CONTEMPORARY PRINCES:
NORWAY: 863 Harald Fairhair
SCOTAND: 879 Aodh, Eocha and Grig;
ENGLAND: 871 Alfred the Great;
King Harald gave Hallad the title of jarl, and he came out to the West and took up his residence in Hrossey (Pomona), where he lived in retirement, while piratical hordes of Vikings went prowling about the islands and outlying headlands slaying and plundering. The Boendr complained to him of their losses and his supineness in redeeming their wrongs. Hallad grew tired of the dignity, resigned the Earldom, and returned to Norway, where he took up his odal rights and afterwards lived a retired life. His rulership was considered very ignominious.
Some say he was slain in battle in that part of the parish of Reay which lies in Sutherland and is called Strathhalladale. It is a valley ten miles in length, divided into two sides by a river called the river of Halladale, running from the south to the north, and falling into the North Sea at Tor. About the middle of this strath, and near a place called Dal Halladha, the country people show a spot where they say a bloody battle was fought between the Scots and the Norwegians. It was on the side of a hill, on the east side of a river, now covered with small cairns, or heaps of stones, where the slain are supposed to be buried, and there they say Halladr, the King of Lochlin's son, was slain. They also show the place of his sepulchre on the opposite side of the river, where they assert Halladha and his sword were laid. It is a deep circular trench, 12 feet in diameter, and there is a large stone erected in the midst of it. [From Torfaeus]
Upon the abdication of Hallad, the Isles became a station for two Danish vikings, Thorir Treskegg and Kalf Skurfa. When Jarl Rognvald heard of this he became very angry, and called together his sons, Thorir, Hrollaug and Einar. Hrolf (hereafter conqueror of Neustria) was at that time absent on a war expedition. The details of the conference have been already set forth. It was finally resolved that Einar should undertake the office, so Rognvald gave him a fully equipped vessel, and he received from King Harald the title of Earl.