HISTORY OF THE CLAN MacKENZIE

            The surname Mackenzie comes from the Old Scottish Gaelic Mac Cainnigh, 'Son of Cainnech' (Son of the Bright One or Fair One). It has been suggested that the name alludes to the pagan stag-god, Caber Fedh. His ancient designation, Cernunnos, the Horned One, dates from pre-Christian time in Europe. Cernunnos, 'the Horned One', was an antlered god whom the pagan Celts in Gaul revered as their ancestor. Effigies of this being survive in southern England where he was also feared or revered as the mythological Herne the Hunter. When he appeared in the northern highlands of Scotland, Cernunnos emerged as Cainnech in Old Gaelic (in modern Gaelic spelt Coinneach), the divine ancestor of Clann MhicChoinnich (Mackenzie). With the introduction of heraldry into the Gaelic world Cernunnos was represented by a gold stag's head on the Mackenzie clan chief's shield and also in his coat of arms.

           Mackenzie was always pronounced 'Mackaingy' until it became smart in the Anglicized eighteenth century after the union of Scotland with England and still later to pronounce the Old Scots guttural y (written z, as in Menzies) as though it were the same as the English z (as in zebra). In the old pronunciation of the name, the letter z was pronounced 'gy', giving to MacKing-yie. This is the same as Menzies being pronounced Ming-yies. Hence the famous seventeenth-century Lord Advocate, Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, was still known in his own time as 'Bluidy Mackingie'.

            The Mackenzies form one of a group of clans in Ross who held lands between the Aird on the east and Kintail on the west coast. Kintail is a Gaelic term signifying the head of two seas, and is descriptive of its situation on a point of land where two seas meet, Loch Duich and Loch Long. The district in Wester Ross is scenically one of the finest in Scotland, comprising a triangle of shoreline, hill and glen between Lochs Duich and Long (the two arms of Loch Alsh) and extending inland to the watershed and the heads of Glens Affric and Cannich. The Mackenzies derive their crest of a burning mountain from the lofty and famous mountain here called Tulloch-ard, upon the top of which in ancient times, a barrel of burning tar was exhibited as a signal for the rendezvous of the vassals of the Mackenzies, on the commencement of hostilities. This mountain was on the north side of Loch Duich and embraced an extensive view of the Western isles. It is the most celebrated mountain in the region for both towering appearance and its history in legendary song. By the mid 1800s the parish known as Kintail on the west coast of Ross-shire was about eighteen or twenty miles long, and five or six broad. It was surrounded by hills in almost every direction and was one of the most mountainous and wild districts in the Scotland. The chief rivers are the River Ling which separates Kintail from Lochals; the River Croe, which divides it from Glensheil; and the River Elchaig. The Croe runs into Loch Duich, and the two others into Loch Long. The waterfall of Glomach, one of the highest in Britain, is situated in a sequestered valley about seven miles from Shealhouse and is highly celebrated. At this place a stream is precipitated from an elevation of 350 feet, and, obstructed in its descent by the projection of a rugged crag, throws forth a volume of beautiful spray, of unusual dimensions above Glen Ellchaig. The fall is surrounded on all sides with mountainous and barren scenery.

           Over the years, the Mackenzies became a prolific clan. They would give their name to two earldoms, a barony and several landed proprietors and to thousands of ordinary Scots many who came to America and one particular family that came to Pennsylvania and then to Mason County, Kentucky.

           The Mackenzie clan seems to have definitely originated in the Beauly Firth area. Located just west of Inverness, the Beauly Firth is an upper basin of the Moray Firth and receives the Beauly River from Strathglass and Glens Affric and Cannich. They next appear in Kintail.

           Beauly Priory predates the Mackenzies. It was established in 1230 by Valliscaulian monks originally from Burgundy. Its founder was Sir John Bisset of nearby Aird and Lovat.

           The earliest known Mackenzie ancestor was Kenneth, whose son Murdoch (as Murdo) received a charter for the lands of Kintail in 1362 by Kind David II of Scotland (who reigned 1329 to 1371). Murdoch is the first to appear in the surviving charter (dated 1362) and he is described as son of Kenneth, son of John, son of Kenneth, son of Angus, son of Christian, son of Adam, son of Gilleon of the Aird.

           Clan Mackenzie is traced by the old Gaelic genealogists back to a local dynast called Gilleoin Og, a younger son of the Earl of Ross. He is sometimes styled Gilleoin of the Aird (Gilleoin na hAird), who appears to have lived about 1100. This Gilleoin is said to have belonged to a branch of the ancient royal house of Lorn (sometimes Lorne), another branch of who became the last Kings of Moray, which then included Ross. According to the old Gaelic genealogists, both Mackenzies and Mathesons stem from Gilleoin of the Aird.

           Because of the connection between the Clan Mackenzie and Eilean Donan Castle, some contend that the clan descended from one Colin FitzGerald, son of the Earl of Desmond and Kildare. He was a scion (descendant or heir) of the Kildare family in Ireland, who in 1263 came to Scotland with a force of men to assist the Scottish king, Alexander III (reigned 1249 to 1286), successfully countering an invasion by King Haakon of Norway. He behaved so well in royal service at the Battle of Largs in October, 1263 on both land and sea, that he was in 1266 rewarded with the Barony of Kintail, which included Eilean Donan Castle. Colin was succeeded by his son Kenneth, whose descendants were called Mackennie, afterwards varied into Mackenzie as described above. Most genealogists and historians however favor the descent from Gilleon of the Aird.

           The Mackenzie and Matheson held their lands under the mediaeval Earls of Ross. Cormac Mac Mhathain, 2nd Chief of Clan Matheson, was also rewarded in 1264 for having supported the Earl of Ross in the campaigns against the Norsemen during the two previous years when expanding Scotland conquered the 'Isles' from Norway. This worthy chief is mentioned thus in the Saga of King Haakon of Norway (Frisbok's Hakon Hakon's son's Saga): '…the dispeace that the Earl of Ross, and Kiarnak Makamal's son [Cormac Mac Mhathain], and other Scots had made in the Hebrides, when they went out to Skye and burned a town and churches, and slew very many men and women. And…the Scots had taken the little children and laid them on the spear-points, and shook their spears until they brought the children down to their hands' and so threw them away, dead.' Of the very early history of the Mackenzies, less is known as yet. We are told by Bower of the two related clans, Mackenzie and Matheson, that in 1427 their two chiefs 'Great Kenneth' or Cainnech Mor and Mac Mhathain, 'Bear's Son' could each raise two thousand men, a very sizable number for that day.

           During the Reign of Alexander II    1214-1249

           In 1214, Alexander II led his army to the north to put down the rebellion and was aided by the chief of Clan Ross, Fearchar Mac an t'sagirt, who defeated the king's enemies in Moray and presented their heads in a bag. For this he was knighted in 1215 and gained the earldom in 1226, although not formally. He was recognized formally in 1234 as Earl of Ross, which thus became a feudal Earldom held for the crown. The Earls of Ross would later play an important part in the history of the Mackenzie Clan.

           Eilean Donan Castle eventually figured into the holdings of the Mackezies and became their strong hold. The island site of this castle is at the entrance of both Loch Duich and Loch Long and reaches back into the early mists of time. Evidence of a Pictish fort was found in vitrified rock uncovered during the castle's excavations. At the beginning of the 600s, St. Donan lived on the island as a religious hermit; the name Eilean Donan even means 'Island of Donan'. St. Donan was martyred on the island of Eigg in 618 and commemorated also in Kildonan in Sutherland. This was the period when Christianity was being introduced to the Western Isles. The first castle was established by King Alexander II to repel the Viking invasion.

           There is a story in the castle that one day a wealthy chief of the race of Mathesons had a son who was given his first drink from a raven's skull. This gave him the power to understand the language of the birds. When the boy was still young, his father asked him what the birds were saying. The boy told him that they said one day his father would wait upon him as a servant. Greatly displeased, his father turned his son out of the house to make his own way in the world. Eventually he landed in France, only to discover that the king was being disturbed by the noisy chirping of the birds. Offering his special talents he was able to discover that the birds were having a dispute which, with the king, he was able to resolve. 'The king was so pleased that peace and quiet had been restored that he presented the boy with a fully manned ship in which to continue his journey.

           During the Reign of Alexander III    1249-1286

           In 1263 a vast fleet led by King Haakon IV of Norway made its way southwards down Kyle of Lochalsh and past Eilean Donan on its way to do battle with King Alexander III of Scotland at Largs. This famous battle culminated in the defeat of Haakon IV. Resoundingly defeated, the broken remnants of the Norwegian fleet limped back home, stopping at Eilean Donan only to revictual their vessels. This marked the end of almost four and a half centuries of Scandinavian control. Following the death of Haakon that December, his son and successor, Magnus V, ceded all the Western Isles to Scotland in the Treaty of Perth (1266). Following the death of Haakon that December, his son and successor, Magnus V, ceded all the Western Isles to Scotland in the Treaty of Perth (1266). By the Treaty of Perth in 1266, the northern mainland and the Isles passed nominally at least into the hands of the Scottish Crown. In return for his assistance during the fighting, the Earl of Ross was granted vast territories in the north including the Isle of Skye and much of the mainland opposite. In 1266 Eilean Donan Castle was conferred on Colin Fitgerald, son of the Earl of Desmond and Kildare (later to become Mackenzies) by King Alexander III as a reward for his services in the Battle of Largs in October 1263.

           Only excavation can now determine whether 'Scandinavian' defenses underlie the stone keep and its outer enclosing wall as none of the visible remains appear to date earlier than the later part of the 1200s at the earliest and most likely do not predate the 1300s. At the close of the 1200s it was firmly in hands of Kenneth Mackenzie despite attempts by the Earl of Ross to wrest it from him

           During the Reign of Margaret, the Maid of Norway'    1286-1290

           During the First Interregnum 1290-1292

           The long relatively peaceful and progressive period in Scotland came to a sudden end with the death in 1290 of Margaret, Maid of Norway. She was to have married the son and heir of Edward I, King of England. This period has been called the First Interregnum. Scotland's throne was disputed by a dozen contestants, and the prospect of civil war loomed. To avoid this, Edward I of England was invited to choose between the claimants. Edward agreed but only on the condition that all the Scottish nobles acknowledge his claim to be Superior and Lord Paramount of Scotland. All but two of the twelve agreed to do so.

           During the Reign of John Baliol    1292-1296

           John Baliol was selected to rule by Edward I of England. Following humiliating treatment at the hands of the English king, Balliol rebelled against Edward's overlord-ship in 1296.

           During the Second Interregnum    1296-1306

           Traditionally, it is believed that in that time period when Robert the Bruce was out of favor with many of the clan chiefs as well as being hunted by the English, that he was given refuge in Eilean Donan Castle by John Mackenzie, 2nd Chief. Robert the Bruce had remained loyal to England's King Edward I until 1297 at which time he then supported William Wallace's revolt. Robert the Bruce, however, made peace again with Edward I in 1299 and was made one of the four regents of Scotland. Later, the fortunes of the Bruce had changed; he had defeated his enemies and established his position as King of Scotland in 1306.

           In the time of Bruce, Alexander (often appearing in the Gailic form Alisdair) the chief of the MacDonalds and Alexander the chief of the MacDougalls made common cause against Bruce in support of the Comyns family. Alexander MacDonald was imprisoned, but his brother Angus Og rallied the clan in support of Bruce. When it was all over, Angus Og was confirmed in all his brother's possessions. However, after the defeat of Bruce, the MacDonalds would change sides again in a second revolt against the House of Bruce and lose their lands.

           During the Reign of Robert I, 'the Bruce'    1306-1329

           By the time of Robert the Brusce, Eilean Donan may well be that whose outer defenses are now only faintly visible in part around the island well beyond the contracted defenses of its successor. Traditionally, it is believed that in during the reign of Robert the Bruce, out of favor with many of the clan chiefs as well as being hunted by the English, was given refuge in Eilean Donan Castle by John Mackenzie, Second of Kintail.

           The MacKenzies rejected the Earls of Ross's accommodation with Robert I. In the highlands, power was taken from the powerful Comyn family and replaced by Thomas Randolph, the step-nephew of Robert I. In 1312 Randolph was given a new earldom of Moray, stretching from Ross to Banffshire and south to include Lochaber. In this vast territory he enjoyed unprecedented privileges. When the king's fortunes had changed and had defeated his enemies and established his position as King, he sent Randolph who was not only Earl of Moray but Warden of Scotland, to Kintail. Randolph, as a warning to the turbulent inhabitants of that district, executed fifty delinquents, and adorned the walls of Eilean Donan with their heads. This was a time of little respect for the alw being shown by the local populace and it was here that Randoph's "Crownare" - crown officer - beheaded 50 local 'miscreants' and displayed their heads around the battlements of the castle.

           During the Reign of David II    1329-1371

           When Eilean Donan was successfully besieged in 1331 the ruin of the Mackenzies was complete. Surviving members left Kintail and took refuge in Lorne, the coastal and fertile inland areas between Loch Leven in the north and Lochs Awe, Avich and Melfort in the south. Their cause, however, never went wholly by default, as the confederate clans of Maclennan, MacIver and Macleay continued, on their behalf, to sustain a struggle that would culminate in the Battle of Bealach na Broige in 1369. The Earl of Ross won the day, but he was last of his line, and his death three years later in 1372 was a turning-point in the history of the MacKenzies - that, and the death in 1371 of David II, last of the House of Bruce; Clan Mackenzie thus had been in eclipse until 1371.

           During this time, Eilean Donan had been the subject of a dispute between the Mackenzies and the Earldom of Ross. The Earldom laid claim to the castle and threatened to back the claim with force. However a charter of David II in 1362 confirmed the Mackenzies' possession. By this time, MacLennans and MacRaes had settled in the district, athe latter quickly rising to the position of defenders of and protectors of the mackenzies and known as their 'Coat of Mail'.

           In 1344 John, the MacDonald chief, had been reinstated. His possessions included the islands of Islay, Jura, Mull, Colonsay, Tiree and Lewis, plus great land holdings on the mainland. John died in 1380 and his son Donald MacDonald became the 2nd Lord of the Isles. In 1346 John MacDonald took to himself the title of 'Lord of the Isles' and thus became the first Lord of the Isles.

           The House of Stewart begins

           During the Reign of Robert II    1371-1390

           The last Chief of the Clan Ross to hold the title of Earl of Ross was William who died in 1372. Euphemia, his only daughter, claimed the earldom as Countess of Ross. Later it passed from Euphemia to Sir Walter Leslie. When Donald of the Isles married the Leslie heiress, he was compelled to assert his rights jure uxoris against rival Stewart claimants to be Earl of Ross. This would eventually lead to war in 1411.

           By a twist of fate, Eilean Donan Castle became the court of Donald II, Lord of the Isles in 1387.

           During the Reign of Robert III    1390-1406

           During the Reign of James I    1406-1437

           Very early into the 1400s, the Earl of Ross came, through marriage, into the hands of the powerful family of MacDonald, who it has been shown owned vast properties on the west of Scotland and called themselves, at first without the King's authority, 'Lords of the Isles'. In this way the Mackinzies became vassals not of their kinsmen the Earls of Ross but of the MacDonalds.

           The Lords of the Isles were so powerful and claimed the allegiance of so many clans that they very soon came into conflict with the King. Once the rule of the western isles had come under the Lordship of the MacDonals, the Mathesons became their supporters, particularly when the Earldom of Ross was added to their principality. The Mathesons fought for Donald of the Isles at Harlaw in 1411 where Alistair their chief was made a prisoner.

           Donald, 2nd Lord of the Isles, considered that he was the rightful Earl of Ross and accepted English aid in establishing his claim. Donald was beaten at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411 and never did become Earl of Ross.

           One of the bloodiest engagements fought in Scotland, was the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. The battle was fought at Harlaw, 2 miles north-west of Inverurie. While the young Scottish king, James I, was a prisoner in England, Donald, 2nd Lord of the Isles, led a force of Highlanders and Islanders east, seized Inverness and crossed the Spey. He was avowedly securing the estates of the Earldom of Ross in an attempt to pre-empt the Stewart claimants to the Earldom of Ross, and especially the Governor of Scotland, Albany.

           The Mackenzies declined to join the Harlaw campaign (1411) and became energetic supporters of a distant government in destroying the power of the Lords of the Isles. In 1412, after the Battle of Harlaw, the Earl of Mar as Justiciar of the North, had been commissioned to construct a 'fortalice at Inverness for the utility of the kingdom against the said 'Lord of the Isles'.

           A stone castle was thought to have been on Castle Hill when Inverness became a royal burgh during the reign of David I (reigned 1124 to 1153). This castle was fortified with a ditch by King William 'the Lion' (reigned 1165 to 1214). Although partly destroyed by King Robert I, the castle was rebuilt in the early 1400s during the reign of James I of Scotland (reigned 1406 to 1437). Donald, 2nd Lord of the Isle died in 1422 and was succeeded by his son Alexander MacDonald as the 3rd Lord of Isles. During 1426, King James I of Scotland had the fortress at Inverness strengthened and repaired, and in 1427, he summoned fifty of the principal Highland chiefs - those who commanded a thousand men or more (this included the Mackenzies) - to attend a Parliament in Inverness. By 1427, the Clan Mackenzie was reputed to be able to muster two thousand fighting men, which was an extremely large number for that day.

           Alexander MacDonald had now succeeded his father Donald as Lord of the Isles. Despite a warning from the Earl of Douglas, with who Alexander MacDonald was on close and almost conspiratorial terms, Alexander traveled to Inverness with his mother, Lady Margaret Leslie. There were also there other northern chiefs such as Angus Dubh Mackay and his four sons, Alexander (Alasdair) Mackenzie (Alexander Ionraech, 7th Chief of Kintal), John Ross, William Leslie, Angus of Moray, the Macmahon (Matheson), Alexander MacRuairi of the Sio Gorrie, and John MacArthur. After lodging some days in the town of Inverness, they were summoned individually to the castle, where they were promptly arrested and placed in close confinement. James I showed 'in the presence of his friends, the pleasure that he felt at this occurrence.' Several were executed and Alexander, Lord of the Isles was put in prison for two months but was then released, resentful and intent on revenge. Alexander (Alisdar) 'the Great' Mackenzie of Kintail, one of the chiefs who had attended the Parliament of 1427, was very young at the time and King James I (of Scotland) sent him not to prison but to school at Perth which was then one of the centers of the Scottish Court. Alexander Mackinzie seems to have taken advantage of his education, for he was later called "the Upright" and his rule of the clan laid the foundations for its future power and fortune. He would perhaps be the most significant chief to support the Crown against the lord of the Isles, and for this he would receive the titles to his lands so often withheld from the ancient inhabitants of the Highlands.

           In 1429, Alexander, 3rd Lord of the Isles, succeeded quite legally to the earldom of Ross and was liberated. He was not at all grateful for this royal clemency. Still furious about have been imprisoned in 1427, he promptly raised his clans of the Isles and of Ross into an army of ten thousand Highlanders, ravaged the Crown's lands in Inverness-shire and burned the town of Inverness itself. While Alexander was besieging Inverness Castle King James I approached with a large army and forced him to retire into a region of Lochaber. The king gathered the Mackenzies to his standard and marched south in pursuit of Alexander. Two of the 'wild clans' - Clan Chattan and a portion of the Clan Cameron - were induced to desert the Lord of the Isles (probably to save their lands which lay along the line of pillage), and James I routed Alexander's army somewhere in the braes of Lochaber. There is no account of the battle. South of the present-day town of Strathpeffer the 'Cat's Ridge', Druimm a Chait, is crowned by the partially excavated and impressive hill fort of Knock Farril, heavily vitrified and with what was once probably a well. Tradition says that somewhere below it is where the ferocious battle in 1429 took place in which the Mackenzies played a big part. Defeated by King James I and his army including Mackenzies, Alexander MacDonald was forced to submit and imprisoned again.

           During the Reign of James II   1437-1460

           Alexander MacDonald died in 1449 and was succeeded by his son John, 4th and last Lord of the Isles. He was no more peaceful than his predecessors. The Mackenzies refused to support him in later rebellions against the King as well and in fact they were prominent in defending the Scottish king.

           During the Reign of James III    1460-1488

           The Earls of Ross gave considerable royal charters or grants of land to the Clan Chief of the Mackenzies; they obtained royal charters for these lands, the earliest being 1463.

           Alasdair (also known as Alexander) Macknezie, the 7th Chief, was the most prominent supporter of the crown against the all-powerful MacDonalds and Lord of the Isles. He was known at the 'Upright'. He saw his opportunity, and raised his clan against the last Earl of Ross in the moment of the earl's peril. The Earldom of Ross was detached from the Lordship of the Isles and annexed to the Crown in 1476. For his services Alexander Mackenzie was rewarded with lands confiscated from John, 4th Lord of the Isles, in 1477. On the Macdonald earl's successful downfall, a grateful King James III in 1477 rewarded the Mackenzie chief by granting or confirming him in wide lands, including Strathconnan, the superiority of which had been 'resigned' by the fallen earl. Originally in Kintail at Eilean Donan, they moved their seat to Kinellan, near present-day Strathpeffer. The Mackenzies had risen in Ross on the ruins of Clan Donald and the Lord of the Isles.

           Angus Og, son of John, 4th Lord of the Isles, had no intention of relinquishing any part of what he held to be his rightful patrimony and on the pretext of a feud with the Mackenzies, he invaded the forfeited Earldom of Ross. Kenneth Mackenzie, the eldest son of the 6th Mackenzie Chief, had married Angus Og's sister, Margaret of the Isles, and on the strength of this intended reconciliation between the Mackenzies and the MacDonalds, Angus Og had taken a house in Balnagown in Easter Ross. It was a marriage of dynastic convenience only, since the lady was considered to be ill-favored and blind of one eye. At Christmas, 1479, Angus gave a great feast to which Kenneth was invited but when he appeared without the Lady Margaret, the MacDonald took offense. Kenneth also considered himself insulted when he and his forty companions were put to lodge in the kiln because the 'big house' was full of Christmas guests. Angus Og's Chamberlain, responsible for these domestic arrangements, was a Maclean of Duart, who had quarreled previously with Kenneth, and so the Mackenzie fetched him a blow on the ear which knocked him to the ground. Angus Og's followers immediately rushed to arms, and the Mackenzies, being outnumbered, hastily retreated and escaped across the river. Finding lodging on the opposite shore, Kenneth felt safe, but humiliated at being obliged to spend Christmas under the roof of a stranger, and so he persuaded his host 'who had no syrname but a patronimick', to adopt the name of Mackenzie and next day went to Chanonry to obtain feu of the land from the Bishop of Ross to whom it belonged. Kenneth then joined his father at Kinellan, now their main castle, but was further enraged when Angus sent him a message ordering him to leave within twenty-four hours. Kenneth returned a defiant reply adding that as he no longer wanted peace with the Clan Donald, he did not care to keep one of their name about him and he had the Lady Margaret sent back to Angus Og mounted on a one-eyed horse, attended by a one-eyed servant, and followed by a one-eyed dog. The Lady, who was pregnant, became greatly distressed, and such an insult required immediate reprisal from the MacDonalds.

           In 1480, Angus raised a large force of Islesmen with the MacDonalds of Lochaber, Glengarry and Knoydart, and marched up the Great Glen to Inverness, seizing the town and castle before advancing north to Dingwall, where he stormed the fortress and subsequently defended it for two years. In 1482 the Earl of Atholl raised an army among the clans Mackenzie, Fraser, Mackay, Brodie, Ross, and others who hated the Clan Donald, but was roundly defeated by Angus at the Battle of Lagabraad. The King immediately sent another army north under Atholl and Huntly, and Angus was eventually forced to withdraw into the region of Lochaber.

           During the Reign of James IV   1488-1513

           Alasdair Mackenzie, 7th Chief, who had gotten his reward in forfeited MacDonald lands, died in 1488. His son, Kenneth Mackenzie continued the work of expansion and consolidation and yet more expansion. The process of aggrandizement had begun through which the clan would become dominate in the northern Highlands until Jacobite times. Kenneth Mackenzie continued the work of consolidation until his death. Sir Kenneth Mackenzie died on 7 February 1491 and was buried in Beauly Priory in the Aird. His tomb, consisting of a recumbent effigy in full armor, can still be seen today at Beauly Priory, the north transept having been partly restored in 1901 as a burial aisle for the Mackenzies of Kintail. Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian Prior founded ca. 1230 by a thirteenth century order of monks from Burgandy who established three priories in Scotland [the others being Ardchattan Priory (founded 1320) east of North Connel in Argyll and Pluscarden Abbey (founded 1230) near Elgin in Moray]. Beauly and Ardchattan later became Cistercian and Pluscarden became Benedictine in 1454 on the decline of the original order. Today Beauly Prior is only the roofless ruins of a church but still shows 'notable windows and window arching'. The lead was removed from the roof in 1582 and by 1633 the church was 'badly decayed', and in the 1650s Cromwellian troops removed some of the stone to build Inverness citadel.

           In 1491, Alexander of Lochalsh attempted another invasion of Ross. Alexander already held lands in Wester Ross, about Lochalsh, Lochcarron, and Lochbroom, and may have had some influence in the region which he believed would support his claim. With a large force of Islesmen he marched through Lochaber and up Glen Spean into Badenoch, where he was joined by the Camerons and the MacDonalds of Keppoch who were also at feud with Mackenzie. The Highlanders sacked Inverness from force of habit and occupied the castle, and then revived north into Cromarty where they plundered extensively along the coastland. The store of spulzie (spoil) became so large that Alexander detached a part of his army to carry it back to the Isles, while with the remainder he raided into the Mackenzie country as far as Strathconan. The foray was conducted with customary savagery, and on a Sunday morning the MacDonalds reached the village of Contin and burned down the church which was full of refugees who had taken sanctuary within. Kenneth (son of Alexander/Alasdair) of Kintal mustered the Mackenzies in revenge, and marched to surprise Alexander at his leaguer in Strathconon. The Battle of Blairnepark (Blar na Pairc or Blair-na-park) was fought across a stretch of wild moorland broken with deep pits and bogs. Kenneth, whose force was much smaller than the MacDonald war-band, hid his archers in ambush, and then led his fighting men in a frontal attack against Alexander's camp, intending to draw the Islesmen back into the marsh within range of the bow-men. When Alexander saw Kenneth's small force advancing, he said scornfully that the Mackenzies must be mad to attempt such an assault, but his brother Gillespic, who had more experience of battle, warned him that such extraordinary boldness was probably to a purpose, and he should be wary of such tactics. Alexander scoffed at this advice, calling Gillespic a coward, and 'both parties met with aterrible stour, fighting hansomelie on both sides.' The vanguard, under Maclean of Loch Bueie, charge furiously into Kenneth's advancing Mackenzies, and were driving them back when they ran into a withering cross-fire from the hidden archers. Profiting from this confusion, Kenneth wheeled his swordsmen, and the Mackenzies took the main Clan Donald force in the flank and shortly routed them. Alexander himself got safe away, but his brother Gillespic, smarting from the charge of cowardice, was killed in single combat with Kenneth whom he sought out in the battle. The fugitives tried to escape across the River Conon, but there was no ford nearby and many were drowned in the current or killed by the local people as they clung to the bushes along the bank or tried to drag themselves ashore. The exulting Mackenzies raided on into the lands of Kilravock and savaged the estates of the Roses and the Munroes who had supported Alexander. 'So many excesses were committed at this time by the Mackenzies that the Earl of Huntly, Lieutenant of the North, was compelled (notwithstanding their services in repelling the invasion of the MacDonalds) to act against them as rebels and oppressors of the lieges.' Kenneth of Kintail took a thorough revenge.

           In 1492 Hugh, 7th Laird of Clan Rose, took advantage of a commission from Gordon of Huntly aimed against the Mackenzies to invade Cromarty. 600 cattle, 100 horses, 1000 sheep, 400 goats and 200 swine were lifted from that fertile province, apart from provisions.

           The leader of the MacDonalds was captured by the Mackenzies, and the Lordship of the Isles itself was forfeit in 1493. This enabled the Mackenzies to obtain new land without antagonizing powerful neighbors and what was perhaps more important, to acquire clear legal titles from their own superior, the Crown.

           The region known as Gairloch, the first coastal indentation north of Loch Torridon, was traditionally Clan MacLeod territory in Ross & Cromarty. Then in 1494 the Mackenzies secured Gairloch for themselves. In 1497, Eilean Donan Castle was taken over by Hector Roy McKenzie.

           John, 4th Lord of the Isles and the last died in 1503 was succeeded by his son Angus Og. In 1504 Eilean Donan Castle was captured by the Earl of Huntley under James IV In 1508 the Mackenzie clan lands at Kintail had been erected into a free barony, for which the rent was a stag. It would from this that later on the MacKenzies derived the stag's head on their coat of arms, and the chief's famous Gaelic designation 'Caberfeidh' which means 'deer's antlers'. The ancient motto of the clan, 'Cuidiche an Righ', refers to the 'payment' of the stag to the king for their barony.

           The MacRaes, who formed the bodyguard of the Mackenzie Chief of Kintail and were known as 'MacKenzies Coat of Mail', first became Constables of Eilean Donon Castle in 1509 and from 1520 onwards the MacRaes were keepers of the castle. The MacRaes took control of the area and the Clan would become involved in many raids and sieges.

           It is not clear exactly when the MacRaes allied themselves with the Mackenzies. The MacRaes were present at the Battle of Largs in 1263, fighting the Vikings and at an early date they settled in Kintail along with the Mackenzies. In fact their chiefs also took 'of Kintail' just like the Mackenzies. The clan appears to have inhabited the lands of Clunes in the Beauly district in the 12th and 13th centuries. They removed to Kintail in the 14th century. There is a story that during the Lordship of the Isles the Mackenzies were forced to seek MacRae assistance in helping to protect Wester Ross from MacDonald invasions. During one of the ensuing battles the MacRae warrior killed a number of MacDonalds, including one of the chieftains, on whose dead body he sat own to watch the rest of the fight. When Mackenzie of Kintail demanded to know why he was not fighting, he pointed out that, if everybody killed as many MacDonalds as he had, the Mackenzies would soon win the battle. The MacKenzie urged him to rejoin the fight with words along the lines made famous by Sir Walter Scott, "He who does not reckon with me, I will not reckon with him."

           When the fortunes of the Lordship of the Isles waned for the MacDonalds it did so for the Mathesons as well who had remained loyal to it. The MacKenzies on the mainland to the east and the MacLeods of Lewis in the Isles to the west were the two powerful clans expanding to fill the power vacuum. The Mathesons found themselves squeezed between their more powerful neighbors and it was at this time they became allied with the Mackenzies.

           Kenneth was succeeded by his son Iain as chief of the clan Mackenzie. Some Mackenzies supported James IV, King of Scotland and fought at the Battle of Flodden Field, near Coldstream, Northumberland, under Iain, who like his grandfather was a natural survivor. On the afternoon of 9 September 1513, the Scottish and English armies met near Flodden Edge under Branxton Hill. The English army of 30,000 men under the Earl of Surrey were greatly out numbered by the Scottish army under King James IV, who, in alliance with France, had invaded the north of England. The Scots occupied a very strong position on Flodden Ridge and James, who proved to be a brave but incompetent general, led his men down to attack the English. For a time it seemed as though the Scots might win the day and at first Lord Home's borderers drove back the English division which faced them. But the English foot soldiers were better armed, their bills outmatching the Scottish spears. The Scots however stood their ground and were killed where they stood. In the end the battle became a massacre. About 11,000 Scots were slain and the English lost about 1,500. The Scottish king was slain and with him the flower of Scottish chivalry. Nine earls and fourteen lords, the chiefs of many of the great Highland clans, James's natural son, Alexander, Archbishop of St. Andrews, the Bishop of Caithness, the Bishop of the Isles, the Dean of Glasgow and the Provost of Edinburgh and thousands of Scotland's best young men all perished on that day and their followers with them. Iain survived to fight again in thirty-five years. Iain was one of those who escaped with his life from the field of battle. He had brought a contingent of his clansmen to fight there under James IV.

           By this time the Mackenzies were becoming a very powerful clan. They had benefited, first, from the decline of Clan Donald, while avoiding the usual concomitant of creating many dangerous enemies among the other clans.

           When the Lordship of the Isles was abolished the different branches of the clan MacDonald grouped themselves under the authority of the separate chiefs. Meanwhile, with fatal persistence, successive attempts were made to restore the ancient island authority of MacDonald. A confederation of clans rose in favor of the deposed John of the Isles' grandson Donald Dubh. James IV launched an expedition by land and sea, where his distinguished admiral Sir Andrew Wood soon demonstrated the paramount importance of a navy as the source of authority in this island world. The claimant Donald Dubh was captured and would be kept in prison for the next forty years. The rebels rose again in favor of his nearest relative, and again were defeated. After this the MacDonalds of Islay became loyal subjects of the crown, and it would be Donald Gorm of the house of Sleat who would make the next attempt to recover lost property.

           During the Reign of James V    1513-1542

           Alexander MacLeod, 8th of Harris, colorful and particularly well remembered, gets mention in a legal document of 1527 as he who 'dwelleth in ye isles whear ye officers of ye law dare not pass for hazard of their lives'. Despite the apparently hostile environment, this chief built the beautiful Dunvegan Castle on Skye, the church of St. Clement at Rodel, which hoses his elaborated tomb, and installed the MacCrimmon dynasty of pipers at Boreraig in Skye.

           Donald Gorm was a man of energy, for it was he who completed the expulsion of the MacLeods from Trotternish in favor of his own clansmen, and who moved to Duntulm. He now aspired to the lost Lordship of the Isles and received widespread support. He headed, however, for the Earldom of Ross where his opponents were naturally the Mackenzies.

           By the end of the 1400s, the Lordship of the Isles had effectively been extinguished as a political force in the west. Nevertheless, despite fierce opposition from the Mackenzies and Macleods in the 1530s, Donald Gorm MacDonald of Sleat foolishly attempted to revive the position and lay claim to it himself. In 1539 Donald sailed to Applecross with 50 galleys and some 400 men to lay waist in the Mackenzie lands there before heading south to lay siege to Eilean Donan castle rumored to be only lightly garrisoned.

           Although the castle was held by only two men: John Dubh Matheson (the constable) and a watchman, they bravely shut the gate against Donald's force. A young MacRae who was passing the castle at the time saw what was going and realized the castle was in danger and managed to join the two defenders. The besiegers resorted to firing arrows at the castle's windows. Unfortunately the constable was hit, which left only the watchman and the young MacRae to defend the castle. Soon they found themselves running short of ammunition. Duncan MacRae had only one arrow left and decided to keep it until he could use it to the best possible advantage. Believing that victory was close, Donald Gorm called for a battering ram and approached the castle walls to see where it might be most effectively used. Duncan shot his final arrow at Donald Gorm and hit him in the foot. Too impatient to wait for a physician, Donald pulled it out himself and in so doing severed an artery on one of the arrow's barbs. Blood pored out and couldn't be made to stop. His men carried him to a little island near Ardintoul and it was there that he died. Desperate for revenge, the MacDonalds tried unsuccessfully to burn down the castle and then withdrew with the body of their chief.

           During the Reign of Mary, Queen of Scots    1542-1567

           At the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, the MacKinzies fought for James V, King of Scotland. The Duke of Somerset, as Regent for the young English king, Edward VI, sent a fresh army to Scotland in 1547, which inflicted a disastrous defeat on the Scots under Arran at Pinkie Cleugh. Iain Mackenzie survived the defeat of Pinkie like he had done at Flodden in 1513. He lived until after the return of Mary, Queen of Scots to here kingdom in 1561.

           During the Reign of James VI (James I of England)    1567-1625

           Iain's grandson Colin remained a loyal supporter of Queen Mary. The clan fought for Queen Mary at the Battle of Langside in 1568, when Colin MacKenzie was the 11th chief of the clan. On 2 May 1568 Queen Mary escaped from Loch Leven Castle, made for Hamilton and within a week had gathered an army of some 6,000 supporters. Reluctant to place herself completely in Hamilton hands, she resolved to make for the one important stronghold still in Marian hands - Dumbarton Castle, held for here by Lord Fleming. But her half-brother, Lord James Steward (Earl of Moray), knew the danger of allowing her to reach such an impregnable refuge. Camped at Glasgow, he moved to intercept her with a smaller but better-organized force under Kirkcaldy of Grange. The armies met at the village of Lanside (now a suburb of Glasgow), where the fighting lasted barely 45 minutes. Casualties were slight thanks to Moray's orders that 'prisoners were to be brought in rather than copses', but Mary's army scattered and she herself fled first to Dundrennan and then across the Solway Firth to England.

           Colin avoided retribution by making fairly prompt submission the following year to the Earl of Moray, Regent for the young King James VI of Scotland. Nevertheless the Mackenzies' loyal adherence to the Stewart dynasty, which had assisted their rise, would be repeated. During the king's reign the Mackenzies repeated their tactics of joining the forces of the south against their Gaelic neighbors, with even more spectacular success. This time the victims were the MacLeods of Lewis.

           The feud between the MacDonalds and the Mackenzies was settled in 1569 at the Council of Perth.

           The main source of trouble for the Clan MacLeod was with the Mackinzies who had a 'phoney' claim to the Isle of Lewis through the marriage of a MacLeod lady to Rory Mackenzie. The MacLeods of the Lewes, leaders of Siol Torquil or Thorcail who had never fully accepted the ascendancy of the cousin MacLeods at Dunvegan Castle on Skye. They were, however, forced to do so when the head of that family, Torquil MacLeod of Lewes, was killed in 1597, and the barony passed to Sir Rory Mackenzie of Cogeach, husband of Torquil's daughter, Margaret. The representation of the Siol Torquil (MacLeods) of Raasay, senior cadets of the Lewes house.

           Siol Torquil (Clan MacLeod) trace their descent from Torquil, brother of Tormond, progenitor of the MacLeods of Harris and Dunvegan (Isle of Skye). There was some argument over which was the overall chief, but Tormond's descendants came to be recognized as the senior line. They were also more successful in holding on to their heritage. King James VI decided that since 'the Highlanders that dwelleth in the Isles are all utterly barbarous' the best thing to do was replace them with Lowlanders. In 1598 an act was passed stating that all who claimed to own land in the Highlands and Isles should produce their deeds before the Scottish Privy Council. The MacLeods were unable to comply since their titles had all been stolen by the Mackenzies. When they could not produce a title to their lands their property passed to the Crown. King James VI handed the Isle of Lewis over to a group of 12 merchants from Fife who comprised a commercial company and told them to settle the island. This company was known as the 'Gentleman Adventurers of Fife'. The Kings objective was not only to suppress the admittedly unruly MacLeods of Lewis but to pacify the Hebrides by Lowland settlement. The "Gentleman Adventurers of Fife' sailed for Stornoway with a small army, capture Stornoway Castle and prepared to turn Lewis into a civilized outpost of the Lowlands. But the Mackenzies had a plan; they released Neil Mor, an illegitimate son of Rory MacLeod, from their dungeon. His clansmen rallied to his call, and the 'Gentlemen Adventurers' were seized, imprisoned and not released until they had sworn to leave Lewis for ever. The disillusioned Fife Adventurers sold their interest to Colin Mackenzie, son of Kenneth of Kintail. While MacLeod of Lewis himself continued his ten years' imprisonment in Edinburgh, the Mackenzies moved into his island realm of Lewis in force. Neil Mor was executed in 1613, and the entire chiefly family was massacred. The Mackienzies thus acquired virtually all the lands of Siol Thorcail except for Raasay, whose chieftain subsequently represented the Lewis family. The Mackinzies had already acquired Gariloch in 1494 and other MacLeod territories on the mainland before seizing the Isle of Lewis.

           By his marriage with the co-heiress of Sir Donald MacDonald of Lochalsh, Alexander, 6th Chief of MacDonells of Glengary, acquired half of the land of Lochalsh, Lochcarron and Lochbroom. Strome Castle, on the north shore of Loch Carron, came with these acquisitions and it became the principal seat of the family. After a long seige, the castle was captured by Kenneth Mackenzie 1st Lord of Kintail and blown up in 1602.

           It was as Lords of Parliament that the MacKenzies were able to expropriate the MacLeods of Lewis. The disreputable details are related in Donald MacDonald's Lewis: A History of the Island, 1990. It was not until 1609 that Kenneth MacKenzie, 12th Chief of Kintail, was finally raised to the peerage as Lord MacKenzie of Kintail, surprisingly late considering their great land-holdings and military power, and the political importance of the clan whose chiefs had been feudal barons (not to be confused with Lords of Parliament, who are peers and an entirely different thing) since 1508. The conquest of Lewis was all but complete when Colin Mackenzie of Kintail, died in 1611.

           Leod Castle in Strathpeffer was completed by Lord Mackenzies' brother, Sir Rory Mackenzie of Coigach (Cogeach) after his marriage to Margaret MacLeod, daughter of Torquil MacLeod of the Lewes. With the death of Torquil MacLeod in 1597, the barony had passed to his daughter Margaret. Through her, Rory acquired MacLeod estates in Lewis in 1616. Sir Roderick Mackenzie of Coigach, was to found the line created baronets in May 1628 and in 1702, Earls of Cromartie.

           By the beginning of the 1600s, Mackenzie territories extended in a wide swathe across the neck of Scotland from the Outer Hebrides to the Black Isle, in total acreage unchallenged by any clan except the Campbells. Kenneth's son by his Grant wife, Colin Mackenzie, was created Earl of Seaforth in 1623, taking his title from the most impressive sea loch on the Isle of Lewis. It is the credit of this family that in an island which they administered for the most part as absentees they planted the burgh of Stornoway, the only substantial town in the Hebrides and the seat of the Council of the Isles today.

           In the 1600s, the residence of the clan chiefs of the Kintail MacKinzies was moved to Strathconon from Eilean Donan Castle where they built Brahan Castle near Dingwall, so well known from the remarkable prophecies of the 'Brahan Seer'.

           Reign of Charles I    1625-1649

           The Seaforth Earls embraced the reformed church and were signatories of the National Covenant in 1638. The National Covenant of 1638 renewed and expanded that of 1581 into a public petition which presumed a direct Scottish relationship with God, without the interference of a king and without 'all kinds of Papistry'. In emotive language, citing some 60 Scottish Acts of Parliament and theological statement in plenty, 'Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Burgesses, Ministers & Commons under subscribing' made this relationship plain together with a defense of their rights and beliefs by signing in Greyfriars' Churchyard in Edinburgh, and at churches throughout the land. Eventually some 300,000 were estimated to have signed copies and become 'covenanted'. It was thought of as a 'glorious marriage of the Kingdom with God'. In addition but without the text stating it, it provided the excuse for condemning the episcopal system of Church government and reinforced a Church of Scotland independent of the king.

           They fought against James Graham, Marquis of Montrose during his campaigns in 1645-46 at the Battle of Auldearn (1645) in Nairnshire. After success at Inverlochy and a less successful raid on Dundee, Montrose, in command of the Royalist army with about 1,750 men including 250 cavalry, was encamped at Auldearn. Sir John Hurry (or Urry), marching through the night from Inverness with his Covenanters including the Mackenzies, intended surprise but, fearing that heavy rain had dampened the powder, made his men discharge their muskets. The noise alerted Royalist sentries. Alasdair MacDonald, commanding his Irish soldiers, charged but hampered by boggy ground, was only just saved by the Gordon cavalry. Montrose, with the main body of infantry, then joined Alasdair. The Covenanters, finding themselves surrounded, were cut down in their ranks. Montrose estimated that Hurry had lost half his army. The standard of the Mackenzie's clan chieftain was taken in the battle.

           The MacLennans of Wester Ross had lived cheek by jowl with the MacRaes and became standard bearers to the Mackenzies of Seaforth. Roderick and his brother Donald MacLennan were killed defending the banner at the Battle of Auldearn.

           Commonwealth and Protectorate    1649-1659

           The execution of Charles I in 1649 appalled the Earl of Seaforth, who hurried to join Charles II in exile in Holland. The Earl of Seaforth died before Oliver Cromwell's final victory at Worcester in 1651. The new Earl of Seaforth joined in the rising against the Commonwealth in 1653, which ended with the defeat of the royalists by General Mock at Loch Garry. Seaforth made his peace with Cromwell in January 1655.

           House of Stuart

           Reign of Charles II    1660-1685

           The 2nd Earl of Seaforth became Charles II's Secretary of State for Scotland. It is an exceptional record for a dynasty of Gaelic chiefs of no particular consequence in ancient days.

           Reign of James II    1685-1688

           So far the story had been one of constant expansion for the clan. The Mackenzies had supported the Stewart kings since 1603. However, the loyalty of the Mackenzie chiefs to the unlucky remnants of the Stuart dynasty would be their undoing. The Clan's luck turned when the 4th Earl of Seaforth remained loyal to James VII at the Revolution of 1688, to die in exile. It is to his time that the traditional Gaelic prophecies attributed to the Brahan seer, Coinneach Odhar, are attributed. The greatest mystery concerning these is that some of the most intricate of them were actually in print before they were fulfilled. Another is that there is no historical record of the seer's execution in the period during which he is supposed to have lived. It was in 1578 that orders were issued for the apprehension of 'Kennoch Owir, principal or leader in the art to magic'. There was no Earl of Seaforth at that date.

           Reign of William and Mary    1689-1702

           The clan did not waiver in their support of the Catholic James VII, and Kenneth, 4th Earl of Seaforth, fought at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690. He was already a Knight of the Thistle, being one of the original Knights of the Thistle. This was a Scottish order of chivalry He followed James VII into exile in France and was there created 1st Marquis, a titular Marquis in the Jacobite peerage but the title was not recognized by the new ruling house in Britain. This was the time that the Brahan Seer first predicted doom for his house. Kenneth died in 1701 and his heir was William Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Seaforth.

           During the Reign of Queen Anne    1702-1714

           The title of 1st Viscount Tarbat was conferred on George Mackenzie (1630-1714) in 1685. He was appointed Secretary of State in 1702 and the following year he became 1st Earl of Cromartie. Scotland was united with England and Wales in 1707.

           In 1714 and the light of the threatened rising of the clans, Brigadier General Lewis Des Etans (1665-1720) was sent north by the Government to provide information about the strength of defenses in the Highlands. Among the sketches he made of castles is an exceptionally detailed view showing Eilean Donan as it appeared at that time.

           During the Reign of George I    1714-1727

           William, 5th Earl of Seaforth, remained staunchly Jacobite, even though what had happened to his father and was in the forefront of the Rising of 1715. He raised an army of 3,000 men for the Jacobite pretender. He was attained but made his escape to the Continent. As a result his lands and title were forfeited in 1716. It was then that the Mackenzies' last song of triumph was composed, one of the finest rants in the language. It is called Caber Feidh, which means Deer Antler, the badge of the Mackenzies; and the verses ridicule the surrounding clans which had fled before it. But from now on the prophecies of the Brahan Seer concerning its downfall were fulfilled.

           Although exiled, and his property forfeited, William's followers gave a striking example of the strength of clannish attachment by remitting to France the amount of rental, as if their chief were still in possession of the lands, conveying it to Edinburgh under a guard of 400 armed men.

           With the outbreak of hostilities between Spain and Britain in 1718, a dual strategy of a Spanish landing a strong force of Spaniards on the west coast of England and a smaller force of Jacobites and Spaniards in the West Highlands there to meet a Highland contingent of clans for a rising. This scheme was agreed upon between the Jacobite James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde and Spain's King Philip V's First Minister, Cardinal Alberoni. Spain would provide 29 ships, 30,000 stands or arms and 5000 troops under Butler's command for the venture in England, while a smaller force under George Keith, 10th Earl of Marischal, sailed for Scotland. The main Spanish fleet left Cadiz in March 1719 but it was shattered by a storm before it could join Butler at Corunna. Unaware of the fate which had befallen the main expedition, Keith's contingent made to Stornoway and then on to Kintail where in April some 300 Spanish troops were landed near Eilean Donan to eventually meet with the Highland force and then march on Inverness.

           Sanguine in the power and feeling of the highlanders, William Mackenzie, the 5th Earl of Seaforth again put himself at the head of the clan in the Rising of 1719. He is reported to have landed on the Isle of Lewis after sailing from the Continent. He along with Rob Roy Macgregor, Cameron of Lochiel and Lord George Murray raised the Highlanders for the rising in Scotland. The invading force from Spain, comprising 307 Spanish troops and a party of exiled Jacobites, disembarked at the head of Loch Alsh at Eilean Donan Castle from their two Spanish frigates amidst a bitter dispute as to who should command in Scotland. A fateful compromise was reached whereby Keith commanded the fleet and the Marquess of Tullibardine the land force. They were joined by the force of Highlanders assembled by William Mackenzie, Cameron of Lochiel, Lord George Murray and Rob Roy Macgregor. Unsure of whether they could expect further help from Spain, their escape blocked by the British Royal Navy, and faced by an alert Scottish garrison, the two Jacobite leaders had to make what they could of a botched strategy and a ramshackle force. Although it was said that Cardinal Alberoni had sent the Spaniards to help in the Jacobite cause in reality it was to divert English attention from his own designs on Italy.

           By May the Jacobite position was desperate. As yet little more than token assistance in the highlands had been provided by the clans. The failure of Butler's expedition had convinced many Highland chiefs that the rising was already lost, and only Rob Roy Macgregor, Lord George Murray, Cameron of Lochiel and William Mackenzie, Lord Seaforth, brought in any significant number of clansmen.

           Their hopes of a widespread rising of Jacobites were disappointed for news of the meager Spanish presence had spread quickly through the highlands and almost 1000 Highlanders is all that had been mustered. Seaforth garrisoned Eilean Donan Castle, the old Mackenzie stronghold, as a supply base, their principal magazine, and installed 50 Spaniards to guard the ammunition while the Jacobite army headed for Glenhshile over the drove roadway on its way to the Great Glen and, ultimately to Inverness. But the government was well informed as to what was going on. At the beginning of June, three British frigates, Worcester, Enterprise, and Flamborough, under the command of Captain Boyle, sailed into Loch Alsh and attacked Eilean Donan. The castle, defended by only forty-eight Spaniards commanded by a Captain and Lieutenant, fell after a short bombardment from the west side to the superior artillery fire, and the Spanish soldiers surrendered. Taken aboard the frigates, the Spanish soldiers were shipped back to Leigh and imprisoned there.

           At the beginning of June General Wightman led his army from Inverness into Glenshile from the east. The two sides were well matched for size and strength, and the fighting on the 10th of June lasted some hours with casualties also being about even but lack of support from Lowland Jacobites had so depressed the morale of the Highlanders that the force was ordered to disband. The Spaniards, most of whom seem to have survived the fighting, surrendered on Marischal's advice. They were held as prisoners of war and eventually repatriated.

           To avoid being encircled, the Jacobites had to halt Wightman's advance along the drove road from Loch Ness by establishing a blocking position at Glenshiel. The natural strength of the Jacobite deployment, which was protected by the River Shiel on the right and a ravine on the left, was further strengthened by entrenchments thrown up across the rugged ground of their center. A barricade had been erected on the drove road to the north of the river and had the meager force of some 1,000 Highlanders and 250 Spaniards of Tullibardine's force possessed the will to fight, it should have proved an impregnable position.

           The Battle of Glenshiel occurred on 10 June 1719 with the attack of 850 infantry, 120 dragoons, 130 Highlanders from loyal Whig clans, and four Coehorn mortars under the command of General Wightman. After a short bombardment by the mortars which obliged the Highland right to withdraw and a turning movement against their left, the entire Jacobite line took to its heels. Although Jacobite casualties had been few their army disintegrated, the clansmen returning to their homes, and the Spaniards, deserted and conspicuous in a harsh environment, surrendered to General Wightman. William Mackenzie, Earl of Seaforth, was severely wounded. He was charged with treason for his participation in the rebellion, and his titles were forfeited. He returned to the Continent.

           The affair ended with a touch of a farce as the victors fell into confusion concerning who should pay the expenses of the Spanish prisoners. The local Hanoverian commander was instructed to obtain a signed IOU from the prisoners for the cost of the their repatriation. The final solution was the retention of the Spanish commander as a hostage for their debts.

           Today the drove road is the A87 from Invergarry to the Kyle of Lochalsh that runs through Glenshile between Loch Cluanie and the head of Loch Duich. The battle took place at the narrow pass slightly to the east of the road bridge across the River Shiel.

           The stark ruins of the once proud castle would stand neglected for 200 years until restored by a MacRae of the twentieth century. Lt.-Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap rebuilt the castle with the aid of Farquhar MacRae. Between 1912 and 1932 and at the cost of a quarter of a million pounds sterling, the castle was restored. Every detail of the restored structure was faithful to the original from old plans of Eilean Donan preserved with other records in Edinburgh Castle. On a wet July day in 1932 the opening ceremony was held for the opening of the restored castle. It was not until 1940 that a bridge was opened across Loch Long between Dornie and Ardelve. It remained a toll bridge until the end of World War II and then was replaced by the present bridge in 1990.

           In 1725, Marshal George Wade being commissioned to disarm the Highlanders, commenced by summoning the Mackenzies in eighteen parishes as having been the chief promoters of the different 'risings', and he reports the manner in which he accomplished his objective. They professed their willingness to submit, but considered that it would be incompatible with their honor, as having been the chief leaders in the war, to surrender in presence of any other clan. Their wish was acceded to, and having selected their own Brahan Castle near present-day Strathpeffer in Ross-shire, seat of the Earls of Seaforth, as the most suitable place for the transaction, the Marshal proceeded there with 200 soldiers, when the Mackenzies "marched in good order through the great avenue, and one after another laid down their arms in the court yard, in great quiet and decency, amounting to 784 of the several pieces mentioned in the Act."

           In 1726, William made his peace with the Hanoverians and was pardoned that year thanks to the insistence of Marshal Wade, the Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, who threatened to resign if this were not done. William's lands, never effectively taken over by the Commission for Forfeited Estates because of their remoteness, were restored. His title, however, was not restored. George I was pleased to modify the sentence of forfeiture, and permit William to take and inherit real and personal estates, when he attached himself to the Hanoverian interest.

           During the Reign of George II    1727-1760

           It was about this time in 1732 that Mordecai McKenzie, who would later come to Pennsylvania, was born in Scotland. We do not yet know the place of his birth nor his parents.

           William, 5th Earl of Seaforth, died peacefully in 1740 on the Isle of Lewis. His son, Kenneth Mackenzie, 6th Earl of Seaforth, engaged with great zeal in favor of British government and the Hanoverians during troubling years 1745-46. Although the MacKenzies did not support the Stuarts in the Rising of 1745, many cadet branches of the clan were 'Out' at Culloden fighting for Prince Charles Edward, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. Indeed, probably the most celebrated MacKenzie clansman was Roderick MacKenzie, who joined the Prince's army in Edinburgh in 1745 and was one of Charles's lifeguards. He bore a remarkable general resemblance to the Prince, close enough to deceive anybody who did not know Charles personally. After Culloden, Roderick took to the heather as the Prince did, and he was a refugee in the Highlands trying to avoid capture by the redcoats. About the middle of July 1746 he was discovered by a party of British soldiers in Glen Moriston about thirteen miles west of present-day Invermoriston. After making a stand he was shot fatally. As he lay dying, he called out to them, with remarkable presence of mind, 'you have killed your prince.' The soldiers, delighted no doubt at the prospect of touching the 30,000 pounds sterling reward for Prince Charles dead or alive, cut off his head and bore it in triumph to Fort Augustus. Even the Duke of Cumberland was deceived and posted off immediately to London carrying his grim trophy, and it was not till he arrived in London that the deception was discovered. The dying Roderick had bought time for his Prince, for during a number of days or weeks the search for him was virtually dropped.

           The Earls of Cromartie were also Jacobites, and George, the third Earl of Cromartie, fought at the Battle of Falkirk in 1746. The earl's titles were forfeit. John, the son of the 3rd Earl of Cromartie was pardoned in 1748.

           It is certain that the direct line of the McKenzies of Mason/Bracken County, Kentucky left Scotland during the reign of George II. They were gone before the Clearances began in 1785. Mordecai (born before 1765), who came to Mason County in 1793 is reported by his son to have been born in Scotland. This means that this Mordecai left Scotland after 1765. It has been said that 1774 was a banner year for Highlanders to leave for American. It is not yet known what would have caused the Kentucky branch of Mackenzies to move to Pennsylvania. It is not known how close this family would have still been to the clan at this time.

           During the Reign of George III    1760-1820

           Although the influence of the clan was now waning, Kenneth, son of William the 5th Earl of Seaforth was made Viscount Fortrose and Baron Ardelve, an Irish perrage, in 1766. Kenneth, Viscount Fortrose and Baron Ardelve, repurchased the family estates from the government and he became the 18th Chief and was created 6th Earl of Seaforth in the peerage of Ireland in 1771. In gratitude, the earl raised 1,000-strong the 78th Highlanders (Duke of Albany's Own) in 1778 made up mostly of Mackenzies and MacRaes, old allies of the Mackenzies. It would be renumbered the 72nd in 1786 and combined with the 78th Highlanders (the Ross-shire Buffs) in 1781 to become the Seaforth Highlanders. He died without male heirs in 1784 and his titles became extinct. The chiefship and estates were purchased by his cousin Colonel Thomas Mackenzie Humberstoen, a distinguished officer, and great-grandson of the 3rd Earl. Shortly afterwards he was killed commanding the Bombay army in India at the Battle of Gheriah. His younger brother and only brother, Francis, succeeded him to the estates. Francis had all his sons die before him and had to dispose of much of the Mackenzie land before he himself, the last male descendant of the Mackenzies of Kintail died in 1815.

           The remains of the Mackenzie holdings in the Highlands

           Mary, daughter of Francis, was given the Mackenzie arms as Lady Hood-Mackenzie, and from her descent the Stewart-MacKenzies of Seaforth. Her son sold up all the estate except for Brahan Castle and a small part of the clan heartland. Her grandson was made Lord Seaforth of Brahan in 1921, but he, too, died with out male heirs, and Brahan Castle was demolished just after World War II. Brahan Castle is in ruins today and is located about three miles west of Conon Bridge just north of the River Conon. The Earl of Cromartie, who renounced his family name of Blunt to inherit the title through the female line, is now chief of the Clan MacKenzie. He lives at Castle Leod, near Strathperrer in Ross-shire.

           The Mackenzie clan lands of Kintail, a magnificent 14,000 acres of Highland scenery which include the towering mountains known as the Five Sisters of Kintail, are now in good hands. They were acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1944, and mountaineers, campers and walkers now enjoy the land of the Mackenzies. The Trust also looks after another MacKenzie inheritance, the sub-tropical, exotic gardens created out of barren peninsula at Inverewe in a latitude more northerly than Moscow, begun by Osgood MacKenzie in 1862 and presented to the Trust in 1952 by his daughter, Mrs. Mairi Sawyer.

           The decline of the House of Seaforth was foretold by the 'Brahan Seer' (Brahan was a Mackenzie castle near Dingwall, at one time chief residence of the Seaforths) in the 16th Century. The details of this prophecy were written down before the events they foretold, and they cannot therefore be dismissed as the result of someone's memory reworking the prophecy to suit the circumstances. The accuracy is certainly remarkable, and that some of the events forecast have yet to occur is more disquieting than consoling.

           The residence of the clan chiefs of the Kintail MacKinzies, the Earls of Seaforth, was at Brahan Castle in Ross-shire. The Mackenzie chiefs' eastern residence was located in Strathconnan until in the seventeenth century they built Brahan Castle near Dingwall, so well known from the remarkable prophecies of the 'Brahan Seer'.

           The clan's rallying or war cry was 'Tulloch Ard' from the name of the place where they gathered in Kintail. Their pipe music was Caber Feidh.

           Kinkell Castle near Conon Bridge dates from 1594. It was originally Z-plan, belong to a branch of the Mackenzies, and has recently been restored.

           Kilcoy Castle at the southern end of the Black Isle's landward link near Muir of Ord has a fine profile of turrets, Gothic-style dormers and crow-stepped gables, dates from the early 1600s, probably soon after the estate's acquisition by Alexander Mackenzie, son of the 11 Lord of Kintail.

           A rectangular keep was added to Eilean Donan later in the 1300s. In the 1400s and the early 1500s it acted as the manor house of the Mackenzies of Kintal, later Earls of Seaforth, who installed MacRaes as hereditary keepers. At this time the castle became the western stronghold of the MacKinzies. The MacRaes became almost hereditary Constables of the Castle and were known as 'Mackenzie's Shirt of Mail'. MacRae means 'Son of grace', and their arms show Moray stars and a lyon. The MacRaes had their own clan gathering-place beneath Sgur Urain in Kintail. The MacRaes, who formed the bodyguard of the Chief of Kintail, first became Constables of the Castle in 1509. They took control of the area and the Clan was involved in many raids and sieges.

           John MacKenzie (Kenneth Og's brother) fought with the clan for James IV of Scotland that day and was taken prisoner but released, and later he accompanied James V of Scotland on his famous expedition to the Isles in 1540.

Mordecai McKenzie   Born before 1765    Died 1825/26.