Alwyn MacArchill was a mid-12th-century man who appears in numerous
charters
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...
of the
Kings of Scots
The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...
. He, and his son, held the office of ''rannair''—a distributor of the food and provisions—to the King of Scots. Over the years, some historians have suggested that he was an ancestor of the
Earls of Lennox
The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty.
Ancient earls
The first earl ...
; some made him the
first earl, others made him a
male-line
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
ancestor of the first earl, another suggestion is that he is an ancestor of the first earl in the female-line.
Biography
Various names
Alwyn MacArchill appears in numerous contemporary sources during the reigns of
David I David I may refer to:
* David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399
* David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741)
* David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881)
* David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048)
* David I of Scotland ( ...
and
Malcolm IV
Malcolm IV ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Eanric, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 11419 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest ...
.
[ Jackson 1972: pp. 63–66.] Historian
G. W. S. Barrow
Geoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow (28 November 1924 – 14 December 2013) was a Scottish historian and academic.
The son of Charles Embleton Barrow and Marjorie née Stuart, Geoffrey Barrow was born on 28 November 1924, at Headingley near Leeds
...
noted that nineteen acts of David I were witnessed by Alwyn MacArchill.
The 20th-century
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...
Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson
Prof Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson CBE FRSE FSA DLitt (1 November 1909 – 20 February 1991) was an English linguist and a translator who specialised in the Celtic languages. He demonstrated how the text of the Ulster Cycle of tales, written ''circa ...
noted numerous sources and stated that his name appears four times as ''Alfwin''; once as ''Alfwin''; six times as ''Alwyn''; and once as ''Algune'' (in the ''
Book of Deer
The ''Book of Deer'' (''Leabhar Dhèir'' in Gaelic) (Cambridge University Library, MS. Ii.6.32) is a 10th-century Latin Gospel Book with early 12th-century additions in Latin, Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It contains the earliest survivin ...
''). Jackson stated that his father's name is recorded as: ''Arkil'' three times; ''Archill'' three times; ''Archil'' thirteen times; ''Arcill'' once (in the ''Book of Deer''); and ''Arch-'' once. Jackson noted that his father's name, ''Arkil'', an
Old Danish
The Danish language developed during the Middle Ages out of Old East Norse, the common predecessor of Danish and Swedish. It was a late form of common Old Norse. The Danish philologist Johannes Brøndum-Nielsen divided the history of Danish into ...
name; and that the name ''Alfwin'' represents the
Old English name ''Ælfwine'', although in England the name appears to have been borrowed into Old Danish as early as the 11th century.
Ancestry
It has been suggested that Alwyn's father may have been a
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
n noble. Jackson, however, disagreed with this proposal. He believed that the evidence of the names showed that he was of Anglo-Danish descent. Jackson noted that there is a charter in the reign of David I which mentions a man named ''Arkil'' who had lands between
Haddington and
Athelstaneford
Athelstaneford () is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies almost 6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north-east of the market town of Haddington and about 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of Edinburgh.
Battle of Athelstaneford
According to popul ...
. If this man was the father of Alwyn, it would mean Alwyn had
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the hi ...
connections.
Life
In one contemporary record his wife, Ede, is recorded. Barrow stated that he was in turn succeeded by his son, Gilleandrais the ''rannair''. Barrow stated that Alwyn MacArchill was probably the man portrayed by
Ailred of Rievaulx
Aelred of Rievaulx ( la, Aelredus Riaevallensis); also Ailred, Ælred, and Æthelred; (1110 – 12 January 1167) was an English Cistercian monk, abbot of Rievaulx from 1147 until his death, and known as a writer. He is regarded by Anglicans an ...
's biographer Walter Daniel, as "the jealous and foul-mouthed caluminator of Ailread who nevertheless repented of his hostility, became Ailread's friend, and was consequently promoted by the king. Barrow noted how Daniel wrote that Ailread stood at the king's table as chief steward, and served the dishes and divided the food for those present; Barrow stated that this would have been precisely the duties of Alfwin the ''rannair'' (the
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
''rannair'', means "sharer", "divider", i.e. 'the distributor of the food and provisions'). Barrow noted that Sir
Maurice Powicke
Sir Frederick Maurice Powicke (1879–1963) was an English medieval historian. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford and was a professor at Queen's University, Belfast and the Victoria University of Manchester, and from 1928 until his re ...
thought that Ailread's enemy was Walter, son of Alan.
[ Barrow 1999: pp. 21, 35.]
Ancestor of the Earls of Lennox?
In the male-line
It has been thought that the
Earls of Lennox
The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty.
Ancient earls
The first earl ...
were descendants in the male line, of Alwyn MacArchill, and his father Archill. The 19th-century historian William Forbes Skene stated that this theory was first produced in 1716, by
George Crawfurd
George Crawford (also Crawfurd) (1681-1748) was a Scottish genealogist and historian.
Life
He was the third son of Thomas Crawfurd of Cartsburn. When Simon Fraser laid claim to the barony of Lovat, he employed Crawfurd to investigate the case ...
.
According to Sir
James Balfour Paul, the theory of this descent was later elaborated by Sir
Robert Douglas, and further expanded by
Sir William Fraser. The theory was that
Alwyn I, Earl of Lennox was identical to the Alwyn MacArchill, who appears as a witness on numerous
charters
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...
of
David I David I may refer to:
* David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399
* David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741)
* David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881)
* David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048)
* David I of Scotland ( ...
, down to at least the year 1154. This man's father was thought to have been Archillus, son of Aykfrith;
and to have been a
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
n magnate, who was an exile of
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...
. It was thought that this Archill/Archillus went to Scotland in 1070, where he received lands in
the Lennox
The Lennox ( gd, Leamhnachd, ) is a region of Scotland centred on The Vale of Leven, including its great loch: Loch Lomond.
The Gaelic name of the river is ''Leamhn'', meaning ''the smooth stream'', which anglicises to ''Leven'' (as Gaelic ' ...
.
Skene, however, stated that there was nothing to support this theory, other than the similarity in names. Alwyn MacArchill never appears in records with a title of earl; and that he does not appear in records after the year 1155, yet Alwyn I first appears in record in 1193. Between 1155 and 1193, Skene stated, the earldom of Lennox was in the possession of
David, Earl of Huntingdon
David of Scotland (Medieval Gaelic: ''Dabíd'') (1152 – 17 June 1219) was a Scottish prince and 8th Earl of Huntingdon. He was, until 1198, heir to the Scottish throne.
Life
He was the youngest surviving son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of ...
.
Also, Paul noted that the
mediaeval English chronicler Simeon of Durham
__NOTOC__
Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory.
Biography
Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...
only notes that Archill was made an exile; he does not mention him passing into Scotland.
[ Paul 1908: pp. 324–326.]
Paul also noted another theory, which made the earls "
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foo ...
" in the male line. This made Alwyn I, the son of Muireadhach, who was possibly a
Mormaer of Lennox
The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty.
Ancient earls
The first ea ...
himself. For example, the 13th-century bard
Muireadhach Albanach
Muiredach (Old Irish), Muireadhach or Muireach, anglicized variously to Murdoch, Murtagh, Murray, Murdac, Mordacq and other forms, is a Goidelic name (meaning "chieftain") popular in Scotland and Ireland in the Middle Ages:
* Muiredach Bolgrach ...
, employed for some time by the Lennox family, wrote a poem which outlined their ancestry which included Muireadhach. Paul followed this theory in his ''
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 ...
''.
This poem takes the male line ancestors of Alwyn I back several generations, According to Jackson, the genealogy is probably only reliable as far back as Muireadhach's father, Maol-Domhnaigh.
William Buchanan of Auchmar also stated that Alwyn MacArchill was the ancestor of the earls, yet gave him a different ancestry. Buchanan stated that "Aluin MacArkill" was "a great favourite at court" during the reigns of David I and
Malcolm IV
Malcolm IV ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Eanric, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 11419 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest ...
. He was the son of Arkill, a contemporary of the Scots kings
Edgar
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...
and
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
, and a person of note during their reigns. Buchanan stated that Arkill was the son of "Aluin, or Alcuin", a younger son of
Kenneth III
Cináed mac Duib ( Modern Gaelic: ''Coinneach mac Dhuibh''; c. 966 – c. 25 March 1005), anglicised as Kenneth III, and nicknamed ''An Donn'' ("the Chief" or "the Brown"), was King of Scots from 997 to 1005. He was the son of Dub (Dub mac Maíl ...
.
[ Buchanan of Auchmar 1775: pp. 111–113.]
In the female-line
It has also been suggested that Alwyn MacArchill is an ancestor of the Earls of Lennox in the female line. The first Earl of Lennox on record had Gaelic name ''Alúin'', ''Ailín''. Muireadhach Albanach's poem states that his mother (who is unnamed) was the daughter of an ''Ailín''. The chronology could allow that this man could be Alwyn MacArchill. This could mean that the first earl's name could have been the Old English/Old Danish name assimilated into Gaelic.
Notes
References
;Footnotes
;Bibliography
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarchill, Alwyn
12th-century Scottish people
Anglo-Norse people