The Mormaer or Earl of Menteith was the ruler of the province of

Menteith Menteith or Monteith ( gd, Mòine Tèadhaich), a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. Earlier forms of its name include ''Meneted'', ''Maneteth'' and ''Meneteth''. (Historically ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The first mormaer is usually regarded as Gille Críst (or Gilchrist), simply because he is the earliest on record. The title was held in a continuous line from Gille Críst until Muireadhach IV (a.k.a. Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany), although the male line was broken on two occasions. A truncated version of the earldom was given two years later to

Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith (c. 1407–1490) was a 15th-century Scottish magnate, who was the heir to the Scottish throne between 1437 and 1451, if Elizabeth Mure's children were not counted as lawful heirs (a question that hadn't been ad ...

, in compensation for loss of the Earldom of Strathearn, which was a likely result of the execution of the Duke of Albany.

List of holders

First line of mormaers/earls

Gille Críst, Earl of Menteith Gille Críst is the first known Mormaer (in Scotland, a regional or provincial ruler, equivalent to Latin ''comes'', French '' comte'' and English '' earl'') of Menteith, but almost certainly not actually the first. He is named in a charter o ...

(Gilcrist) (d. 1189) *

Muireadhach I, Earl of Menteith Muireadhach I (also written as ''Murethach'', ''Murdoch'' or ''Maurice'') is the second known Mormaer of Menteith. He succeeded his father Gille Críst by the time of his appearance in a charter of William the Lion confirming the church at Moulin ...

(d. 1213) *

Muireadhach II, Earl of Menteith Muireadach II of Menteith (also written as ''Murethach'', ''Murdoch'' or ''Maurice''), ruled 1213–1231, was the son of Gille Críst and the third known Mormaer of Menteith. Muireadach gained the Mormaerdom by challenging the rights of the curre ...

(d. 1234) *

Isabella, Countess of Menteith Isabella, Countess of Menteith (1217 – 1272) was the eldest daughter of Muireadhach II, Mormaer of Menteith. When the old mormaer died without legitimate male heir in 1233, the province passed to Isabella. Isabella married Walter Comyn, Lord o ...

**m.

Walter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch Walter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1258) was the son of William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Mormaer or Earl of Buchan by right of his second wife. Life Walter makes his first appearance in royal charters as early as 1211–1214. In 122 ...

assumed the peerage in her right. *

Mary I, Countess of Menteith Maire inghean Mhuireadhaich or Mary, daughter of Muireadhach II, Mormaer of Menteith, was Countess of Menteith, successor to her sister Isabella (Iosbail). She inherited the title from her father, and married Walter Bailloch, son of Walter ...

**m. Walter "Bailloch" Stewart

Second line, Stewarts of Menteith

Alexander, Earl of Menteith Alexander of Menteith (d. bef. 1306), a Scottish nobleman and member of the Stewart family, he was the Earl of Menteith. Life Alexander was the eldest son and heir of Walter Bailloch Stewart and Mary I, Countess of Menteith and was the Mormaer o ...

Alan, Earl of Menteith Alan, Earl of Menteith (d. c. 1310) was a Scottish nobleman. Life Menteith was the son of Alexander, Earl of Menteith, and is first on record as a hostage in England, to ensure the good behaviour of his father in 1296. He and his brother Peter Men ...

Alan II, Earl of Menteith Alan II, Earl of Menteith (d. after 23 Aug 1315) was a Scottish Nobleman. Life Menteith was the son of Alan, Earl of Menteith, and is first noted in an order dated at Carlisle in 1307 to provide foodstuffs ' to the two sons of the Earl of Menteit ...

* Muireadhach III, Earl of Menteith (d. 1332) * Mary Menteith, Countess of Menteith **m. Sir John Graham assumed the peerage in her right. *

Margaret, Countess of Menteith Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith (c. 1334 – c. 1380) was a Scottish noblewoman. She held the title Countess of Menteith in her own right, having inherited the title c. 1360 from her mother, Mary, Countess of Menteith, who was married to ...

**m.

Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c. 1340 – 3 September 1420) was a member of the Scottish royal family who served as regent (at least partially) to three Scottish monarchs ( Robert II, Robert III, and James I). A ruthless politician, Albany ...

* Muireadhach IV Stewart, Earl of Menteith, executed in 1425 and the peerages forfeited.

Third line, Grahams of Menteith

(1406–1490) *

Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith (May 6, 1472 –c. 1537) was a Scottish magnate. Biography Graham appears in the records of Scotland as the Earl of Menteith in 1493. Likely the grandson of Malise Graham, it is of some debate whethe ...

(c. 1475–c. 1537) *

William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith (c. 1500 – c. 1543) was a Scottish magnate and third Earl of Menteith. Biography He was the son of Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith (c. 1475 – c. 1537), and Margaret Buchanan. He was the great-gra ...

(c. 1500–c. 1543) *

John Graham, 4th Earl of Menteith John Graham, 4th Earl of Menteith ( – c. 1565), was a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. Biography John Graham had a gift of his own ward and marriage in late 1543 or 1544, following the death of his father, William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith. ...

(c. 1529–c. 1565) *

William Graham, 5th Earl of Menteith William Graham, 5th Earl of Menteith ( – c. 1578), was a 16th-century Scottish nobleman. Biography William Graham was given the gift of his own ward and marriage in 1565, following the death of his father John Graham, 4th Earl of Menteith. Th ...

(c. 1555–c. 1578) * John Graham, 6th Earl of Menteith (c. 1571–c. 1598) *

William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith, 1st Earl of Airth (–1661), was a 17th-century Scottish nobleman. A supporter of King Charles I, he held offices including Lord President of the Court of Session and was a Privy Counsellor. Although he ...

(c. 1591–1661), also created

Earl of Airth Earl of Airth was a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created on 21 January 1633 by Charles I, for William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith. It became extinct on the death of his grandson in 1694. Owing to the uncanonicity of the marriage of Rober ...

in 1633 * William Graham, 8th Earl of Menteith (c. 1634–1694), extinct or dormant after his death on 12 September 1694

References

* Paul, James Balfour, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

'', Vol. VI, (Edinburgh, 1909) * Roberts, John L., ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages'', (Edinburgh, 1997), p. 52 * Clan Campbell Society of North Americ
CCSNA.org, information on the Macoran sept
that began in the latter half of the 17th century under the protection of the Earl of Menteith, who later gave this young Campbell of Melfort a farm at Inchanoch. That Macoran / Campbell married a Miss Haldane, niece of Haldane of Lanrick, and the family prospered. {{DEFAULTSORT:Menteith Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland History of the Scottish Highlands People associated with Stirling (council area) History of Stirling (council area) Dormant earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland Clan Graham

List of holders

First line of mormaers/earls

Second line, Stewarts of Menteith

Third line, Grahams of Menteith

See also

References