I’ve now tried to do a bit more analysis of events relating to Roderick MacGregor’s movements after the Battle of Culloden:

James MacGregor bc 1695 – dc 1754 (known dates of sons 1731 onwards)

1743 Sir Alexander McK 10th Laird of Gairloch (3rd Baronet) sells Kintail and purchases Kinlochewe estate. See https://goo.gl/vCmnxX

1738 Sir Alexander McK of Gairloch builds Flowerdale. Not involved in 1745 rising.

1745 William McK IV of Gruinard m Lilias (daughter of John McK I of Lochend).

1746 Battle of Culloden.

There are no known records of Rorie Buidhe's existence or who his mother might have been. He was conceivably born before James’ marriage to Annabella MacNicol. Mary Frederica’s letter says that Rob Roy’s eldest son was James, which is incorrect. However, Coll (bc 1698 d 1735), who was actually Rob Roy’s eldest son, couldn’t have been at Culloden.

1748 William McK IV of Gruinard builds Udrigle House.

1761 William McK of Gruinard borrows money from Rev Colin McK, Minister of Fodderty (& Glack)

c1764 William McK of Gruinard borrows from his son in law, Roderick Morrison, tacksman of Mellon Udrigle & shipowner of Stornoway

1766 A Roderick McG obtains an 8 year tenancy at Taagan from Sir Alexander MacKenzie of Gairloch

1770 Sir Hector McK of Gairloch (1758-1826) succeeds his father Sir Alexander McK

1775 A Roderick McG obtains a further 4 year tenancy from Sir Hector MacKenzie of Gairloch see http://www.kinlochewe.com/documents/Forpublication-SettlementsofWesterRoss-Copy.pdf

Sir Hector McK of Gairloch’s sister, Margaret, marries Roderick McK II of Glack.

1778 Lilias (a’ Bhan-tighearna Bhuidh) McK of Gruinard (daughter of John McK I of Lochend), presses tenants for her son, Simon McK’s company in the 78 th Regiment. See ‘Gruinard and Letterewe: the Lairds & the Clearances p3. Attempts to press John McG, father Ruaridh Donn or Rorie Macgregor https://www.electricscotland.com/history/gairloch/g248.htm

c1778 Death of John McG (son of Roderick McG). Reportedly buried in Inverewe churchyard, although I can find no record of his grave. It is also mentioned that he had two daughters, one of whom married Murdo Crobach Fraser in Inverkerry. See https://goo.gl/XPxWSw ch XXV.

1781 Mary McG born in Inverewe, according to death certificate (Parents Roderick and Margaret Macgregor) and so Roderick may have been living in Inverewe House c1781- c1803. (Roderick 53?)

c1782 William McK of Gruinard succeeded by third son John V (1st and 2^nd sons predeceased him).

c1784 Sir Alexander Mck of Coul (5^th Baronet) evicts tenants from Lochend in favour of crofters from Kintail. see

https://dokumen.tips/documents/a-history-and-survey-of-isle-ewe-recordsisle-ewepdf-a-brief-history-of-isle.html (search Lochend).

c1786 William McG born (Roderick 58?)

1792 Sir Alexander McK of Coul 5^th Baronet dies

1793 First Battalion of the 78th is raised: Saighdearan Mhic Coinnich Bhodhair.

1796 Major General Sir Alexander Mck of Coul 6th Baronet dies

1799 John McK V of Gruinard (1746-? m 1772) sells all lands of Gruinard

1804 Second Battalionof the 78th is raised: Saighdearan Mac a’Mhinisteir.

1809 William Macgregor (age 23) commissioned as Lieutenant in 10th North British Inverness Banff Elgin and Nairn Militia on 18 July 1809 but out by 1 August 1809

1817 Lilias McK of Gruinard dies at Aird House 3 Jan 1817, age 96 (b1721) https://books.google.fr/books?id=dFs3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=Aird+House+Gruinard&source=bl&ots=u5WTg4kwRD&sig=ACfU3U3fJsEtrqJ596ur4Ee_4wgvtxSogg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPiom7nL_mAhV95OAKHWZwCrU4ChDoATALegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=Aird%20House%20Gruinard&f=false ( Her will mentions Capt John MacKenzie Senior of Stornoway)

c1820 William McG Tacksman of South Galson Farm (age 34)

1820 William McG marries Helen Gillanders

1838 Sir George Steuart McK of Coul (7^th Baronet) (1780-1848) evicts tenants, including Murdo MacGregor (son of Roderick McG of Inverewe House) from Slaggan, Mellon Udrigle and Inverewe . Roderick McG had already died.

1841 William McG age 55 is living in North Galson with wife, Helen, and daughter, Helen (1 year). (1841 census)

1855 Mary McG dies at Slaggan having resided there for 52 years.

McK lairds of Gairloch

See 'Gairloch in NW Ross' https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41227/41227-h/41227-h.htm#Chapter_1XIV

B succeeded D

Sir Alexander Mackenzie (seventh laird)

6 children d 1703 age 32 1702 lived Stankhouse

3^rd son by 2^nd wife John McK I of Lochend

Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. (ninth laird) 1700 1703 1766 built Flowerdale 1738

9 children m Janet McK of Scatwell 1730

Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. (tenth laird) 1731 1766 1770 built Conon House p56, 179

Twice married (divorced?) 6 children

Son Gen John Mck ‘Fighting Jack’

(Colonel on half pay at the same time as Lt Lewis MacKenzie)

Daughter Margaret m Roderick McK II of Glack

Sir Hector Mackenzie, Bart. 1757 1770 1826

Sir Francis Alexander Mackenzie, Bart. 1799 1826 1843

Sir Kenneth Smith Mackenzie, Bart. 1832 1843—

McK laird of Gruinard https://www.ssns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/05_Bangor-Jones_NWRoss_pp_79-117.pdf

John Mck I of Gruinard 8 sons 8 daughters

George Mck II of Gruinard 1^st wife 14 sons 9 daughters

2^nd wife 4 sons 6 daughters

William McK IV of Gruinard

m Lilias Mck of Lochend 3 sons d c 1782

Simon died returning from India c 1792

George died from fall in Jamaica

John McK V of Gruinard (bc 1746 m 29 Sept 1772) Capt 73rd Rgt

m Margaret Munroe (b 27 Nov 1753 daughter of Gun Munro of Braemore)

Estate sequested June 1797

Estate sold to Duncan Davidson of Tulloch 1799.

From https://www.ssns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/05_Bangor-Jones_NWRoss_pp_79-117.pdf

MacKenzie Families of the Barony of Lochbroom. Bangor Jones

MacKenzies of Gruinard

William's enterprises, legal or otherwise, appear to have been matched by high spending. Strong evidence is hard to come by although he is, for instance, recorded as purchasing a 'black durant Negligee' gown for his daughter Katherine in 1761.98 Eventually the family indebtedness reached a critical level and in 1774 .Colin Mackenzie, minister of Fodderty and a well known money lender, obtained an adjudication against the estate for the large sum of £6,099, a sum which probably represents an accumulation of unsecured debt which had built up over the years.

Colin Mackenzie made the adjudication over to William and was given a bond for £1,200 secured over the estate - a transaction which suggests that the adjudication was arranged to defend the estate against other creditors. A few years later William borrowed further sums from Colin Mackenzie followed by a small loan from his nephew, Roderick Morrison, tacksman of Mellon Udrigle, a merchant and shipowner in Stornaway and soon to be involved in establishing the fishing station on the Isle of Tanera (see J. Munro, this volume).

By 1782 the accumulated debt secured on the estate amounted to £2,840, almost ten times the free rent.JOO William died in about 1782101 and was succeeded by his third son John, a Lieutenant with the 73rd Regiment. William's eldest son Simon had received a disposition of the estate from his father in 1778 but had died while returning from service as an officer with the 78th Regiment in India; and George, the son next in line, had died from a fall in Jamaica.102 John failed to attend to the loans affecting the estate, and by 1788 Colin Mackenzie was owed about £500 in unpaid interest and the other creditors were in a similar position.

A process of ranking and sale had already been commenced but when John announced that he had decided to sell, Colin Mackenzie, who 'wished to show every indulgence', suspended further proceedings. John, however, put a price on the estate 'far exceeding its value and accordingly no offer was made upon the day of the sale'. Legal action was recommenced and on 4 March 1788 a judicial factor was appointed to safeguard the creditors' interests.Hl3 This achieved the desired effect and on 26 March John sold the estate to Murdoch Maciver, minister of Lochalsh, for £6,600.

John was still keen to retain part of his inheritance and managed to persuade Maciver - who was finding it difficult to come up with the purchase price because money which he had hoped to obtain from his 97 brothers abroad had failed to materialise - not only to restrict his purchase to two-thirds of the estate but also to give John a pre-emption of buying the estate back if he ever wished to sell. Maciver was sold the lands of Udrigle, Sand and Little Gruinard, John held on to Drumchork and Tighnafiline and the mill of Aultbea, and the fishing and kelp rights were shared in proportion. John remained in occupation of the mains of Tighnafiline, mansionhouse, farm buildings and garden. 104

The £4,400 proceeds from the sale enabled him to clear the loans secured on the estate, and a formal disposition of the estate to Maciver was signed in February 1790 when John also gave his mother a life-rent annuity of £30 over the remainder of the estate. 105 John's army career gave him little opportunity to manage his small estate and his debts once more increased. In July 1791 Davidson of Tulloch, who had obtained an adjudication against the estate the previous year, agreed to lend John £1,000. Tulloch was to be secured by a heritable bond and was also to receive a conveyance of John's right of pre-emption.

John regretted making the agreement, fell out with Tulloch and sold the right of preemption to Rose, minister of Dingwall for £100.106 In 1792 John successfully obtained a loan of £1,000 from John Morrison, the tacksman of Drumchork and brother of the now deceased Roderick Morrison. Three years later he borrowed £600 from Simon Fraser of Bruiach.107

The level of debt secured on the estate had once again reached critical levels and there was little scope for increasing the estate rental in the short term. A shepherd had offered £100 for the farm of Drumchork but the lands were let on a long lease to Morrison for £38. Furthermore John had also taken on the tack of Meikle Gruinard after the death of his cousin, Captain John Mackenzie of Avoch.108

Crisis point had been reached, and John made a last attempt to save the estate by assigning it to George Mackenzie of Avoch. Then it became evident that the latter was unable to pay the creditors, the estate was sequestrated in June 1797 and sold by judicial sale the following year. A disposition by Avoch to the purchaser, Duncan Davidson of Tulloch, in January 1799 completed the transaction (see Caird, this volume ).

Observations:

Interesting that William Mck of Gruinard borrowed money from Rev Colin McK of Fodderty/Glack

Alexander McK II of Lochend’s family closely matches Mary Frederica’s description.

There are reports of a Roderick or Rorie Budh McG of Londubh (Inverewe).

Lilias McK of Gruinard (brother of Alexander McK II of Lochend) is reported trying to press John McG (Roderick McG’s son). Would she have tried to do this if they were step relations?

Ann Passaportis’ family notes say Roderick McG married McK of Gruinard widow and that she lived in a house at Mellon Udrigle.

Couldn’t be Lilias McK, as reported dying c 1782.

Mary McG’s death certificate says she was b 1781 Inverewe and that her mother was Margaret McK. No Margaret’s known to be in McK of Lochend family.

John McK V of Gruinard had a wife named Margaret (very well connected as daughter of Gun Munroe of Braemore), who would have been living at Udrigle. However, it appears that John did not die before 1799 when the Gruinard Estate’s were sold.

Could Mary Frederica be wrong in saying William had three brothers who died in the Army and could it have been three uncles? Could John have died before estates sold? Were John’s brothers, Simon & George, married before they died?

Otherwise, we are still looking at an Anne, 2^nd daughter of Colin McK of Mountgerald, or Annabella, daughter of Sutherland of Little Torboll. There are conflicting reports as to which was Alexander McK II of Lochend’s first wife. This would be mean that Mary McG of Inverewe/Slaggan couldn’t be William McG’s sister.