THE ISLES AND THE COMMONWEALTH. 359 



In January, 1654, a "very strange report" reached Dal- 

 keith, that Lord Seaforth had stormed the fort at Stornoway 

 with 1,400 men, and taken it a report which the correspon- 

 dent "cannot believe," as the governor was confident of 

 holding his own against "thousands." Later, this vague 

 rumour crystallised into definite information. Colonel Nor- 

 man Macleod had landed in Lewis (at Loch Shell) with four 

 or five hundred men and had taken to the hills, where he 

 remained for three or four days, waiting for a favourable 

 opportunity to attack the garrison. The landing had been 

 effected so secretly and expeditiously, that the English 

 seem to have been totally unprepared. A party of the 

 garrison were in the town of Stornoway, unsuspicious of 

 danger, when Colonel Macleod pounced upon them and 

 killed twelve men, before the soldiers in the castle were 

 aware of what had happened. Assistance was quickly 

 forthcoming from the fort, and the Englishmen were 

 relieved by their comrades. In the fight that ensued, 

 Macleod was beaten back, and the garrison, after remov- 

 ing their goods into the castle and burning their houses, 

 prepared for a siege. Local tradition states that the attack 

 on the garrison was made at night, jointly by Seaforth 

 himself and Norman Macleod, the former leading his force 

 by the lands of Torry, and the latter by Bayhead. 

 According to Lewis accounts, the Islesmen killed many 

 of the garrison and attacked the trenches, but were unable 

 to draw the Englishmen out of the fort, and having no 

 artillery, Seaforth was compelled to abandon the siege. 

 Whatever the exact facts may be, it is certain that the 

 attack failed, and that Lewis remained in possession of the 

 j English.* It is strange to find a Lewisman who wrote 

 only thirty years after the event, making the amazing 

 statement that the garrison was " under Cromwell." 

 Probably the writer (John Morison of Bragar) merely 



* Gwynnc's Memoirs, pp. 238 and 243 (from Merc. Pol\ John Morison's 

 Account of Lewis (Sfiott. Misc., p. 342). Clarendon Papers, Vol. II,, p. 314. 

 1 Torry" is obviously Eilean Thorraidh near Marabhig (Lochs), and seeing 

 Macleod landed at Loch Shell, it is probable that the column from Torry 

 was led by him, and that from Bayhead by Seaforth. 



