Clan Munro USA
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Robert Munro, XVI of Foulis

Robert Munro, XVI of Foulis

Male Abt 1553 - 1588  (~ 35 years)

Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name Robert Munro  [1, 2, 3
    Suffix XVI of Foulis 
    Born Abt 1553 
    • Estimate: This birth date is an estimate based on the birth dates of nearest relatives or contemporaries, or based on other clues such as christening date, marriage date, birth order, etc.
    Gender Male 
    Died Aug 1588  [1
    Buried Kiltearn, , Ross-Shire, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    Person ID I19  Munro
    Last Modified 19 Mar 2013 

    Father Robert Mor Munro, XV of Foulis,   b. Abt 1523,   d. 4 Nov 1588, Dingwall, Ross-Shire, Scotland, (Foulis Castle) Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 65 years) 
    Mother Margaret Ogilvy,   b. Abt 1530, , , , Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Dec 1564  (Age ~ 34 years) 
    Family ID F1577  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Marjorie MacKenzie,   b. Abt 1555,   d. Abt 1574  (Age ~ 19 years) 
    Married 30 May 1574 
    Last Modified 20 Jan 2009 
    Family ID F4479  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Janet Sinclair,   b. Est 1555,   d. Abt 1579  (Age ~ 24 years) 
    Married 1581 
    Last Modified 21 Jul 2012 
    Family ID F4480  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 3 Elizabeth Rose,   b. Est 1555, Of, Kilravock Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Married 1587 
    Children 
    +1. Margaret Munro,   b. Est 1593,   d. Yes, date unknown
    Last Modified 6 Jan 2012 
    Family ID F2411  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • There is some controversy over whether Robert actually succeeded his father as Baron of Foulis. Robert and his father died within a year of each other, and some researchers say he predeceased his father.

      "The Munro Tree" says that the Foulis estate was conveyed to Robert by his father in 1587 with his father reserving liferent. Then Robert died in Aug 1588 before his father, who died in Nov 1588. Thus "The Munro Tree" says that Robert never really succeeded to the title, but died as fiar of Foulis, that is, possessor subject to the liferent.

      Mackenzie says that there is a Royal charter under the Great Seal, dated in 1589, of the lands of Easter Foulis, Daan, Inverlael, and others in the counties of Ross and Inverness, addressed to "Roberto de Foulis," as registered in the public archives. It is claimed that this disproves that Robert predeceased his father. Mackenzie says that Robert died in Aug 1589.

      "The Munro Tree" says that the 1589 charter is a confirmation of the 1587 grant that conveyed the estate to Robert pending his father's liferent, and that the confirmation is in favor of Hector, not of Robert, his older brother, who was dead by then.

      Robert appears to have married three times. His first wife was Marjory, the youngest daughter of Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail and Lady Elizabeth Stewart. This marriage was confirmed by a charter granted under the Great Seal on 11 Jul 1574. Marjory died a few months after their marriage without any children.

      In 1579, he was engaged to marry Eleanor Gordon, the daughter of John, Earl of Sutherland and Helenor Stewart, Dowager-Countess of Erroll. But Eleanor died at Dornoch on the night before the wedding, so that marriage did not take place.

      Later in the same year, he married Janet Sinclair, daughter of George, Earl of Caithness. She also died shortly after their marriage with no children.

      In 1587, he married Elizabeth Rose, daughter of Hugh Rose of Kilravock. The marriage contract was dated 31 Aug 1579.

      Robert was the target of a strange witchcraft plot. Robert's stepmother, Katherine Ross, wanted to remove Marjory Campbell, the young wife of her brother, George Ross of Balnagowan, so that he might marry Robert's wife. To accomplish this, of course, Robert had to be destroyed.

      Involved in the plot were Marjory Macallister, nicknamed Loskie Loutart, a witch from Tain, and William Macgillivray, nicknamed Damh, a wizard from Tain. They formed a clay image of Robert which was to be set up and shot at with "elf arrows." This was supposed to make Robert pine away and die. Also, William sold to Robert's stepmother, a "box of witchcraft", that is of poison, for which he was later sentenced to be burned at the stake.

      At a Justice Court held on 28 Nov 1577, several witches were convicted of this plot and sentanced to burn at the stake. They implicated Lady Katherine of Foulis as their employer, but she was not tried until 22 Jul 1590, and was found innocent.

      Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA [1, 2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S686] The Munro Tree (1734), R. W. Munro, (Privately published in Edinburgh, Scotland (1978)), p. 17 (R/1) (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S247] History of the Munros of Fowlis, Alexander Mackenzie, M.J.L., (Published in Inverness, Scotland by A & W Mackenzie (1898)), p. 55, 57-58, 60-62 (Reliability: 3).

    3. [S743] Family of Adam, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (https://new.familysearch.org/en/action/unsec/welcome : copyright 2008), accessed 21 May 2012), 99VH-59J (Reliability: 3).

    4. [S247] History of the Munros of Fowlis, Alexander Mackenzie, M.J.L., (Published in Inverness, Scotland by A & W Mackenzie (1898)), p. 62 (Reliability: 3).