John Byset the Elder, Lord of the Aird (died 1257) was a Scottish or Scoto-Irish nobleman who is the progenitor of the Bissett family

Bissett family (Ireland)

The history of the Bissett family in Ireland can be studied independently from that of the originally identical family in Scotland, because of their unique experience following their arrival in Ulster in the early or mid-13th century...

 (anglicized McKeon

McKeon

McKeon or MacKeon is an Irish surname originating both from the Gaelic Mac Eoghain and Mac Eoin , which are pronounced identically...

/McKeown

McKeown

McKeown or MacKeown is an Irish surname originating both from the Gaelic Mac Eoghain and Mac Eoin , which are pronounced identically.- People :*Bob McKeown, Canadian reporter...

) of the Glens of Antrim

Glens of Antrim

The Glens of Antrim , known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens , that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim...

 in Northeast Ireland or Ulster

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

. Born in Scotland, a significant portion of what is known of his life is probably legendary and the certain details are limited. Among these are the date of his death as recorded in the Annals of Ulster

Annals of Ulster

The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...

, and that his name has the distinction of being the ancestral element in the Gaelic style Mac Eoin (Bissett) of the Glens used by his descendants in Ireland into the 16th century.

According to some sources it was Byset who founded Beauly Priory

Beauly Priory

Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community located at "Insula de Achenbady", now Beauly, Inverness-shire. It was probably founded in 1230. It is not known for certain who the founder was, different sources giving Alexander II of Scotland, John Byset, and both...

in the year 1230.