Historical account of the Macdonnells of Antrim

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THE MACDONNELLS OF ANTRIM.
with Glencoe men, and others who had an inclination to his majesty's service. (131) In the mean
time when I was interested on the services, the marquess of Montrose marched back to the low-
lands, almost the same way he marched before, till they came to a place called Fivy, in the shire
of Aberdeen, where Argyle was most shamefully beaten out of the field ; and had it not been for
his horse, they had suffered as deeply as the' rest ; so that there was not on our side any hurt done ;
but on their side they lost many of their best horse, and most of all their commanders hurt, and the
earl Mareschal's brother killed. After the armies separated, the lord marquess marched again to
Castle-Blaire, in Athol, where I met again with him and such of the highlands as had joined with
me ; the day of Fivy was on October 28th. (132)
"From Castle-Blaire we marched to Glanurghyes, called M'Callan, (133) M'Conaghy, (134)
all which lands we burned, and preyed from thence to Lares, alias Laufers ; (135) and burned and
preyed all this country from thence to Achenbracke's, (136) whose land and country we burned
and preyed ; and so throughout all'Argyle we left neither house nor hold unburned, nor corn nor
cattle that belonged to the whole name of Campbell. (137) Such of his Majesty's friends as lived
this movement west against the besiegers of Mingarry.
Colonel James Macdonnell states distinctly that he himself
was sent on this mission. Alaster went northward at the
same time for the purpose of looking after reinforcements.
(131) Majesty's service. — The accession of the Clan-
ranald and Glenco men to the ranks of Montrose was
naturally considered a very important matter for the
royalists. The Clanranald of Lochaber included all the
Macdonnells of Garragach and Kep_poch, one of the most
warlike and powerful of Highland clans. The Glenco
men, another warlike sept of the Macdonnells, were
known as the Clan Tan Abrach, from the fact that one
of their chieftains had been fostered in Lochaber. (See
p. 29, supra). These and other powerful champions of
the royal cause were brought forward principally by the
influence of Alaster MacColl, who visited them after the
battle of Aberdeen, and was there received with open
arms among his kinsmen.
(132) October 281A. — Fivy castle, in the immediate
vicinity of which this action was fought, is about two
miles westward from Montrose. Argyle had followed
the royalist forces from Athol, across the Spey, through
Badenoch and Strathbogie, but keeping at a very respect-
ful distance, and employing himself in devastating the
districts of Lude, Speirglass, Fascally, Don-a-Vourd,
and Ballyheukane, burning the country onward to Angus,
and as far northward as Dunottar. He was accompanied
on this occasion by a thousand of his best claymores,
fifteen hundred militia, and seven troops of horse com-
manded by the earl of Lothian. All at once, however,
he found himself in the presence of the royalist force,
which had encamped at Fyvie. Montrose, seeing such a
powerful array of the Campbells, addressed himself to
Colonel Manus O'Cahan, Alaster and James Macdonnell
being both absent. O'Cahan was worthy of the occasion;
and, with his handful of Irish, he began by driving a body
of Argyle's best marksmen from an excellent position
they had seized about midway up the rough sides of the
eminence occupied by the royalists. These marksmen
were driven headlong down the hill, the Irish thus find-
ing quantities of powder in bags which the covenanters
had no time to remove.
(133) M'Callan. — 'Glanurghyes' was Glenurchy (see
p. 12, supra), the inhabitants of which were Campbells,
known as Mac Chaillean, descendants of Collin, a dis-
tinguished chieftain, lord of Lochawe, who lived in the
13th century. His descendants, in the 17th century, had
spread themselve over Glenurchy and other districts
adjoining.
(134) M'Conaghy. — The Campbells of Inveraw were
known as the Clanconaghy, or Clandonaghy — from Don-
agh, pronounced in Gaelic like Conaght— the christian
name of one of their most distinguished chieftains.
(135) Laufers. — Now always written Lawers. The
Campbells of Lawers, in Breadalbane, were a branch of
the Glenurchy stock, and held extensive lands in Bread-
albane and Strathearn. Sir John Campbell of Lawers,
by marriage with his cousin, became lord of Louden.
(136) Achenbracke.- Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchen-
brack in Cantire. See p. 74, supra.
(137) Name of Campbell. — This was an awful foray,
but the marquis of Argyle and his clan could have
hardly hoped to preserve their own hearths from deso-
lation in turn. Not only did their own burning and
rapine from Athol to the braes of Angus now rise up in
judgment, but still more, the fearful scenes of 1640,
when Argyle got a commission of fire and sword from the
Estates to go against several Highland chiefs, especially
the Macdonnells, taking care afterwards to obtain from the
same source a deed of exoneration from the guilt which
he had incurred under that commission. (See Napier's
Memoirs of Montrose, i., 253.) After the affair of
Fivy, Montrose returned again to Blair-Athol, where
he was delighted to meet Alaster Macdonnell, who
had come from his recruiting tour, bringing with him
John of Moydart, captain of the Clanranald, with five
hundred of his following ; Keppoch, with his men from
the braes of Lochaber ; the Stewarts of Appin ; the
warriors of Knoidart, Glengarry, Glennenis, and Glenco ;
Camerons from the Lochy, and Farquharsons from