!SOURCE: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon, and Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS
-- THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section III, "MacLeod Cadet Families",
Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod Society, 1970, pp. 1, 2.
In the saga of the Clan MacLeod, the BANNATYNE MANUSCRIPT, we come
across a curious story, obviously based on some old tradition among the
MacLeods. It details how William Cleireach 5th Chief of the Clan, and
Donald, Lord of the Isles, paid visits to a young lady on an island in the
vicinity of the Castle of Dingwall. In the course of time, the young lady
gave birth to twin boys, one of whom had black hair and the other red
hair. The child with the red hair became known as Alasdair Aranach,
from the circumstance that he was brought up in the island of Arran.
The child with the black hair was called Alasdair Avonach to denote the
district in which he spent his youth. More curious still, Donald of the
Isles who had red hair, decided to adopt Alasdair Avonach. William, the
MacLeod, Chief, who had black hair, adopted Alasdair Aranach. When the
twin boys grew to manhood, they were intensely attached to each other
and exceptionally brave so that they were regarded as the Castor and
Pollux of the Isles.
Tradition has no dates and exhibits itself often in various guises.
Usually a substratum of historical truth may be discovered in it and this
seems to be the case in the story of Alasdair Avonach. Three
observations may be legitimately be made.
(1) We have no evidence that Alasdair Aranach existed or that his race
(sliochd) ever lived in the domains of MacLeod.
(2) Bannatyne is certainly in error in believing that Alasdair Avonach
was the son of William Cleireach 5th Chief of the MacLeods, who
flourished at the beginning of the 15th century.
(3) Alasdair Avonach certainly existed and may indeed have been the
illegitimate son of a William, Chief of the Clan MacLeod, with this
provision that it could not be William 5th but was probably William 13th
Chief of the Clan. As such, Alasdair Avonach was a nephew of Sir
Ruairidh Mor MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan. As a result, he was
entitled to be included among the chief men of the Clan, due to be
exhibited before the Privy Council by Sir Ruairidh Mor in 1616 "to the
effect that by their comeing heir yeirlie thay may be reducit to civilitie
and maid to acknowledge thair obedyence to his Majestie and his laws".
Hence in 1622, Sir Rory McCleud exhibited "Allaster Avenaugh and Rory
McTormont, tua of the persons, whome he is oblist to exhibite yeirlie . . .
and the saidis personis being demanded yf thay had fulfillit the remanent
conditionis specifet in thair actis of cautionarie, they declairit that
they had fulfillit the same".
Confirmation that Alasdair Avonach was the son of William 13th Chief
is found in an unsigned letter written from Kilbride on the 29th July
1843 to a certain Mr. Nicolson, giving some details on the genealogy of
the MacLeods of Crackinish. It proceeds, "I suppose Cousin F. cannot go
so far back as you expected or could wish. After profound cogitation,
she finds she can go no further than three steps beyond your
grandmother, so that the stem of my tree, will be John MacLeod,
supposed to be a grandson of one of the MacLeods of Dunvegan." This
John MacLeod appears as "Ean mc Allister vic Williame" in 1683-1784
and "Johne McAllister" in 1686. Where Alasdair Avonach resided is not
stated. There is a tradition that he lived in Glenelg, but at least his
immediate descendants are found in North and South Caipebhal in South
Harris and also in Skye. Alasdair was married with issue.