James MacDonald (1520 - 1565)

Born 1520 in Antrim, County Ulster, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1565 at about age 45 in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland

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Biography

James was born in 1515. He passed away in 1565.

James Mac Domhnaill or MacDonald in Scotland or McDonnell in Ireland, 6th Laird of Dunnyveg (died 1565), was a Scoto-Irish chieftain. He was the son of Alexander MacDonald, lord of Islay and Kintyre (Cantire), and Catherine MacDonald, daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan.^[1]

He organised the release of his brother Sorley Boy MacDonnell in 1551, in exchange for George Bustsyde, a prisoner he held after a battle on the island of Reachrainn (now Rathlin Island).

During the Battle of Glentasie on 2 May 1565, he and Sorley Boy were captured by Shane O'Neill and imprisoned. James succumbed to his wounds shortly after being captured, while being imprisoned at Castle Crocke, near Strathblane.

James was the eldest of his father's sons and was likely born about 1520. After the crowning of James V young James was invited to Scotland as a guest of the Scottish Court. He was there from 1531-35 and likely still a child or young teenager as he was placed in the care of William Henderson, Dean of Holyrood. This acheived two objectives for the crown, first, it secured the good behaviour of Alexander's father and second, it created an opportunity to mold the future leader.

With the death of his father, Alexander, about 1538-40 James McConnell became the sixth chief of Macdonald of Dunnyveg and the Glens, (Clan Donald South). In 1545 Donald Dubh also died and, amongst the islanders, James was a popular candidate to replace him. His power and possessions grew, backed by generous grants from Queen Mary as a show of thanks for his efforts against the English.^[2] In the year 1545, Mary, queen of Scots, for the good service done by James Macdonnell, during her minority, especially in opposing the English - 'the auncient enemys of her kingdom'—granted to him the lands of Cantire [Kintyre] north and south, consisting of 294 marklands and 53 shilling lands; in Isla, 91 marklands and 1064 shilling lands; in Jura, 184 shilling lands; together with several smaller allotments in Arran, Gigha, Colonsay, and other islands. ^[3]

In 1556 James and his brothers were forced to return to Scotland. ^[4]

James lived at Saddell Castle which he acquired from the Earl of Arran in exchange for land owned by James in Arran. The castle was attacked and burnt by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex, Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1558.^[5] From his letters we know he also spent time on Islay, the original home of the Lordship of the Isles; at Ardnamurchan, home of his mother's people; and at a castle Red Bay, (Caislen Camus Rhuaidh), in Antrim, Northern Ireland which was home to his wife's people.^[6]

In 1565, Caislen Camus Rhuaidh was burned to the ground by Shane O'Neill, chief of the O'Neills of Tyrone. That same year James was wounded and captured in a battle at Glen-taisi, near Ballycastle against the forces of Shane O'Neil.

He died in May 1565, while imprisoned at Castle Crocke, near Strathbane, Ireland, a captive of O'Neill.^[7]

In a letter dated Janyary 24, 1545-6 James signs his name as James McConaill of Dunnewaik an the Glennis^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_MacDonald,_6th_of_Dunnyveg#cite_note-2
2. ↑ Notices of the Clan Ian Vór, p.303.
3. ↑ Rev. Hill, p. 45.
4. ↑ Calendar of the State Papers.
5. ↑ Wikipedia
6. ↑ Notices of the Clan Ian Vór, p.303.
7. ↑ O'Laverty, p. 17.
8. ↑ Notices of the Clan Ian Vór

Macdonald, Rev. A. and Macdonald Rev. A. (1904). The Clan Donald: Volume 3. Inverness, Scotland. Northern Counties Publishing Company Ltd. http://archive.org/stream/clandonald03macduoft#page/377/mode/2up

Wikipedia contributors, "James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_MacDonald,_6th_of_Dunnyveg&oldid=544038905 (accessed September 26, 2013).

"Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland, of the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth." Longman, H.M.S.O., London , 1860. Accessed February 20, 2015. https://archive.org/stream/calendarireland01greauoft#page/132/mode/2up

Saddell Castle. (2014, January 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:52, February 21, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saddell_Castle&oldid=588815488

Notices of the Clan Ian Vór, or Clan-Donnell Scots, especially of the branch settled in Ireland, "Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 9." Ulster Archaeological Society, 1862, (Google Books). Accessed February 20, 2015. https://books.google.ca/books?id=FgVKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA301.

Hill, Rev. George, An Historical Account of the MacDonnells of Anrtim, Belfast, 1873 http://archive.org/stream/historicalaccoun00hill#page/44/mode/2up

The Annals of Loch Cé: A Chronicle of Irish Affairs from A.D. 1014 to A.D. 1590, Volume 2 , Hennessy, William H. (ed), London, 1871. (Google eBook) https://books.google.ca/books?id=TdNDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA389&lpg

O'Laverty, M.R.I.A., Rev. James. "An Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern." Vol. IV, James Duffy & Sons, Dublin, 1887. Accessed February 25, 2015. https://archive.org/stream/historicalaccoun04olav#page/16/mode/2up.