Nicholas Sutherland, 1st of Duffus was a Scottish noble who was seated at

Duffus Castle Duffus Castle, near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, was a motte-and-bailey castle and was in use from c. 1140 to 1705. During its occupation it underwent many alterations. The most fundamental was the destruction of the original wooden structure and it ...

, near Elgin,

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in the 14th and 15th centuries.

History

Nicholas Sutherland was the second son of

Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland Kenneth de Moravia (also known as Kenneth Sutherland) (died 19 July 1333) was the 4th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland was the ...

, chief of

Clan Sutherland Clan Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland, however in the early 16th century this title passed ...

. Nicholas married Mary, daughter of Reginald le Chen (died 1345) and in doing so brought the estate of Duffus back to the family of de Moravia, from whom Nicholas was a lineal descendant, and at that time the Earls of Sutherland had not yet given up the surname de Moravia.

William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland William de Moravia (also known as William Sutherland) (died 1370) was the 5th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. William, 5th Earl of Sutherland was a loyal supporter of David II of Sco ...

confirmed to Nicholas Sutherland, his brother, a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

for the barony of

Torboll Torboll is a former feudal barony and geographical area that includes Torboll Farm, Little Torboll, Torboll Fall, and the Torboll Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest, in the parish of Golspie, Highland, Scotland. It is within the histo ...

dated 13 September 1360 and this was subsequently also confirmed by charter from

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, becom ...

to Nicholas dated 17 October 1362. Nicholas Sutherland of Duffus is recorded as having murdered

Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver (died 1370) was the chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. He was murdered along with his eldest son Donald at Dingwall Castle during a feud with the Earl of Sutherland, chief of ...

and his son

Donald Mackay, 5th of Strathnaver Donald Mackay, 5th of Strathnaver (died 1370), was the fifth chief of the ancient Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life Donald Mackay was the eldest son of Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver. In 1370, he and his father we ...

, chiefs of

Clan Mackay Clan Mackay ( ; gd, Clann Mhic Aoidh ) is an ancient and once-powerful Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan from the far North of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old Mormaer of Moray, Kingdom of Moray. They supported Robert I ...

, while they slept at

Dingwall Castle Dingwall Castle was a medieval fort and royal castle in the town of Dingwall, eastern Ross-shire, Scotland. The castle is believed to have been established by Norse settlers in the area in the 11th century. Wars of Scottish Independence During t ...

, after they had met there to settle a dispute with the Sutherlands peacefully in 1370. Nicolas Sutherland was named as Lord of the Castle of Duffus in 1408.

Family

Nicholas Sutherland married Mary, daughter of Reginald le Chen (died 1345). They had the following two sons: #John Sutherland, 2nd of Duffus (1408-1427). #Henry Sutherland of Torboll, who received from

Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland Robert Sutherland, (died 1444) was the 6th Earl of Sutherland and chief of the Clan Sutherland, a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. Early life Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland was the son of William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Suthe ...

the £40 lands of Torboll which Nicolas Sutherland had resigned to the earl. Henry Sutherland of Torboll married Margaret Mureff or Moray. Their son was

Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus (died 1482) was a Scottish member of the nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Laird of Duffus He was the son of Henry Sutherland of Torboll and Margaret Mureff or Moray. His uncle was John Sutherland, ...

who succeeded his father in Torboll and his uncle in Duffus.

References

{{Authority control Clan Sutherland De Moravia family 14th-century Scottish people 15th-century Scottish people Younger sons of earls

History

Family

See also

References