Massacre of Glencoe
Encyclopedia
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution
and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre
took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic, 'Mort Ghlinne Comhann' (murder of Glen Coe). The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achnacon—although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe
were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary
. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.
, Prince of Orange
, accepted an invitation to take the throne of England
, glad to enlist English help in his wars with France
. The Scottish Parliament
was more cautious and invited letters from him and James VII (ousted as James II of England)
. When the arrogant response from James persuaded the Scots to accept William, John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
, led Scottish Highlanders
in Jacobite uprisings in an attempt to return the throne to James. Dundee was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie
, and the rising in Scotland suffered inconclusive defeat by Scottish Cameronian forces at the Battle of Dunkeld
. On their way home from this battle the MacIains of Glencoe (a sept
of Clan MacDonald), together with their Glengarry cousins, looted the lands of Robert Campbell of Glenlyon
and stole his livestock, increasing his problems with gambling debts and forcing him to take an army commission to provide for his family. In his subsequent appeal for compensation, Campbell showed he clearly believed the Glengarry men to be the more culpable, making no mention of Glencoe.
The Scottish Jacobites
were heavily defeated at the Haughs of Cromdale
on 1 May 1690, and James was defeated on 1 July 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne
in Ireland
.
and threatened them with reprisals if they did not sign. The Highland chiefs sent word to James, now in exile
in France, asking for his permission to take the oath. James dithered over his decision, convinced that he was close to returning to Britain to reclaim his throne. When it became apparent that this was not going to happen before the deadline, James sent orders back to Scotland authorising the chiefs to take the oath. This message reached its recipients in mid-December, in difficult winter conditions, only a few weeks before the deadline. A few managed to comply promptly but others did not, including Alastair Maclain, 12th Chief of Glencoe, who waited until the last day before setting out to take the oath.
On 31 December 1691 MacIain travelled to Fort William
to ask the governor, Colonel Hill, to administer the required oath, but Hill demurred on the grounds that he was not authorised to receive it. He instructed MacIain to proceed quickly to Inveraray
to make his oath before Sir Colin Campbell, sheriff
of Argyll
. Hill gave Maclain a letter of protection and a letter to Sir Colin asking that he receive Maclain's oath since Maclain had come to him within the allotted time. Hill also reassured MacIain that no action would be taken against him without him having the opportunity to make his case before the King or the King's privy council.
It took Maclain three days to reach Inveraray, partly due to winter weather, partly due to his being detained for a day at Barcaldine Castle by the 1st company of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot
, at the command of Captain Drummond, as a ruse to delay him. On arrival at Inveraray, he then had to wait three days for the arrival of Sir Colin, who was spending the New Year with his family across the waters of Loch Fyne
. Upon his return, Sir Colin reluctantly accepted Maclain's oath.
Maclain had satisfied the spirit of the oath, and was confident there would be no action against him or his people. However, he reckoned without the Secretary of State over Scotland and Lord Advocate, John Dalrymple
, Master of Stair. Dalrymple was a Lowlander who disliked the Highlanders and thought their way of life was a hindrance to Scotland, which he thought would be better served in union with England.
According to Macaulay, John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
, a senior member of the Campbell clan, saw an opportunity for revenge in the fact that Maclain had been late in taking the oath of allegiance. While in London, Breadalbane along with his cousin Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll
, (Mac Cailean Mor) found a willing accomplice in the form of the Master of Stair. The Master of Stair was disappointed in the fact that the Jacobite clan leaders had taken the oath of allegiance. He had been hoping that they would have declined, so as to give him the opportunity to execute a plan which he had already drawn up in December to break the clan system. Maclain's certificate was deemed to be irregular and the Master of Stair persuaded King William
in London to sign an order to extirpate the Macdonalds of Glencoe. Stair persuaded King William that the order was designed to root out a den of thieves in the Valley of Glencoe. The order was then passed on to Sir Thomas Livingstone, commander of the forces in Scotland.
, were billet
ed on the MacDonalds in Glencoe, who received them in the hospitable tradition of the Highlands. Most of the regiment was recruited from the Argyll estates but only a minority actually bore the Campbell name. Others, including many of the officers, came from the Lowlands. Captain Campbell was related by marriage to old MacIain himself and so it was natural that he should be billeted at the Chief's own house. Each morning for about two weeks, Captain Campbell visited the home of Alexander MacDonald, MacIain's youngest son, who was married to Campbell's niece, the sister of Rob Roy MacGregor. At this stage, it is not clear that Campbell knew the nature of their mission—ostensibly they were there to collect the Cess tax
, instituted by the Scots Parliament
in 1690. The planning was meticulous enough that they were able to produce legitimate orders to this effect from the very Colonel Hill who had tried to help MacIain complete his oath in the first place, thus dispelling any suspicions the MacDonalds may have had. However, it was Colonel Hill who issued the orders to begin the massacre two weeks later.
On 12 February 1692, Captain Drummond arrived. Due to his role in ensuring MacIain was late in giving his oath, Drummond would not have been welcomed. As the captain of the 1st company of the regiment, the Grenadiers, he was the ranking officer, yet did not take command. Drummond was bearing instructions (right) for Robert Campbell, from his superior officer, Major Duncanson. He spent the evening playing cards with his unsuspecting victims and upon retiring, wished them goodnight and accepted an invitation to dine with MacIain, the chief, the following day.
Alasdair MacIain was killed while trying to rise from his bed by Lt Lindsay and Ensign Lundie but his sons escaped, as initially did his wife. In all, 38 men were murdered either in their homes or as they tried to flee the glen. Another 40 women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned. The first clansman to be killed was Duncan Rankin. He was shot down as he tried to escape by crossing the River Coe near the chief's house. Elsewhere, various members of the two companies found ways of warning their hosts. Two lieutenants, Lt Francis Farquhar and Lt Gilbert Kennedy even broke their swords rather than carry out their orders. They were arrested and imprisoned, but were exonerated, released and later gave evidence for the prosecution against their superior officers.
In addition to the soldiers who were actually in Glencoe that night, two other detachments, each of four hundred men were, according to the plan, to have converged on the escape routes. Both were late in taking up their positions. It is possible that a snowstorm made arrival on-time quite difficult – especially for those approaching over the Devil's Staircase
from Kinlochleven
; it is equally possible that they simply did not want to play any part in what they knew to be a heinous crime.
Though the command of superior officers be very absolute, yet no command against the laws of nature is binding; so that a soldier, retaining his commission, ought to refuse to execute any barbarity, as if a soldier should be commanded to shoot a man passing by inoffensively, upon the street, no such command would exempt him from the punishment of murder.
The challenge to the inquiry which had been established, was to apportion blame on those responsible for the massacre, and yet the orders which led to it were signed by the King himself, who could not be seen to be responsible.
The scandal was further enhanced when the leading Scottish jurist Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall
was, in 1692, offered the post of Lord Advocate
but declined it because the condition was attached that he should not prosecute the persons implicated in the Glencoe Massacre. Sir George Mackenzie
, who had been Lord Advocate under King Charles II
, also refused to concur in this partial application of the penal laws but, unlike Fountainhall, his refusal led to his temporary disgrace.
The conclusion of the commission was to exonerate the King and to place the blame for the massacre upon Secretary Dalrymple. The Scottish Parliament, after reviewing the commission report, declared the execution of the MacDonald men to have been murder and delegated the "committee for the security of the kingdom" to prepare an address to the king which included recommendations for the punishment of the perpetrators of the plot and compensation to be paid to the surviving MacDonalds. As far as is known, these recommendations were never acted upon except for the imprisonment of John Campbell Earl of Breadalbane for a few days in Edinburgh
castle on a charge of high treason because he had been involved in secret talks with the Jacobite chiefs.
interest was revived and the massacre was romanticised in art and literature, such as Sir Walter Scott's "The Highland Widow". More recently Glencoe was the subject of Eric Linklater's 1957 story "The Masks of Purpose", and David Clement-Davies
's "Fire Bringer," in which the region is called the "Valley Of Weeping." The massacre is also the subject of Susan Fletcher's novel "Corrag" (2010).
Due to the involvement of Argyll's regiment under Glenlyon's command, the massacre was regarded by many (who were schooled in the romantic 19th century school of Scottish history) not as a government action, but as a consequence of the ancient MacDonald–Campbell rivalry. Memory of this massacre has been kept alive by continued ill feeling between MacDonalds and Campbells. Since the late 20th century the Clachaig Inn
, a hotel and pub in Glencoe popular with climbers, has had a sign on its door saying "No Hawkers or Campbells" although it has been said that this is probably more for the amusement of tourists than from any lasting sense of revenge.
In 1883 Macdonald of Aberdeen sculpted the Upper Carnoch memorial to the massacre, a tapering Celtic cross on a cairn which stands at the eastern end of Glencoe village, which was formerly known as Carnoch. Each year, on the 13 February, the Clan Donald Society of Edinburgh
arranges an annual wreath laying ceremony at the memorial to the Massacre of Glencoe. Clansmen from Clan Donald, from across the world, attend the ceremony, along with local people. The ceremony originated in 1930 when the late Miss Mary Rankin, Taigh a’phuirt, Glencoe, decided that a wreath should be laid annually on the monument. Miss Rankin, who supplied the wreath up to the time of her death in 1944, commissioned the late Mr. Angus MacDonald to lay it on her behalf. On Mr. MacDonald’s death in 1936, his second son Robert took over the duty, the wreath being supplied after Miss Rankin's death by Robert’s sister, Miss Annie MacDonald.
General Stewart of Garth, in a footnote, relates that Prince Charles Edward Stuart was anxious to save the house and property of Lord Stair at Kirkliston
during the ’45 Rising. He proposed to march the Glencoe men some distance from the scene lest they take revenge on the part played by his grandfather when ordered by William III to extirpate their clan. But, when the proposal was communicated to the Glencoe men they declared that, if that were the case, they must return home. If they were considered so dishonourable as to take revenge on an innocent man, they were not fit to remain with honourable men, nor to support an honourable cause. It was not without much explanation, and great persuasion, that they were prevented from marching away the following morning. Such was the character of the massacred MacDonalds of Glencoe and their descendants.
For several decades, the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement have held a commemoration on the Sunday closest to the anniversary which is often attended by members of other groups including Siol nan Gaidheal
, Na Fir Dileas etc.
The T.S. Eliot poem "Rannoch, by Glencoe" refers to the event, and the modern ballad with the haunting refrain: "Cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe and covers the graves o' Donald..." most famously recorded by Alastair McDonald
, and probably written for him by Jim McLean. The massacre also features prominently in the novel Lady of the Glen by Jennifer Roberson
. There is also a piobaireachd
named after the massacre; it is still played by many solo pipers in competitions.
The massacre is featured in a radio play from the series Quiet, Please
titled "The Vale of Glencoe".
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in Scottish Gaelic, 'Mort Ghlinne Comhann' (murder of Glen Coe). The massacre began simultaneously in three settlements along the glen—Invercoe, Inverrigan, and Achnacon—although the killing took place all over the glen as fleeing MacDonalds were pursued. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe
Clan MacDonald of Glencoe
The MacDonalds of Glencoe also known as Clann Iain Abrach are a branch of Clan Donald.-History:The founder of the MacDonalds of Glencoe was Iain Fraoch MacDonald The MacDonalds of Glencoe also known as Clann Iain Abrach are a branch of Clan Donald.-History:The founder of the MacDonalds of Glencoe...
were killed by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.
Background
In 1688, WilliamWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
, Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
, accepted an invitation to take the throne of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, glad to enlist English help in his wars with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Scottish Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
was more cautious and invited letters from him and James VII (ousted as James II of England)
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. When the arrogant response from James persuaded the Scots to accept William, John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee , known as the 7th Laird of Claverhouse until raised to the viscounty in 1688, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian...
, led Scottish Highlanders
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
in Jacobite uprisings in an attempt to return the throne to James. Dundee was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
, and the rising in Scotland suffered inconclusive defeat by Scottish Cameronian forces at the Battle of Dunkeld
Battle of Dunkeld
The Battle of Dunkeld was fought between Jacobite clans supporting the deposed king James VII of Scotland and a government regiment of covenanters supporting William of Orange, King of Scotland, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland, on 21 August 1689 and formed part of the...
. On their way home from this battle the MacIains of Glencoe (a sept
Sept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of Clan MacDonald), together with their Glengarry cousins, looted the lands of Robert Campbell of Glenlyon
Robert Campbell of Glenlyon
Robert Campbell, 5th Laird of Glenlyon , was a minor member of Scottish nobility and is best known as one of the commanding officers at the Massacre of Glencoe.-Life:...
and stole his livestock, increasing his problems with gambling debts and forcing him to take an army commission to provide for his family. In his subsequent appeal for compensation, Campbell showed he clearly believed the Glengarry men to be the more culpable, making no mention of Glencoe.
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
were heavily defeated at the Haughs of Cromdale
Battle of Cromdale
The Battle of Cromdale took place at the Haugh of Cromdale near Cromdale in Speyside on April 30 and May 1, 1690.-Background:After their defeat at the Battle of Dunkeld in 1689, the Highland clans had returned to their homes in low spirits. Sir Ewen Cameron assumed control over the army's remnant...
on 1 May 1690, and James was defeated on 1 July 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
in Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
.
Oath of allegiance to William
On 27 August 1691, William offered all Highland clans a pardon for their part in the Jacobite Uprising, as long as they took an oath of allegiance before 1 January 1692 in front of a magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and threatened them with reprisals if they did not sign. The Highland chiefs sent word to James, now in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in France, asking for his permission to take the oath. James dithered over his decision, convinced that he was close to returning to Britain to reclaim his throne. When it became apparent that this was not going to happen before the deadline, James sent orders back to Scotland authorising the chiefs to take the oath. This message reached its recipients in mid-December, in difficult winter conditions, only a few weeks before the deadline. A few managed to comply promptly but others did not, including Alastair Maclain, 12th Chief of Glencoe, who waited until the last day before setting out to take the oath.
On 31 December 1691 MacIain travelled to Fort William
Fort William, Scotland
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
to ask the governor, Colonel Hill, to administer the required oath, but Hill demurred on the grounds that he was not authorised to receive it. He instructed MacIain to proceed quickly to Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
to make his oath before Sir Colin Campbell, sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. Hill gave Maclain a letter of protection and a letter to Sir Colin asking that he receive Maclain's oath since Maclain had come to him within the allotted time. Hill also reassured MacIain that no action would be taken against him without him having the opportunity to make his case before the King or the King's privy council.
It took Maclain three days to reach Inveraray, partly due to winter weather, partly due to his being detained for a day at Barcaldine Castle by the 1st company of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot
Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot
The Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot was a 17th century Scottish infantry regiment, raised from the men of Argyll, and based at Fort William. The Colonel in Chief was the Earl of Argyll, although this was a nominal appointment, and he did not exercise his command or take part in the regiment's...
, at the command of Captain Drummond, as a ruse to delay him. On arrival at Inveraray, he then had to wait three days for the arrival of Sir Colin, who was spending the New Year with his family across the waters of Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne is a sea loch on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs...
. Upon his return, Sir Colin reluctantly accepted Maclain's oath.
Maclain had satisfied the spirit of the oath, and was confident there would be no action against him or his people. However, he reckoned without the Secretary of State over Scotland and Lord Advocate, John Dalrymple
John Dalrymple, 1st Earl of Stair
John Dalrymple the Master of Stair was a Scottish noble who played a crucial role in the 1707 Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, that created the Kingdom of Great Britain....
, Master of Stair. Dalrymple was a Lowlander who disliked the Highlanders and thought their way of life was a hindrance to Scotland, which he thought would be better served in union with England.
John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland
John Campbell, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland , son of Sir John Campbell of Glen Orchy, and of the Lady Mary Graham, daughter of William Graham, 1st Earl of Airth and 7th Earl of Menteith, was a member of Scottish nobility during the Glorious Revolution and Jacobite risings and also known as...
, a senior member of the Campbell clan, saw an opportunity for revenge in the fact that Maclain had been late in taking the oath of allegiance. While in London, Breadalbane along with his cousin Archibald Campbell, 10th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll, 10th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish peer.-Biography:The eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray, Campbell sought to recover his father's estates...
, (Mac Cailean Mor) found a willing accomplice in the form of the Master of Stair. The Master of Stair was disappointed in the fact that the Jacobite clan leaders had taken the oath of allegiance. He had been hoping that they would have declined, so as to give him the opportunity to execute a plan which he had already drawn up in December to break the clan system. Maclain's certificate was deemed to be irregular and the Master of Stair persuaded King William
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in London to sign an order to extirpate the Macdonalds of Glencoe. Stair persuaded King William that the order was designed to root out a den of thieves in the Valley of Glencoe. The order was then passed on to Sir Thomas Livingstone, commander of the forces in Scotland.
The Massacre
In late January or early February 1692 the first and second companies of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot, which consisted of approximately 120 men under the command of Captain Robert Campbell of GlenlyonRobert Campbell of Glenlyon
Robert Campbell, 5th Laird of Glenlyon , was a minor member of Scottish nobility and is best known as one of the commanding officers at the Massacre of Glencoe.-Life:...
, were billet
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
ed on the MacDonalds in Glencoe, who received them in the hospitable tradition of the Highlands. Most of the regiment was recruited from the Argyll estates but only a minority actually bore the Campbell name. Others, including many of the officers, came from the Lowlands. Captain Campbell was related by marriage to old MacIain himself and so it was natural that he should be billeted at the Chief's own house. Each morning for about two weeks, Captain Campbell visited the home of Alexander MacDonald, MacIain's youngest son, who was married to Campbell's niece, the sister of Rob Roy MacGregor. At this stage, it is not clear that Campbell knew the nature of their mission—ostensibly they were there to collect the Cess tax
Cess
The term cess generally means a tax. It is a term formerly more particularly applied to local taxation, and was the official term used in Ireland when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; otherwise, it has been superseded by "rate"...
, instituted by the Scots Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
in 1690. The planning was meticulous enough that they were able to produce legitimate orders to this effect from the very Colonel Hill who had tried to help MacIain complete his oath in the first place, thus dispelling any suspicions the MacDonalds may have had. However, it was Colonel Hill who issued the orders to begin the massacre two weeks later.
On 12 February 1692, Captain Drummond arrived. Due to his role in ensuring MacIain was late in giving his oath, Drummond would not have been welcomed. As the captain of the 1st company of the regiment, the Grenadiers, he was the ranking officer, yet did not take command. Drummond was bearing instructions (right) for Robert Campbell, from his superior officer, Major Duncanson. He spent the evening playing cards with his unsuspecting victims and upon retiring, wished them goodnight and accepted an invitation to dine with MacIain, the chief, the following day.
Alasdair MacIain was killed while trying to rise from his bed by Lt Lindsay and Ensign Lundie but his sons escaped, as initially did his wife. In all, 38 men were murdered either in their homes or as they tried to flee the glen. Another 40 women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned. The first clansman to be killed was Duncan Rankin. He was shot down as he tried to escape by crossing the River Coe near the chief's house. Elsewhere, various members of the two companies found ways of warning their hosts. Two lieutenants, Lt Francis Farquhar and Lt Gilbert Kennedy even broke their swords rather than carry out their orders. They were arrested and imprisoned, but were exonerated, released and later gave evidence for the prosecution against their superior officers.
In addition to the soldiers who were actually in Glencoe that night, two other detachments, each of four hundred men were, according to the plan, to have converged on the escape routes. Both were late in taking up their positions. It is possible that a snowstorm made arrival on-time quite difficult – especially for those approaching over the Devil's Staircase
Aonach Eagach
The Aonach Eagach is a rocky ridge lying to the north of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, boasting two Munro summits.In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. The central section, some 2 km in length,...
from Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven
Kinlochleven is a village in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands and lies at the eastern end of Loch Leven, a sea loch cutting into the western Scottish Highlands. To the north lie the Mamores ridge; to the south lie the mountains flanking Glen Coe...
; it is equally possible that they simply did not want to play any part in what they knew to be a heinous crime.
Inquiry
Under Scots law there was a special category of murder, known as "murder under trust", which was considered to be even more heinous than ordinary murder. The Glencoe massacre was a clear example of such.Though the command of superior officers be very absolute, yet no command against the laws of nature is binding; so that a soldier, retaining his commission, ought to refuse to execute any barbarity, as if a soldier should be commanded to shoot a man passing by inoffensively, upon the street, no such command would exempt him from the punishment of murder.
The challenge to the inquiry which had been established, was to apportion blame on those responsible for the massacre, and yet the orders which led to it were signed by the King himself, who could not be seen to be responsible.
The scandal was further enhanced when the leading Scottish jurist Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall
John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall
Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall was one of Scotland's leading jurists who remains to this day an oft consulted authority...
was, in 1692, offered the post of Lord Advocate
Lord Advocate
Her Majesty's Advocate , known as the Lord Advocate , is the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for both civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament...
but declined it because the condition was attached that he should not prosecute the persons implicated in the Glencoe Massacre. Sir George Mackenzie
George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie
George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie FRS , known as Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet from 1654 to 1685 and as The Viscount of Tarbat from 1685 to 1703, was a Scottish statesman....
, who had been Lord Advocate under King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, also refused to concur in this partial application of the penal laws but, unlike Fountainhall, his refusal led to his temporary disgrace.
The conclusion of the commission was to exonerate the King and to place the blame for the massacre upon Secretary Dalrymple. The Scottish Parliament, after reviewing the commission report, declared the execution of the MacDonald men to have been murder and delegated the "committee for the security of the kingdom" to prepare an address to the king which included recommendations for the punishment of the perpetrators of the plot and compensation to be paid to the surviving MacDonalds. As far as is known, these recommendations were never acted upon except for the imprisonment of John Campbell Earl of Breadalbane for a few days in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
castle on a charge of high treason because he had been involved in secret talks with the Jacobite chiefs.
Aftermath
The Glencoe massacre became a propaganda piece for Jacobite sympathies, which were to come to a head in the next generation in the Rising of 1745. In the Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
interest was revived and the massacre was romanticised in art and literature, such as Sir Walter Scott's "The Highland Widow". More recently Glencoe was the subject of Eric Linklater's 1957 story "The Masks of Purpose", and David Clement-Davies
David Clement-Davies
David Clement-Davies is a British writer of fantasy fiction. He is best known as the author of the animal fantasy books The Sight, Fire Bringer and Fell .- Biography :...
's "Fire Bringer," in which the region is called the "Valley Of Weeping." The massacre is also the subject of Susan Fletcher's novel "Corrag" (2010).
Due to the involvement of Argyll's regiment under Glenlyon's command, the massacre was regarded by many (who were schooled in the romantic 19th century school of Scottish history) not as a government action, but as a consequence of the ancient MacDonald–Campbell rivalry. Memory of this massacre has been kept alive by continued ill feeling between MacDonalds and Campbells. Since the late 20th century the Clachaig Inn
Clachaig Inn
The Clachaig Inn is a famous hotel and pub in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is popular with walkers and climbers who come to visit the surrounding mountains....
, a hotel and pub in Glencoe popular with climbers, has had a sign on its door saying "No Hawkers or Campbells" although it has been said that this is probably more for the amusement of tourists than from any lasting sense of revenge.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
arranges an annual wreath laying ceremony at the memorial to the Massacre of Glencoe. Clansmen from Clan Donald, from across the world, attend the ceremony, along with local people. The ceremony originated in 1930 when the late Miss Mary Rankin, Taigh a’phuirt, Glencoe, decided that a wreath should be laid annually on the monument. Miss Rankin, who supplied the wreath up to the time of her death in 1944, commissioned the late Mr. Angus MacDonald to lay it on her behalf. On Mr. MacDonald’s death in 1936, his second son Robert took over the duty, the wreath being supplied after Miss Rankin's death by Robert’s sister, Miss Annie MacDonald.
General Stewart of Garth, in a footnote, relates that Prince Charles Edward Stuart was anxious to save the house and property of Lord Stair at Kirkliston
Kirkliston
Kirkliston is a village and civil parish within the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. It sits on the historic route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, the gateway to Fife and the north. Today, it is bypassed by the A90...
during the ’45 Rising. He proposed to march the Glencoe men some distance from the scene lest they take revenge on the part played by his grandfather when ordered by William III to extirpate their clan. But, when the proposal was communicated to the Glencoe men they declared that, if that were the case, they must return home. If they were considered so dishonourable as to take revenge on an innocent man, they were not fit to remain with honourable men, nor to support an honourable cause. It was not without much explanation, and great persuasion, that they were prevented from marching away the following morning. Such was the character of the massacred MacDonalds of Glencoe and their descendants.
For several decades, the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement have held a commemoration on the Sunday closest to the anniversary which is often attended by members of other groups including Siol nan Gaidheal
Siol nan Gaidheal
-Name:The name, properly spelled Sìol nan Gàidheal is Scottish Gaelic for Seed of the Gaels. The term sìol has numerous meanings, most commonly translated as "breed, brood, lineage, progeny, seed"....
, Na Fir Dileas etc.
The T.S. Eliot poem "Rannoch, by Glencoe" refers to the event, and the modern ballad with the haunting refrain: "Cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe and covers the graves o' Donald..." most famously recorded by Alastair McDonald
Alastair McDonald
Alastair McDonald is a Scottish banjo-playing folk/jazz musician, probably most famous for his recordings of Jim MacLean's folk songs, such as The Barras and The massacre of Glencoe, but also for some humorous songs, such as the jazz comedy song Sam the skull, about a Glasgow cat.McDonald has...
, and probably written for him by Jim McLean. The massacre also features prominently in the novel Lady of the Glen by Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Mitchell Roberson is an author of fantasy and historical literature.Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. She grew up in Phoenix, but in 1999 relocated to Flagstaff. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northern Arizona University in 1982 as an adult student...
. There is also a piobaireachd
Piobaireachd
Pibroch, Piobaireachd or Ceòl Mór is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations...
named after the massacre; it is still played by many solo pipers in competitions.
The massacre is featured in a radio play from the series Quiet, Please
Quiet, Please
Quiet, Please! was a radio fantasy and horror program created by Wyllis Cooper, also known for creating Lights Out. Ernest Chappell was the show's announcer and lead actor. Quiet, Please! debuted June 8, 1947 on the Mutual Broadcasting System, and its last episode was broadcast June 25, 1949, on...
titled "The Vale of Glencoe".
External links
- BBC - History - Massacre of Glencoe 1692 Brief account of the massacre.
- Glen Coe Massacre Detailed account of the events leading up to the massacre and the massacre itself.
- The Massacre of Glencoe Very detailed account of the plot and massacre.
- Medieval Scottish Calendar and Holidays Discussion of the need for care in discussing historical dates as they apply in Scotland, due to change of New Year in 1600 and general adoption of Gregorian Calendar.
- Time in Scotland Discussion of the introduction and use of the Gregorian Calendar in Scotland.
- The Vale of Glencoe Radio episode from the series Quiet, PleaseQuiet, PleaseQuiet, Please! was a radio fantasy and horror program created by Wyllis Cooper, also known for creating Lights Out. Ernest Chappell was the show's announcer and lead actor. Quiet, Please! debuted June 8, 1947 on the Mutual Broadcasting System, and its last episode was broadcast June 25, 1949, on...
. Poor sound quality, but the radio script may be found below. - The Vale of Glencoe Radio Script OTR Plot Spot - plot summaries, scripts and reviews of Old Time Radio shows, including "The Vale of Glencoe", above.