126 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



veins ran " the wicked blood of the Isles," and he urged 

 the adoption of extreme measures. Argyll was commis- 

 sioned to pursue the rebels with fire and sword, and expel 

 them from the Isles, of which on 8th March, 1516, he 

 obtained the lieutenancy.* The slaughter of the Macians 

 in 1518-19 at Craig-an-Airgid (Silver Craig) which, the 

 seanachie MacVurich states, was the result of a coalition 

 between Macleod of Lewis and Macdonald of Dunyveg 

 against them was the closing incident in this renewed 

 rising, which terminated with the death of its promoter, 

 the pseudo-Lord of the Isles, at Tiree (or Mull) a few 

 weeks after the fight at Silver Craig. Donald Gallda left 

 no children. 



On the death of Malcolm Macleod of Lewis, which 

 occurred about 1528, his nephew, TorquiPs son, John, took 

 possession of Lewis with the assistance of Donald Grua- 

 mach ; Roderick, Malcolm's son, being thus excluded from 

 the succession, apparently by force. About the same time, 

 John of Lewis helped his colleague, Donald Gruamach, 

 to expel the Siol Tormod from Trotternish. A charter of 

 23rd August, 1505, had conveyed Sleat and other lands in 

 Skye and North Uist to Ranald, son of Allan MacRuari 

 of Clan Ranald. Father and son met a mysterious death, 

 the former at Blair- Atholl in 1509, and the latter at Perth 

 in 1513. About 1506, Archibald Dubh, the illegitimate son 

 of Hugh of Sleat, who had murdered his half-brothers 

 Donald Gallich and Donald Heroch, assumed the headship 

 of the Sleat family. He was expelled from the North Isles 

 by Ranald MacAllan and became a pirate ; obtained a free 

 pardon by betraying his associates ; was Bailie of Trotter- 

 nish in 1510 ; and was killed a few years later by the sons 

 of Donald Gallich and Donald Heroch. Such was the posi- 

 tion of the Clan Ranald and Clan Huistein when, in 1516, 

 Alastair Crotach of Harris got a tack of the whole of Trot- 

 ternish, and in 1517 received, as a reward for throwing 



* Appendix Report IV., Hist. Mss. Com., p. 487. Bute and Arran were alone 

 excluded from the lieutenancy. "The land of Malcolm Macleod of Lewis" 

 is specially mentioned. 



