AKA Robert Roy MacGregor

Born: 7-Mar-1671
Birthplace: Glengyle, Scotland
Died: 28-Dec-1734
Location of death: Balquhidder, Scotland
Cause of death: Natural Causes
Remains: Buried, Balquhidder Church, Perthshire, Scotland

Gender: Male
Religion: Presbyterian
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Criminal, Activist

Nationality: Scotland
Executive summary: War leader of the Gregor clan

Called "Robert the Red" for his flaming hair, Rob Roy MacGregor fought with his father for Scottish independence against King Charles II. After this treason, their respected family name was banned by the Crown, forcing Rob Roy to go by his mother's maiden name, Campbell. He swore off politics, and instead earned his keep as a cattle dealer and rustler, but was driven to vengeance after the Duke of Montrose seized his lands in lieu of debts. MacGregor then made furious war against the Duke, and through reported generosity to the poor earned a reputation as the Scottish Robin Hood. He was captured twice, escaped twice, and his status as a folk hero grew when his life was fictionalized by Daniel Defoe in his pamphlet "Highland Rogue, or the Memorable Actions of the Celebrated Robert Mac Gregor, commonly called Rob Roy". He was imprisoned for several years at London’s infamous Newgate Prison, and then, in response to public demand, pardoned in 1727. His tombstone is engraved with the defiant epitaph, "MacGregor Despite Them."

MacGregor's life and times have been fictionalized by Sir Walter Scott in Rob Roy, and by William Wordsworth in his poem "Rob Roy's Grave". Film adaptations include the sanitized 1953 Disney movie Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue starring Richard Todd, and the more vivid 1995 epic Rob Roy starring Liam Neeson.

Father: Donald MacGregor (Army officer)
Mother: Margaret Campbell
Wife: Mary Helen MacGregor (m. Jan-1693)
Son: Ranald MacGregor
Son: Coll MacGregor
Son: James MacGregor ("Mor" or "Tall")
Son: Robert MacGregor ("Robin Oig" or "Young Rob")
Son: Duncan MacGregor (adopted)

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