The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

352 THE HIGHLANDERS [part II
From the earliest period in which the Macleods are men-
tioned in history, they have been divided into two great families
of Macleod of Glenelg, or Harris, and Macleod of Lewis, and
these families have for a considerable period disputed as to
which of them the right of chief belongs. As occurs in the
somewhat parallel case of the Macneils, this dispute appears to
have arisen from the possessions of the Macleods having
and from both
necessarily been so little connected together,
families being nearly of equal power and consequence ;
but
from the few data which have remained to guide us on this
point there seems ever\' reason to think, that Macleod of Glenelg,
or Harris, was of old the proper chief of the clan. Macleod
of Harris was originall}- invariabl}- designated
"
de Glenelg
and Glenelg was certainly the first and chief possession of the
clan. In various charters of the fifteenth century, to which the
heads of both families happen to be witnesses, IMacleod de
Glenelg alwa\'s appears before that of Macleod of Lewis, and
finally the possessions of the Lewis famih' formed no part of
the original possessions of the clan, for the first charter of the
famil}' of Lewis is one by king David II., to Torquil Macleod
of the baron}' of Assint. And it is certain that Torquil
obtained this baron\- b}- marriage with Margaret Macnicol, the
heiress of the lands, and in that charter he is not designated
"
de Lewis," nor has he any dcsig)iatio)i zvhatever. These facts
seem conclusive that the claim of Macleod of Harris to be chief
of the clan is well founded, and that the marriage of a younger
son of that family with the heiress of Assgut and Lewis gave
rise to the family of ]\Iacleods of Lewis, who were the oldest
cadets of the clan, and who soon came to rival the family of
the chief in power and extent of territory.
The original possessions of the Macleods then appears to
have been Glenelg, of which district King David II. grants a
charter to Malcolm, the son of Tormod Macleod, and the
reddendo of the charter is to keep a galle\- with thirt\--six oars
for the use of the king. The Macleods are said to have
acquired the extensive lands in Sk\-, which they still hold, by
marriage with the daughter of Macraild, or Macarailt, one of
the Norwegian nobles of the Isles ; and from this connexion,
and the succession which was obtained by it, arose probabl\-