In 1410, however, when the chief chartered his consanguineus Celestin,
son of another Angus, in the adjacent Achahoish, these kinsmen were not
patronymicked after Sir LAUMON, or after Duncan or Angus, but were
called "MakSowirle," thus indicating an intervening eponymous ancestor
of the name Sorley or Somerled. Now no such Somerled is known to
record (though an Alexander McSommarli appearing hard by with a lion
for his seal in 1355 was doubtless his son). For word of such eponymus
one has to rely on the Gaelic genealogies such as that of 1467, which
narrate the descent of a " C l an Sorley" from the Farquhar, son of Dunsleve,
who was the father alike of Malcolm (Sir LAUMON'S father) and of
Duncan (Angus's father). Now as the Celestin of 1410, the kinsman of
Malcolm's heir, was styled McSorley, it seems plain enough that the Clan
Sorley of the genealogies is but another name for the descendants of
Duncan who setded in Glassary not far from the Ardcalmisaig named
after that Callum or Malcolm. The accuracy of the pedigree of 1467 is
strongly supported by the fact that its three latest generations are all
vouched by record evidence as having succeeded one another as lairds in
Achahoish and other lands. These are Donald, who is known between
1414 and 1451, his father the Celestin of 1410 (alias Gillespie), and Celestin's
father the Angus called McSorley.
This last Angus's father is given in the same sources as Donald son of
Somerled, but there is no charter evidence of this Donald's existence
(although one assumes he was an elder brother of the Alexander McSommarli
of 1355). The genealogies thus trace the line as Donald son of
Celestin son of Angus son of Donald son of Somerled, and then proceed
son of Farquhar son of Dunsleve. But there is plainly an omission of at
least two generations between Somerled and Farquhar, as if Somerled's
son was alive in 1355, Somerled himself can hardly have been earlier than
c. 1300, while Farquhar, as shown above, cannot long have survived
1200. Such omissions are, of course, common features of early traditional
pedigrees. It thus seems natural, indeed almost inevitable, that tradition
and record should be reconciled by inserting between Somerled and
Farquhar the Duncan who is kenned to have been a son of Farquhar and
the Angus who is for certain a son of Duncan. The complete descent is
thus (see next page) Donald son of Celestin son of Angus son
of Donald son of Somerled son of Angus son of Duncan son of Farquhar,
the whole of which is proved by record save for Somerled and his son
Donald, for whom the Gaelic genealogies and the family patronymic
seem ample warrant, confirmed by the number of Donalds in the pedigree
in after years and the occasional Sorleys till the 17th century at least.3
Earlier chapters have set out the known facts as to Duncan and his
son Angus (including the latter's homage to John Balliol in 1297), the
traditional and eponymous Somerled and his son Donald i i , the Angus i i i
called McSorley who was dead by 1410, and the Celestin iv his son
chartered in that year by the chief and perhaps forced into the Harlaw
campaign the year after. The charter, however, merits further attention.
While disclosing that the lands had been Celestin's before, it is the earliest
recognition of the Inveryne family's superiority, and has a clause of
return to the granter and his heirs on the failure of the lawful heirs male of
the grantee's body. The tenure is the favoured feu (for 5 merks or
£3, 6s. 8d.) instead of the usual military service, the first example in the
Lamont country. It is forbye one of the few old deeds i n which the
detailed bounds of the lands are given. They are not now easy to trace,
though it is clear that the western march was the burn of Auchinbreck,
later a cadetship, and that on the south Kilmory was adjacent and salt water
the limit. The nucleus was Achahoish (to-day an upland farm just north
of Monydrain), to which were added four places now unknown, with
Fernoch and Drum by the modern Lochgilphead, each of the first five
being a penny land (in pre-old extent valuation), as were the two last
together. One does not ken if the whole Monydrain lairdship, later a
12 merk land, was included, or if, as seems likely, part was held of the
Crown direct upon an independent title. Certain it is, however, that the
heirs male of Duncan and Angus laid no claim to Ardcalmisaig, the larger
share of the old patrimony in Glassary, for in 143 3 Celestin, designed
Gillespie Angus-son, was present at Kilfinan when Finlay of Ardlamont
agreed to hold Ardcalmisaig of ROBERTV on certain conditions. It is
difficult to avoid the conclusion that Duncan and Angus were the younger
branch of the family of Farquhar, although in the grants to Paisley Abbey
they seem to rank before Sir LAUMON , which was perhaps because the
latter was a generation younger.
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