HEAD CASE
King James I made bringing law and order to the Highlands a priority after he took the throne in 1424. The powerful Macdonald clan, the uncrowned kings of the Western Highlands, were a particular thorn in his side and they were not slow to tell the new king to mind his own business. Kintyre at the time was controlled by a Macdonald known as Donald Balloch. He threw his lot in with a rebellion against the king led by the Earls of Mar and Caithness. But King James smashed the rebels at Inverlochy in 1431. Balloch fled to Ulster where the Macdonalds were a big deal. And it did not hurt that Balloch’s mother was one of the Bissett family, who ruled Antrim. Balloch realised that King James would never give up the hunt for him as long as they both lived. So, he came up with a plan to take the heat off himself. King James was sent a package by Irish chieftain Hugh O’Neill. The package contained a head which O’Neill said was Balloch’s. It is not clear whether it was specially severed from someone who looked a lot like Balloch.
The Kintyre chieftain eventually emerged from hiding and continued his war with the Scottish royal family. In 1455 he joined a rebellion led by the Earl of Douglas and the Earl of Ross. Seven years later he was being paid £40 a year by the English to undermine the Scottish Crown.
Next Week - THE PIPER’S WARNING