Rob Roy MacGregor
Robert Roy MacGregor | |
---|---|
Born | Robert MacGregor 7 March 1671 Loch Katrine, Perthshire, Scotland |
Died | 28 December 1734 Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland | (aged 63)
Nationality | Scottish |
Other names | Robert Campbell (alias) Rob Roy |
Occupation(s) | Soldier, cattle dealer |
Known for | Scottish folk hero |
Children | 4 |
Robert Roy MacGregor (
Early life
Rob Roy was born in the
In January 1693, at Corrie Arklet farm near Inversnaid, he married Mary MacGregor of Comar (1671–1745), who was born at Leny Farm, Strathyre. The couple had four sons: James Mor MacGregor (1695–1754), Ranald (1706–1786), Coll (died 1735)[2] and Robert (1715–1754)—known as Robìn Òig or Young Rob. It has been argued that they also adopted a cousin named Duncan, but this is not certain.[why?]
Jacobite risings
Along with many
Like many other
MacGregor became a respected cattleman—this was a time when cattle raiding and selling protection against theft were commonplace means of earning a living.[4] MacGregor borrowed a large sum to increase his own cattle herd, but owing to the disappearance of his chief herder, who was entrusted with the money, MacGregor defaulted on his loan.
As a result, he was branded an outlaw, and his wife and family were evicted from their house at Inversnaid, which was then burned down. After his principal creditor, James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, seized his lands, MacGregor waged a private blood feud against the Duke, both raiding his cattle and robbing his rents.
Another version of this series of events states that MacGregor's estates of Craigrostan and Ardess were forfeited for his part in the Jacobite rising of 1715. The Duke of Montrose acquired the property in 1720 by open purchase from the Commissioners of Enquiry.[5]
Glen Shira
In 1716, MacGregor moved to Glen Shira for a short time and lived under the protection of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, also known as Red John of the Battles, "Iain Ruaidh nan Cath". Argyll negotiated an amnesty and protection for Rob and granted him permission to build a house in the Glen for the surrendering up of weapons. "Traditionally the story goes that Argyll only received a large cache of rusty old weapons."[6] A sporran and dirk handle which belonged to Rob Roy can still be seen at Inveraray Castle. Rob Roy only used this house occasionally for the next three or four years.
In July 1717, MacGregor and the whole of the Clan Gregor were specifically excluded from the benefits of the Indemnity Act 1717 which had the effect of pardoning all others who took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715.[7]
MacGregor participated in the
Sometime around 1720 and after the heat of MacGregor’s involvement at the Battle of Glen Shiel had died down, Rob Roy moved to Monachyle Tuarach by Loch Doine. Sometime before 1722, he finally moved to Inverlochlarig Beag on the Braes of Balquhidder.
Later life
MacGregor's feud against the Duke of Montrose continued until 1722, when he was forced to surrender. Later imprisoned, he was finally pardoned in 1727. He died in his house at Inverlochlarig Beg, Balquhidder, on 28 December 1734 after an illness brought on by old age and a bad winter,[9] aged 63.
K. Macleay, M.D., in Historical Memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan MacGregor quotes, "but he had taken the resolution of becoming a
Legacy
Glengyle House, on the shore of Loch Katrine, dates back to the early 18th century, with a porch dated to 1707, and is built on the site of the 17th century stone cottage where Rob Roy is said to have been born. Since the 1930s, the Category B-listed building had been in the hands of successive water authorities, but was identified as surplus to requirements and put up for auction in November 2004, despite objections from the Scottish National Party.
The
, was created in 2002 and named in Rob Roy's honour.Descendants of Rob Roy settled around
In 1878, the football club Kirkintilloch Rob Roy was founded and named in his memory.
Early settlers to New Zealand named Roys Peak and Rob Roy Glacier in honour of Rob Roy MacGregor.
In popular culture
The year 1723 saw the publication of a fictionalised account of his life,
Adaptations of his story have also been told in film, including the silent film
In 1894, a bartender at the
In 2017, a new statue of Rob Roy was commissioned to be installed in Peterculter, Aberdeen. The sculptor appointed was David J. Mitchell, a graduate of Grays School of Art in Aberdeen.[16] The statue was publicly unveiled at a ceremony on the bridge on 16 September 2017.[17]
See also
- Auchenbathie Tower
- Clan Gregor
- Gilderoy (outlaw)
- Rob Roy (dog), US First Lady Grace Coolidge's pet collie featured in a life-size portrait in the White House
References
- ^ Rob Roy MacGregor His Life and Times, W. H. Murray
- ^ Inscription on Rob Roy MacGregor's grave.
- Barnes & Noble Books. pp. 59–64.
- ^ Carol Kyros Walker (1997). Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland by Dorothy Wordsworth. Yale University Press. See Appendix 5.
- ^ Sir James Balfour Paul, LLD, ed. (1909). The Scots Peerage, Vol 6. Edinburgh: David Douglas. p. 273.
- ISBN 1-897784-31-7(2005 reprint)
- ^ Peter Hume Brown, A History of Scotland to the Present Time, p. 154
- ^ W. K. Dickson, ed. The Jacobite Attempt of 1719, SHS 1895, Introduction and p. 272
- ^ Louis Albert Necker, A voyage to the Hebrides, or western isles of Scotland;: with observations ..., p. 80
- ^ Major William Williams' Journal (Annals of Iowa, Volume XII, No. 4, 3rd Series). Historical Department of Iowa (Edgar R. Harlan, Curator). April 1920. p. 257. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "Rob Roy Statue – Rob Roy On The Rock". robroyontherock.com.
- ^ English Short-Title Catalogue T109114. Earlier attributions to Daniel Defoe are not accepted today on stylistic grounds; see The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature II 902 and John Robert Moore, A Checklist of the Writings of Daniel Defoe. 2nd edition. [Hamden, Connecticut]: Archon Books, 1971.
- ^ The Highland rogue: or, the memorable actions of the celebrated Robert Mac-gregor, commonly called Rob-Roy. nls.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Wordsworth, William (1880). "Rob Roy's Grave". In Emerson, Ralph Waldo (ed.). Parnassus: An Anthology of Poetry. Retrieved 16 July 2018 – via Bartleby.com.; via Internet Archive
- ISBN 978-0070655737.
- ^ "Rob Roy Statue". Rob Roy On The Rock. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Rob Roy Statue – Rob Roy On The Rock". robroyontherock.com.
Bibliography
- Defoe, Daniel (1723). The highland rogue: or, The memorable actions of the celebrated Robert Macgregor, commonly called Rob-Roy. OCLC 176650784.
- Macleay, Kenneth (1881). Historical memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan Macgregor. [With plates.] Edinburgh: W. Brown. OCLC 316575085.
- Murray, W. H. (1996). Rob Roy MacGregor, His Life and Times (3rd ed.). Canongate books Ltd.
- Stevenson, David (2004). The Hunt for Rob Roy, The Man and the Myths. John Donald Publishers. ISBN 0-85976-590-3.
- ISBN 1-897784-31-7.
External links
- Media related to Robert Roy MacGregor at Wikimedia Commons
- Quotations related to Rob Roy MacGregor at Wikiquote
- McGregor village museum with a King James Bible bearing Rob Roy's signature
- Rob Roy on the Web
- FAQs about Rob Roy
- "Robert 'Rob Roy' MacGregor: outlaw and folk hero", by Brendan O'Brien, from Scotsman.com, 27 Jan 2005.
- "Glengyle House. Built by Rob Roy MacGregor". Retrieved 17 September 2010.