Alexander Ranaldson Macdonell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry
Portrait of MacDonell of Glengarry in 1812 by Henry Raeburn.
Born	(1773-09-15)15 September 1773
Died	17 January 1828(1828-01-17) (aged 54)
Nationality	Scottish
Alma mater	University College, Oxford
Known for	15th chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry

Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry (born September 15, 1773 – died January 17, 1828) was an important clan chief in Scotland. He led the Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. People often called him Glengarry after his family's main land. Sometimes, he was known by the Scottish Gaelic version of his name, Alastair or Alasdair.

Glengarry was known for his proud and showy personality. He was so unique that the famous writer Walter Scott used him as a model for a character in his novel Waverley. This character was Fergus Mac-Ivor, a wild Highland chief. Glengarry was also the fifth Lord MacDonell in the Jacobite peerage, a special title from a past royal family.

Life of a Highland Chief

Early Life and Becoming Chief

Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell was born on September 15, 1773. He was the oldest of nine children. His father, Duncan Macdonell, was the chief of Clan Macdonell of Glengarry. His mother was Marjory Grant.

In 1788, when he was 15, Alexander became the 15th chief of his clan. He inherited huge areas of land. These lands stretched from Glengarry in the Great Glen all the way to Knoydart on the Atlantic coast. In 1790, he went to University College, Oxford to study.

Leading a Regiment

In 1793, a war started with France. Macdonell became a Captain and helped gather soldiers for the Strathspey Fencibles. These were special regiments raised for defense in Britain. In 1794, he was made a colonel. He then formed his own regiment called the Glengarry Fencibles. These soldiers were from his own Glengarry lands. Some joined because they were asked, others because they might lose their homes if they didn't.

Glengarry led his regiment on an island called Guernsey. He stayed there until 1796. He hoped to become a regular officer in the British Army. However, the Duke of York, who was in charge, seemed to have concerns about his personality. This stopped his army career.

The Glengarry Cap

As part of his regiment's uniform, Glengarry created a special cap. It is called the Glengarry cap. You can see him wearing it in his portrait. This cap is shaped like a boat and has no brim. It is made of thick wool and has a bobble on top. Ribbons hang down at the back. This cap can also be folded flat. Today, it is part of the uniform for many Scottish regiments.

Challenges and Disputes

The Glengarry Fencibles regiment was ended in 1802. Glengarry had promised to find land for his soldiers. But he did not keep his promise. Because of this, many of his men and their families moved to British North America. This move was led by Father Alexander Macdonell, who was the regiment's chaplain.

Glengarry also had big disagreements with Thomas Telford. Telford was building the Caledonian Canal through Glengarry's land. Even though he argued, Glengarry still collected money from the canal builders.

A True Highland Chief

Glengarry saw himself as the last real Highland chief. He always wore traditional Highland clothes, like the kilt or trews. He often traveled with his "tail." This was a group of armed servants in full Highland dress. They had old traditional jobs. For example, they would carry his sword and shield. They would also stand guard or act as a bard (a poet or storyteller). Sometimes, they would even carry him across streams so he wouldn't get wet.

He was part of important Scottish groups, like the Highland Society. He also joined the Celtic Society of Edinburgh. But in 1815, he started his own group called the Society of True Highlanders. He left the Celtic Society because he felt they were not truly representing Highland traditions. He complained that their look was "fake."

When King George IV visited Scotland, Glengarry was very upset. He felt the Celtic Society played too big a role. He made several unplanned and showy appearances during the King's visit. This annoyed his friend Walter Scott and the other organizers. But the King seemed to find it amusing.

In 1824, Glengarry tried to become the chief of Clan Donald. He took Ranald George Macdonald to court. But he did not win this case.

The Highland Clearances

Although Walter Scott wrote that Glengarry was like a "Don Quixote" who kept old clan feelings, Glengarry's actions were different. He allowed trees to be cut down and sold. He also rented out land to sheep farmers. This meant many of his clan members were forced to leave their homes. They faced higher rents and were evicted.

He continued the evictions that his mother had started when his father was chief. Most of the clan had to move to British North America. This time was later known as the Highland Clearances. This was a period when many people in the Scottish Highlands had to leave their traditional homes.

His actions were very different from his relative, Bishop Alexander MacDonell. Bishop MacDonell worked to help his clan members. He helped those who lost their small farms because of sheep farming. He tried to find them jobs in other parts of Scotland. In 1794, he helped form the 1st Glengarry Fencible regiment. He was their chaplain. When the regiment was disbanded, Father MacDonell helped arrange land in Canada for them. He even went with them in 1804.

Death

On January 17, 1828, Glengarry died near Corran on Loch Linnhe. He had an accident while escaping from a steamer that got stuck. After the accident, he became very ill with a "brain fever" and passed away.

His funeral was a very large event. The Inverness Courier newspaper reported that 1,500 men and 150 important people followed his coffin. It was carried by eighteen Highlanders for five miles. Glengarry's personal bagpiper, Archie Munro, wrote a sad song for him. So did the blind poet of his household, Allan MacDougall. Walter Scott also wrote a song called Glengarry's Death Song. This showed his true affection for the chief.

Family

On January 20, 1802, Glengarry married Rebecca Forbes. She was the daughter of Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet. They had one son, Aeneas Ranaldson, born in 1808. They also had seven daughters: Elizabeth, Marcelly, Jemima Rebecca, Louisa Christian, Caroline Hester, Gulielmina Forbes, and Euphemia Margaret.

Glengarry's estate had many debts. In 1840, his only son, Aeneas Ranaldson MacDonell, sold the Glengarry part of the estate. He sold it to Lord Ward for £91,000. Later, Aeneas sold the Knoydart estate as well. Aeneas died in 1852. He left three sons: Alexander Ranaldson, Aeneas Robert, and Charles Ranaldson.

Alexander moved to Australia and died in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1862. Aeneas drowned when he was twenty. Charles died at sea in 1868. Of their three sisters, only one, Helen Rebecca, married and had children. By 1887, she was the only living heir of her father. She married Captain John Cuninghame in 1865.

Glengarry's sixth daughter, Gulielmina, married Hugh Horatio Brown. She was the mother of the historian Horatio Brown, who wrote about Venice.