Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd

Last updated

Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd
Known fortraditional ancestor of Clan Macrae
ChildrenChristopher (son); John (son)
Notes
Fionnla Dubh and his sons are known from late 17th century tradition

Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd is purported to have been a 15th-century Scotsman, who lived in the north-west of Scotland. The Gaelic Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd translates into English as "Fionnla the black, son of Gillechriosd". Fionnla Dubh is known from a late 17th-century traditional account of Clan Macrae; within that account he presented as a prominent ancestor of the clan. The tradition relates that for a time the chief of Clan Mackenzie was absent, and during that time his bastard uncles were causing trouble in the Mackenzies' territories of Kintail and Kinlochewe. Fionnla Dubh was then ordered to retrieve the chief and was successful in his task. From that time onward, says the tradition, the Macraes from the Kintail area rose in prominence amongst their Mackenzie lords. Tradition also states that Fionnla Dubh is an ancestor of the leading lines of the Macraes from Kintail.

Contents

Sources

Locations mentioned within article Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd (map).png
Locations mentioned within article

According to the late 19th-century historian Alexander Mackenzie, and Rev. Alexander Macrae in the early 20th century, the main authority for the early history of Clan Macrae is the late 17th-century manuscript account of the clan written by Rev. John Macrae. [1] [2] This John Macrae was the last Episcopalian minister of Dingwall; he died in 1704. Alexander Macrae stated that at the time of his writing, the original copy of the manuscript was by then lost; however, he noted that there were several differing copies of it still in existence which contained certain additions over the years. [1] Alexander Macrae largely based his history of the clan upon John Macrae's earlier account. [3]

Background

According to tradition, the Macraes were originally from Ireland, and shared a common ancestry with the Mackenzies and Macleans. The Macraes were said to have originated from Clunes, which is located near the southern shore of the Beauly Firth, and was within the lordship of Lovat. Alexander Macrae stated that these traditions likely refer to a period sometime in the middle of the 13th century. [4] According to John Macrae, after a violent dispute arose between the Macraes and more powerful Frasers of Lovat, three sons of the Macrae chief set off for new lands. One of the sons settled in Brahan, near Dingwall (later the site of Brahan Castle); another settled in Argyll; and the other settled in Kintail. [2]

Eilean Donan Castle, in 2009 Eilean Donan castle - 95mm.jpg
Eilean Donan Castle, in 2009

At that time Kintail was held by the Mackenzies, and according to John Macrae's account, there were very few Mackenzies of the chiefly line and thus the chief of that clan welcomed the Macraes because they shared a common descent and could be relied upon. Although John Macrae did not know the name of the Macrae brother who settled in Kintail, he stated that this Macrae brother married the daughter, or granddaughter, of Macbeolan who possessed a large part of Kintail before the Mackenzie's rise to power. [note 1] Alexander Mackenzie considered this marriage to be the real reason for the loyalty given by the Macraes to their Mackenzie lords; he did not believe the Macraes and Mackenzies shared a common ancestry in the male line as John Macrae had claimed. [2]

Alexander Macrae was of the opinion that these events probably took place sometime in the first half of the 14th century, before the Mackenzies became firmly established in the Kintail area. He stated that there didn't appear to be any evidence that the Macraes were in the Kintail area before the time of these events, but noted that it was said that Eilean Donan Castle was garrisoned by Macraes and Maclennans in the late 13th century, during the period when the fortress was first taken into possession by Kenneth, founder of the Mackenzies of Kintail. [4] The Macraes are known to have been constant supporters of the Mackenzies in recorded times; in 1520, and for many years onwards, they were constables of Eilean Donan Castle. [6] In view of their constant service to the Mackenzies, the Macraes of Kintail became known as the Mackenzies' "shirt of mail". [2]

Fionnla Dubh

The Gaelic name Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd means "Fionnla the black, son of Gillechriosd". A modern Scottish Gaelic spelling of the name is Fionnlagh Dubh mac GilleChrìosd. There are numerous ways the name can be Anglicised, or rendered into English; one such way is "Finlay the black, son of Christopher". [note 2]

According to John Macrae, Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd was about two, or three, generations removed from the Macrae who settled in Kintail from Clunes. Alexander Macrae stated that Fionnla Dubh was a contemporary of Murdo Mackenzie, fifth chief of the Mackenzies of Kintail. In 1416, Murdo died and was succeeded by his son, Alexander. Because Alexander was still a minor, he was sent to school in Perth, and in his absence, Eilean Donan Castle has held by its constable who was a Macaulay. [8]

James I, King of Scots King James I of Scotland.jpg
James I, King of Scots

Historically in 1427, James I visited Inverness with the intention of establishing law and order within the chaotic northern realm. The most powerful Highland chiefs were summoned to parliament, and when they reached Inverness Castle they were apprehended and imprisoned; several of the mightiest were condemned to death and executed, others were eventually released. According to historian Alexander Mackenzie, the young Mackenzie chief, Alexander of Kintail, was one of those so-released, and was sent by the king to school far south in Perth (then known as Saint Johnstoun), which was at that time the location of the principal literary seminary in the kingdom, and was frequently the seat of court. [9]

According to the traditions related by John Macrae, with the absence of the young chief, troubles arose in Kintail and Kinlochewe through the misconduct of some of the young chief's relatives—three bastard uncles. Unwilling to leave his post at Eilean Donan Castle, Macaulay was anxious for the return of the Mackenzie chief, and so ordered Fionnla Dubh to go to Perth to bring him home. Fionnla Dubh successfully found and retrieved the chief, [10] and as they made their way back to Kintail they detoured from a direct journey home and stayed with Macdougal of Lorn to avoid being pursued. When the young chief arrived in Kintail, the oppressing uncles were brought under subjection, and order was re-established in the area. [8]

John Macrae, and Alexander Macrae (who based his clan history on John Macrae's account), followed the descent of the main line of the Macraes from Fionnla Dubh's eldest son Christopher. Alexander Macrae noted that little was known about Christopher himself. Alexander Macrae stated that Fionnla Dubh's younger son, John, was educated at Beauly Priory, and in time became the priest of Kintail in Sutherland; he married and had a daughter named Margaret. [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Forms of the name Macbeolan, or O'beolan, were applied to describe the early earls of Ross; however, according to historian Alexander Grant, the Gaelic name Beólan, meaning "little mouth", was fairly common and may have been used as a nickname. Grant stated that the Macbeolan referred to in Macrae tradition does not necessarily refer to the Earls of Ross. [5]
  2. ↑ Alexander Grant noted that the Gaelic name Gille Críosd, meaning "servant of Christ", is the same as the name Cristin, which was the name of several of the descendants of Gilleoin of the Aird, who is regarded as the progenitor of the Mackenzies (and several other notable clans). The name was also common among the Macraes. [7]

Related Research Articles

Eilean Donan Small tidal island in the western Highlands of Scotland

Eilean Donan is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs in the western Highlands of Scotland, about 1 kilometre from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge that was installed early in the 20th century and is dominated by a picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film and television. The island's original castle was built in the thirteenth century; it became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies, the Clan MacRae. However, in response to the Mackenzies' involvement in the Jacobite rebellions early in the 18th century, government ships destroyed the castle in 1719. The present-day castle is Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap's 20th-century reconstruction of the old castle.

Clan Mackenzie Scottish clan

Clan Mackenzie is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. However, the earliest Mackenzie chief recorded by contemporary evidence is Alexander Mackenzie of Kintail who died some time after 1471. Traditionally, during the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Mackenzies supported Robert the Bruce, but feuded with the Earls of Ross in the latter part of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th-centuries the Mackenzies feuded with the neighboring clans of Munro and MacDonald. In the 17th century the Mackenzie chief was made Earl of Seaforth in the peerage of Scotland. During the Scottish Civil War of the 17th century the Mackenzies largely supported the Royalists. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 the chief and clan of Mackenzie supported the Jacobite cause. However, during the Jacobite rising of 1745 the clan was divided with the chief, Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose, supporting the British-Hanoverian Government and his relative, George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie, supporting the Jacobites.

Clan Macrae Highland Scottish clan

The Clan Macrae is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan has no chief; it is therefore considered an armigerous clan.

Clan MacLennan Highland Scottish clan

Clan MacLennan, also known as Siol Ghillinnein, is a Highland Scottish clan which historically populated lands in the north-west of Scotland. The surname MacLennan in Scottish Gaelic is Mac Gille Fhinnein, meaning the son of the follower of St Finnan.

Clan Matheson Highland Scottish clan

Clan Matheson is a Highland Scottish clan.

Battle of Bealach nam Broig Battle in Highland, Scotland, UK

The Battle of Bealach nam Broig was a battle fought between Scottish clans from the lands of north-west Ross, against north-eastern clans of Ross who supported the Earl of Ross. The actual date of the battle is debated, it probably occurred in 1452 but the Conflicts of the Clans suggests a date as early as 1299.

Macaulay family of Lewis Notable Scottish clan

The Macaulay family of Uig in Lewis, known in Scottish Gaelic as Clann mhic Amhlaigh, were a small family located around Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There is no connection between the Macaulays of Lewis and Clan MacAulay which was centred in the Loch Lomond area, bordering the Scottish Highlands and Scottish Lowlands. The Macaulays of Lewis are generally said to be of Norse origin because of the etymology of their surname and also because of the islands' Viking Age past. However, a recent analysis of the Y-DNA of men with Scottish surnames has shown that a large number of Hebridean Macaulays are of Irish origin. In the 17th century, however, tradition gave the Macaulays an Irish origin. By the end of the 16th century the dominant clan on Lewis was Clan Macleod of The Lewes. Other notable Lewis clans were the somewhat smaller Morrisons of Ness and the even less numerous Macaulays of Uig. The Macaulays were centred in the area surrounding Uig on the western coast of Lewis, and had a deadly, long-standing feud with the Morrisons, whose lands were located on the northern coast around Ness. Today the Lewis surname Macaulay is considered to be a sept name of the Macleods of Lewis. There are two other nearby clans of Macaulays who may, or may not, be connected to the Lewis clan—the Wester Ross Macaulays, and the Uist MacAulays.

Donnchadh MacRath, also known as Duncan MacRae of Inverinate and Donnchadh nam Pìos, was a Scottish Gaelic poet and the compiler of the Fernaig manuscript which he committed to paper using an English-influenced system of orthography.

Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth

Kenneth Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Seaforth (1635–1678) was a Highland clan chief and Scottish nobleman, who adhered faithfully to Charles II through his tribulations. From his great stature he was known among the Highlanders as "Coinneach Mor".

Alexander Mackenzie, known as "Ionraic", traditionally counted as 6th of Kintail, was the first chief of the Clan Mackenzie of whom indisputable contemporary documentary evidence survives. During his long life, he greatly expanded his clan's territories and influence.

Hector Roy Mackenzie of Gairloch was a prominent member of the Mackenzie clan, who acquired vast estates in and around Gairloch as a result of his services to the Scottish crown and challenged his nephew for the chiefship of the clan.

Kenneth Mackenzie, was the 10th laird of Kintail and he was nicknamed Coinneach na Cuirc in Scottish Gaelic, was a Highland chief, head of the Clan Mackenzie, who flourished in the turbulent Scottish politics of the mid-16th century.

John Mackenzie, or "John of Killin", traditionally reckoned 9th of Kintail, was a Highland chief, being head of the Clan Mackenzie.

Roderick Macleod, also known as Old Rory, was the chief of Clan Macleod of Lewes in the later half of the 16th century.

Leod Macgilleandrais is purported to have been a 14th-century Scotsman, who lived in the north-west of Scotland. He is known from clan traditions, which date to the late 17th century. According to these traditions, Leod was a follower of the Earl of Ross, and that he was an enemy of the Mackenzies of Kintail. He is said to have captured one of the early Mackenzie chiefs, and was then later killed by the slain chief's son sometime in the 14th century. His memory is preserved in the place where he is said to have been slain. According to at least one version of the tradition, Leod was survived by a son named Paul. Several historians in 19th and early 20th centuries equated this son to Paul Mactire.

Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap was a British army officer and a senior figure of the Clan Macrae. He contested a rival claim to the chiefship of the clan, and in 1912 he purchased and subsequently restored the Macrae stronghold of Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich in the west of Scotland.

Lochalsh

Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland council area. It is a hilly peninsula that lies between Loch Carron and Loch Alsh. The main settlement is Kyle of Lochalsh, located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the adjacent island of Skye. A ferry used to connect the two settlements but was replaced by the Skye Bridge in 1995.

The Murchison family of Loch Alsh, Ross-shire, Scotland were a minor Scottish clan, and a sept of the larger Clan Mackenzie. In modern times the Murchison surname is still considered a sept of the Clan Mackenzie by the Clan Mackenzie Society of Scotland & the UK.

Farquhar Macrae (1580-1662) was a Scottish minister in the parishes of Gairloch and Kintail, Ross and Cromarty. He is known for the cultural improvement he brought to the north of Scotland in the seventeenth century.

Battle of Drumchatt (1501)

The Battle of Drumchatt, or Druim-a-Chait, was a Scottish clan battle claimed by non-contemporary historians to have taken place in the year 1501 near Strathpeffer, in the Scottish Highlands. It was allegedly fought between the Clan Mackenzie and the Clan Munro. Mackenzie chronicles have claimed a signal victory.

References

  1. 1 2 Macrae, Alexander (1910), History of the Clan Macrae with genealogies, Dingwall: George Souter, p. 12–13
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mackenzie, Alexander (1894). History of the Mackenzies: With Genealogies of the Principal Families of the Name (New, revised, extended ed.). Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. pp.  65–67.
  3. ↑ Macrae, Alexander (1910), History of the Clan Macrae with genealogies, Dingwall: George Souter, p. vi
  4. 1 2 Macrae, Alexander (1910), History of the Clan Macrae with genealogies, Dingwall: George Souter, pp. 4–8
  5. ↑ Grant, Alexander (2000), "The Province of Ross and the Kingdom of Alba", in Cowan, Edward J.; McDonald, R. Andrew (eds.), Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, East Linton: Tuckwell Press, p. 119, ISBN   1-86232-151-5
  6. ↑ Adam, Frank (1970), The clans, septs and regiments of the Scottish Highlands (8th ed.), Edinburgh: Johnson and Bacon, pp. 272–273
  7. ↑ Grant, Alexander (2000), "The Province of Ross and the Kingdom of Alba", in Cowan, Edward J.; McDonald, R. Andrew (eds.), Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages, East Linton: Tuckwell Press, p. 117, ISBN   1-86232-151-5
  8. 1 2 3 Macrae, Alexander (1910), History of the Clan Macrae with genealogies, Dingwall: George Souter, pp. 14–16
  9. ↑ Mackenzie, Alexander (1894). History of the Mackenzies: With Genealogies of the Principal Families of the Name (New, revised, extended ed.). Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. pp.  68–70.
  10. ↑ Mackenzie, Alexander (1894). History of the Mackenzies: With Genealogies of the Principal Families of the Name (New, revised, extended ed.). Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie. pp.  71–72.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.