and thus the chief of that clan welcomed the Macraes because they shared a common descent and could be relied upon. Although John Macrae did not know the name of the Macrae brother who settled in Kintail, he stated that this Macrae brother married the daughter, or granddaughter, of Macbeolan who possessed a large part of Kintail before the Mackenzie's rise to power. Alexander Mackenzie considered this marriage to be the real reason for the loyalty given by the Macraes to their Mackenzie lords; he did not believe the Macraes and Mackenzies shared a common ancestry in the male line as John Macrae had claimed. Alexander Macrae was of the opinion that these events probably took place sometime in the first half of the 14th century, before the Mackenzies became firmly established in the Kintail area. He stated that there didn't appear to be any evidence that the Macraes were in the Kintail area before the time of these events, but noted that it was said that Eilean Donan Castle was garrisoned by Macraes and Maclennans in the late 13th century, during the period when the fortress was first taken into possession by Kenneth, founder of the Mackenzies of Kintail. The Macraes are known to have been constant supporters of the Mackenzies in recorded times; in 1520, and for many years onwards, they were constables of Eilean Donan Castle. In view of their constant service to the Mackenzies, the Macraes of Kintail became known as the Mackenzies' "shirt of mail". Fionnla Dubh The Gaelic name Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd means "Fionnla the black, son of Gillechriosd". A modern Scottish Gaelic spelling of the name is Fionnlagh Dubh mac GilleChrìosd. There are numerous ways the name can be Anglicised, or rendered into English; one such way is "Finlay the black, son of Christopher". According to John Macrae, Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd was about two, or three, generations removed from the Macrae who settled in Kintail from Clunes. Alexander Macrae stated that Fionnla Dubh was a contemporary of Murdo Mackenzie, fifth chief of the Mackenzies of Kintail. In 1416, Murdo died and was succeeded by his son, Alexander. Because Alexander was still a minor, he was sent to school in Perth, and in his absence, Eilean Donan Castle has held by its constable who was a Macaulay. Historically in 1427, James I visited Inverness with the intention of establishing law and order