Uhtred mac Fergus ( – 22 September 1174) was

Lord of Galloway The lords of Galloway consisted of a dynasty of heirs who were lords (or kings) and ladies who ruled over Galloway in southwest Scotland, mainly during the High Middle Ages. Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically ...

from 1161 to 1174, ruling jointly with his brother Gille Brigte (Gilbert). They were sons of

Fergus of Galloway Fergus of Galloway (died 12 May 1161) was a twelfth-century Lord of Galloway. Although his familial origins are unknown, it is possible that he was of Norse-Gaelic ancestry. Fergus first appears on record in 1136, when he witnessed a charter ...

; it was believed that they were half brothers, but Duncan of Carrick was addressed as cousin by the English King, as was Uchtred. (The term "cousin" in address does not necessarily connote a family tie; it was used between even minor "kings" to suggest that sender and receiver were of mutually considerable rank). Their mother's name is not known for sure, but she must have been one of the many illegitimate daughters of

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

, most likely Elizabeth Fitzroy.

Career

As a boy he was sent as a hostage to the court of King Malcolm IV of

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 ...

. When his father, Prince Fergus, died in 1161, Uchtred was made co-ruler of

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

along with Gilla Brigte. They participated in the disastrous invasion of Northumberland under

William I of Scotland William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

in 1174. King William was captured, and the Galwegians rebelled, taking the opportunity to slaughter the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

and English in their land. During this time Uchtred was brutally mutilated, blinded, castrated, and killed by his brother Gille Brigte and Gille Brigte's son, Máel Coluim. Gille Brigte then seized control of the whole of Galloway.

Marriage and children

Uchtred had married Gunhilda of Dunbar, daughter of

Waltheof of Allerdale Waltheof of Allerdale was an 11th- and 12th-century Anglo-Saxon noble, lord of Allerdale in modern Cumbria. Brother of Dolfin of Carlisle and Gospatric of Dunbar, Waltheof was son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria.Hamilton, ''Mighty Subjects'', p ...

and they were the parents of: *

Lochlann In the modern Gaelic languages, () signifies Scandinavia or, more specifically, Norway. As such it is cognate with the Welsh name for Scandinavia, (). In both old Gaelic and old Welsh, such names literally mean 'land of lakes' or 'land of ...

of Galloway (also known as Roland), * Eve of Galloway, wife of Walter de Berkeley * Christina, wife of

William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale (died 16 July 1212), was the second but eldest surviving son of Robert de Brus, 2nd Lord of Annandale. His elder brother, Robert III de Brus, predeceased their father, never holding the lordship of Annanda ...

. * Fergus, died after 1213, knight, identified as 'brother of Roland' in 1196 charterScots Peerage, Volume 4, "Ancient Lords of Galloway" p. 138 https://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/ScotsPeerageVol4.pdfFoundation for Medieval Genealogy http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY.htm#UchtredGallowaydied1174 * ___, son name unknown, died 30 September 1185, in conflict with Gillecolm

Sources

* Taylor, James. ''The Pictorial History of Scotland'', 1859 *

John of Fordun John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th cen ...

(chronicler) *

Roger of Hoveden Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

(chronicler)

References

*McDonald, R. Andrew. ''Outlaws of Medieval Scotland'', 2003 - Tuckwell Press. cDonald, ''Outlaws of Medieval Scotland'' {{s-end 1120s births 1174 deaths History of Galloway Medieval Gaels from Scotland 12th-century Scottish people People from Dumfries and Galloway Lords of Galloway Blind royalty and nobility Castrated people