Somerled (Macgillebride) MacGillebride (abt. 1115 - 1164)

Born about 1115 in Morven, Argyll, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Ragnhilda (Olafsdatter) Olafsdottir — married before 1140 in Morvern, Argyll, Scotland

Descendants

Died 1 Jan 1164 at about age 49 in Renfrewshire, Scotland

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Somerled (Macgillebride) MacGillebride was part of early Scandinavian history. Join: Early Scandinavia Project Discuss: EARLY_SCANDINAVIA

Biography

Somerled is first mentioned in the historical record as living with his father, Gillebride mac Gille Adomnan (abt.1085-abt.1123), in Moray. ^[1]

After removing the Scandinavians from the lands in Argyll, Somerled assumed the title of Thane^[2] He then claimed the kingdom of Man and the Isles.^[2]

In about 1140, Somerled married Ragnhilda Olafsdatter, daughter of Olaf, King of Man and the Isles.^[2] When Olaf died in 1154, he was succeeded by his son, Godred, who soon turned the island chiefs against himself.^[2] They rallied behind Somerled, convincing him to allow his young son Dugal, to be proclaimed King of the Western Isles.^[2] and allowing Somerled to take the Isle of Man two years later.^[2]

In 1157, Somerled supported the MacHethsin their uprising against Malcolm IV, which resulted in MacHeth's son, also named Malcolm, being granted the Earldom of Ross.^[3] Somerled was granted the Norwegian title of King of the Sudreys, which saw a seven year peace between Somerled and Malcolm IV.^[3]

Somerled renewed his expansion goals in 1164, taking 15,000 men and 184 ships up the Clyde to Renfrew.^[3][4] That he died there is clear, but the manner of his death is debated. Scottish historians say he was killed at the Battle of Renfrew, while the Highland Chroniclers say he was assassinated prior to any battle being fought.^[3] His body was carried to Kintyre and he was buried at the Abbey of Saddel; the building of which was begun by himself and afterwards completed by his son Reginald.^[3]

Life Events

It has been assumed Somerled was born in Morven, a district of Argyll, today in Scotland and, at the time part of the Kingdom of Norway under the Kingdom of the Isles. It is possible that he was born in Ireland.

1164: Somerled invaded Scotland. His force is thought to have been around 15,000 strong, and from Ireland, Argyll, and the Isles, with a fleet of 184 galleys. He sailed up the Clyde to Greenock, where he landed. He marched to Renfrew where the King (Malcolm IV) had formed his army. The two armies marched to meet with the Battle of Renfrew thought to have occurred near Paisley. The Scottish army, led by Walter fitz Alan, the High Steward, including Herbert, Bishop of Glasgow (who may have been wounded here and died later that year), and Baldwin of Biggar, Sheriff of Lanark and consisting mainly of Scoto/Norman knights and their levies won the day. Somerled was killed at the battle with The Carmen de Morte Sumerledi, supposedly written by an eyewitness, recording that he was "wounded by a [thrown] spear and cut down by the sword". That source further states that a priest severed his head and delivered it into the bishop's hands. Several sources also state that a son of Somerled was slain in the battle, with the Annals of Tigernach identifying him as Gille Brigte, whom he fathered by an unknown woman.^[3][5]

Children

There are variations in regards to his children. The following list comes from The Scots Peerage, ^[3] with notes made of any variation in the Research Notes section.

• Reginald (sometimes seen as Ragnall, Raghnall, Ragnvald son of Somerled, Rognvald, Reginaldi filii Sorleti, Reginald or Ranald). The eldest son to the marriage, he succeeded Somerled in Kintyre and Isla.^[3] He drove his brother Angus and his sons out of both Bute and Arran. He is also styled King of the Isles and Lord of Argyll and Kintyre. From this son comes the MacDonald lords of the Isles and also MacRuaris.

• Dugald (Dugall), who inherited as his share of his father's territories on Lorne, Mull, and Jura.^[3] From this person are descended the lords of Argyll and the clan MacDougall.

• Angus, who inherited Bute, with a part of Arran, and the Bough Bounds (Garmoran) extending from Ardnamurchan to Glenelg.^[3] Angus and his three sons were killed in 1210 by the men of Skye.

• Bethoc (Beatrice), who became Prioress of lona.^[3]

Other Children:^[3]

• Certainly, Gille Brigte (GilleBride), more commonly known as Gillecallum, thought to have been the eldest son and likely from a relationship prior to his marriage.

• Possibly Olaf who only appears in the Chronicle of Mann.

Burial

The Abby of Saddell, Kintyre, Argyle, Scotland.

Quoting Andrew McKerral, in A Chronology of the Abbey and Castle of Saddell, Kintyre, the Abbey of Saddell was situated on the east coast of Kintyre, in Argyll, about ten miles north of the modern burgh of Campbelltown. Its history is interesting because of its close connection with the family of Somerled and the Lords of the Isles, and in that it was the only Cistercian foundation in the West Highlands. The name is Norse, signifying sandy dale or valley, and occurs in the records in such forms as Saundle, Sandal, Sadagul, Sagadul, and Sconedale.”^[6]

Research Notes

Note on Name: Somerled's name varies depending on the source as follows: Somhairlidh (Gaelic) and the original, Somairle (Gaelic), Sorley (English original), Somerled (English 19th C.), Somhairle (Gaelic) and Sumarliði (Old Norse). Many historians suggest the name is dervied from Norse, for summer soldier or viking, but this is doubt. Recent research indicates that his name was, in his time and culture, Somhairlidh, pronounced Sorley in English. ^[7]

The name of his father (GilleBride) and paternal grandfather (GilleAdamnan) appear to be corroborated in patronymic forms recorded in the Annals of Tigernach and the Annals of Ulster, noticed as Somhairlidh mac Gillebride mhic Gilledomnán.

Somhairlidh mac Gillebride mhic Gilledomnán, King of the Sudreys (Norway), Lord of Argyll. It is asserted that his father was Gillebribe which likely stems from gille Bride, servant of St Bride. She was Saint Bride in Scotland but also seen as Saint Bridgit, Saint Brigid of Kildare, or Brigid of Ireland and was one of Ireland's patron saints. The Hebrides were once known as "Bride's Isles" and her influence was part of the early church in the Western Isles and Argyll. Thus his grandfather Gilledomnán suggests servant of Domnán. He was likely Adamnán of Iona, another Irish Saint who had his church at Iona, captured by Somerled in 1164 and rebuild by his son Ranald when, in 1203, he invited the Benedictine order to establish a new monastery, and an Augustinian Nunnery, on the Columban Monastery's foundations. It was later the burial place of the Lords of the Isles.

Mother: There is no authoritative source that provides details of his mother. In some source material, notably on the web she is seen as the daughter of Sigurd Lovdveson, sometimes noticed as Ellen. This is discounted by historians, for many reasons, not least being that Sigurd died in 1014 and his parents marriage likely took place c. 1110. What is known is that she was "fair", likely of Norwegian lineage and certainly of a notable family.

Note: Enligt en Y-kromosonundersökning vid Oxfords Universitet av geneticist Bryan Sykes har Somerled, grundaren av clanen MacDonald sannolikt sina rötter i Norge. Somerled anses vara en av Skottlands största krigare. Artikeln är publicerad 2003, se denna länk. (http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/norse.htm).

According to a Y chromosome study at Oxford University by geneticist Bryan Sykes, Somerled, the founder of the MacDonald clan, probably has his roots in Norway. Somerled is considered one of Scotland's greatest warriors. The article was published in 2003, see this link.

Somerled var den förste icke norske kungen eller lorden över the Isles, som hade styrts av norska hövdingar mellan 875 och 1140. The Isles omfattar Hebriderna och västra kusten av Skottland. Det antasatt Harald Svartes son Gudröd Crovan äktade Ragnhild, dotter till Harald Hårdråde. Detta bekräftas vid att ett av Gudröd Crovans barnbarn (dotter av Olof Bitling) blev kallad Ragnhild; hon blev gift med Somerled av Argyll. (Fra Skanke-slektens historie, sid 10, G.V.C. Young, 1986)

Somerled was the first non-Norwegian king or lord of the Isles, who had been ruled by Norwegian chiefs between 875 and 1140. The Isles include the Hebrides and the west coast of Scotland. It is assumed that Harald Svart's son Gudröd Crovan married Ragnhild, daughter of Harald Hårdråde. This is confirmed by the fact that one of Gudröd Crovan's grandchildren (daughter of Olof Bitling) was named Ragnhild; she married Somerled of Argyll. (From the History of the Skanke Family, p. 10, G.V.C. Young, 1986)

Somerled Mac Gillabride, född före 1140. Grundare av dynastin Lords of the Isles. Han var son till Gillibride (Gilbert) och sonson till Gillaegammon, som grundade kungariket Argathelia (Argyll). Död islaget vid Renfrew år 1164. Sumerled, Lord of Argyll; and this was the cause of the ruin of the whole kingdom of the Isles, for he had issue by her four sons, Dugald, Reginald, Angus and Olave. (The family records of the Bruces and the Cumyns' tryckt Kinnard, Falkirk, januari 1870)

Somerled Mac Gillabride, born before 1140. Founder of the Lords of the Isles dynasty. He was the son of Gillibride (Gilbert) and grandson of Gillaegammon, who founded the kingdom of Argathelia (Argyll). Died of the Battle of Renfrew in 1164.

Efter ett sjöslag år 1156 delades Söderöarna i två delar och Hebriderna bildade ett eget rike med Islay som centrum. (Nordisk Vikingaguide, sid 189, Lars G. Holmblad)

After a naval battle in 1156, the Southern Islands were divided into two parts and the Hebrides formed their own kingdom with Islay as the center. (Nordic Viking Guide, page 189, Lars G. Holmblad)

Story:The grounds for this annulment were that Olaf had previously kept a first cousin of his wife as a concubine and was therefore, technically, committing incest. This seems an extremely nice distinction for mediaval Gaeldom, and the requel to this story probably explains the real motive. On being released from his first marriage to Lauon, a daughter of a nobleman in Kintyre, Olaf married Christina the daughter of Ferchar earl of Ross. Lauon's father is nowhere named in our sources, but it is likely that he was Ruaídrí son of Rognvald son of Somerled who ruled Kintyre in the early thirteenth century. Ruaídrí appears to have lost his lands, and perhaps his life, in the course of the Scottish king Alexander II's expedition(s) to the west in 1221 and/or 1222. Following its account of Olaf's marriage to Christina, the Chronicle tells us that Laon's sister, queen to king Rognvald, provoked Rognvald's son Godred into attacking his uncle Olaf. Despite initial discomfiture, Olaf, with the helf of earl Ferchar, overcame his nephew. This incident is dated to the year 1223. The dating would suggest that it was the collapse of Ruaídrí's position in Kintyre that led Olaf, now based in the North, toseek a more appropriate ally in Ferchar. If this interpretation of events is correct then we should see bishop Rognvald as the tool of Olaf's policy rather than as an officious reformer. It would be interesting to know whether the Mac Ruaídrís owed their later position of strength in Garmoran and the Long Island to Olaf's patronage."

Her får vi interessante antydninger om slektstilhørighet for Lauon og hennes søster som føres tilbake til Somerled. Han var gift med Ragnhild datter av Olav Gudrødson og Ingebjørg. Ingebjørg var igjen datter of Håkon, jarl på Orknøyene. (May Teistevoll, Norge)

Here we get interesting hints about family affiliation for Lauon and her sister who are taken back to Somerled. He was married to Ragnhild daughter of Olav Gudrødson and Ingebjørg. Ingebjørg was again the daughter of Håkon, earl of the Orkney Islands. (May Teistevoll, Norway)

DNA

The DNA evidence for the Y-chromosome line of Somerled, first proposed by Bryan Sykes (see 'Adam's Curse') is currently (October 2021) as follows. Evidence that all current Clan leaders, except Glencoe, are male line desendants of John 1st Lord of the Isles, Somerled's 3rd great grandson, is conclusive, as there are tested descendants with good to excellent paper trails of four sons. There is a marker for Lord John, called CLD57, but it is neither STR nor SNP but rather a large (~10 kilobase) segmental deletion that requires hand examination of BAM or VCF files. That this line is still valid back to Somerled's grandson Donald is highly likely based on MacAllister lines. The DNA signature of Donald is R-FGC11896. The 'Somerled' signature (which is Haplogroup R-YP326) had not appeared in known or purported descendants of any of his sons except Ranald until May, 2015, when a person with surname MacDougal and purported descent from Dugall matched it. There are now several closely matching MacDougalls. That Somerled or his father were the actual first bearers of YP326 is highly suggestive but not conclusive, based on several MacEacharns with purported paper trails. Only descendants in the DNA list who are R1a (and also CTS4179+) should be considered candidates for his male line descendants. FTDNA kits 393845 and 231598 have impeccable paper trails to Somerled. See the Clan Donald DNA Project [this paragraph edited Oct 19 2021 by McDonald-6970]

Sources

1. ↑ Paul, James Balfour; The Scots Peerage...; (Douglas, D; Edinburgh, 1904); Vol v, page 28
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Paul, James Balfour; The Scots Peerage...; (Douglas, D; Edinburgh, 1904); Vol v, page 29
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11} Paul, James Balfour; The Scots Peerage...; (Douglas, D; Edinburgh, 1904); Vol v, page 30
4. ↑ Chalmers, George; Caledonia; or, A historical and topographical account of North Britain...; (Gardner; Paisley, 1887); Vol ii, page 625-628
5. ↑ "Somharlidh Mac Gilla-Adhamhnain and his son were killed and slaughter of the Men of Airthir-Gaedhel (eastern Irish/Ulster) and of Cenn-tire (Kintyre) and of the men of Insi-Gall (the Hebrides) and of the Foreigners of Ath-cliath (Vikings of Dublin) [took place] around him." Celt : The Annuls of Ulster: U1164.4 corpus of electronic texts edition
6. ↑ PoMS, H3/30/3 (http://db.poms.ac.uk/record/source/2685/; accessed 01 December 2013) People of Medieval Scotland, 1093-1314
7. ↑ Clan Donald; Somhairlidh nó Somerled?

See also:

• A source for the various versions of this ancestral line can be found in The Origins and Ancestry of Somerled: Gofraid mac Fergusa and ‘The Annals of the Four Masters’ (dead link) Alex Woolf pdf University of St Andrews who tables the versions Somhairle & Somairle at the head of five parallel versions of this ancestral line on page 3. and the discussion at Google Groups : SOMERLED, Lord of the Isles
• People of Medieval Scotland; Somerled
• http://www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info/genealogy/TNGWebsite/getperson.php?personID=I6268&tree=CC
• http://www.thepeerage.com/p2457.htm#i24565
• Wikipedia: Somerled
• Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY.htm#ReginaldsonSomerledB
• http://fabpedigree.com/s036/f700321.htm
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=aet%2Dt&id=I47467