's
Victorian era romanticised depiction of a
Macdonald, lord of the Isles.
Origins The MacDonalds of Keppoch are one of the branch clans of
Clan Donald—one of the largest Scottish clans. The eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald is
Donald, son of
Reginald, son of
Somerled. Somerled, son of Gillebride was a 12th-century
Norse–Gaelic leader and warrior who was called "King of the Isles" and "King of Argyll". Through marital alliance and ambitious military conquest, Somerled rose in prominence to create the
Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. Traditional genealogies suggest Somerled is a descendant of various Irish legendary figures and may have had a Norse mother. Historians and scholars, however, are skeptical and dubious of Somerled's genealogical royal origins, nor the credibility of Somerled's eventual rise to power. Lochaber was one of the many territories that
Robert the Bruce gifted to his friend,
Aonghus Óg of Islay, who fought alongside Bruce during the
First War of Scottish Independence, including the successful
Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Aonghus Óg's loyalty to Bruce's claim for the Scottish crown and the extensive military services he provided would signify a lasting legacy, in which he and his descendants were known as the Lords of the Isles. The MacDonalds of Keppoch are descended from
Alistair Carrach MacDonald who was a younger son of
Good John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, 6th chief of
Clan Donald and his second wife Margaret Stewart, daughter of King
Robert II of Scotland. John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, apportioned his estates between the children of his two marriages in accordance with the marriage settlement of his father-in-law Robert II of Scotland and the Lordship of
Lochaber was given to Alistair Carrach MacDonald who was the third and youngest son from his second marriage. Alistair Carrach MacDonald was the first MacDonald of Keppoch and Garragach.
15th century Alistair Carrach MacDonald of Keppoch supported his brother,
Domhnall of Islay, in his claim to the
Earldom of Ross. In the early 1480s, Donald Angusson, 3rd Laird of Keppoch, fought beside
Aonghas Óg MacDonald against
John of Islay at the
Battle of Bloody Bay, where Aonghas Óg was victorious. After the Lordship of the Isles was forfeited in 1493, Donald briefly submitted to
James IV at
Mingary Castle, but soon defied the Crown and lost his lands in 1497. That same year, Donald Angusson led Clan MacDonald of Keppoch to defeat the
Clan Stewart of Appin and the
Clan MacLaren at the
Battle of Black Mount in which both the chiefs of Appin and Keppoch were killed. Donald was succeeded by Iain Aluinn, 4th of Keppoch, whose short rule angered his clansmen when he surrendered a thief, Domhnull Ruadh Beag, to the Mackintosh chief—longtime enemies—leading to the thief’s execution. His authority collapsed, and the clan chose Alexander, grandson of Alistair Carrach, who was soon killed in an ambush. His son, Donald Glass, later restored stability and built the first Castle Keppoch in Lochaber. After Ranald Mor’s death, Keppoch chiefs adopted the style “MacRanald,” later formalized as
Mac Mhic Raonuill (“son of Ranald’s son”), which became the traditional designation for future chiefs of Clan Keppoch. who died in 1709 is said to lie here, although the tall beautiful carved stone commemorating him does not mark the actual grave.After helping
Sir James MacDonald, 9th of Dunnyveg escape from Edinburgh Castle, Ranald Og fled to Spain, returning only when he supplied
James VI and I with intelligence on a planned Spanish invasion. He was pardoned, granted a pension, and lived peacefully thereafter. Ranald Og proved loyal to the Crown and allied with Clan Campbell and the Earl of Moray, but this led to conflict with the Earl of Argyll, who destroyed Castle Keppoch. Ranald’s brother, Donald Glass, who eventually succeeded him in chieftainship, retaliated by raiding Argyll. For centuries, the chiefs of Keppoch were buried at
Cille Choirill, also associated with the Keppoch bard and poet
Iain Lom. On 25 September 1663, seven men fell upon Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch and his brother Ranald and murdered them during a brawl in the mansion of Insch, just outside the village of
Roybridge, Lochaber. The identity of the killers, Alexander MacDonald, Keppoch Tacksman of Inverlair, and his six sons, were well known. The cause of the murders were a manner of rival claimants to the chieftainship of Clan MacDonald of Keppoch. Iain Lom appealed for revenge before
Lord Glengarry, but found apathy to the request. The seven killers were eventually hunted down and killed two years later by men sent by
MacDonald of Sleat. Iain Lom brought the severed heads to
Invergarry Castle in order to show them to Lord MacDonell of Glengarry, who had failed to bring the murderers to justice. This event became known as the
Keppoch murders. Noted in the Black-book of Taymouth that in 1681 a bond of
manrent was given by Gilleasba, chief of Keppoch, to John Glas, first
Earl of Breadalbane; ''"such as Ceppoch's predecessors gave to the Earl's predecessors."
binding Keppoch "to restrain all the inhabitants of Brae-Lochaber, and all of the name of Macdonell, from committing robberies within the Earl's bounds."''
Coll MacDonald, 16th of Keppoch, later renewed the Keppoch feud with Clan Mackintosh, culminating in the
Battle of Mulroy in 1688—the last private clan battle in Scotland—where the MacDonalds of Keppoch were victorious. Coll then joined the Jacobite rising, taking part in the siege of Inverness and the
Battle of Killiecrankie. During the
Jacobite rising of 1689 the MacDonalds of Keppoch
laid siege to the town of Inverness. Shortly afterwards, the MacDonalds of Keppoch fought at the
Battle of Killiecrankie, in which the Jacobites won victoriously, but remain ineffective in establishing a Sturart restoration.
18th century During the
Jacobite rising of 1715, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch were indirectly involved in the
siege of Inverness (1715).
General Wade's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 220 men. Coll MacDonald and his clansmen would eventually fight for the Jacobites at the
Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the Jacobite Rising of 1715 failed, Coll MacDonald suffered exile in France for a time, but retained his power after the Rising, eventually dying in 1729. During the
Jacobite rising of 1745, the
Chief,
Alexander Macdonald, 17th of Keppoch, was among the men who attacked British Government soldiers who were preparing a surprise assault on the
Glenfinnan gahering at what is now known as the
Highbridge Skirmish. This was the first strike on the government during the 1745 rising. The MacDonalds of Keppoch were also involved in the
siege of Fort William in March 1746. On the morning of 16 April 1746, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch were present at the
Battle of Culloden. During the battle, the MacDonald regiments were located on the extreme left wing of the Jacobite army, instead of their preferred place on the right wing. According to legend, these regiments refused to charge when ordered to do so, due to the perceived insult of being placed on the left wing. According to tradition, Alexander of Keppoch, upon seeing that his men were reluctant to advance as ordered, he reproached them by shouting
Mo Dhia, an do thrèig clann mo chinnidh mi? ("My God, have the children of my clan forsaken me?") before charging alone with pistol and sword drawn. More contemporary accounts, however, suggest that Keppoch led the attack surrounded by a small group of close kinsmen with the rest of his men following in support. During the advance Keppoch had his right arm shattered by a musket-ball: he was subsequently hit in the chest and died some time later while being carried off the field by his illegitimate son Aonghas Bàn. Among the Keppoch Jacobites to suffer the supreme penalty after the defeat of the Uprising was Major Donald MacDonald, the
Tacksman of Tir na Dis near
Spean Bridge, who was executed at
Carlisle in October 1746. Before his death, however, the Major stated, "I die a member of the Holy Roman Catholic Church in the Communion of which I have lived... And I here declare, upon the faith of a dying man, that it was with no view to establishing that church or religion in this nation that I joined the Prince, but purely out of duty and allegiance to our only rightful, lawful, and native sovereign, due to him had he been a heathen,
Mahomedan, or even a
Quaker." Alexander was succeeded by his son, Ranald, the 18th Chief, followed by his son, Richard, 19th Chief. The chiefship would become dormant in 1848 with the death of Chichester, the 21st Chief.
19th century to present John de Lotbinière MacDonald (c. 1857 – 1935), paternal grandson of
John MacDonald of Garth was the 21st clan chief. Maternally, his grandfather was
Robert Unwin Harwood, and
Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain Chartier de Lotbinière was his great-grandfather. Shortly afterwards, there was little to no record of the clan, as the succession ended when the original line of Coll MacDonald, 16th of Keppoch ended upon the death of the 21st chief, John de Lotbinière. Thus, the clan was without a chief for the next couple of generations. The next chief wasn't acknowledged until 13 September 2006 when Ranald Alasdair MacDonald of Keppoch was acknowledged as the lawful chief by the
Lyon Court, following a 30-year fight for the right to use the ancient title of
Mac Mhic Raonuill. His descent from Donald Gorm, younger brother of Archibald 15th Chief (c. 1680) was accepted by the Court. Ranald Alasdair died on the 11th of October, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The current chief is
Kenneth Donald MacDonald, 23rd Chief of the Honorable Clan Ranald of Lochaber. ==Clan Castle==