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, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
deer stalker popularly believed to have slain the last
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
in 1743. The scene of the incident was Darnaway Forest in
Morayshire
The County of Moray, ( ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county in Scotland. The county town was Elgin. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 most of the historic ...
. MacQueen received a message from his chief, the
Laird
Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...
of
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 had killed two children whilst they were crossing the hills from
Cawdor
Cawdor () 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 Cawdor ...
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, 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