Mormaer of Caithness - List of Mormaers of Caithness

List of Mormaers of Caithness

The list is by necessity a fragmentary one, archives being not fully preserved, actual reign of some supposed mormaers being not fully attested, and so forth:

• Donnchad of Caithness, (or Dungadr) whose wife was Groa, daughter of Thorstein Olafsson.

• Thorfinn I of Orkney (Torfin mac Enar), possibly succeeding as Donnchad's son-in-law, husband of his daughter Gruaidh inghen Donnchaidh

• Skuli Thorfinnsson of Orkney, son of Gruaidh and Thorfinn, mormaership (of Caithness) confirmed by Kenneth II of Alba

• Lodvi Thorfinnsson of Orkney

• Sigurd II Lodvisson of Orkney

• 1014– Thorfinn II of Orkney, mormaership of Caithness specifically given to him over his half-brothers by king Malcolm of Alba, his maternal grandfather

• Madadhan of Caithness (apparently in Strathnaver, Muddan, Moddan), created mormaer of Caithness by king Duncan I of Alba in mid-1030s, killed 1040

• Ottar of Thurso, son of another Madadhan, presumably a descendant of the previous Madadhan

• Haakon I of Orkney, brother-in-law of Ottar and grandson of Thorfinn II

• Arailt mac Haquin, Harold I of Orkney, nephew of Ottar, and son of Haakon; recognized in Caithness by king David I

• Elga inghen Madadhan (Helga Moddansdottir)

• • Rögnvald Kali Kolsson of Orkney

• Erlend III of Orkney, recognized of Caithness by Malcolm IV

• Harold II of Orkney (Arailt mac Mataidh)

• • Harald the Young, grandson of Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, confirmed by king Uilleam I of Alba
  • Ragnald IV of the Isle of Man, given Caithness by king Uilleam I of Alba

• David of Orkney

• Iain mac Arailt mac Mataidh, John I of Orkney (murdered in Thurso 1231)

• Magnus mac Gille-Brighde of Angus, earl of Orkney

• Gilbert II of Orkney

• Malcolm or Magnus III of Orkney

• Magnus IV of Orkney

• John II of Orkney

• Magnus V of Orkney

• ?princess Catherine of Orkney

• c. 1334–35 Maol Íosa V, Earl of Strathearn, earl of Orkney

• Maud of Strathearn, and her husband Wayland de le Arde

• Alexander de le Arde, in 1375 sold his hereditary rights to Robert II of Scotland

• 1375 – before 1389 David Stewart, Earl palatine of Strathearn

• c. 1389–1390 Euphemia Stewart, countess palatine of Strathearn

• 1402–28 Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl

• 1428–31 Alan Stewart

• 1431–37 again: Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (d. 1437) (forfeit 1437)

• 1452 George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness (d. 1455) (created 1452, resigned 1452)

• 1455–76 William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, created 1st Earl of Caithness, great-grandson of Iseabail inghen Maoliosa, youngest daughter of Malyesu V of Strathearn and his designated heiress of Orkney