Islay Charter
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The Islay Charter or "Gaelic Charter of 1408" is a grant of lands by Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles to "Brian Bhicaire Magaodh" (Brian Vicar MacKay)[1], a resident of Islay , written in 1408[2]. The charter is unique in being the only MacDonald land charter extant to have been written in the Gaelic language and is also notable as a very early example of this kind of document written in a vernacular language rather than Latin and is one of the earliest examples of Gaelic in public use from the 15th century [3] . It was composed and written upon a piece of goatskin by Fearghas MacBeatha [4] (Fergus Beaton) personal physician to the Lord of the Isles and a member of the famous Beaton medical dynasty of the islands. The charter is also signed and holographed by the lord himself and was witnessed by a britheimh or 'judge', Pat McAbriuin. The lands granted consisted largely of the eastern portion of the island of approximately 400 acres (1.6 km²) [5].
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Thomson, The Companion to Gaelic Scotland pp63
- ^ Gaelic charter of 1408
- ^ The Herald - Scotland's Leading Quality Daily Newspaper
- ^ Regimen Sanitatis
- ^ Thomson, The Companion to Gaelic Scotland pp64
[edit] References
Thomson, Derick S. The Companion to Gaelic Scotland (Blackwell Reference 1987)
