The Gentlemen Adventurers of Fife

In the late 16th century, Scotland was undergoing a period of significant change. With the ascension of King James VI to the throne, the country was experiencing a shift from feudalism to a more centralized and royal controlled system. This centralization was reflected in the Crown’s policy toward the land and people of the Scottish Highlands and islands. One notable example of this was the group of noblemen known as the “Gentlemen Adventurers of Fife.”

The Gentlemen Adventurers were a group of 11 noblemen-colonists, largely from eastern Fife, who were awarded rights from King James VI to colonize the Isle of Lewis in 1598. This move was part of King James’ broader plan to “civilize” and “de-Gaelicize” the islands, a plan that had much in common with the Plantation of Ulster that would occur several years later. The noblemen saw an opportunity to exploit the island’s natural resources, and the Parliament of Scotland granted them an “infestment” of the lands of Lewis.

In 1599, the Gentlemen Adventurers arrived at the Isle of Lewis with a private army of 600 men. They established a settlement near present-day Stornoway, and began their exploitation of the island’s resources. However, their arrival was met with resistance from the MacLeod clan, who were the feudal lords of Lewis and saw the arrival of the settlers as a threat to their ancestral lands.

The MacLeod clan, led by Roderick Macleod and his sons Neil and Murdoch, took action to challenge the legitimacy of the settlers’ claim to the land. Murdoch, who was well-educated in the law, served the settlers with legal papers stating the illegality of their actions. When this failed, he attacked the settlement and captured their ship, along with James Learmonth. The situation escalated, with Neil Macleod killing 20 settlers and capturing their property and livestock.

The power struggle between the MacLeod brothers continued, and eventually led to Neil Macleod being captured and put on trial in Edinburgh. He was charged with fire-raising, murder, theft, and piracy, and was hanged at the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile in 1613. His lands were forfeited to the Crown.

The Gentlemen Adventurers were eventually forced to abandon their settlement, but their colonization of the Isle of Lewis serves as a prime example of the conflict and power struggles that arose from the Crown’s policy of centralization and colonization in the Scottish Highlands and islands.