ORIGINS OF THE CLAN
The Clan Gregor held lands in Glen Orchy, Glenlochy and Glenstrae. According to Iain Moncreiffe the MacGregors were descended from an ancient Celtic royal family, through the Abbots of Glendochart. This is alluded to in the clan’s motto: “Royal is my race”. There is a tradition that Gregor was the son of Kenneth MacAlpin, which is supported by the Scottish historian, William Forbes Skene, but there is no evidence to support this tradition. It is possible that he might have been Griogair, son of Dungal, who was allegedly co-ruler of Alba.
Most modern historians have agreed that the first chief of Clan Gregor was Gregor of the golden bridles. His son was Iain Camm One eye, who succeeded as the second chief sometime before 1390.
The barony of Loch Awe which included much of the MacGregor lands was granted to the chief of Clan Campbell by Robert the Bruce. The Campbells had already built Kilchurn Castlewhich controlled the gateway to the western Highlands and they harried the MacGregors who were forced to retire deeper into their lands until they were restricted to Glenstrae.
16TH CENTURY AND CLAN CONFLICTS
Iain of Glenstrae died in 1519 with no direct heirs. He was the second of his house to be called the Black. The succession of Eian was supported by the Campbells and he married a daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy. In 1547 Eian’s son, Alistair, fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh but died shortly after.
Colin Campbell refused to recognise the claim of Gregor Roy MacGregor to the estates and for ten years Gregor waged a war against the Campbells. He was an outlaw who raided cattle and sheltered in the high glens. However in 1570 he was captured and killed by the Campbells. The chiefship was claimed by his son, Alistair, but he was unable to stem the Campbell’s persecution of the MacGregors who became known as the Children of the Mist.
John Drummond, of Clan Drummond was the king’s forester and he was murdered after hanging some MacGregors for poaching. The chief took responsibility for the murder and it was condemned by the Privy Council.
17TH CENTURY, CLAN CONFLICTS AND CIVIL WAR
Battle of Glen Fruin. In 1603 Alasdair MacGregor marched into Colquhoun territory with a force of over four hundred men. The chief of Clan Colquhoun had been granted a royal commission to suppress the MacGregors. Colquhoun assembled a force of five hundred foot and three hundred horse and advanced to Glen Fruin to repel the Highland raiders. MacGregor split his force in two and while the main MacGregor force and the Colquhouns engaged in combat the second MacGregor force attacked the Colquhouns from the rear. The Colquhouns were driven into the Moss of Auchingaich where their cavalry was useless and over two hundred Colquhouns were killed. At the end of the eighteenth century the chiefs of the two clans met and shook hands on the very site of the former slaughter.
James VI of Scotland issued an edict in April
1603 that proclaimed the name of MacGregor as 'altogidder abolished'. This meant that anyone who
bore the name must renounce it or suffer death. In
1604 MacGregor and eleven of his chieftains were
hanged at Mercat Cross, Edinburgh. As a result the
Clan Gregor was scattered with many taking other
names such as Murray or Grant. They were hunted
like animals and flushed out of the heather by
bloodhounds.
An Edinburgh burgess, Robert Birrel, who kept a
diary of events at the time, described the episode
thus,
“[MacGregor] wes convoyit to Berwick be the Gaird
to conforme to the Earl’s promese: for he promesit
to put him out of Scottis grund. Swa [so] he keipit
ane Hieland-manis promes; in respect he sent the
Gaird to convoy him out of Scottis grund: But thai
were not directit to pairt with him, but to fetche
him bak agane! The 18 Januar, at evine [evening], he
come agane to Edinburghe; and upone the 20-day
he wes hangit at the Croce, and xj [eleven] of his
freindis and name, upon ane gallous: Himself being
Chieff, he wes hangit his awin hicht aboune the rest
of hes freindis.”
An Act of the Scottish Parliament from 1617 stated
(translated into modern English):
“It was ordained that the name of
MacGregor should be abolished and that
the whole persons of that name should
renounce their name and take some other
name and that they nor none of their
name and that they nor none of their
posterity should call themselves Gregor
or MacGregor under pain of death ....
that any person or persons of the said clan
who has already renounced their names
or hereafter shall renounce their names
or if any of their children or posterity
shall at any time hereafter assume or
take to themselves the name of Gregor or
MacGregor .... that every such person or
persons assuming or taking to themselves
the said name .... shall incurr the pain of
death which pain shall be executed upon
them without favour.”
Despite the savage treatment of the MacGregors
they actually fought for the king during the Scottish
Civil War. Two hundred men of the Clan Gregor
fought for the Earl of Glencairn in what was known
as Glencairn’s rising, against the Commonwealth.
In recognition of this Charles II of England repealed
the proscription of the name but William of Orange
reimposed it when Charle’s brother James VII was
deposed.
18TH CENTURY AND JACOBITE RISINGS
Rob Roy MacGregor was born in 1671, a younger
son of MacGregor of Glengyle. However he had
been forced to assume his mother’s surname of
Campbell. The adventures of Rob Roy MacGregor
have been immortalised and romanticised by Sir
Walter Scott in his novel Rob Roy. Rob Roy was
undoubtedly a thorn in the flesh of the government
until he died in 1734. He supported the Jacobite
cause in 1715 and after the Battle of Sheriffmuir
he set out plundering at will. In one such raid
on Dunbarton, the town was put into panic and
Dunbarton Castle was forced to open fire with its
cannon. He also led the Clan Gregor at the Battle
of Glen Shiel in 1719. He is buried in Balquhidder
churchyard.
During the 1745 to 1746 uprising some of the Clan
Gregor who were under the Duke of Perth fought
as Jacobites at the Battle of Prestonpans in 1745.
The Clan Gregor were amongst the Jacobite force
that was defeated at the Battle of Littleferry in 1746
in Sutherland, and therefore missed the Battle of
Culloden that took place the next day.
Persecution of the MacGregors did not end until
1774 when the laws against them were repealed.
19TH CENTURY AND RESTORED CLAN
To restore pride in the clan the chiefs needed to
be re-established. Eight hundred and twenty six
MacGregors subscribed to a petition declaring
General John Murray of Lanrick to be the true chief.
Murray was in fact a MacGregor who was descended
from Duncan MacGregor of Ardchoille who had
died in 1552.His son was Sir Evan who played a
part in the visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822,
where he and his clansmen guarded the honours of
Scotland.