Traditional origins , an early stronghold of the Mackenzies of Kintail and their allies, the
Clan MacRae, who were constables of the castle for the Mackenzies. It is located in the
Lochalsh district in western
Ross-shire. The MacKenzies are believed to have the same ancestry as the
Matheson and Anrias clans. All three are said to be descended from Gilleoin of the Aird, a
Gaelic dynast who lived in the early 12th century. The chiefs of the Clan Mackenzie are said to have been settled at their great stronghold on
Eilean Donan by 1297. It is believed that all of these histories ultimately derive from a single manuscript created by William MacQueen, Parson of Assynt in 1576, now lost. Alexander Mackenzie followed the Fitzgerald theory for the first edition of his
History of the Mackenzies in 1879, but abandoned it in his later 1894 edition based on the intervening publication of genealogies contained in
MS 1467.
Wars of Scottish Independence In the 14th century during the
Wars of Scottish Independence the Clan Mackenzie is said to have been among the clans who fought on the side of
Robert the Bruce at the 1308
Battle of Inverurie against the forces of the
Clan Comyn who were rivals to the throne. Chief Iain Mac Coinnich is said to have led a force of five hundred Mackenzies at the
Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 where the English were defeated. Later in the 14th century, the Mackenzies are said to have become involved in battles against their powerful neighbour the
Earl of Ross and their allies. This resulted in the capture and subsequent execution of chief Kenneth Mackenzie in 1346. Soon after this it appears that his successor as chief of the clan Mackenzie was living in an island castle in Loch Kinellan near
Strathpeffer in Easter Ross and it was from this base that the clan was to advance westward once again to Kintail. and was listed as a witness to a charter by
John of Islay, Earl of Ross, and Lord of the Isles on 4 November 1471. The earliest known likeness of a Mackenzie is that of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie (d. 7 February 1491/1492), whose
effigy can be seen at
Beauly Priory.
15th century and clan conflicts In 1452 a force of tribes loyal to Mackenzie of Kintail took hostage a relative of the
Earl of Ross. This resulted in the
Battle of Bealach nam Broig which was fought to the north-west of
Ben Wyvis. The
Clan Munro and their
septs the Dingwalls rescued the Ross hostage but won a hollow victory, with a great loss of their own men. In 1491 the
Battle of Blar Na Pairce was fought between the Mackenzies and the MacDonalds. This was followed by the
Raid on Ross also in 1491 when the Clan Mackenzie clashed with a number of clans including the
Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh,
Clan MacDonald of Clanranald,
Clan Cameron and the
Chattan Confederation of
Clan Mackintosh. In 1497
Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh and his clan rebelled against the King. MacDonald invaded the fertile lands of Ross-shire where he was defeated in battle by the Mackenzies at the
Battle of Drumchatt (1497), after which he was driven out of Ross-shire.
16th century and clan conflicts is a historic castle and traditional seat of Clan Mackenzie. The castle is located in the village of
Strathpeffer, about a half-hour drive northwest of
Inverness.|leftDuring the
Anglo-Scottish Wars John Mackenzie, 9th of Kintail led the clan at the
Battle of Flodden in 1513. John escaped but many of his followers lost their lives. John Mackenzie also fought at the
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547 where he was captured by the English. However, his clan paid a ransom of cows for his release. The Mackenzie chief refused and Huntly's supporters, the Clan Grant, Clan Ross and Clan Mackintosh declined to attack the Mackenzies. From that time the Mackenzies were recognised as a separate and superior force in the north-west. At the
Battle of Langside in May 1568 the Mackenzies fought on the side of Mary, Queen of Scots, against the forces of her half-brother
James Stewart, Earl of Moray. Their chief,
Kenneth Mackenzie, 10th of Kintail died the following month and was buried at Beauly. In 1570, a feud broke out with the Munros over
Chanonry Castle. Andrew Munro of Milntown defended it for three years against the Clan Mackenzie, at the expense of many lives on both sides. The feud was settled when the castle was handed over to the Mackenzies by an "Act of Pacification". In 1597, the
Battle of Logiebride took place between the Mackenzies and MacLeods of Raasay against the Munros and the
Bain family of
Tulloch Castle.
17th century and Civil War . The Mackenzie chief's title of
Earl of Seaforth took its name from
Loch Seaforth between the Isles of Lewis and Harris By the beginning of the 17th century the territory of the Mackenzies extended from the
Black Isle in the east to the
Outer Hebrides in the west. In 1623, the clan chief
Colin Mackenzie was made
Earl of Seaforth, a title in the
peerage of
Scotland, taking his title from a sea loch on the
Isle of Lewis. In 1645, Lord Seaforth, fighting as a
Covenanter, led a force against the royalist
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, at the
Battle of Auldearn where the Covenanters were defeated. Montrose followed up his success by destroying many houses that belonged to people who had opposed the royalist cause, including that of
Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden. In 1672, the Mackenzies were granted a commission of "
fire and sword" against the
MacLeods of Assynt who were a branch of the Clan MacLeod of Lewis and were seated at
Ardvreck Castle, which was attacked and captured by the Mackenzies, who took control of the lands of
Assynt. In 1688,
Kenneth Mackenzie of Suddie was killed leading a Government-backed
Independent Highland Company in support of Mackintosh against the
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch who were supported by the
Clan Cameron at the
Battle of Mulroy. During the
Williamite War in Ireland the Clan Mackenzie (led by their chief
Kenneth Mackenzie, 4th Earl of Seaforth) are believed to have supported King James at the
Siege of Derry and the
Battle of the Boyne in 1690. However, during the
Jacobite rising of 1745 the Clan Mackenzie was divided: The chief,
Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose, did not support the Jacobites and raised several
Independent Highland Companies from the Clan Mackenzie to support the British Government. However, during the 1745 rising a large part of the Clan Mackenzie followed the chief's cousin,
George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie who was a Jacobite.
1715 and 1719 Jacobite risings In what is known as the
Skirmish of Alness in 1715 the
Earl of Seaforth, chief of Mackenzie led a force of 3000 men that forced the retreat of a smaller force loyal to the British Government, which was commanded by the
Earl of Sutherland and included the clans Sutherland, Munro, Ross and Mackay. Much of the Ross's and Munro's lands were ravaged, but they retaliated by raiding the Mackenzie lands in what is known as the
Siege of Brahan. The
Siege of Inverness (1715) came to an end when the town, which was being held by the Mackenzies was surrendered to Simon Fraser of Lovat. Soon after this Colonel
Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet of Foulis marched into the town of
Inverness with 400 Munros and took over control as governor from Fraser. Government troops arrived in Inverness towards the end of February, and for some months the process of disarming the rebels went on, led by a Munro detachment under George Munro of Culcairn. The clan rivalries which had erupted in rebellion were finding an outlet in local politics. The Mackenzie's position as Earl of Seaforth came to an end in 1716, and it seems to have been arranged that while the
Clan Ross held the county seat the Munros would represent the
Tain Burghs. To secure the burghs, control of three out of the five was necessary. Ross ascendancy was secure in Tain, and from 1716 to 1745 the Munros controlled
Dingwall. The Clan Mackenzie fought at the
Battle of Glen Shiel in 1719 where they were defeated by Government forces and the Mackenzie chief was wounded, afterwards retreating to the Western Isles and from there to the Continent. In 1721 the Clan Mackenzie, led by
Donald Murchison, defeated Government supporters from the
Clan Ross at the
Battle of Glen Affric. This was followed by the
Battle of Coille Bhan where again, led by Donald Murchison and also his relative Kenneth Murchison, the Clan Mackenzie defeated Government forces.
General Wade's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 3,000 men.
1745 Jacobite rising George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie led the Jacobite Mackenzies at the
Battle of Falkirk (1746) where they were victorious in helping to defeat British Government forces. However, soon after this as the
Earl of Cromartie and his forces were travelling south to meet
Charles Edward Stuart they were attacked by the Mackay and Sutherland Independent Highland Companies who supported the British Government in what became known as the
Battle of Littleferry and the Jacobite Mackenzies were prevented from joining the Jacobite army at the
Battle of Culloden. Other Mackenzies took the side of the British Government: the chief, Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose had in fact raised three
Independent Highland Companies to support the British Government. In one of the Independent Highland Companies under Captain Colin Mackenzie it is recorded at Shiramore in Badenoch in June 1746 and it included many of them from Kintail as well as more than sixty men from the
Clan MacRae.
Wars in France and India A number of famous regiments have been raised from the Mackenzie clan, including the Highland Light Infantry (raised in 1777), the Seaforth Highlanders (raised in 1778), and the second battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders, known as the Ross-shire Buffs (raised in 1793). All those regiments wore the MacKenzie
tartan. Born in 1754, Chief
Francis Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth, the last Lord Seaforth raised a regiment for the British Army in 1778, the 72nd, and the clan produced another the 78th in 1793. Both had distinguished records fighting against
Napoleon and were later amalgamated into the
Queen's Own Highlanders. The 78th Regiment, as it was first called, was raised in 1778 from men on the Seaforth and other Mackenzie estates. The Earl of Seaforth, having raised his men, sailed with them to India in 1781, but died there a few months later. During the Wars in India,
Colin Mackenzie (1754–1821) was Surveyor General of India, and an art collector and orientalist. He produced many of the first accurate maps of India, and his research and collections contributed significantly to the field of Asian studies. In 1799, he was part of the British force at the
Battle of Seringapatam. He also fought in the
Napoleonic Wars.
19th century to present Throughout the 19th century Clan Mackenzie was without a chief that was recognised by the
Lord Lyon King of Arms. On his death in 1990 his son John Ruaridh Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie succeeded as chief of Clan Mackenzie. The Earl of Cromartie still owns lands in
clan country however, the largest remaining Mackenzie landowner by some margin is Mackenzie of
Gairloch, with an estate which extends to over 50,000
acres (like the clan chief, Mackenzie of Gairloch has inherited his clan name and lands through the female line). The current chief is a member of the
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. The current chief of Clan Mackenzie lives at
Castle Leod, which is thought to date from the 16th century. The chief has leased the unoccupied old tower to the Clan Mackenzie Charitable Trust (CMCT) for 99 years. During the 1990s there was extensive work done on the tower. In 2002 the Highland Buildings Preservation Trust (HBPT) was contacted, to carry out a feasibility study to investigate the potential for the re-use of the upper floor space of the tower, which deemed public funding to be sought to cover the costs of restoration. Because of concerns of physical and legal separation between the clan chief and the tower, the chief decided that the conditions of public funding were too onerous. ==Chief==