Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

422 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
lands wliicli beL)nged to John's father, Hugh of Sleat, held by Eanald pi
John, Lord of the Isles, " on the resignation of John Huchounson of Slei^
son and heir of the said deceased Hugh," dated 5th of August 1198, tla
same j' ear in which John succeeded to these lands on the death of his fathetj
Hugh of Sleat. The other charter is in favour of " Angus Eewathson
Makranald, of the lands of Arrassaik, Keppath," &c., also on the resigna-
tion of John, Hugh's son.
This John Huchonson is found among those who made their submis-
sion to the King at the Castle of Mingarry in Ardnamurchan in 1495;
during his father's life.
He died, without issue, in 1502, and was succeeded, as representative
of the family, by his half brother,
XII. Donald Gallach Macdonald, third of Sleat. The strict legiti
macy of this chief has always been considered doubtful ; and we can find
no record of any formal marriage by his father to the daughter of Gun,
Crowner of Caithness. Even the family historian, Hugh Mac lonald, who
on all occasions showed such an inclination to bastardise the descendants
of all the other branches of the Macdonalds to glorify his own cliief, does
not assert that there was a formal marriage, and such was hardly possible m
the circumstances which lie describes. Indeed his MS., already quoted,
is strong presumptive evidence the other way. The fact that his brothei
John made over aU his possessions to the Clanranald AUansons past his
own half-brother, has been held by some as an element which goes tc
strengthen the same assumption. In any case Donald appears to have
had neither possessions nor influence, whatever may have been the reason.
Gregory says on this i^oint : — John, the eldest son of Hugh, having nc
issue himself, and having probably quarrelled with his brothers, made over
all his estates to the Clanranald ; as well as those estates which had been
claimed and forcibly occupied by that clan as those which had remained
in his own hands.* The rest of the Claidiuistem, on John's death, weK
thus left without legal rights to any landed property in the Isles ; ;
being, moreover, viewed with jealousy by the Government, owing to theii
propinquity to the last Lord of the Isles, they were in a manner forced tc
become rebels. Donald GaUach, their leader, was, with another of the
brothers, murdered by their own bastard brother, Archibald, or Giliespick
Dubh, an unprincipled and ambitious man, whose atrocities seem to have
been winked at by the Government, on the ground, probably, that his
brothers were proclaimed rebels, whom it was desirable to exterminate,
This happened about the year 1506 ; and Archibald, the fratricide, having
endeavou.red to seize the lands of Sleat, was expelled from the North Isles
by Eanald Allanson, the heir of Moydart, to whom Sleat had been made
over by John Huchonson, the last legal possessor. Taking refuge in the
Soirth Isles, where he joined himself to a band of pirates, Archibald, aftei
a time, procured his own pardon, by delivering up to justice some of his
lawless associates, t He then returned to Skye, and, being a man OJ
ability, seized the command of his tribe, and exercised the offi.ce of Bailif
of the extensive district of Trouterness ; his right to which, however ac-
quii-ed, was recognised by Government in 1510.":{:
* Reg. of «reat Seal, siii,, 336-7; xiv., 141. John Huchonson had no brothers-.^cnnan.
t Hugh Macdonald's MS. ; Keg. of Privy Seal, iii., fo. 161. The pardon was granted
at the intercession if Aigyll.
$ Highlands and Isles, pp. 107-8 ; Keg. Great Seal, iv., fol. 70 ; Hugh Macdonald'a MS.'