150 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



Sleat, whose mother was, as we have seen, the daughter 

 of John MacTorquil of Lewis. The confession of the 

 Brieve of Lewis as to the paternity of Torquil Conanach, 

 appears to have been made immediately after the death of 

 Torquil Oighre, and it was of paramount importance to 

 Donald Gorm, who forthwith founded upon it his claim 

 to the succession. Torquil Conanach and his friends on 

 the mainland were meanwhile congratulating themselves 

 on the way being clear by the removal of Torquil Oighre. 

 Ruari Macleod may have been a truculent ruffian, but he 

 appears to have possessed a saving sense of grim humour. 

 He disappointed both parties by marrying, between 1 566 

 and 1570, for the third time and with male issue. The 

 third lady who had the peculiar privilege of being the 

 partner of his joys and sorrows was Janet, a daughter of 

 Hector Maclean of Duart, and by her, his sons were two in 

 number, Torquil and Tormod. Ruari had at least one 

 fixed idea : that his eldest son by each wife should be 

 named "Torquil." This third Torquil is distinguished from 

 the others by the soubriquet " Dubh." In addition to 

 these lawfully-begotten Torquils and Tormod we may as 

 well detail the whole of Ruari's progeny while we are on 

 the subject the old chief had a bastard brood of five sons, 

 to wit, Tormod Uigach (of Uig), Murdoch, Donald, Rory 

 Og, and Neil. It may be convenient to notice here, that 

 the first two attached themselves to the cause of Torquil 

 Conanach, while the other three supported their father, in 

 the family quarrels which were now about to commence. 



Ruari Macleod appears on record in 1565, when, by a 

 proclamation dated 2Oth September, he was summoned 

 with others to join the Earl of Atholl in Lome, to take 

 service against the coalition of nobles, headed by the Earl 

 of Moray, who opposed the marriage of Queen Mary with 

 Henry Darnley. The early discomfiture of the protesters, 

 however, rendered the assistance of the Hebridean clans 

 unnecessary. Torquil Conanach commenced, soon after 

 this, to enforce his claims to Lewis, and was backed by 

 Colin Mackenzie of Kintail. He had married Margaret, a 



