40550: Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth

Colin Mackenzie, Cailean Ruadh, was the proprietor of the Isle of Lewis from 1611 to 1633. He undertook to put an end to the trouble with the Clan Macleod (notably Neil Macleod of Berisay, the natural son of the last Macleod to own the island, and who was executed in Edinburgh in 1613) and for this he was created Lord Seaforth, the first to bear the title.

After 1623 he chose a holding at the head of Loch Seaforth to build a stronghold with a round tower to give it further protection. He was still not very sure of his new dependants, so to protect himself from those of the Macleod name, who were very numerous around the Stornoway area, the Point district and on the north shore of Broad Bay, he placed his own Mackenzies (beginning with Murdo), Macivers and Maclennans in good tacks throughout what is now the Lochs Parish.

He was keen to encourage Dutch involvement in the fisheries, and attempted in 1628 to establish Stornoway as a royal burgh, but was unsuccessful in this.