MacHeths
Encyclopedia
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.
(or Áed or Eth), Mormaer of Ross, who witnessed two charters in the early reign of David I
. Earlier theories involved conflating two persons generally now seen as distinct: Máel Coluim MacHeth and Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
, an illegitimate son of Alexander I
.
Even when it is accepted that Máel Coluim MacHeth was the son of Áed of Ross, this has raised further questions concerning the background of the kindred and the nature of their claims. The general consensus favours a background in Ross, and claims to the Mormaerdom; descent from the Scots royal house, perhaps through Domnall, son of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
, who died in 1085, has also been proposed.
reports:
It is not certain whether it was this Máel Coluim, the royal bastard, who married a sister of Somerled
, king (or lord) of Argyll
. If it were he, then this must have been prior to his capture and imprisonment in 1134. He was held at Roxburgh
, and was still there in 1156 when his son was captured at Whithorn
and imprisoned with him.
. It appears that he was restored to the mormaerdom of Ross, which he held until his death in around 1168.
, 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. 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.
, Earl of Orkney
, appears as the chief threat to the Kings of Scots in the north.
The next, and last, MacHeth to be reported is Kenneth (or Cináed), who joined with Domnall Bán mac Uilleim and an unnamed Irish prince, to invade Ross in 1215, shortly after the death of king William
. This invasion proved to be no threat to the new king, Alexander II
, as it was defeated by Ferchar mac in tSagairt
, the future Mormaer of Ross, who killed the leaders and sent their heads to King Alexander. With this, the MacHeth claims to Ross appear to have ended.
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....
kindred who raised several rebellions against the Scotto-Norman kings 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...
in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their origins have long been debated.
Origins
The main controversy concerning the MacHeths is their origin. The key question relates to the paternity of Máel Coluim MacHeth, the first of the kindred known. The present orthodoxy makes Máel Coluim the son of one BethMormaer Beth
Mormaer Beth is a name of a Mormaer mentioned in an unreliable charter granted to Scone Priory, later Scone Abbey, by king Alexander I of Scotland....
(or Áed or Eth), Mormaer of Ross, who witnessed two charters in the early reign of 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...
. Earlier theories involved conflating two persons generally now seen as distinct: Máel Coluim MacHeth and Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair or Máel Coluim mac Alasdair was the son of King Alexander I of Scotland and enemy of King David I of Scotland, his uncle...
, an illegitimate son of Alexander I
Alexander 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:...
.
Even when it is accepted that Máel Coluim MacHeth was the son of Áed of Ross, this has raised further questions concerning the background of the kindred and the nature of their claims. The general consensus favours a background in Ross, and claims to the Mormaerdom; descent from the Scots royal house, perhaps through Domnall, son of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
, who died in 1085, has also been proposed.
Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
Máel Coluim, now presumed to be the son of Alexander rather than MacHeth, first appears in 1124, when Orderic VitalisOrderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
reports:
It is not certain whether it was this Máel Coluim, the royal bastard, who married a sister of Somerled
Somerled
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...
, king (or lord) of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. If it were he, then this must have been prior to his capture and imprisonment in 1134. He was held at Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...
, and was still there in 1156 when his son was captured at Whithorn
Whithorn
Whithorn is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, Candida Casa : the 'White [or 'Shining'] House', built by Saint Ninian about 397.-Eighth and twelfth centuries:A...
and imprisoned with him.
Máel Coluim MacHeth
If it is accepted that this Máel Coluim and the son of Alexander I are not one and the same, Máel Coluim MacHeth appears in 1157, when it is said that he was reconciled with the king, 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...
. It appears that he was restored to the mormaerdom of Ross, which he held until his death in around 1168.
Domnall MacHeth
The existence of Domnall MacHeth is dependent upon accepting that Máel Coluim MacHeth was the prisoner of Roxburgh and the husband of Somerled's sister. If this is so, then Domnall was involved in a rebellion early in the reign of Malcolm IV, was captured at Whithorn in 1156 and was, perhaps, released in 1157 when his father was restored as Mormaer of Ross in 1157.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. 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.
Kenneth MacHeth
As with the Meic Uilleim, the MacHeths disappear from history in the years around 1200. It may be that there were no adult male MacHeths to press their claims to Ross, or that the record is incomplete. This is the period in which 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...
, appears as the chief threat to the Kings of Scots in the north.
The next, and last, MacHeth to be reported is Kenneth (or Cináed), who joined with Domnall Bán mac Uilleim and an unnamed Irish prince, to invade Ross in 1215, shortly after the death of king William
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
. This invasion proved to be no threat to the new king, Alexander II
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
, as it was defeated 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. With this, the MacHeth claims to Ross appear to have ended.
See also
- Clan MacKayClan MacKayClan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
, possible descendents of the MacHeths