Hereditary lords · Kingdom of Scotland · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Carrick

Carrick, the hill and coast country of south Ayrshire between the Doon and Galloway, was cut out of Galloway in 1186 for Gille Brigte's son.

Duncan holds it directly of the king of Scots, which puts it in the kingdom rather than in Galloway; he looks west to Ulster, where de Courcy has given him land, and north to the Stewart, whose daughter he will soon take.

Who he is

Name
Duncan son of Gille Brigte (Donnchad mac Gille Brigte)
Title
Lord (mormaer) of Carrick; styled earl (comes) in some charters, possibly by 1196
Since
About 1186, after his father's death (1185) and Henry II's settlement
Born
Mid or late twelfth century
Family
Son of Gille Brigte, lord of Galloway (died 1185), and perhaps a daughter or sister of Earl Duncan II of Fife; grandson of Fergus. Cousin of Roland. A hostage in England from 1176, in the care of the sheriff of Cumberland, for about nine years.
Confidence
high

Received Carrick on condition of peace with Roland (Gesta Annalia). Anderson dated his comital style to 1214-1216; Oram points to a charter witnessed by Richard de Morville (who died in 1196) that already calls him comes. In 1197 John de Courcy gave him 'no small part' of the land he conquered in Ulster (Roger of Howden). In 1200 he carries off and marries Avelina, daughter of Alan the Steward (Howden). Dies 13 June 1250.

Overlord

King William

What it holds

  • Carrick between the Doon and Glen App: Turnberry, Maybole, Girvan, Straiton, Dalquharran, Kirkoswald, Ballantrae
  • Lands in Ulster from John de Courcy (1197; for the irl researcher)
  • Patronage of Maybole church (granted to Melrose 1189-1198) and North Berwick nunnery's churches in Carrick

How it was acquired

Inheritance after his father's death and Henry II's settlement of 1186.

Allies and rivals

John de Courcy; the Stewart (by the coming marriage); uneasy with Roland.

How things stand that morning

Held by Duncan.

Wealth

Cattle and the Firth of Clyde fisheries. No figures.

Military

Carrick men and galleys. No numbers.

Threats

  • The king's anger over the Stewart marriage (1200)
  • Galloway's claim on Carrick

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. 1200, month not pinnedDuncan abducts and marries Avelina, daughter of Alan son of Walter; William takes pledges in anger.Depends on: Duncan's will Stopped by: A royal match made first

Places of note

  • Turnberry: Coastal seat of the lords of Carrick (later castle)
  • Maybole: Church given to Melrose

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Howden, the Gesta Annalia and charters; his title in 1200 is disputed.

On the map: Carrick drawn along the later bailiary bounds.

Primary sources for Scotland

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

  • Chronicle of Holyrood, Anonymous (canons of Holyrood, Edinburgh) (about 1150 to 1170, with later additions). Gives nothing for 1200: its original text ends in 1163 and the few additions stop before William the Lion's last decades. Read online
  • Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
  • Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
  • Chronicle of the Kings of Mann and the Isles, Anonymous (monks of Rushen abbey, Mann) (about 1257, with continuations to 1316). The only native record of the kingdom of Mann and the Hebrides. Read online
  • History of English Affairs, William of Newburgh (about 1196 to 1198). Ends in 1198, so it gives no 1200 entries of its own; the Stanley continuation has only a line or two for 1200. Read online
  • Saga of the Earls of Orkney, Anonymous (Icelandic) (about 1200 to 1230; surviving text mainly from Flateyjarbok, about 1390). The saga's last chapters are about Earl Harald Maddadsson, who in 1200 held Orkney under King Sverre of Norway and Caithness under William the Lion: his long rule, his quarrel with the Scottish king that cost him Caithness in 1196 to 1197, his recovery of it, and the maiming of Bishop John of Caithness and the king's revenge in 1201 to 1202. Read online
  • The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
  • The Great Life of Saint Hugh of Lincoln, Adam of Eynsham (about 1210 to 1215). The last book is a day by day account of Hugh's final year by the chaplain who was with him: his dealings with John at the start of the reign, his journey to France and the Grande Chartreuse in 1200, his illness in London, his death at the Old Temple on 16 November 1200 and the funeral at Lincoln on 23 November attended by King John, William the Lion of Scotland, three archbishops and a crowd of bishops and earls. Read online

2 more in the sources library for The British Isles.

Sources and studies

  1. Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick (Wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.