stories of the clans

No-one is actually sure of the cause for this particular quarrel, or why the Chief of the Glengarry MacDonalds was summoned to court by Mackenzie but the two clans had certainly been involved in minor skirmishes for some time.
However, MacDonald was summoned to appear in the court at Edinburgh after allegations had been made against him by the MacKenzie chief. Glengarry, (described by Sir Robert Gordon at that time as being
' Unexpert and unskillful in the laws of the realm') failed to appear at the appointed time.
After the summons had been delivered, two of the MacDonalds were set upon for no reason, and killed by some Mackenzies.
Meantime, as a consequence of his non appearance at court, Glengarry was declared and outlaw and rebel and letters of fire and sword were issued against him.
Glengarry was not in the least disturbed by this and instead resolved to take revenge for the murder of his two kinsmen and attacked some of the Mackenzie people.
In response to which, Kenneth MacKenzie, (later Lord Kintail,) now appealed to the Earl of Dunfermline for assistance. He sought for and succeeded in obtaining a commission against the MacDonalds of Glengarry and using this commission he took his own revenge.
He and his clan now invaded the lands of Glengarry during the absence of the chief and laid waste the area, destroying valuable crops,killing cattle, burning houses and putting the MacDonalds to the sword.
On his return, and finding his lands wasted and a great number of his people dead, the furious Glengarry gathered the remaining MacDonald men and some friends of other clans and laid siege to and took the castle of Stome, the Mackenzie stronghold.
MacKenzie then appealed for aid to the Earl of Sutherland who reponded by sending two thousand men to aid Mackenzie. This force was under the command of John Gordon of Elcho and this force now marched with the MacKenzies into Glengarry, destroying everyone and everything in their path.
They were intercepted by a smaller force of MacDonalds under the command of the eldest son of the chief and a short but bloody battle ensued.
The MacDonalds were well outnumbered and more than sixty of them died in the conflict, including the young MacDonald.
The MacKenzies and their allies did not get off lightly either and lost slightly more men, before both sides drew off from each other.
Glengarry, distrauht at the loss of his son and heir, then swore revenge for the death of his son and the bitter fighting between the two clans continued in tit for tat fashion for a long period of time until a third party intervened and an agreemet was finally reached between the two clan chiefs.
Glengarry returned the castle of Strome to the MacKenzies.
For a time, the feud was over.