Croy-Leckie, who descend from Corc,
younger brother of Gilchrist of Arrochar, ancestor of the MacFarlanes (John Leckie of
Croy-Leckie, the then head of the family, married a daughter of MacGregor of Glengyle by
his wife, a Campbell of Glenfalloch, and thus became brother-in-law to Rob Roy, whom he
joined at Sheriffmuir); and finally also the MacAulays (Mac Amhalghaidh) of Ardencaple in
Dumbartanshire.
The MacAulays were chiefs of the district
along the east shore of Gare Loch, between Loch Long and Loch Lomond. They descend from
Aulay Arngapill, or Ardincapill, of that Ilk who is mentioned in 1513. He himself
descended from a long line of barons of Ardencaple (Morice de Arncappel rendered homage in
1296, Johannes de Ardenagappill was a charter witness about 1364, and Arthur de Ardincapel
witnessed a charter by Duncan, eighth Earl of the Lennox about 1390). Though not
originally descended from the House of Lennox, they seem to have inherited the leadership
of some of the earls’ kindred of the name of MacAulay, for the Aulay is distinctive
to that family (the House of Lennox); that is, Amalghaidh mac Amhalghaidh (Aulay mac
Aulay), son of Aulay, was a younger son of Alwin, second Earl of the Lennox about 1200.
Furthermore, Alexander Ardincapple, Aulay Ardincapill’s representative in the reign
of James V (1513—1542), adopted the surname of MacAulay in order to better represent
the clan at the head of which he found himself, that of MacAuley: Alexander Ardincapple,
"then the head of the family, took a fancy to call himself Alexander MacAulay of
Ardincapple, from a predecessor of his of the name of Aulay, to humour a patronymical
designation as being more agreeable to the head of a clan than the designation of
Ardincaple of that Ilk" (Black 29). Alexander’s taking the name of MacAulay
seems tantamount to acknowledging the name and line of the clan he represented, hence the
inclusion of his family in the discussion of the Lennox kindred. Awla McAwla of
Ardencapill appears in 1536, while another Awla McAwla was clerk of the watch of Queen
Mary’s guard 1566. Getting back to the pre—Ardincapple MacAulay kindred, Sir
Duncan MacAulay, son of Aulay mac Aulay, joined Robert the Bruce in the time before
Bannockburn, and his son Aulay "de Faslane" was given the office of Tosheagor,
or heritable bailie, by Malcolm, Earl of the Lennox. His son Walter was the Walter de
Faslane who married the heiress of his kinsmen Donald, Earl of the Lennox, thus keeping
the earldom within the House of Lennox for the time (this situation was analogous to the
marriage, some 200 years later, of Mary Queen of Scots, heiress of the Royal House, with
Lord Darnley, the Stewart heir-male). It is probably a cousin of the above family that
appears as "Iwar McAulay in Lennox" in 1326. The stronghold of the MacAulays was
Ardencaple Castle, sold in 1767 and now in ruins. |
