Crinan O'Beolan

• Preferred Name: Crinan O'Beolan^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}
  
• Gender: M
  
• Death: 975 in Applecross, Highland, Scotland at LATI: N7.4167 LONG: E5.8167
  
• FSID: LRSP-SLS
  
• 1467+Manuscript: with note: Description: The 1467 Manuscript of genealogy of Clan Gillander contains the name of Crinin Mhic Gillion of Aird (Beolan). It was part of a charter from William III, Earl of Ross to Paul MacTyre, a "cousin" - linked with the Earls of Ross at points Gillandrias and earlier with Gillion of Aird. McKenzie History by Alexander McKenzie equates Gillion of Aird with King Bjolan "Beolan"of the Viking Saga. The Applecross Historical Society Director, Ian MacKenzie, wrote that O"Beolan was of the Viking saga, raised from Chamberlain to Chief Abbot, and repaired the damages to the castles near the farms.
  
• Birth: 914 in Scotland
  
• Notes:

  === Ancient 1467Manuscript of clan genealogy ===
  Comments:
  
  Alexander McKenzie in his MacKenzie History, 1879, adds names onto the MacKenzie line from an additional ancient document with two more generations for the MacKenzies. And MacKenzie adds one more generation from Farquhard, Earl of Ross -- AnSagart The Priest -- and says Farquhard could be the grandson or great grandson of Earl Gillandres/Gillandres, 1 of 6 Celtic Earl. On his graph is Gillanrias as Grandfather of Earl Farquhar, the ancestor in common with the Earls of Ross. Great grandfather would be a second generations between Earl Farquhard and Gillanreas (Earl Gillandres/Gillandrys I presume).
  
  Wikipedia under Clan Gillander (Gillandrias) quotes a scholar who also questions the generations by Skene, although they all accept the manuscript. See sources for a photograph and translation of this ancient document with Ross and Gillander (Gillandrias) genealogy. McKenzie provides a table of combined genealogy with his clan which is related -- see sources
  
  MacKenzie says Gillion of Aird, on the document, is King Bjolan of the Viking Saga.
  
  The 1467manuscript:
  
  "In the manuscript of 1467 the name Gille-Anrias appears
  in the genealogies of both the Mackenzies and the Rosses exactly
  contemporaneous with the generation which preceded the original
  grant to "Ferchair Mac an t'Sagairt" of the Earldom of Ross. The
  name Gille-Anrias has been rendered as the Gaelic equivalent for
  Servant of Andrew, or St. Andrew, and that, according to Skene,
  would seem to indicate that the first of that name, if not a priest
  himself, must have belonged to the priestly house of Appercrossan
  or Applecross, of which Earl Farquhar ultimately became the head.
  The dates exactly correspond; and when, in addition to this, it
  is remembered that of the earls who besieged Malcolm IV. at Perth
  in 1160 one was named "Gillandres" it seems fully established that
  Ferchard Mac an t'Sagairt was descended from the original earls
  and that he was entitled to the earldom by ancient right on the
  failure or forfeiture of the direct representative of the old line,
  as well as by a new creation. Although there may have been one
  or two usurpers - a common event in those turbulent times - Ferquhard
  was undoubtedly a near relative and the legitimate successor
  of the Celtic "Gillandres" earl of 1160. He is described in the
  'Chronicle of Melrose' as "Comes Rossensis Machentagard," and in
  Dalrymple's Annals of Scotland as "Mc Kentagar..."

1. Kenneth Mhic Crinan, b. ABT 942 in Applecross, Highland, Scotland    

1. Title: Descendants of Gilleoin of Airde (King Beollan), "History of the MacKenzies"
   Publication: Name: http://www.fullbooks.com/History-Of-The-Mackenzies1.html;
   Note: Note: The table image below is broken. Please refer to the photocopy source of book for the original genealogy graph. .............. Here are excerpts extracted from MacKenzie's History pertaining to King Bjolan and Gilleoin na h' Airde. Gilleoin and Beollan are the same he says. This is in part from a charter by William, Earl of Ross. "in one of the Norse Sagas the progenitor of Ferquhard is designated "King," just the same as the great Somerled and some of his descendants had been called at a later date. Referring to Helgi, son of Ottar, the Landnamabok Saga records that "he made war upon Scotland and carried off prisoner Nidbjorga, the daughter of King Bjolan, and of Kadliner, daughter or Ganga Rolf," or Rollo, who, as already stated, afterwards became the celebrated Earl of Normandy... ...It is established to the satisfaction of all reasonable men that the Applecross and O'Beolan Earls of Ross were one and the same, and that they were descended from Gilleoin na h' Airde, corrupted in the Norse Sagas into "Beolan," the general designation by which they were known, until Earl William, the last of his line, died without surviving male issue on the 9th of February, 1372, when the title devolved upon his daughter, Euphemia, Countess of Ross in her own right, whose daughter, Mary, or Margaret, by Sir Walter Leslie, carried the earldom to Donald of Harlaw, second Lord of the Isles. That the O'Beolan Earls of Ross, of whom Ferquhard Mac an t'Sagairt was the first, descended from the same ancestor, Gilleoin na h' Airde, as the older "Gillandres" earl of 1160, is equally certain... ...Gilleon na h'Airde, the "Beolan" of the Norse Sagas, who lived in the tenth century. ...The genealogy of the Clan Andres or Rosses in the manuscript of 1467, is as follows: "Pol ic Tire, ic Eogan, ic Muiredaigh, ic Poil, ic Gilleanrias, ic Martain, ic Poil, ic Cainig, ic Cranin, ic Eogan, ic Cainic, ic Cranin, McGilleoin na h'Airde, ic Eirc, ic Loirn, ic Fearchar, Mc Cormac, ic Abertaig, ic Feradaig." Dr Skene's translation - "Paul son of Tire, son of Ewen, son of Murdoch, son of Paul, son of Gillanrias, son of Martin, son of Paul, son of Kenneth, son of Crinan, son of Ewen, son of Kenneth, son of Crinan, son of Gilleoin of the Aird, son of Erc, son of Lorn, son of Ferchar, son of Cormac, son of Oirbeirtaigh, son of Feradach." The Mackenzie genealogy in the same MS. is - "Muiread ic Cainig, Mc Eoin, ic Cainig, ic Aengusa, ic Cristin, ic Agam, Mc Gilleoin Qig, ic Gilleon na h'Aird." Skene's translation follows - "Murdoch son of Kenneth, son of John, son of Kenneth, son of Angus, son of Cristin, son of Adam, son of Gilleoin Og, son of Gilleoin of the Aird." Skene makes an important correction on this genealogy in his later work, 'Celtic Scotland,' Vol. III., p. 485, by substituting Cainig - Kenneth, for Agam - Adam, in his original reading. In this form the genealogy of 1467 corresponds exactly, so far as it goes, with that given by MacVuirich in the Black Book of Clanranald. In 1222 "Gilchrist filius Kinedi," Gillecriosd son of Kenneth, is on record as a follower of MacWilliam. Cristean is the ordinary Gaelic form of Christopher, otherwise Gilchrist, or Gillecriosd. There is thus no doubt that the "Cristin" of the Gaelic genealogy is the same name as Gillecriosd, Gilchrist, and Christopher. In the MacVuirich manuscript, however, several names are given between Gilleoin Og and Gilleoin na h'Airde which are absent from the manuscript of 1467; for while we have thirteen generations in the Clan Anrias or Ross genealogy in the latter between Paul Mac Tire and Gilleoin of the Aird, we have only eight in the Mackenzie genealogy between Murdoch of the Cave, who was contemporary with Mac Tire, and their common ancestor Gilleoin of the Aird, or Beolan. In the MacVuirich manuscript there are fifteen generations, translated thus - "Murdoch son of Kenneth, son of John, son of Kenneth, son of Angus 'crom,' or the hump-backed, son of Kenneth, son of Gilleoin Og, son of Gilleoin Mor, or the Great, son of Murdoch, son of Duncan, son of Murdoch, son of Duncan, son of Murdoch, son of Kenneth, son of Cristin, or Christopher, son of Gilleoin of the Aird." The genealogies of the three families as brought out by these manuscripts, are shown in the following table:-- GILLEOIN OF THE AIRD. | +------------------------------+------------------+ |CLAN ANRIAS. | MACKENZIES. | +------------------------------+------------------+ | Crinan | Cristin | | Kenneth | Kenneth | | Ewen | Murdoch | | Crinan | Duncan | | Kenneth | Murdoch | | Paul | Duncan | | Martin | Murdoch | | Gillanrias | Gilleoin Mor | +---------|--------------------| Gilleoin Og | | | Kenneth | +-------------------+------------------+ | Angus Crom | | EARLS OF ROSS | ROSSES | | Kenneth | +-------------------+------------------+ | John | | The Priest-"An | Paul | | Kenneth | | Sagart" | Murdoch | | Murdoch of the | | I. Ferquhard "Mac | Ewen | | Cave who died | | an t'Sagairt" | Tire | | in 1375 | | II. William | Paul Mac Tire | +------------------+ | III. William | who has a | | IV. Hugh | charter of the | | V. William who | lands of | | died in 1372 | Garloch from | | | the Earl of | | | Ross in 1366, | | | confirmed in | | | 1372."
   
2. Title: Chief O'Beolan, Ancestor of the O'Beolans Earls of Ross, "Scotsconnection.com"
   Publication: Name: https://www.scotsconnection.com/clan_crests/Ross.htm;
   
3. Title: Modern translation, Clan Gillander genealogy, "www.1467manuscript.co.uk/kindred%2014.html."
   Publication: Name: http://www.1467manuscript.co.uk/kindred%2014.html;
   
4. Title: O Beolan became Abbot of Applecross, "Applecross History..."
   Author: History of Applecross by former director Ian Mackenzie, google docs.
   Note: "THE LAY ABBOTS We know that Ruaridh Mor MacAogan was succeeded by his chamberlain, Obeolan, some time before 801. MacRae considers that in assuming responsibility for both spiritual and secular matters he conformed to the Church of Rome rather than the old Columban Church. There is a Scandinavian tale that his daughter was carried off by raiders and in other references his name is shown as MacBeolan. The use of both the Irish and Scottish prefixes is of interest. It highlights the move away from Irish influence to the role of the Lay Abbot. Obeolan repaired the damage caused by the raiders and had his castles near the site of the present farm buildings." Note: The time frames seem different. This is oral history in part and I think events may be contracted. (Gillanders, from Gillian of Aird, in the next paragraph not quoted here is thought to be the same as or a descendant of O Beolan in other references.)
   
5. Title: Ancient Maormors of Ross, "MacKenzie History"
   Author: See link
   Publication: Name: http://www.fullbooks.com/History-Of-The-Mackenzies1.html;
   Note: The district of Ross is often mentioned in the Norse Sagas along with the other parts of the country then governed by Maormors or Jarls, and Skene in his earlier work says that it was only on the downfall of those of Moray that the chiefs of Ross appear prominent in historical records, the Maormors of Moray being in such close proximity to them and so great in power and influence that the less powerful Maormor of Ross held only a comparatively subordinate position, and his name was in consequence seldom or never associated with any of the great events of that early period in Highland history. It was only after the disappearance of those district potentates that the chiefs appear under the appellation of Comites or Earls. That most, if not all, of these earls were the descendants of the ancient maormors there can be little doubt, and the natural presumption in this instance is strengthened by the fact that all the old authorities concur in asserting that the Gaelic name of the original Earls of Ross was O'Beolan - a corruption of Gilleoin, or Gillean, na h`Airde - or the descendants of Beolan. "And we actually find," says the same authority, "from the oldest Norse Saga connected with Scotland that a powerful chief in the North of Scotland named O'Beolan, married the daughter of Ganga Rolfe, or Rollo, the celebrated pirate who became afterwards the celebrated Earl of Normandy." If this view is well-founded the ancestor of the Earls of Ross was chief in Kintail as early as the beginning of the tenth century.