Máel Bethad of Liberton facts for kids
Máel Bethad of Liberton was an important and powerful landowner who lived in a part of Scotland called Lothian. This was during the time when King David I ruled Scotland.
Even though Máel Bethad had a Gaelic name, the area where he lived, called Liberton, might have mostly had people who spoke an early form of English. The name "Liberton" probably comes from old English words meaning "barley hill settlement."
Liberton is a place about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Edinburgh's Old Town today. Back then, the area of Liberton parish was very large, covering about 26.7 square kilometers (6,600 acres) of land. It's likely that Máel Bethad owned a big part of this land.
Máel Bethad's Importance
Máel Bethad was a trusted person to King David I. His name appears as a witness on many important documents from the king, called charters. This means he was there to see the king sign these documents, which shows he was an important and respected person in the kingdom.
Understanding Máel Bethad's Name
Máel Bethad's name was sometimes written in different ways in old documents, like "Malbead de Libertona" or "Malbet de Libertune." Some of these spellings might have confused his name with "Mac Bethad," which means "son of Life." However, his name was definitely "Máel Bethad," which means "devotee of Life" or someone who is dedicated to "Life." In this context, "Life" was a special Gaelic religious idea, meaning "eternal life" or "Christian immortality."
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