Sir John died in 1654, when he was succeeded by his eldest son,

I. SIR GEORGE MACKENZIE, created first Earl of Cromarty, who made a distinguished figure in the history of his country during the reigns of Charles II., James II., and William III. In 1661, at the early age of 31, he was made a Lord of Session. He subsequently held the offices of Lord-Justice-General and Clerk-Register of Scotland. When Maitland got into favour Sir George shared the fall of his patron, Lord Middleton, but on the death of the Duke of Lauderdale he again got into favour, and, until the close of the reign of King James, he held the princ.i.p.al sway and power in Scottish affairs. He was accessory, if not the princ.i.p.al, in putting Spence and Carstairs to the torture of the boot and thumb-screw after the rebellion of Argyll. In 1685 King James enn.o.bled him by the t.i.tle of Viscount Tarbat, Lord Macleod and Castlehaven. During the reign of William III. his influence became much diminished, but he afterwards got into power, and, on the accession of Queen Anne, he again became a Royal favourite, and was by her in 1703 created Earl of Cromarty, and made Secretary of State for Scotland. He subsequently resigned this office and took up his old post of Justice-General, and recompensed Her Majesty"s favours by strongly advocating with voice and pen the Union between England and Scotland, of which he was the original proposer. In 1710, after 60 years of the most active public service, he retired into private life.

That he possessed ability of a very high order is undoubted, though as a politician he held very loose and changeable principles.

Sinibert says that "as a judge, he was addicted to the old practice of considering the litigants rather than their causes"; and Carstairs goes the length of saying that "he habitually falsified the minutes of Parliament, and recorded in its name decisions and orders never really made." In the course of his long and checkered career he had been a member of so many Ministries and changed sides so often that it was not to be expected that he should escape charges of inconsistency. "Some do compare him to an eel," said Lockhart of Carnwath, "and certainly the character suited him exactly ... He had sworn all the most contradictory oaths, and complied with all the opposite Governments since the year 1648, and was humble servant to them all till he got what he aimed at, though often he did not know what that was." Almost every statesman of his time was as changeable as he was, but he possessed a capacity for business which distinguished few if any of his rivals. He is admitted on all hands to have been in private life a gentleman of the most refined habits. He wrote well on various subjects, his chief productions being Essays on the Union of the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland; on the Gowrie Conspiracy; and a "Plain Explication" of the Prophecies of Daniel and St. John. He also wrote the MS. history of his clan, so often quoted and referred to in this work, and he undoubtedly invented Colin Fitzgerald.

His lordship married, first, Anne, daughter of Sir George Sinclair of Mey, with issue -

1. Roderick, who died young.

2. John, who became his heir and successor.

3. Kenneth, who in 1704 obtained a baronetcy with his grandfather"s patent of creation, as Sir Kenneth Mackenzie, Baronet of Grandvale and Cromarty. [Sir Kenneth and his younger brother, Sir James Mackenzie of Royston, were created baronets in the same year, the patent of the latter being dated 8th of February, 1704. Sir Kenneth"s patent (which is to his heirs male for ever), was dated 29th of April, 1704, and contained the original precedency of the patent of his grandfather, Sir John, who was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1628. Sir Kenneth was a member of Parliament for the County of Cromartie in the reigns of King William and Queen Anne. He warmly supported the treaty of Union, was one of the members nominated by the Parliament of Scotland, on 13th February, 1707, to sit in the United Parliament of Great Britain, and was chosen member for the County of Cromartie at the general election in 1710. A new writ for that county was ordered On 22nd January, 1729, in consequence of his decease, and his eldest son Sir George, was elected in his place. - "Earls of Cromartie"] He died in 1729, having married Anne Campbell, with issue - Sir George, the second Baronet, M.P., who married Elizabeth, daughter of Captain John Reid, of Greenwich, without issue. In 1741, his affairs having become embarra.s.sed, Sir George sold Cromarty to Sir William Urquhart of Meldrum. He died in 1748, and was buried at Dingwall; his lady having survived him 59 years, and died at Inverness in 1807, aged 84. Sir Kenneth"s other four sons were Colin; James; Campbell; and Gerard, who all died young or unmarried and Kenneth, who, in 1748, succeeded his brother Sir George, as third Baronet, and died unmarried in 1763. His daughter, Catherine, married Dr Adam Murray, of Stirling. He had several other daughters, married and unmarried.

4. James, who on the 8th of February, 1704, was created a Baronet by Queen Anne as Sir James Mackenzie of Royston, and in 1710 he was appointed a Lord of Session by the t.i.tle of Lord Royston. The Baronetcy being limited to heirs male, and Lord Royston having died in 1744 without surviving male issue, the t.i.tle became dormant. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh, with issue - George of Farnese, who in 1743 married Isabella Stuart, and died before his father, without issue; Anne, who married Sir William d.i.c.k of Prestonfield; and Elizabeth, who married Sir John Stewart of Grandtully, with issue.

5. Lady Margaret, who married Sir D. Bruce of Clackmannan, without issue.

6. Lady Elizabeth, who married Sir John Brown of Coalstown.

7. Lady Jean, married Sir Thomas Stewart of Balcaskie.

8. Lady Anne, who married the Hon. John Sinclair, son of Lord Murkle, and died in 1740.

The Earl married, secondly, Margaret, Countess of Wemyss, without issue. He died in 1714, was buried at Dingwall, and succeeded by his eldest son,

II. JOHN MACKENZIE, second Earl of Cromarty. He does not appear to have taken a prominent part in public affairs, and he kept out of the Rising of 1715. Notwithstanding the division which had been made of the family estates to secure suitable provision for the two Baronetcies, his Lordship still possessed extensive possessions in the Counties of Ross, Inverness, Elgin, and Fife.

He married, first, Lady Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of the first Earl of Aboyne, without issue. He afterwards divorced her and married, secondly, the Hon. Mary Murray, daughter of the third Lord Elibank, with issue -

1. Lord George, his heir and successor.

2. Captain Roderick, who married twice, with issue - Captain Kenneth of Cromarty, who succeeded to the estates in 1789, and died without issue male in 1796 and a daughter.

3. Lord William who died at sea, without issue.

4. Lord Patrick, who married, without male issue.

5. Lord Gideon, who died without issue male.

6. Lady Mary; 7. Lady Anna; 8. Lady Helen; all of whom died young or unmarried.

The Earl married, thirdly, Anna, daughter of Hugh, Xth Lord Lovat, with issue -

9. Lord James; 10. Lord Hugh; and 11. Lord Norman, all of whom died young, the latter at sea in 1751.

12. Lady Emilia, who in 1740 married Archibald Lamont of Lamont, with issue.

His Lordship died in 1731, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

III. GEORGE MACKENZIE, third Earl of Cromarty. He joined Prince Charles in 1745 and fought at the battle of Falkirk at the head of 400 or 500 of his clan. Afterwards, on the 15th of April, the day immediately preceding the battle of Culloden, he was taken prisoner, along with his eldest son, Lord Macleod, and all his officers, at Dunrobin Castle, by two companies of Sutherlands and Mackays. He had previously detached himself from the main body of the Highland army with the view of seizing this castle and repressing the adherents of the Government in the far North. He was at once sent to London and imprisoned in the Tower. His vacillating conduct and uncertain correspondence with Lord President Forbes are notorious, for he actually wrote to the latter as late as October, 1745, saying that he was then "stirring actively in the cause of the Government." He was in due course tried, found guilty of high treason, and sentenced to death; but was afterwards pardoned through the bold and urgent entreaties of his Countess. In support of his own application for mercy, she waited personally on the members of the Cabinet, and presented a separate pet.i.tion to each of them pleading for mercy, and on the Sunday after sentence was pa.s.sed upon him, she went to Kensington Palace, dressed in deep mourning, accompanied by Lady Stair, to make a personal appeal to His Majesty for the Royal clemency. She was far advanced in pregnancy, and though a woman of strong mind, who had hitherto exhibited great fort.i.tude in her distressing position, on this occasion she completely broke down, and gave way to grief. Taking her stand, surrounded by her ten young children, in the entrance of the Chapel through which the King had to pa.s.s, she awaited his arrival, and as he approached she fell on her knees, seized him by the coattails, presented her pet.i.tion, and fainted at his feet. His Majesty immediately seized and raised her, received the pet.i.tion, and handed it to the Duke of Grafton, who was present as one of his attendants.

He then requested Lady Stair to conduct the Countess to one of the apartments. The Dukes of Hamilton and Montrose, the Earl of Stair, and other courtiers, having subsequently supported her pet.i.tion by a personal application to the King, His Majesty, on the 9th of August, granted the Earl a free pardon, and he was at once set at liberty.

His Lordship lived for several years in seclusion and poverty, supported mainly by the contributions of his old tenants and retainers on the forfeited estates.

He married Isabella, daughter of Sir William Gordon of Invergordon, with issue -

1. John, Lord Macleod, his heir.

2. Lord William, who died young.

3. Lord George, a Colonel in the 71st Regiment, who died unmarried in 1788.

4. Lady Isabella, who married George, VIth Lord Elibank, with issue, and in 1796 succeeded her cousin, Captain Kenneth, in the estates.

5. Lady Mary, who married, first, Captain Clarke, London; secondly, Thomas Drayton, South Carolina and thirdly, John Ainslie, Charlestown.

6. Lady Anne, who married, first, the Hon. Edmond Atkin, of South Carolina and secondly, Dr John Murray of Charlestown.

7. Lady Caroline, who married, first, a Mr Drake, of London, and secondly, Walter Hunter of Polmood and Crailieg.

8. Lady Jean; and 9. Lady Amelia, both of whom died young.

10. Lady Margaret, who in 1769 married John Gla.s.sford of Douglastown, Dumbarton, with issue.

11. Lady Augusta, who married Sir William Murray of Auchtertyre, with issue.

The Earl died in 1766, and was succeeded as representative of the family by his eldest son,

IV. LORD MACLEOD, Major-General in the army, by whose n.o.ble and patriotic conduct the fortunes of the family were afterwards to some extent restored. Disdaining to live on the charity of his friends and as a burden on his father, he joined the Swedish army as a soldier of fortune worked his way there, was aide-de-camp to the King, who created him Count Cromarty, and, in 1775, returned to his native country, after twenty-seven years of distinguished foreign service, full of fame and honours, with the rank of Lieut.-General. In 1754 the re-grant of the Lovat estates by George III. to General Fraser emboldened Lord Macleod to pet.i.tion the King for the restoration of the Cromarty ancestral possessions; but his application at that time failed, although he succeeded later on.

When Lord Macleod joined his father against the Government he was only eighteen years of age, and on account of his extreme youth he had already obtained an unconditional pardon on the 22nd of June, 1748. In 1777 he was presented at Court, on which occasion George III. received him very kindly. In return for this gracious treatment, first pardoning him, and now so generously receiving him, his Lordship offered to raise a Highland Regiment. The offer was accepted, and in a very short time, though without any property or political connections, he soon raised a fine body of 840 men among his Highland countrymen. To this number 236 Lowlanders and 34 English and Irish were added by some of his friends, making together a full regiment of 1100 men, embodied at Elgin, and inspected there by General Skene in April, 1778.

Immediately after, Letters of Service were issued in his favour for raising a second battalion of the same size as the first.

This he soon accomplished, not less than 1800 of the men having been raised from the possessions of his ancestors - a splendid set of men with excellent const.i.tutions, and of most exemplary conduct. He was appointed Colonel of the first battalion, and his brother, the Hon. Lieut.-Colonel Mackenzie, received the command of the second battalion. The Regiment was named Macleod"s Highlanders, numbered the 73rd, and is now well known as the 71st Highlanders. In 1779 Lord Macleod accompanied his Highlanders to India, and fought at their head in the Carnatic against Hyder Ah, under Major-General Sir Hector Munro, where they greatly distinguished themselves, though the regiment was nearly cut to pieces at the battle of Conjeveram. In 1782 his Lordship attained the rank of Major-General, and in the following year he returned home. In acknowledgment of his distinguished services, an Act of Parliament was pa.s.sed, on the 18th of August, 1784, by which the forfeited estates of the Earldom were restored to him, on payment of L19,000 to relieve them of existing burdens.

Lord Macleod married in 1786 Marjory, eldest daughter of James, XVIth Lord Forbes, without issue. She afterwards married John, fourth Duke of Athole, with issue. The mansion, which had been almost entirely demolished after the "Forty-five, was by him rebuilt and enlarged, and the policies put into good order and properly attended to. He died on the 2nd of April, 1789, and was succeeded in the estates by his cousin-german,

V. CAPTAIN KENNETH MACKENZIE of Cromarty, who died in 1796, without male issue. He was the last direct male heir, and on his death the representation of the family, carrying with it the dormant honours of Cromarty and Tarbat, went into the family of Ardloch.

He was succeeded in the estates by Lord Macleod"s eldest sister,

VI. LADY ISABELLA, who married the sixth Lord Elibank. She died on the 28th of December, 1801, without male issue, and was succeeded by her eldest daughter,

VII. THE HON. MARIA MURRAY, who in 1790 married the Hon. Edward Hay of Newhall, brother of George, VIIth Marquis of Tweeddale, who thereupon a.s.sumed the name of Mackenzie in addition to his own, with issue -

1. John Hay, her heir and successor.

2. Dorothea, who on the 2nd of July, 1813, married Sir David Hunter Blair, with issue.

3. Isabella, who on the 1st of November, 1817, married John Buckle, with issue.

4. Georgina Ann, who married James, fifth Earl of Glasgow, without issue.