By 1677 the laws and measures of the Kirk and British Government had all but wiped Catholicism from the face of Scotland. legislation and the exile of the clergy had see the Catholic population of the contry reduced to approximately 140,000. This was teh estimate made in 1677 when Alexander Lesley made a Vatican-sponsored survey of the country to determin the extent of the damage inflicted by the Reformation. His report made for dark reading as he pinpointed vast areas, particularly in the south of Scotland, where not one Catholic remained.
However, his time in the north and west revealed a number of Catholic strongholds in places like Barra, South Uist, Knoydart and Glengarry, where the people had clung to and defended their faith and traditions. One such place was Enzie, where the local Catholic population had sheltered safely with the lands of the loyal Gordon clan. The actions and bravery of the people here ensured that their faith remained. Their legacy was to provide a base for the steady regrowth of Catholicism in Scotland.