268 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



Donald Gorm and others, the Act of Parliament and its 

 results notwithstanding.* 



The " others " referred to by Ruari Macleod probably 

 included the Tutor of Kintail, whose niece Donald Gorm's 

 heir had married. The Tutor espoused the cause of Donald 

 in his dispute with Macleod, and the charter which deprived 

 the lord of Harris of his lands was secured partially, if not 

 wholly, through the instrumentality of the Clan Kenneth, 

 whose influence at Edinburgh was now more powerful than 

 ever before. 



The upshot of the quarrel between Macleod and Mac- 

 donald dissipated the hopes of the former ; his ingenuous 

 pleading, his blandishments, and, it may be added, the 

 justice of his claims, were alike ignored. Donald Gorm 

 Mor died in 1616, and was succeeded by his nephew, 

 Donald, afterwards Sir Donald Gorm Macdonald, who by 

 a charter dated I2th March, 1618, was confirmed in the 

 possessions of his uncle.f Ruari Macleod was obliged 

 to resign his claims to Sleat and North Uist, receiving as 

 compensation a sum of money ; the acceptance of this 

 arrangement being clearly the only course left open to him. 

 The Crown lands of Trotternish, too, remained in the 

 possession of Kintail, whose brother-in-law, Sir Donald 

 Gorm, was retained in peaceful occupation as Mackenzie's 

 tenant. Thus ended a dispute of long standing between 

 Rory Mor and Donald Gorm Mor. The facts of the dispute 

 explain a good deal of the jealousy between these chiefs, 

 which is apparent in the incidents hereafter related. 



In 1622, the relations between Sir Donald Macdonald of 

 Sleat and the Captain of Clan Ranald were, to say the 

 least, strained. Apparently, the feu-duty payable by Clan- 

 ranald to his Superior in the Long Island was in arrears. 

 Donald Gorm subsequently sought and obtained decrees 

 of removal against Clanranald and his people, but the latter 

 treated the decrees with contempt. They were promptly put 

 to the horn for their disobedience, but they retained posses- 



* Abbot sford Club Collection, pp. 245-7. 

 f Reg. Mag. Sig. (1609-20), No. 1,795. 



