Donald (Mackay) Mackay First Lord Reay (1591 - 1649)

Born Mar 1591 in Strathnaver, Farr, Sutherland, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Thomson) Thomson Lady Reay — married 1632 in London, England

Husband of Marjory (Sinclair) Sinclair Lady Reay — married 1640 in Stirkoke, Wick, Caithness, Scotland

Descendants

Died Mar 1649 at about age 58 in Bergen, Norway

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Biography

He is the son of Hugh Mackay and his second wife, Jane Gordon, eldest daughter of Alexander Gordon, Earl of Sutherland (she was 15 at the marriage in 1589 and about 16 when she gave birth to Donald).^[1]

Donald was of age before 1616, and had assisted in executing various commissions of the Privy Council, when he was knighted. He was generally styled "of Strathnaver" but occasionally appears as "of Farr". His life was marred with an ongoing dispute over the ownership and title to Strathnavar, disputed with the Earl of Sutherland.

He was requested, by warrant dated 3 March 1626, from King Charles I., to raise a regiment for service on the Continent, He, leading 3600 men, was sent to support King Christian IV. of Denmark. He departed Scotland before the 15 May 1626. His Regiment distinguished themselves at the battle for the Pass of Oldenburg, the unit earning themselves the name "the Invincible Scots" after suffering heavily and where he was wounded.

He was created a Peer of Scotland by the title of LORD REAY, with remainder to his heirs-male bearing the name and arms of Mackay, on 20 June 1628 and a Baronet of Nova Scotia on 2 November 1628, with remainder to heirs-male whatsoever.

In 1629 he took service under Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and returning home for more troops, rejoined his regiment in 1630, to lead it throughout the campaign that year in Germany with much distinction. When Gustavus fell at the battle of Lutzen (1632) Lord Reay was in Britain raising more troops.

He was a supporter of King Charles I., and in all actions Lord Reay took the side of the Royalists. However a ship carrying arms to him was captured by the Covenanters at Peterhead in April 1639. He joined Seaforth in a secret bond of a Royalist character, June 1639, and the following year both were warded (detained) at Edinburgh.

In 1643 he was in Denmark and from there returned, in 1644, with ships bearing arms and treasure to Newcastle, shortly before it was invested by General Leslie and the Covenanters Army. Along with Lord Crawford and others, he defended Newcastle through the siege from February until 14 October, when the town was taken, and Lord Reay sent a prisoner to Edinburgh, where he had been proscribed by the Estates a little earlier.

He was released after the Battle of Kilsyth (Aug 1645) where the Royalists, under Montrose, defeated the Covenanters Army, under William Baillie. He returned home to Strathnaver, but became embroiled in a conflict with the Earl of Sutherland, who successfully appealed to Parliament for aid to resolve the conflict.

In 1646 he left for Denmark, never to return. He died at Bergen in the spring of 1649. A ship returned his body for burial and he is buried in the family vault at Tongue, Sutherland. As may be supposed, he died heavily burdened with debt.

Family and Legacy

First Marriage; Barbara Mackenzie

He married, first, in August 1610, Barbara Mackenzie, eldest daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie, first Lord Kintail. Lord Kintail held the island of Lewis and this marriage, with children both young, would have been an attempt to strengthen the northern alliances. With her he had six children:

• Iye Mackay; born about 1611 but died in 1617.

• John Mackay, who would become 2nd Lord Reay, born about 1614.

• Hew Mackay, born about 1620 and alive in 1637.

• Angus Mackay, born about 1623 and would become a Lieutenant Colonel in the service of Denmark. He married (contract 1 May 1659) his cousin Catherine, daughter of Alexander Gunn of Killearnan, with issue. He was alive 1699, but died before 1703. He became progenitor of the Melness Mackays.

• Jane Mackay, of whom nothing is known.

• Mary Mackay, married as his first wife, to Sir Roderick Macleod of Talisker.

Second Marriage; Elizabeth Thomson

He married, secondly, about 1632, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Thomson of Greenwich, Keeper of the Queen's Wardrobe, and by her had, with others, a daughter:

• Ann Mackay, born about 1635, married to Alexander, brother of Sir James Macdonald of Sleat.

Third Marriage; Marjory Sinclair

He married, thirdly, Marjory, daughter of Francis Sinclair of Stirkoke. They had children:

• William Mackay, born about 1640, had sasine of the lands of Kinloch 4 January 1669. He married Ann Mackay, daughter of Colonel Hugh Mackay of Scourie, with issue a son, George.

• Charles Mackay, born about 1642 a twin brother to Rupert, progenitor of the Sandwood Mackays, married Elizabeth Mackay, daughter of Captain William Mackay of Borley, and to her gave sasine on disposition in life-rent of his lands of Sandwood, etc., 28 May 1679.

• Rupert Mackay, born about 1642 a twin brother of Charles and of which nothing is noted.

• Margaret Mackay, born about 1644, died at Thurso in 1720, unmarried.

• Christina Mackay, born about 1645, married to Alexander Gunn of Killearnan.

Other Relationships

A Mrs. Rachel Winterfield or Harrison claimed to be the wife of Lord Reay, and was successful in a suit of maintenance which she brought before the Privy Council in 1637; but Lord Reay maintained that forged documents were used to secure this verdict, and Gordon of Sallachy records that the judges had a personal grudge against him. There were no children noticed from this relationship and likely occurred late in his life and between his second and third marriage.

He did have a natural son by Mary Lindsay, daughter of David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford. Complaint was made by his wife, Barbara Mackenzie at the time, to the Privy Council in 1617 as to Lord Reay's ill-treatment of her in connection with his intimacy with Mary Lindsay. The action was to disinherit the son born and ensure Donald could not take steps to legitimise him. It seems likely that the action arose immediately after the death of Iye, the eldest, and only at that time, son. Note this is contrary to the suppositions contained in the History of the House and Clan of Mackay, which is in error.

Footnotes

1. ↑ #S-1 Balfour Paul; Vol 7, page 167

Sources

• Source S-1Sir James Balfour Paul, Editor. The Scots peerage, founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. Vol. VII. Edinburgh: D Douglas, 1904. archive.org

• Source S-2Angus Mackay. The book of Mackay. Vol. I. Edinburgh: Norman Macleod, 1906. Open Library

• http://gw.geneanet.org/frebault?lang=en&n=mackay&nz=frebault&oc=0&ocz=0&p=donald&pz=henri&type=tree

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Sir William Arbuthnot for creating Mackay-726 on 6 Nov 13.