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History and Genealogy
of the Pearsall Family in England
and America:
Volume I
Front Cover
Inside Front Cover
The Motive
Thanks
Illustrations
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Appendix I
Volume II
Volume III
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extending the
conquests of his grandfather towards the south, laid siege to Durham, but
the town was destined to become as fatal to the hopes of Duncan as it had
once been disastrous to those of Malcolm, a sudden and unexpected sally
spread confusion amongst the besieging army, and again the heads of the
Scottish slain were arranged in triumph around the hostile walls of
Durham.
Madach had been equally
unsuccessful in his attempt upon the earldom of Thorfin.
Warned of the approach of his rival, the Jarl summoned Thorkell Fostri to join him
with the Orkneymen in Caithness, and Madach,
perceiving that an engagement with their united forces would only be
attended with a disastrous result, retreated southwards for
reinforcements, whilst Thorfin availed himself of
the opportunity to overrun the neighboring district of Ross. Intelligence
of his proceedings reached the king at Berwick, deciding him to march at
once towards the north, in order to support in person his grant of the
earldom to Madach. It appears to have been
Duncan's object to cut off Thorfin from the
Orkneys, thus preventing his junction with Thorkell
Fostri and his Norwegians, whom the Jarl, on
the retreat of his rival, had permitted to return to the islands; and to
carry out his purpose, he dispatched Madach
towards Caithness with the land army, whilst
with eleven vessels he sailed round Duncansby
Head to inter-pose his ships between the Jarl and his island home; hoping
thus either to force him to fight at a disadvantage with the superior
numbers of Madach, or to drive him southwards
upon those highland districts which were less well affected to his cause.
The
sight of Duncan's sails in Pentland Firth conveyed to Thorfin
the earliest intelligence of his enemy's approach, and, baffled in an
attempt to put to sea, and thus escape to Sandwich,
he was forced to lie off Dyrness for the night
and to await the king's attack on the following morning. The ships of Thorfin were laden with the plunder of the northern
provinces of Scotland, and his men fought so desperately in defense of
their booty, that the king was beaten off and obliged to make for the
coast of Moray, whither he was speedily followed by the united forces of Thorfin and Thorkell Fostri; the Jarl watching the movements of Duncan and
collecting reinforcements from Caithness,
Sutherland, and Ross, whilst he dispatched Thorkell to surprise Madach,
who had now reached Thurso, where he was resting in unguarded security.
The fidelity of the men of Caithness ably seconded the projects of their
Jarl, so effectually concealing the approach of Thorkell,
that the first notice of danger was conveyed to the unfortunate Madach by the flames of his burning house, and he
perished in a vain attempt to burst through the ranks of his enemies, and
escape from the blazing ruins. [Scotland Under Her Early Kings, by E. Wm.
Robertson, vol. 1, page 113-116.]
The
Sagas relate the following incidents of this campaign: Earl Thorfinn held Orkney and Shetland in fief from Norway, and Caithness
and Sutherland from Scotland.
His mother was a daughter of Malcolm II, King of Scots. When the
succeeding King of Scots demanded tribute from Earl Thorfinn
for Caithness, the latter promptly refused, as
he looked upon Caithness
as his maternal inheritance. Whereupon the king transferred the earldom
to Earl Muddan, who took up his residence in Thurso with a great force. Earl Thorfinn's
friend, Thorkel, went by stealth to Thurso, seized Muddan's
house and set it on fire. Muddan
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