[lxxix] THE BARONY AND CASTLE OF URQUHART,
IN THE PARISH OF URQUHART AND GLENMORISTON, INVERNESS-SHIRE.The barony or lordship of Urquhart, which lies about eight or ten miles south-west of Inverness, and on the west side of Loch Ness, is of considerable extent, measuring from east to west eighteen miles, and from north to south twelve. It forms the outlying province of the Grant possessions, being entirely separated by intervening estates from the lands in Strathspey, but notwithstanding its remote position, this barony has been faithfully retained by the Lairds of Grant since their acquisition of it in the year 1509.
One of the earliest authentic notices of the barony of Urquhart is the gift of it by King David the Second to William Earl of Sutherland in exchange for all the lands in Kincardine, which he received in marriage with the king's sister Marjory. Robertson's Index, p. 49 It was afterwards gifted, in 1371, by King Robert the Second to his son David Stewart, Earl of Strathern, and failing heirs of David, to pass to another son, Alexander Stewart, known as the Wolf of Badenoch. Registrum Magni Sigilli, p. 85. In consequence, no doubt, of this charter, the barony with the castle was carefully excepted from the grant of the earldom of Moray made in the following year .to John of Dunbar. Ibid. p. 119. In the exercise of his rights over Urquhart, the Earl of Strathern leased the barony to his brother, the Earl of Buchan, with this result, that in April 1385, Earl David appeared before the king in council, and complained that his brother was keeping back and occupying the barony to the complainer's prejudice. The king advised the brothers to compromise the matter and agree together, the case being delayed to that end, but the Records of Parliament do not relate the sequel. Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. I. p. 189 At a later date, after the decease of both Earls, the Parliament ordained that the castle of Urquhart should be placed in the hands of King Robert the Third, who was to appoint a proper captain to defend the same till the kingdom was at peace from malefactors, the [lxxx] castle to be then restored to those entitled to restitution. Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. i. p. 209 In 1455 the barony and castle of Urquhart were inalienably annexed to the Crown, Ibid. vol. ii. p. 42. but they appear to have been for a time bestowed upon John Earl of Ross. Registrum Magni Sigilli, vol. ii. p. 462. His forfeiture in 1475 placed them again in the hands of the Crown.
For some years after this the lands of Urquhart became a source of contention between the Mackintoshes and Rose of Kilravock, the latter having obtained a lease 'of them against the wishes of the former. Resort was had, in 1479,. to the arbitration of neighbouring chiefs, by whose advice the Earl of Huntly, as king's lieutenant in the north, renewed the lease of Urquhart to Hugh Rose of Kilravock. That lease was discharged in 1482, and the Earl of Huntly appears then, or shortly thereafter, to have granted the barony to the Laird of Freuchie on a similar footing. The Grants must certainly have acquired an interest in Urquhart so early as 1488, as in a dispute between the Laird of Freuchie and Alexander Lord Gordon, in the end of the year 1492, about the rents of Urquhart, they are stated to be four years in arrear. It has been asserted that the Laird at this time held the office of Crown Chamberlain on the Urquhart lands, Statistical Account of Inverness, p. 45. which included the baronies of Corriemony and Glenmoriston, but the statement is not corroborated.
For the purpose of securing good government and a settled condition of affairs among the inhabitants, and for reducing the refractory and disobedient to a dutiful allegiance, King James the Fourth, on 8th December 1509, granted feu-charters of these lands to John Grant, second Laird of Freuchie, and two of his sons. The Laird himself received the lands of Urquhart, The lands are detailed in the charter of 1509, vol. iii. of this work, p. 51. In a report upon Urquhart in 1763, by Mr. William Lorimer, the tutor of Sir James Grant, it is stated that a great part of the lands of Urquhart seem to have been the property of the Church. There is a farm in it still called the Temple, where stand the ruins of a church and a consecrated well, to which superstitious people resort for curing several diseases. There is also a farm called St. Ninians, which was the burial-place. The report here adds - These are proofs of the goodness of the soil, as the clergy always chose the best grounds. [Report at Castle Grant.] all united and erected into one barony, to be called the BARONY OF URQUHART, with the castle of Urquhart as the principal messuage. The office of forester of the royal forest of Cluny was included in the grant, [lxxxi] but by a special exception the forest itself was to continue the property of the king. The lands of Pitcherrill Chapel, which were reserved to the chapel of St. Ninian of Urquhart, were also excepted. In vol. iii. of this work, pp. 121.124, there are printed a presentation by Mary Queen of Scots, and letters of Collation following thereon in favour of Sir John Donaldson, Chaplain of St. Ninian, of that chaplainry, with the forty shilling land of Pitcherrill and a croft; and also the croft and relics of the crucified Saint Drostan. Induction was given by delivery of the horns and ornaments of the high altar, and of the keys and bell-ropes of the church. The terms of holding were the annual feu-duty of £46 Scots, and 6s. 8d. yearly of augmentation. John Grant and his heirs were to find and support three sufficient horsemen for each £10 of the lands, for royal service in time of war beyond the kingdom, to convene at the king's command with all the fencible men dwelling on the barony. . The Laird was also bound to repair, construct, or build up in the capital messuage of Urquhart, a tower with a counterscarp or rampart (cum anteinurali siue propugnaculo) of stones and lime, for the keeping and preservation of the lands and their inhabitants from the inroads of thieves and malefactors. Within the castle also he was taken bound to construct hall, chamber, and kitchen, and to build all other needful houses, etc., such as a pantry, bakehouse, malthouse, granary, woodhouse, furnace, a cot, dove-grove (luco columbari), and orchard, to provide tree fences, and to till or reclaim wild land in meadows and pastures, make enclosures or "stiling," improve the public highway within the barony, and supervise and care for .the common benefits, such as stone and wooden bridges, "faldzettis," and stiles, and provide common passage within the lands and barony.
On similar conditions were granted to John Grant, youngest son of the Laird of Freuchie, the lands of Corriemony, all united and erected into one barony, to be called the BARONY OF CORRIEMONY. The lands are detailed in the charter of 1509, vol. iii. of this work, p. 54. The annual feu duty was £27 Scots, with 6s. 8d. yearly of augmentation.
The other son, to whom were given the lands of Glenmoriston, was John Grant, an illegitimate son of the Laird of Freuchie, and designated "Mor," to distinguish him from his brother of the same name, who received Corriemony. He also held the lands of Culcabock, and appears to have been a man of unusual stature or bulk, as, in one document of the time, he [lxxxii] is styled "Meikle John Grant of Culcabock." He obtained the lands of Glenmoriston, Conachan, Craskie, Inach, Auchlayn, Tullechard, Dundreggan, Innerwick, Blairy, Inver, Coulnakirk, and Meikle Cluny, all erected into a barony, to be called the BARONY OF GLENMORISTON. The feu-duty was also £27 Scots, with 6s. 8d. of yearly augmentation, and the conditions were similar to those already narrate d. Registrum Magni Sigilli, vol. ii. p. 726. The descendants of John Mor Grant still continue to hold the lands conferred upon him by King James the Fourth, but the barony of Corriemony has been alienated. The last Laird, James Grant, who sold the barony, died in 1835, at the patriarchal age of ninety-three years. The family of Corriemony, whose descendants still survive, gave origin to the family of Grant of Sheuglie, so called from an estate of that name held by them from the Lairds of Freuchie, and this family have the honour of giving birth to the distinguished statesman, Charles Grant, Lord Glenelg, and his brother, Sir Robert Grant, Governor of Bombay. It also is still represented by living descendants.
One of the objects for which the barony of Urquhart was conferred on the Lairds of Grant was that it might be improved, and its inhabitants rendered more prosperous and happy. Consideration and regard for their dependants was ever a prominent characteristic of the chiefs of Grant, and expedients for amelioration of their condition were often devised, but rendered impossible by the troublous nature of the times. As will be shown in the memoirs of the chiefs, Urquhart often suffered severely in tribal and more widespread civil dissensions, and it was not until the middle of last century that circumstances permitted the application of the more civilising agencies of life to Urquhart. Brigadier Alexander Grant had it in view to build a town on a beautifully situated moor between Balmacaan and the church of Urquhart, but it was left to Sir James Grant, commonly called "the good Sir James," to execute this purpose, which lie did about the year 1767. The town was to be named Lewistown or Kilmore, and Sir James intended that it should consist of one great street about sixty feet wide, and several smaller streets about twenty-four or thirty feet in width. Manufacturers and artisans were to be invited to settle, the harbour was to be rendered commodious and safe, good roads were to be constructed [lxxxiii] and maintained to facilitate communication, and a weekly market was to be held, with fairs at appointed times.
Being a remote estate, considered, in fact, as a distant province, Urquhart was usually administered by a chamberlain, whose house and offices were at Balmacaan. The chamberlain was also baron-bailie, and presided in the courts appointed for the dispensation of justice. For this latter service he received from each of the tenants what was denominated the "bailie-darracks," or services from the tenants, which being discretionary, were often very oppressive. In the time of Sir Ludovick Grant (1747-1773) these are stated to have been the labour of seventy-two horses for one day yearly, and of twenty-four reapers in harvest.
The castle of Urquhart is situated on the lands of Borlum in Urquhart, and stands on a peninsular rock on the western shore of Loch Ness. It is now a ruin, and a representation of it is here given. While it stood in its strength Castle Urquhart was an almost impregnable fortress. The waters of Loch Ness washed its rocky base on three sides, while it was separated from the mainland by a moat, sixteen feet in width, and from twenty to twenty-five feet deep. The whole extent of the rock was strongly walled in by double walls terraced in some places, and having platforms on which the soldiers stood while discharging missiles against assailants. Entrance to the castle was by means of a drawbridge across the moat, and the spacious gateway, flanked by two guard-rooms, projected beyond the general line of the walls, and was secured by a succession of strong doors, and an enormous portcullis. On either side of the portcullis rose a circular tower. The keep or great tower was square in form, fifty feet high by fully thirty feet broad. It consisted of three stories, surmounted by a crenelated battlement and watch-towers at each of the four corners. Its walls were nine feet thick, and the castle could accommodate between five and six hundred soldiers.
A fabulous antiquity is claimed for the Castle of Urquhart, but very little is on authentic record respecting it prior to the year 1297, when it fell into the hands of King Edward the First of England, during one of his incursions into Scotland. He found it necessary, however, to retake it several years later, in 1304, and the castle has, since then, figured [lxxxiv] prominently in several national and civil struggles. It was annexed by the Crown, and became one of the royal fortresses. When the barony of Urquhart was granted to John Grant of Freuchie, the castle was appointed the principal messuage, but as there is no mention of its preservation in a military capacity, and the Laird was taken under obligation to repair it, and, evidently, to convert it into a mansion-house, it must, before that time, have ceased to hold the position of a fortress, and, probably, was somewhat decayed. The Lairds did utilise it as a residence, and several documents were signed by them there. Still, in 1545, it was an armed house, for in the raid on Urquhart by the Macdonalds and Camerons in that year, no fewer than twenty pieces of artillery, with a powder vessel, were among the multifarious spoils borne off. Urquhart Castle was also the residence of Mary Ogilvie, Lady Grant, after the death of her husband, Sir John Grant of Freuchie, hut she possessed it in evil times, for the covenanting struggle, which then raged, forced her to flee from it, and when, in 1647, immediately after her death, her son, James Grant of Freuchie, sent to the castle to value the plenishing, there was nothing found in it save a timber bed, a table and a bench in the chamber above the hail; another timber bed and a table in the vault chamber; a board (dining-table ?), a bench, a table and a chair in the hall, and an old chest in the cellar; the whole valued at not more than £20 Scots. [Vol. iii. p. 342.] Of all the Grant estates, Urquhart appears to have suffered most frequently in troublous times. Successive Lairds expended considerable sums on repairing the old castle, but time and the elements have deprived it of its pristine glory, and crumbled it down to a picturesque ruin.
In Glenmoriston there is a cave where, after the defeat of Prince Charles Stewart at Culloden, he lay hid, cared for by seven faithful Highlanders, who, despite the enormous reward of £30,000 sterling set upon the Prince's head, concealed him, and furnished him with the necessaries of life, and information. Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck commemorates the deed in one of his poems, entitled, "On the fidelity of the Highlanders in the Rebellion, 1745-6"
"Exulting we'll think on Glenmoriston's Cave."
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Volume I Introduction (ix) |
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