Islay Charter

The Islay Charter or "Gaelic Charter of 1408" is a grant of lands by Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles to "Brian Bhicaire Magaodh" ("Brian Vicar MacKay") [Thomson, The Companion to Gaelic Scotland pp63 ] , a resident of Islay , written in 1408 [ [http://www.electricscotland.com/history/literat/gaelicch.htm Gaelic charter of 1408 ] ] . The charter is unique in being the only MacDonald land charter extant to have been written in the Gaelic language and is also notable as a very early example of this kind of document written in a vernacular language rather than Latin and is one of the earliest examples of Gaelic in public use from the 15th century [ [http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1387482.0.0.php The Herald - Scotland's Leading Quality Daily Newspaper ] ] . It was composed and written upon a piece of goatskin by Fearghas MacBeatha [ [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/G600010/text001.html Regimen Sanitatis ] ] (Fergus Beaton) personal physician to the Lord of the Isles and a member of the famous Beaton medical dynasty of the islands. The charter is also signed and holographed by the lord himself and was witnessed by a "britheimh" or 'judge', Pat McAbriuin. The lands granted consisted largely of the eastern portion of the island of approximately convert|400|acre|km2 [Thomson, The Companion to Gaelic Scotland pp64] .

ee also

*Fernaig manuscript
*Book of the Dean of Lismore

Notes

References

Thomson, Derick S. "The Companion to Gaelic Scotland" (Blackwell Reference 1987)