| The truce between the Earls of Caithness and Sutherland having now expired,
the latter, accompanied by Mackay, Macintosh, the Laird of Foulis, the Laird of Assynt,
and Gille-Calum, Laird of Rasay, entered Caithness with all his forces in the beginning of
1588. In taking this step he was warranted by a commission which he had obtained at court,
through the influence of Chancellor Maitland, against the Earl of Caithness for killing
George Gordon. The people of Caithness, alarmed at the great force of the Earl, fled in
all directions on his approach, and he never halted till he reached the strong fort of
Girnigo, where he pitched his camp for twelve days. He then penetrated as far as
Duncansby, killing several of the country people on his route, and collecting an immense
quantity of cattle and goods, so large, indeed, as to exceed all that had been seen
together in that country for many years. This invasion had such an effect upon the people
of Caithness, that every race, clan, tribe, and family there, vied with one another in
offering pledges to the Earl of Sutherland to keep the peace in all time coming. The town
of Wick was also pillaged and burnt, but the church was preserved. In the church was found
the heart of the Earl of Caithness’s father in a case of lead, which was opened by
John Mac-Gille-Calum of Rasay, and the ashes of the heart were thrown by him to the winds.
During the time when these depredations were
being committed, the Earl of Caithness shut himself up in the castle of Girnigo; but on
learning the disasters which had befallen his country, he desired a cessation of
hostilities and a conference with the Earl of Sutherland. As the castle of Girnigo was
strongly fortified, and as the Earl of Caithness had made preparations for enduring a long
siege, the Earl of Sutherland complied with his request. Both earls ultimately agreed to
refer all their differences and disputes to the arbitration of friends, and the Earl of
Huntly was chosen by mutual consent to act as umpire or oversman, in the event of a
difference of opinion. A second truce was in this way entered into until the decision of
the arbiters, when all differences were to cease.
Notwithstanding this engagement, however, the
Earl of Caithness soon gave fresh provocation, for before the truce had expired he sent a
party of his men to Diri-Chatt in Sutherland, under the command of Kenneth Buy, and his
brother Farquhar Buy, chieftains of the SiolMhic-Imlieair in Caithness, and chief advisers
of the Earl of Caithness in his bad actions, and his instruments in oppressing the poor
people of Caithness. The Earl of Sutherland lost no time in revenging himself for the
depredations committed. At Whitsunday, in the year 1589, he sent 300 men into Caithness,
with Alexander Gordon of Kilcalrnekill at their head. They penetrated as far as Girnigo,
laying the country waste everywhere around them, and striking terror into the hearts of
the inhabitants, many of whom, including some of the Siol-Mhic-Imlieair, they killed.
After spending their fury the party returned to Sutherland with a large booty, and without
the loss of a single man.
To retaliate upon the Earl of Sutherland for this inroad,
James Sinclair of Marlde, brother of the Earl of Caithness, collected an army of 3,000
men, with which he marched into Strathully, in the month of June, 1589. As the Earl of
Sutherland had been apprehensive of an attack, he had placed a range of sentinels along
the borders of Sutherland, to give notice of the approach of the enemy. Of these, four
were stationed in the village of Liribell, which the Caithness men entered in the middle
of the day unknown to the sentinels, who, instead of keeping an outlook, were at the time
carelessly enjoying themselves within the watch-house. On perceiving the Caithness men
about entering the house, they shut themselves up within it; but the house being set on
fire, three of them perished, and the fourth, rushing through the flames, escaped with
great difficulty, and announced to his countrymen the arrival of the enemy. From
Strathully, Sinclair passed forward with his army to a place called Crissalligh, on the
height of Strathbroray, and began to drive away some cattle towards Caithness. As the Earl
of Sutherland had not yet had sufficient time to collect a suficient force to oppose
Sinclair, he sent in the meantime Houcheon Mackay, who happened to be at Dunrobin with 500
or 600 men, to keep Sinclair in check until a greater force should be assembled. With this
body, which was hastily drawn together on the spur of the occasion, Mackay advanced with
amazing celerity, and such was the rapidity of his movements, that he most unexpectedly
came up with Sinclair not far from Crissalligh, when his army was ranging about without
order or military discipline. On coming up, Mackay found John Gordon of Kilcalmekill at
the head of a small party skirmishing with the Caithness men, a circumstance which made
him instantly resolve, though so far inferior in numbers, to attack Sinclair. Crossing
therefore the water, which was between him and the enemy, Mackay and his men rushed upon
the army of Sinclair, which they defeated after a long and warm contest. The Caithness men
retreated with the loss of their booty and part of their baggage, and were closely pursued
by a body of men commanded by John Murray, nicknamed the merchant, to a distance of 16
miles.
This defeat, however, did not satisfy the
Earl of Sutherland, who, having now assembled an army, entered Caithness with the
intention of laying it waste. The earl advanced as far as Corriclioigh, and the Earl of
Caithness convened his forces at Spittle, where he lay waiting the arrival of his enemy.
The Earl of Huntly, having been made acquainted with the warlike preparations of the two
hostile earls, sent, without delay, his uncle, Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindun, to mediate
between them, and he luckily arrived at the Earl of Sutherland’s head-quarters, at
the very instant his army was on its march to meet the Earl of Caithness. By the friendly
interference of Sir Patrick, the parties were prevailed upon to desist from their hostile
intentions, and to agree to hold an amicable meeting at Elgin, in presence of the Earl of
Huntly, to whom they also agreed to refer all their differences. A meeting accordingly
took place in the month of November, 1589, at which all disputes were settled, and in
order that the reconciliation might be lasting, and that no recourse might again be had to
arms, the two earls subscribed a deed, by which they appointed Huntly and his successors
hereditary judges, and arbitrators of all disputes or differences, that might thenceforth
arise between these two houses.
This reconciliation, however, as it did not obliterate the
rancour which existed between the people of these different districts, was but of short
duration. The frequent depredations committed by the vassals and retainers of the earls
upon the property of one another, led to an exchange of letters and messages between them
about the means to be used for repressing these disorders. During this correspondence the
Earl of Sutherland became unwell, and, being confined to his bed, the Earl of Caithness,
in October, 1590, wrote him a kind letter, which he had scarcely despatched when he most
unaccountably entered Sutherland with a hostile force; but he only remained one night in
that country, in consequence of receiving intelligence of a meditated attack upon his camp
by John Gordon of Kilcalmekill, and Neill Mac-lain-MacWilliam. A considerable number of
the Sutherland men having collected together, they resolved to pursue the Caithness men,
who had carried off a large quantity of cattle; but, on coming nearly up with them, an
unfortunate difference arose between the Murrays and the Gordons, each contending for the
command of the vanguard. The Murrays rested their claim upon their former good services to
the house of Sutherland; but the Gordons refusing to admit it, all the Murrays, with the
exception of William Murray, brother of the Laird of Palrossie, and John Murray, the
merchant, withdrew, and. took a station on a hill hard by to witness the combat.
This unexpected event seemed to paralyze the Gordons at
first; but seeing the Caithness men driving the cattle away before them, and thinking that
if they did not attack them they would be accused of cowardice, Patrick Gordon of Gartay,
John Gordon of Embo, and John Gordon of Kilcalmekill, after some consultation, resolved to
attack the retiring foe without loss of time, and without waiting for the coming up of the
Strathnaver men, who were hourly expected. This was a bold and desperate attempt, as the
Gordons were only as one to twelve in point of numbers, but they could not brook the idea
of being branded as cowards. With such numerical inferiority, and with the sun and wind in
their faces to boot, the Sutherland men advanced upon and resolutely attacked the
Caithness men near Clyne. In the van of the Caithness army were placed about 1,500
archers, a considerable number of whom were from the Western Isles, under the command of
Donald Balloch Mackay of Scourie, who poured a thick shower of arrows upon the men of
Sutherland as they advanced, the latter, in return, giving their opponents a similar
reception. The combat raged with great fury for a considerable time between these two
parties: thrice were the Caithness archers driven back upon their rear, which was in
consequence thrown into great disorder, and thrice did they return to the conflict,
cheered on and encouraged by their leader; but, though superior in numbers, they could not
withstand the firmness and intrepidity of the Sutherland men, who forced them to retire
from the field of battle on the approach of night, and to abandon the cattle which had
been carried off. The loss in killed and wounded was about equal on both sides; but, with
the exception of Nicolas Sutherland, brother of the Laird of Forse, and Angus
Mac-Angus-Termat, both belonging to the Caithness party, and John Murray, the merchant, on
the Sutherland side, there were no principal persons killed.
Vain as the efforts of the common friends of
the rival earls had hitherto been to reconcile them effectually, the Earl of Huntly and
others once more attempted an arrangement, and having prevailed upon the parties to meet
at Strathbogie, a final agreement was entered into in the month of March, 1591, by which
they agreed to bury all bygone differences in oblivion, and to live on terms of amity in
all time thereafter.
This fresh reconciliation of the two earls
was the means of restoring quiet in their districts for a considerable time, which was
partially interrupted in the year 1594, by a quarrel between the clan Gun and some of the
other petty tribes. Donald Mac-William-Mac-Hennc, A]ister Mac-Iain-Mac-Rorie, and others
of the clan Gun entered Caithness and attacked Farquhar Buy, one of the captains of the
tribe of Siol-Mhic-Imhenir, and William Sutherland, alias William Abaraich, the chief
favourite of the Earl of Caithness, and the principal plotter against the life of George
Gordon, whose death has been already noticed. After a warm skirmish, Farquhar Buy, and
William Abaraich, and some of their followers, were slain. To revenge this outrage, the
Earl of Caithness sent the same year his brother, James Sinclair of Murkle, with a party
of men, against the clan Gun in Strathie, in Strathnaver, who killed seven of that tribe.
George Mac-lain-MacRob, the chief, and Donald Mac-William-MacHennic narrowly escaped with
their lives. |
