Amy of Garmoran
Amie, daughter of Ruaidhri | |
---|---|
Born | early 1300s? |
Died | late 1300s? |
Nationality | Scottish |
Spouse | John of Islay, Lord of the Isles |
Children | John (Eoin), Godfrey (Gofraidh), Ranald (Raghnall) |
Parent(s) | Ruaidhri mac Ailein, mother unknown |
Amy of Garmoran also known as Amie MacRuari and Euphemia was a 14th-century Scottish noblewoman who was the sister of
Descent
Amie was a direct descendant of Somhairle mac Gille-Brighde (better known as
Ruaidhri's son
When her distant cousin
Marriage, children and divorce
John of Islay was also a descendant of Somerled via his father and thus a distant relative of Amie. By marrying this heiress to the Mac Ruaidhri lands he eventually controlled significant stretches of the western seaboard of Scotland from
However, his ambitions were by no means quenched. He continued to build his power base by allying himself with Robert the High Steward of Scotland and the designated heir of King David.[8] The marriage had by now produced three sons: John, Godfrey, Ranald,[16] but John and Robert made an arrangement by which John divorced Amie and married Robert's daughter, Margaret Stewart. John is said to have obtained a papal dispensation for the divorce, which took place in 1350, just four years after Amie's inheritance.[4][13] The Lord of the Isles now received Knapdale and Kintyre as a dowry but in return his sons by Amie were to be passed over in the succession in favour of any children by the marriage with Margaret.[13][16]
Later life
The "unvarying tradition" of the Gàidhealtachd recorded in the late 19th century was that Amie had given her husband no grounds for divorce and lived alone on her own estates until her death.[16] The divorce annulled John of Islay's rights to her lands, although he managed to procure a royal charter to them in which her name is not even mentioned.[17][18]
Amie was evidently of a pious disposition and built an oratory called Teampull Mhecael at the south-eastern point of Grimsay, and rebuilt the Teampul Chalumchille on Benbecula and the Trinity Church of North Uist.[4][19] MacGibbon and Ross also attribute the building of the tower of Borve Castle, located to the south-west of the island of Benbecula, to Amie and dated the work to between 1344 and 1363.[20] She is also said to have extended Castle Tioram in Moidart.[16][21]
John of Islay kept to his agreement with Robert, now King in succession to David, and his children by Margaret inherited his title and the bulk of his lands. However Amie's son Ranald, who successfully petitioned for the return of much of the Mac Ruaidhri lands, including Garmoran and the North Isles, became the progenitor of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and
The descendants of Godfrey, Amie and John's eldest son, who was titled Lord of Uist, were known as Siol Gorrie. In 1427, Alexander MacGorrie of Garmoran (also called Mac Ruaidhri), who may have been Godrey's son, is recorded as being the leader of 2,000 men. Not long afterwards he was imprisoned in Inverness and executed for sedition by King James I.[23]
Notes
- Dubhghall mac Ruaidhri and thus Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill's grandson.[6]
- ^ Christina, Amie's aunt, succeeded to the estates of her father but resigned them to Ruari. According to Lee (1920) she married Domhnall I, Earl of Mar and was thus the grandmother of Robert II of Scotland.[6] However, this is described as erroneous by MacDonald (2008), who states that "most sources agree" that she married Duncan, Domhnall I's second son, making her Robert I's sister-in-law.[7]
- ^ Hunter (2000) does not mention Amie by name, but refers to a Mac Ruaidhri "heiress".[10]
- ^ One source states that Amie was the grandmother of John of Islay, Earl of Ross, but this seems unlikely.[4]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Lee (1920) p. 61
- ^ "The History". clandonaldeurope.org. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ a b Gregory (1881) p. 24
- ^ a b c d e Rotary Club (1995) p. 27
- ^ Gregory (1881) pp. 24, 27
- ^ a b Lee (1920) p. 81
- ^ MacDonald (2008) p. 47
- ^ a b Gregory (1881) p. 25
- ^ MacDonald (2008) p. 48
- ^ a b c d Hunter (2000) p. 127
- ^ Gregory (1881) pp. 26-27
- ^ Lee (1920) p. 82
- ^ a b c d e Oram (2006) pp. 124-26
- ^ Lamont (1966) p. 25
- ^ Oram (2006) p. 123
- ^ a b c d Gregory (1881) pp. 29-30
- ^ a b c Gregory (1881) pp. 30-31
- ^ a b Oram (2006) p. 128
- ^ Thomas, F. W. L. (December 1871) "Notices of Three Churches in North Uist, Benbecula, and Grimsay, said to have been Built in the Fourteenth Century". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Benbecula, Borve Castle (9962)". Canmore. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Evans, Sandra "Eilean Tioram (The Dry Island) and Castle Tioram: Amy's castle". Moidart Local History Group: moidart.org.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ^ Lee (1920) p. 50
- ^ Gregory (1881) pp. 34-36
References
- ISBN 1-904607-57-8
- ISBN 1-84018-376-4
- Lee, Henry James (1920) History of the clan Donald, the families of MacDonald, McDonald and McDonnell. (1920) New York. Polk and Company.
- Lamont, William Dawson (1966) The Early History of Islay (500–1726). University of California.
- MacDonald, Donald J. (2008) Clan Donald. Gretna, Louisiana. Pelican. First published 1978.
- Oram, Richard "The Lordship of the Isles, 1336–1545", in Donald Omand (ed.) (2006) The Argyll Book. Edinburgh. Birlinn.
- Rotary Club of Stornoway (1995) The Outer Hebrides Handbook and Guide. Machynlleth. Kittiwake. ISBN 0-9511003-5-1