The sea kings : the Late Norse kingdoms of Man and the Isles c.1066-1275

386 Pages·2019·7.143 MB·English

by  Russell Andrew McDonald

THE SEA KINGS

First published in Great Britain in 2019 by
John Donald, an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
West Newington House
10 Newington Road
Edinburgh
EH9 1QS
www.birlinn.co.uk
ISBN: 978 1 788851 48 0
Copyright © R. Andrew McDonald 2019
The right of R. Andrew McDonald to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form, or by any means,
electronic, mechanical or photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library
Typeset by Biblichor Ltd, Edinburgh
For Colin and Emma
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations for Works Frequently Cited
Note on Personal Names
Maps and Genealogies
Introduction:
Forgotten Kingdoms? The Sea Kings and Their Age
1 Islands, Coasts and Peoples:
Man and the Isles in the Early Historic Period
2 In Search of the Sea Kings: The Sources for the History of the Late Norse Kingdoms of
Man and the Isles
3 ‘Islands Scattered about in the Sea’:
The World of the Sea Kings
4 Warlords and Peaceable Men:
Making the Kingdom, 1066–1153
5 Unmaking and Remaking the Kingdom:
Somerled and His Descendants, 1153–c. 1225
6 ‘The Deeds of the Brothers Rognvald and Olaf’:
Apex and Adversity, 1153–1237
7 ‘The Ill Luck of the South-Islanders’: The Last Sea Kings, 1230–1266
8 A Fruitful Place? Economic Activity in the Kingdoms of Man and the Isles
9 Men of the Speckled Ships: Ships, Sea Power and Fighting Men
10 Kingship in Man and the Isles: Tradition and Innovation
11 ‘Devout and Enthusiastic in Matters of Religion’: The Sea Kings and the Church
Epilogue: Swansongs, 1275–1305
Exploring the World of the Sea Kings
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Illustrations
1. Opening folio of the Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the Isles.
2. Chronicles of the Kings of Man and the Isles, folio 35v.
3. Charter of King Magnus Olafsson, 1256.
4. Charter of King Harald Olafsson with seal, from Sir Christopher Hatton’s Book of Seals.
5. The Lewis gaming pieces.
6. Ship from the Hedin cross slab, Maughold, Isle of Man.
7. Ship graffiti from the Old Parish Church, Kilchattan, Isle of Luing.
8. Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man.
9. The cathedral of the Isles (St German’s), St Patrick’s Isle, Peel, Isle of Man.
10. Furness Abbey, Cumbria.
11. Iona Abbey, Iona.
12. Iona Nunnery, Iona.
13. Kildalton Parish Church, Islay.
14. Paisley Abbey, Scotland.
15. Peel Castle, Isle of Man.
16. Castle Rushen, Isle of Man.
17. Dunyvaig Castle, Islay.
18. Reconstruction of Finlaggan, Islay, in the era of the sea kings.
19. Dunstaffnage Castle, Scotland.
20. Tynwald Hill, Isle of Man.
21. Meeting between Rognvald Godredsson and Olaf Godredsson at Tynwald in 1229.
22. Drawing by P.M.C. Kermode of a coffin lid from Rushen Abbey.
Acknowledgements
This is a book that I have always wanted to write, but it has been a long time in the making,
and I have received assistance from many people along the way. The old axiom that no one is
an island is thus especially true, even for a book in which islands feature prominently.
Angus Somerville read virtually the entire manuscript in draft, acted as a sounding board
and saved me from some potentially embarrassing blunders. Benjamin T. Hudson critiqued
portions of the manuscript and offered advice on a number of important technical issues. The
book has benefited immeasurably from their collegiality and vast knowledge. It has also
benefited from the insights of other colleagues who have commented on parts of it, and I
wish to thank Michael J. Carter, Jessica Clark, John Menzies, Cynthia Neville and Kevin
Whetter in this regard. The death of my friend John Sainsbury in November of 2017 robbed
my department of a kind, witty and intelligent colleague, and his absence is keenly felt.
In the Isle of Man, Allison Fox of Manx National Heritage provided invaluable assistance
on many fronts; I could have written this book without her aid, but it would have taken much
longer, and would be the worse for it. Also in the Isle of Man I wish to express my
appreciation to Andrew Johnson, Peter Davey and Philippa Tomlinson, not only for sharing
their knowledge and expertise but also for the generous assistance and hospitality which they
have extended on numerous visits since 2005. Seán Duffy, Linzi Simpson, Alan MacNiven
and David Caldwell also gave generously of their time, expertise and hospitality on many
occasions. I owe special thanks to David Caldwell for making his extensive research on
Finlaggan, Islay, available to me in advance of its publication, and for a memorable tour of
Islay in May 2018. Thanks to Peter Ryder for information on the coffin lid from Rushen
abbey ahead of its publication. I am very grateful to Ms Natasha Labrie for assistance with
the bibliography and index. Any errors are mine alone.
At Brock University, I would be most remiss if I did not acknowledge the heroic efforts
of the Inter-Library Loans staff of the James A. Gibson Library – Jan Milligan, Mary Little,
Sue Sykes and Oksana Voronina – for not only tolerating my many requests for sometimes
rare and esoteric materials with stoicism, but also for unfailingly procuring them for me.
Many thanks are also due to Loris Gasparotto for coming out of retirement to produce the
maps and tables for the book, and to Lesley Bell for assistance with preparing some of my
images for publication.
A good deal of work was undertaken in the early stages at the Manx National Library and
I am indebted to the staff for their kind assistance. I have also received assistance over the
years from the British Library, The National Archives at Kew, the Cumbria Record Office
and the Northamptonshire Record Office, for which I am most grateful.
I am very grateful to Hugh Andrew and the staff at Birlinn for their interest in the work
and for their professionalism in guiding the manuscript through publication. I wish
particularly to thank Mairi Sutherland, Academic Editor, for her patience in dealing with
some delays. Thanks also go to James Hutcheson for tolerating a lengthy correspondence that
resulted in a stunning cover for the book.
I wish to acknowledge the following organisations for permission to reproduce images:
the British Library Board, Manx National Heritage, National Museums of Scotland and the
Northamptonshire Record Office. I also wish to thank David Simon and Julia Ashby Smyth
for allowing me to reproduce their artwork, and David Caldwell for permitting me to use one
of his photographs.
Thanks to Josie and Vince Gowler for their generous hospitality during many visits to
Britain. At home, my friends Nathan Scott, Jennifer Thiessen, Paul Hamilton, David Sharron,
Liz Hay and Alex Gropper have supported the research and writing of the book by forcing
me to take regular breaks. My many friends at Jordan Lions Minor Hockey and the Jordan
Figure Skating Club have helped preserve my sanity in other ways. I owe a huge debt of a
different kind to Dr Ronald Ireland.
My family remains a vital support network. Two of my cats, Rosie and Cleo, have
maintained tradition by pestering me mercilessly and their attentions at the keyboard
undoubtedly added a few months to the gestation of this book. My old comrade Zoe, who
sadly didn’t live to see the completion of the book, was mostly unconcerned with its
progress, but was a faithful friend nevertheless. My mother and father, Norma and Hugh
McDonald, and my brother, Jeffrey, have supported my academic career from its inception.
My wife, Jacqueline Buchanan, is my editor of first and last resort, and she has been a pillar
of strength throughout the project. Without her, the book would not exist, and I owe her more
than she can ever know. Finally, my children, Emma and Colin, have lived their entire lives
with the sea kings. I appreciate their understanding, patience, interest and encouragement for
the project despite the time it has sometimes taken away from them. Some of my happiest
moments have been spent exploring the world of the sea kings with them in the Isle of Man,
Ireland, Wales and Scotland. This book is for Emma and Colin, with all my love.