Stratha'an or Strathavon is the valley of the River Avon, locally called the River A'an, in the Strathspey area of Moray,

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 th ...

. Stratha'an was a

provincial lordship Provincial lordships is a modern term used by historians to describe large feudal landholdings created in Scotland during the 12th and 13th centuries. These landholdings were granted by kings to their supporters to secure royal control of territor ...

first recorded between 1194 and 1198, that was coextensive with the parishes of Kirkmichael and Inveravon. The Lordship of Stratha'an may have been acquired c. 1190 by Earl Duncan of Fife, and commemorated by the naming of

Ben Macdui Ben Macdui ( gd, Beinn MacDuibh, meaning "MacDuff's mountain") is the second-highest mountain in Scotland and all of the British Isles, after Ben Nevis, and the highest of the Cairngorm Mountains. The summit is above sea level and it is class ...

on the lordship's western boundary ( gd, Beinn Mac Duibh, lit=MacDuff's Mountain) after the Earl's kindred

Clan MacDuff Clan MacDuff or Clan Duff is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. ...

, though the existence of a burn called ''Allt an Gille Mícheil'' on the south eastern boundary of the lordship may commemorate the earlier Earl Gille Míchéil, suggesting the lordship may have been associated with the

Earls of Fife The Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife was the ruler of the province of Fife in medieval Scotland, which encompassed the modern counties of Fife and Kinross. Due to their royal ancestry, the earls of Fife were the highest ranking nobles in the re ...

as early as the period of the defeat of Oengus of Moray at the

Battle of Stracathro The Battle of Stracathro, also known as the Battle of Inchbare, took place on 16 April 1130 about north of Brechin, Scotland, near the River North Esk. Óengus of Moray and Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair invaded Scotland with 5,000 warriors acco ...

in 1130. The relationship between the lordship and the

was certainly well-established by 1214, when Earl Malcolm granted the church of St. Peter of Inveravon to the

Diocese of Moray The Diocese of Moray was one of the most important of the medieval dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Its territory was in central northern Scotland. History It was founded in the early years of the 12th century by David I ...

"with all the parish of the whole of Stratha'an", and the Earls' lordship was described as being held "in ancient times" in a charter of Robert I dated between 1315 and 1329.

References

Bibliography

* * {{cite book , last=Ross , first=Alasdair , date=2015 , title=Land Assessment and Lordship in Medieval Northern Scotland , location=Turnhout , publisher=Brepols , isbn=978-2503541334 Provincial lordships of Scotland