Sir James Mor Macdonald, 9th Laird of Sleat and 2nd Baronet (1605 – 8 December 1678) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier.

Biography

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 boat ...

of Clan Macdonald of Sleat. Alike his father who served under

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

, 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 gove ...

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 1642 to 1651 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, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequ ...

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

Alasdair Mac Colla Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill ( – 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 the I ...

. After the decisive victory for the Parliamentarians'

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled 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 t ...

and the hasty

escape of Charles II After the final defeat of the Cavalier, Royalists in the English Civil War against Oliver Cromwell, Oliver 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 ...

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. Th ...

; 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. History ...

on his

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

land on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply 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 by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

, 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 () 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 Clan MacDonald of Keppoch. The murders took place on September 25, 1663, during ...

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. 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 Ma ...

and Sir Donald Gorme Macdonald, 8th Laird of Sleat. James Mor Macdonald joined the Marquis of Montrose in 1645, and when

Charles II of Scotland Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

marched into England in 1651. He died on 8 December 1678.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, James Mor Macdonald 1600s births 1678 deaths Nobility from Highland (council area) 17th-century Scottish people

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James Mor Macdonald Scottish politicians Scottish sheriffs Scottish soldiers