Everything about The Macheths totally explained
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 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
Beth (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's 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.
Dramatis personae
Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
Máel Coluim, now presumed to be the son of Alexander rather than MacHeth, first appears in 1124, when
Orderic Vitalis reports:
It isn't 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.
Máel Coluim MacHeth
If it's 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's said that he was reconciled with the king,
Malcolm IV. 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 Coluim,
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 isn't 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 Maddadsson,
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.
Further Information
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