Sunday 6 December 2015

More Miscellaneous Feuding

Previous mentions of ancient feuds in Angus concentrated on the conflicts between the powerful families of Ogilvy and Lindsay, whose bloody rivalry rumbled on and off for generations.  But there were of course others involved in the struggle for power and addiction to violence through the ages.  Early in the 16th century the Red Douglas kindred, Earls of Angus, delegated their authority as Barons of the Regality of Kirriemuir to Ogilvy of Inverquharity Castle.In 1524, Inverquharity ordered the Ogilvys of Clova to stop feuding with the Grahams of Mains Castle.  Forty-four years later the reckless Graham chief was ordered to come to Kirriemuir to answer the charge that he had kidnapped a follower of Ogilvy of Inverquharity.  Graham did indeed come to Kirriemuir, but with him were a band of 1,000 men, including a party of Lindsays.  They took over the town and forced Ogilvy to fleedback to his nearby castle at Inverquarity.  The wayward Grahams also maintained a long running rivalry wit the Fotheringhams of nearby Wester Powrie.  The latter were adherents of Lindsay, Duke of Montrose, and were angry that the Grays had been awarded the Sheriffhood of Angus after Lindsay’s forfeiture.  The Grays inflicted severe damage of Powrie Castle in 1490.

   The Lindsays wasted much time and energy in internecine fighting.  A Lindsay from Glen Quiech who pretended to be the heir to the lands of Barnyards was challenged by Lindsay of Finavon.  Finavon was slain and his killer fled, so the half finished castle of Barnyards was never completed.  A Lindsay Laird of Edzell was once forced into hiding when the Lindsay Earl of Crawford was after him.  Edzell hid in the wildness of Glen Mark, but the earl found him, so Edzell was forced to make a desperate leap across a gorge in the Water of Mark to escape.  He landed safely on the other side, but several of Crawford’s men fell to their deaths on the rocks below.  The chasm was afterwards called Egil’s [Edzell’s] Loup.
Inverquharity Castle, stronghold of the Ogilvys.

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