Gentlemen Adventurers of Fife

Eleven lairds sent by James VI to settle Lewis, and the MacLeods who stood against them.

Words by Hidden Scotland · Photographs by Hidden Scotland

The Gentlemen Adventurers of Fife might sound like an honourable organisation, but the only thing noble about this group was their highborn status. Towards the end of the 16th century, the Scottish government tried to break the traditional clan system in places like the Outer Hebrides. They called for all landowners to provide them with proof of legal ownership for their ancestral homes.

Not many clans around the Highlands or Islands had a piece of paper granting them their land. It had been settled by their forefathers for generations or in their eyes, won fair and square. King James VI was always worried about how many of his subjects were loyal first to their Clan Chief and only then to him. This was his opportunity to try and change that.

The King granted 11 minor lairds from Fife the opportunity to "colonise" the Isle of Lewis since nobody could prove that they owned it. These Gentlemen Adventurers sailed to the island with their private army and began forming their settlement. They still had the small problem of the current inhabitants to deal with though.

Clan MacLeod, with their centuries-old lordship of the island, weren't just going to roll over. Two brothers Neil and Murdoch MacLeod were tasked with subduing the invaders by any means necessary. Initially they tried diplomacy by drafting and presenting legal documents, but unsurprisingly things eventually descended into violence.

The Fifers had been expecting to defend their new colony, but they were in no way prepared for what island life was like. The King had led them to believe that the island was much more fertile than it really was. With most of their crops failing, they hadn't brought nearly enough additional supplies to sustain their new community.

The only saving grace for the Fifers was that the MacLeod brothers constantly fought with each other as siblings often do. Their outpost only lasted for a few hard years, the difficult living conditions and constant harassment eventually forcing them to give up and head back home.

The MacLeods had driven the Lowland invaders off, but they couldn't hold out against the King forever. Just a few years later, the Mackenzies of Kintail were given their chance to take Lewis and succeed where the Gentlemen Adventurers of Fife had failed.