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- First Earl of Lenox.
The Scots Peerage has the following article on the Celtic Earls of Lennox:
Lennox was not one of the so-called seven Provinces of Scotland, but as a district derived its name from the Gaelic rendering othe vale of the Leven, including the great lake of Loch 'Leven' now known as Lock Lomond. It was styled Levenauchen or Levenachs, softened into Levenax or Lennax, signifying 'the field of the smooth stream.' The district embraced under this name, and included in the earldom, contained the whole of the ancient sheriffdom of Dumbarton, the parishes of Arrochar, Baldernock, Balfron, Bonhill, Buchanan, Cardross, Drymen, Dumbarton, Fintry, Killearn, Kilmarnock, New Kilpatrick, Old Kilpatrick, Luss, Roseneath, Row, and Strathblane, with Campsie and Kilsyth being all within the bounds ruled over by the Earls of Lennox. This large territory was, it is said, erected by King Malcolm IV into an earldom in 1154 in favout of a certain Alwin, who is referred to in two later writs of date about 1200 as Alwin the elder, Earl of Lennox. The year of erection here assigned is probably too early. Dr. Skene expresses the opinion that Lennox was one of two earldoms created by King William the Lion in favour of his brother David, the other being Garloch, and that Lennox came to Alwin about the year 1193, or that David resigned it when he became Earl of Huntingdon in 1184. This view, however, must be qualified by other evidence. It is not clear that Garlock ever was an earldom, as it is usually described as a lordship, and it will be shown that Lennox was already an earldom when it was bestowed on Prince David. There can be little doubt that there were two Earls of Lennox of the name of Alwin, but their ancestry has hitherto been a matter of speculation. Two rival theories were put forward. The first, suggested by Crawfurd, elaborated by Douglas's Peerage (botn editions), and more recently accepted and expanded by Sir William Fraser, traced that descent from a certain Arkill or Archill, a Northumbrian magnat who was made an exile by William the Conqueror, and who is alleged, though there is no evidence on the point, to have come to Scotland in 1070 and to have received a grant of lands in the Lennox. This theory assumes that the first Alwin, Earl of Lennox. This theory assumes that the first Alwin, Earl of Lennox, was identical with Alwin Macarchill, a personage who appears frequently as a witness to charters of King David I., and also to a few of his successor's, down to 1154 or later.
The other theory is that of a Celtic descent, put forward by Dr. Skene. In his work on The Highlanders of Scotland, first published in 1837, Mr. Skene's views on the parentage of the first Earl of Lennox were admittedly uncertain, and apparently on the authority of a passage in Lord Strathallan's Genealogy of the House of Drummond, he inclines to the theory that 'the Earl of Lennox, before they acquired that dignity, were hereditary seneschals of Stratherne and bailies of the Abthainrie of Dull in Atholl.' He also, in the same work, asserts that 'during the reign of Malcolm IV. and a part of that of William the Lion, their brother David, Earl of Huntingdon, appears as Earl of Lennox.' In his later work, Celtic Scotland, Dr. Skene modified his opinions considerably, and supplied evidence which fully justifies a Celtic descent being ascribed to the first Earl of Lennox, of whom we now treat.
I. Alwin, first Earl of Lennox, though he is disctinctly named in his son's charters as Alwin the elder, Earl of Lennox, is historically a very shadowy personage, but the combined evidence of a contemporary poet and of an ancient Celtic genealogy, without following the latter to its ancient and perhaps mythical beginning, makes it probable that his father was named Muredach, and his grandfather Maldouen. The latter, Mr. Skene goes so far as to suggest, was identical with Meldionneth, son of Machedeth, the 'good and discreet judge,' who, in 1128, aided in settling a dispute as to the bounds of Kirkness. Be this as it may, the evidence, so far as it goes, seems to suggest that the immediate ancestors of Alwin were not only Celtic chiefs but were Mormaors of their own district. So also probably was Alwin before he was made Earl. The date of his creation, if such a ceremony ever took place, can only be presumed, as the evidence is very meagre. One charter by King William the Lion granting the Lennox to his brother David is now accessible, and its date may be stated to be between 1178 and 1182. This writ was unknown to Mr. Skene, and it qualifies his view that David was Earl of Lennox during Malcolm's reign, as the charter conveys the earldom of Lennox ('comitatum de Leuenaus cum omnibus pertinenciis'), thus showing that the earldom had been already constituted and its limits defined before 1178. But there is evidence that Prince David may have had the earldom earlier, as he grants the churches of Campsie and Altermunin to the monks of Kelso, by a charter which is confirmed by King William about 1177, or perhaps so early as 1173. He may therefore have had an earlier grant of the earldom. It may be noted that Prince David is nowhere styled 'Earl' of Lennox, but his occupancy complicates the difficulty of fixing the date of Alwin's possession as Earl, though it is probable it was not quite so early as 1154, the date usually assigned, while, as stated, it may have been so late as 1185.
There are no charters of the first Earl Alwin known to exist in any form, but there can be little doubt that he was Earl for a time, and did grant lands to the church of Kilpatrick, though the date is uncertain. The poem by Muredach Albanach, his contemporary, adds little of nothing to our knowledge of him, except that his chief sent was at Balloch, afterwards a residence of the Earls. it is not known when he died, but it must have been before 1199. He left issue, but the name of his wife is unknown:-
1. Alwin, who succeeded.
2. Eth, who is described as son of the Earl of Lennox, and is witness to a charter, dated about 1193, by Duncan, afterwards Earl of Carrick, granting the lands of Little Maybole to the monks of Melrose.
Alwin the first may have had other offspring, as Earl Alwin the second also refers in one writ, before 1199, to 'Rodarc' or 'Rodard,' his nephew, and in another writ (1207-1214) to 'Gillescop Galbard,' his nephew, a person who appears later as the ancestor of the family of Galbraith. These were apparently brothers.
II. Alwin, second Earl of Lennox, styles himself 'son and heir of Alwin, Earl of Lennox,' and is styled by his son 'Alwin, younger, Earl of Lennox, son and heir of Alwin, elder, Earl of Lennox,' thus leaving no doubt of his parentage not that he was the second Earl of his name. The grant to Earl David of the earldom may have been made during his minority, as he would then be a ward of the Crown. When he was fully invested in his earldom is unknown, but the first notice of him is a charter by himself to the church of Kilpatrick of the lands of Cochnach and others. This charter is of uncertain date, and can be fixed only as between 1182 and 1199, the year when Jocelyn, Bishop of Glasgow, died, who was present at the granting. Maldouen and Malcolm, two of the granter's sons, are witnesses. Between 1208 and 1214 he, as son and heir of Alwin, Earl of Lennox, bestowed the church and the church lands of Campsie upon the church of Glasgow. He also, at some unknown date, granted to Maldouen, Dean of Lennox (perhaps a kinsman), the lands of Luss, which afterwards came by marriage into possession of, and still belong to, the ancient family of Colquhoun. It is not certain when the second Earl Alwin died, but it was apparently before 1217, when his son Maldouen seems to have been Earl. Alwin is said to have married Eva, daughter of Gilchrist, Earl of Menteith. He had issue:-
1. Maldouen, who succeeded as Earl.
2. Murdach, named by Earl Maldouen as first of his brothers, Dugald, Aulay, and Duncan being the others, in a charter of or before August 1217. It is probably he who is described as Muredach, son of the Mormaor of Lennox, and celebrated as victorious in a conflict in 1215.
3. Dugald, rector of Kilpatrick, named first in a charter about 1217. He alienated the extensive possessions and emoulments of that benefice from the church to his own uses, and the Abbot and convent of Paisley, to whom the rectory belonged, accused him to the Pope. A commisson of inquiry was appointed, and after hearing witnesses, Dugald, finding the case going against him, threw himself upon his accuser's mercy and resigned the lands he had alienated, in favour of the Abbey of Paisley. He was allowed to retain his church for life with about fifty acres of land. In 1271 his three grand nieces were his heirs.
4. Malcolm, who is named in the charter by his father to the church of Kilpatrick before 1199. He is also a witness to various charters by his brother. Earl Maldouen. The date of his death is uncertain. He had issue a daughter, married to Finlay de Campay, son of Robert of Reidheugh, by whom she had (1) Mary, wife of John de Wardroba, (2) Helen, wife of Bernard de Erth, ancestors of the Stirlings of Craigbernard and Glorat, and (3) Forveleth, wife of Norin of Monorgund. They were retorued, on 24 April 1271, as heirs of their grandfather Malcolm and grand-uncle Dugald.
5. Aulay (a name which is very variously spelt), named in 1217, who had grants of hte lands of Faslane, and of Roseneath, Glenfruin, and others on the Gareloch, from his brother Earl Maldouen, confirmed by King Alexander II. 31 May 1226. He made liberal grants to the Abbey of Paisley, especially a large range of net fishing in the Gareloch, reserving to himself every fourth salmon taken. He was also a witness to various charters by his brother the Earl, and was sill alive in 1250. He had a son,
Aulay, who is named with his father in a charter of uncertain date, and also in a charter by Earl Maldouen in 1250. He had a son,
Duncan, who is referred to as Duncan, son of Aulay, in various writs, and attained the rank of knighthood. He is named as a juror in 1271; he was a knight in 1294, and he was still alive in 1306 and had joined Bruce, as a request was made to the English King for his lands. He had a son
Aulay, styled Aulay or Allan de Faslane, on whom Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, bestowed the office of 'Tosheagor' or heritable baillie, given up apparently for the time by Patrick Lindsay of Bonhill. He was succeeded in the office by his son,
Walter de Faslane, who married Margaret, daughter of Donald, Earl of Lennox, and possessed the earldom in her right. A further notice of him is given below.
6. Duncan, named in 1217 as a brother of Earl Maldouen, and also in other writs by the Earl, the last being in 1250.
7. Gilchrist, named in 1217, who obtained from his brother Earl Maldouen the lands of Arrochar, and became the ancestor of the Clan Macfarlane. He appears frequently as a witness to his brother's charters, the latest being in 1250. It has also been suggested that he is the same as Christinus, who is named as a brother of the granter in a charter by Earl Maldouen to Maurice Galbraith.
8. Henry, who appears in several charters of Earl Maldouen as his brother.
9. Corc, who appears once, as a witness, among Earl Maldouen's brothers. He had a son, Murdoch, who had charters of the lands of Croy. His descendants in the time of King David II. had a charter of the lands of Leckie and assumed that surname.
10. Ferchar, who is named once, in 1217, with Aulay, Duncan, and Gilchrist, as brothers of the Earl, in a charter to Eva, their sister, and her husband.
11. Eva, to whom, in or about 1217, Earl Maldouen granted the lands of Glaskel or Glaswel in free marriage with Malcolm, son of Duncan, thane of Callendar. On 10 August in that year the Earl renewed the grant to her and her husband, and added part of Kilsyth, with the patronage of the church, then styled Moniabroc. They had issue Alwin, Thane of Callendar, ancestor of the family of that name.
III. Maldouen, third Earl of Lennox, who first appears on record in a charter by his father, Earl Alwin, to the church of Kilpatrick before 1199. Between 1208 and 1214 he granted the church of Campsie to the bishopric of Glasgow, and was then son and heir of his father. he succeeded before 10 August 1217, when he, as Earl, bestowed the lands and church of Kilsyth on his sister Eva and her husband. From this date on to 1250 he is frequently found granting charters, chiefly to the Abbey of Paisley. Other grants made by him were those to his brother Aulay of the lands of Faslane, to Gilchrist of the lands of Arrochar, and of the large territory of Colquhoun to Humphrey Kilpatrick. Followinf the example of King William the Lion, he was admitted into the fraternity of the Abbey of Arbroath, and in recognition of the fact he gave 'his brothers' an alms of four oxen each year, at Stirling, on St. John Baptist's Day, with a promise that, at his death, they were to have twenty oxen. His name and that of his brother Aulay were to be inscribed in the Abbey martyrology, 'that each year at our anniversary we may be absolved in their chapter.' This grant, which was continues yearly until 1317, when it was commuted into a yearly sum of two merks, to be paid at Cambuskenneth, was confirmed on 9 January 1231. He was present at the important treaty between Alexander II. and Henry III., affecting the northern countis of England, on 25 September 1237, and he was a surety for the same in 1244. In 1238 he had a charter from King Alexander II. of the earldom of Lennox, which his father Alwin held, except the Castle of Dumbarton, with the land of Murrach, with the whole part and the water and fishery of the River Leve, so far as the lands of Murrach extend, which the King retained in his own hands, with the Earl's consent. The last dated charter granted by the Earl was on 12 March 1250-51, containing a general confirmation of his benefactions to the monastery of Paisley. The date of this Earl's death is uncertain. His successor does not appear on record till about 1270. Earl Maldouen married a lady named Elizabeth, to whom he refers as his spouse in a charter of certain lands to the monks of Paisley, dated before 22 October 1228, when it was confirmed by King Alexander II. She is said to have been a daughter of Walter, the third High Stewart, and this is not improbable, as he not unfrequently is a witness to Earl Maldouen's charters, and seems to have taken an interest in the family affairs. The Earl had issue, so far as on record, two sons:-
1. Malcolm, who is first named in a charter dated 1225, as son of the Earl, and again in a charterby Walter the High Stewart, dated before 16 November 1228, and others by him. Later, he is described as son and heir. In 1239 he had a dispute with the Abbey of Paisley about the possession of certain lands belonging to their church of Kilpatrick. To settle the matter, Walter the High Stewart and hte Earl arranged with the disputants that the Abbey should pay Malcolm sixty merks, while he quitclaimed the lands and confirmed the rights of the monks. Besides other writs in which Malcolm is named, the last transavtion recorded of him was a dispute between him and Sir David Graham. Earl Maldouen had granted to the latter half a carucate, or about fifty acres, of Strathblane. At Whitsundey 1248, however, Malcolm objected to the grant, and trouble began. At Lammas, however, the influence of his father and other friends led to a settlement. Malcolm duly granted a quitclaim to Sir David of certain money, and agreed to give a charter of the lands. His sudden death a few days later prevented this, and Earl Maldouen himself made the necessary grant, explaining the circumstances and the reason of delay. So far as known Malcolm had only one son,
Malcolm, who succeeded his grandfather as fourth Earl.
2. Duncan, who is named son of the Earl (Maldouen) in a charter by the latter to Stephen Blantyre, another witness being Walter the High Stewart.
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