t from the Skot-king."[49] What happened
probably was, that Harold Maddadson, who had been stripped by King
Sverri of Shetland in 1195,[60] was allowed by King William in 1202 to
keep part of his Caithness earldom upon payment by its inhabitants of
a fine of every fourth penny they possessed. Otherwise his son David
could not have succeeded to any part of Caithness, as he undoubtedly
did, when, four years later, in 1206, his father's long and chequered
career of sixty-eight years in the earldom was closed by his death at
the age of seventy-three.

Ugly of countenance, but of great bodily strength and stature, crafty,
self-seeking, treacherous and wholly unscrupulous, he is still known
in the North as "the wicked Earl Harold," yet the Saga classes him
with Sigurd Eysteinsson and Thorfinn Sigurdson as one of the three
greatest of the Jarls and Earls of Orkney and Caithness.

On the mainland, no new earldom north of the Oykel was conferred on
anyone for a further period of thirty years. It was, in fact, neither
the policy nor, save in very exceptional cases, the practice of the
Scottish kings to grant earldoms to men with powerful followings
and vast territories;[51] for these made them, especially in remote
situations, almost independent rulers, and dangerous enemies, and it
was undesirable to increase their importance by additional dignities.
It was, on the contrary, usual by charter to create barons and other
military tenants, who should hold their lands, described in their
charters, by military service, in male succession direct from the
Scottish Crown, and liable to forfeiture for disloyal conduct. Nowhere
were military tenants so essential as they then were in the extreme
north of Scotland on lands immediately adjoining the territories of
Norse jarls owing double allegiance, and therefore of doubtful loyalty
to the Scottish Crown. For this reason also no part of the lands of
the Erlend line would be granted to the line of Paul, as an addition
to their own.

From what has been above stated, it will appear that we have treated
the well known history, intituled _The Genealogie and Pedigree of the
Earles of Southerland_ and written down to 1630 by Sir Robert Gordon,
Baronet of Gordonstoun, and continued by Gilbert Gordon of Sallach[52]
until 1651, as mere fiction as regards all persons before William,
first Earl. "Alane Southerland, Thane of Southerland," Walter "first
Earle," Robert, second earl, who is alleged to ha