!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. 201, 202.
According to tradition [tradition given by Norman macLeod, Leverburgh]
in Harris, Mary''s brother, Neil, was MacLeod''s man of business (fear
ionad) in Harris, before that office was occupied by Sir Norman MacLeod
of Berneray. In compensation, MacLeod granted Neil the stewardship of
the lonely island of St. Kilda and he probably operated from Rodel, whre
MacLeod had a ''keeping house''. He probably also possessed a valuable
tack in Kirktown (Baile na Cille) in the island of Pabbay. Rev. Kenneth
Macaulay inhis interesting book on St. Kilda as well as Sir George
Strickland in a letter dated 1775 seem to indicate that Norman MacLeod
(i.e., Tarmod mac Neill mhic Alasdair Ruaidh) was the first member of
the family to possess the Stewardship of St. Kilda. Their evidence was
probably derived from the earliest existing written lease. It could
however be the case that the family were in Pabbay before this, if they
held the tack by the old Gaelic verbal lease (or duthchas). The Strond
lease of 1657, the earliest example of a written lease on the MacLeod
Estates, clearly indicates that the MacKenzies of Strond (alias
Campbells) were in actual possession of the tack of Strond many years
before they received a written lease of it from MacLeod. Neil MacLeod
probably found himself in the same position. He was married, with
issue.