Bishop Alexander Macdonell (17 July 1762 – 14 January 1840) was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Kingston, Upper Canada. He was born in Glen Urquhart, Inchlaggan, Scotland and served a chaplain with the Glengarry Fencibles during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. His presence insured that the regiment "distinguished itself by its humanity". When the regiment was demobilized, most of the soldiers found themselves unemployed and destitute. He led them to Canada, where they received a grant of land for their service. When Macdonell arrived in 1804, he found three priests and three churches in Upper Canada. By his energy and perseverance he induced a considerable immigration to the province, and left at his death forty-eight churches attended by thirty priests, plus a seminary and a college. Early years Alexander Macdonell was born 17 July 1760/62 at his father's house in Glen Urquhart. His early education was at the illegal and underground minor seminary at Buorblach, near Morar. Around 1775 he went to the Scots Colleges at Paris and Valladolid. He was ordained a priest on 16 February 1787 at Valladolid. Returning to his native land he exercised a secret apostolate for five years in Lochaber, where he was termed in Scottish Gaelic as Sandaidh Mòr ("Big Sandy") and Maighstir Alisdair ("Father Alistair"). Glengarry Fencibles In 1792 his people were evicted from their homes during the Highland Clearances. Despite the fact that, the penal laws still being enforced, being a Catholic priest he was an outlaw, Macdonell involved himself in their affairs and persuaded Glasgow business men to employ them while he acted as the Highlanders' priest and interpreter (for they were Catholics in a predominantly Protestant town and spoke Scottish Gaelic rather than Scottish English). He also used his influence on behalf of fellow Catholic Gaels from Barra who had attempted to emigrate but wound up shipwrecked and destitute near Glasgow. In May 1792, with permission of the apostolic vicar, Macdonell took up residence in Glasgow and found work for about 800 Catholic Highlanders. Within two years after the Highlanders' arrival in Glasgow, the French Revolution ruined the export trade of Glasgow and deprived Fr. Macdonnell's parishioners of their livelihood. The only avenue open to the unemployed was service in the militia, but even this was closed to Catholics, who could not take the required oath for military service. Father Macdonell then drafted a proposal that the Highlanders be