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 h ...

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 o ...

; 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 ( – 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 1087, Henr ...

, 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 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 ...

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

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

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

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

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 sw ...

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, and Euphemia. Life His elder brother, Robert III de Brus, predeceased their father, never holding the ...

. * 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.pdf * ___, 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 ...

(chronicler) *

Roger of Hoveden Roger of Howden or Hoveden (died 1202) was a 12th-century English chronicler, diplomat and head of the minster of Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Roger and Howden minster Roger was born to a clerical family linked to the ancient minst ...

(chronicler)

References

*McDonald, R. Andrew. ''Outlaws of Medieval Scotland'', 2003 - Tuckwell Press. cDonald, ''Outlaws of Medieval Scotland'' {{s-end 1120s births Year of birth uncertain 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 Scottish royalty and nobility with disabilities Castrated people Scottish blind people