Blended Scotch Whisky - Rob Roy
WHO WAS ROB BOY?
Soldier. Cattle rustler. Outlaw. Legend in his own lifetime.
Rob Roy MacGregor's life was as complicated as the times he lived in - a man so famous that Daniel Defoe published 'Highland Rogue' while he was still alive. And some ninety years after his death, Walter Scott immortalised the man in his historical novel 'Rob Roy'.
Clans, names and battles
Born in 1671, Rob MacGregor took the nickname 'Rob Ruadh' (Gaelic for red), thanks to a shock of red hair inherited from his mother Mary. The MacGregors were rebels against the English - and supported the first Jacobite uprising in July 1689. Aged just 18, Rob Roy fought beside his father at the Battle of Killiecrankie - to help seal a famous (but short lived) victory for the Stewart King James against William of Orange. On their eventual defeat, the clan MacGregor was outlawed, and the name banned.
A new life
Rob decided to lie low - taking his mother's name of Campbell and setting up in business driving Highland cattle to the market in Crieff. He was a shrewd businessman (and skilled cattle rustler), using his wealth to become Laird of Inversnaid, on the east side of Loch Lomond. In 1693, Rob Roy married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Helen MacGregor of Comar. Together they raised four sons. Things were going well.
Debts and deception
Rob often borrowed money from the powerful Marquis of Montrose, allowing him to buy cattle for the following year's market. In 1711, Rob borrowed 1000 pounds from the Marquis, a man know for his greed and ruthlessness. Rob Roy, on the other hand, was held to be an honest man - but unfortunately one of his agents was a thief, and disappeared with the 1000 pounds. This was a fortune, even for a wealthy landowner like the Marquis. Rob tried in vain to track down the agent, but when he returned, he found that Montrose had seized his land, evicted his family and bankrupted him. The Marquis also captured and jailed Rob Roy, but he escaped with the help of his friends.
Roy's revenge
Rob Roy made Montrose pay dearly - waging a campaign which included the incredible coup of kidnapping Montrose's factor. This gentleman just happened to be carrying 3000 pounds - at the time an almost unimaginable sum of money. Rob Roy also formed a powerful alliance with the Duke of Argyll - a sworn enemy of Montrose. However, Rob Roy definitely wasn't a Robin Hood figure. He was also quite ruthless, and punished landowners who refused to pay him protection money.
The Jacobite uprisings
In 1715, Rob led his clan to battle in support of the Jacobites. However, his loyalties were divided - between the Jacobite cause and his ally the Duke of Argyll - and it's likely he was merely an onlooker at the Battle of Sherrifmuir. Despite this, Roy Roy was charged with treason, but again escaped from prison. He lived for many years as an outlaw - taking refuge close to the Duke of Argyll. (Rob Roy also played a small part in the disastrous 1719 Jacobite uprising).
However, in 1726 he was granted a Royal Pardon - and died at home in 1734, at the age of 63. He was buried in the small churchyard in Balquidder. Even in death he courted controversy and conflicting accounts - his gravestone incorrectly ages him as 70 when he died.