Rough Bounds
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The Rough Bounds ( gd, Na Garbh Chriochan), in the
Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
, is the area of West
Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...
bounded by Loch Hourn, Loch Shiel, and
Loch Moidart Loch Moidart is a sea loch (sea inlet) in the district of Moidart in Highland, Scotland. It is on the west coast of Scotland, and runs about 8 km (5 miles) eastward from the sea. It is connected to the sea by two narrow channels which are sep ...
, consisting of the districts of Knoydart, North
Morar Morar (; gd, Mòrar) is a small village on the west coast of Scotland, south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual (the region to the south wes ...
, Arisaig and
Moidart Moidart ( ; ) is part of the remote and isolated area of Scotland, west of Fort William, known as the Rough Bounds. Moidart itself is almost surrounded by bodies of water. Loch Shiel cuts off the eastern boundary of the district (along a south ...
. The area is famous for its wildness and inaccessibility and remains very sparsely populated. 'All these countries viz. Knoydart, the Two Morrirs, Moydart, and Arisaig, are the most Rough Mountainous and impassible parts in all the Highlands of Scotland, and are commonly called by the Inhabitants of the Neighbouring countries the highlands of the Highlands' - anonymous writer in 1750


Prehistory

The Re-alignment of a 6 km section of the A830 road in Arisaig led to archaeological investigations in 2000-2001 by the Centre for Field Archaeology (CFA),
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, and
Headland Archaeology Headland Archaeology Ltd is a wholely owned subsidiary of the RSK Group. Headland provides archaeological services and heritage advice to the construction industry. Company history Headland Archaeology Ltd was established in 1996. Headquartered ...
 Ltd which found a
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
kerb cairn A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...
, turf buildings and
shieling A shieling is a hut or collection of huts on a seasonal pasture high in the hills, once common in wild or sparsely populated places in Scotland. Usually rectangular with a doorway on the south side and few or no windows, they were often cons ...
huts. The shielings were repeatedly reused through the medieval and post-medieval periods but themselves were on top of Bronze Age remains. Analysis of peat cores revealed a history of continuous but gradual decline in woodland, starting in about 3200 BC and continuing to the present day.


History


Early history

Following raids by
Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
, the Rough Bounds became part of the Kingdom of the Isles, a Norwegian dependency. In the late 11th century, however, Malcolm III of Scotland made a written agreement with Magnus Barelegs, the Norwegian king, which moved the border to the coast; the area thus became Scottish. In the early 12th century, Somerled, a Norse-Gael of uncertain origin, came into possession of the Rough Bounds and Lorn; no reliable record explains how this happened, but by the 1140s,
David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...
's control of the region had been eroded. In the middle of the century, Somerled launched a coup in the Kingdom of the Isles, which resulted in that kingdom joining his other possessions, as a single independent state. Upon Somerled's death, Norwegian authority was restored/established over the areas Somerled had ruled, but in practice the kingdom was divided; the portion containing the Rough Bounds,
Uist "Uist" is a group of six islands and are part of the Outer Hebridean Archipelago, part of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist and South Uist ( or ; gd, Uibhist ) are two of the islands and are linked by causeways running via the isles ...
, and the islands in-between ( Eigg and Rhum), became ''
Garmoran Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles. History The medieval lordship of Garmoran was ruled by the MacRuar ...
'', and was ruled by the MacRory, a faction among Somerled's heirs.


The Lordship of Garmoran

Following the 1266 Treaty of Perth, Garmoran became a Scottish crown dependency - the ''Lordship of Garmoran''. At the turn of the century,
William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...
had created the position of Sheriff of Inverness, to be responsible for the Scottish highlands, which theoretically now extended to Garmoran. Most of the remainder of the Kingdom of the Isles had become the ''
Lordship of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...
'', ruled by the MacDonalds (another group of Somerled's descendants). The ''Lordship of Garmoran'' remained under the rule of the MacRory, and their descendants - the
Siol Gorrie Siol Gorrie (Siolach Ghoirridh) is a Scottish Clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The progenitor of Siol Gorrie is Gorrie (Godfrey), a son of John of Islay and Amy of Garmoran.Gregory, p.34.Gregory, p.64. Godfrey was titled Lord of Uist. The Siol ...
and Clan Ranald. However, violent disputes between the latter two groups lead, in 1427, to king
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
executing the leader of the Siol Gorrie, and declaring the Lordship of Garmoran forfeit., p. 65 This, and the violence, brought the Siol Gorrie to the brink of extinction and they played no further part in regional history.


Lairdship grants

In 1469, James' grandson ( James III) granted Lairdship of the lands of mainland Garmoran and North Uist to John of Ross, the Lord of the Isles. In turn, John passed it to his own half-brother,
Hugh of Sleat Hugh of Sleat ( 1437 – 1498), pronounced "Slate", who is known as Ùisdean () in Gaelic, was an illegitimate son of Alexander MacDonald, 10th Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles. He was a member of the Highland and Western Isles Clan Donald. Hugh ...
; the grant to Hugh was confirmed by
the king In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to: * Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022 As a nickname * Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...
in a 1493 charter. Clan Ranald disputed and fought against the charter. Following Hugh of Sleat's death, in 1498, and for reasons that are not remotely clear, his son John of Sleat immediately resigned, transferring all authority to the king. By this point, John of Ross's conspiratorial ambition had caused the Lordship of the Isles to be forfeited, but in 1501, his heir,
Black Donald Black Donald (Scottish Gaelic: ''Domhnall Dubh'' or ''Domnuill-dhu'') is a Highland colloquialism for the Devil in Scottish mythology. The defining characteristic of Black Donald is his cloven feet, which betray whatever disguise he assumes. In h ...
, launched an insurrection seeking to restore it.
Ranald Bane Ranald is an English Hanks; Hodges 2006 pp. 407–408; Hanks; Hodges 2003; Hanks; Hodges 1997 pp. 204, 205. and Scots masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name ''Raghnall''. A short form of ''Ranald'' is ' ...
, leader of Clan Ranald, was one of the few MacDonald-descended clan leaders to refuse to support Donald, so in 1505 (shortly before Donald was defeated) Ranald Bane was given the Lairdship of Arisaig and Eigg, as a reward. In 1520, the excessive cruelty (not described in detail by surviving records) of Ranald Bane's son, Dougall, led to his assassination, and the exclusion of Ranald Bane's descendants from leadership of Clan Ranald. Instead, Ranald Bane's brother, Alexander, took over the leadership. In 1532, the king provided a charter confirming Alexander's son, John ''Moidartach'', as Laird of Arisaig (and Eigg), and making him Laird of Moidart as well. In 1539, however, the king granted Morar to the
MacDonells 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 o ...
, rather than to the leaders of Clan Ranald; the MacDonnells of Glengarry were an early cadet branch of Clan Ranald. At a similar time, the king asserts his right to transfer ownership of Knoydart, on the basis that feudal obligations hadn't been upheld for the previous 70 years; quite why he should argue this if the land had been in royal hands since 1498 is still unclear. His 1537 charter transfers lairdship of Knoydart to Ewen Cameron, the leader of
Clan Cameron Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chief ...
. 73 years later, in 1611, Allan Cameron, their new leader, transferred it to the Macdonells of Glengarry, consolidating the north-south split of Garmoran between the Clan Ranald and the MacDonells of Glengarry. In 1613, the MacDonnels received official confirmation of ownership from the king.


Law and order

In 1509, Alexander, the
Earl of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...
, was made sheriff of Inverness, giving him authority in Garmoran; the position was hereditary. In 1540, John ''Moidartach'' was imprisoned by
James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...
, attempted to give leadership of Clan Ranald to Ranald ''Gallda'', uncle of John ''Moidartach''. When the latter was released, in 1542, Ranald ''Gallda'' fled, leading to skirmishes between Clan Ranald (led by John ''Moidartach'') and supporters of Ranald ''Gallda'', which only ceased when the Earl of Huntly intervened. In turn, this led to the Battle of the Shirts. The victory of John ''Moidartach'' (and Clan Cameron) in the battle, against the Earl of Huntly and Ranald ''Gallda'', lead to the Earl of Huntly leaving the Rough Bounds alone, and only trying to enforce royal authority in peripheral areas. Nevertheless, when
Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
became
regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
(for her daughter Mary), in 1554, she ordered an attack on the Rough Bounds. The Campbells attacked Castle Tioram from the sea, but the Earl of Huntly was unwilling to bring troops into the Rough Bounds, and the assault failed. Over the course of the 16th century, following an inheritance dispute over the lands of MacDonalds of Lochalsh, there were several violent encounters between the MacDonells of Glengarry and the MacKenzies. In 1592, the leader of the MacDonells of Glengarry agreed a contract of mutual aid with the Earl of Huntly. The MacKenzies now sought to complain about MacDonell behaviour in court, but the MacDonell leadership wouldn't turn up, so in 1602, the MacKenzies attacked Morar, leading to the
Battle of Morar The Battle of Morar was a Scottish clan battle fought in 1602, near Loch Morar, in the Scottish Highlands. It was fought between the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry against the Clan Mackenzie who were supported by men of the Clan Ross and Andrew ...
. Following this, peace agreements reduced the conflict between local clans, and attentions turned to national matters. In this period, the term ''Garmoran'' appears to have dropped out of use. The Earls of Huntly had been granted the adjacent ''Lordship of
Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...
'', in 1500, and Garmoran gradually acquired a perception of being association with it. Yet though a 1669 map names the Rough Bounds as ''Loquaber'', it is clearly marked as outside the borders of ''Lochaber''. The lands formerly of Garmoran remained distinct from Moray and Lochaber even into the 18th century. In
Moll Moll can refer to: As a name * Moll (surname) * Moll Anderson, interior designer, life stylist, author, and former national iHeart Radio host * Moll Anthony, aka Mary Lesson (1807–1878), Irish ''bean feasa'' (wise-woman) * Moll Cutpurse, a ...
's pre-1732 map, the area is clearly distinguished from these neighbouring provinces, but has no name itself, other than the description ''the territory west from Lochaber''. This nameless distinction had already been established in
Blaeu Blaeu is the name of * Willem Blaeu (1571–1638), Dutch cartographer and father of Joan Blaeu * Joan Blaeu (1596–1673), Dutch cartographer and son of Willem Blaeu * '' Blaeu Atlas of Scotland'', by Joan Blaeu, published in 1654 * ''Atlas Blaeu'' ...
's 1654 map, where the lands are simply those ''that lay west from Lochaber''. In 1609, the
Statutes of Iona The Statutes of Iona, passed in Scotland in 1609, required that Highland Scottish clan chiefs send their heirs to Lowland Scotland to be educated in English-speaking Protestant schools. As a result, some clans, such as the MacDonalds of Sleat and ...
attempted to enforce the
Scottish reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...
in the highlands, but the Rough Bounds remained resolutely
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, and sided with the Royalists during the Civil War. In the following century, the area became a hotbed of Jacobite sympathy, and even resorted to burning down Tioram Castle, in order to prevent it falling into anti-Jacobite hands. Following the failure of the
Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...
, it was the last part of Scotland in which
Bonnie Prince Charlie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
found sanctuary, and the one from which he left for exile in France, on 20 September 1746.


Later history

A succession of flamboyant but unsuccessful chiefs (including especially
Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry Colonel Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry (15 September 1773 – 17 January 1828), sometimes called by the Gaelic version of his name, Alastair or Alasdair, was clan chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. As was customary for a laird (l ...
771–1828and
Ranald George Macdonald Ranald George Macdonald (29 August 1788 – 11 March 1873) was a Scottish clan chief and Member of Parliament. Macdonald was the son of John Macdonald, 18th Chief of Clanranald, by Katherine, the daughter of Robert McQueen, Lord Braxfield.< ...
of Clanranald 788–1873 resulted ultimately in the area passing into other hands. The Rough Bounds remained difficult to access well into the 20th century; indeed Moidart only received a road connection (the A861) in 1966, and had to be accessed by foot or by ferry. This remoteness made it ideal for practice sites for covert operations in Occupied Europe, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The
Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
(SOE) established their Scottish headquarters just outside Arisaig, and constructed
paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
training bases throughout the region. In Moidart, HMS ''Dorlin'' was established, and used for training of
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
Beach Signals and Royal Signals sections. The remoteness also ensured that the area remained strongly
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 ...
speaking until the mid 20th century. In the 1881 census, with around 90% of the population able to speak Gaelic and over a third unable to speak English. By 2001, the share of Gaelic speakers had declined to under 15% of habitual residents.


Notes


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rough Bounds Geography of Highland (council area) Inverness-shire