Volume 3

The Scottish nation, or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland / by William Anderson.

Date:
1863
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Scottish nation, or, The surnames, families, literature, honours, and biographical history of the people of Scotland / by William Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    tlie Mediator of tlic new coveiumt; welcome blessed Spirit of Grace, and God of all consolation ; welconio glor}-, welcome eternal life, and welcome deatli! Such was the fate of Hugh iM'Kail, wlio was only twenty-six j'ears old at the time of his death, one of the brightest, purest, and most sanctified spirits, says Hetlierington, that ever animated a mere luiman foi'm ; a victim to pielatic tyrann}', and a rejoicing martyr for Christ's sole kingly dominion over his church. Till the records of time shall have melted into those of eternity, the name of that young Christian martyr will be held in most affectionate remembrance b}' every true Scottish ])resliyterian. Mackay, tlie name of a numerous ami poweiful clan in tlie north-west of the county of Sutlierland, styled in Gaelic tlie Siol Mhorffan, or race of IMorgan; badge, the hulrush. The accounts of its origin are various. In the Celtic MS. of 1450, there is no reference to it, altliongh mention is made of the Mackays of Kintyre, who were called of Ugadale. These, liowever, were vassals of the Isles, and had no connexion with the Mackays of Strathnaver. Pennant assigns to them a Celto-Irish descent, in the twelfth century, after King Wil- liam the Lion had defeated Harald, earl of Orkney and Caith- ness, and taken possession of these distiicts. Mr. Skene^JJiffh lands of Scotland, p. 288) supposes that they were descend- ed from the aboriginal Gaelic inhabitants of Caithness. The Norse Sagas state that about the beginning of the 12th cen- tury, there lived in the Dolum of Katanesi (or Strathnarer) a man named Moddan, a noble and rich man, and tliat his sons were Magnus Orfi and Ottar, the larl in Thurso. The title of iarl was the s.ame as tlie Gaelic maormor, and Mr. Skene is of opinion that Moddan and liis son Ottar were the Gaelic maorniors of Caithness. Sir Robert Gordon, in his voluminous History of Sutlier- land (p. 302), from a similarity of badge and armorial bear- ings, accounts the clan Mackay a branch of the Forbeses, but this is by no means probable. Alexander, the fii\st of the family, aided in driving the Danes from the north. His son Walter, chamberlain to Adam, bishop of Caithness, married that prelate's daughter, and had a son, JIarfin, wlio received from his maternal gi-andfather certain churcli lands in Strath- naver, being the first of the family wlio obtained possessions there. Martin had a son, Magnus or Manus, who fought at Bannockburn under Bruce, and had two sons, Morgan and Farquliar. From Morgan the clan derived their Giielic name of Clan-wic-Worgan, or Morgan, and from Farqnhar were descended the Clan-wic-Farquhar in Strathnaver. Donald, i\Iorgan's son, married a daughter of M:icneill of Gigba, who was named lye, and had a son of the same name, in Gaelic Aodh, pronounced like Y. The common transla- tion of Aodh is Hugh, but amid all the fanciful conjectures that have been thrown out as to the derivation of the name, it seems to have been forgotten that the lye was borne priina- rilv by an insular chief, and seems not unlikely to have ori- ginated in the Gaelic word I, an island. Aodh had a son, another Donald, called Donald Macaodh, or Mackaoi, and it is from this son that the clan has acquired the patronymic of Mackay. He and his son were killed in the castle of Ding- wall, by Willi:mi, earl o' Sntbeilaiid, in KiOo. It appears i from Sir Robert Gordon's History (p. 60). that the earl had a j feuil with him and his son, Donald Mackay, in which many ! lives were lost, and great depredations committed on both .sides. 'I'o put an end to it, the earl proposed a meeting with them at Dingwall, in presence of the lord of the Isles, his father-in-law, and some of the neighbouring barons, the friends of both p.arties. This was acceded to, and in the cas- j tie of Dingw;dl a discussion took place betw'een the earl and i\Iackay, regarding the points in dispute, when mutual re- proaches passing between them, the earl became so incensed as to kill Mackay and his son with his own hands. With some difficulty he effected his escape, and, hastening home, prepared for his defence. The Mackays, however, were too weak to take revenge, and a reconciliation took place between Robert, the nc.\t earl, and Angus Mackay, the eldest of Do- nald's surviving sons, of wliom there were other two, viz. Honcheon Dnbli, and Neill. Angus, the eldest son, married a sister of Jlalcolm Mac- leod of the Lewis, and had by lier two sons, Angus Dubh, that is, dark comple.xioned, and Roderick Gald, that is, Lowland. On their father's death their uncle, Honcheon Dubh, became their tutor, and entered upon the management of their lands. Understanding that his sister, the w'idow of Angu.s, was ill- treated by the uncle, iMalcolm Macleod, with a large follow- ing, went to visit her, and on liis return homewards, he laid wa.ste Strathnaver and a great part of the Breachat in Suth- erland, caiTying off a large booty along with him. As soon as Houcheon Dubh and his brother Neill were informed of this, they acquainted Robert, earl of Sutherland, who imme- diately despatched a large party to as,sist the Mackays. Overtaking Macleod upon the marches between Ross and Sutherland, at a place called Tuttim-Tarwach, a desperate conflict en.sued. It was long, furious, cruel, and doubtful, says Sir Robert Gordon, and rather desperate than resolute. Malcolm Macleod was sl;iin with all his party, save one, and the goods and cattle were recovered. In 1411, wlien Donald, lord of the Isles, in prosecution of his claim to the earldom of Ross, burst into Sutherland, he was attacked at Dingwall,' by Angus Dubh, or Black Angus Mackay. The latter, however, was defeated and takcTi pris- oner, and his brother, Roriegald, and many of his men were slain. After a short confinement, Angus was released by the lord of the Isles, who, desirous of cultivating the alliance of so powerful a chief, gave him his daughter, Elizabeth, in marriage, and with her bestowed upon him many lands by charter in 1415. He was called Enneas-en-Imprissi, or Angus the Absolute, from his great power. At this time, we are told, Angus Dubh could bring into the field 4,00tJ fighting men. In 142G, .4ngus invaded Caithness, with all the forces he could collect, and spoiled and laid waste that district. The inhabitants met him at Harpisdell, where a battle was fought, in which both sides suffered severely, but the result was not deci-sive, and Mackay continued his depredations. To put a stop to the distiu'bances in the Highlands, James I., earlv in the following year, summoned the principal chiefs to meet him and his parliament at Inverness, and among the number arrested by the king on this occasion, about forty in all, was Angus Dubh, with his four sons. After a .short confinement, Angus was pardoned and released with three of them, the eldest, Neill Mackay, being kept as a hostage for his good behaviour. Being confined in the Bass at the mouth of the Frith of Forth, he was ever after called Neill Wasse (or B.ass) Mackay. During his imprisonment his son, Thomas Macneill, proprietor of the lands of Creigh, Spanziedaill, and I'ulrossie in Siitherbiud, had a quarrel with Mowat of F,-esh-