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Scone Palace
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Rob Roy
Nicknamed Red ('
ruadh
' in Gaelic, anglicised to 'roy') for his ginger locks, Robert MacGregor (1671−1734) was
the wild leader of the wildest of Scotland's clans. Although they had rights to the lands the clan occupied, these es-
tates stood between powerful neighbours who had the MacGregors outlawed, hence their sobriquet, Children of the
Mist. Incognito, Rob became a prosperous livestock trader, before a dodgy deal led to a warrant for his arrest.
A legendary swordsman, the fugitive from justice then became notorious for his daring raids into the Lowlands to
carry off cattle and sheep. He was forever hiding from potential captors; he was twice imprisoned, but escaped on
both occasions. He finally turned himself in and received his liberty and a pardon from the king. He lies buried in
the churchyard at Balquhidder; his uncompromising epitaph reads ʻMacGregor despite them'. His life has been glor-
ified over the years due to Walter Scott's novel and the 1995 film. Many Scots see his life as a symbol of the
struggle of the common folk against the inequitable ownership of vast tracts of the country by landed aristocrats.
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