Fergus of Buchan was the last native Gaelic
Mormaer
In early Middle Ages, medieval Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, a mormaer was the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the Kings of Scots, King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chi ...
of
Buchan
Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by th ...
, and only the third to be known by name as Mormaer. Fergus appears to have had strong connections in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, and it is possible that his father (if he was his father)
Colbán was a Fifer. A charter issued by Fergus appears to have survived. The charter is a feudal charter granting lands to a subordinate. The charter had a few witnesses with French names, presumably a phenomenon related to his
Comyn connections. Fergus had no male heirs, and married his only daughter
Marjory
Marjory is a female given name, a variant spelling of Marjorie or Margery. It is sometimes shortened to Marj.
Notable people with the name include:
*Marjory Allen, Lady Allen of Hurtwood (1897–1976)
*Marjery Bryce (1891–1973), British suffrag ...
to
William Comyn, bringing Gaelic control of the Mormaership to an end. On Fergus' death, Buchan became the first native mormaerdom to pass into the hands of a foreign family
He died sometime before 1214, possibly much earlier.
Bibliography
* Roberts, John L., ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages'', (Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 55–6
* Young, Alan, "Buchan in the 13th century" in Alexander Grant & Keith J. Stringer (eds.) ''Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community Essays Presented to G.W.S Barrow'', (Edinburgh, 1993)
See also
*
Earl of Buchan
The Mormaer () or Earl of Buchan () was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male li ...
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12th-century Scottish people
People from Aberdeenshire
13th-century mormaers
Mormaers of Buchan