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| == Introduction ==
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| Fearchar mac an t-Sagairt, who became Earl of Ross in the reign of Alexander II, emerges suddenly in the historical record in the early thirteenth century as a powerful regional leader whose origins remain obscure. Contemporary sources record little more than his epithet, mac an t-Sagairt (“son of the priest”), leaving the background of the Ross earldom open to later interpretation. Among the most influential attempts to explain these origins was that of William Reeves, whose 1859 study of the cult of St Maelrubha proposed that Fearchar belonged to a hereditary family of lay abbots at Applecross bearing the surname O’Beolan. This was not a story that had come down through the ages or that was discovered by reviewing ancient documents. The bulk of Reeves's paper is a carful study of the names, places and traditions still associated with Maelrubha. The difficulty arises in the portion of the paper—typically cited for its implications for the origins of the earldom of Ross—where Reeves turns from Maelrubha to the later “Abbots and Ministers” of Applecross and advances the argument linking Fearchar mac an t-Sagairt, Earl of Ross, to Applecross and to an alleged O’Beóllain kindred. Reeves, in a footnote, thanks his “learned and ingenious friend, W. F. Skene, Esq.” for the first suggestions regarding the O'Beollans. The present article therefore does not treat Reeves’s claim as a settled conclusion but as a testable reconstruction: it reviews each source Reeves cites (and each substantive statement he builds upon), identifies where he misreads, conflates, or overextends the evidence, and then reconstructs—so far as the surviving contemporary record permits—the account that the earliest documents actually support. '''Mention new Y-DNA evidence.'''
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| == William Reeves and Applecross ==
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| As a Bishop of the Church of Ireland, Reeves's primary interest was the life and veneration of the Irish Saint Maelrubha. Reeves begins his paper by saying, "Next to St Columcille, there is no ecclesiastic of the ancient Scottish Church whose commemorations are more numerous in the West of Scotland than St Maelrubha, or whose history is marked with greater exactness in the main particulars of his life." Maelrubha was a missionary and it is recorded in the Irish annals that in 671 he left Ireland for Scotland, or what was called, at the time of the annals, Alba, and, in 673, founded the church of Aporcrosan. This is the place that is, today, known as Applecross. It appears, however, that during Reeves's lifetime, the Irish Church was not aware of the location of this church of Aporcrosan and the parish of Applecross was not aware of its original connection to this venerated saint of Ireland.
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| In 1849, Reeves submitted a letter to the Irish Ecclesiastical Journal saying,
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| :"Dear Sir,—There is a parish in Scotland with the early history of which the statistical writers of that country seem to have been hitherto unacquainted ; and there is a saint in the Irish calendar, the scene of whose devotions has not been previously ascertained by any Irish topographer. The parish is Applecross, and the saint is Maolrubha."
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| This was a brief, 2-page letter that offered snippets of Maelrubha's life, his genealogy, his festival, and the clues that connect him to Applecross. It contained no details about the church of Aporcrosan itself or the lives of its inhabitants. There was no mention made in this letter of lay abbots of Applecross or the earls of Ross.
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| A decade later, Reeves followed this letter up with the paper that was presented by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland on the 14th of June 1859. This was a much more in-depth exploration of Maelrubha, his genealogy, his festival, and the clues that connect him to Applecross and, in fact, many places in Scotland. It included a chapter titled "Local Commemorations" that detailed the ways in which Maelrubha's influence can still be found in the place names, traditions, and celebrations of 21 parishes across Scotland.
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| The Applecross Parish entry specifically contains an additional section titled "Abbots and Ministers". It is here that Reeves explores what he had come to believe was the legacy of Maelrubha's original church of Aporcrosan and its connection to the earls of Ross. This is a small section in a much larger paper. Reeves had clearly gone to great effort to detail the specifics of the life and influence of the saint Maelrubha. In contrast, however, this section on the abbots and ministers of Applecross appears to be a theory pieced to together loosely at the suggestion of others, most notably, Scottish historian Wlliam F. Skene. We know of his contribution because Reeves himself credits him in a footnote, saying, “for the first suggestions regarding the O'Beollans, I am indebted to my learned and ingenious friend, W. F. Skene, Esq.”
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| == Reeves's Construction of the Evidence ==
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| Reeves begins the "Abbots and Ministers" section with what is known about Applecross from the Irish annals. There are a total of 11 entries found in three different annals referring to 4 events; Maelrubha’s founding of a church of Aporcrosan, his death, the death of his successor, and the death of a later abbot recorded variously in 797 and 801. Reeves himself points out that, “this is the last reference to the place in the Irish Annals, and, it may be said, in all existing records.” There is no mention again until the presentation of Mr. Alexander MacCloid to the bishop of Ross to grant him the collation over two chaplaincies lying below the parish church of Abilcros. This was in 1515.
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| The monastery of Aporcrosan, or Applecross, is lost to history. There are no records in existence. What we know of it comes from 4 events mentioned in Irish annals, the last being in the year 801. There is no mention of even the place of Aporcrosan or Applecross found in records for over 700 years. It appears then as the name of a parish church.
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| Reeves then states, however, that, “There exists, indeed, a vivid tradition of an individual styled the Red Priest of Applecross, who is said to have conveyed to his daughter the rich estates with which this church was endowed.”
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| As we know from Reeves's letter of 1849, he was familiar with the ''Old Statistical Account'' published in 1792. He included a quote from the Applecross Parish entry in that letter, saying, “Close by the parish church, are the remains of an old religious house, where the standard and soles of crucifixes are still to be seen. It was richly endowed with landed property, which tradition relates to have been conveyed, by the last Popish missionary, in the place known by the designation of the Red Priest of Applecross, to his daughter.”
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| Reeves then included in his subsequent paper two very different versions of the “story of the Red Priest, as now current in the neighbourhood,” as conveyed to him by “his venerated friend the minister of Lochcarron”. Both of these legends tell the story of how the lands of Applecross came to be in the hands of the Mackenzies. In both versions, the lands were originally in possession of the Red Priest, who is supposed to have been a MacDonald. The version first presented by Reeves explains that they Mackenzies acquired these lands from the Red Priest through marriage to his daughter. Here, Reeves found the details of “the last Popish missionary, in the place known by the designation of the Red Priest of Applecross”, who conveyed the church lands to his daughter.
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| Reeves now turns from the tradition of the Red Priest to the Obeolan suggestion provided to him by his friend, William F. Skene. It comes from the section of a manuscript written in the late 17th century by the Macdonalds and pertaining to Alexander Macdonald, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross. Alexander was the son of Donald of the Isles and Mary Leslie, granddaughter of William, 5th Earl of Ross. The earldom of Ross had been inherited by William's daughter Euphemia after his death in 1372.{{sfn|Adam|1991|p=[https://archive.org/details/calendaroffearnt0000unse/page/85/mode/1up 85]}} It followed her line until it Robert Stewart, the Duke of Albany, persuaded her granddaughter to resign it to his son, the Earl of Buchan. Donald Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, then claimed the earldom on behalf of his wife, Euphemia's daughter, Mary Leslie. This conflict was decided at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411 with Mary Leslie becoming Countess of Ross and Donald Macdonald, Earl of Ross, by right of his wife.
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| Reeves quoted a small portion of Alexander's entry in his paper, saying, “this surname Obeolan was the surname of the Earls of Ross, till Farquhar, born in Ross, was created earl by King Alexander, and so carried the name of Ross since, as best answering the English tongue. This Obeolan had his descent from the ancient tribe of the Menapii; of this tribe is also St Rice or Rufus.” As Reeves explained in the paper, Rice and Rufus are two of the endless variety of ways in which Maelrubha's name is presented. So, here, Reeves found a connection between Maelrubha and the earls of Ross.
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| Reeves included a second extract from a different manuscript, written again by the Macdonalds, at the turn of the 18th century . Also from the section pertaining to Alexander Macdonald, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross, the excerpt reads, “Alister [Alexander] had other children, the offspring of the daughter of Gillapatrick Roe [Patrick the Red], son of Rury, son of the Green Abbot, son of the Earl of Ross, whose surname was ''of the Rosses''.” With the addition of this manuscript, Reeves had a genealogical connection from Patrick the Red back to an earl of Ross.
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| Reeves then makes the statement that, “The Red Priest was Gilla Patrick O'Beollan, whose daughter was married or handfasted to Alexander, Lord of the Isles of Lochalsh, and was mother of Celestine de Insulis, in whose charter of 1467 these lands are included.” By equating the Red Priest and Patrick the Red, Reeves could claim a lineage from a "Red Priest of Applecross" back to the earls of Ross.
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| {{Tree chart/start|align=center|summary=Earl of Ross from MacVurrich's Gaelic manuscript}}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | |RV | | | | |TR | | |RV='''Reeves's chart'''<br>'''in Gaelic'''|TR='''Translation'''}}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | |IR | | | | |ER | | |IR=Iarla Rois |ER=Earl of Ross }}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | | |!| | | | | | |!| | | |}}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | |AU | | | | |GA | | |AU=Abb Uaine|GA=the Green Abbot }}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | | |!| | | | | | |!| | | |}}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | |RU | | | | |RO | | |RU=Ruaidri |RO=Rory }}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | | |!| | | | | | |!| | | |}}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | |GR | | | | |PR | | |GR=Giollapadraig Ruaid|PR=Gilpatrick Roy<br>or<br>Patrick the Red }}
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| {{Tree chart|border=0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
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| {{Tree chart/end}}
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| Again, as an antiquarian and a Bishop of the Church of Ireland, Reeves was familiar with its early history. He was aware of the Irish family Ó Beolláin that was known to have been herenachs of St. Columba's church of Drumcliff, near Sligo. In medieval Ireland, a ''herenach'' was a hereditary ecclesiastical official responsible for managing church lands, collecting parish revenues, and supporting the clergy. Reeves explained that the mother of Maelrubha, Subtan, was the sister of Comgall. It was thought that Comgall may have been a disciple of St. Columba. So, in this way, Reeves made a connection between Maelrubha's church of Aporcrosan, St. Columba's church of Drumcliff, and the Irish family Ó Beolláin. He made the assumption that the O'Beollan family of Patrick the Red was the same as the Ó Beolláin family of St. Columba's church. He then assumed that the tradition of herenach had followed the family from Ireland to Applecross.
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| He summed this up by saying,
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| ::“It would seem that the office of ''herenach'', or hereditary farmer of abbey-lands, which was originally, both in Ireland and Scotland, of a clerico-secular character, was, in the case of this church [Applecross], early vested in the family of O'Beollan. They were of Irish extraction, and of the same stock as St Maelrubha, the founder, although their exact descent is forgotten. In the present instance, as in the richly-endowed churches of Dull and Glendochart in Scotland, and of Armagh and Bangor in Ireland, the secular functions of the herenach in process of time gained upon the clerical; and the transmission of the estates, which was originally by election in the founder's kin at large, became limited in direct succession, marriage on the part of the tenants being both allowed and practised. In this manner the church-lands of Applecross became an heirloom in one family, which family, namely O'Beollain, furnished the recipient of the first-created earldom of Ross.”
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| == The Evidence ==
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| === The Irish Annals ===
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| Everything that is known of Maelrubha's monastery at Applecross comes from entries found in three Irish annals; the Annals of the Four Masters, the Annals of Tigernach, and the Annals of Ulster.
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| They cover Maelrubha's initial voyage to Scotland and the founding of the church of Aporcrosan beginning in 671. They end with the reporting of the death of Mac Oige of Aporcrosan in 801. There are no records in existence that were kept by the monastery itself.
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| * 671 - Maelrubha, Abbot of Beannchair, went to Alba, and founded the church of Aporcrosan.<ref name="Masters M671.2" />
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| * 673 - Maol Ruba founded the church of Aporcrosan.<ref name="Tigernach T673.4" />
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| * 673 - Máel Ruba founded the church of Apor Crosán<ref name="Annals of Ulster U673.5" />
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| * 721 - St. Maelrubha, Abbot of Beannchair, after having gone to Alba, died in his own church at Apurcrosan, on the 21st of April; eighty years, three months, and nine days, was the length of his life.<ref name="Masters M721.2" />
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| * 721 - Mael Ruba died in Apor Crossan in the 80th year of his age.<ref name="Annals of Ulster U722.1" />
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| * 722 - Maolruba in Apurchrosan in the 80th year of his life 3 months and 29 days , on the 11th of the Kalends of Mai, the third day, rested.<ref name="Tigernach T722.1" />
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| * 732 - Failbhe, son of Guaire, successor of Maelrubha, was drowned, and the crew of his ship along with him; they were twenty two in number.<ref name="Masters M732.5" />
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| * 736 - Failbe son of Guaire, i.e. successor of Máel Ruba of Apor Crosán, was drowned in the depth of the sea together with his sailors, twenty-two in number.<ref name="Annals of Ulster U737.2" />
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| * 737 - Failbe son of Guaire, i.e. the heir of Mael Rubai Apuircrosan, was drowned in a deep open sea with his sailors to the number of 22.<ref name="Tigernach T737.2" />
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| * 797 - …and Macoige, of Aporcrosain, Abbot of Beannchair, died.<ref name="Masters M797.6" />
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| * 801 - Mac Oige of Aporcrosan, abbot of Bennchor, Muiredach son of Óchobor, abbot of Cluain Ferta Brénainn, Coscrach grandson of Fraech, abbot of Lugmad, Clemens of Tír dá Glas—all ended their lives happily and in peace.
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| Reeves points out that this last entry, the death of Mac Oige of Aporcrosan, abbot of Bangor, is evidence of a continued connection between Maelrubha's church at Aporcrosan and Comgall's church at Bangor in Ireland. This is the only actual evidence linking Applecross to any of the churches in Ireland. The connection between Applecross and St Columba's church of Drumcliff was made by Reeves based solely on the similarities of the Irish name Ó Beolláin and the name Obeolan as presented in the Macdonald manuscript.
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| === A Common Kirk ===
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| Reeves himself states that this entry of 801 is, “the last reference to the place in the Irish Annals, and, it may be said, in all existing records, until it makes its appearance as “ane commoun kirk of the bischoprik of Ros.”” This passage is found in a document dated 4 August 1575. It is the presentation of Murdoch Johnnestoun to the parsonage and vicarage of Apilcroce, a common kirk of the bishopric of Ross, to be examined and admitted as a minister.
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| We do have, however, record of earlier documents pertaining to the parish church of Abilcros or the chapel of Saint Mulrubi in Apilcors. The majority of these are also Presentations of ministers, the earliest dated 23 November 1515. Reeves included most of these documents in the section he titled Appendix. It's not clear why there was no mention made of them in the larger discussion.
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| * 23 November 1515 - At Edinburgh, By the presentation of Mr. Alexander Maccloid, directed to the bishop of Ross, to grant him the collation of Mr. Alexander over two chaplaincies lying and founded below the '''parish church of Abilcros''' under the diocese of Ross, when they happen to be vacant by the death or incapacity of Mr. Murdac and Mr. Cristini, the chaplains and now possessors of the same,— to the presentation of the king by his right of patronage and ordinary contribution to the said bishop, with full rights, etc. By Signature [etc., as above]. Sol. as above.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 1 p. 409" />
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| * 28 May 1539 - At Sanctandrois, Presentation of D. Johannis Donaldsoun-over the chaplaincy of the '''chapel of Saint Mulrubi in Apilcors''', under the diocese of Ross, now vacant by the death of the late D. Alexander McClode, etc. By Signature.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 2 p. 450" />
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| * 20 March 1540 - At Stirling, Presentation of D. John Donaldsoun-over the chaplaincy of the '''chapel of Saint Malrube in Apilcroce''', under the diocese of Ross, now vacant by the death of the late Mr. Christopher Johnesoun, the last owner of the same, regarding the presentation of the Lord King and the collation of the Bishop of Ross, etc. By Signature.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 2 p. 514" />
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| * 29 March 1540 - At Stirling, ane lettre maid to M. Johne Cameroun and Schir Johne Donaldsoun, chaplains, thare airis and assignais ane or ma,—of the gift of all gudis movable and unmovable quhilkis pertenit sumtyme to Schir Christe Johnesone, chaplane, and now pertenyng to oure soverane lord be resoun of eschete, throw being of the said Schir Christe borne bastard and deit bastard, etc. Per Signaturam.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 2 p. 515" />
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| * 29 November 1540 - At Edinburgh, the Presentation of M. John Camroun - over the '''chaplaincy of St. Malrubius in Apilcroce''', under the diocese of Ross, when the same happened to be vacant by the resignation or dismissal of Mr. John Donaldsoun, the last chaplain and possessor of the same, regarding the presentation of the lord the king and the collation of the bishop of Ross, etc. By Signature.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 2 p. 555" />
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| * 14 February 1542 - At Falkland, the presentation of Mr. Murdoci Johnesoun, junior, chaplain, over half the '''chaplaincy of Apilcroce''' in the diocese of Ross, when the same happened to be vacant by the resignation, cession, or dismissal of Mr. Murdoci Johnesoun, senior, to the presentation of the lord the king and the collation of the bishop of Ross, etc. By Signature.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 2 p. 681" />
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| * 7 September 1548 - At Edinburg, The presentation of Murquhardi Johnestoune the younger over the '''chaplaincy of St. Mulrubi the martyr of Abilcors''' founded in the parish church of Ross below the same diocese now vacant or when the same happens to be vacant by the resignation or dismissal of Mr. Murquhard Johnestoune the senior now chaplain and owner of the same to the presentation of the Queen in the vacant seat of Ross and the ordinary contribution of the vicars general looking at the same etc.<ref name="Proceedings vol. 3 p. 283" />
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| * 28 May 1549 - At Edinburgh, The presentation of Mr. John Donaldsoune over the '''chaplaincy of St. Malrwbij the martyr in Abilcors''' below the diocese of Ross now vacant or when it happens to be vacant by the resignation or resignation of master John Camroune now the chaplain and owner of the same to the presentation of the Queen with full right of patronage and the ordinary collation of the Vicar General of Ross in the vacant seat of the same, etc.<ref name="Proceedings vol. 3 p. 284" />
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| * 17 October 1561 - At Edinburgh, Presentation of Mr. William Monro chaplain over the '''chaplaincy of Apilcroce''' below the refuge lie Girth of the same and the diocese of Ross now vacant by the death of the late Mr. John Donaldson the last chaplain and possessor of the same to the presentation of the Lord Queen in full right of patronage and with regard to the ordinary collation of the Bishop of Ross, etc.<ref name="Proceedings vol. 3 p. 284" />
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| * between 1561 and 1566 - The united value of the '''chaplainries of Saint Monanis (in Kiltearn) and Apilcorce''', held by Sir William Stewart vicar of Dingwall, was stated by him at 36 marks.<ref name="Origines Paroch vol. 2 p. 404" />
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| * 4 August 1575 - Dalkeith. Presentation of Murdoch Johnnestoun to the '''parsonage and vicarage of Apilcroce, a common kirk of the bishopric of Ross''', in the sheriffdom of Inverness; directing the bishop or commissioner of Ross to examine the said Murdoch and admit him if found qualified to serve as a minister.<ref name="Reg Sec Sig vol. 7 p. 39" />
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| Looking at the timeline revealed by these documents, we have record of Maelrubha leaving Ireland in 671 and establishing his church of Aporcrosan in 673. Maelrubha's death in 721. The death of his successor sometime between 732 and 737. And the death of Mac Oige of Aporcrosan, who was actually abbot of Bangor, in 797 or 801. Then there is a gap of 700 years before there is mention again of this church of Aporcrosan. Between 1515 and 1566, we have evidence of the chapel of Saint Mulrubi in Apilcors, indicating that the lands had become holdings of the Catholic Church. Then we see, during the time of the Scottish Reformation, the transition into the parsonage and vicarage of Apilcroce, a common kirk of the bishopric of Ross. The last holder of a Catholic chaplaincy that we have on record was Sir William Stewart, vicar of Dingwall. There is no mention here of a Red Priest or Patrick the Red.
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| Reeves originally claims that the O'Beollan family held the office of herenach, or hereditary farmer of abbey-lands. '''Herenachs are typically associated with Ireland?''' If this were the case, we may not expect to see them named in records associated with land held by the church. We see in the local legends, though, the tradition that the Red Priest was a Macdonald who had possession of the lands and that possession of them went, through his daughter, to the Mackenzies. If this were the case, we would expect to see the Macdonald priest named in documents.
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| === Local Tradition ===
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| Reeves says of these legends,
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| :“There exists, indeed, a vivid tradition of an individual styled the Red Priest of Applecross, who is said to have conveyed to his daughter the rich estates with which this church was endowed, and which, down to his time, had been enjoyed by his predecessors in office.”
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| The idea of this vivid tradition of a Red Priest of Applecross comes from the combination of the Applecross Parish entry in the Statistical Account of 1792 and the local legends conveyed to Reeves by the minister of Lochcarron. This Statistical Account was the first attempt to make a record of the natural resources, economic and social activities of Scotland. In order to collect the information, queries were sent to the misters of each of the 938 parishes. The minster of the parish of Applecross at the time was the Rev. John McQueen. In his section on Antiquities, McQueen wrote,
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| ::“<span class="junicodelatin">Close by the parish church, are the remains of an old religious house, where the standard and soles of crucifixes are still to be seen. It was richly endowed with landed property, which tradition relates to have been conveyed, by the last Popish missionary, in the place known by the designation of the ''Red Priest of Applecross'', to his daughter.</span>”{{sfn|McQueen|1792|p=[https://archive.org/details/b21365799_003/page/379/mode/1up 379]}}
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| It is these remains of an old religious house that Reeves identified as Maelrubha's church of Aporcrosan. Reeves takes his statement that “an individual styled the Red Priest of Applecross is said to have conveyed to his daughter the rich estates with which this church was endowed” almost word-for-word from this entry. If we look closely at what McQueen actually wrote, though, it can be read differently. McQueen says that “the last Popish missionary, in the place known by the designation of the ''Red Priest of Applecross''”, conveyed the landed property to his daughter. McQueen does not say that the ''Red Priest of Applecross'' conveyed the lands to his daughter. He says that the last missionary “in the place known by the designation of the ''Red Priest of Applecross''”. These are not the same statement. What McQueen is saying is that the place was named after the Red Priest of Applecross, not that the last missionary was the Red Priest of Applecross.
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| ==== The Red Priest ====
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| Reeves interpretation of this evidence was criticized as early as 1909 by the Rev. Archibald Scott. Rev. Scott was, himself, a Scot, the minister of Kildonan and a member of the Scottish History Society. ''The Scottish Historical Review'' published an article by Scott in April of 1909 titled "Saint Maolrubha". This was Scott's own exploration of the life of this saint. He begins by saying, “S. Maolrubha or Sagart Ruadh (both names mean the ''Red Priest'') stands out in history as one of the most interesting of the missionaries to the Picts of Alba (Scotland).”
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| He then says, “Both the name and the history of Maolrubha have been greatly confused by historical writers. Either among a non-Pictish branch of the Celts, or owing to popular fancy, the name Sagart Ruadh came to run concurrently with the Pictish name Maolrubha.”
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| He says specifically, “The two names misled some of the Roman Catholic writers, and even so great an authority as Dr. Reeves, into supposing that Maolrubha and Sagart Ruadh were different persons.” And, “Dr. Reeves, at the outset of his inquiries, prevented himself from recognising that ‘Sagart Ruadh’ is the later Gaelic-speaking people's variant of the Saint's name, by interpreting ‘Maolrubha’ as either ‘Servant of Patience’ or ‘Servant of the Promontory.’ ‘Maolrubha’ means, The Tonsured-one with the Red-hair, or with the Ruddy complexion.”
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| Scott is pointing directly to Reeves's interpretation of the entry in the ''Old Statistical Account''. McQueen wrote, “conveyed, by the last Popish missionary, in the place known by the designation of the ''Red Priest of Applecross'', to his daughter.” Reeves read, “an individual styled the Red Priest of Applecross, who is said to have conveyed to his daughter the rich estates with which this church was endowed.”
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| Scott is saying that the ''Red Priest of Applecross'' was Maelrubha himself. So, when McQueen said “in the place known by the designation of the ''Red Priest of Applecross''”, he was referring to the lands of Maelrubha's monastery. And, indeed, we see from the Presentations of the 16th century that the place was referred to as the chapel of Saint Malrube in Apilcroce.
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| === The Mackenzies ===
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| This Red Priest, or Sagart Ruadh, is named in both versions of the legend conveyed to Reeves by the minister of Lochcarron. The parish of Lochcarron shares a border with Applecross Parish just to the south. The minister of Lochcarron was in a position to have heard the local legends. In both of Lochcarron's versions, the Red Priest is supposed to have been a Macdonald. And in both of the versions, the lands of Applecross end up in the hands of the Mackenzies. It is the first version of the legend that Reeves provides that most closely matches the tradition that McQueen relates. In this version, the daughter of the Red Priest is betrothed to a son of the laird of Coul, but Mackenzie of Gairloch attempted to abduct her. After he was slain, she accepted the proposal of a Macdonald. This “so exasperated the Mackenzies of Coul, that they came, demanded the lady for their chief, and succeeded in scattering the MacDonnells, on whose withdrawal the lady was surrendered to them, and with her the lands of Applecross.” And, as Reeves adds, “Thus, as the story goes, these lands came into the family of Mackenzie, with whom they remained till the other day.”
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| We do know that the lands of Applecross eventually came to be in the hands of the Mackenzies.
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| Reeves includes the text of this document in the 'Appendix' section of his paper, dated 22 April 1569.
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| <blockquote class="booktext">Precept of the Charter of Confirmation on the charter of fief made by Mr. William Stewart, chaplain of Apilcroce, under the diocese of Ross, with the express consent and assent of John, Bishop of Ross, and the Dean and Canons of the cathedral church of Ross, capitularly gathered to Rorio Makkangze and his male heirs, legitimately begotten or to be begotten of his body. to the conveyance of Kenzeoch McKangze of Kintaill and his heirs male to whomever bear the arms and surname of the said Kanzeocht and to their assigns to whomsoever of all and singular lands underwritten, viz. half the lands of Bounadell half the lands of Longoll and Athechork half the lands of Kippeche half the lands of Satrell and Drumloy half the lands of Corlmvir half the lands of Corchirie half the lands of Coulnakill half the lands of Ardestaig half the lands of Scheildaig half the lands of Dybege half the lands of Rischill half the lands of Lestang, lying in the county of Rossense and the sheriffdom of Inuerness to the said lord William as the patrimony and property of the said chaplaincy To be held of the said lord William and his successors at Edenburght on the twenty-second day of the month of April in the year of the Lord, etc., lxix.{{sfn|Reeves|1862|pp=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingssoci19unkngoog/page/284/mode/1up 284-285]}}</blockquote>
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| Cosmo Innes confirms in the Applecross section of ''Origines Parochiales Scotiae'' that, “in 1569 the same Kenzeoch was heir in remainder to the chapel lands of Apilcroce, then granted by Sir William Stewart the chaplain to Rory Makkangze and his heirs male.”{{sfn|Innes|1854|p=[https://archive.org/details/originesparoc97a02unknuoft/page/393/mode/1up 393]}} He cites the same document, Reg. Sec. Sig., vol. xxxviii. fol. 119.
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| Here we find again Sir William Stewart, vicar of Dingwall, the last holder of a Catholic chaplaincy of Apilcorce. This is the point at which the lands of Applecross came to be in the possession of the Mackenzies.
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| The Rorio Makkangze who was granted these lands of Apilcroce in 1569 was [[Roderick Mackenzie, 2nd of Davochmaluag]].{{sfn|Black Nov 2019|p=[https://www.1467manuscript.co.uk/GreenAbbottBlack%20BLACKforWEB.pdf#page=7 7]}} The Kenzeoch McKangze mentioned would've been his 1st cousin, and also his daughter's father-in-law, [[Kenneth 'of the Whittle' Mackenzie, 10th of Kintail ( -1568)|Kenneth Mackenzie, 10th of Kintail]]. This transaction is an example of the diminishing power of the church prior to the [[w:Scottish Reformation Parliament|Scottish Reformation]] which led to the transfer of church property into the hands of powerful nobles.<ref>{{cite web|title=Applecross History|website=Applecross Historical Society and Heritage Centre|url=https://www.applecrossheritage.org.uk/applecross-history-culture|access-date=18 Feb 2024}}</ref>
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| [[File:Mackenzie-of-Applecross-family-chart.gif|center]]
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| This places Lochcarron's legend sometime around the year 1569. It does not, however, conform to the narrative of Lochcarron's legend. We see here that Mr. William Stewart was the last Popish missionary in the place known by the designation of the Red Priest of Applecross. He was not a Macdonald.
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| This first version of the legend involved Mackenzie of Gairloch, who “paid dearly” for attempting to abduct the Red Priest's daughter. It is then the Mackenzies of Coul who demanded the lady for their chief and, with her, the lands of Applecross.
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| According to historian [[Alexander Mackenzie]], the Mackenzies obtained the Barony of Gairloch in the late 15th century.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1894|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmackenz00mack/page/386/mode/1up 386-387]}} About the time of Lochcarron's legend, the lands changed hands several times between the sons of John Glassich Mackenzie. Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch died in 1566. Alexander died a few weeks after he succeeded his brother.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1894|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmackenz00mack/page/403/mode/1up 403]}} Mackenzie takes from an old family manuscript that the brothers were killed probably in the same manner as their father and uncles, by the Mackenzies of Kintail.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1894|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmackenz00mack/page/401/mode/1up 401]}}
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| The Mackenzies of Coul, however, were not contemporary with these brothers. Alexander Mackenzie of Applecross and 1st of Coul was the grandson of Roderick Mackenzie, 2nd of Davochmaluag, and Kenneth Mackenzie, 10th of Kintail, the men actually named in the Precept of the Charter of Confirmation of 1569.
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| [[Alexander Mackenzie (historian)|Alexander Mackenzie]] wrote in the ''[[History of the Mackenzies]]'' that the wife of this Roderick MacKenzie, 2nd of Davochmaluag, was Ann, daughter of Donald Gorm Macdonald, 7th of Sleat.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1894|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmackenz00mack/page/595/mode/1up 595]}} He writes in the ''[[History of the Macdonalds]]'', however, that [[Donald Gorm Macdonald, 5th of Sleat ( -1539)|Donald Gorm Macdonald]] was 5th of Sleat{{sfn|Mackenzie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmacdlor00mack/page/164/mode/1up 164]}} and that the 7th of Sleat was [[Donald Gorm Mòr Macdonald, 7th of Sleat (-c1617)|Donald Gorm Mòr Macdonald]]{{sfn|Mackenzie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmacdlor00mack/page/189/mode/1up 189]}} who died without issue.{{sfn|Mackenzie|1881|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmacdlor00mack/page/213/mode/1up 213]}} Besides apparently being childless, Donald Gorm Mòr would've lived too late to have been the father of the wife of Roderick Mackenzie. This would suggest, then, that Donald Gorm Macdonald, 5th of Sleat, was the father of Ann, wife of Roderick MacKenzie.
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| Either way, there may be some truth to Lochcarron's claim that the first Mackenzie to possess the lands of Apilcroce was married to the daughter of a Macdonald. That Macdonald, however, was not the Red Priest, or a priest of any kind, and not the holder of the lands of Applecross. He was, instead, chief of [[Clan Macdonald of Sleat]].
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| Other than this single detail, though, the legends do not hold up when comparted to what we know from original documents.
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| And one of the two chaplains of Apilcroce, with consent of the church, transferred to the Mackenzies his half of these lands.
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| Reeves quoted from the ''Origines Parochiales Scotiae'', “In 1662 John M'Keanzie of Aplecroce was served heir male to his grandfather, Alexander M'Keanzie of Coull, in the lands of Aplecroce.”
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| === The Macdonald Manuscripts ===
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| Reeves made his connection from a supposed Red Priest, “the last of that family who was proprietor of these lands”, to the earls of Ross through entries found in two 17th-century manuscripts. Both of these manuscripts included genealogies of Macdonald branches. The earliest focused on the Macdonalds of Sleat. The second, thought to have been written just a few decades later, was found in the Red Book of Clanranald.
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| Both of these genealogies included an entry for Alexander Macdonald, Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross. Alexander inherited the title Lord of the Isles from his father and was Earl of Ross through his mother's line. This is where we find Patrick the Red. Patrick's daughter was the mother of at least one of Alexander's children.
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| {| class=wikitable
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| ! Sleat History
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| ! Book of Clanranald
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| |-
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| | The legendary history of the MacDonalds, published by the Iona Club
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| | MacVurrich's Gaelic manuscript
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| |-
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| | between 1660 and 1688
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| | circa 1700
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| | style="vertical-align:top;" | Alexander his son succeeded to his father's estate, and was proclaimed Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles after the accustomed manner, a man born to much trouble all his lifetime. First, he took to him the concubine, daughter to Patrick Obeolan, surnamed the Red, who was a very, beautiful woman. This surname Obeolan was the surnames of the Earls of Ross, till Farquar, born in Ross, was created earl by King Alexander, and so carried the name of Ross since, as best answering the English tongue. This Obeolan had its descent of the ancient tribe of the Manapii; of this tribe is also St Rice or Rufus. Patrick was an abbot, and had Carlebay in the Lewis, and the church lands in that country, with 18 merks lands in Lochbroom.
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| | style="vertical-align:top;" | Alexander had other children, viz., Hugh, by a daughter of Gilpatrick Roy, son of Rory, son of the Green Abbot, son of the Earl of Ross, whose surname was of the Rosses. He had for patrimony the third part of Lewis, and other lands upon the mainland. It is he that was killed in the parts of Garioch when along with Mac Donald, viz., Donald of Isla. For there were four that went out of the army before any part of the main force went with them, viz., Norman Macleod and Torquill his brother, Lochluinn mac Gillemhaoil and Gilpatrick mac Rory. Gilpatrick mac Rory and Lochluinn mac Gillemhaoil were killed, but Norman and Torquill escaped safe from the pursuit.
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| |}
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| We have, in the Sleat History, Patrick the Red who was both an abbot and of the “same tribe St Rice or Rufus.”
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| Reeves equated this Patrick the Red with the ''Red Priest of Applecross''. He said specifically, “The Red Priest was Gilla Patrick O'Beollan, whose daughter was married or handfasted to Alexander, Lord of the Isles of Lochalsh, and was mother of Celestine de Insulis, in whose charter of 1467 these lands are included.” There are several problems with this sentence, not including the fact that the ''Red Priest of Applecross'' he was seeking was Maelrubha himself, not a figure of the 15th century. This may stem from the fact that this entire theory came to Reeves as a suggestion from William Skene and not through his own thorough research.
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| Reeves said in a footnote, “For this extract, as well as for the first suggestions regarding the O'Beollans, I am indebted to my learned and ingenious friend, W. F. Skene, Esq.” The extract he was referring to was the genealogy of Patrick the Red that we find in the Book of Clanranald. It may true that Skene also pointed Reeves in the direction of the Sleat History and this is where he found “the first suggestions regarding the O'Beollans”. In fact, this manuscript appears to be the only document currently in existence that could be evidence that the surname of the earls was Obeolan. We know Skene was familiar with the Sleat History because he in possession of it in 1833.
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| Reeves may have mentioned to Skene that he was finding mention of a ''Red Priest'' in his Applecross research and Skene recalled the mention of Patrick the Red who was both an abbot and of the same tribe as St Rice or Rufus.
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| , be he was also the author of the notes published with it by the Iona Club in 1847.
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| In one of these notes, Skene said of the manuscript,
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| :“The genealogical accounts of the various families contained in these MSS. is, however, frequently full of errors, principally intentional, and arising from the prejudices and active partizanship of the Sennachy, who being always devoted to one particular family, shared his patron's animosity against the Clans with whom he was at feud, and his jealousy of the other families of his own Clan, between whom there existed a rivalry. The Sennachy seldom scrupled to subserve his patron's jealousies, by perverting the history of their families, and this he, in general, accomplished either by actually perverting the genealogy, or by an extensive bastardising of the heads of the family, probably proceeding upon a principle not unknown to the present day, that a fact, however notoriously false, if perseveringly asserted for a certain length of time, will at length be received as true.<br>The writer of this MS. was a staunch adherent of the Slate [Sleat] family, and therefore his statements, with regard both to the Clans with whom the Clan Donald were at feud, and to the rival branches of that great Clan, must be received with great caution. ”
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| Both manuscripts suggest a connection from Patrick the Red back to the earls of Ross. The earlier manuscript claimed Patrick Obeolan was surnamed the Red. And that “This surname Obeolan was the surnames of the Earls of Ross, till Farquar, born in Ross, was created earl by King Alexander, and so carried the name of Ross since, as best answering the English tongue. This Obeolan had its descent of the ancient tribe of the Manapii; of this tribe is also St Rice or Rufus.”
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| [[File:Macdonald-Earl-of-Ross-family-chart.gif|center]]
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| ==== The Lands of Applecross ====
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| [[File:Clachan Manse - geograph.org.uk - 7276424.jpg|right|200px]]
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| The remains of an old religious house that Reeves identified as Maelrubha's monastery are found near a bay on the west coast of the Applecross Peninsula. It's a small inlet surrounded by hills. We see, though, from this Precept of 1569, that the lands of Apilcroce were vast, including Bonnadell, Longoll and Achechork, Kippech, Satrell and Drumloy, Cowlmoir, Corchirie, Coulnakill, Ardestang, Scheildag, Dybege, Rischill, and Lestang. As the ''Old Statistical Account'' says, “it was richly endowed with landed property.”
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| [[File:Apilcroce lands.jpg|thumb|right|244px|The chapel lands of Apilcroce circa 1569.]]
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| <div class="leafletmapsmall">{{#display_map: geojson=ApplecrossMonastery |zoom=8
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| |57.445000, -5.8122222~Maelrubha's monastery
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| |layers=NLS.osgb1888
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| }}</div>
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| The locations of some of these lands are lost to history. From what we do know, we can see that this was a very large area, covering the entire peninsula. This agrees with Reeves's statement, “That in after-times the lands of Applecross, in a radius of six miles from the saint's church, enjoyed the rights of sanctuary and immunity.”{{sfn|Reeves|1862|p=[https://archive.org/details/proceedingssoci19unkngoog/page/267/mode/1up 267]}}
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| === O'Beollan name ===
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| Ó Beolláin and O'Beollan have their root in the same Bjolan?
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| {{#ask: [[Has related topic::Source:Proceedings (Saint Maelrubha)]]
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| |?Has timeline entry
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| |?Has citation
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| |?Has citation name
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| |?Has sort date
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| |mainlabel=-
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| |format=plainlist
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| |limit=250
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| |sort=Has sort date,Has entry precedence
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| == Sources ==
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| <references />
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|
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| * {{Annals of Ulster full}}
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| * {{Early sources full|volume=2}}
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| * {{cite DNB |wstitle=Comgall |last=Archer |first=Thomas Andrew |volume=11}}
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| * {{Ane Breve full}}
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| * {{Black articles full|article=Green Abbot}}
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| * {{Book of Clanranald full}}
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| * {{Reg Sec Sig full|volume=7}}
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| * {{Reg Sec Sig full|volume=2}}
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| * {{Sutherland full}}
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| * {{Province full}}
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| * {{Cite book |last1= Gregory |first1= Donald |author-link1= Donald Gregory |date= 1975 |orig-date= 1836 |title= The history of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland, from A.D. 1493 to A.D. 1625, with a brief introductory sketch from A.D. 80 to A.D. 1493 |title-link= History of the western Highlands and Isles of Scotland (1st edition) |edition= 1st |publication-place= Edinburgh |publisher= J. Donald |isbn= 978-0-85976-008-9 |lccn= 76375347 |oclc= 2913708 }}{{#set: Has source=History of the western Highlands and Isles of Scotland (1st edition)}}
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| * {{Orig paroch full|volume=2}}
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| * {{Retours full|volume=2}}
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| * {{Macdonald fragment full}}
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| * {{Reg Sec Sig full|volume=1}}
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| * {{cite book |title = The Annals of Tigernach |title-link=The Annals of Tigernach |editor-first = Gearóid |editor-last=Mac Niocaill |publisher = (unpublished) |type=one electronic file |via=[[Corpus of Electronic Texts]] }}{{#set: Has source=The Annals of Tigernach}}
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| * {{Highland papers full|volume=1}}
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| * {{Macdonalds full}}
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| * {{Mackenzies full}}
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| * {{NLS full|title=Manuscript copy of the English 'History of the Macdonalds', ascribed by Donald Gregory to a Hugh Macdonald|id=Adv.MS.73.1.12|url=https://manuscripts.nls.uk/repositories/2/resources/20232}}
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| * {{Old Stat Acc full|parish=Applecross}}
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| * {{cite DNB |first=Norman |last=Moore |wstitle=Reeves, William (1815-1892) |display=Reeves, William (1815-1892) |volume=47 |pages=417-418}}
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| * {{Acts of lords full}}
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| * {{Four Masters full}}
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| * {{Scots Peerage full|volume=5}}
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| * {{cite book |last=Reeves |first=William |author-link=William Reeves (bishop) |title=Irish Ecclesiastical Journal |title-link=Irish Ecclesiastical Journal (vol. 5) |chapter=Ancient Irish Missionaries |publisher=James. M. McGlashan |location=Dublin |year=1849 |volume=5}}{{#set: Has source=Irish Ecclesiastical Journal (vol. 5)}}
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| * {{Proceedings Maelrubha full}}
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| * {{Scott Maolrubha full}}
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| * {{Celtic Scotland full|volume=3}}
| |
| * {{Place names full}}
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