Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver (died 1550), was the eleventh chief of the ancient

Clan Mackay Clan Mackay ( ; ) is an ancient and once-powerful Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old Mormaer of Moray, Kingdom of Moray. They supported Robert I of Scotland, Rober ...

, a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure r ...

of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

Early life

Donald Mackay was the second eldest son of Iye Roy Mackay, 10th of Strathnaver, and his wife who was the daughter of Norman, son of Patrick O'Beolan of

Carloway Carloway ( ) is a crofting township and a district on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The district has a population of around 500. Carloway township is within the parish of Uig, and is situated on the A858. ...

, Lewis. Donald's elder brother, John Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, died in 1529 without legitimate male issue and therefore Donald was able to succeed him as chief of the Clan Mackay.

Alliance with the Clan Forbes and Clan Campbell

In around 1529 Donald Mackay of Strathnaver assisted the Master of Forbes (of Clan Forbes) and Sir John Campbell of Cawdor during a feud in which Alexander Seaton of Meldrum was killed. Historian Angus Mackay states that it is with interest that at this time the Mackays and Forbeses who claim to have sprung from the same kindred stock in the distant past, are found acting in concert. It was probably for the death of Seaton of Meldrum that Mackay obtained a pardon for himself and his Strathnaver clansmen dated 26 July 1536. In July 1537, the Master of Forbes and his sister-in-law, Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, sister of Douglas, Earl of Angus, were both executed for conspiring against the king. Associated with Lady Glamis was one Alexander Makay who was sentenced to be banished from all parts of Scotland except for the county of

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

. Sir John Campbell of Cawdor, brother of the

Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, who had been associated with the Mackays and Forbeses in the killing of Seaton, also killed Maclean of Duart (chief of

Clan Maclean Clan Maclean (; Scottish Gaelic: ' ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highlands Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early Macle ...

) in bed in about 1529. Maclean had left his wife, Lady Elizabeth Campbell, exposed to certain death on a lonely sea-girt isle. The killing of Maclean resulted in a prolonged feud between the Macleans and the Campbells in which the Mackays of

Kintyre Kintyre (, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East Loch Tarbert, Argyll, East and West Loch Tarbert, Argyll, West Loch Tarbert in t ...

suffered severely at the hands of the Macleans and it appears that the Mackays supported the Campbells during the feud.

Meeting with James V of Scotland

In May 1539,

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 a ...

, sailing from

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

around the north of Scotland, calling at

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

and arriving on the Strathnaver coast, Donald Mackay of Strathnaver went on board to accompany the king on the rest of the voyage. The king also took other chiefs on board such as Roderick Macleod of the Lewes, Alexander Macleod of Dunvegan, John of Moidart, Alexander of Glengarry, Mackenzie of Kintail, Maclean of Duart and MacConnal of Isla. Some of these chiefs were received on board as enemies and imprisoned, while others as friends were rewarded. Donald Mackay was treated well by the king for on the 16 December 1539, after they arrived at

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

, Mackay obtained a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

under the

Great Seal of Scotland The Great Seal of Scotland (; also the Scottish Seal; formally the Seal appointed by the Treaty of Union to be kept and made use of in place of the Great Seal of Scotland) is a seal used by the first minister of Scotland to seal letters pate ...

for his ancestral lands in heritage: Farr, Armadale, Straye, Rynewe, Kynnald,

Golspie Golspie ( , ) is a village and parish in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland, which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie. It has a population of around 1,350. History The name derives from the Old Norse, ...

, Dirlot, Cattack, Broynach, Kilchalumkill in Strabroa, Davach Lochnaver, Davach Eriboll, the two pennylands of Stromay, the mill of Kinald, the island of Sanday extending to the three pennylands, the lands of Melness and Hope, with the mills, mill-lands, manors etc., formerly belonging to Y Mckay and his ancestors, the father of the said Donald, but in the king's hands by reason of nonentry, and now erected into the free barony of Farr,

sasine Sasine in Scots law is the delivery of Feudalism, feudal property, typically land. Feudal property means immovable property, and includes everything that naturally goes with the property. For land, that would include such things as buildings, tre ...

to be taken at the principal messuage of Farr. Donald Mackay took sasine by procurators of the lands at the castle of Farr, which was located between Farr and Swordly, on 16 April 1540. Donald Mackay appears to have remained at court for at least twelve months as on 26 November 1540 he witnessed a charter of lands in Monteith of Perth to Anthony Balfour of Torre Estir. While at court, Donald Mackay also received a charter from Andrew Stuart, Bishop of Caithness for the church-lands in

Durness Durness () is a village and civil parish in the north-west Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north coast of the country in the traditional county of Sutherland, around north of Inverness. The area is remote, and the parish is huge and spar ...

, Strathnaver to himself and his heirs after him.

Feud with Sutherland of Duffus

Due to the part Donald Mackay had played with Forbes against the Seatons, William Sutherland, 7th of Duffus consequently secured the nonentry of Mackay's lands in 1530 in an evident attempt to get possession of Mackay's lands of Strathnaver, similar to that that had been done by Sutherland of Dirlot at an earlier period. Some differences arose between Donald Mackay and Sutherland of Duffus over the lands of Kerrownashein, near Lochnaver, which Duffus claimed to hold from the church of Moray in virtue of a grant from Reginald Cheyne, and also as to the nonentry dues of Mackay's estate since 1530. In 1542 the matter was submitted to the

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

James Stewart, Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...

. The Earl of Moray decided that Sutherland of Duffus should alienate to Donald Mackay and his heirs the lands which he had held from the church of Moray.

Battle of Solway Moss

Towards the end of 1542, the king of Scotland resolved upon a war with England. Donald Mackay of Strathnaver and his son Iye Du Mackay were summoned to muster at

Lauder The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, ) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Etymology Alt ...

along with their clansmen. The disorderly Scottish army that set out for England under Oliver Sinclair was completely routed at the

Battle of Solway Moss The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish border in November 1542 between English and Scottish forces. The Scottish King James V had refused to break from the Catholic Chu ...

. Donald Mackay returned to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

with the king, but his son Iye Du Mackay was taken prisoner. The king died soon afterwards leaving an only child,

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. At the instigation of the English king, Iye Du Mackay and some of the other Scottish prisoners promoted a scheme in which the infant Mary, Queen of Scots would be married to the king of England's son, the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

Battle of Alltan-Beath

According to 17th-century historian

Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun (14 May 1580 – 1656) was a Scottish politician and courtier, known as the historian of the noble house of Sutherland. Early life Born at Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, on 14 May 1580, he was the fourt ...

, who was a son of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland, in 1542, Donald Mackay of Strathnaver invaded Sutherland with a company of men and burnt the village of Knockartel and took goods from Strathbrory in Sutherland. The book ''Conflicts of the Clans'' describes the Battle of Alltan-Beath in which the Mackays were subsequently defeated by the Gordons of Sutherland, although this battle is not specifically mentioned by either the Mackay historians or in the 1813 publication of Sir Robert Gordon's manuscript. According to Sir Robert Gordon, Donald Mackay was ultimately brought to the Gordon Earls of Huntly and Sutherland and upon his submission was, at their command, imprisoned in Foulis Castle. However, this version of events is disputed by historian Angus Mackay. Historian Angus Mackay explains that Robert Stuart, Bishop of Caithness, supporting the scheme of the English king for his son to marry the infant Mary, Queen of Scots as mentioned above, departed for England to join his brother the

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first e ...

, and that the bishop made some arrangements with his relatives, including Mackay, for the protection of his castles and church-lands. As such Donald Mackay advanced into Sutherland and placed a party of his clansman in the bishop's

Skibo Castle Skibo Castle (Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteal Sgìobail'') is located to the west of Dornoch in the Highland (council area), Highland county of Sutherland, Scotland overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Although largely of the 19th century and early 20th ce ...

under the command of Neil Mackay of the

Mackay of Aberach The Mackays of Aberach also known as the Clan Aberach are a Scottish family and a branch of the ancient Clan Mackay of the Scottish Highlands. They were the senior cadet branch of the Clan Mackay and were seated at Achness, in Strathnaver, which i ...

branch of the clan. On 28 April 1549, the bishop brought together at Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, all on equal terms, the Earls of Sutherland, Caithness and Donald Mackay, and they entered into a bond of friendship. Historian Angus Mackay states that this is an honest account of what had happened based on documents found at

Dunrobin Castle Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, in the Highland area of Scotland, that serves as the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland, Chief of Clan Sutherland. It is located north of Golspie and approximately south of Brora, overlo ...

and that Sir Robert Gordon has described it with his "usual untruthfulness".

Feud with the Rosses

It is evident that the Mackays once more raided the Rosses of Balnagown as a record dated 28 June 1550 shows that Donald Mackay and other relatives were charged with the "cruel slaughter of Alexander MacAne Ross" and other relatives, and that Alexander Ross of Balnagown was "amerciated" for not reporting and delivering to the clerks of justicary the letters which had been purchased by the wives, children, parents, and friends of the deceased duly "executed and endorsed".Mackay, Angus (1906). ''The Book of Mackay''. p. 93. Quoting: '' Pitcairn's trials I., 352''.

Family

Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, married Helen, daughter of Alexander Sinclair of Stempster, second son of William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness and chief of

Clan Sinclair Clan Sinclair ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan which holds the lands of Caithness, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians. The chiefs of the clan were the Barons of Roslin and later the Earls of Orkney and Earls of Caithness. The Sinclairs are be ...

. Donald Mackay and Helen Sinclair had the following children: #

Iye Du Mackay, 12th of Strathnaver Iye Du Mackay (Iye Mackay), 12th of Strathnaver, was the chief of the Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan, from 1550 to 1572.Mackay, Angus. (1906). p. 94. Early life Iye Du Mackay was the eldest son of Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, chief ...

, heir and successor as chief of the Clan Mackay. #A daughter, who married John Mackay, 4th chieftain of the

branch of the clan. #Florence Mackay, who married Neil MacLeod of Assynt. Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver died towards the end of 1550.