That the O'Beolan Earls of Ross, of whom Ferquhard Mac an t'Sagairt
was the first, descended from the same ancestor, Gilleoin na h' Airde,
as the older "Gillandres" earl of 1160, is equally certain. Earl
Gillandres as probably forfeited for the part he took against
Malcolm IV. on that occasion, and Ferquhard having rendered such
important services to Alexander II. was restored probably quite as
much in virtue of his ancient rights as the grandson of Ferquhard as
on account of his valiant conduct in support of the crown in Moray,
in Argyle, and in Galloway, in 1215, 1222, and 1235.
The surname Ross has in early times been invariably rendered in
Gaelic as Gilleanrias, or Gillanders, and the Rosses appear under
this appellation in all the early Acts of Parliament. There is
also an unvarying tradition that on the death of the last Earl of
the O'Beolan line a certain Paul Mac Tire was for some years head
of the Rosses, and this tradition is corroborated by the fact
that there is a charter on record by Earl William of the lands of
Gairloch in 1366 in favour of Paul Mac Tire and his heirs by Mary
Graham, in which the Earl styles Mac Tire his cousin. This grant
was confirmed by King Robert II.
Pages:
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74