338. CHAPTER VII ------------ By the 18th century the Clan Ranald was a significant element in Scotland's distinctive religious situation.. The Catholic Church was an outlaw church and only in a few Highland areas could it operate with relative freedom. The Clan Ranald's "rough bounds" was such an area. In this district priests went about their duties with impunity and the catholic hierarchy eventually felt safe enough to create an Lr impressive religious establishment that was, them, unmatched through- out Scotland. There were two basic reasons for this confidence on the part of that church. Firstly, the Clan Ranald was a solid catholic clan from the various Captains of the kindred to the poorest , tenant, with the exception of a few tolerated, trusted and equally Jacobite episcopalian kinsmen settled mostly in Moidart and South Uist. Secondly, this conservative, highly martial and solidly catholic community happened to occupy a geographical territory that in the early 18th century remained remote and relatively inaccessible to government influence. Protected by the friendly peoples of the Clan Ranald (whose chiefs often kept: a priest in their own homes), catholic priests, school teachers, missionaries and, eventually, even a bishop were free to practise their religion, set up schools and seminaries and to sent out missionaries to other Highland districts. The successful work of the Irish missionaries coming into the Clan Ranald territories and the neighbouring Hebridean and west 1 Highland areas in the early 17th century has been noted and in the earliest Highland presbyterian records, those of the Synod of krgyll, See 66-79. nQE above, pp. I?, rnr n to CCYccr> i IAJ (ýý 1AIAt nAn X(ý' 339. a strong reaction to the catholics in those areas can be noted. On 27th May 1643, Martin MacPherson, presbyterian minister in South Uist, reported that MacNeill of Barra's private chapel contained two idols called "Our Lady and her Babel' which were "trained up in their Apparel & Ornaments". MacNeill was ordered to turn them over to 2 MacPherson for destruction. In that same period MacPherson had also 3 given in an account of a priest named Donald MacDonald. This priest 4 was "commonly residing in his [John Moydartach's] Family", and the 5 priest "had given very much pains" to Macpherson. Acting for the synod, Archibald Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne, first wrote to the Captain of Clan Ranald who did not surrender the priest and later in an unexplained manner Lorne captured this priest and deposited him with the presbyterian authorities in Edinburgh. There the priest was examined and ordered to "Study dilligently to understand the Error of 6 his Eventually, Donald MacDonald to bygone profession It . appeared have come around "making of his recantation & Embracing the true 7 But Protestant religion & swearing & Subscribing the covenant" . on 16th October 1650 synod records make it clear that Donald MacDonald's "conversion" had been short-lived. Once back in his native Highlands he had quickly joined "in the late rebellion" and in 1650 was Still-labouring to pervert poor ignorant people 2. CH2/557/l/P. 71. 3. This diligence on the part of Martin MacPherson against area cath- olics helps to explain why the Clan Ranald attacked his farm before joining Montrose in 1644 (see above, p. 46) and this study's asser- tion that the attack was carried out for political motives is supported by the Argyll Synod's Records in 1650 when they refer to MacPherson's having. been, "spoiled by the rebells", (Ibid., p. 228). 4. Ibid., p. 44. 5. Ibid., p. 83. 6. Ibid., p. 81. 7. Ibid., p. 243. 340. in the parts where he haunts in the Isle of Uist & other parts of the Farr Isles to the dishonor of God & Ruin of poor souls. 8 In the following years the records of the presbyterians contain a number of reports about the "Popish Bounds'l. where "Priests doe 9 ordinarly reside in". Most frequently mentioned are South Uist, Benbecula, Eigg, Canna, Moidart, Arisaig, Morar, Knoydart, Glengarry and Barra. The most often listed "papist chieftaines" are "Captains of Clanranald Elder & Younger [John Moydartach and his son Donald], 10 Macneill Barra & Glengaries whole family". In this period Sir James MacDonald of Sleat wrote several letters to the synod "anent the Seminary Priest in the [sic] South Uist & Barra", but despite the synod's orders to capture this priest Sir James was never successful. It may be that Sir James never intended to pursue catholics because, like others in his family, he sympathised with them, or it may be that his hands were too full in his native Skye to concern himself with the Clan Ranald's internal affairs. The following occur- rence in 1666 can be interpreted either way, but there can be no mistaking the anti-presbyterian sentiments of Sir James' brother, Archibald MacDonald; equally, this incident shows that those early presbyterian ministers were engaged in dangerous work. The catholic Archibald had been irritated at Donald Nicolson, minister in Trotter- nish, who had "used all means to reclame" him and who had been actively working against other area catholics. Archibald McDonald upon ane Sunday at night betwixt twelf and one a cloach, in a most Barbarous manner, invaded the house of this minister. Accompanyed 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid., p. 148. 10. Ibid. 341. with two servants he did assult him in his bed with hair a draven dirk, pulling him oat of bed be the of the head, and that, besydes all other violence offered to the minister and opprobrious speeches for his faithfull dischargeoing of his dewties, he would no question have murthered him had not the good hand of God restrained his wicked resolution, of which barbarous fact he boasted of to several persons within the paroche, whereby all the papist and recuseants in these bounds are mightilie encouraged inso far that some of them have said they would no care much to stob a minister for ther religion and therafter take banishment. 11 The historian who only looks at presbyterian records gains the impression that "priests swarmed like locusts" over the Highlands and Islands in the late 17th century. This is incorrect. A look at the period's catholic sources reveals that the presbyterians in their anti-catholic zeal over-reacted in many reports and that in reality the catholics were almost as guilty of ignoring the religious needs of the Gaels as were the presbyterians. There were two basic reasons behind this lack of catholic interest, the first beyond the power of the catholics to control, the second certainly not. Firstly, cath- olics were being suppressed by the Scottish establishment. The chiefs of Clan Campbell were active supporters of the presbyterian establishment; indeed, they were its Highland leaders, so most of the considerable power of Clan Campbell was at the disposal of the kirk. Secondly, despite the disproportionally high number of Highlanders among Scotland's catholic population, most of the period's Scottish catholic leadership was of Lowland extraction and had the anti-Gaelic bias expected of 17th century Lowlanders. The report of the 1677 visitation to the Highlands and Islands 12 by the priest Alexander Leslie is interesting for a variety of 11. R. P. C., op. cit., Vol-II, third series 1665-1669, pp-322-23. 12. Sometimes referred to as "Hardboots Leslie". 342. reasons, not the least of which is because it shows that large tracts of Highland area, occupied solely by catholics, were-only rarely served by visiting missionaries. Moreover, the report illustrates Leslie's own attitudes towards those he met, whom he saw not as fellow cath- 13 olics, but as "rough, and in some places sava,,,re and inhuman". Leslie calculated the number of catholics in the area to be around 12,000 and felt the total would be higher, If in the past there had been missionary priests to foster and instruct them in the faith for the people of the highlands and islands are very well disposed and inclined towards the catholic religion. 14 in 1677 he felt the persecution was not serious because the courts were distant, because the country was difficult and because the area enjoyed a period of peace and stability "that the Government of the Kingdom does not want to upset by carrying out the penal laws against catholics". But despite the number of c@Ltholics, the favourable attitude of other local people towards that religion and the relatively favourable climate, there were only three, and occasionally four, priests in the whole area. One was a Scottish Gael and the others 15 were Irish. People complained of the lack of priests. At the time of the visitation one priest appears to have resided in South Uist and Benbecula and all other districts were served by visiting priests. Leslie recommended a minimum of seven additional priests and stated that In many places all the people are catholics, as glengary, moidart, arisaig, North & South morar, 13. "The Leslie Report", by Rev. Alexander Leslie, manuscript, Catholic Archives, Columba House, Edinburgh, p-17. 14. Ibid. 9 p. l. 15. Ibid. 343. Knoydart, etc., where there are no ministers, and all the churches are destroyed. In some of them I saw altars still standing, and in one church a stone crucifix. 16 Leslie's description of the Gaels is remarkable more for its similarity to and not difference from observations made by presby- terian Lowlanders in the period. He was obviously an outsider looking in at which was to him a strange, "rough" and sometimes "inhuman" people. While he felt the Gaels were very hospitable and inquisitive of an exceptional native intelligence, "the most of man- kind", he also noted that they always went about half naked and armed and that they were given to theft and feuds.