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

Strathearn

The earl of Strathearn holds the valley of the Earn from Loch Earn to the Tay, a Gaelic earldom on the edge of the Highlands with a strong church (the bishop of Dunblane is his own bishop).

Gille Brigte is one of the best documented native earls, married into the English nobility and in favour at court.

Who he is

Name
Gille Brigte (Gilbert)
Title
Earl (mormaer) of Strathearn
Since
1171, on the death of his father Ferteth
Born
About 1150; he is about 50
Family
Son of Earl Ferteth. Wife: Matilda d'Aubigny, daughter of William d'Aubigny, earl of Arundel. Sons: Gille Crist, the eldest, died 5 October 1198; William and Ferchar (both die about 1208); Robert (born 1176, the eventual heir); Fergus, Malise and Gilbert; daughters Matilda (wife of Malcolm, heir of Fife), Cecilia and Eithne.
Confidence
high

A justiciar of Scotia with Earl Duncan of Fife and Bishop Matthew of Aberdeen (about 1172-1199). In memory of Gille Crist he and Matilda found the Augustinian house of Inchaffray in 1200 (month not pinned). He dies in 1223.

Overlord

King William

What it holds

  • The earldom of Strathearn: Crieff, Fowlis, Muthill, Comrie, Dunning, Auchterarder lands, Madderty
  • Patronage of the see of Dunblane
  • Inchaffray, his new foundation

How it was acquired

Hereditary mormaerdom.

Allies and rivals

Allied to Fife by marriage; his wife's English kin (the d'Aubignys of Arundel); the bishop of Dunblane.

How things stand that morning

Held by Earl Gille Brigte; mourning his heir.

Wealth

Cattle and grain of Strathearn, cain of the earldom. No figures.

Military

The men of Strathearn in the common army. No numbers.

Threats

  • The succession after the death of his eldest son

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 pinnedGille Brigte and Matilda found the Augustinian priory of Inchaffray in memory of their son Gille Crist.Depends on: The earl's wish and the bishop of Dunblane's consent Stopped by: Only a change of heart

Places of note

  • Inchaffray: The earl's foundation of 1200
  • Fowlis Wester: Earl's estate centre (thin)

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Charters of Inchaffray and Lindores; the earl's seat is not pinned.

On the map: Earldom outline approximate.

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. Gille Brigte, Earl of Strathearn (Wikipedia)
  2. C. J. Neville, Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland: the earldoms of Strathearn and Lennox (2005)

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