An Old Highland Fencible Corps : the History of The
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"CM IS -to leo * - -' -' * --" *''-- '" ' vV">.,, ^**ar 2 3 4 REGIMENTAL UNIFORM IN 1795. (from a Coloured Drawing by the Author.) An Old Highland Fencible Corps The History of the Reay Fencible Highland Regiment of Foot, or Mackay's Highlanders 1794-1802 With an Account of its Services in Ireland during the Rebellion of 1798 BY CAPTAIN I. H. MACKAY SCOBIE F.S.A. SCOT. THE ESSEX REGIMENT :.- WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh and London 1914 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR DONALD JAMES MACKAY, \\TH LORD REAY, K.T., G.C.S.f., G.C.I. E., LL.D., &v. CHIEF OF THE CLAN MACKAY, THIS HISTORY OF " REISIMEID MHIC AOIDH" IS RESPECTFULLT DEDICATED PREFACE. AT the present time, when so many histories of regiments I in existence are being written, I have been induced to set down one with a dealing Highland corps long since dis- banded and the force to which it belonged wellnigh forgotten. The services rendered to their country by the Fencibles throw an interesting sidelight on a critical period of British >ry, 'when wars with France were frequent, and the ambition of Napoleon threatened to overwhelm every country in and Europe, reduce them to the domination of France" Raised for the most in part Scotland, these corps, which were m reality regular but for the troops internal protection the country an only, played important part in the defence of our islands, of worthy more notice than has hitherto been accorded them. The limited service of the Fencibles, debarring them as from participating in the events stirring then passing Europe, has led to many believe that their life was in uneventful onsequence and not worthy of notice. Of some vhose services were confined to England and Scotland this may be but partly true, not so those who served in Ireland the troublous during times of '98. The career of the - regiment whose life story I have .eavoured to describe has been briefly referred to in more viH PREFACE. of the than one work dealing with the military history the of a short sketch Highlands, and has also been subject the from the pen of that noble and patriotic Highlander, It was on late Mr John Mackay of Hereford. partly reading time the fact of the latter work impelled at the same by so many of my forebears having served in the regiment, had and also that no full account of a fencible corps yet write an extended of appeared that decided me to history " information be Mackay's Highlanders" should sufficient I have been fortunate, and forthcoming to do so. In this the matter thus collected has been treated with a detail not of more service. possible in a regiment prolonged books which be- The discovery of the regimental order the life of longed to Major Scobie of Melness, giving daily with but few has the regiment from start to finish gaps, value immeasurably assisted in making the work of lasting and interest. Indeed, without them this history could scarcely have been written. For the discovery and loan of these Mr M. books I am deeply indebted to my relative, James Sutherland. Scobie, J.P., Smoo House, Durness, such a work As may be readily understood, material for as this has not been easy to obtain, owing in a great measure to so many of the descendants of those who composed the all the world added to regiment being now scattered over ; which the changed conditions of the Highlands, and the the bulk of disappearance of the tacksmen (who supplied the officers of the old Highland regiments), has resulted in the loss of a vast amount of documentary evidence of first whereabouts of importance to the regimental historian, the which is now wellnigh impossible to trace. In my hunt for information in the north of Sutherland, among such of the descendants of those who had served in I was the regiment as are still to be found in the district, fortunate in obtaining the assistance of the late Mr John PREFACE. ix 1 Murray, Island Roan. Mr Murray was my able guide and cheery companion in many a search round Tongue the centre of the old Mackay Country and of the district from which the regiment was raised. His invaluable services to me at the time (1910) I shall not readily forget. Through his intimate acquaintance with the older generation of the people, not a few of such anecdotes and stories relating to the regiment as still linger in the Reay Country have been rescued from oblivion, and will be found set down in these pages. My warmest thanks are also due to Mr Hugh Nicol (whose grandfather served in the Reays), Stratford, Ontario, Canada; the Rev. Adam Gunn, M.A., Durness ; Dr Hew William late Morrison, LL.D., Edinburgh ; Captain Morrison, A. and the Rev. H. M.S., Edinburgh ; Macaulay, Strathy, for several interesting anecdotes which might otherwise have been lost. I am deeply indebted to Lord Reay, Chief of Mackay, and to Dr George Mackay, of the Bighouse family, for their great encouragement and assistance to me since the work was started. Lord Reay, as will be seen, has done me the " " honour of writing a Foreword to this history of the regiment raised by his family. To Dr Kenneth Cameron, Montreal, the present repre- sentative of Major-General Mackay Hugh Baillie of Rosehall (who actually raised the regiment), I owe all my information regarding that officer, as well as others of the family who served in the regiment, and I take this opportunity of expressing my great indebtedness to him. I to C. am also under a deep obligation Mr J. Leask, Newcastle-on-Tyne (who is at present engaged on a new history of the Royal Scots), not only for his valuable assist- ' Mr Murray, whose literary and antiquarian knowledge of the Reay Country was equalled by few, died in August 1913. x PREFACE. ance and kindly interest in the work all along, but also for the great help I have derived from the researches he kindly had made on my behalf at the Record Office in Dublin and in the Irish newspapers of the day. To Dr Hew Morrison, LL.D., of the Public Library, Edinburgh, I owe a deep debt of thanks for much valuable aid and helpful advice whilst making researches in the Scottish newspapers and journals of the period. I am much indebted to Dr Gordon Campbell, LL.D., Cambridge University, the present representative of Lieutenant for information that officer Donald Campbell, concerning ; for and to my relative, Mr J. A. Mackay Scobie, London, information regarding Captain Kenneth Scobie. To Mr Andrew Ross (Ross Herald), Mr Skeoch Cumming, H. Major Lachlan Forbes (late Royal Fusiliers), and Captain are due M'Cance (late Royal Scots), my acknowledgments for much encouragement and helpful advice. My best thanks are also due to the following for their interest in the work and assistance generally viz., Sir of Bart. Dr Kenneth Duncan Campbell Barcaldine, ; Cameron, Mr Mr ; Montreal ; James Macdonald, W.S., Edinburgh David MacRitchie, C.A., Edinburgh; Colonel Johnston, C. B., Newton Dee, Aberdeen; Colonel Mackay J. G. Scobie, C.B., Lieut- Hereford ; Colonel J. Morrison, Rhives, Golspie ; Colonel G. Gunn, Q. O. Cameron Highlanders ; Captain D. G. Fowler, late gist Highlanders, Stirling; Mr Allan of Rosehall Sir Fowler of Gilmour, yr. ; John Braemore, Ferintosh Dr Bart. ; Rev. D. Munro, ; Joass, Golspie ; Sheriff Dornoch Mr William G. J. Campbell, ; Mackay, jun., Inverness; Mr David N. Mackay, Hon. Sec., Clan Mackay Mr Alex. ; Society, Glasgow ; Mackay (Sandy), Edinburgh ' Celtic Mr Clark Mrs Mackay, Monthly,' Glasgow ; George Hector Dornoch Mr Mr ; Mackay, Tongue ; Mackay, John B.C. Mr Corrie M'Kay, Victoria, ; Hugh Mackenzie, Kinloch, PREFACE. xi Mr Mr ; Orr, bookseller, Lairg ; J. Robertson, Edinburgh J. Minto London Mr Edinburgh ; Mr Wilson, ; J. O'Reilly, and Miss U.S.A. ; and to Sligo ; Mona Ross, Washington, many others both at home and abroad who have kindly replied to my inquiries I herewith tender my grateful acknowledgments. I have to thank the following for the use of portraits and illustrations : Lord Dr Reay ; George Mackay, Edinburgh ; Miss Mina Dr Kenneth Mackay, Edinburgh ; Cameron, Montreal Dr ; ; Gordon Campbell, Cambridge University Rev. Cheltenham Sir Robert Boys Johnston, ; Farquhar, Ross Herald Mr London Mr Andrew ; Bart., ; Ross, Francis Belfast Robert M. Belfast Mr ; J. Bigger, ; Young, Mr C. Mrs J. Leask, Newcastle-on-Tyne ; Angus Mackay, Thurso Messrs Bell London and Mr A. ; & Sons, ; George M'Kay, Washington, U.S.A. I cannot pass by without referring to the sad loss sus- tained in recent years to Highland literature by the death of two such well-known Highlanders as Mr John Mackay ' 1 of the Celtic Monthly, and the Rev. Angus Mackay, Westerdale, Caithness, both of whom had been kind enough to encourage my earlier efforts and had promised what assistance they could. The coloured plates of uniform in this work, as well as some of the full-page illustrations and tail-pieces to chapters, are from my brush and pen, and although without any pre- tensions to artistic merit, I have endeavoured to make them accurate as to detail. The coloured drawings and sketches of the regimental uniform in particular have been carefully pre- pared after much research, and are believed to be correct repre- sentations of the dress worn by the regiment at different times. Exception may perhaps be taken to the size of the bonnets in some cases, but as the manner of mounting this head- dress varied in different regiments according to the tastes b xii PREFACE.