Origins of the 'Forty-five : $b and other papers relating to that rising
History
Origins of the 'Forty-five : $b and other papers relating to that rising
Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746
The first island of any note is Lismore; a most fertile soil; all
founded on Limestone, and like garden ground, which the name of the
island imports. Here was the seat of the Bishop of the Isles: it lies
in the Sound opposite to Lorn and Appin; the people Protestants and
well disposed. It is but eight miles long and one broad, and is the
property of ten or twelve heritors. To the west hereof lies Mull, a
large island containing three Parishes, mostly the Property of the
Duke of Argyle; formerly the property of McLean of Dowart. McLean of
Lochbuie has still an estate here, of about 6000 Merks: the people
Protestants mostly and well affected; but from this island, Morvern
and Kingairloch there came about nine score McLeans to the Rebellion,
of whom returned but 38 as a McLean told me.[278] The islands of
Tyree, Coll, Jura, Colonsay, Islay, Gigha, etc. I omit as there were
no men from them in the Rebellion. Only before I come to the southeast
coast of the Sound of Mull, I must not omit a gentleman who rose with
his men from the heart of the country of Argyle, I mean the Laird of
McLachlan;[279] his small country called Strathlachlan lies to the
south of Inverary and on the south side of Lochfine. He is Chief of the
McLachlans, and had as I am informed, near 300 men in the Rebellion,
but of the number I am not quite sure; Mr. Alexr. Campbell, minister
of Inverary, must know.[280] His people of a long time profest to be
of our Communion, but one Mr. John McLachlan,[281] a most violent
Episcopal minister poisoned his Chief and the gentlemen of his name to
a strange degree, and indeed did more mischief among other clans than
any three priests I ever knew.
[_Appin and Glencoe_]
I now come as I promised to the coast on the south east side of the
Sound of Mull. The first dissaffected country is Appin, inhabited
by the Stuarts. The Laird of Appin[282] keeps quiet at home but the
gentlemen of his clan and his tenants were in the Rebellion. The
people here are Protestants, but strangely poisoned by the Nonjurant
Episcopal Clergy. Adjacent to Appin is Glencoe; a small place; McDonald
of Glencoe is Superior.[283] He can raise of his tenants and followers
100 men. He and his people the same as to religion as his neighbours of
Appin.
[_Lochiel’s Country_]
To the north east of Glencoe, an arm of the sea runs up from the Sound
of Mull called [Loch Leven], which I now cross to describe the country
of Mamore, inhabited by Camerons and belonging heritably to the Duke
of Gordon, but a good part of it feued off to Locheil. The people all
Protestants, but of the same kind with Appin and Glencoe. To the north
east of Mamore lies Fort-William and a small Glen called Glennevis,
above which stands the largest and the highest mountain in Scotland,
called Ben Nevis.
On the north side of the River Lochy lies the rest of Locheil’s estate,
viz., Locheil, Strathlochy, and Locharkaig. The first and second of
these, six miles long each; the last, twelve miles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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