tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59302184700964473902024-03-13T05:42:53.981-07:00Deborah Macgillivray, AuthorDeborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.comBlogger318125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-43257311221955734422022-03-11T07:45:00.001-08:002022-03-11T15:20:37.998-08:00 “Well, Little Girl, what do you want to be when you grow up?”<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5L9NQafZD36ZqobNh5Ag_I2xwUuJA8s-av0SR6qPaOWjf7FdLiXLzwbT6X1qxp3wDSF6P5Qc6hComJRc1qCgJiyFgRJr3BRCOlZbBSKGYG6nJufUffWDwMl649rIwEqToUHuMTTEuChdHLXsMUxOlUGEsZ6DiuUHYuTxvpcVFh0jCTQOKuROYPyqPAg=s1510" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5L9NQafZD36ZqobNh5Ag_I2xwUuJA8s-av0SR6qPaOWjf7FdLiXLzwbT6X1qxp3wDSF6P5Qc6hComJRc1qCgJiyFgRJr3BRCOlZbBSKGYG6nJufUffWDwMl649rIwEqToUHuMTTEuChdHLXsMUxOlUGEsZ6DiuUHYuTxvpcVFh0jCTQOKuROYPyqPAg=w508-h640" width="508" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><i>Shards of Destiny</i></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">
<br />
</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">A
fellow author wrote a very interesting blog last month:<br />
<br />
</span><a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/2022/01/blog-post.html"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/2022/01/blog-post.html</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">Kaye
Spencer's favorite childhood toy</span></i></b><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">. Check it out. For me, her words brought up distant
memories...and good ones.<br />
<br />
When I was a small child I recall people asking me, “<i>Well, little girl, what do you want to be when you grow up?”</i> Most children were quick with an answer. <i>A
nurse. A ballerina. An astronaut. A cowboy or a policeman.</i> Those children seemed <i>so sure</i> of their futures.
Yet, when those queries came to me, I felt nothing but confusion. I would shrug and think myself stupid for not
having an answer. Always a bit of a
rebel, a loner, and most definitely a daydreamer, none of the typical
professions seemed to call to me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">However, there were two points when destiny revealed itself
to me—a special shard in time that whispered, <i>“pay attention, lass</i>...<i>this
is a turning point in your life.”</i> I
was too young to fully understand when they occurred, yet in hindsight, the
signposts were <i>so </i>clear.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYBgXEOfBeI7dEBqPrOKvwQlSr5ldD_TG9M7s7Neh9pehTqjc5KUpl6sJbVwXuIzotcaBIBsik37l1RltYd0OV9KNhWPpibtxA61_VynCPvNvO65E6fd0LCg3t0fLlGau4d0q_cVBv1zaqJefVNvAq4xAvEdlvRrj-SjyJWFII9Otmy9ho7JuRb2ebBA=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYBgXEOfBeI7dEBqPrOKvwQlSr5ldD_TG9M7s7Neh9pehTqjc5KUpl6sJbVwXuIzotcaBIBsik37l1RltYd0OV9KNhWPpibtxA61_VynCPvNvO65E6fd0LCg3t0fLlGau4d0q_cVBv1zaqJefVNvAq4xAvEdlvRrj-SjyJWFII9Otmy9ho7JuRb2ebBA=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcJCxv1GQZIjgHcBYhVjGPutaSeGUtdUw6TTLch3O-e5vgFrF_6gb_iShs4QQh1fDoKTPmH0Cp5MtqHRFSgwa66m7brQXxjDblwTpnQdIGNL_m6lrdmqi-ouBINXWqoMUSUHYuoiCQcNQ0dIBStPQB79dpKDXl9jebkJozwtrKEcBNtmoLTLR_ctzwRA=s1440" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcJCxv1GQZIjgHcBYhVjGPutaSeGUtdUw6TTLch3O-e5vgFrF_6gb_iShs4QQh1fDoKTPmH0Cp5MtqHRFSgwa66m7brQXxjDblwTpnQdIGNL_m6lrdmqi-ouBINXWqoMUSUHYuoiCQcNQ0dIBStPQB79dpKDXl9jebkJozwtrKEcBNtmoLTLR_ctzwRA=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">
<br />
The first time the <i>Hand of Fate</i>
touched my young life was in 1958. It
came in the form of a magical toy—<i>at
least it was magical to me</i>—one that I could only obtain by collecting box
tops from <i>Kellogg’s</i> cereal. That special toy leapt to mind when I read
Kaye Spenser’s blog. Obviously, it wasn’t
the value, since it was something you earned by eating cereal! Yet, to me it was the most precious treasure. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeMEFJn7aKmbOCAZXLdDnRko5tIX4MviUsk3R-1LjJhlISKruYjHgSdwbH7v3fJx7GJj2fGy7qbketH8IRAKaIZYRFwpq6OOIArPw_u3WxfiJMy6zJ4-r4k5VyK0knCN5iE1fr4k-cFrr3yiUObhQ35YHxITY6DZPqjrz08LLDCsJhYk6ntdYg0WPC6A=s819" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="819" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeMEFJn7aKmbOCAZXLdDnRko5tIX4MviUsk3R-1LjJhlISKruYjHgSdwbH7v3fJx7GJj2fGy7qbketH8IRAKaIZYRFwpq6OOIArPw_u3WxfiJMy6zJ4-r4k5VyK0knCN5iE1fr4k-cFrr3yiUObhQ35YHxITY6DZPqjrz08LLDCsJhYk6ntdYg0WPC6A=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br />
In the 1950s you often could earn items by collecting box tops, or even found
items concealed inside boxes of products.
I recall my mum collecting a set of plates, cups and saucers from boxes
of soap flakes (NO such thing as liquid soap back then!). Each box had one of the pieces of pottery. Sometimes, it would be tumblers. And you could save the box tops to get bigger
pieces like salad bowls, or serving platters, or a cut crystal pitcher. I guess it was an adult’s version of <i>Cracker Jacks</i> with their “surprise”
inside. For kids, there were other items
you could earn with your box tops.
Recall in the movie <i>The Christmas
Story</i> when Ralphie sent off for his Ovaltine’s Little Orphan Annie’s
decoder ring? Well, now you have how an
idea of kids of my era eagerly munched <i>Kellogg’s</i>
cereals, trying to save enough box tops before an offer’s time ran out. I never tried before. The gifts of toy cars,
dolls and such didn’t interest me enough to keep eating the same cereal for
months. <i>One day that changed.</i> My indifference vanished when I picked up a
box of Kellogg’s <i>Corn Flakes </i>and happened
to glance at the back. I felt as if I
couldn’t breathe. For a heartbeat the
earth stopped rotating and all around me receded to shadow. All I could see was
a very colorful image of ladies and warriors, and two armoured knights
jousting. As my surroundings receded
about me, I heard the sounds of the huge destriers, their snorting, hooves
pounding, the crash of the lances against shields. I’m sure they intended them as a promotion
for boys, but I <i>wanted</i> those toys so
much. They offered two knights—one in
black armour on a black barded horse, and one in silver on a silver charger. The knights were detachable from the horses,
as were the knights’ shields and lances.
You could wind them up, and set them hurdling toward the other so they
actually jousted. A very sophisticated
toy for a box top offering. I was
determined to earn those toys!<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">When I told my mother that I wanted them, she arched an
eyebrow and rolled her eyes. I could
clearly read her thought,<i> “That’s your
grandfather’s doing.” </i>Well yes, he
did teach me to love history, especially the <i>Middle Ages</i>. Knights,
Scotland, Robert the Bruce, James “Black” Douglas and Thomas Randolph, earl of
Moray were tales with which he filled my hungry mind. He read me stories about them instead of fairytales. So true, he planted the seeds.<br />
<br />
Yet, it was something <i>more.</i> A feeling as if the <i>Hand of Destiny</i> was touching my young life. I had no idea what it truly meant, or how it
would shape my future, but I knew it was important that I earn those toys. One stumbling block—such a sophisticated item
required a higher number of box tops. My
heart feared I would never be able to consume enough corn flakes in the time
allotted. When I emptied my first box, I
cut out the painting of the ladies and knights at the tournament on the back
and kept it close. I slipped it under my
pillow at night and dream beautiful stories of ancient times. At Christmastime when I went to my
grandfather’s there were toys—expensive toys.
Oddly, I don’t recall what presents I received that year. I <i>do</i>
clearly recall the knights that I wanted so badly and sadly knew they wouldn’t
be under the tree.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD9cr9IiiCsUQwS0oEDkJjx9xB9jOGqHT9q2H4KlcmayOyyBbv0hCKLcD2cgfu-pbSsMDL0PLHb-4OW21VzdcBsYhZ_79UahCdAJ_gE4lC0Uv0FNVKyWB13QuP-aPGDseuFV3zbajZcMBqph3G-2m9mEJLFgelmp0AeloCN66T7bXIt3xSFYDiZIhqRA=s1396" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1396" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgD9cr9IiiCsUQwS0oEDkJjx9xB9jOGqHT9q2H4KlcmayOyyBbv0hCKLcD2cgfu-pbSsMDL0PLHb-4OW21VzdcBsYhZ_79UahCdAJ_gE4lC0Uv0FNVKyWB13QuP-aPGDseuFV3zbajZcMBqph3G-2m9mEJLFgelmp0AeloCN66T7bXIt3xSFYDiZIhqRA=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic";">Late one night, I was sitting up in the dark, cuddled in the window seat with a
tartan blanket, and watching the night sky.
I hoped to spot a shooting star so I could make a wish—one that I would
somehow get those knights. I often
talked to myself, or sometimes imaginary friends—signs of an intelligent child,
I have since learned. So when I did see
the star streaking across the night sky, I made my wish<i>. “Star light, Star bright, wish
I may, wish I might...”</i> My
grandfather came in minutes later and said if I got in bed, he would tell me a
tale of the valiant James Douglas. I
didn’t know then that he had overheard my wish.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As I had worried, I failed
to save enough box tops. My heart ached,
despondent that I would never get those toy knights. Easter came, then school let out. One day, I got a notice to pick up a parcel
at the post office. Sometimes, my uncles
would send me things, small remembrances.
Curiosity was burning as I ran home with the box. Breathlessly, I opened
the package wrapped in brown paper and string, and imagine to my surprise, <i>my utter delight</i>, when I discovered
nestled in a bed of tissue paper where the two knights. After hearing my wish, my grandfather had
gone out and bought twenty boxes of corn flakes to get the box tops. Bless him!
At times, in my small child’s eyes he seemed so formidable. As an adult, I never doubted the love in his
heart.<br />
<br />
My hands were shaking as I wound them up, and sent them to jousting. Merely cheap plastic toys gained by eating
corn flakes. <i>Yet, they were so much more</i>.
As I played with them, I didn’t see toys designed for little boys to
enjoy. Instead, I saw handsome James Douglas and Thomas Randolph jousting
before King Robert Bruce. In my mind’s
eye, I envisioned Bruce’s wife, Elizabeth de Burgh, or another countess at
court, tying their ribbons of favor to Douglas’ or Randolph’s sleeves. Those toys were touchstones that carried me
into a magic realm of adventures, of handsome knights and lords, beautiful
ladies, and love.<br />
<br />
My treasured toys were carefully protected through the decades. But<i>
Fate </i>isn’t often kind. They were
lost in a house fire ten years ago. I
lost many precious items in that fire.
They were just little plastic toys.
Yet, I mourned their forfeiture.
They were and had been so much more to me. One day, after I moved into my new home in
another town, I was prowling a secondhand shop with Candy Thompson, looking for
unusual finds. Imagine my shock when
sitting there in the middle of a big bowl were the two knights! While not the original ones, it felt like a
piece of the past had come back to me.<br />
<br />
The second time, I felt <i>Fate</i> touch me
was when I was almost thirteen. It was
summer and I was in place in the middle of nowhere Kentucky, standing before a
turn-rack of paperback books, browsing novels by Victoria Holt, Barbara
Michaels and Phyllis Whitney. Faintly,
in the background, I heard a tune playing on a radio—The Beatles’ <i>Paperback Writer</i>. Once more, for that long heartbeat the world
held its breath, and all I could see was the Gothic romance in the rack before
me.</span><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxEbbqiZtWD8e9_bp3A0GR0zUWf53zWSWFga97gfGbmOtsRSVt1ou0G10nJN7F1ZoAp0hHtIH0HTtaTvn13g-3goZNWLd5Ybao3prvbU3-ontGXVebmW0lEU2MFpPK-QOy-eu5AuOYryYb43wm4j-0MtFBlqnXgnOPn6HXuYYSLL2w-CdyvpyV15Yd5A=s610" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxEbbqiZtWD8e9_bp3A0GR0zUWf53zWSWFga97gfGbmOtsRSVt1ou0G10nJN7F1ZoAp0hHtIH0HTtaTvn13g-3goZNWLd5Ybao3prvbU3-ontGXVebmW0lEU2MFpPK-QOy-eu5AuOYryYb43wm4j-0MtFBlqnXgnOPn6HXuYYSLL2w-CdyvpyV15Yd5A=s320" width="144" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"><br /><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As I listened to the lyrics, <i>I knew</i>...I
wanted to be a paperback writer. Not a
bestselling author, not Jane Austin, simply a paperback writer, with a means to
allowing others to follow me on my distant adventures. Suddenly, that little six-year-old shrugging
when someone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up was
vanquished. I understood I wanted to be
a writer, and I wanted to pen tales of handsome warriors and beautiful ladies in
a time gone by.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv5eAE7uTdHQF9dE8lleKEH0HSqZ5NOy1yTmR2Vgi-Q4e6ckD7DmknLQdWmEaAcHwKjYcoDAlALvJBSNiRM8cxDEvWJip7CHyS48UEhIO0BF4tq2FXWHxZ3aB7m2h7ApYjYYlr3DnpU0ghzG2nR9B-67KJsJ_G49goNWPSFpT-p0xinLdMEZQU6gK08Q=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="500" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhv5eAE7uTdHQF9dE8lleKEH0HSqZ5NOy1yTmR2Vgi-Q4e6ckD7DmknLQdWmEaAcHwKjYcoDAlALvJBSNiRM8cxDEvWJip7CHyS48UEhIO0BF4tq2FXWHxZ3aB7m2h7ApYjYYlr3DnpU0ghzG2nR9B-67KJsJ_G49goNWPSFpT-p0xinLdMEZQU6gK08Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="color: #660000; font-family: times;">So what did you want to be when you grew
up?</i><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times;"> Did you have special toys that
touched you in some way? Did you have
someone kind enough and understanding enough to feed those dreams?</span></div></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEZl7IBc07tFMVkCcZnXFA1ffbrh-doSywhqLX4Rst-a290_q5nELbaEYgzaeYPIGDfrh3_LTZ1O-TsDirCx9cRjQzsQxNLpcSDDoiARGBf9XQihFf3Wu1hPBdMRCuSLxAKTgr3ph7Yu5Ubpegtz_uF03CeOyq26M3oCB2ENSRMdYxOm75Ep8zBUAAdg=s1510" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEZl7IBc07tFMVkCcZnXFA1ffbrh-doSywhqLX4Rst-a290_q5nELbaEYgzaeYPIGDfrh3_LTZ1O-TsDirCx9cRjQzsQxNLpcSDDoiARGBf9XQihFf3Wu1hPBdMRCuSLxAKTgr3ph7Yu5Ubpegtz_uF03CeOyq26M3oCB2ENSRMdYxOm75Ep8zBUAAdg=w508-h640" width="508" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-786449672711011822022-01-14T15:50:00.004-08:002022-02-02T18:18:15.894-08:00Isabel Douglas Drummond, Countess of Mar and Garoich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPBuVP7OWfooIsRBUFQH5bYIcJz37LW4ZxI76EEtuamCxlaEHCmIpY5ULKANL1TcALDJGXng71OMjg2iSbmaWeg02D355kHyBPyKzzhsNIOC2tlk_p1vr1uTyW6qC-IBRvEypfv8NS2Yw0SAZNoHYjVn0yrW3dax071-szyE9HSOFgmcjzMLUlPzUpYw=s674" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPBuVP7OWfooIsRBUFQH5bYIcJz37LW4ZxI76EEtuamCxlaEHCmIpY5ULKANL1TcALDJGXng71OMjg2iSbmaWeg02D355kHyBPyKzzhsNIOC2tlk_p1vr1uTyW6qC-IBRvEypfv8NS2Yw0SAZNoHYjVn0yrW3dax071-szyE9HSOFgmcjzMLUlPzUpYw=w386-h400" width="386" /></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Isabel Douglas Drummond,</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Countess of Mar and Garoich</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Georgia, serif;">She was the richest, most sought after woman in Scotland. The great-grandniece of Robert the Bruce and James "Black" Douglas. Her brother died a hero leading Scotland to victory at the Battle of Otterburn. Her father was the mighty William Douglas, 1<sup>st</sup> earl of Douglas....and none of that could save her</span>.</span></i></span></i></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When I research the people in my family tree I often fall in love with them as I did with James Douglas or Thomas Randolph. How could I not? They were men perfect to be heroes of the romance novels I pen. Or I see their lives unfold, almost as if designed for a movie as in the romance of Margaret de Seton and Alan de Wynton— a love and marriage that nearly sparked a war. Sometimes, I am overcome with sadness at the fate of my ancestors. Such as the valiant hero Alexander Ramsay, who was abused and starved to death by William Douglas of Liddlesdale (who was then killed by another William Douglas—his uncle, the first earl of Douglas—in revenge for Alexander’s horrible death). Another poor soul that touched me was my second great-grandmother, Rebecca Ellen Knight Montgomerie, who starved to death in 1937 in Nicholasville, Kentucky, ten years after her beloved husband had died and left her alone and destitute. My grandfather remembered both Rebecca and Toby—his grandparents, and spoke of them with love and pride. No one cared about her fate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One that especially haunts me is Isabel Douglas, my cousin eighteen times removed. Born in Scotland, Isabel was beauty, a rich woman, well-titled and endowed with castles and money. She came with a rich heritage, so vital to the forging of Scotland into a nation. And yet, all that power, wealth and influence failed her in a most spectacular, and horribly sad fashion. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Her bloodlines came from the great Scottish houses of nobility. Her great- grandfather on her father’s side was William ‘le Hardi’ Douglas – the valiant commander of Berwick Castle, who gave his life supporting William Wallace. He was the first noble to back Wallace in his rebellion. His son went on to be the fiercest fighter Scotland has ever known—Sir James ‘the Black’ Douglas. Yes, Robert the Bruce’s most trusted commander was her great-granduncle. But then, on her mother’s side you can see the ancient Stewart and Mar lines, going back to Bruce himself. She was his great-grandniece, as well. Her father was William Douglas, 1st earl of Douglas, Mormaer of Mar (the very one who killed his nephew William Douglas over the murder of Alexander Ramsay). Her mother was Margret Stewart Swinton Mar, Countess of Douglas (through her husband), but also Countess of Mar and Garioch, in her own right. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Isabel was thus courted by all the men in the Highlands, the most sought after woman in all of Scotland, looking to align themselves with these royal houses of Douglas, Stewart, Bruce and Mar. Of all the swains vying for her hand, Isabel chose Sir Malcolm Drummond, the son of John Drummond, 11th earl of Lennox, to be her husband, a fine match. He was brother-in-law to King Robert III of Scotland. Matters went along well for the couple for nearly a decade. Her husband was a trusted advisor to the king, and was often traveling on business of the realm. They seemed happy, outside of Isabel bearing no children. That last detail would soon come back to haunt her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDwLNp1fCNuL9R6qyOF1qajLeQenSvgCmljEnoruab-7LuHuGCQcmabUtxFkVw3Ychriu0GX7Vx3r7to45D8HrlnUpeXQLl_Banb2ZBDTkfxS1B9lkI3w60tmZ8ogzL9eE19Der6uxkTZHknT71Iz9gzREdzgcn5Y1KwQ2rT7CnKLwNkTSDplGsbK76A=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="545" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDwLNp1fCNuL9R6qyOF1qajLeQenSvgCmljEnoruab-7LuHuGCQcmabUtxFkVw3Ychriu0GX7Vx3r7to45D8HrlnUpeXQLl_Banb2ZBDTkfxS1B9lkI3w60tmZ8ogzL9eE19Der6uxkTZHknT71Iz9gzREdzgcn5Y1KwQ2rT7CnKLwNkTSDplGsbK76A=w182-h200" width="182" /></a><br />arms of James Douglas, 2nd earl of Douglas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She was a prize, indeed, but she expected all the castles and titles that went with her family name to go to her older brother, James Douglas. He became the 2nd earl of Douglas and Mar upon the death of their father. She was married, so beyond the covetous eyes of Scotland’s power-hungry men. However, her heroic and dashing brother gave his life leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn in August 1388. He died without leaving any legitimate children, and with his death, all his titles and wealth, outside the Douglas entailment, were left to his sister. She also inherited the titles through her mother, Countess of Mar and Garioch. Like her brother, Isabel had no children—heirs, and worse, no powerful husband, brother or father to protect her. Suddenly, she was left wide open to plots and devious plans to seize her and control the fortune, castles and the prestigious titles that came with her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxm5iB5nTyP62dQ3pNZdGVulkV9kxaW-mUpkHY87oEJLpxmmE8iMq_emVkimTmkmVU8NjGSqzEKOoCo3U2d7o94qp7V5ey_TUmQ_NbWM_jsmWTpxAcxHN0kSryr-6JrFix1nLhtmkd7AOjFWTxTE0n9jTnE60FAFMPOb9jaqW900MqpJumY4GRwNhgoA=s1041" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1041" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxm5iB5nTyP62dQ3pNZdGVulkV9kxaW-mUpkHY87oEJLpxmmE8iMq_emVkimTmkmVU8NjGSqzEKOoCo3U2d7o94qp7V5ey_TUmQ_NbWM_jsmWTpxAcxHN0kSryr-6JrFix1nLhtmkd7AOjFWTxTE0n9jTnE60FAFMPOb9jaqW900MqpJumY4GRwNhgoA=w400-h269" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Death of James Douglas, 2nd earl of Douglas at Otterburn</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In 1402, Isabel was left behind at Kildrummy Castle, the seat for the Earldom of Mar, while Malcolm was off for business at one of their other castles. No sooner had he reached his destination than he was set upon by a band of Highlanders, led by Alexander Stewart, the illegitimate son of Alexander Stewart, earl of Buchan, ‘the Wolf of Badenoch’. Alexander tossed Malcolm into the dungeon of his own castle, where he soon died at the hands of his captors. Isabel was left alone and increasingly isolated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A crime such as this would have been dealt with swiftly in better times, but Scotland was undergoing a period of upheaval. The king was old and sick, nearly infirmed by this point, and the real power in the country was Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who virtually was king from 1388 to 1420, during the final years of reign of his brother Robert III, and even into the early reign of James I, who had been imprisoned in London. His nephew David, duke of Rothesay was heir to the crown, but he died after Albany imprisoned him at Falkirk. When one plays fast and free with laws and decency, I suppose it’s not surprising that he turned a blind eye at what his nephew Alexander did to Malcolm Drummond. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDh-Bw4usdmnJ2LKh8UZllASCjKkVNilNx4zs7p6153ZW3Q3CuI4XpFClR8xdHsJI62JO7ZCgsLJ9-fbuLCV3NIj5OzDX62jI6xJMcZ_Oo0SOOlA_XTZ_eIHkTr5Apb3_02_DvTYVJfwbunWpK3BhzM1A0qrScfale4XYi6qy5H6gel9VvtPxeQIwIfA=s1332" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1332" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDh-Bw4usdmnJ2LKh8UZllASCjKkVNilNx4zs7p6153ZW3Q3CuI4XpFClR8xdHsJI62JO7ZCgsLJ9-fbuLCV3NIj5OzDX62jI6xJMcZ_Oo0SOOlA_XTZ_eIHkTr5Apb3_02_DvTYVJfwbunWpK3BhzM1A0qrScfale4XYi6qy5H6gel9VvtPxeQIwIfA=w400-h240" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Kildrummy Castle</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In August of 1404, Alexander and his gang fell upon Kildrummy Castle and forced Isabel to sign over the earldoms of Mar and Garloich to him and his descendants. I am sure after Alexander murdered her husband, she signed anything put before her just to save her life. The next month, she anticipated that the charter would be invalidated for reason of duress. It’s unclear what happened, whether the charter was voided or not, but in the summer of 1404 Isabel Douglas Countess of Mar and Garioch and Stewart held a major meeting in the fields in front of the gates of Kildrummy Castle. The "purpose" was to "consider the needs of the state and local government" with Alexander, Bishop of Ross, Andrew Leslie of Sydie, Walter Ogilvy of Carcary, William Chalmers, Richard Lovell, Thomas Gray and all the people of the neighborhood. In presence of this noble assembly, Isabel agreed to marry Alexander Stewart, and handed over to him the castle of Kildrummy, with all its charters and rich goods and the earldom of Mar. Oddly handled affair, for if she was marrying him of free will, then why make a demonstrations of giving him all her money, titles and castles? The marriage took place 9th December 1404 sealing her fate. Since she was now legally his wife, the king (Alexander’s cousin) confirmed Alexander as the earl of Mar and Garloich.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The events shocked the kingdom, but Alexander escaped any punishment due to his close relationship with the royal family. Isabel was held prisoner for the last four years of her life, dying in Douglas Castle in 1408. No one cared that the murderer of her husband forced her to wed him so he could usurp her titles and inheritances, or kept her prisoner during the final years of her life. After all, she was just a woman. She was barely forty-seven years old when she died. She died childless. Totally alone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglxNIK7Jj6EevMpk1qRM3fbzTG6JRWjNUxtjJWYv_TNyaHeL_6XjPkew7vkwsNSRQL6W54y15zS886b2JIBZc5YVAXnpyzlnR1lACzEHwIuaQXhAf9-bHYHXT6merPmxCZ4TXRTt7J6h_uUdifaaDPbVWxuXOfWRU1d1zHB4sXLh2VXAdJhVc6nOXU1Q=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglxNIK7Jj6EevMpk1qRM3fbzTG6JRWjNUxtjJWYv_TNyaHeL_6XjPkew7vkwsNSRQL6W54y15zS886b2JIBZc5YVAXnpyzlnR1lACzEHwIuaQXhAf9-bHYHXT6merPmxCZ4TXRTt7J6h_uUdifaaDPbVWxuXOfWRU1d1zHB4sXLh2VXAdJhVc6nOXU1Q=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Castle Douglas</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In 1424 his self-styled titles of earls of Mar and Garioch were regularized by James I, his cousin. Alexander Stewart lived on, dying in August of 1435. He had remarried in 1410, to Marie van Hoorn, daughter of the Lord of Duffel. She failed to give him any heirs. He did have an illegitimate son, Thomas Stewart, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 4th earl of Douglas, duke of Toraine, and great-granddaughter of James ‘the Black’ Douglas. However, since he was illegitimate he could not inherit the titles his father had stolen. Oddly enough, Alexander was on a jury of twenty-one knights and peers that convicted his first cousin, Murdoch Steward, 2nd duke of Albany and two of his sons for treason just before his death, destroying the Stewarts of Albany. Another son, James fled to Ireland to escape the same fate. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Since the earldom could not pass to Thomas, it reverted to the crown, and was later given to John Erskine, 6th Lord Erskine, whose descendants hold the title to this day. I have a feeling Isabel perhaps found some measure of peace in Stewart losing in the end what he fought so hard to gain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My writer’s imagination can envision the terror of a woman finding herself alone in the world, and her only value is the material things she can offer a man. I often wonder about her death, how she died at such an early age. I can see her in my mind’s eye, walking a dark corridor and knowing there was no saving herself. As I said, she haunts me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHUFFT1RhWmhl5fYIpyDHoB85E_pdP_IDpjge9RgJss6nyyKAP73Uq0lTeCVJ8P_3wIdkYVVXcZXgruoq_ojjW3TN6K7_Xb4KSI-ziGc5800OTQlReFmhrnZwhKcsUpayhRnUnkYRKbJsj0XHpx6pRCcxhWuY48c7IMGKBE-3ilVm0p99JkA6Si2ys0w=s799" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHUFFT1RhWmhl5fYIpyDHoB85E_pdP_IDpjge9RgJss6nyyKAP73Uq0lTeCVJ8P_3wIdkYVVXcZXgruoq_ojjW3TN6K7_Xb4KSI-ziGc5800OTQlReFmhrnZwhKcsUpayhRnUnkYRKbJsj0XHpx6pRCcxhWuY48c7IMGKBE-3ilVm0p99JkA6Si2ys0w=w293-h400" width="293" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">There is an interesting side note to this, just my supposition. Isabel's brother, James, the 2nd earl of Douglas, married Isabella Stewart, the illegitimate daughter of Robert II and Elizabeth Mure. Like her brother Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, when Robert II married Mure, both Alexander and Isabella Stewart were made legit. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">However, after James Douglas' death at the Battle of Otterburn, the bulk of his monies went to his sister, along with all lands not entailed to the Douglas line. I have to ponder if Isabella, a "princess" of the Stewart line, was forced to wed a second husband after James' death, wasn't a bit jealous of Isabel Douglas, her sister-in-law. Isabel was younger by a decade, considered the most sought after woman in Scotland, beautiful, with dozens of castles and the most wealthy woman in Scotland, thanks impart to her brother.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It was the son of Isabella's brother who murdered Murdoch Drummond, and took Isabel Douglas hostage, later forcing her to marry. Maybe it's the writer's mind in me, but it makes me curious what, if any, part Isabella Stewart Douglas played in the plotting for her nephew to seize control of Isabel Douglas Drummond?</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw2rj1sCzIYKBW4pfPs7qhpgyFITns9-BwkUkKeJ4ufx3Q6AWbZoJB6cmC_zZ7vf1qacGgohkJ4Gv8_kK4jxDyX729d86WA-uazN0n6dwCv6EXtjITGJ0cpcP0ydAuEIDQMxHijDB9G2p1kluU-GF1hPn-3kAg3apk80w3HbKqbkyRz_A89QGKGRybnA=s1838" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="1838" height="54" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw2rj1sCzIYKBW4pfPs7qhpgyFITns9-BwkUkKeJ4ufx3Q6AWbZoJB6cmC_zZ7vf1qacGgohkJ4Gv8_kK4jxDyX729d86WA-uazN0n6dwCv6EXtjITGJ0cpcP0ydAuEIDQMxHijDB9G2p1kluU-GF1hPn-3kAg3apk80w3HbKqbkyRz_A89QGKGRybnA=w400-h54" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1074" height="116" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qeV21-uATA0/YRX7ubjPnHI/AAAAAAAATWU/Pt-P99ZU8moCwGmygJUhY7qESln0KgXmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Deborah writes a Scottish Medieval Historical series the Dragons of Challon in the time of Robert the Bruce,<br />and Contemporary Paranormal Romance series </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the Sister of Colford Hall.</div></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p><br /></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-71154876783529773262021-09-11T01:23:00.005-07:002021-09-11T01:34:10.183-07:00Anniversary of Battle of Stirling Bridge<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jC8Zfq26VRk/YTxmzX41h5I/AAAAAAAATjs/PLITZs8UnKAYQcgSfK3D_9Q1v-rz34J3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s539/de%2BMoray%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="381" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jC8Zfq26VRk/YTxmzX41h5I/AAAAAAAATjs/PLITZs8UnKAYQcgSfK3D_9Q1v-rz34J3wCLcBGAsYHQ/w283-h400/de%2BMoray%2B2.jpg" width="283" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 18.75px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: times;">11 September 1297: <i>Andrew de Moray </i>and <i>William Wallace</i> comprehensively defeat the English army at <i>The Battle of Stirling Bridge</i>. Moray subsequently dies of wounds suffered during the battle, and the lion's share of the victory goes to Wallace instead of Moray. History might look very different had Moray lived. The Bishop of St Andrews, the most powerful seat in Scotland, <i>William Lamberton</i>, along with Bishop <i>Robert Wishart,</i> were eyeing putting Moray on the throne of Scotland, since he was of Auld Scot blood and could rally the Highland nobles to the cause, while the Bruces were squarely backing Edward Longshanks at this point.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsplm0C7vhE/YTxm2sidD1I/AAAAAAAATj4/UBzNhjgm02kY3jqis83NFMp4bS6HX6oVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Battle%2Bof%2BStirling%2BBridge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jsplm0C7vhE/YTxm2sidD1I/AAAAAAAATj4/UBzNhjgm02kY3jqis83NFMp4bS6HX6oVQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Battle%2Bof%2BStirling%2BBridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KZCyMm895O0/YTxm1UQzE7I/AAAAAAAATj0/XWgnbs0YoZkuWLNMu0Efk8AHnCEHLrMPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Wallace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KZCyMm895O0/YTxm1UQzE7I/AAAAAAAATj0/XWgnbs0YoZkuWLNMu0Efk8AHnCEHLrMPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Wallace.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhEnPoSnJxI/YTxm0VgvNUI/AAAAAAAATjw/riSB2vq8tV8Wk3wcw6ycKTpBWvx2jjztgCLcBGAsYHQ/s263/demoray.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhEnPoSnJxI/YTxm0VgvNUI/AAAAAAAATjw/riSB2vq8tV8Wk3wcw6ycKTpBWvx2jjztgCLcBGAsYHQ/w292-h400/demoray.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-63705310124784540342021-09-11T00:43:00.006-07:002021-09-11T00:43:54.228-07:00Remembering 9 11<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PQLehE468ss/YTxeJBtqvQI/AAAAAAAATjg/U4ke4h4pvdYM3obTGeEFc8EBX0_kuAYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="516" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PQLehE468ss/YTxeJBtqvQI/AAAAAAAATjg/U4ke4h4pvdYM3obTGeEFc8EBX0_kuAYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w368-h516/image.png" width="368" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-42558865594965765142021-09-09T21:00:00.052-07:002021-09-10T03:25:31.571-07:00Wyntoun's War or the "Rough Wooing" of my 19th Great-Grandmother<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G1T7NOIwqhM/YTYsjfZDfKI/AAAAAAAATgs/Y5rjGm3WxVgTgzifJteLxy8meFef23fYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1053/Wyntouns2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1053" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G1T7NOIwqhM/YTYsjfZDfKI/AAAAAAAATgs/Y5rjGm3WxVgTgzifJteLxy8meFef23fYACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Wyntouns2.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>I’m taking a small break this month from the Bruce sisters. I promise to finish up next month with Maud, Margaret and Mary de Brus. Due to two new roofs and other demanding needs, I just wasn't able to devote the time I need for the remaining trio. Instead, I will speak of some Bruce relations, for they are of the blood, cousins. But, more importantly, this tale is about love, romance, and a lovers dash to Edinburgh Castle—that may or may not have been a kidnapping—and the man and woman who were my 19th great-grandparents.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wyntoun's War <br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">or the Rough Wooing of my 19th Great-Grandmother.</span></span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At the start of 1343, Lady Margaret de Seton was suddenly thrust into the role of heiress to her father, Lord Alexander de Seton, governor of Berwick Castle. The Setons were longtime supporters of Clan Bruce, and even married into it. Alexander was the brother of Sir Christopher Seton, who wed Christian de Brus (sister to Robert the Bruce). You might recall from my previous article about this Bruce sister that Christopher was Christian’s second husband, and he gave his life defending the Bruce women when they were trying to flee the English in 1306. Over the decades, the Setons were recognized for their loyalty and rewarded by Bruce, and they continued to support his son David II at the cost of their lives.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5uQev-rJgM/YTYuPQhpbdI/AAAAAAAATg8/ZeHXYIaedtQMygcnrNewW9lLlPASbkpvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1161/Margaret%2BSetonq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1161" height="330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5uQev-rJgM/YTYuPQhpbdI/AAAAAAAATg8/ZeHXYIaedtQMygcnrNewW9lLlPASbkpvgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h330/Margaret%2BSetonq.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margaret de Seton, born around 1330, was Alexander’s last child and only daughter. She became heiress to her father’s vast wealth at a young age, and not a position she had anticipated inheriting. She had four valiant warriors for older brothers—Alexander, John, William and Thomas. If one fell, another would assume the titles and lands rightfully his. Some historians dismissively list her as Alexander Seton’s granddaughter, and instead, put her as the daughter of her brother, Alexander. A couple try to fix her as daughter of John, another brother, (likely because she became heiress after John’s death). These careless mix-ups really cause snarls, which few show interest in fixing. Both Alexanders</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">father and son</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">—wer</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">e at Berwick Castle at the time of the siege of 1332-3, so for starters, they tend to blur the two Alexanders into one person, which they are not. The father outlived the son by over a decade. Margaret clearly was the daughter of Alexander the elder and Christian le Chenyne (granddaughter of Isabella Macduff, countess of Buchan—the woman who crowned Bruce king). However, the confusion doesn’t end there. Her mother’s name was Christian, and her uncle Christopher married Christian de Brus, thus many are now listing Christopher and Bruce’s sister as her parents, which they are not. Christopher died in 1306, long before Margaret came along.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0qV5qBJwiM/YTIX2lll9BI/AAAAAAAATek/3v--e_NUsGUGkAOWf0wEwOLKQKuKO0RqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Seton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="644" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0qV5qBJwiM/YTIX2lll9BI/AAAAAAAATek/3v--e_NUsGUGkAOWf0wEwOLKQKuKO0RqwCLcBGAsYHQ/w368-h400/Seton.jpg" width="368" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the late summer of 1332, Alexander—the father—was governor of Berwick Castle, when a siege was laid. His defense of the fortress cost him three of his sons. Margaret’s brothers died valiantly in the continued struggle against Edward Balliol and Edward III. Alexander, was killed in the <i>Battle of Kinghorn</i>, where the son of John Balliol was trying to land in Scotland so he might claim the Scottish crown for himself. William also died in the same fight, drowned in repulsing the landing. A third brother, Thomas, was captured. Seton called for a truce, which was granted, but only on condition that he surrender if not relieved by the Scots before the 11th of July. They were relieved by riders, men under Sir William Keith, Sir Alexander Gray and Sir William Prenderguest. Only Edward III of England said the riders came from the English side of the border, not Scottish, so the castle was not<i> “relieved from Scotland”</i> and thus he proceeded to execute Thomas and ten other men held prisoner. Alexander and his wife were forced to watch as Thomas was hanged, drawn and quartered before the gates of the town. Keith took command of the town from Alexander (small wonder), and negotiated a second truce which held—an unconditional surrender to the English, but it allowed all the Scots to leave unharmed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Around the mid-1340s tragedy again strikes the Setons. Twice. First, Sir Alexander dies around 1343, and the title goes to the remaining son, Sir John. Only, three years later, John dies at the <i>Battle of Neville’s Cross</i> in Durham, England. And dies without issue. Some list him as marrying a Margaret Ruthven and having a son, Alexander, but that is likely an echo of the mess they have created with Seaton and his son, who died at the Battle of Kinghorn. I believe this to be false, because had there been a son, that child would’ve inherited the estate of his grandfather, not his aunt, Margaret. For Margaret to become heiress it clearly means John didn’t have a child for the estate to go to, and as John’s younger sister, Margaret was next in line.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, there in a space of less than three years, she loses her father, and his final son, John, dies in battle. A lot of heartache facing a young woman. With the passing of her father and brother, she is suddenly a very rich heiress—and target of greedy young men everywhere.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As you might assume, Sir Alexander was popular in the hearts of the people of East Lothian, in his never failing support around the Bruce family. He had sacrificed a brother and three sons in protecting Bruce’s rule and his legacy, and finally the fourth son had died in the same service. The prominence of the Seton family had risen, along with that of the Stewarts and Bruces. Thus, the people of East Lothian felt a protectiveness toward young Margaret. Only, others hoped to latch onto her wealth and the power of her name, so the young woman was nearly crushed in the stampede of suitors for her hand.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPFfjhl9mAA/YTILKC-USrI/AAAAAAAATeE/R8LuOjgekBsFP07MNoFLgHvSw6y4HuGtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1144/Alan.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="927" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cPFfjhl9mAA/YTILKC-USrI/AAAAAAAATeE/R8LuOjgekBsFP07MNoFLgHvSw6y4HuGtwCLcBGAsYHQ/w324-h400/Alan.jpg" width="324" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Into the middle of this story rides one dashing and handsome Baron Alan de Wyntoun, son of Alan de Wynton and Margaret Murray (de Moray). This new Margaret really complicates matters in trying to keep things reasonably straight, because she<i> is</i> the granddaughter of Christian de Brus. Yeah, <i>Excedrin headache 113,</i> and it only gets worse! She was also the granddaughter of Thomas Randolph, 1st earl of Moray—Bruce’s nephew. I know you are really hating all these tangled lines, but I needed to demonstrate why a small knight, a vassal of Sir Alexander Seton, would take it upon himself to swoop in and abduct Margaret. I am assuming, though the Wyntouns, who took vows of homage and fealty to the mighty Setons, they felt they had as much right to status and position through their close lineage to the Bruces and the Randolphs.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Emboldened by the blood in his veins, Alan carried off Margaret in what the Scots called a<i> “rough wooing”.</i> Well, hadn’t Marjorie Carrick snatched Robert Bruce, lord Annandale in this fashion? And let’s not forget about William<i> le Hardi</i> Douglas, who executed a raid to abscond with his second wife, Eleanor Bagot de Lovayne. Alan and Margaret grew up hearing these stories around fireside. Alan was akin to the royal family, and was in fact cousin to the Setons. I am guessing Alan saw the chance to raise the Wyntouns up to the level they had been heretofore denied by forcing the then seventeen-year-old woman into marriage. <i>At least, some said forced.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKYfjAG5r14/YTYtWIU4S0I/AAAAAAAATg0/WWHbtGaHCnY3rednacvFTF-TpDyItokfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1228/Elopse3.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1228" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKYfjAG5r14/YTYtWIU4S0I/AAAAAAAATg0/WWHbtGaHCnY3rednacvFTF-TpDyItokfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h260/Elopse3.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Alan wasn’t the first, nor the last Scotsman, to take this quick route to winning the hand of an heiress. Only, it was another thing to pull this stunt so closely following Sir John’s death at <i>Neville's Cross,</i> and as they say, poor Alexander barely cold in his grave. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Since the Wyntouns were close cousins to the Setons, and a cadet branch of her own family, there arose cries of consanguinity—mostly from the disappointed rivals, who still hoped to get their chance of being husband to the valuable heiress if they broke the marriage. There is scant enough material to make a good judgment call on whether this was a kidnapping or an elopement. I come down on the side that Margaret was a party to the plan, and was determined to marry whom she wanted before a king stepped in and forced her to wed someone she didn’t care for. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, but how the event unfolded only reinforced that belief they were in love and wanting to control their own fate.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Inadvertently, the two lovers seemed to set half of East Lothians out for blood, while the others were ready to hold a wedding feast. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but it was said her abduction caused a war—the <i>Wyntoun’s War</i>. Still, whether or not this was an actual abduction to force a marriage, or something Margaret actively participated in so she could marry Alan, was hotly debated at the time. The one telling fact that sticks out in my mind—his uncle, William de Moray, brother to Alan’s mother, took the young couple into Edinburgh Castle. He was governor there, and granted the lovers protection within the castle walls, barring the angry mob that was following in their wake.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O77_CNSaZDI/YTH8yRz65KI/AAAAAAAATd8/bWSr9kxKWasvFyjntdJ3JbFOQidhB0VaQCLcBGAsYHQ/s885/Edinburgh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="885" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O77_CNSaZDI/YTH8yRz65KI/AAAAAAAATd8/bWSr9kxKWasvFyjntdJ3JbFOQidhB0VaQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h253/Edinburgh.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">One chronicler. Fordun, proclaimed that <i>'a hundred ploughs were laid aside in Lothian while the matter was discussed.’ </i>Half favored “the ravisher” and applauded Wyntoun for taking the situation in hand. Others were armed and ready to bring him in for punishment for daring to steal the daughter of his overlord. And the jilted suitors likely screamed the loudest! Citizens of Lothian grew into an angry mob and fell upon the castle, demanding Wyntoun be handed over. When Wyntoun’s uncle refused, an objection quickly made it all the way to the ear of King David II, and a call was sent out for Alan to be arrested—<i>cousin or not!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Keep in mind, Alan and Margaret are my 19th great-grandparents, so I am possibly a <i>bit </i>prejudiced. <i>Be still my heart</i>—for after much arguing and various threats, Margaret was required to perform <i>The Ring or The Sword</i> ceremony. I wrote about the rite and ritual in <i>A Restless Knight</i>— when Tamlyn marries Julian Challon in the old ways. Family lore says the couple I based them upon went through this ceremony when they wed, but they haven't been fully documented yet. So, imagine my thrill at finding proof of yet another set of great-grandparents going through this very same ceremony! One tale says Margaret was blindfolded and made to choose between a sword and a ring, each resting upon a pillow. She did not get to feel these objects, by the way, but had to touch the pillow upon which they rested to determine Alan's fate. This was seen as a <i>Trial by Ordeal</i>—God’s hand would decide Alan’s fate through her selection. Other tales say she made her own choice—knowingly, and had from the start. Whichever you wish to believe, Margaret picked the ring, and she and Alan were officially wed. They lived together as man and wife, and had two children*** —a son William and a daughter, Christian.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*** I put the stars here to make note there is extreme conflict on the number of children. William and Christian are fully recognized and well-documented as Alan and Margaret’s children—<i>their only children.</i> However, some genealogy sites list the couple as having two other sons—Alexander and Henry. Some list the men as Margaret’s sons, half-brothers to William and Christian, implying they were fathered by another man after Alan left. However, this doesn’t hold water for me since both of these sons inherited Wyntoun lands and titles, and chose to use the Wyntoun name, not the Seton name and honours. The conflicts arise because both are shown as born years after Alan’s death. I sincerely believe the date of Alan’s death is off by a decade, and these two are his legitimate sons, which jives with proof to them inheriting his holdings and electing to use his surname. Even sites that run by the Seton family recognize both of them as Alan’s. If you take the stance, as I believe, Alan died ten years later than they record, then these are his legitimate sons.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Alexander de Wyntoun of Seton married Jean Halyburton, daughter of Sir Thomas Halyburton of Dirleton. The youngest son, Henry de Wyntoun, retained his father's surname and inherited Wrychthouses in Edinburgh. Henry married Amy Brouna of Coalston, and he went on to be one of the heroes of the <i>Battle of Otterburn</i>, August 19, 1388. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margaret’s daughter Christian (though they start up with muddling things again by often calling her Margaret, too), went on to do well, marrying George Dunbar, the 9th earl of Dunbar and March—son of Gelis Isabelle Randolph and John Dunbar, of Derchester & Birkynside, earl of Fife—and grandson of Thomas Randolph, earl of Moray. They went on to have nine daughters and sons.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er8u729YqgU/YTIM7YfWo3I/AAAAAAAATeQ/_WuNutMF4U0D3TykiJ793rZ3sHskjT1HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s433/ARKsmall.png" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: 0.5in;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="433" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er8u729YqgU/YTIM7YfWo3I/AAAAAAAATeQ/_WuNutMF4U0D3TykiJ793rZ3sHskjT1HQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h278/ARKsmall.png" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the marriage, Alan changed his name to Seton, and used the title of Lord Seton, <i>jure uxoris</i> (by right of wife). Even so, rumors held that Margaret’s family tended to make life such a continuing hell for Alan that by his early fifties he took to the cross, joining the <i>Knights Hospitallers</i> and <i>went off on a crusade.</i> Since the last crusade had ended long before this time, it’s assumed he went to the Holy Lands as a pilgrim. He is recorded as leaving 400 ducats of gold for safe keeping with a Venetian merchant, Nicholas Zucull, in London as he departed England, but that is the last anyone hears of Alan de Wyntoun de Seton.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1363 his son, Lord William Seton authorized Adam Wymondham, a citizen, and Nicholas Nogrebon, a Venetian, to recover the money. The document states that Alan had died on his way to </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mount Sinai, when about to visit the tomb of St. Katherine there. The date of Lord William seeking to recover the money in 1363 seems to support Alan “vanishing” around 1357. There is no reason they would wait sixteen years to recover the gold.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Little is mentioned of the remainder of Margaret’s life. She died around 1360, about four years after the disappearance of her husband.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am sorry such a pale hangs over the end to their story, both vaguely fading into the mists of history without a definitive end to their lives, or what happened to turn Alan against his family and to leave. But the romance writer in me loves having a real life set of grandparents who went through <i>The Ring and the Sword</i> ceremony, just like my beloved Tamlyn and Julian.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3lwkzTjgnDg/YTcfLan4nNI/AAAAAAAAThY/Wy86jAsAJckpmkh8A4SMNaNH2Jt8UjROwCLcBGAsYHQ/s897/Sword%2Band%2Bthe%2BRing3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="897" height="363" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3lwkzTjgnDg/YTcfLan4nNI/AAAAAAAAThY/Wy86jAsAJckpmkh8A4SMNaNH2Jt8UjROwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h363/Sword%2Band%2Bthe%2BRing3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejCmh9b9CZs/YTXFuBTW1lI/AAAAAAAATgY/eQ5JMXrw_o8UYockpKKLFvvDoaHPL9fTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1894/Margaret%2B19GGM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1894" height="56" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejCmh9b9CZs/YTXFuBTW1lI/AAAAAAAATgY/eQ5JMXrw_o8UYockpKKLFvvDoaHPL9fTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h56/Margaret%2B19GGM.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncpSKCdXX1g/YTXFvgIH5KI/AAAAAAAATgc/kl9m7vG_peI9bnt5_cir7CAuwgFt84HXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1888/Alan%2BSeton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="1888" height="55" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncpSKCdXX1g/YTXFvgIH5KI/AAAAAAAATgc/kl9m7vG_peI9bnt5_cir7CAuwgFt84HXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h55/Alan%2BSeton.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-33580281246019097642021-09-08T21:55:00.009-07:002021-09-11T04:25:27.799-07:00Anniversary of the Battle of Flodden<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JJj_3QCjpps/YSIBkdgkQBI/AAAAAAAATYI/eJpFogC3fesR_pan3mocEeU8DTfYBHd9ACLcBGAsYHQ/James-IV-of-Scotland-17-th-century-by-Daniel-Mijtens-after-original-c-1500-C.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="752" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JJj_3QCjpps/YSIBkdgkQBI/AAAAAAAATYI/eJpFogC3fesR_pan3mocEeU8DTfYBHd9ACLcBGAsYHQ/w312-h400/James-IV-of-Scotland-17-th-century-by-Daniel-Mijtens-after-original-c-1500-C.png" width="312" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #783f04; font-size: x-large;">King James IV of the Scots<br /> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1I5vlaDhcI/YTjJwhgPbaI/AAAAAAAATiE/jIxtCR-bP9Idq7RKpQ608q1JTMG8e-WeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1176/Flooden%2Brelief.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1176" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b1I5vlaDhcI/YTjJwhgPbaI/AAAAAAAATiE/jIxtCR-bP9Idq7RKpQ608q1JTMG8e-WeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h198/Flooden%2Brelief.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4PtCk0vdzE/YTjHCoJ2nGI/AAAAAAAATh8/zessGyEYU4gX0pm1enWdjyLksc8bXbcgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s857/Screenshot%2B2021-09-08%2B102000.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="857" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4PtCk0vdzE/YTjHCoJ2nGI/AAAAAAAATh8/zessGyEYU4gX0pm1enWdjyLksc8bXbcgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h217/Screenshot%2B2021-09-08%2B102000.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Battle of Flodden Memorial </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #783f04; font-size: 13.6px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><i>Battle of Flodden Noble Death-Roll<br />9th September 1513</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLrOgkcdWts/YTySGs_qGfI/AAAAAAAATkM/zIj8Zyy3qBA8yvrzn12F8uWwfMFVzkSMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Flodeen%2Bdeath%2Brolls%2Bnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1247" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLrOgkcdWts/YTySGs_qGfI/AAAAAAAATkM/zIj8Zyy3qBA8yvrzn12F8uWwfMFVzkSMwCLcBGAsYHQ/w390-h640/Flodeen%2Bdeath%2Brolls%2Bnew.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">A big part of my family was lost this day.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">(the list is clickable to enlarge)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3l52o0rzQGw/YTjK4V7c52I/AAAAAAAATiM/AUXC1C1ly5ci8otPm1sSAQuW3IgAgmwuACLcBGAsYHQ/s538/Riders.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3l52o0rzQGw/YTjK4V7c52I/AAAAAAAATiM/AUXC1C1ly5ci8otPm1sSAQuW3IgAgmwuACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Riders.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /></i></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-size: 13.6px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 28.5333px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLs7HTujC9E/YSH6fYumYzI/AAAAAAAATXw/aCyG5yrfSnwIKLFUBGVctzBtuB9STIRRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s472/Flodden%2Bbattle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="472" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLs7HTujC9E/YSH6fYumYzI/AAAAAAAATXw/aCyG5yrfSnwIKLFUBGVctzBtuB9STIRRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/Flodden%2Bbattle.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-plSw-2V5N0c/YSH7AWVHCFI/AAAAAAAATX4/sL8gq4WG0eQ9g34QjzzW5p_VR9Ah4uwEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s380/Flodden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="380" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-plSw-2V5N0c/YSH7AWVHCFI/AAAAAAAATX4/sL8gq4WG0eQ9g34QjzzW5p_VR9Ah4uwEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/Flodden.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SInmw_bRPWc/YSH7c-zDTpI/AAAAAAAATYA/Wb-ObriyMVEqA41MNvJnd5Maj_-ylUhRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s752/7b31efc036ce03671f3b18942a2824c1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SInmw_bRPWc/YSH7c-zDTpI/AAAAAAAATYA/Wb-ObriyMVEqA41MNvJnd5Maj_-ylUhRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/7b31efc036ce03671f3b18942a2824c1.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></div><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-44998524692977918272021-09-07T02:43:00.002-07:002021-09-07T02:43:42.677-07:00Celebrating my sixth year of happy writing with Prairie Rose Publications<p> <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_n028hUnbE/YTIbSqF1bnI/AAAAAAAATfg/K2QX6ZLcX7k6P3DI_BahtGjE2sOc-oaEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s708/One%2BSnowy%2BKnight%2BDMacgillivray1000A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="708" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_n028hUnbE/YTIbSqF1bnI/AAAAAAAATfg/K2QX6ZLcX7k6P3DI_BahtGjE2sOc-oaEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/One%2BSnowy%2BKnight%2BDMacgillivray1000A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Celebrating six years with happy writing at </span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Prairie Rose Publications!!!</span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsMYcbug83w/YTIbIhQGXtI/AAAAAAAATfY/eDOhxnsZPpEheE1kLirFXzA4-1ITMaPoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/PRPRavenhawke21000ABC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nsMYcbug83w/YTIbIhQGXtI/AAAAAAAATfY/eDOhxnsZPpEheE1kLirFXzA4-1ITMaPoACLcBGAsYHQ/w274-h400/PRPRavenhawke21000ABC.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9qnGiFBf_hE/YTIcA0b8FUI/AAAAAAAATf0/As83_MlOL4Uim_M-K-H2xNuwBeLZsRxKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1360/71H1xA0FavL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="893" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9qnGiFBf_hE/YTIcA0b8FUI/AAAAAAAATf0/As83_MlOL4Uim_M-K-H2xNuwBeLZsRxKACLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h320/71H1xA0FavL.jpg" width="210" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxGZYdGIS5k/YTIcKHLsRWI/AAAAAAAATf8/1tzd3yxEzAUnkSyfBh8vhnX736qDK11YACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/PRPARK21007.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxGZYdGIS5k/YTIcKHLsRWI/AAAAAAAATf8/1tzd3yxEzAUnkSyfBh8vhnX736qDK11YACLcBGAsYHQ/w232-h320/PRPARK21007.png" width="232" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-82185171913158525752021-09-01T00:44:00.002-07:002021-09-01T00:45:18.774-07:00Say hello to Harley Quinn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18nOfVpdV0o/YS8qPBxMiTI/AAAAAAAATbk/PJ6z1hzzYUAU3CqFV3_yIa4RuuPUPvl2gCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18nOfVpdV0o/YS8qPBxMiTI/AAAAAAAATbk/PJ6z1hzzYUAU3CqFV3_yIa4RuuPUPvl2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/image.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MLEABwIO8Zs/YS8p73_OHtI/AAAAAAAATbQ/xQnBbM9nASoob0Hy2dEyV3Z-hG3eeSJCQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MLEABwIO8Zs/YS8p73_OHtI/AAAAAAAATbQ/xQnBbM9nASoob0Hy2dEyV3Z-hG3eeSJCQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="180" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yEt7zY4PyQ4/YS8qJcO3naI/AAAAAAAATbc/zuQznT82cmYl5hZ0BLFFzCjjxVDinYE3ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yEt7zY4PyQ4/YS8qJcO3naI/AAAAAAAATbc/zuQznT82cmYl5hZ0BLFFzCjjxVDinYE3ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="180" /></a> </div> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vO6GWSxciaM/YS8qm5kc-TI/AAAAAAAATb8/dAhpCKnXbwQ3cctdTjWtZoopz8AyW79GwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vO6GWSxciaM/YS8qm5kc-TI/AAAAAAAATb8/dAhpCKnXbwQ3cctdTjWtZoopz8AyW79GwCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/image.png" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Footlight MT Light",serif;">Harley
Quinn came to me in January of this year.
All my foundlings tend to show up then—cold, hungry, thirsty. I simply hate to see them suffering. Harley is barely a year old, and clearly has
been a housecat until someone tossed him away in the dead of winter. At the time, Mamadoodle, Munchkin and Maisie were
the “official porch cats”. I took them
in 8 years ago, when my friend, Candy Thompson, had to move and couldn’t take
them with her. They lived in my heated
carport room and stayed mostly on the porch.
They had a big heated dog igloo they used on most days. But Maisie died suddenly this year, and I
brought them in for fear of losing the other two, which had become so dear to
me. Munchkin had been injured when about
seven months old, and the ache of the old wound really caused him pain during
the colder months. He had to come
inside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Footlight MT Light",serif;">So Harley Quinn immediately moved into the
heated igloo. I didn’t need another
cat. I was going to say “want” another
cat, but that isn’t true. I love them
all, but the “inn was full”. So Harley
was welcome to stay on the porch and use the igloo and get feed four meals a
day—he is a hungry baby. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Footlight MT Light",serif;">But
last week, I had a new roof put on my house.
The crews arrived at 7am ready to work, and didn’t quit until 9pm. <i>Citadel
Roofing and Construction</i> are simply THE best. Love my new roof. Only, I feared Harley would be terrified, so
I brought him in and housed him in the laundry and exercise rooms. Just for a couple of day...lol. The third day they were done, but they had
kicked up a beehive along one gutter, and they were swamping. I was advised to keep all pets away from the
porch until the bees moved on. Well,
that meant four days of Harley being inside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Footlight MT Light",serif;">I
knew. Yeah, SUCKER is stamped on my
forehead, I suppose. Harley would come
and wrap his legs around mine and just hang on and purr and purr. Clearly, thanking me for taking inside...forever. Ah gee.
Poor lad thought he had a forever inside home again. I cannot do what someone else did to him —
toss him out. So he will stay. Harley gets his wish of being a forever
inside kittah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Footlight MT Light",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>Just what I didn’t need.</span><span> </span><span>But what my heart wants.</span><span> </span><span>Harley will be one of the fortunate ones,
safe and well-cared for the rest of my life.</span><span>
</span><span>I keep saying no more kitties for I am the age, where I feel mortality
breathing down my neck. Perhaps, this was the Queen of the Cait Sidhe telling
me I am going to be around a few years longer than I figure.</span></div><div style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rpM8Im41qOY/YS8uj-QdTTI/AAAAAAAATcI/GizFiwzgkgQta5TWQ7lXekIUGHUr3KdYgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rpM8Im41qOY/YS8uj-QdTTI/AAAAAAAATcI/GizFiwzgkgQta5TWQ7lXekIUGHUr3KdYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/image.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div></span></div><br /><br /></div> </div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br /></div><br />Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-17875601392118651162021-08-29T15:07:00.001-07:002021-08-29T15:08:11.991-07:00<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wmHorH-WSVY/YSv_Z-stAzI/AAAAAAAATaY/oaYb3TJmBjE71X8SVzprPWPovqBZGIoVwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="249" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wmHorH-WSVY/YSv_Z-stAzI/AAAAAAAATaY/oaYb3TJmBjE71X8SVzprPWPovqBZGIoVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h249/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">The
29<sup>th</sup> of September, 2005, is a rare day in my personal life, which I
shall never forget. Sixteen years ago, I was listening to the <i>Weather Channel</i> and watching a monster
hurricane, Katrina, make landfall in Louisiana.
So clearly, this is brought to mind as I am now watching another
hurricane, Ida, historically land on the very same day all these years later. In 2005, Katrina was already sending heavy
rains to our area—over a thousand miles away.
Where we lived (in the house that burnt down) we had a creek on either
side of us. Neither were more than a dip
in the landscape, and were generally bone dry in the summer. However, when heavy rains came, they could
flash flood, and were suddenly rapidly moving mini rivers, and their width and
depth could block us from getting out. My
hubby suggested we go to the store and stock up before that happened. So, Mackintoshes on, we went out in the heavy
downpour to shop.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">While
the day lives on for many because of the memories of Katrina, for me it was one
that would impact my life with a force just as powerful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A life altering event—it was the day I got <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Call.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I came in from shopping, I was nearly
soaked in spite of the rain slicker, for the blowing storm was so heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going into the study, I noticed the light on
the answering machine blinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
flipped on play, figuring it was just another sales pitch for something I didn’t
want or need. Instead, I heard the sparkling voice of Hilary Sares, editor at
Kensington Books, saying please call her because she wanted to buy my novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">As
you can imagine my world was shaken with the impact of the raging Katrina!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been trying to sell my historical
novels, and I felt like I was battling the world to get it done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had entered quite a few RWA contests in
preparation—won several, finaled in more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only, I had people telling me Scottish books were<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> done</i>, over with, that no one was buying them anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had one author, who had close to thirty
books out, tell me it was sad I was winning so many contests because no editor
would buy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How discouraging!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">So
for a couple moments, I almost thought someone was playing a joke on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat down and copied the phone number on my
pad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, I googled Kensington
Books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The number seemed legit. So I called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to my surprise, I was put through to
Hilary Sares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, she wanted to buy
my book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Challon’s Lady.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">My
dream come true!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say selling to a traditional
publisher is on par with winning a lottery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I, who was never lucky at anything, just hit that magical event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a year of trying, I sent the package to
Hilary on a Friday afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been
tracking what she bought for Kensington, and had a feeling she would love my
tale of Julian and Tamlyn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The outline
and first chapters had landed on her desk Monday morning, first thing (thank
you, US mail, for actually delivering it so fast), and within hours she was
calling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;">That
lovely lady changed my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She took me
from a nervous writer to author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
gave me a brand that sells worldwide, and is translated in a dozen different
languages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I wish to thank the
pretty lady, who loves to dance and push “virgins” to jump into volcanos, and
for seeing in the talent in me, for giving me that golden moment of opening the
huge box of author’s copies and holding my own book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot thank you enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-small;"><i><span>Challon’s Lady</span></i><span> was published nine
months later as <i>A Restless Knight</i>.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP3HokGyTyA/YSwAQlSh87I/AAAAAAAATag/IWFEZAmdfTY1SgM3G33pTMXiAu35j-7fwCLcBGAsYHQ/s350/ChallonOriinal.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="226" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tP3HokGyTyA/YSwAQlSh87I/AAAAAAAATag/IWFEZAmdfTY1SgM3G33pTMXiAu35j-7fwCLcBGAsYHQ/w259-h400/ChallonOriinal.png" width="259" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>original Kensington cover</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkjTcol90M8/YSwAf7ZXupI/AAAAAAAATak/AY3wegMIebACvOgrZB_Pks5SeCV_V6lRACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/BrazilARK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkjTcol90M8/YSwAf7ZXupI/AAAAAAAATak/AY3wegMIebACvOgrZB_Pks5SeCV_V6lRACLcBGAsYHQ/w263-h400/BrazilARK.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Brazilian translation cover <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I7dRm3n_3UM/YSwBJSsipfI/AAAAAAAATaw/s5U9k7bGs8gzEbG8jpToy5sZAPYtcUOjwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="191" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I7dRm3n_3UM/YSwBJSsipfI/AAAAAAAATaw/s5U9k7bGs8gzEbG8jpToy5sZAPYtcUOjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w204-h320/image.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I7dRm3n_3UM/YSwBJSsipfI/AAAAAAAATaw/s5U9k7bGs8gzEbG8jpToy5sZAPYtcUOjwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PQ_0tuO4kAs/YSwBUl8wXqI/AAAAAAAATa0/R4k7K7v0bSgVpb466bMhqBcVweyFkYtSwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="227" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PQ_0tuO4kAs/YSwBUl8wXqI/AAAAAAAATa0/R4k7K7v0bSgVpb466bMhqBcVweyFkYtSwCLcBGAsYHQ/w226-h320/image.png" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">German cover and Japanese cover<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DzkrYyWmBS4/YSwBpFu0aqI/AAAAAAAATbA/ScaYZIYAtmgZiPvE0OuPXDgiH4-cgBGfgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="253" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DzkrYyWmBS4/YSwBpFu0aqI/AAAAAAAATbA/ScaYZIYAtmgZiPvE0OuPXDgiH4-cgBGfgCLcBGAsYHQ/w288-h400/image.png" width="288" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Current cover</i></div><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-17746802105142550242021-08-26T02:27:00.004-07:002021-08-26T02:27:45.514-07:00Links to The Women of Dunbar and The Women of Bruce, my ancestors<p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><i><span>Coming in October<br /></span></i><i><span>Women of Bruce - Part 7 - Daughters of Robert the Bruce - Marjorie Bruce Stewart, Elizabeth de Brus Oliphant of Gask, Margaret de Brus of the Glen, Christian de Brus of Carrick, Maud de Brus de Issac, Margaret de Brus Countess of Sutherland,</span><span> </span></i></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNcz_ZgSyGQ/YRYn52FDPrI/AAAAAAAATWk/SQE1C1Vl6EY1VCWjy6fR5zt0-InCooJUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s876/Margerie%2BBruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="637" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNcz_ZgSyGQ/YRYn52FDPrI/AAAAAAAATWk/SQE1C1Vl6EY1VCWjy6fR5zt0-InCooJUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Margerie%2BBruce.jpg" width="233" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><br /><i style="font-family: times;"><br /><br />Coming in September<br /></i><i style="font-family: times;">Women of Bruce - Part 6 - Sisters of Robert the Bruce--Maud, Margaret and Mary</i></span><p></p><p><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfPTRDH4Kuo/YNQZyTzadkI/AAAAAAAATOM/ctSbV1F4TbwjW4vMwyb_B7mQWBJ4MoUEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s793/sisters%2Bof%2BBruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="674" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfPTRDH4Kuo/YNQZyTzadkI/AAAAAAAATOM/ctSbV1F4TbwjW4vMwyb_B7mQWBJ4MoUEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w170-h200/sisters%2Bof%2BBruce.jpg" width="170" /></span></a></i></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><span>Coming in August<br /></span></i><i><span>Women of Bruce - Part 5 - Sisters of Robert the Bruce--A Tale of Two Isabels</span></i></span></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lKfVwjdbnUk/YOBxWnLPzMI/AAAAAAAATOY/JZ-OW2SluFAlnVcWYXiMjEVVRL_386USQCLcBGAsYHQ/s372/2%2BIsabels.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="234" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lKfVwjdbnUk/YOBxWnLPzMI/AAAAAAAATOY/JZ-OW2SluFAlnVcWYXiMjEVVRL_386USQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2%2BIsabels.jpg" /></a></i></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /><span><br /></span></i></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><span><br />Coming in July - </span><br /><span>Women of Bruce - Part 4 - Sisters of Robert the Bruce--Christian</span></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/07/the-women-of-bruce-part-4-sisters-of.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="563" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7So9wK9QF2Y/YNQUGc2a0cI/AAAAAAAATOE/sDroPHnKHDs2se8-tHzkWUv6cqMJQOnYACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h199/christina%2Bbruce.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /><i><br /></i><i>Women of Bruce - Part 3 - The Wives of Robert the Bruce</i><i><br /><br /></i></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/06/the-women-of-bruce-part-three-two-wives.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="2027" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v61mogAO0hU/YMViqCnox3I/AAAAAAAATKI/O3UBxZRx5e4O4E9-pkZKAnyAYw863UmJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/BruceWives.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><span>Women of Bruce - Part 2 - Isabel Macduff, countess of Buchan, a woman who crowned a king</span></i><span><br /> - </span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/05/women-of-bruce-part-2-isabel-macduff.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="700" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CVzfXXO9omI/YJudV1SXlsI/AAAAAAAATB8/VcTw4GZ0gqkhsdZKebwyyn5tg2Fb_6_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h169/Isabella%2Bcastle2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/04/the-women-of-bruce-part-one-marjorie.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i>The Women of Bruce Part One -- Marjorie Carrick, countess of Carrick</i></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/04/the-women-of-bruce-part-one-marjorie.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="550" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x5QnnZYUOyE/YJueqAKPW8I/AAAAAAAATCE/oGiTlo4Rwxgml_y5OL3jkGyZXkAME3XBACLcBGAsYHQ/w190-h200/Marjorie%2BCarrick.jpg" width="190" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;">A Tale of Two Women and One Castle - The Ladies of Dunbar - Part Two - Agnes Randolph</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/03/a-tale-of-two-women-and-one-castle.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="500" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3BYJjZDZL5c/YJucu35m-nI/AAAAAAAATB0/s78RN63P6hwx1PqayPKcFSt6zSick3LtwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h173/Agnes2.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;">A Tale of Two Women and One Castle - The Ladies of Dunbar - Part One - Marjorie Comyn</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/02/a-tale-of-two-women-and-one-castle.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="577" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FW3LuH4ib8Y/YJuhmP4PwqI/AAAAAAAATCM/Tei_x2mYJLUyzOdvQME-uCyHS-1oc1qzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w120-h200/Marjorie%2BComyn%2Bpic.jpg" width="120" /></a></div></i><i><br />Countess Mabel Montgomerie -- a woman ahead of her times, or a monster in men's eyes</i></span></div><p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/2021/01/countess-mabel-montgomerie-woman-head.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="550" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrvkNloSutw/YJubQC56taI/AAAAAAAATBk/LAc5KNCzbS4GOIVI29mjfxWc0-DXCz5AgCLcBGAsYHQ/w161-h200/Ladyfair.jpg" width="161" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>(Just a note -- images are stock images, not meant to be taken as real images of the Bruce and Dunbar women...lol. Actor portrayed, you might say)</i></span></div><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-53813789747471431192021-08-25T00:03:00.007-07:002021-08-25T01:01:32.826-07:00Anniversary of the Death of Sir James "the Black" Douglas
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbvQnBEftGU/YSXmSF95J-I/AAAAAAAATY4/5iq96kLgMTMHkVp3-pB6xWc3zw82KM9EACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/33aabf4c4b05474267dbd5a7a387c60d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="558" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbvQnBEftGU/YSXmSF95J-I/AAAAAAAATY4/5iq96kLgMTMHkVp3-pB6xWc3zw82KM9EACLcBGAsYHQ/w510-h640/33aabf4c4b05474267dbd5a7a387c60d.jpg" width="510" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Image is</span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl py34i1dx gpro0wi8" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2FMarkChurm.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2Vnjn_hXJ24KIIbFTnm8feAexyB4MTXJO3eA_wJPAKrtrLXD7hoEV88io&h=AT0G23KEOL2niu5eOnWtFIKIQQcRJPVckk1ktIY5I5t_MQJTr5ZIH6BVSejla88bddjokrEOC8ItTvPPxVM7m9sy5lRiLxRJxFoFgqOKFi4Nphu8OS9WMbBtmDgXbDH1e79hZK4Iq5qhn0_xyg&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT1LWtem7Zj8hPaE51JA7sBOxzhwinKJ0cNpUN5iyYIKwB4PKvb89OT1YfzkQcN8DkYvuGkQqQXJhSxuXRaQK3sKFs0XiLVCZ-Sl6lkfmPhh96M2aRJ0pEjuQCC6Zka5jfR7qZef6OUNsbat77QGQjZHH_BEbSqBIdw" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; white-space: pre-wrap;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span>MarkChurm.com</span></a><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> painting
of the battle to the death
where Sir James Douglas slays Sir Robert Neville, the Peacock of the North, 1319</span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwTXMZRoic4/YSXm5Z8Yr3I/AAAAAAAATZM/z1L275k4jFYPl0RK2tgjIenATUjlzESIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s564/fa598dbce33b6fbaf7b17903bb5beffd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="564" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwTXMZRoic4/YSXm5Z8Yr3I/AAAAAAAATZM/z1L275k4jFYPl0RK2tgjIenATUjlzESIwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/fa598dbce33b6fbaf7b17903bb5beffd.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">On this day in 1330, Sir James Douglas, known as “The Black Douglas“, died. The champion of King Robert Bruce Douglas died in Spain fighting the Moors, whilst on a pilgrimage carrying the dead king’s heart to the Holy Land. This final act of loyalty to Bruce led to the appearance of a heart in the Douglas coat of arms.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQOibfObfBg/YSXnTJ3mBPI/AAAAAAAATZU/KlRR7jYrVYEjy8JSQdIUET1foDnRzNHWACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/douglassirjames5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="500" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQOibfObfBg/YSXnTJ3mBPI/AAAAAAAATZU/KlRR7jYrVYEjy8JSQdIUET1foDnRzNHWACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/douglassirjames5.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I am proud to say he is my GGFather 7 times </i></div></span><p></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">James "Black" Douglas "The Good Sir"</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">1286–1330</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">BIRTH 1286 • Douglas Castle, Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">DEATH 25 AUG 1330 • Teba, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain (Battle of Tepa)</span></div><div dir="auto"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">19th great-grandfather</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSGRdAg_Wsw/YSXmduCcFRI/AAAAAAAATZA/nY0kiYFom4Ehd9lOaECOSp-XvTAMV9LHACLcBGAsYHQ/s798/a5245a6824b1ae18dfb00f723893dc34.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSGRdAg_Wsw/YSXmduCcFRI/AAAAAAAATZA/nY0kiYFom4Ehd9lOaECOSp-XvTAMV9LHACLcBGAsYHQ/w283-h400/a5245a6824b1ae18dfb00f723893dc34.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0S05sMuQwY/YSXn1CBIFYI/AAAAAAAATZc/RW3-JgQuAx4CA8JwPOyJ2BCDsDu_1G9eACLcBGAsYHQ/s1868/Screenshot%2B2021-08-25%2B024818.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="1868" height="65" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0S05sMuQwY/YSXn1CBIFYI/AAAAAAAATZc/RW3-JgQuAx4CA8JwPOyJ2BCDsDu_1G9eACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h65/Screenshot%2B2021-08-25%2B024818.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; text-align: start;"><span><br /></span></span><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-43084585931568499262021-08-22T21:13:00.000-07:002021-08-22T21:13:03.178-07:00<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mWWTVCM1E8/YSMdw3Yu7KI/AAAAAAAATYQ/yVceFfpeHNo8mhucxraqqAfOw1Ma2cxPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s605/Mell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="605" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mWWTVCM1E8/YSMdw3Yu7KI/AAAAAAAATYQ/yVceFfpeHNo8mhucxraqqAfOw1Ma2cxPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h428/Mell.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Mel Gibson portraying William Wallace in the movie Braveheart</i></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VjIf7qah1cY/YSMdypC7wMI/AAAAAAAATYU/cwcjnkx71UI5VJqZyijTnHli6n03mol6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s532/240447775_10159053431525709_2137021918264058275_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="532" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VjIf7qah1cY/YSMdypC7wMI/AAAAAAAATYU/cwcjnkx71UI5VJqZyijTnHli6n03mol6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h294/240447775_10159053431525709_2137021918264058275_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">23 August 1305: The trial and execution in London of Sir William Wallace, one time Guardian of Scotland. After the execution of William Wallace, his body was cut into four separate pieces and shown around the country to demonstrate what would happen to rebels and traitors of the King. Wallace’s head was put on display upon a pike on London Bridge. Wallace’s limbs were sent separately to Berwick, Stirling, Perth, and Newcastle.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PA2H41_tnN0/YSMd0b1Pf9I/AAAAAAAATYc/dm10L6C24Iknvkc3AtnwSHRDjFfcew0nwCLcBGAsYHQ/s824/240593376_10159053432210709_8683248178734128208_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="590" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PA2H41_tnN0/YSMd0b1Pf9I/AAAAAAAATYc/dm10L6C24Iknvkc3AtnwSHRDjFfcew0nwCLcBGAsYHQ/w286-h400/240593376_10159053432210709_8683248178734128208_n.jpg" width="286" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lzYQ7ZyNGw/YSMdzXZIfaI/AAAAAAAATYY/UUka0hyMnkQsgTmlzqnONqJKqG28-4dvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s637/240584017_10159053430685709_1280138018546709023_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="404" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lzYQ7ZyNGw/YSMdzXZIfaI/AAAAAAAATYY/UUka0hyMnkQsgTmlzqnONqJKqG28-4dvgCLcBGAsYHQ/w406-h640/240584017_10159053430685709_1280138018546709023_n.jpg" width="406" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-81263549379414350132021-08-20T22:36:00.002-07:002021-08-22T21:13:42.250-07:00<header style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><h3 class="post-category" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="fa fa-file" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-family: FontAwesome; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; margin-right: 5px; opacity: 0.8; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: auto; transform: translate(0px, 0px);"></span><a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/articles/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">ARTICLES</a>, <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/authors/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">AUTHORS</a>, <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/fiction-writing/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">FICTION WRITING</a>, <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/authors/historical-fiction/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">HISTORICAL FICTION</a>, <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/historical-romance/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">HISTORICAL ROMANCE</a>, <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/category/kentuckiana-authors/" rel="category tag" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;">KENTUCKIANA AUTHORS</a></h3><h1 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #47081d; font-family: Lobster, cursive; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deborah Macgillivray – My Passion for Writing Historical Fiction</span></h1><h2 class="entry-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Lobster, cursive; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin-top: 5px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><br /></h2></header><p></p><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; overflow-wrap: break-word; width: 575.264px;"><div class="wp-block-image" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><figure class="aligncenter size-full" style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: table; margin: 0px auto; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-911" height="93" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px" src="https://i1.wp.com/kentuckianaauthors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Picture1.jpg?resize=468%2C136&ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/kentuckianaauthors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Picture1.jpg?w=468&ssl=1 468w, https://i1.wp.com/kentuckianaauthors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Picture1.jpg?resize=300%2C87&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/kentuckianaauthors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Picture1.jpg?resize=195%2C57&ssl=1 195w" style="border-radius: inherit; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; overflow-wrap: break-word;" width="320" /><br /><br /><br />Check out this wonderful showcase I was given by the <a href="https://kentuckianaauthors.com/deborah-macgillivray-my-passion-for-writing-historical-fiction/?fbclid=IwAR3YhlIn68-h4_myaZFHbdDBKL7_A2CnyJP-D8xjPeyN34Z-nsGrSxL3FmA" target="_blank">Kentuckiana Authors</a><br /><br />I wish to thank them for giving me the opportunity to express my love for history and historical romances</figure></div></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-89433343995967966732021-08-14T13:11:00.006-07:002021-08-15T01:13:04.704-07:00Women of Bruce – Part 5 — Sisters of Robert Bruce: A Tale of Two Isabels.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eflGm97FD7Q/YRAy8WxvYyI/AAAAAAAATTw/zE9d-BSO-0w95BrdBkk8pH-rfDDV-cQLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/2IsabelLG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eflGm97FD7Q/YRAy8WxvYyI/AAAAAAAATTw/zE9d-BSO-0w95BrdBkk8pH-rfDDV-cQLgCLcBGAsYHQ/w286-h400/2IsabelLG.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Women of Bruce – Part 5 — <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sisters of Robert Bruce: A Tale of
Two Isabels.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When you really get deep into
genealogy you run into a stumbling block of reused names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have 37 Robert Bruces in my family tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nearly as many Patrick Dunbars and Hugh,
William and James Montgomeries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand
that men want sons to carry on their names for immortality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only, sometimes it isn’t just the men’s
names, which provoke the need to be careful in charting your ancestors—it can
be the women, too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take the name
Margaret—I have over 1000 of those.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elizabeth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, yeah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1333 in my tree (and counting!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Isabel/Isabella/Isabelle/Isobel?—406 and
many belonging to the Bruce family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
of Robert Bruce’s grandmothers were named Isabel—Isabel de Clare and Margaret
Isabel FitzAlan Stewart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His paternal
great-grandmothers were Isabelle of Huntington and Isabel Marshall, countess of
Glouster, Hertford, Cornwall and Poitou.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Robert married his first wife—Isabel of Mar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was crowned by Isabella Macduff, a cousin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to really confuse matters he had two
sisters by the same first name!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Yes, this tales of two ladies
named Isabel is a study in frustration and chaos. Once more, we are forced to wade through
incorrect information, details—or lack thereof— about two different women
historians so casually dismissed, or merged into one. They are <i>not
</i>the same female! Genealogists have
confused, mixed up, or blended the two Isabels until they are a blur, and we
are left scratching our heads as to why they simply don’t recognize these
ladies are two entirely different sisters of Robert Bruce.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>Isabella Kilconquhar Randolph</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Through his parent’s marriage,
Robert Bruce had seven sisters, with only five living to adulthood—Isabel,
Maud, Christian, Mary, and Margaret.
However, often overlooked—he also had an older half-sister from his
mother’s first marriage. While she
wasn’t a Bruce by name, she was still his sister, and she gave birth to one of
the fiercest warrior heroes Scotland has ever known—Thomas Randolph, 1st earl
of Moray.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzXOCMxUiko/YRAzbMop_5I/AAAAAAAATT4/VU58wYODBWoeg69a8B4f5KJ54mJGs8XvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/Isabella%2BKilconquhar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zzXOCMxUiko/YRAzbMop_5I/AAAAAAAATT4/VU58wYODBWoeg69a8B4f5KJ54mJGs8XvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Isabella%2BKilconquhar.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Both women shared the same
mother—Marjorie, countess of Carrick, </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">in
her own right</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">. (I have written about the dashing Marjorie in my previous
articles).</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">They had different
fathers.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Both men went off to join the
9th Crusade, raised by Lord Edward, duke of Gascony.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">And both became close friends.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">The first Isabel—Isabel Kilconquhar
Randolph—was the daughter by Adam de Kilconquhar.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Occasionally, you see her referred to as
Isabel Martha Kilconquhar, or Isabelle of Carrick, some mistakenly call her
Isabel Bruce, and sadly, maddeningly, some do their best to ignore this
daughter all together.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">She has a
wonderful heritage, so she should be recognized as existing and not bundled
into a generic “Isabel Bruce” label.</span></div></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Marjorie Carrick married very
young to Adam, son of <i>Donnchaidh</i> de
Kilconquhar. Evidence shows that Adam
hailed from Fife and from the ancient Clan of MacDuff. His grandfather was Adam, son of Duncan, earl
of Fife. Adam’s mother was an unnamed
woman from Clan Comyn (I think through process of elimination that she was
likely Johanna Comyn, daughter of Richard Comyn and Eve Amabilia Galloway). He had a half-brother, William Comyn, who
took his mother’s surname and was named in a papal appointment as the bishop of
Brechin in January 1296 <i>(2/156/3 Theiner,
no. 350 and. 2/147/23 Theiner, no. 262). </i>Ancient and impeccable lineage, but then
the man who received Marjorie in marriage would have to be worthy of a woman
who came from blood royal. Adam appears
to have enjoyed the favor of the Scottish king, Alexander III, so small wonder he won her
hand. In wedding Marjorie, Adam became
the 3rd earl of Carrick, <i>jure uxoris</i>. Documents of the period show him using the
title of earl of Carrick. Still, the
title was little more than an honor, for while Marjorie was the heiress of
Niall, 2nd earl of Carrick, her father had set the real power within the clan
to follow his nephew, Lachlan. We don’t
know if Adam chafed at being earl in name only for he didn’t stay on the scene
long. Shortly after wedding Marjorie, he
joined the Crusade, leaving his young bride at home at Turnberry Castle, either
pregnant or with her newborn daughter, Isabella. Within a year, Marjorie was a widow, due to
Adam dying of a wound contracted in a battle in the Holy Lands.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZEyOrkwIXA/YRA0ADIIkWI/AAAAAAAATUA/Zr1YnladVg8odcFpe3C5zFapzXiX1CiSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1127/Isabelle%2Bof%2BCarrick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1127" height="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZEyOrkwIXA/YRA0ADIIkWI/AAAAAAAATUA/Zr1YnladVg8odcFpe3C5zFapzXiX1CiSwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h254/Isabelle%2Bof%2BCarrick.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">(Tree showing the Randolph, Bruce and
Kilconquhar Lines)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Adam charged his close
comrade—the handsome lord of Annandale, Robert Bruce—to carry the tides of his
demise back to his lady wife. It is
legend how he did just that, and as he made to leave, Marjorie had her
men-at-arms capture Annandale and keep him hostage until he agreed to become
her second husband. Obviously, the lady
was tired of men deciding her fate. King
Alexander III was upset they had dared wed without his grace and
permission. In punishment, he seized
Turnberry Castle. Since Alexander did
not fine Annandale or seize his property, it clearly demonstrated the king laid
blame solely at Marjorie’s feet. Most
likely, Marjorie turned on her charm and soothed the king’s ruffled feathers,
because he turned the castle back to the Bruces a short time later, and just
fined Marjorie one hundred pounds for daring the umbrage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The marriage was a happy one, and
within the year, Marjorie gave birth to another daughter—which she promptly
named Isabel! So, she now had two small
daughters by the same first name. Why
would Marjorie name both daughters Isabel?
Well, to honor her mother is one possibility—Margaret Isabel FitzAlan
Stewart, countess of Carrick, daughter of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland and Bethóc<i> nic</i> Gille Chris of Angus. Or since she named her first daughter after
her mother, she was naming her second daughter after the mother of her
husband—Isabel de Clare. Whatever the
motivation we now have two daughters with the same name.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Since Adam was gone, barely a
ghost in people’s memory, and the two little girls were not that far apart in
age, I wonder how muddled their lives became as they reached marriageable
age. <i>Oh,
you are Isabel Bruce? No, I am the other Isabel—not a Bruce.</i> I am unsure if not being a Bruce hurt Isabel
Kilconquhar’s chances at making the best marriage possible. Still, she didn’t do too badly. She married Sir Thomas Randolph, Chamberlain
of Scotland (whose father was Thomas of Strathnith, and who had also been a
Chamberlain of Scotland). Thomas’ mother
was Juliana Kilconquhar of Moray. Since
her parentage is sketchy at best, it’s not hard to assume this she might be
aunt or cousin of Isabel?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Her marriage to Sir Thomas saw
her wed to a very powerful man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the
Great Chamberlain, he had jurisdiction for judging of all crimes committed
within the burgh, and of the crimes of forestalling (an antiquated term for a
merchant buying his way into a market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In effect, Thomas was Justice-General over the burghs, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">held Chamberlain-ayrs</i> every year for
that purpose; the form whereof is set down in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iter Camerarii.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a
supreme judge and his decrees could not be questioned by any inferior
judicator. His sentences were to be put into execution by the Baillies of the
burghs. He also settled the prices of provisions within burghs, and the fees of
the workmen in the Mint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thomas Randolph
was a man of extraordinary parts, and served both Alexander II and Alexander
III.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also aided Robert Bruce “The
Competitor” in his legal bit to be made king of the Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thomas held great favor with Alexander III,
who made him lord great chamberlain of Scotland in 1269, an office which of he
enjoyed till the 18th Aug. 1277.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also
worked as the king’s personal attorney on many matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, the man loved to sue anyone and
everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scottish court documents
show Thomas bringing lawsuits against dozens of lords and ladies over matters
of estates, properties and inheritance not fulfilled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Thomas and Isabel had three
children—Nicholas, Thomas and Mabel Isabella.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify;">(Another Isabel! LOL).</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Mabel
Isabella went on to wed Sir Gilbert de Hamilton, who was one of the seven Royal
Knights or bodyguards for Robert the Bruce.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify;">It was Hamilton who gave the funeral oration at the burial of King
Robert the Bruce at Dunfermline Abbey.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1X9AN-YR088/YRA0Rdb-ilI/AAAAAAAATUI/kIhfpz8iRpkzrytv6GtwVyME8fLLzaPfACLcBGAsYHQ/s603/Tower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: 0in;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="603" height="331" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1X9AN-YR088/YRA0Rdb-ilI/AAAAAAAATUI/kIhfpz8iRpkzrytv6GtwVyME8fLLzaPfACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h331/Tower.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>Tower of London</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Nicholas, the eldest Randolph son, was
captured at the Battle of Dunbar 1296 and taken to be held prisoner in the Tower
of London. King Edward wrote to the
sheriff of London concerning the payment of expenses of Scottish prisoners in
the Tower, including “…William, earl of Ross, Andrew de Morpenne, John de
Mowbray, Nicholas Randolph, the king’s enemies….” <i>recorded by John of Droxford, keeper of wardrobe of King Edward I, 6th
November 1297. (Docs., ii, no. 481).</i>
Odd, in September of 1296, his father was sent to France by King John
Balliol. These two references are the last
we hear of either man. It is reasonable to assume within months after
Longhanks’ letter concerning the payment for his keep that Nicholas died. I
haven’t found any written release, and the conditions of the release, so my
guess is he died in prison. Many of the
hundreds of Scottish nobility had been returned to Scotland long before this,
so it is unusual Nicholas, the son of such an important man, was still being
held.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabel’s younger son, Thomas, was
originally sworn to Edward Longshanks, and after fighting for the English, he
was captured in 1306 and brought before her brother, Robert. Arrogant, and unbowed, he taunted his uncle
for engaging in guerrilla warfare instead of standing and fighting in pitched
battle. Failing to take umbrage, Robert
persuaded his nephew to change sides again.
Thomas went on to become one of the king's most important and trusted
captains, the 1st earl of Moray, regent for Robert’s son David II, and
eventually becoming Guardian and Chamberlain of Scotland. He was a distinguished diplomat, just as
formidable an opponent at court as he had been a warrior on the battlefield.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To add to the growing list of
Isabels—Isabella’s granddaughter was Agnes Randolph Dunbar, countess of
Dunbar, who held the siege of Dunbar Castle.
I wrote about Agnes’ colorful exploits in <i>A Tale of Two Women and One Castle - The Ladies of Dunbar</i>—<i>Part Two</i>—<i>Agnes Randolph.</i> However, son Thomas
had another daughter, which he naturally named Isabelle<i>. And, oh, his wife’s name?</i>
—Isabel Stewart of Bonkyll.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUjAmHsarlE/YRA0hakxRNI/AAAAAAAATUQ/wuUucsov0BccIwrktNuJtNAmc2bvZU60QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Melrose%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1024" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUjAmHsarlE/YRA0hakxRNI/AAAAAAAATUQ/wuUucsov0BccIwrktNuJtNAmc2bvZU60QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h271/Melrose%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabella Kilconquhar Randolph
lived until her early eighties. She
outlived her husband and both sons, dying less than two years before her
daughter. She was laid to rest beside
her beloved husband in Melrose Abbey, and next to his father Thomas fitzRanulf
of Moray and mother, Juliana Kilconquhar.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7M98AxgQY4/YRA7Xf9IUFI/AAAAAAAATUY/4SIqyE-zy7Il5lhUb-wQir2hWcXhbEVcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1895/Isabella%2BKilconquhar%2BGGM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="1895" height="68" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X7M98AxgQY4/YRA7Xf9IUFI/AAAAAAAATUY/4SIqyE-zy7Il5lhUb-wQir2hWcXhbEVcACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h68/Isabella%2BKilconquhar%2BGGM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><span>Isabel de Brus </span></i><i style="text-align: justify;">Magnússon</i></span></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></i></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vS4JI_RqWVQ/YRX25k_rk9I/AAAAAAAATVE/O-wqtfod8vYECMAE0m_DIacdQwieDk_ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s933/_Isabel_Bruce.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vS4JI_RqWVQ/YRX25k_rk9I/AAAAAAAATVE/O-wqtfod8vYECMAE0m_DIacdQwieDk_ewCLcBGAsYHQ/w171-h200/_Isabel_Bruce.png" width="171" /></a></div></div><p></p></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Queen Isabel de Brus Magnússon’s Coat of Arms</span></i></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Isabel de Brus Magnússon</i>—the other <i>Isabel</i> was a full sister to Robert Bruce. She was born less than three years after her
older half-sister with which she shared a name.
She was the first child of Marjorie Carrick and Robert de Brus. And
though her brother may have been destined to become a king, at the age of
twenty-one this Isabel became a queen before him! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ywrp9iTlFE0/YRX3iPSO3TI/AAAAAAAATVM/dQQLzppzOwoV-h8fcyynfGJ4_25qvF2ZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s604/861490ebc5355ddf1a3f39399517ba22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="414" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ywrp9iTlFE0/YRX3iPSO3TI/AAAAAAAATVM/dQQLzppzOwoV-h8fcyynfGJ4_25qvF2ZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w274-h400/861490ebc5355ddf1a3f39399517ba22.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">Ever mindful of cementing the House
of Bruce into the royalty of Scotland and her allies, Robert Bruce, lord of
Annandale, arranged a marriage for his eldest daughter to the king of
Norway.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">In 1293, Isabel traveled with
her father to Bergen where she wed to King Eric Magnússon II of Norway in true
royal fashion.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXArPtBndFc/YRX30od9DCI/AAAAAAAATVU/cKbrOOoNC04xxDZQGrsIq0OOJPKrrdoxACLcBGAsYHQ/s259/Eric%2Bof%2BNorway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXArPtBndFc/YRX30od9DCI/AAAAAAAATVU/cKbrOOoNC04xxDZQGrsIq0OOJPKrrdoxACLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/Eric%2Bof%2BNorway.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" style="height: 155.4pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 116.4pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\PISSES~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The last surviving son of King Magnús
</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">the Lawmender,</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Erik was given the
title of king at age five by his father.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Magnús had intended for his son to co-rule with him, but before this
could be arranged King Magnús died. Erick was then crowned sole ruler in the
summer of 1280.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">A year later, at age
thirteen he married twenty-year-old Princess Margaret of Scotland, daughter of
King Alexander III. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tragically, Margaret
died two years later giving birth to a daughter also named Margaret, who would
go down in history as the </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Maid of Norway</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">After Alexander’s death—leaving no male to
follow him— this small child, not even eight-years-old, soon grew to be the
center of unparalleled political maneuvering, since she now was the true heir
to the Scottish throne.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LrwBOLGU9YI/YRX4EqWZ-BI/AAAAAAAATVc/hlu3qHe6U_ggEcV_WE1nvFqhr6ePlUWqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Margaret%252C_Maid_of_Norway.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="413" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LrwBOLGU9YI/YRX4EqWZ-BI/AAAAAAAATVc/hlu3qHe6U_ggEcV_WE1nvFqhr6ePlUWqgCLcBGAsYHQ/w344-h400/Margaret%252C_Maid_of_Norway.jpg" width="344" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>In 1286, she became the child Queen
of the Scots, though she had never set foot in Scotland and was never
inaugurated.</span><span> </span><span>And just as quickly, she was
betrothed to Edward I’s son.</span><span> </span><span>Longshanks
wanted her wed immediately to Edward of Caernarvon, for in his vision his son
would then rule Scotland as king through her.</span><span>
</span><span>The Guardians of Scotland resisted this plan, and after much choreography
and negotiating, the nobles set out to collect the wee lass to bring her home—and
under their control before Edward decided to fetch her himself. </span><span> </span><span>Edward wasn’t above executing such a power
play, and they knew if that occurred the English monarch would never set her
free.</span><span> </span><span>Alas, a storm blew her ship off
course, and they were forced to land at St. Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay on
Orkney.</span><span> </span><i>Odd bit of fate</i><span>.</span><span> </span><span>The village
was named after St. Margaret of Scotland, the wife of King Malcolm III.</span><span> </span><span>We hope the saint took pity on the small
child who bore her name, for she died shortly after making it to shore.</span><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9SLp0wU4iOM/YRX4hwtzmlI/AAAAAAAATVk/y60uuGyIeswcsNFR9RuWmf_JwdCfWkjjACLcBGAsYHQ/s512/Maid2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="367" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9SLp0wU4iOM/YRX4hwtzmlI/AAAAAAAATVk/y60uuGyIeswcsNFR9RuWmf_JwdCfWkjjACLcBGAsYHQ/w458-h640/Maid2.jpg" width="458" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The incident sparked one of the
biggest legal battles in Scottish History —<i>The
Great Cause</i>. Seventeen claimants
vied to be the next king of Scotland.
Isabel’s grandfather—Robert Bruce, 5<sup>th</sup> lord of Annandale—was
a leading contender. Even the man who
would soon be her husband within a year, as King Erik of Norway had tossed his
name into the hat, <i>so the speak</i>,
claiming he held the right to rule through his deceased daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAZt6kn76IQ/YRX5GbwtshI/AAAAAAAATVs/_KCe7oEQSI8Vi_fAax-2qF9n3d-3RkgugCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/Monument.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="2000" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAZt6kn76IQ/YRX5GbwtshI/AAAAAAAATVs/_KCe7oEQSI8Vi_fAax-2qF9n3d-3RkgugCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h180/Monument.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Monument to the rules of Norway, including a listing
for King Erik, his wife, </span></i><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Princess Margaret of Scotland, and their daughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway- </span></i><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Bergenhus Fortress, Bergen, Norway.</span></i></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Isabel had arrived in Norway, a well-propertied
woman and bringing riches to her marriage, bespeaking she was a woman worthy to
be a queen.</span><span> </span><span>Her dowry and trousseau were
recorded at the time by Weyland de Striklaw, an English nobleman employed by the
king.</span><span> </span><span>Striklaw noted the delivery of the
goods for Isabel’s trousseau: </span><i>precious
clothes and furs, 2 golden boiler, 24 silver plate, 4 silver salt cellars and
12 two-handled scyphus (soup bowls)</i><span> for her new household.</span><span> </span><span>The marriage seemed to agree with her, and
she developed a deep love for her new country and the church at Bergen.</span><span> </span><span>Almost four years later her daughter Ingebjørg
Eriksdottir was born.</span><span> </span><span>However, the
marriage ended abruptly when Eric died 15</span><sup>th</sup><span> of July 1299.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtwKRk-8_Hc/YRX5hnJGboI/AAAAAAAATV0/lsL2QB7q4B8jqAT-uv1a_7h91uDJYPqvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s801/Hall.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: 0in;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="801" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rtwKRk-8_Hc/YRX5hnJGboI/AAAAAAAATV0/lsL2QB7q4B8jqAT-uv1a_7h91uDJYPqvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-indent: 0in;">Bergenhas Fortress, Bergen, Norway</i></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Widowed at the age twenty-six,
Isabel could have returned home to the Bruces, yet she stayed in Norway, and in
spite of the insecurities that came with widowhood, Isabel was in no hurry to
remarry.</span><span> </span><span>There were some motions of a
marriage in 1300. </span><i>Not</i><span> for Isabel, but
her infant daughter.</span><span> </span><span>Though Ingebjørg was
only three- years-old, Isabel moved ahead with the plan to marry her child to Jón
Magnússon, earl of Orkney and Caithness, the betrothal recorded in the </span><i>Icelandic Annals</i><span>.</span><span> </span><span>Magnússon, by nature of each earldom, was a
subject of both Scotland and Norway. Most believe this was a desperate attempt on
Isabel’s part to find a protector for her daughter, and one aligned to the
Bruce’s cause and able to affect influence in Norway as well.</span><span> </span><span>Nevertheless, the wedding never took place as
Magnússon died soon after the contract was recorded. Perhaps her fears soon
proved unfounded for there were no further attempts to find a protector for
either herself or her child.</span><span> </span><span>Instead,
Isabel settled into life as queen dowager.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ter6Yi20BHU/YRX6YyoWacI/AAAAAAAATWE/1gNhT7kTI1Y0a4NKQNvjvwMKqHA6QnDbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s733/Isobel%2Bbrus%2BQueen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="733" height="369" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ter6Yi20BHU/YRX6YyoWacI/AAAAAAAATWE/1gNhT7kTI1Y0a4NKQNvjvwMKqHA6QnDbwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h369/Isobel%2Bbrus%2BQueen.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a queen consort scant
information remains on Isabel’s life.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">On
the other hand, as queen dowager her days are better chronicled.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Queen Isabel participated in many official
events and ceremonies, and clearly did not lack sway. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her presence was recorded with the new king—King
Haakon (Erik’s brother)—and his wife on many court occasions.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was documented she was with the royal couple
at the inauguration in 1305 of Bishop Arne Sigurdssön, the new bishop of
Bergen.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though her husband has been
slanderously nicknamed “priest hater”, Isabel had a good relationship with the
clerical powers in Bergen.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">She made
large donations in 1324 to the local church, and in return she received several
houses from the bishop to provide an income for the rest of her life, leaving
her independent in a time women rarely had this sort of freedom.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_11" o:spid="_x0000_i1027" style="height: 218.4pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 237.6pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\PISSES~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image009.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_oQK8yYc80/YRX58r61_iI/AAAAAAAATV8/SxCQ1iChUQkd8zsx9qxwMK8fHsE0pT4kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Norway.jpg" style="font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_oQK8yYc80/YRX58r61_iI/AAAAAAAATV8/SxCQ1iChUQkd8zsx9qxwMK8fHsE0pT4kgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Norway.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1301 a woman arrived at Bergen
on a ship from Lübeck, Germany.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Quite
bizarrely, she claimed to be the dead Margaret all grown up.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">She accused several people of treason for
trying to hide the real queen of the Scots. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her story detailed that she hadn’t died on
Orkney, but had been sold into slavery by Tore Haakonsson's wife (also named Ingebjørg),
and then sent to Germany where she had married.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The people of Bergen and even some of the clergy vigorously took up her
cause, in spite of the fact that the late King Erik had identified his dead
daughter's body.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Even more damning—the
woman appeared to be about forty-years-old, whereas the real Margaret would
have been seventeen had she lived.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">After
a much followed trial, she was burned at the stake for treason at Nordnes in
Bergen in 1301, and her husband was beheaded.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Whether Isabel attended any of the trial isn’t recorded, thought I’m
sure she was aware of the proceedings.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Isabel’s quiet power likely helped
the rise of Weyland de Striklaw—who we already </span><i>met</i><span> when the goods for Isabel’s trousseau were unloaded.</span><span> </span><span>After Jón Magnússon’s death left the marriage
for her daughter moot, Isabel’s patronage may have </span></span><span><span style="text-align: center;">been the reason for his rising </span><span>prominence</span></span><span>—and
possibly to her benefit.</span><span> </span><span>Striklaw </span><i>somehow </i><span>managed to become guardian for
the earl’s successor, and gained control of the administration of Orkney and
later Caithness. </span><span> </span><span>Little direct evidence can
be found for Isabel being responsible with the man’s rise from exiled
Englishman to one who controlled two earldoms.</span><span>
</span><span>Still, that command over Orkney and Caithness—earlships she had intended
for her daughter—could be taken as an indication of Isabel’s discreet political
activity after her husband’s death.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>There is intimation that she was
a mediator in the negotiations between Norway and Scotland, regarding the dispute
of ownership of Orkney and Shetland when in 1312 the </span><i>Treaty of Perth</i><span> was reaffirmed. </span><span> </span><span>Another is the occasion of her apply to King Haakon for a pardon of a prisoner 1</span><b>3</b><span>39.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">During her sister Christian’s
imprisonment by Edward I, the two sisters exchanged letters.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel even sent clothing and other needs to
help ease the situation.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Helping her
family didn’t stop there.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">She sent a
large number solders and knights from Caithness, Orkney and Norway to fight for
her brother Robert.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel, once again, took a strong
hand in arranging a marriage for her daughter.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">At this point the tales of two Isabels turns into a tale of two Ingebjørgs.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel’s daughter named Ingebjørg, and her
niece also named Ingebjørg, were married to the younger sons of Erik, Duke of
Södermanland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel’s daughter married Valdemar,
Duke of Finland, Uppland, and Öland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel was likely proud of the marriage, but that pride was dashed
before too long, leaving her daughter a young window, just as she had
been.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The two Swedish princes had long
been mistrusted by their elder brother, King Birger, and eventually, in 1317 he
had them both arrested at a banquet at Nyköping Castle.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">They were held in a dungeon and no one was
allowed to see them. Sometime after January 1318, tides of their demise spread
throughout the country—rumors fearing they had been starved to death. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Their widows, the Duchesses Ingebjørg, were
not meek in their acceptance of the deaths, instead became the leaders of their
husbands’ supporters.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Eventually, later that year, they were able to force King Birger into exile, and crowned Magnús,
the son of Ingebjørg Håkonsdatter, as king of Sweden.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then, he succeeded his grandfather, Håkon V,
as king of Norway in 1319. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The regency
was held by Magnús’ mother and grandmother, and Ingebjørg Eiriksdatter also
held a seat on the regency council.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1357, Ingebjørg died, naming
her mother as one of her heirs, increasing Isabel’s wealth.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel still did not return to Scotland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">There is not a single instance recorded of
her returning to her family in the country where she was born.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instead, she lived in Bergen the remainder of
her life.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">On 13 April 1358 and at the
age of 86, she died in Bergen, Hordaland, Norway.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel finally returned to the soil of her
birth, being buried in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3EbS2dCcLY/YRX62mMLWhI/AAAAAAAATWM/z20jOAP60pooSQOXAiH7yBUsyM0BAp0AgCLcBGAsYHQ/s536/Isabel%2527s%2Bbook.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="407" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X3EbS2dCcLY/YRX62mMLWhI/AAAAAAAATWM/z20jOAP60pooSQOXAiH7yBUsyM0BAp0AgCLcBGAsYHQ/w304-h400/Isabel%2527s%2Bbook.png" width="304" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Above: the first folio from an
Old French version of William of Tyre’s</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <i>
</i></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>“Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum”</i>, which belonged to
Isabel Bruce, and the ex libris announcing her ownership is in red ink across
the top of the page.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In summarizing, these two
daughters of Marjorie Carrick may have shared a name, one common to the family,
but they and their lives couldn’t have been more different, each carving out a
special niche in history.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8VbR78HQuU/YRA8DNFfsxI/AAAAAAAATUg/t6EF_q1dF8MyWLTdHOkMdp7tH4EPKEiVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1890/Isabel%2Bde%2BBrus%2BGGA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="1890" height="70" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8VbR78HQuU/YRA8DNFfsxI/AAAAAAAATUg/t6EF_q1dF8MyWLTdHOkMdp7tH4EPKEiVACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h70/Isabel%2Bde%2BBrus%2BGGA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Next month, I will finish up with the remaining Bruce sisters—</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mary, Margaret and Maud.<br /><br />Then in October I will turn my attention to <br />the Daughters of Bruce...<br />first up will be Marjorie Bruce Stewart,<br /> the daughter of a king and the mother of a king.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1074" height="116" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qeV21-uATA0/YRX7ubjPnHI/AAAAAAAATWU/Pt-P99ZU8moCwGmygJUhY7qESln0KgXmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Deborah writes a Scottish Medieval Historical series the Dragons of Challon and Contemporary Paranormal Romance series the Sister of Colford Hall.</div><br /><br /></span></i></div><br />Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-6627028466294932982021-07-08T00:58:00.000-07:002021-07-08T00:58:37.238-07:00The Women of Bruce — Part 4 — The Sisters of Robert the Bruce — Christian<p> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YltwIdqD-UY/YNIiHZCZRtI/AAAAAAAATLI/DvkQcqCIzNQMJSL_yPOCS0GqO8LJHRaVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s563/christina%2Bbruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="563" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YltwIdqD-UY/YNIiHZCZRtI/AAAAAAAATLI/DvkQcqCIzNQMJSL_yPOCS0GqO8LJHRaVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h398/christina%2Bbruce.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Women of Bruce–Part Four <i style="font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">–</span></i><br />The Sisters of Robert Bruce</span></i></span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">–</span></i>Christian</span></i><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTA-KlF4ONM/YNLT-y9DDoI/AAAAAAAATMs/NznbpWX7oR0i8EQ_FG2Ec92cIlVmrZ2hwCLcBGAsYHQ/s419/Bruce%2Barms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="419" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTA-KlF4ONM/YNLT-y9DDoI/AAAAAAAATMs/NznbpWX7oR0i8EQ_FG2Ec92cIlVmrZ2hwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h169/Bruce%2Barms.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When I first set up my series of
articles on the <i>Women of Bruce</i>, I had
intended to devote a single article to Robert the Bruce’s six sisters. However, as I began writing the blog, I found
one sister earned her own individual story.
For Christian de Brus was a woman to draw admiration and respect. Born about 1273 at Turnberry Castle, she was
the third daughter to Robert and Marjorie, and she is likely the most colorful,
controversial and tragic Bruce sister.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like most females of this period
in history, little is recorded of her childhood, or her life before she
married. Controversy pops up quickly at this
point, as it is now fashionable to try and cast doubt that her first marriage ever
took place. I cannot follow that
trend. Too much evidence says
otherwise. Her first marriage was to
Gartnait <i>mac</i> Domhnail, Mormaer and 7th earl of Mar, sheriff of
Aberdeenshire. Gartnait’s father was a
longtime supporter of the Bruces; he was
ambitious, and blessed with the farseeing vision to back Clan Bruce. The joining of Mar and Bruce bloods was the
perfect balance for future rulers of the country—the Bruces coming from Norman
ancestry would see the Lowlanders following them, while the ancient line of Mar
would open doors through the old Celtic Scots.
With that dream in mind, Domhnall <i>mac</i> Uilleim, 6<sup>th</sup> earl of
Mar set out to see his line woven into the Bruces through a double marriage. </span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hdb3zTIRyCs/YNLB4UtD2ZI/AAAAAAAATL0/GirJbQOhud8gIP7vOR54JIAAWblEfEYLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Gartnaitfull.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="467" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hdb3zTIRyCs/YNLB4UtD2ZI/AAAAAAAATL0/GirJbQOhud8gIP7vOR54JIAAWblEfEYLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/Gartnaitfull.jpg" width="266" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>In about 1292, he wed his son
Gartnait to Christian. As her bride’s
gift from her father, she received the lands of Garioch for her life. The earls of Mar eventually inherited the
feudal lordship of Garioch through her (not a peerage dignity) and were even latterly
styled the "earls of Garioch”. </span><span>By
the Mars inheriting Christian’s holding</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">–</i><span>her grandson being the first earl of Garioch</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span>–</span></i></span></i><span>it’s clear that she <i>did</i> wed him. That assumption is further backed up by the
holding of Kildrummy Castle, seat of the earls of Mar. In 1305, her brother Robert was in possession
of the Mar stronghold. This would
indicate the castle went to Mar’s small son, his heir, after his death, and
Robert, as his uncle, was acting as guardian for his nephew, controlling the fortress
until the boy came of age to accept responsibility of the earldom.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To further back up my inference is wording in the truce made with Edward in January 1302. When Robert saw his fighting for Scotland was only opening the door for the return of King John Balliol—which was basically giving all the power to John Comyn earl of Buchan, and to Red Comyn, Robert gave up the struggle. He made peace with King Edward. It is specific to note in the pact, which can still be read, is a listing of the return of all lands in England, Scotland and France to Robert, and that his people wouldn’t suffer for taking up arms and following him in rebellion. Right in the middle of this avowing is reference to the earl of Mar’s son being given over to Robert as his ward. Why else would this be included in this pact, except Robert was trying to protect his nephew by Christian?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“And the King grants to Robert the wardship and marriage of the Earl of Mar's son and heir. And because it is feared the Kingdom of Scotland may be removed out of the hands of the King’s hands which God forbid and handed over to Sir John Balliol…”</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Less than three years after Gartnait wed Christian, Gartnait’s
sister, Isabel, would marry Christian’s brother, Robert earl of Carrick (with
papal dispensation, naturally). Brother
and sister marrying brother and sister, saw Mar blood destined to flow through
the child, and future children, that would one day sit on the throne of
Scotland.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5z6qgh19iSo/YNIjN81ixsI/AAAAAAAATLQ/7zWK-XltoA0woRK8HqnDWDfiO7XvMqijwCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/mar_large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="413" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5z6qgh19iSo/YNIjN81ixsI/AAAAAAAATLQ/7zWK-XltoA0woRK8HqnDWDfiO7XvMqijwCLcBGAsYHQ/w172-h200/mar_large.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">arms of Mar</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Christian gave Gartnait a son,
Domhnall Mar, and twin daughters, Elyne de Mar and Margaret de Mar. Only, their marriage was short-lived, and his
death mysteriously unexplained. Mar was
on record as having reconciled with Edward in 1302 and the English king
appointed him “warden of Garioch” to enforce Edward’s<i> Peace</i>. Sometime before
1305, Gartnait vanishes from history and not a word of how or why. We might infer he died acting as warden in
the troubled times.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If Christian despaired that her life was filled with sorrow at losing her husband, she could little foresee what would come at her in the year following. A little over a year later, in March of 1306, she wed her second husband, Sir Christopher Seton. A close companion to her brother, Christopher was at his side when Bruce faced Red Comyn at Greyfriars Abbey. Some report it was he, not Bruce, who struck the fatal blow to Comyn (though other sources credit this deed to Sir James Kirkpatrick, another close ally of Robert). Legend records Seton saved Robert’s life at the<i> Battle of Methven</i> on </span><span color="windowtext" style="text-align: left;">19</span><sup style="color: windowtext; text-align: left;">th </sup><span style="font-family: georgia;">June 1306, when the new king fell from his horse. The battle was a total rout, setting the Scots to fleeing.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hTvbcqx8JX4/YNLR0OPYtSI/AAAAAAAATMk/lf7mlxHX40kClecGDjaPGIMN2Bnoxkw5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/Kildrummy3a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1100" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hTvbcqx8JX4/YNLR0OPYtSI/AAAAAAAATMk/lf7mlxHX40kClecGDjaPGIMN2Bnoxkw5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Kildrummy3a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Ruins of Kildrummy Castle</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Robert had sent his second wife, Elizabeth, his daughter by his first marriage, Marjorie, Isabella Macduff (the cousin who crowned him) and his two sisters—Christian and Mary—to Kildrummy Castle.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The people of Kildrummy were still devoted to Christian.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The stronghold was a formidable one, and clearly Bruce assumed they would be safe there.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Their brother Nigel was in command of the castle.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> When a blacksmith betrayed all by setting a grain store afire, Nigel bravely defended the stronghold, knowing all was lost, giving his sisters and kinswomen time to flee.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Nigel lost his life for the valiant effort, along with the entire garrison of the castle.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The women were later captured by William, earl of Ross, and turned over to King Edward as prisoners.</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bz0Dg59ah-4/YNIldWhuhoI/AAAAAAAATLg/7P7tVpVGAAQH7oC7TSYOyi6hgy99KUGhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/Seton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="251" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bz0Dg59ah-4/YNIldWhuhoI/AAAAAAAATLg/7P7tVpVGAAQH7oC7TSYOyi6hgy99KUGhQCLcBGAsYHQ/w168-h200/Seton.jpg" width="168" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">arms of Seton</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Christian was sent to solitary confinement at
the Gilbertine nunnery at Sixhills in Lincolnshire, England. She wasn’t the only female prisoner of
nobility housed there. Gwladys </span><i style="font-size: large;">ferch </i><span style="font-size: medium;">Dafydd was the daughter of Dafydd </span><i style="font-size: large;">ap</i><span style="font-size: medium;"> Gruffud, the Last Free Prince of
Wales. After executing her father for
treason, Edward sent Gwladys–a mere child—to the remote Sixhills Priory. She died there in 1336, having spent her
whole life as a prisoner to three English kings. While
Christian’s fate was grim, it was much kinder than what her sister suffered,
and that of Isabella Macduff. That Christian
did not face being held in a cage outside also reinforces the validity of her
marriage to Mar. The Setons were a
family rising in prominence, but held little sway in either country at that
time; on the other hand, the powerful earls of Mar traced their lineage back to
the early kings of Scotland. Edward
could be brutal, cruel; however, he was also mindful of forgiving perceived
offenses from nobles</span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span>–</span></i></span></i><span style="font-size: medium;">when it was to his benefit. He didn’t dare risk harming Christian for
fear the Mars might raise their countrymen against him. Her sister, Mary, was married to Sir Neil Campbell, son of Cailean Mór Campbell, coming from the mighty earls of Argyll. Why that connection didn’t help save Mary from the cage was simple—Neil was one of Bruce’s most trusted lieutenants, and had fought by his side at every point of Bruce’s rebellions. Thus, she suffered the full force of Edward’s vindictive fury.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWbJffhfbQQ/YNLNZMKGNII/AAAAAAAATMc/36e_vD1d8TkrJhH2PIGtQ_3giVJhtUjNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/sixkills%2Babbey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="877" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWbJffhfbQQ/YNLNZMKGNII/AAAAAAAATMc/36e_vD1d8TkrJhH2PIGtQ_3giVJhtUjNgCLcBGAsYHQ/w343-h400/sixkills%2Babbey.jpg" width="343" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Sixhills Abbey, Lincolnshire, England </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The next we learn of Seton’s
whereabouts comes in the attack at Loch Doon Castle. Some try to say he was not at the <i>Battle of
Methven</i>, citing his presence at Loch Doon. However, the castle was a vital fortress for the earls
of Carrick, and was one of three strongholds that Robert tried desperately to
hang on to in order to keep power. It is
reasonable to assume, Robert sent Seton there just after the Methven defeat. The
castle was built on an island within Loch Doon, and consisted of a formidable
eleven-sided curtain wall. Yet, in spite
of Seton’s heroic defence, the castle fell the 14<sup>th</sup> of August 1306. It would not be retaken for another eight
years. The castle’s surrender supposedly
came by the hand of the Governor, Sir Gilbert FitzRoland de Carrick
(son of the illegitimate half-brother to Marjorie Carrick). The truth that would come out much later: it
was Gilbert’s brother-in-law who gave over to the English. Christopher was hanged, drawn and quartered
at Dumfries in accordance with Edward's new hardline policy of giving <i>no quarter</i> to Scottish prisoners. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aPi7JBfat_E/YNIkGRoZjeI/AAAAAAAATLY/oOdQhR3EP3AyF5ARMrMwFzDqxd7oJZXPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s825/Loch-Doon-Castle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="825" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aPi7JBfat_E/YNIkGRoZjeI/AAAAAAAATLY/oOdQhR3EP3AyF5ARMrMwFzDqxd7oJZXPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h248/Loch-Doon-Castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Loch Doon Castle ruins</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">(relocated in 1937 due to raising the level of the loch for a hydroelectric project)</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">More controversy arises—there is a
question that Christian was pregnant with Christopher’s child when she was
captured.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;">Possible? Perhaps</i><span style="text-align: left;">.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">As in the question I raised in my last article
over concerns that Robert’s queen had been with child <i style="font-family: Merriweather; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span>–</span></i></span></i>there are no
records referring to a child taken as prisoner, nor one born in captivity— I see
the same circumstances reflected in this<i> child</i> of Seton.</span><span style="text-align: left;">
</span><span style="text-align: left;">Two different Alexander Setons are listed as her son.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">One is cited as born in 1252 (which is two
decades before Christian’s own birth!) and another as 1290 (at which time she
hadn’t married her first husband!).</span><span style="text-align: left;">
</span><span style="text-align: left;">Thus, I surmise it reasonably safe to assume she was neither pregnant, nor
had a newborn infant at the time of her capture.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">Worse, some historians credit her with giving
birth to a daughter by Seton before 1306 named Margaret.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">I think they are confusing her daughter,
Margaret de Mar, by Gartnait with a '<i>daughter'</i> with Seton.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">Possibly, an attempt of those to forge a link
for their family lines to Bruce blood?</span> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oslifM0TSUg/YNLG_D6xvcI/AAAAAAAATMA/S5NxL_Xt0awHDwjee7SpdVXMXDGhr2aCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/Seaton%2BC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oslifM0TSUg/YNLG_D6xvcI/AAAAAAAATMA/S5NxL_Xt0awHDwjee7SpdVXMXDGhr2aCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Seaton%2BC.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Poor Christian even sees historians trying to deny her as mother of the son by Mar. I suppose since they see it as target of choice to refute the marriage took place, so the next step would be to claim the children from that union aren’t hers. Mar’s son was also held prisoner by Edward. The naysayers point to no correspondence between the two during their captivity. It is not hard to envision a man who commanded women held in cages, also capable of preventing correspondence to and from his prisoners.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Christian went on to live as a hostage to the English for eight years. She was made prisoner to Edward I, and it would be another king—Edward II—that would finally recognize her brother as the true king of the Scots, and agree to send the Bruce women home in 1314. Christian returned home to her lands, to children who were nearly grown, and once more she was a widow.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The little over a year after her release her brother, Edward, invaded Ireland, and the following year on the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">2</span><sup style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">nd </sup><span style="font-family: georgia;">May 1316 he was crowned king of Ireland. That same year Marjorie Bruce died, giving birth to her son, who would one day be King Robert II. Bruce joined his brother in Ireland for a spell, but by 1318, Edward was slain at the Battle of Dun Delgan on 5th October.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Still, life was far from through with this woman of Bruce. There was talk of another marriage with Sir Andrew Harclay </span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">– </i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">at the time he was raised from baron of Carlisle to earl</span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">– </i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">as part of peace talks instigated by Harclay. Nothing came of it. I would guess Christian would not accept an Englishman for a husband. It's just as well they didn't wed, because Harclay was arrested after signing the treaty with King Robert. Edward II had him executed for treason, hanged, drawn and quartered, and his body parts sent to different parts of the country as a warning.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Instead, Christian married a third husband of her choosing—Sir Andrew de Moray. This man was the son born posthumously to the late Andrew de Moray, lord of Bothwell, the same warrior, who fought with William Wallace at Stirling Bridge. Moray, quite possibly, would have been crowned king instead of her brother, had young Andrew not died of wounds received in the decisive battle. It is reported that Christian gave him two sons: Sir John de Moray and Sir Thomas de Moray</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-_BtxeUl9I/YNImsCfqrEI/AAAAAAAATLo/LR26frW8FyIyjzlLwaIfWt4KZCTW9J_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s236/Moray.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="214" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-_BtxeUl9I/YNImsCfqrEI/AAAAAAAATLo/LR26frW8FyIyjzlLwaIfWt4KZCTW9J_FgCLcBGAsYHQ/w181-h200/Moray.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">arms of Moray</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Peace came to Scotland. Edward II died, replaced by his son, Edward
III. Then, King Robert died. Christian was there for the coronation of
Robert’s son, David II. She had lost two
husbands and five brothers at the altar of Scotland, and lived through the
reign of three English kings. Even so, Christian
was not a lady to sit idle with her spinning and weaving. The English came northward, yet again, this
time Edward III, backing the son of John Balliol in claiming he was the real
king of the Scots.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Hoh3yej2MQ/YNLHQgz4FsI/AAAAAAAATMM/rkJ0By2lxs405urC_yqkQs2HzTz4YlxUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/demoray.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="699" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Hoh3yej2MQ/YNLHQgz4FsI/AAAAAAAATMM/rkJ0By2lxs405urC_yqkQs2HzTz4YlxUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/demoray.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">After the <i>Battle of Dupplin</i> in August 1332, Andrew was named Regent of
Scotland, protecting Robert’s small son, King David II. While attacking Roxburgh Castle in 1333, he
was captured and held prisoner for nearly two years. Christian arranged ransom and he was released
in 1335. Upon his return, Parliament
appointed him Guardian of Scotland. He
spent five years fighting the English, and repulsing their attempts to return
Balliol to the throne. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Christian was commander of
Kildrummy Castle, and while Andrew was away, she found herself besieged later
that year by David Strathbogie, a claimant for the title of earl of Atholl — and Edward Balliol’s chief commander
in the north. Strathbogie moved through
Scotland with </span><i>fire and sword</i><span>, repeating the campaign of Edward I of 1296, in a clear attempt to
wipe the freeholder lords off the face of Scotland. Laying siege to Kildrummy Castle was to be
the pinnacle of his campaign. Only one
obstacle lay in his path—Christian de Brus.
The fall of the castle would have been a big setback to the Scots,
perhaps to the extent of losing the country.
Possibly, since the castle had been lost to the Bruces in 1306, in true
warrior fashion, Christian held the castle in resolute determination. She refused
to surrender, and kept it and its people safe until her husband could march to
her aid with an army of over one thousand strong.
Thanks to Christian drawing Strathbogie’s attention to focus on the siege,
Andrew was able to attack Strathbogie’ from the rear, and even though outnumbered
three to one, he defeated David Strathbogie’ at Culblean 30</span><sup>th</sup><span> November
1335. Strathbogie stood with his back to a
tree, pinned there, finally killed in a last stand, along with a small group of
followers, including Walter and Thomas Comyn.
(A side note–Strathbogie was married to the daughter of Hugh de Beaumont and
Alice Comyn, niece of the late John Comyn, earl of Buchan – the very pair who
were likely responsible for the death of Isabella Macduff, countess of Buchan).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWRYSjHGAbU/YNME4G0lm6I/AAAAAAAATN0/eNj8PcyFqoo8VEFCGiQrJhc422Ih2KggACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Culblean%2Bstone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="415" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oWRYSjHGAbU/YNME4G0lm6I/AAAAAAAATN0/eNj8PcyFqoo8VEFCGiQrJhc422Ih2KggACLcBGAsYHQ/w260-h400/Culblean%2Bstone.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">The Culblean Monument</span></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After</span><span style="text-align: left;"> contracting pneumonia while besieging Edinburgh Castle in the early winter months of 1337, </span>Andrew retired to Avoch Castle in Ross</span><span style="text-align: left;">, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">and less than a year later died, making Christian a widow for the third time.</span> She still retained possession of Kildrummy
Castle and so she returned to her home.
King David was generous to his beloved aunt, providing her with an
income from a number of sources, and his queen, Joan, was said to visit her at
Kildrummy as well.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJwcVgeVKrk/YNPYArogIqI/AAAAAAAATN8/DJ44CImXO-01RkdjYgja9PvquvsYP7G0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s744/WeepingWomanofBruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vJwcVgeVKrk/YNPYArogIqI/AAAAAAAATN8/DJ44CImXO-01RkdjYgja9PvquvsYP7G0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w304-h400/WeepingWomanofBruce.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Through those years, tragedy had continually stalked Christian Bruce — brothers, husbands — so many had died. Now, she was forced to watch her children die one-by-one, outliving all but one son. Her first born son by Gartnait, who had spent years as a prisoner to both Edward and Edward II, was appointed Guardian of Scotland on 2nd August, 1332, following the death of Thomas Randolph, 1st earl of Moray (Christian's nephew). The honor was only for a matter of days. On the </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>11</span><sup>th </sup><span>of August at Dupplin Moor. Mar led the second division of the Scottish army, while Robert Bruce, lord of Liddesdale (Bruce's illegitimate son) led the first division. Mar never saw his </span><span>38<sup>th </sup></span><span>birthday. (Odd happenchance — Domhnall's son, </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thomas, Mormaer of Mar, 1st earl of Garioch would also die at the same age.) Domhnall was killed, along with Bruce of Liddesdale, who died leading the first charge. Lost as well was Christian's grandnephew, son of Randolph—Thomas Randolph, 2nd earl of Moray. A cousin, Duncan, earl of Fife a lieutenant under Mar (and brother to the woman who crowned Bruce king) barely escaped. After her son's death, her husband had been appointed Guardian.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margaret de Mar died in 1338 </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">(the same year Christian had lost Andrew)</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">; almost nothing of this daughter is recorded, even the cause of death (Historians have her so muddled with the fictional daughter of Seton). Margaret’s twin sister, Elyne de Mar, of Rusky and Knapdale died in 1342 at age 44, cause not given. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At the </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Battle of Neville's Cross</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, the 17</span><sup style="font-family: georgia;">th </sup><span style="font-family: georgia;"> of October 1346, King David II (Bruce’s son) was taken prisoner by the English. Along with him was Christian’s elder son by Andrew </span></span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">– </i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sir John de Moray. Edward III had allowed Andrew to be ransomed—a decision that came back to cost him dearly </span></span><i style="font-family: Merriweather; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">– </i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">so he refused to allow his son to be ransomed. John died in captivity at age 31 (likely from the </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Black Death</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">) in September of 1351. Christian would have relived every breath of every day for those nearly six years, knowing what her son suffered being held a hostage. If that wasn’t sorrow enough to break anyone’s heart, Edward demanded that John’s younger brother, Thomas, take the place of John after his death. Christian had to watch as yet another son by Andrew was turned over to be an English hostage. The next blow to the family came in losing Christian in 1358. She passed away three years before Thomas. He died at age 35 — also of the plague, in 1361 — also still a hostage to an English king. He was Christian’s only child to outlive her, but only by three years.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As the fashion for women in
history, little is recorded of Christian’s death. Her husband, Andrew, had been buried in the
chapel at Rossmarkie. Later, his body
was reinterred in Dunfermline Abbey, next to Robert Bruce and Thomas Randolph,
earl of Moray. Accordingly, one might presume it
Christian’s resting place as well. Many
of her ancestors and family were buried there—especially her brother,
Robert. Due to the Reformation and destruction
of the abbey, many of the royal graves were lost. It wasn’t until 1817 that Robert’s grave was
found again. Sadly, Christian’s final resting
place remains a mystery.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3wiwapGoDk/YNLKWeUnNLI/AAAAAAAATMU/VufrcZ8DUH0WLN49zFZ1qOfnjfeqQQseQCLcBGAsYHQ/s731/Dunfermline_Abbey2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="677" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3wiwapGoDk/YNLKWeUnNLI/AAAAAAAATMU/VufrcZ8DUH0WLN49zFZ1qOfnjfeqQQseQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dunfermline_Abbey2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Dunfermline Abbey</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Christian
Bruce de Mar de Seton de Moray was every bit the warrior her brother was. In return, her legend has suffered the
indifference of a history that little paid her life heed, now works to deny her a husband,
denied her children by both Mar and de Moray as not being hers, and then
contrarily gave her </span><i>three sons</i><span> named
Alexander and a daughter by a man who was her husband </span></span><span>but</span><span> for a few fleeting
months. In the end, it has even deprived
her of a final resting place, where people could come to pay their respects. Thousands
visit Robert’s tomb each year. How many
ask, “Where is the grave of Lady Christian?” Few, if any. Sadly, I fear Christian Bruce will never get
the true homage she deserves, simply because she was a woman of Bruce and not a
man.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBDvXWo5DEA/YNLXvZ31cbI/AAAAAAAATM4/UIbainPmGCc2Jzh5IcFkPCd3KahyZPGiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1902/Christianmarker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="1902" height="60" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBDvXWo5DEA/YNLXvZ31cbI/AAAAAAAATM4/UIbainPmGCc2Jzh5IcFkPCd3KahyZPGiACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h60/Christianmarker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1h0hCmCNO0/YNLX4X1zojI/AAAAAAAATNA/8Vj0t-COhEYVcUBk6ucsxNaFTHWVlz2LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/demoraymarker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="1898" height="70" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1h0hCmCNO0/YNLX4X1zojI/AAAAAAAATNA/8Vj0t-COhEYVcUBk6ucsxNaFTHWVlz2LQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h70/demoraymarker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KXzIxrQX5M8/YNLYArJRvBI/AAAAAAAATNI/lXLsA05dzwk0O3Xc-gHTx6McHHPOIW9FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1892/Gartnaitmarker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="1892" height="64" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KXzIxrQX5M8/YNLYArJRvBI/AAAAAAAATNI/lXLsA05dzwk0O3Xc-gHTx6McHHPOIW9FwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h64/Gartnaitmarker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldJZ36CyNIM/YNLcbVWG8II/AAAAAAAATNc/mf41PO7focAJ1f0Spyt6g8hfPAhfGpU7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1905/Setonmarker.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1905" height="59" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ldJZ36CyNIM/YNLcbVWG8II/AAAAAAAATNc/mf41PO7focAJ1f0Spyt6g8hfPAhfGpU7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h59/Setonmarker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/" style="background-color: #441500; color: #ffeecc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.524px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="640" height="116" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I7pauFYQWsY/YMVVWpkVZGI/AAAAAAAATKA/z1p3hP1ao40EJfmX47-YX5olyTxe7y41wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/image.png" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br style="background-color: #441500;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;">Deborah writes Scottish Medieval Historical Romances <br />set in the time of Robert the Bruce in a series, the <i>Dragons of Challon</i>.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOUwH2LUa2w/YNLoPByt0dI/AAAAAAAATNk/1F6hxV5uGOU1ZUAObuapGC7mWbt_2_cewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/knightsandladies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOUwH2LUa2w/YNLoPByt0dI/AAAAAAAATNk/1F6hxV5uGOU1ZUAObuapGC7mWbt_2_cewCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/knightsandladies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><i>coming in August<br />you will meet other sisters of Robert the Bruce in Part 5 - <br />The Tale of Two Isabels</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><i><br /></i></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOcDJkbgY6k/YNLpFyRMVdI/AAAAAAAATNs/Wv_Ieu6Qm5c2uSOL92GjE4bFiG4ne7FqACLcBGAsYHQ/s236/Bruce%2Bseal.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="236" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOcDJkbgY6k/YNLpFyRMVdI/AAAAAAAATNs/Wv_Ieu6Qm5c2uSOL92GjE4bFiG4ne7FqACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h181/Bruce%2Bseal.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div></div><br />Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-31424346012410554352021-06-12T18:21:00.001-07:002021-06-12T18:21:05.897-07:00The Women of Bruce - Part Three The Two Wives of Robert Bruce<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2d7gcs8siWs/YL4IXEpwRFI/AAAAAAAATIQ/989i-HP2NUEh-_p3_gGc89rASybmYwfoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2027/BruceWives.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="2027" height="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2d7gcs8siWs/YL4IXEpwRFI/AAAAAAAATIQ/989i-HP2NUEh-_p3_gGc89rASybmYwfoQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h172/BruceWives.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>The Women of Bruce - Part Three </i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i> The Two Wives of Robert Bruce</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>What do we know of the two women
that married Robert the Bruce, king of the Scots? There have been four, maybe more films made
about Bruce’s life in the last 20 years, all iffy history at best, which is sad
since the story of Bruce’s rise from the earl of Carrick to the man who fought
his cousin to determine who would claim the crown is a wonderful tale. Did the women who became his brides fare any
better? For the most part they were
simply omitted, or if included written with questionable inaccurately. Both women were born to be a queen, but only
one reached that pinnacle. They were
both young, both reputed to be lovely, and both came from lineage that had
ancient and royal blood running through the lines.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Isabel of Mar</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkMTJER2VPI/YMVC0_C-DBI/AAAAAAAATIg/jLVpf8QTLDQBKt3loEqEyfZAMS4Ls65-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s256/Arms_of_Isabella_of_Mar.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkMTJER2VPI/YMVC0_C-DBI/AAAAAAAATIg/jLVpf8QTLDQBKt3loEqEyfZAMS4Ls65-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Arms_of_Isabella_of_Mar.png" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Arms of Isabel of Mar</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabel of Mar was born 1278 at
Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She
was the first wife of Robert Bruce, and she carried blood royal on both sides
of her family. Her father, Donald
"Domhnall mac Uilleim" Mar, 10th earl of Mar, whose lineage goes back
to origins of Clan Macdonald and “King of the Hebrides”—Somerled. He also was the great grandson of Henry I
Beauclerc, king of England, younger son of William "the Conqueror"
FitzRobert, duke of Normandy, king of England.
An impressive lineage but it is matched by Isabel’s mother—Elen “the Younger” ferch
Llywelyn was a princess of Wales, and widow of Mormaer Maol Choluim II, earl
of Fife. Her grandfather on her mother’s
side was Llywelyn Fawr 'the Great' Llywelyn prince of Wales and Gwynedd,
who married Lady Joan Siwan Fitzjohn of Wales, lady of Snowdon, illegitimate
daughter of King John of England. So in
the marriage to Isabel, Bruce was cementing bonds not only to powerful clans of
Scotland, but to the high English and Welsh rulers as well. Isabel was a woman
bred to be a queen, the perfect wife to rule at Robert’s side when the time
came.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XeCHX68kjjI/YMVDMLikOpI/AAAAAAAATIo/qwA3lSqtH4o5SfPRfPYgXkyDxOrw_vp3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s420/robert%2Band%2Bisabel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XeCHX68kjjI/YMVDMLikOpI/AAAAAAAATIo/qwA3lSqtH4o5SfPRfPYgXkyDxOrw_vp3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/robert%2Band%2Bisabel.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Isabel’s father was an ardent
supporter of Robert Bruce, 5th lord of Annandale—Bruce’s grandfather, known as 'the Competitor'—and was there at Annandale’ back during <i>The Great Cause</i>.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Of the seventeen lords vying for the crown of
the Scots, Annandale was one of the top three contenders, if not <i>the</i> candidate
to wear the Scottish crown.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">And it
wasn’t arrogance for Annandale to expect, when all was said and done, that he
would become the ruler of Scotland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">When
Alexander II, his cousin, lacked an heir, the king had name Annandale as
<i>tanist</i>—a Scottish term for heir apparent.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">If Alexander had died at that point in history, Annandale would have
become king of the Scots with none to lay challenge.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Later, he was Regent of Scotland during the
minority of his second cousin, King Alexander III.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I am sure it came as a shock, which turned
to outrage, when Edward chose John Balliol over him.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Edward had deliberately held the Bruces
close to him, rewarded them richly in ways he wouldn’t do with other nobles,
yet at the back of his mind was the truth—the men of Bruce were <i>not</i> to be taken
lightly.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">The ultimate goal for the
English king was to fold Scotland into the kingdom of England, along with
Wales, and then to add France.</span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJbgPPNf9jY/YMVGmHZ1EJI/AAAAAAAATJI/y9lanY_dcZAUPUr1VUkgCtwykIkf71afQCLcBGAsYHQ/s735/Lovers3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJbgPPNf9jY/YMVGmHZ1EJI/AAAAAAAATJI/y9lanY_dcZAUPUr1VUkgCtwykIkf71afQCLcBGAsYHQ/w306-h400/Lovers3.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Earl of Mar was one of the
seven Guardians of Scotland and he had believed Robert the Bruce was the lawful
King of Scots. Mar could see great advantage in aligning his family with the
Bruces.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1292, Isabel’s older
brother, Gartnait mac Domhnaill, married Robert’s older sister, Christian.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Three years later, by papal dispensation, and
at the age of 18, Isabel married Robert, earl of Carrick, who was four years her
senior.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In a time when marriages for
nobles were little more than political power moves, legend has it that Robert
and Isabel were very much in love.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Few were
surprised, when a short time later, Isabel was soon with child.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">They seemed blessed; she had a healthy
pregnancy. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Late in 1296, Isabel gave
birth to a daughter.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">They named her
Marjorie after Bruce’s late mother, Marjorie, countess of Carrick.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then, Fate waved a hand on the night of
December 12th, Isabel died at Castle Cardross, on the Firth of Clyde, in
Renfrewshire.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMTzvxPDVVo/YMVHfksmO0I/AAAAAAAATJY/9gCgE4px9oci2TdKTPCdLOMpRBG48lxHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Paisley%2BAbbey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OMTzvxPDVVo/YMVHfksmO0I/AAAAAAAATJY/9gCgE4px9oci2TdKTPCdLOMpRBG48lxHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paisley%2BAbbey.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><i><br /></i></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Paisley Abbey</i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">Following her
death, Isabel of Mar was buried at the Cluniac Paisley Abbey. Her tomb has not
survived.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">In his last act of revenge
against Robert Bruce, Edward had the abbey burnt to the ground in 1307, thus
destroying both the tomb of Isabel and her daughter Marjorie.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">William Wallace was born in nearby Elderslie,
and is believed to have been educated in the abbey when he was a boy.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">Scots not being deterred had the Abbey was
rebuilt.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">An eerie circumstance arose
when Isabel’s daughter, now grown and married to Walter Stewart, was riding
near the abbey and was thrown from her horse.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">She was pregnant at the time.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">They carried her to abbey for medical care.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">I suppose saving the life of a princess came
second to the child who might be king.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">Robert II was born by caesarean section.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">Considering the lack of anesthetics, it was small wonder she did not
recover.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-indent: 0in;">Marjorie was interred at the
rebuilt abbey, as her mother before her had been once, and as the line of
Stewarts after her.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m6ye8dr3gPI/YMVLkRY7yzI/AAAAAAAATJw/ztmx_vjp43Ex_W_ubw4swLVLU-7GHNj-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1893/Isabel%2BMar%2Bancestry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="1893" height="68" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m6ye8dr3gPI/YMVLkRY7yzI/AAAAAAAATJw/ztmx_vjp43Ex_W_ubw4swLVLU-7GHNj-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h68/Isabel%2BMar%2Bancestry.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-large;">Elizabeth de Burgh</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7597H4gOjbQ/YMVCJ4qdxZI/AAAAAAAATIY/UcB4a6jRy5UmMXi0ZqzsSdBs4NqRjtT2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s933/800px-Arms_of_Elisabeth_de_Burgh%252C_queen_consort_of_Scotland.svg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7597H4gOjbQ/YMVCJ4qdxZI/AAAAAAAATIY/UcB4a6jRy5UmMXi0ZqzsSdBs4NqRjtT2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/800px-Arms_of_Elisabeth_de_Burgh%252C_queen_consort_of_Scotland.svg.png" /></a></i></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><i>Arms of Elizabeth de Burgh<i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></i></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Elizabeth de Burgh was likely
born in 1284 at Connaught Province, Ireland.
Some sources cite Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland as her place of
birth. However, since her father had been
fighting in Wales with the king of England, and another daughter, Eleanor (named
after Edward’s queen) was born in Wales, there is an outside chance
Elizabeth might have been born there as well.
Without question she was conceived in Wales. At this point in history, male historians
barely noted the arrival of another de Burgh female, little need in their minds
for accuracy of place and date of birth; they never suspected she would be one
of the most famous queens of Scotland,
her legend only eclipsed by Mary queen of the Scots. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She was the third daughter of
seven, out of eleven children of</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Richard
Óg de Burgh, the ‘Red Earl’.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He was the
2nd earl of Ulster, 3rd baron of Connacht, Lieutenant of Ireland, Keeper of
Athlone, Randown, and Roscommon Castles—and unarguably the most powerful man in
Ireland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">His wife was Margaret Guines,
daughter of Arnoul de Guines III and Alice de Coucy.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margaret was a 2nd cousin once removed of
Queen Eleanor.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Margaret was also a first
cousin of Alexander III of Scotland, Edward I's brother-in-law.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Edward was Elizabeth’s godfather. As
impressive as Margaret’s lineage was, her husband Richard matched it.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He was educated at the Court of Henry III
(Edward’s father), thus cementing a lifelong friendship between Edward and
Richard.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Through the years Richard was
Edward’s closest friend and one of his most trusted advisers.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">At nearly every battle Edward fought in
England, Wales and Scotland, Richard was there at his back.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elizabeth most likely met Robert
Bruce, earl of Carrick, at the English Court.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Bruces and de Burghs dancing to Edward’s whims, living and fighting
nearly in the other’s pockets, there had to be occasions where both were in
attendance.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">With Isabel Mar’s death in
1296, Robert was a good catch for mothers looking for arranged marriages for
their daughters. By 1300, there was some hint Edward was considering giving
Robert a new bride.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Richard had three
daughters of age at the time—Aveline, Eleanor and Elizabeth, the youngest.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The second daughter married Sir Thomas de
Multon, 1st Lord Multon of Egremont, so that left the other two as candidates.
Edward was playing a game of chess with the Bruces, often lavishing money on
Robert after he refused to pay homage to John Balliol, and his lands in
Scotland were seized in punishment.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">At Court, he was
mocked and called Edward’s <i>Lordling</i>. Some say, Edward paid more attention to
Robert than he did his own son.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I truly
think he hoped by keeping Robert close, he could curb the hunger to be the king
of the Scots that had filled Robert’s father and grandfather.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">And what better way than presenting him with
a new wife?</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not just <i>any</i> bride—but one
that was his goddaughter.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdKSDW-8Raw/YMVEiBA5InI/AAAAAAAATI4/aTqUTnjf99Mcg1ljrXeoGM2p6ZVwYR2YQCLcBGAsYHQ/s423/Robert_the_Bruce_and_Elizabeth_de_Burgh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="290" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LdKSDW-8Raw/YMVEiBA5InI/AAAAAAAATI4/aTqUTnjf99Mcg1ljrXeoGM2p6ZVwYR2YQCLcBGAsYHQ/w274-h400/Robert_the_Bruce_and_Elizabeth_de_Burgh.jpg" width="274" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><o:p style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The English invaded Scotland in
1301.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1302, Robert married Elizabeth
at Writtle, near Chelmsford in Essex. Robert would have been close to 28 and
she was 18.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1304, Edward again
invaded Scotland to regain control of Stirling Castle.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, it’s not surprising to see the political turmoil
around their marriage was coming to a head.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On February 10th, 1306 at
Greyfriars, Bruce met with John Red Comyn to settle, for once and all, who
would be the future king of Scotland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Comyn or his uncle tried to kill Bruce; in return, Bruce pulled his dirk
from his boot and struck back, wounding Comyn.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce staggered outside and told his trusted friend, Sir Alexander
Seton, that he stabbed Comyn but the man was still alive. Roger de Kirkpatrick
rushed inside to see, and came back with the tides that he killed Comyn. Events that
would soon propel Elizabeth’s life out of control.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNr9Shbc1Ys/YMVG8zRH46I/AAAAAAAATJQ/-6q0y4aNs_M-_52Omrvpv5vfFQ1nxrBNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Bruce%2Band%2BElizabeth2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="372" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNr9Shbc1Ys/YMVG8zRH46I/AAAAAAAATJQ/-6q0y4aNs_M-_52Omrvpv5vfFQ1nxrBNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Bruce%2Band%2BElizabeth2.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><o:p style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After meeting with the Church of
Scotland, it was decided to crown Bruce king as soon as possible.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">So on 27th March 1306, Robert and Elizabeth
were crowned king and queen of Scots at Scone.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">One might infer Elizabeth lacked faith that her husband’s bold move to
be king would be a lasting one, for it is reported that she smiled faintly
after the coronation and said, <i>‘Alas, we are but king and queen of the May that
children crown for sport.’</i></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i> </i> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The <i>May King</i>
and <i>May</i> <i>Queen</i> only rule for one day.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the
other hand, perhaps it wasn’t a lack of faith in Bruce’s ability to hold the
kingship as much as she understood her godfather’s ruthlessness when betrayed,
and knowing also that her father would be backing Edward’s every move to put
the new king down.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">As well, two-thirds
of Scotland aligned with Clan Comyn would be the hounds for Longshanks hunting
Robert Bruce.</span></span></div></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thus, once again, the English
army invaded.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce was forced to
contend with facing the English, and hampered by raising troops to fight for
him.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Gold was offered to any man who
could bring Bruce in.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce had little
time to form a strong government, or to raise his army, when he was compelled to
meet the English at Methven.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Aymer de
Valence, the English general acting for Edward I, had not only arrived with an
established host of English soldiery and knights, the men of Comyn were
flocking to him.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">To Bruce’s credit he
did have very able commanders in James Douglas, Christopher Seaton and Gilbert
Hay to lead his troops.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Aymer de Valence
seemed content to outwait Bruce.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In
flamboyant fashion, Bruce invited de Valence to leave the walls of Perth and
join him on the battlefield.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">To his
mistake, Robert presumed the preliminaries of feudal battle protocol would be
observed.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">When de Valence failed to take
up the challenge, Bruce figured there would be no battle that day.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He and his forces retired for the night at Methven,
expecting to get a good night’s sleep before the coming battle on the
morrow.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instead, before dawn, the
English attacked and nearly destroyed Bruce’s forces.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce had to scramble to see his
family was moved out of harm’s way.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He
sent</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elizabeth, his young daughter by
his first marriage, Marjorie, and his sisters Mary and Christian to Kildrummy
Castle, under the protection of his brother Nigel.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kildrummy was the castle of Christian’s first
husband Gartnait of Mar, and though she was now newly married to Christopher
Seton, the people there were still very devoted to her.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce, I would assume, thought the English
would give chase to him, leaving the women safely out of reach.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KLV_m6Bbqg/YMVH3yQSfAI/AAAAAAAATJg/c0bxO7KIMQAqZC2bTBOLCM4I_LcbcZSFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Kildrummy_Castle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KLV_m6Bbqg/YMVH3yQSfAI/AAAAAAAATJg/c0bxO7KIMQAqZC2bTBOLCM4I_LcbcZSFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Kildrummy_Castle.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ruins of Kildrummy Castle</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></span></div><o:p style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Again, underestimating the
choices the enemy would make, the English laid siege to the castle containing
the royal women. The siege finally succeeded when de Valance bribed a
blacksmith with<i> 'all the gold he could carry'</i> to set fire to the
grain store. Nigel gave a valiant defense, knowing the castle was lost, but
giving time for the earl of Atholl to get the ladies safely away.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nigel was captured alive.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He was taken to Berwick to be hanged, drawn
and beheaded.</span></span></div></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Bruce ladies were probably
heading to the Orkneys, where they would be beyond reach of Edward.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabel, another of Bruce’s sisters, had married
Eric II Magnusson, king of Norway and ruler of the Orkneys.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though Magnusson had died in 1299, Isabel had
remained in Norway as dowager queen, and still exerted a great influence in
court matter there and abroad.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">However,
the women only made it as far as the sanctuary of St. Duthac at Tain in Easter
Ross. There they were captured by a Balliol supporter, William, earl of Ross,
who handed them over to Edward I’s men.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Odd side note</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">less than two years later, Robert’s sister Maud would
marry the son the earl of Ross</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Aodh 0'Beoland)</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">For his protection of the Bruce women, the
earl of Atholl was hanged, drawn and beheaded.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">His head was displayed on a pike on London Bridge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Elizabeth spent the next eight
years in captivity.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">While Isabella
Macduff, the woman who had crowned Bruce king, and Bruce’s sister, Mary, were
taken to Berwick and Roxbury Castle, and hanged over the castle walls to punish
Robert, his wife suffered a milder fate.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">She was housed from October 1306 to July 1308 at
Burstwick-in-Holderness, Yorkshire.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">At
first, she was confined with only two elderly women to take care of her needs,
and ordered not to speak with her.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">A
letter from her during this period complained about her conditions, that she
was limited to three sets of clothing and no headgear or linen bed
clothing.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">That saw a series of moves to
other manors and castles</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Bisham Manor, Windsor Castle, Shaftesbury Abbey,
Barking Abbey and finally Rochester Castle.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">By
the time she reached Windsor Castle, she had been given six servants and an
allowance to pay them.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">She was even permitted to have her pet Irish wolfhounds to keep her company.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">At this point Edward was long dead, and she
was dealing with his son, Edward II.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNLrWkYpjEA/YMVJe8IUTeI/AAAAAAAATJo/DrDCRKt1IwI7wL2DQVnmIFWWDYtqrIwEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s479/Prisoner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNLrWkYpjEA/YMVJe8IUTeI/AAAAAAAATJo/DrDCRKt1IwI7wL2DQVnmIFWWDYtqrIwEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Prisoner.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><o:p style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So why had she been treated so
well compared to the dire fates of Isabella and Mary?</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Simply because she was Richard de Burgh’s
daughter.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Edward had been planning on
invading France for over a decade.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">He
needed men from Ireland to support that invasion, as well to replenish his
forces in Scotland to fight Bruce, and de Burgh could do that.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bruce’s daughter was kept
prisoner at the nunnery at Watton during those eight years.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">But a puzzle surrounds Bruce’s daughters by
Elizabeth.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">They had three
daughters:</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maud, Margaret and
Elizabeth.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not surprisingly, historians
seem to have the births of the three mixed up, some even try to deny the
existence of Elizabeth, and one says her birth was in 1364 (that is her
death).</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Genealogy sites list the dates
of Maud’s birth as 1303, and then Margaret’s as 1307.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This seems perplexing.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maud would have been three years old when her
father was crowned king and her mother captured, if that were the case.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yet, there is no reference to Elizabeth
having a baby with her when captured by the earl of Ross.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">John Fordun in his <i>Scotichronicon</i> refers to
Maud as <i>“did nothing worth recording”</i>.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I
would think if she had been held captive with her mother, or take from her
mother by the English, then Fordun might have deemed her worthy of writing
about!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">And if the second daughter was
born in 1307, that would mean Elizabeth have given birth to her after she was a
prisoner.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nowhere have I come across any
reference to this.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There is no way a daughter could
be born until late 1315. If Maud’s actual
date were 1315, and Margaret in 1316, that would dovetail with Elizabeth’s
birth in 1317, backed up by reference to her as Bruce’s “youngest daughter”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>In the case of this Elizabeth, you
will see some sites fail to list her as Bruce’s daughter entirely, or suggest
she must be the child of one of his mistresses.</span><span>
</span><span>Sir David Dalrymple dismisses her out of hand.</span><span> </span><span>He declared Fordun had not mentioned
Elizabeth, and that he had not seen any charters of land grants to her, and
that if any such charters existed they needed to be <i>“deposited in the Register
House”.</i></span><span> </span><span>Well, they do exist.</span><span> </span><span>There are a number of royal charters, mostly
regrants signed by King David II, in which Elizabeth is described as "dilecte
sorori me" — </span><i>my beloved sister</i><span>
or "dilecte sorori nostre" — </span><i>our
beloved sister</i><span>.</span><span> </span><span>When Dalrymple was
shown the proof, he promised to publish a correction to his <i>The Annals of
Scotland Volume 2,</i> but he died without fulfilling that promise.</span><span> </span><span>Thus, historians referencing Dalrymple today
keep perpetuating the lie that she was illegitimate, or not Robert’s daughter
at all.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the Battle of Bannockburn,
Elizabeth was moved to York.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">There, she
had an audience with Edward II.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the
end, Elizabeth was released as part of the ransom for Humphrey de Bohun, earl
of Hereford (Edward’s brother-in-law), who had been captured after Bannockburn
on 29th September 1314.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In exchange for
Hereford’s release, Edward was forced to give voice that Robert was the legal
king of Scots, and to return Elizabeth, Christian, Mary and Marjorie, along
with the aging Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Isabella Macduff was not mentioned in the
transfer, but as I expressed in my article for her, I believe she was dead by
that time.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After being reunited with Bruce,
Elizabeth gave birth to daughters Maud, Margaret and Elizabeth.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">There were no more children for seven years—miscarriages?—and
Bruce likely feared of ever having a son and heir for the throne when Elizabeth
became pregnant again.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This time, on 5th
of March, a son was born.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">They named him
David, and he would go on to be David II, king of the Scots. Another son, John,
was born in early October 1327, though little is recorded other than he died
soon afterward, likely a short time before Elizabeth’s own death.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rumors were Elizabeth might have
been pregnant again when she was out riding near Cullen Castle in Banffshire when she
was thrown from her horse.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
circumstances were an eerie echo of the death of Robert’s daughter just ten
years before, almost as if Bruce were cursed. Whether it was from illness
pertaining to the birth and death of son, John, or perhaps the miscarriage of a
child she was carrying, Elizabeth de Burgh closed her eyes on the night of</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">October 27th, 1327 and slipped away from a
world that hadn’t been too kind to her. Her entrails were buried in the Church
of St. Mary of the Virgin at Cullen and her body was interred at Dunfermline
Castle.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">She was forty-three years old.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfWzJ8Mfzx4/YMVNK70aKoI/AAAAAAAATJ4/FYhuhugr09cGec7tYhaAmXm_bnC9Pi3bgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1905/Elizabeth%2Bancestry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="1905" height="68" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfWzJ8Mfzx4/YMVNK70aKoI/AAAAAAAATJ4/FYhuhugr09cGec7tYhaAmXm_bnC9Pi3bgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h68/Elizabeth%2Bancestry.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="186" data-original-width="640" height="93" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I7pauFYQWsY/YMVVWpkVZGI/AAAAAAAATKA/z1p3hP1ao40EJfmX47-YX5olyTxe7y41wCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;">Deborah writes Scottish Medieval Historical Romances set in the time of Robert the Bruce in a series, <b>The Dragons of Challon</b>.</span></i></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-22090039114043536662021-05-14T22:20:00.000-07:002021-05-14T22:20:37.451-07:00Countess Mabel Montgomerie -- a woman ahead of her times or a monster in men's eyes?<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i> The first in a series of blogs about ancestors, </i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i>the past and the truth</i></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxNIKEwfGk0/X_V8N8juWYI/AAAAAAAASoI/1MwZzbVYAW4tnq_QTe6lEZjLxHIRhb0cACLcBGAsYHQ/s846/Ladyfair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxNIKEwfGk0/X_V8N8juWYI/AAAAAAAASoI/1MwZzbVYAW4tnq_QTe6lEZjLxHIRhb0cACLcBGAsYHQ/w266-h400/Ladyfair.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Ever notice the media tends to be harder on women than men? They critique their hair, what they wear. If a women is strong she is portrayed as being hateful, mean or—excuse the slur—a bitch. Men are not subjected to such criticisms. You cannot go anywhere that you won’t see this in action: she’s too fat, too short, too skinny, her nose is too long, eyes close together, omg—she wore a pantsuit! There is </span><i style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Miss America, Miss Universe, Mrs. America, Miss Black America</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">—but where is the </span><i style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Mr. America or Mr. Universe? </i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> Just stop and try to think of a platform that subjects men to those same demoralizing nitpicking. </span><i style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Tapping my nails on the table, waiting.</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> Fashion throughout history was a means to see women conform. Whatever the era the dress, customs, protocols and positions in life, all were dictated by men’s critical eye and control. Along with the male point of view on the woman’s role in life, they have also managed what we know of how women lived, survived and dealt with their roles in a man’s world. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Now extend that throughout history. There were a few matriarchal societies through the ages, the belief being you cannot tell a man’s true father at birth, but you knew who the mother was. Those societies were stamped out, or consumed by male dominance. This is <i>not </i>a rant of hating men, for I find them endlessly fascinating, only I am humbugged that women’s pasts are increasingly lost to our knowledge due to being relegated to “unknown mother”. There were women over the centuries that seized life and molded the course of their destiny, their fortunes, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine (my 24th great-grandmother). Only rarely have historians portrayed these women in the light of admiration. Randall Wallace, in the screenplay for <i>Braveheart</i>, opens the movie with the line “...history is written by those who have hanged heroes”. Women had often been portrayed as little more than servants to their husbands, a brood mare to bear heirs, and a piece of property easily discarded, once they have worn themselves out birthing babies one after another. They were set aside, locked away in some nunnery— or sometimes died in highly suspect circumstances i.e. murdered— to make way for another younger, richer wife. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> I had to wonder about this slant against women as I looked at my first ancestor in this series of blogs about unusual women: Mabel Montgomerie. She has been called many unflattering things, murderess, </span><i style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">"l'Empoisonneuse"</i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">, evil, greedy, wicked—and she paid the price for her deeds—real or rumored slander. However, with history turning a blind eye to granting women their true recognition, it’s very hard to find the facts to refute these claims. I can only ponder and try to be impartial in judging my ancestor, especially since some of the writings about her come from Orderic Vitalis, who was only two years old at the time of her death. </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DN4wPTZtL_M/X_a63803ZnI/AAAAAAAASpI/BmGbGX4TPtE0DTJrrbBYAcZtc3zQ_1PEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s128/mabel_2_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DN4wPTZtL_M/X_a63803ZnI/AAAAAAAASpI/BmGbGX4TPtE0DTJrrbBYAcZtc3zQ_1PEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/mabel_2_original.jpg" /></a><br />(Countess Mabel Montgomerie's arms)<br /><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">My 31st great-grandmother on my mother’s side, Mabel Montgomerie was born Mabel Talvas dame de Bellême et d'Alençon in Alençon, Orne, Basse-Normandie, France, sometimes around 1030. As often the case for females, the exact date was not noted. Neither was the name of her mother recorded, only singled out as “Hildegard, daughter of Raoul V de Beaumont”. Even in death, Mabel is not allowed to rest in peace, as her tomb has been destroyed due to the hatred of her. She was a wealthy Norman noblewoman. She inherited the lordship of Bellême from her father, Guillaume II "Talvas" de Bellême, seigneur d'Alenço. Mabel was a loyal woman, but that loyalty cost her when her brother exiled their father for various offences—his cruelty was legendary, they say—including killing their mother for daring to disagree with him on the way to church. Being a loving daughter, favorite of her father over her brothers, she accompanied him in his exile, thus earning the amenity of everyone, automatically believing she was “cut from the same cloth”. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mabel and Guillaume sought the protection of Roger II "The Great" de Montgomerie, 1st earl of Shropshire, earl of Arundel & earl of Shrewsbury. He was one of William the Conqueror’s counselors, but stayed behind for the 1066 invasion of England, actually left in power to run the whole of Normandy. For that, William rewarded him with holdings of two powerful positions in England, and immediately he began building the massive Ludlow Castle. Besides this, he eventually built his <i>honours</i> to number eight-three, over half of England and Normandy. Small wonder, people called him Roger “The Great”.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JELo6KGpP0/X_a7M-wl5tI/AAAAAAAASpQ/g1lO0Yql_owKVaao-3lHipdrG2KhqohoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ludlow_Castle_from_Whitcliffe%252C_2011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JELo6KGpP0/X_a7M-wl5tI/AAAAAAAASpQ/g1lO0Yql_owKVaao-3lHipdrG2KhqohoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ludlow_Castle_from_Whitcliffe%252C_2011.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">(Ludlow Castle)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mabel saw him as a husband worthy of her goals. The Talvas convinced Roger they were the aggrieved party, and that her brothers were plotting to get rid of her, since Guillaume had named her as his heir. Well, the brothers <i>were</i> plotting, so we have that much truth. Her dowry was worth a king's ransom—<i>if </i>they could get his oldest son off their backs. Mabel came with massive lands, endless wealth and a shrewdness that attracted Roger. He was as ambitious as Mabel, if not more so, thus they seemed a perfect match. Theirs was not only a brilliant political bond, it must have been a marriage of love, since she bore him eleven children! Thus, Mabel became Countess Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Arundel—<i>and eighty other titles</i>—through her marriage to the eminently pious, Roger Montgomerie. Through the ages, Montgomerie men have proved time and again to warm to intelligent wife, relishing the challenge of women willing to step outside of the normal roles afforded females. Following that tradition, Mabel was given free rein to be an equal partner to Roger. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q19t-_UmMP0/X_a7bn6PcmI/AAAAAAAASpU/vvB3RBHhU3Y87_PbhURrSawMluJ6dnZRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/Abbaye_de_Saint-%25C3%2589vroult_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1024" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q19t-_UmMP0/X_a7bn6PcmI/AAAAAAAASpU/vvB3RBHhU3Y87_PbhURrSawMluJ6dnZRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Abbaye_de_Saint-%25C3%2589vroult_.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">(A</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">bbey of St Evroul)</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But not in one matter—religion. Montgomerie supported many churches and abbeys, and even built several abbeys on his different fiefs. The biggest thorn in her side was the Abbey of St Evroul. Religious views likely was one their first clashes of wills. She was determined he curtail the huge fortunes he was placing in the hands of these monks and priests. Roger was very devout, and the religious sects ran their monastery on his largess, frequently prevailing upon him to give more than the general tithing. Tithing was required in ancient times—everyone was to give ten percent of their income to the church. Since he inherited control of her lands through the marriage, coin from her holding of Bellême, in northwest France, was going into the hands of these ever-needy monks without a <i>bye your leave. </i>That didn’t sit well with Mabel. Most of this tale comes from writings of the monks, especially the head of the order—Abbot Thierry. He was Roger’s confessor, so in spite of Montgomerie’s ever growing greed, the abbot proved adept at bending his lord’s will on concerns of the monastery. Thierry heard the man’s confessions. It was reasonable he likely knew Montgomerie’s nature, as well as Mabel’s. Since the strong-willed Mabel’s attempt to curtail their monies, we have to take their reporting of incidents with a thimble full of salt.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7QVivj6HSPo/X_a73QxGUhI/AAAAAAAASpg/1L9kYWFWdOcNv25E2dzYvcSafQAsnzl7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Abbaye_Saint-Evroult.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7QVivj6HSPo/X_a73QxGUhI/AAAAAAAASpg/1L9kYWFWdOcNv25E2dzYvcSafQAsnzl7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Abbaye_Saint-Evroult.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">(A</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">bbey of St Evroul)</span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">No matter what, Mabel could not influence her husband on this issue, especially this tug of war with Abbot Thierry. Being a cunning woman, she devised an end run. She began visiting the monasteries, with her full entourage. Castles and the monasteries, in medieval times, were basically required to serve as hotels for traveling lords and ladies. Mabel created a win-win situation. She would go traveling the countryside on the excuse of checking on her husband’s vast holdings, along with her one hundred knights and ladies, and various servants. These abbeys dare not offer insult to the countess, or run the risk of Roger withdrawing his support. They were forced to open their gates and all Mabel and her retinue in, to stay as long as they liked. They would have to feed them—and all the horses. Mabel saved money by not feeding the lot at the Montgomerie honours, and she was draining away the supplies bought with her husband’s monies. </span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tAwPHXwdiA/X_a9EqdtCMI/AAAAAAAASqI/f0JO3F4UzxcAWNcrgDscfI9tqKYK2GEowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/knightsandladies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1000" height="251" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3tAwPHXwdiA/X_a9EqdtCMI/AAAAAAAASqI/f0JO3F4UzxcAWNcrgDscfI9tqKYK2GEowCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h251/knightsandladies.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Abbot tried to reason with her, that they were a poor monastery (which was not the truth and she knew it) and it would drain them completely to support her entourage. Mabel was unmoved by his appeals. When he said feeding one hundred knights, and providing for her <i>“worldly pomp”</i> was simply too much, Mabel said fine, she would leave. But—she would return the next week with one thousand knights! Thierry was furious—a mere woman daring to best him. Likely, he knew he was losing this battle of the wills, so he countered, <i>“Believe me, unless you depart from this wickedness, you will suffer for it!” </i>Much to no surprise, a few hours later at supper, Mabel suddenly was seized by stomach pains. She retired for the evening and the queasiness turned to agony. From this distance, we can assume one of the learned monks put something in her supper, and you can bet the incisively smart Mabel knew it, too. Ceding the battle for the moment, she took her troops and left the monastery. The monks were not content with that bit of mischief. On the way home, Mabel stopped at the holding of Roger Suisnar. Still feeling ill—<i>according to the Abbot</i>—Mabel demanded Suisnar he give her his infant child to suckle at her breast. The child drew the poison from Mabel, who instantly recovered. Only the small child died doing it. Mabel knew the monks had poisoned her, but instead of demanding her husband punish them, she wisely never went to the abbey again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKRCIuLAyPo/X_bZu_YENaI/AAAAAAAASr4/-VjrJxmL7tkyhIfXeEgfz7rtJ4SXku6OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s601/-Medieval_writing_desk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="601" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKRCIuLAyPo/X_bZu_YENaI/AAAAAAAASr4/-VjrJxmL7tkyhIfXeEgfz7rtJ4SXku6OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/-Medieval_writing_desk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The next big black mark history sees against Mabel was endlessly hunger for more land—and vengeance against those who had opposed her, her father and her husband. Arnold de Echauffour, the son of Lord William Giroie, presented himself to Roger, seeking his aid. William was an old enemy of Mabel’s father, and there was a long running blood feud between the Montgomeries and the Giroies. Arnold was making his way back from Italy, and stopped to present himself to Earl Roger, hoping to gain favor. Arnold sought to barter a truce between his family and the Montgomeries. He even presented a fine fur cloak to Roger as a gift. He wanted Roger to throw his might behind him, so he could see his ancestral lands restored to his father. As Roger’s holdings were so widespread, he was always in the need of loyal knights, so having one less enemy was worth putting aside old grievances. Arnold swore homage to Roger, who gave him a writ for Arnold and his father to travel across Montgomerie lands without bother, and agreed the Giroies lands in Montgomerie’s hands would be returned to them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It is reported that Mabel was less than happy with this turn of events. She decided to avenge her father on her own, so it is written. Here is where it’s murky, more rumors than fact, but history seemed determined to paint Mabel as a monster. Tales say she prepared a celebratory drink to seal the pact, and had one of her prettiest ladies take the potion to him, before he left the holding. Whatever the circumstances, Arnold did not trust the daughter of his old enemy, and refused her kindness. Unfortunately, Gilbert Montgomerie, Roger’s only brother, was showing off, grabbed the goblet and gulped it down. Gilbert was some miles away, when he fell ill. Three days later he died in anguish. Roger’s brother had been a valiant knight, and was much loved by all. Roger adored his brother and grieved deeply. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Some time later, Arnold did fall gravely ill. Rumors swirled Mabel had poisoned him by sending some “special” refreshments to him. It seems rather unlikely, if Arnold did not trust her, and proved that by refusing the drink she offered before, why would he accept another such beverage sent from her? Arnold, Lord Grioie, and his chamberlain, Roger Goulafre, all fell ill, and had to be carried back to their castle. Both Goulafre and Lord Grioie recovered with good care. Arnold did not. He died on the first of January 1064. The lands he sought to claim stayed with Roger Montgomerie's possession. After those events, the Giroie family fell on hard times. Arnold’s infant children were sent to live as poor relations within the households of various lords across Normandy. His wife sought refuge with her wealthy brother, Eudo, steward to the Duke of Normandy. The Giroie family would never be powerful again. Who poisoned Arnold? There were several possibilities, but all fault fell on Mabel’s shoulders. Few point at Roger Montgomerie, who gained as much as she did. It’s just too easy to blame a female—just like they blame Helen of Troy for causing the Trojan War.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Roger held great influence with the duke of Normandy, who was paranoid about his vassals rebelling. When Roger hinted this his neighbors were planning just this thing, the duke listened, and was only too happy to have Roger put down the so-called rebellion by striking first and seizing the lands of Eodolph de Toni, Hugh de Grant-Mesnil and Arnold d’Eschafuour, amongst many others. So it was clear, Roger was as devious as Mabel, maybe more so. When Mabel’s brother died in 1070, she finally seized control of that part of the lands of her father. Between Roger and Mabel, they owned so many honours in three countries, that he was as powerful and wealthy as any king. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">That sort of influence, and sway with the kings of two nations, naturally fermented jealousy and enemies. Hugh Brunel de la roche was one of the knights who lost everything to Roger and Mabel. Unable to accept the humiliation of losing his ancestral holding, he plotted to take his revenge. During the long night of December 2, 1079, Hugh led his three brothers to force their way into Mabel’s quarters at Château at Bures-sur-Dives. Mabel was relaxing in her chamber, enjoying a bath, when Hugh and his brothers burst in. Before she could raise a cry, Hugh lopped off Mabel’s head with his great sword. Her son, Hugh de Montgomerie gave chase to the murdering brothers; they evaded pursuers by destroying a bridge, knowing those following could not cross the small river due to wintertide flooding. They left Normandy, never to return.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mabel’s decapitated body was buried three days later at Troarn Abbey. Her tomb was marked by an epitaph.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Sprung from the noble and the brave,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Here Mabel finds a narrow grave.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>But, above all woman’s glory,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Fills a page in famous story.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Commanding, eloquent, and wise,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>And prompt to daring enterprise;</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Though slight her form, her soul was great,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>And, proudly swelling in her state,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Rich dress, and pomp, and retinue,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Lent it their grace and honours due.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The border’s guard, the country’s shield,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Both love and fear her might revealed,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Till Hugh, revengeful, gained her bower,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>In dark December’s midnight hour.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Then saw the Dive’s o’erflowing stream</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>The ruthless murderer’s poignard gleam.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Now friends, some moments kindly spare,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>For her soul’s rest to breathe a prayer.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3J_AJBwilk8/X_a8P0x-h2I/AAAAAAAASps/vfYVljNBUa0F6O98mEnMTDLLcbkiDdq6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s545/mabel%2Btomb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="545" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3J_AJBwilk8/X_a8P0x-h2I/AAAAAAAASps/vfYVljNBUa0F6O98mEnMTDLLcbkiDdq6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mabel%2Btomb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mabel’s tomb survived into the early 18th century, but by 1752 it no longer existed. No one knows what became of her body.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">History, written by men, painted her as a monster, a poisoner. But you have to wonder how much was really her machinations, and how much was blamed on her because she was an easy target. She was beautiful, smart, aggressive, and dared to take a place in a man’s world. I have to wonder if she is guilty more of those thoughts, than the supposed deeds attributed to her.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw82tTRxzt0/X_a8aAfzXvI/AAAAAAAASp0/oRgripsQsMIqdm-xNJz1k99uqOcmrIZuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s454/robert-de-diable-as-played-by-Nourrit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xw82tTRxzt0/X_a8aAfzXvI/AAAAAAAASp0/oRgripsQsMIqdm-xNJz1k99uqOcmrIZuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/robert-de-diable-as-played-by-Nourrit.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Her son carried the mantle of her animosity. Robert de Belême de Montgomerie, comte de Phonthieu, 3rd earl Shrewsbury and Arundel, was known as "Robert the Devil."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Thank you for taking time to stop by and learn about Mabel, a woman ahead of her times. I hope you will continue to join me on the second Saturday of each month, to learn of another colorful ancestor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g69C8jlar6E/X_bAR4cIPFI/AAAAAAAASqU/wbtKHs1TCRMeUj24BMmxDqC74QdG9E7nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/Mabel%2Blabel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="1920" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g69C8jlar6E/X_bAR4cIPFI/AAAAAAAASqU/wbtKHs1TCRMeUj24BMmxDqC74QdG9E7nQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/Mabel%2Blabel.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SY_i6ibtThA/X_bAXfEpFSI/AAAAAAAASqY/s2rM-agklZYuGh9eLEDQqDvm8D2zPJDxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1902/Eleanor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="1902" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SY_i6ibtThA/X_bAXfEpFSI/AAAAAAAASqY/s2rM-agklZYuGh9eLEDQqDvm8D2zPJDxACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h96/Eleanor.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-88266766406694276222021-05-13T21:00:00.019-07:002021-05-14T22:19:59.875-07:00Women of Bruce - Part 2 - Isabel Macduff, countess of Buchan, a woman who crowned a king<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o7_QzbWAFY4/YGUEGsFqRgI/AAAAAAAAS48/NK_IIk_MtSgTsiOdVgcrKovKC0hcot-jgCLcBGAsYHQ/s791/Countess%2Bof%2BLennox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="530" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o7_QzbWAFY4/YGUEGsFqRgI/AAAAAAAAS48/NK_IIk_MtSgTsiOdVgcrKovKC0hcot-jgCLcBGAsYHQ/w429-h640/Countess%2Bof%2BLennox.jpg" width="429" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Isabella
Macduff Comyn's life was not a happy one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It didn't start happy. And in spite of one bright shining moment in time,
it didn't end happy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabella Macduff, heir to the earldom of
Fife and countess of Buchan by marriage, was born at Methil, Fifeshire,
Scotland sometime around 1275-80 to the 3rd earl of Fife, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Donnchadh</i> Macduff, and his English wife, Johanna de Clare, daughter
of Gilbert de Clare, 7<sup>th</sup> earl of Gloucester and 6<sup>th</sup> earl
of Hertford (He later divorced his first wife and married Edward Plantagenet’s
sister).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By hapchance, Isabella was also
a cousin to two very powerful men, both Scottish earls—one she married by a
king's decree, and one she made a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A pretty Scots lass with bright red hair, the poor lass was but a pawn
in the center of games of power and building kingdoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I seriously doubt anyone <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever </i>asked Isabella what she wanted out of life—not in childhood, not
in her teen years, and certainly not in her final years as a woman.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inv8lWgpD28/YJHb2ITFeFI/AAAAAAAAS8k/lXDqBr1WVlsjPm--iFJtIHr7GSbV5j2KACLcBGAsYHQ/s668/MacDuff%2Bcastle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="668" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-inv8lWgpD28/YJHb2ITFeFI/AAAAAAAAS8k/lXDqBr1WVlsjPm--iFJtIHr7GSbV5j2KACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/MacDuff%2Bcastle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Macduff Castle</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabella's father was a vicious man; hence
few were hardly surprised when in 1289 while on his way to Dunfermline, the
earl was murdered at Pittillock by his own clansmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fear, the English Johanna de Clare took
her son (Isabella’s younger brother, Duncan) and fled to England where the two
were welcomed warmly by Edward I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oddly,
Isabella, not even eight-years-old, was left behind to be raised in Scotland—possibly
because she was the eldest child, and in old Pictish tradition, was the heir of
her father, and with that in mind, clan Macduff was not about to let her leave
clan control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little is recorded of her
upbringing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My heart breaks thinking of
young Isabella living alone, men governing her life, her destiny, while her
mother and brother thrived lavishly at the English Court. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">By decree of Edward I, king of England, and
papal dispensation since they were cousins, Isabella was married in her teens to John <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black</i> Comyn, 3rd earl of Buchan, a man
over twenty years her senior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John was
the head of one of the most powerful families in Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The son of Alexander Comyn, 2nd earl of
Buchan, he was also nephew to John Balliol, king of Scotland. His sister was
the valiant Marjorie Comyn, countess of Dunbar and March, about whom I have previously
written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Comyn marrying the heiress
of another influential clan—this time the ancient one of Macduff—you see a pattern
repeated for centuries by Comyn males.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They married heiresses, in their own right, drawing these powerful
holdings into the Comyn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">honours</i>, ever
increasing and widening their power base and control of the northern half of
Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to judge, outside
the prestige and lands that Isabella brought to the union, if John cared for
his young bride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were wed in 1290,
the same year as John’s father died, making him the 3<sup>rd</sup> earl of
Buchan, but it was seven years later before Isabella produced their first
child—a daughter she named Isabel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
reasonably sure John resented Isabella hadn’t produced a son and heir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History almost ignores the existence of this
daughter, and it’s clear John certainly tried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, documents in Edward II’s daily papers dated 3<sup>rd</sup> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>December 1308 make references of the female
child’s presence, controlling her future and lands, and later, a marriage to
the son of Reginald le Chayne, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justiciar
of Scotia</i>, so there is little denying her place in history. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFMUft5jUXA/YJI7tQo8dEI/AAAAAAAAS9U/39kpRbgFmLc-RwmX28oSNGMuy-_N0ONiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Inverlochy_Castle2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1280" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFMUft5jUXA/YJI7tQo8dEI/AAAAAAAAS9U/39kpRbgFmLc-RwmX28oSNGMuy-_N0ONiACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h268/Inverlochy_Castle2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Inverlocky Castle, a Comyn stronghold</span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">During the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scottish War for Independence</i>, the Comyns—backers of John Balliol
(their cousin and uncle)—led the Scottish host at Dunbar, fighting against King
Edward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite, they were smart enough:
they had half of the clan support Balliol, while the other half stayed home or
rode with the English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John, on the side
fighting against Longshanks, was captured and sent to the Tower of London as
prisoner in April 1296. Regardless, Edward was always quick to make peace where
it benefitted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was planning an
invasion of France, and thus needed the most influential clan in Scotland on
his side and to supply him men and coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the Scottish defeat, and time as prisoner in the Tower of London,
you see the earl of Buchan pledging allegiance to Longshanks and reclaiming his
lands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John’s name was on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ragman Roll</i> in August 1296 at Berwick,
swearing his fealty to Edward: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3wImUwheno/YJJEayxzzXI/AAAAAAAAS9k/ExdHUvmmPf0QO42mmaJQb5vPfwZ29SrEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s648/Johnn%2BComyn%2Bragman%2Broll.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="648" height="90" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c3wImUwheno/YJJEayxzzXI/AAAAAAAAS9k/ExdHUvmmPf0QO42mmaJQb5vPfwZ29SrEQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h90/Johnn%2BComyn%2Bragman%2Broll.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Comyn comes de Bouchan, Dominus Johannes<br />
(Johan Comyn comte de Bouchan)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MQFTVsFolCM/YJIrViT8AkI/AAAAAAAAS80/vZI_5XM5qdsJwsWt7c_iZDyaFe2Fk4vXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s255/comyn%2Barms.png" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MQFTVsFolCM/YJIrViT8AkI/AAAAAAAAS80/vZI_5XM5qdsJwsWt7c_iZDyaFe2Fk4vXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/comyn%2Barms.png" /></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There’s no mention of Isabella being with
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likely, she was pregnant, and since
it was one of the hottest and driest summers ever, and conditions of Berwick on
Edward's command saw bodies from the 3-day sack back in April still lying,
rotting on the ground, John might not have wanted to risk Isabella losing the
baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my first Challon novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Restless Knight</i>, I make reference to
these vile conditions, when Julian and Tamlyn were summoned to Berwick, and how
this situation was deliberately created by Edward’s orders to force the
nobility of Scotland to witness what happened to a town when they defied him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Restless-Knight-Dragons-Challon/dp/154856172X" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="433" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYJPaqQLBGQ/YJeOR7X9CMI/AAAAAAAAS_U/IdRDMeR3Aws_12laB3KfI5MxGMoFaz56ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ARKsmall.png" width="320" /></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Outside the date of birth of her daughter,
Isabella was largely ignored by history at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just
another woman given in marriage as a reward to a powerful lord</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the
battle of cousins</i> would soon shape her destiny, and forevermore forge her
name into the legend and lore of Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Her husband’s cousin (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and yes</i>, her cousin, too) was also named John Comyn— John Comyn III
of Badenoch, called John <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Red </i>or<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Red Comyn</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the vacuum of Longshanks removing John
Balliol from the throne of Scotland, the Comyns assumed control of the northern
two-thirds of the country—ruling in Balliol’s name—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of course</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Red Comyn, after
all, was the grandson of Balliol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
as time passed, the mighty Comyn men began to see there would be no hope for
returning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Toom Taber</i>—the nickname
Longshanks hung on Balliol after stripping him of ceremonial regalia of
Scotland—ever be king again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The empty
throne saw the eyes of both John Comyns<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>on
that prize. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JY7qim72i7Q/YJI_GUqWAGI/AAAAAAAAS9c/qWbSmHIaPhc583HdADuiybRxCnnUnDt4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w307-h400/JohnRedComyn.jpg" width="307" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">John "Red" Comyn, Lord Badenoch</span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Still, they weren’t the only ones with the
same desire—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">another cousin</i>—Robert de
Brus (Bruce), the young earl of Carrick, possessed that very dream in his heart
and was resolute to undo the crowning of Balliol in 1292.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bruces had firmly believed Edward I would
rule in favor of Robert’s grandfather, the 5<sup>th</sup> lord of Annandale
instead of Balliol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, the man
had been designated as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heir by decree</i>
by King Alexander II at one point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
Alexander had produced no sons, he placed the eldest Bruce in the line of
succession as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heir presumptive </i>in
1238, and he was to follow the king should anything happen to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A heartbeat away from the dazzling prospect
of being sovereign of the Scots created a fire in Annandale, which carried over
to his son the 6<sup>th</sup> lord, and now the same hunger grew inside Robert
Bruce, the grandson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert was raised
tri-lingual, considered one of three men as the first knights of Christendom, had
been polished in courtly ways, educated in diplomacy, handsome, arrogant, yet
smart enough to play a waiting game—and filled with the belief God intended him
to be Scotland’s king.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Some consider the triumph at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Battle of Stirling Bridge</i> was more a
victory under the guidance of Sir Andrew de Moray of Bothwell than William
Wallace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moray died of wounds sustained
in the battle, so the credit went and still goes to Wallace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That assumption of Moray's military
brilliance is upheld for at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Battle of
Falkirk</i>, when Wallace led the Scottish army alone, the battle had been
lost. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the defeat, Wallace resigned
as Guardian of Scotland and left the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In an effort to balance the power, both Red Comyn and Robert Bruce were
named Co-Guardians of Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Since both men were single-minded to wear
the crown of the Scots, the idea of them working together was doomed from the
outset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One incident clearly
demonstrates how impossible the situation was between the two men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At a meeting after Wallace resigned, a
knight—Sir David Graham—a Comyn supporter, demanded the lands of Wallace be
forfeit and given to him since Wallace had left the country without the permission
of the Guardians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wallace's brother—Sir
Malcolm Wallace—refuted this claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
knew his brother was actually on a mission for Bishop Wishart in France, and
then on to Italy, trying to bring the King of France and the Pope to side with
the Scots against the king of England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bruce ruled in favor of Malcolm Wallace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This in turn set David Graham and Malcolm Wallace to fighting with more
than words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of the blue, Red Comyn leapt
for the throat of Bruce and began strangling him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>James Stuart, 5th High Steward of Scotland,
and others had to drag Red Comyn away from Bruce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon after, Comyn refused to be a Guardian if
Bruce remained one; then Bruce said there was no working with Comyn, and quit
in 1300.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There is an old Scottish saying: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the enemy of my enemy is my friend.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was never so proven as in this time in
Scotland’s history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bruces had been
firmly in Edward's camp, while the Comyns were on the Scottish side backing
John Balliol, their kinsman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward felt
he held control over young Robert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
surprising since the king had even gifted Robert with a new bride—Elizabeth de
Burgh, Edward’s goddaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only, like
many ruthless monarchs through the ages, Edward was growing suspicious of his
councilors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And though he showed great
favoritism toward Robert–even paying his debts when Bruce lands had been seized
for refusing to pay fealty to John Balliol—he was increasingly mistrustful
about the loyalties of both Bruces. After Edward removed Balliol, Robert's
father, Lord Annandale prodded Longshanks to rectify his mistake by placing him
on the throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward was said to sneer
and reply that he had better things to do than win a kingdom for
Annandale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever since, Edward held the
Bruces close, yet never fully trusted them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in the case of being paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to
get you—Robert <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> working behind the
scenes against Edward's interest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMIGQ-lso2M/YJXugqM9-BI/AAAAAAAAS_E/GkNkx53y114H85ghGI-kgTlL-UaAPQOIACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/McGoohan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1200" height="245" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMIGQ-lso2M/YJXugqM9-BI/AAAAAAAAS_E/GkNkx53y114H85ghGI-kgTlL-UaAPQOIACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h245/McGoohan.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">(yeah, it's Patrick McGoohan playing Longshanks, but I think he did him so well)</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Around 1305, Robbie had entered into secret
negotiations with Red Comyn—a deal, that they help each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not </i>one
of Bruce’s brighter plans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One would
resign their claim to the kingship, leaving the path clear for the other to
seize the crown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In return, the one
giving up the claim would receive all the lands and titles of the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Comyn
had another idea.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the
backdoor came Red Comyn, plotting to make another deal for the crown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He turned over these letters from Robert,
outlining the details of their pact, in which Comyn basically agreed to step aside
so Robert could be crowned king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
Comyn saw this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate his competition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Unable to contain his fury, the king
confronted Robert with the letters and asked if he had written them—after all
it had the Carrick seal upon the documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am sure Robert was furious by the betrayal, but he kept his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He replied yes it was<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> one </i>of his seals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deftly,
he pulled on a chain about his neck and produced his official sigil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went on to explain the seal affixed to the
paper was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one</i>, but an older seal that
he’d left at his castle in Scotland, and protested someone surely had stolen it
and was using the wax sigil to frame him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bruce vowed to get to the bottom of who was the real traitor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Storming out, the Bruce and his entourage
headed to his manor house in Tottenham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Barely an hour passed, when someone knocked on the door to Bruce’s
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man held up his finger to his
lips to signal silence, then handed Robert a spur and a gold coin with the face
of Edward Longshanks upon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The message was clear.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrest warrants had been issued by the
English king to seize Robert and his brothers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cxrk1DZmcy8/YJTBRMZuvcI/AAAAAAAAS-8/Ex0v4sdM9UcxMrpp8iCQE2zgGoO2W5PxACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Bruce%2Bseal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cxrk1DZmcy8/YJTBRMZuvcI/AAAAAAAAS-8/Ex0v4sdM9UcxMrpp8iCQE2zgGoO2W5PxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Bruce%2Bseal.jpg" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Riding hard, the men of Bruce headed to
Scotland, escaping arrest by barely an hour. He and his party happened upon a messenger
wearing the colors of Red Comyn. The men pursued the fleeing rider and dispatched
him. On his body were more letters written by Robert to Red Comyn, and now were
being sent to Edward Longshanks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Once in Scotland, Robert arranged one last
meeting with Red Comyn, determined to have it out with the man who was his
enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Bruce were Roger de Kirkpatrick
of Fleming and Sir Christopher Seton, another powerful noble, who just weeks
before had married Bruce's younger sister, Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Dumfries church, Bruce confronted Comyn
with the captured letters that were being dispatched to Longshanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as he had at their meeting over William
Wallace's lands, when Comyn tried to strangle Robert, Comyn struck out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone—either Comyn or his uncle, Sir Roger
Comyn, landed a blow with a sword across Robert's chest—his chain mail saving
his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert desperately reached for
his long dirk, hidden in the side of his cross-laced boot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pn3TajrjGVY/YJIqjEs22SI/AAAAAAAAS8s/Q_YeXnBilhE1nLDsYgGqEFlxt69YtJR6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s850/0_Comyn-Stabbed-By-Bruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="615" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pn3TajrjGVY/YJIqjEs22SI/AAAAAAAAS8s/Q_YeXnBilhE1nLDsYgGqEFlxt69YtJR6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w290-h400/0_Comyn-Stabbed-By-Bruce.jpg" width="290" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When the fight was over, Red Comyn and his
uncle, Sir Robert, lay wounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert
staggered outside, and told Seton that he had stabbed Comyn, but it was only a
flesh wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his brother-in-law
helped Bruce up and onto the saddle of his horse, Kirkpatrick rushed into the
church and killed Comyn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Kirkpatrick
came out and confessed Comyn was now dead, Robert knew there would be no
turning back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It was all or nothing</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Robert
proceeded with haste through Scotland to Scone Palace where he would be crowned
King of the Scots.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16hI29YKhcY/YJeMK9w2xJI/AAAAAAAAS_M/cawfyMYTUyMnlN4dlzK8M8AdReLB2C_awCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/Isabella%2Bcastle2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="700" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16hI29YKhcY/YJeMK9w2xJI/AAAAAAAAS_M/cawfyMYTUyMnlN4dlzK8M8AdReLB2C_awCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Isabella%2Bcastle2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Miles away, Robert's cousin, Isabella, was
unaware of these men’s matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
husband John was away in England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
can infer John Comyn, earl of Buchan was in England with purpose—he was the one
who carried the first letters and gave them to Longshanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The messenger that the Bruces had intercepted,
bearing more letters, was intended for Buchan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Isabella knew nothing of the Comyn’s plots and plans, or how it would
soon propel her young life toward a moment of defiance and victory, and then
into the nightmare that would follow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There was all speed to crown Robert as king
before word of what happened would cause all of clan Comyn to hunt him
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1296, Edward had removed or destroyed
all Scottish regalia—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or so he thought</i>—his
intent to prevent the pomp and circumstance for placing a crown on a new
Scottish king. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Six weeks after Comyn had been killed in
Dumfries, Bruce was crowned king of the Scots by Bishop William de Lamberton at
Scone on Palm Sunday 25<sup>th</sup> of March 1306, with all formality and
solemnity. Royal robes and vestments that Robert Wishart had hidden from the
English a decade before were brought out by the bishop and set upon King
Robert. The bishops of Moray and Glasgow were in attendance, as were the earls
of Atholl, Menteith, Lennox and Mar. The great banner of the kings of Scotland
was planted behind Bruce's throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only,
they lacked the one thing that every monarch of Scotland had had in their
coronation—the earl of Fife putting the crown on the head of the new king.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKHzjNyBgK0/YJrdd5BgmTI/AAAAAAAATAk/Lc18ilvQWPwif84l2rNbF34ZWNFU1SuXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Bruce%2Band%2BElizabeth2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="372" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KKHzjNyBgK0/YJrdd5BgmTI/AAAAAAAATAk/Lc18ilvQWPwif84l2rNbF34ZWNFU1SuXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Bruce%2Band%2BElizabeth2.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As expected, tides of Bruce’s killing Comyn
spread through the countryside, told, retold and embellished until reaching
Isabella. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her younger brother was still
in England, and declared by Edward to be the current earl of Fife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isabella ignored that she had been robbed of
her birthright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If her brother wasn’t
going to do his hereditary duty, and put the crown on Robert the Bruce’s head,
then she was determined to fulfill the role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vW7-sXQL5KA/YJtLYZpD2BI/AAAAAAAATBM/A4aclzvDPIY7FC4UhL5p0NjsYUmJ4fDpACLcBGAsYHQ/s633/Macduff13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="633" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vW7-sXQL5KA/YJtLYZpD2BI/AAAAAAAATBM/A4aclzvDPIY7FC4UhL5p0NjsYUmJ4fDpACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h356/Macduff13a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">Since her lord husband was still in
England, she took his valuable destriers, and nearly rode them into the ground,
trying to get to Robert in time. When
she reached Scone, it was to her disappointment that she arrived one day too
late. However, wanting to cement the
Bruce’s rights as king, Lamberton suggested they redo the crowning, a second
one, two days after the first. So, Isabella, as the true countess of Fife and
Buchan placed the crown on Robert Bruce, earl of Carrick, sealing his destiny
as the new king of the Scots. <o:p></o:p></span><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And sealing her own fate as well. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxwaW8GUgcY/YJI0KOnpytI/AAAAAAAAS9M/g9vDbhsiONwxd82X5DLwUy1GL68FdjXdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s437/Crowning.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxwaW8GUgcY/YJI0KOnpytI/AAAAAAAAS9M/g9vDbhsiONwxd82X5DLwUy1GL68FdjXdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Crowning.jpg" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Isabella had just crowned the man
responsible for the death of her cousin, Red Comyn, a man who was also cousin
to her husband. Worse, her husband was with the English king at the time she
was crowning the Bruce, the embarrassment of the deed must have burned inside
of John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To add to the insult—she had
taken his five destriers and driven them hard to reach Scone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just any old horse, mind, these were a
knight’s shod chargers, animals valued at $15,000-$25,000 at that period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When jousting, the winning knight claimed a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ransom</i> from the loser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally, it was their armor or their destrier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knights often paid these prices to get their
mounts back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You didn’t ride a destrier from
place-to-place like a regular horse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knights
rode palfreys for conveyance, and had trained horsemen to lead the valuable
destriers to destinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think of them
as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lamborghinis</i> of horses!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had driven these valuable animals hard to
get to Scone, hardly stopping for food and water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such treatment could cause the animals to
founder—a condition where the horses could never bear a rider again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">By coming to Scone, Isabella forevermore
cut ties to her husband and Clan Comyn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bruce recognized this, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
knew Clan Comyn was coming for him, and soon it would be summer and Edward I
would, once again, bring forth his army—nearly a summer event—the invasion of
Scotland by Edward Longshanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isabella
had to go with the Bruce entourage to safeguard her life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And come
for Bruce, they did</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward had
received word, and vowed to ride north to avenge Comyn’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only age and infirmities were beginning to
take a toll upon the king, too long a warrior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The whole country wanted Bruce’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, the Scottish church, long backers of the rebellion, remained
steadfastly at Robert’s back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sent
for his brother Nigel to fetch his queen, his small daughter, two sisters, Mary
and Christian, and the countess of Buchan, and placed them in the care of
Kildrummy Castle after he learnt the earl of Pembroke’s army approached.
Christian’s first husband was Gartnait, earl of Mar, and she had raised their twin
daughters at Kildrummy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, Bruce was
originally married to Gartnait’s sister, Isabel, and thus his daughter,
Marjorie was half Mar blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people
there would remain loyal to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
end, they were forced to flee the castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Poor Christian’s second husband, Sir Christopher Seton, was captured
aiding her brother to escape after the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Battle
of Dalrigh</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For his valiant defense
of the Bruce women and for saving Bruce’s life, Sir Christopher was hanged,
drawn and quartered by the English along with Nigel Bruce.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXLuU8PAu7U/YJTAnet74JI/AAAAAAAAS-s/7QiqFzXIfV4OmvV5OKn5a8tF2lNK8c-CACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Kildrummy_Castle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXLuU8PAu7U/YJTAnet74JI/AAAAAAAAS-s/7QiqFzXIfV4OmvV5OKn5a8tF2lNK8c-CACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Kildrummy_Castle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ruins of Kildrummy Castle </span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In a final desperate move, the Bruce women
were given safe passage by John of Strathbogie, 9th earl of Atholl, with the
intent to get the women to the Orkneys. Bruce’s sister, Isabel, had married King
Eric of Norway, and she was now queen there. They made it as far as the
sanctuary of St. Duthac at Tain in Easter Ross. There, they were captured by a
Balliol supporter, William earl of Ross, who handed them over to Edward’s men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Odd side note—Bruce would wed another of his
sisters, Maud, to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aodh</i> 0'Beoland scarcely
two years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aodh was the son of the
earl of Ross!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For his role in
protecting the Bruce women, Atholl was killed, burnt and his head later set on
a pike on London Bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Edward was ever a ruthless king, but in his
dealing with the women of Bruce he showed just how merciless he was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elizabeth de Burgh’s fate was most
lenient—after all Edward was her godfather and he had arranged the marriage
with Robert Bruce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her father was
Edward’s closest friend, Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster, a powerful man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward needed his support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, she was placed in a string of different
castles under guard, prisoner for nearly eight years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, she lacked for nothing, including her
favorite Irish wolfhounds at her side.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACc7RBbJfEM/YJTATzasjNI/AAAAAAAAS-k/rDUIpOMvKywCwbCL5Nts-JIOzv4KY3ZQACLcBGAsYHQ/s874/Capture3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="874" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACc7RBbJfEM/YJTATzasjNI/AAAAAAAAS-k/rDUIpOMvKywCwbCL5Nts-JIOzv4KY3ZQACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h296/Capture3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The other women of Bruce didn’t fare so
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christian was sent to a Gilbertine
nunnery at Sixhills in Lincolnshire, England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was held in a large cage in a room, and not allowed to see anyone,
save a single attendant and mother superior to attend to her spiritual needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was puzzling Christian’s fate was milder
than that of her niece and sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
only assume since she was the widow of the earls of Mar and Seton, Edward didn’t
wish to anger those clans against him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It was with Mary Bruce, Marjorie Bruce and
the countess Buchan where he displayed a most <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘peculiar ferocity’</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
instructed the three women would be held in cages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He drew up specific designs for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Francis Palgrave, Letters of Privy Seal
were sent to the Chamberlain of Scotland that he should make cages in the
turrets of various royal castles, so they could be hung over the side, and with
especially harsh words for Isabella<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">:<br />
<br />
<br /></i></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><i> "Let her be closely confined in an
abode of stone</i></i></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i> and iron made in the shape of a cross,
and let her</i></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><i> be hung up out of doors in the open air
at Berwick,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>both in life and after her death, she may be a spectacle</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>and eternal reproach to travellers."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LYZlWxqAWcM/YJHZYhP806I/AAAAAAAAS8U/V4OGUnETY3MsL9nMyKYvCC2UjqYmSfc3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/caged.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LYZlWxqAWcM/YJHZYhP806I/AAAAAAAAS8U/V4OGUnETY3MsL9nMyKYvCC2UjqYmSfc3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/caged.jpg" /></a></div><o:p></o:p></i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Orders originally had been for little
Marjorie Bruce to be held in one of these horrid prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cage was constructed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But evidently, someone finally swayed
Edward's anger long enough to reason that putting a child of barely 10 years
old in a cage would be too much for Scots to stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was sent to a convent in Watton instead.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmhHR97uIUY/YJIwewwad6I/AAAAAAAAS9E/ju1zHW6VQiEXRebUsHrl_-1hl_S8tHNMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s454/Marjorie%2BBruce%2Bas%2Bchild2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmhHR97uIUY/YJIwewwad6I/AAAAAAAAS9E/ju1zHW6VQiEXRebUsHrl_-1hl_S8tHNMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Marjorie%2BBruce%2Bas%2Bchild2.jpg" /></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Mary was unmarried, not blessed with a
well-connected husband, so I assume Edward felt leave to come down so harshly
on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was caged in his iron and
wood prison on the wall of Roxbury Castle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L1D0a9oOlzE/YI0Rp1DV7PI/AAAAAAAAS7E/b2cLvbUa4lw9_Ih6XAiEwEXBdnSQL7QigCLcBGAsYHQ/s380/Mary%2BBruce%2Bin%2Bcage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="251" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L1D0a9oOlzE/YI0Rp1DV7PI/AAAAAAAAS7E/b2cLvbUa4lw9_Ih6XAiEwEXBdnSQL7QigCLcBGAsYHQ/w264-h400/Mary%2BBruce%2Bin%2Bcage.jpg" width="264" /></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Poor Isabella had crowned Robert king of
the Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she was married to one of
the most powerful men in Scotland—who now held favor with the English
king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might expect her husband to
intercede on her behalf, beg for a less harsh treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John did nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, some historians attributed him
saying she needed executing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attempts to
secure her release were made by Sir Robert Keith and Sir John Mowbray, by appealing
to Duncan, earl of Fife—her younger brother—but the appeals came to naught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Duncan was too happy being the absentee earl,
living high at English Court with his mother, grandfather and new
step-grandmother—the king’s own sister.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Her cage was
built as a front to a turret, and within was a privy so she could dress and
relieve herself without exposing her body to the hecklers gathering and often
tossing things at her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, she was forced
to be out in all weather and on display for all to see, but not allowed to speak
to anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is some debate as to
whether the women were kept in the open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Edward’s own commands tell a story otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Why did Edward
Longshanks treat these women in such a vile manner? Perhaps it was a challenge to the Bruce to
come try to snatch them from their captivity.
Or he might have been doing an <i>in
your face</i> to Robert: <i>These are the women under your protection and
you are helpless to save them. </i>The
Bruce women were prisoners of the English for nearly eight years, and long
after Edward I had died. Some writings
of the period, speak that Mary and Isabella were removed from their cages after
four years and in 1310 were relocated to nunneries. Mary eventually went on to be returned to her
brother in a prisoner exchange under Edward II.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Sadly, fate
wasn’t through with being unkind to Isabella MacDuff Comyn. Oddly, her husband died suddenly in 1308
barely forty-eight years of age (two years after his wife was put in a cage). His title was inherited by his younger
brother, Alexander, who strangely died at age forty-four, just a couple months
after his brother. It was another five years
before Isabella was released. Eventually,
Edward II had her handed over to Alice Comyn, niece of Isabella and John, and
to Alice’s husband, Henry de Beaumont, 1st Lord Beaumont. Immediately after taking control of Isabella,
Alice and Henry began calling themselves the countess and earl of Buchan, and
Isabella is heard of no more. A peculiar
situation overlooked in assessing what happened to her. </span></p>
<p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Henry Beaumont had an
unsavory reputation, and was closely aligned to Piers Gaveston the </span>‘favorite’<span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> of Edward II–a man Edward
Longshanks exiled because of the closeness of his son and Gaveston.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Henry and his sister had also been banished
from English Court by </span>the Ordainers<span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> at the same time as Gaveston for debauched and
depraved behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His personal battle
to hang onto the title of earl of Buchan grew to legend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The title was only valid in England—because
in Scotland King Robert refused to confirm Alice and Henry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beaumont’s battle to regain possession of the
earldom was such an obsession that he helped overturn the peace between England
and Scotland established by the </span>Treaty of Northampton<span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, and brought about the </span>Second
War of Scottish Independence<span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">, simply to satisfy his single-minded desire to be earl of Buchan, in
his own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is little doubt in
my mind that Isabella was murdered sometime after her release to Beaumont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he was willing to destroy the peace
between two countries merely to hold onto a title that never really was his,
disposing of a weakened woman, who had no champion, would’ve hardly caused
Henry Beaumont to blink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point,
he pushed the powerful Edmund of Woodstock, 1st earl of Kent (half-brother to
Edward II) to start a rebellion to put his sibling back on the throne of
England—one problem Edward II was already dead!.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Henry knew this, but it shows the lengths he
would go to merely to claim the title to Buchan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7tZ7PkyI8I/YI0Q6bJUCII/AAAAAAAAS60/Av4X4OiFbzM9xq6IIRKd4k2P5EEbs_iBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/D8DasGBXoAAOL74.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7tZ7PkyI8I/YI0Q6bJUCII/AAAAAAAAS60/Av4X4OiFbzM9xq6IIRKd4k2P5EEbs_iBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/D8DasGBXoAAOL74.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Of all of the Bruce women
captured, Isabella is the only one not to return home. Isabella’s life was little more than a pawn
for kings, and an unloved wife of one of the most mighty men in Scotland. But for one bright shining shard of time, she
seized fate and chose her destiny. And
cruelly paid the price. With Beaumont’s
vanishing of Isabella, she was even denied a proper burial, mourning, and a
place to pay tribute to the gutsy lass.
They robbed her of that last dignity<i>.
</i><i>But they could never rob her of the legacy of a woman who defied
all to crown a king.</i></span></p><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkrcIXL8K7I/YJjI4AAU9WI/AAAAAAAAS_s/asZTxTp-vNwqWcJv2NOgD0y7olwcrx8lACLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/Isabella%2BGG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="1898" height="70" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkrcIXL8K7I/YJjI4AAU9WI/AAAAAAAAS_s/asZTxTp-vNwqWcJv2NOgD0y7olwcrx8lACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h70/Isabella%2BGG.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnivHSgZOoM/YJjJEzPLUEI/AAAAAAAAS_w/8NRXgNqeVPskFXiO3o43i3-V61INn-rigCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/John%2BComyn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="1898" height="70" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnivHSgZOoM/YJjJEzPLUEI/AAAAAAAAS_w/8NRXgNqeVPskFXiO3o43i3-V61INn-rigCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h70/John%2BComyn.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsE_P1GzUTM/YJjJO9kV-oI/AAAAAAAAS_4/vcwNRocnxkMRa3ql41PqpgemFThOA9E6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1899/isabel%2BComyn%2Bde%2BCheyne2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="1899" height="69" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IsE_P1GzUTM/YJjJO9kV-oI/AAAAAAAAS_4/vcwNRocnxkMRa3ql41PqpgemFThOA9E6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h69/isabel%2BComyn%2Bde%2BCheyne2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DSpaCPIyLE/YJjJetHrJ5I/AAAAAAAATAE/LY9Pt_3y_vQNlW-e0RORqQ_iEix6YwWhACLcBGAsYHQ/s1901/Red%2BComyn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="1901" height="65" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DSpaCPIyLE/YJjJetHrJ5I/AAAAAAAATAE/LY9Pt_3y_vQNlW-e0RORqQ_iEix6YwWhACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h65/Red%2BComyn.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yutisB27KJc/YJjKxWqYV_I/AAAAAAAATAM/xJM4IPNxh4MyxJqneZe1Hf7Gat4tlykeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1886/Bruce%2BGG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="1886" height="69" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yutisB27KJc/YJjKxWqYV_I/AAAAAAAATAM/xJM4IPNxh4MyxJqneZe1Hf7Gat4tlykeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h69/Bruce%2BGG.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://nattering.deborahmacgillivray.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1074" height="116" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SKfUYfJ5-6I/YJjLoh3NwoI/AAAAAAAATAc/vRXgwXE6ueoGnobiIvcs_y8JRbkrizO1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/my%2Bbanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoQuote" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-19174265841708952682021-05-10T16:29:00.001-07:002021-05-10T16:29:42.398-07:00The Women of Bruce Part One -- Marjorie Carrick, countess of Carrick<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIDnAY7bQ1w/YFR0_lIDrOI/AAAAAAAAS3E/SjVopCSXJyMNR2XMMA7JPcsPlXRFJOEnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s518/Marjorie%2BCarrick%2B3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="425" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qIDnAY7bQ1w/YFR0_lIDrOI/AAAAAAAAS3E/SjVopCSXJyMNR2XMMA7JPcsPlXRFJOEnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Marjorie%2BCarrick%2B3.jpg" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In my last blogs, I covered the
valiant ladies of Dunbar Castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my
next several I will write about some equally strong females who were forced to
endure the hardships of Scotland during the<i> War for Independence</i>—<i>The Women of
Bruce</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much has been written about Robert
<i>“the Competitor”</i> who was one of thirteen claimants to the Scottish crown in the
early 1290s, of Robert, lord of Annandale—his ever hungry, ambitious son—and then Robert, earl of
Carrick, who went on to become king of Scotland, first of his name, succeeding
where his father and grandfather failed before him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what about the women around King Robert—his
mother, his sisters, wives, the many mistresses and daughters? <i>Who were they? What were their stories?</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In Part One</i> – I begin with an amazing woman (and my 21st great-grandmother)—<i>Marjorie Carrick, countess of Carrick</i>, lady of
Clan Campbell—and mother of King Robert the Bruce.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8xyfrFV9WQ/YFR0FkPUE0I/AAAAAAAAS28/I9hmj-OSbKwVPuqaL3CipIji_hsVmcOsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1104/Turnberry%2BCastle%2B3a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1104" height="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8xyfrFV9WQ/YFR0FkPUE0I/AAAAAAAAS28/I9hmj-OSbKwVPuqaL3CipIji_hsVmcOsQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h278/Turnberry%2BCastle%2B3a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Turnberry Castle</i></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Marjorie was born in 1252 at Turnberry
Castle, Carrick, Ayrshire in southwest Scotland. Some fix her birth year at 1259, but that
would put the birth of her first child before she was ten-years-old, so I
seriously doubt that assertion. Robert’s
mother was the daughter and heiress of Niall </span><i style="font-size: large;">Mac</i> <i style="font-size: large;">Dhonnchad</i><span style="font-size: medium;">, 2nd earl of
Carrick, a line that goes back to Scottish kings, David I and Malcolm I, and
beyond to the Pictish kings. Her mother’s side traces a direct line back to the
kings of France </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>and Henry I of England.</span><span> Her father was nearly
fifty-years-0ld when he finally accepted that he would sire no male heir to
replace him. Roland, his nephew and foster son, had been raised as his son.
With health fading and wanting matters settled, Niall made the bold move to place the chieftainship
and control of the clan on Roland’s shoulders, but then, in old Pictish
tradition, created his daughter, Marjorie heiress to Carrick, </span><i>in her own right</i><span>, and settled vast
estates upon her.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_2nvEUEy9E/YFR3D7du-VI/AAAAAAAAS3U/flHoUagiVkc3_oA-iO5ctTvoCC39ev9pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s160/Carrick-8-8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q_2nvEUEy9E/YFR3D7du-VI/AAAAAAAAS3U/flHoUagiVkc3_oA-iO5ctTvoCC39ev9pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Carrick-8-8.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Carrick Coat of Arms</i></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Since she was such a prize as a bride, King Alexander III </span></span>quickly <span>married Marjorie off at a young age to Sir Adam of Kilconquhar, a man twenty years older than she.</span> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">In rapid time, she was wed, gave birth to her first child—a daughter Isabel (named after Marjorie's mother, Isabel FitzAlan Stewart), and then she had to
stand on the castle wall, holding her daughter, and wave goodbye to her lord husband of barely two years,
as he rode off on the </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Eighth Crusade</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> raised by Louis IX of France.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Adam, the
new Earl Carrick, </span><i style="text-align: justify;">jure uxoris </i><span style="text-align: justify;">(by
right of his wife), participated in a battle near <i>Acre.</i></span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Months l</span><span style="text-align: justify;">ater, he died of wounds he received in the engagement.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Fighting at his side, and there
as Kilconquhar closed his eyes, was his good companion, Robert de Brus, 6th
lord of Annandale.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Before Adam drew his final breath, he extracted a promise from his friend to journey to Carrick to tell his pretty lady wife of his death, and carry a memento to her.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">One has to ponder, those in his final moments, as
he stared at the handsome Robert (thirteen years his junior) if he was sending
Marjorie a suitable replacement for her husband.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_RYxU9-FCQ/YFRyvPwCXlI/AAAAAAAAS2s/FHMAUnNob-QsOyS7EXZKO7G8370ggiwRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Robert%2BAnnandale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="600" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_RYxU9-FCQ/YFRyvPwCXlI/AAAAAAAAS2s/FHMAUnNob-QsOyS7EXZKO7G8370ggiwRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h346/Robert%2BAnnandale.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="text-align: justify;">It took a few months for Robert
to reach Britain and then travel to Carrick in Ayrshire in south western Scotland.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Carrick was just three days travel beyond his holding in Annandale, so it was no trouble to fulfill his vow. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">When he arrived, he discovered
Marjorie in the midst of a hunt.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> The scene</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> is
easy to envision (especially to a romance writer!)</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;">—</span><span style="text-align: justify;">Marjorie now in her early 20s, vibrant and independent, used
to managing her <i>honours</i> on her own. <i>And feeling time ticking away.</i></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwSzWbVeWzg/YFRzSuuCRSI/AAAAAAAAS20/gPn5_cYoQ-4UnMskH74TItLbMa-_aq2pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s579/Marjorie%2BCarrick2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="550" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwSzWbVeWzg/YFRzSuuCRSI/AAAAAAAAS20/gPn5_cYoQ-4UnMskH74TItLbMa-_aq2pQCLcBGAsYHQ/w380-h400/Marjorie%2BCarrick2.jpg" width="380" /></a></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Neither a Scottish king nor an English one would leave her alone, a widow, for too long.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify;">Already wed to a man closer to the age of her father than hers, and
not wanting to stand about while being treated as a royal pawn in the games of
marriage and power, she decided to seize control in her hands.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Robert was handsome, a strong warrior, and
came with a good lineage—one to match her own.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify;">He would make a good lord for Carrick—<i>one of her choosing</i>.</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Marjorie entertained Robert
lavishly for a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the
time, he mounted his horse, intending to return to Annandale—some 80 miles to the east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To Robert’s surprise—as the story goes—he was but a couple leagues
away from Carrick, when </span>suddenly <span>he was surrounded by Countess Marjorie’s mounted knights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They forcibly escorted him
back to Turnberry Castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once there, he
was met by Marjorie who informed him,<i> in true Highland fashion</i>, she was
kidnapping him—that he would remain her prisoner until he consented to wed with
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A </span>Highland man kidnapping a bride
wasn’t anything new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite a few Scottish
marriages began this way</span>—called a <i>Scottish Wooing</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Marjorie</span> was being
a truly independent woman, and not about to permit men to govern the path of her life
any longer. There was speculation just how hard
she had to work to convince Robert to agree to her proposal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uObgKd3LPMU/YFTV4wSinyI/AAAAAAAAS4Y/Q4ZFwLBM89c2Cmd-eWZ4jLYPCis8xqxdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s613/couple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="577" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uObgKd3LPMU/YFTV4wSinyI/AAAAAAAAS4Y/Q4ZFwLBM89c2Cmd-eWZ4jLYPCis8xqxdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/couple.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Bruce was no mouse of a man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had fought in the Crusade, witnessed the
harshness of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he was <i>very</i>
ambitious, with long-ranging, farseeing plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One might guess, he was
already contemplating that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kilconquhar’s
wife would make him the perfect lady—one that someday might be his queen—and was merely playing hard to get. The best way to win the heart of this strong-willed lass was to allow Marjorie to believe the idea was hers! With his holding of Annandale not too far from Carrick, surely, he had heard tales of the beautiful countess, knew her royal heritage, and on the long journey home, figured he would be in an excellent position to claim a perfect bride, suited for his future. Historians—and non-romantics—have cast doubt on the events, and suggest it was a mutual plot, a ploy to get by the wrath of
Alexander III, king of the Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being her 21st great-granddaughter, and a Medieval romance writer, I <i>firmly</i> come down on the side of Marjorie kidnapping her husband<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> because she was in love</span>—and being very practical!</div><div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7Mhf2_FtSQ/YFU2UQ0e_AI/AAAAAAAAS4s/oWD3emndmyc3u3997UMOrgKQs9WKLrWRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s606/Lovers2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="521" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7Mhf2_FtSQ/YFU2UQ0e_AI/AAAAAAAAS4s/oWD3emndmyc3u3997UMOrgKQs9WKLrWRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w344-h400/Lovers2.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><br /></div></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">It was within the king’s right to make matches or marriage, or at least add his seal of approval
before the couple was wed.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">This
authority permitted a king to control his lords and barons, to see no one man
became so powerful that he might rival the</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;">man sitting on the throne—one<i> much like Robert of Annandale.</i></span></span></div></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFDC_itNGtw/YFR7S-RJH1I/AAAAAAAAS3k/t-aOl3-7dbE0KiR6NmUagIXn5rfs6QjXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s653/alexander%2BIII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iFDC_itNGtw/YFR7S-RJH1I/AAAAAAAAS3k/t-aOl3-7dbE0KiR6NmUagIXn5rfs6QjXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/alexander%2BIII.jpg" /></a><br /><i>Alexander III, king of the Scots<br /><br /></i></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="text-align: justify;">Thus, Alexander was naturally furious the couple wed without his royal permission, or papal consent—nor Marjorie observing a full year of mourning.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">In punishment, he
seized Turnberry Castle and her other lands. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">However, whether the tale of their torrid romance caught the king’s
fancy, or he secretly admired Marjorie’s audacity, she was able to regain
possession of her holdings by paying a fine</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;">—</span><span style="text-align: justify;">about one hundred pounds—equal to the marriage pact fee they
would've had to pay if they had been granted permission by the king and married with the usual steps. </span></span></div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SecfAUq6P-E/YFR3eQGeSPI/AAAAAAAAS3c/k6ZJO7Ub04Eojo_1ystepTNmNmOpe9fqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s899/774px-Robert_de_Brus%252C_6th_Lord_of_Annandale.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SecfAUq6P-E/YFR3eQGeSPI/AAAAAAAAS3c/k6ZJO7Ub04Eojo_1ystepTNmNmOpe9fqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/774px-Robert_de_Brus%252C_6th_Lord_of_Annandale.png" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Arms of Robert Bruce, 6th lord of Annandale</i></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It was clear theirs was a
<i>lovematch</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the nearly two decades
they were married Marjorie bore 12 children, 10 lived to full age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Less than a year after they were married, Marjorie gave birth to twin girls in early 1272<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Isabel de Brus</i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(She
became the queen of Norway)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Maud de Brus (Isabel's twin)</i> (married
<i>Aodh O'Beland </i></span><i>de Ross who became the earl of Ross and Stratherne in 1323)</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Their third daughter, <i>Christian de Brus</i>—often called Christina—came
in 1273.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (</span>Her first husband was <i>Gartnait de Mar, earl of Mar (</i>and brother to Isabel Mar, first wife of King Robert). (Her second husband was</span><i style="color: whitesmoke;"> </i><i>Sir
Christopher Seton, executed with her brother Niall in 1306.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The third</span><span> husband
was </span></span><i>Andrew, the son of Sir Andrew de Moray</i><span>, </span><span>hero of the Battle of Stirling
Bridge with William Wallace.)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With the fourth child in 1274, Annandale got his male
heir—and one that would create a history, which would live forever—<i>Robert de Brus</i>—who would go on to be king of the Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Mary de Brus</i> was born 1275<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(She married <i>Sir Neil Campbell of Lochow</i>, and then <i>Sir Alexander Fraser
of Touchfraser and Cowie</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>6.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Late </span><span><span>1276</span><span>, <i>Edward de Brus</i> came—a man who would be the
king of Ireland for a brief time.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">7.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Margaret de Brus</i> was born 1276<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(She wed <i>Sir William Carlyle</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>8.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Niall de Brus,</i> a third son, followed 1279. (He was taken prisoner
at Kildrummie Castle</span><span style="text-align: justify;">—</span>while giving the Bruce women the chance to escape the English</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: justify;">—</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">was hanged, drawn and quartered at Berwick-upon-Tweed in September
1306, along with Christopher Seton, husband to his sister, Christian, and the earl of Atholl.)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">9.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Alexander de Brus </i>was born 1282<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(He was hanged, drawn and quartered 9th February 1307 at Carlisle,
Cumberland, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>captured with Reginald Crawford, cousin to William Wallace</span><span>)</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">10.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Thomas de Brus</i> was born 1284. (He was hanged, drawn and quartered 9th February 1307 with his brother at Carlisle, Cumberland, and Reginald Crawford, cousin to William Wallace)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">11.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>*** </span><span>1286 saw the arrival of </span><i>Elizabeth de Brus,</i><span> but she didn’t make it to adulthood </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>12.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span>***</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span><span> And finally another daughter named</span> </span><i>Euphemia de Brus </i><span><span>came 1287, but
like Elizabeth didn’t live to adulthood either.</span><br /><br /></span></span></p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>*** </span><i>some family trees show both Elizabeth and Euphemia de Brus being alive, married and having children. Closer inspection will show these are </i>non-Bruce<i> females who married into de Brus family, so NOT the same females.</i></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Also of note, Marjorie's first daughter,<i> Isabel,</i> by Adam Kilconquhar went on to marry <i>Sir Thomas Randolph</i>, and her son, and Marjorie's grandson, was<i> Thomas Randolph of Moray</i>, the brilliant general that served Marjorie's son so well.</span></p><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><o:p> </o:p><span style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, Marjorie never lived to
see all the accomplishments her children attained, nor had she been forced to mourn
the death of four of her sons killed because of their struggles for independence
from England. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">She died shy of age forty.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The cause isn’t noted, as history so often
does, ignoring women and the important role they played, but one has to wonder
if the birth of thirteen children took its toll upon her.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">There is another daunting possibility—leprosy.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">It had long been rumored that her son, Robert,
died of the disease, likely acquired from his father, who was said to have perished of it as well—probably infected while he was on the Crusade. (There are two different groups saying <i>yes and no </i>on if the king did or didn't have it, mostly based on a casting of his skull made 200 years ago. The side saying he didn't have it are focusing on the face deforming part of the disease, of which Robert displayed none. Leprosy can caused other issues that can kill).</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Leprosy is spread by close contact with
someone infected, and has an incubation period of a year or more, often up to
five years.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">After that period, it can take
its time killing you through various means, such as attacking the respiratory system, making it harder to fight pneumonia.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Some are severely affected within
a year or two, but others can take ten, fifteen or twenty years to succumb to the
disease in the middle ages.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">So, it is not unreasonable to wonder if Marjorie might have contracted the disease from her husband, and
simply succumbed to the ravages of something that was incurable in the 1300s. </span></span><span>A recent study of the Bruce’s skull brought
medical confirmation that the king did suffer from the dread disease, but it didn't destroy his face. If you follow that line of thought it lends credence to both his father and possibly his mother dying from it as well. </span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nUDYKnSn9A/YFR1P-qDbNI/AAAAAAAAS3M/ia8bx2BNOR4gGJihc8ofF4I2KHT25wtSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1195/Marjorie%2BCarrick%252C%2BCountess%2BCarrick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1195" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7nUDYKnSn9A/YFR1P-qDbNI/AAAAAAAAS3M/ia8bx2BNOR4gGJihc8ofF4I2KHT25wtSwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h234/Marjorie%2BCarrick%252C%2BCountess%2BCarrick.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Majorie's grave at Holme Cultram Abbey</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Marjorie is buried with her beloved Robert in Holme Cultram Abbey Churchyard, Abbeytown, Allerdale Borough, Cumbria, England. Another amazing woman who refused to submit to the narrow roles afforded women during this period.<br /><br />Join me for Part 2 - of the <i>Women of Bruce</i> where I will talk about the amazing lady who crowned Robert king, and how she paid the price for that act.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FVpmruBj3AA/YFR-Q8gPSaI/AAAAAAAAS3s/bdVZZ7jDOk8ZNNbC2erI2ndEHsNU4wwhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1893/Marjorie%2BCarrick4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1893" height="86" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FVpmruBj3AA/YFR-Q8gPSaI/AAAAAAAAS3s/bdVZZ7jDOk8ZNNbC2erI2ndEHsNU4wwhQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h86/Marjorie%2BCarrick4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tLBGQ5LuHY/YFR-XU5BdSI/AAAAAAAAS3w/bOiyQEzg9q4ACnrhW9ad_LgEZg3RU1NyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1895/Annandale2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1895" height="84" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1tLBGQ5LuHY/YFR-XU5BdSI/AAAAAAAAS3w/bOiyQEzg9q4ACnrhW9ad_LgEZg3RU1NyACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h84/Annandale2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ta2t2kAKfU/YFR-iMMq9ZI/AAAAAAAAS34/iV1bMRbB5oIFujLHpTFFXNmpQfHjgY4NgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Turnberry%2BCastle%2B2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ta2t2kAKfU/YFR-iMMq9ZI/AAAAAAAAS34/iV1bMRbB5oIFujLHpTFFXNmpQfHjgY4NgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/Turnberry%2BCastle%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><i>Turnberry Castle</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EFYTsGzFFes/YFSDaBd257I/AAAAAAAAS4E/9J7PMt7PMHsWauvyZQqymfYTaBR1d-cRQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1074" height="116" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EFYTsGzFFes/YFSDaBd257I/AAAAAAAAS4E/9J7PMt7PMHsWauvyZQqymfYTaBR1d-cRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Deborah writers in the period of Robert the Bruce in her Medieval series the</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Dragons of Challon</i>.</span></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbu2ntT5MRE/YEAEYU_19hI/AAAAAAAAS08/oHq2PyjjzXYUbnkPSvpHTMPXUWHOvlo9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1487/books%2Balone.png" style="color: #ff3243; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1487" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbu2ntT5MRE/YEAEYU_19hI/AAAAAAAAS08/oHq2PyjjzXYUbnkPSvpHTMPXUWHOvlo9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/books%2Balone.png" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Deborah writes as if she’s been in Medieval Scotland and can magically take you back there to stand amidst the heather and mist of another time. This is breathtakingly beautiful, award caliber writing</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">— New York Times <i>bestselling author</i>, Lynsay Sand</span></span></div></div><o:p></o:p><p></p></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-14074530758219143102021-05-10T16:28:00.001-07:002021-05-10T16:28:05.462-07:00A Tale of Two Women and One Castle – The Ladies of Dunbar - Part Two<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFROqMOBpZs/YDxXCo7mUqI/AAAAAAAASwo/CTAk3hOIPHYkj6B00EzOBymEmC91bGllQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Agnes2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFROqMOBpZs/YDxXCo7mUqI/AAAAAAAASwo/CTAk3hOIPHYkj6B00EzOBymEmC91bGllQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Agnes2.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span>In Part 1 of my stories about the
</span><i><b><span>Two Ladies of Dunbar</span></b></i><span>, I covered the
valiant Marjorie Comyn, countess of Dunbar and March. She married into the ancient Dunbar family,
and yet she held her castle against the king of England in a time of war. Instead of that deed striking a heroic chord
in history, earning her immortality, her fate has been largely, frustratingly
buried. Her defiance is little noted
today. No poems about her, few people
ever recall her life, or her heroic audacity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="842" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U145lllIN5g/YDxXYf33QpI/AAAAAAAASww/EorD_QrWJ6cYzpim5ENoHlnvazbi9_t2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h285/Dunbar%2Bcastle.jpg" width="400" /><br />Castle Dunbar</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Forty decades later, another
woman traveled that same path.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Agnes
Randolph married into the Dunbar family—in fact, she married Marjorie’s son
Cospatrick.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">By the time they wed, he was
using Patrick as his given name.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">He was
about eleven-years-old when his mother defended Dunbar Castle.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Since young men of the nobility became
squires around that age, I might assume he was riding at his father’s side,
with the English king Edward I, and watched as his mother took a stance for the
Scottish side.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">His young age is why his
name isn’t on the </span><i style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Ragman Roll</i><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Some mistakenly assert he assumed the titles
to the earldoms in 1297, the year after his mother vanished from history.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">However, correspondence to and from king
Edward during that time remark upon Patrick’s father’s and his loyalty to the
crown, referencing the elder Dunbar as still in possession of the titles and
keeping his oath to the English monarch.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Edward won a crushing battle at Falkirk that autumn—with both Dunbars
riding with him—yet it failed to bring him the control of the country he long
craved.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The castle of Dunbar—the name
meaning fort of the point— was built on a huge promontory, which projected out
into the sea. </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The ancient stronghold of
the earls of March was of key strategic importance, due to its location being
near to the major commercial seaport of Berwick.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The fortress overlooked the coastal town of
Dunbar, in East Lothian, and afforded defenders the view of most of southwest
Scotland.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Thus, Castle Dunbar was vital
to Edward’s plans to defeating the Scots, once and for all.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="640" height="344" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4L7Fbe5s_U/YDxX87s3DaI/AAAAAAAASw4/zqq0yoCYa08Ava_07k1lIEPWkY3FPWuzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h344/caerlaverock-2a.jpg" width="400" /><br />Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">The center of the Scottish
resistance was Caerlaverock Castle, near Dumfries. The Comyns were still giving
the English soldiery, garrisoned throughout the countryside, hell and
fury. And the supposed highly defensible
Caerlaverock was their base for the struggle.
From there, they could launch surprise attacks, fighting in the Highland
way of guerilla warfare—strike and then vanish into the mists. Their familiarity of the countryside, and the
English troops' lack of it, gave them a distinct advantage. And the tactics proved to be a festering
thorn in Edward’s side. To that aim, he
fixed on denying the Scots this base of operations. Edward and his army advanced through
Annandale—lands of the Bruces—stopping off at the royal Pele Tower of
Lochmaben. The full splendor of
Longshanks' army bore down upon the beautiful moated castle, and with banners
flying high, he laid siege. Once again, riding at his side was Cospatrick of
Dunbar and his son Patrick. You can
read about the siege in the <i>Song of Caerlaverock</i>, an overly flowery poem that
is mostly PR for the English view of what happened. Even so, it is valuable to historians as it
notes the names of the many knights and lords who were there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOgH4n26Xhk/YD-6aK3WnJI/AAAAAAAAS0s/_f-aRP-HXJkt3VSXMmvvz6hOsgP4_6nGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1128/Banners%2Bin%2Ba%2Brow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="1128" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOgH4n26Xhk/YD-6aK3WnJI/AAAAAAAAS0s/_f-aRP-HXJkt3VSXMmvvz6hOsgP4_6nGACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h133/Banners%2Bin%2Ba%2Brow.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span> <i>There
were many rich caparisons embroidered on silks and satins; many a beautiful
pennon fixed to a lance; and many a banner displayed. And afar off was the
noise heard of the neighing of horses: mountains and valleys were everywhere
covered with sumpter horses and wagons with provisions, and sacks of tents and
pavilions. And the days were long and fine.</i></span><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span> </span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Touches,
chevalier of worship, carried gules with yellow martlets. Banner gules, a lion
argent, there the Earl of Lennox flew, and upon a silver border roses
of the field’s same hue; Patrick of Dunbar, his son, bore likewise with a
label blue. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZysZH2pBRjg/YD2slKPthAI/AAAAAAAASxo/llVGRxHqLKQz2nhpeGE48KcDg9EiDaeYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s562/banners.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="436" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZysZH2pBRjg/YD2slKPthAI/AAAAAAAASxo/llVGRxHqLKQz2nhpeGE48KcDg9EiDaeYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w310-h400/banners.jpg" width="310" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></i></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">The anonymous poet made the whole
affair sound so gay, and what a valiant effort it was on the English’s part to
invest the castle.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">In truth, the
fortress was hardly a match for the English forces, so soon both Patrick and
his father were back to their own business.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">By December, 1300, Patrick, now in his twenties, was named in an
English Royal Administration paper, indicating he received regular payments for
assisting King Edward in controlling the Scots in East Lothian.</span></p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Sometime after that point, he
married his first wife, Ermengarde Soulis.
Little is known of Ermengarde, other than she was a few years younger
than Patrick, and likely a cousin, the daughter of Sir William de Soulis (one
of the claimants to the throne of Scotland in 1296) and Ermengarde de
Duward. She gave birth to a son
Patrick—<i>yes, yet another Patrick</i>—sometime around 1304, for it was recorded that
she received a shipment of a cask of wine from Edward Longshanks, and it was
noted she was pregnant at the time. There was another son, John, born less than
two years later. After that, nothing
else is heard about her. No reference to
her death. No place of burial, though one
would assume at Dunbar Castle, which is now in ruins. One might infer she died in childbirth, or
shortly thereafter, as the date would indicate that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">In 1305, Patrick petitioned King
Edward for his father's lands at Polwarth, Berwickshire to be settled upon him,
but this was declined. Against the
backdrop of February 1306, Robert Bruce called for a meeting with John “Red”
Comyn. Both had been Guardians of
Scotland. Both held no love loss for the
other. And both wanted to be king of the
Scots. Instead of coming to an
agreement, Bruce killed Comyn, and a month later then declared himself
king. Early 1307, Edward was making
plans, once more, to invade Scotland. He
commanded, Patrick, along with his aging father (now sixty-five), were to
preserve the peace in Scotland and to obey the earl of Richmond in this
aim. The denial of his petition in 1305
had little consequences or impact to Patrick.
Edward I died in July of 1307.
Less than a year later saw Cospatrick die, so his heir Patrick assumed
the earldoms of Dunbar and March. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNxKj5-Enys/YD2uCsZDEKI/AAAAAAAASx4/q_jFbgwiIlwN_9Zc-GWi42O-p2sdB6J-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s929/Bruce%2Bkilling%2BComyn.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="929" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNxKj5-Enys/YD2uCsZDEKI/AAAAAAAASx4/q_jFbgwiIlwN_9Zc-GWi42O-p2sdB6J-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h295/Bruce%2Bkilling%2BComyn.jpeg" width="400" /></a><br />Bruce's killing of Red Comyn</span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">In 1313, Patrick was sent to
England with a petition for the new king—Edward II. The communication was from people of
Scotland, laying out their suffering at the hands of Edward Bruce. Robert’s younger brother had a bone to pick
with the Comyns and Dunbars and seemed to take great pleasure in the
confiscating coin, crops and horses from his enemy. Patrick’s own lands
and those of his vassals were vulnerable to raids of both Bruces, as well as by
attacks by the English garrisons at Berwick and Roxburgh. I surmise, in order to protect his honours,
Patrick did his best to keep both sides in reasonable humor with him. When the <i>Battle of Bannockburn</i> in 1313 was a
route for the Scots, Patrick provided shelter and assistance to the fleeing
English king. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ej3HpAvR0sw/YD2tHlHtwfI/AAAAAAAASxw/KyRlYRjJvVE73s5n1-ozaE1ppIMaz-PFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s768/Edward%2BII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ej3HpAvR0sw/YD2tHlHtwfI/AAAAAAAASxw/KyRlYRjJvVE73s5n1-ozaE1ppIMaz-PFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Edward%2BII.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />Edward II</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">No sooner than Edward II was
safely across the English border, Patrick switched sides, aligning himself with
Robert the Bruce in spectacular fashion.
He took part in the Scottish siege at Berwick, as one of Bruce’s commanders.
He helped Bruce gain control of the town on the 28<sup>th</sup> of Mar
1318, and the castle by the 20<sup>th</sup> July of the same year. Bruce must have been pleased with Patrick’s
tireless efforts for he received a grant of lands from King Robert covering the
ones Patrick had been forced to forfeit in England due to the war.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span>He also received a new wife. And no miss to fade into the annals of history. His second wife was Agnes, daughter of Bruce’s nephew, Thomas Randolph, 1st earl of Moray. Their royal lineage goes back to Gospatrick of Dunbar, Somerland, King Duncan I and Pictish kings, and through his mother's side he was 8th great-grandson of Henry I, king of France. Though doubt has been cast by some historians about her father being Robert the Bruce's nephew it is easily proven. Bruce's older half-sister, Isabel du Kilconquhar </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">was the mother of Thomas Randolph. Documents from the reign of David II of Scotland (Bruce's son) makes hundreds of references to John Randolph being his <i>c</i></span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><i>ognatus/consanguineus (kinsman/male cousin)-- a cousin of the first or second degree.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">If Dunbar had been vital to the English’s ability to strike into the heart of Scotland, it was doubly as important in the Bruce’s mind. He was fighting to subdue Clan Comyn—which meant the largest part of Scotland—and preparing should Edward II invade yet again. The marriage between Patrick and Agnes had all the markings of a political union. Bruce got a strong ally against his old foes the Comyns—</span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">Patrick’s relatives</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">—and Patrick checkmated Bruce’s generals Randolph and James Douglas from raiding his lands every time they needed supplies. The advantageous marriage seemed to seal the pact. They were married in England, due to Scotland being under interdict. In 1317, Pope John XXII issued the interdict because Bruce and Douglas kept raiding in England. The papal decree prevented Scotland’s churches from celebrating all sacred rites and ceremonies, save death—which meant no marriages could be performed there.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIBiGLx1NcQ/YD2uzQgmXvI/AAAAAAAASyA/ZFfdTHtVMhcKwzY7FE7uTOqmeJoX4GvdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s815/wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="565" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oIBiGLx1NcQ/YD2uzQgmXvI/AAAAAAAASyA/ZFfdTHtVMhcKwzY7FE7uTOqmeJoX4GvdgCLcBGAsYHQ/w278-h400/wedding.jpg" width="278" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Agnes, who was Randolph’s first
born, brought to the marriage her sizable inheritance—including the lordship of
Annandale (the <i>honour</i> belonging to Bruce’s father, but after his death had been
bestowed by Bruce on his nephew Randolph).</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">However there were a few bumps to the marriage.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Dispensation had to be sought, and was
granted for them to wed on the 18</span><sup style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">th</sup><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> August 1320, the need arising
because they were related closer than the fourth degree of consanguinity.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Patrick and the Bruce shared the same great grandfather—Robert
de Brus, 4th lord of Annandale, which meant Agnes and Patrick were second
cousins.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Later, a second dispensation
was needed from the Pope dated the 16th of January 1323, when it was found
their family connections complicated things further.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Agnes’ sister Isabella had married Patrick
Dunbar—<i>yes, another one!</i>—this time Patrick Dunbar of Cockburn, Stranith and
Bele, the nephew to Patrick through his brother Alexander, knight of Wester Spott. </span><span style="text-align: center;">And her
sister Geilis Isobel (history keeps merging with her older sister</span><span style="text-align: center;">—</span><span style="text-align: center;">by ten years—who
was also named Isobel—<i>hello!</i> they are<i> NOT</i> the same person!!) married </span><span style="text-align: center;">John de Dunbar of Derchester
& Birkynside, Earl of Fife</span><span style="text-align: center;">— another Dunbar male</span><span style="text-align: center;">—</span><span style="text-align: center;">Patrick’s
younger brother. It seems these Randolph
sisters had a thing for the men of
Dunbar. </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The second
decree was needed to validate any children as legitimate.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Agnes and Patrick were already married by
that time, so they were permitted to remain husband and wife.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">While there might be a question if Patrick
was in love with his lady wife, there is no doubt he truly wanted their
marriage and was willing to go to extremes to see no man put their vows
asunder.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">In 1328, he is named as a
surety on a promise to pay Edward III of England a sum of 20,000 pounds—an
ungodly amount for the times—and to submit to the jurisdiction of the papal
court on the matter.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">He wanted it clear
any issues of the marriage would be considered by the church and king as true
heirs to their vast joint holdings.</span></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8rI2qU-NI/YD26cbxcMYI/AAAAAAAASzE/UUE1ym2zYFILODJQeFu1UpuJmHi3yPhqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s564/Randolph13.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="564" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJ8rI2qU-NI/YD26cbxcMYI/AAAAAAAASzE/UUE1ym2zYFILODJQeFu1UpuJmHi3yPhqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Randolph13.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span>Agnes’ amazing father died in
1332 at the Battle of Musselburg. </span><span>He didn't die in battle, but fell ill and died a short time later. </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> Randolph was on his way to repeal yet another attack by the
English. This time, it was Edward III
backing the exiled Edward Balliol in his attempt to claim the Scottish
crown. The latter was the son of John
Balliol—the man Edward’s grandfather made king of the Scots in 1292. Both of them were pressing the assertion that
Robert the Bruce had no true claim to the crown, that John was the last king of
Scotland, and thus Edward Balliol, his son, was the real monarch.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span>During these years, Agnes held
the important castle of Dunbar. She was
the eldest child of Randolph’s children by his wife Isabel Stuart of Bonkyll. Agnes was a strong, opinionated female, and
clearly had learned a lot from her resourceful father. She inherited her dark looks from her
handsome sire. Often called </span><span>"Black Annis" (a Scottish witch) or</span><span> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> “Black
Agnes”, historians immediately assume she was dark-complected, calling her
“swarthy”. However, in Scottish Clans
you will often see “black branch” and “red branch”, meaning the black line is
the elder son, while the red branch is the younger son, so I question if the
Scots calling her Black Agnes had more to do with the fact she was the eldest
of Randolph’s children. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">It must have chafed a
strong-willed Agnes that upon the death of her father, the title of earl of
Moray went to first her younger brother, instead of her. Thomas held the title for barely a year
before dying at the <i>Battle of Daupin</i>.
Then, it was handed to her second brother, John. Later on, after his demise, the title
reverted to the crown, but Agnes refused to accept that and added the Countess Moray
to her status. None dared challenge her
on this. Patrick began using the title as well. Her brother had married well to
Euphemia Ross; later, after his death she remarried to King Robert II of
Scotland. After Agnes’ death, Robert II
conferred the title officially to her nephew, George Dunbar (Isabella’s son)
since Agnes had no legitimate heirs. (This has been questioned and disputed by
historians, even to some listing George as their son).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Patrick was a good match in
ambition for Agnes. Sometime after 1331,
the Bishop of Durham complained to the Regency in Scotland
that the village of Upsettlington, on the Scottish side of the River
Tweed west of Norham, belonged to the See of Durham and <i>“not the earl
of Dunbar, who had seized it”. </i>Patrick
was not only a good fighter, but proved a savvy politician. Patrick was named as the Guardian of
Scotland, and upon his father-in-law’s death, replaced Randolph as regent for
Bruce’s young son, King David II.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Accounts differ about whether
Agnes and Patrick had and were survived by any children. That they didn’t seem to be confirmed since
their titles and inheritances passed to the children of the marriage between
Patrick's nephew and Agnes' sister. There is a claim (which doesn't square with
the way the earldom of Moray actually passed to the next generation),
suggesting that she did have a daughter, also called Agnes of Dunbar. In the years following, the other Agnes
became the mistress of David II, and preparations undertaken showed
she was his intended wife when he died in 1371.
Since Patrick was away so much, Agnes could have had a child by another
man, or possibly she was fostering the daughter of her sister, in Scottish
tradition. (One assertion is that Agnes
was Patrick’s daughter by his first wife—but even a small amount of research
invalidates that claim as the birth of this Agnes was after Patrick married
Randolph’s daughter).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5O85AwpsUP0/YD2wWPJ8SmI/AAAAAAAASyI/Xm2j_3Z89kUUnov7A5MUP4I7xk8PgaSWACLcBGAsYHQ/s794/Edward_III%252C_King_of_England.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5O85AwpsUP0/YD2wWPJ8SmI/AAAAAAAASyI/Xm2j_3Z89kUUnov7A5MUP4I7xk8PgaSWACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Edward_III%252C_King_of_England.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Edward III of England</span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-indent: 0in;">If Edward III had given up on his
schemes to place Edward Balliol on the throne of Scotland, Agnes Randolph’s
name would likely have faded from history, just as her mother-in-law’s
did. Only, Longshanks’ grandson had a
bee in his bonnet and was unwilling to give up on the crackedbrain plan. Patrick opposed Balliol in several battles
and skirmishes, following the <i>Battle of Dupplin Moor</i>. Thus, it appeared that his marriage to Agnes
kept him firmly anchored to the Scots’ side.
In January of 1333, he was appointed governor of Berwick Castle. His tenure in that position was short lived,
as the English forces compelled his surrender of the castle following the
Battle of Halidon Hill in July.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">To escape prison, Patrick bent
knee to the two Edwards, and was back on the English side. His presence is noted at the Scottish
parliament Edward Balliol held, in the role of the new king. No mention of Agnes being with her husband
was noted, so we may assume she was still at Dunbar and in charge of the
fortress. Balliol gave over the castles
Berwick, Dunbar, Roxburgh, and Edinburgh to Edward III as payment for his
help. Likely a furious Agnes was forced
to watch her husband destroy much of Dunbar Castle’s fortifications as part of
the agreement, rendering it useless to the Scottish forces. No sooner than the dismantling was
accomplished, Edward III contrarily changed his mind and demand Patrick rebuild
and refit Dunbar—and pay for all the refortifications out of his own
pocket. The castle wouldn’t be battle
ready again until late 1337. A change
in decision, which would soon come to haunt Edward III.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81HjM4dSCRc/YD2wqXEvp2I/AAAAAAAASyQ/oMp1LYQfRC8yMkwcTm8J3RrGJVO_z2bFACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/964951-1585663939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1653" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81HjM4dSCRc/YD2wqXEvp2I/AAAAAAAASyQ/oMp1LYQfRC8yMkwcTm8J3RrGJVO_z2bFACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/964951-1585663939.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Edward Balliol, King Edward of Scotland (for a time)</span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-indent: 0in;">At this stage, I am losing track
of the ping pong game of Patrick’s changing alliances. I’m sure Agnes was, too. He had given oath to the two Edwards, in
spite, he was still working for the Scottish crown. In 1335, when the King and Baliol made an
attack upon the Scots, the Earl Patrick cut off a body of English archers on
their return southward. Afterwards, he
assisted John Randolph, 3rd earl of Moray (his wife’s younger brother) and
Sir Alexander Ramsay in defeating the Count Namur at
the <i>Battle of Boroughmuir. </i>After
Namur’s surrender, John guaranteed the man’s safety and escorted him back to
the English—after all, the count was the cousin of the Queen of England. On the way, John fell into an ambush and was
taken prisoner. Patrick and Ramsay
barely escaped with their lives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AnR2Ma4PYHI/YEAGW7Ng-EI/AAAAAAAAS1E/gxyseaUGbe8ZopGm7Jlu0rVeormA4EMsACLcBGAsYHQ/s799/knight_beaten_medieval_battle2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="799" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AnR2Ma4PYHI/YEAGW7Ng-EI/AAAAAAAAS1E/gxyseaUGbe8ZopGm7Jlu0rVeormA4EMsACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h178/knight_beaten_medieval_battle2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">On 13<sup>th</sup> January 1338,
when Patrick Dunbar was away, the English, under William Montague, 1st earl of
Salisbury, laid siege to Dunbar Castle.
They made the mistake of assuming it would be an easy task since Lady
Dunbar was in residence with only her servants and a few guards. However, Agnes
was determined not to surrender the fortress, even though facing the English’s
vastly superior force of 20,000 men. Salisbury
must have been flabbergasted as Agnes tossed down her firm <i>No!</i> from the rampart
and answered the demand:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cDYCsaoYfo/YD2yD-jihAI/AAAAAAAASyY/WcNTTr7mLTgQwbCoEWHUtWxirgTjLuKyACLcBGAsYHQ/s242/images.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="208" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0cDYCsaoYfo/YD2yD-jihAI/AAAAAAAASyY/WcNTTr7mLTgQwbCoEWHUtWxirgTjLuKyACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/images.jpg" /></a><br />Coat of Arms for Earl Salisbury</span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">"Of
Scotland's King I haud my house, I pay him meat and fee, And I will keep my
gude auld house, while my house will keep me."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hZpNEdDdgk/YD2sPtTPbRI/AAAAAAAASxg/OpRmuXG2r84p-S_Brk65i4xvT1BLiIxegCLcBGAsYHQ/s846/Agnes%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bwall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hZpNEdDdgk/YD2sPtTPbRI/AAAAAAAASxg/OpRmuXG2r84p-S_Brk65i4xvT1BLiIxegCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/Agnes%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bwall.jpg" width="426" /></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Don’t you think Agnes was just a
tad upset? They had just finished
rebuilding the castle on Edward III’s command, and he turned around and decided
to lay siege to it? Clearly, Agnes was
not about to hand it over to Edward’s lackey, just to appease the king’s
current whim. Enough was enough! It appears she was caught unawares by the
attack. The castle guard had been
thinned, the Dunbar men off fighting with her husband, and since it was
midwinter, supplies were running low.
Agnes was not prepared to withstand a long siege, but withstand she
did. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ReMIdgymYlI/YDxnoIqohuI/AAAAAAAASxI/LgUUEruI4TECnpOL_xv2QyuZZZkRkFjJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w336-h400/Seige3.jpg" width="336" /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">When she refused to surrender the
castle, and the opening attacks were repelled, the Earl Salisbury called forth
siege engines, </span><i style="text-indent: 0in;">mangonels</i><span style="text-indent: 0in;">.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">He attempted to take the fortress by
catapulting huge boulders and lead shot against the ramparts.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Agnes met their efforts with disdain.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">When the English would finally break from
hurling stones for the day, she’d parade her ladies-in-waiting along the
ramparts and they would “dust” the castle wall with white kerchiefs. After a
couple weeks of this nonsense, the earl built a movable siege tower, called a
sow, meant to allow men to use a battering ram under a shelter, protecting them
from archers raining arrows down on them, or the defenders pouring boiling
pitch or oil on them.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Unflappable, Agnes
called out that Salisbury better take care of his <i>sow </i>or she would soon be
catching <i>“little English pigs” i</i>n her bailey.</span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">When the earl didn’t hesitate in
launching the machine, Agnes had boulders—the very ones the English had been
flinging into the castle—dropped over the ramparts from a crane and onto the
<i>sow</i>, crushing it. She, naturally,
shouted thanks to Salisbury for the ammunition he had supplied Dunbar. As the survivors scurried back to the English
line, Agnes launched another taunt with her indelicate wit: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><i>“…behold the litter
of English pigs scurrying!”</i> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="577" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jLDMuDfHhdc/YDxnz85NwWI/AAAAAAAASxM/Qf4uQchOcQIRCMnduy6gLRT7F6j16Z1jACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/sow.jpg" style="text-align: left;" /><br /><i>a Sow</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Her joyful
defiance seemed to infect the meager number of guards. One Dunbar archer drew down on Salisbury, but
deliberately hit the man next to him, and then yelled:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><i style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"> "There comes one of my lady's tire pins;
Agnes' love shafts go straight to the heart."</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Obviously, all the work Patrick
had done over the past three years to refortify Dunbar was well worth the coin
it cost.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">It was impossible for the
English to invest the castle.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Unable to
make any progress with the attacks, Salisbury switched to guile.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">He bribed a Scotsman, who guarded the
portcullis at the front of the castle.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Salisbury extracted a promise to leave the gate unsecure, so his troops
could descend upon the mighty gate and force their way inside the bailey before
alarm could be raised.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The earl must
have smirked when the man accepted the bribe, and a short time later the
portcullis creaked open.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">In true
careless fashion, the English troops charged the gate, with Salisbury in the
lead.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">One of his eager soldiery dashed
past him and through the entry first.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Shock filled them when the portcullis came crashing down, trapping the
eager Englishman on the Scottish side.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Salisbury just missed being captured by Agnes!</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">The gatekeep had accepted the bribe, but had
run straight to Agnes with the tale of what Salisbury wanted him to do.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">She had turned the tables and laid a trap for
the haughty earl.</span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">Sadly, she missed
taking him prisoner, but she couldn’t resist another of her stinging barbs:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"> "Farewell, Montague, I intended that you
should have supped with us, and assist us in defending the Castle against the
English."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--J8oF9bIL1k/YD2yVkIStiI/AAAAAAAASyg/ShXQcUck9JEJTZYyMdP_vo18o8QgRf72ACLcBGAsYHQ/s414/70692adeabe88ebd8dbeec609c77dfce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="236" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--J8oF9bIL1k/YD2yVkIStiI/AAAAAAAASyg/ShXQcUck9JEJTZYyMdP_vo18o8QgRf72ACLcBGAsYHQ/w365-h640/70692adeabe88ebd8dbeec609c77dfce.jpg" width="365" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span>Weeks dragged by, then months, and with Agnes getting the best of him at every turn, Salisbury’s patience was wearing thin. He had John Randolph, earl of Moray (Agnes’ youngest brother, and prisoner to the English since his capture) dragged before the castle walls, with a rope around his neck. Anges and John corresponded regularly during his imprisonment in a series of places--Bamburgh Castle, thence by York and Nottingham to Windsor, and from there was removed to Winchester, and finally to the Tower in irons. Thus Salisbury assumed she would give into a threat to his life. </span><span>The earl called out that unless she surrendered he would hang John before her very eyes. If he thought to crush Agnes’ spirit, he little understood Randolph’s daughter. She merely laughed and told him to go ahead and hang John, that he would be making her the new countess of Moray—a title that should have been hers in the first place. (Evidentially, the threat to kill John was nothing more than a bribe to get her to surrender. John wasn’t harmed, and later was released, only to die in six years at in the </span><i>Battle of Neville Cross. </i><i>(**In a side note, an odd quirk of fate saw John being exchanged for Salisbury in a prisoner trade. In 1341 Salisbury had been taken prisoner by the French, and they agreed to trade the earl for John Randolph. After the exchange the French released Moray, and he came straight back to Scotland to raise more hell.)</i></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Winter passed, then spring, and summer was
upon them. Salisbury knew the castle had
to be rationing food and water. So, he
turned his attention to the longer means of winning a siege—a blockade to
starve the castle out. He cut off all
roads, paid Genoese galleys to block the defenders from receiving support from
the sea, and stopping any communication with the outside world. Only Sir Alexander of Dalhousie (my 26th great-grandfather)—who had earned a reputation for being a constant thorn in
the English king's side—got wind of Agnes’ predicament. He left Edinburgh, and with forty men, moved
swiftly up the coast. Ramsay and his
small company approached the castle in the cover of night, and entered through
the postern gate from the sea. He
brought fresh troops, ready and eager to fight, and food for the people of
Dunbar. Salisbury, expecting a weakened
guard, launched another frontal assault on the castle. However, Ramsay rushed out with his hardened
troops, and pushed the startled Englishmen back all the way to their
encampment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Agnes had held Dunbar for nearly
five months. With Salisbury becoming a
laughing stock and no closer to forcing her surrender, on the 10th of June
1338, he threw up his hands and lifted the siege. The triumph of Agnes over the earl and 20,000
English men lives on in a poem by Sir Walter Scott, which put a rhyme in the
earl’s mouth…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">She
kept a stir in tower and trench<br />
That brawling, boisterous Scottish wench;<br />
Came I early, came I late,<br />
I found Agnes at the gate<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">The failed siege of Dunbar had
cost the English crown nearly 6,000 British pounds and gained nothing from it
but mockery. It seemed Edward III was no
more successful in subduing Scotland than his father and grandfather had
been. But Agnes, the heroine of the
Scots, had earned immortality in history with her valiant defiance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Agnes died in 1368 and was
buried at Mordington, at a church established and patronized by the
family.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Patrick died a few months later
in Crete, on route to the Holy Land.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Perhaps he did love his Agnes and was making the pilgrimage after losing
her.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Before leaving Scotland he had
arranged the security of the vast Moray and Dunbar estates. As his sons by his
first marriage preceded him in death, Agnes nephew (Patrick’s grandnephew),
George Dunbar, received Dunbar & March, Man and Annandale.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">John, the younger brother, was eventually
confirmed earl of Moray.</span></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica; text-indent: 0in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KP7pFm85T_4/YDxo6tL4ZkI/AAAAAAAASxY/m3zEiFUemwIN550OL_7urcJESVljrmcNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/church.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KP7pFm85T_4/YDxo6tL4ZkI/AAAAAAAASxY/m3zEiFUemwIN550OL_7urcJESVljrmcNgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/church.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Mordington Church</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">In a time of war, when Scotland was fighting for its life, Agnes gave the Scots
hope.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">She kept over 20,000 soldiers and siege
engines tied up for over five months.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">She saved her husband and her family from having to face that massive
army.</span><span style="text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">No telling how many lives she
saved, and quite possible saved the country from having to yield to English
rule.</span></div><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">George Dunbar must have inherited
the traits of the Randolph family, because he rose to become one of the most
powerful men in Scotland. But no one
wrote sagas and poems about him. They
even wrote a song about her.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Agnes-O-Dunbar/dp/B0065POAYG" target="_blank"><span><i><b>Black Agnes O'Dunbar</b></i></span></a> </span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iegJ5P2UEyU/YExhC89rM8I/AAAAAAAAS2Y/tf7PnnFGPwoN3Tg8Ik4E69E6mVa9uFIJACLcBGAsYHQ/s1896/Agnes%2BRandolph.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="1896" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iegJ5P2UEyU/YExhC89rM8I/AAAAAAAAS2Y/tf7PnnFGPwoN3Tg8Ik4E69E6mVa9uFIJACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h96/Agnes%2BRandolph.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhAlyqcy7Nk/YD3h3BGpl7I/AAAAAAAASzo/-7NYvr6iUMUPfW2hYUnJZvUfhHJnPpkKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1896/Patrick%2BDunbar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="1896" height="95" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhAlyqcy7Nk/YD3h3BGpl7I/AAAAAAAASzo/-7NYvr6iUMUPfW2hYUnJZvUfhHJnPpkKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h95/Patrick%2BDunbar.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xoXdNRP99ys/YD3lmdRvppI/AAAAAAAAS0E/oGoGVPkxZMUK73kXgoQBJ2LgjB510hEBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1899/Isbella.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1899" height="91" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xoXdNRP99ys/YD3lmdRvppI/AAAAAAAAS0E/oGoGVPkxZMUK73kXgoQBJ2LgjB510hEBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h91/Isbella.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkBKDSCoe2I/YD3iJ0nVNxI/AAAAAAAASz4/jim7Hh15TOwjJepsYUkYfoW7Qk3bLZCHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/Patrick2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="1898" height="88" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkBKDSCoe2I/YD3iJ0nVNxI/AAAAAAAASz4/jim7Hh15TOwjJepsYUkYfoW7Qk3bLZCHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h88/Patrick2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKmZ9x7rJIQ/YEl5ZzuxNJI/AAAAAAAAS1w/9hikLqrmWTwp-COO-fFKr_f21-JnPNMMACLcBGAsYHQ/s1905/Geilis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="1905" height="95" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKmZ9x7rJIQ/YEl5ZzuxNJI/AAAAAAAAS1w/9hikLqrmWTwp-COO-fFKr_f21-JnPNMMACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h95/Geilis.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQXyYkMt0JA/YEl5hL1My9I/AAAAAAAAS10/1VvinWJthQIRd-IN5prPRVjDxuGK8w20ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1890/John%2BDunbar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="1890" height="93" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQXyYkMt0JA/YEl5hL1My9I/AAAAAAAAS10/1VvinWJthQIRd-IN5prPRVjDxuGK8w20ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h93/John%2BDunbar.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7fs0JLJH7U/YD248c8iJXI/AAAAAAAASy0/BEzqe_KwQxc7QyV_nnkrqlM7o4zV-lnCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1902/Randolph.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="1902" height="94" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7fs0JLJH7U/YD248c8iJXI/AAAAAAAASy0/BEzqe_KwQxc7QyV_nnkrqlM7o4zV-lnCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h94/Randolph.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D17f5wAFqHQ/YD3lzuT0adI/AAAAAAAAS0I/61heK3vbQn8PP4pTzWqcpSYF1hAFEqRSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/Bruce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="1898" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D17f5wAFqHQ/YD3lzuT0adI/AAAAAAAAS0I/61heK3vbQn8PP4pTzWqcpSYF1hAFEqRSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h96/Bruce.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6P4YaMT88Q/YEJ2WqK4ixI/AAAAAAAAS1Q/NPbgTpw_G_0M1zbpPf31HWv1OTnF_8hgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/Alexander%2BRamsay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="1898" height="96" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6P4YaMT88Q/YEJ2WqK4ixI/AAAAAAAAS1Q/NPbgTpw_G_0M1zbpPf31HWv1OTnF_8hgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h96/Alexander%2BRamsay.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /><a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-tale-of-two-women-and-one-castle.html" target="_blank"><i>The Tales of Two Women and One Castle - The Ladies of Dunbar PART ONE</i></a><br /></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePic1vuqnAc/YD28uoGXQ9I/AAAAAAAASzY/db4tcmr0iUY9pRcaXIzlF5Icuq3zO1DaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1074/new%2Bheader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="1074" height="116" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ePic1vuqnAc/YD28uoGXQ9I/AAAAAAAASzY/db4tcmr0iUY9pRcaXIzlF5Icuq3zO1DaACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h116/new%2Bheader.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;">Deborah writes in the period of Robert the Bruce in her <i><span>Dragons of Challon </span></i>series</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbu2ntT5MRE/YEAEYU_19hI/AAAAAAAAS08/oHq2PyjjzXYUbnkPSvpHTMPXUWHOvlo9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1487/books%2Balone.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1487" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbu2ntT5MRE/YEAEYU_19hI/AAAAAAAAS08/oHq2PyjjzXYUbnkPSvpHTMPXUWHOvlo9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/books%2Balone.png" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-64062108945895203612021-05-10T16:25:00.000-07:002021-05-10T16:25:22.397-07:00A Tale of Two Women and One Castle – The Ladies of Dunbar - Part One<p> <b style="color: #783f04; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">A
Tale of Two Women and One Castle</span></i></b><i style="color: #783f04; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> – The Ladies of Dunbar - Part One</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHdZ4CfwKoU/YA5D8U0ApBI/AAAAAAAASvU/iYyaZphlydcMmoagIcQcPlEeJLWDHOWXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/Dunbar%2Bruins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="900" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHdZ4CfwKoU/YA5D8U0ApBI/AAAAAAAASvU/iYyaZphlydcMmoagIcQcPlEeJLWDHOWXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h223/Dunbar%2Bruins.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><i><br /><span>(Ruins of Castle Dunbar)</span></i></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><i><span><o:p> </o:p></span></i></span><span>I
had intended this blog to be about one castle and two valiant women.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>Only, these are ladies I have long admired, thus
I cannot keep their roles in history brief.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span>With an eye to showcasing each, I will present them in two parts.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>I think they have earned that.</span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">In In my second blog on women, famous or infamous ancestors, and how history can
shift the view on their roles in the past or ignore them, I will be talking
about two special women and one castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These women, both my direct ancestors, both valiantly defended their
castle, the same one—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Dunbar Castle</u></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a ruins today, Dunbar was one of the
strongest fortresses in all of Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Situated on a prominent position overlooking the harbor town of Dunbar
in East Lothian, this castle played a pivotal part in Scottish history throughout the medieval era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first woman held this
castle in a siege against the king of England—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and her own husband</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then,
nearly forty years later, another woman—countess of the same castle and
daughter-in-law of the first—held out against another siege by the English for
six months and won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These acts of
defiance earn one a near legend, while the other is all but forgotten by
historians.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">When
I got my first computer, I was amazed at the access to research online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of hands on investigations of days,
weeks, months of going to specific places to research documents (IF you were
permitted access), suddenly, you could do the same amount of work in a matter
of a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a researcher’s dream
come true!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No more “limited access” to
vital records because of their age, no expensive traveling, and no more time
drain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span>One
of the first projects I posted online was my research into Marjorie Comyn,
Countess of Dunbar and March (my 25<sup>th</sup> great-grandmother).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marjorie came from Scottish nobility on both
sides of her family. Daughter of Alexander Comyn, 2nd earl of
Buchan and </span><span style="text-decoration: none;">Elizabeth de Quincy</span><span>
(daughter of Sir Roger de Quincy, earl of Winchester), Marjorie married Cos<span>patrick Dunbar, 8th earl of Dunbar, 7<sup>th</sup> earl
of March (an ancient lineage going back to the original warrior kings of the
Scots)</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cospatrick carried the nickname<span> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Blackbeard
the Competitor"</i> for he was one of thirteen men vying for the crown of
the Scots in 1290, after the deaths of Alexander III and his only heir the Maid
of Norway.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndX2d4bq3PU/YA4s7oXOecI/AAAAAAAASuM/lEhSih-4J2kHsyN5GUi1uGxBxpnfUsT4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s255/comyn%2Barms.png" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndX2d4bq3PU/YA4s7oXOecI/AAAAAAAASuM/lEhSih-4J2kHsyN5GUi1uGxBxpnfUsT4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w173-h200/comyn%2Barms.png" width="173" /></a><br />(Crest of Clan Comyn)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span>Cospatrick's strongest opposition was from </span><span>Robert
the Bruce (King Robert I’s grandfather), John Balliol (who eventually won by
Edward Longshanks' decree) and <span>John "the
Black" Comyn, Lord of Badenoch</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All had direct lines going back to David, earl of Huntingdon, who had
been prince and heir to the crown, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">making
this basically a family dispute!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>These
challengers, having rather similar lineages, each claimed they held the right
to rule Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the vacuum of no
clear path to crowning a monarch, King Edward declared himself “overlord” to
Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The contenders yielded to him
on this point, each hoping he would then back their bid to be Scotland’s new
king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without realizing the enormity and
future repercussions of the move, they made the error of going to Edward and
laying their claims before his consideration, asking him to be the judge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKZ9Ao2Pktk/YA4tW0PnGcI/AAAAAAAASuY/-k-sS6GI-WwxvcxKIBtgeSX6fvqShwTSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/dunbar_coa_large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKZ9Ao2Pktk/YA4tW0PnGcI/AAAAAAAASuY/-k-sS6GI-WwxvcxKIBtgeSX6fvqShwTSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w135-h200/dunbar_coa_large.jpg" width="135" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><i>(Crest of Dunbar)</i></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span>Edward
was considered a great legal mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many
of the legal reforms that are still used today originated with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he might have loved the legal system,
he had one single focus above all: uniting the kingdoms of England, Scotland,
Wales and Ireland—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and France</i>—under
one crown—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Scots nobles deferred to Edward to
rule who should be king of the Scots, Edward seized the opportunity to flex
that power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, Edward chose
John Balliol. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Black Comyn and John
Balliol were both trying to snatch the crown, but they were also close kinsmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being of an incisive mind, Edward knew Black
Comyn was no man to be controlled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To further
his own aims, Edward thought by choosing Balliol he could unite the majority of
Scotland behind King John, after all Clan Comyn was one of the most powerful
clans in the Highlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Balliol proved
as malleable as Edward assumed, and he ended up bending knee to Edward as his overlord.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the nobles thought this would be the
end to the question of who ruled Scotland, they soon learned the English
monarch had other ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used every
excuse to yank on the puppet strings attached to Balliol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span>Edward's excessive
demands for men and money to support the upcoming war with France placed the new
Scottish king in an impossible position. Balliol was left with little choice
but to rebel, and to seek an agreement to a mutual defense pact with
France.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward Longshanks'</span><span>
machinations and deliberate humiliations of King John would push the barons to
finally say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enough!</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Balliol—prodded by the Comyns—found spine enough
to defy Edward (likely what the king of England wanted to happen all along,
thus giving him the excuse to invade Scotland).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both Robert Bruce “the Competitor” and Cospatrick sought to curry favor
with the English King, each thinking to offer themselves as a replacement for
Balliol. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">In
this swirling toxic mix of political strife, Marjorie’s marriage only complicated
matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her father was
Alexander Comyn, <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">6th earl of Buchan, both he </span>and
her brother wanted the crown for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since the men were close kin to Balliol, they eventually backed his
claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the man she married, Cospatrick earl of Dunbar and March, was also a contender, and he was not
letting go of his ambition to be king so easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He rode at Edward’s side when the king of
England came northward with his army of 10,000 infantry and 1000 heavy-horse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span>Marjorie
stood on the curtain wall, waving <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bye bye</i>
to her lord husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There in the spring
of 1296, she was now commander of a fortress smack in the middle of the English
army and the Scottish army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her husband
was in charge of part of the English forces under Balliol’s father-in-law </span><span>John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span>Her brother and uncle,
and a slew of cousins, were commanders in Balliol’s army.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WW00RhqL_no/YA45i9cbsvI/AAAAAAAASvI/yY07BZVvKisiF-B2KDyhHrEPt_bkEsXgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Marjorie%2BComyn%2Bpic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="577" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WW00RhqL_no/YA45i9cbsvI/AAAAAAAASvI/yY07BZVvKisiF-B2KDyhHrEPt_bkEsXgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h400/Marjorie%2BComyn%2Bpic.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">I
suppose Cospatrick chauvinistically assumed his lady wife would abide by his
decision to side with Edward Longshanks, and carry out his wishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He failed to consider his wife was a true
Scots lass, bred to think and act on her own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was Marjorie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Comyn</i>, after
all, not Marjorie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dunbar</i>, in the
tradition of Scottish females keeping their maiden name, instead of assuming
their husband’s surname.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
horrible sacking of Castle Berwick, where three days of killing left the town
filled with thousands of dead Scots—men, women and children—word spread like
wildfire throughout the Highlands. Marjorie was determined her people would not
suffer a similar fate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">In
Medieval times, women often were in charge of fortresses and castles while
their husbands went off to war or the Crusades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They had to deal with getting crops out, and harvesting them so their
people had food enough for the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were responsible for commanding the fortress troops to keep their
people safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to deal law locally,
maintain the peace, and manage with taxes and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The portrait of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">damsel in distress</i>, waving her kerchief from the castle bastion and
waiting for a valiant knight to save her, was as much a myth back then as it is
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women had to be capable, self-reliant,
politically savvy, able to command soldiers and have a just mind to deal with
day-to-day grievances of her vassals and villeins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that in mind, I’m not certain why
Cospatrick failed to heed what his wife’s reaction would be to his presence at
Edward’s side when Berwick was slaughtered—especially when she knew those same
troops would soon fight her family, her clan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cospatrick intended she hold the castle against the Scots—her brothers, uncle
and cousins—until Edward came with his army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There they would rest and refit before the battle brewing nearby.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span>April
1296 found Cospatrick in Berwick, a town littered with thousands of rotting
corpses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward had commanded the
defeated citizens rot in place as a warning to the Scots of what happened to a
town when they defied the mighty king of England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cospatrick was attending the council of war
convened by Edward when tides came that Marjorie had handed over his castle to
her brother, John Comyn of Buchan. One can imagine how Cospatrick felt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lived in a strange mix of fear and awe of
Edward Plantagenet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward’s view on
women was well known. Here, Cospatrick was hoping to curry favor with the
king, on the chance Edward would put the crown of Scotland on his head, to that
goal, he had pledged Dunbar Castle for Edward’s forward base of operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The castle was vital to Edward’s plans since
it lay on the road that went straight to Edinburgh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, the rug was yanked from beneath his
feet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His lady wife had defied him and
was supporting the Scottish forces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
sure Cospatrick knew his chance of ever being king of the Scots died with the
news of Marjorie’s defiance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward was
forced to change his plans and send John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey, and
William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick (the latter a veteran of Edward’s
campaigns in Wales) northward with the express purpose of retaking the castle. On the 25<sup>th</sup> of April, one-third of Edward’s force marched out of Berwick
with a brigade of 400 heavy cavalry and 4500 infantry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">Can
you imagine the embarrassment of the mighty earl of Dunbar and March?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man who dreamt of being king of Scotland, and
seeing that objective within grasp only to learn his lady wife was destroying his
ambition—not only defying him, but defying his king?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward demanded the castle taken before the
coming battle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marjorie refused to yield. The troops had
arrived late in the day on April 26<sup>th</sup>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward Longshanks and her husband were forced
to deal with being locked out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already
undermanned due to her husband stripping the fortress of men to fight for
Edward, Marjorie used her disobedience to buy time to get her people out by the
sea. Edward ordered Cospatrick to retake his own castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was impatient to see the deed done before
they engaged the Scottish army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="777" height="297" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21xCtWYIaKI/YA5EhpvyCNI/AAAAAAAASvc/kkt5_eCxEkcp_xx9WpN4LCEQjuJI6tD3QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h297/dunbar%2Bcastle.jpg" width="400" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /><i>(Dunbar Castle 1296)</i></span></div><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><span>I
suppose her brother and uncle hoped to catch the English in the midst of
trying to take the castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the sunny,
but cold spring morn of the 27<sup>th</sup>, the</span><span> Scottish host was camped near Doon
Hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comyn, Lord Badenoch could easily
see Warenne’s army, marching on the road to Spott Village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dust raised by the men and horses would have
signaled where the English forces were a mile away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Comyns were confident in their numbers,
but failed to take into account they lacked heavy horse, archers, and their
infantry was hardly more than farmers with pitchforks and axes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compared to well-seasoned warriors and shock
troops in the English army, doom rode on the horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scots didn’t stand a chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comyn’s single plan of battle was a full
frontal attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole battle was
over in less than an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hundreds —<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">thousands, if you believe some English
historians</i>—of Scots lay dead on the battlefield, and nearly all of Scottish
nobility was taken prisoner to be sent south for trial.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26BFNAr3d2o/YA5FGGnBnsI/AAAAAAAASvk/5G-AfMKo8SA08zxFt-Vuou8wuQ3eTkz2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/dunbar%2Bbattle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="900" height="301" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26BFNAr3d2o/YA5FGGnBnsI/AAAAAAAASvk/5G-AfMKo8SA08zxFt-Vuou8wuQ3eTkz2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h301/dunbar%2Bbattle.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><i>(Battle of Dunbar 1296)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>That left Edward to
turn his attention back to Dunbar castle.
</span><span>Some sources say the castle just surrendered when Edward rode
up to the gates after the battle had been won. However, his exchequer receipts hint at a
different story. Edward paid for “repairs, restocking and refitting” and for
the English troops to remain behind and secure the castle. Since Edward was a pinchpenny, it is doubtful
he would have paid such large sums had the fortress not been severely damage during
the retaking.</span></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">There
are only a few references to the storming of the castle, and even less about Marjorie’s
fate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great Scottish author Nigel Tranter
featured the Dunbars heavily in several of his novels, and even made mention of
Marjorie’s defiance in his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scottish
Castles: Tales and Traditions</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still,
he made no mention of her fate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was honored
to develop a bit of email correspondence with him on the topic, just before his
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was just learning the internet,
still puzzled by it, and said it might take time to answer my questions about
Marjorie’s fate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, he died before
he could reply with his thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IWWvdOuf3xE/YA5MECsPVaI/AAAAAAAASvw/E-DyX2Vs__0Stjn5rdl3QvIK-CwZNAE1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/dunbar%2Bseige.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1100" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IWWvdOuf3xE/YA5MECsPVaI/AAAAAAAASvw/E-DyX2Vs__0Stjn5rdl3QvIK-CwZNAE1QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h246/dunbar%2Bseige.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Through
the years, I met Scottish historians who traveled in my grandfather’s circle.
The “lit test” I used to weed out people, who truly </span><i style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">knew</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> their history from the ones that just repeated the works of
others, was by posing this: </span><i style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">“What
happened to Marjorie Comyn, Countess of Dunbar and March</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">in 1296?</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">”. Sadly, most never tried to
follow up with an answer.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">One came to me
at a party and said Marjorie went back north to Clan Comyn and died in
1308.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I busted that bubble.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">That was Marjorie’s daughter—Margaret, also
called Marjorie—who was a teen at the time.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Historians keep getting all the Cospatricks/Patricks and Marjorie/Marjorys
mixed up.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Her daughter did escape and go
back to Clan Comyn and lived a long life, marrying William Douglas, earl of
Douglas.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Another man, a professor of
Scottish History—emailed me with a photocopy of a record, retelling of her
death, recorded 1286.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">No.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">That is incorrect.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Since Marjorie was holding the castle against
her husband and his king in 1296, she could hardly have been dead 10 years earlier.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I pointed out how similar an 8 and 9 could
look when done by a hand using pen and ink.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I even had one tell me she was alive and signed the Ragman Roll in
August 1296.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">There is only one name for
Dunbar and March.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; text-align: left;">Patricio de Dunbar et Marchia</i><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I was never certain if he was outright lying, trying to trip me up for
not knowing who was on the document, or he was just running a bluff, hoping I
would defer and not call him on it.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Cospatrick
did die in 1308, so I think some just ascribe the date to Marjorie, too.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">I even had one tell me she died in 1358 and he
had her bearing children in her late 60s.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes; text-align: left;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;">Humm…no….lol.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/instrumentapublica00thomuoft/page/16/mode/2up?q=Dunbar" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="1277" height="125" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikJNUaHioS0/YA4t5wAKiTI/AAAAAAAASug/9V48Cwy0Unofhsw4FvQ-ObxQsWa_eRH6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h125/Patrick%2BRR.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><i>(List of Names in Ragman Roll showing only Cospatrick of Dunbar and March)</i></span></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">It
was always my contention she died either in the siege of the castle or sometime
shortly thereafter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make reference to
Marjorie’s defiance and the question of her fate in my first novel, <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Restless Knight</i>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amazon.com/Restless-Knight-Dragons-Challon/dp/154856172X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=A+Restless+Knight&qid=1611590590&sr=8-1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RU1FzGLseTw/YA4q4-nuYpI/AAAAAAAASt0/dXhPj53-rWA-Ox48R9MHD_ceAWytKT7ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ARKPRP000.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">“What
shame for Cospatrick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He curries favor
at the English’s side, thinking Edward might consider him as the next king of
the Scots, whilst the Lady Marjorie commands Castle Dunbar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She be a Comyn born and bred, daughter to
Buchan.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">“Aye,
she sided with her brother and father, turning the castle over to the
Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Battle took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though outnumbered three times over,
Warenne’s troops are battle-hardened horsemen, veterans from campaigns in Wales
and Flanders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They held and repulsed the
Scots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, the Scots
crumbled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edward ordered Cospatrick to
invest Castle Dunbar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The castle
fell...”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">“And
the Lady Marjorie?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">He
hoped Tamlyn would not empathize too strongly with Marjorie Comyn, Lady
Dunbar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No one knows for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of Dunbar’s people escaped, using
tunnels to the sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly, she
slipped out with them, and has returned north to the Comyn stronghold in the
Highlands.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">Tamlyn
shivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Or she was in the castle when
it was stormed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many mislike the Earl
Dunbar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His persecution of True Thomas
be nigh well legend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pride wouldst not
stand the disgrace of his countess handing his castle over to her kin.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span><o:p><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-pagination: none;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Great strides are being made since the internet to reexamine
and correct bad history.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">For centuries,
and in the movie </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Braveheart</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, William Wallace’s father was named as
Malcolm Wallace.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Just recently, they
turned over Wallace’s great seal from when he was Guardian of Scotland, and
lo!—was </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">“William Wallace son of <b>Alan </b>Wallace”</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">All these years they had it wrong!</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">To my excitement, in the past few years, I am
finally seeing sources listing Marjorie’s death as 29</span><sup style="font-family: georgia;">th</sup><span style="font-family: georgia;"> April, 1296 and
at Dunbar Castle, Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The battle of Dunbar was on the 27</span><sup style="font-family: georgia;">th</sup><span style="font-family: georgia;">,
two days before.</span><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This new information
fits with my long held belief that Marjorie died either defending her castle
and people, or was killed afterward, and her death hushed up because it would
have been a rallying cry for Clan Comyn.</span></span></div><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">She was a valiant lady who defended and saved many of her people, who did make
it northward to Clan Comyn because of her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She defied a husband and a king—and likely died for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now history largely has erased her heroic
effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a true brave heart! She was forty-years-old when she died.</div><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-pagination: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0F9ieCvk0QE/YA4uQLdJvyI/AAAAAAAASuo/jwCpoz3BM_ISGHlOUATF2OOoS-hrYUC8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s582/Dunbar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="557" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0F9ieCvk0QE/YA4uQLdJvyI/AAAAAAAASuo/jwCpoz3BM_ISGHlOUATF2OOoS-hrYUC8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Dunbar.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-pagination: none;"><i><span><span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: georgia;">In Part two of The Ladies of
Dunbar, I will tell you of another countess of Dunbar—daughter-in-law of
Marjorie, who was just as stubborn and savvy, who once again held the castle
against the English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So until next
month, I will leave you with the Dunbar motto “In Promptu”, which means “In
Readiness”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do believe Marjorie did
those words honor.</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Your
knight in shining armor is waiting to tell his exciting story in this new
boxed-set release from Prairie Rose Publications! <b>ONE PERFECT KNIGHT</b> is
a fantastic collection of <b>SIX</b> full book-length tales of beautiful medieval
ladies and their dangerous men as they discover the magic of love! These exciting
stories are sure to capture your imagination as you travel back in time to
those romantic days of knights and ladies in medieval times! Handsome warriors,
valiant knights, or valorous common men of the day—all will meet their matches
with the daring and unusual women they happen to fall in love with, and you
won’t want to put this boxed set down until you’ve read the very last story!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Authors
Deborah Macgillivray, Lindsay Townsend, Cynthia Breeding, Linda Swift, Keena
Kincaid, and Livia J. Washburn spin six incredible novel-length love stories
filled with danger, excitement, and romance that will keep you turning page
after incredible page until the very end. What could be better than <b>ONE</b> <b>PERFECT</b>
<b>KNIGHT</b>? How about <b>six</b> fabulous stories of knights, warriors, and noblemen
who want nothing more than to live happily ever after—in love—with the women in
their lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">A
RESTLESS KNIGHT—DEBORAH MACGILLIVRAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Had the
music stopped, or had she just ceased to hear it? All she could do was stare
into the dragon green eyes. Drown in them. This man was her destiny. Nothing
else mattered. Lost in the power, Tamlyn was not aware of the hundreds of other
people around them or their celebrating. To her, the world stood still,
narrowed, until there was nothing but the star-filled night. And Challon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">THE
SNOW BRIDE—LINDSAY TOWNSEND<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Beautiful
Elfrida is the witch of the woods, and no man dares to ask for her hand in
marriage until a beast comes stalking brides and steals away her sister.
Desperate, Elfrida offers herself as a sacrifice, and is seized by a man with
fearful scars. Is he the beast—or will he save her, as well as the other young
women who have disappeared? Sir Magnus, battle-hardened knight of the Crusades,
has finished with love, until he rescues a fourth 'bride', the red-haired
Elfrida, whose touch ignites a fierce passion that satisfies his deepest
yearnings and darkest desires.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">CAMELOT’S
DESTINY—CYNTHIA BREEDING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
legend of Camelot is born and, with it, bold passions and forbidden desire. Fiery-tempered
Gwenhwyfar is chosen by Arthur to be his wife and queen… Seared by the
forbidden kiss of Arthur’s most-trusted warrior, Lancelot, Gwenhwyfar is swept
into a world of passion, torn by loyalty and love to a husband who betrays her
and a man she cannot have. But in a time where good and evil clash, where magic
and chivalry reign, love will prove a weapon as powerful as any sword.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">MISTRESS
OF HUNTLEIGH HALL—LINDA SWIFT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wait for
me… Malcolm Gray asks only one thing of Alice Wykeham when he goes to sea. But
ten long years go by, and Alice is forced to marry an elderly lord who is eager
to claim her dowry. Malcolm has been shipwrecked and severely injured, but when
he heals, he remains nearby in disguise, too late to claim his true love. When
Alice discovers the lord is involved in a treasonous plan to overthrow the
king, she must do something—it could be the death of her, along with Malcolm,
the only man she will ever love…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ART
OF LOVE—KEENA KINCAID<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Abigail
d'Alene has been in love with learning all her life, and she now has the means
to indulge in her passion. Disguised as a boy, she heads to Paris and the abbey
schools that will one day change the world. Shocked by the ineptitude of her
masquerade, Alain of Huntly Woods takes Abigail under his protection until she
recovers her senses. But her audacity and intelligence spark unexpected passion.
When Alain discovers Abigail's uncle plots against the English king, Alain must
choose between protecting his king or the woman he loves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ALURA’S
WISH—LIVIA J. WASHBURN<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In the fire
opals of an ancient treasure live two djinn. Once freed from the stones, these
immortal spirits will serve this master's commands. But these djinn also have
another purpose—to bring the wearer a true and lasting love… Can a reluctant
bride find unexpected happiness with the dark knight, Sir Connor Warrick, she
agrees to marry for the sake of honor and duty? The brilliant opals of the
exquisite slave bracelet unlock a magic unlike any Lady Alura has ever
imagined…and a love more rare than any jewel…<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri148b50fVI/X8wkrWDkI9I/AAAAAAAASlE/vCn2GTQoeoU3Zargj7SuLhwLhQUEZyTAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/One%2BPerfect%2BKnight%2BBox%2BSet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="841" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ri148b50fVI/X8wkrWDkI9I/AAAAAAAASlE/vCn2GTQoeoU3Zargj7SuLhwLhQUEZyTAACLcBGAsYHQ/w329-h400/One%2BPerfect%2BKnight%2BBox%2BSet.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just a note for my readers -- this version of A Restless Knight is the expanded version for Prairie Rose Publications. A chance for people familiar with Kensington version to read the longer saga.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-18827684095095493042020-02-07T23:43:00.004-08:002020-02-07T23:43:39.742-08:00Remembering a dear friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYkHHFcgtFE/Xj5U9uynukI/AAAAAAAASbM/2FzJojvnzE8yg745sBUNa86vlUqVNpNMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/85040574_10157577956665709_5450659002973159424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="960" height="322" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYkHHFcgtFE/Xj5U9uynukI/AAAAAAAASbM/2FzJojvnzE8yg745sBUNa86vlUqVNpNMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/85040574_10157577956665709_5450659002973159424_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Hard to believe Dawn has been gone twelves years. I miss her and her caustic NY humor, I miss discussions on books, television shows, and memories. But she left me her sister Candy...so I have a bit of Dawn still. I hear in the way the giggle, or phrases they say. The stubbornness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Still keeping my promise, Dawn.</span></div>
<br />Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-45999462637974861392020-02-07T15:11:00.000-08:002020-02-07T15:16:03.316-08:00Book review: One Snowy Knight by Deborah Macgillivray<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="color: #741b47;">Book review: One Snowy Knight by Deborah Macgillivray</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">Beautiful Skena MacIain, Lady of Craigendan, is on the verge of losing everything she holds dear. With her husband killed at the battle of Dunbar, and the men of Craigendan slain or captured, her small holding is protected by only the women, young boys, and old men who are left. A neighboring chieftain has set his sights on Skena, and she fears that he’ll take Craigendan by force during this coming Yuletide season. Skena needs a miracle, a wish-come-true granted by Cailleach, the Lady of Winter…but things are never so easy as just making a wish…</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">When Skena’s young son and daughter find a wounded knight in a blinding snowstorm, she fights against the hope she begins to feel. They’ve wished for a protector—but can Noel de Servian be that man? As Skena nurses the handsome warrior back to health, even she begins to believe he might be the salvation for her little keep…and more, he might hold the key to her heart. In a season of joy, Skena soon learns he carries a dark secret that could shake her home—and her heart—to the very core...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">Give me a knight in battle-scarred armor with a dream he refuses to give up, and I'll be his damsel.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">There is so much going on from the first pages of the story, you can feel the overwhelming burden that lays on Skena's shoulders and empathize with her struggles to keep hold of her dreams and desires. However, just like any true warrior woman, despite the mounting struggles, she refused to give up and give in. I adored her as a mother, and melted with her as she fell for her knight, and identified with her as a strong woman.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">Noel de Servian survived years of war clinging to his humanity and future wishes, only to find his own weighty burden from the last battle may destroy all he clings to. However, just like any true warrior, the moment he sees the opportunity presented before him, he goes above and beyond to lay claim to his reward of family and home and peace. I loved his confidence in claiming Skena and her children, and his powerful desire to protect and provide for them... no matter the enemy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">So much was happening in the story with all the adventure, adversaries, worries, and intrigue, but through it all you could also clearly discern Noel and Skena's deep desire grow beyond their instant attraction and solidify into something strong and beautiful. All the trials served their purpose, to meld the two together stronger than before. Noel loving on Skena's children was also shown in a variety of ways that left little doubt just where he stood with them, and it's always heart melting to see a big strong man be gentle with little ones. Another thing that stood out to me was the family bonds with the Challon men. Brotherhood like theirs was something unique, and they cherished and nurtured it like the treasure it is.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">I savored my time back in Scotland with the Dragons of Challon and I'm looking forward to discovering who's story is up next. In the mean time, I have some novellas to check out.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;">Purchase links:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/38MqUU1" target="_blank">Kindle</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/2vq0EQT" target="_blank">Trade Paperback</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="post-author vcard" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1em;">Posted by <span class="fn" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="g-profile" data-gapiattached="true" data-gapiscan="true" data-onload="true" href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/06010199255345919837" rel="author" title="author profile"><span itemprop="name">Michelle R</span> </a></span></span><span class="post-timestamp" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;">at <a class="timestamp-link" href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/2020/01/book-review-one-snowy-knight-by-deborah.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" itemprop="datePublished" style="border: none;" title="2020-01-26T03:00:00-06:00">3:00 AM</abbr></a> </span><span class="reaction-buttons" style="margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="post-comment-link" style="margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="post-backlinks post-comment-link" style="margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="post-icons" style="margin-right: 1em;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="post-labels" style="color: #741b47; font-size: xx-small; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;">Labels: <a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/search/label/%23medievalromance" rel="tag">#medievalromance</a>, <a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/search/label/book%20reviews" rel="tag">book reviews</a>, <a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/search/label/Deborah%20Macgillivray" rel="tag">Deborah Macgillivray</a>, <a href="https://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com/search/label/Dragons%20of%20Challon" rel="tag">Dragons of Challon</a></span></div>
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Deborah Macgillivrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15871266987559473741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5930218470096447390.post-2554128564193662862020-02-07T14:33:00.000-08:002020-02-07T14:55:08.749-08:00Prairie Rose Sweetheart of a Deal—Free Books<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helveticaneue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;">Check out this three day Free spree! My book<i> A Restless Knight</i>, Book 1 of the <i>Dragons of Challon™ </i>series.<br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f4cccc;"><a href="http://prairie-rose-sweetheart-of-dealfree.html/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> Prairie Rose Publications</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGN97UBsJEY/WWYgQ8rWZWI/AAAAAAAAC4g/bLBq6ETgAfQeNU8tMIgBNSp7XA6nkOqDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/A%2BRestless%2BKnight%2BMacgillivray%2BWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #cc6666; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGN97UBsJEY/WWYgQ8rWZWI/AAAAAAAAC4g/bLBq6ETgAfQeNU8tMIgBNSp7XA6nkOqDgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/A%2BRestless%2BKnight%2BMacgillivray%2BWeb.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helveticaneue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f4cccc; font-size: large;"><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Had the music stopped, or had she just ceased to hear it? All she could do was stare into the dragon green eyes. Drown in them. This man was her destiny. Nothing else mattered. He removed the netting from her grasp and then dropped it.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Shaking, Challon took her face in both hands. The hunger in his eyes rippled, tangible. So strong, it nearly robbed her of breath. With a need, tempered with reverence, he took her mouth with his. Lightly at first. Then deeper, more desperate, more demanding. The primitive male desire to mate unleashed. Beneath it all was his need for her—in ways she knew he did not begin to understand.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">She smiled. He would.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Lost in the power, Tamlyn was not aware of the hundreds of other people around them or their celebrating. To her, the world stood still, narrowed, until there was nothing but the star-filled night.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">And Challon.</span><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">“Deborah writes as if she’s been in Medieval Scotland and can somehow, magically, take you back there with her to stand amidst the heather and mist of another time. This is breathtakingly beautiful, award caliber writing.” — New York Times bestselling author, Lynsay Sands.</span></span></span><br />
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