Scandinavian-Britain

MAN AND THE ISLES22QAbout this time Olaf Tryggvason before his conversionbuccaneered on the coasts of Wales, Man and theHebrides : and Svein, afterwards king of Denmarkand England, also attacked the island from his headquartersin Wales.At the battle of Clontarf (1014), beside the men ofOrkney and Caithness are mentioned, in The Wars ofthe Gaedhil and the Gaill, the hosts of Man, Skye,Lewis, Kintyre, Argyll, "Cillemuine" (St. Davids)and the people dwelling in the British land of " Cornbliteoc"or "Cor na liagog," which Skene thoughtmight mean Galloway: can " Cornbliteoc " be amistranscription of some such word as " Combraeog " ?After this battle, which broke up the Norse power ofOrkney, jarl Gilli who did not go to Clontarf continuedto rule Colonsay and the surrounding islands,but the Scottish chief Finlaec held Moray and Rossindependently of either Scotland or Orkney, andperhaps annexed the northern Hebrides. Argyll, theDalir of the Norse, was held by a jarl Melkolf(Malcolm), who also held Galloway,for we findKiiri Solmundarson staying with him, apparently atWhithorn, soon after the battle. Man continuedunder the same family ;Svein (Suibhne), the last kingof the old Gallgael line, died in 1034, after whichThorfinn, the great jarl of Orkney, extended hisdominion over all Scotland except Strathclyde, Fifeand Lothian, often making Galloway his head-quarters.His dominion over the Isles probably meant littlemore than that he took tribute and was recognisedas over-lord. In 1031 King Kmit received the