John of Argyll
Encyclopedia
Eóin or John of Argyll or John of Lorne, also known as John MacDougall , was a Scottish
nobleman of the early 14th century. He is often known to today as John Bacach, "the Lame", but there is no authority for that as a contemporary or near-contemporary nickname
.
(Alasdair MacDubhgall), Lord of Argyll
, by a daughter of John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
, John appears in the records in 1291 swearing fealty to Edward I of England
. From his father's and mother's background, he inherited the pro-Baliol
sympathies that determined his family's and his own activities during the Great Cause and the First War of Scottish Independence
. As the Balliol stalwarts of the west, the Bruce heartland, the MacDougall
s and Comyns
eventually found themselves up against Bruce-backed MacDonalds
, Campbells
, the Menteiths
, men of Lennox
and the Stewarts, in addition to Bruce's own Carrick
forces.
After the deposition of King John de Balliol
in 1296, John's father Alexander opposed the power of his new overlord Edward I. The failure of Balliol's kingship fuelled conflict between the MacDougalls and other west Highland kindreds. One of John's most famous actions in later Gaelic
tradition was killing Cailean Mór
(or "Sir Colin Campbell"). It is not clear what the exact source of conflict was at the time. Cailean, Bruce's second cousin, was "Ballie" of Loch Awe
and Ardscotnish, a position he was granted either by King John Balliol
or Edward I of England. Sometime after September 1296, Cailean was killed by John's forces at the "Red Ford" on the borders of Loch Awe and Lorne in a skirmish. In 1299, MacDougall forces caused the death of Alexander MacDonald
, Lord of Islay
.
The MacDougall kindred gradually grew more co-operative with King Edward as their rivals grew less so. In 1305 both John and his father became members of the advisory council of Edward's lieutenant in Scotland, John of Brittany. The following year, Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick
, went into open revolt against the English crown, declaring himself King of Scots. The new King Robert met with an upset against pro-English forces at the Battle of Methven
, and fled into the west. It was during this time in 1306 that Robert met John's MacDougall forces blocking their way at Tyndrum
. At what became known as the Battle of Dail Righ ("King's field"), John defeated Bruce's forces.
In the following year Edward rewarded MacDougall by appointing him sheriff
of Argyll and Inchegall
. However, as MacDougall informed Edward by letter in 1308, Robert's power was becoming increasingly difficult to live with, and the position of MacDougall's was becoming critical. After experiencing defeat at the Battle of Pass of Brander
in 1308, the main MacDougall seat, Dunstaffnage Castle
, was captured by Bruce forces. John fled into England with his father entering King Robert's peace
. By 1310, John's father Alexander had joined him in England, both attending a royal council at Westminster
. Despite losing his father in 1310, in the following years John remained in English service. He was put in charge of English fleets in 1311 and 1314, and in 1315 conquered the Isle of Man
for the English crown. John began receiving a pension from Edward II of England
in 1316. In this year he died at Ospring in Kent
, while making a pilgrimage
to Canterbury
. He left the Galwegian "Dungal MacDowall" (Dungall MacDubhgall), a fellow political exile from Scotland, in charge of his will.
John left several sons and daughters, though his wife or wives are not known. Among his offspring known by name are:
He had another daughter who married one Patrick Graham. John's son Eóghan returned to Scotland with Edward Balliol
's unsuccessful attempt at the Scottish throne in the 1330s. The MacDougalls re-emerged in Argyll in unknown circumstances later in the century. John's grandson, through Ailean, known as John Gallda ("the Foreigner"), is on record from 1338. Later, John Gallda was styling himself "Lord of Argyll". Eoin 'gallda's son and heir was Eoghan de Ergadia, Laird of Latharna
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
nobleman of the early 14th century. He is often known to today as John Bacach, "the Lame", but there is no authority for that as a contemporary or near-contemporary nickname
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
.
Biography
The son of Alexander MacDougallAlexander of Argyll
Alexander of Argyll or Alexander of Lorne, also known as Alexander MacDougall , was a Scottish magnate from the late 13th and early 14th century, and was chief of Clan MacDougall. Alexander was the son of Ewen MacDougall, Lord of Argyll...
(Alasdair MacDubhgall), Lord of Argyll
Lord of Argyll
The sovereign or feudal lordship of Argyle was the holding of the senior branch of descendants of king Somhairle, this branch becoming soon known as Clan MacDougallConstruction of the Lordship of Argyll-Lorne essentially started with Donnchad mac Dubgaill....
, by a daughter of John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John Comyn was Lord of Badenoch in Scotland. He was justiciar of Galloway in 1258. He held lands in Nithsdale and Tynedale.-Life:...
, John appears in the records in 1291 swearing fealty to Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. From his father's and mother's background, he inherited the pro-Baliol
House of Balliol
The House of Balliol was a Picard and Anglo-Norman family who began to rule some estates in England in the reign of William Rufus. In the late 13th and 14th centuries, two members of the house were kings of Scotland....
sympathies that determined his family's and his own activities during the Great Cause and the First War of Scottish Independence
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence lasted from the invasion by England in 1296 until the de jure restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton in 1328...
. As the Balliol stalwarts of the west, the Bruce heartland, the MacDougall
Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan consisting of the descendants of Dubgall mac Somairle, son of Somerled, who ruled Lorne and the Isle of Mull in Argyll in the 13th century...
s and Comyns
Clan Cumming
Clan Cumming, also known as Clan Comyn, is a Scottish clan from the central Highlands that played a major role in the history of 13th century Scotland and in the Wars of Scottish Independence and were instrumental in defeating the English at the Battle of Roslin in 1303...
eventually found themselves up against Bruce-backed MacDonalds
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
, Campbells
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
, the Menteiths
Earl of Menteith
The Mormaer or Earl of Menteith was originally the ruler of the province of Menteith in the Middle Ages. The first mormaer is usually regarded as Gille Críst, simply because he is the earliest on record. The title was held in a continuous line from Gille Crist until Muireadhach IV , although the...
, men of Lennox
Earl of Lennox
The Mormaer of Lennox or Earl of Lennox was the ruler of the long-lasting provincial Mormaerdom/Earldom of Lennox in the Medieval Kingdom of the Scots. The first Mormaer is usually regarded as Ailin I , but the genealogy of the Mormaers gives earlier names...
and the Stewarts, in addition to Bruce's own Carrick
Earl of Carrick
The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
forces.
After the deposition of King John de Balliol
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
in 1296, John's father Alexander opposed the power of his new overlord Edward I. The failure of Balliol's kingship fuelled conflict between the MacDougalls and other west Highland kindreds. One of John's most famous actions in later Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
tradition was killing Cailean Mór
Cailean Mór
Cailean Mór Caimbeul, also known as Sir Colin Campbell , is one of the earliest attested members of Clan Campbell and an important ancestor figure of the later medieval Earls of Argyll....
(or "Sir Colin Campbell"). It is not clear what the exact source of conflict was at the time. Cailean, Bruce's second cousin, was "Ballie" of Loch Awe
Loch Awe
Loch Awe is a large body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe, or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such as Innis Chonnell and Inishail.- The loch :It is the third largest freshwater loch in Scotland with...
and Ardscotnish, a position he was granted either by King John Balliol
John of Scotland
John Balliol , known to the Scots as Toom Tabard , was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296.-Early life:Little of John's early life is known. He was born between 1248 and 1250 at an unknown location, possibilities include Galloway, Picardy and Barnard Castle, County Durham...
or Edward I of England. Sometime after September 1296, Cailean was killed by John's forces at the "Red Ford" on the borders of Loch Awe and Lorne in a skirmish. In 1299, MacDougall forces caused the death of Alexander MacDonald
Alasdair Mòr
Alasdair Mòr Mac Dòmhnaill was a younger son of Dòmhnall mac Raghnaill—the eponymous ancestor of Clan Donald. He first appears on record in 1253, when it is recorded as witnessing a charter by his brother, Aonghas Mór a Íle, to the Paisley Abbey...
, Lord of Islay
Lord of Islay
The Lord of Islay was a 13th and 14th century titles used by the chief of Clan Donald of Islay before they rose to assume the title "Lord of the Isles". The first person known to style themselves "Lord of Islay" was Aonghas Mór, son of Domhnall the progenitor of the MacDonalds.-List of lords of...
.
The MacDougall kindred gradually grew more co-operative with King Edward as their rivals grew less so. In 1305 both John and his father became members of the advisory council of Edward's lieutenant in Scotland, John of Brittany. The following year, Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, went into open revolt against the English crown, declaring himself King of Scots. The new King Robert met with an upset against pro-English forces at the Battle of Methven
Battle of Methven
The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Comyn's Death:In February 1306, Robert Bruce and a small party of his followers killed John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, before the high altar of the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries...
, and fled into the west. It was during this time in 1306 that Robert met John's MacDougall forces blocking their way at Tyndrum
Tyndrum
Tyndrum is a small village in Scotland. Its Gaelic name translates as "the house on the ridge". It lies in Strathfillan, at the southern edge of Rannoch Moor.The village is notable mainly for being at an important crossroads of transport routes...
. At what became known as the Battle of Dail Righ ("King's field"), John defeated Bruce's forces.
In the following year Edward rewarded MacDougall by appointing him sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Argyll and Inchegall
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
. However, as MacDougall informed Edward by letter in 1308, Robert's power was becoming increasingly difficult to live with, and the position of MacDougall's was becoming critical. After experiencing defeat at the Battle of Pass of Brander
Battle of Pass of Brander
The Battle of the Pass of Brander in Scotland forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlapping conflict...
in 1308, the main MacDougall seat, Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It lies N.N.E. of Oban, situated on a platform of conglomerate rock on a promontory at the south-west of the entrance to Loch Etive, and is surrounded on three sides by the sea.The castle dates back to the 13th...
, was captured by Bruce forces. John fled into England with his father entering King Robert's peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
. By 1310, John's father Alexander had joined him in England, both attending a royal council at Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. Despite losing his father in 1310, in the following years John remained in English service. He was put in charge of English fleets in 1311 and 1314, and in 1315 conquered the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
for the English crown. John began receiving a pension from Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
in 1316. In this year he died at Ospring in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, while making a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. He left the Galwegian "Dungal MacDowall" (Dungall MacDubhgall), a fellow political exile from Scotland, in charge of his will.
John left several sons and daughters, though his wife or wives are not known. Among his offspring known by name are:
- Ewen (Eóghan)
- Alan (Ailean)
- Somhairle
- Alexander (Alasdair) Óg
- Mary (Maire)
He had another daughter who married one Patrick Graham. John's son Eóghan returned to Scotland with Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne . With English help, he briefly ruled the country from 1332 to 1336.-Life:...
's unsuccessful attempt at the Scottish throne in the 1330s. The MacDougalls re-emerged in Argyll in unknown circumstances later in the century. John's grandson, through Ailean, known as John Gallda ("the Foreigner"), is on record from 1338. Later, John Gallda was styling himself "Lord of Argyll". Eoin 'gallda's son and heir was Eoghan de Ergadia, Laird of Latharna
Eoghan de Ergadia, Laird of Latharna
Eoghan mac Eoinn , lord of Latharna was a 14th-century Scottish Highland magnate....
.