Province of Moray
Moray (
Moray emerged in the 10th century as a successor to the dominant
Over the following decades
Name
The placename "Moray" could have either a Pictish or a Gaelic origin, but its earliest attested form as Moreb makes a Pictish origin more likely.[1] Moreb is cognate with the Middle Welsh moreb and Cornish morab, which survives as murriph in Cornish English, all of which mean "low lying land near to the sea".[2] William Watson's earlier derivation of Moray from the unattested Gaelic *mori-treb meaning "sea-settlement" is now considered less likely.[1]
Historians have suggested that the topographical nature of the placenames of Moray and Ross, coupled with their origins as local divisions of the kingdom of Fortriu, may mean that they were originally qualified as Mureb Fortrenn and Ros Fortrenn, respectively the "Coastland of Fortriu" and "Headland of Fortriu".[3] While there is no direct evidence of the provinces having these names,[4] it is possible that the phrase "ros (headland) of Fortriu" may underlie the place-name Fortrose, referring to nearby Chanonry Point.[5]
Geography
In the century or two before 1130 the name Moray described a polity far larger than the later county or council area of the same name.[6]
The boundaries of Moray were explicitly documented in the charter of Robert the Bruce that granted the recreated earldom to Thomas Randolph in 1312.[7] The western boundary of the province was described as following the River Spey south from its mouth, though including all of the lands of Fochabers, Rathenach, Rothes and Boharm,[8] and all of the lordships of Badenoch, Kincardine, Glencarnie and Lochaber,[9] all of which also included land on the east bank of the river.[8] North of Lochaber the province included Glenelg on the west coast – an area described as "Argyll of Moray" – from where the northern boundary of the province followed the River Beauly to the Moray Firth.[10] Unusually, this document does not name any perambulators, so probably reflects an earlier perambulation of the borders, most likely dating from the period when Moray was taken into crown hands after 1130.[11]
Before the early 13th century Moray was not considered part of "
History
Origins and early history
Moray and neighbouring Ross were the heartlands of the powerful Pictish kingdom of Fortriu, which was last recorded in entries in the Annals of Ulster in 904,[15] and in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland in 918,[16] and from which both Moray and Ross probably emerged as successor polities in the 10th century.[3] Moray is first recorded in a reference in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba describing how Malcolm I of Scotland, who reigned from 943 to 954, "crossed into Moray and slew Cellach".[17] The identity of this Cellach is not known: while it is possible that he was a ruler of Moray, the name was a common one during this period.[18] The entry does however imply that Moray at this time did not lie within Malcolm I's home territory.[19]
There is no direct mention of Moray in any other contemporary record from the 10th century,
1014 to 1130: Dynasty of Findláich to Óengus
Moray was ruled by a
Irish annals record the killing of Findláech, son of Ruaidri, 'mormaer of Moray', in 1020 by the sons of his brother, Mael Brigte. Both Findlaech and Mael Coluim are styled 'king of Alba' rather than 'of Moray' in one obituary but this may be an error or exaggeration.[6] Mael Coluim's brother and successor, Gillie Coemgáin is recorded as Mormaer of Moray.[32] The death of Mael Coluim, son of Mael Brigte, is recorded in 1029 and, in 1032 that of his brother Gilla Comgain, killed along with 50 of his men.[6]
Gilla Comgain's successor and probably also his killer, was his cousin Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findlaig). Macbeth married Gilla Comgain's widow Gruoch, a princess of the mac Alpin dynasty, and became king of Scots in 1040, after defeating and killing Duncan I of Scotland (Donnchad ua Mail Choluim) in battle. Later sources suggest that MacBeth had a claim to the Scottish throne through his mother, but his Gaelic pedigree, on record only two generations after his death, traces his descent through his father Findlaech, and grandfather Ruaidri, from the house of Loarn, Kings of Dál Riata.[6]
The pedigree of Macbeth from the Loarn kings of Dál Riata offers a clue to the origins of his dynasty in Moray. Moray may have been a separate kingdom for a time, independent of the dynasty of Kenneth mac Alpin. However it seems likely that rulers of Moray were subject loosely to the
Macbeth himself was in turn killed and defeated in 1057. After which, his stepson
Claims that William fitz Duncan became the last Mormaer of Moray cannot be substantiated and his claim for the Scottish throne proved unsuccessful. Malcolm MacHeth, who rebelled against David I, but was later made Earl of Ross may have been related to the old rulers of Moray, as may also have been the mysterious Wimund. Later MacHeth claimants to Moray were unsuccessful.[6]
After 1130: Suppression of Moray
David I of Scotland's suppression of the Kingdom of Moray in 1130 did not mark the end of the province's significance or of the problems its management caused to the kings of Scotland. Despite the expulsion of its line of rulers, Moray continued to be referred to in the early 13th century as a land separate to Scotia. Even when the realm of Scotland was recognised as stretching as far north as Caithness, Moray was still recognised as one of the chief northern provinces. The Gaelic notes in the Book of Deer dating from the mid 12th century offer a glimpse of the holding of land and the ordering of society in Moray.[6]
The actions of the crown's royal government during the century after 1130 seemed to create differences between the upland regions of the province and the coastal districts of the Laich of Moray, between the River Spey and Inverness. The crown's existing estates were concentrated in these coastal regions and between 1130 and 1230 the kings established sheriffdoms centred on Inverness, Nairn, Forres and Elgin, providing a framework for royal authority in the province.[6]
The extension of royal government was accompanied by the settlement of immigrants in the Laich of Moray. Lands were given to the crown's supporters, the most important of whom was Freskin, who was of Flemish – Norman descent. Freskin founded the 'de Moravia' or 'Moray family'. The senior line of de Moravias would later become Earls of Sutherland, chiefs of Clan Sutherland until the line passed via the female line to the Gordon family. Another branch of the same family who took the name Murray were the Murrays of Bothwell, and yet another line who may be related to this branch, became chiefs of Clan Murray and later Earls of Atholl.[6]
The final area of change in the province of Moray after 1130 was religion. There was a
While the changes that took place in the centuries following the 1130 defeat of the kings of Moray secured the Laich of Moray under the authority of the crown, the interior of the province from
1296 to 1346: Wars of Independence and creation of the earldom of Moray
Moray's importance as part of the kingdom of Scotland was demonstrated during the years of major warfare between 1296 and 1340. The province was relatively untouched by direct fighting and Royal-led English armies penetrated Moray on only three occasions in 1296, 1303 and 1335, and significant English occupation occurred only in 1296–97. This security meant that it was a vital refuge and recruitment ground for the Scottish guardians between 1297 and 1303, and provided
Thomas's son John Randolph was killed in 1346, leaving no heir and the other noble families including the Comyns, Strathbogies and Morays had all disappeared from or left the province by between 1300 and 1350. With the absence of noble leaders, power fell to lesser figures who functioned in kin-based groups such as the
Comparative Moravian and Scottish genealogies
This table is a comparison of the genealogies apparently used by the Kings of Muireb and of (southern) Alba. Both trace their descent to Erc of Dalriada. All three, incidentally, are called King of Alba in the manuscript.
Genealogy of Máel Snechtai | Genealogy of Macbethad | Genealogy of Máel Colum II |
---|---|---|
|
|
|
List of Mormaers
The following names and dates are based on people named in sources. All are Moravians named in sources either as King of Scotland or just Mormaer. The beginning and end dates are virtually always based on known death date, and assuming the next named successor actually did succeed, and succeeded immediately:
Findláech mac Ruaidrí | before 1014–1020 |
Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti | 1020–1029 |
Gille Coemgáin mac Máil Brigti | 1029–1032 |
Mac Bethad mac Findláich (?)
|
1032–1057 (?) |
Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin (?)
|
1057–1058 (?) |
Máel Snechtai mac Lulaich | ? 1058-1078/1085 |
? | |
Óengus
|
?-1130 |
? William fitz Duncan | 1130s–1147 |
Annexed to Kingdom of Scotland. |
See also
References
- ^ a b Evans 2019, p. 32.
- ^ Woolf 2007, p. 178.
- ^ a b Woolf 2006, p. 201.
- ^ Ross 2011, p. 100.
- ^ McGuigan 2021, p. 59.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
- ^ Ross 2011, p. 73.
- ^ a b Ross 2011, p. 75.
- ^ Ross 2011, pp. 76–77.
- ^ Ross 2011, p. 77.
- ^ Ross 2011, p. 78.
- ^ Broun 2007, p. 7.
- ^ Broun 2007, p. 10.
- ^ Broun 2007, p. 8.
- ^ Woolf 2007, p. 130.
- ^ Ross 2015, p. 51.
- ^ Woolf 2007, pp. 177–178.
- ^ a b Woolf 2000, p. 151.
- ^ a b c Woolf 2000, p. 157.
- ^ a b Woolf 2007, p. 224.
- ^ McGuigan 2021, p. 51.
- ^ Anderson 1922, pp. 396–397.
- ^ Anderson 1922, pp. 353–454.
- ^ a b McGuigan 2021, p. 20.
- ^ Woolf 2007, p. 203.
- ^ a b McGuigan 2021, p. 52.
- ^ Barrett 2019, p. 94.
- ^ McGuigan 2021, p. 60.
- ^ McGuigan 2021, pp. 19–20.
- ^ McGuigan 2021, p. 58.
- ^ Anderson, Early Sources, Vol. I, p. 452
- ^ Death of Gille Coemgáin, Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1032; Anderson, Early Sources, Vol. I, p. 571
- ^ Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Anderson, Alan Orr (1922). Early sources of Scottish history, A.D. 500 to 1286. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
- Anderson, Alan Orr, Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers: AD 500–1286, (London, 1908), republished, Marjorie Anderson (ed.) (Stamford, 1991)
Secondary sources
- Anderson, Marjorie O., Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1973)
- Barrett, John R. (2019). The Civilisation of Moray: Burghs in the Landscape and the Landscape of Burghs, C.1150 - C.1250. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University.
- Broun, Dauvit (2007). Scottish Independence and the Idea of Britain From the Picts to Alexander III. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748623617.
- Evans, Nicholas (2019). "A historical introduction to the northern Picts". In Noble, Gordon; Evans, Nicholas (eds.). The King in the North: The Pictish realms of Fortriu and Ce. Collected essays written as part of the University of Aberdeen's Northern Picts project. Edinburgh: Birlinn. pp. 10–38. ISBN 9781780275512.
- Grant, Alexander, "The Province of Ross and the Kingdom of Alba" in E.J. Cowan and R.Andrew McDonald (eds.) Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Medieval Era, (Edinburgh, 2000)
- Jackson, Kenneth (ed), The Gaelic Notes in the Book of Deer (The Osborn Bergin * Memorial Lecture 1970), (Cambridge (1972)
- Hudson, Benjamin T., Kings of Celtic Scotland, (Westport, 1994)
- McGuigan, Neil (2021). Máel Coluim III, 'Canmore': An Eleventh-Century King. Edinburgh: John Donald. ISBN 9781910900192.
- Roberts, John L., Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, (Edinburgh, 1997)
- Ross, Alasdair (2011). The Kings Of Alba: c.1000-c.1130. Edinburgh: John Donald. ISBN 9781906566159.
- Ross, Alasdair (2015). Land Assessment and Lordship in Medieval Northern Scotland. Turnhout: Brepols. ISBN 9782503541334.
- Sellar, W. D. H.; Brown, Michael (2001). "Moray". In Lynch, Michael (ed.). Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 428–430. ISBN 0199234825.
- Woolf, Alex (2000). "The 'Moray Question' and the Kingship of Alba in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries". Scottish Historical Review. 79 (2): 145–164. S2CID 162334631.
- Woolf, Alex (October 2006). "Dén Nechtain, Fortriu and the Geography of the Picts". Scottish Historical Review. 85 (2): 182–201. S2CID 161978981.
- Woolf, Alex (2007). From Pictland to Alba 789–1070. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 9780748612345.
External links
- Annals of Tigernach
- Annals of Ulster
- Chronicon Scotorum
- Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
- Genelaig Albanensium in the Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
- Ruardri King of Moray Notes by Jacqueli Finley http://www.leesofvirginia.org/Ruardri_King_of_Moray.html