|
In the 15th
century Scotland was in a lawless state after a succession of weak
sovereigns, and as result many ‘broken men’ arrived in Rannoch to escape
the hands of justice. These men were not from any particular clan.
However,
in 1440 bands of MacGregors took refuge in Rannoch because they had been
driver out of their ancestral lands. These land of Glen Orchy were the
ancient home of the MacGregors, but in 1390 their chief, John MacGregor,
died without leaving a satisfactory successor. Colin Campbell of Lochawe,
although having only a flimsy claim, was not slow in grab the land and
title. He was strong enough to withstand the opposition of the MacGregors.
It was a
time when the kings of Scotland were powerless to prevent stron barons
from pillaging weaker neighbours, and the Campbells somehow acquired a
Royal Proclamation from Robert III acknowledging their right of
ownership. The MacGregors did not take this ling down, but their only
answer was the sword. This they did not hesitate to use but gradually
they were harried out of their lands which one after the other passed into
the hands of Campbells, until there was not a glen that the MacGregors
could call their own. Brave and fearless though they were in battle, they
were no match for the diplomacy of the Campbells, and they had one to
speak for them ’in court’. As they were driven from their homes they took
to living by raiding and slaughtering. Their anger grew and their name
struck terror into the heart of all.
By 1440
we find that they were seeking shelter further and further eastwards. Two
main branches of the clan formed roots of sorts in Glen Dochart and Glen
Lyon. Small bands of them were also finding their way to Rannoch.
In 1480
occurred an incident which resulted in the MacGregors establishing a
stronger foothold in Rannoch. At Dunan, a mile or two west of Loch
Rannoch, a tribe has possession called Clann Iain Buidhe (Clan of John of
the Yellow hair). They waylaid a party of Stewart pedlars of merchants
who were traveling with goods from Perth to Appin. They murdered two of
them. The others escaped and when Dugald Stewart of Appin was told what
had happened to his kinsmen he hastily gathered a force bent on revenge.
He made his way without delay and as he was passing through Glen Lyon he
encountered the MacGregors of Roro who had recently been driven from Glen
Orchy. He was treated so well by the MacGregors--he was given the fattest
calves for his party to feed on--that he asked him to join him in the
forthcoming battle.
The two
parties, Stewarts and MacGregors together attacked the Buidhe Clan. It
was a fiercely contested fights in which many of the defenders were
killed. Blood flowed freely; the nearby burn is still called by the old
people Caochan na Fola, the Rill of Blood. Those who survived escaped
over the river while the victors divided the spoils. Dugald took the
cattle back to Appin and MacGregors took the land. Here they were much
sager from attacks and it was a good base from which to launch raids. The
country was a natural stronghold protected by Schichallion in the east
with further three thousand foot mountains in the south. The north faced
miles of wild mountainous country while the wilderness of Rannoch Moor
guarded the western approaches.
For many
years now Rannoch’s neighbours had been troubled by attacks from bands of
wild caterans and ’broken men’ operating from Rannoch but now the numbers
of such men taking refuge in Rannoch increased by leaps and bounds with
the hounding of the MacGregors by the Campbells.
One such
man who was to terrorise the area for years to come was Duncan MacGregor,
called Ladasach. He opening claimed to be the chief of the Clan with
legitimate titles to it. He disputed the 1488 Act of Council which had
given the Campbells power to pursue and destroy the MacGregors. He
claimed the Royal Proclamation was a farce given by James IV while still a
minor and seized the leadership of the MacGregors. However, as we have
seen previously, the MacGregors had one great misfortune--they had no one
willing or able to stand out on their behalf or to tell their side of the
story.
So there
was no alternative for Duncan but to try to take back his territory by the
sword. His exploits of daring are typical of the MacGregor spirit
throughout the whole of their trouble history.
The moon’s
on the lake, and mist’s on the brae.
And the clan has a name that is nameless by day.
Our signal for fight, which from the monarch we drew
Must be heard by night in our vengeful halloo.
Gregarach!
If they rob us of name, and pursue us with beagles,
Give their roof to the flames, and their flesh to the eagles.
Then gather! gather! gather! Gregarach!
(The MacGregor’s Gathering)
He and
his wild men took refuge in Rannoch from where they plundered the country
far and wide. Although the Campbells were their chief targets they had no
chance of dislodging them. Their acts of violence struck terror into
every heart but they did not have everything their own way. In 1513 he
and his merry men were out on a raid when the Campbells surprised them and
cut off their retreat to Rannoch. They were drive southwards where they
were overwhelmed, and Campbell of Glen Orchy captured Ladasach and jailed
them. He was chained like a wild beast in an underground pit at Finlarig
waiting to be hauled up to be ‘heidit’. However, before Campbell could do
this he was called up by James IV to march to Flodden. There he died with
his king and then thousand of his countrymen, and Duncan was saved. He
did not mourn Campbell’s death; in fact he celebrated it by escaping. He
made his way back to Rannoch in safety from where he was able to begin
afresh his career of slaughter and rapine on those who had cheated him of
his birth-right, and on others.
Sometimes
it was not Campbells that sought him out, for we find that his near
neighbours, the Robertsons and Athollmen in 1531, having suffered from his
plundering and violence, joined together and made concerted attacks on the
Island fortress, and also on their hideouts in the Blackwood, this relic
of the Caledonian Forest of pre-history. Here they captured one of
Ladasach’s Lieutenants, Alastair Dhu MacGregor. They dealt with him in
the only way that Ladasach would understand. They ’untopped’ him.
However,
some years later (1545) Duncan got his own back. He exacted a heavy toll
from the Clan Donnachaidh in a furious fight at the east end of the loch.
He captured the chief, Struan Roberston and carried him off. History does
not record what happened to him. Probably Ladasach was satisfied with his
victory and the resultant plunder and released the chief for the
Robertsons were powerful neighbours to offend.
For
forty-two years Ladasach and his Children of the Mist terrorised the
country. His exploits were full of daring as he stole from his enemies
and filled the corries of Rannoch with plundered flocks and hers. Also, in
keeping with the times, very few of his victims were spared from violent
deaths. It was said of him that he ‘lovit never justice not yet law’.
In his
last exploit he heard that a MacGregor has become a turncoat and joined
Campbell of Glen Orchy. To Ladasach this was the most heinous of crimes
and though he was a man of sixty-five he was determined to make the
journey to show the defaulter the evil of his ways. Fortunately for him
their intended victim was absent to Ladashach and his sons broke into his
house and stole his money. It does not require much imagination to
conjecture what punishment they would have meted out to the unfortunate
turncoat, for the neighbour of this man on coming to the house to see what
the intruders were doing had ‘his heid struck from his body’.
This was
their last crime because they were caught and on 16th June,
1552 they were beheaded by order of Colin Campbell of Glen Orchy, Campbell
of Glen Lyon and Menzies of Rannoch.
His
contemporary James MacGregor, Dean of Lismore and Vicar of Fortingall,
gives us an account of his last days in a satirical poem called ‘Testament
of Duncan Ladasach” in which his final words are
‘Now
farewell Rannoch with the loch and isle
To me thous was richt traist baith even and mourn.
Thou was the place that wad me not beguile,
When I have been oft at the king’s horn.’
As he
awaits execution he distributes his worldly goods as follows:
‘To the
Curate he gives NEGLIGENCE; to the Vicar RAPACITY, to the Parson
OPPRESSION; to the Prior GLUTTONY, PRIDE and ARROGANCE to the Abbot, HIS
FREE WILL to the Bishop, and to the Friar FLATTER and FALSE DISEMBLING.’
So with
two fingers raised the ‘bare arsed’ MacGregor faced his executioners.
*********************
Though
Ladasach was out of the way the MacGregors of Rannoch continued to perate
unabated. A particularly grisly affair led them to be condemned to death
(proscribed) by law. In 1589 John Drummond caught two MacGregors poaching
deer in the royal forest so he hanged them. Such an affront to the
MacGregors was not likely to be taken lightly. If there was any hanging
to be done the MacGregors wre usually on the safe end of the rope. So the
chief with a band of his followers captured Drummond and executed him by
dragging his body at a gallop through his deer forest. Then hew was
‘heidit’ and they sat his head on a table in the house of his sister, Mrs
Stewart of Ardvorlich, to confront her when she came home. They also
stuffed bread and cheese into Drummond’s mouth.
As if
this was not enough they took the head to Balquidder Church where the
MacGregor Clan were forbidden for the occasion and one all swore ‘to
defend ye authors of ye said murder’. Each one approached the altar where
the gruesome trophy was placed, and with hand on the head and sword held
high, each said
‘………..to
heaven I swear
This deed of death I own and share’
(Sir Alexander Boswell’s poem ‘Clan Alpine’s Vow’)
After
this the MacGregors were pursued with fire and sword and stripped by law
of everything that humans regard as necessities--food, drink, shelter and
friendship. Their woman were branded and whipped naked. Children were
taken from them and given over as slaves. But it was a brave person who
would venture into Rannoch after them, and here they continued defying the
law, making regular raids for food and plunder. As more and more turned
against them so they would grow closer together. It was this
characteristic that brought even sterner retribution on their heads.
In the
summer of 1602, the MacGregors attacked the Colqhouns because they had
hanged two Rannoch clansmen for stealing a sheep as they were making their
way home from a raid in Luss. As you would expect, this action brought
immediate retaliation from the Rannoch Chieftain. ‘Gregarach’ was soon to
be heard as the avengers swept through Glen Finlas taking 120 cattle and
killing and wounding many Colquhouns.
Colquhoun
wasted no time in appealing to King James VI at Stirling. In fact local
historians suggested he overdid it by taking wounded men, bloodstained
shirts held aloft by wailing widows and line after line of weeping orphans
and parading them in front of the King. Whether that be so or not, it is
a fact that he was granted a Commission to raise a force against the
cursed MacGregors.
It was
not until 8th January, 1603 that he set out. He probably had
difficulty persuading warriors to join him against such foes as the
MacGregors.
Meanwhile
the MacGregors had heard of the preparations and believing that attack is
the best policy the fiery cross was sent around the area to summon the
Cammerson from Rannoch and the MacDonalds from Glencoe, all expert in
‘spreaghs’ and eager to join the MacGregors in what would seem to be a
profitable enterprise. There was said to be 500 of them. What a
spectacle it must have been as they poured over the hills of Rannoch,
heading for Loch Lomond. It was enough to strike terror into the heart of
the bravest foe.
However,
although Colquhoun had managed to get 800 men they were no match for the
MacGregors. Geln Fruin echoed to the clash of arms and the wild yells of
fighting men, but not for long. It was all over in a few minutes, and the
slaughter of the Luss and Dumbarton men began.
Although
the MacGregors by taking decisive action, had saved themselves for the
moment, it was the beginning of the end. In April, 1603, three months
after the Battle of Glen Fruin, the name of MacGregor was banished. They
were ordered to take the name of any clan other than their own, on pain of
death. James VI was determined to do his best to leave a peaceful
Scotland behind him before he moved South to become King of England,
Scotland and Ireland and a step in this direction was to scourge the
Highlands of Clan MacGregor.
Although
they were safe in the fastnesses of Rannoch, elsewhere proscription,
‘diteadhu gu bas’, was to be enforced. Every MacGregor was condemned to
death. A MacGregor could be killed by anyone with impunity. Any
notorious criminal could purchase a pardon by bringing a certain number of
MacGregor heads.
Some were
dealt with summarily, some were brought to trial. Some saved themselves
by informing, others found other ways of avoiding retribution. An
uncommon one was at Kenaclacher at the west end of Loch Rannoch (now where
the Camusericht Farm is). On the 12th of June 1683 the
Commissioners of Justice assembled to try five caterans guilty of rapine
and other crimes. Two of them were MacGregors from Glen Lyon. They were
now called Patrick McNaughton and John McInkaird and the other three were
MacGregors from Rannoch. The father was called Duncan Macgregor (now
called Fletcher0 and the other two were his son Ewan and his son-in-law
Duncan. The Commissioners included Sir James Campbell of Lawers, Sire
Ewen Cameron of Lochiel and Alexander Robertson of Struan and they found
them guilty and condemned them to be hanged. When sentence was passed
John McInkarid ‘begged his life before them on his knees and offered to be
a public executioner, which the Commissioners upon consideration of his
ingenuitie and the necessitie of having a servant to attend, they upon
caution repryved him, and ordered him to enter on his service, which he
instantlie did and hanged his fellows.’
Their
well-wishers ignored the proscription orders and befriended MacGregors
sometimes at great risk to themselves but their enemies pursued them
relentlessly, determined to exterminate them. In the wilds of Rannoch
they were sage, they were never driven out, even though proscription was
not finally lifted until 1775.
However,
long before that the robber bands of Rannoch gave up their warlike ways.
Although cattle lifting continued for a long while; after all it was
really a way of life with Highland clans, this eventually the MacGregors
who had already become law-abiding, and Rannoch became a place of peace
containing hundred of honest and hardworking MacGregors. They would still
be there today if it had been for the tragedies that struck the glen. Now
there is only one MacGregor left. But that is another story. |
