by R. W. Hughes
Anyone harbouring or assisting any rebel that fought against King George the Second will be charged with treason and hung and his property and possessions confiscated. The wearing of tartan that indicates being the member or loyalty to a clan is banned. No one under the pain of hanging will be allowed to carry arms unless by permission of the occupying English forces.
All documents legal or otherwise or proclamations or services or teachings will be carried out in the English language.
‘It continues to impose restrictions and conditions that are meant to debase our culture and our language. The way this proclamation reads to me,’ he continued, ‘is they intend to break the present system of loyalty to the clan so that never again will they have a problem with the rebels, but also we who supported the Crown and fought for them will also be placed in the mix and suffer as much as the Jacobites.’
No one in the room spoke after he had finished speaking, too shocked at what the disastrous implications would mean to the Highlands and possibly to the whole Scottish nation. As he looked around at the shocked faces of his friends, he wished most sincerely that his uncle was still here to offer his advice. But he wasn’t, and the rest of the clan would look to him, Lord Reay, for sound guidance in what was in the next few months going to be a very testing time for Protestant and Jacobite supporters alike.
‘And what do we do with those hiding on the moor?’ asked Hugh.
‘To shelter them will be a disaster for the clan, if we know of their whereabouts then others do also, and it will only be a matter of time before the English are informed of these rebels sheltering on our land and we will be held to account for not making this known to the authorities. And in view of what has happened and taken place recently, the repercussions by these Redcoats would be most severe,’ George replied glumly.
‘Can we not give them money to leave the country,’ said Riavach quietly. ‘Our cousin Donald MacKay is one of those on the moor.’
‘We have no money,’ replied his brother bluntly. ‘The Sutherland raiding party took all our funds,’
‘We have cattle to sell, and there will be a good market for our beasts now this conflict is over,’ continued Riavach.
‘That is true brother, and it bodes well for us in the future, but we need funds now!’
‘There is no option,’ said Douglas. ‘They made their choice of companions when they joined the rebels, and they are fortunate in the circumstances that we have given them a choice, but they have to leave our lands at once otherwise we have to deliver them and their supporters to the English authorities ourselves.’
‘It is indeed sad times that have befallen us, but in the interests of the rest of the clan we have to do what Douglas has proposed,’ said George sadly. ‘They and their families who are providing for them will be informed immediately.’
It was several weeks later that George and the village of Tongue heard that their cousin Donald MacKay and several of his companions had surrendered to the Redcoats billeted at the Town of Thurso; they had been tried and placed on a prison ship at the port in readiness for transportation to the West Indies.
‘At least they were not hung,’ said Riavach, when he was told the news by George.
‘They may well wish they had been, by the time they reach their destination, that’s if they survive the journey in that hell hole of a ship,’ replied his brother angrily. ‘The troops at Thurso are imposing a heavy fine or seven days in the town’s dungeons for those caught wearing tartan. Carrying any form of arms without a permit from the commanding officer also carries an automatic sentence of deportation; resisting arrest is a hanging offence.’
‘They have set out their stall to crush the spirit of the people and intend using a rod of iron to achieve it,’ said Riavach despondently.
‘We will need to pass the word around the clan, Riavach, or there will be many families left without their breadwinner; any excuse it seems will suffice for this English army to arrest our menfolk to fill their prison ships.’
Riavach watched as George sat down and placed his head in his hands. He felt a moment of panic, never before had he seen his brother so depressed, and as he struggled for words in an attempt to raise his spirits, he sat down beside his older brother placing his arm around his shoulders in a comforting motion.
‘Things are never as bad as they seem, George. The clan has survived many disasters and we will just have to bend with the wind like we have in the past; that is what our uncle would have advised.’
He looked at his younger brother and sighed loudly.
He appreciated his efforts, in the past he had been the one to comfort Riavach, now the rolls were being reversed and his young brother was coming out of his shell, which had surprised him and he did not want to impose on his fragile nature all the problems which had accumulated in the last few weeks since his uncle’s death, but Riavach was next in line to being the head of the Clan MacKay, so now was the time he had to start sharing some of the pressures and responsibilities that went with being a member of this family.
‘I will share some of my problems with you, Riavach, and perhaps you can arrive with a solution to some of them that will help to lighten my load. The people from whom we purchased the ponies are pressing for payment, and if we were to resell those ponies on the open market now the war is over their value is greatly reduced. The French muskets we were hoping to sell to settle this debt were stolen by the Sutherland raiders along with the French gold. We can barely provide provisions to the families who lost their menfolk in the battle of Little Ferry and those that were slaughtered here during the attack by the Sutherlands. On top of this, you have a ruthless English Army led by vindictive generals who are enforcing the new laws thought up by the English Parliament in London. These are designed to break the spirit of the Scottish people who are being forced to live under conditions of Martial Law. This morning I received notification that an extra company of redcoats under a Major Thornton have been posted at Thurso to enforce these new laws; the area under his control includes the MacKay lands. I imagine, in due course, this major will no doubt be paying us a visit. The gentleman, whose thoroughbred horses Douglas and myself took while in England, was a Captain Thornton, and it could well be the same man who has been promoted, and if that is the case, this same English officer is the man who Fiona was promised to by her parents, and he has no reason to favour the holders of the MacKay name. The future looks bleak for us and our followers, Riavach, very bleak indeed.’
Riavach had listened to his brother in silence and when he had finished he rose and stood deep in thought, with his back to the fire blazing merrily away in the earth of the large stone fireplace.
‘We will gather together whatever livestock that is surplus, and we will drive them along with the horses to market. We will sell them all for whatever price they will fetch. Those thoroughbreds are now a liability, and you have legal bills of sale, so we should take them as far away as possible and sell them. Also, they will make up the difference we have lost on the other animals and hopefully also leave a little surplus. There is an auction at Ullapool in a week’s time and I suggest you prepare for that journey. There is also a market at Thurso on the same day and Douglas can drive the livestock and the horses there, and in the meantime, we will let the people to whom we owe money know of our intentions. I doubt that they will raise any objections over the delay, considering the financial state of the country, they will be more than happy we are honouring our original commitment and they are being paid at all. In a week’s time brother, the situation may not seem as bleak as you aptly put it.’
George stood and facing Riavach placed his hands on his shoulders. ‘Today I have been impressed and surprised by you, brother, by your common sense and logic, you, who in the past rarely expressed any opinion whatsoever, have now excelled yourself.’
‘In ordinary circumstances, you would have arrived at, and made the same deci
sions as I have,’ he suggested, ‘but you have been under severe pressure the recent battles, Fiona carrying your first child, and the loss of our uncle in those terrible circumstances, for you was the final straw.’
George pulled Riavach towards him in a big hug, as he had shared some of his burden of being a clan leader with Riavach, and his brother had surprisingly rose to the challenge. He was beginning to feel better already.
He would find Douglas and organise his trip to market and also make preparations for his own journey to the auction at Ullapool. George knew where he would find Douglas. Fiona had told him earlier that she and his sister would be sharing recipes in the kitchen of Tongue House, and where his sister was, he was sure to find Douglas nearby.
The rest of that week was spent organising the menfolk in repairing the damage inflicted to the residents’ properties by the Sutherland raid on the hamlet, and starting to clear away the rest of the burnt and damaged timbers that had collapsed from the roof of the chapel which had also dragged down one of the thick stone side walls in the process.
The work on the chapel was still continuing when he passed heading for the auction at Ullapool on the west coast, riding one of the thoroughbreds and the other in tow along with a pony for his return journey. At the same time, Douglas with several of his clansmen, started his drive of the surplus horses and a small herd of highland cattle to the market at Thurso on the north coast. George’s journey was uneventful and on his return journey from the auction, and during the long lonely hours on the road, he had ample time to ponder on his own situation, and that of the clan who looked upon him as their leader.
Even though the horses had fetched a premium at the auction and he was carrying a substantial number of gold sovereigns in his money belt fastened around his waist, he still felt in a terribly despondent mood. He missed the thoroughbred horses even though he had stolen them in the first place. He missed feeling the power of the large animals beneath him as he used to gallop it across the moor, and it had seemed as if man and beast were as one. He had found the acceleration of the ride mentally relaxing, but all that was to be no more, and it was now all finished.
He was aware more than most in the Highlands that the winds of change were blowing ever stronger and things would never be the same again. The country had been thrown into a cauldron of flux, and no matter how much he pondered on the situation, he had no way of knowing what the outcome would be. But what he could foresee was tremendous suffering one way or another for his clan and all the other clans that now made the divided Scottish nation.
As he rode between the short rows of cottages of Tongue village many with doors that he could see had been repaired after they that had been left smashed and hanging on the hinges after the Sutherland raid, he had a feeling of foreboding.
No one was working on the chapel; in fact, there were no menfolk to be seen in the village at all. As he turned into the small courtyard he stopped his pony outside the range of stables, usually Sithig the old stable hand would come from one of the stables to take his mount, but no one appeared. From his slightly elevated position he could hear raised voices coming from the nearby paddock. It was a tradition that meetings were held there that concerned the future of the clan. Leaving the pony fastened in the courtyard he hurried towards the stable, turning the corner of Tongue House, he viewed the small paddock that was nearly full of the male members of the village plus many of the sub chiefs of the septs that made up the Clan MacKay.
But he was surprised that he could not see his friend Douglas amongst the throng although it seemed that most of the male members of his clan were there.
Standing on a box that raised him above the heads of the surrounding men was Riavach, attempting to keep order in what was a very rowdy meeting.
‘We can’a attack the prison in Thurso; it is not like the old days as it is under the control of the Redcoats. Their army will bring their artillery to Tongue and they will destroy us, they will not leave a building standing!’ he shouted unable to hide the panic in his voice at the thought of the MacKay forces descending on, and ransacking the town of Thurso.
Twenty
George stopped, what had happened in the few days that he had been away which had infuriated the clan so much that they were prepared to start another war with the English. He started to push his way through the closely packed throng of men, who resisted his attempts at first and then seeing who it was quickly parted allowing him to stand by his brother.
‘What is the problem here, Riavach? What is the reason for this council of war?’
‘The Clan Poulson called this meeting, George. Their leader and your friend, Douglas, have been arrested in Thurso and thrown into jail by the Redcoats.’
‘Douglas! Douglas has been arrested? On what charge?’ he stuttered, shocked by the news. Four or five men standing around George started shouting at once trying to tell him the reason why Douglas had been arrested, until in desperation he held up his arms for silence. ‘Riavach. If you would, you give me the details.’
Riavach waited a few moments until the hub of conversation from the men in the paddock had ceased.
‘Douglas and his herdsmen obtained an excellent price for the stock at the market, much more than they had anticipated, so they called in at a nearby tavern for a celebratory drink. Sithig, the stable hand who had joined the drive, recognised one of the customers in the tavern as a member of the group who had attacked Tongue and burnt the chapel. Douglas when told of this by Sithig dragged the man screaming with fear outside into the rear courtyard of the tavern intending to inflict severe pain on the individual. It transpired this man was Magnus Duncan, who had betrayed your trust to the Earl of Sutherland. He claimed he was forced on pain of death to join the Sutherland raiding party and he was only staying in the Highlands until he received the balance promised him when the contents of the letter were in the possession of the earl. But that apart, he let slip that what they had come looking for they failed to find.’
George could not contain his gasp of astonishment at hearing this, but quickly regained his composer and looked enquiringly at Riavach, who just nodded to his brother in return and then continued.
‘Word by one of the Sutherland scouts of a large party of mounted men approaching, which of course would have been you, had forced them to abandon their search and beat a hasty retreat from Tongue. When Douglas took Magnus Duncan into the rear tavern courtyard, several men who must have been Sutherland supporters seeing what had happened fled the tavern and quickly returned with more members of their clan. A brawl quickly ensued in the tavern between the Sutherlands and the MacKays which overflowed into the street. This continued until the arrival of a patrol of Redcoats whose assistance had been sought by a panicky landlord who was seeing his livelihood being destroyed before his eyes. They arrested several of those involved in the fight including Douglas and threw them into Thurso Castle dungeons, and that’s where they languish at the moment.
‘Fortunately, the funds from the animal sale were in the safe possession of Sithig who slipped quietly out of the building on the arrival of the Redcoats, and while he was there, he saw Nicolas Duncan, the assassin, slip out of the rear entrance of the tavern courtyard and mingle with the crowd that had been attracted by the fight in the street. Magnus Duncan was found later in the courtyard with a broken neck, and Douglas has been charged with his death. In his defence, Douglas swears Magnus Duncan was alive when he left him in the courtyard to go back in the tavern.
In your absence, I went to Thurso to represent Douglas and his fellow clansman, the prosecution and jury comprised of the English military and my objections to this military hearing and not a civil court were rejected out of hand by the chairman of the bench, a Major Thornton.
‘The charges brought against them by the English were: the illegal wearing of a clan tartan; damage to private property and causing an affray; attacking the forces of his majesty King George in t
he purveyance of their lawful duties; and in Douglas’s case, the murder of Magnus Duncan. They were found guilty on all counts by the panel of English officers and Major Thornton. All the other men are to be deported, and Douglas was sentenced to be hanged.
‘At present Douglas and the rest are all chained in the cells of Thurso castle, eventually they will be moved to below the decks in the stinking prison ship moored in the port of Thurso, but as soon as that ship is full, Douglas will be taken from the ship to be hung, and it will then sail for the Caribbean and those men that survive will work on the plantations there as slaves.’
There were angry murmurings from the gathered men as Riavach finished telling his brother what had happened during his absence.
‘What my brother said is true; we cannot take on the English army on our own. So, let us first before we consider violence try another method. First as there been a date set for the sentence against Douglas to be carried out. Do we know when the prison ship is due to sail?’ he asked looking around the gathered men, yet no one answered. ‘Do we know how many prisoners are on this ship, and do we know how many prisoners this ship will hold.’
There was still no answer from the large body of men. ‘Then I suggest, gentlemen, that these details we make it our business to discover, that will tell us what time we have before the ship sails. In the meantime, we should launch an appeal against the sentences. We were supporters of the Crown during the recent troubles, and by our vigilance we have stopped many hundreds of Jacobites from joining the Prince’s army, and our record of raising a muster and fighting the cause for the Hanoverian’s Crown, plus the forming of armed companies in support of the English Redcoat army, all this must surely carry a lot of weight with the English administration.’
What he was trying to avoid was giving the gathering the slightest inkling that he would even consider any violent action against the English authorities. The slightest hint that he was contemplating such action could not be contained by the men attending the meeting; it would be common knowledge amongst the Highland communities within a few days, and this would forewarn the English. Any such thoughts or plans he devised for such an action he would only share with a very few well-chosen trusted colleagues.