Meic Uilleim
Encyclopedia
The Meic Uilleim were the Gaelic
descendants of William fitz Duncan
, grandson of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
, king of Scots. They were excluded from the succession by the descendants of Máel Coluim's son David I
during the 12th century and raised a number of rebellions to vindicate their claims to the Mormaerdom of Moray and perhaps to the rule of Scotland
.
and David I
for part of their reigns. When David's son, Henry
reached adulthood in the 1130s, William was replaced as heir apparent by Henry. In return, he appears to have been compensated with the extensive lands of Óengus
, Mormaer of Moray, grandson of king Lulach
, who was killed in battle against David I's general Edward the Constable in 1130. On William's death in 1147, his extensive lands in the south passed to his son by Alice de Rumilly, William of Egremont, while Moray was retained by the king.
Shortly after his death, William fitz Duncan's illegitimate son, Wimund, bishop of the Isles, attempted to gain his father's lands in Moray in a rebellion against David. He was bought off with lands in Cumbria
rather than defeated outright, and was later captured, castrated and blinded by Cumbrians unhappy with his rule. Wimund, although now accepted to be a son of William fitz Duncan, is not counted among the Meic Uilleim.
It had been supposed that William's son Domnall mac Uilleim was illegitimate, but more recent histories accept that Domnall was a legitimate son of the prince, although not by Alice de Rumilly. The continuing support for the Meic Uilleim in Moray, together with their obviously Gaelic background, can best be explained by the assumption that Domnall's mother was a daughter of Óengus of Moray. Following modern historians, the Meic Uilleim were thus descended from Scots kings.
.
In 1179, King William and his brother Earl David
took an army north to Ross
, likely to deal with some threat from Domnall, or from Domnall and supporters. Two years later, Domnall was reported in Scotland with a large army. The focus of royal activity at this time was in Galloway
, and it was not until Lochlann, Lord of Galloway
was brought to an agreement with King William, by diplomacy rather than military success, that affairs in Moray and Ross could be settled.
By then, Domnall appears to have controlled much of the north, the royal castle at Auldearn
and the new burgh
there having been betrayed and destroyed respectively. An attempt by a royal army to deal with Domnall in 1187 appears to have been a failure, perhaps a farce, with the leaders quarreling among themselves because, as Roger of Howden reports, "some loved the king not at all". A second army, led by Lochlann of Galloway, defeated Domnall at the Battle of Mam Garvia
suggested to be near Dingwall
or in Moray.
, Mormaer of Atholl, in the sanctuary of the church at Cupar
, and the church burnt with 58 of Adam's associates within. It may be that this Adam mac Domnaill was a son of Domnall mac Uilleim. If this is so, then the presence of his son in Cupar, south of the Mounth
, reinforces the conviction that Domnall fought, not for the Mormaerdom of Moray, but for the kingship of Scotland. However, his identification is not certain. One reading would give his name as Áed mac Domnaill, and it may be that he should be counted among the MacHeths
, the sons of Áed.
Gofraid mac Domnaill
With the death of Domnall and Adam, the Meic Uilleim disappear for some years. In their place, Harald Maddadsson
, Earl of Orkney
, becomes the chief threat to the tenuous authority of King William in northern Scotland. However, in 1211, Gofraid (or Guthred), son of Domnall, came from Ireland
to Ross, and raised a rebellion. King William led a great army north, but failed to bring Gofraid to decisive battle. Late in the year King William returned south, leaving Maol Choluim
, Mormaer of Fife, as his lieutenant in Moray. Gofraid soon afterwards captured a royal castle, showing that he was far from being defeated.
The following year, Alexander
(later Alexander II) son of King William, led an army north once more. King William followed with yet more soldiery, including mercenaries from Brabant
supplied by King John
of England
. As it fell out, Gofraid's supporters betrayed him to William Comyn
, Justiciar of Scotia
, before battle was joined. Gofraid was executed on the King's orders.
Gofraid's revolt is said to have been a bloody affair, and although it was ended relatively quickly, it was, nonetheless, a serious threat to the aged, unloved King William.
, and an unnamed Irish prince, launched another invasion. This failed quickly and completely, crushed by Ferchar mac in tSagairt
, the future Mormaer of Ross, who killed the leaders and sent their heads to King Alexander.
may be incorrect in dating Gille Escoib's rebellion to 1223, and it is more probably in the period around 1228 that his activities should be placed.
Gille Escoib's revolt, which probably began in 1228, ended in 1229, perhaps as Gofraid's had — in betrayal and execution — or perhaps defeated by William Comyn. The last remaining Meic Uilleim, an infant daughter of Gille Escoib or one of his sons, was put to death in 1229 or 1230:
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
descendants of William fitz Duncan
William fitz Duncan
William fitz Duncan was a Scottish prince, a territorial magnate in northern Scotland and northern England, a general and the legitimate son of king Donnchad II of Scotland by Athelreda of Dunbar.In 1094, his father Donnchad II was killed by Mormaer Máel Petair of...
, grandson of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
, king of Scots. They were excluded from the succession by the descendants of Máel Coluim's son David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
during the 12th century and raised a number of rebellions to vindicate their claims to the Mormaerdom of Moray and perhaps to the rule of Scotland
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...
.
Background
William fitz Duncan himself appears to have been the acknowledged successor of Kings Alexander IAlexander I of Scotland
Alexander I , also called Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim and nicknamed "The Fierce", was King of the Scots from 1107 to his death.-Life:...
and David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
for part of their reigns. When David's son, Henry
Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon
Henry of Scotland was a Prince of Scotland, heir-apparent to the Kingdom of Alba. He was also the 3rd Earl of Northumberland and the 3rd Earl of the Honour of Huntingdon and Northampton....
reached adulthood in the 1130s, William was replaced as heir apparent by Henry. In return, he appears to have been compensated with the extensive lands of Óengus
Óengus of Moray
Óengus of Moray was the last King of Moray of the native line, ruling Moray in what is now northeastern Scotland from some unknown date until his death in 1130....
, Mormaer of Moray, grandson of king Lulach
Lulach of Scotland
Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin was King of Scots between 15 August 1057 and 17 March 1058.He appears to have been a weak king, as his nicknames suggest...
, who was killed in battle against David I's general Edward the Constable in 1130. On William's death in 1147, his extensive lands in the south passed to his son by Alice de Rumilly, William of Egremont, while Moray was retained by the king.
Shortly after his death, William fitz Duncan's illegitimate son, Wimund, bishop of the Isles, attempted to gain his father's lands in Moray in a rebellion against David. He was bought off with lands in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
rather than defeated outright, and was later captured, castrated and blinded by Cumbrians unhappy with his rule. Wimund, although now accepted to be a son of William fitz Duncan, is not counted among the Meic Uilleim.
It had been supposed that William's son Domnall mac Uilleim was illegitimate, but more recent histories accept that Domnall was a legitimate son of the prince, although not by Alice de Rumilly. The continuing support for the Meic Uilleim in Moray, together with their obviously Gaelic background, can best be explained by the assumption that Domnall's mother was a daughter of Óengus of Moray. Following modern historians, the Meic Uilleim were thus descended from Scots kings.
Domnall mac Uilleim
Although apparently the legitimate heir to Moray, Domnall did not receive the rule of the province from David on his father's death. The suggested reason is that Domnall would have been a child, and no suitable ruler for such a fractious and distant province. Domnall does not certainly appear in the record of events until the late 1170s, although it may be that he should be linked to disorders in Moray in the 1160s in the reign of Malcolm IVMalcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
.
In 1179, King William and his brother Earl David
David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
David of Scotland was a Scottish prince and Earl of Huntingdon. He was a claimant to the Scottish throne.-Life:He was the youngest surviving son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and Ada de Warenne, a daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, and Elizabeth of Vermandois. His...
took an army north to Ross
Ross
Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...
, likely to deal with some threat from Domnall, or from Domnall and supporters. Two years later, Domnall was reported in Scotland with a large army. The focus of royal activity at this time was in Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, and it was not until Lochlann, Lord of Galloway
Lochlann, Lord of Galloway
Lochlann , also known by his French name Roland, was the son and successor of Uchtred, Lord of Galloway as the "Lord" or "sub-king" of eastern Galloway....
was brought to an agreement with King William, by diplomacy rather than military success, that affairs in Moray and Ross could be settled.
By then, Domnall appears to have controlled much of the north, the royal castle at Auldearn
Auldearn
Auldearn is a village situated east of the River Nairn, just outside Nairn in the Highland council area of Scotland. It takes its name from William the Lyon's castle of Eren , built there in the 12th century....
and the new burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
there having been betrayed and destroyed respectively. An attempt by a royal army to deal with Domnall in 1187 appears to have been a failure, perhaps a farce, with the leaders quarreling among themselves because, as Roger of Howden reports, "some loved the king not at all". A second army, led by Lochlann of Galloway, defeated Domnall at the Battle of Mam Garvia
Battle of Mam Garvia
The Battle of Mam Garvia, took place in 1187 in Northern Scotland. Domnall Meic Uilleim had resisted the King of Scots since at least 1179, he even had a claim to the throne as a grandson of King Donnchad II of Scotland...
suggested to be near Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
or in Moray.
Adam mac Domnaill
In 1186, a certain Adam son of Domnall, "the king's outlaw", was killed by Máel ColuimMáel Coluim, Earl of Atholl
Máel Coluim of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl between 1153/9 and the 1190s.The Chronicle of Holyrood tells us that in 1186 Máel Coluim had an outlaw called Adam mac Domnaill killed at the altar of a church in Coupar, and burned 58 of his associates inside the church...
, Mormaer of Atholl, in the sanctuary of the church at Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
, and the church burnt with 58 of Adam's associates within. It may be that this Adam mac Domnaill was a son of Domnall mac Uilleim. If this is so, then the presence of his son in Cupar, south of the Mounth
Mounth
The Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...
, reinforces the conviction that Domnall fought, not for the Mormaerdom of Moray, but for the kingship of Scotland. However, his identification is not certain. One reading would give his name as Áed mac Domnaill, and it may be that he should be counted among the MacHeths
MacHeths
The MacHeths were a Gaelic kindred who raised several rebellions against the Scotto-Norman kings of Scotland in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their origins have long been debated.-Origins:...
, the sons of Áed.
Gofraid mac DomnaillGofraid mac DomnaillGofraid mac Domnaill , was a thirteenth-century Scottish rebel. The son of Domnall , his father's surname was almost certainly MacWilliam though Bane has been proposed.In 1211, Gofraid came from Ireland to Ross, and raised a rebellion...
With the death of Domnall and Adam, the Meic Uilleim disappear for some years. In their place, Harald MaddadssonHarald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter of Earl Haakon Paulsson of Orkney...
, Earl of Orkney
Earl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
, becomes the chief threat to the tenuous authority of King William in northern Scotland. However, in 1211, Gofraid (or Guthred), son of Domnall, came from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to Ross, and raised a rebellion. King William led a great army north, but failed to bring Gofraid to decisive battle. Late in the year King William returned south, leaving Maol Choluim
Maol Choluim I, Earl of Fife
Mormaer Máel Coluim of Fife , or Maol Choluim anglicised as Malcolm, was one of the more obscure mormaers of Fife.He married Matilda, the daughter of Gille Brigte, the mormaer of Strathearn. He is credited with the foundation of Culross Abbey...
, Mormaer of Fife, as his lieutenant in Moray. Gofraid soon afterwards captured a royal castle, showing that he was far from being defeated.
The following year, Alexander
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
(later Alexander II) son of King William, led an army north once more. King William followed with yet more soldiery, including mercenaries from Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
supplied by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. As it fell out, Gofraid's supporters betrayed him to William Comyn
William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan
William Comyn was one of four sons of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian and Hextilda of Tynedale. He was born in Scotland, in Altyre, Moray in 1163 and died in Buchan in 1233 where he is buried in Deer Abbey...
, Justiciar of Scotia
Justiciar of Scotia
The Justiciar of Scotia was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. Scotia in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and River Clyde....
, before battle was joined. Gofraid was executed on the King's orders.
Gofraid's revolt is said to have been a bloody affair, and although it was ended relatively quickly, it was, nonetheless, a serious threat to the aged, unloved King William.
Domnall Bán mac Domnaill
King William died, unlamented, in 1214, and was succeeded by Alexander. The new chief of the Meic Uilleim, Domnall Bán, brother of Gofraid, in company with Cináed, the chief of the MacHethsMacHeths
The MacHeths were a Gaelic kindred who raised several rebellions against the Scotto-Norman kings of Scotland in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their origins have long been debated.-Origins:...
, and an unnamed Irish prince, launched another invasion. This failed quickly and completely, crushed by Ferchar mac in tSagairt
Fearchar, Earl of Ross
Fearchar of Ross or Ferchar mac in tSagairt , was the first Mormaer or Earl of Ross we know of from the thirteenth century, whose career brought Ross into the fold of the Scottish kings for the first time, and who is remembered as the founder of the Earldom of Ross.-Origins:The traditional...
, the future Mormaer of Ross, who killed the leaders and sent their heads to King Alexander.
Gille Escoib
The failure of the 1215 invasion and the death of Domnall Bán in no way ended the efforts of the MacWilliams to prosecute their claims to Moray and to the throne of Scotland. Gille Escoib (or Gillescop) Meic Uilleim and his sons were actively in rebellion in the 1220s. Gille Escoib's descent is nowhere stated, and he may have been a son of Domnall, or, more probably given his dates, a grandson. Walter BowerWalter Bower
Walter Bower , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the business of the...
may be incorrect in dating Gille Escoib's rebellion to 1223, and it is more probably in the period around 1228 that his activities should be placed.
Gille Escoib's revolt, which probably began in 1228, ended in 1229, perhaps as Gofraid's had — in betrayal and execution — or perhaps defeated by William Comyn. The last remaining Meic Uilleim, an infant daughter of Gille Escoib or one of his sons, was put to death in 1229 or 1230: