The Bloodstained Shirts

from the Highlander Web Magazine

The king took a deep breath as he surveyed the sickening sight before him - more than 200 bloodstained shirts, ripped by Colquhoun of Luss from the lifeless corpses of his dead kinsman. The year was 1602 and the laird's men had been slain following a vicious encounter with Clan Gregor.

King James VI of Scotland had already been informed of the disaster, part of a carefully orchestrated plan aimed at provoking the maximum amount of royal displeasure - and as the monarch gazed on the garments his anger grew.

There was no one there to speak on behalf of the MacGregors, to counteract the web of falsehoods which had been carefully concocted. The outcome was predictable. The king proclaimed Clan Gregor rebels and warned the severest of penalties awaited anyone caught protecting or helping them. The laird of Luss and his friends were satisfied.

Old quarrels between the laird of Luss and Alexander MacGregor, chief of clan Gregor, had flared up again in the earlier part of the year, throwing the western part of the Highlands into a state of fear.

But tired of the bitterness and feuding, Alexander MacGregor decided it was time to put an end to them and, accompanied by around 200 of his men, travelled from Rannoch and into the territory of his enemy. He was determined to come to some sort of peaceful understanding.

The laird of Luss was suspicious of the MacGregor clan chief's true intentions, so as an insurance policy, surrounded himself with around 800 of his own supporters, including some 300 horsemen. It was hardly a move which inspired confidence in the assembled MacGregors.

As it turned out, Alexander MacGregor would have been better saving his breath. The conference broke up with nothing settled between the two sides. The members of clan Gregor decided to return home.

Waiting until they were out of sight, the laird of Luss followed carefully behind with the aim of destroying his hated enemies in a surprise attack, if the opportunity were to arise. But Alexander MacGregor was a wily fox, suspecting that this was more than a distinct possibility, for he was far from home and therefore particularly vulnerable.

His suspicions proved correct. Scouts ordered to hang back to watch out for anyone following quickly picked up the leading elements of the laird's clansmen. Alexander MacGregor barked out his orders.

He divided his men into two groups, the larger commanded by himself and the rest by his brother John whom he ordered to circle around to take the laird's men from the rear. They certainly would not be expecting that.

The laird's men launched their attack which, no sooner had they committed themselves to it, was thrown into utter panic and confusion. For, just as planned, John MacGregor charged with his men and delivered a killing blow from behind. It was all over in minutes. The hunters who had become the hunted paid a bloody price. More than 200 were hacked to death by MacGregor clansmen skilled in the use of claymore and axe. So complete was the surprise that the MacGregor men suffered very few casualties. Unfortunately, John, the brother of Alexander MacGregor, was one of the small number killed.

The laird of Luss, meanwhile, seeking to make the most of the situation, quickly informed London-based King James VI, who was also James I of England, of the disaster. The king ordered the Earl of Argyle and his Campbells to hunt down the MacGregors, which they did without mercy.

Many skirmishes followed which gradually weakened the clan. Those who helped them were punished and fined, the money going straight into the pocket of Argyle as compensation for his efforts on behalf of the king.

Alexander MacGregor, knowing it would be only a matter of time before all of his people were slaughtered, decided on a last desperate bid to save the situation. He agreed to hand himself in to the Earl of Argyle on condition that he was allowed safe conduct to travel to London to put his side of the story to King James in person.

The desperate MacGregor chieftain believed he would be able to convince the king that his clan had been the innocent party and so obtain a royal pardon. As a sign of his good faith, he allowed 30 of his best clansmen to be held as hostages. The Earl of Argyle agreed.

But when the MacGregor chief arrived in Berwick he was arrested and taken back in chains to Edinburgh and imprisoned along with the hostages. Further plotting by the Earl of Argyle and the laird of Luss sealed their fate. The MacGregor chief and all of his men were executed.

If the Earl of Argyle had hoped to break the will of clan Gregor by such treachery, he was sadly mistaken. The clan not only survived but, though it would take centuries, in the end triumphed against all the odds.

17th August 1996

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