| MacDonell of Glengarry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clann Dòmhnaill Ghlinne Garaidh[1] | |||
 Crest: A raven Proper perching on a rock Azure | |||
| Motto | Creagan an Fhitich (The Rock of the Raven)[2] | ||
| Slogan | Per mare per terras (By sea and by land)[3] | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Scottish Highlands | ||
| District | Ross Lochaber | ||
| Plant badge | Common Heath[2] | ||
| Pipe music | Glengarry's March[4] | ||
| Chief | |||
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| Colin Patrick MacDonell of Glengarry | |||
| The 24th Chief of Glengarry (Mac Mhic Alasdair) | |||
| Historic seat | Strome Castle Invergarry Castle | ||
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Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, also known asClan Ranald of Knoydart & Glengarry (Scottish Gaelic:Clann Dòmhnaill Ghlinne Garaidh) is a HighlandScottish clan and is a branch of the largerClan Donald.[6][7] The clan takes its name fromRiver Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards throughLoch Garry to join theGreat Glen about 16 miles (25 km) north ofFort William, Highland.[8] The progenitor of the MacDonells of Glengarry is Donald, son of Reginald, 4th great-grandson of the warriorSomerled and ancestor ofClan Macdonald of Clanranald.
The MacDonells of Glengarry have historically possessed land holdings in the districts ofRoss-shire andLochaber in the Scottish Highlands. Their territories occasionally resulted in land disputes with other clans, most notablyClan Mackenzie. The clan supported theHouse of Stuart during the Jacobite rebellions, pledging their allegiance to theJacobite cause. After the Jacobite Uprisings, the clan suffered during theHighland Clearances.[8]
The clan chief is traditionally designated as the "Son of Alexander's son" (Scottish Gaelic:Mac Mhic Alasdair).[9][10][11] Clan MacDonell of Glengarry has a chief that is recognized by theCourt of the Lord Lyon, and theLord Lyon King of Arms, who is theheraldic authority in Scotland.
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The MacDonells of Glengarry are one of the branch clans ofClan Donald—one of the largest Scottish clans. The eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald isDonald, son ofReginald, son ofSomerled. Somerled, son of Gillebride was a 12th-century leader, styled as "King of the Isles" and "King of Argyll".[12] Through ambitious military conquest, Somerled rose in prominence to create theKingdom of Mann and the Isles. However, his origins and ancestry are obscure.[13]King Robert the Bruce granted a charter of many lands toAonghus Óg of Islay, including half the Lordship of Lochaber.[14] Angus Og's sonJohn was the firstLord of the Isles. John's first marriage was toAmie MacRuari, heiress ofClann Ruaidhrí. John later divorced Amie and married Margaret, daughter ofKing Robert II. The children from John's first marriage became the main succession of the chiefship of Clan Donald and the later Macdonald Lords of the Isles would go on to descend from John's second marriage.[15] The MacDonells of Glengarry andMacDonalds of Clanranald both descend from John and Amie's eldest son,Reginald.
Reginald, 1st of Clanranald and Glengarry, inherited most of the former lands of Clann Ruaidhrí through his mother, Amie MacRuari.[16] He married Lady Fiona Stewart, daughter of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, and had five sons, including Alan, progenitor of Clan MacDonald of Clanranald, and Donald, 2nd of Glengarry.[17][6] Little is known of Donald’s life. During his time, the lands of Glengarry were temporarily taken into Crown control but were later secured by the clan through a royal charter, restoring legal ownership despite earlier forfeiture by their feudal superior, Godfrey of Garmoran. Donald married twice: first to Laleve, daughter of the chief ofClan MacIver, with whom he had a son, John; and secondly to a daughter of the chief ofClan Fraser of Lovat, with whom he had two sons, Alexander and Angus.[6] Donald died in Lochaber in 1420 and was buried atRollaig Orain. He was succeeded by his son.
The first son, John 3rd of Glengarry, died without heirs and was therefore succeeded by his half-brother Alexander "of the Woods", 4th chief of Glengarry, progenitor of Glengarry.[6] Alexander is sometimes considered the first true chief of Glengarry but is usually regarded as the fourth of Glengarry. From Alexander, the clan takes the Gaelic patronymic ofMac Mhic Alasdair, meaning "son of the son of Alexander".[6][10]
According to Angus and Archibald MacDonald, the MacVuirich family seanachie recorded the death of Alexander “of the Woods,” described as a powerful warlike lord of Clanranald, who died on the Isle of Abbas in 1460. Contemporary Crown records, however, make no reference to his territorial holdings.[18] He was succeeded by his son, John MacAlister Ranaldson, 5th of Glengarry, who inherited the lands of Glengarry. During this period, the clan formed part of the MacDonalds of Clanranald and supportedAonghas Óg MacDonald in his claim to the Lordship of the Isles, fighting at theBattle of Bloody Bay and later at theBattle of Lagabraad against Clan Mackenzie, where Clan Donald was victorious. In 1501, John MacAlister Ranaldson was killed byFraser of Lovat after being lured to a meeting at Achteraw in Abertarff. This led to a conflict between the MacDonells of Glengarry and the Frasers of Lovat, ending with the Frasers’ defeat and the surrender of Abertarff to Glengarry. Legal proceedings were later brought before the Lords of Council by Alexander MacIain of Glengarry against those responsible for his father’s murder.[19]
Alexander Ranaldson, 6th of Glengarry, was considered to be a rebellious chief. The MacDonells of Glengarry did not play an important part in the politics of Clan Donald until the late 15th century.[6] Traditional rights of the chiefs were being replaced with feudal relationships in which the Crown was the ultimate superior, as part of the royal policy to pacify the Scottish Highlands, including taking charters from lands formerly held by the Lords of the Isles.[6] The lands of Glengarry were leased to theEarl of Huntly, and theCamerons of Lochiel.[20] Most of the chiefs submitted toJames IV of Scotland, and even the MacDonalds of Clanranald accepted charters in 1494.[6] Alexander Ranaldson did not receive a charter, suggesting that he continued to have a rebellious attitude at this time after the fall of the Lords of the Isles. In response, James IV tasked the Earl of Huntly and theDuke of Argyll in carrying out his policy in dividing the territories that once belonged to the Lordship of the Isles for their own holdings for their own clan lands.[20]
In 1501, Alexander Ranaldson was summoned for occupying lands inMorar without legal title, while parts of Glengarry were granted to the Earl of Huntly’s son. He later supported thensurrection cofDomhnall Dubh, though he did not take part directly. Further grants of Glengarry were made to Huntly in 1510. Following the death of James IV at theBattle of Flodden, Ranaldson supported Donald Gallda’s claim to the Lordship of the Isles, leading to conflicts with Clan Grant and the occupation of Urquhart Castle. After these rebellions failed, Ranaldson submitted to the Crown and was pardoned in 1531. In 1539, Ranaldson received a Crown charter confirming Glengarry, Morar, and other lands, but he continued to support efforts to restore the Lordship of the Isles, including the failed rebellion ofDonald Gorm of Sleat. He was imprisoned by James V in 1542. Members of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry later supported Clan Cameron inraids of Urquhart in 1544 and 1545, prompting petitions from Clan Grant for royal protection. In response, royal letters were issued in 1567 ordering neighboring chiefs to defend Grant lands.[21] Alexander Ranaldson also fought at theBattle of the Shirts in support of John Moidartach and the MacDonalds of Clanranald and Clan Cameron against Clan Fraser of Lovat. He died in 1560.[6]
Angus MacAlester, 7th of Glengarry, used his father-in-law, the chief of Clan Grant, to secure a charter fromJames VI of Scotland, reclaiming his ancestral lands in 1574.[6] A 1571bond of manrent between MacAlester and Clan Grant included an exception recognizing the authority of Clanranald, implying Glengarry's acknowledgment of Clanranald as his chief.[22]
Donald MacAngus, 8th of Glengarry, succeeded Angus, who was reputed to have lived over one hundred years.[6] In February 1576, Donald MacAngus successfully complained to the Privy Council afterHugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat blocked his timber transport on Loch Ness towards Inverness, and Lord Lovat was ordered not to interfere. Known for his law-abiding nature, Donald MacAngus sought protection from the Privy Council in 1577 whenColin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll, upon succeeding as chief of the Campbells in 1577, invaded and plundered the lands of theMacLeans and the MacDonalds, including making preparations for an invasion of the mainland, with the lands of Glengarry as his principle attack.[23] The Council declared Donald MacAngus a "good subject," prohibiting Argyll’s attack and rallying local clans to defend Glengarry, and forbidding any further attacks against Glengarry under pain of treason.[24] The Earl of Argyll conceded and abandoned his plans for invasion.[25]
The feud with Clan Mackenzie began in the late 16th century after Angus MacAlester inherited lands in Wester Ross. The conflict escalated when two of his cousins burned a house of a murderer in Applecross, killing a Mackenzie, leadingKenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Mackenzie of Kintail to accuse the MacDonells of the murder to the Privy Council, prompting Angus MacAlester to flee Edinburgh. In November 1601, Angus MacDonell, son of Donald MacAngus, led a raid on Mackenzie lands in Torridon. A complaint was filed with the Privy Council, but neither Angus nor his father appeared in court.[26] On 9 September 1602, Donald MacAngus was declared an outlaw. In response, the Council acquired Kenneth Mackenzie a commission of "fire and sword", and procured through the interest of the1st Earl of Dunfermline by invading Glengarry's lands of Morar. Similarly, the MacDonells raided the Mackenzies and wasted the lands of Lochalsh and Applecross. The escalation came to head at theBattle of Morar, where the Mackenzies laid siege toStrome Castle, causing the MacDonells to surrender, and the Mackenzies demolished the castle by gunpowder.[27] The clan soon builtInvergarry Castle in the Great Glen. The conflict intensified when Glengarry allied with MacDonald of Moidart. While Kenneth Mackenzie sought support from Hector OgMacLean of Duart inMull, Angus MacDonell raided Lochcarron. The MacDonells loaded their boats with plunder, but the MacKenzies intercepted the MacDonells in small rowing boats, overturning the boat, and killing many men, including Angus. The survivors swam to the Isle of Skye and escaped, leaving their pillaged plunders behind.[28] The following year, Allan Dubh MacRanuil of Lundie launched a fiercer raid on the Mackenzies by burning an entire congregation of Mackenzie clansmen in the church inKilchrist. According to tradition, a bagpiper for the MacDonells of Glengarry marched around the burning church playing a spirited tune, which was later known as"Cillechriost".[28][29][30] However, the MacDonells, despite their sanguinary excesses, were no match for the politically astute Mackenzie, who succeeded in obtaining a crown charter to the disputed districts of Loch Alsh, Lochcarron and others, and who steadily bought up the claims of third parties against Glengarry in 1607. Their differences were eventually settled by an arrangement which secured absolutely to Mackenzie all Glengarry's lands inRoss-shire and the superiority of all his other possessions, but Glengarry was to hold the latter, paying Mackenzie a smallfeu as superior.[31] Donald MacAngus was later compensated withKnoydart from the Camerons of Lochiel in 1611.
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Donald MacAngus was briefly imprisoned byLord Ochiltree,Lord Chancellor of Scotland, in 1626, but secured a charter in 1627 that made Glengarry a free barony.[6] At the outbreak of theWars of the Three Kingdoms in 1639, he passed his duties to his son, Aeneas, 9th of Glengarry.[6] Aeneas was a committed Royalist and fought underJames Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose during the1644–1645 campaign, including actions following theBattle of Philiphaugh. Montrose’s forces defeated the Covenanters under the Marquess of Argyll at theBattle of Inverlochy in 1645, an event later commemorated in verse by the Keppoch bardIain Lom.
Following Donald MacAngus’s death in 1645, Aeneas continued to support the Royalist cause, serving inConfederate Ireland in 1647 with the army ofThomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara. His estates were confiscated during the Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell but were restored after theRestoration in 1660. Aeneas was subsequently raised to the Scottish peerage as Lord MacDonell and Aros. This title is cited as the origin of the surnames MacDonell, McDonell, and McDonnell, with spelling variations reflecting usage among different descendant families of the Glengarry branch.[6][10]
On 25 September 1663, Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch, and his brother Ranald were murdered in a brawl at Insch, nearRoybridge, Lochaber, by Alexander MacDonald of Inverlair and his six sons. The murders stemmed from rival claims to the chieftainship ofClan MacDonald of Keppoch. Keppoch bardIain Lom sought revenge but initially met with apathy from Lord MacDonell. Two years later, the killers were hunted down and killed by men sent byMacDonald of Sleat. Iain Lom presented their severed heads at Invergarry Castle, an event known as theKeppoch murders.
In 1665, a serious quarrel broke out between the MacDonells of Glengarry and the town of Inverness; a dispute led to an escalation resulting in several casualties. The MacDonells threatened revenge on the town due to their longstanding feud with the Mackintoshes, who were friendly with Inverness. The town sought support from neighboring Mackintoshes, while the MacDonells proposed a treaty with demanding conditions. The Privy Council ruled in favor of the MacDonells, ordering Inverness to pay Glengarry £4,800 in damages and fees, including the fees due to the surgeon who attended the wounded MacDonells.[33]
Aeneas produced no eligible children, and the title died with him in 1680.[34] Ranald, 2nd of Scotus, and 10th of Glengarry succeeded as chief of Glengarry in 1680. WhenJames II & VII was expelled in theGlorious Revolution of 1688,Alastair Dubh MacDonell, acted on behalf of his father as chief and leader of the Glengarry clan during the1689 Jacobite rising.[35] TheScots Parliament confiscated Glengarry's lands, although the MacDonells continued to hold Invergarry Castle.[36] The clan, along with 2500 clansmen, fought underJohn Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee at theBattle of Killiecrankie. During this time, the MacDonells of Glengarry, along with theMacDonalds of Glencoe began looting and raiding other neighboring clans, including the lands ofRobert Campbell of Glenlyon. In his subsequent appeal for compensation, Robert Campbell of Glenlyon believed the Glengarry men to be the more culpable, making no mention of Glencoe.[37] By late 1691, the British government was determined to "make an example" of the MacDonells. Ranald did not take the oath of allegiance to the new Williamite government until 4 February.John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair's letter toCampbell of Breadalbane on 2 December showed the decision to make an example of Glengarry was taken before the deadline for the oath, originally as a much bigger operation; "...the clan Donell must be rooted out and Lochiel. Leave the McLeans to Argyll...". However, after agreeing to pardon Ranald MacDonell of his treason, the Williamites switched targets to the MacDonalds of Glencoe, which resulted in theMassacre of Glencoe.[38]
Ranald died in 1705 and was succeeded by his son,Alastair Dubh MacDonell, 11th of Glengarry, who later became the titular Lord MacDonald and was regarded as "one of the most distinguished warriors of his day in the Highlands". Alastair Dubh was an early supporter of theJacobite rising of 1715 and joined John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee in 1689 with approximately 300 followers in Lochaber.[39] Montrose wrote his famous letter toClan MacLeod on 23 June 1689, in which he says "Glengaire gave me account of the subject of a letter he receaved from you; I shall only tell yow, that if you hasten not to land your men, I am of opinion you will have litle occasion to do the king great service".[40] When Ailean Dearg, the Chief of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald was mortally wounded at theBattle of Sheriffmuir, Alasdair Dubh rallied the faltering warriors of Clan Donald by throwing up hisblue bonnet and cryingBuillean an-diugh, tuiream a-màireach! ("Blows today, mourning tomorrow!");[41][6] In 1716, Alastair was given the titleLord MacDonell in theJacobite peerage.[6][42]General Wade's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 800 men.[43] Alastair Dubh died at Invergarry in 1721, and was eulogized in the song-poemAlistair à Gleanna Garadh by his kinswomanSìleas na Ceapaich, which hearkens back to the mythological poetry attributed toAmergin Glúingel and which remains an iconic and oftimitated work ofScottish Gaelic literature.[44] His eldest son, John, succeeded him.
John, 2nd titular Lord MacDonald and 12th of Glengarry, succeeded as chief and secured a charter for Knoydart fromJohn Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll in 1724. Although John did not take part in theJacobite rising of 1745, his second son, Aeneas (also known as Angus), fought in the rebellion.
Glengarry's Regiment participated in several engagements, including theHighbridge Skirmish, the first clash between government and Jacobite forces, as well as the battles ofPrestonpans andFalkirk. Aeneas was accidentally shot after the action at Falkirk and died three days later. Command of the regiment then passed to his kinsman, Donald MacDonnell of Lochgarry, who led it at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746 underJames Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth. At Culloden, the regiment numbered approximately 530 men, the largest in the Jacobite army. During the battle, the MacDonald regiments were located on the extreme left wing of the Jacobite army, instead of their preferred place on the right wing. According to legend, these regiments refused to charge when ordered to do so, due to the perceived insult of being placed on the left wing.[45] Following the defeat, the regiment was disbanded in May 1746.Charles Edward Stuart later sought refuge at Invergarry Castle, which was subsequently destroyed by government troops.[46] John’s eldest son,Alastair Ruadh, later 13th of Glengarry, was captured in November 1745 while travelling from France to join the rising. He was imprisoned in theTower of London, and released in 1747. He was later identified by historianAndrew Lang as “Pickle the Spy,” a government informant within the Jacobite movement, though his motivations remain disputed.[47][48]
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In the early 1800s, the Highland Clearances forced most of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry to leave Scotland. Many settled inGlengarry County, Ontario, and parts ofNova Scotia.[49] The largest evictions were ordered by the 15th chief, Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry, who was known for his proud and dramatic personality and is believed to have inspired a character inWalter Scott’s novelWaverley. In 1815, he founded the Society of True Highlanders, which promoted Highland identity and traditions. Events surroundingGeorge IV's visit to Scotland in 1822 helped popularize tartans and traditional Highland dress.
A relative, His kinsman Fr.Alexander MacDonell (1762–1840), became a Catholic priest and played an important role in both military and religious life. In 1794, he helped raise theGlengarry Fencibles and became the first Catholic military chaplain in Britain since the Reformation. He later emigrated with his clansmen to Canada, helped reform the regiment during the War of 1812, and in 1826 became the first Bishop of Kingston, Ontario. Another clan member, Sir James MacDonell, fought at theBattle of Waterloo, where he was praised by theArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington as “the bravest man in the British Army” and shared his reward money with his sergeant,James Graham.[28]
In 1840, the 16th chief, Aneas Ranaldson, sold the clan lands and emigrated to Australia, though he later returned to Scotland and died in 1851.[50] His successor also emigrated, eventually settling inNew Zealand. After several deaths and migrations, the main family line became extinct, but leadership continued through a distant relative, Aneas Ranald, 19th of Glengarry through the Scotus branch, thus continuing the chief succession of the clan.[51][52]
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, later chiefs were educated in England and pursued careers in business, banking, and the military. One served as a British officer during World War I.[53] The 22nd chief died in 1999, and the 23rd chief served until his death in 2021.[54]
The current chief is Colin Patrick MacDonell, who lives in North Vancouver, Canada. The heir apparent is Angus Curt MacDonell, known as the Younger of Glengarry.[55]
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Castles that have been owned by Clan MacDonell of Glengarry include:
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