He is still unmarried.
THE CHIEFSHIP.
It has been shown at p. 343 that the male line of Colonel
Alexander Mackenzie of Assynt, fourth son of Kenneth Mor, third
Earl of Seaforth, became extinct on the death, in 1815, of Francis
Humberston Mackenzie, who survived all his male issue. It has
also been proved that the male line of George, second Earl of
Seaforth, who died in 1651, terminated in Kenneth, XIX. of Kintail
and sixth Earl of Seaforth, whose only child, Lady Caroline
Mackenzie, formed an irregular union with Lewis Drummond, Count
Melfort, a French nobleman. It was shown earlier, at p. 246,
that the lineal representation of the original line of Kintail
was diverted from heirs male in the person of Anna, Countess of
Balcarres, eldest daughter of Colin, first Earl of Seaforth, who
had no surviving male issue; and the male line of Colonel Mackenzie of
Assynt having terminated in "The Last of the Seaforths," who died
in 1815, we must go back beyond all these to an earlier collateral
branch to pick up the legitimate male succession, and for ever dispose
of the various unfounded claims hitherto made to the Chiefship of
the clan.
Before the appearance of the former edition of this work there had
been several claimants to this highly honourable position; and
this is not to be wondered at, for whoever proves his right to
the Chiefship of the Mackenzies establishes at the same time his
right to the ancient honours of the house and Barons of Kintail.
Pages:
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561