in  Highland  Monthly  for  July,  1890. 


8  URQUHART    AND    GLENMOEISTON 

banks  of  the  river  Ness,  at  war  with  the  Dalriad 
Scots,  a  Gaelic  race  whom  he  defeated  in  560; 
and  St  Columba  at  war  with  paganism  at  Brude' s 
court,  and  preaching  the  gospel  in  Airchartdan — 
the  first  mention  we  have  of  the  name  of  our  Parish.1 
Columba Js  story  will  be  told  in  a  future  chapter. 
Brude  died  about  584,  and  for  generations  after  his 
death  his  successors  maintained  a  hard  struggle 
for  existence — sometimes  fighting  with  their  old 
enemies  of  Dalriada;  sometimes  engaged  in  inter- 
necine feuds  with  Pictish  claimants  to  the  crown; 
and,  latterly,  involved  in  frequent  trouble  with 
the  fierce  Norse  Vikings,  who  had  begun  to  ravage 
and  lay  waste  the  Scottish  shores.  Suffering  thus 
from  within  and  without,  the  Pictish  monarchy 
gradually  declined,  until,  in  844,  Kenneth  Macalpiri, 
King  of  the  Scots,  but  in  whose  veins  Pictish  blood 
flowed,  placed  the  crown  of  Brude  on  his  own 
head.  He  did  not  extirpate  the  Pictish  nation,  as 
historians  have  erroneously  supposed.  On  the  con- 
trary, for  half  a  century  he  and  his  successors 
were  called  kings  of  the  Picts.  The  old  race  still 
survived,  and  the  present  inhabitants  of  the 
province,  including  the  people  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston,  are  their  direct  descendants — mixed 
with  the  Gael,  and  to  a  slight  extent  with  the 
Norse  and  the  Saxon.  The  Pictish  tongue,  however, 
which  was  nearly  allied  to  the  Welsh,  gave  place 
in  course  of  time  to  its  distant  relation,  the  Gaelic 
language  of  the  Scots — the  result,  mainly,  of  the 

l  Adamnan's  Vita  Sancti  Columbse  III.,  c.  xv. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  9 

influence  of  the  Gaelic-speaking  clergy  of  the  Celtic 
Church. 

Those  Picts  of  Moray  were  deeply  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  liberty,  and  very  stubborn  was  the 
fight  which  they  made  for  their  independence.  Led 
by  their  own  mormaor  s,  or  "  great-mayors/5  they  for 
many  years  struggled  for  freedom,  not  only  against 
the  Scots,  who  harassed  their  southern  borders,  but 
also  against  the  Norsemen,  who  pressed  hard  upon 
them  from  the  north.  For  a  time  they  were  forced 
to  own  the  Norse  sway;  but  they  threw  off  their 
yoke  in  the  time  of  the  Mormaor  Finlay,  who  in 
1020  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  famous  Macbeth. 
The  new  mormaor  at  first  allied  himself  with  the 
Scottish  King — the  Gracious  Duncan  of  Shakes- 
peare— and  made  common  cause  with  him  against 
the  powerful  Norwegian  Earl  Thorfinn.  In  the  end, 
however,  he  slew  the  King,  and  joined  the  Earl  in 
partitioning  the  country  between  themselves.  Mac- 
beth took  the  crown  and  the  territory  of  the  dead 
King,  leaving  the  province  of  Moray  to  Thorfinn, 
who  became  ruler  of  all  Scotland  north  of  the 
Grampians.  The  Moraymen  repudiated  the  selfish 
arrangement,  but  it  was  only  on  Thorfinn' s  death  in 
1057  that  they  were  able  finally  to  get  rid  of  the 
Viking  rule. 

In  connection  with  these  events,  tradition  relates 
that  Monaidh  Mac  Righ  Lochlainn — Monie,  son  of 
the  King  of  Scandinavia — landed  in  Argyll  with 
a  large  force,  accompanied  by  his  sister.  His 
retreat  to  his  ships  having  been  cut  off  bv  the 


10  URQTJHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

natives,  he  was  pursued  northward  through  the  Cale- 
donian valley,  until  he  reached  Urquhart,  where  he 
made  a  stand  on  the  high  rock  of  Craigmonie, 
which  is  still  crowned  with  the  remains  of  ancient 
fortifications.  There  he  and  his  companions  bravely 
held  their  own  for  a  time,  his  sister  taking  shelter 
in  a  crevice  still  known  as  Leabaidh  Nighean  an 
Righ — the  Bed  of  the  King's  Daughter.  Driven 
at  last  to  the  plain  below,  the  Norsemen  were 
forced  to  give  battle,  and  were  defeated  with  great 
slaughter.  Monie  escaped  with  his  sister,  but  at 
Corrimony  he  was  overtaken  and  slain.  The  people 
of  the  Glen  took  kindly  to  the  hapless  princess,  and 
she  lived  among  them  for  many  a  day.1 

King  Duncan  left  a  son,  Malcolm,  called  Ceann- 
mor,  or  Bighead,  who,  when  he  reached  the  years 
of  manhood,  resolved  to  wrest  his  father's  kingdom 
from  Macbeth.  His  efforts  met  with  success,  and 
Macbeth  lost  his  crown  and  his  life  in  battle  with 
him,  in  1057.  About  the  same  time,  Thorfinn  died, 
and  the  province  of  Moray  reverted  to  the  rule  of  the 
mormaors,  who  assumed  the  style  and  claimed  the 
independence  of  kings.  But  the  covetous  eye  of 
-Ceannmor  was  on  the  fair  province.  He  invaded  it  in 
1078,  and,  routing  the  forces  of  the  Mormaor  Maels- 
nectan — Ri  Muireb  (King  of  Moray)  as  he  is  called  in 
the  Annals  of  Ulster — annexed  it  to  his  crown.  On 

l  The  Norse  Sagas  contain  numerous  instances  of  women  accom- 
panying the  Vikings  on  their  warlike  expeditions.  The  place-names 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Craigmonie  point  to  some  conflict  or  con- 
flicts of  the  past — Blair  na  Geilt,  the  Field  of  Terror;  Poll  a'  Ghaorr, 
'the  Pool  of  Gore;  Lag  nan  Cuspairean,  the  Hollow  of  the  Archers. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH          11 

Malcolm's  death  it  again  fell  under  the  rule  of  the 
mormaors,  and  a  long  struggle  for  it  began.  In  1130 
David  the  First  defeated  the  Moraymen,  and  slew 
Angus  their  mormaor,  and  four  thousand  of  their 
number.  Ar  fer  Muriamh  in  Albain — the  slaughter 
of  the  Men  of  Moray  in  Alban — are  the  significant 
words  in  which  the  Irish  annals  record  the  event.1 

After  this  disaster,  the  Men  of  Moray  not  only 
owned  David's  sway,  but  also  fought  under  his 
banner.  In  his  war  with  King  Stephen  they  fol- 
lowed him  into  England,  and  had  the  honour  of 
fighting  under  his  own  immediate  command  at  the 
Battle  of  the  Standard.2  But  they  were  submissive 
only  so  long  as  they  were  weak,  and  in  1160  they 
again  measured  swords  with  their  old  foes.  The 
superior  numbers  of  the  Scots  prevailed;  and  Mal- 
colm the  Second,  wishing  to  put  an  end  for  ever  to 
the  aspirations  of  the  Moraymen,  removed  their 
principal  men  to  other  parts  of  his  kingdom,  and 
gave  their  possessions  to  loyal  followers  of  his  own. 
The  pacification  which  he  desired  was,  however,  not 
yet  possible.  The  old  race  still  continued  to  dream 
of  a  separate  independence,  and  new  leaders  arose  to 
guide  and  direct  them. 

During  the  latter  half  of  the  twelfth  century 
Urquhart  appears  to  have  been  under  the  rule  of 
one  Conachar,  or  Ochonachar,  a  mighty  man  who 
looms  largely  in  the  half  mythical  legends  of  our 
Parish.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  Irishman 

1  Annals  of  Innisfallen,  in  Chronicles  of  the  Picts  and  Scots,  170. 
2Hailes'  Annals. 


12         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

of  the  royal  house  of  Ulster,  and  he  probably 
received  the  Castle  of  Urquhart  and  the  surround- 
ing territory,  which  is  said  to  have  been  previously 
possessed  by  Macraes  and  Macleans,1  as  his  reward 
for  services  rendered  to  the  King  in  the  war  of  1160. 
To  Conachar  the  families  of  Forbes,  Mackay,  and 
Urquhart  still  look  back  as  their  common  ancestor; 
and,  in  allusion  to  his  wonderful  feat  of  killing  a  wild 
boar  of  extraordinary  fierceness  and  strength,  the 
three  families  in  after  years  adopted  the  boar's  head 
as  their  arms.  Strangely  enough,  the  legend  of  his 
adventure  with  the  boar,  which  is  referred  to  by  a 
historian2  of  the  house  of  Forbes  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  still  survives  in  our  Parish.  Once  upon  a 
time,  says  this  tale  of  the  olden  time,3  the  Castle  of 
Urquhart  was  occupied  by  a  mighty  man  named 
Conachar  Mor  Mac  Aoidh — Great  Conachar,  son 
of  Aodh — who  possessed  a  dog,  which,  on  account 
of  ito  extraordinary  size,  was  known  as  An  Cu 
Mor — the  Big  Dog.  The  Big  Dog,  when  young, 
was  fleet  of  foot  and  powerful  of  limb;  but 
age  and  its  infirmities  gradually  overtook  it,  and 
at  last  it  seldom  moved  beyond  the  walls  of  the 
Castle.  Conachar  desired  to  destroy  the  useless 
animal,  but  was  prevented  by  an  old  woman  who 

1  Rev.  James  Fraser  of  Wardlaw's  Chronology  of  the  Bissets  and 
Erasers  of  Lovat,  MS.  in  Advocates'  Library. 

2  William    Forbes,,    who    states,    in    his    Preface    to    Lumsden's 
"  Houss  of  Forbes,"  that  Conachar  "  kjlled  a  great  boare,  and  he  hade 
three  sons,  who  were  called  the  sons  of  him  that  killed  the  boare  or 
the  beast." 

3  See  the  full  Gaelic  version  in  the  Author's  Legends  of  Glen- 
Urquhart  :  Transactions  of  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness,  Vol.  I.  (1872). 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  13 

said,  "  Leig  leis  a'  chu :  tha  lath'  fhein  a  feitheamh 
air" — "  Let  the  dog  live  :  his  own  day  awaits  him." 
And  so  it  did;  for  on  one  of  the  days,  as  Conachar 
went  forth  to  hunt,  he  was  followed  by  the  Big 
Dog,  playful  and  nimble  as  in  the  days  of  its  youth. 
The  country  was  ravaged  and  ruined  at  the  time  by 
a  wild  boar  from  which  no  man  was  ever  known  to 
have  escaped  alive ;  and,  ere  Conachar  had  proceeded 
far,  he  was  attacked  by  the  fierce  monster.  Manfully 
though  he  defended  himself,  his  spear  fell  harmless  on 
his  rough-skinned  foe,  and  he  would  have  been  over- 
powered had  not  the  faithful  Cu  Mor  joined  in  the 
combat.  The  struggle  was  long  and  terrible,  but  in 
the  end  the  boar  was  slain.  But,  alas !  the  dog  also 
received  its  death-wound,  and  expired  at  its  master's 
feet.  Conachar  himself,  thus  saved  by  its  devotion, 
lived  for  many  a  day.  He  and  his  sword  lie 
beneath  Clach  Ochonachair,  at  Innis  Ochonachair  in 
Urquhart.1 

iThe  Forbeses  trace  their  descent  from  Conachar's  son,  John,  to 
whom  King-  William  the  Lion  granted  the  lands  of  Forbois  in 
Aberdeenshire  [History  of  the  House  and  Clan  of  Mackay,  27]. 
Conachar Js  son, 'Alexander,  was  employed  by  the  same  King  to  repel 
the  Danes  from  Caithness,  and,  having  succeeded,  received  the  terri- 
tory of  the  vanquished,  and  became  the  first  Chief  of  the  Clan  Mac 
Aoidh  or  Mackay  [History  of  Clan  Mackay,  27;  William  Forbes'  Pre- 
face to  "  Houss  6f  Forbes"].  Archibald  Grant,  the  Bard  of  Glen- 
moriston,  ?ings — 

"  Rugadh  air  a'  mhuir  a'  cheud  fhear 

O'n  do  shiollaich  Clann  Mhic  Aoidh — 

Conachar  mor  ruadh  o'n  chuan." 

That  is,  "He  was  born  on  the  sea  from  whom  the  Clan  Mackay  are 
descended — Great  Conachar  the  Red,  from  the  ocean."  The  Urquharts 
are  descended  from  another  son  of  Conachar.  The  eccentric  Sir  Thomas 
Urquhart  states,  in  his  True  Pedigree,  that  in  B.C.  554  "  Beltistos 
married  Thomyris.  This  Beltistos  was  surnamed  Conachar,  for  which 
cause  a  certain  progeny  descended  of  him  is  till  this  hour  called  the 


14         URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Notwithstanding  the  Plantation  of  Moray,  as  the 
removal   of   the   native   chiefs,    and   the   settlement 
of  strangers  in  their  place,  was  called,  the  natives 
of    Moray    still    continued    to    give    trouble    to    the 
Scottish  kings.      They  looked  with  no  friendly  eye 
on  the  established  Eoman  Catholic  Church  and  the 
feudal    institutions    which    it    found    it    politic    to 
foster;   and   so  freely  did  its  possessions   suffer  at 
their  hands  that  Pope  Innocent  found  it  necessary, 
in    1215,    to    issue    from   his   far-off   home    on   the 
banks  of  the  Tiber  a  special  protection  to  several 
churches  within  the  province.       Among  them  was 
that    of    our    Parish — Ecclesia    de    Urchard    ultra 
Inuernys.1     The  Pope  invoked  the  curse  of  God  and 
of  Peter  and  Paul  on  such  as  disturbed  the  churches 
or  their  possessions;  but  the  Men  of  Moray  cared  for 
none  of  these  things,  and  Zion  was  not  yet  to  enjoy 
peace  and  felicity.       In  1228,  Gillespic  Mac  Scolane 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  disaffected,  and  in 
course  of  his  career  set  fire  to  Inverness,  burnt  certain 

generation  of  the  Ochonachars,  a  race  truly  of  great  antiquity  and 
renown  in  the  dominion  of  Ireland.  Beltistos  founded  the  Castle  of 
Urquhart  above  Invernasse  [Inverness],  which,  being  afterwards  com- 
pleted by  his  posterity,  hath  ever  since  been  called  the  Castle  Vicki- 
chonchar/'  Nisbet  the  antiquary  states  that  a  brother  of  Lord 
Forbes,  "  having  in  keeping  the  Castle  of  Urquhart,  took  his  name 
from  the  place;"  and  William  Forbes,  in  his  Preface  to  the  "  Houss  of 
Forbes/'  informs  us  that  Conachar's  second  son  "  was  called  Urquhart, 
of  whom  is  descended  the  Laird  of  Cromartie  and  the  Urquharts;  and 
to  testifie  to  all  posteritie  that  they  descended  of  him  that  killed  the 
beast,  they  caused  erect  just  the  like  monuments  at  the  Castell  of 
Urquhart  as  is  lying  at  Logie,  which  is  yet  to  be  seen  there,  as  is 
alleadged."  It  may  be  more  than  a  coincidence  that  Inverness-shire 
contains  an  Urquhart  and  an  Innis-Ochonachair ;  Koss-shire  an 
Urquhart  and  a  Bad-Ochonachair;  and  Fifeshire  an  Urquhart  and  a 
Kil-Conquhar  (Cill-Conachar). 

l  Registrum  Moraviense,  p.  43. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  15" 

castles,  which  were  then  built  of  timber,  and  harried 
the  lands  belonging  to  the  Church  and  the  Crown. 
The  King  marched  against  him  in  person,  without 
much  effect;  but,  in  1229,  the  insurgent  chief  and  his 
two  sons  were  treacherously  slain  by  John  Gumming, 
Justiciar  or  Chief -Justice  of  Scotland,  who  sent  their 
heads  to  the  King.1  The  long  struggle  of  the  Men  of 
Moray  for  liberty  thus  came  to  an  end.  Henceforth, 
they  dreamt  no  more  of  a  separate  independence. 

Upon  the  suppression  of  the  insurrection  the  old' 
plan  of  bestowing  the  lands  of  the  offenders  upon  loyal 
strangers  was  resorted  to.  Urquhart  was  granted  to 
Thomas  Durward,2  who  possessed  extensive  estates  in 
other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  and  who  was  appointed  to 
the  then  high  office  of  Sheriff  of  Inverness.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  son,  Sir  Alan  Durward,  Justiciar  of. 
Scotland,  who,  having  married  Marjory,  an  illegiti- 
mate daughter  of  Alexander  the  Second,  entered  into^ 
negotiations  with  the  Pope  to  legitimate  her,  and  from 
whom  was  descended  Nicholas  de  Soulis,  one  of  the 
claimants  to  the  Crown  after  the  death  of  the  Maid  of 
Norway.  Sir  Alan  coveted  and  claimed  a  half  davach3 
of  land  in  Urquhart,  which  belonged  to  the  church  of 

IFordun;  Hailes'  Annals. 

2  The    name   was   derived   from    the    office    of    King's    doorward 
(ostiarius),  which  became  hereditary  in  the  family. 

3  Glen-Urquhart      consisted      of      ten      davachs — deich      dochan 
Urchudainn — which  varied  in  extent.     The  word  is  derived  from  the 
Gaelic  dabhach,  a  vat.     Like  boll,  bushel,  &c.,  it  originally  repre- 
sented a  measure  of  grain,  and,  also  like  those  words,  came  in  time  to 
be  applied  to  a  certain  extent  of  land — an  extent,  probably,  sufficient 
to  receive  a  dabhach  of  grain  as  seed.     Certain  fields  in  Urquhart 
are  still  called  bolls. 


16         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  Parish,  and  the  revenues  of  which  were  enjoyed 
by  the  Chancellor  of  Moray.  William,  the  Chancellor, 
resisted  the  claim.  Through  the  intervention  of  the 
Bishop  the  quarrel  was  ended  by  a  compromise,  the 
terms  of  which  were  embodied  in  a  Latin  deed  which 
does  credit  to  the  monkish  lawyers  of  the  period. 
4 '  That  noble  man,"  Sir  Alan  Durward,  says  this  deed, 
after  narrating  the  cause  of  the  dispute — "  that  noble 
man,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  has  given  to  the  church  of 
Urquhart  half  the  lands  claimed,  namely,  the  half  of 
the  half  davach  which  is  called  the  half  davach  of  the 
foresaid  church,  in  pure,  free,  and  perpetual  charity. 
But  he  and  his  heirs  will  possess  the  other  half  of  the 
half  davach  in  perpetual  feu-farm,  giving  therefor 
yearly  to  the  church  of  Urquhart  ten  shillings,  namely, 
five  shillings  at  Pentecost  [Whitsunday],  and  five 
shillings  at  the  feast  of  St  Martin  [Martinmas]  in 
winter  next  following.  But  further  the  said  church 
of  Urquhart  will  have  one  whole  croft  and  one  toft  of 
four  acres  assigned  to  the  said  church  near  it,  in  a 
suitable  and  convenient  place,  in  gift  of  the  said  noble 
man,  in  pure,  free,  and  perpetual  charity."1 

1  Reg.  Morav.,  96.  The  lands  in  dispute  were  those  of  Achmonie, 
which  originally  extended  from  Drambuie  to  Cartaly  (Reg.  Morav., 
155).  The  part  retained  by  the  Church  under  this  Agreement  was 
Achmonie  proper  :  the  portion  ceded  to  Durward  was  Culnakirk, 
which,  at  a  later  period,  fell  to  the  Crown,  and  was  granted  to  John 
Grant  of  Glenmoriston  in  1509.  In  1557  Achmonie  proper  was  sold  to 
John  Mackay.  Latterly  its  revenues  seem  to  have  gone  to  the  Bishop. 
The  return  made  for  lands  held  by  the  Church  in  pure  charity  (in 
puram  eleemosynam)  consisted  of  prayers  and  supplications  for  the 
grantor  during  his  life,  and  masses  for  his  soul  after  death.  No 
pecuniary  payments  or  military  services  were  exacted. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  17 

The  deed  was  executed  in  March,  1233,  and  wit- 
nessed by  Gylleroch  de  Urchard  and  others. 

Sir  Alan  Durward  died  in  1275  without  male 
issue,  and  his  estates  were  divided  among  his  three 
daughters.  His  great  rivals,  the  Cummings  of 
Badenoch,  seem  soon  afterwards  to  have  obtained 
possession  of  Urquhart  Castle  and  its  domain,  and 
to  have  retained  it  until  the  troubles  that  followed  the 
death  of  King  Alexander  the  Third. 


18         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 


CHAPTER    II 

1296—1362 

Edward  I.  invades  Scotland. — John  of  Glen-Urquhart.— 
Urquhart  Castle  taken  by  the  English. — Sir  William  Fitz- 
warine  Constable. — He  is  harassed  by  Andrew  Moray.— 
A  Sabbath  Day's  Journey  and  Fight. — The  Countess  of 
Ross  in  Urquhart. — Moray  besieges  the  Castle. — Death 
of  William  Puer  and  Fitzwarine's  Son. — An  Army  of 
Relief. — The  King's  Instructions. — Fitzwarine's  Letter 
to  the  King.— Sir  William  Wallace.— The  English 
expelled  from  Urquhart — Forbes  Constable. — Fitz- 
warine  in  Prison. — His  Wife's  Devotion. — Edward's 
Great  Invasion. — The  English  again  in  Urquhart. — 
Forbes  and  his  Garrison  put  to  the  Sword. — His  Wife's 
Escape. — Sir  Alexander  Gumming  Constable. — Bruce. — 
Thomas  Randolph  Proprietor  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston. — His  Highland  Followers. — His  Regency  and 
Administration  of  Justice. — His  Murder. — Death  of  his 
son,  Thomas  Randolph. — John  Randolph. — Sir  Robert 
Lauder  holds  the  Castle  against  Baliol. — His  Visitors  at 
the  Castle. — Sir  Robert  Chisholm. — John  Randolph  slain, 
and  Chisholm  made  Prisoner. — Chisholm  Constable  of  the 
Castle. — Death  of  Lauder. — His  Character. 

THE  events  that  led  to  the  invasion  of  Scotland  by 
Edward  the  First  of  England  are  well  known  to  every 
reader  of  Scottish  history.  At  the  battle  of  Dunbar, 
fought  in  April,  1296,  the  Scots  were  defeated;  and, 
among  the  prisoners  taken  by  the  English  when 
Dunbar  Castle  subsequently  surrendered,  were  John 
of  Glen-Urquhart  and  his  neighbours,  Christine,  son 
of  John  of  the  Aird,  and  two  of  the  valiant  Grahams 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  19 

of  Lovat.  These  northern  warriors  were  in  the 
retinue  of  the  Earl  of  Eoss,  with  whom  they  were  sent 
in  chains  to  England.  John  of  Glen-Urquhart  was 
confined  in  Berkhamstead  Castle  until  July,  1297, 
when  he  and  the  Grahams  were  liberated  on  condition 
of  serving  the  English  King  in  France.1 

After  Dunbar  Edward  marched  victoriously 
through  Scotland,  until  he  reached  Elgin.  From 
that  ancient  ecclesiastical  centre  he  sent  out  detach- 
ments of  his  army  to  seize  the  northern  strongholds. 
The  Castle  of  Urquhart,  which  now  appears  for  the 
first  time  on  the  page  of  undoubted  history,  was 
taken  and  placed  under  the  charge  of  Sir  William 
Fitzwarine,  an  English  knight  who  had  acquired 
influence  in  Scotland  through  his  marriage  with 
Mary  of  Argyll,  Queen  of  Man,  and  Countess  of 
Stratherne. 

Having  arranged  for  the  management  of  affairs 
in  Scotland,  Edward  returned  to  his  own  country, 
exulting  in  the  thought  of  having  effectually  subdued 
the  Scottish  people.  But  he  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. In  the  South  Sir  William  Wallace  had 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  resolute  band  who 
refused  to  bear  the  English  yoke;  while  to  his 
companion,  Andrew  Moray,  son  of  Sir  Andrew  Moray, 
proprietor  of  Petty,  near  Inverness,  and  of  Avoch  in 
Eoss,  was  entrusted  the  duty  of  raising  the  High- 
landers. Moray's  appeal  to  the  northern  patriots  met 
with  a  ready  response,  and,  notwithstanding  the  active 
friendship  of  John  of  the  Aird,  who  desired  to  procure 

l  Rotuli  Scotiae,  I.,  43,  44.     Stevenson's  Historical  Documents, 

II.,  51. 


20         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOKISTON 

his  son's  liberty,  and  of  the  Countess  of  Boss,  who 
worked  for  her  husband's  release,  Fitzwarine  and  his 
English  garrison  were  sorely  pressed.  His  own  letter 
to  the  King,  giving  an  account  of  his  troubles,  still 
exists.1  From  this  venerable  and  somewhat  mutilated 
document,  which  is  dated  the  8th  day  before  the 
Kalends  of  August  (or  25th  July),  1297,  and  of  which 
a  fac-simile  is  here  given,  we  learn  that  certain  persons 
who  were  moved  against  Fitzwarine  having  betaken 
themselves  to  Andrew  Moray  at  the  Castle  of  Avoch,. 
and  to  Alexander  Pilchys,  or  Pilche,  a  patriotic 
burgess  of  Inverness,  for  aid,  Sir  Eeginald  le  Chenr 
who  commanded  the  English  troops  at  Inverness, 
wrote  to  Fitzwarine  requesting  him  to  repair  to  that 
town  on  Sunday  next  after  the  Feast  of  the  Ascension,, 
for  consultation  concerning  the  King's  affairs.  The 
Constable  of  Urquhart  accordingly  travelled  to  Inver- 
ness on  the  Sunday  morning,  with  a  company  of 
horsemen.  Having  attended  the  conference,  he 
started  on  his  return  journey ;  but  on  the  way  he  was 
attacked  by  Moray  and  Pilche,  and  two  at  least  of 
his  principal  followers  fell,  wounded,  into  their  hands, 
in  addition  to  eighteen  of  his  horses,  "  of  which  ten 
were  sufficient  for  every  good  work."  The  skirmish 
appears  to  have  been  a  severe  one.2  The  riders  of 
the  captured  horses  were  doubtless  slain  or  taken 
prisoners;  and  the  probability  is  that  Moray  also  lost 
some  of  his  men.  Fitzwarine  himself  escaped,  and 

1  No.  3258  of  Koyal  Letters,  in  Public  Record  Office,  London. 

2  The    fig-lit    is    probably    commemorated    by  Eas    a'    Chath    (the 
Cascade  of  the  Battle)  and  the  adjoining-  "  Battlefield,"  near  Doch- 
four  and  011  the  ancient  road  leading  from  Inverness  to  Urquhart  by 
Caiplich. 


tfllWfJii 

irthM&l  !,!  feWP* 


5:*'i  P 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH          21 

reached  the  Castle.  He  was  followed  by  Moray  and 
Pilche;  and  next  morning. the  Countess  of  Eoss,  who 
had  also  arrived  in  the  district,  sent  an  esquire  to 
assure  him  that  she  had  not  been  a  party  to  the  attack, 
and  to  offer  her  aid  in  the  defence  of  the  fort.  He, 
however,  did  not  desire  her  intermeddling,  'lest 
greater  peril  should  happen  to  him;"  and  so  returned 
her  his  thanks  and  declined  the  offer,  as  he  "  trusted 
sufficiently  to  defend  himself  and  the  Castle."  The 
esquire  departed  and  got  safely  past  Moray's 
retainers  arid  the  burgesses  of  Inverness.  The 
Constable  then  looked  forth  from  the  Castle  and 
saw  the  force  of  the  Earl  of  Boss's  son,  whom  the 
Countess  had  sent  to  his  relief;  but,  "  believing 
that  for  evil  he  had  come,"  he  again  refused  the 
proffered  aid.  His  suspicions  were,  however,  un- 
founded, and  the  Countess  subsequently  furnished 
him  with  much  needed  supplies,  and  '  did  many 
other  good  works." 

Moray,  having  gathered  a  considerable  army, 
besieged  the  Castle,  and  in  a  night  attack  killed 
William  Puer,  and  Eichard,  the  Constable's  son,  and 
apparently  several  others.  He,  however,  raised  the 
siege,  and  retired  for  a  time  with  his  men  to  the 
Castles  of  Avoch  and  Balkeny,  and  the  woods  of 
the  district — the  result,  probably,  of  assistance 
given  to  Fitzwarine  by  the  Countess  and  John  of  the 
Aird. 

Tidings  of  these  events  soon  reached  the  watchful 
Edward,  and  on  llth  June  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
Henry  le  Chen,  the  warrior-bishop  of  Aberdeen, 


22         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

ordering  him  and  Sir  Gartenet,  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Mar,  to  the  relief  of  the  Castle.  :t  Because  from 
the  report  of  certain  individuals/'  says  the  King, 
after  complimenting  the  Bishop  and  Sir  Gartenet 
on  their  diligence  and  fidelity  in  the  government 
of  the  Sheriffdom  of  Aberdeen—  '  because  from  the 
report  of  certain  individuals  we  learn  that  certain 
malefactors  and  disturbers  of  the  peace,  roaming 
about,  have  killed  some  of  our  servants,  and  im- 
prisoned others,  and  that  they  detain  those  thus 
imprisoned,  and  are  maliciously  laying  ambushes 
for  our  beloved  and  faithful  William  Fitzwarine, 
Constable  of  our  Castle  of  Urquhart,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  seizing  that  Castle,  and,  if  possible,  capturing 
William  himself,  we,  desiring  to  stop  their  mischief- 
making  as  quickly  as  possible,  lest  worse  may  come 
of  it,  entrust  it  to  you,  asking  you  in  the  faith  and 
love  in  which  you  are  held  by  us — strongly  enjoining 
you — that  you  and  the  forementioned  Gartenet, 
taking  with  you  all  your  own  forces  and  those  of 
the  whole  Sheriffdom  of  Aberdeen,  proceed  to  the 
foresaid  Castle  without  any  delay,  and  see  the  con- 
dition of  it;  and  thereafter,  in  consultation  with  the 
said  William,  provide  and  direct  that  the  Castle 
may  be  so  strengthened  and  garrisoned  that  no 
damage  or  danger  may  in  any  way  occur  to  it. 
And,  for  arresting  malefactors  of  this  kind  and 
bringing  them  to  justice,  do  ye  comport  yourselves 
with  the  vigour  I  expect  of  you,  that  I  may 
rightly  commend  in  this  business  your  diligence 
and  fidelity."1 

IRotuli  Scotiae,  I.,  41. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  23 

At  the  same  time  John  Gumming,  Earl  of 
Buchan  and  Constable  of  Scotland,  and  his  brother, 
Sir  Alexander  Gumming,  were  ordered  to  join  the 
Bishop  and  Sir  Gartenet  with  their  men,  and  to 
remain  in  the  North  until  the  disturbances  were 
quelled.1  Obedient  to  these  commands,  the  Bishop 
and  the  Earl  and  the  two  Knights  led  their  united 
forces  toward  Urquhart.  On  their  way  they  were 
met  near  the  Spey  by  Andrew  Moray,  at  the  head 
of  ' '  a  very  large  body  of  rogues 3 '  whom  the  Eng- 
lish wished  to  fight;  but  '  the  aforesaid  rogues 
betook  themselves  into  a  very  great  stronghold  of 
bog  and  wood,  where  no  horsemen  could  be  of 
service."2  When  the  expedition  reached  Inverness 
the  leaders  sent  for  the  Countess  of  Eoss,  who  came 
and  gave  them  willing  aid  in  counsel  and  men;  and 
from  that  town  they,  in  July,  despatched  letters  to 
the  King,  reporting  their  progress  and  commending 
the  Countess  for  her  zeal  in  His  Majesty's  cause.3 
At  the  same  time  Fitzwarine  sent  his  letter  of  25th 
July,  together  with  a  petition  for  the  release  of 
Christine  of  the  Aird.  "Be  it  known,  moreover,  to 
your  dread  Lordship,"  said  he  to  the  King,  "  that 
a  certain  noble  man,  who  is  called  John  of  the  Aird, 
has  been  diligent  about  our  safety  and  in  saving  the 
lives  of  our  boys,  and  has  one  son  at  Corff,  who  is 
called  Christine,  who  was  taken  from  the  retinue  of 
the  Earl  of  Eoss;  for  whom  I  supplicate  that  you 
will  deign  to  send  him  to  me,  and  in  my  aid  to 

1  Stevenson,   II.,   211.  2  Report  to  Edward. — Ibid. 

3  Stevenson,  II.,  209-211. 


24         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Urquhart;  you  knowing  for  certain  that  by  the 
contemplation  of  him  I  shall  have  the  country 
favourable  and  gracious  :  and  where  he  is  he  serves 
you  to  no  purpose,  and  we  shall  have  great  favour 
by  his  presence  in  this  country  :  and,  if  this  does  not 
please  you,  retain  him  in  your  Court,  if  you  please."1 

When  the  Bishop  and  his  companions  approached 
Urquhart  with  their  large  army,  the  patriots  who  had 
so  troubled  Fitzwarine  prudently  betook  themselves 
to  their  native  fastnesses,  and  patiently  watched  the 
course  of  events.  They  had  not  long  to  wait.  Sir 
William  Wallace  made  his  way  into  the  North  of 
Scotland  with  a  body  of  tried  followers.  It  is  difficult 
to  trace  his  footsteps,  and  what  his  successes  were  we 
have  no  means  of  exactly  determining.  But  we  know 
that  he  was  at  Aberdeen;  he  is  said  to  have  reached 
Cromarty;  he  probably  saw  Moray's  Castle  of  Avoch; 
and  the  authoress  of  "  The  Scottish  Chiefs,"  in  repre- 
senting him  as  visiting  the  Castle  of  Urquhart,  may 
in  her  romance  have  accurately  stated  a  historical 
fact.  Be  that  as  it  may,  before  the  end  of  the  year 
the  English  were  driven  out  of  Urquhart;  and  the 
keeping  of  the  Castle  was  entrusted  to  Sir  Alexander 
de  Bois,  or  Forbes,  who  faithfully  held  it  in  name 
of  Baliol,  to  whom  the  Scots  still  looked  as  their 
lawful  King.  Forbes  had  an  hereditary  interest  in 
the  Castle,  for  he  was  the  great-great-grandson  of 
Conachar,  its  ancient  lord. 

Before   the   Castle    surrendered   to   the    patriots 
Fitzwarine   was   appointed   Constable   of  the   Castle 

1  Royal  Letters,  No.  2472,  in  Record  Office,  London. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PAEISH  25 

of  Stirling.  He  subsequently  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Scots,  by  whom  he  was  kept  in  prison. 
His  wife,  Mary  of  Argyll,  enjoyed  the  special 
protection  of  the  English  King;1  but  she  was  not 
.satisfied  with  her  own  personal  freedom.  She 
visited  Edward  in  England,  and  interceded  so 
successfully  on  behalf  of  her  husband  that  an  arrange- 
ment was  come  to  in  April,  1299,  under  which  he 
was  set  at  liberty  by  the  Scots  in  exchange  for  the 
liberation  of  Henry  St  Glair  by  the  English.2  At 
the  same  time  several  other  prisoners,  English  and 
Scots,  regained  their  liberty  through  the  good 
offices  of  Mary  of  Argyll.3  Her  husband,  however, 
did  not  long  survive.  He  was  dead  before  the  end 
of  the  year.4 

The  war  continued  for  several  years,  bringing  no 
great  advantage  to  England,  and  causing  distress  and 
desolation  in  Scotland.  At  last  Edward  resolved  to 
make  a  strenuous  effort  to  bring  it  to  a  successful  close. 
Concluding  a  treaty  of  peace  with  France,  he,  early 
in  1303,  entered  Scotland  with  an  immense  army  of 
English,  Welsh,  Irish,  and  Gascons.  Meeting  with 
little  opposition,  he  marched  through  the  kingdom 
until  he  reached  the  island-fortress  of  Lochindorb 

1  Stevenson  II.,  370— footnote. 

2  Bain's  Calendar  of  Documents  relating  to  Scotland,  II.,  1062- 
1104. 

3  Stevenson  II.,  370. 

4  Gough's  Documents  relating  to  the  Campaign  of  Edward  the 
First,  p.  249.     Fitzwarine  appears  to  have  been  a  younger  son  of  the 
powerful  family  of  that  name  in  Shropshire.     Mary  of  Argyll  (Maria 
de  Ergadia)  was  in  all  probability  a  daughter  of  Ewen  de  Ergadia. 
She  was  married  to  (1st)  Magnus,  King  of  Man;   (2nd)  Malise,  Earl 
of  Stratherne;  (3rd)  Fitzwarine. 


26         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

near  Forres,  burning  and  laying  waste  the  country. 
From  Lochindorb  he  sent  forth  his  forces  against 
the  other  strongholds  of  the  North.  Those  of  Elgin, 
Forres,  Nairn,  and  Inverness,  awed  by  the  near 
presence  of  the  Hammer  of  the  Scottish  Nation, 
opened  their  gates  without  resistance.  It  was  other- 
wise with  the  Castle  of  Urquhart.  In  Edward's 
letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Aberdeen  he  directed  him, 
as  we  have  seen,  to  consult  with  Fitzwarine  as  to  the 
best  means  of  increasing  the  strength  of  the  Castle. 
The  result  of  their  deliberations  appears  to  have  been 
the  erection  of  those  massive  entrance  towers  whose 
ruins  still  guard  the  only  landward  approach.1  These 
towers,  built  to  check  the  eager  Highlanders,  had  now 
become  their  defence;  and,  when  Forbes  was  sum- 
moned to  surrender,  he  refused  with  scorn..  The 
English,  therefore,  settled  down  on  the  gentle  slope 
that  connects  the  Castle  Eock  with  the  adjacent 
Eagle's  Height,  resolved  to  starve  the  garrison  into 
submission.  Winter  was  near,  and  Edward  returned 
to  the  South,  and  took  up  his  quarters  at  Dunfermline. 
During  the  siege  the  English  forces  lay  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Eagle's  Height,  supporting  themselves 
at  the  expense  of  the  surrounding  country;  while 
the  brave  band  on  the  Eock  husbanded  their  scanty 
stores  to  the  utmost.  But  soon  the  last  morsel  was 
doled  out,  and  Forbes  and  his  companions  resolved 
to  fight  their  way  through  the  enemy,  or  perish  in 
the  attempt.  The  impatient  besiegers  see  with  joy 

l  See  Appendix   A   for   description   of   the   Castle,   by 
Dr  Alexander  Eoss. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  27 

the  drawbridge  lowered — but  the  only  person  who 
crosses  is  an  ill-clad  female  who  informs  them  that 
she  is  a  poor  woman  who  happened  to  be  within 
the  Castle  when  the  siege  began,  and  that  her  present 
condition — for  she  is  about  to  become  a  mother 
—necessitates  her  venturing  forth.  Her  story  is 
believed;  the  generous  soldiers  permit  her  to  pass; 
and  she  climbs  the  brow  of  the  Eagle's  Height,  from 
which,  as  from  the  gallery  of  a  theatre,  she  may 
witness  the  desperate  step  about  to  be  taken  by  her 
husband — for  she  is  none  other  than  the  wife  of  Sir 
Alexander  Forbes,  clad  in  beggar's  garb  the  more 
easily  to  escape  detection. 

When  the  lonely  lady  had  got  fairly  beyond 
danger  the  drawbridge  was  again  made  to  span  the 
moat,  and  Forbes  and  his  faithful  followers  dashed 
across  into  the  midst  of  the  astonished  English. 
They  fought  with  the  courage  of  despair— 

"  They  fought  together  as  brethren  true, 
Like  hardy  men  and  bolde ; 
Many  a  man  to  the  ground  they  thrue, 
And  many  a  harte  made  colde." 

But  it  was  not  possible  for  them  to  pierce  through 
the  mass  of  soldiery,  and  they  were  cut  down  to  a 
man. 

Forbes'  wife  escaped  to  Ireland,  where,  to  quote 
Boece,  "  She  bore  hir  son  Alexander.  This  Alex- 
ander, quhen  Scotland  wes  recoverit  out  of  Inglis- 
mennis  handis,  come  to  King  Eobert  Bruce  and 
desirit  to  be  restorit  to  his  faderis  heritage,  quhilk 


28         UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

wes  occupyit  for  the  time  with  othir  possessoris. 
King  Eobert  wes  wery  quhat  was  to  be  done  in  this 
mater;  for  he  thocht  it  nocht  semand  that  ane  prince 
suld  tak  the  landis  fra  nobill  men,  quhilkis  wer  gevin 
to  thaim  in  reward  of  thair  manheid;  and  als  it  wes 
not  just  to  spulye  the  man  of  his  kindely  heritage, 
quhilk  had  his  fader,  his  freindis,  and  all  his  guddis 
tint  in  defence  of  the  realme.  Thus  wes  ane  midway 
devisit  be  quhilk  certane  landis  in  Mar,  of  litil  les 
proffet  than  the  landis  of  Urquhard,  were  gevin  to  the 
said  Alexander  Boyis."1 

This  Alexander  was  a  worthy  son  of  his  brave 
father.  He  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  house  of 
Bruce,  and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Dupplin  in  1332. 

The  Castle  having  on  the  death  of  Forbes  been 
taken  possession  of  by  the  invaders,  Sir  Alexander 
Cumming  was  appointed  Constable  both  of  it  and  of 
Tarwedaile,  "  two  of  the  strongest  castles  in  the 
country,"2  and  he  continued  to  hold  it  in  Edward's 
interest  till  the  final  expulsion  of  the  English  by 
Eobert  the  Bruce. 

During  Edward's  triumphant  progress  through 
•Scotland  John  Cumming  of  Badenoch,  Governor  of 
the  Kingdom,  kept  up  a  show  of  resistance;  but  his 
forces  were  routed  near  Stirling,  and  his  submission 
speedily  followed.  Wallace,  however,  still  refused 
to  yield;  but  in  1305  he  was  betrayed  by  the  false 

iBellenden's  Boece  (Ed.  1821),  vol.  II.,  p.  377.  See  also 
Holingshed;  Buchanan;  Abercrombie's  Martial  Achievements;  and 
Aberdeen  and  Banff  Collections  (Spalding  Club),  609. 

2  Letter,  Earl  of  Atholl  to  Edward  I.,  in  Kecord  Office.  Tar- 
wedaile :  probably  Tarradale  or  Eedcastle,  in  Eoss-shire. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  29* 

Menteith,  and  conveyed  to  London,  where,  after  a 
sham  trial  for  treason  to  a  King  whose  sovereignty  he 
had  never  owned,  he  was  put  to  death  with  a  refine- 
ment of  cruelty  that  brands  the  character  of  Edward 
with  indelible  infamy. 

With  the  view  of  terrifying  the  Scots  into  sub- 
mission, Edward  had  the  severed  limbs  of  the  patriot 
publicly  exposed  in  Berwick,  Perth,  and  Aberdeen. 
The  effect  was  not  what  he  had  anticipated.  The 
ghastly  spectacle  only  strengthened  the  resolution  of 
the  people,  and  when,  in  1306,  Bruce  deserted  the 
English  cause  and  was  crowned  King  of  Scots, 
desperate  and  determined  men  flocked  to  his  standard,.. 
In  the  North  his  principal  supporter  was  David,, 
Bishop  of  Moray,  who  went  through  his  diocese 
exhorting  the  people  to  fight  for  liberty,  and  boldly 
preaching  the  doctrine  that  to  resist  the  English  was 
as  meritorious  as  to  join  the  Crusaders  who  made 
their  way  to  heaven  through  the  blood  of  pagans  and 
Saracens. 

Bruce,  unfortunate  at  first,  and  forced  to  seek 
safety  in  the  Western  Isles,  at  length  met  with  some- 
measure  of  success;  and,  making  his  way  northward,, 
he  seized  the  Castle  of  Inverness,  which  was  negli- 
gently guarded  on  account  of  its  remote  situation.1 
The  capture  of  Urquhart  Castle  and  the  other  northern 
strengths  speedily  followed;  and  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  among  the  bold  barons  who  helped  to* 

1  Buchanan. 


30         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

bring  about  this  result  was  Simon  Fraser,  the  first  of 
his  name  who  settled  in  the  district  of  Loch  Ness. 

Among  the  Scots  who  had  espoused  the  cause  of 
Edward,  and  for  a  time  refused  to  desert  him,  the 
most  renowned  was  Bruce' s  nephew,  Thomas  Ban- 
dolph.  That  young  soldier  was,  however,  captured 
by  Sir  James  Douglas  and  persuaded  to  join  his 
uncle ;  and  he  thereafter  served  with  such  valour  and 
fidelity  that  in  1313  he  was  created  Earl  of  Moray, 
.and  received  a  grant  of  that  province,  including 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.  And  thus  it  was,  as 
we  have  seen,  that  Bruce  was  unable  to  restore  the 
Castle  lands  to  young  Alexander  Forbes  on  his  return 
from  Ireland.  Although  the  terms  of  Bandolph's 
charter  were  comprehensive  enough  to  convey  the 
Castle  to  him,  it  was  during  his  lifetime  garrisoned 
and  provisioned  by  the  King;  and  after  his  death  it 
was  expressly  reserved  from  the  grants  of  the  Earldom 
to  his  successors. 

Eandolph,  having  visited  his  new  northern  terri- 
tory, returned  to  Bruce  with  a  following  of  Highland 
vassals  and  retainers,1  who  soon  had  an  opportunity 
of  distinguishing  themselves  on  the  field  of  Bannock- 
burn,  where  their  young  leader  -commanded  the 
centre  of  the  Scottish  army.  In  that  army,  says 
Holingshed,  were  three  thousand  fierce  and  forward 
Irish  Scots  called  Katerans  or  Eedshanks — an  apt 
enough  description  of  the  impetuous  and  kilted 
Gaels  who  followed  Eandolph  in  his  exploits  in 
England  and  the  south  of  Scotland,  and  to  whom 

1  Burns'   War  of  Independence,  II.,  290. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  31 

Bruce  himself  entrusted  such  desperate  work  as  the 
driving  of  the  English  from  the  heights  of  Biland  in 
Yorkshire.1 

Bruce  died  in  1329,  leaving  the  crown  to  his 
infant  son  David,  and  having  appointed  Eandolph 
regent  during  the  boy's  minority.  The  wars  which 
filled  the  great  King's  reign  prevented  his  giving 
that  attention  to  the  internal  affairs  of  the  country 
which  they  required,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
bloodshed  and  thieving  and  general  lawlessness  pre- 
vailed. The  Eegent  at  once  set  himself  to  rectify 
the  evils.  He  made  a  progress  through  the  country, 
:c  dispensing  justice  even  to  Inverness/'2  and  dis- 
charging his  duties  with  a  wise  severity  before  which 
crime  speedily  disappeared.  Even  the  decrees  of 
the  all-powerful  Eoman  Pontiff  failed  to  turn  him 
aside  from  strict  and  impartial  justice.  A  certain 
person  who  slew  a  priest  having  fled  to  Eome, 
procured  papal  absolution,  and  then  returned. 
Eandolph  heard  of  the  man's  arrival  as  he  was 
holding  a  court  at  Inverness,  and  caused  him  to  be 
brought  before  him  on  the  charge  of  murder.  The 
accused  pleaded  the  Pope's  absolution.  ' '  The  Pope, ' ' 
replied  the  Eegent,  :c  may  absolve  you  from  the 
spiritual  consequences  of  the  sin,  but  for  the  crime 
which  you  have  committed  against  the  law  of  this 
land  I  am  your  judge ' '  —and  he  ordered  him  off  to 
instant  execution.3  The  means  he  adopted  to  repress 
robbery  were  peculiar.  :c  Aware,"  says  Tytler,  "  of 

1  Tytler,  I.,  c.  iv.     Barbour's  Bruce  (Spalding-  Club),  433. 
2  Scotichronicon,  Lib.  XIII.,  c.  xviii.  3  Tytler,  I.,  c.  v. 


32         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

the  important  influence  of  the  local  magistrates  and 
judges,  he  made  every  sheriff  responsible  for  the 
thefts  committed  within  his  jurisdiction;  so  that, 
according  to  the  simple  illustrations  of  the  chronicles 
of  those  times,  the  traveller  might  tie  his  horse  to 
the  inn  door,  and  the  ploughman  leave  his  plough- 
share and  harness  in  the  field,  without  fear;  for,  if 
carried  away,  the  price  of  the  stolen  article  came  out 
of  the  pocket  of  the  sheriff.3'1 

But  all  too  short  was  the  Earl's  career  as  judge 
and  administrator.       John  Baliol  was  dead,  and  his 
son,  Edward,  resolved  to  fight  for  his  father's  crown. 
Accompanied    by    a    number    of    English    barons 
and  their  retainers,  and  encouraged  by  certain  dis- 
affected  Scotsmen,    he,    in    1332,    sailed   from   the 
mouth  of  the  Humber  for  Scotland.       Eandolph  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  an  army,   and  prepared  to 
meet    the    invaders;    but    at   Musselburgh    he    was 
poisoned  by  an  infamous  friar  whom  his  unscrupulous 
enemies  had  hired  for  the   purpose.       His   estates 
and   title  fell  to  his   eldest   son,    Thomas — a  brave 
youth  \  who  was  killed   a  few  months  later  on  the 
fatal  field  of  Dupplin.     Thomas  was  succeeded  by 
John,  the  Regent's  second  son,  who  worthily  main- 
tained the  honour  of  his  name.       After  the  battle 
of  Dupplin,  where  the  Scots  were  defeated,  Baliol 
pressed  on  to  Scone,   and  was  crowned  King;  but 
the  great  bulk  of  the  nation,  inspired  by  Sir  Andrew 
Moray,2  who  had   succeeded  Eandolph   as  Regent, 

1  Tytler,  I.,  c.  v. 

2  Son  of  the  Andrew  Moray  who  was  in  Urquhart  in  1297,  and: 
who  was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Stirling  in  that  year. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  33 

stood  by  the  son  of  Bruce,  and,  before  the  end  of  the 
year,  young  John  Eandolph  suddenly  swooped  down 
with  a  body  of  horse  on  Baliol's  camp  at  Annan,  slew 
his  principal  supporters,  and  chased  himself  half- 
naked  over  the  English  Border. 

Edward  the  Third  of  England,  who  had  hitherto 
contented  himself  with  giving  secret  encouragement 
to  Baliol,  now  resolved  to  assist  him  openly.  Invad- 
ing Scotland  with  a  large  army,  he  was  victorious 
at  the  battle  of  Halidon  Hill,  in  July,  1333.  Of  the 
four  divisions  into  which  the  Scottish  army  was  on 
that  day  divided,  one  was  led  by  John  Eandolph, 
assisted  by  Simon  Fraser  of  Lovat,  and  another  by 
the  Earl  of  Eoss.  Lovat  and  Eoss  fell.  Eandolph 
escaped  to  France,  where  he  remained  until  the 
following  year. 

The  immediate  result  of  the  disaster  at  Halidon 
Hill  was  the  almost  entire  submission  of  Scotland  to 
Baliol.  Five,  however,  of  the  principal  fortresses 
still  refused  to  open  their  gates  to  him;  and,  as  of 
old,  Urquhart  was  found  among  the  faithful  few.1 
That  stronghold  had  been  well  maintained  by  Bruce 
-and  the  Eegent  Eandolph,2  and,  at  the  time  at 
which  we  have  now  arrived,  Sir  Eobert  Lauder 
of  Quarrelwood,  son  of  Lauder  of  the  Bass,  was  its 
Constable.  He  also  held  the  important  office  of 
Justiciar  of  the  North.  He  and  his  northern  retainers 
were  present  at  Halidon  Hill,  and  hurried  home 

iBoece,  II.,  424;  Hailes'  Annals.  The  other  castles  were  Dum- 
barton, Lochleven,  Kildrummie,  and  Lochmaben. 

2  It  was  provisioned  in  1332  "  by  order  of  the  King."  (Exchequer 
Eolls,  I.,  418). 

3 


34         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

immediately  after  the  battle,  determined  to  defend 
the  Castle  against  the  invaders.  Next  year  (1334), 
the  English  forces  appeared  before  it;  but  the 
Constable  was  prepared  for  them,  and  they  were 
successfully  resisted  until  Sir  Andrew  Moray,  John 
Eandolph,  and  the  Steward  of  Scotland  arrested 
Baliol's  progress,  and  drove  him  once  more  across- 
the  Border. 

Edward  the  Third,  chafing  under  this  reverse,, 
again  led  an  army  into  Scotland,  and  penetrated  as 
far  as  Inverness.  John  Eandolph  stoutly  resisted, 
but,  in  1335,  his  army  was  defeated  at  Jedburgh,  and 
he  himself  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  England,  where 
he  was  confined,  first  in  the  Castle  of  Bamborough, 
afterwards  in  the  Tower  of  London,  and  subsequently 
in  Windsor  Castle,  until  1341,  when  he  was  released 
through  the  mediation  of  the  King  of  France,  and 
exchanged  for  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  who  was  a 
prisoner  with  the  French.1  Notwithstanding  these 
crushing  calamities,  Lauder  continued  loyal  to  King 
David,  and,  although  Baliol  and  the  English 
devastated  the  surrounding  country  with  fire  and 
sword,  the  Castle  does  not  appear  to  have  fallen  into 
their  hands.  Before  long  Baliol  was  finally  expelled 
from  Scotland;  and,  after  some  years  of  desultory 
warfare,  peace  was  concluded  between  England  and 
Scotland. 

In  Sir  Eobert  Lauder  the  Church  had  a  warm 
friend  and  a  powerful  protector;  and,  in  considera- 
tion of  his  many  services  to  her,  and  of  an  annual 

I  Hailes'  Annals;  Tytler,  I.,  c.  v. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  35 

feu-duty  of  four  merks  sterling,  he,  in  1334,  received 
a  grant  from  John  Pilmore,  Bishop  of  Moray,  of  ' '  the 
half  davach  of  our  land  of  Aberbreachy  [Abriachan], 
lying  between  the  barony  of  Bonach  [Bona]  on  the 
east,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  barony  of  Ur chard  on 
the  west,  on  the  other  side;  with  our  lands  of  Auch- 
munie,  lying  between  the  land  of  Drumbuy  on  the 
east,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  land  of  Cartaly  on 
the  west,  on  the  other  side,  within  the  barony  of 
Urchard  aforesaid."1  These  estates  of  Abriachan 
and  Achmonie  had  long  been  the  property  of  the 
Church. 

Within  the  old  walls  of  his  Castle  Sir  Eobert 
Lauder  entertained  right  royally.  Among  the  guests 
who  were  met  together  there  on  4th  July,  1342,  were 
William,  Earl  of  Eoss;  Eeginald,  son  of  Eoderick  of 
the  Isles;  the  Bishop  of  Moray;  the  Bishop  of  Eoss; 
Sir  James  de  Kerdale;  Sir  William  de  Mowbray;  Sir 
Thomas  de  Lichtoun,  Canon  of  Moray;  John  de 
Berclay ;  Adam  de  Urquhart ;  John  Yong  de  Dingwall ; 
and  many  others,  clergymen  and  laymen ' ' 2 — a 
goodly  company  truly.  These  all  witnessed  a  charter 
by  the  Earl  to  Eeginald,  of  the  lands  of  Kintail,  as  a 
reward  for  his  services.  But  in  those  times  the 
course  of  friendship  was  liable  to  be  interrupted,  and 
in  1346  the  Earl  assassinated  Eeginald  within  the 
Monastery  of  Elcho.3 

IReg.  Morav.,  155.  2  Supplement  to  Acts  of  Parl.  of  Scot.  7. 

3Tytler,  I.,  c.  v. ;   Gregory's  Highlands,  27. 


36         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Lander's  only  daughter,  Anne,  who  was  married 
to  a  member  of  the  family  of  Chisholm,  in  Rox- 
burghshire,1  had  a  son  who  appears  to  have  lived 
with  his  grandfather  in  Urquhart  from  his  youth, 
and  who  became  well  known  in  the  North  as  Sir 
Eobert  Chisholm.  In  1345  the  young  man  received 
from  John  Randolph,  a  grant  of  e  two  davachs  of 
land  within  our  [Randolph's]  barony  of  Urchard, 
videlicit,  the  one  half  davach  of  Innermorchen 
[Invermoriston] ;  the  quarter  davach  of  Blare 
[Blarie] ;  and  the  quarter  davach  of  Lochletare; 
the  three-quarter  davach  of  Inchebrene,  and  the 
quarter  of  Dulschangy."2  These  lands  were  the  first 
Highland  possessions  of  the  family  of  Chisholm,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  during  the  course  of 
five  centuries  their  names  have  scarcely  undergone  a 
change. 

In  1346,  when  Edward  the  Third  was  busy  with 
the  siege  of  Calais,  King  David,  who  had  now 
reached  manhood,  invaded  England  with  a  large 
army,  in  which  were  John  Randolph  and  Sir  Robert 
Chisholm,  and  wasted  the  diocese  of  Durham;  but 
the  expedition  ended  disastrously  at  the  battle  of 
Neville's  Cross,  where  Randolph,  who  commanded 
the  right  wing,  was  slain.  Chisholm  was  taken 
prisoner  along  with  the  King,  and  probably  did  not 
regain  his  liberty  till  His  Majesty's  release  in  1357 
—for  we  do  not  again  meet  his  name  till  1359,  when 

iBy  some  her  husband  is  called  Eobert;  by  others  John.  The 
latter  is  probably  the  correct  name.  His  son  was  called  Robert, 
after  Sir  Robert  Lauder. 

2  Family  of  Innes  (Spalding  Club),  59. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  37 

he  became  Constable  of  the  Castle  in  succession  to 
his  grandfather.  The  old  Constable  survived  for 
a  few  years.  On  1st  May,  1362,  he  founded  a 
chaplainry  in  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Moray,  at  the 
altar  of  St  Peter,  for  his  own  soul  and  the  souls  of 
his  ancestors,  and  particularly  for  the  soul  of  Hugh, 
Earl  of  Eoss.1  And  with  this  pious  deed  Lauder 
the  Good2  vanishes  from  our  view — as  true  a  patriot 
and  as  brave  a  knight  as  ever  fought  in  Scotland's 
cause. 

lEeg.  Morav.,  309. 

2  The  author  of  the  15th  century  chronicle  known  as  Liber 
Plus  car  densis,  in  referring  to  the  five  castles  which  refused  to  sur- 
render to  Baliol,  gives  "  Castrum  eciam  de  Urquhart,  cujus  custodiam 
habuit  dominus  Thomas  de  Lawder,  qui  Bonus  vocatus  est."  The 
chronicler,  however,  errs  in  calling  Lauder  Thomas. 


38         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTER     III 

1346—1455 

The  Barony  of  Urquhart  reverts  to  the  Crown. — Is  granted 
to  the  Earl  of  Sutherland. — Acquired  by  the  Earl  of 
Stratherne. — Sir  Robert  Chisholm. — His  Urquhart  Pos- 
essions  go  to  the  Wolf  of  Badenoch. — Stratherne  lets  the 
Barony  to  the  Wolf.— The  Wolf  withholds  the  Rent.— 
A  Royal  Quarrel. — Appeal  to  the  King. — The  Wolf  and 
the  Bishop. — The  Burning  of  Elgin  Cathedral. — Thomas 
Chisholm. — The  Wolf's  Death. — Scramble  for  his  Posses- 
sions.— Urquhart  seized  by  Donald  of  the  Isles. — Charles 
Maclean. — Parliament  deals  with  the  Castle. — The  Red 
Harlaw. — The  Barony  possessed  by  the  Earl  of  Mar. — 
Claimed  by  the  Duke  of  Albany. — A  Compromise. — The 
Castle  repaired  by  the  King. — Death  of  Mar. — The  Lord 
of  the  Isles  seizes  the  Barony. — Hector  Buie  Maclean's 
Exploits. — The  Tragedy  of  Caisteal  Spioradan. — Ogilvy 
of  Balfour  holds  the  Castle  for  the  King.— The  Castle 
taken  by  John  of  the  Isles. — No  Rent. — Parliament 
annexes  the  Barony  and  Castle  to  the  Crown. 

THE  succession  to  the  Earldom  of  Moray  was  limited 
by  Bruce 's  charter  to  Thomas  Kandolph  and  the  heirs 
male  of  his  body.  His  sons,  who  both  fell  in  battle, 
left  no  issue,  and  accordingly  the  province,  including 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  reverted  to  the  Crown 
on  the  death  of  John  Eandolph  in  1346.  The  other 
Eandolph  estates  went  to  the  Eegent's  daughter, 
;c  Black  Agnes/'  famous  in  Scottish  song  and  story 
as  the  indomitable  defender  of  the  Castle  of  Dunbar 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  39 

against  the  English.  Her  husband,  the  Earl  of 
Dunbar,  assumed  the  title  of  Earl  of  Moray,  and, 
although  his  right  to  the  Earldom  was  never  formally 
acknowledged,  he  was  probably  allowed  to  reap  some 
-of  the  advantages  that  flowed  from  its  possession  in 
the  days  of  the  Eandolphs.  The  Castle  and  Barony 
of  Urquhart  appear,  however,  to  have  been  retained 
in  the  King's  hands;  and,  when  the  Earldom  was 
granted  by  Eobert  the  Second  to  Agnes'  son,  John 
Dunbar,  they  were  excepted  from  the  grant.1 

King  David  had  no  child  to  succeed  him,  and  his 
nephew,  Eobert,  the  Steward  of  Scotland,  was  heir 
to  the  throne,  in  terms  of  a  settlement  solemnly 
ratified  by  Parliament.  But  the  relations  between  the 
King  and  the  Steward  were  not  of  a  friendly  nature, 
and  His  Majesty  entertained  thoughts  of  bestowing 
the  crown  on  another  nephew — John,  son  of  the  Earl 
of  Sutherland  by  Margaret,  daughter  of  Eobert  the 
Bruce.  The  voice  of  the  nation  was,  however,  for 
the  Steward,  and,  with  the  view  of  strengthening  the 
-Sutherland  interest,  the  King  bestowed  various  estates 
on  the  Earl  and  his  son,  among  them  being  the 
Barony  and  Castle  of  Urquhart,  which  were  conveyed 
to  them  by  charter  dated  the  last  day  of  February, 

IReg.  Mag1.  Sig.,  119.  The  original  Barony  of  Urquhart  was 
•erected  in  the  days  of  the  first  Randolph,  and  included  Glenmoriston. 
It  was  erected  into  a  Lordship  in  the  15th  century.  In  1509  three 
new  baronies  were  created,  viz.,  Urquhart,  Glenmoriston,  and 
•Corrimony.  Achmonie  was  included  in  the  ecclesiastical  Barony  of 
Spynie,  erected  in  1451,  and  subsequently  in  the  smaller  Barony  of 
JKinmylies,  in  the  Regality  of  Spynie. 


40         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

1359. 1  John's  death,  of  the  plague,  in  1361,  put 
an  end  to  these  schemes,  and  on  the  Earl's  death 
in  1370,  the  Castle  and  Barony  again  became  Crown 
property. 

David,  whose  reign  was  not  a  happy  one  for 
Scotland,  died  in  February,  1370,  and  the  Steward 
ascended  the  throne  as  Eobert  the  Second.  On  19th 
June  following  he  granted  the  Castle  and  Barony 
to  his  son,  David,  Earl  of  Stratherne,  and  the 
heirs  of  his  body,  and,  failing  such  heirs,  to  another 
son,  Alexander,  Earl  of  Buchan,  and  the  heirs  of 
his  body.2  Although  the  Castle  was  not  expressly 
reserved  from  this  grant,  Sir  Eobert  Chisholm,  who, 
as  we  saw  in  our  last  chapter,  became  Constable 
in  1359,  continued  to  hold  it  for  the  Crown,  and 
his  annual  salary  of  £40  was  paid  out  of  the  Eoyal 
Exchequer.3 

Chisholm  early  acquired  great  influence.  He 
was  proprietor  of  Invermoriston,  Blarie,  Lochletter, 
Inchbrine,  and  Dulshangie,  in  our  Parish;  he  held 
Achmonie  in  feu  from  the  Bishop ;  and  he  had  exten- 
sive estates  in  Morayshire  and  the  neighbourhood  of 
Nairn  and  Inverness.  He  was  Sheriff  of  Inverness, 
and  Justiciar  of  the  regality  of  Moray;  and,  like  his 
grandfather,  Sir  Eobert  Lauder,  he  held  the  still  more 
important  office  of  Justiciar  of  the  North.  Like 
Lauder,  too,  he  was  liberal  to  the  Church;  and 

1  See  Gordon's  Earldom  of  Sutherland,  51-53;  Additional  Case  for 
Elizabeth    claiming1    the    Title    and    Dignity    of    Sutherland,    p.    11, 
where  Gordon  is  corrected  on  certain  points;   Robertson's  Index  to 
Charters,  49. 

2  Keg.  Mag.  Sig.,  85. 

3  Exchequer  Eolls,  II.,  143,  187. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  41 

he  it  was  who  first  bestowed  on  it  the  lands  of 
Direbught,  which  are  now  the  property  of  the  Kirk 
Session  of  Inverness.  '  Since  it  is  known  to  all  that 
all  flesh  returns  into  dust,"  says  he  in  his  deed  of 
gift,  "  and  that  there  is  nothing  after  death  except 
Him  who  is  the  true  safety,  and  who  redeemed  the 
human  race  on  the  cross,  therefore  I  make  it  known 
to  all  by  these  presents  that  I  have  given,  granted, 
and,  by  this  my  present  charter,  confirmed,  for  the 
salvation  of  my  soul,  and  of  the  souls  of  my  suc- 
cessors and  predecessors,  and  of  all  the  faithful,  six 
acres  of  arable  land  lying  within  the  territory  of  the 
Old  Castle,  in  the  lower  plain  thereof  .  .  .  for 
making  an  increase  of  divine  worship  for  ever  to  the 
Altar  of  the  Holy  Eood  of  Inverness."1  But,  pious 
though  he  was,  he  could  resist  the  claims  of  the 
Church  when  occasion  demanded.  Among  the  gifts 
of  the  early  kings  to  the  Priory  of  Pluscardyn  was 
the  mill  of  Elgin,  to  which  certain  lands  were 
*  thirled,"  or  attached,  to  the  effect  that  the  owners 
of  the  mill  could  insist  on  grinding  the  corn  grown 
on  them,  and  exacting  the  "  multures,"  or  miller's 
portions  of  meal  and  flour,  which  were  then  a  source 
of  considerable  revenue.  Sir  Eobert's  Morayshire 
estate  of  Quarrelwood  was  thirled  to  the  mill  of  Elgin. 
When  the  mill  was  acquired  by  the  Priory,  that 

1  Invernessiana,  62.  One  of  the  witnesses  to  this  deed,  which  is 
dated  1362,  and  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Burgh  of  Inverness, 
is  Weland  Shislach — perhaps  the  first  appearance  in  the  Chisholm 
family  of  the  Christian  name  Wiland,  or  Valentine,  or,  in  Gaelic,. 
Ualain,  which  subsequently  became  so  common  in  Strathg-lass, 
Shislach  (Siosalach,  or  Siosal)  is  still  the  Gaelic  name  of  Chisholm. 


42         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

property  was  to  a  large  extent,  if  not  wholly,  in  a 
state  of  nature.  But  it  was  subsequently  brought 
under  cultivation,  and  thereupon  the  Prior  demanded 
the  multures.  For  a  time  Sir  Eobert  appears  to 
have  paid  them,  but  he  ultimately  refused,  on  the 
ground  that  when  the  gift  was  made  no  grain  grew 
on  the  estate,  and  that  the  thirlage  could  not 
comprehend  land  subsequently  brought  under  culti- 
vation. The  Prior,  determined  to  enjoy  the  disputed 
multures  without  coming  into  unpleasant  personal 
contact  with  the  Knight  of  Quarrelwood,  let  them 
on  lease  to  a  certain  husbandman  of  Findrossie;  but 
when  the  man  attempted  to  collect  them  he  was 
seized  by  Sir  Eobert  and  cast  into  a  private  prison. 
The  matter  was  now  brought  into  the  civil  courts, 
and  Sir  Archibald  Douglas  and  John  de  Hay,  Sheriff 
of  Inverness,  decided  it  in  Chisholm's  favour,  But 
the  Bishop  of  Moray,  who  took  up  the  cause  of  the 
Prior,  addressed  a  petition  to  Sir  Archibald,  craving 
a  recall  of  the  judgment,  arguing  that  the  case  did 
not  come  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  civil  magis- 
trates, but  fell  to  be  decided  in  the  ecclesiastical 
courts,  and  concluding  with  a  threat  to  excommuni- 
cate the  civil  judges  if  they  attempted  anything 
further  by  which  the  Prior  might  be  wronged,  or 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Church  encroached  on.1  The 
threat  of  excommunication  had  the  desired  effect. 
At  a  court  held  by  the  Bishop,  in  January,  1370, 
the  Prior's  pleas  were  sustained,  and  Sir  Robert 
bound  himself  to  pay  the  dues  for  the  future.2 


.   Morav.,   168. 
2  MacphaiFs  Religious  House  of  Pluscardyn,  78. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  43 

Sir  Eobert's  daughter,  Joneta,  or  Janet,  became 
the  wife  of  Hugh  Eose  of  Kilravock.     Their  contract 
of  marriage,  which  was  executed  on  Thursday,  2nd 
January,  1364,  within  the  church  of  Auldearn  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  Bishops  of  Moray  and  Eoss, 
and  William,   Earl  of  Eoss  and  Lord  of   Skye,    is 
an  interesting  document.      Kilravock,   in  the  usual 
manner,  binds  himself  to  solemnise  the  marriage  in 
face   of  Holy  Church.       Sir  Eobert,    on   the   other 
hand,  undertakes  to  make  over  to  him  and  the  issue 
of   the   marriage,    the   lands   of   Cantrabundie,    with 
their  pertinents,  within  Strathnairn;  and  among  the 
other  clauses  of  the  deed  is  one  providing   "  that 
from  the  day  of  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  the 
said   Sir  Eobert   shall   keep   and   maintain   his  •  said 
daughter  for  three  whole  years  in  meat  and  drink; 
but  the   said  Hugh   shall  find  and   keep  her   in   all 
necessary    garments    and    ornaments  ' :  -  a    strange 
compact,  when  we  consider  the  high  degree  of  the 
parties  to  it.1       The  marriage  of  the  young  people 
duly  followed,  and  their  descendants  still  enjoy  the 
ancient  Barony  of  Kilravock.       Of  Sir  Eobert 's  sons 
one,  Alexander,  married  Margaret  of  the  Aird,  heiress 
of  Erchless,  and  became  the  founder  of  the  family  of 
-Strathglass. 

As  the  Constable  advanced  in  years  he  relin- 
quished his  possessions  in  Urquhart.  The  lands 
of  Invermoriston,  Blarie,  Inchbrine,  Lochletter,  and 
Dulshangie,  which  he  acquired  from  John  Eandolph, 
were  resigned  into  the  hands  of  the  King,  who 

ISee  the  Contract,  in  Family  of  Kilravock  (Spaldiug  Club),  36. 


44         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

granted  them,  about  the  year  1384,  to  his  son, 
Alexander,  Earl  of  Buchan,  for  an  annual  duty 
of  one  silver  penny,  payable  within  the  Castle 
of  Urquhart.1  And  in  1386  he  surrendered  the 
lands  of  Abriachan,  Achmonie,  and  Kilmichael,  which 
he  held  of  the  Church,  to  Bishop  Bur,2  by  whom 
they  were  in  the  same  year  granted  to  Buchan  for 
a  yearly  feu-duty  of  four  merks  sterling.3  Sir  Robert, 
having  thus  given  up  all  his  lands  in  the  Parish, 
resigned  the  post  of  Keeper  of  the  Castle  before  1390, 
when  we  find  his  grandson,  Thomas  Chisholm,  son 
of  Alexander  Chisholm  and  Margaret  of  the  Aird, 
holding  the  office,  with  a  salary  paid  out  of  the  Royal 
Exchequer.4  The  old  Constable  soon  afterwards 
died,  leaving  behind  him  a  reputation  for  honesty  of 
purpose  and  uprightness  in  judgment  second  only  to 
that  of  the  great  Randolph. 

The  Earl  of  Buchan,  who  was  now  owner  of 
Chisholm' s  lands  in  the  Parish,  obtained  from  his 
brother,  the  Earl  of  Stratherne,  a  lease  of  the 
remainder  of  the  Barony.  But  he  would  neither 
pay  the  stipulated  rent  nor  surrender  the  lease;  and 
in  April,  1385,  Stratherne  appeared  before  the  King 
in  Council  and  complained  that  Buchan  retained 
violent  possession  of  the  Barony.  The  King  advised 
the  brothers  to  agree,  and  the  matter  was  remitted 
to  His  Majesty's  other  children  for  amicable  settle- 

iReg.  Mag.   Sig.,  176. 

2  Antiquities  of  Aberdeen   (Spalding  Club),  IV.,  376. 
3  Reg-.  Morav.,  196.  4  Exchequer  Rolls,  III.,  274. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  45 

merit.1  Buchan,  however,  continued  in  possession; 
and,  as  he  had  by  this  time  entered  on  a  career  of 
lawlessness  which  won  for  him  the  name  of  the 
Wolf  of  Badenoch,  the  probability  is  that  he  also 
continued  to  withhold  the  rents. 

With  the  view  of  increasing  his  territorial 
influence  in  the  Highlands,  the  Wolf  married  the 
widowed  Eufamia,  Countess  of  Eoss;  but  her 
place  in  his  heart  and  household  was  usurped  by 
one  Mariota,  daughter  of  Athyn,  and  his  cruelty 
to  the  injured  wife  drove"  her  from  under  his 

-    /MgV^C-g 

roof.  For  redress  she  appealed  to  the  Bishops  of 
Moray  and  Eoss,  who,  after  hearing  the  statements 
of  both  parties,  gave  judgment  on  2nd  November, 
1389,  within  the  church  of  the  Preaching  Friars  in 
Inverness,  restoring  her  to  her  rights  and  status. 
Her  husband  was  ordained  to  send  away  Mariota, 
and  to  adhere  to  his  lawful  wife,  and  treat  her 
honourably  and  with  matrimonial  affection,  at  bed 
and  board,  and  in  food  and  raiment,  and  all  other 
things  to  which  her  high  station  entitled  her,  and  to 
find  sureties  that  she  should  be  properly  treated, 
"  without  the  fear  of  death,  and  that  he  should  not 
in  any  way  surround  her  with  his  followers,  slaves, 
nobles,  and  others,  contrary  to  common  law." 
Buchan,  who  was  present,  formally  acquiesced  in 
the  decision,  and  gave  as  his  sureties  the  Earl 
of  Sutherland,  Alexander  Moray  of  Culbin,  and 
Thomas  Chisholm,  Constable  of  Urquhart  Castle; 
and  these  "great  and  notable  persons,"  being  also 

lActs  of  Parl...  I.,  189. 


46         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

in  attendance,  undertook  to  pay  to  the  Bishops  a 
penalty  of  £200  as  often  as  he  contravened  the 
terms  of  the  judgment.1 

But  his  acquiescence  was  a  mere  pretence,  and 
neither  the  Bishops'  decree  nor  the  risk  of  pecuniary 
loss  to  his  friends  gave  him  any  concern.       He  not 
only  failed  to  dismiss  Mariota  and  act  honourably 
towards  his  wife,  but,  conceiving  a  spirit  of  revenge 
against   the   Bishop   of  Moray,    who  had   especially 
befriended  her,  he  laid  violent  hands  on  the  posses- 
sions of  the  Church  within  the  province.     The  Bishop 
retaliated   by   pronouncing    against    him   the    dread 
sentence  of  excommunication.     That  step  only  added 
fuel  to  the  flame  of  his  fury,  and,  in  May,  1390— 
the  very  month  in  which  his  royal  father  died — he 
suddenly  swooped  down  on  Forres  with  his  retainers, 
and  laid  the  town  and  its  ecclesiastical  buildings  in 
ashes.     Still  continuing  his  sacrilegious  progress,  he 
in  the  following  month  set  fire  to  "  the  whole  town 
of  Elgin,   and  the  church  of  St  Giles  therein,   and 
the  House  of  God,  near  Elgin,  eighteen  noble  and 
ornate  mansions  belonging  to  the  canons  and  chap- 
lains, and"  —sadly  adds  the  chronicler  of  the  event 
'  what  must  be  more  bitterly  deplored,  the  noble 
and  beautiful  Cathedral  of  Moray,  the  mirror  of  our 
country,   and  the  honour  of  our  kingdom,  with  all 
the  books,   charters,    and  other  valuable   things  of 
the    country,    therein    kept    for    security."2     These 
enormities    were    greater    than    even   Alasdair    Mor 

IReg.  Morav.,  353.  2  Keg.  Morav.,  381. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  4 

Mac  an  Bigh,1  as  his  Highlanders  delighted  to  call 
him,  could  perpetrate  with  impunity.  The  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  Church,  and  the  temporal 
inconveniences  that  followed  the  sentence  of  excom- 
munication, soon  brought  him  to  his  knees;  and, 
within  the  church  of  the  Black  Friars  in  Perth,  and 
in  presence  of  his  brother,  Eobert  the  Third,  and 
many  of  the  nobility,  he  did  abject  penance,  and 
bound  himself  to  make  what  reparation  he  could  to< 
the  Bishop  and  See  of  Moray.  He  was  thereafter 
absolved  by  the  Bishop  of  St  Andrews,  and  lived  a 
better  and  more  peaceful  life  till  his  death,  in  July, 
1394.  He  left  no  lawful  issue,  and  was  pre-deceased 
by  his  brother,  the  Earl  of  Stratherne,  whose  only 
child  was  a  daughter.  During  his  retention  of  the 
Barony  of  Urquhart  his  friend  Thomas  Chisholm  held 
the  Castle  for  the  Crown,  and  for  the  "  keeping 
and  munition"  of  it  was  paid  out  of  the  King's 
Exchequer  at  the  rate  of  £14  Scots  a  month.2 
Thomas  succeeded  to  his  mother's  possessions  in  the 
Aird  and  Strathglass,  which,  on  his  death  without 
issue,  fell  to  his  brother  Alexander. 

The  death  of  the  Wolf  of  Badenoch  was  the 
signal  for  a  great  scramble  for  his  extensive  pos- 
sessions. His  natural  sons,  Alexander  and  Duncan, 
seized  some  of  them,  and  for  a  time  kept  both 
Highlands  and  Lowlands  in  terror;  while  the 
Earldom  of  Eoss,  which  he  had  enjoyed  in  right 

1  Great  Alexander,  Son  of  the  King-. 

2  The  following-  payments  to  him  appear  in  the  Exchequer  Eolls  : 
—£56  and  £42  in  the  account  for  1390-1,  £26  13s  4d  in  the  account 
for  1391-2,  and  £33  6s  8d  in  the  account  for  1394-5. 


48         URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

of  his  wife,  and  the  limits  of  which  had  by  this  time 
been  extended  so  as  to  embrace  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston,  was  claimed  by  Donald,  Lord  of  the  Isles, 
as  in  right  of  his  wife,  Margaret  Leslie,1  daughter  of 
the  late  Countess,  by  her  first  husband,  Walter  Leslie. 
Donald' s<  claim  was  resisted  by  the  grasping  and 
unscrupulous  Duke  of  Albany,  Eegent  of  Scotland, 
who  obtained  a  title  to  it  in  favour  of  his  own  son, 
John  Stewart,  Earl  of  Buchan.2  The  Island  Chief 
was  not  in  the  humour  to  argue,  and  he  promptly 
appealed  to  the  sword,  with  the  result  that  before 
the  September  following  the  Wolf's  death  Urquhart 
and  the  Valley  of  the  Ness  were  in  the  hands  of 
his  brother,  Alexander  of  Keppoch,  the  renowned 
Alasdair  Carrach  of  Gaelic  legend  and  song.  This 
vigorous  action  alarmed  the  Earl  of  Moray,  who 
prudently  bowed  to  the  might  of  Keppoch,  and, 
by  formal  treaty,  entered  into  on  25th  September, 
placed  the  lands  and  possessions  of  the  Eegality  of 
Moray,  and  the  church  lands  within  the  province, 
under  his  protection  for  a  period  of  seven  years.3 
Keppoch,  true  to  his  character  as  described  by  his 
Gaelic  name — Alexander  the  Crafty — soon  construed 
this  protectorate  into  a  right  of  ownership,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  gift  the  church  lands  of  Kinmylies  to 

1  Called   Mary   by   Gregory,   but   Margaret  in  Family  of  Leslie, 
I.,  75. 

2  Euf  amia,  the  Wolf's  Countess,  was  succeeded  by  Alexander,  her 
son    by    her    first    husband.        Alexander    married    Isabel    Stewart, 
daughter  of  the  Regent,  and  had  by  her  a  daughter,  Euphemia.     On 
his  death  the  child  was  induced  by  her  grandfather,  the  Eegent,  to 
resign  her  rights  in  favour  of  her  uncle,  the  Earl  of  Buchan.     She 
subsequently  took  the  veil. 

3  Keg.  Morav.,  354. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  49 

certain  of  his  supporters;1  while  to  his  faithful  fol- 
lower from  the  West,  Charles  Maclean,  a  son  of 
Hector  of  Lochbuy,  he  gave  the  keeping  of  the 
Castle  of  Urquhart  and  the  possession  of  certain 
lands  in  our  Parish,2  including  probably  the  estate  of 
Achmonie,  which  had  reverted  to  the  Bishop  on 
the  Wolf's  death  and  was  now  embraced  by  his 
protectorate.  These  were  serious  transactions  for 
the  Crown;  and  in  1398  Parliament  made  a  feeble 
attempt  to  put  matters  right  by  passing  an  Act  placing 
the  Castle  in  the  hands  of  the  King,  ' '  who  shall  entrust 
the  keeping  of  it  to  worthy  captains  until  the 
Kingdom  be  pacified,  when  it  shall  be  restored  to  its 
owners."3  To  place  this  enactment  on  the  statute- 
book  was  easy  enough;  to  carry  its  provisions  into 
immediate  effect  was  more  than  the  Crown  was  able 
to  do;  and  Charles  continued  master  of  the  fortress 
until  the  career  of  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  was  checked 
on  the  field  of  Harlaw.  By  his  marriage  with  a 
daughter  of  Cumming  of  Dulshangie,4  he  acquired 
influence  among  her  people,  and  it  was  doubtless 
under  his  leadership  that  a  number  of  the  men  of 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  entered  on  an  expedition 
to  the  West  Coast  in  support  of  Donald  of  the  Isles 
in  his  war  with  his  brother,  John  Mor  of  Islay.  On 
the  approach  of  Donald's  forces  John  fled  to  Galloway, 
whither  he  was  followed ;  but  no  serious  fighting  took 

lEeg.  Morav.,  211. 
•2  Invernessiana,  97-100;  Seanachie's  Account  of  Clan  Maclean,  243. 

3  Acts  of  Parl.,  I.,  571. 
4  Seanachie's  Account  of  Clan  Maclean,  244. 


50         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

place,    and   peace   was   soon   restored   between   the 
brothers.1 

The  Eegent  Albany  still  pressed  his  claim  to  the 
Earldom  of  Eoss,  and,  in  1411,  the  exasperated  Lord 
of  the  Isles  resolved  to  put  an  end  to  his  pretensions, 
and  to  bring  the  whole  of  Scotland  under  his  own 
sway.  Gathering  an  army  of  ten  thousand  men  at 
Inverness — in  the  ranks  of  which  were  Alasdair 
Carrach  and  Maclean  of  Lochbuy,  and,  it  may  be 
assumed,  his  son  Charles,  with  the  men  of  Urquhart 
—he  led  it  toward  the  Lowlands,  bent  on  placing 
the  crown  of  the  Stewarts  on  his  own  head. 
But  at  TTarlaw,  in  the  Highlands  of  Aberdeenshire, 
he  was  met  by  a  resolute  host  under  the  command 
of  the  Wolf  of  Badenoch's  son  Alexander,  who,  by 
forcibly  marrying  the  widowed  Countess  of  Mar  and 
obtaining  a  grant  of  her  title  and  estates,  had  now 
become  a  powerful  noble.  The  leaders  of  the  oppos- 
ing forces  were  relations  by  blood  and  marriage  but 
deadly  enemies  by  circumstances,  and  their  meeting 
on  the  Eed  Harlaw  was  one  of  the  bloodiest  events 
in  Scottish  history.  The  fierce  stubbornness  of  the 
contending  hosts  resulted  in  a  drawn  battle;  but, 
as  sometimes  happened  on  similar  occasions  in 
after  years,  the  Highlanders  of  the  West  were 
discouraged  by  their  failure  to  carry  all  before 
them,  and  Donald  returned  to  the  Isles,  leaving  the 
disputed  territories  open  to  his  opponents.  Mar 
seized  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  and  refused  to 

l  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis,  303;  The  Macdonells  of 
Antrim. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PAEISH  51 

give  them  up  to  his  uncle  Albany,  who  still  per- 
sisted in  his  claim.  The  dispute  continued  during 
the  Kegent's  lifetime;  but  after  his  death  his  son 
Murdoch  entered  into  an  indenture  with  Mar,  giving 
that  nobleman  the  "  profitis,"  or  revenues,  of  the 
lands,  "  till  the  tyme  that  thay  may  be  sett  to  profitt," 
and  binding  him  to  let  them  to  the  best  advantage 
with  all  speed,  and  without  fraud  or  guile;  after 
which  Duke  Murdoch  was  to  have  one-half  of  the 
rents,  while  Mar  was  to  get  the  other  half  during 
his  lifetime.1  About  the  same  time  Donald  of  the 
Isles  died,  leaving  his  possessions  and  his  claims  to 
his  son  Alexander.2 

How  far  Mar  respected  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
is  uncertain,  but  if  Albany  ever  enjoyed  his  share  of 
the  rents — and  it  is  not  probable  that  he  did — it  must 
have  been  for  a  very  short  period.  In  1424  James 
the  First  returned  from  his  long  captivity  in  England, 
and  immediately  set  himself  to  curb  the  power  of  his 
turbulent  nobles.  Among  the  first  he  took  in  hand 
were  Duke  Murdoch  and  his  two  sons,  who  were  all 
arrested  at  Perth,  and,  in  May,  1425,  put  on  trial 
before  a  jury  on  which  sat  the  interested  Earl  of  Mar. 
What  the  charge  against  them  was  does  not  appear 
quite  clear;  but  <c guilty"  was  the  verdict,  and  father 
and  sons  were  executed  on  the  Heading  Hill  of 
Stirling.3 

1  See   the   Indenture,    dated    16th   Nov.,    1420,    in   Antiquities   of 
Aberdeen  and  Banff  (Spalding  Club),  IV.,  181. 

2  Gregory's  Western  Highlands,  33. 
3Tytler,  II.,  c.  ii. ;  Burton,  II.,  402. 


52        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Turning  his  attention  to  the  North,  the  King  next 
convoked  a  Parliament  at  Inverness,  to  which  he 
summoned  Alexander,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  some 
fifty  other  Highland  chiefs  and  leaders.  They  obeyed 
the  call  without  hesitation  or  suspicion;  but  as  soon 
as  they  were  within  the  building  in  which  the  assembly 
sat,  they  were  seized  and  manacled  and  thrown  into 
dungeons,  while  James  watched  the  proceedings  and 
exhibited  signs  of  intense  joy  at  the  success  of  his 
unkingly  trick.  Some  were  at  once  handed  over  to 
the  executioner.  Others  were  kept  in  prison. 
Alexander,  on  making  due  submission,  was  set  at 
liberty.  But  the  King's  perfidy  rankled  in  his  breast, 
and,  setting  at  nought  the  promise  extorted  from 
him  in  his  captivity,  he  ravaged  the  Crown  lands 
about  Inverness,  and  gave  the  town  itself  to  the 
flames.  James  in  person  led  a  large  army  against 
him,  and  he  surrendered  and  was  imprisoned  in 
Tantallon  Castle.  But  his  cause  was  taken  up  by 
Donald  Balloch  and  Alasdair  Carrach,  who  encoun- 
tered at  Inverlochy  the  royal  forces  under  the  Earls 
of  Mar  and  Caithness,  and  defeated  them  with  great 
slaughter.  Caithness  died  on  the  field.  Mar, 
severely  wounded,  wandered  among  the  mountains 
for  a  time,  and  was  saved  from  starvation  by  a  herd- 
woman  who  gave  him  barley-meal  and  water  mixed 
in  his  shoe.  His  hunger  having  thus  been  appeased, 
the  Earl  turned  bard  and  gave  expression  to  his 
gratitude  in  poetic  Gaelic  :— 

"  Is  math  an  cocair  an  t-acras, 
'S  mairg  a  ni  tarcuis  air  biadh— 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  53 

Fuarag  eorn'   a  sail  mo  bhroige, 
Biadh  a  b'  fhearr  a  fhuair  mi  riamh."  l 

During  these  troubles  the  state  of  our  Parish 
must  have  been  miserable  indeed.  Mar  doubtless 
claimed  the  service  of  the  tenantry  in  the  King's 
cause;  while  the  sympathies  of  the  Macleans,  and 
probably  of  the  majority  of  the  people,  were  with 
the  Lord  of  the  Isles.  What  actual  support  was 
given  to  either  side  it  is  impossible  to  say;  but  the 
Castle  appears  to  have  been  held  for  the  King,  by 
whom  it  was  repaired  in  the  year  1428-9  at  a  cost 
of  40s.2 

The  Earl  of  Mar  died  in  July,  1435,  greatly 
lamented  throughout  Scotland;  and  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston  again  reverted  to  the  Crown.  But 
the  King's  assassination  a  few  months  later  enabled 
Alexander  of  the  Isles,  who  had  already  succeeded 
to  the  Earldom  of  Boss,3  to  take  possession  of  them 
without  opposition,  and  to  place  them  under  the 
charge  of  old  Charles  Maclean's  son,  Hector  Buie, 
as  his  own  seneschal  or  chamberlain.4  Hector,  who 

1  Transactions  of  lona  Club.    The  lines  are  thus  translated  in 
Sheriff  Nicolson's  Gaelic  Proverbs  : — 

"  Hunger  is  a  cook  right  good, 

Woe  to  him  who  sneers  at  food — 

Barley  crowdie  in  my  shoe, 

The  sweetest  food  I  ever  knew." 

The  lines  have  also  been  attributed  to  Eobert  the  Bruce.       (Lord 
Archibald  Campbell's  Waifs  and  Strays  of  Celtic  Tradition,  I.,  77). 

2  Exchequer  Eolls,  IV.,  498. 

3  Alexander  succeeded  to  the  Earldom  on  the  death  of  his  mother 
on  whom  it  was  conferred  by  James  I.  after  the  death  of  John,  Earl 
of  Buchan,  in  1424. 

4  Family  of  Kilravock,  131. 


54         UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

had  thus  become  all-powerful  in  the  Parish,  was 
ready  to  protect  his  people's  property  when  occasion 
demanded.  In  his  time,  and  for  centuries  thereafter, 
the  large  herds  reared  on  the  pasture  lands  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston  were  an  irresistible  temptation  to 
the  cattle-lifting  hordes  of  Lochaber  and  the  West, 
who  deemed  it  fair  sport  to  periodically  ' '  spuilzie ' ' 
the  Parish.  Hector  resolved  to  retaliate.  Leading 
a  band  of  Urquhart  men  into  Lochiel's  country 
during  the  chief's  absence  in  Ireland,  he  slew  and 
plundered  without  mercy.  :<  Eecalled  by  the  groans 
of  the  people,"  Lochiel  hastened  home;  and  Mac- 
lean, wishing  to  avoid  a  pitched  battle,  retired 
along  the  Great  Glen,  taking  with  him  Somhairle 
Cameron  of  Glen-Nevis  and  many  other  captives. 
Proceeding,  probably,  along  the  southern  shore  of 
Loch  Ness,  he  shut  himself  up  within  the  old  Castle 
of  Bona  which  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  Loch, 
and  the  ruins  of  which  were  almost  entirely  removed 
during  the  construction  of  the  Caledonian  Canal; 
and  there  he  awaited  Lochiel,  who  was  in  hot  pur- 
suit with  the  Western  clans.  When  the  Camerons 
approached  Hector  welcomed  them  with  a  threat  to 
kill  the  captives.  But  by  this  time  two  of  his  own 
sons  and  certain  of  his  followers  had  fallen  into 
Lochiel's  hands,  and  that  chief,  anxious  to  save  the 
lives  of  his  kindred,  offered  to  exchange  prisoners. 
Maclean  declined  the  offer  and  carried  his  threat 
into  execution — whereupon  his  sons  and  the  other 
Urquhart  men  were  hanged  before  his  eyes  by  the 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH          55 

exasperated  Camerons.1  These  atrocities  gave  rise 
to  the  belief  that  the  restless  spirits  of  the  victims 
haunted  the  old  fortress,  which  has  ever  since  borne 
the  name  of  Caisteal  Spioradan. 

Hector  is  said  to  have  been  killed  at  Bona,  but 
whether  at  this  time  or  on  a  subsequent  occasion  is 
not  clear.  He  held  the  lands  of  Urquhart  for  behoof 
of  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  but  he  does  not  appear  ever  to 
have  got  possession  of  the  Castle.  On  the  contrary, 
after  the  Eed  Harlaw  ' '  worthy  captains ' '  continued 
to  hold  it  for  the  King  in  terms  of  the  Act  of  1398; 
and  it  was  garrisoned  and  kept  in  repair  at  the 
expense  of  the  Crown.  The  money  expended  on  it 
in  1428-9  has  already  been  referred  to.  In  1448, 
and  probably  for  some  time  previously,  Thomas 
Ogilvy  of  Balfour  was  captain  of  it,  as  well  as  of  the 
Castle  of  Inverness;  and  he  continued  in  that  office 
until  expelled  by  John  of  the  Isles  in  1452.2  With 
both  fortresses  in  his  care,  he  sometimes  had  to 
appoint  deputies.  An  account  rendered  in  Exchequer 
by  Andrew  Kede,  collector  (custumarius)  of  the 
great  custom  of  the  burgh  of  Inverness,  shows  that 
that  official  kept  Urquhart  Castle  for  a  time,  between 
4th  July,  1447,  and  12th  September,  1448,  during 
which  he  disbursed  £21  12s  4d  as  the  expenses  of 
himself  and  of  divers  others  who  were  with  him  in 
the  Castle  for  forty  days  and  more,  keeping  the 
same,  including  the  cost  of  new  buildings  and  of 

1  Memoirs  of  Lochiel. 
2  Exchequer  Kolls,  V.,  380,  405,  421,  441. 


56         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

repairing  the  old  buildings  of  the  Castles  of  Inver- 
ness and  Urquhart,  "  before  the  arrival  of  the  King 
at  Inverness."1  For  his  services  Ogilvy  was  paid 
by  the  Crown.  Between  September,  1448,  and 
July,  1450,  he  received  the  sums  of  £36  5s  9d  and 
£7  12s;  and  the  further  sums  of  £31  18s  7d  and 
£40  12s  between  the  latter  month  and  July,  1451. 2 
Between  September,  1448,  and  July,  1450,  William, 
Thane  of  Cawdor,  supplied  him  with  corn  for  his 
garrisons.3 

Alexander,  Lord  of  the  Isles  and  Earl  of  Eoss, 
died  in  1449,  leaving  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
and  his  other  extensive  possessions  to  his  son  John, 
a  high-spirited  lad  of  fifteen.  The  King — James  the 
Second — had  the  right  as  his  feudal  overlord  of 
choosing  a  wife  for  the  young  Earl,  and  he  selected 
a  daughter  of  Sir  James  Livingston,  younger  of 
Callander,  promising  a  suitable  fortune  with  her. 
The  marriage  took  place;  but  the  disgrace  and 
attainder  of  Livingston  soon  followed,  and  the 
King  failed  to  pay  the  tocher.  John  thereupon 
proceeded  to  recover  it  in  his  own  way — he  seized 
the  Castles  of  Inverness  and  Urquhart,  penetrated 
into  Badenoch,  and  gave  the  old  stronghold  of 
Euthven  to  the  flames.  By  this  time  Livingston 
had  made  his  peace  with  the  King;  but  on  hearing 
of  these  events  he  escaped  from  Holyrood  to  the 
Highlands,  and  joined  his  son-in-law,  who  appointed 
him  Constable  of  Urquhart  Castle.  The  King, 

1  Exchequer  Soils,   V.,   313.  2  Exchequer   Rolls. 

3  Thanes  of  Cawdor  (Spalding  Club),  15. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  57 

conscious  of  his  own  fault,  and  having  his  hands 
pretty  full  in  connection  with  the  Douglas  rebellion 
which  then  raged  in  the  South,  quietly  condoned 
these  high-handed  proceedings.  Not  only  was 
Livingston  allowed  to  keep  the  Castle,  but  his 
remuneration  was  paid  out  of  the  Royal  exchequer; 
and  when,  in  1454,  he  resigned  his  charge,  he  was 
re-appointed  Great  Chamberlain,  an  office  which  he 
had  held  at  the  time  of  his  forfeiture.1  The  young 
Earl,  too,  continued  in  possession  of  the  Lordship  of 
Urquhart,  including  Glenmoriston ;  and  in  an 
account  rendered  by  Sir  Alexander  Young,  King's 
Chamberlain  benorth  the  Dee,  on  15th  July,  1454, 
and  covering  the  period  from  6th  August,  1453,  to 
that  date,  it  is  explained  that,  although  the  Lord- 
ship is  the  property  of  the  King,  the  rents,  which 
are  of  the  value  of  £100  per  annum,  have  not  been 
collected,  because  the  lands  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Earl.  From  the  same  account  we  learn  that  the 
King  was  to  be  consulted  with  reference  to  the 
course  to  be  taken  in  regard  to  these  lands,  and  a 
similar  entry  occurs  in  the  account  ending  31st  July, 
1455. 2  The  question  was  difficult  to  solve,  but  an 
attempt  was  made,  and  in  August,  1455,  an  Act  of 
Parliament  was  passed,  by  which  .' '  forsamekill  as 
the  poverte  of  the  Crowne  is  oftymis  the  caus  of  the 
poverte  of  the  Realme  and  mony  other  inconvenients 
the  quhilk  war  lang  to  expreyme,"  certain  "  lord- 
schippis  and  castillys,"  including  the  houses  of 

1  Exchequer  Bolls,  V.,  xcii.,  and  VI.,  cliii. ;  Tytler,  II.,  c.  iii. ; 

Gregory,  43. 
2  Exchequer  Eolls,  V.,  655,  and  VI.,  68. 


58         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Inverness  and  Urquhart,  and  the  lordships  of  them, 
and  the  Barony  of  Urquhart,  were  * '  annext  to  the 
Crown  perpetualy  to  remane,  the  quhilk  may  not  be 
giffyn  away  nother  in  fee  nor  in  franktenement,  till 
ony  persone  of  quhat  estate  or  degree  that  ever  he 
be,  but  [that  is,  without']  avys,  deliverance,  and 
decret  of  the  haill  parliament,  ande  for  gret  seande 
and  resonable  caus  of  the  Eealme." l 

1  Acts  of  Parl.,  II.,  42. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH         59 


CHAPTEE     IV 

1455—1509 

The  Lordship  of  Urquhart  granted  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  for 
Life. — He  and  his  Highlanders  in  England. — His  Rebel- 
lion and  Attainder. — The  Earl  of  Huntly  in  charge  of  the 
Lordship  and  Castle. — The  Macleans  claim  Urquhart. — 
Their  Position  and  Power.— A  Thirty  Years'  War.— The 
Lordship  let  to  the  Baron  of  Kilravock. — Opposition  to 
him . — Arbitration .  — Bonds  of  Friendship . — Strange 
League  against  the  Baron. — He  throws  up  his  Lease.— 
The  Parish  Waste. — Sir  Duncan  Grant  to  the  Rescue. — 
His  connection  with  the  District. — The  Conflict  of  Foyers. 
—The  Bed  Bard  in  Urquhart.— Struggle  for  the  Lord- 
ship.— Lease  to  the  Bard. — The  Bard  King's  Chamber- 
lain.— He  trades  with  the  King. — The  Lordship  granted 
to  Himself  and  his  Sons  absolutely. — The  reasons  for  the 
Grants. 

THE  object  of  Parliament  in  placing  on  the  statute- 
book  the  Act  which  closes  our  last  chapter  was  to 
annex  inalienably  to  the  Crown  the  Castle  and 
Lordship  of  Urquhart  and  the  other  royal  properties 
with  which  it  dealt.  But  John,  Lord  of  the  Isles 
and  Earl  of  Boss,  was  not  the  man  to  relinquish  his 
possession  of  Urquhart  in  obedience  to  mere  parlia- 
mentary enactments,  and  his  great  power  rendered 
it  inexpedient  for  the  Crown  to  resort  to  stronger 
measures.  It  therefore  made  a  virtue  of  necessity; 
and  almost  before  the  ink  was  dry  on  the  statute- 
book  the  Act  was  disregarded,  and  the  Castle  and 


60         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Lordship  were  formally  granted  to  him  for  his  life 
at  the  old  rent  of  £100  per  annum.1  He  was 
pleased  and  gratified  with  this  show  of  royal  favour, 
and  for  a  time  the  rent  was  regularly  paid.2  More- 
over, his  loyalty  equalled  his  gratitude ;  and  when  in 
1460  James  the  Second  entered  on  his  war  with 
England,  he  joined  the  royal  army  at  Eoxburgh 
"  with  a  great  company  all  armed  in  the  Highland 
fashion,  with  habergeons,  bows,  and  axes,  and 
promised  to  the  King,  if  he  pleased  to  pass  any 
further  in  the  bounds  of  England,  that  he  and  his 
company  should  pass  a  large  mile  afore  the  rest  of 
the  host,  and  take  upon  them  the  first  press  and 
dint  of  the  battle."3 

His  Majesty,  we  are  told,  rejoiced  much  that  the 
Earl  "  was  so  ready  to  hazard  himself  and  friends 
for  defence  of  the  King,  and  honour  of  the  Common- 
wealth;4 but  although  he  and  his  followers  did 
good  service  in  the  congenial  work  of  harrying  the 
North  of  England,  the  King's  death,  on  3rd  August, 
through  the  bursting  of  a  cannon,  put  a  stop  to  the 
invasion,  and  he  had  no  opportunity  of  proving  his 
own  zeal  and  the  bravery  of  his  Celts.  The  King's 
untimely  death  also  cooled  the  Earl's  attachment  to 
the  Koyal  line,  and  roused  fresh  ambitions  within  his 
own  restless  bosom.  For  a  time  he  kept  his  plans  to 
himself  and  was  outwardly  loyal  to  the  infant  King, 

1  Thanes  of  Cawdor,  25. 

2  Ibid,  25,  27,  29;  Exchequer  Rolls. 

3  Lindsay  of  Pitscottie,  2nd  Ed.,  119,  where  the  Earl  is  errone- 
ously called  "  Donald." 

4  Ibid. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH          61 

James  the  Third.  With  other  Highland  chiefs 
he  attended  a  Parliament  in  Edinburgh  early  in 
1461;  but  before  the  close  of  the  year  he  was 
in  treasonable  correspondence  with  Edward  the 
Fourth  of  England  and  the  banished  Earl  of 
Douglas,  which  culminated  in  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  treaties  to  which  an  English  sovereign 
has  ever  been  a  party.  "The  basis  of  it,"  says 
Gregory,1  ' '  was  nothing  less  than  the  contemplated 
conquest  of  Scotland  by  the  vassals  of  Eoss  and  the 
auxiliaries  to  be  furnished  by  Edward,  with  such 
assistance  as  the  Earl  of  Douglas  might  be  able  to 
give.  The  Earl  of  Eoss,  Donald  Balloch,  and  John, 
the  son  and  heir  of  Donald,  agreed,  upon  the  pay- 
ment to  each  of  a  stipulated  sum  of  money,  to 
become  for  ever  the  sworn  vassals  of  England,  along 
with  all  their  retainers,  and  to  assist  Edward  in  his 
wars  in  Ireland,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  In  the  event 
of  the  entire  subjugation  of  Scotland  by  the  Earls 
of  Eoss  and  Douglas,  the  whole  of  the  kingdom  to 
the  north  of  the  Forth  was  to  be  divided  equally 
between  the  two  Earls  and  Donald  Balloch;  whilst 
Douglas  was  to  be  restored  to  the  possession  of 
those  estates  between  the  Forth  and  the  Borders  of 
England  from  which  he  was  now  excluded;  and, 
upon  such  partition  and  restoration  being  carried 
into  effect,  the  salaries  payable  to  Eoss  and  his 
associates,  as  the  wages  of  their  defection,  were  to 
cease.  The  stipulated  salaries  were  : — To  the  Earl, 
£200  sterling  annually  in  time  of  war,  and  100 

1  Western  Highlands  and  Isles,   47. 


62         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

merks  in  time  of  peace;  to  Donald  Balloch,  £40, 
and  to  John,  his  son,  £20,  in  time  of  war;  and  in 
time  of  peace  half  these  sums  respectively." 

This  treaty  was  concluded  on  13th  February, 
1462;  but  the  impatient  Earl  had  already  assumed 
the  style  of  a  sovereign,1  and  renounced  his  allegiance 
to  the  young  King.  From  Inverness  he  issued  pro- 
clamations in  true  royal  fashion;  and  his  army, 
under  the  command  of  his  illegitimate  son,  Angus, 
and  the  veteran  Donald  Balloch,  speedily  brought 
the  North  to  his  feet.  But  his  reign  was  short. 
His  followers  after  a  time  disappeared  like  the  mists 
of  their  own  mountains;  and  in  the  end  he  was  glad 
to  come  to  terms  with  the  King.  His  life  and  his 
property  were  spared,  and  for  years  all  went  well.2 
But  in  1474  his  treaty  with  Edward  became  known, 
and  its  astounding  nature  roused  the  Government  to 
action.  At  his  Castle  of  Dingwall  he  was  summoned 
to  appear  before  Parliament.  He  did  not  obey,  and 
in  his  absence  he  was  pronounced  a  traitor,  and  his 
estates  forfeited.  To  carry  the  sentence  into  effect 
a  large  armament,  consisting  of  a  fleet  and  land  forces, 
prepared  to  move  northward.  But  before  it  started 
the  Earl  entered  into  negotiations  with  the  King, 
which  resulted  in  the  restoration  of  peace.  An 

iThe  Earl  acted  as  an  independent  prince  as  early  as  October, 
1461,  when,  by  the  advice  of  his  principal  vassals  and  kinsmen,  in 
council  assembled  at  his  castle  of  Ardtornish,  he  formally  appointed 
his  trusty  and  well-belovel  cousins,  Ranald  of  the  Isles,  and  Duncan, 
Archdean  of  the  Isles,  his  ambassadors  to  negotiate  the  treaty  with 
Edward  IV.— (Gregory,  47.) 

2  Gregory,  48,  49;  Burton,  III.,  14. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  63- 

arrangement  which  partook  almost  of  the  nature  of 
a  compromise  between  independent  Powers  was 
entered  into.  John  was  created  a  Lord  of  Parlia- 
ment, with  the  title  of  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  he 
retained  the  greater  portion  of  his  vast  possessions; 
but  the  Earldom  of  Eoss  was  taken  from  him  and 
vested  in  the  Crown,  and  the  Castle  and  Lordship  of 
Urquhart  were  retained  by  the  King  and  placed 
under  the  control  of  George,  Earl  of  Huntly,  His 
Majesty's  Chamberlain  in  the  North.1 

Thus  terminated,  in  the  year  1476,  that  posses- 
sion of  our  Parish  which,  with  various  interruptions, 
the  great  Island  Chiefs  had  enjoyed  by  themselves 
or  their  vassals  since  the  death  of  the  Wolf  of 
Badenoch  in  1394.  Their  tenancy  was  not  a  profit- 
able one  to  the  Crown.  The  Exchequer  Accounts 
show  that  the  stipulated  rent  of  £100  a  year  was 
seldom  paid.  In  noting  the  non-payment  in  1473, 
Alexander  Fleming,  the  King's  Chamberlain,  remarks 
that  His  Majesty  must  be  consulted  regarding  the 
matter.2  The  consultation,  if  it  took  place,  was  of 
no  avail;  and  for  the  remaining  years  of  the  Earl's 
possession  he  insisted  on  withholding  the  rent  as  his 
reward  for  keeping  the  Castle.3 

Neither  did  the  Islesmen's  rule  conduce  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  people.  Their  wars  and  feuds 
were  a  constant  drain  on  the  manhood  of  the  Parish, 
and  the  country  was  frequently  left  a  prey  to  the 

1  Gregory,  49,  50;  Burton,  III.,  14,  15;  Exchequer  Eolls,  VIII. 
See  Acts  of  Parl.  of  Scot.  II.,  for  official  documents  relating  to  John's 
resignation  of  the  Earldom. 

2  Exchequer  Rolls,  VIII.  3  Ibid. 


434  URQUHART    AND    GLENMOEISTON 

fierce  and  needy  neighbours  by  whom  it  was  sur- 
rounded. Even  the  severing  of  the  Island  connection 
failed  for  a  time  to  improve  matters.  The  Macleans, 
who  were  chamberlains  for  the  Earls,  and  kept  the 
Castle  for  them  after  Livingston's  resignation  in  1554, 
.acquired  a  power  and  influence  which  it  was  hard  to 
surrender.  Within  the  old  fortress  they  sometimes 
entertained  their  princely  patrons  and  other  chiefs.1 
At  other  times  they  led  the  flower  of  the  men  of 
Urquhart  on  the  distant  expeditions  of  their  Lords, 
or  in  some  feud  on  their  own  account  against  a 
neighbouring  clan.  Charles  Maclean,  the  first  of  the 
race,  added  to  his  influence  by  attaching  himself  and 
his  posterity  to  the  Clan  Chattan.2  The  alliance  was 
cemented  by  the  marriage  of  his  son,  Hector  Buie, 
to  Margaret,  daughter  of  Malcolm  Mackintosh,  captain 
of  that  clan.3  Hector  was  survived  by  at  least  three 
sons — Ewen,  who  succeeded  him  in  Urquhart ;  Charles 
Auchinson  (that  is,  son  of  Eachann,  or  Hector),  who, 
in  1492,  appears  as  a  witness  to  a  bond  of  friendship 
between  Sir  Alexander  Dunbar  of  Westfield,  Sir  James 
Dunbar  of  Cumnock,  arid  Farquhar  Mackintosh;4  and 

lEarl  John  was  there  in  November,  1466,  when  he  granted  a 
charter  of  the  lands  of  Keppoch  to  Hector  Maclean's  father-in-law, 
Malcolm  Beg  Mackintosh.  The  traditions  of  Glenmoriston  still  speak 
of  the  Island  chiefs'  progresses  through  that  Glen  on  their  way  to 
the  Castle,  and  of  their  custom  of  exchanging  shirts  with  the  head 
of  the  Glenmoriston  Macdonalds  (Mac  Iain  Ruaidh)  as  a  pledge  of 
mutual  friendship  and  fidelity.  Mac  Iain  Ruaidh  was  known  as  the 
Lord  of  the  Isles'  "  Leine-chrios  " — literally  "  waist-shirt  " —  signify- 
ing counsellor  or  confidential  adviser. 

2  Invernessiana,  100;  Mackintosh  Shaw's  History  of  Clan  Chattan, 
151.  3  Mackintosh  Shaw,  153. 

4  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis,  83. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  65 

Farquhar  Auchinson,  who  witnesses  the  same  deed, 
and  was  the  first  of  the  family  who  possessed  Doch- 
garroch.1 

Whatever  rights  Ewen  had  in  Urquhart  came  to 
an  end  with  the  close  of  its  connection  with  the 
Isles.  From  the  Earl  of  Huntly  he  had  no  favour 
to  expect;  and,  setting  up  a 'claim  of  duchas,  or 
unwritten  title,  to  the  lands  of  Urquhart,  he  resolved 
to  hold  them  by  the  sword.  Supported  by  the 
heroic  Clan  JIc  Uian  in  Glen-Urquhart,  and  by  the 
Macdonalds  of  Glenmoriston,  he  bade  defiance  to  the 
King's  Chamberlain,  and  entered  on  a  struggle  that 
lasted  for  upwards  of  thirty  years.  Huntly  was 
required  to  provide  the  Crown  with  the  old  rent  of 
£100,  but  questions  of  management  were  left  to 
himself,  and  he  leased  the  entire  Lordship  to  Hugh 
Eose,  Baron  of  Kilravock.  Ewen  Maclean  opposed 
Kilravock's  entry,  and  his  cause  was  espoused  by 
his  uncle  and  adopted  chief,  Duncan  Mackintosh, 
Captain  of  Clan  Chattan,  and  the  latter 's  brothers, 
Allan  and  Lachlan.  But  Kilravock 's  wife  was  a 
sister  of  Mackintosh,  and,  probably  through  her 
influence,  he  and  they  agreed  to  settle  by  arbi- 
tration all  disputes  between  them,  and  especially  all 
questions  regarding  Urquhart.  The  arbitrators  were 
Alexander  Gordon  of  Megmar  (son  of  Huntly),  Sir 

1  Invernessiana,  101.  Hector  probably  gave  his  name  to  Gortan 
Eachainn  at  Balmacaan.  Balmacaan  itself  is  written  Ballymakauchane 
— Baile-Mac-Eachainn,  the  Town  of  the  Son  of  Hector — in  the  charter 
of  1509  to  John  the  Bard;  but  the  name  is  Baile-Mac-Cathain — Mac- 
Cathan's  Township  or  Stead. 


66         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Duncan  Grant  of  Freuchie  (Laird  of  Grant),  Sir 
James  Ogilvy  of  Deskford,  John  Grant  (son  and 
heir  apparent  of  the  said  Sir  Duncan),  Alexander 
Mackintosh  of  Eothiemurchus,  and  David  Ogilvy  of 
Thomade.  They  met  before  the  Earl  of  Huntly  on 
26th  March,  1479,  and,  after  solemn  deliberation, 
pronounced  their  award — "All  which  being  heard,, 
understood,  and  considered  by  the  said  Earl,"  records 
the  officiating  notary,  '  he  with  the  advice  of  the 
said  arbitrators,  and  with  the  consent  and  assent 
of  the  said  Duncan  Mackintosh,  and  Allan  and 
Lachlan,  his  brothers-german,  let  the  foresaid  lands 
of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  with  all  their  privi- 
leges and  just  pertinents,  to  the  said  Hugh  Eose  of 
Kilravock,  and  willed  that  he  should  intromit  with 
the  same  in  the  manner  and  form  previously  agreed 
on  between  the  said  Earl  and  Hugh,  and  that  as  is- 
contained  in  the  foresaid  lease  to  the  said  Hugh."  x 

Ewen  Maclean,  who  was  not  a  party  to  the  arbi- 
tration, refused  to  be  bound  by  the  decision;  and,  in 
consequence  of  the  trouble  which  he  gave,  Kilravock 
procured,  in  1481,  two  bonds  of  friendship  from  the' 
Mackintoshes.  The  Chief,  by  deed  dated  25th  July, 
binds  and  obliges  himself  and  his  sons,  brothers, 
and  brothers'  children,  and  his  kin,  friends,  and 
adherents,  "  gif  owcht  be  brokin"  of  the  previous 
agreement,  to  rectify  the  same,  as  Huntly  and  the 
said  arbitrators  may  advise;2  and  on  the  23rd  of 
September  his  son  Farquhar  undertakes,  in  usual 
bond  of  friendship  style,  to  help,  maintain,  and 

1  Family  of  Kilravock,   139.  2  Ibid,  143. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  67 

defend  the  Baron  and  his  kin  in  all  their  actions, 
causes,  and  quarrels.  And  then  follows  this  clause 
in  reference  to  Maclean: — "And  if  Ewyne  Mak- 
achtane  [Ewen,  son  of  Hector]  will  come  before 
Mackintosh — my  father — and  me,  and  bind  himself 
to  submit  to  Mackintosh  and  eight  persons  chosen 
by  them  with  him,  in  all  matters  debateable  between 
the  foresaid  Baron  and  Ewyne,  the  foresaid  Mackin- 
tosh and  the  eight  persons  being  sworn  to  give  each 
of  them  as  far  as  they  have  right  or  law,  it  will 
satisfy  me;  but,  if  the  said  Ewyne  will  not,  I,  the 
foresaid  Farquhar,  bind  and  oblige  myself,  as  is 
before  written,  to  take  a  onefold  part  with  the  said 
Baron,  and  his  bairns  and  party,  against  the  said 
Ewyne  and  his  party;  and  this  to  do  and  fulfil  in  all 
things,  and  by  all  things,  in  manner  and  form  before 
written,  the  great  oath  sworn  and  the  holy  evangel 
touched,  I,  the  foresaid  Farquhar,  bind  and  oblige 
myself  to  the  said  Huchone  the  Rose,  Baron,  and 
his  sons,  brothers,  kin,  and  party,  as  is  before 
written,  under  the  pain  of  inhability,  perjury,  and 
infamy,  in  the  most  strict  style  and  form  of  bond  or 
obligation  that  made  is,  or  can  be  devised."  1 

This  solemn  covenant  did  not  in  the  least  influence 
Ewen's  conduct.  He  still  opposed  Kilravock,  and 
he  had  an  active  sympathiser  in  his  uncle,  Lachlan 
Mackintosh  of  Gallovie,  who,  although  a  party  to 
the  arbitration,  did  not  join  in  the  subsequent 
bonds.  Gallovie  resolved  to  strike  the  Baron  within 


1  The  spelling  is  here  modernised.     See  Family  of  Kilravock,  144, 
for  an  exact  copy  of  the  bond. 


68         UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

his  castle  of  Kilravock;  and,  with  that  view,  he, 
on  15th  May,  1482,  entered  into  an  indenture  of  an 
extraordinary  nature  with  his  kinsman,  Donald,  son 
•of  Angus  Mackintosh.  The  family  of  Eose  had 
been  owners  of  Kilravock  for  two  centuries  before 
the  parties  to  this  deed  were  born;  yet  they  record, 
as  a  justification  of  the  enterprise  on  which  they  are 
about  to  enter,  that  "it  is  rehersit,  presumyt,  and 
in  sum  part  knawin  be  part  of  the  eldest  off  the 
lande,  that  Huchone  the  Eois,  barone  of  Kilravok, 
sulde  haff  na  tityll  off  richt  to  the  castell  of  Kil- 
rawok,  na  to  the  grunde  that  it  standis  on;"  and, 
taking  it  for  granted  that  they  have  a  right  to  seize 
what  they  do  not  even  pretend  to  be  theirs,  Donald 
obliges  himself,  t{  in  all  possibill  hast,"  to  take  the 
castle  and  deliver  it  to  Lachlan,  who  is  immediately 
to  appoint  Donald  to  be  its  constable  so  long  as  they 
are  able  to  hold  it,  whether  by  law  or  against  law. 
In  return  for  these  services  Donald  is  to  be  placed 
in  possession  of  certain  lands;  and,  "for  the  mare 
kindnes,  traistnes,  ande  securite,"  he  is  to  marry 
Lachlan3 s  daughter  Margaret.  The  young  people 
being  within  the  prohibited  degrees,  the  lady's 
father  undertakes  to  procure  a  dispensation  from 
the  Pope  at  his  own  expense.  But  in  the  meantime 
the  canonical  impediment  is  not  to  be  allowed  to 
hinder  the  union.  As  soon  as  the  said  castle  shall 
be  taken  by  the  said  Donald,  proceeds  the  strange 
paction,  the  said  Lachlan  shall  forthwith,  and 
without  any  longer  delay,  handfast  Margaret,  his 
;said  daughter,  to  the  said  Donald,  and  she  shall 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  69 

lie  with  him  as  if  she  were  his  lawful  wife;  and,  as- 
soon  as  the  dispensation  comes  home,  the  said 
Donald  is  obliged,  forthwith  and  without  any  longer 
delay,  to  marry  and  espouse  the  said  Margaret,  and 
to  hold  her  in  honour  and  worship  at  all  his  power 
as  his  wedded  wife,  for  all  the  days  of  his  life. 
Lachlan  then  binds  himself  to  pay  a  tocher  of  forty 
merks  Scots,  ten  of  which  shall  be  paid  at  the  time 
of  the  handfasting,  and  ten  at  each  term  of 
Whitsunday  and  Martinmas  thereafter,  until  the 
whole  is  paid;  and  to  clothe  his  daughter  "  honestly," 
and  to  keep  and  maintain  her  in  his  own  house  for 
two  years,  if  Donald  shall  so  require.  And  the 
covenant  is  solemnly  concluded  by  both  parties 
touching  the  holy  evangel,  and  swearing  the  great 
oath  that  they  shall  keep  the  same  without  fraud  or 
guile,  or  "  cavillacione."  l 

It  is  stated  by  the  old  historian  of  Kilravock 
that  Donald  actually  surprised  the  Castle,  and  com- 
mitted slaughter  and  destroyed  papers.2  Be  that  as 
it  may,  the  Baron  made  up  his  mind  to  get  rid  of 
Urquhart.  He  accordingly,  on  24th  June,  1482,  got 
from  Huntly  the  office  of  keeper  of  the  royal  fort  of 
Redcastle;  and  in  consideration  of  the  services  to  be 
rendered  by  him  in  that  capacity  the  Earl  relieved 
him  of  his  unprofitable  and  troublesome  lease,  and 
discharged  him  of  all  sums  payable  under  it.3 

1  Family  of  Kilravock,  146.     See  similar  clause  as  to  the  lady's 
maintenance  in  Janet  Chisholm's  contract,  p.  43  supra.     A.  merk  Scots 
was  equal  to  13s  4d  Scots,  or  3s  4d  sterling,  Scots  money  being  then 
about  one-fourth  of  money  sterling.     By  the  17th  century,  owing  to 
the  depreciation  of  the  Scottish  coinage,  it  took  £12  Scots  to  make 
£1  sterling. 

2  Ibid,  10.         3  Ibid,  149. 


70         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

One  effect  of  the  struggle  with  the  Macleans  was 
to  aggravate  the  evils  from  which  the  country  had 
suffered  in  the  days  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles,  and  to 
increase  the  wretchedness  and  poverty  of  the  people. 
The  Exchequer  Eolls — brief  and  bald  though  their 
entries  are — give  us  sad  glimpses  of  the  state  of  the 
Parish.  In  an  account  rendered  by  Huntly  in  July, 
1478,  for  the  previous  year,  he  deducts  from  the  rent 
of  £100  the  sum  of  £33  6s  8d,  "  on  account  of  the 
laying  waste  of  the  lands  of  Glenmoriston,  as  was 
vouched  at  the  audit;"1  and  in  the  next  year's 
.account  William  Gordon  of  Dunmgas,  the  acting 
Chamberlain  for  the  time,  makes  a  similar  deduction 
"  on  the  ground  that  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
were  waste,  and  could  not  be  let  for  the  year  of  the 
account."2  In  reference  to  the  latter  account, 
Huntly  is  instructed  "  either  to  let  or  occupy  the 
said  lands  in  future,  as  no  further  allowance  shall  be 
made  to  him  on  that  ground;"  but,  despite  this,  the 
same  abatement  is  allowed  to  him  for  the  same  reason 
in  the  account  from  July,  1479,  to  July,  1480,  and 
again  he  is  ordered  to  let  or  occupy  the  lands.3  The 
state  of  the  Parish,  in  short,  had  become  wretched 
in  the  extreme.  The  feuds  which  had  so  long  raged 
between  contending  claimants  destroyed  the  man- 
hood of  the  country;  outside  clans  made  thieving 
inroads  on  the  undefended  glens;  bloodshed  and 
rapine  prevailed;  the  operations  of  seed  time  and 
harvest  were  to  a  large  extent  suspended ;  and  the 

1  Exchequer  Rolls,  VIII. 
2  Exchequer  Rolls,  VIII.  3  Ibid. 


TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  71 

fertile  fields  became  one  great  wilderness,  incapable 
of  returning  the  miserable  yearly  rent  of  £100  Scots 
—equal  then  to  about  £25  sterling — payable  to  the 
Crown.  In  these  circumstances  Huntly,  in  obedience 
to  the  King's  commands,  looked  around  for  a  stronger 
tenant  than  Kilravock.  His  choice  fell  on  the 
Knight  of  Freuchie,  Chief  of  the  powerful  Clan 
Grant. 

Sir  Duncan  Grant  was  not  unacquainted  with 
the  history  and  circumstances  of  the  country  of 
which  he  was  now  asked  to  take  charge.  He  had 
been  one  of  the  arbitrators  under  the  submission  of 
1479,  and  long  before  his  time  his  family  had  a 
territorial  connection  with  the  district  of  Loch  Ness. 
Stratherrick,  which  was  the  home  of  his  family 
before  they  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Spey,  was 
possessed  by  them  from  the  early  part  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  until  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Frasers  about  the  year  1420.  According  to 
.tradition,  the  Church  estate  of  Foyers  was  their  last 
possession  in  Stratherrick,  and  they  lost  it  in  this 
manner.  The  young  bride  of  Gruer  Mor  of  Portclair 
went  forth,  as  was  then  the  wont  of  newly  married 
women,  to  receive  the  presents  of  her  friends.  At 
Foyers  she  was  grossly  insulted  by  Laurence  Grant; 
.and  she  reported  the  outrage  to  her  husband, 
who  resolved  to  punish  the  offender,  and  sailed 
from  Portclair  with  galleys  full  of  fighting  men. 
Grant  and  his  followers  rowed  out  to  meet  him,  and 
a  desperate  fight  took  place  in  the  bay  to  the  west 
of  Foyers,  which  is  to  this  day  known  as  Camus 


72         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Mharbh  Dhaoine — the  Bay  of  the  Dead  Men, 
Defeated,  and  unable  to  reach  the  Stratherrick  shore,, 
Laurence  made  for  Urquhart,  followed  by  Gruer.  At 
Euigh  Laurais — Laurence's  Slope — above  Euiskich, 
he  was  overtaken  and  slain;  and  Gruer  seized  and! 
retained  Foyers.1 

In  Strathspey  the  family  of  Grant  greatly- 
extended  their  possessions,  and  became  a  numerous- 
clan;  and  at  the  time  at  which  we  have  now  arrived 
the  Chief,  Sir  Duncan,  was  a  man  of  great  influence- 
in  the  Central  Highlands.  But  he  was  full  of  years, 
and  his  fighting  days  were  past;  his  only  son  died! 
in  August,  1482;  and  it  was  on  his  grandson  John, 
who  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  Eed  Bard  (Am 
Bard  Ruadh) ,  that  the  active  duty  devolved  of 
restoring  order  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. 

The  Bard  seems  to  have  taken  possession  imme- 
diately after  Kilravock's  renunciation  of  his  right, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  an  annual  reduction  of 
fifty  merks  allowed  from  1488  to  1496  "  on  account 
of  the  waste  of  the  lands  of  Glenmoriston,"  we  meet 
no  more  with  abatements  of  rent  in  the  Exchequer 
Eolls.  Huntly  accounted  regularly  to  the  King  for 
the  yearly  sum  of  £100,  although  Grant  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  too  prompt  in  paying,  for  in 
1492  he  was  four  years  in  arrear.2  He  had  probably 
a  fair  excuse  in  the  difficulties  which  beset  him  in 
his  arduous  and  dangerous  undertaking.  In  Glen- 
Urquhart  the  Clan  'Ic  Uian  resisted  long  and' 

1  Foyers  remained  the  property  of  the  Church  till  1541,  when  ib 
was  conveyed  by  the  Bishop  to  William  Fraser  of  Aberchalder,  who- 
thus  became  Fraser  of  Foyers. 

2  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  Ixxx. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH          73 

desperately,  and  tradition  still  tells  of  their  exploits 
—at  one  time  chasing  a  swift-footed  Strathspeyman 
down  the  hill  of  Clunemore,  until  he  saved  his  life 
by  leaping  the  swollen  Coilty  where  it  forces  its  way 
through  the  gorge  which  is  now  spanned  by  the 
picturesque  Bridge  of  the  Leap;  at  another,  slaying 


BlUDUE    OK   THE    LEAP 


a  party  of  the  invading  clan,  washing  their  heads  in 
Mac  Uian's  Pool,  at  the  Bridge  of  Drumnadrochit, 
and  sending  the  ghastly  trophies  as  a  gift  to  the  poet- 
chief.  In  Glenmoriston  the  Macdonalds  for  years 
opposed  the  Grants,  and,  in  the  language  of  the 


74         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Exchequer  Rolls,  kept  the  lands  "  waste."  But  the 
Bard's  progress,  if  slow,  was  sure.  In  1498  he 
earned  the  King's  substantial  gratitude  for  the  "  gude 
and  thankfull  service  "  of  seizing  and  bringing  to 
justice  Allan  Mor  Mac  Ewen,  a  son  probably  of  Ewen 
Maclean;1  and  he  soon  found  his  footing  so  secure 
that  he  accepted  direct  from  the  Crown  a  lease  of 
the  Lordship  for  five  years  from  Whitsunday,  1502, 
at  the  old  rent  of  £100,  of  which,  however,  £20  a 
year  was  allowed  to  himself  as  his  fee  for  keeping 
the  Castle.2  He  also  traded  with  the  King,  and 
received,  in  October  of  that  year,  £71  2s,  as  the 
price  of  "  69  marts,  with  skins,"  supplied  by  him  for 
His  Majesty's  household.3  In  1505  he  succeeded 
Walter  Ogilvy  of  Boyne  as  King's  Chamberlain  of 
the  Lordship  and  certain  other  Crown  lands,  and  he 
held  that  office  until  1509,  when  his  good  fortune 
reached  its  climax,  and  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
were  bestowed  on  himself  and  two  of  his  sons  as 
their  own  absolute  property. 

Various  considerations  moved  the  King  to  make 
these  grants.  Ever  since  the  days  of  the  Wolf  of 
Badenoch,  the  lands  embraced  by  them  had  formed  a 
bone  of  contention  between  rival  claimants,  and  the 
Crown  derived  little  or  no  benefit  from  them;  while 
the  royal  Castle,  falling  from  time  to  time  into  the 
hands  of  men  whose  loyalty  disappeared  in  their 

1  For  this  service  certain  fines,  which  the  Bard  had  incurred  by 
non-appearance   at   certain   justice-aires,   or   courts,   were   remitted. — 
Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  43. 

2  King's  Rental  Book,  1502-1508,  in  Register  House. 

3  Exchequer  Rolls,  XII.,  219. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  75 

thirst  for  power,  became  rather  a  menace  to  the 
Throne  than  a  source  of  strength.  Under  the  rule 
of  the  Bard  a  marked  improvement  took  place.  His 
loyalty  was  above  suspicion.  His  prudence  and 
energy  led  to  his  employment  in  quelling  dis- 
turbances in  Eoss-shire  and  Strathglass,  and  even 


MAC    UIAN  S    POOL 


in  the  distant  wilds  of  Mar.  With  his  large  Celtic 
following,  he  was  eminently  the  man  to  maintain 
order  within  the  extensive  Lordship,  which  had 
.almost  come  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  No-Man' s-Land. 
It  was  believed,  and  with  good  reason,  that,  if  the 
territory  was  absolutelv  made  over  to  himself  and 


76         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

his  family  at  a  feu-duty  not  less  than  the  old  rent, 
their  interest  in  the  preservation  of  peace  would 
be  increased  without  pecuniary  loss  to  the  Crown. 
And  so  the  charters  of  1509  passed  the  Great  Seal, 
and  the  Castle  and  Lordship  of  Urquhart  for  ever 
ceased  to  be  the  property  of  the  King. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  77 


CHAPTEE     V 

1509—1535 

The  Charters  of  1509.— The  New  Baronies  of  Urquhart, 
Corrimony,  and  Glenmoriston. — Reservation  of  Church 
Lands. — The  Proprietor's  Duties  and  Services  to  the 
Crown. — The  Castle  to  be  added  to  and  Strengthened. — 
The  Inhabitants  to  be  Protected. — Waste  Lands  to  be 
Reclaimed. — The  King's  Highway  to  be  Improved. — 
Bridges  to  be  Maintained. — Hemp  and  Flax  to  be  Culti- 
vated.— Strange  Division  of  the  Parish. — Gradual  re- 
adjustment of  Marches. — Troubles  with  the  Inhabitants. 
—Troubles  with  the  Crown. — Compositions  for  Crimes. — 
The  Last  of  the  Macleans. — Invasion  of  Sir  Donald  of 
Lochalsh. — A  Large  Booty. — Prices  of  the  Period. — The 
Bard's  Proceedings  against  Sir  Donald. — The  Bard's 
Treaty  with  Lochiel. — Death  of  the  Bard. — Seumas  nan 
Creach. — Barbarous  Decree  against  the  Clan  Chattan. — 
Urquhart  exempted  from  the  jurisdiction  of  Local  Courts. 

"  KNOW  ye,"  says  the  King  in  the  charter  to  John 
the  Bard1 — and  the  preambles  of  those  to  his  sons 
are  in  similar  terms —  '  that  for  the  increase  of  our 
rental,  and  the  profit  of  the  patrimony  of  our  Crown, 
and  also  with  a  view  to  the  advancement  of  order  and 
manners,  and  the  promotion  of  good  government  in  the 
lands  underwritten,  among  the  inhabitants  thereof, 
and  for  making  those  obedient  to  our  laws  who  in 
times  past  have  been  unruly,  and  disobedient  to  our 
said  laws,  we  have  given,  granted,  and  in  feu-ferme 
demitted,  and,  by  this  our  present  charter  confirmed 

1  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  Lib.  XV.,  No.  173.     Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  51. 


78         URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

to  our  lovite  John  Grant  of  Freuchie  and  his  heirs 
male  All  and  Sundry  the  lands  underwritten, 
namely,  the  twelve  merk  lands  of  Bordlande  [Borlum] 
of  Urquhart,  with  the  Castle  and  Fortalice  of  the 
same;  the  six  merk  lands  of  Kil  St  Ninian,  with 
the  mill  thereof;  the  six  merk  lands  of  Karowgar; 
the  six  merk  lands  of  Drumboy;  the  three  merk 
lands  of  Wester  Bunloade  [Bunloit] ;  the  three 
merk  lands  of  Middil  Bunloade;  the  three  merk 
lands  of  Ester  Bunloade;  the  six  merk  lands  of 
Ballymakauchane  [Balmacaan] ;  the  six  merk  lands 
of  Gar  tale  [Cartaly]  ;  the  six  merk  lands  of  Polmale 
and  Dulchangy;  the  nine  merk  lands  of  the  three 
Inchbrunys  [Inchbrine] ;  the  three  merk  lands  of 
Mekle  Deveauch;  with  the  office  of  forester  of  our 
forest  of  Cluny;  and  the  huts  commonly  called  the 
shielings  of  the  said  forest — extending  in  all  to  forty- 
six  pounds  of  lands  of  new  extent,  as  is  contained  in 
our  new  rental,  and  all  lying  in  our  Lordship  of 
Urquhart,  and  within  our  Sheriffdom  of  Inverness; 
but  reserving  to  ourselves  and  our  successors  the 
property  of  our  said  forest  of  Cluny  and  of  the  huts 
or  shielings  of  the  same."  x 

The  King  then,  in  consideration  of  Grant's  ser- 
vices, unites  and  incorporates  the  whole  of  the  subjects 
above-mentioned  into  one  barony,  to  be  called  the 
Barony  of  Urquhart,  with  the  Castle  as  its  principal 
messuage;  but  the  lands  of  Petcarill  Chapell  are 
excepted  from  the  conveyance,  and  reserved  to  the 

I  The  royal  forest  of  Cluny  (Cluanie)  thus  reserved  by  the  King- 
embraced  the  present  forest  of  Ceanacroc  and  the  lands  to  the  west  of 
it  as  far  as  the  watershed,  which  in  the  old  time  formed  the  boundary 
with  Kintail. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  7£ 

Chapel  of  St  Ninian;  which  lands,  adds  His  Majesty,. 
"  we  are  on  no  account  willing  to  alienate." 

In  return  for  the  grant  the  Bard  and  his  suc- 
cessors are  taken  bound  to  pay  £46  6s  Sd  Scots- 
of  yearly  feu-duty;  to  provide  and  maintain  three 
sufficient  horsemen  for  every  ten  pounds  of  land- 
that  is,  fourteen  or  fifteen  horsemen  for  the  whole- 
Barony — for  royal  service  in  time  of  war  beyond  the- 
kingdom;  and,  at  the  King's  command,  to  convene 
with  all  "  fencible  persons"  dwelling  on  his  lands. 
These  provisions  wTere  inserted  on  what  may  be 
called  national  grounds.  But  the  King  has  also 
in  view  the  domestic  welfare  and  improvement  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Barony ;  and  the  Bard  and  his  heirs 
are  taken  bound  to  repair  or  build  at  the  Castle  a 
tower,  with  an  outwork  or  rampart  of  stone  and  lime, 
for  protecting  the  lands  and  the  people  from  the- 
inroads  of  thieves  and  malefactors;  to  construct  within 
the  Castle  a  hall,  chamber,  and  kitchen,  with  all  other- 
requisite  offices,  such  as  a  pantry,  bakehouse,  brew- 
house,  barn,  oxhouse,  kiln,  cot,  dove-grove,  and 
orchard,  with  the  necessary  wTooden  fences;  to  reclaim 
and  labour  untilled  land  lying  in  meadows  or  under 
pasture;  to  make  "  stiling,"  or  enclosures;  to  improve 
the  King's  highway  within  the  Barony;  to  cultivate 
hemp  and  flax ;  to  watch  over  such  matters  of  common 
advantage  as  stone  and  wooden  bridges,  "  faldyettis  " 
[cattle  folds],  and  stiles;  to  provide  common  passage 
through  the  lands  and  Barony;  and  thankfully  and 
obediently  to  pay  their  tithes  and  offerings  to  God 
and  the  Church.  The  charter  is  dated  at  Stirling,  the 
8th  day  of  December,  1509. 


80         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

On  the  same  date,  and  under  similar  conditions, 
certain  lands,  erected  into  the  Barony  of  Corrimony, 
are  conferred  on  the  Bard's  second  lawful  son,  Iain 
Og — Young  John;  and  lands,  incorporated  into  the 
Barony  of  Glenmoriston,  on  his  natural  son — Iain  Mor 
—Big  John — a  man  of  singular  stature  and  prowess, 
who,  despite  the  bar  sinister,  early  attained  to  great 
influence,  and,  in  addition  to  Glenmoriston,  owned 
the  estate  of  Culcabock  near  Inverness. 

The  lands  embraced  in  the  Barony  of  Corrimony 
are  the  four  pound  lands  of  Corrymony;  the  four 
pound  lands  of  Morull;  the  eight  pound  lands  of  the 
four  Mikleis1;  the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Lochletter; 
the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Auchintamarag ;  the  forty 
shilling  lands  of  Deveauch;  and  half  of  the  lands 
of  Mekle  Clune  [Clunemore],  extending  to  twenty 
shillings  of  land;  and  the  forty  shilling  lands  of 
Petcarill  Croy — extending  in  all  to  £27  of  land  as  in 
the  new  rental,  and  all  lying  in  the  Lordship  of 
Urquhart.  The  annual  feu-duty  payable  to  the 
King  is  £27  6s  8d.2 

Iain  Mor's  Barony  of  Glenmoriston  consists  of 
the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Conechane ;  the  forty 
shilling  lands  of  Craske;  the  forty  shilling  lands 
of  Enachur  [Aonach] ;  the  forty  shilling  lands  of 
Auchlayn;  the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Wester 
Tullclechart  [Dulchreichard] ;  the  forty  shilling 
lands  of  Easter  Tullclebhart ;  the  forty  shilling 

1  The  four  Meiklies  included   Shewg-lie,   and   Craskaig-,   sometime 
called  Lakefield  and  now  Kilmartin. 

2  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  Lib.  XV.,  No.  175;  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  54. 


OLDEN   TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  81 

lands  of  Wester  Duldragyn;  the  forty  shilling  lands 
of  Easter  Duldragin;  the  forty  shilling  lands  of 
Innerwik;  the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Blaree;  the 
forty  shilling  lands  of  Over  Inver  [Invermoriston] ; 
the  forty  shilling  lands  of  Nether  Inver;  the  forty 
shilling  lands  of  Coulnakirk1;  and  half  of  the  lands 
of  Mekle  Cluny  [Chmemore],  extending  to  twenty 
shillings  of  land — extending  in  all  to  £27  of  land  as 
in  the  new  rental,  and  lying  in  the  Lordship  of 
Urquhart.  In  this  case,  also,  the  feu-duty  is 
£27  6s  Sd;2  and  the  pecuniary  result  of  the  new 
arrangement  is  that  for  the  whole  Lordship  the 
King  is  now  to  get  £101  per  annum,  in  lieu  of 
the  £100  formerly  payable  but  seldom  paid. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Church  lands  of  Ach- 
monie,  Pitkerrald  Chapel,  St  Drostan's  Croft  at  Bal- 
macaan,  St  Adamnan's  Croft  at  Tychat,  and  a  croft 
•attached  to  St  Ninian's  Chapel  at  Temple  House,  the 
whole  Parish  thus  became  the  property  of  the  Grants. 
It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  singular  manner  in 
which  the  lands  were  divided  between  the  Bard  and 
his  sons.  Probably  the  King's  intention  was  to  keep 
them  and  their  successors  in  dependence  on  each 
•other,  and  to  furnish  them  with  a  common  motive  for 
the  maintenance  of  peace.  The  Bard,  as  has  been 
seen,  had  the  shielings  of  Cluny,  situated  more  than 
thirty  miles  from  his  Castle,  and  beyond  the  inter- 
vening Barony  of  Glenmoriston ;  and  he  also 
possessed  Carnoch  and  Kerrownakeill  or  Kerrow-na- 

1  See  p.  16  supra — footnote. 
2  Keg.  Mag.  Sig.,  Lib.  XV.,  No.  174. 


82          URQUHART  AND  OLENMORISTON 

Coille,  beyond  the  lands  of  Corrimony,  and  on  the 
borders  of  Strathglass.  Iain  Mor  had  the  detached 
holdings  of  Culnakirk  and  half  of  Clunemore,  both 
in  the  very  heart  of  his  father's  estate;  while  John 
Og's  Barony  of  Corrimony  embraced  the  other  half 
of  Clunemore,  as  well  as  Achintemarag,  Divach,  and 
Pitkerrald-croy,  also  all  situated  in  the  centre  of  the 
Bard's  possessions.  We  shall  hereafter  see  how 
curiously  this  arrangement  affected  the  administra- 
tion of  justice  in  the  Parish ;  and  the  inconveniences 
to  which  it  gave  rise  were  so  great  that  in  the 
course  of  time  the  proprietors  found  it  expedient  to 
re-adjust  their  marches.  In  1580,  John,  Second  of 
Corrimony,  resigned  his  Barony  in  favour  of  Duncan, 
heir-apparent  of  the  Laird  of  Grant,  who,  on  19th 
August,  obtained  a  Crown  charter  thereof,  in  virtue 
of  which  the  Chiefs  of  Grant  have  ever  since  been 
the  feudal  superiors  of  that  estate.  In  granting  to 
John's  successor  a  renewal  of  the  title  in  1610, 
John,  Laird  of  Grant,  retained  Shewglie  and  Loch- 
letter,  which  accordingly  ceased  to  form  part  of 
Corrimony.  In  July,  1674,  Ludovick  Grant  of 
Grant  made  over  Carnoch  and  Kerrow-na-Coille  to 
John  Grant  of  Corrimony  in  exchange  for  Pitkerrald- 
croy  and  Achintemarag.  He  had  probably  already 
acquired  Corrimony 's  lands  of  Divach  and  Clune- 
more. Glenmoriston's  half  of  Clunemore,  as  well  as 
his  lands  of  Culnakirk,  were  sold  to  Ludovick  in 
June,  1696.  And  as  to  the  grazings  of  Cluny, 
which  became  the  common  shieling  ground  of  the 
tenants  of  both  Glen-Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston, 
they  have  for  generations  been  in  the  exclusive  pos- 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  83 

session  partly  of  the  Glenmoriston  family,  and  partly 
of  the  proprietors  of  Kintaii. 

The  Grants,  notwithstanding  the  absolute  right 
which  they  had  now  acquired  to  the  ancient  royal 
domain,  had  not  yet  attained  to  absolute  peace.  Iain 
Mor  of  Glenmoriston,  especially,  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  reconciling  to  his  rule  the  Macdonalds  of 
his  Glen,  who  still  looked  on  the  Macdonald  chiefs  as 
their  only  lords.1  The  new  proprietors,  too,  early 
got  into  trouble  with  the  Crown.  Their  charters  pro- 
vided that  if  they  or  their  successors  should  at  any 
time  be  convicted  of  treason,  murder,  or  common 
theft,  the  forfeiture  of  their  estates  would  be  the 

1  There  were  five  septs  of  Macdonalds  in  Glenmoriston — Clann 
Iain  Ruaidh,  Clann  Iain  Chaoil,  Clann  Eobhainn  Bhain,  Sliochd 
Ghilleasbuig,  and  Clann  Alasdair  Choire-Dho.  The  first  four  were 
descended  from  four  sons  of  Iain  Mor  Ruigh-nan-Stop.  That  per- 
sonage was  on  one  occasion  returning  from  Glen-Urquhart,  along  with 
his  sixteen  stalwart  sons,  when  they  all  sat  down  to  rest  at  Fasadh- 
an-Fhithich,  near  Allt-Iarairidh.  As  they  rested,  a  raven  flew  over 
their  heads  and  dropped  a  bone  in  their  midst.  Twelve  of  the  young 
men  handled  the  bone  with  curiosity,  and  as  the  thirteenth  was  about 
to  do  so  he  was  stopped  by  his  father,  who  said,  "  Mas  'B  fortan  e,  tha 
gu  leoir  againn;  ma  's  mi-fhortan  e,  tha  tuille  's  a  choir  againn  " — 
"If  it  augurs  good  fortune,  we  have  enough;  if  it  forbodes  evil,  we 
have  too  much."  Before  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  day,  the  twelve  who 
touched  the  bone  were  all  dead.  The  other  four — Iain  Ruadh  (Red 
John),  Iain  Caol  (Slender  John),  Eobhan  Ban  (Fair  Ewen),  and 
Gilleasbuig  (Archibald) — survived,  and  from  them  sprang  the  four 
septs  called  after  them.  Sliochd  Alasdair  Choire-Dho  lived  in  Corri- 
Dho.  It  has  been,  and  still  is,  the  custom  in  the  Parish  to  bury  the 
dead  on  their  backs,  with  their  feet  towards  the  east,  in  order  that 
when  rising  at  the  Resurrection  they  may  have  their  faces  towards 
our  Lord,  as  He  appears  in  the  east.  Sliochd  Alasdair  Choire-Dho, 
however,  lie  with  their  feet  to  the  west,  in  order  that,  in  rising  at  the 
sound  of  the  last  trump,  they  may  face  their  beloved  Corri-Dho. 
Their  graves  occupy  the  nearest  corner  to  that  Corrie  of  the  old 
churchyard  of  Clachan  Mhercheird. 


C84         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

penalty.  But  the  apparent  harshness  of  this  provision 
was  greatly  modified  by  another  clause,  which  sanc- 
tioned ' '  composition ' 3  for  certain  crimes.  This 
privilege,  which  resembled  the  Gaelic  custom  of  Eric, 
and  under  which  pardon  was  purchasable  for  money, 
was  a  source  of  considerable  revenue  to  the  Scottish 
kings;  and  it  was  soon  put  in  practice  in  our  Parish. 
In  some  unexplained  manner  the  new  proprietors 
and  certain  of  their  tenants  were,  in  1510,  held 
guilty  of  receiving  and  assisting  rebels,  and  forced 
to  make  composition.  Iain  Mor  of  Glenmoriston's 
•componitur  is  dated  1st  July.  On  the  10th  a 
similar  composition  is  made  by  a  number  of  persons, 
including  John  Makgillecallum  in  Borlum,  and  John 
Eoy  Makenis  [Son  of  Angus],  Donald  Eoy  Mak- 
donald,  Muldonych  Owre,  and  John  Makyngown  [the 
Smith's  Son],  all  residing  in  Urquhart;  and  John 
Makmurrych,  Gillendris  Makmurrych,  Gillecreist 
Macmuldonych,  Donald  Gowroy  [Son  of  the  Red 
Smith],  and  William  Alexanderson  [i.e.,  Son  of 
Alexander],  all  on  the  estate  of  Corrimony;  and  the 
Bard  himself  compounded  on  the  15th.1  Alexander- 
son  is  especially  distinguished,  for  he  has  slain,  or 
has  been  a  party  to  the  death  of,  Farquhar  Macewen 
—a  crime  for  which  he  obtains  express  pardon. 
Farquhar  appears  to  have  been  a  son  of  Ewen  Mac- 
lean ;  and,  with  this  incidental  reference  to  his  death, 
his  brave  race  disappears  from  record.  In  time  they 
ceased  to  dream  of  the  ownership  of  Urquhart;  and 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  56,  57. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  85, 

E wen's  descendants  are  now  peaceful  tenants  on 
lands  for  which  their  forefathers  long  fought  and  bled. 
Greater  misfortunes  than  these  troubles  with  the 
Crown  were  about  to  fall  on  the  Parish.  The  bold 
and  chivalrous  character  of  James  the  Fourth  was 
much  to  the  liking  of  his  Celtic  subjects,  and, 
when  he  entered  on  that  expedition  which  ended  so 
disastrously  at  Flodden,  they  nocked  to  his  standard. 
But  it  happened  after  his  death  as  it  happened  after 
the  death  of  James  the  Second.  The  confusion  that 
followed  destroyed  the  loyalty  of  the  fickle  Islanders, 
and  reawakened  in  their  breasts  the  old  desire  for 
independence.  A  Lord  of  the  Isles  was  proclaimed  in 
1513  in  the  person  of  Sir  Donald  Macdonald  of 
Lochalsh  whose  father  had  previously  claimed  the 
title.  As  the  best  bid  for  popular  favour,  Sir  Donald 
began  his  career  by  leading  a  large  army  into 
Glen-Urquhart.  Seizing  the  Castle,  he  expelled  the 
garrison  and  plundered  and  laid  waste  the  Glen1— 
among  those  who  aided  him  being  Chisholm  of  Comar, 
Macdonald  of  Glengarry,  an  amazon  from  Buntait 
who  rejoiced  in  the  name  of  Mor  Euoin  Evin,  and  her 
son  Donald  Mac  Alasdair.  The  spoil  was  rich  and 
varied.  From  the  Castle  were  taken  pots,  pans, 
kettles,  napery,  beds,  sheets,  blankets,  coverings, 
cods,  fish,  flesh,  bread,  ale,  cheese,  butter,  salt  hides, 
and  "  uther  stuf  of  houshald,"  of  the  value  in  all  of 
more  than  £100;  while  the  booty  from  the  land  con- 
sisted of  300  cattle  and  1000  sheep,  300  bolls  of  bear 
and  200  bolls  of  oats,  with  the  fodder,  from  the  town 

1  Greg-ory,  114. 


86          URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

and  grange  of  Kil  St  Ninian,  which  was  in  the 
Laird  of  Grant's  own  hands;  100  bolls  of  bear  and 
200  of  oats  from  Corrimony;  60  bolls  of  bear  and 
120  of  oats  from  Achmonie;  100  bolls  of  bear  and 
200  of  oats  from  Pitkerraldmore  and  Dulshangie; 
120  bolls  of  oats  and  60  bolls  of  bear  from  Meiklie; 
120  bolls  of  oats  and  60  of  bear  from  Kerrowgair ; 
and  120  bolls  of  oats  and  60  of  bear  from  the  lands 
of  ' '  Tulaichla, ' '  probably  Tullich  of  Corrimony.  The 
value  of  the  oats,  including  straw,  is  stated  at  4s  per 
boll,  and  that  of  the  bear  at  8s.  Each  cow  is  valued 
at  26s  8d,  and  each  sheep  at  4s. 

Sir  Donald  was  not  satisfied  with  the  mere  produce 
of  the  land.  As  the  successor  of  the  old  Lords  of  the 
Isles,  he  would  also  have  the  territory,  and  for  three 
years  he  kept  forcible  possession  of  Glen-Urquhart, 
:c  lauboring  and  manuring  "  the  fields,  and  preventing 
the  rightful  possessors  from  enjoying  their  profits. 
In  legal  proceedings  subsequently  taken  by  the  Bard, 
these  profits,  after  deducting  working  expenses,  were 
estimated  at  300  bolls  of  bear  and  200  bolls  of  oats, 
valued  at  the  above  prices ;  and  to  this  was  added  the 
grazing  of  600  cows  and  oxen,  1000  sheep  and  goats, 
200  horses  and  mares,  and  200  swine  (the  value  of 
each  "soum"  of  grass  being  Is  6d),  and  also  120 
merks  of  money,  and  280  bolls  of  victual,  bear  and 
meal,  at  the  value  of  8s  per  boll,  as  the  amount  of 
"the  maills,  carriage,  services,  profits,  and  duties  of 
the  remanent  of  the  lands  and  lordship  of  Urquhart," 
of  which  the  Laird  was  deprived  during  the  three 


years.1 


1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  62,  372,  373. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PAEISH  87 

In  consequence  of  the  friendliness,  if  not  the  active 
aid,  of  the  Clan  'Ic  Uian  in  Glen-Urquhart,  and  of 
the  Macdonalds  in  Glenmoriston,  Sir  Donald's  sojourn 
in  the  Parish  was  considerably  longer  than  it  would 
have  been  under  less  favourable  circumstances.  But 
the  Grants  finally  prevailed,  and  Urquhart  saw  the  last 
of  the  invaders  before  the  close  of  1516.  Having  won 
in  the  field,  the  Bard  now  entered  the  courts  of  law 
against  Sir  Donald  and  his  friends.  A  summons  for 
the  loss  and  damage  sustained  by  himself  and  his 
fellow  sufferers  was  called  before  the  Lords  of  Council 
at  Edinburgh,  on  26th  February,  1517.  The  accused 
failed  to  appear,  and  the  extent  of  the  damage  was 
referred  to  the  oath  of  the  Bard,  who  was  present. 
"Tua  thousand  pund,  with  the  mair,"  was  the  sum 
and  substance  of  his  evidence;  and  for  £2000  judg- 
ment was  accordingly  given.  The  Bard,  however, 
did  not  get  his  money.  Sir  Donald  died  in  1519.  His 
sisters,  Margaret  and  Janet  of  the  Isles,  succeeded  to 
him;  and  in  1549 — long  after  the  Bard's  death — we 
find  his  son  James  obtaining  authority,  under  the 
signet  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  to  recover  the  debt 
by  poinding  and  selling  the  goods  and  effects  of 
Margaret,  and  of  Thomas  Dingwall  of  Kildune,  son 
and  heir  of  the  now  deceased  Janet;  of  Donald  Mac 
Alasdair,  for  himself  and  as  heir  of  his  mother,  the 
amazon  of  Buntait,  who  had  also  gone  the  way  of  all 
flesh;  and  of  Chisholm,  and  other  offenders.1  What 
the  result  of  these  proceedings  was  it  is  perhaps 

l  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  62,  372. 


88          URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

impossible  to  ascertain.  The  probability  is  that  the 
debt  was  never  recovered.  In  any  case,  no  com- 
pensation reached  the  people!  of  Glen-Urquhart  for 
the  famine  and  distress  which  followed  their  spoliation 
in  the  beginning  of  the  winter  of  1513-14,  and  the 
violent  possession  of  their  holdings  by  the  strangers. 
Glenmoriston  had  the  fortune  to  be  inhabited  mainly 
by  Macdonalds,  and  so  it  was  spared. 

One  result  of  the  invasion  was  that  the  Bard 
sought  an  alliance  with  Ewen  Allanson  of  Lochiel, 
Captain  of  Clan  Cameron,  with  whom  he  entered  into 
a  bond  of  friendship  on  22nd  October,  1520.  The 
deed  was  executed  at  Urquhart  before  distinguished 
witnesses,  including  the  noble  and  mighty  lord, 
Thomas,  Lord  Fraser  of  Lovat;  the  venerable  father 
in  God,  Nychol,  Prior  of  Beauly ;  Hew  Fraser,  Master 
of  Lovat;  John  the  Grant  of  Culcabock,  as  Iain  Mor 
calls  himself;  and  Sir  John  McCoule,  Vicar  of  Kil- 
monivaig,  who  doubtless  had  come  to  watch  over  the 
legal  interests  of  Lochiel  in  connection  with  the  trans- 
action, for  in  that  age  the  preachers  of  the  gospel  were 
also  the  practitioners  of  the  law.  The  Bard  and  his- 
son  and  heir,  James,  and  Lochiel  and  his  son  and 
heir,  Donald,  bind  themselves  and  their  heirs  for 
ever  to  stand  by  each  other,  in  "  leil,  trew,  anefold" 
kindness,  and  to  defend  each  other  in  their  persons, 
goods,  lands,  and  kin.  The  treaty  especially  provides 
that  the  Camerons  shall  defend  the  Grants  in  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston,  and  that  the  Grants  shall  defend 
the  Camerons  in  Lochaber,  against  "  all  thame  at 
levis  or  dee  ma;"  and  to  strengthen  the  alliance,  and 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  ^ 

"  for  the  mair  securitie,"  a  marriage  is,  as  usual, 
resorted  to.  Young  Donald  Cameron  is  to  marry  the 
Laird's  daughter,  Agnes  Grant,  in  face  of  Holy  Kirk,, 
immediately  after  a  papal  dispensation  rendered 
necessary  by  some  canonical  impediment  shall  be 
procured.  Meanwhile,  as  in  the  case  of  the  some- 
what similar  contract  between  Mackintosh  of  Gallovie 
and  Donald  Mackintosh  in  1482, l  the  rules  of  the 
Church  yield  to  the  worldly  interests  of  the  parties; 
and  until  the  dispensation  shall  arrive  the  young 
couple  are  to  live  together  without  the  sanction  of 
religion — an  arrangement  calmly  concurred  in  by 
the  pious  vicar  of  Kilmonivaig.  "And,"  to  quote 
the  document  itself,  "if  it  shall  happen  that  the 
said  dispensation  come  not  home  within  the  said 
time  of  fifteen  days  after  Martinmas  [1520],  the  said 
John  the  Grant  is  bound  and  obliged  to  cause  them 
be  handfast  and  put  together,  his  said  daughter 
Agnes  Grant  and  the  said  Donald,  for  marriage  to 
be  completed,  in  the  default  of  the  dispensation  not 
coming  home  at  the  said  time."  There  is  danger,  of 
course,  that  after  the  handfast  period  of  probation 
Donald  may  decline  to  tie  himself  indissolubly  to  the 
young  lady.  And  so  to  meet  this  risk  Lord  Lovat, 
Alexander  Cumming,  son  of  Cumming  of  Altyre,  and 
Patrick  Grant  in  Ballindalloch,  become  sureties  that 
the  marriage  shall  be  duly  completed  after  the  arrival 
of  the  dispensation,  under  the  penalty  of  one  thousand 
merks  to  be  paid  by  them  to  the  lady  and  her  father 

1  See  p.  68  supra. 


:90  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

in  the  event  of  Donald's  refusal — and  for  that  sum 
they  undertake  to  grant  their  formal  bond  at  ' '  the 
time  that  the  said  Agnes  is  handfast  in  hope  of 
marriage."  The  parties  then  touch  the  holy  evangel, 
.and  give  their  ; '  bodily  oaths ' '  to  implement  the 
covenant;  and  so  the  bond  of  friendship  is  solemnly 
•concluded.1  For  the  lady's  sake  it  is  pleasant  to 
record  that  Donald  Cameron  showed  no  desire  to 
discard  her ;  and  in  course  of  time  their  regular 
marriage  was  duly  solemnized.  But  the  great  object 
of  the  treaty  was  not  attained,  and  we  shall  hereafter 
find  Agnes'  eldest  son  taking  a  leading  part  in  the 
most  sweeping  raid  ever  made  on  our  unfortunate 
Parish. 

Under  the  charters  of  1509,  the  Grants  were,  as 
we  have  seen,  bound  to  provide  and  maintain  three 
sufficient  horsemen  for  every  ten  pounds  of  land,  for 
the  King's  service  in  time  of  war  beyond  Scotland, 
and  to  assemble  with  all  their  fencible  followers  when 
required  within  the  kingdom.  Several  Highland 
chiefs  were  in  James  the  Fourth's  army  at  Flodden, 
and,  although  there  is  no  clear  evidence  on  the  point, 
it  is  probable  that  the  Bard  was  among  them.  But 
when  he  and  his  people  were  summoned  by  the  Regent 
Albany  in  October,  1523,  to  join  him  in  an  expedition 
against  England,  they  failed  to  obey.  The  Eegent's 
army  crossed  the  Border,  and  attempted  to  take  Wark 
Castle;  but  it  was  driven  back,  and  the  foolish  adven- 
ture came  to  an  end.  The  conduct  of  the  Grants  was, 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  64. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  91 

however,  not  forgotten,  and  they  had  to  buy  them- 
selves out  of  the  consequences  of  their  disobedience. 
On  13th  February,  1527,  by  letters  under  the  Great 
Seal,  James  the  Fifth  remitted  to  the  aged  Bard  and 
his  son  James,  their  kinsmen  of  Glenmoriston  and 
Corrimony,  and  a  number  of  other  persons  whose 
places  of  residence  are  not  given,  their  crime  of 
absence  from  the  King's  host  at  Solway  and  Wark, 
and  took  them  under  the  royal  protection.1  The 
list  of  defaulters  was,  however,  not  yet  exhausted. 
On  26th  November,  1534,  a  number  of  Urquhart 
men  compounded  for  their  absence  from  the  Solway 
expedition  and  other  offences  by  paying  £14  into 
the  King's  exchequer.  Their  names  deserve  mention 
— Gillanderis  M'Gillemartyne  M'Kerin,  Kennoch 
M'Gillepatrik,  John  Croy  MTatrik  M'Gillespik, 
Donald  MTaule  Nele,  John  Dow  M'Mulmore,  and 
James  M'Kynkeir.2 

The  venerable  Bard  closed  his  long  and  useful 
life  in  May,  1528,  leaving  the  Barony  of  Urquhart 
and  his  other  estates  to  his  son  Seumas  nan  Creach 
— James  of  the  Forays.  James  had  no  sooner 
.succeeded  than  he  was  called  on  by  the  King  to 
execute  a  strange  and  barbarous  commission.  The 
Clan  Chattan,  whom  we  saw  giving  trouble  in 
connection  with  the  claims  of  Ewen  Maclean  to 
Urquhart,  became,  under  the  leadership  of  Hector 
Mackintosh,  such  a  scourge  to  their  neighbours  that 
a  royal  mandate  was  issued  in  November,  1528,  for 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  515,  and  III.,  72.  2  Ibid.,  III.,  77. 


92          URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

their  complete  extermination.1  Directed  to  the 
northern  Sheriffs,  the  Earl  of  Moray,  Lord  Lovat, 
John  Grant  of  Freuchie,  Chisholm  of  Comar,  and 
other  Highland  potentates,  the  writ  commanded  them 
to  invade  the  territories  of  the  proscribed  clan,  and 
to  utterly  destroy  them  by  slaughter,  burning,  and 
drowning,  and  to  leave  none  of  them  alive  except 
priests,  women,  and  children.  What  was  to  become 
of  the  priests  after  their  flocks  were  destroyed  is  not 
suggested;  but  the  women  and  children  were  to  be 
taken  to  the  nearest  port  and  put  on  board  ships  to- 
be  furnished  at  the  King's  expense,  which  would 
"  saill  with  thame  furth  of  our  realme,  and  land  with 
them  in  Jesland,  Zesland,  or  Norway ;  because  it  wer 
inhumanite  to  put  handis  in  the  blude  of  wemen  and 
barnis." 

John  the  Bard  was  dead  before  the  commission 
was  issued,  and  the  duty  of  executing  it  fell  to  Seumas- 
nan  Creach.  But  he  and  the  other  personages  to 
whom  it  was  directed  were  slow  to  act,  and  the 
Mackintoshes  continued  in  their  old  courses.  In  1534 
they  besieged  and  destroyed  the  castle  of  Daviot, 
belonging  to  Ogilvie  of  Strathnairn,  slew  twenty-two 
persons,  including  women  and  children,  and  carried 
off  a  large  booty  of  grain,  cattle,  goods,  and  household 
effects.  In  this  enterprise  they  were  aided  and 
abetted  by  Seumas  nan  Creach  himself,  as  well  as  by 
Iain  Mor  of  Glenmoriston,  Gillanderis  M'Gillemartyne 
M'Kerin,  and  the  other  Urquhart  men  who  com- 

1  Spaldinsr   Club   Miscellany,   II.,    xxxv.,    83- 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  93 

pounded  for  their  crimes  in  November  of  that  year.1 
But  this  composition  did  not  cover  their  offence  of 
.assisting  Hector  Mackintosh  and  his  accomplices, 
which  was  indeed  specially  excepted  from  the  remis- 
sion. A  further  payment  became  necessary;  the 
money  duly  passed  into  the  King's  treasury;  and  on 
22nd  July,  1535,  Seumas  nan  Creach  obtained  a 
general  pardon.2  By  this  time,  indeed,  he  had  greatly 
ingratiated  himself  with  the  King;  and,  on  28th  July, 
he  received  a  royal  letter  exempting  himself  and  his 
friends  and  servants  and  the  tenants  of  Urquhart  and 
his  other  estates,  during  all  the  days  of  his  life,  from 
the  jurisdiction  of  all  courts  and  judges,  except  the 
high  civil  and  criminal  courts  in  Edinburgh,  and 
prohibiting  inferior  judges  and  magistrates  from 
summoning  or  arresting  the  favoured  people.3  The 
Edinburgh  courts  were  far  distant,  and  for  the 
remainder  of  James'  lifetime  the  men  of  Urquhart 
were  virtually  independent  of  all  law,  save  that  of 
their  own  baron-bailies.  They  would  have  been 
better  than  the  evil  days  in  which  they  lived,  if 
they  did  not  take  full  and  frequent  advantage  of  the 
doubtful  privilege  which  they  had  obtained. 

1  Invernessiana,  206;   Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,   77. 
2  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  77.         3  Chief s  of  Grant,  II.,  1. 


94         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTER     VI 

1535—1560 

Troubles  in  the  Western  Highlands. — Feud  between  Ranald 
Gallda  and  John  of  Moidart. — The  Lairds  of  Grant  and 
Glenmoriston  assist  Ranald. — Battle  of  Blar-na-Leine. — 
Glengarry  and  Lochiel  invade  Glenmoriston  and 
Urquhart. — The  Great  Raid. — The  Spoil  and  the 
Despoiled. — -Urquhart  Burnt. — Incidents  of  the  Raid. — 
The  Strong  Woman  of  Richraggan.— The  Big  Smith  of 
Polmaily. — His  Adventures  with  the  Fairies. — A  Won- 
derful Filly.— The  Smith's  Sons  Slain.— Legal  Proceed- 
ings against  Glengarry  and  Lochiel. — Their  Lands 
apprised  to  the  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston.— 
Glenmoriston's  Death. — His  Character  and  Influence. — 
Dispute  regarding  his  Succession. — The  Ballindalloch 
Feud.— Death  of  the  Laird  of  Grant. — Sad  state  of  the 
Country. — The  Justiciar  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. 
—A  ghastly  Gift  to  the  Queen  Regent.— The  Reforma- 
tion.— The  Church's  Patrimony  Alienated. — John  Mac- 
kay  acquires  Achmonie. — The  other  Church  Lands  fall  to 
the  Grants. 

IN  the  summer  of  1544  Hugh,  Lord  Lovat,  and  a 
body  of  Frasers  from  the  neighbouring  district  of 
the  Aird,  passed  through  our  Parish  on  their  way  to 
join  the  Earl  of  Huntly  in  an  attempt  to  suppress 
certain  disturbances  in  the  Western  Highlands,  and, 
especially,  to  assist  Eanald  Gallda  in  his  struggle 
with  John  of  Moidart — Iain  Muideartach — for  the 
chief  ship  of  Clan  Eanald.  Eanald,  who  accom- 
panied the  Frasers,  was  a  nephew  of  their  chief, 
and  was  related  by  marriage  to  the  Lairds  of 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  95- 

Grant1  and  Glenmoriston,  by  whom  his  cause  was  also 
supported.  The  Laird  of  Grant  joined  Huntly  with 
a  following  from  Glen-Urquhart  and  Strathspey;  and. 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Frasers  were  to  be  found  men  from 
Glenmoriston,  led  probably  by  one  of  Iain  Mor's 
natural  sons.2  The  Macdonalds  of  Glengarry  and 
Keppoch  and  the  Camerons  supported  John  of 
Moidart;  but,  although  Huntly  penetrated  into  their 
country  as  far  as  Inverlochy,  they  refrained  from 
giving  battle,  and  he  had  to  return  homeward  without 
striking  a  blow.  At  the  Water  of  Gloy  the  forces 
separated,  Huntly  and  the  Laird  of  Grant  proceeding 
with  the  bulk  of  the  army  by  Brae-Lochaber  and 
Badenoch  to  Strathspey,  while  Lord  Lovat  and  Eanald 
Gallda,  with  the  Frasers  and  the  men  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston,  took  the  direct  route  to  their  own 
countries,  along  the  Great  Glen.  John  of  Moidart 

1  It  is  difficult  to  say  at  what  precise  period  Grant  of  Freuchie 
began  to  be  styled  Tighearna   Ghrannd,   or  Laird  of   Grant.       Sir 
William  Fraser  (Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  322)  speaking-  of  the  erection  of 
the  Regality  of  Grant  in  1694,  states  : — "  From  this  date  the  Laird  of 
Freuchie  changed  his  formal  designation,  and  became  the  Laird  of 
Grant."     But  the  title  "  Laird  of  Grant "  appears  at  least  as  early 
as  1569,  and  in  1592  James  the  Sixth  so  addresses  the  Chief  (Chiefs,  II., 
4,  11).     Donald  Bonn  of  Bohuntin,  who  nourished  in  the  time  of  the 
Commonwealth,  repeatedly  refers  to  Tighearna  Ghrannd  in  his  songs. 
The  probability  is  that  the  Chiefs  were  popularly  called  Lairds  of 
Grant  long  before  they  were  so  styled  in  formal  writings. 

2  Iain  Mor's  lawful  son  Patrick,  who  succeeded  him  in  his  lands 
in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  is  said  to  have  taken  part  in  the 
expedition.     He,  however,  could  not  have  done  so.     Iain  Mor's  first 
wife,  Elizabeth  Innes,  was  alive  in  1541,  and  Patrick  was  a  son  of 
his  second  wife,  Agnes  Fraser.     In  1541  Iain  appears  to  have  had  no 
lawful  son,  as  lands  acquired  by  him  in  that  year  were  destined  to 
John  Grant  of  Freuchie,  failing  his  three  illegitimate  sons  and  their 
heirs. 


$6  URQUHAET    AND    GLENMORIST01," 

now  saw  his  opportunity.  Carefully  concealed  on 
the  northern  banks  of  Loch  Lochy,  he  watched  with 
<eager  eye  the  parting  of  his  enemies,  and  stole  along 
the  shore  to  meet  Lovat  at  the  east  end  of  the  loch; 
and  there  the  bloody  fight  of  Blar-na-Leine  took  place. 
'The  opposing  forces  first  discharged  their  arrows,  and 
then,  casting  aside  their  bows,  and,  according  to 
tradition,  stripping  themselves  to  their  shirts,  rushed 
to  close  combat,  and,  with  claymore  and  Lochaber 
:axe,  fought  hand-to-hand  for  hours  under  a  broiling 
July  sun.  Both  sides  were  literally  cut  to  pieces.  Of 
the  Erasers,  according  to  their  own  historians,  Fraser 
•of  Foyers  and  other  four  men  alone  escaped ;  and  they, 
with  their  surviving  comrades  from  Urquhart  and 
'Glenmoriston,  returned  home  bearing  tidings  of  the 
•disaster,  and  carrying  the  dead  bodies  of  Lovat  and 
his  son  and  Eanald  Gallda  for  interment  within  the 
: sacred  precincts  of  Beauly  Priory.1 

For  the  part  taken  by  the  men  of  Urquhart  and 
'Glemnoriston  in  the  ill-fated  expedition,  John  of 
Moidart  and  his  allies  determined  on  revenge.  A 
-great  invasion  of  the  Parish  was  planned;  and 
Alasdair  Mac  Iain  JIc  Alasdair  of  Glengarry,  his  son 
Angus,  and  Ewen  Cameron,  the  young  heir  of 
Lochiel,  were  appointed  to  carry  it  into  effect. 
Ewen's  mother  was  a  sister  of  the  Laird  of  Grant, 
and  a  half-sister  of  Iain  Mor,  and,  as  we  saw  in 
our  last  chapter,  the  great  object  of  the  marriage  of 

1  Gregory's  Western  Highlands  and  Islands;  Anderson's  Family 
-of  Fraser;   Chisholm  Batten's  Priory  of  Beauly.       Blar-na-Leine  is 
popularly  supposed  to  mean  the  Field  of  the  Shirts;  but  the  Gaelic 
name  is  Blar  na  Leana,  the  Field  of  the  swampy  Meadow. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  97 

which  he  was  the  issue  was  to  secure  peace  and 
goodwill  between  the  clans.  But  it  is  not  always 
true  that  "  blood  is  thicker  than  water;"  and  the 
solemn  treaty  of  1520  was  to  him  as  wraste  paper. 
Into  the  project  against  his  uncles  he  entered  with 
alacrity,  and  along  with  the  old  and  young  Lairds 
of  Glengarry  gave  the  Parish  a  foretaste  of  what 
was  in  store  for  it  by  appearing  on  the  banks  of  the 
Moriston  in  October,  1544,  and  taking  a  booty  of 
twenty  "  great"  or  full-grown  cattle,  eight  calves,  five 
young  cattle,  four  horses,  one  mare,  twenty  ewes,  ten 
wethers,  twenty  lambs,  thirty  goats,  eighteen  kids, 
eighty-eight  bolls  of  oats,  twenty-nine  bolls  of  barley, 
and  household  goods  to  the  value  of  £12  6s  Sd,  from 
the  lands  of  Invermoriston.1  The  uplands  of  Glen- 
moriston,  which  were  possessed  by  the  perhaps  not 
unfriendly  Macdonalds,  were  not  molested;  and  the 
inhabitants  of  Glen-Urquhart  were  allowed  the 
privilege  of  feeding  their  flocks  through  the  winter's 
snows.  But  as  soon  as  the  winter  was  past — in 
April,  1545 — the  joint  leaders  suddenly  swooped 
down  on  the  devoted  Glen  with  a  great  host  from 
Glengarry,  Lochaber,  Glencoe,  Ardnamurchan,  and 
the  wilds  of  Clan  Eanald,  seized  the  Castle,  and 
swept  the  land  of  every  hoof  and  article  of  food  or 
furniture  which  they  could  find — sparing  only  the 
Barony  of  Corrimony,  whose  owner  had  taken  no  part 
in  the  affair  of  Blar-na-Leine.  Never  before  and 
never  after  was  Highland  raid  so  thorough.  For  a 
month  or  more  the  work  of  violence  and  devastation 

1  Charter  of  Apprising  to  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  Reg.  Mag. 
Sig.,  Lib.  XXX.,  No.  263.     See  Appendix  B  for  details. 

7 


98  TJRQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

went  on;  and  when  it  was  finished  the  invaders  were- 
the  triumphant  possessors  of  a  magnificent  booty,, 
consisting  of  1188  great  cattle,  392  young  cattle,  525' 
calves,  2  plough  oxen,  383  horses  and  mares,  1978; 
sheep,  1099  lambs,  1410  goats,  794  kids,  122  swine, 
64  geese,  3006  bolls  of  oats,  1277  bolls  of  bear  and 
barley,  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  furniture  and' 
other  household  goods  of  the  value  of  £533  2s,  £312 
in  money,  twenty  pieces  of  artillery,  ten,  'stands  of 
harness,  three  great  boats,  and  a  quantity  of  linen  and 
woollen  cloth.1 

That  the  spoil  was  taken  "  with  strong  hand  "  we 
know  from  the  legal  writs  by  which  the  Lairds  of  Grant 
and  Glenmoriston  sought  to  obtain  satisfaction  from 
Lochiel  and  his  companions;  and  we  learn  from 
another  document  of  the  period  that  in  the  process  the 
houses  of  the  people  were  given  to  the  flames.2  But 

1  Charter  of  Apprising-  to  James  Grant,  Reg.   Mag.   Sig.  XXX. ^ 
No.  314.     See  Appendix  B  for  the  details  of  the  spoil  an'd  the  names  of 
the  despoiled. 

2  Discharge  by   James,    Earl   of  Arran,    Governor   or   Regent   of 
Scotland,  to  the  Laird  of  Grant,  which  is  in  the  following  terms  :  — 

Gubernator, — Auditouris  of  our  Chakker  and  Comptroller,  we 
grete  you  hartly  weyll  :  Forsamekle  as  it  is  humly  menyt  and  notourly 
knawyne  how  the  landis  of  Wrquhart  and  Glenmoristowne  has  beyne 
hereyt  and  brynt  be  the  Clan  Cammeron,  Clanrannald,  and  Clanayaner 
quharthrow  that  our  lowit  James  Grant  of  Fruquhie,  fewar  of  the 
saiddis  landis,  has  gottyn  na  promt  thairof  sen  the  birnyng  of  the 
sammyne,  quhilk  was  in  the  monetht  of  Maii  was  ane  year;  quhare 
upoune  the  said  James  hes  menyt  him  to  ws  :  Our  will  is,  and  we 
charge  you,  the  said  James  makand  guid  payment  of  all  thingis  bygane 
that  he  aw  the  Queynis  Graice  and  ws  in  this  present  Chakkere,  that  ye 
allow  and  discharge  the  said  James  the  Graunt  and  his  partinarris, 
fewarris  of  Wrquhard  and  Glenmoristoune,  of  thre  termys  maylis 
bygane  afoyr  the  dayt  heyrof ,  of  the  sammyne  landis,  quhilk  we  be  the 
tenour  heyrof  dischargis  and  exonerys;  kepand  this  precepe  for  your 
warrand  :  Subscrivit  wytht  our  hand,  the  xx.  day  of  Julii,  the  yere  off 
God  jm.  vc.  xlvj  yeris  [1546].  JAMES  G. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  99 

the  formal  records  make  no  mention  of  how  the  Castle 
was  taken,  despite  its  "  twenty  pece  of  artailzery;" 
or  of  all  the  desperate  fights  and  struggles  and  loss  of 
life  that  there  must  have  been,  ere  the  men  and  the 
women  of  Urquhart  yielded  their  flocks  and  their 
possessions,  to  face  famine  and  perish  by  hunger. 
What  the  records  omit,  tradition  to  some  extent 
supplies.  One  legend  tells  how  a  woman  of  Eich- 
raggan,  seeing  her  only  cow  being  driven  away  by  the 
Lochaber  men,  seized  the  animal  by  one  of  its  hind 
legs  and  held  it  fast ;  and  how  Lochiel,  amazed  at  the 
woman's  strength,  ordered  the  men  to  leave  the  cow 
with  her. 

But  the  great  legendary  hero  of  the  period  was 
An  Gobha  Mor1 — the  Big  Smith,  or  Armourer,  of 
Polmaily.  The  Smith  and  his  seven  sons  were  noted 
for  their  enormous  strength.  They  were  also  as 
skilful  in  the  armourer's  art  as  any  who  ever  struck 
anvil  with  hammer;  and  no  weapons  were  to  be 
found  in  Scotland  to  equal  their  cold-iron  swords 
(claidheamhan  fuar-iarunn) — much  prized  weapons  in 
the  making  of  which  the  iron  was  heated  and  shaped 
by  heavy  and  rapid  hammer-blows,  without  the  agency 
of  fire. 

If  the  Smith  excelled  as  an  armourer,  he  also 
excelled  as  a  husbandman;  and  his  herd  of 
cattle  at  Polmaily  were  noted  for  their  beauty. 
But  suddenly  and  in  a  single  night  they  lost  their 

1  See  the  Author's  Legends  of  Glen-Urquhart  in  Trans,  of  Inver- 
ness Gaelic  Society,  Vol.  II.  (1873),  for  the  Gaelic  version  of  the  Tale 
of  the  Big  Smith. 


100  UKQUHART    AND    GJUENMOttlSTON 

good  condition,  and  became  lean  and  famished;  and, 
feed  them  as  he  might,  the  Smith  found  it  impos- 
sible to  improve  their  appearance.  At  that  time 
the  fairies  of  Urquhart  had  their  favourite  retreat 
at  Tor-ria-sidhe  (Tornashee),  near  Polmaily.  The 
Smith  had  one  of  them  for  his  leannan-sidhe ,  or 
fairy-love,  and,  as  he  rambled  with  her  one  day  in 
the  woods,  she  informed  him  that  her  fellow-fairies 
had  stolen  his  beautiful  cows,  and  that  the  lean  kine 
which  gave  him  so  much  concern  were  croth-sidhe, 
or  fairy-cattle.  Furious  with  rage,  he  hastened 
home,  and,  armed  with  an  axe,  rushed  into  the 
byre,  determined  to  slay  the  unearthly  herd.  But 
before  he  could  strike  a  blow  the  cattle  drew  their 
heads  out  of  their  halters  and  escaped  into  the  open. 
Seizing  the  hindmost  by  the  tail,  the  Smith  sped 
with  them  till  they  came  to  Carn-an-Eath,  in 
Ben-a'-Gharbhlaich,  near  Achnababan.  As  they 
approached  the  cairn,  its  side  opened,  and  the  cattle 
rushed  in,  with  the  Smith  at  their  tails.  On 
coming  to  a  spacious  chamber,  which  glittered  with 
precious  stones,  and  was  filled  with  articles  of  rarest 
value,  the  animals  were  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye 
changed  into  ordinary  fairies,  who  desired  the 
astonished  Smith  to  choose  what  he  pleased  for 
his  own.  In  a  remote  corner  of  the  chamber  stood 
a  little  shaggy  filly  (loth  pheallagach) ,  of  which 
he  had  heard  his  fairy-love  speak  as  one  of  extra- 
ordinary power;  and  he  replied  that  he  would  take 
the  filly.  "  A  tooth  out  of  your  informant's  mouth," 
said  the  fairies;  but  they  kept  their  word  and  gave 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  101 

him  the  loth  pheallagach,  and  strictly  enjoined  him 
to  use  her  only  in  the  plough.  The  Smith  promised 
obedience,  and  went  away  with  the  shaggy  filly. 
For  many  years  she  was  a  marvel  in  the  Glen,  and 
a  blessing  to  the  inhabitants— 

Threabhadh  i  Achadh-nam-bo, 
'  S  an  Lurga-mhor  bho  cheann  gu  ceann  ; 
Mar  sin  's  an  Gortan-Ceapagach, 
Mu'n  leagadh  i  as  an  crann  ! l 

But  one  day  the  Smith  put  the  filly  in  a  cart,  for 
the  purpose  of  removing  manure.  He  had  broken 
his  promise  to  the  fairies,  and  her  wonderful  power 
left  her  for  ever. 

In  the  days  of  the  Smith,  a  dispute  as  to  their 
marches    arose    between   the    Glen-Urquhart    people 
and  the  Frasers  of  the  Aird.       The  Frasers  pushed 
their    boundary    line    forward    in    the    direction    of 
Urquhart     to     a     point     immediately    behind     the 
township  of  Achintemarag,  and  sent  a  strong  force 
of    young    men    to    maintain    it    in    spite    of    their 
opponents.     The  Smith  and  four  of  his  sons  quietly 
approached  the  young  men  and  requested  them  to 
return  to  their  own   country.       On   their  refusal   a 
fight  began,   in  which  several  of  the   Frasers  were 
killed,  and  the  rest  driven  across  the  march  claimed 
by  the  Urquhart  people.     That  march  has  ever  since 
been  acknowledged  by  the  Lovat  tenantry,  and  the 

1  Old  lines  which  may  be  rendered — 

Achnababaii  she  could  plough, 
And  Lurgamore  from  east  to  west : 
Likewise  Gorstan-keppagach, 
And  still  plough  on  without  a  rest  ! 


102        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

affair  is  commemorated  by  Clach-a'-Ghobhainn  Mhoir 
—the  Big  Smith's  Stone — to  this  day. 

It  happened  about  this  time  that  one  of  Lochiel's 
followers  slew  a  man  in  Lochaber,  and  fled  to 
Urquhart,  where  he  found  shelter  and  employment 
with  the  Smith  at  Polmaily.  Lochiel  heard  that 
the  fugitive  was  in  the  Glen,  and  sent  men  to  bring 
him  back.  But  he  cut  his  hair  short,  and  shaved 
his  face  clean;  and,  although  the  Lochaber  men 
saw  him  as  he  worked  at  the  anvil,  they  failed  to 
recognise  him,  and  returned  home  without  him.  But 
it  soon  reached  the  ears  of  Lochiel  that  the  Gille 
Maol — the  Bald  Young  Man1 — whom  they  had  seen 
in  the  smithy,  was  the  object  of  their  search;  and 
he  was  very  wroth  at  the  Smith  and  the  people  of 
Urquhart,  and  resolved  to  make  a  raid  upon  them. 
Accordingly,  he  and  a  great  many  of  the  Clan 
Cameron  came  and  seized  the  Castle.  But  not 
daring  to  meet  the  Big  Smith  and  his  sons  in  fair 
fight,  he  sent  for  Gille  Phadruig  Gobha,  the 
Smith's  son-in-law,  and  promised  to  give  him  the 
lands  of  Polmaily  as  his  own  if  he  brought  him  the 
Smith  and  his  sons,  dead  or  alive.  "  Choose  out 
for  me  two  score  of  your  bravest  and  boldest  men," 
replied  Gille  Phadruig  Gobha,  yielding  to  the 
temptation,  "and  I  shall  be  their  guide  to-night." 
The  Smith's  sons  slept  in  a  barn  which  stood  on  the 
hillock  at  Polmaily  which  is  still  known  as  Torran 
nan  Gillean — the  Young  Men's  Knoll — and  at 

1  According-  to  tradition,  the  Macmillans  of  Urquhart — Clann  'Ic 
'Ille  Mhaoil — are  descended  from  this  worthy. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  103 

.midnight  the  traitor  and  a  party  of  Camerons 
-quietly  left  the  Castle,  and  proceeded  to  Formally, 
with  the  intention  of  killing  the  sons  and  then 
•overcoming  the  father.  Some  of  the  Camerons 
remained  at  the  door  of  the  barn  while  the  rest 
entered  and  attacked  the  sleepers,  who,  being  with- 
out their  swords,  were  all  slain,  except  the  youngest, 
whose  back  was  broken,  and  who  afterwards  bore 
the  name  of  An  Gobha  Crom,  or  the  Hump-Backed 
.Smith. 

While  the  work  of  treachery  and  blood  was  going 

•on  at  Torran  nan  Gillean,  the  Smith's  wife  dreamt 

that  a  big  black  sow,  with  a  litter  of  young  ones, 

was  undermining  the  foundations  of  the  barn.       She 

dreamt  the  dream  three  times,  and  then  roused  her 

husband  and  implored  him  to  go  and  see  whether 

.all  was  well  with  their  sons.       Sword  in  hand,   he 

proceeded  to  the  barn,  and  rushed  on  the  Lochaber 

men.      They  fled  for  the  Castle,   and  he  followed, 

•cutting  them  down  at  every  stroke.       Observing  his 

son-in-law  in  their  midst,  he  made  efforts  to  reach 

him,   whereupon  the  traitor  cried,    "  'S  mi  fhein  a 

. th'ann !    }S  mi  fhein  a  th'ann  /" — ' '  It  is  I !    It  is  I ! " 

;'  I  know  it  is  you,"  replied  the  Smith,  at  the  same 

time  striking  off  the  dastard's  right  ear,  and  placing 

.it  in  his  trembling  hand  as  he  crossed  the  stream 

ever   since   called   Allt   Gille   Phadruig   Gobha;    "I 

know  it  is  you;  deliver  that  letter  to  Mac  Dhomhnuill 

Duibh,1    and    tell   him    I    shall    breakfast    with    him 

.at    break    of    day."      But    before    daybreak    Mac 

1  The  patronymic  of  Lochiel. 


104  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

Dhomhnuill  Duibh  had  left  the  Castle,  and  was  far  on 
his  way  to  Lochaber. 

Eeturning  to  the  barn,  the  Smith  found  all  his  sons 
dead,  except  the  Gobha  Crom.  His  heart  broke  with 
sorrow,  and  before  long  the  Glen  of  Urquhart  knew 
him  no  more. 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  Big  Smith  of  Polmaily  as 
it  has  come  down  to  us  through  the  mists  of  the  past. 
We  do  not  find  the  hero's  name  in  the  legal  proceed- 
ings which,  as  we  shall  see,  followed  the  Great  Eaid;. 
but  nevertheless  they  furnish  a  certain  corroboration 
of  the  tale,  in  so  far  as  they  show  that  among  the 
sufferers    in    Polmaily    were — William,    son    of    the 
Smith;  Fair  John,  son  of  Donald,  son  of  the  Smith; 
and  Baak  (Beathag),  daughter  of  Gowroy,  or  the  Eed' 
Smith.       It   is   thus   beyond   doubt   that   a   race   of 
armourers  flourished  at  Polmaily  in  the  olden  time;, 
and  the  Gobha  Mor  of  tradition  is  more  than  the  mere 
creation  of  Celtic  imagination.1 

So  heinous  an  outrage  as  the  Great  Eaid  would 
in  stronger  times  have  been  avenged  with  lire  and 
sword;  but  the  Kingdom  was  still  suffering  from  the 
disasters  that  closed  the  reign  and  the  life  of  James 
the  Fifth;  and  the  Regent  Arran,  who  governed  in 
name  of  the  infant  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  was  of  an 
easy  temperament,  and  much  disposed  to  let  trouble- 
some matters  take  their  course.  A  royal  invasion 
of  Lochaber  and  the  country  of  Clan  Ranald  was 

1  A  sept  of  Macdonalds,  in  Urquhart,  are  still  known  as  Sliochd  a' 
Ghobhainn  Mhoir,  the  Eace  of  the  Big-  Smith.  A  spot  near  Tornashee- 
is  known  as  Ceardaich  a'  Ghobhainn  Mhoir,  the  Big-  Smith's  Smithy. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  105 

not  to  be  looked  for,  and  the  proprietors  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston  had  to  content  themselves  with  an 
appeal  to  the  feeble  arm  of  the  law  for  what  redress 
was  possible. 

To  avoid  the  multiplication  of  lawsuits,  the 
tenants  made  over  their  claims  against  the  spoilers 
to  their  respective  lairds — the  occupiers  of  the 
Church  lands  of  Achmonie  assigning  their  rights 
to  Seumas  nan  Creach.  That  Chief  and  Iain  Mor 
of  Glenmoriston,  thus  armed  with  a  "  title  to  sue," 
raised  actions  against  Glengarry  and  his  son  and 
young  Lochiel,  having  first  obtained  from  the  Eegent 
a  discharge  of  three  half  years'  feu-duties  due  by 
them  to  the  Crown,  in  respect  that  they  had  received 
no  rents  from  their  lands  "  since  the  burning  of  the 
same."1 

The  original  summonses,  issued  under  the  royal 
signet  on  3rd  August,  1546,  are  still  preserved  at 
Castle  Grant.  The  warrants  to  cite  the  defenders- 
are  peculiar — a  citation  by  open  proclamation  at  the 
cross  of  Inverness  is  to  be  held  as  effectual  as  per- 
sonal citation,  '  becaus  it  is  understand  to  the 
Lordis  of  our  Counsale  that  thair  is  ria  sure  passage 
to  the  dwelling-places  nor  personall  present  of  the 
saidis  personis."  This  singular  provision,  considering 
the  difficulty  of  making  the  Queen's  writ  run  to  the 
gates  of  the  Black  Castle  of  Invergarry  and  the 
shores  of  Loch  Arkaig,  was  one  of  no  small  impor- 
tance to  William  Bayne,  the  sheriff-officer  who  was 
entrusted  with  the  service  of  the  summonses. 

1  See  Discharge  on  p.  98,  supra — footnote. 


106         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTO-N 

Bayne  did  his  duty  at  the  cross,  and  the  causes  were 
called  before  Alexander  Baillie  of  Dunain,  Constable 
of  Inverness,  and  John  Cuthbert  of  Auldcastle, 
Sheriffs-Depute  of  Inverness-shire,  within  the  tol- 
booth  of  the  Highland  Capital,  on  22nd  October, 
1546.  The  defenders  did  not  appear.  The  pursuers 
attended  personally,  and  so,  doubtless,  did  their 
plundered  tenants.  The  Sheriffs  took  evidence  of 
the  spoil  and  loss,  and  the  defenders  were  ordained 
to  restore  the  cattle  and  effects,  or  to  pay  their  value 
and  their  "  profits"  for  sixteen  months,  amounting, 
in  the  case  of  the  Laird  of  Grant,  to  £10,770  13s  4d 
Scots,  and  in  the  case  of  Glenmoriston,  to  £718  lls  Id 
Scots.1 

The  defenders,  who  had  thus  become  the  legal 
debtors  of  the  Grants,  were  charged  on  the  decrees. 
They  made  no  effort  to  restore  the  spoil  or  to  pay  its 

1  The  following1  prices  are  mentioned  in  the  proceedings,,  viz.  : — 
Great  cattle,  £2  per  head;  young  cattle,  from  £l  6s  8d  to  £2  13s  4d; 
calves,  6s  8d;  horses  and  mares,  £2  to  <£4;  ewes,  4s;  lambs,  Is  6d; 
goats,  3s;  kids,  Is  4d;  oats,  10s  per  boll;  barley,  20s  per  boll.  The 
profits  are  calculated  on  the  following  bases  : — "  The  profits  of  each 
great  cow  above  written  by  the  space  of  the  year  aforesaid,  extending 
in  milk,  stirk,  butter,  and  cheese  to  13s  4d;  the  profit  of  each  of  the 
cows  for  the  space  of  four  months  beyond  the  said  year,  extending  to 
4s  5d ;  of  each  young  cow  for  the  year,  in  milk,  butter,  and  cheese,  10s, 
and  for  the  four  months,  3s  4d  each;  of  each  horse  for  the  year,  in 
labour,  riding,  and  wages  of  leadings  (conductionum),  30s,  and  for  the 
four  months,  10s  each;  of  each  mare  for  the  year,  in  foal  and  labour, 
30s,  and  for  the  four  months,  10s;  of  each  ewe  for  the  year,  in  wool, 
butter,  cheese,  and  lamb,  6s  8d,  and  for  the  four  months,  2s  2d;  of 
each  wether  for  the  year  and  four  months,  in  wool,  extending  to  16 
pence;  of  each  goat  for  the  year,  in  kids  and  milk,  6s  8d,  and  for  the 
four  months,  2s  2d;  of  each  goose  for  the  year,  5s,  and  for  the  four 
months,  20  pence;  of  each  pig  for  the  year,  20s,  and  for  the  four 
months,  6s  8d."  The  money  is  Scots.  For  its  value  in  money  sterling 
see  footnote  1,  p.  69. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  107 

value;  and  Bayne,  the  sheriff-officer,  having  failed,  or 
never  seriously  tried,  to  find  any  personal  property 
belonging  to  them  which  he  could  poind  or  distrain, 
went  to  certain  of  their  lands  on  21st  and  22nd  April, 
1547,  and  "  denounced  "  the  same  to  be  "  apprised  ' ' 
to  the  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston  in  satisfaction 
of  the  amounts  due  to  them.1  Bayne  doubtless  got 
through  this  dangerous  formality  in  the  enemy's 
•country  with  all  the  secrecy  and  despatch  in  his  power. 
The  next  step  in  the  process  was  more  to  his  liking. 
On  the  Clach-na-cudain  of  his  own  burgh  he  could 
crow  loudly,  with  less  risk  to  his  throat;  and  on  the 
26th  of  the  same  month  he  publicly  proclaimed  the 
.apprising  at  the  market  cross  of  Inverness,  and  called 
upon  the  distant  debtors  to  appear  before  the  Sheriffs 
on  the  20th  of  May,  to  witness  the  formal  transfer  of 
their  estates  to  the  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston. 
To  this  summons  they  naturally  made  no  response; 
.and,  in  their  absence,  the  lands  were  apprised  by  an 
.assize  of  twenty-one  men  of  probity  and  position,2 
who  were  solemnly  "  sworn  on  the  holy  evangels  of 
God"  to  do  justice  between  man  and  man  without 

1  The  Charters  of  Apprising,  recorded  in  the  Register  of  the  Great 
Seal  (see  pp.  97,  98,  supra,  foot  notes),  afford  excellent  examples  of 
the  ancient  process  of  "  apprising,"  by  which  heritable  or  real  pro- 
perty was  attached  for  debt. 

2  They  were — David  Falconar  of  Halkertown,  John  Hay  of  Park, 
Robert  Munro  of  Foulis,  Thomas  Brodie  of  that  Ilk,  Thomas  Dingwall 
of  Kildun,  John  Chisholm  of  Comar,  Thomas  Macculloch  of  Plaids, 
•George  Strachan  of  Culloden,  Alexander  Mackenzie  of  Fairburn,  John 
Symson    (Fraser)    of    Erchit,    Duncan    Bayne    of    Tulloch,    William 
Denoon  of  Petmely,  Alexander  Dallas  of  Cantray,  Alexander  Ross  of 
Little  Elian,  Hugh  Ross  of  Auchnacloich,  John  McEane  McComas  in 
Auchnashellach,     Robert     McCallane     in     Inverlael,     Murdoch     Dow 
McCoule,  Murdoch  Glas,  Walter  Innes,  and  Robert  Falconer. 


108        UKQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

fear  or  favour.  To  Seumas  nan  Creach  were  assigned 
extensive  tracts  of  country  in  Lochalsh,  Lochcarron, 
Lochbroom,  Glengarry,  and  Morar,  the  property  of 
Alasdair  Mac  Ian  'Ic  Alasdair  and  his  son,  and  lands^ 
in  Lochalsh  and  Kishorn,  and  the  castle  of  Strome, 
and  the  office  of  Constable  thereof,  belonging  to  Ewen 
Cameron;  while  Iain  Mor  received  certain  subjects  in 
Lochalsh  belonging  to  Lochiel,  and  lands  in  Loch- 
carron belonging  to  Glengarry  and  his  son.1  Charters 
from  the  young  Queen  were  granted  to  the  Lairds, 
subject  to  the  debtors'  right  to  redeem  the  properties 
by  paying  the  amounts  due  within  seven  years.  Of 
this  privilege  they  did  not  choose  to  take  advantage, 
and,  on  the  expirf  of  the  period  of  redemption,  the 
charters  became  absolute. 

The  two  lairds  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  were 
never  able  to  take  actual  possession  of  the  territories 
to  which  they  had  thus  acquired  what  the  old  High- 
landers contemptuously  called  a  sheepskin  right ;  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Lochbroom,  which  was  made 

1  The  lands  apprised  were — To  the  Laird  of  Grant,  the  twelve  merk 
lands  of  old  extent  of  Lochalsh,  the  four  merk  lands  of  Lochcarron, 
the  twenty  merk  lands  of  Lochbroom,  the  third  part  of  lands  of  Glen- 
garry, Drynach,  and  isle  and  house  of  Sleismenane  of  Glengarry,  and 
the  twelve  merk  lands  of  Morar,  all  belonging-  to  old  Glengarry,  in 
frank  tenement  and  lif erent,  and  to  his  son  Angus  in  fee  and  heritage ; 
the  thirteen  merk  lands  of  Kishorn,  with  the  castle  and  fortalice 
thereof,  commonly  called  the  Strome,  and  the  nine  merk  lands  of 
Lochalsh,  all  belonging  to  Lochiel;  and  to  Iain  Mor,  the  five  merk 
lands  of  Lochalsh,  belonging  to  Lochiel,  and  comprehending  the  half 
davach  lands  of  Auchindarroch  and  Lundy,  the  half  davach  lands  of 
Fernaig-mor,  half  of  the  half  davach  lands  of  Fernaig-beg,  Fynnman, 
and  Auchecroy ;  and  two  and  one-half  merk  lands  of  Lochcarron, 
pertaining  to  the  Glengarries,  and  consisting  of  the  half  of  the  half 
davach  lands  of  Achnashellach,  the  half  of  the  davach  half  of  the  lands 
of  Dalmartvne,  and  the  half  of  the  davach  lands  of  Torridon. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  109 

over  to  Mackenzie  of  Kintail  in  1570,  these  were  in 
the  end  all  surrendered  to  their  de  facto  owners.     But 
the  royal  grants  had  the  effect  of  bringing  Lochiel  to 
a  more  reasonable  frame  of  mind,  and  of  somewhat 
lowering    that    high    disdain    with    which    he    had 
hitherto  regarded  the  majesty  of  the  law.       On  the 
10th  of  October,   1548,  he  met  his  uncles,   Seumas 
nan  Creach  and  Iain  Mor,  at  Convinth,  in  presence 
of  John  Mackenzie  of  Kintail,   Kenneth  Mackenzie 
of  Brahan,   Alexander  Mackenzie  of  Fairburn,   and 
others,  and  gave  friendly  assurances  which  resulted 
in  a  new  treaty.     Lochiel  undertook  to  keep  "  truely 
his  kindness  and  fidelity"  to  his  uncle  and  his  heirs, 
especially    in  connection  with  the  lands  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston,  and  to  aid  him  in  all  manner  of 
actions   against  all  mortals,    except  the   Queen   and 
the  Earl  of  Huntly,   and  the  Laird  of  Mackintosh, 
to  whom  he  had  recently  given  his  bond  of  manrent ; 
and    the    Laird    of    Grant    agreed    that,    during   his 
nephew's   good   behaviour,    the   latter   should   uplift 
and  enjoy  the  rents  and  profits  of  the  lands  apprised 
from  him,    and   that   they   should   not   be   alienated 
from  him,  except  under  the  advice  of  Mackenzie  of 
Kintail  and  his  son  Kenneth,  the  Laird's  son — John 
Grant  of  Mulben — Iain  Mor,  and  others,  the  Laird's 

'  well-advised  friends."  Grant  wrote  his  name  like 
a  scholar,  but  the  penman's  art  was  incompatible 
with  the  wild  dignity  of  Lochiel,  and  his  hand  was 

1  led  at  the  pen"  by  Mr  James  Farquharson,  that 
priest  of  Urquhart  whom  he  had  helped  to  spuilzie  in 
the  raid  of  1545. l 

1  See  the  contract,  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  102. 


110        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Two    considerations   weighed   with    Seumas    nan 
Creach  in  entering  into  this  treaty — solicitude  for 
the   peace   of   Urquhart   and    Glenmoriston,    and   a 
painful  conviction  of  his  inability  to  uplift  the  rents 
of  the  Western  territories.      As  a  matter  of  fact, 
notwithstanding  some   efforts   to   make  his  nominal 
right    to    the    apprised    lands    a    reality,    he    never 
derived  any  benefit  from  them.     In  1549  he  made 
formal  complaint  that  his  tenants  in  Morar,   Glen- 
garry, Lochbroom,  Lochcarron,  and  Lochalsh,  paid 
him   no   rent,    and    that   without   his    consent    they 
:i  daylie  fischis  in  his  watteris  and  fischingis  therof 
and    distroyis    his    growand    treis    of    his 
woddis     .      .      .     sua  that  the  samyn  woddis  are  all 
utterlie  failzeit;"  and,  in  consequence,  letters  under 
the  Queen's  signet  were  issued  on  27th  November 
of  that  year,   ordering  the  Crown  officers  to  assist 
him  in  dealing  with  the  tenants.1      But  no  improve- 
ment  followed.       The   castle   of   Strome — the   grey 
ruins  of  which  are  still  a  picturesque  feature  in  the 
landscape  of  Lochcarron — continued  to  be'  held  by 
his  opponents,  who  were  resolved  to  raze  it  to  the 
ground  rather  than  let  it  fall  into  his  hands.       On 
24th   June,    1553,    royal   letters   were   issued   com- 
manding them  to  deliver  it  up  to  its  lawful  owner.2 
But   the   command   was   not   obeyed;   and   on   26th 
August  the  troubled  career  of  Seumas  nan  Creach 
came  to  an  end. 

His  son  and  heir,   John  Grant,   lost  no  time  in 
obtaining    a    precept    for    infefting    himself    in    the 

1  Chief  of  Grant,  I.,  114.  2  Ibid,  I.,  115. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  111 

Western  territories.1  His  object  seems  to  have 
been  to  put  himself  in  the  position  of  being  able  to 
dispose  of  them  for  a  consideration.  In  1570,  he 
made  over  the  Lochbroom  portion  to  Mackenzie  of 
Kintail,  who  married  his  daughter  Barbara;  and  a 
year  later  he  agreed  to  transfer  to  Angus  of  Glen- 
garry his  interest  in  that  glen,  and  in  Morar, 
Lochalsh,  and  Lochcarron.2  The  formal  conveyance 
to  Angus  was  never  executed — probably  he  did  not 
press  for  a  sheepskin  title — and  Grant's  son  and 
successor,  John,  undertook  on  14th  June,  1586,  to 
infeft  the  Laird  of  Mackintosh  in  the  same  lands  in 
consideration  of  an  obligation  by  that  Chief  £C  to  keep, 
preserve,  and  defend  the  lands  of  Urquhart,  Glen- 
moriston,  and  all  other  lands  and  roums  pertaining 
to  the  said  John  Grant  of  Freuchie,  and  his  fore- 
saids  from  all  herschips  [incursions],  damage,  and 
inconveniences  [that]  may  be  committed  or  done 
thereto  in  time  coming  by  the  Clan-Chameron,  Clan- 
Eanald,  or  any  others,  as  he  does  his  own  lands  and 
bounds."3  No  infeftment,  however,  took  place,  and 
four  years  later  Mackintosh  voluntarily  renounced 
his  right  to  the  undesirable  possessions.4  In  1597 
they  were  claimed  by  Angus'  son,  Donald  of  Glen- 
garry, and  the  matter  was  referred  to  arbitration, 
with  the  result  that  in  1600  the  Laird  of  Grant 
conveyed  them  to  Donald  in  feu-farm,5  and  thus 
parted  for  ever  with  estates  which,  since  their 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  127.         2  Ibid,  I.,  143. 

3  See  Agreement  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  158. 

4  Ibid,  III.,  176- footnote.         5  Ibid,  I.,  177. 


112         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

acquisition  in  1547,  had  only  served  to  involve  his 
family  in  trouble  and  expense. 

Of  the  connection  of  the  Grants  of  Glenmoriston 
with  the  lands  apprised  to  them  there  is  not  so 
much  to  tell.  Iain  Mor  died  a  few  weeks  after  he 
obtained  his  charter,  and  until  the  year  1611,  when 
his  grandson,  Iain  Mor  a'  Chaisteil,  was  served  heir 
therein,1  no  attempt  appears  to  have  been  made  to 
preserve  even  the  semblance  of  a  right  to  them.  Iain 
Mor  a'  ChaisteiPs  title  was  duly  recorded,  but  the 
old  possessors  continued  to  keep  a  firm  grip  of  the 
soil;  and  in  time  the  Lairds  of  Glenmoriston  tacitly 
surrendered  a  right  which  they  were  utterly  unable 
to  enforce. 

The  death  of  John  Grant,  first  of  Glenmoriston— 
or  "  of  Culcabock/'  as  he  was  better  known  in  his  own 
day — occurred  in  1548,2  his  brother  of  Corrimony 
having  predeceased  him  in  1533. 3  A  man  of  great 
energy  and  prudence,  whose  counsel  was  much  sought 
by  his  neighbours,  he  attained  to  a  position  of  great 
influence  and  power,  and,  in  the  end,  died  the  proud 
proprietor  of  Glenmoriston,  Culcabock,  Knockin- 
tional  (on  which  the  Inverness  Barracks  now  stand), 
the  Haugh,  Carron,  Wester  Elchies,  and  Kinchurdie 
in  Strathspey,  and  the  holder  of  less  substantial 
rights  in  the  Western  Highlands.  His  first  wife  was 

1  Origines  Parochiales,  II.,  396. 

2  He  is  said  to  have  died  in  September,  1548  (Chiefs  of  Grant,  I., 
522);  but  he  was  alive  in  October  of  that  year  (p.  109,  supra).     He  was 
dead  before  9th  December,  when  the  ward  of  his  lands  of  Culcabock 
was  given  to  James  Grant  of  Freuchie  (Antiquarian  Notes,  354). 

3  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  515. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  113 

Elizabeth,  or  Isabella,  Innes,  daughter  of  Walter 
Innes,  and  grand-daughter  of  Sir  Eobert  Innes  of 
that  Ilk,  by  whom  he  had  one  daughter,  Isabella. 
Divorcing  her,  he  entered  into  a  union  with  Agnes, 
•daughter  of  William  Fraser,  son  of  Thomas,  fourth 
Lord  Lovat.  This  lady  and  himself  were  within  the 
forbidden  degrees  of  affinity;  and  so,  with  the  object 
of  removing  the  impediment  and  giving  their  children 
the  status  of  legitimacy,  he  obtained,  in  1544,  a 
papal  dispensation  absolving  her  and  himself  from 
the  crime  of  incest,  enjoining  on  them  a  "  salutary 
penance,"  granting  liberty  to  solemnise  their  mar- 
riage in  face  of  the  Church,  and  declaring  their 
children  legitimate,  whether  born  or  to  be  born.1 
Of  the  union  thus  sanctioned  by  the  Pope  there  was 
at  least  one  son,  Patrick,  who  succeeded  his  father 
in  his  whole  possessions,  except  Carron  and  Wester 
Elchies,  which  were  respectively  left  to  Iain  Mor's 
natural  sons,  John  Roy,  and  James.2 

The  precautions  taken  in  connection  with  the 
marriage  of  Iain  Mor  and  Agnes  Fraser  secured  the 
•succession  to  Patrick.  No  sooner  was  the  old  laird 
laid  in  his  grave  than  John  Grant  of  Ballindalloch 
applied  to  the  Queen  for  a  grant  of  Glenmoriston, 
on  the  ground  that  he  had  died  without  lawful  heirs 
male,  and  that  the  estate  had  therefore  fallen  to  the 
Crown.  The  application  was  granted,  apparently 
without  enquiry  into  the  allegations  on  which  it  was 
based,  and  a  royal  charter  was  issued  in  favour  of 

1  See  the  dispensation,  in  Invernessiana,  217. 
2  Chiefs,  I.,  522. 


114       URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Ballindalloch  and  his  wife  Barbara  Gordon  on  4th 
March,  1548 — or  1549,  according  to  modern  com- 
putation.1 Young  Patrick's  half-brothers,  however, 
stoutly  resisted  this  attempt  to  rob  him  of  his; 
inheritance,  and  a  feud  arose,  in  course  of  which 
Ballindalloch  was  slain.  His  claims  were  taken  up 
by  his  son  without  success.  In  1556,  Patrick  was- 
served  heir  to  Iain  Mor  in  the  Barony  of  Glenmoriston, 
and  three  years  later  he  completed  his  title  to» 
Culcabock  and  the  other  Inverness  possessions.2 

John  Grant,  Seumas  nan  Creach's  son  and 
successor,  was  served  heir  to  his  father  in  the  estate 
of  Urquhart  in  October,  1553. 3  Under  the  charter 
of  1509  a  double  feu-duty  was  payable  to  the  Crown 
on  his  entry ;  but  the  Glen  still  suffered  from  the  effects 
of  the  Great  Eaid,  and  on  6th  April,  1554,  the  pay- 
ment was  remitted.4  John's  estates  were,  indeed,  still 
a  prey  to  neighbouring  clans.  To  enable  him  more 
effectually  to  punish  offenders,  Mary  of  Guise,  Queen 

iKeg.  Mag.  Sig.          2  Chief s  of  Grant,  I.,  522. 

3  Seumas  nan  Creach  left  a  will  and  an  inventory  of  his  moveable 
estate,  both  written  in  Latin  by  Mr  James  Farquharson,  priest  of 
Urquhart.       The    farm    of    Kil    St    Ninian,    which    extended    from 
Abriachan  to  Drumbuie,  was  in  his  own  hands,  and  the  stock,   &c., 
thereon  consisted  of  80  bolls  of  oats,  valued  at  £80  Scots,  including 
fodder;  8£  bolls  of  barley,  worth,  with  fodder,  £16;  20  plough  oxen 
(boves  arabiles),  valued   at   £40;   20  great   cattle,   valued   at  £40;   8 
young  cattle,  two  and  three-year-old,  worth  £6  8s;  5  calves,  £2;  64 
"wild,"  or  unbroken  mares,  worth  £214  6s  8d;  18  foals,  valued  at 
£27;  and  certain  household  effects  and  farm  plenishing.     It  was  at 
Kil  St  Ninian   (Temple-House),  that  the  Lairds  of  Grant's  tenants 
paid  their  money  rent,   and   delivered  the   rent  which  they  paid  in 
kind.     Hence  it  was  called  the  Grange  of  Kil  St  Ninian  as  early  as 
1513. 

4  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  127. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  1  I  5 

Eegent,  appointed  him  Justiciar  of  the  Crown  within 
the  bounds  of  Strathspey,  Urquhart,  Glenmoriston, 
and  Strathdoun — bounds  which  his  commission 
describes  as  filled  with  "  divers  homicides,  murders, 
thefts,  oppressions  or  sornings,  reset  of  theft,  and 
open  or  strong-handed  rapine  ...  to  the  extreme 
depredation  and  destruction  of  our  poor  and  faithful 
lieges  who  inhabit  the  same."1  The  Justiciar  entered 
on  his  duties  with  vigour — in  one  instance  causing 
certain  evildoers,  whom  he  could  not  apprehend 
"  quick,"  to  be  brought  in  dead,  and  presenting  their 
heads  to  the  Queen  Eegent,  at  Inverness.2 

It  was  during  these  troublous  times  that  the 
doctrines  of  the  Eeformation  began  to  create  a 
spirit  of  unrest  among  the  Scottish  people.  The 
work  of  the  Eeformers  was  greatly  facilitated  by  the 
unworthy  lives  of  some  of  the  clergy.  Among  the 
dignitaries  who  helped  to  bring  disgrace  and  disaster 
on  the  old  establishment  was  Patrick  Hepburn, 
Bishop  of  Moray.  On  him  the  vow  of  celibacy  lay 
lightly;  and  for  his  numerous  illegitimate  children 
he  made  ample  worldly  provision  by  alienating  the 
ancient  heritage  of  the  Church.  Having,  as  far 
back  as  1544, 3  disposed  of  Abriachan  to  Hugh,  Lord 
Lovat,  he  resolved  to  deal  in  the  same  manner  with 
its  companion  estate  of  Achmonie.  That  property 
was  let  to  John  Mac  Gillies,  or  Mackay,  and  his  wife, 
Katherine  Ewen  Canycht,  for  nineteen  years  from 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  116. 
2  Invernessiana,  224.  3  Keg.  Morav.,  410. 


116        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Whitsunday,  1554. 1  But  the  events  that  culminated 
in  the  Eeformation  were  moving  rapidly,  and  before 
the  expiry  of  the  first  three  years  of  the  lease,  Mackay 
became  owner  of  the  estate.  Having  paid  "  a  certain 
great  sum  of  money  in  advance/3  and  undertaken  to 
pay  annually  a  feu-duty  exceeding  by  the  sum  of  £2 
4s  6d  the  rent  previously  paid,  he  got  a  charter  from 
the  Bishop  on  6th  May,  1557,  conveying  the  old 
property,  "  with  the  brew-house  [brasina^  thereof 
called  Kilmichael,"  and  including  Kilmichael,  Gara- 
beg,  Wester  Ballachraggan,  Drumcore,  Breakrie-riach 
and  Eivoulich  on  the  borders  of  Abriachan,  and  their 
hill  grounds  to  the  marches  of  Kiltarlity,  to  himself 
and  his  wife  and  the  survivor  of  them  in  liferent, 
and  to  their  son  Duncan  and  his  heirs  male  in  fee.2 
The  other  Church  lands  in  Urquhart  fell  to  the  Laird 
of  Grant.  In  1556  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  presented 
Sir  John  Donaldson  to  the  chaplainry  of  St  Ninian, 
and  the  lands  of  Pitkerrald  Chapel,  and  the  crofts  of 
St  Drostan,  St  Adamnan,  and  St  Ninian;  and  gave 
him  the  custody  of  the  sacred  relics  of  St  Drostan.3 
It  was  the  last  exercise  of  the  right  of  patronage  in 
our  Parish  under  the  ancient  rule.  In  1560  the  old 
Church  was  overthrown.  For  its  temporal  possessions 
there  was  a  great  scramble  among  those  who  had 

1  See  lease — Appendix  C.     A  curious  error  occurs  in  the  abstract 
of  the  lease  printed  in  the  Begister  of  Moray  (p.  393),  where  Katherine 
Ewen  Canycht — i.e.,  Katherine,  daughter  of  Ewen  the  Merchant — is 
called  Katherine,  Lady  (Domina)  Carrycht.     The  error  is  repeated  in 
the  notice  of  the  charter  to  the  Mackays  in  1557   (p.  394).       Ewen 
Canycht's  name  appears  among  the  sufferers  in  the  Great  Eaid  of  1545. 

2  See  charter — Appendix  D. 

3  See  presentation  and  relative  writs,  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III., 
121-4. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  117 

helped  in  its  destruction,  and  the  Laird  of  Grant,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  Parliament  which  passed  the  Act 
of  Abolition,  was  not  behind  his  associates  in  securing 
his  reward.  He  quietly  appropriated  the  patrimony 
of  the  priests  in  Urquhart ;  and  the  lands  which  had  for 
ages  borne  the  holy  names  of  the  arch-angel  Michael, 
and  St  Cyril,  and  St  Drostan,  and  St  Adamnan,  and 
St  Ninian,  were  for  ever  lost  to  the  sacred  purposes  for 
which  they  were  gifted  by  pious  men  of  old.1 

1  There  were  "  Kirk  lands"  in  Glenmoriston  as  late  as  1572 
(Register  of  Assignations,  in  Advocates'  Library).  These  lands  were 
subsequently  appropriated  by  the  Lairds  of  Glenmoriston. 


118        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTER     VII 

1560—1626 

The  Camerons  and  Clan  Ranald  plan  another  Raid. — 
Mackintosh  and  Mackenzie  of  Kintail  ordered  to  protect 
the  Parish. — League  of  Loyalty  to  Queen  Mary. — The 
Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  in  Arms  for  her. — 
Their  March  into  the  South. — Urquhart  Feu-duties 
applied  toward  the  Queen's  Maintenance  in  Lochleven 
Castle. — Patrick  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  invades  Ard- 
clach. — He  marries  the  Thane  of  Cawdor's  Daughter. — 
The  Thane  builds  Invermoriston  House. — Iain  Mor  a' 
Chaisteil  of  Glenmoriston. — His  Combat  with  an  English- 
man.— His  Fir  Candles  in  London. — His  Influence  and 
Acquisitions. — Appointed  Chamberlain  of  Urquhart. — 
He  murders  a  Packman. — Criminal  Letters  against  him. 
— Feud  between  the  Macdonalds  and  the  Mackenzies. — 
The  Raid  of  Kilchrist.— The  Conflict  of  Lon-na-Fala.— 
Allan  of  Lundie's  Leap. — The  Murder  of  the  Mason  of 
Meall-a;-Ghro. — Bonds  of  Friendship  between  the  Laird 
of  Grant,  and  Glengarry,  and  Allan  of  Lundie. — A  Big 
Timber  Transaction. — The  Laird  saves  Allan. 

IN  the  olden  times  the  wild  inhabitants  of  Lochaber 
and  the  country  of  Clan  Eanald  looked  on  the  fair 
reaches  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  as  a  legiti- 
mate field  for  cateran  adventure  as  often  as  the 
depleted  glens  were  again  fairly  filled  with  cattle. 
It  was  to  those  Western  reivers  that  the  "  laying 
.waste  "  referred  to  in  the  Exchequer  accounts  of 
1478  and  1479  was  greatly  due.  We  saw  them 
clearing  Urquhart  in  1513,  and  again  in  1545. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  119 

They  now  began  to  think  of  another  foray.  Ewen 
Cameron  of  Lochiel,  who  took  so  prominent  a  part 
in  the  Great  Eaid,  died  about  the  year  1554,  leaving 
his  estates  to  his  brother  Donald  Dubh,  who,  in 
his  turn,  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Allan. 
Allan  was  a  mere  child,  and  his  grand-uncles,  Ewen 
Cameron  of  Erracht,  and  John  Cameron  of  Kin- 
Lochiel,  constituted  themselves  leaders  of  the  clan, 
and,  as  a  bid  for  popular  favour,  prepared  to 
invade  our  Parish  in  conjunction  with  their  old 
allies  the  Clan  Eanald.  A  hint  of  their  design,  how- 
ever, reached  the  Laird  of  Grant,  and  he  lost  no 
time  in  seeking  the  protection  of  the  Crown  as  his 
feudal  superior.  His  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain. 
.Signet  letters,  charging  the  chiefs  of  Mackintosh  and 
Kintail  to  assist  him  in  defending  the  menaced  lands, 
were  issued  on  1st  March,  1567,  in  name  of  King 
James  the  Sixth,  whose  mother  was  now  a  prisoner  in 
Lochleven  Castle. 

"  Forasmuch,"  says  this  writ,1  "as  it  is  humbly 
complained  and  shown  to  us  by  our  lovite  John 
<jrant  of  Freuchie,  that  whereas  he  has  the  lands  of 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  with  their  pertinents, 
pertaining  to  him  in  feu-farm,  heritably  holden  of 
us,  as  his  infeftment  thereupon  purports;  and  as  he 
is  credibly  informed  divers  wicked  persons  of  the 
Clan  Eanald  and  Clan  Cameron,  conspired  and  con- 
federated together,  intend  shortly  to  make  incursions 
upon  the  said  John's  lands,  and  to  burn,  harry,  and 

IThe  spelling-  is  here  modernised.     See  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  132, 
•for  the  writ  in  its  original  form. 


1*20  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

destroy   his   poor   tenants   and   inhabitants   thereof,, 
wherethrough  the  same  shall  be  all  laid  waste  and) 
desolate,  not  only  to  his  great  skaith  and  damage, 
but  to  the  hurt  and  detriment  of  us,  the  said  lands- 
being  of  our  property,  which,  being  harried  and  laid 
waste,  we  will  want  the  feu  mails  [rents  or  duties] 
thereof  j1  which  limmars  and  wicked  persons,  notwith- 
standing, would  not  be  able  to  execute  their  malice 
and  cruelty  if  the  great  men  and  clans  adjacent  to- 
the   said  lands  would   concur  with  the   said  John's 
tenants  in  their  defence  when  they  are  invaded,  as 
they  in  no  way  will  without  compulsion  :  our  will  is- 
herefore,  and  we  charge  you  [i.e.,  the  messengers  or 
officers   of   the   law]    straitly,    and    command,    that, 
immediately  these  our  letters  are  seen,  ye  pass,  and 
in   our   name   and   authority   command   and    charge 
Lachlan    Mackintosh    of    Dunachton,    and    Kenneth 
Mackenzie   of  Kintail,    and   all   others   of   the   Clan 
Chattan   and   Clan  Kenzie,    that   they,    at   all  times, 
when  the  said  John  Grant's  lands  foresaid  shall  be 
invaded  or  pursued  by  the  said  limmars  and  wicked 
persons,  rise,  pass  forth,  and  defend  the  same  with 
all  possible  diligence,  and  in  no  way  suffer  or  permit 
the  said  lands,  or  his  tenants  dwelling  thereon,  to  be 
oppressed,   sorned,   harried,   burnt,   or  destroyed  by 
them,    as    they    will    answer    upon    their    duty    and 
obedience  to  us  :  with  certification  to  them,  if  they 
be  found  remiss  or  negligent  therein,  they  shall  be 
reputed,   holden,   called,   and  pursued  as  partakers, 
fortifiers,   and  maintainers  of  the  said  limmars  and 

1  The  feu  duties  were  remitted  after  the  raid  of  1545. 
See  p.  105,  supra. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  121 

wicked  persons  in  their  cruelty  and  evil  deeds,  and 
shall  be  punished  therefor  as  if  they  had  committed 
the  crimes  themselves  in  their  own  proper  persons.3' 

The  choice  of  the  Mackintoshes  and  the  Mac- 
kenzies  as  defenders  of  the  Parish  was  a  singularly 
happy  one.  The  Clan  Kenneth  had  for  some 
generations  been  gradually  extending  their  name 
and  sway  on  the  West  Coast,  and  there  were,  at  the 
time  at  which  we  have  now  arrived,  territorial  disputes 
of  a  serious  nature  between  themselves  and  the 
Camerons  and  Clan  Eanald.  In  like  manner  the  Clan 
Chattan  had  grave  questions  to  settle  with  the  race  of 
Lochiel  in  connection  with  the  possession  of  Glenluie 
and  Loch-Arkaig;  and  with  the  Keppoch  branch  of 
Clan  Eanald  in  connection  with  certain  lands  in  Brae- 
Lochaber.  There  was  thus,  notwithstanding  the 
formal  style  of  the  signet  letters,  no  great  "  com- 
pulsion ' '  required  to  set  the  Mackintoshes  and  the 
Mackenzies  at  the  throats  of  the  would-be  invaders. 
Happily  the  confederates  recognised  the  fact,  and 
shrank  from  their  threatened  enterprise.  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston  were  spared;  and  the  moral  if  not 
active  aid  given  by  the  Chief  of  Kintail  was  duly 
rewarded  in  1570,  when  he  received  in  marriage  the- 
Laird  of  Grant's  daughter,  whose  dower  was  her 
father's  territory  in  Lochbroom. 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
a  prisoner  in  Lochleven  Castle  when  the  letters  for 
the  defence  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  were- 
issued  in  name  of  her  infant  son,  was  soon  forced 
to  abdicate  in  his  favour,  and  to  nominate  her 
half  brother,  the  Earl  of  Moray,  Kesent  during  his 


122         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

minority.  The  sympathies  of  the  men  of  the  North 
were,  however,  with  the  ill-fated  Queen,  and  these 
measures  did  not  meet  with  their  approval.  In 
1568,  the  Earl  of  Huntly,  the  Laird  of  Grant,  Eoss 
of  Balnagown,  Munro  of  Fowlis,  the  Laird  of  Mac- 
kintosh, William  Fraser  of  Struy,  and  certain  others 
subscribed  a  solemn  obligation  to  ' '  defend  the  Queen's 
Majesty,  our  sovereign,  in  her  authority,  as  faithful 
and  true  subjects  ought  to  do  to  their  native 
princess,  and  to  acknowledge  no  other  usurped 
authority."1  In  May  of  that  year  the  Queen  escaped 
from  Lochleven,  and,  on  her  defeat  at  Langside, 
fled  into  England;  but  Huntly  still  held  out  for 
her,  and  with  an  army  in  which  were  the  Laird 
of  Grant,  Patrick  Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  John 
Grant  of  Corrimony,  William  Grant  in  Borlum, 
John  Grant  in  Cartaly,  and  Alexander  alias  Alasdair 
Grant  in  Urquhart,  followed  doubtless  by  the  youth 
and  valour  of  our  Parish,  went  through  the  country 
with  '  displayit  baneris  ':  —now  marching  through 
the  streets  of  Inverness,  now  disturbing  the  sober 
citizens  of  Aberdeen,  or  creating  terror  among  the 
peaceable  inhabitants  of  Fetteresso  and  the  Haugh 
of  Meikleour.2  But  the  Queen's  cause  was  not  to 
prosper,  and  these  displays  were  of  no  avail. 
Huntly  surrendered  to  the  Eegent  at  St  Andrews 
in  May,  1569;  the  Laird  of  Grant  submitted 
at  Aberdeen  on  7th  June ;  his  example  was 
speedily  followed  by  Glenmoriston  and  Corrimony 

1  Miscellany  of  Spalding  Club,  IV.,  156. 
2  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  137. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  123 

and  their  followers ;  and  on  9th  July  a  remission  or 
pardon  was  issued  in  name  of  the  young  King  to 
the  Laird  and  his  clan,  including  the  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston  Grants  who  have  just  been  mentioned.1 
The  Queen's  supporters  bowed  to  the  inevitable,  and 
the  unhappy  lady,  cast  into  prison  by  Elizabeth  of 
England,  on  whose  compassion  she  had  thrown 
herself,  was  kept  in  weary  confinement  until,  after 
the  lapse  of  nineteen  years,  the  headsman's  axe  put 
an  end  to  her  sufferings  on  the  black  scaffold  of 
Fotheringay.2 

While  Patrick  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  did  what 
he  could  for  his  Queen,  he  did  not  forget  his  own 
interests.  In  1564  Bishop  Hepburn  granted  the 
lands  of  Farness  and  Atnach,  in  the  barony  of  Ard- 
clach,  to  John  Wood  of  Tillidivie.  These  lands, 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  137. 

2  Our   Parish   is   otherwise   associated   in   an   interesting-   manner 
with  the  last  days  of  Mary  in  Scotland.     During  her  imprisonment  in 
Xiochleven  Castle,  the  sum  of  £172  was  assigned  out  of  the  feu-duties 
of   Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  and  other  Crown  lands  held  by  the 
Laird  of  Grant,  to  meet  her  expenses  there.     In  reference  to  this,  the 
Regent  wrote  as  follows  to  the  Laird  on  23rd  August,  1569  :  — 

"  Richt  Traist  freynd,  efter  hertlie  commendatioun  :  Forsamekle 
.as  the  tyme  the  Quene,  moder  to  our  Souerane  Lord,  remanyt  in 
Lochlevin,  thair  wes  assignit  to  ane  part  of  the  furnessing  and 
prouisioun  of  her  house,  the  soume  of  ane  hundreth  three  scoir  twelf 
pundis  money  of  the  fewmales  [feu-mails  or  feu-duties]  of  the  lands 
of  Vrquhart,  Glenmoreistoun  and  vtheris  the  Kingis  landis,  quhairof 
ye  ar  fewair;  and  seeing  our  brother,  the  Lard  of  Lochlevin,  maid 
the  expenssis  and  yit  wanttis  the  pament,  it  is  our  will,  and  we 
•desire  yow  that  ye  faill  not  to  deliucr  the  said  sowme  of  jc.  Ixxij.  li. 
to  our  said  brother,  the  Lard  of  Lochlevin,  or  ony  in  his  name, 
presentar  of  this  letter  to  yow,  and  the  same  sowme  salbe  thankfullie 
diffesit  .  .  ." 

The  payment  was  in  the  same  month  made  to  William  Douglas  of 
Lochlevin,  whose  receipt,  with  the  above  letter,  is  still  preserved  at 
€astle  Grant. 


124        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

apparently,  were  in  the  possession  of  Glenmoriston's- 
illegitimate  brother,  John  Eoy  of  Carron,  who  held 
them  by  dachas,  or  unwritten  hereditary  title,  and 
who  had  acquired  what  right  he  had  from  his  father, 
Iain  Mor.  John  quietly  gave  them  up  to  Wood;  but 
Glenmoriston  conceived  that  he  had  an  interest  in 
them  as  his  father's  heir,  and,  by  way  of  asserting  his 
right,  invaded  the  disputed  territory  on  its  sale  to 
Hugh  Eose  of  Kilravock  in  1567,  and  slew  and  harried 
the  tenants.  After  "  much  jarring/'  the  matter  was 
referred  to  the  judgment  of  Lord  Lovat  and  John 
Gordon  of  Carnborrow,  who  decided  in  favour  of 
Kilravock  and  ordained  the  Laird  of  Grant,  as  Glen- 
moriston's  chief,  to  put  an  end  to  the  broils  in  order 
that  Eose  might  enjoy  the  lands  in  peace.1 

Patrick  married  Beatrice,  daughter  of  Archibald 
Campbell  of  Cawdor,  with  whom  he  is  said  to  have 
become  acquainted  while  attending  the  then  noted 
school  of  Petty.  Tradition  tells  that  her  father, 
visiting  the  young  couple  at  Tom-an-t-Sabhail,2 
was  so  affected  with  the  meanness  of  their  wicker 
dwelling  that  he  offered  to  build  them  a  house  at 
Inverinoriston,  more  befitting  the  daughter  of  the 
Thane  of  Cawdor.  The  offer  was  accepted;  skilled 
workmen  were  imported  from  the  Thane's  country; 
and  Patrick  and  his  wife  removed  to  Invermoriston, 
which  has  ever  since  been  the  family  seat.3 

1  Reg1.  Morav.,,  405;   Family  of  Kilravock   (Spalding  Club),  77. 

2  Barn-hill — a  knoll  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Moriston,  oppo- 
site Duldreggan. 

3  Before  the  mansion-house  was  built  on  its  present  site  there  was 
probably  a  tower  on  Torran-an-Tur  (Tower  Hill)  at  Invermoriston. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  125 

Patrick,  from  whom  his  successors  took  the 
patronymic  Mac  Phadruig,  or  Mac  'Ic  Phadruig,  died 
in  1581,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  John,  who 
soon  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his 
time  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  Like  his  grand- 
father, he  was  a  man  of  great  stature,  and,  like  him, 
too,  he  was  known  as  Iain  Mor — Big  John — to 
which  the  words  a'  Chaisteil — of  the  Castle — were 
subsequently  added,  in  allusion  to  the  part  he  took 
in  adding  to  and  strengthening  the  house  of  Inver- 
moriston.  Of  Iain  Mor  a3  Chaisteil' s  marvellous 
strength  local  seanachies  have  not  yet  ceased  to  tell. 
During  a  visit  to  Edinburgh,  says  one  tradition,  he 
was  tempted  to  enter  the  lists  against  an  English 
champion,  whose  insulting  challenge  no  one  else  had 
the  courage  to  accept.  At  the  outset  the  com- 
batants, as  was  customary,  shook  hands,  when,  to 
the  amazement  of  the  spectators,  Iain  Mor  crushed 
the  Englishman's  hand  into  a  jelly,  and  so  ended  his 
boasting. 

At  another  time,  when  he  was  in  London,1  some 
one  sneeringly  referred  in  his  presence  to  the  "  fir- 
candles"  of  his  native  Glen— 

"  Gleanna  min  Moireastuinn, 

Far  nach  ith  na  coin  na  coinnlean  !"  2 

The  Laird  retorted  by  defying  the  scoffer  to 
produce  in  London  a  more  elegant  candlestick,  or 
more  brilliant  lights,  than  he  could  bring  from  his 
Highland  estate.  A  wager  followed,  and  Iain 

1  He  was  in  London  in  1631  and  1632. 
2  "  Glenmoriston  the  smooth,  where  the  dogs  cannot  eat  the  candles  .'" 


126         URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Mor  despatched  a  servant  to  the  North  with  a 
message  for  the  stalwart  Iain  Mac  Eobhain  Bhain— 
a  Glenmoriston  bard  distinguished  alike  for  keen 
wit  and  manly  beauty.  At  the  appointed  time  Iain 
Mor's  opponent  appeared  with  a  magnificent  silver 
candelabrum  furnished  with  the  finest  of  wax 
candles.  Glenmoriston  had  no  such  work  of  art  to 
show;  but  on  a  given  signal  the  bard  stepped  into 
the  chamber,  dressed  in  Highland  garb,  and  holding 
aloft  blazing  torches  of  the  richest  pines  of  Corri- 
Dho.  The  effect  on  the  astonished  spectators  was 
even  greater  than  the  proud  Glenmoriston  had 
ventured  to  hope,  and  he  was  declared  the  victor 
with  acclamation. 

Iain  Mor  a'  Chaisteil's  temperament  and  char- 
acter suited  the  rough  times  in  which  he  lived,  and 
he  early  acquired  great  influence  among  his  con- 
temporaries. In  disputes  between  his  neighbour- 
lairds  he  was  constantly  appealed  to.  He  was 
one  of  the  justices  and  commissioners  appointed  by 
King  James  the  Sixth  in  1592  to  suppress  disorders 
among  the  Clan  Eanald;1  and  in  1622  he  was 
employed  in  a  similar  capacity  against  Lochiel.2  He 
extended  his  territorial  possessions  by  acquiring  the 
forest  of  Clunie  and  Glenloyne  in  wadset  from  the 
Laird  of  Grant;3  by  obtaining  a  similar  title  in 
July,  1624, 4  to  certain  lands  in  Urquhart,  including 
Balmacaan,  where  he  had  already  resided  for  a 

1  See  the  Commission,,  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  181. 

2  Ibid.,  335.  3  Ibid.,  427. 

4  Memorandum,  dated  1681,  at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  127 

number  of  years;  and  by  acquiring  in  the  same  year 
the  lands  of  Pitkerrald,  which,  however,  he  only 
held  for  a  short  time.  To  add  to  his  influence,  the 
Laird  of  Grant  appointed  him  chamberlain  and  baron- 
bailie  of  Urquhart — an  office  which  made  him  virtual 
master  of  the  whole  Parish,  and  placed  the  lives  and 
fortunes  of  its  inhabitants  in  his  hand. 

Iain  Mor's  power  and  influence  notwithstanding,, 
his  name  has  come  down  to  us  associated  with  as 
mean  a  murder  as  was  ever  committed  by  a  man  of 
his  position.  In  September,  1602,  Donald  Mac 
Finlay  Vic  Norosiche,  "  merchant "  —one  of  those- 
travelling  traders  who  in  past  days  ministered  to  the 
wants  of  the  country  people — was  passing  through 
Glenmoriston  on  his  way  to  or  from  Kintail. 
With  Finlay  Mac  Iain  Roy,  residing  at  Invermoriston, 
and  Alexander  Dubh  Mac  Iain  Roy,  his  brother,  Big 
John  of  the  Castle  waylaid  the  humble  packman 
6  upone  the  landis  of  Glenmoriestoun,"  bound  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  carried  him  as  "  ane  male- 
factour"  into  a  wood,  where,  "  as  hangmen,"  they 
hanged  him  on  a  tree,  and  so  "  wirriet  him  to  deid" 
—strangled  him  to  death.  Then  cutting  down  the 
quivering  body,  they  '  with  thair  durkis  gaif  him 
dyverse  straikis  in  the  breist  and  bellie,  to  the 
effusione  of  his  blood  in  grit  quantitie;"  and,  having 
thus  despatched  their  victim,  they  placed  the  body 
beneath  a  ' '  burn-brae ' '  —the  overhanging  bank  of  a 
stream — pressed  down  the  earth  upon  it,  and  so  buried 
it  out  of  sight. 


128  URQTJHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

Tidings  of  the  dastardly  deed  soon  reached  the 
^ars  of  the  murdered  man's  friends  in  Kintail,  and 
Ms  brother,  Finlay  Mac  Finlay  Vic  Norosyche, 
resolved  to  bring  the  perpetrators  to  justice.  But 
the  law  was  slow  to  move  against  a  Highland 
•chieftain  in  the  olden  time,  and  twenty  long  years 
vanished  into  the  past  before  Finlay  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  its  cumbrous  machinery  in 
motion.  At  last,  criminal  letters  at  the  instance 
of  himself  and  Sir  William  Oliphant,  the  Lord 
Advocate,  were  served  on  Glenmoriston  and  his 
accomplices;  and,  on  2nd  July,  1623,  the  cause  was 
called  in  Edinburgh,  before  Alexander  Colville, 
Justice-Depute.  The  accused,  however,  failed  to 
appear,  and  their  surety,  Patrick  Grant  of  Carron, 
was  ordained  to  pay  a  fine  of  700  merks,  being  500 
in  respect  of  Iain  Mor's  non-appearance,  and  100  for 
the  absence  of  each  of  his  associates.1  And  with 
this  payment  the  outraged  majesty  of  the  law  was 
appeased.  Big  John  not  only  moved  about  free  and 
unmolested,  but  made  his  way  to  Court,  and  found 
favour  with  the  King;2  while  Finlay  Mac  Finlay  Vic 
Norosyche  was  left  to  meditate  in  the  solitudes  of 
Kintail  on  the  evils  summed  up  in  his  own  Gaelic 
proverb,  7s  cam  }s  is  direach  an  lagh — Crooked  as 
well  as  straight  is  the  law. 

Our  Parish  was  soon  to  be  the  scene  of  a  greater 
tragedy  than  the  murder  of  the  merchant  of  Kintail. 
We  have  seen  how,  in  1600,  the  Laird  of  Grant 
iinally  gave  up  to  Macdonald  of  Glengarry  his  right 

l  Pitcairn's  Criminal  Trials.  2  See  next  chapter. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH         129 

to  the  lands  of  Strome ;  and  reference  has  been  made 
to  the  disputes  that  arose  between  the  Clan  Eanald 
and  the  Mackenzies  regarding  their  possessions  on 
the  West  Coast.  These  disputes  had  now  ripened 
into  a  deadly  feud.  In  1602  the  Mackenzies  wrested 
the  castle  of  Strome  from  the  Macdonalds,  who, 
under  the  leadership  of  Allan  Dubh,  the  young  son 
and  heir  of  Eanald  Mac  Eanald  of  Lundie,  resolved 
to  have  their  revenge.  Allan  began  by  travelling 
through  the  Mackenzie  country  in  the  guise  of  a 
pedlar;  and  having  thus  made  himself  acquainted 
with  the  scenes  of  his  intended  operations,  he,  in 
September,  1603,  led  a  party  of  Glengarrymen  into 
the  district  of  Eedcastle.  Tradition  relates  how 
he  arrived  on  a  Sunday  morning  at  the  church  of 
Kilchrist,  and,  finding  it  full  of  Mackenzies,  quickly 
surrounded  it  with  his  men,  and  set  it  on  fire;  and 
how  the  distracted  worshippers,  as  they  endeavoured 
to  escape,  were  received  on  the  swords  and  dirks  of 
the  Macdonalds,  whose  piper  strutted  to  and  fro, 
playing  an  impromptu  pibroch,  which,  under  the 
name  of  "Kilchrist,"  has  ever  since  been  the  war- 
tune  of  Glengarry.  Allan,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
lifted  cattle  and  gave  houses  to  the  flames — burning 
even  the  minister's  "  librarie  and  buikes  "  —and  then 
retired  by  Beauly  and  Glenconvinth  with  a  booty  of 
horses  and  cattle. 

On  his  way  through  Glen-Urquhart  he  rested  his 
men  and  spoil  on  the  level  moss  at  the  base  of  Meal- 
fuarvonie,  which  for  ages  furnished  the  people  of 
Wester  Bunloit  with  their  winter's  fuel.  But  his 


130        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

repose  was  short.  Like  the  fiery  cross,  the  flames  of 
Kilchrist  drew  the  Mackenzies  from  far  and  near; 
and  a  large  number  were  soon  on  the  track  of  the 
Olengarrymen.  As  the  Mackenzies  rounded  the 
south-eastern  shoulder  of  Mealfuarvonie,  they  saw 
the  Macdonalds  on  the  plain  below — ever  since 
known  by  the  name  of  Lon-na-Fala,  the  Meadow  of 
Blood — and  swooped  down  upon  them  with  shouts 
of  revenge.  For  a  time  the  Glengarrymen  bravely 
withstood  the  onslaught;  but  they  were  weary  and 
outnumbered,  and  Allan  Mac  Eanald  had  to  seek 
safety  in  flight,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  followers  dead 
or  dying.  Wounded  and  weak,  and  pursued  by  his 
enemies,  he  darted  across  the  moor  in  the  direction 
of  Loch  Ness,  until,  after  a  run  of  about  half  a  mile, 
he  suddenly  found  himself  on  a  spur  of  the  rock  of 
Craig  Giubhais,  from  which  there  was  apparently  no 
escape.  To  the  left,  and  overhanging  the  shores  of 
the  loch,  was  the  precipitous  face  of  the  Craig,  which 
it  was  impossible  to  descend  alive;  to  the  right,  and 
curving  round  in  front  of  him,  yawned  the  wide  and 
deep  gorge  through  which  the  burn  of  Allt-Giubhais 
forces  its  way;  behind,  the  eager  Mackenzies  were 
at  his  very  heels.  Allan  had  but  a  moment  for 
decision.  Eetracing  his  steps  for  a  few  paces,  he 
again  flew  towards  the  gorge,  and,  bounding  across 
it,  landed  safely  on  a  pretty  green  slope  which  is 
known  as  Kuidhe-a'-Bhada-Ghiubhais.  His  foremost 
pursuer  attempted  to  follow;  but  his  toes  barely 
touched  the  opposite  bank,  and,  falling  backwards,  he 
seized  a  young  tree,  to  which  he  clung  for  his  life. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  131 

Quick  as  thought  Allan  turned  back,  and  with  one 
stroke  of  his  sword  severed  the  strained  sapling, 
and  sent  the  brave  Mackenzie  to  the  bottom,  a 
mangled  corpse.  "  I  have  left  much  with  your  race 
to-day, ' J  said  he  to  his  victim,  as  he  struck  the  plant— 
1 '  I  have  left  much  with  your  race  to-day,  let  me  leave 
them  that  also."  l 

But  Allan  was  not  yet  out  of  danger.  The 
Mackenzies,  seeing  the  fate  of  their  too  daring  com- 
panion, retreated  for  a  few  yards  up  the  stream,  and 
crossed  it  at  Beala-nan-Clach — the  Stony  Ford. 
Down  the  steep  and  wooded  slopes  of  Euiskich, 
Allan  and  his  pursuers  went  until  they  reached  Loch 
Ness.  Plunging  in,  Mac  Eanald  swam  away  from  his 
disappointed  enemies,  and  was  picked  up  by  Fraser  of 
Foyers,  who  had  seen  him  enter  the  water.  From 
Foyers  he  found  his  way  to  an  island  in  his  own  Loch 
Lundie,  where  he  concealed  himself.  In  time  the 
Mackenzies  came  to  know  of  his  retreat,  and  a  large 
company  of  them  marched  to  Glengarry,  carrying 
with  them  a  boat  of  the  light  description  known  in 
Gaelic  as  coit.  Fording  the  river  Moriston  at  Wester 
Inverwick,  they  rested  at  the  rock  still  called  Craig-a'  • 
Choit — the  Eock  of  the  Boat — and  then  crossed  the 
mountains  to  Loch  Lundie.  They  launched  their 
coit  and  searched  the  island;  but  Allan  had  been 
warned  of  their  approach,  and  was  now  in  the 

1  By  the  Glen-Urquhart  people  the  chasm  is  called  Leum  a' 
€heannaiche — the  Merchant's  Leap — in  allusion  to  the  character 
assumed  by  Mac  Eanald.  In  Glenmoriston  it  is  called  Leum  Ailein 
Mhic  Raonail — Allan  Mac  Eanald's  Leap. 


132        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

recesses  of  Meall-a'-Ghro,  where,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  friendly  mason,  he  made  himself  a  place  of 
shelter  between  two  ledges  of  a  rock.1 

The  dangers  through  which  he  had  passed,  and 
the  hardships  which  he  had  endured,  made  him 
suspicious  even  of  his  solitary  companion;  and  when 
the  lowly  hut  was  finished,  he  struck  off  the  mason's 
head  as  he  crawled  out  on  all-fours.  Allan  escaped 
the  vengeance  of  the  Mackenzies,  but  he  was  ever 
after  the  victim  of  remorse.  "  For  the  burning  of 
Kilchrist,'5  said  he,  "  I  hope  for  pardon;  but  I  cannot 
meet  at  the  Judgment  the  faithful  friend  whom  I 

o 

treacherously  slew  on  Meall-a'-Ghro." 

We  have  seen  that  the  proprietors  of  Urquhart 
early  realised  the  wisdom  of  forming  alliances  with 
their  troublesome  Western  neighbours.  The  policy 
which  led  the  Bard  to  enter  into  a  bond  of  friendship 
with  Lochiel  in  1520  was  followed  by  his  grandson, 
who  concluded  a  somewhat  similar  treaty  with 
Angus  Mac  Alasdair  of  Glengarry  in  1571.  By 
this  latter  contract  Glengarry  obliged  himself  to 
cause  his  son,  Donald,  Mac  Angus  'Ic  Alasdair,  to 
marry  the  Laird  of  Grant's  daughter,  Helen,  and  to 
deliver  to  the  Laird  "  ane  sufficient  bond  of  manrent 
quhilk  maye  justlie  stand  by  the  law  of  this  realme," 
and  bv  which  Glengarry  and  his  successors  and 

^  o  J 

1  The  traditional  account  here  given  of  the  invasion  of  Glengarry 
by  the  Mackenzies  is  not  without  truth.  The  first  Lord  Cromartie 
records  that  his  grandfather,  Sir  Rorie  Mackenzie  of  Coigeach,  tutor 
or  guardian  to  Colin,  second  Lord  Mackenzie  of  Kintail,  "  invaded 
Glengarry,  who  was  again  recollecting  his  forces,  but  at  his  coming: 
they  dissipat  and  fled.  He  pursued  Glengarry  to  Blairy  in  Moray, 
where  he  took  him  " — that  is,  Blairy  in  Glenmoriston  in  the  Province' 
of  Moray. — Eraser's  Earls  of  Cromartie,  p.  xxxi. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH        133 

kindred  would  be  bound  to  serve  Grant  and  his 
heirs  in  their  quarrels,  and  especially  to  protect  the 
lands  and  inhabitants  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston.  The  treaty  was  renewed  with  Donald 
Mac  Angus  in  1597,  and  again  in  1600,  when  Grant 
made  over  to  him  in  feu-farm  the  castle  and  lands 
of  Strome.  At  the  time  of  the  Eaid  of  Kilchrist 
'Glengarry  was  thus  in  the  position  of  vassal  to 
•Grant;  while  Grant  was  on  the  other  hand  feudally 
.bound  to  protect  Glengarry  and  his  kinsmen  of 
Lundie,  "  as  becumis  ane  superiour  to  do  to  his 
wassail."1  Allan  Mac  Kanald's  exploits  at  Kilchrist 
called  for  the  superior's  intervention;  but  the  wily 
proprietor  of  Urquhart  set  himself,  not  to  bring 
the  offender  to  justice,  but  to  befriend  him  and  his 
family,  and  so  to  bring  them  all  the  more  effectually 
under  his  own  influence  and  control.  On  23rd 
July,  1606,  Allan  and  his  father  met  the  Laird 
.at  Balmacaan,  and  signed  a  bond  of  mutual  assist- 
.ance  and  defence,  by  which  they  bound  themselves 
to  serve  and  assist  Allan  Cameron  of  Lochiel,  who 
was  also  present,  in  such  manner  as  Grant  might 
;'  command  or  bid  them  by  word  or  writ."2  The 
friendship  with  the  Lundies  was  carefully  fostered 
by  the  Laird  during  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  by  his 
son,  Sir  John  Grant,  who  succeeded  him.  Allan 
Mac  Eanald  and  Sir  John  strengthened  the  alliance 
by  entering  into  an  interesting  mercantile  trans- 
action. The  family  of  Lundie  possessed  woods  in 
Morar  of  great  natural  value,  but  which  were  utterly 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  197.          2  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  203. 


134        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

unprofitable  in  consequence  of  the  ravages  of  thieving 
neighbours,  and  of  the  difficulty  of  getting  merchants- 
to  risk  their  lives  in  the  attempt  to  cut  down  and 
remove  the  timber.  Sir  John  had  experience  as  a 
seller  of  timber  on  his  own  well-wooded  estates ;  and 
he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  with  the  woods  of  Morar. 
In  1622,  the  lands  which  these  covered  were  let  to 
him  by  Allan  and  his  father  on  a  lease  for  thirty-one 
years,  while  he  undertook  to  cut  down  the  timber 
gradually,  to  bring  it  to  market,  and  to  pay  Allan  and 
his  heirs  ' '  the  tua  part ' '  (one  half)  of  the  price  to> 
be  obtained  for  it.1 

Among  those  who  suffered  from  the  evil  deeds  of 
the  Macdonalds  at  Kilchrist  was  Mr  John  Mac- 
kenzie, minister  of  Killearnan;  and  no  sooner  was 
Allan  placed  in  possession  of  his  family  estate 
than  the  minister  took  steps  to  obtain  some 
satisfaction  for  his  losses.  Letters  were  issued  at 
the  instance  of  himself  and  the  Lord  Advocate 
charging  Lundie  with  having  slain  several  of  the 
minister's  tenants  on  the  lands  of  Kilchrist;  burnt 
and  destroyed  twenty-seven  dwelling-houses  thereon,, 
with  the  barns,  byres,  and  kilns  belonging  thereto; 
burnt  and  destroyed  the  reverend  gentleman's  whole 
library  and  books,  with  400  bolls  of  oats  and  160 
bolls  of  bear  belonging  to  him;  and  stolen  seventy 
oxen  and  other  cattle,  and  nine  horses,  including 
the  minister's  own  best  horse.  Mac  Eanald's  part  in 
the  raid  was  too  notorious  to  admit  of  defence,  and 
he  refrained  from  appearing  in  court.  In  his, 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  425. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  135 

absence — on  28th  July,  1622 — his  property  and 
possessions  were  forfeited,  and  himself  declared  an 
outlaw.1  The  Laird  of  Grant  saved  him  from  the 
consequences.  He  instantly  purchased  the  ' '  escheat' * 
—that  is,  the  forfeited  estate  and  effects — from  the 
Crown,  and  left  Allan  in  possession;  and  in  1626  the 
latter  acknowledged  his  indebtedness  to  the  friendly 
knight  in  a  bond  of  manrent  by  which  he  bound  him- 
self and  his  heirs  to  be  leal  and  true  to  the  Lairds  of 
Grant  for  ever.  And  so  the  sun  continued  to  shine 
on  Allan  Dubh  Mac  Eanald,  and,  so  far  as  the  world 
could  see,  he  lived  and  died  not  much  the  worse  for 
the  Burning  of  Kilchrist  or  the  Murder  of  the  Mason 
of  Meall-a'-Ghro.2 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  222. 

2  Sir   William   Fraser   questions   the   truth   of   the   story   of   the 
burning  of  the  church — (Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  222);  and  Mr  Kenneth 
Macdonald,  Town  Clerk  of  Inverness,  has  made  a  very  able,  if  not 
altogether  successful,  effort  to  free  his  clansman's  memory  from  the 
stain  of  sacrilege — (Transactions  of  Inverness  Gaelic  Society,   XV., 
11-34). 


136        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE     VIII 

1603—1640 

The  Proscribed  Macgregors  seek  Shelter  in  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston. — Their  Harbourers  Fined. — Their  Evil 
Influence  on  the  Men  of  Urquhart. — Doule  Shoe's  Raid. 
— Commission  of  Fire  and  Sword. — Housebreaking  a,t 
Balmacaan. — The  Carron  and  Ballindalloch  Feud. — 
Career  of  Seumas  an  Tuim. — His  Supporters  in  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston. — The  Castle  Repaired. — The  Clan 
Chattan  in  Urquhart. — Their  Friends  Prosecuted. — The 
Earl  of  Moray  persecutes  Grant  of  Glenmorison. — Grant 
visits  the  King,  and  His  Majesty  Intervenes. — Death  of 
Glenmoriston  and  the  Laird  of  Grant. — The  Story  of  the 
Covenant. — The  Covenant  subscribed  by  the  Lairds  of 
Grant  and  Glenmoriston. — Opposed  by  the  Parish  Minister 
and  Lady  Mary  Ogilvy,  Liferentrix  of  Urquhart. — A 
Short  Conflict. — The  Minister  Yields. — Attempts  to  stent 
Urquhart  for  the  Army  of  the  Covenant. — Lady  Mary's 
Concessions. 

DURING  the  early  years  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
the  Laird  of  Grant  and  his  tenants  and  clansmen 
fell  into  trouble  in  connection  with  the  proscribed 
Clan  Gregor,  whose  wrongs  and  sufferings  are  still 
the  theme  of  many  a  plaintive  Gaelic  song.  Before 
the  beginning  of  that  century  the  Macgregors  had 
for  generations  held  possessions  in  the  Southern 
Highlands  in  virtue  of  the  unwritten  right  of 
duchas.  With  their  neighbours,  the  Campbells, 
the  Colquhouns,  and  the  Grahams,  they  had  been 
at  constant  strife.  'Many  enormities  were  laid 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  137 

to  their  charge,  and  the  long  list  reached  its  height 
in  1603,  when,  in  the  pass  of  Glenfniin,  they 
.swooped  down  on  Colquhoun  of  Luss,  and  slew  two 
hundred  of  his  vassals  and  tenants,  besides  many 
gentlemen  and  burgesses  of  the  burgh  of  Dumbarton. 
Tidings  of  the  carnage,  evidenced  by  the  production 
of  eleven  score  blood-stained  shirts  taken  off  the 
bodies  of  the  slain,  soon  reached  the  King;  and  the 
utter  destruction  of  the  offending  race  was  resolved 
on.  They  were  prohibited  from  meeting  together, 
or  using  the  name  of  Macgregor.  To  harbour  or 
shelter  them  was  made  a  crime.  The  Earl  of  Argyll, 
armed  with  a  royal  commission  to  extirpate  them, 
scoured  their  glens  and  hill-sides  with  his  vassals  and 
allies,  and  hunted  them  down  like  deer.  For  a  time 
they  defended  themselves  and  their  families  and  flocks 
with  surpassing  valour.  But  in  the  end  the  superior 
numbers  of  their  foes  prevailed,  and  the  wretched 
remnant  who  survived  adopted  other  names,  and 
sought  refuge  in  distant  parts  of  the  Highlands. 
With  the  Grants  the  unfortunate  people  had  from 
early  times  been  united  by  the  ties  of  clanship — both 
races  were,  according  to  their  seanachies,  branches  of 
the  ancient  Clan  Alpin — and  to  the  territories  of  the 
'Grants  they  now  flocked.  Although  the  relationship 
rested  on  the  haziest  of  traditions,  it  was  sacredly 
respected,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Strathspey  and 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  gave  willing  shelter  to 
the  homeless  strangers.  They  suffered  for  their  hospi- 
tality. Commissioners  were  appointed  to  discover 
and  punish  the  harbourers  of  the  dispersed  Mac- 


138        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

gregors;  and  among  those  who  were  found  guilty 
and  heavily  fined  were  the  Laird  of  Grant ;  Archibald 
Grant,  brother  of  the  Laird  of  Glenmoriston ;  James 
Grant  in  Pitkerrald;  Patrick  Grant,  son  of  the  Laird 
of  "Breyis"  (the  Braes,  or  Corrimony);  Alasdair 
Eoy  Grant  in  Shewglie;  John  Mac  Iain  Mullich, 
Officer  in  Urquhart;  Donald  Og  Mac  Iain  Mullich. 
in  Polmaily;  and  John  Cearr  Mac  Donald  Mac- 
Donachie  Mac  Gillespick,  Hucheon  Mac  Iain  Donachie, 
Duncan  Mac  Iain  Mullich,  and  Duncan  Mac  Iain  Glas, 
all  described  as  "in  Urquhart;"  as  well  as  many  in 
Strathspey.1 

Taking  advantage  of  the  law  which  in  those 
times  made  chiefs  responsible  for  the  conduct  of 
their  people,  Argyll  called  upon  the  Laird  of  Grant 
to  pay  not  only  his  own  fine  but  also  those  inflicted 
on  his  clansmen  and  dependants.  The  Laird  admitted 
his  liability,  but  disputed  the  amount.  Eecourse  was 
had  to  arbitration,  and  on  3rd  February,  1615,  the 
total  amount  to  be  paid  by  the  Laird  for  himself  and  his 
friends  and  tenants  was  fixed  at  16,000  merks,2  and 
that  enormous  sum  was  paid  before  the  end  of  the 
month.3 

The  evil  habits  of  the  Macgregors,  on  whose 
account  this  heavy  fine  was  incurred,  had  a  baneful 
influence  on  their  protectors  in  our  Parish.  During 
their  many  years  of  strife  and  struggle  as  the 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  315. 

2  A  merk  was  equal  to  13s  4d. 

3  See  receipt  therefor  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  316.       The  Laird 
doubtless  collected  their  shares  of  the  amount  from  the  other  har- 
bourers  of  the  Macgregors. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  139> 

Ishmaelites  of  the  Highlands,   they  became  expert 
and    daring    in    the    appropriation    and    destruction 
of    their    neighbours'    property;    and    the    men    of 
Urquhart  soon  began  to  follow  their  example.       On 
13th    July,    1614,    a    Glen-Urquhart    man,    of    the 
name  of  Dugald  Grant,  but  better  known  as  Doule 
Shee — Dugald  of  Peace — in  sarcastic  allusion,  pro- 
bably, to  his  character  as  a  man  of  strife,  made  a 
raid  along  with  Thomas  Calder  in  Delnie,  Alasdair 
Cain   Mac   Eobbie    in   Urchine,    and   Lachlan   Mac 
Lachlan    Vic    Donald    Vic    Iain    Duy,     on    Colin 
Campbell  of  Clunes,  near  Nairn — burning  his  cham- 
bers,  barns,    and   sheep-cot,   houghing   and   slaying 
three    mares    and    a   horse,    and    committing    other 
barbarities.1     For  these  crimes  Dugald  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  summoned  to  appear  for  trial,  and,  failing, 
to  do  so,  were  put  to  the  horn.     A  royal  commission 
was  issued  to  Eobert  Dunbar  of  Burgie,  John  Dunbar 
of  Moynes,  and  George  Munro  of  Tarrell,  requiring 
them  to  bring  the  outlaws  to  justice,  not  only  for  their 
attack  on  Clunes,  but  also  on  the  charge  of  doing 
'  what  in  them  lies  to  associate  unto  themselves  all 
such   of   the    disordered   thieves    and   limmars    and 
fugitives  of  the  Highlands  as  they  can  foregather 
with,    intending   thereby,    how    soon   their    number 
shall  increase  to  any  reasonable  company,   then  to 
maintain  an  open  and  avowed  rebellion."     The  com- 
missioners were  authorised  to  raise  the  lieges,  and 
pursue   the   accused   with   fire   and   sword,    and   to 
detain  as  many  as  should  be  apprehended  ' '  in  sure 

1  Thanes  of  Cawdor  (Spalding  Club),  227. 


140        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

firmance  and  captivite,"  until  justice  should  "be 
ministrat  upon  them.'31  Their  operations  are  not 
recorded;  but,  so  far  at  least  as  Doule  Shee 
was  concerned,  they  had  no  result.  That  worthy 
remained  at  large,  and  we  find  him  years  afterwards 
in  the  train  of  the  famous  outlaw,  James  Grant  of 
'Carron. 

The  men  of  Urquhart  made  their  own  Glen  the 
scene  of  their  next  thieving  adventure.  In  April, 
1615,  Balmacaan  House,  which  at  that  time  was 
•occupied  by  the  stalwart  Iain  Mor  a5  Chaisteil,  Cham- 
berlain and  Baron-Bailie  of  Urquhart,  was  broken 
into,  and  fourteen  locked  chests  forcibly  opened,  and 
their  contents  stolen.  Patrick  Grant  of  Divach- 
more,  Duncan  Grant  in  Wester  Bunloit,  James  Mac 
Alasdair  Vic  Iain  Oig  in  Inchbrine,  and  Ewen  Mac 
Neil  Vic  Uian  "  in  Little  dune,"  or  Clunebeg —  a 
member  of  the  brave  race  who  so  strenuously  opposed 
the  Grants  a  century  earlier — were  accused  of  the 
crime,  and  cited  by  Glenmoriston  to  appear  in  Edin- 
burgh to  answer  the  charge.  The  case  was  called 
on  21st  July,  1620,  when  Glenmoriston  withdrew 
the  complaint  against  Mac  Uian,  and  declared  him 
innocent.  The  others  were  ordered  to  be  tried  on 
the  third  day  of  the  next  justice-air,  or  circuit 
court,  at  Inverness;  and  John  Grant,  younger  of 
Ballindalloch,  who,  bearing  no  love  to  Glenmoriston, 
interested  himself  in  their  defence,  became  bound  for 
their  due  appearance.2  At  this  stage  we  unfortu- 
nately lose  sight  of  the  proceedings,  and  whether  the 

l  Thanes  of  Cawdor,  227.         2  Pitcairn's  Criminal  Trials. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  14 1 

accused  were  convicted,  and  hanged,  as  house- 
breakers were  then  wont  to  be,  or  whether  they 
were  acquitted,  and  restored  to  their  friends,  will 
probably  never  be  ascertained. 

We  have  seen  how  on  the  death  of  John  Grant, 
first  of  Glenmoriston,  an  attempt  was  made  by 
Grant  of  Ballindalloch  to  rob  his  young  heir  of  his 
inheritance;  how  the  boy's  part  was  taken  by  his 
natural  brother,  John  Eoy  of  Carron;  and  how 
Ballindalloch  lost  his  life  in  the  quarrel.  The  feud 
thus  begun  between  the  families  of  Ballindalloch 
and  Carron  increased  in  fierceness  as  time  passed, 
and  at  the  period  at  which  we  have  now  arrived 
raged  with  murderous  fury.  In  the  year  1615, 
Thomas,  son  of  Grant  of  Carron,  was  met  at  an 
Elgin  fair  by  one  of  the  Grants  of  Ballindalloch,  and 
savagely  assaulted.  James  Grant,  another  son'  of 
Carron,  rushed  to  his  brother's  aid,  and  slew  the 
assailant.  Summoned  before  a  court  on  the  charge 
of  murder,  James  refused  to  appear,  and  was  out- 
lawed. Placing  himself  at  the  head  of  a  band  of 
desperate  men,  he  bade  defiance  to  the  authorities, 
and  became  the  scourge  of  the  Central  Highlands. 
Ballindalloch  and  his  possessions  were  the  special 
objects  of  his  attention;  but  he  did  not  scruple  to 
take  other  victims  when  opportunity  offered  or 
occasion  required.  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston. 
remembering  how  much  his  father  and  himself  owed 
to  the  house  of  Carron,  sheltered  and  befriended  the 
outlaw  and  his  band — "  ane  infamous  byke  of  law - 
lesse  lymmars,"  among  whom  were  the  son — aye, 


142        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

and  the  wife,  too — of  Robert  Finlay  Mac  Iain  Roy 
in  Glenmoriston,  and  the  Urquhart  veteran  Doule 
Shee,  with  his  sons  Donald,  John,  and  Ewen.1 

James  Grant,  or  Seumas  an  Tuim — James  of  the 
Hill — as  he  was  commonly  called,  was  at  last  seized 
by    the    Mackintoshes,    who    had    themselves    been 
released  from  outlawry  on  undertaking  to  effect  his 
capture.       Carried  south,   he  was  lodged  in  Edin- 
burgh Castle  to  await  his  trial,  but  by  means  of  a 
rope  which  his  wife  secretly  sent  him  in  a  keg  of 
butter,  he  got  over  the  Castle  wall  and  descended 
the     rock;     and,     escaping     into     the     Highlands, 
wandered  for  a  time  among  his  kinsmen  in  Glen- 
moriston, Glen-Urquhart,  and  Strathspey.2      Return- 
ing  to    his    old    courses    he,    in    November,    1634, 
seized    young    Ballindalloch    near    his    own    house, 
and  kept  him  prisoner  in  a  filthy  kiln.     This  piece 
of  good  fortune  he  endeavoured  to  turn,  not  to  his 
own  advantage,  but  to  that  of  the  friends  who  had 
sheltered  him  in  his  fugitive  days.       He  offered  to 
set   his    captive    free    on    condition   that   he    would 
procure  a  pardon  for  Glenmoriston  and  his  sons,  and 
old    Allan    Mac    Ranald    of    Lundie,    who    had    all 
befriended  him,  and  for  all  those  who  had  harboured 
him  on  the  estates  of  Grant,  Glenmoriston,  Lundie, 
Carron,    and   Huntly;    that   he    would    discharge    a 
debt  of  4000  merks  due  to  him  by  Glenmoriston; 
and  that  he  would  obtain  from  the  Earl  of  Moray  a 

1  Proclamation    by    the    Privy    Council,     quoted    in     Spalding's 
Memorialls  of  the  Trubles  in  Scotland   (Spalding-  Club),  I.,  430. 

2  See  Memorialls  of  the  Trubles  in  Scotland,  Vol.  I.,  and  Gordon's 
Earldom  of  Sutherland,  414  et  seq.,  and  459,  for  the  career  of  Carron. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PAEISH  143 

discharge  of  5000  merks  due  by  Allan  Mac  Eanald  to 
the   Earl.1      The   prisoner   declined  the  terms,    and 
was    detained;    but    in    a    few    weeks    he    escaped 
through  the  treachery  of  one  of  his  guards,   with 
whom  he  is  said  to  have  conversed  in  Latin,   and 
immediately   lodged   with   the   Government   a   com- 
plaint against  the  Lairds  of  Grant  and  Glenmoriston, 
in  which  he  stated  that  the  dreaded  freebooter  was 
then    living    among    their    tenants    with    their    own 
connivance.      The  Laird  of    Grant  was  ordered  to 
apprehend    the    outlaw,    and    he    made    a    show    of 
obedience.       His   heart   was,    however,    not   in   the 
work,  and  James  remained  a  free  man  until  1639, 
when  he  was  pardoned  by  Charles  the  First.       He 
was    subsequently    employed    by    the    Marquis    of 
Huntly  in  hunting  down  fugitive  Macgregors,   and 
thereafter    in    similar    service    against    the    Cove- 
nanters.      In  the  end  he  is  supposed  to  have  died  a 
natural  death,   after  having  for  many  years  led  a 
wild  and  lawless  life,  charmed,  apparently,  against 
all  dangers. 

The  Laird  of  Grant  entered,  on  26th  March, 
1623,  into  a  contract  with  James  Moray,  master 
mason,  for  the  repair  of  the  Castle  of  Urquhart.2 
The  troubles  of  the  times  demanded  that  the  old 
fortress  should  be  put  in  order,  for  pillage  and  outrage 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  448. 

2  Contract  at  Castle  Grant.     Moray's  tombstone  was  unearthed  at 
Kilmore,    Glen-Urquhart,    some    twenty   years    ago.        It    bears    the 
inscription — te  Heir    lyis    aen    onest    man    caled    James    Muray,    wha 
departed  this   lyf     .     .     .     day  of  May,   1636 — Mento   Mori."     It   is 
the  oldest  stone  with  an  inscription  found  in  the  churchyard,  with 
the  exception  of  one  other,  bearing-  the  date  2nd  March,  1621,  but  the 
inscription  on  which  is  not  further  legible. 


144        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

flourished  in  the  North,  and  Urquhart  was  soon  tO' 
suffer.  The  Clan  Chattan,  quarrelling  with  the  Earl 
of  Moray,  invaded  and  raided  his  estates;  and, 
having  thus  acquired  a  taste  for  the  work,  they 
in  1624  extended  the  field  of  their  operations, 
visiting  Glen-Urquhart  in  their  progress,  and 

'  taking  thair  mete  and  food  perforce  quher  they 
culd  not  get  it  willingly,  fra  freindis  allsweill  as 
fra  their  faes."  The  Earl  hastened  to  the  King, 
and  got  himself  appointed  Lieutenant  of  the  North, 
with  authority  to  subdue  the  unruly  clan  and  to 
line  and  otherwise  punish  such  as  had  harboured  or 
aided  them.  Letters  of  intercommuning,  prohibiting 
all  persons  from  receiving,  supplying,  or  entertaining 
them,  under  heavy  penalties,  were  proclaimed  at 
Inverness  and  other  burghs.  In  a  short  time  they 
surrendered  and  were  offered  pardon,  on  condition, 
as  we  have  seen,  that  they  should  bring  James  of 
Carron  to  justice,1  and  on  the  further  condition  that 
they  should  furnish  the  Earl  with  the  names  of  such 
as  had  sheltered  or  entertained  themselves  after  the 
publication  of  the  letters  of  intercommuning.2  To 
these  terms  the  ungrateful  clan  agreed,  and  Moray 
proceeded  to  enrich  himself  by  exacting  heavy  fines 
from  the  benefactors  they  had  betrayed.  Among  his 
victims  was  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  on  whose 
lands  in  Urquhart  the  Mackintoshes  sorned  in  1620. 
Glenmoriston  refused  to  pay  the  heavy  sums  in 
which  he  was  mulcted,  and  so  persistent  was  Moray's 

l  Mackintosh  Shaw's  Mackintoshes  and  Clan  Chattan,  31G. 
2Memorialls  of  the  Truble?,  I.,  7. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  145 

persecution  of  him  that  at  last  he  journeyed  to 
London  to  lay  his  case  before  the  King.1  All  he 
demanded  was  a  fair  trial.  The  King  listened  to 
his  complaint,  and  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Scottish 
Privy  Council,  ordering  them  to  take  him  bound  to 
appear  before  themselves  or  any  court  they  might 
consider  competent,  to  answer  the  charges  against 
him.2 

The  effect  of  the  royal  intervention  was  to  put 
an  end  to  the  persecution  to  which  Glenmoriston 
had  so  long  been  subjected;  and  he  was  soon  able 
to  come  to  an  agreement  with  the  Earl  "  quyetlie 
efter  he  had  maide  gryt  travell  and  expenssis  for 
his  just  defenss. "3  The  trial  which  he  had  demanded 
never  took  place,  and  he  was  allowed  to  pass  the 
few  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  peace.  He  died 
before  31st  March,  1637.  His  Chief,  Sir  John  Grant, 
died  on  1st  April;  and  they  thus  both  escaped  the 
troubles  that  were  about  to  overtake  their  country. 

1  Memorialls  of  the  Trubles,  I.,  9. 

2  The  King's  letter  is  in  the  following  terms: — "Charles  E. — 
Right   trustie   and   right   welbeloved   cousin   and   councellour,    right 
trusty  and  welbeloved   cousins   and   councellours,   and   right   trustie 
and  welbeloved   councellors,   wee   greete  yow  well.       Whereas  John 
Grant  of  Glenmoriston  hath  long  attended  our  Court,  humblie  craving 
of  us  that  wee  wold  be  pleased  to  give  order  that  a  course  might  be 
taken  for  his  tryall,  touching  some  imputationes  wherewith  wee  were 
informed  against  him,  who  being  willing  to  underly  the  law,  and  to 
that  effect  to  be  tryed  either  before  the  Justice  Generall,  or  any  other 
judicatorie  yow  shall  think  competent  :  Our  pleasure  is  that  yow  tak 
sufficient  suretie  of  him  for  his,  his  sonnes,  brothers,   and  servants 
appearance  before  yow,  or  any  judicatorie  thought  competent  by  yow, 
at  such  a  day  as  you  shall  think  fitt  to  prescribe,  that  he  may  enjoy 
the  benefite  of  our  lawes  as  is  ordinarie  in  the  like  cases.     Wee  bid 
yow  farewell.     From  our  Court  at  Whitehall,  the  21  of  Aprile,  1632." 

3  Memorialls  of  the  Trubles,  I.,  9. 


146        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  story  of  Charles  the  First's  unfortunate 
attempt  to  impose  an  obnoxious  liturgy  on  the 
Scottish  Church  is  well  known.  The  tumult  which 
Jennie  Geddes'  stool  raised  within  the  church  of 
St  Giles  gradually  developed  into  the  great  Civil 
War  which  brought  about  the  fall  of  the  Bishops, 
the  execution  of  the  King,  and  the  subjugation  of 
Scotland  by  Oliver  Cromwell.  James  Grant,  who 
had  succeeded  Sir  John  Grant,  his  father,  as  Laird 
of  Grant,  took  the  popular  side  against  Charles — a 
side  that  at  the  outset  was  supported  by  almost  all  the 
nobles  and  landowners  in  Scotland. 

In  April,  1638,  the  Earl  of  Sutherland,  Lord 
Lovat,  Lord  Eeay,  and  Mr  Andrew  Cant,  of  noted 
memory,  appeared  at  Inverness,  and  got  the  famous 
National  Covenant,  which  had  already  been  sub- 
scribed by  thousands  in  the  Lowlands,  signed  by 
"the  haill  toune  except  Mr  Williame  Clogie,  minister 
at  Innerniss,  and  sum  few  otheris3'1 — the  town's 
crier  proclaiming  the  obligation  of  signing,  with  the 
alternative  of  heavy  penalties  against  all  who  were 
obstinate  or  hesitating.2  The  Laird  of  Grant  and 
young  Patrick  Grant,  who  had  now  succeeded  to 
Glenmoriston,  threw  their  influence  into  the  scale 
of  the  Covenant;  but  the  people  of  our  Parish  were 
slow  to  follow  their  example,  and  the  minister — Mr 
Alexander  Grant — resented,  and  for  a  time  resisted, 
the  coercion  exercised  to  procure  his  adhesion.  But 
after  the  Glasgow  General  Assembly  had  abolished 

1  Memorialls  of  the  Trubles,  I.,  88. 
2  Hill  Burton's  History  of  Scotland,  VI.,  205. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  147 

the  Episcopal  office,  to  which  he  was  attached,  he 
yielded  to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  on  him,  and 
signed  the  Covenant  on  14th  May,  1639.  The  cause 
which  it  represented  was,  however,  without  his 
sympathy,  and  it  did  not  prosper  among  his  people. 

That  cause  had  a  sincere  opponent  in  the  Laird 
of  Grant's  mother,  Dame  Mary  Ogilvy,  who,  since 
her  husband's  death,  possessed  Urquhart  as  liferent 
proprietrix,1  and,  with  her  younger  children,  resided 
in  the  Castle.  Dame  Mary — or  Lady  Ogilvy,  as  she 
was  better  known2 — was  strongly  attached  to  the 
King  and  the  Bishops.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
was  no  great  love  between  herself  and  her  son;  and 
she  did  what  she  could  to  counteract  and  render 
fruitless  his  efforts  for  the  Covenant.  In  this  course 
she  doubtless  had  the  approval  of  the  minister  of  the 
Parish. 

In  1640  a  great  Covenanting  army  entered 
England  under  General  Leslie;  and  Major-General 
Munro,  a  fierce  Eoss-shire  soldier,  who  had  been 

1  She  possessed  tinder  contract,  dated  21st  June,  1634,  between  her 
husband  and  herself.     He  reserved  to  himself  and  his  heirs  the  liberty 
to  draw  dams  and  passages  to  the  ironworks  in  Urquhart,  with  liberty 
to  put  and  build  the  said  ironworks  on  the  lands,  provided  he  and  his 
foresaids  upheld  the  rental  of  the  lands  wherethrough  and  whereon 
the  said  dams,  passages,  and  ironworks  should  be  drawn  and  built. 
He  also  reserved  the  use  of  the  whole  woods  of  Urquhart  for  the  use 
of  the  ironworks,  except  to  serve  the  use  of  the  country  from  the 
woods  of  Lochletter,  Inchbrine,  Cartaly,  and  Dulshangie,  at  the  will 
and  pleasure  of  the  tenants  and  inhabitants. — Chiefs  of  Grant,  III., 
445. 

2  She  was  a  daughter  of  Sir  Walter  Ogilvy  of  Findlater,  after- 
wards Lord  Deskford.     It  was  customary  in  those  times  for  ladies  to 
retain  their  maiden  surnames  after  marriage.     At  a  subsequent  period 
they   used    both    surnames — a    custom    still    adhered    to    by    Scottish 
lawyers. 


148        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOR1STON 

trained  in  the  Continental  wars,  was  left  in  command 
of  the  forces  of  the  Covenant  in  Scotland.       Munro 
rode    with    a    small    escort    through    the    northern 
counties,  getting  the  chiefs  and  landowners  to  raise 
their   fighting   men,    and   forward   them   to   Leslie.1 
He  forced  Lady  Ogilvy  to  give  him  written  authority 
to  send  men  from  Urquhart,  and  to  tax  her  lands 
and    tenants  for    their    support.       But    the    people 
understood  that  the  authority  was  not  freely  given, 
and  they  refrained  from  actively  responding  to  it. 
In  these  circumstances  the  Laird  took  his  mother  in 
hand,   with   the  result  that  on   8th   September   she 
made    a    formal    declaration    within    the    Castle    in 
presence    of    James    Leslie,    notary-public,    Patrick 
Grant     of     Glenmoriston,     Alexander     Baillie     of 
Dunain,    and    John    Grant    of   Lurg,    to    the    effect 
that    her     son    might,       '  by    word     and    not    by 
writ,"    do   all   things   requisite   and   lawful  for   the 
furtherance    of    the    cause    of    the    Covenant    in 
Urquhart.2       Glenmoriston,  who  acted  as  her  son's 
agent,  pressed  her  to  stent  her  lands  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  men  sent  south,  or  to  give  her  son 
her  concurrence  and  assistance  in  doing  so,  "or  at 
least  to  give  power  or  warrant   in  writing  to  the 
said  James  Grant  [her  son],  or  to  her  own  bailies 
and  officers,  for  stenting  her  lands  of  Urquhart  and 
people   for   maintenance   of   those   men   whom    she 
should  send  south."     The  lady  replied  that  she  was 
unable  to  grant  the  written  warrant  demanded,  for 

1  Memonialls  of  the  Trubles,  I.,  320. 
2  See  the  Permission,  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  231. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  149 

the   reason   that   she   had   already   given   a   similar 
warrant  to  General  Munro;  but  she  offered  not  to 
resist  her  son  in  any  steps  he  might  deem  it  proper 
to  take,   in  the  event  of  his  coming  to  the  Parish 
with  the  full  acquiescence  of  the  General,  or  of  the 
'* 'Tables'1    which    now    governed    Scotland.      She 
absolutely  refused,  however,    to  give  any  active  aid 
to  her  son,  whom  she  accused  of  having  unnaturally 
done  her  great  harms,  injuries,  and  oppressions;  but, 
she  adds — having  the  fear  of  the  Covenanters  before 
her  eyes — that  should  he  decline  to  undertake  the 
work  of  stenting  her  lands  and  collecting  the  tax 
without  her  concurrence,  she  is  willing  to  do  so  her- 
self on  receiving  proper  power  and  warrant  from 
the  Tables.     Glenmoriston's  demands  and  the  lady's 
answers  were,  on  9th  September,  carefully  committed 
to  writing,   and  solemnly  certified  by  the  notary.1 
The  limited  concessions  which  she  made  were  pro- 
bably of  no  value  to  her  son;  and,   so  far  as  she 
herself  was  concerned,  they  failed  to  save  her  from 
the  vengeance  of  the  Covenanters. 

1  See  notarial  instrument,  in  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  232. 


150        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE     IX 

1640—1647 

The  Solemn  League  and  Covenant. — Montrose  and  Alasdair 
Mac  Cholla  Chiataich  take  the  side  of  the  King. — The 
Laird  of  Grant  and  the  Tutor  of  Glenmoriston  hold  aloof. 
— Alasdair's  Requisition  on  the  Tutor. — The  Tutor's 
Trick. — A  Brilliant  Campaign. — Battle  of  Inverlochy. — 
The  Laird  of  Grant  sends  men  to  Montrose. — The  Coven- 
anters invade  Glen-Urquhart. — Lady  Ogilvy  robbed  and 
driven  out  of  the  Parish. — Her  Appeal  to  her  Son.— 
Undertaking  to  support  the  King. — Montrose 's  descrip- 
tion of  the  Laird's  Recruits. — Urquhart  Men  killed  at 
the  Battle  of  Auldearn. — Montrose's  Highlanders  in 
Glen-Urquhart. — Raid  upon  the  Aird. — Lovat  calls  upon 
The  Chisholm  to  drive  the  Royalists  out  of  the  Parish. — 
Disputes  and  Notarial  Writs. — Montrose's  vengeance  on 
the  Frasers. — His  skirmish  in  Glenmoriston. — His  Exile. 
— Huntly  takes  the  Field  for  the  King. — Middleton  defeats 
Huntly  in  Glenmoriston. — Lady  Ogilvy 's  Troubles  and 
Death. — Feud  between  her  tenants  and  those  of  Glen- 
moriston.— A  Fight  at  a  Funeral. — Death  of  the  Big 
Miller.— The  Condition  of  the  Castle. 

THE  Parliamentary  Party  in  England,  and  the 
extreme  section  of  the  Covenanters  in  Scotland, 
entered,  in  1643,  into  the  bond  and  compact  known 
as  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.  The  prin- 
ciples embodied  in  that  document  were  looked  upon 
by  the  Marquis  of  Montrose  and  other  Scotsmen 
who  had  subscribed  and  still  adhered  to  the  more 
moderate  Covenant  of  1638,  as  unconstitutional  and; 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  151 

rebellious;  and  they  resolved  to  support  the  King 
in  his  conflict  with  the  party  which  had  adopted 
them.  At  an  interview  with  His  Majesty  in 
December  Montrose  was  authorised  to  raise  the 
Scottish  Eoyalists  and  to  co-operate  with  Irish 
levies  whom  the  Earl  of  Antrim,  a  powerful 
kinsman  of  the  Highland  Macdonalds,  was  to  send 
to  Scotland.  The  Irish  soon  arrived  on  the  West 
Coast  under  the  command  of  a  Highland  warrior, 
Alexander  Macdonald,  better  known  as  Alasdair 
Mac  Cholla  Chiataich — the  renowned  Colkitto  of 
John  Milton.  Macdonald,  having  taken  certain 
castles  on  the  West  Coast,  and  done  some  injury 
to  the  Marquis  of  Argyll,  landed  in  Knoydart,  and 
marched  down  Glengarry  to  Kil-Chuimein,  the 
modern  Fort- Augustus.  There  he  encamped,  while 
the  fiery  cross  sped  over  the  Central  Highlands, 
summoning  the  clans  to  rise  for  the  King.1  The 
summons  was  tardily  obeyed.  At  first  he  was  joined 
only  by  Glengarry  and  the  Captain  of  Clan  Eanald, 
followed  by  their  clansmen,  among  whom  were  Mac- 
donalds from  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.  The 
Laird  of  Grant  had  no  desire  to  follow  the  extreme 
Covenanters  in  the  revolutionary  paths  on  which  they 
had  now  entered;  but  he  was  not  yet  prepared 
to  openly  separate  himself  from  them,  and  he 
remained  inactive.  His  example  was  followed  by 
John  Grant  of  Coineachan,  the  Tutor  or  legal 

l  Leitir  nan  Lub,  on  the  estate  of  Culachy,  near  Fort- Augustus,  is 
still  pointed  out  as  the  site  of  his  camp,  as  well  as  of  the  camp  of 
Montrose  some  months  later. 


152        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

guardian   of  young  John   Grant  who  had  recently 
succeeded  to  the  estate  of  Glenmoriston. 

Tradition  tells  that  while  at  Kil-Chuimein  Mac- 
donald  sent  to  the  Tutor  for  a  supply  of  cattle 
for  provision  for  his  men.  The  artful  Coineachan, 
unwilling  to  grant  his  request,  and  still  more 
unwilling  to  incur  his  displeasure,  forwarded  a  large 
supply  from  the  untamed  herds  of  Corri-Dho.  On 
approaching  the  camp  and  seeing  the  soldiers  and 
their  tents  and  banners,  these  denizens  of  the 
remote  glens  broke  away  in  a  wild  stampede,  and 
with  a  speed  that  defied  the  winds  made  their  way 
back  to  their  native  pastures.  A  good  joke  was 
never  lost  on  Alasdair  Mac  Cholla,  and  he  sent  a 
message  to  ' '  Toitear  liath  Ghlinne-Moireastuinn ' } 
the  grey  Tutor  of  Glenmoriston — complimenting 
him  on  the  success  of  his  trick. 

From  Kil-Chuimein  Macdonald  proceeded  across 
the  Grampians  to  Blair-Atholl,  where  he  was  joined 
by  Montrose,  who  assumed  the  command,  and  began 
that  brief  but  brilliant  campaign  which  is  the 
foundation  of  his  fame.  Leading  the  Highlanders 
into  the  Lowlands,  he  defeated  the  Covenanters  at 
Tippermuir,  near  Perth,  on  1st  September,  1644. 
Turning  northward,  he  won  another  victory  at 
Aberdeen,  and  still  another  at  Fyvie.  Penetrating 
into  Argyll  in  the  dead  of  winter,  he  burned  and 
laid  waste  that  county,  and  then  pressed  on  towards 
Inverness,  which  was  held  by  the  Earls  of  Sutherland 
and  Seaforth  in  the  interest  of  the  Solemn  League. 
At  Kil-Chuimein  he  was  overtaken  by  Iain  Lorn 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  153 

Macdonald,  the  Gaelic  Bard,1  and  urged  to  return 
io  Lochaber,  as  the  Marquis  of  Argyll  had  entered 
that  country  with  a  large  army.  It  was  the  last 
-day  of  January,  and  the  snow  lay  deep  in  the 
trackless  passes.  But  Argyll  had  to  be  disposed  of, 
.and  Montrose  resolved  to  approach  him  secretly  by 
a  circuitous  route  through  the  mountains.  Turning 
up  Glen-Tarn2,  he  and  his  men  trudged  for  forty 
miles  through  heather  and  snow  until  they  found 
themselves,  on  the  evening  of  Saturday,  1st  Feb- 
ruary, at  the  mouth  of  Glen-Nevis  and  within 
gun-shot  of  the  unsuspecting  Campbells.  That 

1  That  Iain  Lorn  was  the  messenger  sent  to  Montrose  is  asserted 
by  a  tradition  which  is  corroborated  by  the  following  stanzas  in  the 
^Bard's  "  Battle  of  Inverlochy,"  where  he  states  that  he  saw  Montrose's 
army  turn  up  by  Culachy,  and  that  he  was  at  Inverlochy  Castle 
^during  the  subsequent  battle  :  — 

An  cuala'  sibhse  'n  tionndaidh  duineil 
Thug  an  camp  bha  'n  Cille  Chuimein  ? 
'S  fhad  chaidh  ainm  air  an  iomairt, 
Thug  iad  as  an  nainihdean  iomain. 

Dhirich  mi  moch  madainn  dhomhnaich 
Gu  barr  Caisteil  Inbher-Lochaidh, 
Chunna'  mi  'n  t-arm  a  dol  an  ordugh, 
'S  bha  buaidh  an  la  le  Clann-Domhnuill. 

Direadh  a  mach  glun  Chuil-Eachaidh, 
Dh'  aithnich  mi  oirbh  surd  'ur  tapaidh; 
Ged  bha  mo  dhuthaich  'na  lasair, 
'S  eirig  air  a'  chuis  mar  thachair. 

The  Bard  makes  no  mention  of  Montrose  in  his  song.  He  gives  all 
-the  credit  to  Mac  Cholla;  and,  without  in  any  way  detracting  from 
the  great  Marquis'  soldierly  and  chivalrous  qualities,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  his  successes  were  due  as  much  to  Macdonald's  Celtic 
fire  and  knowledge  of  the  Gael  as  to  his  own  generalship.  So  long  as 
the  Highland  leader  fought  by  his  side,  he  carried  all  before  him. 
His  engagements  without  Macdonald's  aid — Philliphaugh  and  Culrain 
— were  disastrous  to  him. 


154        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

night  the  weary  men  lay  under  arms;  but  ere  the 
early  Sabbath  sun  had  cast  its  beams  over  the 
shoulders  of  Ben-Nevis  they  sprang  upon  their  foes 
and  cut  them  to  pieces.  Argyll  viewed  the  battle 
from  the  security  of  his  galley,  and  sailed  home- 
wards. Fifteen  hundred  of  his  men  never  left  the 
shores  of  Loch  Linnhe. 

Montrose's  plans  and  prospects  were  now  com- 
pletely changed.  Many  who  had  hitherto  held 
aloof  joined  him.  His  great  victory  helped  the 
Laird  of  Grant  to  sever  his  connection  with  the 
Covenanters;  and  he  sent  him  three  hundred  men 
to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  Eoyalists.1  For  this 
the  Laird's  residence  at  Elchies  was  plundered  by 
the  Covenanters  of  Inverness;  but  he  had  his 
reward  in  the  hearty  approbation  of  his  mother, 
the  Lady  of  Urquhart,  who  had,  as  we  saw  in. 
our  last  chapter,  resisted  his  efforts  in  the  cause 
of  the  Covenant,  and  obstructed  its  progress  among 
her  people.  For  her  loyalty  to  the  King  and  the 
Bishops  she  suffered  much.  With  the  connivance 
of  the  Tutor  of  Glenmoriston  and  other  gentlemen 
of  our  Parish,  a  company  of  the  Covenanting  forces 
at  Inverness  invaded  Urquhart  about  Christmas, 
1644,  robbed  her  of  her  household  and  personal 
effects,  and  drove  her  out  of  the  country.  She 
found  shelter  at  Lesmoir;  and  from  that  retreat 
she  now  encouraged  her  son  to  persevere  in  the 
King's  cause,  and  to  avenge  the  wrongs  which  they 
had  both  suffered.  "Dispense  with  your  goods," 

iMemorialls  of  the  Trubles,  II.,  447. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  155» 

she  wrote  him  on  2nd  April,  1645,  in  reference  to 
his  loss  at  Elchies,  "  by  way  of  care  for  the  loss  of 
them,  as  I  have  done  with  mine;  for,  in  conscience, 
there  is  not  left  with  me  worth  one  servit1  to  eat  my 
meat  on.  Yet  think  with  me  upon  a  way  of  repar- 
ation, and,  ere  long,  you  joining  with  him2  who  is 
coming  of  purpose  to  aid  you,  I  believe  in  God 
that  the  Christmas  pie  which  we  have  unwillingly 
swallowed  shall  be  paid  home  at  Easter.  How  soon 
I  either  see  my  son-in-law  or  hear  any  certain 
word  from  the  camp,  I  shall  not  fail  to  advertise 
you.  Meanwhile,  be  courageous,  and  remember 
still  how  both  your  mother  and  yourself  have 
suffered."3 

The  Laird  for  once  accepted  the  advice  of  his 
Spartan  mother.       He  had  already — on  30th  March 

—entered  into  a  bond  with  some  of  his  friends, 
among  whom  we  find  William  Grant  of  Achlayn 
in  plenmoriston,  by  which  they  bound  them- 
selves in  the  most  solemn  manner  to  support  the 
cause  of  the  King.  His  loyalty  increased,  but  the 
recruits  whom  he  had  sent  to  Montrose  brought  him 
no  credit.  "  Your  men,"  wrote  the  Marquis  to  him, 

'  tho'  they  were  lyke  to  Jacob's  dayes,  did  not  con- 
tent themselfs  with  that,  bot  bade  and  feu  as  they 
wer,  heave  all  playd  the  runaways."4  Better  stuff 
was,  however,  forthcoming,  and  in  May  several 
Urquhart  men,  including  Eobert  Grant,  son  of 

1  Serviette. 

2  Lord  Lewis  Gordon,  her  son-in-law,  who  had  raised  the  Gordons 
for  the  King. 

3  Letter  at  Castle  Grant.  4  Chief s  of  Grant,  II.,  16. 


156        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Shewglie,    died    for    their    King    at    the    battle    of 
Auldearn. 

From  the  scene  of  that  conflict  Montrose  marched 
into  the  east  and  south  of  Scotland.  On  the  3rd  of 
September — a  few  days  before  his  defeat  at  Phillip- 
haugh — his  Highlanders  left  him  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  their  winter's  fuel,  and  doing  the  annual  re- 
thatching  of  their  houses.  On  their  journey  homeward 
they  sojourned  for  a  time  in  Glen-Urquhart,  and  thence, 
in  conjunction  with  Urquhart  men,  made  incursions 
into  the  Aird,  and  drove  away  many  cattle.  Sir  James 
Fraser  of  Brea,  brother  of  Lord  Lovat,  and  a  keen 
adherent  of  the  Solemn  League,  proposed  to  drive  them 
out,  and  called  for  the  assistance  of  Alexander  Chis- 
holm  of  Comar — The  Chisholm1 — who  held  a  portion  of 
his  estate,  including  Buntait  in  the  vale  of  Urquhart, 
as  vassal  of  Lovat.  Nothing,  however,  was  done. 
Sir  James  blamed  Chisholm,  and  caused  the  follow- 
ing instrument  to  be  taken  for  the  purpose  of 

1  Browne,  in  his  History  of  the  Highland  Clans,  sneers  at  the  title 
of  "  The  Chisholm/'  which,  he  says,  is  "  not  remarkable  either  for  its 
modesty  or  good  taste,  and  which  is  apt  to  provoke  a  smile  when  it  first 
meets  the  eye  or  the  ear  of  persons  not  accustomed  to  such  definite  and 
exclusive  appellations;"  and  one  renowned  member  of  the  clan  boasted 
that  only  three  personages  were  entitled  to  the  definite  article — The 
Chisholm,  The  Pope,  and  The  Devil  !  The  title  is,  however,  a  transla- 
tion of  "  An  Siosalach,"  which  is  ancient  and  natural.  Even  the 
translation  can  claim  the  sanction  of  antiquity.  The  Author  has 
found  many  old  documents  in  the  Chisholm  archives  in  which  it  is 
used,  the  oldest  being  a  lf  Discharge  to  ye  Chessolme  for  delyuerie 
[delivery]  off  guidis  [cattle]  "  to  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  of  Glenorchy, 
dated  17th  November,  1596.  In  the  proceedings  of  a  court-martial, 
held  by  the  officers  of  Cromwell  at  Inverness,  in  1654,  the  appellations 
•Chisholm  of  Comar,  The  Chisholm,  and  the  Laird  of  Chishoim  are 
indiscriminately  used. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  157 

preserving  evidence  to  be  used  against  him  in  the 
day  of  the  triumph  of  the  Covenant  :— 

"Apud  Ercheless,  undecimo  die  mensis  Decembris, 
1645. — That  day  compeirit  Johne  Fraser,  grieve  in. 
Lovat,   procurator  for   Sir  James   Fraser   of   Brey, 
Knight,   before  Alex.   Dunbar,   Notar  Publict,    and 
the  witnesses  underwritten,   and  protestit  and  tuke 
instrument  that  Alex.  Chisholme  of  Comar  gave  no 
assistance  of  his  men  to  the  publict  cause  in  putting 
away  of  the  publict  enemie  out  of  Urquhart :   for 
the  quhilk  cause  John  Fraser  tuke  instrument  in  my 
hand,  Alex.  Dunbar,  Notar  Publict,  day,  yier,  and 
place    above-written,    before    thir    witnesses,    Alex. 
Fraser,    of   Little    Struy,    John    Grant    of    Corvony 
[Corrimony],  Mr  Thomas  Howestoun,  with  diverse 
uthers."1 

But  The  Chisholm  had  his  own  version  of  the 
tale  to  tell,  and  prudence  suggested  that  he  should 
state  it  to  the  notary.  That  official  accordingly 
recorded  the  following  on  the  same  sheet  of  paper  :— 

"  The  quhilk  day,  yier,  and  place,  Alex.  Chisolme 
of  Chisolme  of  Comar  compeirit  before  Alex.  Dunbar, 
Notar  Publict  forsaid,  and  the  witnesses  forsaid,  and 
tuke  instrument  that  he  haid  more  men  upone  the 
Lord  Lovat 's  lands  in  the  campe  still  with  my  Lord's 
men  there  as  [than]  ye  saids  lands  culd  affoorde. 

"  As  also,  the  said  Alex.  Chisolme  of  Comar  tuke 
instrument  in  the  hands  off  me,  Alex.  Dunbar,  Notar 
Publict,  in  presens  off  ye  witnesses  forsaid,  that  the 
said  Alex.  Chisolme  of  Comar  offerit  to  go  with  his 

1  Instrument  at  Erehless  Castle. 


158  URQTJHART   AND    GLENMOEISTON 

whole  men  in  Straglais  [Strathglass]  after  the  enemie, 
if  so  be  that  Sir  James  Fraser  and  the  rest  of  the  kin 
of  Fraser  wold  go,  quhilk  Sir  James  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  specialls  off  the  friends  refussit,  quhilk 
the  said  Alex.  Chisolme  will  qualifie  before  famous 
witnesses  :l  all  this  was  done,  day,  yier,  and  place 
foresaid, — Per  me, 

"  AL.  DUNBAR,  Norum  Pubm-" 

No  legal  proceedings  seem  to  have  followed  on 
these  formal  writs;  but  the  Covenanting  zeal  of 
Fraser  of  Brea  brought  down  upon  his  clan  the 
vengeance  of  Montrose,  who,  on  his  return  to  the 
Highlands  after  the  battle  of  Philliphaugh,  dealt  out 
such  chastisement  to  them  that,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  an  eyewitness,2  not  a  horse,  or  a  cow, 
or  a  sheep,  or  a  fowl,  was  left  in  their  country  from 
Inverness  to  Guisachan. 

Montrose  tried,  without  success,  to  take  Inverness 
from  the  Covenanters.  General  Middleton,  with  an 
army  strong  in  cavalry,  hastened  from  Aberdeen 
to  the  relief  of  the  town,  and  forced  him,  in 
May,  1646,  to  retreat  into  Strathglass,  and  thence 
by  Glenmoriston,  Kil-Chuimein,  and  Stratherrick 
into  Strathspey.3  In  Glenmoriston  he  had  an 
encounter  with  the  enemy,  in  which  Thomas  Dunbar 
of  Boghole  was  slain.4  His  spirits  were  high,  and  his 
hope  of  ultimate  success  strong.  It  was,  therefore, 
with  feelings  of  keen  disappointment  that  he  received 

I  i.e.,  prove  by  witnesses  of  reputation. 
2  Rev.  James  Fraser  of  Kirkhill,  author  of  the  Wardlaw  Manuscript. 

3  Wishart's  Life  of  Montrose,  255. 
4  Records  of  Synod  of  Moray — Minute  of  5th  October,  1646. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  159 

on  the  last  day  of  May  a  letter  from  the  King,  who 
was  now  virtually  a  prisoner  with  the  Scottish  army 
in  England,  ordering  him  to  disband  his  forces  and 
betake  himself  to  the  Continent.  The  command  was 
obeyed,  and  he  lived  an  exile  from  his  country  until 
1650,  when  he  made  that  ill-fated  attempt  on  behalf 
of  Charles  the  Second  which  ended  in  his  defeat  at 
'Culrain,  and  his  capture  and  execution. 

Charles  the  First  soon  had  reason  to  regret  the 
-expatriation  of  his  devoted  general.      Weary  of  his 
life  in  the   camp   of  the  Covenanters,   he  resolved 
to   escape   and   place   himself   at   the   head   of   the 
Scottish  Eoyalists.       As  a  preparatory  step  he  sent 
a,   private   commission   to   the   Marquis   of   Huntly, 
-empowering  him  to   raise   an   army   in   the   North. 
Huntly,    in    whose    household    the    loyal    Lady    of 
Urquhart  had  found  shelter,  was  strongly  attached 
to  the  King;  but  hitherto  the  feelings  of  jealousy 
which  he   unhappily   entertained   towards   Montrose 
destroyed    his    usefulness    and    made    his    loyalty 
of    little     avail.       Now    that    his    rival    was    out 
of    the    way,    he    accepted    the    commission    with 
alacrity.      He  was  not  destined  to  succeed.      The 
King  escaped  from  the  Scots,   but  was  recaptured 
and    delivered    up    to    the    English    Parliamentary 
Party.      General  David  Leslie,   a  soldier  of  great 
experience  and  ability,   hastened  from  England  to 
Scotland,  in  April,  1647,  to  crush  Huntly,  who  on 
his  approach  retreated  through  Badenoch  into  Loch- 
aber,  where  he  disbanded  his  army.     Along  with  his 
son  and  a  bodyguard  of  trusted  adherents  he  fled 
northward,   followed  by  General  Middleton  with  a 


160        UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

body  of  horse  and  foot  and  a  company  of  Camerons. 
In  Glenmoriston  he  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  an 
obstinate  fight  followed  in  which  many  were  killed.1 
"  Midltone,"  says  a  writer  of  the  time,  "by  their 
[the  Camerons5]  convoy,  being  brought,  both  with 
his  horse  and  foot,  upon  them  befor  they  could  stand 
to  their  arms,  they,  with  great  difficultie,  got  my 
Lord  [Huntly]  and  his  sonne  to  horse;  and,  that  he 
might  get  tyme  to  be  out  of  their  reich,  fourtie  of 
their  best  men  stayes  in  the  reir  with  such  curradge 
and  valour  and  obstinat  resolutione,  as,  if  the  Clan 
Camerone,  climing  over  the  rocks,  had  not  incom- 
passed  them,  they  had  mad  the  pass  good,  in  spight 
of  all  their  enimies.  This  pairtie  was  commanded 
by  [Leith  of]  Hearthill,  a  youth  of  tuantie  years,  or 
litle  more,  but  of  such  admirable  valour,  curradge, 
and  dexteritie  in  arms,  as  he  was  amongest  his 
enimies  the  most  redoubted  man  that  followed  the 
Marquise  at  that  tyme.  Being  thus  incompassed, 
many  of  them  were  slaine;  few  wane  away.  Heart- 
hill  himself  was  taken,  and  Invermarkie  Gordone, 
with  young  Newtone,  who,  altho  he  wan  frie  at 
that  tyme,  yit  by  means  of  the  Forbeses,  his 
grandam's  kin,  he  was  surprysed  soon  efterwards; 
and  both  Hearthill  and  he,  being  about  one  age  and 
dear  comrades,  ware  soon  efter  had  to  Edinburghe, 
where  they  ware  both  execute,  for  no  cause  but 
standing  in  defence  of  their  soverain  lord's  pre- 
rogative."2 

1  Memoirs  of  Lochiel. 

2  Patrick    Gordon's    Short   Abridgement   of   Britane's   Distemper 
(Spalding  Club),  204-5. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH         161 

Through  the  devotion  of  Harthill  and  his  com- 
panions the  Marquis  and  his  son  escaped;  but  he 
was  soon  afterwards  captured  and  put  to  death. 
His  son,  Lord  Lewis  Gordon,  son-in-law  of  the  Lady 
of  Urquhart,  took  refuge  in  Holland.1 

To  Mary  Ogilvy  herself  the  troubles  of  the  time 
brought  nothing  but  loss  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
We  have  seen  how  her  loyal  enthusiasm  brought  on 
her  the  displeasure  of  the  Covenanters,  and  how, 
when  Urquhart  was  occupied  by  the  soldiers  of  the 
Solemn  League,  she  was  robbed  and  driven  out  of 
the  Parish,  with  the  connivance,  if  not  the  active 
assistance,  of  the  Tutor  of  Glenmoriston  and  the 
leading  men  in  the  Parish.  In  that  letter  which  she 
addressed  to  her  son  on  2nd  April,  she  urged  him  to 
think  with  her  "upon  a  way  of  reparation,"  and 
expressed  in  a  somewhat  dark  parable  her  belief 
that  she  would  be  restored  to  her  possessions  before 
the  ensuing  Easter.  The  longed-for  restoration  did 
not  come.  Her  son  placed  caretakers  in  the  Castle, 
which  on  her  death  was  to  revert  to  himself;  but 
more  than  that  he  did  not  do.  "  My  sufferings," 
she  wrote  him — her  "  honor abill  and  loving  sone, 
the  Laerd  of  Grant,"  as  she  addresses  him  on  8th 

1 A  rising  ground  near  Ceanacroc  is  still  pointed  out  as  the  scene 
of  "the  battle  between  the  Camerons  and  the  Gordons."  According 
to  a  Glenmoriston  tradition,  Huntly  was  severely  wounded,  and  owed 
his  life  to  the  bravery  of  a  Macdonald  of  the  Glenmoriston  race  of 
Mac  Iain  Chaoil  who  carried  him  on  his  back  off  the  field.  Huntly — 
so  runs  the  legend — was  so  filled  with  gratitude  that  he  caused  to  be 
inscribed  on  the  lintel  of  his  castle  gate  the  words — "  Cha  bhi  Mac 
Iain  Chaoil  a  mach,  agus  Gordanach  a  stigh" — A  Mac  Iain  Chaoil 
shall  not  be  without,  and  a  Gordon  within  ! 

11 


162        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

June,  1646 — "  have  been  long  from  the  hands  of 
those  parties  mentioned  in  your  letter;  but  never 
till  this  time  have  I  found  it  resented  by  you.  If 
you  continue  in  your  resolution  to  revenge  it  you 
will  both  clear  your  own  honour  from  much  suspicion 
of  much  indifference  in  matters  concerning  my 
prejudice,  and  purchase  friends  to  assist  you  in  the 
like  or  greater  occasions.  There  be  some  of  greatest 
worth  who  in  respect  of  your  by-past  coldness  can 
hardly  be  brought  to  believe  that  now  you  are  in 
earnest;  so  that  your  own  carriage  must  vindicate 
you  from  suspicion.  For  the  Castle,  I  intreat 
you  to  make  those  to  whom  you  have  concreadit 
[entrusted]  it  keep  it  well  from  those  rogues  till  our 
further  advisementis  [consultations],  for  howsoever 
I  could  not  be  a  party  to  keep  myself  from  prejudice 
while  the  whole  country  was  enemies,  I  trust  Sir 
James  shall  find  my  friends  of  power  sufficient  to 
right  me  at  his  hands — and  if  you  play  your  own 
part  you  shall  find  me  your  loving  mother, 

"  MARIE  OGILVY." 

Four  days  later  she  writes  him  again  in  the 
bitterness  of  her  soul — "  I  always  knew  the  men  of 
Urquhart  to  be  knaves,  and  I  hope  ere  long  to  make 
them  suffer  for  it ;  but ' '  —she  adds  in  reference  to 
the  Castle—  ' '  I  beseech  you  to  have  care  of  the  house 
till  you  either  meet  with  me  or  know  my  further 
intention." 

But  for  Lady  Ogilvy  there  was  no  redress; 
and  before  the  end  of  another  year  death  put  her 
beyond  the  power  of  the  "knaves"  who  had  so 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  163 

terribly  tormented  her.  The  hardships  she  endured 
and  the  circumstances  connected  with  her  flight 
from  Urquhart  left  their  impression  on  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  Parish,  which  have  not  yet  ceased 
to  tell  of  her.  When  the  MacPhatricks,1  says  one 
Glenmoriston  legend,  were  owners  of  Culnakirk  and 
other  lands  in  Glen-Urquhart,  their  tenants  were 
-chiefly  of  the  Clan  Dougall,  and  were  known  as 
Dughallaich  'Ic  Phadruig — the  Macdougalls  of  Mac- 
Phatrick.  Between  those  Macdougalls  and  the 
tenants  of  Lady  Ogilvy  there  was  much  enmity,  and 
at  the  funeral  of  one  of  the  family  of  Glenmoriston, 
who  was  buried  at  Kirkhill,  a  desperate  fight  took 
place  between  the  rival  parties.  Of  Lady  Ogilvy 's 
men  the  most  distinguished  in  the  fray  was  Am 
Muillear  Mor — the  Big  Miller  of  Wester  Milton. 
The  Macdougalls  swore  vengeance,  and  soon  after- 
wards surprised  and  killed  him  in  his  own  house. 
Lady  Ogilvy  and  her  people  were  greatly  incensed, 
and  Dugald  Mac  Euari  in  Pitkerrald,  the  leader  of 
the  Macdougalls,  had  to  seek  safety  in  the  woods. 
His  wife,  Mairi,  Nighean  Du-Sith — Mary,  daughter 
of  Du-Shee2 — refused  to  inform  his  enemies  of  his 
retreat,  and  by  order  of  Lady  Ogilvy  she  was  seized 
and  placed  in  the  lowest  vault  of  the  Castle. 
Patrick  Grant  of  Bealla-Do  in  Glenmoriston,  having 
heard  of  this,  sent  a  message  to  the  Lady  to  the 
effect  that  if  Mairi  was  not  at  once  released  he 
would  give  her  houses  to  the  flames.  Lady  Ogilvy 

1  MacPhatrick,     or,     more    correctly,     Mac     'Ic    Phadruig  :     the 
patronymic  of  the  Lairds  of  Glenmoriston. 

2  Du-Shee  :  apparently  the  Doule  Shee  of  our  last  chapter. 


164        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

gave  no  heed  to  the  threat,  and  Patrick  went  with 
a  party  of  Glenmoriston  men  and  set  fire  to  her 
farm  buildings.  In  great  anger  she  ordered  her 
people  to  follow  the  fire-raisers  into  their  own  glen 
and  punish  them;  but  they  refused,  and  so  con- 
cerned were  they  about  the  safety  of  their  own 
houses  that  they  insisted  on  the  immediate  release 
of  the  prisoner.  The  Lady  was  forced  to  give  way;, 
but  she  was  so  displeased  with  the  men  of  Urquhart 
that  she  left  the  Glen  and  never  returned.1 

On  Lady  Ogilvy's  death,  the  Laird,  her  son, 
succeeded  to  the  Grant  estate  in  Urquhart.  He 
was  careful  to  preserve  evidence  of  such  effects 
as  her  representatives  or  creditors  might  claim,  and 
on  27th  June,  1647,  "  honest  men"  from  Strathspey 
made  an  inventory  of  the*  "  plenishing,  goods,  and 
gear"  within  the  Castle,  in  presence  of  a  notary  and 
witnesses.  The  whole  was  found  to  consist  only 
of  a  timber  bed,  a  taffil  or  small  table,  and  a 
form,  in  the  "  chamber  above  the  hall;33  in  the  <c  valt 
chamber,33  a  timber  bed  and  a  taffil;  a  board  or 
large  table,  a  form,  a  taffil,  and  a  chair,  in  the  hall; 
and,  in  the  cellar,  an  old  chest—  '  without  any  kind 
of  other  wares,  plenishing,  goods,  or  gear  whatso- 
ever, in  all  or  any  of  the  said  houses  and 
manor  place  foresaid,  except  allenarly  [only]  bare 
walls;33  and  the  value  of  the  whole  was  estimated 

1  According  to  tradition,  it  was  in  consequence  of  the  feud 
between  the  Big-  Miller  and  the  tenants  of  Culnakirk  that  the  mill 
of  Easter  Milton  was  built.  Easter  Milton  formed  part  of  the  lands 
of  Culnakirk,  and  the  mill  is  mentioned  as  early  as  1646. — Mr 
Fraser-Mackintosh's  Letters  of  Two  Centuries,  p.  53. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  165 

.at  the  sum  of  twenty  pounds  Scots  money.1  Such 
was  the  depth  of  the  degradation  to  which  the  War 
of  the  Covenant  had  reduced  the  old  fortress  which 
^  century  earlier  yielded  a  rich  spoil  of  ' '  plenishing ' ' 
:to  the  Western  raiders,  and  in  which,  two  centuries 
earlier  still,  the  nobles  and  prelates  of  the  land 
were  entertained  with  becoming  pomp  by  its  proud 
constables. 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  341. 


166        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTER     X 

1647—1668 

Landing  of  Charles  II. — He  is  supported  by  the  Laird  of 
Grant. — Patrick  of  Clunemore  at  Worcester. — The  Fate 
of  his  Followers. — Cromwell's  Soldiers  in  the  North.  — 
Glencairn's  Rising  for  the  King. — Lochiel  and  Kenmure 
in  Urquhart. — Middleton  supersedes  Glencairn. — Middleton 
pursued  by  Monck. — Monck  in  Glenmoriston  and  Kintail. — • 
Middleton  defeated. — Dalzielof  Binns  and  Middleton  in  Glen- 
moriston and  Strathglass. — The  Chisholm  tried  by  Court- 
Martial,  and  Fined  and  Imprisoned. — The  English  place 
the  First  Ship  on  Loch  Ness. — The  Story  of  the  Event.  - 
Peace  and  Prosperity. — The  Restoration. — The  Caterans 
Let  Loose. — The  Hanging  of  Hector  Maclean. — The 
Burning  of  Buntait. — Dispute  between  Glenmoriston  and 
Inshes. — Glenmoriston  Burns  the  Barns  of  Culcabock.  - 
He  seizes  Inshes  and  keeps  him  Prisoner. — Is  appre* 
hended  by  the  Robertsons  of  Struan. — The  Dispute 
settled. — Donald  Donn  and  Mary  Grant. — Donald's 
Career,  Capture,  and  Death. 

AFTER  the  execution  of  the  King,  the  Scottish 
adherents  of  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant 
invited  his  son,  Charles  the  Second,  to  come  over 
from  Holland  and  reign  in  his  stead.  Charles  landed 
at  Speymouth  in  June,  1650,  and  was  enthusiastically 
received.  His  adherents  were  routed  by  Oliver 
Cromwell  at  Dunbar;  but  a  new  army  sprang  up  and 
followed  him  into  England.  The  Laird  of  Grant  sent 
him  1400  men,  under  the  command  of  his  brother,. 
Patrick  Grant  of  Clunemore  and  Clunebeg  in  our 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  167 

Parish,  and  provided  with  victual  for  forty  days.  At 
the  battle  of  Worcester,  fought  on  3rd  September, 
1651,  the  Scots  were  totally  defeated.  Patrick  made 
his  way  back  to  Urquhart,  but  few  of  his  men  were 
so  fortunate.  Many  of  them  fell  in  the  battle.  Some 
were  seized  and  sent  to  the  American  plantations. 
Others  perished  in  the  attempt  to  reach  their  homes 
through  an  unfriendly  country  whose  language  they, 
neither  spoke  nor  understood. 

After  Worcester  Cromwell's  soldiers  marched  into 
Scotland  and  over-ran  the  country.  At  Inverness 
they  planted  a  garrison  for  the  purpose  of  overawing 
the  North.  For  a  time  the  remote  clans  held  out 
for  King  Charles,  Angus  Macdonald  of  Glengarry 
being  especially  zealous.  He  travelled  through  the 
Cameron  and  Macdonald  countries  and  Urquhart 
and  Strathglass,  stirring  up  the  people  against  the 
Usurper.  His  mission  was  not  without  success;  and 
when,  in  September,  1653,  the  Earl  of  Glencairn 
unfurled  the  royal  standard,  he  was  joined  by  Lochiel 
and  many  Highlanders.  The  Earl  was  a  brave 
soldier  but  an  indifferent  general;  and,  instead  of 
making  a  rapid  rush  on  the  English  with  his  army 
of  5000  men,  he  wasted  his  time  and  his  energy  in 
aimless  marches.  In  January,  1654,  he  sent  Lochiel 
—the  famous  Evan  Cameron — and  Lord  Kenmure  to 
occupy  our  Parish  and  Strathspey.1  In  the  follow- 
ing March  he  himself  visited  Glen-Urquhart  and 
Strathglass  with  1150  horse  and  foot.2  He  was 

1  Military  Memoirs  of  the  Great  Civil  War,  227. 
2  Court-martial  proceedings  against  The  Chisholm — at  Erchless  Castle. 


168        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

soon  superseded  in  the  chief  command  by  General 
Middleton,  whom  we  last  saw  fighting  against  the 
Eoyalists  in  Glenmoriston,  but  who  was  now  himself 
on  the  side  of  the  King. 

Middleton  was  not  a  man  to  be  despised,  and 
General  Monck,  whom  Cromwell  had  just  appointed 
Governor  of  Scotland,  resolved  personally  to  take  him 
in  hand.  Having  arranged  that  he  should  be  joined 
by  Colonel  Morgan,  who  was  stationed  at  Brahan  in 
Eoss-shire,  and  by  Colonel  Brayne,  who  had  been 
dispatched  to  bring  2000  men  from  Ireland  to  Inver- 
lochy,  he  marched  northward  with  a  force  of  horse 
and  foot,  which  included  his  own  regiment,  now  the 
famous  Coldstream  Guards.  At  Euthven  in  Badenoch 
he  received  the  intelligence  that  the  Eoyalist  leader 
was  "about  Glengarry's  bounds;"  and  he  started  in 
pursuit  on  20th  June.  On  the  21st  he  reached 
Glenroy,  where  he  burnt  the  houses  of  the  people. 
Learning  that  Middleton  was  in  Kintail,  he  hastened 
along  the  Great  Glen  and  through  Glenmoriston  into 
the  Seaforth  country.  He  there  found  that  the 
Eoyalists  had  turned  southward  in  the  direction  of 
Glenelg.  He  gave  up  the  chase,  devastated  Kintail 
with  fire,  and  then  crossed  the  mountains  to  Brouline 
in  Glenstrathfarrar,  where  he  was  met  by  Colonel 
Morgan  on  1st  July.  From  Brouline  he  crossed  to 
Invercannich  and  proceeded  down  Glen-Urquhart 
towards  Inverness.  From  Inverness  he  marched 
southward  by  Moy  and  Slochd-Muic,  while  Middleton 
crossed  Corriarrack  into  Badenoch  and  Perthshire. 
On  the  19th,  Middleton  was  surprised  and  defeated 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  169 

by  Morgan  at  Lochgarry  near  Drumuachdar,  and  he 
became  a  fugitive  among  the  mountains.1  He  was  in 
'Glenmoriston  in  September,  along  with  General 
Dalziel  of  Binns,  afterwards  of  persecuting  notoriety, 
and  three  hundred  men.  From  there  they  went  to 
Strathglass,  where  they  were  hospitably  entertained 
by  The  Chisholm.  For  this  offence  against  the 
Commonwealth  that  chief  was,  in  April,  1655,  tried 
by  court-martial,  fined  £50,  and  imprisoned  in 
Edinburgh.2  He  was  released  on  giving  bonds  for 
his  future  good  conduct,  and  permitted  to  return  to 
his  own  country.3 

The  Highlanders  were  slowly  but  surely  brought 
to  acknowledge  Cromwell's  power.  The  Laird  of 
Grant  gave  several  bonds  for  the  peaceable  behaviour 
of  himself  and  his  tenants;  and  similar  undertakings 


1  Despatch  by  General  Monck  to  Cromwell,  in  Library  of  Wor- 
cester  College,    Oxford.     This   despatch — a  long   document   of   great 
interest  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Highlands — was,  with 

•other  despatches  from  Monck,  printed  by  the  Author  in  1892  in  Vol. 
XVIII.  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness.  It 
.also  appears  in  Professor  Firth's  Scotland  and  the  Protectorate  (Scot. 
Hist.  Society,  1899). 

2  Court-martial  proceedings,  at  Erchless  Castle. 

3  The  Chisholm's  passport,  which  is  still  preserved  at  Erchless,  is 
in  the  following  terms  :  — 

"  The  Laird  of  Chissolme  beinge  discharged  his  imprisonment  by 
the  General  [Monck]  his  especiall  order,  and  haveinge  given  bonds 
remaininge  with  mee  accordinge  to  his  Honor's  directions,  I  there- 
fore desire  hee  with  his  two  servants  and  three  horses  may  freely 
passe  to  the  place  of  his  abode  beyounde  Invernes,  and  returne  with- 
•out  let  or  molestation,  they  behaveinge  themselves  peaceably  and 
quietly.  Given  under  my  hand  and  scale  at  Edinburgh,  this  31st 
May,  1655.  "  HEN.  WHALLEY,  Judge-Advocate. 

"  To  all  whom  it  may  concerne." 


170  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

were  given  by  Glengarry  and  other  Western  chiefs. 
But  the  soldiers  of  the  Commonwealth  were  not 
satisfied  with  mere  pledges.  They  took  means  to 
open  up  the  country  and  place  it  more  effectually 
under  their  own  influence.  Having  built  the 
Citadel,  or  Sconce,  at  Inverness,  and  planted  a 
garrison  at  Inverlochy,  they  to  some  extent  antici- 
pated the  promoters  of  the  Caledonian  Canal  by 
placing  the  first  ship  on  Loch  Ness,  and  establishing 
regular  communication  between  the  eastern  and 
western  seas.  The  manner  in  which  the  vessel  was 
brought  to  the  loch  is  recorded  by  two  writers  of 
the  period.  Eichard  Franck,  a  literary  trooper  in 
Cromwell's  army,  who  saw  the  ship,  discourses  on 
the  wonderful  achievement  with  amusing  extrava- 
gance in  the  following  dialogue  between  himself 
(Arnoldus)  and  his  friend  Theophilus  :— 

'  Theophilus — What  new   inviting  subject  have 
we  now  discovered? 

Arnoldus — The  famous  Lough-Ness.,  so  much 
discours'd  for  the  supposed  floating  island;  for  here 
it  is,  if  anywhere  in  Scotland.  Nor  is  it  any  other 
than  a  natural  plantation  of  segs  and  bullrushes, 
matted  and  knit  so  close  together  by  natural 
industry,  and  navigated  by  winds  that  blow  every 
way,  floats  from  one  part  of  the  Lough  to  another, 
upon  the  surface  of  the  solid  deeps  of  this  small 
Mediterrane  :  and  here  it  is,  in  these  slippery  streams, 
that  an  English  ship,  by  curious  invention,  was  haled 

1  See  Glengarry's  bond  for  £2000  iu  the  Transactions  of  the  Gaelic 
Society  of  Inverness,  Vol.  XIV.,  74. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH        171 

over  the  mountains  to  this  solitary  Lough;  brought 
hither  on  purpose  to  reclaim  the  Highlander. 

Theop. — Do  you  romance  or  not,  to  tell  me  that 
an  island  swims  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  and  a  ship- 
fluctuates  in  the  midst  of  the  Highlands;  where 
every  rock  represents  a  Charibdis,  and  every  wave 
threatens  an  inundation;  where  there's  no  harbour 
without  hazard  of  life,  nor  sea  enough  to  promise 
security  to  the  mariner  when  the  winds  mingle 
themselves  with  the  waves  that  wash  the  pallid  cheeks 
of  the  polished  rocks?  Now  tell  me  that  can,  where 
the  mariner  must  have  berth  (and  the  passinger 
supplies),  in  this  fluctuating  ocean,  when  a  storm 
arises  to  eclipse  his  eye  from  a  land  discovery? 

Am. — If  eye-sight  be  good  evidence,  there's 
enough  to  convince  you ;  behold  the  ship ! 

Theoph. — How  came  she  here?  Was  she  not 
built  in  some  creek  hereabouts? 

Am. — No. 

Theoph. — By  what  means,  then,  was  she  moved 
into  this  small  Mediterrane?  I  solicite  advice,  and 
you  can  solve  the  doubt. 

Am. — Art  was  both  engin  and  engineer  to  invite 
this  ship  into  this  solitary  Lough. 

Theoph. — If  so,  it's  strange  that  a  vessel  of  her 
force  should  leap  out  of  the  ocean,  and  over  the  hills, 
to  float  in  a  gutter  surrounded  with  rocks. 

Am. — Not  so  strange  as  true,  for  here  she  is. 

Theoph. — Was  there  a  possibility  of  her  sailing 
from  the  Citadel  to  this  eminent  Lough-Ness,  when 
a  boat  of  ten  tun  can't  force  her  passage  half-way 


172        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

up   the    river?      This  looks  romantick   beyond   the 
ingenuity  of  art,  or  possibility  of  invention. 

Am. — Let  it  look  as  it  will  look,  I  am  sure  it 
was  so. 

Theoph. — You  are  sure  it  was  so;  then,  pray, 
resolve  the  point. 

Am. — Why,  thus  it  was  :  In  the  time  of  the 
war  betwixt  the  King  and  Parliament,  this  navigate 
invention  was  consulted  by  Major-General  Dean, 
who,  to  compleat  a  conquest  over  the  Highlanders 
{in  regard  hitherto  the  law  of  a  foreign  Power  had 
never  bridled  them),  he  accomplished  this  new 
navigation  of  sailing  by  land;  who  contrived  the 
transportation  of  this  fair  ship  (that  you  now  see) 
into  these  torpid  and  slippery  streams. 

Theoph.—  What,  without  sails? 

Am. — Yes,  without  sail,  pilot,  card,  or  compass; 
by  dividing  only  the  ambient  air,  as  formerly  she 
plowed  the  pondrous  ocean.  Nor  was  she  compell'd 
to  encounter  sea  or  land  in  all  her  passage. 
A  motion  must  be  had  (that  you'l  grant),  and  means 
considerable  to  move  by  (this  you  must  allow),  which 
to  accomplish,  the  sailers  and  souldiers  equally  con- 
tributed. For  a  regiment  (or  it  may  be  two)  about 
that  time  quartered  in  Inverness,  who,  by  artifice, 
had  fastned  thick  cables  to  her  forecastle,  and  then 
they  got  levers  and  rollers  of  timber,  which  they 
spread  at  a  distance,  one  before  another;  whilst  some 
are  of  opinion  these  robust  engineers  framed  a  more 
artificial  and  politick  contrivance;  but  thus  it  was, 
and  no  otherwise,  Tie  assure  you;  save  only  they 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE   PARISH  173' 

fastned  some  cheeks  and  planks  to  the  solid  sides 
and  ribs  of  the  ship,  the  better  to  secure  her  from 
crushing  upon  transportation. 

Theoph. — And  did  she  pass  in  this  manner,  as  you 
tell  me,  to  this  famous  Ness? 

Arn. — Yes;  she  relinquished  the  brinish  ocean 
to  float  in  the  slippery  arms  of  Ness.  But  to  keep 
her  steddy  in  her  passage,  and  preserve  her  from 
rocking  and  rolling  by  the  way,  they  consulted  no 
other  project  than  what  I  tell  you  :  save  only  some 
additional  supplies  from  Inverness,  that  with  ropes 
and  tackle  haled  her  along  to  this  very  place  where 
you  now  observe  her.  For  you  are  to  consider  she 
no  sooner  got  motion,  but  by  industry  and  art  she 
was  steer 'd  without  a  compass  to  this  remarkable 
Ness,  where  now  she  floats  obvious  enough  to  every 
curious  observer." 

The  other  writer  who  refers  to  the  event  is  a 
Highlander — the  Eev.  James  Fraser,  minister  of 
Wardlaw,  or  Kirkhill.  Even  he,  Royalist  though 
he  be,  warms  into  enthusiasm  over  the  wonderful 
doings  of  the  English.  They  "  brought  such  store," 
he  writes,  "  of  all  wares  and  conveniencies  to  Inver- 
ness, that  English  cloath  was  sold  neare  as  cheape 
here  as  in  England.  The  pint  of  claret  win  for  a 
shilling;  set  up  an  appothecary  shop  with  drugs,  Mr 
Miller  their  chyrurgion  [surgeon],  and  Doctor 
Andrew  Monro  their  phisitian.  They  not  onely 
civilised  but  enriched  this  place.  They  fixt  a  garrison 
at  Inverlochy,  and  carried  a  bark,  driven  uppon 

1  Franck's  Northern  Memoirs,  199. 


174        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

rollers  of  wood  to  the  Lochend  of  Ness,  and  there 
enlarged  it  to  a  statly  friggot,  to  sail  with  provision 
from  the  one  end  of  the  Loch  to  the  other;  one  Mr 
Church  governour,  and  Lieutenant  Orton  captain  of 
this  friggot,  and  60  men  aboord  of  her  to  land  upon 
expeditions  when  they  pleased.  I  happened  my  self  e, 
with  the  Laird  of  Strachin,  near  Portclare,  to  be 
invited  aboord  by  Orton,  where  we  were  gentily 
treated.  It  were  a  rant  to  relate  what  advantages  the 
country  had  by  this  regiment.  Story  may  yet  record 
it,  but  I  onely  set  down  in  the  generall  something  of 
what  I  was  eye-witness."  l 

Indeed,    the    presence    of    the  English    was    an 
unmixed  blessing  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  district 
of  Loch  Ness,  who  now  enjoyed  a  greater  measure 
of  security  and  justice  than  had  fallen  to  the  lot  of 
themselves    or    their    fathers    since    the    days    of 
Eandolph,    and  Lauder,    and   Sir  Eobert  Chisholm. 
For  the  first  time  for  three   centuries   the   men   of 
Urquhart    found    themselves    able    to    lie    down    at 
night    with    the    assurance    that    their    cattle    and 
the   fruits   of   their   labour   would   not   ere   morning 
be   in   the   hands   of   the   Western   clansmen.       The 
Laird    of    Grant    and    his    tenants    appreciated    the 
repose    that    had    thus    strangely    overtaken    them, 
and     comported     themselves     so     peaceably     that 
General   Monck,    on    10th    February,    1658,    issued 
an    order    permitting    them     '  to    keep    their    arms 
for   their   defence   until   further   order,    they   doing 

IWardlaw  MS.,  edited  by  the  Author  (Scot.  Hist.  Society,  1905), 

p.  415. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  175 

nothing  prejudicial  to  his  Highness  and  the  Com- 
monwealth." The  only  person  in  the  Parish  who 
was  not  at  peace  was  the  minister,  Mr  Duncan 
Macculloch ;  for  the  heritors  and  parishioners  deprived 
him  of  his  glebe  and  refused  to  pay  his  legal  stipend, 
with  the  result  that  he  got  into  trouble  with  his 
creditors,  and  neglected  the  duties  of  his  holy  office. 
The  extreme  sectaries  who  had  brought  peace,  but 
not  liberty,  to  others,  had  no  sympathy  for  poor 
Presbyterian  Duncan  Macculloch ;  and  the  unchristian 
conduct  of  his  persecutors  probably  met  with  their 
hearty  approval. 

The  period  of  repose  which  the  people  enjoyed 
came  all  too  soon  to  an  end.  Oliver  Cromwell 
died  in  September,  1658,  and,  after  the  short  and 
troubled  government  of  his  son  Eichard,  Monck 
marched  from  Scotland  to  London  and  brought  about 
the  Eestoration  of  King  Charles  the  Second.  That 
event  took  place  in  May,  1660,  amidst  great 
rejoicings;  but  no  sooner  did  the  tidings  of  the 
King's  return  reach  the  Highlands  than  the  "  louss 
and  ydle  men"  sprang  from  the  leash  which  had  so 
long  restrained  them,  and  resumed  their  old  work  of 
harrying  and  cattle-lifting.  Eeivers  from  Glengarry, 
led  by  Donald  Bain  and  his  son  John  Mac  Donald  Vic 
Gorrie  in  Achluachrach,  carried  away  cattle  from 
the  Laird  of  Grant's  tenants;  for  which  spoil  the 
Earl  of  Glencairn,  now  Chancellor  of  Scotland, 
ordered  Alasdair  Macdonald  and  his  ward,  Alas- 
dair  Mac  Angus  Mhor  in  Achluachrach,  on  whose 
lands  the  Bains  lived,  to  make  restitution  to  the 


176        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

sufferers.  The  Government,  also,  issued  a  com- 
mission to  the  Laird  of  Grant  authorising  him, 
and  such  as  he  should  appoint,  "  with  their  assisters- 
and  followers,  to  search,  seik,  tak,  and  apprehend 
all  such  sorners,  broken  men,  thieves,  robbers,  and 
others  disturbers  of  the  peace  of  this  Kingdome,  at 
anytyme  comeing,  within  any  place  of  the  bounds 
wher  the  said  Laird  of  Grant  hes  power  or  may 
command;  and  for  that  effect,  in  cace  of  resistance, 
with  full  power  to  the  said  Laird  of  Grant  and  his 
forsaids  to  convocat  arie  sufficient  and  compitent 
number  of  armed  men,  not  exceiding  the  number  of 
fourty,  for  takeing  and  apprehending  of  the  forsaids 
persones;  and  being  taken  and  apprehendit,  to  put 
them  in  sure  waird,  firmance,  and  captivity  in  any 
tolbuith  or  wairding-place  within  this  kingdom, ?r 
where  they  were  to  be  kept  until  they  were  tried  and 
punished  according  to  law.1 

The  salutary  effect  of  these  proceedings  was  to  a 
large  extent  counteracted  by  the  King's  desire  to 
please  those  chiefs  who  had  been  faithful  to  him  in  the 
day  of  his  adversity.  To  gratify  them,  the  Citadel  of 
Inverness  was,  in  1662,  razed  to  the  ground — the 
Laird  of  Grant  assisting  in  the  work  of  demolition. 
Crime  and  disorder  immediately  followed  the  disap- 
pearance of  this  last  symbol  of  Cromwell's  power  and 
protection.  The  Earl  of  Moray,  Sheriff  of  Inverness- 
shire,  made  some  efforts  to  restore  respect  for  the  law. 
At  his  request,  Hector  Mac  Alasdair,  a  notorious 

l  Chiefs  of  Grant,  II.,  21;  Domestic  Annals  of  Scotland,  3rd  Ed., 

II.,  263. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  177 

cateran  of  the  Clan  Maclean,  and  one  who  had  slain 
and  robbed  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  was  appre- 
hended by  The  Chisholm,  and  hanged.  Hector  had 
relatives  and  friends  who  resolved  to  avenge  his 
death.  His  sons,  John  Maol,  Allan,  and  Donald, 
with  Donald  Mac  Ewen  Vic  Kenneth,  in  Badenoch, 
and  about  sixty  others,  made  a  descent  on  the  lands 
of  Croichal  and  Mauld,  in  May,  1663,  and  in  the  dead 
of  night  lifted  forty  cows  belonging  to  Chisholm 
and  his  tenants,  and  drove  them,  by  Glenmoriston 
and  Fort- Augustus,  into  Badenoch.  The  Chisholms 
followed  in  close  pursuit,  and  tracked  the  cattle 
across  Corriarrack.  They  recovered  twenty.  The 
rest  were  hamstrung  by  the  raiders,  who  escaped  to 
the  mountains.  In  November  they  appeared  on 
The  Chisholm' s  Glen-Urquhart  estate  of  Buntait, 
'  under  cloud  and  silence  of  night/'  and  gave  "  four 
great  barns,  full  of  corn,  and  two  houses"  to  the 
flames.  This  was  but  an  earnest  of  what  was  yet 
to  come.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1664,  the  same 
resolute  avengers  again  appeared,  and  filled  the  poor 
people's  cup  of  suffering  to  overflowing,  by  "  treason- 
ably burning  all  the  houses  and  barns  that  were  in 
the  haill  half  daach  [davach]  of  Buntait,  extending 
to  the  number  of  twenty-two  houses  and  barns,  and 
burning  both  oxen,  sheep,  and  gaits  [goats]  that 
were  in  the  said  houses,  and  cruellie  wounding  the 
people  that  were  within  the  same." 

The  legal  writs  which  give  these  particulars1  are 
silent  as  to  the  distress  that  followed  these  visitations. 

l  The  writs  are  preserved  at  Erchless  Castle. 

12 


178        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  Chisholm  did  what  he  could  to  get  the  poor 
comforts  of  the  law  for  the  sufferers.  Proceedings 
were  promptly  taken  at  the  instance  of  the  Lord 
Advocate  and  himself  against  the  offenders,  who 
were  cited  to  appear  in  Edinburgh  on  8th  June, 
1664.  They  did  not  obey,  and  were  declared  rebels; 
and  on  the  16th,  a  commission  was  issued  in  the 
King's  name,  charging  Lord  Lovat;  Lord  Duff  us; 
Alexander  Fraser,  tutor  of  Lovat ;  Kenneth  Mackenzie 
of  Coul,  and  his  son;  The  Chisholm;  Hugh  Fraser 
of  Foyers ;  Hugh  Fraser  of  Belladrum ;  John  Chisholm 
of  Buntait;  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston ;  and  John 
Grant  of  Corrimony,  factor  of  Urquhart,  to  convocate 
the  lieges  in  arms,  and  to  apprehend  the  rebels, 
and  pursue  them  to  the  death.  ''And,"  adds  the 
King,  "  if  in  pursuit  of  the  said  rebels,  their  assisters 
or  complices,  .  .  .  there  shall  happen  fire- 
raising,  mutilation,  slaughter,  destruction  of  corns 
or  goods,  or  other  inconveniences  to  follow,  we 
.  .  .  will  and  grant,  and  for  us  and  our  successors 
decern  and  declare  that  the  same  shall  not  be  imputed 
as  crime  and  offence  to  our  said  commissioners,  nor 
to  the  persons  assisting  them  in  the  execution  of  this 
our  commission."  l 

Untoward  circumstances  impeded  the  action  of 
the  commissioners  at  the  very  outset.  The  Chisholm, 
to  whom  it  naturally  fell  to  lead  them  against  the 
outlaws,  was,  unfortunately,  deep  in  debt;  and, 
powerful  though  he  was  in  his  own  glens,  and  among 
his  own  people,  he  had  to  confess  that  he  could  not 

l  Commission  at  Erchless  Castle. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  179 

venture  beyond  the  bounds  of  his  estates  without 
running  the  risk  of  incarceration  by  his  creditors. 
He  petitioned  the  King  for  "a  protection  for  his 
person  while  he  is  putting  the  said  commission  in 
execution."1  The  result  is  not  known,  but  the 
probability  is  that  it  was  not  found  expedient  to 
suspend  the  debtors'  laws,  even  in  favour  of  a  High- 
land chief  armed  with  the  King's  mandate,  and  that 
the  burners  of  Buntait  escaped  through  the  pecuniary 
embarassment  of  their  principal  pursuer. 

The  Government,  in  appointing  John  Grant  of 
Glenmoriston — the  Iain  Donn  of  his  contemporaries 
—one  of  the  commissioners,  acted  on  the  time- 
honoured  policy  of  setting  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief. 
Ere  the  ashes  of  the  barns  of  Buntait  were  cold,  the 
barns  of  Culcabock,  near  Inverness,  were  given  to 
the  flames  by  the  fiery  Iain  Donn.  The  Lairds  of 
'Glenmoriston  had,  as  we  have  seen,  been  proprietors 
of  Culcabock,  including  Hilton  and  Knockintinnel, 
from  the  days  of  Iain  Mor,  the  first  of  the  family. 
Their  immediate  neighbours  were  the  Eobertsons  of 
Inshes,  a  wise  race  who  made  money,  and  lent  it  out 
at  interest.  When  Patrick  Grant  of  Glenmoriston 
died,  in  1642  or  1643,  he  was  owing  John  Eobertson 
of  Inshes  "  great  sums  of  money."  Patrick's  heir, 
Iain  Donn,  was  at  the  time  a  minor,  and  he  remained 
for  years  under  the  tutelage  of  his  uncle,  Grant  of 
'Coineachan.  Inshes,  apparently  before  Patrick's 
death,  began  legal  proceedings  for  the  recovery  of 
his  money;  obtained  a  decree  of  apprising  of 

1  Copy  petition  at  Erchless. 


180        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  baronies  of  Culcabock  and  Glenmoriston,  the 
effect  of  which  was  to  convey  the  estates  to  him, 
subject  to  Iain  Donn's  right  to  redeem  them  by  pay- 
ment of  the  debt  within  a  certain  fixed  time;  and 
in  January,  1645,  was  infeft  in  both  baronies.1 
He  entered  into  possession  of  Culcabock,  and  let  the 
lands  to  tenants;  but  he  was  unable  to  take  the 
same  course  with  the  young  debtor's  estates  in  our 
Parish,  and,  so  far  as  these  were  concerned,  he 
rested  on  his  conditional  title,  until  the  lapse  of  time 
should  make  it  absolute.  He  was  not  allowed  to 
rest  in  peace.  Grant  of  Carron  and  other  friends  of 
Glenmoriston  interested  themselves  in  the  business, 
and  devastated  the  lands  of  Inshes.  Eobertson,  how- 
ever, still  adhered  to  his  claims,  and  on  his  death, 
about  1661,  they  were  taken  up  by  his  son  William, 
who  was  infeft  in  the  apprised  lands  in  1662.  But 
Iain  Donn  had  now  reached  manhood,  and  the 
loss  of  his  Inverness  possessions,  and  the  danger 
which  threatened  the  estate  of  Glenmoriston, 
roused  him  to  action.  He  began  in  the  spirit 
of  compromise.  He  proposed  to  relinquish  all 
claims  to  Culcabock  if  young  Inshes  would  pay 

l  Inshes  also  apprised  Balmacaan  (which  Glenmoriston  held  in 
wadset),  and  Glenmoriston's  other  Glen-Urquhart  possessions  of 
Clunemore  and  Culnakirk.  In  reference  to  these  he  wrote  his  Edin- 
burgh legal  adviser  in  1646 — "  You  shall  consult  with  your  advocates 
concerning  the  lands  of  Urquhart,  belonging  to  Glenmoriston,  for  I 
comprised  Bellamaka,  the  Chine,  Culin-kirk,  and  the  mill.  This 
Bellamaka  pays  yearly  400  merks,  holden  of  the  Laird  of  Grant.  He 
is  to  redeem  at  Whitsunday  for  3000  merks.  See  what  course  you 
will  have  me  do  thereanent."  The  mill  was,  as  it  still  is,  situated  at 
Lower  Milton,  which  formed  part  of  the  lands  of  Culnakirk. — Mr 
Fraser-Mackintosh's  Letters  of  Two  Centuries,  53. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  181 

him  eight  or  nine  thousand  merks,  and  discharge 
all  claims  upon  Glenmoriston.  Bobertson,  who 
had  a  legal  title  to  both  estates,  declined  the  offer. 
Grant,  finding  his  peaceful  overtures  of  no  avail, 
resorted  to  sterner  measures.  On  the  night  of  4th 
January,  1664,  the  citizens  of  Inverness,  who  had 
not  yet  finished  the  festivities  of  the  New  Year, 
were  attracted  towards  the  south-east  by  a  great 
glare  in  the  sky.  Two  barns  at  Culcabock,  contain- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  bolls  of  corn  belonging 
to  Inshes' s  tenants,  and  to  forty  bolls  of  which  he 
was  himself  entitled,  as  his  "ferme,"  or  rent,1  were 
in  flames,  and  beyond  salvation.  Night  shielded  the 
incendiaries,  and  they  escaped;  but  Iain  Donn  and 
his  friends  were  suspected,  and  Inshes  openly 
accused  them  of  the  crime.  '  I  am  sorry,"  wrote 
Forbes  of  Culloden  to  him,  on  10th  February,2  "  for 
that  miserable  loss  you  have  sustained,  but  cannot 
think  anywise  of  what  you  write  concerning  the 
actors;  and  though  you  seem  to  wonder  at  these  of 
Glenmoriston,  always  the  Lord  will  discover  it  in  His 
own  time,  and  I  hope  they  shall  suffer  for  it." 

Inshes,  who  was  a  clerkly  young  man,  and  a 
Master  of  Arts,  could  also  write  piously  when 
occasion  demanded.  He  wrote  to  the  Bishop  of 
Moray,  on  21st  January,3  that  the  "  malicious  burn- 
ing" is  an  act  "  so  barbarous  as  all  Christian  and 
honest  men  will  abhorre,  and  requyres  that  such 

1  Letter,  Inshes  to  the  Bishop  of  Moray,  dated  21st  January,  1664, 
in  possession  of  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh,  M.P. 

2  Letter  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  possession. 

3  Letter  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  possession. 


182        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

course  be  taken  thereanent  as  may  rather  be  ane  eye- 
sore than  ane  encouragement  to  the  wicked ;"  and  he 
follows  up  this  reflection  by  the  practical  suggestion 
that  the  Bishop  should  order  a  collection  to  be 
made  in  the  parish  churches  within  the  diocese  for 
behoof  of  his  injured  tenants.  "Honoured  and 
loving  Friend,"  replied  the  Bishop,  with  becoming 
sympathy,  "  yours  I  receivit,  showing  of  your  great 
loiss,  which  ye  have  susteinit  by  the  burneing  of 
your  biggings  [buildings]  and  comes,  which  trulie 
affectes  my  mynd  to  heir  the  lyk  insulencie  committit 
in  the  land,  and  in  speciall  haveing  fallen  upon  you, 
or  any  of  yours,  which  I  most  willinglie  wold  repair 
iff  ther  were  any  convenient  way  to  doe  it.  And  as- 
to  your  desyre  in  committing  the  perticular  to  the 
province"  —that  is,  to  have  a  collection  made—  '  it 
is  a  thing  that  is  not  usuall  nor  handsome,  and  there- 
fore it  cannot  be  done  efter  that  maner.  But  once 
the  nixt  week  [is  past],  I  purpose,  be  the  Lord's- 
mercies,  to  see  you  at  Inverness  myselff,  at  which  we 
shall  speak  of  it,  and  consider  iff  ther  can  be  any 
other  way  that  may  doe  better.  Till  which  tyme,  I 
committ  you,  with  the  rest  of  our  relationes,  to  the 
protection  of  the  Almightie  God."  1 

The  "  other  way,"  if  devised,  was  not  effectual. 
The  Laird  made  no  concession  to  Glenmoriston,  and 
the  latter  dealt  him  another  secret  blow.  On  20th 
March,  "the  great  barn-yards  of  Culcabock,  belong- 
ing to  Inshes,"  writes  the  contemporary  minister  of 
Kirkhill,2  "  and  3  more,  were  all  set  on  fire,  11  stacks,. 

1  Letter  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  possession. 
2  Wardlaw  MS.  (edited  by  the  Author),  Scot.  Hist.  Society,  p.  453. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  183 

about  10  at  night,  all  irrecoverably  burnt.  It  made 
such  a  dreedfull  flame  as  put  Inverness  in  a  consterna- 
tion, being  so  neare." 

Eobertson,  however,  still  continued  to  hold  out, 
and  his  opponent  now  resolved  to  seize  his  person, 
and  keep  him  captive  until  the  terms  offered  him  were 
agreed  to.  Glenmoriston  sought  the  aid  of  his 
relative,  Bailie  Finlay  Fraser  of  Fairfield,  near  Inver- 
ness, to  whom  he  wrote  on  12th  August—  '  Worthy 
and  much  Eespected  Cousin, — If  you  remember, 
when,  as  I  sent  your  messenger  to  the  Goodman  of 
Inshes,  you  told  me  that  Inshes  could  not  meet  with 
me  upon  our  particular  till  Lammas  were  past.  Now, 
I  request  he  would  be  pleased  to  be  at  Castel  Spiritual 
[Caisteal  Spioradan,  at  the  east  end  of  Loch  Ness] 
upon  Saturday,  being  20th  instant,  when  I  shall  bring 
three  or  four  friends,  whereby  we  may  take  Inshes  by 
way  of  ceremony  in  our  particular,  and  afterwards  it 
may  happen  his  friends  may  move  some  occasion  of 
settlement.  Thus,  till  your  positive  answer,  I  remain, 
your  very  loving  Cousin, — J.  GRANT.3'1 

The  Bailie  appears  to  have  gone  about  the  delicate 
business  entrusted  to  him  with  the  tact  and  zeal 
which  his  affection  to  his  cousin  demanded ;  and,  with 
the  innocent  assistance  of  Brodie  of  Brodie  and  John 
Forbes  of  Culloden,  a  meeting  of  the  lairds  was 
brought  about  on  23rd  August — not  at  Caisteal 
Spioradan,  but  at  Inverness.  Inshes  was  accom- 
panied by  "three  civil  gentlemen"  —to  wit,  Alex- 
ander Cuthbert,  Provost  of  Inverness,  Eobert  Eoss, 

1  Letter  printed  in  Inverness  Courier,  5th  March,  1845. 


184        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

ex-Provost,    and    Culloden.       Glenmoriston    had    a 
retinue  of  a  dozen  or  sixteen  men;  but  these  he  con- 
cealed   in    an    ale-house    until    their    services    were 
required.       The    gentlemen    passed    the    afternoon 
pleasantly  enough  in  one  of  the   ' '  closes ' '   of  the 
Highland  Capital;  but  no  great  progress  was  made 
with  the  work  of  reconciliation,  and,  just  as  they  were 
about  to  separate,  Iain  Bonn  suddenly  called  his  men, 
and  pulling  Inshes  off  his  horse,  galloped  off  with  him 
to  Glenmoriston.       Next  morning,  Culloden,  greatly 
shocked,  wrote  Sir  Hugh  Campbell  of  Cawdor,  giving 
an  account  of  the  affair.       "  My  Lord  Brodie,"  said 
he,  "  having  spoken  to  me  the  other  day  at  the  burial, 
anent  the  particular  of  the  Laird  of  Glenmoriston 
and  Inshes,  and  wished  me  to  interpose  with  Inshes 
for    a    settling,    to    the    end    that    any    composition 
[compromise]   which  might  have  been  had   should 
have  come  your  Honour's  way,  I  do  profess  this  was 
the  only  cause  why,  in  a  manner,  I  insinuated  myself 
in  that  affair;   whereupon  a  tryst  is  drawn  on,  and 
having  spent  the  whole  afternoon  yesterday  in  the 
close,  even  as  we  were  parting,  and  some  of  us  come  a 
pretty  way  off,  without  as  much  as  a  cross  word,  or 
the  least  occasion  of  offence  offered,  Glenmoriston, 
with  the  number  of  twelve  or  sixteen  men,  whom  he 
had  all  the  time  lying  down  in  an  ale-house  near  the 
place,  rushed  forth  upon  the  young  man  Inshes,  just 
as  he  was"  taking  good-night  of  the  laird,  and  turned 
him  off  his  horse,  and  carried  him  prisoner  to  the 
Highlands,    as   would   appear,    till   they   extort   that 
from  him  by  violence  which  friends  could  easily  have 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  185 

persuaded  him  to  have  given.  This  wicked  and  bar- 
barous kind  of  procedure,  under  pretext  of  friendship, 
and  even  while  friends  are  travelling  betwixt  them 
for  an  accommodation,  should  (I  think)  be  argument 
sufficient  to  persuade  all  gentlemen  to  resist  it,  and 
particularly  your  honourable  self.  Wherefore  I  have 
thought  fit  to  give  you  notice,  knowing  you  have 
influence  upon  these  men,  to  the  end  your  Honour 
may  use  your  own  moyen  [influence]  with  them,  and 
in  your  own  way,  to  get  the  poor  man  released,  who 
I  hear  say,  would  have  been  content  to  have  made 
yourself  or  any  honest  man  judge  to  what  satisfac- 
tion he  should  have  given  them.  The  sooner  this 
be  done  the  better  for  preventing  of  their  further 
barbarity.  I  need  say  no  more,  only  the  abuse  is  so 
gross,  and  the  preparative  of  so  bad  a  consequence, 
as  of  itself  it  calls  for  the  assistance  of  all  good  men, 
condign  punishment  inflicted  upon  the  offenders, 
even  to  the  terror  of  others  who  might  offer  the  like 
again."1 

Cawdor,  who  was  related  to  Glenmoriston, 
interested  himself  in  the  matter,  and  in  the  end 
Eobertson  undertook  to  pay  his  captor  seven 
thousand  merks,  and  was  released.  But  Iain  Bonn's 
offence  was  too  heinous  to  be  ignored  by  the 
authorities,  and  by  order  of  the  Privy  Council 
he  was  apprehended  by  the  Earl  of  Moray,  Sheriff 
of  Inverness-shire.  He  contrived  to  escape,  only 
to  be  captured  and  taken  to  Edinburgh  by  the 
Eobertsons  of  Struan,  who  had,  in  true  Highland 

1  Thanes  of  Cawdor,  317;    Inverness  Courier,  5th  March.   1845. 


186        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

fashion,  espoused  the  cause  of  their  northern  clans- 
man. The  circumstances  of  his  arrest  and  subsequent 
release,  are  related  in  a  letter  addressed  by  James 
Fowler,  of  Inverness,  on  16th  October,  1666,  to- 
Inshes,  who  was  then  in  Edinburgh  : — "  I  doubt  not 
but  ye  have  heard  of  Glenmoriston,  that  he  was 
apprehended  by  the  Eobertsons  of  Athole,  and  carried 
to  the  Justice-General,  who  taking  pity  on  him,  and 
also  the  gentlemen  that  apprehended  him  taking  pity 
on  him,  did  dismiss  him,  upon  his  bond  to  appear  at 
Cluny,  in  Badenoch,  against  the  2nd  of  November, 
with  two  of  his  friends,  when  they  are  to  meet  him 
with  two  of  their  friends,  for  taking  cognisance  in  the 
assault  and  debate,  and  for  removing  of  the  same. 
The  forfeit  is  six  thousand  merks.  You  would  do  well 
to  advise  with  your  friends  in  Athole,  and  send  an 
express  to  them;  for  once  that  people  has  espoused 
your  quarrel,  they  will  not  see  you  misused,  but  will 
serve  you  to  the  full.  Therefore,  they  should  not  be 
met  with  ingratitude  or  forgetfumess."  l 

The  negotiations  for  a  settlement  now  proceeded 
smoothly,  and  early  in  1666  they  were  brought  to  a 
successful  termination.  Iain  Bonn  agreed  to  relin- 
quish whatever  right  he  had  to  Culcabock,  while 
Inshes  granted  to  him  a  bond  for  seven  thousand 
merks,  undertook  to  discharge  him  of  the  con- 
sequences of  his  illegal  conduct,  and  gave  up  all 
claim  to  the  barony  of  Glenmoriston.2  The  agreement 
was  duly  carried  into  effect.  Inshes,  on  25th  May, 

1  Letter  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintoslr  s  possession. 

2  Memorandum,  holograph  of  Inshes,  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's 
possession. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  1ST 

1666,  "  fully,  freely,  perfectly,  lovingly,  and  finally" 
discharged  Glenmoriston,  and  his  tenants  and 
servants,  and  promised  to  "  entertain  love,  peace, 
and  amity"  towards  them;1  and  on  9th  March,  1668, 
Glenmoriston  granted  Eobertson  a  formal  deed  of 
corroboration  of  his  right  to  Culcabock;  and  thus 
the  long-standing  quarrel  was  happily  ended.  Iain 
Donn  lost  the  Inverness  possessions  of  his  family,  but 
he  saved  Glenmoriston  and  his  land  in  Glen-Urquhart, 
which  Eobertson Js  apprising  had  been  threatening  for 
upwards  of  twenty  years.2 

Of  the  many  wild  adventurers  who  flourished  in 
the  seventeenth  century  the  most  renowned  was 
Domhnull  Donn  Mac  Fhir  Bohuntuinn.  Donald, 
who  was  a  son  of  Macdonald  of  Bohuntin,  in  Brae- 
Lochaber,  and  a  contemporary  of  lain  Lorn,  who 
witnessed  and  sang  of  the  battle  of  Inverlochy, 
looked  upon  cattle-lifting  as  legitimate  warfare,  and 
on  the  reiver's  trade  as  a  gentleman's  calling.  He 

IDeed  in  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  possession. 

2  Iain  Donn  was  still  liable  to  prosecution  by  the  Crown  for  his 
offences  against  the  law.  He  did  not  get  rid  of  that  liability  till 
1683,  when  a  letter  of  remission  was  by  warrant  of  the  King  passed 
under  the  Great  Seal  for  Scotland,  "  remitting  and  forgiving  to  John 
Grant  of  Glenmoristoun  the  crime  of  violent  and  masterfull  taking 
and  apprehending  of  the  person  of  Mr  William  Robertson  of  Inshes, 
of  forcing  and  compelling  him  to  grant  bonds  and  other  obligements, 
and  of  his  detaining  and  keeping  him  until  he  should  grant  the  same, 
and  of  sending  and  hounding  out  other  persons  to  do  and  committ 
the  said  crimes;  and  sicklike  of  all  accession  he  had  to  the  hounding 
out  of  any  person  or  persons  to  the  assaulting  mutilating  or  cutting 
off  the  finger  of  Robert  Andrews,  messenger  in  Forres ;  and  all  actions 
and  causes  civil  and  criminal  that  may  be  moved  pursued  or  laid  to 
the  charge  of  the  said  John  Grant  for  the  same;  and  all  peril  or 
danger  he  has  sustained  or  incurred  or  shall  sustain  or  incur  through, 
the  said  fault  or  offence,  in  his  person  lands  or  goods/' 


188        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

was  the  Eob  Eoy  of  his  generation ;  but  he  had  more 
poetry  in  his  soul  than  the  famous  Macgregor  had, 
and,  although  his  deeds  brought  him  in  the  end  to 
the  headsman's  block,  he  died  with  the  reputation 
of  never  having  injured  a  poor  man,  or  imbued  his 
hands  wantonly  in  human  blood.  The  scenes  of  his 
adventures  extended  from  Breadalbane  to  Caithness, 
and  his  custom  was  to  make  rapid  journeys  with  a 
few  kindred  spirits,  by  the  least  known  mountain 
tracks,  and  to  swoop  down  upon  the  cattle  of  the 
lairds  and  tacksmen  where  he  was  least  expected. 
He  was  aided  and  abetted  by  the  smaller  tenants 
and  cottars,  to  whom  he  extended  his  protection  and 
lavish  generosity.  An  ardent  wooer  of  the  Highland 
muse,  he  beguiled  the  tedium  of  the  march  and  the 
loneliness  of  the  night  watch  by  weaving  delightful 
Gaelic  lyrics — love  songs  principally,  which,  how- 
ever, give  vivid  glimpses  of  the  life  he  led. 

To  our  Parish,  as  we  learn  from  tradition  and  his 
songs,  he  was  a  frequent  and  not  unfriendly  visitor; 
for  on  one  of  his  journeys  he  met  and  loved  Mary, 
daughter  of  the  Laird  of  Grant,  who  resided  at  the 
time  in  Urquhart  Castle.  Donald  was  a  gentleman, 
and  a  gentleman's  son,  and  the  lady  reciprocated  his 
tender  feelings ;  but  her  father  refused  to  have  him  for 
his  son-in-law,  and  forbade  all  intercourse  between 
them.  They,  however,  found  opportunities  of  meet- 
ing secretly  on  the  wooded  banks  of  Loch  Ness.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  he  left  his  companions  on  the 
farm  of  Borlum,  with  a  herd  of  cattle  which  he  had 
lifted  in  Eoss-shire.  During  his  absence  the  owners 
.appeared  and  claimed  the  cattle,  among  which  was  a 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  189' 

white  cow  which  they  readily  identified.  The  Laird 
of  Grant,  called  upon  to  explain  how  the  reivers  had 
found  shelter  so  near  his  residence,  was  very  angry, 
and  swore,  "  Bheir  an  Diabhal  raise  a  mo  bhrogan 
mar  teid  Domhnull  Donn  a  chrochadh ! "  '  The 
Devil  may  take  me  out  of  my  shoes,  if  Donald  Donn  is 
not  hanged  !"  Donald,  pursued  by  the  soldiers  from 
the  Castle,  but  still  anxious  to  be  near  Mary  Grant, 
betook  himself  to  an  almost  inaccessible  cave  in  Glaic- 
Euidh-Bhacain,  on  the  Ruiskich  side  of  Alt-Saigh, 
which  is  still  known  as  Uamh  Dhomhnuill  Duinn— 
Donald  Donn's  Cave.  There,  safe  from  his  pursuers 
and  their  sleuth-hounds — coin  dubh  Eadailteach— 
black  dogs  of  Italy — he  passed  his  time  in  the 
company  of  Glenmoriston's  herdsmen  from  across  the 
burn  of  Alt-Saigh,  or  composing  songs  in  praise  of 
Mary  and  the  wilds  that  gave  him  shelter.  But  his 
place  of  retreat  was  discovered  by  his  pursuers,  who, 
unable  to  approach  him  in  the  cave,  sent  him  a 
message,  as  if  from  Mary,  proposing  an  interview  at 
the  house  of  a  certain  individual,  who  was  repre- 
sented to  be  her  trusted  confidant.  Eager  to  meet 
her,  he  repaired  to  the  house  at  the  appointed  hour. 
He  was  hospitably  received  by  the  supposed  friend, 
who  promised  that  the  lady  would  soon  appear. 
While  Donald  awaited  her  arrival,  the  cuach  was 
sent  speedily  round,  and  in  his  excitement  he  drank 
deeply.  At  last,  and  at  a  signal  from  his  treacherous 
host,  his  enemies,  to  the  number  of  sixty-three,  as 
he  himself  states  in  one  of  his  songs,  rushed  in  and 
endeavoured  to  seize  him.  Starting  to  his  feet,  and 
grasping  his  gun,  he  fired  at  them;  but  the  weapon 


190        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

also  played  false,  and  missed  fire.  Striking  furiously 
at  them  with  the  butt-end  of  the  gun,  he  fought  his 
way  out  of  the  house,  and  ran  for  his  life.  But  he 
slipped  and  fell,  and  was  taken  and  lodged  in  the 
Castle  dungeon.  Convicted  of  the  crime  of  cattle- 
stealing,  he  begged  for  one  favour  before  sentence  of 
death  was  passed  upon  him — he  asked  that  he  should 
be  beheaded  like  a  gentleman,  and  not  hanged.  His 
prayer  was  granted,  and  sentence  was  pronounced 
accordingly  :  whereupon  he  exclaimed —  '  The  Devil 
will  take  the  Laird  of  Grant  out  of  his  shoes,  and 
Donald  Donn  shall  not  be  hanged !" 

The  short  period  which  passed  between  his 
sentence  and  his  death  was  occupied  by  him  in 
composing  songs  of  exceeding  sadness,  which  tell  the 
tale  of  his  love  and  capture.  At  the  place  of  execution 
— Craigmonie — his  thoughts  were  of  his  beloved ;  and 
the  legend  tells  that  as  his  severed  head  rolled  from 
the  block,  his  tongue  uttered  the  appeal,  "  Tog  mo 
cheann,  a  Mhairi !" — "  Mary,  lift  my  head  I"1 

l  See  Appendix   E  further  as  to  Donald,   and  his  references  to 
Urquhart. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH        191 


CHAPTEE     XI 

1668—1690 

The  Laird  of  Grant's  Chamberlain  killed  by  Mackay  of  Ach- 
monie. — Mackay  forced  to  surrender  Achmonie  to  the 
Laird. — Fatal  fight  in  Slochd-Muio. — Achmonie  conferred 
on  William  Grant. — Restored  to  the  Mackays. — Thomas 
Grant  of  Balmacaan. — Culduthel's  Raid  on  Borlum. — 
The  Castle  repaired. — The  Monmouth  Rebellion. — Un- 
settled state  of  the  Country. — The  Men  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston  support  King  James. — The  Revolution. — 
The  Laird  of  Grant  supports  William  and  Mary. — The 
Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  adhere  to  James. — 
Dundee's  Campaign. — The  Camerons'  Raid  on  Urquhart. 
Quarrels  in  Dundee's  Camp. — Killicrankie . — Adven- 
tures of  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  in  the 
Battle. — Iain  a'  Chragain's  Troubles. — Invermoriston 
House  Burnt,  and  Glenmoriston  Devastated. — A  Whig 
Garrison  in  Urquhart  Castle. — The  Castle  besieged  by  the 
Jacobites. — Supplies  for  the  Garrison. — The  Haughs  of 
Cromdale. — Close  of  the  War. 

ABOUT  the  year  1670  an  event  occurred  in  Glen- 
Urquhart  which  added  a  chapter  to  the  story  of 
our  Parish,  and  involved  the  family  of  Achmonie 
in  much  trouble.  The  Laird  of  Grant's  chamber- 
lain— a  man  of  the  name  of  Grant,  who  resided  in 
Strathspey — appointed  the  mod,  or  rent-collection 
court,  to  be  held  on  a  certain  day  at  Kil  St  Ninian,  or 
Temple  House.  The  chamberlain  did  not  appear  at 
the  appointed  time,  and  while  the  people  waited  for 
him  they  drank  freely  at  the  expense  of  the  gentlemen 


192        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

of  the  Glen,  among  whom  Gillies  Mackay  of  Ach- 
monie  was  prominent;  and  when  Grant  arrived  he 
found  them  excited  and  quarrelsome.  The  mod  was, 
however,  proceeded  with,  and  closed;  and  thereafter 
the  gentry  and  tenantry  were  entertained  in  the 
usual  manner  in  the  grange  barn.1  All  sat  late  and 
drank  heavily,  and  as  the  hours  passed  the  disposi- 
tion to  quarrel  increased — the  Grants  and  such  as 
were  not  of  that  name  taking  opposite  sides  in  the 
disputes,  as  was  their  wont.  An  insulting  epithet 
which  the  chamberlain  applied  to  the  men  of  Urquhart 
brought  the  tumult  to  its  height.  Every  man  started 
to  his  feet  and  drew  his  dirk.  In  an  instant  the 
torches  which  served  to  light  the  barn  were  extin- 
guished; and  high  above  the  shouts  that  followed 
was  heard  the  death-cry  of  the  chamberlain,  who  had 
been  stabbed  to  the  heart. 

By  whom  the  fatal  thrust  was  given  no  one  could 
tell,  but  next  morning  Achmonie's  dirk  was  found 
red  with  blood.  Time  passed,  however,  and  no  step 
was  taken  to  bring  home  the  crime  to  him,  or 
to  subject  him  to  the  punishment  for  which 
it  called.  But,  after  the  lapse  of  many  months,  the 
Laird  of  Grant  invited  him,  as  he  had  often  done 
before,  to  a  hunting  in  Strathspey.  The  invitation 
was  accepted,  and  Mackay  and  a  few  attendants 
journeyed  to  Castle  Grant.  They  were  hospitably 
entertained  the  first  day;  but,  early  on  the  second, 
Achmonie's  room  was  entered  by  an  armed  band, 
headed  by  the  Laird,  who  informed  him  of  his  know- 

1  See  footnote,  p.  114  supra. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  193 

ledge  of  his  guilt,  and  intimated  that  he  must  yield 
his  lands  or  his  life.  The  Laird  meant  what  he 
said,  and  Mackay  was  compelled  to  surrender  the 
estate — on  the  understanding  that  it  should  be 
restored  to  him  as  vassal  of  the  Laird. 

No  sooner  was  the  business  arranged  than  the 
Laird's  illegitimate  son,  whose  mother  had  become 
the  wife  of  the  unfortunate  chamberlain,  entered 
the  room  in  which  the  Laird  and  Mackay  were, 
.and  demanded—  '  Ciod  tha  mise  dol  a  dh'  fhaighinn 
.airson  eirig  mo  bhobug  : "  '  What  am  I  to  receive 
.as  my  stepfather's  eric?"1  The  Laird  bade  the 
young  man  hold  his  peace ;  but  he  was  not  thus  to  be 
put  off.  As  Achmonie  arid  his  men  passed  homeward 
through  the  gorge  of  Slochd-Muic  he  suddenly  fell 
upon  them  with  a  number  of  the  factor's  relatives  and 
friends.  Several  were  killed  on  both  sides ;  and  of  the 
Urquhart  men  Achmonie  and  one  other  only  escaped. 

The  surrendered  lands  were  given  on  lease  or 
wadset  by  the  Laird  to  William  Grant,  of  the  family  of 
'Glenmoriston,  whom  we  find  in  possession  of  them  in 
1677,  and  as  late  as  1691.  Gillies  Mackay  did  not 
live  to  see  the  promised  restoration;  but  the  promise 
was  fulfilled  on  24th  May,  1721,  when  his  son  John 
obtained  from  Sir  James  Grant  a  feu-disposition  of  the 
estate,  which  was  thereafter  held  of  the  Laird  of 
Grant,  instead  of  under  the  Bishop  or  the  Crown,  as 
in  the  past.2 

1  Eric  :  compensation  for  death  or  injury. 

2  Disposition   at   Castle  Grant.       John  Mackay  and  his  brother 
Donald  practised   law  in  Inverness,   as  the  smaller   lairds   and  the 
younger  sons  of  the  larger  lairds  were  then  wont  to  do.    He  was  legal 
adviser  to  the  Laird  of  Grant  in  connection  with  Urquhart,  as  the 
Author,  his  great-great-grandson,  has  been  since  1875.     See  Mackay? 
of  Achmonie,  Appendix  IX. 

13 


194        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Notwithstanding  the  ungenerous   treatment  that 
Lady  Ogilvy  had  received  in  Glen-Urquhart,  two  of 
her  sons,  when  they  grew  up  to  man's  estate,  elected 
to  settle  there,  among  the  scenes  of  their  childhood. 
Patrick,    who   commanded   the   Grant   Regiment    at 
the  battle  of  Worcester,   possessed  Clunemore  and 
Clunebeg,    while    his    brother    Thomas — the    Tomas 
Dubh  of  his  own  time — held  Balmacaan,  where  his 
portrait     is     still     preserved,     and     succeeded     the 
slain  factor  as  chamberlain  of  Urquhart.      Thomas 
found  much  to  worry  and  annoy  him.       In  1675  his 
brother,     Major    George    Grant,     gave    him    great 
offence  by  entering  his  territory,  under  cover  of  a 
commission  to  suppress  robberies  in  the  Highlands, 
and  taking  away,  without  his  authority,  farm  stock 
from  the  lands  of  Borlum-more.      In  December  of 
the  same  year,  Malcolm  Fraser  of  Culduthel  and  his 
brothers,    Alasdair    Eoy    and    John    Buie,    made    a 
sudden  raid  on  Borlum,  and  lifted  sixty  ewes,  thirty 
lambs,  four  horses,  four  mares,  twelve  cows,  one  ox, 
one   stirk,    and   ten   ells  of  linen,   belonging  to   the 
tenants,   Donald  Og  Mac  Dhomhnuill  and  Alasdair 
Mac  Dhomhnuill  Vic  Iain  Dui,  alias  Macdonell,  who 
afterwards  sought  redress  in  the  Court  of  Session. 1 
In  1676  the  chamberlain  repaired  the  Castle,   at  a 
cost  of  200  merks2 — the  last  repairs  probably  it  ever- 
received,    for    troublous    times    soon    overtook    the 
ancient  fortress.     Next  year  he  appears  at  a  Presby- 

1  Act  and  Commission,  Donald  Oig  v.  Frasers,  at  Castle  Grant. 

2  Letter  from  William  Trent,  Inverness,  dated  20th  April,  1676,, 
at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  195 

terial  visitation  of  the  old  church  of  Kilmore  as  an 
elder  of  the  Parish;  but  even  there  he  found  no  peace, 
for  the  harmony  of  the  meeting  was  disturbed  by 
a  dispute  between  Grant  of  Corrimony  and  the 
Cummings  of  Dulshangie  regarding  an  encroach- 
ment by  Corrimony  on  a  grave  within  the  church 
belonging  to  the  Cummings.1  And  in  October,  1678, 
he  and  his  neighbours,  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston, 
John  Grant  of  Coineachan,  and  John  Grant  of  Corri- 
mony, and  a  host  of  other  "  heads  and  branches  of 
families  "  throughout  the  Highlands,  were  required 
by  royal  proclamation  to  repair  to  Inverlochy,  and 
give  bonds  for  the  peaceable  behaviour  of  themselves, 
and  their  tenants  and  servants.5"1 

The  people  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  were 
not  immediately  affected  by  the  persecutions  of  the 
Covenanters  which  disgraced  the  reign  of  Charles 
the  Second.  The  minister  and  his  flock  conformed 
to  Episcopacy,  and  there  was  no  suffering  within  the 
Parish  for  conscience'  sake.  But  when,  after  Charles' 
death,  the  Covenanters,  led  by  the  Earl  of  Argyll, 
attempted  to  place  the  Duke  of  Monmouth  on  the 
throne,  the  men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  and 
their  neighbours  were  called  upon  to  show  their 
loyalty  to  King  James  the  Seventh.  In  June,  1685, 
Lord  Strathnaver,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Eoyal 
troops,  issued  an  order  from  the  heights  of  Drum- 
uachdar,  commanding  ihe  Master  of  Tarbat  with  his 
men,  and  Thomas  Eraser  of  Beaufort  with  the  men  of 

1  Records  of  Presbytery  of  Inverness. 
2  Antiquarian  Notes,  188. 


196        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  Aird,  Sir  Eobert  Gordon  of  Gordonstown, 
the  Erasers  of  Stratherrick,  the  men  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston,  and  those  of  the  Castle  lands  of 
Inverness,  to  join  the  Duke  of  Gordon  in  a  proposed 
expedition  into  Argyllshire.1  The  collapse  of  the 
rebellion,  and  the  execution  of  Monmouth  and  Argyll, 
rendered  the  expedition  unnecessary;  but  the  pre- 
parations which  had  been  made  for  the  war  greatly 
disturbed  the  North.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Inverness,  held  on  10th  June,  the  minister 
of  our  Parish  and  other  clergymen  were  absent, 
because  they  "  could  not  wait  upon  the  diet,  con- 
sidering the  great  stirs  that  was  in  the  country  in 
respect  of  the  preparation  to  His  Majesty's  host."2 
The  failure  of  the  insurrection  gave  the  Presbytery 
unbounded  joy;  and  on  the  13th  of  August  our 
Parish  joined  in  observing  a  day  of  solemn  thanks- 
giving ' '  for  the  happy  and  successful  suppression 
of  the  rebellion  in  both  kingdoms."3 

But  the  observers  of  the  fast  cried  ''Peace,  peace," 
when  there  was  no  peace.  While  the  Covenanters  of 
the  Lowlands  were  hunted  down  by  the  supporters  of 
Episcopacy,  the  Highlands  were  torn  with  clan 
strifes  and  cateran  outrages.  A  meeting  of  Presby- 
tery, held  at  Inverness  on  5th  September,  1688, 
was  attended  only  by  the  ministers  of  Inverness  and 
Kirkhill,  '  all  the  rest  absent,  some  by  reason 
of  the  great  stirs  that  were  in  the  country  anent 
the  late  rebellion,  and  bloodshed  in  Lochaber "  * 

l  Dunbar's  Social  Life  (First  Series),  p.  310. 
2  Records  of  Inverness  Presbytery.         3  Ibid.         4  Ibid. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  197 

—an  allusion  to  the  skirmish  at  Mulroy.  Before  the 
end  of  the  year  the  Prince  of  Orange  landed  in 
England,  and  drove  James  off  the  throne.  James' 
cause  was  taken  up  by  John  Graham  of  Claverhouse, 
Viscount  Dundee,  who,  following  the  example  of  his 
great  namesake  Montrose,  placed  himself  at  the  head 
of  a  Highland  army.  He  was  opposed  by  General 
Hugh  Mackay,  a  distinguished  Sutherlandshire  soldier 
who  had  won  the  confidence  of  the  Prince  of  Orange 
during  a  long  military  career  on  the  Continent. 

To  the  Covenanters,  Dundee  was  evil  incarnate 
— the  "  Bloody  Claverse,"  who  had  sold  his  soul  to 
Satan,  and,  as  part  of  the  paction,  was  wading  his 
way  to  the  realms  of  darkness  through  the  blood  of 
the  saints.      To  the  Highlanders  he  was  the  great 
Iain  Dubh  nan  Cath — Black  John  of  the  Battles — a 
brave  and  chivalrous  soldier,   true  to  his  religion, 
loyal  to  his  king,  devoted  to  his  country,  and,  above 
all,  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  the  lore  of  their  own  bards 
and    seanachies.       The    Macdonalds    and    Camerons 
joined  him  early,  and  brought  in  the  smaller  septs  in 
their  neighbourhood.     Sir  Ludovick  Grant,  the  pro- 
prietor of  Strathspey  and  Urquhart,  adhered  to  the 
principles  of  the  Eevolution,  and  supported  Mackay; 
but  John  Grant,  younger  of  Glenmoriston,  and  James 
Grant  of  Shewglie,  ignored  the  claims  of  their  chief 
to  their  allegiance   and  took  the   side   of   Dundee. 
Young  Glenmoriston,  better  known  by  the  name  of 
Iain  a'  Chragain,1  brought  150  men  into  the  field, 
while  James  Grant,   who  had  added  the  district  of 

1  Iain  a'  Chragain — John  of  the  Rock.     So  called  from  his  having 
after  Killicrankie  resided  on  the  Cragain  Darraich  of  Blairie. 


198        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Inchbrine  to  his  old  wadset  lands  of  Shewglie  and 
Lochletter,1  was  followed  by  his  tenants  and  by  the 
Macdonalds  and  Macmillans  of  Urquhart. 

Glenmoriston  and  Shewglie,  placing  themselves 
under  the  banner  of  Alasdair  Dubh  of  Glengarry, 
joined  Dundee  in  Lochaber  on  18th!  May;  but  two 
months  elapsed  ere  they  had  an  opportunity  of 
meeting  the  enemy.  During  that  period  of  compara- 
tive inactivity  Dundee  experienced  great  difficulty 
in  procuring  necessary  provisions  for  his  forces,  and 
a  party  of  Camerons  resolved  to  help  him,  and  at  the 
same  time  avenge  the  death  of  some  of  their  clans- 
men who  had  been  hanged  by  the  Laird  of  Grant. 
Quietly  leaving  his  camp,  they,  apparently  without 
his  knowledge,  marched  into  Glen-Urquhart  and 
began  lifting  cattle.  The  inhabitants  resisted,  and 
one  of  them — a  Macdonald,  who  claimed  connec- 
tion with  the  family  of  Glengarry — imagined  "  that 
the  simple  merit  of  his  name,"  to  quote  Drummond, 
or  rather  Macgregor,  of  Balhaldy,2  "  and  the  clan  to 
which  he  belonged,  was  enough  to  protect  himself 
and  the  whole  name  of  Grant  from  the  revenge  of 
the  Camerons.  Confident  of  this,  he  came  boldly 
up  to  them,  and,  acquainting  them  with  his  name 
and  genealogy,  he  desired  that,  on  his  account,  they 
would  peaceably  depart  the  country,  without  injuring 

1  Discharge  by  Ludovick  Grant  of  Freuchie,  to  James  Grant  of 
Shewglie,  dated  26th  May,  1683,  in  possession  of  the  late  Dr  Cameron 
of  Lakefield. 

2  Memoirs   of   Lochiel.     The   name   Drummond   was    assumed    by 
Macgregor  of  Balhaldy  in  consequence  of  the  penal  enactments  against 
his  clan. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  199 

the  inhabitants,  his  neighbours  and  friends.  To  this 
it  was  answered  that,  if  he  was  a  true  Macdonald,  he 
ought  to  be  with  his  chief  in  Dundee's  army,  in  the 
service  of  his  king  and  country;  that  they  were  at 
a  loss  to  understand  why  they  should  on  his  account 
extend  their  friendship  to  a  people  who  had,  but  a 
few  days  before,  seized  on  several  of  their  men  and 
hanged  them,  without  any  other  provocation  than 
that  they  served  King  James,  which  was  contrary 
to  the  laws  of  war,  as  well  as  of  common  humanity; 
that,  as  they  had  indeed  an  esteem  for  him,  both  for 
the  name  he  bore  and  the  gentleman  to  whom  he 
belonged,  so  they  desired  that  he  would  instantly 
separate  himself  and  his  cattle  from  the  rest  of  his 
company,  whom  they  were  resolved  to  chastise  for 
their  insolence.  But  the  Macdonald  replied  that  he 
would  run  the  same  fate  with  his  neighbours;  and, 
daring  them  to  do  their  worst,  departed  in  a  huff." 

The  Camerons  thereupon  attacked  the  Urquhart 
men,  and,  killing  some  and  dispersing  the  rest,  drove 
their  cattle  in  triumph  to  Lochaber.  Dundee  and 
Lochiel  connived  at  their  conduct,  ' '  both  on  account 
of  the  provocation  they  had,  and  of  the  supply  of 
provisions  which  they  had  brought  and  generously 
distributed  among  the  army."  But  the  brave  Mac- 
donald was  among  the  slain,  and  his  death  was 
keenly  resented  by  Glengarry,  whose  name  the 
unfortunate  man  had  unsuccessfully  used  to  charm 
away  the  Camerons.  :'  Glengarry,"  says  Lord  Mac- 
aulay,1  ' '  in  a  rage  went  to  Dundee  and  demanded 

1  History  of  England. 


200        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

vengeance  on  Lochiel  and  the  whole  race  of  Cameron, 
Dundee  replied  that  the  unfortunate  gentleman  who- 
had  fallen  was  a  traitor  to  the  clan  as  well  as  to  the 
king.  Was  it  ever  heard  of  in  war  that  the  person 
of  an  enemy,  a  combatant  in  arms,  was  to  be  held 
inviolable  on  account  of  his  name  and  descent?  And, 
even  if  wrong  had  been  done,  how  was  it  to  be 
redressed?  Half  the  army  must  slaughter  the 
other  half  before  a  finger  could  be  laid  on  Lochiel. 
Glengarry  went  away  raging  like  a  madman.  Since 
his  complaints  were  disregarded  by  those  who  ought 
to  right  him,  he  would  right  himself  :  he  would  draw 
out  his  men,  and  fall  sword  in  hand  on  the  murderer 
of  his  cousin.  During  some  time  he  would  listen  to 
no  expostulation.  When  he  was  reminded  that 
Lochiel's  followers  were  in  number  nearly  double  of 
the  Glengarry  men,  'No  matter/  he  cried,  'one 
Macdonald  is  worth  two  Camerons.'  Had  Lochiel 
been  equally  irritable  and  boastful,  it  is  probable 
that  the  Highland  insurrection  would  have  given 
little  more  trouble  to  the  Government,  and  that  the 
rebels  would  have  perished  obscurely  in  the  wilder- 
ness by  one  another's  claymores.  But  nature  had 
bestowed  on  him  in  large  measure  the  qualities  of  a 
statesman,  though  fortune  had  hidden  those  qualities 
in  an  obscure  corner  of  the  world.  He  saw  that  this 
was  not  a  time  for  brawling;  his  own  character  for 
courage  had  long  been  established,  and  his  temper 
was  under  strict  government.  The  fury  of  Glen- 
garry, not  being  inflamed  by  any  fresh  provocation, 
rapidly  abated.  Indeed,  there  were  some  who- 
suspected  that  he  had  never  been  quite  so  pugnacious 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH        201 

as  he  had  affected  to  be,  and  that  his  bluster  was  meant 
only  to  keep  up  his  own  dignity  in  the  eyes  of  his 
retainers.  However  this  might  be,  the  quarrel  was 
composed;  and  the  two  chiefs  met  with  the  outward 
show  of  civility  at  the  General's  table." 

Drummond  of  Balhaldy,  whom  Macaulay  follows 
in  this  narrative,  states  that  Glengarry  '  meant 
nothing  more  by  the  great  noise  he  made  but  to- 
ingratiate  himself  with  his  people  by  humoring  their 
vanity,  and  showing  them  that  the  least  injury 
offered  to  the  very  meanest  of  them  was  equally  his 
own  quarrel."1  The  wisdom  of  his  conduct  appears 
evident;  for  among  his  followers  were  Shewglie  and 
other  Glen-Urquhart  men  who  must  have  been  well 
acquainted  with  the  chivalrous  Macdonald  who  had 
refused  to  save  his  life  by  deserting  his  neighbours. 
His  feigned  anger  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the- 
men  of  Urquhart  did  good  service  at  the  battle  of 
Killicrankie. 

That  battle,  which  the  Highlanders  know  by  the 
name  of  Einrory,2  was  fought  on  the  27th  of  July. 
Mackay  was  marching  northward  from  Perth;. 
Dundee  was  on  his  way  south.  Early  in  the- 
day  the  armies  came  in  view  of  each  other. 
The  Highlanders,  wild  with  joy,  clamoured  for  the 
fray;  but  the  sun  was  fast  sinking  behind  the 
Grampians  before  Dundee  drew  them  out  in  order 
of  battle.  Lochiel  was  credited  not  only  with 
great  military  genius  but  also  with  the  power 
of  divination,  and  just  before  the  onset  he  was- 

1  Memoirs  of  Lochiel. 
2  Raon   Ruaraidh — Roderick's   Field. 


202        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

consulted  as  to  the  issue.  '  That  side  will  win 
that  first  spills  blood,"  replied  the  chief.  "Do 
you  hear  that?"  said  Iain  a'  Chragain,  addressing  a 
noted  Glenmoriston  deer  stalker  who  stood  by  his 
side,  and  significantly  pointing  to  an  officer  who, 
mounted  on  a  white  steed,  had  galloped  out  of 
Mackay's  lines  to  survey  the  battlefield—  :'  Do  you 
hear  that?"  The  stalker  crouched  forward  and 
fired;  and  down  came  the  rider  of  the  white  horse, 
shot  through  the  heart.1  The  battle  now  be^an. 

o  o 

Casting  off  their  plaids  and  coats,  the  clansmen 
rushed  forward  with  shouts  of  exultation.  The 
men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  formed  part 
of  a  battalion  led  by  the  young  chief  of  Glengarry, 
who  carried  the  royal  standard  of  King  James.  As 
they  charged,  Shewglie  was  brought  to  his  knees 
by  a  ball  that  struck  his  shield;  but  it  was  only  for 
a  moment.  Exclaiming,  "  Och,  but  the  boddachs 
are  in  earnest!"  he  bounded  forward.2  At  a  short 
distance  from  the  enemy  the  Highlanders  paused  for 
a  moment,  and  fired;  and  then,  throwing  away  their 
firelocks,  sprang  upon  the  foe  with  claymore  and 
Lochaber-axe.  A  Glenmoriston  man,  of  the  name 
of  Mackintosh,  especially  distinguished  himself  by 
passing  his  sword  from  the  left  shoulder  to  the  right 
loin  of  a  Hessian  soldier.3  Mackay  and  his  officers 

1  Tradition  in  Glenmoriston. 

2  Chambers'  History  of  the  Rebellions. 

3  Glenmoriston  tradition.       Mackintosh's  feat  was  one  of   "  the 
three  wonders  of  the  battle."     His  son  fought  for  Prince  Charles  at 
Falkirk  and  Culloden;  and  his  grandson,  John  Mackintosh,  joined  the 
British  army,  under  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  in  1780,  and,  after 
seeing   service   in   India   and    elsewhere,    returned    to    Glenmoriston, 
where  he  was  remembered  by  persons  who  communicated  the  Killi- 
•crankie  traditions  to  the  Author. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  203 

-did  all  that  brave  men  could  do,  but  the  Highland 
avalanche  swept  all  before  it.  The  victory  for  King 
James  was  dearly  bought  by  the  death  of  Dundee. 
"  How  goes  the  day?"  he  asked,  as  he  lay  on  the 
sward,  mortally  wounded.  "  Well  for  King  James," 
replied  an  attendant;  "  but  I  am  sorry  for  your 
lordship."  "If  it  is  well  for  him,"  said  the  dying 
hero,  "  it  matters  the  less  for  me."  His  place  was 
taken  by  General  Cannon,  who  knew  little  of  High- 
land warfare  and  less  of  Highland  sentiment,  and 
who  soon  offended  and  alienated  the  chiefs.  In  less 
than  a  month  the  men  who  had  adored  Dundee, 
and  conquered  as  he  lay  dying,  returned  to  their 
homes,  dissatisfied  and  disheartened;  "  and  all  the 
fruits  of  victory  were  gathered  by  the  vanquished."1 

For  the  part  taken  by  Iain  a'  Chragain  in  the 
rising  his  praises  were  sung  in  Latin  verse  by  admir- 
ing Saxons,2  and  in  Gaelic  duans  by  the  bards  of  his 

1  Macaulay's  History  of  England. 

2  In  "  Praelium  Gillicrankianum,"  he  is  referred  to  in  the  lines  : — 

Glenmoristonus  junior,  optimus  bellator 
Subito  jam  factus  hactenus  venator. 

(Glenmoriston  the  younger,  suddenly  became  a  warrior  from  being 
Mtherto  a  hunter). 

The  author  of  "  The  Grameid,"  in  describing  Dundee's  supporters, 
thus  sings  of  our  hero  :  — 

His  quoque  se  comitem  Morisina  ex  valle  ferebat 
Grantius  egregius  bello,  non  degener  ille 
Grantiades  Balli  dictus  de  nomine  castri, 
Qui  Batavi  partes  praedonis,  et  arma  secutus 
Sustulit  Auriaci  vexilla  nefanda  tyranni. 
Ille  sed  incoctum  fido  qui  gestat  honestum 
Pectore,  Caesareos  Urquhartius  acer  in  hostes. 
Magnorum  usque  adeo  mores  imitatus  avorum 
Corripit  arma  manu,  Regi  inooncussus  acerbis 


204        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

own  people.  His  loyalty,  however,  cost  his  father 
and  himself  much.  '  The  enemy  were  so  enraged 
against  him,"  says  Balhaldy,1  "  that  they  burnt  his- 
own  seat  to  the  ground,  plundered  his  people,  and 
made  such  horrible  devastations  that  the  poor 
gentleman  was  obliged  to  offer  some  proposals  of 
submission."  At  Inverness,  Sir  Thomas  Livingston 
dispensed  military  law  at  the  head  of  the  Scots 
Dragoons  and  the  regiments  of  Lord  Strathnaver 
(now  an  opponent  of  King  James),  Sir  James  Leslie, 
and  the  Laird  of  Grant.  Young  Glenmoriston  and 
his  followers  had  to  be  chastised,  and  Strathnaver 
was  entrusted  with  the  work.  He  himself 
has  recorded  that  he  did  it  well.  ((  To  raise 
up  the  spirits  of  such  as  were  in  the  interest  of 
King  and  Government,"  says  he  in  an  unpublished 
report  (a  fragment  of  which  is  still  preserved  at 
Dunrobin),  "  I  went  out  with  a  detachment  from 
Inverness  of  five  hundred  foot,  and  three  troops  of 

Temporibus  laturus  opem,  perque  invia  montes 
Scandit  inaccessos,  magnoque  in  bella  paratu 
Arduus  agmen  agens  graditur,  quern  Grantia  pubes 
Ordine  servato  ductorem  in  castra  secuta  est. 

(With  them  also,  from  Glenmoriston,  came  as  their  companion  in^ 
the  war  the  valiant  Grant;  not  that  degenerate  Grant  who  takes  his 
name  from  Balachastle  [Freuchie,  or  Castle  Grant],  and  who  waa 
following  the  party  and  the  army  of  the  Batavian  robber,  and  was 
upholding  the  nefarious  standard  of  the  Dutch  tyrant;  but  the  bold 
Grant  of  Urquhart,  bearing  unstained  honour  in  a  faithful  breast,  and 
keen  against  the  foes  of  the  Caesar.  He,  following  the  ways  of  his 
great  ancestors,  took  arms,  and,  undeterred  by  the  misfortunes  of  the 
time,  contributed  his  help  to  his  King.  Through  pathless  tracts  he 
climbs  precipitous  mountains  with  great  equipment  for  the  war. 
Tall  in  stature,  he  advances,  leading  his  line ;  and  there  follows 
him  into  the  camp,  as  their  chief,  the  children  of  Grant,  all  in  good- 
order). 

1  Memoirs  of  Lochiel. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH 


205 


Sir  Thomas  Livingston's  dragoons,  to  Glenmoriston, 
where  with  great  difficulty  we  forced  open  the  iron 
gate  [of  Invermoriston  House],  not  having  a  petard 
to  blow  it  open.  Some  of  the  rebels  very  nearly 


SHIELD  CARRIED  BY  IAIN  A  CHRAGAIN  AT  KILLICRANKIR — 
IN  GLENMORISTON'S  POSSESSION. 

escaped  me,  by  a  boy's  acquainting  them  of  our 
march.  I  burnt  their  corn,  and  drove  their  cattle 
and  horses  that  fell  in  my  way,  to  Inverness.  This 
put  them  into  such  a  consternation  that,  notwith- 


206        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

standing  our  defeat  at  Killicrankie,  above  fifteen 
hundred  came  and  took  the  oath  to  King  William 
and  Queen  Mary;  and/'  he  adds,  as  if  he  felt  he  had 
overstepped  his  duty,  "  I  had  Sir  Thomas  Living- 
ston's warrant  and  approbation."  Sir  Thomas 
accepted  the  responsibility,  and  wrote  on  the  report : 

1  I,  underwritten,  do  hereby  declare  that  what  was 
done  at  Glenmoriston  was  by  my  orders,  and  that  I 
altogether  approve  of  the  commander's  conduct  and' 
diligence  in  that  affair. — T.  LIVINGSTON.  At  Inver- 
ness, the  6th  of  September,  1689. J; 

Those  harsh  measures  brought  little  advantage 
to  the  Government.  Young  Glenmoriston  con- 
structed for  himself  a  rude  fort  on  the  Cragain 
Darraich — the  Oak  Eock— of  Blairie,  and  continued 
true  to  King  James.  He  soon  found  himself  among 
friends.  'Urquhart  Castle  was  garrisoned  by  Captain 
Grant  with  three  companies  of  the  Highlanders  of 
Lord  Strathnaver  and  the  Laird  of  Grant;  but  the 
men  were  poorly  armed,  having  neither  swords  nor 
bayonets,  and  only  a  few  carbines  sent  them  by  the 
Duke  of  Hamilton.1  Before  the  end  of  the  year  the 
old  fort  was  besieged  by  the  Jacobites.  '  I  am  cer- 
tainly inform'd,"  writes  Sir  James  Leslie  to  Lord 
Melville,  on  6th  December,2  "  that  500  of  the  rebells 
were  come  to  Urquett  [Urquhart]  ;  they  threatned 
the  Castle,  but  I  looke  upon  it  to  be  in  little  dainger, 
they  [the  garrison]  haveing  a  fortnight's  or  three 
weeks' s  provisions.  I  sent  the  last  night  Captain 

1  General  Mackay's  Memoirs  of  the  Wars  in  Scotland  and  Ireland 
(Bannatyne  Club),  299-302. 

2  Ibid,  299. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH         20T 

Grant  up  with  ten  bowles  [bolls]  of  meale,  and 
ammunition,  and  thirteen  men  and  a  sargeant  of 
my  regiment,  and  twelve  of  my  Lord  Strathnaver's; 
but  the  boat  springing  a  leake  by  forcing  her  out  of 
the  river  into  the  laugh  [loch],  he  tooke  but  twelve 
of  my  men  and  a  sargeant,  and  sent  the  rest  back 
againe;"  and,  after  referring  to  affairs  in  other  parts 
of  the  country,  he  concludes — "I  have  just  now 
received  a  letter  from  Corremonie,  your  nephewe's 
brother-in-law,  that  the  Highlanders  are  come  into 
the  countrey  of  Urquett,  with  4  or  500  men,  under 
the  command  of  Glengerry  and  my  Lord  Fredrick 
[Fendraught],  and  this  night  or  to-morrow  they 
expect  Laugheale  [Lochiel]  and  Cannon  with  more 
forces.  It  is  reported  that  a  great  many  of  the 
M'Kenzies  are  like  to  joyne  them,  as  likewise  severall 
of  the  Fraziers."  And  he  gives  in  a  postscript  a  list 
of  the  districts  reported  as  ready  to  join  Cannon— 
among  them  being  "  the  Urquhart  and  Strathglass 
men,55  and  "  the  Glenmoriston  men." 

Captain  Grant,  notwithstanding  the  hole  in  his 
boat,  reached  his  destination  with  his  men  and  meal 
and  ammunition;  and,  landing  at  the  ancient  water- 
gate,  which  was  beyond  the  reach  of  the  fire  of  the 
Jacobites,  "  gott  verry  safe"  into  the  Castle.  From 
there  he  wrote  Sir  James  Leslie  that  the  enemy 
numbered  800  men — an  estimate  which  he  subse- 
quently modified  to  600.  These  circumstances  were, 
on  9th  December,  reported  by  Sir  James  to  General 
Mackay.  :<  I  have  likewise,"  said  he,  "  given  Captain 
Grant,  commander  of  the  Castle  of  Urquett,  £5, 


:208  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

and  am  this  day  sending  him  ten  bowles  of  meale 
more,  with  candles;  which  money  I  must  lay  out  of 
my  own  pockett,  and  it  costs  me  two  per  cent,  to 
gett,  besides  one  per  cent,  to  the  officer  for  bringing 
it. "  Corrimony,  who  had  hitherto  kept  him  informed 
of  the  course  of  events  in  the  Glen,  was  himself  now 
under  suspicion.  The  Sheriff-Depute,  added  Sir 
James,  "  gives  me  notice  that  Corremonie  is  with 
the  enemie,  and  severall  others,  soe  that  they  plav 
fast  and  loose  as  they  think  fitt.  I  shall  endeavour 
to  put  myselfe  in  the  best  posture  I  can,  having 
given  notice  to  all  the  countreys  round  about,  as 
Eoss,  Elgin,  and  Murrey,  to  be  in  reddeness,  and  put 
themselves  in  the  best  posture  they  can  for  theire 
owne  defence,  having  assured  them  of  what  assistance 
I  can  afford."1 

The  Jacobites,  indeed,  had  now  so  far  recovered 
from  the  confusion  that  followed  Killicrankie,  that, 
with  a  Montrose  or  a  Dundee  at  their  head,  they 
might  have  turned  the  stream  of  British  history. 
They  had,  however,  no  such  leader.  The  Highland 
friends  of  the  Stewarts  were  left  to  linger  in  Glen- 
Urquhart  for  months,  consuming  the  cattle  and  grain 
of  the  people,  but  achieving  nothing  else.  In  March, 
1690,  Cannon  was  superseded  by  General  Buchan, 
who  found  the  Highlanders  disgusted,  and  their 
zeal  all  but  extinguished.  A  few  rallied  round  the 
new  commander,  including  Iain  a'  Chragain  and  the 
men  of  Glenmoriston.  With  these  he  went  through 
Lochaber,  Badenoch,  and  Strathspey,  with  the 

1  General  Mackay's  Memoirs,  302-5. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH 


209 


intention  of  raising  the  vassals  of  the  Gordons,  and 
turning  round  on  the  garrisons  in  Inverness  and 
neighbourhood.  But  his  movements  were  watched, 
and,  as  his  followers  lay  asleep  on  the  Haughs  of 
Cromdale,  on  the  last  night  of  April,  they  were 
surprised  by  Sir  Thomas  Livingston  and  his  dragoons 
and  the  Eeay  and  Grant  Highlanders,  and  scattered 
naked  over  the  moorlands.  They  never  rallied  again; 
and  although  Glengarry  and  Iain  a'  Chragain  and 
some  others  still  withheld  their  allegiance  from 
William  and  Mary,  and  continued  to  give  trouble, 
the  war  in  Scotland  was  virtually  closed  at 
Cromdale.  Two  months  later  the  hopes  of  King 
James  were  for  ever  extinguished  at  the  Battle  of 
the  Boyne. 


IAIN  A'  CHRAGAIN'S  SWORD — IN  GLENMORISTON'S  POSSESSION. 


210        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE     XII 

1690—1708 

The  Parish  Unsettled.— The  Castle  garrisoned  by  the  Whigs. 
—They  Vacate  and  Destroy  it. — Its  Last  Record. — Its 
Chambers  of  Treasure  and  Pestilence. — King  William's 
Measures  to  subdue  the  Highlands. — Devastation  of 
Urquhart. — The  Losses  of  the  Laird  of  Grant  and  his 
Tenants. — Compensation  recommended  by  Parliament, 
but  refused  by  the  King.  —  Insecurity  of  Life  and 
Property. — Raids  and  Dackerings.  —  Proceedings  against 
Achmonie. — Raids  by  Glenmoriston  Men  on  Dalcrossr 
Glencannich,  and  Dunain. — Colonel  Hill  endeavours  to 
stop  their  Adventures. — Horses  stolen  from  Shewglie. — 
The  Track  and  its  Result. — The  Macmillans  of  Locn- 
Arkaig-side  take  a  Spoil  from  Glenmoriston. — The  Fight 
of  Corri-nam-Bronag. — The  Raid  of  Inchbrine. — The 
Conflict  of  Corribuy. — Death  of  Shewglie. — His  Son's 
Revenge. — Death  of  Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart. 

THE  Eevolution  Settlement,  under  which  William 
and  Mary  became  King  and  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  brought  no  immediate  peace  to  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland.  The  friends  of  the  Stewarts 
still  gave  trouble,  and  for  the  protection  of  Urquhart 
a  detachment  of  Lord  Strathnaver's  men  was, 
early  in  1690,  placed  in  the  Castle.  This  garrison 
occupied  it  for  at  least  two  years — the  last  to  which 
it  gave  shelter.1  The  written  military  record  of  the 

1  The  garrison  probably  consisted  of  300  or  400  men.  Sir  James 
Leslie,  writing-  to  General  Mackay  from  Inverness,  on  9th  December, 
1689,  stated  that  the  Castle  "  could  contain  three  companies  very  well, 
and,  for  a  stress,  four." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  211 

old  fortress  closes  on  llth  January,  1692,  with  an 
order  upon  the  Provost  and  Magistrates  of  Inverness 
to  furnish  horses  to  carry  meal  for  the  garrison.1  It 
was  soon  afterwards  vacated  by  these  Whig  soldiers, 
who  prevented  its  occupation  by  the  Jacobites  by 
blowing  up  the  keep  and  entrance  towers,  and 
destroying  it  as  a  place  of  strength.  It  was  never 
again  repaired,  and  so  dilapidated  did  it  become  by 
1708,  that  the  people  took  to  carrying  away  the  lead 
that  covered  its  roof,  and  the  wooden  partitions  that 
divided  its  chambers.2  Gunpowder  and  decay  had 
done  their  work ;  and  henceforth  the  Eoyal  Castle,  the 
pride  of  the  North  since  the  days  of  the  War  of 
Independence,  is  but  a  crumbling  ruin.3 

The  old  Laird  of  Glenmoriston  and  his  son,  Iain 
a'  Chragain,  acting  in  concert  with  their  neighbour, 
Glengarry,  long  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 

•    1  The  order,  which  is  in  the  archives  of  the  Burgh  of  Inverness,  is 
in  the  following  terms  :  — 

'•'  You  are  herby  Eequird  to  provide  as  many  horses  as  may  trans- 
port ten  bolls  of  meal  from  the  magazin  of  Inverness  to  the  nearest  end 
of  Lochness,  for  the  use  of  the  guarison  of  Urquhart,  and  that  aganst 
tomorrow  morneing,  the  twelfte  of  January  Instant.  Given  at  Inver- 
nesse,  January  llth,  1692.  For  Their  Majesties']  Service.— R. 
CUNINGHAME.  To  the  Provost  and  Magistrats  of  the  towne  of 
Invernesse." 

Co 

2  See  Appendix  F.     It  is  believed  in  the  Parish  that  there  are  two 
secret  chambers  underneath  the  ruins  of  the  Castle — the  one  filled 
with  gold  and  the  other  with  the  plague.     On  account  of  the  risk  of 
letting  loose  the  pestilence,  no  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  discover 
the  treasure.       This  myth,   in  various  forms,   and   associated  with 
various  places,  is  as  old  as  the  classic  fable  of  Pandora. 

3  The  Author's  ancestor,  John  Mackay  of  Achmonie,  writing  to 
Brigadier   Grant  on   19th    February,    1715,    states— "  The   Castell   of 
Urquhart  is  blowen  down  with  the  last  storme  of  wind,  the  south-west 
syde  theroff  to  the  laich  woult "  [low  vault].     It  has  now  (1912)  been 
arranged  that  for  the  future  the  Castle  will  be  under  the  care  of  the 
Ancient    Monuments    and    Historic    Buildings   Department    of   H.M. 
Office  of  Works. 


212 


URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 


to  William  and  Mary.  On  llth  January,  1692,  the 
King  issued  instructions  to  Sir  Thomas  Livingston, 
ordering  him  to  proceed  against  the  ' '  Highland 
rebels"  who  still  held  out  for  King  James,  "  by  fire 
and  sword  and  all  manner  of  hostility;  to  burn  their 
houses,  seize  or  destroy  their  goods  or  cattle,  plenish- 
ing or  cloaths ;  and  to  cut  off  the  men.  To  that  end," 
adds  the  King,  "  you  are  to  join  the  troops,  and  divide 
them  in  parties,  as  you  see  cause  or  opposition.  The 


ANCIENT  BROOCH  FOUND  AT  URQUHART  CASTLE 

troops  at  Inverness  lie  most  conveniently  to  be 
employed  against  Glenmoriston  and  Glengarry."1 
Vigorous  measures,  which  culminated  in  the  massacre 
of  Glencoe,  followed  upon  these  instructions,  and  in 
the  end  the  Highland  chiefs  yielded. 

During  the  troubles  of  the  Ee volution,  the  Laird 
of  Grant  and  his  tenants  in  Strathspey  and  Urquhart 
suffered  greatly.  Despite  the  garrison  in  the  Castle, 

1  Papers   Illustrative    of   the   Highlands   of    Scotland    (Maitland 
Club),  p.  60. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  213 

Urquhart  was  devastated  by  the  adherents  of  the 
Stewarts.  In  the  hope  of  obtaining  some  redress,  the 
Laird  presented  a  petition  to  the  Scottish  Parliament 
praying  that  a  commission  should  be  issued  to  the 
sheriffs  and  commissioners  of  supply  of  the  shires  of 
Inverness,  Moray,  and  Banff,  to  enquire  into  the 
extent  of  the  damage.  .  His  prayer  was  granted, 
and  early  in  1691,  Hugh  Fraser  of  Belladrum  and 
James  Fraser  of  Eeelig,  two  of  the  commissioners  of 
supply  for  the  county  of  Inverness,  opened  an  enquiry 
in  Glen-Urquhart  and  took  the  sworn  evidence  of 
the  tenants  and  inhabitants.  Their  report,  dated  at 
Urquhart  the  3rd  and  4th  days  of  February,  bore 
that  the  losses  in  our  Parish  of  the  Laird  and  his 
tenants  amounted  to  £44,333  5s  2d  Scots,  including 
the  damage,  assessed  at  £2000,  done  to  the  Castle  by 
King  William's  soldiers.1  This  report,  with  another 
in  reference  to  Strathspey,  was  duly  submitted  to 
Parliament;  while  the  Laird  presented  a  second 
petition*  in  1695,  setting  forth  that  in  consequence 
of  the  ravages  upon  his  estates,  "  his  tennents  were 
so  impoverished  that  he  got  little  or  no  rent  for 
several  years  out  of  his  lands  in  Strathspey;  and  he 
was  necessitat  to  discharge  his  tennents  in  Urquhart 
the  entire  rent  of  that  Barony,  which  is  £6000 
Scots,  and  that  for  the  year  1689,  1690,  1691,  1692, 
and  1693,  their  stocks  being  so  entirely  carried  away 
that  they  could  not  continow  to  labour  without 
that  abatement."2  Including  the  above  sum  of 
£44,333  5s  2d  and  the  rents,  the  losses  in  Glen- 
Urquhart  amounted  to  £74,333  5s  2d  Scots.  In 

1  Acts  of  Part.,  IX.,  42G.         2  Ibid. 


214        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Strathspey  the  Laird  and  his  tenants  suffered  to  the 
extent  of  £76,152  18s  8d,  making  between  the  two 
estates  the  enormous  sum  of  £150,486  3s  lOd  Scots 
— equal  in  value  to  the  same  amount  in  money 
sterling  in  our  day — as  the  price  paid  for  the  Laird's 
loyalty  to  King  William.  The  Laird  prayed  Parlia- 
ment to  assess  and  declare,  the  amount  of  his  losses, 
and  "  either  to  appoint  him  a  fund  for  his  payment 
or  at  least  to  grant  him  a  recommendation  to  His 
Majesty  for  the  same."  The  Committee  for  Private 
Affairs,  to  whom  the  matter  was  remitted  for 
enquiry,  found  that  the  losses  were  correctly  stated, 
and  Parliament  recommended  "  the  said  Laird  of 
Grant  to  his  Majesty's  Eoyal  and  Gracious  considera- 
tion for  repairing  of  the  damages  and  losses  contained 
in  the  foresaid  report."1  The  recommendation  was 
ignored  by  the  "Eoyal  and  Gracious,"  but  very 
ungrateful  William;  and,  notwithstanding  repeated 
applications  to  himself  and  his  successors  down  to  the 
time  of  George  the  Third,  no  compensation  has  as  yet 
been  received  for  the  damages  and  losses  suffered  by 
the  Laird  and  his  tenants. 

The  troubles  which  accompanied  and  followed  the 
Eevolution  greatly  increased  the  insecurity  of  life  and 
property  in  the  Highlands.  During  the  last  decade 
of  the  seventeenth  century  and  the  first  few  years  of 
the  eighteenth,  the  inhabitants  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston  were  freely  plundered ;  and  they  plundered 
as  freely  in  return.  A  few  of  the  raids  in  which  they 
were  implicated  may  be  mentioned. 

1  Acts  of  Par].,  IX.,  426. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  215 

In  February,  1690,  "  two  red  horse  "  were  stolen 
from  Murdo  Mac  Coil  Vic  Curchy,  one  of  The 
Chisholm's  tenants  in  Comar,  and  "  tracked  "  to  the 
lands  of  Achmonie,  which  were  then  in  the  possession 
of  William  Grant.  Chisholm  took  up  the  cause  of  his 
tenant,  and  instituted  proceedings  against  Grant 
before  "  The  Commissioners  of  Justiciary,  appointed 
by  His  Majesty  for  securing  the  peace  of  the  High- 
lands," and  on  31st  May,  1698,  judgment  was  given 
for  £40  Scots,  being  the  value  of  the  two  horses,  £20 
.as  the  amount  of  loss,  damage,  and  expense  incurred 
by  Murdo  in  consequence  of  the  theft,  and  £6  of 
expenses.  For  these  sums  the  Commissioners  at  the 
same  time  issued  a  precept  of  poinding,  authorising 
their  officers  to  distrain  and  sell  Grant's  effects.  On 
3rd  February,  1099,  the  latter  was  "  charged  "  by  an 
•officer,  and  he  doubtless  found  it  expedient  to  pay  the 
amount  contained  in  the  judgment.1 

Some  time  before  July,  1693,  Archibald  Grant, 
alias  Mac  Conchie  Vic  Phatrick,  in  Coineachan,  son 
of  Duncan  Grant  of  Duldreggan,  carried  away  much 
spoil  from  James  Dunbar  of  Dalcross,  one  of  the  bailies 
of  Inverness.  The  bailie,  on  4th  July,  obtained  a 
decree  of  spuilzie  in  the  sheriff  court  of  Inverness, 
against  Archibald  and  some  of  his  associates,  for  the 
sum  of  £1224  17s  4d  Scots  of  principal,  with  £60  of 
costs.  The  sums  were,  however,  unpaid  as  late  as 
October,  1703,  when  Dunbar  obtained  "  caption,"  or 
warrant  of  imprisonment,  against  the  debtors.2 

1  Precept  of  Poinding,  at  Erchless  Castle. 

2  Antiquarian  Notes,  143;  and  Precept  of  Poinding,  at  Erchless 
Castle. 


216        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

In  May,  1698,  the  same  Archibald  Grant,  with 
Patrick  Grant,  in  Coineachan,  his  brother,  and  John 
Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  were  involved  in  legal  pro- 
ceedings in  connection  with  the  theft  from  William 
Chisholm,  alias  Mac  Alasdair,  tenant  in  Carrie  of 
Glencannich,  of  :'  four  cows,  whereof  one  white- 
bellyit  brown  cow,  two  black  cows,  and  the  fourth 
prick-hornit  branderit  cow/'  The  cattle,  "  after 
hot  dackering, ' ' l  were  ' '  straightline  tracked  to  the 
bounds  and  graseings  of  Coinachan,  possest  by  the 
said  Patrick  and  Archibald  Grant,  or  the  said  John 
Grant  of  Glenmoriston;  and  they,  being  required  to 
purge  their  saids  bounds  and  graseings  of  the  said 
track,  they  either  refused,  or  could  not  doe  the 
samen."  The  Chisholm,  as  the  complainer's  land- 
lord, accordingly  took  the  usual  steps  before  the 
Commissioners  of  Justiciary,  who  gave  judgment 
against  the  Grants  for  £48  Scots  as  the  value  of  the 
four  cows,  £20  of  expenses,  loss,  and  damage,  and 
£6  15s  due  to  the  Commissioners  for  administration 
in  the  cause.2 

At  the  same  court  Donald  Mac  Conachy  Vic 
Alasdair,  in  Dulchleichart,  was  found  liable  for  40 
merks  Scots,  with  £8  for  loss  and  damage,  and  10 
merks  and  2  shillings  as  the  Commissioners'  fees,  in 
respect  of  the  theft  from  Alexander  Mac  Hutcheon 
Vic  Coil,  in  Glencannich,  of  two  cows — "  both  which 
cows  prick-hornit  and  black  colour.  .  .  .  And 
which  cows,  after  diligent  search  and  try  all  made 

1  Dacker,  or  daiker,  to  search. 
2  Precept  of  Poinding1,  at  Erchless  Castle. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  217 

therefor,  were  recently  dackerit  to  the  said  Donald 
Mac  Cutcheon,  his  said  portion  of  Tullichard,  or 
graseing  thereof,  called  Ardmullen;  and  which  trackr 
being  by  the  said  Complainer  [The  Chisholm] 
intimate  and  published  to  the  said  Donald,  he 
absolutely  refused  to  purge  his  said  portion  of  the 
said  track."1 

John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  repeatedly  found 
himself  in  trouble  in  connection  with  the  predatory 
enterprises  of  his  people.  Eef erring,  apparently,, 
to  a  raid  on  the  lands  of  George,  Viscount 
Tarbat,  Colonel  John  Hill,  Governor  of  Fort- 
William,  wrote  as  follows  to  his  Lordship  on 
1st  November,  1697: — "I  sent  lately  to  Glen- 
^noriston  to  settle  with  and  satisfy  your  Lordship, 
which  he  promised  to  do;  and  if  he  fail,  I  shall  be 
a  quick  remembrancer  to  him."  And  the  Commis- 
sioners of  Justiciary  granted  a  decree  on  7th  April, 
1699,  at  the  instance  of  Charles  Baillie,  as  executor 
of  the  deceased  William  Baillie  of  Dunain,  against 
Duncan  Grant  and  James  Grant,  sons  of  the  Tutor  of 
Glenmoriston,  John  Eiach  Mac  Finlay  vie  Coil  in  Ach- 
naconeran,  John  Dubh  Mac  Coile,  servitor  or  servant 
to  Angus  Eoy  Cameron,  sometime  in  Invermoriston, 
James  Eoy  Mac  Croiter  in  Coineachan,  Alexander  Mac 
Iain  vie  Alasdair  in  Wester  Inverwick,  Finlay  Mac 
Finlay  vie  Coil,  brother  of  the  said  John  Eiach,  Alex- 
ander Macdonald  in  Duldregganbeg,  Peter  Grant , 
brother  of  Glenmoriston  and  lately  in  Divach,  Donald 
Dubh  Mac  Iain  vie  Neil,  Malcolm  Mac  Coile  vie  Sorle,. 

1  Precept  of  Poinding,  at  Erchless  Castle. 


218        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Alexander  Dubh  Mac  Conachie  Vore,  Dalcattaig, 
William  Mac  Conachie  vie  William  there,  Alexander 
Keill  Mac  Coill  vie  Coill  in  Glenmoriston,  "  and 
John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  their  Landlord,  Master, 
Chieftain,  for  his  interest,"  for  the  sum  of  £2816 
Scots,  being  the  value  of  cattle  carried  away  from 
Dunain  during  the  deceased's  lifetime,  with  the  sum 
of  £281,  being  the*  tenth  part  of  the  value  due  to 
the  Commissioners  as  their  fees.  The  process  upon 
which  the  decree  proceeded,  and  the  amounts 
therein  contained,  were  assigned  by  the  executor  to 
William  Baillie,  then  of  Dunain,  who  made  several 
attempts  to  recover  the  money.  In  these  he  was 
not  successful;  and  after  the  lapse  of  twenty-two 
years — on  28th  January,  1721 — he  sold  the  decree 
to  John  Grant,  younger  of  Glenmoriston,  grandson 
of  the  chieftain  against  whom  it  was  originally 
directed.1 

In  the  month  of  August,  1701,  Thomas  Fraser, 
in  Shewglie,  was  secretly  relieved  by  some  unknown 
persons  of  "  ane  blew  horse  or  gerron,2  seaven-year- 
old;  ane  dinish  whyt-faced  gerron,  fyve-year-old,  or 
thereby;  and  ane  gray  mear,  about  fyve-year-old." 
Fraser  tracked  the  horses  across  the  river  Enerick 
to  Buntait,  and  thence  to  Comarkirktown,  in  Strath- 
glass,  possessed  by  John  and  Thomas  Chisholm. 
The  Chisholms  were  unable  to  clear  their  bounds  of 
the  track,  and  Fraser  at  once  assigned  his  claim 

1  Translation  by  Baillie  to  Grant,  recorded  in  Inverness  Commis- 
sary Books  on  4th  May,  1727. 

2  Gerron  :  Gaelic  gearran,  a  gelding. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  219 

.against  them  to  Major  James  Grant,  chamberlain 
of  Urquhart,  who  took  the  usual  proceedings  before 
the  Commissioners  of  Justiciary.  The  Chisholms, 
.although  apparently  innocent,  were  remiss  in  their 
defence,  and  were  found  liable  in  "  the  sum  of  ane 
hundred  and  nyntie  merks,  deponed  upon  by  the  said 
Thomas  Fraser  to  be  the  value  of  the  saids  horses 
and  mear,  together  with  the  sum  of  ane  hundred 
.and  ten  merks  in  lieu  of  the  dammadges  and 
expenses."  They  now,  when  too  late,  endeavoured 
to  push  the  track  beyond  their  own  lands,  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  it  to  the  bounds  of  Corin- 
draihk,  and  thence  to  Guisachan,  the  property  of 
William  Fraser,  to  whom  they  gave,'  the  customary 
intimation.  The  latter  cleared  himself  by  following 
it  across  the  mountains  "  to  the  bounds  and  grazings 
of  Lundie  in  Glenmoriston,  possessed  by  Patrick 
Grant  of  Craskie,  and  Alexander  Grant  there,  and 
Patrick  Grant  in  Coineachan,"  whom  we  have  seen 
in  a  similarly  suspicious  position  in  1698.  The 
Grants  received  the  usual  notice,  but,  "  notwith- 
standing the  trackers  stayed  and  resided  upon  the 
saids  bounds  the  ordinary  tyme  appointed  in  such 
cases,  yet  they  [the  Grants]  could  not  purge  the  same 
track  from  off  their  bounds."  The  Chisholms  accord- 
ingly caused  a  summons  to  be  served  on  them  on 
12th  May,  1702,  for  the  amounts  in  which  they 
themselves  had  been  found  liable  to  the  chamberlain 
of  Urquhart.  The  case  came  before  the  Commis- 
•sioners,  within  the  tolbooth  of  Inverness,  on  the 
-26th,  when  the  Grants  were  defended  by  a  lawyer 


220        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

named  John  Taylor,  who  "  gave  in  certain  defences 
in  wreitt,  against  the  officer,  against  the  citationes 
being  one  fewer  than  fyfteen  dayes,  and  the 
citationes  being  generall  as  to  the  tyme  of  stealling 
of  the  horses,  collours,  etc.,  of  them,  and  craveing 
expenses  in  respect  of  the  said  informalities. ' '  Unfor- 
tunately for  the  Chisholms,  the  lawyer's  pleadings 
prevailed.  The  Commissioners  found  that  the  sum- 
mons had  not  been  validly  served,  and  ordered  the 
defenders  to  be  cited  of  new.1  The  subsequent 
proceedings,  if  such  there  were,  have  not  been  pre- 
served. 

Patrick  Dubh  Grant  of  Craskie,  whose  name 
appears  in  these  writs,  was  at  one  time,  says  tradi- 
tion, spoiled  of  a  number  of  cattle  by  a  party  of 
Macmillans  from  Loch-Arkaig-side.  Pursuing  the 
reivers,  with  his  brother  and  his  friends,  he  overtook 
them  at  Corri-nam-Bronag,  between  Glen-Loyne 
and  Tomdoun  in  Glengarry.  When  he  demanded 
restitution  of  the  cattle,  he  got  the  reply,  c  You 
may  take  them,  if  you  can."  He  tried,  and  suc- 
ceeded; but  in  the  struggle  several  fell  on  both 
sides.  The  Macmillans  still  lie  in  the  Corrie,  where 
twTelve  cairns  mark  their  graves.  The  Glenmoriston 
slain  were  brought  home,  and  buried  with  their 
kindred  in  Clachan  Mherchaird. 

But  the  most  notable  event  of  those  stormy 
times,  connected  with  our  Parish,  was  the  Eaid  of 
Inchbrine,  which  occurred  in  1691  or  1692. 2  The 

1  Precept  of  Relief,  Chisholms  v.  Grants,  at  Erchless  Castle. 

2  James  Grant  of  Shewglie,  who  was  killed  in  the  raid,  was  alive  on 
14th  May,  1691.     No  reference  to  him  has  been  found  after  that  date. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  221 

story,  as  handed  down  by  tradition,  is  as  follows. 
Twenty  years  or  more  before  the  Eaid,  a  vagrant 
woman  from  Lochaber  arrived  at  Shewglie,  and 
was  provided  with  food  and  shelter  for  the 
night.  Before  morning  she  gave  birth  to  a  boy, 
whom  the  goodwife  of  Shewglie  offered  to  keep  and 
rear.  The  mother  consented,  and  went  her  way. 
The  boy  grew  up  unchristened,  and,  as  he  tended 
Shewglie' s  cattle,  he  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart — the  Black  Lad  of  the  Cows. 
His  young  companions  taunted  him  with  his  origin, 
and  made  his  life  miserable;  and  at  last  he  left 
Shewglie,  and  made  his  way  to  Lochaber.  The 
Lochabermen  soon  brought  his  knowledge  of  Glen- 
Urquhart  into  requisition;  and  under  his  guidance 
a  party  proceeded  to  the  Glen  in  search  of  plunder. 
Crossing  the  mountains,  they  passed  by  Shewglie, 
and  came  suddenly  to  Inchbrine,  while  the  people 
were  absent  in  the  distant  peat  moss.  Hurriedly 
lifting  a  large  number  of  cattle,  they  retraced  their 
steps  along  the  old  path  leading  through  Corribuy 
and  across  Glen-Coilty.  Summoned  from  the  moss, 
the  men  of.  the  Braes  speedily  gathered  at  the 
house  of  James  Grant  of  Shewglie,  and  requested 
that  he  should  lead  them  against  the  invaders. 
Shewglie,  whom  we  have  seen  distinguishing  him- 
self at  Killicrankie,  had  not  a  drop  of  coward's  blood 
in  his  veins;  but  the  followers  of  the  Gille  Dubh 
were  more  numerous  than  the  Urquhart  men  who  had 
hastily  met,  and  he  advised  delay  until  more  were  got 
together.  "  I  will  follow  the  Lochabermen," 


222        UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

exclaimed  his  impulsive  wife,  Hannah  Fraser,  "  and 
you  may  stay  at  home  and  ply  the  distaff. ' '  Smarting 
under  the  taunt,  he  bade  his  men  follow  him,  and  set 
out  after  the  raiders,  whom  he  overtook  on  a  small 
rocky  plateau,  lying  to  the  south  of  the  burn  of  Corri- 
buy,  ever  since  known  as  Cam  Mharbh  Dhaoine — the 
Eock  of  the  Dead  Men.  The  Gille  Dubh  stepped  out 
to  meet  his  late  master.  "  I  did  not  expect,"  said 
the  latter,  ' '  that  you  would  be  the  one  to  lift  cattle  in 
Glen-Urquhart."  :c  Nor  I,"  replied  the  young  man,, 
' '  that  you  would  be  the  one  to  follow  me,  seeing  I  have 
taken  none  of  yours."  On  Shewglie's  account  the 
spoil  was  at  once  given  up,  and  the  men  of  Urquhart 
turned  their  faces  towards  their  Glen.  They  had 
proceeded  but  a  few  paces  when  a  hare  started  from 
among  the  heather  and  ran  across  the  moor  between 
the  two  parties.  Kenneth  Macdonald,  from  Meiklie- 
na-h-Aitnich,  raised  his  gun  and  fired  at  it.  The  shot 
had  no  effect  on  the  hare,  which  was  believed  to  be  a 
witch,  but  it  brought  disaster  on  Kenneth  and  his  com- 
panions. The  Lochabermen  thought  it  was  intended 
for  themselves,  and  returned  the  fire.  A  desperate 
fight  followed.  For  a  time  the  Urquhart  men  kept 
their  ground,  and  several  of  their  opponents  fell;  but 
in  the  end  they  were  forced  to  fly,  leaving  eight  of 
their  number,  including  Shewglie,  dead  in  the  heather. 
The  Lochabermen  not  only  took  possession  of  the 
cattle  again,  but  they  also  returned  to  Shewglie  and 
took  every  hoof  belonging  to  that  township.  Hannah 
Fraser,  weeping  over  the  result  of  her  rashness, 
approached  the  Gille  Dubh  and  appealed  for  mercy. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  223- 

"  Kemember,"  said  she,  "that  I  long  befriended  you, 
and  that  I  am  now  a  widow,  and  about  to  become  the 
mother  of  a  fatherless  child."     There  was  no  mercy 
in  his  reply  : — "  Ma  tha  thu  trom,  beir  searrach!" 
"  If  you  are  with  child,  bear  a  foal !" 

The  people  of  Glen-Urquhart  removed  their  dead 
from  Corribuy,  and  raised  cairns  on  the  spots  where 
the  bodies  were  found.  These  still  stand,  one  larger 
than  the  others  marking  the  place  where  Shewglie 
fell.1 

The  lady  whom  Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart  so  grossly 
insulted  was  in  due  time  delivered  of  a  son,  who 
early  dreamt  of  avenging  her  wrongs.  At  last, 
when  he  had  reached  manhood,  he  rode  alone  to 
Lochaber,  and  came  to  the  Gille  Dubh's  house  late  in 
the  evening.  His  request  for  quarters  for  the  night 
was  readily  granted  by  that  worthy,  who,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  rules  of  Highland  hospitality,  refrained 
from  enquiring  who  he  was  or  whence  he  had  come. 
Finding  the  young  man  entertaining,  the  Gille  Dubh 
conversed  with  him  on  the  deeds  of  former  days  till 
far  into  the  night.  Grant  alluded  to  the  Eaid  of 
Inchbrine,  and  induced  his  host  to  relate  the  story. 
When  the  tale  was  told,  the  young  man  sprang  to  his 
feet  and  exclaimed,  '  The  hour  of  vengeance  has 
now  arrived."  "  Who  are  you?"  angrily  demanded 
the  Gille  Dubh.  'I,"  replied  Grant,  "  am  the  foal 

l  The  Raid  of  Inchbrine  was  further  commemorated  in  a  lament, 
the  words  of  which  the  Author  has  been  unable  to  recover,  with  the 
exception  of  the  first  two  lines  :  — 

'S  aim  maduinn  Diardaoin 

Thog-  iad  Creach  Innse-Bhraoin. 
(It  was  on  a  Thursday  morning1  that  they  took  the  spoil  of  Inchbrine). 


224        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

which  the  goodwife  of  Shewglie  carried  on  the  day 
-of  the  Eaid  of  Inchbrine;"  and,  with  these  words, 
he  plunged  his  dirk  into  the  man's  heart.  Bushing 
out  of  the  house,  he  leapt  into  his  saddle,  and  was  far 
on  his  way  to  Urquhart  ere  the  morning  light  fell  on 
the  lifeless  body  of  Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart.1 

1  We  find  frequent  references  at  this  time  to  the  unsettled  state  of 
the  country.  Writing  in  June,  1691,  to  Hay  of  Park,  Sir  Hugh 
Campbell  of  Cawdor,  after  giving  an  account  of  raids  made  upon  him- 
self and  his  neighbours  by  Lochabermen,  concludes: — "  I  tell  you 
these  things  anent  the  condition  of  the  country  that  you  may  let  my 
good  Lord  Crawford  know  the  case  we  are  in,  that  so  the  Lords  of 
Counsel  may  take  us  under  their  care  and  particular  protection,  and 
if  their  Lordships  would  please  to  order  the  Governor  of  Inverness  or 
the  Commander-in-Chief  to  lodge  one  hundred  men  at  Dunmaglass, 
and  as  many,  or  more,  at  Aberarder,  with  a  troop  of  dragoons  (there 
is  plenty  of  grass  in  that  country)  they  would  do  much  to  secure  us 
and  all  betwixt  Spey  and  Ness,  unless  the  Highlanders  would  draw  to 
a  head  again,  which  we  are  boasted — in  which  case  those  little  garri- 
sons of  Aberarder  and  Dunmaglass  may  easily  in  two  hours'  time 
retire  to  Inverness  without  danger." 

Cawdor's  suggestion  was  ignored,  and  a  similar  suggestion  made 
eight  years  later  by  Lord  Tarbat  for  the  protection  of  the  country 
lying  to  the  north  of  Loch  Ness  met  the  same  fate.  "  When  I  retired 
to  the  North,"  sa;d  his  Lordship,  writing  to  the  Lord  Chancellor  in 
May,  1699,  "I  saw  all  people  quiet  in  great  part;  only  the  Highland 
robbers  were  doing  hurt  to  many  of  the  peaceable  subjects,  whereof 
and  of  a  suitable  remedy  as  to  the  five  northern  shires  and  a  part  of 
Nairn  I  acquainted  your  lordship.  And  I  do  yet  wish  that  the  post- 
ing of  some  80  or  100  of  the  forces  from  April  to  December  twixt 
Invermoriston  at  the  East,  and  the  head  of  Lochourn  at  the  West  Sea, 
may  be  ordered,  which  would  save  these  shires  who'  now  repine  that 
the  soldiers,  who  live  in  sloth  and  idleness,  are  not  doing  this  good 
office  to  a  considerable  part  of  the  nation,  who  give  their  money  as 
frankly  as  any  do  for  pay  to  these  forces."  It  was  left  to  Simon,  Lord 
Lovat,  to  carry  Tarbat's  idea  into  effect.  General  Wade  reported  in 
1725  that  "the  new-raised  companies  of  Highlanders  .  .  .  were  sent 
to  their  respective  stations  with  proper  orders;  as  well  to  prevent  the 
Highlanders  from  returning  to  the  use  of  arms,  as  to  hinder  their 
committing  depredations  on  the  low  country.  The  Lord  Lovat's  com- 
pany was  posted  to  guard  all  the  passes  in  the  mountains  from  the 
Isle  of  Skye  eastward,  as  far  as  Inverness." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  225 


CHAPTEE     XIII 

1693—1736 

IF  airs  Established  in  Glen-Urquhart. — Erection  of  the  Regality 
of  Grant. — Sir  Ludovick  Grant  acquires  Abriachan,  Cul- 
nakirk,  and  Clunemore. — He  makes  over  Urquhart  to 
Brigadier  Grant. — The  Brigadier's  Career. — The  Fifteen. 
—The  Brigadier  on  the  side  of  King  George. — The  Men 
of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  support  the  Chevalier. — 
Glengarry  and  Glenmoriston  in  Argyll. — Sheriff  muir. — 
Keppoch's  Raid  on  Urquhart. — The  Brigadier  and  tbs 
Jacobites  of  Urquhart. — Attainder  of  Iain  a'  Chragain. — 
Invermoriston  House  Burnt,  and  Glenmoriston  Forfeited. 
— The  Forfeited  Estates  Commissioners  and  their 
Difficulties.— The  Court  of  Sir  Patrick  Strachan.— The 
Battle  of  Glenshiel. — The  Commissioners'  Factors. — The 
Factors  in  Glenmoriston. — Patrick  Grant  joins  Donald 
Murchison. — The  Fight  of  Ath-nam-Muileach. — General 
Wade.— Fort-Augustus  Built.— Wade's  Roads.— Galley 
placed  on  Loch  Ness. — Glenmoriston  purchased  for  Iain  a' 
Chragain. — The  Price  and  its  Application. — Iain  a' 
Chragain 's  Death. — His  Career  and  Character. 

ALTHOUGH  Sir  Ludovick  Grant  failed  in  his  endeavours 
to  get  pecuniary  compensation  from  the  Government 
for  his  own  and  his  tenants'  losses  in  connection  with 
the  Ee volution,  certain  privileges  were  conferred 
upon  him  which  in  that  age  were  not  without  value. 
On  15th  June,  1693,  Parliament  passed  an  Act 
appointing  <;'  ane  free  fair,"  to  be  called  "  Louis 
Faire  "  after  himself,1  to  be  held  at  the  church  of 

1  Ludovick  is  a  form  of  Lewis,  or  Louis. 

15 


226        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Kilmore,  in  Urquhart,  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  August 
in  each  year,  and  another,  to  be  called  "  Lady  Fair,'y 
in  honour  of  his  wife,  to  be  held  yearly,  in  November,, 
at  the  same  place.  To  these  fairs  all  might  "  resort 
for  buying  and  selling  of  bestiall  and  all  sorts  of  mer- 
chant commodities  whatsumever  that  shall  be  brought 
thereto  be  any  persones;"  and  the  Laird  and  his- 
successors  were  to  receive  "  the  haill  tolls,  customs, 
emoluments,  profits,  and  dueties  belonging  or  that  by 
the  laws  and  practiques  of  this  realme  belongs  or 
appertaines  to  any  in  the  like  caices,  to  be  collected 
and  ingathered  be  him,  his  tacksmen,  servants,  or 
collectors,  to  be  appointed  by  him  for  that  effect."1 
On  28th  February,  1694,  his  claims  upon  the  King 
were  further  acknowledged  by  the  grant  of  a  crown 
charter  erecting  his  whole  lands,  including  the  Barony 
of  Urquhart,  as  well  as  the  Barony  of  Corrimony,  the 
feudal  superiority  of  which  he  possessed,  into  the 
Eegality  of  Grant.2 

1  Acts  of  Parliament,  IX.,  App.,  93. 

2  Ibid.  X.,  p.  93.     The  Regality  embraced  inter  alia  "  the  lands 
and  barony  of  Urquhart,  viz.,  Bordland  [Borlum]  with  the  fortalice 
thereof,  6  merkland  of  Kill  St  Ninian  with  the  mill,  6  merkland  of 
Kerrogar,  6  merkland  of  Dmmboy,  3  merkland  of  Wester  Boimload, 
3  merkland  of  Mid  Bounload,  3  merkland  of  Easter  Bounload,  6  merk- 
land of  Bahnakaan,  6  merkland  of  Garthali,  6  merkland  of  Polmalie 
and  Delshange,  Little  Clune,  9  merkland  of  the  Three  Inchbrenes,  3 
merkland  of  Meikle  Diviagh,  with  the  office  of  forester  of  the  forest  of 
Clunie,  with  the  shealine's  thereof,  in  the  Lordship  of  Urquhart  and 
shire   of   Inverness,   erected  of  old   into   one  free  barony  called  the 
Barony  of  Urquhart,  reserving  to  their  Majesties  and  their  successors 
the  property  of  the  forest  of    Clunie,  with  the  shealings  thereof;  and 
also  the  forty  shilling  land  of  new  extent  of  Bounload,  in  the  Barony 
of  Urquhart  and  shire  of  Inverness,  and  the  advocation,  donation,  and 
right    of  patronage  of  the  benefice  of  the  Chancellory  of  Moray,  com- 
prehending  the   churches   of   Inverawin,    Kirkmichell,    Knockandoch, 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  227 

• 

Sir  Ludovick,  also,  notwithstanding  his  troubles 
and  losses,  found  opportunities  of  acquiring  new 
estates.  He  purchased  Abriachan  from  Alexander 
Fraser  of  Kinnerras  in  1695,  and  Culnakirk  and 
Clunemore  from  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  in  the 
following  year;  and  having  thus  consolidated  his 
possessions  in  the  district  of  Loch  Ness,  he  made 
them  over  in  1699  to  his  eldest  son,  Colonel  Alexander 
Grant,  on  the  occasion  of  the  latter 's  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Stewart.1  The  Laird  retained  his  other 
estates  until  his  death  in  1716. 

Alexander  Grant  was  a  man  of  considerable  note 
in  his  time.  He  represented  the  County  of  Inverness 
in  Parliament  for  several  years,  took  an  active  part 
in  the  negotiations  for  the  union  with  England,  and 
was  one  of  the  Scottish  commissioners  who  signed  the 
Articles  of  Union  in  1706.  He  was  a  brave  soldier 
and  a  capable  officer,  and  saw  much  service  in  the 
wars  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  under  whom  he 
received  rapid  promotion,  until,  in  1711,  he  was 
raised,  "for  his  loyalty,  courage,  and  experience," 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  In  January,  1715, 
he  became  governor  of  the  fortress  of  Sheerness,  and, 

TJrquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  and  parish  churches  of  Cromdaill.,  Advie, 
Abernethie,  Kincardin,  and  Dutchell,  rectories  and  vicarages  of  the 
same,  in  the  diocese  of  Moray,  and  shires  of  Inverness  and  Elgin  and 
Forres,  united  to  the  foresaid  lands  of  Easter  Bounload  in  the  barony 
of  Urquhart  and  shire  of  Inverness;  and  in  like  manner  the  lands  and 
barony  of  Corriemonie,  comprehending1  the  £4  lands  of  Corriemonie, 
and  £'4  lands  of  Morall,  and  £8  lands  of  Four  Meiklies,  40s  lands  of 
Lochletter,  40s  lands  of  Auchatemrach,  40s  lands  of  Diviagh,  40s  lands 
of  Little  Cloyne,  and  the  half  lands  of  Cloyne  Meikle,  and  40s  lands  of 
Pitchirrellcroy,  extending  in  all  to  a  £27  laud,  in  the  lordship  of 
Urquhart  and  shire  of  Inverness." 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  501. 


228        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

• 

on  the  outbreak  of  the  Jacobite  insurrection  of  that 
year,  captain  of  the  castle  of  Edinburgh.  On  the 
19th  of  August  he  was  appointed  lord-lieutenant  of 
the  counties  of  Inverness  and  Banff. 

During  the  latter  years  of  the  reign  of  Queen 
Anne,  the  Tory  or  Jacobite  party  made  little  attempt 
to  conceal  their  intention  of  bringing  about  the 
restoration  of  the  Stewarts  on  her  death.  Her  some- 
what sudden  end  in  August,  1714,  however,  found 
them  unprepared;  and,  with  few  exceptions,  they 
appeared  to  acquiesce  in  the  accession  of  George  the 
First.  The  Earl  of  Mar,  who  had  great  influence  in 
the  North,  offered  his  services  to  George,  and  obtained 
from  a  number  of  Highland  chieftains,  including  The 
Chisholm  and  Iain  a'  Chragain,  Laird  of  Glenmoriston, 
a  letter  entreating  him  to  assure  the  Government 
of  their  loyalty  to  His  Majesty.1  But  these 
professions  were  only  intended  to  deceive.  In 
August,  1715,  the  Earl  held  the  famous  Hunting  of 
Braemar,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  rise  in  arms 
for  James,  son  of  James  the  Seventh.  Glengarry 
was  present  at  the  Hunting,  and  so  also,  it  is  said, 
was  his  neighbour,  Iain  a'  Chragain.  They  were 
old  companions  in  arms,  for  they  had  fought  side  by 
side  for  James5  father  at  Killicrankie.  The  Laird  of 
Grant  and  the  Brigadier  were  enthusiastic  Whigs, 
but  that  circumstance  did  not  prevent  their  clans- 
men and  tenants  taking  up  the  Stewart  cause. 
Under  the  banner  of  Glengarry  were  found  Iain  a' 

1  Collection  of  Original  Letters  and  Authentick  Papers  relating  t<: 
the  Rebellion  of  1715,  5. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARIS!?  229 

Chragain  and  his  men  of  Glenmoriston,  as  well  as  a 
company  from  Glen-Urquhart,  under  the  command  of 
Macdonald  of  Aught  era,  near  Fort- Augustus,  with 
Alexander  Cumming,  a  brother  of  Dulshangie,  and 
William  Grant,  a  son  of  Corrimony,  as  his  lieutenants.1 
Alexander  Grant  of  Shewglie,  son  of  that  Shewglie 
who  fell  at  Corribuy,  privately  exercised  his  influence 
in  favour  of  the  Stewarts.2 

The  story  of  The  Fifteen  may  be  briefly  told. 
Mar  unfurled  his  standard  early  in  September,  and, 
marching  southward,  seized  Perth,  which  he  made 
his  headquarters.  He  was  opposed  by  John,  Duke 
of  Argyll,  commander-in-chief  of  King  George's 
forces  in  Scotland.  Glengarry  and  Glenmoriston 
were  sent  into  Argyll  with  five  hundred  men, 
to  raise  the  Jacobites  of  that  county,  and  seize 
Inveraray.  They  met  with  no  success,  and  in 
November  they  joined  Mar — whose  forces  had 
already  been  increased  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Chisholms  and  other  northern  clans — in  time  to 
take  part  in  the  battle  of  Sheriff muir.  In  that 
strange  conflict  the  right  wing  of  each  army  was 
victorious,  and  the  left  defeated;  and  both  sides 
claimed  the  victory.  But  while  the  immediate  issue 
was  doubtful,  the  result  of  the  battle,  and  of  the 
defeat,  on  the  same  day,  of  Mackintosh  of  Borlum's 
army  in  England,  was  to  break  the  back  of  the 
insurrection.  Mar's  army  melted  away;  and,  not- 
withstanding the  appearance  on  the  scene  of  James 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  II.,  95. 
2  Memorial,  dated  1746,  at  Castle  Grant. 


230        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

himself,  the  Eising  of  the  Fifteen  speedily  came  to 
an  end.  During  its  course  Macdonald  of  Keppoch 
entered  Glen-Urquhart  with  three  hundred  men, 
committed  great  outrages,  and  carried  off  a  large 
booty.1 

The  conduct  of  the  men  who  had  gone  from  Glen- 
Urquhart  to  join  the  Jacobite  army  gave  their  landlord, 
Brigadier  Grant,  excessive  annoyance,  and  he  vowed 
vengeance  against  them.  :c  By  what  information  I 
can  get  from  some  prisoners  taken  at  Dunblaine,"  he 
wrote  from  Stirling  to  his  brother,  Captain  George 
Grant,  on  22nd  December,  "  I  find  there  were  some 
of  the  Urquhart  men  with  the  rebels.  The  company 
was  commanded  by  McDonald  of  Aughtera;  Del- 
shangie's  brother,  Alexander  Cumming,  was  lieu- 
tenant, and  Corriemonie's  sone  William  Grant,  were 
officers.  I  have  a  list  of  severalls  of  the  private  men 
which  I  need  not  send,  since  you'l  gett  them  from 
Clury  [Grant,  Clury,  the  factor  of  Urquhart]  or 
Sheugly.  I  hope,  whatever  corns  of  others,  you  will, 
with  my  other  friends,  take  care  that  these  men  of 
myn  be  secured;  be  shure  you  take  no  baile  for  them. 
If  they'r  not  able  to  maintain  themselves,  I  desire 
you'l  at  my  charge  lett  them  have  a  penny  worth  of 
bread  a  day,  and  that  without  respect  of  persons  or 
relations;  for,  as  far  as  it's  possible  for  me,  I  will 
prosecute  them  and  endeavour  to  make  examples  of 
them,  that  so  future  ages  shall  stand  in  aw  of  following 
there  footsteps.  For  if  they  should  escape,  I  think 

1  Major  Eraser's  Manuscript,  II.,  71;  Arbuthnot's  Life  of  Lovat, 
215. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  231 

others  would  be  the  readier  to  imitate  them. 
Besides,  with  me  its  ane  aggravation  of  their  guilt 
that  they  joyn'd  the  Laird  of  Glengarry;  and  for 
that  reason  I  hope  my  friends  will  be  at  some  pains 
to  secure  these  rebells,  but  lett  [it]  be  so  cautiously 
manadg'd  that  the  execution  of  it  may  be  all  at  the 
same  tym.  Fm  told  that  John  Grant  in  Divach  has 
been  a  very  turbulent  fellow  on  this  occasion.  I 
therefore  desire  that  he  may  be  keept  prisoner,  and 
not  allow'd  his  liberty  upon  baile,  as  I  hear  he 
purposes;  and  at  the  same  tym  lett  him  be  warn'd 
out  of  what  land  he  possesses  of  myn  again  [against] 
the  next  term.  So  give  your  orders  to  Clury  anent 
it."  The  Brigadier  himself  soon  followed  this  angry 
letter,  and  placed  soldiers  in  the  houses  of  Erchless, 
Brahan,  and  Borlum  near  Inverness.  His  visit  to 
Urquhart  was  not  so  disastrous  to  his  offending 
tenants  as  they  had  probably  expected. 

In  the  Act  of  Attainder  passed  by  Parliament 
after  the  suppression  of  the  insurrection,  John  Grant 
of  Glemnoriston,  The  Chisholm,  and  Alexander 
Macdonald  of  Glengarry,  are  named  among  those 
who  had  taken  up  arms  against  King  George,  and 
were  to  stand  and  be  adjudged  attainted  of  high 
treason  if  they  did  not  surrender  themselves  for 
trial  on  or  before  1st  June,  1716.  Glengarry  sur- 
rendered, and  was  pardoned.  Glenmoriston  and  The 
Chisholm  held  out;  and  in  their  cases  the  attainder 
took  effect,  and  their  estates  w^ere  forfeited.  Inver- 
moriston  House  was  given  to  the  flames  by  the 
Whig  soldiers,  and,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Eevolution, 


232        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Iain  a'  Chragain  had  to  betake  himself  to  the- 
natural  fastnesses  of  that  glen  which,  legally,  he- 
could  no  longer  call  his  own.  A  cave  in  the  face- 
of  a  rock  overhanging  the  river  Moriston,  near  the 
fall  of  Eas-Iararaidh,  is  still  pointed  out  as  his 
favourite  retreat  until  the  King's  general  amnesty 
in  1717  made  it  safe  for  him  to  appear  in  public. 

The  estate  of  Glenmoriston — now  once  again 
Crown  property — was,  together  with  the  lands 
of  The  Chisholm,  the  Earl  of  Seaforth,  and 
other  attainted  landowners,  placed  by  Parliament 
under  the  management  of  the  Forfeited  Estates- 
Commissioners.  Those  gentlemen  did  not  find  their 
task  an  easy  one.  The  tenants,  in  most  cases, 
adhered  loyally  to  their  old  proprietors,  and  refused 
to  pay  rent  to  the  representatives  of  the  Crown. 
The  story  of  Donald  Murchison,  Seaforth' s  cham- 
berlain, collecting  the  rents  of  Kintail,  and  sending 
them  to  the  Earl  on  the  Continent,  is  well  known. 
In  a  similar  manner  Iain  a'  Chragain  practically 
continued  to  enjoy  his  old  patrimony.  The  great 
bulk  of  his  estate  was  found  by  the  Commissioners- 
to  be  in  the  occupancy  of  his  near  relatives,  under 
rights  which  it  was  difficult  to  set  aside.  His- 
brother  Patrick  held  the  lands  of  Coineachan  and 
Bealla-Do,  under  a  wadset  for  2000  merks  Scots. 
Patrick  Grant  of  Craskie  had  a  similar  right  to* 
Craskie  and  Tomcraskie,  in  security  of  3000  merks. 
Angus  or  ^Eneas  Grant  possessed  Duldreggan  under, 
a  wadset  for  3000  merks.  John  Macdonald  held 
Dulchreichart  in  securitv  of  500  merks.  The  Laird' & 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  233 

brother,  Duncan,  had  Wester  Inverwick,  in  security 
of  1000  merks;  his  son-in-law,  Alexander  Grant  of 
Shewglie,  tenanted  Glenfad,  and  retained  the  rent 
on  account  of  the  interest  of  two  sums  of  2000  merks 
and  £200  Scots  due  to  him;  and,  to  crown  all,  his 
own  wife,  the  daughter. of  Sir  Ewen  of  Lochiel,  was 
tenant  of  the  home  farms  of  Invermoriston  and 
Blairie  in  virtue  of  some  right  granted  to  her  before 
the  Eising,  as  a  safeguard,  probably,  against  mis- 
fortune.1 

In  addition  to  these  legal  difficulties,  the  officers  of 
the  Commissioners  ran  considerable  risk  of  personal 
violence  in  the  performance  of  their  duties ;  and, 
when  their  surveyor-general,  Sir  Patrick  Strachan 
of  Glenkindy,  came  north  to  make  enquiry  concern- 
ing the  lands  of  Glenmoriston  and  their  rental,  he 
did  not  venture  within  the  bounds  of  our  Parish,  but 
held  his  court  on  the  Green  of  Muirtown  in 
Inverness.  In  response  to  his  summons,  the  Glen- 
moriston wadsetters  and  tenants  met  him  there  on 
29th  October,  1718,  and  on  oath  declared  the  rents 
and  duties  payable  by  them.  As  so  ascertained,  the 
total  yearly  value  of  the  whole  estate  amounted  only 
to  £691  16s  8d  Scots!2 

Eumours  of  a  Spanish  invasion  in  the  interest 
of  the  Chevalier  encouraged  the  Glenmoriston 
tenantry,  led  by  their  old  Laird  and  his  sons,  to 
continue  to  defy  the  Commissioners;  but  their  hopes 

1  Forfeited  Estates  Papers,   in  Register  House,   Edinburgh. 
2  Ibid.  ' 


234  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

were  almost  destroyed  when,  in  1719,  General 
Wightman,  marching  from  Inverness  by  Strath- 
Derrick,  Kil-Chuimein,  and  Glenmoriston,1  defeated 
the  Spaniards  in  Glenshiel.  Still,  however,  no  rents 
found  their  way  into  the  coffers  of  the  Commissioners, 
and  so,  to  end  the  farce,  two  resolute  Eoss-shire 
Whigs — William  Eoss  of  Easter  Fearn,  ex-provost 
of  Tain,  and  his  brother,  Eobert  Eoss,  one  of  the 
bailies  of  that  burgh2 — were  appointed  factors  on 
the  estates  of  Seaforth,  Chisholm,  and  Glenmoriston, 
in  October,  1720,  with  instructions  to  bring  them 
effectually  under  Government  control.  The  factors 
began  quietly  by  serving  the  tenants  with  demands 
for  payment  of  their  rents.  The  notices  were  treated 
with  contempt,  and  they  therefore  resolved  to  visit 
the  estates  in  person.  Starting  from  Inverness,  on 
13th  September,  1721,  under  the  escort  of  Lieu- 
tenant John  Allardyce  and  a  company  of  the  Eoyal 
Eegiment  of  North  British  Fusiliers,  and  proceeding 
through  Glen-Urquhart,  they  reached  Invermoriston 
"  after  some  adventures,"  and  there  held  a  court  on 
the  21st,  to  which  they  summoned  the  wadsetters 
and  tenants.  A  few  only  obeyed.  Easter  Fearn 
acted  as  baron-bailie,  or  judge  :  his  brother  took  the 
part  of  prosecutor,  and  formally  demanded  payment 
of  the  rents  of  the  crops  for  the  years  1715  to  1721, 
inclusive.  Some  of  the  tenants  admitted  that  the 
amounts  claimed  were  due,  and  the  baron-bailie  gave 
judgment  against  them.  Others  swore  that,  not- 
withstanding the  forfeiture,  they  had  paid  their 

Uacobite  Lairds  of  Gask,  461.         2  Taylor's  History  of  Tain,  89. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  235 

ren^s  to  the  old  Laird — a  few  adding  by  way  of 
•excuse  that  they  were  "  stressed  thereto."  The 
cases  of  those  who  had  paid  to  the  Laird  were 
referred  to  the  decision  of  the  Commissioners;  while 
the  absent  tenants  were  "  held  as  confessed/3  and 
judgment  given  against  them.1 

But  these  proceedings  were  of  little  avail.  Among 
those  who  watched  them  was  Iain  a'  Chragain's 
second  son,  Patrick,  a  young  lad  of  spirit,  who  bore 
no  love  to  the  gentlemen  of  Easter  Eoss,  and  whose 
great  ambition  was  to  cut  short  their  factorial  career. 
When  they  left  Invermoriston,  with  the  intention  of 
visiting  Strathglass  and  Kintail,  Patrick,  with  a  few 
kindred  spirits,  took  the  short  route  by  the  Braes  of 
Glenmoriston  to  the  West  Coast,  and  informed 
Donald  Murchison  of  their  approach.  Murchison, 
who  had  had  some  military  experience  as  an  officer 
in  the  Jacobite  army,  resolved  that  they  should  not 
enter  the  bounds  of  the  Seaforth  country;  and,  with 
.about  three  hundred  men,  and  accompanied  by 
Patrick  Grant  and  his  companions,  he  crossed  the 
mountains  in  the  direction  of  Strathglass,  and  lay  in 
wait  for  them  in  the  heights  of  Glen-Affaric.  The 
factors,  having  held  courts  in  Strathglass,  started 
with  their  escort  for  Kintail.  But  their  progress 
was  stopped  at  Ath-nam-Muileach,  where  they  were 
suddenly  confronted  by  Murchison3 s  party.  After 
an  exchange  of  fire,  Easter  Fearn  and  Murchison 
met  between  the  lines,  with  the  result  that  the 
factors  retraced  their  steps,  leaving,  it  is  said,  their 

1  Forfeited  Estates  Papers,  in  Register  House. 


236        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

commission  in  Donald's  hands.  In  the  skirmish 
Easter  Fearn  and  his  son  Walter  and  several  others- 
were  wounded.  Walter  succumbed  to  his  injuries, 
and  his  body  was  carried  by  the  Fusiliers  to  Beauly, 
and  buried  within  the  walls  of  the  Priory. 

With  the  view  of  punishing  the  perpetrators  of 
this  outrage,  the  authorities  went  to  some  trouble  to- 
ascertain  who  were  present  with  Murchison.  On 
llth  and  20th  November,  Eobert  Gordon  of  Haugh, 
Sheriff-Depute  of  Inverness,  held  courts  of  enquiry 
at  Inverness,  at  which  witnesses  gave  the  names 
of  such  as  they  had  recognised — among  them  being 
Patrick  Grant,  and  Donald  Roy,  Achnaconeran,  son 
of  the  Glenmoriston  ground-officer.1  Similar  courts 
were  held  by  John  Baillie,  also  a  Sheriff-Depute,  at 
Guisachan  on  16th  November,  and  at  Duldreggan 
on  the  20th.2  But  these  enquiries  had  no  result. 
The  Glenmoriston  men  escaped  the  punishment 
which  was  intended  for  them,  and  Patrick  Grant  lived 
to  re-acquire  the  estate  of  his  forefathers,  which  he 
enjoyed  till  his  death,  at  a  great  age,  in  1786. 3 

1  Forfeited  Estates  Papers.  2  Ibid. 

3  The  following  fragment  of  a  spirited  old  ballad  on  the  skirmish 
of  Ath-nam-Muileach — The  Ford  of  the  Men  of  Mull — is  now  printed 
for  the  first  time.  According  to  tradition,  it  was  composed  by  a 
Beauly  woman  who  witnessed  the  return  of  the  factors  and  the  burial, 
of  Walter  Boss  :— 

Ud-ud  !     Ud-ud  !     Ud-ud-iain  ! 
Bu  tubaisteach  bhur  comhal, 
'Nuair  thachair  prasgan  ullamh  ruibh 
Aig  Ath-nam-Muileach  comhla. 

Gur  h-olc  a  chaidh  a'  chomhairle  leibh, 
'S  i  dh'fhag  bhur  gnothach  cearbach — 
Gun  deach  Fear  Fearn  a  mhaslachadh, 
'S  gun  deach  a  mhac  a  mharbhadh. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  237 

In  the  year  1724,  Government  sent  General 
Wade  into  the  Highlands  to  enquire  into  the  state 
of  the  country;  and,  as  the  result  of  his  report  and 
recommendations,  he  was  commissioned  to  disarm 
the  Highlanders,  and  to  carry  out  certain  sugges- 
tions which  he  had  made.  On  15th  September, 
1725,  the  men  of  Glenmoriston,  Glengarry,  and 
Strathglass  made  a  show  of  surrendering  their 
.arms  to  him  at  the  then  newly  erected  barrack  of 

Gun  deach  Fear  Fearn  a  mhaslachadh, 
'S  gun  deach  a  mhac  a  mharbhadh ; 
'S  gun  tug  sibh  mal  a'  Mharcuis  leibh 
Air  chupall  each  's  air  charbad  ! 

Gun  deach  Fear  Fearn  a  mhaslachadh, 
A's  chaidh  a  mhac  a  reubadh; 
'S  chaidh  luchd  nan  cota  daithte  'sin 
A  chasaid  a  Dhuin-Eideann  ! 

'Nuair  chunna  sibh  nach  b'urrainn  duibh 
Na  giullain  a  bh'aig  Domhnull, 
Gun  tug  sibh  an  commission  da 
A  fhuair  sibh  'ghibht  bho  Deorsa ! 

Guidheam  ceud  buaidh-thapaidh  leat, 
A  Dhomhnuill  ghasda,  ghleusda, 
A  Dhomhnuill  threubhaich,  churanta, 
Ni  feum  dhe  arm  's  dhe  eideadh  ! 

(Ud-ud.  Ud-ud  !  Ud-ud-iain  !  Awkward  was  your  [the  Whigs'] 
performance  on  the  day  on  which  the  sprightly  company  [of  Jacobites] 
met  you  at  Ath-nam-Muileach.  Bad  was  the  result  of  your  consulta- 
tion :  it  brought  your  errand  to  a  feeble  end;  Fearn  was  disgraced,  and 
his  son  was  slain.  Fearn  was  disgraced,  and  his  son  was  slain;  and 
you  carried  the  rent  of  the  Marquis  [of  Seaforth]  with  you  on  a  bier 
between  two  horses  !  [A  sarcastic  allusion  to  the  fact  that,  instead  of 
returning  with  the  rent,  they  returned  with  young  Fearn's  dead  body.] 
Fearn  was  disgraced,  and  his  son  was  mangled;  and  the  men  of  the 
coloured  coats  went  to  Edinburgh  to  complain  !  When  you  saw  that 
you  could  not  cope  with  Donald's  youths,  you  gave  up  to  him  the  com- 
mission which  you  received  in  gift  from  [King]  George !  I  wish  you 
a  hundred  brave  victories,  O  Donald  the  good  and  expert,  Donald  the 
bold  and  valorous,  who  can  put  arms  and  accoutrements  to  proper  use  !) 


URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

Kil-Chumein,  or  Fort-Augustus;  but  they  concealed 
their  best  weapons,  and  only  gave  up  such  as  were 
of  little  use.  Wade,  following  the  example  of 
Cromwell,  placed  on  Loch  Ness  a  galley,  capable  of 
carrying  fifty  or  sixty  soldiers;  an  independent 
company  of  Highlanders,  raised  by  the  then  effu- 
sively loyal  Simon,  Lord  Lovat,  was  placed  along 
a  line  stretching  from  Invermoriston  to  Loch  Duich, 
with  the  object  of  preventing  the  passage  of  cattle- 
lifters  from  the  countries  of  the  Macdonalds  and 
Lochiel;  and,  most  important  of  all,  those  military 
roads  which  still  bear  the  General's  name,  were 
gradually  constructed — one  of  them  running  from 
Fort-Augustus  across  the  hills  to  Aonach  in  Glen- 
moriston,  and  thence  westward  to  Glenelg. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  measures,  the  Forfeited 
Estates  Commissioners  found  it  impossible  to  make 
the  lands  under  their  charge  of  any  value  to  the 
public,  and  their  sale  was  at  last  decided  on.  In 
most  cases  friends  took  means  to  secure  their  restora- 
tion to  the  old  owners,  and  the  kindly  clannishness 
of  the  Gael  precluded  competition  by  outsiders. 
After  more  than  one  attempt  to  dispose  of  the 
estate  of  Glenmoriston  by  public  auction,  the 
Commissioners  sold  it  privately  to  the  Laird  of 
Grant's  second  son,  Ludovick,  a  young  advocate  who 
was  at  the  time  known  as  Ludovick  Colquhoun  of 
Luss,  he  having  succeeded  to  that  property  through 
his  mother.  The  deed  of  sale  was  signed  on  3rd 
December,  1730.  Ludovick's  entry  was  held  to- 
have  been  at  Whitsunday  of  that  year,  and  the 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  239* 

price  was  £1086  sterling,  with  interest  at  five  per 
cent,  from  that  term  till  payment.  The  price  was 
paid  on  21st  July,  1732,  when  the  Barons  of 
Exchequer  conveyed  the  estate  to  Ludovick,  who 
really  acted  for  behoof  of  old  Iain  a'  Chragain  and 
his  family.  '  There  seemed,"  says  Mr  Hill  Burton, 
in  reference  to  the  forfeited  estates,1  "  to  be  a  tacit 
combination  through  the  community  to  enclose  the 
property  with  a  net-work  of  debts,  burdens,  and: 
old  family  settlements,  through  the  meshes  of  which 
the  Commissioners  could  only  extract  fractional 
portions."  In  the  case  of  Glenmoriston,  Iain  a' 
Chragain  and  his  friends  had  arranged  matters  so 
well  that  the  Commissioners  extracted  nothing,  save 
arrears  of  feu-duty  due  to  the  Crown.  No  duties  had 
been  paid  since  the  time  of  Killicrankie,  and  the 
arrears  now  amounted  to  £75  3s  4d.2 

In  May,  1733,  Ludovick  conveyed  the  estate,  not 
to  Iain  a'  Chragain,  who  was  still  under  attainder,  but 
to  his  eldest  son,  John.  He,  however,  retained  the 
right  of  superiority  of  part  of  Duldreggan,  Inverwick, 
Blairie,  Over  Inver,  arid  Nether  Inver,  in  his  own 
person. 

Young  John  Grant,  the  new  proprietor,  died  on 
3rd  December,  1734.  Iain  a'  Chragain  survived  till 
30th  November,  1736.  Born  in  1657,  when  Crom- 
well ruled,  Iain  saw  the  Eestoration  of  the  Stewarts 
in  1660,  and  their  final  expulsion  in  1688.  He 
fought  for  them  at  Killicrankie  in  1689,  and  saw 

1  History  of  Scotland,  VIII.,  350. 
2  See  Appendix  G  for  account  showing  application  of  price. 


240        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

his  mansion  destroyed  and  his  country  pillaged  for 
his  pains.  He  fought  for  them  again  at  Sheriff muir 
in  1715,  after  which  his  residence  was  again  given 
to  the  flames,  and  his  estates  forfeited.  He  was 
essentially  a  man  of  strife — eager,  bold,  and  fearless ; 
and  in  his  younger  days,  when  there  was  no  fighting 
to  do,  he  gave  scope  to  the  natural  bent  of  his  mind 
in  a  long  litigation  with  the  Laird  of  Grant  about  his 
family's  right  to  Balmacaan.  In  the  estimation  of  his 
people  he  was  a  perfect  chieftain ;  and  traditions  which 
still  survive  show  how  deep  the  impression  was  that 
his  deeds  made  upon  the  popular  mind,  and  with  what 
genuine  affection  his  memory  has  been  cherished  even 
to  the  present  day.1 

1  By  his  second  wife,  Janet,  daughter  of  Sir  Ewen  Cameron  of 
Lochiel,  Iain  a'  Chragain  had  ten  sons  and  five  daughters,  and  at  the 
time  of  the  lady's  death  in  1759,  their  descendants  numbered  200 
[Scots  Magazine].  As  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  linking-  of  distant 
ages  by  the  lives  of  individuals,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  Iain,  who 
was  born  in  the  days  of  the  Commonwealth,  saw  his  grandson,  Colonel 
Hugh  Grant  of  Moy  (son  of  Grant  of  Shewglie),  who  was  born  in 
1733,  and  survived  till  the  year  1822.  A  sculptured  stone  covers  the 
grave  (in  In-ermoriston  churchyard)  of  Iain  a'  Chragain  and  his  son 
John,  bearing  the  following  inscription  : — "  This  stone  is  erected  here 
in  memory  of  the  Much  Honoured  John  Grant,  Laerd  of  Glenmoriston, 
who  dyed  Novr.  30,  1736,  aged  79 ;  and  his  son,  John  Grant,  Younger 
Laerd  of  Glenmoriston,  who  departed  this  life  ye  3d  Decemr.,  1734, 
Aged  35  years."  Adjoining  is  the  tombstone  of  Iain's  wife,  on  which 
there  is  the  inscription  : — "  This  stone  is  erected  here  in  memory  of 
the  much  Honoured  Janet  Cameron,  Lady  to  the  Honoured  John  Grant 
of  Glenmoriston,  Daughter  to  the  Honoured  Sir  Ewen  Cameron  of 
Lochiel,  who  departed  this  life,  Feby.  1759,  aged  years." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  241 


CHAPTEE     XIV 

1719—1746 

Sir  James  Grant.— The  Forty-Five.— The  Three  Alexanders 
of  Urquhart  support  Prince  Charles. — A  Message  of 
Welcome  to  the  Prince. — Agitation  and  Threatenings. — 
Jacobite  Recruits  from  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. — 
Ludovick  Grant's  Policy  of  Caution. — The  Prince's 
Letter  to  the  Gentlemen  of  Urquhart. — His  Cause 
espoused  by  the  Minister. — A  Sabbath  Day's  Meeting  in 
support  of  the  Prince. — The  Factor's  Reports  to  Ludo- 
vick.— Ludovick's  Letters  to  the  Factor. — Patrick  Grant 
of  Glenmoriston  joins  the  Prince. — Their  First  Interview. 
— Prestonpans. — Colonel  Macdonell's  Demand. — Ach- 
monie's  Mission  to  Castle  Grant. — Ludovick's  Message  'M 
the  Gentlemen  of  Urquhart. — Macdonell  in  Urquhart. — 
An  interrupted  March. — The  Macdonalds  and  the  Frasers 
in  Urquhart. — The  Conference  of  Tornashee. — Doubts 
and  Hesitations. — Corrimony  and  Achmonie  visit  Ludo- 
vick.— The  Earl  of  Cromartie,  the  Master  of  Lovat,  and 
Macdonald  of  Barisdale  in  the  Parish. — Achmonie 's 
Undertaking  to  the  Laird  of  Grant. — The  Cause  of  the 
Prince  prospers  in  the  Parish. — The  Factor  in  Despair. — 
The  Prince's  arrival  in  Inverness. — New  Recruits  from 
Urquhart. 

BRIGADIER  GRANT,  who  died  childless  in  1719,  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother,  Sir  James  Grant.  Sir 
James  sat  in  Parliament  from  1722  till  his  death  in 
1747;  and  in  his  latter  years  he  left  the  manage- 
ment of  his  estates  to  his  son,  Ludovick  Grant — 
the  '  Ludovick  Colquhoun  5:  of  our  last  chapter. 

16 


242        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Ludovick  had  practised  for  a  time  as  a  Scots 
advocate,  and  he  put  his  legal  training  to  good  use 
in  steering  clear  of  both  Hanoverian  and  Jacobite  com- 
plications during  the  struggle  of  The  Forty-Five. 

After  the  unfortunate  Eising  of  The  Fifteen,  the 
Old  Chevalier  made  no  serious  effort  to  regain  the 
crown  of  his  forefathers.  But  he  was  still  looked 
on  by  the  Jacobites  as  their  rightful  monarch,  and 
their  hopes  rose  as  his  son,  Charles  Edward,  grew  in 
years  and  began  to  show  signs  of  the  manliness  and 
energy  of  the  old  Stewart  race.  In  1743  those 
hopes  seemed  about  to  be  realised.  France  prepared 
to  invade  Britain  with  15,000  men,  and  invited  the 
young  Prince  to  accompany  the  expedition.  Charles 
ardently  responded;  but  the  ships  which  were  to 
carry  the  army  across  the  English  Channel  were 
scattered  in  a  storm,  and  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned.  In  vain  did  Charles  appeal  to  the 
French  Government  not  to  forsake  him.  Vain  also 
were  his  appeals  to  the  Spanish  Court.  Both  French 
and  Spaniards  promised  much,  and  did  nothing; 
and  in  the  end  the  eager  Prince  resolved  to  gain  an 
empire  without  their  aid,  or  perish  in  the  attempt. 
Sailing  from  France  in  a  small  vessel  belonging  to  a 
private  gentleman,  he  arrived  at  Loch-nan-Uamh 
on  19th  July,  1745,  accompanied  only  by  seven 
friends  and  one  attendant.  He  landed  on  the  25th, 
and  despatched  letters  to  such  of  the  Highland 
chiefs  and  other  persons  of  influence  as  were  likely 
to  assist  him.  The  news  of  his  landing  speedily 
spread,  and,  notwithstanding  the  feelings  of  disap- 
pointment with  which  the  Highlanders  heard  of  the 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  243 

wretchedness  of  his  retinue  and  the  slenderness  of  his 
stores,  many  hastened  to  take  part  in  what  must 
have  appeared  to  the  most  sanguine  of  them  as  an  all 
but  desperate  attempt  to  drive  the  Guelphs  off  the 
British  throne. 

The  Camerons  and  the  Macdonalds  early  joined 
the  Prince,  and  endeavoured  to  induce  the  men  of 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  to  follow  their  example. 
In  this  they  had  the  co-operation  of  the  Three 
Alexanders  of  Urquhart  —  Alexander  Grant  of 
Corrimony,  who  had  his  own  tenants  at  his  beck 
and  call;  Alexander  Grant  of  Shewglie,  to  whom 
the  inhabitants  of  the  then  populous  districts  of 
Shewglie,  Lochletter,  and  Inchbrine,  looked  for 
guidance;  and  Alexander  Mackay  of  Achmonie,  the 
friend  and  adviser  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  ' '  Strath, ' ' 
or  the  portion  of  the  Glen  lying  to  the  east  of  Allt-aJ- 
Phuill,  or  the  Burn  of  Polmaily.  Of  these  Shewglie 
was  the  oldest  and  the  ablest.1  His  sympathies  were 
with  the  Stewarts  in  1715,  and  his  loyalty  to  them 
grew  as  his  years  increased.2  As  soon  as  he  heard  of 
Charles'  landing,  he  sent  James  Grant,  son  of  his 
cousin-gerrnan,  Eobert  Grant,  who  had  fought  at 

1  Ludovick  Grant  described  him  as  "  a  man  very  remarkable  for 
Highland    cunning." — Memorial    to    the    Attorney-General    (copy    at 
Castle  Grant).     The  documents  quoted  in  this  chapter  are  at  Castle 
Grant,  except  where  otherwise  indicated,  and  some  of  them  are  printed 
in  the  "  Chiefs  of  Grant." 

2  Shewglie's    "  connections  "    were    strong   Jacobites.     His    father 
was  that  James  Grant  who  fought  for  King  James  at  Killicrankie,  and 
was  slain  at  Corribuy.    His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of  The  Chisholm ; 
his  second,  a  daughter  of  Iain  a'  Chragain,  and  grand-daughter  of  Sir 
Ewen  of  Lochiel.     One  of  his  daughters  was  married  to  Cameron  of 
Clunes.  in  Lochaber. 


244        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Sheriffmuir,  to  him  with  a  message  of  welcome. 
He  composed  songs  in  his  praise,  which  were  sung 
at  every  fireside  in  the  Parish.  The  sympathies  of 
the  people  were  with  the  Prince,  and  the  friends  of 
King  George  began  to  be  alarmed.  Lord  President 
Forbes  of  Culloden,  writing  on  15th  August  to  Sir 
John  Cope,  who  was  leading  -an  army  northward 
towards  Corriarrack  and  Fort- Augustus,  informs  him 
that,  according  to  report,  the  Camerons  and  Mac- 
donalds  '  are  endeavouring,  by  threats,  to  force 
their  neighbours,  the  Grants  of  Glenmoristone  and 
TJrquhart,  to  join  them  in  arms,"  and  concludes— 
' '  If  what  I  have  before  mentioned  is  true,  that  the 
Highlanders  who  have  joined  the  Adventurer  from 
France  are  beginning  to  use  threats  to  compel  their 
neighbours  to  join  them,  it  will  naturally  occur  to 
you  that  the  immediate  presence  of  the  troops  is 
necessary.3'1  On  the  same  day  Brodie  of  Brodie 
writes  Ludovick  Grant  that  "  Sir  John  Cope  will  be 
at  Fort-Augustus  probably  on  Saturday  with  his 
troops,  so  that  your  people  of  Urquhart  need  not  be 
afraid  of  the  threatenings  sent  them,  of  which  the 
bearer  Corrymonie  will  give  you  the  particulars." 

The  threatenings  of  the  Camerons  and  Mac- 
donalds  were  not  necessary  to  induce  the  young 
men  of  our  Parish  to  place  themselves  under  the 
standard  of  the  Prince.  That  standard  was  raised 
at  Glenfinnan  on  19th  August.  The  men  of  Glen- 
moriston  joined  immediately  afterwards,  and  the 
Macdonalds  and  Camerons  in  Glen-TJrquhart  were 

I  Culloden  Papers,  372. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  245 

eager  to  follow.  These  circumstances  were  reported 
by  Sir  James  Grant's  brother — Major  George  Grant, 
Governor  of  the  Castle  of  Inverness,  or  Fort  George, 
as  it  was  then  called — to  the  Lord  President,  who 
replied  on  26th  August :—  '  I  am  willing  to  believe 
that  the  intelligence  you  sent  me  from  Urquhart  is 
not  precisely  true.  That  fools  might  have  join'd  I 
doubt  not;  but  I  flatter  myself  their  numbers  are 
small;  and  yet  I  shall  give  notice  to  Sir  John  [Cope] 
of  the  rumor.  In  my  opinion  you  ought  forthwith 
to  acquaint  your  nephew  [Ludovick  Grant]  with  the 
arrivall  of  Sir  John  amongst  us,  that  he  may  give  the 
proper  directions  to  hold  his  people  in  readiness  to 
join  him,  and  to  act  by  his  directions,  if  there  shall  be 
occasion."1 

On  the  same  date  Major  Grant  wrote  to  Ludovick, 
as  Culloderi  suggested,  informing  him  of  Sir  John 
Cope's  movements,  and  adding — "  Glenmoristone 
and  Glengary's  people  joyned  them  [the  Jacobites] 
on  Saturday,  and  I'm  airraid  some  of  the  McDonalds 
and  Camerons  in  Urquhart  will  follow  their  example 
on  account  of  the  threatenings  they  have  got." 

The  Prince  arrived  at  Aberchalder,  near  Fort- 
Augustus,  on  the  27th,  and  next  day  marched  across 
Corriarrack  into  Badenoch.  Finding  that  Sir  John 
Cope  had  turned  towards  Inverness,  he  hastened 
southward,  and  took  possession  of  Perth  on  4th 
September. 

Ludovick  Grant  appears  to  have  been  at  heart  a 
sincere  enough  Whig.  The  new  dynasty  had,  how- 

1  Culloden  Papers,  388. 


246        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

ever,  no  great  claim  upon  his  services.  His  grand- 
father suffered  much  in  the  cause  of  William  the 
Third;  but  his  prayers  for  compensation  were  left 
unanswered.  In  the  Eising  of  The  Fifteen,  his  uncle, 
Brigadier  Grant,  made  large  sacrifices  for  George 
the  First,  and  got  little  thanks  for  his  pains.  The 
practice  of  giving  without  receiving  had,  in  Ludo- 
vick's  estimation,  been  carried  far  enough,  and  he 
followed  the  example  of  certain  other  Highland 
chiefs,  and  adopted  a  policy  of  caution.1  At  an 
interview  with  Corrimony,  on  the  15th  or  16th  of 
August,  all  he  exacted  from  his  vassal  was  a  promise 
that,  in  the  coming  struggle,  he  should  do  nothing 
on  either  side  contrary  to  his  will.  At  a  later 
period  he  took  a  somewhat  similar  undertaking  from 
another  vassal,  Mackay  of  Achmonie.  In  his  letters 
to  Urquhart  he  urged  the  gentlemen  and  tenants 
of  that  country  to  stay  peaceably  at  home,  without 
indicating  in  the  slightest  degree  that  they  were 
under  any  obligation  to  fight  for  King  George;  and, 
while  he  himself  kept  up  a  fair  appearance  towards 
the  Government,  he  did  nothing,  so  long  as  the  issue 
was  doubtful,  that  might  subject  him  unduly  to  the 

lAs  early  as  1737,  Ludovick  wrote  his  father  in  the  following- 
terms  : — "  Upon  reflecting  what  our  familie  has  suffered  by  polliticks, 
and  throwing-  out  our  money  upon  all  occasions  for  the  service  of  the 
•Government,  without  ever  getting  ourselves  reimbursed,  and  at  the 
same  time  observing  that  former  services  seem  rather  to  be  a  drawback 
upon  us,  in  place  of  recommending  us  to  the  favour  of  the  present 
Ministrie,  I  think  it  highlie  prudent  to  live  retired,  and  to  endeavour 
to  recover  the  losses  our  familie  has  sustained.  ...  I  see  our 
familie  in  possession  of  noething  but  a  vast  manie  fair  promises  made, 
as  appears  to  me,  without  anie  view  of  being  performed.  You  know 
verie  well  what  assurancess  I  had,  and  you  know  what  friendship  I 
met  with." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    T"HE    PARISH  247 

vengeance  of  the  Jacobites  in  the  event  of  the 
.Prince's  ultimate  success.  He  raised  six  hundred 
men  in  Strathspey,  ostensibly  in  support  of  the 
Whig  Government;  but  beyond  accompanying  Mac- 
leod  of  Macleod  for  a  few  days  in  an  expedition 
into  Aberdeenshire,  and  sending  to  his  uncle,  the 
Governor  of  Inverness  Castle,  a  hundred  men  who 
subsequently  surrendered  to  the  Prince,  and  some 
of  whom  joined  his  standard,  he  made  no  real  effort 
for  King  George  until  after  Charles  was  crushed  at 
Culloden.  According  to  a  Strathspey  tradition,  he 
in  all  this  followed  the  advice  of  a  faithful  clansman, 
Alexander  Grant,  better  known  as  Alasdair  Mor 
;0g  —  Big  Alexander  the  Younger  —  who  recom- 
mended him  to  let  those  fight  who  had  nothing  to 
lose.1  His  conduct  met  with  the  approbation  of  his 
father,  who  desired  him,  in  a  letter  written  from 
London,  and  which  was  intercepted  by  the  Highland 
army,  '  to  stay  at  home  and  take  care  of  his 
country,  and  join  no  party.'32  It  was,  however, 
impossible  entirely  to  restrain  the  men  of  Urquhart. 
The  Three  Alexanders  continued  to  agitate  for  the 
Prince,  and  their  appeals  were  seconded  by  the 
Eev.  John  Grant,  minister  of  the  Parish.  Charles 
acknowledged  Shewglie's  welcome  by  addressing  a 
letter  to  himself  and  the  other  gentlemen  of 
Urquhart,  which  was  publicly  read  by  the  minis- 
ter at  a  meeting  held  in  Kilmore  churchyard 

1  Tradition  communicated  to  the  Author  by  Alexander's  descendant, 
the  late  Major  William  Grant,  factor  of  Urquhart. 

2  Letter,  John  Grant,  factor  of  Urquhart,  to  Ludovick  Grant,  dated 
17th  September,  1745. 


248        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

immediately  after  divine  service  upon  a  Sunday  in> 
the  end  of  August.1  Charles'  Declaration  and  his 
father's  Manifesto  were  also  read  and  interpreted, 
and  a  proposal  made  that  a  certain  number  of  the 
tenants  should  join  the  Prince.  Among  those 
present  was  John  Grant  of  Ballintomb,  factor  of 
Urquhart,  who  hastened  to  Castle  Grant  for  Ludo- 
vick's  instructions.  These  were  that  the  Urquhart 
men  should  remain  peaceably  at  home.  Corrimony 
and  his  companions  represented  to  the  people  that 
the  young  Laird,  although  outwardly  on  the  side  of 
King  George,  had  a  "  secret  will  "  in  favour  of  the 
Prince.  Their  word  was  accepted,  and  Ludovick' s- 
orders  were  disregarded.  The  factor  again  reported, 
and  Ludovick  wrote  him  as  follows,  on  5th  Septem- 
ber :—  '  I  have  just  now  received  yours,  about  eight 
at  night.  I  know  you  have  numbers  of  people 
spreading  numbers  of  stories  of  purpose  to  intimadat 
my  people  of  Urquhart  to  run  to  their  ruin.  I 
know  it's  said  the  late  Earl  Marshall  has  landed1 
with  several  thousands.  I  can  assure  you  not  one 
word  of  that  is  founded  on  truth;  whereas  I  have 
certain  information  last  night  that  there  is  5000 ' 
good  troops  at  Edinburgh,  and  severals  of  the 
regiments  from  Ostend  have  landed;  as  also  6000 
Dutch  are  daylie  expected,  and  as  many  Dains;  this 
being  the  case,  you  may  judge  what  must  happen  to 
any  who  appear  against  the  Government.  For  my 
own  part,  what  I  desire  and  require  of  my  friends 

1  Memorial  by  Ludovick  to  the  Attorney-General  (copy  at  Castle- 
Grant),  and  letter,  John  Grant,  factor  of  Urquhart,  to  Ludovick. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  249: 

and  tennents  is  to  remain  at  home,   and  cutt  down 
their  cornes  peaceably,  as  we  are  doing  in  Strath- 
spey, and  as  most  of  Strathdoun  and  Glenlivat  are 
determined   to   do.      .      .      .     I   shall    conclude   my 
letter  with  desiring  you  make   my   compliments   to 
the  gentlemen  of  Urquhart,  and  let  them  know  that 
I  desire  you  and  them  to  spirite  up  the  tennents- 
and  inhabitants  of  Urquhart  to  remain  peaceable  at 
home,  and  to  assure  them  of  all  encouragement  from 
me,  nay,  of  favours,  if  they  are  obedient ;  whereas, 
be  they  who  they  will  that  will  act  otherways  than 
I  desire,  they  may  expect  the  treatment  that  they 
will  justly  merite  from  me.       This  I  desire  you  read 
publickly;    and    if    any    after    this    spirite    up    my 
tennents  to  act  a  part    against  me,  they  may  come 
to  suffer  for  it.       Let  nobody  pretend  to  make  the 
people  imagine  I  have  a  secret  and  revealed  will; 
for,    if   they   insinuate   any   such   malicious    notions 
among  my  tennents,  assure  you  the  people  they  are 
deceiving    them,    and    hurrying    of    them    to    their 
destruction;  and,   that  my  sentiments  may  appear, 
I  desire  you  keep  this  letter  as  an  evidence  against 
them."       And  in  a  postscript  he  adds — "  I  begin  to 
think  that  some  people  want  to  send  off  some  of  my 
tennents  of  purpose  to  make  a  complyment  of  them 
poor  people,  without  the  least  regard  to  their  real 
interest;  but  warn  you  tha  tennents  to  take  care  of 
themselves,  as  I  shall  do  of  them  conform  to  their 
behaviour  upon  this  occasion.       I  must  take  care  of 
my  tennents,   who  pay  me  my  rent,  and  will  show 
them  marks  of  kindness  which  none  other  can  do; 


250        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

and  before  they  be  much  older,  if  they  behave  well, 
I  will  do  them  what  nobody  who  may  spirite  them 
up  against  me  can  do.  Some  folks  who  may  hear 
this  letter  read  ought  to  consider  well  what  they  are 
doing." 

This  message  was  more  explicit  in  its  terms  than 
the  Laird  of  Grant's  tenants  had  been  led  to  expect, 
.and  the  immediate  effect  of  it  was  to  prevent  them 
from  joining  Corrimony,  who,  with  twenty  of  his 
own  people,  had  come  as  far  as  Milton  on  his  way  to 
the  Highland  army.  Upon  the  advice  of  Shewglie, 
'Corrimony  returned  home  "this  tyme;"  but  he 
declared  that  if  Ludovick  did  not  soon  join  the 
Prince,  he  would  "beg  his  excuses,  and  follow  his 
•own  inclinations."1  Two  of  Shewglie' s  sons,  Eobert 
and  Alexander,  were  not  so  considerate.  They  set 
out  for  the  Prince's  army  on  the  llth,  taking  with 
them  a  dozen  young  fellows  from  the  Braes.  On 
their  way  through  the  Strath  their  little  company 
increased  to  twenty.  Among  their  followers  were 
their  relations,  Alexander  Grant,  tenant  of  Easter 
Inchbrine,  or  Balbeg,  and  his  brother  James,  who 
had  conveyed  Shewglie' s  message  to  the  Prince. 
Alexander's  conduct  cost  him  the  post  of  forester, 
for  which  he  was  an  applicant  when  the  troubles 
began,  but  before  they  ended  a  son  was  born  to  him, 
whom  he  named  Charles  after  the  Prince,  and  who, 
as  one  of  the  results  of  Culloden,  went  to  India,  and 
in  time  became  chairman  of  the  East  India  Com- 

1  Letter,  the  factor  to  Ludovick. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  251 

pany.1  The  situation  of  forester  was  given  to  "  a 
very  honest  fellow  "  named  Macmillan,  but  for  whom, 
reported  the  factor,  "all  the  Macmillans  of  this 
country  would  have  joined  Lochiel." 

Shewglie's  sons  were  joined  at  Invermoriston,  on 
the  12th,  by  the  Laird  of  Glenmoriston — that  Patrick 
who  opposed  the  Forfeited  Estates  Commissioners  in 
1721,  and  who  was  popularly  known  by  the  name  of 
Padruig  Bui,  or  Patrick  the  Yellow — with  such  of  his 
men  as  were  not  already  with  the  Prince.  The  force 
thus  formed — about  350  men — hastened  south  across 
Corriarrack,  and  reached  Edinburgh  at  daybreak  on 
the  20th,  having,  in  their  eagerness  to  take  part  in  the 
expected  battle  between  Charles  and  Sir  John  Cope, 
travelled  all  night.2  Patrick  Bui,  travel-stained  and 
unshaven,  rushed  into  the  Prince's  presence  at  Holy- 
rood,  and  tendered  his  own  and  his  companions' 
services.  Charles  received  him  with  a  remark, 
probably  half-jocular,  regarding  the  rough  condition 
of  his  beard.  '  It  is  not  beardless  boys  who  are  to  do 
your  Eoyal  Highness' s  turn,"  retorted  the  offended 
chieftain.3  "  The  Chevalier,"  says  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
'  took  the  rebuke  in  good  part ;"  the  men  of  Urquharc 
and  Glenmoriston,  placing  themselves  under  the  ban- 
ner of  Glengarry,  instantly  joined  in  the  march  out  of 

1  Alexander  is  referred  to  by  Lord  Lovat  in  1737,  as  "One  Alex- 
ander Grant,  a  soldier  in  Captain  Grant's  company,  and  son  to  Robert 
Grant  in  Milntown,  a  cousin-german  of  Shewglie's." — Chiefs  of  Grant, 
II.,  362. 

2 Henderson's  History  of  the  Rebellion;  Caledonian  Mercury  of 
23rd  September,  1745. 

3  Scott's  "  Waverley/'  note  36. 


252        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Edinburgh;  and  on  the  early  morrow,  and  in  the 
right  wing  of  the  Highland  army,  they  had  their 
full  share  in  the  destruction  of  Cope's  forces  on  the 
field  of  Prestonpans.  After  the  battle  the  bulk  of 
the  Glenmoriston  men  returned  to  their  homes,  but 
about  a  hundred,  along  with  the  twenty  men  of 
Urquhart,  followed  Charles  into  England,  took  part 
in  the  stirring  events  of  his  masterly  retreat,  and 
were  present  at  "  every  engagement  the  young  Pre- 
tender had,  until  they  were  defeated  by  the  Duke  of 
Cumberland  at  Culloden."1 

The  Jacobite  leaders  rightly  judged  that  the 
victory  of  Prestonpans  would  have  the  effect  of 
encouraging  such  as  were  well  affected  towards  the 
Prince,  but  had  not  as  yet  ventured  to  join  his 
army;  and  with  the  view  of  bringing  such  under 
his  standard,  Colonel  Angus  Macdonell,  second  son 
of  Glengarry,  a  chivalrous  youth  of  nineteen,  was 
sent  north  with  a  small  company.  Macdonell  had 
his  eye  especially  on  Urquhart,  where  the  leading 
men  were  known  to  be  friendly,  and  on  30th  September 
he  wrote  from  Dalwhinnie  the  following  letter  to  the 
factor  :— 

'(  Dear  Sir, — These  serves  to  give  notice  that  I 
am  thus  farr  on  my  way  to  Glengarry,  and  being 
clad  with  the  Prince's  orders  to  burn  and  harass  all 
people  that  does  not  immediatly  joyn  the  standard; 
and,  ase  I  have  particullar  orders  to  raise  your 
contrie,  I  doe  by  these  beg  the  favoure  you,  on 

1  Letter,  Ludavick  Grant  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  1746 — copy  at 
Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  253 

receipt  of  this  line,  to  have  att  lest  one  hundred 
men  readdie  in  five  days  after  receipt  of  this,  to  joyn 
my  standart  at  Invergarrie;  and,  tho  contrarie  to 
my  inclinations,  in  caice  of  not  dew  observance  to 
this  my  demand,  I  shall  march  to  your  contrie  with 
the  gentlemen  here  in  company,  Keapoch's  brother, 
.and  Tirnadrish,  &c.,  and  shall  putt  my  orders  in 
execution  with  all  rigour;  and,  ase  I  have  the 
greatest  regaird  for  Grant  and  all  his  concerns,  I  beg 
you  give  nether  your  contrie  or  me  any  truble  I  doe 
not  choose  to  give;  and  your  readdie  complyance  to 
this  favour  will  much  oblidge  him  who  is  sincerely, 
dear  sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"  ANGUS  McDoNELL." 

"  P.S. — Lett  me  have  your  answer  per  bearer, 
which  will  determine  me  how  to  behave." 

The  bearer  of  this  letter  also  conveyed  a  message 
to  the  Three  Alexanders  of  Urq.uhart,  who  deliberated 
earnestly  regarding  the  course  they  should  follow. 
Anxious  to  know  what  effect  the  Prince's  successes 
had  upon  Ludovick's  mind,  they  despatched  Ach- 
monie  to  Castle  Grant.  The  wary  young  Laird  was 
still  sitting  on  the  fence,  and  the  course  of  events 
had  not  yet  clearly  shown  him  on  which  side  he 
should  leap.  He  therefore,  on  6th  October,  delivered 
to  Achmonie  a  letter  addressed  "  to  the  Gentlemen 
of  Urquhart,"  in  which  he  spoke  much  of  their 
fealty  to  himself  as  their  feudal  superior,  but  not 
one  word  of  their  higher  duty — from  the  Whig 
point  of  view — to  his  own  superior,  King  George. 
"Achmonie,"  he  wrote,  "has  communicate  to  me 


254        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  subject  you  have  had  latelie  under  your  delibera- 
tion. All  the  return  I  will  give  you,  considering 
what  I  formerlie  writt  to  my  Chamberlane,  and 
which  he  communicate  to  you,  is  this,  that  whoever 
among  you  don't  complie  with  my  directions  in  this 
present  conjuncture,  which  is  to  remain  peaceable  at 
home,  and  to  be  readie  to  receive  my  directions  as 
your  superior,  and  as  master  of  my  own  esteat,  must 
resolve  to  disobey  me  at  your  own  perrill;  and  as  I 
have  firmlie  determined  that  whoever  shall  insult 
me,  or  disturb  anie  part  of  my  esteat,  shall  meett 
with  the  returns  such  ane  insult  will  merit  e,  I  am 
hopefull  non  of  my  neighbours  will  act  a  part  by  me 
which  I  could  not  and  can't  allow  myself  to  think 
them  capable  of.  I  can't  conceive  the  least  tittle 
anie  man  can  have  to  command  anie  of  my  vassals 
or  tennants  but  myself;  therfor  whoever  deserts 
me  to  follow  anie  other  at  this  time,  I  must  look 
upon  it  as  a  disobedience  to  me,  which  I  will  never 
forgive  or  forgett  to  them  and  theirs.  I  am  perfectlie 
perswaded  all  the  tennants  will  adhere  and  keep 
firm  to  me  if  they  are  not  lead  astray  by  bad  advice, 
which  I  hope  they  will  not  follow.  I  am,  gentle- 
men, your  friend,  and  will  continue  so  if  not  your  own 

faults.  -  LUD.  GRANT."1 

Achmonie  returned  to  Glen-Urquhart  with  this 
message,  but  resolved  to  respect  it  only  so  far  as 
it  suited  his  purpose  to  do  so.  He  found  Colonel 
Macdonell  in  the  Glen,  not  burnin  and  harassin 


1  Copy  Letter  at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  255> 

the  country,  as  threatened  in  the  Dalwhinnie  letter, 
but  doing  what  he  could,  by  fair  promises  and  glowing; 
accounts  of  the  Prince's  triumphs  and  prospects, 
to  induce  the  people  to  follow  him.  Ludovick 
had  previously  ordered  the  factor  to  convene  the 
tenants  of  Urquhart,  should  they  be  unduly  pressed 
by  the  Jacobites,  and  to  bring  them  to  Strath- 
spey, where  they  would  be  more  under  his  own 
eye.  The  men  were  accordingly  got  together  on 
8th  October,  and  such  as  consented  to  go  to  Strath- 
spey marched  as  far  as  Drumbuie,  where  they  were 
stopped  by  Colonel  Macdonell,  accompanied  by 
Shewglie,  Corrimony,  and  Achmonie.  The  factor 
may  be  allowed  to  tell  the  story: — "In  obedience 
to  your  orders,"  he  writes  to  Ludovick,  "  I  convien'd 
all  the  tenants  of  this  country  this  day,  in  order  to 
march  them  to  Strathspey,  and  there  was  only  sixty 
or  seventy  of  the  tenants  that  agreed  to  goe  with 
me.  Dell1  and  I  came  with  all  the  men  that  joyn't 
ous,  the  lenth  of  Drumbuie,2  so  farr  upon  our  way 
to  Strathspey,  and  Collonell  McDonald  and  all  the 
gentilmen  in  this  country  came  up  with  ous  there, 
and  one  and  all  of  the  gentilmen,  but  Shewglie  and 
his  sone,  swore  publickly  to  the  tenants,  if  they  did 
not  return  imediately,  or  two  nights  thereafter,  that 
all  there  corns  would  be  burnt  and  destroyed,  and 
all  there  cattle  carried  away;  and  when  the  tenants 

1  James  Grant  of  Dell  in  Strathspey,  a  tenant  in  Urquhart. 

2  That  is,  "  Upper  Drumbuie,"  the  original  Drumbuie,  past  which 
the  old  road  to  Inverness,  by  Abriachan  and  Caiplich,  went.       The 
farm  now  known  as  Drumbuie  was,  until  recently,  called  Kerrowgair. 


256        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

was  so  much  thretned  by  the  gentilmen,  as  well  as 
by  Mr  McDonald,  they  wou'd  not  follow  me  one 
foot  further;  and,  upon  the  tenants  returning,  Mr 
McDonald  assur'd  me  that  this  country  wou'd  be 
quit  safe  from  any  hurt  from  him;  and  not  only  so, 
but  as  some  of  the  gentilmen  that  came  north  with 
him  hade  the  same  orders  as  he  had  to  distroy  this 
country  if  wee  did  not  joyn  them,  he  sincerely 
assur'd  me  that  he  wou'd  do  all  he  cou'd  to  prevent 
those  gentilmen  from  comeing,  and  if  he  cou'd  not 
preveall  upon  them  to  keep  back,  that  he  wou'd  run 
me  ane  express  in  a  few  days,  to  put  me  on  my 
guard  and  acquaint  me  of  there  comeing;  but  one 
thing  I  assure  you  of,  or  [that  is,  before]  ten  days  that 
this  country  will  be  ruin'd. 

'  Lord  Lovat  has  not  appointed  a  day  for  his 
marching  as  yet,  for  am  told  that  he  has  the  meall 
to  make  that  he  carrys  alongs  with  him  for  his  men's 
subsistence.  There's  a  report  here  this  day  that 
ther's  two  thousand  French  landed  at  Cromarty 
last  Saturday,  with  Prince  Charles'  brother.  You'll 
please  lett  me  have  your  advice  how  to  behave,  for 
am  in  a  very  bade  situation."  And  he  adds  in  a 
postscript — "  Achmonie  did  not  act  a  right  part." 

By  thh  time  Lord  Loudon  was  on  his  way  with 
his  regiment  of  Whig  Highlanders  to  Inverness, 
which  he  reached  on  the  llth  :  and  tidings  had 
reached  the  North  of  the  arrival  of  foreign  troops  in 
support  of  King  George,  and  of  the  great  prepara- 
tions made  in  England  to  suppress  the  insurrection. 
To  Ludovick  it  appeared  hardly  possible  that 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  257 

Charles  could  prevail  against  the  mighty  armies 
which  were  being  got  together  to  oppose  him.  He 
therefore  began  to  see  more  clearly  on  which  side  of 
the  fence  his  interest  lay;  and  in  his  reply  to  the 
factor — dated  10th  October — he  showed  more  of  the 
Hanoverian  partisan  than  he  had  hitherto  done. 
"  I  am  not  at  all  surpris'd,"  said  he,  "  at  the  conduct 
of  the  gentilmen  of  Urquhart,  for,  as  they  seem 
determd  to  disobey  my  repeated  orders,  they  want 
to  preveall  with  my  tenants  to  do  so  likeways; 
however,  now  that  they  most  have  heard  that 
General  Legonier,  with  at  least  18,000  of  our  troops 
that  have  come  from  Flanders,  and  the  Dutch,  and 
that  there  12,000  Danes  and  the  remainder  of  the 
British  troops  dayly  expected,  and  that  no  bodie 
even  at  Edinburgh  pretend,  to  say  that  the  French 
can  spare  any  of  there  troops,  I  fancie  they  will 
soon  see  there  follie,  and  they  must  be  satisfied  that 
in  a  little  tyme  I  will  make  them  repent  there 
conduct,  and  they  will  see  the  numbers  they  belived 
would  joyn  the  rebells  dwindle  to  very  few,  if  any 
at  all.  Whenever  you  hear  any  motion  among  your 
neighbours,  make  the  best  of  your  way  for  this  place 
[Castle  Grant],  and  see  to  bring  those  men  with  you 
who  were  comeing  last  day,  and  as  many  more  as 
you  can,  and  assure  them  I  will  see  what  losses  they 
sustain  repaid,  and  shall  do  all  in  my  power  after- 
wards to  (serve  them  when  others  must  fly  the 
country.  Don't  lett  any  of  the  gentilmen  know  the 
day  you  design  to  march  over  with  the  men, 
otherways  they  may  bring  a  possie  to  slope  you, 

17' 


258        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

which  will  not  be  in  there  power  if  you  be  upon 
your  guard.  I  think  you  ought  to  have  spyes  in 
the  neighbouring  countrys.  See  if  -you  can  gett 
money  from  the  tenants  who  are  dew,  that  wee  may 
clear  when  you  come  over." 

The  Government  preparations  which  made  the 
young  Laird  incline  so  visibly  to  the  side  of  King 
George  had  the  effect  of  throwing  the  less  cautious 
gentlemen  of  Urquhart  more  unreservedly  into  the 
cause  of  the  Prince.  On  the  14th  Corrimony  was  at 
Castle  Bonnie  (Beaufort)  in  consultation  with  old  Lord 
Lovat,  who  secretly  worked  for  Charles  and  openly 
wrote  letters  to  Government  officials  protesting  his 
zeal  for  the  King.  The  result  of  the  interview  was 
that  next  day  Corrimony  wrote  Ludovick  declaring 
his  determination  to  "  rise  in  arms  to  join  the 
Prince,"  and  informing  him  that  the  Master  of 
Lovat  was  to  come  with  three  hundred  men 
to  force  the  Urquhart  men  to  join  the  Erasers, 
who  were  about  to  march  for  the  Highland  army. 
On  the  16th  six  score  Macdonalds  arrived  in  the- 
Glen,  and  threatened  that  they  and  the  Frasers 
would  "  spreath  the  country  if  the  whole  people  did 
not  join  them."  The  factor  advised  the  people  to 
let  the  Macdonalds  drive  their  cattle  away  rather 
than  yield  to  their  threats,  and  promised  that  any 
loss  which  they  might  sustain  would  be  made  good 
by  Ludovick;  and  for  the  moment  his  advice  was 
taken.  But  the  Prince's  friends  continued  the 
agitation.  On  the  22nd  a  great  meeting,  convened 
by  Corrimony,  Achmome,  and  James  Grant,  Shew- 
alie's  eldest  son,  was  held  at  Tornashee.  The  Maste.v 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  259 

of  Lovat  and  Macdonald  of  Barisdale  attended,  and 
urged  the  Prince's  claims  with  such  effect  that  about 
sixty  of  the  tenants  agreed  to  join  them.  The 
factor,  however,  did  his  best  to  dissuade  them,  and 
the  Macdonalds  having  foolishly  threatened  to 
harry  the  country  if  they  did  not  rise,  they 
changed  their  minds  in  anger;  declared  that 

'  they  would  not  disobey  Mr  Grant,  their  Master's, 
positive  commands  to  them  to  continue  dutiful,  and 
swore  while  there  was  a  drop  blood  in  their  bodies 
they  would  not  allow  the  Macdonalds  carry  off  their 
cattle."  By  their  boastings  the  Macdonalds  had 
spoiled  the  game ;  and  Barisdale  and  the  Master  of 
Lovat  withdrew,  disappointed,  to  Castle  Dounie, 
leaving  their  followers  behind  them.  The  interference 
of  the  factor  gave  great  offence.  Young  Lovat 
promised  to  return  with  two  hundred  more  men 
for  the  purpose  of  "  forcing  ';  the  Urquhart  men 
who  had  accepted  his  advice;  and  Corrimony,  Ach- 
monie,  and  young  Shewglie  vowed  that  the  first  of 
them  who  should  meet  him  would  give  him  a 
beating.  It  was,  however,  found  unnecessary  to 
carry  these  threatenings  into  effect.  The  feeling  of 
resentment  roused  by  the  Macdonalds  quickly  abated, 
and  when,  on  the  25th,  they  and  the  Frasers  marched 
to  Castle  Dounie,  they  were  accompanied  by  forty  of 
the  Urquhart  tenants.  Lord  Lovat,  however,  was 
not  yet  prepared  to  send  his  clan  to  the  Prince,  and 
the  Urquhart  men  returned  to  their  homes  to  await 
his  iinal  decision.1 

1  Letters  and  memorials  at  Castle  Grant;  and  Narrative  prepared 
in  1746  by  Sir  Archibald  Grant  of  Monymusk,  at  Castle  Grant. 


260        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Ludovick  Grant  had  for  some  time  been  pressed 
to  send  to  Lord  London,  who  was  at  Inverness,  the 
independent  company  which  he  had  raised,  and 
which  was  commanded  by  a  son  of  Grant  of 
Eothiemurchus ;  but  he  found  excuses  for  keeping 
it  in  Strathspey.  When,  however,  he  heard  of  the 
proceedings  at  the  meeting  of  the  22nd,  he  intimated 
to  the  Lord  President  his  intention  to  march  with 
500  men  through  Inverness  to  Urquhart,  "  in  order 
to  prevent  any  more  of  the  people  of  that  country 
being  forced  out  upon  the  other  side,  contrary  to 
their  inclinations  and  their  duty  to  him."1  This 
intimation  was  conveyed  in  a  letter  from  Lord 
Deskford  to  the  Lord  President,  which  only  arrived 
on  the  morning  of  the  26th — the  very  day  on  which 
the  Grants  were  to  reach  Inverness.  The  Lord 
President  at  once  consulted  Lord  Loudon.  They 
were  surprised  and  alarmed  at  the  sudden  energy 
displayed  by  a  man  who  had  not  hitherto  shown 
excessive  zeal  for  the  King,  and  whose  real  sentiments 
were  not  wholly  beyond  suspicion.  "  I  wish  with  all 
my  heart,"  immediately  replied  the  President,  "  and 
so  does  Lord  Loudon,  that  Mr  Grant  had  communi- 
cated his  design  to  us  before  he  set  out  with  such 
numbers,  which  may  have  the  effect  to  begin  horse- 
play before  we  are  sufficiently  prepared.  However, 
since  he  is  in  the  way,  and  has  given  no  notice  of  his 
route,  I  cannot  tell  how,  even  if  it  were  necessary,  to 
prevent  it ;  and  we  must  now  do  the  best  we  can."2 

1  Cullodon   Papers,   431.     Sir  Archibald   Grant,  who   accompanied 
Ludovick,  states  the  number  of  his  men  at  700. — Narrative,  at  Castle 
Grant. 

2  Culloden  Papers,  431. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  261 

There  was  no  great  cause  for  the  President's 
alarm.  Early  on  the  26th  the  factor  and  Dell 
arrived  at  Ludovick's  camp  with  news  of  the 
departure  of  the  Macdonalds  from  Glen-Urquhart ; 
and  if  he  ever  seriously  intended  to  leave  the  bounds 
of  Strathspey,  the  intention  was  now  dropped. 
"  This  day/'  he  wrote  to  the  President,  from  Inver- 
laidnan,  in  Duthil,  "  I  proposed  to  have  marched  to 
relieve  the  poor  tenants  of  Urquhart,  who  have  been 
most  scandallouslie  used;  but  just  now  I  have  ane 
express  from  that  countrie,  informing  me  that 
the  Macdonells  and  Frasers  have  left  the  countrie, 
after  carrying  about  fortie  of  the  men  with  them. 
This  day  Eothie's1  companie  shall  be  compleated, 
and  will  be  at  Inverness  Tuesday  or  Wednesday  at 
farthest  :  for  the  men,  who  have  been  all  here  since 
Wednesday,  will  require  a  day  or  two  at  home  to  gett 
readie." 

Forbes  was  relieved  to  learn  that  Ludovick  had 
not  started  on  his  expedition  to  Urquhart;  but  he 
could  not  understand  the  delay  in  sending  the  com- 
pany to  Inverness.  "  I  am  not  sorry,"  he  wrote  him 
on  the  27th,  "  that  the  whole  number  did  not  then 
come,  as  no  plan  had  been  concerted  for  the  disposi- 
tion of  them;  but  I  am  under  some  concern  that  so 
many  of  them  as  were  proper  for  composeing  Rothie's 
company  did  not  come,  because  those  were  expected 
some  time  ago,  and  the  company  from  Sutherland 
arrived  the  night  before  the  last.  What  I  therefore 

1  Rothiemurchus. 
2Culloden  Papers,  432. 


262        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

send  you  back  this  messenger  for,  is,  to  beg  that 
Kothie's  company  may  march  without  loseing  a 
moment;  because  we  have  rely'd  upon  them;  and 
the  example  to  others  will  be  bad,  if  they  who  were 
rely'd  on  should  prove  dilatory.  The  oppression  of 
your  Urquhart  people,  I  am  aifraid,  continues  still, 
and  there  may,  for  ought  I  know,  be  occasion  to 
march  a  considerable  body  to  relieve  them  from  it; 
but  that  in  due  time  may  be  concerted  properly  and 
executed,  tho'  it  ought  not  to  hinder  the  immediate 
march  of  the  company,  who,  in  all  events,  will  be  so 
far  in  their  way."1 

Rothie's  company,  consisting  of  100  men,  arrived 
in  Inverness  on  3rd  November,  and  was  employed 
to  garrison  the  Castle  under  Ludovick's  uncle,  Major 
George  Grant.  In  the  following  February  the 
Major  surrendered  the  Castle  to  the  Jacobites  : 
whereupon  some  of  his  Grants  went  over  to  the 
Prince. 

The  efforts  of  Corrimony  and  Achmonie  to  raise 
the  men  of  Urquhart  did  not  meet  with  the  success 
they  expected,  and  they  became  somewhat  uneasy 
regarding  their  own  safety.  They  therefore  jour- 
neyed to  Castle  Grant  on  28th  October  to  confer  with 
Ludovick,  and  took  with  them  Jane  Ogilvie,  Corri- 
mony's  wife,  to  intercede  for  them.  A  letter  from 
the  watchful  factor  reached  Ludovick  before  them. 
"  With  the  greatest  submission,"  wrote  he,  "  I  think 
you  ought  to  see  non  of  them,  as  they  have  acted 

iCulloden  Papers,  433. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  263 

such  a  part  by  you  as  they  have  done ;  and  I  asure 
you  that  I  can  prove  againest  them  what  will  forfite 
both  their  esteats ;  and  if  you  forgive  them  when 
they  are  so  much  in  your  power,  you  ought  in  justice 
to  meet  with  the  same  disaster  if  there  was  a 
disturbance  in  the  nation  yearly,  which  am  sure  will 
be  the  case  if  you'll  not  use  this  two  lairds  as  they 
deserve.  Corimonie  belives  that  his  lady  will 
make  his  peice  with  you,  which  I  hope  he  will  be 
mistaken  in."  The  two  lairds  had  undoubtedly 
done  enough  to  forfeit  not  only  their  estates  but  also 
their  lives,  but  they  had  reason  to  believe  that 
Ludovick,  notwithstanding  his  letters,  did  not  yet 
wrish  to  commit  himself  irretrievably  to  the  cause  of 
King  George,  and  they  did  not  hesitate  to  place 
themselves  in  his  power.  So  far  as  he  was  concerned 
the  time  for  final  resolve  had  not  yet  arrived;  and, 
despite  the  factor's  advice,  he  received  and  conferred 
with  the  Jacobite  leaders  of  Urquhart,  and  allowed 
them  to  return  to  their  homes  in  peace. 

On  leaving  Urquhart  Barisdale  proceeded  to 
Lochbroom  and  Assynt,  where,  in  concert  with  the 
Earl  of  Cromartie,  he  endeavoured  to  force  the 
people  to  rise.  In  this  he  failed.  Early  in 
November  he  returned  to  Castle  Dounie,  with 
the  intention  of  marching  south  with  the  Master  of 
Lovat  and  the  Erasers,  while  Lord  Cromartie  and 
his  son  proceeded  to  Urquhart  with  150  or  160  men, 
and  there  awaited  him.1  Barisdale  and  his  Mac- 
donalds,  and  young  Lovat,  with  six  or  seven  hundred 

l  Culloden  Papers,   247. 


264        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Frasers,  arrived  in  Urquhart  on  the  13th  or  14th, 
and  were  met  by  a  great  number  of  people  in  public 
meeting  'at  Pitkerrald.1  The  Laird  of  Grant's 
tenants  still  hesitated,  and  the  old  threat  of  taking 
their  cattle  and  destroying  their  corn  was  resorted 
to.  A  quarrel  between  Barisdale  and  the  Master  of 
Lovat,  who  both  claimed  the  right  to  command  them 
when  they  should  have  made  up  their  minds  to  join 
the  Prince's  army,  probably  saved  them.  A  severe 
snowstorm  also  helped  to  cool  the  ardour  of  the 
Frasers,  and  they  returned  to  their  own  country. 7- 
Barisdale  proceeded  to  Glenmoriston,  having  previ- 
ously written  Grant  of  Duldreggan  ordering  him  to 
have  the  men  of  that  Glen  ready  to  march  with  him 
to  Perth,  "  otherwise  he  would  destroy  and  burn  it 
stoop  and  roop."  His  threat  was  disregarded  by 
Duldreggan,  but  some  of  the  Glenmoriston  men  joined 
him,  and  the  burning  and  destruction  did  not  take 
place. 

Lord  Lovat  made  the  visit  of  the  Frasers  and 
the  Macdonalds  to  Urquhart  the  subject  of  a 
strange  correspondence  with  the  Earl  of  Loudon. 
That  visit  had  undoubtedly  been  made  at  his  own 
instance,  and  for  the  sole  purpose  of  raising  the 
country  for  the  Prince.  But  it  did  not  suit  him  to 
admit  so  much.  He  wrote  Loudon  on  the  19th 
informing  him  that  his  son  had  been  in  Urquhart 
protecting  the  people  from  the  Macdonalds;  and  in 
another  letter,  which  he  addressed  to  the  Earl  on 

ILudovick  Grant's  Memorial  to  the  Attorney-General. 
2  Ibid.     Trial  of  Lord  Lovat. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  265 

the  23rd,  he  wrote — "  I  can  tell  your  Lordship  with 
pleasure  that  there  is  not  a  man  belonging  to  me, 
or  who  are  called  my  people,  but  are  at  home,  and 
peaceable  in  their  own  houses.  The  last  of  them  came 
home  Wednesday  night  from  Urquhart,  where  they 
were  with  my  son,  who  went  to  Urquhart  of  purpose 
to  preserve  the  Grants  in  Urquhart  from  being 
cpresst  by  the  M'Donells,  and  I  am  glad  to  hear  he 
has  behaved  so  well  that  he  has  the  blessings  of  all 
that  country  people;  and  the  Laird  of  Grant's  doers 
have  promised  to  represent  to  their  master,  who  is 
my  son's  cousin-germain,  how  kindly  and  oblidgeing 
The  Master  of  Lovat  behaved  to  all  the  country.  It 
was  but  his  duty;  but  in  the  days  that  we  are  in  it  is 
very  rare  to  find  a  man  that  does  what  he  ought  to 
do  to  a  friend  and  relation."1  These  letters,  it  is 
needless  to  say,  were  intended  to  deceive.  Loudon, 
however,  refused  to  be  imposed  upon,  and  when  the 
time  of  reckoning  came,  Lovat 's  duplicity  cost  him 
his  life. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Frasers  and  the  Mac- 
donalds,  the  Three  Alexanders  of  Urquhart  made 
themselves  more  active  than  ever  in  endeavouring 
to  enlist  volunteers  for  the  Prince.  These  "  fresh 
attempts  to  debauch  his  vassals  and  tenants  in 
Urquhart  "  did  not  meet  with  Mr  Ludovick  Grant's 
approval,  and  "  he  got,  by  contrivance,  Mr  Mackay 
of  Achmunie  (a  gentleman  of  that  country),  whom 
Mr  Grant  was  informed  was  a  chief  instrument  in 
endeavouring  to  debauch  his  people,  to  Castle 

1  See  Lovat  correspondence  in  Transactions  of  Gaelic  Society  of 
Inverness,  XIV. 


266        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Grant,  and  there  prevailed  with  him,  by  a  solemn 
writ  under  Mackay's  own  hand,  and  by  oaths,  to 
renounce  all  these  bad  measures,  and  to  promise 
that  he  should  never  attempt  the  like  for  the  future, 
but  should,  with  all  his  influence,  be  at  Mr  Grant's 
call  whenever  he  pleased."  So  said  Sir  Archibald 
Grant  of  Monymusk,  who  was  employed  after  Cullo- 
den  to  write  a  vindication  of  Ludovick's  conduct; 
but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  writ,  which  is  preserved 
at  Castle  Grant,  makes  no  allusion  to  the  insurrection, 
or  to  Achmonie's  part  in  it,  and  it  was  left  to  the 
fortunes  of  war  to  decide  whether  it  was  to  be  inter- 
preted as  an  obligation  to  support  King  George,  or  as 
one  to  fight  for  Prince  Charles  : — "  I,  Alexr.  M'Cay 
alias  M'Gilies,1  of  Achmunie,  do  hereby  promise  and 
declare  that  I  will  be  constantly  affectionate  and  faith- 
ful to  the  Laird  of  Grant,  my  superior,  and  will  further 
and  serve  his  interest  to  the  utmost  of  my  power, 
and  will  use  all  the  moyan  [influence]  and  interest 
I  can  have  with  others  so  to  do,  particularly  with  the 
other  feuars  and  tenants  of  the  Estate  of  Urquhart, 
and  will  be  assistant  to  his  bailies  and  chamberlains  in 
these  matters  whenever  the  said  Laird's  orders  and 
directions  are  made  known  to  me;  that  I  will  answer 
his  call,  and  attend  him  to  receive  his  directions,  as 
oft  as  I  shall  be  required  so  to  do ;  and  will  advise  and 
induce,  not  only  my  own  tenants,  but  all  the  other 
feuars  and  tenants  of  the  Barony  of  Urquhart,  to  do 
the  like  as  oft  as  they  shall  be  required ;  and  that  I  will 
never,  directly  or  indirectly,  act  in  the  contrary.  In 

1  MacGillies  was  the   patronymic   of   the   family   of   Achmonie. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  267 

witness  whereof  I  have  written  and  subscribed  these 
presents  at  Castle  Grant,  this  6th  day  of  December, 
1745  years. — ALEXR.  M'CAY." 

In  Achmonie's  view  this  obligation,  wrested 
from  him  by  the  masterful  Ludovick,  who  had  got 
him  into  his  power  "  by  contrivance,"  was  only  to 
be  respected  so  long  as  he  was  within  the  reach  of 
his  strong  arm;  and  on  his  return  to  Urquhart  he 
set  it  at  nought,  and,  in  conjunction  with  Shewglie 
,and  Corrimony,  continued  to  work  for  the  Prince. 
Their  efforts  were  not  without  success.  "  I  rune 
you  this  express,"  wrote  the  now  threatened  and 
almost  despairing  factor  to  Ludovick  on  20th 
December — the  day  on  which  Charles  and  his  army 
crossed  the  Border  on  their  retreat  from  England — 
'  to  acquaint  you  that  the  people  of  this  country 
has  past  my  power  to  keep  them  any  longer  from 
joyning  the  Highland  armie.  Ther's  fifty  or  sixty 
of  them  to  goe  for  Perth  the  begining  of  next 
week.  There  goeing  is  all  oweing  to  Angus  Grant, 
who  goes  alongs  with  your  tenants.  Corimonie  and 
Achmony  sends  a  part  of  there  tenants,  which  I 
belive  in  justice  ought  to  bring  them  in  equaly 
guilty  as  they  went  themselves.  Am  told  Ach- 
mony's  brother1  goes.  The  country  people  here  and 
I  do  not  agree  one  minute,  as  am  againest  there 
goeing  to  Perth.  Corimonie  and  I  quarald  last 
Friday,  and  upon  the  Saturday  he  sent  for  severalls 
•of  the  men  of  his  faimly,  who  came  in  full  arms  with 
him  in  order  to  atact  me,  and  after  they  came  to 

1  Donald  Mackay,  the  Author's  great-grandfather. 


268        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Millntown,  where  I  was  then,  they  thought  proper 
to  lett  me  alon.  This  is  the  situation  am  in  for 
some  tyme  past — am  not  only  threatned  by  the 
Highlanders  for  disuading  your  tenants  from  joyning, 
but  are  threatned  by  the  country  people  here. 
Within  thir  [these]  few  days  my  house  and  corns 
were  threatned  to  be  burnt,  and  I  don't  know  how 
soon  this  may  hapen  if  am  not  suported  by  you. 
Am  always  ready  to  riske  my  life  in  your  service. 
I  hope  if  any  of  the  small  effects  I  have  are 
destroyed,  that  you'll  see  me  redress' d,  as  you  know 
that  my  little  moveabls  are  the  greatest  subject  I 
have  to  depend  upon  for  the  support  of  my  faimly. 

'  If  you'll  be  so  good  as  to  give  me  a  posscession 
elsewhere,  to  accomodate  my  wife  and  faimly  and 
cattle  for  some  little  tyme  till  the  present  troubls  in 
the  nation  are  quell' d,  Fie  always  stay  here  while 
you'r  pleas'd  to  imploy  me,  and  obey  your  orders  as 
fair  as  lays  in  my  powrer.  If  this  you'll  be  so  good 
to  agree  too,  it  will  be  very  oblidging,  and  if  you 
should  not,  Fie  airways  submitt  myself  to  your 
pleasure,  and  not  put  any  little  fonds  I  have  in 
ballance  with  serveing  my  chief." 

And  after  giving  this  touching  expression  to  his 
anxiety  for  the  safety  of  his  wife  and  children,  and 
his  devotion  to  his  master,  he  adds  this  interest- 
ing information  :—  '  Ther's  eight  companys  of  the 
Frasers  at  Perth.  The  Master  of  Lovet  has  not 
gone  as  yet.  The  most  part  of  the  Camrons  are 
come  home;  trier's  not  three  hundred  of  them  with 
there  chief.  All  the  McDonalds  of  Brea-Lochaber 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  269 

are  come  home  too,  thirty  or  forty;  and  ther's  not 
forty  of  the  Glenmoristone  men  from  home.  The 
Glengerry  McDonalds  stood  it  out  best;  ther's  few 
of  them  came  home,  accept  those  that  returned  to 
Perth." 

Before  the  end  of  the  month,  the  Master  of  Lovat, 
with  a  further  detachment  of  Frasers,  and  the 
Chisholms  of  Strathglass  and  Buntait,  under  The 
Chisholm's  youngest  son,  Eoderick,  marched  south- 
ward through  our  Parish,  and  joined  the  Prince's 
army  at  Stirling  early  in  January.  With  a  few 
exceptions,  however,  the  Laird  of  Grant's  tenants 
still  held  back,  wavering  between  their  allegiance 
to  Ludovick  and  their  loyalty  to  Charles.  But 
when  the  Prince  arrived  in  Inverness,  on  18th 
February,  and  the  Urquhart  men  who  had  been  in 
his  army  returned  for  a  brief  season  to  their  homes, 
and  told  of  their  wonderful  experiences  in  England, 
of  the  brilliant  brush  with  the  enemy  at  Clifton,  in 
the  honours  of  which  they  shared,  and  of  the  glorious 
victory  at  Falkirk — glorious  in  their  eyes,  notwith- 
standing the  loss  on  the  field  of  their  brave  young 
leader,  Eobert  Grant,  son  of  Shewglie,  and  the 
accidental  death  after  the  battle  of  their  colonel, 
Angus  of  Glengarry1 — it  was  impossible  for  the 
factor  to  restrain  them  any  longer;  and  the  Three 
Alexanders  brought  about  sixty  of  them  to  the 
Prince,  in  addition  to  those  who  had  already 

1  Angus  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Robertson  of  Struan.  Their 
young-  daughter,  named  Ano-us  or  Ano-usia,  aftev  him,  became  the 
second  wife  of  Alexander  Mackay  of  Achmonie. 


270        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

served  him.1  Placed  under  the  banner  of  Barisdale, 
who  had  succeeded  Angus  Macdonell  in  the  command 
of  the  Glengarry  regiment,  they  took  part  in  the 
pursuit  of  Lord  Loudon  and  the  Lord  President  in  Eoss 
and  Sutherland.  They  returned  to  fight,  and  many 
of  them  to  die,  on  the  Moor  of  Culloden. 

1  Memorial  at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  271 


CHAPTER     XV 

1746 

The  Battle  of  Falkirk. — The  Duke  of  Cumberland  in  Scot- 
land.— Prince  Charles  at  Inverness. — Cumberland  crosses 
the  Spey. — The  Men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  sum- 
moned to  join  the  Prince. — Culloden. — Incidents  of  the 
Battle  and  Flight. — Alexander  Grant's  Exploits. — 
Heroic  Wives. — Ludovick  Grant  and  his  Eight  Hundred 
in  Urquhart. — Rebel-Hunting. — Protections  promised, 
and  the  men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  Surrender. — 
Fears  and  Forebodings. — Treachery. — Despair  and  Male- 
dictions.—  Ludovick's  Intercession  and  its  Result. — 
Shewglie  and  his  Son  and  the  Minister  in  Tilbury  Fort. — 
Shewglie's  Death. — Release  of  his  Son  and  the  Minister. 
— Banishment  to  Barbados. — The  Fate  of  the  Exiles. — 
Notices  of  some  who  Returned. — Donald  Mackay.— 
William  Grant. — Donald  Macmillan. — Alexander  Grant . 
—Donald  Grant. — Alexander  Ferguson. — Donald  Fer- 
guson. 

THE  defeat  of  the  Hanoverians  at  Falkirk  caused 
great  consternation  in  London.  Dissatisfied  with 
General  Hawley,  the  Government  offered  the 
chief  command  to  William,  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
the  King's  son — a  young  man  of  twenty-five,  who 
had  already  had  considerable  experience  as  a 
soldier,  and  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of 
the  Highlanders'  mode  of  warfare  at  Fontenoy, 
where  they  fought  under  him.  The  Duke  promptly 
accepted,  and  with  ten  thousand  men  set  out  from 
Edinburgh  on  oOth  Januarv,  1746,  to  measure- 


272        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

swords  with  Prince  Charles,  who  crossed  the  Forth 
on  1st  February,  and,  taking  the  Highland  Road  by 
Drumuachdar,  arrived  in  Inverness  on  the  18th. 
Lord  London  and  his  Whig  Highlanders  abandoned 
the  town  on  his  approach,  and,  crossing  Kessock 
Ferry,  made  their  way  into  Eoss-shire.  Fort 
'George,  as  the  Castle  of  Inverness  was  then  called, 
made  some  show  of  resistance,  but,  after  a  two  days' 
siege,  its  commander — Major  George  Grant  of  the 
Black  Watch,  Ludovick  Grant's  uncle — surrendered 
to  the  Prince's  Highlanders,  by  whom  the  Castle 
was  immediately  destroyed.  Some  of  the  Grants 
who  formed  part  of  the  garrison  joined  the  army  of 
the  Prince. 

While  Charles  lay  at  Inverness — whence  he 
sent  out  detachments  to  take  Fort-Augustus  and 
Fort- William,  and  other  companies  into  Eoss, 
Sutherland,  and  Atholl — the  Duke  slowly  made 
his  way  northward  along  the  eastern  seaboard. 
At  Aberdeen  he  remained  for  weeks,  punishing 
Jacobites,  and  waiting  for  reinforcements  and  the 
spring.  On  8th  April  he  began  his  march  to  Inver- 
ness, and  crossed  the  Spey  on  the  12th.  Tidings 
of  his  approach  reached  Charles  on  the  14th,  and 
messengers  were  immediately  despatched  to  call 
back  his  Highlanders,  who  had  for  a  time  returned 
to  their  homes.  Among  these  were  the  men  of 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.  The  summons  reached 
the  Glenmoriston  men  too  late  for  the  coming  con- 
flict; but  eighty  men  of  Urquhart,1  accompanied  by 

1  Documents  at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  273 

Shewglie  and  his  sons  Patrick  and  Alexander,  and 
by  Corrimony  and  Achmonie,  and  the  latter 's  young 
brother,  Donald  Mackay,  set  out  on  the  15th,  and 
arrived  at  the  Prince's  camp  at  Culloden  that  even- 
ing. They  found  the  army  preparing  to  march  to 
Nairn,  with  the  object  of  surprising  the  Duke 
before  daybreak.  Tired  though  they"  were  after 
their  day's  journey,  they  readily  joined  in  the 
adventure — all  but  Shewglie,  who,  on  account  of 
his  great  age,  returned  to  Inverness.  The  High- 
landers started  as  soon  as  daylight  had  disappeared; 
but  the  way  was  rough,  the  night  was  darkness 
itself,  a  fierce  north-east  wind,  laden  with  blinding 
sleet,  blew  in  their  teeth,  and  their  progress  was  so 
slow  that  the  dawn  of  a  new  day  was  upon  them  ere 
they  reached  Kilravock,  some  three  miles  from  where 
the  Duke  lay.  The  Prince's  bold  plan  had  miscarried, 
and,  notwithstanding  his  eagerness  to  press  forward, 
Lord  George  Murray  ordered  a  retreat — the  best 
order,  probably,  that  could  in  the  circumstances  have 
been  given. 

After  this  trying  and  fruitless  march,  the  High- 
landers, footsore  and  famished,  found  themselves 
once  more  on  the  bleak  moor  of  Culloden.  Many  of 
them — among  whom  were  the  Urquhart  men,  who 
had  marched  thirty  or  forty  miles  without  rest  or 
food — stretched  their  weary  limbs  on  the  wet  heath, 
and  were  soon  asleep.  Others  who  were  not  so 
fatigued,  but  whose  only  food  for  the  last  twenty - 
four  hours  had  been  a  morsel  of  coarse  bread  doled 
out  the  previous  day,  wandered  to  Inverness  and 

18 


274        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the   neighbouring   farm-houses   in   search   of   some- 
thing to  eat.      Before  the  sleepers  awoke  and  the 
wanderers    returned,     Cumberland's    host    of    ten 
thousand  men,   fresh  from  the  rest  and  festivities 
which  had  marked  the  previous  day  as  his  birthday, 
appeared  in  the  east,   marching  with   steady  tread 
upon  the  Highland  camp.       It  was  in  vain  that  the 
Prince's  officers  urged  him  not  to  risk  all  on  a  field 
which  was  but  too  well  adapted  for  the  movements 
of  the  English  horse  and  artillery,   and  pointed  to 
the  hills  on  the  other   side   of  the   river  Nairn  as 
ground  on  which  the  enemy  would  be  at  a  disad- 
vantage, and  his  Highlanders  could  effectively  bring, 
their  peculiar  mode  of  warfare  into  play.     Deter- 
mined   that    Cumberland    should    not    pass    on    to 
Inverness,   and  blindly  confident  in  the  prowess  of 
his  mountaineers,  he  insisted  on  giving  battle  where 
he  stood.     A  desperate  attempt  was  therefore  made 
to  get  his  followers  together.       Those  whom  the  call 
reached  responded  with  alacrity,  and  when  the  hour 
of  battle  arrived  Charles  was  at  the  head  of  five 
thousand  men — hungry  and  fatigued,  it  is  true,  but 
full   of   ardour   and    devotion,    and    eager,    in   their 
own  words,  to  "  give  Cumberland  another  Fontenoy'r 
—an   allusion  to  the  Duke's  recent  defeat  by  the 
French.       About  one  o'clock  the  Highlanders  began 
the    fray    by    firing    their    miserable    cannon.     The 
English  artillery  answered  with  deadly  effect.       For 
half-an-hour  the  firing  continued,  and  ghastly  lanes 
appeared  in  the  ranks  of  the  Highlanders.       Then 
they  were  allowed  to  charge  in  their  own  old  style.. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  275- 

Pulling  their  bonnets  down  over  their  foreheads 
with  a  fierceness  that  Lowland  spectators  beheld 
with  dismay,  they  rushed  forward  and  flung  them- 
selves with  indescribable  fury  on  the  bayonet- 
shielded  front  line  of  the  enemy — the  Macdonalds, 
however,  standing  sullenly  inactive,  because  they 
had  been  deprived  of  their  customary  place  of 
honour  in  the  right  wing.  The  line  fell  back 
before  the  shock,  but  there  was  another  and 
another  behind,  and  as  the  Highlanders  bounded 
forward  they  were  met  with  a  terrific  fire  which 
almost  annihilated  them.  The  survivors  turned 
and  fled,  and  the  cause  of  the  Stewarts  was  lost 
for  ever. 

The  Prince,  forced  off  the  field  by  his  attendants, 
escaped  in  the  direction  of  Strathnairn  and  Strath- 
errick.  The  greater  portion  of  his  army  crossed  the 
Nairn,  and  found  refuge  in  the  mountains.  The 
remainder,  including  the  Frasers,  Chisholms,  and 
the  men  of  Urquhart,  fled  towards  Inverness,  pur- 
sued by  the  Duke  of  Kingston's  Light  Horse, 
slaughtering  as  they  went — among  the  slain  which 
lined  the  road  being  many  of  the  townspeople  who 
had  come  out  to  see  the  battle. 

Of  the  Urquhart  men  thirty  fell  on  the  field  or 
in  the  flight.1  A  few  of  the  incidents  of  the  day 
still  related  in  Glen-Urquhart  may  be  recorded. 
James  Grant,  that  cousin  whom  Shewglie  sent  to 
Charles  with  his  message  of  welcome,  and  who  had 
followed  the  Prince  into  England,  made  his  way, 

1  Memorial  at  Castle  Grant. 


276        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

terribly  wounded,  to  his  aunt's  house  at  Cradlehall, 
where  he  died  in  a  few  hours.  His  dust  lies  in 
the  Cradlehall  garden.  His  brother,  Alexander,  not- 
withstanding a  wound  in  the  head,  made  good  use  in 
the  flight  of  that  skill  which  had  already  won  for 
him  the  name  of  The  Swordsman.  He  saved 
Somerled  Dubh  Macdonald  by  severing  a  trooper's 
arm  which  was  raised  to  strike  him.  Wishing  to 
avoid  the  streets  of  Inverness,  he  and  his  com- 
panions passed  by  the  town,  and  forded  the  Ness 
above  the  Islands.  William  Macmillan,  from  the 
Braes,  was  being  hard  pressed  in  mid-stream  by 
a  trooper,  when  Grant  stole  behind,  and  with  a 
stroke  of  his  sword  brought  horse  and  rider 
into  the  water.  His  next  stroke  cleft  the  English- 
man's head  in  twain.  At  the  same  place  a  trooper 
shot  Donald  Macmillan  from  Shewglie  in  the  thigh, 
and  was  himself  shot  dead  by  a  Lochaberman,  who, 
mounting  his  horse,  and  placing  Macmillan  before 
him,  galloped  off  to  Glen-Urquhart,  carrying  with 
him  the  first  tidings  of  the  disaster.  Donald  Fraser, 
Drumbuie,  saved  himself  by  slaying  a  horseman  who 
pressed  hard  on  him  in  the  flight.1  Corrimony, 
suffering  from  two  severe  wounds,  was  carried  off 
the  field  by  John  Garbh  Cameron,  Carnoch. 
James  Breac  Chisholm,  Upper  Balmacaan,  lay 
wounded  on  the  field  for  two  days,  and  wit- 
nessed the  savage  butchery  of  the  Highlanders 
after  the  battle.  His  own  life  was  saved  by  an 

l  Fraser  related  this  incident  to  the  late  John  Mackenzie,  Achinte- 
marag-,  who  communicated  it  and  other  Culloden  traditions  to  the 
Author. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  277 

English  officer,  who  was  moved  to  pity  by  his 
sufferings.  Among  those  who  joined  the  Prince  on 
the  15th  were  Alexander  Macfie,  tenant  of 
Kerrowgair  (now  Drambuie),  and  his  brother 
Ewen.  Next  morning  their  young  wives  started 
for  the  camp  with  food  for  them.  As  they 
passed  through  Inverness  the  distant  roll  of  artil- 
lery told  but  too  plainly  that  the  expected  conflict 
had  already  begun.  In  the  hope  of  being  able  in 
some  way  to  succour  their  husbands  they  still 
hastened  on.  At  Inshes  they  met  the  Highlanders 
in  full  flight,  and  witnessed  their  slaughter  by  the 
troopers.  One  of  the  latter,  probably  in  wanton 
jest,  pointed  his  carbine  at  Alexander's  wife,  who, 
believing  that  her  hour  had  come,  closed  her  eyes  in 
prayer.  The  soldier,  however,  did  not  fire,  and  the 
two  women,  forgetting  their  own  safety  in  their 
concern  for  their  husbands,  pushed  on  to  the  scene 
of  the  battle.  There  they  found  Ewen  Macfie  among 
the  slain.  Alexander  had  escaped,  and  returned  in 
safety  to  his  home.  At  Caiplich  he  and  his  com- 
panions met  the  men  of  Glenmoriston,  who  were  on 
their  way  to  Culloden,  and  who  at  once  returned  to 
their  own  Glen.1 

Cruel  though  the  disasters  of  Culloden  were, 
greater  trials  awaited  the  inhabitants  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston.  "It  is  the  living  parting,"  says 
the  Gaelic  proverb,  "  that  makes  the  sore  wound." 
The  people  of  our  Parish  were  made  to  feel 

l  Tradition  communicated  to  the  Author's  father  by  the  latter's 
grandmother,  Mary,  daughter  of  Alexander  Macfie  and  his  heroic 
wife. 


278        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  bitter  truth  of  the  saying.  Ludovick  Grant 
went  to  Aberdeen  about  the  beginning  of  March 
to  pay  his  respects  to  Cumberland,  whoA  after  a  few- 
days,  ordered  him  to  return  to  Strathspey,  and  to 
meet  him  again  at  Speymouth  with  six  hundred 
men.  Ludovick  returned  to  his  own  country, 
but  failed  to  meet  the  Duke,  his  excuse  being  that 
the  Grants  refused  to  leave  their  homes  while  the 
Jacobites  were  near.  The  events  of  Culloden 
changed  all.  No  longer  deeming  it  necessary  to 
act  on  the  advice  of  Alasdair  Mor  Og — c<  Let  those 
fight  who  have  nothing  to  lose  ':  —the  young  chief 
leapt  with  amazing  agility  off  the  fence  on  which 
he  had  so  long  sat,  and  in  less  than  two  days  had 
eight  hundred  men  at  the  service  of  Duke  William.1 
Employed  in  rebel-hunting,  he  captured  Lord  Bal- 
merino  and  other  Jacobites  in  Strathdearn,  and,  in 
obedience  to  the  Duke's  commands,  destroyed  the 
ploughs  and  implements  of  the  people  of  that 
district.2  Immediately  after  the  battle  John  Grant, 
factor  of  Urquhart,  waited  upon  Cumberland  at 
Inverness,  and  was  ordered  to  bring  in  the  Urquhart 
men  who  were  loyal  and  disposed  to  follow  Ludovick 
as  their  chief.3  None  came  in,  and  before  the  end  of 
April  Ludovick  and  his  eight  hundred  marched  into 
the  Parish. 

1  Letter,  Sir  Archibald  Grant  to  Sir  James  Grant,  dated  Inverness, 
8th  May,  1746.       The  documents  referred  to  in  this  chapter  are  at 
Castle  Grant,  except  where  otherwise  indicated.     Some  of  them  are 
printed  in  "  The  Chiefs  of  Grant." 

2  Ibid. 

3  Letter,  Earl  of  Findlater  to  Ludovick  Grant,  dated  Inverness, 
I9th  April,  1746. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  279 

"  I  shall  conclude  my  letter,"  wrote  Ludovick  to 
the  factor  at  an  early  stage  of  the  troubles,  ' '  with 
desiring  you  make  my  compliments  to  the  gentlemen 
of  Urquhart,  and  let  them  know  that  I  desire  you 
and  them  to  spirite  up  the  tennents  and  inhabitants 
of  Urquhart  to  remain  peaceable  at  home,  and  to 
assure  them  of  all  encouragement  from  me,  nay, 
of  favours,  if  they  are  obedient;  whereas,  be  they 
who  they  will  that  will  act  otherways  than  I  desire, 
they  may  expect  the  treatment  that  they  will  justly 
merite  from  me."  The  gentlemen  and  tenants  and 
inhabitants  of  Urquhart  did  otherwise  than  as  he 
desired,  and  he  now  came  to  fulfil  his  promise. 
With  a  vigour  and  devotion  which  contrast  strangely 
writh  his  inactivity  before  Culloden,  he  scoured  the 
country  from  Tullich  to  Temple — the  Dan  and 
Beersheba  of  Urquhart — for  the  men  who  had  been 
"  out  "  and  were  now  fugitives  in  the  woods  and 
among  the' mountains.  Corrimony  found  safe  shelter 
within  the  cave  of  Morall,  where  the  remains  of  the 
timber  of  his  rough  bed  were  seen  by  persons  who 
still  live;  but  Ludovick  carried  away  his  own  and 
his  tenants'  cattle.1  Achmonie  was  equally  safe  in 

1  The  following  document  is  preserved  at  Castle  Grant : — 
"  Whereas  Ludovic  Grant  of  Grant  had  seized  upon  the  lands  of 
Corrymonie  in  Urquhart  cattle  belonging  to  tenants  of  mine,  and  the 
said  Grant  hath,  upon  the  representations  of  me,  Alexander  Chisholm 
of  Chisholm,  younger,  delivered  back  17  cows,  small  and  great,  seven 
piece  of  horse,  eleven  sheep,  and  nineteen  goats,  belonging  to  those 
tenants,  I  oblige  myself  that  these  persons,  so  far  as  I  know,  have 
been  in  no  ways  concerned  in  the  Eebellion,  and  that  the  said  cattle 
shall  be  forth-serving  to  his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Cumberland's 
orders  whenever  called  upon  :  In  witness  whereof,  I  have  subscribed 
these  presents  at  Balmacaan  this  30th  day  of  April,  1746  years. — 
ALEXR.  CHISHOLM." 


280        URQUHART  AND  GEENMORISTON 

the  crevice  in  Achmonie  Craig,  which  still  bears  his 
name.1  Patrick  Grant,  Shewglie's  son,  found  refuge 
in  the  woods  of  Lochletter  :  his  brother  Alexander 
never  returned  from  Culloden,  and  years  after- 
wards appeared  in  India  as  an  officer  under 
Olive.  James  Breac  Chisholm  was  among  the  rocks 
of  Craigmonie,  where  his  food  was  brought  to  him 
by  a  faithful  dog.  The  retreats  of  the  fugitives  were 
known  to  many  of  the  people,  but  nothing  would 
make  them  give  information,  and,  although  Ludovick 
continued  the  search  for  several  days,  his  only 
captives  were  John  Bain  (John  the  Fair), 
Donald  Bain,  and  Alexander  Bain,  all  of  Corri- 
mony — "honest  men,"  all  of  them,  certified 
the  Eeverend  John  Grant,  minister  of  the  Parish, 
who  did  what  he  could  to  screen  the  fugitives, 
and  kept  their  little  money  for  them.2  The  captives 
and  the  cattle  were  sent  under  escort  to  Cumberland ; 
but  they  were  a  poor  result  of  the  Expedition  of  the 
Eight  Hundred,  and  Ludovick  strongly  urged  the 
people  to  get  their  fugitive  friends  to  surrender  and 
cast  themselves  on  the  Eoyal  clemency.  He  sent  a 
similar  advice  to  the  men  of  Glenmoriston.  His 
counsel  was  unfortunately  accepted.  On  the  4th  of 
May  sixty-eight  Glenmoriston  men  appeared  at 
Balmacaan,  and  surrendered  themselves  and  their 
arms.  Their  example  was  followed  by  sixteen  of  the 
men  of  Urquhart.3  Ludovick  was  satisfied,  and  next 

1  Uamh  Fhir  Achamhonaidh — Achmonie's  Cave. 

2  Letter,  Ludovick  Grant  to   the  Duke  of  Newcastle.— Chiefs  of 
Grant,  ii.,  267. 

3  See  Appendix  H  for  lists  of  those  who  surrendered,  and  of  the- 
arms  given  up  by  them. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  281 

day  he  proceeded  to  Inverness  with  them,  and  with 
the  minister,  old  Shewglie  and  his  son  James,  and 
Donald  Mackay,  Achmonie's  brother,  and  delivered 
them  all  into  the  hands  of  Duke  William. 

The  surrender  was  not  made  without  doubts  and 
forebodings.  James  Breac  Chisholm  was  on  his  way 
to  Balmacaan  to  give  himself  up,  when  the  idea 
of  treachery  forced  itself  so  strongly  upon  his  mind 
that  he  returned  to  his  retreat  in  the  Bed  of  the 
King's  Daughter  in  Craigmonie.  Glenmoriston  and 
Corrimony  both  started  to  meet  Ludovick,  but  took 
warning  and  turned  back.  John  Macmillan,  Borlum, 
kept  to  the  woods  on  the  advice  of  his  wife,  who 
quoted  the  proverb,  "  JS  fhearr  sith  fo  phreas  na  sith 
fo  ghlais  5:  — "  better  peace  in  a  bush  than  peace  in 
fetters."  Ewen  Macdonald  left  his  home  .at  Livisie 
with  the  other  Glenmoriston  men,  followed  by  his 
wife,  who  implored  him  to  return.  Her  tears  had 
no  effect,  until,  as  the  party  was  about  to  cross  the 
Urquhart  march  beyond  Achnaconeran,  she  threw 
the  child  which  she  carried  at  her  breast  in  the 
heather,  and  bidding  her  husband  take  it  or  let  it 
die,  sped  back  as  if  her  senses  had  forsaken  her. 
Ewen  had  but  one  choice;  and  he  raised  the  child 
and  returned  with  it  to  his  house,  where  he 
remained.  When  Shewglie  got  into  his  saddle  to 
accompany  Ludovick  to  Inverness,  his  mare  turned 
three  times  tuaitheal — that  is,  against  the  sun.  His 
old  hen- wife,  Stianach  Bhuidh  nan  Cearc — Yellow 
Stianach  of  the  Hens — marked  the  evil  omen, 
and  entreated  him  not  to  go.  He  went,  and 
never  returned.  On  his  advice,  however,  The 


URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

Swordsman  returned  home  until  it  was  seen  how 
it  fared  with  those  who  did  not  equal  him  in  guilti- 
ness against  the  Guelphs,  and  he  was  spared.  The 
women,  who  formed  the  bulk  of  the  great  crowd 
which  gathered  at  Balmacaan  to  witness  the 
departure  of  the  surrendered,  filled  the  air  with 
cries  of  grief,  and  one  old  female  stepped  forward  and 
addressed  the  doomed  men  in  words  of  prophecy— 

'  Urchadainn  Mo  Chrostain, 
Cha  bu  rosadach  thu  riamh  gus  an  diugh — 
An  taobh  ris  am  beil  sibh  cuir  bhur  sail, 
Gu  brath  cha  chuir  sibh  cla.r  na  h-aoduinn  I"  l 

The  manner  in  which  the  surrender  was  brought 
about  has  been  recorded  by  Ludovick.  "  Mr  Grant," 
he  says,  referring  to  himself,  "  in  prosecution 
of  his  own  letters  and  manifestos  during  the  time 
of  the  Eebellion,  and  in  prosecution  of  His  Eoyal 
Highness'  orders,  firmly  determined  to  bring  in  as 
many  of  the  rebels  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
as  he  could,  to  be  used  as  His  Eoyal  Highness 
should  judge  fit.  Accordingly,  his  men  catched 
some  and  sent  them  prisoners  immediately  on  his 
going  to  Urquhart,  and  for  several  days  hunted  the 
others  in  that  wild  mountainous  country;  but  on 
their  keeping  out  of  his  way  he  thought  fit  to 
declare  and  publish  that  he  could  grant  them  no 
sort  of  terms,  but  that  if  they  did  not  quickly  come 
in  and  deliver  up  themselves  and  their  arms,  he 
would  never  desist  from  ferreting  them  out,  and 

1 0  Urquhart  of  St  Drostan,  never  wert  thou  unhappy  until 
to-day — to  the  place  to  which  you  [the  surrendered]  now  turn  your 
heels  you  will  not  turn  your  faces  till  the  Day  of  Doom  ! 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  283 

that  although  the  estate  was  his  own  he  would  burn 
the  houses  and  leave  it  as  a  forest  rather  than  that 
it  should  be  inhabited  by  rebels;  but  that,  by  sub- 
mitting, they  would  have  the  best  chance  (as  many 
of  them  pretended  to  have  been  forced)  of  saving 
their  houses  and  effects,  and  their  wives  and 
children,  and  that  even  some  of  themselves  might 
have  a  chance  for  mercy  on  consideration  of  their 
different  cases,  but  that  he  could  not  pretend  to 
foretell  what  their  fate  might  be;  and  he  both  sent 
messengers  and  wrote  an  ostensible  letter  to  a 
peaceable  honest  man,  one  Grant  of  Duldreggan, 
much  to  the  same  purpose — which  letter,  as  he 
hears,  is  in  the  hands  of  Sir  Everard  Faulkner  [the 
Duke's  secretary].  The  event  was  that  besides  the 
^above  mentioned  sixteen  Urquhart  men,  Duldreggan 
brought  him  sixty-eight  Glenmoriston  people,  and 
that  Mr  Grant  caused  acquaint  His  Ebyal  Highness 
that  these  persons,  in  consequence  of  the  above 
hunting  and  threats,  had  surrendered  to  him  with- 
out the  promise  of  any  terms,  and  that  His  Eoyal 
Highness  might  dispose  of  them  as  he  should  think 
fit.551 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that,  in  his  eagerness 
to  show  results  to  Cumberland,  Ludovick  held  out 
greater  hopes  to  the  unfortunate  people  than  he  here 
admits.  "  The  fact  is,"  he  states  in  the  same  paper, 
;c  that  none  of  the  Urquhart  people  did  surrender, 
save  only  sixteen,  when  he  was  threatening  murder 

l  Draft  (at  Castle  Grant)  of  Memorial  by  Ludovick  to  Govern- 
ment in  answer  to  Petitions  by  the  Shewglies  and  the  Eev.  John 
k  Grant. 


284        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

and  burning,  after  having  hunted  and  chased  them 
for  several  days."  The  threat  of  murder — murder 
of  the  innocent  people  who  had  not  left  their  homes 
and  could  be  got  at — was  one  which  the  fugitives 
were  not  likely  to  take  seriously;  their  turf  houses 
and  little  effects  did  not  weigh  much  against  their 
lives  and  liberty ;  their  secret  haunts  were  not  known 
to  Ludovick  and  his  Strathspeymen ;  and,  having 
eluded  their  pursuers  for  several  days,  it  is  difficult 
to  believe  that  they  left  their  fastnesses  without  an 
assurance  of  safety.  The  tradition  is  that  they  were 
promised  "  protections  ':  —letters  from  the  authori- 
ties securing  them  against  further  molestation — and 
the  breach  of  the  promise  gave  rise  to  a  saying 
which  was  at  one  time  common  in  the  Parish 
as  indicative  of  treachery  and  danger—  :'  Cho- 
sabhailt  ri  protection!"  —"  As  safe  as  a  protection  !" 
The  tradition  is  fully  corroborated  by  writings  of 
the  period.  The  two  Shewglies  and  the  parish 
minister  state  in  a  petition  which  tKey  sent 
from  their  English  prison  to  the  Duke  of  New- 
castle, Secretary  of  State,  that  the  men  surrendered 
on  Ludovick 's  "  assurance  that  he  would  intercede 
with  His  Eoyal  Highness  on  their  behalf,  and  that 
after  such  surrender  they  should  be  permitted  to 
return  to  their  respective  places  of  abode  : " l  the 
Reverend  James  Hay  of  Inverness,  writing  in 
1749,  asserts  that  "the  men  of  Glenmoriston  and 
Urquhart  were  advised  to  go  to  Inverness,  and 
deliver  up  their  arms,  upon  solemn  promises  that 

1  Copy  petition  at  Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  285 

they    should    return    safe,    with    protections;    which 
•encouraged   also   those  who  were   not   engaged,    to 
go:"1       Andrew    Henderson,    a    Whig    "Impartial 
Hand,"  who  accompanied  Cumberland's  army,  and 
afterwards   wrote    a    "History   of   the    Eebellion," 
records  that  "  the  people  in  the  Eebellion,  on  submit- 
ting to  mercy,  were  dismissed  to  their  own  habita- 
tions; only  the  Grants  of  Glenmoriston  were  led  into 
a  snare  through  a  mistake  of  their  chieftain,   who 
assured  them  of  pardon  if  they  would  but  come  in  :"2 
and  the  author  of  an  old  MS.  history  of  the  Grants 
states  that  the  fugitives  were   ' '  prevailed  upon  to 
come  and  surrender  themselves  in  expectation  that 
they  would  have  got  protections,  and  been  allowed 
to  return  to  their  country." 

The  unfortunate  men  were  doomed  to  cruel  dis- 
appointment. Ludovick,  as  he  himself  has  recorded, 
delivered  them  up  to  Cumberland,  "  that  His  Eoyal 
Highness  might  dispose  of  them  as  he  should  think 
fit."  Not  one  word  did  he  utter  by  way  of  inter- 
cession. On  the  contrary,  'he  effectually  destroyed 
whatever  feeling  of  mercy  lurked  in  the  Duke's 
breast  by  delivering  to  him  the  letter  addressed  by 
Prince  Charles  to  the  gentlemen  of  Urquhart,  and 
which  had  found  its  way  into  the  hands  of  the 
factor.  The  result  was  that  all  who  had  surrendered, 
including  the  aged  Shewglie  and  his  son,  and  the 
minister  and  Donald  Mackay,  were  confined  in  one  of 
the  churches  of  Inverness3  for  some  days,  and  then 

l  Chambers'   Jacobite   Memoirs,    256.  9 

2  "  Impartial  Hand's "  History  of  the  Eebellion,,  337. 
3  The  Gaelic  Church,   according  to   tradition. 


286  -URQUHART   AND    GLENMORISTON 

transferred  to  Government  ships  which  sailed  with 
them  on  the  22nd  for  the  Thames.1 

The  news  of  their  betrayal  struck  terror  into  the 
hearts  of  their  relations  and  friends  in  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston.  Men  and  women  gave  way  to  grief 
and  despair,  and  cursed  Ludovick  in  language  which 
can  hardly  be  uttered.2  For  a  time  he  and  his  friends 
failed  to  realise  the  enormity  of  the  offence  which 
had  been  committed  against  honour  and  humanity. 
Writing  from  Inverness  on  8th  May  to  the  old  Laird 
of  Grant,  who  was  in  London,  ignorant  of  the  deeds- 
which  were  done  in  his  name,  Sir  Archibald  Grant 
of  Monymusk,  after  giving  an  account  of  the  sur- 
render, excuses  Ludovick  for  not  having  "  catched 
many  more;"  and  two  days  later  the  young  Laird 
himself  writes  his  father  with  evident  satisfaction  : — 
"  I  had  the  honour  yesterday  of  having  His  Eoyal 
Highness'  approbation  of  the  part  I  have  acted  since 
I  came  here.  I  intended  to  have  set  out  for  London 
this  day,  but  as  the  Major's  trial  comes  on  to-morrow 
I  must  wait  it.3  I  shall,  when  we  meet,  satisfy  you, 
I  hope,  and  all  the  world,  with  my  conduct  since  the 
beginning  of  this  villanous  rebellion.  ...  I 
think  old  Shewglie  is  now  in  a  way  of  repenting  all 

1  Jacobite   Memoirs,    256;    "Impartial    Hand's"    History   of   the 
Rebellion,  338. 

2  One  example  of  the  maledictions  may  be  given  :  — 

A  Thighearn'  og  Ghrannda, 
Gum  a  h-ard  theid  droch  dhiol  ort — 
Gaoir  na  cloinne  gun  athair 
Ga  d'  sgaradh  o  Flaitheanas  Chriosda  ! 

(O  young  Laird  of  Grant,  great  be  thy  evil  reward — may  the  cry 
of  the  fatherless  children  drive  thee  from  the  Heaven  of  Christ !) 

3  Major  Grant,  Ludovick's  uncle,  who  was  tried  for  surrendering 
Inverness  Castle. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  287" 

his  villanous  rebellious  schemes,  since  he  was  a  man 
in  the  1715  and  ever  since.  His  cunning  will  not 
save  him.  I  have  done  all  I  could  to  get  hold  of 
Corrimonie  and  Achmonie,  but  have  not  yet  suc- 
ceeded.37 When  he  reached  London  he  found  that 
the  "world/3  far  from  being  satisfied,  condemned 
the  dishonourable  capture  with  a  unanimity  that  made 
him  wince,  and  that  called  forth  long  vindications  of 
his  conduct  from  Monymusk,  and  Lachlan  Grant, 
a  devoted  clansman  who  practised  law  in  Edin- 
burgh.1 Shewglie  and  his  son  and  the  Eeverend 
John  Grant,  from  their  cell  in  Tilbury  Fort,  laid 
their  version  of  the  sad  tale  before  the  Government 
in  a  petition  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle.  A  copy  of 
the  document  was  sent  to  Ludovick,  and  he  was 
constrained  to  reply.  He  addressed  a  long  letter  to 
Newcastle,  in  which,  after  denying  the  accuracy  of 
the  statements  made  by  the  petitioners,  and  animad- 
verting severely  on  their  conduct,  he  made  an  appeal 
on  behalf  of  their  humbler  associates.  "  1  must  beg 
leave,33  said  he  '"  to  inform  your  Grace  that  there 
are  68  of  the  men  of  Glenmoriston,  and  16  of  the 
men  of  Urquhart  sent  here  [i.e.,  London]  prisoners. 
These  unhappy  men  surrendered  themselves  to  me, 
May  4th,  without  any  promise  of  pardon,  but  threw 
themselves  upon  His  Majesty's  mercy,  and  sur- 
rendered their  arms,  which  were  delivered  to  his 
Eoyal  Highness3  order.  As  none  of  these  people 
were  at  the  battle  of  Culloden  3;  —a  humane  untruth 
which  may  be  pardoned—  ''  and  were  the  first  who- 
surrendered,  without  attempting  to  make  .terms,, 

1  Both  papers  are  at  Castle  Grant. 


288        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEJSTON 

and,  as  since  that  time  many  of  the  rebels  who  have 
surrendered  have  been  allowed  to  live  in  their  own 
countries,  I  cannot  help  feeling  some  compassion  for 
those  who  surrendered  to  me.  I  must  therefore 
humbly  beg  they  may  be  used  no  worse  than  others. 
I  have  information  many  of  them  deserted  from  the 
rebels,  and  returned  home,  and  showed  no  inclination 
to  continue  in  rebellion.  And  as  I  told  their  friends 
before  they  surrendered  that  they  would  find  it 
would  tend  more  for  their  own  safety,  and  that  of 
their  wives  and  children,  to  follow  that  measure, 
which  I  was  convinced  would  preserve  their  effects, 
whereas,  if  they  continued  in  arms,  I  was  certain 
their  whole  country  would  be  turned  into  a  forest, 
and  their  effects  carried  off,  and  they  themselves  in 
a  short  time  could  not  miss  to  be  apprehended,  I 
know  if  they  are  not  treated  with  the  same  mercy 
as  others  are,  I  must  meet  with  reflection  as  being 
the  person  who  advised  their  surrendering  without 
waiting  to  see  the  fate  of  others." 

Ludovick's  tardy  compassion  and  intercession 
were  of  no  avail.  Government  responded  to  the 
petition  of  the  Shewglies  and  the  minister,  of  whom 
he  wrote  in  terms  of  condemnation,  by  releasing 
them  from  prison  and  permitting  them  to  live  in 
London  under  the  surveillance  of  an  officer  of  the 
law.  But  old  ShewghVs  days  were  numbered,  and 
he  was  in  his  grave  before  29th  July.1  His  son  and 
the  minister  were  in  the  end  permitted  to  return  to 

lit  appears  from  papers  at  Castle  Grant  that  lie  died  a  natural 
death,  but  it  was  believed  in  Glen-Urquhart  that  he  was  burnt  to 
death  in  a  barrel  of  tar. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  289 

their  homes.  Ludovick's  appeal  on  behalf  of  the 
remaining  prisoners  was  disregarded,  and,  without 
trial  or  enquiry,  they  were  shipped  off  to  Barbados. 
Many  of  them  succumbed  to  their  evil  treatment 
in  the  Thames  and  during  the  voyage.  Of 
the  rest  only  eighteen  were  alive  in  1749  ;L 
and  of  these  seven  or  eight  only  saw  their 
own  country  again.  Donald  Mackay  was  but  a 
short  time  in  the  island  when  he  escaped  as  a 
stowaway  to  Jamaica,  where,  assuming  the  name  of 
Macdonald,  he  adopted  a  planter's  life.  Many  years 
afterwards  he  returned  to  Glen-Urquhart,  became 
tacksman  of  Kerrowgair — now  the  farm  of  Drumbuie 
—and  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Alexander  Macfie, 
the  old  tenant,  and  of  that  devoted  wife  at  whom  the 
trooper  pointed  his  carbine  on  the  road  to  Culloden. 
His  great-grandson  is  now  writing  these  pages.2 
William  Grant  returned  and  became  tenant  of 
Breakry-riach ;  and  his  grandsons,  the  late  John  and 
Ewen  Mackenzie  of  Achintemarag,  furnished  some  of 
the  incidents  related  in  this  chapter.  Donald  Mac- 
mi  llan  also  found  his  way  home,  ccnd  was  well  known 
in  after  life  as  the  Grey  Smith  of  Inchvalgar.  Of  the 

1  Lyon  in  Mourning — MS.   in  Advocates'  Library. 

2  Donald's    grandson    (the    late    William    Mackay,    the    Author's 
father,  who   in   early  life  dropped  the  name   Macdonald)   visited,   as 
late  as  1886,  the  battlefield  of  Culloden,  where  Donald  fought  in  1746. 
Donald  and  his  wife  are  buried  in  the  old  Achmonie  burial-place  at 
Kilmore.     Their  tombstone,  which  was  erected  in  1822,  bears  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  : — "  Here  lie  the  Remains  of  Donald  Mackay  Mac- 
donald,   Esq.,    late    Planter   in    Jamaica,    and   Representative    of   the 
ancient   family    of   Achmonie,    who    died   in   August,    1791  :    also   the 
Remains  of  his  Spouse,  Mary,  who  died  January,  1822.     This  tribute 
of  respect   is  erected  to  their  memory  by   their   son,   John   Mackay 
Macdonald,  Esq."  ][Q 


290        UKQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Glenmoriston  men,  Alexander  Grant  returned  in 
1748,  and  Donald  Grant  in  August,  1750.  "  Their 
wives  and  children  were  overjoyed  by  the  unexpected 
sight  of  them."1  Alexander  and  Donald  Ferguson  or 
Farquharson  also  came  back,  but  the  former,  finding 
that  his  wife  had  been  faithless  during  his  absence, 
emigrated  to  America.  Donald  was  more  fortunate. 
Before  starting  on  the  ill-fated  journey  to  Balmacaan, 
he  divided  a  ring  in  two,  and,  giving  one  half  of  it  to 
his  betrothed,  bade  her  keep  it  till  they  again  met. 
The  other  half  he  retained.  Eeturning  after  many 
years  he  crossed  from  Fort-Augustus  to  Innse-Mhor, 
near  Aonach,  where  the  woman  resided.  On 
approaching  the  house  he  learned  that  she  had  lost 
all  hope  of  his  return,  and  that  the  feast  for  her 
marriage  with  another  man  was  being  prepared. 
Giving  expression  to  his  feelings  in  rhyme,2  he 
entered  and  asked  her  for  a  drink.  Stranger  though 
he  apparently  was,  the  occasion  demanded  that  she 
should  offer  him  a  dram.  Secretly  dropping  his  half 
of  the  ring  into  the  cup,  he  begged  her  to  drink  first. 
She  did  so,  and  to  her  astonishment  and  joy  found 
the  counterpart  of  the  token  which  she  had  so  long 
treasured.  The  man  for  whom  the  marriage  feast 
was  being  prepared  had  to  give  way,  and  his  place 
was  taken  by  the  long-lost  Donald  Ferguson. 

1  Lyon   in   Mourning. 

2  Tha  smuid  mhor  dhe  Tigh-na-h-Innse — 
Thoir  learn  fhein  gur  smuid  bainns'  i. 
Tha  mo  dhuil  an  High  na  Firinn 
Gur  h-ann  domhs'  tha  brith  iia  bainnse  ! 

(Great  is  the  smoke  from  the  House  of  Innse — a  wedding  smoke 
it  appears  to  me.  My  confidence  is  in  the  King  of  Truth  that  the 
marriage  preparations  are  for  me  !). 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  291 


CHAPTEE     XVI 

1746—1747 

The  Government's  Treatment  of  Ludovick  Grant. — Glen- 
Urquhart  harried  by  the  English  Cavalry. — The  Blanket 
Raid. — Invermoriston  House  Burnt,  and  the  Glenmor- 
iston  People  Plundered. — Cumberland  at  Fort- Augustus. 
— Atrocities  in  Glenmoriston. — A  Reign  of  Terror. — The 
Story  of  Roderick  Mackenzie. — Cattle  dealing  between 
English  Soldiers  and  Southern  Drovers. — Gay  Life  in  the 
English  Camp. — Horse-Racing  Extraordinary. — The 
Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston. — The  Wanderings  of  Prince 
Charles. — The  Prince  in  Glenmoriston. — His  Three 
Week's  Life  with  the  Seven  Men. — An  Oath  of  Secrecy 
and  Fidelity.— -The  Prince's  Movements. — His  Escape. — 
His  Appearance  and  Habits. — Devotion  of  the  Seven 
Men. — The  English  leave  Fort- Augustus. — Famine  and 
Pestilence  in  the  Parish. — The  Use  of  Arms  and  the 
Wearing  of  the  Highland  Dress  Prohibited. — A  Terrible 
Oath. — Results  of  Culloden. — Close  of  the  Olden  Times. 

LUDOVICK  GRANT'S  zeal  in  connection  with  the 
bringing  in  of  the  men  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston did  not  secure  him  the  consideration 
which  he  expected  from  the  Government  and 
military  authorities.  His  uncle  was  tried  by  court- 
martial  for  surrendering  Inverness  Castle,  and 
somewhat  harshly  dismissed  from  the  army.  Young 
Shewglie  and  the  Reverend  John  Grant,  whose 
punishment  he  had  urged,  were,  as  we  have  seen, 
released;  while  the  men  who  were  unfortunate 
enough  to  be  the  objects  of  his  intercession  were 
banished  to  Barbados  without  trial.  His  request 
to  be  refunded  his  outlays  while  rebel-hunting— 


292        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

amounting  to  £494  8s— was  treated  with  contempt. 
Early  in  July  his  estate  of  Urquhart  was  over-run 
by  Kingston's  Light  Horse,  who  gave  his  tenants' 
houses  to  the  flames,1  and  carried  away  their  horses, 
cattle,  and  household  effects.2 

In  October  a  levy  of  one  hundred  blankets  was 
made  out  of  Urquhart  for  the  King's  troops,  and 
enforced  by  a  company  of  soldiers;  while  a  similar 
demand  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  blankets  was  in 
January  following  made  on  his  people  of  Strathspey.3 
For  these  losses  and  exactions  Ludovick  and  his 
tenants  in  vain  sought  redress. 

1  The  houses  of  Divach  and  Clunemore  were  burnt.     An  officer  of 
the  name  of  Og-ilvie  was  sent  to  destroy  Corrimony  house,  but  he 
spared  it  on  account  of  Corrimony's  wife,  Jane  Ogilvie;  and  it  still 
stands. 

2  See  Appendix  I.  for  details  of  the  spoil.     Kingston's  Horse,  who 
were  raised  by  the  Duke  of  Kingston  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  left 
Fort-Augustus  on  27th  July  for  their  native  Nottinghamshire,  where 
they    astonished    the    people   of    that    county    with    their   wonderful 
accounts  of  their  prowess  and  exploits  in  the  Highlands.     According 
to  one  report  of  the  time,  "three  butchers  of  Nottingham,  who  had 
been  of  Kingston's  Horse,  killed  fourteen  men  each  at  the  battle  of 
Culloden" — (Scots  Magazine,  1746).     The  regiment  was  disbanded  in 
September,   when   their   standards  were  placed   in   the  town-hall   of 
Nottingham,   with   an  inscription  in  the  following  terms  : — "  These 
Military  Standards,  lately  belonging  to  the  Light  Horse  commanded 
by  the  Most  Noble  and  Most  Puissant  Prince,  Evelin,  Duke  of  King- 
ston,  raised  among  the  first  by  the  County  of  Nottingham  out  of 
Love  to  their  Country  and  Loyalty  to  the  Best  of  Kings,  in  the  year 
1745,  pr>  here  dedicated  to  the  perpetual  Fame  and  immortal  Memory 
of   their  invincible  Bravery   in   the   Skirmish  of   Clifton   Moor,   the 
Siege  of  the  city  of  Carlisle,  but  especially  at  the  memorable  Battle 
fought  a,t  Culloden,  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  on  the  16th  day  of 
April,  1746,  where,  amongst  others,  they  performed  many  and  glori- 
ous Exploits  in  Routing  and  entirely  Subduing  the  Perfidious  Rebels, 
stirred  up  and  supported  by  the  French  King,  an  implacable  Enemy 
of  the  Protestant  Religion  and  Publick  Liberty.     God  save  our  ever 
August  King  !     Long  may  the  County  of  Nottingham  Flourish  !" 

3  Memorial  by  Ludovick  Grant  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle — copy  at 
Castle  Grant. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  293 

The  district  of  Glenmoriston  suffered  even  more 
than  Urquhart.  The  Earl  of  Loudon,  who  had 
found  shelter  in  Skye  after  his  retreat  from  Inver- 
ness, returned  as  soon  as  tidings  of  Culloden  reached 
him,  accompanied  by  Sir  Alexander  Macdonald  of 
Sleat,  Macleod  of  Macleod,  and  the  "  militia  of  the 
Isle  of  Skye."  In  passing  through  Glenmoriston 
the  Earl  and  his  companions  lodged  for  a  night  in 
Invermoriston  House.  Next  day,  according  to  the 
testimony  of  an  eye-witness,  Patrick  Grant,  tenant  of 
Craskie,  they  "  burnt  it  to  the  ground,  destroying 
at  the  same  time  all  the  ploughs,  harrows,  and  other 
such  like  utensils  they  could  find."  The  Skyemen, 
continues  Grant,  "  dividing  themselves  into  three 
parties,  went  a-rummaging  up  and  down  the  Glen, 
destroying  all  the  ploughs,  harrows,  &c.,  pots,  pans, 
and  all  household  furniture,  not  excepting  the  stone 
querns,  with  which  they  [the  people]  grind  their 
corn,  breaking  them  to  pieces;  and  driving  along 
with  them  such  cattle  as  (in  their  then  hurry)  they 
found  in  the  Glen.  Our  country  blame  the  Laird  of 
Macleod  more  than  any  other  for  this  piece  of  mili- 
tary execution,  that  Lord  Loudon  was  against  it, 
but  that  Macleod  should  have  insisted  upon  it  as  a 
meritorious  piece  of  service,  fit  to  recommend  them 
to  the  good  graces  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland."  l 
Loudon  was  a  keen  and  consistent  Whig  who  would 
not  have  been  without  excuse  even  had  he  been  the 
instigator  of  these  measures;  but  there  can  be  no 
excuse  for  the  two  Island  chiefs,  who,  if  they  did 

1  Lyon  in  Mourning. 


294        UEQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

not  "  insist  "  on  them,  took  part  without  compunction 
in  carrying  them  into  effect  against  a  people  whose 
•only  crime  was  the  espousal  of  a  cause  which  they 
themselves  had  at  one  time  had  serious  thoughts  of 
joining. 

The  Duke  of  Cumberland  left  Inverness  on  23rd 
May,  and  arrived  next  day  at  Fort- Augustus,  which 
he  made  his  headquarters  till  his  departure  for 
England  on  18th  July.  During  his  stay,  and 
indeed  until  the  last  remnant  of  the  English  army 
left  in  August,  the  district  of  Glenmoriston,  lying 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Fort,  suffered  much. 
Officers  and  men  forgot  their  humanity,  and  revelled 
in  blood,  plunder,  lust,  and  brutal  horse-play.  The 
truth  of  the  charges  against  them  has  been  denied; 
but  without  relying  on  the  tradition  of  the  country, 
which  tells  in  words  of  fire  of  the  enormities  of  the 
time,  many  deeds  of  violence  and  shame  are  but . 
too  well  authenticated  in  the  pages  of  the  Lyon 
in  Mourning,  a  manuscript  collection  of  letters, 
journals,  and  narratives  made  by  Bishop  Eobert 
Forbes  immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war.1  The 
following  examples  may  be  given  from  that  col- 
lection. 

Colonel     Cornwallis,     marching    through     Glen- 
moriston with  a  body  of  soldiers,  observed  two  men 
'  leading  "  dung  to  their  land,  and  shouted  to  them 
to  come  to  him.     Instead  of  obeying,  the  men,  who, 

1  The  Lyon  in  Mourning  was  preserved  in  the  family  of  Stewart 
of  Allanton,  by  whom  it  was  given  to  the  late  Robert  Chambers,  who 
made  it  over  to  the  Advocates'  Library,  where  it  now  is.  It  has 
since  the  issue  of  the  first  edition  of  this  work  been  published  by  the 
Scottish  History  Society. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  295 

knowing  only  Gaelic,  probably  did  not  understand  his 
request,  turned  their  faces  away  from  him.  They 
were  instantly  shot  dead. 

Major  James  Lockhart,  of  Cholmondeley's  Begi- 
ment,  an  officer  who  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Highlanders  at  Falkirk,  and  bribed  his  guard  to  let 
him  free,  made  discreditable  use  of  the  liberty  which 
he  had  thus  gained,  and  his  name  has  come  down 
to  us  as  the  most  notorious  of  Cumberland's  lieu- 
tenants.1 Six  or  seven  weeks  after  the  battle  of 
Culloden  he  was  in  command  of  a  company  in  the 
Braes  of  Glenmoriston,  when  he  saw  two  old  men, 
Hugh  Fraser  and  John  Macdonald,  and  the  former's 
son,  James  Fraser,  harrowing  in  a  field.  He  shot 
the  three  down  without  a  word  of  warning.  On  the 
same  day  he  ordered  Grant  of  Duldreggan,  a  peace- 
able man  who  had  taken  no  part  in  the  insurrection, 
and  on  whose  advice  the  Glenmoriston  men  sur- 
rendered to  Ludovick  Grant,  to  gather  together  the 
Duldreggan  cattle  while  he  and  his  men  harried  and 
burned  another  district.  Finding  on  his  return 
next  day  that  the  cattle  had  not  all  arrived  from 
the  remote  glens,  he  stripped  Grant  naked,  bound 
him  hand  and  foot,  and  in  that  condition  made  him 

1  Lockhart  is  referred  to  in  the  following  lines  by  a  woman  whom 
he  had  robbed  : — 

Tha  'n  crodh  agam  ann  an  Sasunn; 
Cha  d'  fhag  iad  beathach  agam  air  pairce; 
Thug  iad  uam  brigh  mo  thochradh — 
'S  e  Maidsear  Lockhart  an  t-aireach  ! 

(All  my  cattle  are  in  England;  they  have  not  left  a  beast  with 
me  on  a  field ;  they  have  deprived  me  of  the  substance  of  my  dower — 
and  Major  Lockhart  is  the  cow-keeper  !) 


296        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

witness  the  hanging  by  the  feet  of  the  bodies  of  the 
three  men  who  had  been  murdered  on  the  previous 
day.  Grant's  life  was  spared  at  the  request  of 
Captain  Grant  of  London's  Eegiment;  but  Lockhart 
carried  away  his  cattle,  set  fire  to  his  house,  robbed 
his  wife  of  her  rings,  and  stripped  her  of  her  clothes. 
Of  these  scenes  the  aged  Lady  of  Glenmoriston,1 
whose  own  house  and  effects  were  also  given  to  the 
flames,  and  who  was  forcibly  deprived  of  her  "  plaid 
and  napkin,"  was  an  unwilling  witness. 

Another  man  of  the  name  of  Fraser  was  shot  by 
Lockhart    as    he    was    wading    a    stream — notwith- 
standing that  he  held  in  his  hand  a   "  protection  ' 
from  the  Whig  minister  of  Kilmorack. 

But  the  most  tragic  event  that  happened  in  Glen- 
moriston was  the  death  of  Eoderick  Mackenzie.  This 
young  man  was  a  native  of  Edinburgh,  and  probably 
a  son  of  Colin  Mackenzie,  jeweller  in  that  city,  who 
interested  himself  in  the  cause  of  the  Stewarts  in  The 
Fifteen.  Eoderick,  who  followed  Colin's  politics  as 
well  as  his  trade,  joined  Prince  Charles,  to  whom  he 
bore  some  personal  resemblance,  and  became  one  of 
his  body-guard.  After  Culloden,  he  wandered 
through  the  Highlands,  and  happened  to  be  in  our 
Parish  when  it  became  known  that  Charles  had 
escaped  from  the  Western  Isles,  and  was  lurking 
among  the  mountains  of  the  mainland  of  Inverness- 
shire.  Unfortunately,  a  party  of  the  King's  soldiers, 
who  were  eager  to  win  the  £30,000  placed  on  the 
Prince's  head,  came  upon  him  in  Glenmoriston,  and, 

1  Daughter  of  Sir  Ewen  Cameron  of  Lochiel,  and  widow  of  Iain 
a'  Chr again. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  297 

taking  him  for  the  royal  fugitive,  endeavoured  to 
seize  him.  He  made  no  attempt  to  undeceive  them, 
but,  drawing  his  sword,  refused  to  be  taken  alive. 
They  thereupon  riddled  him  with  bullets,  and  he 
expired  with  the  words  on  his  lips—  '  You  have 
murdered  your  Prince."  1  The  head  of  the  hero  was 
carried  in  triumph  to  Fort- Augustus,  where  Mac- 
donald  of  Kingsburgh  was  questioned  as  to  its 
identity.2  His  evidence  was  unsatisfactory,  and 
when  Cumberland  left  for  England,  he  took 
the  head  with  him  to  be  submitted  to  other 
witnesses.  Eichard  Morison,  who  had  been  the 
Prince's  valet,  and  now  lay  under  sentence  of  death 
at  Carlisle,  was  summoned  to  London  to  identify 
the  head;  but  he  was  delayed  through  illness,  and 
before  he  arrived  it  was  beyond  recognition.  The 
Government  were,  however,  soon  satisfied  that 
Charles  was  still  alive;  but  Mackenzie's  self-sacrifice 
slackened  for  a  time  the  exertions  of  the  troops,  and 
probably  saved  the  Prince.  It  certainly  saved  his 
valet,  who  was  granted  a  pardon  and  allowed  to  cross 
to  France.3 


1  These  are  the  words  given  in  the  Lyon  in  Mourning.     They  are 
given  somewhat  differently  by  the  Chevalier  Johnstone  and  others. 

2  Lyon  in  Mourning;  Soots  Magazine. 

3  Chevalier  Johnstone's  Memoirs.     Mackenzie  fell  by  the  side  of 
the  public  highway,  opposite  the  lands  of  Ceanacroc.     A  cairn  marks 
the  spot.     The  grave  in  which  the  headless  body  was  hastily  buried 
lies  on  the  opposite   side  of  the  road,    and   by  the   side  of   a  small 
stream   called,    after   Mackenzie,    Caochan    a'    Cheannaich — the  Mer- 
chant's  Streamlet.     Near  it   was  recently   found   a   sword,   probably 
Mackenzie's.     Without  any  good  reason,  doubt  has  been  cast  on  the 
story  by  Mr  Robert  Chambers  and  Lord  Mahon,   neither  of  whom, 
probably,  ever  visited  the  scene  of  his  death.     The  story  is  related 


298        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  soldiers  roamed  up  and  down  Glenmoriston, 
shooting  down  men,  burning  homesteads  to  the 
ground,  stripping  women  of  their  clothes,  and 
driving  to  Fort-Augustus  every  four-footed  animal 
they  could  find.  Maids  and  matrons  were  seized 
and  violated  under  circumstances  -of  gross  brutality.1 
The  terror-stricken  people  fled  to  the  mountains, 
where  many  of  them  succumbed  to  hunger  and 
exposure.2  Such  of  them  as  ventured  to  the  Fort 
to  beg  for  food  were  denied  the  crumbs  that  fell 
from  the  soldiers'  table,  and  were  sent  away  empty- 
by  Johnstone  (Memoirs)  and  in  the  Lyon  in  Mourning  by  Macpherson 
of  Cluny,  and  Mrs  Cameron,  wife  of  Dr  Archibald  Cameron — the  last 
Jacobite  executed.  These  all  lived  at  the  time  of  the  event.  Another 
contemporary,  Dug-aid  Graham,  the  rhyming  historian  of  The  Forty- 
Five,  gives  it  in  the  following  lines  :  — 

"  Rod'rick  Mackenzie,  a  merchant-man, 

At  Ed'iiburgh  town  had  join'd  the  Clan, 

Had  in  the  expedition  been, 

And  at  this  time  durst  not  be  seen. 

Being  skulking  in  Glen-Morriston, 

Him  the  soldiers  lighted  on. 

Near  about  the  Prince's  age  and  size, 

Genteely  drest,  in  no  disguise, 

In  ev'ry  feature,  for's  very  face 

Might  well  be  taken  in  any  case, 

And  lest  he'd  like  a  dog  be  hang'd, 

He  chose  to  die  with  sword  in  hand, 

And  round  him  like  a  madman  struck, 

Vowing  alive  he'd  ne'er  be  took, 

Deep  wounds  he  got,  and  wounds  he  gave; 

At  last  a  shot  he  did  receive, 

And  as  he  fell,  them  to  convince, 

Cry'd,  Ah!   Alas!    You've  killed  your  Prince; 

Ye  murderers  and  bloody  crew, 

You  had  no  orders  thus  to  do." 

1  See  Appendix  J. 

2  Lyon  in  Mourning ;  Scots  Magazine,  1746 ;  Glenaladale's  Account 
of  Prince  Charles'  Escape,  in  Lockhart  Papers,  II.,  556. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  299 

handed  by  order  of  Duke  William.1  Even  the  dead 
were  not  allowed  peaceful  burial.  '  As  the  Glen- 
moriston  people  were  forced  to  keep  the  hills/'  says 
Patrick  Grant,2  "  so  when  any  of  them  died,  they 
would  have  been  kept  three  or  four  days,  because  of 
the  parties  then  scouring  up  arid  down  the  country, 
and  when  they  could  they  would  have  carried  the 
dead  bodies  privately,  in  the  night-time,  to  the 
kirk-yards  to  bury  them.  Hereby  the  Glenmoriston 
people,  having  suffered  much  both  by  hunger  and 
cold,  so  in  the  ensuing  winter,  1746,  a  great 
mortality  happened  among  them." 

While  the  wretched  people  thus  suffered  and 
died,  their  oppressors  fared  sumptuously,  and  ate, 
drank,  and  were  merry.  The  large  sum  of  £4000— 
equal  in  value  to  three  or  four  times  that  amount  in 
the  present  day — was  sent  to  Fort-Augustus  by  the 
city  of  London  for  division  among  the  non-com- 
missioned officers  and  soldiers.3  The  horses,  cattle, 
sheep,  and  goats  which  were  brought  in  thousands 
into  the  camp  were  sold  to  dealers  from  England 
and  the  south  of  Scotland,  and  the  proceeds  divided 
as  prize-money.  "  Most  of  the  soldiers,"  writes  one 
who  served  with  them  as  a  volunteer,4  "  had  horses, 

1  The  following  order  was   issued   by   the   Duke   on   8th   July  :  — 
"  There  is  no  meal  to  be  sold  to  any  persons  but  soldiers,  there  wives 
are  not  alow'd  to  buy  it — if  any  soldier,  soldier's  wife,  or  any  other 
persons  belonging-  to  the  Army,  is  known  to  sell  or  give  any  meal  to 
any  Highlander,  or  any  person  of  the  country,   they   shall  be  first 
whipd  severely  for  disobeying  this  order,   and  then  put  upon  meal 
and  water  in  the  Provost  for  a  fourthnight."     (Maclachlan's  Life  of 
-Cumberland,  324). 

2  Narrative,  in  Lyon  in  Mourning. 

3  Maclachlan's  Life  of  Cumberland,  325. 

4  Bay's  History  of  Eebellion,  372. 


300        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

which  they  bought  and  sold  with  one  another  at  a 
low  price,  and  on  which  they  rode  about,  neglecting 
their  duty;  which  made  it  necessary  to  publish  an 
order  to  part  with  them,  otherwise  they  were  all  to 
be  shot.  I  saw  a  soldier  riding  one  of  these  horses, 
when,  being  met  by  a  comrade,  he  asked  him,  c  Tom, 
what  hast  thou  given  for  the  galloway?'  Tom 
answered,  '  Half-a-crown.'  To  which  the  other 
replied,  with  an  oath,  'He  is  too  dear;  I  saw  a 
better  bought  for  eighteenpence.'  Notwithstanding 
the  low  price,  the  vast  quantities  of  cattle,  such  as 
oxen,  horses,  sheep,  and  goats,  taken  from  the  rebels 
and  bought  up  by  the  lump  by  the  jockeys  and 
farmers  from  Yorkshire  and  the  south  of  Scotland, 
came  to  a  great  deal  of  money;  all  which  was 
divided  amongst  the  men  that  brought  them  in, 
who  were  sent  out  in  parties  in  search  of  the  Pre- 
tender; and  they  frequently  came  to  rebels'  houses 
that  had  left  them  and  would  not  be  reduced  to 
obedience.  These  sort  our  soldiers  commonly 
plundered  and  burnt,  so  that  many  of  them  grew 
rich  by  their  share  of  spoil."  l 

One  would  have  thought  that,  in  such  circum- 
stances, and  placed  as  they  were  in  summer  in  the 
midst  of  magnificent  scenery,  the  English  soldiers 
would  have  greatly  enjoyed  their  life  in  the  High- 
lands. But  the  Southrons  had  not  yet  learned  to 
appreciate  the  beauties  of  Highland  scenery,  and 

l  There  were  8000  cattle  at  Fort- Augustus  on  26th  July — all  taken 
from  the  "rebels"  (Scots  Magazine,  August,  1746).  "If  some  of 
your  Northumberland  graziers  were  here/'  writes  an  officer  from  the 
Fort  on  that  date,  "they  might  make  their  fortunes." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  301 

the  unwonted  landscape  had  a  depressing  effect 
upon  their  souls.  The  sight  "  of  the  black  barren 
mountains,  covered  with  snow  and  streams  of  water 
rolling  down  them,"  says  Bay,  the  Volunteer,  "  was 
sufficient  to  give  a  well-bred  dog  the  vapours,  and 
occasioned  numbers  to  fall  sick  daily  as  well  in  their 
minds  as  in  their  bodies."  With  the  desire  of 
mending  their  minds  if  not  their  morals,  the  Duke 
initiated  sports  of  a  most  diverting  character.  "Last 
Wednesday,"  writes  a  gentleman  on  17th  June,1 
'  the  Duke  gave  two  prizes  to  the  soldiers  to  run 
heats  for,  on  bare  backed  galloways  taken  from  the 
rebels,  when  eight  started  for  the  first,  and  ten  for 
the  second  prize.  These  galloways  are  little  larger 
than  a  good  tup,  and  there  was  excellent  sport. 
Yesterday  His  Eoyal  Highness  gave  a  fine  holland 
smock  to  the  soldiers'  wives,  to  be  run  for  on  these 
galloways,  also  bare-backed,  and  riding  with  their 
limbs  on  each  side  the  horse,  like  men.  Eight 
started,  and  there  were  three  of  the  finest  heats 
ever  seen.  The  prize  was  won  with  great  difficulty 
by  one  of  the  Old  Buffs  ladies.  In  the  evening 
General  Hawley J  —the  gallant  commander  who 
made  such  a  rapid  flight  from  Falkirk — "  and 
Colonel  Howard  ran  a  match  for  twenty  guineas  on 
two  of  the  above  shalties;  which  General  Hawley 
won  by  about  four  inches."  "  There  were  also," 
says  Eay,  '  many  foot  races  performed  by  both 
sexes,  which  afforded  many  droll  scenes.  It  was 
necessary  to  entertain  life  in  this  manner,  otherwise 

1  Scots  Magazine,  June,   1746. 


302        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  people  were  in  danger  of  being  affected  with 
hypochondriacal  melancholy."  These  races  were 
said  to  have  been  attended  with  circumstances  of  even 
grosser  indecency  than  is  acknowledged  by  these 
Whig  writers.  According  to  the  gossip  of  the  time, 
the  female  camp-followers  who  took  part  in  them 
were  as  destitute  of  raiment  as  was  Godiva  of 
Coventry  during  her  famous  ride.  It  is  fair,  how- 
ever, to  add  that  the  Eeverend  James  Hay  of 
Inverness,  to  whom  Bishop  Forbes  addressed 
enquiries  on  the  point,  replied — "Though  the 
running  naked  be  commonly  reported,  I  have  not  got 
an  account  of  the  certainty."1 

Among  those  who  sought  refuge  in  the  mountains 
were  Patrick  Grant,  tenant  of  Craskie,  to  whose  nar- 
rative reference  has  in  this  chapter  been  repeatedly 
made;  Hugh,  Alexander,  and  Donald  Chisholm, 
sons  of  Paul  Chisholm,  tenant  in  Blairie;  Alexander 
Macdonald  in  Aonach;  John  Macdonald,  alias 
Campbell,  in  Craskie;  and  Grigor  Macgregor. 
These  Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston,  having  witnessed 
the  betrayal  and  slaughter  of  their  friends  and 
relatives,  the  burning  of  their  homes,  and  the  loss 
of  their  property,  bound  themselves  by  a  solemn 

1  The  races — horse  and  foot — had  the  personal  attention  of  the 
Duke.  On  17th  June  the  following1  appears  in  his  General  Order 
Book  : — "  H.R.H.  gives  six  plates  to  be  run  for  this  afternoon  at  5 
o'clock  by  the  sheltys  belonging-  to  the  Army,  viz.,  four  the  line,  one 
to  be  run  for  by  the  Wimen,  all  to  ride  without  sadles,  Every  Body 
has  a  Right  to  run,  they  are  to  be  at  H.R.H.  Quarters  at  half  an 
hour  after  four."  On  23rd  June  the  order  appears: — "There  is  a 
plate  of  guinea  value  to  be  run  for  on  foot  by  the  wimen  of  the  line 
his  afternoon.  N.B. — The  Ladies  are  desired  to  be  on  the  Course  by 
five  o'clock." 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  303 

oath  never  to  surrender  themselves  or  their  arms  to 
the  English,  but  to  stand  by  each  other  to  the  last 
drop  of  their  blood.1  They  were  stalwart  men  who 
had  been  trained  in  the  Highland  Independent 
Companies.  Macgregor  had  also  been  in  Lord 
London's  Regiment,  from  which  he  deserted  on  the 
landing  of  the  Prince;  and  they  had  all  served  with 
Charles.2  They  now  made  their  home  in  Uamh 
Euaraidh  na  Seilg — the  Cave  of  Eoderick  the 
Hunter — in  Corri-Sgrainge,  one  of  the  two  small 
corries  into  which  Corri-Dho  branches  out  in  its 
upper  reaches;  and  from  there  they  went  forth  in 
search  of  food  and  adventure.  In  a  small  way  they 
waged  war  against  the  devastators  of  their  country, 
making  the  Whig  Highlanders  who  accompanied 
the  English  soldiers  as  Gaelic-speaking  guides  and 
informers  the  special  objects  of  their  animosity. 

About  the  beginning  of  July  the  two  Macdonalds 
and  Alexander  and  Donald  Chisholm  observed  a 
party  of  seven  red-coats,  under  the  guidance  of 
Archibald  Macpherson,  a  native  of  Skye,  making 
their  way  from  Fort-Augustus  to  Glenelg  with  two 
horses  bearing  wine,  wheaten  bread,  and  other  pro- 
visions. They  fired  from  behind  some  boulder-rocks, 
and  two  of  the  soldiers  fell  dead.  The  others, 
alarmed  at  the  unexpected  attack,  fled  towards  Fort- 
Augustus,  leaving  their  horses  behind  them.  The 
Glenmoriston  men  buried  the  dead  where  they  fell, 
took  possession  of  the  provisions,  and  drove  the 
horses  three  miles  further  into  the  mountains,  and 

1  Lyon  in  Mourning.         2  Ibid. 


304  URQUIIART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

there  let  them  loose.  "  The  wine,"  said  Patrick 
Grant,  who  related  the  incident  to  Bishop  Forbes 
in  1751,  '  being  contained  in  square  hampers  of 
leather  with  padlocks,  we  fell  to  breaking  up  the 
hampers  with  stones,  whereby  (woe  be  to  the 
stones !)  we  break  some  of  the  bottles ;  and  when 
we  got  them  opened  we  were  very  angry  we  found 
no  money  in  the  hampers."  They,  however,  saved 
sufficient  wine  to  enable  them  to  live  "  like  princes  " 
for  about  five  days.1 

Some  days  after  this  incident,  the  Seven  Men 
met  Eobert  Grant,  a  native  of  Strathspey,  at  a 
place  ever  since  called  Feith  Eob — Eobert 's  Bog— 
and  shot  him  through  the  heart.  Cutting  off  his 
head,  they  fixed  it  high  in  a  tree  near  the  high  road 
at  Blairie,  where  the  skull  remained  till  far  into  the 
nineteenth  century.  Another  native  of  the  same 
Strath — An  Speach  Euadh,  or  the  Eed  Strathspey- 
man — was  cut  down  by  them,  and  buried  in  the 
wilds.2 

Three  days  after  the  death  of  Eobert  Grant, 
Patrick  Grant  and  his  companions  received  tidings 
to  the  effect  that  a  party  of  soldiers  had  taken 
cattle  belonging  to  Patrick  Grant's  uncle,  and  were 
driving  them  towards  the  West  Coast,  by  General 
Wade's  road  through  Glenmoriston.  The  Seven 
Men  followed  the  soldiers,  and  overtook  them  near 
the  Hill  of  Lundie,  by  Loch-Cluanie-side,  and  from 
some  little  distance  called  upon  them  to  give  up  the 

1  Lyon  in  Mourning1. 
2  Ibid.,    and  tradition   in   Glenmoriston. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  305 

•cattle.  The  officers  in  command  placed  their  men 
in  order  for  resistance,  and  sent  Donald  Fraser,  a 
militiaman,  to  enquire  what  the  Glenmoriston  men 
wanted,  and  to  invite  them  to  surrender  and  take 
advantage  of  the  royal  clemency.  Patrick  replied 
that  they  were  resolved  to  recover  the  cattle,  and 
that 'rather  than  surrender  they  would  fight  to  their 
last  breath,  indicating  at  the  same  time  that  com- 
panions were  near  who  would  help  them  in  the 
struggle.  -The  officers  refused  to  give  up  the 
cattle,  and  ordered  them  to  be  driven  off.  '  The 
Seven  Men  then  made  a  lateral  movement,  and 
commenced  a  running  fire,  two  by  two,  with  'some 
effect.  Still  the  cattle  and  the  soldiers  moved  on. 
The  assailants  then  went  forward  to  a  narrow  and 
dangerous  pass,  where,  taking  up  a  strong  position, 
they  gave  their  fire  with  such  effect  that  the  men, 
terrified  at  this  unusual  kind  of  warfare,  fell  into 
confusion,  and  many  fled.  The  officers  then  sent  a 
second  message,  but  with  the  same  result,  and, 
strange  to  say,  the  affair  ended  by  the  men  being 
allowed  to  carry  off  the  cattle,  together  with  a  horse 
laden  with  provisions."1 

The  three  Chisholms,  who  made  themselves  con- 
spicuous in  these  adventures,  occasionally  visited 
their  mother  at  Blairie.  This  became  known  at 
Fort- Augustus,  and  a  small  party  of  soldiers  was 
sent  out  to  capture  them.  The  young  men,  how- 

1  Patrick  Grant's  Narrative,  corroborated  by  Donald  Eraser,  the 
militiaman.  (Lyon  in  Mourning1). 

20 


306        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

ever,    stoutly    resisted,    and    put    the    red-coats    to» 
flight,1 

While  the  men  of  Glenmoriston  were  thus  leading, 
the  lives  of  outlaws,  the  Prince,  for  whose  sake  they 
suffered,  was  himself  hunted  from  island  to  island, 
and  from  glen  to  glen,  by  the  soldiers  of  King  George. 
After  Culloden,  he  proceeded  by  Strathnairn,  Strath- 
errick,  Fort- Augustus,  and  Glengarry  to  Arisaig, 
and  thence  crossed  the  Minch  to  Benbecula,  For 
two  months  he  eluded  his  pursuers  in  the  Outer. 
Hebrides,  and  at  last  escaped  from  their  grasp 
through  the  heroic  devotion  of  Flora  Macdonald, 
under  whose  guidance  he  crossed  to  Skye  in 
female  attire.  On  5th  July  he  landed  in  Morar. 
His  presence  there  became  known  to  the  warships 
which  scoured  the  Western  Sea,  and  to  the  troops 
at  Fort- William  and  Fort- Augustus.  The  ships 
closed  in  upon  the  coast,  and  a  cordon  of 
soldiers  was  drawn  from  Loch  Shi  el  to  the  head  of 
Loch  Hourn,  the  men  being  placed  within  sight 
of  each  other,  with  fires  burning  at  night  r 
between  which  they  passed  and  repassed  contin- 
ually. Charles  was  now  completely  surrounded, 
and  escape  appeared  almost  impossible.  He,  how- 
ever, resolved  to  make  an  attempt,  and  placed 
himself  unreservedly  in  the  hands  of  three  gentle- 
men who  had  served  in  his  army — Major  Macdonald 
of  Glenaladale,  Lieutenant  John  Macdonald,  Glen- 

1  Tradition  communicated  to  tli?  Author  by  the  late  Duncan 
Macdonell,  Torgoil  Inn,  'who  saw  and  remembered  Hugh  Chisholm. 
one  of  the  Seven  Men — the  same  Hugh  whom  Sir  Walter  Scott,  when 
n  young  man,  knew  in  Edinburgh  (Tales  of  a  Grandfather). 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  307 

aladale's  brother,  and  Lieutenant  John  Macdonald, 
son  of  Angus  Macdonald  of  Borodale.  With  these 
as  his  guides,  and  travelling  only  by  night,  he 
gradually  made  his  way  northward — passing  more 
than  once  so  near  to  the  soldiers  that  the  sound  of 
their  voices  reached  his  ears.  Early  on  the  morning 
of  the  27th  the  party  arrived  at  Glenshiel,  where 
they  met  a  Glengarryman  whom  Glenaladale  recog- 
nised as  one  who  had  served  in  the  Highland  army. 
Led  by  him  they  that  night  pushed  forward  to 
Strath-Cluanie,  where  they  rested  till  the  afternoon 
of  the  28th,  when,  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  fire- 
arms, they  made  for  the  high  mountain  range  that 
looks  down  upon  Glenmoriston's  lands  of  Corri- 
Dho  on  the  one  side,  and  upon  Glen-Affaric  on  the 
other.  There  they  passed  a  most  miserable  night, 
"  the  only  shelter  His  Eoyal  Highness  had  being  an 
open  cave  where  he  could  neither  lean  nor  sleep, 
being  wet  to  the  skin  with  the  rain  that  had  fallen 
all  that  day;  and  having  no  fuel  to  make  a  fire 
with,  his  only  way  to  make  himself  warm  being  by 
smoking  a  pipe."  1 

Some  time  before,  the  Prince  heard  that  French 
vessels  had  put  in  at  Poolewe,  and  he  was  anxious 
to  push  northward  in  their  direction.  The  Glengarry 
guide  did  not  know  the  country  beyond  Strathglass, 
and  he  suggested  that  the  Seven  Men  of  Glenmoriston, 
whose  cave  was  in  the  corrie  which  lay  at  their  feet, 
should  be  asked  to  conduct  the  party  towards  Pool- 
ewe.  His  suggestion  was  agreed  to,  and  about  three 

l  Glenaladale's  Account,  in  Lockhart  Papers,  II.,  556. 


308        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  29th,  he  and  Gleri- 
aladale's  brother  went  forth  in  search  of  the  proposed 
guides.  They  soon  found  the  two  Macdonalds  and 
Alexander  Chisholm,  who  readily  undertook  to  shelter 
Glenaladale  and  his  companions,  among  whom,  they 
were  informed,  was  a  young  gentleman  whose  name 
was  not  mentioned,  but  whom  they  took  to  be  young 
Clanranald ;  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  whole  party 
should  come  to  the  cave,  where  food  was  to  be 
prepared  for  them. 

The  two  messengers  having  returned  and  reported 
the  result  of  their  search,  Charles  and  his  com- 
panions immediately  set  out  for  the  cave.  They 
were  met  on  the  way  by  the  three  men,  who  at 
once  recognised  the  Prince,  and  welcomed  him  with 
the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Leading  him  to  the  cave, 
they  offered  him  such  "  cheer  as  the  exigency  of  the 
time  afforded."1  They  had  no  bread  to  give  him, 
but  of  their  mutton  and  butter  and  cheese  and 
whisky  he  partook  heartily,  for  he  had  not  tasted 
food  for  forty-eight  hours.  His  hunger  being  thus 
appeased,  he  lay  down  on  a  bed  of  heather,  and 
"  was  soon  lulled  to  sleep  with  the  sweet  murmurs 
of  the  gliding  stream  that  ran  through  the  grotto 
just  by  his  bed  side."  2 

When  he  awoke  he  expressed  his  desire  not  to 
increase  the  number  of  those  to  whom  he  entrusted 
himself,  and  proposed  to  the  three  men,  through 
Glenaladale  as  interpreter,  that  they  should  remove  to 
another  place  without  waiting  for  their  companions, 

1  Lyon    in    Mourning-.  2  Glenaladale's   Account. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  309 

who  were  absent  on  a  foraging  expedition.  The  men 
replied  that  they  and  their  comrades  were  bound  by 
a  solemn  oath  to  stand  by  each  other,  and  that  they 
must  refuse  to  forsake  them.  Charles  did  not  press 
his  wish,  but  suggested  that  they  should  solemnly 
swear  to  fidelity  and  secrecy.  This  they  at  once 
agreed  to  do,  and  the  following  oath  was  adminis- 
tered to  them  by  Glenaladale  : — "That  their  backs 
should  be  to  God  and  their  faces  to  the  Devil,  and 
that  all  the  curses  the  Scriptures  did.  pronounce 
might  come  upon  them  and  all  their  posterity  if 
they  did  not  stand  firm  by  the  Prince  in  the 
greatest  dangers,  and  if  they  did  discover  to  any 
person — man,  woman,  or  child — that  the  Prince  was 
in  their  keeping,  till  once  his  person  should  be  out 
of  danger."1  This  obligation  they  observed  so  care- 
fully that  for  a  year  after  Charles'  escape  to  France 
it  was  not  known  that  he  had  been  among  them.2 

On  their  part  Charles  and  Glenaladale  proposed 
to  swear — "  That  if  danger  should  come  upon  them 
they  should  stand  by  one  another  to  the  last  drop  of 
their  blood;"  but  the  men  would  take  no  oath  from 
the  Prince  and  his  friend.  Charles  remarked  that 
they  were  the  first  Privy  Council  that  had  been 
sworn  to  him  since  the  battle  of  Culloden,  and  he 
promised  never  to  forget  them  or  theirs  if  ever  he 
should  come  to  his  own.  One  of  them  replied  that 
a  certain  priest  who  li  used  to  come  among  them  in 
their  own  country  frequently  had  told  them  that 
King  Charles  the  Second,  after  his  restoration,  was 
not  very  mindful  of  his  friends;"  to  which  plain 

1  Lyon   in   Mourning-.  2  Ibid. 


310        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

speaking  the  poor  Prince  answered  that  ' '  he  was 
very  heartily  sorry  for  that,  and  that  he  hoped  he 
himself  would  not  follow  the  same  measures,  and 
that  they  might  depend  upon  his  word  as  the  word 
of  a  Prince."  * 

Next  day  the  absent  men  returned  with  a  live 
ox  and  a  dead  deer,  and  took  the  oath  which  their 
companions  had  already  sworn.  The  ox  was 
slaughtered  in  the  Prince's  presence;  and,  although 
there  was  no  bread  and  but  little  salt,  Charles 
enjoyed  a  better  meal  than  he  had  done  for  weeks. 
One  of  the  men  afterwards  ventured  to  Fort- 
Augustus  and  purchased  bread  for  him,  and  for 
three  days  he  rested  in  the  cave,  with  the  result 
that  "  he  was  so  well  refreshed  that  he  thought 
himself  able  to  encounter  any  hardships."2 

Deeming  it  inexpedient  to  continue  too  long  in 
one  place,  the  party  removed  on  2nd  August  to 
Corri-Mheadhain,  the  second  small  corrie  which 
branches  off  Corri-Dho,  and  there  "  took  up  their 
habitation  in  a  grotto  no  less  romantic  than  the 
former."3  In  this  new  retreat  they  remained  for 
four  days,  at  the  end  of  which  they  received  intelli- 
gence that  Lieutenant  Campbell,  the  Whig  cham- 
berlain of  Kintail,  was  within  four  miles  of  them 

1  Lyon  in  Mourning1. 

2  Glenaladale's     Account.        "Sometimes,"      says     Lord     Mahon 
(History  of  England),   "they   [the   Seven   Men]   used  singly  and  in 
various  disguises  to  repair  to  the  neighbouring  Fort-Augustus,  and 
obtain  for  Charles  a  newspaper  or  the  current  reports  of  the  day.    On 
one  occasion  they  brought  back  to  the  Prince,  with  much  exultation, 
the  choicest  dainty  they  had  ever  heard  of — i  pennyworth  of  ginger- 
bread !" 

3  Lyon  in  Mourning. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  311 

with  a  large  spoil  of  cattle.1  The  Prince  had  no 
•desire  to  make  the  chamberlain's  acquaintance,  and 
leaving  Alexander  Macdonald  and  Alexander  Chis- 
holm  to  watch  his  movements,  he  started  on  the  .6th 
with  the  rest  of  his  party,  and,  travelling  by  night, 
reached  the  heights  of  Strathglass  early  on  the  7th. 
He  was  there  overtaken  by  Macdonald  and  Chisholm, 
who  expressed  the  opinion  that  Campbell  was  not 
likely  to  give  trouble.  Despatching  two  messengers 
in  the  direction  of  Poolewe  for  intelligence  regarding 
the  French  ships,  Charles  remained  for  two  days  in 
.an  unoccupied  shieling-hut,  sleeping  soundly  at  night 
on  a  bed  of  turf—  :  *  a  long  divot  or  fail  '  —laid  on  the 
earth  wth  the  grass  side  uppermost.  Early  on  the 
9th  he  started  again,  and,  having  rested  that  night  in 
another  shieling,  entered  Glen-Cannich  on  the 
10th,  and  remained  concealed  there  till  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  llth,  when  he 
betook  himself  to  the  mountains  lying  on  the  north 
of  the  glen,  to  await  the  return  of  the  messengers. 
These  arrived  on  the  13th  with  the  news  that  a 
French  ship  had  indeed  put  in  at  Poolewe,  but  had 
again  sailed  after  landing  two  gentlemen  who  were 
making  their  way  to  Lochiel's  country  in  quest  of 
the  Prince.  Anxious  to  meet  these  strangers,  and 

1  Campbell  took  Patrick  Grant's  cattle  about  7th  July  (Lyon  in 
"Mourning).     He  is  the  person  described  in  a  song  of  the  period  as — 
"  An  Caimbeulach  Dubh  a  Ciun-taile, 
lar-ogh'  'mhortair,  's  ogh'  a'  mheirlich; 
'Am  Braid-Albainn  fhuair  e  arach — 
Siol  na  ceilge,   's  meirleach  a'  chruidh." 

(The  Black  Campbell  from  Kintail,  great-grandson  of  the 
murderer,  and  grandson  of  the  thief.  It  was  in  Breadalbane  that  he 
-was  brought  up — the  seed  of  deceit,  and  the  stealer  of  cattle). 


UKQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

receive  any  despatches  which  they  might  have  for 
him,  Charles  at  once  retraced  his  steps.  Passing 
by  Comar,  where  the  young  Chisholm  resided,  he 
reached  Fasnakyle  at  two  o'clock  next  morning, 
and  hid  in  the  wood  there  till  he  should  ascertain 
whether  the  soldiers  were  still  in  Glenmoriston 
and  Glengarry.  In  three  days  his  scouts  reported' 
that  the  way  was  clear. 1>  Resuming  his  journey  at 

1  At  Fasnakyle  the  party  was  joined  by  Hugh  Macmillan,  a  Glen- 
moriston man,  who  had  been  in  the  Prince's  army.  "  When  at 
Fassanaooill,  the  farmer  there,  John  Chissolm,  used  to  furnish  Patrick 
Grant  and  the  other  Provisors  with  Meat  and  Drink  for  themselves 
and  their  Company,  John  Chissolm  in  the  meantime  knowing  nothing 
at  all  about  the  Prince.  When  the  Prince  heard  that  John  Chissolm 
had  furnished  him  with  Provisions,  he  desired  that  John  might  be 
brought  to  him,  and  accordingly  Patrick  Grant  and  Hugh  Macmillan 
were  dispatched  to  John  Chissolm  with  that  Intent.  They  desired 
John  to  come  along  with  them  to  see  a  Friend,  whom  he  would  like 
very  well  to  see,  without  telling  who  the  Friend  was.  John  answered, 
'I  believe  there  is  some  Person  of  Consequence  amongest  you,  and, 
as  I  have  one  Bottle  of  Wine  (the  Property  of  a  Priest,  with  whom  I 
am  in  very  good  Friendship),  I  will  venture  to  take  it  along  with 
me.'  Patrick  Grant  sad,  'What,  John!  have  you  had  a  Bottle  of 
Wine  all  this  Time,  and  not  given  it  to  us  before  this  Time?'  Away 
they  went  to  the  Prince,  whom  John  Chissolm  knew  at  first  sight, 
having  been  in  his  Army.  Upon  delivering  the  Bottle  of  Wine  to  the 
Prince,  Patrick  Grant  desired  the  Favour  of  his  Eoyal  Highness  to 
drink  to  him  [Patrick  Grant]  ;  for  (added  he)  '  I  do  not  remember  thafr 
your  Eoyal  Highness  had  drunken  to  me  since  you  came  among  our 
Hands.'  Accordingly  the  Prince  put  the  Bottle  of  Wine  to  his 
Mouth,  and  drank  a  Health  to  Patrick  Grant  and  all  Friends.  John 
Chissolm  having  received  good  payment  for  any  Provisions  he  had 
furnished,  and  finding  they  had  been  purchased  for  the  use  of  his 
Prince,  immediately  offered  to  return  the  whole  Price,  and  pressed" 
the  Thing  much;  but  the  Prince  would  not  hear  of  that  at  all,  and 
ordered  him  to  keep  the  Money.  John  Chissolm  took  the  same  Oath 
of  Secrecy  with  that  before  mentioned  as  taken  by  the  Glenmoriston 
Men  who  were  so  lucky  that  the  Prince  was  in  absolute  Safety  during 
the  Time  he  was  in  their  hands,  and  (under  God)  they  would  have 
provided  for  his  Safety  to  this  very  Day,  had  he  thought  fit  to  have 
continued  amongst  them." — Patrick  Grant's  Narrative,  in  Lyon  ini 
Mourning. 


OLDEN  TIMES  IN  THE  PARISH        313 

six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  he  passed 
into  Glenmoriston,  whence  he  sent  one  man  to 
Glengarry,  and  two  others  to  Lochaber  to  arrange  a 
meeting  between  Cameron  of  Chines  and  Glenala- 
dale.  The  Glengarry  mpssenger  returned  on  the 
19th  with  a  favourable  report,  and  Charles  and  his 
companions  proceeded  by  Glen-Loyne,  towards  the 
West.  Wading  the  Eiver  Garry  in  high  flood, 
they  made  their  way  to  Achnasoul,  near  the  east 
end  of  Loch-Arkaig,  where  they  were  met  on  the 
20th  by  the  other  two  men,  bearing  a  message  from 
Clunes  to  the  effect  that  he  would  meet  Glenaladale 
next  morning.  Charles  and  his  companions  had 
no  food  that  day  till  late  in  the  evening,  when 
they  feasted  royally  on  a  hart  which  had  fallen  to 
the  gun  of  Patrick  Grant.  They  were  also  cheered 
by  the  arrival  of  the  loyal  Macdonald  of  Lochgarry. 
Next  morning  they  were  joined  by  Clunes,  who 
conducted  them  to  a  wood  at  the  foot  of  •  Loch- 
Arkaig,  whence  Charles  was  able  to  communicate 
with  Lochiel.  He  was  now  in  the  midst  of  his 
Western  friends,  and  the  Glenmoriston  men  pre- 
pared to  return  to  their  own  country.  The  Prince 
desired  to  make  them  a  small  gift  of  money  in 
acknowledgment  of  their  devotion  and  fidelity,  and 
requested  Patrick  Grant  to  remain  with  him  until 
he  was  placed  in  funds.  In  a  few  days  Patrick 
rejoined  his  companions,  the  proud  bearer— not  of 
the  £30,000  which  he  and  they  might  have  won  by 
betraying  the  Prince — but  of  three  guineas  for 
himself  and  three  for  each  of  his  companions.1 

1  Glenaladale's  Account ;  and  Patrick  Grant's  Narrative. 


314        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

For  a  month  longer  Charles  wandered  in  the 
Western  Highlands.  He  was  finally  taken  on 
board  by  a  French  vessel,  and  safely  conveyed  to 
France. 


PATRICK  GRANT,  ONE  OF  THE  SEVEN  MEN — FROM  A  MINIATURE  IN 
GLENMORISTON'S  POSSESSION 

We  learn  something  from  the  Lyon  in  Mourning 
of  the  Prince's  appearance  and  manner  of  life  during 
the  three  weeks  which  he  passed  with  the  men  of 
Glenmoriston.  The  Eeverend  John  Cameron  of 
Fort- William,  who  saw  him  at  Loch-Arkaig,  records 
that  ' '  he  was  then  bare-footed,  had  an  old  black 
kilt-coat  on,  a  plaid,  philibeg,  and  waistcoat,  a  dirty 
shirt,  and  a  long  red  beard,  a  gun  in  his  hand,  a 
pistol  and  dirk  by  his  side."  This  description  is 
corroborated  by  Patrick  Grant,  who  adds  that  the 
Prince  possessed  but  four  shirts,  which  it  was  not 
always  convenient  to  get  washed,  and  that  the 
discomfort  which  he  consequently  experienced  was 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  315 

increased  by  his  having  to  sleep  in  his  clothes,  and 
plaid,  and  wig,  and  bonnet.  He  required  but  little 
rest.  He  stepped  nimbly  over  the  moors  by  day,  but 
In  the  dark  floundered  awkwardly  into  pits  and  bogs. 
His  hopefulness  and  cheerfulness  never  forsook  him. 
He  used  "  to  declare,"  says  Patrick  Grant,  "  that  he 
had  great  confidence  in  the  King  of  France  as  a  true 
and  fast  friend,  and  that  the  King  (his  Father)  and 
his  own  brother,  Henry,  would  risk  all  to  save  him." 
He  called  the  Seven  Men  his  Privy  Council,  per- 
mitted them  to  address  him  by  the  name  of  Dugald 
MacCullony,1  ate  and  drank  with  them  as  one  of 
themselves,  and  forbade  them  to  take  off  their 
bonnets  in  his  presence.  He  was  the  cook  of  the 
party,  and  took  pains  to  convey  to  his  companions 
some  little  knowledge  of  his  art.2  He  even  spoke  to 
them  of  his  love  affairs.  "In  Glen-Cannich,  upon 
Lammas  day,"  says  Patrick  Grant,  '  the  Prince 
spoke  much  to  the  praise  of  one  of  the  daughters  of 
the  King  of  France,  and  drank  her  health,  and  made 
all  the  company  do  so  likewise.  .  .  .  The  Prince 
told  them  that  her  hair  was  as  black  as  a  raven, 
that  she  was  a  mighty  fine,  agreeable  lady,  being 
sweet-natured  and  humble;  that  he  could  not  fail 
to  love  her,  as  he  was  very  sure  she  entertained  a 

1  MacCullony,   more  correctly   Mac   '111   Domhnaich — Son   of  the 
Servant  of  our  Lord.     The  surname  was  at  one  time  common  in  our 
Parish  and  Kiltarlity. 

2  "  The  Prince  had  a  good  Appetite  and  we  all  sate  in  a  Circle 
when  eating1  and  drinking1,  every  one  having-  his  Morsel  on  his  own 
knee,  and  the  Prince  would  never  allow  us  to  keep  off  our  Bonnets 
in  his  Company.     The  Prince  used  sometimes  to  roast  his  own  Meat, 
and  sometimes  to  give  Directions  about  the  homely  Cookery,  taking 
a  Bit  now  and   then   from  off  the   Speet   while   roasting." — (Patrick 
•Grant,  in  Lyon  in  Mourning). 


316        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

great  regard  for  him,  as  did  likewise  the  Dauphin, 
whom  the  Prince  commended  much."  ..."  As 
that  Lady  is  so  good-natured,  agreeable  and  humble," 
exclaimed  John  Macdonald,  "  would  to  God  we  had 
her  here,  for  we  would  take  the  best  care  of  her  in 
our  power,  and,  if  possible,  be  kinder  to  her  than  to 
Your  Eoyal  Highness."  "  This,"  continues  Patrick, 
'  made  them  all  laugh  very  heartily,  and  the  Prince 
answered,  '  God  forbid,  for  were  she  here  and  seized, 
to  ransom  her  person  would  make  peace  over  all 
Europe  upon  any  terms  the  Elector  of  Hanover 
would  propose.' 

The  fatigues  which  the  Prince  endured,  and 
the  coarse  food  on  which  he  subsisted,  made  him 
a  martyr  to  dysentery;  but,  says  Grant,  "he 
bore  up  under  all  his  misfortunes  with  great 
resolution  and  cheerfulness,  never  murmuring  or 
complaining  of  the  hardness  and  severity  of 
his  condition."  His  religious  duties  were  not 
neglected.  '  The  Prince,"  continues  the  same 
devoted  adherent,  '  upon  rising  in  the  morning, 
used  to  retire  for  sometime  by  himself  to  say  his 
prayers.  I  believe  he  is  a  very  good  Christian, 
indeed.  .  .  .  The  Prince  discovered  that  we 
were  much  addicted  to  common  swearing  in  our 

o 

conversation;  for  which  he  caused  Glenaladale 
reprove  us  in  his  name;  and  at  last  the  Prince,  by 
his  repeated  reproofs,  prevailed  on  us  so  far  that  we 
gave  that  custom  of  swearing  quite  up." 

Charles,    indeed,    was   at   this   time — and    before 
his    temper    was    soured    by    cruel    disappointments- 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  3]  7 

.and  shattered  hopes — a  man  of  a  most  pleasant 
disposition.  His  kindly  manner  and  gallant  bearing 
inspired  the  men  of  Glenmoriston  with  feelings  of 
unbounded  affection  towards  him;  and  after  grasping 
his  hand  in  the  last  farewell,  one  of  them  at  least 
never  again  gave  his  right  hand  to  man  or  woman.1 

The  bulk  of  the  English  troops  left  Fort-Augustus 
on  12th  July,  and,  a  month  later,  Lord  Loudon 
marched  southward,  leaving  only  a  small  garrison 
behind.  Thereafter,  with  the  exception  of  the 
blanket  raid  in  October,  the  people  of  our  Parish 
were  left  in  peace.  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  and  The 
Chisholm  were  excepted  from  the  benefits  of  the 
Act  of  Indemnity;  but,  nevertheless,  their  lives  and 
their  lands  were  spared.  Grant  of  Corrimony  was 
also  allowed  to  go  unpunished.  Mackay  of  Achmonie 
had  the  honour  of  being  the  only  person  in  the 
Parish  who  found  a  place  in  a  great  list  of 

'  rebels  "  prepared  by  the  officers  of  excise  for  the 
information  of  the  Government;2  but  no  evil  con- 
sequences followed  the  prominence  thus  given  to 
him.  Cumberland  and  his  lieutenants  had  done 
enough,  and  the  Government  was  satisfied.  The 

sufferings  of  the  people  were,  however,  not  yet  over. 
The  little  corn  they  had  sown  during  the  distractions 

1  Hugh   Chisholm,    whom    Sir   Walter    Scott   knew   in   Edinburgh 
(Tales  of  a  Grandfather).     Hugh  was  remembered  by  Glenmoriston 
people,  who  told  the  Author  how  as  children  they  used  to  tease  him 
by  endeavouring  to  seize  his  right  hand.     James  Chisholm,  in  Balma- 
caan,  also  never  gave  his  right  hand  to  another  after  shaking  hands 
with  the  Prince.     (See  Appendix  K  for  further  notices  of  the  Seven 
Men  of  Glenmoriston). 

2  List   of   Persons   concerned   :n   the   Rebellion    (Scottish   History 
Society). 


318        UKQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

of  the  spring  was  left  unprotected  and  unsecured,  and 
winter  found  them  without  bread.  Their  cattle, 
too,  had  been  seized  and  sold  by  the  English 
soldiers.  Famine  and  Pestilence  strode  side  by 
side  through  the  glens,  and  there  fell  before  them 
more  than  fell  at  Culloden.1  The  men  who  survived 
1  were  taken  bound  by  a  shameful  oath  to  discontinue 
the  use  of  arms  and  their  ancient  dress: — "I  do 
swear  as  I  shall  answer  to  God  at  the  great  day  of 
judgment,  that  I  have  not,  nor  shall  have,  in  my 
possession  any  gun,  sword,  pistol,  or  arm  whatsoever, 
and  that  I  never  use  tartan,  plaid,  or  any  part  of 
the  Highland  garb  :  and  if  I  do  so  may  I  be  cursed 
in  my  undertakings,  family,  and  property;  may  I 
never  see  my  wife  and  children,  father,  mother,  or 
relations;  may  I  be  killed  in  battle  as  a  coward, 
and  lie  without  Christian  burial  in  a  strange  land,, 
far  from  the  graves  of  my  forefathers  and  kindred  : 
may  all  this  come  across  me  if  I  break  my  oath." 

And  so  ended  the  last  of  the  many  "  troubles  " 
in  which  the  men  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
took  part  for  their  old  Eoyal  Line;  and  so  also  may 
be  said  to  have  ended  the  Olden  Times  in  the 
Parish.  Culloden  and  the  outrages  and  legislation 
that  followed  destroyed  many  a  pleasant  feature  in 
the  lives  and  customs  of  the  people;  but  they 
also  closed  the  wars  and  the  strifes  and  the  spoli- 
ations that  marked  the  course  of  centuries  of  trouble 

1  One  effect  of  the  Kising,  and  the  troubles  that  followed  it,  was 
to  greatly  reduce  the  birthrate  in  the  Parish.  The  register  of 
baptisms  shows  that  32  children  were  baptised  in  1744;  30  in  1745; 
18  in  1746;  and  only  12  in  1747. 


OLDEN    TIMES    IN    THE    PARISH  319 

and  turbulence.  Since  The  Forty-Five  change  has 
followed  change  in  rapid  succession;  and  now, 
almost  literally,  old  things  are  passed  away,  and  all 
things  are  become  new.  Some  of  these  changes 
will  fall  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
ecclesiastical  and  educational  history  of  the  Parish, 
and  the  social  condition  of  its  inhabitants.1 

1  See  Appendix   L   for   notices   of   the  principal   families   of   the 
Parish,  from  the  earliest  time  to  the  present  day. 


320        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE     XVII 

THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH— BEFORE  THE  REFORMATION 

Introduction  of  Christianity. — St  Ninian  and  Ternan. — The 
Temple,  or  St  Ninian's  Chapel. — The  Story  of  Merchard. 
— His  Church  in  Glenmoriston. — Traditions  concerning 
Him. — His  wonderful  Bell. — Drostan,  Patron  Saint  of 
Urquhart, — His  Chaplainry  and  Croft. — Eelapse  of  the 
People  into  Paganism. — St  Columba's  Mission. — Marvel- 
lous deeds  in  the  district  of  Loch  Ness. — Opposition  of 
the  Druids. — Columba  in  Urquhart. — Conversion  of 
Emchat  and  Virolec. — Invermoriston  Church.— Columba's 
Well. — St  Ada-mnan. — The  Church  of  Abriachan. — The 
Mission  of  Curadan. — ihe  Church  of  Corrimony. — 
Gorman. — The  Churches  of  Lag  an  t-Seapail,  Achna- 
hannet,  Pitkerrald,  Kilmichael,  and  Kilmore. — The 
Celtic  Clergy  and  their  Services. — Fall  of  the  Druids. — 
Their  Religion  and  its  Remains. — The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  Established. — Origin  of  Parishes  and  Church 
Endowments. — Erection  of  the  Parish  of  Urquhart. — The 
Parish  Church  and  its  Property. — The  Chapels  and  their 
Crofts.— The  Chancellor  of  Moray.— The  Clergy  of  the 
Church  and  Chapels. — The  Reformation. — The  Parish 
Priest  turns  Protestant. — Loss  of  the  Church  Lands  in 
the  Parish. — The  People  Spiritually  Destitute. 

THE  early  ecclesiastical  history  of  our  Parish,  like 
its  early  civil  history,  is  involved  in  much  obscurity. 
Christianity  was  probably  introduced  into  the  South 
of  Scotland  by  the  Eoman  soldiers  in  the  first  or 
second  century;  but  it  was  left  to  St  Ninian,  who 
flourished  in  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  and  the 
beginning  of  the  fifth,  to  preach  its  doctrines  with 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        321 

any  degree  of  success  among  the  native  population. 
Through  his  missionary  ardour  and  evangelical  zeal, 
the  Southern  Picts,  who  occupied  the  country  lying 
to  the  south  and  east  of  the  Grampians,  forsook 
their  paganism.  It  has  hitherto  been  assumed  that 
neither  he  nor  his  followers  had  any  share  in  the 
introduction  of  our  faith  into  the  territory  of  the 
Northern  Picts,  to  whom,  it  has  been  said,  the 
message  of  salvation  was  first  delivered  by  St 
Columba.  That  assumption  does  not  appear  to  be 
well  founded.  The  dedications  which  we  find  in 
honour  of  St  Ninian  within  that  territory,  including 
the  Temple,  or  Kil  St  Ninian,  in  Urquhart,1  justify 
the  belief  that,  if  he  did  not  himself  labour  among 
the  Northern  Picts,  the  Gospel  which  he  preached 
in  the  South  was  conveyed  to  them  by  his  immediate 
disciples.  It  could  not  well  have  been  otherwise. 

iThe  district  of  St  Ninians  in  our  Parish  is,  in  Gaelic,  called 
Slios  an  Trinnein — Ninian's  Hill-side.  Trinnean,  Ringan,  &c.,  are 
forms  which  the  name  has  assumed  since  the  Saint's  time.  St 
Ninian's  Well,  at  the  Temple,  continued  down  to  our  own  time  to  be 
visited  by  men  and  women  in  search  of  health.  In  a  description 
written  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  of  certain  parts  of  the 
Highlands  (printed  in  Macfarlane's  Geographical  Collections,  Vol.  * 
II.,  Scot.  History  Society),  we  read  regarding  the  Temple  and  Well  : 
— "  There  is  one  litle  Chappell  at  this  Loghside  in  Wrquhattane 
[Urchudainn,  Urquhart]  which  is  call  Kil  Saint  Ninian,  and  certaine 
Hieland  men  and  woemen  doeth  travell  to  this  cha^pell  at  a  certane 
tyme  of  the  zeare  expecting  to  recover  there  health  agane,  and  doeth 
drink  of  certaine  springand  Wells  that  is  next  to  the  Chappell." 
"  There  is,"  says  William  Lorimer  in  a  report  on  Urquhart,  dated 
1763  (at  Castle  Grant),  "  a  farm  in  it  called  The  Temple,  where 
there  stand  the  ruins  of  a  church,  and  a  consecrated  well  to  which 
superstitious  people  resort  for  curing  diseases."  See  "  Saints 
Associated  with  the  Valley  of  the  Ness/'  by  the  Author,  Trans,  of 
Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness,  April,  1909. 

21 


322        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  two  sections  of  the  Picts  formed  essentially 
one  people,  speaking  the  same  language,  and  some- 
times acknowledging  the  same  authority.  Inter- 
course between  them  was  constant,  and  tidings  of 
the  great  conversion  in  Southern  Pictland  must 
have  reached  and  influenced  the  North.  Travellers 
would  tell  of  it  as  they  journeyed,  and  enthusiastic 
converts  would  press  northward  with  the  Good 
News  which  they  had  themselves  received.  Ternan, 
for  instance — a  native  of  the  Mearns,  who  sat  at  the 
feet  of  St  Ninian,  and  who  preached  with  much 
success  in  the  north-east  of  Scotland — can  never  have 
bounded  his  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  the  Picts  by  the 
invisible  line  which  is  supposed  to  have  separated  the 
Pictish  provinces;  and  Ternan's  disciple,  Erchard,  it, 
is  almost  certain,  penetrated  far  into  the  northern 
territory.  A  tradition  which  has  probably  come  down 
from  his  own  time  tells  that  he  was  the  first  who 
preached  the  gospel  in  Glenmoriston,  and  to  him  the 
ancient  church  of  that  Glen — Clachan  Mhercheird— 
was  dedicated. 

Erchard,  or  Merchard,  as  he  latterly  came  to  be 
called,1  was  a  native  of  the  district  of  Kincardine 
O'Neil,  on  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Grampians. 
He  became  a  zealous  Christian  in  his  early  youth, 
and  Ternan  iiot  only  ordained  him  priest,  but  also 
appointed  him  his  own  coadjutor.  It  was  perhaps 

1  Merchard  is  Mo  Erchard,  signifying  my  Erchard.  The  old 
Celts  of  Ireland  and  Scotland  had  a  habit  of  placing  the  pronoun  mo 
(my)  before  the  names  of  their  favourite  saints  as  a  term  of  affection. 
The  prefix  has  no  connection  with  maith,  good.  The  name  Erchard 
is  in  ancient  writings  variously  written  : — Erchard,  Erchad,  Erchan, 
Erthadus,  Irchard,  Yrchardus. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        323 

-while  he  laboured  with  Ternan  that  he  visited  our 
Parish.  In  after  life  he  went  to  Eome,  and  was 
consecrated  bishop  by  Pope  Gregory.  On  his  return 
journey  he  visited  the  Picts  of  Pictavia,  now  Poitou, 
in  France,  and  brought  back  to  the  truth  such  of 
them  as  had  lapsed  into  paganism.  Falling  sick,  he 
prayed  God  that  he  might  not  see  death  till  he 
.arrived  in  his  own  country,  and  hastened  northward 
through  France  and  England.  He  reached  Kin- 
cardine O'Neil  to  be  honourably  received  by  his 
people,  and  then  died.  According  to  his  own 
instructions,  his  body  was  placed  on  a  cart  drawn  by 
two  horses,  which  were  allowed  to  go  forth  where 
they  listed.  He  was  buried  where  they  first  stopped, 
and  a  church  was  built  over  his  grave. 

Such,  briefly,  are  the  circumstances  of  his  life 
.and  death,  as  given  in  the  Breviary  of  Aberdeen 
and  other  ancient  writings.  Much  more  is  told  of 
him  in  the  traditions  of  Glenmoriston.  While 
labouring  in  Strathglass  with  two  missionary  com- 
panions, his  attention  was  drawn  to  a  white  cow 
which  day  after  day  stood  gazing  at  a  certain  tree, 
without  bending  its  neck  to  eat,  and  yet  went  home 
each  evening  as  well  filled  as  the  other  cattle. 
Curiosity,  or  a  higher  influence,  led  him  to  dig  up 
the  earth  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  there  he  found 
three  bells,  new  and  burnished  as  if  fresh  from  the 
maker's  hands.1  Taking  one  himself,  and  giving  the 
others  to  his  companions,  he  bade  each  go  his  own 
way  and  erect  a  church  where  his  bell  should  ring  the 
third  time  of  its  own  accord.  One  went  eastward, 

l  The  place  at  which  the  bells  were  found  is  still  called  Craobh- 
nan-clag  (Crinaglack) — the  Tree  of  the  Bells. 


324        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

and  founded  the  church  of  Glenconvinth ;  another 
westward,  and  erected  his  church  at  Broadford  in 
Skye;  while  Merchard  himself  travelled  southward 
in  the  direction  of  Glenmoriston.  When  he  reached 
the  hill  now  called  Suidh  Mhercheird,  or  Merchard's- 
Seat,  his  bell  rang  for  the  first  time;  it  again  rang 
at  Fuaran  Mhercheird  (Merchard's  Well)  at  Ballin- 
tombuie;  and  it  rang  the  third  time  at  that  spot  by 
the  side  of  the  Eiver  Moriston  which  is  now  the  old 
burying-ground  of  Glenmoriston.  There  he  built 
his  church — Clachan  Mhercheird;  and  there  and  in 
the  surrounding  districts  he  for  a  time  taught  and 
preached.  He  became  the  patron  saint  of  Glen- 
moriston; and  his  solicitude  for  the  Glenmoriston 
people  has  not  yet  ceased.  His  acts  of  mercy  and 
love  have  been  without  number.  One  example  may 
be  given.  In  former  times,  when  a  tenant  died,  his 
best  horse  went  to  the  proprietor  as  each-ursainn — 
herezeld,  or  heriot.  If  the  deceased  left  no  horse,  a 
horse's  value  was  taken  in  cattle  or  sheep.  On  one- 
occasion — twelve  hundred  years  after  Merchard's 
death — it  came  to  pass  that  a  poor  Glenmoriston 
tenant  died,  leaving  a  widow  to  succeed  him.  He 
had  left  no  horse,  and  the  ground-officer  took  the 
heriot  in  sheep.  That  same  night,  as  the  officer  lay 
in  bed,  an  unearthly  voice  spake  to  him  :— 

1  'S  mise  Merchard  mor  nam  feart, 
'S  mi  dol  dachaidh  chum  an  anmoich ; 
Is  innis  thusa  do  Mhac-Phadmig 
Nach  fheaird  e  gu  brath  a'  mheanbh-chrodh  !" 

("  I  am  great  Merchard  of  the  miracles,  passing  home- 
ward in  the  night.  Declare  thou  unto  Mac  Phatrick  [the- 
laird]  that  the  widow's  sheep  will  never  bring  him  good.") 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         325 

With  the  morning's  sun  the  terror-stricken  man 
appeared  before  his  master  and  delivered  the  ghostly 
message.  The  sheep  were  instantly  returned  to  the 
widow,  and  from  that  day  until  now  no  heriot  has 
been  exacted  in  Glenmoriston. 

Merchard's  bell  was  preserved  at  his  clachan 
until  about  the  year  1870,  when  it  went  amissing — 
removed,  it  is  supposed,  by  strangers  employed  in 
the  district.  Its  powers  and  attributes  were  of  a 
wonderful  order.  It  indicated,  as  we  have  seen, 
where  Merchard's  church  was  to  be  built.  Until  the 
very  last  the  sick  and  infirm  who  touched  it  in  faith 
were  strengthened  and  cured.  After  the  church 
became  ruinous,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  bell 
was  kept  on  an  ancient  tombstone,  specially  set  apart 
for  it.  If  removed  to  any  other  place  it  mysteriously 
found  its  way  back.  When  a  funeral  approached,  it 
rang  of  its  own  accord,  saying,  '  Dhachaidh ! 
dhachaidh  !  gu  do  leabaidh  bhuan  !" — "  Home  ! 
home !  to  thy  lasting  place  of  rest ! "  If  thrown 
into  water  it  floated  on  the  surface,  but  this  the 
people  were  slow  to  put  to  the  test,  in  deference  to 
Merchard's  warning  :— 

"  'S  mise  Merchard  thar  an  fhonn  : 

Cuimhnichibh  trom  trom  mo  shar'adh ; 
'S  fiach'  nach  cuir  sibh  air-son  geall 
An  clag  so  air  a'  pholl  a  shnamhadh." 

("I  am  Merchard  from  across  the  land:  keep  ye  my 
sufferings  deep  in  your  remembrance ;  and  see  that  ye  do  not 
for  a  wager  [or  trial]  place  this  bell  in  the  pool  to  swim.") 

As  Merchard  was  the  patron  saint  of  Glenmoriston, 
so  Drostan  was  the  patron  saint  of  Glen-Urquhart, 


326        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

which  is  to  this  day  distinguished  from  the  other 
Urquharts  in  the  North  by  the  name  of  Urchudainn 
Mo  Ghrostain — St  Drostan  Js  Urquhart.  There  was 
a  chaplainry  in  his  honour  at  the  Temple,  or  Kil  St 
Ninian,  until  the  Eeformation.1  According  to  the 
Breviary  of  Aberdeen  he  was  a  nephew  of  St 
Columba,  who,  if  we  may  credit  a  legend  recorded 
in  the  Book  of  Deer,  accompanied  him  into  Aber- 
deenshire.  But  he  does  not  appear  in  the  Irish 
genealogies  of  Columba's  family;  and  he  is  not 
mentioned  by  St  Adamnan,  who  wrote  soon  after 
the  great  missionary's  death,  and  was  careful  to 
record  the  names  of  his  fellow-labourers.  His  name 
is  not  Gaelic,  as  it  would  have  been  if  he  were  of 
Columba 's  race,  but  Pictish  or  Welsh — it  is  the 
same  as  Tristan  of  the  Arthurian  tales — and  the 
strong  probability  is  that,  like  Merchard,  he  was  a 
native  of  Southern  Pictland  who  penetrated  into 
the  North  long  before  Columba  Js  time.2  Tradition 
tells  that  he  preached  the  Gospel  in  Urquhart,  and 
supported  himself  by  cultivating  Croit  Mo  Chrostain 
— St  Drostan's  Croft — on  the  top  of  that  pretty 
hillock  which  is  situated  immediately  to  the  west  of 
Balmacaan  House.  The  Croft  may  have  been  the 
gift  of  the  Pictish  potentate  who  ruled  the  Glen  in  hi& 
day.  It  passed  to  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church  on  its 
establishment  about  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  124. 

2  It  may  now  (1913)  be  taken  as  established  that  ft  St  Columba" 
of  the  Breviary  is  a  mistake  for  St  Colm  of  Buchan,  and  that  Drostan 
was  a  native  of  the  same  Pictish  district,,  and  lived  about  500.     See 
a  valuable  paper  by  the  Rev.   Arch.   B.    Scott  on   "  St   Drostan  of 
Buchan,"  in  Trans,  of  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness,  April,  1909. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         327 

century,  and  in  1556  it  was  attached  to  the  Chapel 
of  St  Ninian,  whose  disciple  Drostan  may  have  been. 
At  the  Eeformation  it  ceased  to  be  Church  property. 
The  Picts  were  a  fickle  race,  who  after  a  time 
relapsed  into  paganism — "  the  apostate  Picts,"  St 
Patrick  calls  them.1  The  secular  clergy  of  Ninian Js 
Church  proved  unequal  to  the  task  of  dispelling  the 
spiritual  darkness  that  lay  on  the  land.  But  a  more 
powerful  institution  was  about  to  be  established. 
In  563  Columba,  or  Columcille — Colum  or  Malcolm 
of  the  Cell — an  Irish  prince  and  priest,  crossed  to 
Scotland,  burning  with  missionary  fervour,  in  peri- 
ance,  it  is  said,  for  his  share  in  some  tribal  feud. 
Landing  in  lona  with  twelve  companions,  he  founded 
a  monastery  there,  from  which  he  and  they  went  forth 
on  evangelistic  expeditions  into  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts. After  labouring  for  two  years  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Mull  and  the  West  Coast,  he  resolved  to 
visit  Brude  Mac  Mailcon,  King  of  the  Picts,  who  had 
his  seat  on  the  banks  of  the  Eiver  Ness.  Columba  was 
a  Scot  or  Gael  of  the  same  nationality  as  the  Dalriad 
Scots  who  had  before  his  time  settled  in  the  country 
now  known  as  Argyll,  and  whom  Brude  had 
disastrously  defeated  in  560;  and  while  he  was 
moved  by  a  holy  compassion  for  the  Picts  who  were 
perishing  in  their  paganism,  he  probably  also  desired 
to  promote  the  temporal  peace  and  prosperity  of  his 
own  people.  Taking  with  him,  among  others,  two 

Hn  his  letter  to  Coroticus,  St  Patrick  speaks  of  Socii  Scotorum 
et  Pictorum  apostatarunt ;  and  again,  Prcesertim  indignissimorum 
pessimommque  atque  apostatarum  Pictorum.  Life  of  St  Ninian 
(Historians  of  Scotland),  281. 


328        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

eminent  saints  of  the  race  of  the  Irish  Picts — 
Cainneach  of  Achaboe,  and  Comgall  of  Bangor — he 
started  on  his  memorable  journey  in  565,  proceeding 
along  the  Caledonian  Valley,  and  preaching  and 
teaching  as  he  went.  His  reception  by  the  King 
was  not  friendly.  "When  the  Saint  made  his 
first  journey  to  King  Brude,"  says  Adamnan,  (>t  it 
happened  that  the  King,  elated  by  the  pride  of 
royalty,  acted  haughtily,  and  would  not  open  his 
gates  on  the  first  arrival  of  the  blessed  man.  When 
the  man  of  God  observed  this,  he  approached  the 
folding  doors  with  his  companions,  and  having  first 
formed  upon  them  the  sign  of  the  cross  of  our  Lord, 
he  then  knocked  at  and  laid  his  hand  upon  the  gate, 
which  instantly  flew  open  of  its  own  accord,  the 
bolts  having  been  driven  back  with  great  force. 
The  Saint  and  his  companions  then  passed  through 
the  gate  thus  speedily  opened.  And  when  the  King 
learned  what  had  occurred,  he  and  his  councillors 
were  filled  with  alarm,  and  immediately  setting  out 
from  the  palace,  he  advanced  to  meet  with  due 
respect  the  blessed  man,  whom  he  addressed  in  the 
most  conciliatory  and  respectful  language.  And  ever 
after,  from  that  day,  so  long  as  he  lived,  the  King 
held  this  holy  and  reverend  man  in  very  great  honour, 
as  was  due."1 

The  Saint's  deeds  at  the  court  of  Brude  must 
have  made  a  great  impression  on  the  inhabitants  of 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.  Wonderful  these  were, 
according  to  Adamnan.  On  one  occasion,  being 

lAdamnan's  Vita  Sancti  Columbae. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         329 

-obliged  to  cross  the  Ness,  he,  on  reaching  the  river's 
bank,  found  a  number  of  people  burying  a  man  who 
liad  just  been  killed  by  a  water  monster.  Nothing 
dismayed,  he  directed  his  companion,  Lugne 
Mocumin,  to  swim  across  the  stream  and  bring  to  him 
a  boat  that  lay  against  the  opposite  bank.  Lugne 
obeyed,  and  when  he  was  about  half  across  the 
monster  gave  an  awful  roar,  and  darted  after  him. 
"Then  the  blessed  man  [Columba]  observing  this, 
raised  his  holy  hand,  while  all  the  rest,  brethren  as 
well  as  strangers,  were  stupified  with  terror,  and, 
invoking  the  name  of  God,  formed  the  saving  sign  of 
the  cross  in  the  air,  and  commanded  the  ferocious 
monster,  saying,  Thou  shalt  go  no  further  nor  touch 
the  man;  go  back  with  all  speed.  Then  at  the  voice 
of  the  Saint  the  monster  was  terrified,  and  fled  more 
^quickly  than  if  it  had  been  pulled  back  with  ropes, 
though  it  had  just  got  so  near  to  Lugne  as  he  swam 
that  there  was  not  more  than  the  length  of  a  spear 
staff  between  the  man  and  the  beast.  Then  the 
brethren,  seeing  that  the  monster  had  gone  back,  and 
that  their  comrade  Lugne  returned  to  them  in  the  boat 
safe  and  sound,  were  struck  with  admiration,  and 
gave  glory  to  God  in  the  blessed  man.  And  even 
the  barbarous  heathens  who  were  present  were  forced 
by  the  greatness  of  this  miracle,  which  they  themselves 
had  seen,  to  magnify  the  God  of  the  Christians." 

The  druids,  as  was  natural,  strongly  opposed 
Columba' s  work  in  the  district  of  the  Ness.  One 
•evening  as  he  and  his  companions  were  singing 
hymns  outside  the  King's  fort  a  party  of  pagan 
priests  drew  near  and  endeavoured  to  interrupt 


330        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

them.  "  On  seeing  this  the  Saint  began  to  sing  the 
forty-fourth  psalm,  and  at  the  same  moment  so 
wonderfully  loud,  like  pealing  thunder,  did  his  voice 
become,  that  King  and  people  were  struck  with 
terror  and  amazement." 

Broichan,  the  chief  druid,  was  especially  zealous 
in  his  opposition  to  the  Saint;  but  his  zeal  only 
served  to  bring  defeat  and  humiliation  upon  himself. 
On  his  refusal  to  liberate  a  female  slave  who 
had  been  taken  captive  in  one  of  the  Pictish 
invasions  of  Dalriada,  Columba  thus  warned  him  in 
the  King's  presence  : — "  Know,  0  Broichan,  and  be 
assured,  that  if  thou  refuse  to  set  this  captive  free 
as  I  desire  thee,  thou  shalt  die  suddenly  before  I 
take  my  departure  again  from  this  province."  The 
Saint  then  proceeded  to  the  river,  and,  taking  a 
white  pebble,  informed  his  companions  that  by  it  the 
cure  of  many  diseases  would  be  effected — and  that  at 
that  moment  Broichan  had  been  struck  by  an  angel 
from  Heaven  and  was  gasping  for  breath,  and  half 
dead.  As  he  spoke,  two  horsemen  galloped  up  and 
said  to  him,  ' '  The  King  and  his  friends  have  sent 
us  to  thee  to  request  that  thou  wouldst  cure  his 
foster-father,  Broichan,  who  lieth  in  a  dying  state." 
The  Saint  sent  two  of  his  companions  to  the  King 
with  the  pebble,  and  bade  them,  if  Broichan  pro- 
mised to  free  the  maiden,  to  immerse  the  stone  in 
water,  and  to  let  him  drink  of  the  water,  and  he 
should  be  cured.  No  sooner  were  the  words  of 
Columba  conveyed  to  the  sick  man  than  he  released 
the  captive,  and  delivered  her  to  the  Christians. 
'  The  pebble  was  then  immersed  in  water,  and,  in  a 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         331 

wonderful  manner,  contrary  to  the  laws  of  nature r 
the  stone  floated  on  the  water  like  a  nut  or  an: 
apple,  nor,  as  it  had  been  blessed  by  the  holy  man, 
could  it  be  submerged.  Broichan  drank  from  the 
stone  as  it  floated  on  the  water,  and,  instantly 
returning  from  the  verge  of  death,  recovered  his 
perfect  health  and  soundness  of  body."  After  this, 
it  is  not  surprising  to  learn,  the  pebble  was  preserved 
among  the  treasures  of  the  King,  and  effected  the  cure 
of  many  diseases.  "  And  what  is  very  wonderful, 
when  this  same  stone  was  sought  for  by  those  sick 
persons  whose  term  of  life  had  arrived  it  could  not  be 
found.  Thus,  on  the  very  day  on  which  King  Brude 
died,  though  it  was  sought  for,  yet  it  could  not  be 
found  in  the  place  where  it  had  been  previously  laid." 
Broichan 's  illness  and  cure,  wonderful  though  they 
were,  failed  to  draw  him  from  his  own  ancient  belief. 
Endowed  in  some  measure  with  the  marvellous  gifts 
which  distinguished  the  Egyptian  magi  in  their  contest 
with  Moses,  he  also  possessed  no  small  share  of  their 
persistency;  and  he  refused  to  accept  his  defeat  in 
the  matter  of  the  slave  as  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
Christian's  superior  power.  "  Tell  me,  Columba," 
said  he,  "  when  dost  thou  propose  to  set  sail."  '  I 
intend,"  replied  the  Saint,  "to  begin  my  voyage  after 
three  days,  if  God  permits  me  and  preserves  my  life." 
"  On  the  contrary,"  said  the  druid,  "  thou  shalt  not 
be  able,  for  I  can  make  the  winds  unfavourable  to 
thy  voyage,  and  cause  a  great  darkness  to  envelope 
you  in  its  shade."  Columba  answered,  "  The 
almighty  power  of  God  ruleth  all  things,  and  in  His- 
name  and  under  His  guiding  providence  all  our 


332  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

movements  are  directed;"  and  at  the  appointed 
time  he  and  his  companions  repaired  to  the  shores 
<of  Loch  Ness,  with  the  intention  of  setting  sail.  They 
were  followed  by  a  crowd  of  people,  among  whom 
were  certain  druids,  exulting  exceedingly — for,  as 
Eroichan  had  promised,  a  fierce  tempest  blew  from 
the  west,  and  dark  clouds  obscured  the  heavens. 
"Our  Colurnba,  therefore,  seeing  that  the  sea  was 
violently  agitated,  and  that  the  wind  was  most 
unfavourable  for  his  voyage,  called  on  Christ  the 
Lord,  and  embarked  in  his  small  boat ;  and  whilst  the 
sailors  hesitated,  he  the  more  confidently  ordered 
them  to  raise  the  sails  against  the  wind.  No  sooner 
was  this  order  executed,  while  the  whole  crowd  was 
looking  on,  than  the  vessel  ran  against  the  wind  with 
extraordinary  speed.  And  after  a  short  time  the 
wind,  which  hitherto  had  been  against  them,  veered 
round  to  help  them  on  their  voyage,  to  the  intense 
.astonishment  of  all.  And  thus  throughout  the 
remainder  of  that  day  the  light  breeze  continued  most 
favourable,  and  the  skiff  of  the  blessed  man  was 
carried  safely  to  the  wished  for  haven." 

Such  are  some  of  the  incidents  which  are  said 
to  have  marked  Columba's  first  visit  to  the  district 
of  Loch  Ness.  Brude  became  a  Christian,  and 
befriended  the  Saint,  who  subsequently  made  other 
journeys  to  the  royal  palace.  On  one  occasion, 
when  travelling  near  Loch  Ness,  "  he  was  suddenly 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  said  to  his  com- 
panions, '  Let  us  go  quickly  to  meet  the  holy  angels 
who  have  been  sent  from  the  realms  of  the  highest 


THE    CHURCH    IN    THE    PARISH 


333- 


Heaven  to  carry  away  with  them  the  soul  of  a 
heathen,  and  now  wait  our  arrival  there,  that  we 
may  baptise  in  due  time  before  his  death  this  man, 
who  hath  preserved  his  natural  goodness  through 
all  his  life,  even  to  extreme  old  age.'  Having  said 
this  much,  the  holy  old  man  hurried  his  companions 
as  much  as  he  could,  and  walked  before  them  until  he 
came  to  a  district  called  Airchartdan  [Urchudainn, 
or  Urquhart];  and  there  he  found  an  aged  man 
whose  name  was  Emchat,  who,  on  hearing  the  word 
of  God  preached  by  the  Saint,  believed  and  was- 
baptised,  and,  immediately  after,  full  of  joy  and 
safe  from  evil,  and  accompanied  by  the  angels  who 
came  to  meet  him,  passed  to  the  Lord.  His  son 
Virolec  also  believed,  and  was  baptised  with  all  his- 
house."  The  fact  that  Adamnan  describes  Columba. 
in  this  passage  as  an  old  man  (senex),  would  seem 
to  show  that  Emchat 's  conversion  took  place,  not 
during  the  Saint's  first  visit  to  Pictland,  when  he  was- 
only  forty-four  years  of  age,  but  at  a  later  period. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  that  Adamnan  may 
have  used  the  word  as  a  term  of  respect  rather  than 
to  indicate  Columba' s  age. 

In  Glenmoriston  Columba  probably  founded  the- 
old  church  at  Invermoriston,  which  was  known  as 
Clachan  Cholumchille,  or  Columba 's  Church.  In  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  its  site  is  Columba' s  Well— 
Fuaran  Cholumchille — a  holy  fountain  noted  for 
many  centuries  for  its  remarkable  curative  properties. 
The  origin  of  its  renown  in  Christian  times  is  probably 
found  in  Adamnan' s  pages.  "  While  the  blessed  man 
[Columba]  was  stopping  for  some  days  in  the  pro- 


-334  URQUHART    AND    GLENMOEISTON 

vince  of  the  Picts,  he  heard  that  there  was  a  fountain 
famous  among  this  heathen  people,  which  foolish 
men,  having  their  senses  blinded  by  the  devil, 
worshipped  as  a  god.  For  those  who  drank  of  this 
fountain,  or  purposely  washed  their  hands  or  feet  in 
it,  were  allowed  by  God  to  be  struck  by  demoniacal 
art,  and  went  home  either  leprous  or  purblind,  or 
at  least  suffering  from  weakness  or  other  kinds  of 
infirmity.  By  all  these  things  the  pagans  were 
seduced,  and  paid  divine  honour  to  the  fountain. 
Having  ascertained  this,  the  Saint  one  day  went  up 
to  the  fountain  fearlessly;  and,  on  seeing  this,  the 
druids,  whom  he  had  often  sent  away  from  him 
vanquished  and  confounded,  were  greatly  rejoiced, 
thinking  that  he  would  suffer  like  others  from  the 
touch  of  that  baneful  water.  But  he,  having  first 
raised  his  holy  hand  and  invoked  the  name  of 
Christ,  washed  his  hands  and  feet;  and  then,  with 
his  companions,  drank  of  the  water  which  he  had 
blessed.  And  from  that  day  the  demons  departed 
from  the  fountain;  and  not  only  was  it  not  allowed 
to  injure  any  one,  but  even  many  diseases  amongst 
the  people  were  cured  by  this  same  fountain,  after  it 
had  been  blessed  and  washed  in  by  the  Saint."  The 
fountain  which  the  Saint  so  blessed  and  washed  in 
may,  without  any  undue  straining  of  the  imagina- 
tion, be  identified  with  his  Well  at  Invermoriston. 
That  spring  has,  despite  his  rebuke,  continued  to  be 
in  a  sense  worshipped  until  our  own  time,  and 
searchers  after  health  may  not  even  yet  have 
•entirely  ceased  to  sprinkle  themselves  with  its  water, 
and  to  leave  their  little  offerings  by  its  side. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        335 

With  the  last  word  of  Adamnan's  account  of 
Columba's  work  in  our  district  the  light  of  history 
leaves  us  for  five  centuries,  and  during  that  long 
period  of  night  we  have  to  trace  the  progress  of  the 
Church  as  best  we  can  by  the  help  of  the  footprints 
which  it  has  left  on  the  tradition  and  topography  of 
the  country. 

St  Adamnan,  who  became  abbot  of  lona  in  679, 
and  did  much  to  spread  the  Gospel  in  Pictland,  was 
commemorated  in  our  Parish  by  Croft  Adamnan— 
probably  the  hollow  at  Tychat  which  is  now  known  as 
Glaic  Chill- Adhamhnain,  the  Hollow  of  Kil- Adamnan 
—and  by  a  chaplainry  at  Kil  St  Ninian  ;x  and  he  it  was, 
probably,  who  founded  the  church  of  Abriachan, 
which  was  dedicated  to  him.2  It  is  not  too  much  to 
suppose  that  he  visited  Urquhart — that  Airchartdan 
which  lay  on  the  route  from  the  west  to  the  east,  and 
which,  as  he  himself  informs  us,  was  the  scene  of 
such  important  events  in  the  history  of  the  Church  as 
the  conversion  of  Emchat  and  Virolec. 

Contemporaneous  with  St  Adamnan  was  Curadan, 
or  Kiritinus,  surnamed  Boniface,  an  Irishman  who 
for  sixty  years  preached  to  the  Picts  and  Scots,  and 
who  became  bishop  and  abbot  of  Eosemarkie,  where 

1  See  p.  116,  supra. 

2  In  Gaelic,  the  church  of  Abriachan  is  called  Gill  Adhamhnain 
(now  pronounced  Eonan)— Adamnan's  Cell.     See  Reeves'   Edition   of 
Adamnan's    Life    of    Columba,    and    Forbes'    Kalendar    of    Scottish 
Saints,  for  the  various  changes  which  the  name  Adamnan  has  under- 
gone during  the  course  of  centuries — Eonan,  Eunan,  Aunan,   Onan, 
Ounan.     In  a  rental  of  Urquhart,  dated  1647  (at  Castle  Grant),  his 
Croft    is    called    Croft    Indon— Eonan's   Croft.        In    the    Letters  -of 
Collation   of   1556    (Appendix   M   to   this   work)    it   is    called    Crofta 
Sancti  Adampnani,  St  Adamnan's  Croft. 


336        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty.  To  him  was  dedicated 
the  old  chapel  at  Corrimony — Clach  Churadain — and 
after  him  is  called  Croit  Churadain  (Curadan's  Croft) ,. 
and  Tobar  Churadain  (Curadan's  Well),  both  on 
the  adjacent  lands  of  Buntait.  The  neighbouring, 
churches  of  Bona  and  Struy  were  also  dedicated  to 
him.  According  to  tradition,  he  and  Gorman,  a  saint 
who  gave  his  name  to  the  hill  called  Suidh  Ghuirmein, 
or  Gorman's  Seat,  near  Corrimony,1  were  the  first  to 
evangelise  the  people  of  the  Braes  of  Urquhart. 
Whether  that  be  true  or  not,  these  dedications  and 
place-names  show  how  intimately  associated  he  was 
with  the  district. 

In  addition  to  the  churches  of  Merchard,  Columba, 
and  Curadan,  which  may  have  been  founded  by  those 
saints,  there  was  in  those  olden  times  a  chapel  at  Lag; 
an  t-Seapail — the  Hollow  of  the  Chapel — in  Bunloit, 
where  traces  of  old  graves  are  still  visible;  there  was 
a  church  at  Ach  na  h-Anoid  (Achnahannet) — the- 
Field  of  the  Church — in  Leny  f  a  chapel  at  Pitkerrald 
which  was  dedicated  to  St  Cyril,  Bishop  of  Alexandria, 
who  was  held  in  great  repute  in  the  Celtic  Church;  a 
chapel  at  St  Ninians,  dedicated  to  the  Apostle  of  the 
Southern  Picts,  and  known  in  Gaelic  as  An  Teampull, 

1  The  ancient  saints  gave  their  names  to  numerous  hills.       In 
Urquha.rt    we    have    Suidh    Ghuirmein    (Gorman's    Seat);    in    Glen- 
moriston,   Suidh  Mhercheird   (Merchard's  Seat);  at  Lochend,   Suidh 
Churadain     (Curadan's     Seat);     and     near     Fort-Augustus,     Suidh 
Chuimein    (Cumine's  Seat).       The   old  name  of  Fort-Augustus  was- 
Kil-Chuimein. 

2  Anoid  was  the  word  applied  to  the  first  or  mother  church  of  a 
district.       The  cell  at  Leny  was  probably  the  first  built  in  Glen- 
Urquhart. 


ANCIENT  TREES  AT  SITE  OF  TEMPLE 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        337 

or-  the  Temple  ;L  a  church  at  Kil  Michael,  dedicated 
to  the  Archangel;  and  another  at  Kilmore,  which 
became  in  time  the  Parish  Church.  With  the 
exception  of  Kilmore — A'  Chille  Mhor,  the  Great 
Cell — and  perhaps  also  the  Temple,2  these  buildings 
were  very  small. 

They  were  intended,  not  so  much  for  the  purposes 
of  public  worship,  as  for  places  of  private  devotion, 
and  retreats  for  holy  hermits  who  watched  and 
prayed  in  them  and  sought  to  keep  themselves 
unspotted  from  the  world,  and  to  teach  the  people 
to  live  blamelessly  and  do  well,  by  a  simple  telling  of 
the  story  of  Christ,  and  a  faithful  following  after  His 
example.  Trained  for  the  most  part  at  lona,  these 
teachers  were  not  only  men  of  education  and  expert 
scribes,  but  also  experienced  husbandmen,  who  cul- 
tivated th?  crofts  which  were  attached  to  their  cells, 
and  so  maintained  themselves  and  showed  the  people 
how  to  make  the  earth  yield  its  substance.  Before 
them  the  old  paganism,  which  had  flourished  in  the 
land  for  ages,  gave  way  with  scarcely  a  struggle. 
What  the  exact  character  of  that  paganism  was  it 
is  difficult  to  say.  But  it  is  known  that  its  votaries 
adored  the  cc  men  of  sidhe  J:  —spirits  of  the  earth 

1  Numerous  chapels  in  the  Highlands  and  in  Ireland  were  called 
Teampuill.     There  is  no  ground  for  the  surmise  that  the  Temple  in 
Urquhart  belonged  to  the  Knights  Templars. 

2  In  1559  the  Parish  Church  and  the  Temple  had  suspended  bells, 
with  bell-ropes.     At  that  time  the  priest  also  served  in  the  Temple 
and  "  the  chaplainry  and  service  of  St  Ninian,  St  Drostan,  and  St 
Adamnan  "  (Appendix  M).     In.  the  Temple  were  preserved  the  relics 
of  St  Drostan — a  crucifix — which  were  under  charge  of  a  deoir  or 
keeper,  who  had  a  croft  at  Kil  St  Ninian — Croit  an  Deoir — which  is 
mentioned  as  late  as  1649. — (Rental  at  Castle  Grant). 

22 


338        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

which  have  come  down  to  us  in  the  somewhat 
degenerate  daoine-sidhe ,  or  fairies.  Similar  spirits 
ruled  the  elements,  and  the  greatest  name  that  a 
Highlander  can  even  now  apply  to  the  Almighty  is 
Righ  nan  duil — King  of  the  elements.  Mysterious 
beings  dwelt  in  the  fountains,  whose  worship  is  now 
seen  in  the  adoration  of  holy  wells;  and  the  ancient 
demons  of  the  mountains  have  their  representatives 
in  the  hags  and  goblins  which  are  still  the  terror  of 
certain  localities.  These  spirits  had  magi  or  druids 
as  their  ministers  on  earth.  Their  existence  and 
power  were  not  denied  by  the  Christian  missionaries, 
who  were  content  to  say  that  the  Almighty  was  more 
powerful  than  they;  and  hence  the  belief  in  fairies 
and  demons,  and  in  the  virtue  of  pagan  sacrifices  and 
oblations,  continued  to  exist  side  by  side  with  Chris- 
tianity, and  has  not  even  yet  been  entirely  destroyed. 
From  the  time  of  Curadan  to  the  end  of  the 
eleventh  century,  we  have  not  a  ray  of  light  to  guide 
us  in  our  ecclesiastical  journey.  By  whom,  and 
under  what  conditions,  the  lamp  of  the  Gospel  was 
kept  burning  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  during 
that  long  period  of  darkness,  we  cannot  tell.  When 
the  day  dawns  we  find  the  Celtic  Church  of  Columba 
in  disagreement  on  certain  points  of  discipline  with 
the  Church  of  Eome,  which  had  become  all  powerful 
under  the  patronage  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor  and 
Queen  Margaret  and  their  children.  Eoman 
Catholics  claim  to  be  the  representatives  of  the 
Celtic  institution,  and  so  do  Scottish  Episcopalians, 
and  Presbyterians.  The  succession  does  not  exclu- 
sively belong  to  any  one  of  these  bodies,  but  is  to 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         339 

some  extent  shared  by  all.  On  certain  points,  again, 
the  Celtic  Church  had  no  succession.  The  abbot, 
.and  not  the  bishop,  ruled  the  community.  Bishops 
there  were,  but  they  were  almost  as  numerous  as 
priests  and  presbyters,  and  had  no  diocesan  juris- 
diction. On  the  questions  of  Easter  and  the  Tonsure 
the  Celtic  clergy  differed  from  the  clergy  of  the 
Church  of  Eome.  On  the  other  hand,  they  agreed 
with  them  on  certain  doctrines  which  are  not  accepted 
by  Presbyterians  and  Protestant  Episcopalians. 

Differences  with  Eome  were  partly  removed  in 
the  days  of  Adamnan  and  Curadan — the  great  object 
of  the  latter  Js  mission  having  been  to  bring  the  Celtic 
'Church  more  into  accord  with  the  great  Church  of 
the  West.  Under  the  auspices  of  Queen  Margaret 
.and  her  sons  churches  and  monasteries  were  founded 
.and  liberally  supported.  Alexander  the  First  and 
David  the  First  created  territorial  bishoprics,  and 
richly  endowed  them  with  the  lands  which  had 
belonged  to  the  Celtic  institution,  and  with  more 
extensive  grants  of  their  own.  The  bishopric  of 
Moray  was  created  about  the  year  1115,  and  Gregory 
appointed  its  first  bishop.  It  embraced,  roughly, 
the  territory  of  the  ancient  Mormaors  of  Moray, 
including  the  district  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. 

It  has  been  found  convenient  to  apply  the  word 
parish  to  that  district  before  the  period  at  which 
we  have  now  arrived,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  there 
were  no  parishes  in  Scotland  before  that  time.  The 
parochial  system  was  the  creation  of  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church  and  the  territorial  magnates  who 
supported  it,  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries. 


340        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  Eoman  etstablishment,  as  we  have  seen,  obtained 
the  possessions  of  the  Celtic  clergy,  and  extensive 
grants  from  the  kings.  These  endowments  were 
immensely  increased  by  the  great  landowners,  who 
vied  with  each  other  in  pious  liberality.  To  some 
churches  lands  were  granted;  others  were  made  the 
principal  churches  of  certain  domains,  and  endowed 
not  only  with  land,  but  also  with  a  tenth  (tithe  or 
teind)  of  the  annual  produce  of  the  districts  assigned 
to  them.  The  district  so  assigned  became  the  parish;1 
the  favoured  church,  the  parish  church ;  its  benefactor 
and  his  successors,  the  patrons;  and  the  teinds,  its 
legal  and  absolute  property.  The  greater  or  par- 
sonage teinds,  which  consisted  of  every  tenth  sheaf  of 
corn,  were  taken  off  the  field  by  the  rector  or  parson 
of  the  parish,  or  by  the  tacksman  who  rented  them 
from  him.  The  lesser  or  vicarage  teinds  consisted  of 
the  tenth  part  of  such  products  as  calves,  lambs,  hay, 
and  cheese,  and  went  to  the  vicar  who  served  the  cure. 
The  Parish  of  Urquhart2  was  erected  probably 
by  King  David — that  "  Sair  Sanct  "  whose  liberality 

1  The  word  parish  is  from  the  Latin  parochia.  Originally,  in 
Scotland,  the  district  attached  to  a  church  was  called  schir,  or  scir — 
from  which  word  came  the  modern  shire.  Scir  is  still  the  Gaelic  for 
parish. 

2 "  Urquhart "  was  the  name  of  the  whole  Parish,  including 
Glenmoriston.  The  name  "  United  Parish  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston," by  which  it  is  now  commonly  known,  is,  historically, 
incorrect.  There  never  was  a  Parish  of  Glenmoriston,  and  never  a 
"  union "  either  of  parishes  or  of  churches.  The  error  originated 
after  the  Reformation.  See  next  chapter  as  to  the  Rev.  Robert 
"YTonro's  attempt  in  the  seventeenth  century  to  make  Glenmoriston 
independent  of  Urquhart.  "  Urquhart  "  is  Adamnan's  Airchartdan 
(in  Pictish,  "By  the  wood").  The  name  originally  applied  only 
to  the  locality  in  which  the  principal  church — Kilmore,  the  Great 
Cell — stood.  When  the  Parish  was  erected,  it,  as  was  customary r 
took  the  name  of  the  principal  church.  See  Appendix  V. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        341 

to  the  Church  impoverished  the  Crown — during  the 
period  of  peace  that  followed  the  defeat  and 
slaughter  of  the  Moraymen  in  1130;  or  by  Malcolm 
the  Seco'nd  after  the  Plantation  of  Moray  in  1160. 
It  embraced  the  vast  domain  which  was  attached  to 
the  Castle  of  Urquhart — the  Glens  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston,  with  the  exception  of  Buntait,  which 
was  the  property  of  the  chiefs  of  Lovat,  and  was  con- 
sequently included  in  the  parish  of  Kiltarlity.  The 
church  of  Kilmore  was  made  the  parish  church,  and 
endowed  with  land  and  teinds.  We  first  find  it  on 
record  in  the  time  of  Bricius,  who  was  bishop  of 
Moray  from  1203  to  1222.  In  that  prelate's  "  magna 
€arta,"  founding  a  chapter  of  eight  canons,  and 
giving  his  cathedral  a  constitution,  the  church  is 
described  as  the  church  of  Urquhart  beyond  Inver- 
ness— "  ecclesia  de  Plurchard  ultra  Inuernys."1  It 
is  also  so  described  in  the  Pope's  protection  of 
1215.2 

Before  Bricius'  time  the  Parish  had  its  resident 
rector  or  parson,  who  drew  the  teinds,  and  per- 
sonally attended  to  the  duties  of  his  office.  The 
aggrandisement  of  the  Church  soon  called  for  other 
arrangements.  By  Bricius'  great  charter  the  church 
of  St  Peter  in  Strathavon,  on  Speyside,  with  its 
chapels,  and  land,  and  other  pertinents,  and  the 
church  of  our  Parish,  with  all  its  just  pertinents, 
were  granted  to  the  chancellor  of  Moray  as  his 
prebend  or  benefice.3  Henceforth,  therefore,  and 

1  Registmm  Moraviense,  41. 
2  Ibid,  p.   43.     See  p.    14,  supra.  3  Ibid,   p.   41. 


342        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

until  the  Eeformation,  that  dignitary  drew  the- 
greater  teinds,  and  the  produce  of  certain  lands- 
attached  to  the  church;  but  he  only  occasionally 
visited  the  Parish,  and  the  spiritual  interests  of  the 
people  were  virtually  left  to  the  care  of  a  vicar, 
who  served  in  the  parish  church,  and  received' 
the  lesser  teinds  as  his  reward,  and  of  humbler 
priests  who  officiated  in  the  chapels.  The  Komari 
Catholic  authorities,  more  liberal  than  the  Lords 
of  the  Congregation,  who  served  their  own  worldly 
ends  by  destroying  the  old  Church  at  the  Eeforma- 
tion and  giving  a  selfish  and  stinted  support  to  the- 
new,  were  not  content  to  leave  the  spiritual  require- 
ments of  our  extensive  Parish  to  be  met  by  the 
parish  church  and  its  single  clergyman.  The  old 
Celtic  cells,  or  at  least  some  of  them,  continued  till' 
the  Eeformation  to  be  used  as  chapels  for  prayer  and" 
devotion.  Church  and  chapels  were  well  endowed. 
Originally,  Kilmore  possessed  a  half  davach  of  land, 
which  was  the  subject  of  a  dispute  between  the 
chancellor  and  Sir  Alan  Durward,  in  1233  ;x  after 
that  year  its  possessions  were  a  quarter  of  a  davach, 
and  a  toft  and  croft  of  four  acres  near  the  church. 
The  revenues  of  the  estate  of  Achmonie,  which  was 
originally  attached  to  the  church  of  Kilmichael,  were 
latterly  enjoyed  by  the  bishops,  until  Bishop 
Hepburn  sold  it  to  John  Mackay  in  1557.'2  Imme- 
diately before  the  Eeformation  we  find  the  lands  of" 
Pitkerrald,  and  the  crofts  of  StNinian,  StDrostan,  and 
St  Adamnan,  attached  to  the  chapel  of  St  Ninian;3' 

1  See  p.   16,  supra.  2  See  p.  116,  supra.  3  Ibid. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         343 

while  there  were  church  lands  in  Glenmoriston,1  and 
probably  also  at  Corrimony  (near  which  is  Curadan's 
Croft)  and  Lag  an  t-Seapail  and  Achnahannet. 
These  pious  gifts  of  old  were  at  the  Eeformation  lost 
to  the  cause  of  religion,  and  henceforth  the  Church 
had  to  content  itself  with  the  share  of  the  teinds 
allocated  to  it  from  time  to  time. 

There  is,  unfortunately,  not  much  to  tell  of  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
during  the  Eoman  Catholic  period.  Of  the  priests 
who  served  in  the  chapels,  we  only  know  the  names  of 
two — Sir  John  Donaldson,  chaplain  of  Kil  St  Ninian 
in  the  time  of  Queen  Mary,  and  his  immediate  prede- 
cessor, Sir  Duncan  Macolrig.2  Of  the  vicars  of  the 
Parish,  the  name  of  one  only  has  come  down  to  us 
— Mr  James  Farquharson,  who  held  the  office  at 
the  Eeformation,  and  became  an  exhorter  in  the 
Church  of  Knox.3  The  causes  and  history  of  the 
fall  of  the  old  Church  do  not  come  within  the  scope 
of  this  work.  The  Laird  of  Grant  was  a  member  of 
that  Parliament  which  in  1560  abolished  the  supre- 
macy of  the  Pope  in  Scotland.  He  was  followed 
into  Protestantism  by  Mr  Farquharson  and  the 
people  of  Urquhart,  and  by  many  of  the  inhabitants 

1  See  footnote,  p.  117,  supra. 

2  See  Donaldson's  Letters  of  Collation,   &c.     Appendix  M. 

3  See  next  Chapter.     It  must  not  be  supposed,  as  is  usually  done, 
that  the  clergy  who  were  styled  Sir  were  superior  to  those  who  were 
styled  Mr  (Master).     The  reverse  was  the  case.     Mr  indicated  that 
the  person  before  whose  name  it  appeared  had  taken  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts — Sir,   that  he  had  only  taken  the   lower   degree   of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.     In  the  Latin  deeds  of  the  time  Sir  was  rendered 
Dominus — whence  the  word  <e  dominie,"   still  vulgarly  applied  to   a 
schoolmaster. 


344        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

of  Glenmoriston.  It  was  a  case  of  Follow  the 
Laird  ;*  conviction  of  the  errors  of  the  old  religion  and 
of  the  divine  origin  of  the  new,  there  probably  was 
none;  and  many  years  elapsed  ere  the  spiritual 
fervour  of  the  Southern  reformers  found  a  place  in 
the  breasts  of  the  Urquhart  opponents  of  the  Pope. 
For  a  time,  indeed,  the  last  state  of  the  Parish  was 
worse  than  the  first.  The  church  lands  and  revenues 
were  quietly  appropriated;  the  chapels  in  which  the 
people  had  worshipped  for  a  thousand  years  were 
closed  and  allowed  to  fall  into  ruin;  the  parish  priest 
was  degraded  into  an  exhorter;  and  after  his  death 
the  Parish  itself  was  for  years  without  minister, 
exhorter,  reader,  or  other  spiritual  guide. 

1  In  Glen-Urqiiliart  the  proprietors  became  Protestants,,  and  the 
tenants  and  cottars  followed  their  example  unanimously.  The 
Chisholm,  who  owned  the  adjoining1  Strathglass,  adhered  to  the  old 
Church,  and  so  did  his  people.  The  same  process  of  following  tha 
laird  can  be  traced  all  over  the  Highlands. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        345 


CHAPTEE     XVIII 

THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH— FROM  THE  REFORMATION 
TO  THE  REVOLUTION 

The  Church  of  the  Reformation. — John  Knox's  Super- 
intendents. —  Episcopacy.  —  Presbytery  Established. — 
Scarcity  of  Preachers. — Exhorters  and  Readers. — Mr 
James  Farquharson  Exhorter  in  Urquhart. — The  Parish 
under  the  charge  of  Andrew  McPhail.— John.  Me  Allan, 
first  Protestant  Minister. — The  Rev.  Alexander  Grant. — 
New  Churches.  —  Grant's  troubles  with  the  Church 
Courts. — He  resists  the  Covenant,  but  is  forced  to  Sub- 
scribe.— The  Rev.  Duncan  Macculloch. — His  want  of 
maintenance,  and  troublous  career. — His  Deposition.—  - 
A  Six  Years'  Vacancy. — Restoration  of  Episcopacy. — 
Macculloch  reinstated.  —  A  Presbyterial  Visitation. — 
Lamentable  state  of  the  Parish. — Macculloch's  Resigna- 
tion.— How  he  slew  a  Glenmoristoii  Man. — Loose  and 
unruly  walking  in  the  Parish. — Search  for  a  Minister. — 
The  Rev.  James  Grant. — His  Presbyterial  Trials. — 
Induction  Ceremonies. — Persecution  of  Roman  Catholics. 
— Papal  statistics  of  the  Parish. — The  Rev.  Robert  Monro 
appointed  Preacher  in  Abertarff  and  Glenmoriston. — His 
Difficulties,  Privations,  and  Irregularities. — Lord  Lovat's 
Midnight  Marriage. — Presbyterial  visitation  of  Urquhart. 
—Peace  and  Prosperity. — The  Elders. — The  Rev.  Robert 
Gumming. — Monro's  Protest. — Prelacy  in  the  Parish. — 
Troubles  in  the  Church. — The  Revolution. — Presbytery 
re-established. 

ALTHOUGH  the  Parliament  of  1560  prohibited  the 
celebration  of  the  mass,  and  destroyed  the  supremacy 
of  the  Pope,  it  did  not  directly  abolish  the  Episcopal 
form  of  church  government,  and  establish  Presby- 
terianism  as  it  now  exists.  Thirty  years  or  more 


346        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMOEISTON 

had  still  to  pass  to  bring  about  that  result.  In 
Knox's  scheme,  it  is  true,  the  word  bishop  does  not 
appear — but  we  find  in  it  the  word  superintendent, 
which  has  the  same  meaning,  and  which  the  High- 
land Protestant  clergy  of  the  time  rendered  into 
Gaelic  by  the  word  easpuig,  a  bishop.1  The  super- 
intendents had  not,  indeed,  the  position  or  the 
power  of  the  Eoman  prelates,  but  they  resembled 
the  old  dignitaries  in  this,  that  they  had  the  charge 
of  churches  and  churchmen  within  certain  denned 
districts  which  were  called  by  the  old  episcopalian 
name  of  diocese.  They  were  not  a  success,  and  in 
1572  the  name  of  bishop  was  restored,  and  a  modified 
Episcopacy  was  sanctioned  which  continued  till 
1592,  when  Presbyterianism,  as  we  know  it,  may  be 
said  to  have  been  first  established.  For  the  first 
twenty  years  after  the  Eeformation  there  were  no 
presbyteries.  The  first  was  that  of  Edinburgh, 
erected  in  1581.  Others  followed,  and  all  were 
ratified  by  Parliament  in  1592.  In  that  year  we 
find  our  Parish  within  the  Presbytery  of  Inverness, 
in  which  it  remained  till  1724,  when  it  became  part 
of  the  newly  erected  Presbytery  of  Abertarff  in  the 
also  newly  created  Synod  of  Glenelg.  In  1884  it  was 
restored  to  Inverness  and  the  Synod  of  Moray. 

As  little  did  the  Parliament  of  1560  succeed  in 
immediately  destroying  Popery  in  Scotland.  For 
years  the  old  faith  refused,  in  many  quarters,  to  give 
place  to  the  new.  In  the  Province  of  Moray  the 
Eoman  Catholic  Bishop  Hepburn  remained  in  indis- 
turbed  possession  of  his  see  till  his  death  in  1573 — 

1  Carswell,  whom  Knox  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Isles,, 
describes  himself  in  his  Gaelic  Liturgy  by  the  word  easbug  (easpuig). 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        347 

enjoying  the  church  lands  as  fully,  and  alienating 
them  as  freely,  as  if  Knox  had  not  been  born.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  the  Episcopacy  established  in 
1572  prevailed,  and  the  Protestant  Bishop  Douglas 
was  appointed  his  successor. 

John  Knox's  scheme  provided  that  there  should 
be  a  minister  in  each  parish  who  should  preach  and 
teach;  but  the  great  majority  of  the  Eoman  Catholic 
clergy  who  followed  him  into  Protestantism  had 
never  been  trained  to  preach,  and  had  to  content 
themselves  under  the  new  system  with  the  office  of 
exhorter,  or  of  reader.  The  reader  read  the  Scrip- 
tures and  the  new  Protestant  service  book,  but  was 
not  allowed  to  baptise,  marry,  preach,  or  expound. 
The  exhorter  did  not  preach,  but  he  expounded  Holy 
Writ,  and  married,  and  baptised.  James  Farquhar- 
son,  the  old  vicar  of  Urquhart,  was  a  Master  of  Arts,, 
and  a  fair  writer  of  Latin,  but  to  preach  to  the  extent 
required  by  the  followers  of  Knox  was  no  part  of  his 
duty  as  Catholic  priest,  and  when  he  became  a 
Protestant  he  was  too  old  to  learn.1  He  was  accord- 
ingly continued  as  exhorter,  at  a  stipend  of  £40 — 
probably  the  same  as  he  had  previously  enjoyed.  He- 
appears  to  have  died  before  1574;  for  in  that  year 
there  was  neither  minister,  exhorter,  nor  reader  in  the 
Parish,2  which,  with  Bona,  was  placed  under  the 

1  Farquharson,  who,  as  was  then  the  custom  of  the  clergy,  had 
qualified  as  a  notary  public,  appears  to  have  had  an  extensive  legal 
practice.     Several  Latin  deeds  written  by  him  are  extant. 

2  Farquharson   was  Exhorter  of  Urquhart   and   Glenmoriston   in 
1572     (Register    of    Ministers    and    their    Stipends,    in    Advocates' 
Library).     The  Register  of  Assignations  for  the  Ministers'  Stipends 
for  the  year  1574 — also  in  the  Advocates'  Library — contains  certain 
entries    regarding    the    offices    of    readers    in    Urquhart    and    Glen- 
moriston, for  which  see  Appendix  N. 


-348  UKQUHART    AND    GLENMOKJSTON 

charge  of  Andrew  McPhail,  minister  of  Farnua  in  the 
Aird.1  In  1586  it  received  for  the  first  time  a 
Protestant  minister  of  its  own  in  the  person  of  John 
McAllan.2  McAllan  is  mentioned  in  1591,  and 
probably  held  the  living  till  about  the  year  1620. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Mr  Alexander  Grant,3  who  was 
elected  during  the  existence  of  that  hybrid  Epis- 
copacy which  was  established  by  James  the  Sixth  in 
the  year  1612.  Finding  the  old  pre-Eeformation 
churches  in  ruins,  and  the  people  without  places  of 
worship,  he  took  steps  to  rebuild  the  churches  of 
Kilmore  and  Glenmoriston.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Synod  of  Moray  held  in  April,  1624,  he  was 
"  ordained  to  proceid  in  building  of  his  Kirks  off 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoristoun,  seeing  he  hes  alreddie 
stentit  his  parochin;  and  for  ye  bettir  effectuating  of 
ye  said  work  my  Lord  Bishop  hes  promised  to  joyne 
his  request  to  the  Laird  of  Grant  for  his  concurrance 
unto  the  said  work;"4  but  he  found  it  difficult  to 
carry  this  instruction  into  effect,  and  three  years 
later  the  same  court  ordered  him  "  to  f order 
[further]  the  building  of  ye  old  foundations  of  ye 
Kirks  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoristoun,  and  for 
fartherance  heirof  the  Moderator  of  Inverness  wt 
ye  bretheren  of  that  presbyterie  ar  ordained  to  visit 
ye  bounds  and  see  quhat  is  expedient,  and  to  report 
their  diligence  to  ye  nixt  Synod."5  The  re-erection 
of  these  churches  followed  the  Presbytery's  visit,  the 

1  Scott's  Fasti  Ecclesice  Scoticance,  Vol.  III.  Part  I.,  p.  267. 

2  Ibid,  p.  119.  3  Ibid.,         4Eecords  of  Synod  of  Moray. 

5  Ibid.     The  "old  foundation"  of  the  Kirk  of  Glenmoriston  was 
Clachan  Cholumchille  at  Invermoriston.     See  p.  333. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         349 

ancient  walls  being  no  doubt  utilized.  The  Glen- 
moriston  fabric,  however,  fell  into  utter  ruin  before 
the  end  of  the  century.  The  Kilmore  church,  altered 
and  repaired  from  time  to  time,  continued  to  be  the 
church  of  the  Parish  till  the  present  church  was  built 
in  1838/1 

Mr  Grant  was  not  a  model  member  of  the  church 
courts.  In  1625  he  was  summoned  before  the  Bishop 
on  account  of  his  frequent  absence  from  the  meetings 
of  his  Presbytery,  and  was  called  upon  in  October, 
1626,  to  explain  why  he  had  not  attended  the  last 
two  meetings  of  the  Synod.  The  explanation  he 
gave  was  that  he  lived  "  in  the  f arrest  part  of  ye 
diocie,"  and  "  culd  hear  no  certantie  "  of  the  date  of 
the  first  meeting;  and,  as  for  the  second,  "  he  culd 
noth  keip  it  in  respect  it  was  the  appointed  day  of 
his  mariage."2  As  the  meetings  were  held  at  Elgin 
these  reasons  appear  valid  enough;  but  the  brethren 
were  of  a  different  opinion,  and  ' '  thocht  guid  heavilie 
to  rebuik  him,  and  exhorted  him  to  tak  his  calling 
moir  cairfullie  to  heart  in  all  tyme  cumming."3 

But  a  greater  penalty  than  rebuke  and  exhor- 
tation awaited  him.  Some  time  previously,  a 
certain  Finlay  Grant,  residing  in  Glenmoriston,  was 
:<  contracted"  for  the  purpose  of  marriage  with  one 
Catherine  Grant,  who  resided  in  Cromdale.  Mr 

1  In  the  portion  of  the  old  walls  still  standing  there  is  built-in 
a  stone  on  which  are  inscribed  the  words  Domus  Dei  (House  of  God), 
Mr  Grant's  initials,  and  the  date  1630.     Its  original  place  was  above 
one  of  the  doors  of  the  church. 

2  Moray    Synod   Records.     Grant's  wife  was   a   daughter  of   Mr 
John  Mackenzie,  Minister  of  Dingwall — (Fasti). 

3  Ibid. 


350        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Dick,  minister  of  Cromdale,  wrote  to  Mr  Grant  certi- 
fying the  contract,  and  requesting  that  the  latter 
should  publish  the  banns  in  his  church.  By  this 
time,  however,  Finlay  had  deserted  Catherine,  and 
became  engaged  to  a  sister  of  the  Laird  of  Glen- 
moriston.  Mr  Grant  favoured  the  latter  project, 
.and  ignored  Mr  Dick's  request.  Complaint  was 
made  to  the  Presbytery,  who  ' '  inhibited ' '  him  from 
solemnising  Finlay's  marriage  with  the  Laird's  sister; 
but  the  inhibition  was  also  ignored,  and  he  married 
the  couple.  These  facts  were  reported  to  the  Synod 
in  October,  1626,  and  he  was  rebuked  and  censured, 
:'  and  ordained  to  mak  his  publict  repentance  in  ye 
kirk  of  Glenmoristoun,  and  to  pay  the  soume  of 
fowrtie  libs  [pounds]  money  ad  pios  usus."  The 
public  repentance  was  humiliating,  but  it  had  to  be 
made — a  brother  of  the  Presbytery  occupying  the 
pulpit  on  the  occasion.1 

Mr  Grant  was  attached  to  the  episcopalian  form 
of  church  government,  and,  in  the  struggle  which 
began  with  the  flinging  of  Jenny  Geddes'  stool,  in 
July,  1637,  he  took  the  side  of  the  bishops,  and  had 
the  hearty  sympathy  of  Lady  Mary  Ogilvy,  the  life- 
rentrix  of  Urquhart.2  For  a  time  he  declined  to 
subscribe  the  Covenant,  but  in  the  end  he  had  to 
yield.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Synod  held  at  Forres  on 
14th  May,  1639,  "  Andrew  Dow  fraser  [Minister  of 
Boleskine]  subscryve  and  sware  to  ye  Covenant, 
and  so  did  Mr  Alexr.  Grant,  Minister  of  Vrquhart, 
and  so  did  Mr  Williame  Watsone,  Minister  at 

1  Moray   Synod  Records.  2  See  pp.   146,   147,   supra. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         351 

Dutthell."1  Notwithstanding  this  formal  adhesion, 
the  Covenant  did  not  prosper  in  the  Parish.  The 
minister  did  not  like  it,  and  Lady  Mary  continued  in 
open  enmity  to  it.  The  Solemn  League  and  Covenant 
•of  1643  was  even  more  obnoxious  to  himself  and  his 
people,  many  of  whom  joined  Montrose  in  the  war 
to  which  that  bond  gave  rise,  and  in  course  of  which 
Urquhart  was  invaded  by  the  Covenanting  forces,  and 
made  the  camping  ground  of  the  Western  loyalists. 
In  the  midst  of  these  troubles — in  1645 — Mr  Grant 
died — spared  the  pain  of  witnessing  the  expatriation 
of  Montrose,  the  execution  of  the  King,  tfre  rule  of 
the  English  sectaries,  and  the  extinction  for  a  time  of 
the  hopes  of  the  Episcopalians.  He  was  succeeded 
in  1647  by  Mr  Duncan  Macculloch,  minister  of  the 
Second  Charge  of  Inverness. 

For  Macculloch  Js  unprofitable  career  in  the 
Parish  he  was  himself  to  some  extent  to  blame;  but 
in  a  larger  measure  the  responsibility  for  his  failure 
lay  with  the  heritors  and  parishioners.  The  people 
of  Urquhart  adhered  to  the  party  which  their  late 
minister  had  favoured,  and  they  had  little  sympathy 
with  the  man  who  now  came  among  them  as  an 
.avowed  Presbyterian  and  Covenanter.  Notwith- 
standing discouragements,  he  began  well.  He  strove 
to  remove  certain  irregularities  which  existed  in 
connection  with  marriages  between  his  parishioners 
and  natives  of  Glengarry  and  Lochaber,  "  where 
there  is  no  minister,  neither  hath  been  since  the 

1  Moray  Synod  Records. 


352        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Keformation,"1  and  where  consequently  banns  could 
not  be  proclaimed.2  He  found  that  the  lands  which 
belonged  to  the  Church  at  the  time  of  the  Keforma- 
tion,  and  which  are  referred  to  as  church  property 
as  late  as  1574,  had  passed  into  the  possession  of 
the  lairds,  and  that  the  Parish  was  without  manse, 
or  glebe,  or  suitable  provision  for  the  minister's  main- 
tenance ;  and  he  applied  for  a  manse  and  a  glebe  and 
an  augmentation  of  stipend.  The  manse  and  glebe 
were  "  designated"  early  in  1650,  but  there  was  some 
irregularity  in  the  procedure;  arid  so  no  manse  was 
erected ;  while  the  minister  was  evicted  from  the  glebe 
in  less  than  a  year.  Worse  still,  his  stipend,  which 
was  payable  partly  by  the  proprietors  and  partly  by 
the  tenants,  was  entirely  withheld.  In  April,  1651, 
the  attention  of  the  Synod  was  called  to  his  griev- 
ances by  Mr  James  Vass,  Minister  of  Croy,  and  it 
was  ordained  "  that  quhen  the  Laird  of  Grant  shall 
come  to  Forres,  Elgin,  or  Keith,  the  ministers 
at  the  respective  places  shall  represent  to  him  Mr 
Duncan  McKullo  his  hard  conditione,  and  desire 
redresse  thereof  in  the  matter  of  his  glebe  and 
provisione,  and  presse  the  same  seriouslie  upon 
him."3  Macculloch  and  certain  of  his  brethren  had 
an  interview  with  the  Laird  on  5th  November,  and 

1  Moray  Synod  Records. 

2  At  a  meeting-  held  at  Elgin  in  April,  1648,  the  Synod  referred 
the  matter  of  the  non-proclamation  of  banns  to  the  General  Assembly, 
"  and  in  the  meantime  ordaines  the  said  Mr  Duncane  [Macculloch] 
for   the    present   to   cause   proclame   such   persons   in   the    Kirks   of 
Urquhart   and  Abertarff,   quhilk  are  the   Kirks  neirest  adjacent   to 
these  unplanted  boundes  "  [of  Glengarry  and  Lochaber]. 

3  Moray  Synod  Records. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         353 

his  glebe  was  probably  restored — but  by  this  time 
he  had  become  discontented  and  soured  and 
irregular  in  his  ministerial  carriage.  He  ceased  to 
attend  the  meetings  of  the  church  courts,  became 
"  verie  negligent  in  his  chairge,"  and  was  accused 
of  "  scandalous  conversation  [conduct]."  At  meet- 
ing after  meeting  the  charges  against  him  were  con- 
sidered and  discussed,  until,  in  1658,  the  Presbytery 
visited  Urquhart,  and,  finding  him  "  worthie  of 
depositione,"  deposed  him  accordingly. 

For  the  next  six  years  the  Parish  was  without  a 
minister.  During  the  vacancy — in  1662 — that  mixed 
form  of  Episcopacy  peculiar  to  Protestant  Scotland 
was  again  established  as  one  of  the  results  of  the 
Restoration  of  the  Stewarts;  and,  two  years  later, 
Macculloch  was  restored  to  his  living.  His  tem- 
porary seclusion,  and  his  conformity  to  Prelacy, 
brought  no  improvement  in  his  ministerial  conduct. 
He  never  attended  Synod  or  Presbytery;  his  neglect 
of  his  pastoral  duties  was  even  greater  than  before 
his  deposition;  and  the  state  of  his  nock  became  a 
scandal  to  the  Church.  A  dark  picture  is  drawn 
by  Mr  Thomas  Houston,  minister  of  Boleskine,  who, 
in  August,  1671,  reported  to  the  Presbytery  "  ye 
sad  and  lamentable  stat  of  ye  Parish  off  Vrquhart 
in  regard  of  Mr  Duncan  McCulloch,  Minister  there, 
his  slackness  in  discipline,  and  neglect  of  dutie  in 
many  things,  and  absence  from  his  church,  quhereby 
sin  and  iniquitie  is  abounding  and  increasing  in  ye 
said  Parish."1  A  visitation  was  appointed,  and  on 

1  Inverness  Presbytery  Records.  [These  Records,  and  those  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Dingwall,  edited  by  the  Author,  were  in  1896 
published  by  the  Scottish  History  Society].  23 


354        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

5th  September  the  brethren  met  within  the  church 
at  Kilmore. 

Mr  Macculloch  opened  the  proceedings  with  a 
sermon  on  the  text  "  Pray  without  ceasing."  There 
was  much  need  for  prayer.  Everywhere  irregularity 
and  confusion  and  spiritual  destitution  met  the 
Presbytery.  The  session-book  was  found  to  be 
"  not  a  register  but  a  minut  rather,  and  that  it  was 
deficient,  wanting  three  yeirs  unfilled  up."  For 
"  this  great  oversight "  Mr  Duncan  was  "  rebooked," 
and  "  ordeaned  by  ye  Moderator  to  exhibit  a 
register,  and  to  see  quhat  was  wanting  therein,  and 
that  against  ye  nixt  presbyteriall  meeting."  The 
heritors  and  elders  being  ;'  asked  anent  the 
minister's  doctrine,  life,  and  conversation,"  replied 
that  they  "  were  all  weill  satisfied  with  him  as  to 
these,  but  withall  they  regrated  that  he  used  no 
family  visitation,  nor  prayed  in  their  families  when 
he  lodged  in  any  of  his  parishioners'  houses;  and 
that  he  did  not  catechise,  nor  administer  ye  sacra- 
ment ever  since  his  entrie  to  ye  ministrie  there; 
and  that  he  is  a  reproach  to  ye  ministrie  and  ye 
Parish  in  going  with  so  beggerly  a  habit;  and 
though  much  of  his  stipend  be  areasted  in  ye 
parishioners'  hands,  that  yet  he  hath  no  cair  to 
pay  his  debt  or  reliev  ye  gentlemen  from  hazard  at 
legal  executions  in  their  contrar  [against  them]." 
Mr  Macculloch  having  been  "  sharply  rebooked  for 
all  these  omissiones,  and  injoyned  to  mende  these 
things  in  tymes  coming,  and  that  sub  periculo 
gravioris  censurej,"  was  invited  to  state  his  griev- 
ances. ' '  Being  asked  anent  his  elders  and  gentlemen, 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         355 

what  satisfaction  he  had  off  them,  he  regrated  that 
he  had  neither  countenance  nor  maintenance  among 
them,  and  that  quhen  he  is  wrongd  or  injured  in  his 
person  or  meanes  they  have  not  that  due  regard  to 
him  as  to  resent  these  wronges  and  injuries  done  to 
him — quherfor  he  would  demitt "  — that  is,  resign. 
The  church  officer  was  so  "slack5  that  he  was 
threatened  with  dismissal,  and  the  windows  of  the 
•church  were  so  defective  that  the  session  was 
ordered  to  apply  the  fines  paid  by  breakers  of  the 
-Seventh  Commandment  in  repairing  them.1 

The  Synod,  on  receiving  the  Presbytery's  report, 
recommended  the  acceptance  of  Macculloch's  resig- 
nation. On  1st  December  he  was  met  at  Doch-na- 
Craig  (Lochend)  by  four  members  of  the  Presbytery, 
and  when  the  meeting  was  over  he  was  no  longer 
minister  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.2 

1  Inverness  Presbytery  Records. 

2  Moray  Synod  Records.     Macculloch's  demission  is  in  the  follow- 
ing  terms  : — "  I,    Mr   Duncan    Macculloch,    Minister    of    the    United 
'Churches  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmorestoune,  for  onerous  reasons  and 
causes   knowen   to   my    selfe    and   to    my    reverend    Brethren    of    the 
Presbytrie  of  Invernes,  doe  demitt,  renunce,  and  resigne  my  cure  and 
ministrie  at  the  foresaid  Kirkes  into  the  hands  of  the  right  reverend 
father  in  God,  Murdo,  Lord  Bishop  of  Murray,  and  give  hereby  full 
way  and  heartie  consent  that  hencefurth  my  cure  may  be  declared 
vacand,  ay  and  quhil  it  please  God  to  provid  that  people  with  a  man 
that  may  have  more  incouragment  to  serve  among  them  than  I  have 
liad  dureing  my  service  in  that  place  :   In  Consideration  quheroff  I 
ever    from    the    dait    hereoff    renunce,    discharge,    and    resigne    my 
cure,  stipend,  manses,  and  gleibes  thereof?  in  all  tym  coming  :  In  full 
testimonie  quheroff  I  have  both  written  and  subscrived  thir  presents 
with  my  hand  at  Davach-in-Craig,  the  first  of  December  1671  yeirs, 
"befor  Mr  Alexr.  Clarke,  minister  at  Invernes,  and  Mr  Hew  Fraser, 
minister  at  Kiltarlitie.  MR  D.  MACCULLOCH." 

"  Mr  A.  Clark,  Witnes. 
"Hugh  fraser,  Witnesse." 


356        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  Presbytery  placed  it  on  record  that  the- 
' '  omissions  ' '  of  which  Mr  Macculloch  was  guilty 
were  the  consequence  of  ' '  his  manifold  and  heavie 
discouragements  in  his  Parochin  through  want  of 
maintenance  and  countenance,  and  by  stealling  and 
robbing  of  the  little  he  hath;"  and  they  were  not 
without  good  grounds  for  their  conclusion.  The 
poor  minister  had  been  robbed  and  despitefully  used 
by  both  heritors  and  people.  If  they  had  paid  his 
stipend,  and  treated  him  with  justice  and  respect, 
the  probability  is  that  he  would  have  efficiently 
ministered  to  them,  and  paid  his  debts,  and  gone 
about  in  decent  attire.  He  is  remembered  in  the 
traditions  of  the  Parish,  not  for  his  preaching  or  his 
piety,  but  for  his  prowess  in  avenging  a  dastardly 
outrage  on  two  Urquhart  young  women.  While 
the  girls  were  tending  cattle  in  the  shielings  of 
Corri-Dho,  to  which  the  tenants  of  Urquhart  had 
then  a  right,  certain  Glenmoriston  men  seized  them 
and  cut  off  their  breasts.  The  minister  soon  after- 
wards met  one  of  the  dastards,  and  slew  him  on  the 
spot. 

At  a  meeting  of  Synod  held  at  Elgin  on  9th  April, 
1672,  Macculloch' s  deed  of  demission  was  presented 
to  the  Bishop,  who  thereupon  required  the  Eeverend 
James  Stewart,  minister  of  Inveravon  and  chancellor 
of  Moray,  and  in  the  latter  capacity  patron  of  the 
living,  to  fill  the  vacancy  "with  all  conveniency." 
The  Presbytery  also  exhorted  the  gentlemen  and  elders 
of  the  Parish  to  co-operate  with  the  chancellor  bv 
using  "all  possible  diligence  to  furnish  a  minister  for 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         357 

themselves."  The  gentlemen  and  elders  were,  how- 
ever, in  no  hurry,  and  the  state  of  the  Parish  was 
the  subject  of  the  Presbytery's  anxious  deliberations 
on  14th  August.  "The  Presbyterie,  considering 
the  sad  conditione  of  the  Parish  off  Urquhart,  and 
the  manifold  abuses  committed  there,  and  their 
loose  and  unrullie  walking  through  the  want  of 
gospell  ordinances  amongst  them,  as  also  the  little 
•care  they  have  for  providing  a  minister  for  them- 
selves, have  appoynted  Mr  James  Smith,  Minister 
at  Dorres,  to  goe  to  Vrquhart  and  preach  to  the 
people  the  last  Lord's  day  of  August  instant,  and 
keep  session  there,  and  exhort  the  people  to  use  all 
possible  dilligence  for  searching  out  for  ane  able 
qualified  minister  settled  for  that  place,  and  to  that 
effect  that  they  would  send  some  of  their  number 
and  meet  with  the  Laird  of  Grant,  the  most  con- 
siderable heritor  of  the  Parish,  and  Mr  James 
Stuart,  Minister  at  Inveraine  [Inveravon],  Patrone 
of  the  Parishe  of  Urquhart,  for  their  help  and 
assistance  in  the  work;  and  till  they  be  provided 
the  gentlemen  to  keep  their  people  under  them  in 
good  order."  These  directions  were  duly  obeyed, 
and  on  27th  November  Mr  James  Grant,  a  young 
unordained  "  expectant,"  appeared  before  the  Pres- 
bytery and  produced  a  presentation  from  the  patron, 
together  with  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  desiring  the 
Presbytery  to  put  him  ' l  to  his  try  ells  cum  intuitu 
ad  locum  to  the  Church  of  Urquhart."  It  may  be 
interesting  to  note  what  those  "  trials  "  were.  Grant 
read  a.  ' '  homilie  ' :  before  the  Presbytery  on  8th 
January,  1673,  on  the  text  "  For  God  so  loved  the 


358        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life;"  and  the  same  was  "  approven." 
On  26th  February  he  satisfactorily  "  hade  his  exercise 
and  additione,"  on  Col.  ii.  14 — "Blotting  out  the 
handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,  which 
was  contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing 
it  to  His  cross."  He  "  hade  his  common  head"  on 
12th  March,  his  subject  being  the  Infallibility  of  the 
Church — "  de  Infallibilitate  Ecclesice;"  after  which 
he  delivered  a  thesis  and  ' '  disputed  ' '  it  with  the 
members  of  the  Presbytery.  At  a  meeting  held 
on  the  26th  he  preached  a  "  populare  sermon,"  wa& 
examined  in  "the  languages,"  and  underwent  his 
:'  questionarie  try  ells."  Having  successfully  passed 
through  all  these  trials,  he  was  (on  the  26th) 
'  remitted  to  the  Bishope  to  receave  ordinatione, 
collatione,  and  institutione;"  and  Mr  Hugh  Fraser, 
minister  of  Kiltarlity,  reported  that  he  had  preached 
at  Urquhart  the  last  Lord's  day,  and  served  his 
edict;  and  that  John  Grant  of  Corrimony  appeared 
for  himself  and  the  rest  of  the  parishioners,  "  suppli- 
cating the  Presbyterie  that  they  would  send  them 
Mr  James  Grant,  whom  they  are  most  willing  to 
receave  as  their  minister,  promiseing  to  him  dutie 
according  to  their  power,  and  that  in  giveing  him 
countenance  and  maintenance,  as  also  that  they  will 
concur  with  him  in  discipline  and  what  else  may 
contribute  for  helping  on  God's  service  to  God's 
glorie,  and  to  his  encouragement."  On  the  9th  of 
April  Grant  attended  on  the  Bishop  and  Synod  at 
Elgin  and  "  receaved  collatione,  institutione,  and 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        359 

impositione  of  hands,  and  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
shipe,  with  everything  usuall  in  the  like  case;"  and 
on  7th  May  the  Presbytery  recorded  that  "  be 
vertue  of  ane  order  from  the  Bishope  of  Murray,  Mr 
Hugh  Fraser,  minister  of  Kiltarlitie,  went  the  last 
Lord's  day  to  Urquhart,  and  preached  to  the  people, 
and  admitted  Mr  James  Grant  to  be  future  minister 
there,  haveing  used  all  the  ceremonyes  usuall  in  the 
like  case."1  The  parishioners  accepted  him  on  the 

l  What  the  usual  ceremonies  were  may  be  gathered  from  the 
following-  Presbytery  minute  describing-  the  admission  of  Mr  Gilbert 
Marshall  to  be  one  of  the  ministers  of  Inverness  in  1674: — "The 
exercise  prescribed  the  former  Presbytrie  day  was  delayed  till  the 
next  Presbytrie  day,  because  that  by  the  Bishopes  appoyntment  Mr 
Gilbert  Marshall,  who  is  presented  by  the  Lord  Kintaile  to  the  vacant 
charge  of  Invernes,  had  his  edict  served  to  this  day  :  wherupon  Mr 
Alexr.  [  ],  Modr.,  preached  conforme  to  the  ordinance,  text 

Acts  20,  28;  the  sermon  being  closed,  the  edict  being  the  second  tyme 
read,  and  being  asked  if  their  were  any  person  or  persons  their 
present  that  had  aught  to  object  against  the  admissione  of  the  said 
Mr  Gilbert  Marshall,  at  the  most  patent  Kirk  door,  and  thereafter  at 
the  severall  heritors,  magistrates,  and  others  then  present,  all  of 
them  answered  negativelie,  and  earnestlie  pressed  his  admissione; 
whereupon  the  Modr.  proceeded  to  the  admissione  by  delivering  to 
him  the  Sacred  Bible,  the  book  of  discipline,  and  the  key  of  the  Kirk 
door,  as  is  usuall  in  such  cases,  seriously  exhorting  him  to  pietie, 
humilitie,  fidellitie,  and  sedulitie  in  his  calling,  who,  with  his  whole 
remanent  bretheren,  gave  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowshipe;  and 
immediatlie  therafter  the  heritours,  magistrates,  and  others  present 
did  unanimouslie  embrace  him  by  reaching  forth  their  hands  to  him, 
declareing  their  acceptance  of  the  said  Mr  Gilbert  for  their  minister, 
promiseing  obedience,  faithfullness,  and  assistance  to  him  according 
to  their  severall  stationes.  Thereafter  the  said  Modr.  and  remanent 
brethren  passed  to  the  Manse  and  Gleibe  somtyme  belonging  to  the 
late  Mr  James  Sutherland,  and  gave  the  said  Mr  Gilbert  reall  pos- 
sessione  in  the  same  and  locall  stipend  belonging  thereto,  dureing 
his  ministrie  and  service  at  the  said  Kirk  of  Inv'nes,  which  the  said 
Mr  Gilbert  accepted,  and  tooke  instrument,  ane  or  moe  in  Andrew 
McPhersone,  Nottare  Publick,  his  hand,  as  the  same  at  more  length 
in  itself  doth  proport." 


360        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

terms  proposed  by  Corrimony,  and  so  he  became  their 
minister. 

In  his  time  the  Bishop  and  church  courts  of  Moray 
made  some  effort  to  extirpate  Eoman  Catholicism  in 
the  province — but  the  more  they  persecuted,  the 
more  numerous  did  the  persecuted  become.  Many 
Protestants  joined  the  ancient  Church,  and  had  their 
children  baptised  by  the  '  seminary  trafficking 
priests  "  from  Ireland  and  the  shires  of  Banff  and 
Aberdeen,  who  '  '  went  up  and  down  through  the 
parishes  avowedly,  confidently,  and  affrontedly."1 
In  1674,  and  again  in  1679,  the  ministers  were 
ordered  to  bring  in  lists  of  all  who  acknowledged  the 
Pope  within  their  respective  parishes,  and  against 
these  church  processes  and  sentences  of  excommuni- 
cation were  freely  launched.  Mr  Grant  was  com- 
paratively happy.  While  the  district  of  Strathglass, 
just  outside  his  Parish,  is  described  as  "  so  pestered 
with  poperie  that  a  total  defectione  is  feared  there  iff 
not  speidily  prevented,  "e  he  is  able  to  grant  the 
following  certificate  regarding  Glen-Urquhart : — <c  I 
Mr  James  Grant,  Minister  of  Urquhart,  doe  testifie 
and  declare  that  (blessed  be  God  for  it)  ther  are  no 
Papists  in  this  Paroch  of  Urquhart  except  Katherin 
McDonald,  Spouse  to  Jhon  Grant  of  Coremony,  qho 
was  both  borne  and  bred  among  Papists,  and  one 
Hector  McLean,  a  young  man  baptised  in  our 
Church,  but  bred  among  Papists  since  his  youth, 
but  nether  of  these  excommunicat ;  qhich  is  verified 
under  my  hand  att  Kilmore  in  Urquhart,  5  of 

l  Inverness    Presbytery   Records.  2  Ibid. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         361 

March,  1679. " 1  Mr  Eobert  Monro,  who  was  at  the 
time  in  charge  of  Glenmoriston,  had  not  so  much  to 
be  thankful  for: — "I,  Mr  Eobert  Monro,  Minister 
off  Abertarf  and  Glenmoriston,  doe  testifie  and 
declaire  these  Papists  did  apostatize  from  the 
reformed  religion  before  my  entrie,  vizt.  [here  are 
given  the  names  of  apostates  in  Abertarff],  Alex. 
McDonald  in  Achlean,  his  wyff  and  whole  familie; 
Allan  McDonald  in  Innervuick,  his  whole  familie 
(except  his  wyffe) ;  Archibald  McConchie  Vc  Phatrick 
in  Innervuick,  but  not  his  wyff  nor  family.  The 
excommunicat  are,  both  for  incest  and  defection  to 
Poperie,  John  Grant  in  Duldregin  and  Katherine 
Fraser  his  wyff,  and  part  of  his  familie.  This  to  be 
of  truth  I  verify  under  my  hand  att  Invernes,  March 
5,  1679. "2 

Ever  after  the  Reformation  the  people  of  Glen- 
moriston were  left  in  a  state  of  spiritual  starvation  : 
there  was  no  priest  or  parson  in  their  own  Glen,  and 
the  visits  of  the  minister  of  the  Parish  were  few  and 
far  between.  The  adjoining  district  of  Abertarff  or 
Kilchuimein  (now  Fort-Augustus)  was  in  the  same 
precarious  state  of  dependence  on  the  minister  of 
Boleskine.  In  1675  an  attempt  was  made  to 
provide  those  desolate  places  with  the  means  of 
grace.  The  ministers  of  Urquhart  and  Boleskine 
joined  in  petitioning  the  Bishop,  who  was  "Patron 
of  Elchuimen,"  and  the  Chancellor  of  Moray, 
'Patron  of  Glenmoriston,"  to  have  "Mr  Robert 
Monro  settled  as  minister  and  their  helper  in  the 

1  Inverness    Presbytery    Records.  8  Ibid. 


362        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

said  bounds  of  Abertarfe  and  Glenmoriston."  The 
Petition,  concurred  in  by  the  heritors  of  these  bounds, 
was  in  January,  1676,  submitted  by  Mr  Monro  to 
the  Presbytery,  who  referred  it  to  the  Bishop  and 
Chancellor  for  their  decision.  That  decision  was- 
favourable,  and  Mr  Monro,  having  gone  through  the 
customary  trials,  was  ordained  by  the  Bishop  on  2nd 
March,  and,  on  the  12th,  admitted  at  Kilchuimein  by 
Mr  Houston,  minister  of  Boleskine,  and  Mr  Grant, 
minister  of  Urquhart.1 

The  arrangement,  however,  did  not  give  satisfac- 
tion to  all  concerned.  At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery 
held  at  Kilchuimein  in  September,  1677,  the  Glen- 
moriston  elders — John  McEvin  in  Invermoristony 
John  McFarquhar  and  Donald  Me  William  in  Livishie, 
and  William  McAlaster  and  James  Grant  in  Inver- 
wick — complained  that  ' '  the  new  minister  did  not 
keepe  with  them  everie  sabbath  per  vices."  His 
excuse  was  that  there  was  no  church  in  Glen- 
moriston,  no  bridge  on  the  Eiver  Moriston,  and  <l  no 
boat  to  transport  him  to  his  charge."  The  Presby- 
tery did  not  expect  him  to  swim  to  a  church  which 
did  not  exist,  and  approved  of  his  '  ministeriall 
deportment;"  and,  as  his  lot  was  cast  near  the 
zealous  Eoman  Catholics  of  Glengarry,  he  was 
exhorted  '  to  studie  the  Popish  controversie, 
whereby  he  would  be  enabled  to  convince  gainsayers- 
and  reclame  the  astray eing  ignorant."  He  was  but 
poorly  supported  in  his  work  of  reclamation,  and  his 

1  Inverness  Presbytery   Records. 


T1IE    CHURCH   IN    THE    PARISH  363 

success  was  not  great  among  Catholics  or  Pro- 
testants. His  income  was  not  sufficient  to  keep- 
body  and  soul  together,  and,  notwithstanding  that 
he  eked  it  out  by  acting  as  clerk  of  the  Presbytery, 
for  which  he  annually  received  a  '  rex  dollar ' ' L 
from  each  member,  his  poverty  increased,  and  he 
was  forced  to  beg  for  charity.  In  1682  the  Synod 
urged  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  "  to  mind  a  contri- 
bution to  Mr  Robert  Monro  in  regard  of  his  present 
straites  and  indigencies."  The  contributions  gave 
temporary  relief,  but  his  impecuniosity  returned, 
and  led  him  into  irregularities.  In  November,  1687, 
he  officiated  at  a  "  mock  marriage ' '  at  Inverness,  and 
was  suspended  in  consequence.  On  4th  April  follow- 
ing the  suspension  was  continued  by  the  Synod  till 
the  first  Sunday  in  May,  on  which  day,  in  respect  of 
'  two  other  unorderly  marriages 5 '  confessed  by  him, 
he  was  ordained  to  appear  publicly  in  the  church  of 
Inverness,  and  in  face  of  the  congregation  to  "  make 
humble  and  solemn  acknowledgment  of  his  offence 
anent  the  said  mock  marriage,  and  his  other 
scandalls  that  accompany 'd  his  miscarriages,  craving 
God  pardon,  and  all  whom  he  might  thereby  have 
offended."  The  order  was  obeyed,  and  he  was- 
absolved,  and  restored  to  his  charge. 

His  suspension  brought  no  lasting  improvement, 
and,  years  afterwards,  he  officiated  at  one  of  the 
most  irregular  and  most  extraordinary  marriages  on 
record.  The  famous  Simon  Fraser,  early  in  that 

1  Hex  or  rix  dollar  :  a  silver  coin  of  Denmark,  and  varying-  ins 
value  from  2s  6d  to  4s  6d. 


364        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

wild  career  in  the  course  of  which  he  won  the  title 
and  estates  of  Lovat,  resolved  to  make  Lady  Amelia 
Murray,  Dowager  Lady  Lovat,  his  wife.  The  wooing 
was  short,  and  somewhat  rough.  Our  criminal 
records  tell  the  story.  "  Captain  Simon  Fraser 
takes  up  the  most  mad  and  villanous  resolution  that 
ever  was  heard  of;  for  all  in  a  sudden  he  and  his 
complices  make  the  lady  close  prisoner  in  her 
chamber  [within  Beaufort  Castle],  under  his  armed 
guards,  and  then  come  upon  her  with  the  said  Mr 
Kobert  Monro,  Minister  at  Abertarff,  and  three  or 
four  ruffians,  in  the  night-time,  about  two  or  three 
in  the  morning,  .  .  .  and  having  dragged  out 
her  maids,  Agnes  McBryar  and  -  -  Fraser,  he 
proposes  to  the  lady  that  she  should  marry  him,  and 
when  she  fell  in  lamenting  and  crying,  the  great 
pipe  was  blown  up  to  drown  her  cries,  and  the 
wicked  villains  ordered  the  minister  to  proceed. 
And,  though  she  protested  with  tears  and  cries,  and 
also  offered  all  promises  of  anything  else,  and 
declared  she  would  sacrifice  her  life  sooner  than 
consent  to  their  proposal,  nevertheless,  the  said 
minister  proceeds,  and  declares  them  married 
persons,  and  Hugh  Fraser,  of  Kinmonavie,  and  the 
said  Hutcheon  Oig,  both  of  them  thieves  and 
murderers,  are  appointed  for  her  waiting  maids. 
And  though  she  often  swerved  [fainted],  and  again 
cried  out  most  piteously,  yet  no  relenting.  But  the 
bag-pipe  is  blown  up  as  formerly,  and  the  foresaid 
ruffians  rent  off  her  clothes,  cutting  her  stays  with 
their  dirks,  and  so  thrust  her  into  bed."  1 

i  State  Trials. 


THE   CHURCH   IN   THE   PARISH  36<> 

In  the  matter  of  marriage  irregularities  Monro 
could  point  to  the  example  of  his  superior,  the 
minister  of  Urquhart.  In  October,  1682,  the 
Eeverend  James  Grant  was  accused  of  ' k  ane  irregular 
walking  in  marrying  two  persons  in  another  parish 
without  either  license  from  the  Bishope  or  proclama- 
tiones  in  the  church."  He  confessed  his  guilt— 
"although  urged  thereto  by  the  importunity  of 
friends ' '  —and  placed  himself  in  the  hands  of  the 
Bishop  and  Synod.  "The  Lord  Bishope  and  brethern 
having  considered  the  offence  doe  suspend  the  said 
Mr  James  from  the  exercise  of  his  ministeriall  function 
during  the  Bishopes  pleasure,  and  that  Mr  Hugh 
Fraser  [minister  of  Kiltarlity]  is  appointed  to  go  to 
Urquhart  and  intimat  the  said  sentence."1  The 
suspension  was  but  of  short  duration,  and  before 
April  Grant  again  filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Parish 
church. 

This  slight  offence  notwithstanding,  Grant  appears; 
to  have  been  a  good  man,  and  to  have  given 
great  satisfaction  to  his  people.  The  report  of  a 
Presbyterial  visitation  of  the  Parish  in  1677  is 
pleasant  reading.  The  brethren  met  at  Kilmore  on 
5th  June,  and  were  respectfully  received  by  the 
minister  and  elders  and  a  '  populous  meeting  of 
the  hearers."  The  list  of  elders  is  evidence  of  the 
minister's  activity  and  influence  : — Thomas  Grant  of 
Balmacaan,  John  Grant  of  Corrimony,  James  Grant 
of  Shewglie,  Patrick  Grant  of  Inchbrine,  Donald 
Gumming  of  Dulshangie  and  James  his  son,  James- 

1  Moray  Synod  Records. 


366        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Oumming  in  Pitkerrald,  Farquhar  Gumming  in 
Gartallie,  William  Grant  of  Achmonie,  Alexander 
,and  Eobert  Grant  in  Kerrowgair,  Alexander  Grant 
in  Balmacaan,  Duncan  Grant  in  Divach,  Gregor 
Grant  in  Pitkerrald,  and  others  whose  names  are 
not  recorded.  They  all  united  in  giving  their 
minister  "  ane  singulare  applaus."  He  was  sound  in 
his  doctrine,  correct  in  his  life  and  conversation, 
frequently  catechised  the  people,  visited  the  sick, 
prayed  in  the  families,  "was  prepareing  for  cele- 
brateing  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  he  could  not  do 
untill  a  period  should  be  put  to  the  harvest,"  and 
loyally  preached  yearly  on  the  29th  of  May — the 
anniversary  of  the  Eestoration  of  Charles  the 
Second.1  Of  the  elders  the  minister  testified  "  that 
they  were  most  faithfull,  and  that  there  was  nothing 
could  encourage  him  in  his  ministeriall  office,  but 
they  were  all  most  cordiall  to  strengthen  his  hands." 
Never  before  did  the  Church  in  Urquhart  enjoy 
such  peace  and  prosperity;  and  the  moderator, 
overcome  with  gratitude,  "  blessed  the  Lord  for 
the  good  applause  the  minister  had  of  his  elders," 
and  for  the  "  sweet  harmony"  that  prevailed.  The 
minister  was,  indeed,  too  good  to  be  left  in  the 
Parish.  A  cry  soon  reached  him  from  another  part 

1  Inverness  Presbytery  Records.  The  29th  of  May,,  says  John 
Evelyn  (Diary,  29th  May,  1661),,  was  ee  appointed  by  Act  of  Parliament 
to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  general  thanksgiving  for  the  miraculous 
restauration  of  His  Majesty  :  our  vicar  preaching  on  118  Psalm,  v. 
24,  requiring  us  to  be  thankful  and  rejoice,  as  indeede  we  had  cause." 
In  England  the  day  was  for  many  years  known  as  Royal  Oak  Day, 
from  the  custom  of  placing  oak  branches  in  the  churches  in  memory 
•of  Charles'  escape  from  Cromwell's  soldiers  by  concealing  himself 
among  the  branches  of  an  oak  tree. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         367 

of  the  vineyard,  and  in  1685  he  was  translated  to 
Abernethy  in  Strathspey. 

His  successor  was  Mr  Eobert  Gumming,  ' '  expec- 
tant," who  appeared  before  the  Presbytery  on 
14th  July,  1686,  with  a  presentation  to  the 
•churches  "of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoristone,  now 
vacand,"  and  a  letter  from  the  Bishop  recommending 
him  for  the  customary  trials,  prior  to  ordination. 
At  the  next  meeting  (llth  August)  Mr  Eobert 
Monro  protested  against  the  terms  of  the  presenta- 
tion, claiming  that  he  himself  was  minister  of 
Glenmoriston.  The  protest  was  referred  to  the 
Bishop  and  Synod,  and  found  to  be  baseless,  Mr 
Monro  being  only  in  the  position  of  "  helper;"  and, 
in  obedience  to  the  Bishop's  instructions,  Mr  Fraser 
of  Kiltarlitie  preached  at  Kilmore  on  Sunday,  24th 
October,  and  admitted  Gumming  to  be  minister 
of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  "  conforme  to  his 
presentatione  and  collation."  The  new  incumbent 
at  once  assumed  jurisdiction  over  the  delinquents  in 
Glenmoriston,  and  they  were  dealt  with  by  the 
:'  Session  of  the  united  Parochins  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston"  —Mr  Monro's  claim  and  protest  being 
wholly  ignored. 

The  persecutions  which  disgraced  and  discredited 
the  Episcopalian  party  in  the  South  of  Scotland 
during  the  Killing  Time  were  practically  unfelt 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  of  Inverness. 
For  years  the  members  of  that  court  were  at  one  in 
their  devotion  to  Prelacy,  and  although  they  had  a 
field  for  mild  persecution  among  the  Eoman  Catholics 


368        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

of  the  bounds,  there  were  no  Covenanters  against 
whom  proceedings  could  be  instituted.  In  1687> 
however,  the  Eeverend  Angus  Macbean,  of  Inverness, 
who  had  been  ordained  a  few  years  previously  by  the 
Bishop,  "  disowned  the  government  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland  as  it  is  now  established  by  law,  by 
Archbishops,  Bishops,  and  Presbyters,"  and  declared 
his  conviction  "  that  Presbitrie  was  the  only 
government  that  God  owned  in  these  nations. " 
Macbean  was  at  first  gently  reasoned  with;  but 
without  effect.  Instead  of  returning  to  "  the  Armes 
of  the  Church,  which  were  still  open  and  ready  to 
receive  him  upon  his  repentance/'  he  "  publicly 
demitted  his  charge  of  the  ministry  under  the 
present  Government,"  went  to  Eoss-shire  to  preach 
to  the  Covenanters  of  that  county,  and,  returning  to 
Inverness,  held  a  conventicle  of  his  own,  "and  so 
began  his  schisme  in  one  of  the  most  loyall,  orderly, 
and  regular  cities  in  the  nation."1  Among  his 
brethren  of  the  Presbytery  there  was  not  one  to 
follow  his  example.  On  the  contrary,  they  joined 
in  urging  the  Episcopal  authorities  ' '  to  use  all 
ordinar  means  for  suppressing  the  schisme  begun  at 
Inverness."2  In  February,  1688,  he  was  summoned 
before  the  Archbishop  of  St  Andrew,  the  Bishop  of 
Moray,  and  other  dignitaries,  and  invited  to  return 
to  the  Episcopal  fold.  He  refused,  and  was  deposed. 
His  sentence  was  read  from  the  pulpit  of  the  High 
Church  of  Inverness,  "  for  vindicating  the  Church's 
authority,  and  Terror  of  such  Back-slyders."  But 

1  Inverness  Presbytery  Records.         2  Ibid. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         369 

the  Back-sliders  were  on  the  way  to  victory,  and 
refused  to  be  terrified;  and  the  end  of  the  Church's 
authority  was  at  hand.  Before  the  close  of  the 
year  James  the  Seventh  was  driven  from  the  throne ; 
in  July,  1689,  Episcopacy  was  abolished  by  Parlia- 
ment; and  in  the  following  spring  Presbyterianism 
was  re-established  in  Scotland. 


370        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 


CHAPTEE    XIX 

.  THE  CHUECH  IN  THE  PAEISH— FKOM  THE  REVOLUTION 
TO   THE   DISRUPTION 

Episcopacy  in  the  Parish — The  Rev.  Robert  Gumming  remains 
Episcopalian,  but  retains  the  Living. — Gumming  and  the 
Presbyterian  Clergy. — The  State  of  the  Parish. — Presby- 
terian Missionaries. — Presbytery  Meetings  in  the  Parish. 
— The  Rev.    William   Gordon. — A   Missionary   Preacher 
settled   in    Glenmoriston. — The   Rev.    John    Grant. — He 
favours  Prince  Charles  and  is  imprisoned  in  England.  — 
His  Death  and  Character. — The  Rev.  James  Grant. — The 
Rev.  James  Fowler. — Troubles  in  the  Parish. — The  Meet- 
ings of  Duncan  of  Buntait. — The  Factor  interferes  and 
mysteriously    Dies. — The    Rev.    James    Doune    Smith. — 
Charges  of  Immorality. — The  People  desert  the  Church. 
— Presbyterial   Enquiry. — Smith   interdicts   the   Presby- 
tery. --  The     Disruption.  —  The     Rise,  Influence,     and 
Character  of  the  Men. — State  of  Religion  in  Glenmoriston. 
—The  Rev.  Robert  Monro-. — Royal  Bounty  Missionaries. 
— Glenmoriston    erected    into    a    Parish    quoad   sacra. — 
Churches   and   Chapels  in   Olden   Times. — Worship   and 
Church  Service  in  the  Past. — Legends  and  Relics  of  the 
Saints. — Festival    Days. — Gaelic    Liturgy. — The    Gaelic 
Bible.— Gaelic  Tunes.— The  Sabbath  in  Olden  Times.— 
Sports  and  Pleasures. — Sunday  Christenings  and  Penny 
Weddings. — Lykewakes. — Introduction  of  Puritanism. — 
Its  Progress  and  Effects. 

THE  Eeverend  Angus  Macbean  had  a  considerable 
following  in  Inverness  at  the  Eevolution,  but  out- 
side the  town  few  joined  the  Presbyterian  party, 
of  which  he  was  the  local  leader.  The  great  bulk 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PAEISH         371 

of  the  country  people  reverenced  the  bishops, 
because  of  the  antiquity  of  their  order,  and, 
still  more,  on  account  of  their  loyalty  to  King 
James,  whom  the  Presbyterians  had  deserted. 
They  were  Episcopalians,  chiefly  because  they  were 
Jacobites.  From  a  religious  or  ecclesiastical  point 
of  view,  it  was  difficult  for  them  to  see  wherein  the 
two  systems  differed.  The  Episcopalians  had  their 
kirk  sessions  arid  presbyteries  and  synods  and 
general  assemblies,  just  as  the  Presbyterians  had;  and 
to  the  man  who  seldom  or  never  beheld  the  bishop, 
who,  under  Episcopacy,  was  perpetual  moderator  of 
the  synod,  the  government  of  the  Church  under  the 
one  system  appeared  very  much  the  same  as  under 
the  other.  Practically,  too,  the  same  order  of  public 
worship  was  followed  by  both  parties.  Years  passed 
after  the  Eevolution  before  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
Scotland — that  is,  the  body  that  adhered  to  the  rule 
of  the  bishops — betook  itself  to  the  regular  use  of  a 
liturgy,  and  so  entered  upon  that  divergent  course 
which  it  followed  until  there  was  little  left  to 
distinguish  its  services  from  those  of  the  Church  of 
England.  But  if  the  people  were  unable  to  discern 
the  difference  between  the  Churches,  they  had  no 
difficulty  in  distinguishing  the  friends  of  King  James 
—the  Tories  or  Jacobites — from  his  enemies ;  and  so 
strong  was  their  dislike  to  the  Whigs  and  their 
Presbyterianism,  that,  in  many  parishes  in  Inverness- 
shire  and  Wester  Ross,  the  Episcopal  clergy  who 
refused  to  conform  when  Presbytery  was  re-estab- 
lished were  able  to  hold  their  churches  and  manses 
and  glebes  and  stipends  till  the  day  of  their  death. 


372        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Mr  Eobert  Gumming,  minister  of.Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston  at  the  Eevolution,  was  an  Episcopalian 
and  a  Jacobite,  and,  notwithstanding  the  presence  of 
the  Whig  soldiers  in  the  Castle,  he  refused  to  conform 
to  Presbytery,  or  to  surrender  his  charge  and  its 
emoluments.  In  this  attitude  he  had  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  his  parishioners;  and  the  result  was 
that,  for  forty  years  after  the  legal  establishment  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Scotland,  our  Parish 
remained  Episcopalian,  having  an  Episcopalian 
clergyman  as  its  spiritual  guide.  It  was  not  until 
the  hopes  of  the  Stewarts  had  been  extinguished  at 
Culloden  that  the  people  finally  yielded  to  the 
inevitable,  and  began  to  take  kindly  to  Presbytery. 

Cumming,  as  a  matter  of  course,  refrained  from 
attending  the  Presbyterian  church  courts;  but, 
otherwise,  he  and  the  Presbyterian  clergy  appear  to 
have  behaved  towards  each  other  with  courtesy  and 
kindliness,  and  when,  in  1724,  the  Parish  became 
part  of  the  newly-created  Presbytery  of  Abertarff, 
the  members  of  that  court  recorded  at  their  first 
meeting  that  "Mr  Eobert  Cumming,  being  of  the 
Episcopal  persuasion,  it  is  not  expected  he  should 
attend  our  meetings."1  This  consideration  and  want 
of  bigotry  led  him  to  co-operate  to  some  extent  with 
them.  In  March,  1725,  Mr  Thomas  Fraser,  minister 
of  Boleskine,  "  informed  the  Presbytery  that  he  was 
desired  by  Master  Eobert  Cumming,  Episcopal 
Incumbent  at  Urquhart,  to  acquaint  this  Presbytery 
that  great  encroachments  were  made  by  trafficking 

l  Abertarff  Presbytery  Kecords — Meeting  of  8th  July,  1724. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         373 

Priests  and  Popish  Emissaries  upon  that  Corner  of 
the  Parish  called  Glenmoriston ;  that  there  were  a 
great  number  of  Tre-lapses  and  Quadra-lapses  in  the 
sin  of  uncleanness  in  that  part — also  that  Adulteries, 
Incests,  Notorious  Profanation  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
and  Contempt  of  the  Ordinances  were  frequent  in  the 
said  Parish;  and  Likewise  to  crave  in  the  name  of 
the  said  Master  Cumming  the  advice  and  concurrence 
of  this  Presbytery  in  matters  of  discipline."  Mr 
Fraser  was  instructed  to  require  Mr  Cumming  to 
summon  the  offenders  to  the  next  meeting  of 
Presbytery,  "  and  to  come  himself  alongst,  that  the 
Presbytery  may  be  more  fully  informed  as  to  these 
delinquents,  and  then  proceed  as  they  shall  see  cause. ' ' 
Cumming  did  not  appear  at  the  next  meeting,  but 
he  sent  a  letter  concerning  the  scandals;  and  at  the 
May  meeting  Fraser  was  appointed  "  to  repair  to 
the  said  parish,  and,  the  said  Master  Cumming  being 
present  for  his  information,  to  hold  a  session,  and 
summon  delinquents  before  the  same,  and  to  appoint 
them  respectively  to  undergo  a  course  of  discipline 
according  to  the  rules  and  practice  of  this  Church." 
On  18th  August  Fraser  gave  in  a  report  on  the 
condition  of  the  Parish,  which  had  a  stirring  effect 
upon  the  brethren.  Mr  Alexander  Macbean,  one  of 
the  missionaries  of  the  Society  for  Propagating 
Christian  Knowledge,  was  instructed  "  to  spend  the 
remaining  six  weeks  of  his  mission  in  Glenmoriston 
and  Urquhart — four  weeks  thereof  in  Glenmoriston, 
and  two  in  Urquhart;"  Mr  Skeldoch,  minister  of 
Kilmonivaig,  and  Mr  Chapman,  missionary,  were 
appointed  to  preach  on  the  following  Sunday  at 


374       '  URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Duldreggan,  and  Mr  Macbean,  and  Mr  Gilchrist, 
minister  of  Kilmallie,  at  Invermoriston  on  the  same 
day;  and  the  Presbytery  resolved  to  meet  at 
Bunloit  on  the  23rd.  Mr  Gumming  appeared  at  the 
Bunloit  meeting,  but  of  the  delinquents  only  one 
showed  face,  and  the  Court,  finding  "  the  design  of 
their  meeting  in  this  place  was  disappointed  . 
enjoined  Master  Eobert  Cumine  to  use  all  diligence 
in  enquiring  into  the  several  gross  scandals  that  are 
in  this  Parish,"  and  to  summon  the  offenders  to 
appear  before  the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery. 
Moreover,  "  the  Moderator,  in  consequence  of  a 
previous  concert  with  the  members  of  Presbytery, 
did  expostulate  with  Master  Eobert  Cumine  anent 
his  preaching  so  seldom  at  Glenmoriston,  and  did 
enjoin  him  greater  diligence  in  that  and  in  all  the 
other  parts  of  his  ministerial  work,  and  that  he 
would  receive  and  observe  the  instructions  that 
should  be  sent  him  from  time  to  time  by  the 
Presbytery/' 

This  obvious  attempt  to  get  the  sturdy  Episco- 
palian to  acknowledge  the  Presbytery's  jurisdiction 
was  not  successful.  At  the  next  meeting  (6th 
October)  the  names  of  the  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
delinquents  were  called,  but  none  responded— 
and  there  was  no  report  or  explanation  from  their 
pastor.  The  Moderator  was  instructed  to  write  to 
him  expressing  dissatisfaction  with  his  conduct,  and 
requiring  him  "  peremptorily  to  cause  summon  them 
[the  delinquents]  to  the  next  meeting  of  Presbytery, 
and  to  send  a  report  of  his  diligence  in  enquiring 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         375 

into  the  said  scandals  to  said  meeting."  Gumming 
neither  summoned  nor  reported,  but  in  May,  1726, 
he  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Presbytery,  suggesting 
that  they  should  meet  in  Glenmoriston,  :'  in  order 
to  curb  vice  and  immoralitie  so  much  abounding  in 
that  corner."  They  gladly  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  instructed  the  Moderator  to  ' '  signify  to  him  that 
it  is  verie  agreeable  to  them  how  carefull  he  is  to 
have  vice  and  immoralitie  curbed  in  his  charge." 
The  Glenmoriston  meeting  was  held  on  5th  and  6th 
October.  It  dealt  with  the  delinquents  whom 
Gumming  desired  to  curb,  and,  more  important  still, 
it  arranged  for  the  erection  of  the  first  school  opened 
in  the  Parish.  For  the  first  time  since  the  Eevolution 
the  old  incumbent  is  described  as  "  Minister."  He, 
however,  still  refrained  from  attending  the  meetings 
of  the  Presbytery,  and  remained,  in  principle,  an 
Episcopalian.  He  died  in  1730 — the  last  survivor, 
perhaps,  of  that  steadfast  band  of  Highland  Prelatists 
who  continued  to  hold  their  livings  after  the  disestab- 
lishment of  their  Church.  On  8th  April  of  that  year 
his  death  was  intimated  to  the  Presbytery,  and  on 
the  26th  Mr  Thomas  Montfod,  a  missionary  within 
the  bounds,  preached  at  Kilmore,  and  declared  the 
church  vacant.1 

1  The  Rev.  Robert  Cumming's  Last  Will  and  Testament  (signed 
at  Kilmore  on  23rd  March,  1730,  in  presence  of  John  Grant, 
Chamberlain  of  TJrquhart,  Alexander  Grant  of  Shewglie,  and  Ludo- 
vick  Grant  in  Drumnadrochit)  was  recorded  in  the  Inverness  Com- 
missary Books  on  15th  December,  1730,  by  his  widow  and  executrix, 
Isobell  Chisholm.  The  will  commences  in  the  following  appropriate 
.terms  : — "  I,  Mr  Robert  Cuming,  Minister  of  Urquhart,  being  for 
the  time  sick  in  body,  and  yet  (praised  be  God)  sound  in  judgment 


376        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Gumming' s  successor  was  the  Eeverend  William 
Gordon,  or  rather  Macgregor,  who  was  presented 
by  the  Laird  of  Grant  as  patron,1  and  ordained 
and  admitted  on  24th  December.  He  found 
that  he  could  not  without  assistance  serve  the 
cure  as  it  ought  to  be  served,  and  he  induced  the 
Presbytery  in  1731  to  appoint  Mr  Montfod, 
'  Missionary  Preacher  "  in  Glenmoriston.  He  was 
translated  to  Alvie  in  1739,2  and  Mr  John  Grant, 
a  native  of  Strathspey,  became  minister  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston.  His  presentation  was  laid  before 
the  Presbytery  in  January,  1740,  and,  after  the  usual 

and  memory,  and  considering  the  frailty  of  my  life,  that  there  is 
nothing  more  certain  than  death  and  nothing  more  uncertain  than 
the  time  thereof,  am  therefore  resolved  so  to  order  and  dispose  of  my 
worldly  affairs  as  (the  samen  being  done)  that  I  may  thereafter  be 
fitting  and  preparing  myself  for  my  last  change,  hoping  to  partake 
of  the  blessed  Life  in  Immortality  purchased  by  the  Death  and  Passion 
of  my  only  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  And  in  consequence  of 
my  said  resolution  I  nominate,  constitute,  and  appoint  Isobell 
Chisolm,  my  well  beloved  Spouse,  my  sole  Executrix,"  &c.  He  leaves 
his  whole  estate  to  his  widow,  with  the  exception  of  his  books,  which 
he  bequeaths  to  his  grandchild,  Alexander  Fraser,  son  of  his  daughter, 
Isobell  Cumming,  and  her  husband,  Hugh  Fraser  in  Bruiach.  Isobell 
Chisholm  was  Cumming's  second  wife — his  first  having  been  Helen 
Kinnaird. 

1  This  appears  to  have  been  the  first  exercise  by  the  Lairds  of 
Grant  of  the  right  of  patronage  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston.     In 
Roman  Catholic  times  the  right  belonged  to  the  Chancellor  of  Moray. 
In   1593   it  was  conferred  by   James  the   Sixth  on   Alexander,   Lord 
Spynie,  from  whose  son  Sir  John  Grant  purchased  it  in  1622.       In 
Protestant  Episcopalian  times  it  was  exercised  by  the  minister  of 
Inveravon  as  Chancellor  of  Moray.     Patronage  was  abolished  in  1690, 
but  restored  in  1711.     It  was  finally  abolished  in  1874. 

2  Mr    Gordon    and    "  some    of   the   gentlemen    in   the   Parish  of 
Urquhart,"  provided  250  merks  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  in  the 
Parish,   "  reserving  to  them  and  their  heirs,  during  vacancies,  the 
distribution   of   the   interest   thereof   among   the   poor." — (Abertarff 
Presbytery  Records,  19th  March,  1740). 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        377 

trials,  he  was  ordained  and  admitted  at  Kilmore  on 
17th  January,  1741.  It  has  already  been  told  how 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  Prince  Charles  in  The 
Forty-Five,  was  seized  by  Ludovick  Grant,  and 
imprisoned  for  a  time  in  Tilbury  Fort.  With 
that  exception  his  long  career  was  uneventful. 
His  death  took  place  at  Inverness  in  1792 — his 
nephew,  Mr  James  Grant,  having  been  assistant 
and  successor  to  him  since  1777.  He  was 
of  a  warm-hearted  and  kindly  disposition,  and  a 
story  is  still  told  which  well  illustrates  the 
simplicity  of  his  habits.  On  one  occasion,  entering 
the  humble  dwelling  of  John  Cameron,  Bail-an- 
t-Strathain,  or  Coilty-side,  he  found  the  poor  old 
man  broiling  a  sheep's  liver  on  a  pair  of  tongs, 
which  were  half-buried  in  the  white  ashes  of  a  peat 
lire.  The  minister  sat  with  Cameron  until  the 
latter  had  finished  his  cooking  and  his  repast,  and 
then  left.  Some  time  afterwards  the  old  man 
begged  him  for  a  little  meal,  as  his  barrel  was 
empty.  "  Gu  dearbh  cha'n  fhaigh,"  was  the  reply, 
"  cha  bu  mhath  an  t-61ach  thu  fhein  le  do  ghruthan  !" 
'  Indeed  you  will  not  get  that ;  you  yourself  were 
not  so  liberal  with  your  liver!"  By  his  will  he 
bequeathed  the  sum  of  £700  for  the  support  of  a 
student  of  divinity,  and  one  of  philosophy,  at  Aberdeen 
University.  The  bequest  was  disputed;  but  in  1795 
his  successor,  Mr  James  Grant,  compromised  the 
matter  by  making  a  payment  of  £200  to  the  University 
for  the  maintenance  of  a  bursar  in  philosophy  or 
divinity,  either  of  the  name  of  Grant,  or  descended 


•378  URQUHART    AND    GLENMOEISTON 

from  Captain  Thomas  Fraser  of  Newton,  commonly 
called  Dunballoch.1 

The  Eeverend  James  Grant  survived  his  uncle 
but  a  few  years.  He  died  at  Elgin  in  October, 
1798;  and  in  January  following  Mr  James  Fowler, 
missionary  in  Abertarff  and  Glenmoriston,  was 
presented  to  the  Parish  by  Sir  James  Grant,  and 
admitted  at  Kilmore  on  26th  March.  By  this  time 
the  "  Men"  had  appeared  in  Urquhart,  and  the  people 
had  begun  to  have  views  of  their  own  in  matters 
of  religion.  The  more  earnest  among  them  dis- 
approved of  the  settlement.  Active  opposition  was 
anticipated,  and  on  the  day  of  his  induction  the 
presentee  appeared  with  a  bodyguard  of  Glen- 
moriston men.  To  do  battle  with  these  the 
women  of  the  congregation  prepared  themselves  by 
filling  their  aprons  with  stones.  Fortunately,  the 
threatened  conflict  was  avoided;  but  the  minister 
failed  to  conciliate  his  opponents,  and  many  of  the 
people  deserted  the  church,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  the  meetings  of  the  eloquent  Duncan 
Macdonald  of  Bunloit,  better  known  in  after  life  as 
Donnchadh  Bhuntait — Duncan  of  Buntait.  Duncan's 
success  as  an  exponent  of  the  Gospel,  and  his  fame  as 
a  man  of  prayer,  annoyed  the  factor,  Duncan  Grant, 

1  Mr  John  Grant's  wife  was  of  the  Dunballoch  family.  A  tablet 
to  her  memory  still  stands  in  the  ruined  walls  of  the  old  church  of 
Kilmore,  bearing  the  following-  inscription: — "Erected  by  the 
Reverend  Mr  John  Grant,  Minr.  of  Urquhart,  in  memory  of  ^Emilia 
Fraser,  his  beloved  wife.  She  died  llth  Feb.  1759,  aged  44  years.  A 
pattern  of  Virtue,  Remarkable  for  Hospitality  and  Charity, 
Respected  and  Lamented  by  all  her  Acquaintances.  Time,  how  short ! 
Eternity,  how  long  !" 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         379 

Dulshangie,  the  minister's  brother-in-law,  whom  he 
.also  greatly  offended  by  going  out  of  his  way  to 
advise  the  young  men  not  to  join  the  Urquhart 
Volunteers,  in  which  Dulshangie  was  an  enthusiastic 
lieutenant,  and  of  which  his  father-in-law,  Alpin 
•Grant,  Borlum,  was  captain.  His  removal  was 
therefore  resolved  on,  and  he  had  to  seek  a  home 
on  The  Chisholm's  lands  of  Buntait.  The  change 
brought  no  good  to  the  brothers-in-law.  The  Devil, 
with  that  ingratitude  which  has  always  characterised 
him  in  the  folk-lore  of  the  Highlands,  conspired  with 
the  equally  ungrateful  witches  of  Urquhart  to 
destroy  the  factor.  As  the  doomed  man  was  re- 
turning one  night  from  Inverness,  in  company  with 
the  Black  Campbell  of  Borlum-mor,  he  was  met  by 
the  Fiend  in  the  wood  of  Abriachan,  and  so  beaten 
and  pounded  that  he  went  home  to  die.  The 
witches'  share  in  his  destruction  was  less  violent. 
They  quietly  placed  his  clay  figure,  stuck  with  pins, 
in  a  stream,  and,  as  the  image  wore  away  through  the 
action  of  the  water,  so  the  body  which  it  represented 
painfully  wasted  towards  death.  These  events 
occurred  in  1803,  and  so  deep  was  the  impression 
which  they  made  on  the  people,  that  many  who  had 
hitherto  adhered  to  Mr  Fowler  now  forsook  him; 
and  for  years  there  was  not  an  elder  in  the  Parish. 
Things  began  to  look  better  in  1811,  when  four 
elders  —  John  Macdonald,  schoolmaster,  Bunloit; 
William  Mackenzie,  Lewistown;  Donald  Macmillan, 
Xjrrotaig  (Domhnul  Mac  Uilleim);  and  Duncan  Mac- 
millan, Oldtown  of  Shewglie,  latterly  of  Balnalick  (an 


380        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

t-Eilldear  Euadh) — were  ordained.  The  minister's- 
days  were,  however,  numbered,  and  he  departed  this- 
life  in  May,  1814. 

His  successor,  the  Eeverend  James  Doune  Smith, 
was  admitted  at  Kilmore  on  20th  April,  1815.  He 
was  a  man  of  kindliness  and  culture,  but  of  uncertain 
moral  character.  Charge  of  adultery  followed 
charge,  with  the  result  that  he  was  deserted  by  his 
congregation  even  before  the  Disruption  of  1843. 
On  3rd  May,  1842,  Alexander  Fraser,  Garabeg, 
appeared  before  the  Presbytery  of  Abertarff,  at 
Invergarry,  and  presented  a  petition  signed  by  248 
heads  of  families  in  Glen-Urquhart,  "  setting  forth 
that  there  was  no  acting  Kirk  Session,  and  praying 
for  a  visitation  of  the  Presbytery  to  the  Parish  to 
remedy  matters."  The  Presbytery,  which  had  for 
years  evinced  an  anxious  desire  to  get  at  the  truth 
or  untruth  of  the  charges,  responded  by  appointing 
a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Drumnadrochit  on  5th 
July,  to  which  they  cited  Mr  Smith  and  the 
witnesses  who  were  prepared  to  give  evidence 
against  him.  The  meeting  took  place,  but  its 
deliberations  were  interrupted  by  a  messenger-at- 
arms,  who  entered  and  served  a  "  Note  of  Suspension 
and  Interdict  the  Eeverend  J.  Doune  Smith  against 
the  Presbytery  of  Abertarff."  The  brethren,  unac- 
customed to  such  interference,  and  uncertain  as  to 
their  proper  course,  adjourned  for  a  day.  When 
they  again  met  they  resolved  to  report  the  circum- 
stances to  the  General  Assembly,  <:c  as  the  Note  of 
Suspension  and  Interdict  at  the  instance  of  Mr 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         381 

Smith  included  the  Presbytery,  their  Agent,  the 
Witnesses  of  the  Prosecution,  and  the  Ministers 
associated  with  the  Presbytery,  .  .  .  and  they 
could  not  satisfy  the  ends  of  justice  in  the  circum- 
stances." In  their  indignation  they  placed  it  on 
record  that  they  "  disclaim  the  right  of  interference 
•of  the  Court  of  Session  in  this  and  all  other  questions 
•of  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction,"  and  cited  Mr  Smith 
to  appear  before  the  ensuing  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mission of  the  Assembly.  And  then  appeared 
Alexander  Chisholm,  Boglashin,  with  "  more  than 
twenty  '  others,  and  presented  a  petition  from 
•certain  of  the  inhabitants,  "  setting  forth  that  they 
were  conscientiously  restrained  from  attending  the 
ministrations  of  Mr  Smith,  and  praying  that  some 
provision  should  be  made  for  the  dispensation  of 
religious  ordinances  in  the  Parish."  On  enquiry  the 
Presbytery  ascertained  ' '  that  the  attendance  at  the 
church  for  some  time  past  had  been  very  small,  and 
that  there  was  a  number  of  children  still  unbaptised." 
Mr  Smith  thereupon  stated  "  that  for  the  period 
prior  to  the  meeting  of  the  Commission  he  intended 
that  the  religious  ordinances  should  be  administered 
in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  all  parties,  and  that  for 
this  purpose  he  intended  to  invite  a  number  of  clergy- 
men, and  that  the  Moderator,  or  Mr  Fraser,  Kirkhill, 
was  to  baptise  the  children."  Of  this  arrangement 
the  Presbytery  approved;  but  the  interference  of 
the  Court  of  Session  with  the  Scottish  ecclesi- 
astical courts  was  followed  by  more  disastrous 
consequences  than  the  interruption  of  the  course  of 
justice  at  Drumnadrochit  :  it  rent  in  twain  the  old 


382        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Church  of  Scotland.  At  the  Disruption  Mr  Smith's- 
parishioners  joined  the  Free  Church  with  scarce  an 
exception,  and  henceforth  till  his  death  in  1847  he 
preached  to  empty  benches  in  the  pretty  new  church 
which  the  heritors  had  but  recently  erected  for  him— 

Suidheachanan  falamh, 

Agus  ballachan  bana; 

An  clag  a'  buaileadh, 

'S  cha'n  eil  an  sluagh  'tighinn  I1 

Unfortunate  though  the  people  of  Urquhart  were 
in  their  clergy  for  many  years,  their  corner  of  the 
Vineyard  was  not  allowed  to  lie  wholly  waste.  The 
very  weakness  and  apathy  of  their  ministers  helped 
to  raise  up  from  among  themselves  labourers  of 
wonderful  fervour  and  power.  The  Men — na  Daoine 
—are  a  comparatively  modern  institution.  They 
appear  in  Sutherland  and  Easter  Eoss  about  the 

1  Lines  of  the  Disruption  time,  which,  may  be  translated  : — "  The 
pews  are  empty,  and  the  walls  are  white ;  the  bell  tolls,  but  the  people 
do  not  come."  The  ministers  of  the  Parish  since  the  Disruption  have 
been — Rev.  Donald  M'Connachie,  from  1848  to  1864;  Rev.  John 
Cameron,  1865  to  1879;  and  the  present  minister  [1893],  the  Rev.  J. 
P.  Campbell,  admitted  in  1880.  The  Rev.  Archibald  Macneill  is  the 
first  minister  of  the  quoad  sacra  Parish  of  Glenmoriston,  erected  in 
1891.  The  Free  Church  ministers  of  the  Parish  have  been— In  Glen- 
Urquhart,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Macdonald,  from  1844  to  1864;  the 
Rev.  Angus  Macrae,  from  1866  to  1892;  and  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Mackay,  admitted  in  1892  :  in  Glenmoriston,  the  Rev.  Francis  Mac- 
bean,  from  1844  to  1869;  the  Rev.  Alexander  Maccoll,  from  1870  to 
1877;  the  Rev.  Donald  Macinnes,  from  1879  to  1889;  and  the  present 
minister,  the  Rev.  William  Mackinnon,  inducted  in  1891.  Mr  Mac- 
bean  and  Mr  Maccoll  had  also  the  Free  Church  charge  at  Fort- 
Augustus,  where  they  resided.  The  priest  of  Stratherrick  or  of 
Fort-Augustus  officiates  at  intervals  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Chapel, 
Glenmoriston;  and  St  Ninian's  Episcopal  Church,  Glen-Urquhart 
(founded  by  Mr  A.  H.  F.  Cameron  of  Lakefield),  is  open  during 
summer  and  autumn. 


THE    CHURCH    IN    THE    PARISH  383 

beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  but  there  were 
none  in  our  Parish  before  Culloden.  Urquhart  owes 
much  to  these  men  of  piety  and  devotion,  who — 
frequently  while  their  pastors  slumbered  and  slept — 
laboured  for  the  welfare  of  their  fellows  with  an 
earnestness  and  an  eloquence  that  penetrated  into  the 
very  soul.  Their  unbounded  influence  has  not  yet 
exhausted  itself,  and  the  people  of  Urquhart  still 
cherish  the  memories  of  such  saints  as  Duncan  of 
Buntait,  and  Donald  Macmillan  of  Grotaig,  who 
helped  to  keep  the  lamp  of  the  Gospel  burning  during 
the  dark  years  that  closed  the  eighteenth  century  and 
opened  the  nineteenth;  and  John  Macdonald,  the 
schoolmaster  and  catechist  of  Bunloit,  and  Duncan 
of  Buntait 's  son,  Alexander,  who  both  bore  the  burden 
of  the  day  during  the  evil  times  that  culminated,  much 
against  their  wish,  in  the  Disruption  of  the  Church.1 

The  district  of  Glenmoriston,  which  had  its 
chapels  and  its  clergy  during  the  periods  of  the 
Celtic  and  Roman  Catholic  Churches,  was  in  a  state 
of  ecclesiastical  desolation  for  many  years  after  the 
Reformation.  It  had  no  clergyman  of  its  own,  and 
the  parish  minister  only  paid  it  an  occasional  visit. 
The  first  attempt  at  improvement  was  made  in  1676, 
when  Mr  Robert  Monro  was  appointed  minister  in 

1  Among  other  Men  who  flourished  in  Glen-Urquhart  during  the 
nineteenth  century,  and  whose  names  deserve  to  be  remembered,  were 
William  Mackenzie,  Lewistown;  Duncan  Macmillan,  Balnalick;  John 
Gumming,  Milton;  Kenneth  Macdonald,  Meiklie-na-h-Aitnich,  and  his 
sons,  John  Macdonald,  Milton,  and  Alexander  Macdonald,  Craigmore; 
Neil  Maclean,  schoolmaster,  Bunloit ;  William  Fraser,  Lewistown ; 
Alexander  Grant,  Inchvalgar;  Alexander  Chisholm,  Boglashin;  John 
Fraser,  Garabeg;  Alexander  Macmillan,  Achnababan;  Alexander 
Fraser,  Marchfield;  and  John  Maclennan,  Milton. 


384        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Glenmoriston  and  Abertarff.  He  died  about  1698, 
and  thereafter  no  special  effort  appears  to  have  been 
made  to  supply  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  district, 
until  1725,  when  Alexander  Macbean,  a  missionary 
employed  by  the  Society  for  Propagating  Christian 
Knowledge,  preached  there  for  four  weeks.  Next 
year  Thomas  Montfod  was  appointed  catechist  in 
Glenmoriston  and  Abertarff.  On  the  Eeverend 
William  Gordon's  admission  to  our  Parish  he  pleaded 
"  for  a  missionary  Preacher  to  the  United  Parishes 
•  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  there  being  four 
stated  places  of  worship  in  that  Parish,  besides  that 
the  country  of  Glenmoriston  lies  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  minister's  place  of  residence,  and 
mostly  inaccessible  to  him  during  the  winter  season." 
The  result  was  that  Montfod,  who  had  meanwhile 
been  ordained  a  minister,  was  promoted  to  be  mis- 
sionary preacher,  and  paid  by  the  Eoyal  Bounty 
Committee.  He  soon  gave  up  the  appointment  to 
become  minister  of  Kilmallie;  but  since  his  time 
Glenmoriston  has  been  pretty  regularly  supplied 
at  the  expense  of  the  Committee.  Until  1811  the 
missionary  preacher  resided  at  Fort- Augustus,  and 
had  Abertarff  and  Glenmoriston  under  his  charge. 
In  that  year  the  Committee  agreed  to  establish  a 
separate  mission  in  Glenmoriston,  and  to  pay  the 
missionary  a  salary  of  £60  a  year,  the  proprietor 
furnishing  him  with  a  place  of  meeting  and  a 
dwelling-house  and  other  allowances.  That  arrange- 
ment continued  without  much  change  till  1891, 
when  Glenmoriston  was  erected  into  a  parish  quoad 
sacra,  and  a  new  church  erected  and  endowed. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH 


385 


Only  a  hurried  glance  can  be  taken  at  the 
manners  and  customs  of  our  forefathers  in  matters 
of  religion.  The  churches  and  chapels  in  which 
they  worshipped  have  already  been  referred  to. 
Small  buildings  these  were  to  begin  with — con- 
structed of  timber  or  wattles,  or,  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  Celtic  Church  period,  of  dry  stone. 
Better  edifices  wTere  raised  in  Eoman  Catholic 
times,  and  on  the  eve  of  the  Eeformation  the 
Parish  Church  and  St  Ninian's  Chapel  (The 
Temple)  were  substantial  buildings,  with  belfries 


8TONE    FROM   RUINS   OP   THE   TEMPLE — NOW   IN   WALL   OF   CORRIMONY   HOUSE. 


25 


386        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

and  suspended  bells.  The  other  chapels  had  hand 
bells  of  the  old  Celtic  square  type,  which  served  to 
call  the  people  to  prayer,  and  which  were  carried  at 
funerals  by  the  bellman,  who  walked  in  front  of  the 
coffin,  ringing  as  he  went.  The  Parish  church, 
which  was  rebuilt  in  1630,  was  the  burial  place  of 
the  more  considerable  families  till  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  so  overcrowded 
with  the  dead  that  their  relics  frequently  protruded 
through  the  earthen  floor,  to  be  fought  over  by  the 
dogs  that  accompanied  the  worshipping  people. 
For  the  malignant  fevers  that  from  time  to  time 
ravaged  our  Glens  in  the  Olden  Times,  the  human 
remains  within  the  church  were  perhaps  not  less 
responsible  than  the  insanitary  state  of  the  dwelling- 
houses.1 

It  is  difficult  to  say  what  exactly  was  the  manner 
of  worship  of  our  fathers  during  the  early  Christian 
ages.  In  the  Celtic  Church  there  was  probably 

1  The  parish  church  at  Kilmore  was  thatched  with  heather  till 
about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  it  was  roofed  with 
native  slate.  In  1642  the  Synod  ordered  the  Presbytery  to  "  have  a 
special  caire  "  that  the  church  should  be  outwardly  repaired,  and 
provided  with  "  inward  plenishing."  Next  year  it  was  reported  that 
the  work  "  is  already  begun  and  going  on."  The  "  inward  plenish- 
ing" consisted  of  a  pulpit,  communion  table  and  forms,  and  a  stool  of 
repentance.  For  years  after  1642  there  were  no  seats  or  pews  for  the 
use  of  the  people.  During  divine  service  they  stood,  or  moved  about 
— the  aged  and  infirm,  however,  providing  themselves  with  small 
stools.  When  pews  became  common,  it  was  found  necessary  tx> 
appoint  an  officer  whose  duty  it  was  to  go  about  with  a  long  rod, 
poking  slumberers  into  wakefulness  and  attention  to  the  sermon.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth,  the  people  smoked  in  church — a  habit  which  at  an  earlier 
period  was  common  in  England  and  the  South  of  Scotland.  In  time 
smoking  gave  place  to  snuffing;  and  the  snuff-box  has  not  yet  ceased 
to  go  its  round  in  the  churches  of  our  Parish. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         387 

little  preaching,  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word — 
only  a  simple  delivery  of  the  message  of  salvation 
by  the  clerics  who  served  in  the  chapels.  They 
were  eminently  men  of  prayer,  who  were  also  much 
given  to  the  singing  of  Latin  psalms  and  Gaelic 
hymns.  The  chapels  were  resorted  to  by  the  people, 
not  only  on  the  Sabbath,  but  also,  for  private 
devotion,  on  the  other  days  of  the  week — a  custom 
which  continued  down  through  the  Eoman  Catholic 
and  early  Protestant  periods,  and  which  the 
Eeformed  Clergy  had  much  difficulty  in  suppressing, 
as  superstition,  as  late  as  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  They  were  also  comraich,  or  sanctuaries, 
for  such  as  sought  shelter  from  the  vengeance  of  their 
fellow  men. 

During  the  Eoman  Catholic  period  the  services  of 
the  Church  were  mainly  liturgical,  and  conducted 
chiefly  in  Latin.  Eelics  of  saints  were  carefully  pre- 
served. The  crucifix  of  St  Drostan  was  enshrined 
within  the  Temple,  or  St  Ninian's  Chapel,  and  was 
under  the  care  of  a  deoir,  or  keeper,  whose  office  was 
probably  hereditary,  and  who  had  the  free  possession 
of  Croit-an-Deoir  (the  Deoir  or  Dewar's  Croft)  for  his 
services.1  At  Kil  Michael,  the  Archangel's  Bell, 
which  rang  of  its  own  accord  at  the  approach  of  a 
funeral,  was  the  object  of  great  veneration,  as  was 
Merchard's  bell  in  Glenmoriston,  which  also  rang 
without  human  intervention  when  the  dead  passed, 
and  possessed  other  wonderful  qualities  already 
referred  to.  The  smaller  chapels  probably  possessed 

1  See  footnote,  p.  337,  supra. 


388        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

relics  of  the  saints  to  whom  they  were  dedicated. 
Each  saint  commemorated  by  a  dedication  in  the 
Parish  had  his  annual  festival  day;  the  general 
feasts  of  the  Church  were  also  observed;  and 
thus  a  great  portion  of  the  year  consisted  of  holidays 
—holy  days,  which,  originally  intended  for  holy 
joy  and  religious  exercise,  came  in  time  to  be  almost 
exclusively  devoted  to  worldly  pleasure  and  sport. 
The  Eeformed  clergy  strenuously  set  themselves 
to  suppress  these  festivals,  but  generations  passed 
ere  their  efforts  resulted  in  their  entire  neglect. 

The  Eeformation  of  the  Church  brought  great 
changes  in  the  form  and  manner  of  public  worship. 
The  ritual  of  Eome  gave  place  to  John  Knox's 
Liturgy,  a  Gaelic  translation  of  which — by  Bishop 
Carswell  of  the  Isles — was  printed  in  1567  for  the 
use  of  the  Protestants  of  the  Highlands.  Preaching 
found  a  more  prominent  place  in  the  new  service,  and 
much  importance  was  attached  to  the  reading  and 
expounding  of  the  Scriptures.  The  Church  ordained 
"  that  every  Kirk  have  a  Bible  in  English,  and  that 
the  people  be  commanded  to  convene  and  hear  the 
plain  reading  and  interpretation  of  the  Scripture,  as 
the  Kirk  shall  appoint."  There  was  no  provision 
for  having  the  Bible  in  Gaelic,  and  for  almost  a 
century  and  a  half  after  the  Eeformation  the  High- 
land clergy  and  readers  were  under  the  necessity  of 
translating  the  English  Bible  into  Gaelic  as  they 
read.  In  1690  and  subsequent  years  Bibles  in  Irish 
Gaelic  were  distributed  in  the  Highlands;  the  New 
Testament  appeared  for  the  first  time  in  Scottish 
Gaelic  in  1767,  and  the  Old  Testament,  in  parts, 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH         389 

between  1783  and  1801.  Some  of  the  Psalms  were 
printed  in  Gaelic  metre  in  1659,  and  the  remainder 
in  1694;  and  since  the  latter  year  various  versions 
have  been  published.  The  plaintive  and  beautiful 
' '  Gaelic  tunes  ' '  to  which  they  are  sung  in  Urquhart 
and  other  districts,  are  supposed  to  have  been 
brought  from  the  Continent  by  the  Highlanders 
who  fought  under  Gustavus  Adolphus.  More  pro- 
bably they  are  ancient  chants  which  have  come 
down  to  us  from  the  ages  that  preceded  the 
Bef  ormation  ;*  and  the  peculiar  and  not  unpleasant 
intoning  in  which  the  old-fashioned  Highland  clergy- 
man still  loves  to  indulge,  is  an  echo  of  the  church 
service  of  the  same  pre-Eeformation  period. 

The  use  of  Knox's  Liturgy  was  discontinued 
about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  by 
both  Presbyterians  and  Episcopalians.  The  changes 
in  the  established  form  of  church  government — from 
Presbytery  to  Episcopacy,  and  from  Episcopacy  to 
Presbytery — brought  no  changes  in  the  form  of 
public  worship,  with  the  exception  that  after  1649, 

1  When  the  "  precentors  "  of  the  past  taught  these  tunes  to  the 
young1,  they,  with  the  object  of  avoiding  what  they  considered  an 
irreverent  use  of  the  Psalms,  sang  them  to  rhymes  of  their  own 
making.  The  following  was  popular  at  Gaelic  singing-classes  in 
Glen-Urquhart  within  the  last  hundred  years  : — 
Buntata  pronn  is  bainne  leo 

An  comhnaidh  dha  mo  bhroinn; 
Nam  faighinn-sa  na  dh'  ithinn  din 

Gum  bithinn  sona  chaoidh  ! 
Words  which  may  be  rendered  : — 

With  mashed  potatoes  and  good  milk 

May  I  be  filled  for  aye ; 
With  them  me  feed;  then  shall  I  joy 
Until  my  dying  day  ! 


390        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  Episcopalians  were  more  ' '  mindful ' '  than  the 
Presbyterians  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Doxology. 
The  former  did  not  resume  the  use  of  a  liturgy  until 
after  the  Eevolution;  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  Mr 
Robert  Cumming,  who  was  Episcopal  minister  of  our 
Parish  at  that  event,  and  until  his  death  in  1730,  ever 
used  a  prayer  book. 

The  religion  of  the  old  Highlander  lay  lightly  on 
his  shoulders,  and,  like  his  brother  Celt  in  Ireland, 
he  freely  mixed  his  business  and  amusements  with 
it.  His  Sabbath— which  till  the  eleventh  century 
he  observed  on  Saturday  and  not  on  the  Lord's 
Day1 — was  not  entirely  a  day  of  rest.  He  attended 
church  or  chapel  in  the  morning  with  more  or  less 
regularity ;  but  the  remainder  of  the  day  was  given 
up  to  pleasures,  sports,  and  his  worldly  avocations. 
On  that  day,  as  the  church  records  show,  he,  for 
generations  after  the  Reformation,  drove  his  cattle 
to  market,  brought  home  his  fuel,  baked  his  bread, 
fished,  played  shinty,  and  put  the  stone.  On  that 
day,  too,  he  married,  christened,  and  buried.  The 
Sunday  christenings  and  penny-weddings  were  made 
the  occasions  of  such  boisterous  mirth  that  during  the 
seventeenth  century  and  the  early  years  of  the 
eighteenth,  numerous  warnings  appear  on  the  pages 
of  the  Presbytery  books  against  piping,  fiddling,  and 

l  Bishop  Carswell,  as  late  as  1567,  wrote — "  A  se  an  seachtmhadh 
la  Sabboid  no  Sathurn  an  Tighearna  do  Dhia  " — "  The  seventh  day 
is  the  Sabbath  or  Saturday  of  the  Lord  thy  God." — (Gaelic  Transl. 
of  Knox'  Prayer  Book).  Even  at  the  present  time  Saturday  is  some- 
times called  in  our  Parish  "  An  t-Sabaid  Bheag" — the  Little  Sab- 
bath; and  it  is  accorded  a  degree  of  respect  and  "  sacredness  "  which 
is  denied  to  the  other  "  week-days." 


THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  PARISH        391 

dancing  at  them.  The  lykewakes  were  even  more 
uproarious,  the  chamber  of  death  being  filled  night 
after  night  with  jest,  song,  and  tale,  the  music  of  the 
violin  and  the  pipe,  and  the  shout  and  clatter  of  the 
Highland  reel.  Everywhere  the  native  buoyancy  of 
the  Celt  asserted  itself — in  season  and  out  of  season. 
A  change  was,  however,  to  come  over  his  spirit. 
Puritanism,  which  was  introduced  into  Scotland  by 
the  English  sectaries  of  the  Commonwealth,  took  deep 
root  after  the  Eestoration  among  the  persecuted 
Covenanters  of  the  Lowlands.  It  did  not  reach  the 
people  of  Urquhart  till  old  barriers  were  removed  by 
the  events  of  the  Forty-five ;  but,  if  it  was  late  in 
coming,  its  progress  among  them  was  amazingly 
rapid,  and  before  the  end  of  the  century  it  held  them 
in  its  coils  with  a  tightness  which  has  not  yet  appreci- 
ably relaxed.  To  it  we  owe  our  rigid  Sabbatarianism, 
the  sacramental  preaching  week,  our  crowded  com- 
munions, and  long  communion  services.1  It  has 

1  "  To  ingratiate  themselves  with  Cromwell/'  says  Principal  Lee 
in  Hist,  of  Church  of  Scotland,  "  the  Protesters  declined  praying  for 
the  King,  and  framed  their  churches  after  the  model  of  the 
Sectarians.  They  introduced  a  mode  of  celebrating  the  divine  ordin- 
ances which  till  that  time  had  been  unknown  in  Scotland,  and  which 
came  afterwards  to  be  generally  practised  by  those  whose  meetings 
were  interdicted  by  the  severe  enactments  of  the  Government  after 
the  King's  restoration.  They  preached  and  prayed  at  much  greater 
length  and  with  much  greater  fervour  than  their  brethren.  At  the 
administration  of  the  communion  they  collected  a  great  number  of 
ministers,  and  performed  Divine  service  two  or  three  successive  days 
before,  and  one  at  least  after  the  solemnity/'  The  "  Question  Day  " 
(Friday)  of  the  communion  week  is  of  Highland  origin  having  grown 
out  of  the  institution  of  the  Men.  Knox  approved  of  the  monthly 
celebration  of  communion;  but  before  Culloden  it  was  very  seldom 
celebrated  in  the  Highlands — some  times  not  for  years  in  Urquhart 
and  other  parishes. 


392        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

done  much  for  religion  in  the  Highlands,  but  it  has 
not  been  an  unmixed  blessing.  It  has  to  a  great 
extent  destroyed  the  songs  and  tales  which  were  the 
wonderfully  pure  intellectual  pastime  of  our  fathers; 
it  has  suppressed  innocent  customs  and  recreations 
whose  origin  was  to  be  found  in  remote  antiquity; 
it  has  in  many  cases  engrafted  self-righteousness  on 
the  character  of  religious  professors;  and  it  has 
with  its  iron  hand  crushed  merriment  and  good 
fellowship  out  of  the  souls  of  the  people,  and  in  their 
place  planted  an  unhealthy  gloominess  and  dread  of 
the  future  entirely  foreign  to  the  nature  of  the  Celt.1 

1  See  Appendix  N  for  the  Stipend,  &c.,  of  the  Minister  at  various- 
periods. 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  393 


CHAPTEE     XX 

EDUCATION  AND  CULTUEE  IN  THE  PAEISH 

Education  before  the  Reformation. — The  Parochial  System. — 
Unsuccessful  attempts  to  plant  Schools  in  the  Parish. — 
The  First  School. — Charity  Schools  at  Duldreggan, 
Milton,  Pitkerrald,  and  Bunloit. — The  First  Parish 
School. — Subsequent  Agencies. — The  Education  Act. — 
Old  Salaries. — Old  School  Books. — Gaelic  in  Schools. — 
Old  Punishments. — Cock-fighting  and  other  Sports. — 
Urquhart  Authors. — James  Grant  of  Corrimony. — 
Charles  Grant. — Lord  Glenelg. — Sir  Robert  Grant.— 
James  Grant. — John  Macmillan. — Buchanan  Macmillaii, 
King's  Printer. — Patrick  Grant. — James  Grassie. — Angus 
Macdonald. — William  Grant  Stewart. — William  Somerled 
Macdonald. — James  Grant,  Balnaglaic. — Allan  Sinclair. 
— The  Bards  of  the  Parish. — Iain  Mac  Eobhainn  Bhain. 
— Ewen  Macdonald. — Shewglie  and  his  Daughter. — 
Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain. — Iain  Mac  Dhughaill. — John 
Grant. — Archibald  Grant. — Angus  Macculloch. — Lewis 
Cameron.  —  Angus  Macdonald.  —  William  Mackay. — 
Hugh  Fraser. — Survival  of  Bardism. 

THE  history  of  Education  in  Scotland  may  be  said 
to  form  part  of  the  history  of  the  Church.  Before 
the  Eeformation  the  country  was  wholly  indebted 
to  the  clergy  for  the  little  learning  it  possessed; 
and  after  that  event  it  was  John  Knox  and  the 
ministers  of  the  Eeformed  Church  who  originated 
and  developed  the  parish  school  system.  To  that 
system  Scotland  as  a  whole  owes  much;  but  its 
benefits  were  slow  to  reach  the  Highlands,  and 
Knox  was  two  hundred  years  in  his  grave  before 


394        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  could  boast  of  a  parochial 
school. 

During  the  period  of  the  Celtic  Church  the 
clerics  who  officiated  in  the  small  cells  which,  as  we 
Lave  seen,  were  scattered  over  the  Parish,  doubtless 
devoted  much  of  their  time,  as  their  brethren  are 
known  to  have  done  elsewhere,  to  the  copying  of 
the  Scriptures;  and  it  is  probable  that  they  com- 
municated some  slight  knowledge  of  letters  to  the 
more  curious  among  their  people.  This  knowledge 
was  increased  in  Roman  Catholic  times  by  the  priests 
of  the  Parish  and  the  monks  who  studied  and  taught 
within  the  neighbouring  Priory  of  Beauly.  But  in 
the  ages  that  preceded  the  Reformation  there  was  no 
education  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  word,  and  very 
few  even  of  the  better  classes  could  read  or  write. 
Knox's  grand  purpose  was  to  establish  at  least 
one  school  in  every  parish  throughout  Scotland. 
His  scheme  was  too  ambitious  for  his  time,  but  it 
was  not  lost  sight  of,  and  in  1616 — long  after  his 
death — it  was  adopted  by  the  Privy  Council,  which 
ordained  that  a  school  should  be  erected  in  each 
parish,  c  that  all  his  Majesty's  subjects,  especially 
the  youth,  be  exercised  and  trayned  up  in  civilitie, 
godliness,  knowledge,  and  learning;  that  the  vulgar 
Inglishe  tongue  be  universallie  planted,  and  the 
Irish  [that  is,  the  Gaelic]  language,  which  is  one  of 
the  chieff  and  principall  causes  of  the  continuance 
of  barbaritie  and  incivilitie  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Isles  and  Heylandis,  may  be  abolishit  and 
removit."  The  resolution  that  a  school  should  be 
established  in  each  parish  was  confirmed  by  Parlia- 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  395 

merit  in  1631,  and  again  in  1646;  but  generations 
passed  before  effect  was  given  to  it  in  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Presby- 
tery of  Inverness  held  in  the  Parish  in  1627,  ' '  it 
was  found  requisit  that  ane  scholemaister  suld  be 
planted  thair,  for  educatioun  of  the  youth  within 
these  bounds,  in  respect  the  parochiners  thair 
wer  found  willing  to  do  dewtie  heirin  glaidlie."1 
This  was  reported  to  the  Synod  of  Moray  in 
October,  when  Mr  Alexander  Grant,  the  minister, 
stated  '  that  he,  with  his  parochiners,  hed  bein 
cairfullie  searching  efter  ane  [schoolmaster]  to 
supplie  that  roume  [that  is,  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston], bot  as  yit  culd  find  nain;"  and  the  Presby- 
tery was  ordained  '  to  enquyr  for  ane  maister 
of  schole,  and  to  settle  him  thair  with  diligence."3 
But  if  the  enquiry  was  made,  no  result  followed. 
Fifty  years  later — in  1677 — the  minister  and  elders 
reported  to  the  Presbytery  that  there  was  no 
school  in  the  Parish,  "  bot  quhen  the  Laird  of  Grant 
cam  to  the  countrey  that  they  were  to  require  his 
helpe  and  assistance  how  to  get  some  victuall  to 
mantean  an  schoolmaster."  They  were  exhorted 
'  to  do  the  same,  which  should  be  good  service  done 
to  God;"3  but  the  exhortation  was  not  responded 
to,  and  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  remained  with- 
out a  parochial  school  until  the  year  1770. 4 

1  Records  of  the  Synod  of  Moray.         2  Ibid. 

3  Inverness  Presbytery  Records. 

4  Other    Highland    parishes    were    even    in    a    worse    condition. 
Boleskine,   Laggan,   and   Kilmonivaig,    for   example,   had   no   parish 
schools  for  years  after  1770.     On  the  other  hand  there  were  schools 
in  Kirkhill  and  Kiltarlity  as  early  as  1671. 


396        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  youth  of  the  Parish  were,  however,  not 
wholly  left  in  darkness.  Sometimes  the  lairds, 
wadsetters,  and  larger  tenants  combined  to  employ 
some  struggling  student  to  teach  their  children 
during  the  college  recess;  sometimes  they  sent  their 
boys  to  be  taught  at  Inverness,  Fortrose,  or  Petty; 
and  the  result  was  that  during  the  darkest  years  of 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  a  few 
were  to  be  found  in  the  Parish  who  could  read  and 
write  and  express  themselves  in  fair  English.  Even 
the  humbler  occupiers  of  the  soil  began  to  commit 
their  transactions  to  writing;  and  we  find,  as  early 
as  1616,  the  tenant  of  Eaddich  and  Borlum  signing 
his  patronymic — for  he  had  not  yet  adopted  a 
surname — in  a  beautiful  round  hand,  "  Donald 
McHomas,"  Donald,  son  of  Thomas.1 

It  was,  however,  left  to  the  Society  in  Scotland' 
for  Propagating  Christian  Knowledge  to  bring  the 
means  of  education  within  the  reach  of  the  people 
generally.  In  1701  a  few  private  gentlemen  met  in 
Edinburgh,  and  resolved  to  establish  schools  in  the 
Highlands  and  Islands,  and  to  appeal  to  the  public 
for  pecuniary  support.  They  opened  their  first 
school  at  Abertarff;  but  in  less  than  two  years  the 
people  drove  the  schoolmaster  from  the  district. 
The  Edinburgh  philanthropists  were  not  dis- 
couraged. In  1707  they  induced  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  to  appoint 
a  committee  to  consider  the  question  of  the  propa- 
gation of  Christian  Knowledge  in  the  Highlands 

I  Renunciation  of  Lease,  at  Castle  Grant. 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  397 

and  Islands.  The  incorporation  of  the  Society 
followed  in  1709.  Next  year  its  members  resolved 
to  open  free  schools — or  "  charity  schools,"  as  they 
were  called — in  such  districts  as  from  time  to  time 
should  most  require  them.  In  1711  a  school  was 
-established  at  Abertarff,  to  which  Glenmoriston  lads 
probably  found  their  way;  and  in  1726  the  first 
school  in  our  Parish  was  opened.  On  the  14th  day 
of  April  of  that  year,  certain  gentlemen  of  Glen- 
Urquhart  appeared  before  the  Presbytery  of  Aber- 
tarff,  within  whose  bounds  the  Parish  then  was,  and 
represented  "  that  they  greatly  stand  in  need  of  a 
Charity  School  in  the  Breas  of  that  countrie,  on 
account  of  the  Ignorance  of  the  people,  Popish 
priests  takeing  occasion  to  encroach  upon  that  corner, 
as  it  is  remote,  and  discontiguous  from  the  Strath  of 
the  Parish."1  The  Presbytery  considered  the  pro- 
posal "  just  and  reasonable,"  and  appointed  the  Eev. 
Alexander  Macbean  of  Inverness  to  apply  to  the 
•Society  for  an  allowance  for  a  schoolmaster.  The  ap- 
plication was  granted  in  June,  and  in  October  a  school 
was  opened  at  Meiklie,  and  placed  under  the  charge 
of  Henry  Urquhart,  a  learned  shoemaker,  who  had 
been  duly  examined  by  the  Presbytery  and  found 
qualified. 

This  arrangement  did  not  long  continue. 
In  October,  1728,  the  Presbytery,  "  considering 
the  state  of  Glenmoristone  for  want  of  a  school,  and 
that  there  appears  a  greater  probability  for  procuring 
a  Parochial  School  at  Urquhart  than  at  Glen- 

1  Abertarff  Presbytery  Eecords. 


398        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

moristone,  have  resolved  that  against  summer  next 
the  School  at  Urquhart  shall  be  transported  to 
Glenmoristone  as  soon  as  the  Presbytery  are 
informed  that  a  schoolhouse  and  other  conveniences 
are  prepared  at  Dulldregan  in  that  countrey  for  him 
[the  teacher]."  This  resolution  was  the  outcome  of 
an  application  which  the  inhabitants  of  Glenmoriston 
had  made  to  the  Presbytery  as  early  as  October,  1726. 
The  modest  "  conveniences"  considered  necessarv 

«/ 

were  soon  provided;  the  Meiklie  establishment  was 
closed ;  and  Henry  Urquhart  removed  to  Duldreggan, 
where  he  laboured  for  several  years.  And  from  his 
time  until  the  Education  Act  came  into  operation  in 
1873,  the  Society  was  not  without  a  school  in 
Glenmoriston,  except  for  an  interval  of  eight  years 
immediately  after  the  Eising  of  The  Forty-Five.  . 

To     Glen-Urquhart     the     Society     was     equally 
generous.       When  the  Presbytery  resolved  to  send 
Henry   Urquhart   to   Glenmoriston,    they   instructed 
the  Eev.  Alexander  Macbean  "  to  write  to  the  Laird 
of  Grant  in  order  to  obtain  a  Parochial  School  at 
Urquhart."       Nothing    came    of    the     application, 
and    the    Society    had    again    to    take    the    place 
of   the   heritors.       In    1732    a    charity   school   was 
opened  at  Milton,   and  placed  under  the  charge  of 
William  Grant,   who  taught  in  it  for  many  years. 
At  a  later  period  the  school  was  l(  transported"  to 
Pitkerrald.       <c  There   is   no   parish   schoolmaster," 
said  Mr  William  Lorimer  in  a  Eeport  on  Urquhart 
which  he  wrote  for  the  Laird  of  Grant   in   1763 ; 
<e  the    tenants    send    their    children    to    the    charity 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  399 

schoolmaster,  who  lives  at  Pitkerrald,  who  teaches 
them  to  read  and  write.  .  .  Alexander  Macrae, 
a  Entail  man,  .  .  teaches  reading,  writing,  and 
arithmetic,  and  singing  psalms — exacts  no  school- 
ages  [fees]."1 

The  failure  of  the  .heritors  to  provide  the  means 
of  education  which  the  law  required  of  them  led  the 
Society,  in  1770,  to  threaten  to  withdraw  their 
charity  teacher  unless  a  parochial  schoolmaster  was 
appointed.  The  threat  had  the  desired  effect.  A 
parish  school  was  at  once  opened,  and  in  1775  the 
Society's  establishment  was  transferred  to  Bunloit, 
where  it  continued  to  flourish  until  1873.  To  the 
Bunloit  schoolmaster  Sir  James  Grant  gave  a 
dwelling-house  and  two  acres  of  land  free  of  rent.2 

The  three  schools  which  our  Parish  now  possessed 
were  soon  found  insufficient  to  meet  its  educational 
wants,  and  side-schools  were,  about  the  end  of  the 
century,  erected  in  Glenmoriston  and  the  Braes  of 
Urquhart.  Other  agencies  subsequently  arose.  The 
Gaelic  School  Society  had  a  school  at  Meiklie  in 
1815  and  1816 ;  and  after  the  Disruption,  Free  Church 
schools  did  good  work  for  years  at  Drumnadrochit 
and  Polmaily,  while  Caroline,  Countess  of  Seafield, 
maintained  a  school  at  Blairbeg,  and  Mr  Thomas 
Ogilvy  of  Corrimony  another  on  his  estate.  The 
Education  Act  put  an  end  to  the  Parochial  System, 
and — so  far  as  our  Parish  was  concerned — to  the 
other  agencies  which  it  found  at  work.  The  first 

1  Eeport,  at  Castle  Grant.        2  Eeport  of  the  Society,  in  1790. 


400        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

School  Board1  set  itself  with  vigour  to  provide  the 
school  accommodation  required  under  the  new  order 
of  things;  and  within  a  few  years  commodious 
school  buildings  were  erected  throughout  the  Parish, 
which  strongly  contrast  with  the  poor,  comfortless, 
dry-stone,  turf-roofed  hovels  .in  which  the  teachers 
of  the  past  laboured  with  no  small  measure  of 
success  for  a  salary  then,  no  doubt,  regarded  as 
sufficient,  but  which  would  be  looked  upon  in  the 
present  age  as  miserable  in  the  extreme.2 

The  Society  for  Propagating  Christian  Know- 
ledge, having  in  view  that  "  religion  and  industry 
go  always  hand  in  hand,"  obtained  new  letters 
patent  in  1738,  empowering  them  to  "  cause  such 
children  as  they  shall  think  fit  to  be  instructed  and 
bred  up  in  husbandry  and  housewifery,  or  trade  and 
manufacture,  as  they  should  think  proper,  at  such 
places  and  in  such  manner  as  to  them  and  their 
directors  shall  seem  the  most  practicable  and 
expedient."  As  thus  authorised,  the  Society  not 
only  settled  a  gardener  and  blacksmith  in  Glen- 

1  The  members  of  the  first   School   Board  were   nominated   at   a 
public    meeting,     and    unanimously    elected    without    ballot.     They 
were,    in    alphabetical    order — Rev.    John    Cameron,    minister    of    the 
parish;   Major  William  Grant,   factor  of  Urquhart;   Rev.   Alexander 
MacColl,  Free  Church  minister  of  Fort- Augustus  and  Glenmoriston ; 
William    Mackay,    Blairbeg;    Rev.    Angus    Macrae,     Free    Church, 
Glen-Urquhart ;    Thomas   Ogilvy   of   Corrimony;    and   John   Sinclair, 
Borlum,  factor  for  Glenmoriston. 

2  The  amount  expended  on  the  schools  (including  teachers'  houses) 
were :— Culanloan,    £3834    19s    Id;    Balnain,    £1595    Os    2d;    Bunloit, 
£1463  2s  6d;   Dulchreichart,  £1393  12s  Od;   Invermoriston,  £1388  Is 
6d;   and  Corrimony,  £862  9s  9d— total,  £10,537  5s  Od.       The  yearly 
salaries  of  the  Society's  teachers  ranged  from  £8  to  £14.     When  the 
first   parochial    school   was   established    in    the    Parish    in    1770,    the 
schoolmaster's  salary  was  fixed  at  £10  a  year. 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  401 

moriston  in  1755,  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  the 
people  in  their  trades,  but  they  also,  in  subsequent 
years,  employed  the  wives  of  their  schoolmasters  in 
the  Parish  to  teach  spinning,  knitting,  sewing,  and 
other  branches  of  female  industry.1  In  1802,  more- 
over, they  opened  a  "  spinning  school"  at  Lewistown, 
and  placed  it  under  the  charge  of  Mrs  Georgina 
Forbes,  who  continued  for  twenty-seven  years  to 
instruct  the  young  girls  of  the  district  in  these 
branches,  and  in  religion.  In  Mrs  Forbes'  school  a 
portion  of  the  English  Bible  was  read  every  day, 
and  the  pupils  were  required  to  learn  at  home,  and 
repeat  to  her,  passages  of  Scripture,  and  questions 
from  the  Shorter  and  Mother's  Catechisms.2 

For  many  years  the  progress  of  education  in  the 
Highlands  was  greatly  impeded  by  the  absurd 
manner  in  which  the  language  of  the  people  was 
treated.  The  excellent  Lowlanders  who  directed 
the  affairs  of  the  Society  in  its  early  days  dreaded 
Gaelic  as  they  dreaded  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church, 
with  which  they  associated  it ;  and  the  same  regulation 
that  bound  their  schoolmasters  to  subscribe  the 
'  Formula  against  Popery,"3  bound  them  also  to 

1  Reports  of  the  Society.         2  Ibid. 

3  The  Formula  was  in  the  following  terms  : — "  I, ,  School- 
master in  the  Parish  of ,  do  sincerely  from  my  heart  profess  and 

declare  before  God,  who  searcheth  the  heart,  that  I  deny,  disown,  and 
abhor  these  tenets  and  doctrines  of  the  Papal  Romish  Church,  viz., 
the  Supremacy  of  the  Pope  and  Bishops  of  Rome  over  all  pastors  of 
the  Catholick  Church;  his  power  and  authority  over  Kings,  Princes, 
and  States,  and  the  infallibility  that  he  pretends  to,  either  without 
or  with  a  General  Council;  his  power  of  dispensing  and  pardoning; 
the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation,  and  the  Corporal  Presence,  with 
the  Communion  without  the  cup  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper;  the  adoration  and  sacrifice  practised  by  the  Popish  Church 

26 


402  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTOIN 

"  discharge  [prohibit]  their  scholars  to  speak  Earse 
[Irish  or  Gaelic]."  The  result  was  that  while  the 
great  majority  of  the  children,  who  knew  no  language 
but  Gaelic,  learned  mechanically  to  read  the  Pro- 
verbs, Confession  of  Faith,  Shorter  Catechism, 
Vincent's  Catechism,  Protestant  Resolutions,  Pool's 
Dialogue,  and  Guthrie's  Trials,  which  were  their  not 
too  attractive  school-books,  they  utterly  failed  to 
understand  what  they  read;  and  that  when  they 
left  school  they  left  their  books  and  their  ' '  learning  ' : 
behind  them.  The  directors  of  the  Society  at  last 
realised  the  error  of  their  ways;  and  in  1767  they 
printed  a  Gaelic  translation  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  was  used  in  their  schools.  Translations  of 
other  works  followed,  and  in  1781  the  directors 
were  able  to  report  ' c  that  their  translations  have 
been  of  the  greatest  utility,  not  only  in  opening  the 
minds  of  the  people  to  knowledge,  but  in  giving  a 
greater  desire  to  learn  the  English  language  than 
they  had  ever  before  discovered."1  After  this  the 
teachers  worked  on  a  more  rational  system,  and  the 
ancient  tongue  was  treated  with  some  degree  of 
respect.  In  the  schools  of  the  Gaelic  School  Society, 
which  was  founded  in  18 II,2  Gaelic  spelling-books 

in  the  Mass;  the  invocation  of  Angels  and  Saints;  the  worshipping-  of 
Images,  Crosses,  and  Relics;  the  doctrine  of  Supererogation,  Indul- 
gences, and  Purgatory;  and  the  Service  and  Worship  in  an  unknown 
tongue  :  all  which  tenets  and  doctrines  of  the  said  Church  I  believe 
to  be  contrary  to,  and  inconsistent  with,  the  written  word  of  God. 
And  I  do  from  my  heart  deny,  disown,  and  disclaim  the  said 
doctrines  and  tenets  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  in  the  presence  of 
God,  without  any  equivocation  or  mental  reservation,  but  according 
to  the  known  and  plain  meaning  of  the  words  as  to  me  offered  and 
proposed.  So  help  me  God." 

1  Account  of  the  Society,  June,  1780,  to  June,  1781. 

2  The  Gaelic  School  Society  was  dissolved  in  1892. 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    PARISH  403 

were  used,  and  in  1817  similar  books  were  issued 
to  their  schoolmasters  by  the  older  Society.  The 
bad  old  system,  however,  long  survived  in  the 
Parish  School  of  Urquhart.  Mr  Daniel  Kerr,  a 
native  of  Perthshire,  who  presided  over  that  institu- 
tion during  the  closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  the  first  decade  of  the  nineteenth,  was  an  ardent 
believer  in  its  merit.  He  made  it  his  first  duty,  after 
the  opening  prayer,  to  hand  to  one  of  the  boys  a 
roughly  carved  piece  of  wood  which  was  called  ' '  the 
tessera."1  The  boy  transferred  it  to  the  first  pupil 
who  was  heard  speaking  Gaelic.  That  offender  got 
rid  of  it  by  delivering  it  to  the  next,  who,  in  his 
turn,  placed  it  in  the  hand  of  the  next  again.  And 
so  the  tessera  went  round  without  ceasing.  At  the 
close  of  the  day  it  was  called  for  by  Mr  Kerr.  The 
child  who  happened  to  possess  it  was  severely  flogged, 
and  then  told  to  hand  it  back  to  the  one  from  whom 
he  had  received  it.  The  latter  was  dealt  with  in  the 
same  manner ;  and  so  the  dreaded  tessera  retraced  its 
course,  with  dire  consequences  to  all  who  had  dared 
to  express  themselves  in  the  only  language  which  they 
knew.  When  the  master  wore  his  red  night-cap  in 
school,  as  he  often  did,  it  was  observed  that  he  was 
more  merciless  than  at  other  times,  and  the  children 
came  to  look  upon  the  awful  head-gear  as  a  thing  of 
strange  and  evil  influence.  It  was  long  before  they 

1  Tessera  (Latin),  a  square  or  quadrangular  piece  of  wood  or 
other  substance.  The  old  teachers  made  use  of  Latin  words  in  an 
amusing  manner.  To  this  day  an  Urquhart  boy  who  wants  to  dip 
his  pen  in  his  neighbour's  ink-bottle  says,  "  Thoir  dhomh  guttum  " 
— "  Give  me  a  guttum  " — from  gutta,  a  drop. 


404        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

discovered  that  the  wearer's  irritability  on  those 
occasions  proceeded  from  a  sore  head  brought 
on  by  the  previous  night's  excessive  conviviality. 
He  never  spared  the  rod;  but  it  was  not  his 
only  instrument  of  punishment.  The  Fool's-Cap 
was  the  terror  of  the  children;  yet  they  dreaded 
the  Fox' -Skin  and  the  Necklace-of-Old-Bones  even 
more.  Sometimes  Kerr  covered  the  offender's  head 
with  the  cap,  and  his  shoulders  with  an  evil-smelling 
skin  of  a  fox,  and  placed  around  his  neck  a  string  of 
bones.  Thus  adorned,  the  boy  had  to  proceed  into 
the  open,  and  suffer  the  jeers  of  his  companions  and 
of  passers-by ;  or  he  was  made  to  stand  in  the  centre 
of  the  schoolroom,  while  his  fellows  filed  past  and 
spat  on  him  as  they  went ! 

But  even  in  Kerr's  time  school  life  was  not 
without  its  bright  seasons  and  pleasant  features. 
The  boys  delighted  in  their  sports  —  the  shinty 
matches  between  the  Braes  and  the  Strath  being 
specially  exciting.  More  interesting  still,  perhaps, 
was  the  annual  cock-fight.  On  the  occasion  of  that 
great  event,  it  was  the  duty  of  every  boy  to  bring  a 
well-fed  rooster  to  school.  If  he  failed  in  this  he 
was  bound  to  pay  the  value  of  a  bird  to  the  school- 
master. The  schoolroom  was  for  the  time  converted 
into  a  cock-pit ;  the  fights  took  place  in  presence  of 
the  pupils  and  their  parents — the  minister,  as  a  rule, 
gracing  the  meeting  with  his  presence,  and  the 
schoolmaster  being  umpire  and  master  of  ceremonies. 
The  victorious  birds  were  restored  to  their  proud 
owners — perhaps  to  fight  another  day.  The  dead 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  PARISH         405 

birds  and  the  "fugles,"  or  runaways,  became  the 
property  of  the  master,  whose  modest  stipend  was 
thus  in  some  small  measure  augmented.1 

Notwithstanding  the  backward  state  of  education 
in  the  past,  our  Parish  can  boast  of  not  a  few  who 
have  made  some  mark  in  the  field  of  literature. 

JAMES  GRANT  of  Corrimony,  Advocate,  who  was 
born  in  1743  and  died  in  1835,  and  who  enjoyed 
the  friendship  of  such  literary  men  as  Henry 
Erskine,  Henry  Mackenzie,  Sir  James  Mackintosh, 
and  Lord  Cockburn,  was  a  scholar  of  singular 
erudition  and  attainments.  His  published  works 
are,  an  account  of  our  Parish,  in  Sir  John  Sinclair's 
Statistical  Account ;  ' c  Essays  on  the  Origin  of 
Society,  Language,  Property,  Government,  Juris- 
diction, Contracts,  and  Marriages,  interspersed  with 
Illustrations  from  the  Gaelic  and  Greek  Languages;" 
and  ' '  Thoughts  on  the  Origin  and  Descent  of  the 
Gael,  with  an  Account  of  the  Picts,  Caledonians, 
and  Scots,  and  Observations  relative  to  the  Author- 
ship of  the  Poems  of  Ossian."2  The  late  well-known 
novelist,  James  Grant,  was  his  grandson. 

1  These  reminiscences  were  communicated  to  the  Author  by  old 
men  who  had  in  their  boyhood  attended  Kerr's  school. 

2  James    Grant's   tombstone   at    Corrimony    bears    the   following" 
inscription    by    Lord    Cockburn  : — "  Here    lies   what   was   mortal    of 
James  Grant,  Esquire,  the  last  of  the   Grants  of  Corrimony — Born 
13th  April,  1743,  Died  12th  September,  1835.     Literary,  amiable,  and 
independent,  he  was  one  of  the  very  few  of  his  class  who  in  his  day 
promoted    the    principles    of    political    liberty,    which    have    since 
triumphed.     He  lived  to  be  the  oldest  member  of  the  Scottish  Bar. 
He  died,  the  last  of  a  race  that  for  more  than  350  years  inherited 
this  Glen."     Mr  Grant  left  a  large  family,   and  was  therefore  not 
the  last  of  his  race.     Corrimony  was  sold  before  his  death. 


406        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

CHARLES  GRANT,  son  of  that  Alexander  Grant 
whose  devotion  to  Prince  Charles  cost  him  the 
situation  of  forester  in  Glen-Urquhart,1  was  born  in 
1746.  He  received  the  rudiments  of  his  education  in 
the  charity  school  of  Milton,  where  his  grandfather 
resided,  and  afterwards  spent  some  time  at  a  school 
in  Elgin,  with,  the  aid  of  Shewglie's  son  Alexander, 
who  escaped  from  Culloden  and  found  his  way  to 
India.  Entering  the  service  of  the  East  India 
Company,  he  rose  to  be  Chairman  of  the  Company. 
For  many  years  he  represented  the  county  of 
Inverness  in  Parliament.  He  was  the  author 
of  "  Observations  on  the  State  of  Society  among 
the  Asiatic  Subjects  of  Great  Britain,"  published 
in  1792,  and  again  printed,  by  order  of  Parlia- 
ment, in  1813.  "I  can  sincerely  say,"  observed 
Wilberforce  of  him  after  his  death  in  1823,  "  that 
he  was  one  of  the  very  best  men  I  ever  knew.  And 
had  he  enjoyed  in  early  youth  the  advantages  of  a 
first-rate  education,  he  would  have  been  as  dis- 
tinguished in  literature  as  he  was  in  business."2  In 
1696,  his  great-grandfather  and  grandfather  could 
not  write  their  names;3  in  1801  his  sons  CHARLES 
(afterwards  Lord  Glenelg),  and  EGBERT  (afterwards 
Sir  Kobert  Grant),  astonished  the  learned  world  by 

1  See  p.  250  supra. 

2  Life  of  Wilberforoe,  chap,  xxxvi.       A  fine  portrait  of  Charles 
Grant,  painted  by  Raeburn  at  the  expense  of  the  County  of  Inverness, 
is  in  the  County  Buildings. 

3  Deed  of  1696,  at  Erchless  Castle,  signed  by  a  notary  on  their 
behalf. 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  PARISH         407 

the  place  which  they  took  at  Cambridge — Charles 
being  third  wrangler  and  first  medallist,  and  Robert, 
fourth  wrangler  and  second  medallist.  Charles' 
speeches  and  despatches  made  him  famous.  Robert 
published  in  1813  a  "  Sketch  of  the  History  of  the 
East  India  Company  from  its  foundation  to  the 
passing  of  the  Regulating  Act,  in  1773,  with  a 
Summary  View  of  the  Changes  which  have  taken 
place  since  that  period  in  the  Internal  Adminis- 
tration of  British  India;"  and,  in  the  same  year, 
"  The  Expediency  maintained  of  Continuing  the 
System  by  which  the  Trade  and  Government  of 
India  are  now  Regulated."  In  1839 — after  his 
death — were  published  his  "  Sacred  Poems,"  edited 
by  Lord  Glenelg,  some  of  which  have  attained  great 
popularity  in  the  Churches.1 

JAMES  GRANT,  son  of  that  James  Grant,  younger 
of  Shewglie,  who  was  imprisoned  in  Tilbury  Fort  in 
1746,  went  to  India  early  in  life,  and  devoted  much 
time  to  the  study  of  the  systems  of  revenue  and 
land  tenure  of  that  country.  Warren  Hastings 
appointed  him  Resident  at  the  Nizam's  Court — an 


l  Charles  Grant  (Lord  Glenelg)  was  born  in  1783,  and  died  un- 
married in  1866.  He  represented  Inverness-shire  from  1818  till  he 
was  raised  to  the  peerage  in  1836.  During  his  long  political  career 
he  filled  the  offices  of  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland,  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trade,  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies,  &c.  Sir  Eobert 
Grant  was  for  a  time  Judge  Advocate-General.  In  1834  he  was 
appointed  Governor  of  Bombay,  an  office  which  he  held  till  his  death 
in  1838.  His  son,  Sir  Charles  Grant,  was  for  a  time  Foreign  Secre- 
tary to  the  Government  of  India. 


408        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

office  which  he  resigned  in  1783. 1  He  wrote  several 
treatises,  for  the  information  of  the  Government  and 
the  East  India  Company,  on  the  subjects  of  revenue, 
agriculture,  and  land  tenure,  in  Bengal.  In  1788 
the  Company's  Indian  Board  appointed  him  Chief 
Serrishtadar,  and  placed  those  subjects  under  his 
control.  The  appointment  was  approved  of  by  the 
Court  of  Directors  in  London,  who,  on  20th  August, 
wrote  to  their  representatives  in  the  East:—  'If 
any  new  appointment  was  necessary,  you  could  not 
have  pitched  upon  a  more  capable  servant  than  Mr 
James  Grant,  whose  industry  and  peculiar  talents 
for  investigation  had  been  so  well  demonstrated  by 
the  great  mass  of  materials  he  had  obtained,  and 
ably  digested  in  his  several  laborious  productions 
concerning  the  history  of  our  Possessions  and 
Bevenues."  In  1790  he  printed  a  disquisition  on 
the  nature  of  Zemindary  tenures,  and  sent  a  copy 
of  it  to  Pitt,  along  with  a  long  letter  on  the  same 
subject.  On  retiring  from  service  he  purchased  the 
estate  of  Eedcastle.  He  died  in  1808. 

1  The  following  letter  was  addressed  to  Grant  on  the  occasion  of 
his  resignation  :  — 

"  Fort- William  [Calcutta],  27th  March,  1783. 

"  Dear  Sir, — I  am  much  concerned  that  the  ill  state  of  your 
Health  obliges  you  to  relinquish  an  Employment  in  which  your 
Talents  might  have  been  so  eminently  useful  to  the  Public. 

"  Wishing  to  know  the  Sentiments  of  Nizam  Ally  Khawn  upon 
the  Appointment  of  the  Successor  to  you  as  the  Resident  at  his  Court, 
I  have  written  the  enclosed  Letter,  which  I  request  you  will  be 
pleased  to  forward  to  him  with  as  much  Expedition  as  possible. 

"  I  am,  Dear  Sir,  with  great  esteem,  your  most  obedt.  humble 
Servant,  "  WARREN  HASTINGS." 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  PARISH         409 

In  1740,  Alexander  Chisholm  of  Chisholm  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mackenzie  of  Applecross; 
and  her  half-sister,  Christian  —  an  illegitimate 
daughter  of  Applecross — accompanied  her  to  Strath- 
glass.  Christian  .became  the  wife  of  Finlay  Mac- 
millan,  the  son  of  a  crofter  or  small  farmer  in 
Buntait.  Two  sons  of  the  marriage,  JOHN  and 
BUCHANAN,  were  educated  with  The  Chisholm  Js 
children,  and  afterwards  settled  in  London — John 
as  a  journalist,  and  Buchanan  as  a  printer.  The 
latter  rose  to  be  printer  to  George  the  Third  and 
the  Prince  Regent,  and  books  printed  by  him  are 
frequently  met  with.  He  died  at  Belladrum  in 
1832,  and  his  dust  lies  in  the  Newton  burial-ground, 
within  the  Priory  of  Beauly.1  The  literary  produc- 
tions of  John,  who  died  young,  cannot  now  be 
identified,  and  all  that  is  known  of  them  is  contained 
in  an  extravagant  epitaph  on  his  tombstone  at  Kil- 
more — probably  the  work  of  his  friend,  the  eccentric 
Dr  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  defender  of  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots :—  '  Under  this  Stone  are  Deposited  the 
Remains  of  John  McMillan,  a  Man  whose  Friend- 
ship and  Benevolence  Endeared  his  Name  to  all 

1  His  tombstone  bears  the  following  inscription  : — "  Here  are 
Deposited  the  Kemains  of  Buchanan  McMillan,  Esq.  Born  in  the 
Glen  of  Urquhart,  in  this  County,  he  travelled  from  England  that  he 
might  revive,  or  expire,  in  his  native  air,  and  died  at  Belladrum 
House  on  the  6th  September,  1832,  in  his  74th  year.  As  a  husband, 
father,  and  friend,  he  was  conspicuously  good  and  zealous.  His 
industry,  fidelity,  and  punctuality  raised  him  to  affluence  in  his 
profession  as  a  printer  in  London,  where  he  long  resided,  beloved  and 
respected  for  his  hospitality  and  integrity.  The  graceful  piety  of 
his  grand-daughter,  Mary  Christian  Blagdon,  has  erected  this  stone 
to  commemorate  his  virtues."  A  portrait  of  Macmillan,  by  Kaeburn,. 
presented  by  himself  to  his  friend,  Mr  Fraser  of  Newton,  is  now  in 
the  possession  of  the  Author. 


410  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

who   knew   Him.       Studious   in   the   Attainment   of 
Literary    Pre-eminence,     His    Productions    bear    a 
lasting    Monument    of    his    Merits.       His    Wit    was 
poignant   without  Invective.      His   Genius,    copious 
without  redundancy.       His  Essays  are  esteemed  as 
Models  of  Ease,   Elegance,   Energy,    and  Humour. 
His  Poetry  is  Affecting,  Descriptive,  and  Sublime. 
If  e'er  the  Man  of  Genius  tread  this  yard, 
And  feel  the  god-like  phreiizy  of  the  Bard. 
Here  let  him  pause  and  cast  his  wand ' ring  eyes 
Where  Wit  extinct  with  JOHN  McMiLLAN  lies ; 
One  who  possessed  all  Virtues  to  admire, 
The  flame  of  Friendship,  and  the  Attic  fire  ; 
Weary  of  Life,  tho'  young,  he  kissed  the  Sod, 
Preserved  his  Fame  with  Man,  his  Soul  with  God. 

He  died  the  llth  Day  of  Feb.  1774,  in  the  25th  year 
of  his  Age."1 

1  The  tombstone  bears  the  following  further  inscription  : — "  Also 
[under  this  stone  are  deposited]  the  Remains  of  Christian  McMillan, 
Mother  of  John  McMillan,  who  departed  this  Life  the  27th  Day  of 
March,  1781,  in  the  54th  Year  of  her  Age.  To  the  affectionate  Wife, 
the  tender  Mother,  the  pious  Christian,  and  the  friend  of  Distress, 
she  un'ted  every  other  Virtue  that  could  adorn  her  Sex,  and  give  a 
Hope  of  future  Immortality.  This  Memento  is  laid  down  by  an 
aged  Husband  and  Father,  as  a  last  Tribute  to  the  Memory  of  an 
affectionate  Wife  and  a  dutiful  Son." 

It  is  told  of  Finlay  Macmillan,  that  after  his  marriage  he  was  so 
destitute  that  his  father  had  to  give  him  more  than  one  cow  for  food 
for  himself  and  his  young  wife  and  family.  There  was,  indeed,  only 
one  cow  left,  and  with  it  the  old  man  firmly  refused  to  part.  But  as 
he  lay  in  bed  one  night  he  heard  a  voice  at  the  window  : — (t  G-abh 
mar  gheibh,  is  gheibh  mar  chaitheas — is  thoir  a  bho  ruadh  do 
dh-Fhionnlaidh  !" — "  Take  as  you  get,  and  you'll  get  as  you'll  spend 
— and  give  the  red  cow  to  Finlay  !"  "  I  will,  I  will  !"  replied  the 
terrified  old  man ;  and  next  morning  the  red  cow  went  the  way  of 
the  others.  Better  days  came  upon  Finlay,  and  his  later  years  were 
passed  in  comfort  through  the  filial  generosity  of  his  son  Buchanan, 
whose  name  is  commemorated  in  the  Glen  by  Fuaran  Channain — 
Buchanan's  Well — near  Corrimony  Bridge. 


LITERATURE  IN  THE  PARISH         411 

PATRICK  GRANT,  of  Lakefield  (born  1795),  who 
succeeded  to  Eedcastle,  and  was  married  to  a  sister 
of  Lord  Glenelg,  took  a  keen  interest  in  journalism 
in  the  exciting  days  of  Catholic  Emancipation,  and 
Eeform.  He  was  for  a  time  principal  proprietor  of 
the  famous  Sun.  He  afterwards  ceased  his  con- 
nection with  that  paper,  and  started  the  True  Sun, 
which  he  managed  so  extravagantly  that  it  involved 
him  in  financial  difficulties,  and  he  had  to  sell  Eed- 
castle. He  died  in  1855,  and  is  buried  under  the 
beautiful  family  monument  at  Cnocan  Burraidh,  near 
Blairbeg. 

JAMES  GRASSIE,  son  of  Peter  Grassie,  Supervisor 
of  Excise,  Drumnadrochit,  published  in  1843  a 
volume  of  :<  Legends  of  the  Highlands,  from  Oral 
Tradition."  The  scenes  of  his  tales  are  chiefly  laid 
in  our  Parish  and  neighbouring  glens. 

WILLIAM  GRANT  STEWART,  factor  of  Urquhart, 
although  not  a  native  of  our  Parish,  resided  in  it  for 
many  years,  during  which  he  published  "  Songs  of 
Glen-Urquhart,"  "The  Popular  Superstitions  and 
Festive  Amusements  of  the  Highlanders  of  Scot- 
land," and  '  Lectures  on  the  Mountains,  or  The 
Highlands  and  Highlanders,  as  they  were  and  as 
they  are."  He  died  at  Viewville,  Drumnadrochit, 
in  1870.  By  his  will  he  bequeathed  the  sum  of  £50 
to  the  Urquhart  Parish  School,  with  directions  that 
the  annual  interest  should  be  applied  in  the  purchase 
of  prizes.1 

1  By  virtue  of  a  Scheme  of  the  Educational  Endowments  (Scot- 
land) Commission,  dated  3rd  December,  1886,  Stewart's  Bequest,  and 
a,  bequest  of  £10  a  year  by  the  late  Evan  Cameron,  are  now 
amalgamated,  and  administered  by  the  School  Board. 


412  TJRQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

ANGUS  MACDONALD,  son  of  John  Macdonald,  the 
noted  schoolmaster  and  catechist  of  Bunloit,  pub- 
lished in  1836  Searmona  leis  an  Urram.  Ralph 
Erscine — a  Gaelic  translation  of  four  sermons  by 
Ealph  Erskine — which  attained  considerable  popu- 
larity; and,  in  1869,  a  translation  of  a  sermon 
by  Spurgeon  on  the  Head  of  the  Church.  He 
was  a  bard  of  great  merit,  his  poem  on  the 
Highlanders  in  the  Crimea,  and  his  Lament  for 
Lord  Clyde,  being  especially  powerful  and  felicitous. 
He  was  the  first  Bard  of  the  Gaelic  Society  of 
Inverness,  and  died  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

WILLIAM  SOMERLED  MACDONALD,  who  was  born 
at  Meiklie-ria-h-Aitnich  about  the  year  1815,  pub- 
lished a  Gaelic  translation  of  Bunyan's  "  Water  of 
Life,"  and  also  translations  of  the  hymns  "  Abide 
with  me,"  and  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee."  At  first 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Scotland  and  England,  he 
latterly  took  orders  in  the  Church  of  England,  and 
died  at  Hennock,  Devonshire,  in  1884. 

JAMES  GRANT,  son  of  Grigor  Grant,  Balnaglaic, 
was  an  accomplished  charter  scholar,  who,  in  addition 
to  assisting  Mr  Cosmo  Innes  and  Professor  Masson 
in  connection  with  the  Government  publications 
edited  by  them,  gave  to  the  public  in  1876  a 
valuable  c  c  History  of  the  Burgh  Schools  of  Scot- 
land." He  was  engaged  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in 
1885,  on  a  similar  work  on  the  Parish  Schools.  By 
his  will  he  bequeathed  a  sum  of  £500  to  the  School 
Board  for  the  establishment  of  a  ' '  James  Grant 
Bursary,"  open  to  boys  who  have  been  born  in  the 


THE  BAEDS  OF  THE  PARISH         413 

Parish,  or  have  attended  any  of  the  public  schools  in 
the  Parish  for  not  less  than  two  years. 

The  Eev.  ALLAN  SINCLAIR,  son  of  Eobert  Sinclair, 
tenant  of  Borlum,  published  in  1865  a  Gaelic  trans- 
lation of  the  Memoir  and  Eemains  of  the  Eev.  Eobert 
Murray  McCheyne.  He  was  also  the  author  of  an 
interesting  work —  :'  Eeminiscences  of  the  Life  and 
Labours  of  Dugald  Buchanan  '''  —and  of  numerous 
articles  in  magazines  and  newspapers  on  subjects 
connected  with  the  Highlands.  He  was  minister  of 
the  Free  Church  at  Kenmore,  Perthshire,  where  he 
died  in  1888. 

These,  with  the  exception  of  such  as  still  survive,1 
and  of  Archibald  Grant,  to  whom  reference  will 
hereafter  be  made,  are  the  only  authors  connected 
with  our  Parish  who  have  ventured  to  put  their  pro- 
ductions in  print.  But  there  were  many  bards  and 
seanachies  in  the  past  whose  compositions  were  left 
to  the  caprice  of  oral  tradition.  These  have  not  all 
met  the  same  fate.  Beautiful  tales  and  ballads  still 
survive,  of  whose  authors  nothing  is  known.  On 
the  other  hand,  of  the  effusions  of  John  the  Bard, 

1  The  following  Glen-TJrquhart  authors  still  [in  1893]  live  :— Miss 
A.  C.  Chambers,  Polmaily,  author  of  "  Life  in  the  Walls,"  "  Mill 
of  Dalveny,"  "  Life  Underground/'  "  Robin  the  Bold,"  "  Away  on 
the  Moorland,"  "  The  Shepherd  of  Ardmuir,"  "  Annals  of  Hartfell 
Chase,"  "Amid  the  Greenwood,"  and  "The  Tenants  of  Gorsmead;" 
Miss  Cameron,  late  of  Lakefield,  author  of  the  "  The  House  of 
Achendaroch;"  Rev.  K.  S.  Macdonald,  D.D.,  Calcutta,  author  of 
"  The  Vedic  Religion,"  "  Rome's  Relation  to  the  Bible,"  and  other 
works;  Mr  Alexander  Macdougall,  schoolmaster,  Corrimony,  translator 
into  Gaelic  of  Owen's  t(  Communion  with  God;"  and  Rev.  Alexander 
Chisholm,  Boglashin,  a,uthor  of  "  The  Bible  in  the  Light  of  Nature, 
of  Man,  and  of  God." 

.[These  authors  have  now  (1913)  all  passed  away]. 


414        URQUHAET  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  first  of  the  name  of  Grant  who  owned  Urquhart, 
probably  not  one  line  remains;  and  Iain  Mabach, 
an  ancient  bard  of  the  Braes,  is  remembered,  not  by 
his  songs,  but  by  the  regret  to  which  he  gave 
expression  on  his  death-bed — "  Nach  maith  a' 
gheallach  chreach  sin,  5s  nach  urrain  dhomhsa  feum 
a  dheanamh  dhi  !"•  :'  Isn't  that  a  beautiful  moon  for 
a  cattle-spoil,  and  that  I  am  unable  to  make  use  of 
her!" 

Of  the  bards  whose  names  and  productions  have 
come  down  to  us,  the  oldest,  perhaps,  is  IAIN  MAC 
EOBHAIN  BHAIN,  who  flourished  in  Glenmoriston 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Later  in  the  same 
century  DONALD  DONN  sang  much  in  and  concerning 
our  Parish ;  and  early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  EWEN 
MACDONALD  composed  a  descriptive  poem  on  Coir- 
iarairidh  in  Glenmoriston,  which  formed  the  model 
of  Duncan  Macintyre's  better  known  "  Coirecheath- 
aich."  ALEXANDER  GRANT  of  Shewglie,  who  was 
a  cultured  player  on  the  violin  and  harp,  wrote 
a  welcome  to  Prince  Charles;  and  his  daughter, 
JANET,  wife  of  Cameron  of  Clunes,  a  stirring  song  in 
praise  of  Lochiel  of  The  Forty-Five. 

ALEXANDER  GRANT  (Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain), 
the  most  gifted  of  the  bards  of  our  Parish,  was  the 
second  son  of  John  Grant,  Achnagoneran,  and  was 
born  about  the  year  1772.  He  early  joined  the 
army,  and  saw  service  in  Denmark,  Portugal,  Spain, 
France,  and  the  West  Indies.  During  his  wanderings 
he  was  solaced  and  cheered  by  the  fellowship  of  the 
Highland  muse;  and  his  songs  possess  great  merit, 
containing  vivid  glimpses  of  the  life  of  the  British 


THE    BARDS    OF    THE    PARISH 

soldier  during  the  events  which  followed  the  French 
Kevolution,  and  breathing  burning  affection  to  the 
scenes  and  companions  of  his  childhood  and  youth. 
Of  his  native  Glenmoriston,  and  the  joy  of  revisiting 
it,  he  sang  and  dreamed  for  years ;  but  his  dreams  and 
hopes   were    not   to   be   realised.       The    longed-for 
furlough  at  last  came,  and  the  happy  soldier  travelled 
northwards;  but  at  Seann-Talamh,   above  Drumna- 
drochit,    and   within   a   few   hours'    journey   of   his 
father's  house,  he  was  suddenly  taken  ill,  and,  unable 
to   proceed   further,    he    sought    shelter   under    the 
hospitable  roof  of  <:cBean  a'  Ghriasaiche  Ghallda," 
and   there    expired.       He   was   buried   in   the   first 
instance  in  Kilmore,  and  it  is  still  told  that  while  a 
young  woman,  whose  heart  he  had  won  and  retained, 
lay  on  his  grave  weeping,   she  imagined  she  heard 
moans  from  beneath  her.     On  her  reporting  this  the 
grave  was  opened,  and  it  was  found  that  the  body 
had  turned  in  the  coffin,  and  was  lying  face  down- 
wards !       It  was  removed  to  Glenmoriston,  and  the 
churchyard  of  Invermoriston  now  holds  the  dust  of 
Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain.1 

;<  Braigh  Eusgaich"  —  the  only  song,  so  far  as  is 
known,  composed  by  IAIN  MAC  DHUGHAILL,  Bunloit 
—has  for  the  last  hundred  years  continued  to  be  one 
of  the  most  popular  songs  of  the  district  of  Loch  Ness. 
It  was  composed  in  Edinburgh,  where  the  bard  for  a 
time  resided,  and  happily  depicts  Nature  in  her 
pleasantest  moods,  and  gives  pathetic  expression  to 

1  Alasdair's  songs,   collected  by  the  Author,  are  printed  in  the- 
Transactions  of  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness,  Vol.  X. 


416        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

his  strong  desire  for  the  peaceful  solitudes  of  Brae 
Euiskich. 

JOHN  GRANT,  Aonach,  who  took  part  in  the  siege 
of  Gibraltar,  composed  songs  and  hymns;  while  his 
son  ARCHIBALD  GRANT  (Archie  Tailleir,  born  in  1785), 
was  the  author  of  a  volume  of  poems,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1863.  Archibald  was  a  noted  seanachie, 
and  his  productions  abound  in  interesting  allusions  to 
ancient  traditions.  He  died  in  1870,  and  was  buried 
with  his  fathers  in  Clachan  Mhercheird. 

Among  others  who  have  successfully  wooed  the 
Highland  muse  during  the  present  century1  are 
ANGUS  MAcCuLLOCH,  Bullburn;  LEWIS  CAMERON, 
Drumnadrochit ;  ANGUS  MACDONALD,  who  has  already 
been  referred  to;  WILLIAM  MACKAY,  Blairbeg;  and 
HUGH  FRASER,  Lewistown,  latterly  in  Inverness 
—all  now  deceased — as  well  as  more  than  one  who 
are  still  with  us.  Bardism,  it  is  pleasant  to  record, 
has  not  yet  ceased  to  exist  in  our  Glens;  and 
Glenmoriston,  especially,  is  still  the  favoured  retreat 
of  that  Spirit  of  Poesy  which  so  greatly  and  so 
beneficially  influenced  the  inhabitants  of  the  Parish 
In  the  Olden  Times.2 

1  The  nineteenth. 

2  See    Appendix    O   for    selections   from    the   productions   of   the 
Bards  of  the  Parish.     In  1895  Mr  A.  Macdonald,  accountant,  High- 
land   Railway,    Inverness     (a    native    of    Glenmoriston),     published 
"  Coinneach  is  Coille,"  a  volume  of  original  Gaelic  poems  and  songs, 
which  was  very  favourably  received. 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  417 


CHAPTEE     XXI 

FOLK-LORE  IN  THE  PARISH 

Decay  of  Folk-lore. — Decline  of  the  Ceilidh. — Satan  in  the 
Parish. — His  Conflicts  with  the  Men. — The  Death  of  the 
Factor. — Fair  Ewen  of  the  Goblin. — Hags  and  Goblins. — 
Cailleach  a'  Chrathaich. — Destruction  of  the  Macmillans. 
— Cailleach  Allt-an-Diinain. — Death  of  Macdougalls  and 
Macdonalds. — Cailleach  Allt-Saigh. — Cailleach  Chragain- 
na-Cailleich. — Donald  Macrae's  Adventure. — Daibhidh 
and  Mor  of  Corri-Dho. — Their  Feud  against  the  Men  of 
Urquhart. — Bocan  na  Sleabhaich. — The  White  Mare  of 
Corri-Dho. — The  Death  of  Alasdair  Cutach. — The  Fairies 
and  their  Haunts. — Theft  of  Mothers  and  Babes. — Other 
Depredations. — Fairy  Love-making  and  its  Results. — • 
Gay  Life  in  Fairy  Knowes. — The  Fairy  Smith  of  Torna- 
shee. — The  Witches  of  the  Parish. — Their  Pastimes  and 
Pursuits. — Divination. — Dead  Men  and  Demon  Cats. — 
A  Famous  Seer. — The  Evil  Eye. — Second  Sight. — Sacri- 
fices and  Safeguards. 

FOLK-LORE,  before  the  days  of  the  Schoolmaster 
and  the  Men,  bulked  largely  in  the  every-day  life 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston. 
Even  after  the  appearance  of  these  destructive 
agencies,  it  long  held  its  ground  in  the  Parish, 
although  with  a  gradually  diminishing  vitality. 
Until  within  the  last  twenty-five  years,1  the 
people  spent  the  winter  evenings  around  some 

1  That  is,  twenty-five  years  before   1893. 

27 


418  URQTJHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

favourite  fireside,  where  tales  were  told,  poems 
recited,  songs  sung,  and  riddles  propounded — the 
head  of  the  house  employing  himself  the  while  in 
making  a  creel,  or  whittling  into  shape  a  wooden 
ladle  or  some  other  article  of  domestic  utility;  and 
the  good-wife  in  plying  the  distaff,  or  gently  driving 
the  spinning-wheel.  A  great  and 'sudden  change— 
and  in  some  of  its  aspects  a  regrettable  one — has, 
however,  taken  place.  The  ancient  institution  of 
the  ceilidh,1  which  nurtured  good  fellowship  and 
good  feeling,  has  all  but  disappeared.  The  penny 
newspaper  has  taken  the  place  of  the  tale  and  the 
song;  and  present  political  and  social  questions,  with 
all  their  appeals  to  self-interest  and  cupidity,  occupy 
the  minds  of  men  to  the  almost  entire  exclusion  of 
the  deeds  of  the  Feinne,  and  of  the  traditional  heroes 
of  the  Parish.  And  so  the  ancient  lore  is  allowed 
to  decay,  and  no  new  seanachies  arise  to  take  the 
place  of  the  old  as  they,  one  after  another,  disappear 
into  the  unknown. 

Of  the  historical  legends  which  of  old  formed  no 
small  portion  of  the  folk-lore  of  the  Parish,  some  use 
has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages.  It  is  pro- 
prosed  to  deal  briefly  in  this  chapter  with  that  branch 
of  it  which  may  be  placed  under  the  head  of  The 
Supernatural. 

SATAN,  who  is  familiar  to  us  under  the  various 
names  of  An  Diabhal,  An  Droch  Spiorad,  An 
Droch  Rud,  An  Namhad,  An  Riabhach — that  is, 
The  Devil,  The  Evil  Spirit,  The  Evil  Thing,  The 
Adversary,  The  Speckled  One — occupies  the  first 

i  Ceilidh  (pronounced  kaily)  :   a  fire-side  social  gathering1. 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  4.19" 

place  in  our  local  system  of  demonology.     In  impious 
imitation    of    the    Godhead,    he    consists    of    three 
persons — the  Black  Devil,   the  Speckled,     and  the 
White,    the   latter   being   the    most    dangerous,    not 
only  on  account  of  his  excessive  share  of  evil,  but 
also  because  of  his  hypocrisy  and  the  difficulty  of 
distinguishing   him   from   an   angel   of   light.       The 
Devil's  appearances  have  been  without  number,  but 
he  has  been  especially  troublesome  to  the  Men.    Early 
in   the   nineteenth    century   an    elder   was    urgently 
called  upon,  on  a  dark  night,  to  visit  a  dying  man 
who  had  not  led  the  most  exemplary  of  lives.       The 
elder  hastened  to  the  sufferer's  house,  but  his  pro- 
gress was  soon  interrupted  by  the  cries  of  a  child. 
Making  for  the  spot  from  which  they  came,  he  found 
an   infant   lying   under   a   bush,    and   apparently   in 
great  distress.       To  wrap  it  in  his  plaid  and  take  it 
on  his  back  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment,  and  he 
again  pressed  forward  to  administer  the  consolations 
of   religion   to   the    suffering   sinner.       By-and-bye, 
however,    as  he   ascended  a   steep  hill,    his   burden 
became  so  heavy  that  he  was  forced  to  sit  down  on 
a   bank   and   rest.       When  he   tried   to   resume   his 
journey  he  found  it  impossible  to  rise,  and  he  then 
looked  behind  arid  saw,  to  his  amazement,  not  the 
child,    but    a    great   hideous   monster   which    glared 
upon  him  with  flaming  eyes,  and  clutched  him  with 
horny  fingers   about  the  throat  until  he  was  well- 
nigh  strangled.     The  good  man  at  once  realised  that 
this  was  the   Evil   One   endeavouring  to   keep   him 
away  from  the  death-bed,   and  he  invoked  the  aid 
and    protection    of    the    Trinity  —  whereupon    the 


420        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Enemy  disappeared  in  a  flash  of  light,  and  interfered 
with  him  no  more.  Hurrying  on,  he  soon  reached 
the  dying  man,  and  was  the  means  of  bringing  peace 
to  his  soul  before  he  closed  his  eyes  for  ever. 

A  somewhat  similar  story  relates  how  one  of 
the  Men,  journeying  at  night,  came  to  the  old  ford 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Enerick,  with  the 
intention  of  crossing.  On  reaching  the  bank  he 
found  the  stream  high,  and  a  boy  making  ineffectual 
efforts  to  wade  across.  Placing  the  boy  on  his 
back  he  entered  the  water.  When  in  mid-channel 
his  load  became  unbearably  heavy,  and  on  looking 
round  he  found  that  he  was  carrying  an  Evil  Thing 
of  great  size,  which  was  trying  hard  to  press  him 
under  the  water.  In  his  distress  he  called  upon  the 
Trinity,  and  instantly  the  Fiend  vanished  into  the 
dark. 

A  man  of  well-known  piety  and  grace,  who  was 
an  ornament  in  the  Church,  married  a  woman  of 
equally  good  disposition  and  temper;  and  much 
blessing  was  expected  to  result  from  the  union.  How 
disappointed  and  scandalized,  therefore,  were  all  good 
people  when  it  became  known  that  the  couple  had 
given  themselves  "up  to  discord  and  strife,  and  that 
their  fireside  was  the  most  unhappy  in  the  Parish ! 
Means  taken  to  get  them  to  agree  had  no  effect — 
each  declaring  that  the  other  was  a  fiend  and  roused 
feelings  of  a  most  fiendish  nature.  At  last  one  of 
the  Men  called,  in  sorrow  and  shame,  with  the  view 
of  pleading  with  them  to  put  an  end  to  the  scandal. 
On  approaching  the  house  he  was  distressed  to  hear 
high  sounds  of  anger  and  wrath.  Going  to  the 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH 

window  he  saw  the  husband  and  wife  in  the  height 
of  a  terrible  quarrel.  He  also  saw  that  they  were 
not  alone.  Between  them  moved  continually  a 
repulsive-looking  thing  which  did  its  best  to  keep 
them  going.  When  the  husband  gave  up,  the  Evil 
Thing  appeared  to  scratch  and  bite  him;  and  he 
instantly  started  afresh.  When  the  woman's  tongue 
slackened  speed,  she  was  attacked  in  the  same  way; 
and  on  she  went  with  renewed  energy.  Eightly 
concluding  that  the  mysterious  being  was  the 
Tempter  himself,  the  Man  boldly  entered  the  house, 
and,  severely  reprimanding  the  couple,  asked  them 
whether  they  knew  in  whose  company  they  were. 
They,  however,  had  seen  nothing;  but  on  his  sug- 
gestion they  agreed  to  join  him  in  prayer — with  the 
result  that  the  Fiend  flew  up  the  chimney,  and  that 
peace  ever  afterwards  reigned  in  the  house. 

The  Devil's  motive  in  harassing  good  men,  and 
creating  a  scandal  in  connection  with  a  pious  couple, 
is  not  far  to  seek;  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  under- 
stand why  he  delighted  in  harassing  and  destroying 
those  who  were  supposed  to  have  voluntarily  entered 
his  own  service.  The  case  of  the  factor  who  perse- 
cuted the  righteous,  and,  as  his  reward,  was  beaten 
to  death  by  the  Fiend,  is  well  known,  and  has 
already  been  related.1  Equally  well  authenticated  is 
the  history  of  Eobhan  Ban  a3  Bhocain — Fair  Ewen 
of  the  Goblin.  Ewen,  who  resided  in  Glenmoriston 
some  eighty  or  a  hundred  years  ago,2  entered  into  an 
unfortunate  paction  with  Satan,  under  which  he  was 

1  See  p.  379,  supra.  2  That  is,  before   1893. 


422        URQUHART  AND  GLENMOR1$TON 

bound  to  serve  him,  and  to  render  an  account  of  his 
stewardship  every  night  before  cock-crow.  For  a 
time  Ewen  faithfully  carried  out  the  terms  of  his 
agreement,  and  met  his  Master  every  night.  But 
the  latter  grew  more  and  more  exacting,  and  Ewen 
began  to  repent.  He  tried  to  break  off  his  nocturnal 
interviews;  but,  no  matter  where  he  was  when  the 
hour  of  meeting  arrived,  something  within  him 
forced  him  to  keep  the  appointment.  With  the 
view  of  getting  rid  of  his  tormentor,  he  sailed  for 
America.  But  at  sea  the  Evil  Thing  met  him  nightly, 
and  he  troubled  him  so  cruelly  in  America  that  he 
was  glad  to  come  back  to  his  own  country.  After 
his  return  the  meetings  were  for  a  period  kept  as 
before,  but  at  last  Ewen  arranged  with  certain  of 
his  neighbours  that  they  should  spend  a  night  with 
him  in  his  house,  and  prevent  his  going  out — by 
force,  if  necessary.  The  men  accordingly  sat  with 
him.  As  the  usual  hour  approached  Ewen  became 
restless,  and  felt  impelled  to  leave.  His  companions 
refused  to  let  him  go,  and  in  the  end  bound  him 
hand  and  foot.  Then  arose  a  high,  shrieking  wind 
that  shook  the  house  to  its  foundations,  and  strange 
sounds  and  noises  were  heard  which  became  so 
terrible  that  Ewen  was  released.  The  unfortunate 
man  walked  forth  into  the  dark.  He  did  not  return, 
and  next  morning  his  dead  body  was  found  stark 
and  stiff  on  a  neighbouring  heath. 

The  HAGS  and  GOBLINS  that  haunted  certain 
localities  were  almost  as  much  dreaded  as  the  Devil. 
The  worst  of  these  was  CAILLEACH  A'  CHRATHAICH, 
the  Hag  of  the  Craach — a  wild  and  mountainous 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  423 

district  lying  between  Corrimony  and  Glenmoriston. 
This  being  rejoiced  in  the  death  of  men,  the  Mac- 
millans  being  especially  the  objects  of  her  fierce 
malice.  Her  manner  was  to  accost  some  lonely  way- 
farer across  the  wilds,  and  secretly  deprive  him  of 
his  bonnet.  As  he  travelled  on  in  ignorance  of  his 
loss,  she  rubbed  the  bonnet  with  might  and  main. 
As  the  bonnet  was  worn  thin  by  the  friction,  the 
man  grew  weary  and  faint,  until  at  last,  when  a  hole 
appeared  in  it,  he  dropped  down  and  died.  In  this 
way  fell  at  least  five  Macmillans  within  the  last 
hundred  and  twenty  years — and  all  were  found  in  the 
heather  without  a  mark  of  violence.  Very  few 
escaped  from  her  toils.  One  evening,  Donald  Mac- 
millan,  Balmacaan,  met  her  at  Cragan  a'  Chrathaich, 
and  exchanged  a  passing  salutation  with  her.  He 
went  on  his  way  unaware  of  the  fact  that  she  had 
taken  his  bonnet.  His  eyes  were,  however,  soon 
opened,  and  he  hastened  back  to  the  Cragan,  where 
he  found  her  rubbing  his  head-gear  with  great  vigour. 
A  terrible  struggle  took  place  for  its  possession,  in 
which  he  in  the  end  prevailed;  but  as  he  hurried 
away  from  her  she  hissed  into  his  ear  that  he  would 
die  at  nine  o'clock  on  a  certain  evening.  When  the 
evening  arrived,  his  family  and  neighbours  gathered 
around  him,  and  prayed  and  read  the  Scriptures. 
The  hag's  words  were,  however,  to  be  fulfilled,  and, 
as  the  clock  struck  the  fatal  hour,  he  fell  back  in  his 
chair  and  expired. 

As  Cailleach  a'  Chrathaich,  who  was  last  seen  by 
a  member  of  the  Clan  Macdougall  who  is  now  dead, 


424        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

but  whose  son  still  lives  in  the  Parish,  was  the 
enemy  of  the  Macmillans,  so  CAILLEACH  ALLT-AN- 
DUNAIN  was  the  enemy  of  the  Macdougalls  and 
Macdonalds.  As  her  name  bears,  her  home  was  in 
Allt-an-Dunain — that  burn  which  runs  from  the 
Monadh  Leumnach  down  through  the  lands  of 
Clunebeg  until  it  falls  into  the  Coilty,  near  the 
Clunebeg  bridge.  Many  a  man  did  she  waylay  and 
destroy  on  his  way  across  the  bleak  Monadh 
Leumnach.  She  slew  Somerled  Macdonald  about  a 
hundred  years  ago,  at  a  place  on  the  Bunloit  road 
still  marked  by  his  cairn — Carn  Shomhairle.  She 
killed  Dugald  Macdougall  about  ninety  years  ago  at 
Carn  Dughaill  (Dugald' s  Cairn),  on  the  same  road; 
and  his  son,  young  Dugald,  fell  a  victim  to  her  near 
the  same  place  at  a  later  period.  She  was  last  seen 
about  forty  years  ago  by  an  estimable  woman  who 
still  survives  to  tell  the  tale,  notwithstanding  that  in 
her  veins  runs  the  blood  of  the  Macdonalds  and  the 
Macdougalls.1 

CAILLEACH  ALLT-SAIGH  was  a  female  goblin  of 
an  amiable  disposition,  who  did  what  she  could  to 
protect  people  from  the  malice  of  Cailleach  Allt-an- 
Dunain,  by  warning  them  of  her  malicious  projects; 
and  similar  services  were  rendered  to  intended 
victims  of  Cailleach  a*  Chrathaich  by  a  gentle  spirit 
who  inhabited  CRAGAN-NA-CAILLICH,  near  Torna- 
shee.  This  latter  being  had  a  passion  for  riding, 
and  it  is  told  that  she  accosted  Donald  Macrae, 

1  All  these  periods  run  back  from  1893.  Mary  Macdonald, 
Grotaig,  the  "  estimable  woman"  who  last  saw  the  Cailleach,  died 
in  1902. 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  425- 

Lochletter,  one  night  as  he  was  passing  the  Cragan, 
and  begged  him  for  a  culag — that  is,  a  seat  behind 
him  on  his  horse.  He  enquired,  "  Nach  bu  mhaith 
leat  bialag"-  — "  Would  you  not  as  soon  have  a  seat  in 
front?"  She  complied  with  his  suggestion,  and  leapt 
into  the  saddle  before  him.  Quietly  binding  her 
with  the  mare's-hair  rope  which  served  him  for  a 
rein,  he  took  her  home  by  force,  and  tied  her  to  one 
of  the  couples  of  his  dwelling.  Instantly  the  house 
was  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  elves,  who  shouted 
and  screamed,  and  stripped  the  building  of  every 
clod  and  stick  of  roof.  Macrae  had  enough  of 
her,  and  he  offered  to  let  her  go  if  she  would  cause 
the  house  to  be  restored  to  its  former  condition.  To 
this  she  agreed,  and  exclaimed— 

"  Gach  maid  is  sgrath, 
Gu  tigh  Mhic-Rath, 
Ach  leum-thar-'chrann  is  fiodhagach  !" 

("  Speed  wood  and  sod 

To  the  house  of  Macrae, 

Except  honeysuckle  and  bird  cherry  !") 

The  words  were  no  sooner  uttered  than  timber  and 
turf  flew  from  all  directions  and  placed  them- 
selves in  proper  position  on  the  roof,  until  it  was 
sufficiently  covered.  Then  Macrae  granted  the 
Cailleach  the  liberty  which  she  had  so  well  earned. 

The  mountain  stretch  at  Corri-Dho  which  is 
known  as  Tigh  Mor  na  Seilg — the  Great  House  of 
the  Hunting — was  the  haunt  of  a  male  goblin  known 
as  DAIBHIDH  (David),  and  of  a  female  spirit  named 
MOR.  These  two  strongly  objected  to  the  right 


426        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

which  the  Glen-Urquhart  tenantry  had  of  grazing 
their  cattle  in  summer  on  the  shielings  of  Corri- 
Dho,  and  they  were  repeatedly  seen  driving  away 
the  Glen-Urquhart  herds.  At  last  Daibhidh  was  so 
thoroughly  roused  that  he  pulled  a  great  fir  tree  up 
by  the  roots,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  Mor,  chased 
the  Urquhart  men  and  their  bestial  for  many  miles, 
until  he  sent  them  over  the  Glenmoriston  march 
beyond  Achnagoneran.  Daibhidh' s  words  on  the 
occasion  are  still  remembered  :— 

"  Is  learns'  Doire-Dhamh,  is  Doire-Dhaibhidh, 
Is  Boirisgidh  bhuidh  nan  alltain 
Is  Ceannachnoc  mhor  le  'fiodh  '&  le  'fasaich — 
A  bhodaichibh  dubh,  daithte,  togaibh  oirbh  !" 

("  Mine  are  Doire-Dhamh  and  Doire-Dhaibhidh, 
And  yellow  Boirisgidh  of  the  streams, 
And  wide  Ceanacroc,  with  its  woods  and  pasturages — 
Ye  black  and  singed  carles,  take  yourselves  away!") 

And  the  Urquhart  carles  did  take  themselves  away, 
and  never  again  showed  face  in  Corri-Dho. 

Another  male  goblin,  known  as  BOCAN-NA- 
SLEABHAICH — the  Goblin  of  the  Sleabhach — haunted 
the  high  ridge  (An  Sleabhach)  lying  between  Aonach 
and  Fort-Augustus;  but  he,  although  ugly,  was  of 
a  harmless  character.  Not  so  harmless  was  LAR 
BHAN  CHOIRE-DHO —  the  White  Mare  of  Corri- 
Dho.  The  White  Mare  was  for  generations  the 
cause  of  much  trouble  to  the  farmers  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston;  for,  if  they  let  loose  a  horse  any- 
where within  the  wide  bounds  of  the  Parish,  it  was 
almost  certain  to  make  oft'  and  seek  her  society.  At 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  427 

last  the  people  of  both  glens  met  and  resolved  to 
endeavour  to  destroy  her.  A  large  number  of  the 
boldest  and  swiftest  among  them  accordingly  formed 
a  ring  around  her  usual  haunts,  and  gradually  closed 
in  upon  her  until  she  had  apparently  no  way  of 
escape.  One  of  them,  Alasdair  Cutach  (Alexander 
the  Short),  a  member  of  the  Clann  Iain  Chaoil  of 
Olenmoriston,  was  bold  enough  to  seize  her  by  the 
tail.  He  had  cause  to  repent.  The  mare  rushed 
furiously  through  the  crowd,  dragging  behind  her 
the  wretched  Alasdair,  who,  to  his  horror,  found 
himself  unable  to  let  go  the  tail.  On,  on  she  flew, 
followed  by  the  fleetest  of  her  would-be  capturers, 
until,  after  a  run  of  many  miles,  she  came  to  Euigh 
an  t-Slochdain  Duibh,  in  the  mountain  region 
"between  Achnagoneran  and  Urquhart.  There  she 
and  Alasdair  disappeared.  Next  day  his  mangled 
corpse  was  found  on  the  moor.  The  White  Mare  has 
not  since  been  seen. 

The  FAIRIES  of  Urquhart  had  their  haunts  at 
Tornashee,  and  in  the  beautiful  sidheans  or 
fairy-knowes  of  Lochletter;  and  the  favourite 
retreats  of  their  Glenmoriston  brothers  and  sisters 
were  the  sidheans  of  Duldreggan.  The  fairies 
were  very  troublesome  to  the  people  of  the  Parish 
in  the  Olden  Times.  Not  only  did  they  carry  away 
young  mothers  to  become  wet-nurses  for  their  own 
elfish  imps,  and  human  babes — for  what  purpose  is 
not  quite  so  clear — but  they  also  milked  the  cows, 
and  took  the  substance  out  of  the  milk  in  the  dairies. 
Not  sixty  years  have  passed1  since  a  child  was  taken 

l  That  is,  had  not  passed  in  1893. 


428        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

out  of  a  Glen-Urquhart  cradle,  and  a  changeling  put 
in  its  place  which  soon  withered  away  and  died; 
and  their  last  attempt  to  steal  a  newly  made  mother 
has  not  yet  been  forgotten.  The  wife  of  Ewen  Mac- 
donald,  Duldreggan,  had  just  given  birth  to  his  first- 
born, when  he  went  out  at  night  to  attend  to  some 
necessary  duties  in  connection  with  his  farm.  As  he 
was  crossing  a  small  stream,  ever  since  known  as 
Caochan  na  Sgine — the  Streamlet  of  the  Knife — he 
heard  a  peculiar  rushing  sound  over  his  head,  and  a 
heavy  sigh  exactly  the  same  as  sighs  which  he  had 
within  the  last  hour  or  two  heard  his  wife  give. 
Instantly  realising  what  had  occurred,  he  threw  his 
knife  into  the  air  in  name  of  the  Trinity,  and  his 
wife  dropped  down  before  him.  She  was  being 
carried  away  by  the  fairies,  when  his  presence  of 
mind  saved  her. 

Two  men  were  reaping  at  Duldreggan  one  very 
hot  day,  when  one  of  them  expressed  a  strong  desire 
for  a  drink  of  butter-milk.  Instantly  a  little  woman 
appeared  and  offered  him  a  draught  from  a  vessel 
which  she  carried.  He  declined;  but  his  companion 
drank,  and  died  within  a  year  and  a  day. 

A  farmer  slept  on  the  Sidhean  Buidhe — the 
Yellow  Fairy-knowe  —  at  Duldreggan,  and  was- 
awakened  by  a  child's  cries  coming  from  under- 
neath him.  Placing  his  ear  against  the  sod, 
he  heard  a  voice  hushing  the  child  to  rest,  and 
telling  it  that  the  white  cow  would  spill  her  milk 
that  evening,  and  that  it  then  might  drink  its  fill. 
Tho  white  cow  was  the  farmer's  own,  and  on  his 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  429 

return  home  he  informed  his  wife  of  what  he  had 
heard,  and  warned  her  to  be  careful  that  no  milk 
was  spilt.  Notwithstanding  her  utmost  care,  how- 
ever, the  white  cow  kicked  the  pail,  and  sent  its 
•contents  over  the  sward. 

Sometimes  the.  fairies  stole  not  only  the  milk, 
but  also  the  cattle — as  in  the  case  of  the  Gobha 
Mor  of  Polmaily1 — and  substituted  a  wretched 
breed  of  their  own,  which  pined  away  and  died. 
Beautiful  maidens  of  their  race  made  love  to  young 
men,  with  fatal  results  to  the  latter;  and,  worse 
still,  they  sometimes  threw  their  glamour  over 
married  men,  and  made  them  desert  their  lawful 
wives.  The  Gobha  Mor,  as  we  saw,  prospered 
through  his  intercourse  with  his  leannan-sidhe,  or 
iairy-love ;  but  his  was  an  exceptional  case,  and  the 
result  of  such  traffic  was,  as  a  rule,  disastrous,  if  not 
fatal,  to  the  human  transgressor. 

Although  the  fairies  thus  bred  mischief  and 
misfortune  among  the  people  of  the  Parish,  they 
themselves  appear  to  have  enjoyed  life  as  if  they 
were  guiltless  of  sin.  Their  dances  on  the  green 
sward  on  moonlight  nights  are  still  remembered, 
and  the  enchanting  music  which  was  heard  issuing 
from  their  knowes  by  persons  whose  children  still 
live  has  not  yet  ceased  to  be  spoken  of.  In  Glen- 
Urquhart  their  general  evil  reputation  was  to  some 
extent  relieved  by  the  good  deeds  of  one  of  their 
number — the  GOBHA  SIDHE,  or  Fairy  Smith,  of 
'Tornashee.  Whoever  in  the  Glen  was  in  need 

1  See  page  100  supra. 


430        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

of  a  reaping  hook,  spade,  or  other  such  imple- 
ment, had  only  to  leave  in  the  evening  a  piece 
of  iron  at  the  stone  of  Clach-na-hurrain,  in 
Tornashee  wood,  along  with  a  suitable  offering 
for  the  Fairy  Smith;  and  when  he  returned  next 
morning  he  found  the  article  he  wanted  awaiting 
him.  At  last,  a  certain  person  deposited  a  wooden 
lint-beater,  in  order  that  it  might  be  converted  into 
an  iron  mallet.  On  his  return,  he  found  the  beater 
untouched,  and,  as  he  raised  it  in  his  hands,  an  echo- 
reached  his  ear  :-- 

"  Cha  shimid  e,  cha  shimid  e, 
Ach  maide-buailidh  linn ; 
Is  buille  cha  dean  mise  tuille 
'An  coille  Thoir-na-sidhe  !" 

("  'Tis  not  a  mallet,  'tis  not  a  mallet, 
But  a  stick  for  beating  lint ; 
And  I  shall  never  work  again 
In  the  wood  of  Tornashee  !"). 

The  Fairy  Smith  had,  indeed,  been  greatly  offended, 
and  from  that  day  until  now  neither  he  nor  his  handi- 
work has  been  seen  in  Urquhart. 

Although  no  record  remains  in  the  Parish  of  any 
WITCHES  of  outstanding  notoriety  or  power,  Glen- 
Urquhart  has  known  not  a  few  of  mediocre  talent. 
According  to  tradition  the  Urquhart  witches  were, 
hundreds  of  years  ago,  the  bearers  of  the  stones  for 
the  walls  of  Urquhart  Castle.  These  stones  were' 
brought  from  the  districts  of  Caiplich  and  Abriachan, 
and  the  rock  from  which  the  wretched  carriers  got 
the  first  sight  of  the  Castle,  as  they  toiled  towards  it 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  431 

with  their  burdens,  is  to  this  day  called  Cragan  nam. 
Mallachd — the  Eock  of  the  Curses.  The  great  place 
of  meeting  of  the  Urquhart  witches  was  An  Clarsach 
(The  Harp),  a  rock  on  the  shore  of  Loch  Ness,  and 
within  the  bounds  of  the  farm  of  Tychat.  There  they 
could  be  seen  congregated  on  certain  nights  under  the 
presidency  of  his  Satanic  Majesty,  who  sat  on  a  ledge 
of  the  rock,  and,  when  not  engrossed  in  more  serious 
business,  played  to  them  on  bagpipes  and  stringed 
instruments — which  circumstance  gave  the  rock  its 
name.  The  effect  of  his  music  on  the  old  women  was 
marvellous  :  they  danced  and  flung  as  no  maid  of 
seventeen  ever  did,  and  indulged  in  pranks  and 
cantrips  which  the  lithest  athlete  could  not  touch. 
Their  evil  influence  was  exercised  quietly  and  in 
secret,  and  involved  the  objects  of  their  attentions 
in  misfortune,  or  even  death.  We  have  seen  how 
a  witch  in  the  shape  of  a  hare  was  responsible  for 
the  fatal  fight  at  Corribuy,  and  how  a  later  generation 
of  the  evil  race  helped  to  bring  about  the  death  of  an 
erring  factor.  The  merits  of  the  corp  creadh — the 
clay  corpse — which  proved  so  fatal  on  the  latter 
occasion,  have  not  yet  been  forgotten.  Within  the 
last  quarter  of  a  century1  two  such  images,  stuck 
with  pins,  have  been  discovered  in  the  Glen. 

The  witches,  however,  made  themselves  most 
troublesome  in  connection  with  the  dairy  industry  of 
the  Parish.  They  were  greater  experts  than  even 
the  fairies  at  the  art  of  taking  the  substance  out  of 
the  milk.  Cream  frequently  refused  to  be  churned 

l  Counted  back  from  1893. 


432        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

into  butter,  and  cheese  was  often  so  thoroughly 
deprived  of  its  essence  that  it  tasted  like  baked  saw- 
dust, and  floated  like  a  cork.  In  the  early  years  of 
the  nineteenth  century  the  dairy  work  on  the  large 
farm  of  Shewglie  was  in  this  way  completely 
suspended.  No  butter  would  come  from  the  cream, 
and  no  cheese  worthy  of  the  name  would  come  from 
the  milk.  In  his  extremity,  Macdougall,  the  farmer, 
proposed  to  consult  the  famous  Willox  of  Tomintoul, 
who  worked  marvellous  cures  with  the  Warlock's 
Stone  and  the  Kelpie's  Bridle.  Before  doing  so, 
however,  he  sought  the  advice  of  the  saintly  Duncan 
of  Buntait.  His  advice  was  that  he  should  avoid  the 
Warlock  and  appeal  to  the  Almighty.  A  prayer 
meeting  was  accordingly  held,  and  special  prayers 
offered  up;  and  henceforth  Macdougall  had  no  more 
reason  to  complain. 

Somewhat  akin  to  witchcraft  was  that  species 
of  DIVINATION  which  was  known  by  the  name  of 
TAGHAIRM.  Two  forms  of  it  were  practised  in  Glen- 
moriston — Taghairm  nan  Daoine  (the  Taghairm  of 
Men),  and  Taghairm  nan  Cat  (the  Taghairm  of  Cats). 
The  last  expert  in  this  black  art  was  Alasdair  Mac 
Iain  'Ic  Iain,  who  flourished  at  Ballintombuy,  in 
that  Glen,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  When  he  wished  to  operate  with  men,  he 
placed  himself  within  a  large  cauldron  just  outside  the 
entrance  of  the  ancient  burying-ground  of  Clachan 
Mheircheird,  and  from  there  summoned  the  dead  to 
rise  and  pass  before  him.  This  they  did  until  the 
one  appeared  who  was  able  to  communicate  the 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  433 

Information  which  he  required.  On  one  occasion, 
when  he  was  in  this  way  making  an  unusually  bold 
attempt  to  solve  the  mysteries  of  the  future, 
the  dead  arose  and  streamed  out  of  the  burying- 
ground,  until  three  thousand  of  them  crowded  the 
surrounding  fields;  but  still  no  glimpse  of  the  future 
was  given  to  the  seer.  At  last  the  form  of  his  own 
dead  niece  appeared,  and  revealed  to  him  the  evils 
that  were  to  befall  himself.  He  never  practised  his 
art  again — but  his  niece's  prophecies  were  in  due 
time  fulfilled,  and  his  career  was  closed  by  a  party 
of  Lochabermen,  who  shot  him  down  as  he  tried  to 
turn  back  the  cattle  which  they  were  in  the  act  of 
taking  from  him.  He  fell  three  times  before  he 
expired,  and  the  places  are  marked  by  three  cairns 
to  this  day. 

The  person  who  would  learn  of  the  future  by 
Taghairm  nan  Cat  had  to  stand  before  a  great  fire, 
and  keep  roasting  live  cats  on  spits,  until,  in 
response  to  their  cries  of  agony,  large  black  demon- 
cats  appeared,  and  gave  the  sought-for  information. 
The  same  result  was  sometimes  attained  through  the 
turning  of  the  sieve  and  the  shears,  which  had  the 
effect  of  raising  the  Devil. 

The  EVIL  EYE  has  often  been  looked  upon  as  of 
the  nature  of  witchcraft.  While,  however,  the  latter 
was  a  gift  bestowed  on  human  beings  as  the  result 
of  a  voluntary  compact  with  Satan,  the  former  was 
an  involuntary  acquisition  for  which  the  unfortunate 
possessor  was  not  responsible.  If  he  praised  a 

28 


434        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

beast,  that  beast  was  sure  to  die — as  numerous 
instances  which  have  occurred  within  recent  years 
amply  prove.  It  is  told  of  Alexander  Grant  of 
Shewglie — the  same  who  was  involved  in  the  troubles 
of  The  Forty-Five — that  his  Evil  Eye  was  so  little 
under  his  control  that  his  own  best  cattle  had  to  be 
kept  out  of  his  sight.  If  he  admired  them  even 
mentally,  death  invariably  followed. 

The  SECOND  SIGHT  was  another  gift  which  most 
men  who  possessed  it  would  willingly  do  without. 
They  knew  of  the  approach  of  death  by  death- 
candles,  wraiths,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  taibhse. 
Sounds  of  hammer  and  saw  within  the  carpenter's 
shop,  when  the  carpenter  was  in  bed,  foretold 
the  making  of  the  coffin;  and  the  phantom  funeral 
was  invariably  followed  by  the  real  one.  After 
death  men  frequently  appeared  to  their  old  com- 
panions.1 And  there  still  lives  in  Urquhart  the 
man2  who  last  saw  the  battle  of  Blar-an-Aonaich 
behind  Culnakirk  —  spectre  armies  engaged  in  a 
sanguinary  struggle,  forboding,  it  is  feared,  a  con- 
flict and  carnage  the  like  of  which  our  Parish  has  not 
yet  seen. 

Fortunately  for  the  people  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston,  certain  measures  were  known  which, 
if  taken,  served  to  ward  off  or  mitigate  the  numerous 

1  Alexander  Mackay,  the  laird  who  sold  Achmonie,  for  years  after 
his   death  continued  his  old  earthly  custom   of  visiting-  his  stables. 
It  is  not  certain  that  the  Rev.   James  Doune  Smith  has  yet  discon- 
tinued his  nightly  stroll  between  the  Manse  and  the  cross-roads  on 
the  Blairbeg1  and  Drumnadrochit  Road. 

2  Peter  Eraser,  farmer,  Culnakirk— now  dead   (1913). 


FOLK-LORE    IN    THE    PARISH  435 

supernatural  evils  to  which  they  were  exposed. 
Charms  and  incantations  were  the  commonest  pre- 
ventives. The  Bible  or  a  bar  of  iron  was  placed  in 
the  bed  or  the  cradle,  to  protect  the  young  mother, 
or  child  from  elfish  thieves.  The  protective  virtues 
of  the  rowan  tree  were  almost  universal.  Oblations 
of  milk  were  freely  poured  on  the  fairy-knowes,  to 
appease  their  mischievous  inhabitants.  Fifty  years 
ago1  a  live  cock  was  buried  at  Lewistown  as  a  peace 
offering  to  the  spirit  of  epilepsy.  At  an  earlier 
period  lambs  were  buried  at  the  threshold  of 
dwelling-houses  and  cow-huts,  as  a  protection  from 
the  demons  that  sought  admission;  while  the 
growing  corns  were  similarly  guarded  from  evil  by 
a  marching  through  and  around  them  of  persons 
carrying  blazing  torches  on  the  eve  of  St  John  the 
Baptist.  A  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  wells  of  the 
Temple  and  St  Columba,  and  a  faithful  and  proper 
use  of  their  waters,  not  only  cured  the  pilgrim  of  his 
bodily  ailments,  but  also  shielded  him  from  the  darts 
of  the  Evil  One  and  his  agents.2  And  even  after 
the  spirit  of  man  left  his  body,  it  was  possible  to 
protect  the  latter  from  the  demons  that  hovered 
around  it.  Not  more  than  seventy  years  have  passed 

1  That  is,  before  1893. 

2 "  There  is  a  farm  in  it  "  [Glen-Urquhart],  wrote  William 
Lorimer  in  1763,  "  called  The  Temple,  where  there  stand  the  ruins  of 
a  church  and  a  consecrated  well  to  which  superstitious  people  resort 
for  curing-  several  diseases."  People  still  live  [in  1893]  who 
remember  this  custom,  and  who  saw  the  walls  and  trees  near  the  well 
almost  covered  with  bits  of  cloth  left  by  persons  who  imagined  they 
thus  left  their  diseases  behind  them.  Coins  were  also  left  in  the 
well  as  offering's. 


436        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

since  the  handbell  which  for  centuries  was  carried  at 
funerals,  and  kept  ringing  in  front  of  the  coffin  for 
the  safeguard  of  its  mortal  contents,  was  discontinued 
in  Glen-Urquhart  as  a  relic  of  Popery.  It  was  really 
a  relic  of  a  belief  which  existed  before  the  Pope,  and 
even  before  Christianity.1 

1  The  tell— An  Clagan  Beag  (The  Little  Bell)— was  carried  by  the 
beadle,  who  was  paid  a  small  fee.  The  last  who  carried  it  was  Ewen 
Koy  Macfie,  who  was  beadle  for  many  years.  When  the  custom  was 
discontinued — at  the  instance  of  John  Macdonald  the  Catechist — the 
change  was  objected  to  not  only  by  Ewen  but  by  many  of  the  people, 
and  a  little  agitation  was  got  up  on  the  subject.  The  bell,  unfor- 
tunately, disappeared  with  the  custom. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  437 


CHAPTEE     XXII 

INDUSTRIAL  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE  IN   THE   PARISH 

Origin  and  History  of  Agriculture  and  Land-Ownership. — 
Davachs  and  other  Divisions. — Rise  and  Fall  of  Popula- 
tion.— Sub-Division  of  Holdings. — The  Occupiers  of  the 
Soil. — Origin  of  the  Crofter. — Leases. — Agricultural 
Productions  and  Customs. — Ancient  Trade  in  Cattle, 
Skins,  Wool,  and  Furs. — Rents  and  Services. — Founda- 
tion of  Lewistown  and  Milton. — Famines. — Game  Laws. 
— An  Ancient  Royal  Forest. — Timber  Traffic. — Trades. — 
Old  Industries. — Copper  Mine. — Iron  Works. — Lime 
Manufacture. — Distaff  and  Spindle. — Linen  and  Woollen 
Factories. — Introduction  of  Spinning  Wheels. — Ale. — 
An  Ancient  Brew-house. — Whisky-making.  —  Modern 
Breweries.- — Roads  and  Bridges. — Traffic  on  Loch  Ness. — 
Ancient  Boats. — Cromwell's  Frigate. — The  Highland 
Galley. — Steamboats. — Highland  Hospitality. — Inns. — 
Samuel  Johnson  at  Aonach. — The  Dwellings  of  the  Past. 
— Modern  Improvements. — Law  and  Order. — Sanctuaries. 
—Baron  Courts  and  their  Procedure. — Curious  adminis- 
trative division  of  the  Parish. — Church  Courts. — The 
Poor. — Social  Customs. — Fights  and  Feuds. — Modern 
Changes. — The  Conclusion. 

IF  we  could  but  raise  the  thick  curtain  that  shuts 
out  the  distant  past  from  our  view,  we  would  see 
our  remote  ancestor  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston 
dwelling  in  caves  and  crevices,  or  clustered  with  his 
fellows  in  the  hut-circles  whose  remains  still  cover 
the  higher  moorlands  of  the  Parish,  a  stranger  to 
tillage  and  pasturage,  wandering  in  search  of  food 


438        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

over  a  land  which  he  has  not  yet  learned  to  call 
his  own.  Coming  nearer  our  own  time,  we  would 
find  him  the  possessor  of  flocks  which  roam  with 
those  of  the  other  members  of  his  family  or  tribe 
over  a  district  which  he  and  they  have  marked  out 
for  themselves,  and  vaguely  claim  as  their  common 
possession.  At  a  later  period  we  would  see  him 
combining  his  pastoral  pursuits  with  the  art  of 
husbandry,  and  cultivating  patches  of  land  on  the 
run-rig  system;  or,  later  still,  enclosing  his  arable 
fields  and  their  surroundings,  and  appropriating 
them  to  himself,  or  holding  them  for  certain  dues 
or  services  under  a  chief  or  other  person  who  has 
already  acquired  a  right  of  ownership  to  them. 

At  what  precise  period  this  last  stage  was 
reached  in  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  say.  If  we  literally  accept  the  words  of  Dio, 
who  wrote  in  the  third  century,  there  was  in  his 
time  no  tillage  in  what  we  now  know  as  the  High- 
lands of  Scotland,  the  people  living  "  by  pasturage, 
the  chase,  and  certain  berries."  But  probably  we 
ought  not  to  read  this  as  meaning  that  they  were 
absolutely  without  knowledge  of  husbandry;  for  in 
the  time  of  Columba — the  sixth  century — corn, 
agricultural  operations,  and  farm  buildings  were  so 
common  as  to  prove  that  agriculture  was  not  then  of 
very  recent  introduction.  In  Columba's  time,  too, 
the  right  of  private  property  in  land  was  known, 
and  not  only  was  lona  conferred  on  himself,  but  from 
his  day  downwards  lands  were  from  time  to  time 
granted  to  his  followers  and  successors,  who  were 
the  great  teachers  of  husbandry  in  the  Highlands. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  439 

Their  possessions  in  our  Parish  have  already  been 
referred  to.1  Until  the  eleventh  or  twelfth  century, 
the  owners  of  the  soil  held  it  on  the  unwritten 
title  of  duchas.  Then  written  charters  became 
common — issuing  in  the  first  instance  from  the 
King,  from  whom  all  right  was  held  to  flow.  The 
first  title  now  known  of  land  in  our  Parish  is  the 
agreement  of  1233  between  Sir  Alan  Durward  and 
the  Chancellor  of  Moray.2 

With  the  exception  of  the  lands  which  belonged 
to  the  Church,  the  whole  territory  now  embraced  in 
the  Parish  formed,  from  the  earliest  time  of  which 
we  have  record  till  1509,  one  large  domain,  attached 
as  a  rule  to  the  Castle,  and  held  by  the  King  or  by 
persons  to  whom  the  King  granted  it.3  In  1509  this 
territory  was  alienated  from  the  Crown,  and  divided 
into  three  estates — Urquhart,  Corrimony,  and  Glen- 
moriston — and  granted  to  the  Laird  of  Grant  and 
his  two  sons.  In  1557  the  old  Church  property  of 
Achmonie  was  acquired  by  John  Mackay.  In 
that  year,  therefore,  there  were  four  private  pro- 
prietors in  the  Parish.  That  number  continued 
with  certain  variations  till  1779,  when  Achmonie 
was  purchased  by  the  Laird  of  Grant.  In  1825  the 
estate  of  Lakefield  (now  Kilmartin)  was  formed  out 
of  Corrimony,  and  the  old  number  of  four  heritors 
was  thus  restored. 

1  See  Chap.  xvii. 

2  See  p.  16,,  supra. 

3  In  this  domain  was  also  included  that  portion  of  the  forest  of 
Cluanie  which  lies  to  the  east  of  the  water-shed,,  and  now  forms  part 
of  the  estate  of  Kintail.     See  footnote  p.  448  infra. 


440  TJRQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

The  early  Celts  sometimes  divided  their  lands  into 
davachs — the  word  being  dabhach,   a  vat  or  large 
vessel  used  for  measuring  or  holding  corn,  and  the 
meaning  of  it  as  applied  to  land  being,  a  sufficient 
extent  for  the  sowing  of  a  dabhach  of  seed.     To  this 
extent  of  arable  land  was  attached  a  certain  outrun  of 
moorland  or  of  green  pasture.       Where  the  word 
davach,  or  its  equivalent  doch,  is  found,  it  proves  that 
part  at  least  of  the  lands  to  which  it  is  applied  was 
under  tillage  before  the  twelfth  century,  when  Saxon 
or  Southern  systems  of  measurement  came  into  use  in 
the  North.       Glenmoristori  was  divided  into  several 
davachs,  and  Urquhart  into  ten,  which  are  still  known 
as    the    Ten    Davachs    of    Urquhart — Deich   Dochan 
Urchudainn.       In  our  Parish  the  word  davach  first 
appears  in  Sir  Alan  Durward's  deed  of  1233,  and  the 
division  indicates  that  at  one  time  Urquhart  consisted 
of   ten   large   holdings    corresponding   with   the    ten 
davachs.     Some  of  these  were  subsequently  divided 
into  half  davachs,  quarter  davachs,  and  bolls. 

It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  increase  within  the 
last  four  centuries  of  the  number  of  agricultural  hold- 
ings. The  charters  of  1509  show  that  what  is  now 
the  estate  of  Urquhart  (including  Achmonie)  consisted 
of  18  holdings,  Corrimony  of  4,  and  Glenmoriston  of 
12.  Eandolph's  charter  to  Sir  Eobert  Chisholm,  in 
1345,  proves  that  some  at  least  of  those  divisions 
existed  in  that  year,  and  the  fact  that  they  are  in  1509 
described  by  their  Old  Extent  values  would  appear  to 
show  that  the  divisions  existed  as  far  back  as  the 
thirteenth  century,  when  the  Old  Extent  valuation 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  441 

was  made.  The  tenants  of  these  large  holdings  had 
sub-tenants  under  them.  In  1548  there  were  still  18 
holdings  on  Urquhart  and  Achmonie,  which  were 
occupied  by  111  tenants  and  sub-tenants.  In  1636 
the  tenants  and  sub-tenants  numbered  110.  In  1765 
the  estate  of  Urquhart  proper  was  let  to  81  tenants, 
who  had  under  them  70  sub -tenants  and  50  cottars, 
exclusive  of  the  sub-tenants  and  cottars  of  Shewglie, 
who  probably  numbered  10.  Achmonie  at  the  time 
had  11  tenants.  In  1808  the  sub-tenants  were  made 
crofters,  holding  directly  of  the  proprietor;  and 
Urquhart  and  Achmonie  were  divided  into  169 
holdings,  including  the  allotments  of  Milton  and 
Lewistown,  but  exclusive  of  cottars  possessing  houses 
and  gardens  only.  After  that  year  the  population, 
which  had  for  ages  been  kept  down  by  war  and 
spoliation  and  famine,  rapidly  increased,  with  the 
result  that  the  holdings  were  gradually  sub-divided, 
until  they  now  number  306,  exclusive  of  106  cottars 
having  houses  and  gardens.1 

1  That  is,  in  1893.  In  connection  with  these  figures,  it  may  be 
interesting  to  note  the  population  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  at 
various  periods.  In  1755,  according  to  Webster's  returns,  the  inhabi- 
tants numbered  1943.  In  1763  they  were  estimated  by  Lorimer  at 
2000.  The  following  are  the  numbers  in  the  census  years  : — In  1801, 
2633;  in  1811,  2446  (a  reduced  number,  chiefly  brought  about  by  the 
absence  of  many  men  in  the  war);  in  1821,  2786;  in  1831,  2942;  in  1841, 
3104;  in  1851,  3280;  in  1861,  2911;  in  1871,  2769;  in  1881,  2437;  in  1891, 
2035;  in  1901,  1828;  and  in  1911,  1675.  The  steady  decrease  which  has 
been  going  on  since  1851,  when  the  population  reached  the  highest 
point  which  it  ever  touched,  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the 
young  men  are  not  now  satisfied  with  remaining  at  home  as  their 
fathers  did,  but  go  out  into  the  world,  and  that  the  young  women 
also  leave  home  to  "better"  themselves  elsewhere.  In  1881  there  were 
2115  persons  in  the  Parish  speaking  Gaelic;  1633  in  1891;  1396  in 
1901;  and  1147  in  1911. 


442        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

While  the  principal  tenants  or  tacksmen  have 
since  the  sixteenth  century  held  their  holdings  on 
formal  written  leases,1  their  sub-tenants  were 
occupiers-at-will,  and  whatever  rights  or  privileges 
they  enjoyed  were  of  a  meagre  and  unsatisfactory 
nature.  Many  of  them  were  descendants  of  the  old 
nativi,  or  serfs,2  and  continued  till  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  to  be  dependent  on  the  land- 
owners and  tacksmen,  and  to  be  virtually  their 
servants.  They  are  still  remembered  by  the  name  of 
malanaich — that  is,  mailers,  or  payers  of  mail  or 
small  rent,  as  distinguished  from  the  tuath — the  name 
applied  in  the  district  of  Loch  Ness  to  large  farmers; 
and  their  condition  in  1763  is  thus  described  by  Mi- 
William  Lorimer,  tutor,  and  latterly  secretary,  to 
-Sir  James  Grant: — "There  are  few  or  no  sub- 
tenants, strictly  speaking,  that  is,  persons  who 
have  some  possessions  of  ground  from  the  prin- 
cipal tenants;  but  there  are  many  cottagers  or 
cottars,  called  also  mealers  [mailers].  A  tenant 
has  one,  two,  perhaps  three,  of  these,  to  whom  he 
gives  the  liberty  to  build  a  house  on  his  farm.  This 
house  has  three  couples,  with  other  kinds  of  wood, 
all  of  which  are  taken  out  of  the  Laird's  woods 
without  any  payment  to  him.  This  mealer  pays  to 

1  The  oldest  agricultural  lease  now  extant  of  lands  in  the  Parish 
is   one   by   the   Bishop   of   Moray   to   Mackay   of   Achmonie   in    1554 
(Appendix  C),  which  was  in  1557  exchanged  for  a  charter  (Appendix 
D).     An  early  specimen  of  the  Grant  leases  is  given  in  Appendix  C. 

2  The  Wolf  of  Badenoch's  nativi,  or  native  slaves,  are  mentioned 
in  1389 — see  p.  45  supra.     Among  the  Wester  Bunloit  sufferers  in  the 
Oreat  Raid  of  1545  was  John  McGillechrist  Mor  Mcinfuttir — John, 
son  of  Big  Christopher,  son  of  the  Fuidir  or  stranger  bondsman. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH 

the  tenant  yearly  a  merk  [13s  4d  Scots,  or  Is 
stg.]  for  every  couple  for  this  house.  The  mealer 
has  also  a  cow,  to  which  the  tenant  allows  a  little 
grass.  He  has  also  a  few  sheep;  and  the  tenant,  for 
this  grass,  and  the  liberty  of  the  pasture  of  the 
sheep,  causes  the  cottar  or  mealer  keep  his  sheep, 
and  gets  other  little  services  from  him."  These 
mailers  were  converted  into  crofters  by  Sir  James, 
who  had  the  estate  of  Urquhart  surveyed,  and  the 
holdings  re-adjusted,  in  1808.  To  him— the  Good 
Sir  James,  as  he  was  called  in  his  own  day — the 
Parish  owes  much.  From  his  succession  in  1773— 
or  rather  from  1761,  when  his  father  (the  Ludovick 
Grant  of  The  Forty-Five),  entrusted  him  with  the 
management  of  the  estate — till  his  death  in  1811,  he 
never  ceased  to  labour  for  the  improvement  of  the  lot 
of  his  people,  employing  them  in  planting,  and  the 
construction  of  roads,  bridges,  and  river  embank- 
ments; encouraging  the  erection  of  stone-built 
houses,  and  the  cultivation  of  flax  and  the  potato; 
introducing  turnips  and  rye-grass;  and  insisting  for 
the  first  time  on  a  regular  rotation  of  cropping, 
and  on  good  husbandry  generally.1  To  emigration, 
which  became  common  in  his  time,  he  strongly 
objected,  and  with  the  view  of  keeping  the  people 
at  home  he  founded  the  villages  of  Lewistown  and 
Milton,  and  attached  allotments  to  them  for  the 

1  Flax,  oats,  barley,  and  bear  are  mentioned  as  crops  in  Urquhart 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  place-names  Shewglie  (Seagalaidh), 
and  Lag-an-t-Seagail  in  Wester  Bunloit,  show  that  rye  was  grown; 
and  the  name  Druim-a'-Chruithneachd,  on  the  old  farm  of  Shewglie, 
indicates  that  wheat  was  not  unknown.  The  potato  was  introduced 
early  in  the  eighteenth  century. 


444        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

use  of  artisans  and  labourers.  From  the  written 
"  Scheme  "  of  Lewistown,  still  preserved  at  Castle 
Grant,  it  is  evident  he  expected  the  village  to  grow 
into  a  place  of  some  importance. 

While  the  mailers'  lot  must  always  have  been  a 
hard  one — the  famines  which  periodically  visited  the 
Parish  being  specially  hard  upon  them1 — the  large 
tenants,  as  a  rule,  enjoyed  a  rough  prosperity,  in  spite 
of  the  wTars  and  spoliations  from  which  they  frequently 
suffered.  Not  only  did  they  grow  large  quantities  of 
corn  as  early  at  least  as  the  sixteenth  century,  but  they 
also,  at  an  earlier  period  still,  possessed  great  numbers 
of  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  goats,  and  pigs,  which  found 
their  way  in  droves  to  the  south  of  the  Grampians.8" 

1  The   famines  were  sometimes  the   result   of  war  or   spoliation ; 
sometimes  they  were  caused  by  the  failure  of  the  crops.     The  periods 
of  waste  which,  as  we  have  seen,  occurred  in  the  15th  and  16th  cen- 
turies, must  have  had  their  corresponding-  periods  of  want.    There  was 
a  scarcity  in  1624;  a  long-  period  of  distress  from  1689  to  1693,  during* 
which  the  tenants  were  unable  to  pay  rent;  and  a  famine  in  1697,  when 
food  was  so  scarce  that  The  Chisholm  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  a 
peck  of  meal  in  Inverness,  "  neather  for  gold  or  monie  in  hand,"  as 
his  Inverness  merchant  writes  him.     A  famine  and  pestilence  followed 
The  Forty-Five  and  its  outrages.     In  1782  there  was  an  entire  failure 
of  crop,  which  was  followed  by  great  destitution.     To  relieve  the  dis- 
tressed, Sir  James  Grant  sent  from  London  to  Urquhart,  according  to 
a  letter  from  himself  to  Grant  of  Lochletter,  "  10  ton  of  choice  picked 
potatoes  for   seed,   100   bolls  of  white  pease   for   meal,   and   50   bolls 
Blanesly  seed  oats."     The  year  is  still  remembered  in   Urquhart  as 
"  Bliadhna  na  Peasarach  Bana,"  the  Year  of  the  White  Pease;  and 
it  is  still  told  how  people  died  of  want,  and  how  others  managed  to 
subsist  on  blood  drawn  from  living  cattle,  and  on  nettles  and  other 
wild  herbs. 

2  Sir  William  Fitzwarine,  in  his  letter  from  Urquhart  to  Edward 
the  First,  in  1297,  acknowledges  the  King's  "  letter  about  wool  and 
hides."     Droves  of  cattle,   sheep,   and  pigs  were  sent  to   Edward  at 
Lochindorb,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  any  of  them  were  sent  from 
Urquhart.     In   1502  the  Laird  of  Grant  supplied  the   Scottish   King 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  445 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  months  the  herds  and 
flocks  were  kept  on  the  higher  moorlands,  which  were 
separated  from  the  arable  fields  and  lower  pastures  by 
the  extensive  head-dykes  whose  remains  still  almost 
surround  the  glens,  or,  in  the  warmer  days  of  June, 
July,  and  early  August,  in  the  distant  shielings,  to 
which  a  certain  number  of  the  people  annually 
migrated,  and  which  were  the  scenes  of  much  inno- 
cent mirth  and  recreation.1  Later  in  the  year  thev 

J  *j 

fed  on  the  hitherto  preserved  pastures  within  the  head- 
dykes  ;  and,  after  the  corn  was  secured,  on  the  pasture 
lands  and  stubble  fields.  With  the  exception  of  the 
milk  cows,  the  cattle  were  seldom  housed  in  winter, 
and  in  severe  seasons  many  of  them  perished  before 
the  return  of  spring. 

Before  the  introduction  of  coined  money  into 
Scotland  in  the  reign  of  David  the  First,  tenants 
paid  their  rent  in  kind — in  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  cloth, 
corn,  cheese,  and  other  produce.  It  was  known  in 
Gaelic  as  cain,  a  word  which  has  come  down  to  our 
own  day  in  such  expressions  as  ' '  kain  fowl . ' '  After 

with  "  69  marts,  with  skins."  In  1526  Boece  (Bellenden's  Transla- 
tion) writes  : — "  Beside  Lochnes,  quhilk  is  xxiv  milis  of  lenth,  and  xii 
of  breid,  ar  mony  wild  hors;  and,  amang  thame,  ar  mony  martrikis 
[martens],  bevers,  quhitredis  [weasels],  and  toddis  [foxes]  :  the  fur- 
ringis  and  skinnis  of  thaim  ar  coft  [bought]  with  gret  price  amang 
uncouth  marchandis."  In  1553  there  were  64  "  wild  "  mares — un- 
broken, and  kept  for  breeding  purposes — and  18  foals  on  St  Ninian's 
(see  note  3,  p.  114  supra).  Dr  Robertson,  who  visited  the  Parish  in 
1804,  in  connection  with  his  Report  to  the  Board  of  Agriculture  on  the 
state  of  agriculture  in  the  County  of  Inverness,  writes  : — "  In  Glen- 
moriston  alone,  a  district  of  no  great  extent,  a  gentleman  of  veracity 
told  me  there  were  900  horses  till  very  lately." 

1  The  principal  shieling  grounds  were  Corri-Dho,  larairidh,  Uchd- 
Reudair,  Brae  Ruiskich,  Glen  Coilty,  Corribuy,  the  remote  pasturages 
of  Corrimony,  and  Ruigh  Mhullaich  on  the  estate  of  Achmonie. 


446  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTOJS 

David's  time  the  landlord  received  his  dues  partly 
in  kind — or  "  customs,"  as  it  came  to  be  called — and 
partly  in  money.     This  dual  form  of  rent  was  con- 
tinued in  Urquhart  until  customs  were  abolished  by 
the  Good  Sir  James.       He  it  was,  too,  who  discon- 
tinued the  ' '  services  ' '  in  which  for  ages  the  tenants 
had   been   liable.       These    services   were    originally 
rendered  to  the  King's  representatives  in  the  Castle, 
and  in  later  times  to  the  proprietors,  or — so  far  as 
those  of  the  estate  of  Urquhart  were  concerned — to 
the  Laird  of  Grant's  chamberlains  as  part  of  their 
factorial  remuneration.     They  are  thus  described  by 
William  Lorimer  in  1763,   when  they  were  in  full 
force  :—    c  The    tenants    have    always    been    in    use 
to    pay    to    the    Chamberlain    bailey    darach,1    with 
their   service  to  the  bailie  or  factor — one   day  for 
leading  his  peats,   one  day  for  shearing  or  cutting 
down   his   crop,    one   day   for   tilling,    one   day   for 
spreading     his     dung.       Every     tenant     pays     this 
according  to  what  land  he  possesses.       They  pay  by 
the  davach  in  a  rent.       Out  of  every  davach  he  gets 
four   ploughs   to   till   one   day;   24   shearers   out  of 
every  davach  to  cut  his  corn,  one  day;  24  horses  for 
a  day  out  of  every  davach  to  spread  his  dung;  and 
120  carts  for  a  day  out  of  every  davach  for  drawing 
his  peats.      .      .     The  only  service  that  the  tenants 
are  obliged  to  pay  to  the  Laird  are  each  of  them 
two  long  carriages  in   the   year,    if  required,   from 
Urquhart    to    Strathspey."       In    addition    to    these 
rents,   customs,   and  services,   the  tenant,   until  the 

l  Darach  :    dark,  or  darg,   a   day's  work.     Bailie-darg  :    the  free 
labour  to  which  the  bailie  or  factor  was  entitled  from  the  tenants. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  447 

time  of  Sir  James,  was  bound  to  grind  his  corn  at 
the  laird's  mills,  and  to  pay  the  customary  mill  dues;1 
to  pay  grassum  or  entry  money  when  he  entered  a 
holding  or  began  a  new  lease;  and  heriot,  when  he 
succeeded  through  the  death  of  an  ancestor  or  other 
relative.       And  before  the  old  order  of  things  was 
destroyed  at  Culloden,   it  was  further  required  of 
him  that  he  should  at  his  proprietor's  call  change 
his   ploughshare   into   a   sword,    and   follow  him  on 
his  military  adventures  and  expeditions.       This  last 
obligation  was,    however,    after   the  advent   of   the 
Grants,    generally   disregarded   by  the   Macdonalds, 
Macmillans,   and  other  septs  in  Urquhart,   who,   in 
the  Stewart  "troubles"  that  ended  with  The  Forty- 
Five,  chose  to  follow  their  own  clan  chiefs  rather  than 
their  proprietors. 

Contrary  to  what  is  sometimes  supposed,  the  old 
Highlander  was  not  always  at  liberty  to  take  the 
free  use  of  the  mountains  and  woods  and  streams 
with  which  he  was  surrounded.  An  old  Gaelic 
proverb  says  that  a  fish  from  the  pool,  a  tree  from 
the  wood,  and  a  deer  from  the  mountain,  are  thefts 
of  which  no  man  ever  was  ashamed — breac  a  linne, 
maid  a  coille,  's  fiadh  a  fireach,  meirle  as  nach 
do  ghabh  duine  riamh  naire.  But  thefts  they 
were  considered  to  be  notwithstanding,  and  from 
the  earliest  times  efforts  were  made  by  the  legis- 

1  In  former  times  there  were  mills  at  Corrimony .,  for  that  estate ; 
at  Milton  of  Buntait,  for  Buntait;  at  Mill  of  Tore  ("the  Mill  of 
Inchbrine"),  Wester  Milton  ("  the  Mill  of  Cartaly"),  and  St  Ninian's, 
for  the  estates  of  Urquhart  and  Achmonie;  at  Easter  Milton  for 
Glenmoriston's  lands  in  Glen-Urquhart ;  and  at  Invermoriston  and 
Duldreggan  for  Glenmoriston.  Each  township  had  its  own  kiln. 


448        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

lature  and  landowners  to  suppress  them.  The 
Scottish  enactments  against  illegal  fishing  and 
hunting  and  destruction  of  woods,  fill  no  small 
portion  of  the  statute-book  from  the  twelfth  century 
to  the  present,  and  there  is  evidence  that  they  were 
more  or  less  rigorously  enforced  in  the  Highlands  at 
.a  comparatively  early  period.  In  our  Parish  the 
royal  forest  of  Cluny  or  Cluanie,  which  embraced  the 
extensive  mountain  tracts  forming  the  border-lands 
of  Glenmoriston  and  Kintail,  were,  from  as  early  as 
the  thirteenth  century  at  least,  reserved,  nominally 
for  the  King's  pleasure,  but  really  for  that  of  his 
representatives  in  Urquhart  Castle.  In  that  wide 
preserve  no  unauthorised  person  was  allowed  to  hunt 
or  cut  wood  under  pain  of  severe  punishment,  and 
in  1573  letters  were  issued  by  James  the  Sixth 
protecting  it  from  the  inroads  of  graziers,  and 
cutters  of  timber,  and  peelers  of  trees.1  The 
destruction  of  the  woods  in  the  Loch  Ness  district 
had  indeed  attracted  attention  before  this,  and  in 
1563  Lord  Lovat  and  the  Laird  of  Grant  found  it 
necessary  to  obtain  from  the  Earl  of  Moray,  Sheriff 
of  Inverness-shire,  an  order  prohibiting  the  cutting 
and  peeling  of  trees  in  the  ' c  woods  upon  Loucht  Ness 
and  thairabout,"  and  giving  the  magistrates  of 

iThe  Laird  of  Grant's  charter  of  1509  granted  to  him  the  office 
of  forester  of  the  forest  of  Cluanie,  but  the  property  of  the  forest  was 
reserved  by  the  King.  In  time,  however,,  the  forest  came  to  be  looked 
upon  as  the  property  of  the  Lairds,  by  whom  it  was  made  over  at 
an  early  period,  partly  to  the  Grants  of  Glenmoriston,  and  partly  to 
the  Mackenzies  of  Kintail.  See  Bond  by  Sir  John  Grant  to  Lord 
Kintail,  dated  21st  Dec.,  1622— Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  p.  427.  The 
forest  extended  on  both  sides  of  the  Moriston  and  Loch  Cluanie  from 
the  Kiver  Doe  to  the  water-shed,  which  formed  the  eastern  boundary 
•of  Kintail.  See  foot  note,  p.  439. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  449 

Inverness  power  to  seize  all  green  timber  and  bark 
illegally  brought  into  the  town.1  The  protection  of 
the  woods  was  a  matter  of  serious  moment,  and 
numerous  regulations  on  the  subject  are  preserved  in 
the  Grant  charter  chests.2  Eegulations  were  also 
made  from  time  to  time  for  the  preservation  of  deer 
and  roe ;  and  such  as  were  guilty  of  a  breach  of  them 
were  tried  before  the  baron-bailie,  and,  on  conviction, 
severely  punished.3 

The  timber  traffic  between  the  Parish  and  Inver- 
ness and  other  places  was  always  considerable.  To 
Inverness  the  trees  were  floated  down  the  loch  and 
river.  It  was  probably  of  Glen-Urquhart  oak  and 
Glenmoriston  pine  that  the  ' '  wonderful  ship  ' '  was 
made  which,  as  the  old  chronicler,  Matthew  Paris, 
records,  the  Earl  of  St  Pol  and  Blois  built  at 
Inverness  in  1249  to  take  himself  and  his  followers 
to  the  Holy  Land.  In  the  seventeenth  century  the 
Lairds  of  Glenmoriston  supplied  timber  for  the 
repair  of  Fortrose  Cathedral,4  and  the  re-erection  of 

1  Chiefs  of  Grant,  III.,  128. 

2  See  for  example,  Appendix  P. 

3  See  Appendix  P.     In  1628,  the  Earl  of   Seaforth,  Lord  Lovat, 
The  Chisholm,  Grant  of  Glenmoriston  and  others,  bound  themselves 
and  their  tenants  by  solemn  writ  to  protect  deer,  doe,  and  roe,  the 
stealing1  of  which  "  is  appointed  to  be  punished  as  theft/'   and  the 
shooting"   of   which    "  is    appointed   to   be    punished   with   death   and 
escheat  of  their  goods  moveable." — (lona  Club  Transactions,  p.  193). 

4  The  following  letter  from  John  Maxwell,  Bishop   of  Ross,  to 
the  Laird  of  Grant  is  preserved  at  Castle  Grant : — 

"  Burgie,  22  March,  1636. 
"  Right  Worshipfull  Sir, 

"  You  was  pleased  of  your  owne  pious  disposition,  to  God's 
glorie  and  goodness  towardis  me,  without  my  desert,  to  promise  the 
helpe  of  your  men  to  put  that  timber  which  I  am  to  get  from  Glen- 

29 


450        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

the  Inverness  wooden  bridge.1  In  1754  Sir  Ludo- 
vick  Grant  was  paid  £1000  for  the  oak  trees  of 
Kuiskich,  and  with  the  money  paid  the  cost  of 
erection  of  the  present  Castle  Grant.2  Between 
1758  and  1763  the  Laird  of  Glenmoriston  realised 
£2000  from  his  woods.3  In  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century  he  drew  about  £800  a  year  from 
them  ;4  and  the  timber  trade  from  both  divisions  of  the 
Parish  has  since  continued  to  be  an  important  source 
of  revenue  to  laird  and  labourer. 

Although  the  great  bulk  of  the  people  have  from 
a  very  early  period  been  employed  in  pastoral  and 
agricultural  pursuits,  a  certain  number  have  always 
found  other  fields  of  industry,  such  as  the  timber 
and  bark  traffic,  and  the  trade  in  skins  and  furs, 
which  at  one  time  seems  to  have  been  considerable.5 
Some,  too,  were  millers,  armourers,  blacksmiths, 
carpenters,  masons,  weavers,  shoemakers,  or  tailors.6 
At  times  attempts  were  made  to  start  special 

morristoune  for  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Ross  in  the  water.  I  have 
therfore  made  bold  onely  to  put  you  in  mynde  with  the  first  diligence 
to  cause  doe  it,  for  if  it  be  not  tymely  done,  this  sommer  is  lost,  and 
except  I  get  your  helpe  the  business  is  to  no  purpose.  So  wishing 
all  health  and  happiness  to  your  selfe,  your  noble  lady,  and  hopefulL 
children,  I  rest,  your  bounden  seruand, 

"  JO.     ROSSEN. 

"To  the  right  worschipfull  Sir  Johne  Grant  of  Freuchie,  Knicht." 
1  Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  Letters  of  Two  Centuries,  76. 
ZLorimer's  MS.  of  1763.          3  Ibid. 

4  Robertson's  Agriculture  in  the  County  of  Inverness,  208. 

5  See  note  2,  p.  444  supra. 

6  The  following  trades  and  occupations  are  mentioned  in  the  legal 
proceedings  in  connection  with  the  Great  Raid  of  1545  : — clergyman, 
clerk,   cleireacli   (church  officer),   dempster    (the  officer  of  court  who 
pronounced  doom),  candych  (ceannaich,  merchant),  gobha  (smith,  or 
armourer),    dequeyre    (dyker),    tailor,    shoemaker,    forsar    (forester), 
bowman   (cow-man),  and  glassen   (glazier). 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  451 

industries.  Lorimer  records  that  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years  before  his  time — that  is,  about 
the  year  1630  —  "the  Laird  of  Grant  being 
informed  there  was  a  Copper  Mine  on  this  estate 
[Urquhart],  opposite  to  Pitkerrald,  laid  out  so  much 
money  in  digging  for  it,  and  in  vain,  that  he  was 
obliged  to  sell  the  lands  of  Kilminnity,  &c.,  to  pay 
the  debts  contracted  in  this  project.  Another  Laird 
after  him  spent  a  great  deal  on  an  Iron  Manufactory 
there,  yet  succeeded  as  ill."  The  Iron  Manufactory 
and  its  dams  and  passages  are  mentioned  in  1634. 'L 
It  probably  consisted  of  bloomeries,  traces  of  which 
are  to  be  found  at  Lochnabat.  Similar  indications 
are  found  at  Tornashee  and  Buntait.  The  birch 
woods  of  the  district  were  cut  down  and  utilized  in 
smelting  the  iron — the  ore  being  brought  from 
the  South,  and  sent  back  again  in  a  manufactured 
state.2  Lime  has  been  made  at  Cartaly  for  ages.3 
Before  1756  the  housewives  of  the  Parish  and  their 
daughters  deftly  plied  the  distaff  and  spindle,  and, 
with  the  assistance  of  local  weavers,  made  cloth  and 
linen  for  themselves  and  the  men  of  their  households. 
In  that  vear  the  Trustees  for  Manufactories  and 


1  See  foot  note,  p.  147  supra. 

3  See  Appendix  C  for  Articles  of  Agreement  between  Sir  James 
Grant  and  James  Delias  as  to  lime  kilns. 

2  In  1769  Sir  James  Grant  employed  Mr  John  Williams,  a  mining 
engineer  in  the  service  of  the  Forfeited  Estates  Commissioners,,  and 
the  author  of  the  first  accoimt  of  the  vitrified  fort  of  Craig  Phadrick, 
to    prospect    Urquhart    and    Abriachan    for    copper,    iron,    or    lead. 
Williams   carefully   examined   earth   and   stream,    and   found   "  iron- 
stone/' "  specks  of  lead,"  and  "  jaspar-stone,"  but  not  in  sufficient 
quantities    to    pay    working    expenses.        At    Cartaly    about    sixteen 
different    minerals,    some    of    them    extremely    rare,    have   been    dis- 
covered within  recent  years.     The  following  analyses  of  ten  of  them, 


452 


URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 


Fisheries  in  Scotland  acquired  from  Patrick  Grant 
of  Glenmoriston  107  acres  of  land  at  Invermonston, 
and  erected  a  linen  and  woollen  factory,  which  was 
for  years  maintained  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
Forfeited  Estates,  giving  employment  to  a  number  of 
people,  including  about  forty  women.1  Before  this 
time  there  were  no  spinning  wheels  in  the  Parish ;  but 
the  Trustees  distributed  some  among  the  people,  and 
in  a  few  years  they  entirely  superseded  the  ancient 
distaff  and  spindle.  In  1791  the  factory  was  closed, 
and  its  site  re-conveyed  to  the  proprietor  of  Glen- 
moriston ;  and  the  buildings  have  ever  since  been  used 
as  offices  in  connection  with  the  home  farm.2 

About  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the 
factory  at  Invermoriston,  the  Laird  of  Grant  erected 
a  similar,  but  smaller,  building  at  Kilmichael,  and 
let  it  as  a  linen  and  woollen  factory  to  Bailie  Alex- 

by  Professor  Heddle,  of  St  Andrews,  taken  from  the  Transactions  of 
the  Inverness  Field  Club,  vol.  I.,  p.  180 — see  also  p.  397 — may  be  of 
interest  to  mineralogists  :  — 


Sp  Qr 

Si 

Al 

Fe 

2 

Fe 

Mn 

Ca 

Mg 

k 

2 

Na 

2 

H 

Total. 

Hyd.  Anthophyllite 
Wollastonite  
Kyanite  
Edenite,  Green  
,,        Black  
Tremolite      ....... 

2.81 

2.72 

2.87 
2.67 
3.004 
3.1 

42.72 
49.06 
37.53 
50.31 
51.31 
57.31 
33.69 
58.38 
45.9 
39.6 

3.84 
.6 
58.11 
8.54 
2.21 
3.68 
17.66 
22.5 
27.37 
31.08 

.18 

2.09 
.12 
.16 
1.08 
.25 
2.12 
tr 

5.74 

2.76 
7.66 
3.23 
12.95 

2.95 
2.07 

.16 

.08 
.49 
.31 

.15 
.08 

5.64 
43.01 
.13 
11.63 
11.17 
12.36 
1.16 
5.34 
20.21 
23.34 

28.75    .19 
—  ll.Ol 
.08    .25 
20.77i   .5 
20.87  2.2 
16.62,  — 
17.548.92 
-  18.2 
.31    .32 
tr       .57 

.26 
2.73 
.74 
1.16 
.46 



.13 

5.21 
.58 
1.06 

7.65 
3.1 
1.2 
4.13 
2.12 

1:1 

3.41 
2.09 
2.41 

100.12 
99.51 
100.11 
99.99 
99.65 
100.08 
99.44 
100.31 
99.73 
100.2 

Biotite  
Andesine  

Scanolite  

Zoisite 

1  Pennant's  Tour  in  Scotland  in  1769,  p.  181. 

2  See  Appendix  Q  for  Account  of  the  business  done  at  the  Factory 
in    1764,    and    Account    of   the    distribution    of    wheels    and    reels    in 
1764-65. 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  453 

ander  Shaw,  of  Inverness — the  same  who  managed 
the  Invermoriston  concern.  "The  gentlemen's 
wives,"  writes  Lorimer,  in  1763,  "make  linen  at 
home  for  the  use  of  their  families,  but  sell  none. 
The  tenants  both  make  and  sell  linen;  but  the 
greatest  part  of  the  yarn  spun  in  Urquhart  is  sold 
to  Bailie  Shaw,  though  there  are  perhaps  a  dozen 
weavers  in  Urquhart.  The  Manufactory  [at  Kil- 
michael]  is  on  the  decay.  Bailie  Shaw  has  dismissed 
almost  all  his  servants;  but  the  spirit  of  spinning 
will  remain,  and  the  tenants  will  sell  their  yarn  at 
Inverness,  where  the  merchants  will  provide  them 
with  seed  lint."  Through  the  good  offices  of  Sir 
James  Grant,  a  fresh  start  was  given  to  the  little 
establishment,  and,  although  the  manufacture  of 
linen  has  long  ago  ceased,  it  has  ever  since  continued 
to  flourish  in  its  own  small  way  as  a  woollen  factory. 
Ale  was  brewed  by  the  good  wives  of  our  Parish 
from  very  early  times,  and  the  brew-house  of  Kil- 
michael  was  in  the  sixteenth  century  so  important 
a  property  that  it  was  specially  mentioned  in  the 
grant  of  Achmonie  to  the  Mackays.  For  centuries, 
probably,  it  had  yielded  a  valuable  revenue  to  the 
Church.  During  the  seventeenth  century  whisky 
began  to  take  the  place  of  ale,  and  so  great  did 
the  demand  for  the  spirit  become  that  the  leading 
men  in  the  Parish  started  small  stills  on  their 
own  account.  "  Shewglie,  Lochletter,  Corrimony, 
Dulshangie,  Peter  Mackay  in  Polmaily,  John 
Macdonald  in  Achmonie,  and  William  Macdonald  in 
Temple,"  says  Lorimer,  "distill  spirits,  and  all 


454        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

except  Corrimony  and  John  Macdonald  use  the 
Laird's  woods  for  the  distillery.  They  should  ^not 
be  allowed  to  take  so  much  as  a  rotten  stick  for  this 
purpose.  Above  150  bolls  of  bere  will  be  yearly 
distilled  by  these  people  in  spirits,  besides  what  bere 
grows  on  their  own  farms.  If  these  people  will 
brew  and  distill,  they  should  pay  something  for  fire, 
of  which  none  should  be  wood."  The  tenants,  he 
states  elsewhere,  "  not  only  distill  into  aquavita 
what  barley  grows  to  themselves,  but  they  import 
and  distill  a  great  deal  more."  The  result  of 
stringent  revenue  laws  was  to  suppress  these  small 
distilleries,  and  give  rise  to  illegal  distillation,  and 
to  a  brisk  illicit  trade  which  continued  till  far  into 
the  nineteenth  century.  A  licensed  brewery  was 
erected  within  that  century  at  Lewistown,  and  another 
at  Balnain.  The  latter  entirely  disappeared  years 
ago.  In  the  former  beer  and  porter  are  still  sold, 
but  none  manufactured. 

The  industrial  progress  of  the  people  was  in  the 
past  greatly  retarded  by  the  want  of  convenient 
means  of  transit  and  communication.  From  earliest 
times  a  ' '  road ' '  led  from  Inverness  by  Dunain  and 
Caiplich  to  Upper  Drumbuie,  where  it  branched  off 
into  two — one  branch  running  westward  to  Strath- 
glass,  Kintail,  and  Lochalsh,  and  the  other  across 
the  Strath  of  Urquhart,  and  on,  by  Clunemore  and 
the  south-eastern  flank  of  Mealfuarvonie,  to  Glen- 
moriston,  Glengarry,  and  Lochaber.  This  was  the 
road  by  which  English  and  Scottish  knights  and 
soldiers  travelled  between  Inverness  and  Urquhart 


INDUSTRIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PAEISH  455 

in  the  days  of  Edward  the  First,  and  which  was 
taken  by  many  a  clan  and  military  expedition  in 
later  times.  The  Laird  of  Grant's  charter  of  1509 
bound  him  to  improve  it.  It  is  possible  he  did 
so;  but  it  was  never  more  than  a  rough  track, 
sufficient,  perhaps,  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
time — the  passage  of  men  and  horses  and  cattle  and 
sledges.  When  wheeled  carts  were  introduced  about 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  better  means  of 
communication  became  necessary;  and  to  the  Good 
Sir  James  belongs  the  credit  of  making  the  first  road 
to  Urquhart  fit  for  wheeled  vehicles.  It  ran  along 
the  shore  of  Loch  Ness,  and  its  course  is  to  some 
extent  followed  by  the  present  highway,  which  was 
engineered  by  Telford,  and  constructed  by  the 
Highland  Eoads  and  Bridges  Commissioners  in  the 
early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Sir  James 
secured  the  co-operation  of  the  other  proprietors 
in  Urquhart  in  opening  up  the  country,  and  the 
present  roads  to  Corrimony  and  other  districts  are 
the  result.  The  first  road  in  Glenmoriston  was  that 
made  by  General  Wade  from  Fort-Augustus  to 
Aonach,  and  on  to  Kintail  and  Glenelg.  The 
present  Glenmoriston  road,  which  follows  the  line  of 
an  older  track,  was  the  work  of  the  Eoads  and 
Bridges  Commissioners,  who  also  erected  the  hand- 
.some  bridges  which  cross  the  Moriston  at  Inver- 
moriston  and  Torgoil.  We  have  seen  how  the  Eev. 
Eobert  Monro  was,  in  1677,  unable  to  attend  to  his 
duties  in  Glenmoriston  for  the  reason  that  there  was 
no  bridge  on  the  river,  and  "no  boat  to  transport 
him  to  his  charge."  His  flock  managed  to  do 


456        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

without  such  conveniences.  :'This  river,  that  divides 
Glenmoriston  into  two  parts/'  writes  Lorimer,  "  is- 
so  deep  in  every  part  as  not  to  be  fordable  for  men 
or  horses,  and,  there  being  no  boats  on  it,  every  child 
from  eight  years  of  age  learned  to  swim.  This  shows 
the  effects  of  necessity,  by  \vhich  many  difficult  things 
are  rendered  very  easy."1 

Loch  Ness  was  an  important  medium  of  transit 
and  communication  at  an  early  period.  We  have  seen 
that  it  was  used  for  the  floating  of  timber.  It  was 
in  one  of  the  coracles  of  the  time  that  St  Columba 
sailed  against  the  wind  when  returning  from  the 
court  of  the  Pictish  king.  We  find  "  great  boats'" 
on  the  Loch  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  cen- 
turies. In  the  latter  century  Cromwell's  soldiers 
launched  upon  it  their  famous  frigate.2  After  The 
Fifteen  General  Wade  built  at  Fort-Augustus  the 
'  Highland  Galley,"  a  vessel  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
tons,  which,  with  its  successors,  continued  to  run 
from  end  to  end  of  the  Loch  until  the  partial  opening 
of  the  Caledonian  Canal  in  1818.  In  1822  the  first 
steamboat  passed  from  sea  to  sea,  and  a  steamship 
traffic  was  thus  started  which  has  now  attained 
considerable  magnitude. 

It  was  one  of  the  rules  of  Highland  hospitality 
that  if  a  traveller  asked  for  bed  and  board  for  a 
night  his  request  was  granted,  no  questions  being 
put  as  to  whence  he  had  come  or  where  he  was 

1  Bridges  are  mentioned  in  the  Urquhart  charter  of  1509.     Drum- 
nadrochit   (the  Ridge  of  the  Bridge)  is  mentioned  in  1730,  showing 
that  there  was  a  bridge  there  before  that  period. 

2  See  p.  170  supra. 


SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  457 

going,  or  whether  he  was  a  friend  or  foe.  But  as- 
travelling  became  more  common,  gratuitous  enter- 
tainment ceased  to  be  entirely  relied  on,  and  small 
inns  or  hostelries  began  to  arise.  The  first  estab- 
lishment of  the  kind  in  our  Parish  was  the  brew- 
house  at  Kilmichael,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  a 
place  of  some  consequence  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
Before  1763  an  inn  was  opened  at  Drumnadrochit, 
which  was  in  that  year  under  lease  to  James  Grant  of 
Shewglie,  who  also  "farmed"  the  brew-house  from 
Mackay  of  Achmonie,  "  in  order  to  prevent  disputes." 
In  1779  Sir  James  Grant  acquired  the  brew -house 
along  with  the  estate  of  Achmonie,  and  it  ceased  to 
exist.  The  change-house  of  Drumnadrochit  continued 
to  prosper,  and  it  is  now  a  large  establishment,  and  a 
favourite  summer  resort.1 

After  the  time  of  General  Wade,  and  perhaps  for 
some  time  before  it,  there  was  a  small  inn  at  Aonach 
in  Glenmoriston,  which  was  discontinued  many  years 
ago  when  the  present  inn  at  Torgoil  was  opened/1 
At  Aonach  Samuel  Johnson  and  his  friend  Boswell 
passed  a  night  in  1773.  "  Early  in  the  afternoon," 
records  the  sage,  "  we  came  to  Anoch,  a  village  in 
Glenmollison  [sic]  of  three  huts,  one  of  which  is- 
distinguished  by  a  chimney.  Here  we  were  to  dine 
and  lodge,  and  were  conducted  through  the  first 
room,  that  had  the  chimney,  into  another  lighted  by 
a  small  glass  window.  The  landlord  attended  us 
with  great  civility,  and  told  us  what  he  could  give- 
us  to  eat  and  drink.  I  found  some  books  on  a  shelf, 

1  See  Appendix  K  for  effusions  from  the  Drumnadrochit  Visitors*' 
Book. 

2  Torgoil  has,  since  1893,  been  closed. 


458  URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON 

among  which  were  a  volume  or  more  of  Prideaux's 
•Connection.  This  I  mentioned  as  something  unex- 
pected, and  perceived  that  I  did  not  please  him.  I 
praised  the  propriety  of  his  language,  and  was 
answered  that  I  need  not  wonder,  for  he  had  learned 
it  by  grammar.  ...  As  we  came  hither  early 
in  the  day,  we  had  time  sufficient  to  survey  the  place. 
'The  house  was  built,  like  other  huts,  of  loose  stones, 
but  the  part  in  which  we  dined  and  slept  was  built 
with  turf  and  wattled  with  twigs,  which  kept  the  earth 
from  falling.  Near  it  was  a  garden  of  turnips  and  a 
field  of  potatoes."1 

The  Inn  of  Invermoriston  was  probably  later  in 
•origin  than  that  of  Aonach.  At  Euiskich  a  small 
change-house  was  erected  during  the  construction  of 
Telford's  road;  but  it  has  now  been  closed. 

In  1763,  according  to  Lorimer,  the  tenants  arid 
mailers  lived  in  turf -roofed  houses,  the  walls  of  which 
were  constructed  of  turf,  timber,  and  wicker  work. 
It  took  centuries  to  arrive  at  that  stage  of  comparative 
perfection.  In  Lorimer 's  time  the  lairds  had  already 

l  "  Some  time  after  dinner/'  adds  Johnson,  "  we  were  surprised 
"by  the  entrance  of  a  young-  woman,  not  inelegant  either  in  mien  or 
dress,  who  asked  us  whether  we  would  have  tea.  We  found  that  she 
•was  the  daughter  of  our  host,  and  desired  her  to  make  it.  Her  con- 
versation, like  her  appearance,  was  gentle  and  pleasing.  We  knew 
that  the  girls  of  the  Highlands  were  all  gentlewomen,  and  treated 
her  with  great  respect,  which  she  received  as  customary  and  due,  and 
was  neither  elated  by  it,  nor  confused,  but  repaid  my  civilities  with- 
out embarrassment,  and  told  me  how  much  I  honoured  her  country 
by  coming  to  survey  it.  She  had  been  at  Inverness  to  gain  the 
-common  female  qualifications,  and  had,  like  her  father,  the  English 
pronunciation.  I  presented  her  with  a  book  which  I  happened  to 
Tiave  about  me,  and  should  not  be  pleased  to  think  that  she  forgets 
me."  Boswell,  in  his  Journal  of  the  Tour,  states  that  the  host, 
Tvhose  name  was  M'Queen,  was  "  out  "  in  The  Forty-Five.  The  book 
which  Johnson  gave  to  the  host's  daughter  was  Cocker's  Arithmetic, 
^vhich  he  had  purchased  at  Inverness. 


SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  459 

prohibited  the  use  of  timber  for  walls,  and  the  result 
.was  that  the  people  began  to  build  drystone  walls, 
.about  four  or  five  feet  in  height.  These  in  time  gave 
place  to  stone-and-lime  walls ;  and  the  buildings  have 
gradually  improved  until  the  old  black  houses  have 
now  all  but  disappeared,  and  given  place  to  neat, 
•comfortable  cottages,  stone-and-lime  built,  and  roofed 
with  slate.  The  dwelling-houses  of  the  lairds  and 
the  houses  of  Balmacaan,  Shewglie,  and  Lochletter, 
were  probably  stone  built  as  early  as  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  the  Castle  was  a  marvel  of  substantial 
masonry  as  early  as  the  thirteenth.  It  was 
not,  however,  till  the  seventeenth  century  that 
turf  and  heather  gave  place  to  slate  on  the  roof  of 
the  residence  of  the  lairds  of  Glenmoriston ;  and 
.slate  was  first  used  by  the  proprietors  of  Corrimony 
in  1740,  when  the  Old  House — the  oldest  dwelling 
now  in  the  Parish — was  erected.  In  1761  and  1762 
the  present  houses  of  Lochletter  and  Shewglie  were 
respectively  built,  and  covered  with  slate ;  and  before 
the  end  of  the  century  the  Manse,  and  the  houses  of 
Lakefield,  Dulshangie,  and  Polmaily,  were  roofed 
with  the  same  material.1 

l  Large  sums  have  been  expended  by  the  proprietors  of  the  Parish 
on  dwelling-houses,  offices,,  roads,  &c.,  within  recent  years.  The  late 
.John  Charles,  Earl  of  Seafield,  who  succeeded  in  1853,  and  died  in 
1881,  did  much  in  the  way  of  improvements  on  his  TJrquhart  estate, 
and  his  policy  was  followed  by  his  son,  who  died  in  1884,  and  has 
been  continued  by  his  widow,  the  present  [1893]  proprietrix — with 
the  result  that  from  Whitsunday,  1853,  to  Whitsunday,  1892,  £36,595 
has  been  expended  by  the  Seafield  family  on  tenants'  holdings  on  the 
TJrquhart  estate;  £29,171  10s  2d  on  general  estate  improvements, 
including  buildings,  fences,  roads,  and  bridges;  £12,547  16s  on  Bal- 
macaan mansion  house  and  offices;  and  £26,118  6s  4d  on  woods  and 
plantations — making  a  total  expenditure  of  £104,432  12s  6d  in  thirty- 
nine  years. 


460        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

The  maintenance  of  law  and  order  was  not  left 
to  chance  or  neglect  in  the  Olden  Times.  The  old 
Celtic  laws  and  rules — the  most  striking  features  of 
which  were  eric,  or  compensation  for  death  or 
injury,  and  the  right  of  sanctuary1 — prevailed  pro- 
bably until  the  fourteenth  century,  when  the  feudal 
baron  courts  were  established.  The  domain  of 
TJrquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  with  the  exception  of 
Achmonie,  was  erected  into  a  barony  early  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of 
a  lordship  a  hundred  years  later.  Achmonie — as 
well  as  Abriachan,  just  outside  the  Parish — was 
situated  in  the  ecclesiastical  barony  of  Spynie, 
erected  in  1451,  and  subsequently  in  the  smaller 
barony  of  Kinmylies,  within  the  regality  of  Spynie. 
In  1509  the  original  barony  of  Urquhart  wa& 
divided  into  the  three  new  baronies  of  Urquhart, 
Corrimony,  and  Glenmoriston;  and  in  the  next 
century  Urquhart  and  Corrimony  were  included  in 
the  regality  of  Grant.  The  baron  court  was  pre- 
sided over  by  the  baron  himself,  or,  more  generally, 
by  his  baron-bailie,  or  factor,  as  his  deputy.  In  the 
administration  of  justice,  the  jurisdiction  of  the- 

iThe  chapels  were  sanctuaries  for  such  as  sought  refuge  from 
the  vengeance  of  their  fellow  men  until  they  were  brought  to  a  fair 
trial;  but  the  great  sanctuary  in  the  Parish  was  An  Abait — The 
Abbey — lying  between  Ballintombuy  and  Dulchreichard,  in  Glen- 
moriston. The  Abbey  consisted  of  an  island  in  the  small  tarn  of 
Lochan-a'-Chrois — the  Lochlet  of  the  Cross — and  the  surrounding  land 
extending  from  Tomchraskie  to  Tomnacroich,  and  from  Mam-a'- 
Chrois  to  Ruigh-a'-Chrois — bounds  said  to  have  been  indicated  at  one 
time  by  crosses.  This  district  was  probably  the  "  Kirk  lands "  of 
Glenmoriston,  mentioned  in  1572.  See  footnote,  p.  117  supra. 
According  to  tradition,  the  Abbey  was  respected  as  a  sanctuary  until 
a  comparatively  recent  period. 


SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  461 

baron  or  his  bailie  was  absolute  and  almost 
universal.  He  sentenced  to  death  offenders  within 
the  barony  for  murder  or  theft,1  and  he  fined  or 
imprisoned  them  for  assaults,  for  killing  deer  or 
other  protected  wild  animals,  or  for  cutting  or 
barking  trees,  or  destroying  green  sward.  He  made 
rules  for  the  regulation  of  agriculture  and  trade,  and 
for  the  protection  of  growing  timber;  and  he  fixed  the 
wages  of  servants  and  the  prices  of  commodities. 
He  granted  decrees  of  removing  against  tenants,  and 
judgments  for  rents  and  other  debts ;  and  he  generally 
decided  between  man  and  man  on  the  countless 
questions  which  arose  in  the  past,  as  they  arise  in 
the  present.  The  tenantry  were  obliged  to  attend 
his  court,  which  was  opened,  conducted,  and  closed 
with  much  pomp  and  formality.  For  failure  in  this 
duty  they  were  liable  in  pecuniary  penalties,  which, 
with  the  fines  paid  by  criminal  offenders,  went  into 
the  pocket  of  the  baron.  Eeference  has  been  made 
to  the  singular  manner  in  which,  by  the  charters  of 
1509,  the  lands  of  Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston  were 
divided.  The  effect  on  the  administration  of  justice 
was  very  curious  before  the  consolidation  of  the 
scattered  fragments  which  made  up  the  several 
baronies.  The  few  persons  who  inhabited  Cluanie, 
on  the  borders  of  Kintail,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
Carnoch  and  Kerrownakeill,  on  the  marches  of 
Strathglass,  were,  along  with  those  of  the  other 

•  iThe  places  of  execution  were,  Craigmonie  in  Glen-Urquhart, 
and  Tomnacroich  —  the  Gibbet  Knoll  —  in  Glenmoriston.  The 
descendants  of  the  last  man  hanged  on  Craigmonie  are  still  known 
in  Urquhart. 


462        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

lands  included  in  the  Urquhart  barony,  subject  to 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Urquhart  court,  which  sat  at 
the  Castle,  or  elsewhere  within  the  barony,  the  more 
serious  cases  among  them  being,  however,  sometimes 
sent  to  Castle  Grant  for  trial.1  The  inhabitants  of 
Corrimony,  and  of  the  detached  Corrimony  lands 
of  Achintemarag,  Divach,  and  Pitkerrald-croy, 
received  justice,  for  a  time,  at  Corrimony;  and 
those  of  Glenmoriston  and  the  detached  Glen- 
moriston  possessions  of  Culnakirk  (including  Easter 
Milton)  and  Half  of  Clunemore,  in  Glenmoriston; 
while  the  people  of  Achmonie  had  to  appear  at 
Spynie  or  Kinmylies.  It  has  already  been  related 
how  the  proprietors  found  it  expedient  to  mitigate 
the  inconveniences  that  arose  from  this  arrangement 
by  readjusting  their  marches.  It  is  doubtful, 
indeed,  whether  Corrimony  offenders  had  not  to 
appear  before  the  Urquhart  court  ever  after  1580, 

1  Tlie  courts  were  sometimes  held  at  Balmacaan,  sometimes  at 
Pitkerrald,  and  latterly  at  Drumnadrochit.  There  is  a  field  on  the- 
holding-  of  Grotaig  called  Druim-na-Cuirt — the  Kidge  of  the  Court — 
where  probably  courts  were  held.  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston, 
chamberlain  and  baron-bailie  for  the  Laird  of  Grant,  writes  from  Bal- 
macaan, in  1624,  to  the  Laird  thus  : — "  Your  virscheip  sail  resaue 
[receive]  the  man  that  sleue  your  serwand  Donll  Pyper  fra  the 
beareris,  for  I  thocht  meitter  till  send  him  till  your  selff,  nor  till  gif 
him  the  lawe  heir."  Until  the  beginning  of  this  century,  a  paid  piper 
was  kept  in  Urquhart.  "  There  has  always/'  says  Lorimer,  "  been  a 
Piper  in  Urquhart  belonging- to  the  Family  of  Grant,  whose  sallary  has 
been  constantly  paid  by  a  small  portion  of  oats  from  each  tenant. 
The  tenants  want  to  get  free  of  this  Tax,  but  it  is  submitted  whether 
or  not  it  is  not  better  to  continue  it,  as  the  Tax  is  small,  and,  being 
in  use  to  be  paid,  it  is  not  very  sensibly  felt.  If  you  let  it  drop,  the 
Highland  Musick  is  lost,  (which  would  be  a  great  loss  in  case  of  a 
civil  or  foreign  War;  and  such  Musick  is  part  of  the  Appendages  of 
the  Dignity  of  the  Family.  The  commons  are  much  pleased  with  this 
Musick,  and  the  use  of  it  will  be  a  means  of  popularity  amongst  some." 


SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH 


463 


when  the  superiority  of  Corri- 
mony  was  conveyed  to  the  lairds 
of  Grant.  One  result  of  The 
Forty-Five  was  that  the  juris- 
diction of  baron  courts  was 
greatly  curtailed  by  Parliament, 
and  although  they  for  some  time 
continued  as  a  shadow  of  their 
old  selves,  none  has  for  many 
years  past  been  held  in  our 
Parish.  They  left  offenders 
against  the  Seventh  Command- 
ment to  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  church  courts,  and  guilty 
persons,  clothed  in  sackcloth  and 
sitting  on  the  stool  of  repentance, 
were  solemnly  dealt  with  in 
presence  of  the  congregation. 
If  meet  repentance  did  not 
follow,  they  were  liable  to 
excommunication.  The  church 
courts,  too,  until  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  took  cog- 
nisance of  such  matters  as 
I)  divorce,  conjugal  quarrels,  and 
_Ja  slander;  and  the  session  adminis- 
ION  TILLORY  tered  the  fund  for  the  poor, 

7TJTKTS.  J- 

which  was  raised  from  church 
collections,  private  contributions,  and  fines  paid  by 
breakers  of  the  moral  law.1 


THE  GLENMORISTON  IRON 

FOR  NECK  AND  WRISTS. 


1  See  Appendix  S  as  to  the  poor,  and  wandering  "  fools." 


464        URQUHART  AND  GLENMORISTON 

Did  space  permit  some  account  might  be  given 
of  the  sports  and  recreations  of  our  forefathers,  and 
their  customs  in  connection  with  births,  christenings, 
marriages,  and  deaths,  and  with  Beltane,  Halloween, 
-Christmas,  and  the  New  Year.  These,  however, 
did  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  the  Highlands 
generally,  regarding  which  much  has  been  recorded 
by  other  writers.  Great  changes  have  taken  place 
within  recent  times.  The  long  christening  and 
marriage  rejoicings  have  been  discontinued,  and  so 
have  piping  and  dancing  at  lykewakes,  and 
excessive  feasting  and  drinking  and  consequent 
fighting  at  funerals.1  The  ceilidh,  with  its  tales, 
and  songs,  and  riddles,  and  amusements,  has  given 
place  to  the  newspaper,  with  its  serial  story  and 
political  and  general  news.  Comfortable  houses  have 
superseded  the  huts  of  the  past.  The  tiller  of  the 
soil  is  no  longer  satisfied  with  its  bare  produce,  but 
buys  large  quantities  of  tea,  wheaten  bread,  and 

1  Many  stories  might  be  told  of  fights  at  funerals,  but  one  will 
suffice.  A  small  upright  stone  by  the  road-side  near  Livisie  marks 
the  grave  of  an  old  woman  who  lived  and  died  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river.  After  her  funeral  crossed  the  river,  the  men  of  the  Braes 
of  Glenmoriston  proposed  that  she  should  be  carried  west  to  Clachan 
Mheircheird,  while  the  Invermoriston  men  insisted  that  she  should  be 
taken  east  to  Clachan  Cholumchille.  A  fight  resulted,  and  several 
persons  were  killed — and  then  the  survivors  solved  the  question  at 
issue  by  burying  the  body  where  they  were.  The  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston men  have  always  been  a  fighting  race.  When  they  were  not 
engaged  against  a  common  foe  they  fought  among  themselves — 
Urquhart  fought  with  Glenmoriston,  the  Braes  of  Urquhart  with  the 
Strath,  the  upper  district  of  Glenmoriston  with  the  lower,  and  the 
Grants  with  such  as  were  not  of  that  name.  The  old  spirit,  it  must 
be  confessed,  has  not  yet  entirely  died  out.  See  Appendix  T  for 
papers  referring  to  an  amusing  feud  in  1737  between  the  Grants  and 
other  Urquhart  men  regarding  the  marriage  of  an  Urquhart  heiress. 


SOCIAL    LIFE    IN    THE    PARISH  465 

other  stuffs.  He  no  longer  tans  his  own  leather,  or 
makes  his  own  shoes  and  harness — no  longer  grows 
his  own  flax,  or  makes  his  own  linen  and  cloth.  The 
old  fir  candles  'havev;  given  place  to  paraffin  lamps; 
and  in  the  lower  districts  coal  has  almost  entirely 
superseded  peat  as  fuel.  Some  of  the  changes 
are  improvements  :  others  are  not.  But,  while  we 
regret  the  disappearance  of  many  a  kindly  custom 
and  pleasant  feature  of  the  past,  we  must  also 
acknowledge  the  greater  security  of  life  and  property 
and  the  more  liberal  measure  of  knowledge  and 
prosperity  and  physical  comfort  that  belong  to  the 
present.  On  these  points,  at  least,  the  rebuke  of 
the  ancient  Preacher  may  still  be  taken  to  heart. 
"  Say  not  thou,"  said  he  to  the  discontented  Israelites 
who  looked  back  to  a  golden  age  which  had  never 
existed — "  Say  not  thou,  What  is  the  cause  that  the 
former  days  were  better  than  these  ?  for  thou  dost  not 
enquire  wisely  concerning  this." 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  A  (PAGE  26) 

DESCRIPTION  OF  URQUHART  CASTLE,  BY  ALEXANDER  Ross, 
LL.D.,  F.R.I.B.A.,  F.G.S., 

PROVOST  OF  INVERNESS  [IN  1893]  ' 

THE  Castle  is  built  on  the  rocky  promontory  of  Stroiie,  which 
is  separated  from  the  hill  of  Cnoc-na-h-Iolaire  by  a  low-lying 
neck  of  land.  The  promontory  is  further  cut  off  from  the 
mainland  by  a  dry  moat  about  80  feet  wide,  and  of  considerable 
depth,  forming  with  the  natural  escarpment  of  the  rock  on 
which  the  Castle  stands  a  very  effectual  defence,  the  height 
from  the  bottom  of  the  moat  to  the  base  of  the  walls  of  the 
Castle  varying  from  30  to  50  feet.  The  moat  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  cut  down  to  the  level  of  the  loch,  and  now  its  original 
depth  is  very  much  reduced  by  the  large  quantity  of  debris 
which  has  fallen  into  it. 

Passing  along  the  neck  of  land  and  over  the  moat,  we  reach 
the  rock  on  which  the  Castle  stands — a  mass  of  sandstone 
conglomerate,  about  500  feet  long  by  160  broad,  and  having 
an  area  of  about  two  acres.  The  general  conformation 
resembles  an  hour-glass,  the  longer  axis  lying  S.W.  and  N.E. 
The  surface  of  the  rock  is  very  rugged  and  uneven,  standing  at 
the  north  end  from  20  to  30  feet  out  of  the  water,  while  at  the 
south  it  reaches  a  height  of  about  80  feet.  The  rock  stood 
about  6  feet  higher  out  of  the  water  before  the  Caledonian 
Canal  operations  raised  the  level  of  the  loch.  It  presents  a 
precipitous  face  all  round,  except  at  the  centre  of  the  east  side 
facing  the  loch,  where  there  is  an  indentation,  with  a  gravelly 
slope  down  to  a  small  cove,  which  forms  a  convenient  landing 
place  for  boats.  Here  stood  the  water  gate,  the  landward 
entrance  being  opposite  to  it  on  the  western  side.  The  Castle 
was  approached  from  the  land  by  a  raised  roadway  between  two 
parapet  walls,  which,  at  a  point  about  60  feet  from  the  main 
gateway,  crossed  the  moat  by  a  drawbridge  15  feet  wide. 
From  the  drawbridge  there  is  a  rise  of  about  6  feet  to  the 
gateway.  The  approach  from  the  bridge  to  the  gate  does  not 
strike  directly  on  the  doorway,  but  on  the  northern  tower, 
which  commanded  the  approach,  and  prevented  a  direct  rush 
at  the  gate. 


468  APPENDICES 

The  old  gate-house  must  have  been  an  imposing  structure r 
measuring  about  40  feet  by  50  on  plan,  and  rising  two  stories 
in  height.  The  gateway  is  in  the  centre,  and  is  flanked  by 
massive  round  towers  on  either  side,  21  feet  in  diameter.  The 
portal  was  a  circular  arch  about  9  feet  9  inches  wide,  and 
immediately  in  front  of  it  are  the  grooves  for  the  portcullis, 
with  a  bartizan  and  window  over. 

The  entrance  leads  through  a  long  vaulted  passage  in  the 
gate-house,  with  stone  arch  ribs,  at  intervals,  of  carefully 
dressed  freestone.  On  the  ground  on  either  side  of  this  passage 
are  the  guard-rooms,  each  measuring  25  feet,  by  13  feet,  with 
corresponding  vaulted  rooms  over.  These  rooms  are  finished 
with  semi-circular  ends,  forming  externally  the  flanking 
towers  before  referred  to. 

From  the  chamber  on  the  north  side  of  the  gateway  opens 
a  second  chamber,  with  the  remains  of  a  stair  leading  to  the 
ramparts,  and  probably  also  to  the  passage  to  the  sallyport  on 
the  north  side  of  the  main  gate ;  but  this  part  is  much  dilapi- 
dated, and  the  arrangements  are  not  quite  clear.  The  mason 
work  of  the  gate-house  and  adjoining  walls  is  very  good,  the 
finishings,  quoins,  arch  ribs,  &c.,  being  of  well-dressed  free- 
stone. The  mortar  also  is  remarkable,  for  though  the  building 
has  evidently  been  destroyed  by  gunpowder,  and  large  masses 
thrown  into  the  air  and  made  to  turn  complete  somersaults, 
yet  there  is  a  large  portion  of  the  circular  wall,  portcullis  case, 
chimney  flues,  and  curtain  wall,  lying  as  it  fell  in  a  complete 
unbroken  mass  in  front  of  the  gateway. 

Passing  through  the  arched  passage  we  reach  the  outer 
bailey  or  court,  and  in  front  of  us  on  the  opposite  side  is  the 
water  gate  leading  down  to  the  small  cove  before  referred  to. 
On  our  right  the  rock  rises  towards  the  S.W.  about  30  or  40 
feet  to  a  platform  on  which  there  seems  to  be  some  traces  of  a 
pentangular  tower  or  other  building  for  defence.  The  curtain 
wall  on  the  west  side  from  the  gateway  is  pretty  complete  all 
the  way  to  the  extreme  height  at  the  south  end.  Traces  of 
foundations  are  also  to  be  seen  leading  along  the  south  and 
east  (or  loch)  side  of  the  plateau,  and  there  seems  to  have  been 
detached  towers  or  guard-rooms  at  various  points,  connected 
by  curtain  walls — portions  of  which  still  stand,  and  the  founda- 
tions of  the  remainder  of  which  can  be  traced  all  along  the 
edge  of  the  cliff.  Continuing  along  the  eastern  face,  we  come 
to  the  water  gate,  which  is  a  small  door  or  postern  in  the  outer 
main  wall  which  was  carried  continuously  round  the  edge  of 
the  plateau.  At  this  point  a  division  wall  appears  to  have 
run  across  the  narrow  waist  of  the  fortress,  separating  the 


APPENDICES  469 

outer  from  the  inner  court.  In  the  inner  court  next  the 
<donjon  were  situated  the  larger  portion  of  the  barracks  and 
domestic  buildings,  remains  of  which  are  still  seen,  some  of 
them  being  clay-built,  of  inferior  construction,  and  of  com- 
paratively recent  date.  The  outer  walls  here  converge  towards 
the  donjon,  giving  this  court  a  triangular  shape. 

The  donjon  tower  stands  at  the  apex,  or  extreme  N.E.  end 
of  the  triangle,  and  measures  externally  40  feet,  by  36  feet,. 
and  is  about  50  feet  high.  The  walls  of  three  sides  only 
remain,  those  of  the  southern  face  having  completely  disap- 
peared, excepting  a  small  portion  of  the  ground  floor  immedi- 
ately over  the  vault.1  The  tower  consists  of  four  storeys. 
Underground  is  the  vault,  which  measures  16  feet  6  inches  by 
14  feet  6  inches,  and  is  entered  from  a  small  postern  on  the 
N.E.  face.  In  the  vault  there  is  a  small  loop-hole  or  window, 
which  opens  under  the  entrance  doorway  from  the  court  to  the 
tower.  From  the  north  side  of  the  recess  between  the  postern 
gate  and  the  entrance  to  the  vault  rises  a  small  stair  to  the  hall 
above.  The  floor  of  the  hall  is  level  with  the  court,  from 
which  it  is  entered  by  a  door  on  the  west  side.  From  the  hall 
a  wheeling  stair  leads  to  the  next  apartment  over,  and  thence 
to  the  third  storey,  the  roof  of  which  was  vaulted  in  stone  at 
the  level  of  the  parapet  walls,  as  evidenced  by  the  portion  of 
vault  still  remaining  011  the  north  side.  Under  this  arch  is 
the  only  fireplace  discoverable  in  the  keep  of  the  Castle.  A 
roof  chamber  probably  existed  over  the  vaulted  one,  but  as 
no  part  of  this  remains,  we  can  only  conjecture  the  use  made 
of  the  roof  space. 

Fortunately,  enough  remains  of  the  walls,  corbelling,  and 
turrets  to  enable  us  to  judge  of  the  general  character  and  style 
of  finish.  The  tower  had  square  turrets  projecting  about  a 
foot  over  the  walls  at  the  four  angles.  These  turrets  were 
finished  with  gables  and  saddle-back  roofs.  The  corbelling 
ran  round  the  tower,  and  a  bartizan  projected  over  the  main 
doorway,  with  machicolations  through  which  missiles  were  dis- 
charged. As  the  plan  of  site  shows,  the  tower  was  not  square, 
but  five-sided,  a  portion  of  the  eastern  face  being  curtailed  to 
suit  the  contour  of  the  rock  on  which  it  is  founded. 

From  the  N.E.  angle  of  the  tower  ran  the  great  wall  of  the 
fortress  right  up  to  the  main  gateway,  and  thence  on  to  the 
S.W.  angle,  thus  presenting  a  strong  and  continuous  barrier 
on  the  landward  side.  From  the  keep  to  the  gateway  the  walls 
are  still  well  preserved,  being  of  great  thickness,  with  battle- 
ments, and  path  along  top. 

1  See  p.  ri,  footnote  3. 


470  APPENDICES 

A  curious  knoll  or  mound  is  raised  in  the  centre  of  the 
court  between  the  gateway  and  the  keep,  the  top  being 
rectangular  in  form  and  about  30  feet  high.  Whether  it  is 
the  site  of  a  chapel  or  place  of  execution  it  is  difficult  to  say. 
There  are  apparent  traces  of  the  foundations  of  a  building 
on  it. 

The  Castle,  having  a  life  of  600  years  at  least,  has  no  doubt 
undergone  many  changes,  and  has  had  large  portions  of  its 
walls  built  and  rebuilt  during  its  existence.  It  is  therefore 
difficult  to  assign  exact  dates  to  the  various  parts  ;  but,  judging 
from  architectural  evidence,  the  oldest  portions  now  standing 
are  the  donjon  tower,  the  gateway,  the  curtain  walls  on  the 
land  side,  >and  some  fragments  of  walls  on  the  south-east  side, 
particularly  near  the  water  gate  and  thence  on  to  the  tower. 
These  probably  belong  to  the  period  of  Edward  the  First, 
although  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  tower  itself  has 
undergone  some  modification  in  its  upper  work  since  that 
period. 

The  barracks  built  in  the  inner  court  and  against  the  east 
wall,  and  indicated  by  dotted  lines  on  the  plan,  are  distinctly 
of  later  date,  and  may  have  been  the  work  of  John  the  Bard, 
who  was  taken  bound  by  his  charter  of  1509  to  execute  certain 
improvements.  (See  page  79  mpra). 


APPENDICES 


471 


pq 


VUfW 

a      o  o  oo 

03           O   O  CO 

cc 

0  0  0  0  CO  0  0  0  ^1  CO  0  0 

^           r-, 

0 

wz 

1       gcoco 

% 

S 

T-l                            CO           I-H                                     7-H 

S^^Q 

^2 

oo 

% 

OOOOT*<N<NOO<N(N«ob 

CO    1-H                           I-Hl-lCOCNl-HT-lT-tCO 

CQ 

^ 

GUIMg 

;  ;  ; 

Jz; 

•  ;  ;  ;  ;  -:s  ;  ;  ;  i  ; 

7-H 

-^ 

SPT3 

:  o  co 

oo 

O  CO  J>-  CO  l>-      •  CO  CD  O  CO  CO  CO 

I—  I                                                       '.               I—  1    I—  1                          7—  1 

S 

PQ 

W9 

:oo 

g 

S 

<N  —  1                 I-H  7^-1  i-i  CO  7-1       I  r-i  <N 

squi'Brj; 

:  CM  co 

0 

^ 

CO  OO  O  'sH  CO  CO  CO       :  CM  CO  CO  10 

i—  i 

g 

29  sasinixiiQ 

g 

:  ^       ;CO       ;  "#  CO       ;  ^       ;  CO  O 

^ 

•  o 

o 

w 

O 

Biappa^i 

.    I-H 

(-& 

1 

S9A\2 

:  o  o 

S 

§ 

^  10  <N  l^  CN  0  O      •  (M  TJH  O  O 
-M  r-i  I-H         C^^-iOJ      :^H(M(MCO 

O 

^ 

g 

sa.re  i^[ 

S 

:::::::::::: 

S 

BOUOH 

•:M- 

- 

o 
g 

CO^^^^^CCCO^^COO 

0 

as 

;  CO  CN 

0 

S 

^OT^    ^ea^eiwwfloco 

£ 

88ATO 

:  10  co 

oo 

tz; 

^CO^COCO^^CO^CO^CO 

w 
M 

9K 

:  CN  co 

o 

EH 

O^CO^COO^COIOCOOO 

^H 

O 

oT      g    ::::::::.:: 

3 

PH 

!  1 

02        — 

m 

fe 
0 

,- 

Driston  . 

^ 

1    « 

1.  DETAIL? 

3 

0 

a 

32 

c 

8 
o 

LITTLE  INVKIIMORISTON. 
1.  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston 
2.  John  Mclldonycht  McEane  boj 
3.  John  McCowane... 

& 
S 
O 

1 
1 

11.  DETAILS  OF  SPOIL 

'03      ^    :    :    :    :    :  ^g    :    :    :    :    : 

^1                          ^                        ^                                  fl-H 

tfll|Hl!t!lif 

472 


APPENDICES 


— 

Q          OOOOOOOOO-^OO 
00          OOCOCOCOOCCCO      • 

T—  I    I—  1 

<^        (N  -^  i—  t  i—  i  CO  T—  (COCO 

00 

I—  I 

O    O    Tjl 

O  O  CO 

CO 

mi 

O 
0 

jisog 

^        COCO      •  CO  O  CO  O  O  Tt< 

j°           r-l   r-l        :  rH   04   ,-1   01   03 

CO 

CD  ^  O 
r-H          CO 

O 

co  ••*  co    : 

CO 

WO 

S      oo    -coooocooo 

0           CO"*        :  T-I   CO   ^Tl   CO   r-l 

CO 

10 

O  OO  O 
CO          00 

CO 

o  o  o    : 

o 

CO 

01 

•    •  o 

0 

C<J 

•   •"* 

WX 

CO  00  CO  CO       -00       •  OO  CO 

I—  1 

s§ 

CO  00  O 

T-I               CO 

S 

O  OO  O      ; 

8 

«HKHD 

OOOCO-^fCO      •  O  O 
<N  i—  I  T—  1  i—  I  Ol  i—  I      I  CO  •—  i 

CO 

O  01  O 

CO    ^    Tfl 

cb 

CO  CO  CO  OO 

00 

sqra*T 

o  01  i-i  T-n  01  T-I     :  oj 

O5 

0    Tt<    O 

^ 

^  is  -H  10 

00 

I-H 

JSmSro 

:    ;  io    ;    ;  o    :    :    : 

S 

:    :    : 

: 

:    :    :    : 

oo    •    •    :    •    •  oo  o    • 

CO 

Ol    •*    Ol    TF 

Ol 

(N 

SOMg 

S^^SSS^000 

CO 
O5 
CO 

CO  00  O 
Ol          CO 

CO 

0  0  CO  CO 

00 

sa-rerc 

S8SJOJJ 

rt< 
CO 

CO  r-H  CO 

5 

^^01^ 

10 

S3 

:^««co^^»«e 

CO 

CO  (M  00 

CO 

Ol  Ol  O3      ; 

CO 

SOA^f) 

•*  vo  ^JH  -^  »c    ;  10  -rti    ; 

00 

CO  CO  O 

Ol 

^COOl 

co 

"SIS 

l^OCOOOOOOO'* 

S 

CO    T*    O 

o 

co  co  --0  co 

Ol 

.... 

::::::::: 

'o    :    '•    '• 

o   • 
a 

rh     •     •     : 

c 
O        :    :    :    : 

1 

Bunloit 

g 

1 

P 
£ 

•4 

1 

1 

^       '•'•'•              '•    <D       '       '• 

:$   '       '.|  fl  |  ' 

o 

pp 

o 

3 

^o 

DIVACH  (including  south  side  of  ( 
John  McNeill  
Finlay  McGillecallum  ... 
McEane  McConquhy 

1 
p 

1 

WESTER  BUNLOIT  (including  \\ 
Inchtelloch,  and  Ruiskich). 
Donald  owr  McEane  McFindla\\ 
Ferquhard  McSorle 
John  Mcgillecrist  moir  Mcinfutt 
Katherine  nyne  wikyne... 

1 

03 
0) 

S 

i 

m^^"^"^^^^ 

,^r~i  Ol  CO 

r-H   03   CO   Tj< 

APPENDICES 


473 


. 
°         oooool 

Ctf                 i-H   CM  ^  rH  ^   Ttf 

0 

CO 

X  O  O  O  O  O  •«* 
CO  O  O  O  O  O  CO 

r_( 

1O   IO   rH   rH    rH   rH   O 

o 

o 

CO 

•  co 

CO 

a*9a 

7*               O  O  O  CO  O  O 

,§           CM  CM  CM       co  CM 

CO 

O  -^  rtl  CO  Tfi  1O  •«* 
CM  CM 

OS 

CO 

o     • 

co    : 

TO 

13           o  o  o  o  o>  o 

j-g                    CD  Tf   CO   rH   CO'  CO 

o 

CO 

5  CO  °°  r^  ^  rH  r^ 

CO 

o    • 
CM    : 

f 

•  o     •  o 

o> 

:    :  co    :  co    : 

co 

spix 

co  co    ;  o  o  o 

CM 

o    :  co  o    ;    ;  co 

01 

-  co 

—  l      -.           rH        .        . 

«W, 

co  co    :  o  o  o 

CM   71       •  CM  CM  CM 

s 

O  Trt  CM  O      •  CM  CM 
CM   CM   rH   CM        I  rH    rn 

o 

o 

iS 

squill 

CO  CO       ;  CM  <M  O 

0 

O  CO  1O  00  ^  O  O 

CO 

:  <^> 

rH   rH                            rH   r-l 

.    r—  I 

S^UOUIUIQ 

«WA 

IS    i    i    :    i 

o 

CO  CM  OO  ^H  Ttf  «O  CO 

00 

S3AV3 

00      •  CO  O  CM 
CM  CM       :  rH  (M  r-l 

o 

O5 

CM  t^  CM  CO  CO  O  IO 

0 

co 

"    rH 

SO.n?J\[ 

; 

sosaoH 

cocoo^coco 

CO 

CO  CO  rH  CM  CM  CM  (M 

CM 

=0    ; 

as 

:  oo  co  CM  oo  co 

0 

ro 

CO  co  .—i  CM  CM  CO  CM 

Ci 

:co 

«"W> 

vn  co  oo  co  co  co 

CO 
CO 

CO  O  CM  CM  CO  "^t1  ^r1 

CO 

:oo 

"gsB 

O  CM  -rrt  CO  O  O 
r—  1  CM  CO          GN  CM 

s 

CM  O  VO  CO  vo  O  CO 

§ 

•  o 

:  co 



-  -         .    . 

J     

1 

J 

^o  ° 

ft 

'o 

3                         >> 
PQ 
^         o    . 

5 

o   ~"          '.     '• 

HOLDINGS  AND  OCCUPIKRS; 

(D)  MID  BUNLOIT  (including  Easter  C 
Inchconachar,  and  Tiglmahe 
1.  John  Mcinlustie  ... 
2.  John  Bane  McGilleglas  ... 
3.  Donald  Mcilroy  
4.  John  McEane  McWilliame 
5.  Donald  Mcane  Bayne 
6.  Gillemartyne  McConnell  moir  . 

cq 

1 

1 

fjE1,)  EASTER  BUNLOIT  (including  Lowe 
nahannet  and  Leny). 
1.  Gillespek  McNeill 
2.  John  moir  McGillefatrik 
3.  Paul  McGlassen  
4.  John  McEwyr 
5.  McGillecallum  Mcowyne  eir 
6.  Gilliinichael  McFyndlaw  McGill 
7.  Donald  McEane  McFcrquhard  . 

c 

p 

•S  5 

474 


APPENDICES 


MIWUM 

4c 
Q         OO         O-^OOOOOOOOOOO 

CO 

co 

r—  1 

O  OO  OO  00  OO  O 

:  o  ?o  co  ?o  co  o 

00 
CO 

<$                                                                   COrH 

—  ^ 

^S 

a 

,§          CO                                              ^  CM  ^  ^H  i2 

{^ 

^^ 

£ 

«H»0 

S          OOQOOCMOCMCOOOOO^CM 

,0       ^            ^r-ir-i            ooeocM^-i 

CO 

O  O  M  O  O  CO  00 
O  CO  i-t  (M  CM 

co 

6         QUIVL  i 



1 

1             «pra 

ooco-*     -oco     •     •     -icico 

•    I—I                                        •    I—  1               r—  1 

o 

rococo    :    : 

OO 
CN 

t>T            n«"O 

<3    i 

COCMOO       ;COO       ;       ;       ;OOOCO 

CM 
<M 

:  o  o  o  co    ;    : 

co 

a 

sqnrerj 

Q 

^ic^ocococo    :    ;ocoo. 

CO 

at 

CO  O  1C  CO  CO  0  1C 

1C 
1C 

^            S^XIOXUUT(J 

:::  co    ;:::::;: 

•* 

;       ;       ;       ;       :       ;  CO 

co 

SI9DTJO  U 

P_l 

;  ;  :  ;  =  i  -:  i  12  ;<° 

2 

o    :;:::: 

o 

^             s9Ava 

OiOOOC-lCTOOO      *       -OOQO 

1C 

O  •*  O  CM  'M  O  '0 

-H 

fc    : 

S 

EH     ;             '  °'n  ^ 

PH 

i 

sosaoH 

^--^-^  ;-»  ;^^ 

GO 
CO 

CO  1C  CM  CM  CO      ;  1-1 

c-. 

I 

o*           ow^f) 

C3                Sunoi 

•-OT^    ;    ;  co  CM    ;    ;    ;  ic  co  co 

co 

•«*>  CO  CO  CO  iO  r-H      ; 

c 

3 

fc                        SOAVBO 

H 

OOi-iCMCM^CMCNCO      ;COCOiC 

^ 

co  o  •*  m  co  ^  co 

CM 

^ 

nJ 

^                        ^fO.I£) 

CM  "                                                 I  f-i         »H 

eg 

OO  O  •«•   O  -^Ti  CO  CO 

00 

^      |- 



m 

EH 

^     ' 

OJ 

-<     : 

Jz;    j 
B 

EH     ' 

_M 

• 

°Ec 

^      :               fS 
5      :               ? 

fe    ,           5 

..£.•• 

a 
g 

'o 

3    

SPOIL  TAKEN 

IfoMUNC^  AND  ()<' 

"     OJ    "S 

a        c   ;3   o 

I  ;-§.=  :jitltfl.s 

g 
o 

Q 

bC            ^    r-                        ^ 

2 
1 

| 

g  ^  P  P  Q  fi  Q  0 

^co'^iccDi-^oooiorHCMco^ 

—  I  TN!  (X)  T#  1C  CO  l^ 

^ 

APPENDICES 


ajn^itLinj 

a      °°^* 

oi        °  £2      : 
^         CO  «O 

O 
0 

o 

00  O  00  O  O 

CO  O  CO  O  TJI 

T—  1 

CO    CO    ^H    r-    O 

•* 
1>- 

05 

O  00  OO  O 

o  co  co  o 

CO  ^-1  rH  01 

•<* 

CO      1 

o 

o  o  o 
o  o  o 

(M  CO  CO 

.reag 

I      o^    - 

0          CO              - 

-*l 

CO 

«O  O  ^  co  O 

i—  i  £v|                 r—1 

00 

1C 

0  X>  ^  00 
00 

oo 
"tf 

CO  O  O 

S^Q 

S3          0  CO       • 

a    <°     : 

00 
CO 

O  O  CC  O  fN 
•*  ^         (N  (N 

c 

CO 

0  O  CO  CO 

OO    (M             I-H 

•«J* 

(M 

0  O  O 
(M  (M  (M 

9UIMS 

i  :  i  ;  ; 

:    :    :    : 

;  ;  • 

spra 

CM     •     • 

T—  1            I 

<M 

CO  0  CO  CO  «O 

(M 

CO 

O  «O  00  CO 

7—1 

0 

co 

oo    ;  co 

s^oo 

o    :     : 

0 

•*|  (N  (M   7Q  CN 

(M 

CO 

-*  O  O  (M 

H 

CO 

co    :  T^ 

0 

sqrai3T 

o  io    ; 

o 

JO  C-l  CO  00  0 

(M 

*O 

^1  co  co  O 

«o 

co 

CM  CM  00 

s^TiorauiQ 

?p  SJ9UIUII*) 

:  o    : 

o 

•   -*JH 

:    :    :    :  ct 

•^ 
(M 

.  o    : 

sagppaAV 

TT*  co    ;    ; 

oq 

SSJAVH 

o    :    : 

0 

co  co  •*  co    ; 

(M 

XO 

o    .  i^    : 

t^ 

(M 

-W  0   O3 

. 

••*:;: 

^ 

•    •    • 

S9&MOJJ 

00  rH  rH 

o 

CO  US  OJ  •«*<  -* 

00 

TJ<  •*  i—  (      ; 

O 

CO  CO  ^fi 

aweo 
Sunox 

o    :    : 

o 

rH 

CO  -^  <M  C<1  CO 

t^ 

•*  CQ  CO      ; 

0 

iO  ^  -^ 

SOAl«0 

10  oo    : 

00 

0  00  CO  O  CO 

G^ 
CN 

00  •*  co  C^l 

^ 

oo  cc  (.0 

am«o 

^oar) 

o  ?o    : 

-5Tl 

CO 

•* 

^  CO  to  (M  O 

CSJ    r-<            r*    r-l 

oo 

CO 

o  —  i  co  oq 

Oi 

CO 

"*<•<#  «O 

CN   r-i   i-H 

ncli  brine 

0! 
5 

ich  brine 

s 

HOLDINGS  AND  OCCUPIKKS. 

WESTER  INCHBRINE. 
John  Doy  McGillemoir  ... 
Gillendreis 
John  McFyndlaw 

o 

03 
^L> 

^ 
3 
0 

^M 

3 

o 

H 

^ID  INCHBRINE. 
John  McConquhy  Mclngowin  .. 
John  McConnell  McFarquhair  .. 
John  McConnill  McGilleis 
Donald  McFatrik  
Ferquhard  McConnill  McFerquh 

O 

i 

o 

SH 

1 

H 

EASTER  INCHBRINE. 
William  McAlester  Grant 
William  McPatrik  McEane  vayin 
Donald  McCristiane 
Donald  McFergus 

HH 

1 

§ 

w 

0 

^H 

0 

H 

POLMAILY  (including  Achnababan 
William  McGowyn 
Duncan  McWilliame 
John  Bane  McConnil  Me  in  Gow 

xr^    IN    CO 

^ 

"  

r—  i  (N  CO  Tf  "^ 

C- 

X^ 

T-l    C^    CO     TJ1 
S^ 

^r-,    JV1    CO 
^. 

476 


APPENDICES 


— 

p        00         CO  O 
^         «O       .  CO  O 

CO 

CN 

•^oooooo      ool            -^omo 

COCOOOCO          CD                        COOCOO:| 

COi-H^rHr-l           i-l                          CO(MOr-H 
| 

00 

co 

0 
I—  < 

$ 

.veag 

cq      '~l    ' 

s 

O^CO-OO          rC                       O-N-CO-I 
01  -H                 ^10                        CM  T-H       .              .      | 

3 

-i 

«W> 

1  s  ;sw 

o 
o 

ooooo       o                oo-o-l 

<OCNCNi-HCN         J^                       CO  CO      I  «-«      I     j 

1 

cS 

auiAig 

:    :    :    :    :        :                 :    :    :    :    : 

; 

1 

1 

10 

"PHI 

CO  CO  0  CO 

55 

ococooco      o               coo;;:' 

CD                   r-t                  OS                          r-i    r-i       .       .       . 

CO 
CN 

'•*£ 

s^oo 

C-l  o  co  oo 

co 

O  CN  (N  0  O         ^H                       -r  CO  O  CO       : 
COi-ii-HCNi-H          CO                         -M   r-i   ^-i 

oo 

$ 

n 

sqrairi 

CO  CD  OO  O 

OO 

CD 

OCOCO»O<M          Ci                        OIC-- 

CO                               i—  1             VO                               T*    r-i         " 

US 

y  s.i9imiit£) 

o 

LilU    ;       Li±u 

>j  i 

i 

PH  ' 

s.ioppa& 

•   •   •    •             i           

s,Aa 

C*4  fM  <N  O 

I—  1     1—  1     I—  i     T—  1 

CO 

o  o  o  o  co       ^o                o  ^t1  o  o 

O  r-f   i—  (  r-i  rH            Oil                      ^OC^rHi—  '        " 

0 

saafw 

: 

1             -    -    :    :    : 

• 

g 

S3SJOH 

CO  T-I  CO   ^ 

CN 

CN 

O  CO  CM  I-H  TJI         O                       CO  O       ;  71      : 

xr: 

g 

ss 

•^  CN  co  co 

CO 

CNCOCN--*          i—  i                       CO   Ti*       •   !N      ' 
7—1                    :                ^1                 i—  1             -             • 

|a 

£ 

SOA1TJQ 

co^^co 

co 

C5  ^  co  i—  i  co        •*                  >oco;co; 

^q                                       CO                         7^1 

CO 

o 

•IIW^O 

41:3.1  {} 

CO  CO  CO  CD 

00 

O  CO  CO  -M  O          CD                        OorCO-^ 

CD                         i-l          00                        "^   i-i       • 

OO 

CD 

g 

±  "%        :    :    :    :    :        :       ^3        :    :    :    :    : 

1 

p                   1 

1 

UI'JEKS. 

"3 

1 

>.  "^                                       S 

O    ^                                                  c5         *-^ 

P-i  t^3            rS                     t^        M 

ulnakirk 

SPOIL  TAKEN  F 

HOLDINGS  AND  Ocx 

'  O  2 

QJ    °  -^ 

If  111 

o 

1 

^"^           ^g^o'2f^                o 

1?  Hail   ^   -   sllll 
is^gggsa        g-jflaiSi&S 

^7^   o^osd                  ^oo^^o^ 

^^"p^rgg^p!                                ^,^^^^^2 

Total  from  C' 

i-^  CJ  CO  TT  O                       —  %        I-H  CN  CO  -^  Uj 

APPENDICES 


.mWUr,, 

Q                ooooooo 

CO                         OCCOQOOOOOOOO          O 

|«O                    O?O^tJ<r>oec                                ^ 

<4j                        vOCQrH 

i 

.TE9g 

,2  • 
1                 OCO^COCM 

1 

6i                             ,-HrH            —    <M            rHi-Hr-.*             rH 

s^o 

M    • 

-g                         0  O  00  O  CO  «0 

I.-M                 ooooooooooco       o 

1    2                                                                                                          -M 

8UIAVS 

«PT3 

0  SO  <O  ?0  «0  VQ 

TTI                                                   1—  1                                                                                                            CO 

BfBOQ 

0  Cl  <N  0  CM  O 

<M                         OOCMCOOCOCOOOOCO          00 

Sqra,T 

0  0  «0  0  0  «0 
•^  T  —  1          C^l 

CO                                1—  1                       I—  !    r-l    i—  1                                                  t-— 

s;uouiui(l 

to                :    :  o    :  <M    :    :    :    ;    :      CM 

ly  gjouiuiio 

'    ' 

I  ^          L±_T!  

saoppe>AY 

o    ;    :    :  •*#    \ 

1 

—a 

o  o  o  o  o    • 

oo  ci  rn  CM         : 

1     CO                           r-H    i-i       :    —           (N   rH                                   O5 

o     

o                  

sareK 

sasaojj 

O  •«*  i—  i  C<I  CN  -H 
CM 

1                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      TtH 

»     CO 

SOW 

;o  eo  co  •*  ff.  CM 

CM                                                                                                   CO 

89AFO 

O  O  «O  O  <M  Tjt 

It^l             «OTtiira<^i?ocococococo       01 

|    CO     | 

•gag 

(N  CM  r-i 

t^.       1                      CM            rH    i—  1    rH                             i—  i                     Cl 

®    ^^            •      

of 

fl 

32 

1 

£ 

3$       •-•• 

fl       ID         ::::•:::::       g 

a    ^                             1 

-f        fl^.  «>            I3                      ^H             g 

s 


*"   -2     o3  r^  rS  S/S  ^O     ^  S 

bCH  2^O  ^CkS1^  O 

•Sg|     l-sfi^o^i     £ 


^H       rj    ^H    ^-J       W    ^ 

^^O^P^ 


478 


APPENDICES 


q                     OO    O    00  O 

« 

OO                 00 

ain^mn,! 

to  o  to  o 

CO 
I—I 

CO       *          CO 

qj              CO  rH  -H  CO 

00 

rH                   ,H 

a,3g 

Jg               O  00  O  O 

pq 

OO 

CO 

:    :        : 

S                 O  <M  rji  O 

to 

cq          ^r-i      <M 

^ 

.    . 

OXHMS 

00         0 

»pra 

• 

rH    I—  H             CM 

O  O         O 

fe}TK>O 

•    •    •    • 

CM  1-1          CO 

.qmri 

o  <o     -co 
I—  1 

CM 

O  O         O 
CM  CM          ^rl 

|romni?o 

: 

_ 

sasppoAV 

i-    :     :<o 

CO 

O  O         O 

S9M3 

!M  0      ;  0 

7-1 

CO 

00          O 

CO  CO          to 

Soa,R 

;  ;     ; 

S8SJOH 

CO  <M  CO  <N 

0 

;  !N         CM 

1—1 

i 

Suuojt 

CM  CM  CN  CM 

oo 

co    :      co 

^m, 

^^^CN 

I—  1 

10    :  1  >a 

9^130 

«O  O  •*  CO 

to 

<M       '         CM 

^OJO 

CM 

i—  <       .           r-l 

g 

15 

Q 

PH 

i 

r2        •                              -^ 

2 

eg 

>  ^            -S 

03 

M        :    :    :    : 

fcJO 

o  ^    :    :      ki 

K 

<D 

fc  °               -iJ 

% 

•5 

£ 

W^             2 

O 

v<z    :'•''• 

w 

fcC  fl      I     -        W 

(") 

P     t> 

G     rg 

HOLDINGS  AND 

KERROWGAIR  (lying  bet\ 
buie  and  Kerrovvdo1 
Alexander  Dempstare 
John  McEwyn 
Andrew  Duff 
Donald  McEwyn  Dow 

s 

g 

1 

KIL  ST.  NINIAN  (includi 
craig,  St.  Ninian's, 
John  Glas  Mclnnes 
Fynlaw  McJames 

Total  fron 

—  ^        i-i  CM.  CO  •* 

-^         rH  CN 

^_ 

O4 

1118. 

'S  S^s.-s 

0-"& 


J  "o" 


-S  o  ^  g 

^  ^  2  P 

^    O   73   rg 

lUI^ 

^z  >  f"  fe 

^^fe  g 

ii%-! 
III! 

H!t 

sg?.- 

|Hfe 

ls^^- 

liisM 
iiJIf 

°l«*-2 

S  o  2  I  ° 

^  o  «J  ^  <£ 

O  ,_,     r-     g     v 

g  c  S  -^  2 

'S    r^    '&       ^^ 


II  1  9.JS 


5 


e#gf2 

.SSJ'S'B 
18  S.«  >.3 


APPENDICES  479 


APPENDIX  C  (PAGES  116,  442,  AND  451). 

I.  LEASE  BY  THE  BISHOP  OF  MORAY  TO  JOHN  MACKAY  AND 
HIS  WIFE,  OF  ACHMONIE.  1554.  [Translated  from 
the  Latin,  in  MS.  Register  of  Moray,  in  Advocates' 
Library.] 

To  all  and  sundry,  sons  of  the  mother  Church,  to  whose  notice 
these  present  letters  may  come,  Patrick,  by  the  mercy  of  God 
bishop  of  Moray  and  perpetual  commendator  of  the  abbey  of 
Scone,  health  in  the  Lord  everlasting :  Wit  ye  us  with  express 
consent  and  assent  and  advice  of  the  chapter  of  our  Cathedral 
Church  of  Moray,  chapterly  assembled  for  the  occasion,  and 
the  utility  of  us  and  of  our  said  church  of  Moray  being  fore- 
seen, meditated,  considered,  and  understood,  and  diligent  dis- 
cussion and  mature  deliberation  having  been  had  beforehand, 
to  have  set,  rented,  let,  and  at  feuferme  dimitted  to  our  lovites 
John  McGilleis  alms  McKaye, 'and  Katherine  Euen  Canycht 
his  spouse,  and  the  survivor  of  them,  and  their  heirs  and 
assignees  and  land  labourers  and  sub-tenants,  many  or  one,  of 
no  greater  authority  than  themselves  the  principals  John  and 
Katherine,  all  and  sundry  our  lands  of  Awchmonye,  with  the 
brew-house  thereof  called  Killmichaell,  with  all  and  sundry 
their  pertinents,  lying  within  the  barony  of  Kinmylies,  regality 
of  Spynie,  and  shire  of  Inverness,  for  all  the  terms  and  years 
of  nineteen  years,  beginning  at  Whitsunday  in  the  year  of  the 
Lord  1554,  and  thereafter  continuing  together  and  successively 
from  year  to  year  and  term  to  term  to  the  complete  course  and 
ish  of  nineteen  years  aforesaid :  To  hold  and  to  have  all  and 
sundry  the  before-named  lands  of  Awchmonye  and  brew-house 
thereof  called  Kilmichaell,  with  all  and  sundry  their  pertinents 
lying  as  aforesaid,  to  the  aforesaid  John  McGilleis  alias 
McKaye  and  Katherine  Euen  Chanycht  his  spouse,  and  the 
survivor  of  them,  and  their  heirs  and  assignees  and  subtenants 
and  land  labourers,  many  or  one  beforesaid,  of  us  and  our 
successors,  bishops  of  Moray,  for  all  and  sundry  terms  of  the 
said  nineteen  years,  as  the  said  lands  with  the  pertinents  do  lie 
in  length  and  breath  due  and  wont,  in  houses  and  biggings,  with 
culture  and  common  pasture,  free  entry  and  ish,  together  with 
all  other  and  sundry  liberties,  commodities,  profits,  and  ease- 
ments, and  their  just  pertinents  whatsoever,  far  and  near,  to 
the  aforenamed  lands,  with  the  pertinents  and  brew-house 
thereof,  belonging  or  that  may  in  any  way  in  future  justly 
belong,  full,  quietly,  wholly,  honourably,  well,  and  in  peace, 
without  any  reserve,  revocation,  contradiction,  or  obstacle 
whatsoever  :  Rendering  therefor  yearly  the  said  John  McGilleis 


480  APPENDICES 

alias  McKaye  and  Katherine  Eiien  Chanycht  his  spouse,  and 
their  foresaids,  to  us  and  our  successors,  one  or  more,  and  our 
and  their  chamberlains  or  factors,  one  or  more,  for  the  time, 
for  the  said  lands  of  Awchmonye  and  brew-house  thereof,  with 
their  pertinents,  the  sum  of  three  pounds  usual  money  of 
Scotland,  three  shillings  and  fourpence  for  two  firlots  of  dry 
multure,  and  two  kids,  at  the  two  usual  terms  of  the  year, 
Whitsunday  and  Martinmas  in  winter,  by  equal  portions,  with 
the  other  services  due  and  wont  from  the  said  lands  of  Awch- 
monye and  brew-house  thereof,  contained  in  the  old  rental: 
And  we  truly,  the  aforesaid  Patrick,  bishop  of  Moray,  and  our 
successors  for  the  time  being,  do  warrant,  acquit,  and  for  ever 
defend,  all  and  sundry  the  aforesaid  lands  of  Awchmonye  and 
the  brew-house  thereof,  with  all  and  sundry  their  pertinents, 
lying  as  said  is,  to  the  said  John  McGilleis  alias  McKaye  and 
Katherine  Euen  Ganycht  his  spouse,  and  the  longer  liver  of 
them,  and  their  heirs  and  assignees,  and  their  tenants  and  land 
labourers,  one  or  more  aforesaid,  during  the  space  and  terms 
of  nineteen  years,  as  aforesaid.  In  witness  of  the  which  thing, 
our  round  seal,  together  with  the  common  seal  of  our  chapter 
of  Moray,  and  the  manual  subscriptions  of  us  and  of  the  canons 
of  our  said  chapter,  are  appended,  at  Elgin  the  31st  day  of 
March  1554.  Witnesses,  John  Gordon  vicar  of  Kincardine 
and  Rothimurchus,  Sir  James  Douglas,  Sir  Alexander  Douglas, 
chaplains,  James  Innes  of  Drany,  Alexander  Gordon  in 
Achortes,  Mr  Hugh  Cragye,  Thomas  Seres,  and  Sir  John 
Gibsoun,  notaries. 

PA.  MORAVIEN.  epus.  et  de  Scona  c'me'datari'. 
W.  PAT 'SON  subdecanus  Morauien. 
GULIELMUS  HEPBUKNE  rector  de  Dupill. 
THOMAS  HAYE  rector  de  Spynie. 
JACOBUS*  STKATHAUCHIN  rector  de  Botarie. 
THOMAS  WALLACE  rectori  de  Unthank. 
THOMAS  GADERAR  de  Talaricie. 


II.  LEASE  BY  THE  LAIRD  OF  GRANT  TO  DONALD  GUMMING 

OF      DULSHANGIE,      OF      MEIKLE      PlTKERRALD.        1660. 

[From  original  at  Castle  Grant.] 

BE  It  kend  till  all  men  be  yir  prnt  Ires  [i.e.,  these  present 
letters,]  Me  James  Grant  off  ffrewquhye  to  hawe  sett,  and  in 
Tack  and  Assedatione  Latten,  Lykas  be  the  tenor  hereof  I  sett 
and  in  tack  and  assedatione  Lett  to  dod.  Cuming  of  dulsangzie 
and  to  his  aires  and  assyneys  of  no  higher  degree  then  himselff 
is  off,  all  and  heall  the  plewghe  and  quarter  of  land  of  meikill 


APPENDICES  481 

pitkerrel,  presentlie  possessed  be  dugall  me  Rorie  lait  tennent 
of  the  same,  withe  the  multures,  teynds,  great  and  small, 
parsonage  and  wiccaradge,  of  the  same,  withe  housses,  biggings, 
zairds,  toftes,  croftes,  partes,  pendicles,  and  remanent  vniversall 
pertinents  thereof,  Lyand  within  the  Lordship  of  wrqrt, 
parochin  yroff  and  sheriffdom  of  Invernes :  and  that  for  all  the 
dayes,  yeires,  space,  and  termes  off  fywe  yeires  nixt  and 
imediatlie  following  the  feast  and  term  of  Whitsunday  last 
bypast  in  the  zeir  of  God  1660  zeires,  qlk  shall  be  (God  willing) 
his  entrie  to  the  sds  lands  and  their  pertinents  be  wertewe 
heirof,  with  ffrie  Ishewe  and  entrie  thereto,  and  with  all  and 
syndrie  uther  priviledges,  easments,  and  ryghteous  pertinents 
perteining  or  that  shall  be  knowen  to  apperteiii  thereto,  weill, 
quietlie,  and  in  peace,  but  [that  is,  without]  anie  obstacle  or 
Impediment  to  be  maid  in  the  contrar  :  Payand  therefor  yeirlie 
the  sd  donald  Cuming,  likas  be  the  tenor  heirof  he  faithfullie 
Binds  and  obleisses  him  and  his  forsds  to  content  and  pay  to 
the  said  James  Grant  or  to  his  aires,  exrs  [executors],  successors 
and  assigneys,  or  to  their  chalmerland  in  their  names,  The 
number  off  Tuall  bolls  guid  and  sufficient  wictuall,  half  meall 
half  Bear,  at  anie  place  or  part  that  the  rest  of  the  fermes  of 
that  countrie  is  payed  at,  and  that  preceislie  at  the  feast  and 
term  of  Candilsmaise  nixt  and  Imediatlie  following  the  shear- 
ing, winning,  and  Ingathering  of  the  cropt,  and  failzieing  of 
the  sds  Tuall  bolls  wictuall  at  the  terme  abow-speit  [above 
specified],  the  pryces  of  the  sam  according  to  the  feir  and  pryces 
payed  be  the  remanent  tennents  of  the  countrie,  at  the  termes 
of  payment  vsed  and  wount :  Beginand  the  first  zeires  payt 
thereof  at  the  feast  and  term  of  Candilsemaise  1661  yeires,  and 
sua  furthe  zeirlie  during  the  space  f orsd  of  fywe  zeires :  with 
ane  halff  custom  mairt,  ffour  old  wedders,  Tuo  yowng  wedders 
heall  hawed  wn-clipped  [i.e.,  left  wholly  unshorn],  Tuo  stain 
weight  of  butter,  sex  henns,  ffourtie  sex  shillings  Scottis  of 
land  meal  [mail  or  rent]  and  Stewart  silver  at  the  termes  of 
payment  vsed  and  wount,  with  service  carriadge  and  harriadge 
[i.e.,  service  of  carriage  and  ploughing]  as  the  remanent  of  the 
tennentrie  of  wrqrt  sail  doe  for  anie  quarter  land  yrof : 
Releiwand  [relieving]  the  said  James  Grant  and  his  forsds  of 
the  teynd  and  wiccaradge  silwer  [stipend]  presentlie  imposed  or 
that  shall  be  imposed  on  the  sds  lands  :  Moreover,  the  so!  donald 
Cuming  obleisses  him  and  his  forsds  to  Grind  their  cornis  that 
growes  on  the  sds  lands  at  the  sd  James  Grant  his  miln  of 
wrqrt,  and  to  discharge  and  doe  all  manner  of  dewtie  thereto 
that  anie  uther  quarter  of  land  within  the  suckin  of  the  sd  miln 
is  obleist  to,  according  to  vse  and  wount :  And  for  the  mair 

31 


482  APPENDICES 

securitie  Bothe  the  sds  pairties  ar  content  and  consents  that 
thir  prntis  be  insert  and  registrat  in  the  high  court  books  of 
Justice,  shireff  or  commissar  books  of  Invernes,  or  anie  uther 
Judicatorie  books  withein  this  natione,  that  executiones  of 
horning,  poyiiding,  and  wthers  necesser,  may  passe  heiron  vpon 
a  singall  charge  of  tejin  dayes  allenarlie,  and  to  that  effect  con- 
stitutes our  lawfull  procurators :  In  witnes  qr  off, 
bothe  the  saids  pairties  have  subscriwe  thir  pntis  (wreitten  be 
Mr  Alexr.  Grant,  servitor  to  the  sd  James  Grant)  withe  their 
hands,  at  Ballachastell  [Castle  Grant]  the  ffourtein  day  of  June 
1660  zeirs,  befor  thir  witnesses,  James  wrqrt,  Wm.  Grant,  and 
Duncan  Grant,  and  the  sd  Mr  Alexr.  Grant,  wreiter  heirof, 
servitors  to  the  said  James  Grant  of  frewquhie. 

JAMES  GRANT  of  freuquhye. 

DONALD  GUMMING. 

JAMES  URQUHART,  witnes. 

D.  GRANT,  witnes. 

W.  GRANT,  witnes. 

Mr  ALEXR.  GRANT,  wreiter  and  witnes. 

III.  ARTICLES  OF  AGREEMENT  BETWEEN  JAMES  GRANT,, 
ESQUIRE  OF  GRANT  [AFTERWARDS  SIR  JAMES  GRANT], 
AND  JAMES  DOLLAS,  MASON  AT  GARTHKEEN.  1770. 
[From  the  original  presented  to  the  Author  by  Mr 
Fraser-Mackintosh .  ] 

THE  said  James  Grant  is  to  set  to  the  said  James 
Dollas  the  twelve  bolls  pay  of  Wester  Gartaly  and  one 
bolls  pay  of  Easter  Gartaly  called  Carrachan  [now 
Wester  Milton]  excepting  the  houses  and  croft  taken 
off  for  the  Milns,  to  be  entered  to  at  Whitsunday  seventeen 
hundred  and  seventy,  with  liberty  of  subsetts  as  he  shall  find 
proper  for  the  works  aftermentioned,  and  for  which  ffarm  the 
said  James  Dolla-s  is  to  pay  Twenty  five  pounds  sterling  of 
yearly  Rent,  Three  Wedders  and  Reek  Hens  ;  and  in  respect  of 
carrying  on  the  Lymework  aftermentioned  the  services  are 
passed  from ;  And  the  rent  to  be  payable  at  the  usual  terms 
with  the  rest  of  the  Estate ;  with  allowance  for  building  dykes 
as  others,  As  also  for  putting  up  houses  on  the  ffarm  to  the 
amount  of  Twenty  five  pounds  sterling  of  melioration ;  And 
further  the  said  James  Dollas  is  to  employ  proper  hands  and 
with  them  to  carry  on  a  Lyme  work  at  Loanghrannach,  as  also 
at  Carrachan,  where  Lyme  stone  quarreys  are  opened,  and  to 
take  Peats  for  the  Lyme  to  be  burnt  at  Carrachan  from  the 
moss  above  Culnakeerk,  And  to  take  Peats  for  the  Lyme  to  be 
burnt  at  Loanghrannach  [Lurga-roinich]  from  the  mosses 


APPENDICES  483 

nearest  thereto ;  and  the  said  James  Delias  is  to  burn  what 
Lyme  he  possibly  can  at  both  the  saids  places,  and  to  sell  the 
same  to  the  said  James  Grant  and  his  tenants  and  possessors  of 
Urquhart  at  most  at  seven  pence  p.  boll  at  the  Upper  Lyme 
quarry,  and  ninepence  p.  boll  at  Carrachan,  reckoning  the  boll 
at  Four  ffurlots  of  the  meal  measure  of  the.  County  of  Inverness, 
and  if  the  said  measure  can  be  turned  into  weight  conveniently 
the  same  to  be  given  accordingly  of  the  Lyme  after  it  is  harped, 
and  to  make  from  two  to  four  thousand  bolls  in  the  year  as  the 
weather  will  allow;  and  which  quantity  is  to  be  yearly  taken 
from  the  said  James  Delias  by  the  said  James  Grant  and  his 
tenants ;  and  the  said  James  Dollas  is  to  have  an  allowance  for 
building  a  Lyme  house  at  each  kiln.  And  the  said  James 
Dollas  is  to  make  a  Tryal  of  the  above  work  for  three  years  from 
this  Whitsunday,  certain ;  and  for  seven  years  if  no  other 
person  shall  undertake  the  said  Lyme  work,  and  sell  the  Lyme 
cheaper  ;  and  no  Lyme  to  be  sold  out  of  the  said  James  Grant's 
Estate  without  his  allowance.  This  is  written  by  James  Grant, 
Clerk  at  Castle  Grant,  and  signed  by  the  saids  parties  on  this 
and  the  preceding  page  at  Kilmore  the  Eleventh  day  of  May 
seventeen  hundred  and  seventy  years.  Before  witnesses,  Alex- 
ander Innes  of  Breda,  and  the  said  James  Grant  writer  hereof. 

JAMES  GRANT 
I.D. 

ALEXR.  INNES  witness. 

JAMES  GRANT  witness. 

The  Peats  and  Lyme  stone  already  laid  in  at  the  upper  kiln 
are  to  be  burned,  and  after  the  same  are  burnt  James  Dollas  is 
to  account  to  Mr  Grant  at  the  sight  of  Mr  Willox  [Mr  Willox, 
or  Macgregor,  the  Factor,]  for  what  the  same  may  burn  out. 

J.  G. 
I.D. 


APPENDIX  D  (PAGES  116  AND  442). 

CHARTER  BY  THE  BISHOP  OF  MORAY,  TO  JOHN  MACKAY  AND 
HIS  WIFE  AND  SON,  OF  ACHMONIE.  1557.  [Trans- 
lated from  the  Latin,  in  MS.  Register  of  Moray,  in 
Advocates'  Library.]1 

To  all  who  shall  see  or  hear  this  Charter,  Patrick  by  the  mercy 
of  God  bishop  of  Moray  and  perpetual  commeiidator  of  the 
Abbey  of  Scone,  everlasting  health  in  the  Lord :  know  ye  that 
we  with  express  consent  and  assent  of  the  canons  of  our  chapter 

1  See  Chiefs  of  Grant,  Vol.  III.,  for  Charters  of  1509  in  favour  of 
the  Grants.     See  also  pp.  77-81  supra. 


484  APPENDICES 

of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Moray,  chapterly  assembled  to  that 
effect,  our  utility  and  that  of  our  said  church  being  011  all  sides 
foreseen,  considered,  and  with  diligent  discussions  and  mature 
deliberations  held  beforehand,  to  the  evident  advantage  of  our 
said  church  and  of  our  successors  bishops  of  Moray,  and  in 
augmentation  of  our  rental  in  the  sum  of  26s  8d  more -than  the 
lands  underwritten,  with  the  brew-house,  have  paid  to  us  or 
our  predecessors ;  also  for  the  promotion  and  improvement  of 
the  common  weal  of  the  kingdom,  and  in  contemplation  of  the 
statutes  of  Parliament  published  thereanent,  and  for  the  repair 
and  building  of  the  edifices,  stone  houses,  dams,  orchyards, 
gardens,  greens,  and  dovecots,  upon  the  lands  underwritten,  so 
far  as  they  may  be  able  to  bear,  also  for  a  certain  great  sum 
of  money  thankfully  and  fully  paid  to  us  in  advance  by  John 
McGilleis  and  Duncan  McGilleis  his  son,  wholly  for  the  use  of 
us  and  of  the  said  cathedral  church  of  Moray,  and  for  other 
gratitudes,  helps,  and  well  deserving  deeds  done  and  performed 
many  times  to  us  by  the  said  John  McGilleis  and  Duncan 
McGilleis,  have  given,  granted,  rented,  set,  and  let,  to  the  said 
John  McGilleis  McKaye  and  Katherine  Euene  Canycht  his 
spouse,  and  the  survivor  of  them  in  liferent,  and  after  their 
decease,  have  set,  rented,  let,  and  at  feuferme  or  perpetual 
emphyteusis,  heritably  dimitted,  and  by  the  tenor  of  these  pre- 
sents do  set,  rent,  let,  and  at  feuferme  or  perpetual  emphyteusis 
heritably  demit,  and  by  this  present  charter  do  confirm  to  the 
said  Duncan  McGilleis,  son  of  the  said  John  McGilleis  McKaye, 
and  the  heirs  male  of  his  body  lawfully  procreated  or  to  be  pro- 
created, whom  failing  to  the  true  lawful  and  nearest  heirs  male 
of  the  said  Duncan  whomsoever,  All  and  Whole  our  lands  of 
Awchmonye,  with  the  brew-house  thereof  called  Kilmichaell, 
with  their  pendicles  and  pertinents,  lying  within  the  barony  of 
Kinmylies,  shire  of  Inverness,  and  our  regality  of  Spynie : 
which  lands  of  Awchmonye  with  the  brew-house  thereof  called 
Kilmichaell,  and  their  pendicles  and  pertinents,  were  formerly 
let  for  the  sum  of  three  pounis  usual  money  of  Scotland  as  for 
the  old  ferme  of  the  said  lands,  two  kids,  and  three  shillings 
and  four  pennies  of  said  money  for  two  firlots  of  dry  multure, 
and  for  the  grassum  of  the  said  lands  yearly  the  sum  of  seven- 
teen shillings  and  ten  pence  :  and  now  in  augmentation  of  our 
rental  to  the  sum  of  twenty-six  shillings  and  eight  pence  of  the 
foresaid  money  more  than  ever  the  said  lands  with  the  brew- 
house  and  others,  paid  to  us  or  our  predecessors :  To  hold  and 
to  have  all  and  sundry  the  aforesaid  lands  of  Awchmonye  with 
the  brew-house  thereof  called  Kilmichaell,  with  their  pendicles 
and  pertinents,  to  the  beforenamed  John  McGilleis  McKaye 
and  Katherine  Euene  Canycht  and  the  survivor  of  them,  in 


APPENDICES  485 

liferent,  and  after  their  decease  to  the  said  Duncan  McGilleis 
son  of  the  said  John  McGilleis  McKaye,  and  the  heirs  male  of 
his  body  lawfully  procreated  or  to  be  procreated,  whom  failing, 
to  the  true  lawful  and  nearest  heirs  male  of  the  said  Duncan 
whomsoever,  of  us  and  our  successors,  bishops  of  Moray,  in  feu- 
ferme  or  emphyteusis  and  heritage  for  ever,  by  all  their  just 
ancient  meithes  and  marches  as  they  lie  in  length  and  breadth, 
limits  and  bounds,  on  every  side,  in  tofts,  crofts,  gardens, 
houses,  biggings,  woods,  plains,  muirs,  mosses,  ways,  paths, 
waters,  stanks,  rivers,  meadows,  grasings,  pasturages,  mills, 
multures  and  their  sequels,  fowlings,  huntings,  fishings,  peat- 
mosses, turf-grounds,  coals,  coal-heuchs,  rabbits,  rabbit- 
warrens,  pigeons,  pigeon-cots,  smithies,  malt  kilns,  brooms 
and  plantings,  woods,  groves,  shrubberies,  nurseries,  stone 
quarries,  saw  mills,  ferries,  mountains,  hills,  vallies,  stone,  and 
lime ;  with  courts  and  their  issues,  fines,  herezelds,  bloodwytes, 
and  merchets  of  women,  with  culture  and  common  pasture,  and 
power  to  dig,  labour,  and  cultivate  new  fields  upon  the  lands 
underwritten,  far  and  near,  belonging,  or  which  may  in  any 
way  in  future  justly  belong  to  the  aforesaid  lands  of  Awch- 
monye,  with  the  brew-house  thereof  called  Kilmichaell,  and 
their  pendicles  and  pertinents,  freely,  quietly,  fully,  wholly, 
honourably,  well,  and  in  peace,  without*  any  withholding, 
revocation,  contradiction,  or  obstacle  whatever :  Rendering 
therefor  yearly,  the  said  John  McGilleis  McKaye  and  Katherine 
Euene  Canycht  his  spouse,  and  the  longer  liver  of  them,  in 
liferent,  and  after  their  decease  the  said  Duncan  McGilleis  and 
his  heirs  male  of  his  body  lawfully  begotten  or  to  be  begotten, 
whom  failing,  the  true  lawful  and  nearest  heirs  male  of  the  said 
Duncan  whosoever,  to  us  and  our  successors  bishops  of  Moray, 
the  said  sum  of  three  pounds  of  usual  money  of  Scotland,  as  the 
ancient  ferine  of  the  said  lands  of  Auchmonye,  with  brew-house 
of  the  same  called  Kilmichaell,  with  their  pendicles  and  per- 
tinents formerly  due  and  wont,  with  two  kids,  and  three 
shillings  four  pence  for  two  firlots  of  dry  multure,  and  for  the 
grassum  of  the  said  lands  yearly  the  sum  of  seventeen  shillings 
ten  pence,  and  in  augmentation  of  our  said  rental  the  sum  of 
twenty-six  shillings  eight  pence,  extending  in  whole  in  old 
ferme,  dry  multure,  grassum,  and  new  augmentation,  to  the 
sum  of  five  pounds  seven  shillings  ten  pence  of  money  aforesaid, 
and  two  kids,  at  two  terms  of  the  year,  the  feasts  namely  of 
Whitsunday  and  Martinmas  in  winter,  by  equal  half  portions : 
Moreover,  the  heirs  male  afore  written  doubling  the  said  sum 
of  five  pounds  seven  shillings  ten  pence,  with  two  kids,  in  the 
first  year  of  their  entry  to  the  said  lands  and  others  for  the 
ferme  of  that  year  only,  as  use  is,  in  name  of  doubled  feuferme  : 


486  APPENDICES 

And  the  said  John  McGilleis  McKaye  and  Katherine  Euene 
Canycht  during  their  life  rent,  and  after  their  decease  the  said 
Duncan  McGilleis  and  his  heirs  male  aforesaid,  performing 
suit  and  personal  presence  at  our  three  head  courts  held  at 
Spynie,  and  likewise  suit  and  personal  presence  by  themselves 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  foresaid  lands  and  brew-house  in 
every  justice  ayre  of  the  regality  of  Spynie  as  oft  as  it  shall 
happen  to  be  held  :  And  the  said  John  and  Katherine  during 
their  life,  and  after  their  decease  the  said  Duncan  McGilleis  and 
his  heirs  male  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  faithful  to  us  and  our  suc- 
cessors bishops  of  Moray,  and  shall  do  thankful  service  to  our 
Cathedral  Church  of  Moray :  Also  the  said  John  McGilleis 
McKaye  during  his  life  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  lands, 
whom  failing,  the  said  Duncan  McGilleis  and  his  heirs  male  as 
aforesaid  and  the  tenants  of  the  said  lands,  shall  be  bound,  as 
oft  as  they  shall  happen  to  be  warned  to  that  effect,  to  repair 
with  us  or  with  the  bailie  of  us  or  of  our  successors,  in  the  army 
of  our  sovereign  lady  the  Queen  and  of  her  successors,  to  the 
wars,  sufficiently  and  honestly  provided,  at  their  own  expenses, 
with  arms,  apparel,  warlike  equipments,  and  other  things 
necessary  for  that  purpose,  like  other  honest  men  their  neigh- 
bours, according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  decree  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  statutes  of  the  Kingdom,  only  for  all  other  burden, 
exaction,  question,  secular  service,  or  demand  which  from  the 
said  lands  and  others  can  in  any  way  be  justly  exacted  or 
required :  And  we,  truly,  the  aforesaid  Patrick  bishop  of 
Moray,  and  our  successors  who  for  the  time  shall  be,  shall 
warrant  acquit  and  for  ever  defend  all  and  sundry  the  afore- 
said lands  of  Awchmonye  with  the  brew-house  thereof  called 
Kilmichaell,  with  their  whole  pendicles  and  pertinents,  to  the 
aforesaid  John  McGilleis  McKaye  and  Katheriiie  Euene 
Canycht  his  spouse  and  the  longer  liver  of  them  in  liferent, 
and,  after  their  decease,  to  the  said  Duncan  McGilleis  and  th3 
heirs  male  of  his  body  procreated  or  to  be  procreated,  whom 
failing  to  the  true  lawful  and  nearest  heirs  male  of  the  said 
Duncan  whomsoever,  as  freely,  and  quietly,  in  all  and  by  all, 
in  form  as  well  as  in  effect,  as  is  premised,  against  all  deadlv. 
In  witness  whereof  our  round  seal,  with  our  manual  subscrip- 
tion, also  the  common  seal  of  our  said  chapter,  with  the  sub- 
scriptions of  the  Canons  thereof  to  that  effect  chapterly 
assembled,  and  for  the  time  representing  the  chapter,  in  sign 
of  their  consent  and  assent  to  the  premises,  to  this  our  present 
charter  are  appended,  at  our  said  Cathedral  Church  of  Moray, 
in  the  place  of  the  chapter  thereof,  on  the  sixth  day  of  May  In 
the  year  of  the  Lord  1557  :  before  these  witnesses  Mr  John 


APPENDICES  487 

Gordoun  vicar  of  Kincardin  and  Rothiemurchus,  James  Innes 
of  Dranye,  Andrew  Moncrieff,  younger,  Alexander  Innes  of 
Plaiddis,  and  Sir  John  Gibson,  notary  public. 

PATRICK,  bishop  of  Moray  and  commendator 

of  Scone. 

ALEXANDER  CAMPBELL,  dean  of  Moray. 
JOHN  THORNETOUN,  precentor  of  Moray. 
JAMES  GORDOUN,  chancellor  of  Moray. 
ALEXANDER  DUNBAR,  subchanter  of  Moray. 
JOHN  LESLIE,  canon  of  Moray. 
WILLIAM  PATERSON,  subdean  of  Moray. 
JOHN  LOKHART,  of  Inverkething  prebendary. 
WILLIAM  HEPBURN,  rector  of  Dupill. 
PATRICK  HEPBURNE,  rector  of  Duffous. 
THOMAS  SUTHERLAND,  rector  of  Ryne. 


APPENDIX  E   (PAGE  190). 
DONALD  DONN. 

THE  following  unpublished  fragments  of  songs  by  Donald  refer 
to  localities  in  our  Parish. 

Of  his  retreat  he  sings :  — 

"  Ann  an  Uamh  Ruigh  Bhacain, 

Cha  bhiodh  curam  iia  \\-Exercise  oirnn." 

("In  the  Cave  of  Ruigh  Bhacain, 
I  had  no  dread  of  the  Sseercise"). 

JJxercise  was  applied  by  the  Highlanders  to  the  regular  army. 
Another  song  runs  :  — 

"  Nan  tigeadh  an  samhradh, 
'S  gu'n  sgaoileadh  an  duileag, 
Gu;n  rachainn  a  Rusgaich 
Cho  sunndach  ri  duiiie  ; 
Na'n  cluinninn  droch  sgeula, 
Bheirinn  leum  chun  a'  Chuilinn, 
;S  cha  ghleidheadh  luchd-Beurla  mi — 
Reisimeid  churrachd  ! 


488  APPENDICES 

'S  ann  agam  tha  'n  caisteal 

Is  treis  air  an  t-saoghal, 

Aig  Inbhir  Allt-Saigh 

Far  an  taoghal  na  h-aoidhean  ; 

'S  ged  a  thigeadh  luchd-churrachd, 

Is  chasagan  caola, 

Is  bhombaichean  sheila, 

Cha  chomhaich  iad  a  chaoidh  mi ! ' ' 

("  If  the  summer  would  come, 

And  the  leaf  would  open, 

I  would  go  to  Ruiskich 

As  light-hearted  as  any'  man  ; 

If  evil  news  reached  me, 

I  would  make  for  the  Cuilionn,1 

And  the  English-speaking  folk  could  not 

find  me — 
The  hat- wearing  regiment ! 

It  is  I  who  have  the  castle 

Which  is  the  strongest  on  earth, 

At  the  mouth  of  Allt-Saigh, 

Where  guests  will  gather; 

And,  .although  there  come  the  folk  of  the  hats, 

And  of  the  tight  long  coats, 

And  of  bomb  shells,2 

They  will  never  bring  me  to  bay  !") 

Notwithstanding  the  above  reference  to  guests,  Donald  in, 
another  song  complains  of  the  lack  of  society  in  his  Cave  :  — 

"  Ged  a  cheannaichinn  am  buideal, 
Cha' 11  fhaigh  mi  cuideachd  ni  ol, 
Mar  tig  buachaill  an  t-seasgaich 
Ruaig  'am  fheasgar  o'n  t-Sroin." 

("  Though  I  should  buy  the  anker, 
I  can  get  no  one  to  drink  it, 
If  the  herdsman  of  the  eild  cattle 
Takes  not  a  turn  in  the  evening  from 
the  Strone!")3 

1  An  Cuilionii — tlie  Holly  Grove — is  near  Donald  Donn's  Cave. 

2  The  soldiers  in  Urquhart  Castle  probably  had  shells,  which  came 
into  general  use  in  Britain  about  1634. 

3  The  Strone  is  between  Allt-saigh  and  Invermoriston. 


APPENDICES  489' 

In  reference  to  his  capture  Donald  sang :  — 

"  Mile  mallachd  gu  brath 
Air  a'  ghunna  mar  arm, 
An  deigh  a  mhealladh  's  an  taire  fhuair  mi. 

Ged  a  glieibhinn  dhom  fein, 

Lan  buaile  de  spreidh, 

B'annsa  claidheamh  'us  sgeith  's  an  uair  ud. 

Bha  tri  fichead  is  triuir 

Ga  mo  ruith  feadh  nan  lub, 

Gus  an  tug  iad  mo  luthas  le  luathas  uam  ! 

Dhia  !  gur  ann  orms'  bha  nair' 

'N  uair  a  ghlac  iad  mi  slan, 

'S  nach  tug  mi  fear  ban  no  ruadh  dhiu  !" 

("A  thousand  curses  for  ever 

On  the  gun  as  a  weapon  of  defence, 

After  the  deception  and  disgrace  I  have  experienced. 

Although  I  should  get  as  my  own 
A  fold  full  of  cattle, 

More  dear  to  me  would  have  been  a  sword  and 
shield  in  that  hour  ! 

There  were  sixty  and  three 
Pursuing  me  among  the  bends 
Until  with  their  speed  they  deprived  me  of  my 
strength. 

God  !  but  it  was  I  who  was  ashamed 
When  they  seized  me  alive, 
Without  my  bringing  down  one  of  them,  fair- 
haired  or  red  !") 

And  of  his  approaching  execution  he  said  :  — 

'  Bithidh  mi  maireach  air  cnoc  gun  cheann, 
'Us  cha  bhi  baigh  aig  duine  riurn— 
Nach  truagh  leat  fhein  mo  chaileag  bhronach, 
Mo  Mhairi  bhoidheach,  mheall-shuileach  !" 

("  To-morrow  I  shall  be  on  a  hill,  without  a  head, 
Is  cha  bhi  baigh  aig  duine  rium— 
Have  you  no  compassion  on  my  sorrowful  maiden — 
My  Mary,  the  fair  and  tender-eyed  !") 


490  APPENDICES 

APPENDIX  F  (PAGE  211). 

PROCEEDINGS  BRIGADIER  GRANT  AGAINST  ALEXANDER  MAC 
UISDEAN  GLASS,  IN  BUNTAIT,  AND  HIS  MOTHER.  [From 
Mr  Fraser-Mackintosh's  ''Antiquarian  Notes.'5] 

WILLIAM,  LORD  STRATHNAVER,  Sheriff-Principal  of  the  shire  of 
Inverness,  to  our  officers  in  that  part,  conjunctly  and  severally 
constituting,  greeting :  This  precept  seen,  you  pass  and  law- 
fully summon,  warn,  and  charge  to  compear  before  us 
or  our  deputes,  one  or  more,  within  the  Tolbooth  of  Inverness, 
in  ane  Sheriff  Court  thir  to  be  holden  the  and  days, 
in  the  hour  of  cause  for  first  and  second  diets,  to  answer, 
at  the  instance  of  Brigadier-General  Alexander  Grant  of 
Grant,  in  the  matter  underwritten,  that  is  to  say,  that  where- 
upon the  day  of  seventeen  hundred  and  eight  years,  or 
ane  or  another  of  the  days  of  the  month  of  that  year,  there  was 
away  taken  out  of  one  of  the  vaults  of  the  Castle  of  Urquhart, 
belonging  to  the  said  pursuer,  ten  ton  cake  lead  at  two  thousand 
pound  weight  each  ton,  which  ten  ton  lead  was  a  pairt  of  the 
lead  with  which  the  said  Castle  of  Urquhart,  belonging  also  to 
the  pursuer,  was  covered ;  as  also,  about  the  time  before  men- 
tioned, there  was  away  taken  furth  of  the  said  Castle,  some 
deals  or  parts  of  the  partitions  of  the  chambers  in  the  said 
Castle,  which  lead  and  deals  being  for  some  time  amissing,  and 
diligent  search  made  for  the  same,  there  was  found  of  the  said 
ten  tons  of  lead  and  quantity  of  timber  or  deals,  in  the  said 
defenders  their  houses  and  barns  in  Buntait,  or  in  their  posses- 
sion, upon  the  day  of  seventeen  hundred  and 
seventeen  years,  a  lump,  piece,  or  cake  of  lead,  or  two  or  three 
pieces  of  a  cake  of  lead,  which  was  taken  out  of  the  said  vaults, 
as  also  one  or  other  of  the  said  defenders  used  all  the  said  deals 
or  partitions,  at  least  a  part  of  them,  for  making  chests,  girnels, 
or  some  other  household  or  necessary  materials,  by  which  it  is 
averred  that  the  said  defenders,  or  either  of  them,  were  the 
way  takers  of  the  said  whole  lead  and  partitions,  and  therefor 
ought  to  make  payment  of  the  same  ;  Albeit  it  is  of  verity  that 
the  said  pursuer,  and  others  in  his  name,  have  frequently 
desired  the  said  defenders  to  make  restitution  of  the  said  ten 
tons  of  lead  and  two  hundred  deals  as  part  of  the  said  parti- 
tions;  nevertheless  they  refused,  &c.,  and  therefore  the  said 
defenders,  to  hear  and  see  themselves,  decerned  in  solidum  to 
make  payment  to  the  said  pursuer  of  one  shilling  Scots  per 
pound  for  every  pound  of  the  said  ten  tons  lead,  computing 
two  thousand  pounds  weight  to  each  ton,  extending  in  all  to 
one  thousand  pounds  Scots  money,  as  also  six  shillings  Scots 


APPENDICES  491 

for  each  deal  of  the  said  two  hundred  deals  being  partitions, 
extending  to  sixty  pounds  Scots  money  foresaid,  after  the  form 
and  tenor  of  the  laws  of  Scotland  as  in  like  cases,  or  else  to  allege 
a  reasonable  cause  to  the  contrair;  and  sicklike  that  ye  fence, 
«ross,  and  arrest  all  and  sundry  the  said  defenders,  their  readiest 
corns,  cattle,  horses,  nolt,  sheep,  insight  plenishing,  debts, 
sums  of  money,  and  all  other  goods  and  gear  whatsoever, 
wherever  or  in  whose  hands  the  same  may  or  can  be  appre- 
hended within  the  bounds  of  our  office  and  jurisdiction,  to 
remain  under  sure  arrestment  unloosed  at  the  said  pursuer's 
instance,  ay  .and  while  sufficient  caution  be  found,  acted  in  the 
Sheriff  Court  books  of  Inverness  that  the  same  shall  be  made 
furthcoming  to  him  as  law  will  with  •  certification  as  effeirs, 
according  to  justice,  &c.  Given  under  the  hand  of  the  Clerk 
of  Court  at  Davochfour  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  October  1718 
years. 

(Signed)         JOHN  JACKSON. 

On  the  third  clay  of  November  1718,  Alex.  Mac-Uisdean 
'Glass,  in  Buntait,  and  Elspet  nin  Uisdean-Mhic-Fereichar, 
there,  his  mother,  are  cited  as  defendants. 

Inverness,  13th  January  1719. — Mr  Alexander  Clark, 
Sheriff-Depute,  Actor  Alex.  Munro,  John  and  Alex.  Baillie. 
George  Forbes,  for  the  defenders,  denies  the  libel.  The  pursuer 
offered  to  prove  the  libel,  and  craves  a  day  may  be  assigned  for 
citing  witnesses,  and  a  warrant  for  that  effect. 

The  judge  admits  the  libel  to  the  pursuer's  probation,  and 
grants  diligence  for  that  effect  against  the  day  of 

next. 

(Signed)         ALEX.  CLARK. 

Inverness,  24th  February  1719. — Mr  Alexander  Clark, 
Sheriff-Depute,  in  the  proof  of  Brigadier  Grant  against 
M'Hutcheon  Glass  in  Buntait. 

The  witnesses  following  being  charged  by  virtue  of  letters 
of  diligence,  are  admitted  in  the  terms  of  the  last  interlocutor, 
viz.,  William  vie  Allaster,  vie  William,  vie  Vurrich,  in  Bun- 
tait, a  man  unmarried,  aged  twenty-six  years  or  thereby, 
purged  of  partial  counsel,  duly  sworn  and  interrogat — What 
he  knows  of  the  defenders  or  either  of  them  their  away  taking 
of  the  lead  and  timber  libelled,  and  what  quantities  of  either 
he  saw  or  knows  to  be  in  the  defender's  or  either  of  their  pos- 
session and  custody,  whether  in  house,  barn,  or  any  other 
place.  Depones  negative  as  to  the  lead  and  timber,  which  is 
the  truth,  as  he  shall  answer  to  God,  and  depones  he  cannot 
write. 

(Signed)         ALEX.  CLARK. 


492  APPENDICES 

John  Miller,  a  married  man,  aged  thirty  years  or  thereby,, 
purged  of  partial  council,  was  cast,  because  he  owned  he  had 
malice  and  ill-will  against  defender. 

(Signed)         ALEX.  CLARK. 

Ferquhar  Urquhart,  aged  forty  years  or  thereby,  and 
married,  objected  against,  that  he  cannot  repeat  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  Creed,  and  Ten  Commandments,  which  he  did. 
Depones — That  at  the  time  libelled,  he  made  a  chest  to  the 
defender  M'Hutcheon  Glass,  which  the  said  defender  himself 
told  the  deponent  the  timber  was  of  the  deals  of  the  Castle  of 
Urquhart,  and  depones  the  chest  would  hold  a  boll  of  meal  or 
thereby.  Depones  he  knows  nothing  of  the  lead  causa  scientice 
patet ;  and  further  depones,  the  deals  used  to  the  chest  were 
formerly  made  up  of  either  in  lofting  or  a  partition,  and  this 
is  the  truth,  as  he  shall  answer  to  God,  and  depones  he  cannot 
write. 

(Signed)         ALEX.  CLARK. 

William  M'Hector,  an  unmarried  man,  aged  twenty-two 
years  or  thereby,  purged  of  partial  council,  duly  sworn  and 
interrogat,  ut  supra.  Depones  that  in  the  beginning  of  last 
summer,  he  saw  in  the  widow's  house,  one  of  the  defenders, 
the  bigness  of  a  shoe  sole  of  lead,  and  in  that  form,  of  a  thin 
lump,  but  does  not  know  from  where  it  came,  causa  scientice 
patet.  Depones  he  knows  nothing  of  the  deals,  which  is  truth 
as  he  shall  answer  to  God,  and  cannot  write. 

(Signed)         ALEX.   CLARK. 

Donald  Noble,  aged  twenty  years  or  thereby,  purged  of 
partial  counsel,  duly  sworn  and  interrogat.  Depones  that 
about  a  year  ago  he  saw  in  a  byre  belonging  to  M'Hutcheon 
Glassich,  two  pounds  of  lead,  in  the  form  of  a  slate,  and  in  the 
form  thereof,  and  about  the  thickness  thereof,  or  of  a  cow's 
hide.  Depones  he  knows  not  from  whence  it  came,  and  knows 
nothing  ,of  the  deals,  causa  scientice  patet,'  and  this  is  the 
truth,  as  he  shall  answer  to  God.  Depones  he  cannot  write. 

(Signed)         ALEX.  CLARK. 

The  pursuer's  procurator  craved  a  further  diet  for  adducing 
the  other  witnesses,  and  a  warrant  for  apprehending  their 
persons,  and  if  that  be  not  granted,  that  they  be  not  straitened 
in  the  dyet,  so  as  they  may  have  letters  of  diligence  and  supple- 
ment from  the  Lords  of  Session. 

[At  this  stage  the  proceedings  drop.] 


APPENDICES 


493 


APPENDIX  G.  (PAGE  239). 

ACCOMPT  LUDOVICK  COLQUHOUN  OF  LUSS,  WITH  THE  PUBLICK,  FOR  THE  PUR- 
CHASE MONEY  OF  THE  ESTATE  LATE  OF  JOHN  GRANT,  LATE  OF  GLEN- 
MORISTON,  ATTAINTED.  [From  the  original  in  the  Register  House,  Edinburgh]. 

Sterling 

DEBITOR.  Money. 

To  the  Purchase  money  of  the  Estate  late  of  Glenmoriston  bearing  )          £       s    D. 
Interest  from  Whitsunday  1730  per  Minute  of  Sale  the  3rd  day  of  >      1086     0     0 

December,  1730          ) 

To  Interest  at  5  per  cent,  two  years  from  Whitsunday  1730  to  Do.  1732       108  12     0 

£1194  12     0 
CREDITOR. 

By  the  Principal  Sume  of  2000  Merks  Scots  Decreed  to 
Alexander  Grant  of  Sheugiy,  and  assigned  by  him  to 
the  said  Ludovick  Colquhoun  ...          ...          ...          ..    £111     2     2§ 

By  another  Principal  Sume  of  £200  Scots  Decreed  and 

assigned  as  above  .  ...          ...  ...        16  13     4 

Interest  of  the  last  mentioned  Sume  from  24th  June  1716 


Sterling 
Money. 


to  Whitsunday  1730      

To  be  deducted  the  yearly  rent  of  £40  Scots  for  the  land* 
of  Glenfad,  of  which  Sheugiy  was  in  possession  from 
the  Attainder  to  Whitsunday  1730... 


11   11     6 
£139     7     0* 


46     6     0 


Interest   of   said   remaining   Sume   at 
Whitsunday  1730  to  Do.  1732... 


Remains         ...     £93     1 
5  per  cent,  from 

9     6 


By  3000  Merks  Scots  due  to  ^Eneas  Grant  of  Duldreggan,  for  which  he  ' 
was  in  possession  of  lands  and  is  now  assigned  to  the  Accomptant, 
Principal  and  Interest  at  Whitsunday  1732 

By  500  Merks  Scots  of  Principal  and  Interest  to  Whitsunday  1 7  32  Assignd 
by  William  Martin  Creditor  on  the  said  Estate  to  the  Accomptant 
being  £85  7s  7Jd  Sterling,  but  in  regard  the  price  of  the  Estate 
falls  short  of  paying  the  personal  Debts,  the  proportion  due  the 
Accomptant  is  only 

By  £74  13s  4d  and  240  Merks  Scots  due  to  Alexander  Duff  of  Drumuir, } 
with  Interest  to  Whitsunday  1732,  Assigned  to  the  Accomptant. 
being  £61  4s  7|d  Sterling.     The  proportion  is  only 

By  £234  13s  4d  Scots  due  to  John  Baillie,  with  Interest  from  the  ) 
purchase  to  Whitsunday  1732,  Assigned  to  the  Accomptant,  being  > 
£21  10s  2§d  Sterling,  the  proportion  is  only  ...  ...  ...  \ 

By  2000  Merks  Scots  due  to  William  Frazer,  with  Interest  conform  \ 
to  the  decree  to  Whitsunday  1732,  Assigned  to  the  Accomptant,  j- 
being  £977  8s  5|d  Sterling,  the  proportion  is  only  ...  ...  J 

By  the  Feu  Dutys  payable  to  the  Crown,  out  of  the  said  Estate  due  \ 
from  the  year  1688  to  the  year  1715,  which  the  said  Ludovick  I 
Colquhoun  has  given  Security  to  pay  if  his  Majesty  does  not  ( 
discharge  the  same,  being  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ,' 


£  s.  L>. 
102  7  1-4 
183  6  8 

62     2     9§ 

44  11     3§ 
15  13     H 

711     7     7i 

75     3     4 
£1194  12    0 


(Signed)  JOHN  CLERK. 

(     „      )  GEORGE  DALRYMPLE. 

(      „      )  THOMAS  KENNEDY. 

(  )  EDW.  EDLIN. 


Exchequer  Chamber,  21st  July,  1732. 

(Signed)         LUD.  COLQUHOUN. 


494  APPENDICES 

APPENDIX  H  (PAGE  280). 
(The  originals  of  these  papers  are  at  Castle  Grant). 
I.  A  LIST   OF  THE  PERSONS   IN  URQUHART   WHO   WERE 
CONCERNED  IN  THE  REBELLION,  SURRENDERED  THEM- 
SELVES  PRISONERS   TO    SB.    LUDOVICK   GRANT,    AND 
WERE  BY  HIM  BROUGHT  IN  TO  INVERNESS.      1746. 

1.  Evan  Dow1  in  Corrymony.     Forced  to  the  North  by  the 

Rebells.     An  Honest  Man. 

2.  Donald  Roy2  in  Carnach.     Forced.     An  Honest  Man. 

3.  William  Grant  there.     Forced.     An  Honest  Man. 

4.  Donald  McMillan  in  Tulloch:     Forced.     Returned  home 

soon.     Honest. 

5.  William  McAlister  in  Polmale.     An  Honest  Man. 

6.  James     Gumming      in     Pitcherrel-Begg.       Forced,      but 

Reckoned  a  plunderer  in  the  North. 

7.  Archibald   Grant  in   Achtemerak.        Engaged   willingly, 

and  went  with  the  Rebels  South  and  North. 

8.  William  Dow3  there.     Forced.     An  Honest  Man. 

9.  Donald  ffraser  alias  Gardiner4  there.     A  very  Industrious 

Honest  man.     Forced. 

10.  Alexander  McConachy  oig  in  Bunloit.        Forced.        An 

Honest  man. 

11.  Alexander     Grant     alias     Bain5     there.       Not     forced. 

Reckon 'd  a  plunderer  in  the  North. 

12.  John  McAlister  vie  Ian  Roy  in  Chine  Begg.     Was  in  the 

North  with  the  Rebells,  and  not  under  the  Character 
of  An  Honest  Man  this  severall  years. 

13.  Donald  Dow6  there.     Forced.     An  Honest  Man. 

14.  Duncan  Bain7  in  Auchtuie.       Engaged  with  the  Rebels 

meerly  for  want  of  Bread  to  his  poor  family,  and  is  an 
honest  man. 

15.  Duncan  Cuming  went  with  the  Rebels  the  day  before  the 

Battle  of  Culloden,  and  never  Received  Arms  or  Pay. 
Is  an  honest  man. 

16.  Alexander  Roy 8  in  Corimony.     An  Honest  man.    Forced. 

LIST   OF   REBELLS    IN   URQUHART   APPREHENDED  BY  SB. 
LUDOVICK  GRANT,  AND  BY  HIM  SENT  TO  INVERNESS. 

17.  John  Bain9  in  Corimony.     Forced  with  the  Rebells  for 

two  or  three  days,  but  desearted  them  befor  they  left 
the  parish.     An  honest  man. 

1  Black  Evan.  EEed  Donald.  3  Black  William.  4Fraser  was  a 
gardener.  5  Bain,  fair-haired.  6  Black  Donald.  7  Fair-haired  Duncan. 
8Eed  Alexander.  9  Fair-haired  John. 


APPENDICES  495 

18.  Donald  Bain1  there.     Forced  the  day  before  the  battle  of 

Culoden.     Honest. 

19.  Alexander  Bain2  there.     Forced  said  day.     Is  an  honest 

man. 

That  the  above  Observations  and  Characters  are  just, 
according  to  my  best  Information  and  my  own  Reall  Oppinion, 
is  at  Inverness  the  tenth  day  of  May,  One  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty  six  years,  attested  by  me,  John  Grant, 
Minister  of  the  Gospell  at  Urquhart. 

(Signed)         JOHN  GRANT,  Minr. 

N.B. — None  of  the  above  List  Engaged  in  the  Rebellion 
till  the  Close  of  Feby.  last,  excepting  Archibald  Grant  above 
specifyecl.  (Signed)  JOHN  GRANT,  Minr. 

II.  A  LIST  OF  ALL  THE  MEN  IN  GLENMORISTON  THAT  SUR- 
RENDER'D  THEMSELVES  TO  SR.  LUDOVICK  GRANT,  MAY 
THE  4TH,  AND  BY  HIM  DELIVERED  TO  HIS  RoYALL 
HIGHNESS  THE  DUKE  OF  CUMBERLAND,  MAY  THE  5TH, 
1746. 

1.  John  McCallum  in  Coinachan.     A  Volunteer.     Of  a  fair 

Character  befor  the  Rebellion. 

2.  Hugh  Miller  there.3     A  Volunteer  and  Noted  Thieff. 

3.  Peter  McHomash  in  Craskie.     Made  his  Escape  from  the 

South  in  Harvest.  Again  forced  out,  and  Escaped 
after  Travelling  four  miles  with  the  Rebells,  and  a  third 
time  Escaped  from  the  North.  Very  Honest. 

4.  John   Roy   Grant  there.        Desearted   before   Glds-muir. 

Forced  in  November  last  by  Glengary's  son,  and 
Disearted  from  Pearth  at  Chrismass.  Continued  at 
home  till  Spring,  when  he  again  Escaped  from  the 
North,  and  so  was  in  110  Engagement.  Of  a  fair 
Caracter. 

5.  John  Mitchell  there.     Pressed.     Disearted  twice,  and  was 

in  no  Action.     Of  a  fair  Character. 

6.  Donald  McCoil  Duy  there.     Pressed  by  Glengary's  Son, 

and  disearted  twice.     Of  an  honest  and  fair  Character. 

7.  John  Mclntey re  there.    A  Volunteer.     Suspected  a,  Thieff. 

8.  Angus  Buy4  there.     Pressed  three  times,  and  Disearted. 

Never  Inclinable  to  Useing  Arms,  and  Honest. 

9.  Donald  Roy  in  Bellindrom.     Pressed  by  Glengary's  son. 

Of  a  fair  Carracter. 
10.  Allan  Roy  there.     A  Volunteer  and  a  thief. 

1  Fair-haired  Donald.  2  Fair-haired  Alexander.  3  Hugh  was  a 
miller  by  trade.  4  Yellow  Angus. 


496  APPENDICES 

11.  Donald   McCoil  vie.    Ian   Duy.     Pressed,   and   Disearted 

after  travelling  twenty  four  miles  with  the  Rebells. 
Honest. 

12.  John  McEvan  there.     Pressed.     At  no  Engagement,  and 

of  a  Suspected  Carracter. 

13.  William  Buy  there.     Pressed  to  the  North  in  March  last. 

A  thief. 

14.  John  Grant  in  Belnagarn.    Pressed  twice  by  Glenmoriston. 

He  made  his  Escape  from  the  South,  and  [was]  Returned 
by  the  way  by  a  party  of  the  Rebells  that  stoped  the 
passes.  He  defyed  them  to  bring  him  to  the  North  in 
March  last.  Honest. 

15.  Donald  Grant  there.     Never  in  Arms  till  pressed  March 

last,  and  Disearted  in  a  fortnight's  time.     Honest. 

16.  Donald   Grant  in   Ballintombuy.     Pressed  twice.     Upon 

Disearting  was  pursued  to  the  Hills.  Alwa,ys  shewed 
the  Greatest  Aversion  to  the  late  Unnaturall  Rebellion. 
An  Honest  Man. 

17.  Peter  Campbell  there.     Influenced  by  his  Superior  [Glen- 

moriston] to  rise  in  arms.     An  Honest  Man. 

18.  Peter  Grant  in  Tullocheichart-more.     Pressed,  and  three 

times  Disearted.     Never  at  any  Action.     Honest. 

19.  John  McAlister  alias  Grant  in  Belnagarn.    Never  in  Arms 

till  pressed,  and  Disearted  in  a  fortnight's  time.     Honest. 

20.  Duncan  Grant  in  Vester  Dundregon.   Pressed  and  Honest. 

21.  Duncan  Me  William  there.       Pressed  by  Glengary's  Son, 

and  Disearted  twice.     An  Honest  Man. 

22.  John  Mclan  vie  farquhar  there.     Disearted  after  Falkirk 

Skirmish,  and  he  Defyed  them  afterwards  to  Rise  in 
Arms.  Honest. 

23.  Farquhar  Mclan  Mcfarquhar  there.     Never  in  Arms  till 

pressed  in  March  last,  and  was  at  no  Engagement. 
Honest. 

24.  Angus  Grant  there.     Pressed  by  Glenmoriston  and  Loch- 

gary  at  Different  times.  At  no  Action,  and  no  ways 
Inclyned  to  Rebellion.  Honest. 

25.  John  McCoil  Roy  there.      Pressed.     Of  a  Peaceable  Dis- 

position.    Honest. 

26.  Alexr.  McEvan  Roy  there.     A  Volunteare.     Honest. 

27.  Donald  Grant  there.     A  Volunteer.      Honest. 

28.  Thomas  McCay  there.     Withstood  severall  attacks,  but  at 

length  was  Pressed.     Honest. 

29.  Evan  McCoil  vie  William  there.     Pressed.     Honest. 

30.  John  Grant  in  Inverwick.    Of  a  Valueable  Charracter,  and 

always  Showed  an  Aversion  to  Rebellion  tho  Obliged  to 
be  in  Arms.  Upon  the  Rebells  Return  to  the  North  he 
Defyed  all  Solicitations  to  Rise  any  more  in  Arms. 


APPENDICES  497 

31.  Archibald  Campbell  alias  McAllister  there.  A  Volunteer. 
An  Honest  Man. 

•32.  Duncan  Rioch1  there.  A  poor  harmless  fellow.  Draged 
out. 

33.  John  ffraser  there.     Volunteer.     Honest. 

.34.  James  Grant  in  Wester  Inverwick.  Resisted  all  Solicita- 
tions till  forced  to  the  North  in  March  last,  but  soon 
Returned.  Honest. 

-35.  Alexander  Grant  in  Wester  Inverwick.  Pressed  Severall 
times  and  always  Disearted.  He  Detested  Rebellion, 
for  which  he  was  Ubraided  by  some  for  Cowardice  and 
all  the  Most  Opprobious  Names.  Honest. 

-36.  Alexander  Grant  there,  Boatman.    Forced  twice.    Honest. 

•37.  Peter  Grant  in  Easter  Achlein.  Pressed  by  Glenmoriston 
and  Glengary's  son  at  Different  times.  At  no  Action. 
Honest. 

38.  John  Grant  there .     Pressed,  and  still  Disearted.     Honest. 

39.  Alexander  Dow  McDonald  in  Wester  Auchlein.     Pressed. 

Honest. 

40.  Donald  Grant  in  Blairy.     Volunteer.     Honest. 

41.  James  Grant  there.     About  60  years  of  age,  yet  forced  in 

March  last,  but  soon  Disearted.     Honest. 

42.  Donald  Chisholm  there.     Volunteer.     Honest. 
•43.  Alexander  Ferguson  there.     Pressed.     Honest. 

44.  Duncan  Grant  in  Livicie.     Pressed.     Honest. 

45.  Angus  McGilphadrick  there.     Pressed.     Honest. 

46.  Alexander  McAlister  Vic  Evan  there.       An  Old  Sickly 

man.       Pressed  to   Supply  the  place  of  his  Son  who 
hapned  to  be  Indisposed  March  last.     Honest. 

47.  Alexander  Grant  there.     Volunteer.     Honest. 

48.  Donald  McAlister  vie  Evan  there.       Never  in  Arms  till 

forced  to  the  North  in  March  last.     Honest. 

49.  John  McAlister  Oig  there.     Volunteer.     A  noted  thieff. 
50  Alexander  Buy  McDonald  in  Achnagoneren.     Frequently 

pressed,  and  Disearted.     Never  in  Action.     Honest. 
'51.  Donald  Farquharson  and          1     Both  pressed,  and  of  Good 

52.  Alexander  Farquharson  there  /  Charracters. 

53.  William  Farquharson  there.     Never  in  Arms  till  forced  to 

the  North  March  last.     Honest. 

54.  James  Gumming  there.     Pressed.     Honest. 

55.  Peter  Farquharson  there.     Never  in  Arms  till  forced  in 

March  last.     Honest. 

56.  Donald  Farquharson  \  Both  influenced  by  their  Superior. 

in  Aldsay  and          I       The  said  William  Returned  after 

57.  William  McEvan  in    j       Gladsmuir  and  never  Rose  any 

Invermoriston.        J  more  in  Arms.     Honest. 

1  Speckled  Duncan. 


498  APPENDICES 

58.  Alexander  Grant  in  Delcaitack.     Joined  the  Eebell  Army 

in  passing  the  Country,  and  returned  bef or  they  Reached 
Stirling.  Always  bore  an  Utter  Aversion  to  this  Rebel- 
lion. Honest. 

59.  John  Fraser,  and    }  Forced    when    the    Pretenders    Son 

60.  John  McFarquhar  >      landed,  but  Returned  after  Travel- 

there.  J       ling  about  sixteen  miles.     Honest. 

61.  George  Buy  McDonald  there.  ^ 

62.  Donald  McAlister  Duy  there.   [•    All  Pressed  and  Honest. 

63.  Duncan  Grant  there. 

N.B. — The  people  of  Delcaithack  were  111  treated  by  three 
different  persons,  and  in  Particular  Glengary's  son 
sent  a  party  3  miles  Distance  in  Novr.  last  to  burn 
their  all  If  they  Refused  to  Rise  in  Arms. 

64.  James  Grant,  Smith.    Pressed  by  Glenmoriston.    Honest. 

65.  Donald    McGilchrist    in    Livisie.       Frequently    Shunned 

Solicitations  to  Rise  in  Arms.     Honest. 

66.  William  Bain  in  Wester  Dundregon.     A  Volunteer  of  a 

Suspected  Character. 

67.  John  McAlister  vie.  Coil  vie  Conachie  McDonald.     Volun- 

teer.    Honest. 

68.  John  Buy  Stewart  in  Kily-Chuimen  [Fort- Augustus].       A 

Baggage  boy. 

N.B. — In  Novemr.  last  Colle  M'Donald  of  Barisdell  wrot 
to  Dundregon  to  have  the  Men  of  Glenmoriston  Con- 
vened and  Ready  to  march  with  him  to  Perth  against 
he  pass  the  Country,  otherwise  he  will  Destroy  and 
Burn  it  Stoop  and  Roop,  but  the  said  Dundregon  Dis- 
regarded his  threatnings,  and  would  not  in  the  least 
Concern  himself  that  way. 

That  the  above  Observations  and  Characters  are  Just, 
according  to  my  best  Information,  and  my  own  Real  oppinionr 
is,  att  Inverness,  this  tenth  Day  of  May,  One  thousand  Seven 
hundred  &  forty  Six  years,  attested  by  William  Grant,  Mis- 
sionary Minister  of  the  Gospell  att  Glenmoriston. 

(Signed)         WILLIAM  GRANT,  Minr. 

III.  LIST  OF  ARMS  SURRENDERED  TO  LUDOVICK  GRANT  AT 
BALMACAAN,  MAY,  1746. 

FROM  the  original  List,  which  is  at  Castle  Grant,  it  appears 
that  the  Glenmoriston  men  surrendered  61  firelocks,  7  bayonets, 
26  swords,  7  pistols,  1  Lochaber  axe,  2  dirks,  and  12  belts;  and 
that  the  Urquhart  men  surrendered  8  firelocks,  1  sword,  2 
dirks,  and  4  belts.  These  arms  were  delivered  by  Ludovick 
Grant  to  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  on  5th  May. 


APPENDICES  4991 


APPENDIX  I  (PAGE  292). 

REPORT  OF  THE  CATTLE  AND  OTHER  EFFECTS  TAKEN  BY  THE 
ARMY  FROM  THE  COUNTRY  OF  URQUHART  IN  1746. 
[Original  at  Castle  Grant.] 

KILLMICHEL,  the  23rd  day  of  January,  1747,  in  Presence  of 
John  Grant  of  Ballintome,  Baillie  of  that  part  of  the  Regality 
of  Grant  called  the  Lordship  of  Urquhart,  Compeared  John 
Shaw,  writer,  Inverness,  and  represented  that  Cattle  and  other 
Effects  had  been  last  summer  carried  off  by  a  partie  of  the  Duke 
of  Kingston's  Light  Horse,  and  that  as  they  were  to  make  a 
representation  to  the  Government  for  redress,  as  they  were 
Loyall  Subjects,  Craved  the  Baillie  might  take  their  Deposi- 
tions upon  the  Losses  by  them  sustained  •  which  the  Baillie  did. 

Accordingly  Compeared  John  ffraser  in  Divach,  Who 
Depones  that  there  was  taken  from  him  Twenty-eight  Cows, 
each  of  which  was  worth  Twenty-eight  merks  Scots  money,  two 
mares  and  two  foals  worth  One  hunder'd  merks,  One  hundered 
Sheep  at  four  Shillings  Sterling  each,  ffifty  Goat  at  ffour 
Shillings  Sterl.  each,  and  Household  ffurniture  to  the  Extent 
of  three  hundred  merks ;  Which  is  truth  as  he  shall  answer  to 
God,  and  Depones  he  cannot  write. 

(Signed)         JOHN  GRANTT. 

[Then  follow  the  Depositions  of  the  other  Tenants ;  and 
from  the  "Report"  is  made  up  the  following  "Accompt," 
which  is  also  preserved  at  Castle  Grant.] 

ACCOMPT   OF  CATTLE,  &c.,  TAKEN  BY  THE   DUKE   OF  KINGSTON'S  LIGHT 

HOESE   OUT   OF   THAT   PART   OF   SR.  LUDOVICK  GRANT'S  ESTATE   CALLED 

THE  LORDSHIP  OF  URQUHART. 

John  Fraser  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him —          £  Sterling.  £     s.    D. 

28  cows  at  28  merks  Scots  money  each       ...  £43  11     l£\ 

2  mares  and  2  foals  at  a  100  rnerks          ...       5  11     1£  I 

100  sheep  at  4  sh.  Ster.  Each 20  0  0     V       9515     64 

50  goats  at  4  eh.  Ster.  Each. 10  0  0 

Household  furniture  value  300  merks          ...     16  13  4    J 
John  McDugald  in  Clunemore  had  taken  from  him — 

12  cows  at  28  merks  each     £1813  4    \ 

5  horses  at  40  merks  each 11  2  2£  |        37  19     6fc 

41  sheep  at  4  sh.  Ster.  each  ...         ...         ...       8  4  (f  ) 

Dugald  McDonald  in  Borlumore  had  taken  from  him — 

6  Cows  at  24  merks  Each 800 

James  ffraser  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him — 

24  Cows  at  28  merks  Each ..    £37     6 

3  horses  at  £2  Ster.  Each  ...         ._.         ...       600     [•       54  10     8| 
56  sheep  at  4  sh.  Ster.  Each  11     4     0 


500  APPENDICES 

John  Mcfie  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him—  £  Sterling.          £      s.    D. 

20  cows  at  £1    4/ Ster.  Each £24     0     O^j 

4  horses  at  2    0   Ster.  Each 8     0     0>       44     0     0 

60  sheep  at  0    4  sh.  Ster.  Each  12     0     oj 

Donald  McDugald  in  Borlumore  had  taken  from  him — 

7  cows  at  £1  10/ Ster.  Each 1010     0 

John  Macdonald  in  Borlumore  had  taken  from  him — 

5  cowi  at  £1  8/ Ster.  Each      £7     0     0\         Q  in     n 

1  mare  1  foal  £2  10  Ster 210     OJ 

Christian  Cameron  in  Borlumore  had  taken  from  her — 

2  Cows  &  1  horse  at  £1  10/  Ster.  Each         ...  4  10     0 
John  Cameron  in  Clunebegg  had  taken  from  him — 

15  cows  &  2  horses  at  £2  0  0  Ster.  Each        ...  34     0     0 

Donald  Cameron  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him — 

8  Cows  at  £1    4  Ster.  Each 

28  Sheep  at  0    4  «h.  Ster.  Each          512}-       20     4     0 

2  horses  at  5    0  Sterl.  5 

Anne  Fraser  in  Belimacan  had  taken  from  her — 

42  sheep  at  £0  4  sh.  Ster.  Each  ...          ...  880 

"William  Grant  in  Belimacan  had  taken  from  him — 


L21 

12  I 

oj 


6Cowsat£l    5  Ster.  each     £7  10\       ,,   1ft 

OJ 


°1 

°r 

oj 

lo) 
°r 

oj 


20  sheep  at    0    4  Ster.  each     4 

Donald  McDonald  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him — 

12  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each    .«          £15 

5  horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each 10     0  \       33     0     0 

40  sheep   at  0    4  Ster.  P]ach 8 

Dugald  McDonald  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him  — 

6  Cows  at  £1    5/ Ster.  Each £7 

9  horses  at  2    0   Ster.  Each 18     0  J-       30  10     0 

25  sheep  at   0    4   Ster.  Each 5 

John  McWilliam  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him — 

9  cows  at  £1    4  Ster.  Each £1016] 

7  horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each 14     0  V       32     0     0 

36  sheep  at  0    4  Ster.  Each „  7     4j 

Samuel  Cameron  in  Clunebeg  had  taken  from  him — 

HCowsat£l    5  Ster.  Each £1315] 

5  Horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each 10     0  V       24     7     0 

3  Sheep  at  0  12  Ster.  Each ...  0  12) 

John  Cameron,  Bunloit,  had  taken  from  him — 

10  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each £1210] 

5  horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each 10     0  V       3410     0 

60  Sheep  at  0    4  Ster.  Each 12     OJ 

Samuel  Cameron  in  Clunemore  had  taken  from  him — 

9  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each £11     5] 

6  horses      12    0  Ster „         ...  12     0  V       31     5     0 

40  Sheep       0    4  Ster.  Each    ...          .            ...  8     OJ 

John  Cameron  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him  — 

43  Sheep  at  £0    4  Ster.  Each £812)        in  ,«     0 

1  horse  at     2    0  Ster 2     OJ 

Evan  McDonald  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him — 

13  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each £17     5] 

9  horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each 18     Or       3517     0 

3  sheep         0  12  Sterl 0  12  J 

John  McDonald  in  Pitcherrel  had  taken  from  him — 

4  Cows       £6    0  Ster £5 

7  horses      14    0  Ster 14     0  j-       22     4     0 

16  Sheep        0    4  Ster.  Each    ... 


£5    0) 

14    0V 

3     4/ 


APPENDICES  501 

£  Sterling.  £      s.    D, 

Donald  McDonald  in  Clunemore  had  taken  from  him — 
16  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each 

2  horses  at  2    0  Ster.  Each M  4    Oj-       34     0     0 

50  Sheep  at  0    4  Ster.  Each 

Donald  Eraser  in  Bunloit  had  taken  from  him — 

6  Cows      £8    0  Ster 

5  horses      10    0  Sterl....  iv     u, 

30  Sheep        6    0  Ster 6    Of       28 

20  Goats        4    0  Ster 

Donald  Noble  in  Belimacan  had  taken  from  him — 

8  Cows  at  £1    5  Ster.  Each ^AV     v,  A     . 

90  Sheep  at  0    4  Ster.  Each 18     OJ 

Alexander  Grant  in  Bellimacan  had  taken  from  him — 

36  Sheep  at  £0  4  Ster.  Each     ...  ...  740 

John  Macdonald  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him — 

4  Cows      £5    OSter.) 

7  horses    14     0  Ster.  V  1912     0 

3  Sheep      0  12  Ster.J 

Duncan  Cameron  in  Divach  had  taken  from  him— 

8  Cows    £10    0  Ster.^j 

3  horses       6    0  Ster.  j-  20     4     0 

21  Sheep       4    4  Ster.J 

James  Grant  in  Kilmore  had  taken  from  him — 

5  horses  at  £13  0  IS     0     0 


Total         £743     2     9i 


APPENDIX  J  (PAGE  298). 

EXTRACTS  FROM  BISHOP  FORBES'  "  LYON  IN  MOURNING." 
M.S.  in  Advocates'  Library. l 

"  Six  or  seven  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Culloden  the  party 
commanded  by  Major  Lockhart  in  Glenmoriston  shot  two  old 
and  one  young  man,  a  son  of  one  of  the  former,2  when  they 
were  harrowing,  and  expecting  no  harm.  Grant  of  Daldrigan, 
who  took  no  concern  with  the  Highland  army,  was  ordered  by 
Lockhart  (his  house  being  surrounded  by  soldiers)  to  gather 
his  own  and  all  the  cattle  in  one  part  of  the  country,  while 
Lockhart  was  harrowing  [harrying]  and  burning  the  other 
part ;  which  being  impossible  for  him  to  do  against  the  time 
that  Lockhart  came  back,  he  ordered  him  to  be  bound  in  hand 
and  foot,  erecting  a  gallows,  stripped  him  naked,  and  carried 
him  to  the  foot  of  the  gallows,  with  the  three  corpses  of  the 
men  they  had  killed  the  day  before,  like  sacks,  across  on  three 
horses,  and  hung  the  three  bodies  by  the  feet  on  the  gallows ; 

1  This  valuable  collection  has,  since  the  first  edition  of  this  work 
was  issued,  been  printed  by  the  Scottish  History  Society. 

2  The  names  of  the  men  are  given  elsewhere  in  the  Lyon.     See> 
p.  295  supra. 


502  APPENDICES 

and  they,  at  the  same  time,  would  have  killed  Daldrigan,  had 
not  Captain  Grant,  in  London's  regiment,  prevented  it.  They 
would  hardly  allow  his  wife  time  to  take  the  rings  off  her 
fingers ;  but  were  going  to  cut  off  her  fingers,  having  stripped 
her  of  her  clothes,  her  house  and  effects  being  burned.  And 
in  the  braes  of  Glenmoriston,  a  party  there  ravished  a  gentle- 
woman big  with  child,  and  tenants'  wives,  and  left  them  on 
the  ground  after  they  were  ravished  by  all  the  party;  and 
Lockhart,  in  his  way  to  Strathglass,  shot  a  man,1  wading  a 
water,  with  the  Whig  teacher's  protection  in  his  hand  to  shew 
him,  without  speaking  one  word  :  and  the  whole  party  ravished 
there  a  woman  big  with  child,  and  left  her  on  the  ground 
almost  dead.  All  these  are  certain  facts,  which  may  be 
depended  on,  being  known  by  a  person  of  good  credit." 
[Narrative  by  Rev.  James  Hay,  Inverness]. 

"True,  said  Patrick  Grant,  that  said  Isabel  Macdonald 
[wife  of  Alexander  Macdonald]  was  ravished  ...  in  the 
Brae  of  Coiraghoth  [Corri-Dho]  about  two  miles  from  the  Cave, 
and  about  six  weeks  before  Lammas ;  and  that  one  Flora  Mac- 
donald, wife  to  John  Macdonald,  was  ravished  by  the  same 

party,  at  the  same  time,  and  at  the  same  place 

The  parties  that  thus  came  a  ravaging  to  the  Braes  of  Glen- 
moriston after  the  Battle  of  Culloden,  stript  the  women  and 
children  of  all  the  cloaths  that  could  be  useful  to  them  (the 
sogers),  and  left  them  only  the  rags." 


APPENDIX  K  (PAGE  317). 

THE  SEVEN  MEN  OF  GLENMORISTON. 

THE  following  notices  of  the  Seven  Men  may  be  of  interest :  — 

In  1751,  Patrick  Grant  informed  Bishop  Forbes  that 
ALEXANDER  MACDONALD  was  then  dead.  (Lyon  in  Mourning). 
Some  time  after  Culloden,  a  son  was  born  to  him,  whom  he 
named  Charles  after  the  Prince.  Charles  was  the  grandfather 
of  the  late  Duncan  Macdonald  of  Torgoil  (from  whom  the 
Author  took  down  interesting  traditions,  and  many  lines  of 
unpublished  Ossianic  poetry),  of  the  late  Bailie  Duncan  Mac- 
donald, Inverness,  and  of  Charles  Macdonald,  now  (1893) 
tenant  of  Knocknagael,  near  Inverness,  and  of  Balnacarn,  in 
Glenmoriston. 

ALEXANDER  CHISHOLM,  according  to  Grant,  was  also  dead 
in  1751.  He  had  a  son  John,  whose  son  William  emigrated  to 
America,  and  lived  in  Glenmore,  Glengarry,  Canada,  in  1832. 

1  The  man's  name  is  given  elsewhere  in  the  Lyon.     See  p.  296  supra. 


APPENDICES  503 

DONALD  CHISHOLM  lived  at  Blairie  till  1769,  when  he 
emigrated  to  Canada,  where  he  died.  In  1832,  several  of  his 
children  were  living  in  Canada,  one  of  them  being  Lewis 
Chisholm,  captain  1st  Regiment  of  Glengarry  Militia,  who 
resided  on  the  Black  River,  Glengarry. 

HUGH  CHISHOLM  spent  many  years  in  Edinburgh,  where 
he  was  known  to  Home,  the  historian  of  the  Rebellion,  and  to 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  "who  subscribed,  with  others,  to  a  small 
•annuity,  which  was  sufficient  to  render  him  comfortable." 
(Tales  of  a  Grandfather).  In  his  old  age  he  returned  to  Glen- 
moriston,  where  he  was  remembered  by  persons  who  communi- 
cated what  they  knew  of  him  to  the  Author  (see  footnote,  p. 
317,  supra).  In  his  latter  days  he  lived  in  Balnabruich, 
Strathglass,  where  he  died.  He  had  a  son  Alexander,  who 
had  a  son  Donald,  who  emigrated  from  Achlain,  Glenmoriston, 
to  Canada,  about  1820.  Donald  and  his  family  lived  in  1832 
at  Lochiel,  Glengarry,  Canada.  Hugh  had  another  son  Charles 
(named  after  the  Prince),  who  lived  at  Druinach,  Strathglass, 
till  his  death  about  1820.  Charles'  descendants  are  still  in  the 
district.  Hugh's  sword  was  taken  to  America,  where  it  came 
into  the  possession  of  Dr  Stewart  Chisholm,  Royal  Artillery. 
It  is  now  (1893)  in  the  hands  of  Dr  Chisholm^s  son,  Captain 
Chisholm  of  Glassburn,  Strathglass. 

GRIGOR  MACGREGOR  was  alive  in  1751,  and,  according  to 
Patrick  Grant,  "  as  ready  for  a  good  ploy  as  ever."  He  was 
taken  prisoner  some  time  after  the  Prince  left,  in  connection 
with  an  attack  on  soldiers,  and  seizure  of  cattle ;  but  he  made 
his  escape,  and  returned  to  Glenmoriston. 

JOHN  MACDONALD  or  CAMPBELL  was  also  implicated  in  the 
attack  on  the  soldiers,  and  was  for  a  long  time  kept  in  prison 
in  Inverness.  There  was  no  sufficient  evidence  against  him, 
and  he  was  in  the  end  liberated.  He  was  known  as  "  Os 
Ean,"  from  the  Prince's  mistake  in  thinking  that  was  his 
name.  The  explanation  given  by  Grant  of  the  error  is  that 
John's  companions  were  in  the  habit  of  addressing  him  "  Aos 
Ean,"  or,  more  correctly,  "  Eisd,  Iain!" — "  Harken,  John  \" 
John  is  stated  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  and  other  historians  to  have 
been  hanged  for  stealing  a  cow — he  who  scorned  the  £30,000 
bribe !  The  statement  is  incorrect.  It  appears  from  the 
Scots  Magazine  for  1754,  that  in  May  of  that  year,  "John 
Mac  Ewan  Vic  William,  alias  Macdonell,  some  time  residenter 
in  Ballado,  in  Glenmoriston,"  was  hanged  at  Inverlochy  for 
theft.  This  man,  on  being  apprehended,  gave  out  that  he 
was  one  of  the  Seven  Men.  The  result  was  that  efforts  were 
made  to  save  his  life,  but  unsuccessfully.  In  1756,  Patrick 
<Grant  explained  the  true  circumstances  to  Bishop  Forbes. 


504  APPENDICES 

His  old  companion,  John  Macdonald,  whose  real  name  was. 
Campbell,  was  alive  then,  and  for  many  years  thereafter.     He- 
was  supported  by  Glenaladale  until  the  latter 's  death.       In 
1762,  Macnab  of  Innishewen  collected  money  for  him.     He 
was  then  about  sixty  years  of  age,  and  had  a  sickly  wife  and 
young    family.       He  lived  in   Glenmoriston,    but    wandered 
about  a  good  deal.    In  1770,  he  walked  to  Ballachulish  to  meet 
Bishop  Forbes.      "When  making  ready  to  go  to  the  foresaid 
storehouse  for  worship,"  records  the  Bishop  in  his  Journal, 
under  date  "  July  8th,  4th  Sunday  after  Trinity/'  "I  spied 
an  old,  venerable,  gray-headed  man,  looking  wistfully  at  me, 
and  solicitous  to  carry  books,  or  any  other  thing.     In  setting 
out  for  the  boat,  Stewart  of  Invernahyle  met  us,  and,  after 
common  compliments,   told  me  that  this  was  John  Os  Ean 
Mack  Donell,  the  principal  of  the  eight  noted  Glenmoriston- 
men  in  1746,  who  had  come  thirty  six  long  miles  to  see  me. 
Upon  this,  making  up  to  him  to  take  him  by  the  hand,  he  fell 
flat  upon  his  face  to  the  ground,  in  the  Eastern  manner,  from 
which  I  soon  raised  him  up,  the  Tear  starting  in  my  eye  as  well 
as  in  his,   and  asked  by  an  Interpreter,   as  he  could  speak 
nothing  but  Gaelic,  how  he  had  found  me  out.     He  answered 
that  hearing  I  was  in  the  Country,  he  well  knew  that  Balla- 
chelish would  be  my  Head-Quarters,   and  therefore  he  had 
come  hither.     Old  Ballachelish,  turning  about  just  as  we  were 
ready  to  go  on  Board  the  Boat,  and  pointing  to  the  Valuable 
Hero,  said,  There  is  the  man  that  did  more  for  HIM,  Sir,  than 
us  all!     I  gave  him  some  small  thing  to  bear  his  Charges  in 
footing  the  Journey,  but  not  so  much  as  I  inclined,  not  having 
it  to  spare,  from  the  unexpected  Jaunt  to  Argileshire.     .     .     . 
The  Reason  why  John  had  taken  such  a  Journey  to  see  me  is 
that  for  some  years  past  I  had  been  as  lucky  as  to  make  up  a 
small  Pension  of  five  £  a-year  for  him,  which  pays  his  Farm. 
This  makes  poor  John  very  easy  in  his  circumstances,  and  I 
transmit  it  to  him  thro'  the  Hands  of  Ballachelish,  Junior, 
who  told  me  that  Mr  Seton  of  Touch,  happening  to  be  in  the 
country,  after  purchasing  the  Estate  of  Appin,  when  John 
chanced  to  come  for  his  Pension,  gave  him  three  guineas." 
Less  prosperous  times  fell  on  John,  and  on  8th  June,  1775, 
the  Bishop  writes: — "  Poor  Os  Ean,  upon  failing  of  his  usual 
moiety,  joined  the  emigrants  in  August  last,  to  seek  a  grave 
in  a  foreign  land  [Canada],  where  his  merit  is  not  known,  and 
would  be  little  regarded." 

PATRICK  GRANT  appears  never  to  have  got  over  the  loss  of 
his  cattle  and  destruction  of  his  property  in  1746.  In  1751  he 
arrived  in  Edinburgh  in  a  state  of  poverty,  on  his  way  to- 
the  Continent  to  visit  the  Prince.  As  Gaelic  was  his  only 


APPENDICES  505 

language,  he  was  persuaded  not  to  proceed  further.  He  had 
interviews  with  Bishop  Forbes  (then  the  Rev.  Robert  Forbes  of 
Leith),  who  took  down  from  him  long  accounts  of  events  after 
Culloden,  which  are  recorded  in  the  Lyon  in  Mourning.  "  I. 
gave  Patrick  Grant  a  certificate,"  writes  Mr  Forbes,  "  desiring 
him  to  try  if  he  could  make  any  Thing  for  himself  among 
Friends  in  and  about  Edr.,  to  whom  Donald  Macdonald  (his 
Interpreter)  would  direct  him,  and  even  attend  him."  This 
certificate  ran  as  follows  :  — 

Leith,  Octr.  18,  1751. 

"That  the  Bearer  hereof,  PATRICK  GRANT,  is  one  of  the 
GLENMORISTON  MEN  so  noted  for  the  amazing  preservation  of 
ONE  in  the  greatest  Extremity  of  Danger  and  Distress,  at  the 
manifest  Hazard  of  Life  and  all,  THE  IMMENSE  SUM  notwith- 
standing, is  attested  by 

(Signed)         "ROBERT  FORBES,  Clergyman. 

"  X.B. — The  Bearer  can  speak  Erse  only." 

Forbes  also  had  Patrick's  portrait  painted,  from  which 
probably  the  miniature  now  in  Glennioriston 's  possession  was 
taken  (see  p.  314,  supra).  In  1759  Patrick  was  pressed  into 
the  army,  and  he  served  for  some  years  in  North  America. 
In  1763  he  returned  to  Glennioriston,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
Chelsea  pension,  and  he  there  passed  the  remaining  years  of 
his  life. 

Bards  have  sung,  in  Gaelic  and  English,  of  the  Seven  Men 
of  Glennioriston ;  and  the  Prince  and  themselves  in  the  Cave 
have  been  made  the  subject  of  many  a  painting.  Is  it  not 
time,  however,  that  painters  should  cease  to  call  their  pictures 
"  Prince  Charles  in  the  Robbers'  Cave?" 


APPENDIX  L  (PAGE  319). 
NOTICES  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  FAMILIES  OF  THE  PARISH. 

IT  is  not  intended  to  give  full  accounts  in  these  Notices  of  the-, 
families  to  which  they  refer.  The  Author  regrets  that  the 
space  at  his  disposal  does  not  admit  of  any  attempt  to  give 
detailed  genealogies. 

I.    COXACHAR   MAC    AoiDH,    AND   HIS    DESCENDANTS. 

The  story  of  Conachar,  son  of  Aodh  or  Aed,  is  given  on 
pages  11  to  14  supra.  He  flourished  about  1160,  and  is  the 
first  person  011  record  said  to  have  been  proprietor  of  Urquhart. 
From  him  are  descended  the  Mackays  (descendants  of  Aodh  or 
Aed)  ;  the  Forbeses,  who  acquired  the  lands  of  Forbois  in 


506  APPENDICES 

Aberdeeiishire ;  and  the  Urquharts,  who  took  their  name  from 
Conachar's  Glen  (Urquhart).  Conachar's  son,  Alexander, 
settled  in  Caithness  and  Sutherland,  and  became  the  first 
Chief  of  the  Clan  Aoidh,  or  Mackays.  That  clan,  however, 
continued  to  be  known  in  Glen-Urquhart.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  we  find  members  of  the  clan  large  holders  of  land  in 
the  Glen.  See  under  Mackays  of  Achmonie. 

II.  THE  DURWARDS. 

THOMAS  DURWARD,  son  of  Malcolm  -of  Lundin,  became 
proprietor  of  Urquhart  early  in  the  thirteenth  century.  The 
history  of  his  family's  connection  with  the  Parish  is  given  on 
pages  15  to  17  supra.  :'The  Durwards,  or  Ostiarii  Regis," 
says  Mr  Cosmo  Innes  (Thanes  of  Cawdor,  p.  1),  "  though 
hardly  mentioned  in  our  books  of  pedigree,  were  a  family  of 
great  power  and  possessions.  The  first  of  them,  who  took  his 
name  from  his  office,  styles  himself  '  Thomas  films  Malcolmi 
de  Lundin  hostiarius  domini  Regis  '  (cir.  1220).  He  inherited 
through  his  mother,  who  must  have  been  a  daughter  of  an  Earl 
of  Mar,  large  estates  in  the  lower  division  of  that  great 
Earldom.  His  munificent  donations  to  the  Church  show  him 
as  proprietor  of  lands  in  the  parishes  of  Skene,  Acht,  Kinerny, 
Banchory,  Midmar,  Kincardine  Oneil  (where  he  built  a  bridge 
over  the  Dee),  Lumfanan,  Alford,  Coull,  and  Leochel.  He 
had  property  in  Moray  also,  and  was  Sheriff  of  Inverness  in 
1226.  Gilbert  .  .  .  had  some  right  to  the  lands  of 
Boleskine,  and  the  family  were  also  proprietors  of  lands  at 
"Urquhart.  Thomas's  son  and  heir,  Alan  Durward,  was  a 
person  of  great  consequence  in  Scotland,  holding  the  office  of 
'Great  Justiciary  from  1223  to  1251,  and  again  in  1255. 
Besides  their  Northern  possessions,  the  Durwards  had  lands 
in  Angus — Lintrathen  and  others,  and  it  was  at  the  Abbey  of 
Cupar  in  Angus  that  Alan  chose  his  place  of  burial.  But  it 
is  only  in  the  fastnesses  of  Mar,  and  round  their  old  Castle  of 
Coull,  that  the  memory  of  those  great  lords  has  lingered  in 
popular  tradition.  The  Cromar  peasant  still  believes  that  the 
Kirk-bell  of  Coull  rings  of  its  own  accord  when  a  Durward 
dies.  It  is  not  known  whether  Gilbert  was  a  son  of  Thomas 
Durward,  nor  can  we  do  more  than  conjecture  into  what 
families  the  three  co-heiresses  of  Alan,  the  Great  Justiciary, 
carried  his  immense  possessions." 

III.  THE  CUMMINGS. 

After  the  death  of  Alan  Durward  the  Cummings  appear  to 
have  got  possession  of  Urquhart  Castle  and  its  domain,  and  to 
have  retained  them  till  the  time  of  the  War  of  Independence, 
.although,  probably,  they  had  no  right  of  property  in  them. 


APPENDICES  507 

.'Sir  Alexander  Gumming  held  the  Castle  for  a  time  for  Edward 
I.     See  Chapter  II.     See  under  Cummings  of  Dulshangie. 

IV.  THE  PRINCIPAL  FAMILIES  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  PARISH 

DURING    THE    14TH    AND    15TH    CENTURIES. 

These  were  the  FORBESES,  RANDOLPHS,  LAUDERS,  CHIS- 
.HOLMS,  the  WOLF  of  BADENOCH,  and  his  son  the  EARL  of  MAR, 
the  LORDS  of  the  ISLES,  and  the  MACLEANS.  Their  connection 
with  the  Parish  is  narrated  in  Chapters  II.,  III.,  and  IV. 
'The  heads  of  the  family  of  Macleans  became  proprietors  of 
Dochgarroch,  but  some  of  the  name  are  still  tenants  in  Glen- 
"Urquhart.  Mr  Allan  Maclean  of  Aberystwyth  is  the  present 
.(1893)  head  of  the  family. 

V.  THE  LAIRDS  OF  GRANT. 

The  ' '  Chiefs  of  Grant ' '  contains  a  very  complete  history 
and  genealogy  of  the  family  of  Grant  of  Grant,  and  the  history 
of  their  connection  with  Urquhart  is  fully  given  in  the  fore- 
going pages.  No  more  than  a  list  of  them  is,  therefore, 
required  here. 

JOHN  THE  BARD  (1st),  who  acquired  the  Barony  of  Urquhart 
in  1509,  and  held  it  till  his  death  in  1528,  was  descended  from 
John  le  Grant,  proprietor  of  Inverallan  in  1316,  and  probably 
son  of  Sir  Laurence  le  Grant,  Sheriff  of  Inverness  in  1263. 1 
The  Bard  married  Margaret  Ogilvy.  The  following  are  his 
successors,  proprietors  of  Urquhart: — (2nd)  JAMES  GRANT  (m. 
1st  Elizabeth  Forbes,  and  2nd  Christian  Barclay),  son  of  the 
Bard,  proprietor  from  1528  to  1553 ;  (3rd)  JOHN  (m.  1st  Lady 
Margaret  Stewart,  and  2nd  Lady  Janet  Leslie),  son  of  James, 
1553  to  1585  ;  (4th)  JOHN  (m.  Lady  Lilias  Murray),  son  of 
Duncan,  son  of  John  (3rd),  1585  to  1622  ;  (5th)  Sir  JOHN  (m. 
Mary  Ogilvy),  son  of  John,  1622  to  1637;  (6th)  JAMES  (m. 
Lady  Mary  Stewart),  son  of  Sir  John,  1637  to  1663:  (7th) 
LUDOVICK  (m.  1st  Janet  Brodie,  and  2nd  Jean  Houston),  son 
of  James,  1663  to  1699,  when  (although  he  lived  till  1716)  he 
resigned  Urquhart  to  his  son,  Brigadier  Alexander  Grant ; 
{8th)  Brigadier  ALEXANDER  GRANT  (m.  1st  Elizabeth  Stewart, 
and  2nd  Annie  Smith),  son  of  Ludovick,  1699  to  1717;  (9th) 
Sir  JAMES  (m.  Anne  Colquhoun),  brother  of  the  Brigadier, 
1719  to  1747  ;  (10th)  Sir  LUDOVICK  (m.  1st  Marion  Dalrymple, 
.and  2nd  Lady  Margaret  Ogilvie),  son  of  Sir  James,  1747  to 
1773;  (llth)  Sir  JAMES  (m.  Jane  Duff),  son  of  Sir  Ludovick, 
1773  to  1811;  (12)  Sir  LEWIS  ALEXANDER  (who  succeeded  to 
the  title  and  estates  of  Seafield),  son  of  Sir  James,  1811  to 
1840;  (13th)  FRANCIS  WILLIAM,  Earl  of  Seafield  (m.  1st  Mary 

iSee  Chiefs  of  Grant,  I.,  pp.  8-15  and  499. 


508  APPENDICES 

Anne  Dunn,  and  2nd  Louisa  Emma  Maunsell),  brother  of 
Lewis  Alexander,  1840  to  1853 ;  (14th)  JOHN  CHARLES,  Earl 
of  Seafield  (m.  the  Hon.  Caroline  Stuart),  son  of  Francis 
William,  1853  to  1881 ;  (15th)  IAN  CHARLES,  Earl  of  Seafield, 
son  of  John  Charles,  from  1881  to  1884,  when  he  died  un- 
married, leaving  his  estates  to  his  mother,  CAROLINE,  Countess 
of  Seafield.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  titles  by  his  uncle,  the 
Honourable  JAMES  GRANT,  who,  on  his  death  in  June,  1888, 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  FRANCIS  WILLIAM.  The  latter  died 
in  December,  1888,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  young  son 
JAMES,  the  present  Earl,  who  in  1898  married  Mary  Elizabeth 
Nina,  eldest  daughter  of  Henry  Joseph  Townend,  M.D.,  J.P., 
of  Christchurch,  New  Zealand,  and  has  issue,  Lady  Nina 
Caroline,  born  in  1906.  Caroline  Countess  of  Seafield  died 
in  1912,  leaving  the  estates  in  trust  for  the  present  Earl  and 
his  successors. 

VI.  GRANTS  OF  CORRIMONY. 

The  pedigree  of  this  family  is  given  in  ' '  The  Chiefs  of 
Grant,"  Vol.  I.,  p.  515.  The  first  Grant  of  Corrimony  was 
(1st)  JOHN  (son  of  John  the  Bard,  Laird  of  Grant),  to  whom 
the  estate  was  granted  in  1509.  His  wife  is  said  to  have  been 
a  daughter  of  Strachan  of  Cullodeii.  He  died  in  1533.  The 
following  are  his  successors: — (2nd)  JOHN,  his  son  (married 
Marjory  Grant),  died  about  1593;  (3rd)  JOHN,  son  of  the 
latter  (m.  Christian  Rose),  died  before  1663;  [WILLIAM,  son 
of  John  (3rd),  who  predeceased  his  father];  (4th)  JOHN,  son 
of  William  (m.  Katherine  Macdonald),  died  before  1724; 
(5th)  JOHN,  son  of  John  (4th)  (m.  Mary  Keith),  died  1726; 
(6th)  ALEXANDER,  son  of  John  (5th)  (m.  1st  Jane  Ogilvie,  2nd 
Catherine  Fraser,  3rd  Alicia  Macdonald),  died  1797;  (7th) 
JAMES,  advocate  and  author,  born  1743,  died  1835  (see  p. 
405).  In  1825  James  sold  that  portion  of  his  estate- of  old 
called  Meiklies  and  Craskaig,  thereafter  Lakefield,  and  now 
Kilmartin,  to  Patrick  Grant  of  Lochletter  and  Redcastle  ;* 
and  in  1833  Corrimony  proper  was  sold  to  Thomas  Ogilvy.2" 

iTlie  following-  have  been  the  proprietors  of  Lakefield,  now  Kil- 
martin, since  its  sale  by  James  Grant  : — Patrick  Grant,  1825  to  1836; 
Miss  Hannah  Fraser,  Bruiach,  from  1836  to  1838;  Thomas  Ogilvy  of 
Corrimony,  1838  to  1852;  Archibald  Henry  Foley  Cameron,  1852  to 
1884,  when  the  estate  was  purchased  by  Alasdair  Campbell  of  Kil- 
martin and  Blackball.  Mr  Campbell  died  in  1901,  leaving  the  pro- 
perty to  his  widow,  the  present  proprietrix  (1913). 

2  The  following-  have  been  the  proprietors  of  Corrimony  since  its 
purchase  by  Mr  Ogilvy  :— Thomas  Ogfilvy,  1833  to  1874,  when  he  con- 
veyed it  to'  his  son,  John  Francis  Ogilvy  (Mr  Thomas  Ogilvy  died  in 
1877);  John  Francis  Ogilvy,  1874  to  1887;  David  P.  Sellar,  from  1887 
to  1888,  when  the  estate  was  purchased  by  Lachlan  Andrew  Mac- 
pherson.  Mr  Macpherson  died  in  1904,  leaving  Corrimony  to  his 
widow,  Mrs  Elizabeth  Macpherson,  the  present  proprietrix. 


APPENDICES  509 

By  Katherine  Baillie  Mackay,  James  had  eight  sons  and 
two  daughters.  The  eldest  of  those  sons  was  JAMES  GRANT, 
M.D.,  Ottawa,  Canada,  who  died  in  1866.  Dr  Grant's  eldest 
eon,  Sir  JAMES  ALEXANDER  GRANT,  M.D.,  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  Canadian  Parliament,  who  was  born  at  Brae- 
field,  Glen-Urquhart,  in  1829,  now  represents  the  family. 

VII.  GRANTS  OF  SHEWGLIE. 

The  pedigree  of  this  family  is  given  jiii  "The  Chiefs  of 
Grant." 

ALEXANDER  GRANT,  1st  of  Shewglie  (married  Lilias  Grant), 
was  a  son  of  John  Grant,  2nd  of  Corrimony.     According  to  a 
family  tradition,  he  was  his  father's  eldest  son  and  heir,  but 
was  in  some  manner  over-reached  by  his  brother  John,  who 
•consequently     became     proprietor     of     Corrimony.       Certain 
transactions  between  Alexander  and  the  Laird  of  Grant,  in 
-course  of  which  Alexander  was  served  heir-in-general  to  his 
father,  would  seem   to   show  that  the   story   is   not   without 
foundation.       Alexander  died  about   1630.        His  successors 
have  been  his  son  (2nd)  ROBERT  (married  Margaret  Fraser), 
died  about  1650 ;  (3rd)  Robert's  son,  JAMES,  who  fought  at 
Killicrankie,  and  was  killed  at  Corribuy  in  1691  or  1692  (see 
p.    222    supra),    (m.    1st   Janet   Maclean,  and    2nd    Hannah 
Fraser) ;  (4th)  ALEXANDER,  son  of  James  (m.   1st  Margaret, 
daughter  of  The  Chisholm,  and  2nd  Isabel,  daughter  of  Glen- 
moriston),  died  in  London  in  1746  (see  p.  288  supra) ;  (5th) 
JAMES,  son  of  Alexander  (m.  Marjory,  daughter  of  Fraser  of 
Dunballoch),  died  in  1791 ;  (6th)  JAMES  of  Shewglie  and  Red- 
castle,  son  of  James,   appointed  Resident. at  Hyderabad  by 
Warren  Hastings,  died  in  1808,  unmarried,  succeeded  by  his 
cousin  (7th)  Colonel  ALEXANDER  GRANT  (m.  Jane  Hannay), 
son  of  Patrick  Grant  of  Lochletter  (m.  Katherine  Baillie),  son 
of  Alexander  Grant,  4th  of  Shewglie.     Colonel  Grant  died  in 
1816,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  (8th)  PATRICK  of  Redcastle 
(m.   Catherine  Sophia,  daughter  of  Charles  Grant,  the  E.I. 
Coy.  Director).     Patrick  died  in  1855,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  (9th)  the  Rev.  ALEXANDER  RONALD  GRANT,  Canon  of 
Ely,  and  Rector  of  Hitcham,  Suffolk  (m.  Jane  Sophia  Dundas, 
daughter  of  his  uncle,  William  Grant  of  Hazel  Brae),  who  died 
in    1903.       Canon    Grant's    son,    Colonel    FRANCIS    CHARLES 
GRANT  of  Sherborne,  Dorset,  now  represents  the  family. 

Colonel  Grant  of  Redcastle's  sons,  WILLIAM,  HUGH, 
GREGOR,  ALEXANDER,  JAMES,  and  CHARLES  (late  of  Hazel 
Brae)  were  all  well  known,  and  are  still  well  remembered,  in 
the  Parish. 

James  Grant  (3rd  of  Shewglie)  had  a  son  PATRICK  (married 
a  daughter  of  Hugh  Fraser  of  Erchit),  who  was  alive  in  1683. 


510  APPENDICES 

Patrick's  son,  ROBERT  (m.  —  Chisholm)  had  a  son,  ALEXANDER 
(m.  Margaret,  daughter  of  Donald  Macbean,  tenant  of 
Aldourie),  who  was  "  out"  in  the  Forty-Five,  and  was  known 
as  the  Swordsman.  See  Chapter  XV.  Alexander's  son, 
CHARLES  (m.  Jane  Fraser)  became  Director  and  Chairman  of 
the  East  India  Company.  Charles'  elder  son,  CHARLES, 
became  the  well-known  LORD  GLENELG  (died  unmarried), 
while  his  second  son  was  the  almost  equally  noted  Sir  ROBERT 
GRANT  (m.  Margaret,  laughter  of  Sir  David  Davidson  of 
Cantray).  This  branch  of  the  Shewglie  family  is  now  repre- 
sented by  JOCELYN  GRANT,  eldest  son  of  the  late  Sir  Charles 
Grant,  son  of  the  above  Sir  Robert. 

Of  the  Shewglie  family  was  also  descended  the  late  Miss 
C.  J.  Chambers  and  Miss  A.  C.  Chambers,  Polmaily  (see- 
footnote  p.  413),  who  were  daughters  of  Lady  Chambers, 
daughter  of  Mrs  Wilson,  Polmaily,  daughter  of  the  said 
Patrick  Grant  of  Lochletter. 

VIII.  GRANTS  OF  GLENMORISTON. 

The  pedigree  of  the  Glenmoriston  Family  is  fully  given  in 
"The  Chiefs  of  Grant."  The  first  of  the  .family  was  the 
famous  IAIN  MOR,  natural  son  of  John  the  Bard.  His  story 
is  told  in  chapters  V.  and  VI.  He  married  1st  Elizabeth  or 
Isabella  Innes,  and  2nd  Agnes  Fraser.  On  his  death  in  1548 
he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  (2nd)  PATRICK  (m.  Beatrice 
Campbell  of  Cawdor),  from  1548  to  1581 ;  (3rd)  JOHN  (m. 
Elizabeth  Grant),  son  of  Patrick,  1581  to  1637 ;  (4th)  PATRICK 
(m.  Margaret  Fraser),  son  of  John,  1637  to  about  1643;  (5th) 
JOHN  (m.  —  Fraser),  son  of  Patrick,  from  about  1643  to  1703 ; 
(6th)  JOHN  (m.  1st  —  Baillie,  and  2nd  Janet  Cameron),  son 
of  John  (5th),  from  1703  to  1736;  (7th)  PATRICK  (m.  — 
Grant),  second  son  of  John  (6th),  from  1737  to  1786;  (8th) 
PATRICK  (m.  Henrietta  Grant  of  Rothiemurchus),  son  of 
Patrick,  1786  to  1793;  (9th)  Lieut. -Colonel  JOHN  GRANT  (m. 
Elizabeth  Townsend  Grant),  son  of  Patrick,  1793  to  1801; 
(10th)  PATRICK,  son  of  John,  1801  to  1808;  (llth)  JAMES 
MURRAY  GRANT  (m.  Henrietta  Cameron),  brother  of  Patrick, 
1808  to  1868 ;  [Captain  John  Grant,  son  of  James  Murray 
Grant,  m.  1st  Emily  Morrison,  and  2nd  Anne  Chadwick,  pre- 
deceased his  father  in  1867];  (12th)  IAIN  ROBERT  JAMES 
MURRAY  GRANT  (the  present  Laird,  m.  Ethel  Davidson,  and' 
secondly  Gabrielle  Chaille  Long),  son  of  Captain  John  Grant, 
succeeded  his  grandfather  in  1868. 

From  the  Grants  of  Glenmoriston  were  descended  the 
Grants  of  Craskie  and  Duldreggan — a  family  of  great  influence 
in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  Alexander 
Grant,  last  of  Duldreggan,  had  three  sons,  who  all  settled  in 


APPENDICES  511. 

British  Guiana,  and  died  unmarried,  and  four  daughters,  two 
of  whom,  Marjorie  and  Mary  Ann,  still  (1893)  survive.  His 
daughter,  Agnes  Shaw,  became  the  wife  of  Peter  Anderson, 
solicitor,  Inverness,  author,  along  with  his  brother,  of 
Anderson's  "Guide  to  the  Highlands."  Her  son,  Mr  P.  J. 
Anderson,  Secretary  of  the  New  Spalding  Club,  is  a  distin- 
guished antiquary;  and  her  daughter,  Miss  Isabel  H. 
Anderson,  is  the  author  of  "  Inverness  before  Railways." 

IX.  MACKAYS  OF  ACHMONIE. 

The  tradition  of  the  Parish  regarding  the  origin  of  the 
Mackays  is  embodied  in  the  lines  of  the  Glenmoriston  bard, 
Archibald  Grant :  — 

"  Rugadh  air  a'  mhuir  a'  cheud  fhear 
O  'n  do  shiollaich  Clann  Mhic  Aoidh — 
Conachar  mor  ruadh  o  'n  chuan." 

'  He  was  born  on  the  sea 
TVom  whom  the  Mackays  are  descended — 
Great  Conachar  the  Red,  from  the  ocean." 

Conachar  and  his  descendants  have  already  been  referred  to. 
(See  p.  505  supra).  The  first  of  the  family  of  Achmonie 
whose  name  has  come  down  to  us  is  (1st)  GILLIES  MACKAY,  who 
flourished  in  the  end  of  the  15th  century  and  beginning  of  the 
16th,  and  from  whom  the  family  took  the  patronymic  of  Mac 
Gillies.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  (2nd)  JOHN  MAC  GILLIES 
MACKAY,  whom  we  first  meet  in  1539,  when  he  witnessed  the 
sasine  of  John  Chisholm  of  Chisholm,  in  the  barony  of  Comar- 
more,  Strathglass.  (Sasine  at  Erchless  Castle).  In  1554  he 
and  his  wife  Katherine,  daughter  of  Euen  Canycht  (Ewen  the 
Merchant),  obtained  from  the  Bishop  of  Moray  a.  nineteen 
years'  lease  of  Achmonie  (Appendix  C).  Ewen  Canycht  was 
one  of  the  tenants  of  Balmacaan  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Raid 
of  1545.  John,  in  that  year,  possessed  Achmonie,  and  was 
also  principal  tacksman  of  Dulshangie.  His  son,  Donald,  had 
a  share  of  Balmacaan ;  his  brother  Bean  Mac  Gillies,  was  the 
principal  tenant  of  Cartaly;  and  his  nephew,  John  Mac 
Donald  Mac  Gillies,  had  a  share  of  Inchbrine.  In  1557  the 
Bishop  granted  a  perpetual  charter  (Appendix  D)  to  John  and 
his  wife,  and  their  son  (3rd)  DUNCAN.  Duncan  married 
Margaret,  daughter  of  the  said  John  Chisholm,  and  on  13th 
May,  1592,  "for  the  singular  favour  and  love  which  I  have 
and  bear  towards  Margaret  Chesholme,  my  dearest  spouse,  and 
for  other  reasonable  causes  moving  my  mind  thereto,"  granted 
to  her  the  liferent  of  the  estate  in  the  event  of  her  surviving 


•512  APPENDICES 

him.1  He  was  alive  in  1597.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
(4th)  JOHN  MAC  GILLIES,  who  in  1642  granted  to  Robert 
Grant  of  Shewglie  a  discharge  of  a  bond  for  500  merks  owing 
to  him  by  Grant.  He  is  again  on  record  in  1645.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  (5th)  GILLIES,  who  was  served  heir  in 
1656.  It  was  Gillies  who  killed  the  factor,  and  who  was  con- 
sequently deprived  of  the  estate.  (See  pp.  191-193  supra). 
His  eldest  son  (6th)  JOHN,  and  another  son  Donald,  were  soli- 
citors in  Inverness.  John  was  legal  adviser  to  Brigadier 
Grant  of  Grant,  and  got  re-possession  of  Achmonie  on  the 
death  of  William  Grant  of  Achmonie,  about  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  although  he  did  not  get  a  written  title 
till  1721.  (See  p.  193). 2  He  married,  when  a  comparatively 

IThe  Disposition  (Latin)  in  Margaret's  favour  is  inow  in  the 
possession  of  the  Author,  to  whom  it  was  presented  by  the  late  James 
Sutherland  Chisholm  of  Chisholm.  Few  families  can  boast  of  so 
illustrious  a  pedigree  as  the  small  lairds  of  Achmonie  had  through 
Margaret  Chisholm.  It  perhaps  deserves  a  corner  as  a  more  than 
usually  good  specimen  of  the  proverbially  long  "Highland  pedigree." 
The  following  were  her  Chisholm  ancestors,  the  figures  indicating  the 
periods  at  which  they  lived  : — Her  father  was  John  Chisholm  (1542), 
son  of  Wiland  (1513)',  son  of  Wiland  (1460),  son  of  Thomas  (1398),  son 
of  Alexander  (1368),  son  of  Sir  Robert  Chisholm,  Governor  of  Urquhart 
Castle  (see  p.  40  supra).  Through  Sir  Robert,  Margaret  was  descended 
from  the  lords  of  Roxburgh  and  Berwick,  and  from  Sir  Robert  Lauder, 
Governor  of  Urquhart  Castle,  and  the  Lauders  of  the  Bass.  Through 
the  said,  Thomas  Chisholm's  wife  (Margaret,  daughter  of  Lachlan 
Mackintosh  of  Mackintosh  by  his  wife  Agnes  daughter  of  Hugh 
Fraser  of  Lovat)  the  Achmonie  family  are  descended  from  the  families 
of  Lovat  and  Mackintosh.  Through  the  said  Thomas  another  line  of 
ancestry  can  be  traced  to  the  ancient  Earls  of  Stratherne,  and  Angus, 
and  Atholl,  as  well  as  to  the  powerful  Earls  of  Orkney  and  Caithness, 
and  their  remote  ancestors  in  Norway.  Thomas'  mother,  Margaret  of 
the  Aird,  was  a  daughter  of  Wiland  of  the  Aird,  by  his  wife  Matilda, 
daughter  of  Malise,  Earl  of  Stratherne  (1334),  son  of  Maria,  daughter 
of  Magnus,  Earl  of  Orkney  and  Caithness  (1320),  son  of  Earl  John 
(1300),  son  of  Earl  Magnus  (1260),  son  of  Earl  Gilbride  (1250),  son  of 
Earl  Gilbride  (1240),  son  of  Gilbride,  Earl  of  Angus,  and  his  wife,  a 
sister  or  daughter  of  John,  the  last  Norse  Earl  of  Orkney,  who  died 
in  1231  without  male  issue,  and  who  was  son  of  Harold  Maddadson, 
Earl  of  Orkney  (1139  to  1206);  who  was  son  of  Maddad,  Earl  of 
Atholl,  and  his  wife  Margaret,  daughter  of  Hakon,  Earl  of  Orkney 
(1100),  son  of  Paul,  Earl  of  Orkney  (1090),  son  of  the  famous  Earl 
Thorfinn  (see  p.  9  supra),  son  of  Sigurd  the  Stout  (slain  at  Clontarf, 
1014),  son  of  Hlodver,  Earl  of  Orkney  (970),  son  of  Thorfinn  Hausak- 
liuf,  Earl  of  Orkney  (950),  son  of  Torf  Einar,  Earl  of  Orkney  (910), 
son  of  Rognvald,  Earl  of  Moeri  in  Norway  (died  890),  son  of  Eystein 
Glumra,  son  of  Ivar  Upplaiid  jarl,  son  of  Half  dan  the  old  (about  800). 
A  brother  of  the  said  Torf  Einar  was  the  conqueror  of  Normandy, 
and  ancestor  of  William  the  Conqueror.  (See  Anderson's  "  Orkney- 
inga  Saga,"  cxxxii.,  et  seq. ;  Skene's  "Notes  on  the  Earldom  of 
Caithness,"  Proceedings  of  Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  Vol. 
XII.,  p.  571;  and  Du  Chaillu's  "Viking  Age,"  II.,  463). 

2  It  may  be  of  some  little  interest  to  note,  as  a  local  instance  of 
historical  repetition,  that  the  Author  has  for  the  last  forty  years  been 
legal  adviser  in  connection  with  the  Barony  of  Urquhart,  as  his  great- 
great-grandfather,  John  Mackay  of  Achmonie,  was  two  hundred  years 


APPENDICES  513 

-old  man,  Elizabeth  Grant,  daughter  of  James  Grant  «f 
Shewglie,  the  hero  of  Killicrankie,  who  was  killed  at  the  fight 
of  Corribuy.  (See  p.  222).  He  died  in  1726,  leaving  a  con- 
siderable fortune  in  bonds  by  neighbouring  proprietors,  and  % 
settlement,  by  which  he  nominated  Alexander  Grant  of 
Shewglie  and  James  Eraser  of  Belladrum,  tutors  and  curators 
to  his  children.  These  were  (7th)  ALEXANDER,  James,  Patrick, 
John,  Janet,  and  Anne,  and  a  son,  Donald,  who  was  born 
after  his  death.  Before  1731  his  widow  married  Alexander 
Grant,  brother  of  John  Grant*  of  Glenmoriston  (Iain  a' 
Chragain) . 

After  Alexander  Mackay  (7th)  attained  majority  he  raised 
an  action  of  count  and  reckoning  against  Shewglie  and  Bella- 
drum,  and  a  long  litigation  and  arbitration  followed.  He 
actively  interested  himself  in  The  Forty-Five  011  the  side  of  the 
Prince.  (See  Chapter  XIV.).  He  sold  the  estate  to  Sir 
James  Grant  of  Grant  in  December,  1779,  and  settled  in  Nairn 
in  a  house  which  he  called  Achmonie,  and  is  now  known  as 
"Achmonie  Place" — where  he  died  in  1789  without  male 
issue.  By  his  first  wife,  Mary  Grant,  he  left  twin  daughters, 
Jane  and  Elspet  or  Isobell  (born  1st  January,  1753).1  He  had 
no  family  by  his  second  wife,  Angus,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Angus  Macdonell  of  Glengarry,  who  commanded  the  Glengarry 
men  in  The  Forty-Five,  and  was  killed  at  Falkirk.  (See  pp. 
252,  269  supra).  His  brothers  James,  Patrick,2  and  John  all 
predeceased  him  without  male  issue,  and  he  was  succeeded  as 
representative  of  the  family  by  his  youngest  brother  DONALD, 
who  was  transported  to  Barbados  for  the  part  he  took  in  The 
Forty-Five,  and,  escaping,  assumed  the  name  Macdonald. 
(See  pp.  273  and  289  supra).  Donald,  who  died  in  1791,  left 
the  following  children  by  his  wife,  Mary  Macfie — JOHN 
MACKAY  MACDONALD,  who  succeeded  him ;  Duncan  ;  Mary ;  and 
William,  who  died  in  Demerara,  unmarried. 

John  Mackay  Macdonald  was  a  planter  in  Jamaica  and 
Berbice,  and  for  some  years  resided  at  Lakefield.  He  after- 
wards settled  in  Cork,  where  he  died.  By  his  first  wife  (an 
Irish  lady,  Catherine  Maria,  who  died  at  sea),  he  had  four 
sons,  William,  John,  James,  and  Peter,  and  a  daughter  Jane. 

1  Jane  married  Colonel  James  Fraser  of  Kincorth   (son  of  Major 
James  Fraser  of  Castle  Leather,  author  of  "  Major  Fraser's  Manu- 
script"), and  from  her  was  descended  a  noted  race  of  soldiers,  includ- 
ing the  late  Sir  James  Fraser,  Commissioner  of  Police  for  the  City  of 
London,    and   his   brother,    General   Kobert   Walter   Macleod   Fraser. 
Isobell  became  the  first  wife  of  Major  John  Grant  of  Auchterblair, 
the   father    (by   a   second   marriage)   of   the   late   Sir   Patrick   Grant, 
Governor  of  Chelsea  Hospital. 

2  Patrick,    who    was    for    a    time    in    the    army,    was    tenant    of 
Polmaily.     He  went  to  Pictou  with  a  number  of   Urquhart  people, 
but  returned  to  Scotland.     See  p.  571. 

33 


514  APPENDICES 

By  his  second  wife,  also  an  Irish  lady,  he  left  a  daughter, 
married  Robert  O'Callaghan  of  Blackrock,  near  Cork,  and  left 
issue.  John's  male  line  became  extinct  on  the  death  of  his 
grandson,  DONALD  MACKAY  MACDONALD,  who  died  at  Cork 
about  1860.  Donald  Was  succeeded  as  representative  of  the 
family  by  WILLIAM  MACKAY,  Blairbeg  (see  footnote  p.  289), 
only  son  of  DUNCAN,  second  son  of  the  first  mentioned  Donald 
Mackay  Macdonald  and  Mary  Macfie.  Duncan,  who  was  born  at 
Kerrowgair  House  (now  called  Drumbuie)  on  18th  June,  1773, 
and  married  Mary  Gibson,  died  at  Lewistown  in  1849,  leaving  a 
son  (the  said  William)  and  a  daughter,  Mary.  William  (born 
at  Cork  30th  October,  1803),  married  on  7th  June,  1825, 
Christian  Fraser  (born  4th  June,  1805),  daughter  of  Charles 
Eraser,  tacksman  of  Ruiskich.  He  died  at  Blairbeg  on  28th 
May,  1887,  and  she  there  on  15th  October,  same  year — having 
lived  together  for  the  long  period  of  sixty-two  years.  Their 
eldest  son  DUNCAN  (born  at  Ruiskich,  1st  April,  1826,  married 
Ann  Mackintosh,  2nd  January,  1857)  settled  in  the  Argentine 
in  the  early  sixties,  and  died  there  on  30th  March,  1906,  his 
wife  having  died  on  18th  December,  1873.  Their  eldest  son, 
WILLIAM  MACKAY,  who  resides  in  the  Argentine,  now  repre- 
sents the  family  of  Achmonie. 

X.    CUMMINGS    OF    DULSHANGIE. 

XI.  GRANTS  or  DULSHANGIE. 

Charles  Maclean  is  said  to  have  married  a  daughter  of 
Gumming  of  Dulshangie  in  the  end  of  the  14th  century  or 
beginning  of  the  15th  (see  p.  49  supra),  but  no  person  of  the 
name  appears  as  occupier  of  Dulshangie  or  any  other  lands  in 
the  Parish  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Raid.  (See  Appendix  B). 
The  Cummings  of  Dulshangie  were,  however,  an  old  family, 
and  of  great  influence,  notwithstanding  that  they  never  owned 
lands  in  the  Parish — holcting  only  on  lease  or  wadset.  In 
addition  to  Dulshangie,  they  also  for  some  time  possessed  Inch- 
brine,  and  Meikle  Pitkerrald  or  Allanmore.  Between  1600 
and  1634  James  Gumming  of  Dulshangie  appears.  He  was 
dead  before  1653.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Donald,  who 
is  described  in  1634  as  "  apperand  of  Dulshangie."  He  took 
a  lease  of  Meikle  Pitkerrald  in  1660  (Appendix  C),  and  was 
alive  in  1665.  He  was  dead  in  1677,  when  his  brothers, 
William  Gumming,  Sheriff -Clerk  of  Inverness-shire,  and 
George  Gumming,  merchant  in  Inverness,  had  a  dispute  with 
Corrimony,  who  had  erected  a  "  dask"  over  a  gravestone 
belonging  to  them  in  Kilmore  Church.  Donald  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  James,  who  was  dead  in  1691,  when  his  son  Alex- 
ander was  in  possession.  Alexander  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
James,  who  was  in  possession  in  1710,  and  as  late  as  1721. 


APPENDICES  515 

The  date  of  his  death  is  not  known,  but  he  was  probably  the 
last  Gumming  who  held  Dulshangie,  for  in  1744  James  Grant 
appears  as  tenant  of  the  farm.  James  was  of  the  Ballindoune 
family  in  Strathspey,  and  long  occupied  Dulshangie.  By  his 
wife,  Lilias  Grant,  he  had  several  children.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  farm  by  his  son  Duncan,  who  was  for  many  years  factor 
of  Urquhart,  and  who  died  in  1803.  (See  p.  379  supra). 
Notwithstanding  the  trouble  into  which  Duncan  got  in  connec- 
tion with  the  meetings  and  removal  of  Duncan  of  Buntait,  and 
the  untoward  circumstances  that  in  the  eyes  of  the  superstitious 
accompanied  his  death,  his  letters  show  that  he  was  a  man  of  a 
very  kindly  disposition.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  officer  of  the 
Urquhart  Volunteers,  and  a  hearty  supporter  of  Sir  James 
Grant  in  his  exertions  to  improve  agriculture  and  the  condition 
of  the  people.  After  his  death  the  farm  continued  to  be  occu- 
pied by  his  widow  and  children,  until  1883,  when  his  daughter, 
Miss  Agnes  Shaw  Grant,  died.  His  youngest  daughter — 
Mrs  Corstorphan,  now  in  her  90th  year — still  survives  [1893]. 


APPENDIX  M  (PAGE  343). 

LETTERS  OF  COLLATION  BY  THE  BISHOP  OF  MORAY  IN 
FAVOUR  OF  SIR  JOHN  DONALDSON  TO  THE  CHAPLAINRY 
OF  ST  NINIANS.  1556.  [Translated  from  the  Latin 
in  "Chiefs  of  Grant"  III.,  122.  See  "  Chiefs"  III., 
121,  for  Presentation  by  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  in 
favour  of  Sir  John  Donaldson,  dated  26th  August, 
1556.] 

PATRICK,  by  the  Divine  mercy  bishop  of  Moray,  and  perpetual 
commendator  of  the  Monastery  of  Scone,  to  a  discreet  man,  Sir 
James  Duff,  rector  of  Bolleskyne,  and  our  commissary  within 
the  deanery  of  Inverness,  or  to  any  other  chaplain,  curate,  and 
non-curate,  celebrating  divine  service  within  our  diocese  of 
Moray,  and  upon  the  execution  of  these  presents,  duly 
required,  greeting,  with  divine  benediction.  Whereas  the 
chaplaiiiry  of  Saint  Ninian  being  for  a  long  time  past  vacant, 
with  40s  of  the  lands  called  Pitkarell,  and  one  croft  belonging 
to  the  said  chaplainry,  together  with  another  croft,  and  relics 
of  the  crucifix  of  Saint  Drostaii,  within  the  parish  of  the 
parochial  church  of  Urquhart,  and  our  diocese  of  Moray,  being 
in  the  hands  of  our  most  serene  Lady,  Mary,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  Queen  of  Scots,  by  the  decease  of  umquhile  Sir  Duncan 
Makolrik,  sometime  chaplain  and  possessor  of  the  same,  belong- 
ing and  falling  by  full  right  to  the  presentation  of  the  said 
most  serene  Mary  our  Queen,  and  to  our  admission  and  ordinary 


516  APPENDICES 

confirmation — there  compeared  before  us  a  discreet  man,  Sir 
John  Donaldson,  presbyter  of  our  diocese  of  Moray,  and 
exhibited  and  presented  to  us  to  be  read  a  certain  presentation 
of  our  said  most  serene  lady,  Queen  of  Scots,  granted  there- 
upon by  her  dearest  mother  Mary,  dowager  of  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland  and  Regent  thereof,  to  the  said  Sir  John  himself, 
with  all  and  sundry  houses,  rights,  fruits,  lands,  crofts,  relics, 
rents,  teinds,  oblations,  emoluments,  and  profits,  which  having 
been  seen,  considered,  and  perused,  we  have  been  asked  and  re- 
quired, with  due  instance,  not  only  by  our  aforesaid  most  serene 
Lady  the  Queen,  in  her  right  of  patronage  of  the  said  chap- 
lainry,  but  also  by  the  same  Sir  John  Donaldson,  the  presentee, 
that  forthwith  we  should  be  pleased  to  receive  and  admit  the 
said  Sir  John,  so,  as  is  premised,  nominated,  elected,  and  pre- 
sented, in  and  to  the  said  chaplainry,  with  crofts,  lands, 
oblations,  and  relics  of  Saint  Drostan,  belonging  to  the  afore- 
said chaplainry,  and  to  confer  upon  him,  Sir  John,  our 
ordina-ry  admission,  and  othe:  provisions  necessary,  according 
to  the  force,  form,  content,  and  effect,  of  the  said  presentation, 
to  us  thereupon  directed  and  presented,  of  the  date,  at  Elgin, 
the  26th  day  of  the  month  of  August  in  the  year  of  the  Lord 
1556,  and  of  the  reign  of  the  said  most  serene  Lady  the  Queen, 
the  14th  year :  and  we,  forsooth,  regarding  these  requisitions 
and  askings  to  be  just  and  consonant  to  reason,  and  willing  to 
fulfil,  as  we  are  bound,  the  mandate  of  our  said  Lady  the 
Queen,  contained  in  her  letters  of  presentation,  do,  on  account 
of  his  merits  and  fitness,  admit  the  said  Sir  John,  so,  as  is 
premised,  by  our  oftsaid  most  serene  Lady  the  Queen,  elected, 
nominated,  and  presented,  as  chaplain  of  the  said  chaplainry 
of  Saint  Ninian,  with  40s  of  the  lands  called  Petkarrell,  with 
croft  belonging  to  the  said  chaplainry,  together  with  another 
croft,  and  relics  of  the  crucifix  of  Saint  Drostaii,  within  the 
said  parish  of  Urquhart — and  the  said  presentation,  in  so  far 
as  it  is  lawfully  made,  we  deem  to  be  approved  and  confirmed, 
as  by  the  tenor  of  these  presents,  and  by  our  authority 
ordinary,  we  do  approve  and  confirm ;  committing  by  these  pre- 
sents the  cure  and  administration  of  the  said  chaplainry,  in  the 
chapel  thereof,  to  the  said  Sir  John,  provided  that  by  Sir  John 
.himself  personally,  or  by  another  capable  presbyter,  it  shall  be 
duly  exercised  therein,  lest  the  souls  of  the  founders  thereof 
should  be  defrauded  of  their  prayers  due  and  wont:  you 
therefore,  and  each  of  you,  in  virtue  of  holy  obedience,  and 
under  pain  of  suspension  from  divine  things,  which  we,  by 
these  presents,  do  threaten  on  you  and  everyone  of  you  if  ye 
delay  what  we  command,  straitly  charging  that  forthwith  ye 
give  and  deliver,  induct,  and  institute,  the  said  Sir  John 
Donaldson  or  his  lawful  procurator  in  his  name,  in  real,  actual, 


APPENDICES  517 

and  corporal  possession  of  the  aforesaid  chaplainry,  with  all 
and  sundry  its  rights,  crofts,  oblations,  annual  rents,  and  relics 
of  the  crucifix  of  St  Drostan,  and  other  pertinents  whatsoever, 
used  and  wont  to  be  paid,  by  whatever  name  called,  belonging 
or  that  may  in  any  way  justly  belong  to  the  oftsaid  chaplainry 
of  St  Ninian,  called  Petkarall,  by  delivery  of  chalice  and  mass 
book,  and  the  ornaments  of  the  altar  thereof;  and  that  y« 
cause  to  be  answered  to  him  and  his  factors,  and  to  none  other, 
of  all  and  sundry  fruits,  rents,  crofts,  oblations,  lands,  relics 
of  Saint  Drostan,  and  other  commodities  of  the  same ;  straitly 
inhibiting  therefrom  gainsayers  and  rebels,  if  any  there  be,  by 
our  authority  ordinary :  In  witness  whereof,  we  have  ordered 
and  caused  these  presents  to  be  corroborated  by  the  appending 
of  our  round  seal,  together  with  the  subscription  manual  of  the 
notary  public  underwritten,  notary  in  the  premises ;  upon 
which  all  and  sundry  the  premises,  the  said  Sir  John  Donald- 
son admitted,  craved  from  me,  notary  public  underwritten, 
one  or  more  public  instruments  to  be  made  to  him  :  These  things 
were  done  in  the  garden  of  the  said  reverend  father,  situated 
at  the  palace  of  Spynie,  about  the  fourth  hour  after  noon  of 
the  second  day  of  the  month  of  September  in  the  year  of  the 
Lord  1556,  the  fourteenth  indiction,  and  second  year  of  the 
pontificate  of  the  most  holy  father  in  Christ,  and  our  lord, 
Paul  IV.  by  the  divine  providence,  Pope  :  there  being  present, 
Mr  David  Trumpbill,  chaplain  of  the  said  reverend  father,  and 
William  Wallace  his  servant,  witnesses  called  and  required 
to  the  premises. 

And  I,  William  Douglas,  presbyter  of  the  diocese  of  St 
Andrews,  notary  public  ;  whereas  at  the  production  of  the  fore- 
going presentation,  and  admission  thereupon  granted,  &c. 

And  I,  truly,  Sir  John  Paulson,  junior,  vicar  of  Kilmaly, 
presbyter  of  the  diocese  of  Lesmore,  and  notary  public, 
executor  of  the  before  written  letters  of  collation,  together  with 
the  afore  written  Sir  John  Donaldson,  principal,  went  person- 
ally to  the  chapel  of  Saint  Ninian  and  parochial  church  of 
Urquhart,  of  the  diocese  of  Moray,  and  there  inducted,  insti- 
tuted, and  invested,  as  the  manner  is,  the  same  Sir  John  to 
the  chaplainry  and  service  of  Saint  Ninian,  Drostan,  and 
Adampnan,  with  the  40s  of  lands  called  Petkerral,  with  the 
croft  of  Saint  Adampnan,  relics  of  the  crucifix,  and  croft 
belonging  to  the  said  chaplainry,  together  with  the  crofti  and 
relics  of  Saint  Drostan,  situated  and  founded  within  the  parish 
of  Urquhart,  as  is  before  written,  by  delivery  of  the  horns  of 
the  high  altar,  and  ornaments  of  the  same,  keys  of  the  doors, 
and  ropes  of  the  bells  of  the  aforesaid  churches,  and  the  said 
Sir  John  Donaldson  himself  in  and  to  the  actual,  real,  and 
corporal  possession  of  the  rights  and  pertinents  of  the  afore 


518  APPENDICES 

written  chaplainries,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  afore- 
written  collation  :  And  the  said  Sir  John  Donaldson,  inducted, 
instituted,  and  invested  in  the  same  chaplainries,  with  the 
fruits  thereof,  I  have  dismissed  in  peace,  nobody  gainsaying : 
In  witness  of  the  which  thing,  this  present  institution,  written 
with  my  own  hand,  and  subscribed,  and  with  sign,  surname, 
and  subscription,  on  the  llth  June,  1559,  17th  indiction,  and 
second  year  of  the  pontificate  of  the  most  holy  father  and  lord 
in  Christ,  our  lord  Paul  fourth,  by  divine  providence  Pope:1 
there  being  present  John  Dow  M'Gorwin,  Donill  M'Innes, 
parish  clerk,  John  M'Kandoch  [Son  of  the  Merchant],  John 
M'Evyn  M'Villiam,  and  me,  notary  underwritten,  with  divers 
others. 

So  it  is,  Sir  John  Paulson,  vicar  of  Kilmaly,  of  the  diocese 
of  Lesmore,  and  notary  public,  and  executor  of  the  afore- 
written  collation,  and  giver  of  institution,  in  faith  and  testi- 
mony of  the  premises,  all  and  sundry — witness  my  hand. 


APPENDIX  N  (PAGES  347  AND  392). 
STIPEND  OF  THE  PARISH  MINISTER  AT  VARIOUS  PERIODS. 
IN  1572  there  was  no  minister,  but  Mr  James  Farquharson, 
the  old  parish  priest,  was  exhorter,   at  a  salary  of  £40  per 
annum.      (Register  of  Ministers  and  their  Stipends — MS.  in 
Advocates'  Library). 

In  1574  the  following  entry  appears  in  the  Register  of 
Assignations  for  the  Ministers'  Stipends  (MS.  Advocates' 
Library) . 

.  .  Reidare  at  Urquhart,  his  stipend  xx  markis, 
wttheKirklands,  to  be  payit  out  of  the  chancellarye  of  Murray 
be  the  takkismeii  or  parochinaris  of  Urquhart  [or]  be  the 
chancellare,  as  the  Redare  sail  choose. 

".  .  .  .  Reidar  at  Glemnoreistowii,  his  stipend  xx  m'ks, 
wt  the  Kirklands,  to  be  payit  out  of  the  chancellarie  of  Murray 
be  the  takkismeii  or  parochineris  of  Glenmoreistowii,  or  be  the 
chancellare,  as  the  reidare  sail  choose." 

In  this  Register  there  is  a  blank  space  for  the  minister  of 
the  Parish  and  his  stipend.  In  the  Rev.  John  Grant's  time 
(1740  to  1792)  the  stipend  was  800  merks,  with  50  merks  for 
communion  elements,  the  minister  being  also  entitled  to  600 
loads  of  peats,  or  3d  for  each  load  not  delivered  (Presbytery 
Records).  In  1796  it  was  raised  to  the  value  of  .£100,  and  £5 
for  communion  elements  (Old  Statistical  Account).  In  1821 
it  was  fixed  at  16  chalders  of  victual,  "  half  meal  half  barley," 
with  £8  6s  8d  for  communion  elements,  a  chalder  being  equal 

1  There  is  an  error  in  these  dates.  If  the  year  1559  is  correct,  it 
should  be  the  2nd  indiction  and  fourth  year  of  the  pontificate  of 
Paul  IV. 


APPENDICES  51(J 

to  16  bolls.  In  1860  the  number  of  chalders  was  increased  to 
18,  and  in  1883  to  21,  the  allowance  for  communion  elements 
remaining  at  £8  6s  8d  (Teind  Records) . 


APPENDIX  O  (PAGE  416). 
SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  BARDS. 

I.    COIRIARAIRIDH. 

(By  Ewen  Macdonald). 

THIS  old  and  beautiful,  if  somewhat  extravagant,  song,  in 
praise  of  Coiriarairidh  in  Glenmoriston,  was  taken  down  by  the 
Author  in  1871,  from  John  Macgillivray,  Tornabrack,  Glen- 
Urquhart,  who  was  probably  at  the  time  the  only  person  alive 
who  could  repeat  it.  In  December,  1886,  the  Author  gave  a 
copy  of  it  and  of  the  songs  of  Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain,  which 
he  had  also  taken  down  from  oral  recitation,  and  printed  in 
the  Transactions  of  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Inverness  for  1883, 
to  the  late  Rev.  Allan  Sinclair,  who  printed  them  in  "The 
'Grants  of  Glenmoriston,"  published  in  1887. 

Mo  run  Coiriarairidh  'sam  bi  an  liath  chearc, 
'S  an  coileach  ciar-dhubh  is  ciataich  pung, 
Le  chearcag  riabhach,  gu  stuirteil  fiata, 
Is  e  ga  h-iarraidh  air  feadh  nan  torn. 
An  Coire  runach  sam  bi  na  h-ubhlan, 
A  fas  gu  cubhraidh  fo  dhruchdaibh  trom, 
Gu  meallach  sughmhor  ri  tim  na  dulachd, 
'S  gach  lusan  urair  tha  fas  air  fonn. 

'S  e  Coire  '11  ruaidh  bhuic,  's  na  h-eilde  ruaidhe 

A  bhios  a  cluaineis  am  measg  nan  craoibh, 

'San  doire  ghuanach  le  fhalluing  uaine, 

Gur  e  is  suaicheantas  do  gach  coill ; 

Cha  ghabh  e  fuarachd,  cha  rois  am  fuachd  e, 

Fo  chomhdach  uasal  a  la  sa  dh'  oidhch' ; 

Bith'  'n  eilid  uallach  'sa  laogh  mu'n  cuairt  dhi 

A  cadal  uaigneach  ri  gualainn  tuim. 

Buidhe  tiorail,  torrach  sianail, 

Tha  ruith  an  iosail  le  mheilseaii  feoir, 

O  'n  chlach  is  isle,  gu  braigh  na  criche, 

'Tha  luachair  mhin  ann,  'us  ciob  ah  loin. 

Tha  luachair  mhin  ann,  'us  ros  an  t-sioda, 

Is  luaidhe  mhiltich  'us  meinn  an  oir, 

'S  na  h-uile  ni  air  an  smaoinich  d'  inntinn, 

A  dh'  fhaodas  cinntinn  an  taobh  s'  'n  Roimh. 


520  APPENDICES 

Tha  sgadan  garbh-ghlas  a  snamh  na  fairg'  aim 

Is  bradain  tairgheal  is  lionmhor  lann ; 

Gu  h-iteach  meanbh-bhre-ac,  gu  giurach  mealgach,. 

Nach  fulling  anabas  a  dhol  na  choir, 

A  snamh  gu  luaineach,  's  an  sal  mu'n  cuairt  dha, 

'S  cha  ghabh  e  fuad&ch  o  'n  chuan  ghlas  ghorm, 

Le  luingeis  eibhinn,  a  dol  fo'n  eideadh, 

Le  gaoth  'ga  'n  seideadh  is  iad  fo  sheol. 

Tha  madadh  ruadh  ann,  is  mar  bhuachaill 
Air  caoraich  shuas-ud,  air  fuarain  ghorm ; 
Aig  meud  a  shuairceas,  cha  dean  e  'm  fuadach, 
Ge  d'  bheir  thu  duais  dha,  cha  luaidh  e  feoil ; 
Gum  paigh  e  cinnteach  na  theid  a  dhith  dhiubh 
Mur  dean  e  'm  pilltinn  a  rithist  beo, 
'S  ged  's  iomadh  linn  a  tha  dhe  shinns'reachd, 
Cha  d'  rinn  iad  ciobair  a  dh'  fhear  de  sheors'. 

Tha  7n  Leathad-fearna,  tha  'n  cois  a'  bhraighe 
'Na  ghleannan  aluinn  a  dh'  arach  bho, 
Toiliiintiiin  araich,  a  bhios  a  thamh  ann, 
Cha  luidh  gu  brach  >air  a'  ghaillionn  reot ; 
Bith'  muighe  's  cais'  ann,  gu  la  Fheill-Martuinn, 
;S  an  crodh  fo  dhair  a  bhios  mu  na  chro, 
Air  la  Fheill-Bride  bith  cur  an  t-sil  ann, 
Toirt  toraidh  cinnteach  a  ris  na  lorg. 

Gu  dealtach  feurach,  moch  maduinn  cheitein, 

Tha  'n  Coire  geugach  fo  shleibhtean  gorm, 

Bith  'n  smeorach  cheutach  air  bhar  na  geige, 

'S  a  cruit  ga  gleusadh  a  sheinii  a  ceoil  ; 

Bith  'n  eala  ghle-gheal,  's  na  glas-gheoidh  'g  eubhachd,. 

'  S  a  chubhag  eibhinn  bho  meilse  gloir  ; 

B'ait  leum  fein  bhi  air  cnoc  'gaii  eisdeachd, 

'S  a  ribheid  fein  ann  am  beul  gach  eoin. 

Ged  tha  mo  chomhnuidh  fo  sgail  na  Sroine, 

'S  e  chleachd  o  m'  bige  bhi  ;m  chomhnuidh  thall 

'S  a  Choire  bhoidheach,  le  luibhean  soghmhor, 

Is  e  a  leon  mi  nach  'eil  mi  ann ; 

Mo  chridh'  tha  bronach,  gun  dad  a  sheol  air, 

'S  a  liuthad  solais  a  fhuair  mi  ann, 

'S  bho  'n  dhiult  Ian  Og  dhomh  Ruigh'-Uiseig  bhoidheacb 

Gur  fheudar  seoladh  a  choir  nan  Gall. 


APPENDICES  521 

Ged  fhaighinn  rioghachd,  a  ni  'sa  daoine, 
Cha  treig  an  gaol  mi  a  tha  na  m'  chom, 
A  thug  mi  dh'  aon,  ;th'  air  a  chur  le  saoir, 
An  ciste  chaoil,  a  dh'  fhag  m'  inntinn  trom. 
Na  'm  biodh  tu  lathair  gu'm  faighinn  larach, 
Gun  dol  gu  brach  as,  gun  mhal  gun  bhonn — 
A  High  a;s  airde,  cuir  buaidh  is  gras  air 
An  linn  a  dh;  fhag  thu  aig  Hanah  dhonn. 

II.  ORAN  DO  DOMHNUILL  BAN  MAC  DHOMHNUILL  DUIBH, 
LE  MRS  CAMERON,  BEAN  NAN  CLUAINEAN,  's  A 
BHLIADHNA  1746. 

Air  fhonn  fhein. 
(By  Janet  Grant  of  Shewglie,  wife  of  Cameron  of  Clunes).1 

Beir  mo  shoruidh  le  durachd 

A  dh'  fhios  na  duthclia  so  dh'  fhag  mi, 
Gu  ceannard  Lochabar, 

E  thigh 'nn  dhachaigh  gu  sabhailt : 
O  iia  chaidh  tu  air  astar 

'S  gun  d'  aisig  thu  'n.  Fhraing  uainn ; 
'S  gun  cluiimimi  deagh-sgeul  ort 

Ann  cliu  's  aim  ceill  mar  a  b'abhaisd. 

Is  a  Dhomhnuill  Bhain  Abraich, 

Gur  a  f arsuinri  do  chairdeas ; 
'S  laidir  lioiimhor  do  Chinneadh, 

Anns  gach  ionad  n  do  thamh  iad  ; 
Na  ;ii  cuireadh  tu  feum  orr' 

!S  gun  tigeadh  eiginn  na  cas  ort, 
JS  iad  gun  deanadh  do  fhreagairt 

Le  piob  spreageanda  laidir. 

'S  aim  fior-thoiseach  an  Fhoghair 

A  dh'  fhalbh  uainn  Tagha  nan  Gael ; 
'S  tu  gun  reachadh  air  t'  adhart. 

'S  cha  b'ann  mar  chladhaire  sgathach  ! 
Le  d'  phrasgan  treun  cinnteach 

Nach  ciobradh  gu  brach  ort, 
Nach  tilleadh  an  aodunn 

Romh  chaonnag  an  Namhaid. 

1  See  p.  414.  This  song  is  taken  from  an  old  MS.  copy  of  it — 
supposed  to  be  in  Mrs  Cameron's  own  handwriting — printed  by  the 
Rev.  Dr  Stewart,  Nether-Lochaber,  in  the  Inverness  Courier  of  14th 
October,  1887. 


322  APPENDICES 

Gu  bheil  mise  f  o  mhi-ghean 

'S  fo  thiamhachd  gu  brath  dheth, 
Mu  'm  chleamhnean  mor,  priseil, 

A  bhi  'dhith  orm  an  trath  sa, 
Luchd  a  bhualadh  nam  buillean 

'S  nach  fhuiligeadh  tamailt ; 
Sibh  a  b'  urrainn  sa'  chruadal 

An  am  buannachd  na  larach. 

Fhuair  uaillsean  do  chinnidh, 

Ann  's  an  iomairt  so  'n  ciurradh, 
€o  dh'  eirgheadh  sa'  chas  sin, 

Na  dh'  fhagadh  an  cliu  iad, 
'N  am  rusgadh  nan  claidheamh, 

Sibh  nach  gabhadh  an  diulta, 
'S  a  rachadh  air  thoiseach 

Ann  an  toiteal  an  fhiidair. 

'N  am  eigheach  an  latha 

A  Chraobh  do'n  athull  bu  Chinntich'  ! 
Tha  thu  shliochd  nam  fear  guiimeach 

A  bha  gu  fulangach  rioghail, 
Ged  a  thuit  sibh  gun  mhasladh 

Ann  an  aicsion  an  Righ  so, 
Tha  mo  dhuil  aims  an  Athair 

Gun  dean  iad  fathasd  dhuit  cinntinn. 

'Nuair  a  shaoil  le  Diuc  Uilleam 

Gu  'm  buineadh  e  cis  diot, 
Gun  tugadh  e  steach  thu 

Le  protection  a  sgriobhtadh  ; 
'S  tu  nach  gabhadh  a  mhasladh 

Gun  t'fhacall  bhi  cinnteach 
Do'n  Chrun  a  bha  dligheach 

'S  ga  'm  bu  chubhaidh  bhi  priseil. 

Ge  do  loisg  iad  do  dhuthaich, 

'S  ge  do  spuill  iad  t'  fhearann, 
A  Righ  dhuilich  is  airde  ! 

'S  tu  dh'  fhuasglas  trath  as  gach  caingeann, 
Tha  thu  nise  'sail  Fhraing  uaiim 

Neo-air-thaing  do  na  Gallaibh, 
'S  bi'dh  tu  fathasd  ann  uachdar, 

A  dh'  aon  uabhairt  gam  faigh  thu. 


APPENDICES  523 

'Nuair  a  thainig  an  High  sinn 

'S  a  liobhraig  e  'stannart 
'S  tu  'fhuair  e  gu  dileas 

'S  nach  do  dhibir  do  ghealladh; 
Dhiult  Mac  Coinnich  's  Mac  Leoid  sibh, 

Dhiult  Mac  Dhomhnuill  's  Mac  Ailein, 
Beir  mo  xnhallachd  gu  leir  dhoibh. 

Nach  d'  eirich  iad  mair  dhuit. 

Ghlac  thu  misneach,  's  bu  dual  duit 

A  bhi  gu  cruadalach,  gaisgeil ; 
Gun  robh  meas  aig  fir  Alb'  ort, 

Ga  do  shnas  thu  le  graide, 
O  'n  a  chuir  thu  do  dhuil  ann 

'S  nach  bu  diu  leat  a  sheachnadh, 
Ge  do  gheibheadh  tu  'n  rioghachd 

'S  tu  nach  diobradh  air  V  fhacall  ! 

Cha  'n  'eil  thus'  ach  na  d'  leanamh 

Laimh  ri  d'  sheanair  'sa'  chas  ud, 
Ann  am  foghainteas  pearsann 

'Nuair  a  ghlacadh  e  'n  t-ardan, 
'S  e  's  garradh  a  naimhdean 

'S  a  bhuineadh  buaidhlarach, 
Gach  aon  la  mar  Raoii-Ruairi, 

Gun  robh  buaidh  air  's  gach  aite  ! 

An  la  sin  Chuilfhodair, 

Na  fosaibh  ri  innse, 
Na  gabhaibh  as  masladh 

Cha  be  bhur  'n  aicsion  a  dhibir  ; 
Ach  bhur  daoine  bhi  sgapta  : 

Nam  prasgan  's  gach  tir  uaibh, 
Is  nach  tug  Morfhear  Deorsa 

Dhuibh  an  t'  ordugh  bu  mhiann  leibh. 

Gur  e  la  a'  chruaidh-fhortaiii 

A  chuir  an  t-olc  feadh  na  rioghachd 
'S  ioma  fear  bha  gu  bochd  dheth, 

Neo-shocrach  na  inntinn ; 
Dh'  fhag  e  mise  fo  mhulad 

Nach  urrainn  mi  innse, 
Gu  bheil  t'oighreachd  is  t'fhearann 

Air  an  ceangal  do'n  High  so. 


APPENDICES 

Ma  gheibh  thusa  saoghal 

Nan  daoine  bho  'n  cT  thainig, 
Gun  cuir  thu  fir  Shasann 

Fo  smachd  mar  a  b'  aill  leat; 
Bu  tu  'n  Leomhann  's  an  Curaidh, 

A  chraobh  mhullaich  thar  each  thu ; 
C'aite  bheil  e  air  talamh 

Na  thug  barrachd  air  t'  ailleachd  ! 

III.   SACRED  SONG. 
(By  John  Grant,  Aonach). 

Gu'r  a  mise  tha  truagh  dheth, 
Air  an  uair-s'  tha  mi  craiteach  ; 
'S  cha  '11  e  nitheanan  saoghalt', 
A  dh'  fhaodas  mo  thearnadh, 
No  's  urrainn  mo  leigheas 
Ach  an  Lighich'  is  airde ; 
Oir  's  E  rinn  ar  ceannach, 
Chum  ar  ii-anam  a  thearnadh. 

Gu  ar  tearnadh  o  chunnart, 

Do  dh'  fhuiling  ar  Slan'ear, 

Air  sgath  a  shluaigh  uile, 

Gu  an  cumail  bho  ;n  namhad. 

Do  thriall  o  uchd  Athair, 

Gus  an  gath  thoirt  o  'n  bhas  dhuinnr 

'N  ua-ir  a  riaraich  E  ceartas, 

Air  Seachduinn  iia  Caisge. 

Air  Seachduinn  na  Caisge, 
Chaidh  ar  Slan'ear  a  cheusadh, 
'S  a  chur  ri  crann  direach 
Gu  'chorp  priseil  a  reubadh. 
Chuir  iad  alach  'na  chasan, 
'S  'na  bhasan  le  cheile, 
Is  an  t-sleagh  ann  na  chliabhaich, 
'Ga  riabadli  le  geir-ghath. 

Sud  an  sluagh  bha  gun  trbcair, 
Gun  eolas  gun  aithne, 
Mac  Dhe  'bhi  'san  t-seols'  ac', 
'S  iad  a  spors'  air,  'sa  fanaid. 
Dara  Pearsa  na  Trianaid 
'Chruthaich  grian  agus  gealach, 
Dhoirt  E  fuil  airson  siochaint, 
Gru  siorruidh  do'r  n-anam'. 


APPENDICES  52$ 

Ann  an  laifchean  ar  n-6ige 

Bha  sinn  gorach  'san  am  sin, 

A  caitheamh  ar  n-uine, 

Gun  urnuigh  gun  chrabhadh  ; 

Ach  cia  mar  bhios  sin  an  dull 

Gum  faigh  sinn    rum  ann  am  Paras, 

Mar  treig  sinn  am  peacadh 

Gus  an  tachair  am  bas  ruinn  ! 

Tha  na'r  peacaidh  cho  lionmhor 
His  an  t-siol  tha  's  an  aiteach, 
Ann  an  smuain,  ann  an  gniomh'ran, 
'N  uair  a  leughar  na  h-aithntean. 
Air  gach  latha  ga'm  bristeadh 
Gun  bhonn  meas  air  an  t-Sabaid, 
'S  mar  creid  sinn  an  Fhirinn 
Theid  'ar  diteadh  gu  bracha. 

Cuim'  nach  faigheadh  sinn  siiilean 
Bho  'n  triuir  chaidh  san  amhainn, 
Chionn  's  nach  deanadh  iad  umhlachd 
Ach  do  na  Duilean  is  airde ; 
'Steach  an  sud  chaidh  an  dunadh, 
Chionn  's  nach  lubadh  do  'n  namhad, 
Ach  cha  tug  e  orr'  tionndadh 
Dh'  aindeoin  luban  an  t-Satain. 

Ged  rinn  iad  seachd  uairean 
'Teasach'  suas  a  cur  blaths'  innt', 
Bha  an  creideamh-sa  daingean, 
Is  soilleir,  cha  d'  f  hailing ; 
Cha  robh  snaithean  air  duin'  ac', 
No  urrad  'us  fabhrad 
Air  a  losgadh  mu'n  cuairt  dhoibh, 
Oir  bha  'm  Buachaille  laidir. 

Tha  cuid  anns  an  t-saoghal, 

A  bhios  daonnan  a  tioiial ; 

'Cuid  eile  a  egaoileadh, 

Cha  'n  ann  gu  saorsa  do  7n  anam, 

Ach  a  riarach'  na  feola 

Le  'n  cuid  roic  agus  caitheamh ; 

Ge  b'  e  dh'  fhanas  'san  t-seol  so, 

Thig  an  16  bhios  e  aithreach. 


526  APPENDICES 

Oir  cha  'n  'eil  iad  an  toir 
Air  an  t-solas  nach  teirig, 
No  smuain'  air  an  doruinn 
Gheibh  moran  bhios  coireach ; 
Ged  a  dh'  fhuiling  ar  Slan'ear 
Gu  'ar  te&rnadh  bho  Ifrinn, 
'S  iad  a  chreideas  a  thearnar, 
'S  theid  cacha  a  sgriosadh. 

IV.  ORAN  AIR  GLEANNAMOIREASDUINN. 
(By  Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain). 

Thoir  mo  shoraidh  le  failte 

Dh'  fhios  an  ait  'm  bheil  mo  mheanmhuinn, 
Gu  Duthaich  Mhic  Phadruig 

'S  an  d'  fhuair  mi  m'  .arach  's  mi  'm  leanaban; 
Gar  am  f  aicinn  gu  brath  i 

Cha  leig  mi  chail  ud  air  dhearmad — 
Meud  a'  mhulaid  bh'  air  pairt  dhiubh 

Anns  an  dambar  'an  d'  fhalbh  mi. 

Chorus — Thoir  mo  sholas  do'n  duthaich 

'S  bidh  mo  rim  dhi  gu  m'  eug, 
Far  am  fasadh  a'  ghiubhsach 

'  S  an  goireadh  smudan  air  gheig ; 
Thall  an  aodainn  an  Dunain 

Chluinnte  'thuchan  gu  reith 
Moch  's  a'  mhaduinn  ri  driuchd, 

An  am  dusgadh  do'n  ghrein. 

'S  truagh  nach  mise  bha'n  drasta 

Far  am  b'abhaist  domh  taghal, 
Mach  ri  aodainn  nan  ard-bheann, 

'S  a  stigh  ri  sail  Carn-na-Fiudhaich, 
Far  am  faicinn  an  lan-damh 

'Dol  gu  laidir  'na  shiubhal, 
'S  mar  beanadh  Icon  no  bonn-craidh  dha, 

Bu  mhath  a  chail  do  na  bhruthach. 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 

Gheibhte  boc  ann  an  Ceannachroc, 

Agus  earb  anns  an  Doire, 
Coileach-dubh   an  Allt-Riamhaich 

Air  bheag  iarraidh  's  a'  choille  ; 


APPENDICES 

Bhiodh  an  liath-chearc  mar  gheard  air 
'G  innse  dlian  dha  roimh  theine, 

'S  ma'n  ceart  a  bheanadh  an  bas  dha 
Thug  ise  'gradh  do  dh-fhear  eile. 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 

Gheibhte  rac  is  lach  riabhach 

Anns  an  riasg  air  Loch-Coilleig, 
Coileach-ban  air  an  iosal 

Mu  rudha  'n  iath-dhoire  'taghal — 
Tha  e  duilich  a  thialadh 

Mur  cuir  sibh  'sgialachd  na  m'  aghaidh — • 
Is  trie  a  chunnaic  sinn  sealgair 

Greis  air  falbh  gun  dad  fhaighinn. 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 

Gheibhte  gruagaichean  laghach 

Bhiodh  a'  taghal  ;s  na  gleanntaibh, 
Ag  iomain  spreidh  is  dha'm  bleoghann 

An  tim  an  fhoghar  's  an  t-samhraidh  ; 
Am  por  a  dheanainn  a  thaghadh — 

'S  gur  iad  roghuinn  a  b'  annsa — 
Briodal  beoil  gun  bhonii  coire 

Nach  tigeadh  soilleir  gu  call  dhuinn — 
Thoir  mo  shola-s,  &c. 

Tha  mo  chion  air  mo  leannan 

Leis  nach  b'  aithreach  mo  luaidh  rith' — • 
Tha  a  slios  mar  an  canach, 

No  mar  eala  nan  cuaintean  ; 
Tha  a  pog  air  bhlas  fhiogais 

'S  gur  glan  siolaidh  a  gruaidhean, 
Suil  ghorm  is  glan  sealladh 

A's  caol  mhala  gun  ghruaimean, 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 

Fiach  nach  'eil  thu  an  duil 

Gu  bheil  mi,  'ruin,  is  tu  suarach, 
No  gu'n  cuir  mi  mo  chul  riut 

Airson  diombaidh  luchd-f uatha ; 
Tha  mo  chridhe  cho  ur  dhuit 

'S  a'  chiad  la  'n  tus  thug  mi  luaidh  dhuit,. 
'S  gus  an  cairear  'san  uir  mi 

Bidh  mo  shuil  riut,  a  ghruagaich. 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 


528  APPENDICES 

'S  iomadh  aite  'n  robh  m'  eolas— 

Chaidh  mi  oga  do'n  armachd — 
'S  luchd  nam  fasan  cha  b'  eol  domh, 

O  'n  a  sheol  mi  thair  fairge ; 
An  caithe-beatha,  'san  stuaimeachd, 

Ann  an  uaisle  gun  aiibharr, 
Thug  mi'n  t-uram  thair  sluaigh  dhaibh 

'San  Taobh-Tuath  as  an  d'  fhalbh  mi. 
Thoir  mo  sholas,  &c. 


V.  ORAN  AN  T-SIOSALAIGH. 
(By  Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain). 

'S  i  so  deoch  slaint  an  t-Siosalaich, 

Le  meas  cuir  i  mu'n  cuairt; 
Cuir  air  a'  bhord  na  shireas  sinn, 
Ged  chosd'  e  moran  ghinidhean, 
Lion  botal  Ian  de  mhir'  an  t-sruth, 

JS  dean  linne  dhe  na  chuaich — 
Olaibh  as  i,  's  e  bhur  beath', 

A's  bithibh  teth  gun  ghruaim  ! 

'M  beil  fear  an  so  a  dhiultas  i  ? 

Dean  cunntas  ris  gun  dail ! 
Gu  'n  tilg  sinn  air  ar  culthaobh  e,. 
'Sa'  chuideachd  so  cha  'n  fhiu  leinn  e, 
An  dorus  theid  a  dhunadh  air 

Gu  druidte  leis  a'  bharr, 
'S  theid  'iomain  diombach  chum  an  duin 

Mas  mill  e  'n  rum  air  each  ! 

Is  measail  an  am  tionail  thu, 

Fir  ghrinn  is  glaine  snuadh, 
Le  d'  chul  donn,  ',s  suil  ghorm  cheaiinardach, 
Cha  toirear  cuis  a  dh-aiiideoin  diot, 
Is  cha  bu  shugradh  teannadh  riut 

An  ain-iochd  no  'm  beairt  chruaidh — 
Is  mi  nach  iarradh  fear  mo  ghaoil 

Thighinn  ort  is  e  fo  d'  fhuath  ! 

Na  'n  tigeadh  forsa  namhaid 

Air  a'  chearnaidh  so  'n  Taobh-Tuath, 
Bhiodh  tusa  le  do  phairtidh  ann, 
Air  toiseach  nam  batailleanan, 


APPENDICES  529 

Toirt  brosnachaidh  neo-sgathaich  dhaibh, 

Gu  each  a  chur  's  an  ruaig — 
Is  fhada  chluinnte  fuaim  an  lamhach 

Toirt  air  an  laraich  buaidh. 

JS  na'n  eireadh  comhstri  ainmeil, 

Is  na  'n  gairmeadh  oirnn  gu  buaidh, 
Bhiodh  tusa  le  do  chairdean  ann — 
Na  GLaisich  mhaiseach,  laideara — 
Is  cha  bu  chulaidh-fharmaid  learn 

Na  thachradh  oirbh  's  an  uair — 
Le  luathas  na  dreige'  's  cruas  na  creige, 

A'  beumadh  mar  bu  dual ! 

Is  sealgar  fhiadh  ;san  fhireach  thu ; 

Le  d'  ghillean  bheir  thu  cuairt, 
Le  d'  cheum  luthmhor,  spioradail, 
Le  d'  ghunna  ur-ghleus3  innealta, 
Nach  diult  an  t-sradag  iongantach 

Hi  fudar  tioram  cruaidh — 
'S  bu  tu  marbhaich  damh  na  croic' 

Is  namhaid  a'  bhuic  ruaidh. 

Cha  mhios  an  t-iasgair  bhradan  thu 

Air  linne  chas  nam  bruach ; 
Gu  dubhach,  driamlach,  slat-chuibhleach, 
Gu  morghach,  geur-chaol,  sgait-bhiorach, 
'S  co-dheas  a  h-aon  a  thachras  riut 

Dhe'n  'n  acfhuinn-s'  tha  mi  luaidh, 
'S  cha  5n  'eil  innleachd  aig  mac  Gaidheil 

Air  a'  cheaird  tha  bhuat. 

Is  iomadh  buaidh  tha  sinte  riut 

Nach  urrar  innse  'n  drasd ; 
Gu  seimhidh,  suairce,  siobhalta, 
Gu  smachdail,  beachdail,  inntinneach, 
Tha  gradh  gach  duine  chi  thu  dhuit, 

'S  cha  'n  ioghiiadh  ged  a  tha — 
Is  uasal,  eireachdail  do  ghiulan, 

Is  fhuair  thu  cliu  thar  chach. 

Is  ghabh  thu  ceile  ghnathaichte 
Thaobh  naduir  mar  bu  dual ; 
Fhuair  thu  aig  a'  chaisteal  i, 
'S  ga  ionnsuidh  thug  thu  dhachaidh  i, 

34 


530  APPENDICES 

Nighean  Milic  'Ic  Alasdair 

Bho  Gharaidh  nan  sruth  fuar — 

Slios  mar  fhaoilinn,  gruaidh  mar  chaoruinn, 
Mala  chaol  gun  ghruaim  ! 


VI.  Is  CIANAIL  AN  EATHAD  's  MI  GABHAIL  A'  CHUAIN. 
(By  Alasdair  Mac  Iain  Bhain): 

Is  cianail  an  rathad 

'S  mi  gabhail  a'  chuain, 
Sinn  a'  triall  ri  droch  shide 

Na  h-Innseachan  Shuas — 
Na  cruinn  oirnn  a'  lubadh, 

'S  na  siuil  ga  ;ii  toirt  uainn, 
An  long  air  a  lethtaobh 

A'  gleachd  ris  na  stuagh. 

Diciadain  a  dh'  fhalbh.  sinn, 

JS  bu  ghailblieach  an  uair, 
Cha  deach  sinn  moran  mhiltean 

'Nuair  shin  e  ruinn  cruaidh ; 
'S  gu'n  chriochnaich  pairt  dhinn 

'S  an  aite  'n  robh  '11  uair, 
'S  tha  fios  aig  Rock  Sdile 

Mar  thearuinn  sinn  uaith  ! 

Seachd  seachdaineaii  dubhlach, 

De  dli'uine  gle  chruaidh, 
Bha  sinn  ann  an  curam, 

Gun  duil  a  bhi  buan — 
Sior  phumpaigeadh  buirn  aisd 

An  cunntas  nan  uair, 
JS  cha  bu  luaith  dol  an  diosg'  dhi 

Na  lionadh  i  suas. 

Tha  onfhadh  na  tide 

Toirt  ciosnachaidh  mhoir 
As  a'  mharsanta  dhileas 

N"ach  diobair  a  seol ; 
Tha  tuilleadh  's  a  giulan 

Ag  usbairt  ri  'sroin, 
'S  i  'n  cunnart  a  muchadh 

Ma  dhuineas  an  ceo. 


APPENDICES  531 

Tha  luchd  air  a  h-uchd 

A'  toirt  murt  air  a  bord, 
Neart  soirbheis  o'n  iar 

A  toirt  sniomh  air  a  seol — 
Muir  dhu-ghorm  eitidh 

Ag  eirigh  ri  'sroin, 
'S  le  buadhadh  na  seide 

'S  trie  eiginn  tighinn  oirnn. 

Tha  gaoth  is  clach-mheallain 

A'  leantuinn  ar  curs, 
Smuid  mhor  oirnn  ag  eirigh 

Do  na  speuran  gu  dluth  ; 
'S  e  quadrant  na  greine 

Tha  toir  leirsinn  do  'n  t-suil, 
Co  '11  rathad  a  theid  sinn 

Le  leideadh  na  stiuir. 

Stiuir  thairis  i,  Adam, 

Ma  tha  e  do  run, 
Cum  direach  do  chars 

Ann  an  aird  na  cairt-iuil,1 
;S  ma  ruigeas  sinn  sabhailt 

An  t-ait  tha  ar  dull, 
Gu  'n  ol  sinn  deoch-slainte 

Na  dh'  fhag  sinn  air  chul. 

B'  i  sin  an  deoch-shlainte 

Nach  aicheadh'nn  uair 
Ged  dh'  fheumainn  a  paigheadh 

A  bharr  air  a  luach — 
Do  ruma  mhath  laidir, 

G'a  sharr  chur  mu  'n  cuairt, 
Mar  chuimhn;  air  na  cairdean 

Tha  thamh  'san  Taobh-Tuath. 

Fhir  a  theid  a  dh-Alba 

Tha  m;  earbsa  ro  mhor 
Gu'n  taghail  thu  'n  rathad 

Thoir  naigheachd  na  's  beo — 
Thoir  soraidh  le  durachd 

Do  dhuthaich  Iain  Oig2 
O  dh'  fhagas  tu  Rusgaich 

Gu  Lunndaidh  nam  bo. 

1  Or,  Cum  direach  an  talan  air  bharr  na  cairt-iuil. 
QIain  Og. — Colonel  John  Grant  of  Glenmoriston,  who  succeeded 
to  the  estate  in  December,,  1773,  and  died  in  September,  1801. 


532  APPENDICES 

VII.  ORAN  BHRAIGH  RUSGAICH. 
(By  Iain  Mac  Dhughaill). 

Ged  is  socrach  mo  leabaidh, 
Cha'n  e  cadal  tha  shiird  orm ; 
B'  anns'  bhi  suainnt'  ann  am  breacan. 
Ann  an  glaiceagan  Rusgaich. 
Hero,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

B'  anns'  bhi  suainnt'  an  am  breaoan 
Ann  an  glaiceagan  Rusgaich, 
Far  am  minic  a  bha  mi, 
lomadh  la,  air  bheag  curam. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Far  am  minic  a  bha  mi, 
lomadh  la,  air  bheag  curam, 
'S  bhiodh  mo  ghunna  fo  m'  achlais, 
Cumail  fasgadh  o'n  driuchd  oirr'. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Bhiodh  mo  ghunna  fo  m'  achlais, 
Cumail  fasgadh  o'n  driuchd  oirr' ; 
'S  air  thruimid  na  f raise,  i 

'S  i  a  lasadh  am  fudar. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Air  thruimid  na  f  raise, 
'S  i  a  lasadh  am  fudar; 
Cha  b'e  clagraich  nan  sraidean1 
So  a  b'  abhaist  mo  dhusgadh. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  b'e  clagraich  nan  sraidean 
So  a  b'  abhaist  mo  dhusgadh ; 
Cha  b'e  clag  nan  cuig  uairean 
Bhiodh  a'  m'  chluasan  a  dusgadh. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  b'e  clag  nan  cuig  uairean 
Bhiodh  a'  m'  chluasan  a  dusgadh, 
Ach  an  ceileir  bu  bhoidhche 
Aig  na  h-eoin  am  Braigh  Rusgaich. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

iThe  Bard  composed  the  song-  in  Edinburgh. 


APPENDICES  533 

Ach  an  ceileir  bu  bhoidhche 
Aig  na  h-eoin  am  Braigh  Rusgaich ; 
Bhiodh  a'  chuthag  air  chreagan, 
;S  i  toirt  freagairt  do  'n  smudan. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo ! 

Bhiodh  a'  chuthag  air  chreagan, 
'S  i  toirt  freagairt  do  7n  smudan; 
;S  bhiodh  a'  smeorach  gu  h-arda, 
'S  i  air  bharr  nam  bad  du-ghorm. 
Horb,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Bhiodh  a'  smeorach  gu  h-arda, 
'S  i  air  bharr  nam  bad  du-ghorm; 
Agus  Robin  gu  h-iosal 
Ann  an  iochdar  nan  dluth-phreas. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo ! 

Agus  Robin  gu  h-iosal 
Ann  an  iochdar  nan  dluth-phreas, 
Anns  nam  meanganaibh  boidheach, 
'S  damh  na  crbice  'gan  rusgadh. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo ! 

Anns  nam  meanganaibh  boidheach, 
;S  damh  na  croice  'gan  rusgadh ; 
'S  nuair  thigeadh  oidhche  Fheill-an-R6ide 
'S  ann  learn  bu  bhoidheach  a  bhuirich. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

'Nuair  thigeadh  oidhche  Fheill-an-K6ide 
'S  ann  learn  bu  bhoidheach  a  bhuirich, 
'S  e  ag  iarraidh  a  cheile 
An  deigh  eiridh  o'n  ur-pholl. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo ! 

'S  e  ag  iarraidh  a  cheile 
An  deigh  eiridh  o'n  ur-pholl ; 
;S  ann  >an  sid  bhiodh  an  fhailte 
Ris  an  leannan  bu  chuirteil. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

'S  ann  an  sid  bhiodh  an  fhailte 
Ris  an  leannan  bu  chuirteil ; 
Es'  ag  iarraidh  a  cairdeas, 
;S  ise  ;s  nair'  le'  a  dhiultadh. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 


534  APPENDICES 

Es'  ag  iarraidh  a  cairdeae, 
'S  ise  's  nair'  le'  a  dhiultadh ; 
'S  ged  a  laidheadh  iad  le  cheile 
Cha  chuir  a  chleir  orra  cur  am. 
Horo,  hu-ill    horo ! 

G-ed  a  laidheadh  iad  le  cheile 
Cha  chuir  a  chleir  orra  curam  ; 
Cha  teid  iad  gu  seisean, 
'S  cha  'n  fhaicear  ag  cuirt  iad. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  teid  iad  gu  seisean, 
'S  cha  'n  fhaicear  ag  cuirt  iad ; 
Cha  teid  e  'n  tigh-osda, 
Cha  mhath  a  chordas  an  lionn  ris. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  teid  e  'n  tigh-osda, 
Cha  mhath  a  chordas  an  lionn  ris ; 
*S  cha  'n  fhearr  thig  an  drama 
Ris  a'  stamac  is  cubhraidh. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  'n  fhearr  thig  an  drama 
Ris  a'  stamac  is  cubhraidh  : 
'S  mor  gur  h-anns'  leis  am  fior-uisg 
Thig  o  iochdar  nan  dluth-chreag. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo ! 

'S  mor  gur  h-anns'  leis  am  fior-uisg 
Thig  o  iochdar  nan  dluth-chreag ; 
Cha  b'e  faileadh  iia  cladhan 
A  gheibhte  '11  doire  mo  ruin-sa. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Cha  b'e  faileadh  nan  cladhan 
A  gheibhte  'n  doire  mo  ruin-sa, 
Ach  trom  fhaileadh  na  meala 
Dhe  na  meanganaibh  ura. 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 

Ach  trom  fhaileadh  na  meala 
Dhe  na  meanganaibh  ura: 
'S  co  's  urrainn  a  radhte 
Nach  bidh  mi  fhathast  aim  an  Rusgaich  ! 
Horo,  hu-ill,  horo  ! 


APPENDICES  535 


kVIII.  ORAN  GAOIL  DO  MHAIGHDEANN  OG  A  CHAIDH 
DH'  AMERICA. 

(By  Archibald  Grant). 

'S  mor  mo  mhuladsa  ri  sheinn — 

Ach  is  fheudar  innseadh — 

Mu  'n  nighneag  og  is  grinn  tha  beo, 

A  rinn  leon  air  in'  imitinn ; 

Tha  'gruaidh  mar  ros,  suil  mheallach  mhor, 

Is  bias  a  poig  mar  f  higis ; 

Cuir  mo  bheannachdsa  na  deigh 

Na  h-uile  ceum  a  ni  i. 

Phir  a  theid  thairis  air  na  stuaidh, 

Thoir  soraidh  bh'  uam  mas  pill  thu, 

Agus  innis  di  mar  tha  mi 

O'n  a  dh'  fhag  i  'n  rioghachd  ; 

Na  'm  bu  talamh  bha  'sa'  chuan, 

Ged  us  buan  na  milltean, 

'S  gar  an  ruiginn  thall  gu  brath, 

Gu  'n  d'  fhalbh  mi  maireach  ciniiteach. 

'S  aim  air  chioiin  's  naoh  robh  sinn  posda, 

Is  ordugh  o  na'  chleir  ort, 

Sud  an  t-sian  a  rinn  mo  leon, 

Is  mi  bhi  7n  comhiiuidh  'n  deidh  ort ; 

Nuair  a  dh'  eiroadh  tu  'san  rum, 

An  am  a'  chiuil  a  ghleusadh- — 

Slios  mar  bradan  air  ghrunnd  aigeil, 

Fomiail,  banail,  ceilleil ! 

'S  gu'r  a  math  thig  dhut  an  gun, 
Tionndadh  auns  an  ruidhle, 
Agus  neapuig  bho  'n  a'  bhuth, 
A  bhiodh  na  cruin,  de  '11  t'  sioda, 
Mu  d'  chiochan  corrach,  is  iad  laii, 
'S  mu  bhroilleach  ban  mo  ribhinn — 
Slios  mar  chanach  bhiodh  air  blar, 
Na  oala  snamh  air  linntinn. 

Aghaidh  shiobhalta  's  i  tlath, 
Gu  caoimhneil,  baghach,  miogach, 
Deud  mar  chailc  's  iad  fallaiii  si  an, 
O  'n  d'thig  an  gaire  finealt ; 


536  APPENDICES 

Beul  is  dreachmor  a  ni  manran, 
Gradh  gach  duine  chi  i — 
'S  ged  a  dh'  fhanainnsa  mo  thamh, 
Gu'n  innseadh  each  an  fhirinn. 

Tha  t'  fhalt  camalubach  fainneach, 

'S  e  gu  bhar  'na  thithean, 

Dualach,  caisreagach,  a  fas, 

Mar  theud  air  strac  na  fidhle ; 

Grinn,  gu  dualach,  casbhuidh,  cuachack, 

Sios  ri  cluais  a  sineadh, 

Is  nial  an  oir.  air  dhath  an  eorna — 

Chaoidh  cha  leon  na  cirean. 

Tha  'biaii  mar  chnaimh  a  bhiodh  ri  sian, 

No  mar  a'  ghrian  air  sleibhtean, 

No  mar  chanach  min  an  t-sleibh 

Na  sneachda  geal  air  gheugan ;/ 

Tha  gradh  gach  leannan  aic  'ga  mhealladh,. 

'S  iomadh  fear  thug  speis  dhi; 

'S  is  ciniiteach  mi  gu'n  d'  thug  i  barr, 

Air  Grainne  bha  'sail  Fheinn  ac. 

Troidh  is  cumair  theid  am  brog, 

A  shiubhlas  comhnard  direach, 

Agus  bucallan  ga  '11  dunadh — 

'S  leannan  ur  do  righ  thu ; 

JS  ged  robh  airgiod   'na  mo  phocaid, 

Corr  'us  fichead  mile, 

Cha  do  ghabh  mi  te  ri  phosadh 

Ach  bean  og  nam  miogshuil ! 


IX.   GEACE  BEFORE  MEAT. 
(By  Angus  Macculloch). 

A  Thi  bheannaicht',  gabh  rium  truas ! 

'S  olc  mo  thuar,  's  cha'n  fhearr  mo  chail ; 

Sgadain  cho  dubh  ris  a  ghual, 

Is  roiseagan  fuara  buntat ! 

'S  ann  agamsa  tha  'mhuime  chruaidh, 

Gun  iochd,  gun  thruas,  gun  ghradh  ; 

Ach  cha  bhi  ise  fada  buaii, 

Oir  chuala  mi  Di-luain  a  taibh's  ! 


APPENDICES  537 

X.  SONG  TO  CAPTAIN  HUGH  GRANT,  LOCHLETTEB. 
(By  Lewis  Cameron). 

Somidli  uamsa  suas  'na'  Bhraighe, 
Dh'ios  an  uasail,  shuairce,  shar-mhaith, 
Choisinn  buaidh  gach  uair  '&  na  blaraibh — 
De  'n  fhuil  uasail  chlann  nan  Gaidheal, 
Anns  na  gruaidhean  's  glainne  dearsadh. 

Ho,  hi,  huro,  horo,  heile, 

Far  an  laidh  thu,  slan  gun  eirich  ! 

Gu  Caiptein  Huistein  na  feile, 
Tha  mo  dhurachdsa  gu  m'  euga ; 
Leanainn  thu  's  gach  taobh  an  teid  thu ; 
Calpa  cruinn  an  t-siubhail  eutrom, 
Feileadh  pleatach  leat  a  b'  eibhinn, 
Is  sporran  rbmach  's  or  ga  sheuladh. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

Chite  sud  thu  mar  bu  mhiann  leat, 
Tighinn  a  mach  ri  maduiiin  ghrianach, 
Fhir  a'  chridhe  fharsuinn  fhialaidh, 
Tighinn  gu  faramach  a  dh'  iasgach, 
Tighinn  gu  cladaichean  Loch  Mhiachdlaidh, 
Le  dubhan  gartach,  slat  is  driamlach. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

Bu  bhinii  learn  bhi'  g'  eisdeachd  'chronan, 
Aig  do  fhleasgaichean  ag  oran, 
;S  tu  dol  a  mach  a'  gabhail  voyage 
;Na  do  bhata  rainhach  ordail ; 
'S  ur  gach  crann,  gach  ramh,  is  rop  dhi, 
;S  cha'ii  fhaca  mi  ;san  Taobh  Tuath  cho  boidhche. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

Dh-aithn'imi  do  chas-cheum  gu  h-aotrom, 
Direadh  ri  bealach  nan  aonach, 
Le  do  phrasgan  is  tlachdmhor  dhaoine, 
Gunna  snaipe  '11  glaic  an  laoich, 
Le  do  churrachd  chopair  a  lot  a'  mhaoiseach, 
'S  do  pheileir  gorm  guineach  'na  gurrach  a  dh-aon  tea*. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 


538  APPENDICES 

Dh-aithn'inn  thu,  a  Ghaidheil  chruadail, 
Direadh  ri  ard  n>am  fuar  bheann, 
Le  d'  mhiall-choin  ri  d'  shail  'san  uair  sin, 
'S  do  spainteach  's  do  lamh  man  cuairt  dhi ; 
'N  uair  bheumadh  spor  gheur  ri  cruaidh  leat, 
Bhiodh  fuil  an  daimh  chabraicli  a'  frasadh  air  luachair. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

'N  uair  chromadh  an  curraidh  a'  shuil, 
Ri  dronnag  a'  ghunna  nach  diultadh, 
Bhiodh  an  uilinn  'ga  lubadh, 
'S  b'  fharramach  sradagan  fudair, 
Tighinn  o  sparradh  do  ludaig, 

'Nuair  rachadh  an  teine  'san  eireachd  nan  smuidrich, 
Bhiodh  eilid  na  beinne  'sa  ceireanan  bruite. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

Gheibhte  a'  d'  thalla  'nam  an  fheasgair, 
Ol  is  ceol  aig  na  fleasgaich, 
Piob  mhor  nam  feudan  toll'  ga  spreigeadh, 
;  S  gach  crann  dhi  le  sranii  co-f hreagradh  ; 
Cha  bu  ghann  dha  do  dhaimhean  beadradh — 
Fion  a's  branndaidh  o'  d'  laimh  ga  leigeadh. 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

'S  arm  o  Chrasgaig  so  shuas  uaiiin, 
Thig  an  gaisgeach  beachdail  uasal ; 
'S  tu  thug  leat  gach  beart  bu  dual  dut, 
Is  a'  dh-eachdair  a  bhi  'n  uachdar — 
De  '11  fhine  's  ainmeil  's  an  Taobh  Tuath  so, 
Ailpeinich  nach  tais  's  a  chruadail ! 
Ho,  hi,  etc. 

XI.  LAMENT. 
(By  Angus  Macdonald,  on  the  Death  of  his  Wife). 

Cha  teid  mi  tuilleadh  shealg  an  fheidh, 

Cha  ruig  mi  bheinn  a  dh-eunach', 

Theid  boc  na  ceirghil  bhuam  'na  leum, 

Cha  dean  mi  feum  le  tialadh ; 

Air  coileach  geig  cha  chuir  mi  eis, 

'S  cha  dean  mi  beud  air  liath-chirc, 

Tha  'n  t-sealg  gu  leir  o'  m'  luaidhe  reidh — 

Chuir  bas  mo  cheile  sian  oirr'. 


APPENDICES  539 

Bha  mais  is  ceutaidh  'm  bean  mo  ruin, 

Bha  sgeimh  n'a  gnuis  le  suairceis ; 

Mo  ghaol  an  t-suil  bu  bhlaith  '&  bu  chiuin, 

Ge  duinte  nocht  's  an  uaigh  i ! 

Ged  bha  mi  ciurrta  cur  iia  h-uir  ort, 

Tha  e  dluth  's  gach  uair  dhomh 

Gu  bheil  thu  beo  an  tir  na  glbir, 

'S  tu  seinn  an  bran  bhuadh'oir  ! 

Tha  thusa  nis  aig  fois  'san  uaigh, 

'S  tha  mise  truagh  gu  lebr  dheth  ! 

Gach  latha  's  uair  a  call  mo  shnuagh, 

A  smuaintean  ort  an  cbmhnuidh — 

Ma  dh-fhalbh  thu  bhuani  gu  d'  dhachaidh  bhuan, 

Bithidh  mise  lua,idh  ri  ;m  bheo  ort, 

'S  cha  tig  gu  brath  ach  Kigh  nan  gras 

Ni  suas  a  bhearna  dhbmhsa  ! 

Cha  n'  ioghnadh  dhomh  ged  'bhithinn  ciurrt' 

Gun  chaill  mi  m'iul,  's  be  'm  beud  e — 

Ceann  bu  turail,  tuigs'  Ian  curam 

Dheanadh  cuis  a  reiteach'  ; 

Cha  'n  fhaicte  smuirnein  ;na  do  ghnuis  ghil 

Leis  an  t-shuil  bu  gheire, 

Ged  bhitheadh  do  chrarmchuir,  mar  nach  b'  ainmig, 

Tuilleadh  's  searbh  ri  leughadh  ; 

O,  Thusa  shiabas  deur  a'  bhroin, 

Bheir  solas  do  luchd  iarguinn, 

A  Lighich  mhoir,  ni  'n  cridhe  leointe 

Chuir  air  dhoigh  mar  ;s  miann  leat — 

Dean  mise  threorach  mas  a  debin  leat 

Anns  an  rod  gu  t-iarraidh, 

'S  am  faigh  mi  null  thar  bharr  nan  tonii, 

Far  an  deachaidh  sonn  nan  ciad-chath  ! 

O,  tuirlinn  Thusa,  'Spioraid  Naoimh, 

A  Theachdair  chaomh  an  t-solais, 

Is  taom  gu  saor  a  cuan  a  ghaoil 

Tha  'n  cridh  'n  Fhir-shaoraidh  ghl6rmhor4 

Na  bheir  dhomh  saorsa  bho  gach  daorsa 

A  th'  ann  an  t-saoghal  a'  bhrbin  so, 

'S  am  faigh  mi  buaidh,  tre  fuil  an  IJain, 

Air  peacadh,  truaighe,  's  air  doruinii ! 


540  APPENDICES 

XII.  LAMENT  FOR  SIR  COLIN  CAMPBELL,  LORD  CLYDE. 
(By  Angus  Macdonald). 

Tha  airm  an  laoich  fo  mheirg  'san  tur, 
Chomhdaich  uir  an  curaidh  treun, 
Bhuail  air  Alba  speach  as  lir — 
A  feachd  trom,  tursach,  'sileadh  dheur, 
Mu  Ghaisgeach  Ghaidheil  nan  sar  bheairt, 
Fo  ghlais  a'  bhais,  mar  dhu.il  gan  toirt: 
Triath  na  Cluaidh  bu  buadhaich  feairt 
Ga  chaoidh  gu  trorn,  le  cridhe  goirt. 

Air  oidhche  's  mi  'm  laidhe  'm  shuain, 
'S  mo  smuaintean  air  luath's  na  dreig — 
Uair  agam,  's  a'n  sin  uam — 
Bhruadair  mi  'bhi  ehuas  air  creig. 
Thoir  learn  gu  7ii  robh  teachd  nam  'choir 
Fo  bhratach  bhroin  de  shrol  dubh 
Sar  mhaighdean  mhaiseach,  mhor ; 
Tiamhaidh,  leont/  bha  ceol  a  guth. 
Mar  dhrillseadh  reult,  bha  gorm  shuil  ; 
A  glan  ghnuis  cho  geal  's  an  sneachd ; 
Bha  fait  1onn  air  sniomh  mu  'cul, 
Tiugh  chiabha  dluth  nan  iomadh  cleachd. 
M'a  ceann  bha  clogaid  do  dh'  fhior  chruaidh, 
Hi  barr  bha  dualach  o'n  each  ghlas ; 
A  laimh  dheas  chum  sleagh  na  buaidh  ; 
Claidheamh  truailte  suas  ri  'leis  ; 
Sgiath  chopach,  obair  sheolt', 
Le  morchuis  'na  laimh  chli ; 
Luireach  mhailleach,  greist'  le  h-6r, 
Bu  chomhdach  do  nighean  righ. 
Laidh  leoghann  garg,  gu  stuama  stolt' 
Mar  chaithir  dhi-modhair  f  o  reachd  ; 
Chuir  leth-ghuth  o  beul  seblt 
A  bheisd  fo  shamchair,  's  fo  thur  smachd. 
Ghrad  phlosg  mo  chridhe  'nam  chom, 
Fo  uamhas  is  trom  gheilt — 
Rinn  rosg  tlath  o  'n  ribhinn  donn 
Fuadachadh  lorn  air  m'  oilt. 
Chrom  mi  sios  le  mor  mheas 
Is  dhiosraich  mi  do  threin  na  mais', 
Cia  fath  mu  'n  robh  a  h-airm  na  'n  crios, 
Mar  shonn  'chum  sgrios,  a  deanamh  deas. 
Ged  'bha  a  gnuis  mar  oigh  fo  Ion, 


APPENDICES  541 

No  ainnir  og  'chuir  gaol  f o  chradh ; 
Sheall  i  rium  le  plathadh  broin, 
Measgta  le  moralachd  is  gradh. 
Lasaich  air  mo  gheilte  's  m'  fhiamh 
'N  uair  labhair  i  'm  briathraibh  ciuin — 

"A  Ghaidheil  aosda,  ghlas  do  chiabh 
Mar  cheatharnach  a  liath  le  uin, 
Triallaidh  tu  mar  'rinn  do  sheors' 
Chum  talla  f  uar,  reot'  a'  bhais ; 
Eisd  guth  binn  na  deagli  sgeoil, 
'Toirt  cuireadh  gloir  ri  latha  grais. 

Bha  agam-sa  curaidh  treun — 
Gun  chomalt  fo  'n  ghrein  'm  beairt : 
Ceanard  armailt  na  mor  euchd 
Thug  buaidh  's  gach  streup,  le  ceill  thar  neart. 
Och  mo  leireadh,  beud  a  leon 
Br  atuinn  comhladh  le  trom  lot ; 
O'n  Bhan-righ  'chum  an  duil  gun  treoir — 
Uile  comhdaicht'  le  bron-bhrat. 
Chaill  m'  armailt  ceannard  corr, 
Air  namh  ;s  a;  chomh-stri  toradh  grath ; 
Mar  dhealan  speur  na  'n  deigh  's  an  toir, 
Rinn  cosgairt  leointeach  latha  'chath. 
Air  thus  nan  Gaidheal,  'stiuireadh  streup ; 
Mar  fhireun  speur,  'an  geuraid  beachd ; 
Gaisg'  leoghann  garg,  'measg  bheathach  frith. 
Cha  d'  gheill  's  an  t-srith,  a  dh-aindeoin  feachd. 
Cha  chualas  ceannard  a  thug  barr 
An  teas  a  bhlair  air  sar  nan  euchd : 
Misneach  fhoirfidh,  'an  gleachd  nan  ar — 
Trom  acain  bais,  o  chradh  nan  creuchd. 
Do  Ghaidheil  ghaisgeil  ceannard  corr 
Am  builsgein  comhraig,  mor  na'm  beachd : 
A'  toirt  na  buaidh  's  a  cosnadh  gloir, 
A  dh-aindeoin  seol  is  morachd  feachd. 
Mar  chogadh  Oscar  flathail  garg, 
Is  Conn  'na  fheirg  a'  dol  's  an  spairn ; 
Le  Diarmad  donn  a  thuit  's  an  t-sealg, 
'S  an  Sonn  a  mharbh  an  Garbh-mac-Stairn. 
Gach  buaidh  'bha  annta  sud  gu  leir, 
An  neart,  an  trein,  an  gleus,  's  am  muirn — 
Bha  cliu  a  Chaimbeulaich  dha  'n  reir, 
Dol  thart  an  eifeachd  anns  gach  tuirn — 
Ciuin  mar  ghaighdeann  ghraidh  's  an  t-sith, 
"Uasal,  siobhalt,  min  'am  beus ; 


542  APPENDICES 

Gaisgeil,  gargant,  crosg  's  an  t-sri, 

Le  cumhachd  righ  'cur  feachd  air  ghleus. 

Fhuair  e  urram  anns  ga,ch  ceum, 

Thaobh  barrachd  euchd,  'an.  streup  nan  lann. 

Rinn  d'  ar  rioghachd  dion  'n  a  feum, 

Air  thoiseach  trein-fhir  Thir  nam  Beann. 

'S  na  h-Innse-an  thug  e  buaidh  ro  mhor, 

Le  iuil  's  le  seoltachd  'dol  thar  neart: 

Threoraich  e  na  brataich  shroil, 

'S  a'  chomhraig  anns  bu  gloir-mhor  beairt. 

C'  aite  'n.  cualas  sparradh  cath 

Bu  bhuadhaich  sgath  na  Alma  dhearg  ? 

Fuil  is  cuirp  air  beinn  's  air  srath 

Na'm  millean  breith,  fo  'n  laoch  na  fhearg  I 

Fhuair  o  '11  rioghachd  meas  is  gloir 

Anns  gach  doigh  mar  thos-fhear  cath : 

Dhiol  ar  Ban-righ  mar  bu  choir 

Dha  onair  oirdhearg  'measg  nam  flath. 

Triath  Chluaidh  nam  fuar  shruth, 

Mu  3ii  cualas  guth  an  Oisein  bhinn, 

A'  caoidh  nan  saoidh,  'ruith  dheur  gu  tiughr 

Bha  moralach  'an  talla  Fhinn. 

Ghairmeadh  air  an  uisge  'n  sonn 

Mar  agh  nan  glonn  bu  bhonndail  coir — 

Cho  fad  's  a  bhuaileas  creag  an  tonn, 

S  air  uachdar  fonn  'bhios  fas  an  fheoir." 

Chriochnaich  sgeul  an  ainnir  mhoir, 
Mu  euchdan  gloir-mhor  an  laoich  threun ; 
Mhosgail  mi  a  mo  shuain  le  bron, 
A'  sileadh  dheoir  gu'm  b'  fhior  an  sgeul ! 

A  Ghaidheil  Ghlaschu,  shliochd  nan  sonn 
A  dh'  fhuadaicheadh  o  Thir  nam  Beann, 
Da'n  dual  le  coir  an  sruth  's  am  fonn — 
Dhuibhse  coisrigeam  mo  rann, 
Dhuibhs'  da'n  dealaidh  am  priomh  shar, 
'S  gach  euchd  'thug  barr  'rinn  Gaidheil  riamh 
Hi  stiuireadh  feachd  an  gleachd  nam  blair 
Bhiodh  buaidh  na  laraich  sailt'  ri  'ghniomh. 
Dearbhaidh  gur  sibh  al  nan  treun, 
Ginealach  do  reir  nan  sonn, 
A  bhuanaich  cliu  thar  sliochd  fo  'n  ghrein, 
'Am  blar  nam  beum  's  an  streup  nan  tonn. 
Cumaibh  cuimhn'  air  laoch  an  airm 
A  ghairmeadh  air  an  abhainn  Cluaidh, 
'S  a'  meal  e  urram  'theid  a  sheirm 
'S  gach  linn  le  toirm  ri  sgeul  a  bhuaidh  ! 


APPENDICES  543- 

XIII.  A  NIGHINN  DONN  A'  BHROILLICH  BHAIN  : 

Oran  iir  air  seann  Fhonn. 
(By  the  late  William  Mackay,   Blair  beg). 

A  iiighinn  donn  a'  bhroillich  bhain, 
Chum  a'  choinneamh  rium  Di-mairt, 
A  nighinn  donn  a'  bhroillich  bhain, 
Gum  a  clan  a  chi  mi  thu  ! 

Tha  mo  chion  air  do  chul  donn ; 
Ged  nach  leamsa  or  110  fonn, 
B'  fhearr  bhi  comhla  riut  air  torn 
Na  bhi  roinn  nan  dileaban  ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 

Ged  bhitheadh  maoiii  again  ;na  chruach, 
Bhithimi-sa  as  d'  aonais  truagh ; 
Bhithinn  aonarach  's  tu  bhuam 
Ged  bhitheadh  sluagh  na  tire  leam  ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 

'S  deirg'  do  bhilean  na  an  ros, 
'S  mills'  na  mhil  leam  do  phog, 
'S  fallain  d'  anail  na  a'  chroic — 
Mo  leon  thu  bhi  dhith  oirm ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 

An  speis  a  thug  mi  dhut,  ;s  mi  6g, 
Chum  mi  fada  e  fo  chlebc, 
Is  mar  geilleadh  m7  fhuil  is  mj  fheoil, 
Bi  mo  bheo  cha  'n  innsinn  e  ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 

Ged  a  bha  mi  reamhar,  laii, 
'S  ged  a  bha  mi  daonnan  slan, 
Rimi  do  ghaol  mo  thoir  a  bhaii 
Gus  nach  fhearr  iia  sithich  mi ! 
A  nighinu  donn,,  etc. 

Ars'  mo  chairdean,  'S  tu  tha  faoin, 
A  bhi  saraichte  le  gaol ! — 
Ach  cha  thair  dhomh  bhi  dhe  saor 
Ge  b'  e  ta/obh  an  imich  mi ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 


544  APPENDICES 

Mo  rim  air  do  mhuineil  ban, 
Mo  dhurachd  a  bhi  'na  d'  dhail, 
Stiuram  dhut  mo  ghuidh  's  mo  dhan — 
Gum  a  slan  a  chi  mi  thu ! 
A  nighinn  donn,  etc. 

XIV.  THOUGHTS  ON  NEW-YEAR'S  DAY,  1885. 
(By  the  late  William  Mackay,  at  age  of  82). 

O,  beannaich  dhomhsa  beachd-smuain  mo  chridh', 
Bidh  ga  mo  sheoladh  'a  cha  teid  mi  cli ; 
Tha  smuaintean  trom  'gabhail  seilbh  'am  chom, 
Cuir  Fein  'm  fonn  mi  is  seinnidh  mi ! 

'S  goirt  bhi  smuaineach  air  staid  an  t-sluaigh, 
Staid  tha  millt'  agus  staid  tha  truagh, 
Staid  a'  pheacaidh  gun  tlachd  aig  Dia  innt', 
Is  bas  tri-fillte  dhaibh  mar  a  duais. 

Ged  chruthaich  Dia  sinn  'na  iomhaigh  Fein, 

'An  eolas  ard  ami  an  nithibh  Dhe, 

'Am  fireantachd  dhireach,  's  an  naomhachd  fhiorghlan, 

Tha  '11  t-iomlan  millte  le  'r  n-innleachd  fein  ! 

Ach  's  maith  an  sgeula  tha  dhuinn  air  teachd — 

Sgeul  eibhinn  tha  innt'  gu  beachd — 

Bithidh  gloir  aig  Dia  dhi,  oir  glanaidh  fuil  Chriosd  sinn 

Bho  'r  peacaidh'  lionmhor,  cho  gheal  ri  sneachd. 

An  Cumhnant  Grais  sin  gu  brath  iiach  bris 
'N  ar  rum  's  'nar  aite  cho-lionadh  leis ; 
Na  fiachan  phaidh  E,  's  an  Lagh  do  dh'  ardaich, 
'Us  bithidh  iad  tearuint',  na  dhearbas  His. 

Gin  annainn  miann  gum  biodh  againn  coir 
'S  a'  Chumhnant  Shiorruidh  tha  chum  do  ghloir ; 
Gum  b'  e  ar  n-iartas  coir  ann  a  fhireantachd, 
Is  sith  fo  dhion  fuil  na  h-iobairt  mhoir. 

Oir  tha  ar  bliadhnaibh,  tha  tearc  is  gearr, 

A  dol  'nan  dian-ruith  gun  stad  gun  tamh ; 

Tha  chraobh  a  liathadh,  gun  sugh  'na,  friamh'chean, 

Gu  dluth  a  crionadh  bho  'bun  gu  'barr. 

Do  chumhachd  Fein  cuir  a  nios  a  nis 
A  dhearbhadh  dhuinn  nach  e  so  ar  f  ois ; 
Is  anns  an  Righeachd  nach  gabh  a  gluasad 
Gum  b'e  ar  suaimhneas  bhi  maille  Ris. 


APPENDICES  545 

Oir  air  an  t-siorruidheachd  cha  tig  ceann — 
Mar  shruth  a  sior  ruith  dol  sios  an  gleann; 
Is  cha  'n  fhaic  miosan  no  milltean  bhliadhnaibh 
Ou  brath  a  crioch,  oir  cha  bhi  i  ann. 

Ach  tha  ar  laithean  'na  d'  lamhan  Fein ; 
Mu  'n  glac  am  Bas  sinn  dean  sinn  riut  reidh, 
Is  ni  sin  gairdeachas  ann  do  shlaiiite, 
"S  ni  sinn  gu  brath  cliu  do  ghrais  a  sfeeinn  ! 


XV.  ORAN  AIR  GLEANNAGARRADH. 
(By  Hugh  Fraser). 

An  Gleaiinagarradh  tha  mi  thamh, 
Ag  obair  dhoibh  air  figh'  an  t-snaith  ; 
Aite  briagh'  le    beanntaibh  ard, 
Is  daimh  na  croice  's  aighean  ann. 

Sud  an  gleann  a  tha  ro  bhriagh', 
Abhainn  Gharraidh  troimh  'mheadhoin  sios, 
Far  am  beil  gach  seorsa  iasg, 
Cho  lionmhor  ris  na,  cuileagan. 

Na  'n  gabhadh  tu  am  bat  's  an  lion 
Gheibheadh  tu  an  adag  riabhach  ; 
Am  bradan  tarragheal  's  easgaimi  liath, 
'S  na  ciadan  dhe  na  gealagan. 

Sud  an  gleann  tha  boidheach  briagh' ; 
Fasaidh  ann  gach  lus  is  fiar ; 
A'  bhuidheag  bhuidhe,  's  i  ni  'n  cia 
'N  deigh  seachd  bliadhn'  a  ghlasaiche. 

Beanntaibh  mullaich  an  fheur  uaine, 
Uisge  fior-ghlan  'g  -eiridh  suas  annt; 
'S  far  am  bi  na  feidh  's  na  ruadh-bhuic, 
Luaineach  agus  mioragach. 

Sud  an  gleann  tha  tlachdmor  aluinn, 
Cha  'n  eil  craobh  nach  eil  a'  fas  ann ; 
Giubhas,  caltainn,  agus  fearna, 
'N  airde  cul  nan  taighean  ann. 

35 


546  APPENDICES 

Beithe,  seileach,  cuilionn  uain', 
Bealaidh-Fhrangach  'a  darach  cruaidh  ; 
Caorann  dearg  a'  fas  's  gach  bruaich, 
Is  sguab  's  na  h-uile  luisean  dheth. 

Ros  bho  Sharan,  lili  nan  gleann, 

Seudar  Labanoin  's  eitheann  chrann ; 

Co  chunnacas  leithid  sud  a'  ghleann  ? 

An  taobh's  do'n  Fhraing  cha  'n  aithne  dhomh. 


APPENDIX  P  (PAGE  449). 

BAEON  COUET  EECOEDS. 
I.  PROTECTION  OF  WOODS.     [Original  at  Castle  Grant]. 

Ye  Court  haldin  ye  19  day  of  July,  1623. 
Cutteris  of  grey  woudis  in  Wrqrt  [Urquhart]. 

THAT  day  It  was  statutit  and  ordinit  yt  na  persone  nor 
personis  wtin  the  boundis  of  Wrqrt  &  Corimonie  fires,  cutt, 
peill,  distroy,  sell,  dispon,  ony  of  the  woudis  of  ye  saidis 
boundis,  wtout  leif  or  altollerance  haid  &  obtenit  of  ye  Lard 
or  his  bailzie  wnder  ye  pean  of  XL  lib.  [£40,  Scots]  toties 
quoties. 

Wm.  McAlister  is  decernit  &  ordinit  to  attend  &  keipt  ye 
haill  woudis  and  haidgis  wtin  his  boundis  of  Lochletter,  &  be 
answerable  for  ye  samyne,  in  tyme  cuming  in  maner  &  wnder 
ye  peanis  above  writtin,  &  yt  he  sail  mak  na  garthis  wtin  ye 
saidis  boundis,  he  him  selff  nor  na  vtheris  dualling  wtin  his 
boundis,  wndir  ye  peanis  forsaidis,  nor  dispone,  bot  sik  as  sal 
be  approvit  for  ye  countrie  pepill  or  ye  bailzie  in  his  name. 

James  Cuming  [Dulshangie]  actit  in  maner  forsaid  for  all 
ye  woudis  &  haidgis  wtin  his  boundis  efter  ye  forme  of  ye  act 
aboue-writtin  in  all  pointis. 

James  Grant  actit  in  maner  forsaid  for  all  ye  woudis  & 
haidgis  wtin  his  boundis,  efter  ye  tennor  of  ye  act  aboue- 
written  in  all  pointis. 

Rot.  Cuming  actit  in  maner  forsaid  for  all  ye  woudis  & 
haidgis  growand  vpone  ye  boundis  &  landis  of  Pithurrell 
[Pitkerrald]. 

Jon.  McAlister  &  Wm.  McKintaggart  actit  in  maner  for- 
said for  all  ye  woudis  &  haidgis  growand  vpone  ye  boundis  & 
landis  of  Mid  Inshbrein. 

Rot.  Grant  actit  for  ye  woudis  of  Schouglie  and  Meaklie 
in  maner  forsaid. 


APPENDICES  547 

Patk.  McEan  and  Gregor  McAlister  duy  actit  as  saidis  for 
ye  woud  of  Learnenye  (Lenie  ?)  &  Kyi  St  Ninian. 

Dond.  McEan  dow,  Findlay  Caine  McEan  dow,  tenentis 
in  Bealloid  [Bunloit]  actit  in  maner  forsaid. 

Jon.  Keir  McConkchie  and  Duncan  McRobert  actit  in 
maner  forsaid  for  the  waster  [wester]  woudis  of  Bealloid,  &  ye 
widow  for  her  awin  pairt. 

Jon.  McEachen  actit  in  maner  forsaid  for  the  woudis  of 
Waster  Inshvrein. 

II.     RECOVERY  OF  DEBT.     [Original  at  Castle  Grant]. 

The  Court  of  the  richt  honoll.  James  Grant  of 
Freuquhie,  holdin  be  himselff  and  James  Grant, 
Ouchterblaire,  his  bailzie,  at  the  Castell  and 
Maner  Place  of  Wrquhart,  ye  penult  day  of 
Februar  1648  yeires :  the  suits  callit,  ye  Court 
lawfullie  fencitt&  amrmit  as  use  is, 

Mr  Duncan  Makculloche,  Minister  of  Wrquhart,  desyrid 
yat  my  stipend,  crop  1647  yeires,  and  yeirlie  in  tyme  coming, 
extending  yeirlie  to  ye  sowme  of  ten  markis  in  everie  pleuche 
of  ye  Lordschip  of  Wrquhart,  and  in  toto  yeirlie  to  ye  sowme 
of  may  be  decernit  to  be  payit  to  me  for  this  crop 

1647  within  terme  of  law,  and  for  payment  of  ye  same  my 
stipend  at  the  rate  forsaid  everie  pleuche  yeirlie  in  tyme 
[coming]  in  everie  crop  according  to  ye  ordor  and  termes  of 
pay  vsit  and  wount ;  and  yat  decreit  be  pronuncit  yranent  for 
poynding,  and  that  ye  Bailzie  concur  and  assist  ye  officare  in 
poynding  for  my  payment  yis  yeir  for  crop  1647,  and  yeirlie 
for  lyk  in  tyme  coming,  according  to  iustice. 

Penultimmo  July  [sic;  but  probably  error  for  February] 
1648.     Decernit  Judiciallie.1 

III.   PROSECUTIONS  FOR  CUTTING  WOOD  AND  SWARD,  AND 
SLAYING  DEER,  ROE,  BLACKCOCK,  AND  MOORFOWL. 

Decreit  off  Barron  Court  contra  the  Tennents  off  the 

Barronie  off  Comar  ffor  grein  wood,  sward,  deare, 

Rea,  &c,  holdin  be  Corrimonie,  bailzie  deput,  14  & 

16  ffebrii  1691.     [Original  at  Erchless  Castle]. 

Ane  Barrone  Court  off  the  Barronie  off  Comar,  Holdin  at 

Comar  the  Thirteint  day  of  ffebrii  1691  yeires  Be  John  Grant 

off  Corrmonie,  Bailzie  deput  off  the  said  Barronie  conforme  to 

ane  Comissione  off  Bailliarie  granted  be  Sir  Alexr  M'Kenzie 

off  Coul  and  Sir  Rodorick  M'Kenzie  off  ffindone,  as  haveing  right 

1  At  this  period  the  minister's  stipend  was  paid  by  the  tenants, 
and  not  by  the  proprietors,  as  now. 


548  APPENDICES 

be  apprysinges  and  vyr  [other]  legall  tytels  standing  in  their 
persones  agst  the  sd  esteat  and  Barronie  off  Comar  with  the 
haill  tytells  and  jurisdictiones  yrof ,  To  John  Chisholme  eldest 
lawll  sone  to  the  deceast  Alexr  Chisholme  off  Comar,  and  his 
deputs,  ane  or  mae,  ffor  whom  he  should  be  answerable, 
and  be  which  Commissione  the  said  Baillie  and  his  deputes  are 
authorized  be  the  saides  Sir  Alexr  and  Sir  Roderick  M'Ken- 
zies  to  seit  and  conveine  befoire  them,  all  and  sundrie  the  haill 
tennentes  and  oyres  [others]  within  the  said  Barronie,  and  to 
ffyne  and  amerciat  ym  according  to  Law,  as  the  said  Commis- 
sione, off  the  dait  the  ffourt  and  ffyft  dayes  off  Jenuary  1689 
yeires  beares,  And  the  said  John  Chisholme  conforme  to  the 
said  Commissione,  haveing  nominat  the  said  John  Grant  to  be 
his  deput  who  accepted  yroff,  and  the  samyn  tennentes  being 
all  summond  to  this  day  and  place,  be  the  officer  off  the  said 
Barronie,  he  made  choice  off  me  George  Grahame  notar 
publict  under  subscribing  to  be  his  clerk,  and  Christopher 
McKra  in  Comar  to  be  his  ffyscall  conforme  to  the  said  Comis- 
sione  who  gave  yr  oath  de  ffideli  administratione ,  And  efter 
Reiding  of  the  said  Comissione,  calling  off  the  suites  and 
ffencing  of  the'  Court  in  the  usuall  maner,  and  calling  off  the 
haill  tennentes  of  the  said  Barronie  sua  sumond  be  the  officer 
to  the  said  dyet,  and  the  claime  givin  in  be  the  saide  pror 
ffiscal  agst  them  ffor  the  reasones  and  causes  efter  rehearst, 
did  pronunce  and  give  ffurth  his  sentence  against  the  saides 
tennentes  in  maner  under  written,  viz.  :  — 

The  said  day  Donald  Mcewin  Mconill  vick  onill  vick  neill 
in  Glencannich  Being  complained  upon  be  the  ffiscal  ffor 
cutteing  off  grein  wood,  grein  suard,  killing  of  deare  and  rea, 
blackcock  and  moorefoules,  who  being  solemnly  sworne  inter- 
rogat  deponed  yt  he  neither  killed  deare  or  rea,  blackcock  or 
moorefoules ;  But  confest  to  be  guilty  of  cutteing  off  grein 
wood,  and  grein  suard,  and  theirfoire  the  bailzie  deput 
amerciate  the  said  Donald  in  ffyve  pound  scottes  money,  to 
be  payed  to  the  ffyscall  within  tearme  off  Law. 

Collin  Mcomas  oige  in  Wester  Knockfin,  Alex.  Mcrorie 
their,  Donald  McWilliam  duy  their,  John  Roy  McWilliam 
vick  neill  yr,  Rorie  McEan  vick  rorie  yr,  John  Roy  McGill- 
espick  yr,  Alexr  Mcfinley  Buy  yr,  Thomas  Mconill  vick  indire 
yr,  Donald  Macean  vick  alister  Rioch  yr,  John  Mcalister 
Rioch  their,  Andro  me  rorie  theire,  and  Donald  McEan  vick- 
queine  yr,  Being  also  complained  upon  be  the  ffiscall  ffor 
cutteing  off  grein  wood,  peiling  off  tries,  grein  suard,  killing 
off  deare  and  Rea,  blackcock  and  moorefoules,  and  being  all 
solemnly  sworne,  deponed  as  followes,  viz.  : — The  said  Collein 
Mcomas  confest  the  killing  off  deare,  rea,  blackcock,  moore- 


APPENDICES  549 

foules,  [cutting  of]  grein  wood  and  grein  suard,  and  peiling 
off  Bark,  and  ffyned  yrfoire  be  the  baillie  deput  in  Twentie 
pund  scottes.  The  said  Alexr  Mcrorie  also  solemnly  sworne 
confest  Lykwayes  cum  prcecedente,  Collin  Mcomas  in  omnibus, 
and  yrfoire  ffyned  in  the  alyke  soume  off  Tuentie  pundes : 
The  said  Donald  McWilliam  being  solemnly  sworne  confest 
the  cutteing  off  grein  wood  grein  suard  and  peiling  off  bark, 
and  denyed  the  killing  off  deare  and  rea,  blackcock  and  moore- 
foules,  and  theirfoire  the  bailzie  deput  ffyned  him  in  ten 
pundes  money  fforsaid. 

******** 
IV.    REGULATIONS   FOR   SUPPRESSION   OF   CATTLE-LIFTING. 

Actes  off  Barren  Court  off  the  Barony  of  Comar,  holdin 
be  John  Grant  of  Corrimonie,  16  ffeby.  1691. 
[Original  at  Erchless  Castle]. 

The  whilk  day  it  is  inacted,  statut,  and  ordained  be  the 
said  Baillie  deput,  That  in  caise  ony  theives  or  robbers  pass 
thorrow  the  said  Barronie  with  ony  stollin  goodes  [cattle],  or 
be  recepted  or  harboured  be  ony  off  the  tennents  within  the 
samyn,  or  make  ony  incursiones  or  depredationes  within  the 
said  Barronie,  or  uyr  wayes  recept  any  off  the  goodes  sua 
stollin,  or  be  in  accessorie  to,  or  correspond  with,  the  saides 
theives,  or  gae  allongst  with  ym,  yt  the  rest  of  the  inhabitantes 
off  the  said  Barronie  imediatly  yrefter  and  without  delay 
make  intimaVn  yroff  to  the  said  John  Chisholme,  principall 
bailzie,  or  to  his  officer,  to  the  end  the  countrey  may  be  freed 
of  such  illegall  and  base  acts  ffor  the  ffuture ;  and  in  cais  they 
ffaill  to  make  tymeous  intima'o'n  as  said  is,  and  yrefter  the 
crymes  above  mentioned  be  instructed  and  made  out  agst  any 
off  the  inhabitants  within  the  said  Barronie,  they  are  instantly 
to  content  and  pay  tuentie  punds  toties  quoties,  and  also 
uyr  waves  to  be  punished  according  to  the  Lawes  and  Actes 
of  Parliat.  made  yranent,  Provydeing  allwayes  the  saides 
teniientes  or  ayr  [either]  of  them  be  knowin  to  the  saides 
crymes,  or  the  samyn  instructed  agst  ym,  and  no  oyr  wayes: 
And  fforder  it  is  inacted,  statut,  and  ordained  that  in  cais 
any  theives,  wagabondes,  robbers,  or  oyr  louse  men  come  to 
the  said  Barronie  to  make  any  incursiones  or  depredationes 
yrin,  that  the  haill  tennentes  and  inhabitantes  yrin  be 
instantly  reddie  with  yr  best  armes,  and  all  the  assistance  oyr 
wayes  they  can  have,  to  defend  agst  such  persones,  under  the 
penaltie  off  Tuentie  pundes  toties  quoties,  without  any  defal- 
catione  ;  And  sicklyke,  It  is  lykewayes  statute  and  ordained 
that  in  cais  yr  be  any  goodes  stollin  ffrom  any  persone  or 
persones  within  the  said  Barronie,  That  imediately  yrefter > 


550  APPENDICES 

and  upon  ane  call,  the  whole  next  adjacent  neightboures  off 
the  persone  or  persones  so  injured  instantly  goe  with  him  in 
search  and  track  off  the  samyn  goodes,  under  the  penaltie  off 
Ten  pundes,  to  be  paid  to  them  toties  quoties  as  the  samyn 
occures,  and  they  refuse  to  goe,  and  the  Officer  off  the 
Barronie  heirby  impowered  to  poynd  the  contraveiners  ffor 
the  saides  penalties,  and  make  the  same  fforthcomeing  to  the 
bailzie  efter  poynding  yrof. 

(Signed)         Jo.   GRANT. 

V.   DEFORCEMENT,  AND  DRUNKENNESS. 

Baron  Court  of  Comar,  26  May,  1692.  [Original  at 
Erchless  Castle]. 

The  whilk  day  anent  the  complaint  given  in  be  the  said 
Christopher  McKra,  ffiscall,  agst  John  Me  William  Vick  Neill 
in  Wester  Knockfin,  for  and  anent  the  deforceing  off  Kenneth 
Mcinteire,  Officer,  being  poinding  some  sheepe  ffrom  the  said 
John  Me  William  Vick  Neill  for  payment  off  his  dewtie  .[rent] 
to  his  maister  [proprietor]  and  the  said  John  haveing  master- 
fully deforced  the  said  officer  by  keeping  back  the  said  sheepe 
sua  to  be  poyndit,  Therfoire  the  bailzie  has  fyned  and 
amerciat  the  said  John  in  the  soume  of  Ten  pundes  Scottes 
money  ffor  the  said  deforcement,  and  ordaines  him  to  make 
payment  yrof  to  the  said  ffiscall  within  tearmes  of  law. 

The  said  day  anent  the  grievance  given  in  agst  hugh  Me 
hutcheone  Vickonill  in  Glencanich  for  and  anent  his  exor- 
bitant drinking  off  aqua  vytie,  and  yrby  dilapidateing  his 
means  by  his  intemperance,  qrby  he  is  rendered  unable  to 
pay  his  dewty  [rent]  to  his  maister  [proprietor]  :  the  bailzie 
haveing  considered  the  said  grievance,  heirby  statutes  and 
ordaines  that  what  ever  aqua  vytie  merchaiids  shall  sell  or 
give  above  ane  halff  mutchkin  aqua  vytie  to  the  said  Hugh, 
the  said  aqua  vytie  shall  be  confiscat,  and  iff  the  said  Hugh 
force  ony  more  yn  qt  alowed  from  ym  he  shall  be  ffyiied  in 
ten  pund  Scottes  toties  quoties  as  he  transgresses. 

VI.  REGULATION  OF  PRICES  AND  WAGES. 

A.  Baron  Court  of  Comar,  25th  Feby.  1693.    [Original 

at  Erchless  Castle]. 

The  said  day  anent  the  greivance  and  complaint  given  in 
be  the  haill  inhabitantes  off  the  said  Barronie  ffor  and  anent 
the  great  extortione  and  exorbitant  pryces  exacted  and  takiii 
be  shoemakers  and  weavers  ffrom  the  saides  Tennentee  and 
inhabitantes  ffor  shoes  and  weaveing  off  cloth,  The  said  Baillie 


APPENDICES  551 

•did  enact  statut  and  ordaine  yt  after  the  day  and  dait  hereoff, 
when  the  shoemaker  buyes  the  rough  hyde  ffor  ffoure  merkes, 
yt  then  and  in  yt  caise  he  sell  the  mens  shoes  for  eight  shilling 
and  the  womens  shoes  for  sex  shilling  per  pair ;  and  when  the 
rough  hyde  is  bought  at  ffour  pundes,  each  pair  off  mens 
shoes  to  be  sold  at  ten  shillings,  and  each  pair  womens  shoes 
.at  eight  shilling,  and  when  the  rough  hyds  is  sold  at  ffyve 
merkes,  that  the  mens  shoes  be  sold  at  nyne  shilling  and  the 
womens  shoes  at  seven  shilling,  and  ordaines  thir  pntes 
[presents]  to  be  intimat  to  the  wholl  shoemakers  within  the 
Barronie,  with  certificatiorie,  iff  they  transgress,  they  shall  be 
ffyned  and  amerciat  yrfore  at  the  discretioiie  of  the  Baillie. 
[No  rule  regarding  the  weavers.] 

B.    Baron    Court    of    Comar,    22nd    December,    1696. 
[Original  at  Erchless  Castle]. 

It  was  lykewayes  enacted  statut  and  ordained  that  no 
weaver  within  the  said  baron  have  or  get  for  weaving  off  ilk 
•elne  courtaines,  caddes,  gray  cloth,  or  lining,  but  twelves 
poundes  scottes  for  ilk  elnes  weaving  and  eightein  poundes 
for  ilk  elne  tartan  or  heyved  playdes,  with  certificatione  to  the 
contraiveiners  they  shall  be  ffyned  in  ffyve  pundes  toties 
quoties,  and  the  saides  weavers,  iff  provin  to  exact  more  yn 
qt  above  enacted  and  allowed,  in  ten  poundes,  and  yt  to  be 
payed  be  the  saides  contra veiners  withot  any  modificatione. 

G.     Baron     Court     of     Urquhart,     31st     July,     1736. 
[Original  in  possession  of  the  Author]. 

Court  Pitkeraldmore, 
Urquhart,  July  the  last,   1736. 

In  regard  that  a  universal  hardship  is  imposed  on  the 
'Gentlemen  and  Tenants  of  this  countrie  by  the  hired  men  and 
servants,  both  man  and  woman,  and  this  is  represented  to  the 
Judge :  the  same  is  to  be  enacted  in  the  manner  following :  — 
That  any  Servant  who  can  properly  provide  his  master  in  all 
the  materials  necessary  for  a  labouring  man,  is  to  have  ten 
marks  of  wages  once  in  the  half  year,  and  two  pairs  of  shoes ; 
the  next  best  to  have  eight  marks  and  two  pairs  of  shoes,  and 
the  rest  to  have  wages  according  as  they  are  thought  deserving. 
And  as  to  the  Women  servants,  such  as  are  not  otherwise  bred 
than  within  the  Countrie,  and  are  not  capable  not  to  serve  a 
Gentleman's  house  exactly,  are  onlie  to  have  three  marks  and 
two  pairs  of  shoes  and  ane  aprone  in  the  half  year.  And  also 
if  anie  servant  living  in  the  countrie  who  can  gett  service  at 
Whitsunday,  and  suspends  his  engagement  until  the  shearing 
time,  then,  and  in  that  case,  they  are  to  receive  onlie  half 


552  APPENDICES 

Fees — as  also  if  anie  servant  naturalized  in  the  countrie  who 
is  getting  service  within  it  desert  the  countrie  without  the 
special  consent  of  the  Baillie,  and  the  testification  of  the- 
minister  and  Elders,  the  said  girls  are  never  to  return  to  the 
countrie  so  as  to  have  habitual  residence  within  it.  Also  any 
man  being  within  the  countrie  who  works  for  days  wages  is 
onlie  to  have  one-third  of  a  peck  of  meal  and  his  dinner  for 
every  days  work  betwixt  the  1st  of  November  and  the  1st  of 
March,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  year  over  to  have  one  half  peck 
and  his  danner  onlie.  As  also  all  the  Mealanders1  within  the 
countrie  to  be  required  to  give  two  days  a  week  to  his  master 
for  his  danner  and  super,  and  also  to  give  him  the  time  pre- 
ferable to  any  if  required — and  all  the  above  rates  to  be 
observed  forthwith,  both  by  masters  and  servants,  under  the 
penalty  of  ten  Pounds  Scots  by  the  master,  and  fyfe  Pounds 
Scots  by  the  Servant,  upon  all  which  the  Judge  promises  to 
give  the  sentence  upon  all  persons  complained  upon,  and  if 
the  complaint  is  instructed,  fyfe  Pounds  Scots  money  to  be 
given  to  the  informer.  And  in  the  case  of  the  Masters  being 
complained  upon  by  their  servants,  who  make  not  payment 
within  half  a  year  after  the  fee  is  gained,  he  is  to  be  decerned 
against,  and  in  favour  of  the  servant,  who  is  to  get  double  of 
his  claim,  and  that  no  servant  is  forced  without  asking  the 
question  at  his  present  master  under  the  within-written 
penalty. 

Court  Pitkeraldmore,  July  the  last,  1736. 

JOHN  GRANT,  Baillie. 

Considering  that  customary  Swearing  and  Cursing  is 
offensive  to  God,  and  scandalous  among  men,  Especially 
before  any  sitting  in  judgement,  Wherefore  did  and  hereby 
does  enact  that  any  person  or  persons  guilty  of  the  said  Sins 
from  the  time  the  Judge  enters  the  Court  House,  untill  he 
leaves  the  same,  shall  pay  one  shilling  Sterg.  toties  quoties, 
and  his  person  apprehended,  and  keeped  in  custody  untill  he- 
pay  the  same.  J.  GRANT. 

VII.   TRIAL  FOR  THEFT,   AND   SENTENCE  OF  DEATH. 
Baron  Court  of  Comar,  18th  Jany.  1699.      [Original  at 

Erchless  Castle]. 

Donald  Me  alister  vickoill  duj,  now  prisoner  in  Wesier 
Inverchanich,  yee  are  Indyted  and  accused  at  the  instance  off 
James  ffraser  in  Mayne,  ane  sone  to  Hugh  ffraser  off  Bellin- 
doune,  and  at  the  instance  of  John  McConchie  in  Meilde. 
Comar,  and  Christopher  McKra,  pr»r.  ffiscall  off  Court,  That: 

1  Mailers.     See  p.   442  supra. 


APPENDICES  553 

qr  be  tlie  Lawes  and  Actes  off  Parliat.  off  this  Kingdome  the 
crymes  of  thift,  recept  off  thift,  corresponding  with  theives, 
a-re  crymes  in  themselves  puiiisheable  by  death  and  confisca- 
tione  off  moveables,  yet  True  it  is  and  off  verity  That  you,  the 
said  Donald  Me  alister  vickoilduj,  are  guilty  off  the  saides 
crymes,  In  sua  ffar  as  upon  the  Twenty  Tua  day  off  December 
last  by  past  [1698]  you  did  repaire  to  the  ground  off  the 
Landes  off  Mayne  and  yr  did  most  surreptitiously  steal  the 
number  of  tua  sheepe,  haveing  brokin  up  the  cott  qr  the  said 
sheepe  was,  the  fflesh  off  which  tua  sheepe,  at  leist  a  good 
part  yrof ,  was  ffound  in  your  possessioiie  as  a  ffange : 
Secundo,  Yee  are  Indyted  and  accused  ffor  your  thiftuous 
stealling  off  ane  Reid  prick  horned  bull,  belonging  to  Alexr. 
Chisholme,  lait  Shireff  deput  off  Invernes,  and  now  in  Kill- 
muire  Wester,  and  which  was  sent  be  the  said  Alexr. 
Chisholme  to  the  said  John  Me  Conchie  to  be  grazed  in  the 
wood  off  Comar,  and  most  surreptitiously  stollin  be  you 
ffurth  off  the  said  Wood  off  Comar  in  the  year  1689,  and  pairt 
off  the  fflesh  off  the  said  Bull  and  hyde  off  the  samyn  ffound 
with  you  as  ane  ffange  :  Tertio,  Yee  are  lykewayes  Indyted 
and  acused  ffor  your  thiftuous  stealling  off  ane  sheepe  ffrom 
fferqr.  me  ean  vick  ferqr.  in  Wester  Knockfin,  in  the  moneth 
off  August  last,  and  the  fflesh  yroff  ffound  with  you  also  as  a. 
ffange,  and  yee  accordingly  lug  marked  yrfoire  :  Quarto,  Yee 
are  fforder  acused  ffor  breakine  up  ane  chist  belonging  to 
Marie  Roy,  your  moyr.  in  law,  in  the  year  1689,  and  takeing 
ffurth  yroff  ane  certaine  quantity  off  yairne,  and  oyr  comodity  : 
Quinto,  Yee  are  fforder  accused  ffor  your  thiftuous  stealling 
and  away  takin  ffrom  Christane  Neine  Thomas  vick  William, 
in  Wester  Iiiverchanich,  off  ane  chist,  qr.iii  was  yairne, 
pleadin,  and  oyr  comodity,  and  the  said  chist  ffound  in  your 
possessioiie  yrefter  as  a  ffang,  you  haveing  made  your  owin 
use  off  the  goodes  yrin :  Sixth,  Yee  are  lykewayes  accused  ffor 
your  surreptitious  stealling  of  keall  [kail]  ffrom  William  me 
ean  duj,  laitly  in  Kirktowiie  off  Comar,  and  ffound  with  you 
as  a  ffange  :  And  Lastly,  yee  are  accused  and  indyted  as  ane 
notorious  theiff,  and  under  opiii  bruite  and  comone  ffame  as 
such :  And  the  premises  being  ffound  to  be  off  verity  and 
provin  be  the  verdict  off  ane  assize,  yee  are  to  incurr  the 
paynes  off  death  ffor  said  yrfoire  to  the  Terror  off  oyres 
[others]  to  coniitt  the  lyke  in  Tyme  comeing. 

Ane  Barrone  Court  holdin  be  John  Grant  off  Corriemonie, 
baillzie  to  John  Chisholme  off  Comar,  the  Eighteent  day  off 
January  1699  yeires,  The  Court  being  ffenced  in  the  usual 
manner,  the  paniiell  being  brought  to  the  barr,  and  the  above 
written  Iiidytemeiit  Red  to  him  in  presence  of  the  Assyze- 


554  APPENDICES 

underwritten,  and  the  Witnesses  aduced  ffor  proving  yroff, 
did  proceed  as  ffollowes,  and  yrefter  the  haill  persones  off 
Inquest  being  present,  and  haveing  heird  the  pannell  his  owin 
confessione,  by  himselff,  and  uyr  wayes  provin  by  the  wit- 
nesses, the  bailzie  did  Remit  the  samyn  to  the  verdict  off  the 
members  off  assyze  following  viz.  : 

Robert  Grant  in  Erchles  Alexr.  Me  Kra  in  Kerrow 

Hector  Fraser  in  Mauld  John  Chisholme  off  Knockfin 

James  Me  Ean  ok  in  Inver-         Donald  Me  eaii  vick  queine  yr. 

chanich 

John  Mac  alister  Rioch  yr.  Alexr.  Mcdoiiald  off  Muckerach 
Archibald  Chisholme  yr.  Alexr.  Mcdonald  yr.  yroff. 

Ferqr.  Me  oill  vick  ferqr.  in  Carrie 

William  Chisholme  yr. 

Alexr.  Me  hutcheone  in  Clyteroy 

Donald  Me  ewin  in  Shallwanach 

Robert  Grant  in  Buntaite. 

The  heall  persones  of  inquest  having  enclosed  themselves,  and 
having  put  to  the  vote  who  should  be  Chancellor  of  the  said 
Asize,  they  and  each  of  them  did  make  choise  of  Alexander 
Macdonald  off  Muckerach  to  be  ther  Chancellor,  who  there- 
after caused  Angus  Macdonald,  younger  off  Muckerach  ther 
Clerk  read  in  the  first  place  the  pamiells  owiri  Confessiones, 
and  in  the  nixt  place  the  depositiones  of  the  witnesses  laid  agst 
him  for  prowing  of  the  remanent  articles  of  the  iiiditment  not 
confessed  by  the  pannel,  and  thereafter  the  said  Chancellor 
having  put  the  matter  to  the  vote  and  verdick  of  the  asize, 
and  having  God  and  a  Good  Conscience  before  ther  eyes,  and 
after  mature  deliberatione  they  find  the  pannell  guiltie  of  the 
first  article  of  the  inditment  relating  to  the  two  sheep  stolln 
be  him  from  Mayne ;  they  find  likewise  the  second  article  of 
the  indytment  anent  the  red  prick  horned  bull  also  prown 
agst  the  said  pamiell  by  the  depositiones  of  the  witnesses  with- 
out objectione  led  agst  him ;  they  find  likewise  the  third  article 
prowen  agst  the  pannell  anent  the  stealliiig  off  the  sheep  from 
fferqr.  me  ean  vie  Erqr.,  att  least  his  being  art  and  part 
therein  in  knowing  of  the  same  to  have  been  stolln,  and 
eating  of  the  flesh  thereof  ;  they  find  lykwise  the  article  of  the 
indytment  annent  the  Keall  also  prown  by  the  depositiones  of 
the  witnesses,  as  also  the  pannell  guiltie  of  thift  as  to  the  tAVO 
hesps  of  yarn  because  of  his  hyding  of  the  same  under  the 
thack  and  desyreing  to  conceall  it:  wee  find  lykwise  the 
pannell  by  the  comoii  report  and  brute  of  the  whole  Countrey 
to  be  a  Notorious  theef,  and  remitts  to  the  Baillie  to  pro- 
nounce sentence  in  the  matter  :  in  testimonie  qrof  our  said 


APPENDICES 


555 


•Chancellor  and  our  Clerk  of  the  said  asise  have  subscribed 
thir  presents  this  eibhteenth  day  of  Januarie  1699  yeires. 

ALEXR.   MCDONALD,  Chancellor. 

./£NE.  MCDONALD,  Clerk. 

The  Bailly  haveing  Re-entered  in  Court,  and  the  verdict 
off  the  said  assyze  being  Returned,  and  under  the  signe  and 
subscriptioiie  off  yr  said  Chancellor  and  Clerk,  and  haveing 
considered  that  they  have  ffound  the  within  written  articles 
off  the  Indytement  prowin,  the  said  Bailly  decernes  and 
ordaines  the  persone  of  the  said  Donald  Me  alister  vick  oill  duy 
to  be  brought  furth  off  the  prisone  qrin  he  now  lyes  in  Inver- 
chanich,  to  the  Muire  of  Comar,  ffryday  nixt  the  twenty  day 
off  January  instant  twixt  the  houres  off  aiie  and  two  in  the 
efternoone  yt  day,  and  yr  to  be  hanged  on  ane  gallows  set  up 
on  the  said  muire,  be  the  hand  off  the  hangman,  to  death, 
and  yrefter  to  be  cutt  doune  and  his  corpes  to  be  carried  away 
and  buried  at  the  back  syde  off  the  Kirk  yaird  off  Comar 
Kirktoune ;  and  ordaines  his  haill  moveables  to  be  escheat  to 
his  Majesties  use ;  and  this  the  said  Bailly  pronounces  ffor 
doome.  Jo.  GRANT. 


APPENDIX  Q  (PAGE  452). 

I.  ABSTRACT  ACCOMPT  OF  THE  BTJSSINESS  DONE  AT  THE  MANUFAC- 
TUKEING  STATION  OF  GLENMORISTON  AND  NEIGHBOURHOOD  BY 
ME,  ALEXANDER  SHAW,  UNDERTAKER  FOR  SAID  STATION,  THE 
YEAR  1764. 


Yarn 

Wheels  and 

Flax 

Spun  and     Lint  and  Tow 

Yarn 

Lintseed 

Reels 

Bought 

Bought.      jSpun  or  Sold. 

So.  Id 

Distribute 

Distribute. 

Libs. 

Spg.      H. 

Libs. 

Spg.    !H. 

Hhds. 

Wheels.  Reels 

176-1  January... 

3700 

211 

749 

310   - 

— 

—        — 

February  . 

— 

302       2            464 

-     1  — 

— 

—        — 

March  ..  .. 

1000 

392       1 

579 

800    - 

— 

—        — 

Aprile  

— 

591       3 

564 

—  i  — 

14 

5         2 

May  

1000 

604     — 

660 

—  i  — 

— 

4         3 

June  

1200 

362       2 

634 

600   — 

— 

6         2 

Jully  

— 

415       1 

505 

600   - 

2          2 

August  

2000 

308     — 

389 

800  |- 

4          1 

September 

— 

129       2 

811 

93  j2 

2          3 

October  .  .  . 

136       1 

453 

—   — 

1 

November 

193       3 

589            449   - 

•4          2 

December                   315       2 

407 

'225   — 

— 

2         2 

Total...    8900 

3962       1 

6301          3882    2 

14 

30       17 

Att  Glenmoriston,  the  tenth  day  of  January,  One  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  sixty  five  years,  In  presence  of  Angus  Mackintosh, 
Esquire,  one  of  his  Majesties  Justices  of  Peace  for  the  Shire  of 
Inverness,  Compeared  the  above  Alexander  Shaw  and  made  Oath  to 
the  truth  of  the  above  Abstract. 

ALEXE.    SHAW. 

ANGUS  McINTOSH,  J.P. 


556 


APPENDICES 


II.  AOCOMPT  OF  THE  DISTRIBUTION  OP  WHEELS  AND  REELS  ORDERED  BY  THE  HONOUR- 
ABLE COMMISSIONERS  OF  ANNEXED  ESTATES  TO  THE  INHABITANTS  IN  THE  NEIGH- 
BOURHOOD OF  THE  MANUFACTURING  STATION  OF  GLENMORISTON  THE  YEAR  1764. 


Date. 

Persons'  Names. 

Place  of 
Residence. 

Parish. 

Nuir 
Distri 
Wheels. 

ber 
bute. 
Reels. 

April    4 
9 
10 
17 

24 
28 
May  10 

18 
21 
23 
29 

June    1 

4 

9 
14 
18 
22 
26 
July    4 
16 
23 
August    3 
8 
10 
13 
17 
September  5 
11 
14 

25 
October  19 
November    2 
7 
13 
16 
21 
December    3 
6 
10 
12 

Janet  Cummin 

Drumdrochit.. 
Achteraw  
Borlummore... 
Glengary  
Blairy  
Bonloit  
Borlummore 

Urquhart  
Boleskin  
Urquhart  
Killmenwick 
Urquhart  

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

1 

1 
1 
1 
1 

1 

1 
1 
1 
1 

1 
1 
1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

1 
1 

1 
1 

1 
1 
1 

1 
1 

1 
1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

17 

Kathrine  Cameron  

Peter  Gordon's  wife  
Mary  Mackdonell  
Margaret  Macdonell  
Ann  Mackdonell 

John  Cameron's  wife  . 
Elspet  Cummin  

Invermoriston 
Meechullie 

.... 

Philip  Mackdonell's  wife... 
Mary  Mackiver  

Fort  Augustus 
Miltoun  
Fort  Augustus 
Ballindrom 
Gartalie 

Boliskin.  
Urquhart  
Boliskin   .  . 

Donald  Eraser's  wife  

Janet  Mackdonell 

Duncan  Grant's  wife  
John  Maclean's  wife  
Marv  Eraser 

Urquhart  

Borlu  m 

Dores  
Urquhart  

John  Grant's  wife  
Jan  et  Munro  

Dores 

Meeckulie  
Gartalie 

Mary  Eraser  ....  ... 
Margaret  Call  

Invermoriston 
Moniack  
Shouglie  
Obriachan  
Pitkerrald  
Achnagunerin 
Dillcatick  . 

Kirk'hili....'... 
Urquhart  

Boliskin  
Urquhart..,.. 

Killtarlatie... 
Urquhart  
Kiltarlity  
Urquhart..  . 
Kiltarlity  
Urquhart  

Boliskin     .... 
Kiltarlity  
Urquhart  

Boliskin  
Urquhart  
Kirkhill  

Ann  Stuart  

Marv  Mackrae 

Elspet  Maclachlan  
Elizabeth  Mackrae  

John  Mackdonell's  wife  
John  Eraser's  wife  

Elspet  Mackdonell  
Mary  Cameron  
Donald  Mackdonell's  wife.. 
Janet  Mackdonell  
Mary  Chisholm  
Janet  Macgrigor  
Christian  Bowie  
Ann  Mackenzie  
Thomas  Mackbain's  wife  . 
Dougal  Mackdougall's  wife 
Patrick  Grant's  wife  
Duncan  Mackdonell's  wife. 
Kathrine  Eraser  
Ann  Chisholm 

Glenmoriston. 
Livishie  
Ballindrom.  .. 
Achnagunerin 
Inverhanick  .  . 
Corrumony  
Fanblair  
Craskie  
Fanblair  
Bonloit  
Borlu  mbegg  ... 
Connichin... 
Inchnicardich 
Strath  Glass  ... 
Tomacraskie... 
Obriachin  .... 
Port  Clair  
Duldriggin  .... 
Moniack  

Alexander  Grant's  wife  
Janet  Eraser  ...          
Kathrine  Mackdonell.  .  
Evan   Mackdonel  1  
Ann  Stewart  

Total  

30 

Att  Glenmoriston,  the  tenth  day  of  January,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  five  years,  In  presence  of  Angus  Mackintosh,  Esquire,  one  of  His  Majestic* 
Justices  of  Peace  for  the  Shire  of  Inverness,  Compeared  Alexander  Shaw,  manufac- 
turer at  Glenmoriston,  and  made  Oath  to  the  truth  of  the  above  Acconipt. 

ALEXR.  SHAW. 
ANGUS  McINTOSH,  J.P. 


APPENDICES  557 


APPENDIX  R  (PAGE  457). 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  DRUMNADROCHIT  INN  VISITORS' 
BOOK  IN  POSSESSION  OF  MRS  WELLS,  LATE  LAND- 
LADY OF  THE  INN. 

In  Highland  glens,  'tis  far  too  oft  observed 
That  man  is  chased  away,  and  game  preserved  : 
frlen-Urquhart  is  to  me  a  lovelier  glen — 
Here  deer  and  grouse  have  not  supplanted  men. 

JOHN  BRIGHT  (June  21,  1856). 

The  above  lines  by  Mr  Bright  called  forth  the  following :  — 

From  Highland  glens,  for  deer  and  grouse  preserves, 
Let  Bright  be  chased  away  as  he  deserves ; 
He  loves  not  them,  but  only  cares  for  salmon, 
Seizes  each  chance  of  claptrap  and  of  gammon. 

W. 

We  know,  Mr  Bright, 
Your  philosophy,  quite, 

And  what  nonsense  you  talk  in  support  of  it ; 
But  we  scarcely  suppose, 
Such  trash  you'd  compose, 

If  for  one  lucid  moment  you'd  thought  of  it. 

We'll  kindly  excuse 
This  escape  of  your  muse, 

Since  we  know  your  erratic  proclivities  ; 
Here  mules  and  shoddy 
Give  place  to  toddy, 

And  you're  right  to  enjoy  the  festivities. 

A.  K.  F. 

Nor  thousands  here  a  wretched  life-course  run 
To  buy  a  splendix  luxury  for  one; 
Mid  stifling  walls  and  .sweltering  alleys  thrust, 
In  Belial's  atmosphere  of  devil's  dust, 
Doomed  by  the  heartless  priests  of  Mammon  grim, 
To  toil  and  pale  and  pine  and  die  for  him. 
Glen-Urquhart  is  to  me  a  glorious  glen — 
Here  mules  and  shoddy  have  not  stunted  men. 

L.  BLAIR. 


558  APPENDICES 

He  praised  Glen-Urquhart — If  his  praise  be  just, 
Why  seek  to  dim  it  with  malicious  dust  ? 
How  hurts  it  you  that  clanking  mules  afford 
To  thousands  work  ?     Do  you,  by  Progress  bored, 
Dispense  with  shirts,  because  too  cheaply  made? 
Or  fail  to  eat  bread  cheapened  by  Free  Trade  ? 

J.  R.  S. 


Oh,  Drumnadroch.it,  village  dear  ! 
I'll  not  forget  thy  kindly  cheer ; 
While  comfort  upon  comfort  piled, 
Changes  me  to  a  mountain  child. 

It  may  be  long,  it  may  be  ne'er 

My  footsteps  shall  again  repair 

To  this  romantic,  lovely  scene — 

Yet  memory  whispers,  "  There  you've  been  !" 

How  shall  I  in  this  simple  page 

Unfold  what  thoughts  the  mind  engage  ? 

Or  how  in  words  befitting  tell 

The  beauties  of  this  charming  dell  ? 

Cease,  then  !  and  yet  I  fain  would  say 
To  all  who  hitherward  can  stray — 
If  peace  and  plenty  you  would  win, 
Oh  !  come  to  Drumnadrochit  Inn  ! 

G.  R.  (1856), 

Stop,  Traveller !  with  weel  pack'd  bag, 

And  hasten  to  unlock  it; 
You'll  ne'er  regret  it,  tho'  you  lag 

A  day  at  Drumnadrochit. 

Stop,  Angler !  with  your  rod  and  creel, 

If  you  wi'  trout  would  stock  it ; 
I  have  nae  doubt  ye  shall  do  weel 

To  stay  at  Drumnadrochit. 

Stop,  Artist !  with  your  sketching-book, 

For  gin  ye  can  but  tak'  it, 
At  Urquhart  Castle  ye  should  look,, 

'Tis  close  to  Drumnadrochit. 


APPENDICES  559" 

Stop  every  one  who  would  combine 

Care  both  of  health  and  pocket, 
You'll  find  short  bills  and  breezes  fine 

Prevail  at  Drumnadrochit. 

Rev.  W.  DRAKE  (14th  July,  1857). 

Two  hours  we  spent  in  Edinboro' 

To  see  what  could  be  seen  ; 
And  (seeing  people,  not  the  town), 

Two  days  in  Aberdeen. 

Six  we  allotted  to  Braemar, 

And  left  for  lack  of  "fare"  ; 
(The  inns  were  full  and  flowing  o'er 

So  we  staid  no  longer  there). 

Seven  happy  days  have  glided  by 

Here  in  this  lovely  glen ; 
And  if  it  were  but  further  south 

We  should  often  come  again. 

But,  alas  !  we  fear  it  is  too  far 

From  dingy  Lincoln's  Inn, 
To  make  it  just  the  place  to  spend 

The  "Long  Vacation"  in. 
Mr  and  Mrs  F.  SEEBOLM  (26th  August,  1857). 

Ye  maun  prate  o'  the  waters  at  Baden  or  Spa, 
'Tis  Drumnadrochit  takes  the  shine  out  of  a'  ; 
Of  our  claim  to  sich  honour,  judge  everybody — 
Their  springs  gie  but  water,  our  "  Wells"  1  gie  ye  toddy  ! 

(1861). 

Ye  tourists  all,  erratic  race, 

Who  shoot  about  like  Congrieve  rocket, 

Your  ardour  calm,  abate  your  pace, 
And  pass  a  week  at  Drumnadrochit. 

Geologists,  who  cannot  see 

A  stone  without  a  wish  to  knock  it, 
Just  think  how  happy  you  will  be 

Amidst  these  rocks  of  Drumnadrochit. 

1  Mrs  Wells,  the  hostess. 


560  APPENDICES 

Ye  men  of  law,  awake  so  wide, 

Who  pore  all  day  o'er  brief  and  docket, 

Just  «ast  your  wigs  awhile  aside, 
And  keep  a  term  at  Drumnadrochit. 

And  doctors  after  fees  who  dance, 

And  oft  a  Christian's  life  will  dock  it, 

Do  give  your  patients  one  fair  chance 
By  leaving  them  for  Drumnadrochit. 

Dyspeptic  folk  who  cannot  sleep, 

"Unless  your  couch  some  potion  rock  it, 

At  this  calm  scene  just  take  a  peep, 
And  try  a  nap  at  Drumnadrochit. 

Economists,  whose  only  care 

Is  that  bestowed  upon  your  pocket, 

From  weekly  bills  awhile  forbear, 
And  try  the  cost  of  Drumnadrochit. 

Low  in  spirits,  low  in  pocket, 
Come  at  once  to  Drumnadrochit ! 
Sick  of  snobs,  and  tired  of  swells, 
Sojourn  at  these  pleasant  "  Wells  "  ; 
Better  door  you  cannot  knock  at, 
Than  the  inn  of  Drumnadrochit. 

Cheerful  rooms  and  restful  beds ; 
Pillows  soft  for  heavy  heads: 
Warmest  welcome  meets  you  there ; 
Best  of  drink  and  best  of  fare ; 
Leafy  shades  and  winding  walks  ; 
Benches  set  for  friendly  talks  ; 
Bowers  where  you  may  smoke  at  ease ; 
Garden  humming  round  with  bees ; 
Mignonette  and  purple  rocket 
Scent  the  air  of  Drumnadrochit. 

The  egg  is  fresh,  no  need  to  clock  it, 
That  you  get  at  Drumnadrochit. 
Your  valise  ?  you  need  not  lock  it 
When  you  stay  at  Drumnadrochit. 
No  one  wonders  what  o'clock  it 
Ever  is  at  Drumnadrochit. 
Squeamishness  has  nought  to  shock  it 
At  the  Inn  of  Drumnadrochit — 
Pleasant  place !     May  no  one  mock  it ! 


APPENDICES  561 

But  my  song  is  getting  long, 

And  I  think  I'd  better  dock  it; 
So  farewell  to  thee,  fair  Wells, 

And  farewell  to  Drumnadrochit ! 

F.  F.  (Sept.  1867). 

At  the  end  of  a  more  than  usually  poor  attempt  to  find 
words  to  rhyme  with  "Drumnadrochit"  has  been  written  the 
following  :  — 

Your  verses,  my  friend, 
You  should  study  to  mend, 

And  should  be  averse  to  exhibit  'em ; 
But  the  Islay  was  strong 
On  the  night  of  your  song, 

And  flowed  down  your  gullet  ad  libitemf 

A.  K.  F.  (1865). 

Drumnadrochit,  18th  September,  1871. 

Snug  hostelry,  whose  rugged  name 

So  oft  has  stirred  the  bard's  ambition, 

I  find  thy  welcome  still  the  same, 

Thy  bed  and  board  in  good  condition. 

How  sweet  on  genial  summer  day, 

Or  e'en  in  autumn's  sultrier  weather, 

To  reach  the  dear  romantic  bay 

With  sunlit  castle,  wood,  and  heather. 

But  what  if  fate  should  drive  us  here 

When  winter  winds  la-sh  Ness  to  madness, 

When  hardy  pines  look  gaunt  and  sear, 

And  stormy  clouds  clothe  hills  with  sadness  ! 

(  Ah,  let  us  not  the  thought  pursue, 

From  gentler  thoughts  the  heart  beguiling ; 
Would  that  our  friends  were  all  as  true, 
And  we  knew  where  to  find  them  smiling  \ 

JOHN  SIBBALD. 

From  Anderson's  "Guide  to  the  Highlands." — At  the 
mouth  of  Glen-Urquhart  there  is  a  large  and  excellent  inn, 
Drumnadrochit,  long  an  established  favourite  with  the  public, 
.and  now  still  better  known  to  fame  by  a  letter  from  Shirley 
Brooks  to  Punch." 

36 


562  APPENDICES 

"  The  '  letter  '  was  written  five  years  ago.  Revisiting  the 
excellent  inn,  I  can  only  add,  after  a  week's  sojourn,  that  Mrs 
Wells  is  the  best  of  hostesses.  Visitors  will  speedily  find  this 
out  for  themselves,  but  I  wish  to  do  a  service  to  such  of  them 
as  may  not  be  aware  that  from  Drumnadrochit  they  can  easily 
(in  one  day)  make  an  excursion  to  a  glen  of  the  most  exquisite- 
beauty,  Glen  Affaric,  and  that  on  the  road  (a  very  good  one) 
they  will  see  every  variety  of  Highland  scenery,  rich  and 
wooded,  wild  and  bleak,  and  a  grim,  fierce  cataract,  the 
'  Dog  Falls,'  worth  coming  any  distance  to  see.  Two  days- 
met?/  be  made  of  it  by  stopping  at  an  inn  on  the  way,  but  this 
is  needless — take  a  basket,  furnished  here,  and  dine  on  the 
side  of  the  lake  in  the  glen.  I  hope  that  no  reader  of 
these  lines  indulges  in  the  idle,  UNWHOLESOME,  and 
DEMORALISING  habit  called  smoking,  but  should  one  be 
so  misguided,  I  fear  that  he  will  think  a  cigar  by  the  side  of 
that  lake  the  most  delicious  weed  (properly  so  called,  my 
brethren)  which  he  ever  smoked.  '  I  drink  his  health  in  a 
dram,'  and  wish  him,  if  not  reform,  good  fusees,  v.s. 

"October  3,  1865.  SHIELEY  BROOKS, 

' '  who   on   the   above   day  went  to   Glen   Affaric  with   John 
Phillip,  R.A.,  Mr  Cassie  of  Aberdeen,  artist,  and 

"  EMILY  BROOKS." 


APPENDIX  S   (PAGE  463). 
THE  POOR,  AND  "  FOOLS." 

BEFORE  the  Poor  Law  Act  of  1845,  the  poor  were  relieved 
by  the  Kirk  Session,  out  of  a  fund  raised  from  church  collec- 
tions, private  contributions,  and  fines  paid  by  offenders  against 
the  moral  law.  This  relief  was,  however,  insufficient  for 
their  maintenance,  and  large  numbers  went  about  begging — 
certificates  of  poverty  and  licences  to  beg  being,  before  the 
end  of  the  18th  century,  granted  to  the  genuine  and  deserving 
poor  by  their  ministers.  For  these  beggars — many  of  whom 
came  from  other  parishes — every  farmer  kept  a  corner  and  a 
blanket  in  his  barn ;  and  they  got  supper  before  going  to  bed, 
and  breakfast  in  the  morning.  Some  of  them  were  "fools" 
—helpless  lunatics,  as  a  rule,  who  wandered  miserably  from 
house  to  house,  and  from  parish  to  parish,  until,  at  last,  they 
lay  down  on  some  bleak  moor,  or  in  some  lonely  wood,  to  die 
of  hunger  or  from  exposure.  Since  the  establishment  of 
lunatic  asylums,  this  sort  have  ceased  to  wander.  The  fol- 
lowing were  the  most  noted  "fools"  who  frequented  our 
Parish  within  the  last  hundred  years:  — 


APPENDICES  563 

JOSEPH  DAY.  A  native  of  England,  or  the  South  of 
Scotland.  Wandered  during  the  closing  years  of  the  18th 
century  and  the  early  years  of  the  19th.  Committed  some 
crime — said  to  have  been  murder — and  vowed  never  to  speak 
again,  or  to  sleep  under  a  roof.  Would,  therefore,  never 
speak,  except,  unguardedly,  when  greatly  frightened. 
Carried  a  blanket  on  his  back,  and  always  slept  in  the  woodsr 
winter  and  summer. 

RUARAIDH  RASAIDH.  A  native  of  Raasay,  who  flourished 
about  eighty  years  ago  [i.e.,  before  1893].  Took  his  father's 
body  out  of  the  grave,  and  left  it  exposed  to  the  elements. 
Was  a  trustworthy  messenger,  and  used  to  carry  messages 
between  the  Parish  and  Inverness  and  other  places. 

CHRISTOPHER  MACLENNAN,  from  Kintail.  Had  habit  of 
returning  to  house  in  which  he  had  rested,  and  enquiring, 
"  An  d'fhag  mi  dad?"  "  Have  I  left  anything  1"  Boys  used 
to  send  him  back  for  miles  by  suggesting  that  he  had  left 
something  in  some  house  which  he  had  entered. 

AN  T-AMADAN  RUISTE — THE  NAKED  FOOL.  A  native  of 
the  West  Coast.  Wandered  about  the  same  time  as  Joseph 
Day.  Went  mad  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  a  girl  he  was 
about  to  marry.  Composed  a  touching  song  on  her,  which 
he  used  to  sing  as  long  as  he  lived.  Had  habit  of  tearing  his 
clothes  to  pieces,  and  was  sometimes  found  stark  naked.  In 
his  old  age  was  carried  from  place  to  place,  sitting  in  a  kind 
of  chair,  and  covered  with  a  blanket,  which  he  continually 
tried  to  tear  into  shreds. 

DUBH  AN  TOMAIDH.  Imagined  he  was  a  piper,  and  went 
through  the  Parish  carrying  a  branch  like  bagpipes,  and 
imitating  w'th  his  voice  the  sound  of  the  pipes.  Continually 
marched  to  the  "music''  which  he  thus  produced — until  he 
was  unable,  through  fatigue,  to  proceed  further.  After 
resting  for  a  time  he  hurried  on  again. 

TEARLACH  NAN  ITEAG — CHARLES  OF  THE  FEATHERS.  Had 
his  bonnet  and  clothes  stuck  all  over  with  feathers,  like  a 
Red  Indian.  Was  a  great  dancer,  and  his  great  object  in 
life  was  to  attend  weddings,  and  join  in  the  festivities. 

ALI  MOON.  Wandered  between  thirty  and  fifty  years  ago 
[before  1893].  An  excellent  singer.  During  the  Crimean 
War  imagined  and  related  most  extraordinary  "news"  from 
the  scene  of  operations. 

HANNAH  BARCLAY.  A  native  of  the  South,  who  wandered 
about  fifty  years  ago  [before  1893].  Delicate  and  good- 
looking,  and  said  to  have  been  of  gentle  blood.  Usually 
slept  in  the  woods,  and  ate  grass  like  Nebuchadnezzar  of  old. 


56  I  APPENDICES 

CAILLEACH  NAM  Muc.  Went  about  between  thirty  and 
sixty  years  ago  [before  1893],  followed  by  a  number  of  pigs. 
Slept  with  them,  and  said  to  have  been  at  last  eaten  by  them. 
A  reputed  witch,  who  bore  the  devil's  mark  on  her  forehead, 
which  she  carefully  kept  covered. 

UILLEAM  AN  DuLARAiCH.  A  native  of  Glen  Convinth, 
who,  for  many  years,  went  from  parish  to  parish  attending 
"  Sacraments."  Dressed  in  clergymen's  clothes,  and  imagined 
himself  a  bit  of  a  divine.  Died  about  eight  years  ago  [before 
1893]. 

APPENDIX  T   (PAGE  464). 

PAPEES   CONCEENING   THE   MAEEIAGE  OF  AN    UEQUHAET 
HEIEESS  IN  1737. 

[Originals  at  Castle  Grant,  and  printed  in  "  Chiefs  of  Grant," 

Vol.  II.] 

I.  LETTEE,  JOHN  GRANT  OF  DALRACHNIE,  CHAMBERLAIN 
OF  URQUHART,  AND  OTHER  GRANTS,  TO  LUDOVICK 
GRANT,  YOUNGER  OF  GRANT. 

Bellmackaan,  January  26th,  1737. 

Honorable  Sir, — Wishing  you  and  noble  ladie  ane  happie 
New- Year,  we  heartly  pray  the  Almightie  may  longe  preserve 
you  both,  and  grant  us  off  you  great  posteritie  to  inherite 
their  ancestors'  virtues  and  esteats,  and  to  stand  on  the  head 
of  the  Clan  Grant  while  sun  and  moon  endure.  It  afforded 
us  no  small  pleasure,  when  you  was  last  in  this  country,  to 
hear  you  express  publickly  your  willingness  to  embrace  every 
faire  opportunity  off  planting  Grants  in  this  conntrie,  and 
turning  out  such  as  hade  ther  dependance  on  other  chieffs  and 
masters,  whereof  ther  are  too  many  both  in  Urquhart  an.i 
Glenmoristone.  One  occasione  of  this  nature  has  leatly  cast 
up  here,  the  which,  was  it  embraced  and  did  succeed,  it  would 
be  a  mean  to  anable  one  young  pritty  fellow  of  your  name 
here  turn  out  to  be  one  of  the  most  substantiall  tennants  in 
the  countrie.  Wherefor,  we  begg  live  to  lay  the  caice  before 
you,  viz.  : — Ther  was  a  tennant  widdow  who  laitly  dyed  very 
rich  in  this  country,  and  bequeathed  her  whole  wordly  effects 
to  her  youngest  daughter,  haveing  no  maille  childeren. 
Immediatly  upon  her  demise,  'severall  young  lads  appeared 
on  ther  amours  with  the  girl,  amonge  whom  ther  were  one  or 
two  Grants,  and  the  rest  forreigners  to  us  and  our  najne. 
One  of  the  Grants  pretended  to  have  a  promise  of  marriage 
of  the  girle,  and  sought  our  assistance  to  maintaine  the  same, 
which  wee  frankly  complyed  with,  as  wee  hade  much  at  heart, 


APPENDICES  565 

if  possible,  to  advance  our  freend  and  namesake  in  any  just 
intrest  mighte  occurr,  and  particularly  to  this  gear,  as  It 
could  all  at  once  enable  our  freend  to  succeed  the  defunct  iii 
her  tack  and  means,  and  so  prove  one  of  the  most  substantiall 
tennants  to  your  honor  and  intrest  in  all  the  lordship  of 
Urquhart.  Wherfor,  seeing  you  allwayes  disstinguish  your- 
self amonge  the  best  of  Highland  chiefs  in  supporting  all 
your  name,  wee  have,  with  the  greater  frankness,  counten- 
anced our  freend  to  prosecute  his  intentione  in  a  lawfull  and 
just  manner.  But  in  the  meantime,  to  our  surpryse,  a 
comone  fellow's  sone,  of  what  name  we  know  not,  only  of  late 
calls  himself  M'Donell,  and  who  all  his  life  was  universalie 
knowen  to  act  the  villa/nous  pairt  in  traffecting  with  stolne 
goods,  and  bringing  severall  blunders  of  that  nature  on  this 
country,  by  which  he  made  up  all  his  substance,  did,  by 
cunning  shifts  or  brybery,  engage  some  of  the  lass'  nearest 
freends,  and  by  which  means  shee  was  carried  off  privatly, 
and  made  to  sculck  in  such  pairts  as  either  our  freend  or  us 
hade  no  access  to  her,  except  we  hade  gone  to  take  her  at  the 
rightes,  which  we  were  sweer  to  doe  till  we  first  acquanted 
your  honour  how  the  matter  stood.  But  in  shorte,  after  all 
arguments  used  with  him  in  a  faire  way,  and  particularly  by 
the  Chamberland,  who  told  him  that  the  Laird  of  Grant 
would  be  disspleas'd  at  his  conduct  in  this  and  other  things, 
immediately  made  it  his  business,  in  oppositione  to  our 
project,  to  make  up  a  pairty,  both  without  and  within  the 
country,  whereby  its  propos'd,  in  despighte  of  all  Grants,  to 
have  the  girle  married  to  his  sone.  But  now,  as  wee  have 
made  a  faire  representatione  of  the  caice  to  your  honour,  and 
that  wee  allwayes  rely  to  be  supported  in  any  just  or  honorable 
undertakeing  by  our  chieff  and  master,  wee  presume  to  expect, 
seeing  wee  are  thus  touched  upon  honour,  that  you  will  not 
only  advyse  what  shall  be  done  in  this,  but  also  be  pleas' d  to 
sigiiifie  your  clisspleasure  at  such  as  sett  themselves  up  in 
oppositione  to  all  your  name  this  syde  of  Ness,  when  ther 
undertakeing  is  so  faire  and  reasonable.  And  as  wee  have 
nothing  so  much  at  heart  as  to  stand  for  your  honour  and 
intrest,  either  righte  or  wronge,  if  any  such  occasione  did 
offer,  we  flatter  ourselves  that  you'l  not  only  show  to  the 
world  your  reguard  to  your  freends,  in  contempt  of  ther 
enemies,  but  give  us  assurance  to  bannish  the  author  of  this 
iiidignitie  offered  to  us  from  your  lands  and  esteat,  and  give 
his  and  liis  son's  possessione  to  some  responsable  namesake  of 
our  own  ;  which,  if  you  incline,  will  be  very  soon  hade  to  your 
satisfactione.  Wee  begg,  with  the  greatest  submissione,  your 
forgiveness  for  this  tedious  letter,  and  wee  are,  as  becometh, 


566  APPENDICES 

with  the  greatest  esteem,  honorable  sir,  your  honour's  most 
obedient  and  most  obliedged  humble  servants, 

Jo.  GRANT. 

ALEX.  GRANTT.       ALEX.  GRANTT. 

PATRICK  GRANT.      ANGUS  GRANTT. 

ROBERT  GRANT.       ROBERT  GRANT. 

JAMES  GRANTT.       ROBERT  GRANT. 

ROBERT  GRANTT.      PATRICK  GRANT. 

JOHN  GRANT. 

What  touched  us  so  verie  much  in  this  affair  was  this,  that 
this  Grant  who  had  the  girle  under  promise  to  marry  him, 
how  soon  he  was  observed  to  come  to  the  town  where  she  was, 
this  Donald  Bain,  of  late  M'Donald,  with  some  others, 
advanced  toward  him,  and  some  of  them  fell  on  and  cast  him 
down  to  the  ground,  and  threatned  to  maletreat  him,  which 
would  effectuallie  have  happened  had  not  one  M'Grigor, 
hearing  the  noise  of  their  grapeling,  came  and  rescued  Grant 
from  them.  Jo.  GRANT. 

II.  PETITION,  PATRICK  GRANT  OF  GLENMORISTON  AND  OTHER 
GRANTS,  TO  THE  SAME. 

March  14th,  1737. 

Unto  the  Honourable  the  Laird   of   Grant,   younger. 
The  humble  address  of  the  Laird  of  Glenmoriston 
and  other  gentlemen  of  the  name  of  Grant,  both  in 
Urquhart  and  Glenmoriston,  subscribing  hereto. 
Honourable  Sir, — Give  us  leave  to  signify  that  your  name 
in  said  two  countries  have  not  been  thir  several  generations 
so  perfectly  unite  among  themselves,  nor  so  absolutely  deter- 
mined to  follow  their  chief  in  opposition  to  all  mortals,  as 
they  have  been  of  late  and  continue  to  be  since  you  came  first 
among  them. 

Not  but  that  our  predecessors  alwise  intertained  the 
greatest  esteem  for  their  chief,  in  all  ages,  that  was  possible 
for  any  people  to  do.  But,  sir,  their  situation  differed  from 
ours,  which  made  'em  at  some  occasions  suppress  the  sincere 
sentiments  of  their  minds,  and  conceal  their  natural  affec- 
tions; viz.,  their  case  was  thus:  Tho'  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moriston did  belong  to  the  Laird  of  Grant  and  to  his  friend 
Glenmoriston  upward  of  two  hundered  years  agoe,  yet  in 
"both  said  countries  there  were  not  till  of  late  but  very  few 
Grants,  tho'  there  were  of  other  names  near  to  four  hundered. 
Wherefore,  in  all  times  of  trouble,  the  Laird  of  Grant  being 
at  a  distance,  while  the  multitude  of  other  names  ran  to  and 
flocked  after  their  respective  chiefs,  the  few  Grants  behoved, 
for  the  safety  of  their  persons  and  interests,  either  to  sit  still 
or  join  with  other  neighbouring  chiefs,  who  were  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  question  with  their  own  chief,  and  such 
of  them  as  did  otherwise  were  cruelly  massacred  themselves, 


APPENDICES 


567 


and  their  posterity  robbed  of  their  worldly  effects,  whereof 
there  have  been  several  instances  since  the  Grants  first  pos- 
sessed these  countries.  But,  sir,  the  case  is  now  otherwise 
(thanks  to  God)  with  your  name  in  said  countries ;  they  have, 
-and  continue  to  multiply  to  that  degree,  that  if  their  chief 
continue  his  countenance,  favour,  and  protection,  they  shall 
be  able  to  possess  the  most  of  said  countries  themselves,  pay 
their  dues,  and  without  fear  or  awe  of  their  neighbours,  turn 
out  after  their  own  chief  in  whatever  he  has  adoe,  and  cutt 
a  figure  under  him.  And  it  gave  all  of  us  great  pleasure  to 
hear  your  firm  resolut'on,  when  last  in  this  country,  of 
embracing  every  fair  opportunity  of  turning  out  strangers 
and  preferring  such  of  your  own  name  as  were  capable  to  any 
possessions  that  from  time  to  time  came  to  be  free  of  tacts; 
and  this  was  the  cause  that  made  us  meddle  at  all  to  have 
that  rich  girl  we  once  before  mentioned  in  our  letter  to  you 
for  some  namesake  of  our  own.  But  we  are  heartily  sorry 
that  our  opposites  have  been  at  great  pains  to  missrepresent 
our  conduct  in  that  matter,  and  run  us  down  to  you  and 
others,  and  the  more  sorry  that  their  reports  seem  to  be 
believed  of  us,  while  meantime  we  made  no  step  that  was 
either  mean,  unfair,  or  unjust,  as  may  bee  seen  by  the  inclosed 
information,  which  we  intreat  you  may  cause  read  before  you, 
and  examine  the  facts  therein  narrated ;  and  we  all  begg  as 
one  man,  that  none  of  us  be  condemned  unheard.  Our 
characters  and  interests  have  been  attacked  already,  and 
probably  may  much  more,  unless  prevented,  and  both  without 
any  foundation.  Wherefore,  we  apply  to  you  (as  our  common 
parent),  and  we  are,  with  the  greatest  submission  and  esteem, 
honourable  sir,  your  most  humble,  most  faithful,  obliged,  and 
obedient  servants  and  followers, 

PAT.   GRANTT   of   Glenmoriston. 

ALEX.  GRANTT  of  Shewglie. 

ALEX.  GRANTT  of  Corrimony. 

ANGUS  GRANTT. 

ROBERT  GRANT. 

DUNCAN  GRANT. 

P.  G.,  elder  of  Craskie. 

ROBT.  GRANTT. 

PATRICK  GRANTT. 

ALLAN  GRANTT  in  the  Hills. 

JOHN  GRANT. 

^ENEAS  GRANT  of  Deldregin. 

ALEX.  GRANT  of  Craskie,  younger. 

PATRICK  GRANT. 

ALEX.  GRANTT. 

ALEX.  GRANTT  in  Bunloitt. 

EWEN  GRANT. 
To  the  Honourable  the  Laird  of  Grant. 


568  APPENDICES 


III.  LETTER,  SIMON  LORD  LOVAT  TO  THE  SAME. 

Beaufort,  13th  April,  1737. 

My  Dear  Laird  of  Grant, — I  am  glad  to  hear  from  other 
persons,  tho'  I  have  no  line  under  your  own  hand,  that  you 
keep  your  health,  and  that  good  Lady  Margaret  goes  on  very 
well  in  her  pregnancy.  I  pray  God  she  may  bring  you  a  boy 
that  will  make  your  family  more  illustrious  than  ever  it  was, 
and  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you  and  her  of  my  most  affectionate 
respects,  and  my  Lady  Lovat's,  and  your  young  cousins.  I 
bless  God  they  are  all  in  good  health,  but  I  have  labour'd 
under  the  ague  these  twenty  days  past,  which  the  easterly 
'winds  brought  upon  me.  I  was  forced  to  send  for  Dr  Cuth- 
bert,  and  take  a  vomit  yesterday,  which  wrought  very  severely 
and  fatigued  me  much,  but  I  hope  it  will  do  me  good.  I  was 
much  surprised  at  the  little  noti[cle  you  took  of  the  unaturall 
and  dangerous  combination  that  was  enter'd  into  in  Urquhart 
against  your  person,  your  interest,  and  your  family :  for  the 
famous  contrivers  of  it  bragg'd  when  they  came  out  of 
Strathspey  that  you  rather  encouraged  than  chastised  them  for 
such  an  illegal  and  insolent  association.  I  wrote  something 
of  it  to  you  in  the  letter  that  I  had  the  honour  to  send  you 
by  one  of  the  soldiers  of  my  company,  but  did  not  receive  any 
answer  since  ;  and,  truly,  I  must  own  that  I  was  never  so 
astonished  as  to  find  that  you  took  no  great  concern  about  the 
most  barbarous,  villainous,  horrid,  and  unprecedented  crime 
that  was  committed  in  the  Highlands  in  this  age,  in  any 
country,  or  by  any  people  :  that  is,  the  decoying  one  of  your 
tennents  from  his  own  house,  while  he  was  at  supper,  by  a 
little  boy,  and  when  he  was  conducted  by  the  little  boy  in 
order  to  go  to  Dochfour's  house,  as  the  boy  made  him  believe, 
as  he  pa&s'd  the  bridge  that  was  upon  the  road,  two  or  three- 
ruffians,  mask'd,  jump'd  upon  him,  bruised  him,  and  beat 
him  till  within  an  inch  of  his  life,  and  afterwards  cutt  off 
both  his  ears — .a  barbarity  without  example  in  this  country, 
or  in  any  country  round  it.  I  referr  to  your  own  serious  and 
mature  consideration,  whither  or  not  this  insolent  action  does 
not  strick  at  you  and  your  character,  as  well  as  at  your 
authority  and  jurisdiction.  I  am  very  certain  that  it  is  a 
manifest  insult  upon  my  person,  both  as  to  my  office  as  Shirref 
and  as  to  my  commission  as  Captain  of  an  Independent  Com- 
pany, that  now  takes  care  of  this  district,  and  has  one  of  my 
posts  in  Urquhart.  I  do  assure  you  that  if  it  was  not  for  the 
singular  love  and  regard  I  have  for  your  person  and  for  your 
family,  being  resolved  to  be  for  ever  addicted  and  attached  to 
both,  and  that  I  would  not  meddle  with  anything  that  ia 


APPENDICES  569 

within  your  country,  regality  and  jurisdiction,  without 
acquainting  yourself  first,  I  would  have  seized  both  the 
gentlemen  and  .common  fellows  that  I  had  information 
against,  and  very  strong  presumptions  that  they  were  the 
contrivers  and  the  actors  of  that  barbarous  crime  against  your 
poor  tennent,  against  whom  they  had  no  reason  of  complaint 
but  his  marrying  a  country  girl  that  had  some  money,  and 
that  she  preferred  him  to  one  of  their  relations  to  whom  they 
designed  to  marry  her— .a  fine  pretext  for  murder  and  bar- 
barity. Those  gentlemen  came  within  an  half-mile  of  my 
house  the  next  day  after  this  villainy  was  committed,  in  order 
to  pay  me  a  visit  as  they  said.  I  sent  them  a  message  not  to 
come  to  my  house,  and  to  tell  them  that  if  it  was  not  for  the 
particular  regard  I  had  for  you,  and  that  they  were  then  in 
my  own  country,  I  would  send  them  all  prisoners  to  the  Tol- 
bcoth  of  Inverness  to  undergo  the  law.  It  is  not  worth  my 
while  or  yours  to  trouble  you  with  an  account  of  their  mis- 
behaviour that  night.  They  went  all  drunk  to  your  cousin 
Belladrum's  house  about  12  o'clock  at  night,  and  Belladrum 
being  sick  in  bed,  they  insulted  him  and  his  lady  and  family, 
and  gave  unseeming  names  to  this  country  and  people,  and  of 
all  mankind  they  should  be  the  last  to  say  unmannerly  things 
of  it,  for  they  always  met  with  a  great  deall  of  good  hospi- 
tality and  kindness  in  it,  for  they  were  still  as  welcome  to 
every  house  in  this  country  as  they  were  at  home  in  their  own 
houses,  which  none  of  them  can  deny. 

After  all  that  I  have  said  to  you,  my  dear  nephew,  I 
humbly  beg  that  you  may  let  me  know  precisely  what  you  are 
resolved  to  do  to  chastise  the  insolent  persons  that  commited 
this  horrid  crime  in  defyance  of  the  law,  and  in  downright 
contempt  of  your  authority  and  mine,  for  if  by  bad  advice 
(for  I  must  call  it  so  whatever  art  or  person  it  comes  from) 
you  neglect  to  punish  the  persons  guilty  of  this  horrid  crime, 
you  will  not  be  angry  at  me  to  put  all  the  laws  in  execution  as 
far  as  I  am  able,  both  as  shirref  and  as  Captain  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Company f  against  those  wicked,  insolent  madmen 
that  have  insulted  you  as  well  as  me.  I  have  received  this 
day  a  very  strong  letter  from  the  Laird  of  Gleiigerry,  desiring 
justice  of  me  as  shirref  of  the  county,  fcr  the  horrid  usage 
that  his  namesa-ke  met  with.  He  thinks  he  has  got  bad 
returns  for  his  lenity  to  Glenmoristone's  family,  and  I  wish 
from  my  heart  my  poor  cousin  Allan  may  not  suffer  in  revenge 
of  this  last  action.  I  will  write  to  Glengerry  that  I  have 
acquainted  you  of  the  affair,  and  that  I  am  very  sure  you  will 
punish  that  horrid  crime  with  all  the  rigour  that  the  laws  can 
allow,  which  I  wish  to  God  you  may  do  upon  many  accounts. 


-570  APPENDICES 

I  had  a  letter  this  day  from  your  father,  and  by  all  the 
publick  and  private  accounts  that  I  have  from  London  and 
Edinburgh,  the  poor  remains  of  the  liberty  of  Scotland  are  at 
the  agony,  for  since  Ewadward  the  First's  days,  who  ruin'd 
our  country  by  falshood  and  oppression,  there  was  never 
such  an  affront  done  to  Scotland  as  calling  up  the  Judges  of 
our  Supream  Court  to  appear  at  the  English  Bar  for  their 
misdemaunours ;  and  the  taking  away  by  the  arbitrary  power 
of  the  House  of  Peers  the  essential  priviledge  of  our  metro- 
polis, is  giving  us  the  finishing  stroke.  What  the  consequences 
will  be,  he  is  wiser  than  I  that  can  tell ;  but  he  sits  abun  the 
lift  that  guides  the  gully. 

I  beg  to  know  what  time  you  think  to  be  at  Edinburgh ; 
and  believe  that  I  aon,  whither  in  peace  or  war,  and  whither 
in  a  storm  or  in  a  calm,  either  in  Church  or  State,  with  un- 
alterable zeal  and  attachment,  my  dear  nephew,  your  most 
affectionate  uncle  and  most  faithfull  slave, 

LOVAT. 

[The  "lugging"  of  the  man  (Archibald  Macdonald)  who 
married  the  heiress  gave  rise  to  a  quarrel  and  duel  between 
the  Chamberlain  and  Baillie,  younger  of  Dochfour,  an  amus- 
ing account  of  which  was  sent  by  Lovat  to  Ludovick  on  15th 
December,  1737.  (Chiefs  of  Grant  II.,  360).] 


APPENDIX  U 

THE   URQUHART   SETTLEMENT   IN   NOVA   SCOTIA 

IN  the  Olden  Times  the  population  of  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moristoii  was  effectually  kept  down  by  war,  and  spoliation, 
and  famine.  When  these  came  to  an  end  after  Culloden,  the 
population  rapidly  increased,1  and  a  congestion  arose  from 
which  some  of  the  more  enterprising  spirits  sought  relief  by 
joining  the  army,  or  settling  in  other  countries.  The 
Urquhart  men  began  to  go  abroad  immediately  after  The 
Forty-Five,  and  from  then  till  now  they  have  been  noted 
wanderers  and  colonists.  "  I  have,"  said  the  late  Mr  Charles 
Grant  of  Hazel  Brae,  to  the  Author,  "in  my  day  travelled 
much.  I  have  visited  many  remote  parts  of  Asia  and  Africa, 
but  I  have  never  been  in  a  place  where  I  did  not  meet  another 
Glen-Urquhart  man.  It  is  said  that  when  the  North  Pole  is 
discovered,  a  Scotsman  will  be  found  sitting  on  it.  I  verily 
believe  that  that  Scotsman  will  be  from  Glen-Urquhart  I"  At 
present  Urquhart  men  are  scattered  over  North  and  South 

1  See  p.  441,  supra. 


APPENDICES  571 

.America,  India,  China,  Africa.,  Australia,  and  New  Zealand ; 
and  in  Nova  Scotia  there  has  existed  for  more  than  a  century 
-a  community  which  consists  almost  exclusively  of  natives  of 
the  Glen  or  their  descendants — the  Urquhart  Settlement  in 
the  County  of  Pictou. 

The  man  who  first  led  the  way  from  Glen-Urquhart  to 
Nova  Scotia  was  Patrick  Mackay,  brother  of  Alexander 
Mackay  of  Achmonie.  Patrick,  who  served  for  a  time  in  the 
army,  and  was  tenant  !of  Polmaily,  was  of  an  enterprising 
disposition,1  and  about  the  year  1770  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
with  a  few  other  Urquhart  men,  and  settled  in  Pictou.  He 
•  was  there  in  1778,  when  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Eraser,  was  in 
Scotland.  He  himself  subsequently  returned  to  Scotland, 
where  he  died.  His  companions  remained  in  the  country, 
.and  were  joined  in  1776  and  1784  by  other  Urquhart  people, 
who  settled  on  the  East  Eiver  of  Pictou,  which  is  known  in 
Gaelic  as  An  Abhainn  Mhor — the  Great  River.  Among  those 
new-comers  were  Finlay  Macmillan,  Peter  Grant,  Donald 
•Cameron,  Samuel  Cameron,  and  John  Macdonald,  better 
known  as  Iain  Mac  Eoghainn  Oig,  whose  great-grandfather 
escaped  from  the  massacre  of  Glencoe  and  settled  in  Glen- 
Urquhart,  and  his  sons,  Duncan,  Hugh,  and  James.  James's 
grandson,  the  Hon.  James  Macdonald,  was  Chief-Justice  of 
Nova  Scotia.  His  great-grandson,  J.  A.  Macdonald,  LL.D., 
is  [1913]  managing  editor  of  the  Toronto  Globe. 

Between  1801  and  1803  the  community  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  arrival  of  further  batches  from  the  mother 
Glen,  among  whom  were  John  Macmillan  (grandfather  of  Dr 
Macmillan,  now  of  Pictou),  William  Macmillan,  James 
Urquhart,  Alexander  Macdonald,  Donald  Macdonald,  Robert 
Mackintosh,  Duncan  Macdonald,  Archibald  Campbell,  James 
Chisholm,  John  Grant,  Angus  Macfie,  and  John  and  Donald 
Macdonald,  who  settled  at  Kerrowgair,  called  after  the  old 
Kerrowgair  in  Glen-Urquhart.  In  1818,  and  subsequent 
years,  again,  new  settlers  arrived  from  our  Parish,  including 
Alexander  Ross,  William  Ross,  William  Macdonald,  Gilbert 
Macdonald,  Archibald  Eraser,  Roderick  Macdougall,  Donald 
Munro,  William  Macmillan,  Alexander  Chisholm,  Roderick 
Macdougall,  whose  grandson,  John  Macdougall,  has  for  years 
been  member  of  Parliament  for  the  county  of  Pictou  ;  Donald 
Campbell  and  John  Munro,  who  settled  in  a  valley  called 
Urquhart,  through  which  the  Moose  River  flows  :  and  John 

1  Mr  William  Lorimer  in  his  Report  on  Urquhart  in  1763,,  says 
in  reference  to  Patrick  : — "  A  brother  of  Auchmony's,,  formerly  in 
the  Army,  has  begun  liming-,  and  should  be  encouraged.  His  mind 
3ias  been  enlarged  by  going  abroad."  . 


572  APPENDICES 

Macdougall,  son  of  John  Macdougall  (Iain  Mac  Dhughaill),, 
author  of  "  Braigh  Rusgaich  "  (see  pp.  415  and  532).  John 
Macdougall  emigrated  in  1828,  and  settled  at  Blue  Mountain, 
where  he  died,  greatly  lamented,  in  1873.  On  his  tombstone 
are  inscribed  the  Gaelic  words :  — ' '  Air  chuimhne  gu  brath 
bithidh  am  firean.  His  son,  Roderick  Macdougall,  J.P., 
now  [1893]  resides  at  Blue  Mountain.  Among  the  more 
recent  recruits  to  the  Urquhart  Settlement  were  William 
Urquhart  (who  returned  to  Glen-Urquhart,  and  acquired  the 
Lewistown  Brewery),  James  Urquhart,  Alexander  Urquhart, 
Duncan  Macmillan,  William  Macmillan,  and  Donald  Mac- 
Donald,  brother  of  William  Somerled  Macdonald  (see  p.  412). 
The  Settlement  now  contains  about  seventy  flourishing 
families,  of  Urquhart  descent,  who  all  speak  Gaelic,  and 
worship  in  that  language  in  the  churches  of  Blue  Mountain 
(A'  Bheinne  Ghorm)  and  Springville  (Bail'  an  Fhuarain). 
To  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Blair,  for  many  years  minister  of  Blue 
Mountain,  and  the  Rev.  A.  Maclean  Sinclair,  lately  minister 
of  Springville,  and  now  of  Belfast,  Prince  Edward  Island,  the 
Author  is  indebted  for  much  of  the  information  contained  in 
this  notice. 


APPENDIX  V 
URQUHART    AND    GLENMORISTON    PLACE-NAMES. 

WHILE  the  great  bulk  of  the  place-names  of  the  Parish  are- 
Gaelic,  and  easy  of  explanation,  there  are  some  which  it  is 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  satisfactorily  interpret.  A  few 
of  these  go  back  to  the  time  of  the  sway  of  the  Picts,  and 
some  of  them  at  least  are  remains  of  the  Pictish  language, 
which  prevailed  in  the  district  of  which  Urquhart  and  Glen- 
moristoii  forms  a  part  before  the  introduction  of  Gaelic  by 
the  early  Irish  missionaries.  (See  p.  8  supra).  The  Teutonic 
element  in  our  place-names  is  inconsiderable,  and  belongs, 
not  to  the  Norse  period,  but  to  later  times.  Indeed,  the- 
Norse  do  not  appear  to  have  ever  obtained  a  footing  in  the 
Parish.  The  Pictish  language,  as  is  now  maintained  by  mcst. 
Celtic  scholars,  notably  Dr  Whitley  Stokes,  belonged  to  the 
Brittonic  branch  of  the  Celtic,  and  was  nearly  allied  to 
ancient  Welsh,  the  main  peculiarities  of  which  it  presents  in 
the  few  remains  that  we  have  of  it. 

In  names  which  are  not  represented  by  any  significant  or 
understood  words  in  modern  Gaelic  or  Welsh,  we  must  resort 
to  analysis  of  them  into  one  or  more  roots,  keeping  in  view 
the  historical  development  of  the  Celtic  languages  within  the 
last  two  thousand  years. 


APPENDICES  573 

What  is  the  etymology  of  the  words  URQUHART  and  GLEN- 
MORI  STON — in  Gaelic,  URCHUDAINN  and  GLEANNA-MOIR- 
EASDAINN  ?  The  old  fanciful  etymology  of  Urquhart — Ur- 
chudainn  (earthen  tub,  from  the  supposed  tub-like  form  of 
the  lower  part  of  Glen-Urquhart),  must- be  discarded.  The 
name  appears  in  Adamnan's  Life  of  Columba  (seventh 
century)  -as  Airchartdan,  whence  an  early  Gaelic  Urchardan 
naturally  results,  followed  by  the  present  Urchadainn,  which 
appears  in  Blaeu's  Atlas  (seventeenth  century)  as  Wrchoden. 
It  is  divisible  into  three  parts — first,  the  prefix  air,  by,  upon, 
which  becomes  ur  before  a  consequent  broad  vowel  (cf.  ur- 
chair,  for  air-cur,  "on-cast,"  a  throw,  a  shot);  second,  the 
Toot  cartd,  or  card;  and,  thirdly,  the  suffix  an.  We  are 
justified,  from  its  Gaelic  pronunciation,  to  regard  the  root  as 
card.  In  modern  Welsh  this  would  be  cardd,  and  the  lan- 
guage actually  possesses  this  root,  with  its  requisite  suffix,  in 
cardden,  a  brake,  thicket.  The  name  Urquhart,  as  originally 
pronounced,  would  thus  mean  in  Welsh,  "By  the  brake"  or 
"  Brake-side" — or,  possibly  wider  in  Pictish,  "  By  the  wood" 
or  "Wood-side" — an  apt  enough  description,  probably,  of 
the  first  settlement  in  a  glen  which  is  now  well  covered  with 
timber,  and  which  in  former  times  was  even  more  densely 
wooded.  As  to  the  original  application  of  the  name,  see 
footnote  2,  p.  340.  In  Wales  Argoed,  that  is  Ar-coed,  "By 
the  wood,"  or  "  Wood-side,"  is  a  common  name.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  interpretation  of  Urchadainn  it  may  be  helpful 
to  keep  in  view  the  other  Highland  pLacenames  containing 
cardan.  There  are  three  or  four  places  called  Kincardine. 
The  Gaelic  here  is  C  inn- char  dainn;  the  accent  is  on  the  card 
(unlike  Urquhart,  which,  as  usual  with  prepositional  com- 
pounds, has  the  accent  on  the  first  syllable),  and  hence  the 
root  is  better  preserved  in  Kincardine.  The  Gaelic  cinn, 
which  is  the  locative  case  of  ceann  (head),  and  is  the  correct 
form  in  place-names,  has  evidently  in  Kincardine  replaced  a 
Pictish  Penn -cardan.  Urquhart,  as  has  been  said,  is  written 
Airchartdan  by  Adamnan.  In  1215  the  Pope  writes  it 
Urchard,  since  which  time  it  variously  appears  as  Hurchard, 
Wrquhart,  Wrchoden,  Urquhart. 

The  name  Moriston,  Gaelic  Moireasdainn,  contained  in 
Glenmoriston,  does  not  yield  its  secret  easily  to  the  philologist. 
The  river  doubtless  gives  name  to  the  Glen,  and  it  is  usual  to 
explain  Moriston  as  Moir-easan,  "  of  great  waterfalls,"  which 
is  probably  correct.  The  st  in  Moriston  is  perfectly  explain- 
able, for  it  arises  from  simple  s,  as  in  stfruth  for  sruth,  a 
stream.  The  real  difficulty  is  with  the  termination  nn,  which 
is  of  comparatively  late  introduction  as  a  mark  of  the  plural. 


574  APPENDICES 

Archibald  Grant,  the  Glenmoriston  bard,  poetically  describes- 
the  Glen  in  one  of  his  songs  as  Gleannan  ur  nam  mor  eas — 
"the  verdant  glen  of  great  water-falls."  In  1345  Moriston 
is  written  "Morchen,"  which  would  seem  to  show  that  the  t 
had  not  then  established  itself.  In  1478,  however,  Glen- 
moriston was  written  as  it  is  to-day. 

The  names  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  Parish  having  thus 
been  discussed,  other  place-names  will  now  be  considered. 
They  have  received  but  indifferent  consideration  from  those 
who  are  responsible  for  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  the  Parish, 
by  whom  they  have  in  many  cases  been  badly  handled  and 
mutilated.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  suffix  aidh  or  idh, 
better  aigh,  enters  largely  into  them.  We  may  take  it  as 
equivalent  to  "  place  of."  It  is  an  old  locative  from  a 
nominative  -ach;  compare  Dornoch  as  against  Dornie.  The 
locative  is  similarly  used  in  Cataobh,  Sutherland;  Gallaobh, 
Caithness;  beulaobh,  in  front. 

I.  RIVERS,  STREAMS,  &c. 

Abhainn  Choilltidh — River  Coilty :  the  river  of  Coilltidh, 
which  means  "the  place  of  woods,"  locative  plural  of 
coilh. 

Abhainn  Do — River  Do,  pronounced  like  English  doe.  Ety- 
mology unknown.  Probably  Pictish.  Cf.  English  dew,. 
root  dhav. 

Abhainn  Eanairig — River  Enerick.  Etymology  unknown. 
Probably  Pictish.  Compare  river  Enrick  in  Galloway, 
and  river  Endrick  in  Stirlingshire. 

Abhainn  Loinn — River  Loyne.  The  word  Loinn  shows  the 
locative  case  of  lann,  a  glade,  an  open  place ;  or  it  may  be 
loinn,  sheen,  glitter. 

Abhainn  Mhoireasdainn — River  Moriston.  Already  discussed. 
See  above. 

Allt  a'  Bhodaich — The  Burn  or  Stream  of  the  Old  Man,  or 
Goblin. 

Allt  a'  Chlacharain — Water  Ousel  Burn. 

Allt  Dhibheach — Divach  Burn,  noted  for  its  fall.  No  con- 
jecture can  be  offered  as  to  meaning.  See  Eas-an- 
F  hit  hid. 

Allt  an  Dunaiii — The  Burn  of  the  little  Dun,  or  hillock,  or 
fort.  Famous  for  its  Hag  (see  p.  424). 

Allt  Gille  Phadruig  Gobha— Gille  Phadruig  Gobha's  Burn 
(see  p.  103). 

Allt  a'  Phuill— The  Burn  of  the  Pool— that  is,  of  Polmaily,. 
which  see. 

Allt  an  Tairbh — The  Burn  of  the  Bull — Bullburn. 


APPENDICES  575» 

Allt  Eiric — The  Stream  of  eiric,  or  compensation. 

Allt  nan  Eoin — The  Stream  of  the  Birds. 

Allt  na  Fiacail — The  Stream  of  the  Tooth. 

Allt  an  Fhithich — The  Haven's  Stream. 

Allt  nan  Gadaich— The  Thieves'  Stream. 

Allt  na  Muic — The  Pig's  Stream — an  echo,   perhaps  of  the 

time   when   the  wild   boar  was   found   in   Glenmoriston, 

where  we  find  Sron  Muic  (the  Pig's  Point),  and  Creag  an 

Tuirc  (the  Boar's  Rock). 
Allt  Giubhais — The  Stream  of  the  Fir.     The  scene  of  Allan 

of  Lundie's  leap  (see  p.  130). 
Allt  larairidh — The  Stream  of  the  Western  Shieling.       See 

larairidh. 
Allt  Mor — The  Great  Burn,  Bunloit.       At  one  time  called 

Uaileig.     See  Inbher-U aileig . 
Allt  Mullach — The  High  Burn;  or  Allt  Mollach,  the  Bough 

Burn. 

Allt  Ruadh — The  Red  Burn. 
Allt  Saidh — Saidh,  pronounced  like  English  sigh.       Saidhf 

bitch.     Burn  of  the  Bitch — here  probably  she-wolf. 
Allt  Stiortaig — Probably  the  Burn  of  much  sound. 
Cam-allt— The  Winding  Burn. 
Eas-an-Fhithich— The  Raven's  Fall— Falls  of  Divach. 


II.  LOCHS,  &c. 

Loch  Asalaich — The  Loch  of  Supplication. 

Loch  a'  Bhainne — The  Loch  of  Milk. 

Loch  a'  Bheallaich — The  Loch  of  the  Defile  or  Pass. 

Loch  na  Ba  Ruaidhe — The  Loch  of  the  Red  Cow. 

Loch  nam  Bat— The  Loch  of  the. Sticks,  or  Cudgels. 

Loch    na    Beinne    Bana — The    Loch    of    the    White    Ben    or 

Mountain. 

Loch  nam  Breac  Dearg — The  Loch  of  the  Red  Trout. 
Loch  nan  Cat — The  Loch  of  the  (wild)  Cats. 
Loch  a'  Chaise — The  Loch  of  Cheese. ' 

Loch  a'  Chrathaich — The  Loch  of  the  Crathach,  which  see. 
Lochan  a'  Chrois — The  Loch  of  the  Cross.     See  footnote,  p, 

460. 

Loch  Cluainidh — The  Loch  of  Cluainidh  t  which  see. 
Loch  na  Criche — The  Loch  of  the  March,  or  Boundary. 
Loch  na  Cuilce — The  Loch  of  Bullrushes,  or  Canes. 
Loch  an  Dubhair — The  Loch  of  the  Shade. 
Loch  nan  Eun — The  Loch  of  Birds. 


576  APPENDICES 

Loch  nam  Faoileag — The  Loch  of  Gulls.  There  are  several 
lochs  of  this  name  in  the  Parish. 

Loch  na  Feannaig — The  Loch  of  the  Hooded  Crow. 

Loch  nan  Gobhar — The  Loch  of  the  Goats. 

Loch  Gorm— The  Blue  Loch. 

Loch  Loinn — Loch  Loyne.      See  under  Abhainn  Loinn. 

Loch  Lunndaidh — The  Loch  of  Lunndaidh,  which  see. 

Loch  Ma  Stac — Obscure,  but  probably  Loch  mo  Stac — the 
Loch  of  my  Peak  or  Precipice. 

Loch  a'  Mheig — The  Loch  of  Whey. 

Loch  nam  Meur — The  Loch  of  Branches  or  Arms.  There  are 
two  of  the  name  in  the  Parish,  both  of  which  are 
"branched"  or  irregular  in  form. 

Loch  Mhiachdlaidh — Loch  Meiklie :  the  Loch  of  Miuchdlaidh, 
which  see. 

Loch  Nis — Loch  Ness.  For  the  legendary  origin  see  pp.  5-7. 
The  word  is  in  Gaelic  pronounced  "  NeSsh,"  not  Ness. 
Adamnan  wrote  it  Nisei,  or  Nesa;  and  in  the  12th  cen- 
tury, and  down  to  the  16th,  the  usual  spelling  is  Nis  or 
Nys.  The  word  is  not  derived  from  the  Fall  of  Foyers — 
an-Kas  (pronounced  "ess") — as  has  been  imagined. 
Keeping  in  view  what  was  said  at  the  beginning  of  this 
Appendix  as  to  analysis,  Adamnan's  Nisa  or  Nesa  must, 
according  to  Celtic  phonetics,  stand  for  an  original  Nest  a 
(Nestis?).  The  st,  again,  has  to  be  analysed  into  either 
ts  or  ds.  Thus  we  get  the  root  net,  or  ned,  the  latter  of 
which  suits  our  case,  for  it  appears  in  the  Sanskrit  nadi, 
a  river.  There  was  a  Greek  Neda ;  Nestos  or  Nessus  was 
the  river  bounding  Macedonia  on  the  east ;  and  Nessonis 
was  a  lake  of  Thessaly.  The  German  word  allied  is 
netzcn,  to  wet.  One  is  tempted  to  think  of  the  mythic 
Ness,  mother  of  Conchobar  or  Conachar  Mac  Nessa,  who 
is  associated  with  Loch  Ness  in  one  of  the  old  hero-tales 
(see  p.  5).  She  seems  to  have  been  a  river-goddess,  for 
she  gave  birth  to  Conchobar  under  extraordinary  circum- 
stances by  the  river  Conchobar  ("High-foam,"  Foam- 
ing), whence  he  derived  his  name.  The  worship  of 
rivers,  as  we  know  from  Gildas,  and  from  river-names 
such  as  Dee  (goddess),  and  Don  (Diana),  was  prevalent 
among  the  Celts.  Loch  Ness  is  called  after  the  river 
Ness,  a.s  is  always  the  case  with  loch  and  river ;  but 
Adamnan  insists  on  it — Niscz  fluminis  lacum — the  lake  of 
the  river  Ness. 

Loch  nan  Oighrean — The  Loch  of  Cloud-berries. 

Loch  an  t-Sionnaich — The  Loch  of  the  Fox. 

Loch  an  Tart— The  Loch  of  the  Drought. 


APPENDICES  577 

MOUNTAINS,  HILLS,  &c. 
(The  figures  indicate  height,  in  feet). 

A'  Bheinn  Bhan — The  White  Ben  or  Mountain. 

A'  Bheinn  Bhreac — The  Speckled  Mountain. 

A'  Bheinn  Liath — The  Grey  Mountain. 

A'  Bheinn  Shleamhainn — The  Slippery  Mountain. 

An  Cragan  Daraich — The  Oak  Rock.     Gave  his  name  to  Iain 

a'  Chragain.     See  p.  206. 

An  Cragan  Soillear — The  Bright  or  glistening  Rock. 
An  Crathach — The  marshy,  wild,  ugly  place.     The  scene  of 

Cailleach  a'  Chrathaich's  exploits.     See  p.  422. 
A'  Chreag  Ard— The  High  Rock. 
A'  Chreag  Mhor— The  Great  Rock. 
A3  Chreag  Dhearg— The  Red  Rock. 

An  Cruachan  (1503) — Diminutive  of  Crunch,  a  high  hill. 
An  Suidhe — The  Seat,     See  footnote,  p.  336. 
Ard  an  t-Suaimhneis — The  Height  of  Repose. 
An  Torran  Daraich — The  Oak  Knoll. 
Beinii  nan  Eoin — The  Mountain  of  the  Birds. 
Carn  a'  Ghluasaid  (3115) — Cam,  a  cairn,  or  heap,  meaning 

here  a  mountain-mass ;  Gluasad,  motion,  moving ;  Carn 

a'  Ghluasaid,  the  moving  earn,  or  the  earn  of  the  removal. 
Carn  na  Piacail — The  Carn  of  the  Tooth. 
Carn  na  h-Iolaire — The  Eagle's  Carn. 
Carn  Mhic-an-Toisich  (2221) — Mackintosh's  Carn. 
Carn    Tarsuin — The    Cross    Carn,    or    earn    running    across. 

There   are  two  in  the  Parish — one  crossing  from  Glen- 

Urquhart  in  the  direction  of  Glenmoriston,  and  another 

from  Glenmoriston  to  Abertarff. 
Carn  nan  Caorach — The  Cam  of  the  Sheep. 
Carn  nam  Mart — The  Carn  of  the  Cattle. 
Carn  a'  Mhadaidh  Ruaidh — The  Fox's  Carn. 
Carn  nan  Earb — The  Carn  of  the  Roe-deer. 
Cnoc  na  h-Iolaire — The  Eagle's  Hill,  or  Height. 
Cnoc  a'  Bhuachaille — The  Herdsman's  Hill. 
Cnoc  a'   Chaisteil— The  Castle  Hill;   site  of  old  hill-fort  at 

Corrimony. 
Cnoc  an  t-Sabhail — The  Barn  Hill.     There  are  two  in  Glen- 

Urquhart — one   immediately   behind   Balmacaan   House, 

and  the  other  now  called  Hazel  Brae. 
Cragan  an  Teine — The  Rock  of  the  Fire. 

Creag  Achamhonaidh — The  Rock  of  Achmonie.     Which  see. 
Creag  an  Airgid — The  Rock  of  Silver. 

37 


578  APPENDICES 

Creag  a'  Choit — The  Kock  of  the  Boat,     See  p.  131. 

Creag  nan  Eun — The  Rock  of  the  Birds. 

Creag  an  Fhithich — The  Raven's  Rock. 

Creag  Giubhais — The  Fir-bearing  Rock.     See  p.  130. 

Creag  a'  Mhadaidh — The  Rock  of  the  Dog — perhaps  of  the 

Fox  (Madadh-ruadh),  or  the  Wolf  (Madadh-alluidh),  or 

the  Otter  (Madadh-donn). 

Creag  an  Tuirc — The  Rock  of  the  (wild)  Boar. 
Creag    Mhiachdlaidh — The    Rock    of    Meiklie.        See    under 

Miachdlaidh . 

Creag  Mhonaidh — Craigmonie — Monie's  Rock.     See  p.  10. 
Creag  Neidh — Craig  Nay.       Probably  Creag  Neimhidh,  the 

Rock  of  the  Church-land  (St  Ninian's). 
Cruachan    Lunndaidh  —  The    Hill     of    Lundie.       See    An 

Cruachan,  and  Lunndaidh. 
Dun  Screabainn — Dun  Screpin — Hill  Fort  at  Grotaig.     Gaelic 

screab,   means    "a  blotch;"    but  screabainn  is   obscure, 

and  is  probably  Pictish. 

Glas  Bheinn — The  Grey  Mountain;  in  Glenmoristoii. 
Leac  a'  Bhainne — Leac,  a  slope  or  declivity ;   bainne,  milk. 

The  Milky  Slope. 
Leac   nam   Buidheag — Leac,    slope;    buidheag,    daisy.        The 

Slope  of  Daisies. 

Leac  nan  Oighrean — The  Slope  of  Cloud-berries. 
Mac   a'    Mhill — Son   of   the   Meall — that   is,    Mealfuarvonie. 

See  Meall  na  Fuar  Mhonaidh,  and  Nighean  a'  Mhill. 
Meall  na  Criche  (2224) — Meall,  a  lump,  applied  to  a  round 

mountain  or  large  hill.        Criche,   of  the  march.        The 

Meall  of  the  March   (between   Glenmoriston   and  Corri- 

mony). 

Meall  Daileig— The  Meall  of  the  Little  Dale. 
Meall  nan  Eilid— The  Meall  of  the  Hinds. 
Meall  na  Fuar  Mhonaidh  (2283)— Mealfuarvonie.     The  Meall 

of   the   Cold   Moor.        Near   it   are   Mac   a'    Mhill,    and 

Nighean  a'  Mhill,  which  see. 

Meall  nan  Oighrean — The  Meall  of  the  Cloud-berries. 
Nighean   a'   Mhill — Mealfuarvonie 's   Daughter.        See   under 

Mac  a'  Mhill. 
Seurr  nan  Conbhairean  (2635) — The  Peak  of  the  Dog-men, 

or  Hunters.       The  Sgiirr  forms  the  march  between  the 

Parish  and  the  parishes  of  Kintail  and  Kilmorack.       A 

tradition   tells  that   Glenmoriston   was  at   one  time  the 

hunting  ground  of  the  Feinne,  or  Fingalians,  who  usid 

to  meet  in  the  morning  at  Sgurr  nan  Conbhairean  in  the 

far  west,   and  close  the  day   at  Ach'   nan  Conbhairean 


APPENDICES  579 

i 

(the  Hunters'  Field)  above  Invermoriston — having  fol- 
lowed the  dogs  for  a,  distance,  as  the  crow  flies,  of  about 
twenty  miles.  A  wood  on  the  south  side  of  Glenmoriston 
is  called  Coille  na  Feinne — the  Wood  of  the*  Feinne .  In 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Sgurr  nan  Conbhairean  is  a 
hill  called  Tigh  Mor  na  Seilge — the  Great  House  of  the 
Hunting.  These  names  may  have  originated  when  the 
lands  of  Cluanie,  within  which  they  are,  were  a  royal 
forest.  See  p.  448. 

Sron  Dubh  Dhibheach — The  Black  Point  of  Divach. 

Sron  Muic — The  Pig's  Point. 

Suidh  Ghuirmein — Gorman's  Seat.      See  p.  336. 

Suidh  Mheircheird — Merchard's  Seat.  See  p.  323,  and  foot- 
note, p.  336. 

Tom  an  t-Sabhail — The  Barn  Knoll.  The  first  residence  of 
the  Grants  of  Glenmoriston.  See  p.  124. 

Torr  na.  Sidhe — Torr,  a  conical  hill;  Sidhe,  of  the  Fairies. 
The  Hill  of  the  Fairies.  The  Torr  gives  name  to  the  farm 
of  Tornashee,  and  to  Muileann  an  Tuir — Mill  of  Tore. 
The  Torr  has  remains  of  ancient  fortifications. 

Torran  nan  Gillean — The  Young  Men's  Knoll.  The  scene  of 
the  slaughter  of  the  Gow  Mor's  sons.  See  p.  102. 

IV.  GLENS  AND  CORRIES. 

An  Gleann  Fada — Glen  Fada:  the  Long  Glen. 

Gleanna     Coilltidh  —  Glen     Coilty.        See     under     Abhainn 

Choilltidh. 

Gleann  Loinn — Glen  Loyne.      See  under  Abhainn  Loinn. 
Gleanna    Moireasdainn — Glenmoriston.       Already   discussed. 

See  p.  573. 
Gleann  Urchadaiiin  —  Glen-Urquhart.        Urquhart  discussed 

above,  p.  573. 

An  Garbh  Choire — The  Rough  Corrie. 
An  Coire  Beag — The  Little  Corrie. 
An  Coire  Mor — The  Large  Corrie. 
An  Coire  Buidhe — Corribuy :   the  Yellow  Corrie.     The  Scene 

of  the  Fight  of  Corribuy.      See  p.  222. 
An  Coire  Liath — The  Grey  Corrie. 
An  Coire  Riabhach — The  Brindled  Corrie. 
An  Coire  Giubhais — The  Fir-bearing  Corrie. 
Coire  Bodach  nan  Gobhar — The  Corrie  of  the  Old  Man  of  the 

Goats. 

Coire  Dhb — The  Corrie  of  the  (river)  Do,  which  see. 
Coire  Dhomhnuill  Bhain — Fair  Donald's  Corrie. 


580  APPENDICES 

Coire  Mheadhain — The  Mid  Corrie. 

Coire  Mbonaidh — Corrimony :   Monie's  Corrie.     See  p.  10. 

Coire  nam  Bra«h — The  Corrie  of  the  Maltings. 

Coire  nan  Lapogh — The  Corrie  of  the  Calves. 

Coire  na  h-Eig — The  Corrie  of  Death. 

Coire  an  Lochan  Uaine — The  Corrie  of  the  Green  Lakelet. 

Coire  Sgrainge — The  Corrie  of  Gloom. 

V.  TOWNSHIPS,  FARMS,  PASTURAGES,  &c. 

Acha'   Dibheach — Achadh,   a  field,   a  plain,   a  meadow — the 

Field  of  Divach.     See  "  Divach." 
Achlain:  Acha'  Leathann — The  Broad  Field.    In  1509  written 

"Auchlayn." 
Achtuie :    Acha'   Dubhaidh — Achadh,   a  field;   dubh,   black; 

aidh,  place  or  places.    The  Field  of  the  Black  (heathery  ?) 

Places. 
Achmonie :   Ach'  a'  Mhonaidh — The  Field  of  the  Moor.     In 

1334  written  Auchmunie;  in  1451,  Auchmony ;  in  1554, 

Awchmonye. 
Achnababane  v   Ach'  na  Ba  Baine — The  Field  of  the  White 

Cow. 
Achnaconeran  :  Ach'  nan  Conbhairean — See  under  Sgurr  nan 

Conbhairean. 
Achnahannet :    Ach'  na  h-Anoid — -The  Field  of  the  Church. 

See  p.  336. 
Achstruy :      Acha'     Sruthaidh — Sruth-aidh,     the     Place     of 

Streams,  the  Field  of  the  Place  of  Streams. 
Achintemarack  :   Ach'  an  t-Seamarag — Shamrock  Field.       In 

1509  written  Auchintamarag . 
Ach'  an  t-Seagail — Rye  Field. 
Allanfearn :     An    t-Ailean   Fearn — Ailecni,    a   meadow,    and 

fearn,  the  alder  tree.      The  Meadow  of  Alders. 
Allanmore :   An  t-Ailean  Mor — The  Large  Meadow. 
Am  Bard — The  Meadow  (at  Kilmore). 
An    Gaiiieaxnh    Ban — The    White    Sandy   Beach    (Loch    Ness 

beach  on  farm  of  Borlum). 
An  Cul  Srathan— The  Back  Little  Strath. 
An   Duibh   Leathad — Dubh,   black,    and   leathad,   the  broad 

hill-side.     The  Black  Broad  Hill-side. 
An  Garbh  Leitir — Garth,  rough;  leitir,  a  wet  hill-side.     The 

The  Rough  Wet  Hill-side. 
Aonach — High  Bleak  Place  ;  or,  probably  here,  the  Fair,  or 

Market,  or  Place  of  Gathering.      The  site  of  the  old  inn, 

visited  by  Johnson.      See  p.  457. 


APPENDICES  581 

Ardachie  :   Ard-Achaidh — The  High  Field. 

Badcaul :  Am  Bada  Call'— The  Hazel  Clump. 

Balbeg :  Am  Baile  Beag — Baile,  a  town  or  township  or  stead, 

and  beag,  little.     The  Little  Township. 
Baemore :  Am  Beithe  Mor — The  Large  Birch  Wood. 
Balchraggan :  Bail'  a'  Chr again — The  Town  of  the  Eock. 
Balintombuy  :  Bail'  an  Tom  Buidhe— The  Town  of  the  Yellow 

Knoll. 
Bail'-an-Duin :    The  Town  of  the  Dun — Dun-Screabainn,  in 

Bunloit. 
Bail'  an  t-Srathain — The  Town  of  the  Little  Strath  (the  east 

end  of  Lewistown) . 
Ballintrom  :  Bail'  an  Droma — Druim,  a  ridge.     The  Town  of 

the  Ridge. 
Balmacaan — Pronounced  Balla  mac  A-han.     In  1509  written 

Ballymakauchane,  i.e.,   Baile  Mac  Eachainn,  the  Town 

of  the  Son  of  Hector.     See  footnote,  p.   65.       But  the 

name  is  Baile  Mac  Cathain,  Mac  Cathan's  Stead. 
Balnaban :  Baile  nam  Ban — The  Town  of  the  Women. 
Balnacarn :    Baile   nan   Carn — The   Town   of   the   Cairns   (of 

stone) . 
Balnacraig :   Baile  na  Craige — The  Town  of  the  Craig  (Craig 

Nay). 

Balnafettack :  Baile  na  Feadaig — The  Town  of  the  Plover. 
Balnaglaic :  Baile  na  Glaic — The  Town  of  the  Hollow. 
Balnagrantach :     Baile    nan    Granntacfh — The    Town    of    the 

Grants.     Gran  town. 
Balnalick  :  Baile  na  Lie — Leac,  a  flat  stone,  a  declivity.     The 

Town  of  the  Flat  Stone,  or  of  the  Declivity. 
Balnalurgin  :  Baile  na  Lurgainn — The  Town  of  the  Long  Low 

Kidge. 

Balnain :  Bail'  an  Athainn — The  Town  of  the  Ford. 
Bard   nan   Each — The   Meadow   of   the   Horses    (on   farm   of 

Braefield). 

Blairbeg :  Am  Blar  Beag — The  Little  blair,  or  Plain. 
Blairie:    Blar-aidh— The   Place   of   Small   Plains.        In   1345 

written  Blare;  in  1509,  Blaree. 
Bearnock :  Bearnaig — Beam,  a  gap,  or  pass.     The  Small  Gap 

or  Pass. 
Blar  an  Aonaich — The  Plain  of  the  High  Bleak  Place  :  or  of 

the  Market  Plain.      See  Aonach. 
Blar  na  Geilt — The  Plain  or  Field  of  Terror.      See  footnote, 

p.  10. 
Blar  na  Maigh — See  Lewistown. 


582  APPENDICES 

Borlum :  Am  Borlum — Corruption  of  Bordland,  a  name  evi- 
dently given  by  the  old  Southron  keepers  of  Urquhart 
Castle  to  the  farm  of  old  attached  to  the  Castle.  In  1509 
written  "Bordlande  of  Urquhart."  "Bordlands  signifies 
the  desmenes  which  lords  keep  in  their  hands  for  the 
maintenance  of  their  board  or  table."  (Cowell's  Law 
Dictionary). 

Boglashin:  Both  Ghlas-bheinn — Both,  a  hut  (Joyce's  "  Irish 
Names  of  Places");  Glas,  grey;  and  beinn,  a  mountain. 
The  Hut  (shieling)  of  the  Grey  Rock  or  "Mountain ;  pro- 
bably the  old  name  of  the  rock  at  the  foot  of  which  the 
township  lies. 

Braefield — Bad  translation  of  Baile  na  Bruthaich,  the  Town 
of  the  Brae. 

Breakachie :   Am  Breac  Achaidh — The  Speckled  Field. 

Breakrie  :   Am  Breac  Airidh — The  Speckled  Shieling. 

Bunloyne :  Bun  Loiiin — Bun,  the  lower  part.  The  lower 
part  or  mouth  of  the  (River)  Loyne. 

Bunloit :  Bun  Leothaid — Bun,  lower  part,  and  leathad, 
broad  hill-side.  The  Lower  Part  of  the  Broad  Hill-side. 
In  1509  written  "Bunloade." 

Carnach — The  Place  of  Stones.  The  site  of  the  Stone  Circle 
of  Corrimony. 

Oarrachan — The  Place  of  Stone  Circles.  The  west  end  of 
Wester  Milton,  where  there  were  several  stone  circles. 

Oartaly:  Car  Dalaidh — Daly's  Circle.  See  p.  5.  In  1334 
written  Cartaly.  In  1509,  Gartale. 

Ceannacroc  :  Ceanna  Chnoc — The  End  Hillock. 

Cluanie :  Cluain-idh — Cluain,  a  green,  meadowy,  pasture- 
land.  The  Place  of  Green.  Pasture-lands.  In  1509 
written  Cluny. 

Clunebeg :  A'  Chluain  Bheag — The  Little,  green,  meadowy 
Pasture-land. 

Clunemore  :  A'  Chluain  Mhor — The  Large,  green,  meadowy 
Pasture-land.  In  1509  written  Mekle  Clune. 

Coille  Chorcaidh — Coille,  a  wood  ;  corc-aidh,  the  place  of  oats. 
The  Wood  of  the  Place  of  Oats.  Compare  with  Seagal  - 
aidh  (Shewglie),  the  Place  of  Rye. 

Coinneachan — The  Mossy  Place. 

Corrish  :  An  Coiris — Evidently  a  derivative  of  Coire,  a  corrie. 

Craskaig — Crasg,  a  pass  or  crossing.  The  Little  Pass.  The 
Gaelic  name  of  Lakefield,  now  Kilmartin. 

Craskie — Crasy,  a  pass  or  crossing.  The  Little  Pass,  or  the 
Place  of  Passes. 

Croit  Adamnan — Adamnan's  Croft.      See  p.  335. 


APPENDICES  583 

Croit  Mo  ChrosUin — St  Drostan's  Croft,     See  p.  326. 

Croit  na  Criche — March  Field. 

Culanloaii :   Cul  an  Loin — The  Back-land  of  the  Meadow. 

Culiiakirk  :  Cul  na  Circ — Literally,  the  Back-land  of  the  Hen. 
A  rock  at  Culnakirk  is  called  Cragain  na  Circ,  the  Rock 
of  the  (grouse)  Hen. 

Dalgrigack :  Dail  Griogaig — The  Pebbly  Dale  or  Field. 

Dalmonie,  at  Corrimonie :  Dail  Mhonaidh — Monie's  Field. 
See  p.  10. 

Dalmore :  An  D-ail  Mhor — The  Large  Field. 

Dalriach:  An  Dail  Riabhach.     The  Brindled  Field. 

Divach — In  1509  written  Deveauch.      See  Allt  Dhibheach. 

Druim  a*'  Bhile — Druim,  a  ridge ;  bile,  an  edge,  applied  to  the 
sea-margin  or  terrace  between  Pitkerrald  and  the  public 
road  between  Drumnadrochit  and  Blairbeg.  The  Ridge 
of  the  Terrace. 

Drambuie  :  An  Druim  Buidhe — The  Yellow  Ridge.  In  1344 
written  Drumboy. 

Drumclune :  Druim  a/  Chluain — The  Ridge  of  the  green,, 
meadowy,  Pasture-land. 

Drumcore  :  Druim  na  Cbrr — The  Ridge  of  the  Crane  (bird). 

Druim  na  Cuirt — The  Ridge  of  the  Court. 

Druim  a'  Chruithneachd — The  Ridge  of  the  Wheat. 

Drumnadrochit:  Druim  na  Drochaid —  The  Ridge  of  the 
Bridge.  First  on  record  in  1730. 

Dulchreichard — The  first  syllable  here,  and  in  Duldreggaii 
and  Dulshangie,  is  Dul  (pronounced  dool  in  Gaelic),  and 
not  Dun,  or  Dal,  or  Del,  as  now  sometimes  erroneously 
written.  All  these  duls  are  flats  or  meads  by  the  side  of 
a  river.  The  word  is  usually  regarded  as  a  corrupt  form 
of  the  Gaelic  dail,  itself  borrowed  from  the  Norse  dalr,  a 
dale.  It  appears,  however,  to  be  of  Pictish  origin — the 
same  a£  dol,  which  the  Brittonic  languages  all  have  for 
meadow,  a  low  fertile  spot,  a  dale.  A  writer  on  Welsh 
place-names  says: — "The  word  (dol)  is  found  in  names 
of  places  situate  in  valleys  all  over  Wales,  Cornwall,  and 
Brittany."  He  might  have  added  the  valleys  of  Urquhart 
and  Glenmoriston .  In  Perthshire,  also,  the  word 
appears  in  its  naked  simplicity  as  Dull.  The  meaning  of 
Creichard  is  unknown.  The  word  is  probably  Pictish. 
In  1509  Dulchreichard  is  written  Tullclechart. 

Dulclreggan — The  Dul,  or  Meadow,  of  the  Dragon.  See 
under  Dulchreichard.  In  1509  Duldreggan  is  written 
Duldragin,  and  the  dul — one  of  the  few  Pictish  words  we 
possess — regularly  appears  in  documents  until  the  18th 


584  APPENDICES  .      • 

century,  when,  unfortunately,  from  an  etymological  point 

of  view,  it  began  to  give  place  to  Dal,  Del,  and,  more 

recently,  Dun. 
Dulshangie — For  the  first  syllable,  see  under  Dulchreichard 

and  Duldreggan.     In  1345  written  Dulschangy,  and  the 

Dul  continues  until  the  18th  century,  when,  in  writings, 

it  began  to  give  place  to  Dal  and  Del.       Shangie  cannot 

be    explained,    and,    like    the    other    Duls,    is    probably 

Pictish. 
Eskard :   An  t-Eascard — In  Ireland  Eiscir,  meaning  a  sandy 

ridge,  enters  largely  into  place-names  (Joyce).     Eskard, 

which  is  a  gravelly  ridge,  is  probably  the  same  word. 
Garabeg :  An  Garadh  Beag — The  Little  Enclosure. 
Gortan  Eachainn — Gortan,   diminutive  of  gort,   a  garden,   a 

small  field.     Eachann,   Hector.     Hector's  Garden.     See 

footnote,  p.  65. 
Grotaig,  from  grod,  rotten,  a  locative  feminine,  signifying  the 

Rotten  Place  ! 
larairidh — lar,  west,  western;  airidh,  shieling.     The  Western 

Shieling.        Gives   name  to   Allt  larairidh    (which   see)  ; 

Blar  larairidh,  the  Plain  of  larairidh;  Coir  larairidh, 

the  Corrie  of  larairidh  ;  and  Eas  larairidh,  the  Fall  of 

larairidh. 
Inchbrine  :    Innis  a'   Bhraoin — Innis,   a  sheltered  grazing,   a 

meadow.     Braon,  rain,  a  drizzle.      The  Drizzly  Meadow. 

In  1345  written  Inchebrene;  in  1509,  in  the  plural,  Inch- 

brunys.     There  were  Easter  and  Wester. 
Inchtellich :  An  t-Innis  t-Seileich — The  Meadow  of  Willows. 
Inchvalgar:   Innis  a'  Bhalgair — The  Meadow  of  the  Fox. 
Invercaochan :     Inbhir    a'    Chaochain — Znbhir,    mouth    of    a 

river  or  stream ;   caochan,   a  streamlet.      The  Mouth   of 

the  Streamlet.      The  site  of  the  old  inn  at  Ruiskich. 
Invermoriston :     Inbhir    Mhoireastainn — The    Mouth    of    the 

Moriston.     In  1345  written  Invermorchen. 
Inveruaileig — The  Mouth  of  the  Uaileig,  the  ancient  name  of 

the  Allt  Mor  of  Bunloit. 
Inverwick    (pronounced    Inner-vuichd)  :    Inbhir    Bhuic — The 

Mouth   of  the  Buic   (stream).        May  be   buic,    "of  the 

buck"— the   Mouth    of   the   Buck's    Stream.        In    1509 

written  Innerwik;  in  1679,  Innervuick. 
Kerrowdown :    An  Ceathramh  Donn — Ceathramh,   a  quarter 

(quarter  davach) ;  donn,  brown.       The  Brown  Quarter- 

Davach.     For  davach,  see  p.  440. 
Kerrowgair:     An    Ceathramh    Gearr — The     Short     Quarter- 

Davach.     In  1509  written  Karowgar. 


APPENDICES  585 

Kilmartin — Name  given  in  1884  to  Lakefield  (of  old  called 
Meiklies,  and  Craskaig)  by  Mr  Campbell,  the  late  pro- 
prietor, after  his  family's  old  estate  in  Argyllshire. 

Kilmichael:  Gill  Mhicheil.  The  Cell  of  the  Archangel 
Michael.  See  pp.  116  and  337.  In  1554  written  Kill- 
michaell.  See  Appendix  C. 

Kilmore:  A'  Chille  Mhor — The  Great  Cell.  The  Parish 
Church.  See  pp.  337  and  341.  In  1693  written  Kylle- 
moir.  From  the  church,  the  Parish  of  Urquhart  and 
Glenmoriston  was  sometimes  called  the  Parish  of  Kilmore. 
The  name  has  no  connection  with*  the  Virgin  Mary 
(Moire),  as  Shaw,  the  historian  of  Moray,  supposed. 

Kil  St  Ninian — St  Ninian's  Cell.  See  p.  336.  In  1509 
written  Kill  Sanct  Ninian;  in  1553,  Kylsanctrinaine. 
Now,  in  Gaelic,  Gill  an  Trinnein,  and  the  district,  Slios 
an  Trinnein.  See  footnote,  p.  321. 

Lag  a'  Bhile,  at  Drumnadrochit— Lag,  a  hollow ;  Bile,  a  ter- 
race. The  Hollow  of  the  Terrace.  See  Druim  a}  Bhile. 

Lag  a'  Mhurtair — Lag,  a  hollow;  murtair,  a  murderer.  The 
Murderer's  Hollow. 

Lag  an  Trotain — The  Hollow  of  the  Trotting. 

Lag  an  t-Seapail — The  Hollow  of  the  Chapel.     See  p.  336. 

Lag  nan  Cuspairean — The  Hollow  of  the  Archers.  See  foot- 
note, p.  10. 

Lagganbane :  An  Lagan  Ban — Lagan,  a  small  hollow ;  ban, 
white.  The  White  Small  Hollow. 

Lakefield — English  name  given  in  end  of  eighteenth  century 
to  the  lands  of  Meiklie  and  Craskaig. 

Leac  a'  Bhainne — The  Declivity  of  the  Milk.  A  shieling  in 
Glen  Coilty. 

Lenie — Lean,  or  Leana,  a  wet  or  swampy  meadow.  Lean- 
aidh,  the  Place  of  Wet  Meadows. 

Lewistown — English  name  given  to  village  founded  by  Sir 
James  Grant  at  Blar  na  Maigh  (the  Plain  of  the  Plain). 
See  Moy,  and  p.  443. 

Livishie :  Libheisidh — Probably  from  lighe,  flood,  fulness  or 
overflowing  of  a  stream — the  place  of  overflowing  of 
water.  The  final  ishie  is  the  locative  of  innis,  a  haugh. 

Loanmore :  An  Lon  Mhor — Lon,  a  meadow.  The  Great 
Meadow. 

Lon  iia  Fala — The  Meadow  of  Blood.  The  scene  of  the  fight 
between  Allan  of  Lundie  and  the  Mackenzies.  See  p. 
130. 


586  APPENDICES 

Lochletter :  Loch-leitir — Loch,  an  old  adjective  signifying 
"dark,"  as  in  Lochaidh,  the  river  Lochy ;  leitir,  a  wet 
hill-side.  The  dark  Wet  Hill-side.  Lochletter  is  notably 
dark — "behind  the  sun/' 

Lossit  (on  the  farm  of  Borlum)  :  An  Losaid — "  Losaid,  or  in 
an  Anglicised  form,  losset,  is  the  Irish  word  for  a  knead- 
ing-trough. .  .  .  The  word  is  applied  to  a  well-tilled 
and  productive  field,  or  to  good  rich  land.  A  farmer 
will  call  such  a  field  a  losset,  because  he  sees  it  covered 
with  rich  produce,  like  a  kneading-trough  with  dough. 
In  th$  form  of  Losset  it  is  the  name  of  a  dozen 
townlands  in  various  counties  from  Donegal  to  Tip- 
perary."  (Joyce's  "  Irish  Names  of  Places"). 

Lundie :  Lunndaidh — There  is  a  Lundie  in  Glenmoriston  (the 
Lunndadh  nam  bo,  Lundie  of  the  cows,  of  the  Bard — 
see  p.  531),  and  a  Torran  Lunndaidh,  in  Brae  Ruiskich. 
There  is  also  Lundie  in  Glengarry,  Lundy  parish  in 
Forfar,  Dundie  Loch  and  Hill  in  Sutherland,  and 
Lundin  in  Fife.  A  Pictish  word,  probably;  cf.  London. 

Lurga  nam  Broc — Lurga,  or  Lurgan,  a  long  low  ridge;  broc, 
a,  badger.  The  Badger's  Ridge. 

Lurga  Raineich — The  Brackeny  Ridge. 

Meiklie  :  Miachdlaidh — (See  Kilmartin,  and  Lakefield).  In 
1509  called  "the  four  Meiklies."  Meaning  unknown. 
Probably  Pictish. 

Millness:   Muileann  an  Eas — The  Mill  of  the  Waterfall. 

Milton  :   Bail'  a'  Mhuilinn— The  Town  of  the  Mill. 

Moy :  A'  Mhaigh — The  Plain.  Moy  lies  behind  Lewistownr 
which  in  Gaelic  is  called  Blar  na  Maigh,  the  Plain  of 
Moy,  or,  literally,  the  Plain  of  the  Plain. 

Mill  of  Tore :  Muileann  an  Tuir — Called  after  Torr  na 
•Sidhe,  which  see. 

Pitkerrald — In  1509  written  Petcarill ;  in  1660,  Petkerrel. 
There  were  three  Pitkerralds — Pitkerrald  Chapel,  be- 
longing to  the  Church ;  Pitkerrald  Croy  ;  and  Pitkerrald 
Mor,  now  Allanmore.  Pet  or  Pit,  a  Pictish  word, 
which  appears  in  the  Book  of  Deer  (llth  century),  for 
farm,  or  township.  Pit  Chaoraill  (now,  in  Gaelic,  called 
Dail  Chaoraill) — St  Cyril's  Township.  See  p.  336. 

Poll  a'  Ghaorr — The  Pool  of  Gore.      See  footnote,  p.   10. 

Polmaily :  Polla  Mhailidh — Malie's  Pool.  Malie,  the  name 
of  a  saint.  Compare  Kilmalie  in  Lochaber. 

Raddich :  An  Radaich — The  portion  of  Borlum  touching 
Loch  Ness.  Traditional  interpretation,  Rathad-Eich, 
the  Horse  Road,  leading  from  the  old  ford  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Eneric  to  the  Castle. 


APPENDICES  587 

Rue  :  An  Rudha — The  Promontory. 

Ruigh  'Bhainne — Ruigh,  a  reach  or  gentle  slope;  bainne, 
milk.  The  Slope  of  the  Milk— the  Milky  Reach  or  Slope. 

Ruigh  'Bhathaich — The  Slope  of  the  Byre,  or  Cow-house. 

Ruigh  Chragain — The  Slope  of  the  Rock. 

Ruigh  Gorm — The  Green  (literally,  Blue)  Slope. 

Ruigh  'Ic  'Ille  Mhoire— The  Slope  of  the  Servant  of  (the 
Virgin)  Mary — Anglicised,  Morrison. 

Ruigh  Laurais — Laurence's  Slope — See  p.   72. 

Ruiskich  :  Rusgaich — Riisg,  a,  marsh.  The  Fenny  or  Marshy 
Place.  A  name  common  in  Ireland  (Joyce).  Also 
known  in  Perthshire. 

Scorguie :   Sgor  Gaoithe — The  Windy  Skerry. 

Shanval :   Seann  Bhaile — Old  Town. 

Shewglie :    Seagalaidh — Seagal,  rye.     The  Place  of  Rye. 

Srathan  Allt  na  Fiacail — The  Little  Strath  of  Allt  na 
Fiacail,  which  see. 

Strathan  a'  Bhranndair — The  Little  Strath  of  the  Brander, 
or  Grating.  A  field  at  Wester  Milton  divided  into  long, 
narrow  allotments.  So  called  from  the  brander  across 
the  mill  lade  where  it  leaves  the  river. 

Strathan-nan-Cno — The  Little  Strath  of  the  Nuts. 

St  Ninians — See  Kil  St  Ninian. 

Strone :  in  Gaelic,  Srdn  a'  Chaisteil — The  Point  or  Promon- 
tory of  the  Castle. 

Tigh  an  Leothaid — The  House  of  (on)  the  L  eat  had,  or  Broad 
Hill-side. 

Tigh  an  Teampuill — Temple  House.  (See  p.  336).  The 
"House"  was  the  residence  of  the  cleric  who  officiated 
in  the  Temple,  or  St  Ninian's  Chapel. 

Tobar  Mharstaig — Marstaig's  Well. 

Tobar  Ruigeard — Ruigard's  (Richard?)   Well. 

Torgoil :  Torr  a'  Ghoill — The  Knoll  of  the  Stranger,  or  Low- 
lander. 

Tornashee — See  Torr  na  Sidhe,  under  Mountains,  &c. 

Tornabrack :  Torr  nam  Brachd — Probably  Torr  nam  Breach. 
Breach,  Irish  for  wolf  (Joyce).  The  Tor  of  the  Wolves. 

Tullich  :   An  Tullaich— The  Hillock. 

Tychat :   Tigh  a'  Chait— The  Cat's  House. 

Tyiiaherrick :   Tigh  na  h-Adhraic — The  House  of  the  Horn. 

Uppertown — Translation  of  Am  Bail'  Uachdrach — The 
'  Upper  Town. 


INDEX 


Abriachan,  35,  44,  115,  227 

Achintemarag,  80,   82 

Aehlain,  80 

Achmonie,  16,  35,  40,  44,  49,  81,  86, 
115,  192,  342,  477,  479,  483,  511 

Achnahannet,  336,   343 

Adamnan,  326,  327,  335,  342 

Adamnan's  Croft,  81,  116,  342 

Ages,  the  Early,  1 

Agnes  of  Dunbar,  38,  39 

Agreement  regarding  Lime  Quar- 
ries, 482 

Agriculture,   438 

Aillean,  Son  of  Uisneach,  6 

Airchartdan  (Urquliart),  8 

Aird,  Christine  of  the,  18,  23 

Aird,  John  of  the,  18,  20,  21,  23 

Aird,  Margaret  of  the,  43,  44 

Albany,  the  Eegent,  48,  50 

Albany.   Murdoch,    Duke    of,  51 

Ale,  453 

Allardyce,  Lieutenant,  234 

Anderson,   Miss,  511 

Anderson,  Peter,  511 

Anderson,  P.  J.,  511 

Angus,  Mormaor,  11 

Aonach,  80,  457 

Ardan,  Son  of  Uisneach,  6 

Argyll,   Mary  of,  19,  25 

Ath-nam-Muileach,  Fight    of,  235 

Athyn,  45 

Auldearn,  43,  156 

Badeiioch,   Wolf  of,  40,  44,  45,  46 

507 

Baliol,  Edward,  32,  33,  34 
Baliol,  John,  24,   32 
Ballachraggan,  116 
Balloch,  Donald,  52,  61,  62 
Balmacaan,    65,   78,   126,    226    240 

282,  500 

Bamborough  Castle,   34 
Bannockburn,  Battle  of,  30 
Barisdale,  Macdonald  of,  259    263 

264,  270 

Baron  Courts,  460 
Baron   Court  Becords,    546 
Baronies,  460 


Barony  of  Urquhart,  35,  36,  39,  40, 

78,  460 

Barony  of  Corrimony,    80 
Barony  of  Glenmoriston,  80 
Bells,  385  to  387,  435,  436 
Berklay,  John  de,  35 
Berkhamstead    Castle,  19 
Betrayal   of    Urquhart   and    Glen- 

moriston  men,  285 
Biland,  Battle  of,    31 
Blar-na-Leine,  Battle  of,  96 
Blairie,  36,  40,  43,  81 
Bocaii  an  t-Sleabhaich,  426 
Bois,  Alexander.     See  Forbes 
Bona,  35,  54 

Borlum,  78,  188,  194,  499,  500 
Boswell,  457 
Breakrie,  116 
Bricius,  Bishop,   341 
Bridges,  455 
Bridge  of  the  Leap,  73 
Bright,   John,  557 
Britons,   Caledonian,  3 
Broichan,  331 
Brooks,  Shirley,  561,  562 
Bruce,  King  Robert,  27,  29,   30 
Bruce,  King  David,  31 
Brude,   King,   7,  327,  332 
Buchan,    Earl    of.        Sec   Wolf    of 

Badenoch 

Buchan,   General,  208 
Buntait,   177 

Buntait,  Alexander  of,  383 
Buntait,  Duncan  of,  378,  383 
Bunloit,   78,   500,   501 
Bur,   Bishop,  44 

Cailleach   a'   Chrathaich,   422 
Cailleach  Allt   an  Dunain,  424 
Cailleach  Cragain  na  Caillich,  424 
Cain,  or  Knin,  445 
Caithness,  Earls  of,  52,   512 
Caledonian   Britons,  3 
Caledonii,   3 
Caledonian  Canal,  456 
Cameron,  A.  H.  F.,  of  Lakefield.  508 
Cameron,  Miss,  of  Lakefield,  413 
Cameron,   Mrs,  of  Clunes,  414,  521 


590 


INDEX 


•€amerons  of  Lochiel,  54,  88,  89,  90, 

96,  109,  133,  167,  198,  201,  207 
Cameron,   Clan,  118,  198 

Cameron,  Lewis,  416 

Campbell,  Alasdair,  of  Kilmartin, 
508 

Campbell  of  Cawdor,  56,  124,  224 

Campbell,  Colin,  of  Clunes,   139 

Cannon,  General,  203,   207 

Carnach,  82 

Carrach,  Alasdair,  48,  50,  52 

Cartaly,  35,  78,  482 

Castle,  The,  of  Urquhart,  12, 17,  19, 
21,  22,  25,  26,  28,  29,  30,  34,  40, 
49,  55,  56,  57,  59,  63,  74,  76,  78, 
85,  103,  143,  164,  194,  206,  210, 
211,  467,  490 

Cattle-Lifting  in  the  Parish,  214 

Ceilidh,  417,  464 

Celtic  Church,  9,  338,  385,  386,  394 

Chambers,   Misses,   413,  510 

Chapman,  Mr,  Missionary,  374 

Charles   L,  145,   146 

Charles,  Prince,  242,  272,  306  et  scq. 

Charters  of  1509,  77  et  seq. 

Charter  of  1557,  483 

Chat-tan,  Clan,  91,   144 

Chen,  Henry  le,  21,  22 

Chen,  Reginald  le,  20,  21 

Chevalier;  The  Old,   228,  233,  242 

Chisholm  Family,  509,  512 

Chisholm,   Alexander,  43,  44,  512 

Chisholm,  Rev.  Alex.,  413 

Chisholm,  Janet,  43 

Chisholm,  Margaret,  512 

Chisholm,  Sir  Robert,  36,  37,  40, 
42,  43,  44.  174,  512 

Chisholm,   Thomas,  44,   45,  47,  512 

Chisholm,  The,  85,  87,   156,169,512 

Christine  of  the  Aird.  18,  23 

Churches  in  the  Parish,  336,  342, 
344,  385 

Church,  Celtic,  9,  338,  385,  386,  394 

Church  Lands,  81,  115,  116,  117 

Church,  Roman  Catholic,  14 

Church    of  Urquhart,  14 

Clach  Churadain,  336 

Clach   Ochonachair,  13 

Clachaii  Cholumchille,   333,   336 

Clachaii  Mhercheird,  324 

Clifton,  Fight  of.  269 

Cluanie,  78,  82,  126,   226,  448 

Clunebeg,   140 

Clunemore,  80,  81,  82,  227 

Cnoc-na-h-Iolaire,   26 

Coineachan,  80,  232 

Colum  Cruitire,   6 


Columba,  8,  327  et  seq. 
Columba's  Well,  333 
Commonwealth,  The,  169  et  seq. 
Conachar  Mac  Nessa,  5,  6,  575 
Conachar  Mac  Aoidh,    11,    12,    24, 

505 

Conchobar,   River,  575 
Cope,  Sir  John,  244,  245 
Copper  Mine,  451 
Corff  Castle,   23 
Corribuy,  Fight  of,  222 
Corri-iiam-Bronag,  Fight  of,  220 
Corrimony,  10,  80,  86,  508 
Cornwallis,    Colonel,   294 
Corstorphan,  Mrs,  515 
Courts,  460 

Covenant,  The,  146,  350 
Covenanters,   The,   195 
Craigmonie,   10,   190,  461 
Craskie,  80,  232 
Cromdale,  Haughs  of,  209 
Cromwell.     See    Commonwealth 
Culloden,  Battle  of,   274 
Ciilnakirk,  16,  81,  82,  227 
Cumberland,  Duke  of,  271,  278,  283, 

294 

Cummings,  The,  507 
Cummings  of  Badencch,  17 
Cummings  of  Dulshangie,  514 
dimming,    Sir    Alexander,    23,   28, 

514 

Cumming,    Alexander,    229,  230 
Gumming,   Justiciar  of  Scotland,  15 
Cumming,   Earl  of  Buchan,  23 
Cumming,  Rev.  Robert,  367,  372 
Curadan,   335,    336,  338,    343 
Customs,  445 
Cyril,   St.,   336 

Daibhidh  of  Corri-Dho,  425 

Dalriad   Scots,    8 

Dalriada,  8 

Daly  the  Druid,  5 

Davachs,  15,  440 

David  I.,  11,  31,  34,  36.  39 

David,   Bishop   of   Moray,  29 

Dearduil,  or   Deirdire,  6" 

Devil,  The,  379,  418 

Dingwall,  John  Yong  de,   35 

Direbught,   41 

Disruption,    The,  380 

Distilling,   453 

Divach,  78,  80,  82 

Divination,  432 

Donaldson,    Sir  John,    priest,    116, 

343 
Donald  Donn,  187,   414,  487 


INDEX 


591 


Douglas,   Sir  Archibald,   42 
Douglas,  Earl  of,  61 
Doule  Shee,   139,  142,  163 
Drostan,  81,   116,   325,  342 
Drostan's  Croft  and  Relics,  81,  116,    ; 

387 

Druids   and   Druidism,    329,  337 
Drambuie,  35,  78 
Drumcore,   116 

Drumnadrochit,    375,   456,   457 
Drumnadrochit  Inm,  457,   557 
Du  Shee,  163 

Duchas,  65,  439 
Dugald  Mac  Euari,  163 

Dulchreichard,  80 

Duldreggan,   81,  510 

Dulshangie,  36,  40,  43,  78,  86,  514 

Dunbar,   Battle  of,  18 

Dunbar  Castle,  39 

Dunbar,  Earl  of,   39 

Dunbar,  Agnes  of,   38,  39 

Dunbar  of  Dalcross,  215 

Dundee,  Viscount,  197,   201 

Dun  Dearduil,  7 

Durward,  Sir  Alan,  15,  16,  17,  439, 
506 

Durward,   Thomas,  15,    506 

Durwards,   The,  506 

Eagle's  Height,  26 

Edinburgh  Castle,  228 

Education,  393  et  seq. 

Edward  I.,  18,  19,  21,  22,  25,  28,  29 

Edward  III.,  33,  34,  36 

Elcho,  Monastery  of,  35 

Ene-lish,   The,   in   the   Parish,    19, 

21,  24,  292,  294  et  seq. 
Episcopal    Church,    347,    353,    365, 

368,  369,  378,  380 
Erchard.     See  Merchard 
Erchless,  43,  157 
Exhorter,  344,  347 

Fairs,  225,  226 

Fairies,  337,  427 

Fairy  Smith,  429 

Falkirk,  Battle  of,  269 

Families  of  the  Parish,  505 

F*amines,  444 

Farquharson,    Mr    James,     priest, 

109,  343,  347 
Fen  draught,  Lord,  207 
Fifteen,  The,  229 
Findrossie,  42 
Finlay,  Mormaor,   9 
Fitzwarine,  William,  19,  20,  21,  22. 

23,  25 


Fitzwarine,  Richard,  21 

Fleming,   Alexander,    63 

Flodden,  Battle  of,  85,  90 

Folk-Lore,  417 

Fools,  561 

Forbes,   Origin  of  Clan,  12 

Forbeses,   507 

Forbes,  Sir  Alexander,  24,  26,  27 

Forbes,  Alexander,  yr.,  27,  28,  30 

Forbes  of  Culloden,  244,  260 

Forest,    Eoyal.     See  Cluanie 

Forfeited  Estates,  232,  238,  493 

Forty-Five,  The,  248,  494,  499 

Fowler,   Eev.  James,  379 

Fraser,  Eev.  James,   Wardlaw,   173 

Fraser,   Sir  James,  of   Brea,    156 

Fraser,    Hugh,    of  Belladrum,  213 

Fraser,  Hugh  (Bard),  416,  545 

Fraser,   James,  of  Eeelick,   213 

Fraser,  Simon,  29,  33 

Fraser.     See  Lovat. 

Free  Church,   380 

Free  Church  Ministers,  380 

Funeral  Fights,  464 

Gaelic  Language,  8 

Gaelic   Bible,  388 

Gaelic  Psalms,  389 

Gaelic  Songs,  519 

Gaelic  Tunes,   389 

Galley  on  Loch  Ness,  456 

Game  Laws,  447 

Garabeg,  116 

Gartaly.     See   Cartaly 

Gartinet  of  Mar,  22,  23 

Geological  Changes,  2 

Gille  Dubh  nam  Mart,  221,  223 

Grille  Phadruig  Gobha,   102 

Gille  Maol,  102 

Glencairn,  Earl  of,  167,  175 

Glenelg,  Lord,  406,  510 
Glengarry,   108,   110 
Glen  Loyne,   126 
Glenmoriston,  Barony  of,   80 
Glenmoriston     Church,     348      349 
384 

Glenmoriston,      Montrose's      Fio-ht 
there,  158 

Glenmoriston,        Huntly's       Fi»ht 
there,  160 

Glenshiel,   Battle  of,  234 

Gobha  Crom,   103 

Gobha  Mor,   99,  429 

Gobha  Sidhe,  429 

Goblins,  337,  422 

Gordon,  Lord  Lewis,  161 

Gordon,   William,   of  Dunlugas,  70 


592 


INDEX 


Gordon,  Eev.  William,  376 

Gorman,  336 

Grahams  of  Lovat,  19 

Grants  of  Corrimony,  508 

Grants  of  Craskie  and  Duldreggan, 

510 

Grants  of  Dulshangie,  514 
Grants  of  Glenmoriston,  510 
Grants  of  Grant,  507 
Grants,  The  Lairds  of,  71,  72,  507 
Grants    of     Shewglie,     Lochletter, 

and  Eedcastle,   509 
Grant,  Agnes,  89 
Grant,  .ZEneas,  of  Duldreggan,  232, 

264,   295 
Grant,    Brigadier    Alexander,    227, 

241,  490,  507 

Grant,  Rev.  Alexander,   146,  348 
Grant,    Alexander,    of    Corrimony, 
243,  258,  262,  273,  279,  317,  508 
Grant,  Alexander,  of  Shewglie,  229, 
233,  243,  273,  281,  285,  288,  414, 
509 
Grant,    Alexander,  Shewglie' s   Son, 

280 
Grant,  Alexander,  The  Swordsman, 

250,  276,  282,  510 
Grant,  Alexander  (Bard),  414,   526, 

528,   530 

Grant,  Canon,   509 
Grant,  Sir   James   Alexander,  509 
Grant,   Major  Alpin,  379 
Grant,   Archibald   (Bard),    416,    535 
Grant,  Charles,  M.P.,  406,  510 
Grant,  Charles,  Lord  Glenelg,  406, 

510 

Grant,  Doule  Shee,  139,  142 
Grant,    Charles,    Hazel    Brae,    509, 

570 

Grant,  Sir  Duncan,  66,  71,  72 
Grant,  Duncan,  of  Duldreggan,  215 
Grant,  Duncan,  of  Dulshangie,  378, 

514 

Grant,  Major  George,  194 
Grant,   Major  George,  Governor  of 

Inverness,  245,   262,  272,  291 
Grant,  James,  Laird  of,  91,  92,  95, 

105.    109,  110,   507 
Grant,    James,  Laird  of,    146,   151, 

154,  507 
Grant,   Sir   James,    of   Grant,    241, 

246,  278,   286,  507 
Grant,  Sir  James  (The  Good),  442, 

443,  444,  446,  451,  453,  457 
Grant,   James,  Balnaglaic,  412 
Grant,  James,   of  Carron,   141,    142 
Grant,    James,    of  Corrimony,   405, 
508 


Grant,  James  (The  Novelist),  405' 
Grant,  Major  James,  Factor,   219 
j    Grant,  Eev.  James,  357,  365 
Grant,  Eev.  James,  377,  378 
Grant,    James,    of    Shewglie,     197. 

201,  202,  221,  509 

Grant,  James,  Shewglie' s  Son,  407" 
Grant,  Janet,  414,  521 
Grant,  John,  Laird  of  Grant  (the 

Bard),  66,  72,  74,  78,  94,  413. 
Grant,  John,  Laird  of  Grant,  111, 

114,  122,  145,  507 
Grants  of  Ballindalloch,  113,  141 
Grant,  John,  1st  of  Corrimony,  80 

508 
Grant,    John,    2nd    of    Corrimony,. 

122,  508 
Grant,    John,    3rd    of    Corrimony, 

157,  508 
Grant,    John,    4th    of    Corrimony 

195,  207,  208 
Grant,  John,  1st  of  Glenmoriston, 

80,  83,  92,  95,  105,  109,  112,  510 
Grant,  John,  3rd  of  Glenmoriston, 

112,  125,  140,  144,  145,  510 
Grant,  John,  5th  of  Glenmoriston, 

152,  178,  179  to  187,  510 
Grant,  John,  6th  of  Glenmoriston, 
197,  203,  206,  208,  211,  228,  231, 
239,  510 

I    Grant,  Colonel  John,  of  Glenmoris- 
i        ton,  510 

Grant,  John  Eoy,  of  Carron,  113, 

141 
Grant,    John,   of   Coineachan,    151, 

195 
Grant,  John,  Factor,  248,  255,  261, 

267,  278 
Grant,    Eev.    John,   247,   280,   285, 

288,  376 

Grant,  John   (Bard),  416,  524 
Grant,  Laurence,  71 
Grant,  Sir  Ludovick,  197 
Grant,  Sir  Ludovick,  of  the  Forty- 
Five,  238,  241,  250,  260,  278,  280, 
283,  291,  508 
Grant,  Dame  Mary,  147,  154,  161, 

162,  350 

Grant,  Patrick  of  Bealla-Do,  163 
Grant,  Patrick,  of  Clunemore,  167, 

194 

Grant,  Patrick,  of  Craskie,  219,  220 
Grant,  Patrick,  of  Divach,  140 
Grant,      Patrick,     2nd     of     Glen- 
moriston, 95,   113,   114,   122,  123, 
124,  125 


INDEX 


593 


Grant,     Patrick,     4th     of     Glen- 

moriston,   146,,   148  et  seq. 
Grant,     Patrick,     7th     of     Glen- 

moriston,   235,   236,   251,   317 
Grant,   Patrick,   of   Lakefield   and 

Redeastle,  411 
Grant,  Patrick,  of  Lochletter,  280, 

509 
Grant,  Patrick.     See  Seven  Men  of 

Glenmoriston 
Grant,  Robert,  155 
Grant,  Robert,  269 
Grant,  Sir  Robert,  406,  510 
Grant,  Thomas,  of  Balmacaan,  194, 

195 

Grant,  William,  of  Achlayn,  155 
Grant,  William,  of  Achmonie,  193, 

215 
Grant,  William,  son  of  Corrimony, 

229,  230 

Grant,  Major  William,  247 
Grassie,  James,  411 
Gruer  Mor,  71 

Hags,  338,  422 

Halidoii  Hill,  Battle  of,  33 

Hamilton,  Duke  of,  206 

Harlaw,  Battle  of,  49,  50 

Hastings,  Warren,  407 

Hay,  John  de,  42 

Hepburn,  Bishop,  115,  346 

Hill,  Colonel  John,  217 

Holy  Wells,  333,  435 

Hospitality,  456 

Houses  in  the  Past,  437,  458 

Huntly,    George,    Earl   of,    63,    65, 

66,  69,  70,  72 
Huntly,  Marquis  of,  159 

Iain   Mac   Eobhain   Bhain    (Bard), 

414 

Inchbrine,  36,  40,  43,   78 
Inchbrine,  Raid  of,  220 
Industrial  Life,  437,  450 
Innis  Ochonachair,  13 
Innocent,  Pope,  14 
Inns,  457 

Inverlochy,  1st  Battle  of,  52 
Inverlochy,  2nd  Battle  of,  154 
Invermoriston,  3(?,  40,  43,  81,  124 
Inverness  Citadel,  170,  176 
Inverwick,  81 
Iron  Manufactory,  451 
Isles,  Alexander  of  the,  52,  53,  56 
Isles,  Donald  of  the,  48 
Isles,  John  of  the,  55  to  62 


Jedburgh,  Battle  of,  34 
John  of  the  Aird,  18,  20,  21,  23 
John  of  Glen-Urquhart,  18 
Johnson,  Samuel,  in  the  Parish,  457 

Kain,  445 

Kenmure,  Lord,  167 

Kerdale,  Sir  James  de,  35 

Kerrowgair,  78,  86 

Kerrowgair  in  Nova  Scotia,  571 

Kerrownakeill,  82,  86 

Kilchrist,  Raid  of,  129 

Killicrankie,  Battle  of,  201 

Kilmichael,  44,  116,  337,  342 

Kilmichael  Brewhouse,  457 

Kilmore,  226,  337,  341,  342,  348,  385 

Kilravock,  Baron  of,  43 

Kil  St  Ninian,  78,  81,  86,  116,  321, 

336,  385 

Kingston's  Light  Horse,  275,  292 
Kintail,  35 
Kishorn,  108 

Lady  Faire,  226 

Lag  an  t-Seapail,  336,  343 

Lauders,  507 

Lauder,  Sir  Robert,  33,  34,  35,  36, 

37 

Lauder,  Anne,  36 
Law  and  Order,  460 
Leslie,  Sir  James,  204,  206 
Lewistown,  443 
Lease  of  1554,  479 
Lease  of  1660,  480 
Lichtoun,  Sir  Thomas  de,  35 
Lime,  Manufacture  of,  451 
Liturgy,  387,  389 
Livingston,  Sir  James,  56,  57 
Livingston,   Sir  Thomas,  204,  206, 

209,  212 

Lochalsh,  108,  110 
Lochbroom,  108,  110 
Lochcarron,  108,  110 
Lochindorb,  25,  26 
Lochletter,  36,  40,  43,  80,  82 
Lockhart,  Major,  295 
Lon  na  Fala,  Fight  of,  130 
London,  Tower  of,  34 
Loudon,  Lord,  256,  260,  264,  293 
Louis  Faire,  225 
Lovat,  Grahams  of,  19 
Lovat,  Simon,  Lord,  224,  238,  259, 

264,  364,  568 
Lovat,  Simon,  Master  of,  259,  263, 

264 

38 


594 


INDEX 


Lundie,  Allan  of,  129,  142 
Lykewakes,  391,  464 

Mac  Alasdair,  Donald,  85,  87 
Mac  Alpin,  Kenneth,  8 
Macbean,  Rev.  Alexander,  384 
Macbeth,  9,  10 
Macculloch,  Angus,  416,  536 
Macculloch,  Rev.  Duncan,  175,  351 
Macdonald  of  Aughtera,  229,  230 
Macdonald  of  Barisdale,  259,  263, 

264,  270 
Macdonald,    Alex.    j(Alasdair    Car- 

rach),  48,  50,  52 
Macdonald,     Alex.      (Mac     Cholla 

Chiataich),  151,  152,  153 
Macdonald  of  Glenaladale,  306 
Macdonald   of    Glengarry,    85,    96, 

132,  167,  252,  255 

Macdonell,  Colonel  Angus,  of  Glen- 
garry, 252,  255,  269 
Macdonald,  Alasdair  (Bard),  416 
Macdonald,  Angus  (Bard),  412,  538, 

540 
Macdooiald,    Sir    Donald,    of   Loch- 

alsh,  85,  86,  87 
Macdonald,  Donald  Bonn,  187,  414, 

487 
Macdonalds    of    Glenmoristoii,    65, 

73,  83,  87 

Macdonald  of  Keppoch,  230 
Macdonald  of  Lundie,  129,  133,  142 
Macdonald,  Ewen   (Bard),  414,  519 
Macdonald,     John      (Schoolmaster 

and  Catechist),  379 
Macdonald,  Kenneth,  222 
Macdonald,   Rev.    Kenneth   Somer- 

led,  D.D.,  413 

Macdonald,  Somerled  Dubh,  276 
Macdonald,  William  Somerled,  412 
Macdonald.   See  Mackay  Macdonald 
Macdougall,  Alexander,  413 
Macdougall,  John  (Bard),  415,  532 
Macdougalls  and  Cailleach  Allt-an- 

Dunain,  424 

Macfie,  Alexander,  277,  289 
Mac  Gillies.     See  Mackays  of  Ach- 

monie 

Macgregors,  136 
Mackay,  Origin  of  Clan,  12 
Mackays  of  Achmonie,  16,  115,  511 
Mackay,  Alexander,   of  Achmonie, 

243,  253,  258,  262,  265,  273,  279, 

317,  513 

Mackay,  Donald,  Solicitor,  193,  512 
Mackay,  Duncan,  of  Achmonie,  116, 

511   ' 


Mackay,  Duncan,  513,  514 
Mackay,  General,  197,  201,  208 
Mackay,  Gillies,  511 
Mackay,  Gillies,  of  Achmonie,  192, 

193,  511 

Mackay,  John  Mac  Gillies,  of  Ach- 
monie, 115,  116,  511 
Mackay,   John,  of  Achmonie,  193, 

211,  512, 

Mackay,  Patrick,  513,  570 
Mackay,    William,    289,    416,    514, 

543,  544 
Mackay   Macdonald,    Donald,   267, 

273,  281,  285,  289,  513 
Mackay    Macdonald,  John,  289,  513 
Mackenzie  of  Kintail,  120 
Mackenzie,  Roderick,  296 
Mackintosh  of  Borlum,  229 
Mackintosh,    Lachlan,   of   Dunach- 

ton,  120 

Mackintosh  of  Gallovie,  67,  68 
Maclean,  Allan  Mor,  74 
Maclean,  Allan,  507 
Maclean,  Charles,  49,  50,  53,  64 
Maclean  of  Lochbuy,  49,  50 
Maclean,  Ewen,  64,  65,  66,  67 
Maclean,  Farquhar,  Auchinson,  65 
Maclean,  Farquhar  Mac  Ewen,  84 
Maclean,  Hector  Buie,  53,  54,  55, 

64 

Maclean,  Hector  Mac  Alasdair,  176 
Macleans,  12 

Macmillan,  Buchanan,  409 
Macmillan,  Donald,  276 
Macmillan,  John,  409 
Macmillan,  William,  276 
Mac  Nessa,  Conachar,  5 
Mac  Olrig,  Sir  Duncan ,  Priest,  343 
Macpherson,  Lachlan  A.,  of  Corri- 

mony,  508 
Macraes,  12 
Mac  Ro,  Farquhar,  6 
Mac  Scolane,  Gillespic,  14 
Mac  Uian,  Clan,  65,  72,  87 
Mac  Uian's  Pool,  73 
Moeatoe,  3 
Maelsnechtan,   10 
Mailers,  442 
Malcolm  Ceamimor,  10 
Man,  Early  History  of,  2 
Mar,  28 

Mar,  Gartenet  of,  22,  23 
Mar,  Earl  of,  47,  50,  51,  52,  53 
Mar,  Earl  of,  228 
Margins,  Sea,  2 

Mariota,  daughter  of  Athyn,  45,  46 
Marlborough,  Duke  of,  227 


INDEX 


595 


Mary  of  Argyll,  19,  25 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  121 

Meiklies,  80,  86 

Men,  The,  378,  382 

Merchard,  322  et  seq.,  336 

Merchant's  Leap,  131 

Middleton,  General,  158,  159,  168 

Minerals,  451,  452 

Ministers  of  the  Parish,  345  et  seq. 

Ministers,  Free  Church,  382 

Moeri,  Earl  of,  512 

Monck,  General,  168,  169 

Monie,  9 

Monmouth's  Rebellion,  195 

Monro,  Eev.  Eobert,  361,  363,  383 

Montrose,  Marquis  of,  150,  158,  351 

Montford,  Eev.  T.,  375,  384 

Mor  of  Corri-Dho,  425 

Morar,  108,  110 

Moray,  Province  of,  10 

Moraymen,  9,  10,  11,  14,  15 

Moray,  Sir  Andrew,  19,  20,  21,  23, 

32,  34 

Moray,  Bishopric  of,  339 
Moray,  Church  of,  42 
Moray,  David,  Bishop  of,  29 
Moray,  Chancellor  of,  16,  342,  361 
Moray,  James,  Master  Mason,  143 
Moray,  Eandolph,  Earl  of,  30,  31,  32 
Moray,  Eegent,  122 
Mormaors,  9,  10 
Morull,  80 

Mowbray,  Sir  William  de,  35 
Muillear  Mor,  163 
Munro,  General.  147,  148 
Murchison,  Donald,  232,  235 
Murder  of  Donald  Mac  Finlay,  127 

Naois,  son  of  Uisneach,  6,  7 
Ness,  Origin  of  Loch,  4 
Ness,  First  Ship  on  Loch,  170,  456 
Ness,  Etymology  of,  576 
Nessa,  5,  6,  576 
Neville's  Cross,  Battle  of,  36 
Ninian,  St.,  321,  325,  336,  342,  385 
Norsemen,  8,  9,  10 
Nova  Scotia,  TJrquhart  Settlement 
in,  571 

Ochonachar,  or  Conachar,  11 
Ogilvy,   Dame   Mary.       See   Dame 

Mary  Grant 

Ogilvy,  Thomas,  of  Balfour,  55,  56 
Ogilvy,  Thomas,  of  Corrimony,  508 
Ogilvy,  John  F.,  of  Corrimony,  508 
Ogilvy,  Walter,  74 

Orkney,  Earls  of,  512 


Outrages    after    Culloden,    293    et 
seq.,  501 

Paganism,  337 
Parish,  Origin  of,  339 
Parish,  The,   Erection  of,  340 
Pictou,    TJrquhart    Settlement    in, 

571 

Picts,  4,  7,  8,  9,  321,  326,  571 
Pictish  Language,  8,  571 
Pilchys,  Alexander,  20,  21 
Pilmore,  Bishop,  35 
Piper,  462 
Pitkerrald,  78,  80,  81,  82,  86,  116, 

127,  336,  342 
Place-Names,  572 
Pluscardyn,  41,  42 
Poor,  The,  463,  561 
Population,  441 

Presbyterian  Church,  346,  351,  369 
Prestonpans,  Battle  of,  252 
Puer,   William,  21 
Puritanism,  391 

Eaid  of  1513,  85 

Eaid  of  1544-5,  96 

Eanald,  Clan,  119 

Eandolphs,  507 

Eandolph.     See  Earl  of  Moray 

Eandolph,  Agnes,  38,  39 

Eandolph,  Thomas,  32 

Eandolph,  John,  32,  33,  34,  36,  38 

Eede,  Andrew,  55 

Eeformation,    The,    115,    116,    343, 

345,  388 

Eegality  of  Grant,  226 
Eent,  445 

Eestoration,  The,  175 
Eevolution,  The,  197,  210 
Eingan.     See  Ninian 
Eoads,  454 
Eobert  II.,  39,  40 
Eobertson  of  Inshes,  179  et  seq. 
Eobertson  of  Struan,  185 
Eoderick  of  the  Isles,  35 
Eome,  Church  of,  338,  343,  385,  387 
Eose  of  Kilravock,  43,  65,  66,  67,  68, 

69 
Eoss,  Earls  of,  19,  21,  23,  33,  35,  37, 

43 

Eoss,  Countess  of,  20,  21,  23,  45 
Eoss,  Eobert,  234 
Eoss,  Walter,  236 
Eoss,  William,  234 

Sabbath,  The,  390 
Sanctuaries,  387 


596 


INDEX 


Salisbury,  Earl  of,  34 

Saxon,  8 

Schools,  394  et  seq. 

School  Board,  The  First,  400 

School  Life,  403 

Seafield,  Caroline,  Countess  of,  459, 

508 
Seafield,  Francis  William,  Earl  of, 

507,  508 
Seafield,  Ian  Charles,  Earl  of,  459, 

508 
Seafield,    John     Charles,    Earl    of, 

459,  508 

Seafield,  James,  Earl  of,  508 
Seafield,  Lewis  Alex.,  Earl  of,  508 
Second  Sight,  434 
Sellar,  David  P.,  of  Corrimony,  508 
Seven   Men  of   Glenmoriston,   302, 

502 

Sheilings,  445 
Sheerness,  227 
Sheriffmuir,  Battle  of,  229 
Shewg-lie,  82 

Sinclair,  Eev.  Allan,  413 
Sinclair,  John,  400 
Slochd  Muic,  Fight  of,  193 
Slaves,  442 

Smith,  Eev.  James  Doune,  380 
Social  Customs,  464 
Society  for  Propagating  Christian 

Knowledge,  384,  396,  400 
Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  166 
Songs,  519  et  seq. 
Spioradan,  Castle,  54,  55,  183 
Standard,  Battle  of,  11 
Stephen,  King,  11 
Steward  of  Scotland,  34,  39 
Stewart,  Alex.,  Earl  of  Mar,  47,  50, 

51,  507 

Stewart,   Duncan,  47 
Stewart,  Elizabeth,  227 
Stewart,  Win.  Grant,  411 
Stipend,  518 
St  Clair,  Henry,  25 
St  Ninian.     See  Kil  St  Ninian 
St  Ninian's  Episcopal  Church,  382 
Strachan,  Sir  Patrick,  233 
Stratherne,  Earls  of,  40,  44,  512 
Strathnaver,    Lord,    195,    204,    207, 

210 

Strome,  Castle  of,  108,  110,  129 
Superintendents,  Church,  346 
Sutherland,  Earl  of,  39,  45 


Tacksmen,  441 
Taghairm,  432 
Tarbat,  Lord,  217,  224 
Teinds,  340 

Temple,  The,  81,  321,  325,  336,  587 
Temple  House,  81,  585 
Tenants,  441 
Ternan,  322 
Thorfinn,  9,  10,  512 
.Tilbury  Fort,  287 
Timber.     See  Woods 
Tomnacroich,  461 
Tower  of  London,  34 
Trinnean.     See  Ninian 
Tuath,  442 
Tullich,  86 

Uisneach,  Sons  of,  5 

Ulster,  5 

Urchard  in  Moravia,  4 

Urquhart,  Origin  of  Family  of,  12 

Urquhart,  Adam  de,  35 

Urquhart,  Barony  of,  35,  36,  39,  40, 

44,  47,  58,  78,  460 
Urquhart,  Lordship  of,  57,  58,  59, 

63,  74,  75,  76,  78,  80,  81 
Urquhart,  Church  of,  14,  341 
Urquhart      Settlement     in      Nova 

Scotia,  570 
Urquhart  Volunteers,  379 

Vikings,  8 

Wade,  General,  224,  237 

Wallace,  Sir  William,  19,  24,  28,  29 

Wells,  Holy,  435 

Welsh  Language,  8,  572 

Whisky,  453 

White  Mare  of  Corri-Dho,  426 

Wightman,  General,  234 

Williams,  John,  451 

Wilson,  Mrs,  510 

Windsor  Castle,  34 

Witches,  430 

Woods,  447,  449 

Woollen  Manufactory,  Invermoris- 

ton,  452,  555,  556  ' 
Woollen  Manufactory,  Kilmichael.. 

452,  453 
Worcester,  Battle  of,  167,  194 

Yong,  John,  de  Dingwall,  35 
Young,  Sir  Alexander,  57