John Mackay (1614 - 1680)

Born 1614 in Strathnaver, Sutherland, Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1680 at about age 66 in Scotland

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Biography

Mention in The Scots Peerage as born about 1614.^[1]

He was born to Sir Donald Mackay and his first wife Barbara Mackenzie, the eldest daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie, first Lord Kintail. He was the eldest surviving son and will inherit the titles of his father and become 2nd Lord Reay.

He is noted as having been an ardent Royalist, in the wars against the Covenanters, much like his father. He was captured in Aberdeen along with Huntly in 1639 and carried prisoner to Edinburgh to serve with his father who had been captured at Peterhead.

In 1644 he entertained the Marquess of Huntly in Strathnaver, and assisted him in furthering the King's cause.

Early in 1649 he joined Mackenzie of Pluscarden and Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty and captured Inverness. However in May was taken prisoner at Balveny Castle and brought to Edinburgh. As a result of these actions, and the ongoing hostility between the Earl of Sutherland and the Mackays of Reay, the Earl of Sutherland and others reported to Parliament that their losses at Reay's hands amounted to over 30,000 pounds, and asked that they might be recouped out of his estate. The request was granted, and Reay ordered to underlie the law (remain in prison) until due satisfaction was rendered. In this way he was practically denuded of his estate for the time being, and did not leave prison until Cromwell took Edinburgh in 1650.

Colonel Bampfield wrote to King Charles II. on 9 September 1653 suggesting that Lord Reay be appointed one of a committee of sixteen for the government of affairs in the kingdom of Scotland; and in the rising under Middleton next year he took a prominent part, not capitulating until May 1656. During these operations his house of Tongue in the northern Highlands was burned to the ground.

He was known to be alive towards the end of 1680 but had likely died soon after.

First Marriage - Isobel Sinclair

He married Isobel Sinclair, daughter of George Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, in 1636 and by her had:

• George Mackay, likely born 1638, known to be alive in 1656. Died about 1670 without children.^[2]

• Jane Mackay, likely born 1640, married (contract 14 November 1665), first, to Robert Gordon, third son of John, Earl of Sutherland, without issue. She married, secondly, with issue, Hugh Mackay, second of Strathy, and had from him a disposition in liferent of the lands of Strathy, 3 March 1676.

Second Marriage - Barbara Mackay

He married, secondly, about 1650 (she certainly appears in the accounts of the family as wife in 1651^[3]) Barbara, daughter of Colonel Hugh Mackay, second of Scourie, to whom he gave sasine on a charter in liferent of lands in Durness 1 January 1652. She was alive in 1687 as she appears at the marriages of her dughters, Anna and Sybilla. They had children:

• Donald Mackay, Master of Reay, who was killed in the Reay Forest 1680. He married (contract 22 August 1677) Ann Munro, daughter of Sir George Munro of Newmore and Culrain, and had by her an only son, George, who becomes third Lord Reay.

• Æneas Mackay, joined the Scots Brigade in the service of Holland, returned home in 1688, and was imprisoned in Edinburgh on suspicion of intriguing for the Prince of Orange. He served under his uncle, General Mackay, during the campaign of 1689-90 in Scotland, afterwards in Ireland, and then returned to the Continent, where he rose to the rank of brigadier- general. Aeneas, who died in 1697, married, in 1692, Margaret, daughter of Lieut.-Col. Baron Francis von Puckler, and by her, who died 14 February 1761, aged ninety, had an only child; Colonel Donald Mackay, who fell at Tournay in 1745, married his cousin, Baroness Arnolda Margaret van den Steen with children.

• Robert Mackay, a captain in the Scots Fusiliers,^[4] was present at Killiecrankie, where he was severely wounded. Left for dead on the field with eight broadsword wounds he survived.^[5] He served afterwards in Ireland and on the Continent. He died at Tongue unmarried in 1696, holding the rank of colonel in the Scots Fusiliers.

• Joanna Mackay, married (contract dated 21 April 1684) to William Fraser of Struy, Strathglass.

• Anna Mackay, married (contract dated at Durness, 30 Apr 1687) to Captain Hugh Mackay, eldest lawful son of Captain William Mackay of Borley, as his first wife; no issue. Two of the witnesses to the marriage are, Captain Æneas Mackay, and his brother Robert, sons of the late Lord Reay (her brothers).^[6]

• Sibylla Mackay, married (contract dated 25 October 1687), first, to Lauchlin Macintosh of Aberador (Aberardry), Invernessshire. She married, secondly, Alexander Rose, a bailie of Inverness (contract 25 October 1689), and died 17 October 1691, aged twenty-seven.

Sources

1. ↑ #S-1 Balfour Paul; Vol 7, page 168
2. ↑ #S-2 Mackay; page 578
3. ↑ #S-2 Mackay; page 349
4. ↑ #S-2 Mackay; page 578
5. ↑ #S-3 Ferguson; Vol 1, page 480
6. ↑ #S-2 Mackay; page 394; note there is variance in date with The Scots Peerage

• 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-2Robert Mackay. History of the house and clan of Mackay ...... Vol. I. Edinburgh: A Jack, 1829. archive.org

• Source S-3 Ferguson; James. Papers illustrating the history of the Scots brigade in the service of the United Netherlands, 1572-1782; Volume 1. Edinburgh: Constable, 1809. archive.org

Acknowledgements

• MacKay-1183 was created by William McCluney through the import of freeman kirkpatrick 3.ged on Nov 15, 2014.

• Created by Sir William Arbuthnot, Tuesday, January 14, 2014.