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The castle on Eilean
Tioram [Dry Island] remained in the hands of ClanRanald pretty much
continuously until the beginning of the 20th century, despite several
fairly brief forfeitures. The ClanRandalds, as stauch supporters of the
MacDonald Lords of the Isles, were in more or less continuous conflict
with the Scottish Crown, periodically armed and violent. Alan
Macruari won the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, but the 4th chieftain was
executed by the Crown in 1509. A major schism occurred about 1540 when
the 5th chieftain, Ranald Bane, died. His son, Ranald "Galda" [the
stranger], the rightful heir, had married the daughter of Lord Lovat of
Clan Fraser. The Frasers and Gordons were at odds with the
MacDonalds, so the clansmen of ClanRanald chose a cousin, John of
Moidart, to be chieftain. Both Ranald and Lord Lovat were killed
in 1544 when the rest of the clan won a very bloody battle at Loch Lochy.
In 1554 the Crown sent the Gordon Earl of Huntly with an army to subdue
ClanRanald, but he wisely decided that an attack against highlanders in
the Highlands would be suicide. Meanwhile the Duke of Argyll was
bombarding Castle Tioram from the sea. John of Moidart turned his
force from Huntly's army to the castle, and drove off the Campbell Duke
of Argyll, who may have occupied Tioram briefly. Repair work in
the 19th century revealed pieces of cannon ball embedded in the seaside
walls. |
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