Meanwhile, Robert Russell succeeded in obtaining a copy of John MacKenzie of Galson’s will. In this will, John mentions that he has a brother named Lewis but we were unable to determine whether he was related to William MacGregor or how William came to be living at South Galson.

Robert Russell also obtained from Colin MacGregor (another family member) transcripts of letters written by Mary Frederica MacGregor (William’s daughter) to her son, regarding William’s family history. These again alluded to William being the great grandson of Rob Roy MacGregor and described how his mother was the widow of a ‘finhousel’ (senior in the house of) gentleman of the House of Seaforth, who had inherited a property near Gairloch.

One of the letters described how William had three MacKenzie half brothers, who had all died while serving in the British Army. One was called Lewis and had been a Colonel at the Cape. He had married a Dutch girl and died out there. Another had died in a forlorn hope and the third had died while saving his regimental colours.

Transcript of letter written by Mary Frederica Stewart MacGregor

This led to an exhaustive search to try to determine the identity of these brothers.

Records could be found of only three principal MacKenzie families who had a son named Lewis and two other sons in the army - the Dundonnell, Scatwell and Lochend MacKenzies (see Appendix 1). However, there were few dates given in the records and, in the case of the Lochend MacKenzies, there were conflicting reports as to whether Anne or Annabella was Alexander’s first wife. (See 15)

A full list of references to Lewis MacKenzies in ’the History of the MacKenzies’ is given at: http://mackenzie.nimiety.org/search.cgi?search=Lewis+MacKenzie

1. KENNETH MACKENZIE Third of Dundonnell. (Brother of William MacKenzie 5th Earl of Seaforth)

This family profile appears to closely fit Mary Frederica’s description. However, it is recorded that Kenneth died in 1789 (https://bit.ly/3lt24iE p309 and https://www.ssns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/05_Bangor-Jones_NWRoss_pp_79-117.pdf p105 and that his wife, Jean, predeceased him in 1769. (Further evidence in the Scots Magazine indicates that Mrs Jean MacKenzie died 4 Apr 1786. See https://books.google.fr/books?id=eNwRAAAAYAAJ p207). So, unless these dates are wrong or Sir Kenneth remarried, sadly, the dates don’t fit. Census records indicate that William MacGregor was born in 1786.

2. SIR LEWIS MACKENZIE, third Baronet and sixth of Scatwell.

3. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, Second of Lochend, who married, first, Anne, second daughter of Colin Mackenzie, I. of Mountgerald, with issue.

Unfortunately, none of these families appeared to exactly fit the bill, as none of the mothers, with a son named Lewis, are reported to have been widowed before 1786, when William was born.

Similarly, although records were found of three Lewis MacKenzies who served at the Cape, it was only possible to identify the family of one of the officers. He was Captain Lewis MacKenzie of Scatwell of the 72nd Regiment, who died in 1811. (See 16)

The second Lewis started out as an Ensign with the 2nd battalion 78th Regiment, which was founded by Col Francis Humberstone MacKenzie of Seaforth, but ended up as a Captain with the Hottentot Corp. This unit comprised of captured German and Dutch troops who ‘volunteered’ to join the British army. This Lewis MacKenzie was recorded as having married a Marie Finnie at Fort George in 1795 and being buried at the Cape in 1811.

The third Lewis was reported to have risen to the rank of Lt Colonel in the 81^st Regiment, Loyal Lincolnshire Volunteers, in 1802. The facts that he became a Colonel and that his wife could not be identified make him the most likely candidate to be William’s half brother. Unfortunately, nothing could be found to identify from which family of MacKenzies he was descended. He is reported to have died after falling off a horse in St Heliers, Jersey on 11 July 1803, after his regiment returned from the Cape. https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Historical_Record_of_the_Eighty_first_Re.html p16 & 17.

Mary Frederica’s letters also referred to William being ‘educated for the army’ before his mother put a stop to it. Investigations led to the discovery of a William MacGregor being stationed at Fort George and being commissioned as Lieutenant in 10th North British Inverness Banff Elgin and Nairn Militia on 18 July 1809 but leaving the unit before 1 August 1809. This would tie in with Mary Frederica’s assertion. It was also noticed that Kenneth MacKenzie of Dundonnell was a subaltern in the Ross Shire Militia before becoming a Captain in the Inverness Militia in 1814. This might not have been just a coincidence.