EARLS OF ROSS AND LORDS OF THE ISLES. 73 



In 1307-8, the Earl leased his Hebridean properties to 

 Lauchlan MacAllan,* who was now a partisan of England, 

 his allegiance to the national cause having perhaps been 

 undermined by his father-in-law, Alexander Macdougall ; 

 or, he may have discovered that it paid better to be on the 

 winning side. The Earl of Ross required money, hence 

 his lease of Lewis and Skye to Lauchlan MacAllan. The 

 latter proved a bad tenant, for he refused to pay any rent. 

 The Earl appealed to the English King, but Edward II, 

 was at that time engaged upon far weightier matters than 

 the settlement of Hebridean disputes : there is no record 

 of his having taken any steps to punish or oust MacAllan. 



It is not unlikely that these events paved the way to the 

 final submission, in 1309, of the Earl of Ross to Bruce,t 

 who gave him a fresh grant of his possessions. His recon- 

 ciliation with King Robert was sealed by the marriage 

 of his son and successor, Hugh, with Maud, the sister of 

 Bruce, a marriage which resulted in a series of charters to 

 Hugh, including a grant of Skye ; Lewis, however, remain- 

 ing in the possession of the Earl, his father. 



The army which, in 1308, was met and defeated by 

 Edward Bruce at Deer, in Buchan, appears to have been 

 commanded by Ranald MacAllan, who was taken prisoenr. 

 There is much obscurity about the matter, some historians 

 asserting that Bruce's enemies were Galwegians, but from 

 Highland sources we learn that "Donald or Ronald" of 

 the Isles raised an army in the Hebrides, and marched 

 against Robert Bruce, who was about that time conducting 

 a campaign in Aberdeenshire. This description can apply 

 to no other than MacAllan. That the Hebrides were 

 divided in their sympathies during the dark days which 

 preceded the successes of Bruce admits of no doubt. The 

 bitter hostility of the Macdougalls, founded as it was on 

 personal grounds, is well known, while Alexander 

 Macdonald, who was married to a daughter of Ewen of 



* Col. of Doc., Vol. IV., p. 400. 



t His deed of submission appears in the Notes to Sir Walter Scott's Lord 

 of the Isles. 



