The Keppoch Murders (Scottish Gaelic: Murt na Ceapaich) is the name given to the murders of Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch and his brother Ranald, as a decapitation strike by rival claimants to the chieftainship of the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch. The murders took place on September 25, 1663, during a brawl in the mansion of Insch, just outside the village of Roybridge, Lochaber. The identity of the killers, Alexander Macdonald, Keppoch Tacksman of Inverlair, and his six sons, were well known. Sir James at Dunelm Castle was eventually persuaded by the war poetIain Lom to apply to the Privy Council in Edinburgh for letters of fire and sword in order to lawfully revenge their deaths.
The seven killers were eventually hunted down and killed two years later by men sent by MacDonald of Sleat. The bodies were decapitated by Iain Lom who is said to have used the murder weapon used in the murder of Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch, in decapitating the men. He then took his grisly trophies to Invergarry Castle in order to show them to Lord MacDonnell of Glengarry who had failed to bring the murderers to justice. The well where the seven heads were washed before presentation to the Lord MacDonnell of Glengarry is known as Tobar nan ceann in Scottish Gaelic, meaning the 'Well of Heads', and is located nearby on the northern shore of Loch Oich.
In the late 19th century the grave at Inverlair was opened and seven headless skeletons were unearthed, giving credence to the story.[1][2][3]
The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by English government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William III and Mary II.
Lochaber is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a district called Nether Lochaber, to beyond Spean Bridge and Roybridge, which area is known as Brae Lochaber or Braigh Loch Abar in Gaelic. For local government purposes, the name was used for one of the landward districts of Inverness-shire from 1930 to 1975, and then for one of the districts of the Highland region from 1975 to 1996. Since 1996 the Highland Council has had a Lochaber area committee.
Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan Mc Donald, is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, recognises under Scottish law the High Chief of Clan Donald. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs also held the title of Earl of Ross until 1476. Queen Mary of Denmark is member of Clan Donald.
Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, also known as Clan Ranald of Knoydart & Glengarry is a Highland Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald. The clan takes its name from River Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch Garry to join the Great Glen about 16 miles (25 km) north of Fort William, Highland. The progenitor of the MacDonells of Glengarry is Reginald, 4th great-grandson of the warrior Somerled. The clan chief is traditionally designated as the "Son of Alexander's son".
Loch Oich is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness and Loch Lochy in the Great Glen. It is fed by the River Garry from the west, and feeds the River Oich from its northern end. The Laggan locks separate it from Loch Lochy.
John MacDonald, known as Iain Lom was a poet and tacksman of Allt a' Chaorainn from Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, who composed war poetry in Scottish Gaelic. In addition to being appointed by King Charles II as the first Poet Laureate of Scotland, Iain Lom has long been considered to have a permanent place in the canon of Scottish Gaelic literature.
The Battle of the Shirts was a Scottish clan battle that took place in 1544 in the Great Glen, at the northern end of Loch Lochy. The Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and their allies the Clan Cameron fought the Clan Fraser and men from Clan Grant. The battlefield has been included and protected by Historic Scotland in their Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland.
The Battle of Mulroy was a Scottish clan battle fought in August 1688 in the Lochaber district of Scotland. It was fought between the Clan Mackintosh who were supported by government troops under Kenneth Mackenzie of Suddie against the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch who were supported by the Clan Cameron over disputed lands in the Braes of Lochaber. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.
Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, also known as Clan Ranald, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald, one of the largest Scottish clans. The founder of the Macdonalds of Clanranald is Reginald, 4th great-grandson of Somerled. The Macdonalds of Clanranald descend from Reginald's elder son Allan and the MacDonells of Glengarry descend from his younger son Donald.
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, also known as Clan MacDonellof Keppoch or Clan Ranald of Lochaber, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The progenitor of the clan is Alistair Carrach MacDonald, 4th great-grandson of the warrior Somerled. The clan chief is traditionally designated as the "Son of Ranald's son".
The Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh was a Scottish family and a branch of the larger Clan Donald.
The MacDonalds of Glencoe, also known as Clann Iain Abrach, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. Named after Glen Coe, the MacDonalds lived there from the early 14th century, until the glen was largely abandoned during the Highland Clearances of the late 18th century.
Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, also known as Clan Donald South, Clan Iain Mor, Clan MacDonald of Islay and Kintyre, MacDonalds of the Glens (Antrim) and sometimes referred to as MacDonnells, is a Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The founder of the MacDonalds of Dunnyveg is Eòin Mòr Tànaiste Mac Dhòmhnaill, a son of Iain Mic Dhòmhnaill and Margaret Stewart of Scotland, daughter of King Robert II. Members of the clan actually pronounced and spelled their name M'Connall due to the Gaelic pronunciation of the name Mac Domhnuill thus giving rise to the surname McConnell and its variants. While historically recognised as a clan by the Court of the Lord Lyon, it is now an armigerous clan as it no longer has a chief. The last chief was Sir James MacDonald, 9th of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg or Clan Donald South, who died in London in 1626.
Clan MacMillan is a Highland Scottish clan. The Clan was originally located in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands during the 12th century. The clan supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence, but later supported the Lord of the Isles in opposition to the Scottish Crown. During the Jacobite rising of 1745 the clan was divided with some supporting the Jacobites and others not taking part in the rebellion.
Clan Macfie is a Highlands Scottish Clan.
Sìleas na Ceapaich was a Scottish poet whose surviving verses remain an immortal contribution to Scottish Gaelic literature. She lived between around 1660 and 1729. Her given name Sìleas is Anglicised variously as Cicely or Julia.
The Rough Bounds, in the Scottish Highlands, is the area of West Inverness-shire bounded by Loch Hourn, Loch Shiel, and Loch Moidart, consisting of the districts of Knoydart, North Morar, Arisaig and Moidart. The area is famous for its wildness and inaccessibility and remains very sparsely populated.
The Lord of Lochaber was a title in the peerage of Scotland.
Tor Castle is a ruined castle, about 3 miles north east of Fort William, Highland, Scotland, west of the River Lochy and east of the Caledonian Canal, near Torlundy.
Coll Macdonald, 16th of Keppoch, was a Scottish clan chief and prominent Jacobite, active in both the 1715 Jacobite rebellion and Dundee's rising of 1689. He was chief of the Macdonalds of Keppoch, holding land in Lochaber.
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