Grant, his wife, holding blench for a penny, and confirmed in the
same year by Queen Mary. [MS. History by the Earl of Cromartie.]

In 1540 Mackenzie with his followers joined King James at Loch Duich,
while on his way with a large fleet to secure the good government
of the West Highlands and Isles, upon which occasion many of the
suspected and refractory leaders were carried south and placed
in confinement. His Majesty died soon after, in 1542. Queen
Mary succeeded, and, being a minor, the country generally, but
particularly the northern parts, was thrown into a state of anarchy
and confusion.

In 1544 the Earl of Huntly, holding a commission as Lieutenant of
the North from the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, commanded Kenneth
Mackenzie, younger of Kintail (his father, from his advanced age,
being unable to take the field), to raise his vassals and lead an
expedition against the Clan Ranald of Moidart, who, at that time,
held lands from Mackenzie on the West Coast; but Kenneth, in these
circumstances, thought it would be much against his personal
interest to attack Donald Glas of Moidart, and refused to comply
with Huntly's orders. To punish him, the Earl ordered his whole
army, consisting of three thousand men, to proceed against both
Moidart and Mackenzie with fire and sword, but he had not
sufficiently calculated on the constitution of his force, which
was chiefly composed of Grants, Rosses, Mackintoshes, and Chisholms;
and Kenneth's mother being a daughter of John, then laird of Grant,
and three of his daughters having married, respectively, Ross of
Balnagown, Lachlan Mackintosh of Mackintosh, and Alexander Chisholm
of Comar, Huntly found his followers as little disposed to molest
Mackenzie as he had been to attack Donald Glas of Moidart. In