MacIver vs. Gunn
In 1575 a band of MacIver clansmen, who had resided previously in the Argyll district of Scotland, under the leadership of two brothers, Kenneth Beuy MacIver and Farquhar MacIver, relocated to Caithness in the north of Scotland. After they arrived, George Sinclair, the Earl of Caithness, recognized that this band of immigrants was much more suited to predatory warfare then his own men, and employed them to help in the Sinclair’s blood feud against Clan Sutherland. The MacIver’s became natural enemies with Clan Gunn who were also considered a fierce and warlike race. The Gunn’s under the leadership of their chief, MacHamish Gunn, were allied with the Sutherlands and guarded the boarder of their territory.
In 1589 Kenneth Buey and his brother Farquhar led their tribe of MacIvers out of Caithness and into Stratnaver, a Gunn stronghold. Once the group reached Strathy, they took a herd of cattle from the Gunn’s. Donald Gunn, son of the clan chief, gathered up his clansmen and faced the MacIvers at Ache-Moin-Merkell where they were able to successfully defeat them and recover their cattle. A year later, seeking revenge, the MacIver’s along with the Sinclairs once again invaded the Gunn’s territory in an attempt to track down Donald Gunn. The MacIver’s were able to kill a number of Gunn Clansmen as they slept. Donald Gunn, who was wounded by sword and pistol, escaped by leaping over a large rock and making his way to the protection of Strathy. The MacIvers and Sinclairs chased a group of Gunn’s fleeing from their houses and trapped them at the foot of Craggy Hill. It is believed that Twenty to thirty important members of the Gunn Clan were killed after a fiercely contested battle.
In 1594 the Gunn’s led by their greatest fighter, Vic-Hendric, mounted an attack on Caithness lands. The Gunn’s sent a band of warriors to the passage of the Water of Thurso at Polihowar as a diversion in order to draw the attention of the MacIvers and Mackays, who were guarding the passage. Another group of Gunn’s snuck around the backside, a mile or two down the river, and made a sudden attack, killing the guards along with Farquhar MacIver. Accounts of the battle stated that the MacIver’s and Mackay’s made a resolute defense, but were overpowered by the numbers and slain. Kenneth Beuy MacIver, after hearing of his brothers death, gathered his troops and marched into Sutherland territory on a revenge mission looking for the Gunn’s. MacIver’s troops where able to track down the Gunn’s men in Strathie, they viciously attacked and killed seven Gunn Clansman. The Gunn Chief, George Gunn, and his greatest fighter, Vic-Hendric, barely escaped with their lives.
The fued between the MacIver’s and the Gunn’s came to an end in 1616 when Kenneth Beuy’s youngest son, John, began a feud with their allies Clan Sinclair. The feud escalated to the point that the MacIver’s were forced off their land and had to take shelter with the Mackays of Achness in Strathnaver. The MacIvers switched sides and were supported by the Sutherland and Gunn clans as they conducted a series of raids against the Sinclair’s.
