Rob Roy was a famous Scottish folk hero known for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, acquiring legendary status over the years as his tale was told and re-told. Essentially a cattleman, Rob Roy most likely rustled a good deal of his livestock. This was not looked upon as a necessarily bad thing – even the Black Watch regiment, which was formed specifically to control cattle rustling, looked the other way for enough money. In addition, Rob Roy was a Jacobite, i.e., a supporter of the restoration of the Stuart line to the throne. Other than that, the mythology is pretty much up for grabs, and many have taken the bait. It appears to have been a cattle deal gone bad that started the whole legend business, with Rob Roy resorting to the life of an outlaw after being branded as such by the Duke of Montrose, and having been stripped of his property and his living. Rob Roy took up arms against the duke, and continued to do so for many years, until being caught and imprisoned. Luckily, he was pardoned by George I, and in 1727, allowed to return home, where he lived out his final years in peace. Already the stuff of mythology by the time of his death, Rob Roy’s reputation was enhanced even further by literary works by Sir Walter Scott, Daniel Defoe and William Wordsworth, not to mention Liam Neeson’s heroic portrayal of him in the 1995 movie. And – he has a cocktail named after him – what higher accolade?!
