Chief of Mackay, by Ian Grimble
A Review by David Reid Mackay

This one hundred and eighty six page book by Ian Grimble was written in 1965 and republished in 1993 by the Saltire Society, Edinburgh, Scotland.  The book is one of a trilogy of books written by Grimble entitled STRATHNAVER TRILOGY.  This book was done as part of Grimble’s doctoral thesis completed at Aberdeen University.  

Grimble used the history of the Mackay clan as a very real example of the Highland Celtic speaking people who were the victims of the English-speaking politicians and leaders of the Scottish nation.    These English-speaking families profited from the victimization of the Highlanders.  

Highlanders were a very proud, self sufficient, and independent Celtic people; who were descended from the aboriginal stock of Ireland.  They were vastly different from the Lowlanders who were English by influence and who spoke English.  The Highlanders spoke Gaelic.  There were very few who could read or write even among the early great chiefs.  Their physical appearance was different; while the Lowlanders favored their Germanic background in stature, the Highlanders physical characteristics were of dark complexion and black hair.  Many of the Highlanders had lost their Indo-European features.  However, Grimble describes an account of an observer at a trial of the 44 year old Chief of Mackay in 1631 as having true features of Celtic stock.   The observer noted he was “of a swarthy complexion, having very black hair, head and beard”.  

The book, which takes a great deal of concentration on the reader’s part, traces the history of Mackay from the 10th century starting with Aodh who was the eldest son of King Malcolm Canmore by his second wife.  Grimble continues from there on down through the second Lord Reay, John, who died in 1680.  However, most of the book discusses the life of Uisdean  (or some refer to as Huistean) and his son Donald Mackay, first Lord Reay.  He explains two branches of the Mackay clan as the Abrach Mackays of Strathnaver and Mackays at Scourie.  The main branch was that of the Chief and included the estates Bighouse, Melness, Reay, Farr, Strathy, Helmsdale, Durness, and others. 

The interrelationship of the Gordon and Mackay families, which Grimble develops, are very important to the understanding of much of Mackay’s troubles.  The “Sutherland Family" connection comes through the Gordon family line.  The Gordons were of Stewart royalty.  Alexander Gordon was the Earl of Sutherland. Uisdean was in debt to Gordon as a result of dues for Strathnaver which he had held for 16 years since his father’s death. The amount was set for 50,000 pounds Scots.  Gordon made him an offer he could not refuse. The offer certainly was not out of the goodness of Gordon’s heart, for he coveted the Strathnaver valley.  Gordon agreed to release Mackay from the debt and he offered his fifteen-year old daughter Jane in marriage.   Uisdean was already married to Elizabeth Sinclair of Caithness.  This was a bizarre arrangement since Elizabeth was probably at least 15 years older than Uisdean.  Uisdean accepted the offer and was freed to marry Jane.   Grimble says, “…the first Gordon marriage into the family of the Chiefs of Mackay in December 1589, by means that are clothed in discreet silence by her brother (Sir Robert Gordon) chronicler.”  Thus, the beginning of three hundred years of conflict with the Gordons/Sutherlands.  Uisdean submitted to the servitude.  The Gordons became superior to the Mackays and the Gordons did not hesitate to use their great political power to manipulate the House of Mackay.  The conflicts lasted for “20 generations” when in 1834 Eric 7th Lord Reay, sold the last of the Mackay lands to the Earl of Sutherland. 

The Gordons obtained their superiority over the Mackays by a hoax which included lies, cover-ups and the use of extreme political power.  Many conflicts were instigated by Gordons for the lands of Duthaich ‘Ic Aoidh, and the Strathnaver valley was the prize.  This is not to say that the Mackays were blameless of causing trouble.  Many times they were arrested or imprisoned for their actions.  According to Grimble, these “were lands of expansionist enterprise, like the earldom of Sutherland and the bishopric of Caithness, of the senior members of the Stewart and Gordon families who controlled the organs of Scottish government.” The clans of the North were not about to let their lands go without a fight. Full control of the Strathnaver valley, however, was always elusive to the Gordons and the Earls of Sutherland. Greed was the motivation that made all of these lands fair game to the clans. 

Much of the book is the story of Donald Mackay, first Lord Reay.  Donald was probably the first chief not considered a barbarian.  He was knighted by King James VI; as an example of a Gael properly “weaned by his Gordon cousin from the ‘Irish barbarity ‘to the ‘English civility’ an embodiment of the success of the Celtic policy of King James VI.”  In other words a policy for ethnic cleansing of the barbarian Gaels of the North. The Gaels were a race unto themselves and according to Grimble this was a recurrent problem in Scotland’s history. 

Grimble talks about the military prowess of the highlanders of Mackays who distinguished themselves during the Thirty Years War in the service of King Christian IV of Denmark and King Gustav Adolphus of Sweden.  The Highlanders successes as a military unit were a financial disaster to Lord Reay.  This resulted from non-payment for services rendered to Christian IV.  This affected the clan and kinfolk for many years to come; debt ridden Donald Mackay began to sell off his lands.  This made him extremely vulnerable to Gordon. 

Donald was very loyal to the crown.  This caused him problems during the religious controversies between the Catholics and Protestant Covenanters.  He was also plagued by various indiscretions with women with whom he had entered into adulteress relationships.  At least two of his affairs bore him children.  Donald First Lord Reay was left a widower twice.   There were thirteen children who bore his name: 5 born to the first marriage to Barbara Mackenzie, which included John who became 2nd Lord Reay, 1 daughter born to his second wife, Elizabeth Thompson, 5 children born to Marjory Sinclair, his 3rd wife, and 2 illegitimate boys by Mary Lindsey and Rachel Harrison. 

The Mackays produced not only many great military men, but, pipers, and poets. Two of Donald’s sons, by Barbara Mackenzie, were educated in Denmark.  John, who became 2nd Lord Reay, married Barbara Mackay, (General Hugh’s daughter).  Barbara and her sister-in-law were accomplished ladies in their own right.  Both were members of the local Gaelic society and were spinners and weaves of fine cloth.  This was far from a barbaric picture painted of the Gaelic North by the Lowland gentry.  Grimble concludes that; “The Chiefs of Mackay continued to dwell in the Tigh Mor, or Bighouse, at Tongue and Durness, that ultimate bastion of Celtic society and culture throughout Gaeldom.” 

“It was not until the 19th century that the house of Sutherland succeeded in implementing the policies laid down by Sir Robert Gordon two centuries earlier, to purge the country piece by piece of the Irish barbarity.”  The results were the Clearances from 1790 to 1850.

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