!BIOGRAPHY: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon and Alick Morrison, THE
MACLEODS--THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section II, Edinburgh, The Clan
MacLeod Society, 1968, pp. 37, 38-39, 40.
William was born in 1761 and was educated at King''s College, Aberdeen
(1775-8), which he entered at the early age of thirteen years. After
completing his studies, he became Tutor to the young Marquis of Huntly
and lived at Gordon Castle, until he acquired a home for himself in the
Duke of Gordon''s new town of Fochabers. William spent much of his time
recruiting in the highalnds for the regiments of the Duke of Gordon and
his celebrated Duchess were raising for the British Army. In recognition
of his successful recruiting activities, William was offered, in 1796, at
the age of thirty-five years, an ensigncy in the 24th Regiment, which he
accepted, although he had a wife and family. in 1797, he was promoted
to Lieutenant, and exchanged into the 61st Foot. He was raised to the
rank of Captain in 1805. In 1809, his son, Alexander, aged seventeen
years, joined the 61st Foot as Ensighn, and father and son went to the
Peninsular War and fought together until the former was severly
wounded (losing a leg) at Salamanca on 22nd July 1812. In the following
year, Captain William was transferred to the 13th Royal (Highland)
Veterans'' Battalion. After the disbanding of the Veteran''s Battalion in
1826, he returned to Gordon Castle, where his former pupil was now
Duke of Gordon, to take charge of the Library and Art Collection. Later
on, probably because of the effects of his war-wounds, Captain William
gave up his post at Gordon Castle and went to live at Drogheda in Ireland,
where his son, Captain Alexander, with his young wife, was living. He
died, on 8th July 1833, at Lifford, and was buried at Strabane, but his
grave cannot now be traced. A monument to his own and his son''s
memory, erected by the last Duke of Gordon, stands in the graveyard of
old Bellie Church, Morayshire, although neither of them is buried there.
[We are very much indebted to Brigadier Norman M. MacLeod, D.S.O., of
Monimail, for particulars of William MacLeod and his descendants.]
William MacLeod, while still Tutor at Gordon Castle, married, in 1797,
Marjory (May), daughter of John Nicolson and his wife, Isabel Fraser,
with issue.
Captain William MacLeod died, as already noted, on 8th July 1833, and
was succeeded in the representation of the family of Luskintyre by his
only son.