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CELTIC  SCOTLAND 


Edinburgh  :  Printed  by  Thomas  and  Archibald  Condabh 


DAVID  DOUGLAS. 

LONDON •       SIMPKIN,   HAMILTON,   KENT,  AND  CO.,   LIM. 

CAMBRIDGE MACMILLAN  AND  BOWES. 

GLASGOW JAMES  MACLEHOSE  AND  SON.S. 


SC  OTLAND 

with  thc- 

ANCIENT    DIVISIONS 

(If  THE   l.AKl). 


RachJjm. 


^rcvixuxs  S:  Earldoms  thus  ROSS 
IKfitricts  1     L  o rn 

Sf^TUand  Line  ,_   t   _„-«_-. 

Thx  Seven  Pn^vinee*  art,  tinted. 


LonffiiuBe  West  4:   ^Tvuv  Greaiwich. 


J.BarOwlfimtw  SSitC" 


CELTIC  SCOTLAND 


A  HISTORY  OF 


0lncient  ^Iban 


BY 


WILLIAM  F.  SKENE,  D.C.L.,  LL.D. 

HISTORIOGKAPHKR-ROYAL   FOR   SCOTLAND. 


Volume  III. 
LAND   AND    PEOPLE. 


SECOND  EDITION. 


■■***«•*-«  wr^"* 


EDINBURGH:    DAVID    DOUGLAS 
1890 


All  Rights  reserved 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 

A  NEW  edition  of  this  the  third  and  last  volume  of 
Celtic  Scotland  having  now  been  called  for,  the  author 
is  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  of  correcting  any 
mistakes  of  the  press  which  have  occurred  in  it.  As 
this  volume  deals  with  the  early  land  tenures  and 
social  condition  of  the  Celtic  inhabitants  of  Scotland, 
in  which  a  number  of  obsolete  terms  and  old  Celtic 
Avords  occur,  it  is  peculiarly  liable  to  mistakes  of  this 
kind,  and  the  author  has  revised  the  text  in  this  view 
with  great  care,  but  he  does  not  find  that  he  has  any 
material  alteration  to  make  in  the  views  he  has  ex 
pressed,  or  the  conclusions  he  has  come  to,  as  these 
are,  in  fact,  the  outcome  of  years  of  careful  research 
into  this  very  o])scure  subject. 

Edinburgh,  27  Inverleith  How, 
1th  July  1890. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION. 

This  A^olume  completes  the  task  which  the  author  set 
before  himself  of  illustrating  the  history  of  Scotland 
during  the  Celtic  period,  when  it  bore  the  name  of 
Alban,  and  of  endeavouring  to  dispel  those  fables 
which  have  hitherto  obscured  it.  Like  the  other 
volumes,  this  third  volume  forms  in  itself  a  substan- 
tive work.  Its  title  is  '  Land  and  People,'  and  its 
subject,  '  The  early  land  tenures  and  social  condition 
of  the  Celtic  inhabitants  of  Scotland'  (vol.  i.  p.  28). 
The  real  history  of  a  country  may  be  said  only  truly 
to  commence  when  we  come  to  deal  with  the  social 
and  political  organisation  of  its  population.  The 
ethnology  of  the  nations  which  compose  it — the 
history  of  its  kings,  their  reigns,  and  the  various 
wars  in  which  they  engaged — the  extension  or  re- 
striction of  the  frontiers  of  their  kingdom — the  intro- 
duction of  Christianity  and  the  establishment  of  a 
Christian  Church,  are  all  great  landmarks  and  im- 
portant features  of  its  history ;  but  'still  they  are 
merely  the  outward  bulwarks  of  the  kingdom  as  a 
whole,  and  present  it  to  us  in  its  external  relations 
only.  Till  we  know  something  of  the  distribution 
within  the  country  of  the  various  races  which  formed 


PEEFACE. 


its  population,  their  relative  growth  and  decay,  their 
social  organisation,  and  the  extent  to  which  its  peculiar 
features  were  preserved,  and  influenced  and  coloured 
the  future  condition  of  the  entire  population  formed 
by  the  amalgamation  of  its  various  elements,  we  know 
little  of  its  real  history. 

To  supply,  at  least  to  some  extent,  this  informa- 
tion is  the  main  purpose  of  the  present  volume,  which 
the  author  fears  has  been  very  inadequately  carried 
into  effect,  and  its  publication  has  been  from  unavoid- 
able causes  delayed  much  beyond  the  period  when  it 
ought  to  have  appeared.  It  was  commenced  two 
years  ago,  when  its  progress  was  interrupted  partly 
owing  to  his  illness,  under  the  depressing  influence  of 
which  part  of  the  volume  has  indeed  been  written, 
but  mainly  because  the  publication  of  the  fourth 
volume  of  the  Ancient  Irish  Laws,  which  was  to  con- 
tain tracts  relating  to  the  early  land  tenure  in  Ireland, 
had  likewise  been  unavoidably  delayed,  and  the  author 
felt  that,  without  consulting  these  tracts,  he  could 
not  satisfactorily  treat  of  the  old  tribal  system  from 
which  the  ancient  Celtic  land  tenures  in  Scotland 
derived  their  oriofin,  and  without  a  knowledo;e  of 
which  their  true  character  could  hardly  be  ascertained. 
The  author  was,  however,  at  length  enabled  to  com- 
plete this  part  of  his  volume  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  editor,  who,  with  the  kind  permission  of  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  Limerick,  chairman  of  the  Brelion  Law  Com- 
mission, communicated  to  him  the  proof-sheets  of  the 
text  and  translation  of  these  tracts,  but  it  was  not  till 


viii  PREFACE. 

after  this  volume  had  iu  the  main  been  printed,  and 
was  almost  through  the  press,  tliat  the  fourth  volume 
of  the  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland  was  at  length  published, 
and  the  author  had  any  opportunity  of  reading  the 
introduction  ;  and  thus  in  compiling  that  part  of  his 
volume  he  had  unfortunately  not  the  benefit  of  the 
learned  editor's  commentary  upon  these  tracts. 

The  author  has  to  record  his  thanks  to  his  friends  : 
Mr,  Alexander  Carmichael  for  the  instructive  account 
of  three  of  the  Long  Island  townships  embodied  in 
the  last  chapter ;  W.  M.  Hennessy,  Esq.,  of  the 
Public  Record  Office,  Dublin,  for  the  curious  poem 
relatino[  to  the  Kin2;doni  of  the  Isles,  with  its  transla- 
tion  ;  and  Captain  Thomas  for  the  old  description  of  the 
Isles,  both  printed  in  the  Appendix,  Nos.  ii.  and  iii. 
He  has  also,  as  formerly,  to  thank  Mr.  John  Taylor 
Brown  for  his  ready  aid  in  revising  his  proof-sheets  ; 
and  he  takes  this  opportunity  when  completing  his 
work  of  recording  his  sense  of  the  valuable  assistance 
and  advice  he  has  received  throughout  from  his 
excellent  publisher,  Mr.  David  Douglas. 

The  volume  containing  the  History  and  Ethnology 
of  the  kingdom  was  brouoht  down  to  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  the  last  of  the  old 
dynasty  of  Celtic  monarchs,  which  terminated  with 
his  death  in  the  year  1284,  and  it  is  with  the  same 
reiffn  that  our  narrative  in  treatina;  of  the  '  Land  and 
People '  must  now  commence. 

Edinburgh,  27  Inverleith  Kow, 
Ut  Ocioher  ISSO. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


BOOK  III. 

LAND  AND  PEOPLE. 


CHAPTEli   1. 

SCOTLAND  IN  THE  EEIGN  OF  ALEXANDEll  THE  THIRD. 

I'AGE 

Consolidation  of  the  provinces  of  Scotland  into  one  feudal  mon- 
archy completed  in  this  reign,  ....  1 

Southern  frontier  of  Scotland,        .....  3 

English  possessions  of  the  Scottish  king.?,  ...  5 

Northern  boundary  of  Scotland,     .....  7 

Physical  aspect  of  Scotland  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  9 

Population  of  Scotland  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the   Third 

composed  of  six  races,  .  .  .  .  .15 

Indigenous  races  of  the  Britons  and  Picts,  .  .  .16 

Colonising  races  of  Scots  and  Angles,         .  .  .  .17 

Intruding  races  of  Danes,  Norwegians,  and  Normans,       .  .         18 

Influence  of  foreign  races  on  native  population,     .  .  .18 

Foreign  elements   introduced   into   population   of    Pictish   and 

Cambrian  territories,   ......         20 

Spread  of  Teutonic  people  over  them,         .  .  .  .21 

Norwegian  kingdom  of  the  Isles,    .  .  .  .  .28 

The  Gallgaidheal, 29 

The  Estates  of  the  Realm  in  1283,  .  .  .  .39 

Distinction  of  population  into  Teutonic  Lowlanders  and  Gaelic 

Highlanders,    .......         40 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


ClIAPTErv    II. 


THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. 

Old  division  of  Scotia  into  provinces, 

Seven  provinces  in  the  eighth  century, 

Seven  provinces  in  the  tenth  century, 

Districts  ruled  by  kings  and  afterwards  by  Mormaers, 

Petty  kings  of  Argyll  and  Galloway, 

Jari  Thorfinn, 

Mormaers  termed  by  Norwegians,  Jarls, 

INIormaers  of  Buchan,  from  the  Book  of  Deer 

Toisechs  of  Buchan,     . 
Seven  Earls  first  appear  in  reign  of  Alexander  the  First, 
Policy  of  David  I.  to  feudalise  Celtic  earldoms, 
Creation  of  additional  earldoms, 

Earldom  of  IVIar, 

Earldoms  of  Gar\7^ach  and  Levenach, 

Erldoms  of  Koss  and  Carrick, 

Earldom  of  Caithness, 
Seven  Earls  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Second, 
Province  of  Argyll,  .  .  .  - 

Seven  Earls  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third, 
State  of  the  land  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third, 
The  Crown  demesne,  .... 

District  of  Argyll  divided  into  sheriffdoms, 


PACE 

42 
42 
44 
49 
.51 
.52 
54 
55 
56 
58 
63 
66 
68 
69 
70 
71 
71 
78 
80 
83 
84 


CHAPTEE    III. 


LEGENDARY   ORIGINS. 

The  problem  to  be  solved. 

Early  traditions, 

Ethnic  legends. 

Linguistic  legends, 

Historical  legends, 

Artificial  character  of  early  Irish  history, 

Cymric  legends, 


90 
90 
91 
96 
97 
97 
100 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


XI 


Legendary  origin  of  transmarine  tribes, 
The  Nemedians  in  Scotland, 
Tlie  Firbolg  and  Tuath  De  Danan  in  Scotland, 
Pictish  legends,       .... 
The  Milesians  in  Scotland, 
The  race  of  Ith  in  Scotland, 
The  race  of  CoUa  in  Scotland, 
The  last  three  pagan  kings  of  Ireland  in  Scotland 
How  far  have  these  legends  a  historic  basis  ? 
Early  connection  between  Scotland  and  Ireland, 
The   twofold   division   of  the   Picts   and   the   establishment  of 
Scone  as  the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  .... 


PAGK 

104 
105 
105 
107 
108 
111 
113 
114 
120 
125 

132 


CHAPTEE   IV. 


THE  TUATH  OR  TEIBE  IN  IRELAND. 

Mixed  population  of  Scotland, 

Sources  of  information  as  to  their  early  social  state. 

Tribal  organisation  of  the  Gaelic  race. 

Influences  aflecting  the  tribe  in  Ireland, 

Effect  of  introduction  of  Christianity, 

Land  originally  held  in  common,   . 

Distinction  of  ranks  in  the  tribe,    . 

The  Ri  or  king. 

Distinction  of  ranks  arising  from  possession  of  cattle, 

Origin  and  growth  of  private  property,  and  creation  of  an 
order  of  territorial  chiefs, 

The  Ceile  or  tenants  of  a  chief, 
State  of  the  Tuath  or  territory  of  a  tribe 

The  Dun  or  fort, 
The  Mortuath, 
The  Cuicidh  or  province,    . 
The  law  of  Tanistry, 

Connection  between  superiors  and  dependants. 
The  system  of  fines, 

The  Honor  price, 
System  of  land  measures,  . 
Later  state  of  the  tribes,     . 


135 
136 
136 
137 
138 
139 
139 
140 
142 

144 
145 
147 
148 
149 
149 
150 
150 
151 
152 
1.53 
157 


Xll 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE   V. 


THE  FINE  OR  SEPT  IN  IKE 

LA.ND,  AND  THE 

TEIUi: 

IN  AVALES. 

Origin  of  tlie  Fine  or  Sept, 

I'ACK 

171 

The  Cin6  or  kinsfolk, 

171 

The  Ceile  or  tenants, 

172 

The  Fuidhir  or  stranger  septs. 

173 

Territorial  basis  of  Fine,     . 

175 

The  four  families  of  the  Cin^  or 

kinsfolk,  . 

176 

Members  of  the  four  families, 

.       179 

The  Geilfin(5  chief,       . 

180 

Eehition  of  Geilfine  chief  t( 

t  the  Ki  Tuath, 

184 

Law  of  Succession, 

187 

Sluaged  or  hosting, 

188 

Fosterage, 

190 

Later  state  of  the  Fines,     . 

.        192 

The  Tribe  in  Wales, 

197 

Fines  for  Slaughter, 

.       204 

The  sept  in  Wales, 

205 

Fosterage  in  Wales, 

.       207 

CHAPTEK   VI. 

THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND 

Early  notices  of  tribal  organisation, 

The  tribe  among  the  Picts, 

The  tribe  in  Dalriada, 

The  tribe  in  Galloway, 

Modification  of  original  tribes  under  foreign  intiuences,     . 

Passing  of  the  Mortuath  into  the  Piarldom,  and  the  Tribe  int 

the  Thanage,        ..... 
Distinction  of  people  into  free  and  servile  classes, 
Classes  of  freemen, 
Ranks  of  bondmen. 
Measures  of  land,    . 
Burdens  on  the  land, 

The  Cain  or  Can, 

Conveth, 

E.xpedition  and  hosting, 


209 
210 
212 
214 
•214 

215 
216 
217 
220 
223 
227 
228 
232 
234 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Assimilation  to  feudal  forms, 

Tenure  in  ftu-farm, 

Ranks  of  society  on  Crown  lands, 


PAGE 

236 
237 

238 


CHAPTEK  VIL 

THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION 

Review  of  the  Thanages  and  their  converi 

Thanages  in  Moray  and  Ross, 

Thanages  in  Mar  and  Buchan, 

Thanages  in  Angus  and  Mearns, 

Thanages  in  Fife  and  Fothriff, 

Thanages  in  Strath  erne, 

Thanages  in  Atholl,     . 

Thanages  in  Gowry,    . 

Thanages  south  of  the  Forth, 
Toshachdor  and  Toshachdera, 
Result  of  survey  of  thanages. 


ion  into  Baronies, 

246 

247 

250 

257 

267 

269 

270 

274 

277 

.       278 

281 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  FIN^  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND. 


Clanship  in  the  Highlands, 

The  Highland  Line, 

Break-up  of  the  Celtic  Earldoms, 

Moray, 

Buchan, 

Atholl, 

Angus, 

Menteath  and  Stratherne, 

Mar,    .... 

Ross, 

The  Gallgaidheal  and  their  lords, 

Lennox, 
The  Toshachdoracht, 
First  appearance  of  Clans, 
Clan  Macduff  and  its  privileges,     . 
Description  of  Highlanders— 1363-1383, 


284 
285 
286 
287 
287 
288 
289 
290 
291 
291 
292 
300 
300 
302 
303 
307 


XIV 


TAIiLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Raid  into  Angus  in  1391,  . 

Combat  of  two  clans  on  North  Inch  of  Perth  in  1 

The  Clan  Chattan  and  Clan  Cameron, 

The  Chief  and  the  Kinsmen, 

The  native-men, 

Fosterage, 

The  Clan  and  its  Members, 


iW>, 


PACK 

308 
310 
313 
318 
318 
321 
323 


CHAPTEK   IX. 

THE  CLANS  AND  THEIU  GENEALOGIES. 

State  of  the  Highlands  in  the  sixteenth  century,    . 
Names  and  position  of  the  clans,    .... 
Meaning  of  '  Clann,'  and  the  personal  names  from  which  their 

patronymics  were  taken, 
Original  importance  and  position  of  Clan  pedigrees, 
First  change  in  Clan  pedigrees.     Influence  of  legendary  history 

of  Scotland,     .... 
Second  change.     Influence  of  Irish  Sennachies, 
Analysis  of  the  Irish  Pedigrees, 
Artificial  character  of  these  pedigrees, 
Third  Change.     Influence  of  Act  1597, 
Spurious  Pedigrees, 
Result  of  Analysis  of  Pedigrees,     . 
Termination  of  Clanship  in  the  Highland.'- 


326 
327 

331 
334 

336 
337 
338 
346 
346 
349 
364 
365 


CHAP  TEE   X. 

LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS  SUBSEQUENT 

TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. 

Changes  in  tenure  of  land,  .....       368 

Abolition  of  Calps,  ......       368 

Size  of  townshijjs,   .......       369 

Occupation  of  townships,    ......       370 

Average  size  of  township  in  Central  Highlands,    .  .  .       370 

Township  in  the  Islands,    .  .  .  .  .371 

Highland  deer-forests,         .  .  .  .  .371 

Causes  affecting  the  population  in  the  eighteenth  century,  .       372 

Townships  in  the  Inner  Hebrides  in  1850,  .  .  .       374 

Existing  townships  in  the  Outer  Hebrides,  .  .  .       378 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  XV 

APPENDIX. 
I. 

PAGE 

Translation  of  a  part  of  the  Book  of  Clanranald,  containing  the 
Legendary  History  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles  as  given  by 
the  MacVurichs,  hereditary  Sennachies  of  the  Clan,  .       397 

IL 

Baile  Suthain  Sith  Eamhna,  an  Irish  poem  relating  to  the  king- 
dom of  the  Isles,  with  a  translation  by  W.  M.  Hennessy, 
Esq.,    ........       410 

IIL 

The  Description  of  the  Isles  of  Scotland,  written  1577-1595,         .       428 

IV. 

On  the  Authenticity  of  the  Letters  Patent  said  to  have  been 
granted  by  King  William  the  Lion  to  the  Earl  of  Mar  in 
1171,    ........       441 

V. 

On  the  Earldom  of  Caithness,         .....       448 

VI. 

Original  of  the  Poem  on  the  Lennox,  ....       454 

VIL 

Comparison   between   the    Highland   Clans    and    the   Afghaun 

Tribes.     Written  in  1816  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  .  .       456 

VIIL 

Legendary  Descent  of  the  Highland  Clans,  according  to  Irish 

Mss.,     ........       458 


Index,        ........       493 

ILLUSTRATIVE  MAP. 

Scotland,  with  the  ancient  divisions  of  the  land,        .         to  fare  the  Title 


BOOK    I  I  I. 

LAND  AND   PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER  1. 

SCOTLAND  IN  THE  REIGN  OF  ALEXANDEK  THE  THIRD. 

The  brightest  and  most  prosperous  period  in  the  annals  of  [;°^^°|.^^^^ 
Scotland  was  undoubtedly  that  during  which  she  was  under  provinces 

■^  °  .        "f  Scotland 

the  rule  of  the  dynasty  of  kings  which  sprang  from  the  imion  into  one 

feudal 

of  the  Celtic  king  Malcolm  Ceannmor  with  the  Saxon  prin-  monarchy 

T  i-i-  -ic  ic       completed 

cess  Margaret.  It  was  during  this  period  of  upwards  of  a  in  this 
century  and  a  half  that  the  different  provinces  of  Scotland  ^  ^ 
were  welded  into  one  feudal  monarchy,  and  the  various  races 
which  inhabited  them,  and  upon  the  allegiance  of  each  of 
whom  the  kings  of  this  race  had  hereditary  claims,  were 
fused  into  one  mixed  population  combining  the  peculiar 
qualities  of  each. 

The  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  the  last  king  of  this 
old  Celtic  dynasty  of  Scottish  kings,  saw  the  concentration  of 
the  various  provinces  of  Scotland  into  one  compact  kingdom 
finally  completed  by  the  cession  of  the  Isles  in  the  year  1266. 
Scotland  now  presented  the  same  geographical  platform  which 
it  ever  after  possessed.  The  various  races  which  composed 
its  population  occupied  in  the  main  the  same  relative  posi- 
tion. The  kingdom  of  Scotland  could  now  be  no  longer 
viewed  as  a  limited  Gaelic  kingdom,  possessing  dependencies 
peopled  by  British,  Anglic,  or  Scandinavian  communities, 
but  had  become  a  feudal  monarchy,  the  dominant  element  of 

VOL.  III.  A 


2  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  III.  [hook  in. 

which  wa.s  Teutonic,  while  tlio  Celtic  population  was  either 
restricted  to  tlu;  wilder  and  more  mountain  re;^don.s,  or 
formed  the  under  class  of  serfs  and  tillers  of  the  soil. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  task  of  amalgamating  the  dis- 
cordant elements  of  the  population,  and  of  concentrating  the 
semi-independent  provinces  which  they  peopled,  had  no 
sooner  been  completed  than  the  dynasty  which  effected  it 
was  to  pass  away,  and  a  war  of  succession  was  to  follow, 
which  was  still  further  to  root  up  her  ancient  institutions, 
and  to  throw  the  kingdom  still  more  into  the  hands  of  kings 
and  nobility  of  an  alien  race. 

By  the  death  of  his  only  daughter,  who  had  been  married 
to  the  king  of  Norway,  and  of  his  only  son  in  the  same  year, 
Alexander  the  Third  found  that  unless  he  had  a  male  heir  by 
a  second  marriage  the  succession  to  the  throne  would  devolve 
upon  a  little  grand-daughter,  the  Princess  of  Norway,  then 
only  two  years  old,  and  on  her  the  succession  was  settled  in  a 
Parliament  held  at  Scone  on  the  5th  February  1283-4,  failing 
such  male  issue.  In  the  instrument  by  which  the  succession 
was  so  settled  the  magnates  of  Scotland  bound  themselves  to 
receive  Margaret,  daughter  of  Eric,  king  of  Norway,  and  of 
Margaret,  daughter  of  King  Alexander,  as  their  lady  and  heir 
of  the  kingdom  of  Scotia ;  and  to  acknowledge  her  and  her 
heirs  as  their  liege  lady,  and  the  true  heir  of  their  sovereign 
in  the  whole  kingdom,  and  in  the  island  of  Man,  and  all  the 
other  islands  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  Scotia,  as  well  as  in 
Tynedale  and  Penrith,  and  other  dependencies  of  the  kingdom.^ 

Such  were  the  enlarged  limits  to  which  the  name  of 
Scotia,  once  confined  to  the  districts  between  the  Firth  of 
Forth  and  the  river  Spey,  had  now  extended ;  and  the  de- 
pendencies of  the  kingdom,  which  had  then  embraced  large 

'  De  toto  regno,  de  insula  Man-  Penereth  cum  aliis  omnibus  juribus 

nise  et  de  omnibus  aliis  insulis  ad  et  libertatibus  ad  dictum  domiuuni 

dictum  regnum  Scotioe  pertinenti-  Regem  Scotias  spectantibus. — Rjnn. 

bus  necnon  et  de  Tyndallia  et  de  Feed,  ii,  p.  266. 


CHAX'.  i.J  SCOTLAND  UNDEU  ALEXANDER  111.  .3 

semi-iudependeiit  provinces  on  the  south  and  west  of  these 
boundaries,  were  now  reduced  to  the  recently-acquired 
Western  Isles,  and  to  the  small  districts  of  Tynedale  and 
Penrith  lying  beyond  her  southern  frontier. 

If  this  process  of  consolidation,  however,  may  be  said  to 
liave  been  completed  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  it 
can  only  be  held  to  have  properly  commenced  with  that  of 
David  the  First.  Prior  to  his  accession,  although  the  rule  of 
the  Scottish  monarchs  had  extended  itself  by  degrees  over 
the  districts  south  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  and  then  west 
of  the  Drumalban  range  and  the  river  Spey,  yet  the  name 
of  Scotia  was  still  confined  to  the  eastern  districts  between 
these  limits.  These  districts  formed  the  real  nucleus  and 
heart  of  the  kingdom,  and  were  more  directly  associated 
with  her  monarchs  as  kings  of  the  Scots. 

The  extension  of  their  power  over  the  southern  districts  Southern 
commenced  about  a  century  after  the  establishment  of  the  scotiami. 
Scottish  dynasty  on  the  Pictish  throne,  when,  in  the  year  94G, 
the  districts  forming  the  kingdom  of  Cumbria  were  ceded  b} 
Edward  the  elder  to  Malcolm  king  of  the  Scots.  This 
kingdom  extended,  at  that  time,  from  the  river  Clyde  to  the 
river  Dervvent  in  Cumberland,  and  to  the  cross  at  Stanniore 
on  the  borders  of  Westmoreland  and  Yorkshire,  which 
separated  it  from  the  Northumbrian  territories.  It  embraced 
the  western  districts  of  Scotland  from  the  Clyde  to  the 
Solway,  the  present  county  of  Cumberland,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  part  of  it  which  lies  on  the  south  of  the  river 
Derweut  and  formed  the  barony  of  Copeland,  and  the  whole 
of  Westmoreland  exclusive  of  the  barony  of  Kendal,  which, 
with  Copeland  and  the  western  districts  as  far  as  the  borders 
of  Wales,  belonged  to  the  Northumbrian  kingdom. 

Within  eighty  years  afterwards,  the  districts  on  the  east 
coast  extending  from  the  Forth  to  the  Tweed,  and  consist- 
ing of  Lothian  and  Teviotdale,  were  ceded  to  his  grandson, 


4  SCOTLAND  UNDKU  ALKXAXDEK  III.  book  iii 

unother  Mukolin.  These  southern  territories  were,  however, 
ill  tlic  position  of  (lependencies  on  the  kingdom  of  Scotland, 
lying  beyond  her  proper  southern  frontier  and  within  that 
of  England,  and  were  on  three  different  occasions  entirely 
separated  from  the  Scottish  kingdom  : — First  during  the 
usurpation  of  Macbeth  and  the  possession  of  the  greater  part 
of  Scotland  by  the  Norwegian  Earl  of  Orkney,  whose  joint 
rule  certainly  did  not  extend  beyond  the  Forth,  while  the 
southern  districts  remained  faithful  to  the  family  of  Duncan  ; 
again  during  the  short  reign  of  Donald  Ban  ;  and  for  a  third 
time  after  the  death  of  Eadgar,  when  the  territories  over  which 
he  had  ruled  as  king  were  divided  between  his  brothers 
Alexander  and  David,  the  former  reigning  as  king  over  the 
kingdom  north  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  while  the  latter  ruled 
with  the  title  of  Earl  over  these  southern  dependencies.  The 
southern  frontier  of  the  Cumbrian  kingdom  did  not,  at  this 
time,extend  beyond  the  Solway,for  the  Norman  king,  William 
Rufus,  had,  in  the  year  1092,  wrested  that  part  of  it  which  lay 
between  the  Solway  and  the  Derwent  from  Malcolm  Ceann- 
mor,  and  given  it  to  the  Norman  barou  Eanulph  de  Meschines, 
while  Henry  i.  erected  it,  with  Westmoreland,  in  1132,  into 
the  bishopric  of  Carlisle.  The  southern  boundary  of  Earl 
David's  possessions  had  thus  become  coincident  with  the 
southern  frontier  of  the  later  kingdom  of  Scotland.  It  was 
only  on  the  accession  of  David  to  the  throne  of  Scotland 
that  they  became  permanently  united  to  the  kingdom,  and 
the  name  of  Cumbria,  or  Cumberland,  was  restricted  to  that 
part  of  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Cumbria  which  now  belonged 
to  England.  The  connection  of  the  royal  family  with  the 
ancient  line  of  the  Saxon  kings,  the  training  and  Norman 
tendencies  of  David  himself,  and  his  marriage  with  the 
daughter  of  an  Earl  of  Northumbria,  and  widow  of  an  Earl 
of  Northampton,  whose  mother  was  a  niece  of  the  Conqueror, 
created  a  tie  between  them  and  the  Anglic  population  of  the 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  5 

southern  districts  which  was  closer  thau  that  which  now 
connected  him  with  the  Celtic  population  of  the  other  por- 
tions of  the  kingdom ;  and  Lothian  assumed  that  prominent 
position  as  the  most  valuable  and  cherished  centre  of  the 
interests  of  the  monarchy,  which  had  hitherto  belonged 
to  the  region  between  the  Forth  and  the  Spey. 

But  while  David  the  First  may  be  held  to  have  established  English 

''  possessious 

the  Solway,  the  range  of  the  Cheviots,  and  the  Tweed,  as  the  of  the 

.  „  1    ,  .     Scottish 

proper  southern  boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland,  his  kings, 
marriage  gave  him  claims  to  territories  beyond  it,  which  he 
was  disposed  to  assert  when  opportunity  offered.  During 
the  life  of  Matilda,  his  queen,  he  had  enjoyed  in  her  right 
the  earldoms  of  Northampton  and  Huntingdon ;  but  on  her 
death,  seven  years  after  he  had  succeeded  to  the  throne  of 
Scotland,  the  earldom  of  Northampton  passed  to  her  son  by 
her  first  marriage,  Simon  de  Senlis,  while  Henry,  her  son 
by  King  David,  succeeded  to  the  earldom  of  Huntingdon. 
The  death  of  Henry,  king  of  England,  in  1135,  and  the 
disputed  succession  between  his  daughter  the  empress  of 
Germany  and  his  sister's  son  Stephen,  Earl  of  Mortaigne, 
presented  the  opportunity  King  David  longed  for.  He 
embraced  the  cause  of  the  empress,  who  was  his  niece,  and  in 
her  name  took  possession  of  Northumberland,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  castle  of  Bamborough,  which  he  soon  after  sur- 
rendered to  Stephen,  who  confirmed  the  Honor  of  Huntingdon 
to  Prince  Henry,  with  Doncaster  and  the  castle  of  Carlisle  in 
addition  to  it.  In  the  following  year  King  David  again  claimed 
the  northern  provinces  in  name  of  his  son  Prince  Henry,  and 
both  Northumberland  and  Cumberland  were  yielded  to  him  ; 
but  on  peace  being  made  between  him  and  Stephen  he  sur- 
rendered Northumberland,  retaining,  however,  Cumberland 
in  England.  An  attempt,  two  years  afterwards,  to  regain 
Northumberland  led  to  the  battle  of  the  Standard,  in  which 
David  was  defeated;   but  a  peace  was  concluded  in  1139, 


G  SCOTLA.ND  UXDEi;  ALKXANDEIt  III.  [book  iii. 

when  Northumberland  was  made  over  to  Prince  Henry, 
except  the  fortresses  of  Newcastle  and  Bamborough,  which 
he  retained  to  his  death  in  11 52,  when  King  David  had  Mal- 
colm, the  eldest  son  of  Prince  Henry,  proclaimed  heir  to  the 
crown,  and  presented  his  second  son,  William,  to  the  North- 
umbrian barons  as  their  ruler.  Malcolm  had  not  been  four 
years  on  the  throne  when  he  surrendered  Northumberland 
and  Cumberland  to  the  king  of  England,  which  were  annexed 
to  the  English  crown,  while  the  king  restored  to  him  the 
Honor  of  Huntingdon.  An  attempt  on  the  part  of  his  bro- 
ther and  successor,  William  the  Lion,  to  regain  these  pro- 
vinces, led  to  the  war  in  which  he  was  defeated  and  taken 
prisoner  in  1173,  and  Huntingdon  was  taken  from  him  and 
given  to  Simon  de  Senlis ;  but  on  the  death  of  the  latter 
in  1184  it  was  restored  to  King  William,  who  bestowed 
it  upon  his  youngest  brother  David,  afterwards  known  as 
David,  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  in  whose  family  it  remained.- 
The  claims  of  the  Scottish  kings  upon  the  northern  pro- 
vinces of  England  were  renewed  by  Alexander  the  Second, 
l)ut  through  the  mediation  of  Cardinal  Otho,  the  Pope's 
legate,  all  questions  in  dispute  between  England  and  Scot- 
land were  finally  settled  by  an  agreement  concluded  at  York 
in  September  1237.  In  lieu  of  the  claims  made  by  Alexander 
upon  the  earldoms  of  Northumberland,  Cumberland,  and 
Westmoreland,  as  his  hereditary  right,  and  for  the  dowry  he 
ought  to  have  received  with  Johanna,  the  sister  of  the  kino- 
of  England,  whom  he  had  married,  King  Henry  undertook  to 
convey  to  the  King  of  Scotland  in  property,  lands  in  the 
earldoms  of  Northumberland  and  Cumberland  to  the  yearly 
value  of  two  hundred  pounds.^  The  lands  so  settled  upon 
him   were  Tynedale,  also   called  the  barony  of   Werk,   in 

-  For  this  sketch  of  the  attempts       Hailes's  Annah  and  Vol.  i.  of  this 
of  the  Scottish  kings  to  obtain  pos-       work  may  be  consulted, 
session  of  these  northern  provinces.  ^  Itymer's  Fa>dera  ;  Palgrave,  Re- 

cords, vol.  i.  pp.  ii.  1. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  / 

Northumberland,  and  the  crown  demesne  in  Cumberland, 
consisting  of  Penrith  and  other  lands,  with  the  exception  of 
the  castle  of  Carlisle. 

Such  is  a  short  sketch  of  the  attempts  made  by  the  kings 
of  Scotland  to  extend  their  frontiers  to  the  south ;  and  the 
result  was  that  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  the 
southern  boundary  of  Scotland  was  the  same  as  it  is  at  pre- 
sent, but  Alexander  was  left  in  possession  of  the  lands  of 
Tynedale  and  Penrith  beyond  it,  as  a  dependency  of  the  king- 
dom, and  they  remained  with  his  successor  John  Baliol,  when 
they  were  finally  lost  to  Scotland  in  the  war  of  independence 
which  followed  his  short  and  disastrous  reign. 

But  if  the  kings  of  this  dynasty  struggled  vainly  to  Northern 

°  J  J  no  J  boundary 

enlarge  their  boundaries  on  the  south,  they  were  more  sue-  of  Scot- 
land, 
cessful  in  gradually  extending  the  power  of  the  crown  over 

the  northern  and  western  provinces.  David  i.  by  successfully 
defeating  and  crushing  the  rebellion  of  Angus,  Earl  of  Moray, 
in  1130,  terminated  tlie  semi-independent  state  of  that  pro- 
vince, and  no  earl  of  this  province  was  permitted  to  exist  till 
King  Robert  Bruce  bestowed  it  upon  his  nephew  Eandolph, 
but  its  guardianship  was  committed  to  different  Scottish 
nobles,  under  the  title  of  Custos  Moravia-.*  The  son  of  Mal- 
colm MacHeth,  who  called  himself  the  son  of  Earl  Angus, 
attempted  on  the  accession  of  Malcolm  iv.  to  regain  the 
province  with  the  aid  of  the  powerful  Regulus  of  Argyll,  but 
unsuccessfully,  and  their^ailure  was  followed  by  the  northern 
seaboard,  between  Inverness  and  the  Spey,  where  David  i. 
had  already  planted  the  royal  castle,  being  to  a  great  extent 
taken  from  the  native  chiefs  and  given  to  strangers — a  policy 
still  further  followed  out  by  his  successor  William  the  Lion, 
who  added  the  district  of  Pioss,  in  which  he  built  two  castles  ; 

■*  Dominus  autem  re.K,  circa  fes-  dereliquit.    .    .    .    Erat   enim    tunc 

tumS.  Michaelis  (A.D.|1211)rediens  temporis   ipse   (Willelmus   Cumyii 

inde  cum  manu  valida,  Malcolmum  Comes  de  Buchan)  Custos  Moraviaj. 

comitem  deFyfeMoraviiecustodem  — Scotichron.  B.  viii.  c.  Ixxvi. 


8  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALKXANDHIl  III.  |iio.)i<  in. 

iiiul  tlie  cnnvn  continued  to  maintain  its  control  over  these 
l)rovinces,  notwithstanding  occasional  attempts  on  the  part 
of  the  Celti(i  inliabitants  to  regain  their  independence  by 
supporting  the  pretensions  of  the  families  of  MacWilliam 
and  MacIIeth.  Tlie  province  of  Caithness  too,  which  at  this 
time  included  Sutherland,  and  had  for  generations  helongod 
to  the  Norwegian  earls  of  Orkney,  who  held  it  nominally 
under  the  king  of  Scotland  with  the  title  of  Earl,  was  at 
length  brought  by  the  same  monarch  more  directly  under 
the  power  of  the  crown,  and  placed  in  the  same  position 
as  the  other  Scottish  provinces.  By  his  son  Alexander  tlio 
Second  the  still  more  extensive  province  of  Argathelia  or 
Argyll,  forming  the  western  seaboard  of  Scotland,  and  extend- 
ing from  Loch  Long,  opening  off  the  Firth  of  Clyde,  to  the 
borders  of  Caithness,  was  brought  under  subjection,  so  that 
in  the  reign  of  this  king  the  power  of  the  crown  was  firmly 
established  over  the  whole  mainland  of  Scotland  north  of  the 
Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde.  The  islands,  however,  whicli 
surrounded  it  still  belonged  to  the  kingdom  of  Norway.  Th(^ 
Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands  had  been  colonised  by  the 
Norwegians  as  early  as  the  ninth  century.  They  had  been 
ruled  by  a  line  of  Norwegian  Jarls,  who  owed  submission  to 
the  king  of  Norway  alone,  and  though  the  succession  to  these 
Jarls  opened  in  the  reign  of  William  the  Lion  to  two  families 
of  Scottish  descent,  they  were  still  considered  as  Jarls  under 
the  Norwegian  crown,  and  the  islands  did  not  become  con- 
nected with  the  Scottish  kingdom  till  long  after  the  period 
we  are  dealing  with.  The  Western  Isles,  however,  stood  in  a 
different  position.  Although  the  Norwegian  Vikings  had  to 
a  great  extent  taken  possession  of  them  at  the  same  time  that 
they  colonised  Orkney,  and  they  had  been  the  subject  of  fre- 
quent contest  between  the  Norwegian  Jarl  and  the  Danish 
kings  of  Dublin,  who  had  acquired  possession  of  the  island  of 
]\ran,  they  were  still  claimed  by  the  Scottish  kings  as  belong- 


CHAP,  i.l  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  9 

ing  to  their  kingdom,  till  the  reign  of  Edgar,  when  they  were 
formally  ceded  to  the  king  of  Norway.  They  were  at  this 
time  along  with  the  Isle  of  Man  under  the  rule  of  petty  kings 
of  Norwegian  descent,  and  this  line  of  Norwegian  kings  of  the 
Isles  retained  the  whole  till  the  year  1154,  when  the  kingdom 
of  the  Isles  was  divided,  and  the  islands  south  of  the  Point  of 
Ardnamurchan  passed  under  the  rule  of  the  Celtic  ruler  of 
Argyll,  whose  claim  was  derived  through  a  descent  in  the 
female  line  from  one  of  the  Norwegian  kings  of  the  Isles,  but 
who  still  held  them  nominally  under  the  king  of  Norway. 
The  tie  to  Norway,  however,  was  becoming  weaker  and  the 
connection  with  Scotland  stronger,  when  the  unsuccessful 
attempt  of  Hakon,  king  of  Norway,  to  firmly  re-establish  his 
power  over  the  whole  of  the  islands  in  the  reign  of  Alexander 
the  Third,  and  his  defeat  and  death,  led  to  the  cession  of  Man 
and  the  Isles  in  the  year  126G  to  the  Scottish  monarch.  And 
in  1284  we  find  them  settled  upon  the  Maid  of  Norway 
as  a  dependency  of  the  Scottish  kingdom.  The  Western 
Islands  became  from  this  time  firmly  united  to  the  rest  of 
Scotland,  while  the  island  of  Man,  after  being  in  the  follow- 
ing century  alternately  in  the  possession  of  the  Scots  and  the 
English,  finally  passed  over  to  the  English  crown. 

Such  then  was,  in  extent,  the  Scotland  of  Alexander  the  Piiysieui 

rni   •     1  •  .  aspect  ol 

Third,  and  of  its  physical  aspect  at  this  time  we  can  also  Scotland  in 

...  .  11-1  the  reign  of 

lorm  a  very  lair  conception.  As  early  as  the  third  century  Alexander 
we  are  told  that  the  Barbarian  tribes  beyond  the  bounds  of  '^ 
the  Eoman  province  in  Britain  '  inhabit  mountains  wild 
and  waterless,  and  plains  desert  and  marshy,  having  neither 
walls  nor  cities,  nor  tillage,  but  living  by  pasturage,  the  chase, 
and  certain  berries  ;'  and  that  '  many  parts  being  constantly 
flooded  by  the  tides  of  the  ocean  become  marshy.'  ^  Had 
the  writer  of  this  description  ever  seen  the  Scotch  mountains, 
])robably  'waterless  '  is  the  very  last  epithet  he  would  have 

■'  It  is  thus  described  by  Dio  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Severus. 


10  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALKXANDER  in.  [book  iii. 

thought  of  applying  to  theia  ;  and  though  the  inhabitants 
are  said  to  have  had  neither  walls  nor  cities,  yet  no  doubt 
every  rock  and  height  showed  the  rude  fortification  or  hill  fort, 
the  remains  of  so  many  of  which  are  still  seen,  and  ever}- 
rising  ground,  with  its  rude  collection  of  huts,  would  be 
surrounded  with  its  rampart  of  earth  and  stones.  Adamnan, 
writing  in  the  seventh  century,  tells  us  of  the  fortified  resi- 
dence of  the  king  of  the  Picts  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Ness, 
with  its  royal  house  and  gates,  of  a  village  on  the  banks  of  a 
lake,  and  of  the  houses  of  the  country  people.  Of  the  leading 
physical  features  of  the  country  he  tells  us  too,  of  the  large 
inland  lakes.  Loch  Ness  and  Loch  Awe,  and  of  the  range  oi' 
mountains  forming  the  backbone  of  Britain,  or  great  watershed 
dividing  the  eastern  and  western  waters,  and  separating  the 
Scots  from  the  Picts ;  ^  and  Bede,  in  the  succeeding  century, 
talks  of  the  mountains  which  separated  the  southern  from 
the  northern  Picts,  and  within  which  the  former  had  seats.^ 

To  some  extent  these  features  must  have  still  characterised 
the  Scotland  of  Alexander  the  Third.  The  aspect  of  the 
country  became  gradually  altered  by  the  hand  of  man  as  he 
advanced  in  civilisation.  The  introduction  of  Christianity,  and 
its  rapid  spread  over  the  country,  would  fill  it  with  those  rude 
Celtic  monasteries  which  were  everywhere  established,  and 
with  small  Christian  colonies,  who  practised  a  rude  agriculture ; 
forests  would  be  cut  down  and  mosses  drained ;  and  in  place 
of  '  those  marshy  parts  of  the  country,  constantly  flooded  by 
the  tides  of  ocean,'  would  appear  those  rich  carses  which  border 
the  estuaries  of  her  great  rivers.  The  climate  would  become 
ameliorated,  towns  and  villages  would  spring  up,  and  a  more 
settled  mode  of  life  become  established  among  the  Celtic  tribes 

"  Adamnan,   17/.  Cohtmho'.  ab   australibus   eorum   sunt   regio- 

nibus   sequestrate.      Namque  ipsi 

"  Provinciis  septentrionaliuiu  australes  Picti,  qui  intra  eosdeni 
Pictorum,  hoc  est,  eis  que  arduis  montes  habent  sedes. — Hisf.  Ec. 
atque   horrentibus    montium   jugis       lib.  iii.  cap.  iv. 


CHAP.  I.J  SCOTLAND  UNDEI;  ALEXANDER  IIL  11 

which  formed  her  population.  An  old  description  of  Scotland 
north  of  the  Firths,  written  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of 
William  the  Lion,  exhibits  of  course  the  same  great  physical 
landmarks,  which  do  not  alter,  as  still  forming  the  leading 
territorial  boundaries.  '  This  region  is  said  to  exhibit  the  form 
and  figure  of  a  man.  The  chief  part  of  the  figure,  that  is, 
the  head,  is  in  Arregaithel,  or  Argyll,  in  the  west  part  of 
Scotland,  on  the  Irish  Sea.  His  feet  are  upon  the  German 
Ocean.  The  mountains  and  deserts  of  Arregaithel  form  his 
head  and  neck,  and  his  body  is  the  range  of  mountains  called 
Mound,  or  the  Mounth,  which  extends  from  the  western  to 
the  eastern  sea.  His  arms  are  the  mountains  which  separate 
Scotia  from  Arregaithel.  His  right  side  is  formed  from 
Moray,  Eoss,  ]\Iarr,  and  Euchan.  His  legs  are  these  two 
great  and  principal  rivers  the  Tay  and  the  Spey.  Between 
the  legs  are  Angus  and  Mearns,  on  this  side  of  the  Mounth, 
and  other  districts  on  the  other  side,'  that  is,  Marr  and 
Euchan, '  between  the  Spey  and  the  Mounth.'  ^  This  descrip- 
tion, which  is  fanciful  enough,  would  place  the  head  of  the 
supposed  figure  at  Ben  Nevis,  the  highest  mountain  in  Scot- 
land. The  body  is  formed  by  the  great  range  of  hills  which 
separated  Inverness-shire  and  Aberdeenshire  from  the  counties 
of  Eerth,  Forfar,  and  Kincardine,  and  which  forms,  as  it  were, 
tlie  backbone  of  the  Grampians,  and  these  are  the  mountains 
obviously  alluded  to  by  Eede  as  separating  the  northern  from 
the  southern  Eicts.  The  arms  are  formed  by  the  range  of 
liills  which  run  at  right  angles,  and  are  the  great  watershed 
dividing  the  eastern  and  western  waters.  The  southern  part 
forming  the  left  arm  now  separates  Argyllshire  from  Eerth- 
shire,  and  the  northern  part,  or  right  arm,  divides  the  western 
seaboard  of  Inverness-shire  and  Eoss-shire,  which  then  formed 
part  of  Argyllshire,  from  the  eastern  districts  of  these  counties, 

*  De  situ  Albania?  qure  in  se  figuram  liominis  habet. — Chron.  Pkts  and 
Scots,  p.  135. 


12  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  [hook  in. 

and  lliese  arc  equally  plainly  tlie  Drumalban  range,  which 
in  Adamnan's  time  divided  the  Scots  from  the  Picts. 

Upon  this  scene,  during  the  period  when  Scotland  was 
under  the  rule  of  this  dynasty,  two  great  additional  features 
were  introduced.  The  first  consisted  of  those  Norman  castles 
or  strongholds,  either  built  by  the  Norman  barons  to  whom 
grants  of  land  had  been  made,  and  which  contributed  so 
greatly  to  their  power  in  the  country,  or  by  the  kings  of  this 
race  upon  the  crown  lands  ;  and  around  the  latter  would 
cluster  those  groups  of  dwellings,  inhabited  by  traders  and 
artisans,  which,  on  the  banks  or  at  the  mouths  of  navigable 
rivers,  formed  the  burghs  and  seaport  towns  in  which  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  the  country  was  carried  on.  The 
second  great  feature  consisted  of  those  monasteries  founded 
by  these  kings  for  communities  of  regular  canons  or  other 
monastic  orders  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church,  which,  with 
their  stone-and-lime  buildings,  tlie  extensive  tracts  of  land 
attached  to  them,  and  the  industrial  habits  they  fostered, 
would  tend  greatly  to  extend  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  to 
promote  the  social  condition  of  the  people  under  theirinfluence. 

We  have  a  somewhat  imperfect  description  of  Scotland 
as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Alexander  the  Third,  compiled  not 
long  after  his  death.  It  commences  at  the  eastern  border 
between  England  and  Scotland,  and  first  names  Tyvidale, 
that  is,  Teviotdale,  with  its  two  royal  castles  of  Eokesborow 
or  Roxburgh,  and  Geddeworth  or  Jedburgh,  the  latter  a 
favourite  residence  of  Alexander  the  Third.  Then  follows 
Lothian,  with  its  castles  of  Berwick,  Edinburgh,  Dunbar,  and 
Strivelyn  or  Stirling.  These  two  provinces  extend,  it  tells 
us,  from  the  border  to  Erlesferie  and  Queneferie,  that  is,  to 
the  Eirth  of  Eorth.  In  the  districts  which  extend  in  the 
west  from  the  Clyde  to  the  Solway  it  names  only  the  new 
castle  built  upon  the  Ayr  water,  and  in  Galewey,  Anandale 
the  land  of  the  Lord  Robert  de  Brus,  the  royal  castle  of 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  III.  13 

L)oimfres  or  Dumfries,  that  of  Kirkcudbright,  belonging  to 
William  de  Ferrers,  and  the  castle  of  Baleswynton,  belonging 
to  John  de  Cumyn.  The  central  districts  are  not  named,  but 
here  was  the  extensive  forest  of  Ettrick  and  Traquair  sepa- 
rating the  eastern  from  the  western  districts.  Beyond  Lothian, 
it  tells  us,  lay  the  land  of  Fif  or  Fife,  in  which  were  the 
burgh  of  St.  Andrews  and  the  castle  of  Locres  or  Leuchars. 
Beyond  the  Firth  of  Tay  was  the  land  of  Anegos  or  Angus, 
in  which  were  the  castles  of  Dundee  and  Forfar  ;  and  then 
follows  '  a  certain  waste  called  the  Mounth,  upwards  of  sixty 
miles  long  and  sixteen  broad,  across  which  a  most  wretched 
passage  can  be  taken  to  the  north,  without  food '  (ubi  est  pessi- 
mum  passagium  sine  cibo).  Then  follows  Mar,  and  Bouwan  or 
Buchan, in  which  is  the  burgh  of  Aberdene  with  its  royal  castle. 
Followed  by  the  land  of  Morref  or  Moray,  with  the  castles  of 
Elgyn  and  Spiny,  and  then  Ross  and  Cateneys  or  Caithness.'' 
This  description  seems  to  follow  the  coast,  as  the  central 
districts  of  Gowry,  Atholl,  Stratherne,  and  Menteath  are 
omitted,  as  well  as  the  district  of  Arregaithel  or  Argyll,  and 
the  enumeration  of  the  castles  is  very  imperfect.  Fordun, 
however,  gives  a  view  of  Scotland  in  his  day  which  is 
probably  equally  applicable  to  the  time  of  Alexander  the 
Third,  and  in  which  he  seems  to  break  out  into  enthusiastic 
admiration  of  his  native  country.  '  It  is  a  country,'  he  says, 
'  strong  by  nature,  and  difficult  and  toilsome  of  access.  In 
some  parts  it  towers  into  mountains  ;  in  others  it  sinks  down 
into  plains.  For  lofty  mountains  stretch  through  the  midst 
of  it  from  end  to  end,  as  do  the  tall  Alps  through  Europe, 
and  these  mountains  formerly  separated  the  Scots  from  the 
Picts,  and  their  kingdoms  from  each  other,' — a  very  accurate 
description  of  the  Drumalban  chain,  extending  through 
Scotland  from  south  to  north.  '  Impassable  as  they  are  on 
horseback,  save  in  very  few  places,'  he  proceeds,  alluding 

^  Brevis  Descriptio  regni  Scotice. — lb.  214. 


14  SCOTLAND  I  NI)i;i;  ALKXANDKi:  III.  [BOOK  ill. 

here  to  the  passes  into  Argyll,  '  they  can  hardly  be  crossed 
even  on  foot,  both  on  account  of  the  snow  always  lying  on 
them,  except  in  summer-time  only,  and  by  reason  of  the 
boulders  torn  off  the  beetling  crags,  and  the  deep  hollows  in 
Ihcir  midst.  Along  the  foot  of  these  mountains  are  vast 
woods,  full  of  stags,  roe-deer,  and  other  wild  animals  and 
beasts  of  various  kinds.  .  .  .  Numberless  springs  also  well 
up,  and  burst  forth  from  the  hills  and  the  sloping  ridges  of 
the  mountains,  and  trickling  down  with  sweetest  sound  in 
crystal  rivulets  between  flowery  banks,  flow  together  through 
the  level  vales,  and  give  birth  to  many  streams  :  and  these 
again  to  large  rivers,  in  which  Scotia  marvellously  abounds 
beyond  any  oilier  country ;  and  at  their  mouths,  where  they 
rejoin  the  sea,  she  has  noble  and  secure  harbours.  Scotia 
also  has  tracts  of  land  bordering  on  the  sea,  pretty  level  and 
rich,  with  green  meadows,  and  fertile  and  productive  fields  of 
corn  and  barley,  and  well  adapted  for  growing  beans,  peas, 
and  all  other  produce  ;  destitute,  however,  of  wine  and  oil 
though  by  no  means  so,  of  honey  and  wax.  But  in  the 
upland  districts,  and  along  the  highlands,  the  fields  are  less 
productive,  except  only  in  oats  and  barley.  The  country  is 
there  very  hideous,  interspersed  with  moors  and  marshy 
fields,  muddy  and  dirty.  It  is,  however,  full  of  pasturage 
grass  for  cattle,  and  comely  with  verdure  in  the  glens  along 
the  watercourses.  This  region  abounds  in  wool-bearing  sheep, 
and  in  horses  ;  and  its  soil  is  grassy,  feeds  cattle  and  wild 
l)easts,  is  rich  in  milk  and  wool,  and  manifold  in  its  wealth 
of  fish  in  sea,  river,  and  lake.^*^ 

We  can  thus,  in  some  degree,  picture  to  ourselves  the 
Scotland  of  this  period.  Instead  of  the  large  tracts  of  culti- 
vated land  and  the  modern  mansions  of  its  possessors  sur- 
rounded by  plantations,  we  should  see  forests  of  trees  of 
native  growth,  from  amid  which,  or  on  their  margin,  would 

^^  Fordun's  Chronicle  of  Scotland,  B.  ii.  ce.  vii.  and  viii.  vol.  ii.  pp.  .36-7. 


OHAP.  1.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  15 

rise  the  towers  of  the  royal  castles,  or  those  of  the  Norman 
barons.  We  should  see  small  patches  of  cultivated  land,  in- 
terspersed with  long  stretches  of  barren  heath.  In  sheltered 
valleys  we  should  find  the  seats  of  the  early  bishoprics  of  the 
Celtic  Church,  and  the  more  imposing  monasteries  of  the 
regular  clergy  and  monastic  orders  subsequently  introduced, 
surrounded  by  a  greater  extent  of  cultivated  land,  and  with 
the  huts  of  the  occupiers  of  the  soil  clustering  round.  On  the 
banks  of  the  navigable  rivers,  or  at  their  mouth,  we  should 
find  settlements  of  the  trading  and  industrial  population  pro- 
tected by  rude  walls ;  and  we  should  find  the  northern  and 
western  districts  exhibiting  very  much  the  same  characteris- 
tics as  they  did  during  the  succeeding  centuries : — the  two 
great  leading  mountain  chains  of  the  Mounth  and  Drumalban 
forming  a  succession  of  hunting-grounds  or  forests,  left  to  the 
red-deer  and  other  game  ;  the  minor  chains  leading  from  them 
to  the  south-east  and  north-east  terminating  abruptly  on  the 
lowland  plains,  and  forming  a  great  mountain  barrier,  extend- 
ing on  the  south  in  an  oblique  line  from  Ben  Lomond  to  the 
great  range  of  the  Mounth  near  Stonehaven,  and  on  the  north 
from  the  same  range  at  Ballater  to  the  river  Nairn,  through 
which  the  great  rivers  rising  among  the  western  hills  pour 
their  waters,  through  narrow  gorges  which  form  the  passes 
into  the  mountain  region.  Within  this  line  the  country 
would  be  mainly  used  for  pasturage,  and  its  natural  defences 
would  render  but  few  artificial  fortifications  necessary. 

Durius  the  period  when  the  boundaries  of  Scotland  had  Pppuiatiou 

f^  ^  of  Scotland 

been  thus  extended  by  the  kings  of  this  dynasty,  its  popula-  in  the  reign 

"^  _  .of  Alex- 

tion  was  composed  of  several  distinct  races,  partly  of  Teutonic  auder  the 

.    .       p  .  in  •       1  Third  coni- 

and  partly  of  Celtic  origin,  forming  a  people  oi  very  mixed  loosed  of  six 
descent,  in  which  the  Teutonic  element  was  gradually  pre- 
dominatinij  more  and  more  over  the  Celtic,  and  either  absorb- 
ing  the  latter  or  confining  it  to  the  more  barren  and  moun- 
tain regions  of  the  country.    The  constituent  elements  of  tliis 


IG  SCOTLAND   UNDKIi  ALKXANDHi;   III.  [book  in. 

|tnpul;Uiuu  bore  .^ix.  cliirercnt  iiaines.  These  were  the  Picts  and 
theCumbrians  or  Britons,  the  Scots  and  Angles,  theNorwegians, 
and  the  Franks  or  Normans,  and  we  find  them  distinguished 
by  these  names  under  the  rule  of  the  Scoto-Saxon  monarchs, 
till  they  gradually  become  merged  in  the  general  name  of 
Scots.  Thus  the  charters  of  Eadgar  and  Alexander  tlie  First 
are  addressed  to  their  subjects,  both  Scots  and  Angles.  Those 
b}'  David  the  First  and  Malcolm  the  Fourth  sometimes  to 
Scots  and  Angles,  at  other  times  to  Franks  or  Normans  and 
Angles,  and  frequently  to  Franks  and  Angles,  Scots  and  Gal- 
wegians  or  Picts,  while  in  the  charters  of  the  subsequent 
kings  these  distinctions  disappear.  When  the  whole  force  of 
the  kingdom  was  called  out  by  David  the  First  at  the  inva- 
sion of  England  which  terminated  in  the  disastrous  battle  of 
the  Standard,  we  find  that  his  army,  according  to  Ptichard 
of  Hexham,  was  composed  of  Normans,  Germans,  Angles, 
Northumbrians  and  Cumbrians  of  Teviotdale,  of  Lothian,  of 
Picts  commonly  called  Galwegians,  and  of  Scots/^  while, 
according  to  Ailred,  the  army  was  arranged  in  the  following 
battalions.  The  first  was  composed  of  the  Galuenses  or  Gal- 
wegian  Picts ;  the  second  of  the  Cumberenses  and  Teviot- 
dalenses  or  Britons  of  Strathclyde  and  Teviotdale ;  the  third 
of  the  Laodonenses,  Insulani,  and  Lauernani,  that  is,  a  mixed 
battalion  of  Angles  of  Lothian,  Norwegians  of  the  Isles,  and 
the  Gaelic  people  of  the  Lennox  ;  and  the  king  had  in  his  own 
battalion  the  Scotti  and  Muravenses,  that  is,  the  people  of 
Scotland  between  the  Forth  and  the  Spey  and  of  the  great 
province  of  Moray,  which  he  had  recently  subjected,  beyond 
it,  and  along  with  them  '  Milites  Angli  et  Franci,'^-  or  Saxon 
and  Norman  barons. 
Indigenous         Of  thesc  raccs  two  only  were  indigenous,  and  the  rest 

races  of  the  .  .     .  . 

Briton.s  and      '^  Coadunatus    autem    erat   iste       Lodonea,  de  Pictis,  qui  vulgo  Galle- 

Picts.  nefandus  exercitus  de  Normannis,       weienses  dicuntur,  et  Scottis.  —  Rio. 

Germanis,  Anglis,  de  Nortliymbra-       Hagustald.  ad  an.  1138. 

iiis  et  Cumbris,  de  Teswetadala,  de  ^'  Fordun's  Ghron.  vol.  i.  App.  i. 


cHAi-.  1.]  SCOTLAND  UNDEIt  ALEXANDER  IIL  1  t 

were  intruders.  To  the  indigenous  races  belonged  the  Cum- 
brians or  Britons  south  of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  and 
the  Picts,  who  originally  inhabited  the  whole  country  north 
of  these  estuaries,  as  well  as  Galloway  and  a  considerable 
part  of  Ireland.  Both  belonged  to  the  Celtic  race,  the  former 
to  that  branch  of  it,  the  dialect  of  which  is  represented  by  the 
Welsh,  Cornish,  and  Breton,  and  perhaps  in  the  main  most 
nearly  approached  the  Cornish  in  the  form  of  their  speech. 
But  whether  the  Picts  were  altogether  a  homogeneous  people 
may  perhaps  be  a  question.  From  the  time  when  they  first  be- 
came known  to  the  Romans,  they  appear  throughout  as  divided 
into  two  branches  ;  but  whether  the  expression  of  the  Ptonian 
historian,  when  he  terms  these  two  divisions  of  the  Pictish 
people  two  nations,  indicates  any  diversity  of  race,  or  whethei-, 
as  the  language  of  Bede  rather  implies,  the  distinction  was 
simply  geographical,  certainly  in  one  important  respect  they 
for  a  time  showed  a  material  difference,  for  the  southern  Picts 
adopted  Christianity  at  a  much  earlier  period  than  the  north- 
ern Picts,  and  they  were  so  far  disunited  that  the  conversion 
of  the  former  did  not  imply  that  of  the  whole  nation,  and  for 
a  century  and  a  half,  while  the  southern  portion  were  nomi- 
nally Christian,  the  northern  half  remained  Pagan.  Every 
circumstance,  however,  connected  with  them,  tends  to  show 
that  the  Picts  who  inhabited  the  northern  and  western  regions 
of  Scotland,  as  well  as  Galloway  and. the  districts  in  Ireland, 
belonged  to  the  Gaelic  race  and  spoke  a  Gaelic  dialect,  while 
the  southern  Picts,  placed  between  them  and  a  British  people, 
present  features  which  appear  to  assimilate  them  to  both  ; 
and  the  conclusion  we  came  to  was  that  they  were  probabl}' 
originally  of  the  same  Gaelic  race,  while  a  British  element  had 
entered  into  their  language,  either  from  mixture  with  tliat 
people,  or  from  some  other  influence  arising  from  their  contact. 

The  sixth  century  brought  in  both  an  additional  Gaelic  Colonising 

l'3.CtiS  01 

and  a  Teutonic  element  into  the  population  of  this  part  of  Scots  ami 

Angles. 

VOL.  in.  li 


18  SCOTLAND  UNDKU  ALEXANDER  III.  [isooK  in. 

Britain,  for  in  the  beginning  of  that  century  a  colony  of  Scots 

from  Ireland,  who  were  undoubtedly  a  Gaelic  people,  settled 

on  the  l)urren  coasts  on  the  nortli  side  of  the  Firth  of  Clyde, 

and  the  same  century  saw  tlie  eastern  seaboard,  extending 

from  tlie  Tweed  to  the  Inrth  of  Forth,  in  possession  of  the 

Angles  of  Northumberland  ;  while  there  is  reason  to  believe 

that  some  parts  of  the  country  between  these  limits  had  been 

previously  partially  settled  by  Frisian  tribes  belonging  to  the 

great  Saxon  confederation. 

iiitrudiug  In  the  ninth  century  the  great  outburst  of  piratical  ad- 

races  of  1         O  T  • 

Danes,  Nor- venturers  from  the  Scandmavian  shores  brought  first  the 
and      '      Danes  and  afterwards  the  Norwegians  to  Scotland,  and  the 
.  orm.  lis.    -^^^^Q^,  j-^Q^  Qj^jy  colonised  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands 
but  became  masters  of  the  Western  Isles,  and  from  time  to 
time  of  considerable  districts  on  the  mainland  of  Scotland. 
During  the  reigns  of  the  earlier  kings  of  this  dynasty  the 
Saxon  influence  was  largely  increased  by  those  who  either 
took  refuge  in  Scotland  from  the  power  of  the  Norman  Con- 
([ueror  or  were  attracted  by  the  connection  of  these  kings 
through  their  mother  with  the  Saxon  royal  family ;  while 
David  the  First  introduced  the  Norman  barons,  who  obtained 
large  tracts  of  laud  on  both  sides  of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and 
Clyde  under  his  auspices  and  that  of  his  immediate  successors. 
iiirtuence  of       In  estimating  the  extent  to  which  these  foreign  elements 
races^oii      influenced  the  original  inhabitants,  and  how  far  they  formed 
popi^Mioii.  a  permanent  ingredient  in  the  mixed  population,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  in  view  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
obtained  a  footing  in  the  country,  and  the  peculiar  features 
which   characterised   the   intruders.      Did   they  enter  the 
country  as  colonists  or  as  conquerors  ?     If  the  former,  did 
they  come  as  military  colonists?  or  did  they  bring  theii' 
wives  and  families  with  them  ?     Or,  if  the  latter,  did  they 
amalgamate  with  the  conquered  population  so  as  to  form  one 
people,  the  language  and  institutions  of  one  or  other  obtaining 


OHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  1\) 

tlie  mastery  over  the  whole  1  or  did  they  exterminate  or  drive 
them  out  ?  or  were  the  remains  of  the  conquered  people  re- 
tained as  a  servile  class  under  the  conquerors'?  The  first 
recorded  settlements  whicli  have  a  historical  basis  were  those 
of  the  Scots  on  the  west  coast  and  of  the  Angles  on  the  east. 
Of  these  the  Scots  appear  to  have  come  more  as  colonists  than 
as  invaders.  They  were  a  tribe  of  Scots  who  came  from  the 
district  of  Dalriada  in  Ireland  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixth 
century,  and  brought  that  name  with  them  which  was  applied 
to  the  southern  part  of  the  great  western  district  of  Argyll. 
They  belonged  to  the  same  Gaelic  race  as  the  Pictish  tribes 
among  whom  they  were  settled,  and  the  oldest  tradition  as 
reported  by  Bede  cannot  tell  whether  '  they  secured  to 
themselves  these  settlements  by  fair  means  or  by  force  of 
arms.'^^  The  conversion  of  the  northern  Picts  to  Christianity 
by  the  Irish  missionary  St.  Columba,  and  the  establishment 
of  a  Christian  church  among  them  under  Scottish  clergy,  now 
formed  a  bond  of  union  between  them ;  and  it  is  recorded  by 
Bede  that  up  to  the  time  when  he  wrote  his  History  their 
mutual  boundaries  had  remained  unaltered.  In  the  same 
century  the  Angles  of  Bernicia,  under  the  sons  of  Ida,  who 
had  founded  that  kingdom,  obtained  possession  of  the  districts 
extending  along  the  east  coast  as  far  as  the  Firth  of  Porth. 
They  were  a  Pagan  people,  conquering  a  Christian  population 
of  a  different  race  and  language  from  themselves ;  and  there 
.seems  little  reason  to  question  tliat  this  settlement  was  only 
effected  after  a  fierce  and  prolonged  struggle  between  the 
Angles  and  the  native  pojDulation,  by  which,  after  varied  for- 
tunes on  either  side,  the  latter  were  eventually  either  exter- 
minated or  driven  into  the  more  hilly  and  barren  regions  on 
the  west.  There  were  thus  formed  four  distinct  kingdoms, 
which  remained  independent  of  each  other  during  the  sixth, 

'■^  Qui  duce  Reuda  de  Hibeniia       met  inter  eos  sedes  qiias  hacteniis 
piogressi  vel  aniicitia  vel  ferro  sibi-       habeiit,  vindicarent. — Bede,  i.  c.  l'. 


20  SCOTLAND   I'NDKi;   .M-KXANhKK   III.  |nnoK  in. 

seventh,  and  eighth  centuries,  viz.  those  of  the  Ticts  and  of  the 
Cumhrian  Ik-itons  consisting  of  tlie  two  indigenous  races,  and 
those  of  the  Scots  of  JJalriada  and  Angles  of  Bernicia  estab- 
lished by  two  of  the  intruding  peoples ;  and  their  mutual 
boundaries  had  remained  unaltered  down  to  the  period  when 
Bede  wrote  in  the  eighth  century. 
Foreign  It  was  not  till  the  ninth  century  that  those  changes  in 

hitroduced  thcir  relative  position  commenced  which  ultimately  led  to 
latiouT"  their  fusion  into  one  mixed  population.  A  revolution  in 
Cumbrian '^  that  ccntury  led  to  a  dynasty  of  kings  of  Scottish  descent 
territories.  ]^gjj-,g  permanently  placed  on  the  Pictish  throne,  and  to  a 
Scottish  element  being  largely  and  to  an  increasing  extent 
introduced  into  the  Pictish  population.  The  capital  of  the 
Pictish  kingdom  had  at  this  time  been  Scone,  and  around 
this  central  point  the  new  Scottish  monarchy  had  its  chief 
influence,  and  in  the  neighbouring  districts  the  new  Scottish 
population  would  be  most  numerous.  The  province  of  Fife 
seems  to  have  been  considered  as  their  main  seat,  and  they 
appear  to  have  spread  over  the  central  districts  of  the  region 
extending  from  the  Forth  to  the  great  barrier  of  the  Mounth, 
while  the  more  independent  portion  of  its  Pictish  population 
appear  at  its  two  extremities  in  the  firu  Fortren  or  men  of 
Fortren,  who  had  their  chief  stronghold  in  Dundurn  at  the 
eastern  end  of  Lochearn,  and  in  the  viri  de  Moerne  or  men  of 
Mearns,  whose  principal  fortress  was  Dnnfother  or  Dunnottar 
at  Stonehaven.  These  Scots  and  Picts,  belonging  to  the  same 
Gaelic  race  and  speaking  kindred  dialects,  would  amalgamate 
readily  enough,  and  they  would  probably  be  found  at  this 
time  established  alongside  of  each  other  in  homesteads  some 
of  which  would  be  Scottish  and  others  Pictish, — a  state  of 
matters  of  which  we  find  examples  in  northern  Eussia,  where 
the  earlier  Finnish  population  and  the  intruding  Slavs  occupy 
respective  villages,  and  in  parts  of  Greece,  where  the  distri- 
bution of  the  Albanian  and  the  Greek  population  presents 


OHAi'.  i.J  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  21 

the  same  features.  This  view  of  the  distribution  of  the  Scot- 
tish and  Pictish  communities  in  the  new  kingdom  of  Alban, 
to  which  the  name  of  Scotia  was  soon  applied,  will  to  some 
extent  account  for  the  strange  interlacing  in  this  part  of 
the  country  of  the  three  earliest  dioceses  of  Dunkeld,  of 
Abernethy,  afterwards  represented  by  the  dioceses  of  Dun- 
blane and  Brechin,  and  of  St.  Andrews, — the  two  former 
being  traditionally  connected  with  the  Pictish  name,  and  the 
latter  closely  identified  with  the  Scottish  people.  Diocesan 
boundaries  are  usually  found  to  reflect  more  ancient  etlmic 
divisions. 

The  Scottish  dynasty  of  kings  had  not  occupied  the 
Pictish  throne  for  more  than  sixty  or  seventy  years  when 
the  failure  of  the  line  of  British  kings  of  the  Strathclyde 
Britons,  and  the  election  of  a  brother  of  the  Scottish  king  t(j 
he  their  successor,  placed  a  similar  dynasty  of  Scottish  kings 
on  the  tlirone  of  the  Cumbrian  kingdom,  and  made  its 
eventual  cession  to  the  Scottish  monarch  a  more  natural  and 
easy  arrangement ;  and  the  cession  of  Lothian  in  the  follow- 
ing century  completed  the  territorial  formation  of  the  later 
Scottish  kingdom. 

Such  being  the  state  of  matters  when  the  dynasty  of  kin<'s  Spread  of 

"^  .  J  J  .--     Teutonic 

sprung  from  the  union  of  JVIalcolm  Ceannmor  with  the  Saxon  people  over 
i-»-  -nT  11  1  •      1  •       1  ^11         them. 

fnncess  Margaret  ruled  over  this  knigdom,  we  find  when 
we  reach  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  that  a  great  change 
has  taken  place.  The  British  speech  has  entirely  disappeared 
from  the  district  forming  the  ancient  Strathclyde  kingdom, 
and  their  population  now  speak  the  same  Northumbrian  or 
northern  dialect  of  English  with  the  people  of  Lothian ;  while 
this  Teutonic  language  has  likewise  spread  over  the  eastern 
districts  extending  from  the  Forth  to  the  Moray  Firth,  where 
in  the  reign  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor  that  Celtic  king  had  had 
to  interpret  the  Saxon  speech  of  his  queen  to  its  inhabitants, 
and  the  indigenous  Gaelic  vernacular  was  now  confined  to 


22  SCOTLAND  UNDEl;  ALKXANDEI!  III.  [hook  iii. 

the  mountain  regions  of  the  North  and  West  north  oi'  the 
Firths  oi'  Forth  and  (-lyde,  wldle  the  peojde  of  Lennox  and 
Galloway,  within  the  linnts  of  the  ancient  Cumbrian  king- 
dom, likewise  retained  their  Gaelic  speech.  There  had,  there- 
fore, taken  place  in  these  districts  a  silent  revolution,  of 
which  history  has  taken  little  note. 

Besides  the  violent  or  organic  changes  produced  in  a 
population  by  the  invasion  or  colonisation  of  a  foreign  people 
which  history  marks,  and  the  effects  of  which  we  can  trace 
in  the  events  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  country,  there  is 
another  silent  and  inorganic  spread  of  one  race  over  the 
territory  of  another,  the  eventual  results  of  which  are  appa- 
rent enough,  and  the  causes  which  led  to  it  may  be  divined, 
but  the  steps  of  its  progress  are  less  easily  marked.  In  the 
one,  whole  nations  or  tribes  take  possession  of  part  or  the  whole 
of  new  districts  ;  in  the  other,  they  spread  not  collectively 
but  in  families  or  groups.  In  the  one,  the  inroad  is  effected 
by  force  or  by  direct  convention.  In  the  other,  it  is  the 
result  of  natural  causes  arising  from  the  contact  of  two  races 
possessing  different  qualities  and  states  of  civilisation,  and 
from  the  influence  which  the  force  of  character  of  one  people 
may  exercise  over  another.  Their  influence,  too,  upon  the 
spoken  language  and  the  place-names  of  the  people  presents 
itself  in  different  aspects.  In  the  one,  the  language  of  the 
invading  people  is  established  as  the  language  of  tlie  country 
when  the  subject  population  has  been  exterminated  or  driven 
out,  and  the  older  place-names  are  either  adopted  into  the 
language  or  changed  at  once.  In  tlie  other,  the  silent  and 
gradual  inorganic  colonisation  changes  by  degrees  the  spoken 
language,  but  not  the  bulk  of  the  place-names.  The  great 
natural  features  of  the  country  usually  retain  the  names 
imposed  upon  them  by  its  original  inhabitants,  but  those  of 
the  homesteads  occupied  by  the  colonising  race  assume  the 
forms  of  their  language,  and  those  applicable  to  the  dwellings 
of  man  only  remain  unchanged  when  the  original  people  have 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  23 

lingered  longer,  or  when  the  name  is  expressive  of  some 
common  natural  feature,  which  has  been  readily  adopted  as 
such  by  the  intruders.  Topography  thus  affords  us  some  help 
in  indicating  the  presence  of  the  stranger,  and  marking  the 
extent  to  which  the  race  to  which  he  belongs  has  spread 
over  the  country. 

When  Earl  David,  as  Prince  of  Cumbria,  proposed  to 
restore  the  ancient  church  of  Glasgow,  and  asked  the  elders 
and  wise  men  of  Cumbria  to  inquire  into  the  ancient  posses- 
sions of  that  church,  they  told  him  that  after  Kentigern,  the 
founder  of  the  church,  and  several  of  his  successors,  had 
passed  to  God,  '  various  seditions  and  insurrections  rising  all 
around  not  only  destroyed  the  church  and  its  possessions, 
but,  laying  waste  the  whole  country,  delivered  its  inhabit- 
ants into  exile.  Thus,  also,  all  good  beinjf  exterminated, 
after  a  considerable  interval  of  time  different  tribes  of  differ- 
ent nationalities  pouring  in  from  different  parts  inhabited  this 
deserted  country,  but  being  of  separate  race,  speaking  a  dis- 
similar language,  and  living  after  different  fashion,  not  easily 
agreeing  among  themselves,  they  maintained  paganism  rather 
than  the  cultivation  of  the  faith.  The  Lord,  however,  who 
wills  that  none  should  perish,  was  pleased  to  visit,  in  his 
clemency,  these  unhappy  inhabitants  of  a  condemned  habita- 
tion, irrationally  dwelling  after  the  manner  of  beasts.  In  the 
days  of  Henry,  king  of  England,  Alexander  reigning  as  king 
in  Scotia,  God  sent  them  David,  brother-german  of  the  fore- 
said king,  as  prince  and  leader,  who  corrected  their  obscene 
and  wicked  contagion,  and  bridled  their  contumelious  contu- 
macy with  nobleness  of  soul  and  inflexible  severity.'^*  This 
picture,  coloured  no  doubt  to  deepen  the  shade  of  the  past, 

'^  Dicto      namque      Kentegerno  destnixerunt,    verum    etiam  totam 

pluribusque  successoribus   suis  pie  regioneni    vastantes,    ejus    habita- 

religiouis    perseverantia   ad   Deiim  tores  exilio  tradidei-unt.      Sic  ergo 

transmigratis,     diverse     seditiones  omnibus  bonis  exterminatis,  magnis 

circumquaque  insurgentes,  non  so-  temporum     intervallis     transactis, 

lum  Ecclesiam  et  ejus  possessiones  diverse  tribus  diversai'um  nationem 


24  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDKU  III.  [book  m. 

and  to  brighten  the  prospects  of  the  country  under  David's 
rule,  still  sufficiently  indicates  the  belief  that  the  British 
inhabitants  had  to  a  great  extent  deserted  the  country,  and 
that  it  had  been  repeatedly  laid  waste  by  foreign  nations,  who 
had  eventually  settled  in  the  country.  The  allusion  to  the 
paganism  of  some  refers  probably  to  the  Norwegians  and 
Danes,  the  former  of  whom  in  870  besieged  their  capital 
Alclyde,  now  Dumbarton,  and  destroyed  it  after  a  few  months' 
siege,  and  carried  a  great  host  of  prisoners  with  them  to 
Ireland  into  captivity,  and  five  years  afterwards  the  Britons 
of  Strathclyde  and  Picts  of  Galloway  were  ravaged  by  the 
Danes  of  Northumberland.  A  Welsh  chronicle,  attributed 
to  Caradoc  of  Llancarvan,  tells  us  that  in  '891  the  men  of 
Strathclyde,  who  would  not  unite  with  the  Saxons,  were 
obliged  to  leave  their  country,  and  go  to  Gwynedd  or  North 
Wales.' '^  In  945  it  was  ravaged  by  Edmund,  king  of 
Wessex,  and  ceded  to  the  Scots.  In  1000,  Ethelred,  king  of 
Wessex,  entered  Cumbria,  ravaged  it  nearly  all,  and  it  was 
again  laid  waste  ;  and  in  1070,  Gospatric,  Earl  of  Northum- 
bria,  having  collected  a  considerable  force,  made  a  furious 
incursion  into  the  Cumbrian  kingdom,  then  under  the  do- 
minion of  the  Scottish  king  ]\Ialcolm,  spreading  slaughter 
and  conflagration  on  all  sides.      These  notices  sufficiently 

ex  diversis  partibus  affluentes,  de-  germanum,  in  jjrincipem  et  duceni ; 

sertam  regionem  prefatam  habitave-  qui  eorum  impudica  et  scelerosa  con- 

runt ;  sed  dispari  genere  et  dissiinili  tagia  corrigeret,  et  aniini  iiobilitate 

lingua  et  vario  more  viventes,  baud  et  inflexibili  severitate  contumelio- 

facile  [inter]  sese  consentientes,  gen-  sani  eorum  contumatiam  refrenaret. 

tilitatem  potius  quam  fidei  cultuni  — Haddan    and    Stubbs,    Councils, 

tenuere.     Quos  infelices  dampnate  vol.  ii.  part  i.  p.  17. 
liabitationis  babitatores,  more  pe- 

cudum     irrationabiliter    degentes,  ^^  'pi^jg     cbronicle    was    printed 

dignatus  est  Uominus,  Qui  nemi-  from  tbe  Book  of  Aberpergwm  in 

nem  vult  perire,  propitiatione  Sua  tbe  Myvyriwi  Archa'ology,  vol.  ii., 

visitare  ;    tempore    enim    Heurici  and  reprinted,  with  a  translation, 

Regis  Anglie,  Alexandro  Scotorum  in  theArcJurologia  Cambrensis,  vol. 

rege  in  Scotia  regnante,  misit  eis  ix.,  Third  Series,  but  its  authority 

Deus  David,  predicti  Regis  Scotie  is  very  doubtful. 


CHAP.  1.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  III.  25 

bear  out  that  feature  in  the  dark  picture  of  the  past  history 
of  the  British  kingdom,  and  we  may  well  believe  that  under 
these  repeated  devastations,  and  under  the  Scottish  dominion, 
its  Welsh  population,  isolated  in  the  north  between  Picts, 
Scots,  and  Angles,  and  harassed  by  incessant  invasions, 
would  gradually  retreat  to  their  mother  country  of  Wales, 
and  that  their  neighbours  would  gradually  settle  in  the 
partially  deserted  country. 

There  are  some  indications  of  earlier  settlements  among 
them  of  Frisians,  who  left  their  name  in  Dunfres,  the  town 
of  the  Frisians,  as  Dunbreatan  or  Dumbarton  is  the  town  of 
the  Britons,^'*  and  the  subjection  of  the  Cumbrian  kingdom 
to  the  Angles  of  Northumbria  for  thirty  years  prior  to  685 
must  have  had  an  effect  on  its  population  ;  but,  be  this  as  it 
may,  the  neighbouring  Anglic  population,  attracted  by  her 
fertile  plains  and  valleys,  appear  at  a  later  period  to  have 
made  their  way  into  the  upper  valley  of  the  Tweed  and  Teviot, 
and  along  the  banks  of  the  great  watercourse  of  the  Clyde, 
and  to  the  plains  of  Renfrew  and  Ayr,  where  they  have  left 
evidence  of  their  settlements  in  the  numerous  Saxon  place- 
names  ending  with  the  generic  terms  of  ton  and  hamc,  while 
the  northern  district,  where  the  limits  of  the  Cumbrian  king- 
dom penetrated  into  the  mountains — the  district  surrounding 
the  romantic  lake  of  Loch  Lomond — seems  soon  to  have  ac- 
quired a  Gaelic  population, and  became  known  as  the  Levenach 
or  Lennox.  The  Gaelic  population  of  Galloway  at  the  same 
time  appear  to  have  encroached  upon  the  southern  limit  of 
Ayrshire  and  peopled  the  district  of  Carrick  with  a  Gaelic 
race.  Extensive  territories  too  were  granted  by  Earl  David 
to  his  Norman  followers.  The  great  district  of  Annandale 
was  given  to  De  Bruce.     The  adjacent  districts  of  Eskdale 

'8  When  Kentigern  was  preach-  their  god  Woden  had  been  a  mere 

ing  to  the  pagan  people  at  Hoddam,  man. — See  Paper  on  Early  Frisian 

in  Dumfriesshire,  the  chief  point  of  Settlements,  Proceedings  Ant.  Scot., 

his  sermon  was  to  show  them  that  vol.  iv.  p.  169. 


26  SC()T[,ANI)  UNDKI;  ALKXANDEl!  III.  bouk  iii. 

aud  Ewisdale  were  tilled  with  Xormaus,  The  De  ^lorevilles 
obtained  Cuninghame  or  the  northern  district  of  Ayrshire, 
and  the  Norman  Fitzallan,  who  became  the  Steward  of  Scot- 
land, acquired  Strathgryff,  or  Renfrew  and  part  of  Kyle. 
These  Norman  barons  settled  their  Northumbrian  followers 
on  their  lands,  and  thus  almost  the  whole  of  the  ancient  king- 
dom of  the  Cumbrian  Britons  became  soon  entirely  Saxonised. 

A  similar  process  seems  to  have  commenced  in  the  eastern 
districts  north  of  the  Forth  after  the  union  of  the  Celtic 
monarch  with  the  Saxon  princess  had  given  the  Saxon  influence 
predominance  in  the  country,  and  stamped  his  children  with 
the  character  and  feeling  of  Saxon  monarchs,  which  soon  pro- 
duced a  similar  result.  We  find  Saxon  barons,  who  fled  to 
Scotland  from  the  power  of  the  Norman  Conqueror,  acquiring 
lands  in  the  province  of  Fife.  The  burghs  founded  by  the 
kings  of  this  race  on  the  crown  lands  were  filled  with  Saxon 
and  Flemish  traders,  and  the  latter  people  obtained  grants  of 
land.  Thus  we  find  ^lalcolni  the  Fourth  granting  the  lands  of 
Innes  '  Beroaldo  Flandrensi,'  and  David,  Earl  of  Huntingdon, 
grants  lands  in  Garrioch  to  ]\Ialcolm,  son  of  Bertolf,  a  Flemish 
name,  and  his  charter  is  addressed  to  '  all  good  men  of  his 
Idngdom,  French  or  Normans,  English  or  Angles,  Flemish 
and  Scotch.' ^'  The  great  religious  houses  established  by  them 
brought  southern  ecclesiastics  into  the  northern  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  who  were  accompanied  by  a  southern  following;  and 
on  the  extensive  church  lands  we  find  the  sole  remains  of  the 
Celtic  population  appearing  as  serfs,  under  the  Celtic  appella- 
tions of  '  Cumlawes'  and  '  Cumherbes,'^^  and  large  territories 
speedily  passed  into  the  possession  of  Norman  barons,  who 
settled  them  with  their  own  followers. 

In  the  scanty  records  which  throw  light  upon  the  history 

of  the  land  in  these  districts,  we  can  see  the  Gaelic  name  of 

the  land-owners  gradually  becoming  more  and  more  restricted, 

I'FourthReportofHist.  MSS.Com.jApp.  p.  493.         ^'^  Chart. 80071,1^.24. 


CHAP.  I.J  SCOTLAND  UNDKII  ALEXANUKU  HI.  27 

and  retreating  before  the  Teutonic  settlers.  We  can  see 
more  and  more  of  the  land  becoming  feudalised,  and  being 
held  by  the  followers  of  the  barons  in  military  tenure.  The 
church  lands,  forming  a  large  proportion  of  the  whole, 
became  in  fact  agricultural  colonies  of  strangers.  In  the 
crown  lands  alone  the  older  land  tenures  maintained  their 
position  for  a  time,  though  there  too  the  increasing  im- 
portance of  the  royal  burghs,  and  the  gradual  advance  of 
their  Saxon  inmates  into  the  surrounding  land,  soon  carried 
the  Saxon  tongue  into  them  ;  and  thus  the  old  Celtic  king- 
dom of  Alban  or  Scotia,  extending  from  the  Firth  of  Forth 
to  the  river  Spey,  had  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third 
assumed  an  entirely  Teutonic  aspect,  while  wliat  Fordun  tells 
us  of  Malcolm  the  Fourth,  that  '  having  gathered  together 
a  large  army,  the  king  removed  the  rebel  nation  of  the 
Moravienses  from  the  land  of  their  birth,  as  of  old  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king  of  Babylon,  had  dealt  with  the  Jews,  and  scattered 
them  throughout  the  other  districts  of  Scotland,  both  beyond 
the  mountains,'  that  is,  the  Mounth, '  and  on  this  side  thereof, 
so  that  not  even  one  native  of  that  land  abode  there,  and 
installed  therein  his  own  peaceful  people,'  ^^  is  probably  to 
some  extent  true  in  so  far  as  regards  the  inhabitants  of  the 
plain  country  extending  from  the  Spey  along  the  southern 
shore  of  the  Moray  Firth  to  the  river  Nairn,  in  which  the 
royal  castles  of  Elgin,  Forres,  and  Nairn  were  situated,  and 
which  formed  the  three  small  sheriffdoms  of  these  names. 
It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  that  king,  or  his  successor  AVil- 
liam  the  Lion,  should  have  adopted  the  policy  of  interposing 
between  the  native  population, '  who,'  Fordun  tells  us, '  would, 
for  neither  prayers  nor  bribes,  neither  treaties  nor  oaths,  leave 
off  their  disloyal  ways,  or  their  ravages  among  their  fellow- 
countrymen,'  and  the  frontier  of  the  province  a  tract  of 
country,  garrisoned,  as  it  were,  with  the  more  settled  people 
of  the  lowlands. 

'8  Fordun,  Chron.  (Annals,  iv.)  ed.  1S72,  vol.  ii.  p.  '2o\. 


28  SCOTLAND   I'NDKi;  ALKXANDKK  III.  |ii()UKlii. 

Norwegian  Hut  if  tliis  silent  and  gradual  immigration  of  tlie  Teutonic 

kinpdoiii  ol  °  ° 

the  Isles,  people  thus  took  place  into  the  southern  and  eastern  districts 
of  the  country  north  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  and  either  ab- 
sorbed its  Celtic  inhabitants  or  gradually  drove  them  back 
into  the  more  mountainous  regions,  the  latter  were  exposed 
to  a  more  direct  assault  from  another  people  of  Teutonic  race 
on  the  north  and  west,  which,  however,  did  not  produce  the 
same  permanent  effect  upon  the  population.  This  was  that 
strange  and  sudden  appearance  in  the  northern  and  western 
seas  of  a  piratical  horde  of  sea-robbers,  which  issued  from  the 
Scandinavian  countries  lying  to  the  north  of  Germany.  The 
first  to  make  their  appearance  were  the  Danes,  and  though 
they  repeatedly  ravaged  the  "Western  Isles  and  destroyed  the 
Christian  monasteries,  they  effected  permanent  settlements 
only  in  Ireland,  and  in  the  northern  provinces  of  England 
forming  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Northumbria.  They  were 
followed  by  the  Norwegians,  who  appear  to  have  been  more 
attracted  by  the  islands  surrounding  Scotland,  and  thus  came 
more  immediately  in  contact  with  the  Gaelic  population  of 
Scotland.  They  entirely  occupied  the  islands  of  Orkney  and 
Shetland,  which  they  colonised  ;  and  took  possession  of  the 
Western  Isles,  without,  however,  driving  out  or  absorbing  the 
previous  inhabitants  of  Gaelic  race. 

By  the  ( laelic  people  these  northern  ravagers  were  termed 
either  Gcinnfc  or  Gentiles  as  being  pagans,  or  Gall  or  Stran- 
gers as  being  foreigners,  and  the  two  races  of  the  Danes  and 
Norwegians  were  distinguished  by  the  terms  Duhhgcinnte  or 
Dubhgall,  that  is,  black  pagans  or  black  strangers,  and  Finn- 
gcinntc  or  Finngall^"^  white  pagans  or  white  strangers,  and 
the  Western  Islands  were  termed  Innsigall,  or  the  Islands  of 
the  Strangers,  while  the  Norwegians  themselves  called  them 

-*  The  names  Dubhgall  and  Finn-  belong  to  a  large  class  of  names  end- 

gall    must   not   be    confounded,  as  ing  with  the  syllable  gaJ,  signifying 

is  usually  done,  with  the  Chi'istian  ralour. 
names  Dubhgal  and  Fingal,  which 


CHAP.  I.J  SCOTLAND  UKDKlt  ALEXANDEIt  111.  21) 

the  Sudreys  or  Southern  Islands,  to  distinguish  them  from 
the  Nordereys  or  Northern  Islands,  that  is,  the  Orkney  and 
Shetland  Islands.-^ 

That  the  Norwegians  did  not  so  thoroughly  colonise  the  The  Gail - 

.  gaidheal. 

Western  Isles  and  absorb  its  Gaelic  population,  as  was  the 
case  with  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands,  may  have  arisen 
from  their  finding  in  the  former  a  more  dense  population, 
and  also  that  they  appear  to  have  used  the  Sudreys  more  as  a 
kind  of  stepping-stone  to  other  settlements,  or  as  temporary 
strongholds,  rather  than  as  places  for  lasting  settlements,  and 
thus  their  Norwegian  population  was  generally  of  a  more 
transient  and  fluctuating  character  ;^2  but  this  was  mainly  true 
of  the  earlier  period  of  their  occupation  only,  and  a  more 
important  ground  of  difference  arose  from  the  Gaelic  popula- 
tion of  the  Western  Isles  more  nearly  assimilating  themselves 
to  the  character  of  the  Norwegian  sea-robbers.  They  seem  to 
have  submitted  easily  to  their  rule,  and  to  have  adopted  their 
habits,  so  that  when  one  of  the  great  Norwegian  Vikings, 
Ketill  Elatnose,  succeeded  in  establishing  a  petty  kingdom  in 
the  Isles  in  opposition  to  the  rapidly  increasing  power  of 
Harald  Harfager,  the  first  monarch  who  acquired  the  dominion 
of  all  Norway,  we  find  the  Isles  said  by  the  Sagas  to  be  in 
the  possession  of  Scotch  and  Irish  Vikings,  and  Ketill  appears 
in  the  Irish  Annals  under  the  name  of  Caittil  Finn  as  the 
leader  of  a  people  called  the  Gallgaidheal,  a  name  applied  to 
those  Gaidheal  who  became  subject  to  the  Norwegians,  and 
conformed  to  their  mode  of  life.  Harald,  however,  eventually 
conquered  both  the  Orkney  Islands  and  the  Sudreys  or  West- 
ern Isles.  The  former  came  under  the  rule  of  a  line  of  Nor- 
wegian Jarls,  who,  by  the  marriage  of  one  of  them  with  the 
daughter  of  '  Dungadr,  Jaii  of  Katenes,'  that  is,  of  Duncan, 

-'  There  is  no  foundation  for  the  is  contradicted  by  the  language  of 

usual  statement  that  the  Sudreys  the  Sagas. 

meant  merely  the  islands  south  of  --  Th is  is Munch's  opinion.  Seehis 

the  Point  of  Ardnamurchan,  which  Chronicle  of  Man,  preface,  p.  xviii. 


30  SCOTLAND  UNDEU  ALEXANDER  IIL  f»ooK  m. 

the  Celtic  Mormaer  of  Caitlmess,  added  that  province  to  their 
dominions ;  and  the  Norwegian  population  seem  to  have  as 
completely  colonised  the  eastern  and  level  part  of  Caithness 
as  they  did  the  Orkney  Islands. 

Harald  appears  to  have  governed  the  Western  Isles  by 
Norwegian  Jarls,  but  his  hold  upon  tliem  was  slight,  and  ap- 
parently  ceased  with  his  death,  and  they  became  merely  the 
haunt  of  stray  Vikings  until  the  middle  of  the  following  cen- 
tury, when  their  possession  was  contested  between  the  Danes 
of  Dublin  and  Limerick,  who  had  got  a  firm  hold  of  the  Island 
(jf  Man,  and  the  Norwegian  Jarls  of  Orkney.  One  of  the 
principal  leaders  of  the  Danes  of  Dublin,  Anlaf  Cuarau,  had 
become  connected  with  the  Scottish  King  Constantine,  and 
appears  to  have  exercised  some  authority  over  the  islands ; 
but  at  the  great  battle  of  Brunanburgh,  in  which  he  and  his 
father-in-law  Constantine  were  engaged.,  we  find  the  death  of 
Geleachan,  King  of  the  Isles,  recorded,  as  well  as  that  of 
Cellach,  a  prince  or  Mormaer  of  Scotland,-'^  names  which  un- 
doubtedly show  a  Gaelic  form.  Soon  after  we  find  Maccus 
or  Magnus,  son  of  Aralt,  a  leader  of  the  Danes  of  Limerick, 
called  King  of  Many  Islands,  and  a  struggle  took  place 
between  his  brother  and  successor  Godfred,  son  of  Aralt, 
called  King  of  Innsigall,  and  Sigurd,  Norwegian  Jarl  of 
Orkney,  for  the  possession  of  the  western  Isles,  wlieu  the 
former  was  slain  by  the  Gaelic  people  of  Dalriada  or  Argyll, 
and  the  Isles  were  acquired  by  the  Orkney  Jarl,  who  soon 
after  added  to  his  territories  the  western  and  northern  dis- 
tricts of  Scotland.  His  territories  are  said  in  the  Sagas  to 
have  consisted,  besides  Orkney  and  the  Sudreys,  of  Katanes, 
Sudrland,  jNIyrhaevi  or  Moray,  and  Dali  or  the  glens  of 
Argyll,  on  the  west,  and  we  find  a  Jarl  Gilli  apparently  ruling 
the  Isles,  whose  principal  seat  was  the  island  of  Coll,  and 
whose  name  has  a  Gaelic  form.-*    He  pays  scatt  or  tribute  to 

'-■'  Annals  of  the.   Four  Mafiter.<,  -'■*  Dasent,  .So .7a  of  Burnt  Njal, 

vol.  i.  p.  634.  vol.  ii.  pp.  12.  39.  40. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDElt  III.  31 

Sigurd,  and  obtained  his  sister  in  marriage.  Under  Sigurd's 
son  Thorfinn,  the  most  powerful  of  the  Orkney  Jarls,  after  the 
defeat  and  death  of  King  Duncan  in  1040,  the  whole  of  the 
northern  districts  of  Scotland,  as  far  as  the  river  Tay,  fell 
under  the  power  of  the  Norwegians,  who  likewise  possessed  the 
Sudreys  or  Western  Isles  and  the  Gaelic  district  of  Galloway, 
while  Macbeth,  the  Mormaer  of  Moray,  ruled  as  king  over 
the  dominions  left  to  him,  and  the  other  districts  south  of  the 
Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde  adhered  to  the  family  of  Duncan  ; 
but  on  the  deatli  of  Thorfinn,  we  are  told  that  the  additional 
territories  acquired  by  him  fell  back  to  their  native  lords. 
Malcolm,  the  son  and  heir  of  Duncan,  succeeded  in  defeating 
and  killing  the  usurper  Macbeth,  and  his  successor  Lulach, 
also  of  the  family  of  the  Mormaers  of  Moray,  and  establishing 
himself  as  king  over  the  same  territories  which  had  been  pos- 
sessed by  his  father.  The  Western  Isles  pass  for  a  time 
under  the  power  of  an  Irish  king  of  Leinster,  which  shows 
how  powerful  the  Gaelic  element  in  their  populations  still 
was,  and  on  his  death  fell  under  the  authority  of  the  Crown. 
At  this  time  the  Isle  of  Man  was  in  the  possession  of  the 
Danish  kings  of  Dublin,  but  a  powerful  Norwegian  Viking 
who  had  joined  the  expedition  of  Harald,  king  of  Norway, 
in  1066,  with  his  followers,  and  fought  at  the  battle  of 
Stamford  Bridge,  succeeded  after  that  defeat  in  driving  the 
Danes  out  of  Man  and  extending  his  power  over  the  Western 
Isles,  where  he  founded  a  new  dynasty  of  Norwegian  kings 
of  the  Isles.  He  is  termed  in  the  Chronicle  of  Man  Godred 
Crovan,  and,  in  the  Irish  Annals,  Goffraig  Meranach,  king  of 
the  Galls  of  Dublin  and  the  Isles,  where  his  death,-^  which, 
according  to  the  Chronicle  of  Man,  took  place  in  the  island  of 
Isla,  is  recorded  in  1095.     The  Isles  had,  however,  two  years 

"5  Goifraig  Meranach  ri  Gall  mor-  Meranach  tighearna  Gall  Athacliath 

tuns  est. — An.  Ult.  ad  an.  1095.  agus  ua   ninnsidh. — Annals  of  flie 

Atbath  don  mhortladh  chetna  (of  Four  Masters,  vol.  ii.  p.  950. 
the  same  pestilence  died)  Gofraidh 


32  SCOTLAND  UNDKIt  ALKXANDKi;  111.  |i)OOKiir. 

before  been  invaded  by  Magnus,  king  of  Norway,  and  brought 
under  his  dominion,  and  were  eventually  formally  ceded  to 
him  by  King  Eadgar  in  the  beginning  of  his  reign,  who  thus, 
for  a  time,  terminated  their  nominal  connection  M'ith  the 
Scottish  kingdom.  After  the  death  of  King  Magnus,  we  find 
the  leading  men  of  the  Isles  applying  to  the  king  of  Ireland 
to  send  them  some  person  of  worth  of  the  royal  family  to  act 
as  their  king  till  Olave,  the  son  of  Godred,  should  grow  up, 
and  Donald,  son  of  Tadg,  was  sent,  who  is  said  in  the  Annals 
of  Innisfallen  to  have  acquired  the  kingdom  of  Innsigall 
by  force,^^  but  was  driven  out  when  the  king  of  Norway  sent 
a  Norwegian  named  Ingemund.  But  on  his  attempting 
to  have  himself  appointed  king,  he  was  attacked  and  slain 
by  the  chief  men  of  the  Isles,  and  Olave,  the  son  of  Godred 
Crovau,  was  established  as  king  over  all  the  Isles,  and  ruled 
them  for  forty  years.  The  Norwegians  at  this  time  still  pos- 
sessed the  western  seaboard  of  Scotland  north  of  the  Firth  of 
Clyde,  and  the  district  of  Galloway.  According  to  the  Red 
Book  of  Clanranald,  'All  the  islands  from  j\Ian?inn,  or  the 
Isle  of  Man,  to  Area,  or  the  Orkneys,  and  all  the  bordering 
country  from  Dun  Bretan,  or  Dumbarton,  to  Cata,  or  Caith- 
ness, in  the  north,  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Lochlannach  or 
Norwegians,  and  such  of  the  Gaedhal  of  those  lands  as  remained 
were  protecting  themselves  in  the  woods  and  mountains.'  -' 

This  is  probably  a  true  picture  of  the  relative  posi- 
tion of  the  Norwegian  and  the  Gaelic  population  at  this 
time,  and  is  no  doubt  equally  applicable  to  the  district  of 
Galloway ;  but,  during  the  rule  of  Olave  over  the  Isles,  a 
simultaneous  effort  seems  to  have  been  made  by  the  Gaelic 
inhabitants  of  both  districts  to  free  this  mainland  border 
country  from  the  presence  of  the  Norwegians.  The 
leader  of  the  native  Gaelic  population  of  Argyll  was 
Somerled,  and  of  that  of  Galloway  was  Fergus.    The  former 

-^  Chroii.  Pict.i  and  Scots,  p.  170. 

-'  See  translation  of  Book  0/  Clan  ran  a  hi  in  the  Appendi.x,  No.  i. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  33 

bears  certainly  a  Norwegian  name,  but  the  names  of  father 
and  grandfather  have  been  preserved.  He  was  son  of  Gille- 
bride,  son  of  Gille-adomnan,  and  these  names  are  of  too 
purely  a  Gaelic  form  to  indicate  anything  but  a  Gaelic 
descent,  and  they  are  said  in  the  Book  of  Clanranald  to  have 
taken  refuge  from  the  Norwegians  in  Ireland,  and  to  have 
had  a  hereditary  right  to  the  mainland  territories  possessed 
by  the  latter.  The  name  of  the  father  of  Fergus  of  Galloway 
has  not  been  preserved,  but  his  own  name  is  a  purely  Gaelic 
form,  and  his  personal  qualities  probably  raised  him  to  the 
leadership  of  the  Gaelic  population.  Macvurich  describes 
Gillebride,  the  father  of  Somerled,  as  being  present  at  a  con- 
ference held  by  the  Macmahons  and  Maguires  in  Fermanagh, 
and  obtaining  help  from  them  to  regain  his  inheritance  in 
Scotland.  He  went  over  to  Scotland  with  his  son  Somerled 
and  a  band  of  followers,  and  when  in  the  mountains  and 
woods  of  Ardgour  and  Morvern,  they  were  surprised  by  a 
large  force  of  Norwegians,  who  were,  however,  eventually 
defeated  by  Somerled  and  his  party  ;  and,  adds  Macvurich, 
'  he  did  not  halt  in  the  pursuit  until  he  drove  them  northward 
across  the  river  Shell,  and  he  did  not  cease  from  that  work 
until  he  cleared  the  western  side  of  Alban  from  such  of  the 
Norwegians  as  had  acquired  the  dominion  of  the  islands,  with 
the  exception  of  the  island  called  Innsigall,  and  he  gained 
victory  over  his  enemies  in  every  field  of  battle.'  ^^  We  have 
no  record  of  what  took  place  in  Galloway,  except  that  the 
result  appears  to  have  been  the  same,  for  we  find  the  people 
of  Galloway  joining  the  army  of  King  David  at  the  Battle  of 
the  Standard  under  their  Celtic  leaders,  and  Fergus  fully 
established  in  his  reign  as  Lord  of  Galloway.  The  Nor- 
wegians, however,  were  not  allowed  even  to  retain  quiet 
possession  of  the  Isles,  and  Somerled,  who  now  appears  as 
Eegulus  of  Argyll,  succeeded   in  eventually  wresting  the 

=8  lb. 

VOL.  in.  c 


34  SCOTLAND  UNDKR  ALEXANDER  III.  [book  in. 

Southern  Isles  from  them.  Macvurich  tells  us  that  after  he 
had  cleared  the  mainland  of  the  Norwegians  '  he  sjoent  some 
time  in  war,  and  another  time  in  peace,'  and  during  one  of 
these  intervals  peace  appears  to  have  been  concluded  between 
the  leaders  of  the  Gaelic  population  and  the  Norwegian  king 
Olave,  for  the  latter  married  Afreca,  daughter  of  Fergus,  the 
Celtic  lord  of  Galloway,  by  whom  lie  had  a  son,  Godred,  and 
gave  one  of  his  own  daughters  to  Somerled,  the  Celtic  Eegulus 
of  Argyll,  in  marriage,  who  had  by  her  four  sons,  Dubhgal, 
Eeginald,  Angus,  and  Olave.-^  During  the  reign  of  Olave  he 
is  said  by  the  Chronicle  of  Man  to  have  '  lived  upon  such 
terms  of  union  with  all  the  kings  of  Ireland  and  Scotland 
that  no  one  dared  to  disturb  the  kingdom  of  the  Isles  as  long 
as  he  was  alive ;  '  but  after  his  death  the  two  populations  came 
again  into  conflict,  which  resulted  in  the  Gaelic  population  of 
Galloway  maintaining  their  independence,  and  those  of  Argyll 
adding  a  large  portion  of  the  Islands  to  the  dominions  of  their 
leader.  Olave  was  slain  in  the  island  of  Man  by  the  sons  of 
his  brother  Harold,  who  had  formed  a  conspiracy  against 
him  in  the  year  1152,  upon  which,  we  are  told  in  the 
Chronicle  of  Man,  the  conspirators  divided  the  land  among 
themselves,  and  a  few  days  afterwards,  having  collected  a 
fleet,  they  sailed  over  to  Galloway,  intending  to  conquer  it 
for  themselves.  The  Galloway  men,  however,  formed  them- 
selves in  a  body  and  assailed  them  with  great  impetuosity  ; 
whereupon  they  speedily  fled  in  great  confusion,  and  either 
slew  or  expelled  from  it  all  the  men  of  Galloway  who  were 
resident  within  the  island.'  ^^  In  the  following  year  Godred, 
the  son  of  Olave,  arrived  with  some  ships  from  Norway,  and 
was  elected  by  the  chiefs  of  the  Isles  as  their  king ;  but  he 
was  no  sooner  secure  in  his  kingdom  than  he  became  tyran- 
nical to  his  chief  men,  some  of  whom  he  dispossessed,  and 
others  he  degraded  from  their  dignities.     One  of  the  most 

■-■9  Chron.  of  Man,  ad  an.  1140.  '■^'>  lb. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  III.  35 

powerful  of  these,  Thorfinn,  son  of  Otter,  went  to  Somerled 
and  asked  to  have  his  son  Dubhgal,  wliose  mother  was  King 
Olave's  daughter,  that  he  might  set  him  on  the  throne  of  the 
Isles,  and  taking  him  through  the  Isles  he  forced  the  chiefs  to 
acknowledge  him  for  their  sovereign,  and  to  give  hostages  for 
their  allegiance.  Another  of  these  chiefs  called  Paul  fled 
privately  to  Godred,  who  seems  to  have  been  in  Man,  and 
told  him  what  had  taken  place,  when  he  immediately  col- 
lected his  followers,  got  his  ships  ready,  and  sailed  to  meet 
the  enemy.  Somerled,  too,  collected  a  fleet  of  eighty  vessels, 
and  a  sea-battle  was  fought  between  Godred  and  Somerled, 
during  the  night  of  the  Epiphany,  with  great  slaughter  on 
both  sides,  and  next  morning  they  came  to  a  compromise, 
and  divided  the  sovereignty  of  the  Isles,  '  so  that  from  that 
period  they  have  formed  two  distinct  monarchies  till  the 
present  time.'  ^^ 

Somerled  was  slain,  as  we  know,  at  Eenfrew  in  the  year 
1164,  and  on  his  death  his  eldest  son  Dubhgal  appears  to 
have  succeeded  him  in  his  mainland  territories,  while  his  pos- 
sessions in  the  Isles  fell  to  his  second  son  Eeginald  with  the 
Norwegian  title  of  king.  Godred  died  in  the  Isle  of  Man  in 
the  year  1187,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son  Eeginald. 
There  thus  came  to  be  two  Eeginalds  reigning  over  the  Isles 
at  the  same  time,  the  Norwegian  Eeginald  the  son  of  Godred, 
and  the  Celtic  Eeginald  the  son  of  Somerled.  Both  bore  the 
title  of  King  of  the  Isles,  and  thus  they  are  often  confounded. 
There  is  preserved  in  the  Book  of  Fermoy  a  curious  poem 
which  throws  some  light  on  the  state  of  the  Isles  at  this 
time.^^  It  consists  mainly  of  a  panegyric  on  the  Norwegian 
Eeginald,  but  appears  to  allude  likewise  to  the  other  Eegi- 
nald.    When  the  Isles  were  divided,  those  which  lie  south  of 

■"^  76.  this  poem,  collated  with  one  in  his 

^^  The  author  is  indebted  to  W.  own  possession.    It  is  printed  in  the 

M.  Hennessey,  Esq.,  of  the  Public  Appendix,  No.    ii.,    along   with   a 

Record  Office,  Dublin,  for  a  copy  of  translation  by  Mr.  Hennessey. 


3G  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  lU.  [book  hi. 

the  Point  of  Ardnamurchan  appear  to  liave  fallen  to  the  share 
of  Somerled,  and  his  son  Eeginald  seems  to  have  had  his  chief 
seat  in  the  island  of  Isla.  The  Isles  retained  by  the  Nor- 
wegians consisted  of  Skye,  the  Long  Island,  and  the  islands  of 
Tyree  and  Coll.  The  latter  island  of  Coll,  whicli  we  find  was 
the  chief  seat  of  the  Jarls  who  had  ruled  the  Isles  under  the 
king  of  Norway  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Norwegian 
kingdom  of  the  Isles,  appears  to  have  remained  as  the  chief 
seat  of  the  Norwegian  Reginald,  for  he  is  addressed  in  the 
poem  as  king  of  Coll.  The  islands  of  Arran  and  Bute  in  the 
Firth  of  Clyde  appear  to  have  been  shared  between  the  two 
Reginalds,  the  Norwegian  retaining  Arran,  which  forms  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  poem  under  the  poetic  name  of 
Eamain  Ahhlach  or  Eamania  of  the  apple-trees,^^  and  Bute 
passing  over  to  the  Celtic  Reginald. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  our  present  purpose  to  follow  the 
history  of  the  Western  Isles  further.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
Argyll  came  under  the  power  of  the  Crown  in  1222,  when 
Alexander  the  Second  firmly  established  his  authority  over 
this  extensive  western  region.  In  1196  William  the  Lion 
had  brought  the  great  northern  district  of  Caithness  under 
subjection,  and  severed  the  southern  half  of  it,  which  he 
placed  under  a  Scotch  lord,  and  in  the  same  reign  of  Alex- 
ander the  Second,  the  restricted  earldom  of  Caithness  passed 
into  the  possession  of  a  branch  of  the  Celtic  family  of  the 
Earl  of  Angus,  and  he  died  in  the  island  of  Kerreray  while 
endeavouring  to  wrest  the  Isles  from  Norway.  In  the  follow- 
ing reign  the  whole  kingdom  of  the  Isles  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Scottish  monarch,  the  last  Norwegian  king 
of  Man  having  died  in  1265,  and  the  Isles  being  formally 
ceded  to  Alexander  the  Third  in  1266  ;  and  thus  the  power  of 

^  Ise  in  Manannan  sin  robai  i  n-  is  the  place  which  is  called  Eamania 

arainn  ocus  as  friaside  adberar  E-  of  the  apple-trees.  —  Yelloiv  Book  of 

main  Ablach.     It  was  this  Manan-  Lecain,  Atlajitis,  vol.  iv.  p.  228. 
nan  that  resided  in  Arann,  and  this 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  37 

the  Norwegians  entirely  disappeared  from  the  mainland  of 
Scotland  and  from  the  Western  Isles,  the  islands  of  Orkney 
and  Shetland  alone  remaining  as  a  dependency  of  the  king- 
dom of  Norway. 

During  the  entire  duration  of  this  Norwegian  kingdom 
of  the  Isles,  we  see  the  frequent  appearance  of  a  subordi- 
nate body  termed  the  Princes  or  Chiefs  of  the  Isles,^^  whose 
recognition  of  the  authority  of  the  king  was  necessary  to 
his  assumption  of  that  position.  "We  see  them  electing  a 
king  and  occasionally  deposing  a  king  ;  and  that  this  body 
consisted  of  persons  partly  of  Norwegian  and  partly  of 
Gaelic  descent  is  evident,  from  their  sometimes  deferring 
to  the  authority  of  the  king  of  Norway,  and  at  other  times 
appealing  to  Ireland  for  aid.  When  the  Norwegian  influence 
was  paramount,  they  would  accept  the  control  of  the  Nor- 
wegian monarch.  When  the  Gaelic  influence  predominated, 
they  seem  invariably  to  have  fallen  back  upon  the  kindred 
Gael  of  Ireland,  and  come  under  their  influence.  The  inferior 
population  of  the  Isles  throughout  was  probably  Gaelic,  who 
formed  the  actual  occupiers  of  the  soil  under  superior  lords, 
some  of  Norwegian  and  some  of  native  descent. 

When  the  partition  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Isles  took  place 
between  Clave  and  Somerled,  the  Southern  Isles,  which  thus 
passed  under  the  rule  of  a  native  lord,  would  naturally  attract 
to  them  the  Gaelic  population,  both  chiefs  and  people,  while 
the  chiefs  of  Norwegian  descent  would  as  naturally  withdraw 
to  the  Northern  Isles,  which  remained  under  Norwegian  rule  ; 
and  thus  the  Norwegian  population  would  become  more 
restricted  to  these  islands,  while  that  of  the  Southern  Isles 
would  become  more  purely  Gaelic  ;  accordingly  we  find  the 
Norwegian  place-names  in  Skye  and  the  Long  Island  are  more 
numerous  and  more  thoroughly  spread  over  the  Isles  than  in 
the  islands  south  of  the  Point  of  Ardnamurchan,  a  result  we 

^'  Principes  Insularum. — Ghron.  Mannuv. 


38  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  III.  [book  iii. 

might  also  naturally  expect  from  the  Norwegian  occupation 
of  the  former  having  lasted  a  century  longer  than  that  of  the 
latter.  We  should  also  expect  to  find  that  after  the  partition 
of  the  Isles  the  Northern  Islands  would  become  comparatively 
deserted  by  the  lower  class  of  the  population,  the  actual 
occupiers  of  the  soil ;  and  the  condition  of  these  islands  at 
this  time  may  be  gathered  from  the  Chronicle  of  Man,  where 
it  tells  us  that  the  Norwegian  king  Eeginald  '  gave  his  brother 
Olave  the  island  which  is  called  Lcodhus  or  Lewis,  which 
though  larger  than  any  of  the  other  isles  is  mountainous, 
rocky,  and  almost  entirely  inaccessible.  It  is  of  course  thinly 
peopled,  and  the  inhabitants  live  mostly  by  hunting  and 
fishing.  To  this  island  Olave  retired,  and  lived  in  the  way 
of  poverty.  Seeing  the  island  could  not  support  him  and  his 
followers,  he  went  confidentially  to  his  brother  Eeginald,  who 
was  at  that  time  resident  in  the  Islands,  and  thus  accosted 
him :  Brother,  my  lord  and  sovereign,  thou  art  conscious  that 
the  kingdom  of  the  Isles  is  my  birthright,  but  as  the  Al- 
mighty hath  appointed  thee  to  rule  over  them,  I  neither  envy 
nor  begrudge  thee  this  royal  dignity.  Let  me  now  only 
entreat  thee  to  appoint  me  some  portion  of  land  in  the 
Islands,  where  I  may  live  creditably  with  my  people ;  for 
the  island  of  Lcodhus,  which  thou  hast  given  me,  is  insuffi- 
cient for  my  maintenance.'  ^^  Apparently  Eeginald  saw  no 
way  of  satisfying  his  demand,  and  found  an  easier  solution  in 
making  him  prisoner  and  sending  him  to  King  William  the 
Lion,  who  imprisoned  him  during  the  rest  of  his  reign. 

We  likewise  see  from  the  Chronicle  of  Man  that  there 
was  frequent  intermarriage  between  the  two  races  who 
occupied  the  islands,  and  this  would  not  only  lead  to  the 
introduction  of  personal  names  of  Norwegian  form  into 
families  of  pure  Gaelic  descent  in  the  male  line,  but  must  to 
a  great  extent  have  altered  the  physical  type  of  the  Gaelic 

'^^  Ghrot}.  Mannke,  ad  an. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  39 

race  in  the  islands ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that, 
after  the  entire  defeat  of  the  Norwegians  in  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  Third,  and  the  cession  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
[sles  to  him,  there  remained  in  them  many  families  of  pure 
Norwegian  descent,  and  from  the  population  of  Scotland,  as 
we  find  it  in  his  reign,  the  Norwegian  element,  never  pro- 
bably a  very  permanent  and  essential  ingredient,  must  now 
have  entirely  disappeared. 

When  the  '  Communitas '  or  Estates  of  Scotland  met  at  The  Estate 

of  the 

Scone  on  the  5th  of  February  1283,  to  regulate  the  succession  Realm  in 

1283 

to  the  crown,  we  find  that  the  great  holders  of  the  land  in 
Scotland  consisted  at  this  time,  first,  of  thirteen  of  the  great 
hereditary  earldoms,  one  of  which  was  held  by  a  family  of 
Anglic  descent,  and  four  by  Norman  barons  who  had  suc- 
ceeded by  inheritance  in  the  female  line  to  the  ancient  Celtic 
earls  ;  and,  secondly,  of  twenty-four  barons,  of  whom  eighteen 
at  least  represented  the  Norman  baronage  of  the  kingdom, 
while  the  Celtic  element  is  represented  only  by  three  families 
descended  from  Somerled,  the  great  Celtic  Lord  of  Argyll ;  3« 
and  when  Edward  the  First  placed  the  whole  of  Scotland 
under  four  justiciaries  in  1315,  we  find  the  country  south  of 
the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde  still  divided  into  the  two  great 
districts  of  Lothian  and  Galloway,  but  the  lands  beyond  the 
Scottish  Sea,  that  is,  north  of  these  firths,  are  now  for  the 
first  time  differently  grouped,  one  division  consisting  of  the 
country  between  the  river  of  Forth  and  the  mountains,  and 
the  other  of  the  lands  beyond  the  mountains,  or  that  part  of 
the  country  to  which  the  Gaelic  population  was  now  re- 
stricted.^'^ 

The  account  given  by  Fordun  of  the  distribution  of  the 

^^  See  Act.  Pari.,  vol.  i.  p.  424.  ray  et  iilus  a  honur  et  au  profits  de 

"^''  Puis  est  treitez  et  acordez  de  nostre  seignur  le  Roy  et  al  aisement 

mettre  quatre  poire  des  Justices  en  du  poeple  est  assentu  que  en  Loe- 

la  terre  Descoce  et  pur  ce  que  les  neys    soient    deux    Justices,    cest 

choses  soient  mesnees  de  meillur  ar-  asavoir    monsieur    Johan    del    Isle 


40  SCOTLAND  UNDKK  ALEXANDER  IIL  [book  hi. 

Distinction  population  ill  liis  (lay  entirely  corresponds  with  this.     He 
tioii  into      says — '  The  manners  and  customs  of  the  Scots  vary  with  the 

Teutonic  ... 

Lowianders  diversity  of   their   speech,  for   two   languases   are   spoken 

and  Gaelic  "^  ^         .  *=      "  ^ 

Higii-         amongst  them,  the  Scottish  and  the  Teutonic,  the  latter  of 

landers.  i  •   i     •       i      i 

winch  IS  the  language  of  those  who  occupy  the  seaboard  and 
plains,  while  the  race  of  Scottish  speech  inhabits  the  high- 
lands and  outlying  islands.  The  people  of  the  coast  are  of 
domestic  and  civilised  habits,  trusty,  patient,  and  urbane, 
decent  in  their  attire,  affable  and  peaceful,  devout  in  divine 
worship,  yet  always  prone  to  resist  a  wrong  at  the  hands  of 
their  enemies.  The  highlanders  and  people  of  the  islands, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  a  savage  and  untamed  nation,  rude 
and  independent,  given  to  rapine,  ease-loving,  of  a  docile  and 
warm  disposition,  comely  in  person  but  unsightly  in  dress, 
hostile  to  the  English  people  and  language,  and,  owing  to 
diversity  of  speech,  even  to  their  own  nation,  and  exceedingly 
cruel.  They  are,  however,  faithful  and  obedient  to  their  king 
and  country,  and  easily  made  to  submit  to  law  if  properly 
governed.'  ^^ 

This  description  is  no  doubt  to  some  extent  coloured  by 
the  predilections  of  one  who  himself  belonged  to  the  low- 
country  population,  but  it  is  not  greatly  unlike  the  prejudiced 
view  taken  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Celtic  population 
by  late  historians,  and  the  struggle  between  the  prejudices 
of  the  old  historian  against  the  Highland  population  and 
his  reluctant  admission  of  their  better  qualities  is  apparent 
enough. 

We  thus  find  a  Gaelic-speaking  people  in  the  Highlands 

et  monsieur  Adam  de  Gurdon.     En  et  monsieur  William  Inge.     Et  pur 

Ga[lo]way     monsieur    Roger     de  les  terres  dela  les  Montz  Mon- 

Kirkpatrick  et  monsieur  Wautier  sieur  Reynaud  le  Chien  et  Monsieur 

de  Burghdone.     Et  pur  les  terres  Johan  de  V^aux  du  Counte  de  Nor- 

DELA  LA  MER  Descoce,  cest  asavoir  thumber. —  Act.  Pari.  Scot.,  vol.  i. 

ENTRE  LA  RiVERE  DE  FoRTH  ET  LES    p.  120. 

MoNTZ  monsieur  Robert  de  Keth  ^*  Fordun's  Chron.,  vol.  ii.  p.  38. 


CHAP.  I.]  SCOTLAND  UNDER  ALEXANDER  IIL  41 

and  a  Teutonic-speaking  people  in  the  Lowlands.  The  lan- 
guage of  the  former  is  at  an  earlier  period  termed  Albanic, 
and  afterwards  Scotch,  the  language  of  the  latter  is  by 
the  native  writers  prior  to  the  sixteenth  century  usually 
termed  Inglis  ;  but  in  the  sixteenth  the  progress  of  a  litera- 
ture in  the  latter  tongue  led  to  those  who  used  it  calling  it 
Scotch,  while  they  applied  to  the  Celtic  dialect,  formerly 
called  Scotch,  the  epithet  of  Irish  corrupted  into  Erse.  The 
Celtic  part  of  the  population  has  never  given  any  other  name 
to  their  language  than  Gaelic,  and  term  the  language  of  the 
Lowlanders  Bextrla  Sassannach,  or  the  Saxon  tongue. 

It  is  the  social  history  and  position  of  this  portion  of  the 
population  with  which  we  have  now  to  do. 


42 


THK  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. 


[book  III. 


CHAPTEE  II. 


THE  SEVEN  PIIOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. 


oiddivi-     During  the  Celtic  period  of  her  history  we  find  Scotland 

Scotia  into  exhibiting  a  distribution  of  her  population  in  separate  dis- 

provmces.    ^j,jg(.g^  which  is  very  analogous  to  what  existed  in  Ireland  at 

the  same  period.     The  latter  country  appears  from  a  very 

early  period  to  have  been  divided  into  five  provinces,  and 

these  provinces  of  Udlah  or  Ulster,  Laighean  or  Leinster, 

Mumhan  or  Munster,  and   Connacht  or  Connaught,  with 

Midhe  or  Meath,  were  ruled  by  provincial  kings  under  the 

Ardri,  or  supreme  king  of  Ireland,  who  had  his  royal  seat 

at  Teamhar  or  Tara  in  Meath. 

Seven  pro-         In  the  Same  way  the  earliest  account  we  possess  of  the 

V1I1C6S  in 

the  eighth  provincial  distribution  of  the  population  of  Scotland  tells  us 
cen  iiry.  ^^^^^  Transmarine  Scotland,^  or  the  country  north  of  the 
Mrths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  was  anciently  divided  by  seven 
brothers  into  seven  provinces,  and  that  the  principal  of 
these  was  Enegus  with  Moernc,  so  called  from  Enegus,  the 
firstborn  of  the  brothers.  This  name  of  Encgus  or  Angus, 
now  represented  by  the  county  of  Forfar,  is  no  doubt  the 
same  with  the  ancient  Celtic  personal  name  of  Angus ;  and 
Moeryie,  now  called  Mearns,  or  the  county  of  Kincardine, 
is  a  corruption  of  the  old  Gaelic  name  Maghghergliin,  that 
is,  the  plain  of  Gergin,  and  is  alluded  to  under  that  name 

'  Bede  tells  lis  (B.  i.  c.   12)  that  remote  part  of  Britain  beyond  the 

the  Picts   and  Scots  were  termed  two  firths.     The  word  Transmarine 

transmarine    nations,    not  because  Scotland  is  adopted  as  a  convenient 

they   came    from    beyond   Britain,  term  for  Scotland  beyond  the  Firths 

but  because  they  belonged  to  that  of  Forth  and  Clyde. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PEOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAKD.  43 

iu  one  of  the  old  Lives  of  St.  Patrick.-  The  second  pro- 
vince was  Adtheodle  and  Goiierin,  or  Atholl  and  Gowiy. 
The  old  form  of  this  name  of  Adtheodle  was  Athfodla, 
in  which  form  it  appears  in  the  Annals  of  Tighernac, 
and  Gouerin  was  probably  Gcdjhriii,  a  name  analogous  to 
the  old  name  of  the  district  of  Ossory  in  Leinster,  which 
is  called  Gabhran,  pronounced  Gowran.^  The  third  was 
Sradecr7i  and  3fcneted,  or  Stratherne  and  Menteath,  and 
there  seems  no  doubt  that  the  former  is  the  district  wliich 
appears  so  frequently  in  the  Irish  Annals  under  the  name  of 
Fortren.*  The  fourth  was  Fif  with  Fothreve.  The  old  form  of 
the  former  name  was  Fihh.  The  latter  name  has  entirely  disap- 
peared, but  was  preserved  in  the  deanery  of  Fothri,  in  the 
diocese  of  St.  Andrews.  The  two  together  embraced  the  entire 
peninsula  between  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Tay,  and  the  line 
of  division  between  Fihh  on  the  east  and  Fothreve  on  the 
west  extended  from  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county  of 
Fife  on  the  Tay  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Leven  on  the  Forth. 
The  fifth  province  consisted  of  Mar  and  Buchan,  which  still 
bear  these  names  and  form  the  modern  county  of  Aberdeen. 
The  sixth  was  Muref  and  Eos.  The  old  form  of  the  foiiner 
name  was  3Ioreb,  and  was  applied  to  a  large  territory  extend- 
ing along  the  southern  shore  of  the  Moray  Firth  from  the  river 
Spey,  and  across  the  entire  country  to  the  Western  Sea.  It 
was  anciently  separated  from  Eos  by  the  river  of  Beauly,  the 
passage  across  which  was  by  a  ford  termed  the  Stockford,-'' 
and  the  name,  which  signifies  in  old  Gaelic  a  promontory,  was 
very  applicable  to  the  peninsula  stretching  into  the  Moray 
Firth  between  the  Firths  of  Cromarty  and  Dornoch.     The 

-  Defunctus     est     Palladius      in       iu  Sraith-herne  or  Stratherne,  the 

Campo  Girgin,  in  loco  qui  dicitur       Irish  Annals  narrate  the  same  event 

Forddun. — Colgan,   2V.  "J'h.  p.  13.        as  a  slaughter  hy  the  men  of  Fort- 

•i   D     7     ^D-  7.  T-       1  ir>  ren. — Chron.  Plots  a7id  Scot'<, -pp.  9 

■*  Book  of  UKjlits,  pp.  1/  and  49.  ,  r.^  , 

and  6\yl. 

■*  When  the  Pictish  Chronicle  tells  ^  Aci-oss  the  Stockfurde  into  Ros. 

us  that  the  Norwegians  were  cut  off      —  Wyntoun. 


44 


THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. 


[book  III. 


Seven  pro- 
vinces in 
the  tenth 
century. 


seventh  province  was  Cathanesia,  within  and  beyond  the 
mountains,  for  the  mountain  called  Mound  divides  Cathanesia 
into  two  parts.  Tliis  is  the  range  now  called  the  Ord  of 
Caithness.  The  old  form  of  the  name  is  Caith,  from  which 
the  Norwegians  formed  the  name  Katanes,  compounded  of 
that  syllable  with  tlie  Norwegian  word  nes,  signifying  a  pro- 
montory, and  applied  it  to  that  part  of  the  province  which 
lay  to  the  north  of  the  mountains,  while  they  termed  the 
southern  hdXiSndrland,  from  which  comes  the  modern  name  of 
Sutherland.  Each  province  thus  consisted  of  two  districts, 
forming  in  all  fourteen,  and  the  old  description  proceeds 
to  tell  us  that  these  seven  brothers  who  thus  divided  the 
country  might  be  considered  as  seven  kings  who  had  under 
them  seven  inferior  kings,  making  fourteen  in  all,  and  that 
the  seven  kings  divided  the  kingdom  of  Alban  into  seven 
kingdoms,  in  which  each  reigned  in  his  own  time.** 

As  the  western  region,  which  formed  the  Scottish 
kingdom  of  Dalriada,  is  here  omitted,  while  it  includes  the 
district  of  Caithness,  which  soon  after  the  ninth  century 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Norwegian  Earls  of  Orkney, 
it  is  obvious  that  this  description  applies  in  the  main  to  the 
territory  of  the  Pictish  kingdom  prior  to  the  accession  of  the 
Scottish  dynasty  which  united  it  with  Dalriada ;  and  we  find 
mention  during  this  time  of  the  petty  kings  of  Athfodla  or 
Atholl,  and  of  Fortren  or  Stratherne,'^  while  during  the  last 
century  of  the  independent  existence  of  the  Pictish  mon- 
archy, the  Ardri,  or  supreme  king,  had  his  principal  seat 
at  Scone  in  the  district  of  Gowry. 

The  old  descriptions  then  give  us  another  legendary  ver- 
sion of  these  seven  provinces,  which  the  author  says  were 
described  to  him  by  Andrew,  bishop  of  Caithness,  a  Scotsman 

^  Chron.  Picts  and  Scot. ^,  p.  136.  739  Tolarcan   mac   Drostan    rex 

Athfltotla    a    bathaclh    la    h'Anfjiin 
'  693  Briiidhe  mac  Bile  Eex  Fort-       (drowned    by   Angus).  —  Ti<jh.    lb. 
rend  moritur.  pp.  75,  76. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  45 

by  birth,  and  a  monk  of  Dunfernilyn,  who  flourished  at  the 
time  it  was  compiled,  viz.,  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of 
William  the  Lion ;  and  if  the  first  account  applies  to  the 
Pictish  kingdom  prior  to  the  ninth  century,  it  is  equally  clear 
that  this  latter  account  must  be  referred  to  the  kingdom  of 
Alban  or  Scotia  which  succeeded  it,  for  it  omits  altogether 
the  province  of  Cathanesia,  which  had  now  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Norwegians,  and  substitutes  for  it  a  province 
termed  Argathelia,  which  must  have  included  within  its 
bounds  the  territory  which  had  formed  the  ancient  Scottish 
kingdom  of  Dalriada. 

The  bishop  describes  the  provinces  more  by  their  natural 
boundaries  than  by  the  two  large  districts  included  in  each. 
According  to  his  account,  the  first  kingdom  or  province  ex- 
tended from  that  great  water,  termed  in  Scotch  Frock,  that 
is,  Forth,  in  British  or  Welsh  Wericl,  in  Eoman  (by  which  he 
evidently  means  Anglic)  Scottewatre,  or  the  Scottish  Water, 
which  divides  the  kingdoms  of  Scotland  and  England,  and 
flows  past  the  town  of  Strivelin  or  Stirling,  as  far  as  that  other 
great  river  which  is  called  Tae,  or  the  Tay.  This  province 
corresponds  in  extent  with  the  third  province  of  the  first  list, 
which  includes  Stratherne  and  Menteath.  His  second  pro- 
vince extends  to  Hilcf,  as  the  sea  encircles  it  till  it  reaches 
a  mountain  on  the  north  plain  of  Strivelin  or  Stirling,  which 
is  called  Atlirin,  by  which  Athrie  in  the  gorge  of  the  Ochils 
can  alone  be  meant.  The  district  of  Gowry  is  situated  be- 
tween the  river  Tay  and  the  Isla,  if  that  river  be  meant  by 
the  Hilef,  but  its  eastern  boundary  is  the  small  stream  called 
the  Liff,  which  is  believed  to  have  been  formerly  the  channel 
through  which  the  Isla  reached  the  sea  instead  of  flowing 
into  the  Tay,  and  that  part  of  this  province  which  is  encircled 
by  the  sea  points  plainly  to  the  great  peninsula  between  the 
Firths  of  Tay  and  Forth.  This  province,  therefore,  does  not 
entirely  correspond  with  any  of  the  provinces  in  the  first  list, 


46  THE  SKVEN  TROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

but  is  fonned  of  its  Ibnrtli  province  of  Fife  and  Fothreve,  with 
tlie  addition  of  Gowiy.  The  bishop's  third  province  extends 
from  Hilef  to  the  Dee,  and  corresponds  with  the  first  province 
in  the  first  list,  containing  the  district  of  Angus  and  Mearns. 
His  fourth  province  extends  from  the  Dee  to  that  great  and 
wonderful  river  termed  the  Spe  or  Spey,  the  greatest  and  best 
of  all  Scotia.  This  province,  tlierefore,  corresponds  with  the 
iifth  province  in  the  first  list  containing  Mar  and  Buclian. 
The  fifth  province  extended  from  the  Spey  to  the  mountain 
Bruinalhan  or  Breadalbane,  and  corresponds  witli  tliat  part 
of  the  second  province  of  the  first  list  termed  Adtheodlc  or 
Atholl.  The  sixth  province  is  Muref  and  Eos,  which  is  the 
same  with  the  sixth  province  in  the  first  list ;  and  the  seventh 
is  Arregaithcl.  The  changes  thus  produced  upon  the  provin- 
cial distribution  of  the  population  by  the  formation  of  the 
kingdom  of  Alban  or  Scotia  in  the  ninth  century  were,  first, 
that  in  place  of  the  province  of  Fife  and  Fothreve,  we  now 
find  a  larger  province,  including  Gowry,  with  Scone,  the  royal 
seat  of  the  Ardri,  or  supreme  king  ;  and  here,  probably,  the 
chief  settlements  of  the  Scots  had  been  made,  and  the  chief 
power  and  influence  of  the  kings  of  Scottish  race  were  formed. 
It  lay  between  the  provinces  of  Stratherne  and  Menteath  or 
Fortren  on  the  south-west,  and  of  Angus  and  Mearns  or  Magh- 
gherghinn  on  the  north-east,  where,  during  the  period  of  this 
dynasty,  the  men  of  Fortren  on  the  one  hand  and  the  men  of 
Mearns  on  the  other  appear  as  a  separate  people,  and  probably 
represented  those  remains  of  the  older  population  which  still 
preserved  a  separate  existence. 

The  separation  of  Atholl  from  Gowry,  and  the  fact  that 
the  first  five  provinces  are  described  by  their  natural 
boundaries,  while  the  sixth  retains  its  older  designation  of 
Muref  and  Eos,  rather  points  to  the  great  mountain  barrier 
which  separates  the  Highlands  from  the  Lowlands  now  as- 
suming greater  significance  in  the  tribal  distribution,  the 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  47 

population  within  it  being  less  affected  by  the  change  of 
dynasty  and  retaining  more  of  their  older  constitution. 
Thus  we  find  at  this  period  the  older  title  of  Ri  or  king  still 
appearing  in  the  province  of  Moray  only.^ 

The  great  change,  however,  in  this  list  is  the  disappear- 
ance of  Cathanesia  or  Caithness  and  Sutherland  from  the 
provinces,  and  the  substitution  of  Arregaithel  for  it.  The 
former  had  become  in  the  tenth  century  a  possession  of  the 
Norwegian  Jarls  of  Orkney,  and  the  separate  petty  king- 
dom of  Dalriada  had  ceased  to  exist.  The  name  of  Arre- 
gaithel, however,  must  not  be  held  as  synonymous  with  that 
of  Dalriada,  but  appears  to  have  been  applied  to  a  much 
larger  district  than  that  which  formed  that  small  kingdom. 
In  a  former  part  of  the  description,  the  author  terms  it  the 
principal  or  largest  part  of  the  country  on  its  west  side,  over 
against  the  Irish  Sea,  and  talks  of  the  mountains  which 
separate  it  from  Scotia  ;  and  we  can  see  from  the  references 
to  it  in  one  of  the  statutes  of  William  the  Lion,  in  the  first 
year  of  whose  reign  this  description  was  written,  that  it  com- 
prised, in  fact,  the  entire  western  seaboard  of  Scotland,  and 
included  not  only  the  territory  which  had  formed  the  kingdom 
of  Dalriada,  but  also  the  western  districts  of  the  province  of 
Moray  and  Eoss.  In  this  statute  a  distinction  is  drawn  be- 
tween the  country  situated  between  the  Forth,  the  river  Spey, 
and  Drumalban,  and  the  districts  beyond  these  limits,  which 
consist  of  Moravia  or  Moray,  Eos,  Katanes  or  Caithness, 
Ergadia,  and  Kintyre.  Ergadia  here  is  merely  the  Latin 
form  of  Arregaithel,  and  Kintyre  had  been  separated  from  it 
when  the  Western  Isles  were  ceded  in  the  end  of  the  eleventh 
century  to  Magnus,  king  of  Norway,  who,  by  a  stratagem, 
included  it  in  the  Norwegian  kingdom  of  the  Isles.  We  find, 
however,  in  the  same  statute  '  Ergadia  which  belongs  to  Scotia' 

^  1020  Findlaec  mac  Ruaidri  Mormaer  Moreb.  —  Tlgh.  Findlaec  mac 
Ruadri  Ri  A\ha,n.— An.  Ult. 


48  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

or  the  southern  part  of  it,  distinguished  from  '  Ei'gadia  which 
belongs  to  Moravia,'  or  that  part  which  formed  the  western 
districts  of  Moray  ;  and  in  a  charter  by  King  Eobert  the  Bruce 
reviving  tlie  oki  earldom  of  Moravia,  it  is  said  to  extend  to 
the  boundary  of  '  northern  Ergadia,  which  belongs  to  the  Earl 
of  Eoss.' » 

The  author  of  the  description,  who  is  usually  supposed  to 
have  been  Giraldus  Cambrensis,  but  whose  etymologies  show 
him  to  have  been  evidently  a  Welshman  and  acquainted  with 
the  Welsh  language,  gives  us  four  interpretations  of  the  name 
Arregaithel.  He  says  it  is  so  called  as  '  the  margin  of  the 
Scots  or  Irish/  for  all  the  Irish  and  Scots  are  generally  called 
Gattheli,  from  their  original  leader  Gaithelglas  ;  or  because  the 
Scotti  Picti  first  peopled  it  after  their  return  from  Ireland  ;i^ 
or  because  the  Irish  occupied  these  parts  after  the  Picts ;  or, 
what  is  more  certain,  because  that  part  of  the  country  of 
Scotia  is  more  closely  connected  with  the  country  of  Ireland. 

In  the  Irish  Annals  the  form  of  the  name  is  Airergaidhd, 

•'  Et  si  ille  qui  calumpiiiatus  est  de  gadia  que  pertmet  ad  Moraviam  nee 

catallo  fiirato  vel  rapto  vocat  waren-  ilium  habere  poterit  tunc  veniat  ad 

turn  suum  aliquem  liomiuem  nianen-  vicecomitem  de  luvirnisse,  etc.   .  . 

tern  inter  Spey  et  Forth  vel  inter  Item   si   calumpniatus   vocaverit 

Drumalban  et  Forth  habeat  ab  illo  warentuni  aliquem  in  Ergadia  que 

die  quo  calumpniatus  fuerit  xv.  dies  jjert'met  ad  Scotiam  tunc  veniat  ad 

adproducendumwarentum  siiumqui  Comitem  Atholie  vel  ad  Abbatem 

infra  dictas  di visas  maneat  ad  locum  de  Clendrochard,  etc. — Act.   Pari. 

sicut  Rex  David  constituit  in  comi-  vol.  i.  p.  372. 

tatu  ubi  calumpnia  tus  fuerit.    Et  si  Dominus  Rex  pro  pace  et  stabili- 

quis  ultra  illas  divisas  velut  in  Mora-  tate  regni  sui  observanda  statuit  et 

via  vel  in  Ros  vel  in  Katenes  vel  in  ordinavit  quod  de  terris  subscriptis 

Ergadia  vel  in  Kenty re  vocaveritwa-  fient  videlicet  De  terra  Comitis  de 

rentes  habeat  omnes  warentos  illos  Ros  in  Nort   Argail. — lb.    ad  an. 

quos  habere  debuit  ab  ultimo  die  1292,  vol.  i.  p.  447. 

quindecem  dierum  predictorum  in  i"  The  term  Scotti  Picti  is  here 

unam  mensem  ad  locum  ubi  ipse  qui  evidently  a  rendering  of  the  name  of 

calumpniatus  est  de  catallo  furato  Gwyddyl  FJichti,  by  which  the  Picts 

vel  rapto  cum  catallo  adductus  erit.  were  known  to  the  Welsh,  and  the 

Et  si  calumpniatus  venerit  pro  war-  allusion  to  their  return  from  Ireland 

ento  suo  qui  maneat  vel  in  Moravia  refers  to  the  tradition  of  their  settle- 

vel  in  Ros  vel  in  Katenes  vel  in  Er-  ment  as  given  by  Bede. 


CHAP.  11.]  THE  SEVEN  PEOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  49 

Airer  signifying  a  district.^^  The  Scotch  form  is  Earrgaoi- 
dheal  from  Earr,  a  limit  or  boundary,  and  this  approaches 
most  nearly  to  the  form  of  the  name  in  the  old  description, 
with  its  etymology  of  margin  or  limit  of  the  Gael.  The 
oldest  name  is  that  probably  in  the  Albanic  Duan,  where  it 
is  termed  Oirir  Alban,  or  the  coast  lands  of  Alban,  from 
Oirtliir,  a  coast  or  border;  and  we  find  the  name  Oirir 
applied  to  it  in  the  Book  of  Clanranald,  which  distinguishes 
the  Oirir  a  tuaih,  or  northern  Oirir,  and  the  OiHr  a  deas,  or 
the  southern  Oirir,  from  each  other.  The  name  given  to  this 
district  by  the  Norwegians  was  Eali  or  Dalir,  the  Dales, 
and  Somerled,  the  Eegulus  of  Arregaithel,  and  his  family, 
are  termed  in  the  Orkney inga  Saga  the  Dalveria  Aett,  or 
family  of  the  Dales.^- 

Such  being  the  territorial  divisions  of  Scotland  at  this  Districts 
period,  we  find,  in  place  of  each  province  being  under  the  rule  kings  and 
of  a  Bi  or  king,  with  a  subordinate  division  under  a  sub-king  by  Mor^  ^ 
that,  with  the  exception  of  Arregaithel  or  Argyll,  the  rulers  of  "^^^^''• 
the  whole  of  these  districts  now  bear  the  name  of  Mormaer  or 
great  Maer  or  Steward,  while  the  Mormaer  of  Moreb  or  Moray 
appears  occasionally  under  the  title  of  lii  or  king.     These 
Mormaers  held  a  position  in  the  scale  of  power  and  dignity 
inferior  only  to  the  Ardri  or  supreme  king.    Thus,  in  narrating 
the  great  battle  fought  in  918  between  tlie  Danes  and  the 
people  of  Alban,  in  the  reign  of  Constantin,  son  of  Aedh,  king 
of  Alban,  the  Irish  Annals  tell  us  that  neither  their  kino:  nor 
any  of  their  Mormaers  fell  by  him  ;^^  and  the  Pictish  Chronicle 
mentions  in  the  same  reign  the  death  of  Dubucan,  son  of 
Indrechtaig,   Mormaer   ^ngusa,   or   of   Angus.^*      In    965 
Dubdon  Satrapas  Athochlach,  that  is,  Governor  of  Athole,  by 
which  title  the  Mormaer  is  probably  meant,  fell  in  battle, 
according   to  the  Pictish   Chronicle.      The   same  chronicle 

"  Reeves's  Adamnan,  p.  397.  "  Chron.  Pids  and  Scots,  p.  363. 

^-  Orkneyinga  Saga,  p.  181.  i*  76.  p.  9. 

VOL.  III.  D 


50  THE  SKVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

records  in  the  reign  of  Cullen,  who  died  in  970,  the  death 
of  jNIaelbrigdi,  son  of  Dubucan  the  Mormaer  of  Angus ;  and 
in  976  Tigliernac  tells  us  that  three  Mormaers  of  Alban, 
whose  names  he  gives  us  as  Cellach  son  of  Findgaine,  Cellach 
son  of  Baredha,  and  Duncan  son  of  Morgaind,  took  part 
in  a  foray  by  one  of  the  petty  kings  of  Ireland  against 
another.^^ 

The  reign  of  Malcolm  the  Second,  who  ascended  the  throne 
in  1004,  and  whose  thirty  years'  rule  over  Alban  was  distin- 
guished by  the  acquisition  of  the  cismarine  territories  south 
of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  throws  still  further  light 
upon  the  position  of  these  provincial  rulers.  In  the  early 
part  of  his  reign  the  great  conflict  took  place  between  the 
Danes  of  Dublin  and  the  native  Irish  under  their  great  king 
Brian  Boroimhe,  which  was  to  determine  whether  the  Galls 
or  foreign  hordes  of  Scandinavia  or  the  native  Gaedheal 
were  to  retain  possession  of  Ireland ;  a  conflict  terminated 
in  favour  of  the  Gaedheal  when  the  battle  of  Clontarf  was 
won  in  the  year  1014  by  Brian,  the  Ardri,  or  supreme  king 
of  Ireland,  though,  like  some  other  victorious  generals,  he 
lost  his  own  life  in  the  struggle.  In  this  great  conflict  we 
find  the  people  of  the  provinces  taking  part  on  both  sides ; 
those  in  the  possession  of  the  Norwegians  siding  with  the 
Danes,  and  those  under  native  rule  taking  part  with  King 
Brian.  To  the  assistance  of  the  Danes  came  Sigurd,  Nor- 
wegian Earl  of  Orkney,  with  the  host  of  the  Orkneys  and 
of  the  Norwegian  Islands,  the  Galls  or  Norwegians  of  Caith- 
ness and  Mann.  Skye,  Lewis,  Kintyre,  and  Oirergaidlul 
or  Argyll,  are  especially  mentioned  as  being  on  the  Danish 
side.  On  the  other  hand,  ten  Mormaers  followed  Brian  with 
foreign  auxiliaries,  who  probably  represented  the  districts 
in  Alban  under  native  rule,  and  the  leading  man  among 
them  appears  to  have  been  Donald,  son  of  Eimiu,  son 
^5  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  p.  77. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  51 

of  Caiiinech,  Mormaer  of  Mar,  who  fell  in   the  battle  of 
Clontarf.16 

In  this  reign  the  Mormaers  of  Moreb  or  Aloray  come  very 
prominently  forward,  and  show  us  the  title  hereditarily  borne 
by  a  very  powerful  family,  which  eventually  placed  two  of 
its  members  on  the  throne.  The  first  who  appears  is  Find- 
laec  the  son  of  Euadri,  Mormaer  Moreb,  whose  death  is 
recorded  at  1020,  when  he  was  slain  by  the  sons  of  his 
brother  Maelbrigdi.  This  Findlaec  is  obviously  the  Finnleikr 
Jarl  who  is  mentioned  in  one  of  the  Norse  Satras  as  defendins; 
his  district  in  Scotland  against  Sigurd  the  Norwegian  Jarl  of 
Orkney,  who  eventually  conquered  Myrhaevi  of  Moray  and 
Eoss.17  In  1029  the  death  of  Malcolm,  son  of  Maelbrigdi, 
son  of  Euadri,  is  recorded,  when  he  bears  the  title  of  Ei  or 
king.  He  is  obviously  the  son  of  that  Maelbrigdi,  the  brother 
of  Findlaec;  and  in  1032  Gillacomgan,  son  of  Maelbrigdi, 
Mormaer  of  Moreb,  was  burnt  with  fifty  of  his  men.  The  son 
of  Findlaec  was  Macbeth,  who  afterwards  usurped  the  throne 
of  Scotland,  and  the  son  of  Gillacomgan  was  Lulach,  who  suc- 
ceeded him  for  the  short  space  of  three  months.^^ 

In  the  same  reign  we  find  also  the  petty  kings  of  Arrc-  petty  kings 
gaitJid  or  Argyll  and  Gallgaithel  or  Galloway  making  their  and  Gaiio- 
first  appearance.     In  the  year  1031,  when  Cnut,  the  Danish  '^^^^'• 
king  of  England,  invaded  Scotland,  he  is  said  to  have  received 
the  submission  of  Malcolm,  king  of  the  Scots,  and  of  two 
other  kings,  Maelbaethe  and  lehmarc.     These  kings  appear 
to  have  represented  the  districts  beyond  the  rivers   Spey 
and  Drumalban,  which  at  this  time  formed  the  boundary  of 
Scotland  proper  on  the  north-west  and  west ;  for  Maelbaethe 
can  be  no  other  than  the  celebrated  Macbeth,  who  was  then 
Mormaer  of  Moreb  or  Moray,  and  lehmarc  may  be  identified 

'"  See  vol.  i.  p.  .387,  note  5.      War  of  the  Gaedhil  ivith  the  Gaill,  p.  153. 
^"  Olaf  Tryggvesson's  Saga.     Collect,  de  reb.  Alb.,  p.  333. 
'8  Chron.  Picts  and  Scot%  77,  78,  and  367. 


52  THE  SEVEN  PliOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  Lbook  hi, 

with  Iniergi,  who  appears  in  the  old  Irish  Genealogies  as 

ancestor  of  Souierled  the  petty  king  of  Argyll^^     The  Irish 

Annals  record  in  the  same  year  in  which  king  Malcolm  died, 

the  death  also  of  Suibne,  son  of  Kenneth,  Hi  or  king  of  Gall- 

gaidel.    This  name,  which  appears  to  have  been  applied  in  the 

Irish  Annals  as  a  general  name  of  the  Gaedhel  or  Gael  of  the 

Western  Isles  and  of  the  districts  lying  along  the  coast,  who 

became  subject  to  and  adopted  the  manners  of  the  Norwegian 

pirates  or  Galls,  was,  as  a  territorial  name,  used  in  a  more 

restricted  sense,  and  appropriated  to  the  district  of  Galloway, 

a  name  which  in  its  Latin  form  of  Galwethia  is  derived  from 

the  Welsh  equivalent  of  Galwyddel.     The  Norwegians  knew 

it  by  the  name  of  Gaddgeddla,  a  district  said  in  the  Orkney- 

inga  Saga  to  be  '  at  the  place  where  Scotland  and  England 

meet.'^'* 

Th^^rfinc  ^^^  ^^^®  death  of  Malcolm  the  Second  in  the  year  1034 

the  dynasty  of  Scottish  kings,  which  had  been  established  on 

the  Pictish  throne  nearly  three  centuries  previously,  came  to 

an  end.     There  appears  to  have  been  no  male  descendant  left 

who  could  claim  the  crown,  and  the  succession  opened  to  his 

grandson  by  his  eldest  daughter.     So  far  as  the  districts  south 

of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde  were  concerned,  his  claim 

was  not  opposed  to  the  law  of  succession  which  previously 

prevailed  there,  and  though  inconsistent  with  the  law  of 

tanistry  which  regulated  the  succession  to  the  crown  among 

the  Scots,  it  had  been  so  far  modified  that  the  right  of  the 

heir-female  to  succeed  in  default  of  heirs-male  appears  to 

have  been  recognised  in  such  an  emergency,  but  the  change 

^^  Saxon  Chron.  ad  an.  1031,    See  places  the  locality  on  the  southern 

also  vol.  i.  p.  .397,  note  22.  frontierof  Scotland.  ThatGallgaed- 

-*  Anderson's  Orhieyin<ja  Saga,  p.  hel  is  geographically  Galloway  ap- 

28,  note.    The  author  has  no  doubt  pears  from  this,  that  the  deaths  of 

that  Munch's  conjecture  is  correct.  Roland  and  Allan,  Lords  of  Gallo- 

The    expression    '  where    Scotland  way,  which  took  place  in  1199  and 

and  England  meet'  must  not  be  too  1234,  are  recorded  in  the  Irish  An- 

strictly  construed,  but  it  evidently  nals  under  the  title  of  i^i(?a%aed/te^. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  53 

was  too  recent  to  have  acquired  a  firm  and  permanent  place 
in  the  law  of  the  country  ;  and  here  the  right  of  Duncan,  the 
son  of  the  eldest  daughter,  was  contested  by  Thorfinn,  the 
most  powerful  of  the  Norwegian  Jarls  of  Orkney,  whose 
mother  was  likewise  a  daughter  of  Malcolm  ii.;  and  a  war  of 
succession  followed,  which  was  terminated  by  the  death  of 
King  Duncan  in  1040.  According  to  a  contemporary  writer, 
he  was  slain  by  the  commander  of  his  own  army,  Macbethad, 
son  of  Findlaech,  who  succeeded  him.^i  This  was  Macbeth, 
the  Ei  or  Mormaer  of  Moray,  who  appears  to  have  treacher- 
ously joined  the  Norwegian  Jarl  and  slain  his  king,  in  hopes 
of  obtaining,  with  the  assistance  of  the  former,  the  Scottish 
crown. 

We  are  told  by  the  Orkneyinga  Saga  that  Thorfinn  then 
followed  the  routed  army,  and  subjected  the  land  to  himself 
as  far  south  as  Fifi  or  Fife ;  that  he  drove  those  who  resisted 
him  to  the  deserts  and  the  woods,  and  subdued  the  country 
wherever  he  went ;  and  that  till  the  day  of  his  death  he  pos- 
sessed nine  jarldoms  in  Scotland  and  the  whole  of  the 
Sudreys  or  Western  Isles.^^  These  jarldoms  were  no  doubt 
the  districts  ruled  by  the  native  Mormaers,  and,  if  his  con- 
quest embraced  merely  the  low  country  as  far  south  as 
Fife,  the  districts  which  he  had  not  subjected  consisted 
merely  of  the  province  composed  of  Gowry,  Fife,  and  Foth- 
reve,  the  province  of  Athol,  and  that  consisting  of  Stratherne 
and  Menteath.  Over  these,  within  which  Scone,  the  capital 
of  the  kingdom,  was  situated,  Macbeth  appears  to  have  ruled 
as  king,  while  the  districts  of  Lothian  and  Cumbria  recog- 
nised the  son  of  Duncan  as  their  legitimate  monarch,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Gaelic  territory  of  Galloway,  which  was 
under  Norwegian  rule. 


-1  1040  Donnchad  rex  Scotise  in       in  regnum. —  (Marianus    Scotus.) 
aiitumno  occiditur  a  duce  suo  Mac-       Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  p.  65. 
bethad  mac  Finnlaech,  cui  succesit  "  CoUect.de rth.  yl^6., pp. 34.5,346. 


54 


TIIK  SEVKxN  I'HOVINCK.S  OF  SCOTLAND. 


[book  III. 


Mormaers 
termed  by 
Norwegi- 
ans Jarls. 


In  1054,  Malcolm,  the  eldest  son  of  Duncan,  who  is 
termed  by  the  historians  son  of  the  king  of  the  Cumbrians, 
with  the  assistance  of  Siward,  eari  of  Northumbria,  drove 
Macbeth  from  his  kingdom  and  regained  possession  of  its 
capital,  Scone;  and  on  the  death  of  Tliornfinn  in  1057  Macbeth 
was  driven  north  and  slain  within  no  great  distance  from 
the  frontier  of  his  native  province  of  Moray,  and  Malcolm's 
rule  was  extended  over  the  wliole  kingdom  as  its  legitimate 
monarch.  We  are  told  in  the  Orkneyinga  Saga  that  Thorfinn 
'was  much  lamented  in  his  own  land,  but  in  those  lands 
which  he  had  subjected  to  himself  by  conquest  the  natives 
were  no  longer  content  under  his  government ;  consequently 
many  rilcis  which  the  earl  had  subjected  fell  off,  and  their 
inhabitants  sought  the  protection  of  those  native  chiefs  who 
were  territorially  born  to  rule  over  them.'^^  These  inkis 
were  no  doubt  the  districts  subdued  by  Thorfinn,  which  now 
passed  again  under  the  rule  of  their  native  Mormaers,  and  it 
is  rather  remarkable  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  districts 
of  Stratherne  and  Menteath,  when  we  can  trace  the  position 
of  the  remaining  districts,  consisting  of  Athol,  Gowry,  Fife, 
and  Fothreve,  we  find  them  in  the  possession  of  the  Crown, 
and  ruled  over  by  members  of  the  royal  family.-^ 

By  the  Norwegians  these  Mormaers  seem  to  have  been 
viewed  as  holding  the  same  position  as  the  Norwegian  Jarls, 
and  this  name  is  invariably  given  to  them  in  the  Sagas. 


=3  Col.  de  Feb.  Alb.,  p.  3-46. 

-■*  Bower  says  of  Alexander  i. — 
'  Quod  patruus  suus  comes  de  Gowry 
dedit  sibi  ad  douum,  ut  moris  est  in 
baptismo,  terras  de  Lyff  et  Inver- 
gowry '  [Scotichron.  B.  v.  chap, 
xxxvi. ),  wliich  shows  that  during 
the  life  of  Malcolm  iii.  one  of  his 
brothers  possessed  Gowry.  Tlien 
we  find  that  Madach,  who  ruled 
over  Atholl  as  earl  in  the  reign  of 


Alexander  i.  and  David  i. ,  was  the 
son  of  Melmare,  brother  of  Malcolm 
III.,  and  his  son  Edelradus  is  desig- 
nated in  a  charter  of  Admore  in 
Kinross-shire  '  Abbas  de  Dunkel- 
den  et  insuper  comes  de  Fife ' 
[Chart.  St.  Andreivs,  p.  115),  thus 
uniting  the  possession  of  the  abbacy 
of  Dunkeld,  the  patrimony  of  this 
royal  family,  with  the  earldom  of 
Fife. 


CHAP.  II.]     THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  55 

Like  them,  they  were  viewed  as  the  hereditary  rulers  of  the 
territory  with  which  they  were  connected,  and  as  protecting 
the  rights  of  the  Crown  within  its  bounds.  That  the  office, 
whatever  it  was,  was  held  hereditarily  by  the  same  family  we 
see  in  the  notices  of  two  of  these  families  preserved  in  the 
Pictish  Chronicle  and  in  the  Irish  Annals.  In  the  one  we  find 
Dubucan,  son  of  Indrechtaig,  Mormaer  of  Angus,  succeeded 
by  his  son  Maelbrigdi ;  and  in  the  other  we  see  the  family  of 
Euadri  filling  the  office  of  Mormaer  of  Moray,  and  the  suc- 
cession apparently  following  the  Irish  law  of  tanistry,  and 
alternating  between  the  descendants  of  his  two  sons  Mael- 
brigdi and  Findlaec ;  and  when  this  family  was  finally 
driven  from  the  throne  in  the  person  of  Lulach,  the  grandson 
of  the  former,  we  find  his  son  Maelsnectai  appearing  as  Ri 
Muireh  or  king  of  Moray,  from  whom  it  passed  through  his 
sister  to  ^ngus,  termed  in  the  Annals  '  son  of  the  daughter 
of  Lulaig.'  2^ 

A  more  complete  revelation,  however,  is  made  to  us  with  Mormaers 

.of  Buchau 

regard  to  the  Mormaers  of  another  district,  that  of  Buchan,  m  from  the 
the  Book  of  Deer,  which  contains  the  usual  memoranda  of  the  Deer. 
old  grants  made  to  that  monastery  while  still  retaining  its 
character  as  an  old  Celtic  foundation.  Here  the  names  of 
seven  of  the  old  Mormaers  during  the  five  centuries  and  a 
half  which  elapsed  between  the  foundation  of  the  Celtic 
monastery  in  the  time  of  Columcille  and  the  reign  of  David 
the  First  are  given.  We  are  told  that  Bede  Cridhncch, 
or  the  Pict,  Mormaer  of  Buchan,  gave  the  cathair  or  city 
Abhordohoir,  now  Aberdour,  on  the  south  shore  of  the 
Moray  Firth,  to  Columcille  and  Drostan,  and  afterwards 
certain  lands  called  also  a  cathair  or  city,  to  which  Colum- 
cille gave  the  name  of  Dear.  He  seems  to  have  been 
followed  by  Comgall,  son  of  Aeda,  who  made  a  grant 
to  Columcille   and  Drostan.      After  him  we   have  Matan 

^5  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  pp.  370,  372. 


56  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

son  of  Ceavill,  Domhnall  son  of  Giric,  and  Domnall 
son  of  Euadri,  but  there  is  nothing  to  show  what  the 
connection  of  these  Mormaers  with  each  other  was  or 
wlien  they  lived,  but  the  dignity  then  passes  to  a  family 
called  Mac  Dobharcon.^^  Two  brothers,  Domhnall  son  of 
Mac  Dobhavcon,  and  Cainneach  son  of  Mac  Dobharcon, 
follow  each  other  as  Mormaers,  and  the  latter  is  succeeded 
by  his  son  Gartnait,  who,  with  his  wife  Ete,  daughter  of 
Gillemichel,  makes  a  grant  in  the  eighth  year  of  King 
David,  that  is,  in  1132. 

The  succession  among  these  latter  Mormaers  seems  to 
follow  the  same  rule  of  tanistic  succession  which  we  have 
seen  among  the  Mormaers  of  Moray. 
Toisechs  of  The  same  valuable  record,  however,  makes  a  further  reve- 
lation regarding  the  organisation  of  those  districts  ruled  over 
by  the  Mormaers.  It  shows  us  that  the  next  rank  under  the 
Mormaers  of  Buchan  was  held  by  persons  termed  Toisechs, 
who  possessed  a  similar  relation  in  a  subordinate  capacity  to 
the  land  and  the  people.  Thus  we  find  that  Bede  the  Pict 
grants  Abbordoboir  free  from  the  claim  of  Mormaer  and  of 
Toisech,  and  in  the  grants  of  land  by  the  subsequent  Mor- 
maers there  is  usually  associated  with  them  the  Toisech  as 
having  an  interest  in  the  subject  of  the  grant.  Among  these 
Toisechs  a  family  descended  from  Morcunn  or  Morgan  appears 
very  prominent.  Thus  Comgall,  son  of  Aeda,  grants  the 
land  from  Orti  to  Furerie,  and  Mondac,  son  of  Morcunn,  gave 
Pette  mic  Garnait  and  Acliad  Toche  Temni,  and  it  is  added 
that  '  one  was  Mormaer  and  the  other  was  Toisech.'  ^7  Then 
Cathal,  son  of  Morcunt,  gives  Achadnagleree  ;  and  Domhnall 

-•>  Dohharcu,  of  which  Dobharcon  agus  ise  Toisech.  This  has  been 
is  the  genitive  form,  signifies  liter-  translated  as  if  it  meant  that  Mon- 
ally  water-dog,  and  is  the  name  dac  was  both  Mormaer  and  Toisech, 
usually  given  to  an  otter.  while    Comgall    is   left   without  a 

designation,  but  the  above  is  the 

-''  The  words  agm  ine  Mormaer      obvious  meaning. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  57 

mac  Giric,  the  fouvtli  Mormaer  named,  and  Maelbrigdi,  son  of 
Catlial  the  Toisech,  gives  Pett  in  Mulenn  ;  and  finally  Colban, 
Mormaer  of  Buchan,  and  Eva,  daughter  of  Garnait  (the  previ- 
ous Mormaer),  his  wife,  and  Donnachae,  Toisech  of  the  clan 
Morgainn,  mortmained  all  the  foregoing  offerings  to  God, 
Drostan,  Colcumcille,  and  Peter,  free  of  all  burdens  except 
four  davachs  of  such  burdens  as  come  upon  chief  residences 
of  Alban  and  chief  churches.  Among  the  witnesses  to  this 
grant  are  Morgunn  and  Gillepetair,  sons  of  Donnachach,  and 
others  who  are  called  Maithi,  that  is,  good  men  or  nobles  of 
Buchan.  Another  family  of  Toisechs  which  appears  is  that 
descended  from  Batni.  Thus  INIatan,  son  of  Cairill,  who  is 
the  third-named  Mormaer,  gives  the  Mormaer's  share  in 
Altere,  now  Altrie  ;  and  Culi,  son  of  Batni,  gives  the  Toisech's 
share.  Then  Domhnall,  son  of  Ptuadri,  the  fifth-named 
Mormaer,  and  Malcolm,  son  of  Culi,  give  Bidhen,  now  Biffie  ; 
and  here  the  king  comes  in  as  also  possessing  rights  in  these 
lands,  for  Malcolm,  son  of  Cinaetha,  or  Malcolm  ii.,  gives 
the  king's  share  in  Bidhen,  Pett  mic  Gobroig,  and  the  two 
davachs  of  Upper  Ptosabard.  Then  Domhnall,  son  of  Mac 
Dubhacinn,  mortmains  all  these  offerings  to  Drostan  upon 
giving  the  whole  of  them  to  him,  and  Cathal  mortmains  in 
the  same  way  his  Toisech's  share.  They  also  give  Eddarun, 
and  Cainnech,  son  of  Mac  Dobharcon,  and  the  same  Cathal 
give  Alterin  of  Ailvethenamone ;  and  then  it  is  added 
Cainnech,Domhnall,and  Cathal  mortmained  all  these  offerings 
free  from  Mormaer  and  Toisech.  It  is  unnecessary  to  notice 
the  other  grants  further  than  that  Comgall,  son  of  Cainnaig, 
Toisech  of  Clan  Canan,  gives  certain  lands  free  from  Toisech. 
Thus  in  the  organisation  of  these  districts  we  find  a  gradation 
of  persons  possessing  territorial  rights  within  them,  consisting 
of  the  Ardri  or  supreme  king,  the  Mormaer,  and  the  Toisech, 
and  the  latter  of  these  appears  as  not  only  possessing  rights 
in  connection  with  the  land,  but  also  standing  in  a  relation 


58  Til K  .SKVKN  I'KOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

to  the  tribe  or  clan  wliicli  occupied  them  as  their  leader.^^ 
The  same  record  discloses  a  similar  connection  between  the 
Mormaer  and  the  land  in  the  person  of  two  of  the  Mormaers 
of  Moray.  Thus  Malcolm,  the  son  of  Euadri,  who  died  in 
•  1029,  gives  the  Delerc,  and  Malsnectai,  the  son  of  Lulach, 

the  successor  of  Macbeth  as  usurper  of  the  throne,  gives 
Pettmalduib  to  Drostan.  These  lands  were  probably  within 
the  province  of  Moray  ruled  by  them,  and  we  are  told  by  the 
Saxon  Chronicle  that '  in  1078  King  Malcolm  won  the  mother 
of  Maelslaht  or  Maelsnectai  and  all  his  best  men,'  an  expres- 
sion similar  to  that  of  the  Maithi  or  good  men  of  Buchan, 
which,  as  we  have  seen,  included  the  Toisech  '  and  all  his 
treasure  and  his  cattle,'  and  he  himself  escaped  with  difficulty. 
His  death  as  Ri  Morcb,  or  king  of  Moray,  is  recorded,  as  we 
have  seen,  in  1080. 
Seven  earls         Qn  the  death  of  Eadgar,  the  successor  of  Llalcolm  ill.,  his 

first  appear  .  ci        i       j 

in  reign  of   brother  Alexander  the  First  ruled   as  king  over  Scotland 

AlGXtiiirlcr 

the  First,  proper,  while  Lothian  and  Cumbria  or  Strathclyde  fell  to  his 
brother  David.  From  the  time  when  the  Celtic  king  Malcolm 
had  married  the  Saxon  princess  Margaret  there  had  been  an 
increasing  Saxon  influence  in  the  government  of  the  Celtic 
provinces  ;  and  when  his  sons  by  that  princess  had  been 
firmly  established  on  the  throne  by  foreign  aid,  in  opposition 
to  the  attempt  of  their  father's  brother  to  maintain  his  right 
under  the  older  law  of  succession,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Gaelic  population,  and  found  their  chief  support  in  the  Anglic 
population  of  Lothian  and  the  Merse,  the  reigns  of  Eadgar  and 
Alexander  the  First  must  be  viewed  as  essentially  those  of 
Saxon  monarchs  modelling  their  kingdom  in  accordance  with 
Saxon  institutions ;  while  the  object  of  David  from  the  first, 

8  In  the  above  notice  from  the  of  the  late  Dr.  John  Stuart.     The 

Book  of  Deer  the  reader  is  referred  facts  they  disclose  are  given  here 

to  the  edition  of  it  printed  for  the  merely,  and  the  explanation  must 

Spalding  Club  under  the  able  care  be  reserved  to  a  subsequent  chapter. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PEOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  59 

both  while  he  governed  the  southern  districts  as  earl  and 
the  whole  of  Scotland  as  king,  was  to  introduce  the  feudal 
system  of  Norman  England  into  Scotland,  and  adapt  her  in- 
stitutions to  feudal  forms. 

The  charters  of  Eadgar  relate  mainly  to  land  south  of  the 
Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  and  we  find  that  the  immediate 
dependants  of  the  Court,  who  formed  the  witnesses  to  these 
charters,  were  certainly  Saxons  ;  and  when  Alexander  the 
First  founded  the  monastery  of  Scone  after  the  attempt  made 
upon  his  life  by  the  Gaelic  population  of  the  northern  pro- 
vinces, we  find  that  the  foundation  charter  is  framed  upon 
the  model  of  the  Saxon  charters.  Like  the  latter,  which  were 
granted  with  the  assent  of  the  members  of  the  Witenagemot, 
who  subscribe  the  charter  as  consenting  parties  with  the 
designation  of  Episcopus  and  Abbas  if  churchmen,  and  of 
Comes  or  Dux  if  earls,  without  the  addition  of  the  diocese, 
monastery,  or  earldom  with  which  they  were  connected ;  so 
we  find  this  charter  granted  with  the  consent  of  nine  persons, 
two  of  whom  have  the  simple  designation  of  Episcopus,  who 
are  followed  by  seven  others,  six  of  whom  have  the  word 
Comes  or  Earl  after  their  names  ;  and  the  only  one  who 
is  not  so  designated  is  Gospatrick,  whom  we  know  to  have 
been  at  the  time  Earl  of  Danbar,  and  who  probably  repre- 
sented that  part  of  Lothian  attached  to  Alexander's  king- 
dom. The  other  six  must  of  course  have  represented  the 
districts  of  transmarine  Scotland,  which  properly  formed 
Alexander's  dominions.  We  thus  find  in  his  reign  a  body 
constituted  somewhat  similarly  to  that  portion  of  the 
Witenagemot  of  the  Saxon  monarchs,  and  exercising  similar 
functions.-^  The  six  persons,  however,  who  bear  the  title  of 
Comes  are  Beth,  Mallus,  Madach,  Eothri,  Gartnach,  and 
Dufagan,  and  of  these  we  can  identify  four.  Mallus  is  un- 
doubtedly the  Mallus  Comes  Stradarniie  or  Earl  of  Stratherne, 

2»  Chart.  Scon,  p.  2. 


60  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

who  took  such  a  prominent  part  in  tlie  Battle  of  the  Stan- 
(lard.3°  Madach  is  that  Maddach,  Jarl  of  Atjoldum,  or  Earl 
of  AthoU,  said  in  the  Orkneyinga  Saga  to  be  the  son  of 
Melkolfr  or  jMelmare,  brother  of  Malcolm  the  Third.^^  Rothri 
appears  in  a  charter  in  the  Book  of  Deer,  granted  in  the 
eighth  year  of  King  David,  as  Euadri,  Mormaer  of  Mar; 
and  Gartnach  is  the  Gartnait,  son  of  Cainnech,  Mormaer  of 
Buchan,  who  grants  the  charter.  The  remaining  two,  Beth 
and  Dufagan,  cannot  be  identified  with  certainty,  but  the  re- 
semblance of  the  name  of  the  latter  to  Dubican,  who  appears 
at  an  earlier  date  as  Mormaer  of  Angus,  leads  to  the  supposi- 
tion that  he  may  have  filled  that  position.  At  all  events  there 
is  enough  to  show  that  the  six  persons  who  appear  with  the 
title  of  Comes  as  representing  the  districts  north  of  the 
Firths,  were  the  same  persons  whom  we  have  hitlierto  found 
in  connection  with  these  districts  bearing  the  title  of  Mor- 
maer; and  thus  the  great  Celtic  chiefs  of  the  country,  to 
whom  the  Norwegians  applied  the  Norwegian  title  of  Jarl, 
which  was  a  personal  dignity  though  given  in  connection  with 
a  territory,  now  appear  bearing  the  Saxon  title  of  Comes  or 
Earl,  and  the  Celtic  title  of  Mormaer,  probably  official  in  its 
origin,  was  now  merged  in  a  personal  dignity.^- 

■'*'  Ailred  De  bello  apud  Standar-  Rothri  comes  assensum  prebeo,  ego 
dum,  printed  in  appendix  to  For-  Gartnach  comes  assensum  prebeo, 
dun,  Chron. ,  vol.  i.  p.  443.  ego  Dufagan  comes  assensum  prebeo 
^1  Orkneifinr/a  Saga,  p.  86.  {Chart.  Sco)i,  p.  2),  with  the  follow- 
'■'-  Compare  the  subscriptions  to  ing  Saxon  charters  : — '  Ego  /Ethel- 
the  Scone  charter,  '  Ego  Alexander  balth  (Mercensium  Rex)  banc  dona- 
Dei  Gratia  Rex  Scotorum  propria  tionem  meam  subscripsi.  Ego  Uuor 
manu  mea  hec  confirmo  .  .  .  ego  Si-  Episcopus  consensi  et  subscripsi. 
billa  Dei  Gratia  Regina  Scottorum  Piot  abbas.  Uuilfirth  comes.  Sigi- 
propria  manu  hec  confirmo,  ego  Gre-  bed  comes.  Oba  comes.  Beorcol 
gorius  episcopus,  etc. ,  confirmo,  ego  comes.  Heardberht  frater  Regis 
Cormacus  episcopus,  etc.,  confirmo,  Eadberht  comes,  etc.  Or  another 
ego  Beth  comes  similiter,  ego  Gospa-  in  82.3—'  Ego  Eagbertus  Rex  Anglo- 
tricius  Dolfini  assensum  prebeo,  ego  rum  banc  donationem  meam,  etc. , 
Mallus  comes  assensum  prebeo,  ego  confirmavietsubscripsi.  Ego^Ethel- 
Madach  comes  assensum  prebeo,  ego  uulf  Rex  consensi  et  subscripsi.   Ego 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  61 

In  one  of  the  earliest  charters  in  King  David's  reign,  we 
find  a  slight  change  in   the  position  of  these  comites.     It 
is  the  first  of  David's  charters  to  the  monastery  of  Dunferm- 
line, and  in  this  charter  five  bishops  appear  who  alone  prefix 
to  their  names  the  word  '  Ego,'  and  add  the  title  of  Episcopus 
simply  with  the  word  confirmed ;  and  then  follows  a  list  of 
names  of  persons  who  are  said  to  be  '  hnjus  privilegii  testes 
et  assertores,'  and  these  are  headed  by  five  earls — viz.,  Ed 
Comes,  Constantinus  Comes,  Malise  Comes,  Eotheri  Comes, 
and  Madeth  Comes.^^     The  last  three  are  obviously  the  same 
with  three  of  the  earls  who  subscribe  the  Scone  charter,  and 
who,  we  have  seen,  had  been  Mormaers  of  Stratherne,  Mar, 
and  Atholl.     Constantin  appears  in  a  subsequent  charter, 
where  King  David  grants  to  Dunfermlin  *  the  whole  shyre  of 
Kirkcaldy,  which  Earl  Constantine  held  from  them  by  force, 
in  perpetual  charity,'  and  this  charter  is  simply  witnessed  by 
three  bishops  and  three  earls — viz.,  Madeth  Comes,  Malis 
Comes,  Head  Comes.^^     Constantin,  however,  appears  in  two 
documents  in  the  Chartulary  of  St.  Andrews,  in  which  he  is 
described  as  Earl  of  Eife.     In  the  first,  which  is  the  memo- 
randum of  the  grant  by  Edelrad,  son  of  Malcolm,  king  of 
Scotland,  abbot  of  Dunkeld,  and  also  Earl  of  Fife,  of  the 
lands  of  Admore,  it  is  said  to  have  been  confirmed  by  his 
brothers  David  and  Alexander  '  in  presentia  multorum  viro- 
rum  fide  dignorum  scilicet  Constantini  Comitis  de  Fyf  viri 
discretissimi.'     The  second  is  a  perambulation  of  the  bound- 
aries of  Kirkness  and  Lochore,  when  the  king  sends  his 
messengers  through  the  province  of  Eyf  and  Fothrithi,  and 

Uulfred  Archiepiscopus  consensi  et  scripsi.  Ego  Osmod  Dux  consensi 
subscripsi.  Ego  Wigthegn  Episco-  et  subscripsi.  Ego  Dudda  Dux  con- 
pus  consensi  et  subscripsi.  Ego  sensi  et  subsci'ipsi,  etc. — I'algrave, 
Ealhstan  Episcopus  consensi  et  sub-  Jlitse  and  Progress  of  the  English 
scripsi.  Ego  Bearnmod  Episcopus  Commonwealth,  vol.  ii.  pp.  ccxix. 
consensi  et  subscripsi.     Ego  Wulf-  ccxx. 

hard   Dux   consensi   et   subscripsi.  •"  Chart,  of  Dunfermlin,  p.  4. 

Ego  Monuede  Dux  consensi  et  sub-  ^  lb.  p.  16. 


62 


THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. 


[book  m. 


.summons  many  of  their  people  in  one  place — viz.,  Constan- 
tinem  Comitem  de  Fyf  viruni  discretum  et  facundum  cum 
satrapys  et  satellitibus  et  exercitu  de  Fyf  et  Macbeath  Thay- 
netum  de  Falleland  (Falkland),  etc.  The  dispute  is  then 
referred  to '  tres  viros  legales  et  idoneos,'  tlie  first  of  whom  is 
'  Constantinus  Comes  de  Fyf  magnus  judex  in  Scotia.'  ^^  We 
thus  see  that  one  of  the  principal  functions  of  these  old  Mor- 
maers,  who  now  appear  as  comites  or  earls,  was  judicial,  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  title  of  Magnus  judex,  or  great  judge, 
given  to  Constantin,  is  simply  the  Latin  equivalent  of  the 
Celtic  title  of  Mormaer,  or  great  maer,  and  by  the  '  satrapes,' 
probably  the  same  persons  are  meant  who  appear  in  the  Book 
of  Deer  with  the  Celtic  title  of  Toiseach.  The  'Ed  comes'  who 
precedes  Constantin  in  the  first  of  King  David's  charters  may 
possibly  be  the  same  person  as  the  '  Head  comes '  who  wit- 
nesses the  second,  but  neither  can  be  identified.^^ 


'^5  Chart,  of  St.  Andrews,  pp.  116, 
117. 

■■^  Mr.  Robertson,  in  his  valuable 
work  of  Scotland  under  her  Early 
Kings,  considers  that  Beth  in  the 
Scone  charter  is  wi-itten  by  a  clerical 
error  for  Heth,  tliat  he  is  the  same 
person  with  the  Ed  and  Head  of 
David's  charters,  and  was  Earl  of 
Moray,  and  father  of  that  Angus, 
Earl  of  Moray,  defeated  and  slain  in 
1130  (vol.  i.  pp.  104,  190).  This 
opinion  is  mainly  grounded  on  the 
fact  that  Wimund,  when  he  claimed 
to  be  the  son  of  Angus,  called  him- 
self Malcolm  IMacHeth,  but  Beth 
appears  in  the  same  form  in  a  sub- 
sequent charter  in  the  Scone  chartu- 
lary  (p.  4),  and  an  identification, 
which  requires  us  to  suppose  that 
the  name  has  been  miswritten  in  two 
charters,  is  not  admissible.  More- 
over, it  is  not  likely  that  an  Earl  of 
Moray  should  witness  the  founda- 
tion-charter of  a  monastery  erected 


as  a  thank-offering  for  the  defeat  of 
the  men  of  Moray  in  that  year.  As 
the  great  province  of  Fif  consisted 
of  the  two  old  districts  of  Fyfe  and 
Fothrithi,  it  is  not  impossible  that 
there  may  at  first  have  been  an  Earl 
connected  with  each,  and  that  Beth, 
occupying  here  the  leading  place  in 
which  the  subsequent  Earls  of  Fife 
are  invariably  found,  may  have  been 
earl  along  with  Edelrad,  and  that 
the  latter  is  the  Ed  who,  along  with 
Constantin,  witnesses  the  earliest 
charter  of  King  David,  as  there  is 
a  circumflex  through  the  d  of  Ed, 
which  implies  that  some  letters  after 
it  have  been  omitted.  This  would 
account  for  Constantin  ajjpeariug  in 
the  charter  of  Edelrad  as  if  he  were 
his  contemporary.  It  m.ay  be  ob- 
served that  the  Admore  which  Edel- 
rad grants  was  in  Fothrif,  while 
Constantin  appears  in  connection 
with  Kirkcaldy  in  Fife,  and  that  the 
name  of  the  Thane  of  Falkland  being 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROYHSTCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  63 

During  the  entire  reign  of  David  tlie  rir.st  these  earls 
appear  simply  with  the  designation  of  Comes  without  any- 
territorial  addition,  with  two  exceptions,  which  occur  towards 
the  end  of  his  reign.  In  the  earliest  charter  the  earls  who 
witness  it,  among  whom  is  Constantin,  are  followed  by  other 
witnesses,  partly  officers  of  state,  as  the  chancellors,  partly 
Norman  barons,  and  a  few  Celtic  names  which  have  no  de- 
signation, and  the  first  witness  who  follows  the  earls  and  pre- 
cedes the  chancellor  is  Gillemichel  Makduf.  In  the  founda- 
tion charter  of  Holyrood,  granted  not  long  after,  he  follows 
the  chancellor  and  the  chamberlain  as  Gillemichel  Comes, 
and  in  a  subsequent  charter  to  Dunfermline  he  again  precedes 
them  as  Gillemichel  Comes  de  Fif  In  a  charter  in  the  Book 
of  Deer,  which  must  have  been  granted  in  the  last  year  of 
David's  reign,  the  earl  who  succeeded  Gillemichel  appears  as 
Dunchad,  Comes  de  Fif,  and  along  with  him,  for  the  first  time, 
appears  Gillebride,  Comes  de  Angus.  Gillemichel  has  usually 
been  supposed  to  be  the  son  of  Constantin,  but  this  has  arisen 
solely  from  the  preconceived  notion  that  all  the  ancient  Earls 
of  Fife  bore  the  name  of  Macduff.  There  is,  however,  no 
evidence  of  any  connection  between  them,  and  it  is  obviously 
quite  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  their  appearance  as 
witnesses  in  the  same  charter. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  David's  object,  on  his  accession  to  Policy  of 
the  throne,  was  to  feudalise  the  whole  kingdom,  by  importing  feudalise 
feudal  forms  and  feudal  holdings  into  it,  and  to  place  the  doms! 
leading  dignitaries  of  the  kingdom  in-  the  position  of  Crown 
vassals,  as  well  as  to  introduce  a  Norman  baronage.     The 
relation  of  those  old  Celtic  earls  or  Mormaers  towards  the 
Crown  on  the  one  hand,  had  hitherto  been  purely  official,  and 
that  towards  the  districts  with  which  their  names  were  con- 

Macbeath,  shows  that  the  name  Earl  of  Moray  who  preceded  Angus, 
Beath  was  also  connected  with  Fife.  and  gave  his  name  to  the  family  of 
Head  may  certainly  have  been  the       MacHeth. 


64  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

nected  was  not  a  purely  territorial  one.  It  was  more  a 
relation  towards  the  tribes  who  peopled  it  than  towards  the 
laud.  David's  desire,  certainly,  would  be  to  place  them, 
whenever  opportunity  offered  in  the  position  of  holding  the 
land  they  were  officially  connected  with  as  an  earldom  of  the 
Crown  in  chief,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  barons  held  their 
baronies,  and  in  these  cases  he  may  have  inaugurated  the 
policy  undoubtedly  followed,  as  we  shall  see,  by  his  successors. 
Gillemichel  Macduff,  from  his  position  in  the  earliest 
charter,  must  have  held  a  high  position  as  a  follower  of  the 
king,  and  may  have  rendered  him  great  services,  which  legend 
drew  back  to  the  usurpation  of  the  throne  of  his  ancestor 
Duncan  by  Macbeth,  and  led  to  the  creation  of  the  fictitious 
Macduff,  who  makes  his  first  appearance  in  Fordun's  Chronicle, 
and  after  Constantin's  death  Gillemichel  may  first  have  had 
the  personal  title  of  Comesor  Earl  bestowed  uponhim,and  then 
been  feudally  invested  with  the  Earldom  of  Fife,  which  thus 
may  have  become  a  territorial  title  in  his  person.  It  certainly 
did  so  in  that  of  his  successor  Duncan,  who  received  from 
David  a  charter  of  the  earldom,  which  was  confirmed  to  his 
successors  by  the  subsequent  kings ;  ^"^  and  a  similar  feudal 
investiture  of  the  earldom  of  Angus  in  the  person  of  Gilli- 
bride  may  have  added  that  old  Celtic  earldom  likewise  to  the 
number,  as  from  this  time,  when  we  find  the  older  earldoms 
still  conferring  no  territorial  designation  on  their  earls,  Gilli- 
bride  invariably  appears  along  with  them  as  Earl  of  Angus. 
During  the  earlier  part  of  the  reign  of  Malcolm  iv.  no 
change  appears  to  have  been  made  in  the  position  of  the 
existing  earldoms.  His  first  charter  after  his  accession  ap- 
pears to  have  been  his  comfirmation  of  the  grants  to  the 

^''  See  charter  by  Alexander  the  tenuit.   .   .  Sicut  carta  regis  David 

Second  to  Earl  Malcohn  of  Fife,  son  de  predicto  comitatu  facta  comiti 

of  Duncan,  Earl  of  Fife,  of  the  comi-  Duncano     patri     ejus.' —  National 

tatus  de  Fyfe.     '  Sicut  Comes  Dun-  MSS.  vol.  i.  p.  28. 
canus  frater  suus  comitatem  ilium 


CHAP.  II.      THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  65 

monastery  of  Dumfermline,  and  this  charter  is  witnessed  first 
by  six  bishops,  then  by  twelve  barons,  most  of  whom  were 
Normans,  and  other  foreigners,  and  then  by  six  of  the  earls 
(De  Comitibus),  who  are  tlius  named :  Gospatricius  Comes, 
Ferteth  Comes,  Duncanus  Comes,  Morgund  Comes,  Melcolmus 
Comes,  et  Comes  de  Engus.  The  five  preceding  earls  were 
those  of  Dunbar,  Stratherne,  Fife,  Mar,  and  Athol,  the  earl 
of  Buchan,  who  would  make  up  the  number  of  the  seven 
earls,  not  appearing  among  them.  To  this  number  a  tem- 
porary addition  was  made  by  Malcolm,  when,  on  making 
peace  with  Malcolm  macHeth,  the  pretended  son  of  Earl 
Angus  of  Moray,  in  1157,  he  gave  him  the  district  of  Eos 
with  the  title  of  earl ;  but  the  inhabitants  soon  rose  against 
him  and  drove  him  out. 

An  event,  however,  took  place  soon  after,  which  led  to 
the  policy  inaugurated  by  David  the  First,  of  feudalising 
these  earldoms,  being  resumed  by  Malcolm  and  still  further 
carried  out  by  his  successor.  This  was  the  attack  made 
upon  the  king  by  six  of  the  old  Celtic  earls,  when,  under 
the  leadership  of  Ferteth,  earl  of  Stratherne,  they  besieged 
him  in  Perth  in  the  year  1160.  Fordun,  quoting  from  the 
Chronicle  of  Melrose,  says,  'Six  earls— Ferchard,  Earl  of 
Stratherne,  to  wit,  and  five  other  earls — being  stirred  up 
against  the  king,  not  to  compass  any  selfish  end,  or  through 
treason,  but  rather  to  guard  the  common  weal,  sought  to 
take  him,  and  laid  siege  to  the  keep  of  that  town  (Perth). 
God  so  ordering  it,  however,  their  undertaking  was  brought 
to  nought  for  the  nonce,  and  after  not  many  days  had 
rolled  by,  he  was,  by  the  advice  of  the  clergy,  brought 
back  to  a  good  understanding  with  his  nobles.' ^^  An 
expression  in  the  Orkneyinga  Saga  would  lead  us  to  infer 
that  the  object  of  the  six  Celtic  earls  was  to  put  up  the 
young  son  of  William  Fitz  Duncan,  who  was  usually  called 

^8  Fordun,  Chron.  (Annals,  in.)  vol.  ii.  p.  251  ;  and  see  note,  p.  430. 
VOL.  in.  E 


66  lllK  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

the  Boy  of  Egremont,  and  as  grandson  of  King  Duncan,  the 
eldest  son  of  Malcohn  in.  by  Ingibiorg,  widow  of  Earl 
Thorfiun  of  Orkney,  had  a  direct  claim  to  the  throne,  which 
would  commend  itself  both  to  the  Gaelic  and  to  the  Norwe- 
gian population  in  preference  to  the  descendants  of  the  Saxon 
princess  Margaret. ^^  Wyntoun  gives  us  the  following  account 
of  this  occurrence : — 

A  mayster-man  called  Feretawche, 
Wyth  Gyllandrys  Ergemawche, 
And  other  mayster-men  thare  fyve, 
Agayne  the  king  than  ras  belyve  ; 
For  caws  that  the  past  till  Twlows, 
Agayne  hym  thai  ware  all  irows  : 
Forthi  thai  set  thame  hym  to  ta 
In  till  Perth,  or  than  hym  sla. 
But  the  kyng  rycht  nianlyly 
Swne  skalyd  all  that  cumpany, 
And  tuk  and  slwe.''" 

Wyntoun  here  associates  with  the  five  earls  who  followed 
Ferteth,  the  Earl  of  Stratherne,  Gillandrys  Ergemawche.  If 
two  persons  are  meant,  Ergemawche  may  be  a  corruption  of 
Egremont,  and  Gillandres  may  have  represented  the  old 
Celtic  earls  of  Eoss,  as  the  clan  bearing  the  name  of  Eoss  are 
called  in  Gaelic  Clan  Ghillcanrias,  or  descendants  of  Gill- 
andres, and  may  have  led  the  revolt  which  drove  Malcolm 
macHeth  out  of  the  earldom. 
Creation  of  Eacli  of  the  seven  provinces  of  Scotland  consisted,  as  we 
earidoms^.^  have  sccn,  of  two  districts,  and  we  find  a  Mormaer  ruling  over 
each :  but  when  they  appear  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  First, 
under  the  name  of  Comes  or  Earl,  we  find  the  number  reduced 
to  six ;  and  with  the  exception  of  the  province  consisting  of 

^8  '  Ingibiorg,  the  mother  of  the  was   a   good   man.       His   son   was 

earls,'    married    Melkolf,    king    of  William  the  Noble,  whom  all  the 

Scotland,  who  was  called  Langhals.  Scots  wished  to  take  for  their  king. 

Their  son  was  Dungad,  king  of  Scot-  — Collect,  de  Reh.  Alb.  40,  p.  3-46. 
land,  the  father  of  William,   who  *  Wyntoun,  C'A>wt.  B.  vii.  c.  vii. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  67 

the  two  districts  of  Mar  and  Buchan,  each  of  which  is  repre- 
sented by  an  earl,  the  other  provinces  appear  with  one  of  its 
two  districts  possessing  an  earl,  and  the  other  remaining  un- 
represented. It  was  these  six  earls,  no  doubt,  who  formed 
the  party  who  attacked  the  king  in  Perth,  and  one  feature  of 
the  new  policy  appears  to  have  been  to  increase  their  number 
by  appointing  new  earls  to  the  vacant  districts,  who  were 
feudally  invested  with  their  earldoms,  and  thus  introducing  a 
large  feudal  element  into  the  old  Celtic  earldoms,  while  those 
which  retained  their  original  character  would  be  gradually 
feudalised  as  opportunity  offered.  Malcolm  had  thus  restored 
one  of  these  vacant  districts  when  he  made  Malcolm  mac- 
Heth  Earl  of  Eoss  ;  and  when  that  earl  was  driven  out  by  the 
inhabitants,  he  endeavoured  to  connect  it  still  more  closely 
with  the  Crown,  by  giving  the  earldom  to  Florence,  Count 
of  Holland,  in  marriage  with  his  sister  Ada  in  1162,  but  this 
grant,  too,  did  not  practically  take  effect."*^  Two  years  after 
he  added  another  in  the  district  of  Menteath,  which,  along 
with  Stratlierne,  formed  one  of  the  old  provinces  of  Scotland. 
'  Gillechrist,  Comes  de  Menteth,'  makes  his  first  appearance 
as  witness  in  a  charter  granted  by  King  Malcolm  to  the  canons 
of  Scone  in  1 164  ;  and  in  the  same  charter  we  have  Gillebride 
Comes  de  Angus  and  Malcolm  Comes  appearing  for  the  first 
time  with  the  territorial  designation  of  '  De  Ethoel.' 

The  policy  thus  inaugurated  by  David  the  First  as  entering 
into  his  plan  for  transforming  the  old  Celtic  kingdom  of  the 
Scots  into  a  feudal  monarchy,  and  to  some  extent  carried  out 
by  Malcolm  the  Fourth,  was  still  more  vigorously  prosecuted 
by  his  successor  William  the  Lion  ;  and  we  find  that  during 

^1  Memorandum  quod  Comes  de  Willelmietpredictuscomitatuselon- 

Holand  processit  de  sorore  domini  gatus  fuit  a  predicto  comite  de  Ho- 

Regis  Willelmi  ut  cognitum  est  per  land  sine  aliqua  ratione  et  sine  me- 

anticos  regni  Scotie  quod  totus  comi-  rito  suo  vel  antecessorum  suorum  ut 

tatus  de  Ros,  collatus  fuit  in  marita-  injuste  sicut  recognitum  est.  —  Pal- 

gio  cum  predicta  sorore  domini  Regis  grave,  Documents  and  Records,  p.  20. 


68  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

his  reign  he  converted  two  of  the  old  earldoms  into  feudal 
holdings,  that  a  third  had  passed  by  gift  and  a  fourth  by 
succession  into  the  hands  of  Norman  barons,  and  that  he 
added  four  new  earldoms  to  the  number. 
Earldom  of        "VVe  have  seen  that  during  the  reign  of  Alexander  the 

Mar.  . 

First  and  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  David,  Euadri  or 
Kotheri,  who  had  been  Mormaer  of  Mar,  appears  witnessing 
the  royal  charters,  with  the  personal  title  of  Comes  or  Earl. 
He  was  followed,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  David 
and  during  that  of  his  successor  Malcolm  iv.,  by  Morgundus 
or  Morgund,  who  also  bears  the  personal  title  of  Comes  or  Earl; 
but  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  William  the  Lion,  when 
the  territorial  designations  became  more  common,  he  is 
superseded  by  a  certain  Gilchrist,  Earl  of  Mar,  and  Gilchrist, 
in  his  turn,  makes  way  in  1171  for  Morgund  again.  The 
explanation  of  this  apparent  contest  for  the  position  of  earl 
is  furnished  us  by  the  controversy  which  afterwards  took 
place  between  the  family  of  De  Lundin,  who  were  the  king's 
hereditary  Hostiarii  or  doorkeepers,  and  from  that  oJSice  took 
the  name  of  Doorward  or  Durward.  It  appears  from  this 
controversy  that  Morgund  was  alleged  to  be  illegitimate,  and 
King  William  had  probably  taken  advantage  of  this  flaw  in 
his  title  to  break  the  succession  of  the  old  Celtic  earls  by 
recognising  Gilchrist,  the  next  lawful  heir,  as  earl.  This 
Gilchrist  had  married  Orabilis,  the  daughter  of  Ness,  son  of 
William,  one  of  the  foreign  settlers  in  Eife,  and  his  daughter 
was  the  mother  of  Thomas  de  Lundin,  the  king's  Hostiary  or 
Doorward,  and  carried  the  claims  of  the  lawful  lieirs  into  this 
family.'*'^      It  is  probable,  however,  that  this  illegitimacy, 

^  The  principal  act  of  Gilchrist's  were  illegitimate,  and  in  1291  the 

life  was  the  foundation  of  the  Priory  Earl  of  Mar  complains  that  when 

of    Monimusk,    and    Thomas,    the  William  the  Lion  i-estored  the  Earl- 

Doorward,   confirms  the   grant  by  dom  to  Morgund,  '  deficiebant  tres 

his   grandfather   and   his    mother.  centum    librate   terre.' — Ant.    Ah. 

His   son   Alan    declares,    in    1257,  and  Banff,  vol.  iv.  p.  151. 
that  Morgund  and  his  son  Duncan 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  69 

tliough  possibly  well  founded  according  to  the  canon  law, 
was  not  recognised  as  such  by  the  Celtic  customs,  and  an 
arrangement  seems  to  have  been  come  to  by  which  Morgund 
agreed  to  receive  from  the  king  the  investiture  of  the  earldom 
as  a  feudal  holding,  while  the  claims  of  the  rival  party  were 
satisfied  by  a  large  tract  of  land  between  the  rivers  Dee  and 
Don,  which  was  withdrawn  from  the  earldom  and  became  the 
property  of  the  Durwards.  There  is  preserved  a  deed  by 
King  William,  in  which  he  narrates  that  Morgund,  son  of 
Gilloclier,  formerly  Earl  of  Mar,  appeared  before  him  in  June 
1171  and  was  invested  with  the  earldom  of  Mar,  in  which 
his  father  had  died  vest  and  seized,  and  which  was  now 
granted  to  him  and  his  heirs  whatsoever.'*^  It  may  perhaps 
be  doubted  whether  this  is  an  original  deed ;  but  there  can 
be  little  doubt  that  it  contains  the  record  of  a  real  transaction 
by  which  the  earldom  was  converted  into  a  purely  feudal 
holding,  whicli,  like  all  such  holdings  created  at  this  time, 
was  descendible  to  heirs-female. 

The  policy  followed  by  King  "William,  with  regard  to  Earldoms 

of  Gar- 

these  earldoms,  was  checked  for  a  time  by  the  unfortunate  vyach  and 

Xj6V6DftCh. 

result  of  his  attempt  in  1174  to  recover  possession  of  the 
nortliern  provinces  of  England,  when  he  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  only  recovered  his  liberty  by  surrendering  the  inde- 
pendence of  his  kingdom  ;  but  soon  after  his  liberation,  when 
lie  returned  to  Scotland,  he  appears  to  have  created  two 
new  earldoms,  which  he  bestowed  upon  his  brother  David. 
The  first  was  the  earldom  of  Garvyach  or  Garrioch  in  Aber- 
deenshire, formed  from  the  districts  surrounding  the  ancient 
fortification  of  Dunideer,  and  extending  between  the  river 
Don  and  its  tributary  the  Ury.  The  second  was  the  earldom 
of  Levenach  or  Lennox,  and  consisted  of  the  northern  part  of 

*^  This   deed  has   hitherto   been  printed  was  found  among  his  papers, 

known  only  by  its  being  printed  by  and  is  now  in  the  library  at  Lincoln's 

Selden   in   his    I'itles   of   Honour ;  Inn.     See  Appendix  No.  iv.  for  an 

but  the  document  from  which  he  account  of  this  charter. 


70  TllK  SEVEN  I'KOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

the  old  Cumbrian  kingdom,  which  appears  to  have  received  a 
Gaelic  population,  and  is  nearly  represented  by  the  county  of 
Dumbarton.-''*  These  districts  were  probably  at  the  time  iu 
the  hands  of  the  Crown.  The  earldom  of  Garvyach  passed 
on  David's  death  to  his  son  John  the  Scot,  after  whose  death 
it  again  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  was  eventually  granted  as 
a  lordship  to  the  earls  of  Mar.  The  earldom  of  Levenach 
does  not  appear  to  have  remained  long  in  Earl  David's  pos- 
session, as  we  find  it  emerging  in  the  possession  of  a  line  of 
Celtic  earls,  the  first  of  whom,  Aluin,  must  have  received  it 
as  early  as  the  year  1193.  Earl  David  was  invested  with 
the  English  earldom  of  Huntingdon  on  the  death  of  its  then 
possessor,  Simon  de  Senlis,  in  1184  ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
on  that  occasion  he  resigned  the  earldom  of  Lenno.K  in  favour 
of  the  head  of  its  Gaelic  population."^ 
Earldoms  In  1179  William  the  Lion  brought  the  people  of  Eoss 

Carrick.''°  under  more  complete  snbjection  to  the  Crown,  and  built  two 
royal  castles  within  its  bounds,  but  he  appears  to  have 
retained  the  earldom  in  his  own  hands,  as  the  Count  of 
Holland  complains  that  he  had  been  deprived  of  it,  although 
he  had  never  been  forfeited.  His  grievance  was  probably 
not  a  very  substantial  one,  as  it  is  very  unlikely  that  he 
either  had  obtained  or  could  obtain  practical  possession  of  it. 
Seven  years  after  the  king  formed  a  second  earldom  out  of 
the  territory  of  the  old  Cumbrian  kingdom,  at  its  south- 
western extremity,  where  it  bordered  upon  the  Gaelic  district 
of  Galloway,  and  appears  to  have  received  a  Gaelic  population 
from  thence.      This  was  the  district  of  Carrick,  which  he 

*»  Fordun,  Ghron.  (Annals,  xxx. )  a  charter  in  the  Liber  de  Melrose, 

vol.  ii.  p.  276.  '^'ol.   i.    p.   22,  and   that  his  name 

«  Chart,  of  Paisley,  p.  167.    The  was  Aluin  appears  from  the  Char- 

expressions   used  here  imply  that  tulary  of  Glascjow,   vol.    i.    p.    86, 

David  held  the  earldom  only  for  a  where  we  find,  between  1208  and 

time     The  first  mention  of  another  1214,  a  charter  by  Alewinus  comes 

earl  of  Lennox  is  in  1193,  when  Eth,  de  Levenax  filius  et  heres  Alewini 

son  of  the  earl  of  Lemiox,  witnesses  comitis  de  Levenax. 


CHAP.  II.  1  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  71 

bestowed  as  an  earldom  upon  Duncan,  son  of  Gilbert,  and 
grandson  of  Fergus,  the  Celtic  Lord  of  Galloway. 

Ten  years  after  this  he  took  advantage  of  the  slaughter  of  Earldom  of 
the  bishop  of  Caithness  by^the  Norwegian  earl  of  Orkney  and 
Caithness,  to  extend  his  power  over  that  district  likewise,  and 
to  reduce  its  earl  to  submission.  Harald,  the  earl  at  this  time, 
was  not  a  very  distant  relation  of  the  king  by  paternal  descent, 
being  the  son  of  Madach,  earl  of  Atholl,  whose  father  was  a 
brother  of  Malcolm  the  Third,  but  he  inherited  the  earldom  of 
Orkney  to  which  Caithness  at  this  time  was  attached,  through 
his  mother,  Margaret,  the  daughter  of  a  previous  earl,  of  Nor- 
wegian descent,  and  he  had  married  a  daughter  of  Malcolm 
MacHeth,  the  so-called  earl  of  Moray,  and  was  thus  associated 
with  that  family  in  their  opposition  to  the  Crown.  The  result 
of  two  separate  invasions  of  Caithness  by  the  royal  army  was, 
that  Caithness,  north  of  the  great  range  called  the  Ord  of 
Caithness,  was  eventually  restored  to  Earl  Harald,  to  be  held 
by  him  on  payment  to  the  Crown  of  a  large  sum  of  money  ; 
while  the  district  south  of  that  range,  which  has  the  Nor- 
wegian name  of  Sudrland  or  Sutherland,  was  retained  by  the 
king,  and  bestowed  upon  Hugo,  a  scion  of  the  house  of  De 
Moravia,  as  a  lordship,  and  eventually  made  an  earldom  in 
the  person  of  his  son  William.  Before  the  death  of  William 
one  of  the  old  Celtic  earldoms  had  passed  by  succession  into 
the  hands  of  a  foreign  baron,  for  William  Cumyn,  the  head  of 
the  Norman  house  of  that  name,  became  possessed  of  the 
earldom  of  Buchan  by  his  marriage  with  Marjory,  daughter 
of  Fergus,  the  last  of  the  Celtic  earls. 

Alexander  the  Second,  the  successor  of  William,  followed  seven  Earls 
out  the  same  policy,  but  during  his  reign,  notwithstanding  reign^of 
the  increase  in  the  number  of  the  earldoms,  and  the  feudali-  ^^g  ggcond 
sation  of  some  of  the  older  ones,  we  find  the  seven  earls  of 
Scotland  frequently  making  their  appearance,  apparently  as  a 
constitutional  body  whose  privileges  were  recognised.    They 


72  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

first  appear  as  taldng  an  important  part  in  the  coronation  of 
Alexander  as  king  of  Scotland,  and  then  consisted  of  the 
earls  of  Fife,  Stratherne,  Atholl,  Angus,  Menteath,  Buchan, 
and  Lothian.-*^  AVitli  the  exception  of  Menteath,  which  was  a 
more  recent  earldom,  these  are  the  same  earldoms  whose  earls 
gave  their  consent  to  the  foundation  charter  of  Scone ;  but 
Menteath  comes  now  in  place  of  Mar,  perhaps  owing  to  the 
controversy  as  to  tlie  rightful  possessor  of  the  latter  earldom, 
and  Buchan  was, as  we  have  seen,now  held  by  a  Norman  baron. 
Another  of  these  ancient  earldoms,  however,  soon  after 
terminated  in  the  male  line,  and  this  raised  a  question  which 
throws  some  light  upon  their  character  and  relation  to  the 
law  of  feudal  tenures.  When  Fergus,  the  last  of  the  old 
Celtic  earls  of  Buchan,  died  in  the  end  of  King  William's 
reign,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  doubt  that  the  earldom 
devolved  upon  his  daughter  Marjory,  which  she  carried 
to  her  husband,  William  Cumyn ;  but  when  Henry,  the  last 
of  the  old  Earls  of  Atholl,  died,  soon  after  the  accession  of 
Alexander  the  Second,  his  heirs  were  two  sisters,  Isabella 
and  Forflissa,  and  the  question  at  once  arose  whether  the 
earldom  was  partible  between  them,  as  was  the  case  with  any 
feudal  barony,  or  whether  it  devolved  in  its  entirety  upon 
the  elder  sister,  Isabella,  who  had  married  Thomas  of  Gallo- 
way, brother  of  Alan,  Lord  of  Galloway.  This  question,  and 
the  decision  of  the  Curia  regis  or  royal  court,  consisting  of 
the  tenants  in  chief  of  the  Crown,  are  incidentally  mentioned 
when  the  same  discussion  took  place  before  Edward  the  First 
between  three  of  the  competitors  for  the  crown  on  the  death 
of  the  Maid  of  Norway.  These  were  John  Baliol,  who 
claimed  as  grandson  of  Margaret,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
David,  earl  of  Huntingdon ;  Eobert  de  Bruce,  who  claimed  as 
son  of  his  second  daughter  Isabella  ;  and  John  de  Hastings, 
as  grandson  of  Ada,  the  youngest  daughter.  The  competition 
*'  Fordun,  Chron.  (Annals,  xxix.),  p.  276. 


CHAP.  II.  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  73 

for  the  crown  came  eventually  to  be  between  Baliol,  who 
claimed  as  representing  Earl  David  through  his  eldest 
daughter,  and  Bruce,  who  asserted  that  being  his  grandson 
he  was  one  step  nearer,  and  should  be  preferred  to  his  great- 
grandson,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  thus  connected  through 
the  second  daughter.  John  de  Hastings,  who,  like  Baliol, 
stood  only  in  the  relation  of  great-grandson,  admitted  the 
right  of  the  latter  to  the  throne,  if  the  kingdom  was  main- 
tained in  its  entirety,  but  asserted  that  being  held  under  the 
English  Crown,  it  was  partible  like  any  other  feudal  holding, 
and  that  he  ought  to  be  preferred  to  one-third  of  the  territory 
of  the  kingdom;  and  Robert  Bruce  put  in  a  further  claim, 
that  in  the  event  of  his  right  to  the  whole  being  rejected,  he 
was  likewise  entitled  to  one-third.  His  argument  was  this — 
'  The  land  of  Scotland,  albeit  it  is  called  a  kingdom,  ought  to 
be  partible,  by  reason  that  the  event  which  has  now  happened 
to  Scotland,  seeing  that  it  is  held  in  fee  of  our  lord  the  king 
of  England  by  homage,  is  no  other  than  similar  to  what  it 
would  have  been  as  to  an  earldom  or  a  barony  of  the  realm 
of  England  which  had  descended  in  such  case.  And  if  an 
earldom  or  barony  had  descended  to  three  daughters,  with 
the  issue  of  them,  each  would  have  her  purpart,  seeing  that 
the  three  daughters  represent  but  one  heir  of  all  the  heritage 
of  their  father ;  so  that  no  advantage  ought  to  accrue  unto 
the  eldest,  or  unto  the  issue  of  her,  except  solely  the  name  of 
the  dignity,  and  especially  of  the  chief  messuage.'*^  The 
king  of  England  referred  this  question  to  the  eighty  Scotch 
arbiters,  who  had  been  elected  by  the  parties,  who  were 
asked  to  decide — '  first,  whether  the  kingdom  of  Scotland  is 
partible ;  second,  although  it  be  that  the  kingdom  is  not 
partible,  whether  the  lands  acquired  and  the  escheats  are 

■*^  Willelmi  Rishanger  Chronica  et  erroneously  translated  Ly  the  editor 
J  w?iaZes,  Master  of  the  Rolls  Series,  'of  chief  of  the  house,'  instead  of 
p.  344.    The  words  '  de  chef  mes '  are       '  chief  messuage. ' 


74  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

partible  or  not.  The  third,  whether  the  earldoms  and  the 
baronies  of  the  kingdom  are  partible  of  right ;  and  the  fourth, 
seeing  that  the  kingdom  is  not  partible,  in  case  the  right  to 
the  kingdom  falls  to  daughters,  whether  any  consideration 
ought  to  be  paid  to  the  younger  ones,  by  reason  of  the  equality 
of  right  which  descended  to  all,  as  though  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  their  right.*  This  discussion  only  bears  upon  our 
subject  in  so  far  as  it  affects  the  position  in  this  respect  of 
the  old  earldoms,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  the  answers 
of  the  arbiters,  except  to  the  third  and  fourth  questions. 
'  To  the  third  they  say  that  an  earldom  in  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland  is  not  partible  ;  and  this  was  found  by  judgment  in 
the  Court  of  the  king  of  Scotland  as  to  the  earldom  of  Astheles, 
or  Atholl ;  but  as  to  baronies,  they  say  that  they  are  partible. 
To  the  fourth  they  say  that  as  to  a  kingdom  they  never  saw 
the  like ;  but  if  an  earldom  falls  to  daughters  in  Scotland,  the 
eldest  takes  it  wholly.  But  if  either  of  the  other  sisters  has 
not  been  provided  for,  in  the  life  of  the  father,  it  is  proper 
that  the  eldest,  who  takes  the  inheritance,  makes  her  a  pay- 
ment and  assignment.  And  this  is  of  grace,  not  of  right.'*^ 
They  thus  adopt  the  argument  of  Eobert  the  Bruce  as  to 
baronies  but  not  as  to  earldoms.  It  is,  however,  unlikely 
that  the  eighty  arbiters,  forty  of  whom  were  named  by  Baliol 
and  forty  by  Bruce,  should  have  been  unanimous  in  rejecting 
the  claim  of  the  latter ;  and  the  qualification  contained  in 
the  fourth  answer  has  much  the  appearance  of  a  compromise 
between  two  conflicting  views,  and  like  most  compromises  is 
inconsistent  with  the  grounds  upon  which  either  must  be 
based.  In  point  of  fact  both  views  had  a  substance  of  truth 
in  them.  So  far  as  the  old  Celtic  earldoms  of  the  kingdom 
were  concerned,  the  arbiters  pronounced  a  correct  judgment, 
for  such  earldoms  were  rather  official  and  personal  than  terri- 
torial dignities,  and  the  territory  of  the  earldom,  which  after- 

"^  Eislianger,  Chronica,  pp.  355,  356,  357. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  75 

wards  formed  its  demesne,  was  more  of  the  nature  of  mensal 
land  appropriated  to  the  support  of  the  dignity.  The  decision, 
founded  on  as  having  been  given  by  the  court  of  the  king, 
that  the  earldom  of  Atholl  was  not  partible,  must  have 
reference  to  that  time  when  the  last  Celtic  earl  was  repre- 
sented by  two  co-heirs,  and  it  appears  to  have  been  viewed  as 
being  governed  by  Celtic  and  not  by  feudal  law.  Hence  the 
eldest  sister,  Isabella,  was  held  to  have  right  to  the  whole 
earldom."*^  Isabella  married  Thomas  de  Galloway,  brother  of 
Alan,  Lord  of  Galloway,  by  whom  she  had  a  son,  Patrick  ;  and 
after  her  first  husband's  death,  in  1232,  Alan  de  Lundin,  the 
Hostiarius  or  Doorward,  and  one  of  the  most  powerful  barons 
of  the  time,  appears  as  earl  of  Atholl,  from  which  we  may 
infer  that  he  had  married  the  widow,  and  held  the  title  during 
her  life.  Patrick,  the  young  earl,  was,  on  his  accession,  miser- 
ably burnt  to  death  at  Haddington  in  the  year  1242,  and  then 
we  are  told  the  earldom  passed  to  his  aunt  Forflissa,  who 
had  married  David  de  Hastings,  a  Norman  baron.^*^ 

While  the  succession  to  the  earldom  of  Atholl  thus  shows 
the  light  in  which  the  ancient  Celtic  earldoms  were  regarded, 

*^  The  decision  is  thus  given  in  vynt .  .  .  P]scoce  Seneschaucie  Mare- 

the  arguments  adduced  by  Baliol  in  schaucie  Conestablerie  Foresterie .  e 

supportof  the  position  that  the  king-       ....  einzne  .  .  .  al  isseue 

dom  was  not  partible.     Printed  by  einznesce    autres   offices   e   V)aillies 

Palgrave    (Doc,    p.    40),    unfortu-  semblable  qe  sount  de  la  coroune.' 

nately  the  document  is  very  imper-  ^^  Pro  dolor !  Patricius  de  Athedle 

feet,  but  it  appears  to  place  the  old  filius  Thomw  de  Galwedia  et  comitis 

Celtic  earldom  in  the  same  category  de   Adthedle,  juvenis   egregius   et 

with  the  offices  of  seneschals,  mari-  quantum  ad  humanam  oppinionem 

schals,  constables,  and  foresters  : —  omni  curiali  sapientia  et  facescia  im- 

'  Ausi  la  Countee  de  Asheles  de-  butus,  apud  Hadingtone  in  hospitio 
mora  a  Isabele  la  einzne .  .  .  .  puisne  suo  de  nocte  postquam  se  sopori  de- 
n  y  aveit  vivaunt  Isabel  1  einzne  soir  disset,  per  consilium  quorundam  ma- 
e  le  isseue  de  li.  E  fet .  .  .  .  lavandit  lignancium  nequiter  perimitur,  cum 
Isabel  en  pleyn  Parlament  devaunt  duobus  sociis  suis.  .  .  .  Post  cujus  ta- 
le Rey  Alexaundre  fiz son  men  obituni,  David  de  Hastinges  ac- 

counseil  q  ele  ne  deveit  ceo  par  .  .  .  cepit  ejus  comitatum  provenientem 
er  por  ceo  qe  Countee  nest  pas  part-  sibi  ex  parte  uxoris  sue,  que  erat  ma- 
able  qe  plus  .  .  .  es  ce  .  .  .  tertera  juvenis  occisi. — Ghron.  Mel. 


76  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

and  the  position  they  occupied  in  the  eye  of  the  common  law 
of  the  land,  those  which  had  been  either  feudalised  or  created 
by  the  districts  being  erected  into  earldoms  by  the  Crown, 
were  in  no  different  position  from  an  ordinary  barony,  and 
were  regulated  by  the  feudal  law,  which  was  correctly  laid 
down  by  Bruce,  the  lands  being  partible  between  co-heirs,  but 
the  dignity  and  the  chief  messuage  belonging  to  the  eldest 
co-heir.  Of  the  former  we  have  an  example  in  the  earldom 
of  Caithness,  which  had  become  feudalised  after  the  war 
between  William  the  Lion  and  Harald,  who,  though  of  Scot- 
tish descent,  had  inherited  through  a  Norwegian  mother.  On 
the  death  of  John,  earl  of  Caithness,  the  last  of  this  line,  in 
1231,  the  title  of  earl  passed  with  only  one  half  of  the  lands 
of  the  earldom  to  Magnus,  a  son  of  the  earl  of  Angus,  while 
we  find  the  other  half  of  the  earldom  in  the  possession  of  the 
family  of  De  Moravia,  and  on  the  death  of  the  last  earl  of 
the  Angus  line  this  half  was  again  divided,  and  Malise,  earl 
of  Stratherne,  became  earl  of  Caithness,  possessing,  however, 
one-fourth  only  of  the  lands  of  the  earldom.^^  In  the  same 
manner,  when  the  earldom  of  Buchan,  which  had  passed  by 
marriage  into  the  hands  of  the  Norman  family  of  Cumyn, 
was  forfeited  to  the  Crown,  and  the  last  earl  was  represented 
by  tw^o  co-heirs,  one-half  of  the  lands  of  the  earldom  was 
given  by  King  Eobert  Bruce  to  Sir  John  de  Eoss,  son  of  the 
earl  of  Ross,  who  had  married  the  younger  daughter ;  and 
the  other  half,  with  the  title  of  earl,  was  afterwards  conferred 
upon  Sir  Alexander  Stuart,  second  son  of  King  Eobert  ii. 

Of  the  additional  earldoms  which  had  been  created  by  the 
Crown  and  added  to  the  older  earldom,  the  earliest,  that  of 
Menteath,  affords  an  example.  This  earldom,  like  that  of 
Buchan,  had  passed  by  marriage  into  the  hands  of  a  Cumyn, 

*^  The  history  of  these  ancient  more  so  than  that  of  the  earldom  of 
earldoms  is  very  inaccurately  given  Caithness.  These  errors  will  be 
by  the  Peerage-writers,  and  none       found  corrected  in  Appendix  No.  v. 


H 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND,  77 

and  Walter  Cumyn  is  termed  Earl  of  Menteath  as  early  as 
the  year  1255.  On  his  death  in  1257  his  widow  married 
John  Eussell,  an  unknown  Englishman,  and  the  nobles  of 
Scotland,  irritated  at  this,  accused  her  of  the  murder  of  her 
former  husband,  and  imprisoned  both  her  and  her  second 
husband.  Walter  Stewart  then  claimed  the  earldom  in  right 
of  his  wife,  and  by  the  favour  of  the  nobles  obtained  it.  On 
the  death  of  the  first  Countess  her  right  passed  to  William 
Cumyn,  who  had  married  her  daughter,  and  a  controversy 
arose  between  him  and  Walter  Stewart,  which  terminated 
in  the  title  being  confirmed  to  the  latter,  with  one  half  of 
the  earldom,  while  the  other  half  was  erected  into  a  barony 
in  favour  of  William  Cumyn.  The  partition  at  a  later 
period  of  the  earldom  of  Lennox,  another  of  these  created 
earldoms,  likewise  affords  an  example. 

Such  being  the  distinction  between  the  old  Celtic  earl- 
doms represented  by  the  seven  earls  and  those  subsequently 
constituted,  we  learn  also  from  the  discussions  which  took 
place  in  the  competition  for  the  crown  somewhat  of  the 
rights  which  they  claimed  as  their  privilege  ;  for  among  the 
documents  still  preserved  connected  with  the  competition 
is  an  appeal  on  behalf  of  the  seven  earls  of  the  kingdom  of 
Scotland  to  Edward  i.,  in  which  it  is  stated  that,  '  according 
to  the  ancient  laws  and  usage  of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland, 
and  from  the  time  whereof  the  memory  of  man  was  not  to 
the  contrary,  it  appertained  to  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
seven  earls  of  Scotland  and  the  "  communitas  "  of  the  same 
realm,  whenever  the  royal  throne  should  become  vacant  de 
facto  et  de  jure,  to  constitute  the  king,  and  to  place  him  in 
such  royal  seat,  and  to  confer  upon  him  all  the  honours  be- 
longing to  the  government  of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland.'^- 
And  this  function  we  find  them  evidently  performing  at  the 
coronation  of  Alexander  the  Second. 

5-  Palgrave,  Documents,  pp.  14,  15. 


78  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND. .  [book  hi. 

Province  of  The  oiily  oiiG  of  the  seven  provinces  which  was  required 
^°^  '  to  be  brought  into  more  direct  connection  with  the  Crown 
was  the  great  district  of  Arrcgaithel  or  Argyll,  and  early  in 
his  reign  Alexander  annexed  the  northern  part  to  the  earldom 
of  Eoss,  and  placed  that  earldom  in  possession  of  a  devoted 
adherent  of  his  person.  The  district  forming  what  was  then 
called  North  Argyll  consisted  in  a  great  measure  of  the  terri- 
tory of  the  old  and  powerful  Celtic  monastery  of  Apercrossan, 
and  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  family  of  hereditary  lay 
abbots,  who  termed  themselves  Sagarts  or  priests  of  Apple- 
cross  ;  and  Ferquard  Macintaggart,  or  the  son  of  the  Sagart 
or  priest  who  had  aided  the  young  king  in  suppressing  an 
insurrection  of  the  Gaelic  people  of  Moray  and  Eoss  in  sup- 
port of  the  pretensions  of  the  Mac  William  and  MacHeth 
families  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign,  was  now  created  Earl 
of  Eoss,  which  thus  became  a  feudal  earldom  held  of  the  Crown, 
by  a  family  who  were  among  its  most  loyal  supporters.^^ 
The  insurrection  which  took  place  a  few  years  after  in 
favour  of  Gillespie  mac  Eochagan,  also  of  the  family  of  Mac- 
William,  led  to  the  rest  of  this  great  district  being  subdued 
and  brought  into  the  same  relation  with  the  Crown.  The 
king,  we  are  told  by  Fordun,  led  an  army  into  Argyll.  The 
men  of  Argyll  were  frightened.  Some  gave  hostages  and  a 
great  deal  of  money,  and  were  taken  back  in  peace,  while 
others,  who  had  more  offended  against  the  king's  will,  forsook 
their  estates  and  possessions  and  fled.  But  our  lord  the  king 
bestowed  both  the  land  and  the  goods  of  these  men  upon  his 
own  followers  '  at  will ' ;  or,  as  Wyntoun  expresses  it — 

'  And  athe  tuk  off  thare  fewte 
Wyth  thare  serwys  and  thare  homage, 
That  off  hym  wald  hald  thare  herytage  ; 
Bot  the  eshchetys  off  the  lave 
To  the  lordys  off  that  land  he  gave.' 

5-"  Vol.  i.  p.  4S,3. 


CHAP.  ]i.]     THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  79 

Those  who  fled  appear  to  have  taken  refuge  in  Galloway,  as 
we  find  Gilescop  Macihacain  Avitnessing  a  clmrter  in  Galloway 
with  a  cluster  of  Gaelic  names  along  with  him  ;  ^*  and  as  one 
of  these  names  can  be  connected  with  the  district  of  Lochaber, 
while  the  family  of  that  Eoderic  who  joined  with  him  in  his 
rebellion  appear  to  have  had  their  main  possessions  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Garmoran,  extending  from  Ardnamurchan  to  Glenelg, 
the  main  seat  of  the  rebellion  appears  to  have  been  that 
central  portion  of  the  great  region  of  Argyll  which  was  said  to 
pertain  to  Moravia  or  Moray,  of  which  these  districts  formed  a 
part.  The  native  lords  of  this  district  were  apparently  those 
whom  the  king  dispossessed,  and  whose  possessions  he  gave 
to  his  own  followers,  and  accordingly  we  find  Lochaber  soon 
after  in  the  possession  of  the  Cumyns.  lu  South  Argyll,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  native  lords  appear  to  have  submitted  to 
the  king,  as  the  family  of  Dubhgal,  the  eldest  son  of  Somerled, 
the  great  Celtic  Lord  of  Argyll,  seem  to  have  remained  in 
possession  of  the  extensive  district  of  Lorn ;  and  it  is  at  this 
time  that  we  may  fairly  place  a  grant  which  appears  to  have 
been  made  of  the  lands  in  the  interior  which  afterwards 
formed  the  lordship  of  Lochow  to  Duncan  Mac  Duine,  the 
ancestor  of  the  Campbells,  a  clan  the  head  of  which  appears 
in  the  following  reign  as  a  close  adherent  of  the  Crown.^^ 

The  seven  earls  of  Scotland  appear  again  as  a  body  taking 
part  in  important  transactions  on  two  different  occasions  in 
this  reign.  In  the  first,  which  was  the  agreement  between 
the  kings  of  England  and  Scotland,  by  which  a  settlement  of 
the  claims  of  the  latter  was  concluded  in  1237,  the  seven 
earls  among  others  became  bound  by  oath  to  maintain  the 

^■*  Vol.  i.  p.  486.  the  said  Archibald  Campbell,   en- 

^^  See  charter  by  David  ii.,  con-  joyed  the   same  in  the  barony  of 

firming  in  1368  to  Archibald  Camp-  Lochaw,  or  other  lands  belonging  to 

bell,  son  of  Colin,  the  lands  of  Craig-  him. — HU.  Com.,  A  Keport,  p.  40. 

nish,  Melfort,  and  others,  with  all  The    first   Campbell   on    record   is 

the  liberties   thereof,   as  freely  as  Gillespie   Campbell    in    1266,    and 

Duncan  Mac  Duine,  progenitor  of  this  Duncan  was  his  grandfather. 


80  THE  SEVEN  PKOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

agreement.  These  were  the  earls  of  Dunbar,  of  Stratherne, 
of  Lennox,  of  Angus,  of  Mar,  of  Atholl,  and  of  Eoss ;  and 
here  we  find  the  earls  of  Lennox,  of  Mar,  and  of  Eoss,  coming 
in  place  of  those  of  Fife,  Menteath,  and  Buclian  ;  but  when 
the  agreement  was  renewed  seven  years  afterwards,  in  1244, 
the  seven  earls  who  became  bound  that  King  Alexander 
would  observe  good  faith  were,  Patrick  Earl  of  Dunbar, 
Malcolm  Earl  of  Fife,  ]\Lalise  Earl  of  Stratherne,  Walter 
Cumyn  Earl  of  Menteath,  William  Earl  of  Mar,  Alexander 
(younger)  Earl  of  Buchan,  and  David  de  Hastings  Earl  of 
Atholl ;  ^^  the  Earls  of  Fife,  Menteath,  and  Buchan  again 
appearing  among  them,  and  those  of  Lennox,  Angus,  and 
Eoss  being  omitted.  We  thus  see  that  though  the  number  of 
seven  was  always  retained,  the  constituent  members  were  not 
always  the  same,  the  latter  being  probably  regulated  by  the 
respective  positions  of  the  earldom  at  the  time,  for  in  1237 
the  earldom  of  Angus  had  passed  by  marriage  into  possession 
of  one  of  the  powerful  family  of  Cumyn,  but  he  had  died  in 
1242,  and  the  Countess  of  Angus  had  in  1243  replaced  him 
with  a  Norman  Baron,  Gilbert  de  Umphraville,  whom  she 
took  as  her  second  husband. 
Seven  Earls        In  the  elaborate  and  picturesque  account  which  Fordun 

in  the  _  _  -^ 

reign  of       gives  US  of  the  coronation  of  Alexander  the  Third  when  a 

Alexander 

the  Third,  boy  of  eight  ycars  old,  he  does  not  give  the  seven  earls,  as  a 
body,  a  part  in  the  ceremonial,  but  simply  says  that  the  royal 
boy  was  accompanied  by  a  number  of  earls,  barons,  and 
knights.  The  only  earls  he  mentions  by  name  are  Walter 
Cumyn  Earl  of  Menteath,  Malcolm  Earl  of  Fife,  and  Malise 
Earl  of  Stratherne ;  but  it  is  probable  that  in  a  coronation  in 
which  the  Celtic  element  loomed  so  largely,  he  did  not  intend 
to  imply  that  this  body  did  not  play  the  same  part  which 
they  did  in  the  coronation  of  his  father ;  and  this  we  may 
reasonably  infer,  for  he  tells  that  in  the  second  year  of  his 

^^  Rymer's  Fcedera,  vol.  i.  p.  257. 


k 


THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  81 

reign  a  solemn  ceremony  took  place  at  Dunfermline,  when, 
in  the  presence  of  bishops  and  abbots,  earls  and  barons,  and 
other  good  men  both  clerics  and  laymen,  the  relics  of  Saint 
Margaret  were  enshrined  at  Dunfermline.  The  record  of  this 
transaction  in  the  Chartulary  of  Dunfermline  bears  that  it 
was  done  in  presence  of  the  seven  bishops  and  seven  earls  of 
Scotland.^''  It  is  obvious,  however,  that  this  body  of  the 
seven  earls  were  gradually  losing  their  separate  corporate 
existence,  and  were  no  longer  able  to  maintain  in  this  reign 
the  functions  they  exercised  in  previous  reigns  ;  for  when  the 
succession  to  the  throne  was  settled  upon  the  daughter  of 
Alexander  in  1284,  we  find  them  merged  in  the  general 
'  communitas,'  or  feudal  community  of  the  kingdom,  in  which 
the  entire  body  of  the  earls,  now  amounting  to  thirteen,  appear. 
They  take  a  part,  but  apparently  not  an  influential  one,  in 
the  discussions  that  took  place  after  the  death  of  the  Maid  of 
Norway  between  the  competitors  for  the  crown;  and  probably 
the  last  attempt  they  made  to  repossess  themselves  of  the 
important  position  they  formerly  occupied  in  the  affairs  of 
the  kingdom  was  when  in  1 297  they,  in  conjunction  with  John 
Comyn  of  Badenoch,  invaded  England  at  the  head  of  a  pow- 
erful army  which  met  in  Annandale  and  besieged  Carlisle. 
The  seven  earls  engaged  in  this  expedition  were  the  earls  of 
Buchan,  Menteath,  Stratherne,  Lennox,  Eoss,  Atholl,  and 
Mar ;  ^^  but  the  attempt  resulted  disastrously  for  them,  for 
they  were  obliged  to  raise  the  siege  and  return  to  Scotland ; 
and  then  again  assembling  at  Roxburgh  they  made  a  second 
raid  into  the  eastern  part  of  England  as  far  as  the  priory  of 
Hexham,  which  they  destroyed,  and  returned  with  a  great 

®'  Fordun,  Chron.,  ed.  1874,  vol.  lectoexercitu  validoin  valle  Aiinan- 

ii.  p.  289,  and  note  p.  436.  die,  feria  secunda  Paschse  Augliani 

^'^  Quo  tempore  septem  Comites  iiigressi,  vastabant  omnia  csde  et 

Scotiae,  viz.  de  Bowan,  deMeneteth,  inceudio,  et  non  parcentes  aitati  vel 

de  Stradeherne,  de  Lewenes,  de  Ros.  sexui  venientes  Carleolum  urbem, 

de  Athel,  de  Mar,  ac  Johannes  filius  ipsam    obsidione  cinxerunt. — Wil- 

Johannis  Comyn  de  Badenau,  col-  lelmi  Rishanger  Chronica,  p.  156. 

VOL.  III.  F 


82  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  I  book  hi. 

booty  to  Scotland.  They  tlien  besieged  and  took  the  castle 
of  Dunbar,  the  earl  of  Dunbar  having  submitted  to  the  king 
of  England,  but  being  besieged  by  the  English  in  their  turn 
the  castle  was  taken,  and  three  of  the  earls,  viz.,  those  of 
Menteath,  Atholl,  and  Eoss,  were  taken  prisoners,  with  John 
Oomyn  and  five  other  barons,  with  twenty-nine  knights,  two 
clerics,  and  eighty-three  esquires,  and  confined  in  different 
castles  in  England.^^ 

After  this  we  hear  no  more  of  the  seven  earls  of 
Scotland.  As  a  coustitutional  body  possessing,  or  claim- 
ing to  possess,  separate  privileges,  they  are  merged  in  the 
general  '  Communitas  regni, '  or  Estates  of  the  kingdom, 
the  feudal  'Curia  regis'  consisting  of  all  who  held  lands  in 
chief  of  the  Crown,  As  we  have  seen,  when  the  succession 
to  the  Crown  was  settled  towards  the  end  of  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  Third,  they  take  no  part  as  a  separate  body, 
but  are  merged  in  the  general  assembly  of  the  feudal  baron- 
age of  the  kingdom,  consisting  of  thirteen  earls  and  twenty- 
four  barons,  and  six  years  afterwards  there  is  a  still  fuller 
representation  of  the  Estates  of  the  kingdom,  when  a  letter  is 
addressed  to  Edward  the  First  by  the  Communitas  regni 
urging  him  to  arrange  a  marriage  of  his  son  with  the  Maid  of 
Norway.  The  body  from  whom  this  letter  proceeds  consists 
of  the  two  bishops  of  St.  Andrews  and  Glasgow,  John  Cumyn, 
and  James,  High  Steward,  the  guardians  of  the  kingdom ; 
ten  diocesan  bishops  ;  twelve  of  the  thirteen  earls,  the  earl  of 
Fife  being  then  a  minor;  twenty-three  abbots  of  monasteries, 
eleven  priors,  and  forty-eight  barons  holding  of  the  Crown.^** 
Xeither  do  they  appear  as  a  separate  body  in  the  great 
national  protest  addressed  by  the  Communitas  regni  to  the 
Pope  in  1320,  and  signed  on  their  behalf  by  eight  of  the  earls 
and  twenty-eight  of  the  baron s.^^ 

^8  Willelmi  Rishanger  Chronica,  '''*  Rymer's  Fc&dera,  ii.  p.  471. 

l)p.  159,  160.  "'  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  p.  291. 


CHAP.  II.]      THE  SEVEN  PKOVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  83 

The  state,  then,  of  the  land,  as  thus  exhibited  to  us  in  the  state  of  tLe 
reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  appears  to  have  been  this. — A  ,.e/gn  of 
large  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  kingdom  was  now  held  the  ™rd! 
in  chief  of  the  Crown  by  barons,  very  few  of  whom  were 
of  Celtic  descent,  on  the  feudal  tenure  of  military  service. 
Another  portion  of  the  territory  formed  the  domain  of  the 
Crown.  A  third  portion  formed  the  territory  possessed  by 
the  old  earls  of  Scotland,  and  presented,  in  miniature,  the 
same  characteristics  as  the  Crown  land,  being  partly  held  of 
the  earls  by  the  vassals  of  the  earldom,  and  partly  forming 
his  domain ;  and  a  very  large  extent  of  territory,  probably  not 
less  than  a  third  of  the  whole  land,  belonged  to  the  Church, 
and  formed  the  possessions  either  of  the  bishoprics,  or  of  the 
great  monasteries  which  had  been  founded  by  the  kings  of 
this  dynasty,  while  the  lands  which  had  formed  the  territory 
of  the  old  Celtic  monasteries  and  had  become  secularised, 
now  appear  either  in  the  possession  of  the  Crown  or  of  the 
monasteries  under  the  name  of  '  abthaniae '  or  abthainries. 

In  that  part  of  Scotland  which  still  retained,  in  the  main, 
a  Celtic  population,  we  may  expect  to  find  the  Celtic  tenures 
still  prevailing  to  a  large  extent,  and  still  exhibiting  many  of 
their  peculiar  characteristics ;  but  where  the  population  had 
become  in  a  large  measure  Teutonic,  and  where  so  much  of 
the  land  was  now  held  on  feudal  tenures  by  the  great  barons 
of  the  Crown,  and  by  the  Eoman  monastic  orders,  and  where 
so  many  of  the  earldoms  had  passed  by  marriage  into  Norman 
families,  it  is  more  difficult  to  discover  the  traces  of  a  Celtic 
occupation,  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  Celtic  tenures  under 
the  feudal  forms  which  shrouded  them  from  observation. 
These  we  can  only  expect  to  find  on  that  portion  of  land 
which  formed  the  proper  demesne  of  the  Crown  and  of  the 
old  earls,  and  had  been  retained  in  their  own  possessions 
without  the  interposition  of  any  feudal  vassals  between  them 
and  the  actual  occupiers  of  the  soil. 


84  THE  SEVEN  I'KOVINCKS  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  iir. 

TheCiown         Qf  tlie  mocle  in  which  the  deiuestie  hiiid  of  the  Crown 

(leinesuf. 

was  actually  possessed,  we  have  fortunately  a  very  distinct 
account  given  to  us  by  the  old  chronicler,  John  of  Fordun. 
He  refers  it  back  to  the  period  of  Malcolm  the  Second,  to 
whom  nine  spurious  laws  have  been  attributed,  and  sup- 
poses it  to  have  originated  witli  him ;  but  tliis  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  mere  theory,  framed  on  the  basis  of  the 
spurious  history  of  Scotland,  to  account  for  a  state  of 
matters  which  existed  in  his  own  day,  and  we  have  only 
to  separate  the  mythic  part  of  his  statement  from  what  is 
obviously  the  result  of  his  own  observation.  He  tells  us 
that  '  histories  relate  the  aforesaid  jMalcolm  to  have  been  so 
open-handed,  or  rather  prodigal,  that  wdiile,  according  to 
ancient  custom,  he  held  as  his  own  property  all  the  lands, 
districts,  and  provinces  of  the  whole  kingdom,  he  kept  no- 
thing thereof  in  his  possession  but  the  Moothill  of  the  royal 
seat  of  Scone,  where  the  kings,  sitting  in  their  royal  robes 
on  the  throne,  are  wont  to  give  out  judgments,  laws,  and 
statutes  to  their  subjects.  Of  old,  indeed,  the  kings  were 
accustomed  to  grant  to  their  soldiers  in  feu-farm  more  or  less 
of  their  own  lands,  a  portion  of  any  province,  or  a  thanage  ; 
for  at  that  time  almost  the  whole  kingdom  was  divided  into 
thanages.  Of  these  he  granted  to  each  one  as  much  as  he 
pleased,  either  on  lease  by  the  year  as  tillers  of  the  ground, 
or  for  ten  or  twenty  years,  or  in  liferent,  with  remainder  to 
one  or  two  heirs,  as  free  and  kindly  tenants,  and  to  some 
likewise,  though  few,  in  perpetuity,  as  knights,  thanes,  and 
chiefs,  not  however  so  freely,  but  that  each  of  them  paid  a 
certain  annual  feu-duty  to  their  lord  the  king.'  *'- 

The  first  or  mythic  part  of  this  statement  corresponds 

with  the  spurious  laws  of  Malcolm  the  Second,  which  thus 

commence — '  1.  King  Malcolme  gave  and  distributed  all  his 

lands  of  the  realm  of  Scotland  amongst  his  men ;  2.  and  re- 

'^■-  Fordun,  Chronicle,  vol.  ii.  p.  177. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  85 

served  natliing  in  propertie  to  himselfe  but  the  Royale  dig- 
nitie  and  the  Mute  hill  in  the  town  of  Scone,'*^^  and  may  be 
disregarded  as  belonging  to  the  spurious  history  of  Scotland. 
Whether  there  ever  was  a  time  when  it  could  be  said  that  the 
king  possessed  nothing  but  the  Moothill  of  Scone,  and  in 
what  sense  it  could  be  said  that  the  whole  kingdom  was 
divided  into  thanages,  and  that  the  whole  lands  of  the  king- 
dom once  belonged  to  the  Crown,  is  a  question  that  must  be 
determined  in  the  course  of  this  inquiry ;  but  when  the  old 
chronicler  tells  us  by  what  class  of  persons  the  Crown  lands 
were  actually  possessed,  and  by  what  species  of  tenure  they 
held  them,  he  is  dealing  with  matters  which  still  existed  in 
his  own  day,  and  the  characteristics  of  which  he  had  every 
means  of  ascertaining  if  they  were  not  perfectly  familiar  to 
him,  and  he  gives  us  a  very  distinct  account  of  them.  He  dis- 
criminates between  three  classes  of  persons  as  possessing  these 
lands.  The  lowest  class  were  the  agricolce  or  husbandmen, 
the  actual  cultivators  of  the  soil,  who  were  regarded  as  yearly 
tenants,  and  are,  no  doubt,  the  same  class  with  those  who  are 
termed  'bondi  and  nativi  in  feudal  charters.  They  were,  in 
the  eastern  di.stricts,  the  remains  of  the  old  Celtic  population. 
The  class  next  above  them  consisted  of  the  liberi  and  gcnc- 
ros%  who  held  land  either  on  lease  for  ten  or  twenty  years,  or 
in  liferent  renewable  for  one  or  two  lives.  The  former  were 
probably  equivalent  to  the  liberi  firmarii  or  free  farmers, 
and  the  latter  to  the  Eentallers  or  kindly  tenants  of  the  feudal 
holdings.  Tlie  third  class,  who  held  directly  of  the  Crown,  were 
either  militcs  or  knights,  who  held  a  knight's  fee  for  military 
service,  or  thani,  who  held  a  thanage,  or  principcs  or  mag- 
nates. And  he  defines  a  thanage  to  be  a  portion  of  the  land  of 
a  province  held  ad  feodojirmam,'^^  or  in  feu-farm,  the  holder 

^^  Regiam  Majeslatem,  p.  i.  as  meaning  what  is  inconsistently 

"^  This   word  feodofirma,    called  called  a  hereditary  lease,  but  it  was 

feu-farm  in  Scotland  and  fee-farm  not  so  at  least  in  Scotland.     It  was 

in  England,  is  usually  understood  a  grant  of  the  feodum  or  fee  of  the 


86  THE  SKVKX  I'ltOVINCES  OF  .SCOTLAND.  [book  ni. 

of  which  was  subject  in  payment  of  an  annual  '  census '  or 
feu-duty.  By  the  princijMs,  lie  probably  refers  either  to  the 
Mormaers  or  Earls  of  the  old  Celtic  earldoms,  or  to  the  posi- 
tion of  the  great  Celtic  vassals  in  the  western  districts  as 
chiefs  of  clans.^^  Fordun  was  himself  connected  with  the 
northern  counties  of  Kincardine  and  Aberdeen,  where  the 
older  holdings  of  the  thanage  still  maintained  their  position 
in  the  greatest  degree  even  to  his  own  day.  He  was  a  chap- 
lain in  the  diocese  of  Aberdeen,  and  the  Chartulary  of  that 
bishopric  has  preserved  to  us  a  rental  of  the  Crown  lands 
in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  which  shows  their 
extent  and  the  nature  of  the  holdings.  In  this  rental  we 
find  the  lands  of  Aberdeen,  Belhelvy,  Kintore,  Fermartyn, 
Obyne,  Glendowachy,  Boyn,  Munbre,  and  Natherdale,  which 
are  termed  thanages  ;  Convalt,  which  is  termed  a  '  dominium' 
or  lordship ;  Lydgat,  Uchterless,  and  Eothymay,  called 
baronies ;  and  other  lands  which  have  no  particular  desig- 
nation, with  the  towns  of  Aberdeen,  CuUen,  and  Banff.*^*^ 
We  also  learn  that  the  upper  part  of  the  vales  of  the  rivers 
Dee  and  Don  formed  the  domain  of  the  earldom  of  Mar, 
which  consisted  of  the  districts  of  Braemar,  Strathdee,  Cromar, 
and  Strathdon,  while  an  extensive  territory  on  the  Dee,  which 
had  formerly  belonged  to  the  earldom,  was  held  in  the  reign 
of  Alexander  the  Third  by  one  of  his  most  powerful  feudal 
vassals,  Alan  the  Doorward,  to  whose  father  it  had  been  given 
as  a  compensation  for  a  claim  he  had  to  the  earldom  of  Mar ; 
but  though  we  do  not  find  any  of  the  lands  of  this  earldom 
bearing  the  name  of  thanages,  this  denomination  was  still  re- 
tained in  the  demesne  of  two  of  the  more  westerly  earldoms. 
In  Atholl  we  have  the  thanages  of  Glentilt,  Crannich,  Ach- 
more,  Candknock,  while  the  great  abthanrie  of  Dull  belonged 

estate,  and  not  merely  of  the  usu-  vol.  ii.  p.  414  note, 

truct,  burdened  with  an  annual  pay-  *•'  This  subject  will  be  more  fully 

ment  of  a  Jirma  or  census,  instead  discussed  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

of   military  service. — See   Fordun,  "''  Chart.  Aberdeen,  vol.  i.  p.  55. 


CHAr.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  87 

to  the  Crown  ;  and  in  Stratherne  we  find  the  thanases  of 
Strain  and  Dunning  held  under  the  earls,  and  that  of  For- 
teviot  with  the  abthanrie  of  Madderdyn  or  Madderty  in  the 
Crown. 

While  in  the  eastern  districts  we  find  the  older  holdings 
which  survived  from  the  Celtic  period  though  disguised 
under  a  Saxon  nomenclature,  which  owes  its  origin  probably 
to  the  reigns  of  Edgar  and  Alexander  the  First,  explained  in 
language  more  appropriate  to  feudal  holdings,  when  v^e  pass 
over  to  the  western  districts  which  still  possessed  a  Celtic 
population  where  the  Saxon  terminology  has  not  penetrated, 
we  come  in  contact  at  once  with  the  realities  of  the  Celtic 
tribal  system  which  the  adoption  of  feudal  forms  little 
affected,  and  whose  customs  are  therefore  less  disguised  by 
feudal  forms,  while  the  relation  of  the  different  classes  to 
each  other,  though  nominally  feudal,  are  practically  tribal. 
Although,  when  the  great  district  of  Argyll  was  annexed  to 
the  Crown  and  other  insurrections  among  the  Gaelic  tribes 
were  repressed,  grants  of  land  were,  to  some  extent,  given  to 
Norman  barons,  with  a  view  to  the  more  effectual  suppression 
of  the  unruly  inhabitants,  they  conveyed  little  beyond  a  bare 
feudal  superiority  and  introduced  no  foreign  resident  element, 
and  thus  hardly  influenced  the  Celtic  tribes  who  remained 
the  actual  holders  of  the  soil ;  and  when,  by  the  cession  of  the 
Isles  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  the  Norwegian 
dominion  over  them  was  transferred  to  Scotland,  we  find  that 
the  great  Celtic  lords  of  the  Southern  Isles,  who  had  held  them 
as  kings  under  the  Norwegian  Crown,  retained  the  same 
position  under  the  Scottish  king.  At  the  great  meeting  ol' 
the  Community  of  Scotland,  which  settled  the  succession  of 
the  Crown  in  1283,  we  see  the  heads  of  three  great  families 
descended  from  Somerled — viz.  Alexander  de  Ergadia,  Angus, 
son  of  Dovenald,  and  Alan,  son  of  liotheric — appearing  among 
them,  the  first  being  the  powerful  Lord  of  Lorn,  and  the 


88  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

second  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  wliilc  the  third  owned  large 
territories  both  on  the  mainhmd  and  in  the  Isles. 
District  of        One  of  the  lirst  acts  of  John  Baliol,  when  his  claim  to  the 

.\rgyll 

divided        thronc  was  preferred,  was  to  assimilate  the  district  of  Argyll 

into  sheiill-         i.ii-i  n     i       -r  -i  i  ■,  •   , 

doms.  and  the  kingdom  ot  the  Isles  to  the  system  which  prevailed 
in  the  rest  of  the  kingdom,  which  was  divided  into  sheriff- 
doms, in  which  the  king  was  represented  by  the  vicecomes  or 
sheriff,  and  the  Act  of  Parliament  by  which  this  was  done 
will  show  how  the  land  in  these  western  regions  was  then 
held  within  eight  years  of  the  death  of  Alexander  the  Third.'''^ 
By  this  Act,  which  was  passed  in  1292,  the  sheriffdom  of 
Skye  was  to  consist  of  the  lands  of  the  earls  of  Eoss  in  North 
Argail,  that  is,  the  western  part  of  the  present  county  of  Eoss, 
the  lands  of  Glenelg,  the  Crown  lands  of  Skye  and  Lewis  (here 
the  principal  lords  were  the  Macleods  of  Harris  and  Lewis 
though  they  are  not  named),  the  lands  of  Garmoran,  with  the 
islands  of  Egg  and  Eume  (this  had  been  the  chief  seat  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Isles  descended  from  Eoderic,  son  of  Eeginald), 
and  the  islands  of  Uist  and  Barra,  where  the  MacNeills  were 
the  principal  possessors.  The  sheriffship  of  Lorn  was  to  consist 
of  the  lands  of  Ardnamurchan  and  Kinnelbathyn  or  Morvern  ; 
the  lands  of  Alexander  de  Ergadia,  Lord  of  Lorn ;  of  John 
de  Glenurchy,  of  Gilbert  M'Naughton,  of  Malcolm  Maclvor, 

''"  Domiims  Rex  pro  pace  et  stabi-  galli  de^Cragins  Terra  Johannis  Mc- 

litate  regni  sui  observandus  statuit  (lilcrist  Terra  Magistri  Radulphi  de 

et  ordinavit  quod  de  terris  subscrip-  Dunde,  Terra  Gileskel  M'Lachl[an] 

tis   tient  [vicecomitatus]  videlicet.  Terra  Comitis  de  Meneteth  de  Kna- 

De  terra  comitis  de  Eos  in  Nort  Ar-  pedal,  Terra  Anegus  filii  Dovenaldi 

gail,  Terra  de  Glenc[elg]  Terra  Regis  Insularum  et  Terra  Coliiii  Cambel  et 

de  Skey  et  Lodoux,  octo  davaux  de  vocetur  vicecomitatus  de  [Lorn], 

terra  [Garmoran]  Egge  et  Rumme  De  terris  de  Kentyr  cum  omnibus 

Guiste  et  Barrich  cum  minutis  insu-  tenentibus  terras  in  eadem.     Terra 

lis  etvoceturvicecomitatusde  Skey.  Loclimani    McKilcolim    McErewer 

De  terris  Kinnebatliyn  Ardemui-  Terra  Enegus  McErewer,  Terra  de 

rich  Bothelve,  Terra  Alexandri  de  ...   Insula  de  Boot,  Terra  Domini 

Argadia,  Terra  Johannis  de  Glen-  Thomaj  Cambel,  et  Terra  Duukani 

urwy,  Terra  Gilbert!  Mc[Nauchton]  Duf   et   vocetur   vicecomitatus    de 

Terra  Malcolmi  M'lvyr  Terra  Du-  Kentyr.— ^c^ct  Pari.  vol.  i.  p.  447. 


CHAP.  II.]  THE  SEVEN  PROVINCES  OF  SCOTLAND.  89 

of  Dugald  of  Craignish,  of  John,  son  of  Gilclirist  of  Eadulpli 
of  Dundee,  who  was  a  Scrymgeour,  whose  ancestor  had  re- 
ceived a  grant  of  Glassrie  from  Alexander  the  Second ;  of 
Gillespie  M'Lachlan,  of  the  earl  of  Menteath  who  had  a 
rio-ht  to  Knapdale,  of  Anegus,  son  of  Dovenald  the  Lord  of 
the  Isles,  and  of  Colin  Campbell,  Lord  of  Lochow  ;  and  the 
sheriffdom  of  Kintyre  was  to  consist,  besides  the  possessors 
of  the  district  of  Kintyre,  of  the  lands  of  the  Lamonts,  of 
Thomas  Cambel,  and  of  Dunkan  Duff,  in  Cowall,  and  of  the 
island  of  Bute. 


90 


LEGENDARY  ORIGINS. 


[book  III. 


CHAPTEK  III. 


LEGENDARY  ORIGINS. 


The  prob- 
lem to  be 
solved. 


Early 
traditions. 


The  occupation  of  the  lands  which  formed  the  territory  of 
the  kingdom  of  Scotland  in  the  reio-n  of  Alexander  the 
Third,  the  mutual  relation  of  the  different  races  by  which  it 
was  held,  the  connection  of  the  Celtic  portion  of  the  population 
with  the  soil,  the  tenure  by  which  they  possessed  it,  and  the 
different  classes  in  their  social  organisation  which  it  discloses, 
present  to  us  the  problem  which  we  have  to  solve,  and  we 
have  now  to  trace  the  history  of  the  early  institutions  from 
which  its  phenomena  were  derived,  and  the  extent  to  which 
they  have  been  affected  by  internal  change  or  by  external 
influence. 

But  before  entering  upon  this  inquiry  it  may  be  well  to 
aee  what  legend  or  tradition  tells  us  with  regard  to  the  Celtic 
portion  of  the  population,  with  which  we  have  now  mainly  to 
do.  Such  legends  or  traditions  are  either  intended  as  a  means 
of  conveying  some  early  facts  in  the  history  of  the  race  in  a 
popular  form,  or  of  clothing  some  truths  in  a  symbolic  dress, 
or  they  are  merely  the  picturesque  imaginations  of  their  early 
sennachies  or  native  historians.  Those  which  relate  to  the 
Celtic  population  of  Scotland  are  derived  from  two  different 
sources.  They  are  either  Welsh  or  Irish,  that  is,  they  are  the 
legends  of  either  the  Cymric  or  the  Gaelic  race,  and  in  esti- 
mating their  relative  value  it  is  necessary  to  take  their  pro- 
bable origin  and  character  into  account.     Some  of  them  are 


CHAP,  in.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  91 

what  may  be  termed  ethnic  legends.  They  are  designed  to 
perpetuate  the  popular  conception  of  the  origin  and  early 
settlements  of  the  race,  but  they  are  the  creation  of  a  period 
when  there  had  been  some  progress  in  the  culture  of  the 
people,  and  when  they  possessed  a  rude  literature  derived  in 
the  main  from  the  spread  of  Christianity  and  the  establish- 
ment of  Christian  institutions  among  them.  Their  authors 
felt  the  necessity  of  connecting  the  early  history  of  the 
country  with  the  events  of  Biblical  or  Classical  history,  and 
it  assumed  the  shape  of  a  fictitious  narrative  which  belongs 
to  the  mythic  period  of  their  annals.  Others  again  may 
be  called  linguistic  legends,  and  were  rude  attempts  to 
account  for  peoples  nominally  distinct,  and  from  pride  of 
race  regarding  each  other  as  independent  races,  possessing 
the  same  language  and  using  a  cognate  form  of  speech. 
Others  were  what  may  be  truly  called  historical  legends, 
and  handed  down  in  a  more  or  less  modified  shape  events 
which  we  have  reason  to  think  actually  took  place  ;  while 
others  again  were  purely  artificial,  and  were  simply  the  rude 
and  fastastic  creations  of  the  popular  mind,  which  felt  the 
necessity  of  filling  up  the  dark  period  of  the  annals  of 
their  race  with  imaginary  events  calculated  to  gratify 
their  national  feeling  and  their  natural  love  of  the  mar- 
vellous. 

The  ethnic  legends  invariably  connect  the  origin  of  the  Ethnic 
people  with  Biblical  or  Classical  history,  and  assumes  that 
some  of  the  races  which  formed  the  oldest  population  of  the 
country,  and  were  really  indigenous,  had  immigrated  from 
some  foreign  land.  We  find  it  assuming  two  different  shapes. 
In  the  one  the  different  nations  constituting  the  early 
population  were  separate  colonies  which  proceeded  from 
foreign  countries  and  entered  the  land  at  different  periods. 
Thus  Bede  tells  us  of  the  early  population  of  Britain 
that  it  was  first  peopled  by  a  colony  of  '  Brittones  '  who 


92  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  |book  hi. 

came  from  Armorica;  that  then  the  Picts  came  from 
Scythia,  and  the  nation  of  the  Scots  came  from  Ireland  ; 
and  he  places  these  successive  colonies  prior  to  the  Koman 
invasion  of  Britain.  The  legendary  history  of  Ireland  pre" 
sents  the  early  history  of  its  population  in  the  same  aspect. 
The  account  of  the  successive  colonies  which  occupied 
Ireland  is  supposed  to  have  been  narrated  to  Saint  Patrick 
by  her  earliest  historian  Fintan,  who  lived  before  the  Flood, 
and  remained  alive  during  the  whole  of  the  centuries  which 
elapsed  till  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  The  Book  of 
Ballimote  contains  a  poem  supposed  to  have  been  written 
by  him.  If  he  was  a  real  personage,  he  may  have  been 
Fintan  Munnu,  a  celebrated  Irish  saint  who  died  on  25th 
October  634,  but  the  poem  is  no  doubt  a  later  composition, 
and  a  translation  is  here  inserted  as  giving  in  short  compass 
these  successive  peoplings  of  the  island,  and  as  a  good 
specimen  of  their  early  legends. 

As  the  learned  historian  has  related,  namely  Fintan  : — 


1. 

'  Should  any  one  inquire  of  me  about  Eire, 
I  can  tell  most  accurately 
Respecting  every  invasion  which  took  place 
From  the  beginning  of  all  pleasing  life. 


'  Ceasair  set  out  from  the  East, 
The  woman  who  was  daughter  of  Beatha, 
Accompanied  by  fifty  daughters, 
As  also  by  three  men. 

.3. 

'  The  deluge  came  on. 
Bith  resided  at  his  mountain  without  secrecy, 
Ladra  at  Ard  Ladran, 
And  Ceasair  at  her  corner. 


i 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDARY  OKIGINS.  93 


'  As  to  me,  I  remained  a  year  under  the  flood 
At  Tul  Tinnde  of  strength. 

There  had  not  been  slept,  nor  will  there  be  slept, 
A  sleep  better  than  that  which  I  had. 


'  I  was  then  in  Ireland  ; 
Pleasant  was  my  condition 
When  Partholon  arrived 
From  the  Grecian  country  in  the  East. 

6. 

'  I  was  also  in  Ireland 
While  it  was  uninhabited. 
Until  the  son  of  Agnoman  arrived, 
Neimead  of  pleasant  manners. 


'  Fir  Bolg  and  Fir  Gaillian 
Arrived  a  long  period  afterwards. 
The  Fir  Domnan  then  arrived. 
And  landed  in  Iirus  westward. 

8. 

'  After  them  the  Tuatha  De  arrived 
Concealed  in  their  dark  clouds 
I  ate  my  food  with  them. 
Though  at  such  a  remote  period. 

9. 

'  Then  came  the  sons  of  Milead 
From  Spain  southward. 
I  lived  and  ate  with  them, 
Though  fierce  were  their  battle.^. 

10. 

'  A  continuity  of  life 
Still  remained  with  me, 

For  in  my  time  Chiistianity  was  here  established 
By  the  king  of  heaven  of  the  clouds.' 

The  history  of  these  successive  colonies  is  elaborated  with 
many  details  in  the  fictitious  history  of  Ireland  during  the 


04  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [hook  hi. 

mythic  period,  but  it  is  unnecessary  for  our  purpose  to  enter 
into  these  details  except  in  so  far  as  they  hear  upon  the 
legendary  history  of  the  people  of  Scotland.^ 

Another  form  of  the  ethnic  legend  is  one  common  to  the 
early  history  of  all  countries  during  the  mythic  period.  In  it 
the  race  is  personified  in  an  cjJonT/mus  who  is  the  supposed 
ancestor  and  founder  of  it,  and  their  supposed  settlement  in 
the  country  in  which  they  are  first  found  is  prefigured  in  a 
marriage  with  a  female  whose  name  has  an  obvious  relation 
to  it,  and  thus  an  ethnic  family  is  produced,  the  sons  of  which 
usually  represent  the  territorial  divisions  of  the  country. 
This  family  has  therefore  a  territorial  as  well  as  an  ethnic 
meaning,  and  the  filiation  does  not  always  imply  affinity  of 
race,  but  may  indicate  no  more  than  the  joint  occupation  of 
the  country  by  the  different  tribes  personified  in  the  members 
of  the  ethnic  family.  We  have  an  instance  of  this  form  of 
the  legend  in  the  well-known  fable  contained  in  Geoffrey  of 
Monmouth's  fabulous  history,  where  Brutus,  the  eponymus 
of  the  Britons,  appears  as  the  first  colonist  in  the  island,  and 
has  three  sons,  Locrinus,  Camber,  and  Albanactus,  represent- 
ing the  Lloegry  of  England,  the  Cymry  of  Wales,  and  the 
people  of  Alban  or  Scotland,  as  well  as  in  the  older  form  of 
the  legend,  where  Brutus  and  Albanus  are  brothers.  In  the 
Irish  form  Gathelus  or  Gaidelglas,  the  eponymus  of  the  Gael, 
marries  Scota  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  by  which  the  settle- 
ment of  the  Gael  in  Scotia  or  Ireland  is  prefigured,  and  his 
period  is  brought  back  so  as  to  connect  his  history  and  that 
of  his  race  with  the  Biblical  narrative.  His  descendant 
Milesius,  son  of  Bile,  son  of  Breogan,  is  also  said  to  have 
married  Scota,  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  and  actually  settles  the 
race  in  Ireland.     We  find,  however,  this  feature  of  the  legend, 

^  The  account  of  these  supposed  Keating's  History  of  Ireland,  which 

colonies    in    all    their    subsequent  contains  a  very  accurate  represen- 

elaboration   will  be   found   in   tlie  tation  of  the  Irish  legends  in  regard 

Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  and  in  to  them. 


CHAP,  in.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  95 

which  represents  the  territorial  divisions  of  the  country  by 
the  sons  of  the  supposed  colonist,  running  through  the  whole 
of  the  first  form  of  tlie  legend.     Thus  Partholan,  the  first 
colonist  after  the  flood,  arrives  with  three  sons,  Eughruidhe, 
Slainge,  and  Laighlinne,  and  after  their  death  he  divides 
Ireland  between  four  sons,  Er,  Orba,  Fearann,  and  Feargna. 
The  second  colonist,  Neniead,  has  a  wife,  Macha,  from  whom 
Ardmacha  or  Armagh  takes  its  name,  thus  signifying  the 
principal  seat  of  the  race  ;  and  he  has  three  sons,  larbheineoil, 
Fersfus  Leithdearcr,  and  Starn,  and  Ireland  is  divided  into  three 
parts  between  Beothach  son  of  larbheineoil,  Briotan  son  of 
Fergus  Leithdearg,  and  Simon  son  of  Beoain  son  of  Starn. 
The  people  of  Nemead  are  then  driven  out  of  Ireland  by  the 
Fomoraigh  or  sea  pirates,  and  depart  in  three  bodies.     One 
under  Beothach  goes  to  the  north  of  Europe,  another  under 
Briotan  to  the  north  of  Britain,  and  the  third  under  Simon  to 
Greece.     The  third  colonists,  the  Firbolg,  come  from  Greece 
under  Dela,  a  descendant  of  Simon,  and  by  him  Ireland  is 
divided  into  five  districts  between  his  five  sons,  Slainge, 
Gaun,  Seangan,  Geannan,  and  Rughruidhe ;  and  these  were 
the  five  provinces  of  Ireland — Leinster,  possessed  by  Slainge ; 
Thomond  and  Desmond,  the  two  divisions  of  Munster,  by 
Gann  and  Seangan  ;  Connaught  by  Geannan,  and  Ulster  by 
Eughruidhe.     Here  we  have  a  reproduction  of  two  of  the 
sons  of  Partholan  in  Slainge  and  Eughruidhe.      We  have 
again  a  threefold  division  of  Ireland  under  the  fourth  colon- 
ists,  the  Tuatha  De,  supposed   to   be  the   descendants   of 
Beothach, son  of  larbheineoil;  and  the  three  sons  of  Cearmadha 
Milbeoil  their  king — MacCuil,  MacCeacht,  and  MacGreine — 
have  three  queens,  Eire,  Fodla,  and  Banba,  which  are  simply 
the  three  oldest  names  in  Ireland.     Milesius  too  has  three 
sons,  Eber,  Heremon,  and  Ir,  of  whom  tlie  former  possessed 
the  two  Munsters,  Heremon  Leinster  and  Connaught,  and  Ir 
Ulster ;    and  here  again  we  find  the  same  reproduction  of 


^6  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  in. 

previous  names,  for  Eber  has  the  same  four  sons,  Er,  Orba, 
Fearann,  and  Feargna,-  who  are  attributed  to  Partholan,  and 
the  descendants  of  Ir  who  occupied  Ulster  were  termed  the 
race  of  Rughruidhe  from  a  descendant  of  that  name.  We 
also  find  that  this  filiation  from  the  same  parents  does  not 
imply  identity  of  race,  for  the  descendants  of  Ir,  to  whom  the 
name  of  Eughruidhe  especially  belongs,  and  who  peopled  the 
north  of  Ireland,  appear  throughout  the  Irish  Annals  under 
the  name  of  Cruithnigh,  and  were  no  other  tlian  the  Picts 
who  were  settled  in  Ireland. 
Linguistic  The  fomi  which  the  linguistic  legend  usually  assumes 

is  that  of  a  colony  of  soldiers  obtaining  wives  from  another 
people  whose  language  they  adopt,  and  perhaps  the  most 
curious  specimen  is  that  told  of  the  Britons  of  Armorica  by 
Nennius.  He  tells  us  that  when  Maximus,  who  was  declared 
emperor  in  Britain,  went  over  to  Gaul  to  maintain  his  pre- 
tensions, he  withdrew  from  Britain  its  military  force,  and. 
unwilling  to  send  his  soldiers  back  to  their  wives,  children, 
and  possessions  in  Britain,  settled  them  in  Armorica,  where 
they  became  the  Armorican  Britons,  and  some  MSS.  have 
the  following  addition : — These  Armorican  Britons,  having 
laid  waste  and  depopulated  the  country,  took  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  the  previous  inhabitants  in  marriage,  but  cut 
out  their  tongues  that  their  children  might  not  learn  their 
mother  tongue.  Hence  they  were  called  Leicwiccion  or  half 
speech.^  The  meaning  of  this  tale  is,  that  identity  of  lan- 
guage is  implied  by  the  marriage  of  the  leaders  of  one  people 
with  the  wives  and  daughters  of  another,  and  a  dialectic  dif- 
ference could  only  be  accounted  for  by  depriving  the  females 

-  These  names  have   a  meaning  I'al ;  and  Ftargna,  chieftainship, 
connected  with  land,  and  probably  ^  The   word   meant  is   Lediaith. 

personify    the    different    kinds    of  In  Welsh,  identity  of  language  was 

tenure    by    which    the    land    was  implied  by  Cijjiaith,  dialectic  differ- 

held.     Er  means  noble  ;   Orba,  in-  ence  by  Ltdiaitli,  and  difference  of 

heritance ;  Fearann,  land  in  gene-  \&ng\xa.g&  hy  Anghyviaith. 


CHAi'.  III.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  97 

of  the  power  of  speech.  The  story  told  by  Bede  that  the  I'icts 
had  no  wives,  and  first  asked  them  of  tlie  Britons  and  were 
refused,  and  then  obtained  them  from  the  Scots,  is  likewise  a 
legend,  intended  to  account  for  that  people,  or  at  least  the 
greater  portion  of  them,  speaking  a  Gaelic  dialect ;  and  in  the 
same  manner  the  oldest  poem  which  narrates  the  (Settlement 
of  the  Milesian  Scots  in  Ireland  tells  us  that '  Cruithne,  the 
son  of  Cinge,  took  tlieir  women  from  them  ; '  and  then  after — 

There  were  no  charming  noble  wives 

For  their  young  men. 

Their  women  having  been  stolen,  they  made  affinity 

With  the  Tuatha  Dea.* 

Here  we  have  the  same  story  of  the  Picts,  as  personified 
in  their  e2wnymus  Cruithne  taking  their  wives  from  the 
Milesians,  and  the  latter  replacing  them  by  wives  taken  from 
the  previous  inhabitants  of  the  Tuath  De.  The  meaning  is 
obviously  linguistic,  and  such  legends  are  intended  simply 
to  express  a  community  of  language  between  the  supposed 
military  colonies  and  the  people  from  whom  they  obtained 
their  wives. 

Some  of  these  legends  have,  however,  a  historical  basis.  Historical 
such  as  those  which  relate  to  supposed  settlements  of  the  '''^^"'^'• 
race  of  the  Scots  in  Britain.  These  contain  an  element  of 
truth,  in  so  far  as  temporary  settlements  of  the  Scots  took 
place  in  Britain  in  the  fourth  century,  when  they  first  appear 
in  history,  and  joined  the  Picts,  Saxons,  and  Attacotti  in 
assailing  the  Ptoman  province  in  Britain  ;  and  still  more 
when  a  permanent  settlement  of  the  Scots  on  the  west  coast 
north  of  the  Firth  of  Clyde  undoubtedly  took  place  in  the 
beginning  of  the  sixth  century,  and  the  small  Scottish 
kingdom  of  Dalriada  was  formed. 

Others  of  these  legends,  however,  are  undoubtedly  purely  Artificial 
artificial,  and  the  entire  legendary  history  of  Ireland  prior  to  early  Irish 

history. 
■*  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  pp.  47,  48. 
VOL.  III.  a, 


98  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  hi. 

the  establislnneiit  of  Christianity  in  the  fifth  century  partakes 
hiri,fely  of  this  character.  It  presents  us  with  a  minute 
tletail  of  the  colonies  supposed  to  have  preceded  the  settlement 
of  the  Scots,  with  the  names  and  families  of  their  leaders,  the 
exact  period,  even  to  the  day  of  the  week,  of  their  settlement, 
the  duration  of  their  occupation  of  the  country,  the  succession 
of  their  kings,  and  the  liistor}^  of  the  extinction  of  the  colony 
either  by  pestilence  or  expatriation.  Then  we  have  the  reigns 
of  1 1 6  pagan  kings  of  the  Scots,  who  reigned  during  twenty- 
one  centuries,  given  with  an  extraordinary  minuteness  and 
elaboration  of  detail,  and  the  accompaniment  of  marvellous 
incidents,  which  betrays  its  legendary  character.  Ethnic  and 
linguistic  legends  are  of  course  interwoven  in  it,  and  it  may 
contain  fragments  of  history,  such  as  the  revolt  of  the  Attach- 
tuatha  or  servile  classes  against  their  lords,  and  the  territorial 
changes  in  tlie  divisions  of  the  land  and  the  location  of  the 
tribes  which  took  place  from  time  to  time;  but  the  marvellous 
character  of  the  events  continues  to  the  establishment  of 
Christianity,  as  we  see  in  the  narrative  of  the  reigns  of  three 
last  pagan  kings,  the  first  of  whom,  Niall,  who  reigned  from 
379  to  405,  subjected  all  Britain  and  a  great  part  of  the 
Continent  to  his  sway,  and  received  hostages  from  nine  king- 
doms, whence  he  was  called  Niall  of  the  nine  Hostages;  Dathy, 
wlio  was  killed  by  a  flash  of  lightning  at  the  foot  of  the  Alps 
in  the  year  428  ;  and  Laogaire,  who  was  slain  by  the  elements 
between  two  mountains  called  Erin  and  Alban  for  refusing 
obedience  to  the  mission  of  St.  Patrick.  The  chronology  of 
this  legendary  history,  too,  is  entirely  artificial,  and  though 
some  parts  of  the  narrative  may  have  a  historic  basis,  the  dates 
assigned  to  them  are  as  little  to  be  trusted  as  the  rest  of  the 
history  itself.  One  of  the  tales  contained  in  the  Book  of 
Ballimote,  by  which  the  knowledge  of  this  wonderful  history 
was  supposed  to  have  been  preserved  to  historic  times,  will 
furnish  a  good  example  of  what  the  imagination  of  its  framers 


OHAi'.  III.]  LEGKNDARY  ORIGINS.  99 

was  capable  of  producing,  and  it  has  an  interest  for  us  from 
the  connection  it  had  with  the  great  apostle  of  Scotland,  as 
that  of  Fintan  had  with  the  apostle  of  Ireland.  We  are 
there  told  that  the  entire  colony  of  Partholon's  people  were 
destroyed  by  the  plague,  excepting  one  man,  Tuan  the  son  of 
Starn,  the  son  of  Seara,  Partholon's  brother's  son,  and  God 
metamorphosed  him  into  various  forms,  so  that  he  lived  from 
the  time  of  Partholon  to  that  of  Columcille,  to  whom  he 
related  all  the  information,  history,  and  conquests  of  Ireland 
that  took  place  from  Ceasair's  time  to  that  period,  and  then 
we  have  the  following  poem  : — 

1. 

Tuan,  .son  of  Cairill,  as  we  are  told, 
Was  freed  from  sin  by  Jesus  ; 
One  hundred  years  complete  he  lived, 
He  lived  in  bloominf'  manhood. 


Three  hundred  years  in  the  shape  of  a  wild  ox 
He  lived  on  the  open  extensive  plains  ; 
Two  hundred  and  five  years  he  lived 
In  the  shape  of  a  wild  boar. 


Three  hundred  years  he  was  still  in  the  flesh 
In  the  shape  of  an  old  bird  : 
One  hundred  delightful  years  he  lived 
In  the  shape  of  a  salmon  in  the  flood. 


A  fisherman  caught  him  in  his  net. 
He  brought  it  to  the  king's  palace  ; 
When  the  bright  salmon  was  there  seen, 
The  queen  immediately  longed  for  it. 


It  was  forthwith  dressed  for  her, 
Which  she  alone  ate  entire  ; 
The  beauteous  queen  became  pregnant, 
The  issue  of  which  was  Tuan. 


100 


LEGENDARY  ORIGINS. 


[book  III. 


These  legends,  however,  though  it  has  been  thought  to 
indicate  their  real  character  and  to  inquire  how  far  they  may 
be  supposed  to  embody  etiinologic  and  linguistic  facts  or  to 
contain  an  element  of  historic  truth,  in  reality  concern  us 
only  in  so  far  as  they  tend  to  throw  light  upon  the  constituent 
elements  of  the  Celtic  population  of  Scotland  and  the  corre- 
sponding territorial  divisions  of  the  land.  So  far  as  regards 
the  early  Celtic  peoples  south  of  tlie  Firths  of  Forth  and 
Clyde,  we  must  turn  in  the  first  instance  to  the  Cymric 
legends.^  They  tell  us  that  this  population  may  be  referred 
to  three  races,  the  Brython,  the  Eomani,  and  the  Gwyddyl. 
Thus  in  a  poem  contained  in  the  Book  of  Taliessin  we  find 
them  thus  alluded  to  : — 

Three  races  cruel  from  true  disposition, 
Gwyddyl  and  Brython  and  Roniani, 
Create  discord  and  confusion  ; 


^  la  referring  to  the  Cymric 
legends  it  is  necessary  to  be  careful 
as  to  the  source  from  which  they  are 
derived.  The  literature  of  Wales  has 
been  unfortunately  tainted  to  a  large 
extent  bj'  spurious  documents  pro- 
fessing to  be  old,  but  in  the  main  the 
creation  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
when  a  school  of  Welsh  antiquaries 
existed,  desirous  of  reproducing 
what  they  considered  a  sort  of  mys- 
tic Druidism  supposed  to  have  been 
handed  down  from  pagan  times  by 
a  successor  of  Baedi,  and  wlio  were 
little  scrupulous  as  to  the  means 
by  which  they  promoted  their  ob- 
ject. Among  the  documents  emerg- 
ing from  this  school  were  the  so- 
called  Historical  Triads,  which  the 
author  rejects  as  spurious.  A  valu- 
able and  interesting  work,  the  Mahi- 
nogion,  by  Lady  Charlotte  Guest, 
containing  the  ancient  Welsh  prose 
tales  preserved  in  the  Red  Book  of 
Hergest,  unfortunately  includes  one 


of  these  spurious  pieces,  the  Hanes 
Taliessin,  among  the  genuine  tales. 
The  author  announced  in  his  Fou7- 
Ancient  Books  of  Wales  that  this 
tale,  though  included  in  those  said 
to  be  taken  from  the  Red  Book  of 
Hergest,  is  not  to  be  found  in  that 
M8. ,  and  is  certainly  a  maniifacture 
of  the  last  century ;  while  more 
spurious  poems,  attributed  to  Tali- 
essin but  not  to  be  found  in  the 
Book  of  Taliessin,  have  been  intro- 
duced into  it,  though  not  forming  a 
part  of  it.  He  regrets  to  see  that 
this  spurious  document  is  still  in- 
cluded in  the  new  edition  of  the 
Mctbinoglon  among  the  tales  said  to 
be  taken  from  the  Red  Book  of 
Hergest,  as  if  the  imposture  had 
never  been  detected.  It  shows  liow 
difficult  it  is  to  purge  the  early  his- 
torical literature  of  any  country  of 
such  spurious  matter  when  once  it 
has  been  accepted  as  genuine. 


t;HAP.  III.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  101 

And  about  the  boundary  of  Prydain,  beautiful  its  towns, 


L& 


e" There  is  a  battle  agjainst  chiefs  above  the  niead  vessels.'"^ 


Although  the  word  Givydclyl  is  in  modern  Welsh  usually 
translated  Irish,  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  origin- 
ally used  in  a  much  wider  sense  as  the  equivalent  of  the 
Irish  word  Gaidheal,  and  was  applied  to  the  whole  Gaelic 
race  wherever  located.  Of  this  there  is  ample  evidence  in 
the  old  Welsh  poems.  The  Brython  are,  of  course,  the 
Brettones  of  Bede,  or  rather  here  that  part  of  them  which 
occupied  the  districts  extending  from  the  Derwent  to  the 
(Jlyde,  and  formed  the  ancient  Cumbria.  In  the  same  poem 
they  appear^under  their  national  name  of  Cymry,  when  it  is 
said, 

From  Peuryn  Wleth  to  Loch  Reon  (that  is,  from  Glasgow 

to  Loch  Ryan), 
The  Cymry  are  of  one  mind,  bold  heroes. 

By  the  Roraani,  those  leaders  of  the  Britons  are  meant 
who  were  supposed  to  have  derived  their  descent  from  the 
Roman  military  or  civil  commanders,  as  when  Gildas  tells  us 
that  the  Britons  '  took  arms  under  Ambrosius  Aurelianus  as 
their  leader,  who  was  of  the  Roman  nation,  and  whose  parents 
had  been  adorned  with  the  purple  ; '''  and  Nennius,  who  calls 
liim  Enibres  Guletic,  says  that  his  father  was  a  consul  of  the 
Roman  nation.^  We  find  also  many  of  the  great  leaders  of 
the  Britons  termed  Gulcdig,  the  equivalent  of  the  Latin 
Imperator,  and  usually  expressed  by  the  epithet  Aurelius  or 
-A-urelianus ;  and  to  them  no  doubt  the  great  national  hero 
Arthur  also  belonged,  who,  according  to  Nennius,  led  the 
kings  of  the  Britons  against  the  Saxons  as  their  Dux  Bel- 
lorum,^  and  whose  actions,  so  far  as  they  are  historical,  belong 
to  this  part  of  Britain.  Of  the  last  two  races,  the  Brython 
and  the  Romani,  we  have  an  account  in  an  old  document, 

"  Four  Ancient  Books  of  Wales,  vol.  i.  p.  270.  ''  Gildas,  Hist.  c.  25. 

*  Nennius,  Hist.  c.  42.  ^  Nennius,  c.  56. 


102  LEGENDAUV  OUICHNS.  liiooKiii. 

'  The  Descent  of  the  Men  of  the  North.'  ^^     Here  the  Cyimy, 
who  occupied  the  northern  districts,  are  said  to  be  the  descend- 
ants of  Coel  Hen,  or  the  aged,  whose  name  is  preserved  in  the 
central  district  of  Ayrshire,  now  termed  Kyle,  and  of  his  son, 
Ceneu.     Their  descendants  appear  to  have  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  three  tribes.   They  are  thus  noticed : '  Three  hundred 
swords  of  the  tribe  of  Kynvarch,  and  three  hundred  shields  of 
Kynwydyon,  and  three  hundred  spears  of  the  tribe  of  Coel. 
Whatever  object  they  entered  into  deeply,  that  never  failed.' 
The  leader  of  the  tribe  of  Cynvarch,  whose  grandfather,  CTorust 
Ledlwm,  was  either  son  of  Coel  or  of  his  son  Ceneu,  was  the 
celebrated  Urien  Eeged,  whom  Nennius  mentions  under  the 
name  of  Urbgen  as  fighting  against  Eoderic,  son  of  Ida,  the 
founder  of  the  Anglic  kingdom  of  Bernicia,  and  known  in  the 
Welsh  poems  by  the  name  of  Flamddwyn  or  the  Flamebearer. 
This  tribe  appears  to  have  occupied  the  districts  lying  between 
the  Northern  Wall  and  the  Forth,  to  which  the  names  of 
Keged  and  of  Mureif  were  applied.     The  second  tribe  was 
that  of  Kynwydyon,  whose  grandfather  Garthwys  was  grand- 
son of  Ceneu.     The  four  sons  of  Kynwyt  Kynwdyon  are 
given  as  the  leaders,  two  of  whom  are  termed  Clydrud  Eiddyn 
and  Cadrod  Calchvynyd,  from  which  we  may  infer  that  this 
tribe  was  located  partly  in  the  district  extending  from  the  Esk 
to  the  Avon,  in  which  Duneyddyn  or  Edinburgh,  and  Caereid- 
dyn  or  Caredin,  are  situated,  and  partly  in  the  district  of 
which  Calchvynyd  or  Kelso  was  the  chief  seat.     The  latter 
were  probably  the  people  afterwards  termed  the  Tevidalenses. 
The  rest  of  the  descendants  of  Coel  were  grouped  under  the 
name  of  Coding,  and  extended  from  the  Clyde  to  Loch  Eyan, 
their  principal  territories  being  the  districts  of  Carrawg,  Coel, 
and  Canawon,  which,  under  the  modern  form  of  Carrick,  Kyle, 
and  Cuningham,  form  the  county  of  x-\.yr. 

1"  This  document  is  printed  with  a  translation  in  the  The  Four  Ancient 
Boohs  of  Wales,  vol.  ii.  p.  455. 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDAEY  OHIGINS.  103 

After  thus  noticing  the  three  tribes  under  which  the  sup- 
posed descendants  of  Coel  were  ranged,  the  descent  of  the 
Men  of  the  North  proceeds  to  give  the  pedigrees  of  those  said 
to  be  of  Eoman  descent.  They  are  all  deduced  from  Dyfnwal 
Hen,  or  the  aged,  who,  in  this  document,  is  made  the  grand- 
son of  Macsen  Guledig,  or  Maximus  the  Eoman  Emperor,  but 
in  the  genealogies  annexed  to  Nennius  is  said  to  be  the 
grandson  of  Ceredig  Guledig,  whose  ancestor  Confer  or  Cynvor 
was  the  mythic  father  of  Constantius,  the  father  of  the 
Emperor  Constantine.  These  were  obviously  the  Eomani  of 
the  poem,  and  can  be  mainly  traced  in  connection  with  the 
central  districts  of  Annandale,  Clydesdale,  and  Tweeddale. 
The  principal  race  included  among  them  was  that  of  the  pro- 
vincial kings  of  Strathclyde,  descended  from  Eydderch  Hael, 
who  is  mentioned  in  Adamnan's  Life  of  Saint  Columha  as 
reigning  in  Alclyde  or  Dumbarton,  and  whose  history  is 
so  intimately  connected  with  that  of  Kentigern,  the  great 
apostle  of  Strathclyde.^^ 

To  the  race  of  the  Gwyddyl  or  Gaidheal  the  old  Welsh 
traditions  undoubtedly  attach  the  Efichti  or  Picts,  to  whom 
they  invariably  give  the  name  of  Gwyddyl  Ffichti.^-  They 
occupied  the  small  district  extending  from  the  Pentland  or 

'1  See    Four   Ancient    Books    of  termed    Britliwyr    and    Peithwyr, 

Wales,  vol.  i.  o.  x.,  Cumbria,  or  tlie  bvitalso  Gwyddyl  Ffichti  ;  thus  the 

Men  of  the  North,  for  a  fuller  ac-  early  Pictish  inhabitants  of  Bernicia 

count  of  these  traditionary  origins.  are  thus  alluded  to — 

^-  The  modern  Welsh  antiquaries  Five  chiefs  then  will  be 
in  general  regard  the  Picts  as  be-  Of  the  Gwyddyl  Ffichti, 
,         .          ,       .1        /-I          ■                         T  Of  a  sinner's  disposition, 
longmg    to   the    Cymric    race    and  of  the  race  of  the  knife, 
speaking  a  Welsh  dialect,  but  in  pour  Ancient  Books  of  Wale^-, 
this  they  run  counter  to  their  own  vol.  i.  p.  432. 
early  traditions,  for  both  in  their  And  in   one   poem   the  epithet  of 
old  poems  and  in  prose  documents  An;/hyjiaeth,  that  is,  speaking  a  Ian- 
there  is  a  cousensus  as  to  their  being  guage  diS'erent  from  the  Cymric,  is 
a  foreign  race  to  the  Cymry,  and  be-  clearly  applied  to  them  (ih.  p.  43.S 
longing  to  the   people   termed  by  and  note).     Thus  in  the  Triads  of 
them  Gwyddyl.  Arthur,  which  are  genuine,  they  are 

In  the   poems   they  are  usually  included  in  the  three  foreign  races 


!()-l 


LEGENDARY  ORIGINS. 


[book  hi. 


Pictliuid  Hills  to  the  river  Carroii,  which  was  kuown  to  the 
Welsh  as  Manau  Guotodin  or  Gododin,  and  to  the  Irish  as 
the  Plain  of  Manann,  from  whence  they  are  said  by  Nennius 
to  have  driven  out  the  sons  of  Cunedda,  from  whom  the  kings 
of  North  Wales  were  descended.  They  also  possessed  the 
larger  district  of  Galloway,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Nith  to 
the  Irish  Sea.  This  district  takes  its  name  from  the  term 
applied  by  the  Welsh  to  its  inhabitants,  of  Galwydel,  from 
which  the  Latin  form  of  Galwethia  was  formed ;  ^'^  and  we 
find  the  name  of  Scoti  Picti,  which  is  obviously  a  Latin 
rendering  of  the  Welsh  term  Gwyddyl  Ffichti,  applied  by  the 
author  of  the  Descriptio  Albanice,  who  was  certainly  a  Welsh- 
man, to  the  Picts,  who,  Bede  tells  us,  formed  the  population 
of  the  western  districts  north  of  the  Clyde,  afterwards  known 
by  the  name  of  Arregaithel,  before  the  Scots  formed  their 
settlement  of  Dalriada  there. 

For  the  legendary  origins  of  the  tribes  of  transmarine 
Scotland,  or  the  districts  north  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  we 
nmst,  however,  mainly  look  to  Irish  sources,  and  we  find 
them  pervading  nearly  the  whole  of  the  mythic  history  of 
Ireland,  and  cropping  up  here  and  there  in  the  course  of  its 
artificial  chronology. 

Alban,  or  Scotland,  is  first  brought  into  connection  with 
these  legendary  narratives  of  the  primitive  colonisation  of 


called  '  Three  oppressions  came  into 
this  island,  and  did  not  go  out  of  it. ' 
The  second  is  '  the  oppression  of  the 
Gwyddyl  Ffichti,  and  they  did  not 
again  go  out  of  it. '  The  third  was 
the  oppression  of  the  Saxons  [ih., 
vol.  ii.  p.  465).  In  order  to  avoid 
the  force  of  this,  the  term  Gwyddyl 
Ffichti  is  usually  translated  Irish 
Picts,  and  supposed  to  refer  to  those 
in  Ireland  only ;  but  the  epithet 
Gwyddyl  was  certainly  used  in  the 
larger  sense  of  the  race  wherever 


found,  and  it  is  clear  from  all  the 
passages  that  the  same  people  are 
referred  to  who  are  known  as  the 
Picts  of  Britain.  If  they  had  been 
termed  Cymry  Ffichti,  would  this 
school  of  Welsh  antiquarians  have 
tolerated  an  assertion  that  they 
were  not  of  the  Cymric  race  ? 

'^  Angles  and  Galwydel, 

Let  them  make  their  war. — 
Four  Ancient  Books  of  Wales, 
vol.  i.  p.  284. 


CHAP,  in.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  105 

Erin,  or  Ireland,  in  the  history  of  the  second  colony — that  of  The  Neme- 

dians  in 

the  Nemedians,  or  sons  of  Neimead.  After  a  great  battle  Scotland. 
with  the  sea-robbers  termed  the  Fomoraigh,  they  were 
defeated,  and  none  escaped  save  the  crew  of  one  ship, 
consisting  of  thirty  men  under  three  chiefs,  Simon  Breac, 
son  of  Starn,  son  of  Neimead ;  lobaath,  son  of  Beothuigh, 
son  of  larbhanieoil,  son  of  Neimead ;  and  Briotan  Maol,  son 
of  Fergus  Leithdearg,  son  of  Neimead.  They  then  resolve 
to  leave  Ireland,  and  taking  seven  years  to  prepare  for  this 
emigration,  they  fit  out  three  fleets,  under  their  three  leaders. 
One  fleet,  under  Simon  Breac,  goes  to  Thrace.  A  second, 
under  lobaath,  to  the  north  of  Europe  ;  and  the  third,  under 
Briotan  Maol,  to  Dobhar  and  lardobhar  in  the  north  of 
Alban,  where  they  dwelt  with  their  posterity.  Now  from 
this  third  colony  the  oldest  legendary  accounts  bring  two  of 
the  West  Highland  clans.  These  are  the  Clan  O'Duibhn,  or 
Campbells,  and  the  Clan  Leod,  or  MacLeods.^*  The  former 
clan  first  appear  in  the  occupation  of  the  central  district  of 
Dalriada  encircling  the  lake  of  Lochaw,  around  which  lay 
territories  of  the  Dalriadic  tribes  of  Lorn  and  Gabhran,  and 
their  oldest  genealogies  bring  them  from  this  Briotan,  son  of 
Fergus  Leithdearg.  The  Clan  Leod  emerge,  after  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Norwegian  kingdom  of  the  Isles,  in  posses- 
sion of  Lewis,  Harris,  and  the  northern  districts  of  Skye, 
and  they  are  deduced  from  Laigh  Laider,  his  brother,  also 
a  son  of  Fergus  Leithdearg. 

After  remaining  in  Greece  two  hundred  and  sixteen  years,  The  Fir- 

1>olg  and 

the  followers  of  Simon  Breac,  the  first  of  the  three  leaders  of  Tuath  De 

.  ,       Danan  in 

the  sons  of  Neimead,  return  to  Ireland  m  three  tribes — the  Scotland. 
Firbolg,  Fir  Domnan,  and  Fir  Gaileoin,  under  five  brothers, 
who  divide  Ireland  into  five  provinces.     They  are  in  their 
turn  conquered  by  the  Tuatha  De  Danan,  the  descendants  of 

^'*  Nemedius,  inter  posteros  ejus       ms.  1467.     See  also  Uhter  Archoeo- 
McCailin   Moir  agus   MacLeoid. —       logical  Journal,  vol.  ix.  p.  319. 


IOC)  LEGENDARY  OUIGIXS.  [hook  iii, 

the  second  tribe  of  the  Nemedians,  who,  alter  remaining  a 
long  time  in  the  north  of  Europe,  where  they  possessed  four 
cities — Falias,  Gorias,  Finias,  and  Murias — pass  over  into  the 
north  of  Alban,  where  they  remain  seven  years  in  the  same 
districts  of  Dobhar  and  lardobhar,  which  had  been  colonised 
by  Briotan  Maol,  bringing  with  them  from  Falias  the  Lia  Fal, 
or  celebrated  Coronation  Stone ;  from  Gorias,  the  sword  used 
by  their  leader ;  from  Finias,  his  spear ;  and  from  Murias, 
the  mystic  caldron  of  the  Dagda.  After  remaining  seven 
years  in  Alban,  they  go  to  Ireland  and  conquer  the  Firbolg 
in  the  great  battle  of  Magh  Tuireadh ;  and  the  few  Firbolg 
who  escaped  this  battle  fly  to  the  Western  Isles,  and  occupy 
Arran,  Isla,  Eachrain,  and  other  islands,  where  they  remained 
till  they  w^ere  driven  out  by  the  Cruithnigh  or  Picts,  and 
returned  to  Ireland,  when  they  were  received  by  Cairbre 
Madhfher,  king  of  Leinster  under  the  Milesian  Scots.  Then 
follows  the  legendary  settlement  of  the  Scots  under  the  three 
.sons  of  Milesius,  Heber,  Heremon,  and  Ir,  and  their  cousin 
Lughadh,  son  of  Ith,  before  whom  the  mythic  race  of  the 
Tuatha  De  Danan  gave  way.  The  transactions  between  them 
form  one  of  the  most  picturesque  of  these  Irish  legends,  the 
details  of  which  need  not  be  given  here  ;^^  but  the  Tuatha  De 
Danan  yield  the  plains  of  Erin  to  the  Scots,  retaining  only 
the  green  mounds,  known  by  the  name  of  Sidh,  and  then 

^•'  They  will  be   found  in  Lady  cally.     There  is  nothing  gained  by 

Ferguson's    excellent    little  work,  it,   as   the   form  of  the  name  has 

The  Story  of  the   Irish   before   the  quite  as  barbarous  an  appearance 

Conquest,    and    in    Mr.     Standish  as  when  the  proper  orthography  is 

O'Grady's    interesting    work    just  retained,  the  identity  of  the  persons 

published,  The  Hifitory  of  Ireland,  meant  is  lost,  it  is  misleading  as 

vol.  i.  Heroic  Period.     The  inter-  there  is  no  uniform  pronunciation 

est  of  this  latter  work  is,  in  the  of  these  names  by  those  who  speak 

author's  opinion,  greatly  detracted  the  vernacular  Gaelic,  and  the  tra- 

from  by  his  having  unfortunately  vesty  of  the  Irish  names  is  equally 

adopted  a  practice,  which  cannot  offensive  to  good  taste  and  to  sound 

be  too  strongly  deprecated,  of  spell-  judgment.     In  other  respects  this 

ing   Irish  proper    names    phoneti-  little  work  has  great  merits. 


CHAi'.  III.]  LEGENDAKY  OKIGINS.  107 

being  made  invisible  by  their  enchantments,  became  the  Fir 
Sidhe,  or  Fairies,  of  Ireland. 

With  the  mythic  settlement  of  the  Milesian  Scots  in  Ire-  Pictish 

Icsrcniis. 

land  commence  the  legends  of  the  settlements  of  the  Cruith- 
nigh  or  Picts  in  Scotland  ;  and  as  Ireland  was  divided  into 
iive  provinces  between  five  brothers,  sons  of  the  leader  of 
Firbolg,  and  afterwards  by  the  sons  of  Milesius,  so  we  find  in 
the  legend  an  early  division  of  Alban  into  seven  provinces 
between  the  seven  sons  of  Cruithne,  the  '  eponymus '  of  the 
Pictish  race.  Five  of  these  provinces  can  be  identified. 
Fibh,  the  eldest  of  the  seven  brothers,  represents  Fife  ;  Fodla, 
the  third,  Athfhofla  or  Atholl ;  Fortrenn,  corresponds  with 
the  district  between  the  Tay  and  the  Forth,  consisting  of 
Stratherne  and  Menteath,  and  which,  as  at  one  time  the  seat 
of  the  monarchy,  gave  its  name  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Picts  ; 
Caith,  with  Caithness  ;  and  Circinn,  with  that  district  which 
included  Mafjhjhirgliinn,  or  the  plains  of  Circinn,  a  name 
corrupted  into  Moerne  or  the  jSIearns.  The  remaining  two, 
Fidach  and  Ce,  though  the  names  cannot  now  be  identified, 
obviously  represent  the  intermediate  districts  of  Eoss,  Moray, 
Buchan,  and  Mar.  Another  form  of  the  legend  represents  the 
Cruithnigh  or  Picts  coming  from  Ireland  in  the  time  of  the 
sons  of  Milesius,  under  Cruithnechan,  son  of  Cinge,  son  of 
Lochit,  to  assist  the  Britons  of  Fortrenn  to  fight  against  the 
Saxons,  and  the  Britons  yielded  their  clans  and  their  sword - 
land  to  them,  that  is,  Cruithcntuath,  and  they  took  possession 
uf  the  land.  The  same  legend  assumes  the  form,  in  connection 
mth  the  Picts  of  Dalaradia  in  Ulster,  from  whence  they  came, 
of  twice  eighteen  soldiers  of  the  tribes  of  Thracia  who  accom- 
panied the  sons  of  Milesius  to  Ireland,  and  cleared  a  swordland 
among  tlie  Britons,  consisting  first  of  Marjhfortrenn  or  the 
plains  of  Fortrenn,  and  then  of  llaghgldrghinn  or  the  plains 
of  Cirginn,  or  as  another  edition  lias  it  of  Cruithentuath}^ 
i«  Chronicle  of  the  Picts  and  Scots,  pp.  24,  45,  318,  .322. 


1^8  JJ:(;i;NI)AKY  OKIGINS.  [hook  m. 

The  Mile-  In  lIr!  lon'r  liiu;  of  invtliic  pairaii  iiioiiarclis  spruntj  from 

fiians  in  _  ^  i    o  i  o 

Scotland,  tln;  .SOUS  of  Milcsius,  two  come  prominently  forward  as 
waging  war  in  Scotland,  and  hence  termed  kings  of  Erinn  and 
Alban,  and  under  the  second  of  these  a  settlement  is  said  to 
have  l)een  made.  The  first  of  these  imaginary  monarchs  is 
Aengus,  of  the  line  of  Heremon,  termed  Ollmucadh,  from  oil 
great,  and  mucaclh  swine,  because  he  is  said  to  have  possessed 
the  largest  swine  in  his  time  in  Ireland.  According  to  the 
Annals  of  the  Four  Masters  he  reigned  in  the  year  of  the 
world  3773,  or  1421  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ.  He  is 
said  to  have  fought  fifty  battles  against  the  Cruithentuath, 
or  Picts  of  Scotland,  and  the  Firbolg ;  twelve  battles  against 
the  Longbardai,  and  four  battles  against  the  Colaisti,  whoever 
they  may  be.^^  Tlie  second  was  Reachtaidh  Righdearg,  or  red- 
wristed,  of  the  line  of  Heber,  who  is  said  in  the  same  Annals 
to  have  reigned  in  the  year  of  the  world  4547,  or  647  years 
before  the  birth  of  Christ.  He  led  his  forces  to  Alban  under 
Fore  and  Iboth.  '  They  gained  great  battles,  so  that  great 
districts  were  laid  waste  in  Alban,  until  the  men  of  Alban 
submitted  to  Reaclitaidh  Righdearg,  so  that  he  was  king  of 
Erinn  and  Alban,  and  it  was  from  them  sprang  the  tw^o  tribes 
Tuath  Fore  and  Tuatli  Iboth  in  Alban.'  i^ 

These  supposed  settlements,  however,  become  more  fre- 
quent and  distinct  as  we  pass  the  birth  of  Christ  and  approach 
the  historic  period  of  this  early  Irish  history.  Between  the 
Christian  era  and  the  fifth  century,  when  Christianity  was 
introduced  into  Ireland,  and  something  like  a  true  chrono- 
logical history  may  be  said  to  commence,  two  events  come 
prominently  forward  in  this  mythic  history.  The  first  is  the 
rising  of  the  Attachtuatha  or  servile  class  of  the  population 
of  Ireland,  and  their  massacre  of  the  nobles  of  Ireland.  These 
Attachtuatha  are  said  to  have  been  the  remains  of  the  Firbolg 

'"  Annals  of  the   Four  Jf asters.  i'*  GeiiealachCorca  Laidhe. — Mis- 

vol.  i.  p.  49.  cdlany  of  the  Celtic  Society,  p.  10. 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDAKY  ORIGINS.  109 

and  other  colonists  who  preceded  the  arrival  of  tlic  Milesian 
Scots  and  formed  a  population  of  subject  tribes  under  them, 
and  they  have  been  improperly  identified  by  the  Irish  histo- 
rians with  the  Attacotti  of  the  Roman  historians,  who  were  a 
British  nation  and  belonged  to  a  later  period.  The  story  as 
given  in  the  Leabhar  Gabhala,  or  Book  of  Conquests,  is  this. 
— On  the  death  of  Crimthan  Nianair,  king  of  Ireland,  of  the 
race  of  Heremon,  about  ten  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ, 
the  nobility  of  Ireland  were  massacred  at  a  great  feast 
at  Magh  Cro,  where  they  were  entertained  by  the  Attach- 
tnatha.  They  were  all  cut  off  except  three  queens  who  were 
pregnant,  and  went  over  the  sea.  One  was  Baine,  daughter 
to  the  king  of  Alban,  who  gave  birth  to  Feredach  Finn  Feeht- 
nach,  the  son  of  Crimthan.  The  second  was  Cruife,  daughter 
to  the  king  of  Britain,  and  mother  of  Corb  Olum  of  Munster ; 
and  the  third  was  Aine,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Saxony,  who 
was  mother  of  Tipraide  Tireach,  king  of  the  Cruithnigh  of 
Ulster.  The  Attachtuatlia  then  set  up  Cairpre  Caitcheann, 
or  cat-headed,  one  of  their  own  race,  as  king,  who  reigned  five 
years  over  Ireland.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Morann,  who 
was  a  just  and  learned  man,  and  he  resolved  to  recall  the  three 
legitimate  heirs.  Feradach  Finn  Fechtnach  was  elected  king, 
and  the  Attachtuatlia  swore  by  heaven  and  earth,  the  sun,  the 
moon,  and  all  the  elements,  that  they  would  be  obedient  to  them 
and  their  descendants  as  long  as  the  sea  surrounded  Ireland. 
Feradach  was  succeeded  by  Fiatach  Finn,  also  of  the  line 
of  Heremon,  and  he  by  Fiacha  Finnfolaidh,  son  of  Feradach, 
who,  after  a  reign  of  seventeen  years,  was  killed  by  the  pro- 
vincial kings,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Attachtuatha,  at  the 
slaughter  of  Maghbolg.  And  again  we  have  a  repetition  of 
the  same  story.  The  only  person  who  escaped  was  his  wife 
Ethne,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Alban,  who  was  pregnant  of 
his  son  Tuathal.  Elim,  son  of  Conra,  king  of  the  Cruithnigh 
of  Ulster,  who  had  on  this  occasion  joined  the  Attachtuatha, 


110  LEOENDAUY  OHIGINS.  [hook  iii. 

tlien  became  king,  and  after  a  reign  of  twenty  years  was 
slain  in  the  battle  of  Aicliill  by  Tuathal,  called  Teachtmar  or 
the  acceptable,  who  came  from  Alban  with  a  large  force. 
Tuathal  is  said  to  have  fought  133  battles  against  the  Attach- 
f  uatha,  whom  he  reduced  to  obedience  in  the  various  pro- 
vinces. He  altered  the  arrangement  of  the  five  provinces  by 
uniting  the  two  Munsters  into  one  province,  and  formed  a 
fifth  province  of  Meath  as  mensal  lands  for  the  monarchy,  by 
taking  four  portions  from  each  of  the  other  four  provinces. 
Upon  the  portion  taken  from  Munster  he  built  Tlachtga,  now 
called  the  Hill  of  Ward,  and  there  the  festival  of  the  Fire  of 
Tlachtga  was  held,  and  the  Druids  were  wont  to  assemble 
On  the  portion  taken  from  Connaught  he  established  the  chief 
seat  at  Uisneach,  now  Usnagh  Hill,  and  there  the  great  fair 
called  the  Convention  of  Uisneach  was  annually  held  in 
May.  On  the  portion  taken  from  Ulster  he  constructed 
Taillte,  now  Telltown,  as  the  chief  residence.  It  M'as  here 
that  alliances  were  made  and  contracts  ratified,  and  the  fair 
of  Taillte  was  held.  On  the  portion  taken  from  Leinster  the 
royal  capital  of  Teamhar  or  Tara  was  established  where  the 
Feis  Temrach  was  held  every  third  year,  the  laws  were 
ordained  and  published,  and  the  Ardri  or  sovereign  of  Ireland 
was  inaugurated.  Tuathal  is  then  said  to  have  celebrated  the 
Feis  Temrach,  at  which  the  princes  and  chieftains  of  the 
kingdom  assembled,  who  all  swore  by  the  sun  and  moon,  and 
all  the  elements,  visible  and  invisible,  that  they  would  never 
contest  the  sovereignty  of  Ireland  with  him  or  his  race.  Un- 
doubtedly this  formation  of  the  province  of  Meath,  with  its 
four  royal  residences,  survived  to  historic  times,  and  has  an 
unquestionable  historic  basis. 

Another  of  its  great  landmarks  is  the  contest  which  is 
supposed  to  have  taken  place  in  the  second  century  between 
Conn  Ced  Cathach,  or  of  the  hundred  battles,  of  the  line  of 
Heremon,  and  Eoghan  ]\Ior,  called  Modha  Nuadhat,  of  the 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDARY  OKIGINS.  Ill 

line  of  Heber,  and  which  led  to  a  division  of  Ireland  into  two 
parts  separated  from  each  other  by  a  ridge  termed  Eisgir 
Piiada,  leading  from  Dublin  across  the  island  to  Galway, 
composed  of  a  line  of  gravel  hills  which  existed  long  after. 
The  northern  half  was  termed  Leth  Cuinn  or  Conn's  half,  and 
tlie  southern  Leth  Mogha  or  Mogha's  half.  This  division  is 
mentioned  by  the  old  chronicler  Tighernac  as  having  been 
made  in  the  year  165,^^  and  is  undoubtedly  recognised  by 
Bede  when  he  distinguishes  the  northern  province  of  the 
Scots  from  the  nations  of  the  Scots  who  dwell  in  the  southern 
parts  of  Ireland.^*^  Cormac,  son  of  Art,  and  grandson  of  Conn, 
is  said  to  have  sent  a  fleet  across  Magh  Rein,  or  the  plain  of 
the  sea,  in  the  year  240,  so  that  it  was  on  this  occasion  that 
he  obtained  the  sovereignty  of  Alban.-^  He  is  said  by  Tigh- 
ernac to  have  obtained  the  name  Ulfata,  or  '  the  people  of 
Ulster  at  a  distance,'  because  he  banished  the  Pictish  tribes 
of  Ulster  to  Manann  and  Innsigall  in  the  year  254.^'^ 

These  supposed  settlements  in  Scotland  during  this  mythic  The  race  of 
period  were,  however,  not  entirely  confined  to  the  kings  of  Scotland, 
the  lines  of  Heber  and  Heremon,  sons  of  Milesius,  but  are  also 
attributed  to  another  line  of  kings  descended  from  Lughaidli, 
son  of  Ith,  who  was  father's  brother  of  Milesius.  We  read  in 
an  ancient  tract  that  '  these  are  the  tribes  of  the  Gael  that 
are  not  of  the  sons  of  Miledh,  nor  of  the  Tuatlia  De  Danann, 
nor  of  the  Firbolg,  nor  yet  of  the  Clann  Neimhead,  and  that 
widely  did  this  tribe  spread  throughout  Erin  and  Alban.  For 
it  is  boasted  that  Maccon  obtained  sway  over  the  world,  and 
it  is  certain  that  he  conquered  the  west  of  Europe,  without 
doubt  that  is  Alban  and  France  and  Saxon  land  and  the  island 

^^  Raiita  oil  AtlicUath  cochele  ittir  -^  Annals   of  the   Four  Masters, 

Cond.  c.  Cathach  agus  Mogh  Nuad-  vol.  i.  p.  113. 

had   cui   nomen   erat   Eogan. — Ad  —  Indarha    Ullad    a   h-Erend    a 

an.  165.  Manand  la  Cormac  hui  Cond.     As 

'-"  Bede,  Ec.    Hist.,  lib.   iii.  cap.  de  ha  Cormac    Ulfada  dia  ro  ciiir 

iii.  Ul.  afadh. — Ad  an.  254. 


llL'  LKGKNDAKY  ORIGINS.  [book  iii. 

of  Britain.  And  it  is  boasted  concerning  Daire  Sirchreach- 
tach  that  lie  obtained  sway  over  all  the  west  of  Europe ;  and 
some  of  the  learned  say  that  he  won  the  whole  world.  And 
it  is  stated  that  Fathadh  Canann  obtained  the  government  of 
the  whole  world  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  and  (if  it 
be  true)  that  he  took  hostages  of  the  streams,  the  birds,  and 
the  languages.'  -^  The  first  of  these  conquerors  of  the  line  of 
Ith,  in  point  of  time,  was  said  to  be  this  Daire  Sirchreach- 
tach.  He  had  six  sons,  all  called  Lughaidh.  The  eldest  was 
Lushaidh  Laidhe.  Another  was  Lughaidh  Mai,  '  who  won 
the  world  from  Breatain  Leatha  or  Armorica  to  Lochlanu  or 
Scandinavia,  and  from  Innsi  Ore  or  the  Orkneys  to  Spain,' 
The  old  tract  called  the  Dinnseanchas,  says  of  Carnn  Mail 
in  Ulster,  '  Whence  was  it  named  ?  It  is  not  difficult  to  tell. 
It  was  otherwise  called  Carnn  Luighdheach,  from  Lughaidh 
Mai,  who  was  driven  from  Erinn  with  a  fleet  of  seven  ships  ; 
and  from  Albau  he  set  out  for  Erinn  with  the  great  fleet  of 
Alban,  and  they  give  battle  to  the  Ulster  men  and  defeated 
them.  Every  man  that  came  into  battle  with  Lughaidh  car- 
ried a  stone,  and  thus  the  earn  was  formed,  and  it  was  on 
it  Lughaidh  was  standing  while  the  battle  was  fought ; '  and 
an  old  poem  quoted  in  this  tract  says, 

Lughaidh  Mai,  who  destroyed  much, 

Was  banished  out  of  Erinn. 

With  a  fleet  of  seven  ships  the  king's  son  sailed 

From  Erinn  to  the  land  of  Alban. 

He  fought  for  the  eastern  country 

In  battles,  in  conflicts, 

From  Eadain  to  the  wide-spreading  Lochlann, 

From  the  islands  of  Ore  to  Spain. 

When  he  obtained  the  powerful  kingdom, 

He  brought  with  a  numerous  army, 

So  that  the  harbours  of  Uladh  were  filled, 

With  the  barks  of  a  fierce  champion.^* 


^  Genealach  Corca  Laidhe. — Misc.  Celtic  Soc,  pp.  4,  5.       -^  lb.  p.  67. 


cHA]'.  Jii.J  LEGENDARY  OltlGINS.  113 

Lughaidh  Laidhe,  the  eldest  son  of  Daire  Sirchreachtach, 
was  also  called  Macniadh,  or  son  of  the  champion,  and  had  a 
son  Lughaidh,  called  Maccon,  or  the  son  of  the  dog.  He  is 
said  by  the  Four  Masters  to  have  reigned  in  Ireland  from  the 
year  1 96  to  225.  His  sons  were  said  to  be  the  three  Fothadhs 
— Fothadh  Airctheach,  Fothadh  Cairptheach,  and  Fothadh 
Canann.  The  first  is  said  to  have  been  king  of  Ireland  for 
one  year  in  289,  and  to  have  slain  his  brother;  and  of  the  third, 
Fothadh  Canann,  we  are  told  that  he  obtained  the  government 
of  the  whole  world  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  and 
took  hostages  of  the  streams,  the  birds,  and  the  languages,  and 
that  from  him  descended  the  tribe  of  Mac  Cailin,  or  the 
Campbells,  in  Scotland.^^  These  three  brothers  are  by  other 
books  stated  to  be  of  the  race  of  the  Ui  Eachadh  of  Uladli 
or  Ulster,  that  is,  of  Pictisli  descent. 

In  the  fourth  century  before  Christ  the  three  Collas  play  The  race  of 

Colla  m 

a  great  part  in  the  mythic  history  oi  Ireland,  and  are  like-  Scotland, 
wise  connected  with  a  supposed  settlement  in  Scotland. 
Cormac,  the  son  of  Aet,  and  grandson  of  Conn  of  the  hun- 
dred battles,  whom  we  have  already  adverted  to,  has  a  son, 
Cairbre  Liffechair,  so  called  from  the  river  Liffey  near  which 
he  was  nursed,  who  likewise  becomes  Ardri  of  Erinu.  He  has 
two  sons,  Fiacha  Sraibtaine  and  Eochaidh  Doimlein.  The 
former  marries  Aeifi,  daughter  of  the  king  of  the  Gallgael, 
and  was  the  father  of  Muredach  Tirech,  from  whom  the  sub- 
sequent kings  of  Ireland  of  the  race  of  Niall  derived  their 
descent.  The  latter  marries  Oilich,  daughter  of  the  king 
of  Alban,  called  by  some  Vadoig,  by  others  Uigari,  and  has 
three  sons,  Caerill,  Muredach,  and  Aedh.  These  take  the 
name  of  Colla,  and  are  called  respectively  Colla  Meaun,  Colla 
da  Crioch,  and  Colla  Uais.  These  Collas  slay  their  uncle 
Fiacha,  and  Colla  Uais  becomes  king  of  Ireland,  but  is 
driven  from  thence  with  his  brothers  in  326  by  Muredach 

^  Ibid.  p.  ."). 
VOL.  in.  H 


Ill  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  iii. 

Tirech,  and  takes  refuge  with  liis  paternal  grandfather  the 
king  of  Alban,  from  whom  he  receives  Bimnnacht  or  military 
maintenance.  Three  hundred  warriors  were  his  host.  After 
remaining  three  years  in  Alban  the  three  brothers  return  to 
Erinn,  each  with  a  following  of  nine  warriors,  and  having  been 
reconciled  with  Muredach  Tirecli,  who  tells  them  they  ought 
to  conquer  some  territory  as  an  inheritance,  they  are  joined 
by  seven  'catha'  or  battalions  of  the  Firbolg  of  Connaught,  and 
with  their  assistance  attack  the  king  of  Ulster,  march  to  the 
Carn  of  Achadhleithderg,  from  whence  they  fought  seven 
battles,  one  on  each  day  of  the  week,  and  on  the  last  slay  the 
king  of  Ulster,  plunder  and  burn  his  capital,  of  Emania,  and 
acquire  a  large  territory  as  their  swordland,  which  was  termed 
Oirgialla,  and  was  possessed  by  their  descendants.  This  is  the 
story  of  the  three  Collas,  and  in  this  manner  the  great  Pictish 
kingdom,  of  which  Emania  was  the  capital,  was  supposed  to 
come  to  an  end  in  the  year  331,  and  the  Cruithnigh  of  Ulster 
confined  to  the  district  of  Dalaradia  on  the  east  coast  of  Ulster. 
From  Colla  Uais  the  Sennachies  both  of  Erinn  and  Alban 
deduced  the  descent  of  Somerled,  who  became  the  Eegulus  of 
Arregaidhel  and  of  half  of  the  Western  Isles,  and  from  whom 
sprang  the  potent  clan  of  the  MacDougalls,  Lords  of  Lome, 
and  the  jSIacDonalds,  Lords  of  the  Isles.-*'' 
Tiie  last  The  long  line  of  mythic  pagan  kings  of  Ireland  terminates 

kin^s  o"^'^"  with  a  group  of  three  monarchs  who  succeeded  each  other,  and 
Scofvmd"  ^^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^'^  ^°  'h&.ve  made  extensive  conquests  beyond  the 
bounds  of  their  island  kingdom.  The  first  of  these  is  Crim- 
than  Mor  mac  Eidhaig,  of  the  line  of  Heber,  who  reigned 
from  366  to  378,  and  is  said  to  have  extended  his  sway  over 
Alban,  Britain,  and  Gaul.  Of  him  one  of  the  oldest  of  the 
Irish  documents,  Cormac's  Glossary,  says,  under  the  word 
Mugeime,  '  that  is  the  name  of  tlie  first  lapdog  that  was  in 

^^  See  Annals  of  the  Fotir  Masters,       of  Ireland.     Tighernac  under  ,S22, 
under  dates,  and  Keating's  History       3"26,  3.32. 


CHAP.  Til.]  LEGENDAKY  ORIGINS.  115 

Ireland.  Cairbre  Muse,  sou  of  Conaire,  brought  it  from  the 
east  from  Britain,  for  when  great  was  the  power  of  the  Gael 
on  Britain,  they  divided  Alban  between  them  into  districts, 
and  each  knew  the  residence  of  his  friend,  and  not  less  did 
the  Gael  dwell  on  the  east  side  of  the  sea,  as  in  Scotia  or 
Ireland,  and  their  habitations  and  royal  forts  were  built 
there.  Hence  is  called  Duin  Tradui,  or  the  triple-fossed  fort 
of  Crimthan  Mor,  son  of  Fidach,  king  of  Erinn  and  Alban  to 
the  Ictian  Sea."-'^  His  successor  was  Niall  Mor,  or  the  great, 
who  reigned  from  378  to  405.  He  also  extended  his  con- 
quests over  Alban,  Britain,  and  Gaul,  and  was  slain  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Loire  on  the  shore  of  the  Ictian  Sea.  He  was 
termed  Niall  naoighialla,  or  'of  the  nine  hostages,'  as  he 
received  hostages  from  nine  nations  which  he  had  subjected 
to  his  rule.  The  last  of  these  great  conquerors  was  Dathi, 
who  reigned  from  405  to  428.  He,  too,  extended  his  con- 
quests over  Alban,  Britain,  and  Gaul,  and  was  killed  by  a 
flash  of  lightning  at  Sliahh  Ealpa,  or  the  foot  of  the  Alps.-*^ 
He  is  said,  in  another  document,  to  have  been  king  of 
Erinn,  Alban,  Britain,  and  as  far  as  the  mountains  of  the  Alps, 
where  he  went  to  revenge  the  death  of  his  predecessor  Niall, 
and  was  said  by  some  to  have  been  slain  by  the  same  arrow 
which  killed  the  latter.  His  body  was  brought  back  to  Erinn 
by  his  son,  who  gained  nine  battles  by  sea  and  ten  by  land 
by  means  of  it,  for  when  they  exhibited  the  body  they  crushed 
their  foes.  Dathi  is  said  to  have  fought  many  battles  in 
Alban,  viz.,  the  battle  of  Magh  Circain  and  the  battle  of 
Srath.2»  A  tale  called  'The  Expedition  of  Dathi  to  the  Sliabh 
n-Ealpa '  gives  the  following  account  of  his  invasion  of  Scot- 
land : — 'He  invites  all  the  provincial  kings  and  chiefs  of  Erinn 
to  a  great  feast  at  Tara,  and  there  decides  upon  making  an 
expedition  into  Alban,  Britain,  and  Gaul,  following  the  foot- 

-''  Cormac's  Glossary,  edited  for  ^  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters. 

the    Irish    Arch.    Society   by   Mr.  '-"  Tribes    and    Customs    of    Hy 

Whitley  Stokes,  p.  111.  Fiarhrach, -p.  19. 


lin  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  iii. 

steps  of  liis  predecessors  Crinithan  Mor  and  Niall.  His  fleet 
assembles  at  Oirear  Caoin,  probably  Donaghadee,  where  he 
embarks  with  his  troops  and  sets  sail  for  Alban.  Immedi- 
ately upon  his  landing  Dathi  sends  his  Druid  to  Feredach 
Finn,  king  of  Alban,  who  was  then  at  his  palace  of  '  Tuirrin 
brighe  na  Itigh,'  calling  on  him  for  submission  and  tribute,  or 
an  immediate  reason  to  the  contrary  on  the  field  of  battle. 
The  king  of  Alban  refused  either  submission  or  tribute,  and 
accepted  the  challenge  of  battle,  but  required  a  few  days  to 
prepare  for  so  unexpected  an  event.  The  time  for  battle  at 
last  arrived  ;  both  armies  marched  on  Magh  an  Chairthe  (the 
plain  of  the  pillar  stone)  in  Glenfeadha,  Dathi  at  the  head  of 
his  Gael,  and  Feredach  leading  a  large  force  composed  of 
Scots,  Picts,  Britons,  Gauls,  Northmen,  and  Gallgaidheal.  A 
fierce  and  destructive  tight  ensued  between  the  two  parties,  in 
which  the  forces  of  Alban  were  at  length  overthrown  and 
routed  with  great  slaughter.  When  the  king  of  Alban  saw 
the  death  of  his  son  and  the  discomfiture  of  his  army,  he 
threw  himself  headlong  on  the  ranks  of  his  enemies,  dealing 
death  and  destruction  around  him,  but  in  the  height  of  his 
fury  he  was  laid  hold  of  by  Conall  Gulban,  a  son  of  Niall 
naoighialla,  who,  taking  him  up  in  his  arms,  hurled  him 
against  the  pillar  stone  and  dashed  out  his  brains.  The  scene 
of  this  battle  has  ever  since  been  called  Gort  an  ChairtM  (the 
field  of  the  pillar  stone),  and  the  Glen  Glenn  an  Chatha  or 
the  battle  glen.  '  Dathi  set  up  a  surviving  son  of  the  late 
king  on  the  throne  of  Alban,  and  receiving  hostages  and  sub- 
mission from  him,  passed  onwards  into  Britain  and  Gaul,  in 
both  of  which  countries  he  still  received  hostages  and  sub- 
missions wherever  he  proceeded  on  his  march,'-"'' 

Another  of  the  legendary  settlements  in  Alban  is  connected 
with  the  same  Feredach  Finn,  king  of  the  Cruithnigh  of 
Alban,  and  may  be  placed  about  the  same  time.     The  story 

•'^  From  the  Book  of  Leinster.     The  substance  is  given  in  O'Curry's 
Lectures  on  the  MS.  Materials,  p.  287. 


cHAiMii.J  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  117 

is  this : — '  Daol,  the  daughter  of  Fiachra,  king  of  Musgiy,  was 
the  wife  of  Lughaidh,  son  of  Oillill  Flaimbeg,  king  of  Munster. 
She  became  enamoured  of  her  stepson  Core,  son  of  Lughaidh 
by  a  former  wife,  and  on  his  refusal  follows  the  example  of 
Potiphar's  wife  with  Joseph,  when  Core  is  banished  by  his 
father.  He  goes  to  Feredach,  king  of  Alban,  from  whom  he 
received  great  honours  and  his  daughter  in  marriage,  by  whom 
he  had  two  sons,  Cairbre  Cruithnecan  and  Maine  Leamhna. 
The  mother's  name  was  Leamhan  Mongfionn,  and  these  sons 
were  settledin  their  mother's  patrimony.  Cuirbre  Cruithnecan 
fixed  on  Maghghirghmn,  or  the  plain  of  Circinn,  and  from  him 
descended  ^ngus  Eamhan,  king  of  Alban.  Maine  fixed  on 
Maghleamhna,  or  the  plain  of  Leamhan,  and  from  him  are 
the  Luinmigh  Albaiii  or  people  of  the  Levenach  or  Lennox. 
The  river  Leamhan  or  Leven  took  its  name  from  Leandian, 
daughter  of  Feredach  Finn,  who  was  drowned  in  it,  and  an  old 
poem  has  been  preserved  by  Muredach  Albanach,  several  of 
whose  compositions  have  been  preserved  in  the  Book  of  the 
Dean  of  Lismore,  and  who  appears  to  have  lived  between 
1180  and  1220.^^  It  was  written  in  the  time  of  Aluin  og, 
Mormaer  of  Leamhain,  or  Lord  of  Lennox,  who,  there  can  be 
little  doubt,  was  the  same  person  with  Alwyn,  first  Earl  of 
Lennox,  who  was  his  contemporary.  It  is  addressed  to  the 
river  Leamhan  or  Leven,  and  refers  to  the  same  legend.  The 
poem  is  so  curious  that  it  may  be  given  at  length. 
Muredach  Albanach  sang  thus  : — 

Noble  thy  spouse,  0  Leamhan  ! 
Ahm  oge,  the  son  of  Muireadhach, 
His  waving  hair  without  blackness, 
Descendant  of  Lughaidh  of  Liathnihuine. 

Good  thy  luck  in  white-skinned  spouses, 
Since  the  time  thou  didst  love  thy  first  spouse, 
For  the  son  of  the  king  of  Bealach  it  was  ordained 
That  Leamhain  should  be  his  spouse. 

^1  Dean  of  Lismore's  Book,  p.  157. 


IS  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS. 

Gearr-Abhann  was  thy  naiiie  of  old, 
In  the  reign  of  the  kings, 
Until  Core  of  Munster  eanie  over  the  sea 
With  waving  hair  above  his  eyes. 

When  came  Fearadhach  Fionn, 

Son  of  the  king  of  Alban  of  the  Carpets  of  Gold, 

When  he  made  with  Core  alliance. 

Upon  coming  into  his  lordship 

Fearadhach  gave — to  me  it  seems  well — 
His  daughter  to  fair-haired  Core. 
Full  of  his  renown  is  Tara  of  Meath, 
Leamhain  was  the  name  of  the  daughter. 

A  (|ueenly  birth  brought  forth  Leamhan, 
Maine,  son  of  Core  of  the  long  hair. 
She  cherished  in  her  bosom  the  bird 
For  Core  of  Cashel  of  the  hounds. 

One  day  that  Leamluiiu  was 
(The  mother  of  Maine  of  the  slender  fingers) 
With  fifty  maidens  of  white  soles, 
Swimming  in  the  river's  mouth, 

She  is  drowned  in  the  l)osoin  of  the  port. 
Leamhain,  the  daughter  of  Fearadhach, 
Thou  art  named  Leamhain  after  that, 
A  remembrance  not  bad.  to  be  related. 

Seldom  was  the  tramp  of  a  Gall  battalion 
Upon  thy  green  borders,  0  river  ! 
Oftener  with  thee,  0  Leamhain  ! 
The  son  of  a  hind  above  thy  Innbhears. 

There  has  grown  up  to  thee  Alun  oge. 
Son  of  Mureadhach  of  the  smooth  roads, 
Splendid  the  colour  of  his  pure  fresh  hands, 
A  scion  of  the  wood  of  the  first  Aluin. 

Not  alone  drinking  ale 

Is  Alun  oge,  descendant  of  Oilleall. 

The  branch  of  the  race  of  Alun  sits 

With  an  hundred  to  drink  from  the  same  gallon. 


CHAP.  III. J  LEGENDAKY  ORIGINS.  119 

Though  there  should  be  but  one  tun  of  wine 
To  the  race  of  Core  of  the  comely  kings, 
Not  hajjpy  the  fair-headed  son  of  Core 
Should  he  save  the  wine  from  death. 

The  Mormaer  of  Leamhan  of  the  smooth  cheek, 
The  worthy  son  of  Ailin's  daughter, 
His  white  hand,  his  side,  his  foot ; 
Noble  is  thy  spouse,  O  Leamhan  !  ^^ 

Such,  then,  being  the  record  of  these  supposed  conquests 
of  Alban  and  settlements  in  the  country  presented  to  us  in 
the  early  history  of  Ireland,  their  general  effect  upon  the 
Gaelic  population  of  Scotland  is  thus  given  in  another  ancient 
document  preserved  to  us  by  the  Sennachie  McFirbis : — 

'  The  Clan  DomnaU,  Clann  Ragnall,  Clann  Alasdair,  Clann  Tsithig 
(Sheehy),  Clann  Eachan,  Clann  Eadhain,  Clann  Dubhghal,  and  Clann 
Ragnall  mic  DomnaU  Ghlais,  are  of  the  race  of  Eremon. 

'  MacGille-Eoiu  or  MacGille  a  Ea-in  (MacLean),  the  two  MacLeods 
(Harris  and  Lewis),  MacConnigh  (Mackenzie),  Mac  a  Toisigh  (Macintosh), 
Murmor  Hundon  (Mormaer  of  Moray  /),  are  of  the  race  of  Conaire. 

'  Murmor  Abhaill  (Mormaer  of  AthoU),  Murmor  Mair  (Mormaer  of 
Mar),  Murmor  Gall  (Mormaer  of  Galloway),  MacCenedig  (Kennedys), 
Muirgeach  og,  Lord  of  (jranta  (Grants),  MacCregan  (MacGregor  ?),  are 
also  of  the  race  of  Eremon.' ^3 

The  first  group  here  given  evidently  belongs  to  the  sup- 
posed settlement  by  Colla  Uais  of  the  race  of  Heremon,  and 
consists  of  the  great  clans  of  theMacDonaldsandMacDougalls, 
and  their  branches,  descended  from  Somerled,  the  great  Lord 
of  Argyll,  whose  traditionary  pedigree  is  deduced  from  Colla. 
The  second  as  certainly  comprises  those  supposed  to  be  de- 
scended from  the  six  sons  of  Ere,  whose  pedigree  is  deduced 
from  Conaire, a  king  of  Ireland;'^*  but  among  them  are  included 

•^■^  This  poem  is  preserved  in  Mc-  McFirbis,  who  was  a  senuachaidhe 

Firbis'  Book  of  Oenecdogies,  p.  410,  well  acquainted  in  Alban  and  much 

where  the  prose  tales  will  also  be  frequented  it.'  He  lived  about  15G0. 
found.     The  original  of  the  poem  is 

printed  in  the  Appendix  No.  vi.  '-'-^  Fergus  iilius  Eric  ipse  fuit  pri- 

■^■'  McFirbis,  in  his  Genealogical  mus  qui  de  semine  Chonare  suscepit 

MS.,  says — 'This  account  I  found  regnum  Alban. — Chron.  Picts   and 

among    tlie   Books   of  Fardorough  ScoU,  p.  130. 


120  LEGENDARY  OlilGINS.  [book  nr. 

the  MacLeods,  whose  legendary  origin, as  we  have  seen, belongs 
to  an  older  race.  The  third,  said  to  be  also  descended  from 
the  race  of  Eremon,  seems  to  be  composed  of  those  who  cindd 
not  be  included  in  either  of  the  two  former  groups,  and  like- 
wise presents  inconsistencies.  The  Mormaers  of  Athol  were 
of  the  royal  family,  and  afterwards  Stewarts,  and  under  the 
title  of  the  Mormaer  of  Mair,  and  of  Muirgeach  og,  by  whom 
the  earls  of  Lennox  descended  from  Aluin  og,  son  of  IMuredach, 
seem  meant  the  race  deduced  from  Core,  king  of  Munster, 
who  was  of  the  line  of  Heber,  are  here  included  among  the 
descendants  of  the  line  of  Heremoii. 

The  turning-point  in  the  chronology  of  the  early  history 
of  Ireland  may  with  some  reason  be  fixed  at  the  battle  of 
Ocha,  which  was  fought  in  the  year  478,  and  placed  the  first 
Christian  monarch  on  the  throne  of  Ireland.  It  obviously 
separates  the  artificially-constructed  history  of  the  pagan 
period  which  makes  so  large  a  demand  upon  the  assent  of  the 
historian  from  that  succession  of  events  which  corresponds 
with  all  the  historic  dates  we  possess,  and  commends  itself 
readily  enough  to  our  belief.  AVith  the  change  produced  by 
that  event  all  that  is  fantastic,  improbable,  and  artificial 
ceases,  and  the  incidents  recorded  are  more  natural  and  in 
better  accordance  with  what  w^e  should  expect  to  find.  In 
the  oldest  records  of  Irish  history  it  appears  as  a  great  era 
from  which  the  dates  of  its  events  were  reckoned,  and  is  con- 
nected as  such  with  another  settlement  of  Scots  in  Alban. 
We  are  told  by  the  synchronist  Flann  INIainistrech  that 
twenty  years  elapsed  from  the  battle  of  Ocha  till  the 
children  of  Ere,  son  of  Echach  Muinremhair,  passed  over 
into  Alban,  viz.,  the  six  sons  of  Ere,  the  two  Auguses,  the 
two  Loams,  and  the  two  Ferguses.^^ 

The  question  then  at  once  arises.  To  what  extent  have 
these  legends  a  historic  basis,  and  how  far  may  we  accept 
35  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  p.  IS. 


CHAP.  HI.  J  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  121 

them  as  true  elements  in  the  history  of  the  population  (jf 
Scotland  ? 

This  question  we  may  at  once  answer  in  so  far  as  regards 
the  last  settlement  in  the  series  which  we  have  extracted  from 
that  history.  The  passing  over  of  the  sons  of  Ere  into  Alban 
twenty  years  after  the  battle  of  Ocha  is  undoubtedly  a  true 
event.  It  was  the  foundation  of  the  small  Scottish  kingdom 
of  Dalriada  on  the  west  coast  north  of  the  Firth  of  Clyde  by 
a  colony  of  Scots,  which  took  place  in  the  year  498,  and  the 
death  of  its  first  king,  Fergus  mor  mac  Erce,  is  recorded  by 
Tighernac  in  the  year  501.  The  annals  of  this  little  kingdom 
may  now  be  considered  as  well  ascertained.  But  can  we 
attribute  the  same  certainty  to  the  conquests  supposed  to  have 
been  made  prior  to  the  battle  of  Ocha?  These  present  several 
features  calculated  to  lead  us  to  a  different  conclusion.  On 
looking  over  the  entire  succession  of  those  supposed  conquests 
and  settlements  in  Alban,  we  can  hardly  fail  to  recognise  the 
same  legends  repeated  at  different  times  and  cropping  up  in 
different  forms.  Thus  the  supposed  conquests  of  the  race  of 
Lughadh,  son  of  Ith,  who  were  a  different  race  from  the 
Milesian  Scots,  and  the  settlement  of  Fothadh  Canann,  from 
which  sprang  the  Clann  Mhic  Cailin  or  Campbells,  seems 
merely  a  repetition  of  the  much  older  settlement  of  the  sons 
of  Neimhead  in  the  districts  of  Dobhar  and  lardobhar  in 
Alban,  who  were  likewise  a  different  race  from  the  Milesian 
Scots,  and  from  whom  also  sprang  the  Clann  Mhic  Cailin  or 
Campbells;  and  when  the  Fothadhs  appear  not  as  of  the  race 
of  Ith  but  as  of  the  race  of  the  Ui  Eachach  of  Ulster,  that 
is,  Irial  Glunmhar,  son  of  Conall  Cearnach,  who  had  two 
sons.  Fore  and  Iboth,  they  become  Cruithnigh,  and  their 
settlement  the  same  as  that  of  the  two  tribes  Tuath  Fore  and 
Tuath  Iboth  ;  and  this  again  connects  them  with  the  supposed 
conquest  by  the  mythic  king  Eechtgidh  Eighdearg,  who  in 
another  document  appears  as  Fothadh  Eighdearg.     In  the 


IL'-J  MlOKNDAltY  OKKJINS.  [book  ui. 

name  Fore  we  can  recognise  the  old  name  of  the  river  Forth, 
wliich  again  connects  them  with  the  district  between  the 
Tay  and  the  Forth,  wliich  appears  to  have  been  intended  by 
the  Dobhar  and  lardobhar ;  but  this  is  the  same  district 
which  was  called  by  the  Picts  Fortrenn,  and  to  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  Pictish  legend,  Cruithnechan,  the  son  of  Lochit,  son 
of  Cinge,  came  with  his  Picts  to  help  the  Britons  of  Fortrenn, 
and  superseded  them  there  ;  and  this  again  corresponds  with 
the  statement  that  the  descendants  of  Braodn,  son  of  Fergus 
Leithdearg,  who  had  occupied  Dobhar  and  lardobhar  with  his 
Nemedians,  were  driven  out  by  the  Cruithnigli.  And  when 
we  are  told  that  Cruithnechan  settled  his  Picts  in  ]\Iagh 
Fortrenn  and  Maghghirghinn,  we  surely  have  the  same  legend 
repeated  in  the  supposed  settlement  of  the  sons  of  Core,  king 
of  Munster,  when  Cairpre  Cruithnechan  and  Maine  Leamhna 
settle  in  Maghghirghinn  and  Maghleamhna.  We  can  see  that 
under  these  legends  there  simply  lies  an  attempt  to  express 
in  these  stories  the  popular  conception  of  the  ethnic  relations 
of  local  tribes.  While  in  these  tales  the  true  localities  which 
form  the  scene  of  them  are  veiled  under  fictitious  names 
which  it  is  difhcult  to  identify,  there  are  others  where  the 
apparent  distinctness  and  accuracy  with  which  the  localities 
are  given  cast  an  air  of  verisimilitude  over  the  narrative,  and 
lead  to  the  supposition  that  there  must  have  been  some 
hititoric  foundation  for  them  ;  but  in  these  cases  it  will  gener- 
ally be  found  that  they  are  real  historic  events,  which  belong 
to  the  historic  period,  but  have  been  transported  to  the 
imaginary  realm  of  mythic  narrative  by  some  process  arising 
from  some  fancied  resemblance  in  the  names  of  the  actors. 
Tlie  most  striking  instance  of  this  is  in  the  tale  of  the  con- 
quests in  Alban  by  the  Dathi,  the  second  last  of  the  pagan 
monarchs  of  Ireland.  The  scene  is  laid  in  Maghghirghinn,  but 
this  name  we  know  is  the  original  form  of  the  name  corrupted 
into  Mearns,  and  belongs  to  a  district  now  represented  by 


CHAIMII.J  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  123 

Kincardineshire,  but  which  formerly  appears  to  liave  inchided 
part  of  Forfarshire  south  of  it  and  Mar  on  the  north.  Here 
he  fought  the  battles  of  Srath  and  Maghghirghinn,  and  the 
other  names  mentioned  in  the  story  can  also  be  identified. 

Tuirrin,  the  palace  of  the  Pictish  king  Feredach  Finn,  is 
no  doubt  the  liill  of  Turin  in  the  parish  of  Eescobie  in  For- 
farshire, about  600  feet  high,  on  the  top  of  which,  according 
to  the  writer  in  the  old  Statistical  Account,  '  there  has  evi- 
dently been  anciently  a  stronghold  or  place  of  defence,  con- 
sisting of  various  extensive  contiguous  buildings,  with  a 
circular  citadel  of  about  forty  yards  in  diameter.  The  situa- 
tion has  been  well  chosen,  being  secured  by  an  impregnable 
rock  in  front,  much  like  the  face  of  Salisbury  Crags,  and  of 
difficult  access  all  around.  It  is  now  called  Kemp  or  Camp 
Castle.' ^6  Glenfeadha  finds  its  modern  representative  in 
Fithie  in  the  adjoining  parish  of  Farnell,  where  too  we  find 
Gort  an  Chairthe  corrupted  into  Carcary.  This  battle  seems, 
however,  to  have  been  an  historic  event,  and  to  have  really 
taken  place  in  the  eighth  century,  for  the  old  chronicler 
Tighernac  records,  in  the  year  752,  the  battle  of  Strath,  in 
the  land  of  Circinn  or  Maghghirghinn,  between  the  Pictones, 
in  which  Bruidhi,  son  of  Maelchon,  was  slain.^''  There, 
by  an  anachronism  which  it  is  difficult  to  explain,  the  well- 
known  Bruidhe  mac  Maelchon,  who  died  200  years  l)efore, 
takes  the  place  of  Feredach  Finn.  This  battle  really  took 
place  in  the  reign  of  the  great  Pictish  king  Angus,  son  of 
Fergus  ;  but  we  find  in  763,  eleven  years  after  this  battle  was 
fought,  the  Pictish  throne  occupied  by  Cinadon,  son  of  Fere- 
dach, and,  at  the  same  time,  the  prince  who  ruled  over  Dal- 
riada,  after  its  conquest  by  the  Pictish  monarch,  is  Muredach 
ua  Dathi,  or  grandson  of  Dathi.  The  same  battle  appears  a 
century  later  in  Hector  Boece's  fictitious  narrative,  where  the 

•'*'  Stat.  Ace.  (1791-99),  vol.  xiv.       inter  Pictones  invicem  in  quo  ceci- 
p.  (302.  dit  Bruidhi  mac  Mailchon.— y^^^. 

•'•'■  Cath  a  sreith  in  terra  Circin       Chron.  Picfs  and  Scots,  p.  7G. 


124  LEGENDARY  orJCINS.  |bo(.k  iii. 

Scots  under  their  king  Alpin  deieat  and  slay  on  the  same 
spot  Feredach,  king  of  the  Picts. 

AVhen  we  see  these  Irish  mouarchs,  however,  not  only 
conquering  Alban  and  making  settlements  there,  but  extend- 
ing their  conquests  over  Britain  and  Gaul,  and  carrying  their 
arms  even  to  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  the 
suspicion  that  we  have  here  localised  as  Irish  kings  some  of 
the  Eoman  emperors  connected  with  the  Eoman  province  in 
Britain,  and  some  of  their  acts  transferred  to  Ireland,  and 
that  this  is  the  true  source  of  many  of  these  fabulous 
events,  so  far  as  there  is  any  foundation  for  them  at  all. 
Thus  we  find  a  parallel  to  the  revolt  of  the  Attachtuatha, 
or  servile  tribes  of  Ireland,  against  the  Milesian  kings,  which 
was  finally  suppressed  by  Tuathal  Teachtmhar,  in  the  insur- 
rection of  the  serf  population  of  Gaul,  called  the  Bagaudte  in 
the  reign  of  the  emperor  Diocletian,  which  was  suppressed  by 
his  colleague  Herculius  Maximian.  Cairbre  Cinncait,  who 
was  enabled  to  seize  the  throne  of  Ireland  as  their  leader,  and 
reigned  five  years,  has  his  counterpart  in  Carausius,  who,  by 
the  help  of  these  Bagaudte,  revolted  against  Maximian,  and 
ruled  for  seven  years  in  Britain  as  an  independent  emperor. 
Conn  of  the  hundred  battles,  under  whom  Ireland  became 
divided  into  two  provinces,  may  be  a  shadow  of  Constantine 
the  Great,  in  whose  time  the  provinces  of  Britain  were  divided ; 
and  in  Niall  of  the  Nine  Hostages,  and  Dathi  the  fighter  of  so 
many  battles,  who  carried  their  arms  to  the  foot  of  the  Alps, 
we  may  possibly  recognise  Theodosius  and  Maximus,  the 
emperors  who  preceded  the  termination  of  the  Eoman  power 
in  Britain,  and  fought  battles  in  North  Britain. 

The  Conquests  in  Alban  under  Crimthau  Mor  mac  Fid- 
haigh,  and  his  designation  as  king  of  Erinn  and  Alban,  have 
perhaps  a  historic  foundation  of  a  different  kind.  The  first 
really  historical  appearance  of  the  Scots  in  Britain  is  in  the 
year  360,  when,  in  conjunction  with  the  Picts,  they  attacked 


CHAi'.  III.]  LEGENDAllY  ORIGINS.  125 

the  Eoman  province  in  Britain.  The  attack  was  repeated  by 
the  Scots  and  Picts,  who  were  now  joined  by  the  Attacotti 
and  Saxons  in  364,  and  they  ravaged  the  whole  province  till 
the  year  369,  when  they  were  driven  back  by  Theodosius, 
and  the  province  restored.  Now  the  Annals  of  the  Four 
Masters  place  the  commencement  of  Crimthan's  reign  in  366, 
and  he  reigned  twelve  years.  The  period  of  his  supposed 
conquests  in  North  Britain  synchronises  with  the  appearance 
of  the  Scots  in  Britain,  as  recorded  by  the  Eoman  historian. 
So  also  the  subsequent  conquests  under  Niall  Mor  and  Dathi, 
and  the  supposed  settlement  of  the  Munster  Scots  under  Core, 
king  of  Munster,  with  the  three  devastations  of  the  province 
by  the  Picts  and  Scots  recorded  by  Gildas,  the  first  two  of 
which  were  repelled  by  the  Roman  general  Stilicho,  and  the 
last  by  the  provincial  Britons  themselves.  The  period  of 
these  attacks  extended  from  the  year  360  to  409,  but  it  is 
quite  clear,  from  the  concurrent  testimony  of  all  the  authori- 
ties which  record  them,  that  the  Scots  were  driven  back  to 
Ireland,  and  that  they  effected  no  permanent  settlement  in 
Britain  till  the  end  of  the  sixth  century,  when  the  Dalriadic 
colony  was  established  in  the  southern  part  of  the  great 
western  district  of  Arregaithel  or  Argyll. 

We  have  then,  prior  to  that  date,  merely  temporary  con-  Eariy 
quests  ni  the  province  ot  Britain,  commencing  m  360,  which  between 
afford  the  sole  historic  basis  to  these  supposed  settlements,  and  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  prior  to  360  a  single  Scotever 
set  foot  in  North  Britain.     The  connection  between  the  two 
countries  of  Scotland  and  Ireland  was,  notwithstanding,  a  very 
intimate  one.    It  is  quite  clear  that  prior  to  the  settlement  of 
the  Scots  in  Dalriada,the  great  nation  of  the  Cruithnigh  or  Picts 
formed  the  sole  inhabitants  of  Britain  north  of  the  Firths  of 
Forth  and  Clyde  ;  but  while  we  find  them  during  the  historic 
period  likewise  in  possession  of  that  part  of  the  province  of 
Ulster  known  as  Dalnaraidhe  or  Dalaradia,and  Uladh, extend- 


1 2(;  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  hi. 

iug  from  the  Boyne  along  its  eastern  shore  to  the  border  of  Irish 
Dalriada,  and  likewise  of  that  part  of  Meath  termed  Magh- 
breg  or  Bregia,  yet  these  early  legends  present  them  to  us 
as  forming  the  original  inliabitants  of  the  north  of  Ireland, 
and  as  constitnting  one  great  nation  peopling  the  northern 
districts  of  Britain  and  Galloway  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Channel,  and  the  whole  province  of  Ulster  and  part  of  Meath 
on  the  western,  while  the  Scots  occnpied  the  rest  of  Leinster 
and  the  whole  of  Connaught  and  Munster.  The  Cruithnigh 
of  both  countries  were  thus  substantially  one  people,  and  re- 
mained so  till  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century,  and 
during  this  time  there  nmst  have  been  a  constant  intercom- 
munication between  the  tribes  on  both  sides  of  the  Channel, 
as  well  as  a  community  of  early  legends  among  them.  Thus 
the  Pictish  Chronicle  tells  us  that  thirty  kings  of  the  name  of 
Bruide  ruled  over  Hibernia  and  Albania  during  a  period  of 
150  years,  and  the  Irish  Nennius  derives  the  statement  from 
the  books  of  the  Cruithnigh,  while  an  early  legend  of  the 
Picts  of  Dalnaraidhe  states  that '  thirtvkin^s  of  the  Cruithnio-h 
ruled  over  Erin  and  Alban,  viz.,  of  the  Cruithnigh  of  Alban 
and  of  Erin,  viz.,  of  the  Dalnaraidhe  from  Ollamhan,  from 
whence  comes  Mur  Ollamhan  at  Teamhair  or  Tara  to  Fiacha 
mac  Baedan,  who  fettered  the  hostages  of  Erin  and  Alban.' 
This  latter  event  was  in  the  historic  time,  and  must  have 
occurred  between  589  and  626,  when  Fiacha  mac  Baedan  was 
king  of  Ulster.  From  this  period  may  therefore  be  dated  the 
political  separation  of  the  Picts  of  Alban  from  those  of  Erin, 
who  had  hitherto  been  governed  as  one  nation.  The  same 
legend  likewise  informs  us  that  '  seven  kings  of  the  Cruith- 
nigh of  Alban  governed  Erinn  in  Teamhair  or  Tara.  Ollanih 
was  the  name  of  the  first  king  that  governed  Erinn  at  Tea- 
mhair and  in  Cruachan  thirty  years.  It  is  from  him  Mur 
Ollamhan  at  Teamhair  is  ;  by  him  was  the  feast  of  Teamhair 
first  instituted.'     Then,  after  naming  his  six  successors,  the 


CHAP.  III. J  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  TJ? 

legend  adds, '  These  tlien  are  the  seven  kinos  that  ruled  over 
Erin  of  the  Cruithnigh  of  Alban.'  ^^  These  seven  kings,  how- 
ever, appear  in  the  list  of  the  mythic  pagan  kings  of  Ireland, 
and  are  placed  as  such  by  the  Annals  of  tlie  Four  Masters  as 
far  back  as  from  the  year  of  the  world  3883  to  4019,  that  is, 
from  the  year  1317  to  1181  before  Christ,  each  of  the  seven 
kings  reigning  exactly  thirty  years.  The  first  was  Ollandi 
Fodla,  who  is,  of  course,  said  to  be  of  the  race  of  Ir,  and  to 
him  is  attributed  the  tribal  organisation  of  his  people ;  for 
according  to  the  Annals  of  the  Four  Masters,  '  it  was  he  also 
that  appointed  a  Toisech  over  every  Triocha  Ceud  or  barony, 
and  a  Bruighigh  over  every  Baile  or  township,  who  were  all 
to  serve  the  king  of  Erin.'  Under  the  name  of  Fodla  he 
appears  in  the  Pictish  Chronicle  as  one  of  the  seven  sons  of 
Cruithne,  and  two  of  his  succesors,  viz.,  Gede  Ollgudach  and 
Finnachta,  appear  in  the  list  of  the  Pictish  kings  of  Scotland 
among  his  immediate  successors,  and  precede  the  thirty  kings 
of  the  name  of  Brude.  The  numbers  peculiar  to  the  Pictish 
legends  are  seven,  and  thirty,  and  have,  of  course,  no  chrono- 
logical significance. 

But  the  most  brilliant  period  of  the  mythic  history  of  these 
Cruithnigh  of  Ulster  was  that  when  the  champions  of  the 
Order  of  the  lied  Branch  at  Eamhain  or  Eniania  were  sup- 
posed to  have  performed  their  great  achievements.  They  are 
placed  in  the  fabulous  history  about  the  commencement  of 
the  Christian  era,  and  here  we  find  abundant  indications  of 
the  close  connection  between  the  Cruithnigh  of  Erin  and  of 
Alban.  Among  these  ancient  Irish  tales  are  three  which  are 
termed  the  Three  Sorrowful  Stories  of  Erin,  namely  the  story 
of  the  tragical  fate  of  the  children  of  Lir,  the  story  of  the 
children  of  Uisneach,  and  the  story  of  the  sons  of  Tuirinn.-'^ 

■^^  Chron.  of  the  Picts  and  Scots,  of  the  children  of  Uisneach,  from 

pp.  320  and  526.  which  the  (quotations  are  here  made, 

"•'  O'Curry,  J]IS.  Materials  of  An-  will  be  found  in  the  Transactions  of 

cientlrisli  History,]}.  319.  The  story  the  Gaelic  Society  of  Dublin. 


12S  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  in. 

From  the  second  of  these  tales  we  learn  that  about  this 
time  Cathbad,  a  Druid  of  the  Picts  of  Ulster,  has  three 
(laugliters.  The  eldest,  Dectcum,  was  the  mother  of  the 
celebrated  champion  Cuchullin ;  the  second,  Albe,  was  the 
mother  of  Naisi,  Ainle,  and  Ardan,  the  three  sons  of  Uisneach  ; 
and  the  third,  Finncaemh,  was  the  mother  of  Conall  Cearnach. 
These  champions  were  all  trained  in  a  military  school  at 
Sgathaig  in  tlie  island  of  Skye,  kept  by  Aife  and  her  father 
Scathaidh,  and  by  Aife  Cuchullin  had  a  son,  Connlaoch,  whose 
liistory  forms  one  of  the  Fenian  tales.  The  place  called 
.Sgathaig  can  be  still  identified.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
parish  of  Slate  in  Skye,  on  an  isolated  rock  overhanging  the 
arm  of  the  sea  termed  Loch  Eishart,  are  the  remains  of  an 
(Ad  castle  now  termed  Dunscaich  ;  and  below  it,  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  shore,  is  a  small  island  on  which  is  still  to 
be  seen  one  of  those  ancient  vitrified  forts  which  are  so  closely 
connected  with  these  Fenian  tales.  It  is  likewise  called 
Dunsgathaig  or  Dunscaich,  and  was  no  doubt  the  site  of 
Aife's  supposed  school.  Looking  across  this  arm  of  the  sea, 
the  magnificent  and  most  picturesque  range  of  the  Coolins 
form  the  principal  feature  in  the  landscape,  and  hence  the 
three  sons  of  Uisneach,  supposed  to  have  been  trained  to  the 
use  of  arms  here,  are  termed  in  the  tale  '  The  Three  Falcons 
of  Sleibhe  Cuillinn,'  that  is,of  the  Coolin  liills,  now  improperly 
termed  Cuchullin  hills. ■**^  On  their  return  to  Ulster,  Naisi, 
the  eldest,  falls  in  love  with  a  fair  girl  Deirdri,  who  had 
been  reared  in  a  tower  by  Conchubhar,  king  of  Ulster,  with 
the  view  of  making  her  his  wife.     Naisi  carries  her  off,  and, 

■"  Tlie  old  Gaelic  names  of  the  writers  of  these  books  seem  to  have 

leading    physical    features   of    the  invented   an  orthography  of  their 

Highlands  have  been  so  perverted  own,  which  they  suppose  to  repre- 

by   the   numerous   guide-books    to  sent  Gaelic  words,  but  are  neither 

which  the  attraction  of  the  country  one  thing  nor  another.    One  of  their 

to  tourists  has  given  rise,  that  the  most  successful  inventions  is  that 

older  forms  well  known  some  thirty  of  the  Cuchullin  hills  in  Skye. 
years  ago  are  almost  gone.      The 


CHAP,  m.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  129 

accompanied  by  his  two  brothers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
warriors,  goes  to  Alban,  where  they  settled  in  a  wild  therein, 
and  obtained  maintenance  of  quarterage,  that  is,  an  appanage 
or  land  of  maintenance  to  be  held  for  service  from  the  king 
of  that  country.  The  sons  of  Uisneach  are  said  in  the  tale  to 
have  defended  by  the  might  of  their  hands  a  district  and  a 
half  of  Alban,andare  called 'the  Three  Dragons  of  Dunmonadh,' 
which  seems  to  have  been  the  residence  of  the  kings,  as  it 
afterwards  was  of  the  Scottish  kings  of  Dalriada,  and  may  be 
identified  as  the  isolated  hill  in  the  Crinan  Moss  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Add,  the  top  of  which  bears  the  remains  of 
a  strong  fortification,  and  which  was  also  called  Dunadd.  In 
another  poem  Naisi  is  said  to  have  visited  the  daughter  of 
the  Lord  of  Duntreoin  on  his  return  from  the  north  of  Inver- 
nois  or  Inverness,  and  this  is  Duntroon,  an  old  castle  on  the 
north  side  of  Loch  Crinan. 

The  place  where  the  sons  of  Uisneach  settled,  and  where 
they  obtained  their  land  of  maintenance,  was  on  the  north 
shore  of  the  arm  of  the  sea  called  Loch  Etive,  where  their 
seat  was  no  other  than  that  remarkable  vitrified  fort  crowning 
the  summit  of  a  considerable  hill  on  the  shore  of  the  bay  of 
Ardrauchnish,  now  called  Dun  mac  Sniochan,  a  corruption  of 
the  name  Dun  mhic  Uisncachan,  and  to  which  Hector  Boece 
gave  the  fanciful  name  of  Beregonium.  Here  they  are  said 
to  have  had  three  booths  of  chase — one  in  which  they  prepared 
their  food,  one  in  which  they  ate  it,  and  one  in  which  they 
slept.  Conchubhar  now  resolves  to  tempt  them  to  return  to 
Ulster,  with  the  treacherous  purpose  of  killing  them  and 
taking  Deirdre,  but  is  told  that  they  will  not  come  unless 
either  Cuchullin,  or  Conall  Cearnach,  or  Fergus,  son  of  Eoigh, 
another  of  the  champions  of  the  Eed  Branch,  will  go  for  them 
and  ensure  their  safety.  Cuchullin  and  Conall  Cearnach  both 
refuse,  but  Fergus  agrees  to  go,  finds  them  at  Loch-n-Eitc  or 
Loch  Etive,  and  at  the  Dainghion  mhic  n-Uisnech  or  fastness 
VOL.  m.  I 


130  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  in. 

of  the  sons  of  Uisneach,  and  persuades  them  to  return,  much 
against  the  wish  of  Deirdre,  who  expresses  her  regret  at  leaving 
that  eastern  land  with  its  delightful  harbours  and  bays,  its 
dear  beauteous  plains  of  soft  verdure,  and  its  sprightly  green- 
sided  hills,  and  then  utters  a  beautiful  lament  on  leaving  that 
'  beloved  land,  that  eastern  land,  Alban  with  its  wonders.'*^ 
Deirdre  tells  Fergus  that  the  sway  of  the  sons  of  Uisneach  in 
Alban  is  greater  than  that  of  Conchubhar  in  Erin,  and  her 
lament  bears  this  out,  for  the  scenery  of  it  embraces  the 
whole  of  the  eastern  part  of  Argyllshire  from  the  Linnhe  Loch 
to  Loch  Long,  and  among  the  places  mentioned  we  can 
identify  Glen  Etive  at  the  head  of  Loch  Etive,  Inistrynich  in 
Loch  Awe,  Dun  Suibhne  or  Castle  Swen  in  Knapdale, 
Glenlaidhe,  or  Glenlochy,  and  Glenurchy  at  the  east  end  of 
Loch  Awe,  Glenmasan  and  Glendaruel  in  Cowall.^'  Alban 
now  drops  out  of  the  tale,  and  it  is  unnecessary  for  our 
purpose  to  follow  further  the  tragical  fate  of  the  sons  of 
Uisneach  after  their  return  to  Ulster.  We  find,  however, 
that  Conall  Cearnach,  another  of  these  heroes  of  the  Cruith- 
nigh  of  Ulster,  has  left  his  traces  in  the  same  part  of  the 
country,  for  Dean  Munro,  in  his  description  of  the  Western 
Isles  in  1549,  tells  us  of  Dunchonill,  one  of  the  group  of  the 
Garveloch  Isles  which  lie  off  the  coast  of  Lome — '  Dunchonill, 
ane  iyle  so  namit  from  Conal  Kernache,  ane  strength,  which 
is  alsmeikle  as  to  say  in  Englische,  ane  round  castle.'  One  of 
the  legends  of  the  Cruithnigh  of  Ulster  tells  us  that  Conall 
Cearnach  married  Loncetna,  the  daughter  of  Echdhe  Each- 
beoil  of  Alban,  who  was  a  Cruithnigh,  by  whom  he  had 
Irial  Glinmar,  and  adds,  '  This  was  the  cause  which  brought 
Cuchulain  and  Curoi  son  of  Daire  from  Alban  to  Erin.'*^ 
The  mother  of  Curoi,  we  learn  from  other  legends,  was  Moran 

'*'•  A  translation  from  the  oldest  *-  lb. ,  p.  Ixxxviii.  note, 
copy  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  in- 
troduction to  the  Dean  of  Lismore's  '^^  Chronicles    of   the  Pids    and 
Book,  p.  Ixxxvii.  Scots,  p.  319. 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDARY  OEIGINS.  131 

Mannanach,  the  sister  of  Loncetna.  A  curious  notice  of  the 
Pictish  king  Echdhe  Eachbeoil  and  the  intimate  connection 
between  the  Cruithnigh  on  both  sides  of  the  Irish  Channel 
has  been  preserved  to  us  in  the  very  ancient  document  called 
Cormac's  Glossary,  where,  under  the  word  '  Fir,  i.e.  find '  or 
white,  we  are  told — '  This,  then,  was  the  appearance  of  the 
cows  of  Echaid  Echbel  from  Alban  which  Curoi  captured, 
that  is,  white  cows  with  red  ears  ; '  and  another  MS.  adds — 
'  These  cows,  then,  of  Echaid  Echbel  used  to  come  to  graze 
from  Ard-Echdai  Echbeil,  from  Alban  into  the  district  of 
Dalriatta,  and  they  used  to  be  in  Seimne  Ulad.  Curoi, 
however,  carried  them  off  by  force  from  the  Ulad  or  Ulster 
men.'  ** 

We  thus  see  how  completely  the  idea  of  a  close  connection, 
amounting  to  identity  both  of  race  and  nation,  between  the 
Pictish  inhabitants  of  North  Britain  and  the  Cruithnigh  of 
Ireland,  runs  through  these  popular  tales,  and  expresses  a 
true  state  of  matters  which  goes  far  to  explain  the  supposed 
conquests  and  settlements  under  the  Irish  kings  of  the  mythic 
and  heroic  period  in  Scotland.  Although  attributed  to  kings 
of  the  different  races  into  which  the  descendants  of  Milesius 
were  supposed  to  be  divided,  we  can  see  that  there  is  always 
a  tendency  to  connect  them  with  the  Cruithnigh  of  Ulster. 
Thus  the  Fothadhs  are  by  one  account  of  the  race  of  Ith,and 
by  another  Cruithnigh  of  Ulster.  When  we  read  of  the  sons 
of  Nemhead  settling  in  Dobhar  and  lardobhar  in  North 
Britain,  under  Braodn  the  son  of  Fergus  Leithderg,  we  are 
reminded  at  once  of  the  historic  king  of  the  Picts,  Brude,  son 
of  Urgust  or  Fergus.  When  we  are  told  that  the  Tuatha  De 
Danaan  proceeded  from  the  same  district  and  bestowed  upon 
Ireland  the  three  designations  of  Eire,  Fodla,  and  Banba,  from 
the  names  of  the  three  queens  of  their  three  last  kings,  we 
cannot  avoid  noticing  that  these  three  names  are  likewise 

**  Cormac's  Glossary,  edited  by  Mr.  Whitley  Stokes,  p.  72. 


132  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  iii. 

preserved  in  Scotland  in  the  river  Earn  ;  ^^  in  Fodla,  one  of 
the  seven  districts  named  after  the  seven  sons  of  Cruithnigh, 
and  which  is  preserved  in  Athfotla,  the  old  name  of  Atholl ; 
and  in  Banff.  We  see  too  that  whenever  a  Scot  is  said 
dnring  this  mythic  period  to  have  settled  in  Alban  he  is 
usually  said  to  be  the  son  of  the  daughter  of  a  Pictish  king, 
and  to  have  inherited  through  his  mother.  Thus  Colla  Uais, 
of  the  race  of  Eremon,  has  a  Pictish  mother,  and  so  have  the 
two  sons  of  Core,  king  of  Munster ;  and  there  is  reason  to 
suppose  that  among  the  Pictish  tribes  marriage  was  exogamous 
and  that  the  son  of  a  Pictish  mother  even  by  a  stranger  was 
held  to  belong  to  the  tribe  of  his  mother.  Other  points  of  a 
connection  between  these  Irish  legends  and  those  of  Scotland 
also  suggest  themselves.  In  the  story  of  the  insurrection  of  the 
Attachtuatha,  or  servile  tribes  of  Ireland,  against  the  Milesian 
Scots,  we  are  told  that  the  nobility  of  the  latter  were  cut  off 
at  a  great  banquet  given  by  the  Attachtuatha,  and  that  none 
escaped  except  three  nobles  who  were  in  their  mothers'  womb. 
This  same  legend  is  reproduced  in  the  legendary  history  of 
Scotland,  when  the  supposed  destruction  of  the  Picts  by  the 
Scots  in  the  ninth  century  is  said  to  have  been  effected  in  the 
same  manner,  the  nobles  of  the  Picts  ha\dng  been  cut  off  by 
the  Scots  at  a  great  banquet.^*^ 
The  two-  The  twofold  division  of  the  Scots,  supposed  to  have  taken 

siou  of  the  place  in  the  reign  of  Conn  of  the  hundred  battles,  has  also  its 
the  estab-  parallelism  in  Scotland  ;  and  if  Bede  recognised  the  division 
of'scone  as  ^^  Ireland  into  the  two  jDrovinces  of  the  Northern  and  the 
orthe^'*^'^^  Southern  Scots,  he  equally  viewed  the  territory  occupied  by 
kingdom,  h^q  great  Pictish  nation  as  consisting  of  the  two  provinces  of 
the  Northern  and  the  Southern  Picts,  who  were  separated 
from  each  other  '  by  steep  and  rugged  mountain  chains,  within 

^5  The  form  of  this  uame  as  we       laud. — See  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots, 
tind  it  in  St.  Berchan's  prophecy  is       pp.  84,  88,  and  98. 
identical  with  that  of  Erin  or  Ire-  '*''  Chron.  Picts  and  Scots,  p.  165. 


CHAP.  III.]  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  133 

which  the  latter  had  seats,'  a  descriptiou  which  can  only 
apply  to  the  great  chain  of  the  Mounth,  extending  from  the 
Eastern  Sea  to  the  Western  Sea,  and  separating  the  counties 
of  Aberdeen  and  Inverness  from  those  of  Kincardine,  Forfar, 
and  Perth ;  and  to  those  minor  chains  proceeding  from  it  on 
the  south,  which,  as  they  terminate  in  the  more  level  country, 
form  the  great  barrier  of  the  so-called  Grampians.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  great  Pictish  kingdom  we  find  Scone  appearing 
as  the  principal  seat  and  central  point  of  the  monarchy,  and 
Fordun  gives  as  one  tradition  'that  it  had  been  anciently  fixed 
as  the  principal  seat  of  the  kingdom  by  both  the  Pictish  and 
Scottish  kings  ;'  and  as  another  '  that  the  ancient  kings,  even 
from  the  time  of  Cruithne,  the  first  king  of  the  Picts,  had 
made  it  the  seat  of  the  kingdom  of  Alban.''*'^  Scone  is  situ- 
ated on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Tay,  and  within  the  ancient 
district  of  Gouerin  or  Gowry,  and  the  circumstances  connected 
with  this  district,  and  with  Scone  as  the  ancient  capital  of 
Scotland,  present  features  very  analogous  to  those  recorded  in 
the  legend  by  which  the  province  of  Meath  was  formed,  and 
Teamhair  or  Tara  constituted  the  chief  seat  of  the  monarchy. 
As  Meath  was  situated  where  the  four  ancient  provinces  of 
Ulster,  Connaught,  Munster,  and  Leinster  meet,  so  also  Gowry 
is  placed  in  a  central  position  where  the  four  ancient  provinces 
of  Alban — namely  those  of  Stratherne  and  Menteath,  of 
Atholl  (to  which  it  appears  at  one  time  to  have  been  attached), 
of  Angus  and  Mearns,  and  of  Fife  and  Fothreve — touch  each 
other.  As  the  originally  small  district  of  Meath  was  enlarged 
into  a  province  by  adding  four  districts,  each  of  which  was 
taken  from  one  of  the  other  districts,  so  we  find  that  there 
were  four  royal  manors  of  Gowry,  viz.  those  of  Scone,  Cubert, 
Forgrund,  and  Straderdel.^^      These  too  surround  a  small 

^^  Fordun's  Chronicle,   ed.   1874,  '  in  principale  sede  regni  nostri  fun- 

vol.  i.  pp.  227,  430.  data,'  in  which  he  conveys  to  them 

^  There  is  a  charter  by  Malcolm  the  titles  '  de  quatuor  maneriis  meis 

the  Fourth  to  the  canons  of  Scone,  de  Gouerin  scilicet  de  Scon,  et  de 


134  LEGENDARY  ORIGINS.  [book  in. 

central  district,  and  eacli  lies  contiguous  to  one  of  the  four 
provinces.  Scone,  forming  the  western  district  of  Govvry,  is 
separated  by  the  river  Tay  from  the  old  province  of  Fortrenn; 
Cubert  or  Coupar- Angus,  on  the  north-east,  adjoins  Angus  or 
Forfarshire ;  Forgrund,  now  Longforgan,  on  the  south-east,  is 
separated  by  the  Tay  from  a  parish  in  Fife  bearing  the  same 
name ;  and  Stratherdel  or  Strathardle,  on  the  north,  lies 
within  the  barrier  of  the  Grampians,  and  stretches  along  the 
eastern  boundary  of  Atholl.  As  Meath  was  the  old  mensal 
land  set  apart  for  the  support  of  the  Crown,  so  we  find 
Gowry  too  appears  to  have  been  a  Crown  demesne ;  and  as 
Teamhair  or  Tara  was  not  only  the  place  where  the  Ardri 
or  sovereign  of  Ireland  was  inaugurated,  and  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom  framed  and  published,  but  was  so  completely  re- 
garded as  the  central  point  of  the  monarchy  that  the  kingdom 
was  often  termed  the  Kingdom  of  Tara,  so  we  find  the  ancient 
kings  of  Alban  inaugurated  and  the  laws  of  the  kingdom 
promulgated  at  Scone ;  and  when  Kenneth,  the  first  of  the 
Scottish  line,  overthrew  the  Pictish  dynasty,  he  is  said  in 
the  oldest  chronicler  who  records  the  event  to  have  acquired 
'  the  kingdom  of  Scone.'  ^^ 

Cubert  et  de  Fergrund  et  de  Strath-  ■*■'  Chron.   Picts  and  Scots,  pp.  9 

erdel. ' — Chr.  of  Scone,  p.  6.  and  21. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TFJBE  IN  IRELAND,  135 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

THE   TUATH   OR   TRIBE  IN   IRELAND. 

The  population  of  Scotland  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Mixed 
Third  was,  as  we  have  seen,  of  a  very  mixed  character.  The  ofScUiand. 
southern  frontier  of  the  kingdom  had  by  this  time  been 
advanced  to  the  Solway  and  the  Cheviots,  while  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  Isles  in  his  reign  had  extended  its  western 
boundary  to  its  utmost  limits.  Over  the  whole  of  this 
extended  territory  the  name  of  Scotland,  originally  limited  to 
the  country  north  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  had  now  spread, 
and  we  find  the  area  of  this  extended  kingdom  occupied  by  a 
population  consisting  of  three  different  races.  These  were,  in 
the  mountainous  region  of  the  north  and  west,  the  Gael  or 
Highlanders,  the  descendants  of  the  Northern  Picts  of  pure 
Gaelic  race,  and  of  the  Gaelic  Scots  who  had  settled  among 
them.  The  more  fertile  and  level  plains  forming  the  eastern 
seaboard,  extending  from  the  Moray  Firth  to  the  Cheviots, 
had  originally  been  possessed  by  the  Southern  Picts,  a  mixed 
race  partly  of  Gael  and  partly  of  Britons,  but  the  Angles  of 
Northumberland  had  by  degrees  colonised  the  whole  of  it. 
On  the  west  the  Britons  of  Strathclyde  had  extended  from 
the  Clyde  to  the  Solway,  but  had  likewise  given  way  to  the 
Anglic  colonisation ;  while  Galloway  west  of  the  Nith  was 
still  occupied  by  a  Gaelic  people,  who  had  encroached  upon 
the  British  territory  by  occupying  the  district  of  Carrick  in 
the  south,  the  Northern  Gael  having  likewise  encroached  on 
its  northern  frontier  by  spreading  over  the  district  of  Lennox. 


136  THE  TUATII  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  [book  in. 

Somcesof         The  actual  population  of  Scotland  liad  thus  consisted  of 

intonna- 

tionasto    three  races — the  two  Celtic  peoples  of  the  Gael  and  the 

tliGir  c'lrl  V 

social  state.  Bry  tlion  or  Britons,  and  the  Teutonic  people  of  the  Angles. 
To  these  races  had  been  added  by  King  David  the  First  and 
his  successors  the  Norman  barons,  who  were  overlords  of  a 
great  part  of  the  territory  of  the  kingdom,  while  a  Norwegian 
population  may  to  some  extent  have  still  lingered  in  the 
Western  Isles.  In  endeavouring  to  ascertain  the  early  social 
organisation  of  these  three  races,  besides  the  few  hints  which 
historical  documents  afford,  we  have  the  advantage  of  an 
ancient  code  of  laws  of  each  race.  For  the  Angles  we  have 
the  Anglo-Saxon  laws,  and  for  the  Britons  the  early  laws  and 
institutions  of  Wales,  both  published  by  the  Eecord  Com- 
mission.i  For  the  Gael  we  have  the  ancient  laws  of  Ireland, 
commonly  called  the  Brehon  Laws,  now  in  course  of  publica- 
tion;- and  besides  these  there  has  been  preserved  a  small 
code  in  Scotland  termed  the  Laws  of  the  Picts  and  Scots, 
and  some  fragments  of  ancient  law  retained  in  the  hands  of 
the  different  kings  of  the  race  of  David  i.^ 

Tribal  or-  It  is  with  the  Celtic  races  alone  that  we  have  to  do  in 

ganisation 
of  the 
Gaelic  race. 


of  the         this  work,  and  principally  with  those  of  Gaelic  race,  who 


alone  preserved  a  separate  and  independent  existence  in 
Scotland  ;  and  an  examination  of  all  those  documents  which 
tend  to  throw  light  upon  the  early  social  organisation  of  the 
Gaelic  as  well  as  of  the  Cymric  race  leads  us  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  not  territorial  or  purely  patriarchal,  but  was  based 
on  the  community  or  tribe.  Among  the  people  of  Gaelic  race 
the  original  social  unit  appears  to  have  been  the  Tuath,  a 
name  originally  applied  to  the  tribe,  but  which  came  to 

'  Ancient    Laws    and    Institutes  '^  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  \., 

of  England,    edited    by   Benjamin  vol.  ii.,  vol.  iii. 
Thorpe,  1840. 

Ancient   Laics   and   Institutes   of  ^  See  Acts  of  the  Parliaments  of 

Wales,   edited   by  Aneurin  Owen,  Scotland,  edited  by  Cosmo  Innes, 

1841.  vol.  i. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TKIBE  IN  IKELAND.  137 

signify  also  the  territory  occupied  by  the  tribe  community ;  * 
but  when  we  endeavour  to  ascertain  the  original  constitution 
of  the  Tuath  or  tribe  of  the  Gaelic  race,  we  are  met  by  a  diffi- 
culty analogous  to  that  which  we  have  to  encounter  in 
investigating  the  history  of  their  language.  '  The  formation 
of  the  mother  tongue  belongs  to  the  prehistoric  period,  and  it 
is  a  process  which,  carried  on  in  the  infancy  and  growth  of 
the  social  state,  is  concealed  from  observation.  When  its 
possessors  first  emerge  into  view  and  take  their  place  among 
the  history  of  nations,  counter-influences  have  already  been 
at  work,  their  language  has  already  entered  upon  its  downward 
course,  and  we  can  only  watch  it  in  its  process  of  decomposi- 
tion and  alteration,  and  reach  its  primitive  condition  through 
the  medium  of  its  dialects.'  ^  So  it  is  with  the  tribe.  We 
nowhere  see  it  in  its  primitive  form.  When  it  first  emerges 
in  the  historic  period  it  has  already  entered  upon  a  course 
of  modification  and  change.  Various  influences  have  been 
at  work,  both  internal,  arising  from  the  natural  progress  of 
society,  and  external,  produced  from  the  contact  of  foreign 
organisations,  to  alter  existing  forms  and  introduce  new 
elements,  and  thus  it  undergoes  a  process  of  change 
which  leads  it  further  and  further  from  its  primitive  con- 
stitution. 

Two  leading  features  of  this  process  can,  however,  without  influences 
difficulty  be  detected,  and  may  be  assumed  as  tolerably  certain,  the  tribe. 
These  are,  first,  that  private  property  in  land  did  not  exist  at 
first,  but  emerged  from  a  right  of  common  property  vested  in 
the  community.  Personal  jDroperty  or  individual  property  in 
moveables  must  at  all  times  have  existed,  but  real  property 
or  individual  property  in  the  soil  is  of  much  later  origin,  and 

■*  Sir  Henry  Maine,  in  his  Early  Tuath  or  tribe   preceded  the  Fine 

History    of  Institutions,   considers  or  clan. 

that  the  unit  was  the  Fine  or  sept,  ^  See  the  author's  Introduction 

several  of  which  united  to  form  a  to  the  Dean  of  Lismore's  Book,  pp. 

tribe  ;  but  it  will  be  shown  that  the  xvii.  and  xviii. 


138  THE  TUATII  Oil  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  [nooK  in. 

is  an  excrescence  upon  the  common  use  or  property  of  the 
land  occupied  by  the  tribe,  and  is  inconsistent  witli  its  ori- 
ginal constitution.  The  second  feature  is,  that  the  social  unit 
was  not  the  individual  or  the  family  but  the  community  or 
tribe.  The  original  bond  of  union  between  the  members  of 
the  tribe  was  no  doubt  the  belief  in  a  common  origin,  a 
common  descent  from  the  eponymus,  whether  mythic  or  his- 
toric, from  whom  it  took  its  name ;  but  in  the  early  period  to 
which  we  must  refer  the  pure  primitive  tribe,  when  the  sanc- 
tions of  marriage  were  unknown,  and  a  loose  relation  between 
the  sexes  existed,  which  is  faintly  shadowed  forth  in  a  few 
scattered  notices  by  the  Roman  authors  of  this  relation  among 
the  Celtic  inhabitants  of  Britain  and  Ireland,  descent  through 
the  females  rather  than  the  males  must  have  been  viewed  as 
the  more  certain  link  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  here  as  elsewhere 
female  succession  preceded  a  representation  through  males, 
and  that  the  sons  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  their  mothers.*^ 
Vffed  of  The  early  state  of  the  tribe,  however,  soon  became  modified 

ductiou  of  not  only  by  internal  changes  but  also  by  external  influences. 
anUy/  Of  these  external  influences  not  the  least  powerful,  and  pro- 
bably the  first  in  order,  was  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
and  the  adaptation  of  the  Christian  Church  to  the  tribal 
system.  The  tribe  was  thus  brought  into  contact  with  a 
higher  civilisation  and  a  purer  code  of  morals.  The  lax  rela- 
tions between  the  sexes,  which  still  survived,  must  have  been 
checked  and  controlled,  the  sanction  of  marriage  enforced, 
by  which  the  father  is  placed  in  his  legitimate  position  as 
head  of  the  family,  and  the  rights  of  the  children  were 
clearly  defined,  and  the  older  connection  of  the  members  of 
the  tribe  through  females  reduced  in  some  cases  to  an  occa- 
sional right  of  succession  through  the  mother,  while  in 
others  it  entirely  disappeared. 

^  The  legendary  history  of  Ireland  contains  traces  of  the  higher  posi- 
tion of  the  female. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  139 

The  oldest  tenure  by  which  land  was  held  was  that  by  the  Land 
tribe  in  common.  When  the  tribes  passed  from  the  hunting  iTeid^n  ^ 
and  nomad  state  to  the  pastoral,  and  became  possessed  of  ^°™™°°" 
large  herds  of  cattle,  it  was  a  natural  consequence  that  each 
tribe  should  appropriate  a  special  territory  for  their  better 
management.  The  whole  of  the  regulation  of  these  ancient 
laws  is  evidently  based  upon  the  fact  that  cattle  formed  the 
principal  property  of  the  original  tribes  ;  and  long  after  indi- 
vidual property  in  land  had  become  an  essential  element  in 
the  constitution  of  the  tribe,  cattle  still  formed  the  standard 
of  value  by  which  everything  was  estimated.  That  a  right 
of  individual  property  in  the  cattle  existed  at  a  very  early 
period  seems  very  evident,  but  the  land  on  which  they  were 
pastured  was  the  common  property  of  the  tribe,  and,  after  the 
cultivation  of  land  began,  the  arable  land  was  annually  divided 
into  lots,  to  one  of  which  each  member  of  the  tribe  had  a 
right.  The  special  district  occupied  by  the  tribe  would  thus 
consist  of  pasture  land  held  by  the  tribe  in  common,  on  which 
each  member  had  a  right  to  pasture  the  cattle  which  belonged 
to  him  ;  arable  land  divided  into  lots  which  were  annually  or 
at  certain  periods  assigned  to  him  ;  and  unoccupied  and  waste 
land  remaining  as  the  common  property  of  the  tribe. 

These  rights  belonged,  however,  to  the  proper  members  of  Distinction 

,.  .  ,  ,    of  ranks  in 

the  tribe  only,  who  were  as  such  on  an  equality  with  each  the  tribe, 
other ;  but  there  soon  came,  from  other  external  influences, 
to  be  a  distinction  between  those  dwelling  within  the  bounds 
of  the  Tiiath  of  Saor  or  free,  and  Daor  or  unfree.  The  free- 
men of  the  tribe  were  alone  recognised  as  possessing  rights 
derived  from  the  original  constitution  of  the  tribe.  The 
origin  of  the  class  of  the  unfree  is  thus  stated  in  connection 
with  the  legendary  history  of  Ireland : — '  The  first  race  of 
them  were  the  remnant  of  the  Firbolg  themselves,  together 
with  the  remnant  of  the  Tuath  De  Danaan,'  the  legendary 
people  who  preceded  the  Milesian  Scots.     '  The  second  race, 


1 40  THE  TUATII  OR  Tl'JBE  IN  IRELAND.  [BOOK  iii. 

the  people  who  passed  from  their  own  countries,  they  being 
descended  from  Saor  chlann  (or  free  tribes),  who  went  under 
Daor-chios  (servile  rent)  to  another  tribe.  The  third  people 
were  the  race  of  the  Sao7'  chlann,  whose  land  was  converted 
into  Fearann-cJdaidhimh  (sword-land  or  conquered  country) 
in  their  own  territory,  and  who  remained  in  it  in  bondage 
under  the  power  of  their  enemies.  The  fourth  race  were 
people  of  Saor  chlann  who  passed  into  bondage  for  tlieir  evil 
deeds,  and  who  lost  their  blood  and  their  land  through  their 
evil  deeds,  according  to  the  law.  The  fifth  people  were  those 
who  came  from  stranger  soldiers,  i.e.  from  external  mercen- 
aries who  left  property  in  Erin.  The  sixth  race  were  the 
people  who  were  descended  from  the  bondmen  who  came 
with  the  Milesians  into  Erin,'  that  is,  who  and  their  fore- 
fathers had  always  been  bondsmen.'' 
The  7?i  Besides  this  great  distinction  between  the  free  and  the 

or  king. 

unfree,  the  free  members  of  the  tribe  contained  within  them- 
selves one  distinction  which  must  have  always  existed 
among  them,  and  the  germs  of  others  which  became  gradually 
more  prominent  as  the  operation  of  the  causes  which  led  to 
them  more  and  more  influenced  the  constitution  of  the  tribe. 
That  combination  which  produced  the  tribe  must  from  the 
beginning  have  had  leaders  and  other  necessary  office-bearers ; 
some  one  among  them  must  have  had  supreme  authority  as 
judge  in  time  of  peace,  and  the  tribe  must  have  had  a  com- 
petent leader  in  time  of  war.  Such  functionaries  were  neces- 
sary as  bonds  of  union;  without  them  the  tribe  could  not 
have  been  kept  together  in  anything  like  social  union ;  and  as 
the  tie  which  bound  the  free  members  of  the  tribe  together 
was  the  belief  in  a  common  origin — a  common  descent  from  a 
mythic  cponymus  from  whom  the  tribe  took  its  name — so  the 
Bi  or  king,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  tribe,  held  that  position 
not  merely  by  election  but  as  the  representative  in  the  senior 
^  The  Book  of  Bights,  printed  by  the  Celtic  Society,  p.  174. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OK  TIIIBE  IN  IRELAND.  141 

line  of  the  common  ancestor,  and  had  a  hereditary  claim  to 
their  obedience.  As  the  supreme  authority  and  judge  of  the 
tribe  he  was  the  Bi  or  king.  This  was  his  primary  function. 
Thus  we  are  told  that '  it  is  lawful  for  a  king  to  have  a  judge 
though  he  himself  is  a  judgc.'^  As  the  leader  in  war  he  was 
the  Toiscch  or  Captain,  and  bore  the  one  or  the  other  title  as 
either  function  became  most  prominent,  while  in  some  cases 
these  functions  might  be  separated  and  held  by  different 
functionaries.  Although  the  Pd  or  king  derived  his  authority 
from  his  claim  to  be  the  senior  representative  of  the  common 
ancestor,  the  office  was  still,  from  the  necessity  of  being  filled 
by  a  properly  qualified  person,  to  a  certain  extent  elective. 
It  was  hereditary  in  a  certain  family,  but  elective  among  the 
members  of  that  family ;  and  an  additional  safeguard  against 
the  tribe  being  left  without  a  proper  head  was  provided  by 
another  member  of  the  family  being  elected  Tanaist  or  suc- 
cessor to  the  Bi  or  king  in  the  event  of  his  death.  That  the 
hereditary  character  of  this  office  existed  from  primitive  times 
is  apparent  from  this,  that  a  somewhat  similar  law  of  succes- 
sion prevailed  in  the  early  Irish  Church,  the  abbot  or  head  of 
the  monastery  being  chosen  from  a  particular  family ;  and 
while  the  influence  of  the  Church  may  have  confirmed,  if  it  did 
not  establish,  a  strict  descent  in  the  male  line  in  the  tribe,^  a 
hereditary  succession  in  the  Church  must  have  been  derived 
from  the  close  connection  which  had  been  formed  between 
the  Church  and  the  tribe,  and  from  the  influence  of  the  tribe 
upon  the  Church  and  not  of  the  Church  upon  the  tribe. 
While  the  whole  of  the  land  was  still  the  common  property  of 
the  tribe,  the  Bi  or  king  had  no  separate  possession  of  land, 
but  in  this  respect  was  on  an  equality  with  the  free  members 
of  the  tribe,  and  entitled  only  to  the  same  right  of  pasturage 
for  his  cattle  on  the  pasture  land  and  to  the  share  of  the 

*  Brehon  Laivs,  vol.  iv.  p.  341.  this   respect   is   recognised   in   the 

^  The  iniluence  of  the  Church  in      Welsh  laws. 


142 


THE  TUATII  OR  TKIBE  IX  IRELAND. 


[book  III. 


Distinction 
of  ranks 
arising 
from  pos- 
session of 
cattle. 


arable  land  annually  allotted  to  him  ;  but  in  addition  to  this 
he  was  maintained  in  the  dignity  of  his  office  at  the  expense 
of  the  tribe,  and  this  right  of  maintenance,  according  as  the 
tribe  and  its  wealth  increased,  assumed  various  forms,  one  of 
which  may  have  arisen  from  the  influence  of  the  Church,  and 
given  the  first  impulse  to  something  like  separate  possession 
of  land.  When  the  Church  was  established  in  connection 
with  a  tribe,  a  grant  of  part  of  the  tribe  land  and  its  separa- 
tion from  the  rest  became  a  necessity  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  Church,  and  thus  those  Termon  lands  which  form  so 
marked  a  feature  in  the  territorial  position  of  the  Irish  Church, 
came  into  existence.  Analogous  to  this,  one  form  which  this 
right  of  maintenance  on  the  part  of  the  Bi  or  king  assumed 
was,  that  a  portion  of  land  was  likewise  separated  from  the 
common  land  of  the  tribe  as  mensal  land  for  the  support  of 
the  dignity  of  the  Bi  or  king  for  the  time  being. 

Another  cause  must  also  of  necessity  have  produced 
distinction  of  position  between  the  free  members  of  the  tribe. 
Such  an  equality  as  may  be  held  to  have  existed  originally 
among  the  members  of  the  tribe  can  hardly  have  been  pre- 
served unless  there  was  also  an  equality  in  their  personal 
characteristics  and  their  wealth  in  cattle.  The  natural 
operation  of  differences  of  character  and  wealth  was  to  create 
distinctive  classes  among  them.  Those  of  superior  abilities 
soon  take  the  lead  of  others,  and  those  whose  prudence  and 
sagacity  enabled  them  to  increase  their  possession  of  cattle 
must  soon  have  occupied  a  more  important  position  in  the 
tribe,  as  their  share  of  the  annual  allotment  of  land  was  regu- 
lated by  the  size  of  their  herd.  Thus  there  came  to  be  recog- 
nised in  the  tribe  a  gradation  of  ranks  founded  upon  the  pos- 
session of  personal  wealth  and  importance.  The  lowest  grade 
in  the  tribe  was  the  Fer  Miclba  or  inferior  man,  of  whom 
there  were  two  classes.  As  soon  as  a  member  of  the  tribe 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  emancipated  from  the  con- 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OE  TEIBE  IN  IRELAND.  143 

trol  of  his  parents  and  acquired  certain  rights,  but  was  not 
vested  with  his  full  privileges  till  the  encircling  of  the  beard, 
that  is,  till  he  became  twenty  years  old,  when  he  was  entitled 
to  a  separate  residence  {Sain  trebhta)  and  a  share  of  the  tribe 
land  (Sealbh).  Above  the  Fer  Midba  was  the  Boaire  or 
Cowlord,  whose  superior  wealth  in  cattle,  with  the  exclusive 
possession  of  a  homestead,  gave  him  a  kind  of  nobility  over 
the  tribe's  man.  Of  the  Boaire  class  there  were  six  grades. 
The  lowest  rank,  to  which  the  title  of  Aire  was  given,  was  the 
Ogaire  or  young  lord  who  had  '  newly  taken  householdship 
upon  him.'  His  property  was  reckoned  by  the  number  seven. 
He  had  seven  cows  with  their  bull,  seven  pigs  with  a  boar, 
seven  sheep,  and  a  horse  for  work  and  riding.  He  possessed 
a  house  but  no  land  in  property.  The  laud  required  for  the 
support  of  seven  cows  was  termed  a  Cow-land,  and  he  left 
one  cow  at  the  end  of  the  year  in  payment  for  it.  He  had 
the  fourth  part  of  a  plough,  and  therefore  his  possession  with 
the  arable  land  attached  to  it  formed  probably  the  fourth  part 
of  a  ploughgate,  or  thirty  acres,  equivalent  to  the  husband- 
land  in  Scotland.  The  next  higher  grade  was  the  tenant 
resident  (Aithech  ar  athreba).  He  represented  a  small  com- 
munity of  four  or  five,  occupying  jointly  as  much  land  and 
possessing  in  common  as  much  stock  as  would  entitle  a 
single  person  to  be  a  Boaire.  He  had  ten  cows,  ten  pigs,  ten 
sheep,  but,  like  the  Ogaire,  the  fourth  part  of  ploughing 
apparatus,  Avhich  is  here  defined  to  be  an  ox  or  ploughshare, 
a  goad,  and  a  bridle.  He  was  so  named  as  occupying  a  part 
only  of  as  much  land  as  would  entitle  him  to  be  called  a 
Boaire  along  with  others,  the  joint  possession  being  sufficient 
for  the  purpose.  Above  him  was  the  Boaire  fehhsa,  so  called 
'  because  it  is  from  cows  his  rank  as  an  Aire  and  his  honor 
price  are  derived.'  He  had  land  of  the  value  of  twice  seven 
Cumlials,  or  forty-two  cows.  He  had  a  house  with  a  back 
house  or  kitchen,  a  share  in  a  mill,  a  kiln,  a  barn,  a  sheep- 


144  THE  TUATII  OK  TRir.E  IN  IRKLANP.  [book  in. 

liouse,  a  call'-liouse,  and  a  pigstye.  These  are  the  seven  houses 
from  which  each  Boairc  was  rated,  and  formed  the  complete 
Rath  or  homestead.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  precinct  or 
Maigne,  which  was  a  space  as  far  as  the  Boaire  could  cast  a 
spear  with  an  iron  head,  or  hammer,  sitting  at  the  door  of  his 
house,  and  was  inviolable.  The  whole  was  usually  enclosed 
by  a  ditch  and  earthen  rampart.  And  he  possessed  twelve 
cows  and  half  a  plough.  Land  of  the  value  of  three  times 
seven  Cumhals  or  sixty-three  cows,  and  the  possession  of 
twenty  cows,  two  bulls,  six  bullocks,  twenty  hogs,  twenty 
sheep,  four  house-fed  hogs,  two  sows,  and  a  riding-horse, 
made  him  a  Bruighfcr,  and  entailed  upon  him  the  burden 
of  '  receiving  the  king,  bishop,  poet,  or  judge  from  off  the 
road,'  as  well  as  all  travellers.  And  here  too  the  court  of 
judgment  was  held  for  the  tribe  and  the  assembly  of  the 
tribe's  men.  When  the  Boaire  possessed  so  large  an  amount 
of  stock  as  to  be  obliged  to  give  off  some  to  others  he 
becomes  a  Fcrfotlila,  and  '  the  excess  of  his  cattle  which  his 
own  land  cannot  sustain,  which  he  cannot  sell  for  land,  and 
which  he  does  not  himself  require,  he  gives  as  the  propor- 
tionate stock  of  tenants '  (Ceile).  The  highest  grade  of  the 
Boairc  was  the  Airc-coismng ,  who  represented  the  people 
before  the  king  and  the  synod. 
Origin  anil  The  Superior  position  in  which  the  Boaire  was  placed 
private  towards  the  other  members  of  the  tribe,  his  more  extensive 
aud^crea-  stock,  and  the  exclusive  possession  of  his  homestead,  must 
orcier  of"  have  naturally  led  to  a  desire  to  retain  the  same  land  in  his 
chki^"^^  family,  instead  of  being  subjected  to  annual  change ;  and  the 
larger  his  possession  the  more  easily  he  would  obtain  this, 
which  was  an  inevitable  step  to  the  introduction  of  rights  of 
private  property  in  the  land  of  the  tribe.  When  the  same 
family  had  retained  possession  of  land  for  three  generations 
it  came  at  length  to  constitute  a  right  of  property,  and  thus  a 
class  of  territorial  lords  was  created  whose  position  as  Aires 


CHAI>.  iv.l  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  145 

was  based  upon  property  in  land.  This  right  of  property  and 
all  the  privileges  connected  with  it  was  termed  Deis,  and  they 
formed  a  superior  class  of  territorial  magnates,  who  were 
termed  Flaith  or  chieftains,  and  constituted  an  order  termed 
the  Grad  Flaith,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Grad  Feine  or 
inferior  order. 

In  the  division  of  these  respective  orders,  if  not  in  the 
actual  introduction  of  an  individual  right  of  property  in  land, 
we  can  again  trace  the  influence  of  the  Christian  Church.  In 
one  of  the  tracts  forming  the  collection  of  laws  termed  the 
Brehon,  but  not  one  of  the  most  ancient,  the  following  account 
of  these  divisions  is  given  : — '  How  many  divisions  are  there 
of  these  ? — Seven.  What  is  the  division  of  the  grades  of  a 
Tuath  derived  from  ? — From  the  similitude  of  ecclesiastical 
orders,  for  it  is  proper  that  for  every  order  which  is  in  the 
Church  there  should  be  a  corresponding  one  in  the  Tuath.' 
But  this  number  of  seven  is  purely  arbitrary,  for  we  are 
told  that  the  grades  of  the  Tuath  consist  of  the  '  Fer  Midba, 
the  Boaire,  the  Aire  desa,  the  Aire  ard,  the  Aire  tuise,  the 
Aire  forgaill,  and  the  Ei  or  king.  If  it  be  according  to  the 
right  of  the  Feinechus  law,  it  is  in  such  manner  these  seven 
grades  are  divided.'  But  then  follows — '  What  is  the  division 
if  it  be  not  the  Boaire  with  his  eight  divisions  ? '  that  is,  if 
the  '  Grad  Feine,'  or  inferior  order  consisting  of  eight  divi- 
sions, is  excluded  ;  and  the  answer  is — '  The  Aire  desa,  the 
Aire  echta,  the  Aire  ard,  the  Aire  tuise,  the  Aire  forgaill,  the 
Tanaist  of  the  Ei  or  king,  and  the  Ei  or  king.'  Here  the 
number  of  seven  is  made  up  by  adding  to  the  Grad  Flaith 
an  Aire  echta  and  the  Tanaist.^*' 

As  these  ranks  of  the  Grad  Flaith  possessed  an  increasing  The  Ceiie 

1     •  T        1  T  1  .         .       or  tenants 

amount  of  stock  beyond  what  their  own  land  could  maintain,  of  a  chief. 
one  great  characteristic  of  the  order  Avas  their  possessing 

'"  This  account  of  the  ranks  in  the  tribe  is  taken  from  the  Grithgabli- 
larli  Brehon  Laivs,  vol.  iv.  p.  299. 

VOL.  in.  K 


14G  THE  TUATH  OK  TIUBE  IN  IRELA.ND.  [book  iti. 

tenants  or  Ccilc,  that  is,  persons  of  the  inferior  order  to  whom 
they  gave  their  surplus  stock  in  return  for  a  food-rent,  services, 
and  homage  ;  the  gift  being  termed  Taurcreic  and  the  food- 
rent  Bcsa.  And  as  tlie  territorial  lords  appropriated  more 
and  more  land  of  the  tribe  as  individual  property,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  land  remaining  for  division  among  the  freemen  of 
the  tribe  must  have  been  proportionately  diminished,  while 
the  natural  increase  of  the  population  must  have  increased 
the  evil.  An  ancient  tract  tells  us  that '  numerous  were  the 
human  beings  in  Ireland  at  that  time  (a.d.  658-694),  and  such 
was  their  number  that  they  used  not  to  get  but  thrice  nine 
ridges  for  each  man  in  Ireland,  viz.,  nine  of  bog,  and  nine  of 
smooth  or  arable,  and  nine  of  wood ; '  and  we  read  in  the 
Lcbor  na  huidre  that  *  there  was  not  ditch  nor  fence  nor  stone 
wall  round  land  till  came  the  period  of  the  sons  of  Aed  Slane 
(the  same  period),  but  smooth  fields.  Because  of  the  abun- 
dance of  the  households  in  their  period,  therefore  it  is  that 
they  introduced  boundaries  in  Ireland.'  ^^  Thus,  as  the  land 
and  the  wealth  in  cattle  of  these  Flaith  or  territorial  lords 
increased,  the  freemen  of  the  tribe  who  were  still  independent 
became  poorer,  and  their  lots  diminished,  and  by  degrees  they 
began  voluntarily  to  place  themselves  under  these  lords  by  ac- 
cepting stock  from  them,  in  return  for  which  they  became  their 
dependants.  Where  tlie  Flath  contributed  merely  an  addition 
to  the  stock  of  the  freeman  who  already  possessed  some,  he 
became  his  Sacr  Ceile  or  free  tenant,  and  had  to  return  the 
value  of  a  third  of  the  stock  annually  for  seven  years  ;  and 
besides  this  the  tenant  might  be  called  upon  to  give  certain 
services  termed  Manchamc,  such  as  assisting  in  building  a 
fort,  reaping  the  harvest,  or  going  on  hostings,  and  had  to  pay 
a  food-rent  for  his  house,  termed  Bestigi,  likewise  did  homage 
on  paying  his  rent,  termed  Urcirgc.  Where  the  Flath  fur- 
nished the  entire  stock  for  the  tenant  he  had  to  give  security 

"  Quoted  in  Sir  H.  S.  Elaine's  Early  Hidory  of  Inditutions,  p.  114. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OH  TIUBE  IN  IRELAND.  147 

for  its  return,  and  became  his  Dacr  Ccile  or  Bond-tenant,  and 
liad  to  pay  a  food  tribute  termed  Biathad  twice  a  year.^^ 

The  Aire  desa  had  ten  such  tenants,  five  bond  and  five 
free.  He  is  described  as '  the  son  of  an  Aire  and  the  grandson 
of  an  Aire,  with  the  proj)erty  of  his  house.'  The  Aire  echta 
seems  to  have  ranked  with  the  Ai7r^  desa.  The  Aire  ard  had 
twenty  tenants  or  Cede,  ten  bond  and  ten  free.  The  Aire 
tuise,  so  called  '  because  his  race  has  precedence,  and  he  takes 
precedence  of  the  Aire  ard'  had  twenty-seven  tenants  or  Ceile, 
fifteen  bond  and  twelve  free ;  and  the  Aire  forgaill  or  highest 
rank  has  forty  tenants  or  Ceile,  twenty  bond  and  twenty  free. 
Besides  these  Cede  or  tenants,  so  constituted  by  voluntary 
contracts  between  the  freemen  and  the  Flath  or  chief,  he  had 
likewise  Bothach  or  Cottiers  and  Fuidhir,  strangers,  or  broken 
men  from  other  tribes,  whom  he  settled  upon  his  waste  land 
in  return  for  homage  and  service,  and  these,  if  they  had  re- 
mained nine  times  nine  years  on  the  land,  became  what  were 
called  Sencleithe  or  old  standers.^''^ 

This  account  of  how  the  constitution  of  the  tribe  became 
modified  and  altered  by  the  effect  of  internal  change  and 
external  influence  pretends  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  specu- 
lative view  of  it,  but  we  have  now  reached  that  stage  in  its 
progress  when  it  fairly  enough  represents  the  tribe  in  the 
form  in  which  we  find  it  in  the  ancient  Irish  laws ;  but  as 
these  laws  with  their  commentaries  belong  to  different  periods, 
some  branches  of  them  being  obviously  more  modern  than 
others,  this  must  be  borne  in  mind  in  endeavouring  to  extract 
a  view  of  the  organisation  of  the  tribe  from  them. 

The  territory  belonging  to  a  tribe  is  now  termed  Taath,  state  of  the 
the  tribe  itself  Ciniol,  as  implying  a  race  of  men  sprung  from  territory  of 
a  common  ancestor.     The  land  of  the  tribe  is  now  found  in  '^ 
three  different  positions.     There  was  first  that  part  of  the 
original  territory  of  the  tribe  which  still  remained  the  Feacht 
'^  Ibid.  vol.  ii.  p.  34.5.  i-  Ibid.  iv.  p.  .321. 


148  THE  TUATII  OR  TRIBE  IX  IRELAND.  [book  in. 

Fintie  or  common  property  of  the  tribe,  and  consisted  of  the 
common  pasture  lands,  on  which  each  freeman  of  the  tribe 
had  a  riglit  to  pasture  his  cattle,  and  of  the  common  tillage 
lands  annually  divided  among  those  freemen  who  possessed 
cattle,  a  possession  which  entitled  them  to  the  usufruct  of  a 
share  of  the  arable  land  and  to  a  habitation  in  each  township. 
The  cattle  each  person  had  were  termed  his  Cro,  a  name  also 
applied  to  the  enclosure  in  which  they  were  housed,  and  the 
entire  cattle  of  the  tribe  were  termed  their  Creaght.  Then, 
secondly,  there  was  the  official  or  mensal  land  set  apart  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  Pa  or  Toisech,  the  Tanist,  and  the  other 
functionaries  of  the  tribe,  as  the  Bard,  the  Brehon  or  judge, 
the  Sennachy  or  historian,  etc. ;  and  along  with  this  land  may 
be  classed  the  Church  land  or  Termon  land  given  to  the 
Church  free  of  all  imposition,  which  land  was  held  to  form  a 
sanctuary.  Lastly,  there  was  the  land  held  by  individual 
ownership.  This  land  was  the  Orha  or  inheritance  land, 
which  belonged  to  the  Flaitli  or  chiefs,  and  which  was 
transmissible  to  their  successors.  The  principal  part  of  this 
land  was  retained  by  the  chief  in  demesne,  and  on  it  he  had 
settled  the  strangers  called  Fuidhir  who  consisted  of  two 
classes.  Free  and  Bond,  and  formed  a  body  of  retainers- 
entirely  under  his  control ;  and  here  too  were  the  Bothach  or 
Cottiers,  and  those  who  by  length  of  residence  had  become 
Sencleithc.  The  land  not  retained  by  himself  was  given  off' 
to  freemen  of  the  tribe  to  whom  he  had  given  stock  either 
by  Saer  or  by  Daer  stock  tenure,  and  who  thus  became  his 
Ceile  or  tenants. 
The  Dun  The  stroughold  of  the  tribe  was  the  Dun  or  fort,  which 

the  Bi  alone  had  a  right  to  occupy,  and  of  which  each  king 
was  bound  to  have  at  least  three.  The  description  given  of 
it  is  as  follows : — '  Seven  score  feet  are  the  dimensions  of  the 
Dun  every  way ;  seven  feet  the  thickness  of  the  mound  at 
top ;  twelve  feet  at  bottom.     Then  only  is  he  king,  when 


or  fort. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  149 

he  is  encircled  by  the  moat  of  servitude.  Twelve  feet  is  the 
breadth  of  its  mouth  and  of  its  bottom,  and  its  length  is  the 
same  as  the  Dun.  Thirty  feet  is  its  length  on  the  outside.'  ^^ 
The  average  number  of  fighting  men  which  a  tribe  turned  out 
on  ordinary  occasions  appears  to  have  been  700.^^  The  posses- 
sions of  the  Church  within  the  territory  of  the  tribe  varied  in 
extent  from  half  a  Ballyloe  or  ploughgate,  till  in  some  cases 
the  Dun  itself  and  the  possessions  of  the  king  or  chief  were 
granted  to  found  a  monastery,  and  in  those  cases  where  the 
monastery  was  said  to  have  consisted  of  3000  monks,  the 
tribe  itself  appears  to  have  merged  in  the  Church.  There 
came  to  be  a  lay  and  a  clerical  'progenies,  and  the  head  of  the 
tribe  appears  to  have  been  chosen  alternately  from  the  tribe 
of  the  land  and  the  tribe  of  the  patron  saint.^^  The  free 
and  bond  Ccile  then  became  free  and  bond  Manachs,  their 
position  being  substantially  the  same. 

Such  being  the  aspect  in  which  the  tribe  is  presented  to  The  Mor- 
us  m  the  ancient  laws  oi  Ireland,  it  must  not  be  assumed 
that  these  tribes,  thus  possessing  a  complete  organisation  in 
themselves,  were  at  tliis  period  independent  of  each  other. 
From  even  a  much  earlier  period  they  seem  to  have  been 
united  in  a  constitutional  framework,  by  which  they  formed 
a  kind  of  federal  nation.  Several  of  these  Tuaths  were 
grouped  together  to  form  a  still  larger  tribe,  termed  a  Mor- 
tuath  or  great  tribe,  over  wlioiu  one  of  the  kings  presided  as 
Ri  Mortuath.  The  normal  number  forming  a  Mortuath  is  in 
one  place  stated  as  three,  and  in  another  seven. 

Then  several  of  these  Mortuath  formed  a  province,  called  The  Cu,i- 

cidh  or 

in  Irish  Cuicidh,  or  a  fifth.      The  name  is  interpreted  as  province, 
implying  that  the  Mortuath  thus  united  were  five  in  number, 
but  the  usual  explanation  is  more  probable,  that  as  there 
were  five  provinces  in  Ireland — Meath,  Leinster,  Munster, 
Connaught,  and  Ulster — it  means  that  each  was  the  fifth  part 

"  Maine,  vol.  iv.  p.  3.37.         ^'^  Ihid.  iv.  p.  331.         '"  Ihid.  iv.  p.  373. 


150  THE  TUATH  OK  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  tBOOK  m. 

of  Treland.  Over  each  province  was  the  Pd  Cuicidh,  or 
provincial  king,  and  then  over  the  whole  was  the  Ardri, 
or  sovereign  of  all  Ireland. 
The  law  of  The  succession  to  these  several  grades  of  Iti  or  king  was 
'  '  ■  ■  the  same  as  that  of  the  Ri  Tnath,  and  was  regulated  by  the 
law  of  Tanistry,  that  is,  hereditary  in  the  family  but  elective 
in  the  individual,  the  senior  of  the  family  being  usually  pre- 
ferred ;  but  as,  when  the  king  was  chosen,  the  Tanist  would 
naturally  be  selected  from  the  next  most  powerful  branch  of 
the  family,  it  fell  at  length  into  an  alternate  succession  be- 
tween the  two  most  powerful  branches.  This  becomes  at  once 
apparent  when  we  examine  the  actual  succession  of  these  kings 
as  recorded  in  the  Annals.  The  sovereignty  over  the  whole  of 
Ireland  fell  for  several  centuries  into  one  branch  of  the  great 
family  called  the  Northern  Hy  Neill,  and  the  throne  was 
filled  alternately  from  two  branches  of  it.  The  succession  of 
the  kings  of  Munster  shows  the  same  peculiarity  of  an  alter- 
nate succession  between  the  descendants  of  two  sons  of  the 
mythic  founder  of  that  kingdom,  and  furnished  the  illustration 
upon  which  a  Dissertation  on  the  Law  of  Tanistry,  attributed 
to  General  Vallancey,  but  really  written  by  Doctor  John 
O'Brien,  Bishop  of  Cloyne,  was  founded.  The  province  of 
Ulster,  where  an  ancient  Pictish  population  was  encroached 
upon  and  gradually  superseded  by  Scottish  tribes,  exhibits  the 
remarkable  peculiarity  of  an  alternate  succession  of  the  kings 
of  Ulster  between  a  family  descended  from  its  old  Pictish 
kings  and  one  of  the  earliest  colonies  of  Scots,  that  of  the 
Dcdfiatacli,  who  settled  among  them.^^ 
Connection  The  tie  whicli  bound  these  groups  together,  and  united 
superiors  the  chain  which  connected  the  Ardri  with  the  Ri  Tucdh,  was 
pendants,  the  Same  which  linked  the  latter  with  his  dependent  chiefs, 
and  those  with  their  Ccilc.     The  dependence  of  one  upon 

^"  See  Collectanea  de  Eebus  Hihernicis,  vol.  i.,  No.  iii.,  and  Appendix 
to  the  Battle  of  Magh-alh. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OU  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  151 

another  possessed  tlie  invariable  feature  of  a  gift  or  subsidy 
from  the  superior  to  the  inferior,  and  corresponding  duties 
from  the  inferior  to  the  superior.  In  one  of  the  law  tracts  the 
gift  from  the  superior  appears  as  Taurcreic,  or  proportionate 
stock,  and  the  return  as  Bestighi,  or  food-rent  of  the  house, 
and  ranges  from  a  Taurcreic  of  five  Seds,  and  a  Bcstigld  of  a 
wether,  with  its  accompaniments,  consisting  of  cakes,  milk, 
and  butter,  as  the  lowest  for  the  Fermidha  to  a  Taurcreic  of 
fifteen  Cumhals,  or  forty-five  cows,  and  a  Bestighi  of  eight 
cows  for  the  Bi  Tuath}^  We  derive  the  fullest  information 
on  this  subject  from  the  ancient  tract  termed  the  Book  of 
Eights.  We  there  see  the  gift  or  Tuarastach,  as  it  is  there 
called,  made  by  the  Ardri  to  the  different  provincial  kings, 
by  them  to  the  kings  of  the  respective  Mortuath,  and  by  the 
latter  to  the  Bi  Tuath ;  while  the  corresponding  returns  made 
by  the  inferior  to  the  superior  king  consisted  first  of  a  small 
fixed  rent,  which  in  one  case  consisted  of  a  Sgreahall,  or  three- 
pence, from  each  Baile  or  township,^'-*  and  a  tribute  termed 
Cohhach,  which  included,  in  the  case  of  Munster,  a  submission 
paid  in  cattle,  termed  Smacht,  and  a  Biathad  or  refection : 
and  each  king  was  entitled  to  a  maintenance  when  going 
beyond  his  own  territory,  called  Coimiim,  corrupted  into 
Coigny ;  and  besides  these,  service  in  war  was  due  from  each 
inferior  tribe  to  the  superior,  distinguished  into  FcacM  or 
expedition,  and  Sluaged  or  hosting.  The  number  of  fighting 
men  each  Tuath  had  to  provide  was  700,  and  each  Mortuatlc 
three  companies,  or  2100  men. 

Another  feature  of  the  ancient  tribal  system  in  Ireland,  The  system 

.      .      ,    of  fines. 

presented  to  us  in  the  Brehon  Laws,  must  not  be  overlooked, 
and  that  is  the  system  of  fines,  in  which  respect  it  closely 
resembled  not  only  similar  regulations  in  the  Welsh  Laws 
but  likewise  in  those  of  the  Anglo-Saxons.     In  that  early 

^^  Ancient  Law>i  of  Ireland,  vol.  iv. ,  Crithgablach. 
^^  Tribes  and  Customs  of  Hy  Many,  p.  13. 


152  THE  TUATll  Oil  TRIBK  IN  IRELAND.  [book  iii. 

state  of  society  the  idea  that  the  slaughter  or  injury  of  any 
of  its  members  was  a  crime  against  the  State,  which  required 
the  punishment  of  the  criminal  in  vindication  of  the  law  of 
tlie  land,  was  entirely  unknown.  The  slaughter  or  injury  of 
the  member  of  the  tribe  was  considered  as  a  loss  to  the  tribe 
itself,  which  must  be  compensated  for,  and  when  compensa- 
tion was  made  and  accepted  the  criminal  was  free.  Originall} 
the  compensation  was  probably  simple  retaliation,  but  after- 
wards this  right  of  retaliation  might  be  bought  off  by  payment 
of  a  fine.  That  a  tradition  of  tins  kind  existed  appears  from 
a  passage  in  the  Introduction  to  the  Senchus  Mor,  in  which 
we  are  told  that '  retaliation  prevailed  in  Erin  before  Patrick, 
and  Patrick  brought  forgiveness  with  him.  At  this  day  we 
keep  between  forgiveness  and  retaliation ;  for  as  at  present 
no  one  has  the  power  of  bestowing  heaven  as  Patrick  had  at 
that  day,  so  no  one  is  put  to  death  for  his  intentional  crimes, 
so  long  as  Eric  fine  is  obtained ;  and  whenever  Eric  fine  is 
not  obtained,  he  is  put  to  death  for  his  intentional  crimes, 
and  placed  on  tlie  sea  for  his  unintentional  crimes.'  Sir 
Henry  Maine,  in  commenting  on  this  passage,  justly  remarks, 
that '  it  is  impossible,  of  course,  to  accept  the  statement  that 
this  wide-spread  ancient  institution,  the  pecuniary  fine  levied 
on  tribes  or  families  for  the  wrongs  done  by  their  members, 
had  its  origin  in  Christian  influences  ;  but  that  it  succeeded 
simple  retaliation  is  in  the  highest  degree  probable.'-*' 
The  Honor         The  system  of  fines  was  based  in  the  main  upon  a  fixed 

P"ce.  ..... 

value  put  upon  each  person,  estimated  according  to  his  posi- 
tion and  rank,  and  expressed  by  a  standard  of  value  in  cattle. 
This  was  his  Enechlann  or  Honor  price,  and  it  enters  as  an 
element  into  all  the  pecuniary  relations  of  the  different 
members  of  the  tribes  with  each  other.  Tliis  standard  of 
value  was  expressed  in  two  forms.  First  by  what  was  termed 
a  Set  or  Scd,  by  which  single  animals  of  different  value  were 
'-■"  Early  History  of  Institutions,  p.  23. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND,  153 

meant.  The  next  was  the  Bi  Set  or  milch  cow,  which  was 
equal  to  two  Samaiscs  or  three-year-old  heifers  or  mules,  and 
each  Samaisc  was  equal  to  two  Dairis  or  Colioachs,  that  is,  two- 
year-old  heifers  or  bulls,  and  the  rule  was  that  of  every  three 
Sets  one  must  be  of  each  kind.-^  The  other  standard  of 
value  was  the  Cumhal,  which  originally  meant  a  female 
bondslave,  and  was  equal  in  value  to  three  milch  cows. 

The  Honor  price  of  the  Ogaire  was  three  Seds,  but  they 
must  be  Seds  of  the  cow  kind.  Five  Seds  that  of  a  Boaire ; 
ten  Seds  that  of  the  Aire  desa  ;  fifteen  that  of  the  Aire  ard ; 
twenty  that  of  the  Aire  tuisi ;  twenty-four  that  of  the  Aire 
forgaill ;  thirty  Seds  that  of  the  Tanist  or  successor  to  the 
king  of  the  tribe ;  and  seven  Cumhals,  or  twenty-one  cows, 
that  of  the  king  himself.  The  king  of  a  Mortuath  has  an 
additional  Cumhal,  or  three  cows  more,  to  make  up  his  Honor 
price.  The  Honor  price  of  a  son  of  each  rank  was  equal  to 
that  of  the  rank  immediately  below  it.  The  intentional 
slaughter,  then,  of  one  of  these  persons  might  be  compensated 
by  payment  of  the  Eric  fine,  which  was  equal  to  the  Honor 
price  of  the  person  slain.  Other  fines  were  the  Dire  fine  for 
injury  to  a  man's  property,  and  the  Smacht  or  body  fine.  A 
share  of  these  fines  fell  to  the  Flath  or  chief  under  whom  the 
person  injured  was,  and  also  to  the  king  of  the  tribe,  which 
formed  no  insignificant  portion  of  his  revenue. 

In  combination  with  the  tribal  organisation,  there  was  System  of 
also  in  Ireland  an  ancient  system  of  fixed  land  measures  r,easures. 
adapted  to  it.  The  largest  of  these  divisions  was  the  Triclia- 
ced,  which  was  considered  as  the  normal  extent  of  the  Tiiath 
or  territory  of  a  tribe.  It  contained  thirty  Bailehiataglis,  and 
each  Bailehiatagh  twelve  Seisrighs  or  ploughlands,  also  termed 
Bcdlyhoes,  and  these  were  the  townships,  and  the  distribution 

-1  Cormac's  Glossary,    voce    Cle-  might  be  paid  thus  : — 
thac,  p.  29.    Mr.  O'Curry  gives  the  10  Ki  Seoit=IO  cows, 

following   illustration: — A   tine   of  16  Samaisc  =  8  cows, 

three  Cumals,  or  twenty-one  cows,  12  Seoitgabla  =  3  cows. 


154  THE  TUATII  OK  TKII'.K  IN  IRELAND.  [book  in, 

of  the  land  among  the  freemen  of  the  tribe  appears  to  have 
been  separately  allotted  in  each  township  to  its  occupants. 
An  ancient  poem,-'-  printed  by  Mr.  O'Donovan  in  his  edition 
of  the  Battle  of  Magh  Lena,  gives  probably  the  oldest  view 
of  these  land  divisions  over  all  Ireland,  as  it  is  attributed  to 
the  same  Finntan  who  is  said  to  have  preserved  the  record 
of  the  ancient  mythic  colonisation  of  Ireland.  The  poem 
is  thus  translated  by  Mr.  O'Donovan,  the  denomination  of 
land  beincr,  however,  retained  untranslated  : — 

1.  How  many  Trichas  in  noble  Erinn, 
How  many  half  Trichas  to  accord, 
How  many  Bailes  in  linked  array, 
How  many  doth  each  Baile  sustain. 

2.  How  many  Bailes  and  Tricha-ceds, 
In  Erinn  the  abundant  in  wealth. 

I  say  unto  thee — an  assertion  with  sense— 
I  defy  all  the  learned  to  confute  it. 

3.  Do  not  say  that  you  defy  me, 
Said  Finntan,  the  man  of  sense  ; 

I  am  the  most  learned  that  has  been 
In  Alban,  in  Erinn. 

•i.  Ten  Bailes  in  each  Tricha-ced, 

And  twenty  Bailes  (thirty  in  all),  it  is  no  falsehood  ; 
Though  small  their  number  to  us  appears. 
Their  extent  form  a  noble  country  (Crich). 

5.  A  Baile  sustains  three  hundred  cows, 
With  twelve  Seisrighs,  it  is  no  lie  ; 
Four  full  herds  may  therein  roam. 
With  no  cow  of  either  touching  the  other. 

6.  I  enumerate  eighteen  Trichas 

In  the  country  of  Meath  of  ample  wealtli. 

And  thirty  Trichas  more 

In  the  country  of  Connaght  yellow-haired. 


'^  Published  by  Celtic  Society,  p.  107. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IX  IRELAND.  155 

7.  I  enumerate  fifteen  Trichas, 

And  twenty  Trichas  ;  without  falsehood 
This  I  say  to  you—  a  saying  bold — 
In  the  great  province  of  Ulster. 

8.  Eleven  Trichas  in  Leinster, 
And  twenty  of  teaming  wealth, 
From  Inbher  Duibhlinne  hither 
Unto  the  road  of  the  Boroimhe. 

9.  Ten  Trichas  in  Munster, 

And  threescore  in  full  accordance, 

In  the  two  proud  provinces  (N.  and  S.  Munster), 

In  the  great  extensive  Munster. 

10.  I  enumerate  four  Tricha-ced.s, 

And  ninescore  (184  in  all),  it  is  no  falsehood, 
Without  the  deficiency  to  any  Tricha  of  them. 
Of  one  Baile  or  half  a  Baile. 

11.  Twenty  Bailes,  too,  and  five  hundred 

And  five  thousand  (5520  in  all),  it  is  no  falsehood 
Since  I  have  taken  to  divide  them, 
Is  the  number  of  Bailes  in  Erinn. 

12.  Two  score  acres  three  times, 
Is  the  land  of  the  Seisrigh  ; 

The  land  of  three  Seisrighs,  therefore. 
Is  the  quarter  of  a  Bailebiataigh. 

13.  To  twelve  Seisrighs  in  full, 

The  Bailebiataigh  alone  is  equal ; 
As  I  am  Finntan,  a  man  of  sense, 
The  tenth  generation  from  Adam. 

14.  The  history  of  Erinn  in  memory. 
As  it  is  in  all  the  books, 
Finntan,  the  truly  intelligent,  hath. 
Of  him  is  asked  how  many. 

The  Seisrigh  or  ploughgate,  which  represents  the  sown 
land,  is  here  stated  to  contain  120  acres  and  twelve  plough- 
gates,  with  as  much  pasture  land  as  sustained  300  cows,  or 


166  THE  TDATH  OR  TRIBK  IN  IRELAND.  (book  hi. 

four  herds  of  seveuty-tive  each  formed  the  Bailchiatagh. 
Thirty  Bailchiatagh^  constituted  a  Tricha-ccd,  which  would 
thus  contain  43,200  acres ;  and  as,  according  to  the  poem, 
there  were  184  Tricha-ceds  in  Ireland,  this  represents  about 
one-half  of  the  acreage  of  the  whole  country,  assuming  that 
the  ancient  and  modern  acre  was  the  same  in  extent.  The 
other  half  would  thus  represent  the  waste  lands,  which  were 
turned  to  no  profitable  account. 

These  measures  of  land  make  their  appearance  at  an  early 
period  in  the  mythic  history  of  Ireland,  for  it  is  recorded  of 
Ollamli  Fodla,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  figures  who  ap- 
pears in  this  extraordinary  catalogue  of  shadowy  monarchs, 
and  who  is  said  to  have  flourished  twelve  centuries  before 
Christ,  that  'it  was  he  also  that  appointed  a  Toisech  over 
every  Tricha-ced,  and  a  Brughaidh  over  every  Bailc,  who  were 
all  to  serve  the  king  of  Erinn.'-^  They  emerge  also  in  the 
historic  period  in  the  tenth  century,  when  a  great  fleet  of 
Danes  landed  at  Limerick  and  plundered  and  ravaged  Munster, 
both  churches  and  tribes  {Cclla  ocus  Tiiatha),  and  their  king 
is  said  to  have  'ordained  kings  (Eigu),  chiefs  (Taishechu), 
Maers  and  Reactairidu  or  stewards  in  each  land  (Tir)  and  in 
each  Tuath,  as  well  as  levied  the  Cis  rigda,  or  dues  of  the 
kingdom,'  that  is,  confirmed  the  old  tribal  organisation,  substi- 
tuting Danes  for  Gael,  so  that  there  was  '  a  king  (Ei)  for  each 
Tir,  a  Toisech  for  each  Tuath,  an  abbot  for  each  Cill  or  church, 
a  Maer  for  each  Bailc,  and  a  Suairtleach  in  each  Tigi  or 
homestead.^*  In  the  succeeding  century  it  is  told  of  Brian 
Boroimhe,  the  Munster  king  who  reigned  over  Ireland  from 
1002  to  1014,  and  defeated  the  Danes  in  the  great  battle  of 
Clontarf,  that '  during  his  time  surnames  were  first  given,  and 
territories  (Duchadha)  allotted  to  the  surnames,  and  the  bound- 
aries of  every  Tuath  and  every  Tricha-ced  were  fixed.' -^ 

^  Annals  oj  the  Four  3f asters,  i.  p.  53. 

^  yVar  of  the  Gaedhil  icith  Gaill ,  p.  49.    ^  Irisli  Topographical  Poems,  p.  9. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  157 

But  although  these  aucient  measures  of  land  are  repre- 
sented as  possessing  a  definite  and  fixed  extent,  yet  there 
seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  they  varied  very  much  in 
different  parts  of  Ireland.  Thus  the  unit  of  the  Seisrigh  or 
ploughgate  seems  to  have  been  of  two  kinds — a  larger  measure 
of  120  acres  in  some  parts  of  Ireland,  and  a  smaller  measure 
of  60  acres  in  other  parts.  We  also  find  the  Ballyhiatagh 
consisting  of  sixteen  Taths  in  place  of  twelve  ploughgates, 
the  Tatli  containing  sixty  acres. 

But  not  only  do  these  measures  of  land  vary  in  size  and  Later  state 
denomination,  but  the  Tuath  or  tribe  territory  appears  also  to  tribes. 
have  varied  in  different  parts  of  Ireland  as  well  as  the  consti- 
tution of  the  tribe  possessing  it.  The  publications  of  the  Irish 
Archaeological  and  Celtic  Societies  afford  specimens  of  this  in 
four  of  the  provinces  in  Ireland.  Thus  the  preface  to  the 
poems  of  John  0  Dugan,  who  died  in  1372,  opens  with  refer- 
ence to  Meath  witli  the  general  statement — 'His  country 
(Buthaidh)  to  every  Ardrigh  and  to  every  Urrigh  and  to  every 
Taoisech  of  a  Tuath  in  Erin.'-'^  In  the  district  of  Corca  Laidhe 
in  Munster,  which  represented  a  Mortuath,  instead  of  contain- 
ing merely  three  or  seven  Tiiaths,  we  find  eight  Tuaths  men- 
tioned, and  of  seven  of  these  the  head  of  the  tribe  is  termed 
its  Toiscch,  and  bears  the  same  name,  while  the  Flaith  or  chiefs 
are  called  Odaicli  Duthaich,  or  the  champions  of  the  territory. 
The  first  is  the  Duthaich  or  country  of  0  Gillamichil,  with 
seventeen  Oclaich.  Then  we  have  the  Tuath  Ui  Choimeid,  with 
0  Conneid  as  its  Toisech,  and  five  Oclaich.  Then  Tuath  Ruis, 
with  0  Laeghaire  as  its  Toisech,  and  eleven  Oclaich  or  chiefs. 
Then  Tuath  O'n-Aenghusa,  with  0  h-Aenghusa  as  its  Toisech, 
and  fourteen  Oclaich.  Then  Tuath  O'Fithcheallaigh,  with 
OTithcheallaigh  as  its  Toisech,  and  eight  Oclaich.  Then 
Tuath  O'n  Dunghalaigh,  with  0  Dunghaill  as  its  Toisech,  and 
nine  Oclaich.     Then  Tuath  Ui-Dubhdaleithe,  with  0  Dubh- 

-^  Irish  Topographical  Poems,  p.  \. 


158  THE  TUATH  OH  TUIRE  IN  IRELAND.  [book  hi. 

(laleitlie  as  its  Toiscch  and  seven  Oclaich.     The  Ijoundaries 
of  these  several  Tuaths  are  likewise  given.^" 

In  the  province  of  Connaught  we  have  also  an  account 
of  four  of  the  great  territories,  which  furnishes  us  also  with 
some  information  regarding  the  constitution  of  the  tribes 
there.  In  a  tract  printed  in  the  appendix  to  '  The  Tribes 
and  Customs  of  Hy  Fiachraich '  we  find  the  following  state- 
ment : — '  Connaught  (and,  I  suppose,  other  provinces)  was 
anciently  distinguished  into  countries  called  Doohie  {Duth- 
aidh)  or  Tyre  (Tir),  named  from  such  and  such  families  or 
nations  inhabiting  them,  as  in  the  barony  of  Athlone, 
Doohie  Keogh,  the  country  or  nation  of  tlie  Keoghs.  In  the 
Imrony  of  Ballintobber,  Doohie  Hanly,  the  country  of  the 
Hauleys,  and  betwixt  Elphin  and  Jamestown,  that  sweet 
country  Teer  0  Euin  (Tir  Briuin)  and  Teer  0  Byrne,  the 
country  of  the  Beirns.  These  countries  were  subdivided  into 
townlands  (in  some  other  parts  of  Ireland  known  by  the 
name  of  ploughlands),  which  were  called  Ballys,  as  in  Doohie 
Hanley  Bally  nengulluh,  or  Gyllstown,  Bally gillcdinnc,  the 
town  of  the  Chlinnes),  Ballyfeeny,  etc. ;  and  each  townland 
was  divided  again  into  quarters,  which  are  generally  known 
and  distinguished  by  certain  meares  and  bounds,  and  for 
that  reason  the  name  of  quarter  is  used  as  though  it  signified 
a  certain  measure ;  and  now  the  lands  here  are  generally  set 
and  let,  not  by  the  measure  of  acres  but  by  the  name  of 
quarters,  cartrons,  and  gnieves,  a  quarter  being  the  fourth 
part  of  a  townland,  and  a  gnieve  the  sixth  part  of  a  quarter, 
and  a  cartron  also  the  fourth  part  of  a  quarter  (although  in 
other  parts  of  Ireland  a  quarter  is  the  same  part  that  a 
cartron  is  here,  and  a  gnieve  the  fourth  part  of  a  cartron).  I 
have  been  sometimes  perplexed  to  know  how  many  acres 
a  quarter  contains,  but  I  have  learned  it  is  an  uncertain 
measure,  and  anciently  proportioned  only  by  guess,  or 
-^  Miscellany  of  the  Celtic  Society,  p.  49. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  Oil  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  159 

according  to  the  bigness  of  the  townland  whereof  it  was  a 
parcel.'  ^ 

From  the  tract  termed  the  '  Hereditary  Proprietors  {Buth- 
chusaigh)  of  the  Clann  Fiachrach '  we  obtain  some  further 
information.  The  territory  possessed  by  the  tribe  appears 
under  different  names.  These  are  Triocha  Chevd,  Taoisi- 
dheacht,  or  territory  ruled  over  by  a  Taoiscch,  Tuath,  and 
DuthaidhP  The  first  is  the  Triocha  Ceud  of  Ceara,  and  over 
it  were  three  kings,  O'Muireadhaigh,  O'Gormog,  and  O'Tigher- 
naigh.  It  seems  to  have  been  exceptionally  large.  Then  we 
have  five  districts  termed  Taoisidheacht.  The  first  is  that  of 
O'h-Uada  and  O'Cinnchnamha.  Then  that  of  O'Cearnaigh, 
containing  the  twenty-four  Ballys  of  the  termon  of  Balla,  and 
therefore  nearly  as  extensive  as  a  Triocha  Ceud,  but  the  ex- 
pression Termon  indicates  it  as  being  church  land.  Then 
that  of  Ui  Ruadin  and  of  him  is  the  Dxidhchus  of  O'Culachan. 
Then  that  of  O'Birn  and  that  of  O'GorrmghioUa,  the  latter 
containing  seven  Ballys  and  a  half,  or  the  fourth  part  of  a 
Triocha  Ceud.  Then  there  are  three  Tuaths  mentioned. 
First  the  Tuath  of  Partraighe,  co-extensive  with  the  parish  of 
Ballyovey.  Of  this  Tuath  we  have  two  accounts.  The  first 
shows  us  the  Ri  tuath  and  the  Taoiscch  distinct,  for 
O'Gaimiallaigh  was  its  Ri  and  O'Dorchaidhe  its  Taoiscch. 
By  the  second  account  it  was  the  Taoisigheacht  of  O'Dor- 
chaidhe  alone.  O'Banan  of  Bally  Ui  Banan  and  Magilin  of 
Muine  were  two  Mac  Oglaichs  or  inferior  chiefs.  The  Tuath 
of  Magh  na  bethighe  contained  the  seven  Ballys  of  Lughortan, 
the  Duthaidh  of  Mac  an  Bhainbh.  The  Tuath  of  Magh 
Fhiondalbha,  containing  fifteen  Ballys  or  half  a  Triocha  Ceud, 
was  the  Duthaidh  of  O'Cearnaigh.     Then  twelve  Duthaidhs 


-^  Tribes    and    Customs    of    Hy  iu  some  family  ;  Duthchas  as  a  here- 

Fiachraich,  p.  453.  ditary  estate  or  patrimonial  inherit- 

-^  Air.  O'Donovan  explains  Duth-  ance  ;  Duthchaxach  an  inheritor  or 

m'rf/t  as  a  tract  of  country  hereditary  hereditary  proprietor. — lb.  p.  149. 


160  THE  TUATH  Oil  TRIBE  IN  IKELAND.  [book  hi. 

or  Estates  are  given,  all  connected  with  surnames.  Of  these 
seven  consist  of  one  Bally  only.  The  DiUhaidh  of  O'h-Edh- 
neachan  consisted  of  three  divisions,  each  containing  three 
Ballys.  The  Duthaidh  of  O'Faghartaigh  contained  three 
Hallys,  and  that  of  O'Caomhan  containing  the  seven  Ballys 
of  lioslaogh.  All  of  these  tribes  possessed  a  common  origin 
with  one  exception,  for  it  is  added  '  that  there  was  found  no 
Tuath  without  its  hereditary  proprietor  of  the  race  of  Earc 
Culbhuidhe  except  this  well-known  Tuath  Aitheachda'  that 
is,  tribe  of  the  older  subjected  inhabitants,  called  Tuath 
Buisen,  the  old  name  of  Eoslaog.^^ 

The  Tribes  and  Customs  of  Hy  Many,  another  great  dis- 
trict of  Counaught,  throw  further  light  on  the  subject.  This 
district  was  considered  to  be  a  third  part  of  the  province  of 
Connaught,  and  the  patrimony  of  the  Clann  Ceallaigh  or 
O'Kellys.  In  a  tract  giving  an  account  of  its  boundaries  we 
;ire  told  that  it  consisted  of '  seven  TricJia,  seven  Tuatlis,  seven 
Ballys,  and  seven  half  Ballys  ;  ^i  and  in  the  tract  called  the 
'  Customs  of  Hy  Many  '  we  read  :  '  These  are  the  tributaries 
of  the  Cla7in  Ceallaigh  :  the  O'Duibhginns,  the  O'Geibhen- 
naighs,  the  MacCathails,  the  MacFloinns,  Muintir  Murchad- 
han,  and  the  Clann  Aedhagain,  until  they  become  Ollamhs  to 
the  Ardri  or  head  of  the  whole  race.  These  seven  tributaries 
correspond  with  the  seven  Tricha ; '  and  it  is  added,  that '  the 
third  part  of  the  Cuigid  or  province  of  Connaught,  that  is, 
Hy  Many,  is  to  be  their  Duthaidh  for  ever.'  They  have 
also  the  '  marshalship  of  the  forces '  {Marasgalacht  a  Sluag), 
as  Saer  clann  or  free  tribes,  and  they  are  freed  from  the 
Sluaged,  or  hostings  of  spring  and  autumn.  The  seven  Tuaths 
were  apparently  smaller  divisions,  and  corresponding  with 
them  we  have  'the  seven  Oirrighi  or  sub-kings  of  Hy  Many, 
viz.,  O'Conaill,  and  he  has   the   same  patrimony  as   Mac 

.w  Tribe.s  and  CnMoms  of  Hy  Fiachriach,  pp.  149-159. 
=*'  Customs  of  Hy  Many,  preface,  p.  4. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TKIBE  IN  IRELAND.  161 

Chnaimhin  and  O'Dubhunla ;  the  OirHghs  of  the  Sit  Anm- 
chadha  are  the  O'Madudhaiiis  ;  the  Righs  or  rather  Oirrighs 
of  Maenmaigh  are  the  Muintir  Neachtain  and  the  O'Maelall- 
aidhs  ;  the  six  Soghans  with  their  Tricha  ;  to  whomsoever  of 
them  they  cede  the  lordship  he  is  called  Oirrigh  during 
his  lordship,'  and  this  makes  up  the  seven.  Corresponding 
with  the  seven  Ballys  we  find  that  '  the  seven  Flaiths  of  Hy 
Many  are  these,  viz.,  Mac  Eidhigan,  Flath  of  Clann  Diar- 
mada ;  MacGelli-Enan,  Flath  of  Clann  Flaithemael  and  of 
the  Muintir  Chinait ;  the  Flaith  of  Clann  Bresail  is  the 
Muintir  Domhnallan,  and  the  Flaith  of  Clann  Duibgind  is 
O'Duibgind,  and  O'Gabhrain  is  over  Dal  n-Druithne,  and 
O'Docomhlan  over  Rinnna  h-Eignide,  and  O'Donnchadha  over 
Aibh  Cormac  Maenmuighe,  and  O'Mailbrigdi  is  F'lath  of 
Bredach.'  The  seven  half  Ballys  correspond  with  the  seven 
principal  Comharbas  of  Hy  Many,  and  were  the  lands 
attached  to  seven  churches.  We  have  then  the  following 
curious  account  of  the  termination  of  the  tribal  system  in 
Hy  Many.  An  agreement  is  entered  into  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  on  the  6th  of  August  1589,  between  'the 
Irish  chieftains  and  inhabitants  of  Imany  called  the  O'Kellie's 
country,'  consisting  of,  first,  the  O'Kelly  or  head  of  the  race  ; 
two  O'Kellys,  competitors  for  the  name  of  Tanistshippe  of 
(!)'Kelly  ;  two  other  O'Kellys,  and  different  chiefs  bearing  the 
names  of  O'Mannine,  O'Concannon,  O'Naghten,  Mac  Keoghe, 
O'Murry,  O'Fallone,  and  Mac  Gerraghte.  It  is  there  stated 
that  '  the  territory  of  Imany,  called  O'Kelly's  Country,  is 
divided  into  five  principal  barronyes,  all  which  contain  665i 
quarters  of  land,  each  at  120  acres/  and  they  agree  'that 
the  Captainshippe  and  Tanistshippe  of  the  said  country,  here- 
tofore used  by  the  said  O'Kellys,  and  all  elections  and  Irish 
customary  division  of  lands,  shall  be  utterly  abolished  and 
extinct  for  ever.'  The  O'Kelly  is  to  have  four  quarters  of 
land  then  in  his  possession,  with  a  chief-rent  out  of  other 
VOL.  III.  L 


162  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  [kook  hi. 

lands  during  his  life,  and  the  other  two  O'Kellys  four  quarters 
each.^^ 

TIic  third  great  district  or  Mortuath  of  Connaught  was  that 
called  '  West,  or  H-Iar  Connaught,  the  country  of  the  O'Fla- 
hertys,'  and  in  connection  with  it  we  have  a  tract'/on  the 
'  territories  of  the  hereditary  proprietors  of  Muintir  Murchadha 
of  Clanfergail  and  Meadruidhe  and  Hy  Briuin  Seola  and  Hy 
Briuin  Ratha  and  Muintir  Fathy  ;  their  Toiseachs  and  high 
Mac  Oglachs  and  Ollaves,  that  is,  O'Halloran  is  Toiseach  of  the 
twenty-four  Ballys  of  Clanfergail  (or  nearly  a  Triocha  Ceud), 
and  of  these  are  O'Antuile  and  OTergus  of  Roscam.  Mac 
Cingamain  and  Mac  Catharnaigh  are  the  two  Toiseachs  of 
Meadruidhe,  having  each  their  own  people  of  the  tribe  subject 
to  them.  O'Dathlaoich  is  the  Toiseach  of  the  fourteen  Ballys 
of  the  Hy  Briuin  Eatha  (or  half  a  Triocha  Ceud),  and  of  these 
are  the  O'Kennedies  and  the  O'Duinns  and  the  O'Innogs 
of  Cnoctuadh  and  O'Laighin  of  Lackagh  and  O'Callanan, 
Coraharba  of  Kilcahil,'  the  latter  being  an  ecclesiastical  sept 
occupying  church  land.  '  O'Canavan  was  medical  OUamh  of 
O'Flaherty  in  the  Tuath  of  Toibrineadh,  but  others  say  it  was 
O'Laighidh.  The  Flaith  or  chiefs  of  Hy  Briuin  Seola,  with 
their  correlatives,  are  O'Fechin,  O'Balbhain,  O'Duff,  and 
O'Madudhain.'  This  last  tribe  does  not  appear  united  under 
one  head  but  broken  up  into  septs.  '  O'Flaharty  is  Toiseach 
of  the  fourteen  Ballys  of  Muintir  Fath3%  with  their  correla- 
tives under  them.'  We  have  then  a  list  of  the  hereditary 
office-bearers  of  O'Flaherty,  which  it  may  be  useful  to  insert 
as  showing  that  this  designation  of  Toiseach  was  not  only 
applied  to  the  hereditary  leaders  of  tribes,  but  when  coupled 
with  a  qualifying  word  designated  a  hereditary  officer  ;  thus 
Mac  Gillagannain  of  Moyleaslainn  is  Toiseach  scuir,  or  Master 
of  the  Horse  to  O'Flaherty.  The  O'Colgam  of  Bally  Colgan 
are  standard-bearers  {go  m-lrataigh)  of  O'Flaherty.     Mac- 

^-  Customs  of  the  Hy  Many,  Preface,  p.  19. 


CHAP.  IV.  1  THE  TUATH  OR  TWBE  IN  IKKLANI).  163 

Ginnaiu  is  the  Comharha  of  Kilcoona.  O'Maelampaill  of 
Donaghpatraic  is  theBrehon  or  judge  of  O'Flaherty.  O'Cleircin 
of  Eathbuidbh,  O'Laibacain,  and  O'Maoilin,  are  the  Ercnachs 
of  Cillbile.  The  O'Dubains  are  the  attendants  {Lucid  Comhi- 
deachta)  of  O'Flaherty  at  his  common  house.  The  Mac- 
Kilkellys  are  the  Ollamhs  of  O'Flaherty  in  history  and  poetry, 
and  for  this  they  have  three  half  Ballys.  O'Domnall  of  Ard- 
ratha  is  the  Toiseach  Comoil,  or  Master  of  the  Feast  of  O'Fla- 
herty, with  his  own  correlatives  under  him — viz.,  O'Daigean 
of  Ardfintain,  who  was  O'Dorahnall's  steward  (Beachtaire), 
and  O'Chichearan  of  Lis-chicheran,  and  O'Conlachtna  of 
Ballyconlachtna,  are  the  Beachadoir,  or  beekeepers,  of  O'Fla- 
herty. O'Murgaile  of  Muiune-inradain  is  the  high  steward 
(Ardreachtaire)  of  O'Flaherty.' ^^  The  king  of  Connaught,  the 
head  of  the  O'Connors,  had  similar  officers ;  for  we  are  told 
by  O'Ferrall,  in  his  Book' of  Pedigrees,  under  the  O'Conor 
family,  '  that  the  king  of  Connaught  kept  twelve  prince  offi- 
cers of  the  chief  families  of  his  country  in  his  court,  attending 
his  person  as  his  council,  and  to  rule  and  govern  as  well  his 
household  as  to  manage  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  war  and 
peace,  and  were  called  in  Irish  Taoisigh  na  Cruachan,  or  Toi- 
seachs  of  Cruachan,  the  royal  residence,  which  officers  were 
hereditary  from  father  to  son.  These  chief  lords  had  from 
the  king  certain  subsidies  for  their  services.'  ^* 

These  are  given  in  detail  in  an  ancient  tract  among  the 
Stowe  Mss.  Four  of  them — viz.,  O'Flanagan,  MacGerachty. 
O'Finnachty,  and  O'Maolbrennan — were  termed  royal  Taois- 
eachs,  and  had  each  a  subsidy  of  fifty  milch  cows  and  fifty 
sheep  at  Beltane,  and  fifty  heifers  and  fifty  pigs  at  Samheinn, 
as  well  as  a  domain  of  forty-eight  Ballys  ;  and  of  these  officers, 
O'Flannagain  had  the  high  stewardship  {Ardmaoraidacht), 

^^  Chorographical  Description  of      aries,    as   honey   supplied   at   that 
West  Connaiujht,  p.  368.     The  bee-       time  the  place  of  sugar, 
keepers   were   important  function-  **  lb.  p.  139. 


164  THE  TUATH  OK  TKIBE  IN  IRELAND.  [book  m. 

0'1'eorinachtaigh  was  the  Hostiarius  or  doorkeeper,  and 
O'Maolbrennan  was  joint  steward,  aud  commanded  the  body- 
guards. The  other  eight  Toiseachs  of  inferior  rank  had  a 
domain  of  twenty-four  Ballys  each,  and  of  these  O'Hanly  had 
the  guardianship  of  hostages  and  prisoners,  O'Floinn  the 
stewardship  of  the  horse  (Maoras  Hack),  O'Flaithbertaigh  and 
O'Maille  the  command  of  the  fleet,  MacDiarmad  was  high 
marschal,  O'Teige  was  Taoiseach  Teaghlach  or  marshal  of 
the  household,  and  O'Kelly  was  Taoiseach  Send  or  steward 
of  the  jewels.^^ 

The  province  of  Ulster  likewise  presents  us  with  the  Timth 
or  tribe,  several  of  which  form  a  larger  territory  equivalent  to 
the  Mortuath.  Thus  a  vast  territory,  consisting  of  the  two 
districts  of  the  Eoute  and  Glynnes,  was  granted  by  James  i. 
in  1603  to  the  Earl  of  Tyrone,  and  was  at  that  time  sub- 
divided into  sixteen  smaller  districts  termed  Tuoghs  or  Tuathf, 
which  are  recited  in  the  patent.  The  Eoute,  which  was  co- 
extensive with  the  ancient  territory  of  Dalriada — from  which 
name  indeed  the  modern  word  Eoute  is  a  corruption — con- 
tained nine  Tuoghs.  These  were  the  Tuogh  between  the 
Bandy  or  Bann  and  the  Boys  or  Bush,  containing  six  parishes  ; 
the  Tuogh  of  Dunseverick  and  Ballenatoy ;  the  Tuogh  of  Bal- 
lelagh ;  the  Tuogh  of  Loughgill ;  the  Tuogh  of  Balle money  and 
Dromart,  containing  two  parishes;  the  Tuogh  of  Killeoconway 
{Coil  na  g-Connmuigh),  or  the  wood  of  O'Conway;  the 
Tuogh  of  Killioquin,  or  the  wood  of  O'Conn ;  the  Tuogh  of 
Killiomorrie,  or  the  wood  of  O'Murry;  and  the  Tuogh  of 
Magheredunagh  (Machaire  Dun  Eachdach),  or  plain  of  the  fort 
of  Eachdach,  consisting  of  the  parish  now  called  Dunaghy. 
The  district  of  the  Glynnes  consisted  of  seven  baronies, 
six  of  which  are  termed  Tuoghs.  These  were  the  Tuogh  of 
Munerie,  the  Tuogh  of  Carey,  the  Tuogh  of  Glenmiconogh,  the 
Tuogh  of  the  Largie,  the  Tuogh  of  the  Parke,  and  the  Tuogh 
^  Gat.  Stowe  MSS.  vol.  i.  p.  168. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  165 

of  the  Larne.  The  entire  acreage  of  the  two  districts  of 
the  Koute  and  the  Glynnes  was  333,907  acres,  giving  an 
average  of  20,869  acres  to  each. 

The  names  of  the  tribes  which  were  connected  with  these 
Tuoghs  or  Tuaths  have  not  been  preserved,  but  they  are  still 
retained  in  the  district  of  North  Clandeboy,  which  with  South 
Clandeboy  represented  the  ancient  Dalnaraighe  or  territory 
of  the  Picts  of  Ulster.  We  find  from  an  inquisition  in  1605 
that  North  Clandeboy  consisted  of  twenty  subdivisions, 
thirteen  larger  and  seven  smaller ;  the  former  are  termed 
Tuoghs  or  Tuaths,  and  are  named  after  the  tribes  occupying 
them.  These  are  the  Tuogh  of  Clanaghartie,  containing  the 
entire  parish  of  Kilconriola  and  part  of  Ahoghill,  and  the 
Tuogh  of  Muntir  Callie  {Muintir  Ceallaigh),  or  the  tribe  of 
Kelly,  containing  the  rest  of  Ahoghill  parish.  These  two 
together  formed  the  barony  of  Lower  Toome,  and  contained 
36,000  acres.  The  Ttiogh  of  Muntir  Rividy,  and  the  Ttcogh 
na  Fuigh.  These  two  formed  the  barony  of  Upper  Toome, 
and  contained  64,000  acres.  The  Tiiogh  of  Muntir  Murigan 
{Muintir  Mhuireagan),  or  the  tribe  of  Murrigan.  The  Tuogh 
na  Keart.  The  Tuogh  of  Moylinny,  which  is  co-extensive 
with  the  barony  of  Upper  Antrim,  and  contained  36,000 
acres.  The  Tuogh  of  Killelagh.  The  Tuogk  of  Maghery- 
morne,  the  Tuogh  of  Braden  Hand,  and  the  Tuogh  of  Bal- 
linlyny.  These  three  formed  the  barony  of  Lower  Belfast, 
and  contain  56,000  acres.  The  Tuogh  Cinament,  containing 
part  of  the  parish  of  Shankill,  and  the  Tuogh  of  the  Fall, 
containing  the  rest  of  Shankill  and  the  parish  of  Drumbeg.^^ 

We  have  then  a  very  instructive  account  of  the  counties 
of  Monaghan  and  Fermanagh  in  a  letter  addressed  by  Sir 
John  Davis,  Attorney-General  of  Ireland,  to  the  Earl  of 
Salisbury  in  the  year  1606.  He  states  that  Monaghan, 
otherwise   called    M'Mahon's   country,   '  was   divided    into 

^*  Reeves,  Arch,  of  Doion  and  Connor,  pp.  330,  345. 


160  THK  TUATII  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRKLAND.  [book  iir. 

five  baronies,  viz.,  Dartry,  Monaglian,  Creniorne,  Trough, 
and  Donamayne  ;  that  these  five  baronies  contain  an  hun- 
dred Bally betaghs,  viz.,  Dartrey  21,  Monaglian  21,  Creniorne 
22,  Trough  15,  and  Donamayne  21.'  These  obviously  repre- 
sent Tuatks,  four  being  about  two-thirds,  and  the  fifth  the 
half  of  a  Triocha  Ceud.  He  then  proceeds  to  tell  us  '  that 
every  BalUhetagh  (which  signifieth  in  the  Irish  tongue  a 
town  able  to  maintain  hospitality)  containeth  1 G  taths,  each 
tath  containeth  60  English  acres  or  thereabout ;  so  as  every 
BalUhetagh  containeth  960  acres,  the  extent  of  the  whole 
containing  100  BalUhdaglis  is  96,000  acres,  besides  the 
church  lands.'  This  territory  having  been  forfeited  to  the 
Crown,  four  of  the  baronies  were  thus  regranted  to  the 
M'Mahons.  '  In  the  Dartrey  five  BalUhdaglis  were  granted 
in  demesne  to  Bryan  McHugh  Oge  McMahon,  then  reputed 
chief  of  his  name,  and  the  heirs-male  of  his  body,  rendering 
£30  rent,  viz.,  £6  for  each  BalUhetagh  ;  the  other  16  Balli- 
hetaghs  were  divided  among  the  ancient  inhahitants  of  that 
barony,  some  having  a  greater  portion  allotted  and  some  a 
less ;  howbeit  every  one  did  render  a  yearly  rent  of  20s.  out 
of  every  tath,  whereof  1 2s.  6d.  \\'as  granted  to  Bryan  McHugh 
Oge  McMahon  as  a  chief  rent  in  lieu  of  all  other  duties,  and 
7s.  6d.  was  reserved  to  the  Crown  ;  which  plot  was  observed 
in  every  of  the  other  baronies,  so  as  out  of  every  BalUhetagh 
containing  16  taths  the  lord  had  £10  and  the  king  £6.  In 
Monaghan,  Eoss  Bane  McMahon  had  likewise  five  Balli- 
betaghs  granted  unto  him,  with  the  like  estate,  rendering 
to  the  queen  £30  rent,  and  the  like  chief  rent  out  of  nine 
Ballyhetaghs  more,  and  in  the  same  barony  Patrick  McArt 
Moyle  had  three  Ballyhetaghs  allotted  unto  him  with  the 
like  estate,  rendering  £18  rent  to  the  queen,  and  the  like 
chief  rent  out  of  the  other  four. 

'  In  Creniorne,  Ever  McColla  McMahon  had  five  Bally- 
hetaghs in  demesne  granted  unto  him,  and  the  heirs-male  of 


HAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  167 

his  body,  rendering  £30  rent  to  the  Crown,  and  the  like  chief 
rent  out  of  twelve  other  Ballyhetaghs ;  and  in  the  same  barony 
one  Patrick  Diiffe  McColla  McMahon  had  two  Ballyhetaghs 
and  a  half  assigned  to  him  in  demesne,  rendering  £15  rent,  and 
the  like  chief  rent  out  of  two  other  Ballyhetaghs  and  a  half. 

'  In  the  Tuough,  containing  only  fifteen  Ballyhetaghs,  Pat- 
rick McKenna  had  three  Ballyhetaghs  and  twelve  taths  in 
demesne,  given  unto  him,  with  the  like  estate,  rendering 
£22  rent  as  aforesaid,  and  the  like  chief  rent  out  of  seven 
other  Ballyhetaghs ;  and  in  the  same  barony  one  Bryan  Oge 
McMahowne,  brother  to  Hugh  Eoe,  had  the  like  estate 
granted  unto  him  in  three  Ballyhetaghs,  rendering  £18  rent 
in  like  manner,  and  the  like  chief  rent  out  of  two  other 
Ballyhetaghs.' 

These  grants  no  doubt  reflect  the  ancient  occupation  of 
the  district,  the  various  returns  in  kind  and  in  service  being 
commuted  for  a  money  payment,  and  the  holdings  being  made 
direct  from  the  Crown,  part  of  each  barony  being  held  in 
demesne  by  the  chiefs,  and  the  rest  by  what  Sir  John  calls 
the  inferior  inhabitants,  who  had,  he  says,  likewise  'their 
demesne  and  rents  allotted  to  them,  and  their  several  portions 
of  land  granted  unto  them  and  to  their  heirs.'  Besides  these 
temporal  lands  there  were,  he  says, '  the  spiritual  lands,  which 
the  Irish  call  Termons,  which  were  granted  to  sundry 
servitors  rendering  10s.  to  the  Crown  for  every  tath;  which 
out  of  all  the  church  lands  amounted  to  £70  per  annum  or 
thereabouts,'  that  is,  to  140  taths,  equal  to  about  nine  Bally- 
hetaghs. 

From  the  return  with  regard  to  the  county  of  Fermanagh 
we  obtain  similar  information,  with  some  additional  particulars 
deserving  of  notice.  '  For  the  lands  of  inheritance  in  Fer- 
managh,' otherwise  called  Maguire's  Country,  he  says,  '  they 
stood  not  in  the  same  terms  as  the  lands  in  Monaghan.  For 
the  signorie  or  chiefry  and  the  demesne  lands,  that  were  the 


168  THE  TUATH  OK  THII3E  IN  IKKLAND.  [book  iii. 

inlieritance  of  MacGuire  himself,  were  reduced  and  vested  in 
the  Crown.'  ....  But  forasmuch  as  the  greatest  part  of  the 
inhabitants  of  that  country  did  claim  to  be  freeholders  of 
their  several  possessions,  who,  surviving  the  late  rebellion, 
had  never  been  attainted,  so  as  we  could  not  clearly  entitle 
the  Crown  to  their  land ; '  and  he  adds,  that  '  they  held  the 
same  not  according  to  the  course  of  common  law  but  by  the 
custom  of  tanistry,  whereby  the  eldest  of  every  sept  claimed 
a  chiefry  over  the  rest,  and  the  inferior  sort  divided  their 
possessions  after  the  manner  of  gavelkind.'  Sir  John  tells  us 
that,  'First  we  thought  it  meet  to  distinguish  the  possessions, 
next  to  inquire  of  the  particular  possessors  thereof.  Touch- 
ing the  possessions,'  he  says,  '  we  found  Fermanagh  to  be 
divided  into  seven  baronies,  viz.,  Magheryboy,  Clanawley, 
Clankelly,  Maghery,  Stephanagh,  Tirkennedy,  Knockrinie. 
and  Lough  Lurgh.  Every  of  these  baronies  contains  seven 
Ballyhetaghs  and  a  half  of  land,  chargeable  with  McGuire's 
rent,  and  other  contributions  of  the  country.  Every  Bally- 
betagh  is  divided  into  four  quarters  of  land,  and  every  quarter 
into  four  tatks,  so  as  a  Ballyhetagh  containeth  sixteen  taths,  as 
it  doth  in  Monaghan,  but  the  measure  of  this  country  is  far 
larger ;  besides  the  freeland,  whereof  there  is  good  quantity 
in  every  barony,  is  no  parcel  of  the  seven  Ballyhetaghs  and 
a  half,  whereof  the  barony  is  said  to  consist.  For  these 
reasons  Fermanagh,  containing  but  fifty-one  Ballyhetaghs  and 
a  half  of  chargeable  lands,  is  well-nigh  as  large  an  extent  as 
Monaghan,  which  hath  in  it  an  hundred  Ballyhetaghs! 

'  Touching  the  freeland  we  found  them,'  he  says,  '  to  be 
of  three  kinds — 

'  1.  Church  land  or  termon  lands,  as  the  Irish  call  it. 

'  2.  The  mensal  land  of  McGuire. 

'  3,  Land  given  to  certain  septs  privileged  among  the 
Irish,  viz.,  the  lands  of  the  chroniclers,  rimers,  and  gallo- 
iilasses. 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE  TUATH  OR  TRIBE  IN  IRELAND.  169 

'  The  Church  land  was  either  monastery  land,  Corhe  land, 
or  Erenaclis  land.  The  monastery  land  lay  in  the  barony 
of  Clanawley,  and  did  not  exceed  two  Ballyhetaghs,  but  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  Corhes  and  Erenachs  are  of  far  greater 
quantity,  and  are  found  in  every  barony.  They  told  me,' 
he  adds,  'that  the  word  Termon  doth  signify  in  the  Irish 
tongue  a  liberty  or  freedom,  and  that  all  church  lands  what- 
soever are  called  termon  lands  by  the  Irish,  because  they  were 
ever  free  from  all  impositions  and  cuttings  of  the  temporal 
lords,  and  had  the  privilege  of  sanctuary.' 

McGuire's  mensal  lands,  he  tells  us,  were  '  free  from  all 
common  charges  and  contributions  of  the  country,  because 
they  yielded  a  large  proportion  of  butter  and  meal  and  other 
provisions  for  McGuire's  table,  '  and  that  though  lying  in 
several  baronies  did  not  in  quantity  exceed  four  Ballyhetaghs, 
the  greatest  thereof  being  in  the  possession  of  one  M'Manus 
and  his  sept.'  The  certainties  of  the  duties  or  provisions 
yielded  unto  McGuire  out  of  these  mensal  lands  were  set 
forth  in  an  old  parchment  roll  in  the  hands  of  one  O'Brislan, 
a  chronicler  and  principal  Brehon  of  that  country.  It  was 
not  very  large,  but  was  written  on  both  sides  in  a  fair  Irish 
character,  and  contained  not  only  '  the  certainty  of  McGuire's 
mensal  duties,  but  also  the  particular  rents  and  other  services 
which  were  answered  to  McGuire  out  of  every  part  of  the 
country.'  '  Besides  these  mensals,'  he  adds, '  McGuire  had 
two  hundred  and  forty  beeves  or  thereabouts  yearly  paid  unto 
him  out  of  the  seven  baronies,  and  about  his  castle  at  Inis- 
killen  he  had  almost  a  Ballyletagh  of  land,  which  he  manured 
with  his  own  churles.  And  this  was  McGuire's  whole  estate 
in  certainty,  for  in  right  he  had  no  more,  and  in  time  of  peace 
did  exact  no  more.  In  time  of  war  he  made  himself  owner 
of  all,  cutting  what  he  listed,  and  imposing  as  many  honachts 
or  hired  soldiers  upon  them  as  he  had  occasion  to  use.  Con- 
cerning the  free  land  of  the  third  kind — viz.,  such  land  as  is 


170  THE  TUATH  OK  TRIBK  IN  IRELAND.  [nooK  hi. 

possessed  by  the  Irish  oilicers  of  this  country,  viz.,  chroniclers, 
galloglasses,  and  rimers — the  entire  quantities  if  it  were 
laid  down  together,  as  it  is  scattered  in  sundry  baronies,  doth 
well-nigh  make  two  Ballyhetaghs  and  no  more.'  ^^ 

This  presents  us  with  a  graphic  enough  account  of  the 
state  of  the  Irish  tribe  as  it  existed  at  the  time  Sir  John 
Davis  wrote ;  and  we  may  supplement  what  he  says  as  to  the 
position  of  the  Ternion  or  Church  lands,  and  their  freedom 
from  the  burdens  to  which  the  other  lands  were  subject,  by 
two  charters  preserved  in  the  Book  of  Kells.  The  first  is  a 
grant  by  Conchobhar  O'Maelsechlann,  king  of  Meath,  in  the 
eleventh  century,  by  which  he  gave  Kildelga  with  its  territory 
and  lands  to  God  and  to  Columkille  for  ever,  free  of  all 
claim  for  Cis  or  rent,  Cobacli  or  tribute,  Fecht  and  Sluagecl  or 
expedition  and  hosting,  and  Coinnim  from  king  or  Toiseach, 
and  the  precise  signification  of  Coinnim  appears  from  the 
second  charter  granted  in  the  succeeding  century,  by  which 
the  freedom  of  Ardbreacain  was  granted  by  Muirchertach 
O'Lochlainn,  king  of  Ireland,  Diarmaid  O'Maelsechlann,  king 
of  Meath,  and  Aedh  Mac  Cu-Uladh,  king  of  Laeghaire.  The 
people  of  Laeghaire  had  a  certain  tribute  on  the  Church,  viz., 
one  night's  Coinnmeda  every  quarter  of  a  year.  O'Lochlain, 
king  of  Ireland,  and  O'Maelsechlann,  king  of  Meath,  induced 
the  king  of  Laeghaire  to  sell  this  night's  Coinnmeda  for  three 
ounces  of  gold.  The  Church,  therefore,  with  its  territory  and 
lands,  is  free  for  two  reasons,  viz.,  on  account  of  the  general 
freedom  of  all  churches,  and  on  account  of  this  purchase.'  ^** 

We  thus  see  that  the  leading  features  of  the  Irish  tribes, 
as  we  have  gathered  them  in  the  ancient  laws,  can  to  a  great 
extent  be  recognised  in  the  state  of  the  native  population  of 
the  country,  as  we  find  it  presented  to  us  at  a  later  period  in 
four  of  her  great  provinces. 

^^  Letterof  Sir  John  Davis,  Co^i.de  ^s  gook    of    Kells,    /ra/t    Arch. 

Rebus Hibernicis, vol.  i.  pp.  140,152.       Misc.,  vol.  i.  pp.  139,  143. 


CUAP.  v.]   FIN^  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  TKIBK  IN  WALES.        171 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  KINl^:  OK  SEFr  IN  IRELAND,  AND  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES. 

Among  the  changes  produced  in  the  social  organisation  of  the  Origin  of 

^       ^  °  the  Fine 

tribe  by  external  influence  and  internal  progress,  not  the  or  Sept. 
least  striking  was  the  gradual  development  within  it  of  the 
Find  or  septs.  Though  the  word  Find  is  undoubtedly  used  for 
the  whole  confraternity  of  the  members  of  the  tribe,  viewed 
as  a  community  united  together  by  a  supposed  common  origin, 
yet,  in  its  strict  technical  sense,  it  was  applied  to  those  divi- 
sions of  the  tribe  which  may  be  called  septs  or  clans. 

As  soon  as  the  superior  advance  of  some  members  of  the 
tribe  over  the  others  in  wealth  and  importance  produced  a 
relation  of  superior  and  dependant  by  the  latter  becoming 
Ceile  or  tenants  of  the  former,  while  their  possessions  became 
hereditary  in  their  families,  the  germ  of  the  Find  or  sept  was 
formed.  When  the  Boaire,  or  cow-lord,  was  led  by  wealth  in 
cattle  to  give  over  the  excess  of  his  stock  to  other  members 
of  the  tribe,  who  became  his  Ceile  or  dependants,  a  Find  in 
its  most  restricted  sense  was  formed,  and  the  Aire  Coisring, 
as  he  was  called,  became  also  the  Aire  Find,  or  head  of  an 
inferior  sept.^ 

The  acquisition  of  part, of  the  tribe  land  as  the  absolute  'I'^e  Ciru 

^  or  kinsfolk. 

property  of  individuals,  and  their  advance  as  wealthy  land 
as  well  as  cattle  owners,  led  to  its  further  development.  Tlie 
Aire  who  owned  an  estate  in  land  which  raised  him  to  the 
position  of  a  Flath  or  chief,  and  was  enabled  to  transmit  it 
to  his  descendants,  led  to  the  settlement  of  his  family  and 

'  Ancient  Laws  of  Ird,and,  vol.  iv.  p.  349. 


or  tenants. 


172  THE  FINE  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  (book  in. 

kinsfolk  on  the  land.  He  was  not  considered  as  fully  entitled 
to  the  privileges  of  a  territorial  lord  unless  his  father  and 
grandfather  had  likewise  been  an  Aire;  and  when  three 
generations  had  thus  been  settled  on  the  land,  the  offshoots 
of  these  generations  formed  a  group  consisting  of  the  nearest 
agnates  of  the  chief,  which  would  increase  in  number  as  the 
generations  went  on.  These  were  the  Ci7id,  or  kinsfolk  of 
the  head  of  the  tribe,  and  to  them  were  added  those  freemen 
of  the  tribe  who  claimed  a  conmion  origin  with  them,  and  who 
placed  themselves  under  tlie  chief  as  his  Ceile  or  dependants. 
The  Ceile  The  Same  causes  which  operated  in  the  feudal  system  to 

lead  the  odal  proprietors  to  commend  themselves  to  an  over- 
lord as  his  vassals,  and  gradually  extinguished  the  more 
ancient  class  of  independent  landholders,  tended  likewise  in 
the  Irish  tribal  system  to  absorb  the  original  freemen  of  the 
tribe  in  the  class  of  the  Ceile  or  dependants  of  the  chief,  and 
thus  to  add  to  his  following  and  to  form  a  constituent  part 
of  the  Fin4  or  sept. 

With  the  JSaor  Ceile,  or  free  dependants,  the  basis  was  a 
mutual  contract  for  a  fixed  period  usually  of  seven  years,  by 
which  the  Math  or  chief  gave  a  portion  of  stock  proportionate 
to  the  food-rent  he  was  to  receive  in  return,  and  was  entitled 
along  with  this  to  the  homage  of  the  tenant  during  the  sub- 
sistence of  the  contract,  and  to  a  certain  amount  of  service  in 
the  erection  of  a  Dun  or  fort,  the  reaping  of  his  harvest,  and 
the  Sluaged  or  hosting ;  but  the  contract  could  be  terminated 
and  the  parties  to  it  return  to  their  original  relation  to  each 
other,  either  by  the  Ceile  or  tenant  returning  the  stock  he  had 
received,  or  by  the  Flatli  reclaiming  it.  A  more  permanent 
connection  was  formed  between  him  and  the  Daor  Ceile  or 
bond  tenant.  Here  the  Ceile  placed  himself  formally  under 
the  protection  of  the  Flath  as  his  permanent  follower,  and 
this  relation  was  formed  by  his  receiving  a  certain  number  of 
Seds  or  cows,  by  way  of  subsidy  or  gift  from  the  superior,  and 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  173 

paying  him  a  certain  tribute  termed  Sed  Taurdothe,  or  re- 
turnable Seds,  as  the  price  of  his  protection.  This  servitude 
was  termed  Aicillne,  and  the  amount  of  the  Seds  was  regu- 
lated by  the  Honor  price.  As  soon  as  this  relation  was  consti- 
tuted, he  received  an  additional  amount  of  stock  in  proportion 
to  the  food-rent  he  had  to  return,  in  the  same  manner  as  in 
the  case  of  the  free  Ceiled  The  real  distinction  probably  was, 
that  in  the  one  case  the  Ceile  was  in  a  more  independent 
position,  and  possessed  stock  of  his  own  as  well  as  a  share  of 
the  tribe  land,  besides  what  he  received  from  the  Flath.  In 
the  other  he  was  dependent  upon  what  he  received  from  the 
Flath  for  the  whole  of  his  stock.  When  the  Flath  reclaimed 
his  stock  from  the  free  Ceile,  the  latter  had  the  option  of 
becoming  a  bond  Ceile,  if  he  preferred  doing  so  to  returning 
his  stock,  and  the  Flath  was  then  bound  to  add  the  returnable 
Seds  to  the  stock  he  had  originally  given,  which  constituted 
the  relation  between  him  and  the  Ceile  as  a  permanent  de- 
pendant. This  process,  therefore,  not  only  led  to  the  freemen 
of  the  tribe  being  gradually  absorbed  into  the  class  of  the 
dependants  or  following  of  the  chief,  but  placed  a  powerful 
weapon  in  the  hands  of  the  latter,  by  which  he  could  trans- 
form his  temporary  free  Ceile  into  permanent  and  more 
servile  dependants. 

As  the  Flath,  however,  increased  in  wealth  and  power  and  The 

Fuidhir  or 

his  territory  extended,  he  was  not  satisfied  with  drawing  his  stranger 
dependants  from  the  tribe  of  which  he  was  himself  a  member, 
but  added  to  his  followers  by  settling  stranger  septs  upon 
his  waste  lands,  and  thus  still  further  augmented  his  power. 
These  stranger  septs  formed  that  class  termed  Fuidhir,  a  name 
which  from  its  resemblance  to  the  word  feud,  and  from  the 
apparent  analogy  between  the  position  of  the  Fuidhir  with 

-  There  is  an  elaborate  account  position  of  the  Daor  Ceile  is  shortly 
of  the  position  of  the  Ceile  in  the  and  clearly  given  in  Cormac's  Glos- 
Ancient   Laws,    vol.    ii.  ;    but   the       sary,  voce  Aicillne,  p.  13. 


174  THE  vmt  or  sept  in  Ireland,  and  [book  m. 

the  vassals  of  the  feudal  system,  has  given  rise  to  much 
speculation.  These  analogies  are,  however,  more  apparent 
than  real,  and  there  is  prohably  no  connection  whatever  be- 
yond casual  resemblance  between  the  terminology  of  the  two 
systems.  In  the  oldest  Glossary,  that  of  Cormac,  the  term  is 
applied  to  the  superior  instead  of  the  dependant,  and  the  name 
Fuithir  is  said  to  be  from  fo  thir,  he  who  gives  land  (iir)  to 
a  stranger ;  but  in  the  Brehon  Laws  it  is  applied  to  those 
stranger  septs  settled  upon  the  land,  and,  like  all  the  depen- 
dants, consisted  of  the  two  classes  of  Sae7'  and  Bacr,  free  and 
bond,  according  to  the  temporary  or  permanent  character  of 
the  connection.  With  the  exception  that  they  were  broken 
men  from  stranger  tribes  instead  of  members  of  the  same 
tribe,  their  connection  with  the  chief  presented  the  same 
features  with  that  of  the  native  Ccile.  Of  these  Fuidhir 
there  were  said  to  be  seven  classes,  ranging  from  those 
who  had  land  or  wealth  and  became  detached  from  their 
tribe,  to  those  who  fled  to  the  chief  of  another  tribe  for 
protection,  and  had  nothing  to  give  but  their  labour.  The 
better  class,  termed  Fuidhir  Grian,  obtained  possession  of  a 
Bath  consisting  of  the  usual  five  houses,  received  stock  from 
the  Flath  similar  to  that  given  to  the  Ceile,  and  had  a 
Lagencch  or  Honor  price.  These  formed  subordinate  septs  or 
Fin4  under  the  chief,^  and  we  are  told  that  they '  do  not  bear 
the  liability  of  relationship  unless  there  be  five  houses  {Tre- 
ahha)  to  relieve  each  other.  If  there  be  five  houses  with  com- 
plete stock,  they  share  the  property  of  the  Fi7i^'  {Finnteada), 
and  this  is  explained  in  the  commentary  to  mean  that  '  the 
Fuidhir  gaUa — that  is,  the  Fodaor  or  natural  bondsman 
{Daor) — does  not  bear  the  crimes  of  his  relatives  unless  he 
has  five  houses  to  relieve  him,  that  is,  five  who  have  stock 
consisting  of  a  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  unless  they  belong 
to  one  chief.     If  there  be  five  men  of  them,  each  man  having 

•*  Ancient  Laws,  vol.  iv.  pp.  o9,  2S7. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  175 

a  hundred  of  cattle,  every  one  of  them  obtains  his  share  of 
the  dibaclh  land  of  each  other,  and  pays  for  the  crimes  of 
others,  like  every  free  native,  that  is,  when  they  have  the 
five  stocks  of  a  hundred  cattle  and  are  under  one  chief.* 
The  lower  class  of  Fuidhir  were  of  four  kinds,  termed  grui, 
gola,  gahla,  and  gill  de  las,  and  consisted  of  strangers  wlio 
had  lost  their  land  by  wars,  or  fled  from  having  been  guilty 
of  bloodshed,  and  of  hostages  saved  from  death.  Lower  than 
these  again  were  the  Bothach  or  cottiers,  likewise  divided 
into  the  two  classes  of  Sacr  and  Dacr  according  as  they 
were  either  small  occupiers  of  land  or  were  preedial  slaves, 
and  probably  were  remains  of  the  oldest  population  of  the 
land. 

The  formation  of  the  Fin4  or  sept  had  thus  a  territorial  Territorial 

.  l)asia  of 

basis,  and  the  possession  of  the  Deis  or  inheritance  land,  Fini. 
which  gave  its  owner  the  rank  of  Aire,  was  also  essential  to 
liis  acquiring  the  privileges  of  the  chief  of  a  Fin4.  Thus  we 
are  told  in  one  of  the  law  tracts  that  '  there  are  four  deis 
rights  prescribed  for  flaith  or  chiefs.  The  ancient  protection 
of  the  Tuath  is  his  office  in  the  Tuath  ;  the  ofhce  of  Tuisig  or 
leader,  or  Tanaist  Tuisig,  whichever  it  be,  of  his  Ceile  gialnai 
or  bond  Ceile,  his  Saer  Ceile,  and  his  Sencleithe  or  ancient 
adherents  ;  the  punishment  of  every  imperfect  service ;  and 
the  following  of  Bothach  or  cottiers  and  Fuidhir,  whom  he 
brings  upon  his  land,  because  his  wealth  is  greater  and 
better.  If  there  is  service  from  them  to  the  Flaith  during 
nine  times  nine  years,  they  are  Bothach  and  Fuidhir,  but 
after  that  they  are  ranked  as  Sencleithe  or  old  adherents.'  ^ 

The  Fin4,  as  thus  constituted,  was  formed  of  two  distinct 
classes  ; — one  being  members  of  the  same  tribe  as  the  Flath, 
and  consisted  of  his  own  inmiediate  family  and  relations,  and 
of  his  Saor  and  Daor  Ceile ;  the  other  of  stranger  septs  and 
broken  men  from  other  tribes,  who  were  settled  on  the  land, 

•*  Ancient  Laws,  vol.  iii.  p.  11  ;  vol.  iv.  pp.  30,  43.         ■'  Ih.  vol.  iv.  p.  3-21. 


176  tup:  FINl^  OH  SKPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  iii. 

and  formed  a  class  of  subordinate  followers.  The  basis  was 
a  territorial  one ;  but  while  the  authority  and  privileges  of 
the  chief  were  derived  from  his  deis,  there  was  likewise  a 
bond  of  union  between  him  and  the  former  class,  derived 
from  community  of  blood,  and  he  added  to  his  territorial 
riu;hts  the  natural  claim  to  their  allegiance  arising  from  his 
position  as  a  hereditary  chief  of  their  Tuath,  as  well  as  the 
right  to  punish  imperfect  service.  The  most  important  of 
these  services  on  the  part  of  the  Ceile  was  the  duty  of  follow- 
ing their  chief  to  war.  The  Book  of  Aicill,  one  of  these  law 
tracts,  tells  us,  '  A  chief  may  enforce  a  Sloiged  or  hosting  ; ' 
and  the  commentator  explains,  '  That  is,  there  is  a  smacht 
fine,  upon  a  Daor  Ceile  of  the  Gradfeine,  that  is,  of  the  ranks 
below  the  Aires,  for  not  going  to  it,  and  for  coming  away 
from  it ;  double  work  upon  the  Saor  Ceile  of  the  Grad  Feine 
for  not  going  to  it,  and  Honor  price  for  coming  away  from 
it.'  Another  and  perhaps  more  ancient  tract  in  the  Brehon 
Laws  gives  us  likewise  a  view  of  the  Find.  There  we  are 
told,  '  These  are  the  divisions  of  the  Fine  of  each  Flath  or 
chief.  His  FuidJiir,  his  Ciniud  or  kinsfolk,  his  Gdbail  fodag- 
niat  (under  which  name  his  Ceile  are  comprised),  all  of  whom 
go  by  the  name  of  Flaith  Fin6,  or  the  chief's  Find  or  sept.'^ 
The  four  That  division  of  the  Fin4  which  was  formed  of  those  of 

thT  CT«e  or  the  same  tribe  as  the  Flath  or  chief  consisted  of  two  distinct 
^"^^^  ■  elements,  the  first  being  the  Cinitid  or  near  kinsmen  of  the 
Flath,  and  the  second  of  those  of  the  tribe  who  became  his 
dependants  and  followers.  The  first,  as  descended  from  the 
original  founder  of  the  sept,  had  hereditary  claims  upon  his 
land,  as  well  as  duties  and  privileges  derived  from  kin  to  the 
chief,  while  the  rights  and  duties  of  the  latter  were  founded 
on  contract ;  and  here  we  come  in  contact  with  one  of  the 

*  Ancient  Laws,  vol.  iv.  p.  283.  Gaelic,  where  it  signifies  a  farm  or 
The  •word  Oabail  has  retained  its  lease,  and  Oabbailtaiche  is  a  tacks- 
tochnical  meaning  here  in  Scotch       man  or  superior  farmer. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  WALES.  177 

most  difficult  and  obscure  features  of  the  Fine  constitution, 
viz.,  that  institution  by  which  the  duties  and  the  privileges 
arising  from  kindred  with  the  chief  are  limited  to  an  artificial 
group  of  seventeen  persons,  which  again  was  divided  into  four 
lesser  groups,  termed  respectively  Gcilfini,  Ddrllifin^,  larfini, 
and  IndfinS.  These  formed  the  Duthaig  Fin4,  or  the  sept  in 
its  narrowest  sense.  The  GeilfiiU  consisted  of  five  persons, 
and  each  of  the  others  of  four,  making  seventeen  in  all. 
Upon  these  four  groups  of  kinsmen  appears,  in  the  first  place, 
to  have  been  imposed  a  joint  responsibility  for  each  member 
of  it.  Thus,  we  find  in  the  Senchus  Mor,  that  'the  four 
nearest  Fine  bear  the  crimes  of  each  kinsman  of  their  stock, 
Geilfin^  and  Deirthfind,  larjini  and  Indjin^-^  and  in  a  com- 
mentary on  the  Senchus  Mor,  they  are  termed  '  the  four 
nearest  Fine  or  families,'  that  is, '  because  it  is  four  Fines  that 
sustain  the  liabilities  of  every  person  that  is  related  to  them 
intimately.'^  They  likewise  possessed  mutual  rights  of  suc- 
cession in  the  d'ihad  of  the  chief,  or  the  land  which  passed  to 
his  kinsfolk.  These  rights  are  very  elaborately  stated  in  the 
Book  of  Aicill,  but  it  is  necessary  to  give  them  in  detail  in 
order  to  understand  the  nature  of  this  grouping  of  the  kins- 
folk. In  answer  to  the  question,  'What  is  the  reciprocal 
right  among  Fin6  ? '  we  are  told  that  '  if  the  Geilfin6  division 
become  extinct,  three-fourths  of  the  dihad  of  the  Gciljin^ 
shall  go  to  the  Deirhlifini,  and  one-fourth  to  the  Iarfin6  and 
the  IndfinS — viz.,  three-fourths  of  the  fourth  to  the  larfine, 
and  one-fourth  of  it  to  the  Indfini. 

'  If  the  DeirhhfinS  division  has  become  extinct,  three- 
fourths  of  its  dihad  goes  to  the  Geilfin6,  and  one-fourth  to 
the  larjini  and  Indfin^ ' — that  is,  three-fourths  of  the  fourth 
to  the  lariini,  and  a  fourth  of  it  to  the  IndjinL 

'If  the  /ar^7ie  division  has  become  extinct,  three-fourths  of 
its  dihad  shall  go  to  the  Deirhlifin4,  and  one-fourth  of  it  to 

'  Ancient  Laios,  vol.  i.  p.  261.  ^  Ihld.  vol.  i.  p.  275. 

VOL.  in.  M 


1 78  THE  FIN^  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  m. 

the  Gcilfiid  and  Indjine — that  is,  three-fourths  of  the  fourth 
to  the  Geiljine,  and  one-fourth  of  it  to  the  Indfin^. 

'  If  the  Indfiud  has  become  extinct,  three-fourths  of  its 
dibad  shall  go  to  the  larfin^,  and  one-fourth  of  it  to  the 
Geiljind  and  Deirhhfinc — that  is,  three-fourths  of  the  fourth 
to  the  JDeirhJifind,  and  one-fourth  of  it  to  the  GeilfinA. 

'  If  the  Geilfind  and  Deirbhfin6  both  become  extinct,  three- 
fourths  of  their  dihad  shall  go  to  the  larfin^,  and  one-fourth 
to  the  Indfin^. 

'  If  the  Indjin6  and  larfirii  both  become  extinct,  three- 
fourths  of  their  dibad  shall  go  to  the  DcirhhfinA,  and  one- 
fourth  to  the  GdljinL 

'  If  the  DdrblifimA  and  larfinS  have  both  become  extinct, 
three-fourths  of  their  dibad  shall  go  to  the  Geilfind,  and  one- 
fourth  to  the  Indfind. 

'  If  the  Gdlfim  and  Indfine  have  both  become  extinct, 
three-fourths  of  the  dibad  of  the  GcilfiitA  shall  go  to  the 
Beirbhfin^,  and  one-fourth  of  it  to  the  Iarfin4\  three-fourths 
of  the  dibad  of  the  Indfind  shall  go  to  the  larfind,  and  one- 
fourth  to  the  Deirbhfin^J 

This  seems  to  exhaust  all  possible  combinations,  and 
some  provisions  follow  which  are  not  very  easily  understood ; 
but  when  it  is  added,  '  And  the  whole  number  of  the  seven- 
teen men  are  then  forthcoming,  and  if  they  be  not,  there 
shall  be  no  partition,  but  the  nearest  of  kin  shall  take  it,' 
the  meaning  seems  to  be  that  the  group  of  seventeen  persons 
must  be  made  up  in  each  case,  but  if  that  cannot  be  done, 
there  is  no  partition  of  the  dibad  to  the  person  nearest  in 
degree  to  the  extinct  family. 

We  are  also  told  that '  the  Geilfind  is  the  youngest  and 
the  Indfine  the  oldest,'  and  that '  if  one  person  has  come  up 
into  the  Geilfind  so  as  to  make  it  excessive,  that  is,  more 
than  five  persons,  a  man  must  go  out  of  it  up  into  the 
Beirbh/ind,  and  a  man  is  to  pass  from  one  Find  into  the 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  179 

other  up  as  far  as  the  Indfini,  and  a  man  is  to  pass  from 
that  into  the  Duthaig  n-Daine  or  community.'^ 

It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  form  anything  like  a  clear 
conception  of  the  true  nature  of  what  appears  to  be  so  highly 
artificial  an  arrangement,  and  it  is  probable  that  if  it  ever 
really  existed  in  its  entirety,  it  must  soon  have  broken  down 
under  the  various  modifications  which  the  natural  progress  of 
society  brought  to  bear  upon  the  community.  So  far  as  we 
can  gather,  there  seems  undoubtedly  to  have  been  the  tie  of 
kindred  among  themselves,  and  between  them  and  the  chief; 
and  a  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  Flath  appears  to  have 
been  assigned  to  them  under  the  name  of  dibad,  the  portion 
occupied  by  each  group  being  possessed  in  common  by  its 
members,  so  that  it  was  only  when  the  subordinate  groups 
became  extinct  that  a  redistribution  of  it  took  place. 

Of  what  members  of  the  Fine,  then,  did  each  of  these  Members 
groups  really  consist  ?  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  families. 
number  which  formed  the  members  of  each.  The  Geilfin^ 
consisted  of  five  persons  only,  who  were  nearest  of  kin  to  the 
chief,  but  these  might  be  found  either  in  the  descending  or 
ascending  line,  or  were,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term, 
collateral.  The  descending  line  was  termed  Belfine,  and  the 
Geilfin4  consisted  of  the  father,  the  son,  the  grandson,  the 
great-grandson,  and  the  great-great-grandson,  to  the  fifth 
generation.  The  ascending  line  was  termed  Gulfing,  or  back 
family,  and  we  are  told  that,  viewed  in  this  connection,  the 
Geilfin^  consisted  of  the  father's  brother,  and  his  son,  to  the 
fifth  generation.^*'  The  collateral  relationship  was  termed 
Taobhfine,  or  side  family ;  and,  according  to  Mr.  O'Donovan 
and  the  authorities  he  refers  to,  the  Geilfine  is  defined  as 
'  the  first  or  direct  family ;  the  father  and  his  two  sons,  and 
two  grandsons ;  collateral  tribe.'  The  DeirWifine  as  '  the 
second  tribe;  the  next  in  point  of  dignity  to  the  Gnlfin6\ 

^  A7icient  Laivs  of  Ireland,  vol.  iii.  pp.  330-35.       ^^  Ibid.  vol.  ii.  p.  163. 


180  THE  FINjfi  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

the  two  grandsons  and  their  two  sons.'  The  larfim  as  '  the 
after  family  ;  two  sons  of  grandsons  and  their  sons,  making 
four  persons ; '  and  IndfiiK^  as  '  the  fourtli  and  lowest  division 
of  a  tribe.' '^  He  does  not  define  the  members  of  which  it 
consists,  but  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  held  it  to  consist  of 
the  two  sons  of  great-grandsons  and  their  sons,  corresponding 
to  the  five  generations  of  the  Brehon  Laws. 
The  (leii-  The  father,  who  in  each  case  was  the  head  of  the  Geilfin4, 

fine  chief. 

is  evidently  the  person  frequently  referred  to  in  these  Laws  as 
the  GeiJfin6  chief,  and  the  other  four  members  of  this  group 
were  evidently  his  nearest  agnates,  according  to  the  position 
of  the  family,  but  the  members  of  the  other  three  groups,  as 
presented  to  us  in  these  Laws,  cannot  be  viewed  as  his 
descendants.  The  Deirhlijini,  larfine,  and  Indfin4,  were 
obviously  collateral  and  contemporary  with  the  Geilfine, 
otherwise  it  is  impossible  that  they  could,  on  the  one  hand, 
have  been  jointly  responsible  for  a  kinsman,  or,  on  the  other, 
have  shared  in  the  succession  of  each  as  they  became  extinct ; 
and  we  can  gather  from  several  expressions  in  the  Laws  that 
such  was  the  case.  Thus  we  find  in  the  Senchus  Mor  the 
seventeen  persons  are  termed  relatives,  and  are  defined  in 
the  commentary  as  '  kinsmen '  {Blcogain)}-  and  these  are 
distinguished  as  Tobach,  Saigi,  and  Bleogain,  or  kinsmen  in 
general.^^  In  another  commentary  these  terms  are  thus 
defined :  '  Tohacli,  that  is,  the  nearest  kinsman,  that  is,  the 
liability  of  his  son  and  grandson.  Saigi,  that  is,  the  middle 
kinsman,  that  is,  the  liability  of  a  kinsman  as  far  as  seventeen. 
Bleogain,  that  is,  kinsman,  that  is,  the  farthest  kinsman  or 
€in.'  ^*  The  first  obviously  refers  to  the  constituent  members 
of  the  Geilfine ;  the  second  to  the  three  other  groups ;  and 
the  third  to  the  remainder  of  the  kin  of  the  chief  who  did 
not  belong  to  these  artificial  groups. 

'^  O'Donovan's  Supplement  to  ^'^  Ancient  Laics  of  Ireland,  vol.  i. 

O'Reilly's  Irish  Dictionary.  p.  183.     ^^  Ih.  p.  259.     "  lb.  p.  273. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  181 

Again,  we  are  told  that  '  the  tribe  property  {Finntiu)  is 
claimed  backwards ;  it  is  divided  between  three  Fin4 ;  an 
extern  branch  stops  it,  if  the  five  persons  perish.  Except  as 
regards  the  liability  of  relationship,  if  the  family  become 
extinct ;  except  a  fourth  part  to  the  FindfinS.  From  seven- 
teen men  out  it  is  decided  that  they  are  not  a  Duthaig  Fine, 
or  tribe  community,'  and  this  is  explained  in  the  commentary 
to  mean  that  '  the  hereditary  right  of  the  Geilfin6  group  goes 
backwards  to  the  Deirbhfind,  who  have  their  share  of  it 
when  it  is  divided  among  the  three  Fin6,  that  is,  the  dihad 
land  is  divided  between  the  three  Fine  groups,  viz.,  the 
DeirlhfinS,  the  Iarfin4,  and  the  Indfine.  An  extern  branch 
stops  it,  that  is,  the  branch  by  which  the  land  is  detained  is 
a  branch  that  is  hitherto  extern  to  the  Gcilfine,  that  is,  the 
Deirhhfind!  The  liability  of  relationship  is  explained  that, 
'  as  they  share  the  dihad  land,  so  they  shall  pay  for  the 
crimes  of  their  relatives.'  It  is  added  that, '  from  the  seven- 
teen men  out,  it  is  then  they  are  distinguished,  so  that  they 
are  not  a  Duthaig  Fin6  or  tribe  community,  but  a  Duthaig 
n-Daine,  or  a  community  of  people.'  ^^ 

From  these  notices  it  is  apparent  that  there  underlies 
the  formation  of  these  groups  the  idea  of  five  generations. 
These  were  expressed  by  the  terms  Athair,  father,  Mac,  son, 
Ua,  grandson,  Earmua,  great-grandson,  Innua,  great-great- 
grandson,  and  that  each  of  the  four  groups  was  one  genera- 
tion less  than  the  other,  the  Geiljin6,  or  white  family,  being 
the  chief's  immediate  family,  including  himself;^''  but  it 
must  not  be  supposed  that  these  degrees  of  relationship  im- 
plied descent  from  the  same  individual,  otherwise  it  would 
require  that  the  five  generations  were  alive  at  the  same  time. 
The  idea  rather  is  that  it  required  five  generations  from  the 
founder  of  the  Find  to  complete  the  group  of  seventeen 
persons.  Thus  his  own  immediate  family,  to  the  number  of 
^'  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  iv.  p.  43.  ^*  Ibid.  \i.  286. 


182  THE  FINlS  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  iii. 

four,  constituted  his  Gciljlii/'.  Then  as  each  new  person  was 
born  into  the  Gcilfind,  the  older  member  passed  into  a  new 
group  termed  Bdrhlifiifd,  and  this  went  on  till  the  group 
extended  to  nine  persons  ;  then,  as  new  members  were  born 
to  these  two,  older  members  passed  into  another  group  called 
larfind ;  and  so  on,  as  new  generations  were  added,  till  the 
group  of  Indfini  was  formed,  and  the  whole  number  of  seven- 
teen was  comp  eted,  the  members  of  each  being  fathers  and 
sons,  and  representing  the  fourth  and  fifth  generations  from 
the  common  ancestor ;  and  as  generations  went  on,  the  kin 
or  kinsfolk  of  the  chief  passed  through  the  alembic  of  these 
four  groups  and  disappeared  into  the  commonalty  of  the 
Find,  leaving  always  a  residuum  of  seventeen  persons  behind 
them.  These  relationships,  then,  meant  not  descent  from 
the  same  individual  but  from  the  founder  of  the  Fin4,  and 
expressed  the  distance  of  each  group  from  the  stem-line  of 
hereditary  chiefs,  and  the  degrees  of  relationship  between 
them  and  the  chief  for  the  time  being.  This  view  of 
the  degrees  of  relationship,  as  connected  with  the  five 
generations,  seems  to  be  implied  in  one  of  the  regulations 
regarding  '  Saer  stock  tenure.'  We  are  there  told  that  '  if 
one  chief  has  received  stock  from  another,  there  shall  be 
no  returning  of  the  Sacr  stock  without  Seds,  in  that  case 
until  one  heir  transmits  to  another.'  '  If  it  is  from  the 
chief  next  to  him  he  has  taken  it,  it  is  grandson  upon 
grandson,  or  great-grandson  upon  great-grandson,  or  the 
son  of  a  great-grandson  upon  the  son  of  a  great-grandson, 
and  the  number  of  degrees  which  are  between  the  person 
who  gave  the  stock  and  the  person  to  whom  it  is  given,  is 
the  number  of  relatives  who  shall  claim  the  stock  without 
Seds  of  Saer  stock.' ^^ 

The  Geilfini  were  thus  what  was  termed  youngest  cadets ; 
and  the  Indjine,  the  oldest  cadets,  recognised  as  forming  part 
"  Ancient  Laivs  of  Ireland,  vol.  ii.  p.  269. 


CHAP,  v.] 


THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES. 


183 


of  the  kin,  and  as  longest  separated  from  the  chief,  were  the 
most  powerful  family  next  to  his  own. 

The  following  table,  in  which  the  succession  to  the  dihad 
land  is  included,  will  show  this  conception  of  the  nature  of 
these  groups : — 


Common  Ancestor, 
Geilfine  Chief. 


Son, 
Geilfine  Chief. 
I 


Grandson, 
GeilfinS  Chief. 


Son. 


Son. 


Grandson. 


1.  Geilfine  chief, 
when  complete. 

2,  3.  Two  sons. 

4,  5.  Two  grandsons. 
Geilfin^. 

So 
6,  7.  Two 
8,  9.  Thei] 
Deirb 

II. 

grandsons, 
two  sons. 

HFINfi. 

Grandson. 

10,  11.  Two  great- 
grandsons. 

12,  13.  Their  two  sons. 
Iabfin^. 

Great-grandson, 

14,  15.  Two  great-great- 
grandsons. 

16,  17.  Their  two  sons. 

iNDFINl-l 

If  extinct. 

Obtains  3-4ths. 

3-4ths  of  l-4th. 

l-4th  of  l-4th. 

Obtains  3-4th.s. 

If  extinct. 

3-4ths  of l-4th. 

l-4th  of  l-4th. 

3-4ths  of  l-4th. 

3-4ths. 

If  extinct. 

l-4th  of  l-4th. 

l-4thofl-4th. 

3-4ths  of  l-4th. 

3-4ths. 

If  extinct. 

If  extinct. 

If  extinct. 

3-4ths  of  both. 

l-4th  of  both. 

l-4thof  both. 

3-4ths  of  both. 

If  extinct. 

If  extinct. 

3-4ths  of  both. 

If  extinct. 

If  extinct. 

l-4thofboth. 

If  extinct. 

3-4ths  of  Geilf,ne. 
1  -4th  of  Indfine. 

l-4th  of  Geilfine. 
3-4ths  of  Indfine. 

If  extinct. 

17  men  must  in  this  case  be  made  up. 


184  THE  FIN^  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

It  is  hardly  possible  that  so  complicated  a  system  should 
have  long  remained  intact  through  all  the  changes  produced 
in  the  social  system  of  these  tribes  by  the  mere  course  of 
time ;  and  it  probably,  at  least  to  some  extent,  broke  doMui 
under  the  growing  importance  of  the  family  of  the  oldest 
cadet,  which  became  more  and  more  independent  the  longer 
it  was  separated  from  that  of  the  chief,  and  so  would  narrow 
the  group  which  formed  his  kin ;  and  thus  we  see  that  as 
it  became  the  most  powerful  family  next  to  his,  there  came 
to  be  alternate  election  of  the  king  or  chief  from  these  two 
families,  the  head  of  the  one  being  always  nominated  Tanist 
to  the  other. 
Relation  of        Such  being  probably  the  nature  of  these  groups,  it  be- 

Geilfine  .  ,     .         ,      . 

chief  to  the  comes  necessary  to  examme  their  relation  to  the  Tuath  and 
that  of  the  Flath  Gdlfini  or  Gcilfin4  chief  to  the  Pd  Tuath. 
We  find  in  the  Senchus  Mor  the  following  statement : — 
'  The  head  of  each  FinS,  or  the  Ccannjini,  should  be  the 
man  of  the  Fini  who  is  the  most  experienced,  the  most 
noble,  the  most  wealthy,  the  wisest,  the  most  learned,  the 
most  powerful  to  oppose,  the  most  steadfast  to  sue  for  profits 
and  for  losses.'  The  two  qualities  of  '  most  noble '  in  race 
and  '  most  wealthy '  in  cattle  can  only  be  found  united  in 
the  Flatli  or  chief,  and  he  is  expected  to  possess  the  rest. 
We  therefore  find  in  the  commentary  '  the  head  of  each 
Fine'  defined  to  be  '  every  one  who  is  head  chief  of  the  Geil- 
fini.'  We  are  then  told  that  '  every  person  in  a  Tuath  accepts 
equal  stock  or  subsidy  from  the  Flath  Gdlfini  or  GeilfinS 
chief,  and  the  Flath  Gcilfine  accepts  stock  or  subsidy  from 
the  Bi  Tuath,  or  else  every  person  in  the  Tuath  accepts  it 
from  the  Hi  Tuath,  though  it  is  from  him  that  the  Flath 
Geilfin4  takes  his  Flaithius  or  chiefship.'  ^^  We  have  here 
an  alternative  statement.  In  the  one  the  members  of  the 
tribe  take  stock  from  the  GcUJini  chief,  that  is,  are  his 
18  Ancient  Laivs  of  Ireland,  vol.  ii.  pp.  279,  281. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  185 

dependants.  In  the  other  they  take  stock  directly  from  the 
Bi  Tiiatli.  These  statements  represent  different  states  of  the 
tribe ;  the  older  state,  when  the  members  of  the  tribe  were 
equal  and  independent  of  each  other,  and  the  later  when  they 
had  become  dependent  upon  the  Flath  or  chief ;  but  both 
might  exist  at  the  same  time,  some  taking  stock  from  the 
chief  and  some  from  the  king.  There  was  this  distinction 
between  the  chief  and  the  king  as  regards  8aer  stock  tenure, 
that  the  connection  between  the  Flatli  and  the  CdU  was 
based  upon  contract,  and  the  connection  which  was  freely 
entered  into  might  be  dissolved  by  either  party ;  but  we  are 
told  in  the  Gain  tsaorrthadh  or  law  of  Sacr  stock  tenure,  '  a 
man  need  never  accept  of  Daer  stock  from  any  other  unless 
he  likes  it  himself,  and  he  need  not  accept  even  of  Sacr  stock 
from  any  but  his  own  king,  and  he  cannot  refuse  taking  Saer 
stock  from  his  own  king.'  And  further,  '  he  cannot  separate 
from  his  own  king  at  any  time,  either  while  he  holds  by  Saer 
stock  tenure  or  by  Bacr  stock  tenure.' ^^  And  in  the  Cain 
Aigillnc  or  law  of  Dacr  stock  tenure  we  read,  '  The  law  does 
not  require  of  a  man  to  accept  of  Daer  stock  from  his  own 
chief  or  from  an  extern  chief,  or  from  his  own  king  or  from 
an  extern  king,  but  the  law  requires  of  him  to  take  Saer  stock 
from  his  own  king.  If  he  takes  Daer  stock,  it  should  be  from 
his  own  king.'  -^ 

This  power  which  the  Ri  Tuatli  possessed  of  forcing  the 
members  of  the  tribe  to  become  his  dependants  in  Saer  stock 
tenure,  and  of  retaining  them  permanently,  enabled  him  to 
increase  his  dependants  to  any  extent;  and  besides  the 
Ceile  whom  he  thus  gathered  around  him  he  likewise  settled 
FuidUr  or  stranger  septs  upon  his  waste  land  in  proportion 
to  the  extent  of  his  territory  and  the  amount  of  his  wealth. 
He  thus  not  only  occupied  the  position  of  Pd  Titath  or 
king  of  the  tribe,  with  all  its  rights  and  privileges,  but 
^^  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  ii.  pp.  209,  211.        -"  Ih.  pp.  223-5. 


186  THE  riNl<^  OK  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  m. 

was  likewise  the  Flaih  or  cliief  of  the  most  powerful  sept 
within  it. 

The  Flath  Gcilfin6  or  Gcilfird  chief  was  likewise  the 
chief  of  an  entire  Fin^  or  sept.  This  is  implied  in  a  passage 
in  the  tract  '  Of  the  judgment  of  every  crime,'  where  we  are 
told  that '  the  reason  why  the  crime  goes  upon  the  Deirhh- 
faii  and  the  larfin^  before  it  goes  upon  the  Flath  or  chief, 
is  because  it  is  one  chief  that  is  over  them,  the  Flath  Geilfindy 
and  he  is  chief  of  four  Fin^s  or  groups.'  Another  passage 
in  the  Book  of  Aicill  also  shows  that  he  was  next  in  rank  and 
power  to  the  king,  for  it  apportions  the  fines  for  injuring  the 
roads  of  a  Tuath  between  the  Pa  or  king  and  the  Flath  Geil- 
fini,  and  adds,  '  What  is  the  reason  that  there  is  more  due  to 
the  Pd  Tuath  for  injuring  his  principal  road  than  his  by-road, 
and  that  there  is  more  due  to  the  Gciljin^  chief  for  injuring 
his  by-road  than  his  principal  road  ?  The  reason  is,  the 
principal  road  is  more  the  peculiar  property  of  the  Pd  Tuath 
than  the  by-road,  and  the  by-road  is  more  the  peculiar  pro- 
perty of  the  Flath  Gciljini  than  the  principal  road.'  -^ 

Where  then  are  we  to  recognise  the  Flath  Gcilfind  among 
the  Aires  of  a  Tuath  of  the  Gracl  Flath  ?  The  Gcilfin6 
chief,  as  we  see,  received  his  stock  or  subsidy  direct  from 
the  Ri  Tuath,  but  there  were  only  two  of  the  Aires  who 
were  in  this  position,  and  in  this  respect  the  Aires  of  a 
Tuath  fall  into  two  divisions.  The  Aire  Desa  and  the  Aire 
Arcl  received  their  stock  from  a  Flath,  but  the  Aire  Tuise 
and  the  Aire  Forgaill  from  the  Bi  Tuath  direct,  and  it  is  in 
this  latter  division  we  have  to  look  for  the  Flatli  Gcilfini. 
The  Aire  Forgaill  was  the  highest  grade  of  the  Aires,  and  is 
said  to  be  so  named  '  because  it  is  he  that  testifies  {Fortgella) 
to  the  grades  in  every  case  in  which  denial  of  a  charge  is 
sought,  and  because  his  quality  is  superior  to  that  of  his 
fellows  ; '  while  the  Aire  Tuise  is  said  to  be  so  called  '  because 
-1  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  iii.  p.  309. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  187 

his  race  has  precedence/  or,  as  it  may  be  more  literally  ren- 
dered, 'because  he  is  Tuisech  or  leader  from  race'  (Toisech 
a  Cinnd)P  The  former,  as  the  superior  of  the  two,  may 
probably  be  viewed  as  the  Flath  Gcilfi7i6  or  Geilfind  chief,  and 
exercised  the  judicial  functions  of  a  chief ;  while  the  latter, 
as  the  oldest  cadet,  led  the  forces  of  the  clan  when  called 
out  either  by  the  chief  or  by  the  king  on  a  Sluaged  or  hosting. 

Although  the  position  of  Flath  or  chief  of  a  sept,  as  well  Law  of 
as  that  of  Ri  Tuath  or  head  of  the  whole  tribe,  was  hereditary 
in  the  family  but  elective  in  the  person,  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  senior  of  the  family,  as  representing  the 
founder  of  it,  was  usually  elected  as  entitled  to  the  position, 
unless  disqualified  by  some  defect  mental  or  physical,  and 
this  principle  is  recognised  in  the  tract  on  Succession,  where 
it  is  thus  laid  down : — 'The  senior  with  the  Fin6  or  sept,  dignity 
with  the  Flath  or  chief,  wisdom  with  the  Fclais  or  church ; ' 
and  this  rule  is  thus  illustrated  in  the  commentary :  'Ignorance 
was  set  aside  for  wisdom  in  the  orders  of  the  church.  An 
Aitcch  or  tenant  of  the  Grad  Feind  was  set  aside  for  a  Flath 
or  chief,  a  junior  was  set  aside  for  the  senior,  that  is,  the 
person  who  is  junior  shall  rise  or  walk  out  of  the  kingship  or 
the  abbacy  or  the  Geilfind  chiefship  before  the  person  who  is 
senior.'  And  again — '  Age  is  rewarded  by  the  Fdn6,  for 
where  there  are  two  Aires  or  lords  of  the  same  family  who 
are  of  equal  dignity  and  property,  the  senior  shall  take  prece- 
dence.' And  again — '  The  senior  is  entitled  to  noble  election,' 
but '  if  the  kings  be  equally  old  and  good,  lots  are  to  be  cast 
between  them  respecting  the  kingship,  but  if  one  of  them  is 
older  than  the  other  he  shall  go  into  it.'  Finally,  it  is  laid 
down  that  '  the  junior  shares  and  the  senior  is  elected,'  and 
that '  it  is  according  to  desert  they  come  into  power,  and  it  is 
according  to  the  goodness  of  the  brancli  itself  and  the  good- 
ness of  the  grade  also,  and  the  most  worthy  person  of  the 

--  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  iv.  pp.  325,  326. 


188  THE  FINlS  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  iir. 

branch  shall  go  into  it,  that  is,  the  best  person  of  that  branch. 
And  the  head  of  all  according  to  the  dcra  of  the  Fini, 
that  is,  that  every  one  who  is  a  head  should  be  afterwards 
according  to  the  FItU.' 

The  following  commentary  on  the  qualities  required  in  a 
chief  further  illustrates  the  principles  on  which  the  selection 
is  made : — '  The  noblest,  that  is,  in  age  or  in  race  {Cencl). 
The  highest,  that  is,  in  grade.  The  wealthiest,  that  is,  in 
ploughing  and  reaping.  The  shrewdest,  that  is,  in  wisdom  or 
in  mind.  The  wisest,  that  is,  in  learning.  Popular  as  to  com- 
purgation, that  is,  who  has  good  friends  with  compurgators, 
that  is,  good  friends  outside  the  territory  adhering  to  him. 
The  most  powerful  to  sue,  that  is,  to  prosecute  for  each  of 
them.  The  most  firm  to  sue  for  profits,  that  is,  of  the 
clibacl  property.  And  losses,  that  is,  liabilities.'  Finally, '  the 
body  of  each  is  his  Fin6,  that  is,  the  body  of  each  person 
who  is  head  is  his  Fin4.  There  is  no  body  without  a  head, 
that  is,  of  themselves,  over  them,  according  to  law.'-^  It 
was  the  operation  of  this  rule  that  led  to  brothers  being 
preferred  to  sons,  and  when  there  was  alternate  succession 
the  collateral  in  the  same  degree  was  preferred  to  the  son 
of  his  predecessor,  as  being  one  degree  nearer  to  the  common 
ancestor. 
siuaged  or  The  regulations  for  compelling  attendance  upon  the 
Sluaged  or  hosting  still  further  illustrate  the  relations  be- 
tween the  king  and  the  chief  of  a  sept.  They  are  contained 
in  the  Book  of  Aicill,  and  are  as  follows  : — '  If  a  man  of  the 
Grad  Flath,  with  his  Daev  Ccile,  came  away  from  it  (that  is, 
the  hosting),  or  if  the  Ceile  came  away  from  it,  if  ordered  by 
the  chief,  Honor  price  shall  be  paid  for  it,  half  of  which  goes 
to  the  king  of  the  province  and  the  other  half  is  divided  into 
three  parts ;  one  third  goes  to  the  king  who  is  nearest  the 
king  of  the  province  in  upward  gradation  (that  is,  the  king 
of  a  Mortuath),  one-third  to  the  Bi  Tuath  who  is  over  those 
-^  Ancient  La%vs  of  Ireland,  vol.  iv.  pp.  373,  375. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  189 

below,  and  one-third  to  the  chiefs  and  intermediate  chiefs 
(Flathaibh)  who  are  between  them  in  the  middle/  by  which 
latter  distinction  the  two  divisions  of  the  Aires  of  the  Grad 
Flath  are  intended. 

'  If  it  was  a  man  of  the  Grad  Flath  and  one  Ceile  that 
came  away  from  it,  Honor  price  is  to  be  paid  for  it  also  ;  and 
the  share  which  the  Ceile  should  pay,  if  all  the  Ceile  had 
been  concerned  in  it,  is  what  he  is  to  pay  now,  and  the  re- 
mainder is  to  be  paid  by  him  (that  is,  the  chief),  and  the 
same  division  is  made  of  the  half  for  the  king  of  the  pro- 
vince, and  the  other  half  is  divided  into  three  parts.' 

'  If  it  was  the  Ceile  themselves  that  came  away  from  it 
without  the  chief's  leave,  the  Smacht  fine  or  Honor  price, 
which  is  due  for  it,  is  to  be  paid  by  them ;  one-third  of  it 
goes  to  the  king  of  the  province,  and  one-third  to  the  chief 
whose  Ceile  came  away,  and  the  other  third  is  to  be  divided 
into  three  parts,  one-third  of  which  goes  to  the  king  of  the 
TuatJi  who  is  over  them,  and  one  third  to  the  chiefs  and  in- 
termediate chiefs  who  are  in  the  middle  between  them  ; '  to 
which  is  added, '  Whenever  it  is  Smacht  fine  that  is  paid,  it 
shall  be  paid  according  to  the  rank  of  the  person  who  pays 
it;  and  whenever  Honor  price  is  paid,  it  shall  be  paid 
according  to  the  rank  of  the  person  to  whom  it  is  paid.' 

'  What  is  the  reason  that  there  is  a  greater  fine  upon  the 
Grad  Flath  for  not  going  to  the  hosting  than  upon  the  Grad 
Fein41  The  reason  is.  The  hosting  or  the  Dun-building 
suffers  a  greater  loss  from  the  absence  of  the  Grad  Flath 
than  from  that  of  the  Grad  Feini,  and  they  are  more  needed, 
and  it  is  right  there  should  be  a  greater  fine  upon  them.' 
'What  is  the  reason  that  there  is  a  greater  fine  imposed 
upon  them  for  coming  away  from  it  than  for  not  going  to 
it  %  The  reason  of  it  is.  It  is  more  dangerous  for  the  king  to 
be  deserted  outside  in  an  enemy's  territory,  than  that  they 
should  not  go  out  with  him  at  first.'  -■* 

-^  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  vol.  iii.  pp.  495,  497. 


190  THE  FIN^  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  in. 

Fosterage.  The  tie  between  the  chiefs  and  their  dependants  was  still 
further  strengthened  by  tlie  custom  of  fosterage,  by  which  the 
children  of  the  upper  classes  were  intrusted  to  a  family  be- 
longing to  the  inferior  ranks  to  be  brought  up  and  trained 
along  with  their  own  children.  This  custom  prevailed  from 
an  early  period  among  the  Irish  tribes,  but  it  is  obvious  that 
such  an  institution  could  only  have  arisen  after  the  distinc- 
tion of  ranks  had  been  fully  organised  in  the  tribe.  The 
influence  of  early  association  with  the  earlier  stage  in  the 
constitution  of  the  tribe,  when  its  free  members  were  in  a  state 
of  independence  and  equality  with  each  other,  may  have  led 
to  their  regarding  the  children  under  age,  and  before  they  had 
acquired  any  independent  rights  and  privileges,  as  occupying 
no  better  position,  and  so  created  a  sentiment  that  they  ought 
to  be  trained  along  with  the  children  of  a  lower  rank,  long 
after  the  reality  which  gave  rise  to  the  feeling  had  ceased  to 
exist.  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  find  the  institution  in  full  oper- 
ation in  these  Ancient  Laws,  and  the  regulations  connected 
with  it  forming  part  of  the  Senchus  Mor.  According  to  it 
there  were  two  kinds  of  fosterage  with  the  Fin4  which  had 
not  been  annulled — fosterage  for  affection,  and  fosterage  for 
payment.  The  clothing  and  the  food  of  the  children  given 
to  the  inferior  families  to  foster  is  minutely  regulated.  Those 
of  the  children  of  the  Grad  Fein6  were  to  be  black  or  yellow 
or  grey,  and  old  clothes  were  to  be  worn  by  the  sons  of  an 
Ogaire,  and  new  by  the  sons  of  a  Boaire.  The  sons  of  an 
Aire  desa  were  to  wear  clothes  of  a  different  colour  every  day, 
and  of  two  different  colours  on  Sunday,  and  to  have  both  old 
and  new  clothes.  The  sons  of  the  superior  chiefs  were  to 
wear  clothes  of  two  colours  every  day,  both  old  and  new,  and 
new  clothes  of  two  colours  on  Sunday ;  while  the  sons  of  the 
Aire  Forgill,  the  highest  of  all,  and  of  the  king,  were  to  have 
new  coloured  clothes  at  all  times,  and  all  embroidered  with 
gold  and  silver.     How  far  such  regulations  were  ever  prac- 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  191 

tically  observed  may  well  be  doubted,  but  those  regarding 
food  are  probably  enough.  Porridge  ^^  was  to  be  given  to 
them  all,  but  the  materials  of  which  it  is  made  and  the 
flavouring  vary  according  to  the  rank  of  the  parents  of  the 
children.  The  sons  of  the  inferior  grades  are  fed  to  bare  suffi- 
ciency on  porridge  made  of  oatmeal  and  butter-milk  or  water 
taken  with  salt  butter.  The  sons  of  chiefs  are  fed  to  satiety 
on  porridge  made  of  barley-meal,  upon  new  milk  with  fresh 
butter.  The  sons  of  kings  are  fed  on  porridge  made  of  flour, 
upon  new  milk  taken  with  honey.  The  food  of  all,  however, 
was  alike,  till  the  end  of  a  year  or  of  three  years. 

The  price  of  the  fosterage  of  the  son  of  an  Ogairc  is  three 
Scds  or  three  Samhaiscs,  that  is,  three-year-old  heifers  ;  and 
for  his  daughter  four  Scds,  a  Sed  in  addition  being  given  for 
the  daughter,  because  the  household  arrangements  for  her 
accommodation  are  more  extensive  than  for  the  sons.  This 
was  the  lowest  price  given,  and  the  Fer  Midhwid,  or  man  of 
the  humblest  rank,  could  not  perform  the  fosterage  for  less. 
The  boys  were  to  be  taught  the  herding  of  lambs,  calves,  kids, 
and  young  pigs,  and  kiln-drying,  combing,  and  wood-cutting ; 
and  the  daughters  the  use  of  the  quern,  the  kneading-trough, 
and  the  sieve.  The  price  of  the  fosterage  of  the  son  of  a 
Boaire  was  five  Seds,  or  three  cows.  The  price  of  the  foster- 
age of  the  son  of  an  Aire  was  ten  Scds,  and  instruction  in 
the  usual  sciences  is  given  him  ;  that  is,  the  sons  were  taught 
horsemanship,  &?Tm?i-playing,  shooting,  chess-playing,  and 
swimming ;  and  the  daughters  sewing  and  cutting-out,  and 
embroidery.  The  price  of  the  fosterage  of  the  son  of  a  king 
was  thirty  Seds,  and  the  foster-sons  were  to  have  horses 
in  time  of  races,  and  the  foster-father  was  bound  to  teach 
them  horsemanship. 

-=  The   word   Lite  is    translated       land,    and    the   Scotch   correlative 
in  the  Brehon  Laws  '  stirabout,'  but       '  porridge '  has  been  substituted, 
this  is  a  term  unknown  out  of  Ire- 


192  THE  FINE  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

The  relationsliip  thus  formed  was  considered  most 
friendly,  and  was  connected  with  the  Geilfin4  relationship, 
but  the  passage  which  states  it  is  so  obscure  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  attach  a  definite  meaning  to  it.  The  children  re- 
mained with  the  foster-father  till  the  boys  were  seventeen 
and  the  girls  fourteen.  The  age  of  the  boys  was  divided  into 
three  periods.  The  first  extended  till  he  was  seven  years  old ; 
the  second  from  seven  to  twelve  years,  and  the  third  till 
he  was  seventeen.  During  the  first  period  the  foster-father 
might  punish  him  for  faults  with  castigation,  and  during  the 
second  with  castigation  without  food,  but  for  his  first  fault 
there  were  to  be  three  threatenings  without  castigation,  and 
after  the  age  of  twelve  he  had  to  make  compensation  in  the 
usual  way,  with  regard  to  which  there  are  many  minute 
regulations.  On  the  termination  of  the  fosterage  the  foster- 
father  returned  the  children  with  a  parting  gift,  which  was 
regulated  according  to  the  Honor  price ;  and  in  return,  the 
foster-son  was  bound  to  maintain  his  foster-father  in  sickness 
or  old  age,  in  the  same  manner  as  he  would  maintain  his 
own  father  and  mother. 

Such  were  the  leading  features  of  the  system  of  fosterage 
as  presented  to  us  in  the  Senchus  Mor.-^ 
Later  state  The  ancient  topographical  descriptions  of  some  of  the  ter- 
Fines.  ritorics  in  the  three  provinces  of  Munster,  Connaught,  and 
Ulster,  which  have  been  printed  by  the  Irish  Archseological 
and  Celtic  Society,  and  which  have  been  already  referred  to 
as  affording  illustrations  of  the  tribe  system,  so  far  as  pre- 
served, likewise  indicate  the  existence  of  the  Find  or  sept. 
Thus  in  the  district  of  Corca  Laiclhe  in  Munster,  which 
consisted  of  eight  Tuaths  or  tribe  territories,  in  describing 
the  district  of  Cuil-Cearnadha,  it  is  added,  '  These  are  its 
hereditary  tribes  (Fineadha  duchusa),  O'Eothlain  its  Tois- 
each,  and  Ua  Cuinn,  Ua  larnain,  and  Ua  Finain,'  three  septs. 

-^  Ancient  Laios  of  Ireland,  vol.  ii.  pp.  147-193. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  193 

Again,  of  the  country  or  Duthaich  of  Gillamichil,  which 
formed  a  Tuath,  we  are  told,  '  These  were  its  hereditary 
leaders  {Odaich  Duthaich),  O'Duibharda,  O'Dunlaing,  Oh- 
Ogain,  O'Dubhagau/  etc.  It  is  iinnecessary  to  go  through  the 
whole  of  them,  or  the  Odaich  Duthaich  of  the  other  Tuaths, 
as  Mr.  O'Donovan  adds  a  note  which  sufticiently  explains 
their  relation  to  the  tribe.  He  says  that  these  Oglaich  '  were 
the  petty  chiefs,  Kenfinies  or  heads  of  families,'  properly 
septs,  '  who  held  their  lands  by  the  same  right  of  descent 
from  t]ie  common  ancestor  as  the  chief,  or  rather  Toiseacli, 
himself ;  and  they  were  called  '  Oglaich,  young  heroes,  be- 
cause they  were  bound  to  assist  him  in  his  wars  against  his 
enemies  at  the  heads  of  their  respective  clans.'  ""^ 

We  have  some  information,  too,  regarding  the  FinS  or  sept 
in  Connaught.  Thus  in  the  '  Tribes  and  Customs  of  Hy 
riachraich  '  we  read  that  Fiachra,  son  of  Eochaidh  Muighmh- 
eadhoin,  Ardri  of  Erin,  colonised  this  district,  and  had  a  son, 
Amhalgaidh,  from  whose  son,  Fedhlim,  sprang  the  Cineal 
Fedhlimidh,  which  consisted  of  '  0  Ceallachain,  0  Caithniadh, 
Mac  Coinin,  0  Muimhneachain,  Mac  Ehionain,  0  Geara- 
dhain,  O'Conboirne,  These  are  the  Cineal  Fedhlimidh  of 
Jorrus.'  The  Cineal  Feidhlimidh  here  is  the  tribe  occupy- 
ing a  Tuath,  and  the  others  are  the  Fin6  or  septs  of  which 
it  was  composed.  Then  from  '  Aongus,  son  of  Amhalgaidh, 
came  the  Cineal  Aongusa  in  Hy- Amhalgaidh,  viz.,  0  Muirea- 
dhaigh,  Taoisig  of  the  Lagan.'  Here  we  have  the  Taoiscch  at 
the  head  of  the  Cineal  or  tribe,  and  then  we  are  told  that '  of 
the  descendants  of  Aongus  are  the  people  of  Dun  Finne,  or 
fort  of  the  Fin6,  viz.  0  Cuinn,  MagOdhrain,  0  Comhdhan, 
O'Duibhlearga,  0  Bearga,  0  Blighe,  0  Duanma  or  Duan- 
maigh  ; '  and  these  were  the  Fin6  or  septs.  Amhalgaidh  had 
other  sons  by  Earca,  daughter  of  Eochaidh,  king  of  Leinster, 
the  eldest  of  whom  was  Fergus,  and  his  son  Muireadhach 

'^  Genealach  Corca  Laidhe,  Miscellany  of  the  Celtic  Society,  pp.  31,  49. 

VOL.  III.  N 


194  THE  FIN^  Oil  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

was  Rig  Ua  n-Amhalgaidh,  or  king  of  Hy-Amhalgaidh.  The 
descendants  of  this  Muireadhach  possessed  '  the  Tnoclia 
Ceud  of  Bac  and  of  Gleann  Nemthinne,  and  the  half  Triocha 
Ceud  of  Breiidach.  These  are  the  hereditary  tribes  (Fi/iea- 
dhoigh  Dudhchusa)  of  Bac,  viz.,  0  Lachtna,  Taoisioc  of  the 
two  Bacs  and  of  the  Gleann,  and  of  them  0  Dubhagain  and 
the  Clann  Firbisigh,  0  Maoilniaidh  of  Ardachaidh,  and 
O'Cuirain  of  Lios  Cuimin  on  the  Muaidh.  These  are  the 
families  or  septs  (Fincada)  of  Breudach,  viz.,  0  Toghda, 
Taoiseach  of  Breudach,  0  Glaimin,  0  Luachaidh,  and  0 
Gilin.'  ^^  Here  we  have  two  groups  of  Fin^  or  septs,  with 
a  Toisech  at  the  head  of  each.  Lastly,  from  Aougus  Fionn,  an- 
other son  of  Amhalgaidh,  are  O'Gaibhtheachan,  OTlainn,  and 
O'Maoilhiona,  chiefs  (Flaifhe)  of  Calraighe  Muighe  h-Eleag. 
In  one  of  MacFirbis's  tracts  he  deduces  the  tribes  and  septs 
descended  from  Brian,  the  son  and  successor  of  Eochaidh 
Muighmeadoin,  king  of  Connaught.  He  is  said  to  have  had 
twenty-four  sons,  and  from  Echeau.  one  of  them,  descended 
the  Cind  n-Echean  or  tribe  of  Echean,  consisting  of  the  septs 
of  O'Biasta,  O'Bli,  O'Caisleorach,  O'Euanuidhen,  and  O'Fion- 
nucaiu.  From  Fergus  came  the  Cinel  Fergusa  of  Echtge, 
consisting  of  the  septs  of  O'Brain,  O'Bruachain,  O'Conrethe, 
and  O'Cairriodha,  Taoiseaclis  of  Cinel  Fergusa.  From  Ere 
Dearg,  or  the  Eed,  came  the  Cinel  Deirg  in  Connaught; 
from  Esse  or  Essile  came  the  Tuath  Esille ;  from  Aongus 
are  the  Cind  n-Aongnsa  of  Galway,  that  is,  the  O'Hallo- 
rans  with  their  branches ;  from  Tenedh  the  Corco-  Tcnedh, 
and  Muichead,  from  whom  Corco-Muichead ;  from  Cana, 
the  O'Cananans  in  Uaithne  ;  Neachtain,  from  Tir  Neach- 
tain,  with  their  septs  {Fineadhaihh) ;  two  Carbrys,  viz., 
Carbry  Conrith,  from  whom  is  descended  St.  Barry  of  Core, 
and  Carbry  Aircheann,  from  whom  the  Hy  Briuin  Piatha  in 
West  Connaught ;  three  Conalls,  viz.,  Conall  Oirisin,  from 
-8  Genealogies,  Tribes,  and  Customs  of  Hy  Fiachraich,  pp.  6-11. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  195 

whom  the  men  of  Umalia,  Coiiall  Gluii,  from  whom  the 
O'Monahans,  Taoiseachs  of  the  three  Tuaths,  and  Conall 
Cortaine,  from  whom  the  'O'Maolduibh ;  Eochaidh,  from 
whom  the  Cinel  n-Eachach ;  and  Enna  Eamalach,  from 
whom  Cinel  n-Eanna ;  Duach  Galach,  the  youngest,  from 
whom  the  kings  of  Eath  Cruachan  are  descended.'  ^^ 

In  the  province  of  Ulster  we  find,  besides  the  Tuatlis 
which  formed  the  subdivisions  of  the  larger  districts  and  were 
equivalent  to  the  tribe  territories,  that  in  some  a  smaller 
division  is  mentioned  termed  a  Cinernent.  Thus  in  the  dis- 
trict of  the  Glynnes,  consisting  of  seven  subdivisions,  six  are 
termed  Tuoghs  or  Tuaths,  and  one  is  the  '  Cynamond  of 
Armoy  and  Raghlin,'  containing  the  parish  of  Armoy  and  the 
island  of  Rathlin.  Again,  among  the  Tuoghs  in  North 
Clandeboy  we  find  the  *  Cinamcnt  of  Knockboynabrade  ; '  the 
'  Cinamcnt  of  Duogh  Connor,'  containing  the  sixteen  towns 
of  Connor ;  the  Cinamcnt  of  Kilmahevet ;  the  Cinamcnt  of 
Ballinowre,  represented  by  the  modern  parish  of  Ballinowre, 
and  containing  8000  acres ;  the  Cinamcnt  of  Carntall,  Monks- 
land,  and  Carnemony ;  the  Cinamcnt  of  Dirrevolgie,  alias 
Fealaogh  ;  and  the  Cinamcnt  of  Clandermot,  containing  four 
Ballys  or  townlands.^°  This  word  Cinament  is  derived  from 
Cine,  a  sept,  and  Minand,  a  habitation  or  residence,  and 
these  smaller  districts  were  obviously  the  possessions  of  septs 
or  Fin^s  which  had  become  detached  from  their  tribe,  and 
thus  we  find  the  name  of  the  Clan  Dermot  connected  with 
one  of  them.  Again,  we  find  the  Barony  of  Lower  Castle- 
reagh  in  South  Clandeboy  consisted  of  five  smaller  territories 
termed  Slut  Henrickies,  Slut  Kellies,  Slut  Hugh  Bricks,  Slut 
Bryan  Boye,  Skit  Durnings,  and  Slut  Owen  mac  Quin,  the 
last  two  forming  one  district ;  but  this  word  Slut  is  the  Irish 
Sliocht  or  sept,  and  the   names  are  corrupted  from  Sliocht 

-■'  Description  of  West  Connaught,  p.  127. 

■'"  Reeves's  Ecdes.  Antiquities  of  Down  and  Connor,  pp.  332,  345. 


196  THE  FINli  Oli  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

Enri  Caoirh,  or  the  sept  of  Henry  the  Blind ;  Sliocht  Cml- 
Inir/h,  or  sept  of  the  Kellies  ;  Sliocht  Aodh  hreac,  or  sept 
of  Hugh  the  Freckled  ;  Slioclit  Briuin  huidhc,  or  sept  of 
Brian  the  Yellow ;  Sliocht  Owen  mhic  Cuinn,  or  sept  of 
Owen  son  of  Conn/'^ 

Sir  Jolin  Davis,  in  his  Letter  to  the  Earl  of  Salisbury, 
written  about  the  same  time,  gives  us  a  very  clear  account  of 
the  position  of  these  septs  in  the  counties  of  Fermanagh  and 
Cavan.  In  Fermanagh  he  derived  his  information  from  cer- 
tain of  the  clerks  or  scholars  of  that  country,  who  knew  all 
the  septs  and  families  and  their  branches,  and  the  dignity  of 
one  sept  above  another,  and  what  families  or  persons  were 
chief  of  every  sept,  and  who  were  next,  and  who  were  of  third 
rank,  and  so  forth,  till  they  descended  to  the  most  inferior 
man  in  all  the  barony.  Moreover,  they  took  upon  them  to 
tell  '  what  quantity  of  land  every  man  ought  to  have  by  the 
custom  of  their  country,  which  is  of  the  nature  of  gavelkind, 
whereby,  as  their  septs  or  families  did  multiply,  their  posses- 
sions have  been  from  time  to  time  divided  and  subdivided, 
and  broken  into  so  many  small  parcels  as  almost  every  acre 
of  land  had  a  several  owner,  who  termeth  himself  a  lord  and 
his  portion  of  land  his  country.'  '  Notwithstanding,  as 
McGuire  himself  had  a  chiefry  over  all  the  country,  and 
some  demesne  that  did  ever  pass  to  him  only  who  carried 
that  title,  so  was  there  a  chief  of  every  sept  who  had  certain 
services,  duties,  and  demesnes  that  ever  passed  to  the  Tanist 
of  that  sept,  and  never  was  subject  to  division.'  And  in  his 
return  of  the  state  of  the  county  of  Cavan  he  gives  the  follow- 
ing general  account : — '  In  the  Irish  countries,  where  the 
custom  of  Tanistry  is  not  extinguished,  the  tenures  are  every- 
where alike.  There  is  first  a  general  chieftain  of  every 
country  or  territory,  which  hath  some  demesne  and  some 
household  provisions  yielded  unto  him  by  all  the  inhabitants 
^1  Reeves's  Domi  and  Connor,  p.  348. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  WALES.  197 

under  him  ;  every  sept  or  suruame  hath  a  particular  chieftain 
or  Tanist,  which  hath  likewise  his  peculiar  demesne  and 
duties,  and  these  possessions  go  by  succession  or  election, 
entirely  without  any  division  ;  but  all  the  other  lands  holden 
by  the  inferior  inhabitants  are  partable  in  course  of  gavel- 
kind, wherein  there  is  no  difference  made  between  legitimate 
sons  and  bastards.'  ^- 

Such,  then,  being  the  leading  features  of  the  Tuath  or  The  Tiibe 
tribe,  and  the  Fini  or  sept,  so  far  as  we  can  gather  them 
from  the  Ancient  Laws  of  Ireland,  aud  as  we  find  them  exem- 
plified in  the  later  condition  of  the  country,  which  it  is 
essential  for  our  purpose  to  indicate,  we  must  now  pass  over 
to  the  mainland  of  Great  Britain,  and  examine  how  far  we 
can  likewise  trace  them  in  the  Ancient  Laws  of  its  Welsh 
population;  and  here  we  see  clearly  enough  that  a  tribal 
system  possessing  in  the  main  the  same  characteristics  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  their  social  organisation.  It  was  likewise 
modified  in  the  main  by  the  same  influences,  but  that  of  the 
Church  was  earlier  encountered,  and  it  could  hardly  escape 
being  affected  by  another  influence  to  which  the  Irish  tribe 
was  not  exposed,  viz.,  that  of  the  Eoman  institutions  during 
the  period  when  the  Welsh  population  formed  a  part  of  the 
Eoman  province — an  influence,  liowever,  wliich  would  be  more 
intense  in  the  southern  and  eastern  districts,  and  more  super- 
ficial in  the  mountainous  region  of  the  west,  and  in  the 
frontier  districts  between  the  Eoman  walls,  whose  Welsh 
population  afterwards  formed  the  kingdom  of  Strathclyde. 

The  Welsh  codes  which  have  been  preserved  are  those  of 
Gwynedd  or  North  Wales,  and  Dyved  and  Gwent,  the  west 
and  east  divisions  of  South  Wales.  Besides  these  we  have 
some  fragments  of  Commentaries  printed  under  the  title  of 
Anomalous  Laws,  and  we  have  also  the  advantage  of  possess- 
ing a  Latin  version  of  the  Laws  of  Dyved,  which  gives  us  the 
'-  Collect,  de  Reb.  Hih.,  vol.  i.  pp.  164,  169. 


198  THE  FINfi  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

equivalent  of  the  Welsh  terms  in  the  Latin  of  the  feudal 
charters.  The  oldest  of  these  codes  are  certainly  the  Laws 
of  Gwynedd  or  North  Wales,  and  they  recognise  tlie  influ- 
ence of  the  Church  as  establishing  the  sanction  of  marriage, 
requiring  legitimacy  in  the  sons,  and  introducing  a  law  of 
primogeniture  in  the  succession  to  land  which  did  not  exist 
in  the  Irish  system,  when  it  declares,  '  An  innate  Bon-eddiy 
is  a  person  who  shall  be  complete  as  to  origin  in  Wales 
both  by  the  mother  and  by  the  father.  The  ecclesiastical 
law  says  again  that  no  son  is  to  have  the  patrimony  but 
the  eldest  born  to  the  father  by  the  married  wife.'  The  rule 
was  not,  however,  universally  accepted,  for  it  is  added,  '  The 
law  of  Howel,  however,  adjudges  it  to  the  youngest  son 
as  well  as  to  the  oldest.'^^ 

These  laws  present  to  us  the  Cymric  people,  or  Welsh 
population,  who  still  maintained  their  independence,  as  in  a 
more  advanced  stage  of  organisation  than  the  Irish  tribes  are 
exhibited  in  the  Brehon  Laws.  We  find  the  land  divided 
into  Talaeth,  or  provinces,  each  under  its  Brenhin,  or  king, 
similarly  to  that  of  Ireland,  and  all  under  a  Brenhin  2)cn- 
rhaifh,  or  supreme  king ;  but  while  we  can  trace  the  original 
function  of  the  king  as  judge  of  his  people,  the  position  of 
king  had  assumed  a  more  modern  aspect  both  as  relates  to 
his  power  and  authority,  and  to  his  rights  in  connection  with 
the  land.  The  whole  people  are  termed  the  Cenedl  y  Gymry, 
or  race  of  the  Cymry,  and  we  can  see  that  the  organisa- 
tion of  each  province  was  based  upon  an  earlier  tribal 
system,  and  that  it  must  have  been  formed  by  a  confedera- 
tion of  tribes  similar  to  that  of  the  Irish  province.  Indications 
of  this  earlier  tribal  system  appear  to  be  contained  in  '  The 
Heads  of  the  Social  State  '  attributed  to  Dyvnwal  Moelmud, 
a  mythic  king.  These  tribes  appear  as  Llwylh  a  Cenedl. 
We  find  also  the  same  distinction  of  the  people  into  bond 
^  Ancient  Laws  of  Wale.%  p.  86. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  WALES.  199 

and  free,  Caitliion  and  Bydyon,  the  Latin  equivalents  of 
which  were  Nativi  and  Liberi,  the  latter  alone  representing 
the  ancient  free  members  of  the  tribe.  These  are  termed 
in  the  Laws  Boneddic  Canmvynawl.  They  were  pure  Cymri 
both  by  father  and  mother,  and  the  Latin  equivalent  was 
nobilis  ingenims.  The  head  of  the  tribe  was  the  Pencenedl, 
or  prefedus  generis,  who  is  still  recognised  as  a  functionary 
in  these  Laws.  According  to  the  Triads  of  the  Social  State, 
the  Pencenedl  must  be  the  oldest  in  the  Cenedl  so  far  as  the 
ninth  degree  of  kindred,  who  is  in  full  strength  of  body  and 
mind.  The  same  process  which  in  the  case  of  the  Irish 
tribe  had  created  a  class  of  territorial  lords  or  Flaith,  no 
doubt  gave  rise  to  the  similar  class  whom  we  find  fully 
developed  in  the  Welsh  law.  These  were  the  Uchclwyr  or 
Breyr,  sometimes  termed  Mab  Uchelwyr,  just  as  the  Irish 
riaith  appear  as  Mac  Oclaich,  and  their  Latin  equivalent 
was  O'ptvmates.  When  a  family  succeeded  in  retaining  pos- 
session of  the  same  portion  of  land  for  a  certain  period,  they 
were  recognised  as  proprietors  of  it,  and  entered  the  class 
of  territorial  lords.  Thus  in  the  Laws  of  Gwynedd,  '  Who- 
soever shall  claim  land  and  soil  by  kin  and  descent,  let  him 
show  his  kin  and  descent  from  the  stock  from  whence  he  is 
derived  ;  and  if  he  be  a  fourth  man,  he  is  a  proprietor  because 
a  fourth  man  becomes  a  proprietor  ;'  and  in  the  Laws  of 
Gwent,  '  a  dadenhudd  is  the  tilling  by  a  person  of  land  tilled 
by  his  father  before  him.  In  the  fourth  degree  a  person  be- 
comes a  proprietor, — his  father,  his  grandfather,  his  great- 
grandfather, and  himself  the  fourth.'^*  The  servile  class 
consisted  of  two  kinds.  First,  those  of  native  race  termed 
Tacog  or  Villcmus,  and  the  Caeth  or  predial  serf.  The  former 
class  was  analogous  to  the  Bae7'  Ceile  or  bond  tenants,  and 
the  latter  to  the  Sencleithe  of  the  Irish. 

Besides  the  occupiers  of  the  soil,  who  were  native  mem- 
'^  Ancient  Laics  of  Wales,  pp.  84,  268. 


200  THE  FINE  on  SEPT  IN  lUELAND,  AND  [hook  hi. 

bers  of  tlie  tribe,  there  was  a  class  of  foreign  settlers  analo- 
gous to  the  Fiddhir  of  the  Irish,  who  were  termed  Alltudion 
or  strangers,  and  were  settled  on  the  waste  lands. 

The  land  which  formed  originally  the  common  property 
of  the  tribe  now  appears  as  consisting  of  the  Tir  Ckoelyawg 
or  inheritance  land,  similar  to  the  Irish  Orha.  Part  was 
held  in  demesne  and  cultivated  by  the  Alltudion  or  stranger 
villains,  and  the  Caethio7i,  or  prasdial  serfs ;  and  part  occu- 
pied by  the  Taeog,  or  native  members  of  the  tribe,  who  had 
become  his  tenants.  There  was  also  the  Tir  Bivrdd  or 
mensal  land,  and  the  Tir  CyUadus  or  geldable  land,  also 
termed  Tir  Cyfrif  or  register  land,  which  was  divided  among 
the  Aillt  or  native  members  of  the  tribe.^^  The  mode  in 
which  the  land  w^as  occupied  will,  however,  be  better  under- 
stood in  connection  with  the  system  of  land  measurement 
which  appears  in  these  laws. 

It  is  thus  given  in  the  Laws  of  Gwynedd.  The  smallest 
denomination  of  land  was  the  Erio  or  acre.  It  was  a  ridge 
of  land.  The  measure  was  what  was  termed  the  long  yoke 
of  sixteen  feet,  the  breadth  consisted  of  two  yokes,  and 
the  length  was  thirty  times  its  breadth.  It  thus  contained 
3413  square  yards,  that  is,  somewhat  less  than  three-fourths 
of  an  imperial  acre.  The  basis  of  this  system  is  the  number 
four.  Four  of  these  Erirs  formed  a  Tyddyn  or  man's  house, 
that  is,  the  homestead  of  a  single  family,  and  four  Tyddyns 
made  a  Ea^idir  or  division  of  land.  Four  Randirs  formed 
a  Gavael,  and  four  Gavaels  the  Trcf  or  townland.  Four 
Trefs  made  a  Maenawl.  Twelve  Macnmvls  and  two  Trcfa 
formed  a  Cyiiiwd,  and  two  Cymwds  a  Cantrcv,  so  called 
because  it  thus  contained  one  hundred  Trefs.  The  Cymiod, 
however,  appears  to  be  the  true  unit  in  this  system,  for 
we  are  told  that  the  two  Trefs  which  it  contained,  besides 
the  twelve  Maenawls,  were  for  the  use  of  the  Brenin  or  king. 
^  Ancient  Laws  of  Wales,  82,  5,  6 ;  697,  5. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  201 

One  was  his  Macrtrev  land,  and  the  other  for  his  waste  and 
summer  pasture.  There  were  thus,  we  are  told,  four  legal 
Erws  of  tillage  in  every  Tyddyn  ;  sixteen  in  every  Randir  ; 
sixty-four  in  every  Gavael ;  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  in  the 
Tref ;  one  thousand  and  twenty-four  in  every  Macnawl ; 
twelve  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  in  the  twelve 
Maenaids.  In  the  two  Trcfs  which  pertain  to  the  court  are 
to  be  five  hundred  and  twelve  Ervjs ;  the  whole  of  that,  when 
summed  up,  is  twelve  thousand  and  eight  hundred  Erivii  in 
the  Cijm.wdf^  or  about  9600  imperial  acres. 

Tlie  Tref  thus,  in  the  main,  corresponds  to  the  Ballyhoe 
or  ploughgate  of  the  Irish  system,  and  the  fifty  Trefs  of  the 
Cymiod  were  thus  distributed  among  the  people.  Sixteen 
Trefs  formed  the  Tir  Cyfrif  or  register  land,  occupied  by  the 
Bonedic  or  free  members  of  the  tribe.  Eight  Trcfs,  or  two 
Maenaivls,  were  assigned  to  the  Cynghellawr  and  the  Maer  who 
represented  the  king  in  the  Cymwd,  and  divided  the  register 
land  among  the  people.  Twenty-four  Trcfs,  or  six  Maenaivls, 
were  the  Tir  Givelyaivg  or  inheritance  land,  possessed  by  the 
free  Uchchvyr ;  and  the  two  Trcfs  which  remained  over  were 
the  king's  Tir  Bwrdd  or  mensal  land.  Under  the  Uchelwyr 
there  was  a  similar  distribution  of  land,  and  it  is  obvious 
that  what  was  originally  the  common  land  of  the  tribe,  had 
now  come  to  be  viewed  as  the  property  of  the  king ;  and  the 
Bonedic,  or  original  free  occupiers  of  the  land,  now  appear  as 
the  king's  Aillts.  Though,  like  the  Irish  Ccile,  they  came  to 
occupy  a  dependent  position  in  relation  to  the  superior,  their 
original  mode  of  occupation  of  the  soil  remained  unchanged, 
and  the  Macr  and  Cynghcllavjr  are  directed  to  share  this 
land  equally  between  all  in  the  Tref  or  township,  and  on 


•■*"  Ancient  Lavs  of  Wales,  \)^.  96,  yoke.     In  the  latter  case  the  Eru- 

97.     It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  would   contain    only    1706    square 

the  length  of  an  Eric  is  thirty  times  yards,    or   rather    more    than    tlie 

its  breadth,  or  thirty  times  the  long  third  of  an  acre. 


202  THE  FINl5  OR  SKIT  IN  IHELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

that  account  it  is  called  Tir  Cyfrif  or  register  land.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  sons  succeeded  equally  to  the  Tir 
Chuelyaivg  or  inheritance  land,  and  if  they  failed,  it  went 
to  their  first  and  second  cousins,  after  whom  there  was 
no  further  division,  a  succession  very  similar  to  the  Irish 
Gavelcine, 

This  system  of  land-measures  was  not,  however,  uniform, 
for  we  are  told  that  Bleddyn,  a  prince  of  Gwynedd  and  Powis, 
altered  the  size  of  the  Tycldyn  or  smallest  holding  from  four 
Erivs  to  twelve  Erivs  when  held  by  an  Uclielwr,  eight  Envs 
when  held  by  an  Aillt,  and  four  when  held  by  a  Godaeog  or 
superior  Taeog^"^  and  in  the  Laws  of  Dyved  we  find  a  still 
greater  variety.  In  these  laws  the  Trcf  or  township  in  the 
free  manors  is  to  consist  of  four  Bandirs,  instead  of  sixteen  as 
in  the  Laws  of  Gwynedd,  and  the  Bandir  is  to  contain  three 
hundred  and  twelve  Enus,  '  so  that  the  owner  may  have  in 
the  three  hundred  Erics  arable  pasture  and  fuel  wood  and 
space  for  buildings  on  the  twelve  Erws.'  The  Enu,  however, 
is  smaller  than  that  in  the  Laws  of  Gwynedd,  for  while  it  is 
of  the  same  breadth,  viz.,  the  long  yoke  of  sixteen  feet,  it  is 
only  sixteen  times  as  long  in  place  of  thirty.  Again,  in  place 
of  the  Macnawl  containing  a  uniform  quantity  of  four  Trefs, 
the  lowland  Maenaiol,  where  the  land  is  more  fertile,  is  to 
consist  of  seven  Trefs,  and  the  upland  3Iaenaivl  thirteen.^ 
The  land-measures  as  given  in  the  Code  of  Gwent  are  very 
similar,  but  with  some  variations.  There  is  the  same  direc- 
tion that  there  are  to  be  four  Bandirs  in  the  Tref,  and  three 
hundred  and  twelve  Erws  in  the  Bandir,  but  the  Erw  con- 
tains eighteen  rods  of  eighteen  feet  in  place  of  sixteen  yokes 
in  the  length,  and  there  are  to  be  thirteen  Trefs  in  every 
Maenaiol,  except  those  of  the  Taeog  Trefs,  which  contain  only 
seven.  Of  the  four  Bandirs  in  the  free  Tref  three  are  for 
occupancy  and  the  fourth  pasturage  for  the  three ;  but  in 
^"  Ancient  Laws  of  Wales,  p.  SI.  -^^  lb.,  p.  263. 


tHAi>.  V.J  THE  TKIBE  IN  WALES.  203 

the  Taeog  Trcf  there  are  only  three  Eandirs,  the  third  being 
pasturage  for  the  other  two.^*^ 

The  original  rights  of  the  free  members  of  the  tribe,  on 
which  their  possession  of  the  register  land  is  based,  are  thus 
defined  in  the  Triads  of  the  Social  State  : — '  There  are  three 
original  rights  of  every  native  Welshman  {Cymro  Cynivhy- 
naivl,  — first,  the  possession,  without  restriction,  of  five  Erws 
of  land  ;  second,  a  right  of  determining  the  constitutional  law 
of  the  country  under  protection  and  in  right  of  the  Pcn- 
ccnedl ;  and  third,  a  right  to  the  freedom  of  the  country  in 
general,  that  is  to  say,  that  he  be  free  to  go  whither  he  will 
without  loss  of  privilege  or  verdict,  unless  when  in  actual 
service  of  the  country,  or  of  a  court  of  law.'**^ 

The  burdens  upon  the  land  and  its  possessors  were  as 
follows : — The  sixteen  Trefs  in  the  Cymwcl  possessed  by  the 
Aillt  paid  a  rent  in  kind,  termed  Daionhwyd,  which  was 
similar  to  the  Biatad  or  food-rent  of  the  Irish  system,  and 
were  subject  to  the  Cylch  and  Dovraith  of  the  superior, 
or  refection  and  quartering,  equivalent  to  the  Conmcdha 
or  Coigny  of  the  Irish.  From  the  Trcfs  possessed  by  the 
Uclielwyr,  and  the  two  manors  belonging  to  the  Macr 
and  Cynghcllawr,  the  king  received  a  Crivestva  or  food- 
rent,  which  corresponds  to  the  Bestighi  or  food -rent  of 
the  house  paid  by  every  rank  in  the  Irish  tribe  to  the  Bi 
Tucith;  but  in  the  Welsh  system  the  payment  in  kind 
was,  in  part,  commuted  for  a  money  payment,  and  we  find 
no  trace  of  the  subsidy  or  gift  of  stock  by  the  superior,  in 
proportion  to  the  return  in  the  shape  of  food-rent,  which 
characterises  the  whole  relations  of  the  different  grades  in 
the  Irish  tribe  to  each  other.^^ 

Besides  these  regular  burdens,  there  were  two  that  may 
be  termed  casual.     These  were  the  Ehidiw  or  relief,  payable 

■'^  Ancient  Laivs  of  Wales,  p.  375. 

■*»  Myvyrian  Arch.,  vol.  iii.  p.  298,  No.  SO.         ^^  lb.,  pp.  88,  96,  573. 


204  THE  FIN^  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  in. 

to  the  superior  by  the  heir  of  a  defunct  vassal ;  and  secondly, 
the  Amohr,  Gohr  Merch,  or  maiden  fee,  that  is,  a  fee  paid  to 
the  superior  by  the  person  subject  to  that  payment  on  the 
marriage  of  a  daughter.  ]>y  the  Welsh  laws  the  Amohyrs 
of  the  daughters  are  said  to  be  of  equal  amount  with  the 
Ehidiws  of  their  fathers,  and  there  were  three  Ehidiivs — an 
Ehidiw  of  a  pound,  an  Ehidiw  of  six  score  pence,  and  an 
Ebidiw  of  three  score  pence.  The  first  was  paid  by  the 
principal  officers  of  the  palace — by  the  Pencenedl  and  by 
the  officers  of  the  country,  the  Maer  and  the  Cynghellmm-. 
The  second  by  the  superior  officers,  the  Uchelwr  or  Breyr, 
and  the  Givahalaeth  or  son  of  a  lord ;  and  the  third  by  the 
king's  Tacog,  an  Arddehvman  and  an  Alltud  whom  the  king 
has  enfranchised.*^ 
Fines  for  Another  important  feature  of  the  Irish  tribe  system  is 

aug  ei.  g^g^g^jy  reflected  in  the  Welsh  laws.  The  compensation  for 
every  injury,  from  the  slaughter  of  a  member  of  the  tribe  to 
the  smallest  loss,  was  by  fines  based  upon  a  value  or  price  put 
upon  each  person  according  to  his  position  as  regards  rank  and 
wealth.  The  fines  are  the  Galanas  for  slaughter,  equivalent 
to  the  Eric  of  the  Irish  ;  the  Sara  ad,  or  fine  for  any  personal 
injury  or  insult,  which  seems  to  be  the  SmacJtt  of  the  Irish; 
the  Dirwy  and  Oamhvrw,  equivalent  to  the  Dire  fines  of  the 
Irish.  The  Gwerth  or  price  of  the  different  ranks,  equivalent 
to  the  Irish  Honor  price,  and  which  regulated  the  Galanas, 
was  as  follows : — That  of  a  king  is  defined  in  the  Laws  of 
Gwynedd  as  three  times  his  Saraad.  The  Gwerth  or  value 
and  Galanas  of  a  Pencenedl  is  to  be  paid  by  thrice  nine  kine 
and  thrice  nine  score  kine,  and  his  Saraad  is  thrice  nine  kine 
and  thrice  nine  score  of  silver.  The  Giverth  or  price  and  the 
Galanas  of  an  Uchelwr  was  six  score  and  six  kine,  and  his 
Saraad  six  kine  and  six  score  of  silver.  That  of  a  native 
Bonedic,  or  free  member  of  a  tribe,  was  three  score  and  three 
^•^   Welsh  Lmvs,  394,  699. 


CHAP,  v.]  THE  TEIBE  IN  WALES.  205 

kine,  and  his  Saraad  was  three  kine  and  three  score  of  silver. 
That  of  a  king's  Alltudd,  or  foreign  settler,  was  the  same. 
The  Gwcrth  of  the  Allhidd  of  an  Uchchvr,  as  well  as  his 
Saraad,  was  one  half  that  of  the  king's  Alltudd.  The 
Gioerth  of  a  Cacth  or  bondman,  if  of  the  island,  was  one 
pound  ;  if  from  beyond  sea,  one  pound  and  six  score  pence, 
and  his  Saraad  was  twelve  pence.  The  third  of  every 
Galanas  belongs  to  the  king,  '  for  to  him  pertains  the  en- 
forcing of  it  when  the  Ccnedl  may  be  unable  to  enforce  it.' 
The  Dirwy  was  twelve  kine  or  three  pounds  ;  and  the  Cam- 
livnv,  or  fine  for  wrong,  three  kine  or  nine  score  pence. 

So  far  the  resemblance  between  the  Irish  and  the  Welsh  The  sept 

.in  Wales. 

tribe  seems  sufnciently  marked,  and  we  can  also  trace  in  the 
Welsh  Laws  the  existence  of  the  sept,  though  it  does  not 
come  so  prominently  forward  as  in  the  Irish  Laws.  The 
Uchelwr  or  territorial  lord,  from  which  class  alone  the  Pcnce- 
nedl  was  elected,  had  under  him  a  class  of  native  Cymri  who 
had  become  his  Aillt  or  tenants,  and  had  likewise  settled 
upon  his  land,  the  Alltudion  or  stranger  tenants,  both  bond 
and  free,  and  his  prsedial  serfs  or  Caethhn.  These  formed 
his  Tcuhi  or  sept,  which  was  sufficiently  numerous  to  turn 
out  a  military  force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  fighting 
men  f^  and  we  find,  though  to  a  more  limited  extent,  the 
same  system  by  which  the  nearer  relations  of  the  chief  formed 
an  artificial  group,  which  inherited  his  lands  and  were  re- 
sponsible for  the  crimes  of  its  members.  The  law  of  succes- 
sion in  the  Tir  Gwelyaivg  or  inheritance  land  was  this — 
'Three  times  shall  the  same  patrimony  be  shared  between 
three  grades  of  a  kindred.  First,  between  brothers  ;  the 
second  time  between  cousins  ;  the  third  time  between  second 
cousins ;  after  that  there  is  no  propriate  share  of  land  ;'*^  and 
in  the  Commentaries  this  is  illustrated  by  the  following  figure, 

^■'  Four  Ancient  Books  of  Wales,  vol.  ii.  p.  461. 
**  Ancient  Laivs,  p.  266. 


200 


THE  FINI^:  OR  SEPT  IN  IRELAND,  AND  [book  hi. 

Great  Grandfather 


Brother 


Grandfather 


Brotliei- 


Cousin         Brother 


Father 


Brother        Cousin 


Second 
Cousin 


Cousin 

I 
Second 
Cousin 


Brotlier 

I 
Cousin 

I 
Second 
Cousin 


Son 

1 
Grandson 

Great  Grandson 


Brother         Cousin 


Cousin 

I 
Second 
Cousin 


Second 
Cousin 


Second 
Cousin 


which  shows  the  similarity  of  the  system  with  the  Irish. 
The  commentator  adds,  '  The  above  figure  guides  a  person 
to  understand  the  arrangement  and  connection  existing 
between  him  and  his  ancestors  and  his  co-inheritors  and 
his  children.  For  the  ancestors  of  a  person  are  his  father, 
his  grandfather,  and  his  great-grandfather  ;  the  co-inheritors 
are  brothers  and  cousins  and  second  cousins  ;  the  heirs  of 
a  person  are  those  who  proceed  from  his  body,  as  a  son,  and 
a  grandson  and  a  great-grandson ;  and  if  a  person  be  skilful 
in  the  use  of  the  figure  described  above,  when  a  person 
descended  from  any  one  of  the  three  kins  of  the  body  of  the 
original  stock  shall  die  without  heir  of  his  body,  he  will  know 
who  is  to  obtain  the  land  of  such  a  one  according  to  law. 
For  unto  the  third  degree  there  is  to  be  an  appropriate 
sharing  of  land  in  the  court  of  a  Cyirnvd  or  Cantrey.'  ^^ 

These  three  kins  of  the  Welsh  Laws  evidently  represent 
the  first  two  Finh  of  the  Irish  Laws,  viz.,  the  Gdlfin6  and 
DcirhhfiiU,  but  the  Welsh  Law  proceeds  no  further  with  the 
distribution  than  the  first  nine  persons  of  the  Irish  group  of 
seventeen.  The  same  group  was  liable  under  the  Welsh 
Laws  for  the  crimes  of  its  members,  and  the  fines  incurred  by 
them,  but  the  nine  degrees  are  differently  stated,  in  a  manner 


■*•'  Ancient  Laws,  p.  605.  The 
form  of  the  figure  has  been  slightly 
altered,  in  order  to  bring  it  to  the 


same   form    as  that  shown  in   the 
Irish  system. 


■CHAP,  v.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  WALES.  207 

which  appears  to  extend  it  as  far  as  the  Irish  system.  We 
find  in  the  Laws  that  '  whoever  shall  confess  Galanas,  he  and 
his  kindred  shall  pay  the  whole  of  the  Saraad  and  Galanaa 
of  the  person  killed  ; '  and  then  the  kindred  is  thus  defined  : 
'  Thus  the  grades  of  kindred  are  denominated  which  are  to 
pay  Galanas,  or  to  receive  payment.  The  first  grade  of  the 
nine  is  the  father  and  mother  of  the  murderer  or  of  the  mur- 
dered. The  second  is  a  grandfather.  The  third  is  a  great- 
grandfather. The  fourth  is  brothers  and  sisters.  The  fifth 
is  a  cousin.  The  sixth  is  a  second  cousin.  The  seventh  is  a 
third  cousin.  The  eighth  is  a  relation  in  the  fourth  remove. 
The  ninth  is  a  relation  in  the  fifth  remove.  The  collateral 
relations  in  these  grades  are  the  nephews  and  uncles  of  the 
murderer  or  of  the  murdered.  A  nephew  is  a  son  of  a  brother 
or  sister  or  of  a  cousin  or  of  a  second  cousin,  male  or  female. 
An  uncle  is  a  brother  of  a  father  or  mother,  or  of  a  grand- 
father or  grandmother,  or  of  a  great-grandfather  or  great- 
grandmother.  This  is  the  amount  of  the  share  of  each  of 
these ;  whoever  may  be  nearer  by  one  degree  to  the  mur- 
derer, or  to  the  murdered,  than  another,  is  to  pay  or  to  re- 
ceive twice  as  much  as  the  other ;  and  so  in  respect  to  all 
the  grades  and  their  collateral  members.'  ^** 

The  head  of  the  sept  was  termed  the  Paitculu,  but  we 
have  little  information  as  to  his  relation  towards  the  king  or 
the  Pencenedl,  except  that  it  was  from  the  class  of  Uchehuyr 
that  these  were  elected,  and  thus,  as  in  the  Irish  system, 
they  too  had  each  their  Teulu  or  sept. 

There  is  but  one  allusion  in  the  Welsh  Laws  to  the  sys-  Fo?terage 
tern  of  fosterage,  but  it  is  sufficient  to  show  that  this  custom 
also  prevailed  among  the  Welsh  tribes.  We  find  in  the  code 
of  Gwynedd  that '  if  an  Uchehvr  place  his  son  to  be  reared 
with  the  Aillt  of  a  lord,  by  the  permission  or  by  the  suffer- 
ance of  the  lord,  for  a  year  and  a  day,  that  son  is  to  have  a 

^«  Ancient  Larvs,  pp.  198,  199. 


208  THE  TlilBH  IN  "WALES.  [hook  hi. 

son's  share  of  tlio  Aillt's  land,  and  ultimately  of  his  pro- 
perty.'^'^  The  age  of  the  boy,  however,  is  distinguished  into 
only  two  periods.  First,  from  his  baptism  till  he  is  seven 
years  of  age,  during  wliich  time  his  father  is  to  swear  and 
pay  for  him,  except  tlie  payment  of  Diriry  or  Camltvriv  for 
him  to  the  king ;  because  the  king  is  not  to  have  any  Dirwy 
or  Camlwriv  for  an  error  nor  for  the  act  of  an  idiot,  and  he 
is  not  endowed  with  reason  ;  he  must,  however,  indemnify 
the  sufferer  for  his  property.  At  the  end  of  seven  years  he 
himself  is  to  swear  for  his  acts,  and  his  father  is  to  pay. 
From  the  time  when  a  boy  is  born  till  he  shall  be  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  is  to  be  at  his  father's  platter,  and  his  father 
lord  over  him ;  and  he  is  to  receive  no  punishment  but  that 
of  his  father,  and  he  is  not  to  receive  one  penny  of  his  pro- 
perty during  that  time,  only  in  common  with  his  father. 
At  the  end  of  fourteen  years  the  father  is  to  bring  his  son 
to  the  lord  and  commer^d  him  to  his  charge ;  and  then  the 
youth  is  to  become  his  man,  and  to  be  on  the  privilege  of 
his  lord  ;  and  he  is  himself  to  answer  every  claim  that  may 
be  made  on  him  ;  and  is  to  possess  his  own  property  ;  thence- 
forward his  father  is  not  to  correct  him,  more  than  a  stranger ; 
and  if  he  should  correct  him,  upon  complaint  made  by  the 
son  against  him  he  is  subject  to  Dirwy,  and  is  to  do  him 
risht  for  the  Saraad.  '  From  that  aafe  onward  he  is  of  the 
same  privilege  with  an  innate  Boneddig.'^^ 

The  preceding  short  analysis  of  the  tribal  organisation  in 
its  leading  features,  as  presented  to  us  in  the  ancient  Irish 
and  Welsh  laws,  is  an  indispensable  preliminary  to  any 
inquiry  into  the  ancient  land  tenure  of  the  people  of  Scot- 
land in  Celtic  times.  Without  it  we  should  have  been  at  a 
loss  to  discover  the  source  and  origin  of  many  of  the  pecu- 
liar features  it  presents  in  later  times. 

^7  Ancient  Laws,  p.  95.  "*'  Ih.,  p.  98. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TEIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  209 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

THE   TEIBE   IX    SCOTLAND. 

In  investigating  the  early  social  state  of  the  Celtic  inhabitants  Early 
of  Great  Britain,  we  possess  an  advantage  which  does  not  tribal  or- 
attach  to  that  of  Ireland.    For  the  Pagan  period  in  the  latter  ^'^"'^^  ^ 
country  we  have  no  information  except  what  is  derived  from 
native  tradition  ;  but  in  Britain  we  possess  in  addition  a  few 
incidental  notices  by  contemporary  writers  of  other  countries, 
both  as  regards  the  native  population  of  the  Eoman  province 
and  the  Barbarian  nations  beyond  its  limits.     These  notices, 
few  and  general  as  they  are,  yet  indicate  the  presence  of  a 
social  organisation  very  similar  to  that  of  Ireland. 

When  we  are  told  by  one  Greek  writer  'that  its  aboriginal 
tribes  inhabit  Britain,  in  their  usages  still  preserving  the 
primitive  modes  of  life,  and  that  they  have  many  kings  and 
princes;'^  by  another,  'that  there  are  several  states  amongst 
them.  Forests  are  their  cities ;  for  having  enclosed  an  ample 
space  with  felled  trees,  here  they  make  themselves  huts  and 
lodge  their  cattle  ;'2  when  Caesar  tells  us  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  interior,  whom  he  calls  indigenous,  that  '  they  did  not 
resort  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  for  food,  but  were  de- 
pendent upon  their  cattle  and  the  flesh  of  animals  slain  in 
hunting  for  their  food ; '  ^  when  Solinus  reports  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  five  Western  Isles  forming  the  southern 
group,  that  '  they  knew  nothing  of  the  cultivation  of  the 
ground,  but  lived  upon  fish  and  milk,'  which  latter  implies 

'  Diodorus  Siculus,  lib.  v.  c.  21. 

-  Strabo,  lib.  iv.  »  Csesar,  De  Bello  GaUico,  v.  12. 

VOL.  III.  0 


210  Tlii;  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [nooK  iii. 

the  possession  of  herds  of  cattle, '  and  that  they  had  one  king, 
who  was  not  allowed  to  possess  property ; '  *  when  Tacitus 
speaks  '  of  the  numerous  states  beyond  the  Firth  of  Forth/ 
and  describes  the  great  Caledonian  army  wliich  Agricola 
encountered  at  the  IMons  Granpius  as  a  federation  of 
all  the  states  of  the  northern  population ;  and  when  we 
are  told  of  the  two  great  divisions  of  them  in  the  third 
century — the  Caledonians  and  the  M£eata3 — 'that  they  in- 
habit mountains  wild  and  waterless,  and  plains  desert  and 
marshy  ;  that  they  live  by  pasturage  and  the  chase,  and 
that  their  state  is  chiefly  democratical ; '  ^ — we  can  see  that 
they  consisted  of  an  aggregation  of  tribes  occupying  the  land 
in  common,  and  whose  chief  possessions  consisted  of  cattle. 
When  these  writers  add  that  they  had  their  wives  in 
common,  they  indicate  at  least  that  looser  relation  between 
the  sexes  which  usually  prevailed  before  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  had  invested  a  stricter  rule  of  marriage  with  its 
sanction,  and  which  led  to  a  connection  through  females  as 
being  regarded  with  more  favour  than  that  through  males. 
The  tribe  When  WO  comc  dowu,  however,  to  Christian  times,  we 

Picts."  find  the  existence  of  the  Tuath  both  as  the  tribe  and  as  the 
tribe  territory  fully  recognised  as  characterising  the  social 
organisation  of  the  population  of  Gaelic  race.  The  ancient 
tract,  termed  the  Amra  Choluim  Chilli,  of  Dalian  Forgaill, 
preserved  in  the  Liahhar  na  h-Uidrc,  contains  repeated 
references  to  the  Tuatlis  both  in  the  sense  of  tribes  and  of 
their  territories,  and  as  regards  the  Pictish  nation  as  well 
as  the  Dalriadic  colony.  Thus  we  are  told  that  Saint 
Columba  'illuminated  countries  and  territories'  {Tir  agus 
Tvafha),  and  that  from  him  '  the  Tuaths  used  to  be  dis- 
ciplined.' Again,  when  it  is  said,  'Through  an  idolatrous 
Tuath  he  meditated  criminality,'  which  is  explained  to 
mean,  '  when  going  through  the  Tuath  or  territories  of  the 

^  Solinus,  c.  2-2.  ^  Xifiline,  lib.  Ixxvi.  s.  12-16. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  211 

idols  he  would  know  their  criminality  towards  God,'  it  can 
only  refer  to  the  pagan  nation  of  the  Picts ;  and  when  we 
are  told  that '  he  sought  seven  Tuaths,  viz.,  the  five  Tuaths 
of  Erin,  and  two  Tuaths  in  Alban,'  the  latter  must  be  iden- 
tified with  the  territory  given  him  by  the  Picts,  who,  ac- 
cording to  Bede,  inhabited  the  districts  adjacent  to  lona. 
In   another   passage,  when  St.  Columba  is  referred  to   as 
'  the  son  of  Fedelimid  for  whom  used  to  fight  or  whom  used 
to  serve  the  twenty  Tuaths'  the  word  is  probably  used  in  the 
sense  of  tribes,  and  it  is  still  more  plainly  used  in  this  sense, 
as  existing  among  the  southern  Picts,  when  he  is  described 
as  '  the  teacher  who  used  to  teach  the  tribes  who  were  around 
Tai,  that  is,  the  name  of  a  river  in  Alban,'  which  can  obviously 
be  identified  with  the  river  Tay.     In  another  passage  they 
are  referred  to  as  the  people  of  the  Tay  {Lncht  Toi)  ;  and  the 
Tuaths  or  tribes  are  indicated  as  existing  both  among  the 
Dalriads  and  the  Picts,  when  he  is  called  '  the  champion  who 
bound  new  things  for  the  alliance  of  Conall,  that  is,  the 
champion  of  the  new  things  is  not  here  for  alliance,  that  is, 
for  confirming  the  alliance  of  Conall,  that  is,  between  the 
Tuaths  of  Conall  within,  or  at  making  their  alliance  with 
other  Tuaths  externally.'  ^     Conall  was  the  king  of  Dalriada 
at  the  time  when  St.  Columba  came  over  from  Ireland  to  Scot- 
land, and  the  other  Tuaths  or  tribes  which  were  external  to 
his  kingdom  can  only  refer  to  the  neighbouring  tribes  of  the 
Picts.      The  undoubted  antiquity  of  this  tract  gives  great 
value  to  these  incidental  references  to  the  existence  of  the 
Tuath  or  tribe,  not  only  among  the  Scots  of  Dalriada,  where 
we  might  expect  to  meet  them,  but  also  among  the  two  great 
races  of  the  northern  and  southern  Picts,  and  this  is  confirmed 
by  other  authorities  of  a  later  date.    Thus,  in  the  tract  called 
'  The  Genealogy  of  Corca  Laidhe,'  referred  to  in  a  previous 

^  These  passages  are  taken  from       Chilli,  -with  a  translation  by  ]Mr. 
the  edition  of  the  Amra  Choluim    .  O'Beirne  Crowe. 


212  TIIH  TltlliE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  iii. 

chapter,  we  read  tluit '  Irial  (lluinnar,  sou  of  Conall  Cearnach, 
liad  two  sons,  viz.,  Fore  and  Iboth.  llechtgidh  Righdearg  led 
them  into  Alban.  They  gained  great  battles,  so  that  great 
districts  were  laid  waste  in  Alban,  until  the  men  of  Alban 
submitted  to  Eechtgidh  Eighdearg,  so  that  he  was  king  of 
Erin  and  Alban ;  and  it  was  from  them  sprang  the  two 
Tuaths  or  tribes,  Tuath  Fore  and  Titath  Iboth  in  Alban.'' 
Itechtgidh  liighdearg  was  one  of  the  mythic  pagan  kings  of 
Ireland,  and  Irial  Glumnar  a  traditionary  hero  of  the  CruitJi- 
nigh,  or  Picts  of  Ulster ;  but  it  is  a  fair  inference  from  it  that 
two  Tuaths  or  tribes  bearing  the  names  of  Fore  and  Iboth 
were  known  in  Scotland,  and  the  name  Fore,  which  is  the  old 
form  of  that  of  the  river  Forth,  indicates  their  situation  on 
the  nortliern  shore  of  that  river  or  estuary,  that  is,  among  the 
southern  Picts.  That  a  social  organisation  similar  to  the 
Irish  tribal  system  prevailed  among  the  southern  Picts,  to 
whom  St.  Columba's  mission  was  mainly  directed,  is  con- 
firmed by  the  Gaelic  entries  in  the  Book  of  Deer,  which  open 
with  the  statement  that  '  Columba  and  Drostan,  son  of 
Cosgrach,  his  pupil,  came  from  Hi,  as  God  had  shown  them, 
unto  Ahbordohoir  or  Aberdour,  and  Bede  the  Cruthnech  or 
Pict,  who  was  Mormaer  of  Buchan,  gave  them  that  town  in 
freedom  for  ever  from  Mormaer  and  Toiscch  ; '  thus  exactly 
corresponding  to  the  grant  of  land  to  the  church  of  Kells, 
quoted  in  a  former  chapter  as  free  from  rent,  tribute,  host- 
ing, coigny,  or  any  other  claim  of  king  or  Toiscch.  Where 
there  are  Toisechs  there  are  Tuaths,  and  the  district  of 
Buchan  probably  formed  a  Mortuath  like  the  other  districts 
ruled  over  by  a  Mormaer,  the  equivalent  in  Scotland  of  the 
Bi  Mortuath  of  the  Irish  system. 
The  tribe  in        The  Scottish  kingdom  of  Dalriada  was  at  this  time  con- 

Dalriada. 

fined  within  very  narrow  limits,  and  could  hardly  claim  a 

higher  position  than  that  of  a  Mortuath,  as  we  find  that  it 

"  Miscellany  of  the  Celtic  Society,  p.  61. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IX  SCOTLAND.  213 

consisted  of  three  tribes,  termed,  in  the  tract  '  Of  the  History 
of  the  Men  of  Alban,'  the  three  powerfuls  in  Dalriada.  These 
were  the  Cinel  Gcibran,  the  Cinel  Angus,  and  the  Cincl  Loam, 
who  traced  their  descent  from  tlie  three  sons  of  Eochaidh — 
Fergus,  Angus,  and  Loarn — who  led  the  colony  from  Irish 
Dalriada.  We  obtain  from  this  tract  some  valuable  in- 
formation as  to  the  constitution  of  these  tribes.  The  Cincl 
Gahran  occupied  Kintyre  in  its  old  extent,  including  Knap- 
dale,  the  district  of  Cowall,  and  the  islands,  that  is,  of  Arran 
and  Bute,  and  consisted  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  houses. 
The  Cincl  Angusa  possessed  Isla  and  Jura,  and  consisted  of 
four  hundred  and  thirty  houses.  The  Cincl  Loarn  possessed 
the  extensive  district  of  Lorn,  extending  from  Lochleven 
to  the  Point  of  Ashnish,  and  part  of  the  opposite  coast  of 
Morvern,  and  consisted  of  four  hundred  and  twenty  houses. 
The  districts  thus  occupied  by  these  tribes  surrounded  an 
inner  region,  extending  from  the  range  of  mountains  called 
Drumalban  to  the  arms  of  the  sea  termed  Lochs  Craignish 
and  Crinan,  consisting  of  the  two  districts  of  Lochaw  and 
Ardskeodnish.  This  inner  region  seems  to  have  been  left  to 
the  older  inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  to  have  borne  the 
name  oi  Airgialla,  possibly  for  the  same  reason  that  that  name 
was  applied  to  the  extensive  region  in  the  heart  of  Ulster, 
wrested  by  the  Scots  under  the  three  Collas  from  the  Irish 
Picts.^  The  houses  of  which  these  three  tribes  consisted 
seemed  to  have  formed  groups  of  twenty  houses  each,  as  we 
are  told  that  their  sea  muster  assigned  twice  seven  benches 
or  seats  for  rowers  to  each  twenty  houses,  but  the  armed 
muster  for  the  Sluagecl  or  hosting  was,  for  the  Cinel  Gdbran 
three  hundred  men,  for  the  Cincl  Angusa  five  hundred  men, 
and  for  the  Cinel  Loam  seven  hundred  men,  but  one  hundred 
of  these  were  furnished  by  the  people  of  Airgialla.^ 

*  The  word  GiaUa  means  a  hos-       hostages  of   the  conquered  people 
tage,  and  the  Irish  district  is  said       were  fettered  with  golden  fetters, 
to  have  been  so  named  because  the  ^  Chronicles   of  Pkts   and  Scots, 


214  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

The  tribe  in        The  Only  otlicr  districts  of  modern  Scotland  in  which  a 

Galloway.      ->,,.  ,.  .,  „,,.  ,- 

LTaelic  popnlation  remained  are  those  of  the  Lennox  and  oi 
Galloway,  and  in  the  latter  we  can  trace  the  remains  of  the 
same  tribal  system.  Thus  in  the  year  1276  we  find  King 
Alexander  the  Third  confirming  a  charter  by  which  Neil, 
Earl  of  Carrick,  granted  and  confirmed  to  Eoland  of  Carrick 
and  his  heirs  the  right  of  being  head  of  their  kin  in  all  pleas 
relating  to  kenkenoll  and  the  office  of  bailie,  and  the  leader- 
ship of  the  men  of  the  country  under  the  earl.  This  shows 
that  the  Cincl  or  tribe,  with  its  head  or  Ceamichinel,  had 
formerly  existed  among  the  Gaelic  population  of  Galloway  ; 
and  the  same  thing  is  indicated  by  some  notices  of  lost 
charters  preserved  in  the  ancient  Index  published  in  1798. 
Thus  there  is  a  charter  by  David  ii.  to  Donald  Edzear  of  the 
captainship  of  Clanmacgowin,  and  a  charter  '  anent  the  Clan 
of  Miimtircasduff,'^'^  John  jM'Kennedy  captain  thereof ; '  this 
term  of  Captain  being  the  equivalent  of  the  Toisech  of  the 
Irish  and  Scottish  Gael,^^  and  the  word  Muintir,  or  people, 
being  one  of  the  appellations  of  a  tribe. 
Modifica-  Thcsc  indications  of  the  existence  of  a  tribal  organisation 

sinai°tribes  analogous  to  that  in  Ireland  among  the  Celtic  population 
forefa-n  in-   during  the  period  when,  with  the  exception  of  Saxon  Lothian, 
fluences.      \^Qi\i  king  and  people  were  Celtic,  comprise  in  the  main  the 
information  we  are  able  to  gain  from  the  most  trustworthy 
sources  available  to  us  ;  but  after  the  purely  Celtic  dynasty 
of  kinf{s  of  Scottish  race  came  to  an  end  in  the  eleventh 


pp.  308-314.   The  numbers  are  given  bable  those  of  the  Cinel  Gabran  and 

as  stated  in  the  tract,  but  seem  not  Cinel  Angusa  have  been  ti'ansposed, 

quite  correct.      Thus   there  is   an  and   that  the   500  belongs   to   the 

enumeration  of  the  houses  of  the  former,  the  300  to  the  latter. 

Cinel   Angusa   in  connection  with  ^°  Hist.    MSS.   Rep.   v.,  p.    613; 

the  lands  occupied  by  them,  which  Robertson's  Index,  pp.  39,  57. 

amount  to  330  in  place  of  430,  and  ^^  '  Taisius    {ToLsech)    apud    nos 

the  armed  muster  is  not  in  propor-  idem  est  sensu  literali  ac  Capitaneus 

tion  to  the  size  of  the  tribe  as  shown  sen   precipuus   dux. ' —  O'FIaherty, 

by  the  number  of  houses.    It  is  pro-  O'jygia. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  215 

century  in  the  person  of  Malcolm  the  Second,  this  tribal 
system  became  exposed  to  powerful  external  influences,  which 
greatly  modified  its  character,  and  finally  resulted  in  its  dis- 
appearance in  the  eastern  districts  under  feudal  forms,  and 
its  passing  over  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  north  and 
west  into  the  clanship  which  was  afterwards  found  there. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  IMalcolm  the  Second  the  northern  Passing  of 
districts  of  Scotland  fell  under  the  dominion  of  the  Nor-  tuatu  into 
wegian  Earl  of  Orkney,  while  the  Celtic  Mormacr  of  Moray  dom,  and 

the  Tribe 

reigned  in  a  kingdom  the  centre  of  which  was  at  Scone ;  but  into  the 
when  the  usurper  was  expelled  by  the  heir  through  a  female  -"^"^^se. 
of  the  ancient  line,  and  Malcolm  Ceannmor  was  established 
on  the  throne  by  the  powerful  aid  of  the  Angles  of  Northum- 
berland under  their  Earl  Siward,  and  the  northern  districts 
reverted  to  his  sway  on  the  death  of  the  Norwegian  Earl, 
Saxon  influences  became  predominant ;  and  the  new  dynasty, 
still  more  closely  connected  with  the  Saxons  through  the 
marriage  of  its  founder  with  the  Saxon  Princess  Margaret, 
found  its  support  mainly  in  the  Anglic  population  of 
Lothian,  which  now  became  the  most  important  province  of 
the  extended  monarchy.  His  son  Eadgar  reigned  in  reality 
as  a  Saxon  monarch,  and  when  on  his  death  the  kingdom 
was  divided  between  his  brothers  Alexander  and  David,  the 
former  consolidated  his  kingdom  north  of  the  Firths  of  Forth 
and  Clyde  upon  the  basis  of  Saxon  institutions,  while  the 
latter  ruled  over  the  districts  of  British  Strath clyde  and 
Anglic  Lothian  as  a  feudal  lord,  with  Norman  sympathies 
and  supported  by  a  powerful  following  of  Norman  nobles. 
During  the  reigns  of  Eadgar  and  Alexander  there  was  a  silent 
advance  of  Saxon  colonisation,  and  a  progressive  assimilation 
of  the  people  to  Saxon  customs,  which  led  to  a  Saxon  nomen- 
clature being  imposed  upon  their  Celtic  institutions  which 
found  analogous  forms  in  the  Saxon  laws ;  and  thus  in  the 
kingdom  of  Alexander  the  First  we  find  the  Celtic  Mormaer 


216  Tin:  TKir.K  I\  SCOTLAND.  [BdOKiif. 

appearing  as  Coynes  or  Earl,  while  the  iiaiut;  oi"  Tliaiius  or 
thane  was  applied  to  the  Tolsech}'^  and  the  tribe  territory  is 
now  termed  Thanagium  or  Thanage.  In  the  British  district 
of  Strathclyde  the  Celtic  forms  disappeared  before  the  ad- 
vancing feudalism  of  David  ;  and  wlien  upon  the  death  of 
his  brother  he  became  the  first  feudal  king  of  all  Scotland 
and  its  first  lawgiver,  the  constitution  of  his  kingdom  was 
based  upon  the  feudal  system  ;  and  as  its  leading  principle 
was  that  the  king  was  feudal  superior  of  all  the  territory, 
and  all  rights  to  land  emanated  from  him,  all  land  not  given 
out  as  feudal  holdings  was  held  to  be  Crown  land,  and  the 
tribe  territories  not  placed  under  feudal  lords,  and  now 
termed  Thanages,  w^ere  regarded  as  royal  demesnes.^^ 

When  Fordun,  therefore,  in  the  forty-third  chapter  of  his 
fourth  book,  tells  us  that  '  of  old  almost  the  whole  kingdom 
was  divided  into  Thanages,'  he  was  not  referring  to  that 
fabulous  state  of  matters  described  in  a  previous  chapter, 
when  Thanes  were  supposed  to  be  governors  of  provinces, 
with  an  Ahthane  over  them  as  high  steward — a  state  of 
matters  which  never  existed  in  Scotland  ;  but,  as  is  evident 
from  the  context,  to  those  smaller  territories  termed  Thanages 
in  his  own  day,  and,  viewing  these  Thanages  as  representing 
the  more  ancient  Tuaths  or  tribe  territories,  he  is  reporting  a 
genuine  tradition  of  the  tribal  organisation  which  preceded 
the  Saxon  and  feudal  forms. 
Distiuctic  n  The  principal  fragments  of  the  ancient  tribal  law  which 
into  free  we  find  Still  preserved  in  the  subsequent  legislation  were 
classes,  those  relating  to  the  fines  paid  in  compensation  for  different 
offences,  analogous  to  those  contained  in  the  Irish  and  Welsh 
Laws  ;  and  these  afford  us  the  best  indications  of  the  dif- 

'■-  '  Thanus  apud   priscos  Scotos       gis  idem  signiticant.     Ass.  reg.  Da. 
sive   Hybernos    dicitur   Tosche.' —       c.  Statuit  Dominus,  38. — Skene,  i>e 
Regiam  Majeskdem,  B.  iv.  c.  31  ;        Verborum  Signijicatione. 
note  bj'  Sir  John  Skene.  Si  vero  in  dominicis  vel  Thanagiis 

domini  regis,  etc.    Stat.  Alex.  ii. — 

^^  Domania  regis  et  Thanagia  re-       Acts  of  Parliament,  i.  399. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  217 

ferent  ranks  or  grades  of  society  in  the  old  tribal  system.  We 
find  in  Scotland,  as  in  Ireland  and  Wales,  the  broad  distinc- 
tion between  the  free  and  servile  classes.  Thus  in  the  laws 
of  King  William  the  Lion  there  is  preserved  this  fragment 
of  the  older  system  '  of  the  law  that  is  callyt  weregylt.  Of 
euery  thief  through  all  Scotland  the  weregehede  is  xxxiiii. 
ky  and  one  half,  whether  he  be  a  freeman  or  a  serf  {lihc.r 
sive  serviis).'  ^* 

Of  the  classes  of  freemen  these  laws  regarding  fines  afford  Classes  of 
us  complete  information.  Among  the  laws  attributed  to 
King  David  i.  is  a  fragmentary  code  termed  '  Leges  inter 
Brettos  et  Scottos.'  It  is  preserved  in  Latin,  in  Norman 
French,  and  in  the  vernacular  Scotch.  By  the  Bretti  are 
meant  the  Britons  of  Strathclyde,  and  the  term  Scotti  now 
comprehended  the  whole  inhabitants  of  the  country  north  of 
the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde.  David  had  ruled  over  the 
former  as  earl  during  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  First,  and 
on  his  accession  to  the  throne  seems  in  this  short  code  to 
have  recognised  as  law  the  system  of  fines  which  existed 
among  his  Celtic  subjects  both  of  Gaelic  and  of  British  race, 
and  to  have  included  them  in  a  short  code  applicable  to  both. 
It  contains  the  fines  paid  in  compensation  for  slaughter, 
termed  here  Cro,  a  word  signifying  death  ;  but  it  is  said  to 
be  equivalent  to  the  Gabies  or  Go.lanas  of  the  Welsh  laws, 
and  also  to  the  Enauch  or  Honor  price  of  the  Irish.  Another 
fine  for  slaughter  is  called  Kelchyn,  and  the  fines  for  '  Blude 
drawn '  seem  to  be  the  Saraad  of  the  Welsh.  They  were 
termed  Bludivyts  in  Saxon  and  Fiiilrath  in  Gaelic.^^ 

The  Cro  of  the  King  of  Scotland  is  said  to  be  one 
thousand  '  ky '  or  three  thousand  '  ore '  or  ounces  of  gold, 
three  ounces  being  the  value  of  a  cow,  and  his  Kclchyii  is 
one  hundred  '  ky.' 

"  Acts  of  Parliament,  i.  p.  37o.         diciturBludwytys."— C/iar<.  of  Len- 
nox, I).  44.    '  Eludwytys  que  Scotice 
^'^  '  Abstractione    sanguinis    que       dicitur  fiiilrath.' — 76.  p.  45. 


218  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  tii. 

The  Cm  of  the  king's  son, — that  is,  the  Tanist  of  the 
Irish  Laws,  or  of  an  Earl  of  Scotland,  who  is  thus  placed 
in  the  same  rank, — is  seven  score  '  ky  '  and  ten  '  ky.'  His 
Kdcliyn  is  three  score  ky  and  six  ky  and  two  parts  of  a 
cow  ;  and  for  Bhuie  drawn,  nine  ky. 

The  Cro  of  the  son  of  an  Earl,  or  of  a  Thane,  who  is  placed 
in  the  same  rank,  is  one  hundred  ky.  His  Kelchyn,  forty- 
four  ky  and  twenty-one  pence  and  two-thirds  of  a  penny  ; 
and  for  Blude  drawn,  six  ky. 

The  Cro  of  the  son  of  a  Thane  is  three  score  ky  and  six 
ky  and  two  parts  of  a  cow.  His  Kelchyn  is  less  by  a  third 
than  his  father's,  and  is  twenty-nine  ky  and  elevenpence  and 
the  third  part  of  a  halfpenny  ;  and  for  Blude  drawn,  three  ky. 

The  Cro  of  the  nevow  or  grandson  of  a  Thane,  or  of  ane 
Ogethearn,  is  forty-four  ky  and  twenty-one  pence  and  two 
parts  of  a  penny.  His  Kelchyn  is  not  given,  but  for  Blude 
drawn  it  is  two  ky  and  two  parts  of  a  cow. 

We  are  then  told  that  all  these  who  are  lower  in  the  hyii 
(parentela)  are  callit  Carlis  (nistici,  vilayn),  and  that  the  Cro 
of  a  Ccu'l  is  sixteen  ky,  that  he  has  no  Kelchyn,  and  that 
the  '  Blud  '  of  a  Carl  is  one  cow. 

We  have  also  in  this  code  a  section  '  Of  thaim  that  are 
slayn  in  the  peace  of  the  King  and  other  lordis.' 

'  Giff  ony  man  be  slayn  in  the  peis  of  our  lord  the  Kyng, 
til  him  perteins  nine  score  ky.' 

If  in  the  peace  of  the  sone  of  the  King  or  of  an  Earl,  four 
score  and  ten  ky. 

If  in  the  peace  of  the  son  of  an  Earl  or  of  a  Thayn,  three 
score  ky. 

If  in  the  peace  of  the  son  of  a  Tliane,  forty  ky ;  and  if 
in  the  peace  of  a  nevo  or  grandson  of  a  Thane,  twenty  ky 
and  two  parts  of  a  cow.'  ^^ 

The  names  of  the  different  ranks  here  are  analogous  to  the 
Irish  system,  where  the  son  of  each  grade  occupied  the  rank 
'"  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  66.S. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  219 

of  the  next  inferior  grade.^^  The  Earl  was  the  Scottish  Mor- 
macr,  the  Pd  Mortuath  of  the  Irish.  The  Thanus  or  thane  was 
the  Toiscch.  The  Ogdlicarn  is  the  Irish  word  Ogthighcarna, 
one  of  the  names  applied  to  the  second  class  of  the  Gracl- 
Jlatha,^^  or  those  Aires  who  received  stock  from  a  superior 
Aire.  They  were  also  called  Oglaochs.  The  fines  occupy  an 
intermediate  place  between  those  of  the  Irish  and  of  the 
Welsh  Laws,  but  most  resemble  the  latter ;  and  the  distinc- 
tion between  the  free  and  bond  classes  and  the  rights  of  the 
Icyn  are  clearly  indicated  from  the  following  addition  it  made 
to  the  account  of  the  Kelcliyn  fine : — '  If  the  wife  of  a  free- 
man (liberi  hominis)  be  slain,  her  husband  shall  have  the 
Kelchyn,  and  her  kyn  shall  have  the  Cro  and  the  Gaines. 
If  the  wife  of  a  Carl  (rustici,  vileyn)  be  slain,  the  lord  in 
whose  lands  he  dwells  shall  have  the  Kelchyn,  and  her  hyn 
shall  have  the  Cro  and  the  Gaines.' 

A  fragment  has  also  been  preserved  giving  the  merchet 
or  maiden-fee  paid  to  the  superior  on  the  marriage  of  the 
daughter  of  a  dependant.  It  is  the  Amohr  or  Gobr  merch  of 
the  Welsh  Laws : — '  According  to  the  assize  of  the  land  of 
Scotland,  the  merchet  of  every  woman,  whether  she  be  a  serf 
or  mercantile,  was  one  calf  or  three  shillings.  If  she  was 
the  daughter  of  a  freeman  who  was  not  lord  of  a  township, 
her  merchet  was  one  cow  or  six  shillings.  If  the  daughter  of 
the  son  of  a  thane  or  of  a  ochethieryi,  two  cows  or  twelve 
shillings.     If  the  daughter  of  an  earl,  twelve  cows.'  ^^ 

The  fines  which  were  paid  for  abstaining  from  attending 
the  king's  hosting  are  preserved  in  the  Statutes  of  Alexander 
the  Second,  where  the  following  'record  was  made  at  St. 
Johnstoun  or  Perth  before  the  king  be  all  the  "  dempsteris  " 
(indices)  of  Scotland  in  the  seventh  year  of  the  king's  reign, 
or  A.D.  1221,'  after  the  kino;  had  been  in  hosting  at  Inverness 

^^  Thus  the  son  of  an  ^freybr^a?^  Petrie's    Antiquities    of    Tarahill, 

was   an  Aire   ard. — Brehon  Laion,  p.  199;    Chron.  of  Picts  and  Scots, 

vol.  i.  p.  77.  p.  319. 

^^  Brehon  Laws,   vol.    i.    p.    49;  '*'  Acts  of  Pari.,  vol.  i.  p.  640. 


220  Tin:  Ti;[I5K  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  lit. 

against  Donald  Neilson.'  They  thu.s  declare  that  '  of  those 
that  remained  away  from  the  host,  tlie  king  shall  have  the  for- 
feiture of  the  erlis  if  their  thanes'  (that  is,  the  earls'  thanes) 
'  remained  from  the  host ;  but  how  much  that  forfalture 
should  be  was  not  determined.  Of  all  others  which  remained 
at  liome — that  is  to  say,  of  the  lands  of  bischopis,  abbotis, 
baronis,  knychtis,  and  thaynis  which  hold  of  the  king,  the 
king  alone  ought  to  have  the  forfalture ;  that  is  to  say,  of 
a  thane,  vi  cows  and  a  calf ;  of  an  ocMycrn,  xv  sheep  or  vi 
shillings ;  but  the  king  tharof  shall  have  but  the  one  half, 
and  the  thane  or  the  kuycht  the  other  half.  Of  a  Carl,  a 
cow  and  a  sheep  ;  and  they  also  are  to  be  divided  between 
the  king  and  the  thane  or  the  knycht.'  '  But  when  by  the 
leave  of  the  thane  or  the  knicht  they  remained  behind  the 
king,  he  shall  have  all  the  forfalt.  For  no  earl  nor  sergand 
of  the  erlis  in  the  laud  of  any  man  holding  of  the  king 
ought  to  come  to  raise  that  default  but  the  Erl  of  Fyffe,  and 
he  shall  not  come  as  earl  but  as  the  Mair  of  the  king  of  his 
rights  to  be  raised  within  the  earldom  of  Fyffe.  Of  the 
Gairlis,  however,  where  the  king  and  the  earl  divide  be- 
twixt them,  the  king  and  the  earl  shall  have  the  one  half 
and  the  thane  the  other  half ;  but  where  the  thane  falls  in 
forfalt  it  shall  be  divided  between  the  king  and  the  earl,  as 
in  the  laws  of  King  William  is  declared.'-*^ 

The  analogy  between  this  arrangement  and  the  system 
of  fines  for  withdrawing  from  hosting  contained  in  the 
Irish  Laws  will  be  apparent  at  once,  and  the  different 
grades  here  given  are  the  same  as  those  in  the  code  of 
David  I.,  though  adapted  to  a  period  when  the  thane  ap- 
pears as  the  vassal  of  the  king  or  of  the  earl,  and  the 
oclitycrn  as  the  vassal  of  the  thane. 
Ranks  of  The  different  ranks  of  the  bondmen  or  unfree  class  have 

also  been  preserved  in  the  code  of  laws  termed  Quoniam 
attackiamcnta.     They  are  there  termed  native-men  (nativi), 

-"  Acts  of  Parliament ,  vol.  i.  p.  398. 


CHAP,  vi.l  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  221 

and  we  are  told  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  nativity  or 
Bondage  (nativitatis  sive  hondagii).  For  some  are  native-men 
of  their  grandfather  and  great-grandfather,  which  is  com- 
monly called  de  evo  et  trevo,  whom  their  lord  may  claim  to  be 
naturally  his  native-men  by  narrating  their  progenitors,  if 
their  names  are  known,  as  his  great-grandfather,  his  grand- 
father, and  his  father,  who  are  challenged,  declaring  them 
to  have  been  his  native-men  in  such  a  township  and  in  such 
a  spot  in  that  township,  and  to  have  made  and  rendered  to 
him  and  his  predecessors  servile  service  in  a  servile  land  for 
many  years  ;  and  this  nativity  or  bondage  may  be  proved  by 
the  kin  of  him  who  is  challenged  or  by  a  good  assize. 

Another  kind  of  bondage  is  similar  to  this,  when  any 
stranger  receives  servile  land  from  any  lord  doing  servile 
service  for  that  land ;  and  if  he  dies  in  that  land  and  his 
son  likewise  dies  in  that  land,  and  afterwards  his  son  lives  in 
the  same  land  and  dies  there,  then  his  whole  posterity  to  the 
fourth  degree  shall  be  of  servile  condition  to  his  lord,  and  his 
whole  posterity  may  be  proved  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  third  kind  of  nativity  or  bondage  is  when  a  freeman, 
in  order  to  have  a  lord  or  the  maintenance  {manutenencia)  of 
any  great  man,  gives  himself  up  to  that  lord  to  be  his  native 
or  bondman  (nativum  seu  hondum)  in  his  court  by  the  hair  of 
his  forehead ;  and  if  he  thereafter  withdraws  himself  from 
his  lord,  or  denies  his  nativitie  to  him,  his  lord  may  prove 
him  to  be  his  native-man  before  the  justiciary  by  an  assize, 
challenging  him  that  he  in  such  a  day  in  such  a  year  came 
to  him  in  his  court  and  gave  himself  up  to  be  his  man ; 
and  if  any  one  is  adjudged  to  be  the  native  or  bondman  to 
any  lord,  that  lord  can  seize  him  by  the  nose  and  reduce 
him  to  his  former  servitude,  taking  from  him  all  his  goods 
to  the  value  of  four  pence.-^ 

These  definitions  of  the  different  kinds  of  nativi  or  bond- 
men may  no  doubt  apply  to  a  later  period  than  we  are  now 
-1  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  655. 


222  THE  TKIBE  IX  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

referring  to,  and  be  more  ov  less  connected  with  feudal 
forms,  but  we  may,  notwithstanding,  infer  that  they  pre- 
serve the  characteristics  of  the  servile  class  in  Celtic  times ; 
for,  although  the  upper  classes  may  in  the  Lowland  dis- 
tricts have  been  superseded  by  Saxon  or  Norman  proprie- 
tors holding  their  lands  in  feudal  tenure,  the  servile  occu- 
piers of  the  soil  of  Celtic  race  who  were  attached  to  the 
land  would  remain  and  become  the  villains  of  the  feudal 
lord ;  and  so  we  find  that  wherever  they  appear  in  the 
Chartularies  they  possess  Celtic  names. 

We  see  from  the  above  description  that  their  connection 
with  their  lord  was  of  two  kinds — first,  by  occupying  under 
him  servile  laud ;  and  second,  by  placing  themselves  under 
him  as  personal  bondmen ;  and  of  the  former  class,  they 
were  either  natives  by  descent  or  strangers  who  had  taken 
land  from  him,  and  the  latter  became  native  serfs  after  four 
generations.  Here  we  recognise  at  once  the  Sendeithe  or 
old  adherents  of  the  Irish  law,  and  the  Bond  Fuidhir,  who 
became  Sendeithe  after  four  generations.  The  latter  class  of 
personal  serfs  are  the  Moglia  of  the  Irish  and  the  Caeth  of 
the  Welsh  Laws.  The  Celtic  names  by  which  these  two 
classes  were  known  in  feudal  times  have  also  been  preserved 
to  us.  Thus,  in  the  Chartulary  of  Scone,  King  William 
the  Lion  grants  a  mandate  directing  that  if  the  abbot 
of  Scone  or  his  sergands  shall  find  in  the  lands  or  in 
the  power  of  others  any  of  the  Cumlau-cs  and  Cumherhcs 
pertaining  to  his  lands,  he  may  reclaim  them  ;  -^  and  in  the 
Chartulary  of  Dunfermline,  the  foundation  charter  by  King 
David  the  First  grants  that  all  his  serfs  and  all  his  Cumer- 
laclie  from  the  time  of  King  Edgar  shall  be  restored  to  the 
Church  wherever  they  may  be  found,  and  the  scribe  inter- 
prets the  word  Cumer  lache  by  fugitivi  on  the  margin ;  and 
in  a  mandate  by  the  same  king  to  the  same  effect  the  title 
is  '  Of  the  fugitivi  which  are  called  Cumerlache."^^  In  the 
-•-  Liber  de  Scon,  p.  24.  -■*  Chart.  Dun/.,  pp.  6,  17.     The 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TPJBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  223 

last  syllable  of  the  name  Cumlicrhcs  or  Cumarherbe  we  can 
recognise  the  Irijli  Avord  Orba,  applied  to  that  part  of  the 
tribe  territory  whicu  had  become  the  private  property  of 
the  chiefs ;  and  this  name  was  no  doubt  applied  to  that 
class  of  serfs  whose  bondage  was  derived  from  their  possess- 
ing servile  land.  They  were  the  ascrvpti  glebac  of  feudal 
times.  The  term  Cumlawe  or  Cicmarlmve  is  simply  a  trans- 
lation of  the  Latin  term  manutenencia,  which  characterised 
the  third  kind  of  bondage  above  described,  and  whose  tie 
to  their  master  being  a  personal  one,  led  to  their  frequently 
escaping  from  hard  usage  and  being  reclaimed  as  fugitives.^^ 
Thus  among  the  laws  of  King  William  the  Lion  we  find 
one  declaring  that  any  one  who  detains  a  native  fugitive 
man  (nativi  fugitivi)  after  he  has  been  demanded  by  his 
true  lord  or  his  bailie,  shall  restore  the  said  native-man 
with  all  his  chattels,  and  shall  render  to  his  lord  the 
double  of  the  loss  he  has  sustained.-'' 

As  in  Ireland  and  Wales,  so  also  in  Scotland,  the  ancient  Measures 

.  .  Ml  of  land. 

measures  of  land  were  closely  connected  with  the  tribal 
system,  but  here  too  we  find  them  more  greatly  affected  by 
external  influences  than  in  the  two  former  countries.  When 
we  examine  the  most  ancient  land-measures  of  that  part  of 
Scotland  lying  north  of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  we 
do  not  find  the  same  local  varieties  which  can  be  traced  in 
the  different  provinces  of  Ireland  and  Wales,  but  instead,  a 
great  and  leading  difference  between  those  of  the  eastern 
and  the  western  districts.  In  the  eastern  districts  there 
is  a  uniform  system  of  land  denominations  consisting  of 
Davachs,  Ploughgates,  and  Oxgangs,  the  davach  consisting 

two    classes    are    mentioned    in    a  tine  ;  and  in  the  one  case  forha  or 

charter  by  Thomas,  Earl  of  Mar,  orba,  terra,  and  in  the  other  laynh, 

in  1359,  of  the  lands  of  Rotheneyk,  manus,  with  or  without  the  preposi- 

'  cum  nativis  et  fugitivis  dictarum  tion  ar,  upon.    The  word  Gum  is  no 

terrarum.'— yl?«<.  Aberd.  and  Bavff,  doubt  the  root  of  the  Irish  Cumal, 

vol.  iv.  p.  716.  the  primary  meaning  of  which  was 

-■'  These  names   seem   to  be  de-  a  female  slave, 

rived  from  the  verb  Cum,  tene,  re-  -^  Acts  of  Pari.,  vol.  i.  p.  381. 


224  'J'llH  TlMliE  IN  .SCCVI'LAXD.  [book  iii. 

of  four  ploughgates,  and  each  ploughgate  of  eight  oxgangs ; 
but  as  soon  as  we  cross  the  great  chain  of  mountains  sepa- 
rating the  eastern  from  the  western  waters,  we  find  a  differ- 
ent system  equally  uniform.  The  ploughgates  and  oxgangs 
disappear,  and  in  their  place  we  find  davachs  and  penny 
lands.  Tlie  portion  of  land  termed  a  davach  is  here  also 
called  a  'firung  or  ounce  land  (unciata  terra),  and  each 
davach  or  Tiimng  contains  twenty  penny  lands. 

The  davach'^**  being  the  only  denomination  common  to 
both  parts  of  the  country,  we  may  infer  that  it  belongs  to 
the  old  Celtic  system  of  land-measures,  and  that  the  others 
are  foreign  importations.  Now  we  find  in  the  ancient  pro- 
vince of  Lothian,  which  originally  formed  part  of  the  Anglic 
kingdom  of  Northumbria  and  possessed  an  Anglic  population, 
the  land-measures  consisted  of  Carucates  or  ploughgates,  and 
Bovates  or  oxgangs.  The  oxgang  contained  thirteen  acres, 
two  oxgangs  made  a  husband-land,  and  eight  oxgangs  a 
ploughgate,  which  thus  consisted  of  104  acres  of  arable  land. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  the  islands  of  Orkney  and  in  the  district 
of  Caithness,  which  were  formerly  a  Norwegian  earldom 
under  the  king  of  Norway,  we  find  the  land  was  valued  ac- 
cording to  a  standard  of  value  derived  from  the  weight  of 
silver,  the  unit  being  the  ounce  or  Eyrir,  eight  ounces  forming 
the  Morlz  or  pound,  and  twenty  pennings  one  ounce,^^  and 
thus  the  land-measures  consisted  of  Oe.r&  or  ounce  lands, 
the  ounce  lands  containing  either  eighteen  or  twenty  penny 
lands.  They  seem  to  have  been  so  called,  because  under  the 
Norwegian  rule  each  homestead  paid  one  penny  as  scat, 

-"  The    word    Davach   has    been  pi.  ace,  dual  Dabeg),  which  it  could 

supposed  to  be  derived  from  Damh  not  be  if  it  meant  Aclt  a  field.    The 

an  ox,  and  Achadh  ot  Ach  a  field,  word  is  also  applied  in  Ireland  to 

and  thus  to  mean  oxgang  ;  but  the  the  largest  liquid  measure,  and  ap- 

Book  of  Deer  shows  this  to  be  false  pears  in  this  sense  in  the  old  Irish 

etymology.     The  word  there  in  its  Glosses, 'Caba,^■.e.  Cavea,Z)a6/iacA, 

oldest  form  is  Dahach,  and  the  last  genitive  Dabhca '  (p.  63). 

syllable  is  inflected  (forming  in  gen.  -''  Dasent's  Saga  of  Burnt  Njal. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND,  225 

It  is  therefore  a  fair  inference  that,  with  the  Saxon  colo- 
nisation, the  Saxon  denominations  superseded  the  older  Celtic 
lesser  denominations,  as  forming  the  subdivisions  of  the 
Davach  in  the  eastern  districts,  while  in  the  western  seaboard 
and  in  the  islands,  which  were  for  a  time  under  Norwegian 
rule,  the  Norwegian  denominations  replaced  the  Celtic,  but  in 
both  cases  they  were  adapted  to  the  existing  divisions  of  land, 
which  could  not  be  altered  without  interfering  with  the  whole 
framework  of  society.  The  Carucate  or  ploughgate  was  a 
term  known  to  the  Irish  system,  and  may  likewise  have 
existed  in  Scotland  in  Celtic  times,  as  it  appears  in  Highland 
charters  under  the  name  of  Araclior,  the  Gaelic  equivalent 
of  the  Latin  Aratrum,-^  but  seems  sometimes  to  have  con- 
tained 160  acres  in  place  of  104,  and  consisted  of  a  definite 
measure  of  arable  land  with  common  pasture ;  -^  and  we  find 
from  a  charter  of  a  Carucate  or  ploughgate  of  land  on  the 
Nith,  that  the  common  pasture  carried  24  cattle  and  100 
sheep,^°  and  the  minor  terms  can  probably  still  be  traced  in 
the  topography  of  the  districts.  We  have  the  words  Ballin, 
Bed,  from  Baile,  a  town,  entering  into  many  local  names  in 
both  parts  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  word  Teaglilach  or 
family,  corrupted  into  TuUy  and  Tilly,  as  in  Tullynessle,  Tilly- 
morgan,  etc.     Then  in  the  east  there  are  the  Pits,  the  old  form 

-*  Chart,  of  Lennox,  pp.  34,  36,  but  these  charters  have  obviously 

38.     Mr.  W.  Fraser,  in  his  first  re-  been    misread.      It   was    not    the 

port  on  the  Montrose  papers,  notes  church  but  the  land  conveyed  that 

a  charter  by  Alexander  of  Dunhon  was  called  Arathor  or  Lefharathor, 

to  Sir  Patrick  of  Graham  of  three  that  is,   carucate  or   half -carucate 

quarters  of  a  camicate  of  land  of  (ib.  iv.  386). 

Akeacloy  nether,  ivhich  in  Scotch  is  -^  Antiq.  Aberdeen,  and  Banff,  vol. 

called  Arachor  (Hist.  MSS.  Rep.  I.  iv.  p.  690,  where  a  dimidia  carucata, 

166) ;  but  in  his  second  report  quotes  or  half-ploughgate,  is  said  to  contain 

two  charters  by  the  Earl  of  Lennox  'quater  xx  acras  cum  crofto  habiente 

confirming  to  Sir  Uavid  of  Graham  vii  acras  et  commi;ni  pastura. '     In 

the  half-carucate  of  land  of  Strath-  the  Chartulary  of  Arbroath  we  have 

blahane,   where  the  church  called  '  una  carrucata  terrre  mensurata  et 

Arathor  in  the  one  charter  and  Le-  arabilis  cum  commune  pastura,'  p. 7. 

tharathor  in  the  other  was  built,  ^''  Charters  of  Holyrood,  p.  44. 

VOL.  in.  P 


226  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  iii, 

of  which,  as  appears  from  the  Book  of  Deer,  was  Pctk  or  Pett. 
It  is  there  uniformly  connected  with  a  personal  name,  as  if 
it  was  applied  to  a  single  homestead,  as  in  Peite  mac  Garnait, 
Pett  mac  Gobrig,  and  Pctt  Malduih,  and  the  affix  Pitt  seems 
to  have  a  similar  meaning  in  the  old  entry  in  the  Chartulary 
of  St.  Andrews,  where  we  read  of  the  '  villula '  or  homestead, 
which  is  called  Pitmokane.^^  In  the  western  districts  we  find 
the  penny  land  also  entering  into  the  topography,  in  the  form 
of  Pen  or  Penny,  in  such  names  as  Pennyghael,  Pennycross, 
Penmollach,  while  the  halfpenny  becomes  Leffen,  as  in  Leffen- 
stratli ;  and  if  the  group  of  twenty  houses,  which  we  found 
characterising  the  early  tribe  organisation  in  Dalriada,  was 
the  Davach,  then  we  obtain  the  important  identification  of 
these  houses  or  homesteads  with  the  later  penny  lands. 
We  find  notices  in  the  charters  connected  with  this  part  of 
the  country  of  the  Shammarh,  equal  to  two  penny  lands,  of 
Cow  lands,  probably  the  Irish  Ballyhoc,  and  of  Horsegangs.^^ 
"When  these  western  districts  fell  under  the  rule  of  the 
Scottish  monarchs,  the  valuation  of  land  called  the  Old  Ex- 
tent seems  to  have  been  to  some  extent  introduced.  In  the 
eastern  districts  it  corresponded  so  far  with  the  land  measures, 
that  the  ploughgate  was  the  same  as  the  forty  shilling  or  a 
three-merk  land;^^  but  the  merk  land  in  the  west  appears  to 
have  had  no  uniform  relation  to  the  penny  land,  though  in 
Lochaber  we  find  that  five  penny  lands  were  equal  to  a  forty- 
shilling  land,  which  seemed  to  indicate  that  here  also  the 
ploughgate  was  the  fourth  part  of  a  Davach,  and  consisted 
of  five  homesteads  ;  on  the  other  hand,  we  are  told  that  each 


^1  Chart,  of  St.  Andrews,  p.  114.  termed    a   quarter   or   Horsegang, 
^-  '  The  tenants,  particularly  of  and   an   eight  shilling   and   eight- 
arable  farms,  have  but  small  pos-  penny  land. 

sessions,  only  the  fourth  part  of  a  '*'^  Scotch    Legal    Antiquities,    by 

farm,  or  what  is  called  here  a  Horse-  Cosmo  Innes,  p.    270.     Mr.   Innes 

gang  '  {<S7ai.  Ace.  o/ Kilinartin,  viii.  was  the   first  to  discover  this  im- 

97).     In  the  Craignish  papers  it  is  portant  analogy. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  227 

township  in  Isla  consisted  of  two  and  a  half  merk  lands.^'* 
The  state  of  these  districts  probably  gave  the  Davachs  and 
penny  lands  a  fluctuating  value,  which  depended  more  upon 
the  pasture  and  the  stock  it  carried  than  on  the  arable  land. 
There  is  an  old  tradition  that  the  Davach  was  land  capable 
of  pasturing  320  cows,  and  that  a  merk  land  was  as  much 
land  as  would  graze  twelve  milch  cows,  ten  yeld  cows,  in- 
cluding three-year-olds,  twelve  two-year-olds,  twelve  year- 
olds,  four  horses,  four  fillies,  mares  and  followers,  one  hun- 
dred sheep,  and  eighty  goats.^^  The  two  systems  of  land 
measure  appear  to  meet  in  Galloway,  as  in  Carrick  we  find 
the  measure  by  Penny  lands,  which  gradually  become  less 
frequent  as  we  advance  eastward,  where  we  encounter  the 
extent  by  merks  and  pounds,  with  an  occasional  appearance 
of  a  penny  land,  and  of  the  Bovate  or  oxgang  in  Church  lands. 

The  burdens  upon  the  land  held  by  the  community  in  Burdens  on 
Scotland  seem  to  have  been  principally  four.  We  find  them 
still  attaching  to  the  Crown  and  the  Church  lands  during 
the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  and  they  are  analogous 
to  those  connected  with  the  Irish  tribe  system.  They  were 
Cain,  Conveth,  Feacht,  and  Sluagcd.  The  two  former  were 
fixed  payments  in  kind.  The  two  latter  were  services  to 
which  the  possessor  of  the  land  was  subject.  They  are  ren- 
dered in  Latin  by  the  words  cxj^editio  and  cxcrcitus.  We 
find  these  burdens  in  both  of  the  leading  divisions  of  the 
country  north  of  the  firths.  Thus,  by  a  deed  dated  at  Lis- 
more  in  the  year  1251,  Sir  Ewen,  son  of  Duncan  de  Erre- 
gathil  (Argyll),  granted  to  William,  bishop  of  Argyll,  fourteen 
penny  lands  in  Lismore,  free  of  all  secular  exactions  and 

"^  Or'ujines  Parochiales,  vol.  ii.  ledge  of  Highland  traditions.  In 
part  i.  pp.  177,  191.    Appendix  iii.       the  Slat.  Ace.  of  Saddel  it  is  stated 

that  the  average  stock  of  a  merk 

■*•'  Information  derived  from  the  land  is  4  horses,  12  milch  cows  with 
late  Colonel  Macdonell  of  Glen-  their  followers,  and  40  sheep  with 
garry,  who  had  an  accurate  know-       theirs  (vol.  xii.  p.  477). 


228  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [nooK  iii. 

dues — viz.,  Cain,  Coneveth,  Feacht,  Sluaged,  and  Ich — and  of 
all  secular  services  \^  and  similarly  Roger,  bishop-elect  of 
St.  Andrews,  granted  between  1188  and  1198,  when  he  was 
consecrated,  the  lands  of  Duf  Cuper  to  the  church  and 
canons  of  St.  Andrews,  free  of  Can  et  Cuneveth  et  exercitu 
et  auxilio  et  ab  omni  servicio  et  exactione  seculari.'^'^ 
The  Cain  We  find  during  this  period  that  these  dues  and  services 

or  Can. 

were  derived  by  the  king  from  the  Crown  lands,  and  by  the 
superiors  from  lands  not  held  feudally.  Thus  King  David 
grants  to  the  monks  of  Dunfermline  the  tithe  of  his  whole 
Can  from  Tif  and  Fothrif,  likewise  the  tithe  of  his  Can  of 
Clacmannan,  and  the  half  of  his  tithe  of  Ergaithel  (Argyll) 
and  Kentir  in  that  year,  to  wit,  in  which  he  receives  Can 
from  it,  and  these  grants  are  repeated  by  his  successor  Mal- 
colm IV. ^^  King  David  likewise  grants  to  the  church  of 
Urchard  (Urquhart)  the  tithe  of  the  Can  de  Ergaithel  de 
Muref,  that  is,  that  part  of  the  great  province  of  Ergadia  or 
Ergaithel  which  belonged  to  Moray,  extending  from  the 
Leven  to  the  border  of  North  Argyll.^^  King  William  con- 
firms to  the  bishop  of  Moray  the  Cana  et  Coneveta  which 
his  predecessors  had  received  from  those  who  held  land  of 
the  bishops  during  the  time  of  King  David  and  King  Mal- 
colm;**' and  in  an  agreement  in  1225  between  the  bishop 
and  Walter  Cumyn  of  Badenoch,  the  bishop  frees  him  from 
any  claim  he  had  for  the  tithe  of  the  Can  of  his  lord  the 
king  from  the  lands  of  Badenoch.*^ 

In  AlDcrdeenshire  we  find  the  Earl  of  Mar  wanting  to  the 
bishop  of  St.  Andrews  the  tithe  of  the  'redditus'  or  Ca7i 
of  his  whole  lands  ;  *-  and  Thomas  the  Hostiary  gives  to  the 
canons  of  Monimusk  ten  bolls  of  meal  and  ten  stones  of 

•'8  Beg.  Mag.  Sig. ,  lib.  xiv.  No.  .389.  *'■'  Chartulary  of  Moray,  p.  8. 

3^  Chart,  of  St.  Andrews,  p.  45.  ^^ 

^^  Chartulary  of  Dunfermline.  '  ^' 

^^  Antiqiiitie^i    of  Aberdeen    and  *-  Antiq.  of  Aberdeen  and  Banff, 

Banff,  vol.  ii.  p.  273.  vol.  ii.  pp.  17,  22. 


CHAP.  VI. J  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  229 

cheese  from  his  lands  of  Outherheicht,  which  is  afterwards 
called  the  Can  of  Houctireycht.*^ 

In  Mearus  or  Kincardine  Earl  David  of  Huntingdon 
grants  to  the  church  and  canons  of  St.  Andrews  the  whole 
Kan  and  Kimeveth,  which  they  were  due  him,  from  the 
lands  of  Ecclesgirg,  and  the  services  which  his  men  of  Eccles- 
kirch  were  bound  to  render  him.**  Then  in  the  beginning  of 
the  thirteenth  century  the  record  of  a  dispute  between  the 
bishop  of  St.  Andrews  and  the  abbot  of  Arbroath  is  pre- 
served to  us  in  the  chartulary  of  that  church,  regarding  the 
lands  of  Eyvy,  Tarves,  Innerbondy,  Munclere,  Gamery,  In- 
verugy,  and  Monediu,  and  the  Can  or  redditus  and  Conevet 
of  these  lands,  which  the  bishop  resigns  to  the  abbot  free  of 
every  exaction,  reserving  to  himself  the  ancient '  redditus '  of 
Monedin,  viz.,  three  shillings  and  sixpence,  and  the  portion 
of  the  Conevet  which  was  wont  to  be  paid  at  Bencorin  or 
Banchory ;  and  in  the  same  Chartulary  there  is  a  grant  by 
King  William  to  the  abbey  of  Arbroath  of  the  ferry  and 
ferrylands  of  Munros,  to  be  held  free  '  ab  exercitu  et  ex- 
peditione  et  operatione  et  auxilio  et  ab  omnibus  consue- 
tudiuibus  et  omni  servicio  et  exactione ; '  and  the  earl  of 
Angus  grants  them  the  lands  of  Portincraig  in  similar  terms, 
as  free  '  ab  exercitu  et  expeditione  et  exactione  multure 
et  ab  omnibus  auxiliis  et  geldis  et  omnibus  serviciis  et  exac- 
tionibus ; '  the  '  exercitus  '  and  '  expeditio '  being  the  Sluagecl 
and  Fcacht  of  the  Gaelic  charters.*^ 

Then  in  Eife  we  find  in  a  rental  of  the  earldom  a  certain 
jirma  or  rent  which  is  termed  Canus,  with  ten  shillings 
of  the  Can  of  Abernethy  ;  and  in  Stratherne  we  find  the 
bishops  of  Dunkeld  confirming  to  the  canons  of  luchaffray 
the  lands  of  Maderty,  which  is  called  AUhan,  and  the  free- 

^  Antiquities  of  Aberdeen  and  Banff,  vol.  i.  p.  174. 
**  Chartulary  of  St.  Andrews,  p.  238. 
■*'  Chartulary  of  Arbroath,  pp.  12,  35. 


230  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

doni  from  the  Cam'  and  Coneveth  which  the  clerics  of 
Dunkeld  were  wont  anciently  to  receive  from  these  lands. 

These  notices  will  be  sufficient  to  show  that  these  Celtic 
burdens  on  land  prevailed  over  the  whole  of  the  country 
north  of  the  Firths,  on  tlie  crown  lands  and  those  of  the 
church,  and  on  all  lands  which  had  not  become  the  subject 
of  feudal  grants. 

Passing  then  to  tlie  country  south  of  the  Firths,  we  find 
them  equally  prevalent,  except  in  the  great  Anglic  province 
of  Lothian.  Thus  King  David  grants  to  the  church  of  Glas- 
gow the  whole  tithe  of  his  Cha7i  in  the  beasts  and  pigs  of 
Strathegrive  and  Cuninghame,  Kyle  and  Carrick,  in  each 
year,  unless  the  king  himself  shall  go  to  dwell  there  and 
consume  his  own  Chan.^^  These  districts  formed  the  greater 
part  of  the  ancient  British  kingdom  of  Strathclyde,  and  this 
was  an  appropriate  grant  to  the  church  of  Glasgow,  which 
had  been  its  metropolitan  church.  Then  we  find  the  lords 
of  Galloway  granting  lauds  in  that  district  to  the  canons  of 
Holyrood,  free  from  all  '  Ca7i  and  Cuncveht  and  from  every 
exaction,  custom,  and  secular  service ; '  *"  and  finally,  at  a 
court  held  by  the  judges  of  Galloway  at  Lanerch  in  the  reign 
of  King  William  the  Lion,  in  presence  of  the  Lord  of  Gallo- 
way, it  was  adjudged  that '  when  the  king  ought  to  receive  his 
Can  from  Galloway  he  should  issue  his  breve  to  the  Mail's 
of  Galloway,  and  the  Mairs  should  go  with  the  royal  breve 
to  the  debtor  of  the  Can  and  exact  the  Can  from  him.  If 
he  fail  to  pay,  the  Mair  was  to  take  the  rod  or  staff,  called 
the  king's  staff,  and  take  a  distress  for  the  king's  Can,  and  if 
the  debtor  removed  the  subject  of  the  distress  he  was  to  pay 
for  each  ten  cows  fifteen  cows,  besides  a  hundred  cows  dc 
miscricordia ;  but  if  he  delivered  part  of  the  Can,  till  after  the 
Nativity  he  was  to  pay  for  each  cow  four  shillings  of  cow- 
tax,  and  for  each  pig  sixteen  pence,  and  before  the  Nativity 

^^  Chartulaiy  of  Glasgow,  p.  12.  ■*''  Chartulary  of  Holyrood,  p.  61. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  231 

the  debtor  was  to  deliver  cows  worth  forty  pence,  and  if  he 
stated  on  oath  that  he  had  no  pigs,  he  was  to  pay  for  each 
pig  seventeen  pence.'*^ 

This  last  notice  will  explain  in  some  degree  what  the 
bilrden  termed  Cam  or  Can  really  was,  and  how  it  was 
exacted.  It  consisted  of  a  portion  of  the  produce  of  the  land, 
in  grain  when  it  was  arable  land,  and  in  cattle  and  pigs  when 
pasture  land.  It  was  in  fact  the  outcome  of  the  Bestighi 
or  food-rent  of  the  Irish  laws,  and  the  Gvjestva  of  the  Welsh 
laws,  paid  by  every  occupier  of  land  to  his  superior.  Over 
the  whole  of  Scotland,  except  in  Lothian,  it  was  a  recognised 
burden  upon  the  crown  lands  and  upon  all  land  not  held  by 
feudal  tenure,  but  it  ceased  as  soon  as  the  possessor  of  the 
land  was  feudally  invested.  Thus  we  find  in  the  Moray 
Chartulary  an  agreement  between  the  bishop  of  Moray  and 
Thomas  de  Thirlestan,  who  had  received  a  feudal  grant  of  the 
lands  of  Abertarff,  regarding  a  half-davach  of  land,  which  the 
bishop  asserted  belonged  to  the  church,  and  regarding  the 
tithes  of  the  royal  Can  payable  from  the  lands  of  Abertarff 
before  his  feudal  investiture  {ante  infeodationcm).  There  is 
a  similar  agreement  between  the  bishop  and  James,  son  of 
Morgund,  regarding  certain  lands  in  his  fief  of  Abernethy, 
and  regarding  the  tithes  of  the  Can  which  was  wont  to  be 
paid  to  the  king  from  these  lands  before  his  feudal  investi- 
ture, and  another  between  the  bishop  and  Gilbert  the 
Hostiary  regarding  the  tithes  of  the  Can  which  he  was  wont 
to  pay  annually  to  the  king  from  the  lands  of  Strathbroc  and 
Buleshe  before  his  feudal  investiture  {ante  infeodationem).^^ 
The  Ca7i  or  Chan  was  so  termed  from  the  Gaelic  word  Cain, 
the  primary  meaning  of  which  was  '  law.'  It  M'as  the  equiva- 
lent of  the  Latin  word  canon,  and  like  it  was  applied  to  any 
fixed  payment  exigible  by  law.^<^ 

*^  Acts  of  Pari,  vol.  i.  p.  378.  '''^  Craig  arrives  at  the  true  mean- 

*^  Chart,  of  Moray,  pp.  23,  76,  80.       ing  when  he  says,  'Meoquidem  judi- 


232  THE  TIUBR  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  iii. 

Couvetii.  Conveth  was  the  Irish  Cuinmhcdha  or  Coigny,  derived, 

according  to  O'Donovan,  from  Coinmhe,  which  signifies  feast 
or  refection.  It  was  the  Dovracth  of  the  Welsh  hwvs,  and  was 
founded  upon  the  original  right  which  the  leaders  in  the  tribe 
had  to  be  supported  by  their  followers.  It  came  to  signify 
a  night's  meal  or  refection  given  by  the  occupiers  of  the  land 
to  their  superior  when  passing  through  his  territory,  which 
was  exigible  four  times  in  the  year,  and  when  the  tribe  terri- 
tory came  to  be  recognised  as  crown  land,  it  became  a  fixed 
food  contribution  charged  upon  each  ploughgate  of  land. 
Thus  in  the  charter  by  King  Malcolm  the  Fourth,  confirming 
the  foundation  of  the  abbey  of  Scone,  he  grants  to  the  canons 
from  each  ploughgate  of  the  whole  land  of  the  church  of 
Scone  in  each  year,  at  the  Feast  of  All  Saints,  for  their 
Conevcth,  one  cow  and  two  pigs,  and  four  Camni  of  meal,  and 
ten  threaves  of  oats,  and  ten  hens  and  two  hundred  eggs, 
and  ten  bundles  of  candles,  and  four  pounds  of  soap,  and 
twenty  half  meales  of  cheese.^^ 

In  the  reiRn  of  Alexander  the  Third  this  word  seems  to 
have  assumed  the  form  of  Waytinga,  and  appears  in  the 
Chamberlain  Eolls  of  his  reign  as  a  burden  upon  the 
Thanages.  Thus  the  Chamberlain  renders  an  account  of  the 
Waytingas  of  Forfar  and  Glammis,  of  the  Waytinga  of  one 
night  of  Fettercairn,  of  the  Waytingas  of  four  nights  in  the 
year  of  Kinross,  and  '  of  the  rent  of  cows  of  two  years,'  that 
is  to  say,  of  the  Waytingas  of  two  nights  in  the  year  of 
Forfar,  forty-eight  cows,  and  of  the  Waytinga  of  (one)  and  a 
half  nights  of  the  Thanage  of  Glammis,  twenty-seven  cows.^^ 

cio  melius  a  canone  deducetur,  cum  feudi  per  se,  neque  speciem  tenen- 

idem  prope  significet.     Canon  enim  drire  immutat,  ut  nulla  alia  prtestatio 

in  jure  prrestationem  anuuam  sive  annua,  nisi  exprimatur  teuenda  in 

pensitatiouem  iunuit,  unde  canon  f eudifirma. '  — /?is/eM(ZaZe,  pp.  79, 28. 


frumentarius  et  canon  metallicus. 
.  .  .  Est  itaque  Cana  idem  quod 
Canica,  sive  Canon,  sive  certa  put-  ^"  Chamberlain  RolU,  pp.  6,  50. 


^1  Liber  Ecclesie  de  Scon,  p.  7. 

5-  Chamberlain  RolU,  pp.  6, 
statio  annua,  qua^  nunquam  naturam      There  is  a  blank  in  the  record. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  233 

Another  name  for  this  exaction  was  Guidoidhche,  or  a 
night's  portion,  corrupted  into  Cuddiche  or  Cuddicke.  It 
appears  under  this  name  mainly  in  the  Highlands  and  Islands, 
and  was  continued  as  a  burden  on  the  lands  to  a  late  period. 
In  the  rentals  of  South  and  North  Kintyre  for  1505  we  find, 
besides  ^?'m«  or  rent,  each  township  charged  with  a  certain 
amount  of  meal,  cheese,  oats,  and  a  mert  or  cow,  pro  Ic  Cud- 
dechf.  A  description  of  the  Western  Isles  written  between 
1577  and  1595,  has  preserved  a  record  of  these  payments. 
Lewis,  a  forty  pound  land,  pays  yearly  18  score  chalders  of 
victuall,  58  score  of  ky,  32  score  of  wedderis,  and  a  great  quan- 
tity of  fishe,  poultry,  and  white  plaiding  by  their  Cuidichics — 
that  is,  feasting  their  master  when  he  pleases  to  come  in  the 
country,  each  one  their  night  or  two  nights  about,  according 
to  their  land  or  labour.  In  Uist  each  merk  land  paid  20  bolls 
victual,  besides  other  customs  which  are  paid  at  the  landlord's 
coming  to  the  Isle  to  his  Cudicht ;  and  in  Mull  each  merk 
land  paid  yearly  5  bolls  bear,  8  bolls  meal,  20  stones  of  cheese, 
4  stones  of  butter,  4  marts,  8  wedders,  2  merks  of  silver,  and  2 
dozen  of  poultrie  by  Cuddiche,  whenever  their  master  comes 
to  them.  Under  the  name  of  Conyoio  or  Coigny  it  appears  in 
lona,  when,  in  a  contract  between  the  bishop  of  the  Isles  and 
Lauchlan  M'Lean  of  Dowart,  in  15  80, the  latter  becomes  bound 
that  he  '  sail  suffer  na  maner  of  persoun  or  personis  to  oppress 
the  saidis  landis  of  Ycolmekill  (lona)  and  Eosse,  or  tenantis 
thaireof  or  trouble  or  molest  thame  in  ony  sort  with  ather 
stenting,  Conyoio,  gerig  service  or  ony  maner  of  exactioun.'  ^^ 
In  Atholl  we  find  the  vassals  of  Strathtay  and  their  tenants 
ordered  as  late  as  in  1719  to  pay  their  Cudeichs  according  to 
ancient  use  and  wont.  These  included  two  pecks  of  corn,  one 
threave  of  straw,  and  six  shillings  Scots  for  maintenance  of 
the  superior's  horses  and  servants  who  wait  on  them,  out  of 
each  twenty  shilling  land  ;  and  in  1720  it  is  ordered  that  the 

^^  Appendix  iii.,  Athole  Papers.     Collect,  de  Bebns  Albanicis,  p.  16. 


234  TIIK  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [hook  hi. 

accustomed  corn  and  straw  and  otlier  casualties  paid  yearly 
as  Cuddciclis  out  of  each  merk  land  be  taken  up,  excepting 
always  the  land  laboured  by  the  vassals  for  their  own  use. 

A  similar  burden  under  different  names  emerges  in  Gal- 
loway, when  in  a  charter  by  David  ii.  to  Sir  John  Heris, 
knight  of  the  barony  of  Terreglis,  in  Dumfriesshire,  in  which 
it  is  declared  '  free  of  Sorryn  and  Fachalos  unless  officers 
come  through  it  with  a  robber  or  with  the  head  of  a  robber ; 
and  if  they,  the  king's  officers,  can  pass  beyond  the  barony 
before  sunsetting,  they  shall  have  nothing  for  their  expenses, 
and  if  they  cannot  pass  beyond  the  barony  before  sunsetting 
they  shall  have  hospitality  for  that  night  {hospicium  ad  hos- 
pitandum),'  etc.  Sorrcn  was  a  tax  imposed  in  Ireland  upon 
the  possession  of  land  for  the  clothing,  feeding,  and  support- 
ing the  galloglasses  and  kernes.  It  was  originally  a  night's 
meal  upon  land  passed  through,  and  Fachalos  was  probably 
the  Irish  Fcchtfclc,  which  is  explained  as  '  the  first  night's 
entertainment  we  receive  at  each  other's  house.' ^* 
Expedition  The  Fcaclit  and  Sluagcd  (expcditio  et  exercitus)  consisted 
of  a  general  obligation,  originally  upon  the  members  of  the 
tribe,  and  afterwards  upon  the  possessors  and  occupiers  of 
what  had  been  tribe  territory,  to  follow  their  superiors  and 
chiefs  as  well  as  the  Ard?'i  or  sovereign  in  his  expeditions 
and  wars.  They  are  usually  termed  expedition  and  hosting, 
and  in  Scotland  the  burden  was  apportioned  upon  the 
davach  of  land.  It  is  probably  this  burden  that  is  referred 
to  in  the  Book  of  Deer,  where  we  are  told  that  the  '  Mormaer 
and  Toisech  immolated  all  the  offerings  to  God  and  to  devo- 
tion, and  to  Saint  Columcille  and  to  Peter  the  Apostle,  free 

•"'■'  Innes's       Legal       Antiqidties,  p.  241.    Mr.  Innes's  attempt  to  ex- 

p.  70 ;  Ware's  A  ntiquitates  Hiher-  plain  these  terms  will  show  how 

nica',  p.  209  ;  O'Curry,  Lectures  on  essential  an  acquaintance  with  the 

the  Manners   and   Customs  of  the  ancient  Irish  laws  is  to  the  inter- 

-4)ic/eMi /W.s7i,  vol.  iii.  p.  495,  note  ;  pretation    of    our    ancient    Scotch 

Ulster  Archccol.   Journal,  vol.    iv.  customs. 


and  host- 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  235 

from  all  the  burdens,  for  a  portion  of  four  davachs  of  what 
would  come  on  the  chief  tribe  residences  generally  and  on  the 
chief  churches.'  These  obligations  seem  to  have  constituted 
what  is  called  in  charters  Scottish  service  (scrvitium  Scoti- 
canum),  and  were  of  two  kinds,  internal  and  external,  the 
one  representing  the  Feacht  or  expedition,  and  the  other  the 
Sluagcd  or  hosting.  "We  find  them  distinguished  in  a  charter 
by  Waldevus  de  Stratheihan  to  the  church  of  St.  Andrews 
of  the  lands  of  Blaregeroge,  which  are  granted  '  free  from  all 
exaction  and  service,  internal  and  external '  {sine  omnc  exac- 
tionc  ct  sc7'vitio  intrinseco  d  forinscco) ;  ^^  and  their  con- 
nection with  the  Davach  appears  very  clearly  from  three 
Charters,  one  by  Alexander  ii.  to  the  abbey  of  Scone  of  the 
lands  of  Magna  et  Parva  Blar,  which  contains  in  the  reddendo 
the  clause,  '  rendering  the  external  service  only  which  per- 
tains to  five  davachs  of  land,  that  pertaining  to  the  sixth 
davach  being  remitted.' ^^  In  another  by  the  Earl  of  Strath- 
erne  to  Willelmus  de  Moravia,  the  lands  are  granted  free  of 
'  every  service  except  the  external  Scottish  service  of  our 
lord  the  king ;  ''"^  and  in  a  third  charter  by  Alexander  the 
Second  to  the  abbey  of  Arbroath  of  the  lands  of  Tarvays, 
consisting  of  four  davachs  and  a  half  davach  and  quarter 
davach,  they  are  granted  '  rendering  the  external  service  in 
the  army  which  pertains  to  the  said  lands.'  ^^  We  have  seen 
that  the  Feachtmara  or  sea  expedition  of  each  tribe  in 
ancient  Dalriada  was  attached  to  each  twenty  houses,  corre- 
sponding to  the  twenty  penny  lauds  which  formed  the  davach 
in  the  west,  showing  very  clearly  that  even  at  this  early 

■''5  Chart,  of  St.  Andrews,  p.  277.  ■''  Aliquod   servitium  nisi  forin- 

"^  Faciendo  forinsecum  servitium  secum  servitium  Scoticanum  domini 

tantum  quod  pertinet  ad  quinque  regis. — Chart,  of  Moray,  p.  470. 
davachas     terras,     servitium     vero 

pertinens  ad  sextam  davacham  de  '-'^  Faciendo  forinsecum  servitium 

Blar  dictis  canonicis  remisimus. —  in  exercitu  quod  pertinet  ad  predic- 

Liher  EccUsie  de  Scon,  p.  42.  tas  terras. — Chart,  of  Arb.,  p.  74. 


236  TIIK  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [ROOK  hi. 

period  the  Davacli  was  the  measure  of  land  by  wliich  this 
burden  was  regulated. 

Such,  then,  were  the  burdens  connected  with  the  ancient 
tribal  organisation  as  depicted  in  the  Irish  and  Welsh  Laws 
which  we  find  still  attached  to  the  thanages,  as  well  as  to 
all  the  crown  and  church  lands  not  held  on  a  feudal  tenure. 
They  consisted  of,  first,  a  share  of  the  produce  of  the  laud 
and  the  stock,  of  the  personal  services  of  certain  of  the 
tenants,  and  of  various  fines,  which  were  all  included  in 
the  general  term  of  Cain ;  secondly,  of  rights  of  entertain- 
ment and  support  for  a  certain  number  of  nights  in  the 
year,  under  the  name  of  Coinmhedha  or  Conevdh,  Cui- 
doidhche  or  Cuddecliie,  Waytinga,  Sorren,  and  Fachalos,  and 
assessed  on  homesteads  or  penny  lands  in  the  west,  twenty 
of  which  made  a  davach ;  and  on  Carucates  or  ploughlands 
in  the  east,  four  of  which  constituted  the  davach ;  thirdly, 
of  the  Fcacht  or  expedition, — the  burden  of  joining  in 
expeditions  within  the  kingdom  or  territory ;  and  fourthly, 
of  the  Sluagcd  or  Scottish  service  of  hosting, — that  is,  the 
burden  of  attending  the  king's  army  or  host  when  assembled 
for  the  defence  of  the  kingdom  or  for  hostile  invasion  ;  and 
of  all  these  burdens  the  various  grades  connected  with  the 
land  had  their  C^iid  or  share  in  definite  proportions. 
Assimiia-  These  old  Celtic  tenures,  however,  became  gradually  more 

feudal  and  more  assimilated  to  feudal  forms  as  the  kingdom  with 
°""^'  its  mixed  population  assumed  more  the  aspect  of  a  feudal 
monarchy,  and  its  kings  adapted  the  customs  of  their  subjects 
of  different  race  to  the  model  of  those  of  the  feudal  law.  In 
this  progress  of  adaptation  we  can  trace  two  distinct  stages, 
—  one  when  the  crown  lands  came  to  be  considered  as 
held  upon  a  distinct  tenure  termed  in  England  fee-farm,  in 
Scotland  feu-farm,  and  in  Latin  charters  feodifirma ;  and 
again,  when  the  War  of  Independence  which  followed  on 
the  death  of  the  last  of  the  kinos  of  the  race  of  Malcolm 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  237 

Ceannmor  and  the  contest  between  the  houses  of  Bruce  and 
Baliol  led  to  numerous  confiscations  of  the  laud  held  by 
their  partisans  on  both  sides,  and  to  the  general  conversion 
of  the  crown  grants  into  feudal  tenures  for  military  service. 

The  tenure  of  crown  lands  in  fcodifirma,  or  feu-farm,  Tenui-e  in 
appears  in  England  as  early  as  the  reign  of  King  John,  and 
must  have  then  been  already  well  established,  as  one  of  the 
stipulations  in  the  articles  of  the  Barons  which  led  to  the 
great  charter  of  liberties  or  Magna  Charta,  and  repeated  in 
the  latter,  is,  that  if  any  one  holds  of  the  king  ;per  feodi- 
Urmam,  or  on  soJcagc  or  burgage  tenure,  and  of  another  for 
military  service,  the  king  is  not  to  have  the  custody  of  the 
heir  or  of  his  land  who  holds  of  another  in  fee  by  reason  of 
his  fee-farm,  sokage,  or  burgage  holding  of  the  king,  nor  shall 
he  have  the  custody  of  the  latter  unless  the  fee-farm  owes 
military  service ;  ^^  and  in  Scotland  it  was  evidently  recog- 
nised as  a  tenure  holding  of  the  Crown  in  the  reigns  of 
William  the  Lion  and  of  Alexander  the  Second,  The  tenure 
in  feu-farm  or  fcodifirma  was  in  fact  an  intermediate  tenure 
between  those  who  had  merely  the  usufruct  of  land  the 
right  of  property  in  which  still  remained  with  the  granter, 
and  those  who  held  land  as  his  vassal  by  a  formal  feudal 
grant  for  military  service.  Of  the  two  words  of  which  the 
name  is  composed,  Firma — derived  from  the  Saxon /corwi: — 
was  the  share  of  the  produce  of  the  land  paid  by  a  tenant 
to  his  landlord  by  way  of  rent;  and  to  hold  lowd  ad  fir- 
mam  or  in  firma  was  equivalent  to  the  modern  leasehold 
tenure :  it  was  constituted  by  a  lease  and  completed  by 
possession,  and  the  tenant  was  called  ^rman'ws  ;  hvit  feodum 
is  the  feudal  fief  granted  by  charter  and  completed  by  seisin 
or  infeftment.  The  tenure  in  fcodifirma,  therefore,  was  a 
feudal  grant  of  land,  not  for  military  service,  but  for  a  firma 
or  permanent  rent,  and  was  equally  constituted  by  charter 
^^  Stiibbs's  SeUct  Charters,  pp.  284,  293. 


238  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

and  seisin.  Such  lands  were  held  ad  feodifirmam,  the 
annual  payment  was  the  fcodifirma,  and  the  holder  was 
called  fcodijinnarin^.  These  grants  were  supposed  to  re- 
semble the  Eoman  Emjjhyteusis,  and  the  form  still  exists 
in  Scotland  in  our  modern  feu-charter,  in  which  the  same 
expressions  are  used.  In  these  the  land  is  conveyed  'in 
feu-farm,  to  be  held  in  feu-farm  fee  and  heritage  for  ever/ 
for  payment  of  an  annual  '  feu-duty,'  and  the  granter  is 
called  the  '  feuar.'  It  is,  however,  essentially  a  feudal  hold- 
ing, and  differs  from  a  mere  tenancy  by  lease  in  this — that 
in  the  former  the  dominium  utile  of  the  land  is  conveyed 
by  charter  to  the  vassal,  while  in  the  latter  the  usufruct  of 
the  land  is  solely  given,  and  the  property  of  the  soil  remains 
with  the  granter.^" 
Ranks  ot  When  the  thanage  came  to  be  considered  as  crown  land 

Crown  °"  it  assumed  an  appearance,  with  its  thane  holding  it  under 
the  Crown  and  paying  a  share  of  the  produce  as  Cain, 
which  was  so  analogous  to  that  of  the  feu-farm  holding,  that 
when  feudal  forms  became  more  generally  adopted  it  almost 
unavoidably  passed  over  into  the  latter ;  and  it  is  at  this 
stage  of  the  history  of  the  thanage,  when  it  was  universally 
recognised  as  a  feu-farm  holding,  that  the  very  important 
description  of  the  tenure  of  crown  lands  given  us  by  Fordun 
in  his  Chronicle,  to  which  we  have  already  adverted,  more 
directly  applies.  We  must  now  examine  this  description 
more  in  detail. 

Fordun  divides  the  possessors  and  occupiers  of  the  crown 
lands  into  three  classes,  beginning  his  description  with  the 
lowest  class,  and  proceeding  through  the  different  ranks  till  he 
reaches  the  Thane ;  but  it  will  be  more  convenient  for  our 
purpose  to  invert  the  order  in  which  he  describes  them. 

^'^  This  more  detailed  explanation  ing  was  a  mere  tenancy.  See  the 
seems  necessary,  as  the  term  is  of  ten  author's  edition  of  Fordun,  vol.  ii. 
used  loosely,  as  if  the  feu-farm  hold-       p.  415,  for  a  fuller  discussion  of  this. 


lands. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  239 

He  introduces  his  description  by  stating  that  the  kings 
were  accustomed  of  old  to  give  to  their  soldiers  more  or 
less  of  their  lands  in  feu-farm  a  thanage  or  portion  of  some 
province,  of  which,  however,  he  gave  to  each  as  it  pleased 
him.  Then  follow  the  three  classes.  The  highest  he  terms 
priTicvpes,  thani,  and  milites.  To  these,  who  were  few  in  num- 
ber, he  gave  the  land  in  perpetuity,  but  under  the  burden  of 
a  certain  annual  payment  to  the  king.  The  word  prindpes 
here,  probably,  means  the  earls  of  those  ancient  earldoms 
who  represented  the  old  Mormaers,  and  whose  demesne  was 
held  to  have  been  originally  part  of  the  crown  land.*^^  The 
thani  represented  the  older  Toschachs,  and  here  we  find  the 
Toschachs  or  thanes  holding  the  demesne  of  the  thanage  of  the 
king  in  feu-farm,  and  paying  an  annual  feu-duty,  first  in  kind, 
and  retaining  its  original  name  of  Cain,  but  afterwards  com- 
muted to  a  money  payment.  Accordingly,  in  the  laws  of 
William  the  Lion  and  of  Alexander  the  Second  we  find  them 
in  the  position  of  crown  vassals  holding  of  the  king  in  capite. 
Thus  in  an  assize  held  at  Perth  by  King  "William  the  Lion 
there  were  present  the  bishops,  abbots,  earls,  barons,  thanes, 
and  whole  community  or  estates  of  the  kingdom.  Again,  a 
law  passed  in  a.d,  1220,  regarding  persons  absenting  them- 
selves from  the  king's  army,  mentions  those  belonging  to  the 
lands  of  bishops,  abbots,  barons,  knights,  and  thanes  who  hold 
of  the  king.^2    j^y  milites,  Fordun  here  means  those  who  held 

^^  The  seven  earls  appear,  accord-  p.  377.  Two  popular  errors  have 
ing  to  Fordun,  at  the  coronation  of  jjrevailed  with  regard  to  the  true 
King  Alexander  the  Second,  and  in  character  and  position  of  the  thanes, 
the  same  year  he  passes  some  laws,  By  the  oldest  of  these  they  were 
apparently  with  consent  of  these  regarded  as  the  governors  of  pro- 
earls,  regarding  the  laud.  In  the  vinces,  having  over  them  an  ahthane 
first  the  expression  is,  'Rex  cum  orchief  governor.  Fordun  seems  the 
communi  consilio  comitum  suorum. '  inventor  of  this,  and  to  it  belongs  his 
In  the  second,  '  Rex  et  2^'>'mc/pes  mythic  character  Macdufif,  thane  of 
ejus.'  By  Fordun  they  are  usually  Fife  ;  but  it  is  inconsistent  with  the 
called  macjnates  et  iwoceres.  account   he   subsequently  gives   of 

*-    Acts     of  Parliament,    vol.  i.  the  tenure  of  the  crown  lands,  and 


240  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  [n»OK  iii. 

a  portion  of  the  tlianage  termed  a  tenement  or  tenandry,  either 
direct  from  the  king,  or,  as  was  more  usual,  under  the  thane 
or  lord  as  a  sub-vassal,  as  distinguished  from  the  demesne.^^ 
These  formed  the  class  termed  freeholders  or  liberc  tencntes, 
and  were  hound  to  yield  certain  services  as  suit  and  service 
in  the  court  of  the  overlord  and  Scottish  service  to  the  king. 
This  class  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  laws  both  of  Wil- 
liam the  Lion  and  of  Alexander  the  Second.   Thus  in  a  statute 
of  King  William  the  Lion  in  1180,  regarding  the  holding  of 
barony  courts,  it  is  provided  that  neither  bishops  nor  abbots, 
nor  earls  nor  barons,  nor  any  freeholders  (lihere  tencntes) 
shall  hold  courts  unless  the  king's  sheriff  is  summoned,  etc. 
Again,  in  a  statute  regarding  justice  and  sheriff  moots,  we 
have  barons,  knights  (militcs),  and  freeholders  (lihere  tcnentes) 
classed  together ;  and  a  statute  regarding  the  mode  of  citation 
refers  to  persons  cited  to  attend  the  moots  of  the  justiciary 
shiref,  baron,  vavasour  (that  is,  of  one  holding  of  a  baron),  or 
of  any  freeholder  (hhcrc  tencntis)  that  has  a  court.     Then  a 
declaration  regarding  the  freedom  of  the  Church  is  made  by 
King  William  at  Scone,  with  the  common  consent  and  deli- 
beration of  the  prelates,  earls,  barons,  and  freeholders  {lihere 
tcnentiim) ;  and  finally  there  is  a  statute  by  the  same  king 
that  the  earls,  barons,  and  freeholders  {lihere  tenentes)  of  the 

although  it  has  received  the  sane-  inconsistent  with  the  facts  recorded 

tion  of  Mr.  Hill  Burton,  it  has  been  regarding  them.      Sir  John  Skene 

justly  discarded  by  such  historians  states  his  position  correctly  when  he 

as  George  Chalmers,  Joseph  Robert-  says,   '  Thanus  was  ane  freeholder 

son,  Cosmo  Innes,  and  John  Stuart.  holding  his  lands  of   the  king.'— 

The  later  theory,  that  the  thanes  De  Verhorum  Sig.,  sub  voce.     The 

were   something   entirely  different  reader  is  referred  to  the  author's 

from  the  English  thane,  and  were  edition  of  Fordun,  vol.  ii.  p.  414, 

merely  cro^vn  officers  or  stewards  ap-  for  a  discussion  on  this  point, 

pointed  to  levy  the  crown  dues,  has  ^^  '  Milites,  Leg.  Male.  Mah.,  c.  2, 

unfortunately  received  the  powerful  and  generalie  in  the  auld  lawes  of 

sanction  of  these  writers,  but  the  this  realme,  are  called  freehalders, 

author  has  never  been  able  to  ac-  haldand  their  landes  of  barons  in 

cept  the  theory.    It  appears  to  him  chief.'— Skene,  De    Verhorum  Sig., 

a  partial  and  incomplete  vieM^,  and  sub  voce. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TlilBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  241 

realm  shall  keep  peace  and  justice  among  their  serfs,  and 
that  they  shall  live  as  lords  from  their  lands,  rents,  and 
dues,  and  not  as  husbandmen  or  sheep-farmers,  wasting  their 
property  and  the  country  with  a  multitude  of  sheep  and 
beasts,  thereby  troubling  God's  people  with  penury,  poverty, 
and  destruction  ;  this  curious  statute  showing  not  only  the 
position  of  the  libcrc  tencntcs  as  proprietors,  but  that  there 
was  a  tendency  even  at  this  early  period  to  withdraw  land 
from  culture  and  convert  it  into  pasture  land.*^*  Then  in 
the  Statutes  of  Alexander  the  Second  there  is  one  de  modo 
duelli  secundum  conditioncm  personarum,  in  which  reference 
is  made  to  the  onilcs  or  knight,  or  son  of  a  knight,  or  any 
libo'e  tencns  or  freeholder  in  feodo  militari  or  knight's  fee. 
Again,  in  another  law,  the  king  statutes  that  if  any  miles  or 
knight  shall  be  indicted  by  inquest,  he  shall  pass  through  an 
assize  of  good  and  leil  knights,  or  of  freeholders  of  heritage 
{Hbcox  tcncntivm  heredifarie)f^  and  their  position  is  clearly 
indicated  by  a  provision  in  the  Quoniam  attachiamenta,  that 
any  freeholder  {libcrc  tencns)  whose  tenement  is  by  his  infeft- 
ment  free  from  all  service,  shall  fall  to  a  lady  by  reason  of 
her  terce,  and  unwittingly  did  service  to  her,  shall  not  be 
liable  in  similar  service  to  his  superior. '^'^  This  view  of  the 
position  of  the  liberc  tencntcs  as  freeholders  holding  land 
under  the  thane  or  baron  as  sub-vassals  of  the  Crown,  is 
corroborated  by  a  few  charters  which  may  be  noticed.  Thus 
Eobertus  de  Keth,  lord  of  the  same  and  of  the  barony  of 
Troup  and  Marischall  of  Scotland,  grants  certain  lands 
within  the  barony  of  Troup  to  his  son  John  de  Keth,  with 
the  bondmen,  bondages,  native-men,  and  their  followers,  but 
reserving  to  himself  the  superiority  and  service  of  the  free- 
holders (libere  tenentium)  of  the  lands  of  Achorthi,  Curvi, 
and  Hayninghill,  lying  within  the  barony  of  Troup.     Again, 

^^   AcU    of  Parliament,   vol.    i.  *■"'  Ih.  vol.  i.  pp.  400,  403. 

pp.  375,  .377,  380,  382.  «'  lb.  p.  652. 

VOL.  III.  Q 


242 


THE  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND. 


[book  III. 


Morgund,  sou  of  Albe,  grants  to  lii.s  son  Michael  one  davach 
of  his  land  of  Carncors  in  Buchan,  to  be  held  of  himself  in 
fee  and  heritage  for  ever,  as  freely  as  any  freeman  (liber 
homo)  can  grant  land ;  and  Alexander  Cumyn,  Earl  of 
Buchan,  grants  to  Fergus,  son  of  John  de  Fothes,  the  tene- 
ment of  Fothes,  with  its  bondmen,  bondages,  native-men, 
and  their  followers,  to  be  held  of  himself  and  his  heirs  in  fee 
and  heritage  for  ever,  as  freely  as  any  freeman  (liher  houio) 
can  hold  (tenet)  any  tenement  of  any  earl  or  baron  within 
the  kingdom,  rendering  such  form  in  service  to  the  king  as 
pertains  to  their  lands,  and  a  half-pound  of  wax  to  us  and 
our  heirs  in  lieu  of  all  secular  service  or  demand  which  we 
can  exact  in  future.*^^.  This  class  appears  to  be  meant  by  the 
Ogctlicarn  of  the  old  laws,  who  ranked  next  after  the  thaue.^ 
The  second  of  Tordun's  groups  consists  of  those  whom 
he  terms  libcri  et  gcncrosi,  who  held  portions  of  land  either 
for  ten  or  for  twenty  years  or  during  life,  with  remainder  tO' 
one  or  two  heirs.     These  were  tlie  tenants  in  the  modern 


^  Ant.  Ab.  and  Banff,  s.  492,  iii. 
112,  iv.  116.  The  same  loose  uotions 
have  prevailed  of  the  ijositiou  of  the 
lihere  tenentcs  as  of  the  thanes,  and 
therefore  it  has  been  necessary  to 
treat  of  both  somewhat  at  length. 
Lihere  ienentes  are  usually  trans- 
lated 'free  tenants, '  just  as  tenant 
du  Eoi,  in  Ragman  Roll,  is  usually 
transhited  '  king's  tenant,'  as  if  they 
were  tenants  in  the  modern  sense  of 
the  term,  from  the  unfortunate  pro- 
pensity to  render  a  word  in  one  lan- 
guage by  its  phonetic  equivalent  in 
another,  though  the  meaning  may 
be  different ;  but  the  true  rendering 
of  the  one  is  '  freeholders,'  and  of 
the  other,  '  holding  of  the  king  in 
capite.'  Ware  defines  the  libej-e  te- 
nentcs in  Ireland  as  tliose  qui  pradia 
hahehunt,  ad  haredes  transmittenda 
(Ant.  Hib.,  209) ;  and  Craig  gives  a 


very  clear  account  of  these  in  Scot- 
land [Jus  feudale,  87.  6  ;  2-48.  28  ; 
362.  42).  According  to  Cowell, 
'  Freehold  frank  tenement,  liberum 
tenementum,  is  that  land  or  tene- 
ment which  a  man  holdeth  in  fee,, 
feetail,  or  at  least  for  term  of  life.'' 
Freeholders  in  the  ancient  law  of 
Scotland  were  called  milites ;  and 
tenement  or  tenementum,  he  says, 
'  signifies,  most  properly,  a  house 
or  homestall,  but  moi-e  largely 
either  for  a  house  or  land  that  a 
man  holdeth  of  another,  and  joined 
with  the  adjective  Frank,  it  con- 
tains lands,  houses,  and  offices, 
wherein  we  have  estate  for  term  of 
life  or  in  fee. ' 

^*  Ochiern,  '  Ogitharius,'  is  ane 
name  of  dignitie  and  of  ane  free- 
halder. — Skene,  De  Verborum  SUj. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TKIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  243 

sense  of  the  term.  The  former  were  the  liberi  firmarU  of 
the  statutes,  or  free  farmers,  and  the  latter  the  kiudlie 
tenants  or  tacksmen,  who  were  usually  near  relations  of  the 
lord  of  the  land,  and  when  they  had  a  liferent  possession  of 
land,  occupied  an  intermediate  position  between  the  libere 
tenentes  or  freeholders  and  the  firmarii  or  farmers,  and  may 
in  fact  be  classed  with  either.''^  We  find  in  this  group  a 
resemblance  to  the  Ceilc  or  tenants  of  the  Irish  Laws  in  two 
respects.  First,  in  the  steelbow  tenancy,  by  which  many  of 
these  tenants  held  their  land,  and  were  sometimes  called 
steelbow-men.  By  this  tenure  the  landlord  provided  the 
stock  and  implements  called  steelbow  goods,  which  were 
transferred  to  the  tenant  on  valuation ;  and  he  was  bound 
on  the  termination  of  his  lease  to  return  stock  and  imple- 
ments to  the  same  value,  while  the  rent  paid  for  the  land 
was  higher  in  proportion  to  the  value  of  the  steelbow  goods. 
Secondly,  the  smallest  possession  held  by  a  free  farmer 
appears  to  have  been  two  bovates  or  oxgangs  of  land,  or  the 
fourth  of  a  ploughgate,  called  in  some  parts  of  the  country 
a  husband-land ;  and  we  find  that  in  the  north  of  Scotland 
the  name  of  Rath  was  given  to  this  portion  of  land,  a  name 
which  in  the  Irish  Laws  signified  the  homestead,  which 
formed  the  lowest  single  tenancy.  Thus  William,  son  of 
Bernard,  grants  to  the  monks  of  Arbroath  two  bovates  of 
land,  which  are  called  llath  {qiic  vocantur  Ratltc),  of  the 
territory  of  Katerlyn  (in  Kincardineshire),  with  the  right 
to  pasture  twenty  beasts  and  four  horses  on  the  common 
pasture  of  Katerlyn ;  and  the  same  person  grants  to  the 
monks  two  other  bovates  of  land  in  the  territory  of  Katerlyn, 
consisting  of  seven  acres  of  land  adjoining  their  land  which 
is  called  Rathe,  on  the  north,  and  nineteen  acres  of  land 
adjoining  these  seven  acres  on  the  seaside  towards  the  east,. 

^^  See  Erskine's  Institutes,  vol.  i.  p.  370,  for  a  good  account  of  the 
rentallers  or  kindlie  tenants. 


244  TlIK  TIIIHI':  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  iii. 

under  that  culture  which  is  termed  Trciglas,  thus  making 
up  the  twenty-six  acres  of  which  a  husbandhand  consisted.'^** 
The  word  Hath  enters  largely  into  the  topography  of  Scot- 
laud,  under  the  forms  of  Rait,  as  in  Logierait ;  Ra,  as  in 
Ramorny ;  Rothy,  as  in  Rothiemay  and  Rothiemurchus, 
anciently  Rathmorch I's. 

The  last  of  Fordun's  groups  consists  of  those  termed 
Agricolce  or  husbandmen,  holding  land  from  year  to  year 
for  rent  {ad  firmam).  They  are  distinguished  from  the  liheri 
or  freemen,  and  belonged  to  the  class  of  holders  of  servile 
tenements  termed  in  the  laws  Rv.stici.  This  class  of  servile 
tenants  seems  to  form  the  object  of  the  first  laws  made  by 
Alexander  the  Second  on  his  accession  in  a.d.  1214.  They 
fire  issued  at  Scone,  with  the  common  council  of  his  earls, 
for  the  profit  of  the  country,  and  provide  that  the  '  Rustici  in 
those  places  and  townships  in  which  they  were  the  previous 
year  shall  exercise  their  agriculture  and  not  neglect  their 
own  profit,  but  shall  begin  to  plough  and  sow  their  lands 
with  all  diligence  fifteen  days  before  the  Feast  of  the  Purifi- 
cation (second  of  February) ;  and  that  those  Agrestes  who 
have  more  than  four  cows  shall  take  land  from  their  lord 
and  plough  and  sow  it,  to  provide  sustenance  for  them  and 
theirs ;  and  those  who  have  less  than  five  cows  may  not 
use  them  in  ploughing,  but  shall  labour  the  land  with  hands 
and  feet,  trenching  and  sowing  as  much  as  is  necessary 
for  the  sustenance  of  them  and  theirs.  Those  that  have 
oxen  shall  sell  them  to  those  that  have  land  to  plough  and 
sow.  Earls  not  allowing  those  who  have  such  lands  on  their 
earldoms  to  do  so  shall  forfeit  eight  cows  to  the  king ;  and  if 
any  one  holding  of  the  king  shall  neglect  to  do  so,  he  shall 
forfeit  eight  cows  to  the  king.    If  he  hold  of  an  earl,  he  shall 

'"  Chart,  of  Arhroath,  pp.  44,  Treiglas  is  probably  T'^-a/V/Z/^/t/ais  or 
88.  The  word  Urra,  here  translated  sea-shore,  from  Traigh,  strand  ;  and 
land,  meansusiially  arable  land  only.       Glas,  an  old  word  for  the  sea. 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE  TRIBE  IN  SCOTLAND.  245 

give  the  eaii  eight  cows.  If  he  be  a  serf,  his  lord  shall 
take  from  him  one  cow  and  one  sheep,  and  thenceforth  shall 
force  him  who  will  not  do  it  of  free  will ;  and  the  king  adds 
the  following  warning  to  them  to  take  heed  that  that  does 
not  happen  to  them  which  is  taught  in  parables.  He  who 
will  not  plough  in  winter  owing  to  severe  cold  shall  beg  in 
summer,  and  it  shall  not  be  given  him,  but  rather  according 
to  the  judgment  of  the  apostle — Let  them  labour  with  their 
hands,  working  what  is  good,  that  they  may  have  to  give  to 
those  who  are  in  necessity.'  "^ 

The  thanage  then  consisted,  like  all  baronies,  of  two 
parts,  demesne  and  that  part  given  off  as  freeholds  {libera 
Unementa)  or  tenandries.  The  demesne  was  held  by  the 
Thane  of  the  king  in  feu-farm,  and  cultivated  by  the  servile 
class,  the  bondmen  and  native-men,  and  the  tenandries  were 
either  held  of  him  in  fee  and  heritage  by  the  sub-vassals 
called  freeholders  or  libere  tenentcs,  or  occupied  by  the  kindlie 
tenants  and  free  farmers. 

Such  was  their  position  prior  to  the  deatli  of  Alexander 
the  Third,  the  last  king  of  the  old  dynasty,  and  a  similar 
description  would  apply  to  those  thanages  which  did  not 
form  part  of  the  crown  lands,  but  were  held  under  earls  of 
the  ancient  earldoms  north  of  the  Forth  as  part  of  their 
demesne, ''-  or  of  the  Church. 

"^  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  397. 

"-  Quod  rex  debet  habere  forisfactum  comitum  si  thani  eorum  reinanse- 
riint  ab  exercitu,  etc. — Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  vi.  p.  398. 


246  Tin:  TIIANAGKS  and  their  extinction.  [bookih. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

THE  thanages  and  theiu  extinction. 
Review  of    SucH  beiiio-  the  process  by  which  the  ancient  tribe  in  the 

the  Than-  .       .  .  , 

ages  and  eastcm  distncts  passed  into  the  thanage,  the  events  which 
version  into  followed  the  death  of  Alexander  the  Third  produced  a  change 
which  entirely  altered  this  position,  so  that  the  thanage  in 
its  original  form  may  be  said  to  have  ceased  with  the  dynasty 
of  kings  of  which  he  was  the  last.  The  war  with  Eng- 
land which  followed,  the  conflict  between  two  families  of 
Norman  descent  for  the  succession  to  the  crown,  the  numer- 
ous confiscations  of  their  respective  partisans  which  accom- 
pained  it  and  led  to  their  possessions  falling  to  the  Crown 
and  the  final  establishment  of  a  Norman  dynasty  of  kings, 
naturally  created  a  great  revolution  in  the  land-tenure  of 
Scotland ;  the  extension  of  the  feudal  holding  of  ward  and 
relief  became  the  established  policy  of  the  Crown,  and  the 
ancient  Celtic  tenures  gradually  gave  way  before  the  ad- 
vancing feudalism,  and  eventually  disappeared  under  its 
influence. 

After  the  wars  of  independence  and  succession  we  find 
most  of  the  thanages  had  reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  they  were 
usually  re-granted  to  Norman  barons  on  a  feudal  tenure  for 
military  service.  This  will  be  illustrated  by  three  charters  of 
David  the  Second,  all  granted  in  the  same  year.  By  the  first 
he  infefts  his  cousin,  Walter  de  Lesly,  knight,  heritably  in  the 
thanage  of  Aberkerdor  and  its  pertinents  in  the  county  of 
Banff,  and  in  the  thanages  of  Kyncardyn ;  and  then  follows 


CHAP,  vir.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  247 

this  instructive  clause  : — '  Yet  because  perchance  the  heirs 
of  the  thanes  who  anciently  held  these  thanages  in  feu-farm 
might  recover  these  thanages  to  be  held  in  future  as  their 
predecessors  held  them,  we  grant  to  our  said  cousin,  that  if 
these  heirs,  or  any  of  them,  recover  these  thanages,  or  any 
of  them,  our  said  cousin  and  his  heirs  shall  hold  and  possess 
the  services  of  the  heirs  or  heir  of  the  said  thanes  or  thane, 
and  the  feu-duties  or  feu-duty  anciently  due  from  the  than- 
ages or  thanage.'  This  clause  seems  to  have  interposed  no 
obstacle  to  the  feudal  tenure  of  the  thanages  being  com- 
pleted, for  it  is  followed  by  two  charters  to  Walter  de  Lesly, 
— one  of  the  fee  of  the  thanages  of  Kyncardin,  Aberluthnot, 
and  Fettercairn,  with  their  bondmen,  bondages,  and  fol- 
lowers, and  erecting  the  same  into  a  feudal  barony,  with  the 
usual  jurisdiction,  and  under  the  obligation  of  rendering 
military  service  ;  and  another  of  the  thanage  of  Aberkerdor, 
likewise  erected  into  a  barony  in  similar  terms.^ 

A  review  of  the  thanages  still  existing  at  this  time,  with 
such  information  as  the  records  afford  us,  will  complete  this 
view  of  their  position. 

Beginning  with  the  north,  we  find  in  the  great  province  Tiianages 
of  Moray  and  Ross  but  one  thanage  situated  north  of  the  and  Ross. 
Moray  Firth,  that  of  Dingwall  ;  but  we  have  merely  a  men- 
tion of  its  name  in  1382  and  1383,  when  Euphame,  lady  of 
Eoss,  resigned  the  thanage  and  castle  of  Dingwall  in  the 
hands  of  the  king  for  a  re-grant.^  Of  the  mythic  thanage 
of  Crumbachtyn  or  Cromarty,  with  which  Wynton  invests 
the  usurper  Macbeth,  we  find  no  trace  whatever.  Proceed- 
ing to  the  southern  shores  of  the  Moray  Firth,  we  find  a  belt 
of  thanages  extending  from  the  river  Nairn  to  the  Spey. 
Between  the  river  Nairn  and  the  burn  of  Letlien,  which  falls 
into  the  Findhorn  near  its  junction  with  the  sea,  lay  the 
four  thanages  of  Dyke,  Brodie,  Moyness,  and  Cawdor.     In 

'  Refj.  Mag.  Si<j.,  pp.  66,  71.         -'  Robertson's  Index,  p.  124,  No.  25. 


248  'riii;  Tii.\XA(;i:s  AMI 'JiiKii;  kxtinctiox.        [book  mi. 

a  charter  by  Alexander  the  Second  to  the  bishop  of  Moray, 
in   the  twenty-fourth   year  of  his   reign  (1238),  he  grants 
twenty-four  marks  of  tlie  feu-duty  {feodofirma)  of  IMoythus 
or  ]\Ioyness  and  sixteen  marks  of  the  feu-duty  of  Dike  and 
Brothyn,  by  the  hands  of  his  feodijirmarii  of  these  lands.^ 
In  an  Extent  of  the  Lands  of  Kykavoc  and  Estir  Gedeys  in 
1295,  William,  thane   of  Moythes,  and   Donald,  thane   of 
Kaledor   or  Caldor,  are   among   the  jurors;    and   in    1311 
Michael,  son  of  Malcolm,  thane  of  Dyke  and  Brodie,  is  men- 
tioned ;  but  it  is  only  with  regard  to  the  thanedom  of  Caldor 
that  we  have  any  information  beyond  the  mere  mention  of 
the  name.     There  is  preserved  at  Caldor  an  original  charter 
by  Eobert  the  First  to  William,  thane  of  Caldor,  in  which 
he  grants  to  him  in  feu-farm  (ad  feodofirmam)  the  whole 
thanage  of  Caldor,  with  its  pertinents,  for  an  annual  pay- 
ment of  twelve  marks,  as  was  wont  to  be  paid  in  the  time  of 
Alexander,  king  of  Scotland,  our  predecessor  last  deceased, 
to  be  held  by  him  and  his  heirs  of  us  and  our  heirs  heritably 
in  feu-farm,  rendering  to  iis  the  service  due  and  wont  to  be 
rendered  in  the  time  of  King  Alexander.-^     This  charter 
refers  back  to  the  time  before  the  war  of  independence, 
when  the  thanage-tenure  was  still  preserved  intact.     The 
thanage  appears  afterwards  to  have  been  held  of  the  earls 
of  Eoss,  but  in  the  forfeiture  of  the  earl  of  Eoss  in  1475  it 
fell  once  more  to  the  Crown,  and  is  confirmed  by  King  James 
the  Second  to  William,  thane  of  Caldor ;  and  his  whole  lands 
are  erected  of  new  into  a  thanage,  with  the  privileges  of  a 
barony,  and  the  feudal  holding  by  ward  and  relief  is  com- 
bined with  the  customary  annual  payment, — thus  retaining 
the  name  of  a  thanage  while  the  character  of  the  tenure  is 
altered.^     Among  the  lands  incorporated  in  the  new  thanage 
were  lands  in  the  parish  of  Urquhart  in  the  Black  Isle, 

"  Cliartularij  of  Mora  ij,  p.  34. 

■*  TheThane-i  of  Cainlor,  p.  8.  "  Ih.  p.  Tib. 


CHAP.  vji.J        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  249 

detached  from  the  old  thanage,  and  they  afford  a  curious 
instance  of  the  retention  of  the  old  Celtic  name  by  a  Gaelic- 
speaking  population,  for  these  lands  became  known  by  the 
term  of  Fearintosh  or  the  ToishacJis  land.  Between  the 
Lethen  Burn  and  the  Lossie  lay  the  extensive  thanage  of 
Moravia  or  Moray,  of  which  the  forest  of  Darnaway  appears 
to  have  formed  a  part.*"  We  find  this  thanage  mentioned 
in  the  Eecords,  but  have  no  particulars  of  its  history ;  but  it 
is  no  doubt  from  it  that  tlie  family  of  De  Moravia  took 
its  name,  the  earliest  possession  of  this  family  having  been 
Duffus,  which,  if  not  a  part  of  it,  was  at  least  adjacent  to 
the  thanage. 

On  both  sides  of  the  Lossie  lay  the  thanage  of  Kilma- 
lemnok,  the  greater  part  of  which  forms  the  parish  of  St. 
Andrews ;  and  a  charter  by  Archibald,  Earl  of  Douglas,  to 
James  Douglas  of  Balvany,  confirmed  by  King  James  the 
First,  includes  '  all  his  lands  lying  in  the  thaynedomes  in 
the  lordship  of  Kilmalaman.'''  The  only  other  thanage  in 
this  province  of  which  any  mention  is  preserved  was  that 
situated  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  as  in  1367  Joannes  de 
Dolais  was  thane  of  Cromdale,  a  district  on  the  river  Spey, 
at  some  distance  from  its  mouth.^  Besides  the  mention  of 
these  thanages,  which  are  mainly  to  be  found  in  the  more 
level  districts  adjacent  to  the  sea,  we  are  not  without  indica- 
tions that  tlie  different  classes  which,  according  to  Fordun, 
were  connected  with  the  thanages,  likewise  existed  in  the 
interior  districts  of  this  province.  Thus  in  an  agreement 
between  the  bishop  of  Moray  and  Walter  Cumyn,  between 
A.D.  122-4  and  1233,  regarding  lands  in  Badenocli,  it  is  pro- 
vided with  regard  to  the  native-men  {nativi),  that  the  bishop 
shall  have  all  the  cleric  and  two  lay  native-men — viz.  Gyl- 
lemaluock  Macnakeeigelle  and  Sytliad  mac  Mallon,  with  all 

^  Record  of  Returns  for  Elgin,  Nos.  "25,  178. 

''  Reij.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  47.  "  Shaw's  Moray,  p.  •227. 


250  TIIK    I'llANACKS  AND  TIIKIll  KXTINCTIOX.  [i-.ooK  ill. 

their  cliattcls  and  possessions,  and  with  their  children  and 
all  their  posterity,  and  the  chattels  of  their  children ;  and 
Walter  Cuniyn  to  liave  all  the  other  lay  native-men  of  lands 
in  Badenoch;  and  when,  after  the  war  of  independence, 
Eobert  the  Bruce  erected  the  whole  lands  extending  from  the 
Spey  to  the  Western  Sea  into  an  earldom  of  Moray  in  favour 
of  his  nephew  Thomas  Randolph,  the  earldom  was  granted, 
with  all  its  manors,  burgh  townships,  and  thanages,  and  all 
the  royal  demesnes,  rents,  and  duties,  and  all  barons  and  free- 
holders (libere  tenentes)  of  the  said  earldom,  who  hold  of  the 
Crown  in  capitc,  and  their  heirs  were  to  render  their  hom- 
ages, fealties,  attendance  at  courts,  and  all  other  services,  to 
Thomas  Eandolph  and  his  heirs,  and  to  hold  their  baronies 
and  tenements  of  him  and  his  heirs,  reserving  to  the  barons 
and  freeholders  the  rights  and  liberties  of  their  own  courts 
according  to  use  and  wont ;  and  Thomas  Randolph  was  to 
render  to  the  king  the  Scottish  service  and  aid  due  as  here- 
tofore for  each  davacli  of  land.^ 
Thanages  Crossing  the  Spey  and  entering  the  province  of  Mar  and 

Buch'an.  '  Buchan,  a  rental  of  the  crown  lands  in  the  reign  of  Alex- 
ander Third  furnishes  us  with  the  names  of  ten  thanages,  with 
their  yearly  values.  These  are  Aberdeen,  Kyntor,  Fermartyn, 
Obyne,  Glendowachy,  Aberkirdor,  Conuath,  Bugh,  Munbre, 
Natherdale.^^  Of  these  thanages  we  find  a  line  extending 
from  the  shore  of  the  Moray  Firth  to  the  eastern  sea  at  Aber- 
deen, and  separating  the  eastern  portion  of  Buchan  from  the 
inland  districts  on  the  west.  The  first  of  these  thanages 
extends  along  the  shore  from  Cullen  to  Banff,  and  includes 
the  parishes  of  Boyndie,  Fordyce,  Deskford,  and  Ordiquhill, 
forming  the  greater  part  of  the  district  of  Boyne,  which,  witli 
that  of  Enzie,  makes  up  the  modern  county  of  Banff.  It 
consisted  of  two  parts, — the  thanage  of  Boyne  properly  so 

^  Chartulary  of  Moray,  pp.  83,  342. 
'"  Chartulary  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  i.  p.  55. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  251 

called,  containing  the  parish  of  Boyndie  and  parts  of  For- 
dyce  and  Banff,  and  the  forest  of  Boyne  adjoining  it  in  the 
south.  Of  the  early  history  of  this  thanage  we  have  no 
information,  till  we  find  it  converted  into  a  feudal  barony 
by  King  David  ii.,  who  grants  a  charter  in  1368  to  John 
de  Edmounstone  of  his  whole  lands  of  his  thanage  of  Boyne, 
with  an  annual  rent  of  four  pounds  from  the  town  of  Banff, 
to  be  held  as  a  barony,  with  the  tenandries  and  services  and 
homages  of  the  freeholders  (liherctcnentium).  The  forest  of 
Boyne  appears  to  have  remained  in  the  Crown.^^ 

East  of  this  thanage  was  that  of  Glendowachy,  also 
called  Doune,  which,  in  the  Rental  of  Alexander  the  Third 
•  is  valued  at  twenty  pounds  yearly.  It  appears  to  have  been 
granted  by  Eobert  the  First  to  Hugh,  earl  of  Ross,  but  in 
1382  Robert  the  Second  grants  to  John  Lyounn,  knight,  the 
whole  lands  of  the  thanage  of  Glendowachy,  which  had 
fallen  to  him  by  escheat  from  tlie  late  William,  earl  of  Ross, 
who  had  alienated  it  without  the  royal  consent — to  be  held 
by  him  for  the  accustomed  services.  Adjacent  was  the 
small  thanage  of  Munbre,  valued  in  the  Rental  at  thirty- 
four  pounds  eight  shillings  and  eightpence.'- 

South  of  these  thanages  lay  those  of  Aberkerdor  and 
Natherdale,  co-extensive  with  the  parish  of  Marnoch,  and 
that  of  Couveth,  with  the  parish  of  Inverkeithnie.  Of  these 
thanages  we  have  some  information  prior  to  the  war  of 
independence.  Between  1286  and  1289,  Simon,  thane  of 
Aberkerdor,  founds  the  chapel  of  Saint  Menimius  on  the 
banks  of  the  Dovern,  and  grants  certain  lands  to  it ;  and  in 
an  inquisition  regarding  this  foundation  in  1369,  it  is  found 
that  Simon  was  thane  of  the  two  thanages  of  Conveth  and 
Aberkerdor,  and  owing  to  derelict  against  the  king  he  had 
seized  both  thanages,  on  which  Simon  made  over  six  davachs 

"  Ant.  Ab.  and  Banff,  vol.  ii.  p.  130,  132. 
J-  Ih.  p.  363. 


25-J  TIIK  TIIANAGKS  AND  TilKIK  KXTINCTION.  [nooK  in. 

of  Coiiveth  to  the  earl  of  Buclian,  in  order  that  he  might 
recover  the  other  thanage  of  Aberkerdor,  and  founded  the 
chapel  in  consequence.  He  appears  to  have  had  an  only 
daughter  and  heiress,  and  the  thanage  of  Aberkerdor  is 
found  in  the  Crown  in  the  reign  of  David  ii.,  who  includes 
it  in  the  grant  to  Walter  de  Leslie  formerly  noticed ,^^  in 
whose  favour  it  was  erected  into  a  barony. 

From  the  thanage  of  Conveth,  co-extensive  with  the 
parish  of  Inverkeithnie,  to  the  eastern  seaboard  between  the 
Ythan  and  the  Don,  lay  the  extensive  thanage  of  Fermartyn, 
the  principal  seat  of  which  was  Fyvie.  Its  annual  value  in 
the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  was  120  marks,  and  it 
appears  to  have  been  farmed  by  a  tenant,  as  Eeginald  Fir- 
marms  de  Fermartyn  accounts  in  the  Chamberlain  Rolls  of 
that  reign  for  its  Jirma  or  rent.^^  It  consisted,  like  other 
large  thanages,  of  thanage  and  forest,  and  among  the  missing 
charters  of  liobert  the  First  is  one  to  Sir  John  Broun  of  the 
thanage  of  Fermartyn,  and  another  to  Patrick  de  Monteath 
of  the  office  of  forestership  of  Killanell  and  Fermartyn, 
showing  that  the  forest  had  become  a  royal  forest ;  David 
the  Second,  however,  grants  one-half  of  his  thanage  of  Fer- 
martyn to  William,  earl  of  Sutherland,  for  his  life,  witli  its 
tenandries  and  services  of  the  freeholders  (liheretenencium), 
and  with  its  bondmen,  and  their  bondage  services,  native- 
men  and  their  followers,  to  be  held  in  free  barony,  and  his 
heirs  to  hold  it  in  ward  and  relief.  The  other  half  of  the 
thanage  was  held,  as  appears  by  the  Chamberlain  Rolls,  by 
Thomas  Isaak,  but  it  appears  to  have  again  fallen  to  the 
Crown,  and  is  finally  granted  by  King  Robert  the  Third  as  a 
barony  to  Henry  de  Prestoune,  with  the  town  and  castle  of 
Fyvie.^^  Adjacent  to  Fermartyn  on  the  sea-coast  was  the 
smaller  thanage  of  Belhelvie.      We  know  nothing  of  its 

^'^  Ant.  Ah.  and  Banff,  vol.  ii.  p.  216. 

'^  Exchequtr  Jiolh,  vol.  i.  p.  21.  ''  Berj.  Mag.  Slg.,  52,  183. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  253 

history  as  a  thanage  prior  to  the  war  of  independence,  but 
in  1323  Eobert  the  Brace  confirms  to  Hugo  de  Barclay  for 
his  homage  and  service  the  lordship  of  the  thanage  of  Bel- 
helvie,  with  the  lands  of  Westerton,  Keer,  and  Egie,  within 
the  said  thanage,  with  the  office  of  sergand,  and  the  Can  of 
the  church  land  of  Belhelvie,  extending  to  forty-pound  land 
and  rent,  to  be  held  as  a  free  barony,  rendering  the  Scottish 
service  pertaining  to  a  forty-pound  land,  and  the  lands  to 
return  to  the  king  on  failure  of  heirs  of  the  body.^*^ 

Between  the  rivers  Dee  and  Don,  which  formed  the  old 
earldom  of  Mar,  were  five  thanages.  The  old  town  of 
Aberdeen,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Don,  near  its  junction 
with  the  sea,  appears  as  a  thanage  in  the  reign  of  Alexander 
the  Third.  It  is  included  as  such  in  the  Eental  of  the  crown 
lands  with  the  annual  value  of  fifty  merks,  and  in  the 
Chamberlain  Eolls  for  1264  the  sheriff  accounts  for  twelve 
pounds  received  from  the  thane  of  Aberdeen  ;  while  in  358 
one-half  of  the  thanage  of  Aberdeen  appears  in  the  Crown, 
and  the  other  half  in  the  hands  of  John  Herys  by  concession 
of  the  king.^''  One  of  the  missing  charters  of  the  reign  of 
Robert  the  First  is  one  to  the  burgh  of  Aberdeen  of  the 
forest  of  Stocket,  which  was  no  doubt  the  forest  of  the  than- 
age. It  merges  after  this  time  in  the  town  and  town  lands 
of  Aberdeen. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  instructive  thanages 
between  Don  and  Dee  was  that  of  Kyntor,  now  Kintore. 
It  appears  in  the  Rental  of  the  crown  lands  in  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  Third,  with  the  annual  value  of  101  merks, 
and  in  the  Chamberlain  Rolls  of  1264  the  sheriff  receives 
£17:13:4  from  the  thane  of  Kintor.  This  thanage  was  of 
considerable  extent,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  part 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Don,  extends  along  that  river  on  its 
south  side  for  about  ten  miles,  and  approaches  on  the  south- 
^^  Ant.  Ah,  and  Banff,  vol.  i.  p.  286.         ^''  Exchequer  Rolls,  i.  pp.  II,  551. 


254  TlIK  TIIANAGKS  AND  TIIEIK  EXTINCTION.  [book  iii. 

cast  to  within  a  mile  of  the  river  Dee.  In  that  part  of  the 
thanage  which  is  separated  from  the  rest  by  the  river  Don 
is  the  churcli  of  Kinkell,  a  name  which  sii,aiifies  the  chief 
cm  or  church.  This  church  had  several  chapels  dependent 
upon  it.  Five  of  these  were  the  chapels  of  Kintore,  Kemnay, 
Kinnellar,  Skene,  and  Dyce,  all  now  erected  into  separate 
parishes,  and  tliis  gives  us  the  extent  of  the  ancient  thanage. 
Part  of  the  old  parish  of  Kinkell  lay  on  the  south  side  of  the 
river  Don,  and  this  part  formed  the  lands  of  Thaneston,  or 
the  Thane's  town.  South  of  it  lay  the  forest  of  Kintore,  with 
the  ancient  keep  of  Hall  forest.  The  name  of  the  thanage, 
Kintore,  contains  the  same  prefix  of  Kin  or  Ceann,  signify- 
ing chief,  and  the  latter  part  of  the  word  is  probably  Torr,  a 
mound  or  castle.  These  two  names  of  Kinkell  and  Kintore 
— the  one  the  name  of  the  principal  chvu'ch,  the  other  that  of 
the  thanage,  or  tribe  territory  which  surrounded  it — illus- 
trate a  passage  in  the  Book  of  Deer,  wdiere  we  find  mention 
of  the  burdens  that  fall  '  on  the  chief  tribe  residences  of  Scot- 
land generally  and  on  the  chief  churches '  {Arclmandaidib, 
Ardchcllaih).  The  charters  which  follow  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence show  very  clearly  the  different  classes  by  whom 
the  thanage  was  occupied.  In  1324  Robert  the  First  con- 
firms to  Robert  de  Keith  all  the  lands  and  tenements  he  held 
of  the  Crown  i?i  capitc,  and  these  include  the  forest  of  Kin- 
tore ;  ^^  but  in  the  following  reign  it  appears  to  have  been 
in  the  Crown,  as  David  ii.  dates  several  of  his  charters 
from  his  manor  of  the  forest  of  Kyntor  ;  ^^  but  in  1407 
Robert,  duke  of  Albany,  confirms  a  charter  by  William  de 
Keith  to  his  son  Robert  de  Keith  of  the  lands  and  barony  of 
Aldene,  and  of  the  forest  of  Kyntor,  with  the  freeholders 
(liberetenentihus)  of  said  lands  and  their  services.-^  The 
thanage  itself  forms  the  subject  of  other  grants.     In  1375 

18  Ant.  Ah.  and  Banff,  i.  250. 

IS  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  24.  19,  43,  117.  *  Il>.  224.  14. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  255 

Eobert  the  Second  grants  to  John  de  Dunbarre,  earl  of 
Moray,  all  and  whole  our  lands  of  the  thanage  of  Kyntor, 
reserving,  however,  the  tenandries,  freeholders  (liherdenenti- 
hus),  lands  of  the  freeholders,  and  the  Cans,  due  to  us  from 
the  said  thanage,  to  be  held  as  a  barony,  with  the  bondmen, 
bond  services,  native-men  and  their  followers,  for  military 
service.  This  is  followed  by  another  charter  in  1383,  in 
which  the  lands  of  the  thanage  of  Kyntor  are  granted,  along 
with  the  tenandries,  freeholders,  and  lands  of  the  freeholders, 
and  Cans  due  from  the  thanage  reserved  in  the  previous 
charter,  but  still  reserving  the  tenandry  of  Thaynston.  This 
tenandry  appears,  however,  to  have  passed  likewise  to  the 
earl  of  Moray,  and  to  have  been  held  under  him  by  a  family 
of  the  name  of  Gothynnis,  and  to  have  fallen  to  co-heirs, 
for  in  1450  Katerina  de  Gothynnis  sells  to  Thomas  Wardrop 
the  fourth  part  of  the  lands  of  Thaneston,  in  the  thanage  of 
Kyntor,  and  the  fourth  part  of  the  annual  rent  of  Kynkell. 
In  1465  James  III.  confirms  to  Thomas  Wardrope  of  Gottinys 
the  lands  of  Thaneston,  with  the  annual  rent  of  ten  shillings 
from  the  lands  of  Kynkell;  and  in  1467  Alexander  Ward- 
rope  sells  the  lands  of  Thaneston,  and  the  annual  rent  of 
thirty  shillings  from  the  lands  of  Kynkell,  along  with  the 
township  of  Foulartoun,  adjacent  to  said  lands  of  Thane- 
ston, in  the  thanage  of  Kyntor,  and  all  Cans  of  oats  and  . 
cheese,  and  all  money  in  name  of  Ferchane  due  to  him  and 
his  heirs  from  the  lands  of  Kynkell  and  Dyse,  within  the 
said  thanedom,  rendering  to  our  lord  the  king  the  usual 
and  customary  services.  -^  The  word  here  used  of  Fcrchaoie 
is  the  Gaelic  equivalent  of  manred  or  manrcnt,  the  homage 
and  service  due  by  a  bondman,  which  was  by  this  time  very 
generally  commuted  to  a  money  payment,  as  we  see  from  a 
rental  of  the  bishopric  of  Aberdeen,  dated  in  1511,  where  the 
rent  of  each  holding  paid  in  kind  concludes  with  a  sum  of 
-1  Ant.  Ab.  and  Banff,  i.  571. 


25G  THE  TJIANAGKS  AND  TllKIK  EXTINCTION.  [w>ok  in. 

money  amounting  to  3s.  4(1.  for  each  two  ploughgates,  p"t> 
huiuhujlo,  in  lieu  of  the  services  of  the  bondmen.-"- 

On  Deeside,  at  some  distance  from  its  mouth,  were  three 
thanages — those  of  O'Neill,  Birse,  and  Aboyue.  The  than- 
age  of  O'Neill  is  merely  mentioned  in  a  list  of  the  second 
tithes  due  to  the  bishop  of  Aberdeen,  who  drew  tithe  from 
it,  but  as  it  is  not  contained  in  the  rental  of  the  crown  lands 
in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third,  and  the  lands  of  O'Neill 
had  fallen  in  that  reign  to  the  great  nobleman  Alan  l)ur- 
ward,  in  part  of  a  succession  derived  from  the  earls  of  Mar, 
it  is  probable  that  was  a  thanage  held  of  these  earls.  The 
thanage  of  Birse  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Dee,  and 
is  separated  from  O'Neill  by  that  river,  and  of  this  thanage 
we  have  a  very  early  notice,  for  King  William  the  Lion  in 
1 1 70  grants  to  the  bishop  of  Aberdeen  his  whole  lands  of 
r>rass,  now  Birse,  consisting  of  sixteen  townships  under  the 
kirkton  or  church  land,  and  likewise  the  royal  forest  of 
Brass,  with  all  the  native-men  of  these  lands,  the  thanes,  how- 
ever, being  excepted.  This  exception  is  somewhat  similar 
to  the  grant  of  the  thanage  of  Kyntor  with  the  exception  of 
Thaneston,  and  as  Thaneston  was  eventually  conveyed  by  the 
Crown,  so  by  a  subsequent  charter  in  1241  Alexander  the 
Second  confers  upon  the  bishops  the  right  to  hold  the  whole 
lands  of  Birse  in  free  forest  without  excepting  the  thane's 
land,  and  thus  terminated  the  thanage.-^  Farther  up  the 
Dee  was  the  thanage  of  Obeyn,  now  Aboyne,  from  which 
likewise  the  bishop  draws  second  tithes.  In  1328  we  find 
this  thanage  mentioned  in  the  Exchequer  Eolls  as  being 
then  in  the  hands  of  Sir  Alexander  Fraser  heritably.     The 

■-■^  Chartulary  of  Aberdeen,  vo\.  i.  the  name  of  Boimach  or  Bonnage, 

p.    360.      These  services  consisted  till  late  in  the  eighteenth  century, 

mainly  of  the  obligation  on  the  ten-  Each  tenant  had  to  give  three  days' 

ants  to  cut  the  proprietor's  corn.  labour  annually,  which  were  called 

They  continued  to  be  exacted  from  his  Bondage  days. — Stat.  Ace,  1433, 

the  small  tenants  in  many  parts  of  vi.  146. 

the  north-eastern  Lowlands,  under  -'•'  Jh.  vol.  i.  pp.  12,  15. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  257 

Jirma  or  reut  of  this  thanage,  amounting  to  £100,  belonged 
in  1348  to  the  queen.-* 

Separated  in  part  by  the  river  Dee  and  in  part  by  the  Thanages 
great  chain  of  the  Mounth,  and  extending  south  as  far  as  the  aud  "^ 
Firth  of  Tay,  lay  the  great  province  of  Angus  and  Mearns.  -^''^^"'^• 
The  latter  earldom,  wliich  was  much  the  smaller  of  the  two, 
seems  from  an  early  period  to  have  fallen  to  the  Crown,  and 
upwards  of  two-thirds  of  its  territory  was  composed  of 
thanages.  These  form  two  groups.  The  first  extended  from 
the  river  Dee  to  the  Eastern  Sea  at  Stonehaven,  cutting  off 
the  north-east  corner  of  the  earldom,  and  consisted  of  the 
two  thanages  of  Durris  and  Colly  or  Cowie.  Both  thanages 
were  in  the  Crown  as  early  as  1264,  when  we  find  the  sheriff 
of  Kincardine  charging  the  expense  of  repairing  the  houses 
of  Collyes  and  Durris,  and  both  possessed  forests  which  had 
become  royal  forests,  for  we  find  John,  earl  of  Buchan,  cvstos 
or  keeper  of  these  forests  in  1292.-^  The  earl  of  Buchan 
was  forfeited  in  130.5,  and  twenty  years  after,  in  1328,  King 
Eobert  the  First  grants  to  Sir  Alexander  Eraser  and  his  son 
John,  the  king's  nephew,  the  forest  of  Cragy,  in  the  than- 
age of  Cowie,  afterwards  called  the  forest  of  Cowie,  and  in 
the  same  year  there  is  the  note  of  a  missing  charter  to  Sir 
Alexander  Fraser  of  the  thanage  of  Cowie. -'^  There  is  also 
a  notice  of  a  missing  charter  of  King  David  the  Second  to 
"William  Eraser  and  IVIargaret  Murray  his  spouse  of  the 
thanage  of  Durris  and  thanage  of  Collie,  which  thanage 
of  Collie  was  Alexander  Eraser  his  father's,  with  the  lands 
of  Eskyltul,  in  Kincardine.  In  1359  we  find  the  bishop  of 
St.  Andrews  accused  of  having  unjustly  obtained  the  Cans 
of  the  kirkton  of  Durris,  but  the  sheriff,  William  de  Keth, 
charges  himself  with  the  firma  of  the  thanages  of  Colly 

-^  Exchequer  Rolh,  vol.  i.  p.  clxxxi.  442. 

-•'  Rotuli  ScoticK,  vol.  i.  p.  10.     Exchequer  Bolls,  vol.  i.  p.  12. 

-''  Robertson's  Index,  pp.  17,  18. 

VOL.  III.  n 


258  THE  TIIAXAGES  AND  THEIK  EXTINCTION.  [book  hi. 

and  Durris,  but  uot  the  forest  of  Colly,  which  is  said  to  be 
in  his  hands  by  concession  of  the  king.^^  In  1369  King 
David  II.  grants  to  Alexander  Fraser  the  lands  of  the  than- 
age  of  Durris,  which  is  erected  into  a  barony, ^^  and  the  than- 
age  of  Cowie  shared  the  same  fate,  as,  though  no  charter  is 
extant,  Alexander  Fraser,  lord  of  the  baronies  of  Colly  and 
of  Durris,  grants  in  1400  a  charter  in  favour  of  his  son  of 
certain  lands  in  the  barony  of  Durris,  which  is  confirmed  by 
the  kin  ST.  29  Robert  de  Keith,  son  of  William  de  Keith  and 
Margaret  Fraser,  gets  a  charter  from  Robert  ii.  of  '  the  forest 
of  Colly,  the  forest  called  the  forest  of  the  Month,  the  lauds 
of  Ferachy,  Glastolach,  Cragy,  Clochnahull,  whilk  of  old  was 
of  the  thanage  of  Colly  and  vicecom.  Kincardin,'^*' 

The  other  group  of  thanages  forms  the  southern  part  of 
Mearns,  and  extends  from  the  Grampians  to  the  sea.  The 
most  westerly  are  those  styled  the  thanages  of  Kyncarden, 
and  consist  of  those  of  Kyncarden,  Fettercairn,  and  Aber- 
buthnot.  These  three  thanages,  with  the  park  of  Kyncardyn, 
the  castle  and  the  Cans  of  the  same,  appear  in  1359  as  in 
the  hands  of  the  Earl  of  Sutherland  by  royal  concession.^^ 
Kincardine  was  from  an  early  period  a  royal  seat,  and 
Robert  the  First  confirms  to  Alexander  Fraser  six  arable 
acres  in  the  tenement  of  Auchincarie  adjoining  the  royal 
manor  of  Kincardine.  It  embraces  the  greater  part  of  the 
parish  of  Fordun,  and  as  we  find  in  it  the  name  of  Kinkell, 
there  may  probably  have  been  a  chief  church  corresponding 
to  the  name  of  Kincardine,  as  the  same  term  of  Kinkell  did 
to  Kintore.  The  thanage  of  Fettercairn  is  co-extensive  with 
the  parish  of  that  name,  and  contained  in  it  lands  called  the 

-^  Exchequer  Rolh,  vol.  i.  p.  586.  ^^  Exchequer  Rolls,  vol.  i.  p.  585. 

^  Beg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  68,  No.  229.  In    later   allusions    to   Fettercairn 

-^  Ant.  Ah.    and  Banff,  vol.   iii.  and  Kincardine  in  these  Rolls  they 

p.  362.  are  always  spoken  of  as  convertible 

^'^  Robertson's     Index,    p.     117,  names  for  the  same  Thanage. 
No.  72. 


CHAP.  Yii.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  259 

Thanestone,  that  of  Aberluthuot  with  the  parish  of  Mary- 
kirk.  How  these  three  thanages  became  converted  into 
feudal  baronies  has  ah-eady  been  noticed.  On  the  west  side 
of  Fettercairn  was  the  small  thanage  of  Newdosk,  which 
once  formed  a  parish,  now  united  to  Edzell.  Among  the 
notices  of  missing  charters  is  one  by  David  ii.  to  Eonald 
Chene  of  the  thayndom  of  Newdoskis,  and  in  1365  he  grants 
to  Sir  Alexander  de  Lyndesay  all  his  lands  in  the  thanage  of 
Newdosk,  to  be  held  as  a  free  barony.^^ 

On  the  west  side  of  Kincardine  was  the  important 
thanage  of  Aberbuthnot,  now  Arbuthnot.  It  contained 
twenty-three  townships,  beside  the  kirkton  or  church  land 
of  Arbuthnot.  This  thanage  appears  originally  to  have 
been  co-extensive  with  the  parish  of  Arbuthnot,  and  to  have 
been  broken  up  by  King  William  the  Lion,  who  grants  the 
lands  of  Altrethis,  now  Allardyce,  to  the  ancestor  of  that 
family,  and  the  thanage  itself  to  Osbert  Olifaid  the  crusader, 
while  the  lands  of  Kair,  consisting  of  four  townships,  and 
those  of  Inchbreck,  appear  as  separate  possessions.  The 
entire  parish  appears  to  have  contained  fifty-four  plough- 
gates  of  land,  giving  an  average  of  two  ploughgates  or  a  half 
davach  to  each  township ;  but  in  the  eighteenth  century 
the  separate  possessions  consisted  of  fourteen  farms  of  two 
ploughgates  each,  twenty-two  of  one  ploughgate,  five  of  half 
a  ploughgate,  and  six  of  a  quarter  ploughgate  or  husband- 
land.33  This  is  probably  a  fair  enough  picture  of  how  the 
land  had  been  occupied  in  older  days  by  the  different  classes 
of  its  possessors,  and  if  the  ploughgate  in  the  main  repre- 
sents the  Welsh  Tref  the  entire  thanage  in  its  oldest  state 
was  the  equivalent  of  the  Welsh  Cyimvd. 

A  curious  insight  into  the  ancient  state  of  this  thanage 
is  given  us  by  a  document,  the  original  of  which  is  pre- 
served at  Arbuthnot  House.  It  is  a  decreet  of  the  Synod  of 
"-  Robertson's  Index.  ^^  Stat.  Account  (1791),  vol.  xvii.  p.  387. 


260  TIIH  TII.VN.VGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  hi. 

Perth  ill  a  cause  betwixt  AVilliam,  bishop  of  St.  Andrews,  and 
Duncan  de  Aberbuthenot,  in  the  year  1202.  The  church  of 
Arbuthnot  was  in  the  diocese  of  St.  Andrews,  and  the  question 
related  to  the  respective  rights  of  the  bishops  of  St.  Andrews 
and  of  the  Arbuthnots,  who  represented  the  old  thanes,  in 
the  kirkton  or  church  lands  of  Arbuthnot,  and  it  preserves  the 
evidence  of  the  witnesses  who  were  examined.  The  inquiry- 
extends  over  a  period  of  more  than  half  a  century,  and  during 
the  episcopate  of  four  bishops.  During  the  episcopate  of 
Richard,  who  became  bishop  in  1163,  Osbertus  Olifard 
appears  as  lord  of  the  land,  and  the  kirkton  is  occupied  by 
a  multitude  of  Scolocs.  Then  in  the  time  of  Bishop  Hugo 
his  successor  Osbertus  Olifard  goes  on  a  crusade,  and  lets  the 
land  to  Ysaac  de  Bonevin  for  six  years,  who  is  termed  Jlr- 
marius,  and  the  kirkton  was  then  occupied  by  eight  holders 
called  2^crsonce,  having  under  them  people  having  houses 
and  pasturing  beasts.  Then,  in  the  time  of  Bishop  Roger, 
Walter  Olifard,  the  next  lord,  gave  his  land  of  Arbuthnot  to 
Hugo  Swintun  for  his  service,  and  his  son  Duncan  was  called 
De  Aberbuthnot,  removed  the  Scolocs,  also  called  the  native- 
men,  from  the  kirkton,  and  first  cultivated  their  land,  that 
is,  added  it  to  his  own  demesne.  These  lords,  from  Osbert 
Olifard  to  Duncan  of  Aberbuthnot,  evidently  represented  the 
old  thanes,  as  it  is  said  that  no  thane  before  Duncan  had  ever 
cultivated  this  land,  nor  that  any  thane  had  put  a  plough 
in  that  land  before  Duncan  did  so.  Osbert  Olifard,  however, 
w^as,  from  his  name,  a  Norman  intruder,  who  had  obtained 
it  from  the  Crown  after  the  thanages  became  crown  land,  and 
it  seems  to  have  passed  in  this  way  through  many  hands,  as 
one  witness  had  seen  thirteen  thanes  possessing  the  land, 
but  none  of  whom  had  vexed  the  men  of  the  kirkton  before 
Duncan.  The  result  of  the  inquiry  was  that  the  bishop  was 
entitled  to  Convcth  from  the  men  of  the  kirkton,  and  to  a 
rent  of  two  cows,  and  one-half  of  the  Uodiuits  and  mercets, 
but  the  thane  received  the  Ccm  and  ten  cheeses  from  each 


CHAP,  vii.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  261 

house  in  the  kirktoii;  three  men  for  harvest  from  each  house, 
and  men  for  the  Exjicditio  or  Fcacht?^  This  Duncan  de 
Aberbuthnot  was  the  ancestor  of  the  noble  family  of  Arbuth- 
not,  who  afterwards  held  the  thanage  as  a  barony. 

Next  to  Aberbuthnot  was  the  small  thanage  of  Morphie. 
It  is  mentioned  in  1362  in  the  Exchequer  Eolls,  and  among 
the  missing  charters  by  David  ii.  are  two  of  annual  rents 
furtli  of  the  thanage  of  Morphie.^^  It  is  situated  in  the 
parish  of  St.  Cyrus,  formerly  called  Ecclesgreig,  and  here  we 
come  in  contact  with  another  designation  of  land  which  we 
noticed  in  a  previous  volume,  viz.,  that  of  the  Ahhacia  or 
AWianric.^^  This  was  land  which  had  formerly  belonged  to 
an  abbey  or  monastery  of  the  Columban  Church,  but  had 
fallen  to  the  Crown  either  by  the  monastery  falling  into  the 
hands  of  lay  abbots  or  by  its  extinction,  and  when  they 
became  crown  lands  we  find  them  classed  with  the  thanages. 
These  Abthanries  are  in  the  main  confined  to  the  country 
lying  between  the  great  mountain  chain  of  the  Mounth  and 
the  Eirth  of  Forth ;  and  the  first  we  meet  with  is  that  of 
Ecclesgreig,  which  was  granted  by  I^ng  William  the  Lion 
to  the  priory  of  St.  Andrews.  By  his  charter  the  king- 
conveys  the  church  of  Ecclesgreig,  with  the  chapel  of  St. 
Eegulus,  and  with  the  half  carucate  or  ploughland  in  which 
it  is  situated,  and  with  the  land  of  the  ahhacia  of  Ecclesgreig, 
according  to  its  ancient  rights,  and  with  its  common  pasture, 
canons,  and  men,  and  with  my  thane  and  my  men  through- 
out the  whole  parish  of  Ecclesgreig.  The  thane  here 
mentioned  seems  to  have  been  the  thane  of  Morphie,  as  that 
thanage  was  within  the  parish,  the  rest  of  the  land  forming 
the  ahhacia  or  ahtkanric ;  and  the  thanage  appears  to  have 
passed  into  the  hands  of  David,  earl  of  Huntingdon,  as  King 
Alexander  the  Second  confirms  the  above  grant  with  the 
exception  of  his  thane  and  his  men,  and  Earl  David  grants 

^  Misc.  of  Spaldhuj  Club,  vol.   v.  "'^  Robertson's  Index,  p.  32. 

p.  209.  ^  See  ante,  vol.  ii.  p.  343. 


262  THE  TIIANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  hi. 

to  the  priory  of  St.  Andrews  '  the  whole  Can  and  Conveth 
which  the  canons  were  due  to  him  for  the  land  of  Eccles- 
greig,  and  the  services  which  their  men  were  bound  to 
render  to  him,  which  is  confirmed  by  Earl  John,  his  son.'^^ 

When  we  enter  the  earldom  of  Angus,  which  forms  the 
southern  and  larger  part  of  this  province,  we  find  that  the 
thanages  lie  more  apart,  and  bear  a  less  proportion  in  extent 
to  the  whole  land  of  the  earldom.  This  arises  from  its 
greater  importance,  from  its  situation,  its  size,  and  the 
character  of  the  land  as  a  part  of  the  territory  in  the  heart  of 
the  kingdom,  and  the  greater  extent  to  which  the  land  had 
been  granted  to  foreign  barons  as  feudal  holdings.  The  oldest 
mention  of  the  thanages  in  this  earldom  is  in  connection 
with  the  grants  to  the  very  ancient  church  of  Eestennot, 
near  Forfar.  A  charter  by  David  the  Second  in  1344 
narrates  that  the  kings  Malcolm  (Ceannmor),  Alexander  (the 
First),  and  David  (the  First),  had  granted  to  the  prior  and 
canons  of  Eestennot,  besides  other  donations,  the  tithe  of  all 
the  fruits  of  their  thanaoes  and  demesne  lands,  whether  in 
money  or  in  kind,  within  the  sheriffdom  of  Forfar,  which  he 
confirms ;  and  King  Eobert  Bruce,  in  a  charter  confirming 
various  rights  and  privileges  to  the  prior  and  canons  of 
Eoustinot  in  1322,  which  they  had  possessed  in  the  time  of 
Alexander  the  Third,  includes  the  sum  of  twenty  shillings 
and  tenpence  received  annually  from  the  thanage  of  Tliana- 
cJiayis  or  Tannadyce,  and  the  second  tithes  of  the  thanages 
of  Old  Monros,  Duney,  Glammes,  Kingaltevy,  and  Ahcrleme- 
nach  or  Aberlemno,  and  likewise  of  the  three  bondages  or 
servile  lands  of  Forfar,  viz.,  Trebog,  Balmeshenor,  and  Ester- 
forfar,  six  merks  from  the  barony  of  Ketnes,  and  forty 
shillings  and  a  stone  of  wax  from  the  barony  of  Brechen ; 
while  a  decreet  of  the  deputies  of  the  earl  of  Eoss,  as  Justi- 
ciary of  Scotland  north  of  the  Forth  in  1347,  finds  that  the 
37  Charlulary  of  St.  Andrews,  pp.  229,  234,  238,  240. 


CHAP,  vii.]        THE  THAN  AGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  263 

prior  was  entitled  to  payment  of  the  tithes  of  the  thanages 
of  Monyfoth  and  Menraur,  as  well  as  the  other  thanages  and 
and  royal  lands  within  the  shire  of  Forfar.^^ 

The  thanages  within  the  earldom  of  Angus  fall  into  two 
groups  in  the  northern  and  southern  parts  of  the  earldom 
respectively.  Of  the  northern  group  the  beautiful  valley  of 
Clova,  through  which  flow  the  upper  waters  of  the  South  Esk, 
forms  the  most  westerly  of  the  thanages,  that  of  Cloveth  or 
Clova.  In  1328  King  Eobert  Bruce  grants  to  Donald,  earl 
of  Mar,  his  whole  thanage  of  Cloveth,  with  two  pendicles  of 
land  called  Petnocys,  to  be  held  in  fee  and  heritage  for  pay- 
ment of  ?^firma  of  twenty  pounds,  and  rendering  the  carriages 
and  other  small  services  due  and  customary  in  the  time  of 
Alexander  the  Third  ;39  and  in  1359  the  sheriff  of  Forfar 
debits  himself  with  nothing  from  the  thanage  of  Cloveth  and 
the  two  Lethnottys,  which  return  annually  forty-two  pounds, 
because  it  is  in  the  hands  of  the  earl  of  Mar,  but  by  what 
title  he  knows  not.^°  Here  we  find  the  pendicles  of  land 
termed  Petnocys  in  the  charter  are  called  Lethnottys  in  the 
rolls,  which  throws  some  light  on  the  meaning  of  Pit  as  a 
denomination  of  land.  Leth  means  the  half  of  anything,  and, 
as  we  have  seen,  was  applied  to  the  half  of  a  penny  land.  It 
here  probably  refers  to  the  half  of  a  '  villa '  or  township  ex- 
pressed by '  villula.'  Clova  appears  in  the  Ptccord  of  Eetours 
as  a  barony  containing  the  kirkton  and  other  seven  townships, 
and  as  having  a  manor-place,  mill,  glens,  and  forests.  *^ 

Proceeding  along  the  course  of  the  South  Esk,  we  find  on 
its  north  bank  the  thanages  of  Kingaltevy  and  Tannadyce, 
forming  the  parish  of  that  name.  The  thanage  of  Kingaltevy 
appears  to  have  remained  in  the  Crown  as  late  as  the  reign 
of  Robert  the  Second,  as  that  kim?  grants  in  1386  to  Sir 
Walter  de  Ogilvy  for  his  service  an  annual  rent  of  twenty- 

^  Charters  of  Rostenoth.  •*»  Exchequer  EolU,  vol.  i.  p.  588. 

^9  Ant.  Aberd.  and  Banff,  vol.  iv.  -^  Retours  for  Forfar,  Nos.  377, 

P-  711.  507. 


264  THE  TIIAXAGES  AND  TIIEIK  EXTINCTION.  ["""K  in. 

nine  pounds  tlue  and  arising  to  him  from  the  thanage  of 
Kyngaltevy  in  the  sheriffdom  of  Forfar,  but  it  appears  in  the 
retours  as  a  barony.^'-  The  thanage  of  Taunadyce,  however, 
was  granted  by  David  the  Second  first  to  Peter  Prendergast, 
and  afterwards  to  Sir  John  de  Logy  and  the  heirs  of  his 
body,  to  be  held  blank  for  payment  of  a  red  falcon ;  and  in 
connection  with  this  thanage  we  have  a  manumission  by  the 
same  monarch,  the  terms  of  which  it  will  be  interesting  to 
preserve.  It  is  termed  a  charter  of  liberty,  and  is  addressed 
to  all  good  men  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  and  pro- 
ceeds thus  : — '  Be  it  known  to  you,  that  we  have  made 
William  the  son  of  John  bearer  of  these  presents,  who,  as 
we  are  told,  was  our  serf  and  native  man  of  our  thanage  of 
Tannadyce,  within  the  sheriffdom  of  Forfar,  our  free  man,  as 
well  as  all  who  proceed  from  him,  so  that  he  and  all  proceed- 
ing from  him,  with  all  his  progeny,  shall  be  free  to  dwell 
within  our  kingdom  wherever  he  will ;  and  we  grant  to  the 
said  William  and  all  proceeding  from  him  that  they  shall 
be  free  and  quit  of  all  native  servitude  in  future.' ^^  In  the 
retours  this  thanage  too  appears  as  a  barony.** 

Adjoining  Tannadyce  on  the  east,  but  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river,  was  the  thanage  of  Aberkmenach  or  Aberlemno. 
Among  the  missing  charters  of  King  Eobert  Bruce  is  one  to 
William  Dishington  of  Balgassie,  in  the  thanage  of  Aber- 
lemnoche,  and  two  to  William  Blunt,  one  termed  '  ane  bound- 
ing infeft '  of  the  thanage  of  Aberlemnoche,  and  the  other  '  of 
the  mains  of  Aberlemnoche  bounding;'*^  but  in  1365  King 
David  the  Second  grants  to  Sir  William  de  Dysschynton  his 
lands  of  Balmany  and  mill  of  Aberlemnache,  and  his  lands 
of  Tolyquonloch,  and  the  annual  rent  of  Flemyugton,  in  the 
thanage  of  Aberlemnache,  for  military  service.**^     North  of 

^'-  Beg.   Mag.   Sig.,   p.    171;  Be-  ^  Betours  for  Forfar,  5o6. 

tours  for  Forfar,  116.  •*'  Eobertson's  Index,  pp.  18,  23. 

*'  Beg.  Mag.  Sig.,  pp.  32,  72.  '^'^  Beg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  44. 


CHAP.  VII.  J        THE  THAN  AGES  AND  THEIK  EXTINCTION.  265 

Aberlenuio,  and  separated  Irom  it  by  the  parish  of  Brechin 
lay  the  thanage  of  Menmuir.  This  thanage  appears  in  the 
reign  of  David  the  Second  as  possessed  by  three  persons,  for 
he  contirnis  a  charter  granted  to  the  prior  and  canons  of  Eos- 
tynot  by  Andrew  Dempster,  Finlay,  son  of  William,  and  John 
de  Cullus,  lords  of  the  lands  of  Menmuir,  regarding  the  tithes 
of  these  lands,'*'^  and  in  the  retours  it  appears  as  a  barony. 

On  the  shore  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Angus  was 
the  thanage  of  Old  Monros  or  Monrose,  and  like  Morphie 
this  thanage  was  connected  with  an  dbthanric,  for  King 
William  the  Lion,  in  his  foundation  charter  of  the  monastery 
of  Aberbrothok,  includes  in  his  grant  the  church  of  St.  Mary 
of  Old  Monros,  with  the  church  land,  which  in  Scotch  is 
called  Abthen ;  and  in  a  subsequent  charter  grants  to  Hugo 
de  Eobesburg,  his  cleric,  the  lands  of  the  abbacy  of  Munros, 
to  be  held  of  the  monastery  of  Arbroatli.'*^  Two  thanages 
are  mentioned  in  close  vicinity  to  it.  On  the  south  bank  of 
the  Esk  was  the  thanage  of  Kynnaber,  from  which  an  annual 
rent  of  seven  merks  was  granted  by  King  Eobert  i.  in  1325 
to  David  de  Grame  ;  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  water  of 
Luan  was  the  thanage  of  Edevyn,  now  Idvies.  Two  thanes 
are  mentioned,  viz.,  Gilys  Thayn  de  Edevy  in  1219,  and 
Malys  de  Edevyn  in  125 4,  but  we  have  no  further  informa- 
tion with  regard  to  either.^^  On  the  shore  farther  south 
was  the  thanage  of  Inverkeillor.  This  thanage  appears  as 
early  as  the  reign  of  William  the  Lion  to  have  been  held 
feudally  by  the  family  of  De  Berkeley,  for  AValter  de  Berke- 
ley grants  to  the  church  of  Saint  Macconoc  of  Innerkeledur 
(Inverkeillor),  and  Master  Henry,  its  parson,  the  king's  cleric 
and  mine,  the  Grescane,  and  every  service  which  the  church 
land  and  the  men  dwelling  theron  were  wont  to  render  to 
the  Thanes  of  Inverkeillor,  and  afterwards  to  myself ;  and 

^"  Reg.  Mcuj.  Sir/.,  p.  43.  ^^  Jb.  pp.  163,  325.    Hist.  MSS. 

^^  Chart,  of  Arbroath,  pp.  4,  07.         Eep.  ii.  p.  16G. 


t 


266  THE  TIIANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  hi. 

frees  them  from  the  Grescane  and  every  cane  and  rent  be- 
longing to  us  or  to  any  lay  person,  with  the  right  of  common 
pasturage  along  witli  liim  and  his  men  throughout  the  whole 
territory  of  Inverkeillor.  This  grant  is  confirmed  by  King 
William,^"  and  presents  an  analogous  case  to  that  of  Arbuth- 
not,  whose  cane  was  payable  by  the  kirkton  or  church  land 
to  the  thanes,  and  afterwards  to  the  feudal  lord. 

Of  the  southern  group  of  thanages  the  most  westerly, 
situated  in  the  south-west  corner  of  Angus,  was  the  thanage 
of  Kathenes  or  Kettins,  the  only  notice  of  which  is  the 
appearance  in  1264  of  Eugenius,  thane  of  Kathenes,  as  pos- 
sessing a  large  grange  ;  ^^  but  there  appears  to  have  been  in 
connection  with  it  an  abtlianrie,  as  certain  lands  in  the  parish 
are  termed  in  the  retours  '  the  lands  called  Abden  of  Ketins.' 
They  form  but  a  small  part  of  the  parish,  the  larger  portion 
probably  forming  the  thanage.  North-east  of  Kettins,  and 
separated  from  it  by  the  parish  of  Newtyle,  was  the  much 
more  important  thanage  of  Glammis,  which  possesses  a  ficti- 
tious interest  from  its  supposed  connection  with  the  career 
of  Macbeth.  It  too  makes  its  first  appearance  in  1264, 
when  we  find  a  payment  of  sixteen  merks  to  the  Thane  of 
Glammis  for  the  lands  of  Clofer  and  Cossenys,  subtracted 
from  the  thanage  of  Glammis;  and  in  1290  the  sheriff  of 
Forfar  accounts  for  twenty-seven  cows  as  the  Waytinga  of 
one  and  a  half  nights  of  the  thanage  of  Glammis  during  two 
years. ^^  After  the  war  of  independence  this  thanage  appears 
to  have  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Crown  till  the  reign 
of  Eobert  the  Second,  when  in  the  second  year  of  his  reign 
he  grants  to  John  Lyon  his  whole  lands  of  the  thanage  of 
Glammis,  erected  into  a  barony,  with  the  bondmen,  bond- 
ages, native-men  and  their  followers,  and  with  the  tenandries 
and  services  of  the  freeholders  {liherctcnencium)P 

•^'0  Chart,  of  Arbroath,  pp.  38,  39.  «^  lb.  pp.  8,  50. 

^'  Exchequer  Rolls,  i.  p.  10.  ^*  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  124. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  267 

On  the  shore  of  the  Firth  of  Tay  we  find  the  thanedom 
of  Monifieth,  of  which  the  only  notice  is  a  missing  charter 
by  King  Eobert  Bruce  to  Patrick,  his  principal  physician,  of 
the  lands  of  Balugillachie,  within  the  thanage  of  Monifieth, 
but  here  we  likewise  meet  with  an  abthanrie  ;  the  distinction, 
however,  between  the  two  is  here  apparent,  for  during  the 
reign  of  Alexander  the  Second  we  find  that  the  former  was, 
like  most  thanages,  held  of  the  Crown,  while  the  latter 
belonged  to  the  earls  of  Angus.  Thus  King  Alexander 
grants  to  the  monastery  of  Arbroath  ten  merks  annually, 
paid  each  year  from  his  Jirma  or  rent  of  Monifieth  ;  while 
Malcolm,  earl  of  Angus,  in  the  same  reign,  grants  to  Nicholas, 
son  of  Bricius,  priest  of  Kerimure,  and  his  heirs,  in  fee  and 
heritage,  the  whole  lands  of  the  abthcin  of  Munifeth.^* 
Adjoining  Monifieth,  in  the  adjacent  parish  of  Monikie,  was 
the  last  of  the  Forfarshire  thanages — viz.,  that  of  Duny  or 
Downie.  In  1359  the  sheriff  charges  himself  with  nothing 
from  the  thanage  of  Duny,  because  it  was  then  in  the  hands 
of  the  earl  of  Sutherland  heritably  through  his  marriage 
with  the  king's  sister.^^  But,  at  the  same  time,  when  Eobert 
the  Second  erected  Glammis  into  a  barony  in  favour  of  John 
Lyon,  he  grants  a  similar  charter  in  favour  of  Sir  Alexander 
de  Lyndesay  of  all  and  whole  his  lands  of  the  thanage  of 
Downy,  erected  into  a  barony,  with  the  bondmen,  bondages, 
native-men  and  their  followers,  and  with  the  services  of  the 
freeholders  {liherctcnencium)  of  the  said  barony.^^  In  con- 
nection with  this  thanage  we  find  the  waste  land  termed  the 
Moor  of  Downie.^'' 

Crossing  the  Firth  of  Tay  and  entering  the  province  of  Thanages 

in  Fift*  and. 

Fife  and  Fothriff,  we  find  the  thanages  few  in  number  and  Fothriff. 
at  some  distance  from  each  other,  and  this  arises  from  the 
land  having  been  extensively  granted  at  an  early  period 

^^  Chart,  of  Arbroath, -pj).  204,3.30.  ^  Beg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  88. 

^^  Exchequer  Rolls,  vol.  i.  p.  589.  ^^  i?e<0!</-s/bri^or/a.r,Nos.  424,449. 


268  THK  TIIANAGKS  AND  TIIKIi;  EXTINCTION.  [book  in. 

as  feiulul  holdings  to  the  Sa.xoii  and  Norman  followers  of 
the  king.  In  Fife  we  lind  traces  of  three  thanages,  and  in 
Fothriff  of  two.  Those  of  Fife  are,  first,  Kinneir  in  the 
parish  of  Kilmany.  We  have  no  early  notice  of  Kinneir 
as  a  thanage,  but  it  was  afterwards  a  barony ;  and  among 
the  lands  belonging  to  the  barony  we  find  mention  of  the 
thainis  lands,  viz.,  those  of  Straburne,  Fordell,  and  Fotheris. 
Not  far  from  it  was  the  thanage  of  Dervesin  or  Dairsy.  In 
a  charter  granted  by  Ernald,  bishop  of  St.  Andrews,  to  the 
church  of  St.  Andrews,  of  the  church  of  Dervesin,  with  a 
carucate  of  land  in  that  township,  in  his  demesne,  among 
the  witnesses  is  Hywan,  son  of  Malcothen,  Thain  de  Der- 
vesin ;  and  in  the  retours  it  appears  as  the  barony  and 
demesne  lands  of  Dairsie.^^  In  the  parish  of  Cairnbee, 
not  far  from  the  shore  of  the  Firth  of  Forth,  we  find  the 
thanage  of  Kelly.  When  King  David  the  First  granted  to 
the  priory  of  May  the  lands  of  Balugallin,  they  were  peram- 
bulated among  others  by  Malmure,  Thain  de  Chellin  or 
Kelly,  and  among  the  missing  charters  of  Eobert  the  First 
is  one  to  William  Seward  of  the  barony  of  Kelly.^^  In  Foth- 
riff we  find  in  the  interior  the  thanage  of  Falkland,  mentioned 
at  a  very  early  period ;  for  among  those  who  perambulated 
the  marches  between  Kyrkness  and  Lochore  in  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  First  was  Macbeath,  Thaynetus  de  Falkland, 
and  we  find  that  it  afterwards  became  a  royal  forest.'^'* 
The  only  other  thanage  was  that  of  Kinross/'^  We  find  in 
1264,  I  de  Kynross,  sheriff  of  Kynross,  accounting  for  the 
Waytinga  of  four  nights  in  the  year,  amounting  to  forty 

^^  Chart,  of  St.  Andrcu-s,  p.  128;  thanage  of  Fordell,  as  in  1451  we 

Retoum,  Fife,  1370.  find  a  grant  to  the  monastery  of 

■'^  Chart,  of  May,  p.  2  ;  Robert-  Dunfermline   by   John,    Thane    de 

son's  Index,  p.  25.  Fordell,  and  Alexander  Thain,  his 

^  Chart,  of  St.  Andrews,  p.    117  ;  son;   but  from  the  late  date  it  is 

Retours,  Fife.  131.  possible  that  this  may  have  been  a 

^^  On  the  shore  of  the  Firth,  near  proper  name. — Chart,  of  Duvferm- 

North  Queensferry,  M^as  probably  a  line,  p.  32U. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  269 

COWS,  besides  pigs,  cheese,  and  grain.  This  burden  indicates 
that  it  had  been  a  thanage,  and  it  appears  as  such  in  the 
reign  of  Eobert  the  First,  when  an  inquisition  was  held  at 
Kinross,  on  the  23d  September  1323,  regarding  the  lands  of 
the  forest  of  Kinross,  and  these  lands  were  separated  from 
the  thanage  of  Kinross.  It  afterwards  appears  as  a  barony, 
with  the  castle,  lake,  and  fishings  of  Lochleven.*^'- 

Crossing  the  range  of  the  Ochils  and  entering  the  ancient  Thanages 
earldom  of  Stratherne,  we  find  one  of  the  earliest  residences  eme.'^  ^' 
of  the  old  Scottish  kings  appearing  as  a  thanage.  In  the 
reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  the  thane  of  Forteviot  has  to 
answer  to  the  king  for  twenty  merks,  and  we  find  the  sheriff 
of  Perth  subsequently  accounting  for  the  firma  or  rent- 
charge  of  the  land  of  William  of  Forteviot  ;^^  while  King 
Eobert  the  First  grants  in  1314  to  the  church  and  canons 
of  Inchaffray  his  lands  of  Cardnay  and  Dolcorachy  in  the 
thanage  of  Forteviot.  It  appears  in  the  retours  as  a  barony.*^^ 
In  this  earldom  we  meet  for  tlie  first  time  with  a  thanage 
held  of  the  earl  and  not  of  the  Crown.  The  foundation- 
charter  of  the  abbey  of  Inchaffray,  granted  by  Gilljert,  earl 
of  Stratherne,  in  the  year  1200,  is  witnessed  among  others  by 
Anechol  Theinus  or  thane  of  Dunine,  now  Dunning ;  and  in 
a  subsequent  charter  the  same  earl  terms  him  '  Anechol,  my 
thain  of  Dunyn.'  In  1247  a  charter  is  granted  by  Malise, 
earl  of  Stratherne,  to  the  abbey  of  Inchaffray,  of  twenty 
merks  annually  from  the  thanage  of  Dunyne  and  Peticarne, 
to  be  received  for  all  time  in  future  from  the  hands  of  those 
who  hold  the  said  lands  for  the  time  being ;  and  in  confirma- 
tion of  this  grant  he  addresses  a  mandate  to  Bricius,  thane 
of  Dunin,  to  see  twenty  merks  at  Dunin  from  the  firma 
due  to  the  earl,  paid  to  Inchaffray.     The  descent  of  these 

*'2  Exchequer  Rolls,  vol.  i.  p.  16  ;  '^'^  Exchequer  BolL^,  i.  pp.  18,  .534. 

Roberbson's    Index,    28  ;    Retours,  '^  Chart,    of  Inchaffray,    p.    24  ; 

Kinross,  2.  Retours,  Perth,  305. 


270  THE  TIIANAGKS  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  hi. 

thanes  of  Duiiing  can,  however,  be  ascertained  from  the 
Chartulary.  The  most  powerful  family  next  to  the  earls 
was  that  of  the  seneschals  or  stewards  of  Stratherne.  They 
descend  from  Gilleness,  seneschal  of  Stratherne  in  the  time 
of  Earl  Gilbert,  who  had  two  sons — Malise,  who  appears  as 
seneschal  in  1220,  and  Anechol,  who  was  thane  of  Duning. 
From  i\Ialise  proceeded  a  line  of  seneschals,  the  succession  to 
which  was  carried  by  a  daughter  to  the  Drummonds.  Anechol 
was  succeeded  as  thane  of  Duning  by  Bricius,  who  likewise 
appears  as  thane  of  Duning ;  but  in  the  time  of  Kobert,  earl  of 
Stratherne,  the  son  of  INIalise,  the  seneschalship  had  fallen  to 
him  likewise,  and  he  witnesses  a  charter  of  that  earl  as  'Bricius 
de  Dunin,  his  seneschall.'  ''^  The  lands  of  Duning  and  others 
were  erected  into  the  barony  of  Duncrub  in  favour  of 
Andrew  EoUo  of  Duncrub  in  1540;  and  among  the  lands 
we  find  the  thane  lands  also  called  Edindonyng.  *^^  One  of 
the  charters  by  Earl  Gilbert,  which  is  witnessed  by  Anechol, 
thane  of  Dunin,  is  likewise  witnessed  by  Duncanus,  Thauus 
de  Struin.  This  is  the  only  notice  of  this  thanage,  but  the 
name  corresponds  with  that  of  the  parish  of  Strowan  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Earn  above  Crieff.  It  is  now  united  with 
the  parish  of  Monzievaird,  from  which  it  is  divided  by  the 
river.  It  was  probably  a  thanage  also  held  of  the  earl, 
and  the  old  family  of  the  Toschachs  of  Monzievaird  no  doubt 
derived  their  name  and  descent  from  its  Toschach  or  thane. *^'' 
Tiinnages  North  of  the  earldom  of  Stratherne,  and  within  the  range 

of  the  Grampians,  lay  the  ancient  earldom  of  Atholl.  It  is 
from  this  district  that  the  royal  dynasty  emerged  which  ter- 
minated with  Alexander  the  Third,  the  founder  of  the  house 
having  been  lay  abbot  of  Dunkeld,  and  possessor  of  the 
abthanrie  of  Dull,''^  and  from  his  son  Duncan  proceeded  not 

^  Chart. o/Inchaffray.s.  15,16,28.  ^'^  Chart,    of  Inchaffray,    p.    20; 

66  Third  Report  of  MS.   Commis-       Retours,  Perth,  140,  471,  729. 
sion,  406 ;  Retours,  Perth,  954.  68  Crinau,    the    founder    of    the 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIK  EXTINCTION.  271 

only  the  kings  of  Scotland,  but  likewise  the  ancient  earls  of 
Atholl.  The  ahtJianric  of  Dull  was  a  very  extensive  dis- 
trict, and  embraced  a  large  portion  of  the  western  part  of  the 
earldom,  and  may  be  viewed  as  the  original  patrimony  of  the 
royal  house.  It  contained  within  it  two  thanages,  viz.,  those 
of  Dull  and  of  Fothergill,  now  Fortingall.  Thus  we  find  Alex- 
ander the  Second  issuing  a  mandate  addressed  to  his  theyns 
and  other  good  men  of  Dul  and  Forterkil,  in  which  he  grants 
to  the  canons  of  Scon  the  right  of  taking  materials  from  his 
thanages  of  Dul  and  Forterkil  for  the  work  at  their  church  of 
Scon.*'^  In  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  we  find  in  1264 
Alan  the  Hostiary  bound  to  account  for  the  Jirma  of  Dull,  and 
in  1289,  Duncan,  earl  of  Fife,  is  Firmarius  or  renter  of  the 
manor  of  Dull,therent  for  two  years  being  five  hundred  pounds 
seven  shillings  and  fourpence.''*^  He  is  also  keeper  of  the  prison 
of  Dull,  but  while  the  abthanrie  with  its  two  thanages  is  thus 
in  the  Crown,  the  church  of  Dull,  with  its  chapels  of  Foss  and 
Branboth  in  Glenlyon,  belonged  to  the  earls  of  Atholl,  and 
was  granted  by  Malcolm,  earl  of  Atholl,  to  the  priory  of  St. 
Andrews  after  the  death  of  William  his  cleric.  This  grant 
is  confirmed  by  the  bishop  of  Dunkeld,  reserving  a  right  to 
give  the  latter,  to  the  extent  of  ten  merks,  to  a  vicar,  and  an 
annual  rent  of  twenty  shillings  due  to  him  and  his  clergy 
from  the  Abthanrie  of  Dull.'^^  By  king  David  the  Second  the 
bailiary  of  the  abthain  of  Dull  w^as  granted  to  John  Drum- 
mond,  and  in  his  reign  the  thanages  began  to  be  broken  up, 
for  he  grants  a  charter  to  John  de  Loorne,  and  Janet,  his 
spouse,  and  our  cousin,  of  the  whole  lands  of  Glenlion; 
another  to  Donald  M'Xayre  of  the  lands  of  Estirfossach  or 

house,  is  termed  in  the  Chronicles  ®^  Liber  de  Scon,  p.  41. 
abbot  of  Dunkeld,  and  by  Fordun 

Abthanus  de  Dull.     There  was  no  '■"  Exchequer  Rolls,  vol.  i.  p.  348. 
such  title  as  abthanus,  but  the  ab- 
thanrie of  Dull  appears  in  the  Crown  ''1  Chartulary    of   St.    Andreivs, 
from  the  earliest  period.  pp.  245,  295. 


272  TIIH  TllAXAOKS  AND  TIIEIK  KXTIXCTIO.V.  [book  iir. 

Foss,  in  tlie  abtlmnrio  of  Dull,  wliicli  bad  been  resigned  by 
Hugo  de  Jjarclay ;  and  a  tliird  to  Alexander  ]\Ieinzies  of  the 
barony  of  Fothergill,  in  the  county  of  Perth."- 

Besides  these  thanages  lield  of  the  Crown,  we  find  mention 
of  two  held  of  the  earl  of  Atholl,  and  two  of  the  bishop  of 
Dunkcld.  On  the  north  bank  of  Loch  Tay  was  the  thanage  of 
Cranach,but  it  no  sooner  appears  in  the  records  than  it  vanishes 
as  a  thanage,  for  it  passed  into  the  Menzies  family,  and 
among  their  writs  is  a  charter  by  David  de  Strathbogie,  earl  of 
Atholl  and  Constable  of  Scotland,  to  Sir  Eobert  de  Meygnes, 
knight,  son  of  Sir  Alexander  de  Meygnes,  for  his  homage  and 
service,  of  the  whole  thanage  of  Cranach,  in  the  earldom  of 
Atholl,  with  the  lands  of  Cranach,  Achmore,  Kynknoc,  the  two 
Ketherowes,  and  Achnechroish,  as  a  feudal  holding  for  mili- 
tary service.  The  other  thanage  lay  in  the  valley  of  Glentilt, 
near  Blair,  and  of  it  we  have  more  particulars.  The  earldom 
of  Atholl  had  become  vested  in  the  person  of  Eobert,  Steward 
of  Scotland,  and  before  he  succeeded  to  the  throne  in  1371 
he  grants  a  charter,  as  Lord  of  Atholl,  which  is  undated,  to 
Eugenius,  thane  of  Glentilt,  brother  of  Eeginald  of  the  Isles, 
of  the  whole  thanage  of  Glentilt,  being  three  davachs  of  land, 
for  his  faithful  service,  to  be  held  of  him  in  fee  and  heritage 
for  ever,  for  payment  of  eleven  merks  in  money,  and  the  car- 
riage of  four  horses  once  a  year  for  hunting  in  the  forest  of 
Bencromby  if  demanded.  There  is  a  provision  that  should 
the  yearly  value  of  the  thanage  at  any  time  not  reach  the 
sum  of  eleven  merks,  he  is  to  pay  such  sum  as  may  be  fixed 
by  an  assize  of  the  inhabitants  of  Strathguye  and  of  those 
dwelling  in  the  thanage.  There  is  then  a  retour  at  Logyraite 
in  the  court  of  the  earl  of  Athole,  by  which,  on  29th  July 
1457,  Andrew  de  Glentilt  is  served  heir  to  his  father  John  le 
thane  de  Glentilt,  in  the  lands  of  Petnacrefe  in  Strathguay ; 
and  a  charter  of  sale,  in  1461,  by  Andrew,  thane  of  Glentilt, 
"-  Reg.  Ma;/.  Skj. ,  74  ;  Robertson's  Index,  57. 


CHAP,  vii.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  273 

to  Jolin  Stewart  of  Fothergill,  of  the  lands  of  Achnamark- 
iiiore,  to  be  held  of  himself  ;  and  this  is  followed  by  a  notarial 
instrument  taken  on  the  sale  by  Finlay  '  le  thane  de  Glen- 
tilt,'  son  and  heir  of  the  late  Andrew  le  thane  de  Glentilt,  on 
27th  April  1647,  of  the  right  of  reversion  of  these  lands  for 
twenty  pounds,  payable  in  one  day  between  sunrise  and  sun- 
set. There  is  then  a  precept  of  sasine  by  Findlay,  thane  of 
Glentilt,  in  favour  of  Neill  Stewart  of  Fothergill,  as  son  and 
heir  of  Neill  Stewart  of  Fothergill,  of  the  lands  of  Achnamark- 
more,  given  at  Glentilt  on  4th  June  1500,  in  presence  of 
John,  Thane,  son  and  heir-apparent  of  Findlay,  and  on  13th 
August  1501  a  charter  of  sale  by  Finlay,  thane  of  Glentilt, 
to  Elenore,  countess  of  Atholl,  of  Kincraigy.  We  have  then 
two  charters  of  even  date,  granted  by  John,  earl  of  Atholl, 
and  superior  of  All  and  Whole  the  lands  of  the  Thanagiuni 
Ahnatliie,  or  the  thanedom  of  Glentilt,  to  John  Stewart,  his 
son  and  heir,  of  the  said  lands  Thanafjii  Ahnathie,  or  le 
thanedom  of  Glentilt,  which  formerly  belonged  to  Finlay 
Toschach,  thane  of  Glentilt,  and  which  he  voluntarily 
resigned,  as  is  proved  to  us  by  his  corporal  oath  sworn  on 
the  holy  evangels  of  God.  The  earl's  seal  and  the  seal  of 
Finlay  Toschach  are  appended,  at  Dunkeld,  the  last  day  of 
May  1502,  and  these  charters  are  confirmed  by  a  charter 
under  the  Great  Seal  on  2d  July  1502,  of  the  thanage,  with 
the  bondmen,  bondages,  native-men  and  their  issue.'^^  Accord- 
ing to  this  charter  the  thanage  contained  seventeen  town- 
ships, including  the  two  tenandries  of  Achnamarkniore  and 
Kincraigy,  giving  an  average  of  about  the  sixth  part  of  a 
davach  to  each  township  ;  and  we  here  see  the  family,  which 
originally  descended  from  that  of  the  Isles,  adopting  the 
name  of  Toschach,  from  their  designation  of  Thane.     From 

"■'  These  charters  are,  or  were,  in  his  account  of  the  Atholl  charters 
tlie  Atholl  charter- chest,  biit  are  in  the  Seventh  Report  of  the  Hist. 
not  noticed  by  Mr.  W.  Fraser  in      2ISS.  Commission,  p.  703. 

VOL.  III.  S 


274  THE  THANAGE.S  AND  TIIKIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  iii. 

them  no  doubt  proceeded  the  M'liitoshes  of  Tiriuy  in  Glen- 
tilt,  which  is  included  among  the  lands  of  the  thanage/'''  We 
find  mention  of  two  other  thanages  in  Atholl,  but  it  is  not 
very  clear  whether  they  were  held  under  the  earl,  or  under 
the  bishop  of  Dunkeld.  King  William  the  Lion  confirms  to 
the  church  and  canons  of  Scone  a  grant  made  to  them  by 
Malcolm,  earl  of  Atholl,  of  the  church  of  Loginmahedd,  now 
Logierait,  with  its  chapels  of  Kilchemi,  Dunfolenthi,  Kel- 
kassin,  and  Kelmichelde  Tulimath,  and  with  all  its  other 
lawful  pertinents  ;  but  John,  bishop  of  Dunkeld,  grants  and 
confirms  to  the  abbots  and  canons  of  Sconie  the  church  of 
Logymahedd,  in  Atholl,  with  the  full  tithes,  benefices,  and 
rights  lawfully  pertaining  to  said  church,  viz.,  of  Eath,  which 
is  the  chief  seat  of  the  earldom  {cajmt  comitatiis),  and  of  the 
whole  thanage  of  Dulmonych,  and  of  the  whole  thanage  of 
Fandufuith,  and  with  these  chapels,  Kylkemy,  Dunfoluntyn, 
Kilcassyn,  Kilmichell  of  Tulichmat,  and  all  pertinents  of 
said  chapels,  and  a  toft  in  Logyn,  with  common  pasture,  as 
is  contained  in  a  charter  of  Earl  Henry J^'  The  Bath  or  fort 
is  still  visible  on  a  height  between  the  two  rivers  at  the 
junction  of  the  Tay  and  the  Tummel,  and  the  modern  names 
of  the  places  where  the  four  chapels  were  situated  are  Killi- 
chaugie,  Dunfallandy,  Killichassy,  and  Tullimet,  and  they 
are  all  within  the  parish  of  Logierait,  but  the  two  thanages 
seem  not  to  have  been  included  in  Earl  Malcolm's  charter, 
and  are  situated  within  the  territory  termed  the  bishopric  of 
Dunkeld,  now  the  parish  of  Little  Dunkeld,  for  Fandufuith 
is  now  Fandowie  in  Strathbraan,  and  Dalmonych  is  probably 
Dalmarnoch,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tay,  in  the  same 
parish.  We  have  no  other  notice  of  these  thanages, 
Thanages  Between  the  earldom  of  Atholl  and  the  province  of  Fife 

"5  Mr.  lunes,  iu  his  Legal  Anti-  Tiriny  in   Atlioll  with   the  M'ln- 

quities,  p.  80,  where  a  short  notice  toshes   of   Monzievaird   in    Strath- 

of  the  thanage  is  given,   inadver-  erne, 

tently  confounds  the  M'Intoshes  of  '"  Liber  de  Scon,  pp.  *21,  36. 


in  Gowrv. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  275 

and  Fothriff,  and  separated  from  the  latter  by  the  Firth  of 
Tay,  lay  the  earldom  of  Gowry.  In  the  account  of  the  seven 
provinces  of  Scotland  prior  to  the  Scottish  conquest,  this 
earldom  formed  one  province  along  with  that  of  Atholl ;  but 
after  the  Scottish  dynasty  was  seated  on  the  throne  it  was 
attached  to  the  province  of  Fife  and  Fothriff.  It  was  the 
heart  of  the  kingdom,  as  within  it  was  situated  the  royal 
seat  of  Scone,  where,  as  Fordun  rightly  tells  us,  '  both  the 
Scottish  and  Pictish  kings  had  whilom  established  the  chief 
seat  of  government ; '  and  from  an  early  period  it  appears 
to  have  belonged  to  the  royal  family,  as  Bower  makes  the 
curious  statement  that  Alexander  the  First  had  received  at 
his  baptism,  as  a  donation  from  his  father's  brother  the  earl 
of  Gowry,  the  lands  of  Lyff  and  Invergowry,  where,  after 
he  became  king,  he  began  to  build  a  palace,  and  finally 
conferred  them  upon  the  abbey  of  Scone.  These  lands  are 
in  fact  contained  in  the  foundation-charter  of  Scone  by 
Alexander  the  First,  and  that  the  earldom  had  been  the 
appanage  of  Donald  Bane,  who  alone  can  be  meant,  is  pro- 
bably true  enough." 

In  the  reign  of  Malcolm  the  Fourth,  who  confirms  the 
foundation-charter  of  Alexander  the  First,  we  find  mention 
of  the  four  royal  manors  of  Gouerin  or  Gowry  paying  Can 
to  the  king,  and  these  were  Scon  or  Scone,  Cubert  or 
Coupar-Angus,  Forgrund  or  Longforgan  and  Stratherdel ;. 
and  these  appear  to  have  been  likewise  royal  thanages. 
Thus  Alexander  the  Second  grants  to  the  canons  of  Scone, 
in  exchange  for  tithes  which  they  exacted  irom  the  lands 
of  Forgrund,  one  net  of  his  fishings  in  the  thanage  of  Scone, 

''''  Scotichronicon,    B.    vi.    c.    36.  the  claim  of  Cumyn  to  the  crown 

Donald   Bane  is  improperly  made  of    Scotland,    through   his    grand- 

by  the   peerage-writers    father    of  daughter,    shows   that  he   left   no 

Madach,  first  earl  of  Atholl,  and  male  descendants,  and  that  there 

progenitor  of  these  earls  ;  but  there  were  no  subsequent  earls  of  Gowry 

is  no  real  authority  for  this  ;  and  adds  probability  to  the  fact. 


276  THE  THANAGES  AND  THKIK  EXTINCTION.  [BOOK  m. 

two  acres  oi"  land  in  the  territory  of  Scone  where  the  Canon's 
Well  is  situated,  and  a  perpetual  lease  of  his  demesnes  of 
liath  and  Kynfaunes  in  Gowry  ;  and  finally  King  Robert 
the  First  grants  to  the  abbot  and  canons  of  Scone  the  whole 
thanage  of  Scone,  with  all  its  pertinents J^  Strathardell,  too, 
was  a  thanage,  as  we  find  a  charter  granted  in  the  reign  of 
William  the  Lion  by  Laurence  of  Abernethy  of  the  church 
of  Abernethy  to  the  monks  of  Arbroath  is  witnessed  by 
Macbeth,  sheriff  of  Scon,  thane  of  Strathardel ;  "^^  and  though 
we  have  no  notice  of  the  royal  manors  of  Cupar  and  For- 
grund  being  termed  thanages,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  so. 
North  of  Cupar,  however,  was  the  thanage  of  Alyth,  in 
which  was  situated  the  royal  castle  of  Invercuych,  as  we 
find  Robert  the  Second  granting  to  Sir  James  de  Lyndesay 
All  and  Whole  the  lands  of  Aberbothry,  as  also  the  place  of 
the  royal  castle  of  Invercuyth  and  all  the  lands  which  be- 
longed to  John  de  Welhame  and  John  de  Balcasky,  in  the 
thanage  of  Alyth,  to  be  held  as  a  barony  ;  and  the  same 
monarch  includes  the  thanage  of  Alyth  with  its  pertinents 
in  a  subsequent  charter  to  Sir  James  de  Lyndesay  of  the 
castle  and  barony  of  Crawford  and  other  lands  ;^°  and  in 
connection  with  this  thanage  there  appears  to  have  been 
a  forest,  as  in  two  charters  of  King  David  the  Second  to 
the  canons  of  Scone,  Alyth  is  mentioned  among  the  royal 
forests.^^  As  Alyth  with  its  royal  castle  was  at  the  north- 
east extremity  of  Gowry,  so  we  find  at  its  north-west 
boundary  the  thanage  and  royal  castle  of  Kinclaven,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Tay,  near  its  junction  with  the  river  Isla. 
We  find  notices  of  the  repair  of  the  castle  in  1264,  while 
the  sheriff  of  Perth  accounts  for  its  firma,  and  King  Robert 
the  Second  grants  to  his  illegitimate  son,  John,  his  lands  of 

"*  Liher  de  Scon,  pp.  0,  41,  45,  '**'  Bey.  Marj.  Sig.,  pp.  137,  172. 

46,  95. 

'»  Chart,  of  Arbroath,  p.  27.  "*'  Liber  de  Scon,  pp.  112,  113. 


CHAP,  vii.]        THE  THAN  AGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  277 

Ballathys,  Invernate,  and  Mukirsy  in  the  thanage  of  Kyn- 
clevin,  with  its  tenandiies  and  services  of  the  freeholders,  the 
native-men,  bondmen,  and  their  bondages  and  followers.^'- 

The  thanages  of  which  we  have  thus  given  shortly  the  Thanages 
history  were  all  situated  north  of  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  the  Fortii. 
Clyde,  and  in  those  eastern  districts  which  formed  originally 
the  seat  of  the  Pictish  tribes,  and  afterwards  fell  under  the 
dominion  of  a  dynasty  of  kings  of  Scottish  race.  The  Scots 
were  thus  a  dominant  race  over  a  subject  population,  and 
under  the  succeeding  dynasty,  who  adopted  Norman  customs 
and  assimilated  the  laws  and  institutions  of  the  country  to 
those  of  a  feudal  monarchy,  these  districts  became  the 
theatre  of  a  Saxon  colonisation  and  of  a  gradually  increasing 
settlement  of  Norman  barons,  who  held  the  land  on  a  feudal 
tenure  from  the  Crown ;  and  thus  the  more  ancient  tenures 
represented  by  the  thanages  were  comparatively  speaking 
few  in  number,  and  scattered  in  isolated  situations.  But 
while  the  thanages  in  general  were  thus  situated,  there  was 
one  thanage  south  of  the  Firth  of  Forth  which  appears  to 
belong  to  the  same  class.  It  was  situated  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  river  Carron,  and  represented  that  small  district,  dis- 
tinguished in  the  Irish  Annals  by  the  name  of  Calathros,  and 
in  Latin  documents  and  chronicles  as  Calatria, — a  name 
preserved  in  the  more  modern  Callender.  The  name  of 
Ecdesbreac  by  which  the  church  was  known,  and  by  which 
it  is  still  called  in  the  Highlands,  indicates  that  it  was  in- 
habited by  a  Gaelic-speaking  people,  and  the  term  Brcac  is 
usually  associated  with  those  of  Pictish  race.  They  were 
probably  the  remains  of  the  old  Pictish  population  which 
gave  their  name  to  the  Pentland  Hills,  Be  this  as  it  may, 
the  notices  of  this  thanage  are  in  entire  harmony  with 
those  of  the  thanages  north  of  the  Forth.  A  charter  by 
King  David  the  First  to  the  canons  of  Stirling  is  witnessed 

*-  Exchequer  Bolls,  vol.  i.  pp.  3,  17,  18;  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  p.  166. 


278  tup:  TIIANAOKS  and  TIIEIU  extinction.  [bookhi. 

by  Dufotir,  slieriff  of  Stirling ;  and  the  same  Dufotir  wit- 
nesses a  charter  of  King  David  to  the  church  of  Glasgow,  as 
Dufoter  de  Calatria.  About  1190  appears  Dominus  Alwynus 
de  Kalenter.^^  A  charter  by  Herbert,  son  of  Herbert  de 
Camera,  of  a  half  carucate  of  land  in  his  territory  of  Dum- 
fries, consisting  of  four  bovates  or  oxgangs  near  Louchbane, 
is  witnessed  by  Malcolm,  thane  of  Kalentyr,  and  Alexander 
the  Second  grants  to  the  canons  of  Holyrood,  in  feu-farm,  his 
whole  lands  of  Kalentyr,  which  had  been  in  his  hands  since 
the  day  on  which  he  assigned  to  Malcolm,  formerly  thane 
of  Kalentyr ;  forty  pound  lands  in  Kalentyr,  which  lands  are 
reserved  to  the  said  thane.  Then  we  find  the  old  thanage 
converted  into  crown  demesne,  and  the  thane  bought  off 
with  a  feudal  holding.  In  the  same  reign  a  charter  by 
Maldouen,  earl  of  Lemiox,  is  witnessed  by  P.,  Thane  of 
Kalentyr ;  and  a  missing  charter  of  King  David  the  Second 
'to  William  Livingston  of  the  lands  of  Callanter  by  for- 
feiture of  Patrick  Calentyre,'  appears  to  terminate  the  line 
of  the  thanes,  and  to  indicate  the  conversion  of  the  lands 
into  a  barony  in  favour  of  the  Livingston  family,^  A 
charter  granted  by  David  the  First  before  his  succession  to 
the  throne,  when  the  province  of  Lothian  and  the  ancient 
Cumbrian  kingdom  were  under  his  rule,  and  addressed  to  all 
his  faithful  Tegns  and  Drcngs  of  Lothian  and  Teviotdale,^ 
shows  that  any  thanes  who  appear  in  these  districts  where 
the  population  was  entirely  Anglic,  belong  to  the  Saxon 
organisation,  and  have  no  connection  with  the  more  northern 
thanages. 
Toshach-  ^6  have  Seen  that  the  term  Thane,  in  connection  with 

'roshafh-      ^^^^  portion  of  the  crown  land  north  of  the  Firths  of  Forth 
and  Clyde  called  a  thanage,  and  considered  as  crown  de- 

^^  Charttdary  of  Cambuslcameth,  p.  108  ;  Chart,  of  Holyrood,  p.  51 ; 

pp.    250,  199 ;  Chart,   of  Glasgow,  Robertson's   Index,   38 ;    Chart,   of 

p.  9.  Glasgow,  p.  120. 

^*  Charttdary  of  Camlmskenneth,  *'  National  MSS.,  vol.  i. 


dera. 


CHAP.  VII.]        THE  TIIANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  279 

mesne,  was  the  equivalent  of  the  Gaelic  Toisech  or  Toschach, 
but  we  also  find  this  word  Toschach  used  in  Scotland  in 
combination  with  two  other  words  nearly  resembling  each 
other,  and  thus  forming  the  two  denominations  of  Toschachdor 
and  Toschachdera,  indicating  in  this  form  a  person,  and  in  the 
form  of  Toschachdor acht  and  Toschachdcracht,  an  office,  just 
as  the  function  of  the  Toisech  is  expressed  in  tlie  Irish  system 
by  Toisecheacht.  Sir  John  Skene,  in  his  treatise  De  Verhorum 
Significationc,  gives  under  the  word  Toscheoderachc,  several 
interpretations  of  it.  He  says  that  it  was  '  ane  office  or  juris- 
diction, not  unlike  to  a  bailliarie,  especially  in  the  lies  and 
Hielandes.'  '  Some  alleagis  it  to  be  ane  office  pertaining  to 
execution  of  summondis.  Uthers  understandis  the  same  to 
be  ane  crowner.  Last,  summe  understandis  it  to  be  ane 
searchour  and  taker  of  thieves  and  limmers.'  But  it  is  obvious 
from  his  references  that  he  confounds  the  two  offices  together. 
The  Toschachdoraclit  was  the  office  like  a  bailiary,  and  the 
Toschachdor  was  considered  the  equivalent  of  the  coroner, 
and  this  office  was  mainly  confined  to  the  Highlands  and 
Islands.  The  Toschachdera  he  rightly  explains,  in  his  Notes 
to  the  Old  Laws,  as  a  name  given  by  the  original  Scots  and 
Irish  to  the  serjeand  or  servitor  of  court  who  put  the  letters 
of  citation  in  force,  and  that  this  office  was  commonly  called 
'  ane  Mair  of  Fee.'^^  We  find  the  two  offices  existed  distinct 
from  each  other  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  this  throws  some 
light  upon  it.  That  island  was  divided  into  six  sheadings, 
and  each  sheading  had  two  officers.  The  first  was  the 
coroner,  and  this  office,  says  Mr.  Train,  in  his  History  of  the 
Isle  of  Man,  is  of  the  highest  antiquity  in  the  island.  He  is 
called  in  Manks  Toshiagh  Jioarcy,  or  chief  man  of  the  law. 
There  is  likewise,  says  jNIr.  Train,  an  officer  of  unknown 

*'  Toscheoderach   Barbarum   no-  inandat  exeeutioni.     Quod  officium 

men,    piiscis    Scotis    et    Hybernis  dioitur  vulgo,  ane  Mair  of  Fee. — 

usitatum   pro    serjando   vel    servi-  R<'g.  Mnj.,  p.  13. 
cnte   Curiiu,   qui  literas    citationes 


280  THE  TlIANAflES  AM)  TIIEIi;  EXTINCTION.  Lb^^ok  in. 

antiquity  in  every  parish  called  a  Maor,  vviio  collects  all 
escheats,  deodands,  waifs,  and  estrays.^" 

The  Toischcaclidor  derives  his  name  from  Toiscch,  and 
Dior,  an  old  word  signifying  '  of  or  belonging  to  law,'  and 
is  obviously  the  same  as  the  Manks  Tosldagh  Jioarey,  and 
this  office  is  not  to  be  found  in  those  eastern  districts  where  the 
thanages  prevail,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  there  repre- 
sented by  the  Toschcch  or  Thane  himself,  but  the  Toiscachdcra 
or  Mair  of  Fee  occurs  repeatedly  in  connection  with  them. 
Thus  in  the  laws  of  King  William  the  Lion,  which  gave  the 
form  of  citation,  it  is  directed  to  be  made  by  the  serjeand 
or  coroner  or  Tosordereh  or  other  summouer  f^  and  that  the 
serjeand  and  Toshachdera  are  the  same,  will  be  evident  on 
comparing  a  charter  of  the  thanage  of  Belhelvie,  which 
mentions  the  office  of  smith  and  the  office  of  serjeand,  with 
one  of  the  demesne  lands  of  Davochindore  in  Kildrummy, 
where  the  same  offices  are  called  Fahrisdera  et  Tos/iachdera.^^ 
We  find  in  connection  with  the  thanage  of  Moravia  the  office 
of  Mair  of  Fee,^*'  and  in  1476  the  lord  of  Strathawin,  in 
Banffshire,  grants  to  Alexander  Crom  Makalonen  the  lands 
of  Invercahomore,  with  tlie  office  of  Toslioderatns  de  Strath- 
mvin?^  We  can  trace  the  appearance  of  this  office  too  in 
connection  with  the  church  lands  in  this  part  of  Scotland. 
One  of  the  earliest  grants  to  the  bishop  of  Aberdeen  was  the 
schyra  or  parish  of  Eayne.  It  contained  the  lands  of  Ledyn- 
toschach,  or  the  Toschach's  half,  and  Eothniaise,  in  which  the 
word  Eath  appears.  These  lands  were  held  under  the  bishop 
by  a  family  of  De  Eane,  and  afterwards  liy  a  family  called 
Tulidef,  but  in  1544  the  bishop  feus  to  Mr.  Walter  Stewart 
the  lands  of  Invirquhaland,   Newmore,  and   two  parts  of 

^'^  Train's  History  of  the  Isk  of  '"'  Relours,   Elijin,  25.      Officium 

Man,  vol.  ii.  p.  209.  marisfeodi  terrarum  comitatus   de 

*»  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  58.  Murray,  viz.,  Thanagie  de  Murray. 

8«  Ant.   Ab.    and   Banff,   vol.  iv.  »!  Ant.  of  Ab.  and  Banff,  xo\.  iv. 

p.  453.  p.  476. 


CHAP.  VII. ]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  281 

liothtniaise  cum  ly  Dtrachthouns.^'^  The  lands  of  Tarves, 
within  the  thanage  of  Fermartiu,  were  conferred  upon  the 
abbey  of  Arbroath  by  Alexander  the  Second,  and  in  1384 
the  abbot  of  Arbroath  confers  the  oftice  of  Derethy  of  Tenvas 
upon  Thomas  de  Lochane  and  the  heirs  of  his  body  in  per- 
petuity.^^ In  the  thanage  of  Fettercairn  we  find,  besides 
the  thaneston,  or  mensal  land  of  the  thane,  another  portion 
termed  Dcray  lands,  or  the  possession  of  tlie  Toschachdera.^* 
These  notices  will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  existence  of  this 
office  in  connection  with  the  thanages,  to  which  a  portion  of 
the  land  was  assigned  as  official  demesne. 

We  have  now  completed  our  survey  of  the  thanages  Result  of 
which  survived  the  war  of  independence,  and  we  thus  see  thanages. 
that  there  existed  in  the  eastern  Lowlands  isolated  terri- 
tories, scattered  here  and  there  among  the  feudal  holdings, 
still  bearing  the  name  of  Thanagium,  and  preserving  many 
of  the  characteristics  of  the  older  Celtic  tribe.  These 
thanages  during  the  period  of  the  rule  of  the  kings  of  the 
race  of  David  the  First  were  considered  as  forming  part  of 
the  crown  demesne,  and  were  held  of  the  kings  by  persons 
called  Thanes  in  feu-farm  for  payment  of  an  annual  Jlrma, 
rent  or  feu-duty,  but  their  connection  with  the  ancient  tribe 
lands  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  tlie  feuar  bearing  the 
Saxon  name  of  Thane  was  likewise  known  by  the  Celtic 
name  of  Toschach,  and  therefore  represented  the  ancient 
Toiscch  of  the  Tnath  or  tribe,  and  that  his  annual  feu- duty 
was  likewise  known  by  the  Celtic  name  of  Cain,  usually 
amounting  to  about  twelve  merks,  while  the  land  w\as  subject 
to  another  burden  termed  Conveth,  and  afterwards  Waytinga, 
which  was  no  other  than  the  Coinmhcdha  or  Coigny  of  the 
Irish  tribes.    These  thanages  had  therefore  obviously  replaced 

"-  Chartulary  of  Aberdeen,  pp.  4,  "^  Keg.   Higrum  de  Aberbrothoc, 

6,  88,  428.     Ant.  of  Ab.  and  Banff,       p.  128. 
vol.  iii.  p.  428.  «i  Betoun,  for  Kincardine,  No.  19. 


282  TllK  TIl.VNAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  [book  in. 

the  more  ancient  Tuath,  and  what  was  now  regarded  as  crown 
land  was  the  ancient  tribe  territory.  It  varied  in  size,  as  did 
the  Irish  Tuath.  Its  principal  measure  of  land  bore  the 
C^eltic  name  of  Davach,  a  name  also  retained  when  the  land 
liad  passed  into  feudal  holdings.  Each  davach  contained 
four  ploughgates,  equivalent  to  the  Irish  Bally  and  the 
Welsh  Tixf,  and  the  fourth  part  of  the  ploughgate  seems 
to  have  formed  the  smallest  holding,  and  been  known  by  the 
Celtic  term  of  Bath.  The  size  of  these  thanages  or  tribe 
territories  held  of  the  Crown  varied  from  twelve  to  six 
davachs,  and  those  held  of  the  earls  seem  in  general  not  to 
have  exceeded  three.  Part  of  this  territory  was  held  by  the 
thane  or  Toschach  in  demesne,  and  was  known  as  the  Thanes- 
town  or  thane's  lands,  and  was  cultivated  by  bondmen  or 
pr?edial  serfs,  of  whom  there  were  two  kinds,  the  hondus,  or 
occupier  of  a  servile  tenement,  amounting  usually  to  the 
fourth  part  of  a  ploughgate  or  township,  and  the  native-man, 
who  was  servile  by  race.  Another  part  of  the  thanage  con- 
sisted of  tenandries,  or  free  tenements,  held  under  the  thane 
by  a  class  of  sub-vassals  called  lihcre  tenentcs,  or  freeholders, 
for  payment  of  a  Caiii  or  feu-duty,  and  these  were  likewise 
known  by  the  Celtic  nauie  of  Odhigern,  the  equivalent  of 
the  Irish  Oclach.  They  were  in  fact  the  lower  of  the  two 
divisions  of  the  Flaith  or  nobles  of  the  Irish  tribe,  consisting 
of  the  Aire  arc!  and  the  Aire  dcsa,  while  from  the  upper 
division  the  Bi  Tuath  or  Toiscch,  as  the  case  might  be,  was 
chosen,  and  when  we  find  the  territorial  name  of  Dyce  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  thanages,  as  Fordyce  in  the  thanage 
of  the  Eoyne,  Dyce  in  that  of  Kintore,  Tannadyce  in  the 
thanage  of  the  same  name,  we  can  hardly  avoid  recognising 
the  Deis,  or  private  property,  which  constituted  the  basis  of 
the  Grad  Flath,  or  territorial  nobles  of  the  tribe. 

Between  the  class  of  freeholders  and  the  servile  class 
part  of  the  land  was  occupied  by  the  liber  i  fir  mar  ii,  or  free 


CHAP,  vn.]        THE  THANAGES  AND  THEIR  EXTINCTION.  283 

farmers,  who  had  a  mere  usufruct  of  their  possessions,  which 
varied  in  size  from  the  tenandry  to  the  small  holding  of  two 
oxgaugs,  or  the  fourth  part  of  a  ploughgate.  These  farmers 
usually  held  upon  the  system  termed  the  Steelbow,  when 
the  stock  and  implements  belonged  to  the  proprietor,  and 
were  handed  over  to  the  tenant  during  his  occupation  of  the 
land,  who  was  bound  to  return  an  equal  value  at  tlie 
termination  of  his  tenure,  his  rent  being  usually  paid  in 
kind.  This  tenure  closely  resembled  that  of  the  Saer,  or 
Ceile,  of  the  Irish  tribe,  while  the  Dacr,  or  bond  Ceile,  were 
represented  by  the  Boiuli,  or  occupiers  of  a  servile  holding 
in  the  thanage. 

Another  portion  of  the  thanage  was  the  church  land. 
When  the  church  consisted  merely  of  the  Cill,  or  parish 
church,  it  was  known  as  the  Terra  ccclesicc,  kirkton  or  Pet- 
tintaggart,  and  Avas  cultivated  by  the  Scolocs,  who  paid  Cain 
to  the  thane,  and  Conveth  to  the  bishop  in  whose  diocese  it 
was.  It  generally  varied  in  size  from  a  half  davach  to  a 
half  ploughgate,  but  when  a  Columban  monastery  had  been 
founded  in  the  thanage,  it  was  of  larger  extent  and  fell  into 
lay  hands  under  the  name  of  ahhatie,  or  ahthanric,  paying, 
liowever,  both  Cain  and  Conveth  to  the  church.  This  was 
in  fact  the  termon  lands  of  the  Irish  tribe.  Lastly,  what 
had  originally  been  the  waste  land  of  the  tribe  became 
known  as  the  forest,  and  became  dissociated  from  the  culti- 
vated land  of  the  thanage.  It  either  formed  the  subject  of 
a  separate  grant  or  was  retained  as  a  royal  forest. 


284  THE  FINK  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND,  [BOOK  iii. 


CHAPTEll   VIII. 

THE  FINE  Oli  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND. 


Clanship  TiioSE  influences  which  led  to  the  Tuath  with  its  Toisech 
Highhands.  passing  over  into  the  Thanage  and  the  Thane  in  the  eastern 
districts  were  less  felt  in  the  more  mountainous  regions  of 
the  north  and  west,  where  the  power  of  the  Crown  was 
comparatively  weak,  and  more  nominal  than  real,  and  here 
the  tribe  went  through  a  different  process.  While  the  large 
districts  continued  to  be  ruled  by  their  Mormaers  and  the 
Mortuath,  and  the  Province  existed  intact,  there  was  little 
of  external  influence  to  affect  the  social  organisation  of  their 
Celtic  population  ;  but  the  same  internal  modification  which 
led  to  the  development  of  the  sept  or  clan  from  the  tribe 
was  no  doubt  silently  at  work,  and  when  the  break-up  of 
the  great  provinces  and  the  alienation  of  the  lands  of  the 
tribe  to  feudal  lords  removed  the  veil,  the  clan  appears 
exhibiting  in  the  main  the  characteristics  of  the  Irish  sept. 
The  clan  organisation  was  in  the  main  limited  to  that  part 
of  modern  Scotland  known  as  the  Highlands  and  Islands, 
where  the  mountainous  and  rugged  character  of  the  former 
and  the  comparative  inaccessibility  of  the  latter  led  to  the 
preservation  of  a  population  of  pure  Gaelic  lineage,  speaking 
a  Gaelic  dialect.  Here  the  introduction,  by  marriage  or 
royal  grant,  of  feudal  overlords  with  apparently  feudal  hold- 
ings was  purely  nominal.  It  led  to  nothing  like  the  Teu- 
tonic colonisation  which  characterised  the  Lowlands,  and 
neither  affected  the  Gaelic  population  nor  the  institution  of 
clanship  among  them. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  285 

The  boundary  line  which  separated  the  Highlands  from  The  High 
the  Lowlands,  and  known  as  the  Highland  Line,  was  in  the 
main  an  imaginary  line  separating  the  Gaelic  -  speaking 
people  from  those  using  the  Teutonic  dialect,  but  it  likewise 
coincides  in  part  with  the  natural  boundaries  formed  by 
those  physical  features  of  the  country  which  have  influenced 
the  relative  position  of  the  Gaelic  and  Teutonic-speaking 
portion  of  the  population  respectively.  The  southern  part 
of  this  boundary  coincides  with  the  great  barrier  formed  by 
the  mountain  range  of  the  Grampians,  and  where  this  range 
is  intersected  by  rivers  which  take  their  rise  in  the  interior 
of  the  highland  region,  and  flow  througli  this  range  to  the 
eastern  sea,  in  deep  ravines  or  narrow  glens,  with  high 
mountains  on  each  side,  were  narrow  passes  which  formed 
the  entrances  into  the  Highlands,  and  were  easily  defended, 
rendering  the  country  almost  inaccessible,  while  similar 
passes  characterise  the  northern  portion  of  the  line  where  it 
crosses  the  great  rivers. 

The  Highland  Line  may  be  said  at  its  southern  end  to 
commence  at  Loch  Lomond,  in  the  earldom  of  Lennox,  where 
the  Pass  of  Balmaha  between  the  lake  and  the  commence- 
ment of  the  mountain  region  leads  into  the  district  of  which 
this  lake  is  the  centre.  The  line  then  enters  the  earldom  of 
Menteith,  and  crosses  the  Forth,  here  called  the  Avon  dubh, 
at  Aberfoil,  and  proceeds  from  thence  to  Callander,  where 
the  pass  on  the  north  side  of  Loch  Vennachar  leads  into  the 
district  formerly  called  Strathgartney,  and  the  Pass  of  Leny 
forms  the  entrance  to  Strathire  and  to  the  district  of  Bal- 
quhidder.  From  Callander  the  line  follows  the  range  of  the 
Grampians,  through  the  earldom  of  Stratherne,  and  crosses 
the  river  Earn  at  Crieff,  and  the  Almond  at  Findoch,  where 
passes  lead  to  the  upper  part  of  the  Vale  of  the  Earn  and  to 
Glenalmond  respectively.  From  thence  it  follows  the  line  of 
the  Grampians  to  Dunkeld,  where  the  King's  Pass  forms  the 


286  THK  FINK  Oli  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

entrance  to  Strathtay,  and  through  the  district  of  Stormont 
in  Gowry  to  Blairgowrie,  where  the  passes  lead  into  the  dis- 
trict of  Strathardell.     From  thence  it  follow.s  the  line  of  the 
Grampians  till  it  crosses  the  Isla  north-west  of  Alyth,  and 
enters  the  earldom  of  Angus,  where  the  minor  range  of  hills 
forming  the  east  side  of  Glenisla  coincides  with  the  line  till 
it  reaches  the  great  chain  of  the  Mounth,  or  backbone  of  the 
Grampians,  at  Cairn  Bannoch.     There  it  enters  the  earldom 
of  Mar,  and  proceeds  along  the  west  side  of  Glenmuich  to 
the  Dee  at  Ballater,  where  the  Pass  of  Ballater  leads  into 
the  districts  of  Strathdee  and  the  Forest  of  Braemar.    North 
of  these  districts  it  includes  likewise  the  district  of  Strath- 
don,  crossing  the  river  Don  at  Boat  of  Forbes,  whence  it 
proceeds  to  the  river  Spey  at  Craigellachie,  including  the 
district  of  Strathavon,  and  here  a  pass  leads  into  the  district 
of  Strathspey,  and  separating  the  mountain  region  of  the 
earldom  of  Moray  from  the  level  plains  forming  the  southern 
seaboard  of  the  Moray  Firth,  it  terminates  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Nairn,  which  flows  through  the  town  of  Nairn,  and 
formerly  separated  the  Gaelic-speaking  people  on  its  left 
bank  from  the  lowland  population  on  the  right.     The  High- 
land Line  thus  intersects  the  old  earldoms  of  Lennox,  Men- 
teith,  Stratherne,  Gowry,  Angus,  Mar,  Buchan,  and  Moray, 
which  represented  the  older  great  Celtic  tribes  or  Mortuath, 
governed  by  their  Bi  Mortuath  or  Mormaers,  and  the  portion 
of  each  earldom  included  in  the  Highland  Line  consisted  of 
that  part  which  retained  its  Gaelic  population  intact,  while 
the   rest  of  it  became  more  or  less  colonised  by  foreign 
settlers. 
Break-ui)  The   earldoms   of   Atholl,   Eoss,   and    Sutherland   were 

Celtic         entirely  comprehended  within  the  Highland  Line,  as  well 
earldoms.     ^^  ^^^  ^^.^^^  district  of  Arvcgaithcl,  or  Argyll,  in  its  most 
extended  sense,  reaching  from  the  Clyde  to  Lochbroom,  and 
a  similar  line  drawn  from  the  Ord  of  Caithness  to  Brinsness 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FIN^  Oil  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  287 

on  the  west  side  of  Thurso  Bay  separated  the  Gaelic  popula- 
tion in  the  more  mountainous  part  of  the  ancient  province 
of  Cathanesia,  which  from  an  early  period  had  passed  into 
the  possession  of  the  Norwegian  earls  of  Orkney,  from  the 
Teutonic  settlers  in  the  eastern  and  more  level  plains.  As 
long  as  the  native  race  of  the  Mormacrs  remained,  though 
assuming  the  new  character  of  earls,  the  connection  between 
them  and  the  Gaelic  population  of  the  earldom  remained 
unimpaired ;  but  when,  by  marriage  or  otherwise,  the  earl- 
dom passed  into  foreign  hands,  the  Gaelic  population  be- 
came the  subjects  of  a  foreign  overlord,  the  greater  tribe 
became  broken  up,  and  they  emerged  from  it  in  the  form  of 
clans  or  broken  tribes. 

The  first  of  these  great  Celtic  tribes  to  break  up  was  that  Moray, 
which  formed  the  great  earldom,  or  rather  petty  kingdom,  of 
Moray.  Here  we  find  a  family  making  their  appearance  in 
the  eleventh  century  in  the  Irish  Annals  as  Mormaers  of 
Moray,  and  occasionally  bearing  the  title  of  Ri  or  king. 
This  line  of  Celtic  kings  or  Mormaers  terminated  with  Maels- 
nechtan,  son  of  that  Lulach  mac  Gillcomgan  who  succeeded 
Macbeth  as  king  of  Scotland  for  three  months.  He  appears 
as  Ri  or  king  of  Moray  in  1086,  and  after  him  Angus,  the 
grandson  of  Lulach  by  his  daughter,  bears  the  title  of  earl  of 
Moray,  and  by  his  defeat  and  death  in  the  beginning  of  the 
reign  of  David  the  First  the  line  of  the  ancient  kings  or  Mor- 
maers of  Moray  comes  to  an  end,  but  the  tribe  appears 
to  have  been  still  held  so  far  together  by  their  support  of  the 
claims  of  the  family  of  MacHeth  to  the  earldom  of  Moray, 
whose  founder  Wymund  asserted  himself  to  be  the  son  of 
Angus,  and  of  that  of  MacWilliam  who  claimed  to  be  the 
nearer  line  of  the  royal  family  to  the  throne  of  Scotland;  and 
it  was  not  till  the  year  1222  that  the  pretensions  of  these  two 
families  were  finally  extinguished  by  Alexander  the  Second. 

About  the  same  period  the  line  of  the  Celtic  Mormaers  or  Buchan. 


288  TIIK  KINK  oil  CLANMN  SCOTLAND.  [book  id. 

earls  of  Buchaii  liacl  come  to  an  eiul.  The  Book  of  Deer  fur- 
nishes us  with  a  tolerably  complete  list  of  these  Mormaers, 
from  Bede  the  Pict  in  the  sixth  century  to  Colban,  earl  of 
Buchan,  in  the  reign  of  David  the  First ;  and  we  can  see  from 
the  history  of  the  last  four  that  they  followed  in  the  main 
the  Pictish  law  of  succession,  which  preferred  daughters  to 
sons  after  brothers.  Donald,  son  of  liuadri,  appears  as  Mor- 
macr  of  Buchan  in  the  reign  of  Malcolm  the  Second.  He  is 
followed  by  Donald,  son  of  MacDubhacain,  who  is  succeeded 
by  his  brother  Cainneach.  The  next  Mormacr  mentioned  was 
his  son  Gartnait,  but  he  appears  to  have  derived  his  right 
through  his  wife  Ete,  daughter  of  rrillamithil.  He  appears 
with  the  title  of  earl  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  First,  and 
his  daughter  Eva  carries  the  earldom  to  her  husband  Colban. 
He  is  followed  by  his  son  Eoger,  and  he  by  his  son  Fergus, 
whose  only  daughter  Margaret  carried  the  earldom  to  William 
Cumyn,  who  became  in  his  right  earl  of  Buchan,  and  by 
Alexander  the  Second  was  made  guardian  of  the  earldom  of 
Moray  in  1222.  Six  years  after,  the  districts  of  Badenoch 
and  Lochaber  were  conferred  upon  his  son  Walter  Cumyn, 
on  the  rebellion,  defeat,  and  death  of  a  certain  Gillespie,  by 
whom  they  had  apparently  been  forfeited. 
AthoU.  The  same  reign  of  Alexander  the  Second  witnessed  the 

termination  of  the  line  of  the  Celtic  earls  of  Atholl  and 
Angus,  The  former  earldom  appears  to  have  been  an  appan- 
age of  the  family  from  whom  sprang  the  kings  of  the  race  of 
Duncan,  the  son  of  Crinan,  and  its  earls  were  descended  from 
his  younger  son,  a  younger  brother  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor.'' 
The  last  of  this  line  was  Henry,  earl  of  Atholl,  who  died 
before  1215,  and  the  earldom  passed  to  the  eldest  of  two 
sisters,  Isabella  and  Forflissa,  who  married  Thomas,  earl  of 

'  The  peerage-writers  make  Ma-  Cumyns,  through   female    descent 

dach,  earl  of  Atholl,  son  of  Donald  from  him,  to  the  throne.     The  Ork- 

Bane,  which,  as  we   have   stated,  neyinga  Saga  names  him  Melcolni 

is  disproved  by  the   claim    of  the  or  Melmare. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  289 

Galloway.  On  the  death  of  his  son  Patrick  in  1242  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  aunt  Forflissa,  the  other  sister,  who  married 
David  de  Hastings,  and  by  his  daughter  it  was  carried  to  the 
Strathbolgie  family,  a  branch  of  the  earls  of  Fife.-  But  while 
the  earldom  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  succession  of  foreign 
earls,  a  family  bearing  the  title  of  De  Atholia  continued  to 
possess  a  great  part  of  the  earldom,  and  were  probably  the 
descendants  of  the  older  Celtic  earls.  The  Gaelic  population 
of  the  whole  of  the  north-western  portion  of  Atholl,  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  river  Garry,  and  on  the  south  by  the 
Tummel,  remained  intact  under  them,  but  the  possession  of 
the  great  western  territory  of  the  abthanric  of  Dull  by  the 
Crown  led  to  the  introduction  of  a  foreign  element  among 
the  landholders  of  the  rest  of  the  earldom,  and  much  of  the 
land  passed  permanently  into  the  possession  of  the  families 
of  Menzies  and  Stewart,  while  the  Celtic  character  of  the 
whole  earldom  was  notwithstanding  preserved. 

The  same  reign  saw  also  the  extinction  of  the  old  Celtic  Angi 
earls  of  Angus.  The  Pictish  Chronicle  furnishes  us  with  the 
names  of  three  of  its  Mormaers — Dubucan,  son  of  Indrech- 
taig,  who  died  about  935,  and  Maelbrigdi,  son  of  Dubucan, 
and  this  name  again  occurs  in  the  '  Dufugan  Comes '  who 
appears  among  the  seven  earls  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the 

-  The  line  of  these  earls  is  very  in-  Atholl,  confirm  the  donation  of  the 
correctly  given  by  the  peerage-writ-  lands  of  Invervach  made  to  the 
ers.  They  give  the  two  sisters  an  monks  of  Cupar  by  David  de  Has- 
elder  anonymous  sister,  whom  they  tings,  earl  of  Atholl,  father  of  Ada, 
marry  to  Alan  Durwai'd,  who  is  men-  in  1283  in  place  of  1254,  which  is  the 
t\oiiG(iinthQChartulary  of  Arbroath  date  given  by  Sir  James  Balfour, 
(p.  76)  as  earl  of  Atholl  in  1235  ;  but  by  whom  alone  a  note  of  this  char- 
as  Thomas  of  Galloway  died  in  1231,  ter  has  been  preserved,  they  con- 
leaving  Isabella  a  widow,  and  her  found  David  de  Strathbolgie,  earl 
son  succeeded  in  1242,  it  is  obvious  of  Atholl,  who  died  in  a  pilgrimage 
that  Alan  held  the  earldom  either  as  to  the  Holy  Land  in  1269,  with  his 
husband  of  the  widow  or  guardian  of  grandfather,  David  de  Hastings,  earl 
the  son.  Then  by  misdating  a  char-  of  Atholl,  and  his  son  John,  earl  of 
ter  by  which  John  de  Strathbolgie,  Atholl,  with  his  grandfather,  John 
earl  of  Atholl,  and  Ada,  countess  of  earl  of  Atholl,  the  husband  of  Ada. 

VOL.  III.  T 


'290  THK  FINl5  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  iii. 

First,  aud  was  no  douLt  earl  of  Angus.  After  him  we  have 
a  succession  of  four  earls  from  father  to  son,  viz.,  Gillebiide, 
Gilchrist,  Duncan,  and  Malcolm ;  and  Matilda,  the  daugliter 
and  heiress  of  the  last  earl,  carried  the  earldom  by  marriage 
first  to  John  Comyn,  who  died  in  1242,  and  then  to  the  Nor- 
man family  of  De  Umphraviile.  The  family  of  Ogilvie,  who 
retained  possession  of  a  considerable  portion  of  the  earldom, 
appear  to  have  been  the  male  descendants  of  these  old  Celtic 
earls,  and  they  likewise  gave  a  line  of  earls  to  Caithness, 
who  possessed,  with  the  title  of  earl,  one  half  of  the  land  of 
the  earldom.  Of  the  land  of  the  earldom  of  Angus  the  dis- 
trict of  Glenisla  was  alone  included  within  the  Highland 
Line  and  preserved  its  Gaelic  population. 
Menteith  The  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Third  saw 

eine.  the  termination  too  of  the  line  of  the  old  Celtic  earls  of 

Menteith.  No  mention  of  the  Mormaers  of  this  Mortuath 
lias  been  preserved,  and  the  first  earl,  Gilchrist,  appears  in  the 
reign  of  Malcolm  the  Fourth.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mure- 
thac,  who  was  followed  by  two  brothers,  both  bearing  the 
name  of  Maurice,  between  whom  there  was  a  contention  for 
the  earldom  in  1213,  which  ended  in  the  elder  Maurice  re- 
signing the  earldom  to  his  brother  and  retaining  some  of 
the  lands  for  his  life  f  but  Earl  Maurice  left  two  daughters 
only,  the  eldest  of  whom  married  Walter  Cumyn,  and  the  • 
younger  Walter  Stewart,  and  carried  the  earldom  to  these  ! 
families.  The  western  and  more  mountainous  part  of  this  earl-  I: 
dom,  consisting  mainly  of  the  districts  of  Strathgartney  aud  )• 
Strathire,  retained  its  Gaelic  population.  Of  the  early  Mor-  \\ 
maers  of  the  Mortuath  of  Stratherne  we  have  no  mention,  but  !  i 
the  line  of  its  Celtic  earls  continued  unbroken  till  the  reign  i  j 
of  David  the  Second,  when  the  forfeiture  of  one  interposed       I  i 

for  a  time  a  Norman  baron,  and  the  succession  terminated  in       j  i 

I 

*  See  Riddell's  Remarks  on  Scotch  Peerage  Laic,  p.  149,  for  an  account        j  i 
of  this  dispute.  j 


CHAP.  Via.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  291 

co-lieiresses,  when  the  earldom  came  into  the  Crown,  and  was 
re-granted  to  one  of  the  Eoyal  Stewarts  ;  the  western  districts 
within  the  Highland  IJne  retained  their  Gaelic  inhabitants. 

The  only  other  of  the  frontier  earldoms  intersected  by  the  Uav. 
Highland  Line  was  that  of  Mar,  and  here,  like  Buchan,  we 
are  on  historic  ground,  for  a  Mormaer  of  Mar — Donald  mac 
Emin  mac  Cainech — is  recorded  in  a  nearly  contemporary 
document  as  having  been  present  at  the  battle  of  Clontarff 
in  Ireland,  fought  in  the  year  1014  ;*  and  Euadri,  Mormaer 
of  Mar,  who  is  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Deer,  appears 
among  the  seven  earls  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  First 
as  '  Eothri  Comes.'  The  line  of  the  Celtic  earls  of  Mar 
continued  till  the  reign  of  liobert  the  Second,  when  it  was 
carried  by  an  heiress  into  the  Douglas  iamily,  and  after- 
wards to  one  of  the  Stewarts,  by  whom  it  was  resigned  to 
the  Crown.  A  great  part  of  the  territory  of  the  Celtic  earls 
was  at  an  early  period  carried  off  from  them  by  the  family 
of  De  Lundin  or  Durward,  who  claimed  the  earldom  as 
representing  the  earls  through  a  female,  and  were  thus  com- 
pensated, but  this  part  consisted  of  Lowland  districts,  and 
the  Highland  districts  of  Strathdee,  Braemar,  and  Strathdon 
constituted  the  '  comitatus '  or  demesne  of  the  Celtic  earls, 
and  preserved  their  Gaelic  population. 

The  history  of  the  Mortuatli  or  earldom  of  Eoss  is  pecu-  Ross. 
liar,  and  became  eventually  connected  with  that  of  the  Lords 
of  the  Isles.  Of  the  early  Celtic  Mormacrs  we  have  no 
record,  and  the  supposed  connection  of  Macbeth  with  Eoss 
as  its  Mormaer,  which  originated  with  George  Chalmers,  has 
no  historic  foundation.  He  was,  as  we  have  seen,  Mormaer 
of  Moray.  The  name  of  Gillandres  appears  in  Wyntoun  as 
one  of  the  earls  who  besieged  Malcolm  the  Fourth  in  Perth 
in  the  year  1160  ;  and  the  Gaelic  name  of  the  old  Eosses  as 
Clanghillandrcs  seems  to  connect  him  with  this  earldom,  but 

■*  The  War  of  the  Gaedhil  loith  the  Gaill,  pp.  171,  21]. 


292  THE  FIN^  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

it  must  have  been  iinm'ediately  after  in  the  Crown,  for  the 
same  Malcohn  undoubtedly  gave  it  to  Malcohn  MacHeth, 
who  appears  as  its  earl,  but  was  soon  after  expelled.  It  was 
afterwards  bestowed  by  William  the  Lion  upon  a  foreigner, 
the  Count  of  Holland  ;  but  his  successor,  Alexander  the 
Second,  created  Ferchard  Macintaggart,  the  heir  of  a  line  of 
lay  abbots  of  Applecross,  earl  of  Koss,  who  thus  united  the 
extensive  possessions  of  that  monastery  in  North  Argyll  to 
the  earldom,  and  from  him  the  later  earls  are  descended.  It 
became  for  a  time  broken  up,  when  an  heiress  carried  the 
earldom  to  Walter  de  Lesly,  and  afterwards  to  Alexander 
Stewart,  earl  of  Buchan,  but  it  reverted  through  her  daughter 
and  heiress  to  the  line  of  tlie  Celtic  Lords  of  the  Isles. 

But  while  the  eastern  and  central  tribes  became  broken 
up  by  the  termination  of  the  line  of  the  Celtic  earls  of  the 
respective  great  districts  or  Mortuaths,  and  thus  either  revert- 
ing to  the  Crown  or  passing  by  marriage  to  Norman  barons, 
those  of  the  western  seaboard  and  of  the  Isles  were  held 
together  for  a  longer  period,  and  remained  intact  till  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century.  These  Gaelic  in- 
habitants of  the  Western  Isles  had  been,  as  early  as  the  ninth 
century,  brought  under  the  rule  of  the  Danes  and  Norwegians, 
and  the  latter  had  in  the  eleventh  century  extended  their 
sway  over  the  western  districts  of  the  highlands  and  over 
Galloway.  These  Gael  were  termed  Gallgaidhcal,  the  word 
Gall  or  foreigner  being  applied  to  both  Danes  and  Norwegians, 
both  from  being  under  their  rule  and  from  their  having  been 
in  some  degree  assimilated  to  their  manners  and  become 
connected  with  them  by  intermarriage ;  but  the  word  Gall- 
f/aidheal  as  a  geographical  term  became  limited  to  the  district 
of  Galloway,  which  derived  its  name  from  them.  The  Islands 
became  known  as  Innsigall,  or  the  islands  of  the  strangers,  and 
western  districts  of  the  Highlands  as  Airer  or  Oirir  Gaidheal, 
the  coast  land  of  the  Gael,  from  whence  the  name  of  Argyll 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  293 

is  derived.  Two  Celtic  chiefs,  as  we  have  seen,  succeeded 
at  the  same  time  in  driving  the  Norwegians  out  from  the 
mainland  of  Scotland,  and  Somerled,  establishing  himself  as 
king  over  the  whole  of  the  extensive  district  known  by  the 
name  of  Ergadia  or  Oirirgaidhcal,  extending  from  the  Clyde 
to  Lochbroom,  and  had  likewise  wrested  from  the  Norwesrian 
kings  of  the  Isles  the  southern  half  of  tliem  lying  to  the  south 
of  the  promontory  of  Ardnamurchan,  over  which  his  de- 
scendants ruled  with  almost  regal  sway,  while  Fergus  founded 
u  line  of  Celtic  lords  of  Galloway.  Somerled  left  three  sons 
— Dubhgal  or  Dugald,  Eeginald,  and  Angus,  among  whom 
his  dominions  were  divided.  Dubhgal  received  the  district 
of  Lorn,  extending  from  Lochleven  to  the  Point  of  Ashnish, 
and  also  that  of  Morveru ;  Eeginald  obtained  the  districts  of 
Kintyre  and  Cowall,  and  the  islands  which  Somerled  had  pos- 
sessed were  divided  between  them,  Dubhgal  having  Mull  and 
the  small  islands  adjacent  to  it,  and  Eeginald  the  important 
island  of  Isla,  with  those  in  the  Firth  of  Clyde.  Angus's 
possessions  appear  to  have  lain  north  of  the  others,  but  a 
struggle  seems  to  have  taken  place  between  him  and  Eeginald, 
which  resulted  in  Angus  being  slain  with  his  three  sons  in 
1210  by  the  sons  of  Eeginald.  Soon  after,  the  conquest  of 
the  great  district  of  Argyll  by  Alexander  the  Second  took 
place,  and  the  descendants  of  Somerled  appear  to  have  been 
among  the  lords  who  were  confirmed  in  their  possessions  by 
that  monarch,  but  their  possessions  in  the  Isles  were  still  held 
of  the  Norwegians  till  the  cession  of  the  Isles  in  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  Third.  Eeginald  had  left  two  sons,  Donald 
and  Euaidri  or  Eoderick,  the  former  succeeding  his  father  in 
Kintyre  and  Isla,  and  the  latter  obtaining  Bute  and  Arran, 
and  likewise  the  possessions  which  had  been  wrested  from 
Angus,  and  consisted  mainly  of  the  district  extending  from 
Ardnamurchan  to  Glenelg,  and  known  by  the  name  of  Gar- 
moran  ;  while  the  district  of  Lochaber,  which  had  been  for- 


294  tup:  fink  ok  clan  in  Scotland.  [book  m. 

feited,  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Cuinyus.  The 
descendants  of  Dugald  and  Keginald  thus  shared  the  posses- 
sions of  Sonierled  between  them,  and  we  find  the  heads  of  the 
respective  families — Alexander,  son  of  Eogan,  son  of  Duncan, 
son  of  Dubhgal,  Angus  Mor  son  of  Donald,  and  Allan  son  of 
Eoderic — appearing  at  tlie  Scottish  parliament  in  1284,  when 
the  crown  was  settled  on  the  Maiden  of  Norway ;  but  the 
families  having  taken  opposite  sides  in  the  war  of  succession — 
the  head  of  the  line  of  Dubhgal,  John  of  Lorn,  supporting  the 
cause  of  Baliol,  and  the  head  of  the  line  of  Kegiuald  that  of 
Bruce — the  latter  became  the  predominant  family.  Angus  Og, 
son  of  Angus  Mor,  the  head  of  the  family  who  had  supported 
Bruce,  received  from  him  when  established  on  the  throne  the 
lands  of  Morvern,  Ardnanmrchan,  and  Lochaber,  with  the 
islands  which  had  belonged  to  the  Lords  of  Lorn.  These  lands 
and  islands,  with  Kintyre  and  Isla,  were  confirmed  to  his  son 
John  by  David  the  Second,  who  likewise  confirmed  to  Kegi- 
nald  son  of  Eoderic,  the  lands  of  Garmoran,  with  the  small 
islands  north  of  Ardnaniurchon  and  the  southern  half  of  the 
Long  Island;  but  Reginald  having  been  slain  in  a  quarrel  with 
the  earl  of  Eoss  at  Perth  in  1346,  his  possessions  passed  with 
his  sister  Amie  by  marriage  to  John  the  son  of  Angus,^  and 
thus  this  latter  family  became  known  as  the  powerful  Lords 
of  the  Isles,  ruling  over  the  territories  of  the  Macdonalds  of 
Isla  and  Kintyre,  the  MacEuaries  of  Garmoran  and  the  North 
Isles,  and  a  great  part  of  those  which  had  belonged  to  the 
Lords  of  Lorn.  Their  position  was  still  further  strengthened 
by  the  marriage  of  John,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  with  the  daughter 
of  Eobert,  High  Steward  of  Scotland,  for  which  connection  he 
had  apparently  repudiated  his  first  wife  Amie  ;  and  when  the 
line  of  the  Lords  of  Lorn  of  the  race  of  Dubhgal  came  to  an 
end,  and  the  lordship  of  Lorn  passed  to  the  Stewarts  of  Inner- 

5  '  Benedict  xii.     Uispcn.  Joanni  quondam  Engussii  de  Isle  Sodoren. 
et  Amiif  quondam  Roderici  de  Tnsulis  .   .   .   1.S37.' 


CHAP,  viil]  the  FINF:  oil  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  295 

meath  by  marriage  with  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  John, 
Lord  of  Lorn,  before  1388,  the  Lords  of  the  Isles  were  left  with- 
out a  rival  in  their  rule  of  the  Gaelic  population  of  Argyll 
and  the  Isles.  John,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  had  by  his  first  mar- 
riage with  Amie  MacRuarie,  three  sons,  John,  Godfrey,  and 
Eanald  ;  and  by  his  second  marriage  with  the  Lady  Margaret 
Stewart  likewise  three  sons,  Donald,  John,  and  Alexander ; 
and  when  Eobert  the  High  Steward  succeeded  to  the  throne 
in  1370,  his  influence  led  to  an  arrangement  by  which  the 
children  of  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  by  his  second  marriage,  who 
were  the  king's  grandsons,  were  to  be  preferred  to  the  children 
of  the  first  marriage  in  the  succession  to  the  Isles,  while  the 
possessions  of  the  Maclluarie  family,  which  he  had  inherited 
through  his  first  wife,  were  to  be  secured  to  the  first  family 
as  the  price  of  their  acquiescence.  Accordingly,  in  the  first 
year  of  his  reign.  King  Robert  confirms  to  John,  Lord  of  the 
Isles,  the  territory  on  the  mainland  and  the  Isles  which  had 
belonged  to  Alan,  son  of  Roderic,  and  in  the  following  year 
confirms  a  grant  by  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  of  these  possessions 
to  his  son  Reginald,  the  youngest  of  the  three  brothers,  who 
appears  to  have  agreed  to  the  arrangement,  the  eldest  son, 
Jolm,  having  predeceased  his  father,  and  the  second,  Godfrey, 
having  apparently  refused  to  surrender  his  rights  ;  and  a  few 
years  later  charters  are  granted  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  and 
to  the  heirs  of  his  marriage  with  Margaret,  the  king's  daughtei', 
of  the  island  of  Colonsay  with  its  pertinents,  and  the  lands 
of  Lochaber,  Kintyre,  and  one  half  of  Knapdale.  On  the 
death  of  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  in  1380,  Reginald  fulfilled  his 
engagement  by  causing  Donald  to  be  recognised  as  Lord  of 
the  Isles,  and  having  him  inaugurated  by  the  usual  Celtic 
solemnities  as  such ;  while  Godfrey  appears  to  have  for  a 
time  maintained  his  right  to  his  mother's  inheritance,  which, 
however,  was  soon  extinguished  by  the  failure  of  heirs-male. 
Donald  thus  appears  to  have  entered  peaceably  into  pos- 


290  THK  FINK  Oil  CLAN  IN    SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

session  of  the  lordsliip  of  the  Isles,  and  his  marriage  with 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Walter  Lesly,  earl  of  Eoss,  added  a 
claim  to  that  earldom  on  the  death  of  her  brother  Alexandei', 
earl  of  Iloss,  who  left  an  only  daughter  who  became  a  nun. 
This  claim  being  contested  by  the  Ecgent  Duke  of  Albany, 
who  had  obtained  a  renunciation  from  the  nun,  led  to  the 
great  battle  of  Harlaw,  where  the  whole  force  of  the  Western 
Highlands  and  Isles,  as  well  as  those  of  the  earldom,  was 
pitted  against  the  Government;  and  though  the  i.ssue  of  the 
battle  was  doubtful,  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  maintained  his  pos- 
session of  the  earldom,  and  his  title  as  Earl  of  Eoss  was  even- 
tually admitted,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  1420  by  his  son 
Alexander,  as  Earl  of  Eoss  and  Lord  of  the  Isles.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles,  as  virtually  independent  rulers 
of  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Highlands  with  the  Isles,  was  now 
so  powerful,  that  their  authority  and  that  of  the  Crown  came 
into  constant  collision,  and  it  is  necessary,  for  our  purpose, 
that  the  leading  incidents  should  be  shortly  stated.  On  the 
accession  of  James  the  First  in  1424,  he  appears  to  have 
strengthened  his  party  against  the  family  of  the  Eegent 
Albany  by  confirming  the  widow  of  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and 
her  son  Alexander,  in  the  earldom  of  Eoss;  and  the  latter,  as 
Lord  of  the  Isles  and  Master  of  the  earldom  of  Eoss,  sat  upon 
the  jury  which  condemned  Murdoch,  Duke  of  Albany,  and 
his  father-in-law,  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  to  death;  but  after  his 
object  was  attained,  this  vigorous  monarch  seemed  to  feel  the 
necessity  of  bringing  the  Highlands  more  under  his  control. 
The  mode  by  which  he  endeavoured  to  accomplish  this  was 
characteristic.  He  summoned,  in  1427,  a  Parliament  to  meet 
at  Inverness,  at  which  the  Highland  chiefs  were  invited  to 
attend,  and  as  soon  as  they  obeyed  his  summons,  arrested  them 
to  the  number  of  fifty  and  committed  them  to  prison.  The 
chroniclers  enumerate  among  them — Alexander,  Lord  of  the 
Isles,  and  his  mother  the  Countess  of  Eoss  ;  Angus  Duff  with 


CHAP,  viii.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  297 

his  four  sons,  leader  of  four  thousand  men  of  Strathnaver  ; 
Kenneth  More  with  his  son-in-law,  leader  of  two  thousand 
men  ;  John  Eoss,  William  Lesly,  Angus  of  Moray,  and  Mack- 
mahon,  leaders  of  two  thousand  men  each ;  and  he  put  to 
death  Alexander  Makreury  of  Garmoran,  leader  of  a  thousand 
men,  and  John  Makarthur,  a  great  chief  among  them,  and 
likewise  leader  of  a  thousand  men,  who  were  beheaded.  The 
rest  were  sent  to  various  prisons,  where,  after  a  time,  some 
were  put  to  death  and  others  liberated.^  Among  those  who 
were  liberated  were  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  and  his  mother,  and 
he  seems  to  have  lost  no  time  in  endeavouring  to  revense 
himself,  for  in  1429  he  summoned  all  his  vassals  in  Ross  and 
the  Isles,  and  advanced  against  the  town  of  Inverness,  which 
he  burnt  to  the  ground  after  he  had  wasted  the  crown  lands; 
but  on  the  appearance  of  the  royal  army,  with  King  James 
at  its  head,  he  retreated  to  Lochaber,  where  the  king  followed 
him,  and  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  having  been  deserted  by  part 
of  his  troops,  he  was  attacked  and  defeated,  and  eventually 
surrendered  himself  unconditionally  to  the  king,  when  he  was 
imprisoned  in  Tantallon  Castle,  and  his  mother  was  also  ar- 
rested and  confined  at  Inchcolm,  in  the  Firth  of  Forth.  Along 
with  the  earl  of  Ross,  we  find  in  prison  Lachlane  M'Gillane, 
Torkill  M'Nell,  Tarlan  MacArchir,  and  Duncan  Persoun.^ 

The  imprisonment  of  the  earl  of  Ross  and  his  mother  led 
to  an  insurrection  in  the  west,  when  the  Highlanders  under 
Donald  Balloch,  a  cousin  of  the  earl,  defeated  the  royal  troops, 
under  the  earls  of  Mar  and  Caithness,  at  Inverlochy  in  Locha- 
ber in  1431,  when  the  former  was  killed  ;  but  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  king  himself  with  additional  forces,  Donald  Balloch 

"  Scotichronicon ,  voL  ii.  p.  489.  tensas  super  computum  sub  periculo 

''  Et  domino  ConiitiRossicB.Lach-  computancium.  Et  eidem  comiti  pro 

lano    M'Gillane,    Torkell    M'Nell,  panno  laneo,  pro  capucio  tunica  ca- 

Tarlano  M'Archir  et  Duncano  Per-  ligis  et  pellibus  rubeis  pro  juppone 

soun  de  mandate  domini  regis  ut  liiij  lb  iiij  s.   14th  July  1438. — Ex- 

patet  per  literas  suas  subsigneto  os-  rhequfr  Rolls,  vol.  v.  p.  33. 


298  TIIK  riNK  Oi;  clan  in  SCOTLANI'.  [book  III. 

tied  to  Ireland,  and  the  other  chiefs  made  their  submission. 
In  consequence  of  this  insurrection,  the  king  appears  to  have 
seen  the  policy  of  setting  the  earl  of  lioss  at  liberty  and  at- 
taching him  to  his  service  by  conferring  upon  him  the  impor- 
tant office  of  Justiciar  of  Scotland  north  of  the  Forth,  an  office 
which  he  held  during  the  minority  of  James  the  Second.  He 
appears,  however,  to  have  entered  into  a  league  with  the  earls 
of  Douglas  and  Crawford,  in  1455,  for  the  dethronement  of 
that  monarch,  but  died  in  1449  before  any  overt  attempt  had 
been  made  to  carry  it  into  effect.  Alexander,  earl  of  Boss, 
like  his  grandfather,  seems  to  have  formed  one  potent  alliance 
with  the  Lowdand  nobility  by  his  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
Seton,  daughter  of  Alexander,  Lord  of  Gordon  and  Huntly, 
while  he  had — either  before  or  after — added  to  his  possessions 
by  marriage  with  daughters  of  Highland  chiefs.  By  his  coun- 
tess Elizabeth  he  had  John,  who  succeeded  him  as  Earl  of 
Eoss  and  Lord  of  the  Isles.  By  the  daughter  of  Giollapad- 
raig,  the  last  of  the  lay  abbots  of  Applecross,  and  known  to 
tradition  as  the  Eed  Priest,  with  whom  he  obtained  the  lands 
of  Lochalsh,  Lochcarron,  and  others,  he  had  a  son  Hugh,  to 
whom  he  gave  the  lands  of  Sleat  in  Skye  ;  and  by  a  daughter 
of  Mac  Bubhshithe  or  Macphee,  of  Lochaber,  he  had  Celestine 
or  Gilleaspic,  to  whom  he  gave  the  lands  of  Lochalsh.  During 
the  reign  of  James  the  Second,  John,  earl  of  Boss,  was  occa- 
sionally at  variance  with  the  Crown,  and  at  other  times  on 
good  terms  with  the  king,  and  under  his  influence  was  mar- 
ried to  the  daughter  of  Sir  James  Livingston  ;  but  soon  after 
that  king's  death,  he  entered  into  a  league  with  the  earl  of 
Douglas  and  King  Edward  the  Fourth  of  England  for  the 
conquest  and  partition  of  Scotland,  in  1462,  and  immedi- 
ately raised  the  standard  of  revolt.  Having  assembled  a  large 
force,  he  made  himself  master  of  the  castle  of  Inverness,  and 
proclaimed  himself  supreme  over  the  sheriffdoms  of  Inver- 
ness and  Nairn,  which  then  embraced  the  whole  of  the  north 


CHAP,  vm.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  290 

of  Scotland  over  which  he  placed  his  natural  son  Angus  as 
lieutenant.  In  consequence  of  this  act,  and  of  the  treatv 
with  England  coming  to  light,  he  was  summoned  at  his 
castle  of  Dingwall  to  appear  before  a  Parliament  in  Edin- 
burgh to  answer  to  various  charges  of  treason,  and  failing  to 
attend,  sentence  of  forfeiture  was  pronounced  against  him  in 
1475.  In  order  to  carry  this  sentence  into  effect,  an  expedi- 
tion consisting  both  of  a  fleet  and  land  force  was  sent  against 
him  under  the  command  of  the  earls  of  Crawford  and  Atholl, 
and  this  led  to  his  suing  for  pardon  through  the  medium  of 
the  earl  of  Huntly,  and  he  eventually  surrendered  himself 
to  the  royal  mercy.  He  was  restored  to  his  forfeited  estates, 
which  he  immediately  resigned  to  the  Crown.  The  earldom 
of  Eoss  was  annexed  to  the  Crown,  and  the  rest  of  his  estates, 
with  the  exception  of  Kintyre  and  Knapdale,  were  regranted 
to  him  by  royal  charter,  and  he  was  created  a  baron  banrent 
and  peer  of  Parliament  by  the  title  of  Lord  of  the  Isles,  with 
remainder  to  his  two  natural  sons,  Angus  and  John.  The 
old  Celtic  lordship  of  the  Isles  was  thus  converted  into  a 
feudal  barony  in  147G. 

Angus  was  soon  after  married  to  a  daugliter  of  the  earl 
of  Argyll,  by  whom  he  had  a  son  Donald  Dubh,  but  was 
treacherously  slain  in  1490  at  Inverness  by  an  Irish  harper. 
The  repeated  attempts  which  had  been  made  to  recover  the 
earldom  of  Eoss,  and  other  acts  committed  in  name  of  the 
aged  Lord  of  the  Isles,  led  to  his  being  again  forfeited  and 
deprived  of  his  titles  and  estates  in  a  Parliament  held  at 
Edinburgh  in  May  1493,  on  which  he  retired  to  the  monas- 
tery of  Paisley,  and  died  there  in  1498,  and  was  interred  in 
the  tomb  of  his  royal  ancestor  King  Eobert  the  Second. 
Although  several  attempts  were  made  after  his  death  by  the 
western  chiefs  to  raise  up  his  grandson  Donald  Dubh  and 
his  nephew  Donald  Gallda,  the  sou  of  Celestine,  as  Lords  of 
the  Isles,  this  was  the  final  termination  of  the  dynasty  of 


300  THE  FINK  OK  CLAN  IN   SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

the  Celtic  J^ords  of  the  Isles,  which  practically  ceased  to 
exist  ill  1476  at  his  first  forfeiture,  and  the  Gaelic  popula- 
tion,  which   had   been   kept   together   by   the   power   and 
authority  of  their  great  chiefs,  became  now  broken  up.*^ 
Lennox.  The  line  of  the  Celtic  earls  of  Lennox  had  come  to  an 

end  during  the  life  of  Alexander,  earl  of  Ross,  when  Duncan, 
t^arl  of   Lennox,  was  executed  in   1425,  and  the  earldom 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Stewarts. 
The  The  tifteenth  century  thus  saw  the  last  of  the  great  Celtic 

doracht.  tribcs  broken  up  ;  but  while  this  process  of  disintegration  from 
external  influence  had  thus  overtaken  tlie  greater  tribes  or 
MortuoAh  one  after  another,  their  extinction  as  leading  features 
in  the  Celtic  tribal  organisation  did  not  disclose  the  lesser 
tribes  or  Tuaths  in  their  entirety.  They,  too,  had  been  under- 
going a  process  of  internal  change  similar  to  that  which  had 
affected  the  Irish  tribes  and  led  to  the  development  of  the 
septs  or  clans,  gradually  severed  more  and  more  from  the 
parent  tribe,  till  the  bond  of  union  between  them  became 
impaired,  and  all  tradition  of  their  earlier  existence  as  mem- 
bers of  a  larger  organisation  became  lost.  But  while  the 
original  tribe  had  ceased  thus  to  exist  in  that  part  of  the 
country  which  retained  its  Gaelic  population,  as  an  actual 
element  in  its  social  organisation,  it  left  an  evidence  of  its 
previous  existence  in  the  lesser  districts  into  which  the  larger 
territories  were  divided,  and  which  still  remained  as  a  geogra- 
phical feature ;  where  an  officer  bearing  the  name  and  some 
of  the  functions  of  the  ancient  Toisech  of  the  Tuath  is  still 
found  in  connection  with  some  of  them.  This  was  the  Tosh- 
achdoracht  or  office  of  Toschachdoir,  which  was  considered 
equivalent  to  Coroner.  It  was  rendered  in  Latin  by  capitalis 
hgis,   and   signified   in   English,  principal   of  law.      Thus, 

^  lu  the  Appendix  will  be  found  the  Isles ;  and  Mr.  Gregory's  His- 

a  translation  of   part  of   the  Red  tory  of   the  West   Highlands  and 

Book  of  Clanranald,  containing  the  Isles  of  Scotland  may  be  referred  to 

traditionary  history  of  the  Lords  of  for  the  above  sketches. 


CHAi'.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  301 

ill  that  part  of  the  great  district  of  Argyll  which  formed 
the  original  kingdom  of  Dalriada,  we  find  the  districts  of 
Cowall,  Kintyre  in  its  largest  sense,  and  Lorn,  obviously 
representing  the  ancient  Tuaths  into  which  the  population  of 
the  kingdom  had  been  divided,  and  we  likewise  find  Archi- 
bald, Master  of  Argyll,  granting  in  1550  to  Campbell  of 
Ardkinlas  the  office  of  Coroner,  alias  Thoshisdoir,  viz., 
Toshcochdorachtie  of  the  lands  of  Cowall,  from  Claychin 
Toskycht  to  the  Points  of  Toward  and  Ardlawmonth.^  In 
1539  Alane  M'Lane  was  appointed  by  King  James  v.  Tosch- 
achdoir  of  all  Kintyre,  from  the  Mull  to  Altasynach ;  ^"^  and 
the  same  king  appointed,  in  1542,  Neill  mac  Neill  to  the  same 
office.^^  In  1455,  John,  Earl  of  Eoss  and  Lord  of  the  Isles, 
confirms  to  Neill  macNeill  a  grant  made  by  his  father,  Alex- 
ander, Earl  of  Eoss  and  Lord  of  the  Isles,  to  Torquel  M'Neill, 
constable  of  the  castle  of  Swyffin,  the  father  of  Neill,  of  the 
office  called  Toshachdeora  of  the  lands  of  Knapdale.  ^-  In 
1447  we  find  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  as  king's  lieutenant  within 
the  parts  of  Argyll,  granting  to  Eeginald  Malcolmson,  of 
Craignish,  the  offices  of  Steward,  Tosachdoir,  and  Mair  of  the 
whole  land  of  Craignish,  and  the  office  of  Tosachdoir,  ex  parte 
regis,  within  the  same  bounds  ;  when  the  heir  was  under  age, 
to  be  held  by  his  tutor,  with  consent  of  his  clan,  viz.,  the 
Clandowil  Cragniche.  ^^  In  1572,  Archibald,  Earl  of  Argyll, 
grants  to  Colin  Campbell  of  Barbrek  certain  lands  with  the 
coronership  of  the  lands  and  baronies  of  Glenurquhay,  the 
two  Lochaws,  Glenaray,  Glenshyro,  Ardskeodnich,  Melfort, 
and  Barbrek,  that  is,  of  the  district  forming  the  central  part 
of  Argyll  between  Lorn  and  Lochfyne.  ^*  In  another  grant, 
it  is  termed  the  office  of  Tosheadorach  of  the  lands  lying  west 
of  Lochfyne.  ^•''      That  part  of  the  great  district  of  Argyll 

"  Beg.  Maij.  Sig.,  lib.  xxx.  No.  552. 

^^  Beg.  Sec.  Sig.,  vol.  xiii.  fol.  17.  ''  Jfj.  vol.  xvi.  p.  1. 

'-  MacNeill  Charters.  ^^  Argyll  Charters. 

'■*  Protocol  Book  of  Gavin  Hamiltou.  ''  Poltalloch  Charters. 


.302  Till;  FINK  Oi;  ULAN  IN    SCOTLAND.  [book  ill. 

wliich  peitiiined  to  the  earldom  of  Moray  eontained  the  lesser 
districts  of  Lochaber,  Morvaren,  Ardnaniurchan,  and  Garino- 
ran,  and  here  too  wv.  find  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  granting,  in 
1456,  to  his  esquire  Sonierled,  son  of  John,  son  of  Sonierled, 
for  life,  and  to  his  eldest  son  for  five  years  after  his  death,  a 
davach  of  his  lands  of  Gleneves,  with  the  office  commonly 
called  Tocheachdeora  of  all  his  lands  of  Lochaber,  and  he  seems 
to  have  derived  from  it  the  name  of  2\)c7ie  or  Toshach,  as  in 
1553  or  1554  the  same  lands  of  Gleneves  are  granted  to  his 
grandson,  here  called  Donald  Macallaster  Mic  Toche.^*^ 

There  is  no  trace  of  the  office  of  Toschachdor,  under  this 
name,  in  connection  with  the  more  eastern  districts  of  Moray, 
but  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  such  districts  as  Bade- 
noch,  Strathspey,  Strathdearn,  Strathnairn,  Stratherrich,  and 
the  Aird,  represented  what  had  formerly  been  tribe  territories 
or  Tnaths,  and  the  same  may  be  predicated  of  similar  districts 
in  the  northern  earldoms.  In  Atholl,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
thanages  appear  even  though  within  the  Highland  Line,  but 
here  we  find  the  office  of  Toscliaclidor  in  connection  with  one 
district  in  Breadalbane  which  was  adjacent  to  one  of  these 
thanages,  for  among  the  lands  of  the  earldom  of  Breadalbane 
we  find  the  thanage  of  Cranach,  with  the  office  of  Tosliach- 
doiraship  of  Ardtholony,^'^  and  the  office  likewise  appears  in 
Lennox,  where  Malcolm,  earl  of  Lennox,  grants  to  Patrick 
de  Lindsay  the  office  of  Tosheagor  of  Lennox. ^^  We  find  a 
trace  of  it,  too,  in  Galloway,  where  the  office  of  coroner 
between  the  rivers  Dee  and  Nith  and  the  Toshachdoraclit  of 
Nithsdale  appear  to  be  the  same.^'' 
First  But  while  the  more  ancient  tribal  forms  had  thus  under- 

of  dans.'^^'^  goue  a  proccss  of  change  and  modification  similar  to  that 
which  characterised  the  Irish  tribe,  and  left  merely  its  shadow 

^®  Letterfinlay     Charters,     Or'uj.       otiicium  quod  dicitur  Tosheagor  de 

Par.,  voL  ii.  p.  61.  Levenax. 

1-     ,   ,      ,.  r,     7-  .         ,,,  "*  Record   of   Retours,    Kirkcud- 

^'  AcU  oj  Parliament,  X.  114.  i    •  ,  .    >t     nr.     t,  ^     x       •     r    . 

bright.  No.  30.    Robertson  s  Index, 

'^  Chart,  of  Lennox,  \}. -i^.  Totum       146.  25. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  303 

beliind  it  in  the  geographical  district  and  the  function  of 
the  ToshaclidoracM,  it  is  in  the  reign  of  David  the  First  that 
the  sept  or  clan  first  appears  as  a  distinct  and  prominent 
feature  in  the  social  organisation  of  the  Gaelic  population, 
and  owing  to  the  light  thrown  upon  the  ancient  state  of  the 
earldom  of  Buchan  as  a  Celtic  Mortuath  by  the  Book  of  Deer 
only.  During  the  period  of  the  Mormaers  of  Buchan  prior 
to  Garnait  and  Colban,  who  were  Mormaers  or  earls  in  the 
reign  of  David,  we  find  the  Toisechs  mentioned  generally  as 
concurring  in  grants  of  land  ;  but  in  the  time  of  these  two 
Mormaers  a  grant  of  land  is  made  by  Comgill  mac  Caennaig, 
Tosech  of  Clan  Canan  ;  and  Colban,  Mormacr  of  Buchan,  and 
Eva,  daughter  of  Garnait  his  wife,  and  Donnacliach  mac 
Sithig,  Toisech  of  Clan  Morgan,  niortmained  all  the  previous 
offerings  to  God,  Drostan,  Columcille,  and  Peter,  that  is,  to 
the  monastery  of  Deer,  and  this  grant  is  witnessed,  among 
others,  by  the  two  sons  of  the  Toisech.  The  Toisech  of  the 
Tiiath  had  thus  by  this  time  acquired  a  sufficient  Deis  to 
form  a  sept  of  his  kin  and  dependants,  of  which  he  now 
appears  as  the  head,  but  the  clans  in  this  district  only  show 
themselves  to  disappear  at  once  before  the  advancing  coloni- 
sation of  the  eastern  districts  by  a  Teutonic  population. 

In  the  same  reign  we  find  a  Gaelic  sept  or  clan  appearing  ^1^,1  ^^^c- 
where  we  might  least  expect  to  find  it,  viz.,  in  the  province  p|.\viie°es?^ 
of  Fife  and  Fothiiff,  where  the  Clan  Macduff  figures  from 
an  early  period  in  both  the  mythic  and  the  real  history  of 
Scotland,  and  has  acquired  a  fictitious  importance  from  the 
supposed  connection  of  its  founders  with  the  usurper  Mac- 
beth, from  which  the  privileges  known  as  the  law  of  the 
Clan  Macduff  were  supposed  to  be  derived.  The  well-known 
tale  of  how  Macduff  was  Thane  of  Fife  in  the  reign  of  Mac- 
beth, how  he  incurred  the  resentment  of  the  usurper  and  fled 
to  England  from  his  wrath,  how  his  wife  and  children  were 
slaughtered,  and  how  he  brought  back  Malcolm,  the  son  of 
King  Duncan  whom  Macbeth  had  slain,  and  how  he  killed 


304  THE  FINE  OK  ULAN  IN   SCOTLAND.  [book  m. 

Macbeth  in  the  battle  which  placed  Malcolm  on  the  throne, 
first  appears  in  the  Chronicle  of  John  of  Fordun,^**  but  he 
does  not  notice  the  privileges  supposed  to  be  conferred  upon 
him  and  his  descendants.  These  first  appear  in  an  addition 
made  to  the  Chronicle  by  his  interpolator  Bower,  the  abbot 
of  Inchcohu.  According  to  him,  after  Malcolm  was  crowned, 
Macduff,  thane  of  Fife,  came  to  him,  and  requested  and 
obtained  three  privileges,  in  reward  for  his  faithful  service, 
for  himself  and  his  successors,  lords  or  thanes  of  Fife  : — First, 
that  they  should  place  the  king  in  his  royal  seat  or  chair  on 
his  coronation  day ;  second,  that  they  should  lead  the  van- 
guard in  every  battle  in  which  the  royal  standard  was  un- 
furled ;  third,  that  they,  and  every  one  of  their  kin,  on  the 
occasion  of  any  sudden  and  unpremeditated  homicide,  should 
enjoy  the  privilege  of  the  law  of  Macduff,  the  gentry  on  pay- 
ing twenty-four  marks  as  kinbot,  and  the  commonalty  on 
paying  twelve  marks  receiving  a  plenary  remission.-^  Wyn- 
toun  gives  the  same  account  of  the  three  privileges,  but  adds — 

'  Oflf  this  hnvcli  are  thre  capytale  ; 
That  is  the  Bhvk  Prest  off  Weddale, 
The  Thayne  off  Fyffe,  and  the  thr}'d  syne 
Quha  ewyre  be  Lord  of  Abbyrnethyne.'  '■'- 

Sir  John  Skene,  however,  attaches  the  third  privilege  to 
the  Croce  of  the  Clan  Macduff  which  divides  Stratherne  from 
Fife,  as  a  privilege  and  liberty  of  girth  in  such  sort  that  when 
any  manslayer,  being  within  the  ninth  degree  of  kin  and 
blood  to  Macduff,  sometime  earl  of  Fife,  came  to  that  cross 
and  gave  nine  cows  and  a  colpindach,or  year-old  cow,  he  was 
free  of  the  slaughter  committed  by  him,  and  quotes  a  charter 
by  David  the  Second  to  William  Eamsay  of  the  earldom  of 
Fife,  with  the  law  called  Clan  Macduff.--^      The  existence 

-"  Fordun's  Chronicle,  Book  v.  -'  Scotkhronkon ,  ii.  p.  252. 

"  Wyntoun,  voL  ii.  p.  141  (ed.  1872). 

^  Skene,  De  Verhorum  Signlficatione,  voce  Clan  Macduff. 


CHAP,  viii.]  THE  FIn6  or  clan  IN  SCOTLAND.  305 

of  this  privilege  is  so  far  confirmed  that  in  a  Parliament  of 
Kins  Robert  the  Second,  held  in  1384,  in  which  certain  laws 
were  enacted  regarding  Katheranes,  the  earl  of  Fife  agreed 
that  as  '  principal  of  law  of  Clan  Macduff '  (cajpitalis  legis  de 
Olen  m'Duffe),  he  would  cause  them  to  be  observed  within 
his  bounds  ;-*  and  in  the  fragmentary  code  of  laws  it  is 
enacted  that  the  duelluin,  or  wager  of  battle,  may  be  re- 
mitted in  three  instances,  the  second  being  '  by  the  law  of 
the  Clan  Macduff  for  the  slaughter  of  one  of  the  kin,  if  the 
kin  of  the  other  party  can  come  in  the  place  of  combat  when 
the  appealer  is  proven,  and  his  lance.' ^^  We  thus  see  that 
when  the  line  of  the  Celtic  Earls  of  Fife,  the  hereditary 
Toshachs  of  the  tribe,  failed,  they  were  replaced  by  the  Capi- 
talis  legis,  '  Capytale  of  lawch,'  or  Toshaclidor,  the  principal 
being  the  alien  Earl,  to  whom  Wyutoun  joins  the  priest  of 
Wedale,  a  parsonage  belonging  to  St.  Andrews,  and  the  Lord 
of  Abernethy,  the  descendant  of  the  old  abbots  of  the  monas- 
tery of  that  name.  Hector  Boece  pushes  the  origin  of  the 
clan  as  far  back  as  the  reign  of  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  the 
founder  of  the  Scottish  dynasty,  who,  according  to  that 
veracious  chronicler,  appointed  governors  of  the  different 
provinces,  that  of  Fife  being  a  certain  Fifus  Duffus. 

There  were  of  course  no  thanes  of  Fife  at  any  time.  The 
first  appearance  of  the  name  on  record  is  in  the  reign  of 
David  the  First,  when  Gillemichel  Macduff  witnesses  an 
early  charter  of  that  monarch  to  the  monks  of  Dunfermline, 
along  with  five  earls,  one  of  whom  is  Constantine,  earl  of 
Fife,  and  he  certainly  is  the  same  person  who  witnesses  the 
foundation  charter  of  Holyrood  shortly  after  as  '  Gillemichel 
Comes,'  and  had  thus  become  earl  of  Fife. 

The  demesne  of  the  earls  of  Fife  of  this  race  appears  to 
have  consisted  of  the  parishes  of  Cupar,  Kilmany,  Reres,  and 
Cameron  in   Fife,   and  those  of  Strathmigio  and  Auchter- 
^  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  55L  "'  lb.  p.  746. 

VOL.  in.  U 


306  THE  FINK  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND,  [book  hi. 

inuchty  in  Follniff,-*'  near  which  Macduff's  Cross  was  situ- 
ated, but  whether  this  sept  were  the  remains  of  the  old 
Celtic  inhabitants  of  the  province,  or  a  Gaelic  clan  intro- 
duced into  it  when  its  chief  was  made  earl,  it  is  difficult  to 
say,  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  it  may  have  been  a  northern 
clan  who  followed  Macbeth  when  the  southern  districts  were 
subjected  to  his  rule,  and  that  there  may  be  some  foundation 
for  the  legend  that  the  founder  of  the  clan  had  rebelled 
against  him,  and  adopted  the  cause  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor, 
and  so  maintained  his  position.  The  fact  that  the  race  from 
whom  the  Mormaers  of  Moray  derived  their  origin  is  termed 
in  one  of  the  Irish  Genealogical  MSS.  Clan  Duff,  and  the 
earls  of  Fife  undoubtedly  possessed  from  an  early  period 
large  possessions  in  the  north,  including  the  district  of 
Strathavon,^'^  lends  some  probability  to  this  supposition. 
The  privileges  ^of  the  clan,  however,  stand  on  a  different 
footing.  From  the  earliest  period  the  territory  of  Fife 
<3omes  prominently  forward  as  the  leading  province  of 
Scotland,  and  its  earls  occupied  the  first  place  among  the 
seven  earls  of  Scotland.  The  first  two  privileges  of  placing 
the  king  on  the  Coronation  Stone,  and  of  heading  the  van 
in  the  army,  were  probably  attached  to  the  province  of  Fife, 
and  not  to  any  particular  tribe  from  which  its  earls  niight 
have  been  derived,  while  on  the  other  hand  the  third  seems 
derived  from  the  institution  connected  with  the  ancient  Fine, 
by  which  the  kin  formed  a  class  of  seventeen  persons,  con- 
sisting of  the  Geilfini,  Deirhhfin6,  Indfine,  and  larjini,  and 
the  nine  degrees  of  kindred  of  the  Clan  Macduff  correspond 
to  the  first  two,  which  consisted  of  nine  persons,  traces  of 
which  can  also  be  found  in  the  Welsh  Laws. 

Whilst  the  sept  or  clan  thus  makes  its  appearance  in 
these    few   instances    beyond    the    Highland   Line,   it    no 

-*•  Hidoriral  l>ociimfiit>i  of  Scotland,  e(.litc<l  by  J.   Stevenson,  vol.  i. 
]i.  -Ho.  -'  Chart,  of  Moray,  p.  12. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  307 

doubt  had  already  assumed  an  equally  distinct  form  within 
that  boundary  ;  but  whatever  may  have  been  the  condition 
of  the  clans  in  the  more  inaccessible  region  of  the  Highlands, 
history  throws  little  light  upon  their  existence  till  they 
emerge  beyond  it  towards  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

Fordun,  who  concludes  his  Chronicle  immediately  before  Description 
the  first  appearance  of  a  Highland  clan  beyond  the  Highland  landers- 
Line,  gives  the  following  description  of  the  inhabitants  of  " 
the  Highlands  : — '  The  Highlanders  and  people  of  the  Islands 
are,'  he  says,  '  a  savage  and  untamed  nation,  rude  and  inde- 
pendent, given  to  rapine,  ease-loving,  of  a  docile  and  warm 
disposition,  comely  in  person  but  unsightly  in  dress,  hostile 
to  the  Anglic  people  and  language,  and,  owing  to  diversity 
of  speech,  even  to  their  own  nation,  and  exceedingly  cruel. 
They  are,  however,  faithful  and  obedient  to  their  king  and 
country,  and  easily  made  to  submit  to  law,  if  properly 
governed.'"^  This  is  a  picture  drawn  by  one  who  had  no 
friendly  feeling  towards  them,  but  the  good  qualities  with 
which  he  credits  tliem,  of  being  of  a  docile  and  warm  dispo- 
sition, and  faithful  and  obedient  to  tlieir  king  and  country, 
read  as  strangely  to  us  when  their  subsequent  history  is 
taken  into  account,  as  Fordun's  opinion  that  the  dress  is 
unsightly  hardly  corresponds  with  modern  taste.  At  the 
time  he  wrote,  however,  he  was  warranted  in  what  he  said, 
for  from  the  time  when  Alexander  the  Second  finally  sup- 
pressed the  rebellion  of  the  people  of  Moray,  and  conquered 
Argyll  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign,  to  his  own  day,  they  had 
not  broken  out  beyond  their  mountain  barrier,  and  these 
early  rebellions  arose  from  their  adherence  to  a  family  which 
they  believed  had  a  rightful  claim  to  the  throne,  just  as  those 
of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  were  the  result 
of  their  attachment  to  the  cause  of  the  Stewarts. 

Tliis  state  of  quiescence  was  not  destined,  however,  to 
-*  Fordun,  Chronicle,  vol.  ii.  p.  38. 


308  THE  FINE  on  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

itaiii  into     coiitiiiue  long,  and  within  eight  years  after  the  death  of  the 
1391.  chronicler  the  irruptions  of  the  Highlanders  into  the  low 

country  were  renewed,  and  they  now  appear  in  the  form  of 
separate  septs  or  clans.  Eobert  the  Second  had,  in  the  first 
year  of  his  reign,  granted  the  lands  of  Badenoch,  which  had 
been  forfeited  by  the  Cumyns,  to  his  fourth  son,  Alexander, 
who,  from  his  fierce  disposition,  became  known  as  the  Wolf 
of  Badenoch,  and  some  years  after  he  obtained  grants  of  the 
lands  of  Strathavon,  which  had  belonged  to  the  earls  of  Fife, 
and  of  Abernethy  in  Strathtay.  Alexander  had  no  family 
by  his  wife  Eupham,  countess  of  Boss,  but  a  number  of 
illefjitiraate  sons:  and  Bower  tells  us  that  in  1391  the 
Caterans,  as  he  calls  them,  invaded  the  Braes  of  Angus  with 
Duncan  Stewart,  one  of  his  sons,  at  their  head,  and  w^ere 
encountered  by  Walter  Ogilvy,  sheriff  of  Angus,  with  such 
of  the  barons  of  Angus  and  their  followers  as  he  could 
hastily  summon,  at  a  place  called  by  him  Glenbrereth,  where 
the  sheriff  was  slain  with  sixty  of  his  followers.-^  Wyntoun 
gives  a  very  graphic  account  of  this  raid,  which  he  places  in 
the  subsequent  year,  when  he  says,  'There  arose  a  great 
discord  between  Sir  David  of  Lindsay,  son  of  Glenesk,  and 
the  Highlandmen,  and  that  in  consequence  of  the  former 
sending  a  secret  spy  into  the  Highlands,  a  great  company  of 
Hishlandmen,  to  the  number  of  three  hundred  and  more, 
came  suddenly  into  Angus  under  three  chieftains,  Thomas, 
Patrick,  and  Gibbon,  whose  surname  was  Duncanson,  and 
encountered  the  sheriff  at  Gasklune,  in  the  Stormont,  where 
the  latter  was  slain.'  ^^  It  is  unnecessary  to  enter  into  the 
particulars  of  the  conflict,  striking  though  the  details  are,  but 
we  have  more  certain  information  as  to  the  leaders  of  the 
Highlanders  in  a  Brief  issued  by  King  Eobert  the  Third  at  a 
creneral  council  held  at  Perth  on  the  26th  March  1392,  and 
addressed  to  the  sheriff  and  bailiffs  of  Aberdeen,  directing 

-^  Scotichronkon,  vol.  ii.  p.  420.       "^'  Wyiitouii's  Chronicle,  vol.  iii.  p.  oS. 


CHAP,  vm.]  THE  FINP:  OE  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  309 

them  to  put  to  the  horn  as  outlaws  the  following  persons, 
guilty  of  the  slaughter  of  Walter  de  Ogilvy,  Walter  de 
Lichtou,  and  others  of  the  king's  lieges :— viz.,  Duncan  and 
Robert  Stewarts,  Patrick  and  Thomas  Duncansons,  Kobert  de 
Athale,  Andrew  Macnayr,  Duncan  Bryceson,  Angus  Macnayr, 
and  John  Ayson  junior,  and  all  others  their  adherents  ;  and 
as  taking  part  with  them  in  the  slaughter,  Slurach  and  his 
brothers,  with  the  whole  Clanqwhevil,  William  Mowat, 
John  de  Cowts,  Donald  de  Cowts,  with  their  adherents ; 
David  de  Rose,  Alexander  M'Kintalyhur,  John  M'Kinta- 
lyhur,  Adam  Rolson,  John  Eolson,  with  their  adherents ; 
Duncan  Neteraulde,  John  Mathyson,  with  their  adherents ; 
Morgownde  Ruryson  and  Michael  Mathowson,  with  their 
adherents.^^  They  thus  formed  six  groups.  The  first  group 
who  were  directly  implicated,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Stewarts,  belong  to  Athole  ;  the  Duncansons,  with  Robert  de 
Athale,  were  the  heads  of  the  Clan  Donuachie,  descended 
from  the  old  earls  who  possessed  the  north-western  district 
bordering  upon  that  of  Badenoch ;  the  Macnairs  possessed 
Foss  in  Strathtummel,  and  the  Aysons,  Tullimet  in  Strathtay. 
The  other  five  were  art  and  part.  The  first  were  Slurach  and 
his  brothers,  who  with  their  followers  formed  a  clan  termed 
the  Clanqwhevil.  This  is  the  first  appearance  of  a  distinct 
clan  in  the  Highlands.  The  second  group  of  the  Mowats  and 
Cowtts  belonged  to  Buchan,  of  which  Alexander  Stewart  was 
earl ;  and  the  third  of  David  de  Rose  and  his  followers,  must 
have  come  from  Strathnairn,  where  the  Roses  were  situated. 
These  groups  were,  therefore,  probably  dependants  of  the 
Wolf  of  Badenoch,  and  the  cause  of  this  raid  seems  to  have 
arisen  from  this,  that  Sir  David  de  Lindsay  had  inherited 
Glenesk  in  Angus  and  the  district  of  Strathnairn  from  his 
mother,  one  of  the  daughters  and  co-heirs  of  Sir  John  Stirling 
of   Glenesk,  while  another  of  the  daughters  had  married 

•'"  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  i.  p.  579. 


vm. 


310  TIIK  KINK  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

Robert  de  Atholia.      His  possession   of  Stratlinairn  would 
bring  him  into  contact  with  the  Wolf  of  Badenocli  and  the 
northern  clans,  and  a  quarrel  regarding  the  succession  pro- 
bably brought  the  Clan  Donnachie  into  the  field. 
Combat  oi  The  Wolf  of  Badenocli  died  in  1391,  and  two  years  after, 

two  t'Lans  .  1        tt-     i   i  ^         ^  1-1  •  1  •    1         1  1        • 

on  North  the  Only  Higliiaud  clan  hitherto  mentioned  with  that  desig- 
Perth  in  nation,  came  more  prominently  into  the  foreground  in  the 
very  remarkable  combat  which  took  place  on  the  North  Inch 
of  Perth  in  the  year  1396,  and  from  its  peculiarity  seems  to 
have  attracted  general  notice,  as  well  as  given  rise  to  a 
controversy  with  regard  to  the  actors  in  it,  for  which  it  is 
difficult  to  provide  any  satisfactory  solution. 

The  account  given  by  the  chroniclers  of  this  remarkable 
combat  differs  somewhat  as  to  the  details.  The  earliest 
account  of  it  is  probably  that  given  by  Wyntouu,  who  wrote 
his  Chronicle  between  1420  and  1424,  or  only  about  twenty- 
five  years  after  the  event.  He  says  that  the  combat  took 
place  at  Saint  Johnstoun  or  Perth  between  sixty  men,  thirty 
against  thirty,  who  belonged  to  two  clans  who  had  been  at 
variance  in  old  feud  in  which  their  fore  elders  were  slain. 
He  names  the  clans  Clahynnhe  (or  Clan)  Qwhewyl,  and 
Clachiny  (or  Clan)  Ha,  and  that  their  chieftains  were  Scha 
Ferqwhareisone  and  Christy  Jolinesone ;  that  they  fought 
within  barriers  with  bow  and  axe,  knife  and  sword  ;  but  that 
who  had  the  best  of  it  he  could  not  say,  and  that  fifty  or 
more  were  slain,  and  but  few  escaped  with  life.^- 

Bower,  who  wrote  nearly  twenty-five  years  later,  gives 
further  details.  He  says  that  a  great  part  of  the  north  be- 
yond the  Grampians  had  been  disturbed  by  two  turbulent 
caterans  and  their  followers: — Scheabeg  and  his  kin,  who 
were  called  Clan  Kay,  and  Cristi  Johnson,  and  his,  called 
Clanquhele,  who  could  by  no  treaty  or  arrangement  be 
brought  to  peace,  nor  could  they  be  brought  under  subjection 

^-  Wyntoun'a  Chronic/e,  ed.  1879,  vol.  iii.  p.  63. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  31  1 

to  the  government,  upon  which  David  de  Lyndesay  of  Craw- 
ford, and  Thomas  earl  of  Moray,  interposed  and  treated  be- 
tween them,  so  that  they  agreed  to  settle  their  quarrel  before 
the  king  at  Perth,  by  a  combat  between  thirty  chosen  men 
of  their  kin  on  each  side,  armed  only  with  their  swords,  bows 
and  arrows,  and  without  their  plaids  or  other  arms.  The 
combat  took  place  on  the  North  Inch  of  Perth,  in  presence  of 
the  king,  the  governor,  and  a  great  multitude,  on  the  Monday 
before  Saint  Michael's  day,  when,  of  the  sixty,  all  were  slain 
except  one  on  the  part  of  the  Clan  Kay  and  eleven  on  the 
other  part.  He  adds  that  as  they  were  entering  mthin  the 
barrier,  one  of  the  number  dashed  into  the  river  and  escaped 
by  swimming  across,  on  which  one  of  the  spectators  ofiered 
to  supply  his  place  for  half  a  mark,  on  condition  that  if  he 
survived  he  was  to  be  maintained  during  the  rest  of  his  life, 
which  was  agreed  to.  The  result  was  that  the  north  was  for 
many  years  after  at  peace,  and  there  was  no  further  outbreak 
of  the  caterans.33  The  material  difference  between  Bower's 
account  and  Wyntoun's  is,  that  he  reverses  the  connection  of 
the  chiefs  with  the  clans,  and  adds  the  detail  of  the  numbers 
slain  on  both  sides,  and  the  aid  of  the  volunteer. 

The  next  account  is  given  by  Maurice  Buchanan,  in  the 
Book  of  Pluscarden,  who  wrote  in  1461,  and  differs  very 
much  from  that  of  Bower.  He  connects  this  event  with  the 
raid  into  Angus  five  years  previously,  and  implies  that  the 
same  parties  were  concerned  in  both,  but  he  does  not  name 
the  clans.  This  was  so  far  the  case,  that  the  Clan  Qwhele 
took  part  in  both.  He  says  that  in  1391  so  great  a  conten- 
tion had  arisen  among  the  wild  Scots  {silvcstres  Scottos), 
that  their  whole  country  was  disturbed  by  it,  and,  on  that 
account,  the  king  finding  himself  unable  to  restore  peace, 
arranged,  in  a  council  of  the  magnates  of  the  kingdom,  that 
their  two  principal  captains,  with  their  best  and  most  valiant 
^  Scotklironko)!,  vol.  ii.  p.  420. 


312  THE  FIN15  OH  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

friends,  amounting  on  each  side  to  thirty  men,  should  light  in 
an  enclosed  field  after  the  manner  of  judicial  combatants  (mon 
ducllaiicium)^^*  with  swords  only,  cross  bows  having  each  three 
arrows  only,  and  this  before  the  king  on  a  certain  day  on  the 
North  Inch  of  Perth  ;  and  this,  by  the  intervention  of  the  earl 
of  Crawford  and  other  nobles,  was  agreed  upon  and  carried 
out,  when  all  on  both  sides  were  slain  except  seven,  five  on 
the  one  side  and  two  on  the  other  escaping  alive,  of  which 
two  one  escaped  by  flying  to  the  river  and  escaping  across  it, 
and  the  other  being  taken  was  pardoned  with  the  consent  of 
the  other  party,  though  some  say  that  he  was  hung.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  conflict  one  of  the  number  of  one  party  dis- 
appeared and  could  not  be  found,  on  which  one  of  the  specta- 
tors, who  happened  to  belong  to  the  same  clan  (parentela) 
and  was  hostile  to  the  other  party,  agreed  to  supply  his  place 
for  forty  shillings,  fought  most  valiantly,  and  escaped  with 
his  life.^^  As  the  wTiter  of  this  account  was  himself  a  High- 
lander, this  is  most  probably  the  account  given  of  the  combat 
on  the  Highland  side,  while  that  of  Bower  was  the  account 
reported  in  the  Lowlands ;  and  the  former  has  more  appear- 
ance of  being  the  correct  account,  and  agrees  better  with  that 
of  AVyntoun,  who  could  not  tell  which  party  gained.  It  also 
indicates  that  the  conflict  was  of  the  nature  of  a  judicial 
wager  of  battle,  which  is  also  probably  the  true  view ;  for  if 
the  contention  between  the  clans  was  a  mere  ordinary  feud, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  this  combat  should  have  been  the 
means  of  restoring  peace,  but  if  the  dispute  related  to  some 
difference  as  to  some  question  of  right  or  privilege  which 
both  claimed,  it  is  quite  intelligible  that  it  should  have  been 
settled  by  judicial  combat  before  the  king. 

The  only  other  early  notice  of  this  event  is  in  a  short 
chronicle  contained  in  the  Chartulary  of  Moray,  which  states 

^  See  Skene,  De  Verbnrum  Sij.,  voce  Duelluni. 
'■^^  Book  of  Phiscarden,  vol.  i.  p.  'i30. 


CHAP,  viii.]  THE  FINl5  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND,  313 

that  the  combat  took  place  on  the  28th  day  of  September  at 
Perth  before  the  king  and  the  nobles  of  Scotland,  because 
he  found  it  impossible  to  establish  peace  between  two  clans 
{'parentelas)  called  the  Clan  Kay  and  the  Clan  Qwhwle, 
whence  there  were  daily  slaughtering  attacks  committed  by 
them.  Thirty  men  on  each  side  without  armour,  but  with 
bows,  swords,  and  dirks,  met  in  conflict,  when  all  on  the 
side  of  the  Clan  Kay  were  slain  except  one,  and  of  the  other 
party  ten  survived.^^ 

If  this  event  was  connected  with  the  raid   of  Angus  The  cian 

,.,„,,  1  Ti         •       Chattan 

which  preceded  it,  the  events  which  followed  may  likewise  and  Clan 
tend  to  throw  light  upon  the  actors  in  this  strange  combat. 
When  the  royal  forces  attacked  Alexander,  Lord  of  the  Isles, 
in  1429,  and  put  him  to  flight  in  Lochaber,  the  chroniclers 
tell  us,  that  at  the  sight  of  the  royal  standard,  he  was  de- 
serted by  two  tribes,  who  submitted  to  the  royal  autho- 
rity. They  are  termed  by  Bower  the  Clan  Katan  and  Clan 
Cameron,  and  by  Maurice  Buchanan,  more  correctly,  the 
Clan  de  Guyllequhatan  and  Clan  Cameron.  This  was  on  the 
eve  of  St.  John  the  Baptist's  day,  that  is,  on  the  23d  of  June, 
and  on  the  following  Palm  Sunday,  which  is  on  the  20th  day 
of  the  following  month  of  March,  we  are  told  by  the  chroni- 
clers that  the  Clan  Chattan  attacked  the  Clan  Cameron 
when  assembled  in  a  certain  church,  to  which  they  set  fire 
and  destroyed  nearly  the  whole  clan.  Although  the  Clan 
Chattan  are  here  said,  in  general  terms,  to  have  deserted 
the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  it  appears  that  a  part  of  the  clan  still 
adhered  to  his  cause,  for  after  his  restoration  to  liberty,  we 
find  him  in  1443  granting  a  charter  to  Malcolm  Macintosh 
of  the  forty  merk  lands  of  Keppoch  and  others  in  the  lord- 
ship of  Lochaber,  and  in  1447  he  confers  upon  him  the 
office  of  bailie  or  steward  of  the  lordship  of  Lochaber.^" 
This  Malcolm,  who  is  called  in  the  second  charter  his  cousin, 

'^^  Chart,  of  Moray,  p.  382.  ■*'  Macintosh  Charters. 


314  THE  FINiS  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

was  related  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  through  his  mother,  who 
was  a  daughter  of  his  grandfather  Angus,  Lord  of  the  Isles, 
and  was  thus  probably  led  to  adhere  to  him.  Tlie  same 
lands  are  confirmed  to  his  sou  Duncan  Macintosh  in  1466, 
by  John,  Lord  of  the  Isles,^^  and  in  this  charter  he  is  termed 
Captain  of  Clan  Chattan,  which  is  the  first  appearance  of 
this  designation. 

Neither  were  the  Clan  Cameron  entirely  destroyed,  for 
we  find  Alan,  sou  of  Donald  Duff,  appearing  in  1472  as 
Captain  of  the  Clan  Cameron,  and  in  1492,  Alexander  of 
the  Isles,  Lord  of  Lochalsh  and  Lochiel,  grants  the  lands 
of  Lochiel  to  Ewen,  sou  of  Alan,  son  of  Donald,  Captain  of 
Clan  Cameron.  It  would  thus  appear  that  a  part  only  of 
these  two  clans  had  deserted  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  in  1429, 
and  a  part  adhered  to  him,  that  the  conflict  on  Palm  Sunday 
was  between  the  former  part  of  these  clans,  and  that  the 
leaders  of  those  who  adhered  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles  became 
afterwards  recognised  as  captains  of  the  respective  clans.  It 
further  appears  that  there  was,  within  no  distant  time  after 
the  conflict  on  the  North  Inch  of  Perth,  a  bitter  feud  between 
the  two  clans  who  had  deserted  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and 
there  are  indications  that  this  was  merely  the  renewal  of  an 
older  quarrel,  for  both  clans  undoubtedly  contested  the  right 
to  the  lands  of  Glenlui  and  Locharkaig  in  Lochaber,  to 
which  "William  Macintosh  received  a  charter  from  the  Lord 
of  the  Isles  in  1336,  while  they  unquestionably  afterwards 
formed  a  part  of  the  territory  possessed  by  the  Camerons. 

By  the  later  historians  one  of  the  clans  who  fought  on 
the  North  Inch  of  Perth,  and  who  were  termed  by  the  earlier 
chroniclers  Clan  Qwhclc,  are  identified  with  the  Clan  Chat- 
tan,^^  and  that  this  identification  is  well  founded,  so  far  as 

^  Reg.  Mag.  Sig.,  lib.  xiii.  Xo.  96. 

^*  Hector  Boece  terms  them  the  Clan  Quhete,  substituting  simply  t  for  I. 
His  translators  Bellenden,  Leslie,  and  Buchanan,  all  have  Clan  Chattan. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  315 

regards  that  part  of  the  clan  which  adhered  to  the  royal 
cause,  while  that  in  the  part  of  the  Clan  Cameron  who  fol- 
lowed the  same  course,  and  were  nearly  entirely  destroyed  on 
Palm  Sunday,  we  may  recognise  their  opponents  the  Clan 
Kay,  is  not  without  much  probability. 

The  Clan  Chattan  in  later  times  consisted  of  sixteen  septs, 
who  followed  Macintosh  as  captain  of  the  clan,  but  did  not 
recognise  him  as  one  of  the  race,  and  regarded  MacPherson  of 
Cluny,  head  of  the  sept  called  Clan  Vuireach,  as  the  male 
representative  of  the  founder  of  the  clan.  The  first  of  the 
Macintoshes  who  appears  with  the  title  of  Captain  of  Clan 
Chattan  is  Duncan  Macintosh,  the  son  of  Malcolm,  in  1400 
and  in  1466,  and  he  was  probably  placed  by  the  Lord  of  the 
Isles  over  that  part  of  the  clan  who  adhered  to  him.  Eight 
of  the  septs  forming  the  later  Clan  Chattan  may  be  put  aside 
as  having  been  afliliated  to  the  clan  subsequently  to  the  year 
1429,  as  well  as  the  family  of  Macintosh,  descended  from 
Malcolm.  The  remainder  represent  the  clan  as  it  existed 
before  that  date.  It  consisted  of  an  older  sept  of  Macin- 
toshes, who  possessed  lands  in  Badenoch,  the  principal  of 
which  was  Eothiemurchus,  and  appears  to  have  claimed  those 
of  Glenlui  and  Locharkaig  in  Lochaber.  The  eight  septs  who 
then  formed  the  Clan  Chattan  proper  were  the  Clan  Vuirich 
or  MacPhersons,  and  the  Clan  Day  or  Davidsons,  who  were 
called  the  old  Clan  Chattan,  and  six  stranger  septs,  who  took 
protection  from  the  clan.  These  were  the  Clan  Vic  Ghille- 
vray  or  MacGillivrays,  the  Clan  Vcan  or  MacBeans,  the  Clan 
Vic  Govies,  the  Ckm  Tarrel,  the  Clan  Cheandiiy,  and  the 
Sliochd  Gowchruim  or  Smiths.  The  Clan  Vic  Govies,  how- 
ever, were  a  branch  of  the  Clan  Cameron,  and  the  Sliochd 
Gowchruim  were  believed  to  be  descendants  of  the  person 
who  supplied  the  place  of  the  missing  member  of  the  clan 
at  the  combat  on  the  North  Inch  of  Perth,  and  who  was 
said  to  have  been  a  smith. 


316  THE  FINlS  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

The  Clan  Cameron,  on  the  other  hand,  consisted  of  four 
septs.  These  were  the  Clan  Gillavfhaigh  or  Gillonie,  or 
Camerons  of  Invernialie  and  Strone,  the  Clan  Soirlie,  or 
Camerons  of  Glenevis,  the  Clan  Vic  Mhxtrtain,  or  MacMar- 
tins  of  Letterfinlay,  and  the  Camerons  of  Lochiel.  The  latter 
were  the  sept  whose  head  became  Captain  of  Clan  Cameron 
and  adhered  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  while  the  three  former 
represented  the  part  of  the  clan  who  seceded  from  him  in 
1429.  Besides  these  there  were  dependent  septs,  the  chief 
of  which  were  the  Clan  Vic  Gilveil  or  M'Millans,  and  these 
were  believed  to  be  of  the  race  of  Clan  Chattan.  The  con- 
nection between  the  two  clans  is  thus  apparent.  Now  there 
are  preserved  genealogies  of  both  clans  in  their  earlier  forms, 
written  not  long  after  the  year  1429.  One  is  termed  the 
'  Genealogy  of  the  Clan  an  Toisig,  that  is,  the  Clan  Gilla- 
chattan,'  and  gives  it  in  two  separate  lines.  The  first  repre- 
sented the  older  Macintoshes.  The  second  is  deduced  from 
Gillachattan  Mor,  the  eponymus  of  the  clan.  His  great- 
grandson  Muireach,  from  whom  the  Clan  Vuireach  takes  its 
name,  has  a  son  Domnall  or  Donald,  called  in  Caimgilla,  and 
this  word  when  aspirated  would  form  the  name  Kevil  or 
Quhcvil}^  The  chief  seat  of  this  branch  of  the  clan  can 
also  be  ascertained,  for  Alexander,  Lord  of  the  Isles  and  Earl 
of  Eoss,  confirms  a  charter  granted  by  William,  earl  of  Eoss, 
in  1338  of  the  lands  of  Dalnafert  and  Kinrorayth  or  Kinrara, 
under  reservation  of  one  acre  of  ground  near  the  Stychan  of 
the  town  of  Dalnavert,  where  was  situated  the  manor  of  the 
late  Scayth,  son  of  Ferchard,^^  and  we  find  a  '  Tsead,  son  of 
Ferquhar '  in  the  Genealogy  at  the  same  period.  Moreover  the 
grandson  of  this  Scayth  was  Disiab  or  Shaw,  who  thus  was 
contemporary  with  the   Shaw  who  fought  in    1396.      The 

■*^  Just  as  iSaint  Caimhghin  of  Glendalough  became  Saint  Kevin,  so 
Caimhghilla  became  Kevil.     Bower  uses  k  for  c  and  quh  for  '•/;. 
*^  Miscellany  of  the  Spalding  Club,  vol.  iv.  p.  26. 


CHAP,  vni.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  317 

gravestone  said  to  mark  the  grave  of  Shaw  Corshiacloch,  or 
buck-toothed,  whom  tradition  declares  to  be  the  Shaw  who 
led  the  clan  at  the  combat,  was,  according  to  Shaw,  still  to 
be  seen  in  the  adjacent  church  of  Rothiemurchus.  He  is 
also  said  to  have  married  the  daughter  of  Kenneth  Mac- 
vuireach,  ancestor  of  the  Macpherson  of  Cluny,  and  in  him 
and  his  father-in-law  we  may  probably  recognise  the 
'  Kenethus  Mor  with  his  son-in-law,  leader  of  two  thousand 
men,'  who  were  arrested  by  James  the  First  at  his  Parliament 
at  Inverness  in  1427.'*'^  With  regard  to  the  Clan  Cameron, 
the  invariable  tradition  is  that  the  head  of  the  MacGillonies 
or  MacGillaanaigh  led  the  clan  who  fought  with  the  Clan 
Chattan  during  the  long  feud  between  them,  and  the  old 
Genealogy  terms  the  Cameron's  Clan  Maelanfhaigh,  or  the 
race  of  the  servant  of  the  prophet,  and  deduces  them  from  a 
common  ancestor  the  Clan  Maelanfhaigh  and  the  Clan  Cam- 
shron,  and  as  the  epithet  an  Caimgilla,  when  aspirated, 
would  become  Kevil,  so  the  word  Fhaigh  in  its  aspirated 
form  would  be  represented  by  the  Hay  of  the  chroniclers.*^ 

John  Major  probably  gives  the  clew  to  the  whole  trans- 
action, when  he  tells  us  that  'these  two  clans' — the  Clan  Chat- 
tan  and  Clan  Cameron,  which  we  have  seen  had  a  certain  con- 
nection through  their  dependent  septs,  '  were  of  one  blood, 
having  but  little  in  lordships,  but  following  one  head  of  their 
race  as  principal  with  their  kinsmen  and  dependants.'**  He 
is  apparently  describing  their  position  before  these  dissensions 
broke  out  between  them,  and  his  description  refers  us  back  to 

^"^  Hid.  of  Moray,  p.  67.     This  Clan  Chattan  history  are  quite  un- 

Shaw  was  believed  to  be  the  first  reliable. 

of    the   Shaws   of   Rothiemurchus,  ■^^  These  genealogies  are  printed 

but  the  earlier  part  of  the  pedigree  in  the  Appendix, 

of  this  family  is  quite  fictitious,  for  ^  Tribus   ha?   sunt  consanguinei 

he  is  made  to  be  the  son  of  Gilchrist,  parum   in   dominiis   habentes,    sed 

son  of  John,   who  was  in  fact  his  unum     caput     progeniei     tanquam 

opponent.      He  is  said  by  Shaw  to  principem  sequentes  cum  suis  afii- 

have  died  in  1405,   but  the  tradi-  nibus  et  subditis.— J.   Major,  Scot. 

tionary  dates  connected  with   the  Hid.,  lib.  vi.  f.  1.32. 


318  TIIK  FINK  01!  CLAN  L\  SCOTLAND.  [book  in. 

tlie  period  when  the  two  clans  formed  one  tribe,  possessing 
the  district  of  Loch.aber  as  tlieir  Tuath  or  country,  where  the 
lands  in  dispute — Glenlui  and  Locharkaig — were  probably 
the  official  demesne  of  the  old  Toisech  or  head  of  the  tribe. 
Th.'  <  'iiiei  The  clans  are  here  described  as  consistini^  of  two  divi- 

ati.l  the  .  '^ 

Kiiisineii.  .sions  :  The  one  of  the  Kinsmen,  or  those  of  the  blood  of  the 
sept ;  the  other  of  the  dependants  or  subordinate  septs,  who 
might  be  of  different  race.  The  former  clan  are  well  defined 
in  the  Gartmore  MS.,  written  in  the  year  1747.  The  writer 
says  that '  the  property  of  these  Highlands  belongs  to  a  great 
many  different  persons,  wjio  are  more  or  less  considerable  in 
proportion  to  the  extent  of  their  estates,  and  to  the  command 
of  men  that  live  upon  them,  or  follow  them,  on  account  of 
this  clanship,  out  of  the  estates  of  others.  These  lands  are 
set  by  the  landlord  during  pleasure,  or  a  short  tack,  to  people 
whom  they  call  goodmen  {Duine  Uasail),  and  who  are  of  a 
superior  station  to  the  commonalty.  These  are  generally 
the  sons,  brothers,  cousins,  or  nearest  relations  of  the  land- 
lord (or  chief).  This,  by  means  of  a  small  portion,  and  the 
liberality  of  their  relations,  they  are  able  to  stock,  and  which 
they,  their  children  and  grandchildren,  possess  at  an  easy 
rent,  till  a  nearer  descendant  be  again  preferred  to  it.  As 
the  propinquity  removes,  they  become  less  considered,  till  at 
last  they  degenerate  to  be  of  the  common  people,  unless  some 
accidental  acquisition  of  wealth  supports  them  above  their 
station.  As  this  hath  been  an  ancient  custom,  most  of  the 
farmers  and  cottars  are  of  the  name  and  clan  of  the  pro- 
prietor.' This  exactly  describes  the  Irish  Fi7i^  in  its  re- 
stricted sense,  where  the  immediate  kin  of  the  Ccannfin^  or 
chief  consists  of  seventeen  persons,  forming  the  BiUhach 
Fine,  from  whence  they  pass  by  degrees  into  the  Duthaign 
Dainc  or  commonalty  of  the  Fin6  or  sept. 

Ti^e  °a»'i^'e-  The  dependent  septs,  on  the  other  hand,  represent  the 
Fmdhir  of  the  Irish  tribal  system.     Their  position  will  be 


inei) 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  319 

best  understood  by  the  Bonds  of  Manrent  or  Manred,  which 
came  to  be  taken  by  the  chiefs  from  their  dependants  when 
the  relation  constituted  by  usage  and  traditional  custom  was 
relaxed  by  time,  or  when  a  new  relationship  was  constituted 
at  a  later  period.  Thus  in  a  bond  by  a  sept  of  M'Gillikeyr 
to  John  Campbell  of  Glenurchy,  in  1547,  he  declares  that 
they  have  chosen  him  of  their  own  free  motive  to  their  chief 
to  be  their  protector  in  all  great  actions,  as  a  chief  does  in 
the  countries  of  the  Highlands,  and  shall  have  lands  of  him 
in  assedation ;  and  when  any  of  them  deceases  shall  leave  to 
him  and  his  heirs  '  ane  cawlpe  of  kenkynie,'  as  is  used  in  the 
countries  about.  Again,  in  a  bond  by  Duncan  M'Olcallum 
and  others  of  the  Clan  Teir  to  Colyne  Campbell  of  Glenurchay 
in  1556,  they  state  that  in  consequence  of  the  slaughter  of 
Johne  M'Gillenlay,  foster-brother  of  Sir  Colyne  Campbell  of 
Glenurchay,  their  predecessor,  for  sythment  and  recompence 
of  said  slaughter,  had  delivered  to  him  one  of  the  principal 
committers  of  it  called  John  Eoy  M'Ynteir,  to  be  punished  at 
his  will ;  and  moreover  had  elected  and  taken  him  and  his 
heirs  for  their  chiefs  and  masters,  and  given  to  him  their 
calps,  which  calps  the  said  Colyne,  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  of 
Glenurchay,  his  son  that  deceased  at  Flodden  (1513),  and  all 
other  lairds  of  Glenurchay  had  since  taken  up ;  and  the  said 
Clan  Teir  of  new  ratify  the  bond  in  favour  of  Colyne,  now  of 
Glenurchay.  Again,  we  find  in  1559  Archibald,  earl  of 
Argyll,  transferring  to  his  cousin  Colyne  Campbell  of  Glen- 
urchay and  his  heirs-male  the  manrent,  homage,  and  service 
which  his  predecessors  and  he  had  and  has  of  the  '  haill  kyn 
and  surname  of  the  Clanlaurane  and  their  posteritie,'  to- 
gether with  the  uptaking  of  their  calps,  providing  the  said 
Colyne  obtain  their  consent  thereto.*^ 

It  is  unnecessary  to  quote  more  of  these  bonds,  which  aie 

*■'  Black  Book  of  Taymouth,  pp.   185,  200.     Many  others  of  the  same 
description  will  be  found  in  this  book. 


320  THE  I'INK  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

usually  in  the  same  terms ;  and  we  may  conclude  with  the 
following  taken  from  '  aue  list  of  the  native-men  of  Craignish.' 
In  1592  Malcolme  Moir  Makesaig  and  his  sons  appeared  at 
Barrichbyan,  and  gave  to  their  well-beloved  Ronald  Campbell 
McEan  VcDonald  of  Barrichbyan  and  his  heirs  their  bond 
of  manred  and  calpis  for  ever,  and  shall  follow  and  obey  him 
and  his  heirs  in  whatever  place  he  and  his  foresaids  transport 
themselves  in  the  country  or  without ;  and  shall  obey  them 
as  native-men  ought  and  should  do  to  their  chief;  and 
Ronald  obliges  himself  and  his  heirs  to  be  a  good  chief  and 
master  to  them  as  his  native-men,  and  to  give  to  them  their 
duty  that  they  and  their  succession  of  men  and  women  ought 
to  have  after  calpis,  conform  to  the  use  of  the  country.  In 
1595  similar  agreements  were  made  by  other  small  septs,  and 
in  a  bond  of  manrent  granted  by  Gillicallum  McDonchie 
Vclntyre  VcCoshen  to  Ranald  Campbell  of  Barrechebyan  in 
1612,  in  which  he  states, '  Forasmuch  as  I  understand  of  gude 
memorie  that  the  surname  of  Clanntyre  VcCoshen  wer  of 
auld  native-men,  servandis  and  dependaris  to  the  house  and 
surename  of  Clandule  Cregnis,  alias  Campbellis  in  Cregnis, 
and  willing  of  my  dewtie  to  renew  the  band  and  service  of 
my  sadis  forbearis  war  of  auld,  and  dewtie  to  the  sadis  house 
and  surename,  and  acknowledging  Rannald  Campbell  of 
Barrichbyan  to  be  of  the  samin  house  and  surname,'  he 
becomes  bound,  for  himself  and  all  others  descended  of  his 
body, '  to  be  leill,  trew,  and  of  auld,  native-men  in  all  lawlie- 
ness  and  subjection  to  the  said  Rannald  and  his  airis-male 
for  ever,  and  that  according  as  my  predecessors  were  in  use  of 
befoir,  and  as  ony  native-men  are  in  use  in  Argyll,  in  special 
sail  serve  be  sea  and  land  the  said  Rannald,  etc. ;  and  in 
token  to  uplift  from  me  at  my  decease  the  second  but  aucht 
that  I  sail  have  at  the  time  foresaid  in  name  of  calp,  to  wit, 
ane  hors,  meir,  or  mart ; '  and  '  providing  alwayis  the  said 
Rannald  and  his  airis  do  the  dewtie  of  ane  chief  or  maister 


CHAP,  vm.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  321 

to  me  and  my  airis  male  and  female,  as  use  is ;  attour  I 
grant  me,  as  use  is,  to  half  gotten  at  the  making  heirof  ane 
oruid  and  sufficient  sword,  ressavit  and  deliverit  be  the  said 
Kannald  to  remane  as  ane  memorial!  taikin  of  this  my  band 
of  manrent.'*^ 

Another  feature  in  the  relation  between  the  chief  and  his  Fosterage. 
kinsmen  with  their  dependent  septs  was  the  custom  of 
fosterage  which  prevailed  among  the  Highland  clans  as  it 
characterised  the  Irish  tribes.  The  written  contracts  of  fos- 
terage, which,  like  the  bonds  of  manrent,  superseded  the 
unwritten  usage  during  the  transition  period  when  the  older 
Celtic  law  was  losing  its  influence,  and  when  it  became  neces- 
sary for  the  chiefs  to  secure  their  ancient  privileges  from  pass- 
ing away  under  the  pressure  of  other  influences,  will  afford  us 
the  best  means  of  ascertaining  the  true  nature  of  this  custom. 
We  may  refer  to  the  terms  of  a  few  of  those  which  have 
been  preserved.  In  1510  we  have  an  obligation  by  Johne 
M'Neill  Vreik  in  Stronferua,  and  Gregoure  his  brother,  to 
receive  Coleyne  Campbell,  lawful  third  son  to  Coleyne  Camp- 
bell, the  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  of 
Glenurquhay,  knight,  in  fostering,  and  to  give  him  a  bairn's 
part  of  gear ;  and  giving  to  the  said  Sir  Duncan  and  his  heirs 
their  bonds  of  Manrent  and  Calps,  that  is,  the  best  aucht  in 
their  houses  the  times  of  their  decease  ;  the  said  Sir  Duncan 
and  Coleyne  his  son  being  bound  to  defend  the  said  John  and 
Gregour  in  the  lands  of  Stronferna,  and  the  rest  of  the 
roiuvfiis  they  possess,  as  law  will.'^'^  Again,  in  1580,  there  is 
a  contract  between  Duncane  Campbell,  fiar  of  Glenurquhay, 
and  his  native  servant  Gillecreist  Makdonchy  Duff  V*^]Srokerd 
and  Katherine  Neyn  Douill  Vekconchy  his  spouse,  in  which 
the  latter  bind  themselves  to  take  in  fostering  Duncane 
Campbell,  son  to  the  said  Duncane,  to  be  sustained  by  them 

*^  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis,  p.  206. 
*~  Black  Book  of  Taymouth,  p.  179. 

VOL.  III.  X 


.322  THK  FINl5  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

in  meat,  drink,  and  nourishment  till  he  be  sent  to  the  schools 
with  the  advice  of  friends,  and  to  sustain  him  at  the  schools 
with  reasonable  support,  the  said  father  and  foster-father 
giving  between  them  of  Makhelve  goods  in  donation  to  the 
said  bairn  at  Beltane  thereafter,  the  value  of  two  hundred 
merks  of  ky  and  two  horses  or  two  mares  worth  forty  merks ; 
these  goods,  with  their  increase,  to  pertain  to  the  said  bairn 
as  his  own  chance  bears  him  to,  but  their  milk  to  pertain  to 
the  said  foster-father  and  mother  so  long  as  they  sustain  the 
said  bairn,  and  until  he  be  sent  to  the  schools,  except  so 
much  of  the  milk  as  will  pay  the  mails  of  pasture-lands  for 
the  said  cattle,  which  the  said  foster-father  is  bound  to  find 
for  them  upon  Lochaw,  and  until  such  be  got  he  finding  for 
them  the  half  of  the  lands  of  Auchakynnay,  etc.*^ 

The  next  contract  in  date,  which  we  shall  quote,  takes  us 
to  the  Western  Isles.  It  is  a  contract  in  1612,  by  which  Sir 
Roderick  Macleod  of  Dunvegan  gives  his  son  Norman  to 
John,  son  of  the  son  of  Kenneth,  to  foster ;  and  it  is  a  very 
remarkable  document,  for  it  is  written  in  Gaelic  in  the  Irish 
character  of  the  time.  The  conditions  are,  that  if  John  dies  first 
the  child  is  to  remain  with  the  widow,  but  the  guardianship 
with  John's  brother  Angus,  who  is  to  have  the  entire  charge 
of  the  child  if  the  widow  marries  again  ;  and  Sir  Roderick  is 
to  have  a  son's  share  of  the  stock  (the  bairn's  part  of  the  other 
contracts)  during  the  life  of  himself  and  his  heir  and  the 
foster-child,  along  with  John's  heirs.  The  stock  (Scalbh) 
which  is  to  be  put  into  possession  of  the  foster-child  is  four 
mares  given  by  the  foster-father,  and  other  four  mares  by  the 
father  Sir  Roderick,  along  with  three  which  he  promised  him 
when  he  took  him  to  his  bosom.  The  charge  and  keeping  of 
the  seven  mares  given  by  the  father  to  be  with  the  foster- 
father,  in  order  to  put  them  to  increase  for  his  foster-son ; 
and  the  care  and  keeping  of  the  four  mares  given  by  the 
•*8  Black  Book  of  Taymouth,  p.  223. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  323 

foster-father  to  be  with  the  father,  to  put  them  to  increase 
for  him  in  like  manner.  Among  the  witnesses  to  this  con- 
tract are  the  ministers  of  Duirinish  and  Bracadale.*^  The 
last  we  shall  notice  is  as  late  as  the  year  1665,  and  is  a  con- 
tract betwixt  George  Campbell  of  Airds  in  Argyllshire  and 
Donald  Dow  M'Ewin  in  Ardmastill  and  Eoiss  N'Odochardie 
his  wife,  by  which  George  Campbell  gives  in  fostering  to 
Donald  Dow  and  his  wife,  Isobell  Campbell,  his  lawful 
daughter,  for  the  space  of  seven  years  from  next  Beltane,  and 
gives  to  her  as  M'Heliff  (Shcalbh)  two  new-calved  kyne  with 
a  calf  and  a  year-old  stirk,  a  two-year-old  quey  at  Beltane 
next,  and  another  two-year-old  quey  at  Beltane  1667  ;  and 
Donald  Dow  and  his  spouse  give  to  their  foster-child  two 
farrow  kyne,  with  a  stirk  and  a  two-year-old  quey  at  Beltane, 
and  another  two-year-old  quey  at  Beltane  1667.  The  whole 
of  their  cattle  with  their  increase  to  be  in  the  custody  of  the 
foster-father  and  mother  during  these  seven  years,  the  milk 
to  belong  to  the  foster-father  and  the  increase  of  the  cattle 
to  the  foster-child ;  Ijut  the  father  is  to  grass  the  yeald  kyne 
yearly,  if  the  foster-father  have  not  sufficient  pasturage  for 
them.  In  addition  to  this,  the  foster-father  and  his  spouse 
give  the  foster-child  a  bairn's  part  and  portion  of  their 
whole  goods  and  gear  which  shall  belong  to  them  at  their 
decease,  as  if  she  was  their  own  lawful  child.^^ 

While  the  clan,  viewed  as  a  single  community,  thus  con-  'I'he  cian 
sisted  of  the  chief,  with  his  kinsmen  to  a  certain  limited  kemberh. 
degree  of  relationship ;  the  commonalty  who  were  of  the 
same  blood,  who  all  bore  the  same  name,  and  his  depend- 
ants, consisting  of  subordinate  septs  of  native-men,  who  did 
not  claim  to  be  of  the  blood  of  the  chief,  but  were  either 
probably  descended  from  the  more  ancient  occupiers  of  the 
soil,  or  were  broken  men  from  other  clans,  who  had  taken 

""'  National    MSS.    of  Scotland,  ^"  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis, 

vol.  ii.  No.  84.  p.  20. 


324  THE  FINt':  OK  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  [book  hi. 

protection  from  him,  the  influence  of  the  acquisition  of  the 
right  of  property  in  land,  which  had  originally  developed 
the  septs  out  of  the  tribe,  likewise  tended  to  make  smaller 
septs  within  the  clan.  Those  kinsmen  of  the  chief  who  ac- 
quired the  property  of  their  land  founded  families,  in  which 
the  land  became  hereditary,  and  which  thus  became  the 
centres  of  a  new  organisation  within  the  clan.  The  most 
influential  of  these  was  that  of  the  oldest  cadet  in  the  family 
which  had  been  longest  separated  from  the  main  stem,  and 
usually  presented  the  appearance  of  a  rival  house  little  less 
powerful  than  that  of  the  chief.  There  is  perhaps  no  better 
description  of  the  form  which  the  clan  ultimately  assumed, 
and  of  the  spirit  which  animated  its  members,  than  that 
given  by  an  acute  observer  in  the  early  part  of  last  century.-''^ 
'  The  Highlanders,'  he  says,  '  are  divided  into  tribes  or  clans, 
under  chiefs  or  chieftains,  as  they  are  called  in  the  laws  of 
Scotland ;  and  each  clan  again  divided  into  branches  from 
the  main  stock,  who  have  chieftains  over  them.  These  are 
subdivided  into  smaller  branches  of  fifty  or  sixty  men,  who 
deduce  their  original  from  their  particular  chieftains,  and 
rely  upon  them  as  their  more  immediate  protectors  and 
defenders.  The  ordinary  Highlanders  esteem  it  the  most 
sublime  degree  of  virtue  to  love  their  chief  and  pay  him  a 
blind  obedience,  although  it  be  in  opposition  to  the  govern- 
ment, the  laws  of  the  kingdom,  or  even  to  the  law  of  God. 
Next  to  this  love  of  their  chief  is  that  of  the  particular  branch 
from  whence  they  sprang,  and,  in  a  third  degree,  to  those 
of  the  whole  clan  or  name,  whom  they  will  assist,  right  or 
wrong,  against  those  of  any  other  tribe  with  which  they  are  at 
variance.  They  likewise  owe  goodwill  to  such  clans  as  they 
esteem  to  be  their  particular  well-wishers ;  and,  lastly,  they 
have  an  adherence  one  to  another  as  Highlanders  in  opposi- 

^'^  Letters  from  a  gentleman  in  the      p.    1.     A  few  unnecessary  expres- 
North  of  Scotland  in  1726,  vol.  ii.       sions  have  been  omitted. 


CHAP,  vm.]  THE  FINE  OR  CLAN  IN  SCOTLAND.  325 

tiou  to  the  people  of  the  Low  Country,  whom  they  despise  as 
inferior  to  them  in  courage,  and  believe  they  have  a  right  to 
plunder  them  whenever  it  is  in  their  power.  This  last  arises 
from  a  tradition  that  the  Lowlands,  in  old  times,  were  the 
possession  of  their  ancestors.  The  chief  exercises  an  arbitrary 
authority  over  his  vassals,  determines  all  differences  and  dis- 
putes that  happen  among  them,  and  levies  taxes  upon  extra- 
ordinary occasions,  such  as  the  marriage  of  a  daughter, 
building  a  house,  or  some  pretence  for  his  support  and  the 
honour  of  the  name.  This  power  of  the  chiefs  is  not  sup- 
ported by  interest  as  they  are  landlords,  but  as  lineally  de- 
scended from  the  old  patriarchs  or  fathers  of  the  families.' 


326 


THE  CLANS  AND  TIIEIK  GENEALOGIES. 


[book  hi. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES. 


State  of 
the  High- 
lands ill 
the  six- 
teenth 
ceuturv. 


The  forfeiture  of  the  last  Lord  of  the  Isles,  and  the  annexa- 
tion of  a  great  part  of  his  territories  to  the  crown,  finally 
brought  the  whole  clans  of  the  Highlands  and  Islands  into 
direct  subjection  to  the  royal  authority,  but  the  removal  of 
the  old  hereditary  rulers  of  the  provinces,  and  the  substitu- 
tion of  a  central  authority  which  could  make  itself  but  little 
felt  beyond  the  Highland  Line,  left  the  clans  without  any 
practical  control,  and  the  sixteenth  century  is  mainly  charac- 
terised by  internal  conflicts  between  the  clans  themselves, 
which  increased  the  power  of  some,  and  broke  up  the  solid- 
arity of  others,  and  by  the  gradual  advance  in  influence  and 
extent  of  territory  in  Argyllshire  of  the  Campbells,  whose 
astuteness  and  foresight  led  them  to  a  uniform  support  of 
the  royal  authority,  while  the  Mackenzies  acquired  a  hardly 
less  influential  position  in  Ross-shire.^ 

From  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth  century,  when  Donald 
of  the  Isles  had  invaded  the  Low  Country  at  the  head  of  a 
Highland  army  of  ten  thousand  men,  till  the  outbreak  of  the 
civil  war  in  the  reign  of  Charles  the  First,  the  clans  had 
never  broken  through  the  barriers  which  separated  them 
from  the  Lowlands  in  the  form  of  one  united  army  ;  and  it  was 


'  The  history  of  the  clans  from  the 
forfeiture  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles  in 
1492  to  the  year  11)25  is  given  with 


great  accuracy  and  detail  in  Mr. 
Gregory's  History  of  the  West  High- 
lands and  Isles  of  Scotland. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  327 

not  till  Montrose  raised  the  Highland  clans  to  make  a  diver- 
sion in  favour  of  the  king  in  the  north  that  their  power  as 
a  united  people  was  at  all  recognised.  The  rapid  and  bril- 
liant campaigns  of  Montrose  showed  what  the  clans  were 
capable  of  effecting  when  brought  together  and  skilfully 
handled,  though  opposed  by  all  the  power  and  influence  of 
Gillespie  Gruamach,  the  Earl  of  Argyll  and  head  of  the 
Campbells.  The  normal  relation  of  the  Highlanders  and 
Lowlanders  to  each  other  is  graphically  put  by  one  of  the 
greatest  of  modern  writers,  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  subject,  when  he  says, '  The  inhabitants  of  the  Low- 
lands were  indeed  aware  that  there  existed,  in  the  extremity 
of  the  island,  amid  wilder  mountains  and  broader  lakes  than 
their  own,  tribes  of  men  called  clans,  living  each  under  the 
rule  of  their  own  chief,  wearing  a  peculiar  dress,  speaking  an 
unknown  language,  and  going  armed  even  in  the  most  ordi- 
nary and  peaceable  vocations.  The  more  southern  counties 
saw  specimens  of  these  men  following  the  droves  of  cattle 
which  were  the  sole  exportable  commodity  of  their  country, 
plaided,  bonneted,  belted,  and  brogued,  and  driving  their 
bullocks,  as  Virgil  is  said  to  have  spread  his  manure,  with 
an  air  of  great  dignity  and  consequence.^  To  their  nearer 
Lowland  neighbours  they  were  known  by  more  fierce  and 
frequent  causes  of  acquaintance ;  by  the  forays  which  they 
made  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  plains,  and  the  tribute,  or 
protection-money,  which  they  exacted  from  those  whose 
possessions  they  spared.'^ 

Repeated  attempts  were  made  by  the  kings  to  control  the  Names  and 

position  of 

turbulence  of  the  clans,  and  to  bring  them  under  more  com-  the  clans. 
plete  subjection  to  the  government,  but  it  was  not  till  the 
reign  of  James  that  a  serious  effort  was  made  by  Parliament 

-  In  1566  the  Privy  Councilissued  Icctanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis,  p.  151. 
a  proclamation  '  that  none  presume  •*  Article  on  the  Culloden  Papers 

to  molest  the  Highlanders  resorting  in  the  Quarterly  Review  for  January 

to  markets  in  the  Lowlands. "—Co/-  1826,  written  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 


328  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES,  [book  in. 

to  effect  tliis,  when  three  very  important  Acts  were  passed, 
which  put  us  in  possession  of  detailed  information  as  to  the 
number  and  names  of  the  clans  at  the  time.  In  1587  an  Act 
was  passed  '  for  the  quieting  and  keeping  in  obedience  of  the 
disorderit  subjectis  inhabitants  of  the  Borders,  Highlands 
and  Isles.'  It  is  unnecessary  to  enter  into  any  detail  as  to 
the  description  given  in  this  Act  of  the  state  of  these  parts  of 
the  country,  which  is  sufficiently  highly  coloured,  and  of  the 
remedies  proposed  by  the  statute ;  but  annexed  to  it  are  two 
rolls — one  '  of  the  names  of  the  Landlords  and  Baillies  of 
lands  dwelling  on  the  Borders  and  in  the  Highlands  where 
broken  men  has  dwelt  and  presently  dwells ;'  and  the  other, 
'  of  the  Clans  that  have  Captains,  Chiefs,  and  Chieftains,  on 
whom  they  depend  ofttimes  against  the  will  of  their  Landlords, 
as  well  on  the  Borders  as  the  Highlands,  and  of  some  special 
persons  of  branches  of  the  said  clans.'*  Here  the  landlord  or 
feudal  overlord  is  distinguished  from  the  captain,  chief,  and 
chieftain,  or  tribal  head  of  the  clan,  both  characters  being 
sometimes  united  in  the  same  person,  and  at  other  times 
vested  in  different  persons.  Neither  are  the  titles  of  captain, 
chief,  and  chieftain  synonymous.  The  captain  was  the  person 
who  actually  led  the  clan,  whether  representing  the  founder 
of  the  clan  in  the  male  line  or  not,  while  the  chief  was  the 
Ceanncine,  or  hereditary  head  of  the  tribe,  who  possessed 
that  character,  and  the  chieftain,  the  Ceanntighe,  or  head  of 
a  subordinate  sept.  The  chief  was  usually  also  the  captain, 
but  when  he  was  either  set  aside  from  incapacity,  or  the  pre- 
eminent military  and  administrative  talents  of  a  member  of 
the  clan  led  to  the  tribe  taking  the  unusual  course  of  adopting 
him  to  be  their  leader,  as  better  able  to  protect  them,  he  was 
simply  termed  Captain  of  the  Clan,  and  the  position  and  title 
usually  remained  with  his  descendants,  especially  if  he  had 
obtained  a  feudal  title  to  the  lands.^  The  whole  of  the  clan, 
■*  .4ci!s  of  Pari,  voL  iii.  p.  462.  ^  xhus  it  was  only  after  the  tern- 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  329 

however,  seldom  acquiesced  in  the  adoption  of  a  leader 
separate  from  the  hereditary  chief,  and  in  every  clan  where 
the  actual  head  of  it  bore  the  title  of  Captain  we  find  a  con- 
troversy as  to  the  right  to  the  chiefship,  and  a  part  of  the 
clan  holding  off  from  the  rest.^ 

Another  statute  was  passed  in  1594  '  for  punishment  of 
thift,  reif,  oppression,  and  sorning.'"  It  contains  within  it  a 
list  of  clans  and  surnames  inhabiting  the  Highlands  and 
Isles,  and  likewise  a  list  of  broken  men  of  surnames  inhabit- 
ing the  sheriffdoms  of  Argyll,  Bute,  Dumbarton,  Stirling, 
Perth,  Forfar,  Aberdeen,  Banff,  Elgin,  Forres,  Nairn,  Inver- 
ness, and  Cromarty  ;  and  stewartries  of  Stratherne  and  Men- 
teith.  These  lists  of  clans  and  broken  men,  with  a  list 
furnished  by  MacVureach  of  the  clans  who  joined  Montrose, 
gives  us  a  tolerably  complete  view  of  the  state  of  the  High- 
land clans  at  the  time,  and  they  may  be  thus  stated,  follow- 
ing the  order  of  the  districts  which  they  inhabited. 

The  Highland  district  of  the  earldom  of  Lennox  was 
occupied  by  the  Clan  Pharlane,  undoubted  descendants  of 
the  old  earls  of  Lennox.  The  clan  takes  its  name  from 
Parlane  or  Bartholomew,  a  great-grandson  of  Gilchrist,  third 
son  of  Alain,  earl  of  Lennox,  and  the  steps  of  the  pedigree 
rest  upon  charter  evidence.  Next  to  them  were  the  Clan 
Gregor,  on  the  east  side  of  Lochlomond  and  around  Loch 
Katrine.      In  Balquhidder  we   find  the  Clan  Lahhran   or 

porary  bi'eak-up  of  the  Clan  Chattan  Hustain,  or  Macdonalds  of  Sleat,  is 
and  Clan  Cameron  in  1429  that  we  when  it  was  led  by  an  nncle  of  the 
find  captains  of  these  clans  ai)pear-  chief,  then  in  minority,  who  appears 
ing  ;  and  when  Hector  Macintosh,  as  Captain  of  the  Clan  Hustain. 
bastard  son  of  Ferquhard  Macintosh,  •>  As  in  the  Clan  Cliattan,  where 
who  died  in  1574,  led  the  clan  for  a  the  Clan  Vuireach,  or  old  Clan  Chat- 
time,  he  is  termed  in  1529  Captain  tan,  seldom  recognised  the  authority 
of  Clan  Chattan.  The  first  Captain  of  the  captain  ;  and  in  the  Clan- 
of  Clanranald  was  Ian  Mudortach,  ranald,  where  the  MaclJonells  of 
the  bastard  son  of  a  second  son  ;  Glengarry  held  aloof, 
and  the  only  time  that  this  title  ap-  "  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  iv.  p. 
pears  in  connection  with  the  Clan  71. 


330  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIIi  GENEALOGIES,  [book  hi. 

Lauren,  and  in  Atlioll  the  clan  possessing  the  largest  terri- 
tory was  the  Clan  Donnuchie,  whose  descent  from  Duncan, 
son  of  Andrew  de  Atholia,  likewise  rests  upon  charter  evi- 
dence, and  whose  name  of  De  Atholia  sufficiently  indicates 
that  they  were  the  male  representatives  of  the  old  earls  of 
Atholl.  With  Glenshee  and  Glenisla  is  connected  a  clan 
called  the  Clan  M'Thomas.  Crossing  the  Mounth  we  find 
the  Highland  districts  of  Mar  and  Buchan  occupied  by  the 
Clan  Chattan,  who  lilcewise,  with  their  branches  and  depend- 
ent septs,  extended  over  Strathdearn,  Strathnairn,  and  Bade- 
noch,  into  the  district  of  Lochaber.  In  Eoss-shire  were  the 
Clan  Andres  or  Eosses  and  the  Clan  Kenneth  or  Mackenzies, 
and  in  the  Highland  districts  of  Sutherland  and  Caithness, 
forming  the  north-west  corner  of  Scotland,  were  the  Clan 
Morgan  or  Mackays  and  the  Clan  Gunn,  The  clans  which 
occupied  the  principal  position  in  the  great  district  of  Argyll 
and  the  Isles  were  the  different  clans  into  which  the  descend- 
ants of  the  powerful  Lords  of  the  Isles  and  Knights  of  Argyll 
broke  up  on  the  termination  of  the  main  line.  There  were 
the  Clann  Duhligal  or  Macdougalls  of  Lome,  descended  from 
Dubhgal,  the  eldest  son  of  Somerled  ;  the  Clandonald  de- 
scended from  Domuall,  son  of  Eegiuald  or  Eanald,  his  second 
son  ;  and  this  great  sept  was  again  broken  up  into  six  clans. 
These  were  the  Clandonald  north  and  south,  that  is,  the  Clan 
Hv.stain  or  MacDonalds  of  Slate,  and  the  Clan  Eoin  Mor  or 
MacConneUs  of  Isla  and  Kintyre,  descended  from  Donald, 
eldest  son  of  John,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  by  the  king's  daughter, 
and  from  Eoin  Mor,his  second  son,  respectively.  From  Eanald, 
son  of  Alaster,  his  third  son,  sprang  the  Clanranald  of  Locha- 
ber, or  Macdonalds  of  Keppoch.  From  Eoin  Sprangaigh  and 
Alaster  Og,  sons  of  Angus  Mor,  came  the  Clan  Ian  or  Mac- 
lans  of  Ardnamurchan,  and  the  Clan  Alaster  or  MacAlasters 
of  Loup  in  Kintyre.  The  most  important  clans  after  the  Mac- 
donalds were,  in  Argyll,  the  Clan  O'Duibhn  or  Campbells, 


cHAi'.  ix.J  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  331 

whose  original  seat  was  the  district  of  Lochow  and  Ardskeod- 
nich,  and  who  succeeded  to  their  power.  In  the  Isles  the  Clan 
Leod  or  Macleods  of  Dunvegan  and  Glenelg,  and  those  of 
Lewis,  descended  from  two  brothers,  were  the  most  powerful ; 
and  next  them  the  Clan  Gillcoin  or  Macleans  of  Dowart  and 
Lochbowie,  and  the  Clan  Ncill  or  Macneills  of  Gigha  and  of 
Barra,  and  here  we  see  the  oldest  cadets  occupying  quite  as 
prominent  a  position  as  the  main  line.  The  other  clans  of 
Argyll  and  the  Isles  were,  in  Cowall,  the  Clan  Lachlan,  and 
the  Clan  Ladmann  or  Lamont,  and  between  Loch  Fine  and 
Lochow  the  Clan  Neachtan  or  MacNaughtons ;  while  Glen- 
orchy  was  the  original  seat  of  the  Clan  Gregor,  and  in  Loch- 
aber  the  Clancliamron,  or  Camerons  of  Lochiel,  had  their 
home.  In  Lochaber  and  Colonsay  were  the  Clan  DuhhsitM 
or  Macduffies,  and  in  Mull  and  Skye  the  Clan  Fingaine  or 
Mackinnons  and  the  Clan  Guairc  or  Macquarries. 

This  word  Clann  signifies  simply  children  or  descendants.  Meaning  of 

111  1-T11  1  p-  Clann,  and 

and  the  clan  name  thus  implies  that  the  members  oi  it  are  the  per- 
or  were  supposed  to  be  descended  from  a  common  ancestor  names 
or  eponymus,  and  they  were  distinguished  from  each  other  t|°™patro- 
by  their  patronymics,  the  use  of  surnames  in  the  proper  Ver^taken. 
sense  of   the  term  being   unknown  among   them.      These 
patronymics,  in  the  case  of  the  Ccanncind  or  chief  and  the 
Ceanntighs  or  heads  of  the  smaller  septs,  indicated  their 
descent  from  the  founder  of  the  race  or  sept ;  those  of  the 
members  of  it  who  were  of  the  kin  of  the  chief  or  chieftain 
showed  the  personal  relation ;  while  the  commonalty  of  the 
clan  simple  used  a  derivative  form  of  the  name  of  the  clan, 
implying  merely  that  they  belonged  to  it.     This  system  is 
quaintly  described  by  John  Elder,  clerk,  in  his  letter  to 
King  Henry  the  Eighth  in  1542  or  1543.     He  says — 'Now 
and  pleas  your  excellent  Majestic,  the  said  people  which 
inhabitede  Scotland  afore  the  incummyng  of  the  said  Alban- 
actus  (as  I  have  said),  being  valiant,  stronge,  and  couragious. 


332  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIEIU  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

although  they  were  savage  and  wilde,  had  strange  names,  as 
Morrdhow  .i.  Mordachus  ;  Gillicallum  .i.  Malcolmus  ;  Donyll 
.i.  Donaldus,  and  so  fourth.  Then  their  sonnis  followinge 
theame  in  manlieid  and  valianntnes,  called  theameselves 
after  this  manner  of  wyse,  leaving  their  proper  names  un- 
expressede,  Makconyll  A.  filius  Donaldi ;  Makgillecalliim  A. 
tilius  Malcolmi,  etc.,  and  so  they  have  contenewide  unto  this 
daye.'^  Thus  the  head  of  the  whole  Clan  Donald  was  simply 
Macdonald,  the  chief  of  the  Clan  Eanald  of  Glengarry,  Mac- 
mkicalastair,  the  captain  of  Clan  Eanald,  MacmJiicalain,  and 
one  of  the  commonalty  simply  Domnaillach  or  a  Macdonald. 
Besides  the  clans  the  statutes  distinguish  what  they  term 
surnames.  There  were  in  Lennox,  Buchanans,  M'Caiulis  or 
Macaulays,  and  Galbraiths;  Grahames  in  JMonteith;  Stewarts 
in  Atholl,  Lome,  and  Balquhidder;  Menzieses,  Fergusons, 
Spaldings,  and  Macintoshes  in  Atholl;  Farquharsons  in 
Braemar ;  MacPhersons  in  Strathnairn ;  Grants  in  Strath- 
spey ;  Frasers  in  the  Aird  ;  Rosses  and  Monros  in  Ross ;  and 
Neilsons  in  Sutherland.  These  surnames  were  of  three 
kinds.  There  were  first  names  which  had  a  Gaelic  form,  as 
Macaulay  and  Macpherson  ;  or  the  English  equivalent  of  a 
Gaelic  form,  as  Farquharson,  Ferguson,  etc. ;  secondly,  those 
who  had  assumed  a  territorial  name,  or  whose  name  bore 
that  appearance,  as  the  Buchanans,  who  likewise  bore  the 
name  of  Macaustelan,  and  took  the  former  designation  from 
their  lands.  Grants,  Rosses,  and  Monroes ;  and  thirdly,  those 
which  were  foreign  names  and  of  foreign  descent,  but  who 
had  become  so  assimilated  to  the  Gaelic  people  as  to  be 
identified  with  them  in  language,  custom,  and  spirit  of  clan- 
ship, as  the  Stewarts,  Frasers,  Menzieses,  Spaldings,  etc.,  who 
had  been  long  settled  in  the  Highlands. 

The  system  of  nomenclature,  therefore,  which  character- 
ised the  clans  and  the  surnames  of  Gaelic  origin  was  one 

^  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Alhanlcls,  p.  27. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIK  GENEALOGIES.  333 

entirely  based  upon  the  personal  name,  and  was  in  no  respect 
territorial ;  but  we  find,  on  examination,  that  the  personal 
names  used  by  the  Gaelic  people  were  of  different  kinds,  and 
constituted  upon  different  principles.  The  earliest  personal 
names  used  by  the  different  branches  of  the  Celtic  people 
appear  to  have  been  formed  in  the  same  manner,  and  re- 
semble each  other  in  their  structure.  On  analysing  those 
both  of  the  Cymric  and  the  Gaelic  people,  we  can  see  that 
they  are  compounded  of  two  monosyllables,  a  certain  number 
of  which  is  used  to  form  the  first  half  of  the  name  and  a 
different  set  of  monosyllables  annexed  as  a  termination,  and 
these  are  combined  with  each  other  in  every  variety  of  form. 
The  initial  syllables  are  more  numerous  than  the  terminal, 
and  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  specify  a  few  to  illustrate  the 
formation  of  these  names.  Thus  in  Welsh,  Ael,  Aer,  Arth, 
Gad,  and  Cyn  are  common  initial  syllables ;  and  Teyrn, 
March,  Gkvyr,  and  Gwys  common  terminations.  These  form 
in  combination  the  names  Aclgyvarch,  Cadvarch,  Gynvarch, 
Aerdeym,  Gyndeyrn,  Arthvjyl,  Gynwys,  etc.  So  in  Gaelic 
Aen,  Art,  Con,  Dim,  Duhh,  Fear,  Fin,  and  Gorm  are  common 
initial  syllables;  and  Gal^  and  6^ms,  common  terminations, 
and  from  them  are  formed  Aengal,  Artgal,  Gongal,  DungaJ, 
Duhhgal,  Fcargal,  Fingal,  Gormgal,  and  Aengus,  Gongus,  Fcar- 
gus,  etc.  Similar  forms  existed  among  the  Pictish  names,  as 
in  Ungiist,  Urgiist,  Urgart,  Dcrgart,  Gartnaidh,  etc. ;  and  be- 
sides the  Pictish  forms  which  are  analogous  to  the  Irish,  we 
find  such  Pictish  names  as  Neachtain,  Fingainc,  etc.,  occurring 
in  the  Highland  Genealogies. 

The  introduction  of  Christianity  among  these  Gaelic  tribes 
added  another  class  of  names  to  these  older  forms.  These 
were  formed  by  prefixing  the  words  Maol,  that  is,  bald  in  the 

'^  This  syllable  Gal  must  not  be  Fingall  and  Duhhgall,  white  and 
confounded,  as  is  often  done,  with  black  foreigners,  were  applied  to 
Gall,  a  stranger  ;  whence  the  names       the  Norwegians  and  Daues. 


334  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIEIIl  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

sense  of  tonsured,  and  Giolla,  or  servant,  first  to  the  words 
losa  or  Jesus,  Criosd  or  Christ,  Faiclh  the  prophet,  Easimig 
the  bishop ;  as  in  Maoliosa  or  Giolliosa,  servant  of  Jesus, 
Maolanfhaidh  or  GillanfJiaidh,  servant  of  the  prophet,  Giolla- 
chriosd,  servant  of  Christ,  and  Gillcasjyuiff,  servant  of  the 
bishop :  and  secondly,  to  the  names  of  the  founders  and 
patron  saints  of  the  churches,  as  in  Maolcoluim  or  Giolla- 
coluim,  servant  of  St.  Columba ;  Maolhride  or  Giollahridc, 
servant  of  St.  Bridget ;  GioUachattan,  servant  of  St.  Cathan  ; 
Gillanacmh,  servant  of  the  saints ;  Giollaeoin,  servant  of  St. 
John,  etc.  In  these  latter  names,  when  combined  with  the 
word  Clan  or  Mac,  if  they  commence  with  a  consonant,  the 
prefix  Giolla  is  usually  omitted,  as  in  Clanchattan,  Mac- 
Callum,  etc. ;  but  if  they  commence  with  a  vowel,  they  form 
that  numerous  class  of  names  in  which  Mac  is  followed  by 
the  letter  L.  Thus  MacGioUaeoin  becomes  Maclean ;  Mac- 
Giolla  Adomnan,  MacLennau,  etc.  The  conquest  of  the 
Western  Isles,  and  the  frequent  occupation  of  parts  of  the 
mainland  by  the  Norwegians  and  Danes,  and  the  intermar- 
riages between  them,  added  to  these  forms,  after  the  ninth 
century,  Norwegian  and  Danish  names,  such  as  Godfred, 
Harald,  Eagnall,  Somarled,  etc.,  which  became  Gofraidh, 
Aralt,  Ranald,  Somhairlc,  in  the  Highland  Genealogies.  It 
must  not,  however,  be  overlooked  that  the  Norwegians  fre- 
quently gave  to  Gaelic  names  a  Norwegian  form  significant 
in  their  own  language,  as  Dungadr  for  Donnachaidh,  Griot- 
gardr  for  Gi'egair,  IMelkolfr  for  Maolcohiim,  etc. 
Original  In  Considering  the  genealogies  of  the  Highland  clans  we 

and°posi-^'^  must  bear  in  mind  that  in  the  early  state  of  the  tribal  organi- 
cian°pedi-  satiou  the  pedigree  of  the  sept  or  clan,  and  of  each  member 
grees.  ^^  ^^yq  tribe,  had  a  very  important  meaning.     Their  rights 

were  derived  through  the  common  ancestor,  and  their  relation 
to  him,  and  through  him  to  each  other,  indicated  their  position 
in  the  succession,  as  well  as  their  place  in  the  allocation  of 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  335 

the  tribe  land.  In  such  a  state  of  society  the  pedigree  occu- 
pied the  same  position  as  the  title-deed  in  the  feudal  system, 
and  the  Sennachies  were  as  much  the  custodiers  of  the  rights 
of  families  as  the  mere  panegyrists  of  the  clan.  As  long  as 
the  Gaelic  tribes  and  the  governing  and  dominant  race  were 
of  the  same  lineage,  and  regulated  by  the  same  laws,  this 
system  must  have  remained  unaltered ;  but  when  the  king- 
dom was  formed  by  a  combination  of  different  races,  and  the 
influential  class  consisted  of  a  feudal  nobility,  while  the  laws 
of  the  country  were  based  upon  feudal  principles,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Gaelic  tribes  must  have  been  that  of  a  people  pos- 
sessing a  customary  law,  and  an  unrecognised  social  system 
opposed  to  the  law  acted  upon  by  the  governing  authority, 
and  the  latter  must  always  have  prevailed  in  the  long-run. 
When  the  conflict  of  these  laws  in  regulating  succession,  and 
the  frequent  insurrections  of  the  Gaelic  population,  with  the 
confiscations  which  followed  upon  them,  led  to  the  breaking 
up  of  the  Gaelic  tribes,  and  to  the  severance  of  those  ties 
which  bound  the  septs  or  clans  which  had  been  developed 
within  the  tribe  to  each  other,  the  pedigree  would  cease  to 
be  of  value  as  between  clan  and  clan.  The  competition  be- 
tween rival  interests  and  rival  races  would  lead  to  the  grati- 
fication of  vanity  becoming  the  ruling  ^iiotive,  in  order  to 
maintain  a  quasi  superiority,  and  likewise,  when  the  exigencies 
of  their  position  required  it,  to  a  falsification  and  imposture 
in  order  to  enable  the  clans  to  maintain  their  ground  in  a 
field  of  competition  regulated  by  feudal  principles.  The  pedi- 
grees must  then  have  been  greatly  influenced  by  those  into 
competition  with  whom  the  clan  families  were  thrown,  and 
by  the  interests  affected  in  consequence ;  and  when  the  govern- 
ing class  belonged  to  a  kindred  but  different  race  with  a  dif- 
ferent nationality  and  nomenclature,  there  must  always  have 
been  a  tendency  to  assimilate  their  own  traditions  to  those 
of  the  ruling  powers.     Till  the  ninth  century  the  Highland 


336  TIIK  CLANS  AND  THEIK  GENEALOGIES.  [book  iu. 

tribes  and  the  ruling  powers  were  of  the  same  race.  During 
the  two  succeeding  centuries  these  tribes  appear  to  have  re- 
mained intact,  while  the  dominating  race  and  the  clergy  were 
of  a  kindred  race  though  of  a  different  name  and  nationality, 
and  the  name  of  Scotia  became  transferred  from  Ireland  to 
Scotland.  Feudalism  then  commenced,  and  spread  over  the 
country,  and  the  reigns  of  the  kings  of  the  second  Scottish 
dynasty  from  the  accession  of  David  the  First  to  the  death 
of  Alexander  the  Third  was  the  period  of  the  breaking  up 
of  the  tribes,  and  the  complete  establishment  of  the  clan 
system  ;  and  this  likewise  was  the  period  of  the  manipulation 
of  the  Chronicles,  and  the  gradual  formation  of  that  spurious 
system  of  national  history  which,  originating  in  the  ecclesi- 
astical pretensions  of  St.  Andrews,  was  developed  during  the 
great  controversy  regarding  the  independence  of  Scotland, 
and  based  upon  a  Scottish  nationality  and  the  supposed 
colonisation  of  the  country  long  before  the  Christian  era  by 
Scota  and  her  Scottish  descendants,  till  it  was  finally  reduced 
to  a  system  by  John  of  Fordun.  Its  leading  features  w^ere 
the  colonisation  of  the  Highlands  by  Scots  in  the  third  cen- 
tury before  Christ,  their  conversion  in  the  second  century  by 
the  relics  of  St.  Andrew,  the  occupation  of  the  mountain 
region  of  the  north  by  the  Picts  entirely  ignored,  and  that 
people  relegated  to  the  plains  of  the  Lowlands,  when  they 
were  finally  exterminated  by  the  Scots  in  the  ninth  century. 
First  It  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  the  clans  should  not  have 

cianf  edi-  claimed  their  share  in  these  legendary  glories,  or  that  they 
flue'nce  o"  s^ould  have  lost  the  wish  to  maintain  a  separate  descent  with 
lesendaiy    ^-j^g  rrradual  disappearance  of  its  tradition,  and  thus  this  new 

history  ot  »  -^  ^ 

Scotland,  ^nd  preponderating  influence  would  naturally  produce  the 
first  great  change  in  the  clan  pedigrees.  This  change  is  very 
clearly  exposed  in  the  remarkable  letter  already  quoted  of 
John  Elder,  clerk,  a  Eeddeshanke,  to  King  Henry  the  Eighth. 
In  that  letter  he  thus  gives  the  origin  of  '  the  Yrische  Lords 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  337 

of  Scotland,  commonly  called  the  Eeddshanckes,  and  by 
historiographers,  Picts.'  '  Scotland,'  he  says,  '  before  the  in- 
coming of  Albanactus,  Brutus's  second  sou,  was  inhabited,  as 
we  read  in  ancient  Yrische  stories,  with  giants  and  wild  people, 
without  order,  civility,  or  manners,  and  speaks  none  other 
language  but  Yrishe,  and  was  then  called  Eyryn  veagg,  that 
is  to  say.  Little  Irland,  and  the  people  were  callit  Eyrynghe, 
that  is  to  say,  Irland  men.  But  after  the  incoming  of  Alba- 
nactus, in  reducing  them  to  order  and  civility  they  changed 
the  foresaid  name  Eyryn  veagg,  and  called  it  Albon,  and  their 
owne  names  also  and  called  them  Albonyghe  ;  which  two 
Yrische  wordes,  Albon,  that  is  to  say  Scotland,  and  Albonyghe, 
that  is  to  say  Scottish  men,  be  derived  from  Albanactus,  our 
first  governor  and  king.'  At  the  time  John  Elder  wrote, 
Yrishe,  afterwards  corrupted  into  Erse,  was  currently  used 
for  Gaelic  ;  and  deducting  the  nonsense  about  Eyryn  veagg, 
which  seems  a  fancy  of  his  own,  this  is  the  legendary  story 
contained  in  our  earliest  documents  before  the  Chronicles 
were  tampered  with ;  but  then  he  gave  in  to  say,  'which  deri- 
vation the  papistical  cursed  spirituality  of  Scotland  will  not 
hear  in  no  manner  of  wise,  nor  confess  that  ever  such  a  king, 
named  Albanactus,  reigned  there.  The  which  derivation  all 
the  Yrische  men  of  Scotland,  which  be  the  ancient  stock, 
cannot  nor  will  not  deny.'  '  But  our  said  bishops,'  he  adds, 
'  deriveth  Scotland  and  themselves  from  a  certain  lady  named 
Scota,  which  came  out  of  Egypt,  a  miraculous  hot  country,  to 
recreate  herself  amongst  them  in  the  cold  air  of  Scotland, 
which  they  cannot  affirm  by  no  probable  ancient  author.' ^"^ 

The  clans,  however,  were  soon  after  thrown  into  rapidly-  Second 
increasing  contact  with  those  of  Ireland,  a  people  possessing  influence 
similar  pedigrees,  and  Sennachies  surpassing  those  of  Scotland  senna- 
in  information  and  acquirements.     The  native  Sennachies  by  ^ "®''' 
degrees  fell  into  the  background,  and  the  clans  began  to  take 

'"  Collectanea  de  Rebus  Albanicis,  pp.  26,  27. 
VOL.  HI.  Y 


338  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

their  Sennachies  from  tlie  rival  race.  The  first  connection 
between  them  which  had  this  effect,  was  tlie  marriage  of 
Angus,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  who  assisted  Bruce  in  his  struggle 
for  the  crown,  with  the  daughter  of  O'Kane,  Lord  of  Fer- 
managh, and  widow  of  the  great  O'Neill.  During  the  two 
following  centuries  septs  of  the  Highland  clans  were  em- 
ployed as  auxiliaries  by  the  great  northern  Lords  of  Ireland, 
under  the  name  of  GaUoglach  or  foreign  soldiers,  commonly 
called  Galloglasses.  There  is  ample  evidence  that  during 
this  period  a  great  proportion  of  the  Highland  Sennachies 
were  Irish,  and  that  all  reverted  to  Ireland  for  instruction  in 
their  art.  It  could  hardly  have  been  otherwise  than  that, 
with  the  disappearance  of  the  old  Highland  pedigrees,  every 
presumption  and  analogy  would  have  driven  these  Sennachies 
to  the  better-preserved  Irish  pedigrees,  to  replace  what  had 
been  lost  by  connecting  them  more  directly  with  the  Irish 
tribes,  and  thus  the  second  great  change  in  the  character  of 
their  pedigree  would  be  produced.  For  the  clan  genealogies 
at  this  time  we  must  therefore  refer  to  the  Irish  Mss.,  and 
they  are  in  fact  the  oldest  pedigrees  which  have  been  pre- 
served. The  j\rs.  collections  in  which  we  find  them  are, 
first,  the  Book  of  Ballimote  compiled  in  the  year  1383,  the 
Book  of  Lecain  compiled  in  1407,  and  a  MS.  belonging  to 
the  Faculty  of  Advocates  bearing  the  date  1467,  but  the 
genealogies  in  which  are  obviously  derived  from  the  same 
source  as  those  in  tlie  Book  of  Ballimote.^^  To  these  may 
be  added  a  few  genealogies  in  other  mss.,  and  those  pre- 
served by  MacVurich  in  the  Book  of  Clan  Eanald. 
Analysis  ot  In  these  mss.  we  find  detailed  pedigrees  of  most  of  the 
Pedigrees,  clans  enumerated  in  the  Acts  of  Parliament  of  1587  and  1594, 
and  of  several  clans  not  there  mentioned,  as  well  as  of  some 

^'  The  genealogy  of  the  Clan  in  place  of  making  him,  as  he  was, 
Dubhgal  in  the  Book  of  Ballimote  son  of  Somairle  and  brother  of  Rag- 
has  the  mistake  of  making  Dubhgal  nail  ;  and  the  same  mistake  dccnrs 
tlie  son  of  Ragnall  son  of  Somairle,  in  the  ms.  of  1467. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  339 

of  the  surnames.  The  later  portion  of  these  pedigrees,  as  far 
back  as  the  eponymus  or  common  ancestor  from  which  the 
clan  takes  its  name,  are  in  general  tolerably  well  vouched, 
and  may  be  held  to  be  authentic.  The  older  part  of  the 
pedigree  will  be  found  to  be  partly  historical  and  partly 
mythic.  So  far  as  these  links  in  the  genealogic  chain  con- 
nect the  clans  with  each  other  within  what  may  be  termed 
the  historic  period,  the  pedigree  may  be  genuine ;  but  the 
links  which  connect  them  with  the  mythic  genealogies  of  the 
elaborate  system  of  early  Irish  history,  when  analysed,  prove 
to  be  entirely  artificial  and  untrustworthy.  In  examining 
the  nature  of  these  pedigrees  it  will  be  convenient  to  group 
them  according  to  their  supposed  connection  with  the 
legendary  races  of  early  Irish  history.^' 

The  lirst  group  consists  of  the  Clan  CalUn  or  Campbells, 
and  the  Clan  Leod  or  MacLeods,  who  are  brought  from  a 
mythic  personage,  viz.,  Fergus  Leith  Berg,  son  of  Nemedh, 
who  led  a  colony  of  Nemedians  from  Ireland  to  Scotland. 
This  Nemedian  colony  belongs  to  the  older  legendary  history 
of  Scotland  before  the  Chronicles  were  corrupted,  and  may 
therefore  indicate  these  clans  as  forming  part  of  the  older 
inhabitants  of  the  districts  they  occupy.  On  examining  the 
genealogy  of  the  Campbells  we  may  consider  it  as  authentic 
as  far  back  as  Duncan,  son  of  Gilleaspic,  son  of  Gillacolum, 
son  of  Duibne,  who  is  certainly  the  Duncan  M'Duibhn 
mentioned  in  one  of  the  Argyll  charters  as  possessing 
Lochow  and  Ardskeodnich,  and  who  was  contemporary  with 
Alexander  the  Second.  As  the  Campbells  were  undoubtedly 
known  in  Gaelic  as  the  Clan  0' Duibne}"^  the  genealogy  as  far 
back  as  that  eponymus  of  the  race  is  probably  authentic ; 
but  as  soon  as  we  pass  that  link  we  find  ourselves  in  contact 

^"  The   genealogies  contained  in  '■■  Piesident  Forbes,  in  his  Memo- 

these  M.SS.  -will  be  found  thus  rial  states  that  the  Campbells  were 
grouped  in  the  Appendix,  No.  vni.       in  Gaelic,  Clan  Guin  or  O'Duine. 


340  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIKIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

with  Arthur  and  Uthyr  Pendragon,  and  the  other  heroes  of 
the  Arthurian  legend.  With  the  Macleods  we  cannot  pro- 
ceed so  far  back,  as  Leod,  the  eponymus  of  the^lau,  cannot 
be  placed  earlier  than  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century ; 
and  as  soon  as  we  pass  these  links  in  the  chain  of  his 
pedigree,  which  have  Gaelic  names,  we  plunge  into  a  con- 
fused list  of  names,  partly  Gaelic  and  partly  of  Norwegian 
and  Danish  kings  of  the  Isles,  with  which  they  are  mixed 
up,  till  we  reach  the  mythic  Fergus  Leith  Berg,  whose 
grandson  bears  the  Norwegian  name  of  Arailt  or  Harald, 
centuries  before  the  Norwegians  made  their  appearance  in 
the  Isles.  The  earlier  portion  then  of  these  two  genealogies 
is  obviously  artificial. 

The  next  group  consists  of  the  supposed  descendants  of 
Colla  Uais,  son  of  Eochaidh  Doimlein,  king  of  Ireland,  and 
comprised  the  clans  descended  from  Somerled,  the  petty  king 
of  the  great  district  of  Argyll  in  the  reign  of  Malcolm  the 
Fourth.  These  genealogies,  as  far  back  as  their  great  ancestor 
Somerled,  are  undoubtedly  authentic.  His  father  Gillahride, 
and  his  grandfather  Gillaadomnan,  both  purely  Gaelic  forms, 
rest  on  the  authority  of  the  Irish  Annals,  and  Imergi,  the 
grandfather  of  the  latter,  is  probably  the  Jehmarc,  who 
appears  as  a  Celtic  petty  king  in  the  year  1031.  Beyond 
this  we  have  no  fixed  date,  but  between  him  and  Colla  Uais, 
whose  death  is  placed  at  323,  we  have  only  seven  names 
given  for  a  period  of  700  years,  or  one  hundred  years  to  a 
generation,  which  is  impossible,  and  betrays  the  artificial 
character  of  this  part  of  the  pedigree. 

The  third  group  consists  of  clans  supposed  to  be  de- 
scended from  the  Hy  Neill  or  race  of  Ncill  naoi  giallach, 
king  of  Ireland,  which  brings  us  nearer  historical  times. 
They  consist  of  the  Lamonds,  the  Clan  Lachlan,  the  Mac- 
Evvens  of  Otter,  and  a  Clan  Somairh  which  has  not  been 
identified.      These  clans  are   all   taken  back  to  a  certain 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  341 

Aoda  Alain,  termed  Buirclic,  son  of  Anrotan,  son  of  Aodha 
Atlamuin,  ancestors  of  the  O'Neills.  From  Aoda's  son  Gilla- 
crist  the  Clan  Lachlan  came,  and  from  another  son  Duinsleibe 
the  Lamonds,  MacEwens,  and  Clan  Somairle.  The  genea- 
logy of  the  Lamonds  is  authentic  as  far  back  as  Fearchar, 
the  son  of  Duinsleibe,  but  Ferchar's  son  and  grandson  are 
mentioned  in  a  charter  in  1246,^*  while  the  death  of  Aodha 
Alain  is  recorded  in  1047,  and  thus  only  three  generations 
are  placed  in  two  centuries.  This  derivation  too  involves 
the  difficulty  of  supposing  that  Cowall  was  peopled  from 
Ireland  in  the  eleventh  century,  a  colony  of  which  there  is 
not  a  trace  in  history ;  but  as  these  clans  are  locally  grouped 
together  we  may  accept  the  genealogies  as  indicating  that 
they  had  a  common  origin. 

The  fourth  group  consists  of  the  old  earls  of  Lennox  and 
Mar,  said  to  be  descended  from  Maine  Leamna  and  Cairhre 
Cruithneach,  sons  of  Core,  son  of  Liighaigh,  king  of  Munster ; 
but  the  artificial  character  of  this  descent  is  here  very 
apparent,  for  Ailin,  the  first  earl  of  Lennox,  M'ho  lived  in 
the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century,  is  made  the  great- 
grandson  oi  Maine  Leamna,  whose  father  was  a  contemporary 
of  Saint  Patrick  in  the  fifth  century. 

The  rest  of  the  Highland  clans,  whose  genealogies  are  to 
be  found  in  the  Irish  mss.,  are  all  brought  from  the  Dalriadic 
Scots.  These  clans  are  mainly  connected  with  the  province 
of  Moray  and  Ross,  and  thus  we  have  the  great  anomaly 
presented  to  us  that  the  clans  forming  the  great  bulk  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Argyll  and  the  Isles — such  as  the  Campbells 
and  Macleods,  the  great  race  of  the  Macdougalls  of  Lorn, 
and  the  Macdonalds  of  the  Isles  and  Kintyre,  and  the  Mac- 
Lachlans  and  Lamonds  of  Cowall — are  not  connected  by 

^*  Charter  '  Duncanus  filius  Fei-  of    Kilmor   inter    1230   et    1246. — 

char  et  Laumannus  filius  Malcolmi  Chartulary  of  Paisley,  p.  132;  con- 

nepos    ejusdem    Duncani'    to    the  firmed  by  Angus,  son  of  Duncan, 

monastery  of  Paisley,  of  the  lands  in  1270. 


342  Tin-;  clans  and  their  genealogies.  [book  irr. 

their  genealogies  with  the  JJcah'iadic  colony,  but  this  origin  is 
reserved  for  tlie  more  eastern  clans  of  the  central  Highlands. 
There  is  too  the  further  anomaly  that  these  clans  are  not 
deduced  from  the  tribe  of  Gabhran,  which  furnished  kings  to 
Dalriada,  and  from  which  the  Scottish  dynasty  founded  by 
Kenneth  IMacAlpin  probably  sprang,  but  from  the  tribe  of 
Lorn,  which  furnished  two  kings  only  to  Dalriada,  and  only 
came  to  the  front  to  be  immediately  annihilated  by  the 
rictish  monarch  in  736,  and  then  disappear  entirely  from 
history.  The  links  in  the  chain  of  ancestry  which  connect 
these  clans  with  the  tribe  of  Lorn,  however,  present  the 
same  features  of  artificial  construction  which  characterise 
the  other.  In  examining  these  we  must  group  them  in  four 
classes.  First,  those  brought  from  Fearchar  Facia,  king  of 
Dalriada,  of  the  tribe  of  Lorn,  who  died  in  697.  These  are 
first  the  Mormaers  of  Moray,  This  genealogy  is  probably 
correct  enough  up  to  Kuadhri,  who  is  made  son  of  Airceallach, 
son  of  Ferchar;  but  allowing  the  usual  average  of  thirty 
years  to  a  generation,  Ruadhri  flourished  about  the  year  840, 
that  is,  was  contemporary  with  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  while 
the  death  of  his  supposed  father  Airceallach,  by  whom  Ainbh- 
cellach  is  probably  meant,  is  recorded  in  719.  Then  follows 
the  genealogy  of  the  MacNaughtons,  whose  eponymus  Neach- 
tain  Mor  is  made  the  son  of  Domnall  Duinn,  son  of  Fearchar 
Fada ;  but  Neachtain  Mor  cannot  be  placed  earlier  than  the 
beginning  of  the  ninth  century,  and  he  too  must  have  been 
contemporary  with  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  while  his  supposed 
grandfather  died  in  697.  This  is  followed  by  the  genealogy 
of  the  Clan  Chattan,  and  here  the  anomaly  is  still  greater, 
for  GillacJiattan,  the  eponymus  of  the  race,  must  have  flour- 
ished in  the  eleventh  century,  but  between  him  and  Fearchar 
Fada  are  only  four  links  during  three  centuries  and  a  half. 
Of  these  links  the  father  Gallbrait  and  the  grandfather 
Diarmada,  called  the  Feaiievjlvinn  or  Lector,  are  probably 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  343 

historical.  Along  with  these  the  Clan  Cameron  are  placed, 
though  their  genealogy  does  not  show  the  connection  with 
the  Dalriads.  They  were  undoubtedly  a  kindred  tribe  with 
the  Clan  Chattan. 

The  next  group  is  connected  with  a  Fearchar  Abraruadh 
son  of  Feradach  Finn,  and  therefore  a  brother  of  Fearchar 
Fada,  but  unknown  to  history,  and  the  only  genealogy  pre- 
served is  that  of  the  Clan  Gillaeoin  or  Macleans.  This  genea- 
logy is  given  with  so  much  minuteness  up  to  a  certain  Sean 
Dubhgcd  Sgoinne,  or  Old  Dugald  of  Scone,  and  the  ecclesi- 
astical character  of  the  upper  links  are  so  obvious,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  avoid  regarding  it  as  so  far  trustworthy.  This 
Dubhgal  has  a  son  Eaingce  ;  and  he  has  three  sons — Cud- 
uilig,  abbot  of  Leasamor,  that  is,  lay  abbot  of  the  monastery 
of  Lismore  in  Argyllshire,  from  whom  descended  Gillaeoin, 
the  eponymus  of  the  clan  ;  Cuchatha,  from  whom  sprang  the 
Clan  ChoncJiatha,  in  the  district  of  Lennox,  by  whom  possibly 
the  Colquhouns  are  meant ;  and  Cusithc,  from  whom  came 
the  Clan  Gonsithe  of  Fife,  which  has  not  been  identified. 
According  to  the  usual  calculation,  old  Dugald  of  Scone 
must  have  flourished  about  1100,  and  in  a  perambulation  of 
the  lands  of  Kyrknesse  and  Lochow,  in  the  district  of  Fort- 
renn,  not  long  after  that  date,  we  find  the  arbiters  were 
Constantine  earl  of  Fife,  Magnus  Judex  or  Mormaer  in  Scot- 
land, Dufgal,  son  of  Mocche,  who  was  aged,  just,  and  vener- 
able (sencx,  Justus,  ct  vcnerahilis),  and  Meldoinneth  son  of 
Machedath,  a  good  and  discreet  judge  {judex  homis  et  discre- 
tus)}^  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  this  Dufgal  senex  is 
the  Sean  Dubhgal  of  Scone  of  the  pedigree,  but  in  that  genea- 
logy he  is  made  the  son  not  of  Mocche  but  of  Fearchar 
Abraruadh,  who  must  be  placed  four  centuries  earlier. 

The  next  group  is  brought  from  Domnaill  Duinn,  son 
of  Fearadhach  Finn,  and  consists  of  the  Clan  Labliran,  or 
^^  Chart,  of  St.  Andreios,  p.  117. 


344  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIEIIJ  GENEALOGIES.  [kook  hi. 

Maclarens,  and  the  Clan  Aidli.  Tlie  Clan  Labhran  are 
deduced  from  an  abbot  of  Aclitus,  by  which  no  doubt  Ach- 
tow  in  Balquhidder,  where  this  clan  had  its  seat,  is  meant, 
and  his  pedigree  is  deduced  from  Domnall  Og,  son  of 
Domnall  Duinn.  According  to  the  usual  computation, 
Domnall  Oig  must  be  placed  in  the  ninth  century,  thus  con- 
temporary with  Kenneth  MacAlpin,  while  his  father  is  made 
brother  of  Fearchar  Fada,  who  died  in  697.  The  same  re- 
mark applies  to  the  genealogy  of  the  clan  Aidh.  They  cannot 
be  identified  with  any  modern  clan,  l)ut  a  Gillamithil,  son  of 
Aidh,  the  eponynms  of  the  clan,  falls  about  the  same  time 
with  Gillemychel  M'Ath,  father  of  Duncan,  who,  in  1232,  ex- 
cambs  a  davach  of  land  in  Strathardel,  called  Petcarene, 
with  the  bishop  of  Moray  for  the  lands  of  Dolays  Michel  in 
Strathspey.'*^ 

The  remaininfj  genealogies  in  these  MSS.  have  one  com- 
mon  feature,  that  the  genealogy  of  each  of  the  clans  contains 
in  it  the  name  of  Cormac,  son  of  Airbertach,  but  he  is 
differently  connected  with  the  line  of  Lorn,  and  is  placed  in 
many  of  the  genealogies  at  a  different  period.  They  may  be 
thus  grouped.  The  first  consists  of  the  Clan  Andres  or  Rosses, 
the  Clan  Cainig  or  Mackenzies,  and  the  Clan  Matgamma  or 
Mathesons.  These  are  all  brought  from  a  common  ancestor, 
Gilleoi7i  na  hairde  or  Gilleon  of  the  Aird,  by  which,  no  doubt, 
the  mountainous  region  in  the  centre  of  Eoss-shire,  the  old 
name  of  which  was  Airdross,  or  the  Aird  of  Eoss,  is  meant. 
The  Eosses  and  Mathesons  are  brought  from  his  son  Cristin, 
and  the  Mackenzies  from  another  son,  Gilleon  Og,  father  of 
Cainig  or  Kenneth,  the  eponymus  of  the  clan.  Gilleon  na 
hAirde  is  made  grandson  of  Loarn,  son  of  Fearchar,  son  of 
Cormac  mac  Airbertach,  and  the  usual  calculation  would 
place  Cormac  in  the  tenth  century ;  but  his  father  Airber- 
tach is  made  son  of  Feradach,  and  brother  of  Fearchar  Fada, 

'«  Charf.  of  Moray,  p.  87. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLAN.S  AND  THEIR  GENEALOCxIES.  345 

who  died  in  697.  To  this  group  may  be  added  the  Clan 
Duihsithc  or  Macduffys  of  Lochaber  and  Colonsay,  who  are 
bronoht  from  Fearchar,  son  of  Cormac  ;  but  the  connecting 
links  are  shorter  and  bring  him  down  to  two  centuries  later. 
The  Macnabs  are  likewise  brought  from  Loarn,  son  of  Fear- 
char,  son  of  Cormac,  which  would  relegate  him  also  to  the 
tenth  century  ;  but  in  this  genealogy,  instead  of  placing 
Cormac  in  immediate  connection  with  Fearadach,  he  is  made 
son  of  Ere,  son  of  Domnaill  Duinn,  son  of  Fearchar  Abra- 
ruadh,  thus  corresponding  more  with  the  early  part  of  the 
genealogy  of  the  Clan  Labhran  and  Clan  Aidh.  The  Clan 
Gregor  is  likewise  brought  from  Cormac  by  a  son  Ainnrias 
or  Andrew,  and  by  this  genealogy  he  is  placed  in  the  twelfth 
century,  and  is  made  son  of  Fearchar  Oig,  son  of  Fearchar 
Fada,  who  died  in  697.  The  last  group  consists  of  the  Clan 
Guairc  or  Macquarrys,  the  Clan  Fingainc  or  ]\Iackinnons, 
the  Clan  Gillamhaol  or  Macmillans,  and  the  Clan  Gillaagam- 
nan  or  Maclennans,  descended  respectively  from  four  sons 
of  Cormac — Guaire,  Fingaine,  Gillcrist  called  Gillamhaol, 
and  Gillaagamnan.  By  these  genealogies  Cormac  is  brought 
down  a  century  later,  and  this  is  probably  his  true  date,  and 
as  an  ancestor  of  these  clans  he  is  also  probably  an  historical 
personage,  for  in  the  genealogy  of  the  Clan  Gillamhaol  it  is 
added  that  his  father  Airbertach  possessed  twelve  tribes  or 
septs  (Treahh)  among  the  Norwegians — viz.,  in  Greagraidhe 
of  the  warriors,  commonly  called  Mull,  and  in  Tiree,  and  in 
Craohhinis,  by  which  lona  is  meant,  while  it  is  in  Mull  and 
the  neighbouring  islands  that  the  Maclennans  and  Mac- 
quarrys had  their  possessions ;  but  in  these  genealogies 
Airbertach  is  made  son  of  Murcertach,  son  of  Fearchar  Og, 
and  between  the  latter  and  Fearchar  Fada,  the  names  of 
Macbeth  and  his  father  Finnlaoch,  which  really  belong  to 
the  genealogy  of  the  Mormaers  of  Moray,  are  introduced. 
It  is  thus  obvious  how  artificial  the  earlier  links  of  these 


346  TIIK  CLANS  AXl)  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

Aiiiticiai  ^feiieulogies  are,  and  that  none  of  them  can  in  fact  be  pushed 
ot'tiiese  further  back  than  the  reign  of  Kenneth  MacAlpiu,  the  oldest 
pei  igitcs.  j-^^j,  ^j^  iimny  of  them  being  contemporary  with  him,  while 
others  fall  short  of  that  period.  Between  the  oldest  link  of 
those  which  reach  that  date  and  the  Dalriadic  king  of  the 
race  of  Lorn  with  which  they  are  connected  there  is  a  com- 
plete blank,  and  it  is  thus  plain  that  the  same  process  of 
manipulation  and  artificial  construction  had  taken  place  with 
these  pedigrees,  which  had  perverted  the  genealogy  of  the 
kings  of  the  line  of  Kenneth  MacAlpin.  In  the  latter  case 
an  entire  century,  with  all  its  events,  from  740  to  840,  had 
been  suppressed,  and  Kenneth,  the  founder  of  the  new  dynasty 
in  the  ninth  century,  directly  connected  with  the  last  of  the 
old  kings  of  Dalriada,  of  the  race  of  Gabhran,  who  lived  a 
century  earlier.  In  like  manner  the  genealogies  of  the  clans 
which  reach  only  to  the  ninth  century,  were  directly  con- 
nected with  the  last  of  the  Dalriadic  kings  of  the  line  of  Lorn, 
who  died  in  697.  It  is  not  without  some  significance  too 
that  we  find  such  Pictish  forms  as  Neachtain,  Fingaine,  Mor- 
gainn,  etc.,  occurring  in  the  early  part  of  these  pedigrees. 
They  may  then  be  regarded  as  trustworthy  only  in  so  far  as 
they  show  the  links  of  the  descent  of  each  clan  from  its 
eponymus  as  believed  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries, 
and  the  grouping  of  certain  clans  together  where  a  common 
ancestor  within  the  historic  period  is  assigned  to  them. 

During  the  sixteenth  century  the  clans  were  brought  into 
Third  direct  contact  with  the  Crown,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  it 
Influence     serious  cfforts  were  made  by  the  Legislature  to  establish  an 

of  Act 

of  1597.  efficient  control  over  them.  These  gave  rise  to  the  Acts  of 
1587  and  1594,  already  referred  to;  but  they  were  followed 
in  a  few  years  by  an  important  Statute,  which  had  a  power- 
ful effect  upon  the  position  of  the  clans,  and  led  to  another 
great  change  in  the  theory  of  their  descent.  In  the  Parlia- 
ment held  at  Edinburgh  in  December  1597,  an  Act  was 


CHAR  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  347 

passed  bearing  the  short  but  most  pregnant  title  '  That  the 
inhabitants  of  the  His  and  Hielandis  shaw  their  haldin<][s.' 
This  Act  proceeds  on  the  narrative  '  that  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Highlands  and  Isles  of  this  realm,  which  are  for  the  most 
part  of  his  Highness's  annexed  property  has  not  only  frus- 
trated his  Majesty  of  the  yearly  payment  of  his  proper  rents 
and  due  service  addebted  by  them  to  his  Majesty  furth  of  the 
said  lands,  but  that  they  have  likewise  through  their  bar- 
barous inhumanity  made  and  presently  makes  the  said  High- 
lands and  Isles,  which  are  most  commodious  in  themselves 
as  well  by  the  fertility  of  the  ground  as  by  rich  fishings,  be  so 
altogether  unprofitable  both  to  themselves  and  to  all  others 
his  Highness's  lieges  within  this  realm,  they  neither  intertein- 
ing  any  civil  or  honest  society  amongst  themselves  neither 
yet  admitted  others  his  Highness's  lieges  to  traffic  within 
their  bounds  with  safety  of  their  lives  and  goods ; '  and  in 
order  that  they  'may  the  better  be  reduced  to  ane  godly 
honest  and  civil  manner  of  living  It  is  statute  and  ordained 
that  all  landlords  chieftains  and  leaders  of  clans,  principal 
householders,  heritors  and  others  possessors  or  pretending 
right  to  any  lands  within  the  Highlands  and  Isles  shall  be- 
twixt this  and  the  fifteenth  day  of  j\lay  next  to  come  compear 
before  the  Lords  of  his  Highness's  Exchequer  at  Edinburgh 
or  where  it  shall  happen  to  sit  for  the  time  and  there  bring 
and  produce  with  them  all  their  infeftments  rights  and  titles 
whatsomever  whereby  they  claim  right  and  title  to  any  part 
of  the  lands  and  fishings  within  the  bounds  foresaid,  and 
then  find  sufficient  caution  acted  in  the  books  of  Exchequer 
for  yearly  and  thankful  payment  to  his  Majesty  of  his  rents 
yearly  duties  and  service  addedit  by  them  furth  of  the  lands 
possessed  and  occupied  by  them  or  any  in  their  names  and 
that  they  themselves  their  men,  tenants,  servants,  and  de- 
pendants shall  be  answerable  to  his  Highness's  laws  and 
Justices.'     The  penalty  imposed  upon  them  in  case  of  their 


348  THE  CLANS  ANT)  TllV.UX  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

failure  to  appear  and  find  cautiuii  was,  that  they  were  '  to 
forfeit  amit  and  tyne  (lose)  all  pretended  infeftmeuts  and 
other  right  and  title  tliey  have  or  may  pretend  to  liave  to 
any  lands  whatever  they  have  holden  or  pretend  to  liold  of 
his  ]\Iajesty  either  in  property  or  superiority  which  their 
pretended  infeftments  and  titles  thereof  in  case  of  failure  are 
now  as  then  and  then  as  now  declared  by  this  present 
Parliament  to  be  null  and  of  no  avail  force  or  effect  in 
themselves.'^''  It  has  been  necessary  to  quote  this  Act  at 
some  length,  in  order  to  show  what  a  powerful  weapon  it 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Crown,  and  the  embarrassing  and 
precarious  position  in  which  it  placed  the  greater  proportion 
of  the  clans.  Many  of  them  had  received  charters  of  their 
lands  which  had  perished  during  the  troubles  and  conflicts 
which  had  followed  the  forfeiture  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles. 
Others  had  no  other  right  to  their  lands  than  what  was 
derived  from  the  forfeited  lords.  In  other  cases,  where  the 
right  to  the  clan  demesne  was  the  subject  of  dispute  between 
different  septs,  both  parties  had  received  at  different  times  a 
quasi-title  to  them.  In  many  cases  tlie  nominal  superiority 
was  feudally  vested  in  an  alien  family,  while  the  land  was 
actually  possessed  by  one  of  the  clans ;  and  in  many  others 
they  had  no  title  but  immemorial  possession,  w^hich  they 
maintained  by  the  sword;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  those  who 
already  possessed  a  nominal  right  to  the  lands  under  feudal 
titles  which  they  had  been  unable  to  enforce,  or  who  saw  a 
great  prospect,  through  tlie  threatened  forfeitures,  of  acquiring 
possessions  in  the  Highlands  and  Isles,  would  eagerly  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  afforded  them  by  this  Statute. 
The  chiefs  of  the  clans  thus  found  themselves  compelled  to 
defend  their  rights  upon  grounds  which  could  compete  with 
the  claims  of  their  eager  opponents,  and  to  maintain  an 
equality  of  rank  and  prestige  with  tliem  in  the  Heralds'  Office, 
'"  Acts  of  Parliament,  voL  iv.  p.  188. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIK  GENEALOGIES.  349 

which  must  drive  them  to  every  device  necessary  to  effect 
their  purpose ;  aud  they  would  not  hesitate  to  manufacture 
titles  to  the  land  when  they  did  not  exist,  and  to  put  for- 
ward spurious  pedigrees  better  calculated  to  maintain  their 
position  when  a  native  descent  had  lost  its  value  and  was 
too  weak  to  serve  their  purpose. 

From  this  period  manuscript  histories  of  the  leading  sp„vious 
Highland  families  began  to  be  compiled,  in  which  these  Pedigrees, 
pretensions  were  advanced  and  spurious  charters  inserted, 
and  from  these  manuscript  histories  were  compiled  the  later 
account  of  the  clans  contained  in  the  Peerage  and  Baronage, 
as  well  as  in  the  '  Inquiry  and  the  Genealogy  and  Present 
State  of  the  Ancient  Scottish  Surnames,  with  the  Origin  and 
Descent  of  the  Highland  Clans  and  Family  of  Buchanan,  by 
William  Buchanan  of  Auchmar,'  published  in  the  year  1723. 
The  form  which  these  pretentious  genealogies  took  was  that 
of  making  the  efonymus  or  male  ancestor  of  the  clan  a  Nor- 
wegian, Dane,  or  Norman,  or  a  cadet  of  some  distinguished 
family,  who  succeeded  to  the  chiefship  and  to  the  territory  of 
the  clan  by  marriage  with  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  the 
last  of  the  old  Celtic  line,  thus  combining  the  advantage  of  a 
descent  which  could  compete  with  that  of  the  great  Norman 
families  with  a  feudal  succession  to  their  lands  ;  and  the  new 
form  of  the  clan  genealogy  would  have  the  greater  tendency 
to  assume  this  form  where  the  clan  name  was  derived  not 
from  a  personal  name  or  patronymic  but  from  a  personal 
epithet  of  its  founder.  Thus  Hacken,  a  Norwegian,  was  said 
from  his  prowess  to  have  been  termed  Grandt,  or  great,  and 
his  grandson  Aulan,  or  Allan  Grandt,  marries  Mora,  daugh- 
ter and  heiress  of  Neil  Macgregor,  a  descendant  of  Gregory 
the  Great,  king  of  Scotland,  with  whom  he  obtains  the  barony 
of  Bellachastell  and  Freuchie  in  Strathspey,  the  patrimony 
of  the  Grants;  Camhro,  a  Dane,^®  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign 
^^  Manuscript  Hist,  of  the  Grants. 


350  tup:  clans  and  their  oknealogies.         [book  m. 

of  Alexander  the  Second,  marries  tlie  daughter  and  heiress 
of  Mac^Iartin,  proprietor  of  that  part  of  Lochaber  now  pos- 
sessed by  Lochiel,  chief  of  the  Camerons  ;^^  Colin  Fitzgerald, 
son  to  the  earl  of  Kildare  in  Ireland,  marries  the  daughter 
and  heiress  of  Kenneth  IMatheson,  from  whom  his  son 
Kenneth  was  called  Machenndh  or  Mackenzie,  and  obtained 
with  her  the  lands  of  Kintail  \-^  Angus  Macintosh,  descended 
from  Shaw  Macduff,  a  second  son  of  the  earl  of  Fife,  marries 
Eva,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Gilpatrick,  son  of  Dougal  Dall, 
chief  of  the  Clan  Chattan,  and  obtained  with  her  the  lands 
of  Glenluy  and  Locharkaig  ;  -^  and  even  the  powerful  family 
of  the  Campbells,  who  had  always  supported  the  Crown,  and 
whose  chief  had  been  created  earl  of  Argyll,  caught  the 
infection,  and  now  asserted  that  Malcolm,  son  of  Duibhne, 
the  eponymus  of  the  clan,  had  gone  to  Normandy,  and  there 
married  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  Norman  family  of 
De  Campobello,  and  took  the  name,  which  was  corrupted 
into  Campbell,  and  his  son  marries  the  inevitable  Eva, 
daughter  of  Paul  MacDuibhne,  the  last  of  the  old  line.-- 

The  foundation  of  the  Grant  story  seems  merely  to  be 
that  the  earliest  Grant  known  was  Gregory  le  Grant,  whose 
sons  Laurence  and  Eobert  called  Grant  {didi  Gh-ant)  witness 
an  agreement  between  the  bishop  of  Moray  and  John  Bisset 
in  1258.  The  name  Grant  is  obviously  a  personal  epithet, 
and  may  as  well  be  derived  from  the  Gaelic  Grannda,  ill- 
favoured,  as  from  the  Latin  Grandis,  or  any  other  foreign 
word  which  resembles  it. 

The  Clan  Chameron,  as  we  have  seen,  formed  originally 
one  tribe  with  the  Clan  Chattan,  and  their  true  ancestor  in 
the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Second  can  be 

'"  IJuchanaii    of    Auohmar's    In-  Takx,  vol.  iii.  p.  ,S7.    Mr.  Campbell, 

(piiry.  however,  erroneously  translates  the 

'-"  MS.  Hist,  of  M'Kenzies.  name  of  Diiinihn  as  Brown.      The 

'-'  MS.  Hist,  of  M'Intoshes.  woi-d  has  no  connection  whatever 

--  MS.    Histories  of    the   family.  with  the  Gaelic  Donn,  which  sigiii- 

See  also  Campbell's  Wt-it  Hk//ih)id  ties  lirowii. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  351 

ascertained,  for  the  Irish  mss.  deduce  their  descent  from  a 
certain  Gilh'oid,  son  of  Gillamartan,  to  whom  a  line  of 
Celtic  progenitors  is  given,  and  he  seems  to  be  the  same 
person  with  the  Gillroth  who,  according  to  Fordun,  was  the 
chief  supporter  of  Gillespie  Macohegan,  of  the  line  of  Mac- 
William,  who  raised  an  insurrection  in  1222,  as  a  charter 
of  lands  in  Galloway,  about  the  same  period,  is  witnessed 
by  Gillespie  Macohegan  and  Gilleroth  son  of  Gillemartan.^^ 

But  the  most  remarkable  of  these  spurious  origins  is  that 
claimed  by  the  Mackenzies.  It  appears  to  have  been  first  put 
forward  by  Sir  George  Mackenzie,  first  Earl  of  Cromarty,  who 
wrote  an  account  of  the  family  in  the  form  of  a  letter,  and 
afterwards  a  shorter  account  under  the  title  of  'The  Genealogie 
of  the  Mackenzies  preceding  the  year  1661,  written  in  the  year 
1669  by  a  persone  of  qualitie,'-^  of  which  there  is  no  doubt 
he  was  the  author.  The  story,  as  told  by  him  in  the  first 
account,  is  this  : — '  Tradition  informs  us  that  our  first  was  a 
sone  of  the  earl  of  Kil dare's,  who  came  to  Scotland  in  King 
Alexander  the  Third's  time,  called  Coline  Gerald,  fought  on 
the  side  of  the  Scots  at  the  battle  of  Largs  ;'  but  finding  that 
there  was  no  earl  of  Kildare  till  1290,  he  corrects  it  by 
making  him  son  of  John  Fitz-Thomas,  chief  of  the  Geraldines 
in  Ireland,  and  father  of  John,  first  earl  of  Kildare,  who  was 
slain  in  1261.  But  in  the  second  account,  two  sons  of  John 
Fitz-Thomas,  Colin  and  Galen,  fled  to  Scotland,  were  graci- 
ously received  by  Alexander  the  Third,  and  the  next  year 
fought  at  the  battle  of  Largs.  After  the  battle  Walter  Stewart 
was  sent  with  forces  to  reduce  the  Isles,  and  builds  a  fort  in 
Kintail,  called  the  Danting  Isle,  in  which  Colin  Fitzgerald 
is  placed  with  a  garrison.  He  then  marries  the  daughter  of 
Kenneth  MacMalion  or  Matheson,  with  whom  he  sets  one-half 


-•'  Chartiilarij  of  Melrose,  vol.   i.  Earla  of  Cromar/ie,  vol.  ii.  p.  4(i2. 

P-  172.  The    second    account   was   priute<l 

-^  The    first    account    has    been  some  years  ago. 
printed   by  Mr.    W .    Fraser  in   his 


352  THE  CLANS  AND  THKIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  in. 

of  Kintail,  the  other  half  belonging  to  the  earl  of  Ross,  and 
has  a  son  Kenneth,  from  whom  his  descendants  were  called 
M'Channichcs,  taking  their  patronymic  from  the  M'Mahou 
rather  than  from  Colin,  whom  they  esteemed  a  stranger.  In 
support  of  this  story  two  documents  are  quoted.  First,  a 
fragment  of  the  records  of  Icolmkill,  which  he  says  were 
preserved  by  him,  and  mention  the  principal  actors  in  the 
battle  of  Largs,  among  whom  is  '  a  stranger  and  Irishman  of 
the  family  of  the  Geraldines,  who,  driven  from  Ireland,  was 
in  the  following  year  graciously  received  by  the  king,  remained 
at  his  court,  and  valiantly  fought  in  the  foresaid  battle,  and 
afterwards  fought  against  the  Islesmen,  and  was  left  among 
them  in  garrison.' -^  The  other  is  a  charter  by  King  Alexander, 
granting,  for  faithful  service  rendered  by  Colin  the  Irishman 
{fer  Colimim  Hylernum)  to  the  said  Colin  the  whole  lands 
of  Kintail  as  a  barony.  This  charter  bears  to  be  granted  in 
the  sixteenth  year  of  his  reign,  before  the  following  wit- 
nesses—Archibald, bishop  of  Moray ;  Walter  Stewart ;  Henry 
de  Balioth,  chamberlain ;  Arnold  de  Campan ;  and  Thomas 
Hostiarius,  sheriff  of  Inverness.-*^  The  same  mistake  is  here 
committed,  as  is  usual  in  manufacturing  these  pedigree 
charters,  by  making  it  a  crown  charter  erecting  the  lands 
into  a  barony.     Kintail  could  not  have  been  a  barony  at 

25  Peregriuus  et  Hybernus  uobilis  per   Colinum    Hybenium,    tarn    in 

exfamiliaGeraldmorum,  qui  proxi-  bello  quam  in  pace,  ideo  dedisse  et 

mo  anno  ab  Hybernia  pulsus  apud  hac  presenti  carta  mea  concessisse 

Regem  benigne  acceptus,  huiusque  dicto  Colino  et  ejus  successoribus, 

in  curia  permansit,   et  in  proefato  totas  terras  de  Kintaile ;  Tenendas 

praslio  strenue  pugnavit.     De  quo  de    nobis   et   successoribus   nostris 

supra  in  prcelio  ad  Largos,  qui  pos-  in  liberam  baroniam  cum  guardia  : 

tea  se  fortiter  contra  Insulanos  ges-  Reddendo  servicium  forinsecum  et 

sit,  et  ibi  inter  eos  in  presidium  fidelitatem.     Testibus  Andrea  epis- 

relictus.  copo  Moraviensi,  Waltero  Stewart, 

-^  Alexander  Dei  gracia  rex  Scot-  Henrico  de  Balioth,  camerario,  Ar- 

torum   omnibus    probis   hominibus  noldo  de  Campania,  Thoma  Hostia- 

tocius   terre    sue   clericis   et   laicis  rio,  vicecomite  de  Invernes.    Apud 

salutem.     Sciant  presentis  et  futuri  Kincardine,  ix.   die  .Januarii  anno 

me  pro  fideli  servicio  michi  navato  regni  domini  regis  xvi. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  353 

that  time,  and  the  earl  of  Eoss  and  not  the  king  was  superior, 
for  in  1342  the  earl  of  Boss  grants  the  ten  davachs  of  the 
lands  of  Kintail  to  Eeginald,  son  of  Eoderick  of  the  Isles ;  ^^ 
and  we  find  that  the  Mackenzies  held  their  lands  of  the 
earl  of  Eoss,  and  afterwards  of  the  duke  of  Eoss  till  1508,^8 
when  they  were  all  erected  into  a  barony  by  King  James 
the  Fourth,  who  gave  them  a  crown  charter.  An  examina- 
tion of  the  witnesses,  too,  usually  detects  these  spurious 
charters,  and  in  this  case  it  is  conclusive  against  the  charter. 
Andrew  was  bishop  of  Moray  from  1223  to  1242,  and  there 
was  no  bishop  of  that  name  in  the  reign  of  Alexander  the 
Third.  Henry  de  Baliol  was  chamberlain  in  the  reign  of 
Alexander  the  Second,  and  not  of  Alexander  the  Third. 
Thomas  Hostiarius  belongs  to  the  same  reign,  and  had  been 
succeeded  by  his  son  Alan  long  before  the  date  of  this  char- 
ter. The  names  of  the  witnesses  seem  to  have  been  taken 
from  some  charter  of  Alexander  the  Second,  which  may  have 
been  granted  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  reign.  It  may  be 
said  that  this  was  a  genuine  charter  of  Alexander  the  Second, 
and  that  Colin  Fitzgerald  may  have  come  over  in  his  reign  ; 
but  then  what  becomes  of  the  fragment  of  the  Chronicle  of 
Icolmkill,  which  clearly  connects  him  with  the  battle  of 
Largs  ?  The  two  must  stand  or  fall  together,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  the  construction  of  a  false  legend  is  too  palpable  to 
be  disputed.-^  The  earl  of  Cromarty  refers  to  tradition  ;  but 
if  not  the  actual  inventor  of  the  story,  it  must  have  taken 

^  Robei'tsoii's  Index,  p.  100.  Irish  ms.  of  1467,  containing  the 
-**  Two  other  charters,  said  to  be  earlier  genealogy,  to  be  '  quite  fabu- 
granted  by  David  ii.  in  1360  and  lous. '  As  Mr.  Fraser  never  saw 
Robert  iii.  in  1380,  are  equally  sus-  the  m.s.  in  question,  and  probably 
picious.  does  not  include  among  his  require- 
'^  Notwithstanding  of  this,  it  has  nients  a  knowledge  of  Irish  mss., 
found  a  defender  in  Mr.  W.  Fraser,  his  opinion  is  not  entitled  to  much 
who,  in  his  Earh  of  Gromartie,  not  weight.  The  ms.  does  not,  how- 
only  maintains  the  genuineness  of  ever,  stand  alone, 
both  documents,  but  declares  the 

VOL.  III.  Z 


354  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIEIU  GENEALOGIES.  [book  in. 

its  rise  not  very  long  before,  for  no  trace  of  it  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Irish  MSS.,  the  history  of  the  Geraldine  family  knows 
nothing  of  it,^^  and  MacVureach,  who  must  have  been  ac- 
quainted with  the  popular  history  of  the  western  clans,  was 
equally  unacquainted  with  it.  We  have  seen  that  in  the 
second  edition  of  the  story  the  earl  gives  Colin  a  Ijrother 
Galen,  and  he  is  claimed  by  the  Macleans  as  their  ancestor, 
who  likewise  superseded  their  older  traditionary  history  by 
a  Fitzgerald  origin ;  but  we  can  trace  how  this  arose,  and  it 
will  illustrate  how  these  later  forms  of  the  clan  origins  were 
constructed.  In  the  Irish  mss.  the  Mackenzies  and  Macleans 
have  quite  a  different  origin  assigned  to  them,  and  there  is 
no  apparent  connection  between  them.  The  Mackenzies  are 
brought  from  a  certain  Gilleon  Og,  son  of  Gilleon  na  hairde, 
but  in  the  genealogies  of  the  Macleans  there  occurs  at  a  later 
period  a  Gilleon,  whose  pedigree  is  quite  different.  In  a  later 
form  of  the  genealogy,  however,  preserved  by  MacVureacli, 
the  two  Gilleons  have  been  identified,  and  a  new  genealogy 
manufactured  from  those  of  the  two  clans.  The  pedigrees  of 
the  Mackenzies  and  Mathesons  are  combined  till  they  reach 
Gilleon  na  hairde,  and  they  then  merge  into  that  of  the 
Macleans.  The  Mackenzies  and  Macleans  are  thus  brought 
from  two  brothers,  and  when  the  Mackenzies  adopted  the 
Fitzgerald  origin  the  Macleans  naturally  followed  suit. 

The  earl,  not  content  with  putting  forward  this  spurious 
pedigree  of  his  own  clan,  showed  his  talent  for  constructing 
new  pedigrees  in  the  case  of  the  Macleods,  whom  he  took 
under  his  protection  in  consequence  of  the  acquisition  by 
the  Mackenzies  of  the  island  of  Lewis,  tlie  patrimony  of  one 
of  the  two  great  branches  of  that  powerful  clan.  Their  pedi- 
gree, as  shown  in  the  Irish  mss.,  had  already  been  tampered 

^^  In   1638  a  history  of  the  two  have    attracted   the    Earl    to   this 

Oeraldine  families — viz.,  the  Earls  family,  but  there  is  no  trace  in  it 

of  Desmond  and  Kildare— was  com-  of  Colin  Fitzgerald, 
piled  by  a  Dr.  Russell,  which  may 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  355 

with,  for  in  a  MS.  history  of  the  Eosses  of  Bahiagown,  written 
prior  to  the  Cromarty  MS.,  it  is  stated  that  three  sons  of  the 
king  of  Denmark,  called  Giuinc,  Loid,  and  Leandres,  came  out 
of  Denmark  and  landed  in  the  north  of  Scotland.  '  Gioine 
conquest  the  Hieland  brayes  of  Cathness  ;  Zoid.  conquest  the 
Lewis,  of  whom  M'Loid  is  descended;  Leandres  conquest  Bray- 
chat  be  the  sworde.'  By  the  Gioine  here  mentioned  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Clan  Gunn  seems  to  be  meant,  and  Leandres  is 
obviously  the  Gilleandres  from  whom  the  Clan  Andres,  or 
old  Eosses,  took  their  name.  This  derivation  of  the  Macleods 
did  not  satisfy  the  ingenious  earl,  and  after  narrating  the 
history  of  the  Norwegian  kings  of  Mann  and  the  Isles,  taken 
entirely  from  the  Chronicle  of  Mann,  he  adds  that  Harald,  the 
son  of  Godred  Don,  who  usurped  the  kingdom  in  1249,  and 
was  arrested  by  the  king  of  Norway  when  attending  his  court 
and  detained  there,  was  succeeded  by  Leodus,  his  only  son, 
who  married  Adama,  daughter  to  Ferquhar,  earl  of  Eoss,  and 
by  her  had  Torkell  and  Tormoth,  who  founded  the  families 
of  Lewis  and  Harris.^^  Of  this  there  is,  however,  not  one 
word  in  the  Chronicle,  which  knows  nothing  of  Harald  after 
his  imprisonment  in  Norway.  This  is  the  first  appearance 
of  the  supposed  descent  of  the  Macleods  from  the  Norwegian 
Ivings  of  Mann,  of  which  the  ingenious  earl  was  no  doubt  the 
author,  if  he  was  not  also  the  inventor  of  the  Fitzgerald  story; 
but  it  is  again  improved  upon  by  the  account  furnished  to 
Douglas  for  his  Baronage,  where  Harald  is  given  up,  and 
Olave  the  Black,  king  of  Maun,  who  died  in  1237,  and  whose 
second  wife  was  Christina,  daughter  of  Ferquhard,  earl  of 
Eoss,  is  substituted,  and  said  to  have  had  by  her  three  sons 
— '  Lcod,  the  undoubted  progenitor  of  the  Clan  Macleod  ; 
Giiin,  of  whom  the  Clan  Gunn  in  Sutherland  are  descended ; 
and  Leandres,  of  whom  the  Clan  Leandres  in  Eoss-shire ; ' 
but  the    Chronicle   which   mentions   his    marriage   knows 

^1  Earh  of  Cromartie,  vol.  ii.  p.  509. 


356  TIIK  CLANS  AND  TIIEIK  GENEALOGIES.  [book  in. 

nothing  of  these  sons,  and  this  filiation  must  be  regarded 
as  equally  spurious  with  the  other. -^^  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  we  have  a  fragment  of  the  true  pedigree  of  the 
Macleods  in  one  of  the  Irish  MSS.,  which  places  Leod  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  makes  him  son  of  Gilkmuire,  son  of 
Raicc,  son  of  Olhair  Snoice,  son  of  Gillcmuirc,  whose  mother 
is  said  to  have  been  Ealga  of  the  Fair  Locks,  daughter  of 
Harold,  king  of  LoMan  or  Norway.^^  They  were  Celtic  in 
the  male  line,  Norwegian  in  the  female. 

The  supposed  descent  of  the  Macintoshes  from  the  Mac- 
Duffs,  earls  of  Fife,  was,  no  doubt,  based  on  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  name,  which  means  literally  '  the  son  of  the 
thane ;'  but  this  theory  of  their  descent  could  only  have 
arisen  after  the  legend  of  Macduff,  thane  of  Fife,  assumed 
a  prominent  place  in  the  fabulous  history  of  Scotland.  He 
was  the  thane  par  excellence,  and  the  Macintoshes  were 
naturally  connected  with  him  as  such  ;  but,  as  there  were  in 
reality  no  thanes  of  Fife,  and  the  old  earls  never  bore  that 
title,  this  descent  cannot  be  supported,  and  must  fall  along 
with  the  supposed  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  Clan  Chat- 

^"-  Douglas's    Baronage,   p.     375.  that  theii-  works  will  obtain  mercy. 

Chronicle    of    Man,    ed.     Munch,  Oneil  Oinii  made  this  in  the  year 

pp.    19,   25.      An  inscription  upon  of  God  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 

an  Irish  meather  or  wooden  drink-  three.' 

ing-cup  preserved  at  Dunvegan  has  The  true  reading  is  as  follows  : — 

been  supposed  to  indicate  this  de-  '  Katharina  Nigryneill  uxor  Johan- 

scent  from  the  kings  of  Mann.    The  nis  Meguigir  principis  de  Fermanac 

inscription,  says  Sir  Walter  Scott,  me  fieri  fecit  Anno  Domini   1493. 

in  the  notes  to  the  Lord  of  the  Isles,  Oculi  omnium  in  te  sperant  Domine 

p.  312,  may  run  thus  at  length  : —  et  tu  das  escam  illorum  in  tempore 

'  Ufo  Johannis  Mich  Magni  principis  opportuuo. '      That  is,    '  Katharine 

de  Hr  Mana3  Vich  Liahia  Magryneil  MacRannal,  wife  of  John  Macguire, 

et  sperat  Domino  Ihesu  dari  clemen-  Lord  of  Fermanagh,  caused  me  to 

tiam  illorum  opera.   Fecit  Anno  Do-  be  made  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 

mini  993,  Ouili  Oim  ; '  which  may  1493.    The  eyes  of  all  hope  in  Thee, 

run  in  English,   '  Ufo,   the  son  of  0  Lord,  and  Thou  givest  them  food 

John  the  son  of  Magnus,  Prince  of  in  due  season.' 

Man,  the  grandson  of  Liahia  Mac-  •'"  See  Genealogy  of  M'Leans  in 

gryneil,  trusts  in   the  Lord  Jesus  Appendi.x,  No.  viir. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  357 

tan,  and  the  charter  said  to  have  been  granted  in  1338  by 
David  IT.,  which  is  no  doubt  a  spurious  pedigree  charter, 
and  commits  the  usual  blunder  of  making  it  a  crown  charter, 
while  the  superiority  of  Lochaber  was  in  the  Lords  of  the 
Isles.  In  the  MS.  histories  of  the  Macintoshes,  the  whole 
race,  including  the  old  Macintoshes,  is  brought  from  the  thane 
of  Fife,  but  there  is  another  form  of  it  which  attaches  the 
legend  to  the  later  family,  the  descendant  of  Malcolm  Mac- 
intosh, who,  by  the  influence  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles,  after 
the  secession  of  the  old  Clan  Chattan  in  1429,  acquired  the 
position  of  Captain  of  the  Clan ;  for  we  are  told  in  the 
Knock  MS.  that  Angus  of  the  Isles  had,  by  the  daughter  of 
.Tohu  Gruamach  Mackay,  '  the  mother  of  the  first  Laird  of 
Macintosh,  for  a  son  of  ^MacDuff,  thane  of  Fife,  coming  after 
manslaughter  to  shelter  himself  in  Macdonald's  house,  got 
her  daughter  with  child,  went  to  Ireland  with  Edward  Bruce, 
where  he  was  killed;  by  which  means  Macintosh  is  of  natural 
(illegitimate)  descent,  his  progenitor  being  got  in  that  manner. 
Macintosh  in  the  ancient  language  signifies  a  Thane's  son. 
The  boy  was  brought  up  by  Macdonald,  who  in  process  of  time 
procured  a  competent  estate  for  him  in  the  Braes  of  Lochaber 
and  Braes  of  Murray.'^-*  This  was  Callum  leg  or  Malcolm 
Macintosh,  whose  son  Duncan  was  the  first  Captain  of  Clan 
Chattan.  The  name  Macintosh,  however,  clearly  implies 
that  they  were  the  descendants  of  a  tliane.  In  the  family 
liistories  the  Macintoshes  of  Monzievaird  in  Stratherne  and  of 
Tiryny  in  Athole  are  made  cadets  of  the  Macintosh,  but  we 
know  that  they  were  in  reality  derived  from  the  thanes  of 
Struan  and  of  Glentilt  respectively,  and  we  must  likewise 
look  elsewhere  for  the  thane  from  whom  the  old  Macintoshes 
of  Badenoch  descended.  Now  we  find  that  in  1170  King 
William  the  Lion  grants  the  lands  of  Brass,  now  Birse,  in 
Deeside,  to  the  bishops  of  Aberdeen, '  liis  thaynes  being  how- 

•'^  Collectanea  de  Rehus  Alhankis,  p.  291. 


358  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIKIU  GKNEALOGIKS.  [book  in. 

ever  excepted,'  that  is,  retaining  their  lauds  as  thanes.     In 
1226  King  Alexander  the  Second  grants   to  the  bishop  of 
Moray  the  lands  of  Kathniorcus  or  liothyniurchus  to  be  held 
in  free  forest;  and  in   1241  to  tlie  Ijishop  of  Aberdeen  the 
risht  to  hold  his  lands  of  Brass  or  Birse  in  free  forest.^^    These 
grants  in  free  forest  would  exclude  the  thanes  of  their  lands, 
but  we  find  in   1382  a  precept  by  King  llobert  the  Second 
directed  to  his  son  Alexander  Stewart,  Lord  of  Badenoch,  re- 
quiring him  to  restrain  Farchard  MacToschy  and  his  adherents 
from  disturbing  the  bishop  of  Aberdeen  and  his  tenants  in 
the  lands  of  Brass,  and  to  oblige  him  to  prosecute  his  claim 
by  form  of  law.^*^     This  Farchard  appears  in  the  genealogy 
of  the  old  Macintoshes  at  the  time,  and  the  Lord  of  Badenoch 
must  have  been  regarded  as  his  overlord.     The  tradition  of 
the  Macintoshes  is  that  Eothiemurchus  was  their  earliest 
possession,  and  when  Alexander  Macintosh  obtains  a  feudal 
right  to  the  lands  in  1464  he  is  termed  thane  of  Rothymur- 
chus.^^     It  seems  probable  that  the  name  was  derived  from 
the  thanes  of  Brass,  who  may  also  have  been  thanes  of  Eothie- 
murchus, and  from  whom  the  old  Macintoshes  were  de- 
scended.   In  their  genealogy  the  name  of  Gillemichael,  or 
the  servant  of  St.  Michael,  appears  in  place  of  the  spurious 
Angus,  the  supposititious  husband  of  Eva,  and  St.  Michael 
was  the  patron  saint  of  the  parish  of  Birse.^^    As  possessors 
of  Rothiemurchus  they  are  brought  into  immediate  contact 
with  that  branch  of  the  old  Clan  Chattan  whose  principal 
seat  was  Dalnavert,  and  no  doubt  were,  as  indicated  in  the 
older  genealogies,  a  branch  of  that  clan.    The  representatives 
of  these  older  Macintoshes  were,  beyond  doubt,  the  Shaws 
of  Eothiemurchus  and  the  Farquharsons  of  Strathdee,  who 

*^  Chart,    of   Aberdeen,    vol.    i.  ^*  The   district   of  Glenchatt   in 

pp.  12,  15;  Chart,  of  Moray,  p.  21.  Birse,    and    the    burn   of   Chattie, 

'^^  Chart,  of  Aberdeen,\o\.\..T^.\'i&.  may   have    some    connection   witli 

^"  Chart,  of  Moray,  p.  419  ;  Spal-  the  name  of  Clanchattau. 
diiKj  Miscellany,  ii.  25"2. 


CHAP.  ix.J  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES,  359 

extended  from  Badeiiocli  as  iar  as  Birse,  and  whose  head  in 
1464  was  Alexander  Keir  Macintosh. 

The  resemblance  of  the  name  of  Campbell  in  its  more 
modern  form  to  De  Campobello  no  doubt  led  to  the  sup- 
posed descent  of  the  Campbells  from  a  Norman  family  of 
that  name,  but  in  order  to  produce  a  close  resemblance  the 
Norman  name  has  been  inverted.  Its  real  form  was  not  De 
Campobello,  but  De  Bello  Campo,  and  in  Norman  French 
Beauchamp.  The  resemblance  is  still  further  lost  in  the 
older  form  of  the  name  of  the  clan,  which  was  Cambell. 
The  first  of  the  race  who  appears  on  record  with  that  desig- 
nation is  Gillespie  Cambell,  who  is  mentioned  in  1263  as 
having  received  a  grant  of  the  lands  of  Mestreth  and  Sale- 
whop,  that  is,  Menstry  and  Sawchop,  from  King  Alexander 
the  Third.-'^*'  In  one  of  the  Irish  genealogies  his  father 
Dubhgal,  son  of  Duncan,  who  is  termed  M'Duine  in  the 
charter  of  David  ii.,  appears  as  '  Dubhgal  Cambel  a  quo,' 
that  is,  from  whom  the  clan  is  named,  and  there  seems  little 
doubt  that  it  was  a  personal  epithet  analogous  to  that  of 
Cameron,  and  that  from  him  the  family  formerly  called 
MacDuibhne  took  his  later  name.  His  son  was  Cailin 
Mor,  and  from  him  the  head  of  the  family  bears  the  name 
of  MacCailin  Mor,  commonly  corrupted  to  MacCallum  Mor. 

A  foreign  descent  has  likewise  been  attributed  to  the  old 
earls  of  Lennox,  from  whom  the  Clanpharlan  and  other  High- 
land families  were  undoubtedly  descended,  and  it  has  been 
supposed  that  Ahvyn  MacArchill,  an  Angle  of  Northumbria, 
was  father  of  the  first  earl  of  Lennox.  The  first  known  earl 
of  Lennox  undoubtedly  bore  the  name  of  Alwyn,  who  had  a 
son  Alwyn,  second  earl,  father  of  Maelduin,  and  it  is  equally 
certain  that  an  Alwyn  MacArchill  repeatedly  appears  as 
witnessing  charters  of  David  the  First.  This  latter  Alwyn 
first  appears  in  the  Lennox  pedigree  in  Crawford's  Peerage, 
^^  Exchequer  Rolls,  vol.  i.  p.  24. 


360 


THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES. 


[book  III. 


pnblislied  in  171G,  where  he  is  ideutitied  with  the  first 
Alwyii.  The  next  step  in  the  process  was  to  connect  Arkill, 
the  father  of  Alwyn,  with  a  certain  Arcliillus,  son  of  Aykfrith, 
a  Saxon,  who  had  large  estates  in  Northumbria,  and  fled  to 
Scotland  in  1070  to  evade  the  vengeance  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  thus  a  Saxon  origin  is  assigned  to  the  earls 
of  Lennox.  There  is  nothing,  however,  to  support  this 
theory  except  the  resemblance  of  names.  Alwyn  MacArchill 
never  appears  bearing  the  title  of  Comes  or  Earl,  and  while 
lie  flourished  during  the  reign  of  David  the  First,  and  never 
appears  after  the  year  1155,  the  first  mention  of  Alwyn,  earl 
of  Lennox,  cannot  be  placed  earlier  than  the  year  1193,  and 
between  these  dates  we  find  David,  earl  of  Huntingdon,  the 
brother  of  Malcolm  the  Fourth  and  William  the  Lion,  in 
possession  of  the  earldom.  There  is  therefore  absolutely  no 
authority  for  this  descent,  and  it  was  certainly  unknown 
prior  to  the  eighteenth  century.*''  On  the  other  hand, 
Muredach  Albanach,  who  was  contemporary  with  Alwyn, 
earl  of  Lennox,  gives  him  a  Celtic  father  Muredach,  and 
tlius  supports  the  old  Irish  pedigree,  which  makes  him  son 
of  Muredach,  son  of  Maeldobhen,  a  descent  antecedently  pro- 
bable, as  this  name  of  Maldoven  or  Maeldouen  occurs  amone 


■"  In  a  History  of  the  Drum- 
monds,  compiled  in  1861,  the  lirst 
Alwyn,  there  called  Malise,  is  made 
a  son  of  Ferchad,  Earl  of  Strath- 
erne,  and  marries  Ada,  daughter  of 
David,  earl  of  Huntingdon. 

This  spurious  descent  of  the 
earls  of  Lennox  from  the  Northum- 
brian Archill  was  questioned  by 
Lord  Hailes,  and  rightly  rejected 
by  Mr.  Robertson  in  his  Scotland 
under  her  Early  Kings,  and  by  Mr. 
Cosmo  Inues,  but  has  again  been  re- 
vived by  Mr.  W.  Fraser  in  his  book 
of  The  Lennox,  who  is  unable  to 
produce  any  further  authority  for  it 


than  that  it  must  have  been  received 
from  the  Laird  of  Macfarlane,  be- 
cause it  appears  in  Douglas's  Peer- 
age, to  which  that  distinguished 
antiquary  contributed  some  of  the 
materials,  and  that  the  old  earls  of 
Lennox  are  called  by  the  Gaelic 
bards  '  Siol  Arkyll,'  that  is,  de- 
scendants of  Arkill,  but  in  both  in- 
stances he  is  mistaken,  for  Douglas 
took  his  statement  from  Crawford, 
and  it  is  not  true  that  the  old  earls 
were  ever  called  by  the  Gaelic  bards 
'  Siol  Arkyll, '  and  M  r.  Fraser  gives 
no  authority  for  the  statement. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  361 

the  later  earls,  while  the  Annals  of  Ulster  record  that  in 
1216  'Trad  O'Mailfabhail,  chief  of  Cinel  Fergusa,  with  his 
brothers  and  many  others,  was  slain  by  Muireadhach,  son 
of  the  Mormaer  of  Lennox,'  and  the  Celtic  title  of  Mormaer 
could  hardly  be  borne  by  a  Saxon  earl.  This  Maeldouen, 
the  grandfather  of  Alwyn,  firsA  earl,  and  the  true  ancestor 
of  the  race,  must  have  lived  in  the  early  part  of  the  twelfth 
century,  and  is  thus  contemporary  with  Meldoinneth,  the 
son  of  Machedach,  the  'judex  bonus  and  discretus,'  who, 
with  Constantine  earl  of  Fife,  and  Dufgal  son  of  Mocche, 
qui  f wit  senex,  ]o\xiedi  in  perambulating  the  lands  of  Kyrk- 
nesse ;  and  as  the  latter  appears  in  the  old  Irish  genealogy 
of  the  Macleans  as  the  grandfather  of  a  lay  abbot  of  Lismore 
and  the  ancestor  of  a  Celtic  clan,  so  in  jNIeldoinneth,  son  of 
Macliedach,  we  may  possibly  recognise  the  Maldobhnaigh, 
the  grandfather  of  Alwyn,  and  the  ancestor  of  the  Gaelic 
Lords  of  the  Lennox. 

The  group  of  clans  which  sprang  from  the  Lords  of  the 
Isles  had  their  origin  within  the  historic  period,  and  their 
pedigree  is  too  well  authenticated  to  render  a  spurious  version 
of  it  possible  ;  while  as  the  lands  they  held  of  the  Lords  of  the 
Isles  were  in  the  main  confirmed  after  the  forfeiture  of  the 
last  lord  by  the  Crown,  they  were  left  without  any  great 
motive  to  do  so ;  but  two  other  clans,  who  were  in  reality 
not  connected  with  them,  seem  to  have  thought  it  for  their 
interest  to  claim  likewise  a  descent  from  the  Lords  of  the 
Isles,  and  both  were  connected  with  the  earldom  of  Athole. 
These  were  the  Clan  Donnachie  or  Eobertsons  of  Strowan,  and 
the  MacNabs  of  Glendochart.  The  former  clan  simply  ex- 
changed Andrew  de  Atholia,  the  undoubted  father  of  Duncan 
de  Atholia,  the  eponymus  of  the  clan,  for  Angus  of  the  Isles, 
but  as  Duncan  is  repeatedly  designated  in  charters  and  other 
documents  the  son  of  Andrew  de  Atholia,  the  supposed  con- 
nection with  the  Lords  of  the  Isles  is  untenable.     The  Mac- 


362  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

Nabs  are  stated  by  Buchanan  of  Auchmar  to  be  descended 
of  a  son  of  the  first  abbot  of  Inchaffray,  whose  surname  was 
M'Donald,  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  the 
Second.  Inchaffray,  however,  was  founded  in  the  reign  of 
William  the  Lion,  and  the  first  abbot  was  Malis,  a  pastor  and 
hermit,  and  the  second  was  Innocent,  who  had  been  prior,  and 
neither  could  have  been  connected  with  the  Macdonalds. 
Tlie  name  MacNab  certaiidy  means  the  son  of  the  abbot, 
but  we  must  look  elsewhere  for  the  monastery  of  which  he 
must  have  been  the  lay  abbot.  In  the  seventh  century  St. 
Fillan  founded  a  monastery  in  Glendochart,  the  upper  part 
of  which  took  its  name  of  Strathfillan  from  him,  and  in  the 
reign  of  King  William  we  find  the  abbot  of  Glendochart 
ranking  along  with  the  earls  of  Atholl  and  of  Menteath."*^ 
As  the  property  possessed  by  the  MacNabs  lay  in  Glen- 
dochart, and  we  find  the  name  of  Gillafaelan,  or  servant  of 
St.  Fillan,  occurring  in  their  oldest  genealogy,  we  may  cer- 
tainly recognise  in  them  the  descendants  of  the  lay  abbots 
of  Glendochart.  To  the  same  class  we  may  probably  add  the 
Clan  Gregor.  Besides  the  genealogy  of  this  clan  contained 
in  the  Irish  mss..  Dean  Macgregor  furnishes  us  with  one 
which  may  probably  be  viewed  as  the  native  tradition.  In 
it  Gregor,  the  eponymas  of  the  clan,  has  a  different  ancestry, 
and  his  pedigree  is  taken  up  to  a  certain  Aoidh  Urchaidh,  or 
Hugh  of  Glenurchay,  which,  as  Glenurchay  was  an  old  posses- 
sion of  the  MacGregors,  may  be  viewed  as  the  native  tradi- 
tion and  more  probable  descent.  The  usual  calculation 
would  place  him  in  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century,  but  the 
Dean  connects  him  at  once  with  Kenneth  MacAlpin  in  the 
ninth  century,*-  and  thus  the  supposed  royal  descent  of  the 

^'  Item  si  calumpniatus  vocaverit  eo  homines  suos  qui  testentur  super 

warentum  aliquem  in  Ergadia  que  dictam  attestam. — Acts  of  Parlia- 

pertinet  ad  Scociam  tunc  veniat  at  ment,  vol.  i.  p.  372. 

Comitem  Atholie  vel  ad  Abbatem  •*'-  The  Dean  makes  Gregor  son  of 

de  Glendochard  et  ipsi  mittent  cum  John  son  of  Malcolm  son  of  Duncan 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  363 

MacGregors  must  be  relegated  to  the  same  category  with 
the  descent  of  the  other  clans  from  the  kings  of  Dalriada. 
The  son  of  this  Aodh  bore,  however,  the  name  of  Gillafadan, 
or  servant  of  St.  Fillan,  and  as  the  MacGregors  likewise  pos- 
sessed property  in  Glendochart,  they  were  more  probably 
connected  with  the  MacNabs.     The  MacKinnons  too  were 
closely  connected  with  the  abbacy  of  lona,  and  repeatedly 
furnished  abbots  to  that  monastery.     The  traditional  con- 
nection between  these  three  clans — the  MacNabs,  the  Mac- 
Gregors, and  the  MacKinnons — is  further  evidenced  by  two 
bonds  of  friendship — one  in  1606  between  the  MacKinnons 
and  the  MacNabs,  in  which,  as  being  come  of  one  house  and 
being  of  one  surname,  Finlay  MacNab  of  Bowane  acknow- 
ledges Lauchlan  MacKinnon  of  Strathardel  'as  ane  kynd 
chieff  and  of  ane  house  ; '  the  other  somewhat  later  between 
Lachlan  MacKinnon  of  Strathardill  and  James  MacGregor  of 
MacGregor,  in  which  they  are  said  to  be  '  descended  lawfully 
frae  twa  brethren  of  auld  descent.'*"     The  Clan  Lawren  we 
have  seen  were  also  descended  from  an  abbot.     The  Clan 
Mhic,  Duihhsidc  or  Macduffys  may  have  derived  their  name 
from  Duihhsidc  who  appears  in  the  Annals  of  Ulster  in  1164 
as  Ferleighinn  or  lector  of  lona,  and  Diarmada,  the  grand- 
father of  Gillachattan,  the  eponymvs  of  the  Clan  Chattan, 
is  said  in  the  old  Irish  genealogy  to  have  been  called  the 
Ferleighinn  or  lector.      Tradition  attaches  to  Gillachattan 
the  epithet  of  Clcrech  or  Cleric,  and  he  and  his  descendants 
the  Clan  Vuireach  are  said  to  have  been  hereditary  lay  par- 
sons of  Kingussie,  one  of  whom,  Duncan  the  son  of  Kenneth, 
appears  in  1438  as  Duncan  parson.     From  him  the  chief  of 
the  Clan  Vuireach  takes  his  name  of  Macpherson.      The 
earls  of  Ross  too  descend  from  the  lay  priests  of  Applecross. 

Beg  son  of  Duncan  a  Sruthlee  (that  Book,  p.  161  ;   and  Gaelic  portion, 

is,  of  Stirling)  son  of  Gillafaelan  son  p.  127.     See  also  poems,  p.  141. 

of  Aodh   Urchaidh  son  of  Kenneth  •*■'  Douglas's   Baruncuje,  pp.    497, 

son  of  Alpin. — Dtan  of  Lmnore's  498. 


364  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIKIR  GENEALOGIES.  [book  in. 

Result  oi  The  conclusion,  then,  to  which  this  analysis  of  the  clan 

analysis  of  ,.  i-ii  ■,  ■,      ^  ■,  t/v. 

peiiigrees.  pedigrees  which  have  been  popularly  accepted  at  different 
times  has  brought  us,  is,  that  so  far  as  they  profess  to  show 
the  origin  of  the  different  clans,  they  are  entirely  artificial 
and  untrustworthy,  but  that  the  older  genealogies  may  be 
accepted  as  showing  the  descent  of  the  clan  from  its  eponyraus 
or  founder,  and  within  reasonable  limits  for  some  generations 
beyond  him,  wliile  the  later  spurious  pedigrees  must  be  re- 
jected altogether.  It  may  seem  surprising  that  such  spurious 
pedigrees  and  fabulous  origins  should  be  so  readily  credited 
by  the  Clan  families  as  genuine  traditions,  and  receive  such 
prompt  acceptance  as  the  true  fount  from  which  they  sprung  ; 
but  we  must  recollect  that  the  fabulous  history  of  Hector 
Boece  was  as  rapidly  and  universally  adopted  as  the  genuine 
annals  of  the  national  history,  and  became  rooted  in  those 
parts  of  the  country  to  which  its  fictitious  events  related  as 
local  traditions.  When  Hector  Boece  invested  the  obscure 
usurper  Grig  with  the  name  and  attributes  of  a  fictitious 
king,  Gregory  the  Great,  and  connected  him  with  the  royal 
line  of  kings,  the  Clan  Gregor  at  once  recognised  him  as 
their  eponymus  ancestor,  and  their  descent  from  him  is  now 
implicitly  believed  in  by  all  the  MacGregors.  It  is  possible, 
however,  from  these  genealogies,  and  from  other  indica- 
tions, to  distribute  the  clans  in  certain  groups,  as  having 
apparently  a  closer  connection  with  each  other,  and  these 
groups  we  hold  in  the  main  to  represent  the  great  tribes 
into  which  the  Gaelic  population  was  divided  before  they 
became  broken  up  into  clans.  The  two  great  tribes  which 
possessed  the  greater  part  of  the  Highlands  were  the  Gall- 
gaidheal  or  Gael  in  the  west,  who  had  been  under  the 
power  of  the  Norwegians,  and  the  great  tribe  of  the  Mora- 
vians, or  Men  of  Moray,  in  the  Central  and  Eastern  High- 
lands. To  the  former  belong  all  the  clans  descended  of  the 
Lords  of  the  Isles,  the  Campbells  and  Macleods  probably  re- 


CHAP.  IS.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  365 

presenting  the  older  inhabitants  of  their  respective  districts  ; 
to  the  latter  belong  in  the  main  the  clans  brought  in  the  old 
Irish  genealogies  from  the  kings  of  Dalriada  of  the  tribe  of 
Lorn,  among  whom  the  old  Mormaers  of  Moray  appear.  The 
group  containing  the  Clan  Andres  or  old  Eosses,  the  Mac- 
kenzies  and  Mathesons,  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Eoss,  the  Clan 
Donnachy  to  Athole,  the  Clan  Lawren  to  Stratherne,  and  the 
Clan  Pharlane  to  Lennox,  while  the  group  containing  the 
MacNabs,  Clan  Gregor,  and  MacKinnons,  appear  to  have 
emerged  from  Glendochart,  at  least  to  be  connected  with  the 
old  Columban  monasteries.**  The  Clans,  properly  so  called, 
were  thus  of  native  origin ;  the  surnames  partly  of  native 
and  partly  of  foreign  descent. 

It  is  not  much  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  since  the  Tt  rmina- 
Highland  clans  combined,  in  the  eighteenth  century,  to  alter  Clanship  in 
the  dynasty  of  Great  Britain,  and  shook  the  stability  of  the  lands, 
throne,  and  since  the  President  of  the  Supreme  Court  laid 
before  Government  a  memorial  giving  a  detailed  statement  of 
their  names,  their  military  strength,  and  the  names  of  their 
chiefs ;  and  not  much  more  than  a  hundred  years  later,  the 
same  Court  has  been  called  upon  to  answer  the  question. 
What  is  a  clan  ?  and  to  determine  whether  the  word  has  any 
legal  significance  whatever  in  the  social  organisation  of  the 
Highlands.  In  1632,  James,  earl  of  Moray,  let  the  lands  of 
Faillie  and  others  to  Donald  MacGillephadrich,  head  of  the 
sept  of  Clan  Bean,  one  of  the  sixteen  tribes  which  made  up 
the  Clan  Chattan,  for  his  lifetime  and  the  lifetime  of  the  two 
next  heirs-male,  and  for  three  periods  of  nineteen  years  to  his 
heirs-male  and  assignees  of  the  Clan  Chattan,  and  this  tack 
was  confirmed  to  his  son  Donald  MacBean.  In  1771  the 
earl  of  Moray  grants  a  feu-right  of  these  lands  to  Donald  Mac- 

**  In  the  main  the  author  has  seen  Highlanders  of  Scotland,  published 
little  reason  to  alter  the  distribution  in  1837,  to  which  the  reader  is  re- 
of  the  clans  in  an  earlier  work.  The      ferred  for  their  detailed  history. 


366  THE  CLANS  AND  TIIKIK  GENEALOGIES.  [book  hi. 

Bean,  and  his  lieirs-inale  and  assignees  whatsoever  of  the  said 
Clan  of  Clan  Chattan,  and  in  the  same  year  Donald  MacBean 
sells  the  lands  to  Captain  William  ^Macgillivray,  the  head  of 
another  of  the  sixteen  clans,  and  to  his  heirs  and  assignees  of 
the  Clan  Chattan.  His  son,  the  last  of  the  direct  line  of  the 
Macgillivrays  of  Dunmaglass,  died  in  1852,  and  the  question 
arose  whether  his  heirs-at-law,  who  were  not  of  the  clan,  could 
succeed.  In  order  to  determine  this  question,  the  collateral 
heir-male,  John  Macgillivray  of  Dunmaglass,  raised  an  action 
in  the  Supreme  Court  to  have  it  declared  that  no  person  was 
entitled  to  succeed  to  the  late  John  Lachlan  Macillivray  of 
Dunmaglass,  who  was  not  a  member  of  the  Clan  Chattan,  but 
the  Court  held  that  clanship  of  Clan  Chattan,  as  a  condition 
of  heirship  and  a  limitation  of  the  succession  of  heirs,  could 
not  be  recognised  or  enforced  by  law.  The  Court  thus 
defined  the  modern  position  of  a  clan : — 

'  The  lapse  of  time  aud  the  progress  of  civilisation,  with  the 
attendant  influences  of  settled  government,  regular  authority,  and 
the  supremacy  of  law,  have  entirely  obliterated  the  peculiar  features, 
and  destroyed  the  essential  qualities  aud  character  of  Scottish  clan- 
ship ;  but  whether  they  are  viewed  as  they  once  were,  or  as  they 
now  are,  a  Court  of  law  is  equally  precluded  from  recognising  clans 
as  existing  institutions  or  societies  with  legal  status,  the  membership 
of  which  can  be  inquired  into  or  acknowledged  for  ascertaining  the 
character  of  heirs  called  to  succession. 

'  The  inquiry  which  the  pursuer's  averments  would  here  demand 
must  be  attended  witli  extreme  practical  difiiculty ;  but  the  recogni- 
tion of  a  clan  as  an  institution  or  society  known  to  law,  so  that 
membership  thereof  shall  be  a  quality  of  heirship  aud  a  condition 
of  succession,  is  open  to  serious  objection  in  point  of  principle. 

'  In  an  earlier  age,  when  feudal  authority  and  irresponsible  power 
were  stronger  than  the  law,  and  formidable  to  the  Crown,  clans  and 
chiefs,  with  military  character,  feudal  subordination,  and  internal 
arbitrary  dominion,  were  allowed  to  sustain  a  tolerated,  but  not  a 
legally  recognised  or  sanctioned  existence. 


CHAP.  IX.]  THE  CLANS  AND  THEIR  GENEALOGIES.  367 

'  la  more  recent  times  clans  are  indeed  mentioned,  or  recognised 
as  existing,  in  several  Acts  of  Parliament.  But  it  is  thought  that 
they  are  not  mentioned  or  recognised  as  institutions  or  societies 
having  legal  status,  legal  rights,  or  legal  vocation  or  functions, 
but  rather  as  associations  of  a  lawless,  arbitrary,  turbulent,  and 
dangerous  character. 

'  But  nothing  now  remains  either  of  the  feudal  power  and  inde- 
pendent dominion  which  procured  sufferance  in  one  age,  or  of  the 
lawless  and  dangerous  turbulence  which  required  suppression  in 
another.  When  all  military  character,  all  feudal  subordination  all 
heritable  jurisdiction,  all  independent  authority  of  chiefs,  are  ex- 
tracted from  what  used  to  be  called  a  clan,  nothing  remains  of  its 
essential  and  peculiar  features.  Clans  are  no  longer  wliat  they  were. 
The  purposes  for  which  they  once  existed,  as  tolerated  but  not  as 
sanctioned  societies,  are  not  now  lawful.  To  all  practical  purposes 
they  cannot  legally  act,  and  they  do  not  legally  exist.  The  law 
knows  them  not.  For  peaceful  pageantry,  social  enjoyment,  and 
family  traditions,  mention  may  still  be  made  of  clans  and  chiefs  of 
clans  ;  but  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  no  longer  oppressed  by  arbi- 
trary sway,  or  distracted  by  feudal  contentions,  are  now  inhabited 
by  loyal,  orderly,  and  peaceful  subjects  of  the  Crown  of  Great 
Britain  ;  and  clans  are  not  now  corporations  which  law  sustains, 
nor  societies  which  law  recognises  or  acknowledges.' 

Such  being  the  view  of  the  Supreme  Court  oi  the  country 
as  to  the  modern  position  of  the  clan,  it  remains  for  us  to 
inquire  how  far  any  of  the  features  of  the  ancient  tribal 
land  tenure  are  still  preserved  in  the  Highlands  and  Islands 
of  Scotland. 


368      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      fBOOK  in. 


CHAPTER  X. 

LAND   TENURE   IN   THE   HIGHLANDS   AND    ISLANDS   SUBSEQUENT 
TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY. 


Changes 
in  tenure 
of  land. 


Abolition 
of  C'alps. 


If  the  position  of  the  clans  Avas,  as  we  have  seen,  greatly 
affected  by  the  statutes  passed  towards  the  end  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  the  following  century  witnessed  the  com- 
mencement of  a  process  of  change  which  no  less  affected 
the  position  of  the  members  of  the  clan  as  regarded  their 
tenure  of  the  land,  which  was  influenced  partly  by  positive 
enactments  of  the  Legislature,  partly  by  the  increased  efficacy 
of  the  law  of  the  land,  which  ignored  all  Celtic  usages  incon- 
sistent with  its  principles,  and  regarded  all  persons  possessing 
a  feudal  title  as  absolute  proprietors  of  the  land,  and  all  occu- 
pants of  the  land  who  could  not  show  a  right  derived  from 
the  proprietor  as  simply  yearly  tenants,  and  partly  by  changes 
which  took  place  in  the  profitable  employment  of  the  land. 

The  first  relation  which  was  assailed  was  that  of  the 
position  of  the  native-men  and  subordinate  septs  to  the 
chief,  and  in  1617  a  statute  was  passed  which  proceeded  on 
the  narrative,  that  '  his  Majestie's  lieges  have  sustained  great 
hurt  and  skayth  these  many  years  bygone  by  the  chiefs  of 
clans  within  the  Highlands  and  Isles  of  this  kingdom,  by  the 
unlawful  taking  from  them  their  children  and  executors  after 
their  decease  under  the  name  of  Caulpes  of  their  best  aucht 
whether  it  be  on  mare,  horse,  or  cow,  alleging  their  pre- 
decessors to  have  been  in  possession  thereof  for  maintaining 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  369 

and  defending  of  them  against  their  enemies  and  evil  willars 
of  old  and  ordained  that  in  no  time  coming  none  of  his 
Highness's  lieges  presume  nor  take  on  hand  to  intromit 
with  nor  uplift  the  said  Caulpis  within  any  part  of  this 
kingdom.'^  In  the  same  Parliament  a  statute  was  passed 
for  the  protection  of  the  '  forests  within  the  realm  in  which 
deer  are  kept,  and  which  are  altogether  wasted  and  decayed 
by  sheallings,  pasturing  of  horses,  mares,  cattle,  oxen,  and 
other  bestial  cutting  of  woods  within  the  bounds  of  the  said 
forests  shooting  and  slaying  of  deer  and  wild  fowls  with 
hagbuttis  and  with  dogs  in  forbidden  time.'- 

The  land  occupied  by  the  members  of  the  clan  was  Size  of 
divided  into  townships  or  farms,  each  township  consisting  of  *°^^°^^^P^- 
a  certain  portion  of  arable  land,  meadow,  green  pasture,  and 
muirland.  They  were  of  various  sizes,  and  occupied  the  lower 
part  of  the  country,  extending  in  the  straths  or  valleys  from 
the  stream,  and  from  the  shore  of  the  sea,  and  the  arms  of  the 
sea  or  lochs,  to  the  ridge  of  the  hill  behind.  A  stone  fence, 
called  the  head-dyke,  or  an  imaginary  line  answering  to  it 
ran  along  the  brae  or  slope,  and  separated  the  arable,  meadow- 
ground,  and  pasture  of  the  milch  cows  from  the  muirland  or 
hill  pasture,  where  the  horses,  yeld-cattle,  and  sheep  of  the 
farm  ranged.  The  arable  land  of  the  township  which  lay 
within  the  head-dyke  was  usually  divided  into  infield  and 
outfield.  In  the  former  the  steading,  or  town  as  it  was 
called,  was  situated,  and  it  was  kept  in  tillage,  on  which  all 
the  manure  was  laid.  The  outfield  consisted  of  sucli  plots 
at  the  bottom  of  the  valleys  as  were  level  enough  and  free 
of  wood  or  stones  to  be  ploughed,  and  were  kept  in  corn  and 
lea  alternately,  the  cattle  being  folded  upon  them  for  manure 
called  tathing.  The  meadows  were  patches  among  the  fields, 
too  wet,  woody,  or  stony,  to  be  ploughed,  and  kept  under 
scythe  and  sickle  for  a  scanty  supply  of  hay ;  while  the  faces 

1  Acts  of  Parliarntiit,  vol.  iv.  p.  548.  -'  lb.  p.  547. 

VOL.  111.  2  A 


370      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  ill. 

of  the  braes,  roots  of  the  hills,  M'oody  or  stony  wastes  at  the 
bottom,  with  a  small  plot  near  tlie  house,  termed  the  door- 
land,  for  baiting  horses,  were  kept  as  pasture  for  cattle  in 
summer  and  sheep  in  winter ;  while  the  sheep  and  horses 
were  pastured  during  summer  on  the  muirland  or  hill  pas- 
ture, which  lay  immediately  above  the  head-dyke,  and  con- 
tiguous to  the  green  pasture-grounds. 
Occupation  These  farms  or  townships  were  occupied  in  three  different 
ahips.  ways.  They  were  either  possessed  by  the  tacksmen  or  good- 
men  themselves,  in  which  case  they  kept  on  them  a  number 
of  cottars,  to  each  of  whom  they  gave  a  house,  grass  for  a 
cow  or  two,  and  as  much  ground  as  would  sow  about  a  boll 
of  oats ;  or  they  were  possessed  by  sub-tenants,  to  whom  the 
tacksmen  sub-let  the  whole  or  a  part  of  the  farm,  or  else 
they  were  held  direct  from  the  proprietor  in  joint  tenancy  by 
a  number  of  tenants.  These  tenants  and  sub-tenants  formed 
a  sort  of  village  community,  having  their  houses  together, 
holding  the  arable  land  in  runrig,  which  was  divided  annually 
by  lot  among  them,  and  the  pasture  land  in  common,  each 
tenant  being  entitled  to  pasture  a  certain  number  of  cattle, 
sheep,  and  horses,  in  proportion  to  his  share  of  the  arable 
land,  which  was  termed  his  souming  and  rouming.  In  most 
cases  the  land  was  held  on  what  w^as  called  a  steelbow  tenure, 
when  the  stock  on  the  farm  was  the  property  of  the  landlord 
or  tacksman,  and  was  let  along  with  the  land,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  lease  the  tenant  or  sub-tenant  had  to  return  an  equal 
amount  of  stock  or  pay  the  difference.  In  the  Western  Isles 
there  was  also  a  kind  of  tenancy  called  half-foot,  where  the 
possessor  of  the  farm  furnished  the  land  and  seed-corn,  and 
the  other  party  cultivated  the  land,  the  produce  being  divided. 
Average  In  the  Central  Highlands  the  average  township  consisted 

township     of  about  90  acres  within  the  head-dyke,  of  which  20  acres 
Highlands    '^'^^rc  infield,  15  acres  outfield,  10  acres  meadow,  35  acres 
green  pasture,  and  10  acres  woody  waste;  and  the  muirland 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CEXTUllY.  371 

beyond  the  head-dyke  250  acres.  The  smaller  township  con- 
tained within  the  head-dyke  5  acres  infield,  4  acres  outfield, 
2|  acres  meadow,  20  acres  green  pasture,  2|  acres  waste,  and 
beyond  the  head-dyke  75  acres  of  muirland  or  hill  pasture. 

In  the  Islands  the  township  usually  consisted  of  what  Township 
was  called  a  penny  land,  but  occasionally  of  the  lialf penny  islands. 
land,  termed  Leffen  (Lethphein).  These  penny  lands,  how- 
ever, were  of  different  sizes.  Thus  of  three  penny  lands  on 
the  south  side  of  Loch  Scriden,  in  the  island  of  Mull,  one 
consisted  of  64  acres  of  infield  arable  land,  16  of  outfield 
arable,  19  of  green  pasture,  and  497  of  hill  pasture;  another 
contained  106  acres  of  infield  arable  land,  44  acres  of  out- 
field arable,  19  acres  of  green  pasture,  and  704  of  hill  pas- 
ture and  the  third  consisted  of  68  acres  of  infield  arable 
land,  27  of  outfield  arable,  29  of  green  pasture,  and  872  of 
hill  pasture.  This  latter  township  was  occupied  by  eight 
tenants,  each  pasturing  twelve  cows,  with  their  followers.^ 

The  great  mountain  ranges  and  the  groups  of  larger  hills  nigiiiand 
either  formed  deer-forests  or  lay  waste,  and  within  their  forests. 
bounds  were  shealings  or  summer  pasture  attached  to  farms, 
when  the  contiguous  muir  was  not  sufficient  for  hill  stock 
in  summer,  and  here  the  cows  were  brought  in  summer  and 
kept  for  six  or  seven  weeks.*  The  peat-mosses  furnished 
the  tenants  of  the  farms  with  their  fuel. 

The  principal  deer-forests  were  to  be  found  in  the  two 
great  mountain  ranges  of  the  Mounth,  which  extended  across 
the  island  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  sea,  and  Drum- 
alban,  or  the  backbone  of  Scotland,  which  divided  the  eastern 
from  the  western  waters.  These  forests  existed  from  time 
immemorial.  Thus  we  find  that  in  1630  the  earldom  of 
AthoU  was  granted  by  Charles  i.  to  John,  earl  of  Atholl, 

^  This  account  is  taken  mainly  ^  This  is  very  similar  to  the  custom 

from  Marshall's  Agriculture  of  the  in  the  Bavarian  and  Austrian  Alps, 

Central  Hujhlands,  and  from  private  where  the  summer  pasture  is  termed 

information.  an  Alp  and  the  Ijothies  SenncrhiUte. 


372      LAND  TKNUKK  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  in. 


Causes 
affecting 
the  pojiu- 
latioii  in 
tlie  eigh- 
teenth 
century. 


with  the  free  forest  of  Bynzecromby,  and  all  the  other  free 
forests  of  the  earldom,  the  office  of  forester,  and  the  privileges 
of  the  same;  and  in  the  Acts  of  Parliament  a  statute  regard- 
ing a  forest  in  the  latter  range  in  16G2,  when  Parliament 
ratifies  a  charter  granted  by  King  James  the  Sixth  in  1G17, 
constituting  the  Campbells  of  Glenurchay  heritable  foresters 
and  keepers  of  the  forests  and  woods  of  Mamlorne,  Berina- 
kansauche  alias  Bendaskerlie,  Pinglenbeg  and  Finglenmor ; 
and  in  order  to  protect  the  forest  more  effectually  they  have 
power  to  escheat  or  forfeit  all  horses,  mares,  kyne,  sheep, 
goats,  swine,  and  other  cattle  and  bestials  that  shall  be 
found  in  any  time  coming  feeding  within  the  said  woods 
and  forests,  or  any  part  of  the  bounds  thereof^ 

In  the  year  1695  a  statute  was  passed  to  abolish  the 
system  of  holding  land  in  runrig,*^  but  it  was  so  expressed  as 
to  apply  only  to  cases  of  joint  proprietary  of  the  runrig 
lands,  and  not  to  that  of  a  joint  tenancy,  as  was  the  case  in 
these  Highland  townships. 

In  the  following  century  the  social  position  of  the  Gaelic 
population  in  the  Highlands  and  Islands  became  affected  by 
several  causes.  These  were  in  the  main  the  introduction  of 
sheep-farming  and  emigration  of  the  people  from  various 
districts ;  the  increased  manufacture  of  kelp  ;  the  extension 
of  the  culture  of  the  potato,  and  the  system  of  crofting. 
When  the  cessation  of  these  causes,  which  had  kept  the 
Highlands  distinct  from  the  rest  of  the  country,  brought  all 
classes  into  contact  with  a  different  and  more  advanced  state 
of  society,  and  the  old  feudal  relations  of  superior  and  de- 
pendant gradually  passed  into  those  of  proprietor  and  tenant, 
the  natural  consequence  was,  from  the  conversion  of  services 
and  the  different  estimate  of  the  relative  value  of  land  and 
people,  that  the  rents  were  everywhere  raised  ;  and  this  gave 
rise  to  the  extensive  emigration  of  those  who  were  unwilling 

5  Acts  of  Parliament,  vol.  vii.  p.  438.  ^  lb.  vol.  ix.  p.  421. 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  373 

to  submit  to  or  could  not  find  a  place  in  the  new  system. 
Then  followed  the  more  profitable  occupation  of  the  hill 
pasture  under  sheep  stock,  and  the  introduction  of  sheep- 
farming.  The  farms  held  by  the  tacksmen  were  very  gene- 
rally converted  into  sheep-farms,  and  new  ones  were  created, 
as  opportunity  offered,  by  throwing  the  townships  occupied 
by  the  joint  tenants  into  larger  farms,  and  adding  extensive 
ranges  of  hill  pasture  to  them.  So  far  as  the  latter  was  con- 
cerned, the  placing  under  sheep  of  extensive  ranges  of  hill 
country  which  had  previously  either  lain  waste  or  been 
occupied  as  deer-forests,  had  no  effect  upon  the  population  ; 
but  it  became  necessary  to  remove  the  small  tenants,  in  order 
to  convert  their  holdings  into  wintering  for  the  sheep,  and 
this  led  to  a  large  portion  of  the  population  being  dis- 
possessed.^ The  emigration  of  the  people  which  had  been 
created  by  these  causes  was  checked  by  the  American  war, 
but  recommenced  to  even  a  greater  extent  after  the  peace, 
and  continued  till  the  passing  of  the  Emigration  Act  in  1803. 
As  this  emigration  had  generally  consisted  of  entire  families, 
and  many  of  the  tacksmen  were  accompanied  by  theii 
dependants,  and  thus,  as  the  large  farms  were  introduced  on 
the  one  hand,  the  dispossessed  population  emigrated  on  the 
other,  there  was  nothing  in  the  change  of  policy,  whether 
it  was  desirable  in  itself  or  not,  which  was  not  in  accordance 
with  the  principles  of  social  economy,  so  far  as  population  is 
concerned.  It  is  estimated  that  of  those  who  were  dispos- 
sessed from  the  sheep-farming,  two-thirds  emigrated  in  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  Various  circumstances 
led,  however,  to  a  check  being  then  given  to  emigration,  one 
principal  cause  of  which  was  the  new  source  of  wealth  to  the 
proprietors,  and  of  employment  to  the  population  of  those 

''  The  old  servile  condition  of  the  regarded  as  an  oppressive  custom, 

small  tenants,  by  which  they  were  would  probably  have  been  valued 

attached  to  the  soil,  and  could  not  at  this  time  as  a  privilege, 
be  severed  from  it,  which  is  usually 


374      LAND  TKNURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  in. 

districts  bordered  by  the  sea  and  of  the  Islands,  which  arose 
from  the  increased  manufacture  of  kelp.  This  manufacture 
was  first  introduced  so  far  back  as  the  year  1734,  but  did 
not  rise  into  notice  till  the  American  war,  when  kelp  reached 
the  remunerating  price  of  £8  per  ton.  After  the  termination 
of  that  war  the  price  fell,  owing  to  competition  in  barilla  and 
potash,  and  kelp  was  manufactured  to  but  a  limited  extent 
till  the  present  century,  when  it  again  rose  into  importance, 
and  had  reached  in  1806  an  average  price  of  £16  per  ton, 
and  in  1808,  1809,  and  1810  the  enormous  price  of  £22  per 
ton.  The  increased  profits  arising  from  this  manufacture 
caused  a  great  demand  for  labour,  and  created  a  powerful 
interest  in  all  classes  engaged  in  it  to  encourage  population. 
At  the  same  time,  as  it  only  afforded  employment  during 
two  months  in  summer,  and,  from  its  being  a  great  object 
to  bring  a  large  quantity  as  quickly  as  possible  to  market, 
demanded  a  large  amount  of  labour  at  one  season  of  the 
year  only,  an  additional  resource  was  found  in  the  potato, 
introduced  in  1743,  but  cultivated  to  a  limited  extent 
till  this  period,  when  its  culture  extended  as  rapidly  as 
the  manufacture  of  kelp  had  increased,  until  it  became  the 
principal  means  of  subsistence  of  a  large  jiortion  of  the 
population. 
Townships  The  Increase  of  the  population,  and  the  extension  of  the 
inner  Culture  of  the  potato  which  accompanied  it,  may  be  illus- 
i^^isso*"^  trated  from  the  statistics  of  one  parish  in  Skye.  The  popu- 
lation of  this  parish  in  1801  was  2555.  In  1841  it  had 
increased  to  3625.  In  1801  the  produce  of  the  parish  con- 
sisted of  1600  bolls  of  oats  and  here,  and  of  5000  barrels  of 
potatoes.  In  1841,  1618  bolls  of  grain  and  32,000  barrels  of 
potatoes.  Thus,  while  the  population  showed  an  increase  of 
1070,  the  produce  of  the  cereal  crops  had  undergone  little 
change  during  the  forty  years  preceding  1841 ;  but  the 
cultivation  of  the  potato  had  increased  sixfold,  and  conse- 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  375 

quently  furnished  the  sole  additional  production  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  additional  population. 

The  crofting  system  was  first  introduced  by  the  arable 
portion  of  the  small  farms  or  townships  previously  held  in 
common  and  cultivated  in  runrig,  being  permanently  divided 
among  the  joint-tenants  in  separate  crofts,  the  pasture  re- 
maining in  common.      This,  though  an  improvement  with 
reference  to  the  cultivation  of  the  farm,  was  unfortunately 
not  accompanied  by  any  practical  guarantee  against  sub- 
dividing, by  the  security  of  leases,  or  by  the  encouragement 
and  attention  which  the  crofters  required.      The  i)revious 
system,  where  the  arable  land  was  held  in  joint-tenancy, 
though  necessarily  implying  a  low  state  of  agriculture,  yet 
afforded  some  guarantees  in  the  joint-interest  created  by  it 
against  subdivision  ;  but  when  the  employment  afforded  by 
the  manufacture  of  kelp  became  the  principal  dependence  of 
all  classes,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  land  of  secondary  im- 
portance, the  comparative  independence  of  the  tenants  on 
each  other,  which  resulted  from  the  possession  of  separate 
crofts,  afforded  fatal  facilities  for  subdivision  and  sub-letting, 
which  were  carried  to  a  great  extent.     This  result  was  like- 
wise increased  by  separate  lotting  on  the  part  of  the  pro- 
prietors or  of  those  in  the  management  of  their  estates.     The 
Fencible  regiments  had  been  raised,  in  many  cases,  on  a  pro- 
mise to  give  lots  or  possessions  to  the  recruits,  and,  when  dis- 
banded, these  promises  had  to  be  redeemed.     A  system  of 
general  and  indiscriminate  lotting  was  introduced  and  carried 
on,  by  which  separate  lots  were  provided  for  the  population 
as  they  pressed  still  more  upon  the  land,  while  the  employ- 
ment afforded  by  the  kelp  and  the  increased  culture  of  the 
potato  provided  a  resource  for  their  occupants.    The  tendency 
of  all  this  was  greatly  to  increase  the  cottar  class,  who  were 
sub-tenants  under  the   tacksmen  and  small  tenants,  their 
labour  being  usually  taken  in  place  of  rent,  in  return  for  the 


376      LAND  TENURK  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  iii. 

lots  they  lield  ;  but  with  a  limited  potato-culture  and  no 
extraordinary  demand  lor  labour,  this  class  had  hitherto  not 
been  very  numerous.  Other  circumstances  still  further 
tended  to  add  to  this  class  of  the  community.  The  British 
Fishery  Society  had  established  in  1788  the  fishing  villages 
of  Tobermory,  Ullapool,  Stein,  and  others,  with  a  view  of 
prosecuting  a  permanent  fishing  trade  ;  and  proprietors  had 
followed  their  example  in  setting  similar  communities  on 
the  sea-coast  as  a  resource  for  the  dispossessed  population. 
Small  lots,  generally  about  two  acres,  were  given  to  the  pro- 
posed fishermen,  but  these  villages  failed  in  the  main  from 
various  causes,  and  formed  a  refuge  for  the  dispossessed 
population  of  neighbouring  properties,  till  they  furnished 
examples  of  the  poorest  class  of  lotters  or  cottars.  The  ex- 
tension of  the  large  farms  and  the  removal  of  the  former 
occupants  of  the  land  unaccompanied  by  emigration — the 
Highland  clearing  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term — neces- 
sarily added  to  the  numbers  of  the  same  class,  and  any  sub- 
sequent enforced  emigration  was  too  often  of  a  character 
which  not  only  did  nothing  to  reduce  the  numbers  of  this 
class,  but  rather  tended  to  aggravate  the  evil,  as  the  families 
it  removed  were  generally  of  the  better  class  of  small  tenantry 
able  to  provide  some  part  of  the  cost  of  transit,  while  the  land 
they  occupied  was  at  the  same  time  withdrawn  from  cultiva- 
tion, and  those  of  its  occupants  who  did  not  emigrate  were 
necessarily  thrown  upon  the  cottar  population. 

Such  was  the  position  of  the  population,  when  the  manu- 
facture of  kelp,  after  proving  a  source  of  wealth  and  employ- 
ment, ceased  to  be  so  remunerative  after  the  repeal  of  the 
salt-duty  in  1817,  and  was  finally  prostrated  under  the  com- 
petition produced  by  the  reduction  of  the  duty  on  barilla. 
The  people  had  become  to  a  great  extent  dependent  on  the 
potato  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year,  and  the  employ- 
ment afforded  by  the  kelp  supplied  the  period  between  the 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  377 

consumption  of  the  potato  crop  of  one  year  and  that  of  the 
succeeding  crop.  All  classes  appear  to  have  forgotten  that 
the  profits  of  the  kelp  manufacture  were  not  the  legitimate 
produce  of  the  land,  on  which  they  could  depend  as  pro- 
prietors and  tenants,  but  that  they  were  in  fact  engaged  in  a 
manufacture  subject  to  the  fluctuations  of  trade  arising  from 
the  state  of  the  market,  and  might  be  placed  in  the  same 
position  as  a  manufacturing  population  during  one  of  the 
periodical  stagnations  of  trade.  The  sudden  withdrawal  of 
this  resource  left  the  main  part  of  the  Highland  population 
in  a  similar  situation,  except  that  they  had  become  rooted 
to  the  soil  and  confirmed  in  habits  which  unfitted  them  to 
meet  the  crisis.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  population 
disclosed  the  appearance  of  a  parasite  class,  pressing  largely 
upon  the  means  of  subsistence  and  the  resources  of  others, 
and  the  cottars  having  lost  the  resource  of  the  kelp  became 
exposed  to  an  annual  destitution  during  the  period  which 
intervened  between  the  consumption  of  the  produce  of  each 
potato  crop,  until  the  partial  failure  of  that  crop  in  the  years 
1836-37,  and  the  more  extensive  destruction  of  it  in  1847 
and  three  succeeding  years,  reduced  a  large  portion  of  the 
population  to  a  state  of  absolute  destitution  for  the  time,  and 
brought  their  social  position  prominently  under  the  notice  of 
all  classes  of  the  community. 

The  statistics  of  the  same  parish  in  Skye  will  afford  a  fair 
illustration  of  their  position  during  the  failure  of  the  potato 
crop.  The  parish  consisted  then  of  4826  acres  of  arable  land, 
4339  of  green  pasture,  and  37,305  of  hill  pasture.  There 
were  four  large  farms  containing  about  1200  acres  of  arable 
land,  and  on  these  farms  there  were  twenty-five  families  of 
cottars.  The  remaining  3676  acres  of  arable  land  were  dis- 
tributed among  thirty-seven  townships  held  by  334  families 
of  crofters  ;  and  upon  these  334  families  of  crofters  there  was 
a  parasite  population  of  300  families  of  cottars.    The  particu- 


378      LAND  TENURE  IN  TlIK  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  m. 


Existing 
townsliip« 
in  the 
Outer 
Hebrides. 


lars  of  two  of  these  townships  will  show  still  more  clearly 
the  state  of  the  population  at  this  time.  One,  consisting  of 
205  acres,  was  held  by  nine  tenants,  whose  families  amounted 
to  forty-three  persons.  Of  these  205  acres,  42  were  under 
cultivation,  the  usual  produce  of  which  was  sixty-one  bolls. 
They  had  twenty-four  cows,  sixteen  sheep,  and  six  horses,  and 
the  total  rent  paid  by  them  was  £84,  and  upon  this  farm  their 
were  besides  ten  families  of  cottars,  giving  a  population  of 
eighty-six  souls  on  a  farm  paying  only  £84  of  rent.  Another 
township  contained  161  acres,  and  was  held  by  four  families 
of  croft  tenants.  There  were  only  2  2  acres  under  cultivation, 
yielding  on  an  average  thirty-two  bolls.  They  had  eight 
cows,  twenty-one  sheep,  and  four  horses,  and  paid  £55  of 
rent,  and  on  this  farm  were  seven  families  of  cottars.  In 
another  parish  in  the  same  island,  a  township  paying  £68 
of  rent  was  held  by  twenty-two  families  of  crofter  tenants, 
while  there  were  located  in  the  township  no  fewer  than 
twenty-five  families  of  cottars,  giving  a  population  of  250 
souls  dependent  on  the  produce  of  the  ground  for  subsistence.^ 

It  might,  however,  be  expected  that  the  features  of  the 
older  state  of  the  occupants  of  the  soil  would  be  longer  pre- 
served in  the  Outer  Hebrides  where  there  was  less  intercourse 
with  the  mainland,  and  an  account  of  the  present  state  of 
some  of  the  townships  in  the  Long  Island  has  been  kindly 
communicated  for  this  work  by  Mr.  Alexander  Carmichael,  a 
gentleman  who  has  been  long  resident  among  them,  and  is 
intimately  acquainted  with  their  condition,  which  will  furnish 
an  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  chapter. 

'  Old  systems  are  tenacious.     They  linger  long  among  a 


^  The  pi'eceding  sketch  has  been 
mainly  taken  from  the  reports  of 
the  Board  for  the  Relief  of  High- 
land Destitution  in  the  years  1847- 
1850  (Third  Report  for  1848,  p.  24  ; 
Second  Report  for  1850,  p.  40).   The 


author  filled  the  otlice  of  Secretary 
to  the  Board,  which  necessarily 
brought  the  state  of  the  popula- 
tion under  his  notice,  and  these 
reports  were  compiled  by  himself. 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  379 

rural  people,  and  in  remote  places.  Of  these  is  the  land 
system  of  runrig  {Mor  Earann),  which  characterises  more 
or  less  the  land  system  of  some  of  the  Western  Isles 
(Innsi-Gall).  The  Outer  Hebrides  are  called  the  Long 
Island  {Eilcann  Facia,  Innis  Fada).  They  are  a  series 
of  islands  119  miles  in  length,  and  varying  from  half-a- 
mile  to  twenty  miles  in  breadth.  This  kite-like  chain  of 
40  inhabited  and  upwards  of  150  uninhabited  islands  con- 
tains a  population  of  40,000.  Much  of  the  land  is  held  by 
extensive  tacksmen  on  leases  {Fir-BaiJe),  and,  there  being 
no  intermediate  tenantry,  the  rest  of  the  land  is  occupied 
by  small  tenants  at  will  without  leases.  These  number 
4500,  the  majority  of  whom  fish  as  well  as  farm. 

'The  country  is  divided  into  townlands  of  various  ex- 
tent. The  arable  land  (Fearann  grainsich)  occupied  by  the 
small  tenants  of  these  townlands  is  worked  in  three  ways — 
as  crofts  wholly,  as  crofts  and  runrig  combined,  and  as  runrig 
wholly.  In  Lewis  and  Harris  the  arable  land  is  wholly 
divided  into  crofts ;  in  Uist  and  Barra  the  arable  land  is 
divided,  in  part  into  crofts,  and  in  part  worked  in  runrig ; 
while  in  the  townlands  of  Hosta,  Caolas  Paipil,  and  the  island 
of  Heisgeir  in  North  L^ist,  the  arable  land  is  worked  exclu- 
sively upon  the  runrig  system  of  share  and  share  alike.  The 
grazinu'  ground  of  the  tenants  of  each  townland  throughout  the 
Long  Island  is  held  in  common  (in  Lewis  called  Comhpairt). 

'  The  soil  varies  from  pure  sand  to  pure  moss.  Along  the 
Atlantic  there  is  a  wide  plain  of  sandy  soil  called  Machair. 
This  merges  into  a  mixture  of  sand  and  moss  (Breac- 
thalamh,  or  mottled  soil),  which  again  merges  into  the  pure 
moss  {Mointcach)  towards  the  Minch.  As  the  soil  is  dry 
and  sandy,  if  the  summer  is  dry  the  crop  is  light.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  summer  is  moist  the  crop  is  heavy  and 
good.  In  order  that  all  may  have  an  equal  chance,  the 
Machair  belonging  to  them  is  equally  divided  among  the 


:i80      LAND  TKNUUK  IN  TlIK  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  hi. 

tenants  of  the  township.  Obviously  tlie  man  who  is  restricted 
to  his  croft  has  fewer  advantages  than  the  man  who,  together 
witli  his  croft,  has  his  share  of  the  Machair,  and  still  fewer 
advantages  than  the  man  who  has,  rig  for  rig  with  his  neigh- 
bours, the  run  of  the  various  soils  of  his  townland,  which 
gives  name  to  the  system.  Consequently,  a  wet  or  a  dry 
season  affects  the  tenant  of  the  croft  system  more  than  the 
tenant  of  the  combined  system,  and  the  tenant  of  the  com- 
bined system  more  than  the  tenant  of  the  runrig  system. 

'  The  townland  of  Hosta  is  occupied  by  four,  Caolas  Paipil 
by  six,  and  the  island  of  Heisgeir  by  twelve  tenants.  To- 
wards the  end  of  autumn,  when  harvest  is  over,  and  the  fruits 
of  the  year  have  been  gathered  in,  the  constable  {Con- 
ddbal,  Foirfeadeach)  calls  a  meeting  of  the  tenants  of  the 
townland  for  Nabachd  (preferably  Nahuidheachd,  neighbour- 
liness). They  meet,  and  having  decided  upon  the  portion 
of  land  {Leob,  Clar)  to  be  put  under  green  crop  next  year, 
they  divide  it  into  shares  according  to  the  number  of  ten- 
ants in  the  place,  and  the  number  of  shares  in  the  soil  they 
respectively  possess.  Thereupon  they  cast  lots  (Crcmna- 
churadh,  Cur  chrann,  Tilgcadh  chrann,  Crannadh),  and  the 
share  which  falls  to  a  tenant  he  retains  for  three  years.  A 
third  of  the  land  under  cultivation  is  thus  divided  every 
year.  Accordingly,  the  whole  cultivated  land  of  the  town- 
land  undergoes  redivision  every  three  years.  Should  a  man 
set  a  bad  share  he  is  allowed  to  choose  his  share  in  the  next 
division.  The  tenants  divide  the  land  into  shares  of  uniform 
size.  For  this  purpose  they  use  a  rod  several  yards  long, 
and  they  observe  as  much  accuracy  in  measuring  their  land 
as  a  draper  in  measuring  his  cloth.  In  marking  the  bound- 
ary between  shares,  a  turf  {Tore)  is  dug  up  and  turned  over 
along  the  line  of  demarcation.  The  '  tore '  is  then  cut  along 
the  middle,  and  half  is  taken  by  the  tenant  on  one  side  and 
half  by  the  tenant  on  the  other  side,  in  ploughing  the  subse- 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  381 

quent  furrow ;  similar  care  being  afterwards  exercised  in 
cutting  the  corn  along  the  furrow.  The  tenant's  portion  of 
the  runrig  is  termed  Cianag  and  his  proportion  of  the 
grazing  for  every  pound  he  pays  Coir-sgoraidh. 

'  There  are  no  fences  round  the  fields.  The  crop  being 
thus  exposed  to  injury  from  the  cattle  grazing  along  the  side, 
the  people  leave  a  protecting  rig  on  the  margin  of  the  crop. 
This  rig  is  divided  transversely  into  shares,  in  order  to  sub- 
ject all  the  tenants  to  equal  risk.  The  rig  is  called  indis- 
criminately loinair  ionailt  browsing  rig,  lomair  a  chruidh 
the  cattle  rig,  and  lomaire  comachaidh  the  promiscuous  rig. 
The  arrangement  is  named  Comachadh,  promiscuous.  Occa- 
sionally and  for  limited  bits  of  ground,  the  people  till,  sow, 
and  reap  in  common,  and  divide  the  produce  into  shares 
{Bainn,  Ranntaichcan)  and  draw  lots.  This  too  is  called 
Comachadh,  promiscuous.  The  system  was  not  uncommon 
in  the  past,  though  now  nearly  obsolete. 

'  In  making  their  own  land  arrangements  for  the  year, 
the  tenants  set  apart  a  piece  of  ground  towards  the  support 
of  their  poor.  This  ground  is  called  Cianag  nam  hochd,  the 
Cianag  of  the  poor,  and  Talamh  nam  hochd,  the  ground  of 
the  poor.  Farm  produce  given  to  the  poor  who  go  about 
when  the  crop  is  being  secured  is  termed  Feigh,  Faigh,  or 
Faoigli.  The  produce  for  which  the  suppliant  travels  de- 
notes the  nature  of  the  Faoigh  or  aid,  as  Faoigli  cloimh  wool- 
aid,  Faoigh  arair  corn-aid,  or  Faoigh  huntata  potato-aid. 

'  In  reclaiming  moorland  {Mointeach,  Sliahh,  Riasg),  the 
tenants  divide  the  ground  into  narrow  strips  of  five  feet 
wide  or  thereby.  These  strips,  called  lazy-beds  (Feann- 
agan,  from  Feann  to  scarify),  the  tenants  allot  among  them- 
selves according  to  their  shares  or  crofts.  The  people 
mutually  encourage  one  another  to  plant  as  much  of  this 
ground  as  possible.  In  this  manner  much  waste  land  is  re- 
claimed and  enhanced  in  value,  and  ground  hitherto  the 


.•^*^2      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  in. 

home  of  the  stonechat,  grouse,  snipe,  and  sundew,  is  made  to 
yield  luxuriant  crops  of  potatoes,  corn,  hay,  and  grass.  Not 
unfrequently,  however,  these  land-reclamations  are  wrested 
without  acknowledgment  from  those  who  made  them. 

'  The  sheep,  cattle,  and  horses  of  the  townland  (Spreidh 
a  hhailc)  graze  together,  the  species  being  separate.  A 
tenant  can  only  keep  stock  conformably  to  his  share  in  the 
soil.  He  is,  however,  at  liberty  to  regulate  the  proportions 
of  the  different  kinds,  provided  that  his  total  stock  does  not 
exceed  his  total  grazing  rights.  He  may  keep  a  larger 
number  of  one  species  and  a  corresponding  smaller  number 
of  another.  Or  he  can  keep  a  greater  number  of  the  young 
and  a  corresponding  less  number  of  the  old  of  the  same 
species,  or  the  reverse.  About  Whitsuntide,  when  the  young 
braird  appears,  the  people  remove  their  sheep  and  cattle 
to  the  grazing  ground  behind  the  arable  land  {Gearruidh, 
Culcinn,  Sliahh,  or  Beinn).  This  is  called  clearing  the  town- 
land,  and  is  variously  termed  in  various  districts — Belt  each 
a  hhaile,  Glanadh  a  hhaile,  Fuadach,  Cartadh,  Cicsgaradh, 
Cursgaradh,  Usgaradh,  and  Ursgaradh.  The  tenants  bring 
forward  their  stock  (Leibhidh),  and  a  souming  (Sumachadh) 
is  made.  The  Leibhidh  is  the  amount  of  the  tenant's 
stock,  the  Suvmchadh  the  number  he  is  entitled  to  graze 
in  common  with  his  neighbours.  Should  the  tenant  have 
a  croft,  he  is  probably  able  to  graze  some  extra  stock 
thereon,  though  this  is  demurred  to  by  his  neighbours. 
Each  penny  (Peighinn)  of  arable  land  has  grazing  rights  of 
so  many  soums.  Neither,  however,  is  the  extent  of  land  in 
the  "  penny  "  nor  the  number  of  animals  in  the  soum  uni- 
formly the  same.  The  soum  (Sum,  Sicim)  consists  of  a  cow 
with  her  progeny  (Bo  le  h-cd)^  Conformably  to  the  code 
of  one  district  this  includes  only  the  cow  and  her  calf,  and 

»  Bo  le  h-al,  cow  and  her  progeny.  A  cow  is  said  to  be  entitled  to  her 
calf  for  a  year  and  a  day. 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  383 

according  to  the  Gaelic  distich  the  calf  becomes  a  stirk  at 
All-Hallows— 

La  Samlina  thcircar  gamhna  ris  ua  laoigh, 
La  ^Illeain  theirear  aidhean  riu  na  dheigh. 

At  Hallowmas  the  calf  is  called  a  stirk  aye, 
At  Saint  John's  the  stirk  becomes  a  quey. 

'  In  another  district  the  soum  {Bo  le  h-al)  means  the  cow 
and  her  three  immediate  descendants — the  calf,  the  one- 
year-old  stirk,  and  the  two-year-old  quey. 

'  In  a  third  district  the  soum  or  Bo  le  h-al  comprehends 
five  animals,  viz.,  the  cow,  her  calf,  her  one-year-old  stirk, 
her  two-year-old  quey,  and  her  three-year-old  heifer.  When 
the  calf  has  attained  four  years  of  age  it  is  ousted  from  the 
soum  and  classed  with  the  cows. 

'  The  people  conform  to  their  code  in  equalising  their 
stock.  Different  species  of  animals  are  placed  against  one 
another,  and  the  same  species  at  different  ages.  This  is 
called  Coilpeachadh,  equalising.  The  grazing  equivalents  of 
a  cow  are  eight  calves,  four  one-year-old  stirks,  two  two-year- 
old  queys,  one  three-year-old  heifer,  and  one  stirk,  eight 
sheep,  twelve  hoggs,^*'  sixteen  lambs,  or,  sixteen  geese.  The 
grazing  equivalents  of  the  horse  are  eight  foals,  four  one- 
year-old  fillies,  two  two-year-old  fillies,  one  three-year-old, 
and  one  one-year-old  filly,  or  two  cows.  The  horse  is  deemed 
to  have  arrived  at  grazing  maturity  at  four  years  of  age. 
Three  one-year-old  hoggs  are  considered  equal  in  grazing  to 
two  sheep,  and  one  two-year-old  hogg  is  deemed  equal  to  one 
sheep.  The  cow  is  entitled  to  her  calf.  Should  a  tenant 
have  two  cows  without  calves,  the  cows  are  entitled  to  get 
one  one-year-old  stirk  or  its  equivalent  along  with  them. 
And,  should  he  have  four  cows  without  calves,  the  cows 
claim  two  one-year-old  queys,  or  their  equivalents. 

1"  A  uame  applied  iu  the  Highlands  to  one-year-old  sheep. 


384      LAND  TENUIJE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  hi. 

'  If  the  stock,  or  soum,  of  a  tenant  be  complete,  it  is 
termed  Lcihhidh  stan  and  Suviachadh  slan,  that  is,  whole 
fxiWiidh  and  whole  soum,  and  Fiar  slan,  or  whole  grass. 
The  animals  which  go  to  complete  the  stock  or  soum  are 
called  Slanuich,  Slanaichean,  completers.  Should  the  stock 
or  soum  be  incomplete,  it  is  Lcihhidh  hriste,  broken  stock ; 
Sumachadh  hriste,  broken  soum,  or  Fiar  hriste,  Bristiar, 
broken  grass.  The  odd  animals  beyond  the  complete 
stock  or  soum  are  Bristich,  Bristichcan,  or  Beacha  hriste, 
l)roken  beasts. 

'  In  the  event  of  a  tenant  having  an  overstock  {Barr 
leihhe),  or  an  oversoum  {Barr-suma,  Barr-S2iime),  he  must 
provide  for  it  independently.  He  may  buy  grazing  from  a 
neighbour  in  his  own  or  contiguous  townland  who  has  an 
understock  (Gior-leihhe),  or  an  undersoum  {Gior-suime,  or 
the  community  may  allow  the  overstock  to  remain  on  the 
grass  till  he  can  dispose  of  it.  If  the  latter,  payment  of  the 
grazing  of  the  extra  animals  is  exacted  according  to  their 
code.  The  amount  is  paid  over  to  the  fund  of  the  community, 
which  is  used  for  the  common  good  towards  buying  iresh 
stock,  bulls,  tups,  or  for  some  such  purpose. 

'  The  souming  is  amended  at  Lammas  (Limastain),  after 
the  first  markets  are  held,  and  re-amended  at  Hallowtide, 
after  the  last  markets  are  over,  when  the  final  and  winter 
arrangements  are  made. 

'  In  Lewis  and  Harris  the  crofters  keep  stock  according 
to  every  pound  of  rent  they  pay.  This  system  is  termed 
Cosgarradh,  evidently  Coir-sgoraidh,  the  right  of  grazing. 

'  There  being  no  fences  to  protect  the  fields,  during  summer 
and  autumn  the  herds  are  placed  at  night  in  enclosures  to 
secure  them  against  trespassing  on  the  crop.  The  enclosure 
for  horses  is  called  Marclan,  Covihlong ;  for  cattle,  Bitaile, 
Cuithc ;  for  sheep.  Gro,  Fang,  Faing ;  for  goats,  Mainnir,  Cro; 
and  for  calfs  and  lambs,  Cotan. 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  385 

'  Lest  any  of  these  should  break  loose  and  damage  the  corn, 
two  men  watch  the  folds  together  at  night.  This  duty  is 
called  Cuartachadh  rounding  the  folds,  and  devolves  upon 
two  of  the  tenants  in  rotation.  Should  the  watchers  become 
remiss  towards  the  dawn,  when  the  herds  begin  to  move, 
some  of  the  animals  may  break  through  the  enclosure  and 
cause  loss.  If  so,  the  two  tenants  are  held  liable,  and  are 
required  to  make  reparation  (Bioladh).  The  damage  is 
appraised  by  the  constable,  who  is  sworn  to  do  justice, 
and  in  this  capacity  is  termed  Foirfcidach,  the  just  one,  or 
Measaichc,  the  valuator.  The  constable's  valuation  is  held 
final,  unless  he  should  be  interested,  when  the  eldest  tenant 
takes  his  place. 

'The  crofters  have  a  code  of  regulations,  for  which,  if 
broken,  reparation  is  made.  Should  a  crofter's  horse  break 
loose,  or  his  fowls  stray,  and  so  destroy  a  neighbour's  corn, 
the  injury  is  valued  and  the  amount  paid  into  the  common 
fund.  All  fines  and  reparations  {Cain,  Dioladh)  are  paid 
over  to  this  fund,  or  used  for  the  common  good.  The  crofter 
paying  the  fine  does  not  lose  all  interest  therein,  nor  does 
the  crofter  to  whom  reparation  is  made  derive  the  exclusive 
benefit  therefrom.  This  reparation  is  exacted  by  the  farm 
constable  in  his  official  capacity  as  representing  the  crofters 
of  the  farm  as  a  body.^^ 

'Having  finished  their  tillage,  the  people  go  early  in 
June  to  the  hill-grazing  with  their  flocks.  This  is  a  busy 
day  in  the  townland.  The  people  are  up  and  in  commotion 
like  bees  about  to  swarm.  The  different  families  bring  their 
herds  together  and  drive  them  away.  The  sheep  lead,  the 
cattle  go  next,  the  younger  preceding,  and  the  horses  follow. 
The  men  carry  burdens  of  sticks,  heather,  ropes,  spades,  and 

^^  The  constable  of  the  towuland  Maor  grtiiniid,  ground-ofhcer ;  3faor 
is  sometimes  termed  am  Maor  beg,  fearainn,  land-steward  ;  Maor  ceilp, 
the  little  or  sub-Maor.  Maor  is  a  kelp-officer  ;  Maor  cladaich,  shore- 
frequent  name  of  an  office-holder,  as  officer  ;  Maor  coille,  forester. 

VOL.  III.  2  B 


386      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  hi. 

other  things  needed  to  repair  their  summer  huts  {Sgitheil, 
Bothain).  The  women  carry  l)edding,  meal,  dairy  and  cook- 
ing utensils.  Eound  below  their  waists  is  a  thick  woollen 
cord  or  leathern  strap  {Crios-fheile,  kilt-band),  underneath 
which  their  skirts  are  drawn  up  to  enable  them  to  walk 
easily  over  the  moors.  Barefooted,  bareheaded,  comely  boys 
and  girls,  with  gaunt  sagacious  dogs,  flit  hither  and  thither, 
keeping  the  herds  together  as  best  they  can,  and  every  now 
and  then  having  a  neck-and-neck  race  with  some  perverse 
animal  trying  to  run  away  home.  There  is  much  noise. 
Men — several  at  a  time — give  directions  and  scold.  Women 
knit  their  stockings,  sing  their  songs,  talk  and  walk  as  free 
and  erect  as  if  there  were  no  burdens  on  their  backs  nor  on 
their  hearts,  nor  sin  nor  sorrow  in  this  world  of  ours,  so  far 
as  they  are  concerned.  Above  this  din  rise  the  voices  of  the 
various  animals  being  thus  unwillingly  driven  from  their 
homes.  Sheep  bleet  for  their  lambs,  lambs  for  their  mothers; 
cows  low  for  their  calves,  and  calves  low  for  their  dams  ; 
mares  neigh  for  their  foals,  and  foals  reply  as  they  lightly 
trip  round  about,  little  thinking  of  coming  work  and  hard 
fare.  All  who  meet  on  the  way  bless  the  trial,  as  this  re- 
moving is  called.  They  wish  it  good  luck  and  prosperity, 
and  a  good  flitting  day,  and,  having  invoked  the  care  of 
Israel's  Shepherd  on  man  and  beast,  they  pass  on. 

'  When  the  grazing-ground  has  been  reached  and  the 
burdens  are  laid  down,  the  huts  are  repaired  outwardly  and 
inwardly,  the  fires  are  rekindled,  and  food  is  prepared. 
The  people  bring  forward  their  stock,  every  man's  stock 
separately,  and,  as  they  are  being  driven  into  the  enclosure, 
the  constable  and  another  man  at  either  side  of  the  gate- 
way see  that  only  the  proper  souming  has  been  brought  to 
the  grazing.  This  precaution  over,  the  cattle  are  turned  out 
to  graze. 

'  Having  seen  to  their  cattle  and  sorted  their  shealings, 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTUKY.  387 

the  people  repair  to  their  removing  feast  {Feiscl  net  h-imrig 
or  shealing  feast,  Fcisd  na  h-airidh).  The  feast  is  simple 
enough,  the  chief  thing  being  a  cheese,  which  every  housewife 
is  careful  to  provide  for  the  occasion  from  last  year's  produce. 
The  cheese  is  shared  among  neighbours  and  friends,  as  they 
wish  themselves  and  cattle  luck  and  prosperity. 

('  Laoigh  bhailgionn  boirionn  air  gach  fireach 
Fiseach  crodh  na  h-airidh.) 

'  Every  head  is  uncovered,  every  knee  is  bowed,  as  they 
dedicate  themselves  and  their  flocks  to  the  care  of  Israel's 
Shepherd. 

'  In  Barra,  South  Uist,  and  Benbecula,  the  Eoman  Catholic 
faith  predominates ;  here,  in  their  touching  dedicatory  old 
hymn,  the  people  invoke  with  the  aid  of  the  Trinity,  that  of 
the  angel  with  the  cornered  shield  and  flaming  sword.  Saint 
Michael,  the  patron  saint  of  their  horses  ;  of  Saint  Columba 
the  holy,  the  guardian  over  their  cattle,  and  of  the  golden- 
haired  Virgin  Shepherdess,  and  Mother  of  the  Lamb  without 
spot  or  blemish. 

'  In  North  Uist,  Harris,  and  Lewis,  the  Protestant  faith 
entirely  prevails,  and  the  people  confine  their  invocation  to, 

'  The  Shepherd  that  keeps  Israel, 
He  slumbereth  not  nor  sleepeth. 

('  Fcuch  air  Fear  Coimhead  Israeil, 
Codal  cha'n  aom  no  suain.) 

As  the  people  sing  their  dedication,  their  voices  resound  from 
their  shealings,  here  literally  in  the  wilderness,  and  as  the 
music  floats  on  the  air,  and  echoes  among  the  rocks,  hills, 
and  glens,  and  is  wafted  over  fresh-water  lakes  and  sea-lochs, 
the  effect  is  very  striking. 

'  The  walls  of  the  shealings  in  which  the  people  live  are 
of  turf,  the  roof  of  sticks  covered  with  divots.  There  are 
usually  two  shealings  together ;  the  larger  the  dwelling,  the 
smaller  the  dairy.    This  style  of  hut  (Sgithiol)  is  called  Airidh 


388      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  hi. 

or  shealing,  and  Both  cheap,  or  Bothcm  cheap,  turf  bothy  ;  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  Both  cloichc  or  Bothan  cloichc,  stone 
bothy.  Tliis  is  entirely  constructed  of  stone,  the  roof  taper- 
ing to  a  cone  more  or  less  pointed.  The  apex  of  the  cone 
roof  is  probably  finished  off  with  a  flag,  through  the  centre  of 
which  there  is  a  hole  like  that  through  an  upper  millstone, 
the  opening  for  the  egress  of  smoke  and  the  ingress  of  light. 
There  is  a  low  doorway  with  a  removable  door,  seldom  used, 
made  of  wicker-work,  wattles,  heather,  or  bent.  In  the  walls 
of  the  hut,  two,  three,  or  four  feet  from  the  floor,  are  recesses 
for  the  various  utensils  in  use  by  the  people,  while  in  the 
bosom  of  the  thick  wall  low  down  near  the  ground  are  the 
dormitories  wherein  the  people  sleep.  The  entrance  to  these 
dormitories,  slightly  raised  above  the  floor,  is  a  small  hole, 
barely  capable  of  admitting  a  person  to  creep  through.  This 
sleeping-place  is  called  Grupa,  from  Crupadh,  to  crouch. 
It  was  a  special  feature  in  the  architecture  of  the  former 
houses  of  St.  Kilda,  the  houses  themselves  being  called 
Grupa  from  this  characteristic.  These  beehive  houses  are 
still  the  shealings  of  the  Lewis  people.  Invariably  two  or 
three  strong  healthy  girls  share  the  same  shealing.  Here 
they  remain  making  butter  and  cheese  till  the  corn  is  ripe 
for  shearing,  when  they  and  their  cattle  return  home.  The 
people  enjoy  this  life  at  the  hill  pasturage,  and  many  of  the 
best  lyric  songs  in  their  language  are  in  praise  of  the  loved 
summer  shealing. 

'  A  tenant  is  liable  for  his  own  rent  only.  Formerly  the 
rent  was  paid  in  four  different  ways.  The  first  part  was  paid 
in  money,  the  second  in  meal,  the  third  in  butter  and  cheese 
{Annlann),  and  the  fourth  part  in  cattle  fit  for  selling  or 
killing  (Grodh  creic,  Greiche,  no  Seiche).  In  Uist,  where 
kelp  (Geilp)  is  made,  the  kelp  is  placed  to  the  credit  for 
rent  of  the  tenants  who  make  it.  There  was  also  a  system 
of  labour.      The  people  gave  so  many  days'  work,  the  days 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  389 

being  divided  in  certain  proportions  between  the  four  seasons 
of  the  year.  "When  the  land  was  held  direct  from  the  pro- 
prietor the  labour  was  called  MorlanacM,  occasionally 
Borlanachd.  Probably  this  term  is  from  Mur  a  fortress 
and  Lann  an  enclosure.  This  system  of  labour  may  have 
had  its  origin  in  return  for  the  shelter  the  enclosed  fortress 
of  the  chief  afforded  the  people  in  time  of  danger.  When 
the  land  was  held  under  the  tacksman  or  middleman,  and 
indirectly  from  the  proprietor,  tlie  labour  was  called  Cai~ 
riste,  from  Caithris,  unrest,  a  word  sufficiently  indicative  of 
the  mode  of  its  exaction. 

'  The  shepherd,  cattle-herd,  and  march-keeper  (Coimh- 
eadaidh,  Criochaire,  Fear  coimhid)  are  paid  in  kind,  invari- 
ably in  seaweed,  land,  and  grazing.  This  mode  of  payment 
is  called  Fairthadh.  The  term  is  also  applied  to  corn,  meal, 
or  potatoes,  given  to  men-servants  in  payment  of  wages, 
and  also  to  bits  of  extra  tillage  granted  by  their  neighbours 
to  help  poor  tenants.  In  parts  of  Lewis  the  term  is  applied 
to  the  ground  set  apart  for  the  poor. 

'  The  shepherd,  as  his  name  implies,  tends  the  sheep,  the 
cattle-herd  the  cattle,  and  the  march-keeper,  grass-keeper, 
or  watcher,  watches  the  open  marches  of  the  townland  to 
prevent  trespass.  Having  no  interest  in  the  matter,  the 
march-keeper  is  often  sent  out  from  the  people  to  call  out 
the  lots.  The  watcher  may  also  be  required  to  act  as 
perchman  {Peursair,  or  shoreherd,  Buacliaillc  cladaich).  His 
duty  is  to  erect  a  pole,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a  bundle  of 
seaweed  (Gaelic,  Topan  todhair)  to  indicate  that  the  seaware 
is  on  the  shore.  When  the  people  see  the  raised  sign  they 
hasten  to  the  shore  with  their  horses  and  carts,  and  creels, 
to  land  the  spoils  of  the  sea  to  put  life  in  the  land  {an 
tabhartas  todhair  a  chuireas  beatha  an  talamli, — an  tahhartas 
todhair  chuireas  cohhair  an  uir, — the  seaweed  offering  that 
feeds  the  land).     No  tenant  is  permitted  to  take  seaweed 


390      LAND  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  in. 

till  his  ueiglibours  have  time  to  arrive.  Occasionally  the 
sea- weed  is  divided  into  pennies,  and  lots  drawn  for  the 
different  shares,  as  for  land. 

'  The  people  adhere  to  their  traditional  code,  and  if  this 
be  transgressed  in  any  part  reparation  is  exacted.  If  a 
tenant,  through  carelessness,  allows  his  horse  to  go  loose, 
he  is  amerced  in  a  fine  {Cain).  The  fine  is  exacted  where 
no  damage  results.  The  shepherd,  cattle-herd,  and  watcher 
are  subject  to  the  same  rigorous  exactions  if  they  allow 
injury  to  the  crop. 

'  The  proprietor  is  represented  on  the  estate  by  a  factor 
(Bailidh).  In  Lewis  the  factor  is  called  Chamberlain.  The 
factor  is  represented  by  a  Maor  in  every  district,  and 
the  3Iao7'  by  a  constable  in  every  townland.  The  factor 
communicates  with  his  Maors,  the  Maors  with  their  con- 
stables, who  communicate  with  the  tenants  of  their  town- 
lands.  The  people,  however,  are  allowed  to  apply  their 
own  customs  (Ckachdna)  in  working  their  land,  and  their 
own  regulations  {Biaghailt)  in  managing  their  stock.  The 
Cleachdadh  is  their  unwritten  law,  the  Biaghailt  their 
unwritten  regulations;  and  to  these  they  are  attached  as 
the  result  of  experience  and  the  wisdom  of  their  fathers. 
The  Cleachdadh  and  Biaghailt  differ  in  different  parishes, 
and  occasionally  in  different  districts  of  the  same  parish. 
The  closer  the  runrig  system  is  followed,  the  more  are 
these  customs  and  regulations  observed.  The  more  intelli- 
gent tenants  regret  a  departure  from  them.  The  people 
defer  to  the  wishes  of  the  many  as  against  the  wisdom  of 
the  few,  and  obey  the  decision  of  the  majority. 

'  When  required  by  the  proprietor  or  the  people,  the  con- 
stable convenes  a  meeting  of  the  tenants.  If  the  constable 
presides,  the  meeting  is  Nabac;  if  the  Maor  presides,  the 
council  is  the  more  important.  Mod  or  moot.  Perhaps  the 
people  have  met  to  confer  about  making  or  repairing  a  dis- 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  391 

trict  road  (Utraid),  the  digging  or  deepening  of  a  ditch,  or 
trench  {Dig),  the  planting  or  repairing  with  bent  {Muran) 
the  drifting  sandbanks  of  their  Machair,  or  the  buying  or 
selling  of  a  bull.  The  man  who  presides  explains  the  busi- 
ness, and  makes  a  motion.  If  the  people  assent,  the  matter 
is  decided ;  if  not,  discussion  ensues.  Some  of  the  people 
speak  well.  They  reason  forcibly,  illustrate  fittingly,  and 
show  complete  mastery  over  their  native  Gaelic,  which  with 
them  is  plastic,  copious,  and  expressive.  Everything  calcu- 
lated to  mar  neighbourliness  is  discountenanced.  Eeasoning, 
they  say,  shall  obtain  hearing,  and  sooner  or  later  victory  ; 
but  the  most  contemptible  of  contemptible  things  are  dogged- 
liness  and  vulgar  abuse  (Ghiohli  comhdach  huaidh  agus  luath 
no  mall  cisdeachd,  ach  diuhhaidh  dicbh  an  domhain,  coineal- 
achd  agus  graisgealacJid).  Nevertheless,  personalities  occur, 
offensive  allusions  and  remarks  are  made,  even  the  pro- 
prietor's representative  in  the  second  or  third  degree  removed 
being  not  always  treated  with  immunity,  though  always  with 
respect.  When  contention  is  imminent,  the  people  of  the 
townland,  and  possibly  of  other  townlands,  come  to  hear. 
The  council  meet  on  a  knoll  at  the  house  of  the  Maor  or 
the  constable.  The  subject  is  decided  by  votes.  Those  who 
approve  go  sunwise  to  the  south  and  to  the  right  of  the 
official  presiding ;  while  those  who  disapprove  go  sunwise 
to  the  north  and  to  the  left  of  the  representative.  These 
directions  are  symbolic — the  one  being  propitious,  the  other 
unpropitious.  Should  the  votes  be  equal,  lots  are  drawn 
three  times — the  two  times  carrying  against  the  one  time.  If 
a  man  holds  out  against  his  neighbours,  perhaps  faithful 
amongst  the  faithless,  he  is  reproached  as  aon  an  aghaidh 
pobuill,  one  against  people,  and  is  derisively  addressed  as 
Fiacill  gaibhre,  goat-tooth. 

'Highlanders  are  essentially  monarchical  in  their  economic 
institutions  and  social  tendencies.    In  this  they  say  they  but 


.'?92      LAND  TICNURE  IN  TlIK  HIGHLANDS  AND  ISLANDS      [book  in. 

follow  the  example  or  instincts  of  the  lower  animals,  all  of 
which  follow  their  chief.  The  leader  of  the  herd  or  flock  is 
called  Ccannard,  Ccann-iuil,  but  more  frequently  Snaodairc. 
The  leader  of  the  horses  is  Ceannmarc,  Ceannmharc,  Marc- 
cheann ;  of  the  cattle,  Ceannabha,  Ceannablioin,  Boinecheann ; 
ceannnith ;  of  the  sheep,  Ccannciora,  Cioraclicann ;  of  the 
goats,  Ceannahhoc,  Ceann-r/aibhre,  Ceannaghdbhar,  Gabhar- 
chcann ;  of  the  swine,  Ceann-cida,  Cula-chcann,  Speile-cheann ; 
of  the  deer,  Ceanna-ghreigh,  Grechcann;  of  birds,  Ceann- 
ianlainn,  lala-chcann,  lolchcann ;  and  of  the  fish,  Ceann- 
snaoth.  Ceann-snaoth  is  particularly  applied  to  the  salmon, 
as  Ccann  snaoth  an  eisg,  the  leader  of  the  fish,  which  is  also 
called  Righ  nan  iasg,  the  king  of  the  fish.  The  eagle  is 
called  Bigli  na7i  ian,  the  king  of  the  birds,  and  Righ  na 
h-ealtain,  king  of  the  bird  universe.  The  eagle  is  also  termed 
Firein,  true  bird,  an  t-ian,  the  bird  par  excellence.  Firein 
is  a  symbolic  name  applied  to  a  Christian. 

'  The  leader  of  the  herd  is  the  first  to  rise  and  the  last  to 
lie  down,  and  even  when  asleep  would  seem  to  be  awake. 
A  male  is  not  necessarily  the  leader.  Among  cattle  this 
position  is  often  assumed  by  a  cow. 

''An  te  is  urranta  dhc'n  chrodh 
Is  i  ghiobh  a  bhnaidh. 

'  The  ablest  of  the  cows 
Achieving  victory. 

But  whether  male  or  female  the  leader  is  the  least  despotic 
animal  in  the  herd,  the  most  contemptible  being  invariably 
the  most  despotic. 

'  The  houses  of  the  tenants  form  a  cluster  {Gnigne,  Grignc, 
Griogsa,  Crcaga,  Carigean).  In  parts  of  Lewis  the  houses 
are  in  straight  line  called  Straid,  street,  occasionally  from 
one  to  three  miles  in  length.  They  are  placed  in  a  suitable 
part  of  the  townland,  and  those  of  the  tenants  of  the  runrig 
system  are  warm,  good,  and  comfortable.      These  tenants 


CHAP.  X.]        SUBSEQUENT  TO  THE  SIXTEENTH  CENTURY.  393 

carry  on  their  farming  operations  simultaneously,  and  not 
♦without  friendly  and  wholesome  rivalry,  the  enterprise  of 
one  stimulating  the  zeal  of  another. 

'  Not  the  least  pleasing  feature  iu  this  semi-family  system 
is  the  assistance  rendered  by  his  neighbours  to  a  tenant 
whose  work  has  fallen  behind  through  accident,  sickness, 
death,  or  other  unavoidable  cause.  When  death  occurs  in  a 
family,  all  the  other  families  of  the  townland  cease  working- 
till  the  dead  is  buried — gu'n  cuirear  uir  fo  uir — till  earth  is 
placed  under  earth. 

'  Compassion  for  the  poor,  consideration  towards  the  dis- 
tressed, and  respect  for  the  dead,  are  characteristic  traits  of 
these  people.     This  is  inculcated  in  their  sayings — 

'  Comhnadh  ris  a  bhochd,  cobhair  ris  a  bhas,  agus  baigh  ris  a 
bhron,  tri  nithe  ris  nach  do  ghabh  duine  glic  aithreachas  riabh. 

'  Succour  to  the  poor,  aid  to  the  dead  (in  burying),  and  sympathy 
with  the  distressed,  are  three  things  which  a  wise  man  never  regretted. 

'  Their  modes  of  dividing  the  land  and  of  equalising  their 
stock  may  seem  primitive  and  complex  to  modern  views,  but 
they  are  not  so  to  the  people  themselves,  who  apply  these 
amicably,  accurately,  and  skilfully.  The  division  of  the  land 
is  made  with  care  and  justice.  This  is  the  interest  of  all,  no 
one  knowing  which  place  may  fall  to  himself,  for  his  neigh- 
bour's share  this  year  may  become  his  own  three  years 
hence.  Portioning  the  stock  accordintjj  to  the  orrazing  rights 
of  individual  tenants,  and  equalising  {Coilpcachadh)  the 
stock  so  portioned,  are  evidently  the  result  of  accurate 
observation. 

'Whatever  be  the  imperfections,  according  to  modern 
notions,  of  this  very  old  semi-family  system  of  runrig  hus- 
bandry, those  tenants  who  have  least  departed  from  it  are 
the  most  comfortable  in  North  Uist,  and,  accordingly,  in  the 
Outer  Hebrides.' 


394  LA.NP  TENURE  IN  THE  HIGHLANDS.  [book  hi. 

It  will  probably  surprise  many  to  find  that  a  state  of 
society  such  as  is  above  described  should  still  exist  in  some 
of  the  townships  of  the  Outer  Hebrides.  It  is  not  many 
years  since  similar  communities  were  to  be  found  in  the  other 
islands  and  on  the  mainland.  Their  customs  and  regulations 
are  obviously  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  the  old  tribal  com- 
munities, as  exhibited  in  the  Brehon  Laws,  and  still  possess, 
in  more  or  less  degree,  some  of  its  characteristic  features. 

These  farm  communities,  as  they  may  be  called,  holding 
the  arable  land  in  runrig,  and  the  pasture  land  in  common, 
are  fast  disappearing  under  the  influence  of  modern  agri- 
cultural improvement,  and  it  is  well  that  this  record  of  the 
older  system,  with  its  characteristic  features  still  existing  in 
some  of  the  Highland  townships,  should  be  preserved  ere  it 
passes  away  for  ever. 


APPENDIX. 


TRANSLATION  of  a  part  of  the  Book  of  Clank  an  ald,  con- 
taining the  Legendary  History  of  the  Lords  of  the  Isles, 
as  given  by  the  Macvurichs,  hereditary  Sennachies  of  the 
Clan. 

The  children  of  Eochaidh  Duibhlein,  son  of  Cairbre  Lithfeachar, 
son  of  Cormac,  were  three  sons,  who  were  called  the  three 
Collas, — Colla  Uais,  Colla  Da  crioch,  and  Colla  Meaun  ;  their 
baptismal  names  were  Caireall,  Aodh,  and  Muireadhach,  as  says 
the  poet — 

Caireall,  the  first  uarne  of  Colla  Uais  ; 

Aodh,  of  Colla  Meann  of  great  vigour  ; 

Muireadhach,  of  Colla  Da  ohrioch  ; 

They  were  imposed  on  them  after  rebelliug. 

Colla  Uais,  son  of  Eochaidh  Duibhlein,  assumed  the  sovereignty 
of  Erinn  in  the  year  of  the  age  of  Christ  322  ;  and  he  was  four 
years  in  the  sovereignty  of  Erinn  when  Muireadhach  Tireach 
opposed  him  with  a  powerful  army,  and  gave  battle  to  the  three 
Collas,  and  expelled  them  to  Alban,  where  they  obtained  ex- 
tensive lands,  for  Oileach,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Alban,  was 
their  mother.  In  the  time  when  Cormac  Finn  Avas  in  the  sove- 
reignty over  Alban,  362  (326),  they  spent  some  time  in  Alban, 
until  a  war  broke  out  between  Muireadhach  Tireach,  king  of 
Erinn  and  the  Ulltaibh,  viz.,  the  Clanna  Eughruidhe  ;  and  he 
invited  the  sons  of  his  father's  brother,  that  is,  the  three  Collas, 
to  Erinn  to  assist  him  against  the  Clanna  Rughruidhe  and  the 
adjoining  districts.  They  responded  to  the  king  of  Erinn,  and 
waged  a  fierce  war  against  the  Clanna  Rughruidhe  ;  and  Feargus 
Foga,  king  of  Uladh,  and  his  three  sons,  fell  by  them  ;  and  they 
Look  possession  of  the  province  of  Uladh,  and  of  the  Oilltrian 
of  the  province  of  Connacht,  and  many  other  possessions  which 


308  AITENDIX  1. 

were  inherited  by  their  race  in  succession  from  the  kings  of 
Erinn. 

As  to  Colla  Uais,  after  lie  had  .terminated  that  Avar  he 
returned  back  to  Alban,  and  left  all  those  possessions  to  his 
brothers ;  and  having  spent  fifteen  years  there  he  went  on  a 
free  visit  to  Erinn,  and  died  at  Teamhair  of  the  kings,  Anno 
Domini  335. 

Colla  Uais  had  four  good  sons,  namely,  Eochuidh  and  Fiachra 
Tort,  and  Fearadhach  and  Maine.  All  the  Clann  Domhnuill 
in  Alban  and  in  Erinn  are  of  the  race  of  Eochuidh.  The 
Turtruighe  and  Fir  Luirg  are  of  the  race  of  Fiachraidh  Tort. 
The  Fir  Li  and  Fir  Lacha  are  of  the  race  of  Fearadhach.  The 
race  of  Main  is  not  known  to  us. 

A  goodly  race,  descended  from  Colla  Da  chrioch,  flourished 
in  Erinn,  namely  Maguire,  chief  over  the  country  of  Fermanagh  ; 
Mac  Mahon,  chief  over  the  country  of  Monaghan  ;  O'Hanlon, 
and  O'Kelly,  and  many  others. 

I  have  seen  nothing  written  of  the  race  of  Colla  Meann, 
except  such  holy  men  of  them  as  went  into  the  Church.  Many 
of  the  holy  people  of  Alban  and  Erinn  were  descended  from  the 
three  Collas. 

Here  is  the  direct  line  of  descent  from  Colla  Uais.  Eochaidh 
was  begotten  of  Colla  Uais  ;  Carran  was  begotten  of  Eochaidh  ; 
Earc  was  begotten  of  Carran  ;  Maine  was  begotten  of  Earc ; 
Fearghus  was  begotten  of  Maine ;  Gothfruigh  was  begotten  of 
Fearghus  ;  Niallghus  was  begotten  of  Gothfruigh.  [The  genea- 
logy of  Macdomhnuill  of  Clann  cheallaigh :  Flannagan,  son  of 
Tadhg,  son  of  Fearmara,  son  of  Tadhg,  son  of  Lochlann,  son  of 
Art,  son  of  Fianacht,  son  of  Domhnall,  from  whom  are  the  Clann 
Domhnaill  of  Clann  Ceallaidh,  son  of  Colgan,  son  of  Ceallach, 
son  of  Tuathal,  son  of  Maolduin,  son  of  Tuadan,  son  of  Tuathal, 
son  of  Daimhinn,  son  of  Cairbre,  son  of  Dom  Airgid,  son  of 
Niallghus.]  Suibhne  was  begotten  of  Niallghus ;  Mearghach 
was  begotten  of  Suibhne  ;  Solomh  was  begotten  of  Mearghach  ; 
Giolla  Ogamhnan  was  begotten  of  Solomh.  It  is  from  this 
Giolla  Oghamhnan  descended  the  Clann  Domhnaill  of  Eos 
Laogh,  from  a  brother  of  Giolla  Bride,  son  of  Giolla  Oghamh- 
nan ;  and  it  was  Giolla  Oghamhnan  that  erected  Mainistir-na- 
Sgrine,  in  Tir  larach,  in  the  county  of  Sligo,  in  the  province  of 


APPENDIX  I.  399 

Connacht,  and  his  name  is  there.  (And  be  it  known  to  you 
that  the  constant  title  borne  by  the  clann  of  this  tribe,  from 
Eagnall,  son  of  Somairli,  up  to  Colla  Uais,  was  O'Colla  and 
Toisech  of  Eargaoidheal.)  Giolla  Bride,  son  of  Gille  Oghamhnan, 
son  of,  and  from  him,  the  Toisechs  of  Earargaoidheal  (Argyll), 
having  been  among  his  kindred  in  Erinn,  that  is,  from  the  Clann 
Colla,  which  are  the  Manchuidh  and  Mathdamnaidh,  viz.,  the 
tribes  of  Macguire  and  Macmahon,  it  happened  that  this  tribe 
held  a  meeting  and  conference  in  Fermanagh,  on  the  estate  of 
Macguire,  and  among  the  matters  to  be  transacted  was  that 
Giollabride  should  get  some  estate  of  his  own  country,  since  he 
had  been  in  banishment  from  his  inheritance,  by  the  power  of 
the  Lochlannach  and  Fionngallach  (Norwegians).  When  Giolla- 
bride saw  a  large  host  of  young  robust  people  in  the  assembly, 
and  that  they  were  favourable  to  himself,  the  favour  he  asked  of 
his  friends  was,  that  so  many  persons  as  the  adjacent  fort  in  the 
place  could  hold  should  be  allowed  to  go  to  Alban  with  him,  in 
the  hope  that  he  might  obtain  possession  of  his  own  inheritance 
and  portion  of  it. 

Giolla  Biide  proceeded  with  that  party  to  Alban,  where  they 
landed.  They  made  frequent  onsets  and  attacks  on  their  enemies 
during  this  time  of  trouble,  for  their  enemies  were  powerful  and 
numerous  at  that  time.  All  the  islands  from  Manann  (Mann)  to 
Area  (Orkneys),  and  all  the  Oirir  (border  land)  from  Dun  Breatan 
(Dumbarton)  to  Cata  (Caithness)  in  the  north,  were  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Lochlannach ;  and  such  of  the  Gaedhal  of  those 
lands  as  remained  were  jirotecting  themselves  in  the  woods  and 
mountains  ;  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  Giolla  Bride  had  a  good 
son,  who  had  come  to  maturity  and  renown. 

It  happened  that  the  small  party  who  were  followers  of 
Giolla  Bride  and  Somairli  (Somerled)  were  in  the  mountains 
and  woods  of  Ardgobbar  (Ardgour)  and  of  the  Morbhairne 
(Morvern),  and  they  were  surprised  there  by  a  large  force  of 
Lochlannach  and  Fionnghallach.  All  the  soldiers  and  plunder- 
ing parties  which  Somerled  had,  gathered  round  him,  and  he 
arranged  them  front  and  rear.  Somerled  put  them  in  battle 
order,  and  made  a  great  display  of  them  to  his  enemies.  He 
marched  them  three  times  before  them  in  one  company,  so  that 
they  supposed  there  were  three  companies  there.     After  that  he 


400  APPKNDIX  I, 

attacked  them,  and  tliey  were  defeated  by  Sonierled  and  his 
party,  and  he  did  not  halt  in  tlie  pursuit  till  he  drove  them 
northward  across  the  river  Sheil,  and  a  part  escaped  with  their 
king  to  the  Isles ;  and  he  did  not  cease  from  that  work  till  he 
cleared  the  western  side  of  Alban  of  the  Lochlannach,  except 
the  Islands  of  the  Fionnlochlann  (Norwegians),  called  Innsigall ; 
and  he  gained  victory  over  his  enemies  in  every  field  of  battle. 
He  spent  part  of  his  time  in  war  and  part  in  peace,  until  he 
marched  with  an  army  to  the  vicinity  of  Glaschu  (Glasgow), 
when  he  was  slain  by  his  page,  who  took  his  head  to  the  king, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1 180  (1 1 G4).  His  own  people  assert  that 
it  was  not  to  make  war  against  the  king  that  he  went  on  that 
expedition,  but  to  obtain  peace,  for  he  did  more  in  subduing  the 
king's  enemies  than  any  war  he  waged  against  him. 

Somerled  had  a  good  family,  viz.,  Dubhghal  and  Kaghnall,  and 
the  Gall  mac  Sgillin,  this  man  being  so  named  from  whom  are 
descended  the  Clann  Gall  in  the  Glens.  Bethog,  daughter  of 
Somerled,  was  a  religious  woman  and  a  Black  Nun.  It  is  she 
that  erected  Teampall  Chairinis,  or  the  Church  of  Cairinis,  in 
Uibhist  (Uist).  Dubhgal,  son  of  Somerled,  took  the  chiefship 
of  Eargaoidheal  and  Ladharna  (Argyll  and  Lorn).  Raghnall 
and  his  race  went  to  Innsigall  and  Ceanntire,  where  his  pos- 
terity succeeded  him. 

Ragnall,  king  of  Innsigall,  and  Oirirgaoidheal  (the  Isles  and 
Argyll),  was  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Gall  or  Gaoidheal 
for  prosperity,  sway  of  generosity,  and  feats  of  arms.  Three 
monasteries  were  erected  by  him,  viz.,  a  monastery  of  Black 
Monks  (Benedictines)  in  I  (lona),  in  honour  of  God  and  Colum- 
cille ;  a  monastery  of  Black  Nuns  in  the  same  place,  and  a 
monastery  of  Grey  Friars  at  Saghadul  (Saddle  in  Kintyre),  and 
it  is  he  also  who  founded  the  monastic  order  of  Molaise. 

Be  it  known  to  you  that  Ragnall  with  his  force  was  the 
greatest  power  which  King  Alexander  had  against  the  King 
of  Lochlann  at  the  time  he  took  the  Islands  from  the  Loch- 
lannach, and  after  having  received  a  cross  from  Jerusalem,  par- 
taken of  the  Body  of  Christ,  and  received  unction,  he  died,  and 
was  buried  at  Reilic  Oghran  in  I  (lona)  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1207.  And  it  was  some  time  after  this  that  Ragnall,  son  of 
Gofraidh,  king  of  the  Fionngall  (Norwegians),  was  treacherously 


APPENDIX  I.  401 

killed  by  Amhlamh,  son  of  Gofraidh,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1229.  From  this  forth  the  rightful  inheritance  of  Jnnsigall 
came  to  Eagnall,  and  his  race  after  him,  for  the  daughter  of 
Amhlamh  Dearg,  son  of  Gofraidh,  was  the  mother  of  Ragnall, 
«n  of  Somerled.  This  daughter  of  Amhlamh  was  the  lawful 
heir  of  her  father  and  of  her  two  brothers,  viz.  Eagnall  and 
Amhlamh  Dubh. 

Messages  came  from  Teamhair  (Tara  in  Ireland)  that  Domh- 
nall,  son  of  Eagnall,  should  take  the  government  of  Innsigall 
and  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Gaoidheal.  He  had  good  children, 
viz.  Aonghus  Mor,  the  heir,  and  Alasdair,  from  whom  descended 
the  Clann  Domhnaill  Eenna,  Mac  William  of  the  province  of 
Connaught,  and  the  Clann  t-Sidhigh  (Sheehy)  of  Munster,  Avho 
are  sprung  from  Siothach  an  Dornan,  son  of  Eachuin,  son  of 
Alasdair. 

Aonghus  Mor,  son  of  Domhnall,  son  of  Eagnall,  took  the  place 
of  his  father,  and  it  was  in  his  time  that  the  war  of  the  Baliols  and 
the  Braces  broke  out.  The  tribe  of  Dubhgal,  son  of  Somerled, 
took  the  side  of  the  Baliols,  and  the  race  of  Eagnal,  son  of  Somer- 
led, the  side  of  Eobert  Bruce,  and  all  the  garrisons  from  Inbhear 
Feothfar  (Dingwall)  in  the  Eoss  to  the  Mull  of  Kintyre  were 
in  the  possession  of  MacDubhgal  during  that  time,  while  the 
tribe  of  Eagnall  were  under  the  yoke  of  their  enemies. 

Aonghus  Mor  had  good  children,  viz.  Aonghus  Og,  the  heir, 
and  Eoin,  from  whom  sprang  the  Clann  Eoin  of  Ardnamurchan, 
and  Alasdair,  from  whom  descended  the  Clann  Alasdair;  and 
Aonghus  na  Conluighe,  from  whom  are  sprung  the  Clann  Don- 
chaidh  and  Eobertsons ;  and  much  may  be  written  about  this 
Aonghus  ]\Ior  which  is  not  here.  He  died  in  He  (Isla)  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1234  (1294). 

Aonghus  Og,  son  of  Aonghus  Mor,  son  of  Domhnall,  son 
of  Eagnall,  son  of  Somerled,  the  noble  and  renowned  high 
chief  of  Innsigall.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Cuinnbhuighe 
O'Cathan.  She  was  the  mother  of  Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus,  and  it 
is  with  her  came  the  unusual  retinue  from  Erinn,  viz.  four-and- 
twenty  sons  of  clan  families,  from  whom  sprang  four-and-twenty 
families  in  Alban.  Aonghus  had  another  son,  viz.  Eoin^^Og  an 
Fhraoich,  from  whom  descended  the  Clann  Eoin  of  Glencomhan 
(Glencoe).  who  are  called  the  Clann  Domhnall  an  Fhraoich  (of 
VOL.  III.  2  C 


402  APPENDIX  I. 

the  heather).  This  Aonghus  Og  died  in  He  (Isla),  and  his  body 
was  interred  in  I  (lona)  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1306  (1326). 

Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  succeeded  his  father  in  the  chief 
government  of  Innsigall.  He  had  good  children,  viz.  three 
sons  by  Anna,  daughter  of  Ruadhri,  son  of  Ailin,  high  chief  <rf 
Lagarna  (Lorn),  and  one  daughter  Mairi,  and  that  Mairi  was 
the  wedded  wife  of  Eachduinn  MacGiolla  Eoin  (Hector  MacLean), 
Lord  of  Dubhard  (Duart),  and  Lochlan  was  his  brother,  and  she 
was  interred  with  the  Lord  of  Coll  in  I  (lona),  in  the  church  of 
the  Black  Nuns. 

The  eldest  sons  of  Eoin  were  Ragnall,  Gothfruigh  and  Aon- 
ghus ;  however  he  did  not  marry  the  mother  of  these  men  from 
the  altar,  but  came  to  the  resolution  of  marrying  her  at  the  time 
of  her  death,  for  she  was  a  sufficient  wife  for  him  ;  but  his  advisers 
opposed  him  regarding  it,  for  it  appeared  to  them  that  he  could 
get  a  suitable  match  if  an  heir  was  made  from  his  first  progeny, 
although  he  was  young  and  vigorous.  Therefore  he  made  a 
provision  for  his  son  Ragnall,  and  that  was  all  the  land  which 
extended  from  Cillchuimin  in  Obuirthairbh  (Abertarff)  to  the 
river  Shell,  and  from  the  river  Shell  to  the  Eelleith  in  the  north, 
Eig  and  Eum,  and  the  two  Uibhists  (North  and  South  Uist). 
And  after  that  he  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  Glascu, 
and  had  threescore  long-ships  with  him,  and  he  married  Mar- 
garet, the  daughter  of  Robert  Stuart,  whom  we  call  King  of 
Alban,  but  the  real  person  was  Robert,  Earl  of  Fife,  that  is  the 
brother-german  of  old  Robert  Fearingiora,  that  is  the  king,  and 
he  was  governor  of  Alban.  And  she  bore  to  Eoin  three  good 
sons,  viz.  Domhnall  of  He,  the  heir,  and  Eoin  Mor  the  Tanist,  and 
Alasdair  Carrach,  the  third  son.  Eoin  had  another  son,  viz.  Mar- 
cos,from  whom  descended  theClann  Domhnall  of  Cnoic-an-chluith 
in  Tir  Eoghain  (Tirone  in  Ireland).  This  Eoin  enjoyed  a  long  life. 
It  is  he  that  made  donations  to  Icolumcille  in  his  own  time,  and 
it  is  he  also  that  covered  the  chapel  of  Elan  Eorsag  and  the 
chapel  of  Elan  Finlagan,  and  the  chapel  of  Elan  Suibhne  (island 
in  Loch  Sween),  with  all  their  appropriate  instruments  for  order 
and  mass  and  the  service  of  God,  for  the  better  upholding  of  the 
monks  and  priests  this  lord  kept  in  his  company  ;  and  it  is  he 
that  erected  the  monastery  of  the  Holy  Cross  a  long  time  before 
his  death  ;  and  he  died  in  his  own  castle  of  Ardtorinis,  while 


APPENDIX  I.  403 

monks  and  priests  were  over  his  body,  lie  having  received  the 
body  of  Christ  and  having  been  anointed,  his  fair  body  was 
brought  to  Icolumcille,  and  the  abbot  and  the  monks  and  vicars 
came  to  meet  him,  as  it  was  tlie  custom  to  meet  the  body  of  the 
king  of  Fionnghall,  and  his  service  and  waking  were  honourably 
performed  during  eight  days  and  eight  nights,  and  he  was  laid 
in  the  same  grave  with  his  father  in  Teampal  Oghrain  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1380. 

Kagnall,  the  son  of  Eoin,  was  High  Steward  over  Innsigall 
at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  being  in  advanced  age  and 
ruling  over  them.  On  the  death  of  his  father  he  called  a  meet- 
ing of  the  nobles  of  Innsigall  and  of  his  brethren  at  one  place, 
and  he  gave  the  sceptre  to  his  brother  at  Cill  Donan  in  Egg, 
and  he  was  nominated  MacDonald  and  Domhnall  of  He  (Isla) 
contrary  to  the  opinion  of  the  men  of  Innsigall.  A  man  of 
augmenting  churches  and  monasteries  was  this  Ragnall,  son  of 
Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  from  whom  the  name  of  Clann  Ragh- 
nall  has  been  applied  to  his  race.  He  bestowed  a  Tirunga 
(unciata)  of  land  in  Uibhisd  (Uist)  on  the  monastery  of  I  (lona) 
for  ever,  in  honour  of  God  and  of  Columcille.  He  was  governor 
of  the  whole  of  the  ISTorthern  Oirir  (Coastland)  and  of  the  Isles, 
until  he  died  in  the  year  of  the  age  of  Christ  1386,  in  his  own 
manor  of  Caislen  Tirim,  having  left  a  family  of  five  sons. 

AVe  shall  now  treat  of  Domhnall  a  hile  (Donald  of  Isla),  son 
of  Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Oig,  the  brother  of  Ragnall,  how  he 
took  the  lordship  with  the  consent  of  his  brethren  and  the 
nobles  of  Innsigall,  all  other  persons  being  obedient  to  him, 
and  he  married  Mairi,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Ros,  and  it  is 
through  her  that  the  earldom  of  Ros  came  to  the  Clan  Domh- 
nall. He  was  styled  Earl  of  Ros  and  MacDomhnall,  and  High 
Chief  of  Innsigall.  There  are  many  exploits  and  deeds  written 
of  him  in  other  places.  He  fought  the  battle  of  Gairfech  (Gar- 
rioch  or  Harlaw)  against  Duke  Murdoch  in  defence  of  his  own 
right  and  of  the  earldom  of  Ros,  and  on  the  return  of  King 
James  the  First  from  the  captivity  of  the  King  of  Sagsan 
(England),  Domhnall  of  He  obtained  the  king's  goodwill  and 
confirmation  of  Ros  and  the  rest  of  his  inheritance,  and  Duke 
Murdoch  and  his  two  sons  were  beheaded. 

He  (Domhnuill)  was  an  entertainer  of  clerics  and  priests  and 


lOl  APPENDIX  I. 

monks  in  his  companionship,  and  he  gave  lands  in  Mull  and  in 
Isla  to  tlie  monastery  of  I,  and  every  immunity  which  the 
monastery  of  I  had  from  his  ancestors  before  him  ;  and  he  made 
a  covering  of  gold  and  silver  for  the  relic  of  the  hand  of 
Coluimcille,  and  he  himself  took  the  brotherhood  of  the  order, 
having  left  a  lawful  and  suitable  heir  in  the  government  of 
Innsigall  and  of  Ros,  viz.  Alasdair  son  of  Domhnaill.  He  after- 
wards died  in  Isla,  and  his  full  noble  body  was  interred  on  the 
south  side  of  Tempall  Oghran. 

Alasdair,  his  son,  succeeded  his  father  in  the  earldom  of  Ros  and 
lordship  of  Innsigall.  He  married  Margaret  Livingston,  daughter 
of  the  Earl  of  Lithcu  ;  she  was  mother  of  Eoin,  who  was  called 
Eoin  of  He  or  Isla,  son  of  Alasdair  of  He,  son  of  Domhnall  of  He. 

Aonghus  Og,  son  of  Eoin,  who  Avas  called  the  heir  of  Eoin, 
married  the  daughter  of  Mac  Cailin  (Earl  of  Argyll),  and  a 
disagreement  arose  between  him  and  his  father  about  the  divi- 
sion of  his  territory  and  land,  in  consequence  of  which  a  war 
broke  out  between  the  chiefs  of  Innsigall  and  the  tribe  of 
MacDomhnaill,  the  tribe  having  joined  Aonghus,  and  the  chiefs 
having  joined  Eoin.  And  the  affair  having  been  thus  carried 
on,  Eoin  went  to  Mac  Cailin  and  gave  him  all  that  lay  between 
Abhuinn  Fhada  (the  river  Add)  and  Altna  Sionnach  at  Braigh 
Chinntire  (that  is,  the  lands  of  Knapdale),  for  going  with  him 
before  the  king  to  complain  of  his  son.  Shortly  afterwards  this 
Aonghus  Og  had  a  large  entertainment  with  the  men  of  the 
north  side  at  Inbhearnis,  when  he  was  murdered  by  Mac 
ICairbre,  his  own  harper,  Avho  cut  his  throat  with  a  long  knife. 

His  father  lived  a  year  after  him,  and  all  the  territories  sub- 
mitted to  him,  but,  however,  he  restored  many  of  them  to  the  king. 

The  daughter  of  Mac  Cailin,  the  wife  of  Aonghus,  was  preg- 
nant at  the  time  he  was  killed ;  and  she  was  kept  in  custody 
until  she  was  confined,  and  she  bore  a  son,  and  Domhnall  was 
given  as  a  name  to  him,  and  he  was  kept  in  custody  until  he 
arrived  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  when  the  men  of  Gleann 
Comhan  (Glencoe)  brought  him  out  by  a  Fenian  exploit.  On 
his  coming  out  of  custody  he  came  to  Innsigall,  and  the  nobles 
of  Innsigall  rallied  round  him. 

During  the  time  that  Domhnall  Dubh  had  been  in  custody 
there  Avas  a  great  struggle  among  the  Gaoidheal  for  power,  so 


APPENDIX  I.  405 

that  Mac  Ceaaiii  of  Ardnamurchan  almost  destroyed  the  race  of 
Eoin  Mor,  son  of  Eoin  of  lie  and  of  Ceanntire.  Eoin  Cathanach, 
son  of  Eoin,  son  of  Doninall  Balloch,  son  of  Eoin  Mor,  son  of 
Eoin,  son  of  Aongus  Og,  Lord  of  the  race  of  Eoin  Mor,  and  Eoin 
Mor,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach,  and  Eoin  Og,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach, 
and  Domhnall  Balloch,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach,  were  treacherously 
taken  prisoners  by  MacCeain  on  the  island  of  Fionnlagan  in  He  ; 
and  he  conveyed  them  to  Duneidin,  and  a  gallows  was  erected 
for  them  at  that  place  which  is  called  Baramuir  (Boroughmuir), 
and  they  were  executed,  and  their  bodies  buried  in  the  church 
of  Saint  Francis,  which  is  called  Teampal  ISTua  (New  church)  at 
this  time.  There  were  none  left  of  the  children  of  Eoin  Cathanach 
but  Alasdair,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach,  and  Aongus  Ileach,  avIio 
were  hiding  in  the  Glens  in  Erinn.  And  it  is  related  of 
MacCeaain  that  he  expended  much  wealth  of  gold  and  silver  in 
making  axes  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  down  the  woods  of  the 
Glens,  in  the  hope  he  might  be  able  to  banish  xA.lasdair,  son  of 
Eoin  Cathanach,  out  of  the  Glens  and  out  of  the  world.  It 
happened  at  length  that  MacCeaain  and  Alasdair  made  an  agree- 
ment and  a  marriage-contract  with  each  other.  Alasdair  mar- 
ried his  daughter,  and  she  bore  a  good  family  to  him. 

In  a  similar  manner  a  misfortune  came  over  the  Clann  Domh- 
nall of  the  north  side,  for  after  the  death  of  Eoin  of  He,  Earl  of 
Eos,  and  the  killing  of  Aongus,  Alasdair,  son  of  Giollaeaspuig, 
son  of  Alasdair  of  He,  took  possession  of  the  earldom  of  Ros 
and  of  the  northern  Oirir  entirely,  and  married  the  daughter  of 
Morbhair  Moireagh  (Earl  of  Moray).  However,  some  of  the  men 
of  the  northern  side  came,  when  the  Clann  Choinnidh  (Mac- 
kenzies)  and  others  rose  up  in  opposition  to  Alasdair,  and  fought 
the  battle  of  Blar,  which  they  call  Blar  na  Pairce. 

Alasdair  had  no  men  left  but  such  as  he  had  of  the  men  of 
Ros.  Alasdair  came  to  the  coast  after  that  to  seek  for  a  force 
in  Innsigall,  and  he  embarked  in  a  long-ship  to  the  southern 
Oirir  to  see  if  he  could  find  a  few  remaining  of  the  race  of  Eoin 
Mor.  Mac  Ceaain  observed  him,  and  followed  him  on  his  track 
to  Oransay  of  Colonsay,  and  entered  the  house  upon  him,  where 
Alasdair,  son  of  Gilleaspuig,  was  killed  by  Mac  Ceaain  and  by 
Alasdair,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach. 

This  matter  remained  so  for  a  space  of  time,  until  Domhnall 


40G  API'ENDIX  1. 

Gallda,  son  of  Alasdair,  son  of  Gilleaspuig,  came  of  age  ;  and  he 
came  from  the  Galltachd  (the  Lowlands)  by  the  direction  of  Mor- 
bhar  Moireagh  (the  Earl  of  Moray),  until  he  came  to  Innsigall ;  and 
he  brought  Macleod  of  Leoghas  with  him,  and  a  good  number 
of  the  nobles  of  Innsigall.  They  went  out  on  Rudha-Ardna- 
murchan  (the  Point  of  Ardnamurchan),  and  there  they  met 
Alasdair,  son  of  Eoin  Cathanach,  and  he  and  Domhnall,  son  of 
Alasdair,  made  a  compact  and  agreement  with  each  other ;  and 
they  together  attacked  Mac  Ceaain  at  a  place  called  Creagan 
Airgid,  and  he  and  his  three  sons  and  many  of  his  people  were 
slain  there. 

Domhnall  Gallda  was  nominated  Mac  Domhnall  of  this  side 
of  Euga  Ardnamurchan  (the  Point  of  Ardnamurchan),  and  the 
men  of  Innsigall  submitted  to  him  ;  but  he  did  not  live  after 
that  but  seven  or  eight  weeks.  He  died  at  Cearnaborg  in  Mull, 
leaving  no  family  or  heir;  but  three  sisters  he  liad,  viz.  the 
three  daughters  of  Alasdair,  son  of  Gilleaspuig.  A  settlement 
was  made  on  those  daughters  in  the  northern  Oirir,  but  they 
gave  up  Eos.  Alasdair,  son  of  Gilleaspuig,  had  a  natural  son,  of 
whose  descendants  there  is  some  account,  viz.  Eoin  Cam,  son  of 
Alasdair,  from  whom  are  sprung  the  men  of  Achuidh  na  Coth- 
aichean  in  the  Braighe,  and  Domhnall  Gorm,  son  of  Eaghnall, 
son  of  Alasdair  Dubh,  son  of  Eoin  Cam. 

With  regard  to  Domhnall  Dubh,  son  of  Aongus,  son  of  Eoin 
of  He,  son  of  Alasdair  of  He,  son  of  Domhnall  of  He,  son  of  Eoin 
of  He,  son  of  Aongus  Og,  viz.  the  lineal  lawful  heir  of  Hmsigall 
and  of  Eos,  on  his  release  from  confinement  he  came  to  Innsi- 
gall, and  the  men  of  Innsigall  gathered  about  him ;  and  he 
and  the  Earl  of  I^eamnachd  (Lennox)  made  an  agreement  to 
raise  a  large  army  for  the  purpose  of  his  getting  into  possession 
of  his  own  property ;  and  a  ship  came  to  them  from  England  to 
Gaol  Muile  (Sound  of  Mull),  with  money  to  help  them  in  the 
war.  The  money  Avas  given  to  MacGilleoin  of  Dubhard  (MacLeau 
of  Duart)  to  divide  among  the  leaders  of  the  army  ;  they  did  not 
get  as  much  as  they  desired,  and  therefore  the  army  broke  up. 
When  the  Earl  of  Leamhnachd  heard  that  he  disj^ersed  his  own 
army,  and  made  an  agi'eement  Avith  the  king.  Macdomhnaill 
then  proceeded  to  Erinn  to  request  a  force  to  carry  on  the  war, 
and  on  his  way  to  Baile  Atha  Cliath  (Dublin)  he  died  at  Droichead- 


APPENDIX  I.  407 

Ath  (Drogheda)  of  a  fever  of  five  nights,  without  leaving  a  son 
or  daughter  as  his  offspring. 

O'Henna  made  this  on  Eoin  of  lie  : — 

The  sovereignty  of  the  Gael  to  the  Claim  CoUa , 

It  is  right  to  proclaim  it ; 
They  were  again  in  the  same  battalions, 

Tlie  heroes  of  Fodla  (a  name  of  Ireland). 
The  sovereignty  of  Erinn  and  of  Alban 

Of  the  sunny  lands 
Was  possessed  by  the  sanguinary  sharp-bladed  tribes, 

The  fighting  champions. 
The  government  of  the  entire  tribes  was  oljtained 

By  Eoin  of  He. 
Alasdair,  the  lord  of  hospitality,  obtained 

The  profit  of  kings. 
Domhnall,  Eoin,  and  two  Aonghus", 

Wlio  were  hospitable  and  joyful. 
Four  that  gained  tribute  from  kings, 

And  to  whom  the  Gael  submitted. 
Domhnall  and  Raghnall  to  kings 

Never  did  give  ; 
Somairle,  who  was  not  deceived  by  flatter}-, 

The  chief  of  heroes. 
Four  from  Somairle  of  the  blue  eyes 

Up  to  Suibhne  ; 
Four  whose  dignity  was  not  obscure. 

It  is  right  to  remember  them. 
Six  from  Suibhne  before  mentioned 

To  king  Colla  ; 
Wine  they  had  on  tlie  banks  of  the  Banna 

In  angular  cups. 
Were  I  to  enumerate  all  those  connected  with  him 

Of  the  nobles  of  tlie  Gael, 
I  might  give  every  generation  up  to  Adam, 

Such  as  no  other  man  has  attained. 
This  is  a  sketch  of  the  genealogies  of  the  Gael, 

As  I  have  promised  ; 
This  tribe  with  whom  no  comparison  should  be  made. 

And  to  whom  sovereignty  was  due. 

Age  of  our  Lord  1473,  the  year  that  Giollaespuig,  son  of 
Alasdair  of  He,  died,  and  his  body  Avas  interred  at  Eosmhaircni, 
viz.  the  brother  of  Eoin  of  He,  and  the  father  of  Alasdair,  son 
of  Giollaespuig,  was  killed  by  Mac  Ceaain  in  Orbhansaigh  Col- 
bhansaigh  (Oransay  of  Colonsay) ;  and  the  daughter  of  Mac 
Duibhsithe  of  Lochaber  was  the  mother  of  this  Giollaespuig, 
son  of  Alasdair  of  He. 


408  APPENDIX  I. 

Age  of  the  Lord  1437.  In  this  year  the  King  of  Alban,  viz. 
King  James  tlie  First,  was  treacherously  killed  in  the  town  of 
Pheart  (Perth)  by  his  father's  brother,  viz.  Morbhair  Athfall 
(Earl  of  Athole). 

In  the  same  year  died  Aonghus,  bishop  of  Innsigall,  son  of 
Domhnall  of  He,  son  of  Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og.  His  noble 
fair  body  was  buried,  with  his  crozier  and  his  episcopal  habit,  in 
the  transept  on  the  south  side  of  the  great  choir,  which  he 
selected  for  himself  while  alive.  Domhnall  of  He  had  another 
son,  a  monk,  and  it  was  in  his  time  that  Baile-an-Mhanuidh  in 
Uibhisd  (Uist)  was  given  to  the  church,  anno  Domini  1440. 

In  this  year  died  Mairi  Leisli  Banmorbhair  (Countess)  of 
Ros,  and  Lady  of  Innsigall,  viz.  the  wife  of  Domhnall  of  He. 

I  have  given  you  an  account  of  everything  you  require  to 
know  of  the  descendants  of  the  Clanns  of  the  Collas  and  Clann 
Domhnall  to  the  death  of  Domhnall  Dubh  at  Drochead  Atha,  viz. 
the  direct  line  who  possessed  Innsigall,  Ros,  and  the  Garbhchri- 
ochan  (rough  bounds)  of  Alban.  This  Domhnall  was  the  son  of 
Aonghus  (that  was  killed  at  Inbhernis  by  his  own  harper  Mac 
IChairbre),  son  of  Eoin  of  He,  son  of  Alasdair,  son  of  Domhnall 
of  He,  son  of  Eoin  of  He,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  and  I  know  not 
which  of  his  kindred  or  friends  is  his  lawful  heir.  Except  these 
five  sons  of  Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  whom  I  set  down  to  you, 
viz.  Raghnall  and  Gothfraigh,  the  two  sons  of  the  daughter  of 
Mac  Dubhgaill  of  Lagairn  (Lorn),  and  Domhnall,  and  Eoin  Mor, 
and  Alasdair  Carrach,  the  three  sons  of  Mairgred  Sdiuord, 
daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Fife,  and  governor  of  the  King  of  Alban. 

The  race  of  Raghnall,  Lord  of  Clann  Raghnaill,  viz.  the  House 
of  Oilen  Tirim,  and  the  Lord  of  Gleann  Garadh  (Glengarry). 

Gothfruith  left  no  oflfspring,  except  a  few  poor  people  who 
are  in  North  Uibhisd. 

The  offspring  of  Domhnall  of  He,  the  eldest  son  of  Mairgred 
Stiubhord,  was  Alasdair  of  He,  Earl  of  Ros  and  Morbhair  of  the 
Islands.  This  Alasdair  married  Mairgred  Livisdon,  daughter  of 
the  Earl  of  Lithcu,  to  whom  she  bore  Eoin  the  Earl.  Alasdair 
had  other  children,  viz.  Huisdinn,  by  a  daughter  of  Giolla 
Phadraig  Riaigh,  son  of  Ruaighri,  son  of  the  Green  Abbot,  son 
of  the  Earl  of  Ros,  whose  surname  Avas  of  the  Rosses.  He  had 
for  patrimony  the  third  part  of  Lewis,  and  other  lands  upon  the 


APPENDIX  I.  409 

mainland.  It  is  he  that  was  killed  in  the  parts  of  Gallolach 
(Garrioch)  when  along  with  Mac  Domhnall,  viz.  Domhnall  of  He. 
For  there  were  four  that  went  out  of  the  army  before  any  part 
of  the  main  force  went  with  them,  viz.  Tormord  Macleoid  and 
Torcuill  his  brother,  Lochluinn  mac  Gillemhaoil  and  Giolla 
Padraig  mac  Ruaighri.  Giolla  Padraig  mac  Euaighri  and  Loch- 
luinn mac  Giollamhaoil  were  killed,  but  Tormoid  and  Torcuill 
escaped  safe  from  the  pursuit. 

It  was  this  Huisdinn,  son  of  Alasdair,  that  plundered  Orcain 
(Orkney),  and  William  Macleoid  of  Heradh  (Harris),  and  the 
youth  of  Innsigall  were  along  with  him  in  that  expedition. 
Huisdinn  caused  Domhnall  Gallach,  son  of  Huisdinn,  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  Cruner  Gall  (the  Coroner  of  Caithness),  and  she 
was  of  the  Gunns.  Huisdinn  had  other  good  children,  viz, 
Domhnall  Herach,  son  of  Huisdinn,  and  the  daughter  of  Mac- 
leoid of  Heradh  Avas  his  mother;  and  Eoin,  son  of  Huisdinn, 
and  the  daughter  of  Mac  Cean  of  Ardnamurchan  was  his  mother ; 
but  that  Eoin  left  no  issue,  and  Giollaespuig,  son  of  Huisdinn, 
possessed  the  lordship,  and  other  sons  Avho  are  not  mentioned 
here.  Domhnall  Gruamach,  son  of  Domhnall  Gallach,  and  Domh- 
nall Gorm,  son  of  Domhnall  Gruamach,  and  Catriana,  daughter 
of  Alasdair,  son  of  Ailin,  Lord  of  Clann  Raghnaill,  was  his 
mother,  whose  descendants  still  possess  the  lordship. 

Giollaespuig,  son  of  Alasdair  of  He,  whose  mother  was 
daughter  of  Mac  Duibhsithe  of  Lochabar,  and  Alasdair,  son  of 
Giollaespuig,  who  obtained  possession  of  the  earldom  of  Ros, 
and  Domhnall,  his  son,  died  without  issue. 

Eoin  Mor,  son  of  Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  the  Tanist  to 
Mac  Domhnall,  married  Mairi  Bised,  and  it  was  with  her  the 
seven  Tuaths  of  the  Glens  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Clann 
Domhnall. 

Alasdair  Carrach,  the  third  son,  married  the  daughter  of 
Morbbair  Leamhna  (the  Earl  of  Lennox),  but  she  bore  no 
children  to  him.  Aonghus,  son  of  Alasdair,  whose  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Mac  Dubhshibhe,  but  she  was  not  married  to  him. 
Alasdair,  son  of  Aonghus,  from  whom  are  descended  the  race  of 
Alasdair,  son  of  Aonghus,  in  the  Braes  of  Lochabar. 

There  you  have  the  descendants  of  these  four  sons  of  Eoin, 
son  of  Aonghus  Os:. 


•tlO  APPENDIX  II. 


II. 

BAILE  SUTHAIX  SITE  EAMHNA. 

An  Irish  poem  relating  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Isles,  copied  from  a 
fragment  (paper)  of  an  Irish  MS.  written  circa  a.d.  1600,  in  the 
possession  of  W.  M.  Hennessy,  Esq.,  collated  with  a  copy  contained 
in  the  Book  of  Fermoy  (E.  I.  Academy),  transcribed  about  a.d. 
1457.  " 

I. 

Baile  sutliain  sioth  Eamhna, 
Crutbaidh  an  cliriocli  a  ttarla, 
Raitli  cliaomh  os  cionn  oacli  diongna 
'Nab  iomdba  craobh  fbionu  abbla. 

ri. 

Eamboin  abblacb  as  uire, 

Teamhoir  na  tteagblacb  mbuaidbe, 

Tearc  dun  na  cnoc  as  caoimhe, 

Na  mbrot  naoidbe  (naeigbi)  n-ur  n-uaine. 

III. 

Eambuin  raitb  aoibbin  ionnfbuar  ffbinnfbuar), 
Raitb  as  faoilidb  fa  fbionndan, 
G-eabbuidb  rod  go  ro  seandun, 
Bo  bbeannur  og  ar  ioman. 

IV. 

lombda  an  Eamboin  fhinn  fbear  uir 

D'fbearaibb  ar  a  sil  saor  sbuil, 

Marcacb  eicb  duinn  go  diogbair 

Tre  dbreicb  siodbain  ccuir  (cuir)  ccraobbuir  (craebair). 


APPENDIX  II.  411 


II. 

TRANSLATION 

BY 

W.  M.  Hennessy,  Esq. 

I. 

A  PERPETUAL  place  is  Sith-Eamhna, 
Beauteous  the  territory  in  which  it  is  found 
A  fair  Eath  above  every  fort, 
In  which  fair  apple-trees  are  plenty. 


Eamhain  of  the  apples,  the  freshest. 
The  Tara  of  the  victorious  households, 
Few  the  duns  and  hills  more  fair, 
In  their  young,  fresh,  green  garments. 

III. 
Emhain,  the  dehghtful,  cool  Rath, 
The  Rath  to  which  fair  art  is  welcome ; 
The  road  to  the  old  fort  will 
A  young-horned  cow  a-driving  take. 

IV. 

In  bright  Emhain  of  the  fresh  grass, 
Many  the  men  on  whom  a  noble  eye  looks ; 
Many  the  vehement  rider  of  a  brown  steed 
Approaching  in  peace  through  the  branchy  woods. 


412  APPENDIX  II. 


lomhda  an  (ind)  Eamhoin  (Emain)  na  n-innbhear  (indmher), 

Ris  nar  dliealaigli  a  doinnfleadh, 

Guirt  ar  na  nar  a  l^lifagmar  (an  fhamur), 

Dharbhar  ghlan  cbuirp  an  choimdeadh  (choimghedh). 

VT. 

Suairc  bfhairclie  fhir  an  diimha  (fir  in  duma), 
Atibh  na  tairthe  meala, 

Dul  go  sidh  (cu  sid)  bhlaitli  an  (in)  bhrogha. 
Dola  go  (cu)  raith  mhin  nieadha. 

VII. 

Eamhain  (Em)  abhlach  na  n-iobhar 
Sleamhain  barrdhath  a  bileadli, 
Baile  nua  san  (fan)  dubh  droighean, 
Nar  hoilead  lugh  na  an  fhilead. 

VIII. 

Eamhain  (Em)  na  nabliall  ccumlua  (cumra), 
Teamhair  (Temair)  Mlianann  gan  (cin)  mlieabhla, 
As  iad  (assiat)  cuaine  saor  (saer)  Sadhbha, 
Ablila  craobli  (craebh)  n-uaine  n-Eamhna. 

IX. 

Tusa  (tussa)  mac  Sadhbha  saoire, 

As  (is)  tu  an  slat  (intshlat)  ablila  as  (ar)  aille, 

Ca  dia  do  bhru  na  boinne 

Do  roine  ria  thn  a  taidlie. 


X, 

A  Raghnuill,  a  ri  an  (in)  diongna, 
Ea  dhruim  (druim)  dha  (da)  thi  ar  ti  tearla  (herrla) 
Do  gheabhae  (gliebha)  a  meic  saoir  Sadhbha, 
Labhra  on  leic  a  ttaoibh  (ttaeibh)  Thearahra. 


APPENDIX  II.  413 


Many  in  Emliain  of  the  estuaries 

(From  which  their  deep  floods  have  not  departed) 

The  fields  tilled  in  harvest 

With  clear  corn  of  the  Lord's  body. 

VI. 

Joyous  the  estate  of  the  man  of  the  dwmha 
Which  has  drunk  the  showers  of  honej^ ; 
To  2;o  to  the  sweet  sidh  of  the  Brue; 
Is  to  go  to  the  smooth  Eath  of  mead. 

VII. 

The  appley  Emhain  of  the  yews, 

Smooth,  top-coloured  are  its  trees ; 

A  new  place  under  the  black  thorn, 

In  which  was  nursed  Lugh,  descendant  of  the  poet.^ 

VIII. 

Emhain  of  the  juicy  apples, 

The  Tara  of  Manann,  without  disgrace  ; 

The  noble  progeny  of  Sabia 

Are  the  apples  of  the  green  branch  of  Emhain. 

IX. 

Thou,  the  son  of  noble  Sabia, 
Thou  the  most  beauteous  apple  rod  ; 
What  God  from  Bru  of  the  Boyne 
Created  thee  with  her  in  secret  1 


X, 

0  Raghnall,  king  of  the  fortress,- 
If  thou  comest  with  the  object  of  seeking  it, 
Thou  wilt  obtain,  0  son  of  noble  Sabia, 
A  sound  from  the  flag  by  the  side  of  Tara.^ 


414  APPENDIX  II. 


XI. 


Da  madh  leat  sloigh  fhear  (bfher)  bhfuinigli  (flmiuidh). 
O  blioinn  go  mboan  (cu  mben)  re  tibhir. 
Mo  dheit  ar  nihil  'sar  mheadair  (megair) 
Eamhain  raheic  Lir  mheic  Mhidhr. 


XII. 


A  mheic  Gofraidh  chaoimh  (chaeimh)  cruthaig, 
Nar  lo  traigh  (traid)  re  taoibh  (taeibh)  tacair  (tacoir), 
Ni  miadh  (miad)  leath  (lat)  e  (he)  ot  athair, 
Macathach  (mac  ath)  retre  ad  rathaigh  (i-athoigh). 


XIII. 


Nior  (nir)  uaisle  (uaisli)  inaoi  (inai)  ri  Komhan, 

As  (is)  i  do  ghuaoi  (ghnai)  an  (in)  ghnaoi  (ghnai)  lainfhial, 

Nor  uaisle  rath  riogh  (righ)  Suiriam, 

Na  sgath  chuilfhiar  griobh  (gribh)  Ghailian. 


XIV. 


Anu  ni  fhuighbhe  (fuidbhi)  Eamhain  (Emain), 
Suirghe  mar  thu,  as  tu  an  cobhair  (in  chabhair), 
Tulchan  mar  e  (he)  na  aghaidh, 
Faghaigh  e  (he)  ar  drumchlar  dorahain. 


XV. 


Doirse  t'  fhearainn  (ferainn)  as  iomdha  (imdha), 
Soillse  inaid  (inait)  sreabhainn  ghorma, 
As  (is)  daoibh(dib)a  chraobh  (craebh)chuainEamhna(Emna) 
Uaim  fhearna,  uaim  chaomli  cnodhbha  (chnoghdha). 


XVI. 


Do  raghainnse  gan  ro  (a)  luing 

Is  ann  (in)  Manainn  (Manaind)  se  (si)  mholaim 

Go  mbeinn  (cu  mbeind)  thuaidh  re  taobh  thfearainn, 

Da  leanainn  uaim  chaoimh  chorainn. 


APPENDIX  II.  415 


XI. 


If  thine  Avere  the  hosts  of  the  men  of  the  setting  (the  west), 

From  Boyne  till  it  touches  the  Tiber, 

Greater  to  thee  for  joy  and  pleasure, 

Were  the  Emhain  of  the  sou  of  Lir,  son  of  Midir.* 


XII. 


0  son  of  the  fair,  shapely  Goffraidh, 

That  withdrawest  not  a  foot  in  battle ; 

It  beseems  not,  on  thy  father's  account, 

That  any  man  in  thy  time  should  be  thy  surety. 


XIII. 


Not  nobler  was  the  king  of  the  Romans  than  thou, 
Thy  face  is  the  generous  face  ; 
Not  higher  the  fortune  of  the  king  of  Syria, 
Than  that  of  the  long-tressed  griffin  of  Gailian.'' 


XIV. 


To-day,  Emhain  will  not  obtain 

A  lover  like  thee — thou  art  the  heliJ ; 

A  hillock  like  it  in  comparison, 

Find  ye  it  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 


XV. 


]\Iany  are  the  doors  of  thy  country, 

Brighter  than  the  blue  rills ; 

Of  them,  0  branch  of  the  stock  of  Emhain, 

Are  the  cave  of  Ferna,  the  fair  cave  of  Knowth. 


XVI. 


I  would  go,  without  a  stately  ship, 
Into  this  Manainn  which  I  extol ; 
That  1  might  be  north  near  thy  land. 
If  I  followed  the  noble  cave  of  Goran n. 


416  APPENDIX  II. 

XVII. 
Roinute  (roindti)  ar  dlio  Mhanuinn  mhaigli  (do  Maiiaind 

maid)  reidh, 
Ar  raluing  is  ar  ionnshloigh, 
Sleibhte  ar  fluid  do  ghort  n-glainreidh 
Tug  daighraheinn  ort  a  fionu  bhoinn  (find  bhoind). 

XVIII. 

Coisgfe  ar  (flier)  agus  airgfe, 
Loisgfe  teagh  agus  tolgbfae  (tolcfaidh), 
Nar  ladh  caor  ar  dho  ceardchae, 
Seargfae  ar  a  lar  caol  colpae. 

XIX. 

Airgfe  Ath  cliatli  an  chomhlainn, 

Is  do  sgiatli  ar  sgatb  do  ghlaubliuinn, 

Ait  toigbe  ar  ttocht  (tbocbt)  go  Duibhlimi, 

Cuingbim  ort  roimbe  a  Raghnuill. 

XX. 

A  Ragbnaill,  a  ri  an  Dombnan, 

A  ri  dba  ttabbraim  (da  tbabbraiui)  tiilgradli, 

Ad  dbiaigb  uni  cbnoc  o  Colman, 

Buaidb  orgban  stoc  is  sdurgban. 

XXI. 

Maitb  tbeangnamb,  cruaidh  do  chroidbe, 
A  fblaitb  ceanngblan  cbuain  Mbuile, 
Cloidbeamb  cruaidb  oigfbir  eile 
Beire  a  truaill  bbroigbib  (broigil)  bbuidbe. 

XXII. 

Do  sbleagb  dbearg  ar  dbo  (do)  dbearuaiun, 

Gacb  fear  a  searg  (scare)  re  a  slimrinn, 

Gombi  (cumbi)  a  grainne  (graine)  tre  a  gblandruim  (geal 

no  glan), 
Saidbe  a  Ragbnuill  i  (bi)  a  n-imliun. 


APPENDIX  II.  417 

XVII. 

The  smooth-plained  Mcanann,  thou  wilt  divide 

in  two, 
For  fleets  and  also  for  large  armies ; 
•      The  hills  along  thy  clear  level  fields, 

That  have  given  thee  beauty,  0  fair  Boyne. 

XVIII. 

Thou  wilt  restrain  menslaughter,  and  wilt  plunder, 
Thou  wilt  burn  houses  and  wilt  demolish ; 
That  no  bolt  may  fall  on  thy  forge. 
The  narrow  Colpa  thou  wilt  dry  up. 

XIX. 

Thou  wilt  plunder  Ath-cliath  of  the  combat, 
With  thy  shield  guarding  thy  clear  side ; 
The  site  of  a  house,  on  coming  to  Dublin, 
I  ask  of  thee  in  advance,  0  Eaghnall. 

XX. 

0  Eaghnaill,  0  King  of  the  Domhuau  ;'^ 
O  king,  to  whom  I  give  ardent  love  ; 
After  thee,  about  Cnoc-0'Cholman  (Tara), 
Shall  be  organs,  trumpets,  and  clarions. 

XXI. 

Good  thy  prowess,  brave  thy  heart, 

0  bright-headed  prince  of  the  harbour  of  Mull ; 

The  hard  sword  of  another  young  man 

Thou  wilt  bear  in  a  yellow-bordered  scabbard. 

XXII. 
Thy  red  spear  in  thy  right  hand, 
With  (from)  whose  slim  (sharp)  point  every  man    is  in 

love  (sickness). 
Until  its  edge  is  through  the  clear  back. 
Thrust  it,  0  Eaghnaill,  in  the  navel. 
VOL.  III.  2  D 


418  APPENDIX  II, 


XXIII. 


Geibhe  ghlaic  (glaic)  a  cuirr  cliairre  (cnairre), 

Geibe  slilait  (slait)  nduinn  gan  duille, 

Do  theid  (teit)chruinu  (cruinn)shleamhain  (slemain)sreinge, 

Seiune  a  cuirr  leabliair  luinge. 


1 


i 


XXIV 


Sibhse  fir  na  mbarc  mbreactlia. 
Ni  mo  chin  tracht  na  ttiocfa  (ticfa), 
Aitnidh  dhaoibh  troigh  re  toptha  (toplita), 
Do  ghoin  ochta  caoimh  clmioclita. 

XXV. 

A  ua  ghil  Gofraidh  Mhearaigh  (Mheraigh), 
A  fhir  do  lotraigh  luirigh, 

Do  mlioid  (moit)  a  ri  re  (ri)  rioghain  (righain), 
Do  dhiogail  si  ar  a  suilibh. 

XXVI. 

A  mlieic  (mic)  Ghofraidli  fheil  fearrdha  (fherrdha), 

A  niheic  reidh  sochraigh  shadbha, 

Dho  bhloghais  do  moigh  (bhloigh)  dhomhna 

(domna), 
Chomhla  solais  ngloin  ngarrdha. 

XXVII. 

A  ua  Lachluinn  na  laoidheang 

A  ua  glan  Chuinn  na  ngeibhionn 

larrfam  (iarfain)  cuan  ar  cul  Arann 

Ag  (ac)  sur  traghann  nfhuar  n-eirionn  (n  Erenn). 

XXVIII. 

lomdha  (Imda)  ad  luing  ar  lar  bhleighe  (bleidhi), 

Ris  nach  buing  sal  na  suidhe  (snidi), 

Peisd  is  i  na  lior  bhuidhe, 

Is  duine  ag  ol  di  dighe  (dhighi). 


APPENDIX  II.  4  ]  9 


XXIII. 


Take,  in  thy  round,  stout  hand, 

Take  a  brown  leafless  rod, 

Thy  round  smooth,  strung  roi^e, 

Whilst  we  are  on  the  poop  of  thy  roomy  ship. 


XXIV. 


You,  ye  men  of  the  speckled  barks, 

I  love  not  the  strand  to  which  ye  come  not ; 

To  you  is  known  the  quick  step. 

To  the  wounding  of  the  bosoms  of  noble  knights. 


XXV 


0  fair  descendant  of  Godfrey  Mearagh,  ^ 
0  man  that  hast  hacked  coats  of  mail ; 
A  king  has  boasted  to  a  queen, 
That  he  would  avenge  thee  before  her  eyes. 


XXVI. 


0  son  of  generous  manly  Godfrey, 

0  mild  sedate  son  of  Sabia ; 

Thou  hast  broken  off"  from  Magh-Domhna  (a  part  of 

Domhna) 
The  clear  bright  garden  "ate. 


XXVII. 


0  descendant  of  Lochlainn  of  the  ships  ; 
0  fair  descendant  of  Conn  of  the  fetters ;  ^'^ 
We  will  ask  a  harbour  behind  Aran, 
Whilst  searching  the  cold  strands  of  Erin. 


XXVIII. 


Many  is  the  goblet  in  the  hold  of  thy  ship, 
Fixed  and  untouched  by  the  brine ; 
Circled  by  a  serpent  of  yellow  gold. 
Out  of  which  a  man  quaffs  a  drink. 


420  APPENDIX  II. 


XXIX. 


Deochadod(dot)chiiirm(cuirm)nomceanglann(nomcenglanii) 
Do  mhuirn  ga  muiin  iiach  dionghhann, 
Duadh  (duna)  ga  uibhe  iii  fhoghbham, 
Mire  chormann  bfhuar  (fuarr)  bFhionnghall. 

XXX. 

Ceim  (ceir)  ad  thigh  (atigh)  ar  ti  comhoil, 
Fir  dhoii  fheinn  a  ri  ad  ralaimh 
Easgra  (escra)  caomh  fad  chuirm  nglanthuair, 
Laom  (laem)  ra  ghuail  nguirm  ar  gabbail. 

XXXI. 

A  Eadhnaill  a  ri  Cola 
Gach  ni  ad  ghlanluing  do  gheabha 
Rug  ar  shluagh  sniomh  an  mhara, 
Fion  tana  fhuar  na  heaha. 

XXXII. 

[B]og  an  dream  re  (ac)  dail  rochruidh, 
Fearr  ina  a  dhail  go  (cu)  dochraid, 
Cruaidhe  ne  fir  re  (ri)  fearthoin  (ferthoin). 
Fearchoin  (ferchoin)  cuaine  (chuaine)  ghil  Ghofraidh. 

XXXIII. 

Beri  bhuidhin  (bhuighin)  mbrat  ccuanda  (cuanna), 
Lat  do  na  muighibh  mora 
Gluaisid  gaoth  dhod  chionii  craobha, 

Mar  chaouna  (caenda)  fhionn  mhaoth  mhona  (find  maeth 
mona). 

XXXIV. 

Aithne  ar  dho  (do)  bharr  ag  bandail  (can  baiiail), 

Anall  tar  faithche  fliainn  fheoir, 

Ghiaisid  cuirn  do  chuil  chlann  uir, 

Mhall  (mall)  shuil  nguirm  n-uir  (uir)  dha  haindeoin. 


APPENDIX  II.  421 


XXIX. 


Draughts  of  thy  ale  bind  me  ; 
What  delight  does  not  thy  delight  repel ! 
Fatigue  in  quaffing  it  I  feel  not ; 
Merrier  it  is  than  the  cold  ale  of  Fingal.^ 


XXX. 


To  advance  into  thy  house  to  banquet, 
Men  of  the  Fiann,  0  King,  are  at  hand, 
Fair  goblets  are  under  thy  clear  cool  ale, 
As  the  blaze  of  blue  coals  is  ascending. 


XXXI. 


0  Raghnall,  0  King  of  Coll, 
All  things  in  thy  fair  ship  thou  'It  find  ; 
Which  to  the  host  has  the  winding  sea  brought- 
The  thin  cold  wine  of  the  swans. 


XXXII. 


Generous  the  band  in  distributing  stock ; 
Better  this  than  to  deal  it  niggardly ; 
Hardy  the  men  for  fighting — 
The  man-dogs  of  the  pack  of  fair  Godfrey. 


XXXIII. 


Take  a  company  elegantly  clothed 

With  thee,  from  the  great  plains. 

May  the  wind  blow  over  thy  topmasts 

Gently,  as  the  rustling  of  soft  white  moor-grass. 


XXXIV. 


The  women  will  admire  thy  head, 
As  thou  comest  past  the  prone-grassed  green ; 
Before  the  rustling  of  thy  youthful  locks 
The  soft  blue  eye  will  unwillingly  move. 


422  APPENDIX  II. 


XXXV, 


Dorad  (dorat)  daoibh  (daibh)  snuadh  ar  shambclinaibh, 
Ag  ad  (acat)  shluagh  a  sliaoir  sliochraig, 
Leaga  corn  ur  re  a  n-aighthil)h  (n-aiglithibh), 
Aithghin  shul  ncronn  o  n-Gofraidh. 


XXXVI. 

Do  rosg  (rose)  mar  l^hoglia  an  (in)  bharraidh  (barraid), 
Ag  tocht  tar  rogha  an  (in)  rinn  fheoir, 
Cosmhail  blath  do  chuil  choimmoir, 
Re  snath  bronnoir  nir  dliinneoin. 

XXXVII. 

Ni  tearc  a  craobh  ur  eadtroin  (etrom), 
Searc  (sere)  dhod  (dot)  ehul  sliaor  mar  seadbharr  (sedbharr) ; 
Ni  tug  (tuc)  bean  (ben)  ead  (et)  ar  thogbhonn  (tocbonn), 
A  gheag  (gheg)  brogdhonn  (broeedlionn)  gheal  gheagmhar 
(ghegmliar). 

XXXVIII. 

A  ghoill  do  gleire  an  (in)  bhrogha  (brogha), 
Mar  teidhe  (theighi)  tar  moing  mhara, 
Euisg  ehuanda  (cuanna)  a  cuirr  na  heala, 
Buinn  gheala  gruadha  glana. 

XXXIX. 

Camdhlaoi  ar   ehaoin  (eamdlaidarchain)   do  dhonnbhairr 

(donnbharr), 
A  i  (hi)  Amhlaoibh  shaoir  sheangdhuinn, 
Red  laochlaimh  reidh  a  Raghnaill, 
Samhlaim  eill  maothbhain  meamruim. 

XL. 

Samlaim  do  11  is  li  an  chubhair, 
A  Raghnaill  as  ri  ar  Eamhain  (Emain), 
Realta  (relta)  ghlas  mall  fad  (fat)  mhalaigb, 
Samail  bharr  na  n-gas  n-geamhair  (ngedhair). 


APPENDIX  II.  42.3 


XXXV. 


The  choicest  of  hues  on  happy  limbs 

Is  with  thy  army,  0  noble,  honest  chief; 

As  the  sounding  of  full  trumpets  before  their  faces, 

Is  the  glance  of  the  blue  eye  of  Godfrey's  heir. 


XXXVI. 


Thine  eye  is  like  the  modest  hyacinth 

Peeping  through  the  surface  of  the  pointed  grass ; 

The  hue  of  thy  flowing  locks  is  like 

Fresh  thread  of  gold  from  the  anvil  (or  furnace). 


XXXVII. 


Not  scarce,  a  fresh,  light  branch. 

Is  love  for  thy  glorious  gem-like  locks ; 

No  woman  has  been  without  jealousy  regarding  thee, 

Thou  brown-white  mighty  scion  of  a  great  branch. 


XXXVIII. 


0  Gall  of  the  choicest  of  the  Brugh, 
As  thou  goest  across  the  surface  of  the  sea ; 
Bright  are  thine  eyes,  thou  of  the  swan-like  neck, 
The  white  feet  and  the  clear  cheeks. 


XXXIX. 


On  thy  brown  head  is  a  twisted  tress. 

Thou  descendant  of  the  noble,  slender-brown  Amhlaibh  ;  ^^ 

To  thy  soft  hero-hand,  0  Raghnall, 

I  compare  a  strip  of  soft  white  parchment. 


XL. 


Thy  colour  I  compare  to  the  hue  of  foam, 
0  liagiinall,  who  art  king  over  Emain  ; 
Under  thy  brows  are  slow  blue  stars 
Like  to  the  tops  of  blades  of  corn-grass. 


424  APPENDIX  II. 

XLI. 

M.-iitli  tliinneall  chuil  (tindell  cuili)  is  cheibhe, 
Ar  a  silleann  (sillenn)  sail  uaine, 
Gris  chaomh  ar  ccar  (char)  a  sniaile, 
Aille  thaobli  nglan  <lo  ghruaidhe. 

XLir. 

Taobh  gruaidhe  uir  dho  ionulais, 

Craobh  uaine  ad  (at)  shuil  mar  shamf  hrais, 

Ar  fhraoch  thfuilt  (hfhuilt)  a  i  (hi)jFhearghais  (Fherghais), 

Do  earmais  (ermais)  gaoth  (gaeth)  phuirt  Parrthais. 

XLIII. 

A  fhir  na  greadha  gile, 
A  fhir  na  heala  duibhe, 
Garbh  shaithe  agus  min  rnheile, 
Sgin  (scin)  eimhe  blaithe  buidhe. 

XLIV. 

Tugais  (tucais)  ruaig  mhadhma  ar  Maoilbheirn, 

Is  badhbha  uaid  na  hurdhuirn, 

lomdha  a  n-glinn  fir  faonmhaidhm, 

A  (o)  shaorbhaidhbh  ghil  shing  shul  ghuirm. 

XLV. 

A  i  (hi)  Chuinn,  a  i  (hi)  Chormaic, 

Gus  an  luing  na  luing  raidhbhric, 

Sgaoi  (scai)  do  chreich  ar  each  (ereach)  ionnraic, 

Do  iomlait  neach  eich  aimhghlic. 

XLVI. 

01c  dhuinn  (dhunn)  gan  an  (in)  ghlais  (glais)  ghaibhnionn 

(ngaibhnenn), 
Anocht  ga  chul  (cul)  tais  tiormfhann  (tirmfhann), 
01c  dhunn  (dhun)  gan  an  dubh  soighleann, 
Ar  sgur  goirmsheang  ur  Fhionnghall. 


APPENDIX  U.  425 

XLI. 

Good  is  thy  arrangement  of  tresses  and  locks, 
On  which  a  blue  eye  looks ; 
With  noble  ardour  is  inflamed 
The  bright  surface  of  thy  cheek. 


XLII. 

Thy  fair  fresh  cheek  thou  hast  Ijathed ; 
In  thine  eye  is  a  blue  beam  soft  as  summer  showers ; 
Over  the  locks  of  thy  hair,  0  descendant  of  Fergus,^^ 
The  wind  of  Paradise  has  breathed. 


XLiir. 

0  man  of  the  white  steed  ; 

0  man  of  the  black  swan, 

The  fierce  band  and  the  gentle  mood. 

The  sharp  blade  and  the  lasting  fame, 

XLIV. 

Thou  hast  inflicted  a  rout-defeat  on  Maelbheirn  ;  ^- 
Fierce  on  thy  part  were  the  heavy  blows ; 
iS[umerous  are  the  men  dispersed  in  the  glen, 
0  (from  the)  noble  bright  slender  blue-eyed  hero. 

XLV. 

Descendant  of  Conn,  and  descendant  of  Corniac 
Thou  with  the  speckled  ship  of  ships ; 
Pursue  thy  raids  on  a  worthy  steed ; 
For  a  foolish  steed  carries  one  astray. 

XLVI. 
Evil  for  us  that  the  Glas-Gaibhnionn  ^^ 
Is  not  now  in  her  soft  dry  sloping  corner ; 
Evil  for  us  that  the  Dubh-Soinglenn^* 
Is  not  now  in  the  brilliant  stud  of  Fingal. 


426 


APPENDIX  II. 


XLVII. 

Mo  chuairt  thall  tuillmheach  dhamhsa, 
A  bharr  siiairc  druimneach  donnso, 
Do  guala  a  ri  saor  seagbsa, 
Leamsa  ar  don  i  'sa  n-oisa  (hi  san  orrsa). 

XLVIII. 

Ar  n-dol  dainhsa  od  dheaghtlioigli  (ot  degh  thoigh), 
Mhalrasa  ni  balmsa  docbraig, 
Measa  an  teagh  riogb  dba  (da)  racbair, 
Martbain  ag  siol  geal  Gbofraidb. 


XLIX. 

A  mheic  Gofraidh  gbuirt  Mbuile, 
Do  gbuirt  gonfaidb  ar  n-aire, 
Tain  go  tracbtaibb  do  tbigbe, 
Biri  o  tbraigb  mbarc  gbloin  m-baile 

Baile  Sutbain. 


Notes. 


^  Lugli  mac  Ethleuii,  for  whom 
see  O'Curry's  Lectures,  p.  3S8. 

-  Reginald,  son  of  Godred,  Nor- 
wegian King  of  Man  and  the  Isles 
from  1188  to  1226. 

=*  The  Lia  Fal  at  Tara,  which 
sounded  at  the  tread  of  the  rightful 
heir  to  the  throne.  See  0'Curry"s 
Lectures,  p.  388. 

*  Manannan  Mac  Lir,  one  of  the 
Tiiath  l)e  Danann.  He  is  coimected 
by  tradition  with  Emhain  Abhlach, 
or  Emain  of  the  apples,  which  is  ex- 
plained to  mean  the  Island  of  Arran. 
See  Four  Ancient  Books  of  Wales, 
vol.  i.  p.  78. 

°  Gailian,  a  rude  form  of  the  name 


of  the  Gaileon  in  Leinster,  one  of 
the  three  tribes  of  the  Firbolg. 

"  Domhuan,  another  of  the  three 
tribes  of  the  Firbolg. 

"  This  was  Godred  Crovan,  called 
in  the  Irish  Annals  Gofraidh  Mera- 
nach,  the  founder  of  the  Norwegian 
kingdom  of  jNIan  and  the  Isles,  and 
ancestor  of  Reginald. 

^  Tliis  line  alludes  to  Reginald, 
son  of  Somerled,  who  ruled  over 
part  of  the  Isles  from  1164  to  1204:, 
and  who  was  supposed  to  be  de- 
scended, through  CoUa  Uais,  from 
Conn  of  the  Hundred  Battles,  one 
of  the  traditionary  kings  of  Ii'e- 
land. 


APPENDIX  II.  427 


XLVII. 


Profitable  to  me  was  my  visit  yonder, 
0  joyous,  diademed,  brown  head  ; 
Thy  shoulder,  0  noble  king  of  Seghais 
Were  to  me  equal  to  this  gold. 

XLVIII. 

On  my  going  from  thy  good  house. 
My  alms  were  not  pitiful  alms ; 
No  better  king's  house  canst  thou  go  to ; 
Long  life  to  the  bright  race  of  Godfrey. 

XLIX. 

0  son  of  Godfrey  of  Mull's  field 
Our  attention  shall  thy  fields  retain ; 
Spoils  to  the  shores  of  thy  house  bear  thou, 
From  the  bright-barbed  Traigh-bhaile.^'^ 


Notes. 

"  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  Ossi-  was  also  grandfather  of  the  other 

anic  hero  can  be  referred  to  here,  or  Eeginald,    whose    mother   was   his 

in  St.  46.    He  never  appears  in  Irish  daughter. 

poetry  under  the  form  of  Fiouugall,  n  Reginald,  son  of  Somerled,  was 

but  sunply  Fioun.     Fionugall  was  a  supposed  to  be  descended  from  a 

name  applied  totheNorwegians,  and  certain  Gofraidh,  son  of  Fergus, 

to  the  land  they  occupied.     Hence  lo  t>    i         at 

1    r  4.,      T  1                  11  J  ■  ^-  Perhaps  Morvaren. 
the  Lord  oi  the  Isles  was  called  m 

poetry   '  Ri  Fhionngall,'  from   the  ''  ^^^^  celebrated  Cow  of  Gaibh- 

Islands  having  belonged  to  the  Nor-  ^^^  ^^^  ^'^'^^^-   ^^^  '^'"'''^'  ''•^^''"'' 

weeians                      ^  Masters,  note  to  A.  m.  .3330. 

1'^  Olaf    Bitling,    grandfather    of  "  One  of  Cuchulain's  horses. 

Reginald,    son   of  Godred ;  but  he  ^''  Dundalk  strand. 


428  APPENDIX  III. 


III. 

THE  DESCEIPTION  OF  THE  ISLES  OF  SCOTLAND.^ 

The  haill  lies  of  Scotland  were  devidit  iu  four  pairts  of  auld, 
viz.  Lewis,  Sk}',  Mule,  and  Yla,  and  the  remanent  haill  lies 
Avere  reknit  but  as  pertinents  and  pendicles  of  the  said  four 
lies,  and  were  devidit  amangis  thir  four  lies  and  annext 
thairto  in  this  manner.  First  to  the  He  of  Lewis  wes  annext 
the  lies  of  Wist,  Barra,  Harragis,  Ronalewis,  Pabla  in  Harreik, 
Helsker,  Collismown,  and  lit. 

To  the  He  of  Sky  were  annext  liaarsa,  Eg,  Romb,  Canna, 
Elian  na  muck,  and  Scalpa. 

Perteining  to  the  He  of  Mule  were  Lismoir,  Tuahannais, 
Ulloway,  Commatra,  Inschkennycht,  Sanct  Colmisinche  alias 
Colmkill,  Tireich,  and  Coll. 

And  to  the  fourth  He  of  Yla  wes  conjoynit  the  lies  of 
Dewra  alias  Jura,  Colonsa,  Geiga,  Eauchlyne,  Seillonyng,  Scarba. 

But  now  thir  lies  are  becum  under  sundrie  mens  dominions, 
quhairthrow  thai  answer  not  to  the  saids  four  principall  lies, 
yit  thai  keip  the  lawis  and  uses  of  the  samine  for  the  maist  pairt, 
and  speciallie  of  thair  yeirlie  dewties,  as  heireftir  shall  be 
declairit.  Be  thir  lies  foirsaids  thair  is  mony  small  Hands  and 
Inches  in  Scotland,  quhairof  the  names  are  not  publist,  nor  yit 
in  reputation,  but  worthie  of  habitation  or  descryving,  quhair- 
throw we  omitt  the  samyn  quhill  thai  be  better  inhabite  and 
esteimit  of. 

Thair  is  also  ane  Ness  passand  southwest  fra  the  lands  of 
Ardmwrche,  quhilk  Ness  is  called  Romwrche  (Point  of  Ardna- 
murchan),  and  divides  thir  haill  lies  in  twa  ;  viz.  in  South  and 
North  lies,  viz.  the  lies  of  Yla  and  Mule  with  thair  saids 
pertinents,  lyand  fra  the  said  Ness  to  the  south,  and  the  lies  of 
Lewis  and  Sky  to  the  north. 


APPENDIX  III.  429 

The  first  He  callit  Lewis  is  conjoynit  with  Harreik,  but  the 
sea  cummis  almaist  betwix  thame,  saifand  ane  small  grip  of  the 
lenth  of  twa  or  thrie  pair  of  buttis,  quhilk  narrow  grip  is  haldin 
the  march  betwix  the  lies  of  Lewis  and  Herreis.  They  are 
baith  40  miles  of  lenth,  quhairof  Lewis  is  32  miles,  and  Herreis 
8  miles.  The  pairt  of  this  He  that  is  callit  Lewis  perteins  to 
McCloyd  Lewis.  His  kin  are  callit  Clan  Leod,  alias  callit  Sheill 
Torquill,  that  is,  the  offspring  of  that  man  namet  Torquill.  His 
pi'incipall  place  thair  is  callit  the  Castell  of  Steornoay,  and  he 
may  raise  on  this  pairt  of  this  He  callit  Lewis  700  men  with 
Rona,  by  thame  that  labours  the  ground,  of  the  quhilkis  nane 
are  chairgit  or  permittit  to  gang  to  ony  oisting  or  weiris  in  all 
the  haill  lies,  but  are  commandit  to  remane  at  hame  to  labour 
the  ground. 

This  He  of  Lewis  is  very  profitable  and  fertile  alswell  of 
corns  as  all  kind  of  bestiall  wild  fowl  and  fishes,  and  speciallie 
of  beir,  sua  that  thair  will  grow  commonlie  20,  18,  or  at  the 
leist  16  bolls  beir  yeirlie  eftir  ilk  bolls  sawing.  It  is  40  lb.  land 
of  auld  extent  and  payis  yeirlie  18  score  chalders  of  victuall,  58 
score  of  ky,  32  score  of  wedderis,  and  ane  great  quantitie  of 
fisches,  pultrie,  and  quhyte  plaiding  by  thair  Cuidichies,  that  is, 
feisting  thair  master  quhen  he  pleases  to  cum  in  the  cuntrie,  ilk 
ane  thair  nicht  or  twa  nichtis  about,  according  to  thair  land  and 
labouring. 

Thair  is  na  great  waters  nor  rivers  in  this  He,  but  small 
schaule  burnis  quhairby  the  salmond  and  uther  fishes  swymmino- 
thairupon  will  appear  twa  pairt  dry  for  fault  of  water  to  cover 
thame,  and  are  slane  with  treis  and  bastonnis,  and  hes  na  uthir 
craft  nor  ingyne  to  slay  thame.  Thair  is  na  woods  in  the  Lewis, 
but  ane  great  wildernes  or  forest  callit  Osirsdaill,  quhairin  is 
sustenit  niony  deir,  thairfor  it  is  pleasant  hunting. 

In  this  He  thair  is  ane  little  Cove  biggit  in  form  of  ane  kirk, 
and  is  callit  the  Pygmies  Kirk.  It  is  sa  little,  that  ane  man 
may  scairslie  stand  uprichtlie  in  it  eftir  he  is  gane  in  on  his 
kneis.  Thair  is  sum  of  the  Pygmies  banes  thairinto  as  yit,  of 
the  quhilkis  the  thrie  banes  being  measurit  is  not  fullie  twa 
inches  lang. 

The  uther  pairt  of  this  He  callit  Harrayis  perteins  to  McCloyd 
Harreis.     His  kin  and  surname  is  callit  Sheall  Tormoyd,  that  is. 


430  APPENDIX  III. 

the  offspring  of  that  man  callit  Tornioyd,  and  albeit  this  man 
McCloyd  hes  landis,  as  ye  shall  heir  heireftir,  and  that  his  prin- 
cipal! place  callit  Dunvegane  be  in  the  He  of  Sky,  yit  he  is  stylit 
he  this  lie  of  Herreis.  He  may  raise  seven  score  of  able  men. 
This  He  of  Herries  is  also  fertile,  commodious,  and  profitable  in 
all  sorts  effeirand  to  the  quantitie  thairof  as  the  He  of  Lewis. 
Thair  is  nather  woods,  great  waters,  nor  rivers  thairin,  but  small 
burnis  as  in  the  He  of  Lewis,  and  the  people  thairof  as  unskilfull 
in  slaying  of  the  fishes  and  salmond  that  cummis  as  thair  neigh- 
bours are. 

Thair  is  ane  fair  forrest  called  Otterisdaill  in  this  He,  quhairin 
is  mony  deer  and  thairthrow  pleasand  hunting,  albeit  it  be  but 
20  merk  land  of  auld  extent.  This  He  pay  is  3  bolls  malt  and  3 
bolls  meill  for  ilk  day  in  the  yeir,  40  mairtis  and  eight  score 
wedderis,  by  customs,  pultrie,  meill,  with  oist  silver. 

The  He  of  Wist  is  40  miles  of  length,  but  of  small  breid, 
and  the  north  pairt  thairof  perteins  to  ane  clan  callit  Clandoneill, 
the  south  pairt  thairof  to  Clan  Ranald.  The  haill  is  reknit  to 
be  sevenscore  merk  land,  quhairof  the  Clan  Doneill  hes  three- 
score merk  land,  and  the  Clan  Eanald  fourscore  merk  land.  The 
Clan  Doneill  on  thair  pairt  thairof  will  raise  300  men,  and  the 
Clan  Ranald  on  thair  pairt  thairof  will  raise  300  men,  Thair 
is  na  woods  nor  great  rivers  in  it,  but  thair  is  mony  deir  in  it. 
Hk  merk  land  in  this  He  payis  20  bolls  victuall,  by  all  uther 
customes,  maills,  and  oist  silver,  quhairof  thair  is  na  certane 
rentall.  The  customes  of  this  He  are  splendit,  and  payit  at  the 
Landslordis  cumming  to  the  He  to  his  Cudicht. 

The  He  of  Barra  perteins  to  McNeill  Barra.  His  surname 
and  kin  are  callit  Clan  Neill.  His  principall  dwelling-place  thair 
is  callit  Keissadull,  quhilk  is  ane  excellent  strenth,  for  it  standis 
on  the  seaside  under  ane  great  craig,  sua  that  the  craig  cummis 
over  it,  and  na  passage  to  the  place  but  be  the  sea,  quhairof  the 
entrie  is  narrow,  but  that  ane  scheip  may  pass  throw,  and  within 
that  entres  is  an  round  heavin  and  defence  for  schi})pis  from  all 
tempestis.  This  He  is  five  miles  of  lenth  or  thairbj',  and  is  20  lb. 
land,  and  may  raise  on  this  He,  with  four  or  five  small  Hes  that 
he  hes  beside  it,  200  gude  men.  Item,  in  this  He  is  ane  Aveill 
quhairin  growis  cockles,  quhilk  is  at  the  fute  of  ane  hill  callit 
the  Hill  of  Barra,  twa  mile  fra  the  sea. 


APPENDIX  III.  431. 

Roiia^  (Bernera)  Lewis  is  ane  He  of  four  mile  long  perteining 
to  McCloycI  Lewis,  and  it  is  80  merk  land.  It  payis  120  bolls 
victuall  yeirly  by  all  uther  customes  and  maillis.  It  is  verie 
fertile  of  corns  and  store  of  gudes  and  quhyte  fisclies,  but  saltis 
na  fisches,  but  eittis  tliair  staiking  and  castis  the  rest  on  the 
land,  and  will  raise  60  men. 

Pabba  is  ane  little  He  ane  mile  lang.  It  perteins  to  McCloyd 
Hereik,  and  albeit  it  be  but  twa  merk  land,  it  payis  yeirlie  60 
bollis  victuall,  and  will  raise  40  gude  men  to  the  weiris.  Ber- 
nera^ (Eona)  is  ane  uther  little  He  of  the  lyk  quantitie  and  pay- 
ment, perteining  to  McCloyd  Hereik. 

Helsker  is  ane  gude,  commodious,  and  fertile  He,  alsweill  of 
gudes  as  of  corns ;  for  albeit  it  be  but  ane  mile  lang  and  ane 
merk  land  of  auld  extent,  it  payis  yeirlie  to  the  monasterie  of 
Colmkill,  to  quhom  it  apperteins,  60  bollis  victuall  by  uther 
customes.  It  is  possesst  evir  by  ane  gentill  man  of  the  Clan- 
donald.  Thair  is  nather  moss  nor  woods  in  this  He,  but  all 
manurit  arable  land.     It  will  raise  20  or  24  men. 

Colsmon  is  but  ane  little  He  of  ane  quarter  mile  lang  and  als 
mekell  breid,  quhairin  is  na  inhabite  nor  manurit  land,  but  lyes 
waist.  Mony  fisches  resortis  and  hantis  thairto  and  generis 
within  the  same ;  and  the  principall  man  of  the  north  end  of 
Wyist,  Avha  is  ane  of  the  Clandoneill  (as  said  is),  passes  with  ane 
number  of  men  in  cumpanie  anes  in  the  yeir  to  this  He,  and  slayis 
and  talds  sa  many  as  they  please  of  the  seiches,  and  careyis  aM^ay 
with  thame. 

Irt  (St.  Kilda)  is  ane  little  He  of  ane  mile  lang,  perteining  to 
McCloyd  Hereik.  It  is  maist  fertile  of  scheip  and  foullis,  quhairof 
it  payis  ane  great  matter  yeirlie  to  the  said  McCloyd  and  his  Vic- 
tors. And  albeit  thay  use  na  pleuchis,  but  delvis  thair  corn  land 
with  spaiddis,  yet  thai  pay  yeirlie  60  bollis  victuall.  Thair  is 
na  horse  nor  meiris  in  this  He,  and  but  few  nolt  to  the  number 
of  60  or  thairby.  Thair  cummis  na  men  furth  of  this  He  to 
oisting  or  weiris,  becaus  they  are  but  a  poor  barbarous  people 
unexpert  that  dwellis  in  it,  useand  na  kind  of  wappinis  ;  but  thair 
day  lie  exercitation  is  maist  in  delving  and  labouring  the  ground, 
taking  of  foullis  and  gaddering  thair  eggis,  quhairon  thay  leif  for 
the  maist  pairt  of  thair  fude.  Thay  make  na  labour  to  obtene 
or  slay  ony  fisches,  but  gadderis  sum  in  the  craigis,  albeit  thai 


432  APPENDIX  III. 

luicht  have  abundance  tliairof  utherwayis  gif  thai  wald  ony  way 
make  labour  thairfore.  Anes  in  the  yeir  ane  Priest  or  Minister 
cummis  to  tliame  and  baptizes  all  the  bairnis  born  amangis  thame 
sin  his  last  being  thair,  and  celebrattis  marriage  to  the  i:)arteis 
desyrand,  and  makes  sic  uther  ministration  of  the  sacraments  to 
thame  as  he  thinkis  gude,  and  gifis  thame  sic  directiounis  as  he 
wills  thame  to  use  and  keip  for  ane  yeir  thairefter,  and  gadderis 
payment  of  thair  teinds  (quhilk  thai  pay  maist  thankfullie  and 
justlie  of  ony  people),  and  departs  quhill  the  next  yeir  agane. 
In  all  times  thai  sustenit  ane  auld  priest  or  clerk  continuallie 
amangis  thame,  to  shaw  and  tell  to  thame  the  halie  dayis  to  be 
keipit  in  the  yeir. 

The  He  of  Sky  is  ane  He  40  mile  lang  and  alsmuckle  of  breid. 
swa  that  it  is  almaist  round.  It  perteinit  all  haill  in  auld  times 
to  McConneill,  but  now  be  his  disposition  thair  is  divers  heritors 
of  sundrie  pairts  thairof,  the  maist  thereof  extending  to  80  merk 
land  lyand  almaist  in  the  middis  of  the  He  caleit  Trouternes,  and 
30  merk  land  lyand  at  the  south  pairt  of  the  He  quhilk  is  caleit 
Slait.  It  pertenis  to  Scheall  Hutcheoun,  that  is  to  say,  the  off- 
spring of  that  man  callit  Hutcheoun,  but  his  priucipall  surname 
is  Clandoneill. 

Trouternes  payis  yeirlie  ilk  merk  land  thairof  twa  bollis  meill, 
twa  bollis  malt,  four  mairtis,  16  wedderis,  16  dozen  of  pultrie, 
twa  merks  by  the  auld  maills  and  utheris  dewteis  accustomat. 
Thair  was  ane  castell  in  Trouternes  callit  Duncolmen,  quhairof 
the  wallis  standis  yit. 

Slait  is  occupiet  for  the  maist  pairt  be  gentlemen,  thairfore 
it  payis  but  the  auld  deuteis,  that  is,  of  victuall,  buttir,  cheis, 
wyne,  aill,  and  aquavite,  samekle  as  thair  maister  may  be  able 
to  spend  being  ane  nicht  (albeit  he  were  600  men  in  companie) 
on  ilk  merk  land.  There  is  twa  strenthie  castells  in  Slait,  the 
ane  callit  Castell  Chammes,  the  uther  Dunskeith.  Trouternes 
will  raise  500  men,  and  Slait  700  men,  Ane  pairt  of  this  He 
of  Sky  callit  Strath vardeill  pertenis  to  ane  Laird  callit  McKynvin, 
given  to  him  be  McConneill  for  to  be  judge  and  decide  all  ques- 
tionnis  and  debaitts  that  happenis  to  fall  betwin  pairties  throw 
playing  at  cairtis  or  dyce  or  sic  uther  pastime,  and  will  raise 
aucht  score  men.  McKynvin  lies  a  castell  thair  callit  Dewnakin. 
McCloyd  Lewis  hes  20  merk  land  in  this  He  callit  Watternes, 


APPENDIX  III.  433 

quliairon  he  will  raise  200  men.  McCIoyd  Herreis  lies  three 
cun tries  iu  this  He,  the  first  callit  Durenes  quhilk  is  28  merk 
land,  and  will  raise  twelf  score  men,  quhairin  he  lies  ane  stren- 
thie  dwelling  place.  The  second  callit  Bracadale,  quhilk  is  1 6 
merk  land,  and  will  raise  sevin  score  men.  Thair  is  mony  woods 
ill  all  pairtis  of  this  He  of  Sky,  speciallie  birkis  and  orne ;  but 
the  maist  wood  is  in  Slait  and  Trouternes.  Tliair  is  ane  wood 
in  Slait,  of  audit  mile  of  lenth,  with  mony  deer  and  rae,  and  it 
is  verie  fertile,  with  all  kinds  of  bestiall  and  corns.  Thair  is 
great  j^lentie  of  salmond  and  hering  tane  in  this  He.  Thair  is 
mony  locliis  in  this  He,  and  speciallie  in  Strathvardill,  quhilk 
is  callit  Loch  Slepan,  Loch  na  Neist,  and  Loch  na  Daill.  Betwixt 
Trouternes  and  Strathtodill  lyes  ane  loch  callit  Loch  Sleggasthe. 
Raarsa  is  ane  He  of  five  mile  lang  and  tlirie  mile  braid,  per- 
teining  to  the  Bischop  of  the  Hes ;  but  it  is  occupiet  and  possest 
be  ane  gentleman  of  McCloyd Lewis  kin,  callit  Gillechallum  Raarsa. 
His  offspring  bruikis  the  same  yit,  and  are  callit  Clan  Gille- 
halluni  of  Raarsa.  He  hes  ane  strange  little  castell  in  this  He, 
biggit  on  the  heid  of  ane  heicli  craig,  and  is  callit  Prokill.  It  is 
but  8  merk  land,  and  will  raise  80  men.  It  payis  yeirlie  to  the 
bischop  1 6  merks,  but  to  the  capitaine  thairof  it  payis  of  sundrie 
tributes  better  nor  500  m^ks.  Thair  is  na  woods,  but  great 
heich  craigis  in  this  He.  It  is  commodious  for  corn  and  all  kinds 
of  bestiall,  and  chieflie  horses. 

Eg  is  ane  He  verie  fertile  and  commodious  baitli  for  all  kind 
of  bestiall  and  corns,  speciallie  aittis,  for  eftir  everie  boll  of  aittis 
sawing  in  the  same  ony  yeir  will  grow  10  or  1 2  bollis  agane.  It 
is  30  merk  land,  and  it  perteins  to  the  Clan  Rannald,  and  will 
raise  60  men  to  the  weiris.  It  is  five  mile  lang  and  three  mile 
braid.  Thair  is  mony  coves  under  the  earth  in  this  Be,  quhilk 
the  cuntrie  folks  uses  as  strenthis  hiding  thanie  and  thair  geir 
thairintill;  quhairthrow  it  hapenit  that  in  March,  anno  1577, 
weiris  and  inmitie  betwix  the  said  Clan  Renald  and  McCloyd 
Herreik,  the  people  with  ane  callit  Angus  John  McMudzartsonne, 
their  capitane,  fled  to  ane  of  the  saidis  coves,  taking  with  tliame 
thair  wives,  bairnis,  and  geir,  quliairof  McCloyd  Herreik  being 
advertisit  landit  with  ane  great  armie  in  the  said  He,  and  came 
to  the  cove  and  pat  fire  thairto,  and  smorit  the  liaill  people  thairin 
to  the  number  of  395  persones,  men,  Avyfe,  and  bairnis. 
VOL.  IIJ.  2  E 


+  34  APPENDIX  III. 

Romb  is  ane  lie  of  small  profit,  except  that  it  conteins  mony 
(leir,  and  for  sustentation  thairof  the  same  is  pormittit  unlabourit, 
except  twa  townis.  It  is  tliric  miles  of  leuth,  and  alsmekle  of 
breid,  and  all  hillis  and  waist  glennis,  and  commodious  only  for 
Imnting  of  deir.  It  perteinis  heretablie  to  ane  Barron  callit  the 
Laird  of  Challow  (Coll),  (piha  is  of  McClanes  kin,  but  is  possest 
and  in  the  handis  of  Clan-llannald.  It  is  ten  mei'k  land,  and 
will  raise  6  or  7  men. 

Canna.  This  He  is  jiude  baitli  for  corn  and  all  kind  of 
bestiall.  It  perteius  to  the  Biscliop  of  the  lies,  but  the  said 
Clan-Rannald  hes  it  in  possessioun.  It  is  thrie  mile  lang  and 
ane  bi-aid.  It  is  six  merk  land  and  will  raise  20  men.  In  this 
Tie  is  ane  heich  craig  callit  Corignan  weill  braid  on  the  heicht 
thairof,  and  but  ane  strait  passage,  that  men  may  scairslie  climb 
to  the  held  of  the  craig,  and  quhan  the  cuntrie  is  invadit  the 
people  gadderis  thair  wives  and  geir  to  the  heid  of  the  craig  and 
defend  thame  selfis  utherwayis  the  best  thay  may,  and  will  not 
pass  to  the  craig,  because  it  may  not  be  lang  keepit  onlie  for 
fault  of  water. 

Elian  na  Muk  is  but  ane  little  He  of  ane  mile  lang  and  half 
mile  braid.  It  perteins  also  to  the  foirsaid  Bischop,  and  is 
possesst  be  the  Laird  of  Ardinmwrtlie  callit  Maken.  It  is  four 
merk  laiid,  and  payis  to  the  said  Laird  and  his  factors  aucht 
score  bollis  victuall,  quhairof  four  score  to  the  Bischop  and  four 
score  to  the  Laird.     It  will  raise  to  the  weiris  16  able  men. 

Scalpa  is  four  merk  land  perteining  heritablie  to  McClane, 
gevin  to  him  be  McConneill.  It  is  thrie  mile  lang,  twa  mile 
braid,  mair  fertile  and  commodious  for  deir  and  hunting  nor  it 
is  ather  for  corns  or  store.     It  will  raise  20  men. 

Mule.  This  He  is  24  mile  of  lenth  and  in  sum  pairtis  IG 
mile  braid,  and  in  uther  pairtis  thairof  but  12  mile  braid.  It  is 
all  300  merk  land,  and  will  raise  900  men  to  the  weiris. 
McClane  Doward,  callit  Great  McClane,  hes  the  maist  pairt 
thairof,  extending  to  aucht  score  merk  land  and  ten,  and  will 
I'aise  on  it  with  the  pairt  he  hes  of  the  Bischop  600  men  thair- 
upon.  McClane  of  Lochbuy  hes  thriescore  merk  land,  and  will 
raise  200  men  thairon.  The  Bischop  hes  30  merk  land  thair, 
but  McClane  Doward  hes  it  in  his  possession  occupiet  be  his 
kin.    The  Laird  of  McKynvin  hes  20  merk  land,  and  the  uthir  20 


APPENDIX  III.  435 

merk  land  pertenis  to  the  Laird  of  Scliellow  (Coll)  but  thay  will 
raise  100  thairon.  Thair  is  mony  woods  and  saltwater  lochis  in 
this  He,  and  it  is  verie  plentiful!  of  all  kind  of  fisches,  speciallie 
hering  and  salmond.  It  is  na  less  commodious  for  guides  and 
store  nor  ony  of  the  remanent  lies  ;  but  not  sa  gude  for  cornes. 
In  everie  jjairt  thairof  are  mony  deiris,  raes,  and  wild  foullis. 
McClane  of  Doward  hes  twa  castellis  in  this  He,  the  ane  named 
Doward,  the  uther  callit  Aross,  quhilk  sumtime  perteinit  to 
McConneill.  McCIane  of  Lochbuy  hes  ane  castell  thairintill 
callit  the  Castell  of  Lochinbuy.  Ilk  merkland  in  this  He  payis 
yeirlie  5  bollis  beir,  8  bollis  meill,  20  stanes  of  cheese,  4  stanes 
of  buttir,  4  mairtis,  8  wedderis,  twa  merk  of  silver,  and  twa 
dozen  of  pultrie,  by  Cuddiche,  quhanevir  thair  master  cumniis 
to  thame. 

Lismoir  is  ane  He  of  audit  mile  lang  lairge,  and  twa  mile 
breid.  It  is  80  merk  land  of  auld,  and  pertenit  sumtime  to 
McConneill,  but  now  to  my  Lord  Argile  the  twa  pairt  thairof, 
and  the  third  pairt  thairof  to  the  Laird  of  Glenurquhir.  McCowle 
of  Lorn  hes  the  stewardship)  of  the  haill  He  and  manrent  thairof, 
and  will  raise  thairon  to  ony  weir  100  men.  It  is  very  fertile 
for  all  kind  of  corns  and  speciallie  for  beir,  and  will  grow 
alsmekle  eftir  ane  boll  sawing  as  in  the  Lewis  or  ony  pairt  thair 
with  less  gudeing  or  labour  ;  for  in  mony  pairtis  thairof  are 
great  mosses,  and  thay  will  cast  ane  fowssie  or  stank  throw  the 
ane  pairt  of  the  moss,  quhairby  the  water  may  easier  pass  away, 
and  teillis  syne  the  remanent  of  the  moss,  sa  far  at  the  leist  as 
becumis  dry  be  vertue  of  the  fowssie  castin,  and  takis  it  that 
thai  cast  out  of  the  fowssie  and  guidis  the  teillit  earth  thairwith, 
and  thairon  will  grow  the  best  beir  in  the  lies,  of  sic  quantitie 
that  I  think  shame  to  write  it,  albeit  that  I  have  honest  authors 
to  affirm  the  same.  It  is  plane  land  without  ony  woodis  or 
hillis,  but  all  manurit  land  and  moss.  It  is  commodious  also  for 
nolt  and  horses,  but  best  for  cornes.  It  is  gude  for  saltwater 
fisches,  and  na  uther.  It  has  na  set  rentall  of  dewtie,  because  it 
is  everie  yeir  alterit  or  set.  Thair  is  twa  castellis  thairin  upon 
the  pairt  perteining  to  my  Lord  Argile,  ane  callit  Dunnagaill, 
but  it  is  not  mantenit,  albeit  it  wes  of  auld  ane  great  strenth 
for  saltwater  fisches,  ane  uther  callit  the  castell  of  Auchindewne, 
upon  the  west  side  thairof  anent  the  Mule,  quhilk  wes  biggit  be 


436  APrF.NDTX  III. 

ane  Bischop  of  tlie  lies.  On  the  utlier  Laird  Gl('iiuiquliiit& 
})aii't  tliairof  wes  aiu;  auld  castill  callit  Bealwothar,  l)ut  is  not 
mantenit. 

The  twa  lies  callit  the  Hwnayis,  the  ane  thairof  and  maist 
pertenis  to  ane  kinsman  of  the  said  McCoule  of  Lorn.  It  is 
twa  mile  lang  and  ane  braid,  ane  j^lane  land  but  ony  hills,  but 
all  arable  land,  moss  and  birkin  wood,  quhairthrow  it  is  onlie 
gude  for  corn,  nolt,  and  horse  ;  it  is  8  merk  land.  The  uther 
pertenis  to  John  Stewart  of  Hoping  (Appin);  it  is  ane  mile  lang 
and  half  mile  braid ;  it  is  four  merk  land.  The  said  John 
Stewart  hes  it  all  under  maynes,  and  cpihan  he  settis  the  same 
it  payis  six  score  bollis  victuall,  by  all  uther  dewties.  Baitli 
thir  lies  will  raise  three  score  men. 

Ulloway  is  ane  He  twa  mile  lang,  ane  mile  braid.  It  is 
twelf  merk  land  perteining  to  McCower  (McQuarrie).  It  is 
l)lane  land  but  ony  hillis  or  woodis,  and  will  raise  thrie  score 
men.     Ilk  merk  land  payis  conform  to  the  He  of  Mule. 

Coamatra  is  ane  He  of  ane  mile  lang  conteinand  but  twa 
towns.  It  is  four  merk  land,  and  pertenis  to  McClane  of  Dowart ; 
it  is  plane,  fair,  and  verie  commodious  for  corns  and  catell  of  sa 
mekle.  It  payis  yeirlie  as  Mule  payis.  It  will  raise  IG  or  20 
men. 

Inschenycht  (Inchkenneth)  is  ane  He  perteining  to  the  said 
McClane,  of  a  lyke  lenth,  balding  payment  and  commodities  in- 
all  sortis  as  the  said  He  of  Coamatra. 

Sanct  Colms  Inche  (lona)  is  ane  He  ane  mile  lang,  large  half 
mile  braid,  but  is  30  merk  land.  In  this  He  is  the  Bischop  of  the 
lies  principall  dwelling  places.  Thair  is  twa  religious  places — 
ane  thairof  for  monkis,  ane  uther  for  nunnes.  In  this  He  is  the 
sepulchre  of  all  the  kingis  of  Scotland  of  auld.  It  is  verie  com- 
modious for  corns  and  catell,  but  na  woodis  nor  mosses,  quhair- 
throw thai  are  scant  of  fire,  but  that  that  cummis  to  thame  furth 
of  other  lies  be  sea.  In  this  are  all  the  Gentlemen  of  the  lies 
buryit  as  yit. 

Collow  (Coll)  is  ane  He  of  1 2  mile  of  lenth,  4  or  6  mile  of 
breid  in  sum  pairtis  thairof.  It  is  30  merk  land,  and  pertenis 
to  the  Laird  of  Collow,  quhairin  he  hes  ane  castell  callit  Bre- 
kauche,  quhilk  is  ane  great  strenth  be  reason  of  the  situation 
thairof  verie  neir  to  the  sea,  quhilk  defendis  the  half  thairof,  and 


APPENDIX  III.  437 

lies  three  walls  about  the  rest  of  the  castell  and  thairof  biggit 
with  lyme  and  stane,  with  sundrie  gude  devises  for  defending  of 
the  tower.  Ane  uther  wall  about  tliat,  within  the  quhilk  schippis 
and  boittis  are  drawin  and  salvit.  And  the  third  and  the  utter- 
most wall  of  tj^mber  and  earth,  within  the  quhilk  the  haill  gudes 
of  the  cuntrie  are  keipit  in  tyme  of  troublis  or  weiris.  It  is  very 
fertile  alsweill  of  corns  as  of  all  kind  of  catell.  Thair  is  sum 
little  birkin  woodis  Avithin  the  said  lie.  Ilk  merk  land  payis 
yeirlie  as  is  declarit  of  the  He  of  Mule,  and  will  raise  seven  score 
men. 

Tierhie  (Tiree)  is  ane  He  of  audit  mile  of  lenth,  and  in  sum 
pairtis  but  thrie  mile  braid,  and  at  the  braidest  is  six  mile  braid. 
But  it  is  commodious  and  fertile  of  corns  and  store  of  gudes.  It  is 
140  merk  land,  and  will  raise  to  the  weiris  300  men.  It  pertenis 
to  great  McClane  of  Doward,  gevin  to  him  be  McConneill.  It 
was  callit  in  all  tymes  McConnells  girnell ;  for  it  is  all  teillit 
land,  and  na  girs  but  ley  land,  quhilk  is  maist  nurischand  girs  of 
ony  other,  quhairthrow  the  ky  of  this  He  abundis  sa  of  milk  that 
thai  are  milkit  four  times  in  the  day.  The  yeirlie  deAvtie  thairof 
is  sa  great  of  victuall,  buttir,  cheis,  mairtis,  wedderis,  and  other 
customes,  that  it  is  uncertain  to  the  inhabitants  thairof  quliat, 
thai  should  pay,  but  obeyis  and  payis  quhatevir  is  cravet  be  thair 
maister  for  thair  haill  deuties,  only  to  tak  sa  mony  firlotts  as 
micht  stand  side  be  side'  round  about  the  haill  He  full  of  victual], 
lialf  meill,  half  beir,  and  it  wes  refuseit. 

Ha  is  ane  He  of  24  mile  lang  and  twenty  mile  braid.  It  is  1 S 
score  merk  land,  and  will  raise  800  men.  McClane  of  Doward 
lies  the  half  thairof,  and  the  other  half  pertenis  to  ane  of  the 
Clan  Donald  cum  of  McConneills  house.  This  He  is  plenteous 
of  woodis,  quhairin  are  mony  deir,  raes,  and  wild  foullis.  It  is 
also  commodious  for  all  kinds  of  fisches,  and  speciallie  salmond, 
be  reason  of  diverse  rivers  rynuand  throw  the  same,  quhairin 
swymes  not  only  mony  salmond,  but  in  all  the  small  burnis  of 
this  He  are  multipill  of  salmond  and  other  fisches.  McClane  lies 
ane  strenthie  castell  thairin,  cjuhilk  standis  in  ane  niche  within 
ane  fresche-water  loch  callit  Lochgormen ;  the  uther  castell  per- 
tenis to  the  Cland-donald,  it  is  callit  Downerie.  Ilk  merk  land 
in  this  He  payis  yeirlie  three  mairtis  and  ane  half,  14  wedderis, 
2  geis,  4  dozen  and  8  pultrie,  5  bollis  malt  with  ane  peck  to 


438  APPKXDIX  III. 

ilk  boll,  G  bollis  meill,  20  stane  of  cheis,  and  twa  merk  of  silver. 
And  ilk  merk  land  man  sustein  daylie  and  yeirlie  anc  gentleman 
in  meit  and  claitli,  quhilk  dois  na  labour,  but  is  haldin  as  ane  of 
their  maisters  household  men,  and  man  be  sustenit  and  furneisit 
in  all  necessaries  be  the  tennent,  and  he  man  be  reddie  to  his 
maisters  service  and  advis.  Ilk  town  in  this  He  is  twa  merk  land 
and  ane  half,  and  pay  is  yeirlie  of  Gersum  at  Beltane  four  ky  with 
calf,  four  zowis  with  lamb,  four  geis,  nine  hennis,  and  1  Os,  of  silver. 

Jura,  alias  Deura,  is  24  mile  lang,  and  8  mile  braid  quhair 
it  is  braidest.  It  is  30  merk  land.  The  half  pairt  thairof  per- 
tenis  to  the  said  McClane,  and  the  uther  half  to  the  Clan  Donald. 
The  haill  will  raise,  with  the  He  of  Scarba  (quhilk  is  baith  but 
ane  parochin),  100  men.  Sa  mekle  as  is  labourit  and  teillit  of 
this  He  is  excellent  land,  and  verie  fertile  for  corns  ;  but  it  is 
for  the  maist  pairt  wildernes  and  woodis,  quhairin  is  mony  deir, 
raes,  and  other  wild  beistis,  quhairthrow  thair  is  better  hunting 
in  this  He  nor  ony  of  the  rest.  Sa  mekle  labourit  land  as  is  in 
this  He,  it  payis  alike  to  Ha  of  dewties. 

Collonsa  and  Orandsay  are  baith  ane  He,  except  that  the  full 
sea  of  the  flwde  flowis  in  betwix  thame.  Collonsa  is  18  mile  of 
lenth  and  five  mile  braid.  It  is  30  merk  land,  and  pertenis  to 
the  Laird  thairof  callit  Makasie  (Macduffy),  ane  dependar  on  the 
Clan  Donald.  Orandsay  is  but  ane  mile  of  lenth,  and  alsmekle 
of  breid.  It  is  4  merk  land,  quhairin  is  but  ane  town,  quhilk  is 
an  abbay  place  dedicat  to  St.  Columb,  it  pertenis  to  the  Bischop 
of  the  lies.  Thir  twa  lies  Avill  raise  100  men,  and  payis  accord- 
ing to  the  He  of  Ha.  Na  woodis  nor  wildernes  is  in  thir  Isles, 
but  all  teillit  land. 

Seill  is  ane  He  of  5  mile  lang,  thrie  mile  braid,  and  is  three- 
score merk  land.  It  pertenis  to  the  Earle  of  Argile,  and  will  raise 
thairon  six  score  men.  It  is  all  plane  nianurit  land,  but  ony 
wildernes  or  woodis,  quhairby  it  is  verie  fertile  of  store  and 
corns  and  payis  zeirlie  conform  as  we  have  spoken  before  of  the 
He  of  Lismoir. 

Loyng  is  ane  little  He  thrie  mile  lang,  twa  myle  braid,  and 
is  fourty  merk  land.  It  pertens  heritablie  to  my  Lord  Argile, 
but  McClane  Doward  lies  it  of  my  Lord  Argile  for  service.  This 
He  payis  zeirlie  of  mairtis  and  ferme  as  Lismoir  and  Seill  payis. 

Scarba  is  ane  He  thrie  mile  lane:  and  twa  mile  breid.     It  is 


APPENDIX  III.  439 

i  merk  land,  and  pertenis  to  McClane  of  Lochbuy  in  heritage. 
It  is  all  woodis  and  craigis,  except  twa  tounis,  and  thairfore  it  is 
better  for  sustentation  of  bestiall  nor  for  cornes.  It  payis  zeirlie 
.samekle  as  is  labourit  thairof,  as  the  remanent  lies  payis,  and 
will  raise  17  men. 

Geiza  (Gigha)  is  ane  He  of  five  mile  Uuig,  twa  mile  braid, 
and  is  30  merk  land ;  it  pertenis  to  the  Clan  Donald.  It  is 
very  plane,  profitable,  and  fertile  land  for  all  kind  of  corns,  but 
any  woodis,  hillis,  or  craigis  ;  and  ilk  merkland  thairof  payis  as 
Ila  payis,  except  in  mairtis  and  wedderis,  because  it  is  not  gude 
for  store.     It  will  raise  100  men. 

Rauchlynne  is  an  He  five  mile  lang,  thrie  or  four  mile  braid  ; 
it  is  30  merk  land.  It  pertenis  to  the  Clan  Donald,  and  is  but 
four  mile  of  sea  fra  Irland.  It  is  fair,  fertile,  and  profitable 
baitli  for  girs  and  corn,  with  sum  grene  hillis  in  it,  and  na  woodis 
nor  craigis.  Thairfore  thair  zeirlie  dewtie  is  conform  to  use  and 
consuetude  of  Ireland,  quhilk  is  to  sustein  ane  number  of  men  in 
meit  and  fie,  and  payis  ane  certane  quantitie  of  all  kind  of  thing 
that  growis  amangis  thame  anes  in  the  yeir  to  thair  maister,  and 
sum  taxations  as  thair  maister  happens  to  have  ado,  and  may 
raise  100  men.  Thair  is  ane  auld  castell,  verie  strenthie,  callit 
the  Auld  Castell. 

Thair  is  twa  lies  that  pertenis  to  thir  saids  four  lies  named 
Arran  and  Boyd  (Bute).  Arran  is  24  miles  lang,  12  and  8  miles 
in  sum  pairtis  braid,  and  is  300  merk  land,  perteining  to  my  Lord 
Hamiltoun,  quhairin  is  twa  castells.  Arran  will  raise  100  men. 
Boyd  is  aucht  mile  lang,  four  mile  braid,  quhairin  stands  ane 
great  Burrowstown  callit  Eosa.  It  will  raise  300  men,  and.  is 
of  na  less  commoditie  and  profit  nor  Arran. 

Thir  haill  lies  abovewritten,  gif  thai  were  on  ane  end,  are 
fourteen  score  and  twelve  mile  of  lenth  and  miles  of 

breid.  The  common  accustomat  of  raising  of  thair  men  is  6000 
men,  quhairof  the  3d  pairt  extending  to  2000  men  aucht  and 
sould  be  cled  with  attounes  and  haberchounis,  and  knapshal 
bannetts,  as  thair  lawis  beir.  And  in  raising  or  furthbringing 
of  thair  men  ony  time  of  yeir  to  quhatsumevir  cuntrie  or  weiris, 
na  labourers  of  the  ground  are  permittit  to  steir  furth  of  the 
cuntrie  quhatevir  thair  maister  have  ado,  except  only  gentlemen 
quhilk  labouris  not,  that  the  labour  belonging  to  the  teiling 


440 


APPENDIX  III. 


of  tlie  ground  and  wj'niiing  of  thair  corns  may  not  be  left 
undone,  albeit  thai  byde  furth  une  haill  zeir,  as  ofttimes  it 
happins  quhen  ony  of  thair  particular  Hands  hes  to  do  with 
Irland  or  neighbours,  that  the  haill  cuntriemen  bides  furth 
watching  thair  enemies  ane  zeir,  half  ane  zeir,  or  thairby,  as  thai 
please.  Not  the  les  the  gi'ound  is  not  the  war  labourit,  nor 
the  occupiers  thairof  are  nather  molestit,  requirit,  troublit,  nor 
permittit  to  gang  furth  of  thair  awin  cuntrie  and  He  quhair 
thay  dwell. 

Finis. 


Notes. 


'  This  description  must  have  been 
written  between  1577  and  1595,  as 
the  former  date  is  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  cruel  slaughter  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Egg  by  the  Mac- 
leods,  and  John  Stewart  of  Appin, 
who  died  in  1595,  is  mentioned  as 
alive  at  the  time  it  was  written.  It 
has  all  the  appearance  of  an  official 
report,  and  was  probably  intended 


for  the  use  of  James  the  Sixtli,  wlio 
was  then  preparing  to  attempt  the 
improvement  of  the  Isles,  and  in- 
crease the  royal  revenue  from  them. 
See  Gregory's  History  of  the  Hir/h- 
la/tds  and  Islands,  ch.  vl. 

"  The  names  of  Rona  and  Bernera 
have  been  here  misplaced.  The 
larger  island  is  obviously  Bernera, 
and  the  smaller  Rona. 


APPENDIX  IV.  441 


IV. 

Oil  the  AUTHENTICITY  of  the  LETTERS  PATENT  said  to 
have  been  granted  by  King  William  the  Lion  to  the  Earl 
of  Mark  in  IITL^ 

This  deed  was  first  made  known  by  the  learned  antiquar}- 
John  Selden,  who  printed  it  in  liis  'Titles  of  Honor'  (p.  700) 
to  illustrate  his  remarks  upon  the  title  of  Thane.  It  is  in  the 
form  of  letters  patent,  and  not  of  a  charter  ;  and  is  addressed  bj^ 
William,  King  of  Scots,  to  all  bishops,  earls,  abbots,  priors, 
barons,  knights,  thanes,  and  provosts,  and  all  other  good  men  of 
the  whole  land,  as  well  cleric  as  laic.  It  then  narrates  that 
Morgund,  son  of  Gillocher,  formerly  Earl  of  Marr,  had  come 
before  the  king  at  Hindhop  Burnemuthe,  in  his  new  forest,  on 
the  tenth  day  of  the  calends  of  June,  in  the  year  of  grace  1171, 
demanding  his  right  to  the  whole  earldom  of  Marr,  before  the 
common  council  and  army  of  the  kingdom  of  Scotland  there 
assembled :  that  the  king  had  caused  inquisition  to  be  made  into 
his  claim  by  several  men  worthy  of  credit,  Avho  were  barons  and 
thanes  of  his  k'ingdom,  and  who  found  that  Morgund  was  the 
lawful  son  and  heir  of  the  said  Gillocher,  Earl  of  Marr ;  upon 
which  the  king  granted  and  restored  to  Morgund  the  whole  earl- 
dom of  Marr,  in  which  his  father  Gillocher  had  died  vest  and 
seized,  to  be  held  by  the  said  Morgund  and  his  heirs  of  the  king 
and  his  heirs  in  fee  and  heritage,  with  all  pertinents,  liberties, 
and  rights,  as  freely,  quietly,  fully,  and  honourably  as  any  other 
earl  in  the  kingdom  of  Scotland ;  he  and  his  heirs  rendering  to 
the  king  and  his  heirs  the  '  forinsecum  servicium  videlicet  ser- 
vicium  Scoticanum,'  as  his  ancestors  had  been  wont  to  render  to 
the  king  and  his  ancestors.  Further,  on  the  same  day  and  at 
the  same  place,  after  doing  homage  before  the  common  council 
of  the  kingdom,  the  said  Morgund  demanded  that  right  should 
be  done  him  for  the  whole  earldom  of  Moray,  in  wliich  Gillocher 


442  APPENDIX  IV. 

liis  father  had  died  vest  and  seized  ;  upon  which  petition,  inqui- 
sition having  been  made  by  several  men  worthy  of  credit,  who 
were  barons,  knights,  and  thanes  of  the  kingdom,  they  found 
that  ]\[orgund  was  the  true  and  lawful  heir  of  the  earldom  of 
Moray  ;  and  because  at  that  time  the  king  was  engaged  in  the 
heavy  war  between  him  and  the  English,  and  the  men  of  Moray 
could  not  be  subjected  to  his  will,  he  was  unable  to  do  justice 
to  Morgund,  he  promised  that,  when  he  could  terminate  the  war 
between  him  and  his  enemies,  and  subjugate  the  rebels  of  Moray, 
he  would  well  and  truly  recognise  the  right  of  INIorgund  and  his 
heirs  to  the  earldom  of  Moray.  And  in  order  to  certiorate  to 
others  this  deed,  the  king  gave  these  letters  patent  to  the  said 
Morgund.  They  then  conclude  with  these  words :  '  Teste 
meipso  eodem  anno  die  et  loco  supradicto.'  This  is  undoubtedly 
a  very  remarkable  production,  if  genuine  ;  and  Selden  adds  :  '  I 
have  it  writ  in  jiarchment  in  a  hand  of  the  time  Avherein  it  is 
dated,  but  without  any  seal  to  it.'  It  is  referred  to  by  Lord 
Hailes  in  his  additional  case  for  the  Countess  of  Sutherland, 
without  any  doubt  being  expressed  as  to  its  authenticity;  and 
no  suspicion  seems  to  have  attached  to  it  till  the  late  George 
Chalmers  assailed  it  in  1819  in  a  paper  printed  in  the  nineteenth 
volume  of  the  '  Archceologia '  (p.  241).  In  this  paper  he  pro- 
poses to  show  that  this  document  is  supposititious.  He  states 
his  objections  to  it  under  nine  heads,  and  concludes  that  Selden 
had  been  imposed  upon  with  a  spurious  deed.  His  first  objection 
relates  to  the  orthography  of  the  document ;  the  second  to  the 
formula  of  the  address  ;  the  third  to  the  history  of  the  earldom  ; 
the  fourth  to  the  minuteness  of  the  date  ;  the  fifth  to  the  reserved 
services ;  the  sixth  to  the  claim  to  the  earldom  of  Moray  ;  the 
seventh  to  the  allusion  to  the  war  with  England  ;  the  eighth  to 
the  form  of  letters  patent ;  and  the  ninth  to  the  words  '  teste 
meipso,'  which  is  peculiar  to  letters  patent  as  distinguished  from 
charters,  which  at  this  period  invariably  have  a  list  of  witnesses. 
The  form  'teste  meipso  '  first  occurs,  he  saj's,  in  1190. 

Professor  Cosmo  Innes,  in  his  preface  to  the  first  volume  of 
the  'Acts  of  Parliament,'  alludes  to  this  document,  'the 
authenticity  of  which,'  he  says,  '  however,  is  very  doubtful : ' 
and  he  prints  it  in  a  note  with  the  following  remarks  :  '  Selden's 
authority  is  not  lightly  to  be  rejected  ;  and  some  of  the  reasons 


APPENDIX  IV.  443 

against  the  genuineness  of  this  charter,  urged  by  the  late  Mr. 
Chalmers  in  a  paper  in  the  "  Archseologia,"  founded  on  the  spelling, 
etc.,  are  of  no  weight.  But  it  is  open  to  serious  objections, 
\\  hether  we  consider  the  narrative  or  the  occasion,  and  the  time 
and  place  of  its  granting  and  the  manner  of  testing.  For  instance, 
it  is  almost  certain  that  in  1171  there  was  no  war  with  England. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  difficult  to  devise  a  motive  for  inventing 
such  a  document.  If  it  should  be  considered  a  very  early  forgery 
it  is  scarcely  less  important  than  if  admitted  to  be  genuine' 
(p.  13).  Professor  Innes's  authority  on  such  a  question  is  of 
course  very  great ;  and  not  less  so  is  that  of  the  late  Dr.  Joseph 
Robertson.  He  says,  in  the  '  Antiquities  of  the  Shires  of  Aber- 
deen and  Banff,'  vol.  iv.  p.  691,  that  'Earl  Morgund  is  said  to 
have  been  the  son  of  Gillocher,  Earl  of  Marr.  But  this  rests 
only  on  the  letters  patent  of  King  William  the  Lion,  first  printed 
by  Selden,  which  I  think  it  is  impossible  to  receive  as  authentic. 
The  facts  which  they  set  forth  may  perhaps  be  true  in  part,  but 
as  a  whole  I  don't  see  how  they  are  to  be  reconciled  with  what 
is  elsewhere  recorded  on  undoubted  authority.  Nor  do  I  think 
tiiat  the  letters  can  be  successfully  defended  from  the  objections 
to  them  on  other  grounds — such  as  their  style,  the  time  and 
place  of  granting,  and  the  manner  of  testing.  I  must,  therefore, 
believe  them  to  be  spurious.  It  is  obvious,  at  the  same  time, 
that  they  were  forged  at  an  early  period.  The  learned  and 
accurate  Selden  thought  them  to  be  in  a  hand  of  the  time,  and 
they  seem  to  be  alluded  to  in  the  year  1291.  They  may  have 
been  forged  at  that  time,  or  more  probably  during  the  contests 
for  the  earldom  of  Marr  between  the  earl  in  possession  and 
Thomas  Durward  before  1228,  and  between  Earl  William  and 
Alan  Durward  in  1257.  These  contests  supply  what  seems  to 
have  been  thought  Avanting — "a  motive  for  inventing  such  a 
document." ' 

In  the  main  I  concur  with  the  opinions  of  the  late  Professor 
Innes  and  Dr.  Joseph  Robertson,  and  especially  Avith  that  of  the 
latter,  which  shows  his  usual  acuteness  and  sagacity.  I  consider 
that  the  first  and  second  objections  made  by  Chalmers  have  no 
weight.  With  regard  to  the  third,  which  is  that  the  deed  is 
inconsistent  witli  the  known  history  of  the  earldom,  there  is  good 
reason  for  thinkiniir  that  some  such  transaction  really  took  place  ; 


444  APPENDIX  IV. 

for  Sir  Francis  Palgrave  prints,  in  his  '  Documents  and  Records 
relating  to  tlie  Aftairs  of  Scotland,'  preserved  in  the  Treasury  of 
Her  Majesty's  Exchequer,  an  ai)peal  prepared  in  the  name  of  the 
seven  eai'ls  of  Scotland,  and  of  the  community  of  the  realm,  to 
Edward  the  First  of  England,  which  concludes  with  the  following 
memorandum  :  '  That  when  William,  King  of  Scotland,  restored 
to  Morgund,  son  of  Gyloclery,  the  predecessor  of  the  Lord 
Dovenald,  Earl  of  Marr,  this  earldom  of  Marr,  according  as  the 
same  is  contained  in  a  writing  Avhich  Dovenald,  Earl  of  Marr, 
l)Ossesses,  there  was  Avanting  then  to  the  said  INIorgund,  and  there 
is  still  wanting  to  the  earl,  three  hundred  pound  land,  partly  in 
domain  and  partly  in  holdings  and  more,  for  which  he  claims 
that  right  should  be  done  him'  (Palgrave,  p.  21).  The  Avriting 
here  referred  to  seems  to  have  been  this  very  deed.  The  fourth 
and  fifth  objections  have  also  no  weight.  Hindhop  Burnemuthe 
is  a  hamlet  on  the  coast  about  five  or  six  miles  south  of  Berwick, 
and  there  is  no  improbability  in  there  having  been  a  royal  forest 
there  while  Northumberland  belonged  to  the  Scottish  king. 
With  regard  to  the  sixth  objection,  that  the  Earl  of  Marr  could 
have  no  claim  to  the  earldom  of  Moray,  the  documents  printed 
by  Sir  Francis  Palgrave,  in  connection  with  the  competition  for 
the  crown,  do  show  that  the  Earl  at  that  time  did  claim  to  repre- 
sent the  earldom  of  Moray  ;  for  in  the  same  document  Dovenald, 
Earl  of  Marr,  appeals  in  name  of  himself  as  one  of  the  seven 
earls  of  Scotland,  and  in  name  of  the  freemen  of  Moray,  and  the 
other  relations,  connections,  and  friends  of  the  said  Earl.  But 
while  I  reject  all  these  grounds  of  objection  as  not  conclusive,  I 
am  obliged  to  admit  that  the  seventh  objection,  which  relates  to 
the  allusion  to  the  war  with  England,  and  to  insurrection  in 
Moray,  is  fatal  to  the  authenticity  of  the  deed.  The  Avar  Avith 
England  did  not  commence  till  tAvo  years  afterAvards,  in  1173  ; 
and  the  insurrection  in  jNloray  broke  out  after  the  captivity  of 
the  king  in  1174,  and  Moray  continued  in  a  state  of  rebellion 
from  that  year  till  1181.  But  during  the  first  eight  years  of 
King  William's  reign  he  Avas  at  peace  with  England,  and  there 
Avas  no  appearance  of  the  royal  authority  not  having  been  recog- 
nised in  Moray.  Unfortunately  it  is  during  this  period  that  the 
supposed  letters  patent  are  dated.  Then  as  to  the  last  two 
objections,  which  relate  to  the  form  of  the  deed  as  letters  patent, 


APPENDIX  IV.  44  5 

and  form  of  the  testing,  '  teste  meipso,'  there  is  no  instance,  so 
f;ir  as  I  am  aware,  of  this  form  being  used  at  as  early  a  period  as 
the  reign  of  William  the  Lion. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  while  these  distinguished 
antiquaries  were  discussing  the  question  of  the  authenticity  of  the 
letters  patent  as  printed  by  Selden,  it  seems  never  to  have 
occurred  to  any  of  them  to  endeavour  to  ascertain  Avhat  became 
of  the  original,  which  Selden  said  he  possessed,  and  whether  it 
might  not  be  recovered.  Selden  left  his  papers  to  Sir  Matthew 
Hale,  and  Hale  left  his  to  the  benchers  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  by 
whom  they  were  deposited  in  their  library.  The  search  was 
therefore  not  a  difficult  one,  and  on  examining  these  papers  the 
so-called  original  was  at  once  found,  which  I  have  had  photo- 
graphed by  the  autotype  process.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  very 
old  document,  but  not  so  old  as  the  reign  of  King  William 
the  Lion.  The  handwriting  is,  I  think,  that  of  the  early  part 
of  the  reign  of  King  Alexander  the  Third,  and  it  must  have 
existed  prior  to  the  document  printed  by  Sir  Francis  Palgrave 
already  quoted.  In  this  reign,  too,  there  are  frequent  speci- 
mens of  deeds  in  the  form  of  letters  patent  witli  the  form 
of  '  teste  meipso.'  Three  of  them  are  printed  in  the  National 
MSS.  of  Scotland,  Nos.  62,  G3,  and  64,  and  dated  respectively 
in  1261,  1275,  and  1282,  and  if  the  handwriting  is  compared 
it  will  be  seen  at  once  tliat  this  document  belongs  to  the 
same  period.  The  Earl  of  Marr  at  this  time  was  William, 
grandson  of  Morgund  by  his  son  Duncan.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  powerful  barons  of  Scotland  at  the  time,  and  was  cham- 
berlain of  Scotland  in  1252.  He  was  one  of  those  who  were 
removed  from  the  administration  of  affairs  in  Scotland  at  the 
instance  of  King  Henry  the  Third  of  England  in  1255,  being 
replaced,  among  others,  by  Alan  Durward.  He  was  recalled  to 
the  king's  council  in  1257,  and  took  a  leading  part  in  Scotland 
till  the  year  1273,  when  he  appears  to  have  died.  Now  we  find 
that  in  1257  a  question  was  raised  between  Alan  Durward  and 
William,  Earl  of  Marr,  as  to  the  right  of  the  latter  to  the  earl- 
dom. A  papal  rescript  issued  in  that  year,  directing  an  inquest 
to  be  held,  proceeds  on  the  narrative  that  '  Our  beloved  son  the 
nobleman  Alan  called  the  Dorrward  hath  signified  to  us  that, 
whereas  the  nobleman  William  of  Marr  of  the  diocese  of  Aber- 


446  APPKNDIX  IV. 

(leen  hatli  withhold  the  earldom  of  Marr  of  right  belonging  to 
the  aforesaid  Alan,  and  the  same  doth  occupy  to  the  prejudice  of 
him  the  said  Alan,  and  that  Morgund  and  Duncan  deceased,  to 
whom  the  said  William  asserts  his  succession  in  the  said  earldom, 
were  not  begotten  in  lawful  matrimony.'      William,  however, 
remained  in  possession,  and  certainly  the  production  of  a  charter 
findino'  that  Morgund  was  the  lawful  son  and  heir  of  his  father, 
and  containing  a  grant  of  the  earldom  to  him  and  his  heirs, 
would  be  most  opportune  in  determining  this  question,  and,  if  a 
genuine  deed  of  this  kind  did  not  exist,  probably  the  earl  would 
neither  have  much  difficulty  nor  much  scruple  in  producing  one 
that  would  pass  muster.     If  the  letters  patent  are  a  forgery,  I 
think  it  must  have  been  manufactured  about  this  time,  and  I  am 
not  sure  that  we  have  far  to  seek  for  the  forger.     A  charter  by 
William,  Earl  of  Marr,  confirming  a  grant  by  his  grandfather, 
Morgund,  in   1267,  is  witnessed   among   others   by  '  jNIagistro 
Ricardo  Veyrement.'     This  Master  Eichard  Yeyrement  was  one 
of  the  canons  of  St.  Andrews,  and  I  have  shoAvn  in  the  introduc- 
tion to  Fordun's  Chronicle  that  he  is  probably  the  author  of 
a  '  Historia  '  which  existed  in  the  Great  Register  of  St.  Andrews, 
now  lost ;  and  the  veritable  Veremundus,  from  whom  Hectoi- 
Boece  says  he  derived  a  great  part  of  his  fabulous  history.     His 
connection  with  William,  Earl  of  Marr,  at  this  very  time,  and 
his  witnessing  a  charter  confirming  a  grant  by  that  JNIorguud 
whose  legitimacy  Avas  challenged,  certainly  leads  to  the  suspicion 
that  the  clever  manufacturer  of  these  letters  patent  was  no  other 
than  the  arch-forger  of  the  spurious  history  of  Scotland,  and  that 
if  he  had  not  been  unfortunate  in  the  selection  of  his  date,  it 
might  even  now  have  escaped  detection. 

The  following  is  the  text  of  the  document : — 

Willielmus  Rex  Scotorumuniversis  Episcopis  Comitibus  Abbatibus 
Prioribus  Barouibus  MiUtibus  Thauis  et  Praepositis  et  omnibus  aliis 
probis  hominibus  totius  terrae  suae  tam  clericis  quam  laicis  salutem 
eternam  in  Domino  :  Sciatis  presentes  et  futuri  Morgundum  filium 
Gillocheri  quondam  Comitis  de  Marre  in  mea  praesentia  veuisse  apud 
Hindhop  Burnemuthe,  in  mea  nova  foresta  deciino  kalendarum  Juuij 
Anno  Gratite  MCLXXI.  petendo  jus  suum  de  toto  Comitatu  de  Marre, 
coram  comnuini  Consilio  et  exercitu  Regni  Scotiae  ibidem  congregate. 
Ego  vero  cupiens  eidem  IMorgundo  et  omnibus  aliis  jura  facere  secun- 


APPENDIX  IV.  447 

dum  petitiouem  suam  jus  suum  inquisivi  per  multos  viros  fide  diguos, 
videlicet  per  baronias  et  tlianos  Regni  mei  per  quam  inquisitiouem  in- 
veiii  dictum  Morgundum  filium  et  haeredein  legitimum  dicti  Gillocheri 
Comitis  de  Marre  per  quod  concessi  et  reddidi  eidem  Morgundo  totum 
Comitatum  de  Marre  tanquani  jus  suum  haereditarium  sieut  praedictus 
Gillocherus  pater  suus  obiit  vestitus  et  saisitus  ;  Tenendum  et  liaben- 
dum  eidem  Morgundo  et  ha^redibus  suis  de  me  et  hseredibus  meis  in 
feodo  et  haereditate  cum  omnibus  pertineutis  libertatibus  et  rectitudiui- 
bus  suis  adeo  libere  quiete  plenarie  et  honorifice  sicut  aliquis  Conies  in 
Regno  Scotise  liberius  quietius  plenarius  et  honorificentius  tenet  vel 
possidet  ;  Faciendo  inde  ipse  et  hseredes  sui  mihi  et  haeredibus  meis 
forinsecum  servicium  videlicet  Servicium  Scoticanum  sicut antecessores 
sui  mihi  et  antecessoribus  meis  facere  consueveruut.  Eodem  vero  die 
et  loco  post  homagium  suum  mihi  factum  coram  communi  Consilio 
Regni  mei  praedictus  Morgundus  petiit  sibi  jus  fieri  de  toto  Comitatu 
Moraviae  de  quo  praedictus  Gillocherus  pater  suus  obiit  vestitus  et 
saisitus  super  qua  petitione  sua  per  quamplures  viros  fide  dignos 
Barones  Milites  et  Thanos  Regni  mei  inquisitiouem  facere  feci  et  per 
illam  inquisitiouem  inveni  dictum  Morgundum  verum  et  legitimum 
haeredem  de  comitatu  Moravise  et  quod  eodem  tempore  propter  guerram 
inter  me  et  Anglicos  graviter  fuissem  occupatus  et  Moravienses  pro 
voluntate  mea  non  potuissem  justificare  dicto  Morgundo  nullum  jus 
facere  potui.  Sed  cum  guerram  inter  me  et  adversaries  meos  com- 
plere  et  rebelles  Moravienses  superare  potero  et  dicto  Morgundo  sibi 
et  haeredibus  suis  i^romitto  pro  me  et  haeredibus  meis  fideliter  et 
plenarie  jus  facere  de  toto  comitatu  Moraviae.  Et  ut  hoc  factum 
meum  aliis  certificaretur  praadicto  Morgundo  has  literas  meas  dedi 
Patentis.      Teste  me  ipso  eodem  anno  die  et  loco  supra  dicto. 


Note. 

^  This  paper  was  read  to  the  So-  sion,   p.   603.     The  photograph  of 

ciety  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  on  the  Letters  Patent  was  deposited 

the  8th  of  April  1878,  and  appears  in  their  library, 
in  their  Proceedings  for  that  Ses- 


-J  48  Al'l'ENDIX  V 


V. 

ON  THE  EARLDOM  OF  CAITHNESS.^ 

The  earldom  of  Caithness  was  possessed  for  many  generations 
by  the  Norwegian  Earls  of  Orkney.  They  held  the  Islands  of 
Orkney  under  the  King  of  Norway  according  to  Norwegian 
custom,  by  which  the  title  of  Jarl  or  Earl  was  a  personal  title. 
They  held  the  earldom  of  Caithness  under  the  King  of  Scotland, 
and  its  tenure  was  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  Scotland, 

We  find  from  the  Orkneyinga  Saga  that  during  this  period 
the  Orkney  Islands  were  frequently  divided  into  two  portions,  and 
each  half  held  by  different  members  of  the  Norwegian  family, 
who  each  bore  the  title  of  earl.  We  likewise  find  that  the  earldom 
of  Caithness  was  at  such  times  also  frequently  divided,  and  each 
half  held  by  different  Earls  of  Orkney,  though  whether  both  bore 
the  title  of  Earl  of  Caithness  does  not  appear. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  our  purpose  to  go  further  back  than  the 
rule  of  Thorfinn,  Earl  of  Orkney,  who  died  about  A.D.  1056,  and 
undoubtedly  held  the  whole  of  the  Orkneys  and  the  entire  earl- 
dom of  Caithness  for  a  long  period. 

He  had  two  sons,  Paul  and  Erlend,  who  after  his  death  ruled 
jointly  without  dividing  the  earldoms,  and  their  descendants  may 
be  termed  the  line  of  Paul  and  the  line  of  Erlend. 

After  their  death  the  islands  were  divided  between  Hakon,  son 
of  Paul,  and  Magnus,  son  of  Erlend,  each  bearing  the  title  of  earl. 
The  latter  was  the  great  earl  known  as  St.  Magnus.  After  his 
death,  Earl  Hakon  appears  to  have  possessed  the  whole. 

Earl  Hakon  had  two  sons,  Harald  Slettmali  and  Paul,  who 
again  divided  the  islands,  each  having  an  earl's  title,  but  Earl 
Harald  appears  to  have  held  the  whole  of  Caithness  from  the 
King  of  Scots.  On  his  death  Earl  Paul  obtained  possession  of 
the  whole. 

In  the  meantime  the  line  of  Erlend  failed  in  the  male  line, 
in  the  person  of  Earl  Magnus,  but  his  sister  Gunhild  married  a 


APPENDIX  V.  449 

Norwegian  called  Kol,  and  had  by  him  a  son  Kali,  who  claimed 
a  share  of  the  islands,  when  the  King  of  Norway  gave  him  the 
name  of  Roguwald,  an  earl's  title,  and  divided  the  islands  between 
him  and  Earl  Paul. 

Earl  Paul's  sister  Margaret  had  married  Maddad,  Earl  of 
Atholl,  and  had  by  him  a  son  Harald,  and,  by  a  revolution  which 
took  place.  Earl  Paul  abdicated,  and  his  nephew  Harald  was  made 
earl  in  his  place,  and  shared  the  islands  with  Earl  Rognwald. 
The  latter  then  went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  and  in  his 
absence  Malcolm  i.v.  made  Erlend  Ungi,  son  of  Harald  Slettmali, 
Earl  of  Caithness,  and  gave  him  half  of  Caithness,  Earl  Harald 
Maddadson  having  the  other  half. 

Earl  Eognwald  then  returns,  and  on  Erlend's  death  Orkney 
and  Caithness  were  shared  between  him  and  Earl  Harald. 

The  line  of  Erlend  again  failed  on  the  death  of  Earl  Eognwald, 
who  left  an  only  daughter  Ingigerd,  who  married  a  Norwegian, 
Eirik  Slagbrellir,  and  had  three  sons,  Harald  Ungi,  Magnus 
Mangi,  and  Roguwald,  and  thi-ee  daughters,  Ingibiorg,  Elin,  and 
Ragnhild. 

Earl  Harald  now  possessed  Orkney  and  Caithness,  but  soon 
after  the  King  of  Norway  gave  Harald  Ungi  an  earl's  title  with 
the  half  of  the  Orkneys,  and  by  agreement  with  Earl  Harald, 
King  William  the  Lion  gave  Harald  Ungi  the  half  of  Caithness 
which  had  belonged  to  Earl  Eognwald,  but  they  afterwards 
quarrelled,  and  Earl  Hai-ald  Ungi  was  slain  by  the  other  Earl 
Harald,  who  again  possessed  the  whole. 

Owing  to  the  mutilation  of  the  Bishop  of  Caithness  by  Earl 
Harald,  he  was  attacked  by  King  William  in  1201,  and  only 
allowed  to  retain  Caithness  on  payment  of  2000  merks  of  silver, 
while  the  district  of  Sutherland  was  taken  from  him  and  given 
to  Hugo  Freskin  de  Moravia. 

Earl  Harald  died  in  1206,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son 
David,  who  died  in  1214,  when  his  brother  John  became  Earl  of 
Orkney  and  Caithness.  Fordun  tells  us  that  King  William  made 
a  treaty  of  peace  with  him  in  that  year,  and  took  his  daughter 
as  a  hostage,  but  the  burning  of  Bishop  Adam  in  1222  brought 
King  Alexander  ii.  down  upon  Earl  John,  who  was  obliged  to 
give  up  part  of  his  lands  into  the  hands  of  the  king,  which,  how- 
ever, he  redeemed  the  following  year  by  paying  a  large  sum  of 
VOL.  III.  2  F 


450  APPENDIX  V. 

money,  and  by  his  death  in  1231  the  line  of  Paul  again  came  to 
an  end. 

In  1232,  we  find  Magnus,  son  of  Gillebride,  Earl  of  Angus, 
called  Earl  of  Caithness,  and  the  earldom  remained  in  this  family 
till  between  1320  and  1329,  when  Magnus,  Earl  of  Orkney  and 
Caithness,  died ;  but  during  this  time  it  is  clear  that  these  earls 
only  possessed  one  half  of  Caithness,  and  the  other  half  appears 
in  the  possession  of  the  De  Moravia  famil}^,  for  Freskin,  Lord  of 
Duffus,  Avho  married  Johanna,  Avho  possessed  Strathnaver  in  her 
own  right,  and  died  before  1269,  had  two  daughters,  Mary 
married  to  Sir  Keginald  Cheyne,  and  Christian  married  to 
William  de  Fedrett,  and  each  of  these  daughters  had  one-fourth 
part  of  Caithness,  for  William  De  Fedrett  resigns  his  fourth  to 
Sir  Reginald  Cheyne,  who  then  appears  in  possession  of  one- 
half  of  Caithness  (Chart,  of  Moray,  Robertson's  Index).  These 
daughters  probably  inherited  the  half  of  Caithness  through  their 
mother  Johanna. 

Gillebride  having  called  one  of  his  sons  by  the  Nor- 
wegian name  of  Magnus,  indicates  that  he  had  a  Norwegian 
mother.  This  is  clear  from  his  also  becoming  Earl  of  Orkney, 
which  the  King  of  Scots  could  not  have  given  him.  Gille- 
bride died  in  1200,  so  that  Magnus  must  have  been  born 
before  that  date,  and  about  the  time  of  Earl  Harald  Ungi, 
who  had  half  of  Caithness,  and  died  in  1198.  Magnus  is  a  name 
peculiar  to  this  line,  as  the  great  Earl  Magnus  belonged  to  it,  and 
Harald  Ungi  had  a  brother  Magnus.  The  probability  is  that  the 
half  of  Caithness  which  belonged  to  the  Angus  family  was  that 
half  usually  possessed  by  the  earls  of  the  line  of  Erlend,  and  was 
given  by  King  Alexander  with  the  title  of  Earl  to  Magnus,  as  the 
son  of  one  of  Earl  Harald  Ungi's  sisters,  while  Johanna,  through 
whom  the  Moray  family  inherited  the  other  half,  was,  as  indicated 
by  her  name,  the  daughter  of  John,  Earl  of  Caithness  of  the  line 
of  Paul,  who  had  been  kept  by  the  king  as  a  hostage,  and  given 
in  marriage  to  Freskin  de  Moravia. 

Magnus,  Earl  of  Orkney  and  Caithness,  the  last  of  the  earls 
of  the  Angus  line,  died  before  1329,  when  Caterina  Comitissa 
Orcadiae  et  Cathanesiae '  grants  a  charter  '  in  viduitate. '  In 
1330  we  find  a  claim  on  the  earldom  of  Caithness  by  Simon 
Eraser  and  Margaret  his  spouse,  one  of  the  heirs  of  the  Earls  of 


APPENDIX  V.  451 

Caithness  (Acta  Pari.  vi.).  In  1331  we  find  Malise,  Earl  of 
Stratherne,  charged  on  the  Chamberlain  Eolls  (p.  404)  with  the 
rents  of  the  fourth  part  of  Caithness ;  and  in  1334  Malise  appears 
as  earl  of  the  earldom  of  Stratherne,  Caithness,  and  Orkney 
(Chart.  InchafFray).  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  the  half  of  Caith- 
ness which  belonged  to  the  Angus  earls,  had  like  the  other  half 
passed  to  two  co-heirs,  and  that  the  title  of  earl,  with  one-fourth 
of  the  earldom,  had  gone  to  the  Earl  of  Stratherne,  and  the 
other  fourth  to  Margaret,  wife  of  Simon  Eraser.^ 

There  is  some  difficulty  in  clearing  up  the  history  of  the  last 
few  earls  of  Stratherne,  and  of  discriminating  between  them,  as 
they  all  have  the  name  of  Malise.  The  first  of  the  name  of 
Malise  was  the  son  of  Kobert,  Earl  of  Stratherne,  and  Fordun 
(Bower)  fixes  the  date  of  his  death  when  he  says,  in  1271, 
'  Malisius  comes  de  Stratherne  in  partibus  Gallicanis  decessit  et 
apud  Dunblane  sej)elitur.'  In  giving  the  death  of  Magnus,  king 
of  Man,  in  1269,  he  adds,  'cujus  relictam  comes  Malisius  de 
Stratherne  joos^m  duxit  videlicit  filiam  Eugenie  de  Ergadia;'  but 
the  postea  refers  to  after  1271,  and  this  was  the  second  Malise 
the  son  of  the  former,  for  we  find  in  1291,  Malise,  Earl  of  Strath- 
erne, does  homage  to  Edward  I.  at  Stirling  on  12th  July,  and 
twelve  days  after  '  Maria  Regina  de  Man  et  Comitissa  de  Strath- 
erne '  does  homage  at  Perth  in  presence  of  Earl  Malise,  He  died 
before  1296,  as  among  the  widows  who  are  secured  in  their 
possessions  by  the  King  of  England  in  that  year  is  '  Maria  quae 
fuit  uxor  Malisii  Comitis  de  Stratherne.' 

In  point  of  fact  Malise  (2d)  must  have  died  before  February 
1292,  for  in  that  year  'Maria  Comitissa  de  Stratherne  quae  fuit 
uxor  Hugonis  de  Abernethyn'  is  summoned  to  Parliament  to 
show  cause  why  Alexander  de  Abernethyn,  son  of  Hugo,  should 
not  have  his  lands  in  Fyfe  and  Perth  (Act.  Pari,  vi.) ;  and  that 
she  was  not  the  same  Maria  as  the  Queen  of  Man  is  clear  from 
this,  that  she  appears  along  with  her  in  the  list  of  widows  in 
1 2  9  6  as '  Maria  quae  fuit  uxor  Hugonis  de  Abernethyn.'  She  must 
therefore  have  been  the  wife  of  Malise  (3d),  son  of  Malise  (2d). 

This  Malise  (3d)  is  said  in  Wood's  'Peerage'  to  have  been 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Halidon  Hill  in  1333;  but  he  died  long 
before,  for  we  find  that  his  second  wife  was  Johanna  de  Menteith, 
whom  he  married  in  the  reign  of  Robert  Bruce,  as  that  king  con- 


452  APPENDIX  V. 

firms  a  grant  by  Malise,  Earl  of  Stratherne,  to  Johanna,  daughter 
of  John  Menteith,  his  spouse  (Rob.  Index),  and  she  after  liis 
death  married  Jolin,  Earl  of  Atholl,  for  there  is  in  Theiner  a 
dispensation  in  1339  for  the  marriage  of  Johanna,  Countess  of 
Stratherne,  widow  of  John,  Earl  of  Atholl,  to  ]\Iaurice  de  Moravia. 
Now  this  John,  Earl  of  Atholl,  Avas  himself  undoubtedly  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Halidou  Hill  in  1333.  In  point  of  fact  Malise 
(3d)  must  have  died  before  1320,  for  King  Robert  also  grants  a 
charter  to  Maria  de  Stratherne,  wife  of  Malise  of  Stratherne,  of 
the  lands  of  Kingkell,  Brechin,  Avhich  were  David  de  Brechin's 
(Rob.  Index).  She  must  have  been  therefore  married  to  Malise 
(4th)  during  the  lifetime  of  his  fiither  Malise  (3d),  as  he  is  not 
termed  earl;  but  this  Maria  is  undoubtedly  the  Comitissa  de 
Stratherne  Avho  was  implicated  along  with  David  de  Brechin  and 
William  de  Soulis  in  a  conspiracy  in  1320  (Fordun),  and  Malise 
(4th)  must  then  have  been  earl. 

Malise  (3d)  had  two  daughters — Matilda,  married  to  Robert 
de  Tony,  and  Maria  to  Sir  John  Murray  of  Drumsagard ;  for  in 
1293  we  find  him  contracting  for  the  marriage  of  his  daughter 
Matilda,  then  under  20,  to  Robert  de  Tony  (Hist.  Doc.  i.  394) ; 
and  in  the  Chartulary  of  Inchaffray  are  two  charters  by  Malisius 
Comes  de  Stratherne  to  John  de  Moravia  and  his  heirs  by  Maria 
filia  nostra ;  and  his  son  Malise  (4th)  confirms  a  grant  soon  after 
1319  by  Malisius  '  pater  noster  quondam  comes  de  Stratherne ' 
to  John  de  ^loravia  et  Maria  filia  Comitis. 

In  1320,  Malise,  Earl  of  Stratherne,  signs  the  letter  to  the 
Pope.  This  must  have  been  Malise  (4th);  and  in  1334,  in  a 
charter  in  which  he  styles  himself  earl  of  the  earldoms  of  Strath- 
erne, Caithness,  and  Orkney,  he  grants  to  William,  Earl  of  Ross, 
the  marriage  of  his  daughter  Isabel  by  Marjory  his  wife,  declaring 
her  his  heir  of  the  earldom  of  Caithness  failing  an  heir-male  of 
the  marriage  of  the  said  Earl  Malise  and  Marjory  (Cart.  Inch.) 
She  must  have  been  his  second  wife.  It  has  usually  been 
assumed  that  Isabel  married  the  Earl  of  Ross,  but  this  is  impos- 
sible, for  in  another  deed  in  1350  the  Earl  of  Ross  styles 
Marjory,  Countess  of  Stratherne,  his  sister.  He  was  therefore 
Isabel's  uncle,  and  the  deed  was  granted  at  the  time  of  Earl 
Malise's  forfeiture,  when  Isabel  was  probably  still  a  child,  and 
was  intended  if  possible  to  protect  the  succession. 


\ 


APPENDIX  V.  453 

Earl  Malise  (4th)  had  several  other  daughters.  In  1353 
Erngils,  a  Norwegian,  gets  from  the  King  of  Norway  the  title  of 
Earl  of  Orkney  in  right  of  his  mother  Agneta,  Avhich  he  forfeits 
in  1357.  In  that  year  Duncan  son  of  Andrew  protests  for 
Alexander  de  le  Arde  in  right  of  his  mother  Matilda,  called 
eldest  daughter  of  Earl  Malise.  In  1364  Euphemia  de  Strath- 
erne  appears  as  one  of  the  heirs  of  the  late  Earl  Malise.  In 
1374  Alexander  de  le  Arde  resigns  his  rights  through  his  mother 
Matilda  to  the  King.  In  1379  Henry  St.  Clair  and  Malise 
Sperre  claim  the  Earldom  of  Orkney.  Henry  becomes  earl  and 
calls  his  mother  Isabella  St.  Clair  in  a  charter  of  lands  of  which 
she  was  heiress.  Matilda  was  probably  daughter  of  Maria  the 
first  wife,  and  the  little  favour  shown  to  her  rights  may  have 
arisen  from  her  mother's  complicity  in  the  conspiracy  in  1320. 
The  other  daughters  were  probably  children  of  Marjory,  and  the 
Earl  of  Eoss  appears  to  have  married  his  niece  Isabella  to  Sir 
William  St.  Clair,  the  father  of  Henry. 

It  is  clear  the  right  to  Orkney  and  Caithness  could  not  have 
come  to  the  Earls  of  Stratherne  through  the  Queen  of  Man,  wife 
of  Malise  (2d),  nor  through  either  of  the  wives  of  Malise  (4th), 
as  his  daughters  by  both  wives  claimed.  He  must,  therefore, 
have  derived  his  right  through  his  mother,  one  of  the  wives  of 
Malise  (3d),  but  this  could  not  have  been  Johanna  de  Menteith, 
and  therefore  Maria,  widow  of  Hugo  de  Abernethyn,  seems  the 
only  possible  heiress  of  the  earldom  of  Caithness. 


Notes. 

^  This  paper  was  also  read  to  the  granted  to  his  son  David  the  castle 

Society  of  Antiquaries  of  Scotland  of  Brathwell,  its  lands,  and  all  other 

on  11th  March  1878,  and  appears  in  lands  inherited  by  Alexander  de  le 

their  Proceedings  of  that  Session,  Arde  in  right  of  Matilda  de  Strath- 

p.  571.  erne,  his  mother  (Robertson's  Tn- 

-  In  1375  Alexander  de  le  Arde  dex,  pp.    120,  129).     The  castle  of 

resigned  to  King  Robert  the  Second  Brathwell,  now  Braal  Castle,  is  in 

the  earldom  of  Caithness,  the  prin-  the  vale  of  the  Thurso  river,  and 

cipal  manor  or  mansion,  with  the  the  possession  of  the  principal  mes- 

title  of  Earl,  and  all  other  rights  suage  carried  the  title  of  Earl.    The 

belonging   to   him  in   right  of  his  other  lands  of  the  earldom  appear 

mother  Matilda,  eldest  daughter  of  to  have  been  held  in  2»'o  indiviso 

Earl    Malise ;     and    King    Robert  fourths. 


454  APPENDIX  VI. 


VI. 
ORIGINAL  OF  THE  POEM  ON  THE  LENNOX. 

MUIREADHACH  AlBANACH,  CC. 

Saer  do  lennan  a  Leamhain, 

Alun  og  mac  Muireadhaigh 
A  chul  druimnech  gan  duibhe, 
Ua  Luighdech  a  liathmliuine. 

Maith  do  clionach  gilla  ngeal, 
0  do  charais  do  cheidfhear, 
Mac  righ  bealaigh  do  bhi  an  dan, 
[Gur]  bill  Leamhain  a  leannan. 

Gearr-abhand  hainra  eacht  oile, 
A  reimheas  na  rioghroidhe, 
Go  riacht  Core  Muimnech  tar  muir ; 
Folt  druimnech  os  a  dhearcuibh. 

Da  tainic  Fearadhach  fionn, 

Mac  righ  Alban  na  noirphioll, 
Da  ndearna  re  Core  cleamhnas, 
Ar  thocht  ina  thighearnas. 

Tug  Fearadhach,  feirrde  leom, 

A  inghean  do  Core  chuil-fhionn, 
Lan  da  tairm  Teamhair  Mide, 
Leamhain  ainm  na  hinghine. 

Toircheas  rioghna  rug  Leamhain, 

Maine  mac  Chuire  chuil-leabhair, 
Do  thaisigh  na  hucht  an  ten, 
Do  Chore  Chaisil  na  coilen. 

Aen  do  laithibh  do  Leamhain, 

Mathair  Mhaine  mheirleabhair, 
Caega  inghen  fa  ban  bonn, 
As;  snamh  innbhir  na  habhonn. 


APPENDIX  VL  455 


Baidhter  i  an  uclit  an  chalaidh, 

Leamliain  inghean  Fhearadliaigh, 
Baister  Leamhain  ort  da  eis, 
Meabhair  nach  olc  re  a  fhaisneis. 

Dob  annamh  ceim  catha  gall, 
Fa  timlibb  uaine  a  abhann, 
Fa  meince  leat  a  Leamhain, 
Mac  eillte  fa  tinnbhearaibh. 

Do  fhas  cliughat  Alun  og, 

Mac  Muireadhaigh  ua  min  rod, 
Aluinn  sniiadh  a  ghlac  nglan-ur. 
Slat  do  chuan  an  ched  Alun. 

Noch  ar  leathchumthach  leanna, 
Alun  og  ua  hOilealla, 
Bi  an  gheag  do  fhine  Alun, 
Cead  ag  ibhe  in  aen  ghalun. 

Gen  CO  beith  aclit  aen  tunna  dfhion, 
Ag  fine  Chuirc  na  caeimhriog, 
Ni  soclima  siol  ceann-glan  Chuirc, 
Da  ndearna  fion  do  anairt, 

Mormhaer  Leamhna  leaca  mhin, 
Deagh-mhac  inghine  Ailin, 
A  gheal-lamh,  a  thaebh,  a  throigh, 
Saer  do  leannan  a  Leamhain. 

Saer. 


45C  APPENDIX  VII. 


VII. 


COMPARISON    between    the    Highland    Clans    and    the 
Afghaun  Tribes.     Written  in  1816  by  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

The  genealogies  of  the  Afghaun  tribes  may  be  paralleled  with 
those  of  the  Clans ;  the  nature  of  their  favourite  sports,  their 
love  of  their  native  land,  their  hospitality,  their  address,  their 
simplicity  of  manners,  exactly  correspond.  Their  superstitions 
are  the  same,  or  nearly  so.  The  GhoUe  Beahaun  (demons  of  the 
desert)  resemble  the  Boddach  of  the  Highlanders,  who  '  walked  the 
heath  at  midnight  and  at  noon.'  The  Afghaun's  most  ordinary 
mode  of  divination  is  by  examining  the  marks  in  the  blade-bone 
of  a  sheep,  held  up  to  the  light ;  and  even  so,  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Robert  Kirk  assures  us,  that  in  his  time,  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  '  the  seers  prognosticate  many  future  events  (only  for  a 
month's  space)  from  the  shoulder-bone  of  a  sheep  on  which  a 
knife  never  came.  By  looking  into  the  bone,  they  will  tell  if 
whoredom  be  committed  in  the  owner's  house ;  Avhat  money  the 
master  of  the  sheep  had  ;  if  any  will  die  out  of  that  house  for  a 
month  ;  and  if  any  cattle  there  Avill  take  a  trake  {i.e.  a  disease), 
as  if  planet-struck.'  ^ 

The  Afghaun,  who,  in  his  Aveary  travels,  had  seen  no  vale 
equal  to  his  oavu  native  valley  of  Speiger,  may  find  a  parallel  in 
many  an  exile  from  the  braes  of  Lochaber ;  and  whoever  had 
remonstrated  with  an  ancient  Highland  chief  on  the  superior 
advantages  of  a  civilised  life,  regulated  by  the  authority  of  equal 
laws,  would  have  received  an  answer  something  similar  to  the 
indignant  reply  of  the  old  Afghaun  :  '  We  are  content  with 
discord,  we  are  content  with  alarms,  we  are  content  with  blood, 

1  Essay  on  the  Nature  and  Actions      going  under  tlienameof  Elves,  Fames, 
of  the  Subterranean  Invisible  People      and  the  like.     London,  1815. 


APPENDIX  VII.  457 

but  we  Avill  never  be  content  with  a  master.'  -  The  Highland 
chiefs,  otherwise  very  frequently  men  of  sense  and  education, 
and  only  distinguished  in  Lowland  society  by  an  affectation  of 
rank  and  stateliness  somewhat  above  their  means,  were,  in  their 
own  country,  from  the  absolute  submission  paid  to  them  by 
their  clans,  and  the  want  of  frequent  intercourse  with  persons  of 
the  same  rank  with  themselves,  nursed  iu  a  high  and  daring 
spirit  of  independent  sovereignty  which  would  not  brook  or 
receive  protection  or  control  from  the  public  law  or  government, 
and  disdained  to  owe  their  possessions  and  the  preservation  of 
their  rights  to  anything  but  their  own  broadswords. 

Similar  examples  may  be  derived  from  the  History  of  Persia 
by  Sir  John  Malcolm.  But  our  limits  do  not  permit  us  further 
to  pursue  a  parallel  which  serves  strikingly  to  show  how  the 
same  state  of  society  and  civilisation  produces  similar  manners, 
laws,  and  customs,  even  at  the  most  remote  period  of  time,  and 
in  the  most  distant  quarters  of  the  world.  In  two  respects  the 
manners  of  the  Caubul  tribes  differ  materially  from  those  of  the 
Highlanders  ;  first,  in  the  influence  of  their  Jeergas,  or  patri- 
archal senates,  which  diminishes  the  power  of  their  chiefs,  and 
gives  a  democratic  turn  to  each  separate  tribe.  This  appears  to 
have  been  a  perpetual  and  radical  difference  ;  for  at  no  time  do 
the  Highland  chiefs  appear  to  have  taken  counsel  with  their 
elders,  as  an  authorised  and  indejiendent  body,  although,  no 
doubt,  they  availed  themselves  of  their  advice  and  experience 
upon  the  principle  of  a  general  who  summons  a  council  of  war. 
The  second  point  of  distinction  respects  the  consolidation  of  those 
detached  tribes  under  one  head,  or  king,  who,  Avith  a  degree  of 
authority  greater  or  less  according  to  his  talents,  popularity,  and 
other  circumstances,  is  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  associated 
communities.  In  this  point,  however,  the  Highlanders  anciently 
resembled  the  Afghauns,  as  will  appear  when  we  give  a  brief 
sketch  of  tlieir  general  history.  But  this,  to  be  intelligible, 
must  be  preceded  by  some  account  of  their  social  system,  of 
which  the  original  and  primitive  basis  differed  very  little  from 
the  first  time  that  we  hear  of  them  in  history  until  the  de- 
struction of  clanship  in  1748. — Eeview  of  Culloden  Papers, 
Quarterly  Review,  vol.  xiv.  p.  289. 

-  Account  of  Caubul,  p.  Hi  note. 


458 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


VIII. 
LEGENDARY  DESCENT  OF  THE  HIGHLAND  CLANS, 

ACCORDING  TO  IRISH  MSS. 


CLANS  supposed  to  be  descended  from  Fergus  Leith  Derg,  son 
of  Nemedh,  who  led  the  Nemedian  colony  to  Ireland. 


Genelach     Clann     Cailin 

annsqi 
Cailin  oig  mac 

Gillaeaspic  ruaidh  mic 


Cailin  mic 

Neill  mic 

Cailin  moir  mic 

Gilleeaspic  mic 

Dubgaill  Cambel  a  quo  mic 


Donnchach  mic 
Gillaeaspic  mic 


Genealogy  ofthe  Clan  Colin 
OR  CambellSjNow  Campbells. 
Sir  Colin  Cambell  of  Lochaw 

(chr.  in  1407)  son  of 
Sir  Archibald  Cambell  (has  a 

chr.  in  1 368  of  lands  as  freely 

as    his    progenitor    Duncan 

Mac  Duine)  son  of 
Sir  Colin  Cambell  of  Lochow 

son  of 
Sir  Neill  Cambell  of  Lochaw 

son  of 
Sir    Colin    Mor    Cambell    of 

Lochaw  son  of 
Gillespie  Cambell  (1266,  Exch. 

Rolls)  son  of 
Dugald    Cambel,    from    whom 

came  the  name  of  Cambell, 

son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Gillespie  son  of 


1  From  the  ms.  1467,  Kilbride  ms.,  c.  1540,  and  MacFirbis's  Gen.  ms. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


459 


Gillacolaimrenabarta  micDuibne 

mic 
Duibne^  on  raithir  mic 

Eiranaid  or  Fearadoig  mic 

Smeirbi  mic 

Artuir  mic 

Uibher  .i.  rig  andomain^  mic 

Ambrois  mic 
Considin  mic 
Amgcel  mic 
Toisid  mic 
Conruirg  mic 
Considin  mic 
Artuir  na  laimh  mic 
Laimlin  mic 
Artuir  laimberg  mic 
Bene  Briot  mic 
Artuir  mic 
Allardoid  mic 
Artuir  Fad  Eaglais  mic 
Lamdoid  mic 
Findluga  mic 
Artuir  oig  mic 
Firmara  mic 


-  The  later  spurious  pedigrees 
made  this  Duibhne,  son  of  Diar- 
maid  McDuimhn,  by  Graine  his 
wife,  from  whom  the  Campbells 
were  called  Siol  Diarmaid,  i.e. 
Diarmed's  seed,  and  place  between 
him  and  Earanaid  seven  imaginary 
Duimhns,  Arthurs,  and  Fearathors 
(Campbell's  West  Highland  Tales, 
iii.  p.  89),  thus  importing  the  Os- 
sianic  hero  Diarmed  o  Duine  into 
the  pedigz-ee  from  mere  similarity 
of  name.  There  is  no  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  clan  were  ever 
really  called  Siol  Diarmed. 


Malcolm,  called  Mac  Duine,  son 

of 
Duibhne,  from  whom  the  name 

is  taken,  son  of 
Fearadoig  son  of 
Smeroie  son  of 
Arthur  son  of 
Uibher,  king  of  the  world  {Uther 

Pendragon),  son  of 
Amhrosius  son  of 
Constantine  son  of 
Amgcel  son  of 
Toisid  son  of 
Conruirg  son  of 
Constantine  son  of 
Arthur  of  the  hand,  son  of 
Laimlin  son  of 
Arthur  Eedhand  son  of 
Bene  Briot  son  of 
Arthur  son  of 
Allardoid  son  of 
Arthur  of  the  long  church,  son  of 
Lamdoid  son  of 
Findlay  son  of 
Arthur  the  young,  son  of 
Firmara  or  the  man  of  the  sea, 

son  of 

^  MS.  1467  stops  here,  but  else- 
where says  the  Cam  bells  and  Mac- 
leods  were  descended  from  Neme- 
dius.  The  earlier  part  is  taken  from 
two  other  Mss.  MacFirbis  gives  a 
different  list  of  names,  eleven  in 
number,  but  likewise  terminating 
with  Briotan,  son  of  Fergus  Leth- 
derg.  They  are  '  lobar  or  Uther 
Mac  Lidir  mic  Brearnaird  mic  Mui- 
ris  mic  Magoth  mic  Coiel  mic  Cato- 
gain  mic  Caidimoir  mic  Catogain 
mic  Bende  mic  Mebrec  mic  Grifin 
mic  Briotain,  o  taid  Bretnaig,  mic 
Fergusa  Leithderg  mic  Nemid,'  etc. 


460 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


Artuir  moir  mic 

Bene  Briot  mic 

Briotus  mic 

Briotan  o  bfuilid  Breatnan  mic 

Fergusa  Leithderg  mic 
Nemed 


Artlmr  the  great,  son  of 

Bene  Briot  son  of 

Briotus  son  of 

Briotan,  from   whom  came   the 

Britons,  son  of 
Fergus  Bedside,  son  of 
Nemedius. 


II. 


Genelach  mic  Leod  annso  * 
(Alasdran)  mic 
(  )  mic 

(  )  mic 

(  )  mic 

(Giollacolum)  mic 
(Tarmoid)  mic 
Leod  on  raithir  mic 

Oloig  mic 
Oib  mic 
Oilmoir  mic 
lamhar  oig  mic 
Sin  lamhar  mic 
Sgoinne  Sgandlan  mic 
lamliar  Athacliath  mic 
Connla  mic 
Connaill  cl.  derg  mic 
Ceallacli  mic 
Mardoid  mic 
Ceallach  Catluanid  mic 
Cuilinnan  mic 

^  From  the  Kilbride  MS. ,  c.  1540. 
The  first  six  names  have  been  care- 
fully erased,  probably  by  a  partisan 
of  the  rival  house.  They  are  sup- 
plied from  other  sources. 

5  Alexander  Macleod  has  char- 
ters as  son  and  heir  of  the  deceased 


Genealogy  of  Macleod  here. 
Alexander  Macleod  son  of  ^ 
William  Macleod  son  of 
John  Macleod  son  of 
William  Macleod  son  of 
Malcolm  Macleod  son  of 
Tormode  Macleod  son  of*" 
Leod,  from  whom  the  clan  is 

named,  son  of 
Oil  the  young,  son  of 
Oil)  son  of 
Oil)  the  great,  son  of 
Ivor  the  young,  son  of 
Old  Ivor  son  of 
Sgandlan  of  Scone,  son  of 
Ivor  of  Dublin,  son  of 
Connal  son  of 

Connall  of  the  red  sivord,  son  of 
Ceallach  son  of 
Mardoid  son  of 
Ceallach  Catluanid  son  of 
Cuilinnan  son  of 

William  John  Maclodeson  of  Dun- 
vegan,  on  the  forfeiture  of  the  Lord 
of  the  Isles  iu  1498. — Reg.  Mag. 
Sig. 

"  There  is  a  charter  by  David  ii.  to 
Malcolm,  son  of  Tormode  Macloyde, 
of  two  parts  of  Glenelg.  — R.  I. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


461 


Connla  mic 

Dergdian  Sgotheg  mic 

Manuis  oig  mic 

Magnus  na  luingi  luaithe  mic 

Magnus  Aircin  mic 

lamhar  uallach  mic 

Dergi  mic 

Arailt  mic 

lamhar  nam  Breat  mic 

Ubhaidh  mic 

Arailt  mic 

Aspuig  mic 

Ceallach  mic 

Connla  mic 

Lamus  mic 

Lungbard  mic 

Lamus  mic 

Lochlan  mic 

Arailt  mic 

Laigh  laidere  o.r,  clann  Laigli 

mic 
Fergus  Leighderg 


Connal  son  of 

Dergdian  Sgotheg,  son  of 

Mamts  the  young,  son  of 

Magnus  of  the  swift  ship,  son  of 

Magnus  of  Orkney,  son  of 

Ivor  the  sJcilful,  son  of 

Dergi  son  of 

Harald  son  of 

Ivor  of  the  judgments,  son  of 

Ubhaidh  son  of 

Harald  son  of 

Aspac  son  of 

Ceallach  son  of 

Connal  son  of 

Lamus  son  of 

Longohard  son  of 

Lamus  son  of 

Lochlan  son  of 

Harald  son  of 

Laigh   the  strong,   from    ivhom 

called  Clan  Laigh,  son  of 
Fergus  of  the  red.  side. 


III. 


Genelach  mic  Nicail 

Eoin  mic 
Eogain  mic 
Eoin  mic 
Nicail  mic 
Aigi  mic 
Neailb  mic 
Nicail  mic 


Genealogy    of   the  Nicol- 

SONS.^ 

John  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
John  son  of 
Nicail  son  of 
Aigi  son  of 
Neailb  son  of 
Nicail  son  of 


''  This  genealogy  is  aclcled  from 
MS.  1467,  as  it  contains  a  jumble  of 
Gaelic  and  Norwegian  names  some- 
what similar  to  that  of  the  Mac- 


leods.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
Pictish  name  Trostain  or  Drostain 
occurs  among  them. 


462 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


Gregill  mic 

Gillemure  mic 

Sealbar  mic 

Toircinn  mic 

Tottha  mic 

Trostain  mic 

Sdacaill  mic 

Erble  o  fuiled  ic  Erble  mic 

Arailt  mic 
Murechaich  mic 
Fogacail  mic 
Poil  mic 
Ailin  mic 
Airfin  mic 
Taidg  mic 
Amlaim  mic 
Turcinn  Atacliath  mic 
Arailt  mic 
Asmainn  mic 
Airdil 


GregilF  son  of 

Gillemure  son  of 

Sealbar  son  of 

Toircinn  son  of 

Tottha  son  of 

Trostain  son  of 

Sdacaill  son  of 

Erble,  from  luhom  Mac  Erble, 

son  of 
Earald  son  of 
Murechach  son  of 
Fogacail  son  of 
Paul  son  of 
Allan  son  of 
Airfin  son  of 
Teague  son  of 
Avilaimh  son  of 
Turcinn  of  Dublin,  son  of 
Harald  son  of 
Asmainn  son  of 
Airdil. 


11. 


Clans  supposed  to  be  descended  from  Colla  Uais,  son  of 
Eochaidh  Doimlein,  King  of  Ireland. 


Na  tri  Colla.^ 

A  deir  an  croinicil  go  ttuga- 
dar  na  tri  Colla  seacht  ccatlia 
re  seacht   laithe  a   ndiaia;li    a 


Of  the  three  Collas. 

The  chronicle  says  that  the 
three  Collas  fought  seven  battles 
during    seven    days,  one  after 


^  The  author  of  the  Statistical  Ac- 
count of  Edderachylis  {Stat.  Acct., 
vi.  p.  278)  mentions  that  the  Nicol- 
sons  are  traditionally  descended 
from  a  certain  Krycul,  who  must 
have  lived  in  the   thirteenth  cen- 


tury, and  so  far  the  pedigree  may 
be  genuine. 

9  From  MS.  T.  C.  D.,H.  3, 18.  The 
author  is  indebted  to  Mr.  Hennessy 
for  the  translation  of  this  tract. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


463 


cheile  dultachaibh  agus  gur 
marbadh  ri  uladh  san  chath 
deigheanacli  didh  .i.  Fergus 
fogha  .i.  i  catli  achaidh  deirg. 
Don  taobli  a  bhus  do  ghlionn 
Eighe  do  rinneadh  torann 
gleanna  righe  on  iobur  anuas 
eatarra  agus  ClannaRughraidhe, 
agus  nir  fhilleadar  Clanna  Ru- 
ghraidhe  anun  o  sin  ale.  Do 
chuirRi  eireann  .i.  Muireadhacli 
Tireach  gairm  ar  chlainn  Eacli- 
ach  Duiblen  .i.  na  tri  Colla 
agus  tugadh  go  teamraigh  iad 
agus  tug  saorrse  agus  sochra 
dhoibh  fein  agus  da  noigli- 
righibh  na  ndiaigh  go  sior- 
dhaighe  agus  do  mhaith  mar- 
bhadh  a  athar  doibh  ar  a 
ccongnamh  do  beith  leis  o  sin 
amacli  agus  tug  a  noireadsa 
do  dhuthaigh  doibh  as  cionn  a 
ngabaltais  a  nultaibh  .i.  Triocha 
ced  in  gach  cuigeadli  eile  deirinn 
agus  baile  in  gach  Triocha  ced 
agus  teach  agus  garrdha  in 
gach  baile.  Ag  so  an  chuid 
eile  dona  sochraibh  .i.  coimh- 
eirghe  rompa  ar  fhearuibh 
eirionn  a  naonach  agus  a  noir- 
eachtus  acht  Ri  eireann  amhain 
agus  gan  iadsan  deirghe  re  each, 
Trian  eadala  a  ccuantaibh  long 
doibh.  Tus  dighe  tus  leapta 
agus  ionnalta  re  mileadhaibh 
eireann  i  ttighibh  miodhcurta 
aca.  Coinnmeadh  da  ndaoinibh 
ar  fhearaibh  eireann  an  feadh 
beidis  gan  buanacht  dfhaghail. 


another,  to  the  Ulidians,  and 
that  the  king  of  Ulad,  i.e. 
Fergus  Fogha,  was  slain  in  the 
last  battle  of  them,  viz.  the 
battle  of  Achadh-derg.  On 
this  side  of  Glen-Righe  the 
boundary  of  Glen-Righe  from 
the  Ibar  down  (from  Newry 
northwards)  was  made  between 
them  and  the  Clan  Rughraidhe, 
and  the  Clan  Rughraidhe  did 
not  return  across  from  that  to 
this.  The  king  of  Erin,  viz. 
Muredach  Tireach,  invited  the 
sons  of  Eochaidh  Duiblen,  viz. 
the  three  Collas ;  and  they 
were  brought  to  Tara ;  and  he 
gave  freedom  and  emoluments 
to  themselves  and  their  heirs 
after  them  for  ever.  And  he 
forgave  them  the  killing  on 
condition  that  they  would  aid 
him  from  henceforth.  And  he 
gave  them  this  much  of  posses- 
sions beyond  their  acquisitions 
in  Ulad,  viz.  a  Triocha  ced  in 
every  other  province  of  Erin, 
and  a  bally  in  every  Triocha 
ced,  and  a  house  and  garden  in 
every  bally.  This  is  another 
part  of  the  privileges,  viz.,  that 
the  men  of  Erin,  excepting  the 
king  alone,  should  rise  up  be- 
fore them  in  fair  and  assembly, 
and  that  they  should  rise  up 
before  none.  They  should  have 
a  third  of  the  profits  of  ship- 
harbours  ;  precedence  of  drink, 
bed,  and  ablutions  before  the 


464 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


Gan  eiric  fola  do  dhnl  uatlia. 
Coimlied  gliiall  eireann  aca. 
Giodh  be  do  rachadh  ar  a 
nionchuibh  comairce  go  ceann 
mbliadhna  aige.  Gach  arm 
noclitai"  a  naonacli  no  a  noir- 
eachtus  do  beith  aca.  Ni  raibe 
ag  rigb  eireann  acbt  braigbde 
ar  braigbdibb  uatba.  Leath- 
gbuala  Rigb  eireann  ag  righ 
sleacbta  na  ccolla  agus  fad  a 
laimhe  agus  a  Lainne  dfhol- 
mbugbadb  eder  e  agus  cacb. 
Coinnmeadb  eacbra  agus  ebon 
o  sbamuin  go  bealtuine  ar  feadb 
eirenn  aca.  Da  mbuantaoi 
creach  na  ndiaigh  dbiobh  agus 
siad  ar  sbiaigbeadb  rigb  eireann 
se  ba  san  bboin  doibb  uadba. 
Bo  ar  ficb  agus  tuarasdul  do 
gach  aoin  da  maitbibb  o  righ 
eireann  ar  sbiaigbeadb.  Triocba 
colg  ded.  Triocba  bait  airgid. 
Triocba  sleagb.  Triocba  brat 
o  rigb  eireann  do  rigb  sleacbta 
na  ccolla  iar  bbfbilleadh  da 
sluaigbeadh  agus  da  mbeidis 
geill  uatba  ag  rigb  eireann  ni 
bhiodb  do  cbuibbreacb  ortha 
acbt  slabrad  oir.  No  a  mbeitb 
fa  reir  a  ccuideacbtain  righ 
eireann.  Oir  as  uime  a  dearar 
oirgiallaibh  riu  .i.  or  as  glais 
da  ngiallaibb.  Ag  sin  a  socbair 
maille  re  sochraibb  eile  nach 
airmtear  annso.  A  siad  na 
ceithre  baibhne  as  uaisle  a  nul- 
taibb  torauna  fearainn  cbloinne 
na  ccolla  .i.  Boinn,  Banna,  an 


knights  of  Erin,  in  banquet- 
balls.  Coigny  for  their  people 
whilst  they  might  l)e  without 
getting  Bonaglit.  That  they 
sbould  not  lose  blood-eric ; 
should  have  the  guarding  of 
the  hostages  of  Erin ;  that 
whoever  sought  their  guarantee 
sbould  have  protection  for  a 
year ;  that  they  sbould  have 
every  weapon  unsheathed  in 
fair  or  assembly.  The  king  of 
Erin  bad  from  them  only 
pledge  for  pledge.  The  king 
of  the  race  of  the  Collas  should 
have  the  half-shoulder  of  the  king 
of  Erin  (the  right  to  sit  or  stand 
beside  him),  and  the  length  of 
bis  band  and  spear  should  be 
vacant  between  him  and  all 
others.  Tbeyshould  have  main- 
tenance for  horse  and  hound 
throughout  Erin  from  Allhal- 
lowtide  to  May.  If  a  prey  were 
taken  from  them  in  their  rear, 
when  on  tbe  hosting  of  the  king 
of  Erin,  they  sbould  have  six 
cows  from  him  for  every  cow. 
The  pay  of  each  of  their  good- 
men  from  tbe  king  of  Erin,  on 
a  hosting,  was  21  cows.  Tbe 
king  of  tbe  race  of  tbe  Collas 
should  get  from  the  king  of 
Erin,  after  returning  from  his 
hosting,  30  swords,  30  silver 
belts,  30  spears,  30  garments, 
and  if  the  king  of  Erin  had 
any  hostages  from  them,  there 
Avas  no  manacle  on  them  save 


APPENDIX  YIII. 


465 


Eirne  agus  an  Fhionn.  lom- 
thusa  Cholla  Uais  nior  bhfhiu 
leis  fuireach  ar  a  chuid  don 
duthuigh  no  do  na  socliraibh 
sin  a  dubramar  o  do  bi  ere  agus 
an  rioghacht  aige  fein  roime 
sin.  Eagbliais  a  fhearann  agus 
na  sochair  sin  aga  braithribh. 
Dala  Colla  Uais  anais  a  mbun 
a  gabaltais  fein  a  nalbain  agus 
a  blifhionnlochlannuibh  o  shoin 
ale  agus  a  ngablaigheann  uadha 
acht  ar  fhill  go  heirinn  diobh 
a  mbun  a  ndutlichasa.  Ase  so 
craobbsgaoileadh  shleachta  rigb 
eireann  .i.  Colla  Uais  .i.  Clann 
Domnaill  a  neirinn  agus  a 
nalbain  agus  a  ngablaigeann 
uatha.  Mar  a  taid  Clann  Ragb- 
naill  a  tuaigh  agus  Clann  Eoin 
Airnamurcbann  agus  Macdubh- 
gbuill  latbairn  agus  Clann  Alas- 
dair  a  neirinn  agus  a  nalban 
agus  Clann  tsithigh  naMunchan 
agus  moran  do  maithibh  oile 
nacb  airemtear  sonn. 


VOL.  III. 


a  gold  chain,  or  they  would  be 
under  control  in  the  suite  of 
the  king  of  Erin  ;  for  the  reason 
they  are  called  Oirgialla  is  that 
gold  (or)  is  the  lock  (glas)  for 
their  hostages  (gialla).  These 
are  their  j^rivileges,  together 
with  other  privileges  not  enu- 
merated here.  The  four  noblest 
rivers  in  Ulad  are  the  bound- 
aries of  the  lands  of  the  Clan 
Colla,  viz.  the  Boyne,  the  Bann, 
the  Erne,  and  the  Finn.  As 
regards  Colla  Uais,  he  did  not 
think  it  worth  while  remaining 
with  his  share  of  the  country, 
or  of  those  privileges  we  have 
mentioned,  for  he  himself  had 
Erin  and  the  kingship  ere  then. 
He  left  the  land  and  those  pri- 
vileges to  his  brothers.  With 
regard  (further)  to  Colla  Uais, 
he  remained  in  the  founda- 
tion of  his  own  acquisitions  in 
Alban  and  Finnlochlann  (Innsi- 
gall)  from  that  time  to  this,  and 
all  who  descend  from  him, 
except  those  that  returned  to 
Erin  or  the  foundation  of  their 
inheritance.  These  are  the 
branches  of  the  race  of  the 
king  of  Erin,  viz.  Colla  Uais, 
viz.  the  Clan  Donald  of  Erin 
and  Alban,  and  those  Avho  de- 
scend from  them,  as  are  the 
Clan  Ranald  of  the  north,  the 
Clan  Ian  Ardnamurchan  and 
MacDougall  of  Lorn,  and  the 
Clan  Alaster  of  Erin  and  Alban, 
2  G 


466 


AI'PKNDIX  VIII. 


and  the  Clan  Sheeliy  of  Mun- 
ster,  and  many  other  good  men 
not  enumerated  here. 


Genealach    mig 

na  halban^*' 
Eoin  mac 

Aengusa  oig  mic 

Aengusa  moir  mic 

Domhnall  mic 
Raghnaill  mic 

Somairli  mic 

Gillebrigde  mic 
Gilleadamnain  mic 
Solaimh  mic 
Imergi^^  mic 

Suibhne  mic 
Niallgusa  mic 
Amaini  mic 
Gofraidh  mic 
Fergusa  mic 
Eire  mic 
Echach  mic 
Golla  Uais 


II. 
DoMHNAij,     Genealogy  of  the  Macdon- 

ALDS  OF  AlBAN. 

John   i^Lord  of   the   Ides,   died 

1380)  son  of 
Angus   og   (Lord   of  the   hies) 

son  of 
Angus  mor  (Lord  of  the  Ides) 

son  of 
Donald  (Lord  of  the  Isles)  son  of 
Reginald,  King    of   the    Isles, 

son  of 
Somerled    (Kinglet    of  Argyll) 

son  of 
Gillebride  son  of 
Gilladomnan  son  of 
Solomon  son  of 
Jehmarc  (did  homage  to  Canvie 

1029)  S071  of 
Suibhne  son  of 
Niallgusa  son  of 
Maine  son  of 
Godfrey  son  of 
Fergus  son  of 
Ere  son  of 
Echach  son  of 
Colla  Uais. 


III. 


Craebsgaieled  Clann  Dom- 
NALL  ANSO  .i.  Clann  Eoin  a 

i»  Taken  from  the  Books  of  Balli- 
mote  and  Leccan. 

^'  MacFirbis  gives  this  name  as 
Meargaidhe,  and  adds  a  quo.     He 


The  Branches  of  the  Clan- 
Donald  here,  viz.  the  chil- 

terms  the  clan  Ua  Meargaidhe, 
meaning  that  this  name  was  de- 
rived from  this  Meargaidhe.  The 
name  is  unknown  in  Scotland. 


APPENDIX  VIII . 


467 


hile^-  Eoin  agus  Eagnall  agus 
Gofraig  tri  mic  E.  mliic 
Euaidri;  Domnall  og  agus 
Eoin  agus  Aengus  agus  Alex- 
andair  iiii.  mhic  inghen 
Galtin  .i.  rig  Alban. 


Ag  Eoin  a  hile  condregaid 
Clann  Domnall  agus  Clanu 
Eagnall  agus  Clann  Gofruig. 

Clann  Eagnall  Ailin  agus  Eoin 
dobi  dall  fadeoig  agus  Dom- 
nall agus  Aengusa  Eiabhacli 
agus  Dubgaill  agus  ag  so 
clann  a  sin  .i.  Clann  Ailin 
Euaidri  agus  Uisdinn  agus 
Eoin. 

Clann  Domnall  mhic  Eagnall 
Eoin  dar  mathair  Laiglib  ing- 
hen Cimair  agus  Alexandair 
na  caillie  agus  Aengus  oig 
Clann  inghean  mhic  Cimisin. 


Eoin  dall  acu  mac  les  .i.  Eoin. 

Aengus  Eiabhach  aen  mac  mait 
aige  .i.  Aengus  oig  aig  air- 
obusa  fein  amaelanac  oig. 

Clann  Dubgaill  mhic  Eagnall 
agus  Aengus  Euadh. 
Clann  Gofruig  Aengus  agus 
Eoin  agus  Somairli  agus  Eag- 
nall. 

Aengus  trath  nir  fagail  clann 
mae  agb  ata  sil. 


dren  of  John,  Lord  of  the 
Isles,  John  and  Eeginald  and 
Godfrey,  the  three  sons  of 
Amie  mac  Eory ;  Donald  og 
and  John  and  Angus  and 
Alexander,  four  sons  of  the 
daughter  of  Galtur  (Eobert), 
king  of  Alban. 

The  Clan  Donald,  Clan  Eanald, 
and  Clan  Godfrey  meet  at 
John  Lord  of  the  Isles. 

The  children  of  Eeginald  were 
Allan  and  John,  who  was 
blind  from  youth,  and  Donald 
and  Angus  Eiabhach  and 
Dugald ;  and  these  are  the 
children  of  Allan,  viz.Eoderic 
and  Huistein  and  John. 

The  children  of  Donald  son  of 
Eeginald  were  John,  whose 
mother  was  Laiglib  daughter 
of  Cimair,  and  Alexander  of 
the  woods,  and  Angus  og, 
children  of  the  daughter  of 
Macimie. 

Blind  John  had  but  one  son, 
viz.  John, 

Angus  Eiach  had  one  good  son, 
viz.  Angus  og,  and  had  in 
him  a  bald-headed  youth. 

The  children  of  Dugald  son  of 
Eeginald  are  .  .  and  Aengus 
thered.  The  children  of  God- 
frey were  Angus  and  John 
and  Somerled  and  Eeginald. 

Angus  dying  early  did  not  leave 
any  male  children  who  had 
offspring. 

1-  Taken  from  ms.  1467. 


468 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


IV. 


Marcus  mac 
Somairlig  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Aengusa  mor 
Eoin  mac 
RaghnailP^  mic 
Alexandair  mic 
Aengusa  moir 
Aengus  og  mac 
Aengusa  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Aengusa  moir 
Eoin  mac 
Somairli  mic 
Eoindub  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Angus  mor 
Godfrey  mac 
Angus  mliic 
Alexander  oig 
Angus  odhar  mac 
Toirdealbach  mhic 
Alexander  oig 
Somairli  mac 
Gillabrigdi  mic 
Gofraig  mic 
Alexandair  oig 


The  Clan  Alastair.^'^ 

Marcus  son  of 

Somerled  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Angus  mor,  Lord  of  the  Isles. 

John  son  of 

Eeginald  son  of 

Alexander  son  of  ' 

Angus  mor. 

Angus  og  son  of 

Angus  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Angus  moir. 

John  son  of 

Somerled  son  of 

Black  John  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Angus  mor  {Lord  of  the  hies). 

Godfrey  son  of 

Angus  son  of 

Alexander  oig. 

Angus  the  pale  son  of 

Tearlach  son  of 

Alexander  oig. 

Somerled  son  of 

Gillebride  son  of 

Godfrey  son  of 

Alexander  oitr. 


The    following    branches,    de-       are  obviously  the  Clan  Alasdair. 


scended  from  Alaxandair,  son  of  An- 
gus mor,  are  taken  from  the  Books 
of  Ballimote  and  Leccan  and  MS. 
1467,  and,  though  bearing  no  title, 


'"*  Raghnall  mac  Alaxandair,  heir 
of  the  Clann  Alaxandair,  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Annals  of  Ulster  in 
1363. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


469 


V. 


Domnall  mac 
Aengus  mic 
Eoin  sprangaig  mic 
Aengusa  mor 


The   Clan   Ian   of  Ardna- 

MURCHAN.^^ 

Donald  son  of 

Angus  son  of 

John  the  bold  son  of 

Angus  mor  {Lord  of  the  Isles). 


VI. 


Domnall  mac^'^ 
Alaxandair  mic 
Domnaill  mic 
Raghnaill  mic 

Somairli 

Dondchad    agus    Eachond    da 

mhic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Domnall  mic 
Raghnaill 

Eoin  agus  Gillaespic  da  mhic 
Donnchaid  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Domnaill  mic 
Raghnaill 
Toirdealbach  agus  Lochlan  da 

mhic 
Eachduind  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Domnaill  mic 
Raghnaill 


Donald  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Donald  {Lord  of  the  Isles)  son  of 

Reginald    {Lord    of    the   Isles) 

son  of 
Somerled. 
Duncan  and  Eoclia  two  sons  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Donald  son  of 

Reginald. 

John  and  Gillespie  two  sons  of 

Duncan  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Donald  son  of 

Reginald. 

Tearlach  and  Lochlan  two  sons 

of 
Eocha  son  of 
Alexander  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Resfinald. 


^■'  This  pedigree,  taken  from  Book 
of  Leccan  and  ms.  1467,  though 
without  a  title,  is  evidently  that  of 
the  Clan  Ian  Ardnamurchan. 


^^  The  following  descendants  of 
Alexander,  son  of  Donald,  Lord  of 
the  Isles,  from  Book  of  Leccan  and 
MS.  1467. 


470 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


VII. 


Genealach  mag  Dubhgailli^ 

Eoin  mac 

Ailin  mic 

Eoin  mic 

Alaxandair  mic 

Eogan  moir  mic 

Donchadh  mic 

Dubhgaill  mic^^ 

Raghnaill 

gu  concraigid  na  tri 

cineduigli  .i.  Claim  Domnaill 

agus  Clann  Dubgaill  agus 

MacEuaidri 

Eoin  mac^'^ 

Eoin  mic 

Alaxandair 

Alaxandair  og  mac 

Eoin  mic 

Alaxandair 

Eoin  agus  Somairli  agus  Ailin 

agus  Alaxandair  og 
Ceithri  mhic  Eoin  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Donnchaidh 


Genealogy  of  MacDougall. 

John  son  of 

Allan  son  of 

John  son  of  ^^ 

Alexander  son  of 

Ewen  mor  son  of 

Duncan  son  of 

Dougall  son  of 

Reginald 

where  the  three  tribes  of  the 

Clan  Donald,  Clan  Dubgall,  and 

MacRory  converge. 

John  son  of 

John  son  of 

Alexander. 

Alexander  og  son  of 

John  son  of 

Alexander. 

John  and  Somei'led  and  Allan 
and  Alexander  og  were  the 
four  sons  of  John  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

Duncan. 


i 


Clann  Eoin  bogaig^i 
Eoin  mac 
Lochland  mic 
Somairli  mic 


VIII, 

Clan  of  John  the  Lame. 
John  son  of 
Lochlan  son  of 
Somerled  son  of 


'^  From  Book  of  Ballimote  and  MS. 
1467.  It  also  occurs  in  Book  of 
Leccan  under  the  name  of  '  Clann 
Somairli. ' 

^^  Appears  in  1491  as  Dominus 
Johannes  de  Ergadia  filius  nobilis 
viri  Domini  Alexandri  de  Ergadia. 


^'■^  Dubgall  is  erroneously  made 
son  of  Reginald.  In  Book  of  Lec- 
can he  is  correctly  made  son  of 
Somerled. 

-"  From  the  Book  of  Leccan. 

"1  From  Book  of  Leccan  and  ms 
1467. 


i 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


471 


Donnchadh  mic 

Dubhgail 

Dondchad  mac 

Alaxandair  mic 

Eoin  mic 

Donchaid 

Malcolaim  mac 

Lochland  mic 

Eoin  mic 

Donchad 

Fearchai"  agus  Lochland  agus 

Imar  tri  mliic 
Gillacolum  mic 
Imair  mic 
Dubhgaill  mic 
Lochland  mic 
Donchad  mic 
Dubgaill 
Alaxandair    agus   Somairli  da 

mhic 
Eoin  mic 
Alaxandair  mic 
Donnchaidh  mic 
Dubhsraill 


Duncan  son  of 

Dougall. 

Duncan  son  of 

Alexander  son  of 

John  son  of 

Duncan. 

Malcolm  son  of 

Lochlan  son  of 

John  son  of 

Duncan. 

Ferchard  and  Lochlan  and 

Ivor  three  sons  of 
Malcolm  son  of 
Ivor  son  of 
Dougall  son  of 
Lochlan  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Dougall. 
Alexander  and  Somerled  two 

sons  of 
John  son  of 
Alexander  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Douarall. 


IX. 


Genealach  mhic  Euaidri-- 

Tomas  mac 

Eagnall  finn  mic 

Lochloind  mic 

Ailin  mic 

Ruaidri  mic 

Ragnaill 

Ragnall  finn  eile  mac-'^ 

"  From  Books  of  Ballimote  and 
Leccan  and  ms.  1467. 

-•*  From  Book  of  Leccan  and  ms. 
14ri7.     Reginald  filius  Roderici  has 


Genealogy  of  MacRory. 

Thomas  son  of 

Ranald  the  white,  son  of 

Lochlan  son  of 

Allan  son  of 

Roderic  or  Rory  son  of 

Reginald  (Lord  of  the  Isles). 

Another  Ranald  the  white,  son  of 

a  charter  of  Garmoran  and  other 
lands  from  David  ii.,  and  his  father 
Roderic  filius  Alani  of  the  same 
lands  from  Robert  Bruce. 


472 


Al'l'KNDIX  VIII. 


Kuaidri  mic 

Ailin  mic 

Ruaidri  mic 

liagnaill 

Fearchar    agus    Donnchad    da 

mhic-^ 
Dondchaid  mic 
Dubgaill  mic 
Ruaidri  mic 
Ragliuaill 

Do  Raglinall  sin  Comraig 
Clann  Domnall  agus 
Ciann  Ruaidi-i-^  .i.  Ruaddri 
agus  Domnall  da  mhic 
Raghnall.     Dearbrathair 
do  Raghnall  sin  Dubgall 
a  quo  Clann  Dubgaill 


Roderic  son  of 

Allan  son  of 

Roderic  son  of 

Reginald  {Lord  of  the  Isles). 

Ferchard  and  Duncan  two  sons 

of 
Duncan  son  of 
Dougall  son  of 
Roderic  son  of 
Reginald  {Lord  of  the  Isles). 
At  this  Reginald  meet  the 
Clan  Donald  and  Clan  Rory, 
for  Roderic  and  Donald  were  the 
two  sons  of  Reginald.     His 
brother-german  was  Dougall, 
from  whom  were  descended 
the  Clan  Dou2:all. 


III. 

Clans  supposed  to  be  descended  from  the  Hy  Neill  or  race  of 
Niall  Naoi  Giallach,  king  of  Ireland,  through  Niall  Glun- 
dubh,  head  of  the  northern  Hy  Neill  and  king  of  Ireland, 
slain  917. 


Genelach  Clann  Ladmann-*^  Genealogy  of  the  Clan  Lad- 


Roibert  mac 
Donchadh  mic 
Eoin  mic 
Giollacoluim  mic 
Ladmainn  mic 
Giollacoluim  mic 


MANN  OE  LaMONTS. 

Robert  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
John  son  of 
Malcolm  son  of 
Ladmann  son  of 
Malcolm  son  of 


-■'  From  Book  of  Leccan. 

-*  MS.  1467  has  erroneously  Con- 
drecaidh  Clann  Ruaidri  agus  Clann 
Domnall  agus  Clann  Dubgaill — con- 


verged the  Clan  Rory,  Clan  Donald, 
and  Clan  Dougall. 

-''  This  and  the  three  following  are 
from  the  ms.  1467  and  MacFirbis. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


473 


Fearchair  mic 
Duinsleibe  mic 
Aeda  Alain  .i.  Buirclie  mic 
Anradan  mic 
Flaithbertaigli  mic 
Murcertach  mic 
Domuall  mic 
Murcertach  mic 
Neill  Glundub 


Ferchard  son  of 

Duinsleibhe  son  nf 

Aeda  Alain  the  Buirche,  son  of 

Anradan  son  of 

Flaherty  son  of 

Murcertach  son  of 

Donald  son  of 

Murcertach  son  of 

Niall  Glundubh  (or  Black  Knee). 


DogenelachmhicLachlan  og 

Caineach  mac 

Eoin  mic 

Lachlan  mic 

Gillapadruig  mic 

Lachlan  moir  mic 

(Tillapadruig  mic 

(iillacrist  mic 

Aeda  Alain 

renabarta  Buirche  mic 

Anradan  condregaided 

Clanna  Neill  Nai  Giallach 

Caitrina  ingen 

Donchadh  mic 

Ladmann  mathair 

Cainig  agus  Padraig  agus 

Gillaespic  agus 

Agais  ingen 

mic  Domnaill  mathair 

Eoin  agus 

Ealusaid  ingen 

Mormair  Comgaill  mathair 

Lachlain  oig  agus 

mathair  Gillapadruig  ingen 

Domnall  mic 

Eiri  mic 

Ceinnedou  tigerna  Cair2;e  ai^us 


Genealogy  of  MacLachlan. 

Kenneth  son  of 

John  son  of 

Lachlan  son  of 

Gillapadrig  son  of 

Lachlan  Mor  son  of 

Gillapadrig  son  of 

Gillacrist  son  of 

Aeda  Alain 

called  Buirche  son  of 

Anradan,  where  it  converges  with 

the  Clan  Niall  Naoi  Giallach. 

Catherine  the  daughter  of 

Duncan  son  of 

Ladmann  was  mother  of 

Kenneth,  Patrick, and  Gillespie, 

and  Agnes  the  daughter 

of  Macdonald  was  the 

mother  of 

John  and 

Elizabeth  daughter  of 

the  Lord  of  Cowall  was 

mother  of  Lachlan  og  and 

the  mother  of  Gillapadrig 

was  the  daughter  of  Donald 

son  of  Eric  mac  Kennedy  Lord 

of  Carrick  and  the  daughter  of 


474 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


inccen  Lachlau  mic 
Ruaidri  mathair 
Gillapadruig  .i.  Ateg  no  M. 


Lachlan  mac  Rory  was  the 
mother  of  Gillajjadric,  viz, 
Atesr  or  M. 


III. 
Genelach  Clann  Somairle      Genealogy   of    the   Clan 


Domnall  mac 

Gillaespic  mic 
Aengusa  mic 
Domnaill  mic 
Somairle  mic 
Ferchair  mic 
Duinsleibe  son  of 
Buirche 


Sorley. 
Donald  son  of 
Gillespie  son  of 
Angus  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Somerled  son  of 
Ferchard  son  of 
Dunslebhe  son  of 
Biirche. 


IV. 


Genelach  mhic  Eogain  na 

HOITREAC  ANNSO 

Baltuir  mac 
Eoin  mic 
Eogain  mic 
Gillaespic  mic 

mic 

mic 
Saibairan  mic 
Duinsleibe  mic 
Aeda  Alain  renabarta 
Buirche  mic 
Anradan  mic 
Flathbertai2;h 


Genealogy  of  MacEwen  of 
Otter  here. 

"Walter  son  of 
John  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
Gillespie  son  of 

son  of 

son  of 
Saveran  son  of 
Dunslebhe  so7i  of 
Aeda  Alain  called 
Buirche  son  of 
Anradan  son  of 
Flaherty. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


475 


IV. 


Clans  supposed  to  be  descended  from  CoRC,  son  of  Lughaidh, 
king  of  Munstei",  of  the  line  of  Heber. 


Mungfhionn  ingen  Fearadaig-' 
Finn  Feachtnaigh  righ 
Cruithneach  Alban-^  mathair 
ceithre  mhic  do  Core  .i. 
Cairbre  Cruithnechan  agus 
Maine  Leamna  a  quo 
Leamnuigh  an  Alban 
Cairbre  a  quo  Eoganaclit 
Muighegearrain  in  Alban -'^ 
Cairbre  Luachra  a  quo 
Eoganacht  Locha  Lein 
agus  Aois  arta  agus  Aois 
Alia  agus  Aois  greine 
Cronan  a  quo  Cruithn 
rige  Eamain 

An  da  Cairbre  .i.  Cairbre 
Luachra^*'  agus  Cairbre 
Cruthneachan  amus  diobh 
an  Alban  orba  matliair 
do  Cruithneaclianuibh 
Alban  .i.  Cairbre  Cruth- 
neachan a  Muighgearrain 
agus  Maine  Leamna  a 
Muighe  Leamna 

-7  From  MS.  T.  C.  D.,  H.  2.5. 
There  is  another  edition  of  this 
legend  in  ms.  Bod.  Rawl.,  502. 

-®  The  Bodleian  ms.  has  Cruith- 
intuath,  that  is,  Pictland. 

-"  The  Bod.  ms.  adds  '  dia  rabi 
Aengus  ri  Albain,'  '  through  whom 


Mungfinn  daughter  of  Feradach 
Finn  Fachtnaigh  king  of  the 
Picts  of  Alban  was  the  mother 
of  four  sons  to  Core,  viz. 
Cairbre  Cruithnechan  and 
Maine  Leamna  from  whom  are 
the  people  of  Lennox  in  Alban. 
From  Cairbre  are  the  Eoganacht 
of  the  Mearns  in  Alban. 
Cairbre  Luachra  from  whom 
are  the  Eoganacht  of  Lochalein, 
Aos  Arta,  Aos  Alia  and  Aos 
Greine ; 

Cronan  from  whom  are  the 
Cruithnigh  of  the  kingdom  of 
Eamania. 

The  two  Cairbres  viz.  Cairbre 
Luachra  and  Cairbre  Cruth- 
nechan,  settled  in  Alban  on 
the  inheritance  of  their 
mother  who  was  of  the  Picts 
of  Alban  viz.  Cairbre  Cruth- 
nechan  in  the  Mearns 
and  Maine  Leamna  in 
the  plain  of  the  Leven. 

was  Angus,  king  of  Alban, '  a  name 
given  by  Tighernac  to  Angus,  son 
of  Fergus,  king  of  the  Picts,  who 
died  in  761. 

^"  Cairbre  Luachra  is  here  inserted 
by  mistake  for  Maine  Leamna. 


470 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


II. 


Genealach  Mormaor 

LeAMNA  ANSO  SIOS'^1 

Donnchach  mac 

Baltair  mic 
Amlaimh  mic 
Donnchach  mic 
Amlaoimh  og  mic 
Amlaoimh  mor  mic 
Ailin  mic 

Ailiu  mor  mic 

Muireadhaigh  mic 
Maoldomhnaigh  mic 
Maine  Leamna  mic 
Cuirc  mic 
Lusrhaidh 


Genealogy  of  the  Mormaers 

OF  Lennox  down  here. 
Duncan  {eighth  cnrl  af  Lennox) 

son  of 
Walter^-  (de  Fasselane)  son  of 
Awley  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Awley  the  young,  son  of 
Awley  mor,  son  of 
Ailin   (second    earl    of  Lennox) 

son  of 
Ailin  mor  (first  earl  of  Lemiox) 

son  of 
Muredach  son  of 
Maeldovnaigh  son  of 
Maine  Leamna  son  if 
Core  son  of 
Lughaidh. 


Clans  supposed  to  be  descended  from  the  Kings  of  Dalriada 
in  Scotland. 

First  Group — Clans  descended  from  Fearchar  fada,  son  of  Feara- 
dach  of  the  Tribe  of  Lorn,  king  of  Dalriada  ;  died  697. 


Genealach  Clann  Dubh^s 
Maelsnechta  mac 


"  From  MS.  T.  C.  D.,  H.  1,  7  ; 
aud  MS.  1467. 

^-  Walter  de  Fasselane  married 
Margaret,  daughter  and  heiress  of 
Donald,  sixth  Earl  of  Lennox.  His 
father  Alan  is  by  the  peerage-writers 
identified  with  Awley,  grandson  of 
Aluin,  second  earl,  but  this  would 
put  him  in  the  same  generation  with 


Genealogy  OF  the  Clan  Duff. 

Maelsnectai  (king  of  Moi'ay,  d. 
1085)  son  of 

his  wife's  grandfather.     This  pedi- 
gree supplies  the  omitted  links. 

^■''  This  genealogy  occurs  in  the 
Books  of  Leinster,  Ballimote,  and 
Leccan,  in  MS.  1467,  MS.  Bod.  Rawl., 
502,  and  T.  C.  D.,  H.  2,  18,  where  it 
is  called  the  Genealogy  of  the  Clan 
Duff,  in  the  Book  of  Leinster  the 
Clan  Lulaigh,  in  MS.  Bod.  Ri  Alban. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


477 


Lulaig  niic 

Gillicomgan  mic 

Maelbrigde  mic 
Ruadri  mic 
Domnall  mic 
Morgaind  mic 
Domnall  mic 
Cathmail  mic 
Ruadri  mic 
Aircellach  mic 
Ferchair  fhoda  mic 
Fearadaig  mic 
Fergusa  mic 
Sneachtain  mic 
Colmain  mic 
Buadan  mic 
Eathaig  mic 
Muredaig  mic 
Loarn  moir  mic 
Eire  mic 

Ethach  munreamliar 
MacBiad  mac 

Finnlaeic  mic 

Euadri  mic 
Domnall  mic 
Morsfainn 


Lulacli    {king    of   Scotland,    d. 

1058)  son  of 
Gillcomgan  (Mormaer  of  Moray, 

d.  1032)  son  of 
Maelbrigda  son  of 
Ruadri  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Morgan  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Cathmail  son  of 
Ruadri  son  of 
Aircellach  son  of 
Ferchar  fada  son  of 
Feradach  son  of 
Fergus,  son  of 
Sneachtain  son  of 
Colman  son  of 
Buadan  son  of 
Ethach  son  of 
Muredaig  son  of 
Loarn  mor  son  of 
Ere  son  of 
Ethach  munreamhar. 
Macbeth  (king   of  Scotland,  d. 

1058)  son  of 
Findlaech  {Mormaer  of  Moray, 

d.  1020)  son  of 
Ruadri  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Morgan. 


Genelach  mic  Neachtaik  ^^ 

Muiris  mac 

Malcolum  mic 

Muiris  mic 

Maelcoluim  mic 

31  From  MS.  1467. 

•■'^  Maurice  MacNaughton  has   a 


Genealogy  of  MaoNachtan. 

Maurice  son  of 

Malcolm  son  of 

Maurice  son  of  ^^ 

Malcolm  son  of 

charter   from    Colin    Campbell    of 
Lochow  of  lands  in  Over  Lochow. 


47.S 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


(libuin  mic 
Fercliacr  mic 
Gillchrist  mic 
Domnaill  mic 
Neachtaiu  mic 
Artuir  mic 
Gibuiu  mic 
Neachtaiu  mic 
Isog  mic 
Gillamartain  mic 
Aengusa  mic 
Imhair  mic 
Neachtain  og  mic 
Neaclitain  nisin  mic 
Neachtan  moir  mic 
Domnaill  duinn  mic 
Fercliair  facia  mic 
Feradaigli  mic 
Fergusa  mic 
Neachtan  mic 
Colmain  mic 
Buadan  mic 
Eathach  mic 
Muiredaig  mic 
Loarn  moir  mic 
Eire  mic 
Ecliach  muinreamhair 


Gilbert=^°  son  of 

Ferchard  son  of 

Gilchrist  son  of 

Donald  son  of 

Nachtan  son  of 

Arthur  son  of 

Gilbert  son  of 

Nachtan  son  of 

Isaac  son  of 

Gillamartan  son  of 

Angus  son  of 

Ivor  son  of 

Nachton  the  young,  son  of 

Nachtan  of  the  wounds,  son  of 

Nachtan  mor  son  of 

Donald  donn  (or  the  brown)  son  of 

Ferchar  fada  son  of 

Feradach  son  of 

Fergus  son  of 

Neachtan  son  of 

Caiman  son  of 

Buadan  son  of 

Eathach  son  of 

Muredach  son  of 

Loarn  mor  son  of 

Ere  son  of 

Ethach  munreamhar. 


III. 


Do  Genelach  Clann  an  Tois- 
iGH  ANNSO  .1.  Clann  Gilla- 
catan^^ 

William  agus  Domnall  da  mhic 

William  mic 
Ferchair  mic 


William  mic 

36  In  1292  terra  Gilbert!  MacNaughton. 


Genealogy  of  the  Clan  an 
toshach  here,  viz.  the 
Clan  Gillachattan. 

William  and  Donald  two  sons 
of 

William  son  of 

Ferchard  ((mentioned  in 
1383)  son  of 

William  son  of 


From  MS.  1467. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


479 


Gillamichol  mic 
Ferchair  mic 
Disiab  mic 
Gillacrist  mic 
Aigcol  mic 
Eogain  mic 

mic  mic 
Neill 

Lochlaine  mac 
Suibne  mic 
Disiab  mic 
Leoid  mic 
Tsead  mic 

Ferchar  mic 
Gillacrist  mic 
Maelcolaim  mic 
Domnaill  renabarta 
ill  Caimgilla  mic 
Mureacli  mic 
Suibne  mic 
Teadh  mic 
Neaclitain  mic 

Gillachatain  o  fuiled  Claim  Gil- 
lacatan  mic 

Gallbrait  mic 
Diarmada  renabarta 
an  Fear  Leigbinn  mic 
Ere  mic 
Conlait  mic 
Fearchair  fota  mic 
Fearadaiffli 


Gillamicliael  son  of 

Fercliard  son  of 

Shaw  son  of 

Gilchrist  son  of 

Aigcol  son  of 

Ewen  son  of 

son  of  the  son  of 

Neill. 

Lochlan  son  of 

Suibhne  son  of 

Shaw  son  of 

Leod  son  of 

Scayth  (mentioned  in 
1338)  son  of 

Fercliard  son  of 

Gilchrist  son  of 

Malcolm  son  of 

Donald,  called  the 
Caimgilla,  son  of 

Mureacli  son  of 

Suibhne  son  of 

Tead  son  of 

Nachtain  son  of 

Gillachattan,  from    whom    de- 
scended the  Clanii  Gillachat- 
tan, son  of 
,  Gallbrait  son  of 

Diarmad  called 
the  Lector,  son  of 

Ere  $0)1  of 

Conlaith  son  of 

Ferchar  fada  son  of 

Feradach. 


IV. 


Genelach  Clann  Maelan- 
FHAiGH  (Clann  Gilla 
camsroin)3s 

'^  From  MS.  1467. 


Genealogy  of  the  Clan 
Millony  or  Clan  Came- 
ron. 


480 


ArPENDTX  VIII. 


Eoghan  m;ic 

Domnall  duibh  mic 

Ailin  maelanfaid  mic 

Poil  mic 

Gillapadniig  mic 

Gillamartain  mic 

Poil  mic 

Mailanfaid  mic 

Gillroid  a  quo  Gillacamsroin 

agus  clann  Maelanfaigli 
o  fuilid'*^  .  .  .  mic 
Gillamartain  og  mic 
Gillaganiorgan  (1)  mic 
Gillamartan  moir  mic 
Gilleogain  mic  mic 
Gillapaill  mic 
Eacada  mic 
Gartnaid  mic 
Digail  mic 
Pouilacin  mic 
Airt  mic 

Aengusa  moir  mic 
Ere  mic 
Telt 


Ewen  son  of 
Donald  dubh  son  of 
Allan  Millony  son  of 
Paul  son  of 
Gillapatrick  son  of 
Gillamartan  son  of 
l^aul  son  of 
Millony  son  of 

Gilleroth,^^    from     whom    de- 
scended  the  Clan  Cameron 
and  Clan  Millony,  son  of 
Gillamartan  og  son  of 
Gillaniorgan  son  of 
Gillamartan  mor  son  of 
GilleeAven  son  of 
Gillapaul  son  of 
Eacada  son  of 
Gartnaid  son  of 
Digail  son  of 
Pouilacin  son  of 
Art  son  of 
Angus  mor  son  of 
Ere  son  of 
Telt. 


Second  Group — Clans  descended  from  Fearchar  abraruadh,  son 
of  Fearadach  Finn  of  the  Tribe  of  Lorn. 


Genealach  mhic  Gilleoin"*^ 
Lochloinn  mac 


Genealogy  OF  theMacLeans. 
Lachlan  sou  of 


^®  This  is  the  Gilleroth  mentioned 
by  Fordun  in  1222  as  a  follower  of 
Gillespie  Macohecan  in  liis  insnrrec- 
tion,  along  with  whom  he  witnesses 
a  cliarter  as  Gilleroth  son  of  Gille- 
martan. 

^^  There  is  a  sentence  here  so  de- 
faced as  to  be  hardly  legible.  The 
words  '  Clann  .  .  .  Maelanfaig  agns 


rac  an  sreoin  ic  Gillanfaigh "  may 
be  made  out,  and  imply  that  the 
MacGillonies  of  Strone  were  his 
descendants. 

«  From  MS,  1647,  MacFirbis  and 
MacVurich,  Hector  and  Lauchlan 
have  charters  from  the  Lord  of  the 
Isles  of  Dowart. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


481 


Eachduinu  mine 
Locliloinn  mhic 
Eoin  mhic 
Giollacolum  mhic 
Maoiliosa  mhic 
Gilleeoin  mhic 
Mecraith  mhic 
Maoilsruthain  mhic 
Neill  mhic 
Conduilig  .i.  Ab  Leasamoir 

mhic 
Raingce  mhic 

Sean  Dubhgaill  Sgoinne  mliic 
Fearchar  abradruaidh  mhic 
Fearadhaigh  reambraidhte  mhic 
Fergusa,  ut  supra,  mhic 
Neachtain,  etc. 
Tri  meic  Eaingce  .i. 
Cucatha    a  quo    Clann    Chon- 

chatha  iccric  Leamhna  agus 

Cusidhe  a  quo  Clann  Consithe 

a  Bhib  agus 
Cuduiligh  a  quo  Clann  Conduil- 

igh  .i.  Clann  mec  Gille-Eoin 

in  oilenaibh  Muile 
Grilleeoin  mac  Mecraith  tri  meic 

les  .i.   Bristi,   Giollabrighde 

agus  Maoliosa 
Giollacolum  mac  Maoilosa 

tri  meic  les  .i. 
Domhnall  Niall  agus  Eoin 
Rioghnach  inghean  Gamhail 
Mormair  Cairrige 
matJiair  an  trir  sin 


Eachduinu  (or  Hector)  son  of 

Lachlan  son  of 

John  son  of 

Malcolm  son  of 

Maoiliosa  son  of 

Gilleeoin  son  of 

MacRath  son  of 

Maolsruthain  son  of 

Neill  son  of 

Cuduilig,    Abbot   of   Lismore, 

son  of 
Raingce  son  of 
Old  Dougall  of  Scone,  mn  of 
Ferchar  abrarnaklh  son  of 
Feradach,  above  mentioned,  son  of 
Fergusa,  as  above,  son  of 
Neachtan,  etc. 

Raingce  had  three  sons,  viz. 
Cucatha^-  from  whom  the  Clan 

Conchatha,  in  the  district  of 

Lennox,  and 
Cusidhe,*^  from  whom  the  Clan 

Consithe  in  Fife  and 
Cuduilig,  from  whom  the  Clan 

Conduilig,  that  is,  the  Clan 

MacLean  in  the  island  of  Mull. 
Gilleeoin  son  of  MacRath  had 

three  sons,  Bristi,  Gillebride, 

and  Maoliosa. 
Malcolm  son  of  Maoliosa  had 

three  sons,  viz. 
Donald,  Niall,  and  John.'*^ 
Rignach,  daughter  of  Gamail, 

lord    of    Carrick,    was    the 

mother  of  these  three  sons. 


■*■-  The  names  Cucatha  and  Cusi- 
dhe mean  respectively  the  dog  of 
war  and  the  dog  of  peace. 

VOL.  III. 


*^  Dofnaldus  ^NlacGilhon,  Johan- 
nes et  Nigellus  filii  Gilhon  appear 
in  the  Exchequer  Rolls  in  1326. 

•1  H 


482 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


Maoliosa  agiis  Eoin  d;i  inac  an 
Domhnaill  sin.  Beatog  agus 
Aitlibric  a  cilia  ingen 

Niall  umorro  da  mhac  les  .i. 

Diarmuid  agus  Giollacoluim 
Eoin  din  da  mhac  maithe  les 
.i.  Lochloinn  agus  Eachdlionn 

Lacbluinn  cuig  mec  les  .i. 
Eoin,  Eachdhonn,  Loclilainn 
Niall  agus  Somhaiile 
Fionnghuala  agus  Maria  a  dlia 

ingen 
Eachdonn  mac  Eoin  clanu 

lais  .i.  Murcliadh,  Donnall. 
Toirrdhealbach,  Eoghau. 
Tamas  agus  Gillecaluim 
Clann  Crisitiona  ingene 
Macleoid  .i.  Murcadh  mac 

Tormoid  mliic 

Leoid  mhic 

Gillemuire  mhic 

Raice  mhic 

Olbair  snoice  mhic 

Gillemuire.  Ealga  fholtalainn 
ingean  Arailt  mic  Semmair 
righ  Lochlan  mathair  an  Gil- 
lemuire sin 


Maoliosa  and  John  were  the  two 
sons  of  the  above  Donald. 
Beatrice  and  Aitlibric  his  two 
daughters. 

Niall  morever  had  two  sons, 
viz. 

Diarmad  and  Malcolm. 

John  had  long  before  two  good 
sons,  viz.  Lachlan  and  Hec- 
tor. 

Lachlan  had  five  sons,  viz. 

John,  Hector,  Lachlan. 

Niall,  and  Somerled. 

Finnguala  and  Maria  were  his 
two  daughters. 

Hector,  son  of  John,  had  these 
sons,  viz.  Murdoch,  Donald, 

Chai'les,  Ewen, 

Thomas,  and  Malcolm. 

They  were  the  sons  of  Cristina, 
daughter  of  MacLeod,  viz.  of 
Murdoch,  son  of 

Tormoid  son  of 

Leod  son  of 

Gillemuire  sou  of 

Raice  son  of 

Olbair  snoice  son  of 

Gillemuire.  Ealga  of  the  beau- 
tiful locks  daughter  of  Har- 
ald  son  of  Semmair,  king  of 
Lochlann  (or  Norway)  was 
the  mother  of  that  Gillemure. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


483 


Third  Group — Clans  descended  from  Donald  donn,  son  of 
Fearadacli  Finn  of  the  Tribe  of  Lorn. 


Genealach  Clann  Labhran 

ANSO 

Eain  agus  Domnall  agus 
Anilgolga  oig  mhic 
Colim  mhic 
Domnaill  mhic 
Eogain  mhic 
Barthur  mhic 
Ab  Achtus  mhic 
Aeid  mhic 
Eogain  mhic 
laig  mhic 
Disiab  mhic 
Gillacrist  mhic 
Gillamicol  mhic 
Pilip  mhic 
Finlaeic  oig  mhic 
Finlaeic  moir  mhic 
Dubgaiil  mhic 
Baltuir  mhic 
Carlusa  mhic 
Domnaill  oig  mhic 
Domnaill  duinn  mhic 
Fearadhach  Finn 


^*  Genealogy     of    the     Clan 
Lawren  here. 
John  and  Donald  and 
Anichol  the  young,  sons  of 
Malcolm  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
Walter  son  of 

The  Abbot  of  Achtus^^  son  of 
Aedh  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
laig  son  of 
Shaw  son  of 
Gilchrist  son  of 
Gillamichael  son  of 
Philip  son  of 
Finlaech  og  son  of 
Finlaech  mor  son  of 
Dougall  son  of 
Walter  son  of 
Carlusa  son  of 
Donald  og  son  of 
Donald  donn  son.  of 
Feradach  Finn. 


IL 
Genealach  Clann  Aidannso*^  Genealogy  of  the  Clan  Ay 

HERE. 

Fearchair  mac  Ferchard  son  of 

Imair  mhic  Ivor  son  of 

"  From  MS.  1467. 

^■'  The  name  of  this  abLut  not  given,  but  it  must  have  been  Labhran, 
from  whom  the  clan  takes  its  name.  ■"'   From  MS.  14-(i7. 


484 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


Gillacrist  mhic 
Gillaespic  mhic 
(lillananaemh  luhic 
Gillacrist  mhic 
Cormac  mhic 
Gillamitel  mhic 
Aid  mhic 
Gallbuirt  mhic 
Gillacataii  mhic 
Domnaill  mhic 
Eogain  mhic 
Pilip  mhic 
Disiab  mhic 
Eirdi  mhic 
Aengusa  mhic 
Finlaeic  mhic 
Carla  mhic 
Domnaill  oig  mhic 
Domnaill  duinu  mhic 
Feradhach 


Gilchrist  son  of 
Gilespic  son  of 
Gillananacmh  son  of 
Gilchrist  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Giliamichael  son  of 
Aidh  son  of 
Gallbuirt  son  of 
Gillacatan  son  of 
Donald  son  of 
Evven  son  of 
Philip  son  of 
Shaw  son  of 
Erdi  son  of 
Angus  son  of 
Finlaech  son  of 
Carla  so7i  of 
Donald  og  son  of 
Donald  donn  son  of 
Feradach. 


Fourth  Group- 


-Clans  said  to  be  descended  from  Cormac, 
son  of  Airbeartach. 


I. 


Clans  said  to  be  descended  from  Feradach  Finn  through 
Cormac  mac  Airbeartach. 


I. 
Genealach  Clann  Ainnrias^^  Genealogy    of    the    Clan 

Andres. 
Pal  mac  Paul  son  of 

Tire  mhic  Tire  son  of 

Eogain  mhic  Ewen  son  of 

Muredaig  mhic  Muredach  son  of 

Poll  mhic  Paul  son  of 

Gilleaiunrias  mhic  Gillandres  son  of 

■*"  From  MS.  1467.     The  Earl  of  Ross  grants  a  charter  in  1366  to  Paul 
Mactyre  of  the  lands  of  Gei'locli. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


485 


Martain  mhic 

Poil  mhic 

Cainnig  mhic 

Cristin  mhic 

Eogain  mhic 

Cainnig  mhic 

Cristin  mhic 

Gillaeoin  na  hairde  mhic 

Eire  mhic 

Loairn  mhic 

Ferchair  mhic 

Cormac  mhic 

Airbertaigh  mhic 

Fearadhach 


Martin  son  of 

Paul  son  of 

Kenneth  son  of 

Cristin  son  of 

Ewen  son  of 

Kenneth  son  of 

Cristin  son  of 

Gillaeoin  of  the  Aird,  son  of 

Ere  son  of 

Lorn  son  of 

Ferchard  son  of 

Cormac  son  of 

Airbertach  S07i  of 

Feradach. 


II. 


Genealach  Ceann  Cainnig^s 

Murchaid  mac 
Cainnig  mhic 
Eoin  mhic 
Cainnig  mhic 
Aongusa  mhic 
Cristin  mhic 
Cainnig^^  mhic 
Gillaeoin  oig  mhic 
Gillaeoin  na  hairde 


Genealogy  of  the  Clan 

Kenneth 
Murdoch  son  of 
Kenneth  son  of 
John  son  of 
Kenneth  son  of 
Angus  son  of 
Cristin ^^  son  of 
Kenneth  son  of 
Gilleeoin  og  son  of 
Gilleeoin  of  the  Aird. 


Genealach  mhic  Matgamna 

anso  sis 
Murechach  mac 
Donncaig  mhic 
Murechach  mhic 

^  From  MS.  1467  and  MacVurich. 

*  Gilchrist  filius  Kinedi  appears 

in  1222  as  a  follower  of  MacWilliani. 

^"  MS.   1467  has  Agad  by  mistake 


III 


Genealogy   of  the   Mathe- 

sons  down  here. 
Murdoch  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Murdoch  son  of 

for  Cainnig,  correctly  given  by  Mac- 
Vurich. 

•"  From  MS.  1467  and  MacVurich. 


486 


APPENDIX  VIll. 


Donnchach  mhic 
Murechach  mhic 
Cainnig  mliic 
Matgamna  mhic 
Cain  nig  mhic 
Cristin 


Duncan  son  of 
Murdoch  son  of 
Kenneth^-  son  of 
Matgamna  {or  Mohan)  son  of 
Kenneth  son  of 
Cristin. 


IV. 


Genealach  mhic  Duibsithi 

Domnall  agus  Niall  agus 
Gillacolaim  tri  mhic 
Gillaespic  mhic 
Gillacrist  mhic 
Gillacohiim  mhic 
Dubgaill  mor  mhic 
Duibsith  mhic 
Murechach  mhic 
Finlaeic  cais  mhic 
Murechach  mhic 
Ferchair  mhic 
Cormac  mhic 
Airbeartaigh  mhic 
Fearadaiiih 


Genealogy  of  Macduffy 

HERE. 

Donald  and  Niall  and 
Malcolm  the  three  sons  of 
Gillespie  son  of 
Gillchrist  son  of 
Malcolm  son  of 
Dougall  mor  son  of 
Dubshithe  {or  Dvffy)  son  of 
Murdoch  son  of 
Finlaech  cas  son  of 
Murdoch  son  of 
Ferchard  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Airbertach  son  of 
Feradach. 


II. 

Clans  said  to  be  descended  from  Fearchair  Abraruadh 

through  Cormac  mac  Airbeartach. 

Do  Genealach  mhic  an  Aba     The  Genealogy  of  the  Mac- 


EGNE^* 

Gillamure  mac 
Eogain  mhic 
Aengusa  mhic 
Macbetliad  mhic 
Aengusa  mhic 
Gillamure  loganaig:  mhic 


Nabs. 
Gillamure  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
Angus  son  of 
Macbeth  sou  of 
Angus  son  of 
Gillemure  Loganair 


son  of 


*-  Kermac  Macmaghan  appears  iu  the  Exchequer  Rolls  in  1264. 
55  From  MS.  1467.  "  From  m.s.  1467. 


APPENDIX  Vlll. 


487 


Ferchair  mhic 
Finnlaeic  mhic 
Donnchaich  mhic 
Firtired  mhic 
GiUafaelan  mhic 
Gillamartan  mhic 
Firtiread  mhic 
Loairn  mhic 
Fearchar  mhic 
Cormac  mhic 
Airbeartaigh  mhic 
Ere  mhic 

Domnaill  duinn  mhic 
Fercliar  abraruadh  mhic 
Feradaig; 


Ferchard  son  of 
Finnlaech  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Firtired  son  of 
Gillafaelan  son  of 
Gillamartan  son  of 
Firtired  son  of 
Lorn  son  of 
Ferchard  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Airbertach  son  of 
Ere  son  of 
Donald  doim  son  of 
Per  char  Abraruadh  son  of 
Feradach. 


TIT. 

Clans  said  to  be  descended  from  Fearohar  fada  through 
Cormac  mac  Airbertach. 

Genealach  Clann  Grigair^^ 


Malcolaim  mac 
Padruic  mhic 
Eoin  mhic 
Gregair  mhic 
Donnchaich  mhic 
Maeilcolaim  mhic 
Gillacrist  mhic 
Ferchair  mhic 
Muredaigh  mhic 
Ainnrias  mhic 
Cormac  mhic 
Airbertaigh  mhic 
Fearchar  oig  mhic 
Fearchair  fada  mhic 
Fearadach  finn 


Genealogy    of    the     Clan 

Gregor. 
Malcolm  son  of 
Patrick  son  of 
John  son  of 
Gregor  son  of 
Duncan  son  of 
Malcolm  son  of 
Gillchrist  son  of 
Ferchard  son  of 
Murdoch  son  of 
Anurias  (or  Andreiv)  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Airbertach  son  of 
Fercliar  og  son  of 
Ferchar  fada  son  of 
Feradach  finn. 
55  From  MS.  1467. 


488 


AITKNDIX   VIU. 


IV. 

Clans  said  to  be  descended  from  Fearchar  fada  tlirough 
Macbeth,  son  of  Finlaech,  and  Corraac  mac  Airbeitach. 


DoGenealachClann  Guaire'"^^' 

Ceallach  mac 

Poil  mhic 

Cellach  in  enig  mhic 

Turcaill  mhic 

Ceallaig  mhic 

Guaire  mhic 

Cormaic  mhic 

Arbertaig  mhic 

Murechach  mhic 

Fearchair  [oig]  mhic 

Mic  Beathaidh  mhic 

Finlaeic  mhic 

Fearchar  fada  mhic 

Fearadaig  mhic 

Fergusa 

Turcuill  Guaire  agus  Cormac 
tri  meic  eile  Poil  mhic  Ceal- 
laig anoinigh 


The  Genealogy  of  the  Clan 
Quarry. 

Cellach  son  of 

Paul  son  of 

Cellach,  the  liberal,  son  of 

Torquill  son  of 

Cellach  son  of 

Guaire  (or  Quavrii)  son  of 

Cormac  son  of 

Airbei'tacli  son  of 

Murechach  son  of 

Ferchach  og  son  rf 

Macbeth  son  of 

Finnlaech  son  of 

Ferchar  fada  son  of 

Feradach  son  of 

Fergus. 

Torquill,  Guaire,  and  Cormac. 
three  other  sons  of  Paul,  sou 
of  Cellach,  the  liberal. 


Do    Genealach   mhic    Fin- 

GAINE^^ 

Niall  mac 
Gillabrigde  mhic 
Eogain  mhic 
Gillabrio-de  mhic 


The  Genealogy  of  the  Mac- 
Kinnons. 
Niall  son  of 
Gillebride  son  of 
Ewen  son  of 
Gillebride  son  of 


From  MS.  1467  and  MacFirbis.        ^'  From  MS.  1467  and  INIacFirbis. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


489 


Sean  Eogain  niliic 
Finlaeic  mhic 

Fiiigainne  o  failed  Clann  Fin- 
gaine  mhic 

Cormac  mhic 
Airbeartaigh  mhic 
Murchertaigh  mhic 
Fearchair  oig  etc. 
Fionnguine    Ab   Hi  dearbhra- 

thair  do    Niall   mhic    Gille- 

briaide 


Old  Eweii  son  of 

Finlaecli  son  of 

Fingaine,  from  whom  came  the 

Clan   Fingaine    (or  Mad-in- 

nons)  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Airbertacli  son  of 
Muircliertach  son  of 
Ferchar  og  dc. 
Fingaine  Abl:)ot  of   lona   was 

brother-german  of  Niall  son 

of  Gillebride. 


III. 
Genealach  mhicGilla  maoil^^ 

Gillacoluim  og  mac 

Gillacoluim  moir  mhic 

Maolmnire  mhic 

Cainn  mhic 

Dubgaill  mhic 

Gillacoluim  mhic 

Gillacrist    dar    comhaimn    an 

Gillamaol    agus   Clann    an 

Mail  mhic 

Cormaic  mhic 
Airbeartaigh  reamraieth 
a  se  an  tairbertach  sin 
do  aitreabh  da  threibh  deg 
i  Fionnlochlannach  .i. 
Greagraidhe  na  ngaisgeath- 
ach  das  comainim  Muile 
agus  Tir  no  Tire  aodha  agus 
Cruibhinis,  no  Craobliinis 


Genealogy  of  the  MacMil- 

LANS. 

Malcolm  the  young,  son  of 
Malcolm  mor  son  of 
Maolmure  son  of 
Cainn  son  of 
Dougall  son  of 
Malcolm  son  of 

Gillchrist,  called  an  Gillamaol 
{or  the  tonsured  servant)  from 
whom  are  the  Clan  an  Mail 
{or  MacMillans)  son  of 
Cormac  son  of 
Airbertacli  aforesaid 
This  Airbertacli  had  twelve 
tribes  inhabiting  the    Nor- 
wegian territory,  viz.  Grea- 
graid     of    the     Champions, 
commonly  called  Mull   and 
Tiroda  (Tiree)  and  Cruibh- 
inis  or  Craobhinis  {or  Island 
of  Bushes).^^ 


'  From  MS.  1467  and  MacFirbis. 

'  This  is  said  to  be  an  old  name  for  lona. 


490  APPENDIX   VIII. 


IV. 


GeNEALACH  MlilC  GiLLAAGAM-   GENEALOGY    OF    THE   MacLeN- 

NAN^*'  NANS. 

Anuirochach  luhic  ^lurdoch  son  of 

inhic  son  of 

mhic  son  of 

jMurechach    inhic  ^Murdoch  sou  of 

mhic  son  of 

Donnchach    mhic  Duncan  son  of 

Nicail  mhic  Nicail  son  of 

Gillaagamnan  o  fuil  an  tine^^     Gillaagamnan,  from  whom  came 

mhic  the  clan,  son  of 

Cormac  mhic  Cormac  son  of 

Airbertaigh  Airbertach. 

''"  From  MS.  14G7.  Some  of  the  uames  cauuot  be  read. 
'■'^  The  Clan  is  here  called  Fine. 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


Abbacia  or  Abthanrie,  deliuition  of, 
ii.  343,  393  ;  iii.  261,  283. 

Abbacy,  law  of  succession  to,  ii.  06. 

Aberbuthnot,  thanage  of,  iii.  259. 

Abercorn  (Aebbercurnig),  i.  368  ; 
monastery,  133,  262,  268  ;  ii.  224. 

Aberdeen,  bishopric  of,  ii.  378  ;  than- 
age of,  iii.  86,  253. 

Aberdour  (Fifeshire),  chiirch  of,  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Fillan,  ii.  33. 

Aberkerdor,  thanage  of,  iii.  251. 

Aberlemno  (Aberlemenach),  thanage 
of,  iii.  262,  264. 

Abernethy  (site  of  Orrea '!),  i.  74  ; 
church  of,  said  to  be  founded  by 
Nectan,  135  ;  ii.  32  ;  also  by  Gar- 
nard,  i.  305  ;  homage  of  Malcolm 
Ceannmor  at,  424  ;  church  of,  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Bridget,  ii.  309,  326  ; 
I'ound  tower  of,  built  by  Irish 
clergy,  femp.  Kenneth  MacAlpin, 
309-10  ;  primacy  transferred  to,  ib. 

Abers  and  Invers,  on  tlie  distribution 
of,  i.  220-222. 

Aberte.     See  Dunaverty. 

Aboyne.     See  Obeyn. 

Abravannus,  river  (the  Luce),  i.  66. 

Abthanries,  iii.  83,  261,  283. 

Acca,  bishop  in  Hex-ham,  i.  275  ;ii.  222. 

Adamnan,  ninth  abbot  of  Hii  or  lona, 
i.  245,  269  ;  his  first  mission  to  Nor- 
thumbria,  ii.  170  ;  repairs  tlie  mon- 
astery of  lona,  171  ;  second  mission 
to  Northumbria,  171  ;  is  converted 
to  the  prevalent  manner  of  keeping 
Easter,  172  ;  attends  the  Synod  of 
Tara,  173  ;  his  death,  173. 

Adamnan's  Life  of  Columha,  i.  28. 

Add,  river,  i.  68,  216  ;  iii.  129. 

Adhelstan,  (legendary)  king  of  the 
Saxons,  i.  297-299. 

Adrian,  St.,  legend  of,  i.  320  ;  ii.  311. 

Aebba,  first  abbess  of  Goldingham, 
ii.  200. 

Aed,  son  of  Boanta,  Dalriada  gov- 
erned by,  i.  305,  308. 


Aed,  son  of  Kenneth,  king  of  the 
Picts  (A.D.  877),  i.  328-9. 

Aed,  son  of  Neill,  king  of  Ireland,  i. 
330. 

Aeda  Allan,  head  of  the  Cinel  Eoghan, 
defeats  Flaithbertach,  king  of  Ire- 
land, i.  289-90. 

Aedh  (Aed  Finn),  son  of  Eachach, 
slain  in  attempting  to  restore  the 
kingdom  of  Dalriada,  i.  300. 

Aedh,  king  of  Ailech,  gives  battle  to 
the  fleet  of  the  Gallgaidhel,  i.  312. 

Aedh  Finnliath,  king  of  Ireland,!.  313. 

Aedilbald,  king  of  Mercia,  invades 
Northumbria  (a.d.  740),  i.  291. 

Aedilfrid,  king  of  Bernicia  and  Deira, 
i.  236,  239,  244  ;  his  sons  take  re- 
fuge in  lona,  ii.  153. 

Aeduin  (Edwyn),  son  of  Ella,  ex- 
pelled from  his  kingdom  of  Deira 
by  Aedilfrid,  regains  it  and  also 
Bernicia,  i.  239,  240 ;  his  name  left 
in  Edwinesburg  (Edinburgh),  240  ; 
his  conversion  to  Christianity,  and 
baptism  at  York,  ii.  154  ;  slain  at 
Hatfield,  i.  243  ;  ii.  155. 

Aelfred  the  Great,  his  struggles  with 
the  Danes,  i.  349. 

Aelric,  uncle  of  Aeduin,  i.  244. 

Aethelstan  (a.d.  925-40),  grandson  of 
Aelfred  the  Great,  attacks  Nor- 
thumbria, i.  351,  and  invades  Al- 
ban,  352  ;  league  of  the  northern 
populations  against  him,  352-53  ; 
victories  in  the  battle  of  Brunan- 
burg,  353-60  ;  his  death,  359. 

Aetius,  his  aid  asked  for  by  the 
Britons,  i.  144,  148. 

Agned,  Mt.  (Edinburgh),  i.  153,  238. 

Agrestes,  laws  relating  to,  iii.  244. 

Agricola,  Julius,  his  arrival  in  Britain 
as  governor,  i.  41  ;  extent  of  the 
Roman  province  at  this  time,  41, 
42;  favourable  circumstances  under 
whicli  his  government  commenced, 
42  ;  characteristics  of  his  adminis- 


494 


INDEX. 


tration,  4'i  ;  defeats  the  Ordovices, 
43  ;  overruns  districts  on  the  Sol- 
way,  43,  44  ;  ravages  the  Tay,  45  ; 
fortifies  as  far  as  isthmus  between 
the  Forth  and  the  Clyde,  46,  47  ; 
visits  Argyll  and  Kintyre,  47  ;  his 
three  years'  war  north  of  tlie  Forth, 
48-52  ;  battle  of  '  Mons  Granpius,' 
52-56  ;  his  recall,  57  ;  result  of  his 
campaigns,  57 ;  the  Caledonian 
tribes  resume  their  independence, 
58-60. 

Agricohe,  rustici,  or  husbandmen, 
laws  relatmg  to,  iii.  244. 

Aicill,  Book  of,  iii.  17G  -seq. 

Aldan,  son  of  Gabran,  inaugurated 
king  of  Dalriada  by  St.  Columba, 
i.  143,  229,  247,  249  ;  his  death,  239. 

Aidan,  first  bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  i. 
251  ;  ii.  157  ;  death  of,  i.  253  ; 
relics  of,  259  ;  dedications  to,  260. 

Aidh,  clan,  iii.  344-5. 

Ailbhe,  Cummeue,  fifth  abbot  of  lona, 
ii.  163. 

Ainbhcellaig,  son  of  Fearchar  Fada, 
king  of  Dalriada,  i.  272  ;  slain,  284. 

Airdross  (Aird  of  Ross),  a  mountain- 
ous region  in  Ross-shire,  iii.  344. 

Aii'gialla,  Oirgialla,  the  term  ex- 
plained, i.  286-7. 

Airthrey  (Aithrie,  Athran),  i.  341  ; 
iii.  45. 

Alani,  the.     See  Vandals. 

Alaster  (MacAlasters),  clan,  iii,  330, 
404,  408,  410,  468. 

Alata  Castra  (the  winged  camp),  a 
town  of  the  Vacomagi,  position  of, 
i.  74,  75. 

Alauna,  town  of,  Inchkeith  =  the 
Giudi  of  Bede.     See  Giudi. 

Alauna,  a  town  of  the  Damnonii,  i.  74. 

Alaunus,  river  (Allan,  in  Northum- 
berland), i.  66. 

Alban,  history  of  the  men  of,  iii.  213. 

Alban,  Albania,  an  early  appellation 
of  that  part  of  Britain  situated  to 
the  north  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde, 
i.  1,  2  (see  Scotia)  ;  near  the  close 
of  the  ninth  century  the  territory 
designated  Pictavia  is  called  the 
kingdom  of  Alban,  335  ;  Donald, 
son  of  Constantin,  and  grandson  of 
Kenneth  mac  Alpin,  first  king  of 
Alban,  335-9 ;  its  division  into  seven 
provinces  as  given  by  Andrew, 
Ijishop  of  Caithness,  probably  appli- 
cable to  the  time  of  Constantin,  son 
of  Aedh,  340  ;  iii.  44  seq.  :  organi- 
sation  of    the   provinces,    i.    343 ; 


kingdom  attacked  l)y  Aetlielstan, 
352 ;  extent  of  the  kingdom  of 
Alban  at  the  time  when  first  desig- 
nated Scotia,  395,  398  ;  bishops  of, 
ii.  323,  327,  329-331  .ser/.  ;  Tract 
entitled  History  of  the  Men  of 
Alban,  i.  230;  iii.  213. 
Alhanic  Duan,   the,    a  poem   of  the 

eleventh  century,  i.  184. 
Albinus,  Clodius,  governor  of  Britain, 
i.  79  ;  defeated  and  slain  by  Seve- 
rus,  at  Lyons,  80. 
Alcluith,  fastness  of  (Dumbarton),  i. 
130,  139  ;  capital  of  the  Britons  of 
Alclyde,  236.     See  Alclyde. 
Alclyde,  Britons  of,  territory  of  the 
kingdom  of,  i.  235,  365  ;  its  popula- 
tion andcapital,  its  monarchs  (called 
kings  of  Alcluith),  236  ;  after  thirty 
years'  subjection  to  the  Angles,  256, 
they    recover   their    independence, 
267,  271  ;  subjugated  by  Eadberct 
and  Angus,  294-6  ;  the  capital  be- 
sieged   by    the    Northmen    under 
Amlaiph    and    Imhair,    324  ;    the 
term  Cumbri  first   applied   to  the 
Strathclyde   Britons,    326  ;   regain 
their  independence,  and  elect  Don- 
ald, son  of  Aedh,  king  of  Alban,  as 
their  ruler,  346  ;    ravaged   by  the 
Saxons,  and   ceded   to   the   Scots, 
362.     *S'ee  Cumbria. 
Alcred,  king  of  Northumbria,  i.  300. 
Aldborough  (Ealdburg),  i.  359. 
Aldfrid,  king  of  Northumbria,  i.  268. 
Aldgaitha,  half-sister  of  Ealdred,  earl 

of  Northumbria,  i.  394,  408,  419. 
Aldred,  son  of  Eadulf  or  Athulf,  com- 
mander of  Baniborough,  i.  373. 
Aldred   (Ealdred),   son   of   Uchtred. 

earl  of  Bernicia,  i.  399,  408. 
Aldred,  archbishop  of  York,  i.  413. 
Aldun,  Bishop,  i.  385. 
Alexander  i.,  son  of  Malcolm  Ceann- 
mor,  reigns  seventeen  years  (a.d. 
1107-24),  i.  447  ;  founds  the  monas- 
tery of  Scone,  447  ;   also  a  priory 
on  the  island  of  Lochtay,  448  ;  his 
struggle  for  the  Church's  independ- 
ence, 448-451  ;  founds  a  monastery 
on   the   island   of  Inchcolm,  451  : 
dies  at  Stirling,  and  is  buried  in 
Dunfermline,  454. 
Alexander  II.,  son  of  William  the  Lion, 
crowned  at  Scone,  reigns  thirty -five 
years   (a.d.    1214-49),    i.    483;    an 
insurrection  against,  headed  by  the 
families  of  MacWilliam  and    Mac 
Eth  subdued  by  Ferquhard  Macin- 


INDEX. 


495 


tagart  of  Applecross,  483  ;  subdues 
Argyll,  484,  and  Galloway,  487  ; 
attempts  the  reduction  of  the  West- 
ern Isles,  489  ;  dies  at  Kerrera,  49U. 

Alexander  iir.,  crowned  at  Scone, 
reigns  thirty -six  years  (a.d.  1249- 
12S5),  i.  490  ;  ceremony  at  his  coro- 
nation, 490 ;  regency  during  his 
minorit}',  492  ;  contests  the  sove- 
reignty of  the  Western  Isles  with 
king  Hakon  of  Norway,  492,  whom 
lie  defeats  at  Largs,  494  ;  annexes 
said  Isles  to  the  kingdom  of  Scot- 
land, 495  ;  deaths  of  all  his  family, 
496  ;  summons  the  Estates  of  Scot- 
land to  regulate  the  succession, 
496  ;  marries  his  second  wife,  i. 
496  ;  accidentally  killed  near  Kin- 
ghorn,  497  ;  Scotland  consolidated 
into  one  feudal  monarchy  in  his 
reign,  iii.  1  ;  English  possessions, 
5  ;  physical  aspect  of  Scotland  at 
this  time,  9-15 ;  population  com- 
posed of  six  races,  15  s.eq.  ;  Estates 
of  the  realm  in  1283,  39. 

Allan,  river  (Stirlingshire),  i.  45. 

Allectus,  a  usurper,  reigns  three  years 
in  Britain,  is  defeated  and  slain  by 
Constantius  Chlorus,  i.  93,  95,  129. 

Allelujatic  victory,  the,  i.  150,  151. 

Alltudion,  in  the  Welsh  tribe,  ana- 
logous to  the  Irish  Fvidhlr,  iii.  200. 

Almond,  river  (Perthshire),  Roman 
camp  at  its  junction  with  the  Tay, 
i.  45,  88,  266,  381.    See  Tula  Aman. 

•  river  (Midlothian),  i.  249,  381. 

Alphabets,  tlie  Irish  and  Ogham,  ii. 
449  ;  Hill  Burton's  opinion  of  the 
latter,  449-450. 

Alpin  (son  of  Eochaidh),  king  of  the 
Picts  (A.D.  726),  i.  286  ;  struggles 
after  his  accession,  287-9  ;  invades 
the  Pictish  province  of  Galloway, 
where  he  was  slain,  291-2. 

Alpin,  son  of  Wroid,  king  of  the  Picts 
(A.D.  775-80),  called  in  the  Ulster 
Annals  Elpin,  king  of  the  Saxons, 
i.  301. 

Alpin  the  Scot  (a.d.  832-4),  father  of 
Kenneth  mac  Alpin,  attacks  the 
Picts  and  is  slain,  i.  306  ;  tradi- 
tional locality  of  the  battle,  306-7. 
See  Picts. 

Alwynus,  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  336. 

Alyth,  thanage  of,  iii.  276. 

Amlaimh  (Amlaiph,  Olaf ),  Norwegian 
king  of  Dublin,  i.  313,  324-.326. 

Amlaiph  (Olaf),  son  of  Indulph,  king 
of  Alban,  slain  by  Kenneth,  i.  370. 


Amra  Choliiim  Chilli,  ancient  tract, 
quoted,  ii.  123,  145  ;  iii.  210. 

Anchoretical  life,  its  influence  on  the 
monastic  church,  ii.  233  ;  early  de- 
veloped in  Ireland  and  Scotland, 
245. 

Anchorites,  called  DeicoUe,  God-wor- 
shippers, ii.  238 ;  also  the  people 
of  God,  239 ;  attempts  to  bring 
them  under  monastic  rule,  240 ; 
brought  under  canonical  rule,  242  ; 
theirexistence  in  the  Saxon  Church, 
245  ;  termed  in  Ireland  Deoraidh 
De,  248  ;  also  Ceile  Be,  251  ;  char- 
acteristics similar  to  the  Delcohe, 
252  ;  bi'ought  under  canonical  rule 
in  Ireland,  254  ;  in  Scotland  termed 
Keledei,  255  ;  adopt  the  canonical 
rule,  276. 

Andres  (Rosses),  clan,  iii.  330,  365, 
484. 

Andrew,  St.,  legends  relating  to,  and 
the  analysis  of  them,  i.  296-99  ; 
churches  dedicated  to  him,  298  ; 
Ceannrighmonaigh,  the  first  name 
of  the  place  where  a  church  was 
founded  in  honour  of  his  relics, 
which  was  then  called  Cellrigli- 
monaid  (Chilrymont,  Kilrymont), 
299  ;  relics  of,  brought  to  Hexham 
church,  founded  in  his  honour,  ii. 
221. 

Andrew,  bishop  of  Caithness,  his  ac- 
count of  the  seven  provinces  of 
Albania,  i.  340  ;  iii.  44. 

Angles,  the,  invade  Britain  with  the 
Saxons  and  Jutes,  i.  149,  189-192  ; 
ii.  19  ;  tribes  of,  and  Frisians  from 
the  kingdom  of  Bernicia,  i.  155  ; 
language  of,  193  ;  who  they  were 
and  whence  they  came,  227  ;  Osuiu 
obtains  dominion  over  the  Britons, 
Scots,  and  Picts,  256  seq.;  effect  of 
the  defeat  and  death  of  Ecgfrid, 
267  ;  position  afterwards  of  tlie 
Picts,  268,  Scots  and  Britons,  271  ; 
converted  to  Christianity,  ii.  19S. 

Angus,  son  of  Fergus  (Ungus,  son  of 
Uirguist),  his  reign  as  king  of  the 
Picts,  i.  288,  296,  305-6. 

Angus,  son  of  Somerled,  iii.  35,  39, 
293,  400. 

Angus  mor,  son  of  Ere,  king  of  Dal- 
riada,  iii.  120.     See  Ere. 

Angus,  Cinel,  one  of  the  three  tribes  of 
the  Dalriadic  kingdom,  inhabiting 
Isla  and  Jura,  i.  229. 

Angus,  earldom  of,  iii.  289. 

Anlaf  (Olaf,   Anlaf  Cuaran),   son  of 


496 


INDKX. 


Sitriuc,  and  smi-in-law  of  Coiistan- 
tin,  king  of  Alban,  routed  at  Bnin- 
anbiirg,  i.  3')--7  ;  becomes  king  of 
Northunil)erland,  801  ;  exercises 
authority  in  the  Ishmds,  354  ;  iii. 
30  ;  expelled  by  Kadnumd,  i.  361  ; 
died  at  Hi-Choluimcille,  364. 

Anlaf,  son  of  Godfrey,  king  of  the 
Danes  of  Dublin,  i.  3o3,  357,  361. 

Amia/e-i  Camltriti',  the,  i.  145,  294. 

A  minis  ofth''  Fo id-  Masters,  i.  24,  25, 
17'2;  iii.  lOS,  113,  ct  passim. 

Antoua  (the  Don?),  river,  i.  35. 

Antoninus  Pius,  emperor,  events  in 
Britain  in  his  reign,  i.  76-79  ;  wall 
of,  see  Roman  ■walls. 

Antoninus  Caracalla,  emperor,  son  of 
Severus,  makes  peace  with  the  bar- 
barian British  tribes,  i.  90,  91. 

Anwoth,  i.  136. 

Aonghus  Mor,  great-grandson  of 
Somerled,  espouses  the  cause  of 
Baliol,  iii.  401  ;  descendants,  401. 

Aonghus  Og  (heir  of  Eoin),  killed  by 
his  harper,  iii.  404. 

Apostasy  of  early  churches,  ii.  39. 

Appleeross  (Aporcrosau),  church  of, 
founded  by  Maelrubha,  ii.  169,  285; 
condition  of  the  church  of,  411. 

.■\ralt,  son  of  Sitriucc,  lord  of  the 
Danes  of  Limerick,  i.  376. 

Arbroath,  monastery  of,  ii.  393  ;  char- 
tulary  of,  394. 

Ardargie,  Roman  fort  at,  i.  45,  74. 

Ardchinnechun,  i.  297. 

Ardcorann,  battle  of,  i.  241. 

Arddanesbi,  naval  battle  at,  between 
Dalriadic  tribes,  i.  285. 

Ardderyd,  battle  of,  i.  157- 

Ardnamurchan,  iii.  428. 

Ardoch,  gi-eat  Roman  camps  at,  i. 
46,  54,  74,  88. 

.Vrgathelia.     See  Arregaithel. 

Argyll.     See  Arregaithel. 

Aristotle,  the  British  Isles  alluded  to 
by,  under  the  names  of  Albion  and 
lerne,  i.  30. 

Armagh,  Book  of,  contents  of,  ii.  423. 

Arran,  island  of,  i.  493 :  iii.  213, 
439. 

Arregaithel  (Argathelia,  Airergai- 
dhel,  Earrgaoidheal),  a  district  in 
the  West  of  Scotland  now  called 
Argyll,  iii.  48-51  ;  visited  by  Agri- 
cola,  i.  47,  48 ;  traditionary  ac- 
counts of  the  Scoti  from  Ireland 
effecting  a  settlement  in  Kintyre, 
139-142  {see  Dalriada)  ;  becomes 
one  of  the  seven  provinces  of  the 


kingdom  of  Alban,  or  .Scotia,  341  ; 
iii.  45  ;  its  name,  and  extent  at 
difTerent  times,  46,  48-9,  343  ;  par- 
tition of  the  ])rovince,  78  ;  divided 
into  sheriffdoms,  88  ;  formation  of 
the  diocese  of  Argyll  or  Lismore, 
ii.  408. 

Artgha  (Arthgal),  king  of  Strath - 
clyde,  slain,  i.  325. 

Arthur,  the,  of  Nennius,  and  his 
battle.s  with  the  Saxons,  i.  1 52  se'/. 

Arthur's  Oon,  i.  217. 

Asbiorn,  Jarl,  i.  420. 

Asclepiodotus,  defeats  Allectus,  a 
usurper  in  Britain,  i.  93. 

Athelstaneford,  i.  298. 

Atholl,  the  name,  i.  186,  220,  281  ; 
kings  of,  281,  341  ;  a  Pictish  and 
Albanic  province,  iii.  43,  46  ;  earl- 
dom of,  270,  272  ;  sketch  of,  288. 

Attacotti,  the,  their  territory,  i.  101, 
129  ;  with  Picts,  Scots,  and  Saxons, 
invade  the  Roman  provinces,  99  ; 
iii.  97  ;  formed  by  Theodosius  into 
Roman  cohorts,  and  stationed  in 
Gaul,  i.  101,  106  ;  called  Honori- 
ani,  105  ;  Attacots  in  Spain,  111. 

Augustine,  St. ,  bishop  of  Hippo,  ii.  6. 

Augustine  (Austin),  his  mission  to 
the  Angles  (a.d.  596),  i.  192. 

Aulus  Didius,  a  Roman  commander 
in  Britain,  i.  37. 

Avendale  (in  Clydesdale),  i.  295. 

Avienus  Festus  Rufus,  the  British 
Isles  mentioned  in  his  Descrij^tion 
oj  the  World,  i.  30. 

Avon,  river.     See  Aiitona. 

Avon  (Hrefe),  river,  western  boundary 
of  the  district  of  Lothian,  i.  240, 
241,  270,  291,  424. 

Ay,  clan,  iii.  483. 

Badexoch,  the  Wolf  of,  iii.  308-310. 
Badon  Mount,  the  (Linlithgowshire), 

i.  145,  149  ;  battle  at,  153. 
Baedan,  great-grandson  of  Loam,  i. 

264.     See  Kinelvadon. 
Baliol   and  Bruce,   as  claimants   for 

the  Crown,  iii.  72-74. 
Ballimote,    Book  of,  i.    172  ;    poems 

from,  quoted,  iii.  92,  99  :  cited,  338, 

466  seq. 
Balthere,  St.  (Baldred),  church  of,  at 

Tyningham,   destroyed   by    Anlaf, 

son  of  Godfrey,  i.  361  ;  ii.  223. 
Balthere  the  anchorite,  his  monastery 

at  Tjminghame,  ii.  223. 
Bamborough      (Bebbanburch,      Din- 

guardi,  the  Dun  Guare),  fort  erected 


INDEX. 


497 


by  Ida  in,  i.  155  ;  the  capital  of 
Bernicia,  237,  332;  attacked  by 
Penda,  253  ;  lords  of,  373-4. 

Banatia,  town  of  the  Vacomagi,  i.  75. 

Banchory-Ternan,  ii.  29. 

Banff,  origin  of  the  name,  i.  220. 

Bangor,  monastery  of,  founded  by 
Comgall  (a.d.  558),  ii.  55. 

Barbarians,  Britons  who  were  hostile 
to  the  Romans  so  called,  i.  34,  36. 

Bardi  the  White,  i.  377. 

Barid,  son  of  Ottir,  the  jarl,  i.  347. 

Barra,  isle  of,  iii.  387,  430. 

Barrichbyan,  Campbells  of,  iii.  320. 

Bartha-firdi  (Firth  of  Tay  ?)  i.  310. 

Basque  or  Iberian  race,  a,  preceded 
the  Celts  in  Britain  and  Ireland, 
i.  164  seq. 

Bassas  (Bonny  ?),  river,  i.  153. 

Battledykes,  a  great  camp  near  For- 
far, i.  86,  87. 

Beadulf,  last  Anglic  bishop  in  Gallo- 
way, i.  311  ;  ii.  225. 

Bean,  St.  (Beanus),  ii.  326. 

Beath,  the  name,  iii.  63  n. 

Becc,  grandson  of  Dunchada,  i.  273. 

Bede,  the  Venerable,  i.  13 ;  iii.  91  ; 
his  account  of  the  Picts,  i.  123,  130, 
133. 

Belerium,  Belerion  (Land's  End),  pro- 
montory of,  i.  31,  33. 

Belhelvue,  thanage  of,  iii.  252. 

Bellachoir  (Bellathor),  near  Scone,  i. 
320,  322. 

Benbecula,  isle  of,  iii.  387. 

Benefices,  hereditary  succession  in, 
ii.  338. 

Berchan,  St.,  Prophecy  of,  i.  142, 
143,  325,  327,  330,  338-9,  403. 

Beret,  a  general  of  Ecgfi'id's,  sent  to 
ravage  Ireland,  i.  264-5. 

Berctfrid,  prefect  of  the  Northum- 
brians, defeats  the  Picts  of  Manann, 
i.  270. 

Beregonium,  a  misprint  of  Boece  for 
Rerigonium,  i.  72  ;  iii.  129. 

Bernaeth  (Bernith),  leader  in  the 
Pictish  revolt  against  the  Angles 
of  Northumbria  (a.d.  672),  i.  260, 
261,  270. 

Bernicia,  Anglic  kingdom  of,  i.  155, 
156 ;  its  extension  to  the  Firth  of 
Forth,  236-37  ;  iii.  19  ;  united  with 
Deira,  i.  252,  331,  372  ;  attacked  by 
the  Northmen,  322-23,  332  ;  gov- 
erned by  lords  of  Bamborough,  373 ; 
Malcolm  ii.  defeated  in  Northum- 
bria, 385 ;  cession  of  Lothian  to  the 
Scots,  393.  See  Osuald,  Osuiu. 
VOL.  III. 


Beruvik  (now  Portyerrock),  i.  390. 
Bethog,    daughter  of   Somerled,    iii. 

400. 
Biceot,  son  of  Moneit,  slain,  i.  288. 
Bile  (Beli),  son  of  Neithon,  and  father 

of  Oan  and  Brude,  i.  250,  263. 
Bile,  son  of  Alpin,  king  of  Alclyde, 

i.  271,  285. 
Birrenswark  hill,  Roman  remains  on, 

i.  72. 
Birse,  thanage  of,  iii.  256,  357. 
Bishops  and  Presbyters,  relative  posi- 
tion of,  under  the  monastic  rule, 

ii.  42. 
Black  mail,  i.  417. 
Blackwater,   river  (Raasay),   i.    183, 

319. 
Blair,  hill  and  muir  of,  i.  53  ;  battle 

of,  iii.  405. 
Blairnroar,  i.  328. 
Blathmac,  son  of  Flann,  martyrdom 

of,  in  lona,  i.  305  ;  ii.  300,  305. 
Boadicea,  or  Bondiuca,  queen  of  the 

Iceni,  i.  38. 
Bochastle,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  45. 
Boderia  of  Ptolemy,  and  Bodotria  of 

Tacitus  =  Firth  of  Forth,  i,  64,  216. 
Bodleian  mss.  cited,  iii.  475-6. 
Boece,  Hector,  i.  11,  12,  27  seq.  ;  ii. 

314 ;  iii.  364. 
Boete  (Bode),  son  of  Kenneth,  slain 

by  Malcolm  ii.,  i.  399,  406. 
Boethius    (Buitte),    St.,  among    the 

Picts,  i.  135. 
Bolgyne,  lands  of,  i.  406. 
Bonifacius,  St.  (Kiritinus),  legend  of, 

i.  277  ;  ii.  229. 
Bonnach  (Bonnage),  a  service  exacted 

from  tenants,  iii.  256. 
Boroughbridge,  i.  358-9. 
Bovates  (oxgangs)  defined,  iii.  224. 
Bower,  cited,  iii.  308  seq.,  et  al. 
Bowness,  i.  61. 
Boyd,  isle  of,  iii.  430. 
Boyne,  thanage  of,  iii.  86,  250. 
Bran,  son  of  Angus,  slain,  i.  307. 
Brathwell  (Braal)  Castle,  iii.  453. 
Breasal,  first  sole  abbot  of  lona  after 

the  schism  (a.d.  772-801),  ii.  288-90. 
Brechin,  dedication  of,  by  Kenneth, 

son  of  Malcolm,  i.  369  ;  bishopric 

of,  ii.  395-398. 
Brechtraig,  son  of  Bernith,  slain,  i. 

270. 
Bredei,  son  of  Wid.     See  Garnaid. 
Breg   (Bregia),  plain   of,   devastated 

in  A.D.  684  by  Ecgfrid,  i.  265 ;  in 

A.D.  839,  by  the  Galls,  307. 
Brehon  Laws,  excerpts  from,  iii.  145. 
2  I 


498 


INDEX. 


Brekauehe  (Brecacha)  Castle,  Coll, 
description  of,  iii.  436. 

Bremenium,  town  of  the  Otadeni 
(High  Rochester,  in  ]{yddisdale), 
i.  71. 

Brendan,  St.,  of  Clonfert,  ii.  76. 

Brian  Boroimhe,  leads  the  native 
tribes  of  Ireland  against  the  Danes, 
i.  386  ;  becomes  king  of  all  Ireland, 
387  ;  falls  in  the  final  conflict  at 
Cluantai'bh,  when  the  Danes  and 
their  auxiliaries  were  defeated,  388. 

Bridei  (Bred,  Bredei,  Brude,  Brui- 
dhe).     (S'efi  Brude. 

Bridget,  St.,  i.  135  ;  Lives  of,  ii.  443. 

Brigantes,  tribes  of  the,  and  their 
territory,  i.  35,  71  ;  their  internal 
dissensions  and  subjugation  by  the 
Romans,  36-39  ;  overrun  one  of  the 
provincial  tribes,  and  are  subdued 
by  Lollius  Urbicus,  76. 

Britain  :  Roman  province  in,  see 
Romans  in  Britain ;  obscurity  of 
history  after  the  departure  of  the 
Romans,  i.  114;  settlement  of 
barbaric  tribes  in,  114,  115;  igno- 
rance of,  by  writers  of  sixth  cen- 
tury, 115,  116;  its  position  at  the 
time  as  viewed  from  Rome,  117-9  ; 
struggle  for  the  dominion  among 
the  four  races,  119  seq.  ;  Professor 
Huxley  on  the  ethnology  of,  164-5  ; 
Roman  troops  withdrawn  from,  ii.  4. 

Britannia,  Prima  and  Secunda,  two 
of  the  four  Roman  provinces  of 
Britain,  i.  96,  97,  103. 

British  Isles,  early  notices  of,  i.  29  seq. 

Britons,  provincial,  influence  of  the 
Roman  dominion  on,  i.  120 ;  de- 
scription of  the  two  great  classes 
into  which  they  may  be  divided, 
and  the  territory  occupied  by  them 
respectively,  121,  123;  language  of, 
193 ;  kingdom  of  the  Britons  of 
Alclyde,  235-6  ;  fall  under  the  sway 
of  the  Angles,  256-7  ;  after  thirty 
years  they  recover  their  liberty, 
267  ;  Strathclyde  Britons  conform 
to  Rome,  ii.  219. 

Broom,  Loch,  i.  183,  320,  376. 

Bruce,  CoUingwood,  his  work  on  the 
Roman  Wall,  i.  61,  91,  112. 

Bruce,  Robert.     See  Baliol. 

Brude  (Bridei),  son  of  Mailcu,  a  Pict- 
ish  king  (a.d.  556-83)  baptized  by 
St.  Columba,  i.  136,  137,  142 ;  de- 
feats the  Scots  of  Dalriada,  ii.  78. 

Brude  (Bredei),  son  of  Bile,  king  of 
the  Picts  (A.D.  672-693),  his  father. 


and     mother,     and     grandfather ; 

elected  king  in  i)lace  of  Drost,  i. 

262-3  ;  called  king  of  Fortrenn,  264, 

208  ;  his  death,  268-9 ;  legend  re- 
garding his  body,  269. 
Brude  (Bridei),  son  of  Derile,  king  of 

Picts  (ob.  706).  i.  270,  295  ;  ii.  258. 
Brude,  son  of  Angus  (a.d.  731-3),  i. 

289-90. 
Brude,    son   of  Fergus,   king  of  the 

Picts  (A.D.  761-63),  i.  299. 
Brude  (Bred),  son  of  Ferat,  king  of 

the  Picts  {ob.  844),  i.  309. 
Brude,    son   of    Fotel,    king    of    the 

Picts,  i.  310. 
Brunanburg  (/Etbrunnanmere,  Brun 

nanbyrig,    Duinbrunde,    Vinheidi, 

Wendune),  battle  of  (a.d.  937),  i. 

353-6  ;  iii.  .30  ;  site  of,  i.  357-9. 
Brusi,  son  of  Sigurd  the  Stout,  i.  388, 

401. 
Brut  of  Tyivysoqion,  a  Welsh  Chron- 
icle, i.  197,  294. 
Brutus  (Brittus),  the  eponynms  of  the 

Britons,  iii.  94. 
Brychans,  the  two,  and  their  families, 

ii.  36. 
Buchan,  district  of,  i.  344  ;  fleet  of 

the  Sumarlidi  cut  off  there,  365-6  ; 

Mormaers  of,  iii.  55  ;  Toisechs  of, 

56  ;  earldom  of,  287.     See  Mar. 
Buchanan,  George,  i.  12. 
Buchanan,    Maurice  (Book    of   Plus- 

carden),  iii.  311  seq. 
Buchanan    (W.),    on    the    Highland 

Clans,  iii.  349. 
Buchanty,  Roman  station  at,  i.  75. 
Burdens  on  land,  iii.  228-36. 
Burghead,  promontory  of,  i.  74,  75, 

336. 
Burton,  John  Hill,  referred  to,  i.  11, 

22,    27,    52,    140;    his    History  of 

Scotland,  20,  21,  75,  196,  248,  495 ; 

his  opinion  of  the  Ogham  character, 

ii.  449-50. 
Bute,    inhabitants    of,    called    Bran- 

danes,   from  St.   Brandan,  ii.    77  ; 

island  of,  iii.  89. 
Buzzard  Dykes,  the  encampment  of 

Galgacus'   forces  at   the   battle  of 

Mons  Granpius,  i.  53. 

Cadroe,   St.,  legend  from  the   Life 

of,  i.  319  ;  notice  of,  325. 
Caech,    loch     da     (Waterford),     the 

Danes  in,  i.  347. 
Caedwalla  (CatguoUaun),  king  of  the 

Britons,  i.  243,  244. 
Cajre,  river.     See  Carron. 


INDEX. 


499 


Caerediu  (Carriden),  a  British  town 
on  the  Forth,  i.  238. 

Caerini,  a  northern  tribe,  i.  76. 

Caerleon  (Isca  Sihirum),  i.  81,  107. 

Caernech,  St. ,  legend  of,  ii.  46. 

Cailin,  clan.     See  Campbells. 

Cain  and  Conveth,  dues  from  Crown 
lands,  iii.  227-32,  262.  _ 

Cairbre,  surnamed  Righfhada  or 
Rioda,  i.  140. 

Cairjjentaloch,  i.  153. 

Caislen  Credi.     .S'ee  Scone. 

Caithness  (Cathanesia,  Cathannia), 
in  the  Pictish  legend  the  territory 
of  Cait,  one  of  the  seven  sons  of 
Cruithne,  i.  186  ;  one  of  the  seven 
provinces  of  the  Pictish  kingdom, 
280  ;  iii.  44  ;  original  extent  of  the 
district,  i.  232  ;  attacked  by  Thor- 
stein  the  Red,  326  ;  invaded  by 
Sigurd,  earl  of  Orkney,  336,  and 
brought  under  Norwegian  rule, 
342,  345,  374 ;  iii.  44,  45  ;  Thor- 
finn,  Sigurd's  son,  and  grandson 
of  Malcolm  ii.,  is  made  earl  of 
Caithness  and  Sutherland,  i.  389, 
401  ;  bishopric  of,  ii.  382  ;  earldom 
of,  iii.  8,  71  ;  historical  account  of 
the  earldom  and  earls  of,  448-53. 

Calathros  (Calatrii,  Catraeth),  battles 
in,  i.  247,  291  :  district  of,  247,  256, 
424. 

Caledones,  or  Caledonii,  a  section  of 
the  Picts,  i.  94,  99,  100,  127,  130  ; 
account  of,  by  Tacitus,  58-60 ; 
tlieir  territory,  as  given  by  Pto- 
lemy, 75,  76  ;  join  with  the  Mieatie 
in  hostilities  against  the  Roman 
province,  80  ;  campaign  of  Severus, 
82-89 ;  characteristics  of  these 
ancient  tribes,  83. 

Caledonia,  the  term  by  which  that 
portion  of  Scotland  north  of  the 
Forth  and  Clyde  was  known  to  the 
Romans,  i.  1,  40,  41. 

Caledonian  Forest,  the  (Sylvia  Cale- 
donia), i.  40,  48. 

Callender  (Kalentyr),  on  the  Carron, 
thanage  of,  iii.  277-8. 

Calps  paid  by  native-men,  iii.  318  ; 
abolition  of,  368. 

Calphurnius  Agricola,  sent  to  Britain, 
i.  79. 

Cambuskenneth,  chartulary  of,  i.  424. 

Cameron  clan  and  its  septs,  iii.  313, 
315,  331,  350,  479. 

Camlann,  battle  of,  i.  154. 

Campbells,  the  first  on  record  (Gil- 
lespie), iii.  79  ;  the  clan,  330,  350, 


458;  the  Clann  Mhic  Cailin,  121, 

339. 
Canaul  (Conall),  son  of  Tarla  (Taidg), 

king  of  the  Picts,  i.  302. 
Candida   Casa,    church   at,   built  by 

St.  Ninian,  i.  130,  188  ;  ii.  3,  46-49, 

222,  225.     See  Whithern. 
Canna,  isle  of,  iii.  4,34. 
Canons-regular  (the  black  canons)  of 

St.  Augustine,  introduced,  ii.  374  ; 

secular  canons  instituted,  241. 
Cantese  or  Decantse,  a  northern  tribe, 

i.  76. 
Cantium  (Kent),  promontory  of,  i.  31. 
Caractacus,  a  British  chief,  i.  37. 
Caradoc  of  Llancarvan,  i.  405. 
Carausius,  reign  of,  in  Britain,  i.  91- 

93,  95,  129. 
Carbantorigum  (in  Kirkcudbright),  a 

town  of  the  Selgova?,  i.  72,  217. 
Carham,  battle  of  (a.d.  1018),  i.  393. 
Carlisle  (CaerLuel),i.  236,271;  iii.  81. 
Carlowrie,  i.  325. 
Carmichael,  Alex.,  on  the  townships 

in  the  Outer  Hebrides,  iii.  378-93. 
Carnones,  a  tribe  of  N.  Britain,  i.  76. 
Carriber  (Cnuicc  Coirpri),  battle  at, 

i.  291. 
C'arrick,  the  name,  iii.  102  ;  eai'ldom 

of,  70. 
Carron  (C«re),  river,  i.  249-50,  270, 

290,  424. 
Carstairs,  Roman  remains  at,  i.  73. 
Cartismandua,    queen    of    the    Bi'i- 

gantes,  i.  37. 
Carucates  (ploughgates),  defined,  iii. 

224,  225. 
Cassiterides  (Tin  Islands),  name  by 

which    the   British    Islands   were 

known   to   Herodotus,   i.    29  ;  in- 
habitants of,  165  aeq.,  226. 
Cat  Bregion  (Edinburgh),  i.  153. 
Catgabail  (Catgublaun,  Catguollaun),- 

king  of  Guenedotia,  i.  246. 
Cathbad,  three  daugliters  of,  iii.  128. 
Cathbath,  Cinel,  a  subdivision  of  the 

tribe  of  Loarn,  i.  230. 
Cathbuaidh,  the  crozier  of  St.   Col- 

umba,  used  as  a  standard  in  battle, 

i.  339,  348. 
Cathmail,  the  name,  i.  291-2. 
Cation,  king  of  the  Britons,  slain,  i. 

245. 
Catraeth.     See  Calathros. 
Catrail,  rampart  of  the,  i.  235. 
Catscaul  (Cad-ys-gual),  battle  of,  near 

Hexham  (a.d.  634)  between  Osuald 

and  the  king  of  the  Britons  [Cat- 
Ion?],  i.  245  6. 


500 


INDEX. 


Cawdor,  thanagc  of,  iii.  24S. 
Geile  De.     See  Anchorites. 

Ceile  or  tenants,  iii.  144  .se7. 

Celidon  (Coit),  the  Caledonian  wood, 
i.  153. 

Cellach,  son  of  Aillel,  abbot  of  Kil- 
dare  and  lona  (a.d.  865),  ii.  291, 
.SOS,  433. 

Cellach,  first  bishop  of  St.  Andrews 
(c.  A.D.  90fi)  holds  with  Constantin, 
son  of  Aedh,  a  solemn  assembly  on 
the  Mote  Hill  of  Scone  :  its  bearing 
on  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the 
Church,  i.  340  ;  ii.  323-4. 

Celnius,  river  (Devern),  i.  67  ;  (Cul- 
len),  216. 

Celtic  church,     ^e  Church,  Scottish. 

Celtic  earldoms,  break-up  of  the  : 
Moray,  iii.  287 ;  Buchan,  287 ; 
Athole,  288  ;  Angnis,  289 ;  Meu- 
teath  and  Stratherne,  290 ;  Mar, 
291  ;  Ross,  291  ;  Lennox,  300. 
See  Earldoms,  Provinces. 

Celtic  language,  the  two  branches  of 
the  British  and  Gadhelic,  i.  193, 
194,  226  ;  compai'ison  of  its  diflfe- 
rent  dialects,  204  seq.  ;  ii.  448-60. 
See  Languages,  Topography. 

Celtic  population,  early  traditionary 
origins  of,  as  given  in  the  ethnic 
legends,  iii.  91-96;  linguistic,  96; 
historical,  97  ;  Cymric,  100 ;  Pict- 
ish,  107.     See  Highlands. 

Cendaeladh,  a  Pictish  king,  i.  137. 

Cemianus.     See  Kells. 

Ceolfrid,  abbot  of  Jarrow,  bis  corre- 
spondence with  Nectan,  king  of 
the  Picts,  as  to  the  time  of  cele- 
brating Easter,  i.  278-9 ;  ii.  172. 

Ceoluulf,  king  of  Northumbria,  i. 
275,  291. 

Challow  (Coll),  Laird  of,  iii.  434,  436. 

Chalmers,  George,  remarks  on  his 
Caledonia,  i.  19,  48,  73,  77,  87,  140, 
196  ;  error  as  to  the  colonisation 
of  Galloway  by  the  Irish  Cruithne, 
132  ;  also  as  to  Girig,  son  of  Dun- 
gaile,  330  ;  his  objections  to  the 
genviineness  of  certain  letters- 
patent  said  to  be  granted  to  the 
earl  of  Mar  (a.d.  1171),  iii.  442. 

Chariots  used  in  war  by  the  Cale- 
donians, i.  55,  83. 

Chattan  clan  and  its  septs,  sketch  of, 
iii.  313,  315,  330,  478. 

Chester,  i.  81,  107,  382. 

Cheviot  hills,  i.  7,  9  ;  iii.  135. 

Chorischia,  a  part  of  Scotland  over- 
run by  the  Chorischii,  i.  182,  183. 


Christianity :  introduced  into  Scot- 
land through  two  different  channels 
— Roman  and  Columban,  the  South- 
ern Picts  and  tlie  Strathclyde  Bri- 
tons (through  St.  Niuian  and  St. 
Kentigern)  adhering  to  the  first, 
and  the  Northern  Picts  (through 
Columba)  to  the  second,  i.  130, 
132,  142  ;  ii.  26  ."eji.  {see  also  Whit- 
horn, Columba,  Picts) ;  the  churches 
derived  from  each  different  in  char- 
acter and  in  spirit,  i.  258  seq. ,  275  ; 
ii.  8,  150  seq.,  207-225,  .344-50. 

Church,  the,  in  Britain,  during  the 
Roman  occupation,  ii.  1,  2 ;  St. 
Ninian  and  his  church  of  Candida 
Casa,  2,  3  (see  Whithorn) ;  the  Pela- 
gian heresy,  4  ;  mission  of  Palladius 
to  Ireland,  5  ;  mission  of  Columba- 
nus  to  Gaul,  6-12;  controversy  as 
to  Easter,  7  ;  in  the  sixth  century 
no  question  of  ecclesiastical  supre- 
macy had  arisen,  6  ;  three  orders  of 
Saints  in  early  Irish  Church,  12-14  ; 
church  of  St.  Patrick,  14-24 ;  col- 
legiate churches  of  Seven  Bishops, 
24-26  ;  life  and  labours  of  St.  Pal- 
ladius, 26  seq.  ;  confusion  of  For- 
dun's  statements  regarding  him, 
ib.  ;  St.  Ternan,  30-32 ;  church  of 
the  Southern  Picts,  26-33;  early 
Dalriadic  church,  33-35  ;  church 
south  of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  35, 
36  ;  legend  of  St.  Monenna,  37  ;  re- 
lapse into  paganism  of  the  churches 
of  Niuian  and  Patrick,  39,  40. 

Church,  monastic,  in  Ireland,  its  con- 
stitution, ii.  41  ;  whence  was  it  de- 
rived? 45-50 ;  the  school  of  Clonard, 
50 ;  St.  Patrick  and  the  twelve 
Apostles  of  Ireland,  51  ;  Columba 
one  of  the  twelve  {see  Columba)  ; 
influence  of  the  church,  73  ;  learn- 
ing of  the,  419  ;  hagiology,  425  ; 
the  right  of  the  church  from  the 
tribe,  and  of  the  tribe  from  the 
church,  71,  72. 

Church, monastic, inlona, — monastery 
founded  by  Columba  (a.d.  563),  ii. 
88 ;  its  constitution,  101 ;  affected  in 
opposite  ways  by  the  secular  clergy 
and  the  Culdees,  227,  233  seq.  ;  its 
influence  as  a  school  of  learning, 
421  ;  schism  in,  after  Adamnan's 
death,  175,  278-288  ;  table  of  rival 
abbots,  288.    See  Columba,  Coarbs. 

Church  of  Cumbria  and  Lothian,  ii.  35, 
36,  179-224  (see  Kentigern,  Cuth- 
bert)  ;    conversion   of  the  Angles, 


INDEX. 


50  i 


19S  ;  Strathclyde  Britons  confoi'in 
to  Rome,  219  ;  chapels  founded  at 
Hexham,  220 ;  bishopric  of  Whit- 
hern,  224. 

Church  of  Northumbria,  an  offshoot 
of  the  Columban  Church,  i.  258  ;  ii. 
154-9  ;  points  of  dispute  with  the 
Southern  Anglic  Church  submitted 
to  a  council  in  Whitby,  i.  258-9  ; 
ii.  165 ;  termination  of,  164-6. 

Church,  the  Scottish  : — first  appear- 
ance of  this  name  (a.d.  878),  i.  333  ; 
ii.  320  ;  coincident  with  the  change 
from  '  kingdom  of  the  Picts '  to 
'kingdom  of  Alban,'  i.  333-35, 
384 ;  ii.  323 ;  primacy  transferred 
to  St.  Andrews,  323  ;  canonical  rule 
of  the  Culdees  introduced,  324  ;  lay 
abbots  of  Dunkeld,  337  ;  hereditary 
succession  in  benefices,  338 ;  laymen 
and  their  heirs  hold  church  offices, 
338  ;  Queen  ^largaret's  reforms  in 
the  church,  344 ;  she  rebuilds  the 
monastery  of  lona,  352  ;  Anchorites 
at  this  time,  351  ;  bishops  of  Alban, 
323-44 ;  decadence  and  ultimate  ex- 
tmction  of  this  old  Celtic  church, 
354-65  ;  its  failure  in  diocese  of 
Brechin,  400 ;  of  Dunblane,  402  ; 
of  Dunkeld,  405  ;  disappearance  of 
the  Celtic  community  of  lona,  412, 
and  a  Benedictine  abbey  and  nun- 
nery founded  (a.d.  1203),  415;  re- 
mains of  old  Celtic  church,  417  ; 
its  hagiology,  444  seg. 

Cillemuine  (St.  Davids),  i.  388. 

Cinaeth,  king  of  the  Picts,  i.  242. 

Ciniod,  son  of  Wredech,  king  of  the 
Picts,  i.  300-1. 

Circinn  (Maghcircin,  Magh  Gherginn 
=  Mearns),  i.  185,  186,  365  ;  battle 
at,  between  the  Picts  themselves, 
295  ;  iii.  123.     See  Moerne. 

Ciricus,  St.,  day  of,  i.  330. 

Clach  na  Breatan  =  stone  of  the 
Britons,  in  Glenfalloch,  probably 
the  scene  of  the  conflict  between 
the  Dalriads  and  Britons  (a.d.  717), 
i.  273-4. 

Clan,  signification  of  the  word,  iii. 
331  ;  patronymics,  personal  names, 
and  surnames,  331-4  ;  original  im- 
portance and  position  of  Clan  pedi- 
grees, 334  ;  changes  produced  by 
legendary  history,  336,  and  by  Irish 
sennachies,  337  ;  also  by  Act  of 
1597,  346-9  ;  modern  position  of  a 
Clan,  as  defined  in  the  Supreme 
Court,  366-67. 


Clans  :    localities,    possessions,    and 
legendarydescent[allinvol.  iii.] : 

Alaster  (MacAlasters),  330, 410, 468. 

Andres  (Rosses),  330,  365,  484. 

Cameron,  331,  350,  479. 

Chattan,  330,  478. 

Clanranald    (Macdonalds   of    Kip- 
poch),  330,  AZOseq.,  469. 

Donnachie  (Robertsons),  330,  365, 
401. 

Donald,  330,  430  seq.,  466. 

Dubhgal  (Macdougalls),  330,  470. 

Dubhsithe(Macduffie),  331,363,486. 

Eoin  Mor  (MacCoimells),  330,  401, 
432,  469. 

Eoin  of  Ardnamurchan,  401,  469. 

Eoin    of     Glencomhan    (Glencoe), 
401,  430. 

Fingaine  (MacKinnons),  331,  363, 
365,  488. 

Gillechallam  of  Raarsa,  433. 

Gilleoin  (Macleans),  331,  480. 

Gregor  (MacGregor),  329,  331,  365, 
487. 

Guaire  (Macquarries),  331,  436,  488. 

Gunn,  330. 

Hustain  (MacDoualds  of  Slate),  iii. 
330. 

Ian  (Maclans),  330. 

Kenneth  ( Mack  enzies),  330, 365, 485. 

Labhran(Lawren),  329, 363.365,483. 

Lachlan,  331,  473. 

Ladmann  (Lamont),  331.  472. 

Leod  (Macleods),  331,  429,  460. 

Macduff,  303. 

Mackinnons,  363,  488. 

MacNab,  362-3,  365,  486. 

M' Thomas,  330. 

Mathesons,  365,  485. 

Morgan  (Mackays),  330. 

Neachtan  (MacNaughton),  331, 477. 

Neill  (MacNeill),  331,  430. 

O'Duibhn  (Campbells),  330,  458. 

Pharlane,  329,  365. 

Vuirich,  364. 
Clanranald,  Book  of,  quoted,  iii.  49, 

338  ;  portion  of,  translated,  397. 
Clanranald,  clan  (Macdonalds  of  Kip- 

poch),  iii.  119,  330,  430  seq.,  469. 
Claudian,  Roman  poet,  his  allusions 

to  events  in  Britain,  i.    100,  105, 

106,  139. 
Claudius,  the  Emperor,  formation  of 

a  Roman  province  in  Britain  in  his 

reign,  i.  33,  34. 
Cleaven    Dyke,    Roman    vallum    in 

Perthshire  so  called,  i.  52-54. 
Cleveland,  i.  369,  421. 
Clonard,  monastic  school  of,  ii.  50. 


502 


INDEX. 


Clonmacnoise,  Annals  of,  i.  356,  359. 

Cloveth  (Clova),  thanage  of,  iii.  263. 

Cluantarbh,  battle  at  (see.  Brian  Bo- 
roiinhe)  ;  auxiliary  Galls  at,  i. 
387-8. 

Cluny  (Cluanan),  Danes  advance  to, 
i.  311. 

Clyde  (Clota),  estuary  of  Clyde,  i. 
66,  21G,  et  al. 

Cnuicc  Cairpri.     See  Carriber. 

Cnut,  king  of  England,  i.  392,  395. 

Coamatra,  isle  of,  iii.  436. 

Coiirb  (Comharba),  the  term  defined, 
ii.  286 ;  applied  to  abbots  of  Colum- 
ban  monasteries,  285,  413  ;  the  suc- 
cessors of  Columba  so  termed  after 
the  schism  in  Zona  ceased,  Breasal 
being  the  first  Coiirb  (a.d.  772-801), 
288  ;  his  successors  till  St.  Colum- 
ba's  shrine  and  relics  were  removed 
to  Ireland,  and  the  primacy  trans- 
ferred to  Aberuethy,  290-319. 

Cocboy  (called  by  Bede  Maserfelth), 
battle  of  (A.D.  642),  i.  252. 

Cockburnspath  (Colbrandspath),  i. 
241. 

Coede,  bishop  of  lona,  ii.  175. 

Colania,  a  town  of  the  Damnonii,  i.  73. 

Coldingham,  monastery  of,  founded 
(A.D.  627),  ii.  200;  refounded  (a.d. 
1093),  i.  444  ;  ii.  367. 

Coll  (CoUow),  island  of,  iii.  30,  36, 
436. 

Colla,  race  of,  iii.  113. 

Colla  Uais,  son  of  Eochaidh  Duibhlen, 
king  of  Ireland,  iii.  340,  397  ;  his 
descendants,  398. 

CoUa-dha-Chrioch,  son  of  Eochaidh 
Duibhlen,  iii.  397,  398. 

Colla  Meann,  son  of  Eochaidh  Duibh- 
len, iii.  397,  398. 

Collas,  legend  of  the  three,  iii.  462. 

Colly  (Cowie),  thanage  of,  iii.  257. 

Colman,  bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  i. 
258-9;  ii.  165-168. 

Colman(Mocholmoc)ofDromore,ii.32. 

Colonsay  (Collonsa,  Koln),  island  of, 
i.  379  ;  iii.  438  ;  laird  of,  438. 

Colsmon,  isle  of,  iii.  431. 

Columba,  St.,  labours  (a.d.  565) 
among  the  Northern  Picts,  i.  130-7, 
142-3,  198,  200,  276;  his  crozier 
used  as  a  standard  in  battle,  339, 
348  ;  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of 
Ireland,  ii.  52 ;  descent  and  early 
life,  52 ;  founds  the  monastery  of 
Derry,  53 ,  and  many  other  founda- 
tions, 54-55  ;  connection  of  his  mis- 
sion to  Britain  with  the  battle  of 


Culdremhne,  78-84 ;  crosses  from 
Ireland  to  Britain  with  twelve  fol 
lowers,  85 ;  resides  with  Conall,  king 
of  Dalriada,  85,  who  gives  him  the 
island  of  lona,  87  ;  on  which  he 
founds  a  monastery,  88  ;  establishes 
his  church  there,  93  ;  its  character- 
istics, 93-95,  and  constitution,  101- 
104 ;  site  of  the  original  wooden 
monastery  and  its  surroundings, 
95-101 ;  influence  of  Columba  on  the 
adjacent  districts,  104;  conversion 
of  King  Brude,  105-107  ;  his  labours 
among  the  Northern  Picts,  119- 
121  ;  ordains  Aidan  king  of  the 
Dalriadic  territories,  122  ;  attends 
the  Assembly  of  Drumceatt,  near 
Derry,  123 ;  his  purposes  thereat, 
124  ;  twelve  years'  work  summed 
up,  127  ;  monasteries  founded  by 
himself  and  others  in  the  Western 
Isles,  128-134  ;  among  the  Northern 
and  Southern  Picts,  134-138  ;  his 
visit  to '  Ireland,  138;  last  days  of 
his  life,  138-143  ;  his  character,  143- 
147  ;  his  successors  in  the  primacy 
of  lona,  148-177  ;  expulsion  of  the 
Columban  monks  from  the  kingdom 
of  the  Picts  (a.d.  717),  and  close 
of  the  influence  of  the  '  Family  of 
lona,'  i.  283-4,  315-6  ;  ii.  177-178  ; 
legends  which  seem  to  be  connected 
with  their  return,  i.  319-20  ;  his  re- 
mains enshrined,  ii.  291  ;  a  cell  or 
oratory  built  for  their  reception, 
303  ;  his  relics,  or  part  thereof,  re- 
moved to  Dunkeld,  307  ;  shrine  and 
relics  removed  to  Ireland,  317  ;  re- 
stored to  lona,  318  ;  transferred  to 
Down,  332  ;  a  discourse  on  his  life 
and  character,  467  ;  rule  of,  508. 
See  lona,  Coiirbs. 

Columbanus,  St. ,  his  mission  to  Gaul 
(a.d.  590),  ii.  6-11,41. 

Comet  of  the  year  1018,  i.  393. 

Comgall,  son  of  Domangart,  king  of 
Dalriada,  i.  141,  142,  229;  tribe 
of,  incorporated  with  the  Cinel  Ga- 
bhran,  230. 

Comines,  Earl  Robert  de,  i.  419,  425. 

Commodus,  Emperor,  i.  79. 

Comrie,  Roman  camp  at  Dealgan 
Ross,  i.  45,  50. 

Comyn  (Cumyn),  John,  of  Badenoch, 
iii.  81,  82. 

Comyn,  Walter,  Earl  of  Menteath, 
iii.  77,  80. 

Comyns,  Earls  of  Buchan,  iii.  71,  72, 
242. 


INDEX. 


503 


Conadh  Cerr,  king  of  Dalriada,  i.  241. 

Conaing,  son  of  Aidan,  i.  273,  285. 

Conall,  son  of  Comgall,  king  of  Dal- 
riada, i.  142,  321  ;  ii.  85 ;  iii.  211. 

Conall,  son  of  Taidg.     See  Canaiil. 

Conall  Crandamna,  brother  of  Dom- 
nall  Breac,  king  of  Dalriada,  i.  272. 

Conall,  son  of  Aedain,  slays  Conall, 
son  of  Taidg,  i.  302,  374. 

Conan,  river,  i.  320. 

Congal  Claen.     See  Magh  Rath. 

Conmael,  abbot  of  Zona,  ii.  175. 

Conn  of  the  hundred  battles,  iii.  110. 

Constantin  (789-820),  son  of  Fergus, 
king  of  the  Picts,  i.  302,  307-8. 

Constantin  (863-76),  son  of  Kenneth 
mac  Alpin,  king  of  the  Picts,  i. 
323-28  ;  ii.  310-13. 

Constantin  (900-942),  son  of  Aedh, 
king  of  Alban,  i.  339  seq.  ;  invasion 
of  Northmen,  339  ;  holds,  with 
Cellach  bishop  of  Kilrymont,  a 
solemn  assembly  on  the  Mote  Hill 
of  Scone,  340 ;  division  of  Alban 
at  this  time  into  seven  provinces, 
340  seq.  (see  Provinces)  ;  invasion 
of  Aethelstan,  352  ;  takes  part  in 
the  battle  of  Brunanburg,  353  ;  re- 
signs the  throne,  and  retires  to  the 
monastery  of  St.  Andrews,  360 ; 
his  death,  360. 

Constantin  (995-97),  son  of  Cuilean, 
king  of  Alban,  slain  by  Kenneth, 
son  of  Malcolm,  i.  381-2. 

Constantino,  son  of  Constantius  Chlo- 
rus,  becomes  Emperor,  i.  95. 

Constantine,  Emperor,  account  of  his 
usurpation,  i.  108-112  ;  his  son  Con- 
stans,  110. 

Constantius  Chlorus,  Emperor,  re- 
covers Britain  from  the  iisurpation 
of  Carausius,  i.  93  ;  his  war  against 
the  Caledonians  and  other  Picts, 
94  ;  his  death  at  York,  95. 

Conveth.     See  Cain. 

Conveth  (Conuath),  thanage  of,  in 
Banffshire,  iii.  252. 

Coolin  hills,  iii.  128. 

Corda,  a  town  of  the  Selgovje,  i.  72. 

Coria  (Carstairs),  a  town  of  the  Dam- 
nonii,  i.  73. 

Cormac's  Glossary,  iii.  131. 

Comae  (Cornar,  Curnig),  river,  i.  368. 

Cornwall,  the  tin-workers  of,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Iberians  who  pre- 
ceded the  Celts  in  Britain,  i.  165- 
170,  226. 

Corca  Laidhe,  genealogy  of,  iii.  211. 

Coronation  stone  of  Scone,  i.  281-3. 


Cowall,  district  of,  visited  by  Agri- 
cola,  i.  47,  48 ;  the  name  derived 
from  Comgall,  229,  2.30,  321. 

Cranach,  thanage  of,  iii.  86,  272. 

Craniology,  ethnological  e\idence  fur- 
nished by,  i.  169-70,  226. 

Creic,  in  Dalriada,  burnt  by  Angus, 
i.  290. 

Creones,  Croenes,  a  tribe  of  North 
Britain,  i.  76. 

Crimthan  Mor  mac  Fidhaig,  iii.  114, 
124. 

Crinan  (Cronan),  lay  abbot  of  Dun- 
keld,  i.  390-2  ;  called  Cruian  Tein, 
or  the  thane,  394  ;  also  the  Hound 
Earl,  401  ;  his  sons  Duncan  and 
Maldred,  392,  394,  408,  419  ;  slain, 
407. 

Crinan,  bay  of,  i.  229. 

Crofters  and  cottars,  iii.  375  seq. 

Qromartie,  Earls  of.  Sir  W.  Eraser's, 
iii.  351  seq. 

Cromdale,  thanage  of,  iii.  249. 

Crown  demesne,  species  of  tenure, 
iii.  84-88 ;  Crown  lands,  ranks  of 
society  on,  238-44. 

Cruithintuath,  the  Irish  equivalent 
of  Pictavia,  i.  315,  324,  384. 

Cruithne  and  his  seven  sons,  i.  185, 
186,  231,  295;  iii.  97,  107. 

Cruithnigh,  the,  a  Pictish  people  in 
the  north  of  Ireland,  i.  131,  142-3, 
226  ;  Irish  traditions  regarding, 
175  ;  iii.  96  ;  battles  with  the  Dal- 
riads,  i.  241  ;  close  connection  in 
the  popular  tales  between  them  and 
the  Pictish  inhabitants  of  North 
Britain,  iii.  131. 

Cuddiche  (a  night's  portion),  a  land- 
burden,  iii.  233. 

Cuilean,  son  of  Indulph,  king  of 
Alban,  defeated  at  Drumcrub,  i. 
367  ;  slain  in  Laodonia  (Lothian) 
by  Andarch,  367-8. 

Culdees,  first  appearance  of  the  name, 
in  beginning  of  the  eighth  century, 
ii.  226 ;  conclusions  as  to  their 
origin,  277.     See  Anchorites. 

Culdremhne,  battle  of,  ii.  80. 

Culrenrigi,  island  of,  plundered,  i. 
289-90. 

Cumbria,  evangelised  by  Kentigern 
(A.D.  573),  (see  Kentigern)  and  his 
successors,  ii.  179  se'/.,  198;  ceded 
to  the  Scots  by  king  Eadmund 
(A.D.  945),  i.  362  ;  Malcolm  (Ceann- 
mor)  put  in  possession  of  it  by  Earl 
Siward,  408-10 ;  name  of,  restricted, 
iii.  4. 


504 


INDEX. 


Cumherbes  and  Cumlawes,  iii.  26  ; 
meaning  of,  '2'2'.i. 

Cummcn  tlie  Fair,  abbot  of  lona,  i. 
247. 

Cumuscacli,  son  of  Aengus,  slain,  i. 
246. 

Cupar- Angus  (Cubert),  Roman  camp 
at,  i.  49  ;  iii.  133  ;  thanage  of,  275, 
276. 

Curia,  town  of  (Carby  Hill,  in  Liddes- 
dale),  i.  71. 

Cumavii,  a  northern  tribe,  i.  76. 

Cuthbert,  St.  (Cudberct),  Bede's  Life 
of,  ii.  201  ;  Irish  Life  of,  203;  in 
Melrose  monastery,  206  ;  becomes 
prior  there,  208  ;  goes  to  Lindis- 
farne,  209 ;  withdraws  to  Fame 
island,  211  ;  consecrated  bishop  of 
Lindisfarne,  213 ;  retirement  to 
Fame,  214  ;  his  death,  214  ;  his 
relics  enshrined,  218. 

Cymric  legends,  iii.  100-104. 

Dacia.     See  Norwegia. 

Dalaraidhe  (Dalaradia),  a  district 
(called  also  Vladh)  in  the  north  of 
Ireland,  inhabited  by  a  Pictish 
people,  i.  131,  198. 

Dalfin,  archbisho])  of  Gaul,  i.  259. 

Dalguise,  probably  M'here  the  battle 
of  Seguise  was  fought  in  a.d.  635, 
i.  246. 

Dali,  district  of,  i.  375-6,  390,  412. 
See  Arregaithel. 

Dalmonych  (Dalmaruoch),  thanage 
of,  iii.  274. 

Ualriada,  a  district  in  the  north-east 
of  Ireland,  i.  140  seq.  ;  the  name 
given  to  the  settlement  of  the  Scots 
in  Argyll,  139  seq.,  248  ;  Dalriadic 
ethnologic  legend,  183,  184  ;  Scot- 
tish kingdom  of,  229-30  ;  battles 
between  the  Dalriads  and  the 
Cruithnigh,  241,  242;  anarchy  in, 
after  Domnall  Brec's  death,  250, 
251,  272  ;  Dalriads  fall  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Angles  for  thirty 
years,  256  seq.  ;  after  several  un- 
successful attempts  to  throw  off 
the  yoke,  264,  Ecgfrid  is  defeated 
and  slain  at  Dunnichen,  265,  267  ; 
contest  between  the  two  chief  tribes 
for  the  thi'one,  272-3,  284-6  ;  con- 
flicts with  the  Britons,  273-4  ;  re- 
volution, and  renewed  contest,  286, 
289  ;  the  country  laid  waste  by 
Angus,  king  of  the  Picts,  290 ; 
Dalriadic  defeat  at  Carriber,  291  ; 
the  Dalriads  crushed  by  Angus  (a.  d. 


741),  292,  315:  lists  of  kings  for 
the  following  century  not  trust- 
worthy, owing  to  the  perversions 
of  the  Chronicles,  292  seq.  ;  notices 
of  the  Scots  of  Dalriada  till  the  time 
of  Kenneth  mac  Alpin,  316  seq.  ; 
attacked  by  the  Danes,  377  ;  early 
church  of,  ii.  33  ;  tribes  of,  iii.  212. 
See  Drumceat,  Picts. 

Dam  Hoctor,  settlement  of  the,  in 
Gwyned,  i.  138. 

Damnonii,  tribes  of  the  (the  '  noviv 
gentes '),  and  their  territory  and 
towns,  i.  73,  74,  127,  128,  155,  167, 
211,  231. 

Danes,  their  first  appearance  on  our 
coasts,  i.  302 seq.  ;  ii.  18  (see  Galls); 
naval  attack  on  Ireland,  i.  307  ;  the 
men  of  Fortrenn  defeated  by  the 
Danes,  307-308 ;  a  band  under  Half- 
dan  lay  waste  Northumbria,  and 
destroy  the  Picts  of  Galloway  and 
the  Britons  of  Strathclyde,  325-6  ; 
conflict  with  Xoi'wegians,  327  ; 
again  attack  Northumbria,  332 ; 
plunder  Ireland,  338  ;  invade  Al- 
ban,  338-9,  347-S ;  final  conflict 
with  the  native  tribes  of  Ireland, 
386-88. 

Darlugdach,  abbess  of  Kildare,  i.  135. 

Dasent's  Bur7it  Xjal,  i.  379,  388. 

Dathi,  the,  iii.  115,  122. 

Davach,  definition  of,  iii.  224.  See 
Laud-measures. 

Daven,  loch,  i.  74. 

David  I.,  youngest  son  of  Malcolm 
Ceannmor,  marries  Matilda,  heiress 
of  Huntingdon,  i.  454  ;  rules  the 
pro\ances  south  of  the  Firths,  as 
Earl,  for  seventeen  years  (a.d.  1 107- 
1124),  454-57  ;  various  foundations, 
grants,  and  chai'ters  by,  455  seq.  ; 
reigns  over  Scotland  as  first  feudal 
monarch  (a.d.  1124-53),  457  ;  de- 
feats an  insurrection  headed  by  the 
Earl  of  Moray,  and  Malcolm,  a 
natural  son  of  Alexander  i. ,  460  ; 
defeats  Malcolm  mac  Eth,  462-464  ; 
invades  England  in  support  of  his 
niece,  Matilda,  465  ;  heterogeneous 
composition  of  his  army,  467  ;  deatli 
of  his  only  son,  468  ;  his  own  death, 
468  ;  bishoprics  and  monasteries 
founded  by,  ii.  376  ;  feudalises 
Celtic  earldoms,  iii.  63. 

Davis,  Sir  John,  letter  by,  relative 
to  Monaghan  and  Fermanagh  (a.d. 
1606),  iii.  165,  170,  196. 

Dawstone.     See  Degsastane. 


INDEX. 


505 


Dawkins,  W.  Boyd,  on  the  sepulchral 
remams  of  Britain,  i.  169-70. 

Deabhra,  loch,  i.  411. 

Debateable  lands,  their  three  divi- 
sions :  { 1 )  from  the  Tay  to  the 
Forth  ;  (*2)  between  the  Forth  and 
the  Carron  ;  (3)  from  the  Carron  to 
the  Pentlands  and  the  Esk, — the 
latter  being  the  main  battle-field 
of  contending  races,  and  eventually 
included  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
Scots  (see  Lothian),  i.  14,  15,  237. 

Deer,  Book  of,  ii.  380  ;  contents,  458  ; 
iii.  55  seq.,  212. 

Deer  forests,  iii.  371. 

Degsastane  (Dawstone),  battle  of,  i. 
162,  163,  239,  267. 

Deicoke.     See  Anchorites,  Culdees. 

Deira,  Anglic  kingdom  of,  i.  156,  236- 
237  ;  united  with  Bernicia,  252, 
331  ;  overrun  by  the  Danes,  325, 
351  ;  Sitriuc,  its  Danish  king,  meets 
with  Aethelstan,  who  seizes  Deira 
on  his  death,  351. 

Delgon,  in  Kintyre,  i.  142. 

Deoraidh  De.     See  Anchorites. 

Dervesin  (Dairsie),  thanage  of,  iii. 
268. 

Derwent,  I'iver,  i.  271. 

Descent  of  Men  of  the  North,  quoted 
from,  iii.  102. 

Deucaledonian  Sea  of  Ptolemy,  i.  70. 

Deva  (Chester),  i.  81. 

Deva,  river  {Dee,  Ayrshire),  i.  66, 
216. 

Devana,  a  town  of  the  Taexali,  i.  74. 

Devisesburn,  i.  244-5. 

Diarmaid,  abbot  of  lona  (814-31), 
brings  from  Ireland  the  relics  of 
St.  Columba,  ii.  297,  303  ;  returns 
thither  with  them,  305-6. 

Dicalidomie,  a  division  of  the  Picts, 
i.  99,  100,  129. 

Dinguardi.     See  Bamborough. 

Dingwall,  thanage  of,  iii.  247. 

Diocletian,  Emperor,  i.  92-94. 

Diodorus  Siculus,  i.  31-33. 

Doldencha,  lake  (in  Braemar),  i.  298. 
See  Kindrochet. 

Dollar,  conflict  between  the  Danes 
and  Scots  at,  i.  327. 

Domhnall  of  lie  (Isla),  son  of  Eoin, 
sketch  of  his  career,  iii.  403-4  ; 
death  of  his  son,  bishop  of  Innsi- 
gall,  408  ;  his  descendants,  408. 

Domhnall  Dubh,  son  of  Aonghus  Og 
(heir  of  Eoin),  his  tribe  almost  ex- 
terminated during  his  minority  and 
imprisonment,  iii.  404  ;  unsuccess- 


ful attempt  to  regain  his  posses- 
sions, 406. 
Domitian,  the  Emperor,  i.  57,  58. 
Domnall  Breac,  king  of  Dalriada,  i. 
242;    defeated  at   Calathros,    247, 
and  at  Glenmairison,  249  ;  slain  in 
Strathcarron,  249-51,  271. 
Domnall  Donn,  nephew  of  Domnall 

Breac,  i.  272. 
Domnall  mac  Avin,  king  of  Alclyde, 

i.  271. 
Don,  river.     See  Antona. 
Donald     mac     Alpin,    succeeds    his 
brother   Kenneth    as  king  of  the 
Picts,  i.  322-3. 
Donald,  son  of  Constantin,  and  grand- 
son of  Kenneth   mac   Alpin,  first 
king  of  Alban,  i.  335  ;  slain  at  Dun- 
nottar,  338-9. 
Donald,  son  of  Aedh,  king  of  Alban, 
elected  king  of  the  Cumbrian  Bri- 
tons, i.  346. 
Donald,   son  of   Eimin,   mormaer  of 

Mar,  slain,  i.  387-8. 
Donald  (Dunwallaun,  Domnall),  son 
of  Eugenius,  king  of  the  Cumbrians, 
i.  362  ;  death  of  his  son  Malcolm, 
381-2. 
Donald    Ban,    brother    of    Malcolm 
Ceannmor,  reigns  six  months  (a.d. 
1093),    i.    436 ;     again,    with    his 
nephew,  three  years,  439  ;  dies  at 
Rescobie,   and   is  buried   in   Dun- 
fermline, 440. 
Donald  Ban  Mac  William.     See  Mac 

William. 
Donald  (Mac  Donald),  clan,  iii.  119, 
330,  430  seq. ,  466.     See  Hustain.  _ 
Donnachie     (Robertsons),    clan,    iii. 

330,  361,  365,  401. 
Donuan,  St. ,  of  Egg,  i.  345.  _ 
Donnchadh,  king  of  Cashel,  i.  338. 
Dorbeni,  abbot  of  lona,  ii.  175. 
Dornoch  Firth,  i.  337. 
Dorsum  Britannice.     See  Drumalban. 
Douglas    (Dubglas)    river,    Arthur's 

battles  on  the,  i.  153. 
Doune.     See  Glendowachy. 
Drest,  son  of  Talorgen,  king  of  the 

Picts,  i.  301. 
Drest,  son  of  Constantin,  joint  king 
of  the  Picts  with  Talorgan,  son  of 
Wthoil,  i.  306. 
Drest,  son  of  Ferat,  king  of  the  Picts, 

i.  309. 
Droma,  loch,  i.  319. 
Drost,  son  of  Domnall,   king  of  the 
Picts,  driven  from  his  kingdom,  i. 
262-3. 


50G 


INDEX. 


Drum,  the  name  of,  i.  13. 
Dnimalban,  a  mountain  chain,  from 

Dumbartonshire  to  the  Orel  of  Caith- 
ness, i.   10-14,  75,  228  ;  errors  re- 
garding, 12. 
Drum  Cathmail,  battle  at,  between 

the  Picts  of  Galloway  and  the  Scots 

of  Dalriada,  i.  291-2. 
Drumceat,  Council  of,  at  wliich  the 

independence  of  Dalriada  was  re- 
cognised (a.d.   575),   i.    143,    235, 

248  ;  lit.  122. 
Druracrub,  battle  at,  i.  367. 
Drust  (Drest),  several  Pictish  kings 

so  called,  i.  1.34  f^eq. 
Drust    (Druxst),    king   of  the   Picts 

after  Nectan,  i.  284  ;  slain,  289. 
Dubglas,  river.     See  Douglas. 
Dubh,  son  of  Malcolm,  king  of  Alban, 

i.  366-67. 
Dubhgal  (Macdougalls),  clan,  iii.  119, 

330,  470. 
Dubhgall,  son  of  Somerled,  iii.  35,  39, 

293,  400. 
Dubhgaill.     See  Galls. 
Dubhsithe  (Macduffie),  clan,  iii.  331, 

363,  466. 
Dublin.     See  Ireland. 
Dufoter  de  Calateria,  i.  424. 
Duinbrunde.     See  Brunanburg. 
Dull,  monastery  of,   ii.    175,  206-7  ; 

abthanrie  and  church  of,  iii.  271. 
Dulmonych,  thanage  of,  iii.  274. 
Dumbarton  (Dumbreatan),  capital  of 

the  kingdom  of  the  Britons  of  Al- 

clyde,  i.  236. 
Dunadd,  a  fortified  hill  in  the  moss 

of  Crinan,  called  also  Dunmonaidh 

(the  capital  of  Dalriada),  i.  229,  230; 

siege  of,  264  ;  taken  possession  of 

by  Angus,  290. 
Dunaverty  (Aberte),  siege  of,  i.  273. 
Dunbar,  i.  425  ;  the  name,  ii.  307  n.  ; 

Castle  of,  iii.  82. 
Dunbeath  (Dunbaitte),  siege  of,  i.  263. 
Dunblane,  burnt  by  the  Britons,   i. 

310  ;  ravaged  by  the  Danes,  347  ; 

bishopric  of,  ii.  395-398  ;  the  name, 

307  n. 
Duncadh,  abbot  of  lona,  ii.  175. 
Duncan  mac  Duine,  ancestor  of  the 

Campbells,  iii.  79. 
Duncan,  son  of  Crinan  (Cronan),  king 

of  Scotia,  i.  392,  399-405.     See  Kali 

Hundason. 
Duncan,  son  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor, 

i.  414,  425  ;  his  reign  (a.d.  1093-4), 

437-39. 
Duncan,  abbot  of  Dunkeld,  i.  367. 


Duncan  (Dungadr),  jarl  of  Caithness, 
i.  374. 

Duncath  fort,  i.  382. 

Dunchadh,  son  of  Beee,  i.  285. 

Dunduirn  (Dundurn),  a  fortification 
on  the  Earn,  besieged,  i.  264  ;  Grig 
slain  at,  330. 

Dunedin.     See  Edinburgh. 

Dunfhirbolg,  a  native  fort  in  St. 
Kilda,  i.  185. 

Dunfres  (Dumfries),  the  town  of  the 
Frisians,  iii.  25. 

Dungal,  son  of  Sealbach,  king  of  Dal- 
riada, i.  284-5 ;  di'iven  from  the 
throne,  286 ;  is  restored,  289  ;  in- 
vades Cuh-enrigi,  incurs  the  wrath 
of  Angus,  and  takes  refuge  in  Ire- 
land, 289-90  ;  is  put  in  chains,  290. 

Dungallsbae  (Duncansbay),  i.  401. 

Dungayle,  in  Galloway,  i.  292.  See 
Drum  Cathmail. 

Dun  Guaire,  a  name  of  Bamborough, 
i.  373-4. 

Dunine  (Dunning),  thanage  of,  iii. 
87-269. 

Dunkeld,  church  of,  founded  by  Con- 
stantin,  king  of  the  Picts,  i.  305, 
315 ;  a  portion  of  St.  Columba's 
relics  transferred  to.  310,  316 ; 
abbot  of  (Duncan),  367,  392  ;  lay 
abbots  of,  ii.  337  ;  bishopric  of, 
368  ;  position  of,  376.     (S'ee  Crinan. 

Dun  Leithfinn,  a  fort,  destroyed  by 
Angus,  i.  290. 

Dunlocho,  battle  at,  i.  264. 

Dunmore  hill,  i.  75. 

Dunolly  (Duin  Ollaig),  stronghold  of 
the  Cinel  Loam,  burnt  by  Ecgfrid, 
i.  266,  272 ;  rebuilt  by  Sealbach, 
273. 

Dunnagual  (Dungaile),  son  of  Teu- 
dubr,  i.  296,  325. 

Dunnichen  (Dun  Nechtan),  its  con- 
nection with  Nectan,  a  Pictish 
king,  i.  135 ;  battle  of,  in  which 
Ecgfrid  was  slain  (a.d.  686),  265, 
266  ;  ii.  213. 

Dunnottar  (Dunfoither),  siege  of,  i. 
263  ;  again  besieged,  269  ;  Donald, 
first  king  of  Alban,  slain  at,  338-9 ; 
a  stronghold  of  the  men  of  Moerne, 
342  ;  Aethelstan's  advance  to,  352. 

Dunsforth,  the  Devil's  Cross  at,  i. 
359. 

Dunsinnan,  i.  380. 

Duntroon,  iii.  129. 

Dunwallaun  (Domnall),  son  of  Euge- 
nius  (Owin,  Eaoin),  king  of  the 
Cumbrians,  i.  362,  370. 


INDEX. 


507 


Duny  (Downie),  thanage  of,  iii.  267- 

Durham,  besieged  by  Malcolm  ii.,  i. 
385. 

Durris,  thanage  of,  iii.  257. 

Uyce,  what  is  implied  in  the  terri- 
torial name,  iii.  282. 

Dyke  and  Brodie,  thanage  of,  iii.  248. 

Eachach,  king  of  Dalriada,  i.  289. 

Eachadh  (Eochagh,  Eoghan),  Cinel, 
one  of  the  three  subdivisions  of  the 
tribe  of  Loarn,  i.  230,  264,  289. 

Eadberct,  king  of  Northumbria  (a.d. 
737-58),  i.  291  ;  extends  his  domi- 
nion over  Galloway  and  all  Ayr- 
shire, 294  seq.,  331;  abdicates, 
300. 

Eadberct,  bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  ii. 
220. 

Eadfrid,  son  of  Aeduin,  i.  243. 

Eadgar,  son  of  Eadward  Aetheling, 
1.  414  seq. 

Eadgar,  son  of  Malcolm  Ceannmor, 
reigns  nine  years  (a.d.  1097-1107), 
i.  440  ;  iii.  215  ;  treats  with  Mag- 
nus Barefoot  of  Norway,  i.  442;  iii. 
9 ;  re-founds  the  monastery  of 
Coldingham,  i.  444 ;  dies  in  Edin- 
burgh, 444  ;  is  buried  in  Dunferm- 
line, 445. 

Eadmund  the  Etheling  (a.d.  940-46) 
takes  part  with  his  brother  against 
the  Danes  at  Brunanburg,  i.  353  ; 
subdues  Northumberland,  361  ; 
cedes  Cumbria  to  the  Scots,  362 ; 
death  of,  363. 

Eadmund,  son  of  Malcolm  Ceann- 
mor, reigns  with  his  uncle  Donald 
Ban  three  years,  i.  439. 

Eadred  Etheling,  i.  363. 

Eadulf  Cudel,  cedes  Lothian  to  the 
Scots  after  the  battle  of  Carham 
i.  392-4,  399,  400. 

Eadulf  (Yvelchild),  earl  of  North- 
umbria, i.  369  seq. 

Eadward  Aetheling,  son  of  king  Ead- 
mund, i.  415. 

Eadward,  son  of  Aelfred  the  Great, 
discussion  as  to  whether  he  ad- 
vanced beyond  the  Humbei- — 
doubtful  statements  of  the  Saxon 
Chronicle,  i.  349,  350. 

Eadward  the  Confessor,  i.  415. 

Ealdburg.     See  Aldborough. 

Ealdhun  (Aldun),  bishop  of  Durham, 
i.  385. 

Ealdred,  son  of  Ealdulf,  lord  of  Bam- 
borough,  makes  peace  with  Aethel- 
stan,  i.  351. 


Ealdred,  son  of  Uchtred.    See  Aldred. 

Eanfrid,  son  of  Aedilfrid,  i.  240,  244  ; 
ii.  153. 

Earldoms,  the  old  Celtic  (see  Celtic 
earldoms) ;  additional  earldoms 
created,  iii.  66 ;  policy  of  feudal- 
ising earldoms,  inaugurated  bj- 
David  I.,  carried  out  by  his  suc- 
cessor, 67  seq.  ;  their  character 
and  relation  to  the  law  of  feudal 
tenure,  72-77.     See  Provinces. 

Earls,  first  appearance  of  the  title  in 
Scottish  history,  iii.  58-63  ;  the 
Seven  Earls,  59  ;  six  Celtic  earls 
besiege  Malcolm  iv.  in  Perth,  65  ; 
apparently  a  constitutional  body, 
71  seq.  ;  merged  in  the  Estates  of 
the  kingdom,  82. 

Earn,  river,  i.  220,  261. 

Easter,  difference  as  to  the  time  of 
celebrating,  between  the  Anglic 
and  Columbau  churches,  i.  275 
seq.  ;  ii.  8,  150  seq. 

Eata,  first  abbot  of  Mailros.  ii.  200  ; 
afterwards  bishop  of  Lindisfarne, 
206. 

Ebissa.     See  Octa. 

Ebudse  (Hebrides),  islands  of  the,  i. 
40,  47  ;  easter  and  wester  Ebuda 
(Isla  and  Jura),  69.  See  Hebrides, 
Isles. 

Ecclesbreac.     See  Falkirk. 

Ecclesgreig,  parish  of,  iii.  261. 

Ecgberct,  king  of  Northumbria  (a.d. 
867),  i.  332. 

Ecgberct,  an  Anglic  priest,  i.  264  ; 
his  views  regarding  Easter  adopted 
by  the  majority  in  lona,  ii.  176. 

Ecgfrid,  king  of  Northumbria,  i.  260- 
265  ;  slain  at  Dunnichen,  266  ; 
effect  of  his  defeat,  267  seq. 

Ectolairg  mac  Foith  (Talore,  son  of 
Wid),  i.  257.     See  Garnaid. 

Edderachylis,  iii.  462. 

Eddi's  Life  of  St.   Wilfrid,  i.  260. 

Edevyn  (Idvies),  thanage  of,  iii.  265. 

Ediluald,  bishop  in  Lindisfarne,  i. 
275. 

Edinburgh  (Etin,  Edwinesburg,  My- 
nyd  Agned,  Dunedin),  i.  240 ;  be- 
sieged (a.d.  638),  249;  surrendered, 
with  the  district  of  which  it  was 
the  stronghold,  to  the  Scots,  in  the 
reign  of  ludulph  (a.d.  954-62),  365, 
372.     See  Aeduin. 

Education  of  the  people,  bearing  of 
the  Church  on,  ii.  444  ;  a  period  of 
nearly  100  years  before  the  Re- 
formation one  of  neglected  educa- 


508 


INDEX. 


tion,  and  no  learning,  in  the  High- 
lands, 4(31. 
Kgelwin,  Bishop,  i.  422. 
Egg.  island  of,  i.  345  ;  ii.   152  ;   iii. 

433. 
Eglisgirg  ((ireg's  church),  dedicated 
to  St.  Ciricus — a  memorial  of  Grig, 
i.  .333-4  ;  iii.  261. 
Egremont,  the  Boy  of,  his  claim  to 

the  Scottish  throne,  iii.  66. 
Eildon   (Eldun)   hill,    near   Melrose, 
contest  at,  between  Ethelwald  and 
one  of  his  generals,  i.  300. 
Einar,  earl  of  Orkney,  L  344-5. 
Einar,  son   of   Sigurd   the   Stout,  i. 

388,  401. 
Ekkialsbakki,  burial-place  of  Sigurd, 
earl  of  Orkney,  i.  366  ;  identifica- 
tion of,  337. 
Elder,  John,  letter  from,  to   Henry 

VIII.,  quoted,  iii.  331,  337. 
Eldred,  lord  of  Bamborough,  unites 
with  Constantin,  king  of  Alban,  to 
resist  the  Danes,  i.  347-8. 
Elfleda,  daughter  of  Ealdred,  Earl  of 
Northumbria,  and  wife  of  Si  ward, 
i.  408. 
Elian  na  muk,  isle  of,  iii.  434. 
English  possessions  of  Scottish  kings, 

iii.  5. 
Eobba,  father  of  Ida,  who  founds  the 

kingdom  of  Bemicia,  i.  155. 
Eocha  (Eachdach,  Eochaidh).  grand- 
son of  Domnall  Breac,  i.  272  ;  con- 
flict between  his  family  and  Sel- 
bach  at  Ross-Foichen,  286  ;  his 
death,  287. 
Eocha    (Eochodius),    son   of    Indulf, 

slain  by  the  Britons,  i.  367. 
Eocha  (Eochodius),  son  of  Run,  and 
grandson  of   Kenneth  mac  Alpin, 
king  of  the  Picts,  associated  ^\^th 
Grig,  J.  .329-30.  373. 
Eochadh  Buidhe,  king  of  the  Picts,  i. 

241,  242. 
Eochaidh,  grandson  of  Loam,  i.  264. 
Eoganan,  son  of  Angus,  rules  in  Dal- 
riada,  i.  .305  ;  becomes  king  of  the 
southern  Picts,  307-8. 
Eoin,  son  of  Aonghus  Og,  his  descen- 
dants, iii.  402 ;    gives  liberally  to 
the  church,  his  death  and  burial, 
402-3. 
Eoin    Mor  (Mac  Connells),  clan,  iii. 

330,401,409,432,469. 
Eoin  of  Ardnamurchau,  clan,  iii.  401 , 

469. 
Eoin   of   Glencomhan   (Glencoe),  iii. 
401,  430. 


Eoin  of  He,  poem  composed  on,  iii.  407 
Epidii,  a  tribe  occupying  Kintyre  and 

Lorn,  i.  76,  206. 
Epidium,  promontory  of  (Kintyre),  i. 

68. 
Epidium,  island  of  (Lismore),  i.  69. 
Ere   and   his   sons,   founders   of  the 
Scots   colony  in  Dalriada,  i.    139, 
229,  300;  ii.  290;  iii.  121. 
Eremitical   saints,   ii.  248.     See  An- 
chorites. 
Eric  Bloody  Axe,  settled  by  Aethel- 
stan  in  Northumberland,  i.  3.59-60; 
is  once  and  again  expelled,  363-4  ; 
his    sons    go   to    Orkney,    whence 
they   make    piratical   expeditions, 
365-6. 
Eric,  a  Dane,  made  Earl  of  Northum- 
bria by  Cnut,  i.  392-3. 
Erin,  the  Three  Sorrowful  Stories  of 

(an  Irish  legend),  iii.  127. 
Esk,  river  (Haddingtonshire),  i.  238. 
Essy,  in  Strathbolgy,  i.  411. 
Estates  of  the  Realm  in  12S3,  iii.  39. 
Estuaries  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  i.  8. 
Ethelred,  king  of  Northumbria  (a.d. 

774),  i.  301. 
Ethelred,  king   of   the   English,   de- 
feats the  Scots  (A.D.  1006)  i.  385. 
Ethelwald,  called  Moll,  king  of  North- 
umbria. i.  300. 
Ethelwulf,  king  of   Wessex,  i.  333  ; 

ii.  321. 
Ethnology   of    Britain,    i.    164    s^g. ; 
British  traditions,  171  ;  Irish  tradi- 
tions, 172  ;  Dalriadic  legend,  183  ; 
Pictish  legends,  185;  Saxon  legends 
189.     See  Legendary   Origins,   iii. 
90-134. 
Ettrick,  forest  of,  divided  the  Britons 
of    Alclyde   from    the    Angles    of 
Bernicia,  i.  235. 
Eubonia,  settlement  of   the  Firbolg 

in,  i.  138. 
Eugein.     See  Oan. 

Eugenius   the  Bald  (Owen),  king  of 
the   Strathclyde    Britons,    i.    393 ; 
slain,  394. 
Evans,  Prof,  of  New  York,  i.  250. 
Ewen  of  Otter,  clan,  iii.  474. 

Faelchu  mac  Dorbeni,  the  last  of 
Columba's  successors,  ii.  177. 

Failbe,  abbot  of  lona,  i.  245  ;  ii.  168. 

Falkirk  (Fahkirk],  church  at,  called 
Ecfilis  Br  ear  c,  ii.  36.    See  Brychan. 

Falkland,  thanage  of,  iii.  268. 

Fallofaudus,  a  Roman  general  in 
Britain,  i.  99. 


INDEX. 


509 


Family  of  loua.     See  Columba. 

Fandafuitli  (Fandowie),  thanage  of, 
iii.  274. 

Fame  Islands,  i.  237. 

Feacht,  oi-  '  expedition,'  the  burden 
of,  ii.  173;  iii.  151,  227,  234.  See 
Sluaged. 

Fearchar  Fada,  leader  of  the  Cinel 
Baedan,  i.  250,  251,  264 ;  iii.  342, 
476  ;  death  of,  1.  272. 

Fearn,  dedication  to  St.  Aidan  at,  i. 
260. 

Fendoch,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  45,  88. 

Feochan,  promontory  of  (Ross-Foi- 
chen,  Irrosfoichne),  battle  at,  i.  286. 

Feodofirma  (fee-farm),  tenure  of, 
what  it  was  in  Scotland,  iii.  85, 
237-8. 

Feradach,  son  of  Sealbach,  is  put  in 
chains  by  Angus,  i.  290. 

Fergus  Brit,  second  abbot  of  lona,  ii. 
151. 

Fergus  Mor  mac  Ere  of  Dalriada,  i. 
140. 

Fergus  Salach,  Cinel,  a  subdivision 
of  the  tribe  of  Loarn,  i.  230. 

Fergusianus,  legend  of,  ii.  232. 

Ferleigliinn,  lector  or  man  of  learning 
in  the  monasteries,  ii.  342,  444  seq. 

Fermartyn,  thanage  of,  iii.  252. 

Fermoy,  Book  of,  cited,  iii.  35,  410. 

Ferot,  son  of  Finguine,  slain,  i.  288. 

Fettercairn  (Fotherkern),  in  the 
Mearns,  i.  380. 

Fetteresso  (Fodresach),  Malcolm  i. 
slain  at,  i.  364. 

Fiachna  mac  Deman,  king  of  the 
Cruithnigh  of  Dalaradia,  i.  241. 

Fife,  taken  possession  of  by  Agricola, 
i.  48  ;  represented  in  the  Pictish 
legend  by  Fib  (»ee  Cruithne),  185, 
186  ;  province  of,  iii.  43  ;  attacked 
by  the  Northmen,  i.  327  ;  inhabit- 
ants of,  called  'Scoti,'  328  ;  Saxon 
barons  acquire  lands  in,  iii.  26  ; 
no  thanes  in,  305,  356  ;  demesne  of 
the  earls  of,  305.     See  Fothreve. 

Fillan,  St.,  ii.  33,  175;  pastoral  staff 
of,  407. 

Finan,  bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  i.  258. 

Findhorn,  river,  i.  336,  338. 

Fin6  or  sept  in  Ireland,  origin  of  the 
term,  iii.  171  ;  the  cine  ox  kinsfolk, 
171  ;  the  ceile  or  tenants,  172  ;  the 
Fuidhir  or  stranger  septs,  173 ; 
territorial  basis  of  the  Fine,  175  ; 
the  four  families  or  groups  of  the 
kinsfolk,  176-9  ;  members  of,  179  ; 
status  of  the  Geilfin6  chief,  180-4  ; 


his  relation  to  the  Ri  Tuath,  184  ; 
law  of  succession,  187  ;  attendance 
upon  the  sluaged  or  hosting,  dun- 
building,  188 ;  fosterage  customs, 
190  ;  later  state  of  theFin6s,  192-7. 

Fin^  or  clan  in  Scotland,  iii.  284  ; 
first  appearance  of  the  clans,  302  ; 
the  Chief  and  the  kinsmen,  318  ; 
the  native-men,  318  ;  fosterage, 
321  ;  the  clan  and  its  members, 
323 ;  names  and  position  of  the 
clans,  327-9;  termination  of  clan- 
ship, 365.     See  Clan. 

Fingaine  (MacKinnons),  clan,  iii.  331, 
363,  365,  488. 

Finglen,  in  Loarn,  battle  at,  i.  284. 

Fingaill.     See  Galls. 

Finguine,  leader  of  the  Picts  of 
Manann,  slain,  i.  270. 

Finguine,  son  of  Drostan,  slain,  i.  288. 

Finlaic  (Finleikr),  mormaer  of  Moray 
and  Ross,  defeated  by  Sigurd,  i. 
375 ;  afterwards  restored,  389 ; 
slain,  397. 

Finnian,  influence  of,  ii.  51. 

Fiinituir,  son  of  Thorlinn,  i.  409. 

Fintan  Munnu,  an  Irish  saint,  iii.  92. 

Firbolg,  the,  i.  138,  173  seq.,  226  ;  iii. 
92,  105. 

Fishing-villages  established  in  the 
Highlands  and  Islands,  iii.  376. 

Flaithbertach,  king  of  Ireland,  is 
assisted  by  the  fleet  of  Dalriada,  i. 
289-90. 

Flann  Mainistrech,  Synchronisms  of, 
i.  139. 

Flavia,  a  Roman  province  in  Britain, 
i.  96,  97,  103. 

Fodresach.     See  Fetteresso. 

Fordell,  thanage  of,  iii.  268. 

Fordun's  Chronicle  referred  to  or 
quoted,  i.  12,  18,  20,  21  ;  iii.  40, 
47,  65,  70,  72,  84,216,  304,  307,  480. 

Fordun,  church  of,  dedicated  to  Pal- 
ladius,  ii.  29. 

Forest  land,  iii.  283. 

Forglen,  principal  church  of  Adam- 
nan,  ii.  174  ;  banner  of  Columba 
preserved  in,  175. 

Forgrund,  thanage  of,  iii.  276. 

Fortevieth  ( Forte viot,  Perthshire), 
Regulus  brings  remains  of  St.  An- 
drew to,  i.  297 ;  Kenneth  mac  Alpin 
dies  at,  313  ;  thanage  of,  iii.  269. 

Forth  (Foi'c),  firth  of  (.see  Boderia),  i. 
47  xe(l.  ;  iii-  122,  212  ;  isthmus 
between  it  and  the  Clyde,  i.  8  ; 
fortified  byAgricola,  46, 47 ;  earthen 
rampart    constructed    by    Lollius 


510 


INDEX. 


Urbicus  (Antoninc's  Wall),  which 
became  the  boundary  of  tlie  Koman 
province,  77-79  ;  its  recoustruction 
by  Severus,  81,  SO;  church  south 
of  the  Forth  and  Clyde,  ii.  36.  See 
Frisian  Sea. 

Fortingall,  Roman  camp  and  station 
at,  i.  88. 

Fortrenn,  province  of,  comprehend- 
ing Strathearn  and  Menteith,  i. 
207,  340,  342  ;  iii.  44,  46  ;  tlie  Bri- 
tons of,  i.  211,  231,  238  ;  siege  of 
Dunduirn,  its  principal  stronghold, 
264  ;  after  Ecgfrid's  death,  Fort- 
renn used  as  synonymous  with  the 
kingdom  of  the  Picts,  269 ;  the 
men  of,  defeated  by  the  Danes,  307, 
308,  315,  319,  380;  iii.  122. 

Fosterage,  in  Ireland,  iii.  190 ;  in 
Wales,  207  ;  in  Scotland,  321. 

Fothad,  second  bishop  of  Alban,  ii. 
Alban,  ii.  327. 

Fothad,  last  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  344. 

Fothadh  Canann,  iii.  121. 

Fothergill  (Fortingall),  thanage  of, 
iii.  271. 

Fotherkern.     See  Fettercairn. 

Fothreve  (Fothrif),  district  of  (Kin- 
ross-shire and  west  of  Fife),  i.  231, 
341  ;  iii.  43,  46,  61. 

Franks,  first  appearance  of  the,  i.  92. 

Fraser,  Sir  William, — remarks  on  his 
work  on  The  Lennox,  i.  22 ;  iii.  360  ; 
on  Harls  of  Or omartie,  351,  353,  355. 

Freeman's  Old  English  History,  1.  150  ; 
his  Norman  Conquest,  385. 

Frisian  Sea,  name  applied  to  the  Firth 
of  Forth  by  Nennius,  i.  191. 

Frisians  (Phrissones),  the,  i.  145-6 ; 
settlements  of,  on  the  shores  of  the 
Forth,  191,  192;  their  influence 
on  the  southern  Picts,  231.  See 
Dunfres. 

Fuidhir,  or  stranger  serfs,  iii.  173,318. 

Gabean,  sou  of  Domangart,  king  of 
Dalriada,  1.  142-144;  the  Cinel 
Gabran,  one  the  three  tribes  of  the 
Dalriadic  kingdom,  229 ;  contest 
with  Cinel  Loam  for  the  throne, 
272-3,  287. 

Gadeni,  tribe  of  the,  i.  71  ;  their 
territory,  106. 

Gadhelic  branch  of  the  Celtic  race, 
and  its  subdivisions,  i.  226,  227  ; 
its  language,  194. 

Gaedhel  Glass,  the  eponymus  of  the 
Gaedhelic  race,  i.  179 ;  iii.  94. 
See  Gathelus. 


Gael  (Gadheal,  Gaedhel,  Gacthel), 
name  now  applied  to  all  the  in- 
habitants of  Scotland  who  belonged 
to  the  (Jaelic  branch  of  the  Celtic 
race,  i.  343;  iii.  101,  365. 
Gaelic  language,  and  its  dialectic 
varieties,  i.  193,  194,  203-4  ;  Scotch 
(Jaelic,  ii.  453-4  ;  termed  Albanic, 
Scotic  or  Scotch,  460,  and  later, 
called  Irish  or  Erse,  462  ;  iii.  40 ; 
41  ;  becomes  a  written  language 
after  the  Reformation,  ii.  463.  See 
also  Irish. 
Gaelic  population,  causes  affecting,  in 
eighteenth  century,  iii.  372  ;  state 
in  1817,  376  ;  in  1847-50,  377. 
Gaelic  race,  tribal  organisation  of  the, 

iii.  136  ;  broken  up,  300. 
Gains  Campus,  the  name,  i.  255-6. 
Gal  (  =  valour)  a  component  part  of 
Gaelic  names  not  to  be  confounded 
witli  "  Gall  "  (=strangers)  iii.   28, 
333. 
Gala,  river,  i.  237. 

Galgacus,  a  Caledonian  chief,  leader 
of  the  natives  at  the  battle  of  Mons 
Granpius,  i.  52-56. 
Gallgaidheal,  Irish  terra  for  Galloway, 
i.  239,  311  ;  applied  to  the  Gaelic 
race  there  and  m  the  Western  Isles 
as  under  the  rule  of  Galls ;  their 
association  with  piratical  North- 
men, 311-12  ;  the  term  also  appHed 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Western 
Isles  and  districts  under  the  Nor- 
wegian rule,  345  ;  iii.  29-39  ;  finally 
limited  to  Galloway,  292  ;  historic 
sketch  of  their  lords,  292-300;  tribe, 
365. 
Galloway  (Galweia,  Gallovidia,  Gall- 
weithia,  Gallwydel  (Welsh),  Gall- 
gaidel  (Irish),  province  of,  i.  9  ;  oc- 
cupied by  the  Novanta>,  10,  72,  127, 
who  became  known  as  the  Picts  of 
Galloway,  131,  132,  238;  legend 
relating  to,  187-189  ;  their  isolated 
position,  202-3  ;  subject  to  the 
Angles,  271,  311  ;  invaded  by  the 
Scots  under  Alpin,  291  ;  Anglic 
power  wanes  about  the  end  of  the 
eighth  century,  31 1  (see  Whithern) ; 
attacked  by  the  Northmen,  322-3  ; 
its  nominal  connection  with  Ber- 
nicia,  373  ;  thrice  invaded  by  Mal- 
colm IV.,  and  its  inhabitants 
brought  under  subjection,  472  ;  re- 
volt in  the  following  reign,  475  ; 
insurrection  in,  478  ;  again  revolt 
under  Alexander   ii.,  but  become 


INDEX. 


511 


incorporated  into  the  kingdom  in 
1235,  487-8  ;  Alan,  lord  of,  iii.  75  ; 
the  tribal  system  in,  214. 

Galls,  a  term  applied  to  the  Nor- 
wegians and  Danes  (Finngaill  = 
fair-hai^'ed  Galls  or  Norwegians) 
(Dubhgaill  =  dark -haired  Galls  or 
Danes),  i.  304  ;  iii.  28,  292,  233  ; 
also  to  Saxons,  i.  311  ;  sometimes  = 
'foreign,'  387. 

Garnaid,  Bredei,  and  Talore  (sons  of 
Wid),  successively  kings  of  the 
Picts,  i.  242,  246-7,  257. 

Garnard,  son  of  Donald,  king  of  the 
Picts,  i.  305. 

Garrioch  (Garvyach),  earldom  of,  iii. 
69. 

Gartnaid,  son  of  Donnell,  king  of  the 
Picts,  who  remained  independent 
after  the  others  had  fallen  under 
the  sway  of  Osuiu,  i.  258  ;  voyage 
of  his  sons  to  Ireland,  259. 

Gathelus,  first  leader  of  the  Gaethel, 
i.  343  ;  iii.  494. 

Gaul,  mission  of  St.  Columbanus  to 
(A.D.  590),  ii.  6. 

Genealogies,  spurious,  of  the  Grants, 
iii.  349  ;  the  Camerons,  350  ;  Mac- 
kenzies,  351 ;  Mathesons,  Macleans, 
and  Macleods,  354  ;  Macintoshes, 
356 ;  Campbells,  359 ;  earls  of 
Lennox,  359  ;  Donnachie  (Robert- 
sons), M'Nabs,  MacGregors,  362. 

Geiza,  isle  of,  iii.  439. 

Gentiles,  a  term  applied  to  the  north- 
ern pirates,  i.  304. 

Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  fabulous  his- 
tory of,  117,  172;  iii.  94. 

Gerontius,  one  of  Constantine's  gene- 
rals, a  native  of  Britain,  i.  109-112. 

Gervadius,  St.,  or  Gernadius,  ii.  369. 

Gigha,  island  of,  i.  285. 

Gilcomgan,  mormaer  of  Moray,  and 
father  of  Lulach,  king  of  Scotia, 
i.  411. 

Gildas,  the  British  histoi'ian,  his  nar- 
rative of  the  Roman  occupation,  i. 
112,  113;  note  on  the  Lives  of. 
116-118  ;  his  account  of  the  Picts, 
121-2;  of  the  settlement  of  the 
Saxons  in  Britain,  144-5. 

Gillaeoin,  clan.     See  Macleans. 

Gillebride,  father  of  Somerled,  iii.  33. 

Gillechallam  of  Eaarsa,  clan,  iii.  433. 

(4illechrist,  Comes  de  Menteth,  iii. 
67. 

Gillemichel  Makduf,  Comes  de  Fif, 
iii.  63-4. 

Gilli,  earl  of  Colonsay,  i.  379,  389-90. 


GioUaespuig,  son  of  Alasdair  of  He, 

iii.  407,  409. 
Giraldus  Cambrensis,  cited,  iii.  48. 
Giric.     See  Grig. 
Giudi,  town  of  {see  Alauna),   i.    71, 

208,  238,  254-5. 
Glammis,  i.  398;  thanage  of,  iii.  262, 

266. 
Glasgow,   diocese   of,  re-constituted, 

ii.  375. 
Glein,' river,  Arthur's  first  battle  on, 

i.  153. 
Glendowachy    (Doune),    thanage   of, 

iii.  251. 
Glenfalloch,    i.    273.      See  Clach   na 

Breatan. 
Glenlemnae,   valley  of  the   Leven — 

[Argyll  or  Dumbarton  ?  ]  Dalriadic 

slaughter  in,  i.  272-3. 
Glenmairison  (Glenmureson),  in  West 

Lothian,  battle  of,  i.  249. 
Glenrie,  or  the  king's  glen,  i.  411. 
Glentilt,  thanage  of,  iii.  86,  272. 
Glenurquhir,  Laird  of,  iii.  435, 
Godfray  mac  Aralt.     See  Godred. 
Godfrey.     See  Guthfrith. 
Gododin,  a  Welsh  poem,  i.  250. 
Godred     (Gofra,     Gofrath),     son    of 

Aralt,    king  of    Man,    vanquished 

by  the  sons  of  Nial,  i.  376-8. 
Godred  Crovan,  a  ruler  of  the  Western 

Isles,  i.  441 ;  iii.  331.    See  Reginald. 
Godwine,  Earl,  i.  410. 
Gospatrick,    a  grandson   of    Crinan, 

origin  of  name,  i.  394,  419. 
Gothbrith,  leader  of  a  band  of  Danes, 

i.  347. 
Gowrie,  disti'ict  of.  i.  281,  341  ;  iii. 

43,  45,  133  ;  earldom  of,  275. 
Gracaban,    a    Danish    earl    slain    at 

Tynemoor,  i.  347-8. 
Grampians,  the,  i.  11,  47,  49,  et  al. 
Granpius,  Mons,  battle  of,  i.  52  seq. ; 

conflicting  theories  as  to  the  posi- 
tion of,  54. 
Grants,  MS.  history  of  the,  iii.  349-50. 
Grassy  Walls,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  49. 

51,  86. 
Gratian,  Emperor,  i.  104,  105,  108. 
Greeks,  their  early  acquaintance  with 

the  British  Isles,  i.  29,  30. 
Green's  English  People,  i.  150. 
Gregor  (MacGregors),  clan,  iii.   329, 

331,  365,  487. 
Grelauga,  daughter  of  Duncan,  jarl 

of  Caithness,  and  wife  of  Thorfinn, 

i.  374. 
Grig    (Carus,    Ciricius,    Girg,    Giric, 

Girig),  son  of  Dungaile  (see  Dun- 


512 


INDEX. 


nagual),  associated  as  governor 
^vith  Eocha,  king  of  the  Picts,  i. 
329  ;  error  of  Chalmers  with  regard 
to  him,  330  ;  events  of  his  reign, 
331-4  ;  he  was  the  first  to  give 
liberty  to  the  Scottish  Church,  ii. 
320.     See  Eglisgirg. 

Gruoch,  daughter  of  Boete  (q.v.),  and 
wife  of  Macbeth,  i.  406. 

Guaire  (Macquarries),  clan,  iii.  331, 
436,  4SS. 

Guaul,  the  name  given  bj'  Nennius 
to  the  northern  wall,  i.  153. 

Guinnion,  fastness  of,  i.  153. 

Gunn,  clan,  iii.  330. 

Guorthigirn,  a  leader  of  the  Britons, 
i.  146,  147,  151,  189. 

Gureit  (Gwiiad),  king  of  Alclyde,  i. 
257. 

Gurth,  a  name  of  Skye,  i.  395-6. 

Guthferth,  son  of  Sitriuc,  i.  351. 

Guthfrith,  Sitriuc"s  brother,  driven 
from  Deira  by  Aethelstan,  i.  352. 

Guthorm,  son  of  Earl  Sigurd,  i.  344. 

Guthred,  son  of  Hardienut,  king  of 
the  Northumbrians  south  of  the 
Tyne,  i.  332,  349  ;  after  his  death 
Bernicia  under  lords  of  Bam- 
borough,  373. 

Gwenedotia,  Gwynedd  (North  Wales), 
i.  244,  246,  254 ;  iii.  198. 

Gwj'ddyl,  in  modern  Welsli  denotes 
the  Irish,  i.  197  ;  iii.  101.  See 
Gael. 

Gwyddyl  Ffichti,  the  Welsh  designa- 
tion of  the  Picts  who  settled  in 
Britain,  i.  197,  343  ;  iii.  48,101-104. 

H.^DRiAX,  the  Emperor,  his  arrival 
in  Britain,  i.  60  ;  the  first  Roman 
wall,  between  the  Tyne  and  the 
Solway,  constructed  by  him,  60, 
61,  90,  91. 

Hfefe,  river.     See  Avon. 

Hafursfiord,  battle  of,  i.  336. 

Hagiology  of  the  Irish  church,  ii. 
425-43  ;  of  Scottish  church,  444. 

Hagustald.     See  Hexham. 

Hailes,  Lord,  i.  6  ;  his  Aimals  of  Scot- 
land, 18  ;  iii.  442. 

Hakon,  Earl,  of  Norway,  i.  379. 

Halfdan,  son  of  Ragnar  Lodbrok, 
leads  a  band  of  Danes  against 
Northumbria,  the  Galloway  Picts, 
and  the  Strathclyde  Britons,  i, 
325-6  ;  again  attacks  Northumbria, 
332. 

Hallad,  earl  of  Orkney,  i.  344. 

Hamiltoun,  Lord,  iii.  439. 


Harald  Harfagr,  king  of  Norway,  i. 
311-12,    335;     chronology    of    his 
reign,  336,  344. 
Harald  Sigurdson,  i.  413. 
Hardacnut.  king  of  England,  i.  40S. 
Hardienut,  i.  332. 
Harris  (Harreik,  Herreis,  Harrayis). 

isle  of,  iii.  429. 
Hastings,  David  de,  a  Norman  baron, 

iii.  75. 
Hatlield    (Haethfeld),    battle    of,    i. 

243-4. 
Havard,  eldest  son  of  Thorfinu  the 

'  Skull-cleaver,'  i.  374. 
Hebrides,  estimation  of  the  extent  of 
the,  iii.  439  ;  tillers  of  the  ground 
in  the,  exempt  from  war,  439  ;  land 
tenure  after  the  sixteenth  century, 
372 ;   townships   in   the   Inner,  in 
1850,  374-S,  in  the  Outer,  378-93. 
See  Ebudffi,  Long  Island. 
Hefenfelth.     See  Catscaul. 
Heligoland,  i.  189,  190. 
Helsker,  isle  of,  iii.  431. 
Hengist   and  Horsa,   Saxon   leaders, 

land  in  Britain,  i.  146,  149,  189. 
Hennessj',  W.  M. ,  iii.  35  ;  translation 

of  the  ti-act  Xa  trl  Golla,  462. 
Hesperides,   a  name   applied  to   the 

Cassiterides,  i.  167-169. 
Hexham    (Hagustald),    i.    245,    262, 
275 ;    church   of,    founded   by   St. 
Wilfrid,  ii.  210,  213  ;  iii.  81. 
Highland  Clans,  comparison  between 
them  and  the  Afghaun  Tribes,  by 
Sir  Walter  Scott,   iii.   456  ;    their 
legendary  descent,  458-490. 
Higliland   Line,    the,    traced    north- 
wards    from    Loch    Lomond,    iii. 
285-6. 
Highlandei's,  Fordun's  description  of, 
iii.    307  ;    raid    into    Angus,    308  ; 
leaders  thereof  outlawed,  309. 
Highlands,  state  of  the,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  iii.  326  ;  emigration 
from  the,  373. 
Highlands    and    Islands,    tenure    of 
land   in,    subsequent    to    the    six- 
teenth century,  iii.  368  :  abolition  ,J>X^ 
of  calps,  368;  townships,  369-371, 
374,  378 ;   deer-forests,  371  ;   fish- 
ing-villages, 376  ;   causes  affecting 
the  population,  372. 
Hilef,   river  (the  Isla,   or   Lyfif?),   i. 

340-1. 
Himilco,  traditionary  account  of  his 

voyage  to  the  British  Isles,  i.  30. 
Hoddam,  Kentigern's  first  see,  ii.  191. 
Holderness,  i.  420. 


INDEX. 


513 


Holy  Island.    See  Lindisfariie. 
Holyrood,  foundation  charter  of,   i. 

240,  241. 
Home,  D.  Milue,  account  of  the  wall 

between  Forth  and  Clyde,  i.  78. 
Honor  price,  the,   iti  the   tribe,  iii. 

152-3,  189,  204,  217. 
Honorius,  Emperor,  troubles  in  the 

Roman  province  in  Scotland  during 

his  reign,  i.   105-111  ;  termination 

of  the  Roman  dominion  in  Britain, 

112. 
Honorius   i..    Pope,    letter   from,    to 

King  Aeduin,  ii.  155. 
Horesti,  the,  and  their  territory,  i. 

57 ;    some    of    them    enrolled    by 

Severus  among  the  Roman  auxili- 
aries, 89. 
Horsley,   John,    his    Britannia    Ro- 

mana,  i.  23,  102,  103. 
Hound  Earl,  the.     See  Hundi  Jarl. 
Hoy,  isle  of,  i.  386. 
Hubba,  son  of  Ragnar  Lodbrok,  i.  332. 
Huisdinn,   son   of  Alasdair,   Earl  of 

Ross,  his  descendants,  iii.  408. 
Hundi  (Hvelp),  son  of  Sigurd,  taken 

by  Olaf  from  Orkney  to  Norway 

as  a  hostage,  i.  386. 
Hundi  Jarl,  the  (Crinan,  lay  abbot  of 

Dunkeld),  i.  401  ;  ii.  337. 
Hungus,  King.  See  Angus. 
Hustain  (MacDonalds  of  Slate),  clan, 

iii.  330. 
H^vnayis,  two  isles,  iii.  436. 
Hy  Fiachraich,   tracts   entitled    The 

Tribes  and  Customs  of,  quoted,  iii. 

158,    193 ;    Hereditary  Proprietors 

of  the  Clann,  quoted,  159. 
Hy  (Hii).     See  lona. 
Hy  Many,  (7»s<oms  o/,  quoted,  iii.  160. 
Hy  Neill,  the,  i.  248,  249  ;  iii.  340. 

Ian  (Maclans),  clan,  iii.  330.  See 
Eoin. 

Iberian  or  Basque  race,  an,  preceded 
the  Celts  in  Britain  and  Ireland, 
i.  164  seq.,  226  ;  language  of,  193. 

Iceni,  the,  a  powerful  British  nation, 
defeated  by  Ostorius,  i.  36  ;  insur- 
rection of,  under  Queen  Boadicea, 
38. 

I  Columchill.     See  lona. 

Ictis,  island  of,  i.  166. 

Ida,  son  of  Eobba,  forms  the  kingdom 
of  Bernicia  (a.d.  547-559),  i.  155, 
156  ;  iii.  19. 

Idvies.     See  Ede^^n. 

lena  estuary  (the  Cree),  i.  66. 

lerne.     See  Ireland. 
VOL.  III. 


lernian  Isles,  a  name  applied  by  a 
Greek  poet  to  the  British  Isles,  i.  29. 

Ha,  river  (the  Ulie,  Helmsdale),  i. 
67  ;  isle  of,  iii.  437. 

Imergi,  ancestor  of  Somerled,  Re- 
gulus  de  Herergaidel,  i.  397.  See 
Jehmarc. 

Imhair  Ua  Imhair,  leader  of  the  Nor- 
wegians, slain  by  the  Men  of  For- 
treun,  i.  339. 

Imhar  (Imhair,  Ivar),  king  of  the 
Northmen,  takes  Alclyde,  and  re- 
turns with  Amlaiph  to  Dublin  with 
great  booty,  i.  324-5. 

InchafFray,  church  of,  iii.  269. 

Inchigall  (Innsigall)  =  islands  of  the 
Galls,  a  term  applied  to  the  Western 
Isles  when  colonised  by  the  Nor- 
wegians, i.  345,  376  ;  iii.  292. 

Inchkeith.     See  Alauna. 

Inchmahome,  church  of,  dedicated  to 
Colman  (Mocholmoc)  of  Dromore, 
ii.  32. 

Indulph,  son  of  Constantin,  king  of 
Alban  (a.d.  254-262),  i.  365  ;  two 
events  in  his  reign  :  Edinburgh  and 
the  district  round  it  surrendered  to 
the  Scots,  and  the  descent  of  Nor- 
wegian pirates  on  Buchan,  365 ; 
diflerent  statements  as  to  his  death, 
366. 

Ingibiorg,  widow  of  Thorfinn,  be- 
comes Avife  of  Malcolm  iii.,  i.  414. 

Inguar  (Imhair),  son  of  Ragnar  Lod- 
brok, ancestor  of  the  Danish  kings 
of  Dublin,  i.  332  ;  kings  who  were 
descendants  of,  376. 

Inisfalleii,  Annals  of ,  i.  26. 

Inner  Hebrides.     See  Hebrides. 

Innermessan,  farm  of,  fortified  moat 
on,  i.  72. 

Innes,  Cosmo,  his  Scotland  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  i.  12  ;  on  the  Marr 
letters-patent,  iii.  442. 

Innes,  Thomas,  remarks  on  his  Essay 
on  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Scot- 
land, i.  18  ;  his  use  of  the  term 
'  Midland  Britons,'  87. 

Innrechtach,  probably  a  leader  of  the 
Picts  of  Galloway,  i.  291-2. 

Innrechtach  ua  Finachta,  abbot  of 
lona,  takes  the  reliquaries  of  Col- 
lumcille  to  Ireland,  ii.  305  ;  killed 
on  his  way  to  Rome,  309. 

Inschenycht,  isle  of,  iii.  436. 

Inscriptions  foimd  along  the  course 
of  the  wall  of  Antoninus,  i.  78,  79. 

Inverculen,  i.  366. 

Inverkeillor,  thanage  of,  iii.  265. 
2  K 


514 


INDEX. 


Inverdovet  (Inverdufatha),  i.  327-S. 

Inverry.     See  St.  Monaiis. 

Invers  and  Abers,  on  the  distribution 
of,  i.  •22U-2'22. 

lona  (Hy,  Hii,  I  Columchill),  island 
of,  i.  1S.3,  251  ;  description  of  it, 
ii.  89-93  ;  monastery  of,  i.  258-9  ; 
church  plundered,  and  many  slain 
by  the  Northmen  (a.d.  794),  304  ; 
ii.  290  seq.  ;  Dunkeld  afterwards 
the  seat  of  supremacy  for  the  Col- 
umban  churches,  i.  305  ;  the  mon- 
astery rebuilt  ■with  stone,  ii. 
297  ;  shrine  of  Columba  deposited 
therein,  300  (see  Diarmaid) ;  again 
ravaged  by  the  Danes  (a.d.  825), 
300  (see  Blathmac) ;  again  in  the 
year  986,  i.  377  ;  ii.  332-35  ;  in  1203 
the  monasterj^  rebuilt  by  Reginald, 
second  son  of  Somerled,  ii.  415  ; 
who  founds  the  Benedictine  abbey 
and  nunnery  of,  415. 

Ireland  (lerne),  originally  called  Eriu, 
also  Hibernia,  and  Scotia,  the 
mother  country  of  the  Scots,  i.  1, 
2,  130  ;  the  name  Scotia,  by  which 
Ireland  alone  was  meant  prior  to  the 
tenth  century,  transferred  to  Scot- 
land in  the  eleventh,  3,  5  ;  fabulous 
history  of,  and  the  commencement 
of  its  true  history,  25,  180  ;  its  an- 
cient inhabitants,  178  ;  ethnological 
legends,  172-183;  ravaged  by  Ecg- 
frid,  264-5  ;  final  conflict  with  the 
Danes,  386  seij.  ;  monastic  church 
in,  ii.  41-50  {see  Monastery);  twelve 
apostles  of,  51  ;  church  of  the 
southern  Scots  of,  conforms  to 
Rome,  159;  southern  and  northern 
districts  defined,  161  ;  influence  of 
the  last  three  pagan  kings  of,  in 
Scotland,  iii.  114-120;  Ere  and  his 
sons  (see  Ere)  ;  provinces  in,  42  ; 
ancient  laws  of,  151  seq.  See  also 
Fine,  Tuath. 

Irish  Annals  to  be  used  with  disci'i- 
mination,  i.  24,  25  ;  Irish  early  his- 
tory, artificial  character  of,  iii.  97  ; 
manuscripts,  458  seq. 

Irish  (Gaelic)  language,  i.  193 ; 
spoken  dialects  of,  ii.  450  ;  pecu- 
liarities of,  451  ;  written,  452.  See 
Languages. 

Irt,  isle  of,  iii.  431. 

Irvine,  river,  Roman  remains  on  the, 
i.  73. 

Isca  Silurum  (Caerleon),  i.  81. 

Isla,  island  of,  i.  140  ;  iii.  213,  438. 

Isla,  river,  peninsula  formed  by  its 


junction  with  the  Tay,  the  pro- 
bable position  of  the  Roman  army 
before  the  liattle  of  Mons  Gran- 
pius,  i.  52-54  ;  iii.  276. 

Isles,  Norwegian  kingdom  of  the  :  the 
Western  Isles  sulxlued  and  colonised 
(A.D.  793-806),  i.  304-5,  311-12;  iii. 
28  seq.  ;  Thoi'stein  the  Red  devas- 
tates the  northern  provinces  of 
Scotland  (a.d.  875),  i.  326-7,  336; 
ii.  317  ;  colonisation  of  Orkney 
and  Shetland,  with  Caithness  and 
Sutherland  (a.d.  889),  i.  335,  342, 
344 ;  iii.  47  ;  descent  of  a  Norwe- 
gian fleet  on  Buchan  (a.d.  954), 
i.  365-6 ;  the  Danes  oppose  the 
Norwegians  in  their  possession  of 
the  Isles  (a.d.  970),  ii.  332  seq.  ; 
Somerled  drives  the  Norwegians 
out  of  the  mainland,  and  conquers 
part  of  the  Isles  (a.d.  11.54-64),  i. 
469-73  ;  iii.  33-35  :  decline  of  the 
Norwegian  rule  till  the  Isles  were 
formally  ceded  to  Alexander  iii. 
(a.d.  1266),  i.  495;  iii.  35-39.  See 
Einar,  Sigurd. 

Isles,  Chiefs  of  the,  i.  441  ;  iii.  37 ; 
sketch  of  the  Lords  of  the,  292-300  ; 
their  extinction,  300;  legendary  his- 
tory, 397  ;  an  Irish  poem  (and  trans- 
lation) relative  to  the  kingdom  of 
the,  410-27  ;  bishop  of  the,  433 
seq.  ;  description  of,  with  their 
pertinents  and  pendicles  (written 
1577-95),  428-440.  See  also  under 
names  of  the  various  islands. 

Isthmus  between  the  Forth  and  Clyde, 
wall  of  Antoninus  on  (see  Roman 
walls) :  stations  on  it,  i.  78. 

Ith,  race  of,  iii.  111. 

Ituna?  .F]stuarium,the  (Solway  Firth), 
i.  64,  66. 

Itys,  river  (Carron),  i.  69. 

Ivar.     See  Imhar. 

Jarrow  (on  Tj'ne),  monastei-y  of,  i. 
278-9. 

Jehmarc  (Imergi?)  submits  to  C'nut, 
i.  395,  397,  405. 

Jerome,  St.,  his  mention  of  the  Atta- 
cotts  in  Gaul,  i.  101,  106. 

Jocelyn  of  Furness,  biographer  of  St. 
Kentigern,  ii.  179  seq. 

John  the  Lame,  clan,  iii.  470. 

Jugantes,  a  sept  of  the  Brigantes,  i.  37. 

Julian,  Emperor,  i.  98. 

•Julius  Ca?sar,  invasion  of  Britain  by, 
i.  31  ;  his  account  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, 32. 


INDEX, 


515 


Julius  Frontinus,  a  Roman  governor  j 

in  Britain,  i.  39. 
Jura,  island  of,  battle  at,  i.  264  ;  see  j 

also  iii.  213,  438. 
Jutes,  the,  invade  Britain  with   the 

Saxons  and  Angles,  i.  149,  189-192. 

Kaffirs,  our  vi'ar  with  the,  illustra- 
tive of  that  between  the  Romans 
and  the  tribes  of  ancient  Britain, 
i.  85. 
Kali  (or  Karl)  Hundason,  appellation 
given  to  Duncan,  son  of  Crinan,  i. 
400,  401,  404. 
Kari  Solmundson,  i.  378. 
Kathenes  (Kettins),   thanage  of,  iii. 

266. 
Kay  and  Qwhwle,  clan,  iii.  310. 
Kcledei  (Gele   De),    (see   Anchorites, 
Culdees),  grant  of  lands  at  Loch- 
leven  to  the,  ii.  355  ;   superseded 
by  canons  regular,   384 ;   suppres- 
sion of  those  of  St.  Andrews,  384- 
388  ;  of  Lochleven,  338  ;  of  Mony- 
musk,  389-392  ;  of  Abernethy,  399  ; 
regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  community  of,  at  St.  Andrews, 
ii.  357  ;  Armagh,  359  ;  Zona,  360 ; 
Clonmacnois,  362. 
Kells,  Book  of,  iii.  170. 
Kells  (Ceimanus,  in  Meath),  church 
of,  i.  305  ;  portion  of  St.  Columba's 
relics  transferi'ed  to,  310 ;  ii.  307. 
Kelly,  thanage  of,  iii.  268. 
Kelp  manufacture  in  the  Highlands, 

iii.  374  ;  failure  of,  376. 
Kelso  (Calchvynyd),  iii.  102. 
Kemble's    Saxons    in    England,     i. 

150-1. 
Kenneth  mac  Alpin  (Kynadius),  chro- 
nology of  his  reign  (844-60),  i.  308  ; 
becomes  king  of  the  Picts,  309-10  ; 
obscurity  of  this  period,  313 ;  causes 
and  nature  of  the  revolution  which 
placed  him  on  the  Pictish  throne, 
314-16;  ii.  306,  315;  re-establishes 
the  Columban  Church,  selecting 
Dunkeld  as  the  Metropolitan  see, 
307  ;  builds  a  church  there,  and 
removes  to  it  part  of  the  relics  of 
Columba,  307  ;  question  as  to  his 
paternal  descent,  i.  321  ;  a.d.  860 
the  true  year  of  his  death,  308, 
313  ;  his  sons  and  daughters,  313. 
Kenneth  (971-95),  son  of  Malcolm, 
king  of  Alban,  i.  368  ;  ravages  the 
territory  of  the  Britons,  368 ;  in- 
vades Northumbria,  369  ;  said  to 
have  slain  Amlaiph,  son  of  Indulph, 


370 ;  untrustworthy  statements  as 
to  the  cession  of  any  part  of  North- 
umbria to  him,  370-74  ;  contest  as 
to  the  sovereignty  of  Caithness, 
374-80  ;  slain  at  Fettercairn,  380 ; 
his  reign  an  important  one  both  for 
the  Scottish  Church  and  for  lona, 
ii.  331-2. 
Kenneth  (997-1004),  son  of  Dubh,  king 

of  Alban,  i.  382-3. 
Kenneth  (Mackenzies),  clan,  iii.  330, 

354,  365  ;  legendary  descent,  485. 
Kent.     See  Cantium. 
Kentigern,   St.,  i.    117;   biographies 
of,    ii.    179-185  ;    early   notice   of, 
186  ;  driven  to  Wales,  187  ;  founds 
the    monastery   of    Llanelwy   (St. 
Asaph's),    188;    recalled   by  Ryd- 
derch   Hael,    190;    fixes   his    first 
see    at    Hoddam,    191  ;     missions 
to    Galloway,    Albania,    and    the 
Orkneys,  192  ;  returns  to  Glasgow, 
193;  visited  by  Columba,  194;  his 
death,  196. 
Ketill  Flatnose  (Caittil  Finn),  i.  311, 

312,  326  ;  iii.  29. 
Kettins.     Set  Kathenes. 
Kilbride  ms.,  iii.  458,  460. 
Kildare,  church  of,  dedicated  to  St. 

Bridget,  ii.  309. 
Kilmalemnok,  thanage  of,  iii.  249. 
Kilmun,     condition     of     Columban 

church  of,  ii.  410. 
Kilrymont  (Cellrighmonaid).    See  St. 

Andrews. 
Kinat,  son  of  Ferat,  king  of  the  Picts, 

i.  309. 
Kinclaven,  thanage  of,  iii.  276,  277. 
Kindeloch,  Loch,   old  name  of  New 
Abbey  parish  in  Kirkcudbright,  i. 
137.     See  Cendaeladh. 
Kindrochet    (Chondrochedalvan),    in 
Aberdeeusliire,    church    of,    dedi- 
cated to  St.  Andrew,  i.  298. 
Kinelvadon  (Cinel  Baedan),  a  small 

state  in  Dalriada,  i.  264. 
Kingaltevy,  thanage  of,  iii.  263. 
Kinneir,  thanage  of,  iii.  268. 
Kinross,  thanage  of,  iii.  268. 
Kintyre  (Cindtyre,  Pentir),  peninsula 
of  :    known  to  the  Romans  as  the 
'  Promontorium  Caledonije, '  i.  40  ; 
ii.  85  ;  visited  by  Agricola,  i.  47  ; 
settlement  of   the  Irish   Scots  in, 
140  seq.  ;    possessed  by  the  Cinel 
Gabran,    229,    273 ;    mentioned   in 
the  Gododin,  250  ;   Norwegians  in, 
.387  ;  sheriffdom  of,  and  boundaries, 
iii.  89. 


516 


INDEX. 


Kiritinus  (Curitan),  bishop  and  abbot 

of  Rossincinn,  i.  277-8. 
Kirkbuddo,  its  connection  with  St. 

Boethius,  i.  135. 
Kirkcaldy,  ii.  226. 
Kirkintulloch,  i.  161. 
Kirriemuir  (Westermore),  Aethelstan 

advances    to,    in    his    invasion    of 

Alban,  i.  352. 
Knaresborougli,  i.  359. 
Kyle  and  adjacent  regions  subdued, 

(a.d.  750)  by  Eadberct  of  Northum- 

bria,  i.  294-5. 
Kyncarden,  thanage  of,  iii.  258. 
Kynlos,  bridge  of,  i.  367. 
Kynnaber,  thanage  of,  iii.  265. 
Kyntor  (Kintore),  thanage  of,  iii.  253. 
Kyrkness,  lands  of,  iii.  61,  361. 

LABHK.i.x  (Lawren),  or  !MacLarens, 
clan,  iii.  329,  343,344,  363,  365,  483. 

Lachlan,  clan,  iii.  331,  340,  341,  473. 

Laight  Alpiu  (a  stone  pillar  so  called), 
incorrectly  identified  bj'  Chalmers 
with  Laight  Castle,  i.  292.  _ 

Laisren,  Columba's  successor  in  lona, 
ii.  150. 

Lammermoor  hills,  i.  9,  240,  241  ; 
the  scene  of  the  early  life  of  St. 
Cuthbert,  ii.  201. 

Lamont  (Ladmann),  clan,  iii.  331,  340, 
341,  432. 

Land-measures,  iii.  153-157,  200-203, 
223-227. 

Land-tenure,  iii.  83 ;  in  the  Highlands 
and  Islands  subsequent  to  the  six- 
teenth century,  368  seq. 

Languages  of  Britain,  and  their  rela- 
tion to  each  other,  i.  192  seq.,  226, 
227  ;  the  three  dialects  of  British 
(Welsh,  Cornish,  and  Breton)  not 
mutually  intelligible,  199 ;  topo- 
graphic evidence  as  to  character  of, 
212-225  ;  ii.  453-457  ;  a  written  lan- 
guage introduced  by  Scottish  monks, 
457  ;  Lowland  Scotch  termed  Eng- 
lish, 460,  462 ;  subsequently  the 
term  Scotch  passes  into  Lowland 
Scotch,  462.     See  Manx. 

Laws  of  King  William  the  Lion,  re- 
ferred to,  iii.  217. 

Laws  attributed  to  Da%-id  i.,  iii.  217 
seq. 

Leahhar  Gahhala,  the,  and  its  ethno- 
logic legends,  i.  172  seq. 

Leader,  river,  ii.  201. 

Lecan,  Book  of,  ii.  26  ;  iii.  338,  446  seq. 

Lector  {FerJeiginn),  first  appearance 
of  the,  ii.  444. 


Leeds,  i.  255.     See  Loidis. 

Legendary  origins,  iii.  90-120;  extent 
of  their  historic  basis,  120-24  ;  par- 
alleled suspiciously  in  events  during 
the  Roman  occupation  of  Britain, 
124.  See  also  Celtic  population. 
Highland  clans. 

Legion,  city  of  the,  i.  153. 

Leinster,  Book  of,  i.  172  ;  iii.  476. 

Leinster,  kings  of,  i.  403. 

Lcmannonius  Sinus  (Loch  Long),  i. 
67,  75. 

Lennox  (Levenach),  district  of,  iii. 
135;  the  earldom  of,  69;  its  ex- 
tinction, 300,  and  legendary  de- 
scent, 341,  359,  416  ;  remarks  on 
Sir  W.  Eraser's  Lennox,  360. 

Leva,  river  (North  Esk),  i.  67. 

Leven,  origin  of  the  name,  i.  221  ; 
rivers  in  Argyllshire  and  Dumbar- 
tonshire, 272-73.  (S'ee  Muredach 
Albanach. 

Lewis  (Lodus),  island  of,  i.  387,  396  ; 
iii.  429. 

Liaccmaelain,  battle  at,  i.  264. 

Libere  fenentes,  definition  of,  iii.  240. 

Liberi  firmarii,  free  farmers,  iii.  243. 

Lilfey,  kings  of,  i.  403. 

Lindisfarne,  island  of  (Ynys  Med- 
caiid),  i.  237,  413  ;  episcopal  seat 
of  Bishop  Aidan,  251  ;  ii.  158  ;  re- 
moval of  the  see  to  York,  i.  260  ; 
the  island  attacked  by  Norwegian 
and  Danish  pirates,  302-3. 

Linduni,  a  town  of  the  Damnonii,  i. 
73. 

Lingaran  (Duin  Nechtain),  battle  of 
(in  parish  of  Dunnichen,  Forfar- 
shire), i.  265  ;  ii.  21.3. 

Linnhe  loch,  i.  264. 

Lintrose,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  49,  50  ; 
plan  of,  in  Roy's  Miiitary  Antiqui- 
ties, 51. 

Liotr,  son  of  Thorfinn,  earl  of  Orkney, 
i.  374-5. 

Lismore,  Book  of,  iii.  117,  130,  137  ; 
isle  of,  435.     See  Argyll,  Epidiuni. 

Literature  and  learning,  influence  of 
the  Church  on,  ii.  448. 

Loarn,  Cinel,  one  of  the  three  tribes 
of  the  Dalriadic  kingdom,  inhabit- 
ing the  district  of  Lorn,  i.  229  ;  its 
three  subdivisions,  230,  264  ;  con- 
test for  the  Dalriadic  throne  with 
Cinel  Gabran,  272-3,  287  ;  driven 
to  extremity  by  Angus,  they  at- 
tack the  Picts  in  Slanann,  and 
are  defeated  by  Talorgan,  Angus's 
brother,  290-91. 


INDEX. 


517 


Lochene,  son  of  Nechtan  Cennfota, 
slain,  i.  246. 

Lochlannach  (people  of  Lochlann),  a 
term  applied  to  the  Norwegians,  i. 
304. 

Lochleven,  Culdees  of,  i.  406. 

Lochovv,  district  of,  the  original  seat 
of  the  clan  O'Duibhn  or  Campbells, 
iii.  330,  331,  343. 

Logierait  (Loginmahedd),  church  of, 
iii.  274. 

Loidis  :  confusion  in  Bede's  use  of 
the  word,  i.  254-5.     See  Lothian. 

Loirgeclat  (Loch  Arklet),  conflict  be- 
tween the  Dalriads  and  Britons  at, 
i.  273. 

Lollius  Urbicus,  sent  to  Britain,  i. 
76  ;  constriicts  wall  of  Antoninus, 
76-79. 

Long  Island  (Outer  Hebrides),  present 
condition  of  population  of  town- 
ships in,  iii.  378  ;  methods  of  cul- 
tivation, 379-381  ;  reclamation  of 
moorland,  381  ;  grazing,  382  ;  hill- 
grazing,  385-87  ;  shealings,  387  ; 
rents,  388  ;  seaweed  gathering,  389; 
fines  and  reparation  for  ti'espass  by 
cattle,  etc.,  385,  390 ;  laws  and 
customs,  390-91  ;  houses,  392 ; 
friendliness,  393 ;  gradual  disap- 
pearance of  the  system,  394.  See 
Highlaiads. 

Longus,  river  (the  Add),  i.  68,  216. 

Loogdeae  (Loch  Inch),  battle  near,  i. 
288. 

Lords  of  the  Isles.     See  Isles. 

Lorn,  district  of,  i.  229  ;  subdivisions 
of,  230  ;  sheriffdom  of,  and  bound- 
aries, iii.  88. 

Lothian  (Lothene,  Loidis,  Lodonea), 
districts  comprised  under  this  term, 
i.  131,  240,  241,  255  ;  invaded  six 
times  by  Kenneth  ]\Iac  Alpin,  310, 
374;  surrendered  to  the  Scots,  365  ; 
its  cession  by  king  Edgar  to  Ken- 
neth son  of  Malcolm,  not  correct, 
370-74  ;  ceded  to  Malcolm  ii. ,  393, 
394;  monasteriesin,  ii.  200;  churches 
founded  in  Lothian  only  after  the 
extinction  of  the  Celtic  church,  366. 

Loudon  Hill,  Roman  remains  on,  i.  73. 

Lowthers,  the,  a  group  of  hills,  i.  9. 

Loxa,  river  (Lossie),  i.  67,  216. 

Loyng,  isle  of,  iii.  438. 

Luaire  ( Carlo wrie  ?),  battle  at,  i.  325. 

Lucopibia,  a  town  of  the  Novantte,  i. 
72,  132. 

LucuUus,  a  Roman  governor  in  Bri- 
tain, successor  of  Agricola,  i.  58. 


Lugi,  a  northern  tribe,  i.  76,  206. 
Lulach,  son   of  Gilcomgan,   king  of 

Scotia,  i.  411. 
Lumphanan,  i.  410,  413. 
Lupicinus,  sent  to  Britain  to  oppose 

the  Picts  and  Scots,  i.  98. 
Lupus,  Vivius,  governor  of  Britain, 

i.  80. 

Macbeth  (Maelbaethe),  son  of  Finn 
laec,  his  submission  to  king  Cnut, 
i.  395,  397  ;  mormaer  of  Moray, 
403-4 ;  iii.  53  ;  king  of  Scotia,  i. 
405  ;  kingdom  invaded  by  Siward, 
earl  of  Northumbria,  408-9  ;  slain 
by  Malcolm  Ceannmor,  at  Lumph- 
anan, 410. 

M'Clane,  Dowart  (Great  M'Lane), 
iii.  434  seq. 

M'Clane  of  Lochbuy,  iii.  434,  435, 
439. 

M'Cloyd,  Lewis,  iii.  429,  431,  432. 

M'Cloyd,  Harreis,  iii.  429,  431,  433. 

M'Cowle  of  Lome,  iii.  435. 

Maccus  (Magnus),  son  of  Aralt,  i. 
376  ;  iii.  30. 

Macdonald,  Alexander,  Gaelic  scholar 
and  poet,  ii.  464. 

Macdonalds,  the.  See  Clanranald. 
Donald. 

Macdougalls,  the.     See  Dubhgal. 

Macduff,  the  fictitious,  iii.  64. 

Macduff,  clan,  and  its  privileges,  iii. 
303-6.     See  Gillemichel. 

MacDuffy  (Makasie),  Laird,  iii.  438. 

MacEth,  Malcolm,  mystery  of  hisan- 
tecedents,  i.  462  ;  raises  a  rebellion, 
462  ;  checked  in  Galloway,  464  ; 
finally  defeated,  taken  prisoner, 
and  confined,  464;  liberated,  469  ; 
deprived  of  his  eyesight,  470  ;  re- 
tires to  a  monastery,  470. 

MacEth,  Donald,  eldest  son  of  Mal- 
colm, defeated  and  taken  prisoner 
at  Whithern,  i.  469. 

MacEth,  Kenneth,  heads  an  insurrec- 
rection,  is  taken  prisoner  and  be- 
headed, i.  483. 

MacEwens  of  Otter,  iii.  340-41. 

M'Firbis,  sennachie,  iii.  119,  458 
se,q. 

Macgregor,  Dean,  of  Lismore,  ii.  461. 
See  Lismore,  Book  of. 

MacGregors,  clan.     See  Gregor. 

Macintosh,  clan,  iii.  356-8,  478.  See 
Chattan. 

Maclntyre,  Duncan  Ban,  ii.  464. 

Mackay,  clan.     See  Morgan. 

Mackenzie,  clan.     See  Kenneth. 


518 


INDEX. 


MacKinnons,  clan,  iii.  363,  48cS.  See 
Fingaine. 

M'Kynvin,  Laiid,  iii.  432,  434. 

MacLarens,  clan,  iii.  .343-4. 

MacLeans,  clan,  iii.  .331,  ,343,  354,480. 

MacLennans,  clan,  iii.  489. 

MacLeods,  clan,  iii.  331,  339,  354, 
429,  4  GO. 

MacMillans,  clan,  iii.  489. 

MacNabs.  clan,  iii.  362,  365,  486. 

MacNaughtons,  the,  iii.  342. 

M'Neill,  Barra,  iii.  4,30. 

MacQuanies,  clan.     See  Giiaire. 

MacRory,  clan,  iii.  471. 

M'Thomas,  clan,  iii.  330. 

MacVnrich,  historian  and  sennachie, 
iii.  33  fieq.,  397  ■">'e'/. 

MacWilliam,  Donald  Ban,  aspires  to 
the  throne  (a.d.  1181),  i.  476  ; 
killed  at  Mamgarvia  Moor,  479. 

MacWilliam,  Guthred,  son  of  Donald 
Ban,  incites  to  rebellion  (a.d.  1211), 
and  is  beheaded,  i.  482. 

MacWilliam,  Donald  Ban,  heads  an 
insurrection  (a.d.  1215),  is  taken 
prisoner,  and  beheaded,  i.  483. 

Madderty,  abthanry  of,  iii.  87- 

Mseatse,  nation  of  the,  i.  80,  81,  90, 
99,  128  ;  etymology  of  the  name, 
83,  87. 

Maelbaethe.     See  Macbeth. 

Maelbrigde,  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  330. 

Maeldiiin,  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  343. 

Maelrnbha,  St.,  founds  church  of 
Applecross,  ii.  169. 

Maelsechnaill,  king  of  Ireland,  death 
of,  i.  323. 

Maerleswegen  (Marleswein),  i.  414, 
415,  420. 

Magbiodr  (Maelbrigdi),  a  Scottish 
earl,  i.  ,374-5,  397. 

Magedauc,  Mocetauc.     See  Mugdoch. 

Magh  Fortren.     See  Fortrenn. 

Magh  Girgin.     See  Circinn. 

Magh  Lena,  poem  on  battle  of,  iii.  154. 

Magh  Rath,  battle  of,  i.  198,  248. 

Magnus  Barefoot,  king  of  Norway, 
his  first  invasion  of  the  Isles  (a.d. 
1093),  i.  437  ;  his  second  expedition 
(1098),  441  ;  third  (1103),  in  which 
he  was  slain,  442-3  ;  iii.  32,  47. 

Maid  of  Norway,  i.  496-7.  See  Mar- 
garet. 

Maighline,  in  Ulster,  mistaken  by 
Chalmers  for  Mauchlin,  in  Ayr- 
shire, i.  132. 

Mailcu,  a  Dalaradian  king,  i.  136. 

Maine,  Sir  Henry,  his  Early  Institu- 
tions, iii.  137,  146  seq. 


Major,  -lohn,  cited,  iii.  317. 

Malcolm  i.  son  of  Donald,  king  of 
Alban  (a.d.  942-54),  i.  360  ;  invades 
Moreb  or  Moray  and  slays  Cellach, 
360-1 ;  Cuml)ria  ceded  to  the  Scots, 
362,  382  ;  penetrates  into  England 
as  far  as  the  Tees,  363  ;  said  by 
some  to  have  been  slain  at  Fetter- 
esso  by  the  men  of  Moerne,  by 
others  at  Ulurn  by  the  men  of 
Moray,  864-5. 

Malcolm  ii.,  son  of  Kenneth,  king  of 
Scotia  (a.d.  1005-,34),  slays  his  pre- 
decessor Kenneth,  son  of  Dubh,  at 
Monzievaird,  i.  .382-3  ;  defeated  in 
attempting  to  extend  his  territories 
beyond  the  Forth,  385-6  ;  state  of 
the  districts  north  of  the  Spey  at 
this  time,  386,  seq.  ;  gives  one  of 
his  daughters  in  marriage  to  Sigurd 
the  Stout,  386,  401  ;  and  another 
to  Crinan,  abbot  of  Dunkeld,  390, 
392  ;  second  attempt  on  Northum- 
bria,  battle  of  Carham,  cession  of 
Lothian  to  the  Scots,  392-94  ;  his 
submission  to  Cnut  the  Dane,  395  ; 
his  death,  397-8 ;  description  of 
Britain  at  this  period,  395  ;  the 
name  Scotia  transferred  from  Ire- 
land to  Scotland,  398. 

Malcolm  iii.  (Ceannmor),  son  of  Dun- 
can, king  of  Scotia  (a.d.  1057-93), 
i.  408  ;  is  put  in  possession  of  the 
throne  of  Cumbria  by  Earl  Siward, 
408-410;  slays  Macbeth,  king  of 
Scotia,  410  ;  date  of  his  accession, 
410;  marries  first,  lugibiorg,  widow 
of  Thoriinn,  414,  and  second,  Mar- 
garet, sister  of  Eadgar  Aetheling, 
415,  422 ;  iii.  215 ;  advantages 
accruing  to  him  from  these  rela- 
tionships, i.  415-16  ;  his  invasions 
of  Northumbria,  417-22  ;  his  rela- 
tions with  William  the  Conqueror, 
423  seq.  ;  his  death,  430  ;  state  of 
Scotland  at  this  time,  4.32-3  ;  his 
family,  4.34. 

Malcolm  iv.,  grandson  of  David  i. , 
reigns  twelve  years  (a.d.  1153-65), 
i.  469  ;  first  king  crowned  at  Scone, 
469  ;  attacked  by  Somerled  and 
the  sons  of  Malcolm  mac  Eth,  469; 
temporary  peace  agreed  to,  47<>; 
quells  the  revolt  of  six  of  the  seven 
earls  of  Scotland,  471  ;  iii.  65 ; 
subdues  Galloway,  i.  472;  represses 
the  rebellious  spirit  in  the  district 
of  Moray,  473  ;  defeats  Somerled 
at  Renfrew,  473  ;  his  death,  474. 


INDEX. 


519 


Malcolm,  son  of  Donald,  king  of  the 
Cumbrians,  death  of,  i.  381-2. 

Maldred,  son  of  Crinan,  i.  392,  394, 
408,  419. 

Maleus,  island  (Mull),  i.  68,  216. 

Malisius,  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  329. 

Mamgarvia  moor  in  Moray,  i.  479. 

Mamore,  district  of,  i.  411. 

Man,  Isle  of,  subjected  to  Norwegian 
rule,  i.  345  ;  the  Danes  in,  347  ; 
the  island  a  bone  of  contention  be- 
tween the  two,  376  seq.  ;  some  time 
in  possession  of  the  Scots,  finally 
passes  to  the  English  crown,  iii.  9  ; 
office  of  the  Toshiagh  Jioarey,  279. 

Manau  (Manann),  boundaries  of  the 
district  in  Scotland  so  called,  i. 
131,  238,  254 ;  battle  of,  161  ; 
Picts  of,  rise  against  their  Saxon 
rulers,  but  are  defeated,  270 ;  at- 
tacked by  Muredach  of  Dalriada, 
who  is  defeated  by  Angus's  brother 
at  Carriber,  290-91. 

Manx  tongue,  the,  i.  193  ;  not  under- 
stood by  the  Irish,  199. 

Maor  (Mair)  of  fee,  iii.  279,  280. 

Mar,  district  of,  i.  281,  341  ;  Donald, 
mormaer  of,  slain,  387-8  ;  Mar  and 
Buchan,  one  of  the  seven  provinces, 
iii.  43,  46  ;  earldom  of,  68  ;  historic 
sketch  of,  291. 

Mar,  earl  of,  authenticity  of  the 
letters-patent  said  to  have  been 
granted  to  him  in  1171,  examined, 
iii.  441. 

Marcellus  Ulpius,  i.  79. 

Marcus,  Emperor,  slain  by  Gratian, 
i.  108. 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Alexander  iii. , 
and  her  daughter  the  Maid  of  Nor- 
way, i.  496-7. 

Margaret,  St.,  wife  of  Malcolm  iii. 
(Ceannmor),  i.  414-16,  432;  her 
death,  433  ;  character  of,  ii.  344  ; 
her  reforms  in  the  church,  346-50  ; 
her  demeanour  to  the  Anchorites, 
351  ;  rebuilds  the  monastery  of 
lona,  352  ;  her  relics  enshrined  at 
Dunfermline,  491  ;  iii.  81. 

Marianus  Scotus,  Chronicle  of,  i.  398, 
403,  407. 

Martin,  St. ,  of  Tours,  church  of  Can- 
dida Casa  dedicated  to,  ii.  3,  49. 

Maserfelth.     Ree  Cocboy. 

Mathesons,  clan,  iii.  354,  365,  485. 

Maxima  Csesariensis,  a  Roman  pro- 
vince in  Britain,  i.  96,  97,  103. 

Maximian,  Galerius,  associated  with 
Diocletian  in  the  empire,  i.  92,  93. 


Maximus,  Clemens,  proclaimed  Em- 
peror in  Britain,  i.  104  ;  Gratian 
slain  by  him  in  Gaul,  and  he  him- 
self defeated  and  slain  by  the  em- 
peror Theodosius,  at  Aquileia,  105. 

May,  Isle  of,  St.  Adrian  and  those 
who  accompanied  him,  slain  there 
by  the  Danes,  i.  321  ;  ii.  312. 

Mearns.     See  Moerne. 

Medraud,  son  of  Llew  of  Lothian,  i. 
154. 

Meicen.     See  Hatfield. 

Melbrigda  Tunn,  a  Scottish  jarl,  slain 
by  Sigurd,  i.  336-7. 

Melrose  (Mailros),  monasteiy  at,  i. 
133;  ii.  200;  Chronicle  of,  quoted, 
iii.  65. 

Menmuir,  dedication  to  St.  Aidan  at, 
i.  260  ;  thanage  of,  iii.  265. 

Menteith  and  Stratherne,  province 
of,  i.  211,  340,  342  ;  iii.  43,  46  ;  his- 
toric sketch  of  the  earldom  of,  290. 
See  Fortrenn. 

Mercia,  kingdom  of,  i.  239,  243. 

Mertre,  a  northern  tribe,  i.  76,  206. 

Miathi  (?  =  MEeatffi),  the,  battle  of, 
by  Aidan,  i.  161  ;  locality  of, 
161  n. 

Miledh  (Milesius),  legend  of  the  sons 
of,  i.  174  seq. ;  iii.  108  ;  the  Milesi- 
ans a  variety  of  the  Gadhelic  branch 
of  the  Celtic  race,  and  known  as 
Scots  after  fourth  century,  i.  227. 

Milites,  knights,  status  of,  in  the  tribe, 
iii.  239-40. 

Minvircc  (stone  so  called),  Britons 
defeated  by  the  Dah'iads  at,  i.  273. 
See  Clach  na  Breatan. 

Modan,  St. ,  notice  of,  ii.  282. 

Moddan,  nominated  earl  of  Caith- 
ness by  King  Duncan,  slain  by 
Thorkell  Fostri,  i.  401,  402. 

Moerne,  Men  of,  i.  342,  380,  383; 
province  of,  iii.  42,  46,  122. 

Moinenn,  St.  (Monenna,  Monanus), 
notice  of,  ii.  37,  311-314. 

Molaga,  St.,  bed  of,  ii.  304. 

Molaise,  the  monastic  order  of, 
founded  by  Ragnall,  son  of  Somer- 
led,  iii.  400. 

Mona  (Anglesea),  i.  32,  43. 

Monarchy,  the  idea  of,  a  legacy  of 
Rome  to  Britain,  i.  121. 

Monarina,  island  of  (Arran),  i.  68,  69. 

Monastery,  the  primitive  Irish,  ii.  57  ; 
monastic  element  introduced  into 
the  organisation  of  the  church,  41  ; 
derived  from  Gaul,  45  ;  reached 
the  Irish  Church  through  two  dif- 


520 


INDEX. 


ferent  channels,  4") ;  monastic  family 
described,  61  ;  island  monasteries, 
62 ;  monasteries.  Christian  colonies, 
63 ;  privilege  of  sanctuary,  6o  ; 
seminaries  of  instruction,  75  ;  mon- 
astic church  affected  by  two  oppo- 
site influences- — secular  clergy, 
227,  and  anchoretical  life,  233-89  ; 
literature  of,  422  ;  monastic  orders 
of  church  of  Rome  introduced  in 
the  native  church,  392  ;  and  mon- 
asteries founded  by  feudal  kings, 
iii.  12. 

Moncrieffe  {Monalgh  Craebi),  in 
Perthshire,  battle  at,  i.  28S. 

Monitieth  (Monyfoth),  thanage  of, 
iii.  263,  267. 

'Slonikie  (Monichi,  Moneclatu),  church 
of,  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew,  i.  297-8. 

Montrose  (Old  Monros),  thanage  of, 
iii.  265. 

Monzievaird(J/of;//(ararrf),  in  Strath- 
erne,  i.  383-4  ;  iii.  270. 

Moray  {^[oraria,  Myrhnei-i,  Moreb), 
district  of,  i.  241,'  381,  396,  402; 
invaded  by  Malcolm,  son  of  Donald, 
360 ;  Finlaic,  mormaer  of,  375,  389  ; 
bishopric  of,  ii.  368-370 ;  historical 
sketch  of  the  thanage  of.  iii.  249  ; 
earldom  of,  287  ;  chartulary  of, 
312  ;  men  of,  365  ;  legendary  de- 
scent of,  476. 

Morgan  (Mackays),  clan,  iii.  330. 

Morkere,  Earl,  i.  418. 

Mormaers,  rulers  of  provinces  in  the 
eleventh  century,  iii.  49,  303 ; 
termed  Jarls  by  the  Norwegians,  54. 

Morphie,  thanage  of,  iii.  261. 

Mortuath.     See  Tribe. 

Mount,  St.  Michael's,  i.  166. 

Mountain  chains  (^ee  Cheviots,  Drum- 
alban,  Lowthers,  Mounth),  their 
importance  as  landmarks,  i.  13. 

Mounth,  the,  a  mountain  chain  from 
near  Aberdeen  to  Fort-William,  i. 
10-14,  230  seq.  ;  iii.  133. 

Moylinny.     Set  Maighline. 

Moyness,  thanage  of,  iii.  248. 

Mugdoch  [Mocetauc,  Magedauc), 
battle  at,  between  the  Picts  of 
Manann  and  the  Britons,  i.  295. 

Mugint,  St.,  i.  136. 

MuU  (Mule),  isle  of,  iii.  434  ;  town- 
ships in,  371. 

Munbre,  thanage  of,  iii.  86,  251. 

Munch,  Professor,  i.  400,  412. 

Municipal  government,  a  legacy  of 
Rome  to  Britain,  i.  121. 

Muredach  Albanach,  his  address  to 


the  river  Leven,  iii.   117  seq.  ;  the 

original  of  the  poem,  454-5. 
Muredach,  son  of  Ainbhceallach,  chief 

of  the  Cinel  Loarn,  i.  289. 
Mureif ,  district  of,  =  Reged,  i.   153  ; 

iii.  102. 
Mureston  Water,  i.  249. 
Mynyd  Agned  (Dineiddyn,  Dunedin 

=  Edmburgh),  i.  153,  238. 
Myrcforth   (Myrcford),    Norse    term 

for  the  Firth  of  Forth,  i.  369. 
Myrhaevi.     See  Moray. 

Nabarus,  river  (the  Naver),  i.  69. 

Naiton,  Naitan,  king  of  the  Picts. 
See  Nectan. 

Nash,  D.  W.,  remarks  on  his  paper 
on  the  site  of  the  battle  in  which 
Penda  was  slain,  i.  255. 

Native-men,  iii.  318-321. 

Neachtan  (MacNaughton),  clan,  iii. 
331,  499. 

Nechtan's  mere,  i.  266. 

Nectan,  a  Pictish  king,  restored  to 
life  bj"-  St.  Boethius,  i.  135. 

Nectan  (Naiton),  son  of  Dereli,  king 
of  the  Picts,  i.  270,  277-280  ;  con- 
forms to  the  Anglican  Roman 
Church,  and  expels  the  Columban 
clergy  from  his  kingdom,  283-4 ; 
becomes  a  cleric,  284  ;  bound  by 
Drust,  285-6  ;  endeavours  to  regain 
his  crown,  288  ;  his  death,  289. 

Nectarides,  a  Count  of  the  maritime 
tract  in  Britain,  slain  by  the 
Saxons,  i.  99. 

Neill  (MacNeill),  clan,  iii.  331,  430. 

Newburgh  (Niwanbyrig),  i.  295. 

Niall  of  Iceland  and  his  sons,  i.  377-9. 

Niall  Mor,  iii.  115. 

Nicholas,  Pope,  i.  413. 

Nicolsons,  clan,  iii.  461. 

Niduari,  the,  of  Bede  =  Ptolemy's 
Novanta;,  i.  133,  238;  ii.  208,  209. 

Nieder  Biebr,  inscriptions  found  at, 
i.  89. 

Niger,  C.  Pescennius,  Emperor,  put 
to  death  by  Sevcrus,  i.  80. 

Ninian,  St.,  life  and  labours  of,  i. 
130  ;  ii.  2-6  ;  church  of,  known  as 
Candida  Casa,  i.  188;  ii.  2,  45-49. 
See  Church,  Whithorn. 

Nith,  river  (the  Novius  of  Ptolemy), 
i.  66,  133. 

Nordereys  (Northern  Islands — Ork- 
ney and  Shetland)  and  Sudreys 
(the  Western  Islands),  iii.  28,  29  ; 
Hill  Burton's  mistake  as  to  these, 
i.  495. 


INDEX. 


521 


Norman  Castles  first  built  in  David 
the  First's  reign,  i.  465  ;  iii.  12. 

Normandykes,  on  the  Dee,  camp  at, 
i.  87. 

Norris,  Mr.,  on  the  mutual  intelligi- 
bility of  Breton  and  Cornish,  i.  199. 

Northumbria,  kingdom  of  (see  Ida, 
Aedilfrid,  Aeduin,  Osuald,  Osuiu, 
Ecgfrid,  Eadberct,  Osulf ) ;  invasions 
of,  by  kings  of  Alban,  i.  372  ;  in- 
vaded by  the  Danes,  332  ;  attacked 
by  Aethelstan,  351  scq.  ;  vicissi- 
tudes under  Eadmund  and  Eadred, 
363-4 ;  the  kingdom  becomes  an 
earldom,  364  ;  is  divided  into  two 
earldoms,  369  ;  is  invaded  live 
times  by  Malcolm  Ceannmor,  417 
seq.  ;  Scottish  church  of,  258  ;  ii. 
154-166. 

Norway,  Maid  of,  i.  497. 

Norwegia  and  Daoia,  districts  occu- 
pied by  Norwegians  and  Danes,  i. 
395-6. 

Norwegians  (see  also  Danes),  first 
irruptions  of,  on  the  British  coasts 
(A.D.  793)  i.  302  seq.  ;  iii.  18 ; 
association  with  the  Gallwegians, 
i.  311  {see  Gallgaidhel) ;  conflict 
with  Danes,  327  ;  their  invasions 
of  Alban  in  Constantin's  reign, 
339,  347.  See  Imhair  Ua  Imhair, 
Regnwald. 

Novantre,  promontory  of  the  (Mull 
of  Galloway),  i.  66  ;  tribe  of  the, 
and  their  towns,  72,  127. 

Nrurim,  Aed,  king  of  the  Picts,  slain 
at,  by  his  own  people,  i.  328. 

Oan  (Eugein),  king  of  the  Britons,  i. 

250,  271. 
Obeyn  (Aboyne),  thanage  of,  iii.  86. 

256. 
Ocha,  battle  of,  i.  25,  139,  180  ;   ii. 

46  ;  iii.  120. 
Octa  and  Ebissa's  colony,  i.  147  ;  war 

with,  152  seq. 
O'Curry,  Professor,  i.  2. 
O'Donovan,  Dr.,  i.  2,  199. 
O'Duibhn  (Campbells),  iii.  330,  458. 
Oestrymnides,  a  name  applied  to  the 

Cassiterides,  i.  168. 
Oikell,  river,  i.  337. 
Olaf.     (S'ec  Anlaf,  Amlaiph. 
Olaf  Ketilson,  i.  377. 
Olaf  the  White.     See  Amlaimh. 
Olaf  Tryggvesson,  the  first  Christian 

king  of  Norway,  i.  386. 
Clave,  son  of  Godred  Crovan,  rules 

Western  Isles  forty  years,  i.  443. 


O'Neill,  thanage  of,  iii.  256. 
Oransay,  isle  of,  iii.  438. 
Orcades,  tlie  (Orkney  Islands),  i.  35 ; 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Roman 
fleet,  57. 
Orcas,  pi-omontory  of  (Dunnet  Head), 
i.  31,  68. 

Ordas,  a  name  of  Lewis,  i.  395-6. 

Ordovices,  a  British  tribe,  i.  35  ;  de- 
feated by  Agricola,  43. 

Orkiieyinqa  Saga,  i.  336-7,  375,  389, 
390  ;  quoted,  iii.  54 ;  cited,  448. 

Orkneys,  the,  Saxons  form  their  head- 
quarters there  in  a.v>.  369,  i.  101, 
130  ;  laid  waste  in  682  by  Bruidhe, 
263  ;  Norwegian  earldom  of  Orkney 
founded,  335-7  ;  the  earls  and  their 
exploits,  374  seq.,  386,  388,  401  ; 
iii.  8.     See  Caithness,  Oi'cades. 

Orr,  loch,  Roman  remains  on,  i.  74. 

Orrea,  a  town  of  the  Vernicomes,  i. 
74. 

Osbryht,  king  of  Northumbria,  slain, 
i.  332. 

Osfi'id,  son  of  Aeduin,  i.  243. 

Oshern,  son  of  Siward,  i.  408. 

Osirsdaill,  Ottersdaill,  forest  of,  iii. 
429,  430. 

Oslac,  an  earl  of  Northumbria,  i.  368. 

Osred,  son  of  Aldfrid  of  Northum- 
bria, i.  270. 

Osric,  son  of  Aelric,  i.  244  ;  his  son, 
Osuiui,  253. 

Ostorius  (Publius),  appointed  Roman 
governor  of  Britain,  i.  36,  37. 

Osuald,  son  of  Aedilfrid,  king  of 
Northumbria  (A.D.  634-42), i.  244-6  ; 
ii.  159  ;  his  reign,  i.  251-2  ;  ii.  155 
seq.  ;  slain  by  Penda,  i.  252. 

Osuald  the  Patrician,  i.  304. 

Osuiu  (Oswy),  liis  reign  as  king  of 
Northumln-ia  (a.d.  642-70),  i.  252- 
260  ;  ii.  163,  200,  207  ;  his  death,  i. 
260. 

Osulf,  king  of  Northumbria  (a.d.  758), 
i.  300  ;  disorganisation  of  the  king- 
dom at  his  death,  331. 

Osulf,  name  of  difi'erent  earls  of  Nor- 
thumbria, i.  36S,  418. 

Oswestry  (Oswaldstree),  battle  of 
Cocboy  fought  at,  in  which  Osuald 
was  slain  by  Penda,  i.  252. 

Oswine,  one  of  Ethelwald's  generals, 
i.  300. 

Otadeni  (Otalini),  tribe  of  the,  i.  71  ; 
their  territory,  106,  218,  237. 

Othlyn  (Gethlyn,  Getling),  the  plams 
of,  mentioned  as  the  scene  of  the 
battle  of  Brunanburg,  i.  359. 


522 


INDEX. 


Ottir,  a  Danish  earl,  slain  at  Tyuc- 

moor,  i.  347-8. 
Outer  Hebrides.     See  Long  Island. 
Ovania,  probably  Strathaven,  i.  295. 
Owen    (Eugenins    the    Hald),    son    of 

Uomnall,    sub-king     of     Cumbria, 

slain,  i.  393-4. 
Owin  (P]ugenius,  Eaoin),  king  of  the 

Cumbrians,  put  to  flight  by  Aethel- 

stau,  i.  352. 

Pabba,  isle  of,  iii.  431. 

Palgrave,  Sir  Francis,  his  work  on 
Scottish  Affairs  quoted,  iii.  444. 

Palladius,  St. ,  notices  of  his  life  and 
labours,  ii.  26  ncq. 

Patrick,  St.,  mentioned,  i.  121,  136, 
140  ;  analysis  of  the  '  Lives '  of,  ii. 
14-17,  427-443  ;  sketch  of  his  life 
and  labours,  17-25. 

Paulinus,  missionary  among  the 
Angles  of  Northumbria,  i.  240, 
244  ;  ii.  154. 

Pecthelm,  bishop  in  Candida  Casa,  i. 
275  ;  ii.  222. 

Pedigrees,  Book  of,  iii.  163. 

Pedigrees  in  the  Irish  mss.,  analysis 
of,  iii.  338  ;  of  tlie  Campbells,  339  ; 
the  Macleods,  340  ;  descendants  of 
CoUa  Uais  and  Somerled,  340  ;  of 
Hy  Neill,  340;  of  the  earls  of 
Lennox  and  Mar,  341  ;  of  the  clans 
among  the  Dalriadic  Scots,  341 ;  of 
the  descendants  of  Cormac  mac 
Airbertach,  344  ;  artificial  charac- 
ter of  these  pedigrees,  346  ;  com- 
pilation of  spurious  pedigrees,  349  ; 
result  of  analysis,  364.  See  Clans, 
Genealogies. 

Pelagian  heresy,  breaking  out  of  the, 
i.  149. 

Penda,  king  of  Mercia,  joins  Caed- 
walla  in  attacking  Northumbria,  i. 
243  ;  slays  Osuald  at  Cocboy,  252  ; 
and  thereafter  ravages  Northum- 
bria, 253-54  ;  slain  by  Osuiu,  254. 

Penny  lands  defined,  iii.  226. 

Pentir.     See  Kintyre. 

Pentland,  a  corruption  of  Petland  or 
Pictland,  i.  131,  223  ;  the  Pentland 
hills  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
debateable  lands,  238,  247,  249; 
iii.  277. 

Pentland  Firth,  i.  402. 

Perth,  combat  of  two  clans  on  North 
Inch  of,  iii.  310. 

Peter,  St.,  church  of,  at  Wear- 
mouth,  i.  421  ;  churches  dedicated 
to,  amongst  the  Picts,  ii.  233. 


Peterborough,  monastery  of,  ii.  244. 

Petilius  Cerealis,  a  Roman  governor 
in  Britain,  i.  39. 

Pharlane,  clan,  iii.  329,  365. 

Phoceans,  the,  of  Mai'seilles,  i.  29, 
30. 

Phcenicians  :  their  intercourse  with 
the  British  Isles,  i.  29,  30. 

Phrissones.     See  Frisians. 

P'icthh  Chronicle,  a  work  of  the  tenth 
century,  i.  133,  134,  185;  its  first 
application  of  the  term  '  Scotti '  to 
the  Picts,  328. 

Pictish  language,  remains  of,  i.  501. 

Pictish  legend  of  Cruithe  and  his 
seven  sons,  i.  281. 

Pictish  and  Cumbrian  territories, 
foreign  elements  introduced  among 
population  of,  iii.  20  ;  spread  of 
Teutonic  element  over,  21. 

Picts  :  first  appearance  of  the  inde- 
pendent British  tribes  under  this 
name,  i.  94,  97  ;  twofold  division 
of,  the  Dicalidonaj  and  the  Vectu- 
riones,  99,  129  ;  origin  of  the 
name  from  the  practice  of  painting 
their  bodies,  128,  129  ;  their  Welsh 
name  Gwyddyl  Ffichti,  197,  343; 
their  incursions,  along  with  Scots 
and  Saxons,  into  the  Roman  pro- 
vince, \05seq. ;  their  history  traced, 
123-137 ;  division  into  Northern  and 
Southern  Picts,  and  the  districts 
occupied  by  them  respectively,  130, 
230  seq.  ;  mission  of  St.  Ninian  to 
the  Southern  Picts  (c.  a.d.  397), 
130  ;  ii.  3  ;  Pictish  legends,  i.  185- 
189  ;  ii.  113  ;  iii.  124-134  ;  did  they 
belong  either  to  the  Welsh  or  the 
Gaelic  race?  i.  197-8,  226  ;  analysis 
of  lists  of  Pictish  kings,  and  its 
philological  results,  207-12;  topo- 
graphy of  the  districts  occupied 
by  them,  223,  224  ;  differences 
between  the  two  divisions  as  to 
race  and  language,  231  ;  their  seat 
of  government,  232  ;  peculiarity 
in  the  order  of  succession  among 
their  kings,  232-235  ;  church  of  the 
Southern  Picts,  ii.  26  sery.  ;  arrival 
of  St.  Columba  among  the  Northern 
Picts  (a.d.  565),  see  Columba  ;  the 
Southern  Picts  subjugated  (c.  a.d. 
660)  by  Osuiu,  i.  256  seq.  ;  ii.  207  ; 
their  revolt,  i.  260  ;  their  kingdom 
invaded  by  Ecgfrid  (a.d.  685), 
265-266 ;  ii.  213  (.see  Ecgfrid) ;  re- 
covery of  their  independence,  i, 
267  ;  their  relations  with  the  Scots 


INDEX. 


523 


of  Dalriada  at  this  juncture,  276-7  ; 
the  Picts  of  Manaiin  (see  Manau, 
Mugdoch),  270,  271,  295  ;  legend  of 
St.  Bonifacius,  277  ;  ii.  229 ;  estab- 
lishment of  Scone  as  the  capital 
(A.D.  710),  i.  280;  iii.  132;  the 
seven  provinces  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, i.  280 ;  iii.  42-44  ;  expulsion  of 
the  Columban  clergy  {a.b.  717),  i. 
283-84,315-16;  ii.  177-78;  revolu- 
tion, and  struggle  for  supremacy,  i. 
286 ;  battles  at  Moncrieffe,  Scone, 
Monitcarno,  Dromaderg,  288-9  ; 
battle  at  Circinn  in  the  Mearns 
(A.D.  752),  295  ;  iii.  123  ;  Alpin 
the  Scot  attacks  the  Picts  (a.d. 
834),  and  is  slain  at  Pitelpie,  near 
Dundee,  i.  306-7  ;  his  son  Kenneth 
invades  Pictavia  five  years  later, 
and  in  other  five  years  becomes 
king  of  the  Picts,  i.  308-9  ;  ii.  307  ; 
discussion  of  tlie  question  as  to 
where  the  Scots  came  from  wlio 
accompanied  Kenneth,  i.  316-322. 
See  Kenneth  Mac  Alpin. 

Pinkerton,  John,  i.  12.  22,  140  ;  re- 
jnarks  on  his  Enqtiiry,  19,  196. 

Pitalpin  (Pitelpie),  Alpin,  father  of 
Kenneth,  slain  there,  i.  306-7. 

Pitmain,  on  the  Spey,  Roman  I'e- 
mains  at,  i.  89. 

Pliny,  i.  31. 

Pluscarden,  Book  of,  iii.  311  xcq. 

Polybius,  his  reference  to  the  British 
Isles,  i.  30. 

Potato  culture  in  the  Highlands  and 
Islands,  iii.  374. 

Presbyter-abbot,  status  and  jurisdic- 
tion, ii.  44. 

Price,  Rev.  T. ,  on  the  mutual  intelli- 
gibility of  Welsh  and  Breton,  i. 
199. 

Principes,  status  of,  in  the  tribe,  iii. 
239. 

Procopius,  historian  of  sixth  century 
— his  ignorance  of  Britain,  i.  115, 
145. 

Provinces  of  Scotland  under  the  Picts 
in  the  kingdom  of  Scone,  i.  2S0  ; 
iii.  42-44;  a  second  list  of  seven, 
excluding  Caithness  and  including 
Argyll,  in  the  kingdom  of  Alban, 
in  the  tenth  century,  i.  340  se<j.  ; 
iii.  44-49  ;  provincial  rulers  tei'med 
Mormaers  in  the  eleventh  century, 
49-56  ;  Toisechs  of  Buchan,  56  ; 
first  appearance  of  seven  eai'ls, 
58  ;  David  i.  's  feudalising  policy, 
63-66  ;  additional  earldoms  created 


by  subsequent  kings  of  Feudal  Scot- 
land, 66  ;  earldom  of  Mar,  68  ;  of 
Garrioch  and  Lennox,  69 ;  of  Ross 
and  Carrick,  70  ;  of  Caithness,  71  ; 
the  seven  earls  of  Alexander  ii. , 
71,  79  ;  and  of  Alexander  iii., 
80-83. 

Ptolemy :  his  description  of  North 
Britain,  i.  62-70  ;  and  of  the  tribes 
and  their  towns,  70  serj.  ;  compara- 
tive value  of  the  Greek  and  Latin 
versions  of  his  Geography,  63,  64. 

Pygmies  Kirk,  Isle  of  Lewis,  iii.  429. 

Pytheas,  a  Massilian,  his  expedition 
to  Britain,  i.  30. 

Quarry,  clan,  legendary  descent  of, 

iii.  488.     See  Guaire. 
Qwhewyl,  clan,  iii.  310,  314. 

Raarsa,  isle  of,  iii.  433. 
Raasay   (Rosis),    river    (now    Black- 
water),  a  Scots  colony  reaches,  i. 

183,  320. 
Raedykes,  near  Stonehaven,  Roman 

camp  at,  i.  87. 
Raedykes,    on    the    Ythan,    Roman 

camp  at,  i.  87. 
Ragnall   (Reginald),    second    son    of 

Somerled,  descendants  of,  iii.  401  ; 

espouse  the  cause  of  Bruce,  401. 
Ragnall,   son   of   Eoin,    his   religious 

gifts,  extent  of  his  territories,  and 

death,  iii.  403. 
Ragnar  Lodbrog  and  his  sons,  i.  332. 
L'atfi  (homestead)  lands,  iii.  243. 
Rathelpie      (Rathalpin),      connected 

with  Alpin,  father  of   Kenneth,  i. 

307. 
Rathinveramon  (near  Scone),  Donald 

mac  Alpin  said  to  have  died  at,  i. 

322  ;   Constantin,   son   of   Cuilean, 

slain  at,  381. 
Rauchlynne,  isle  of.  iii.  439. 
Ravenna,  the  geographer  of,  on  the 

Saxons  in  Britain,   i.   148  ;  his  list 

of  local  names,  216,  217. 
Reginald,  son  of  Somerled,  iii.  35,  39, 

293,  400. 
Reginald,  son  of  Godred  Crovan,  iii. 

35  ;    sometimes    confounded    with 

Somerled's   son,    as   both  bore  the 

title  of  King  of  the  Isles,  35,  36. 
Regnwald,  leader  of  the  last  invasion 

of  Alban  by  the  Northmen,  i.  347- 

349,  373. 
Regulus,  St.,  legend  of,  and  the  relics 

of  St.  Andrew,  i.  297-8. 
Rerigonium,  a  town  of  the  Novanta3, 


624 


INDEX. 


on  Loch  Ryan — its  fortitiecl  moat, 
i.  72,  132. 

Rerigonius  IJay  (Loch  Ryan),  i.  6G. 

Retaliation  and  tine,  in  the  tribe,  iii. 
152,  204,  217. 

Restennet  (Restinoth),  church  of,  i. 
278  ;  iii.  202. 

Reu<la,  leader  of  the  Scots  who  came 
from  Ireland,  i.  188,  139. 

Richard  of  Cirencester,  the  work 
attributed  to  him,  De  situ  Brit- 
annia', entirely  spurious,  i.  22,  74, 
76,  102,  103. 

Ricsig,  king  of  Northumbria,  i.  332. 

Rigmonath  (St.  Andrews),  i.  183. 

Robertson,  E.  W.,  i.  12;  his  Scot- 
land under  htr  Early  Kings,  19  ;  iii. 
62. 

Robertson,  Dr.  Joseph,  i.  333 ;  on 
the  Mar  letters-patent,  iii.  443. 

Roguwald,  earl  of  Maeri,  i.  335,  344. 

Roland,  lord  of  Galloway,  i.  345. 

Romans  in  Britain  :  Julius  Csesar's 
invasion,  i.  31  ;  formation  of  a 
province,  called  Britannia  Romana, 
in  the  reign  of  Claudius,  33,  34  ; 
progress  of  the  Roman  arms,  34  ; 
extent  of  the  province  at  the  time 
of  Agricola's  arrival,  41,  42 ;  his 
campaigns  (.see  Agricola) ;  arrival 
of  the  Emperor  Hadrian,  60  ;  first 
wall  between  the  Forth  and  Clyde 
— the  province  established,  7t!  ; 
irruptions  on  the  province  by  the 
northern  tribes  in  a.d.  162  and 
]  82,  79  ;  the  province  divided  by 
Severus  into  two.  Upper  and  Lower 
Britain,  81  ;  campaign  of  Severus, 
82  seq.  ;  peace  made  with  the  bar- 
barian tribes  by  his  son  Antoninus, 
90,  91  ;  history  silent  for  seventy 
years,  92  ;  ten  years'  independence 
under  Carausius  and  Allectus,  92- 
95  ;  war  of  Constantius  Chlorus, 
94,  95 ;  commencement  of  syste- 
matic inroads  of  the  barbarian 
tribes  into  the  province,  95  ;  rapid 
development  of  wealth  and  civilisa- 
tion, 96  ;  division  into  four  pro- 
vinces, 96,  97  ;  invasion  of  the 
province  by  Picts  and  Scots,  97, 
who  were  afterwards  joined  by 
the  Saxons  and  the  Attacotti,  98- 
100 ;  restoration  of  the  province  by 
Theodosius,  100-104;  usurpation  of 
Maximus,  104  ;  his  withdrawal  of 
the  Roman  ti'oops,  and  renewed 
incursions  of  the  Picts  and  Scots, 
105 ;   a  legion  sent  liy  Stilicho   to 


garrison  the  northern  wall,  105, 
lOG;  the  legion  withdrawn,  and 
the  province  again  devastated,  106; 
the  invaders  again  repelled  by 
Stilicho,  and  the  army  i-estored, 
107  ;  troubled  state  of  the  empire 
till  the  abandonment  (a.d.  410)  of 
the  imperial  authority  over  Britain, 
107-112. 

Roman  remains  in  Scotland,  i.  44 
seq.,  49,  71  seq.,  86-88. 

Roman  roads  in  Scotland,  i.  86-89. 

Roman  walls  in  Britain  :  that  of 
Hadrian,  between  the  Tyne  and  the 
Solway,  i.  GO,  61  ;  that  of  Antoni- 
nus, between  the  Forth  and  the 
Clyde,  77-79 ;  its  reconstruction 
by  Severus,  81,  89;  examination 
of  differing  opinions  on  the  walls, 
89-91. 

Romb,  isle  of,  iii.  434. 

Romwrche,  Ness  of  (Point  of  Ardna- 
murchan),  iii.  428. 

Rona,  isle  of,  iii.  431. 

Ronan,  St.,  notice  of,  ii.  282. 

Root- words  peculiar  to  the  topo- 
graphy of  the  Pictish  districts,  i. 
223-4.     See  Topography. 

Rosemarkie,  a  Columban  foundation, 
i.  320. 

Rosnat,  monastery  of,  ii.  48. 

Ross,  province  of,  i.  319 ;  bishopric 
of,  ii.  377 ;  earldom  of,  iii.  70 ; 
historic  sketch  of,  290,  364  ;  Mairi, 
countess  of,  408. 

Rosses  of  Balnagown,  MS.  history  of, 
quoted,  iii.  355. 

Rosses,  clan.     See  Andres. 

Ross-Foichen.     (S'ee  Feochan. 

Roth,  battle  of,  i.  247-8. 

Roy's  (General)  Military  Antiquities, 
i.  22,  51. 

Run,  king  of  the  Strathclyde  Britons, 
a  son-in-law  of  Kenneth  mac  Alpin, 
i.  313,  325. 

Runrig  defined,  iii.  380. 

Rustici,  class  in  the  tribe  so  called,  iii. 
218,  219,  244. 

Rutupia?  (Richborough),  i.  100. 

Ryan,  loch,  i.  72,  108,  292. 

Rydderch  Hael,  king  of  Strathclyde, 
ii.  179. 

Sabrina  (Severn)  river,  i.  35. 

Saddle,  Cistercian  monks  established 
at,  ii.  415  ;  Ragnall,  son  of  Somer- 
led,  establishes  a  monastery  of 
grey  friars  at,  iii.  400. 

St.  Abb's  Head,  ii.  201. 


INDf:X. 


525 


St.  Andrews,  foundation  of,  i.  29G  ; 
legends  relating  to,  296-298 ;  ii. 
261-275 ;  church  of,  becomes  the 
national  church  of  the  Picts,  i.  299  ; 
is  the  chief  seat  of  the  Scottish 
Church  in  the  time  of  Constantin, 
son  of  Aedh,  and  its  bishops  be- 
come known  as  bishops  of  Alban, 
340  ;  ii.  324  ;  primacy  transferred 
to,  323  ;  rights  of  the  Keledei  pass 
to  the  bishopric  of,  372.  See  also 
Andrew,  St. 

St.  Cyrus,  i.  334.   See  Grig,  Eglisgirg. 

St.  Fillans,  parish  of,  ii.  33. 

St.  Kilda,  native  fort  in,  i.  185. 

St.  Michael's  Mount,  i.  166. 

St.  Monans  (Inverry),  churches  of, 
founded  in  honour  of  St.  Moinenn, 
bishop  of  Clonfert,  ii.  314-16. 

Sanctuary,  privilege  of,  claimed  by 
monasteries,  ii.  65. 

Saxon  Chronicle  quoted,  iii.  58. 

Saxon  shore,  tlie,  i.  150,  151. 

Saxonia,  name  given  to  the  northern 
part  of  Northumbria,  i.  346,  369, 
372,  385. 

Saxons,  first  appearance  of  the,  i.  92  ; 
join  with  the  Picts,  Scots,  and  At- 
tacotts  in  ravaging  the  Roman 
province,  99 ;  in  Oi'kney,  101  ; 
their  settlement  in  Britain,  as  given 
by  Gildas,  144,  145,  Procopius, 
145,  Nennius,  146,  and  Bede,  148- 
150 ;  testimony  of  Pi'osper  Aqui- 
tanus,  152  ;  the  twelve  battles  of 
Arthur,  152-154 ;  legends  regard- 
ing the  original  home  of  those  wlio 
settled  in  Britain,  189-192,  227. 

Scapa,  isle  of,  iii.  434. 

Scarba,  isle  of,  i.  69  ;  iii.  438. 

Scilly  Islands.     See  Cassiterides. 

Scolocs,  functions  of,  ii.  446  ;  iii.  260. 

Scone  (Caislen  or  Oastellum  Credi), 
establishment  of,  as  the  Pictish 
capital,  i.  280 ;  iii.  132  ;  battle  at, 
i.  288 ;  Kenneth  Mac  Alpin,  the 
first  king  who  gave  the  kingdom  of 
Scone  to  the  Gaidheal,  313  seq.  ; 
priory  of,  founded,  ii.  374 ;  than- 
age  of,  iii.  275,  276. 

Scotch  language.     See  Languages. 

Scoti,  originally  used  to  designate 
the  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  i.  137 
seq.  ;  their  first  historical  appear- 
ance in  Britain  (a.d.  360),  97  ;  iii. 
124-5  ;  the  districts  occupied  by 
them,  i.  98-100;  join  with  Picts, 
Saxons,  and  Attacotti  in  attacking 
the  Roman  province,  but  are  at  last 


driven  back,  100-110,  139;  iii. 
124-5  ;  establish  a  colony  in  Argyll 
(A.D.  498),  i.  139-144,  248;  [in  iii. 
125,  I.  20,  for  sixth  read  fifth] 
{see  Dalriada,  Ere) ;  legendary  his- 
tory, 97  ^^e^. ;  notices  of,  by  Nennius 
and  Bede,  i.  138,  and  by  the  Roman 
writers,  139;  their  language,  193; 
notices  of  the  Scots  till  the  reign 
of  Kenneth  Mac  Alpin,  291-2,  316  ; 
they  rule  as  kings  of  the  Picts, 
322-334,  and  eventually  became,  as 
kings  of  Alban  and  of  Scotia,  kings 
of  the  whole  territory  of  Scotland, 
^  835-433.     See  Miledh,  Picts. 

Scotia  :  the  name  not  applied  to  any 
part  of  the  present  Scotland  before 
the  tenth  century,  i.  1,  398; 
applied  first  to  Ireland  (a.d.  580) 
by  Isidore  of  Seville,  2-4,  115;  by 
'  Scottia  '  Bede  invariably  means 
Ireland,  259 ;  Scotland  then  in- 
cluded in  the  term  Britannia  or 
Britain,  1  ;  the  country  north  of 
the  Forth  and  Clyde  known  to  the 
Romans  as  Caledonia,  called  also 
Alban  and  Albania,  1,  2;  as  ap- 
plied to  Scotland,  Scotia  a  name 
superinduced  on  the  older  one  of 
Alban,  3,  4  ;  boundaries  of  the  dis- 
trict in  Scotland  to  which  the 
name  Scotia  was  applied  from  the 
tenth  to  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth 
century,  2,  3,  5,  6 ;  extension  of 
the  application  of  tlie  term,  2,  3  ; 
light  tlirown  by  the  changes  in  its 
application  on  the  changes  in  the 
race  and  position  of  tlie  inhabit- 
ants, 5-7  :  physical  features  of  the 
country,  7-9  ;  mountain  chains  and 
rivers,  9-14  ;  the  debateable  lands, 
14-16;  five  distinct  periods  in  its 
early  history,  16,  dui-ing  three  of 
which  Scotland  was  purely  Celtic, 
17  ;  changes  during  the  two  last 
periods,  17 ;  critical  examination 
of  authorities  on  its  early  history, 
18-22  ;  questionable  or  spurious 
authorities,  22-26  ;  plan  of  the  pre- 
sent work,  26-28. 

Scotland  :  campaigns  of  Agricola  in, 
43-60 (see  Agricola) ;  the  Roman  pro- 
vince, 62-111  (.see  Romans)  ;  early 
connection  between  Ireland  and, 
iii.  125  ;  true  commencement  of 
Feudal  Scotland  under  David  i.,  i. 
459  ;  consolidation  of  the  provinces 
completed  under  Alexander  iii.,  iii. 
1  ;  southern  frontier  of,  3 ;  northern 


520 


INDEX. 


bounilary  of,  7  ;  physical  aspect 
of,  It  ;  old  descriptions  of,  11-14  ; 
population  of,  at  tiiis  time,  15, 
185  setj.  ;  indigenous  races  of,  and 
their  possessions.  Hi  ;  colonising 
races,  17  ;  intruding  races,  18  ;  in- 
fluence of  foreign  races,  IS  ;  foreign 
elements  introduced,  20  :  spread  of 
Teutonic  element  and  influence,  21- 
27;  Religious  Houses  in  (a.d.  1272), 
ii.  509 ;  comnumitas,  or  estates  of, 
in  1288,  iii.  39  ;  population  distin- 
guished as  Low'lauders  and  High- 
landers, 40  ;  the  seven  provinces  of, 
in  the  eighth  century,  42  ;  in  the 
tenth  century,  44  ;  districts  ruled 
by  kings  and  afterwards  by  ^lor- 
maers,  49  ;  petty  kings  of  Argyll 
and  Galloway,  51  ;  sources  of  in- 
formation as  to  the  early  social 
state  of  the  population,  136  ;  de- 
scription of  the  Isles,  with  their 
pertinents  and  pendicles  (written 
1577-95),  428-40. 

Scots  and  Picts,  character  of  the 
paganism  of  the,  ii.  108-118  ;  no 
affinity  with  the  Druidism  of  Gaul, 
118  ;  twofold  division  of  the  Scots 
in  Ireland,  paralleled  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Pictish  kingdom  at 
Scone,  iii.  132. 

Scottish  Church.     See  Church. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  on  the  Culloden 
Papers,  iii.  327  ;  on  the  Highland 
Clans,  456. 

Scribes,  first  appearance  of,  in  the 
monasteries,  ii.  423. 

Sealbach,  son  of  Fearchar  Fada,  i. 
272-3  ;  slays  his  brother  Ainbhceal- 
lach,  284  ;  becomes  a  cleric,  2S5. 

Secular  clergy,  influence  of,  in  the 
monastic  church,  ii.  227-33  ;  order 
of  secular  canons  instituted,  241. 

Segine,  third  abbot  of  lona,  i.  245  ; 
two  important  events  under  his 
presidency,  ii.  1 54  xeq. 

Seguise,  battle  of,  between  Gai'naid 
and  the  family  of  Nechtan,  i.  246-7. 

Seill,  isle  of,  iii.  438. 

Selden,  John,  antiquary,  iii.  441,  442. 

Selgovaj  (Elgovte),  a  Brigantian  tribe, 
i.  44  ;  towns  of,  72. 

Senchus  Mor,  iii.  177  seq. 

Sennachies,  Irish,  iii.  337. 

Sept,  the,  in  Wales,  iii.  205  ;  terri- 
torial lords,  205  ;  law  of  succession, 
205 ;  special  parties  liable  for  the 
crimes  of  its  members,  206  ;  foster- 
age, 207. 


Sepulchral  remains  in  Britain  :  ethno- 
logical evidence  furnished  by,  i. 
169-70. 

Serf,  St.,  or  Servanus,  notice  of,  ii. 
31  ;  anachronism  in  connecting 
him  with  St.  Kentigern,  184,  255- 
258  ;  he  founds  an  establishment 
of  Keledei,  who  are  hermits,  about 
A.D.  704,  258-9. 

Severus,  L.  Septimus, — circumstances 
in  wdiich  he  was  proclaimed  Em- 
peror, i.  79 ;  his  campaign  in  Bri- 
tain, 82  se'/.  ;  wall  of,  89-91  ;  his 
death  at  York,  90. 

Sgathaig  (Dunscaich),  Skye,  site  of  a 
military  school,  iii.  128. 

Shetland  Islands,  colonised  by  the 
Norwegians,  i.  344 ;  iii.  8,  29. 

Sidlaw  hills,  i.  266,  382. 

Sigurd  made  jarl  of  Orkney,  i.  335 ; 
his  burial-place,  337 ;  his  succes- 
sors, 344. 

Sigurd  'the  Stout,'  son  of  Hlodver, 
Norwegian  earl  of  Orkney,  i.  374  ; 
his  possessions  on  the  mainland, 
375 ;  narrative  of  his  war  expedi- 
tions, 376-9  ;  slain  at  Cluantarbh, 
in  Ireland's  final  conflict  with  the 
Danes,  386,  388  ;  his  sons,  401. 

Silura,  island  of, — Cornwall  so  called 
by  Strabo,  i.  167. 

Silures,  a  British  tribe,  i.  35,  167,  226. 

Simal,  son  of  Drust,  i.  285-6. 

Simeon  of  Durham,  i.  294 ;  account 
of  the  attack  of  the  Northmen  on  the 
Northumbrian  coast  (a.d.  793-94), 
303;  on  the  battle  in  a.d.  1006 
between  the  men  of  Alban  and 
Saxonia,  385. 

Sitriuc,  son  of  Imhair,  leader  of  a 
Danish  invasion  of  Alban,  i.  338  ; 
king  of  Deira,  351. 

Siward,  earl  of  Northumbria,  i.  407  ; 
invades  Scotland,  408 ;  death  of, 
410,  418. 

Skidamyre,  in  Caithness,  battle  at, 
i.  375. 

Skene,  Sir  John,  his  De  Vtrhorum 
Sigtiijicatione,  iii.  240  n.  ;  on  the 
privilege  pertaining  to  the  cross 
of  the  clan  Macduff,  304. 

Skuli,  son  of  Thorfirm,  earl  of  Orkney, 
i.  374-5. 

Skye  (Scetis,  Scith,  Sgithidh),  i.  69, 
216,  259,  260,  387,  390,  396 ;  sherifiF- 
dom  of,  and  botmdaries,  iii.  88,  432. 

Slait,  isle  of,  iii.  432. 

Slaughter,  fines  for,  in  the  tribal 
system,  iii.  151,  204,  217. 


INDEX. 


527 


Sluaged,  or  'hosting,'  the  burden  of, 
iii.  151,  172,  188,  234. 

Solway  Firth  :  tribes  on  its  northern 
shore  subjugated  by  Agricola,  i. 
43.     See  Galloway. 

Somerled,  'Regulus'  of  Arregaithel, 
invades  Scotland  with  the  sons  of 
Malcolm  mac  Eth,  i.  469  ;  treats 
with  Malcolm  IV.,  471  ;  drives  the 
Norwegians  out  of  the  mainland, 
and  conquei's  part  of  the  Isles,  iii. 
33-35  ;  again  attacks  Malcolm,  but 
is  defeated,  and  killed  at  Renfrew 
(A.D.  1164),  i.  473  ;  iii.  35  ;  his  three 
sons  and  their  possessions,  35,  39, 
293,  400. 

8orley,  clan.  iii.  474. 

Spey  river,  i.  336,  341-2;  anciently 
the  boundary  between  Scotia  and 
Moravia,  13,  14 ;  battle  on,  288. 

Stamford  bridge,  battle  of,  i.  413. 

Standard,  battle  of  the,  iii.  5. 

Stanmore,  i.  369. 

Steelbow  tenancy,  iii.  243,  283,  370. 

Stewart,  John,  of  Appin,  iii.  436. 

Stilicho,  a  Roman  general,  repels  on 
different  occasions  the  Picts  and 
Scots,  i.  105  seq. 

Stone  altars,  i.  283,  370. 

Stone  coffins  found  at  the  Mire  of 
Dunnichen,  i.  266. 

Strabo  :  notices  of  the  British  Isles 
and  their  inhabitants  in  his  Geo- 
graijliii,  i.  31-33,  166-7. 

Str^cled  ^A'^ealas,  the  Cumbri-Britons 
of  Strathclyde,  i.  326;  iii.  197. 
See  Alclyde. 

Strageath,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  50. 

Strath,  l)attle  of,  iii.  123. 

Strathardell,  iii.  133-4  ;  thanage  of, 
276. 

Strathaven,  i.  295. 

Strathcarron,  i.  249-50. 

Stratherne,  district  of,  i.  211.  See 
Fortrenn,  Meuteith. 

Strenaeshhalc  (Whitby),  council  held 
at  (A.D.  664),  i.  259  ;  ii.  165. 

Struin  (Strowan),  thanage  of,  iii.  87, 
270. 

Stuart,  Dr.  John,  ii.  310,  317,  448; 
iii.  58. 

Stuart's  (R. )  Caledonia  Eomana,  i.  23. 

Succession,  law  of,  among  the  Picts, 
i.  232-4,  315,  323. 

Suibhne,  fourth  abbot  of  lona,  ii.  163. 

Sudreys,  iii.  29.    See  Western  Islands. 

Suetonius  Paulinus,  a  Roman  com- 
mander in  Britain,  i.  38. 

Suevi,  the.     See  Vandals. 


Sumarlidi^:  Summer  Wanderers,  de- 
feat of  their  fleet  in  Buchan,  i.  365. 

Sumarlidi,  son  of  Sigurd  the  Stout,  i. 
388,  401. 

Sutherlandshire,  with  Caithness,  over- 
run by  the  Northmen,  i.  326,  336, 
345,  375  ;  iii.  18. 

Swein,  king  of  Denmark,  i.  420. 

Sweno's  stone,  account  of,  i.  337-8. 

Tacitus   as  an   historian,  i.  27  ;   his 

works  referred  to,  39,  43-58. 
Taexali,    promontory  of   (Kinnaird's 

Head),  i.  67,  74;  tribe  of  the,  74, 

206. 
Taliessin,  Book  of,  quoted,  iii.  100. 
Talorcan,  son  of  Ainfrit,  and  nephew 

of  Osuiu  of  Northumbria,  king  of 

the  Picts,  i.  257. 
Talorcan  (Talorg),  son  of  Congus,  de- 
feated by  Brude,  son  of  Angus,  i. 

289  ;  drowned,  290. 
Talore.  See  Garnaid. 
Talorgan,    son   of    Drostan,    king   of 

Atholl,  i.  281  ;   bound   by  Angus, 

290. 
Talorgan,  son  of  Fergus,  defeats  the 

Dalriads  at  Carriber,  i.  291  ;  slain 

at  Mugdoch,  295. 
Talorgan,  sou  of  Wtlioil,  joint  king 

of  the  Picts  with  Drest,  son  of  Con- 

stantin,  i.  306. 
Talorgen,  son  of  Angus,  king  of  the 

Picts,  i.  301. 
Tamea,    a    town    of    the    Vacomagi, 

i.  75. 
Tamworth  taken  by  storm,  i.  361. 
Tanistry,  law  of,  i.  323. 
Tanuadyce,  thanage  of,  iii.  262,  264. 
Taran,  son  of  Entetidich,  king  of  the 

Picts,  i.  269-70. 
Tarbet,  in  Easter   Pioss,    St.    Aidan 

patron  saint  of,  i.  260. 
Tarvedrum  (the  Orcas  promontory — 

Dunnet  Head),  i.  68. 
Tatooing,    practice    of,    among    the 

Caledonians,  i.  S3,  106,  128. 
Tava  (Tavaus)  estuary  (Firth  of  Tay), 

i.  66,  216. 
Tay  (Toe)  river,  a  formidable  barrier 

to  the  Romans  and  Angles,  i.    14  ; 

estuary   of,    readied   by   Agricola, 

probably  by  way  of  Stirling   and 

Perth,  45  ;   his  fleet  afterwards  in 

the  Firth,  49. 
Taylor,   Rev.   Isaac,    on    Words  and 

Places,  i.  220  seq. 
Taymoutli,  Black  Book  of,  iii.  319 seg. 
Tees,  river,  i.  236,  369,  420. 


528 


INDEX. 


Teith,  river,  i.  2(il. 

Tenures  of  land,  old  Celtic,  gradually 
give  way  before  feudal  forms,  iii. 
'23G-24().     See  Land-tenure. 

Termon  lands,  ii.  3'21  ;  iii.  168-9. 

Ternan,  St.,  notice  of,  29-32. 

Teudubr,  son  of  Bile,  king  of  Alclyde, 
i.  295. 

Teutones,  the,  i.  192-194;  make  settle- 
ments in  Britain,  227  ;  iii.  21. 

Thanage,  the,  iii.  85-87  ;  definition 
of,  245  ;  status  of  thanes,  239 
thanages  converted  into  baronies 
246  ;  historical  sketch  of  the,  247 
277  ;  they  replace  the  Tuath,  281 
general  extent,  282-3. 

Thanet,  isle  of,  Saxons  in,  i.  146,  150. 

Theodosiiis  the  elder  sent  to  Britain, 
his  restoration  of  the  province,  i. 
99-103,  141. 

Theodosius  the  younger  becomes  Em- 
peror, i.  104. 

Thorfinn  '  the  Skull-cleaver,'  son  of 
Einar,  Norwegian  earl  of  Orkney, 
— his  wife  Grelauga  and  their  sons, 
i.  374-5. 

Thorfinn,  son  of  Sigurd  the  Stout,  by 
the  daughter  of  Malcolm  ii.,  i.  3S6, 
389  ;  war  between  him  and  his 
cousin  Duncan,  king  of  Scotia,  401 
seq.  ;  iii.  31,  52,  54.  See  Caithness, 
Ingibiorg. 

ThorkellFostri,  leader  of  the  Orkney- 
men  in  the  war  between  Thorfinn 
and  Duncan,  i.  401-2.  See  Thorfinn, 
son  of  Sigurd. 

Thorkell,  Jarl,  i.  420. 

Thorstein  the  Red  (Ostin),  attacks 
the  northern  provinces  of  Scotland, 
i.  326-7,  336. 

Thule.  the  name,  i.  41  ;  Roman  fleet 
in  sight  of  the  island,  57  ;  applied 
byClaudian  to  Caledonia,  101,  130. 

Thurnam,  Dr.,  i.  169-70. 

Tighernac,  i.  26  et  passim. 

Tin  mines  of  Britain,  i.  29,  165  seq. 

Tina,  river  (Eden),  i.  66,  216. 

Tiree  (Tierhie),  isle  of,  iii.  345,  437  ; 
monasteries  in,  ii.  128-30. 

Toe  (the  Tay),  battle  on,  between  the 
men  of  Alban,  i.  381. 

Topography,  evidence  furnished  by, 
as  to  the  languages  of  the  tribes,  i. 
212-225  ;  and  as  to  the  divisions  of 
land,  iii.  225. 

Toragh  (Tory  Island,  off  coast  of 
Donegal),  plundered,  i.  289-90. 

Torfnes,  Norse  name  of  Burghead,  i. 
336,  403. 


Toshaeh  or  Toisech,  a  leader  in  the 
ancient  Celtic  Tuath,  iii.  156  seq.  ; 
the  Toschachdor  and  Tosehachdera, 
officers  at  a  later  period  in  the 
Highlands  and  Islands,  278-281  ; 
description  of  their  offices,  which 
were  called  Toschachdoracht  and 
Toschachderacht,  279,  300-302. 

Toshiagh  Jioarey  (Manx),  definition, 
iii.  279,  280. 

Tostig,  son  of  Earl  Godwine,  ap- 
pointed earl  of  Northumbria  by 
king  Edward,  i.  410,  418  ;  his  earl- 
dom ravaged  by  Malcolm  Ceann- 
mor,  413-4. 

Townships  in  the  Highlands  and 
Islands  subsequent  to  the  sixteenth 
century,  described,  iii.  369  ;  mode 
of  occupation,  370  ;  in  the  central 
Highlands,  370  ;  in  the  Islands, 
37 1 ;  enlargement  of,  873  ;  in  Inner 
Hebrides,  347  ;  in  Outer  Hebrides, 
378  ;  townlands,  379  ;  mode  of 
division,  380.     .SVe  Long  Island. 

Train,  Joseph,  iii.  279-80. 

Transmarine  Scotland,  application  of 
the  term,  iii.  42,  104. 

Tribe,  the,  in  Scotland,  iii.  209; 
early  notices  of,  in  Greek  and 
Roman  writers,  209-10  ;  the  tribe 
among  the  Picts,  210  ;  in  Dalriada, 
212  ;  in  Gallovvaj^  214  ;  modified 
by  external  influences,  214  ;  transi- 
tion of  the  mortuath  into  the  earl- 
dom, and  the  tribe  into  the  thanage, 
215  ;  distinction  of  the  people  into 
free  and  servile  classes,  216  ;  fines 
exigible  from  freeman  class,  217  ; 
difl'erent  ranks  of  bondmen,  220-3  ; 
land  measures,  variously  denomi- 
nated, 223  ;  burdens  on  land,  228- 
234  ;  gradual  assimilation  to  feudal 
forms,  236  ;  Crown  lands  held  in 
feu-farm,  237  ;  ranks  of  society 
on  crown-lands,  238.  *S'ee  Cain, 
Feacht,  Sluaged,  Waytinga. 

Tribe,  the,  in  Wales,  iii.  197  ;  divi- 
sion of  land,  198,  200  ;  indications 
of  an  earlier  tribal  system,  198  ; 
land  measurement,  200  ;  the  AUf-u- 
(Uon  analogous  to  the  Irish  Fuidhlr, 
200  ;  rights  of  the  free  members, 
203  ;  burdens  on  land  and  its  pos- 
sessors, 203  ;  fines  for  slaughter  or 
injuries,  204.     See  Sept. 

Tribruit,  river,  i.  153. 

Trimontium,  a  town  of  the  Selgovas, 
i.  72. 

Trouterues,  isle  of,  iii.  432. 


INDEX. 


529 


Trumiiin,  bishop  of  the  Picts  who 
were  subject  to  the  Angles,  i.  262  ; 
his  flight  from  Abercorn,  133,  268  ; 
ii.  214. 

Trusty's  Hill,  in  Galloway,  remaius 
of  a  vitrified  wall  on,  i.  136. 

Tuath  or  Tribe  in  Ireland,  iii.  135 ; 
definition  of  the  term,  136  ;  influ- 
ences aftecting  the  tribe,  137  ;  efliect 
of  Christianity  upon,  138  ;  land 
originally  held  in  common,  139  ; 
distinction  of  ranks,  139  ;  the  Ri 
or  king,  his  authority  and  privi- 
leges, 140-2  ;  distinctions  arising 
from  possession  of  cattle,  142-44  ; 
origin  and  growth  of  private  pro- 
perty, and  creation  of  territorial 
chiefs,  144-5  ;  the  ceile  or  tenants 
of  a  chief,  145-7  ;  condition  of  the 
territory,    147  ;    the   dun   or   fort, 

148  ;  the  mortuath  or  great  tribe, 

149  ;  the  cuicidh  or  province,  149  ; 
law  of  tanistry,  150;  tie  between 
superior  and  dependants,  150  ;  fines 
for  injuries,  151  ;  honor  price  or 
fixed  value,  152  ;  land  measures, 
153-157  ;  later  state  of  the  tribes, 
157-70  ;  process  of  internal  change, 
300.     See  also  Fin6  in  Ireland. 

Tuatha  de  Danaan,  the,  i.   173  seq., 

226;  iii.  105,  131. 
Tuathal  mac  Artguso,  abbot  of  Dun- 

keld  and  first  bishop  of  Fortrenn, 

head  of  the  Columban  Church,  ii.  308. 
Tuessis,  river  (Spey),  i.  67  ;  a  town 

of  the  Vacomagi,  74. 
Tuirrin  palace,  Kescobie,  iii.  123. 
Tula  Aman,  burnt  by  Ecgfrid,  i.  266. 
Tunberct,    bishop    of   the    church  of 

Hagnstald,  i.  262. 
Turner's  Anglo-Saxons,  i.  151. 
Tuthald,  bishop  of  Alban,  ii.  344. 
Tweed,  river,  i.  241. 
Tyne,  river,  i.  332. 
Tynemoor,  in   East   Lothian,   battle 

with  the  Danes  at,  347-8. 
Tyninghame,  monastery  of,  founded, 

ii.  223. 
Tytler,  Patrick  Fraser,  his  Hidory  of 

Scotland,  i.  19. 

UcHTREt),  son  of  Waltheof,  earl  of 
Northumbria  in  1006,  inflicts  a  dis- 
astrous defeat  on  the  Scots  under 
Malcolm,  i.  385  ;  slain  in  1016  by 
Cnut,392;  hisdaughterAldgethaand 
her  son  Earl  Clospatrick,  394,  419. 

Uisneach,   sons  of,    extent   of    their 
possessions,  iii.  129. 
VOL.  in. 


Uist,  island,  iii.  387,  393,  430;  be- 
stowed on  the  church  (a.d.  1440), 
408. 

UUoway,  isle  of,  iii.  436. 

Ulster  (Uladh),  a  district  in  the  north 
of  Ireland  inhabited  by  a  Pictish 
people,  i.  131,  140. 

Ulster,  Annals  of,  i.  26  et  passim. 

Umphraville,  C4ilbert  de,  iii.  80. 

Ungus,  son  of  Uirguist.  See  Angus, 
son  of  Fergus. 

Urien  (Urbgen  =  Cityborn),  kingdom 
of  (?  Dumbarton),  i.  153,  156,  159. 

Urr,  moat  of,  Roman  remaius  on,  i. 
72. 

Uven,  son  of  Unuist.  See  Eoganan, 
son  of  Angus. 

Uxellum,  a  town  of  the  Selgovas,  i.  72. 

Vacomagi,    a   tribe   whose  territory 

lay   along   the   Higliland   Line,    i. 

74,  75,  127,  206. 
Valentia,  a  British  province,  i.   100  ; 

diS'erent  opinions  as  to  its  position, 

102;   author's  opinion  that  Wales 

is  meant,  103. 
Vandals,   the,    with   the   Alaui    and 

Suevi,    make  irruptions    into   the 

Roman  empire,  i,  107,  108. 
Vandogara  (Vanduara),  a  town  of  the 

Damnonii,  i.  73. 
Varar  estuary  (Firth  of  Beauly),   i. 

67,  75. 
Vecturiones,  a  division  of  the  Picts, 

i.  99,  129. 
Vedra,  river  (the  Wear),  i.  64. 
Venusio,  town  of  the  Brigantes,  i.  37. 
Venusius,  a  British  leader,  i.  37,  71. 
Veranius,    a   Roman   commander    in 

Britain,  i.  38. 
Vernicomes,    tribe    of    the,    and    its; 

territory,  i.  74.  206. 
Veruvium  (Noss  Head),  i.  67. 
Vervedrum  (Duncansbay  Head),  i.  67. 
Vettius  Bolanus,  a  Roman  governor 

in  Britain,  i.  38-40. 
Victoria,  a  town  in  Fothreve,  i.  74  ; 

inhabitants  of,  enrolled  by  Severus 

among  the  Roman  avixiliaries,  89. 

See  Fothreve. 
Villages,  fishing,   established  in   the 

Highlands  and  Islands,  in  1788,  iii. 

376. 
Vindogara  (Ayr)  Bay,  i.  66,  73. 
Virides,  a  term  applied  by  Ciesar  to 

the  Britons,  i.  32. 
Visibsolian,  battle  at,  i.  338. 
Volsas  Bay  (Loch  Broom),  i.  69. 
Vuirich,  clan,  iii.  364. 

2  L 


530 


INDEX. 


\Vales,  descent  of  the  Scots  (from 
Ireland)  on  (a.d.  .SGO),  i.  97  se'/. 
See  Tribe  in  Wales. 

Wallingford,  Jolm,  his  narrativ'c  of 
the  cession  of  Lothian  to  Kenneth, 
spurious,  i.  371-2. 

Walls,  Roman,  in  Britain.  <S'ee  Roman 
walls. 

Wallsend,  i.  Gl. 

Waltheof,  a  Northumbrian  earl,  i. 
385,  425. 

Wardlaw  hill,  Roman  remains  on, 
i.  72. 

Wardykes,  Roman  camp  at,  i.  87. 

Waterford,  the  Danes  in,  i.  347. 

Watling  Street,  a  Roman  road,  i.  86. 

Waytinga,  a  yearly  tax,  paid  by 
thanes,  iii.  232. 

Wearmouth,  i.  421. 

'SVelsh.Hit^torkal  Triads,  undoubtedly 
spurious,  i.  23,  24,  172,  197  ;  codes 
of  laws,  iii.  197. 

Wendune.     »S'ee  Brunanburg. 

Werid,  British  name  of  the  Forth, 
iii.  45. 

Wessex,  kings  of,  their  increasing 
power  in  the  ninth  century,  i.  349. 

Western  Isles  (Sudreys)  ravaged  by 
Northmen,  i.  304-5,  311-12  ;  colon- 
ised by  the  Norwegians,  345,  37G  ; 
attacked  and  for  a  time  occupied 
by  the  Danes,  378-9  ;  war  between 
the  kings  of  Norway  and  Scot- 
land for  the  possession  of  them 
(a.d.  1263),  492 ;  early  churches 
founded  in  the,  ii.  76  ;  the  islands 
finally  ceded  to  the  Scottish  kings, 
i.  495  ;  iii.  9  ;  Norwegian  kingdom 
of  the,  28  ;  dynasty  of  Godred 
Crovan,  31  ;  Somerled  drives  the 
Norwegians  from  the  mainland,  and 
conquers  part  of  the  Isles,  31-35  ; 
summary  of  their  history,  36-39. 

Whitby,  church  council  at  (a.d.  664), 
i.  259;  ii.  165. 

Whithorn  (W^hithern,  Candida  Casa), 
Roman  remains  at,  i.  72  ;  church 
at,  dedicated  to  St.  Martin  of  Tours, 
built  by  St.  Ninian,  130,  132  ; 
principal  seat  of  the  Picts  of 
Galloway,  271  ;  Pecthelm,  first 
bishop  in,  275  ;  ii.  222  ;  bishopric 
of,  founded,  224  ;  comes  to  a  close, 
225. 


Wid  (Uid,  Foith),  i.  242. 

Wight,  Isle  of,  i.  166. 

Wilfrid,  St.,  bishop  of  York  (a.d.  669- 
678),  i.  258-260,  275;  ii.  210;  dis- 
sension with  Ecgfrid,  i.  262;  founds 
the  church  of  Hexham,  in  honour 
of  St.  Andrew,  ii.  210  ;  temporarily 
bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  220  ;  ex- 
pelled from  his  see  of  York,  220  ; 
favoured  by  the  Pope,  220  ;  illness 
in  Gaul,  220 ;  returns  to  Britain, 
221  ;  founds  the  churches  of  St. 
Mary  and  St.  Michael,  221  ;  his 
death,  221. 

William  the  Conqueror,  his  conquest 
of  England,  i.  417-23  ;  penetrates 
into  Scotland,  and  receives  homage 
from  Malcolm  iii.  for  land  held  in 
England,  424,  429  ;  his  son  Robert 
sent  by  him  to  Scotland,  but  forced 
to  retreat,  427  ;  William's  death, 
428. 

William  Fitz  Duncan,  i.  438. 

William  the  Lion,  crowned  at  Scone, 
A.D.  1165,  reigns  forty-eight  years, 
i.  474  ;  taken  prisoner  by  the  Eng- 
lish, 474  ;  is  liberated,  475  ;  arrests 
an  insurrection  in  Galloway,  475  ; 
subdues  the  district  of  Ross,  475  ; 
defeats  an  insurrection  headed  by 
Donald  Ban  MacWilliam,  476-79  ; 
subdues  Caithness,  479-482  ;  sup- 
presses an  insurrection  in  Ross- 
shire,  482  ;  his  death,  483  ;  grants 
by,  ii.  393  seq.  ;  text  of  the  alleged 
letters-patent  granted  by  him  to 
the  Earl  of  Mar,  iii.  446. 

Winuaed,  river  (probably  the  Avon), 
where  Penda  was  slain,  i.  254-6. 

Wist  (Uist),  isle  of,  iii.  430. 

Wrad,  son  of  Bargoit,  king  of  the 
Picts,  i.  309. 

Wrath,  Cape,  headland  of,  not  men- 
tioned by  Ptolemy,  i.  70. 

Writing,  art  of,  introduced,  ii.  448. 

Wyntoun,  prior  of  Lochleven,  quoted, 
ii.  312,  314,  316  ;  iii.  66,  78,  304, 
308.  et  al. 

Yarrock,  Port  (Beruvick),  i.  390. 
York,   the  capital  of  Deira,  i.  237  ; 

taken  possession  of  by  the  Danes, 

332. 
Yvelchild.     See  Eadulf. 


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