The Legend of Montrose was written chiefly with a
view to place before the reader the melancholy fate
of John Lord Kilpont, eldest son of William Earl of
Airth and Menteith, and the singular circumstances
attending the birth and history of James Stewart of
Ardvoirlich, by whose hand the unfortunate nobleman
fell.
Our subject leads us to talk of deadly feuds, and
we must begin with one still more ancient than that
to which our story relates. During the reign
of James IV., a great feud between the powerful families
of Drummond and Murray divided Perthshire. The
former, being the most numerous and powerful, cooped
up eight score of the Murrays in the kirk of Monivaird,
and set fire to it. The wives and the children
of the ill-fated men, who had also found shelter in
the church, perished by the same conflagration.
One man, named David Murray, escaped by the humanity
of one of the Drummonds, who received him in his arms
as he leaped from amongst the flames. As King
James IV. ruled with more activity than most of his
predecessors, this cruel deed was severely revenged,
and several of the perpetrators were beheaded at Stirling.
In consequence of the prosecution against his clan,
the Drummond by whose assistance David Murray had
escaped, fled to Ireland, until, by means of the person
whose life he had saved, he was permitted to return
to Scotland, where he and his descendants were distinguished
by the name of Drummond-Eirinich, or Ernoch, that
is, Drummond of Ireland; and the same title was bestowed
on their estate.
The Drummond-ernoch of James the Sixth’s time
was a king’s forester in the forest of Glenartney,
and chanced to be employed there in search of venison
about the year 1588, or early in 1589. This forest
was adjacent to the chief haunts of the MacGregors,
or a particular race of them, known by the title of
MacEagh, or Children of the Mist. They considered
the forester’s hunting in their vicinity as an
aggression, or perhaps they had him at feud, for the
apprehension or slaughter of some of their own name,
or for some similar reason. This tribe of MacGregors
were outlawed and persecuted, as the reader may see
in the Introduction to Rob Roy; and every
man’s hand being against them, their hand was
of course directed against every man. In short,
they surprised and slew Drummond-ernoch, cut off his
head, and carried it with them, wrapt in the corner
of one of their plaids.
In the full exultation of vengeance, they stopped
at the house of Ardvoirlich and demanded refreshment,
which the lady, a sister of the murdered Drummond-ernoch
(her husband being absent), was afraid or unwilling
to refuse. She caused bread and cheese to be placed
before them, and gave directions for more substantial
refreshments to be prepared. While she was absent
with this hospitable intention, the barbarians placed
the head of her brother on the table, filling the
mouth with bread and cheese, and bidding him eat, for
many a merry meal he had eaten in that house.
