Alexander Norman MacLeod MACLEOD (VIII of Berneray)

Father: Alexander (MacLeod) HUME
Mother: Miss WRANGHAM

Family 1: Richmond Margaret INGLIS
  1. Donald John MACLEOD
  2. [daughter MACLEOD
  3. William Leod MACLEOD
  4. [Daughter] MACLEOD
  5. [Daughter] MACLEOD
  6. Agrippina MACLEOD
  7. [Daughter] MACLEOD 
                                                                                         _John MACLEOD _________________
                                                          _Donald 'Old_Trojan' MACLEOD _|_Isabel MACKENZIE _____________
                             _Captain Alexander MACLEOD _|
                            |                            |                               _Roderick Ruairidh_Og MACLEOD _
                            |                            |_Anne MACLEOD ________________|_Lady Isabella MACKENZIE ______
 _Alexander (MacLeod) HUME _|
|                           |                                                            _______________________________
|                           |                             _Alexander HUME ______________|_______________________________
|                           |_ HUME _____________________|
|                                                        |                               _______________________________
|                                                        |______________________________|_______________________________
|
|--Alexander Norman MacLeod MACLEOD 
|
|                                                                                        _______________________________
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|                            ____________________________|
|                           |                            |                               _______________________________
|                           |                            |______________________________|_______________________________
|_Miss WRANGHAM ____________|
                            |                                                            _______________________________
                            |                             ______________________________|_______________________________
                            |____________________________|
                                                         |                               _______________________________
                                                         |______________________________|_______________________________
INDEX

Notes

!SOURCE: Rev. Dr. Donald MacKinnon and Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS -- THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN, Section II, Edinburgh, The Clan MacLeod Society, 1968, p. 96. Succeeded as III of Harris and VIII of Berneray. He seems to have had some legal training for he acted as a stipendiary in Jamaica for a time. His estate in Harris was prosperous due to the kelp industry and sheep farmers were making tempting offers for parts of his estate. Despite warnings, he made Donald Stewart "a hireling shepherd", from Park, Lewis, and who had originally come from Athole, his factor in Harris. The new factor turned out to be as ruthless as he was ambitious and Alexander Norman MacLeod fell very much under his influence with dire results for the people of Harris. The factor, Donald Stewart, was determined to get the farm of Luskintyre: the tenants of Berneray offered double the rent of the farm to keep if from him. Alexander Norman unfortunately gave the farm to his factor. According to John MacLeod, [Crofters' Commission Report 1883.] Airdhasaig, in 1883, the factor now cleared seven townships in Harris at a stroke (Huishinish, Govaig, Luachair, Leosavay, Cravadal, Deirisgir and Amhuinnsuidhe). These were given to a relative of his own, Alexander Macrae. The factor now cleared the Borves in West Harris and among the evicted were the widows of James MacLeod, Malcolm Morrison and Angus MacGillespie, who were killed fighting for Britain at the battle of Waterloo, 1815. The evicted were cleared into the Bays of Harris or into the wilds of Canada. In 1817, at Middleton in Linlithgow, Alexander Norman married Richmond Margaret, daughter of William Inglis, W.S. When the newly married couple arrived at Rodel, 20 local women met them and danced a reel. Within 12 months, Rodel was cleared, the houses being unroofed and the fires quenched. For a couple of years, Alexander Norman held this farm in his own hands and thereafter it was occupied by the factor. Meanwhile nemesis was on the way so far as the proprietor of Harris was concerned. The Tory Government was under constant pressure from traders and industrialists in the south to repeal the duties on the importation of foreign barilla. These duties protected the kelp industries and their repeal was bound to have appaling social and economic results in the Hebrides. Alexander Norman wrote to Lord Glenelg warning the Government that the repeal of these duties would ruin the proprietors and tenants in the Isles. The Government paid no heed: the kelp industry was practically destroyed and Alexander Norman lost fully three-quarters of his annual income. In addition, there is every reason to believe that he was in any case extravagant. By 1830 his accumulated debts axceeded th total value of his estates and his creditors were bound to take action. In 1834 his Trustees sold Harris to Lord Dunmore for £60,000 and £500 for the right of patronage, a sum that hardly covered his debts. Alexander Norman, now a poor man, died shortly afterwards and his widow received a pension from Lord Dunmore. He had issue.

Created by Sparrowhawk 1.0 (4/17/1996) on Mon Apr 2 10:48:47 2001