Gille CrÃst is the first known
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 '' ToÃsech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continenta ...
(in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, a regional or provincial ruler, equivalent to
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''
comes
''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office.
The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...
'',
French ''
comte'' and
English ''
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
'') of
Menteith
Menteith or Monteith () is a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the River Teith, Teith and the River Forth, Forth. Historically, the area between Callander and Dunblane was known in English by the si ...
, but almost certainly not actually the first. He is named in a charter of King
Máel Coluim IV, dated to 1164, regarding the restoration of
Scone Priory, which had recently been destroyed by fire. He appears again in a charter of King
William the Lion
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 ...
, dated 1175x1178, as one of the witnesses to a grant of privileges to the newly established
burgh
A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...
of
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
.
Gille CrÃst had two known sons,
Muireadhach Mór and
Muireadhach Óg. He also had a daughter,
Éua, who married
AilÃn II, Earl of Lennox
Mormaer AilÃn II of Lennox (also known as Ailean or Alwyn) was the son of Mormaer AilÃn I, and ruled Lennox from somewhere in the beginning of the 13th century until his death in 1217.
Unlike many other Scottish Mormaers, he played little role ...
.
Gille CrÃst had died by 1189/1198, when Muireadhach Mór appears as Mormaer for the first time.
Bibliography
*
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), pp. 52
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menteith, Gille Crist, Earl of
1180s deaths
Year of birth unknown
Nobility from Stirling (council area)
Mormaers of Menteith
12th-century mormaers