!SOURCE: William Matheson, "The MacLeods of Lewis," TRANSACTIONS OF
THE GAELIC SOCIETY OF INVERNESS, Vol. LI (1978-1980), Inverness,
Scotland, 1981, pp. 320-337 (331).
!SOURCE: Sir Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, THE BARONAGE OF SCOTLAND,
Edinburgh, Scotland, 1798, p. 385.
"X. Roderick MacLeod of Lewes, a man of great bravery and resolution,
who struggled long with the government to preserve his estate, which he
thought he was unjustly deprived of, etc. but as it is inconsistent with
the brevity of this work to give a particular account of that tedious
transaction, which is recorded by many historians, to these we must
refer, and shall only here observe, that in the time of Roderick, king
James VI. by his proclamation, ordered all the highland chieftains to
produce their charters and title-deeds, whereby they held their lands,
against a certain day, under the penalty of losing their estates. Old
Roderick having refused or neglected to comply, had his estate of Lewes,
etc. forfeited, and the family never after recovered possession of it.
"He married Barbara Stewart, daughter of Andrew Lord Evandale and
Ochiltree, by whom he had one son,....
"We shall only add, that the Macleods of Lewes made a great figure in
Scotland for several centuries, and were possessed of an immense
estate, viz. The baronies of Lewes, Assynt, Coigach, Castle Leod,
Strathpapher, Rasay, Edrachills, Garloch, Ester side of Troterness,
Waterness, Strathannan, etc. etc.
"The armorial bearing of the Macleods of Lewes, was,
"1st. or, a mountain inflamed proper; 2d, gules, the three legs of Man
proper, conjoined in the center at the upper end of the thigh, flexed in
triangle, and the spurs or; the other two quarters, a galley and a lion.
"Supporters; two winged pelicans.
"Crest; the sun in its splendor.
"Motto; Luceo non uro."
!SOURCE: John Burke, Esq., HISTORY OF THE COMMONERS OF GREAT
BRITAIN AND IRELAND, Vol. IV, Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co.,
1977, pp. 584-592.
Roderick, eleventh Baron of Lewis, was known in history by the name of
Old Rory, having lived to the age of nearly one hundred years. In May,
1539, he, with his clan, accompanied Donald Gorme to Skye, where they
laid waste the lands of Macleod of Herries. From Skye they passed over
into Ross Shire, where after ravaging the district of Kinlochen, they
proceeded to Kintail, with the intention of surprising Mackenzie''s Castle
of Elandonan. Here, however, Donald Gorme was killed, and the Macleods,
discouraged by the event, returned home, after burning all the boats
belonging to the Kintail men. In 1540, James V. arrived with a powerful
fleet to quiet the highlanders, and subdue the turbulent chiefs. Roderick,
with his principal clansmen, were made prisoners in Lewis, and obliged
to accompany the other captive chiefs to Edinburgh, where they were all
forced to remain until they gave up hostages as a pledge of their future
good behaviour. James V. died soon after, and the highland prisoners
were all released by the Earl of Arran in 1543.
Roderick married first, Janet, daughter of John MacKenzie, of Kintail....
Roderick married secondly, Barbara Stewart, daughter of Andrew, Lord
Evandale and Ochiltree. This marriage took place in 1541, and by this
lady, Roderick had a son,....
In the year 1571, Roderick was made prisoner by his son, Torquil
Connanach, who detained him four years in captivity, at the Castle of
Stornoway. Being brought, while a prisoner, before the Earl of Mar, then
regent, and his privy council, Roderick was compelled to resign his
estate into the hands of the crown, taking a new destination of it to
himself in life rent, and, after his death, to Torquil Connanach, as his
son and heir apparent. On his liberation, the first act of Roderick was to
revoke all that he had done, when he was a captive, on the ground of
coercion, and of the undutiful conduct of Torquil Connanach. Fresh
dissensions followed this revocation, and, at length, in 1576, both father
and son were summoned to Edinburgh, where in the presence of the
regent Morton and the privy council, they agreed to forget their mutual
animosities. Torquil Connanach was again recognised as heir apparent of
the Lewis, and in that character received from his father Coigach, and
several other lands, for his support during the life of the latter.
In 1585, these quarrels were again renewed with greater violence than
ever. Roderick had recently married, for his third wife, a sister of
Lauchlan Maclean, of Dowart, and by that lady, was father of two sons;
the elder named Torquil Dubh, or "The Black," and the younger, Tormod. He
had likewise five natural sons, all come to man''s estate, three of whom,
Donald, Ruare, Oig, and Niele, joined with their father, when that chief
once more disinherited Torquil Connanach, and named Torquil Dubh as his
heir. The other natural sons, Tormod Uigach and Murdoch, attached
themselves to Torquil Connanach. Tormod Uigach was slain by his
brother Donald, who again was seized by Murdoch, and delivered to
Torquil Connanach for punishment; Donald, however, contrived to escape,
and, in his turn, seized Murdoch, who was then imprisoned by old
Roderick in the Castle of Stornoway, in Lewis. Torquil Connanach took
up arms to relieve Murdoch, and justified himself for his hostility to his
father, by alleging that his own life was in danger from the latter.
Having besieged the Castle of Stornoway, and taken it, he not only
liberated Murdoch, but again took his father prisoner. He likewise
carried off all the charters and papers of the family, which he
afterwards delivered to Mackenzie of Kintail. Before leaving Lewis,
Torquil Connanach sent for his son, John, a youth who had been brought
up by the Earl of Huntly, and made him keeper of the Castle of
Stornoway, in which Roderick the old chief was kept prisoner. John
continued in possession of the castle and island for some time, when he
was attacked by Ruari Oig, his natural uncle, who killed him, and once
more restored old Roderick to his estate and liberty, both which he
enjoyed during the rest of his turbulent days.
On hearing of the death of his son John, Torquil Connanach, by the
advice of the Mackenzies, apprehended and executed Donald, his natural
brother, whom they supposed knew the designs of Ruari Oig.
Thus was the Siol Torquil weakened by private dissensions, exposed to
fall a prey, as it did soon afterwards, to the growing power of the
Mackenzies. Old Roderick, whose life had been one continued scene of
troubles, died about the year 1590. He was succeeded by his son, Torquil
Dubh.
!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN,
Section IV, "The MacLeods of Lewis", Edinburgh, Associated Clan MacLeod
Societies, 1974, pp. 5-6.
On the death of Malcolm X, his son appears to have been a minor. For 4
years, his cousin John MacTorquil the representative of the elder but
forfeited branch of the family, recovered his patrimony and leadership of
the clan. In 1532 John died, and Roderick, son of Malcolm X became
effective Chief of the MacLeods of Lewis. He was also a keen supporter
of Clan Donald in their ambition to revive the Lordship of the Isles and
also to drive the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan out of Trotternish. He
took part in a MacDonald raid on that area and also another raid into
MacKenzie territory, where Donald Gorm of Sleat was killed at Eilean
Donan Castle by an arrow shot from its walls.
He was also one of the barons under the Earl of Lennox who were
prepared to give their allegiance to England and in 1555 a process of
treason was instituted against him. Argyle and Atholl were
commissioned to reduce the island of Lewis when Roderick submitted
and was pardoned.
Roderick''s period as Chief, turned out to be disastrous for the MacLeods
of Lewis. He married Janet, the illegitimate daughter of John MacKenzie
of Killin, IX of Kintail. She had been previously married to MacKay of
Reay. Sir George MacKenzie states that "she had come to a greater age
than suited well to his youth, whereupon did follow a dislych and from
this dislych to loiveing of others, whereby in a short time, he became
wicked, licentious and putting away his wife aleidging a falsehood but
without process or prooffe". This, of course, referred to Roderick''s
claim that his wife, Janet MacKenzie was guilty of adultery with
Hucheon the Morrison Brieve of Lewis, and chief of the Clan Gillevoir.
Janet escaped from the unhappy household and eloped with John
MacGillechaluim, a brother of Alexander II of Raasay. Roderick acted
quickly, he divorced his wife and disowned his son Torquil Cononach by
her. In 1541 he married again, this time no less than Barbara Stewart,
of the Royal Stewart family. Barbara was the daughter of Andrew, Lord
Avondale, and her brother Lord Methven had actually married Margaret
Tudor, the widow of King James IV of Scotland. "
!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN,
Section IV, Revised Edition, "The MacLeods of Lewis", Edinburgh,
Associated Clan MacLeod Societies, 1990, pp. 7, 8, 9, 10.
Donald Gorm of Sleat, son and successor of Donald Grumach and
son-in-law of John Macleod of Lewis, was the prime mover in the
troubles which broke out again in 1539. Donald agreed, on John''s death,
that Roderick should succeed Malcolm on condition that he would help
him to expell Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan from Trotternish and to
re-assert his own claim to the Earldom of Ross and the Lordship of the
Isles. The campaign ended suddenly when Donald was killed by an arrow
while besieging Eilean Donan Castle in 1539.
For a better understanding of succeeding events it is preferable to give
at once a genealogical scheme of Roderick''s many children. He married
(1) Janet, illegitimate daughter of John MacKenzie of Kintail and widow
of MacKay of Reay. She gave birth to a son:
1. Torquil (Torcall Cononach),
Roderick married (2) Barbara Stewart, daughter of Andrew, Lord
Avondale, and widow of Sir James Sinclair of Sanday in Orkney, in 1541.
They had issue:
2. Torquil (Torcall Oighre), who was drowned at sea off Skye in 1566.
Roderick married (3) Janet, daughter of Hector MacLean of Duart, with
issue:
3. Torquil (Torcall Dubh), who was executed in July 1597. He married
Christina, daughter of Norman MacLeod of Dunvegan, [MGC (I) p. 22.] with
issue.
4. Norman, who in the end emigrated to Holland and died there.
Roderick had many illegitimate children most of whom were probably
born before his lawful offspring.
5. Norman (Tormod Uigeach), whose mother may have been a Morrison, .
Killed by his half-brother, Donald, in 1576.
6. Murdo, who perhaps also had a Morrison mother. Executed in Saint
Andrews in 1600.
7. Neil, married a daughter of Torquil Blair Macleod and had issue: Neil
was hanged in Edinburgh in April 1613.
8. Roderick (Ruaidhri Og), who was consigned by Torquil Dubh to the
care of MacLean of Duart, but escaped and died "miserably in a
snowstorm". [W. C. MacKenzie (1903/1974), p. 163.] He had issue.
With Old Ruari, the last legal baron of Lewis, begins the final chapter
of the MacLeod story. He was born about 1500 and lived well beyond his
three score and ten years. His historians have showered him with many
unflattering epithets, but he was hardly worse than most of his
contemporaries and, indeed, might be described as more sinned against
than sinning. His chroniclers were biased and needed to justify the
MacKenzies'' seisure of Lewis by denouncing their Macleod predecessors
as irredeemably wicked. "We remark here" says Donald Morrison,
[Morrison MSS (III) p. 53.] "the bitter fruits of fornication and adultery,
which - as they say - were the predominant vices of this family.......". In
Ruari is epitomised all the bad luck of the Siol Torcaill. He received a
charter of his barony in 1538, [RSS (II) no. 2514.] but then was soon
caught up in Donald Gorm of Sleat''s insurrection and the energetic
measures which James V took to suppress it and neutralize its
consequences. In the summer of 1540 the King arrived in Lewis with his
fleet "where Ruari MacLeod, with his principal kinsmen, met the King,
and were made to accompany him in his further progress." [D. Gregory
(1881/1975) p. 147.] Ruari was taken off to Edinburgh with the other
chiefs, but must have been released in the following year, 1541, when he
received a new charter. [RSS (KK) no. 4371.] This triumphant assertion
of royal authority had far-reaching effects, domestic as well as
political, for some of the subdued vassals. Perhaps the downfall of the
Macleods of Lewis may be pinpointed to this very year.
Ruari had married, as his first wife, Janet, the illegitimate daughter of
John MacKenzie of Kintail and widow of MacKay of Reay. Sir George
MacKenzie comments that "she had come to a greater age than suited
well to his youth" and goes to suggest that Ruari''s wicked licentiousness
alone was to blame for what was to follow. But Ruari was hardly a
youth in 1540, while Janet had already been married and presently was
to elope with one of Ruari''s vassals to whom she bore a litter of
children. The story of her adultery with Hutcheon Morrison, the brieve
of Lewis, is not "amazing", but highly probably. [MGC (IV) p. 7.] There is
no justification for questioning the authenticity of the statement dated
22nd August 1566 in which Sir Patrick MacMaster Martin, parson of
Barvas, recorded Hutcheon''s death-bed confession that he had been
Janet''s lover and that their child was that Torquil whom Ruari was to
have repudiated more than once. [D. Macdonald (1967) pp. 46-47; The
Book of Dunvegan (I) pp. 33-34.]
Ruari was detained in Edinburgh at the material time with small
prospect of returning to Lewis, and Janet''s behaviour in general does not
suggest that she was a Hebridean Penelope. The child wsa brought up by
her mother''s people in Cromartie and is therefore known to us as Torquil
Cononach. Ruari promptly married again in 1541 - Barbara Stewart,
daughter of Andrew, Lord Avondale, and widow of Sir James Sinclair of
Sanday in Orkney. Their son, Torquil the Heir, was drowned off Skye in
1566, an unlucky turn of events for the Macleods. Ruari had by this time
married again - Janet, daughter of Hector MacLean of Duart, by whom he
had two sons, Torquil Dubh and Norman. Ruari also had at least five
illegitimate sons - probably older than his legal offspring - Tormod
Uigeach and Murdo, who, judging by their subsequent behaviour, may have
had Morrison mothers, and Neil, Ruari Og and Donald.
Ruari appears in various documents for the rest of the century. When
the Regent Arran ordered a general levy in 1547, it was duly noted that
the Macleods of Lewis did not respond to it, [RSS, MS Vol XXII, folio 27;
and RSS (IV) no. 3047.] but they nevertheless escaped retribution. In
June 1554 the Earls of Huntly and Argyll were commissioned to
exterminate Clanranald, Donald Gorm of Sleat and Macleod of Lewis.
[Notes of the Register of the Privy Council in Haddington Collection MS;
Treasurer''s Accounts. July 1554.] Ruari submitted to the Council in
June 1555 when an unspecified charge of treason was started against
him in April of that year. [Treasurer''s Accounts ad tempus.] He was
granted a respite. [Record of the Privy Council, Haddington Collection;
RSS (IV) no. 3047.] In 1565 the Earl of Argyll was in disgrace and the
Earl of Atholl was commissioned to proceed against him. Atholl
summoned a levy which included Ruari, but Argyll quickly made his peace
and Ruari''s journey was unnecessary. [Record of the Privy Council, July
1565-6; Treasurer''s Accounts, 27 August 1565.]
On the death of Torquil the Heir, Torquil Cononach made a bid for the
inheritance. In this he had the support of the MacKenzies, the Morrisons
of Ness and his half-brothers, Tormod Uigeach and Murdo. He seized
Stornoway Castle and there imprisoned Ruari the Chief for the next two
years. In 1572 Ruari was conveyed to Edinburgh and made to resign his
lands to Torquil Cononach as his recognised heir; he himself should enjoy
only the life-rent. But, on his return to Lewis, Ruari repudieated this
resignation on 2 June 1572 on the grounds of coercion. [The Book of
Dunvegan (I) pp. 34-6.]
In 1576 the Regent Morton succeeded in reconciling Ruari and Torquil
Cononach and Torquil was again recognised as heir. These
accommodations were, however, not acceptable to Ruari''s bastards who
were, moreover, at feud with each other. There was also the added
complication that, by his third marriage, Ruari now had two more
legitimate offspring, Torquil Dubh and Norman. Tormod Uigeach, of the
Morrison faction, was killed by his half-brother, Donald, who in turn was
captured by Torquil Cononach with Murdo''s help and carried off to
Coigeach, but escaped back to Lewis. Old Ruari incited Donald to seize
Murdo and hold him in Stornoway Castle. In reply, Torquil Cononach again
invaded Lewis from Coigeach, his base, took the Castle, freed Murdo and
shut up Ruari for the second time. It was at this date, it seems, that he
took away all the Macleod''s writs and charters and consigned them to the
MacKenzies for safe-keeping. He left his son, John, in charge of Lewis.
John seems to have been a lenient jailer; there is a touching tale of Old
Ruari''s trying to dissuade him from walking into the ambush where he
was murdered by Ruari Og, which suggests that the relationship between
the old man and the young was perhaps even affectionate. [W. C.
MacKenzie (1903/1974) pp. 155-157; Morrison MSS (III) p. 53.] Ruari Og
set his father free and restored to him his estates "which ... he did
possess during the rest of his troublesome days". [D. Gregory
(1881/1975) p. 220.]
Old Ruari''s remaining days were certainly troublesome enough. In 1585
he was summoned to appear before the Council with Lachlann MacLean of
Duart, Donald Gormson of Sleat and Norman MacLeod of Harris to give
advice on the "good rule and quietness" of the Isles. [Record of the Privy
Council. ad tempus.] Later in the same year, the old chief seems to have
actually been in the hands of the law. On 29th September 1585, John
Gordon of Petlurg "gave caution in the sum of 5,000 merks to enter Ruari
Macleod of Lewis... presently deliverit to the said John, to be transported
to George Erll of Huntley" before the Privy Council. [W.C.MacKenzie
(1903/1974) p. 158.] It is not known what happened on that occasion.
In the following year Ruari''s name was included in a list of local persons
who interfered with the activities of fishermen and others at sea in the
Minch. Documents of 1587, 1590 and 1592 make mention of Old Ruari in
connection with the pursuit of good rule and peace in the Isles. [W.C.
MacKenzie (1903/1974) p. 158.]
It is not known exactly when the old Chief died. [Morrison MSS (I) pp.
37-38. This story has no historical foundation and appears to be no more
than a moral lecture.] W. C. MacKenzie quotes, but does not name, "an
official statement dated 1595" that "Ruari was alive in that year".
[W.C.MacKenzie (1903/1974) p. 163n.] Such a life span is not impossible,
even in that age, but is impressive in view of that old man''s many
tribulations. In any case the real leadership of the clan must have been
for many years in the hands of Ruari''s son by his third marriage, Torquil
Dubh.