Barbara Mackay, Lady Reay, née Mackay, poems

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Title
Barbara Mackay, Lady Reay, née Mackay, poems
Author
  • MacKay, Barbara
Document Type
  • Poetry
Date
1657
Biography
Barbara MacKay, Lady Reay, was a noted historian and poet. She was born in 1620 in Scourie, to Hugh MacKay of Scourie and Ann Corbett. She married highland laird John MacKay, 2nd Lord Reay and they had six children. The family, who were staunch Royalists, resided at Balnakeil House near Durness. In 1649, Barbara helped her husband escape imprisonment in London after pleading personally to Oliver Cromwell, who agreed not to pursue MacKay. After the deaths of her husband and her eldest son, and heir, in the 1680s, Barbara raised her grandson and new 3rd Lord Reay, teaching him on Scottish politics. She died in 1690.
Copyright and Source Archive
Material sourced from the National Library of Scotland