Although I have lived most of my life in England, I worked in Glasgow from 1972 to 1974, and during that time I tried to find out whether there was any truth in the story. A gravestone recording the death in 1830 of Helen Roy, wife of Matthew Malloch, in her 78th year, had already been located in Monzie churchyard by one of the family. A search of the Monzie parish registers had also been carried out without revealing Matthew Malloch, aged 85, was still living at Monzie in 1841. I therefore knew that Janet's parents were born in the 1750s, and as Rob Roy lived from 1671 to 1734 it seemed probable that there were only two intervening generations.

I began in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow by reading everything I could find about Rob Roy and his family. I learned that in 1695 he married Helen Mary, daughter of MacGregor of Comar, and that they had five sons:

1. Coil, the eldest son, married Margaret, daughter of John MacGregor of Coilletter in 1721. He died in 1735, leaving two sons and a daughter. The elder son. became a Captain in the 60th Foot and had two sons, Robert and James, who were distinguished soldiers, and also a daughter.

2. Ronald, the second son, married his cousin Jean, daughter of Gregor MacGregor of Glengyle, by whom he had two sons, Gregor and Donald, and a daughter Jean. Gregor in turn had two sons, Gregor and Dugald, but Donald died unmarried. Jean married Alexander MacGregor from Rannoch, and after her death in 1794 the family emigrated to Canade. Soon after Rob Roy's death in 1734 Ronald, together with his brothers James and Robert, was charged with the murder of John McLaren of Invernenty. Robert, aged about 17, who had actually fired the fatal shot, escaped to France. Ronald and James were brought to trial, but were released on a verdict of 'not proven'.

3. James, who assumed the name Drummond, played a conspiciuous part in the '45 rebellion, and was wounded at Prestonpans. He was later accused, along with his brothers Duncan and Robert, of abducting a rich young widow, Jean Keys, and forcing her to marry Robert. He was tried in 1752, but escaped to France, where he died in 1754. He is said to have left a family of 14 children, of whom one, Gregor Drummond, became a butcher in Edinburgh. A letter written by his daughter Malie is in the National Library of Scotland, but of the rest little or nothing seems to be known.

4. Duncan was also tried in connection with the abduction of Jean Keys, but he was found not guilty. He left no 'family.

5. Robert escaped to France after murdering McLaren, and spent some time with the Jacobite plotter William MacGregor of Balhaldies (who incidently sometimes used the name Malloch). He joined the Hanoverian army in 1744 and was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Fontenoy. He was exchanged in 1745 and served a further two years in the Black Watch before returning to Balquhidder. His first wife died soon after their marriage and in 1750 he forcibly abducted and married Jean Keys. For this crime he was eventually brought to trial and executed in 1754. He left no family.

While collecting this information about Rob Roy's children and grandchildren I was also attempting to find out more about Matthew Malloch and Helen Roy. A copy of the Register of Baptisms for Muthill, 1697-1847, also in the Mitchell Library, contained many references to Mallochs and Roys. They included a Matthew Malloch 'in Dunruchan' whose six children by his wife Janet Mclnis were born between 1703 and 1713. One of the children, baptised in 1711, was also named Matthew, and the combination of the names Matthew and Janet suggested a link with the Matthew who married Helen Roy. There was however no record of a Matthew baptised in the 1750s. I was more fortunate when I examined the Edinburgh Marriage Registers, and came across the following:

'18th May 1780 Matthew Malloch, gentleman's servant, Lady Vester's Parish, and Helen, same parish, daughter of John Roy, weaver at Drummond Castle,'

This was clearly the marriage of Janet's parents, and it largely confirmed their background as described by my grandfather. .However it did not suggest any link with Rob Roy and the MacGregors, and I was beginning to think there could be no truth in Janet's claim when I came upon a reference to David Mallet, the Perthshire poet. It mentioned that his original name was Malloch, and that he took the name Mallet after going to England. A long entry in the D.N.B. begins:

'Mallet, originally Malloch, David (1705?-1765), poet and miscellaneous writer, born near Crieff in Perthshire, was probably the second son of James Malloch of Dunruchan, a well-to-do tenant farmer on Lord Drummond's Perthshire estate, a Roman Catholic, and a member of the outlawed clan MacGregor (cf. Foster, Alumni axon. 1715-1886). His mother's name was Beatrix, but her surname is unknown. The household was on intimate terms with the Drummond family, and suffered with them during the troubles of 1715 and 1745.'

My interest was particularly aroused because the name Dunruchan rang a bell. It was in fact the home of Matthew Malloch and Janet Mclnis whose children were included in the register of baptisms. It therefore seemed likely that David Mallet was closely related to Matthew of Dunruchan, and through him to Matthew the 'gentleman's servant' who married Helen Roy.

The information in the D.N.B. about David Mallet's background is based on a 'Memoir of David Mallet' by F. Dinsdale, published in 1857. This starts by saying that David Mallet was supposed to have been the son of James Malloch, an innkeeper of Crieff, but goes on to suggest that he was more probably the son of James Malloch of Dunruchan, a favoured tenant on the Duke of Perth's estate. I found this second theory unconvincing, especially as it is known that David's mother's name was Beatrix, and this was also the name of the innkeeper's wife. This is confirmed by the fact that in October 1704 James Malloch and his wife Beatrix Clerk were called before the Kirk Session in Crieff to answer allegations that they had profaned the Sabbath by serving drinks at the time of divine service, and also by an entry in the Muthill register recording the baptism of James, son of James Malloch and Beatrix Clerk, in Crieff in 1707. The baptism of Mary, daughter of James Malloch in Crieff appears in the Crieff register in 1712, but there seems to be no record of David's baptism.

In 1973 I spent two days at Muthill, visiting Crieff and Monzie and exploring the countryside around Drummond Castle. I saw the farms of Dunruchan, Dalchirla and Middleton in Blenroar, which had been the homes of the Mallochs for many years, and I met a Mrs. Malloch and her daughter who were the last representatives of the family from Blenroar. I was interested to learn that they too believed that they were related to Rob Roy and the MacGregors, and that they knew of the connection with David Mallet. I had been puzzled by the fact that according to Dinsdale, the Muthill parish registers do not go further back than 1709, whereas the copy I had consulted in the Mitchell Library goes back to 1697. This was explained when I realised that the register in the library is that of the Episcopal Church, and it includes most of the Catholic families. I later inspected the Muthill register at the Register House, Edinburgh, and found the following note:

'Register of Births &C as the same could be recovered from peoples memories or their jottings from 3rd August 1704 to 1st Nov. 1760. The original Registers of that time having been burnt in the Session Clk's house with several things of his own.'

It also included the following entry:

'John Roya and Margaret McAinsh their child. viz:
Janet born fifth October 1736
James fourth April 1739
John tenth October 1743
Nelly thirtyfirst March 1752
Duncan twentyfifth Sept. 1758'

It seemed probable that Nelly Roy born in 1752 was the Helen who married Matthew Malloch the 'gentleman's servant' in 1780, but if this was so it seemed to rule out the possibility of her descent from Rob Roy. I had already come to the conclusion that Matthew was not one of his descendants: I had been unable to find any definite information about his parents, but I felt sure that he was a member of the family from Dunruchan or one of the other Malloch families living in the neighbourhood. Nevertheless the fact that David Mallet, the Mallochs of Blenroar, and Janet herself all believed that they were members of the MacGregor clan suggested that this at least might be true, and to that extent they might be Rob Roy's kinsmen.

A study of 'The History of Clan Gregor' by A. G. M. MacGregor confirmed that the Mallochs were a branch of the MacGregor clan. The derivation of the name is said to be from the Gaelic word 'Mhallic' meaning 'bushy-eyebrowed', and it was applied to the MacGregors of Balhaldies. Another possibility is that it comes from the word 'Mallaichte' meaning 'accursed' - an apposite name for an outlawed race. There were five Mallochs included in the list of clansmen to be apprehended after the murder of John Drummond of Drummondernoch in 1589, and in 1612 a force led by the Duke of Perth and 'composed partly of MacGregors who had taken the name Drummond' included a David Malloch. All in all the Mallochs appear to have taken part in most of the bloodthirsty incidents in which the MacGregor clan was involved, and which led to their name being proscribed. There are also a few references suggesting a more peaceful life, such as a deed dated 1611 conveying to John Malloch of Bardney the glebe and kirkland of Monzievaird. By the end of the 17th century there were several Malloch families established in the vicinity of Crieff, and it is from this area that the idea of an association with Rob Roy seems to have sprung.

Prior to 1711 Rob Roy had been a cattle dealer or 'drover', buying cattle in the Highlands each spring and driving them to Crieff for sale at the great 'tryst'. In this way he became well known in the town, and there are several stories connecting him with James Malloch's inn. Even after he was outlawed in 1712 he continued his visits, for on 1st November 1714 it was reported that Rob a few evenings before had appeared at the Cross of Crieff, and after drinking the Pretender's health had departed unscathed; again in February 1715 it was reported that on his last appearance at Crieff he had drunk 'to those honest and brave fellows that cut out the gaudger's ear', an outrage committed the previous December. It is also said that Rob Roy was on good terms with the Duke of Perth, and visited Drummond Castle on more than one occasion. It is qu ite possible therefore that he was known personally to members of the families living on the estate. His son James Mor was also a visitor to Drummond Castle at the time of the '45, and when he was wounded at Prestonpans he was fighting alongside a company recruited from workers on the Duke of Perth's estate.

There is also evidence that the Roy family was connected with the MacGregors. The following letter, quoted in 'The History of Clan Gregor', was written by the Marchioness of Atholl to Lord Murray in 1693, shortly after Archibald MacGregor of Kilmanan had succeeded his first cousin Gregor as head of the clan. It suggests that a certain John Roy might have become chief if he had had more strength of character:

'For yt concerning ye McGrigors, My Ld saies you may be sur it is much against his will yt such a hott headed fellow, and one depends upon an other shud be cheefe but it is not in his power to help it for John Roy was ye man yt made the lait McGrigor chuse him against My Lord's will and for his thankes he has cheated him, and yet yt Roy is such a bruit and soe timerous ty he will not accept of being cheefe notwithstanding all ye paines my Ld has taken with him and tho' my Ld hector'd ye other before him, yet he has basely submitted to him, for ye other has gott ye right of ye money and ye name of McGrigor, and all have own'd him under their hands as cheafe, and all through ye simplicity and cowardice of John McGrigor, who my Ld believes, was frightened out of his little witts.'

It is suggested in 'The History of Clan Gregor' that this John Roy may have been John MacGregor of Glenlochy, Head of the House of Lasadach. It goes on to quote an instance of Kilmanan's 'hott-headedness' as described in the Atholl and Tullibardine Chronicles, when he shot his own man Malcolm McCurich. This incident took place in 1694, and John Roy of Milnrodgie figures prominently in the account.* It is not clear' whether this is the John Roy who might have become chief, nor whether he was related in any way to John Roy the weaver at Drummond Castle; but as Milnrodgie is in Glenalmond, only a few miles from Crieff, this is by no means impossible. The conclusion seems to be that although Janet Angus was stretching the truth when she claimed to be directly descended from Rob Roy, she was correct in saying that the Mallochs and the Roys were members of the MacGregor clan. It is also quite possible that some members of her family knew Rob Roy personally and drank with him at James Malloch's inn; or that they fought alongside his son James Mor in the '45, and shared in his misfortunes. Under the circumstances Janet's belief in a close relationship is understandable.

* See Appendix

APPENDIX

From Chronicles of the Families of Atholl and Tullibardine.

"Declaration be the People in Glenalmond anent Kilmannan's Shooting his own man Malcolm McCurich,"

"On Munday the 1st of October 1694. about xii hours in the fornoon Kilmannan came to William Roy's at the bridge end of Haly milne and sent for Alexander Menzies at Buchantie, John Roy at Milnrodgie and the said William Roy who was then in the fields att the leading of some corn and after the saids persons came to him which was about 3 afternoon, Milnrodgie having come at twelve, there past some' general discourse only, in that space he took his pistolls and tryed if they were charged, and lookt if they were prymed and put one of them beneth his oune belt, and another he caused his man put beneath his and efter the said company and he had drunk six pints of ale, and three gills, he took horse about halfe an hour befor sunsett and rod streight to Milnrodgie. This the said three persons that were in his company declaire and they did not think he was concerned with drink till he mounted. After he lighted at Milnroqgie he went in and saw Milnrodgie's wife, Milnrodgie being come that length on foot, and she offered him a drink, which he refused, then he went out to the yeard with his men, and as he was going over the dyke his foot sliped and he fell in the leed, and after his man took him out of the leed he pursued his man through the yeard with a drawn sword in his hand, and took his leave of Milnrodgie's wife. This, Milnrodgie's wife and John Robertson alias Alaster, in Buchantie declair.

"John Robertson in Buchantie declaires after he crossed the burn at Milnrodgie he drew the pistoll, and his man bid the said John goe and shift for himself other wayes he would either kill the said John or him and accordingly the said John went immediately and hear the shott.

"After that he had gone from Milnrodgie, being about sunsett he rod about midway betwixt it and Little Dounie, and there John Herris Milnrodgie's herd, being about two pair of Butt's distant from Kilmannan, did see hin offer to ryde towards Little Dounie and saw his man take his horse by the bridle and lead him to the rod that lead up the Glenn and immediately he saw him draw his pistoll and fire at his man and after the shott he heard the man cry o hon, o hon, and after a little he fell and his master rod twice or thrice about him and then lighted and bid him rise and take the gat with him. And after that he heard the hue and cry he immediately took his horse and rode with a drawen sword in his hand up the hill of Dounie.

"Donald Stewart, Wm Roy's herd declaird he saw done all that the other herd did declair after Kilmannan fired the pistoll.

"Kathrine Maloch and Mary Malcolme, Wm Roy's and John McCleishe's women came immediately to the dying man after Kilmannan rod away and the saids two herds who all declaire that they asked at him if he would be glad if his master were taken and he said that he did not wish it, for it would doe no good for his master was not as he used to be and that he would doe harme before he were taken.

"David Allan servant to Arch: McCleish in Wester Fendoch came next to him and asked what was betwixt him and his master and he said it was nothing but drink made his master use him so.

"John Murray in Mikle Dounie came to him next and asked him what was his name, and he said Malcolme McCurrich, little matter what he was. And he asked him if he was able to walk to some house and he said he would never be able to sett foott on ground, and the said John said he would not be able to carie him. After that William the officer and John McCleishe in Litle Dounie, Andrew Sorell there and Thomas Sorell and Patrick, in Mikle Dounie came all to the man together and asked at him if he had been in drink and he said not a drop drink was on him, and that he had drunk no aquawitie for 8 dayes befor and then he prayed them to send to Buchanty forhi~ cosine Nicoll McCurich which accordingly they did but he did not come. Then he prayed them to take him to some house and when eight men were carieing him to it in his plad he choaked with blood and dyed but befor he dyed he desired they would give him a drink of water, and because they wanted a cup they gave it him in one of his shoes.

"Patrick Stewart in Newton declires that about three hours after sunsett Kilmannan came to his door and beatt at it and they in the house being feared that it was a druken drover they held to the door and he beat so strongly they were forced to open it, and he came in and almost fell in the fyre being so drunk wanting his hatt and cloak, having tyed his horse to a sted at the door, but the said Patrick all this time did not know what he was till James Murray there came in, and desired if he pleased to goe and take a bed in his house, but he said to him 'goe rascall, I will not goe out of this house this night.' so the said James caused his herd take Kilmannan's horse to his stable and sate dow[1 with Kilmannan and he said he was ill beholden to his man that left him and suffered him to loss his hatt and cloack and he desired the said Patrick and James to rise early and search for the things he had lost and immediately went to bed. and he rose early befor break of day and went out and came in again and asked for James Murray's house and went and wakened James Murray and bid him goe and seek his hatt and cloack &c and he went himself alongst he on the one side and the said James on the other side of the water the len. gth of Dalich and the said James went to the place were the corps were and when he saw the man dead he sent one Greigor to tell Kilmannan that his man was dead which when Kilmannan got notice of he immediately took horse and rod doune through Monzie and West Strathearn, His corps lay all mundays night all Tuesday and Tuesday's night neer to the place where he was shott and on Wednesday morning some of the forsaids persons with John Roy in Milnrodgie and his sone John, Alexr Menzies at the bridge of Haly mill, John McCleishe and Wm Roy in Litle Dounie and Alexr Kirkwood, with severall others did see the corps and saw the mark of six small ball in his breast. About ten hours he was putt in a cofin and the countrie people did carie him to the kirkyard of Monzie".