!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. 272, 279.
Murdo... eldest lawful son and ''aire'' mentioned in the 1674 tack.
The Gesto tack of 1674 stipulated that the loan of 4000 merks made by
John MacLeod 10th of Gesto to Iain Breac, his chief, would be repaid in
the proportion of 3000 merks to Murdo "eldest lawfull son and appearand
aire to the said John MacLeod in Gesto" and "1000 merks to John, the
second lawfull son to the said John MacLeod of Gesto". It further laid
down that Murdo was to succeed his father, and that for at least 21
years. Documents in Dunvegan Castle for the years 1699-1700 show
that Murdo had at least two brothers, John and Donald, "sons of John
MacLeod of Gesto". Murdo certainly succeeded his father in the tack and
his name appears in the Contullich Accounts until 1708, when he is
succeeded, not as one would expect by his son Donald, bt by his younger
brother John. Tradition in Murdo''s own family proclaims that Murdo was
a wastrel, addicted to drink and gambling. If such was indeed the case,
he was not a good tenant so far as the chief was concerned and, further,
the terms of the wadset or tack of Gesto might lead him to oppress his
subtenants. Such considerations would certainly weigh with John
MacLeod of Contullich who acted as Tutor at the period, during the
''pupillarity'' of Norman MacLeod 22nd Chief. The Tutor was determined to
pay off a backlog of debt on the Estate, an ambition in which he was
eminently successful. it was vital that the various farms on the Estate
should be in the hands of good tenants. Being a lawyer, he was aware
that the terms of the Gesto tack guaranteed the possession of it to
Murdo MacLeod for 21 years after his father''s death. We have no
knowledge of the exact date when Murdo''s father died beyond the fact
that he was dead in 1699. He could, of course, have died many years
before this, even as early as 1687. If it is the case that John MacLeod
10th of Gesto died in 1687 and that the Gesto loan was paid off before
1708, then Murdo MacLeod''s guaranteed possession of the tack was up,
and the Tutor had the right to remove him, if he had proved himself an
unsuitable tenant. His family traditions certainly indicate that this was
the case.
Murdo MacLeod 11th of Gesto was married to a daughter of Alexander
MacLeod 4th of Ferinlea, with issue, several sons "who seem to have
predeceased their father", according to Alexander MacKenzie in his
HISTORY OF THE MACLEODS. In this statement, Alexander MacKenzie is in
error as the following document in Dunvegan Castle testifies.
21st. March, 1724
Donald MacLeod of Talisker, heir served and retoured in general to the
deceast Alexander MacLeod, eldest lawful son of the deceaast Donald
MacLeod of Grishernish, my grandfather.
Witnesses: Mr. Donald MacLeod, son to Norman MacLeod of Grishernish:
Donald MacLeod, son to the deceast Murdo MacLeod of Gesto.
Murdo MacLeod 11th of Gesto, therefore had issue.