MacQueen of Pall a' Chrocain was a legendary

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

deer stalker popularly believed to have slain the last

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1743. The scene of the incident was Darnaway Forest in the province of Morayshire. MacQueen received a message from his chief, the

Laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh (''Clann Mhic an Tòisich'') is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Cl ...

, that a

black wolf A black wolf is a melanistic colour variant of the gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). Black specimens were recorded among red wolves (''Canis rufus''), though the colour morph in this species is probably now extinct. Genetic research from the Sta ...

had killed two children whilst they were crossing the hills from

Cawdor Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire. History The village is the location of ...

with their mother. MacQueen was requested to attend a "Tainchel" (a gathering to drive the country) at a tryst above Fi-Giuthas. In the morning, the Tainchel had long been assembled, though MacQueen was not initially present. When he arrived, MacQueen received a tirade of insulting comments for his delay, to which he asked "''Ciod e a' chabhag?''" (what was the hurry?). MacQueen lifted his plaid and produced the severed head of the wolf, tossing it in the middle of the surprised circle.Chambers, Robert, ''Domestic Annals of Scotland: From the Revolution to the Rebellion of 1745'', W. & R. Chambers, 1861 MacQueen described to the assembly how he achieved the feat;

"As I came through the ''slochd'' (ravine) by east the hill there, I foregathered wi' the beast. My long dog there turned him. I bucked wi' him, and dirkit him, and syne whuttled his craig (cut his throat), and brought awa' his countenance for fear he might come alive again, for they are very precarious creatures.''The Westminster Review'', Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1830

The chief rewarded him, giving him a land called Sean-achan "to yield good meat for his good greyhounds in all time coming". He later became chief of

Clan MacQueen Clan Macqueen is a Highland Scottish clan and a member of the Chattan Confederation.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of ...

, and died in 1797.

References

*Gurney, J. H. ''The Great Auk'', 1868 *Harting, J. E. ''British Animals Extinct Within Historic Times - With Some Account of British Wild White Cattle'', BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009 {{River Findhorn Scottish folklore 18th-century Scottish people Wolf hunting Wolves in folklore, religion and mythology Natural history of Scotland Scottish hunters