Historical account of the Macdonnells of Antrim

PRINCES OF THE ISLES.
17
the following inscription is still legible — " Hie jacet corpus Augusii filii Angurii Macdomnill
Domini de /la.($2).
The lady of Angus Oge Macdonnell survived him several years, and returned to the Irish
shore, where she probably dwelt during the remainder of her life. Her christian name has puzzled
chroniclers, appearing variously as Aine or Agnes, Margaret, and Hannah. The first
mentioned was, most probably, her correct name. On a Chancery Roll, a.d. 1338, is copy of
a safe-conduct, granted to Agnes, mother of John of the Isles, protecting her when crossing the
Channel to and from Ireland, as often as she wished to do so. (See Annals of the Four Masters,
translated and edited by O'Donovan, p. 1893, note). This lady was married first to an O'Neill,
and was the mother of the well-known Brian Balloch O'Neill, half-brother to John of Isla. The
latter visited Ulster on two occasions, to assist in getting Brian Balloch accepted as The O'Neill,
but without success. (See Collectanea de Rebus Albanicis, pp. 294, 299). John of Isla, the eldest
son and successor of Angus Oge, was more familiarly known by his Gaelic name of Eoin na-h He,
and the clergy usually styled him the " good John of the Isles," because of his liberality to the
church. He married as his second wife Margaret Stewart, a daughter of Robert II. , the first
Stewart king of Scotland. Hugh Macdonald, speaking of this marriage, and of his several children
thereby, says : — " He married Lady Margaret Stewart, daughter to king Robert II., Sir Adam
More's daughter being her mother. (3 3) John had by the king's daughter,
The Lords of the Isles had other mansions in Isla, but
Finlagan appears to have been the principal one at the period
referred to. The remains of this building are still to be
seen on the little island in Loch Finlagan ; there are
traces of a pier also on its shore, and of the houses in
which the guards of the island princes dwelt. It is a
curious fact that whilst the remains of these princes were
carried for burial to Iona, their ladies and children
were generally interred in this little island. Here,
too, the princes were inaugurated, and held all their
important meetings of council. The stone on which
they were crowned was a large coarse slab, eight feet
square, having an indenture resembling the track of a
man's foot in the centre. This stone, and another which
answered the purposes of a council-table, were carried off
by an earl of Argyle. (See Orig. Paroch. Scot.,
vol. ii., p. 26.) An old Scottish writer, referring to this
place, says : — "There the governor of the Isles, usurping
the name of a king, was wont to dwell. Neere unto
this iland, and somewhat lesse than it, is the Round
Island, taking the name from counsell, for therein was the
Justice Seate, and fourteen of the most worthy of the
countrey did minister Justice unto all the rest, continually,
and intreated of the maightie affaires of the Realine, in
counsell, whose great equity and discretion kept peace
both at home and abroade, and with peace was the com-
panion of peace — aboundance of all things." Certayne
Matters concearninge the Realm of Scotland, composed
together, as the were Anno Domini 1597, published 1603.
(32} De /la. — This is translated— '-Heretics the ^odv of
Angus, the son of Angus M'Donnett, Lord of Isla. " The
monument on which the above is inscribed was unbroken
m the year 181 1, and on it was also carved the picture of
a ship with hoisted sails, a standard, and four lions.
See James Macdonald's Hebrides, p. 703.
B
(33) Her mother. — Elizabeth More or Muir was a lady
of the well-known Rowallan family, in the parish of Kil-
marnock, her father, sir Adam Muir, being the fifth in
descent from David de Moore, the founder of that house
early in the thirteenth century. There had formerly
existed considerable doubt as to the reality of the marriage
between Robert II. and Elizabeth Muir, and all the earlier
Scottish historians down even to Buchanan, supposed
that their union had not been legalised by marriage. The
author of the Historic of James the Scxth, however,
after quoting from a pedigree of the Muirs of Rowallan,
says that " Robert, great Steward of Scotland, having
taken away the said Elizabeth, drew to Sir Adame, her
father, ane instrument that he should take her to his law-
ful wyfe, which myself hath scene, said the collector (of
the Pedigree, Mr. Juhn Lermonth), as aUo anetestimonie
written in Latine by Roger M 'Adame, priest of our
Ladie Marie's chapeli." A charter granted by Robert II.
in 1364, proves that Elizabeth Muir was the first wife of
that king, and refers to a dispensation granted by the
Pope for the marriage. This charier was published in
1694, by one Mr. Lewis Innes, Principal of the Scots'
College at Paris. The dispensation from Rome referred
to in the charter of 1364, was long sought for after the
lady's death, and was not found until the year 17S9, when
it, and a dispensation for the king's marriage with
Euphemia Ross, his last wife, were discovered together.
There exists also another charter, by David II. "to
Robert, great Stewart of Scotland, of the lands of
Kintyre ; and to John Stewart his son, gotten betwixt him
and Elizabeth Moore, daughter of Adam More, knight,
and failzeing of him, to Walter, his second brother."
Elizabeth Muir is said to have been a very beautiful
woman, and to have captivated the high steward during
the unquiet times of Edwaid Baliol, when the former was