Rob Roy MacGregor

Scottish Jacobite and outlaw (1671–1734)

Not to be confused with the American submarine commander Rob Roy McGregor (admiral).

For other people with the same name, see Robert McGregor. For other uses of "Rob Roy", see Rob Roy.

Robert Roy MacGregor

An engraving of Rob Roy, c. 1820

Born|

Robert MacGregor

(1671-03-07)7 March 1671

Loch Katrine, Perthshire, Scotland

Died| 28 December 1734(1734-12-28) (aged 63)

Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland

Other names| Robert Campbell (alias)
Rob Roy
Occupation(s)| Soldier, cattle dealer
Known for| Scottish folk hero
Children| 4

Robert Roy MacGregor (Scottish Gaelic: Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Jacobite Scottish outlaw, who later became a Scottish and Jacobite folk hero.

## Early life

[edit]

Rob Roy's Putting Stone, a boulder he supposedly used for stone putting, near Lochan nan Eireannaich at the head of Kirkton Glen where the pass leads from Balquhidder to Glen Dochart.

He was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, as recorded in the Church of Scotland baptismal register of Buchanan, Stirling. His parents were the local Clan MacGregor tacksman, Donald Glas MacGregor, and Margaret Campbell. He was also descended from the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch through his paternal grandmother.[1] Because the name MacGregor was outlawed, Rob Roy sometimes went by his mother's name of Campbell.

In January 1693, at Corrie Arklet farm near Inversnaid, he married Mary MacGregor of Comar (1671–1745), who was born at Leny Farm, Strathyre. The couple had four sons: James Mor MacGregor (1695–1754), Ranald (1706–1786), Coll (died 1735)[2] and Robert (1715–1754)—known as Robìn Òig or Young Rob. It has been argued that they also adopted a cousin named Duncan, but this is not certain.[why?]

## Jacobite risings

[edit]

Along with many Highland clansmen, at the age of eighteen Rob Roy MacGregor together with his father joined the Jacobite rising of 1689 led by John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee, and Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, to support the Stuart King James VII, whose flight from Britain following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 had been declared by the English Convention Parliament to be an abdication, then in Scotland the Convention of Estates adopted the Claim of Right and declared that James had forfeited the Scottish throne. Although victorious in initial battles, Dundee was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689, deflating the rising which then lost the Battle of Dunkeld. MacGregor's father was taken to jail, where he was held on high treason charges for two years. MacGregor's mother Margaret's health failed during Donald's time in prison. By the time Donald was finally released, his wife was dead.

Like many other Scottish clan chiefs during the 17th and 18th centuries, MacGregor operated an extralegal Watch over the cattle herds of the Lowland gentry in return for black mail (protection money), which was used to feed the families of his tenants and clansmen. Any cattle that were stolen from herds under his Watch were either retrieved or paid for in full.[3]

MacGregor became a respected cattleman—this was a time when cattle raiding and protection rackets, selling protection against theft, were commonplace means of earning a living.[4] MacGregor borrowed a large sum to increase his own cattle herd, but owing to the disappearance of his chief herder, who was entrusted with the money, MacGregor defaulted on his loan.

Factor's Island (Gaelic: Eilean a' Bhàillidh), Loch Katrine, where Rob Roy once imprisoned the Duke's factor.

His principal creditor, James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, then seized his lands. In a letter later circulated on his behalf and widely believed at the time, MacGregor alleged that Montrose had twice offered to forgive his debts in return for perjured testimony that would help to frame the Duke of Argyll for both high treason and Jacobitism. MacGregor further claimed that when he indignantly refused, he was branded an outlaw, and his wife and family were evicted from their house at Inversnaid, which was then burned down. MacGregor also claimed that John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl offered him a full pardon under the same terms, which he also indignantly refused. In retaliation, MacGregor waged a private blood feud against Montrose, both raiding his cattle and robbing his rents.

Another version states that MacGregor's estates of Craigrostan and Ardess were forfeited for his part in the Jacobite rising of 1715. The Duke of Montrose then acquired the property in 1720 by open purchase from the Commissioners of Enquiry.[5]

## Glen Shira

[edit]

The remains of Rob Roy MacGregor's house in upper Glen Shira

Despite having fought on opposing sides during the 1715 rising, MacGregor and his family moved immediately afterwards to Glen Shira, where they lived under the protection of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, also known as Red John of the Battles, "Iain Ruaidh nan Cath". Argyll sought to negotiate an amnesty and protection for Rob. When MacGregor's allegations about the reasons for his outlawry were made public by the Duke, it was widely believed, according to a surviving letter by a Church of Scotland minister, that Montrose and Atholl were both part of a plot by Argyll's enemies in the House of Lords and at Court.

The Duke also granted him permission to build a house in the Glen for the surrendering up of weapons, "Traditionally the story goes that Argyll only received a large cache of rusty old weapons."[6] A sporran and dirk handle which belonged to Rob Roy may still be seen at Inveraray Castle. Rob Roy allegedly continued to use Glen Shira as a base for cattle raiding against the Montrose estates and despite repeated demands from the latter, Argyll refused to hand MacGregor over or otherwise curb his activities.

In July 1717, MacGregor and the whole of the Clan Gregor were specifically excluded from the benefits of the Indemnity Act 1717 which had the effect of pardoning all others who took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715.[7]

MacGregor participated in the Battle of Glen Shiel in 1719, in which a British Government army with allied Highlanders defeated a force of Jacobite Scots supported by the Spanish. Two of the Jacobite commanders, Lord George Murray and the 5th Earl of Seaforth, were badly wounded.[8] Some accounts claim that Rob Roy himself was wounded, but the actual text of Ormonde's account of the battle provides no evidence for this claim. Instead, it states that Seaforth was wounded: "Finding himself hard-pressed, Lord Seaforth sent for further support. A reinforcement under Rob Roy went to his aid, but before it reached him the greater part of his men had given way, and he himself had been severely wounded in the arm."

Sometime around 1720 and after the heat of MacGregor’s involvement at the Battle of Glen Shiel had died down, Rob Roy moved to Monachyle Tuarach by Loch Doine. Sometime before 1722, he finally moved to Inverlochlarig Beag on the Braes of Balquhidder.

## Later life

[edit]

Grave site of Rob Roy MacGregor, marking his wife (Helen) Mary, and sons Coll and Robert (Balquhidder)

MacGregor's feud against the Duke of Montrose continued until 1722, when he was forced to surrender. Later imprisoned, he was finally pardoned in 1727. He died in his house at Inverlochlarig Beg, Balquhidder, on 28 December 1734 after an illness brought on by old age and a bad winter,[9] aged 63.

K. Macleay, M.D., in Historical Memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan MacGregor quotes, "but he had taken the resolution of becoming a Roman Catholic, and he accordingly left the lonely residence we have described, and returning to Perthshire, went to a Mr. Alexander Drummond, an old priest of that faith, who resided at Drummond Castle." Macleay takes the view that Rob did this out of sorrow for his crimes.[better source needed]

## Legacy

[edit]

Glengyle House, on the shore of Loch Katrine, dates back to the early 18th century, with a porch dated to 1707, and is built on the site of the 17th century stone cottage where Rob Roy is said to have been born. Since the 1930s, the Category B-listed building had been in the hands of successive water authorities, but was identified as surplus to requirements and put up for auction in November 2004, despite objections from the Scottish National Party.

The Rob Roy Way, a long distance footpath from Drymen to Pitlochry, was created in 2002 and named in Rob Roy's honour.

Descendants of Rob Roy settled around McGregor, Iowa, United States, and in 1849 it was reported that the original MacGregor seal and signet was owned by Alex McGregor of Iowa. The Scots Gaelic clan seal was inscribed "S' Rioghal Mo Dhream" ("Royal is my race"). The signet was a bloodstone from Loch Lomond, and was sketched by William Williams.[10]

In 1878, the football club Kirkintilloch Rob Roy was founded and named in his memory.

Early settlers to New Zealand named Roys Peak, Rob Roy Peak and Rob Roy Glacier in honour of Rob Roy MacGregor.

## In popular culture

[edit]

Rob Roy on the Rock,[11] a statue located on the spot where Rob Roy leapt across the Culter Burn, Peterculter, Aberdeen, while on the run from Montrose's men

A fictionalised account of his life, The Highland Rogue, was published in 1723.[12][13] Rob Roy became a legend in his own lifetime and George I was moved to issue a pardon for his crimes just as he was about to be transported to the colonies. The publication of Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott in 1817 further added to his fame and fleshed out his biography. Hector Berlioz was inspired by the book to compose an overture. William Wordsworth wrote a poem called "Rob Roy's Grave" during a visit to Scotland;[14] the 1803 tour was documented by his sister Dorothy in Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland and the editor of the book changed the place of burial to the present location.

Adaptations of his story have also been told in film, including the silent film Rob Roy (1922), the Walt Disney Productions film Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953) and the 1995 film Rob Roy directed by Michael Caton-Jones (starring Liam Neeson as the title character and shot entirely on location in the Scottish Highlands). The 1995 Rob Roy film was also novelized in that year by Donald McFarlan (based on the screenplay by Alan Sharp) and adapted to a Nova abridged audiobook read by British actor Brian Cox, who also appeared in the film.

In 1894, a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City created the Rob Roy cocktail in honour of the premiere of Rob Roy, an operetta by composer Reginald De Koven and lyricist Harry B. Smith loosely based upon Robert Roy MacGregor.[15]

In 2017, a new statue of Rob Roy was commissioned to be installed in Peterculter, Aberdeen. The sculptor appointed was David J. Mitchell, a graduate of Grays School of Art in Aberdeen.[16] The statue was publicly unveiled at a ceremony on the bridge on 16 September 2017.[17]

## See also

[edit]

* Auchenbathie Tower
* Clan Gregor
* Gilderoy (outlaw)
* Rob Roy (dog), US First Lady Grace Coolidge's pet collie featured in a life-size portrait in the White House

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rob Roy MacGregor His Life and Times, W. H. Murray
2. ^ Inscription on Rob Roy MacGregor's grave.
3. ^ W. H. Murray (1982), Rob Roy MacGregor: His Life and Times, Barnes & Noble Books. pp. 59–64.
4. ^ Carol Kyros Walker (1997). Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland by Dorothy Wordsworth. Yale University Press. See Appendix 5.
5. ^ Sir James Balfour Paul, LLD, ed. (1909). The Scots Peerage, Vol 6. Edinburgh: David Douglas. p. 273.
6. ^ Nigel Tranter, Rob Roy MacGregor, New York: Barnes and Noble. ISBN 1-897784-31-7 (2005 reprint)
7. ^ Peter Hume Brown, A History of Scotland to the Present Time, p. 154
8. ^ W. K. Dickson, ed. The Jacobite Attempt of 1719, SHS 1895, Introduction and p. 272
9. ^ Louis Albert Necker, A voyage to the Hebrides, or western isles of Scotland;: with observations ..., p. 80
10. ^ Major William Williams' Journal (Annals of Iowa, Volume XII, No. 4, 3rd Series). Historical Department of Iowa (Edgar R. Harlan, Curator). April 1920. p. 257. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
11. ^ "Rob Roy Statue – Rob Roy On The Rock". robroyontherock.com.
12. ^ English Short-Title Catalogue T109114. Earlier attributions to Daniel Defoe are not accepted today on stylistic grounds; see The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature II 902 and John Robert Moore, A Checklist of the Writings of Daniel Defoe. 2nd edition. [Hamden, Connecticut]: Archon Books, 1971.
13. ^ The Highland rogue: or, the memorable actions of the celebrated Robert Mac-gregor, commonly called Rob-Roy. nls.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
14. ^ Wordsworth, William (1880). "Rob Roy's Grave". In Emerson, Ralph Waldo (ed.). Parnassus: An Anthology of Poetry. Retrieved 16 July 2018 - via Bartleby.com.; via Internet Archive
15. ^ Andrews, Sudhir (2008). Textbook of Food & Beverage Management. Tata McGraw-Hill. p. 248\. ISBN 978-0070655737.
16. ^ "Rob Roy Statue". Rob Roy On The Rock. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
17. ^ "Rob Roy Statue – Rob Roy On The Rock". robroyontherock.com.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Defoe, Daniel (1723). The highland rogue: or, The memorable actions of the celebrated Robert Macgregor, commonly called Rob-Roy. OCLC 176650784.
* Macleay, Kenneth (1881). Historical memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan Macgregor. [With plates.] Edinburgh: W. Brown. OCLC 316575085.
* Murray, W. H. (1996). Rob Roy MacGregor, His Life and Times (3rd ed.). Canongate books Ltd.
* Stevenson, David (2004). The Hunt for Rob Roy, The Man and the Myths. John Donald Publishers. ISBN 0-85976-590-3.
* Tranter, Nigel (1991). Rob Roy MacGregor (2005 reprint ed.). New York: Barnes and Noble. ISBN 1-897784-31-7.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Robert Roy MacGregor at Wikimedia Commons
* Quotations related to Rob Roy MacGregor at Wikiquote
* McGregor village museum with a King James Bible bearing Rob Roy's signature
* Rob Roy on the Web
* FAQs about Rob Roy
* "Robert 'Rob Roy' MacGregor: outlaw and folk hero", by Brendan O'Brien, from Scotsman.com, 27 Jan 2005.
* "Glengyle House. Built by Rob Roy MacGregor". Archived from the original on 10 October 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2010.

* v
* t
* e

Jacobitism

* Scottish clans
* Clan chief
* Independent Highland Companies
* The Highlands
* Union of the Crowns
* Wars of the Three Kingdoms
* Restoration
* Covenanters
* The Killing Time
* James II & VII
* Glorious Revolution
* William III & II and Mary II
* Jacobite succession
* "James III & VIII", The Old Pretender
* "Charles III", The Young Pretender
* Queen Anne
* Act of Settlement 1701
* Sophie, Electress of Hanover
* George I
* George II
* Toryism
* Neo-Jacobite Revival (Royal Stuart Society)
* Jacobite consorts

Jacobite risings|

| First rising
(1689)|

* Williamite War in Ireland
* Nine Years' War
* King William's War
* Viscount Dundee
* Sir Ewen Cameron
* Patrick Sarsfield
* General Hugh Mackay
* Battle of Killiecrankie
* Battle of Dunkeld
* Massacre of Glencoe
* Battle of the Boyne
* Declaration of Finglas
* Battle of Aughrim
* Siege of Limerick
* Treaty of Limerick

|

The Fifteen
(1715)|

* …in Cornwall
* …in England
* 1715 general election
* Earl of Mar
* Rob Roy
* Lord Lovat
* Baronet Munro
* Battle of Preston
* Siege of Inverness
* Battle of Sheriffmuir

The Nineteen
(1719)|

* War of the Quadruple Alliance
* Earl Marischal
* Marquess of Tullibardine
* General Joseph Wightman
* Anglo-French Alliance
* Capture of Eilean Donan Castle
* Battle of Glen Shiel
* Battle of Coille Bhan

The Forty-Five
(1745)|

* War of the Austrian Succession
* Lord George Murray
* Lochiel
* Duke of Cumberland
* Battle of Prestonpans
* Siege of Carlisle
* Battle of Falkirk Muir
* Siege of Inverness
* Battle of Culloden
* Raids on Lochaber and Shiramore

Abortive|

* 1708
* 1744
* 1759

a Jacobite banner

Consequences
and later events|

| Early|

* Riot Act 1714
* Clan Act 1715
* Habeas Corpus Suspension Act 1715
* Disarming Act 1715 and 1725
* Indemnity Act 1717

|

The Forty-Five|

* Jurors Act 1745
* Act of Proscription 1746
* Dress Act 1746
* Heritable Jurisdictions Act 1746
* Sheriffs Act 1747
* Treason Outlawries Act 1748
* Traitors Transported Act 1746
* Old military roads of Scotland

Jacobite succession|

* "James III and VIII"
* "Charles III"
* "Henry IX and I"
* "Charles IV"
* Victor
* "Mary II"
* "Francis I"
* "Mary III"
* "Robert I and IV"
* Albert
* "Francis II"
* Max
* Sophie
* Joseph

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Poland
* Israel
* Catalonia

People|

* DDB

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC
* Yale LUX

*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template