MacGregor

Introduction.

  This is the story of Robert, or Rob MacGregor, second son of Gregor glun dubh MacGregor of Glen Gyle, colonel of the Clan Gregor regiment in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Rob, as an old man, tells the story of the Rising to his grandson. Beginning with a recollection of his great uncle Rob Roy he goes on to relate a largely unromantic account of the events that he and the Clan Gregor were involved in during the last civil war to afflict Britain. Rob MacGregor was a real person and lived at Stronachlachar on Loch Katrine, as were his son, a sailor, and grandson who feature as incidental characters in the introduction. Using them, allusions are made to the ‘death’ of the old Highland way of life in the aftermath of the Rising. Robert and his brothers, according to a 1747 investigation by the factor to the Duke of Montrose, did not participate in the Rising. Gregor MacGregor of Glen Gyle himself and the sons of Rob Roy, James Mòr, Ranald and Robin Og assuredly did and this novel attempts to faithfully represent the events in which they were involved. Almost all the dialogue and dramatic detail is, however, entirely invented, although I like to think that it would not be too far from the truth. Robert, Duncan and Alexander MacGregor were my ancestors and this book has come out of historical research that began with genealogy. I have written at greater length about the background and the way in which I have tried to set this story in its historical context in an appendix.

  The key characters in this novel were Gaelic speaking. Most of the dialogue would have taken place in Gaelic, and some of the rest in Lowland Scots rather than standard English. Their situation, on the edge of the ‘Highland line’ as it existed on the 18th century meant that many had acquired some knowledge of English. The men of Clan Gregor probably knew some English from droving contacts. An SPCK (Society for Propagation of Christian Knowledge) school had been established in Balquhidder by around 1710. The SPCK was funded by Government money and one of its early objectives was to wipe out the use of “Irish” as the Gaelic was called in favour of English, as well as creating good servile Presbyterians from the Highlanders. There is archival evidence, in the form of letters and other documents that the leading families of Clan Gregor could also read and write in English by the late 17th century. Rob himself, like his namesake Rob Roy, had received some education and would have a good command of English. To remind the reader of the Gaelic milieu of the novel some Gaelic is used in the text. It will be invariably italicised. In no case will the Gaelic interfere with understanding or the flow of the narrative. I have tried in the dialogue to maintain a simple style of English. In some places contemporary documents have been inserted. Eighteenth century spelling and grammar could be very variable and strange abbreviations were often used.