Hereditary lords · Argyll and the southern isles · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Lorn and Mull

The northern branch of Clann Somairle holds Lorn on the mainland and the islands of Mull, Lismore, Coll and Tiree, with Morvern.

The castle of Dunstaffnage is a work of the 1220s or later; in 1200 the kindred holds the old fort sites (Dunollie).

Who he is

Name
Duncan son of Dubgall (Donnchad mac Dubgaill)
Title
Lord of Lorn (later style)
Since
Not pinned; his father Dubgall last appears in 1175
Born
Before 1175 (named at Durham with his father)
Family
Son of Dubgall son of Somerled; brothers Amlaib and Ragnall (1175). Ancestor of the MacDougalls of Lorn.
Confidence
low

Last certain record 1237; founder of Ardchattan priory (1230). His position in 1200 is inferred from his later lordship.

Overlord

Disputed

What it holds

  • Lorn (Benderloch, Appin lands, Nether Lorn)
  • Lismore (seat of the bishop of Argyll)
  • Mull
  • Coll and Tiree
  • Morvern (thin)

How it was acquired

Somerled's inheritance.

Allies and rivals

Rivals of Ragnall's line; the bishop of Argyll at Lismore.

How things stand that morning

Held by Dubgall's line (thin).

Wealth

Cattle and fish. No figures.

Military

Galleys of Lorn and Mull. No numbers.

Threats

  • Kin feuds

Places of note

  • Dunollie: Old fort above Oban

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Inferred from the thirteenth-century MacDougall lordship.

On the map: Rough outlines; Iona is the abbey's.

Primary sources for Argyll

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 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
  • Early Sources of Scottish History, Various; collected and translated by A. O. Anderson (sources of the 6th to 13th centuries; collection published 1922). The quickest way to every non-English witness to Scotland and the Isles in 1200, in translation and in date order: the Irish annals on the Isles and Galloway, Orkneyinga saga and the Norwegian sagas on Harald Maddadsson of Orkney and Caithness and his war with William the Lion, the Chronicle of Mann on Ragnall and the Hebrides, Melrose and Holyrood, and Scottish charters. Read online

Sources and studies

  1. Dubhghall mac Somhairle (Wikipedia)

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