6. John "Gearr Mac Ean Mhic Allister," unmarried at the date of the Applecross manuscript in 1669. John married, secondly, his first cousin, a daughter of Hector Mackenzie, by an Assynt lady, eldest son of Kenneth Mackenzie, first of Meikle Allan, now Allangrange, second lawful son of Hector Roy Mackenzie, progenitor of the family of Gairloch, with issue -
7. Hector "Mac Ean Mhic Allister." He married a daughter of Hector Mackenzie of Mellan, with issue - one son. He married, thirdly, a daughter of William Mackenzie of Shieldaig, with issue -
8. Donald "Og Mac Ean Mhic Allister," who was killed in the Scots Army in England in 1645.
John was succeeded as representative of the family by his second son,
I. MURDOCH MACKENZIE, who was born in 1600, and educated for the ministry. Referring to this Murdoch's cousin, John Mor Matheson of Fernaig and subsequently of Bennetsfield, the author of the "Iomaire" manuscript says, that John "was taken up" by the Bishop of Moray, who resided at Kinkell (hence no doubt Bishop-Kinkell, the name by which the place has since been known). The Bishop "kept him for some time at school and gave him 500 merks Scots to traffic therewith. After following the mercantile line for some time, in which he was very successful, he began cattle dealing, by which he became master of a good deal of money." John, in consequence cut out a career for himself. His cousin, the Bishop, pointed out to him the great source of wealth which might open to him if he succeeded in driving some of the superfluous herds of black cattle which at that time abounded in the Highlands to the southern markets, and which were then of scarcely any value among his own countrymen, but on the other hand often served as a strong temptation to spoliations from their southern enemies, and deadly feuds among themselves. John Mor had the good sense to act on his Rev. cousin's advice, and he soon amassed a sufficient fortune to buy the estate of Bennetsfield and other lands, including Easter Suddie, in the Black Isle, County of Ross. [Mackenzie's "History of the Mathesons," pp. 17-18.]
The Rev. Murdoch was Chaplain of Lord Reay's Regiment, in the army of Gustavus Adolphus during the Bohemian and Swedish wars, and subsequently minister of Contin and Inverness in succession. He was transferred from Inverness to Elgin, and while there was, in 1662, appointed Bishop of Moray, and afterwards of Orkney, arriving at Kirkwall on the 28th of August, 1677, where he was the last to occupy Earl Patrick Stewart's Palace, in which he died. He married Margaret, only daughter and heiress of Donald MacLey, Bailie of Fortrose. She died in 1676, and is buried in Elgin Cathedral. He died in 1688, and was interred in the Session House of St. Magnus Cathedral, which bad been given to him as a burial place for himself and his descendants, and used by them as such, until any further interments in it were, some years ago, prohibited. He left issue by his wife -
1. Sir Alexander Mackenzie of Broomhill (sasine in 1686), and Pitarrow, in Kincardine. He was Commissary of Inverness and Sheriff of the Bishopric of Orkney, his father when appointing him to the latter office describing him as "Mr Alexander Mackenzie, Commissary of Inverness, my eldest lawful son." In 1706 he appears among the heritors of Caithness for the Nethertoun of Stroma in the parish of Canisbay. He is again on record in 1713, in which year he disponed the Nethertoun of Stroma to his nephew, Murdoch Kennedy, son of his sister Jane, and her husband, John Kennedy of Carmunks. Sir Alexander of Broomhill had an only son, Colonel Alexander Mackenzie of Hampton, Virginia, who left his English estates to his nephew, Andrew Young of Castleyards.
2. George of Pitarrow, of whom nothing is known.
3. William Mackenzie, Commissary of Orkney, who, in 1679, married Margaret Stewart of Newark, with issue - Murdoch, born in 1680, who was invited to become minister of the Episcopal Meeting House of Kirkwall, but emigrated to New England in 1714, and a daughter Margaret, who married Andrew Young of Castleyards, Kirkwall also with issue - a daughter who married Riddoch of Cairston, Provost of Kirkwall.
4. The Rev. Thomas Mackenzie, minister of Shapinshay, Orkney. He was born about 1652, and was appointed minister of Shapinshay on the 5th of May, 1678. On the 1st of May, 1679 he married Elspet, daughter of James Blaikie of Burness with issue - Murdoch, who succeeded his grandfather, the Bishop, as representative of the family; James, N.P., who seems to have succeeded his brother Murdoch; Alexander, of whom there is no trace; Thomas, of whom also nothing is known; Sibella, who married William, second son of George Traill of Quendale, with issue - Anna, who, in 1716, married the Rev. James, Nisbet, Stromness; Margaret; and Anna. The Rev. Thomas Mackenzie died, aged 36 years, on the 7th of February, 1688, a few days before his father.