Iye Du (Mackay) Mackay XIIth of Farr (abt. 1516 - 1572)

Born about 1516 in Farr, Strathnaver, Sutherland,Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died Nov 1572 at about age 56 in Farr, Strathnaver, Sutherland,Scotland

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Biography

Iye Du was likely born about 1516 and appears in "The Scots Peerage". ^[1] However the reference which states this birth year appears to give him the wrong mother!

If as has been narrated by other Mackay authors that he was the son of Helen Sinclair of Stempster and not a woman McLean, his birth is more likely to be between 1520 and 1526.

He is called Iye Mackay, III within the "History of the House and Clan of Mackay" ^[2] and appears between pages 123 and 143, which says he died in 1571 ^[3] at about 55 years of age and thus born about 1516. It is however likely this reference has overstated his age at the time of his death by a few years.

In 1542 he fought at and was taken prisoner at the battle of Solway Moss and was taken to England to serve sentence. There he joined the party of Scots refugees and prisoners in favour of the marriage of the Prince of Wales to the infant Queen Mary. In support of this objective, he took part in the attack upon the Regent Arran at Glasgow in 1544, and assisted the English under Lord Grey in the capture and fortification of Haddington in 1548.

As a result of this action the Guise party (a Noble French Roman Catholic family) that opposed the marriage and had considerable support) took their revenge in 1551 by disinheriting him after his father's death, on the plea that said father died an intestate bastard. They then gave the barony of Farr to the Bishop of Orkney. This plea was far from being true, but it served its purpose and removed Mackay from power and effectively outlawed him.

In 1554 the Earl of Sutherland, who was commissioned to raise levies in the north for the purpose, and with whom Kennedy of Girvanmains co-operated in command of a fleet from Leith, captured Mackay. They sent him a prisoner to Dumbarton Castle, where he was held for some months. Shortly after the death of Darnley, Queen Mary bestowed the lands of Farr in heritage on the Earl of Huntly (Gordon, later Sutherland) in 1567, to secure his much-needed support on the eve of her approaching marriage with Lord Bothwell, and on 30 April 1570 Huntly disponed the lands of Farr (but reserved the superiority) to lye Mackay, who had sasine of the same 20 April 1571.

Iye Du died towards the end of 1572 and the lands, and the disputes, passed to his son Hugh Mackay.

Marriages

lye Du first married about 1545 ^[4] "handfasted" with his first cousin Helen Macleod, daughter of Hugh Macleod of Assynt. This union being within degrees forbidden by canon law, and as he did not get a dispensation, the issue was not legitimised and thus the children could not inherit lands belonging to the Crown. Their children included ...

1. John Beg Mackay, b: c1545 d: 1579 Durness (killed)
2. Donald Balloch Mackay, b: c1550 ^[5] progenitor of the Scourie Mackays, who had a charter of the lands of Scourie (Scowry in the work of the "History of the House and Clan of Mackay"), hereditarily from his brother Huistean Du Mackay, 31 Dec 1605; m: Euphemia Munro, daughter of Hugh Munro of Assint, brother of Robert Munro of Fowlis (with issue)

Likely after the death of Helen McLeod, lye Du married secondly under Canonical Law about 1555 to Christina Sinclair, daughter of Sinclair of Dun and their children included ...

1. Huistean (Hugh) Du Mackay, b: 1559 (who inherited)
2. William Mackay, who had a charter of the lands of Bighouse on 18 Dec 1598; m: Isabella Mackenzie, daughter of Rorie of Ardfalie (with issue); Progenitor of the Bighouse Mackays
3. Eleanor Mackay, m: a cousin, Donald Bane Macleod of Assynt
4. Jane Mackay, m: Alexander Sutherland of Beridale
5. Barbara Mackay, m: Alexander MacDavid of the Clan Gunn; with elder son, William Macalister, who succeeded to the lands of Killearnan on 19 Feb 1614.

Research Note (1)

It is worth noting that In Douglas' Peerage it is stated that he married Lady Elizabeth Sinclair, daughter of George, fourth Earl of Caithness. This is incorrect and it relates to a marriage of his son, Hugh.

Research Note (2)

There is a great deal of confusion about the relevant birth, marriage and death dates for inter-related members of the Sinclair, Earl of Caithness; Keith, Lairds of Inverugie; Mackay, Lairds of Reay and Strathnaver; Sutherland, Lairds of Duffus and Sutherland, Earls of Sutherland families. This is mainly due to the fact few dates of birth were recorded, marriage contracts could be entered into when either the parties were still children or adults ready to marry and only deaths had a good chance of being reliably recorded. Deaths of men were often either in battle, the dates of which were recorded or the passing of property on succession which was registered. Other clues are that children could not be infeft under Roman law which applied in Scotland so girls and boys could not acquire property below the ages of 12 and 14 respectively.

Sources

1. ↑ #S-1 Balfour Paul; v7 p164
2. ↑ #S-2 Mackay p122
3. ↑ #S-2 Mackay p143
4. ↑ #S-2 Mackay p562
5. ↑ #S-2 Mackay p562

• Source S-1 Sir 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. v7. Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904. archive.or

• Source S-2 Robert Mackay. History of the house and clan of Mackay .... v1. Edinburgh: A Jack, 1829. archive.org
• The Book of Mackay by Angus Mackay published in 1906 pages 93-106
• "The Scoury Mackays" by Fiona's Finding Service

Acknowledgements

• Mackay-563 was created by Dana Jones