Historical account of the Macdonnells of Antrim

26
THE MACDONNELLS OF ANTRIM.
It is further stated that the hapless fugitive was ' wild,' or deranged, when he appeared in the
Isles, and that he was forwarded without much delay to the care of the Scottish court, where he
found an asylum until the time of his death, in 1419. The prince of the Isles had evidently feared
to compromise himself with England, by showing any marked attention to the outcast king, whom
he forwarded to Robert III., under the protection of sir John Montgomery. (13) When Richard
had previously visited Ireland, Margery Byset was no doubt presented to him, as the daughter of a
great northern lord, and she appears to have retained a distinct recollection of the royal face. Her
recognition of him through his disguise was a fortunate circumstance for the king, as it proved the
means of obtaining for him shelter and protection during the remainder of his life. (14)
John Mor Macdonnell was styled lord of Dunyveg and Gknnis, the former part
of this title being the name of the family mansion in Isla, and the latter the name
of the Antrim estates acquired through his wife. He was so styled in the year 1400, which was
soon after his marriage. He had received from his father 120 marklands of old extent, or about
3,600 acres, in Cantire, and also 60 marklands, (15) or about 1,800 acres in Isla. Hence he and
(13) Sir John Montgomery. — This sir John Mont-
gomery was son of sir John of Eaglisham, who, on the
death of his father, ill 13SS, succeeded to the lordships
of Eglinton and Ardrossan ; Hugh, the elder brother of
sir John, having been slain at Otterburn. He, therefore,
succeeded his father as the second lord of Eglintoun about
the year 1398, and was, no doubt, the chief who married
John of Isla's daughter (-ee p. 10. supra), and was thus
brother-in-law to Donnell Jlacdonnell and John Mor,
whom he relieved on this occasion from the presence of
the unfortunate king Richard. This same sir John
Montgomery was one of the leaders of the Scottish army
which invaded England in 1402, and he was taken
prisoner at Halidon Hall. He was afterwards employed
by the Scottish king in various important services, among
which may be mentioned his capture of the fortress on
Loch Lomond, which was held against James I. of Scot-
land by sir James Stewart, youngest son of Murdoch,
duke of Albany. See Patterson's Families of Ayrshire,
vol. ii., pp. 232, 233.
(14) His life — The truth ot this remarkable story
seems to be placed beyond a doubt. Robert III. was the
king of Scotland to who=e care Richard II. was com-
mitted; and he was, no doubt, touched with more than
common sympathy by the sad condition of his royal
brother. In a manuscript preserved in the Advocate's
Library, entitled Exlracta ex Chronicis Scotia, there is
the following passage: — " Henry Percy, Earl of North-
umberland, with his nephew, Henry the younger, and
many others of the prelates and nobles of England, who
fled from the face of Henry the Fourth, came into Scot-
land to King Richard, at this time an exile, but well
treated by the governour." Robert III. had died in 1406,
and the " governour" of Scotland here referred to was
Robert Stewart, earl of Fi e and Menteith, appointed
regent during the captivity of James I , who eventually
succeeded to the throne in 1424. This governor's
chamberlain, when giving an account of his yearly
expenditure, in 140S, >ays: — "Be it remembered, also,
that Uie said lord governour, down to the present time,
has neither demanded nor received any allowance for the
sums expended in the support of Richard, King of Eng-
land, and the messengers of France and of Wales, at dif-
ferent times coming into the country, upon whom he has
defrayed much, as is well known." At the end of the
accounts for the year 1414, is the following observation :
— " Be it remembered, also, that our lord the dnke,
governor of the kingdom (created Duke of Albany) has
not received any allowance or credit for the expenses of
King Richard, incurred from the period of the death of
his brother our lord the king of good memory." The
same memorandum occurs at the close of the accounts
for 141 5; and at the year 141 7 is the following more
special announcement: — "Be it remembered that the
lord governor has not received any allowance for the ex-
penses and burdens which he sustained for the custody of
King Richard of England, from the time of the death of
the late king his brother of good memory, being a period
of eleven years, which expenses the lords auditors of
accounts estimate at the least to have amounted annually
to the sum of an hundred marks, which, for the past
years, makes in all ^"733 6s Sd." These curiously cor-
roborative extracts were first brought to light by Tytler,
the learned author of the History of Scotland, of wdrich
history see vol. Hi., pp. 279 — 330.
(15) Marklands. — " Nothing is more perplexing in
Highland charters and rentals than the various denomina-
tions of land which we meet with. We meet penny
lands and their fractional parts, quartcr/ands, cowlands,
and marklands. The penny lands in the Isles are be-
lieved to have received that denomination during the oc-
cupation of the Isles by the Scandinavians, and they do
not appear to have any reference wdiatever to the proper
Scottish denominations. Thus the lands in Ross of Mull,
conveyed by this charter (of lands granted to the abbacy
of Iona), and denominated peunyiands, amount in the
whole to only fifty-six penny and three farthing lands ;
whilst by the usual Scottish denominations they were
lated to the crown as the twenty pound, or thirty mark-
lands of Ross." (See Collectanea de Rebus Albanicis, p.
179.) According to an ancient valuation Isla was divided
into 337 half merklands, which, in 175 1, were valued at