!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. 255-258.
John MacLeod''s name also appears in the Register of the Privy Council
and the Grianam Case (Session Papers 1765-66 and the House of Lords''
Papers 1781). In 1616, John is styled ''Eane mc Rorye vc Connell mc Eane''
or John son of Roderick son of Donald son of John. He is classified among
the eight leading members of the Clan MacLeod of Harris and Dunvegan.
Sir Roderick Mor promised to exhibit him in Edinburgh as a hostage for
the good behaviour o the Clan. We have no evidence that he ever
compeared before the Privy Council and he was dead by 1626, as was
also, his brother Roderick, whom the Chiefs held in readiness to take his
place. From this it would appear that John ahd left a young family. Sir
Roderick Mor must have known John MacLeod 9th of Berneray well. With
the decay of the old castle of Pabbay in the latter half of the 16th
century, Sir Roderick Mor 15th Chief must have lived on occasions in
Berneray, for two of his sons, Norman and Roderick, were born there. We
are fortunate to possess Norman''s Gaelic Contract of Fosterage to Iain
mac mhic Choinnich (alias John Campbell of Hushinish and laer Strond in
Harris), dated 14th October 1614. it shows that almost from the
moment of his birth, young Norman possessed a goodly stock of mares,
gifted by his father, Sir Roderick Mor and also his foster father Iain mac
mhic Choinnich. In an interesting document, dated 1660, Sir Norman
MacLeod of Berneray admitted that he was put in possession of Shiabie, a
district in the island of Berneray, during his minority by his ''umquhill
father''. This district belonged before this time to Donald and Malcolm
Campbell, who were sons of Finlay son of Malcolm the first protestant
''person'' or parson of Harris,who is on record in 1566. Descendants of
this family lived in Berneray and Pabbay and some of them are still in
Berneray at the present time. Sir Roderick Mor no doubt granted the
district to young Norman to feed his ever-increasing stock. He also
granted a life rent of the island of Berneray to his young son, who
actually took possession of the island in 1633, after attending the
University of Glasgow from 1631 to 1632. It is highly probable that he
also granted him the districts of Airdhasaig, Bunavineatora, Nisabost
and Geocrab, which were closely associated with the tack of the island
of Berneray from the 17th to the 19th century. Sir Norman MacLeod
introduced new families into Berneray before and after the battle of
Worcester on 3rd September 1651, to settle on the island with the older
inhabitants of Clann mhic Bhaic andthe old MacLeods of Berneray. From
his tutor, who came from the Black Isle, the Patersons in Berneray are
descended; a Dutch soldier, Philip, whom he allowed to settle on the
island became the progenitor of the MacKillops; the Mac Cuspics from
Rodil, who were expert cattle breeders, settled in Shiabie and the
Morrisons from West Harris also settled in that district as smiths on the
island. These Morrisons were descended from Gillemoire Mac Fhionnlaigh
(Maurice, son of Finlay), a name faithfully retained in the family until
the middle of the last century. The names in the family are identical
with the names of the Morrisons in the island of Taransay, and leave no
doubt that they are the same race. It will be recalled that Finlay mac
Gillemoire (Finlay, son of Maurice) and his wife, also a Morrison, Rebecca
daughter of Kenneth, son of Angus, fostered and rescued the sole
surviving male member ofClann Iain mhic Leoid or Clann Iain a''Chuil
Bhain to escape the massecre of his family by Norman MacLEod 12th
Chief. Finlay Morrison (alias Fionnlagh mac Iain), very probably the
great-grandson of Finlay of Taransay, became the manager of Sir Norman
MacLeod''s estate in Berneray. He son Gilbert, or more properly Gilbride,
became the smith on the island and occupied a halfpenny of land in
Shiabie, and the spot is still known as Lethpheighinn or ''The Halfpenny''.
The Morrisons and the MacCuspics lived on in Shiabie until the district
was overwhelmed in the great sandstorm of 1697, when they were
compelled to remove to the neighbouring farm of Borve, where Sir
Norman MacLeod made suitable provision for them.
The occupation of the island of Berneray in 1633 led to the
displacement of the old MacLeods of Berneray (Clann Gillechaluim caas
Reamhar MhicLeoid). They had occupied the island for some 300 years. In
the Grianam Case 1765-66, both Donald MacLeod, the Old Trojan and also
Donald MacPhaic of Brusda deponed that Berneray was held by the
children of Rory mac doil vic ean (children of Roderick son of Donald son
of Iain), before it came into the possession of Sir Norman. This
statement is too general to be satisfactory. The evidence of Alice
MacLeod, granddaughter of Sir Norman MacLeod and widow of Roderick
MacNeil of Barra, is more specific. She states, "The people who
possessed Berneray before her grandfather, were John MacLeod, alias
MacRory, and his children." This certainly indicates that John macLeod
9th of Berneray was married and left issue at the time of his death
which must have occurred some time between 1616 and 1626. This is
confirmed by Estate Papers in Dunvegan Castle and Berneray tradition.
It is probable that John MacRory had a son, Roderick, and Mary MacLeod,
the bardess, who knew Berneray well, does mention a ''Roderick son of
Iain'' from Harris, who earned some reputation in Holland. There is no
need however to dwell on speculation in regard to another son, called
Angus. His presence is conclusively proved from genealogical detail
given in the Contullich Papers 1706 and also in the accounts of Malcolm
Campbell, Chamberlain of Harris.