Mac Gregor

The Clan Gregor held lands in Glenstrae, Glenlochy and Glenorchy. Sir Iain Moncreiffe believed that they were descended from the ancient Celtic royal family through the hereditary Abbots of Glendochart, a descent which may be proclaimed in the motto, "Royal is my race". There is no evidence to support the tradition that Gregor was the son of Kenneth Macalpin. He may have been Griogair, son of Dungal, who is said to have been a co-ruler of Alba, the kingdom north of Central Scotland, between AD 879 and 889. Most modern historians agree that the first certain chief was Gregor "of the golden bridles". Gregor's son, Iain Camm, One-eye, succeeded as the second chief sometime prior to 1390.
Robert the Bruce granted the barony of Loch Awe, which included much of the Mac Gregor lands, to the chief of the Campbells. In common with many royal gifts of the time, it was left to the recipient to work out how he would take possession of it. The Campbells had already built the stout castle of Kilchurn, which controlled the gateway to the western Highlands. They harried the Mac Gregors, who were forced to retire deeper into their lands until they were largely restricted to Glenstrae.
Iain of Glenstrae, the second of his house to be called "the Black", died in 1519 with no direct heirs. The Campbells supported the succession of Eian, who was married to the daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy. Eian's son, Alistair, fought the English at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 but died shortly thereafter. In 1660 Colin Campbell of Glenorchy, who had bought the superiority from his kinsman, Argyll, refused to recognize the claim of Gregor Roy Mac Gregor to the estates. For ten years Gregor waged war against the Campbells. He had little choice but to become an outlaw, raiding cattle and sheltering in the high glens. In 1570 the Campbells captured and killed him. His son, Alistair, claimed the chiefship, but was unable to stem the tide of persecution, which was to be the fate of the "Children of the Mist".
John Drummond, the king's forester, was murdered after hanging some Mac Gregors for poaching. The chief took responsibility for the act, and was condemned by the Privy Council. In April 1603 James VI issued an edict proclaiming the name of Mac Gregor "altogidder abolisheed", meaning that those who bore the name must renounce it or suffer death. Mac Gregor, along with eleven of his chieftains, was hanged at Edinburgh's Mercat Cross in January 1604. Clan Gregor was scattered, many taking other names, such as Murray or Grant. They were hunted like animals, flushed out of the heather by bloodhounds. Despite their savage treatment, the Mac Gregors actually fought for the king during the civil war. When the Earl of Glencairn attempted a rising against the Commonwealth in 1651, he was joined by two hundred of the clan. In recognition of this, Charles II repealed the proscription of the name, but this was promptly re imposed when William of Orange deposed Charles' brother, James VII. It was at this time that the legendary Rob Roy Mac Gregor came into prominence. Born in 1671, a younger son of Mac Gregor of Glengyle, he was forced to assume his mother's name of Campbell. His adventures have been immortalized and romanticized by Sir Walter Scott's novel, Rob Roy, but there is little doubt that he was a thorn in the government's flesh until his death in 1734. When the Stuart flag was raised in 1715, he attached himself to the Jacobite cause, although acted largely independently. After the indecisive Battle of Sheriffmuir, he set out plundering at will. In one raid he put Dumbarton into panic, causing the castle to open fire with its cannon. He is buried in the churchyard at Balquhidder.
The persecution of Clan Gregor ended in 1774, when the laws against them were repealed. In order to restore their clan pride, it was necessary to re-establish the chiefs. A petition subscribed by eight hundred and twenty-six Mac Gregors declared General John Murray of Lanrick to be the proper and true chief. He was, in fact, a Mac Gregor, being a descendent of Duncan Mac Gregor of Ardchoille who died in 1552. The general had served extensively in India before being created a baronet in July 1795. His son, Sir Evan, was also a general and later Governor of Dominica. He married a daughter of the fourth Duke of Atholl, for whom he built the House of Edinchip, until recently the home of the present chief. Sir Evan played a prominent part in the 1822 visit of George IV to Scotland, where he and his clansmen guarded the honours of Scotland. He proposed the toast to the "chief of chiefs"at the royal banquet in Edinburgh.
The father of the present chief, Sir Malcolm Mac Gregor, served in the navy during the First World War, being decorated not only by his own country, but also by France.