Sir Kenneth McKenzie, (Inverness, Scotland), 3rd Earl of Seaforth (7th GGF)
1693–1767 ~
BIRTH 1693 • Inverness, Scotlland
DEATH 1767
7th great-grandfather
Sir Kenneth McKenzie looks a bit like my nephew, William Robert Thompson, III. Well, maybe it’s the reverse and William takes after his 8th GGF (since he is my 7th GGF and would also be the 7th GGF for my brother as well.
Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kenneth Mackenzie | |
|---|---|
| The Earl of Seaforth | |
| Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth | |
| Chief of Clan Mackenzie | 1651–1678 |
| Predecessor | George Mackenzie |
| Successor | Kenneth Mackenzie |
| Born | 1635 Brahan Castle, Ross-shire, Kingdom of Scotland |
| Died | 1678 (aged 43) |
| Noble family | Clan Mackenzie |
| Spouse(s) | Isobel Mackenzie |
| Father | George Mackenzie |
| Mother | Barbara Forbes |
Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth (1635–1678) was a Highland clan chief and Scottish nobleman, who adhered faithfully to Charles II through his tribulations. From his great stature he was known among the Highlanders as “Coinneach Mor” (Great Kenneth).
Contents
- 1Origins and education
- 2Attempt to raise the clan
- 3Adherent to Charles II
- 4Family and posterity
- 5References
- 6Line of Chiefs
Origins and education[edit]
Mackenzie was the eldest son of George Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth (died 1651), and Barbara, daughter of Arthur, Lord Forbes. The Mackenzies were a clan from Ross-shire that had risen to prominence in the 15th century during the disintegration of the Lordship of the Isles.
He was born at Brahan Castle in 1635, and when he was five or six years old his father placed him under the care of the Rev. Farquhar Macrae, minister of Kintail, and constable of Eilean Donan, who had a seminary in his house which was attended by the sons of the neighboring gentry. From there, he went to public school and was sent in 1651 to King’s College, Aberdeen, under the discipline of Mr. Patrick Sandylands.
Attempt to raise the clan[edit]
However, he had not been there long when the King arrived in Stirling and began to recruit an army for his proposed invasion of England. Kenneth’s father remained in Holland, so he went home himself to raise his men for the King’s service. He went straight to Kintail with leading members of his clan (his uncles, the Lairds of Pluscarden and Lochslinn; young Tarbat, Rory of Davochmaluag, Kenneth of Coul, Hector of Fairburn, and several others), but the Kintail men declined to rise with him, because he was but a child, asserting that they would not move without his father, their master, since the King if he had use for him and for his followers, might easily bring him home.
Adherent to Charles II[edit]
Immediately after the Battle of Worcester, at which Charles was defeated by Cromwell in 1651 – where we find among those present Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden as one of the Colonels of the foot for Inverness and Ross, and Alexander Cam Mackenzie, fourth son of Alexander, the fifth of Gairloch – Charles fled to the Continent, and, after many severe hardships and narrow escapes, he found refuge in Flanders, where he continued to reside, often in great want and distress, until the Restoration in May, 1660.
The Earl of Cromartie says that subsequent to the treaty agreed upon between Middleton and Leslie at Strathbogie, “Seaforth joined the King at Stirling. After the fatal battle of Worcester, he continued a close prisoner until the Restoration of Charles.” He was excepted from Oliver Cromwell’s Ordnance of Pardon and Grace to Scotland in 1654, and his estates were forfeited, without any provision being allowed out of it for his wife and family. He supported the King’s cause as long as there was an opportunity of fighting for it in the field, and when forced to submit to the opposing forces of Cromwell and the Commonwealth he was committed to prison, where, with “much firmness of mind and nobility of soul,” he endured tedious captivity for many years. Referring to the position of affairs at this period, the Laird of Applecross said that the “rebels, possessing the authority, oppressed all the loyal subjects, and him with the first; his estate was over-burthened to its destruction, but nothing could deter him so as to bring him to forsake his King or his duty”.
When Charles II was recalled in 1660, he ordered his old and faithful friend Seaforth to be released, after which he became a great favorite at the licentious and profligate Court. On 23 April 1662, he received a Commission of the Sheriffship of Ross-shire, which was afterward renewed to him and to his eldest son, jointly, on 31 July 1675; and when he had set his affairs in order at Brahan, he re-visited Paris, leaving his wife in charge of his interests in the North.
Family and posterity[edit]
Kenneth married in about 1660 Isobel, daughter of Sir John Mackenzie of Tarbat, father of George Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Cromartie. [1] They had four sons and four daughters, including his heir, Kenneth Mackenzie, 4th Earl of Seaforth, who succeeded him on his death in December 1678.
References[edit]
This article includes text from Alexander Mackenzie’s History of the Mackenzies (Inverness, 1894), which is no longer in copyright.
- ^ The Complete Peerage, volume XI, London 1949
Line of Chiefs[edit]
| Preceded by Colin Mackenzie | Chief of Clan Mackenzie 1651–1678 | Succeeded by Kenneth Mackenzie |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Mackenzie | Earl of Seaforth 1651–1678 | Succeeded by Kenneth Mackenzie |
- 1635 births
- 1678 deaths
- Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
- Clan Mackenzie Chiefs
- History of the Scottish Highlands
- Earls of Seaforth
Brahan Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brahan Castle was situated 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-west of Dingwall, in Easter Ross, Scotland. The castle belonged to the Earls of Seaforth, chiefs of the Clan Mackenzie, who dominated the area.
History[edit]
Brahan Castle was built by Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth in 1611. [1] Kenneth Mackenzie, a labourer on the estate, was a reputed seer who made a number of prophecies in the later 17th century. He is remembered as the Brahan Seer.
The Mackenzies were prominent Jacobites, and took part in the Jacobite risings of 1715, 1719 and 1745. The Siege of Brahan took place in November 1715. [2] William Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Seaforth, was attainted, forfeiting the estate, which in 1725 became the headquarters of General Wade during his “pacification” of the Highlands. [3] After the later Jacobite rising of 1745, the Mackenzies were the first clan to surrender, being forced to swear allegiance to the British Crown on the steps of the castle. [4]
The estate was later sold back to the Mackenzie family, although the direct line of descent died out in 1781. The estate passed to Francis Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth who carried out tree planting in the grounds. On his death in 1815, Brahan passed to the baron’s eldest daughter Mary Elizabeth Frederica Mackenzie who married James Alexander Stewart of Glasserton in 1817. [5] During the first half of the 19th century, the castle was rebuilt and extended as a large country house. [1]
James Stewart-Mackenzie was created Baron Seaforth in 1921, but on his death without heir in 1923, he left the estate to a trust. [3] Brahan Castle was briefly requisitioned during World War II, and after the war its condition deteriorated. In the early 1950s the building was demolished, leaving only the north wall of the 19th century building, which served as a garden ornament. The stable block survives, and is now known as Brahan House. Several heraldic panels and other decorative stones are preserved in the house. [1]
A monument on the estate, around 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the site of the castle, commemorates the death in 1823 of Caroline Mackenzie, daughter of the last earl, who died after being thrown from a pony carriage near the same location. [6]
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Historic Environment Scotland. “Brahan Castle (12867)”. Canmore. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ Mackenzie, Alexander. “History of the Munros of Fowlis”. page 99 Published 1898. Quoting a contemporary manuscript written by Major Fraser of Castleleathers
- ^ Jump up to:a b Historic Environment Scotland. “BRAHAN (GDL00068)”. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
- ^ “Brahan Castle”. Clan Mackenzie Society of Scotland and the UK. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ National Records of Scotland GD46/21/6 General Retour in Favour of Lady Hood Mackenzie as heir to her Father Francis, Lord Seaforth 7 March 1816
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. “BRAHAN, SEAFORTH MONUMENT (Category B Listed Building) (LB14027)”. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
