Morayshire
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Morayshire
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(Click on the picture to see a larger one) Moray (pronounced "Murray") was once one of the seven ancient Celtic provinces of Scotland and was semi-independent until the early middle ages. The famous earldom of Moray was created by King Robert the Bruce and granted to his step-nephew, Thomas Randolph not only as a mark of favour, but also as a means of asserting the crown's authority over the area. Randolph had not always been a Bruce supporter, having at one time sided with the English during the wars of independence, but he subsequently distinguished himself with the Scots, capturing Edinburgh Castle in 1314 and commanding the Scottish vanguard at Bannockburn later that year. The song "The Bonnie Earl of Moray" relates to a descendant, James Stewart, who was unfortunate enough to be murdered by the Earl of Huntly in 1592. The modern Morayshire contains the heartland of the old province. The county town was Elgin whose splendid cathedral was once only second in importance to St Andrews. This did not help it in 1390 when, notwithstanding the fact that it was regarded by the bishop as "the ornament of the realm and the glory of the kingdom" it was burned by Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan and "Wolf of Badenoch". As a result, Stewart was excommunicated although it is doubtful whether this worried him too much. The cathedral was rebuilt but is now ruined, having been allowed to fall into disrepair during the Reformation. Family names associated with Morayshire include Innes, Dunbar, Cumming (or Comyn), Grant, Gordon, Brodie, Leslie, MacBeth, MacBean,and Sutherland. Our map of Morayshire measures 11¾ x 11¼ inches (300 x 285 mm) when stitched on 27-count Linda evenweave and has 15 buildings, a lighthouse, fishing and sailing boats, place names, compass and crest. Stitch count is 158 x 152.
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