Amy of Garmoran
Encyclopedia
Amy of Garmoran also known as Amie MacRuari and Euphemia was a 14th-century Scottish noblewoman who was the sister of Raghnall mac Ruaidhri, Lord of Garmoran
and the spouse of John of Islay
. After her marriage had produced three sons, the ambitious John of Islay divorced her in order to re-marry and cement his links with the House of Stewart. She then retired to her estates in the Highlands and Islands
, and completed various ecclesiastical and other building projects. Her son Ranald was the progenitor of Clanranald.
), through her great-grandfather Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
, the founder of Mac Ruaidhri kindred
.
Ruaidhri's son Ailean mac Ruaidhri
possessed the "North Isles" of the Uist
s, and Benbecula
. He is known to have attended Parliament
in 1285 when the succession of Margaret, Maid of Norway
was debated and to have added Barra
to his lands in 1309. His illegitimate son Ruaidhri mac Ailein was Amie's father.
When her distant cousin Alexander of Argyll
's support of the opponents of King Robert the Bruce led to the forfeiture of his lands, they were distributed between Aonghas Óg of Islay and Ruaidhri mac Ailein. The latter received much of Lorn
and parts of Lochaber
and, through his sister Christina
, Garmoran and the North Isles, including the Small Isles
of Rùm
and Eigg
. Bruce was however careful to ensure his interests in the west were protected and Dunstaffnage Castle
was given not to Ruari, now styled the "High Chief of Lorn" but to a royal constable, Arthur Campbell. Towards the close of the Bruce's reign, c. 1325, Ruaidhri mac Ailean was dispossessed for engaging in plots perceived to be against his king's interests. Amie and Ruaidhri also had a brother called Ailean (Alan), about whom little is known.
Edward Balliol
may have restored these lands to Ruari's son and Amie's brother, Raghnall mac Ruaidhri, a state of affairs confirmed by David II
c. 1344, who formally granted him Garmoran and the North Isles, although Lorn was retained by the crown and Lochaber in its entirety given to John of Islay, son of Aonghas Óg. Shortly thereafter, in October 1346, Ranald was assassinated at Elcho Nunnery
near Perth
, as the result of a quarrel with Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
. Raghnall was the "last chieftain of the MacRuaris" and Amie was his sole heir.
to Loch Hourn
and the whole of the Hebrides
save for Skye
. The marriage took place in the 1330s, probably in 1337. From 1336 onwards John began to style himself Dominus Insularum—"Lord of the Isles
", a title that implied a connection to the earlier Kings of Mann and the Isles and by extension a degree of independence from the Scottish crown.
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. The marriage had by now produced three sons: John, Godfrey, Ranald, 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. 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.
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. 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.
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
. 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. She is also said to have extended Castle Tioram
in Moidart
.
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 Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. Ranald acted as tutor to his younger half-brother Domhnall
and was described as "old in the government of the Isles" on his father's death at Ardtornish Castle
in 1386. He may have died in the same year, but the date of his mother's death is unknown.
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
.
Garmoran
Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles....
and the spouse of John of Islay
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...
. After her marriage had produced three sons, the ambitious John of Islay divorced her in order to re-marry and cement his links with the House of Stewart. She then retired to her estates in the Highlands and Islands
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are broadly the Scottish Highlands plus Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 applied...
, and completed various ecclesiastical and other building projects. Her son Ranald was the progenitor of Clanranald.
Descent
Amie was a direct descendant of Somhairle mac Gille-Brighde (better known as SomerledSomerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
), through her great-grandfather Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill was a 13th-century Scottish magnate. The son of Raghnall, son of Somerled, he appears to have spent his career fighting, in both Ireland and in Scotland...
, the founder of Mac Ruaidhri kindred
Clan Macruari
Clan Macruari was a Scottish clan. The founder of Clan Macruari is Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill, a son of Raghnall mac Somhairle who was a son of Somhairle mac Gillebride. The lands of Clan Macruari were in Bute, Uist, Barra, Eigg, Rùm, and Garmoran....
.
Ruaidhri's son Ailean mac Ruaidhri
Ailean mac Ruaidhri
Ailean mac Ruaidhri, also known as Alan, was the son of Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill and brother of Dubhghall mac Ruaidhri. He fought on the side of Haakon IV of Norway for control of the Hebrides against other Scottish claimants....
possessed the "North Isles" of the Uist
Uist
Uist or The Uists are the central group of islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.North Uist and South Uist are linked by causeways running via Benbecula and Grimsay, and the entire group is sometimes known as the Uists....
s, and Benbecula
Benbecula
Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...
. He is known to have attended Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
in 1285 when the succession of Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
was debated and to have added Barra
Barra
The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...
to his lands in 1309. His illegitimate son Ruaidhri mac Ailein was Amie's father.
When her distant cousin Alexander of Argyll
Alexander 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...
's support of the opponents of King Robert the Bruce led to the forfeiture of his lands, they were distributed between Aonghas Óg of Islay and Ruaidhri mac Ailein. The latter received much of Lorn
Lorn
Lorn may refer to:* John Lorn McDougall , Ontario businessman and political figure* John Lorn McDougall, Sr. , businessman and political figure in Canada West* Lorn, New South Wales, Australia...
and parts of Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
and, through his sister Christina
Christina of Garmoran
Christina of Garmoran also known as Christina MacRuari, Christina of Mar and Christiana of the Isles was a 14th century Scottish noblewoman who was the legitimate child of Ailin mac Ruaidhri, Lord of Garmoran and chief of Clan Macruari...
, Garmoran and the North Isles, including the Small Isles
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...
of Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...
and Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
. Bruce was however careful to ensure his interests in the west were protected and 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 given not to Ruari, now styled the "High Chief of Lorn" but to a royal constable, Arthur Campbell. Towards the close of the Bruce's reign, c. 1325, Ruaidhri mac Ailean was dispossessed for engaging in plots perceived to be against his king's interests. Amie and Ruaidhri also had a brother called Ailean (Alan), about whom little is known.
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:...
may have restored these lands to Ruari's son and Amie's brother, Raghnall mac Ruaidhri, a state of affairs confirmed by David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
c. 1344, who formally granted him Garmoran and the North Isles, although Lorn was retained by the crown and Lochaber in its entirety given to John of Islay, son of Aonghas Óg. Shortly thereafter, in October 1346, Ranald was assassinated at Elcho Nunnery
Elcho Castle
Elcho Castle is located a short distance above the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland. It consists of a Z-plan tower house, with fragments of a surrounding wall with corner towers. The Castle was built on the site of an older structure about 1560,...
near Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, as the result of a quarrel with Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
Uilleam III of Ross was the fourth successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt, as Mormaer of Ross .Uilleam came into his inheritance at a torrid time, his father Aodh dying at the Battle of Halidon Hill. Uilleam temporarily lost many of his lands. However, he returned from Norway in 1336 and regained them...
. Raghnall was the "last chieftain of the MacRuaris" and Amie was his sole heir.
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 MorvernMorvern
Morvern is a peninsula in south west Lochaber, on the west coast of Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic A' Mhorbhairne . The highest point is the summit of the Corbett Creach Bheinn which reaches in elevation....
to Loch Hourn
Loch Hourn
Loch Hourn is a sea loch to the north of Knoydart, on the west coast of Scotland.-Geography:Loch Hourn runs inland from the Sound of Sleat, opposite the island of Skye, for 22 km to the head of the loch at Kinloch Hourn...
and the whole of the Hebrides
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...
save for Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
. The marriage took place in the 1330s, probably in 1337. From 1336 onwards John began to style himself Dominus Insularum—"Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...
", a title that implied a connection to the earlier Kings of Mann and the Isles and by extension a degree of independence from the Scottish crown.
However, his ambitions were by no means quenched. He continued to build his power base by allying himself with Robert
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
the High Steward of Scotland and the designated heir of King David. The marriage had by now produced three sons: John, Godfrey, Ranald, 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
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
dispensation for the divorce, which took place in 1350, just four years after Amie's inheritance. The Lord of the Isles now received Knapdale
Knapdale
Knapdale forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, North Knapdale and South Knapdale....
and Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
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.
Later life
The "unvarying tradition" of the GàidhealtachdGàidhealtachd
The Gàidhealtachd , sometimes known as A' Ghàidhealtachd , usually refers to the Scottish highlands and islands, and especially the Scottish Gaelic culture of the area. The corresponding Irish word Gaeltacht however refers strictly to an Irish speaking area...
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. 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.
Amie was evidently of a pious disposition and built an oratory called Teampull Mhecael at the south-eastern point of Grimsay
Grimsay
Grimsay is a tidal island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.Grimsay is the largest of the low-lying stepping-stones which convey the Oitir Mhòr causeway, a five mile arc of single track road linking North Uist and Benbecula via the western tip of Grimsay...
, and rebuilt the Teampul Chalumchille on Benbecula and the Trinity Church
Teampull na Trionaid
Teampull na Trionaid is a ruined 13th century church and seminary at Carinish, North Uist, Scotland. Amie mac Ruari is said to have rebuilt the church in the 14th century after her divorce from John of Islay, Lord of the Isles...
of North Uist
North Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
. MacGibbon and Ross
MacGibbon and Ross
David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross were Scottish architects. Their practice, MacGibbon and Ross was established in 1872 and continued until 1914...
also attribute the building of the tower of Borve Castle
Borve Castle, Benbecula
Borve Castle, also known as Castle Wearie, and Caisteal Bhuirgh in Scottish Gaelic, is a ruined 14th century tower house, located at the south-west of the island of Benbecula, in the Western Isles of Scotland. MacGibbon and Ross attributed the building of the tower to Amie mac Ruari, wife of John...
, located to the south-west of the island of Benbecula, to Amie and dated the work to between 1344 and 1363. She is also said to have extended Castle Tioram
Castle Tioram
Castle Tioram is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 kilometres from Fort William...
in Moidart
Moidart
Moidart is a district in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland.Moidart lies to the west of Fort William and is very remote. Loch Shiel cuts off the south-east boundary of the district. Moidart includes the townships of Dorlin, Mingarry, Kinlochmoidart and Glenuig. At Dorlin is located the ancient fortress...
.
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 Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. Ranald acted as tutor to his younger half-brother Domhnall
Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles
Donald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...
and was described as "old in the government of the Isles" on his father's death at Ardtornish Castle
Ardtornish Castle
Ardtornish Castle is situated in the grounds of the Ardtornish estate in Morvern, on the west coast of Scotland. It stands at the seaward end of a promontory which extends in a southerly direction into the Sound of Mull, approximately a mile south-east of the village of Lochaline, Highland...
in 1386. He may have died in the same year, but the date of his mother's death is unknown.
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
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
and executed for sedition by King James I
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
.