The Keppoch Murders ( gd, Murt na Ceapaich) is the name given to the murders of

Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and his brother Ranald by rival claimants to the chieftainship of the MacDonalds of Keppoch. The murders took place on September 25, 1663, during a brawl in the mansion of Insch, just outside the village of Roy Bridge. The killers, Alexander Macdonald and his six sons from Inverlair, were well known. Sir James at Dunelm Castle was persuaded by Bald Iain to apply to the Privy Council in Edinburgh for letters of fire and sword in order to lawfully revenge their deaths. The seven killers were eventually hunted down and killed two years later by men sent by

MacDonald of Sleat Macdonald, MacDonald or McDonald may refer to: Organisations * McDonald's, a chain of fast food restaurants * McDonald & Co., a former investment firm * MacDonald Motorsports, a NASCAR team * Macdonald Realty, a Canadian real estate brokerage ...

. The bodies were decapitated by

Iain Lom John MacDonald, known as Iain Lom (c. 1624–c. 1710) was a Scottish Gaelic poet. Biography Iain Lom's family were of the MacDonalds of Keppoch. In Gaelic society, since there might often be a number of men with the same first names in any giv ...

who is said to have used the murder weapon used in the murder of Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch, in decapitating the men. He then took his grisly trophies to

Invergarry Castle Invergarry Castle in the Scottish Highlands was the clan seat, seat of the Chiefs of the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, a powerful branch of the Clan Donald. The castle's position overlooking Loch Oich on Creagan an Fhithich – the Raven's Rock ...

in order to show them to Lord

MacDonnell of Glengarry Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill Ghlinne Garaidh) is a Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl ...

who had failed to bring the murderers to justice. The well where the seven heads were washed before presentation to the Lord MacDonnell of Glengarry is known as ''Tobar nan ceann'' in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

, meaning the 'Well of Heads', and is located nearby on the northern shore of

Loch Oich Loch Oich (; gd, Loch Omhaich) is a freshwater loch in the Highlands of Scotland which forms part of the Caledonian Canal, of which it is the highest point. This narrow loch lies between Loch Ness (to the north-east) and Loch Lochy (to the south- ...

. In the late 19th century the grave at Inverlair was opened and seven headless skeletons were unearthed, giving credence to the story.Donald B. MacCulloch, "Romantic Lochaber" (Lines Publishing, 1996)200-201

Citations

Murder in Scotland 17th century in Scotland 1663 in Scotland Clan MacDonald of Keppoch Murder in 1663 {{Scotland-hist-stub

See also

Citations