Colbán of Buchan is the second
mormaer
In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a '' Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continenta ...
of
Buchan
Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire.
Etymology
The ge ...
to be known by name as Mormaer.
Colbán was not the son of his predecessor
Gartnait. It is possible that Colbán came from another Buchan family, or even, as some have suggested,
Fife
Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
. He perhaps obtained Buchan by marrying the daughter of Gartnait, whose name is recorded as Éva. He had a son named Magnus, and another called Merleswain, who became known as
Merleswain of Kennoway. Colbán was in the Scottish army that invaded England with King
William I of Scotland
William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; 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 Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...
in 1174.
Bibliography
* Roberts, John L., ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages'', (Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 49–50
* 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)
External links
Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchan, Colban, Earl of,
Nobility from Aberdeenshire
12th-century mormaers
Mormaers of Buchan