Leod Macgilleandrais is purported to have been a 14th-century Scotsman, who lived in the north-west of Scotland. He is known from clan traditions, which date to the late 17th century. According to these traditions, Leod was a follower of the Earl of Ross, and that he was an enemy of the Mackenzies of Kintail. He is said to have captured one of the early Mackenzie chiefs, and was then later killed by the slain chief's son sometime in the 14th century. His memory is preserved in the place where he is said to have been slain. According to at least one version of the tradition, Leod was survived by a son named Paul. Several historians in 19th and early 20th centuries equated this son to Paul Mactire.
According to the late 19th-century historian Alexander Mackenzie, sometime in the 13th century, Kenneth, the eponymous ancestor of the Mackenzies, succeeded to the right to govern Eilean Donan Castle, in Kintail. During this period, William I, Earl of Ross was an instrumental force in regaining control from the Norse. According to Mackenzie, the earl was naturally desirous to gain control of the fortress to aid his cause; he was also threatened by Kenneth's rise in power and prestige. The earl demanded the castle be handed over to his control, however, Kenneth refused to do so, and was supported in his defiance by the native clans of the area: the Macbeolains, Macivors, Mactearlichs, and Macaulays. The earl dispatched a strong detachment of troops to take the fortress by force, but Kenneth was able to fend off the attackers. The earl's forces were reinforced and while preparing to make another assault the earl became ill and died, in 1274.[1]
According to Mackenzie, during the tenure of Kenneth, the third chief of the Mackenzies, the lands of Kintail were granted by William III, Earl of Ross to Reginald, son of Roderick of the Isles, in 1342; this charter was confirmed two years later by David II. Mackenzie stated that around this time, followers of the earl invaded the district of Kinlochewe and carried off much plunder; however they were pursued by Kenneth, who was able to recover much of the loot and kill many of the invaders. In consequence, one of the earl's vassals, Leod Macgilleandrais, captured Kenneth. The Mackenzie chief was later executed in Inverness in 1346, and his lands of Kinlochewe were granted to his captor Leod Macgilleandrais for his service to the earl.[2]
Mackenzie stated that during the time when Kenneth was captured, Eilean Donan Castle was governed by Duncan Macaulay, who possessed the lands of Loch Broom. With the death of Kenneth, the earl was desirous to capture the dead chief's young son, Murdoch, as he had his father. Aware of this, Duncan sent his own son, and Murdoch to the safety of Macdougall of Lorn, who was a relative of the young Mackenzie chief. The earl narrowly missed capturing Murdoch, but was successful in capturing Duncan's son, and had him put to death in retaliation for his father's defence of the fortress of Eilean Donan against his own forces. Mackenzie noted that although Leod's lands of Kinlochewe were situated in-between Kintail and Loch Broom, which made a convenient base of operations to harass both districts, Duncan was successful in fending off all assaults on Eilean Donan.[3]
Traditional accounts
George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie
In the 17th century, George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie wrote an account of Clan Mackenzie. In one of Cromartie's version of events, Macaulay, the constable of Eilean Donan Castle, was the father-in-law of Black Murdoch, the Mackenzie chief. This Macaulay was slain by Leod, and in consequence the lands of Loch Broom and Coigeach passed to Black Murdoch in right of his Macaulay wife. Later in his life, the Earl of Cromartie dictated a more detailed version of these events; he related how the Macaulay constable of Eilean Donan Castle, brought back Black Murdoch from Macdougall of Lorn, who had fostered the young chief and protected him from his bastard brothers. In this version of events, Black Murdoch's brother-in-law was Macaulay of Loch Broom, and the 19th century antiquarian F. W. L. Thomas noted that within this version, this Macaulay appears to be a different individual than the constable of Eilean Donan Castle. According to Cromartie, Macaulay of Loch Broom was at the time oppressed by Leslie, Earl of Ross,[note 1] and Leod, as one of the earl's followers, invaded Loch Broom and killed him. Because Macaulay of Loch Broom had no children other than his daughter, Black Murdoch claimed the slain man's lands as his own by right of his wife; however, the Earl of Ross granted these lands in liferent to Leod. Cromartie also notes that Leod also owned lands in Strathcarron, and some in Strathokell.[4]
Cromartie stated that, Black Murdoch fled to his uncle, Macleod of Lewis, where he procured two birlinns and six score men, and sailed from Lewis to either Invereu in Loch Broom, or Kisseran in Loch Carron. Macleod of Lewis landed as well and met up with Black Murdoch and his company. In time, Black Murdoch learned that Leod planned a meeting at Kinlochewe, with the intention of marching on and laying siege to Eilean Donan Castle. Black Murdoch then marched his men to the location of the rendezvous and ambushed Leod and his companions. Leod was put to death for his part in the death of Macaulay of Loch Broom, at a place called "Achiluask", which the Earl of Cromartie noted was still call in his day "Fe-leod".[4]
Ardintoul MS
Loch Kishorn, viewed from near Sanachan, looking south-west
The Ardintoul manuscript dates from the 17th century, and was written by Rev. John Macrae, who died 1704. According to the manuscript, Black Murdoch went to his uncle, Macleod of Lewis, where he was kept secretly for a period of time. In the meantime, Leod felt quite secure, having heard nothing of the Mackenzie chief; however, when the suitable time arrived, Black Murdoch acquired two galleys and men from his uncle, and was joined by a man named Gille Riabhach[note 2] and his followers, and the total force set out for the mainland. After landing at Sanachan in Kishorn, they headed for Kinlochewe, and found the residence of Leod at a thick wood. Through an informant, Black Murdoch was able to learn that Leod was planning to meet some people the next morning at a place called 'the ford of the heads' in Scottish Gaelic. The next morning, Black Murdoch and his companions waited at the specified location; when the men whom Leod had planned to meet arrived, they were ambushed and many were put to death. When Leod and his own men arrived they too were ambushed, and after a short resistance, fled from the scene. Leod and his followers were pursued and overtaken at a location ever since called 'Leod's bog' in Scottish Gaelic. Every man was slain except Leod's son, Paul, who was held captive until he pledged that he would not avenge his father. Black Murdoch then gave Leod's widow to Gille Riabhach as a wife, and the manuscript notes that their descendants have lived in the Kinlochewe district ever since.[6]
Applecross MS
A large part of the Applecross manuscript is a history of the Mackenzies attributed to John Mackenzie of Applecross, who authored it in 1667.[7] The manuscript's version of events concerning Leod are very similar to those in the Ardintoul manuscript. The Applecross manuscript states that Macleod of Lewis outfitted Black Murdoch with men and arms, and that the force landed at Sanachan in Kishorn. They then marched to Kinlochewe where they came across a sorrowful woman who worked for Leod, from whom they learned that Leod was nearby. That night Leod decided upon going hunting the following morning, and appointed some men to meet him at a specific ford. On learning this, the woman alerted Black Murdoch of this meeting place, and when Leod's men arrived they were ambushed and all had their heads cut off. The manuscript notes that ever since this episode the ford has been known as 'the ford of the men's heads'.[note 3] When Leod arrived at the ford the next morning he was also taken by surprise. Although he managed to hold out against Black Murdoch for a while, in the end was forced to retreat, and fled towards his house, where he was captured in a mire and put to death. The manuscript notes that this location has since been called "Fea leod".[note 4] Leod's wife and possessions were given to Black Murdoch's trusted companion Gille Riabhach,[note 5] and the manuscript notes that their descendants have lived in Kinlochewe ever since.[8]
Dr. George Mackenzie
In the early 18th century, Dr. George Mackenzie, wrote an account of the Mackenzies.[9] According to his version of events, on the death of the old Mackenzie chief, Duncan Macaulay of Loch Broom joined the men of Kintail against Leod his son. He sent the young Mackenzie chief to safety on Lewis; and during the chief's minority and absence, Duncan's son, Murdoch, was made governor of Eilean Donan Castle. Leod made constant incursions into Duncan's lands, and in one such invasion killed him. and took possession of Loch Broom and dominated Kintail—although the garrison of Eilean Donan Castle still held out against Leod. When the Mackenzie chief returned and killed Leod, Murdoch took repossessed the former lands of his father. Murdoch had a daughter who was married to the Mackenzie chief, and through her the Mackenzies eventually gained the lands of Loch Broom.[10]
Places associated with Leod
The Kinlochewe River, just north of Anancaun, in about 2000.
In the late 19th century, John Henry Dixon related to a tradition of the Leod's death, and stated that Ath-nan-cean ("the ford of the heads") referred to the heads of those who were slain by Black Murdoch and his companions; these heads were thrown into the river at Kinlochewe, where the stream carried them down to the particular ford. This place-name is mentioned in the Ardintoul manuscript,[6] and it also appears in the Applecross manuscript as "a na kean".[8] Today it is known in English as Anancaun, and in Scottish Gaelic as Àth nan Ceann; it is located at grid referenceNH0263.
Dixon stated that the spot where Leod is traditionally said to have met his end was located about three miles from Kinlochewe, "on the hill east of the Torridon road". Dixon called it in Gaelic Feith Leoid, and noted the place was shown on maps.[11] This place-name is mentioned by Cromartie as "Fe-leod",[4] it is mentioned in the Ardintoul manuscript,[6] and appears in the Applecross manuscript as "Fea leod".[8]
Paul Macgilleandrais
Paul's name as it appears in the 15th century MS 1467.
According to the Ardintoul manuscript Leod was survived by a son, Paul.[6] Several historians have equated this Paul with Paul Mactire, a figure who appears as a notorious freebooter in various clan traditions.[note 6] Paul Mactire appears in contemporary records in the 1360s holding lands from the Earl of Ross in Easter Ross, as well as Gairloch, in Wester Ross.[14][15] He also appears in a 15th-century genealogy, as the chief of Clan Gillanders[16] (although the name Leod is not given anywhere in his ancestry). It is unknown whether Paul Mactire's name equates to "Paul son of Tire", or "Paul the wolf"—both meanings are thought possible.[16]
↑ The specific name given by the manuscript is "Gillereach".[5] Alexander Mackenzie, while paraphrasing the manuscript, seems to have rendered the name into a more standard Scottish Gaelic form.
↑ The specific name given by the manuscript is "a na kean", and this corresponds to the Scottish Gaelic Ath-nan-Ceann.[8]
↑ The place-name "Fea leod" corresponds to the Scottish Gaelic Feith Leoid, meaning "Leod's bog".[8]
↑ The specific name given by the manuscript is "Gillereoch".[8]
↑ For example: Alexander Mackenzie, in the 19th century;[12] and William Cook Mackenzie, in the early 20th century.[13]
MacPhail, J. R. N., ed. (1916), "The Genealogie of the Surname of M'Kenzie since ther Coming into Scotland", Highland papers, vol.2, Edinburgh: T. & A. Constable, for the Scottish History Society
Eilean Donan is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs in the western Highlands of Scotland, about 1 kilometre from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge that was installed early in the 20th century and is dominated by a picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film and television. The island's original castle was built in the thirteenth century; it became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies, the Clan MacRae. However, in response to the Mackenzies' involvement in the Jacobite rebellions early in the 18th century, government ships destroyed the castle in 1719. The present-day castle is Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap's 20th-century reconstruction of the old castle.
Clan Mackenzie is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. However, the earliest Mackenzie chief recorded by contemporary evidence is Alexander Mackenzie of Kintail who died some time after 1471. Traditionally, during the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Mackenzies supported Robert the Bruce, but feuded with the Earls of Ross in the latter part of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th-centuries the Mackenzies feuded with the neighboring clans of Munro and MacDonald. In the 17th century the Mackenzie chief was made Earl of Seaforth in the peerage of Scotland. During the Scottish Civil War of the 17th century the Mackenzies largely supported the Royalists. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 the chief and clan of Mackenzie supported the Jacobite cause. However, during the Jacobite rising of 1745 the clan was divided with the chief, Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose, supporting the British-Hanoverian Government and his relative, George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie, supporting the Jacobites.
The Clan Macrae is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan has no chief; it is therefore considered an armigerous clan.
Castle Chanonry of Ross, also known as Seaforth Castle, was located in the town of Fortrose, to the north-east of Inverness, on the peninsula known as the Black Isle, Highland, Scotland. Nothing now remains of the castle. The castle was also known as Canonry or Chanonrie of Ross, the former county.
Clan Matheson is a Highland Scottish clan.
The Battle of Bealach nam Broig was a battle fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.
The Macaulay family of Uig in Lewis, known in Scottish Gaelic as Clann mhic Amhlaigh, were a small family located around Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There is no connection between the Macaulays of Lewis and Clan MacAulay which was centred in the Loch Lomond area, bordering the Scottish Highlands and Scottish Lowlands. The Macaulays of Lewis are generally said to be of Norse origin because of the etymology of their surname and also because of the islands' Viking Age past. However, a recent analysis of the Y-DNA of men with Scottish surnames has shown that a large number of Hebridean Macaulays are of Irish origin. In the 17th century, however, tradition gave the Macaulays an Irish origin. By the end of the 16th century the dominant clan on Lewis was Clan Macleod of The Lewes. Other notable Lewis clans were the somewhat smaller Morrisons of Ness and the even less numerous Macaulays of Uig. The Macaulays were centred in the area surrounding Uig on the western coast of Lewis, and had a deadly, long-standing feud with the Morrisons, whose lands were located on the northern coast around Ness. Today the Lewis surname Macaulay is considered to be a sept name of the Macleods of Lewis. There are two other nearby clans of Macaulays who may, or may not, be connected to the Lewis clan—the Wester Ross Macaulays, and the Uist MacAulays.
Kenneth Mackenzie, the first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail, was a Highland clan chief who secured for himself and his heirs the entirety of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and successfully pursued a bloody feud with the Macdonells of Glengarry.
Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth was a Highland clan chief and Scottish nobleman, who adhered faithfully to Charles II through his tribulations. From his great stature he was known among the Highlanders as "Coinneach Mor".
Alexander Mackenzie, known as "Ionraic", traditionally counted as 6th of Kintail, was the first chief of the Clan Mackenzie of whom indisputable contemporary documentary evidence survives. During his long life, he greatly expanded his clan's territories and influence.
Hector Roy Mackenzie of Gairloch was a Scottish clan chieftain of the Clan Mackenzie, who acquired vast estates in and around Gairloch, Wester Ross as a result of his services to the Scottish crown and challenged his nephew for the chiefship of the clan.
The Battle of Morar was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1602, near Loch Morar, in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry against the Clan Mackenzie who were supported by men of the Clan Ross and Andrew Munro of Novar.
Colin Mackenzie of Kintail, nicknamed "Cam", was a Highland chief of the Scottish clan Mackenzie who greatly increased his ancestral estates through royal favour and a career of vigorous self-aggrandisement.
Kenneth Mackenzie, was the 10th laird of Kintail and he was nicknamed Coinneach na Cuirc in Scottish Gaelic, was a Highland chief, head of the Clan Mackenzie, who flourished in the turbulent Scottish politics of the mid-16th century.
The chiefs of the Scottish highland Clan Mackenzie were historically known as the Mackenzies of Kintail. By tradition the Mackenzie chiefs descend from Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st of Kintail however their earliest ancestor proven by contemporary evidence is Alexander Mackenzie, 6th of Kintail. The chiefly line became the Earls of Seaforth during the 17th century but this title was later forfeited in the 18th century due to support of the Jacobite rising of 1715. The current official chief of the Clan Mackenzie is John Ruaridh Grant Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie.
John Mackenzie, or "John of Killin", traditionally reckoned 9th of Kintail, was a Highland chief and head of the Clan Mackenzie.
Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd is purported to have been a 15th-century Scotsman, who lived in the north-west of Scotland. The Gaelic Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd translates into English as "Fionnla the black, son of Gillechriosd". Fionnla Dubh is known from a late 17th-century traditional account of Clan Macrae; within that account he presented as a prominent ancestor of the clan. The tradition relates that for a time the chief of Clan Mackenzie was absent, and during that time his bastard uncles were causing trouble in the Mackenzies' territories of Kintail and Kinlochewe. Fionnla Dubh was then ordered to retrieve the chief and was successful in his task. From that time onward, says the tradition, the Macraes from the Kintail area rose in prominence amongst their Mackenzie lords. Tradition also states that Fionnla Dubh is an ancestor of the leading lines of the Macraes from Kintail.
Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland council area. The Lochalsh district covers all of the mainland either side of Loch Alsh - and of Loch Duich - between Loch Carron and Loch Hourn, ie. from Stromeferry in the north on Loch Carron down to Corran on Loch Hourn and as (south-)west as Kintail. It was sometimes more narrowly defined as just being the hilly peninsula that lies between Loch Carron and Loch Alsh. The main settlement is Kyle of Lochalsh, located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the adjacent island of Skye. A ferry used to connect the two settlements but was replaced by the Skye Bridge in 1995.
The Murchison family of Loch Alsh, Ross-shire, Scotland were a minor Scottish clan, and a sept of the larger Clan Mackenzie. In modern times the Murchison surname is still considered a sept of the Clan Mackenzie by the Clan Mackenzie Society of Scotland & the UK.
The Mackenzies of Gairloch were a minor noble Scottish family and one of the senior cadet branches of the Clan Mackenzie, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
