John DE MAUTRAVERS II was born in 1176 in Woolcombe,Dorsetshire,England. He died in 1220 at the age of 44 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Parents: John DE MAUTRAVERS and Alice FITZGEOFFREY.

Spouse: Mrs. Hawise DE MAUTRAVERS. Mrs. Hawise DE MAUTRAVERS and John DE MAUTRAVERS II were married in 1204 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: John DE MAUTRAVERS III.


John DE MAUTRAVERS III was born in 1208 in Woolcombe,Dorsetshire,England. He died on 28 February 1297 at the age of 89 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Parents: John DE MAUTRAVERS II and Mrs. Hawise DE MAUTRAVERS.

Spouse: Mrs. Joan DE MAUTRAVERS. Mrs. Joan DE MAUTRAVERS and John DE MAUTRAVERS III were married in 1261 in Woolcombe,Dorsetshire,England. Children were: John MALTRAVERS IV.


Mrs. Hawise DE MAUTRAVERS was born in 1183 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England.

Spouse: John DE MAUTRAVERS II. Mrs. Hawise DE MAUTRAVERS and John DE MAUTRAVERS II were married in 1204 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: John DE MAUTRAVERS III.


Mrs. Joan DE MAUTRAVERS was born in 1240 in ,,,Ireland.

Spouse: John DE MAUTRAVERS III. Mrs. Joan DE MAUTRAVERS and John DE MAUTRAVERS III were married in 1261 in Woolcombe,Dorsetshire,England. Children were: John MALTRAVERS IV.


Walter DE MAUTRAVERS was born in 1122 in Woolcombe,Dorsetshire,England. Parents: Hugh DE MAUTRAVERS.

Children were: John DE MAUTRAVERS.


Lord Caradoc Geriant DE MEIRIADOG[xUpline] (private). Parents: Einydd GWRDDWFN.

Children were: Cynan Meiriadog KING DE BRITTANY.


Countess Amicia DE MELLANT was born in 1160 in Tewkesbury, Glochester, England. She died on 1 January 1224 at the age of 64. Parents: Earl William II DE GLOUCESTER and Hawise "Mabel" DE BEAUMONT.

Spouse: Sir Richard DE CLARE 6th Earl. Countess Amicia DE MELLANT and Sir Richard DE CLARE 6th Earl were married before 1182 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England.


Aubrey DE MELLO[xUpline] (private). Parents: Gilbert DE MELLO.

Spouse: Aleis DE DAMMARTIN. Children were: Count Aubrey I "Alberic" DE DAMMARTIN.


Gilbert DE MELLO died on 25 February 1083.

Children were: Aubrey DE MELLO.


Ealhswith DE MERCIA[xUpline] (private).

Spouse: Alfred "The Great" KING DE ENGLAND. Children were: Edward I "The Elder" KING DE ENGLAND.


Agnes DE MERLAY was born in 1179 in ,Gascony,,France. Parents: Roger DE MERLAY and Alice STUTEVILLE.

Spouse: Richard GOBION. Agnes DE MERLAY and Richard GOBION were married about 1209 in Of Northampton, England, Gascony, , , France.4 Children were: Hugh GOBION.


Mrs. Meniaade DE MERLAY was born in 1100 in ,Northcumberland,England.

Spouse: William DE MERLAY. Mrs. Meniaade DE MERLAY and William DE MERLAY were married in 1129 in Morpeth,Northcumberland,England. Children were: Ralph DE MERLAY.


Ralph DE MERLAY , Lord of Morpeth23 was born in 1115 in Morpeth, Northumberland, England.23 He died in 1160 at the age of 45 in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. Parents: .

Spouse: Juliana of DUNBAR. Children were: Roger DE MERLAY.


Ralph DE MERLAY was born in 1130 in Morpeth,Northcumberland,England. He died in 1160 at the age of 30. Parents: William DE MERLAY and Mrs. Meniaade DE MERLAY.

Spouse: Juliana DE DUNBAR. Juliana DE DUNBAR and Ralph DE MERLAY were married about 1156 in Of, Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland.4 Children were: Roger DE MERLAY.


Robert DE MERLAY was born in 1075 in ,Northcumberland,England.

Spouse: Emma BASTEMBOURG. Emma BASTEMBOURG and Robert DE MERLAY were married in 1100 in ,Northcumberland,England. Children were: William DE MERLAY.


Roger DE MERLAY was born about 1148 in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. He died about 1188 at the age of 40 in Northumberland, England. Parents: Ralph DE MERLAY , Lord of Morpeth and Juliana of DUNBAR.


Roger DE MERLAY was born in 1150 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. He died in 1188 at the age of 38.1769 Parents: Ralph DE MERLAY and Juliana DE DUNBAR.

Spouse: Alice STUTEVILLE. Alice STUTEVILLE and Roger DE MERLAY were married in 1178 in ,Gascony,,France. Children were: Agnes DE MERLAY.


William DE MERLAY was born in 1100 in ,Northcumberland,England. Parents: Robert DE MERLAY and Emma BASTEMBOURG.

Spouse: Mrs. Meniaade DE MERLAY. Mrs. Meniaade DE MERLAY and William DE MERLAY were married in 1129 in Morpeth,Northcumberland,England. Children were: Ralph DE MERLAY.


Adeliza "Alice" DE MESCHINES was born in 1094 in Hereford, Herefordshire, England. She died in 1128 at the age of 34. Parents: Earl Ranulf DE MESCHINES and Countess Lucia DE TAILBOYS.

Spouse: Richard DE CLARE 3rd Earl. Adeliza "Alice" DE MESCHINES and Richard DE CLARE 3rd Earl were married before 1116 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: Roger "The Good" DE CLARE 5th Earl.


Amicia DE MESCHINES was born about 1177 in Kevelioc, Merionethshire, Wales. She died DECEASED in Chester, Cheshire, England. Ancestral File Number:<AFN> 8WK7-T5
Ancestral File Number:<AFN> 8WK7-T5The earl had another dau., whoselegitimacy is questionable, namely, Amicia,* m. to Ralph de Mesnilwarin,justice of Chester, "a person," says Dugdale, "of very ancient family,"from which union the Mainwarings, of Over Peover, in the co. Chester,derive. Dugdale considers Amicia to be a dau. of the earl by a formerwife.But Sir Peter Leicester, in his Antiquities of Chester, totallydenies her legitimacy. "I cannot but mislike," says he, "the boldness andignorance of that herald who gave to Mainwaring (late of Peover), theelder, the quartering of theEarl of Chester's arms; for if he ought ofright to quarter that coat, then musthe be descended from a co-heir tothe Earl of Chester; but he was not; for theco-heirs ofEarl Hugh marriedfour of the greatest peers in the kingdom."* Upon the question of thislady's legitimacy there was a long paper war between SirPeter Leicesterand Sir Thomas Mainwaring---and eventually the matter was referred to thejudges, of whose decision Wood says, "at an assize held at Chester,1675,the controversy was decided by the justices itinerant, who, as I haveheard, adjudged the right of the matter to Mainwaring." [Sir BernardBurke, Dormant and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, 1883,pp. 365-6, Meschines, Earls of Chester]

Sourced from Hollister-Bartsch Tree worldconnect.rootsweb.com
Contact hollister_family@@dodo.com.au for information or corrections Parents: .

Spouse: Rafe (Ralph) DE MAINWARING. Amicia DE MESCHINES and Rafe (Ralph) DE MAINWARING were married in 1179 in Warmingham, Cheshire, England. _UID45F8D01570A7D811BD0D0000E812BF5C01B2 Children were: Bertrade DE MAINWARING, Roger DE MAINWARING.


Hawise DE MESCHINES was born in 1160 in Chester,Cheshire,England. She died after 6 June 1241 at the age of 81.4 Parents: Earl Hugh of Kevelioc DE MESCHINES and Bertrade DE MONTFORT.

Spouse: Robert DE QUINCY. Hawise DE MESCHINES and Robert DE QUINCY were married in 1207 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: Margaret DE QUINCY.


Earl Hugh of Kevelioc DE MESCHINES was born in 1147 in Kevelioc,Merionethshire,Wales. He died on 30 June 1181 at the age of 34 in Leek,Staffordshire,England. Parents: Ranulph DE MESCHINES and Maud FITZROBERT.

Spouse: Bertrade DE MONTFORT. Bertrade DE MONTFORT and Earl Hugh of Kevelioc DE MESCHINES were married in 1169 in Montfort Amaury,Ile de France,France. Children were: Hawise DE MESCHINES.


Mabel DE MESCHINES was born in 1173 in , Cheshire, England.

Spouse: William D'AUBIGNY. Mabel DE MESCHINES and William D'AUBIGNY were married in 1194 in Chester, Cheshire, England. Children were: Nicole D'AUBIGNY, Maud D'AUBIGNY, Cecily D'AUBIGNY, Colette D'AUBIGNY, Hugh D'AUBIGNY, William "Earl of Arundel" D'AUBIGNY.


Earl Ranulf DE MESCHINES died in January 1128.

Spouse: Countess Lucia DE TAILBOYS. Children were: Adeliza "Alice" DE MESCHINES.


Ranulph DE MESCHINES was born in 1017 in Bayeux,Calvados,Normandy,France. Parents: Count Ancitel DE BAYEUX.

Spouse: Alix DE NORMANDY. Alix DE NORMANDY and Ranulph DE MESCHINES were married about 1049 in ,,,France. Children were: Viscount Ranulph DE MESCHINES.


Viscount Ranulph DE MESCHINES was born in 1050 in ,Normandy,France. He died in 1129 at the age of 79. Parents: Ranulph DE MESCHINES and Alix DE NORMANDY.

Spouse: Maud D'AVRANCHES. Maud D'AVRANCHES and Viscount Ranulph DE MESCHINES were married in 1069 in ,Normandy,France. Children were: Earl Ranulph DE MESCHINES.


Earl Ranulph DE MESCHINES was born in 1070 in Briquessart,Livry,,France. He died in January 1128 at the age of 58 in Chester,Cheshire,England. Parents: Viscount Ranulph DE MESCHINES and Maud D'AVRANCHES.

Spouse: Lucy COUNTESS OF CHESTER. Lucy COUNTESS OF CHESTER and Earl Ranulph DE MESCHINES were married in 1097 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: Ranulph DE MESCHINES.


Ranulph DE MESCHINES was born in 1099 in Castle Gernon,Normandy,France. He died on 16 December 1153 at the age of 54 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Parents: Earl Ranulph DE MESCHINES and Lucy COUNTESS OF CHESTER.

Spouse: Maud FITZROBERT. Maud FITZROBERT and Ranulph DE MESCHINES were married in 1141 in ,Gloucestershire,England. Children were: Earl Hugh of Kevelioc DE MESCHINES.


Budwine "Bouin" DE METZ was born before 842. He died after 862 at the age of 20. Custom Field:<_FA#> Count de Italy

Spouse: Richilde DE ARLES. Children were: Count Boso II DE VIENNE, Miss DE METZ.


Miss DE METZ[xUpline] (private). Parents: Budwine "Bouin" DE METZ and Richilde DE ARLES.

Spouse: Count Thierry II DE CHAUNOIS. Children were: Count Manasses I DE CHALONS.


Emma DE MEYNELL was born in 1177.

Spouse: Matthew HATHERSAGE. Children were: Cecelia HATHERSAGE.


Elizabeth DE MISSENDEN was born in 1339 in Twyford,Buckinghamshire,England. She died in 1367 at the age of 28 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Parents: Mr De MISSENDEN and Mrs De MISSENDEN.

Spouse: Thomas GIFFARD. Elizabeth DE MISSENDEN and Thomas GIFFARD were married in 1361 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: Roger GIFFARD.


Lord John DE MOELS was born in 1295 in Castle Cary,Somersetshire,England. He died in 1337 at the age of 42 in East Bergholt,Suffolk,England. Parents: JOHN MOELS and MAUD GRAY.

Spouse: Joan LOVEL. Joan LOVEL and Lord John DE MOELS were married in 1327 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Children were: Muriel DE MOELS.


Muriel DE MOELS was born on 31 May 1316 in Marnhull,Dorsetshire,England. She died in June 1338 at the age of 22 in Bromland,Somersetshire,England. Parents: Lord John DE MOELS and Joan LOVEL.

Spouse: Thomas DE COURTENAY. Muriel DE MOELS and Thomas DE COURTENAY were married in 1336 in Cadbury, Mapperton, Somersetshire, England. Children were: Muriel DE COURTENAY.


Muriel DE MOELS was born in 1322 in Of, Marnhull, Dorsetshire, England. She died before 1362 at the age of 40 in Mapperton,Devonshire,England. She has reference number 8TS8-W7. Parents: John De MOELS [Baron Moels] and Joan LOVEL.

Spouse: Thomas COURTENAY. Muriel DE MOELS and Thomas COURTENAY were married about 1340 in Cadbury, Mapperton, Somersetshire, England. Children were: Hugh DE COURTENAY, Muriel COURTENAY, Margaret COURTENAY.


Leuca DE MOHAUT was born about 1190 in Elford, Staffordshire, England. She died DECEASED. Sourced from Hollister-Bartsch Tree worldconnect.rootsweb.com
Contact hollister_family@@dodo.com.au for information or corrections Parents: .

Spouse: Philip DE ORREBY. Leuca DE MOHAUT and Philip DE ORREBY were married in 1227. _UIDABC6D01570A7D811BD0D0000E812BF5C3524 Children were: Clemence ORREBY, Agnes DE ORREBY.


Alice DE MOHUN was born about 1225 in Dunster, Somerset, England. [NEED TO DEFINE SENTENCE:Unknown-Begin] She died before 1284 at the age of 59 in Hatch, Somerset, England. REFN: ems-jw

Sourced from Hollister-Bartsch Tree worldconnect.rootsweb.com
Contact hollister_family@@dodo.com.au for information or corrections Parents: .

Spouse: Robert V DE BEAUCHAMP. _UID211AD11570A7D811BD0D0000E812BF5C007EChildren were: John DE BEAUCHAMP, Humphrey DE BEAUCHAMP, Alice DE BEAUCHAMP, Mary DE BEAUCHAMP.


Eleanor DE MOLEYNS Baroness was born on 11 June 1426 in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England. She was christened in 1426 in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England. She died in 1476 at the age of 50. Eleanor was buried in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England. Parents: William DE MOLEYNS Baron and Anne WHALESBOROUGH.

Spouse: Robert HUNGERFORD Baron. Eleanor DE MOLEYNS Baroness and Robert HUNGERFORD Baron were married on 5 November 1440 in Bef, England. Children were: Alice Eleanor HUNGERFORD, Thomas HUNGERFORD Sir Knight, Walter HUNGERFORD Sir, Friswold HUNGERFORD, Leonard HUNGERFORD, Frideswide HUNGERFORD Nun, Walter HUNGERFORD Sir Knight.

Spouse: Oliver MANNINGHAM Sir Knight.


William DE MOLEYNS Baron[xUpline] (private).

Spouse: Anne WHALESBOROUGH. Children were: Eleanor DE MOLEYNS Baroness.


William DE MOLINES598,599 was born on 7 January 1378 in St. Stephen's, London, England. He died on 8 June 1425 at the age of 47. 1 _UID 958C4DBF974B1746B322AFF879AE6462D5A6 Parents: .

Spouse: Anne WHALESBOROUGH. 1 _UID 8EC2832D78A6BD4CB8B4F4B27F5C12D6FC69Children were: Eleanor MOLINES, Sir William MOLEYNS, Anne MOLYNES.


Aufrica DE MOLLE20,21,1770 was born about 1088. She was born about 1090.1770 She was born about 1098 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.


Dolfin fitz Uchtred DE MOLLE1771 was born about 1100 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland.1771 He was born about 1100. He died after 1150 at the age of 50 in Raby, Durham, England.1771 Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.


Eschelyn DE MOLLE was born about 1095 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. She was born about 1095. Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.

Spouse: Thomas DE LONDRES. Children were: Eschyna DE LONDONIIS, Malcolm DE LONDONIIS , Durward of Scotland, Philip DE LONDONIIS , Chamberlain of Scotland.


Eschyna DE MOLLE was born in 1105 in Paisley Abbey,Renfrewshire,Scotland. Parents: Thomas DE LONDONIIS.

Spouse: Walter FITZALAN. Eschyna DE MOLLE and Walter FITZALAN were married in 1131 in Of, Abbey (Paisley), Renfrew, Scotland.4 Children were: Alan FITZWALTER.


Eva DE MOLLE was born about 1093 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.


Fergus DE MOLLE , Lord of Galloway was born about 1089 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. He died on 12 May 1166 at the age of 77 in Galloway, Wigtownshire, Scotland. Fergus of Galloway
If it had not been for Fergus of Galloway (ruled 1120-1161) who established himself in Galloway, the region would rapidly have been absorbed by Scotland. This did not happen because Fergus, his sons, grandsons and great-grandson Alan, Lord of Galloway shifted their allegiance between Scottish and English kings.

Alan died in 1234. He had three daughters and an illegitimate son Thomas. The 'Community of Galloway' wanted Thomas as their 'king'. Alexander III of Scotland supported the daughters (or rather their husbands) and invaded Galloway.

The Community of Galloway was defeated, and Galloway divided up between Alan's daughters, thus bringing Galloway's independent existence to an end.

Fergus of Galloway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fergus of Galloway was King, or Lord, of Galloway from an unknown date (probably in the 1110s), until his death in 1161. He was the founder of that "sub-kingdom," the resurrector of the Bishopric of Whithorn, the patron of new abbeys (e.g. Dundrennan Abbey), and much else besides. He became a legend after his death, although his actual life is clouded in mystery.

Origins of Fergus
Fergus of Galloway first appears in the historical sources in 1136. His origins and his parentage, however, are something of a mystery. Over the years, Fergus’ origins have been the subject of much discussion and even more fanciful fictional elaboration by historical writers.

One theory is that Fergus was descended from a great pedigree of Gall-Gaidhel kings, who might have been known as Clann Dubgaill, claiming descent from a certain Dubgall. Adding believability to this view is the fact that the chief branch of descendants of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte took the name MacDougall, while the cognate name MacDouall was popular in Galloway. However, since the Argyll name comes only from after Fergus' time, this theory cannot be accepted.

A similar theory traces Fergus from a certain man called "Gilli," a Gall-Gaidhel "Jarl" of the Western Isles. The reasoning in this case is that the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th century French language Arthurian romance, names its eponymous hero's father as Soumilloit (Somairle). The argument is that the latter was descended from the Jarl Gilli, and therefore that both Somairles had Jarl Gilli as a common ancestor. Likewise, yet another theory identifies Fergus' father with the obscure Sumarlidi Hauldr, a character in the Orkneyinga Saga.

Writers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had advanced the idea that Fergus was the childhood companion of David I at the Anglo-Norman court of King Henry I of England. This idea was given credence by his marriage to the daughter of King Henry I, his good relationship with David, and his friendliness towards Anglo-Norman culture.

In reality such a relationship is pure fiction. Fergus was almost certainly a native Galwegian. The Roman de Fergus may not be entitled to general reliability in matters of historical correctness, but Soumilloit is unlikely to have been totally made up. Moreover, Somairle (anglicized either as Somerled or Sorley) is a thoroughly Gall-Gaidhel name, and makes perfect sense in the context. In light of the absence of other evidence, we have to accept that Fergus' father probably bore the name Somairle. Other than that, we simply cannot say anything about Fergus' origins for sure.

Origins of the Galloway Kingdom
Contrary to some popular conceptions, there is no evidence that Galloway was ever part of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. Thus Galloway (west of the Nith at least) lay outside of the traditional area claimed by Kingdom of Alba, Strathclyde's successor state in the area. Galloway, often defined as all of the area to the south and west of the Clyde and west of the River Annan, lay outside of traditional Scottish territory. Though it formed part of the northern mainland of Britain, Galloway was just as much a part of the Irish Sea; part of that "Hiberno-Norse" world of the Gall-Gaidhel lords of the Isle of Man, Dublin and the Hebrides.

For instance, the ex-King of Dublin and Man, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, had the title Rex Innarenn ("King of Rhinns") attributed to him on his death in 1065. The western section of Galloway had been firmly attached to the Isle of Man, and Norse and Gaelic-Norse settlement names from the 10th and 11th centuries are spread all along the coastal lands of south-western "Scotland" and north-western "England."

In the late 11th century, the Norwegian King Magnus III Berrføtt ("Barelegs") led a campaign of subjugation in the Irish Sea world. In 1097, he sent his vassal, Ingimundr, to take control of the Kingdom(s) of Man and the Isles. However, when this man was killed, Magnus himself launched the first of his two invasions, the campaigns of 1098-1099 and of 1102-1103. In the former campaign, he took control of the Western Isles of Scotland, and deposed King Lagmann of Man. (Incidentally, this campaign also brought him to Wales, where he killed the Earl of Chester and the Earl of Shrewsbury, who were at war with the Prince of Gwynedd). In this campaign, Magnus almost certainly brought Galloway under his suzerainty too. Magnus, moreover, gained the recognition of these conquests from the then-king of Alba, Etgair mac Maíl Coluim.

On his second campaign, Magnus went to Man, and with a huge fleet attacked Dublin and attempted to bring the submission of Muircertach mac Toirrdelbach, the Ui Briain King of Munster. The campaign resulted in an alliance between the two kings, and the arranged marriage of Magnus' son Siguðr to Muircertach's daughter Bláthmin. The alliance mitigated the threat of Domnall mac Lochlainn, King of Ailech, bringing stability to the Irish Sea world, and security to Magnus' new Irish Sea "Empire." However, it all went wrong when Magnus was killed on his way back to Norway on a minor raid in Ulster. Much of Magnus' work lay in ruins.

In the view of the main authority on medieval Galloway, Richard Oram, these events provide the key to understanding the origins of the Fergusian Kingdom of Galloway. It was this power vacuum, he suggests, that facilitated the creation of the Kingdom of Galloway, the kingdom which Fergus came to lead and apparently created. The Roman infers that Fergus' father, Somairle, was a poor warrior who benefitted greatly by marriage to a noblewoman, from whom Fergus inherited power. Perhaps then, Fergus' father was a self-made warrior who married into the House of Man; perhaps Fergus inherited and further consolidated his position, building the kingdom out of the ruins left by the death of Magnus Barelegs.

Marriage & the Building of the Lordship
Fergus is known to have had in his lifetime two wives, the names of both being unknown. By these wives, though, three children are known:
Gille Brigte
Uchtred
Affraic

Western Galloway and 1st Marriage
Fergus' likely power base was the area of Galloway between the rivers Dee and Cree. It has been suggested by Oram that he advanced his power in the west through marriage to an unknown heiress. The primary basis of this reasoning is that upon Fergus' death, Gille Brigte got the western part. Gille Brigte was the older son, but because he was not the product of marriage to Fergus' royal wife, he was regarded as the lesser. The fact that he got the west when he should have gotten nothing has led Oram to believe that he got the west because of his mother.

England and Second Marriage
Fergus certainly did marry an illegitimate daughter of Henri Beauclerc, King Henry I of England. Her name, however, is unknown. One of the candidates is Sibylla, the widow of King Alaxandair I mac Maíl Choluim of Scotland, but there is little evidence for this. Another candidate could be Elisabeth; but likewise, there is little evidence. Names aside, the marriage seems to have been part of a forward policy of Henry I in the northwest of his dominions and the Irish Sea zone in general, which was engineered in the second decade of the 12th century. It was during this time that Fergus was calling himself rex Galwitensium (""King of Galloway""). However, while his father-in-law lived, Fergus, like his fellow sub-king, David fils de Malcolm (otherwise known as King David I of Scotland), remained a faithful "vassal" to Henry.

Marriage of Affraic to Man
As part of Fergus’ pretensions in the Irish Sea world, Fergus made himself the father-in-law of the Manx king by marrying off his daughter Affraic to King Óláfr I Gothfrithsson of Man (1114-1153). Óláfr was in many ways a client of the English and Scottish Kings, and so within this new Anglo-Celtic Irish Sea system, Fergus could establish a dominant position. This position lasted until the death of Óláfr in 1153 at the hands of his brother’s sons, who had been brought up in Dublin, and were waiting in the wings.

Elevation of Whithorn
A related development was Fergus' resurrection of the Bishopric of Whithorn, an ancient Galwegian See first established by the expansionary Northumbrians under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of York. The last Bishop of Whithorn, Heathored, had been noted in the year 833. Thereafter nothing is heard; and it is likely the Bishopric disappeared with Northumbrian power, a decline marked by the sack of York by the Danes in 867. In the following two and a half centuries, Galloway, if and where jurisdiction actually existed, it seems to have been under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Man in the west, with Durham and Glasgow in the east.

In terms of the See's resurrection, we know that in late 1128 Pope Honorius II ordered the Bishop-elect of Whithorn to appear before the Archbishop of York. The would-be Bishop was a cleric called Gille Aldan (Gille Aldain), and the Archbishop was Thurstan. York had been coming under increasing pressure from the ambitions of Canterbury, and the northern English metropolitan had only two suffragans (Durham and Man). He needed three in fact to hold proper Archiepiscopal elections. It is likely that York and Fergus did a deal. The involvement of King David I can be discounted on the grounds of his anti-York policies, and his total inclination to appoint English or French clerics, and not Gaelic ones like Gille Aldan. The deal ensured that Galwegian church would not undermine Fergus’ independence of both Man or Scotland, and secured an identity for the new kingdom in the framework of northern Britain and the Isles.

A further point to be noted is that the sources record that the warrior-Bishop Wimund attacked another Bishop, an attack aimed to try and bring the other bishop under his control. Scholars such as Andrew MacDonald and Richard Oram agree that this Bishop was in fact Gille Aldan of Whithorn. It is likely then that the elevation of Whithorn incurred the wrath of the Bishop of the Isles, indicating perhaps something of the status of the Galwegian church before Fergus’ reign.

Fergus & David I
On Henry's death in late 1135, Fergus’ relationship with the Kings of the English could not be maintained. David I of Scotland, ruler of much of Scotland and northern England, assumed a position of dominance. The balance of power swung firmly in David’s favor. It was no longer possible to maintain a position of real independence from the Scottish king. It is at this point Fergus comes into contemporary sources. In summer 1136, David I was in attendance at the consecration of Bishop John’s cathedral in Glasgow. Here was a big gathering of Scottish and Norman nobles. Fergus is recorded as having been in attendance too (with his son Uchtred), leading a list of southwestern Gaelic nobility.

The gathering also assisted David’s ambitions against the new and weak King of the English, Stephen. Galwegian contingents are recorded in several sources as being present during the subsequent campaign and at the defeat of David at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. We cannot know for sure if Fergus was there, but the peace treaty made between David and Stephen in 1139 stipulated that one of Fergus’ sons (certainly Uchtred) be given as a hostage.

Fergus & Máel Coluim IV
In 1153, King David died. The personal relationship of superiority which David had enjoyed over Fergus was not meant to apply to the former’s successors. David was succeeded by the boy-king, Máel Coluim IV. Yet Fergus initially seems to have had a good relationship with the new King. In 1156, Fergus captured and handed over Máel Coluim’s rival Domnall mac Maíl Choluim, the Macheth pretender to the Kingdom of the Scots.

Still, by the end of the decade Fergus and King Máel Coluim were not friends. In 1157, the boy-king’s position in southern Scotland was weakened, when he was forced by King Henry II to hand over Cumbria and Northumbria. It was probably this blow to Máel Coluim’s power that gave Fergus his chance to reassert his independence. The Chronicle of Holyrood reports that Máel Coluim led three campaigns against Fergus in 1160. The context was that Máel Coluim had been in France with his lord Henry II, and had just returned to Scotland. Many of the native Scottish magnates besieged Máel Coluim at Perth upon his return. However, Fergus was not one of them, and any connection between the so-called Revolt of the Earls and Fergus has no evidence to substantiate it. On the other hand, it is highly suggestive that this revolt occurred in exactly same year as the invasion of Galloway.

Fergus and the Meic Fergusa
Fergus’ later years were mired by the squabbling of his two sons. Perhaps too Fergus’ longevity was testing his sons’ patience. Walter Daniel reported that, in relation to the mid-1150s, Fergus was:

“… incensed against his sons, and the sons raging against the father and each other … The King of Scotland could not subdue, nor the bishop pacify their mutual hatreds, rancour and tyranny. Sons were against father, father against sons, brother against brother, daily polluting the unhappy little land with bloodshed.” (Walter Daniel, ‘‘Life of Ailred’’, 45-6; quoted in Oram, pp. 78-9)

Whether because of Gille Brigte and Uchtred, or because of Máel Coluim’s campaigns, Fergus was forced into retirement, becoming a monk at Holyrood Abbey in 1160. He died the following year.

Legend of Fergus
Fergus' descendants, when recounting their genealogy, invariably dated their lines back to Fergus. Fergus was one of the few secular Gaelic figures of the High Middle Ages to attain a legendary status in the wider world of Christendom.

Roman de Fergus
Around the beginning of the 13th century, someone in Scotland composed in French an Arthurian romance dedicated to the Galwegian King. This is the so-called Roman de Fergus. The Roman de Fergus, as it happens, is the earliest piece of non-Celtic vernacular literature to emerge from Scotland. According to tradition, the author was a man called Guillaume le Clerc (William the Clerk). Certain scholars have hypothesized that it was written for the inauguration of Fergus' descendant, Alan mac Lochlainn (or perhaps more appropriately in this context, Alan fils de Roland). More recently, D.D.R. Owen, a St Andrews scholar of medieval French, has proposed that the author was William Malveisin. William was at one point a royal clerk, to King William I before becoming Bishop of Glasgow and St Andrews. The Roman gratifies Fergus' descendants by making him a Perceval-like knight of King Arthur.

The Roman circulated all over the Frankish world of northwestern Europe for centuries to come. It is a tribute to Fergus' legendary status as a monarch and as the founding father of Galloway.
Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.

Children were: Margaret DE MOLLE.


Gracia DE MOLLE was born about 1091 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. Parents: Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar.


Margaret DE MOLLE was born about 1130 in Galloway, Wigtownshire, Scotland. She was born about 1130. Parents: Fergus DE MOLLE , Lord of Galloway.

Spouse: Alan FITZWALTER , High Steward of Scotland. Children were: David FitzAlan STUART, Simon FitzAlan STUART.


Uchtred fitz Maldred DE MOLLE , Earl of Dunbar was born about 1066 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. He died in 1129 at the age of 63 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. Parents: .

Children were: Fergus DE MOLLE , Lord of Galloway, Gracia DE MOLLE, Eva DE MOLLE, Eschelyn DE MOLLE, Aufrica DE MOLLE, Dolfin fitz Uchtred DE MOLLE.


Agnes DE MOLYNEUX was born Wft Est 1255 in Sefton, Lancashire, England. She died DECEASED. Sourced from Hollister-Bartsch Tree worldconnect.rootsweb.com
Contact hollister_family@@dodo.com.au for information or corrections Parents: Richard John DE MOLYNEUX Esq. and Emma DUNNE.