Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry
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Clan MacDonell of Glengarry is a Scottish clan and a branch of the Clan Donald or Macdonald, taking its name from Glen Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch Garry to join the Great Glen about 16 miles (25 km) north of Fort William. The principal families descended from the house of Glengarry were the McDonnells of Barrisdale, in Knoydart, Greenfield, and Lundie.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins of the Clan
The Glengarry clan claims descent from Donald, one of the five sons of Ranald, the founder of Clan MacDonald of Clan Ranald who himself was a son of King Somerled.
[edit] 16th Century & Clan Conflicts
Glengarry first played an independent part in the politics of Clan Donald when in 1539 the Macdonald chief received a feudal charter from the Scottish crown. Glengarry chose to follow Donald Gorm of Sleat in an attempt to reclaim Lordship of the Isles which collapsed with a failed assault on Eilean Donan Castle in which Donald died. Along with other chiefs, Glengarry was tricked into attending on King James V of Scotland at Portree where they were captured and imprisoned in Edinburgh until the King died in 1542.
In 1545 Alexander MacRanald of Glengarry and North Morar was one of the lords and barons of the Isles who pledged allegiance to the king of England.
By the middle of the 16th century the Clan Matheson had greatly diminished in size and influence, and John Matheson’s son Dougal possessed no more than a third of the ancient Matheson property on Lochalsh. Even that property he was in danger of losing by engaging in a dangerous feud on his own account with Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry. This powerful chief had established himself on the shores of Loch Carron at hand, and he presently seized Matheson and threw him into prison, where he died. This incident brought about the final ruin of the Clan Matheson as a powerful clan.
With a view to avenge his father’s death, and recover his lost territory; Dougal Matheson's son, Murdoch Buidhe Matheson, relinquished all his remaining property, excepting the farms of Balmacara and Fernaig, to the chief of the Clan MacKenzie of Kintail, in return for the services of an armed force with which to attack the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry. The lands thus handed over were never recovered from the MacDonnells. Neither Matheson’s generalship or the force given to him by Clan MacKenzie seems to have been enough to the task of forcing terms upon MacDonnells of Glengarry.
Murdoch Matheson's son, Ruari, the next Clan Matheson chief, had more satisfaction, when, as part of the following of the Clan MacKenzie chief, he set out to punish the MacDonnells of Glengarry. On this occasion Glengarry’s stronghold of Sron, or Strome, on Loch Carron, was stormed and destroyed. By this time the Mathesons appear to have been merely the "kindly tenants" of the Clan MacKenzie compared to the more powerful clan they once were. In course of time that kindly tenancy, or occupation on condition of rendering certain services, was changed into a regular rent payment, and Balmacara and the other Matheson properties passed from the hands of the chiefs of that name for ever. The family was afterwards represented by the Mathesons of Bennetsfield.
By 1581 the MacDonnells of Glengarry controlled extensive territory and became involved in feuding and battles with Clan Mackenzie which led to them burning a church and the trapped congregation while the Glengarry piper marched round the building playing a tune still called Kilchrist after the name of the place.
[edit] 17th Century & Clan Conflicts
Variance 1602. A feud between Lord Kintail MacKenzie and the MacDonald's Laird of the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry led to the MacDonalds being attacked by the MacKenzies. A few MacDonalds were killed at Variance. The MacKenzies wanted the MacDonald Laird of Glengarry to appear before the Justice court at Edinburgh for previous crimes against them. Meanwhile two more MacDonalds were killed. Glengarry MacDonald did not appear in court on the arranged date but went about his own hand to revenge the slaughter of his clansmen. As he did not appear in court the MacKenzies wasted the MacDonald country of Morar. The two sides met and a battle took place with great slaughter on both sides. After this they came to an agreement to obtain peace where Glengarry MacDonald was glad to requite and renounce to the Lord MacKenzie of Kintail, and give him the inheritance of the lands of Strome.
Donald, 8th of Glengarry, reportedly lived for more than a hundred years and was clan chief for over seventy years. In 1649 he failed to appear before the Privy Council in Edinburgh to answer charges of harbouring fugitives from the Isles, and was denounced as a rebel, but in 1627 succeeded in obtaining a charter under the Great Seal to make his lands a free barony.
[edit] The Civil War
In the Wars of the Three Kingdoms Glengarry supported the Royalist side. Aeneas the 9th Chief was out with James Graham the 1st Marquess of Montrose in 1645 and followed King Charles II to his final defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. For his pains he had his new house of Invergarry burned by General George Monck and his lands forfeited by Oliver Cromwell, but had them returned at the Restoration, gaining the title of Lord MacDonell and Aross and chiefship of Clanranald and the whole Clandonald. As he died without issue his peerage became extinct.
[edit] Jacobite Risings
The clans under Glengarry took the Jacobite side in the Jacobite Risings. In 1689 Alastair Dubh MacRanald commanded the clan at the Battle of Killiecrankie.
In the 1715 rising Glengarry attended the pretended "grand hunting match" at Braemar arranged by the John Erskine, 23rd Earl of Mar and followed him to fight at the Battle of Sheriffmuir.
The 13th chief was on his way from France to join the 1745 rebellion when he was captured by an English frigate and imprisoned in the Tower of London until 1747.
However, six hundred of the McDonells of Glengarry joined Prince Charles under the command of MacDonell of Lochgarry and were involved in many of the battles including the Highbridge Skirmish which was the first engagment between Government and Jacobite troops during the uprising of 1745 to 1746. The Macdonnells of Glengarry also fought at the Clifton Moor Skirmish and Battle of Prestonpans in 1745 where they were victorious. The following year they also fought at the Battle of Falkirk (1746), and the Battle of Culloden.
[edit] Colonel Alasdair Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry
Alasdair Ranaldson MacDonell was the personality whose character and behaviour gave Walter Scott the model for the haughty and flamboyant Highland chieftain Fergus Mac-Ivor in the pioneering historical novel Waverley of 1810. As was customary for the chieftain of a clan, he was often called simply "Glengarry". In June 1815 he formed his own Society of True Highlanders in bitter opposition to the Celtic Society of Edinburgh. During the visit of King George IV to Scotland he arrogantly made several unauthorised appearances, to the annoyance of Walter Scott and the other organisers.
Under his authority timber was felled for sale, the cleared land was leased to sheep farmers and many of his clansmen were forced from the land by increasing rents and evictions, with the great majority forced to go to British North America in part of what was later known as the Highland Clearances.
[edit] Bishop Alexander MacDonell
In contrast to Alasdair Ranaldson, his contemporary Alasdair MacDonell became a Roman Catholic priest whose missionary duty in Lochaber led him to help his displaced clansmen. First he tried getting them employment in the Lowlands, then in 1794 he organised formation of the Glengarry Fencible regiment under the command of Alasdair Ranaldson, with Father MacDonell appointed chaplain. When the regiment was disbanded Father MacDonell appealed to the government to grant its members a tract of land in Canada, and went with them in 1802, later becoming Bishop of Upper Canada.
[edit] Castle & Seat
During the times of the clan the seat of the Chief of Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry was at Invergarry Castle which was situated on the Raven's Rock.[1][2]. In modern times the MacDonnell of Glengarry seat is at Glengarry County in Canada.
[edit] Clan Chief
The current chief of the Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry is Aeneas Ranald Euan MacDonell, 23rd Chief of Glengarry.
[edit] Clan Profile
- Motto: Creagan an Fhithich (The rock of the raven)
- Pipe Music: Glengarry Foot Stomp
[edit] References
- Clans and Tartans - Collins Pocket Reference, George Way of Plean and Romilly Squire, Harper Collins, Glasgow 1995 ISBN 0-00-470810-5
- The King's Jaunt, John Prebble, Birlinn Limited, Edinburgh 2000, ISBN 1-84158-068-6
