55967: Donald Macleod

Donald Macleod (born 1790) was a son of Norman Macleod, Isle of Scarp.

He married Catherine Macinnes from Harris. Donald and Catherine settled at 14 Old Orinsay and they had seven children.

Orinsay was cleared in 1843 and the family emigrated to Smith’s Mountain, St. Anns, Cape Breton.

Their home in Orinsay was on the site of the current no 2 Orinsay.

Donald was reputed to have been an unusually strong person. On one occasion, the Stewart brothers of Pairc Sheep Farm “Gillean Ruadh na Pairc”, who were universally acknowledged to be very cruel and wild men, invited Donald to meet them at Buthinish. Donald set off in a rowing boat across Loch Shell with a companion but on arrival at the other side, there was no sign of the Stewart brothers. Although Donald knew very well that the Stewart brothers purpose in inviting him was to set about him, nevertheless he set off confidently alone to visit friends in their house nearby, leaving his companion in the boat.

As he was climbing up from the shore to his friend’s house, he saw  one of the Stewart brothers coming forward to meet him. On coming abreast, Mr Stewart offered his hand and without exchanging a word of greeting, Donald grasped his hand and pressed it so hard that he forced the blood out of Mr Stewart’s fingernails. When he released his hand, Mr Stewart turned away without a word and Donald turned and walked quietly down to his boat.

It is significant that Donald emigrated when Orinsay was cleared in 1843. He was probably a marked man and he could not escape the tentacles of the Lewis estate employees. Probably the estate refused to give him a place to live within Lewis. That was usually the price a crofter had to pay if he was not submissive.