Gartnait of Mar, Earl of Mar – Gartnait mac Domhnall, 8th
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 ...
(or
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
) of
Mar
Mar, mar or MAR may refer to:
Culture
* Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac
* Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland
* MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese
* Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code
* March, as an abbreviation for the third mon ...
, was a
Scottish noble during the first
War of Scottish Independence (1296–1328). His name is sometimes rendered as Gartney or Gratney. A son of
Domhnall I, Earl of Mar
Domhnall I Earl of Mar - Domhnall mac Uilleim ( Anglicized: Donald, William's son) - was the seventh known Mormaer of Mar, or Earl of Mar ruling from the death of his father, Uilleam of Mar, in 1276 until his own death somewhere between 1297 and ...
, and his wife, Elen ferch Llywelyn, Gartnait of Mar died in about 1305.
Support for Edward I, King of England
During the Scottish war against King
Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...
,
Andrew Moray
Andrew Moray ( xno, Andreu de Moray; la, Andreas de Moravia), also known as Andrew de Moray, Andrew of Moray, or Andrew Murray, was an esquire, who became one of Scotland's war-leaders during the First Scottish War of Independence. Moray, hei ...
, son of
Sir Andrew Moray of Petty, took action in the
Highlands
Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau.
Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to:
Places Albania
* Dukagjin Highlands
Armenia
* Armenian Highlands
Australia
*Sou ...
in 1297, besieging
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle (; gd, Caisteal na Sròine) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, south-west of Inverness and east of the village of Drumnadrochit.
The present ruins dat ...
near
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
, which was under the control of the English
constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
, Sir
William FitzWarin
Sir William FitzWarin (died c. 1299) was an English soldier active during the First War of Scottish Independence. He was the constable of Urquhart Castle (1296-1297) and after the English defeat at the Battle of Stirling Bridge on 11 September 1 ...
. Moray failed in this attempt but moved on to
Moray
Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
Between 1975 ...
and
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
. In response, Edward sent three Scottish nobles deemed favorable to him at the time to quell this rebellion—
Henry le Chen
Henry le Chen ''le Cheyn, le Chein, Cheyne, de Chenewas a late 13th-century and early 14th-century Scoto-Norman bishop. Hector Boece claims that he was the nephew of John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, but no contemporary evidence supports this. ...
,
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...
;
John Comyn, Earl of Buchan
John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan (circa 1260 – 1308) was a chief opponent of Robert the Bruce in the civil war that paralleled the War of Scottish Independence. He should not be confused with the better known John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch ...
; and Gartnait of Mar, whose father had just been released from the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
and was under oath to support King Edward.
These three, along with Euphemia,
Countess of Ross
The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland.
Origins and transfers
In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...
, engaged Moray near the
River Spey
The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...
on 17 July but, instead of apprehending him, allowed him to withdraw without pursuit. To explain themselves, they sent a letter to King Edward on 25 July, saying they had encountered “Andrew de Moray with a great body of rogues. . . and the aforesaid rogues betook themselves into a very great stronghold of
bog and wood where no horseman could be of service.” To provide the king with details, the three sent
Andrew de Rait with a
letter of credence
A letter of credence (french: Lettre de créance) is a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state. Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to anot ...
. Along the way, Rait met with
Hugh de Cressingham
Sir Hugh de Cressingham (died 11 September 1297William Wallace & Andrew Moray defeat English) was the treasurer of the English administration in Scotland from 1296 to 1297. He was hated by the Scots and did not seem well liked even by the Engli ...
, treasurer of the English administration in Scotland, and showed him the letter. Cressingham, however, seems not to have placed much confidence in the veracity of the letter and, on 5 August, told Edward “to give little weight to it, for it is false in many points and obscure, as will be well known hereafter, I fear.” Cressingham had the right of it, as Moray joined forces with Sir William Wallace and continued the struggle against the English king.
Earldom
Gartnait’s father, the 7th earl of Mar, died at
Kildrummy Castle
Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is own ...
on 25 July 1297, the same day on which Chen’s letter to Edward was composed. The exact date on which Gartnait succeeded his father as earl of Mar is unknown, but it has been argued that this may have occurred soon after Gartnait’s mission in the north against Moray. There is no surviving document mentioning Gartnait as earl of Mar during his lifetime, but writs composed after his death refer to him thus.
Family
Though the wife of Gartnait of Mar has historically been identified as
Christina Bruce
Christian or Christina Bruce (c. 1278 – 1356/1357), also known as Christian or Christina de Brus, was a daughter of Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, and her husband, Robert de Brus, '' jure uxoris'' Earl of Carrick, as well as a sister of Robert ...
, sister of
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
, it is now argued that Mar married not Christina, but an elder sister of Robert.
Mar and his wife were the parents of three children:
* Margaret of Mar (1270-1326), who married Malise Stewart
* Helen of Mar, who married, first, Sir John Menteith,
Lord of Arran, and, secondly, Sir James Garioch
*
Domhnhall, 9th Earl of Mar (d. 12 August 1332)
Death
The date of the death of Gartnait, earl of Mar, is not certain. However, since Robert the Bruce as earl of Carrick was holding Kildrummy Castle in 1305, it has been suggested that Mar died before then and that Carrick was, at that time, the guardian of his nephew, the Earl’s heir.
External links
*
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, Gartnait, Earl of
1305 deaths
14th-century Scottish earls
Mormaers of Mar
People from Aberdeenshire
Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence
Year of birth unknown
Scottish people of Welsh descent