Thomas of Galloway

Thomas of Galloway
Native name	Tomás Mac Uchtraigh
Born	Tomás m. Lochlainn m. Uchtraigh
Died	1231
Resting place	Coupar Angus Abbey
Known for	Activities in the Irish Sea region from 1212 to 1228
Opponent(s)	Aodh Méith, Hugh de Lacy
Spouse(s)	Isabella of Atholl, Countess of Atholl
Children	Patrick, Alan
Parent(s)	Lochlann of Galloway & Helen de Morville
Relatives	Alan of Galloway, Donnchadh of Carrick

Thomas of Galloway, known in Gaelic sources as Tomás Mac Uchtraigh (died 1231), was a Gall-Gaidhil prince and adventurer. The son of Lochlann, king of Galloway, Thomas was an active agent of his brother Alan of Galloway as well as the English and Scottish kings. When King John, the English monarch, decided that central and western Ulster were to be added to his dominions (with the earldom of Ulster already created by John de Courcy), he conscripted Thomas and Alan of Galloway to his aid, offering them much of later counties Antrim, Londonderry and Tyrone as incentive.

Thomas had begun his recorded career as a mercenary in Angevin service, and obtained much land in Ireland while gaining several victories with his fleet. In Scotland he obtained from William the Lion marriage to Isabella of Atholl, heiress to the province of Atholl in central Scotland. Although little is otherwise known about his life in Scotland, he was involved in the affairs of Coupar Angus Abbey, while much of his Irish activity coincided with and supported the interests of the Scottish ruling dynasty there in opposing the allies of the MacWilliams. He left one heir in Patrick, mormaer of Atholl, but the latter's premature death at the hands of the Bisset family meant that Thomas's line had failed by the 1240s.

Thomas was the son of Lochlann mac Uchtraigh [Roland fitz Uhtred] (died 1200), king of the Gall-Gaidhil, and the brother of Alan of Galloway [Ailean]. His mother was Helen de Morville (died 1217), daughter of Richard de Morville, Anglo-Norman lord of Cunninghame and Lauderdale.

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