Mowat of Hugoland

Last update 25.03.2022

This branch includes Mowats on Shetland and in Norway.

(Unknown) Mowat. Probably the ancestor of this family. He is not mentioned in any contemporary sources and therefore probably died young. In old genealogies he is called Bertel and Bartoll. Although this might be interpreted as a variant of Bartholomew, it might also be a distortion of Beroald, which was the name of his oldest grandson. The name Beroald is rare in Scotland, but quite common in the Innes family. There is no doubt that his son, Andrew, was a close relative of the Balquholly family, and Bertel/Bartoll therefore probably was a younger son of Magnus of Balquholly. He married Barbara Sinclair, who neither is mentioned in any contemporary sources. But Andrew Mowat's coat of arms shows that his mother was probably a Sinclair.

Children:
1.	Andrew, see II.
2.	Possibly: Agnes, married before 1568¹ Bartholomew Strang of Voisgarth, who died between 1588 and 1590⁹.

Andrew Mowat, of Assetter³, of Hugoland⁴ (both in Northmaven, Shetland). Probably born around 1535. Underfoud in Northmaven in 1589 (or perhaps it was his son John).¹¹ Died 1610/11.¹⁷ Married 1st before 25 September 1558 Ursula Tulloch⁵, daughter of William Tulloch of Skea⁶ and probably Barbara Thomasdaughter⁷. Ursula died before 1587.¹⁰ Married 2nd shortly after 1587 Else Tronds, daughter of the Norwegian admiral Christoffer Trondsen and Karen Knutsdaughter Schanke. After his second marriage he stayed in Norway in periods. The first years he stayed in Gjersvik (Tysnes, Norway), later at Hovland (also in Tysnes). But he always named himself "of Hugoland", even when he stayed in Norway.¹²

He was not a son of Patrick Mowat of Balquholly. Although he certainly was a close relative, Patrick was married to Margaret Cheyne at the time of Andrew's birth. However, Andrew's coat of arms strongly suggest his mother was a Sinclair.

Some have assumed Malcolm Mowat of Brabstermire as Andrew's father. This is based on a document referred by Francis J. Grant in "The County Families of Shetland Islands", p. 179.⁵⁰ That document is however not referring to Andrew Mowat of Hugoland but to Andrew Mowat, second son of (probably Patrick Mowat) of Swinzie.⁵¹ Malcolm cannot be completely ruled out as Andrew's father though, but there are no indications of it. Malcolm's wife is unknown, but the family seems to have had small interests in Shetland compared to the Mowats of Balquholly.

Children by Ursula Tulloch:

John, see III.⁸

Malcolm.⁸

Patrick.⁸

Gilbert, ancestor of the Garth family.

James of Ure, of Burrafirth¹⁶. Most likely born after 1577.¹⁹ Married Agnes Pitcairn, daughter of Mr James Pitcairn,³³ minister of Northmaven, and his wife Ursula Sinclair.³⁴

Sons:
a.	Gilbert.³⁰ He was his father's eldest son in 1632.³⁰ Client of James Mowat in Paris. Married Margaret Forbes. He was a secretary to the Earl of Middleton and later to George, Marquis of Huntly from Whit 1662 to Whit 1663. Margaret died around 1714. She then lived in Canongate.²⁷ He died before 27 August 1669.³¹
b.	Christopher.²⁹
c.	Henry.³² In 1634 he had been staying for two years with schoolmaster James Fischer in Edinburgh who required payment of £90 from his father for "the bedding, burding, instructing and learning".³²
d.	John.³⁰ He was his father's third legitimate son in 1632.³⁰

Catherine,³⁵ was either the daughter of Ursula Tulloch or illegitimate. She married John Neven of Scousburgh,³⁶ and mother of Ninian Neven of Kirkabuster.³⁵ She also had an illegitimate son by Mr James Pitcairn, minister of Northmaven (and father-in-law of two of Catherine's brothers as well as a nephew), Andrew Pitcairn³⁷ who was murdered 28 June 1611.³⁸ Catherine died after 1610.²¹

Possibly: Barbara, married Edward Sinclair of Scalloway before 21 August 1580.¹⁸

Children by Else Tronds:

Axel, of Hovland (in Tysnes, Norway).²² Born 1592. He was already in 1628 a captain in the Danish-Norwegian navy. In 1631 he became vice-admiral. Because of illness he had to leave the navy. The rest of his life he lived at Hovland and became on of the greatest Norwegian landowners. His lands later was converted into the barony of Rosendal - the only Norwegian barony ever. He married around 1625 Karen Bildt, daughter of Knut Bildt of Morland and Lungegård and Sidsel Brun. Axel died 27. January 1661. His wife died 1662 in Bergen. They are buried in the burial chapel by the church in Rosendal.

Children:
a.	Axel. Naval officer. He was killed in a duel with his relative Lauritz Galtung of Torsnes in 1643.
b.	Karen Mowat. Born around 1630. She married around 1658 Ludvig Rosenkrantz, later baron of Rosendal, and had issue, now extinct. Karen died in 1675 in Christiania (now Oslo).
Natural son by Margrethe Eriksdaughter (daughter of Erik Jonsson of Brandvik and Susanne Pedersdaughter):
c.	Anders Axelsen Helvik, ancestor of the Helvik-family.

Christoffer.²³ Danish-Norwegian naval officer. He died 1628.

10.

Karen.²⁴ She married admiral Erik Orning of Vatne and had issue.

Natural child:

11.

Beroald¹⁵, of Collafirth.⁴⁹ Born around 1554.⁴⁹ Probably the Berald Mowat in Blafirth (in Northmaven, Shetland) who's wife Marion Giffart registered her testament 22 September 1633.²⁸

Son:

Malcolm⁴⁹, of Collafirth. Born around 1590.⁴⁹ He may have been the father of

James, of Collafirth, father of

a)	Ursilla, married Laurence Tarrel of Voe, who died in 1715.

III

John Mowat, of Ollaberry (while his father lived)¹⁴, of Hugoland²⁰. Died in August 1617. Married before 1597¹³ Christian Stewart, natural daughter of Robert, Earl of Orkney. She was still alive 31 July 1634.⁴¹

Children:
1.	Andrew, see IV.²⁵
2.	Patrick.³⁹ He was his father's second lawful son in 1615.³⁹
3.	Robert.⁴² He was still alive 4 March 1634.⁴³
3.	Gilbert.⁴¹
3.	Jean.⁴⁴ Eldest lawful daughter.⁴⁴ She married David Heart, sheriff-clerk of Orkney and Shetland, before 20 June 1618.⁴⁴ She died around 1683.⁴⁵
4.	Agnes.⁴⁶ She married, before 4 June 1623, Michael Sinclair of Aith,⁴⁷ born around 1597.⁴⁸

Andrew Mowat, of Hugoland, of Skea. Born around 1593 or 1994 (he was 30 years old 7 September 1624).²⁶ Married, probably 1615 (marriage contract dated 16 August 1611), Grizel Pitcairn, daughter of Mr James Pitcairn, minister of Northmaven, and Ursula Sinclair.³⁹

Children:
1.	James.⁴⁰
2.	John.⁴⁰

References:

1	SD1 173
3	11. February 1563-64, SD1 142, and 10. February 1566-67, SD1 157
4	From before 18. August 1572, SD1 195
5	SD1 113
6	SD1 154
7	William's widow, SD1 113 and 114
8	SD1 235 and RMS vol IV, no. 2672.
9	SD2 125 and 179
10	SD2 96
11	SD2 142
12	For example SD2 184
13	SD2 264
14	From before 1599, SD2 281
15	SD2 328. He must be a natural son due to the fact that he his not mentioned in any of the inheritance cases of his father (except as a witness), even if he was older than most of his father's children (probably the oldest one).
16	In 1607, SD2 434
17	He was alive 11. July 1609, SD2 482. He was probably still alive 17. November 1610, when "his lands" is mentioned, SD2 521. He was probably dead before 16. August 1611, when his son is styled 'of Hugoland' instead of 'apparent of Hugoland'.
18	SD2 2
19	As he is not mentioned in SD1 235 or 236.
20	SD2 541
21	SD2 514.
22	SHS p. 4-5
23	SHS I p. 4
24	SHS I p. 4
25	SD3 No. 800 and 877.
26	RPC vol. XIV, No. 756.
27	SRS vol. 3, p. 95.
28	SRS vol. 11, p. 62.
29	SD3 1379
30	SD3 1329
31	CRS 814
32	SD3 1428
33	SD3 608
34	SD3 605
35	SD3 860, as Gilbert Mowat of Garth was the uncle of Ninian Neven.
36	SD3 544
37	SD2 550
38	SD2 549
39	SD3 199
40	SD3 730
41	SD3 1455
42	SD3 1418
43	RSS vol. V, p. 220
44	SD3 338
45	SRS vol. 11, p. 36
46	SD3 990
47	SD3 731
48	RPC vol. XIV, p. 754
49	RPC vol. XIV, p. 747
50	"said to be a second son of --- Mowat of Swinie, in Caithness." The following reference to a document from 1572 in the same sentence is correctly to Andrew Mowat of Hugoland. But this is not the same document!
51	CFZ p. 79