Back in the Day: Silent classic is a epic tale of Rob Roy

This coming Sunday, January 26, at 2pm and 8pm, the Tron Theatre in Glasgow will host special screenings of the classic silent film about his life that was made in 1922 and is called simply Rob Roy.

That version of the Rob Roy MacGregor story will be shown along with a live soundtrack by multi-instrumentalist David Allison, who has created several highly acclaimed scores for silent movies, including the 1923 horror classic Nosferatu.

The film itself has an interesting story. Shot in and around MacGregor’s ancestral homeland in the Trossachs, the film stars David Hawthorne, who was a leading man in British silent cinema and transferred to the “talkies” with little difficulty as he was also a fine stage actor.

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In 1922, the film opened to a rapturous reception and when it was first shown in Glasgow it stopped the traffic – literally so, as room had to be made for ambulances carrying 200 war veterans who have been invited to the opening night. Hundreds more soldiers marched from Maryhill Barracks to the venue on Sauchiehall Street, and police had to hold back the crowds of moviegoers trying to gain entry to see a Scottish-made film about a Scottish subject.

The screenings on Sunday are a product of the determination of the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival (HippFest) to have this Scottish classic re-invented with David Allison’s music. The film opened HippFest last year and has recently been on a short tour of Scotland – it’s been a hit wherever it has gone.

HippFest explained: “This impressive and rarely screened biopic of one of Scotland’s best-known outlaws stars David Hawthorne in full tartan kilt and tammy and tells the story of the MacGregors in the early 18th century. Shot entirely on location in the Trossachs and nearby Stirling Castle, (the 10th Duke of Argyll also gave permission to the production to film on his estates), the film makes liberal use of Scots for the inter-titles (“dinnae fash yersel”) and includes epic fight scenes, with more than 800 men of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders enlisted as extras in a dramatic battle.”

HippFest director Alison Strauss said: “We are delighted to be touring this rip-roaring early film version of the life of Rob Roy and are grateful to Film Hub Scotland for its continued support of our touring programme. The film was an enormous success, packing out movie houses the length and breadth of Scotland and hailed as the Scottish national drama.

“I hope that audiences across the country will experience all the thrill and excitement of seeing this significant Scottish production on the big screen, just like those excited crowds did almost 100 years ago.”

So if you haven’t already seen it, you have just Friday’s showing at Dundee Contemporary Arts, the two screenings at Celtic Connections and the final event of the tour at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall on February 14 to catch this very unusual and very Scottish film.

I have written about Rob Roy before – he was the first in our Scottish Rogues series back in the spring of 2016 – and after further research into this fascinating individual, I have no wish nor need to change my mind about my finding that the outlaw Rob Roy was a man more sinned against than sinning.

I will aim not to repeat myself from four years ago, but today I will try to put Rob Roy into context.

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MacGregor was born into a clan that did not exist, officially. Once, it had been recognised as part of Siol Alpin – from the Gaelic, Sìol Ailpein meaning Seed of Alpin – which was a family of seven clans descended from Alpin, father of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of the united Picts and Scots. For those not in the know, the seven clans that make up Siol Alpin are Grant, Gregor, MacAulay, Macfie, Mackinnon, Macnab and MacQuarrie.

So the MacGregors were right up there with Highland royalty, at least until the 15th century, and indeed the clan motto Royal Is My Race – in Gaelic, S Rioghal Mo Dhream – shows how they thought of themselves.

Most clan historians accept that the first chief of the clan and from whom it took its name was the 14th-century figure Gregor of the Golden Bridles, otherwise known as Gregor of Glenorchy, the ancient ancestral land of the clan. He was allegedly descended from Griogar, the third and youngest son of Kenneth MacAlpin himself.

The MacGregors fought with their neighbours – notably clan Campbell – for decades, and by the late 16th century they had already been proscribed a couple of times and were living as the “children of the mist” of legend, although in fact they merely withdrew into their territory north and east of Loch Lomond.

Following the dreadful Battle of Glen Fruin in 1603 – actually more a massacre than a battle – in which Clan Gregor slaughtered its Colquhoun enemies, and a few innocent bystanders, too, King James VI effectively banned the clan and its name.

As Sir Walter Scott records in his factual introduction to his largely fictional account Rob Roy, “by an Act of the Privy Council, dated 3rd April 1603, the name of MacGregor was expressly abolished, and those who had hitherto borne it were commanded to change it for other surnames, the pain of death being denounced against those who should call themselves Gregor or MacGregor, the names of their fathers.

“Under the same penalty, all who had been at the conflict of Glenfruin, or accessory to other marauding parties charged in the act, were prohibited from carrying weapons, except a pointless knife to eat their victuals.

“By a subsequent act of Council, 24th June, 1613, death was denounced against any persons of the tribe formerly called MacGregor, who should presume to assemble in greater numbers than four. Again, by an Act of Parliament, 1617, chap. 26, these laws were continued, and extended to the rising generation, in respect that great numbers of the children of those against whom the acts of Privy Council had been directed, were stated to be then approaching to maturity, who, if permitted to resume the name of their parents, would render the clan as strong as it was before.”

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In 1604, King James showed that he meant what he said – clan chief Alasdair MacGregor and 11 sub-chiefs were hanged at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh.

I have previously mentioned Robert Birrell, the Edinburgh burgess who compiled a very useful chronicle of events in Scotland in the 16th century. He described what happened to the MacGregors, led by Alasdair their chief: “The 18 Januar, at evine, he come agane to Edinburghe; and upone the 20-day he wes hangit at the Croce, and xj (eleven) of his freindis and name, upon ane gallous: Himself being Chieff, he wes hangit his awin hicht aboune the rest of hes freindis.”

The MacGregors were not entirely hunted down, though their properties were burned. Instead they were able to make a living on their lands and also take up cattle trading.

They also went to war against the invading forces from England during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Some 200 men of the clan fought for the Royalist forces under the Earl of Glencairn in his failed rising in 1653-54 against the Commonwealth forces of Oliver Cromwell.

For that service, King Charles II restored the MacGregor name when he came to the throne, only for King William III to make them outlaws again after Clan Gregor fought for the Jacobite cause at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689.

Aged only 17 or 18, Rob Roy MacGregor fought at Killiecrankie. He had been born the son of Donald Glas MacGregor of Glengyle and his wife Mary, nee Campbell, and it was his soldier father who insisted Robert joined the fight – his nickname of Roy or Ruadh came from his flaming red hair, and by Killiecrankie he was already acknowledged as a master swordsman, his long strong arms able to wield a broadsword with deadly efficiency.

Donald Glas was imprisoned for his support of the Jacobites which meant that Rob Roy and his elder brother Iain were left in charge of the clan. It is not known for certain which of them devised the “watch” service of cattle protection – the protection payment was the original “blackmail” – which became the family trade, but by 1703 Rob Roy was effectively in charge of Clan Gregor after the deaths of Iain and Donald Glas.

Having married Mary Campbell – they had four sons in all – MacGregor moved into cattle dealing himself and did very well at first, buying property on the east side of Loch Lomond. Disaster struck in 1711 when, having been given £2800 by the Duke of Montrose, a kinsman “borrowed” £1000 from that sum and made off. As a result, Rob Roy could not repay his debts and was made bankrupt.

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Worse still, Montrose approached the Lord Advocate of the day who made Rob Roy a virtual outlaw. His lands were seized and his wife and children were evicted. Only the intervention of the powerful heads of Clan Campbell kept the family alive.

Rob Roy should have kept his head down and worked his way back into “polite” society, but when the clans rose under the Earl of Mar for the Jacobite cause in 1715, he and Clan Gregor responded and took several actions against the Hanoverian government, including capturing boats on Loch Lomond.

He is known to have been present at the Battle of Sheriffmuir but took no part in it, possibly because he could see one of his Campbell allies at the head of the government troops. Declared a traitor and outlaw for his part in the Rising, MacGregor’s home at Craigroyston was burned by government troops. His legend only grew with his exploits after the ’15, including playing Robin Hood for the poor of his clan and rustling cattle from Montrose’s lands.

He was captured but always escaped, on one occasion famously leaping from the horse on which he was tied into the River Forth.

By 1722, MacGregor had made his peace with Montrose, surrendering and going to jail for a short time, and with his Campbell allies now largely in control of Scotland, he began to recover his lands and money.

His story was well known across Scotland and came to attention of an English spy, Daniel Defoe. In 1723 he published “The Highland Rogue” or “The Memorable Actions of the Celebrated Robert MacGregor, Commonly Called Rob-Roy: Containing a Genuine Account of His Education, Grandeur, and Sudden Misfortune; His Commencing Robber, and Being Elected Captain of a Formidable Gang; His Exploits on the Highway, Breaking Open Houses, Taking Prisoners, Commencing Judge, and Levying Taxes; His Defence of His Manner of Living; etc etc.

King George I is said to have been so taken with this account that he let it be known that if Rob Roy surrendered and came into his peace, a pardon would be forthcoming. In 1727, MacGregor did indeed receive that pardon and he lived the rest of his life peaceably at Balquhidder in whose Old Kirk cemetery he was laid to rest after his death in 1734.