Henderson, Swanson and the start of the Clan Gunn, some useful early history and genealogy; Thomas Sinclair ‘Clan Gunn History Supplement 26’, 9 June 1903
REVIEW
This column begins with a bit more on the Hendersons but then provides a useful little summary about Sweyn (for Swanson) and Gunn Viking genealogy for where the Gunn line ‘starts’. It has the normal issue of trying to forget that the life and times were brutal and short and the Gunn and Sweyn were of that time...
KEY PEOPLE/ IDEAS / PLACES
· More on Henderson clan / family. Glasgow accountant Frank Y. Henderson. Fordel extinct baronets of Fifeshire... Raes ... which are Gunns... Thomas F. Henderson... James Brims ... county clerk of Caithness#
· Interesting story about Henry, son of Coroner Gunn...
· SOME SWANSONS. Lots of Swansons in Caithness... but only a few will be Sweyns of Gunns... many took their name from the ruling families...slaves... Aeneas Gunn, author of the valuable MS History of the Clan to which these enquiries are much indebted (see the 1868/1870 trees on this blog; they are his – or copies of his)
· Good history of Sweyn. B. 1095, son of Olaf steward of the Earls of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Sutherland... their wooden castle burned due to nastiness... Olaf died. Wife and the two sons Sweyn and Gunn escaped... they go and live on the islands for a while... Sweyn returns and builds a stone castle... and decides to kill those who killed dad...does so... it’s all not very pleasant but says things about the violence of the times ...Sweyn’s friendship with Earl Harold... Viking behaviour (now come on, it wasn’t a picnic...)... Dublin... ‘last great viking’ (really?)... Earl of Pembroke...
· Maddan / Madad ... Magnus the Generous and Count Ottar of Thurso... three daughters Helen, Frakaurk and Thorleif... Eatrl of Orkney took Hacon took Helga (sic) as his concubine abd had by her Harald ‘Sweetmouth’ and 2 daughters Ingiborg who married Olaf Bitling King of the Hebrides and Margaret. Fraukaurk, the 2nd daughter of Maddan married Liot Niding, who lived in Sutherland. Their daughter Steinvor, or Steiny the Stout was wife of Thorlist of Rekavicha and had 5 sons. Rosta, Magnus, Ormis, Maddan and Endrid and a daughter Audhild. The other daughter of Liot and Fraukaurk was Gudrun, married to Thorstein Hauld Fiaranaman, notable for his two surnames. Their son was Thorbiorn Klerk. Earl Hacon had another son born of another mother by the name Paul ‘the Silent’. Thse brothers disagreed for many years... Sweyn was related to the Earls of Orkney on the female side certainly... his father Torfaeus says ‘Olaf inhabited Gairsay.. wife Asleif... their children Waltheof, Gunn and Swen and daughter Ingigerd... informed of those arts which in that age were of the greatest price (which clashes with my understanding of the Viking role models... at one and the same time we are meant to idolise this lot by forgetting that Vikings really were very effective terrorists of the time...)
This column begins with a bit more on the Hendersons but then provides a useful little summary about Sweyn (for Swanson) and Gunn Viking genealogy for where the Gunn line ‘starts’. It has the normal issue of trying to forget that the life and times were brutal and short and the Gunn and Sweyn were of that time...
KEY PEOPLE/ IDEAS / PLACES
· More on Henderson clan / family. Glasgow accountant Frank Y. Henderson. Fordel extinct baronets of Fifeshire... Raes ... which are Gunns... Thomas F. Henderson... James Brims ... county clerk of Caithness#
· Interesting story about Henry, son of Coroner Gunn...
· SOME SWANSONS. Lots of Swansons in Caithness... but only a few will be Sweyns of Gunns... many took their name from the ruling families...slaves... Aeneas Gunn, author of the valuable MS History of the Clan to which these enquiries are much indebted (see the 1868/1870 trees on this blog; they are his – or copies of his)
· Good history of Sweyn. B. 1095, son of Olaf steward of the Earls of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Sutherland... their wooden castle burned due to nastiness... Olaf died. Wife and the two sons Sweyn and Gunn escaped... they go and live on the islands for a while... Sweyn returns and builds a stone castle... and decides to kill those who killed dad...does so... it’s all not very pleasant but says things about the violence of the times ...Sweyn’s friendship with Earl Harold... Viking behaviour (now come on, it wasn’t a picnic...)... Dublin... ‘last great viking’ (really?)... Earl of Pembroke...
· Maddan / Madad ... Magnus the Generous and Count Ottar of Thurso... three daughters Helen, Frakaurk and Thorleif... Eatrl of Orkney took Hacon took Helga (sic) as his concubine abd had by her Harald ‘Sweetmouth’ and 2 daughters Ingiborg who married Olaf Bitling King of the Hebrides and Margaret. Fraukaurk, the 2nd daughter of Maddan married Liot Niding, who lived in Sutherland. Their daughter Steinvor, or Steiny the Stout was wife of Thorlist of Rekavicha and had 5 sons. Rosta, Magnus, Ormis, Maddan and Endrid and a daughter Audhild. The other daughter of Liot and Fraukaurk was Gudrun, married to Thorstein Hauld Fiaranaman, notable for his two surnames. Their son was Thorbiorn Klerk. Earl Hacon had another son born of another mother by the name Paul ‘the Silent’. Thse brothers disagreed for many years... Sweyn was related to the Earls of Orkney on the female side certainly... his father Torfaeus says ‘Olaf inhabited Gairsay.. wife Asleif... their children Waltheof, Gunn and Swen and daughter Ingigerd... informed of those arts which in that age were of the greatest price (which clashes with my understanding of the Viking role models... at one and the same time we are meant to idolise this lot by forgetting that Vikings really were very effective terrorists of the time...)