Anders Mowatt of Hugoland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anders Mowatt of Hugoland
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| Born | c.1530 Balquholly (by Turriff), Banffshire, Scotland |
| Died | c.1610 Hovland, Tysnes, Hordaland, Norway |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Scotland Denmark–Norway |
| Service/ |
 Royal Scots Navy Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Spouse(s) | Ursula Tollach and Else Tronds Rustung |
| Children | John, Gilbert, Patrick, James Malcolm, Axel, Christoffer, Karen |
Anders Mowat of Hugoland (also known as Andrew Mowat) was an important Scottish merchant. He lived from about 1530 to 1610. He became known as the "Lord of Hugoland" in Shetland, a group of islands north of Scotland.
Andrew Mowat also became an admiral in the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy. He served under King Christian IV, who ruled both Denmark and Norway. Later in his life, he owned a lot of land in Norway, especially in a region called Sunnhordland (which is now part of Hordaland).
Contents
Who Was Andrew Mowat?
Andrew Mowat's early life is a bit of a mystery. Historians aren't completely sure who his parents were. Some believe his parents were Barbara Saint Clair and Bartholomew Mowat, but there are no old papers to prove this. Another idea is that his father was Malcolm Mowat, but again, there's no proof.
One old document from 1572 mentions the "Lord of Hugoland" as the second son of a Mowatt from Caithness, Scotland. However, the father's first name isn't clear in that document.
Becoming a Landowner
The first time Andrew Mowat is mentioned in historical records is in 1558. He married Ursula Tulloch, whose father, William Tulloch, was an important person in Northmavine, Shetland. This marriage helped Andrew become a key figure in the area.
Andrew Mowat owned many estates in Shetland and was known as the "Lord of Hugoland." Since there were no Mowats in Shetland before him, it's thought he moved there from mainland Scotland in the early 1550s.
Besides his land, Andrew was also a successful businessman. He owned several merchant ships and traded goods with Norway and England. In 1577, he gave some of his estates to his three oldest sons.
Dealing with the "Papa Property"
Andrew Mowat and his wife Ursula became involved in a dispute over some land called the "Papa Property" in Shetland. This land belonged to a very rich Norwegian noblewoman named Inger Ottesdotter Rømer, also known as Fru Inger of Austrått.
Fru Inger lived in Norway and needed someone to manage her Shetland estates. She chose Ursula's father, William Tulloch, to do this. Around 1543, William Tulloch got the right to manage the "Papa & Papaquids" estates.
When William Tulloch passed away before 1558, his daughter Ursula became his heir. It was agreed that the right to manage the land would pass to her and her husband, Andrew Mowat.
After Fru Inger died in 1555, another person, Robert Cheyne, tried to take control of the "Papa Property." He forced Andrew and Ursula off the island and tried to stop them from getting the income from the land.
Andrew and Ursula didn't give up! They got help from Mary, Queen of Scots herself. In 1566, Queen Mary wrote letters to the Norwegian authorities, supporting Andrew and Ursula's right to the land.
Queen Mary's letters worked! Between 1570 and 1576, Andrew and Ursula's right to the Papa lands was confirmed by all the different landowners. These agreements were then made official in the Scottish courts. They even received the Great Seal of the Realm, which gave them a strong legal claim to the lands.
In 1577, Andrew Mowat was given permission to build a house and a fortress on Papa. Later, his family built a home there called 'Northhouse,' which even had the Mowat coat of arms above the entrance. However, Andrew and Ursula chose to live in Ollaberry on Northmavine instead.
Andrew's First Family
Andrew Mowat and his first wife, Ursula Tulloch, had several children. An important document from 1577, confirmed by King James VI, mentions Andrew giving land to his eldest son, John. If John didn't inherit, the land would go to Malcolm, his second son, and then to Patrick, his third son. This document also allowed Andrew and John to build a stone fortress to protect against invaders.
This document from 1577 only names three of their sons. This might mean that Malcolm and Patrick were still very young, or they were born after the document was written.
Children with Ursula
- John Mowat of Ollaberry (born around 1564)
- Gilbert Mowat of Garth (born around 1565)
- Patrick Mowat (born around 1567)
- Malcolm Mowat (born after 1577)
- James Mowat of Ure & Burrafirth (born after 1577)
They might have also had two daughters:
- Barbara Mowat (who married Edward Sinclair)
- Catherine Mowat (who married John Neven)
Becoming an Admiral
Andrew's first wife, Ursula, passed away sometime between 1580 and 1586. In 1586, Andrew asked King James VI of Scotland for permission to travel to Bergen, Norway, to find a new wife. In June 1587, he received permission to move to Bergen.
In Bergen, Andrew married Else Christoffersdatter Rustung. Else was the daughter of Kristoffer Throndsen, who was an admiral in the Danish-Norwegian Navy. Else had been married twice before and owned land in Norway.
After marrying Else, Andrew Mowat became an admiral himself in King Christian IV's navy. He served in the North Sea until his death around 1610. Even though he lived in Norway, he often returned to his home in Shetland. Many of Andrew and Else's sons and grandsons also became important naval officers.
Andrew became a major landowner in Norway, especially around Hovland in Tysnes. He also owned farms in Sunnmøre and kept his lands in Shetland. He continued to be a ship-owner and a trader, bringing goods to Norway, Scotland, and England.
Children with Else
- Axel Mowat (1592–1661): He also became an admiral in the Royal Danish Navy. His daughter, Karen Mowat, became a very wealthy heiress.
- Christoffer Mowat: He was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Danish Navy.
- Karen Mowat: She married Admiral Erik Ottesen Orning.
- Another daughter, whose name is not known.
Key Events in Andrew's Life
- June 1587: Andrew gets permission to travel to Norway to find a wife.
- Around 1587: Andrew and Else get married.
- 1587-1610: Andrew serves in the Royal Danish Navy.
- 1591: The King of Denmark writes to Elizabeth I of England about pirate attacks on Andrew's ships and home.
- June 1591: Andrew Mowat signs a document as a member of the Norwegian nobility, supporting Christian IV as king of Norway.
- June 20, 1597: Andrew and Else Mowat sign important land papers as landowners.
- 1599: Andrew is recorded as a judge on the supreme court in Oslo, Norway.
- 1602-1604: Records show Andrew and Else living in Shetland.
- April 16, 1606: Andrew and Else take over part of a farm in Hovland, Norway.
- 1610/1611: Andrew Mowat passes away.
Fighting Pirates
Andrew Mowat faced problems with pirates. On August 12, 1586, his home in Shetland was robbed by a pirate captain named William Beare. Other people and ships along the Scottish and Shetland coast were also being attacked.
Andrew and others wrote letters directly to Queen Elizabeth to tell her about these pirate raids. Andrew Mowat was attacked again in 1590 when he returned to Shetland, losing more money and goods. He wrote to the Queen again. Queen Elizabeth replied that Captain Beare was dead, and without the name of the pirate from the second raid, she couldn't do much.
However, Andrew Mowat had good connections in other royal courts. He was a subject of both King James VI of Scotland and King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway. King James wrote to his new brother-in-law, King Christian, about Andrew's situation. King James suggested that English goods in Denmark should be held back until Andrew's stolen items were returned.
King Christian himself wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth on Andrew's behalf. Since Andrew was serving in the Danish Navy, he could help make sure this decision was followed.
Death
Andrew Mowat died between 1610 and 1611 in Tysnes, Hordaland, Norway. His wife, Else Rustung, is believed to have died sometime between 1625 and 1631.
Other Sources
- Crawford, Barbara Elizabeth; Beverly Ballin Smith (1999) The Biggings, Papa Stour, Shetland: the history and excavation of a royal Norwegian farm (Society Antiquaries Scotland) ISBN: 9780903903158
- Goudie, Gilbert (1904) The Celtic and Scandinavian antiquities of Shetland (Edinburgh, London : W. Blackwood and sons)
- Grant, Francis J. (1893) County Families of Shetland Islands
- Mackillop, Andrew; Steve Murdoch (2003) Military governors and imperial frontiers c. 1600–1800: a study of Scotland (Brill Academic Pub) ISBN: 978-9004129702
- Murdoch, Steve (2010) The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (BRILL) ISBN: 978-9004185685
- Sunde, Jørn Øyrehagen (2009) From a Shetland Lairdship to a Norwegian Barony: The Mouat Family and the Barony of Rosendal (Shetland Heritage Publications) ISBN: 978-0955764233
