!BIOGRAPHY: BURKE''S LANDED GENTRY, Eighteenth Edition, Vol. II, London,
Burke''s Peerage Limited, 1969, pp. 416-417. Declared heir, and for a
time maintained possession of the Lewes, m. a sister of Rory Mor
Macleod, 15th of Dunvegan, and was killed by his eldest brother Torquil
Conanach, leaving issue, three sons, who d.s.p.
!BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon, and Alick Morrison, MACLEOD
CHIEFS OF HARRIS AND DUNVEGAN, Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod Society,
1969, p. 22.
Christina, who married, as her first husband, Torquil Dubh MacLeod, son
of Roderick MacLeod, 9th of Lewis, with issue, and, as her second
husband, Ranald MacDonald, 1st of the MacDonalds of Benbecula, without
issue.
!BIOGRAPHY: John Burke, Esq., HISTORY OF THE COMMONERS OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND, Vol. IV, Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co.,
1977, pp. 584-592.
Torquil, twelfth Baron of Lewis, whose title, however, was disputed by
Torquil Connanach. The island estates were all held by Torquil Dubh,
whilst the mainland estates were in the possession of Torquil
Connanach, whose right however, to the whole, had recently been
acknowledged by government. Torquil Connanach had now lost both his
sons, John, the eldest, having been killed at Stornoway, and the second,
Neill, dead of a fever. He had married his eldest daughter, Margaret, to
Sir Roderick Mackenzie, of Tarbat, brother of Mackenzie of Kintail, and
ancestor of the Earls of Cromarty. He now threw himself entirely into
the hands of the Mackenzies, to whom, in the end, he even conveyed the
barony of the Lewis, so far as writing could accomplish this object. The
estate of Lochbroom, and a great deal more of the Lewis property, was
given by Torquil Connanach to his daughter, Margaret, as a dowry; and her
husband joined the Lewis arms with his own.
In the mean time, Torquil Dubh, married a sister of MacLeod of Herries,
and proceeded to ravage the lands of Coigach and Lochbroom, openly
announcing his intention of keeping by force what he had hitherto
possessed. As this young chief was much beloved by his clan, and was
followed by 700 or 800 men, he was enabled for some time, to set his
rival at defiance, in spite of the power of the Mackenzies. At length, his
enemies made a complaint against him to the privy council, of which
body, unfortunately, Mackenzie of Kintail was a member. Torquil was
summoned before the council, but naturally hesitating to trust himself,
in a court, where his enemy Kintail had so much power, he was denounced
as a rebel, and being soon afterwards treacherously seized, by the breve
or judge of Lewis, and delivered by him to Mackenzie, Torquil Dubh was,
without further ceremony, beheaded in July, 1597.
Torquil Dubh left three young sons, Roderick, William, and Torquil,
whose cause in the Lewis was supported by the Macleans, and Macleods
of Herries, and also their natural uncle Niell, who took command of the
Siol Torquil, during the minority of young Roderick.
At this same time the Mackenzies tried to sieze the whole lands of
Gairloch from Siol Vic Gillecallum, of Rasay, which renewed an ancient
feud between these two families.
In the year 1598, an act was passed by the government, by which all
chiefs, and others, possessing, or pretending any right to, property of
any kind in the Highlands and Isles, were to show their various title
deeds before the lords of the Exchequer, on the 15th May, 1598. Absolute
forfeiture was the penalty of disobedience to this act, and
unfortunately, the Macleods of Lewis were amongst the number of those
who did not obey.
!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN,
Section IV, Revised Edition, "The MacLeods of Lewis", Edinburgh,
Associated Clan MacLeod Societies, 1990, pp. 8, 12.
Torquil (Torcall Dubh)... was executed in July 1597. He married
Christina, daughter of Norman MacLeod of Dunvegan. [MGC (I) p. 22.]
Torquil Dubh prosecuted the feud with Torquil Cononach with ruthless
Macleod intensity. In 1596 both of them declared their submission to
the King, doubtless hoping to profit therebgy to the detriment of the
other. They were accordingly both withdrawn from the list of rebels
who had been active while the King was occupied in suppressing the
Catholic earls. [Balcarres Papers. vol. VI. no. 70.] If anybody, the King
favoured Torquil Cononach, [RSS, MS Vol. LXVIII, folio 298.] who
nevertheless amde little headway in the Long Island. On the contrary,
Torquil Dubh attacked him successfully in Coigeach itself [Record of the
Privy Council, 11 February 1596/7.] and was consequently summoned to
appear before the Council, of which Kintail was an influential member.
Torquil Dubh was understandably reluctant to appear, was declared
rebellious and soon afterwards treacherously seized by the Morrison
brieve and handed over to MacKenzie. He was summarily beheaded in July
1597.
In December of the same year an Act of Parliement required "all
landlords,chieftains, leaders of clans, principal householders, heritors,
and others possessing, or pretending right to, any lands in the Highlands
and Islands to produce their various title deeds before the Lords of the
Exchequer upon the 15thMay 1598". [D. Gregory (1881/1975) p. 276.]
Failure to do so would result in absolute forfeiture of all titles, real or
claimed. The intention was, without doubt, to put large areas of the
Highlands and Islands at the King''s disposal in order that he might pursue
his plans for raising cash by the privatisation of regional development
there. The lands of the Macdonalds and both branches of the MacLEods
were thus forfeited, by default, to the Crown in 1598. The brunt of the
ensuing exploitation was to fall on the disorganised Macleods of Lewis.
Although the common interest ought to have united them all in
opposition to the King''s colonial ambitions, the Macdonalds and the
MacLeods of Dunvegan chose to wait and see what should happen in
Lewis.
The saga of the Fife Adventurers in Lewis is part of the public history.
In this three-cornered contest, the gentlemen from the Lowlands were
trying to do their best according to their lights. The attitude fo some of
the Macleod leaders was ambivalent, but the population as a whole
wanted nothing of them. In the third corner sat Kintail, feeling no
sympathy for the Macleods, but neither aiding nor opposing the King; he
bided his time, only intervening to ensure that the contest should
continue until both Macleods and Adventurers were exhausted to the
point of collapse.
The Adventurers landed in Lewis in late 1598 [W.C.MacKenzie
(1903/1974) pp. 182ff.] and encountered immediate opposition. They
came, however, to an understanding with Neil, one of Old Ruari''s bastard
sons and head of the Resistance. neil, who was in feud with his
half-brother, Murdo, slaughtered a dozen leading Morriosn, but delivered
Murdo to the Adventurers at their request. Murdo was executed at Saint
Andrews soon afterwards. Neil took his bloody trophies to Edinburgh and
negotiated a pardon. The Adventurers were encouraged to build the
"prettie toun" of Stornoway. [W.C.MacKenzie (1903/1974) p. 199.] In
1601 a new commission was granted to the Earls of Lennox and Huntly to
move in thier support, but the expedition was to be privatised; the earls,
not the King, should bear all the costs. In Lewis, Neil agian quarrelled
with the Fifers, outwitted them when they tried to surprise him and
inflicted heavy casualties on them and their property. Kintail found this
a good moment to release Tormod, the youngest brother of Torquil Dubh
Macleod, whom he had been holding prisoner - illegally. The young
chief''s return stimulated the Resistance to a successful attack on the
Adventurers which forced them to withdraw from Lewis on humiliating
terms. The King reacted violently, but he could do nothing until 1605
when a new wave of Adventurers were able to come to land. They
entered into negotiations with Tormod who, against Neil''s advice, agreed
to go to London to plead the Islanders'' case with the King. For his pains
he was imprsoned in Edinburgh for the next ten years.
In 1607, Huntly was commissioned to pacify the islands and, amonst
other things, to "end the service, by extirpation of the barbarous people
of the Isles, within a year". [Record of the Privy Council, 26 March - 30
April 1607. Denmylne MS, Advocates'' Library.] For perhaps purely
accidental reasons, the marquess was unable to carry out the intended
holocaust. The remaining Adventurers were much dispirited. Kintail
thought this a good time to exploit the writs and the charters entrusted
to him by Torquil Cononach and to make his bid for the grant of Lewis to
himself, but the Adventurers still had enough political clout with the
King to defeat this manoeuvre for the time being. A new grant was made
to Lord Balmerino, Sir George Hay and Sir James Spens. [Sir R. Gordon
(1813) pp. 273-274; Letterfearn MS.] So, while events in the south
slowly moved towards the framing of the Statutes of Ocolmkill 1609,
Lewis remained in turmoil. Continually harassed by Neil Macleod, who -
needless to say - was secretly abetted by Kintail, the Adventurers at
last gave up the struggle in 1610 and sold their rights to MacKenzie.
[RMS (VI) no. 341.] That nobleman lost no time in landing his troops
under Sir Roderick, the tutor, and subduing the whole island. Only Neil
Macleod, supported by his nephews, Malcolm William and Ruari and some
thirty others, held out in his island fastness of Bearasay in the mouth of
Loch Roag. This inglorious chapter ended with Neil''s voluntary surrender
to MacLeod of Dunvegan who eventually turned him over the Privy Council
(and was knighted soon afterwards). Neil was tried, convicted, hanged
and died "verie christianlie" in April 1613. His son, Donald, was
released, went to England and thence to Holland where he died without
known issue. Of Rory Og''s sons, William and Rory were hanged by Kintail,
but the third, Malcolm escaped and lived by piracy along th coast. He
supported Sir James Macdonald during his short rebellion and after its
collapse accompanied him to Ireland and Spain. He re-appeared in the
islands from time to time to harry the MacKenzies, since commissions of
fire ans sword against him were granted to Kintail in 1622 and again in
1626. [Record of the Privy Council, 14th November 1622; 28th November
1626.] It is not know what became of him.
When Tormod Macleod, the last legitimate son of Old Ruari, was
released from his Edinburgh prison in 1615, he was permitted to go to
Holland, where he died without known issue. Of Torquil Dubh''s sons,
William died young, but Roderick and Torquil of whom Sir Robert Gordon
spoke as "youths of great promise" seem to have disappeared without
trace. [D. Gregory (1881/1975) p. 338.] History is equally mute about
the fate of Neil''s two younger sons, Malcolm and William, who were with
him on Bearasay. [D. Macdonald (1967) p. 19.]