Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick
Donnchadh was a Gall-Gaidhil prince and Scottish magnate in what is now south-western Scotland, whose career stretched from the last quarter of the 12th century until his death in 1250. His father, Gille-Brighde of Galloway, and his uncle, Uhtred of Galloway, were the two rival sons of Fergus, Prince or Lord of Galloway. As a result of Gille-Brighde's conflict with Uhtred and the Scottish monarch William the Lion, Donnchadh became a hostage of King Henry II of England. He probably remained in England for almost a decade before returning north on the death of his father. Although denied succession to all the lands of Galloway, he was granted lordship over Carrick in the north.
A 19th-century reproduction of an impression of Donnchadh's seal, surviving from a Melrose charter, depicting [according to antiquarian Henry Laing] a "winged dragon"; the inscription reads SIGILLUM DUNCANI FILII GILLEBER.. ("The seal of Donnchadh son of Gille-Brighde")
Linguistic regions and provinces of what is now southern Scotland
Settlements and churches of Carrick in and around Donnchadh's era
James A. Morris' illustration of how the Cluniac Abbey of Crosssraguel roughly looked before its destruction in the early modern era
Fergus of Galloway was a twelfth-century Lord of Galloway. Although his familial origins are unknown, it is possible that he was of Norse-Gaelic ancestry. Fergus first appears on record in 1136, when he witnessed a charter of David I, King of Scotland. There is considerable evidence indicating that Fergus was married to an illegitimate daughter of Henry I, King of England. It is possible that Elizabeth Fitzroy was the mother of Fergus's three children.
One of the mounds in Lochfergus, a now-drained lochan near Kirkcudbright, where Fergus may have had a fortress
The ruinous castle of Cruggleton from a distance. This fortress was an ancient Gallovidian power centre, and the castle itself may have been built by Fergus's grandson, Roland fitz Uhtred.
Seal of Alexander I, King of Scotland, apparent brother-in-law of Fergus
Henry I, King of England as depicted in British Library Royal 14 C VII
![A 19th-century reproduction of an impression of Donnchadh's seal, surviving from a Melrose charter, depicting [according to antiquarian Henry Laing] a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Donnchadh_mac_Gille-Brighdhe_Seal.jpg/481px-Donnchadh_mac_Gille-Brighdhe_Seal.jpg)
