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THE

CELTIC MAGAZINE.

Conducted by ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, F.S.A. Scot.

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WHILE the Earls of Lennox and Arran were disputing about the regency, and other members of the aristocracy sold themselves to the English King, two great chiefs in the North, Huntly and Argyll, stood firm in their loyalty to Scotland, and thus became an object of the hatred of Henry VIII. of England and the Scottish nobles who had so unpatriotically joined him in his anti-Scottish schemes. In 1543, during this unsettled period of Scottish history, Donald Dubh of the Isles, who had been for nearly forty years kept in hopeless captivity, managed again to effect his escape. It will be remembered that we parted with this unfortunate chief, and left him, in 1506, a prisoner in the Castle of Edinburgh, and that, with the exception of a few years at that period, he had been a State prisoner from his infancy. Gregory says, that though "stigmatised as a bastard," he "seems really to have been legitimate," and that it is certain he owed his second escape more "to the grace of God than to the goodwill of the Government." In any case he did manage to free himself from his enemies, and on his arrival shortly afterwards in the Isles "he was received with enthusiasm by the same clans that had formerly supported his claims; and with their assistance, he prepared to expel the Earls of Argyle and Huntly from their acquisition in the Lordship of the Isles" during his long imprisonment. He soon managed to arrange a truce with Argyll, which was to last until May-day of 1543, the same year in which he secured his liberty; but meanwhile both were engaged in making preparations for the forthcoming contest. In the month of June following both Argyll and Huntly are found engaged against the Islanders. About the same time the other Island Chiefs kept in prison since the late King's voyage to the Isles were set at liberty by the influence of the English party, so as to enable Donald Dubh the more effectually to cope with the two Earls, who were violently hated by those in power and

by those who pushed on the marriage of the young Queen with the son of Henry VIII. against the interest and independence of their own country. Almost immediately after the liberation of the principal Island vassals of the lordship, Donald assembled an army of about 1800 men, invaded Argyll's territories, slew many of his followers, and carried away a large number of his cattle, with a great quantity of other plunder. At this period all the vassals of the Isles, except James Macdonald of Isla, followed the banner of Donald Dubh against the Regent, and even Isla soon after joined the other Island lords and fought for the English faction,

In 1544, the terrible feud which broke out between the Macdonalds of Moydert, under John Moydertach, on the one hand, and their legitimate chief, Ranald Gallda, and the Frasers on the other, took place and culminated in the sanguinary battle of "Blar-na-leine;" but this will be more appropriately dealt with when we come to give the history of the Clanranalds of Moydert, under its proper heading, later on. In the following year, 1545, the Macdonalds of Moydert are found strenuously supporting the claims of Donald Dubh to the Lordship of the Isles, and fighting under his banner.

At the battle of Ancrum, in the same year, Neil Macneill of Gigha, one of the vassals of the lordship, was present; but whether as an ambassador from Donald Dubh, or fighting at the head of a body of the Islanders, it is difficult to determine. In June following a proclamation is issued by the Regent, Arran, and his Privy Council, against "Donald, alleging himself of the Isles, and other Highlandmen, his part-takers." The Council had been frequently informed of the "invasions" made by them on the Queen's lieges in the isles and on the mainland, assisted by the King of England, with whom "they were leagued," and which went to show, it was maintained, that it was their intention, if they could, to bring those parts of Scotland under the government of the King of England in contempt of the authority of the Scottish Crown. If Donald and his followers continued their "rebellious and treasonable proceedings," they were threatened with utter ruin and destruction from an invasion of their territories by "the whole body of the realm of Scotland, with the succours lately come from France." Donald and his followers paid no attention whatever to this threat, and the only effect it had was to throw the Islanders more than ever into the arms of the English. The Regent was consequently forced to adopt more stringent measures; processes of treason were commenced against the more prominent rebels, and these were followed up with as much despatch as the forms of Parliament would allow. While these proceedings were going on against the Islanders at the instance of the Government of Scotland, Donald Dubh, as Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles, with the advice and consent of his Barons and Council, granted a commission to "Rorie Macalester, dean of Morvern, and Patrick Maclean, justice-clerk of the South Isles, to treat, under direction of the Earl of Lennox, with the English King, as Donald's plenipotentiaries. These gentlemen forthwith addressed a long letter to the Privy Council of Henry VIII., containing the following passage, explanatory of their hostile policy towards the Scottish Kingdom, and which we quote and modernise in spelling from a State paper given in a foot-note (page 20) of the "Macdonnells of Antrim":- "Wherefore your Lordships shall consider we have been old enemies to the realm of Scotland, and when they had peace with the

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King's highness (Henry VIII.) they hanged, beheaded, imprisoned, and destroyed many of our kin, friends, and forbears, as testified by our master, the Earl of Ross, who has laid in prison before he was born of his mother, and not relieved with their will, but now, lately, by the grace of God. In likewise, the Lord Maclaine's father, was cruelly murdered under 'traist' in his bed in Edinburgh, by Sir John Campbell of Calder, brother to the Earl of Argyll. The Captain of Clanranald, this last year ago, in his defence, slew the Lord Lovat, his son and heir, his three brothers, with thirteen score of his men; and many other cruel slaughters, burnings, and herschips, the which were lang to write."

The Barons and Council of the Isles who acted on this occasion, not one of whom could sign their names, are given in this document in the following order :-Allan Maclean of Torloisk, Gilleonan Macneill of Barra, Ewin Mackinnon of Strathardill, John Macquarrie of Ulva, Alexander Ranaldson of Glengarry, Alexander Ranaldson of Knoydart, John Maclean of Ardgour, Donald Maclean of Kingairloch, Hector Maclean, Lord of Dowart; John Moydertach MacAlastair, captain of Clanranald ; Roderick Macleod of Lewis, Alexander Macleod of Dunvegan, Murdoch Maclean of Lochbuy, Angus Macdonald, brother german to James Macdonald; Archibald Macdonald, captain of Clanhuistean; Alexander Macian of Ardnamurchan, and John Maclean of Coll. Gregory, quoting from Tytler, gives the same names, but places them in a different order. The remainder of Donald Dubh's career cannot better be given than in the words of Gregory, by far the best and most complete authority extant. He says—“ "On the 5th of August the Lord and Barons of the Isles were at Knockfergus, in Ireland, with a force of four thousand men and a hundred and eighty galleys; when, in presence of two commissioners sent by the Earl of Lennox, and of the constable, mayor, and magistrates of that town, they took the oath of allegiance to the King of England, at the command of the said Earl of Lennox.' In all the documents illustrative of these proceedings, we find that Lennox was acknowledged by the Islesmen as the true Regent and second person of the realm of Scotland; and while, at his command, they gave their allegiance to the English King, they, at the same time, bound themselves in particular to forward Henry's views in regard to the marriage of the Princess of Scotland, and, in all other affairs, to act under the directions of Lennox, The name of James Macdonald of Isla, whose lands of Kintyre had been so lately ravaged by Lennox, does not occur among the Barons of the Isles who accompanied their Lord to Knockfergus. It appears also that in the month of April he had even received a reward from Arran for his services against the English. Yet, now, his brother, Angus Macdonald, was one of the foremost in support of Lennox; and his own conduct, in the course of a few months, justifies the suspicion that already this powerful chief contemplated joining the rest of the Islanders.

"The troops that accompanied the Lord of the Isles to Ireland are described in the original despatches from the Irish Privy Council, giving Henry notice of their arrival, as being 'three thousand of them, very tall men, clothed, for the most part, in habergeons of mail, armed with long swords and long bows, but with few guns; the other thousand, tall maryners that rowed in the galleys.' An equal number of warriors had been left behind, to keep in check the Earls of Huntly and Argyle, form

ing a total force of eight thousand men now in arms, under the command of a leader who had passed most of his life in prison, deprived of all power and influence. It cannot be doubted that many of the Islanders acted on this occasion from a feeling of attachment to the representative of the family of the Isles, as well as from a deep-rooted hostility to the house of Argyle. But it is equally clear—and unfortunately harmonises too well with the venal conduct of many of the Scottish nobility of the period to admit of question-that English gold must have had a great effect in producing unanimity among tribes so many of which were at deadly feud.*

"From Knockfergus the plenipotentiaries of the Island Lord proceeded to the English Court, bearing letters of recommendation from their master, both to the King and Privy Council. By the last of these letters it appears that the Lord of the Isles (Donald Dubh) had already received from Henry the sum of one thousand crowns, and the promise of an annual pension of two thousand. After certain articles proposed by the Islesmen, together with their oath of allegiance, had been given in by the Commissioners to the Privy Council, and the opinion of the Earl of Lennox had been taken as to the best mode of proceeding, the following conditions were agreed to on the 4th of September :-The pension of the two thousand crowns was confirmed to the Lord of the Isles by letters patent, and Henry engaged that that nobleman and his followers should be included in any treaty made between England and Scotland. On the other hand, the Lord of the Isles became bound, with all his adherents, to serve the King of England truly and faithfully, to the annoyance of the Regent of Scotland and his partisans. He engaged to make no agreement with the Earls of Huntly or Argyle, or with any of the Scots, to the prejudice of the King of England; but, on the contrary, to continue steadfast in his opposition to them and in his allegiance to Henry. It was arranged that the Earl of Lennox, with a body of two thousand Irish, under the Earl of Ormond and Ossory, should lead an expedition against Scotland from the west, in which he was to be assisted by the Lord of the Isles with eight thousand men. As long as Lennox should remain in the country of the Earl of Argyle, the whole eight thousand men were to be placed at his disposal; but, in the event of his proceeding to another part of Scotland-and a march to Stirling was seriously contemplated-it was provided that only six thousand of the Islanders should follow him, while the remaining two thousand should be employed in occupying the attention of the Earl of Argyle. Lastly, three thousand of the Islesmen were to receive pay from the King of England for two months.

"In conformity with these arrangements, instructions were given to the Earl of Ormond to levy two thousand Irish foot for the expedition against Scotland, and the other necessary preparations for an armament of such importance were actively carried on by the Irish Privy Council. But at this moment the Earl of Hertford, who was about to invade Scotland from the Border, required the presence of Lennox in his camp; and

* Anderson in his MS. History of Scotland, says that the Islesmen elected Donald for their Lord, as being the chiefest and nearest of blood; and adds, that, besides a pension from the King of England, he was to receive "certaine rich apparel of cloth of gold and silver from the said Earl" of Lennox.-II., p. 47.

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