Henry Atholl (abt. 1163 - bef. 1211)

Are Margaret Comyn-5 and Margaret Buchan-15 the same person? Henry Atholl-2 dies before Jan 1211. Margaret Buchan-15 marries William Comyn-4 in 1210. The references (link below) in Cayley point out that Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, begins to take an interest in Margaret after the death of Henry Atholl. Walter Comyn-46 would be about 20 years old in 1211 and his mother Sarah FitzHugh-498 Comyn died in 1204, leaving his father William Comyn-4 a widower. William Comyn-4 marries Margaret Buchan-15 in 1211. William Comyn-4 dies circa 1233. The references refer to Margaret as a countess. Margaret Buchan-15 was Countess of Buchan, the daughter and heir of 4th Earl of Buchan, Fergus Colban Buchan-16 who died circa 1199 with no male heir. Margaret Buchan-15, widow Atholl, would become the stepmother of Walter Comyn-46 when she married Walter's father. Perhaps Sir William Comyn-4 had his son on mission to find him an suitable wife? Further, Alexander Comyn mentioned in this reference is a son of Margaret Buchan-15 and William Comyn-4 and the brother of Walter Comyn-46.

For easy reference, here is the pertinent text from Cayley: "[Henry Atholl] m MARGARET, daughter of --- (-after 9 Aug 1232). "Henricus comes de Hathodi" confirmed the donation of "ecclesiam de Dul" to St Andrew’s priory by undated charter witnessed by "Comitissa Margareta sponsa mea, Alexandro de Setona, Malisio iudice, Colino nepote meo…"[181]. Balfour Paul suggests that she may have been a member of the Comyn family because "Walter Comyn Earl of Menteith took an interest in her affairs after Earl Henry’s death"[182]. He also cites John of Fordun’s Scotichronicon (Continuator) which describes "heres de Buchan et Johannes Ruffus nepos eius" [referring to Alexander Comyn heir of Buchan and John Comyn "the Red") as "cognati comitis Atholiæ"[183]. "Walterus Cumyn comes de Menteith et Margaretta comitissa uxor comitis Henrici…" donated property to Cupar abbey by charter dated 9 Aug 1232 "coram nobis Isabell comitissa, heres legittima Atholiæ…post obitum domini sui Thomæ comitis de Galawayea"[184]. Source: Charles Cawley, "Scotland, Mormaers, Earls, Lords: Chapter 2 Atholl: Earls of Atholl", Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families, v3.2 Updated 25 April 2017, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), (http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY.htm#Malcolm2Atholldied11861198 accessed 4 October 2020).

Rand, yours is the good question.

I want to say "it can't be" but, stranger things have happened (though perhaps not this last 1000 years). This indicates a serious data problem / confusion about the Atholl-Comyn lines, no? I think we've got this wrong on Wikitree, right now.

It might make sense -- just intuition here, no sources, no expertise in this family etc. -- that Henry is (father of Isabella) is the son of Malcom via some other wife; so then when Henry marries Margaret Comyn, she's just the daughter of his stepmother. Lots of examples of that. Very few since antiquity of marrying (or even impregnating) your sister, and retaining your good name etc.

Thoughts?

Did Henry Atholl-2 marry his half sister Margaret Comyn-5?

Hextilda Tynedale-4 married Richard Comyn-6 and had Margaret Comyn-5. Margaret married Henry Atholl-2 who was the son of Malcolm Atholl-13 who married Hextilda Tynedale-4.