68 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



Celts was imposed upon the Norsemen, but ethnology still 

 tells its tale. 



That the Norwegians who elected to remain in the 

 Hebrides were unwilling subjects of Scotland, appears 

 from a mandate of 1282, by which the King of Norway 

 ordered them to do homage to the King of Scotland as 

 their lord. The disaffection in Lewis and Skye was 

 quelled by William Earl of Ross, who received a Crown 

 grant of those islands.* 



While Lewis thus became an appanage of the Earldom 

 of Ross, Uist (North and South Uist, and Benbecula) passed 

 into the hands of Dugall and Allan, sons of old Ruari 

 the ex-pirate, who, on swearing allegiance to the Scottish 

 Crown, and resigning their claims to Bute, were granted 

 these lands in compensation, with the Earl of Ross as their 

 Superior.t 



On the death of Dugall, his brother Allan (an illegiti- 

 mate son of Ruari) became the sole possessor of the 

 property, to which were subsequently added Moiclart, 

 Morar, Arisaig, and Knoydart in Garmoran. This family 

 is consequently known in history as the Macruaries of 

 Garmoran and the North Isles. In 1309, the Island of 

 Barra was added to their possessions, being a grant from 

 Robert Bruce in favour of Roderick MacAllan, as a reward 

 for his patriotic services. In 1344, David Bruce confirmed 

 the grant to Ranald Mac Roderick.^ 



It has been generally supposed that Harris passed to the 

 Macruaries, but apart from the improbability of this sup- 

 position, the evidence is altogether opposed to it. The 

 assumption is founded on a charter by Robert Bruce dated 

 (circa) 1320, which enumerates the properties of the 

 Macruaries. It includes a grant of the island of " Hug " 

 (? Hog or Mug, i.e. Muck), which has been held to mean 



* Reid's Earls of Ross, p. 8. 



f In 1292 the lands of the Earldom in North Argyll, which were formed 

 into the Sheriffdom of Skye, included Lewis (with Harris), Uist, and Barra. 

 (Acts of Parliament ', Vol. I., p. 447-) 



% Origines Parochiales Robertson's Index, p. 48. In order to avoid con- 

 fusion where that might arise, parental names are in the following page.s 

 differentiated from patronymic designations by the use of capital letters. 



