Ethelred of Scotland facts for kids

Ethelred was a son of Malcolm III of Scotland, who was the King of Scotland. His mother was Margaret of Wessex. Ethelred was likely the third oldest son of Margaret and the sixth oldest of King Malcolm. He was named after his mother's great-grandfather, Æthelred the Unready. Ethelred later became a special kind of church leader called a lay abbot in Dunkeld.

Ethelred's Royal Family

Ethelred had several brothers, and four of them became kings of Scotland.

• His older half-brother, Duncan II, ruled briefly in 1094. Duncan was the son of King Malcolm III's first wife.
• His full brother, Edgar, ruled from 1097 to 1107.
• Another full brother, Alexander I, was king from 1107 to 1124.
• His youngest full brother, David I, ruled for a long time, from 1124 to 1153.

Ethelred also had another brother named Edward. Edward died in 1093 during a battle with his father. His brother Edmund chose to become a monk.

What Was a Lay Abbot?

Ethelred was known as the lay abbot of Dunkeld. This might sound like he was a church leader, but it was a bit different back then.

During Ethelred's time, the church in Scotland was changing. Sometimes, important church positions like "abbot" were held by regular people, not priests. These laymen would manage the church's money and lands. They would then hire actual churchmen to perform religious duties. So, Ethelred was more of a manager for the church in Dunkeld.

Ethelred's Generous Land Gifts

Besides being the lay abbot of Dunkeld, Ethelred was given a lot of land. These lands were located on both sides of the Firth of Forth, a large sea inlet in Scotland.

Ethelred used his wealth to give many gifts to the Church. For example, he gave the lands of Ardmore to a group of monks called the Culdees near Loch Leven. He gave these lands freely, meaning no one could demand taxes or payments from them.

South of the Firth of Forth, in an area called Midlothian, Ethelred also helped start a church and parish called Hales. He gave the lands of Hales to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Dunfermline.

Was Ethelred an Earl?

For a long time, people thought Ethelred was also an Earl of Fife. An earl was a powerful noble who ruled a large area. However, historians now believe this was a mistake.

The confusion came from an old record about a land gift. This record, written in Gaelic and later translated into Latin, seemed to say that Ethelred was "Abbot of Dunkeld and also Mormaer of Fife." "Mormaer" was the Gaelic word for earl.

However, other parts of the record show that someone else, named Causantín, was clearly the Earl of Fife at that time. Historians think the translator might have made a mistake when turning the Gaelic text into Latin. It seems the land gift was made by both Ethelred and Earl Causantín, but the translation made it sound like Ethelred held both titles.

Special Royal Lands

In medieval Scotland, there were only three special areas called abthainries. These were lands held by an abbot directly from the king. The three abthainries were Dull, Kilmichael, and Madderty.

Some historians believe that Ethelred's brother, King Edgar, created these abthainries especially for Ethelred. When Ethelred died, these lands went back to the king.

Ethelred's Final Journey

Ethelred was with his mother, Queen Margaret, at Edinburgh Castle when she was dying. She passed away shortly after hearing the sad news that her husband, King Malcolm, and her son Edward had both died in battle.

After his mother's death, Ethelred secretly carried her body out of the castle. It is said he did this during a thick fog to avoid being seen. He took her body to Dunfermline. Ethelred likely died soon after this event. He was probably buried in Dunfermline, in the same place as his father, mother, and oldest brother.

An old poem tells us about this moment:

Hyr swne Ethelrede, quene thys felle
That wes hys modyr nere than by
Gert at the west yhet prewaly
Have the cors forth in a myst
Or mony of hyr endying wyst;
And wyth that body thai past syne
But ony lat til Dwnfermelyne.
Before the Rwde Awtare wyth honoure
She was laid in Haly Sepulture.