The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

236 THE HIGHLANDERS [part li
In this question, therefore, there are involved two subordinate
questions which have given rise to considerable —
disputes.
First, was Am}-, the daughter of Roderic of the Isles, John's
legitimate wife, and were the sons of that marriage John's
legitimate heirs ? And secondly, if the sons of the first marriage
are legitimate, who is chief of the clan Ranald, the only
clan descended from that marriage ? With regard to the first
point, there are two documents which place it beyond all doubt
that Amy was John's lawful wife. The first of these is a dispensation
from the Pope in 1337 to John, son of Angus of the
Isles, and Amie, daughter of Roderic of the Isles. The second
is the treaty between John and David II. in 1369, in which the
hostages are " Donaldum filium meum ex filia domini senescali
Scotis genitum Angusium filium filii quondam Johannis mei et
Donaldum quemdam alium filium meum naturalemy John had
by Am}' three sons, John, Godfrey, and Ranald, and the distinction
made in the above passage between Jolm ''filius iiieus"
and Donald filius meus natiiralis, proves that this family were
legitimate. But it is equally clear that the children of this
marriage were considered as John's feudal heirs. When Robert
II., in pursuance of the policy which he had adopted, persuaded
John to make the children of the two marriages feudally inde-
pendent of each other, it was effected in this manner. John
received charters of certain of his lands containing a special
destination to the heir of the marriage with the king's daughter,
while he granted a charter of another portion of his lands,
consisting of the lordship of Garmoran, part of Lochaber, and
some of the Isles, among which \\as that of Uist, to Reginald,
one of the children of the first marriage, to be held of John's
lawful heirs, and this charter was confirmed b}' the king. That
a special destination was necessary to conve}' part of John's
possessions to the children of the second is marriage in itself
a strong presumption that they were not his feudal heirs, and
from the terms of Reginald's charter it is manifest that he must,
on John's death, have held his lands of the person universall}'
acknowledged to be the feudal heir of the lord of the Isles.
This person, ho\\:ever, was his brother Godfrey, the eldest
surviving son of the first marriage, for in a charter to the
Abbey of Inchaffra}', dated 7th July, 1389, he designates himself