The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

266 T H 1-: HIGHLANDERS
[part ii
of Braedalbane. 3d. Adulia, or Dullmagarth. By examining
that these last lands were
the ancient chartularies, it appears
formerly in the possession of the ancient earls of Atholl, for
Malcolm, the third earl, grants the " Ecclesia de Dull to St.
Andrews,"' and this charter was afterwards confirmed by his
son, Henry, the last earl.
Now, it will be observed as a remarkable fact, that although
the Lowland families who succeeded Henr\- in the earldom of
Atholl, obtained possession of a considerable portion of the
earldom by that succession, }-et we do not find them in possession
of Dull, which, on the contrary, belongs to this family, De
Atholia. It is plain that this family could not have acquired
these lands by force in the face of the powerful barons who
successively obtained the earldom, and as we can only account
for its not forming a part of the succession of these earls by
supposing Dull to have been a male fief, it follows, of necessity,
that the familv of De Atholia must have been the heirs male
of the family of Atholl.
But the other possessions point still more clearh- to the real
descent of the famih- ; for there exists in the chartulary of
Cupar a charter by Coningus filius Henrici Comitis Atholie
to the abbey of Cupar, from which it appears that he was
of Glenerochie
this charter is confirmed by
and ]3roprietor ;
Eugenius filius Coningi filii Henrici Comitis Atholie, likewise
proprietor of Glenerochie. Glenerochie is the same as Strowan,
and is included in the charter erecting the possessions of the
into the baron\' of Strowan and as Strowan was at all
family ;
times a male fief, it is scarcely possible to doubt the descent
of Duncan De Atholia from Ewen the son of Conan the son of
Henry, earl of Atholl. There is a charter, however, which still
more clearly proves it. It appears from the chartular}' of
Inchaffray, that Ewen, the son of Conan, had married Maria,
one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Duncan, the son
of Convalt, a powerful baron in Stratherne. Duncan's possessions
consisted of Tullibardine and Finach in Stratherne, and
of Lethindy in Gowrie ;
his eldest daughter, Muriel, married
Mali.se, the .seneschall of Stratherne, and their daughter, Ada,
'
Chartulary of St. Andrews.