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The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus
Angus

Angus is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland. The council area borders onto Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and the Dundee City....
. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland

The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the United Kingdom Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was introduced in which subsequent ti...
, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton

The Dukedom of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1643, the holder is the premier peer of Scotland. The title, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named for members of this family....
.

s is one of the oldest attested Mormaer
Mormaer

The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the Kings of Scots, and the senior of a toisech....
doms, with the earliest attested Mormaer, Dubacan of Angus
Dubacan of Angus

Dubacan of Angus is usually regarded as one of the earliest attested Mormaers. He is mentioned as Dubucan filius Indrechtaig mormair Oengusa in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, and it is told that he died along with his lord, Amlaib, son of Constantine II of Scotland at the Battle of Brunanburh ....
, known to have lived in the early 10th century, as recorded in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba

The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Scots of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth I of Scotland until the reign of Kenneth II of Scotland ....
. Despite this, the Mormaers of Angus are among the most obscure of all.






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The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus
Angus

Angus is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland. The council area borders onto Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and the Dundee City....
. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland

The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the United Kingdom Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was introduced in which subsequent ti...
, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton

The Dukedom of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1643, the holder is the premier peer of Scotland. The title, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named for members of this family....
.

History


Mormaers

Angus is one of the oldest attested Mormaer
Mormaer

The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the Kings of Scots, and the senior of a toisech....
doms, with the earliest attested Mormaer, Dubacan of Angus
Dubacan of Angus

Dubacan of Angus is usually regarded as one of the earliest attested Mormaers. He is mentioned as Dubucan filius Indrechtaig mormair Oengusa in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, and it is told that he died along with his lord, Amlaib, son of Constantine II of Scotland at the Battle of Brunanburh ....
, known to have lived in the early 10th century, as recorded in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba

The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Scots of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth I of Scotland until the reign of Kenneth II of Scotland ....
. Despite this, the Mormaers of Angus are among the most obscure of all. After the death of Mormaer Maol Chaluim, in probably about 1240, the Mormaerdom passed through his daughter to Gilbert de Umfraville.

Angus was, according to the doubtful and legendary text de Situ Albanie
De Situ Albanie

De Situ Albanie is the name given to the first of seven Scotland documents found in the so-called Poppleton Manuscript, now in the Biblioth?que Nationale, Paris, France....
, one of the seven original mormaerdoms of the Pict
PICT

PICT is a computer graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw....
ish kingdom of Alba
Kingdom of Alba

The Kingdom of Alba pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II of Scotland in 900, and of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence....
, said to have been occupied by seven brothers, of whom Angus (Oengus) was the eldest. The Gaelic male line ended with Matilda
Matilda, Countess of Angus

Matilda of Angus was the daughter of Maol Choluim, Earl of Angus, Earl of Angus or Mormaer of Angus and as his heiress was countess of the province in her own right....
 (fl.
Floruit

Floruit refers to a period of time during which a person, school, movement or even species was active or flourishing. It is the third person, singular, perfect tense, indicative, active form of the Latin verb florere ? "to flourish"....
 1240), countess of Angus in her own right, who married, in 1243, Gilbert de Umfraville.

Stewart earls

John Stewart of Bonkyll, Berwickshire
Berwickshire

Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland of Scotland, on the border with England....
, obtained the title Earl of Angus in a new line after the forfeiture of the de Umfraville line, though the latter family continued to use the title in England. This Stewart line ended with Margaret Stewart
Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus

Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus was Countess of Angus and Lord Abernethy in her own right. Her father was Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus....
, countess of Angus in her own right, and widow of Thomas, Earl of Mar
Thomas, Earl of Mar

Thomas of Mar was a 14th century Mormaer of Marr . He was a son of Domhnall II, Earl of Mar.Thomas became Earl of Mar whilst still a child living in the Kingdom of England, and it took several years for Thomas to return to the Kingdom of Scotland and take charge of his inheritance....
.

Douglas earls

As a result of an illicit affair with her brother in law, William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas

William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas , was a Kingdom of Scotland nobleman.He was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, Robert I of Scotland's trusted deputy....
 (married to the sister of her husband), Margaret Stewart, Countess of Mar and Angus, became the mother of George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus

George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus was born at Tantallon Castle, East Lothian, Scotland. The Illegitimacy son of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus and Lord Abernethy in her own right....
 (c. 1380-1403), and secured a charter of her estates for her son, to whom in 1389 the title was granted by King Robert II
Robert II of Scotland

Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 and was the first of the House of Stewart. Before his accession he held the titles of High Steward of Scotland and the Earl of Strathearn....
. He was taken prisoner at Homildon Hill in 1402, and died in captivity in England. Archibald "Bell-the-Cat"
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus , became known as the "Great" Earl of Angus and, perhaps more famously, as "Bell the Cat"....
 (1453-1514) the powerful adversary of James III
James III of Scotland

James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family....
, was his great-grandson.

William Douglas (1589-1660) 11th Earl of Angus, was created Marquess of Douglas in 1633. He resigned the title of Earl of Angus, having it recreated with the marquessate, so he was the 1st Earl of Angus in the new creation. He outlived his son Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus (c.1609-1655) and was succeeded by Archibald's son James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas (1646-1699). James' son and heir Archibald Douglas was created Duke of Douglas, Marquess of Angus and Abernethy, Viscount of Jedburgh Forest, and Lord Douglas of Bonkill, Prestoun and Robertoun on 10 April 1703. He died without leaving an heir and the titles acquired with the dukedom became extinct. All his other titles devolved to his distant cousin the 7th Duke of Hamilton, whose descendents hold them still.

Mormaers/early Earls of Angus

  • ?
  • Indrechtach?, fl. early 900s
  • Dubacan
    Dubacan of Angus

    Dubacan of Angus is usually regarded as one of the earliest attested Mormaers. He is mentioned as Dubucan filius Indrechtaig mormair Oengusa in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, and it is told that he died along with his lord, Amlaib, son of Constantine II of Scotland at the Battle of Brunanburh ....
    , d. 937
  • ?
  • Cuncar
    Cuncar of Angus

    Cuncar of Angus was Mormaer of Angus somewhere in the mid or later tenth century, which makes it quite possible that he was the successor of Dubacan of Angus....
    , fl. mid-900s
  • ?
  • Gille Brigte
    Gille Brigte, Earl of Angus

    Gille Brigte of Angus is the one of the earliest attested Mormaers of Angus. He was possibly a descendant of Dubacan of Angus.Gille Brigte is recorded as a witness to a charter dating to 1150....
    , fl. 1150
  • Adam
    Adam, Earl of Angus

    Adam , ruled from sometime prior to 1189 as Mormaer of Angus. Almost nothing is known of him, but it is fairly certain that he was the son of Gille Brigte, Earl of Angus, the previous Mormaer. He died young and was succeeded by his younger brother Gille Cr?st, Earl of Angus....
    , fl. 1189
  • Gille Críst
    Gille Críst, Earl of Angus

    Gilla Cr?st of Angus, ruled until 1206 as Mormaer of Angus. He was a son of Gille Brigte, Earl of Angus and younger brother of Adam, Earl of Angus....
    , ?-1206
  • Donnchadh
    Donnchadh, Earl of Angus

    Donnchadh of Angus, ruled from 1206 until 1214 as Mormaer of Angus. Little is known about his life, but seems to have been dead by 1214....
    , 1206-1214
  • Maol Choluim
    Maol Choluim, Earl of Angus

    Maol Choluim, Earl of Angus, ruled roughly 1214 - 1240, is the fifth attested post-10th century Mormaer of Angus, and the last Gaels ruler of that province....
    , 1214-1240
  • Matilda
    Matilda, Countess of Angus

    Matilda of Angus was the daughter of Maol Choluim, Earl of Angus, Earl of Angus or Mormaer of Angus and as his heiress was countess of the province in her own right....
     (or Maud)
    • m. Gilbert de Umfraville, jure uxoris Earl of Angus
  • Gilbert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus (Earl: 1246-1307)
  • Robert de Umfraville, Earl of Angus (Earl: 1307-c. 1314 (forfeit); d. 1325)
    • Gilbert de Umfraville (d. 1381)


Earls of Angus, Stewart line (1329)

  • John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus (d. 1331)
  • Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus (d. 1361)
  • Thomas Stewart, 3rd Earl of Angus (d. 1377)
  • Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus
    Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus

    Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus was Countess of Angus and Lord Abernethy in her own right. Her father was Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus....
     (d. 1417) (resigned earldom in 1389)


Earls of Angus, Douglas line (1389)


  • George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus
    George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus

    George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus was born at Tantallon Castle, East Lothian, Scotland. The Illegitimacy son of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus and Lord Abernethy in her own right....
     (1378-1402)
  • William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus
    William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus

    William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus , was a Kingdom of Scotland nobleman and soldier. The son of George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus and Princess Mary of Scotland, he was a grandson of Robert III of Scotland....
     (c. 1398-1437)
  • James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus
    James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus

    James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus, Lord of Liddesdale and Jedburgh Forest was a Kingdom of Scotland Nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus and Margaret Hay of Yester castle....
     (b. 1428-1446)
  • George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus
    George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus

    George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, Lord Douglas, Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest was a Kingdom of Scotland Nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus and Margaret Hay of Yester....
     (b. 1429-1462)
  • Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
    Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus

    Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus , became known as the "Great" Earl of Angus and, perhaps more famously, as "Bell the Cat"....
     (1453-1514)
    • George Douglas, Master of Angus
      George Douglas, Master of Angus

      George Douglas, Master of Angus was a Kingdom of Scotland Nobleman. The son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd, he was born at Tantallon Castle and died at the Battle of Flodden....
       (1469-1513)
  • Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
    Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus

    Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Kingdom of Scotland nobleman active during the reigns of James V of Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots....
     (1490-1557)
  • David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus (c. 1515-1558)
  • Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus
    Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus

    Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus and 5th Earl of Morton , was the son of David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus. He succeeded to the title and estates in 1558, being brought up by his uncle, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, a Presbyterian....
     (1556-1588)
  • William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus
    William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus

    William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus, was a Scottish nobleman and zealous supporter of Mary Queen of Scots.He was the eldest son of Sir Archibald Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt., by his spouse Agnes, daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal, and upon the death of Archibald Douglas, 8th Earl of Angus without issue, William succeeded to that...
     (1533-1591)
  • William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus
    William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus

    William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus , was the son of William Douglas, 9th Earl of Angus . He was a direct descendant of James I of Scotland through his paternal grandmother, Lady Agnes Keith, a daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal....
     (1552-1611)
  • William Douglas, 11th Earl of Angus
    William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas

    William Douglas, 1st Marquis of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and Countess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant....
     (1590-1660), (created Marquess of Douglas in 1633, when he resigned the earldom, which was regranted with the marquessate)


Marquesses of Douglas (1633)

(after 1633 the Earldom of Angus became a courtesy title
Courtesy title

A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used by children, former wives and other close relatives of a peerage . These style are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the users do not themselves hold substantive titles....
 used by the eldest son of the Marquess of Douglas)
  • William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas
    William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas

    William Douglas, 1st Marquis of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus was the eldest son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and Countess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant....
     (1590-1660)
  • James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas
    James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas

    James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas was the son of Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and 1st Earl of Ormonde and Lady Anne Stuart.His first marriage was in 1670 to the Lady Barbara Erskine, daughter of John Erskine, 20th Earl of Mar and Jean Mackenzie....
     (1646-1700)
    • James Douglas, Earl of Angus
      James Douglas, Earl of Angus

      James Douglas, Earl of Angus was a Scotland nobleman and soldier.He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The son of James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas and his first wife Lady Barbara Erskine, eldest daughter of John Erskine, 20th Earl of Mar....
       (1671-1692)
  • Archibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas (1694-1761) (created Duke of Douglas in 1703) (dukedom extinct on his death, earldom and marquessate inherited by James George Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton)


For later Earls of Angus and Marquesses of Douglas, see Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton

The Dukedom of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1643, the holder is the premier peer of Scotland. The title, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named for members of this family....


Bibliography

  • Roberts, John L., Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, (Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 53-4


External links