Macdonalds of Glengarry. The Chief of Glengarry inherited part of
Lochalsh, Lochcarron, and Lochbroom, from his grandmother, Margaret,
one of the sisters and co-heiresses of Sir Donald Macdonald of
Lochalsh, and grand-daughter of Celestine of the Isles. Kenneth,
during his father's life, had acquired the other part by purchase
from Dingwall of Kildun, son of the other co-heiress of Sir
Donald, on the 24th November, 1554, and Queen Mary confirmed the
grant by Royal charter. Many causes leading to disputes and feuds
can easily be imagined with such men in close proximity. Glengarry
and his followers "sorned" on Mackenzie's tenants, not only in
the immediate vicinity of his own property of Lochcarron, but also
during their raids from Glengarry, on the outskirts of Kintail,
and thus Mackenzie's dependants were continually harrassed by
Glengarry's cruelty and ill-usage. His own tenants in Lochalsh
and Lochcarron fared little better, particularly the Mathesons in
the former, and the Clann Ian Uidhir in the latter, who were the
original possessors of Glengarry's lands in that district. These
tribes, finding themselves in such abject slavery, though they
regularly paid their rents and other dues, and seeing how kindly
Mackenzie used the neighbouring tenantry, envied their more
comfortable state and "abhorred Glengarry's rascality, who would
lie in their houses (yea, force their women and daughters) so long
as there was any good to be given, which made them keep better
amity and correspondence with Mackenzie and his tenants than with
their own master and his followers. This may partly teach how
superiors ought always to govern and oversee their tenantry and
followers, especially in the Highlands, who were ordinarily made
up of several clans, and will not readily underlie such slavery as
the Incountry Commons will do."