Munros of Milntown
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The Munros of Milntown were a family cadet branch of the Highland Clan Munro.
15th Century
The Munros of Milntown descend from Chief Hugh Munro of Foulis (d.1425) who led the Clan Munro at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. A younger son of his was John Munro, the first of the Minltown line, whose elder brother George Munro of Foulis was killed during a victorious battle with the Clan MacKenzie at Bealach nam Broig in 1452. Thus the chieftenship was left to George's then baby son also called John Munro (d.1490). While John Munro of Foulis was still an infant his uncle John Munro of Milntown became a temporary chief of the clan.
While acting as a temporary chief, in 1454 John Munro of Milntown led the Clan Munro on a raid into the heart of MacKenzie country. On their return home they were ambushed by the Clan MacKintosh at Clachnaharry. A battle took place and many lives were lost on both sides. It is said that John Munro of Milntown lost a hand and the Chief of Clan MacKintosh was killed.
The Munros of Novar also descend from this John Munro of Milntown.
The family's base, Milntown House was at Miltown of Meddat which was so near to Balnagown Castle that the chiefs of Clan Ross tried to stop them building it there. John Munro of Milntown's grandson had a house of his own by 1512, when he received a crown charter for his lands with the office of chief mair or steward of the Earldom of Ross.
16th century
Perhaps the most famous of the Milntown line was Andrew Munro of Milntown who became known as Black Andrew of the seven castles.
Delvines, Nairn 1562, Clan Gunn Chief, Alistair Gunn had become a man of much note and power in the North. Not just as Chief of Clan Gunn but he had also married the daughter of John Gordon the Earl of Sutherland and because of this he himself felt entitled to hold his head high amongst the best in Scotland. However this led to his undoing when in 1562, in Inverness he bumped into Mary Queen of Scott's brother who was the Earl of Moray. Alistair Gunn believing he was of superior rank and authority behaved with some disrespect and insult to the Earl in public. The Earl of Moray soon afterwards sent the Munros to capture Alistair Gunn. The Munros led by one Andrew Munro of Milntown entrapped the Gunns at a place called Delvines near Nairn. The Gunn Chief was captured and taken to Inverness where the Earl of Moray had him executed "under pretence of justice".[1]
Fortrose 1569-73, With the MacKenzies the Munros were often at feud, and Andrew Munro of Milntown defended and held, for three years, the Castle Chanonry of Ross, which he had received from the Regent Moray who died in 1569, against the Clan MacKenzie, at the expense of many lives on both sides. The feud was settled when the castle was handed over to the Mackenzies peacefully under the act of pacification (a treaty of peace to cease hostilities), because the MacKenzies had more legal right to own the castle. Again in Alexander MacKenzie's book 'The History of the MacKenzies' published in 1890 he claims that an attempted sortie by the Munros for fish at a nearby loch was foiled and as a result the MacKenzies took control of the castle. Although it is recorded by contemporary evidence to have been handed over peacfully under King James VI. [2][3][4]During the Civil War in 1646 the Marquess of Montrose laid siege to the castle which he took from the MacKenzies after a siege of four days.
George Monro of Miltown died in 1576 he had added Newmore in Rosskeen and Easter Aird in Tarbat. He also used Docharty near Dingwall, which he had inherited from his father as a territorial base. Three of his younger brothers received the lands of Meikle Allan and Culnald. Milntown remained in the family for three more generations. George Munro of Milntown was Mary, Queen of Scots bailie and chamberlain for the royal lands of Ross and the Black Isle.
17th century & Civil War
The Munros of Milntown family came to rival their chiefs the Munros of Foulis in power and influence.
George's son called Andrew Munro of Milntown sold the office to the MacKenzie of Kintail in 1600 but he disputed the MacKenzie domination of the Black Isle. His son, George Munro of Milntown added Meikle Tarrel and Ballone to his lands, and sat in the Scots Parliament between 1617 and 1621.
Milntown House was burned down by carelessness in 1642, and what was left of Munro's old work was demolished to make way for a MacKenzie purchaser's improvements. The last Munro of Milntown, of the senior line, was killed at the Battle of Kilsyth fighting against the Royalists of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose.
However Sir Alexander Munro who descends directly from the Munros of Milntown, fought, survived and escaped capture at the Battle of Worcester during the Civil War in 1651. Alexander Munro's son was George Munro of Auchinbowie who succesfully commanded the Cameronian regiment to victory at the Battle of Dunkeld in 1689 and was promoted to Major.
