The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

324 THE HIGHLANDERS [part ii
From these charters, then, it appears
that there existed in
the North, at the same time, two William de Rosses, each of
them son of a Hugh de Ross. The one William de Ross, how-
ever, was the eldest son of Hugh de Ross, the brother of the
last earl, while the other William de Ross was the younger son
of a Hugh de Ross who, in consequence of a connection with
the royal family, obtained a grant of Kinfauns in Perthshire,
Kinfauns being inherited by the eldest son, Robert, while
William obtained property in the North. It is, of course, im-
possible to fix with certainty from which of the two Williams
the Balnagowan family are descended, but the presumption
certainly is, that William de Ross, the son of the earl's brother,
died without issue, and that the other William de Ross, who
is their ancestor. That
must have been of a remote branch,
the Rosses of Balnagowan were of the same branch with Paul
Mac Tire is rendered probable by their own tradition, for when
circumstances to believe in a descent
a family is led by
different from the real one, we invariably find that they assert a
marriage between their ancestor and the heiress of the family
from which they are in reality descended, and the Rosses
of Balnagowan have accordingly invariably accompanied the
assertion of their descent from Hugh,
the brother of the last
earl, with that of their ancestor
and heiress of Paul Mac Tire.
having married the daughter
Of the history of the Rosses during the fifteenth centurv
we know little ; and they ma\' have acquired the property of
Balnagowan either by marriage
or as male heirs of the last
family. Towards the end of that century they very narrowly
escaped being annihilated in a feud with the Mackays, who
were at that time in great power. xA.ngus Mackay, after having
for a long period constantly molested and irritated the Rosses
by frequent incursions into their territories, was at length
surprised by them in the church at Tarbat, and there burnt to
death. When his son John attained majority, he determined
to take a deep and bloody revenge for his father's death, and
having raised as many of his own clan as he could, and also
obtained considerable assistance from the earl of Sutherland,
he unexpectedl)' burst into the district of Strathoykill, wasting
the country with fire and sword. Alexander, then laird of