THE HOUSE OF DUNKELD (942-1058) Vaught-Jasper-Trusty-Molloy, Genealogy Tree Malcolm I (r. 943-954) Malcolm was the son of Donald II. He may have supported the establishment of a Danish kingdom of York in the 940s, and he harried the north of England. He was killed in battle, possibly at Fetteresso, Kincardineshire by rebels from Moray. Malcolm I King of Scotland is the 31st great grandfather of the Molloys.

Indulf (r. 965-962) It has been said that Edinburgh passed to the Scots during his reign. He was the son of Constantine II and died fighting the Danes. Indulf King of Scotland and the Molloys 2nd cousins 37 times removed. Their common ancestors are Kenneth I "Macalpin" King of Scotland and Mrs-Kenneth I Queen of Scotland.

Dubh (r. 962-966) An ancient Celtic cross on the island of Iona, Scotland. Iona was a place of special significance to the early Scottish kings Dubh was the son of Malcolm I. In Gaelic "dubh" means black. Culen challenged him for the throne twice and won on the second try. He was killed during this second confrontation in 966. Duff (Dubh) King of Scotland is the 34th great grand uncle of the Molloys. Their common ancestors are Malcolm I King of Scotland wife Unknown.

Culen  (r. 966-971) Culen was the son of Indulf and obtained the throne from Dubh. However, he was killed by the King of Strathclyde, Riderch, whose daughter he had kidnapped. Culen King of Scotland and the Molloys are 3rd cousins 36 times removed. Their common ancestors are Kenneth I "Macalpin" King of Scotland and Mrs-Kenneth I Queen Scotland.

Kenneth II  (r.971-995) King of the united Picts and Scots (from 971), son of Malcolm I. He began his reign by ravaging the Britons, probably as an act of vengeance, but his name is also included among a group of northern and western kings said to have made submission to the Anglo-Saxon king Edgar in 973, perhaps at Chester; and the chronicler Roger of Wendover (Flores Historiarum, under the year 975) states that shortly afterward Kenneth received from Edgar all the land called Lothian (i.e., between the Tweed and the Forth rivers). This is the first mention of the River Tweed as the recognized border between England and Scotland. Kenneth was slain, apparently by his own subjects, at Fettercairn in the Mearns. Kenneth II King of Schotland is the 34th great grandfather of the Molloys.

Constantine III (r.995-997) The son of Culen, his reign was brief. He probably was killed by Kenneth III in retaliation for Constantine III having killed Kenneth II. Constantine III King of Scotland and tyhe Molloys are 4th cousins 35 times removed. Their common ancestors are Kenneth I "Macalpin" King of Scotland and Mrs-Kenneth I Queen of Scotland.

Kenneth III (r. 997-1005) Kenneth was the son of Dubh and according to one belif made his son Giric joint king to ensure succession. Kenneth was killed in battle in 1005 by Malcolm who then seized the throne. Malcolm may also have murdred Kenneth III's grandson so that his own grandson, Duncan I could obtain the throne. Kenneth III King of Sscotland and the Molloys are 1st cousins 35 times removed. Their common ancestors are Malcolm I King of Scotland.

Malcolm II (r.1005-1034) The son of Kenneth II regained Lothian. The English were fighting the Danish and Malcolm II raided south winning that territory. He made alliances with the Danes. The marriage of his daughter to Sigurd the Stout the Earl of Orkney, extended Malcolm's influence too the far north and he had the alliance of Strathclyde in the west. He was probably over 80 years old when he died. [NOTE: TANISTRY. The Pictish system of succession was matrilineal. The Scottish system was determined by tanistry - the succession by a previously elected member of the royal family. During the lifetime of the king an heir was chosen and known as tanaiste rig (second to the king). This manner of rule remained until Malcolm II decided on the principle of direct descent. After Malcolm died the succession was based on direct descent.] Malcolm II (Melkolf) Mackenneth King of Scotland is the 31st great grandfather of the Molloys.

Duncan I (r.1034-1040) Duncan was the grandson of King Malcolm II who irregularly made him ruler of Strathclyde when that region was absorbed into the Scottish kingdom (probably shortly before 1034). Malcolm violated the established system of succession whereby the kingship alternated between two branches of the royal family. Upon Malcolm's death, Duncan succeeded peacefully, but he soon faced the rivalry of Macbeth, Mormaor (subking) of Moray, who probably had a better claim to the throne. Duncan besieged Durham unsuccessfully in 1039 and in the following year was murdered by Macbeth. Duncan's elder son later killed Macbeth and ruled as King Malcolm III Canmore (1058-93). Duncan I King of Scotland is the 32nd great grandfather of the Molloys.

Macbeth (r.1040-57) Macbeth was another grandson of Malcolm II and had as good a claim to the throne as Duncan. Shakespeare, using poetic license, has distorted the historical facts, which facts show that Macbeth ruled Scotland for 17 years quite successfully. He was married to Kenneth III's granddaughter Gruoch, who had a son, Lulach, by a previous marriage, which strengthened his claim to the throne. In 1045 Macbeth defeated and killed Duncan's father Crinan at Dunkeld. His reign was peaceful for the most part and he was generous to the Church. He was defeated in 1054 by Malcolm Canmore at Scone and killed by Malcolm Canmore in 1057. Few people realize, however, that there was a real King MacBeth Say "MacBeth", and the first thing that comes to mind is the famous play of the same name by English playwrite, William Shakespeare. The timeless story of a power-hungry Scottish nobleman who is driven by prophecy to commit murder and become King is a mainstay of high school English literature classes around the world. Shakespeare's MacBeth was first performed in 1606, three years after James 1 (James IV of Scotland) ascended to the throne following the death of Elizabeth I. Like Elizabeth, James was obsessed with witchcraft and his rule was marked by spectacular witch trials whose inevitable outcome was a guilty verdict followed by compulsory burning at the stake. Not surprisingly then, the play contains all sorts of interesting characters, including virtuous Kings and murderous noblemen, guilt ridden wives driven to suicide by nightmares and ghostly apparitions, and, of course, the prerequisite witches summoning up prophecy from the depths of evil. Contemporaries called Shakespeare's MacBeth "the Cursed Scottish Play", because of numerous mishaps during production. Had the real King MacBeth been alive, he probably would have cursed the play too - because its historical inaccuracies cast MacBeth as an evil plotter while portraying his enemies as innocent pillars of society. It is true that MacBeth, then a Mormaer (Lord or Steward) of Moray, murdered King Duncan I in 1040. But the reasons why it happened are not clearly explained and other parts of the story are plainly untrue. Kingship in eleventh century Scotland was not for the faint-hearted. Viking marauders still threatened from their base in the outer islands and Scottish politics was marked by internal strife punctuated by the all too frequent murder of Kings and their potential heirs.  The mayhem was largely due to the ancient practise of choosing Scottish kings called tanistry (or thanistry as in thane). Under tanistry, succession was not strictly heriditary: rather, noblemen chose kings from a large pool of potential kings called tanists - any one of whom may have a legitimate claim to the throne through ancestry or marriage. In theory, tanistry should have worked. But in practise, what often happened was the strongest and most cunning of the tanists would rise to power. As a result, the best person did not necessarily become King because tanistry encouraged open conflict as well as the assassination of reigning kings and other tanists. But when MacBeth murdered King Duncan I in Elgin, near Clamis Castle in 1040, it was generally seen as a good move. Duncan's rule in Scotland was not the golden age described in Shakespeare's MacBeth. Rather than the wise, benevolent King portrayed by Shakespeare, Duncan was described by Arthur M. Gunn as an "impetuous and spoiled young man whose six years of kingship brought glory neither to Scotland nor his family." In contrast, King MacBeth's seventeen year rule of Scotland between 1040-1057 was characterized by peace and tranquility. During his reign, MacBeth united south and north and brought a semblence of law and order to Scotland. And unlike many other Scottish Kings before him, MacBeth was so secure in his Kingship that he was able to go on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1050 and return to reign for another seven years unchallenged, which was a remarkable achievement given the times. MacBeth's revenge murder in 1057 by Duncan's son Malcom - who returned from exile in England with the intention of taking back the throne - marked a turning point in Scottish history from which there was no looking back. With the full support of the English, Malcom III (also known as "Big Head" or "Canmore") became the new King of Scotland, ruling until 1093. Under Malcom's reign, Scotland began the transformation from a Celtic to an English culture and Roman Catholicism began to have a major influence on Scottish politics. And because of Malcom's English ties, from then on the English would not leave Scotland alone. But in true Scottish fashion, MacBeth won't let us forget. Clamis Castle where Shakespeare set the nasty business of Duncan's murder by MacBeth, is reputed to have several ghosts. The castle, which is the childhood home of the Queen Mother, is apparently haunted by a White Lady, a Grey Lady, a boy servant and a Knight in Shining Armor who - rumour has it - likes to frighten small children in their sleep. Macbeth King of Schotland and the Molloys are 1st cousins 31 times removed. Their common ancestors are Malcolm II (Melkolf) Mackenneth King of Scotland and Mrs-Malcolm Mackenneth Queen of Scotland.

Lulach (the Fool) (r.1057-58) Lulach the Fool ruled next. Remember, he is Macbeth's step-son. (FYI, his father's name was Gillacomgan.) After a few months of rule he was killed by Malcolm Canmore, who also killed Macbeth (see above). Lulach "The Simple", King of Scotland and the Molloys are 4th cousins 32 times removed. Their common ancestors are Malcolm I King Of Scotland and Mrs-Malcolm Queen of Scotlamd.