Who Was Rob Roy MacGregor? Robin Hood? Or Just a Hood?

through most of history there has been a strong distinction between the lowlands and the highlands of Scotland one spoke English the other gallic one had well-defined roads and cities the other didn't receive a single Road Route until the 18th century there was a preconceived notion that Aristocrats and well to do merchants occupied the lowlands while the barbarous brigands were the only ones who lived in the highlands both stereotypes were gross simplifications of course however there were distinct cultural and economic differences often the disparity led to some shady dealings between the two groups and this would lead to one man in particular becoming the single most famous or inFAMOUS character in Scotland of course that's Rob Roy McGregor [Applause] oh Rob was born sometime in early 1671. his actual birth date isn't recorded but his baptism is recorded as March 7th of that year baptisms were usually about a couple weeks after a baby's birth due to the high infant mortality rate Robert McGregor was nicknamed Rob ruod anglo-sizer Rob Roy due to his dark red hair his parents were one Donald glass McGregor and Margaret Campbell Donald was a Chieftain of the McGregor Clan although not much is known about Rob's Early Childhood we do know he had some schooling one perk of being the son of a Chieftain letters he wrote later in life imply he was an educated man very possibly even college educated historians can't be sure as documents from northern Scottish universities don't go back far enough and other educational establishments in the highlands were much more informal due to the isolated nature of the area what we do know for sure is that Rob and his father supported the first Jacobite Uprising Rob only 18 at the time joined his father at the Battle of kilikranki in 1689. this was a brutal bloody Affair that the jacobites barely scraped through to Victory Rob and his father managed to survive the ordeal but it seems they were both Changed by The Experience Donald himself was in prison for two years after the Revolution was quelled he would never fight again during Donald's imprisonment Rob's mother passed away after Donald's release his health and spirit declined badly [Music] the name of the game now for Rob was survival but despite the hardships Rob sensed he was in a unique position to it he had the strength and Clan backing to become a successful Reaver a collector of stray cattle in the highlands and he had the Savvy to sell them profitably in Border markets like a creep so that's exactly what he did of course this only sometimes went to plan for instance in 1691 Rob planned and executed a raid on kippen where he knew a cattle drive was about to arrive now most of the cattle in the region were owned by Whigs who opposed the king so Rob figured the authorities would turn a blind eye to what he did the cattle Rob was targeting belonged to one sir Alexander Livingston of Brad lormy in West Lothian Livingston held land in menteeth and was moving this herd from there to Sterling through kippen so Rob gathered his men and infiltrated the village and surrounding Hills ready for an ambush their presence made the local herders very nervous and it seems they didn't know about the Livingston herd coming through but they did know something was up and rumors started to fly well these guys decided that they better call in some reinforcements from town to defend themselves Rob for his part was not expecting any opposition when his men came out to take the herd but instead he had a sharp little Skirmish on his hands Rob and his Highlanders were victorious and he found most of the village residents had fled during the fighting so what do you do well naturally he claimed all the cattle in the area as his own there have been many disputes among historians as to what Rob's intentions were for the raid had a simple and more or less acceptable small raid been escalated by circumstances he could not have foreseen or did Rob knowingly and arrogantly push his luck banking on his personal power and status as a Chieftain son to get away with it nobody really knows what is clear though is that Rob was gaining notoriety in 1693 the name McGregor was prescribed by the crown making it illegal to use this was actually the second time the first from 1603 to 1661 had been a punishment for fighting with the Calhouns and land disputes with Clan Campbell but in 1693 the given reason was supporting the failed Jacobite Uprising did Rob's recent rating play into it I feel it's likely given the timing so anyway for a Time Rob went by Robert Campbell as an homage to his mother Rob's gray area trade was proving quite lucrative in time he had enough money to become a Laird in his own right and inverse nade a region smack dab between the territories of argyle and Montrose at the time these chiefly houses were Arch enemies a fact which would have been well known to Rob he used this to his advantage and often played them against each other in business dealings in January of 1693 Rob married his cousin Mary Helen McGregor of Kumar they would have four Sons James Moore Ronald Cole and Robin OGG these were Halcyon Days for Rob and all seemed to be going his way little they know his luck was about to change [Music] it happened like this in 1711 the cattle industry in Scotland was experiencing a slump Rob got his money by receiving investments from Land holder clients like James Graham the Duke of Montrose who used him as a factor that is an agent to buy and sell cattle at Market the problem was there wasn't enough cattle to go around so seeing his margins drinking Rob made a very controversial move he began transferring Assets in the names of friends and Merchants without notifying the bank of Edinburgh this left the bank liable for said assets covering Rob and Casey and went entirely bankrupt which didn't take long actually within the coming year Rob found his relationship with his main client to the Duke of Montrose turning very sour Montrose lent out a sum of cash to Rob to use for his business dealings standard Arrangement however this time montrose's money went missing the culprit may have been one of Rob's followers his great nephew's man McDonald however no letters really verified this in fact all the accounts of this so-called McDonald come from secondhand sources all we know for sure is that the cache was nowhere to be found and as Rob went out to try and find it Montrose took steps of his own remember those transferred assets well the Duke most likely discovered at this time that Rob had basically been committing fraud and there was no way for him to recoup his loss by forcing Rob to repay out of his own pocket so Montrose did something very drastic he confiscated Rob's land and kicked the family off seizing what little wealth Rob had left in the process and he went further either from a desire to save face or to make a point Mantra has put out an arrest warrant for Rob Roy Rob returned home to financial ruin he was down but like any proper Highlander he refused to admit he was out [Music] the Earl of brattlebane gave Rob some land in Glenn dockert where in 1713 Rob was able to renew his cattle business as he did so he made a point of exploiting and raiding the Duke of Montrose at every opportunity Montrose in turn tried his best to stop Roy's reeving but he was mainly unsuccessful leading to even further embarrassment as the Vendetta wore on Rob allowed himself further with John Campbell the Duke of Argyll who was more than pleased with the Duke of montrose's failings eventually Rob's business spread further and further remember cattle rating or raising or reeving was commonplace in the highlands it was an accepted ancient custom and for many simply a part of doing business after all if you weren't strong or smart enough to protect your cows what right do you really have to them in the first place so like many men before and after him Rob became a blackmailer the term is Scottish by the way it's uh sort of the original protection racket any landowners who paid Rob's fee could rest assured that their herd was safe of course if the owner didn't pay Rob and his followers would be the first to disappear the cattle nothing personal just business and now we come to 7 15 and the next Jacobite uprising Rob Roy found himself joining the rebels I mean as an outlaw he really didn't have much of a choice you either joined the group that's hunting you or you joined the Rebels for a cause you fought for when you were 18 with your dad Rob helped raise other McGregors in aberdeenshire and acted as a guide on marches we know he was present at the Battle of sheriff Muir one of the most notorious battles but he did not charge in with the other men some historians theorize he pulled back for tactical reasons others argue that Rob chose to be merely an onlooker because he had personal goals that being to plunder both armies once the dust settled like most things with Rob Roy the truth probably Falls somewhere in between the two opponents in the battle were the Jacobite Force Under The Earl of mar John Erskine and the government Army led by the Duke of argyle Rob had dealings with men on both sides the Duke had been an ally especially in Rob's plundering of montrose's assets while the jacobites followed the cause that Rob grew up with we know with hindsight that the Jacobite Army made some pretty fatal mistakes in their formation for the battle it may be that Rob saw these dangers directly and it seems certain he was not the sort of person to sacrifice his life for a bad plan and not to mention against an enemy he wasn't wholly opposed to so perhaps during this battle memories of that Bloody day back at Killy cranky played into Rob's decision we'll never know for sure well regardless of his motivations Rob's non-involvement coupled with the inconclusive outcome of the battle would prove advantageous to him after the uprising was over with the blessing of the Duke of argyle Rob moved his family to glenshira in 1716 the Duke of Athol captured Rob and charged him with high treason however his old friend Argyle intervened so Rob avoided prison this did not absolve him of his alleged actions with the jacobites though rather the arrangement was that Rob was required to petition the crown for a chance to swear his Legions it was a get out of jail free card but Rob procrastinated most likely waiting to see where the political chips fell in the meantime he returned to his rating and protection racket once again focusing his efforts on Montrose in 1722 our girl stepped in to craft a Reconciliation meeting between the two men so did Rob mend his ways after this nah the man was on a roll and why stop when you have a money-making Talent right his Antics were only curtailed when in 1725 General Wade who had been tasked with pacifying the highlands arrested and imprisoned him in Newgate Prison in London [Music] so it was during this time that something unique was happening to Rob Roy he was becoming a legend Highlanders like anyone else enjoyed telling stories and what better story is there than that of the cunning courageous Highlander sticking it to the Man these stories eventually culminated in a piece of literature called the Highland Rogue this short 63-page pamphlet published in 1723 is the first written biography of Rob Roy McGregor and it was written before he even passed away most people believe that the pamphlet was written by Daniel Defoe author of notable Classics like Robinson Caruso but this has never really been confirmed was the story an accurate portrayal of the man well not quite the pamphlet did include several events that we think happened to Rob Roy but it was framed in a very sympathetic light most descriptions of Rob for example were very fanciful often describing him as a massive mountain of Amman with a superhuman stature in reality from what we can tell he was pretty much an average looking guy he just had red hair but this work proved to be the blueprint for the Rob Roy legend that you and I enjoy today the Highland Rogue painted the man as a Charming Fox who helped others with his Antics eventually evolving into his modern label of the Scottish Robin Hood and by the same process a general caricature of all Highlanders was spawned the Highland Rogue story was wildly popular both in and outside of Scotland some posit that its popularity boosted the success of a 1727 petition for a royal pardon Rob was freed just in time to avoid transportation to Barbados after his release Rob now in his mid-50s settled down with his family he converted to Catholicism and would live out the rest of his life peacefully well notwithstanding the occasional duel the Highland Rogue passed away in his bed on December 28 1734. over the years Rob Roy McGregor has been the focus of many historians and artists several works from a wide range of viewpoints explore the man his times and his exploits the most beloved is probably Sir Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy the two most famous modern histories are w.h Murray's Rob Roy McGregor his life and times and David Stevenson's hunt for Rob Roy all have inspired film adaptations and just more questions because in the end was Rob Roy a scotch Robin Hood or was he just a brigand who pillaged both high and low well I'd say it was a bit of both he was a bandit he was a businessman he was a warrior dedicated to protecting his family and Ken at the very least the real Rob Roy was a complex man who made decisions rooted in practicality logic and pride and what's more Scottish than that thank you for watching do you want to decide for yourself who the real Rob Roy was well check out the links below to learn more about the man and try unraveling the mystery that is Rob Roy for yourself in the meantime if you want more historical videos about Scotland and other Celtic lands be sure to check these out over here

Channel: USA Kilts & Celtic Traditions

Views: 7,530

Keywords: where to buy a kilt, usa kilts, formal highland dress, #kilts, #usakilts, how to wear the kilt, clan tartan, life in a kilt, history bounding, outlander outfit, renaissance fair costume ideas, Jacobites, Jacobite Uprising, Rob Roy movie, the real rob roy, Scottish highlanders, cattle raiding, Scottish myths, Sir Walter Scott

Id: k1Sif-U_ERA

Length: 14min 46sec (886 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 28 2022