The Hunt for Rob Roy: The Man and the Myths [Illustrated] [Paperback]

This book is an attempt to get to the heart of who Rob Roy MacGregor really was, rather than the mythical creation he has become over the last three centuries. In some ways, it also seems to be a reaction to the book Rob Roy by W.H. Murray.

David Stevenson explains in his introduction that Murray's biography suffers from many inaccuracies. These seem to be based on less than careful checking of sources, and even defence of his subject in defiance of the evidence, but there is also the fact that far less documentary evidence was available to Murray than to Stevenson. It was only after Murray's book inspired the Hollywood film Rob Roy that the National Archives of Scotland compiled a guide to records about Rob Roy, enabling historians carry out research in much greater depth. Stevenson explains this progression, and he has taken full advantage of that new resource.

In his introduction, he calls Murray's book "the case for the defence", and so rather inevitably any book which goes against the trend by showing evidence that Rob Roy was not a wronged and persecuted "little man", but instead an accomplished conman who got what he deserved is bound to seem like the case for the prosecution, whether the author intends it to be so or not.

Certainly that is how the book feels, at least for the first half. The approach it takes to Rob Roy's early life is remarkably similar to that taken by Murray. As we know nothing about the man's childhood apart from the baptism record and a few related facts, both books give a fascinating and quite detailed account of what a young highland man's typical life would have been at this point in history. Stevenson also provides an extremely interesting overview of the situation of Clan Gregor in particular.

The whole point of writing the book is perhaps to be found in chapter three, which gives an account of Rob's downfall from successful cattle trader to harassed debtor and ultimately man on the run. It is crucial to the story, because it is here that the author argues that rather than an innocent victim of a nobleman (the Duke of Montrose)'s vindictivness, Rob Roy set out deliberately to defraud him and other creditors. He provides a range of documentary evidence to support the case and also mentions that many of the arguments in support of Rob (e.g. the "MacDonald" who supposedly absconded with the duke's money) do not arise until much later, often long after Rob Roy was dead.

If I have a doubt about the argument, it comes back to Mr Stevenson's court-case analogy. Yes, the written evidence seems quite convincing, but who can say if other evidence may yet come to light, and just as importantly there is no way of cross-examining the witnesses to put some flesh on the bare bones of the documents. But the evidence that the author has produced is quite fascinating.

A second key "prosecution" argument against Rob Roy concerns his spying for the Hanoverian government against his Jacobite friends and colleagues, and here the case against him seems pretty water-tight. It will not make comfortable reading for anyone who prefers to see him as the all-virtuous Jacobite and patriot.

The last 70-odd pages of the book are quite a departure from the usual biography. Rob is already dead, but the author continues with four further chapters. The first is very helpful, explaining why so many of the events that we all take for granted as part of the true Rob Roy story do not appear in the preceding chapters. Then comes a chapter on the fate of his sons after his death. Their tale is interesting and none too edifying, but has nothing to do with the life of Rob Roy himself. There then follows a chapter on Rob in fiction - print, plays, film, etc. I confess that I found this a bit pointless, but I may well be in the minority. And finally there is a summing up, which I really do think is masterful.

My general, but possibly mistaken, impression is that David Stevenson did not really like Rob Roy MacGregor as he wrote the first few chapters, but gradually warmed to him as the book progressed. The result in my view is a book of two halves. The first half can sometimes seem rather legalistic, and I found it hard to summon up any feel for Rob Roy as living flesh and blood. But this changes as the book moves forward, and the end result is a highly readable and enjoyable portrait of a real man, not a caricature. I would recommend reading W.H. Murray's book first, and then this one. In this way you will have the cases for and against Rob Roy MacGregor, and can make up your own mind about him. I suspect that romantics will prefer Murray's work, and will prefer to overlook its apparent inaccuracies and bias. It is a highly enjoyable read, after all. But those, myself included, who hope for a more insightful investigation into who Rob Roy MacGregor really was are more likely to prefer David Stevenson's portrayal.