!SOURCE: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon and Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS:
THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section III, "Cadet Families", Edinburgh, The
Clan MacLeod Society, 1970, pp. 248-251.
Though no recorded evidence or tradition has come down to us about the
family of Norman 1st of Berneray, we can deduce with a fair degree of
confidence that he ws succeeded by a son, called John. The evidence for
this is as follows. When Iain Borb 6th became Chief, he was scarcely 10
years old in 1402. In these circumstances, according to the BANNATYNE
MANUSCRIPT, "a Regent or acting Chief, called Teichter (i.e., tutor) or
Guardean was always chosen by the Clan". One of the claimants for this
office was Tarmad Caol 2nd of Gesto, a renowned warrior and the victor
of Sligachan, who was reputed to have killed Alasdair Carrach, the
leader of the MacDonalds, who had invaded Skye. He was the eldest son
of Murdo, the third son of Malcolm 3rd Chief. No person of an equal or
lower degree of precedency could hope to rival his claims. The only
person, who had a higher degree of precedency was undoubtedly the heir
and successor of Norman 1st of Berneray, who was the second son of
Malcolm 3rd Chief. In this contest between precedency and proven
military valour, the majority of the Clan favoured the former as more
likely to preserve the unity of the Clan at a pressing time in their
history. Accordingly, John MacLeod the successor of Norman MacLeod 1st
was appointed Tutor. Bannatyne calls the Tutor ''mihalvie'', a barbarous
rendering of the Gaelic ''mi-shealbhach'', which means ''unfortunate''. And
unfortunate John MacLeod, the Tutor, certainly was, Bannatyne''s verdict
on him is harsh and unjust. He proceeds, "this office was conferred on a
John MacLeod, a cousin of the Chiefs, who from his imbecility and
worthlessness got the name of Mihalvie or the unlucky. He held the
office of Teichter or Guardian for six years and during that period the
MacLeods of Skye and Harris met with with more disasters and were
reduced lower than at any other period of their History down to the
dissolution of the Clans 1748." These are hard words and they invite a
critical examination. In the first place, it is certainly unlikely that a
majority of the Clan MacLeod would choose a worthless imbecile to be
Tutor. Perhaps, Bannatyne however reserves his verdict for the way he
conducted his tutorship. Before a just estimation can be arrived at in
this respect, it is only fair to examine the circumstances which faced
the Tutor at the time. Tarmad Caol was bitterly disappointed and
refused to obey the Tutor. he went further and actually took possession
of MacLeod''s half of Glenelg. This division at this critical time was the
real cause of disaster. it was well known that the MacDonalds had
designs on the clan territory. They had succeedd in getting a feudal
charter of MacLeod territory in 1335 and although this charter was later
altered in 1344, they still continued to have a feudal claim on Lewis and
Harris. When Donald Lord of the Isles marriednt the daughter of the Earl
of Ross, he claimed Skye as her marriage portion. Feudal claims however
had little authority in the Highlands unless accompanied by
overwhelming force. The organisation of Highland society in a clan
system was meant to resist such a contingency. No doubt the
MacDonalds would have been pleased to have such claims as purely
nominal but for the fact that the marriages of John MacDonald of Islay
had created an awkward difficulty. John was married twice, first to
Amy MacRuaridh of Garmora, with issue, and secondly, to Margaret,
daughter of the High Steward of Scotland, afterwards, King Robert II,
with further issue. John, who was Lord of the Isles, determined that the
Lordship should be granted to Donald, his son by the Stewart''s daughter.
Of course, this decision disinherited his issue by his previous wife, Amy
MacRuaridh. He was however prepared to soften the blow by giving them
actual possession of territory occupied by the MacLeods. About 1373 a
grant of Harris and part of Skye was made to Ranald (ancestor of the
Clan Ranald family), the second son of Amy MacRuaridh. Another son,
Godfrey was to receive North Uist. Whatever the ''sheepskin claims'' of
the MacDonalds said, the Clan MacLeod was in actual possession of these
lands and they were fully determined to maintain their position by force
of arms, if necessary. The MacDonalds were equally determined to
enforce their feudal claim and to take actual possession of MacLeod
territory. Their first invasion of Skye under Alasdair Carrach (ancestor
of the Keppoch family) had met with disaster. They were routed at
Sligachan. Now in 1402-03, the Clan MacLeod was badly divided, thus
providing the MacDonalds with an excellent opportunity to satisfy their
ambitions. The odds against the MacLeods were overwhelming. The Clan
Donald wwere proud, courageous and exceedingly powerful. Readers of
Gaelic poetry can see these virtues remarkably extolled in the fiery
exhortation of Lachlan Mor MacVurich on the eve of the battle of Harlaw
in 1411. The rousing description evokes the heavy strokes of the
claymore and the deadly swing of the Lochaber axe. The MacDonalds now
invaded the Isle of Skye and thrust the MacLeods out of the two strong
points of Dun Sgathach and Dun Camus. Still holding the initiative, the
MacDonalds irrupted into North Uist and overran that territory. In a
fierce naval battle in the Kyles of Uist and overran that territory. In a
fierce naval battle in the Kyles of Uist [CELTIC MAGAZINE, No. 59, pp.
457-58.], adjacent to the island of Berneray, the MacLeods were
defeated, their leader slain and all their birlinns were captured. These
accumulated misfortunes may have unnerved the Tutor, who "shut
himself in the strong Castle of Pabbay, where he remained for the rest
of his governorship". He was not left unmolested for long. The
MacDonalds were poised for one paralysing blow in Harris. Bypassing the
island of Berneray, they struck at the island of Pabbay with fire and
sword. They were so confident of success that their leader''s wife
insisted on accompanying the party. On the approach of this hostile
armada of birlinns, the people of Pabbay ran away from their homes to
hide and shelter among the rocks and caves of the seashore. The
MacDonalds landed and contemptuously left their birlinns in charge of
one sentry, while they raided the houses and rounded up the cattle. The
men of Pabbay managed to seize the sentry and to cut the ropes of the
birlinns so that they fared forth over the waters of the Sound to the long
which beach of Berneray. Manwhile a call for help was sent to Berneray
and the call was answered. The available manpower of both islands then
engaged the invaders low down by the shore at Lingay in the vicinity of
Pabbay Castle. The MacDonalds were defeated in a grim battle and not
one of them left Pabbay alive. Among the slain was found the body of a
woman. This victory, no doubt, gave Harris a respite, but the MacDonalds
were still sufficiently numerous and powerful to re-invade from Uist.
They held the initiative and here was probably the reason why the Tutor
stayed in the Castle of Pabbay. Meanwhile the situation in Skye was one
of the utmost gravity: the MacDonalds were investing Dunvegan Castle
where the widow (the wife of William Cleireach 5th Chief) and her two
young sons, Iain Borb, the Chief and Tormod, ancestor of the MacLeods of
Borline and St. Kilda, were residing. Only timely assistance form Torquil
MacLeod of Lewis relieved the situation. He defeated the MacDonalds at
Feorlig and forced them to fly to their birlinns. Matters were so critical
however that he was compelled to take the widow and her two young
sons with him to Lewis for greater security. And here Iain Borb
remained until 1408, when he returned to Rodel to be invested as Chief
of the Clan. Though the MacLeods had lost territory, they still had
succeeded in preserving the freedom of the Clan. Iain Borb, no sooner
had become Chief, than he restored the unity of the Clan with the strong
arm. Tarmad Caol submitted and was pardoned: John, the unfortunate
Tutor was hanged from the yardarm of a birlinn in Rodill and according
to Bannatyne "his property confiscated and his children banished for
ever". If John MacLeod the Tutor was the tacksman of Berneray, and
there is firm reason to believe that he was, Bannatyne is in error about
the confiscation of his property and the banishment of the children. The
MacLeods of Berneray still continued to hold the island for more than
two centuries thereafter and even then were rated as one of the leading
MacLeod families. Iain Borb, now sailed to Islay and, helped by his
relation, MacLean of Duart, he came to terms with Donald, Lord of the
Isles. He agreed to assist Donald to recover the Earldom of Ross and
helped to take part in the spectacular raid across the North of Scotland,
which ended in the battle of Harlaw in 1411, where Iain received the
fatal gash in his forehead from which he later died in the island of
Pabbay. In return, Donald, Lord of the Isles, restored to him such
MacLeod territories as the MacDonalds had won, except part of North
Uist. The Tutor was married with issue but their names are not known
to us. He was succeeded in Berneray by his son, whom we can
confidently call Mac Iain (son of John).