I. JOHN MACKENZIE, first of this family, was a natural son of George, second Earl of Seaforth. He has a charter of Little Gruinard and other lands in 1669, in which he is described as then "of Meikle Gruinard." He married before 1655, Christian, daughter of Donald Mackenzie, III. of Loggie (sasine in that year as his wife), with issue -
1. George, his heir, whom his mother describes in a sasine, dated 10th August, 1685, as "George Mackenzie, my eldest lawful son."
2. Kenneth, who married Frances Herbert, daughter of William, Marquis of Powis, and widow of Kenneth, fourth Earl of Seaforth, without issue.
3. John, a doctor in Inverness five other sons and eight daughters, all married, several of them with issue.
John was succeeded by his eldest son,
II. GEORGE MACKENZIE, second of Gruinard, who has a sasine in 1696, married, first, Margaret, daughter of Alexander Mackenzie, II. of Ballone (marriage contract 1696) with issue -
1. George, his heir and successor.
2. Kenneth, who married a daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie, III. of Suddie, with issue.
3. Colin, a goldsmith in Inverness, who married Anne, daughter of Alexander Mackenzie, III. of Applecross, with issue - two daughters.
4. Simon, who married Mary, daughter of John Mackenzie, II. of Ardloch, with issue.
5. Captain Donald of Woodlands, who married Janet daughter of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, third Baronet and X. of Gairloch, without issue.
6. Roderick, who married Barbara, daughter of Alexander Mackenzie, I. of Ardloch, widow of John, third son of Kenneth Mackenzie, II. of Dundonnel, with issue - four daughters.
7. William.
8. Kenneth.
9. William, Lieutenant R.N., who married Ann, daughter of Alexander Mackenzie, I. of Ardloch, with issue - an only daughter, Mary Howard, who married Dr Grant, Inverness, with issue - four sons and seven daughters.
10. George.
11. Captain John of Castle Leod, who married Geddes, daughter of his uncle, Simon Mackenzie. He bought the estate of Avoch with money left him by Admiral George Geddes Mackenzie, his wife's brother. By this marriage he had issue - George of Avoch, a merchant in London (with several other sons and daughters), who married Margaret, daughter of the Rev. William Mackenzie, minister of Glenmuick, with issue - (1) Geddes, who in 1812, married Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the celebrated North American explorer, and discoverer of the Mackenzie River, with issue - Alexander George of Avoch; George Alexander; and Geddes Margaret; (2) Margaret, who married Thomas Mackenzie, X. of Applecross, with issue.
George had three other sons and nine daughters by this marriage, making twenty-three in all. He married, secondly, Elizabeth, natural daughter of President Forbes of Culloden, who has a sasine of Meikle Gruinard in 1729 "to Elizabeth Forbes, his spouse," with issue - four sons and six daughters, making the extraordinary total of thirty-three children, nineteen of whom are known to have married, many of them into the best families in the north.
He was succeeded by his eldest son,
III. JOHN MACKENZIE, third of Gruinard, who married first in 1713 Catherine, daughter of George Mackenzie, I. of Culbo, third son of Alexander Mackenzie, II of Belmaduthy, with issue -
1. William, his heir and successor.
2. John, of whom nothing is known.
3. Annabella, who married the Rev. Murdo Morrison, Stornoway, with issue.
4. Lilias, who married Rev. James Macaulay, Gairloch.
5. Isabella, who married Alexander Mackenzie, Little Gruinard, with issue.
John married secondly, a daughter of Mackenzie of Sand.
He was succeeded by his eldest son,
IV. WILLIAM MACKENZIE, fourth or Gruinard, who married Lilias, daughter or John Mackenzie, I. of Lochend, with issue -
1. Simon, Captain 78th Regiment, who died before his father, returning from India, unmarried.
2. George, who was killed by a fall before his father's death, in Jamaica, unmarried.
3. John, who became his father's heir and successor.
4. Alexander, Colonel in the army, "a most distinguished soldier." He served with the 36th Regiment throughout the Peninsular War, and in the course of his service was dangerously wounded in the neck, lost an eye, and had two horses killed under him. He was a gallant and distinguished officer, in every sense a thorough Highlander. He married first, Eliza, daughter of Colonel George Mackenzie, son of John Mackenzie, I. of Lochend, with issue - (1) George, a Captain in the 36th (his father's) Regiment, killed while leading an escalading party at the assault of Burgos, unmarried; (2) Alexanderina, who married Alexander Grove, M.D., R.N., at Greenwich Hospital, with issue - three daughters. Colonel Alexander married, secondly, Eliza, daughter of Captain James Graeme, R.N., with issue - (3) George, who died unmarried in 1842; (4) Major-General Alexander Mackay Mackenzie, who became the representative of the family; (5) William, who died young; (6) Eliza; (7) Lilias, who married Sir John W. Fisher, M.D., without issue; and (8) Janet, who married W. F. B. Staples, barrister, with issue.
5. Catherine, who married the Rev. Donald Mackintosh, Gairloch, with issue - five daughters, one of whom, Annabella, married Murdo Macrae, with issue.
6. Margaret, who died unmarried.
William, IV. of Gruinard, raised a Company of Highlanders in 1778 for Lord Seaforth's Regiment. Simon, his eldest son, went to India in command of it, and, as already stated, died on his return voyage, from the accidental bite of a favourite Arab horse which he brought along with him when lock-jaw supervened and caused his death.
William was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,
V. JOHN MACKENZIE, fifth of Gruinard, Captain 73rd Regiment, who married Margaret, daughter of Gun Munro of Braemore, Caithness, with issue -
1. William, his heir and successor.
2. Christina, who married John Campbell, Poolewe, with issue - several sons and daughters.
In 1795 he sold the property - which in his time comprised Meikle Gruinard, Udrigle, and Sand, "with the pendicle thereof called Little Gruinard" - to Duncan Davidson of Tulloch, whose son re-sold it to the late Meyrick Bankes of Letterewe. He was succeeded as representative of the family by his only son,
VI. WILLIAM MACKENZIE, Captain 72nd Regiment, said to have been the handsomest man in his day in the Highlands. In 1829 he unsuccessfully claimed the Chiefship of the clan. (See pp. 351-355). He married Margaret, daughter of Wilson of Wilsonton, with issue -
1. John, who died young; and three daughters, two of whom, both named Mary, died young. The third, Margaret Innes, married Lachlan Maclachlan, Killinochannich, Argyleshire, without issue.
Captain William having died without male issue, was succeeded as representative of the family by his cousin,
VII. MAJOR-GENERAL ALEXANDER MACKAY MACKENZIE, eldest surviving son of the distinguished Colonel Alexander Mackenzie, fourth son of William Mackenzie, IV., and brother of Captain John, V. of Gruinard.
He married Marion, daughter of the Rev. William Colville of Newton,
Cambridgeshire, with issue -
1. John.
2. Stuart.
3. Lilias.
4. Sybil.
He died in London on the 21st of May, 1879, when a sketch of his career by the present writer, appeared in "Celtic Magazine," vol. IV., pp. 321-327.
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