THE HISTORY OF THE BROTCHE OF UGADALE
by
Col Hector Macneal
A very ancient and beautiful brooch has been preserved in the family of the Mackays, now Macneals, of Ugadale, and it is said by tradition to have been given to an ancestor of that house by Robert the Bruce. When the King fled from Arran to Rachine, he was in such extremity that he escaped into Kintyre in a very small boat, with only two men, by whom he was brought across the Sound of Kilbrannan from Loch Ranza to Ugadale. It was late in the evening; Gilchrist ( or his father, Ivor ) Mackay, then the possessor of the farm, was sitting upon the "Clach-na-Eorna" or barley-stone, at the end of the house, and, when he saw the skiff approach the little rocky point which juts from the small landing creek beneath the farm, he descended to the Beach to offer hospitality to the strangers. Before he reached the shore, however, the boatmen had already put off, and the Bruce walked forward alone, and received the kindly invitation of Mackay.
Their is an old Druidical stone with circles on it supposed to represent the sun and moon; and Bruce is supposed to have sat down on it after having landed from the boat. In confirmation of the King having landed there, the landing place from time immemorial been known as "the King's Cove". As the King and Mackay proceeded up the brae, though simply dressed, the powerful stature and majestic appearance of the future monarch attracted the admiration and curiosity of his host; but, as the rules of Highland courtesy did not permit any enquiry concerning the name of a guest, he made no questions, but provided the noble stranger with the best food and lodging he had to offer.
During the evening, the Bruce expressed his intention to cross the peninsula the next morning to take boat upon the opposite shore. His host having engaged to direct him to the most proper place, at an early hour on the next day set out to guide him through the hills. Having come in sight of the sea, Mackay stopped and pointed out his last instructions to his guest. The place where they separated was on the farm of Arnicle, near a large standing stone which still remains erect, and is known by the name of "Clach-Mhich-Dhaidh" - Mackay's stone. From this spot the gudeman pointed out his route to the Bruce, and at parting, the King, taking the Brooch from his mantle, presented it to his host, and pursuing his way, obtained a boat in the Mac-Righ-Hanish bay, and passed over in safety into Rachine. After his elevation to the throne, "the good King Robert" repaid the hospitality of his host by a grant of the lands of Ugadale and Arnicle, to be held of the Crown by his tenure of entertaining the King, when he should visit Kintyre. The original grant has been lost. It was a piece of sheepskin only three inches squre, bearing the words, "I, Robert the First, give the lands of Ugadale and Arnakill to Mackay and his heirs for ever." On this grant the family held the lands till the reign of King James the Fourth, when it was formally confirmed by a Crown Charter.
For many years after the year 1745, the Brooch had disappeared in the family, and was supposed to have been lost, but when the old house of Lossit was pulled down in 1824 for the purpose of rebuilding the present residence, as the workmen were employed in taking off the wainscoat in one of the upper rooms, a heavy object fell from behind a panel among the rubbish. The wright, supposing it to be a piece of stone or mortar, continued his work without notice; but when he left work, observing some object glitter on the floor, he discovered the Brooch, which being richly gilt, was little tarnished by time and damp. It is supposed that it had been concealed behind the wainscoat during the troublesome times of 1745. It was always known to the members of the family to be concealed somewhere, but the hiding place had been forgotten.
The Mackays retained possession of Ugadale and Arnicle till the end of the seventeenth century, when the estate passed into the hands of the Macneals of Lossit, by ther marriage of Catherine Mackay, only child of Daniel Mackay of Arnicle and Ugadale, with Torquil Macneal of Lossit, and brought the properties of Ugadale and Arnicle, along with the Brooch, into the family of Macneal of Lossit. The estate of Ugadale was sold in 1975.
This interesting relic is of silver, and very like the Brooch of Lorne. The centre stone is of crystal, surrounded with Scottish pebbles also set in silver. On it's inner part the letters F.M'K have been rudely cut, being the initials of Farquar Mackay to whom it was given by the King. Her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, on seeing the Brooch, became so fascinated with it that she desired a copy to retain. Two copies were accordingly made, one of which was in the possession of the Queen, while the other lies on exhibition in the Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh.
The present holder of the Brooch is Colonel Hector Macneal of Lossit, who has kindly given us this account.
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