In 1812, a chief of the Clan MacDonnell
of Keppoch had a memorial built by the side of Loch Oich (one of the
series of lochs which make up the Caledonian Canal). This memorial
commemorates a not so very unusual event in the Highlands, involving
blood and bits of bodies....
This memorial is built
over a spring which flows into the loch. Above the spring is a tall,
slim obelisk. On top
of this obelisk is a sculpture of a hand holding a large dagger and
seven severed heads (this is known as a clue).
The
event which it commemorates arose from the murder of Alexander, 13th
chief of Keppoch and his brother on 25th September 1663.
These murders may have been due to the fact that they were in dispute
with Alexander MacDougall MacDonald of Inverlair with regard to the
ownership of a parcel of land......
Anyways,
there is a double murder, for which no one is arrested. Arresting one
person would not have been appropriate, as there were seven in the
group which did the killing (this is known as a clue).
Two
years later (1665, in case you've lost count) the Privy Council in
Edinburgh issues “Letters of Fire and Sword” against the
murderers to Ian Lom MacDonnell (a relative of the corpses). This
basically gives him carte blanche to take them any way he can. A side
effect of these “Letters of Fire and Sword” is that if the person
or persons named therein turns up dead, well, that's OK, it saves the
cost of a trial.
Ian
Lom and a few dozen other MacDonnells, aided by some MacDonalds of
Sleat, who had their own grievances with the killers, captured and
decapitated them. While taking this booty to Invergarry Castle for
delivery to the newest chief (before delivery to the Privy Council),
John of the not very much hair (Ian Lom) stopped at this spring to
wash of the more unpleasant bits of blood, gore and whatever else
before the presentation.
Later,
the heads were sent to Edinburgh and ordered to be "affixit to
the gallowes standing on the Gallowlie between Edinburgh and Leith".
The bodies were said to be buried in a nearby mound and have since
been exhumed, thus providing evidence for the truth of the story.
The
name of this memorial? Need you ask? How many clues do you need?
OK,
I'll tell you:- Tobar nan Ceann.