Liolf Son of MacCus

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This Liolf was presumably the eldest son of Maccus, as he makes the earliest and most numerous appearances in Malcolm IV/William the Lion and Religious charters, and the lands of Maxton obviously passed through him to his daughter and heiress, Cecily. In the charter mentioned above (RRS ii, #342, signed in Forfar), Cecily “dau. of Liolf, son of Maccus” & her husband, Robert de Berkeley (brother of Walter, William the Lion’s Chamberlain) are granting a ‘ploughgate’ (104 acres) in Maxton (at Muirhouselaw) and other rights to Melrose Abbey, particularly the right to quarry stone for the building of the Abbey. Liulf was presumably dead by the time of the charter (c.1189), leaving no son.

Liulf’s co-signatories continued to include Huctreds, Osolfs etc, Lindsay, Moreville, Summerville, Earl Cospatrick, Olifard, plus de Berkeley, Cumin, de Soulis, Earl Duncan, Earl Ferteth of Strathearn, Hay, Mortimer, Gifford, (inc. some more mainly Norman familes later associated with Maxton in Parthshire) and many more clerics. These charters (RRS i, #s120, 128, 131, 184, 222, RRS ii, #s 43, 79), were sealed in Roxburgh, Jedburgh, Perth, Edinburgh, Northumberland, so Liulf obviously travelled extensively with the royal court.

Maccus died c. 1150, after which charters were then witnessed by “Liolf, son of Maccus” (c. 1153-1170s), and/or Robert his brother, (c. 1160-1200) (Melrose, pp56/7, 75-81). He seemingly left his name to the Barony and village of Maccus’toun, or Maxton, and to a pool on the Tweed below the present Kelso Bridge, Maccus’weil, or Maxwheel, around which grew the village of Maxwellheugh. An Edmund de Macheswel is recorded c.1147x 1152 (Lawrie ESC 196), Herbert de Macchuswel in 1159 (RRS i, #131), and the lands + church of Maxton are named in a charter of 1189x93 (RSS ii,#342), so it would seem that the placenames were established during Maccus’ lifetime, and he was condidered important enough for them to be retained after his death. His heirs, however, used the terminolgy “son of Maccus”, rather than “of” Maxton or Maxwell. In the founding Charter of Kelso Abbey in 1159, (RRS i, #131, above) witnesses include Ughtred of Mow, Liulf son of Maccus, Ferteth Earl of Strathearn, David Olifard and Herbert of Maxwell. It is surely likely that Herbert would also be styled ‘son of Maccus’ if he was Liulf’s brother.