109415: John MacVicar

John MacVicar (d 1581) was the youngest son of Donald MacVicar, Am Piocair Mòr. The MacVicars held large swathes of land in North Uist, where John lived with his father.

This was the time of the Reformation and the mainland authorities felt unable to spread their religious message to Uist with the MacVicars in control. Instead they hatched a plot with the infamous Hugh MacDonald, Uisdean MacGhilleasbuig Chleirich. With John’s father at a conference in Edinburgh, Hugh made his way from Skye to Carinish, where he murdered John’s eldest brother, unbeknown to John and his two remaining brothers. Pretending friendship, Hugh invited them to Dùn an Sticir for a banquet. There the three were killed in cold blood. 

Their sister composed a lament to their memory. This is just one version, available from Tobar an Dualchais.