!BIOGRAPHY: Sir Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, Baronet, THE BARONAGE
OF SCOTLAND, Edinburgh, 1798, p. 377.
XIII. Tormod, third son of Alexander, who got a charter under the great
seal, Tormundo Macleod de Dunvegan, Terrarum de Ardmannach, et herage
de Lewes, baroniae de Glenelg, cum turret, fortalicio, &c. &c. in
Inverness-shire, dated fourth February 1579.
He was afterwards infeft in the whole family-estate in July 1580.
He married, 1st, Giles, daughter of Hector Maclean of Dowart, by his
wife lady Janet Campbell, daughter of Archibald fourth earl of Argyle,
and by her he had issue three sons and two daughters.
1. William, his heir.
2. Roderick, afterwards Sir Roderick, who carried on the line of this
family.
3. Alexander of Meginish, of whom Alexander Macleod of Terrinilia,
William Macleod of Ose, lieutenant Norman Macleod, &c. are descended.
1st daughter, Margaret, was second wife to Donald MacDonald of Slate,
called Donald Gorme, without issue.
2. ______, married, 1st, to Torquil Macleod of Lewes; and 2dly, to
______ Macdonald of Bambecula.
Tormod married, 2dly, a daughter of the family of Argyle, by whom he
had one daughter, Florence, married to Lauchlan Maclean of Coll, and had
issue.
He was a man of remarkable fortitude and resolution, of great integrity
and honour, and always adhered firmly to the interest of the unfortunate
queen Mary.
He died in March 1584, and was succeeded by his eldest son, William
Macleod.
!BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon, and Alick Morrison, MACLEOD
CHIEFS OF HARRIS AND DUNVEGAN, Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod Society,
1969, pp. 20-21. Alick Morrison, THE CHIEFS OF CLAN MACLEOD, East
Kilbride, Scotland, 1986.
Norman was born about 1509. Of his boyhood and early years nothing is
known. At the age of thirty-one years, he was rendered by his father,
Alasdair Crotach, 8th Chief, as a hostage to James V, during his
expedition to the Western Isles. When his eldest brother, William,
succeeded to the chiefship, as 9th Chief, in 1547, he showed himself so
unkind to his younger brothers, Donald and Norman, that they were forced
to leave home, and it is not very clear where they had gone. The
BANNATYNE MANUSCRIPT states that Norman ''entered the French Service,
where he got a distinguished command and continued to live abroad with
his family for many years''. When the Earl of Argyll, after the murder of
Donald, Norman''s elder brother, began negotiations for the return of
Norman to claim the chiefship, he found him a prisoner with the French,
and obtained his release. According to a Bond of manrent, dated 1st
March 1559, still preserved at Dunvegan, [BOOK OF DUNVEGAN, I, pp.
43-4. See the HISTORY OF THE MACLEODS, pp. 29-40.] between Argyll and
Norman, the former is said to have ''redemit and obtenit ye said Tormod
out of ye captivitie and enemies handis, quhairin he was with French
men''. When Norman returned to Dunvegan in the course of 1559 or
perhaps earlier, he found Iain Dubh (the murderer of his brother, Donald)
in possession of the Castle, and difficult to dislodge, Norman was
fortunate, however, in having a friend in the warden, Torquil MacSween,
who opened the gate to him. Iain Dubh''s foster-brothers were on the
alert, and Iain Dubh was able to escape by their help, leaving Norman in
possession.
It is clear that Norman returned to Dunvegan and assumed the chiefship
of the Clan MacLeod under the aegis of the Earl of Argyll. After the
murder of Donald, the MacLeod estates reverted to Mary, the heiress, and
it was of vital importance to Argyll to secure her wardship, which he did
in 1566. But meantime he entered into a contract with Norman, dated
1st March 1560, in which he promised the latter to obtain a husband for
Mary, get her infeft of all the MacLeod lands formerly held by her father
(William, 9th Chief) with remainder to heirs general, make her and her
husband resign this estate, and cause it to be granted by the Crown to
Norman himself. [HISTORY OF THE MACLEODS, pp. 39-40.] In return
Norman was to resign his rights to the lands in possession of the
MacDonalds of Sleat in Argyll''s favour. Norman was also to give Mary a
dowry of a £1,000 Scots. This was followed by a contract [HISTORY OF
THE MACLEODS, p. 43] between Argyll and Donald Gorm MacDonald of
Sleat, in which the former undertook to get the Chief of Sleat the
heritable infeftment of his lands to be held of Argyll for the payment by
MacDonald of the sum of 1,000 merks to himself, and 500 merks towards
Mary''s dowry. Only the contract with Norman of Dunvegan came into
effect.
These negotiations were protracted, and it was not until 15th July that
James VI granted Mary a charter of the MacLeod lands, and in the
following year she and her husband, Dugald Campbell, signed documents
promising that she should be infeft and then would resign her rights in
favour of her ''most dearest Tormidie McCloyd''. Evidently Norman was
only able to pay £500 Scots of the £1,000 Scots dowry he had promised
to Mary, and so in lieu of a monetary payment of the balance she was to
have a life-rent of the lands of Caroy in Bracadale. At last in February
1580 Norman received a charter of confirmation from James VI, and was
duly infeft in the family estate in July of the same year.
As the subsequent history of Norman is fully given in the MacLeod clan
and family histories, it need not be recounted here. [HISTORY OF THE
MACLEODS, pp. 43-4. THE MACLEODS OF DUNVEGAN, pp. 100-8.]
It would appear that he married, about 1535, as his first wife, Julia,
daughter of Hector Mor MacLean, 11th of Duart, with issue. [THE CLAN
GILLEAN (p. 249), where her name is given as Marion, and not Julia, but in
Burke''s LANDED GENTRY (p. 1493) Norman is said to have married Julia,
daughter of Hector Mor MacLean of Duart. In the MACLEODS OF DUNVEGAN
, p. 98), Canon MacLeod gives her name as Julia....
Norman married, as his second wife, Janet, daughter of Archibald, 4th
Earl of Argyll, and half-sister of Archibald, 5th Earl. She was the widow
of Hector Og MacLean, 12th of Duart, with issue.... [CLAN GILLEAN, p.
251.]
Chief Norman died in 1585, and was succeeded by his eldest son. [After
Norman''s death, his widow married, as her third husband, Roderick
MacLeod, 9th of Lewis, with issue.]