Sir James Mor Macdonald, 9th Laird of Sleat and 2nd Baronet (1605 – 8 December 1678) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. Born the eldest son of Sir Donald Gorme Og Macdonald, he inherited his father's titles aged around 38 upon his death in 1643, becoming

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Clan Macdonald of Sleat A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

. Alike his father who served under

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...

, Sir James initially fought as a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

in support of Charles II's claim to the British throne, including at the infamous

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...

in 1651. He had joined the cause in 1645, personally recruited by

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, Lord Lieutenant, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wa ...

after hesitation two years earlier when presented with a similar opportunity by

Alasdair Mac Colla Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill (c. 1610 – 13 November 1647), also known by the English variant of his name Sir Alexander MacDonald, was a military officer best known for his participation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, notably ...

. After the decisive victory for the Parliamentarians'

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

and the hasty

escape of Charles II After the final Royalist defeat of the English Civil War against Cromwell's New Model Army at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, the future Charles II of England (already by that time King of Scotland) was forced to flee, famously av ...

following Worcester, Macdonald negotiated a truce with the governing

Committee of Estates The Committee of Estates governed Scotland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1638–1651) when the Parliament of Scotland was not sitting. It was dominated by Covenanters of which the most influential faction was that of the Earl of Argyll.Da ...

; concerning his former comrades, but ultimately sparing his life. Retiring to the clan seat of

Duntulm Castle Duntulm Castle stands ruined on the north coast of Trotternish, on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, near the hamlet of Duntulm. During the 17th century it was the seat of the chiefs of Clan MacDonald of Sleat. It is a scheduled monument. Histor ...

on his

entailed In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

land on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, Macdonald concentrated on public service and dismissed calls by allies to commit to further battle, leading a commission that apprehended the perpetrators of the

Keppoch murders The Keppoch Murders ( gd, Murt na Ceapaich) is the name given to the murders of Alexander MacDonald, 12th of Keppoch and his brother Ranald by rival claimants to the chieftainship of the MacDonalds of Keppoch. The murders took place on September ...

as well as fulfilling his duties as Sheriff of the Western Isles. Dying on 8 December 1678 at the age of around 73, the chieftaincy of the clan and baronetcy of Nova Scotia were inherited by Macdonald's eldest son, Sir Donald Macdonald, an ardent supporter of

King James II and VII James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

Biography

He was the son of Janet, commonly called "fair Janet," second daughter of

Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Mackenzie of Kintail Kenneth Mackenzie, the first Lord Mackenzie of Kintail (–1611), was a Highland clan chief who secured for himself and his heirs the entirety of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and successfully pursued a bloody feud with the Macdonell ...

and

Sir Donald Gorme Macdonald, 8th Laird of Sleat Sir Donald Gorme Macdonald, 8th Laird of Sleat, and 1st Baronet (died 1643) was a Scottish laird. He had succeeded his uncle, Donald Gorme Mor Macdonald, 7th Laird of Sleat, who died, in 1616, without heirs. He was created a Baronet of Nova Scoti ...

. James Mor Macdonald joined the

Marquis of Montrose Duke of Montrose (named for Montrose, Angus) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. The title was created anew in 1707, for James Graham, 4th Marquess of Montrose, great-grandson of famed James Graham, 1st Marques ...

in 1645, and when Charles II of Scotland marched into England in 1651. He died on 8 December 1678.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, James Mor Macdonald 1605 births 1678 deaths 17th-century Scottish people James Mor James Mor Macdonald Scottish politicians Scottish sheriffs Scottish soldiers