House Brus and their successors at
Skelton and Kilton
The baronial Yorkshire family from
whom Scottish Kings would derive and who dominated the early history of our
later Cleveland home
The surname
Bruce comes from the French de Brus or de Bruis, derived from the lands now
called Brix in Normandy, France.
There have been suggestions that an earlier ancestor, Robert
de Brix, served under William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest and
suppressed the northern rebellions during the harrying of
the north. It is now thought that this came from the evidence of unreliable lists
compiled in the later Middle Ages.
For most of
the two centuries prior to Robert Bruce’s accession to the kingship of the
Scots in 1306, the family was among the foremost of those many baronial houses
which held lands on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border, the ’cross-border
lords’ whose presence contributed in no small measure to stability of the
region and cohesion between the two kingdoms.
Both the
English and Scottish lines of the Brus family descend from Robert de Brus, 1st
Lord of Annandale who came to England in 1106 after Henry I’s campaign in
Normandy.
House
Bruce
Robert de
Brus, First Lord of Skelton and Cleveland, First Lord of Annandale (c1078 to 1141)
Lord of
Skelton and Cleveland, c1107 to 1141; Lord of Annandale, 1124 to 1138
Robert’s
parentage is uncertain. On his death his first son Adam gave churches founded
by an Adam de Bruis in the fief of Brix in Normandy, to the abbey of Saint
Saviour le Vicomte. This grant was later confirmed by a Peter, son of William
the forester de Bruis. William is assumed to be Robert’s younger brother, and
Peter his nephew.
Robert
married Agnes, possibly Agnes de Pagnall, daughter of Foulques de Pagnall of
Carleton, North Yorkshire, or Agnes de Bainard, daughter of Geoffrey de
Bainard, Sheriff of York. Their children were Adam I de Brus, eldest son and
heir who was heir under English feudal law to all the English estates; Robert
II de Brus, the younger son, upon whom his father had settled the Scottish
Lordship of Annandale, plus several wheat-producing ploughlands at Skelton; and
Agatha de Brus, married Ralph FitzRibald of Middleham.
Henry I defeated his elder brother and rival Robert Curthose
at the Battle of Tinchebrai in Normandy in 1106. After his victory Henry visited York and Pickering. Henry I redistributed land from
Robert Curtose’s supporters, including Robert de Stuteville to his new men, including Nigel
d’Albini, ancestor of the Mowbray family and Robert de Brus.
From 1109 to 1114, he appears in
early charters in possession of a large number of manors and lands in
Yorkshire. He appears in the Lindsey Survey made 1115–1118 in possession of
even further lands. There is a strong presumption that the King had given
Robert his Yorkshire fee soon after the battle of Tinchebrai. He was probably
given about 80 manors in Yorkshire. This included a large fiefdom in Cleveland.
It was probably he who built the castles at Yarm, Skelton and Danby.
The Bruce family thus came to hold
large estates based on Skelton, Danby and in Kildale.
In 1119,
Robert founded the Augustinian priory of St Mary at Guisborough. It became one of the richest monastic
foundations in England with grants from the crown and bequests from de Brus,
other nobles and gentry and local people.
Robert was
present at the gathering of northern magnates at Durham in 1121, and sometime
during the period 1124–1130 he was with the King at Brampton. In about 1131 he
attested with three of his personal knights a confirmation with Alan de Percy
to the monks of Whitby.
Robert was a
friend of David FitzMalcolm (who would become King David I of Scotland in
1124), who seems to have been a military companion in the Cotentin Peninsula of
Normandy, and who he seems to have known by 1120, through Henry's Court. In
1124 he followed David north to reclaim his kingdom.
When David
became King in 1124, he gave the Lordship of Annandale to his military
companion and friend. It doesn’t seem that he ever lived on his Scottish
estates.
In 1125
“Robertus de Brus” donated property to St Mary’s, York
by charter.
Robert fell out with David and he
bitterly renounced his homage to David before taking the English side at the
Battle of the Standard in 1138.
Before the battle, Robert made an
impassioned plea to David, calling to his remembrance how he and other Normans
had by their influence in Scotland, as far back as 1107, obliged King Alexander
to give a part of the Scottish Kingdom to his brother David.
The appeal was rejected. Robert, and
his eldest son Adam, joined the English army, while his younger son, Robert,
hoping to recover his Scottish inheritance, fought for David
At the Battle of the Standard in 1138
he took prisoner his own son, Robert, who had become Lord of the lands of
Annandale.
Robert de
Brus died on 11 May 1141 at Skelton
Castle. As the founder of Guisborough Priory, he was buried inside the church,
in the place of honour between the Canon’s stalls in the Quire. Priory
histories record his death and his burial there. He was survived by his wife
Agnes, and his children. Robert’s son, Adam de Brus, Second Lord of Skelton,
would be buried there in 1143, and his son Robert, Second Lord of Annandale,
would be buried there after his death in 1194. Both the Scottish and English
sides of the family would be laid to rest there, the last being Robert de Brus,
Fifth Lord of Annandale in 1295. Eventually a great Cenotaph would be placed
there honouring the Brus Family and commemorating its most famous descendant
King Robert Bruce (Brus) of Scotland
The elder de
Brus' allegiances were compromised when David I invaded England in the later
1130s, and he had renounced his fealty to David before the Battle of the
Standard in 1138. The younger Robert however remained loyal and took over his
father's land in Scotland, whilst the English territories remained with the
elder Robert and passed to the latter's elder son Adam de Brus, 2nd Lord of
Skelton. Bruce family tradition has it that Robert II was captured by his
father at the battle and given over to King Stephen of England.
Adam I de
Brus, Second Lord of Skelton and Cleveland (1105 to 1143)
Lord of Skelton and Cleveland, 1141 to 1143
Adam I de Brus, was the eldest son of Robert de Brus I.
Adam married to Agnes, the daughter of Stephen, the Earl of Albemarle, and the sister of William, called ‘Le gros’ under whom Adam had fought at the Battle of the Standard.. They had a son, Adam and a daughter Agatha.
Adam I
fought alongside his father at the Battle of the Standard.
He married
Joanna de Meschines. They had a son also called Adam, whose who continued the
Skelton line. They also had a daughter Isabel who married Henry de Percy, son
of Joscelin of Louvain, and became the ancestress of all the Percy Earls and
Dukes of Northumberland.
All the
English estates passed to him in 1141. However, he only survived his father by
22 months.
Robert II
de Brus, Second Lord of Annandale (c1120 to c1194)
Lord of Annandale, 1138 to 1194
Annandale
was restored to Robert de Brus II.
There is a
legend that in the 1140s, Robert II was visited at Annan by St Malachy. St
Malachy asked Robert to pardon a thief, but Robert hanged him anyway, and for
this the River Annan destroyed part of his castle and the de Brus line received
a curse from the holy man. Robert made Lochmaben the centre of his lordship and
constructed a new caput there.
The elder de
Brus' allegiances were compromised when David I invaded England in the later
1130s, and he had renounced his fealty to David before the Battle of the
Standard in 1138. The younger Robert however remained loyal and took over his
father's land in Scotland, whilst the English territories remained with the
elder Robert and passed to the latter's elder son Adam de Brus, 2nd Lord of Skelton. Bruce family
tradition has it that Robert II was captured by his father at the battle and
given over to King Stephen of England.
A legend
tells that in the 1140s, Robert II was visited at Annan by St Malachy. St
Malachy asked Robert to pardon a thief, but Robert hanged him anyway, and for
this the River Annan destroyed part of his castle and the de Brus line received
a curse from the holy man. Robert made Lochmaben the centre of his lordship and
constructed a new caput there.
He married
Euphemia, possibly the daughter of Sir Adam de Crosebi or Crosbj of Albemarle
(b c1098). They had three known children, Robert (d. 1191), eldest son; William
(d. 1212); Bernard.
Robert was
buried at Guisborough Priory, a monastery founded by his father Robert I de
Brus. As his eldest son, Robert, predeceased him, he was succeeded by his
second son William
Adam II
de Brus, Lord of Skelton (1127 to 1196)
Lord of
Skelton and Cleveland, 1143 to 1196
Adam II de
Brus, was born at of Skelton.
He married Ivetta d' Arches, daughter of William de Arches and Ivetta, after
1169.
Whilst still a minor, he was dispossessed of his castle at Danby by his guardian and uncle, William d’Aumale, Earl of
York. His uncle also persuaded Adam to
grant the churches of Skelton, Kirkleavington and Yarm away from Guisborough
Priory and to William’s own foundation of Thornton abbey in Lincolnshire.
He died on
20 March 1196.
Robert
III de Brus (d
c1191)
Robert III de Brus was the
oldest son of Robert de Brus, 2nd Lord of Annandale.
In 1183 he
married Isabella Mac William, illegitimate daughter of King William I the Lion
of Scotland through the latter's liaison with a daughter of Robert Avenel, Lord
of Eskdale. There were no children.
He
predeceased his father, and so did not inherit the lordship of Annandale, which
passed to his brother, William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale.
Peter I
de Brus of Skelton
(1170 to 17 January 1211)
Lord of
Skelton and Cleveland, 1196 to 1211
Peter
married Joan.
In 1196 Peter I de Brus of Skelton, son of Adam de Brus, Lord
of Skelton and Ivetta, Countess of Annandale, inherited the barony of Skelton
1196-8 and his lack of insight brought him into heavy debt. His debts and
rebellion against King John could have brought about his downfall but he
survived the turmoil and set and example that his son and grandson would
follow. Initially he had been a faithful follower of the king, accompanying him
to Normandy. Peter was given his first chance to rejuvenate the Skelton barony
and buy back the vill and forest of Danby which he did for £1,000.
In 1200, he succeeded in recovering
the manor of Danby at a cost of £1000.
In 1207 he
purchased the wapentake of Langbaurgh, near Great Ayton.
Later he would obtain a position of
greater importance than his father or grandfather by purchasing the farm at
Wapentake in Lambaurgh in 1207. It encompassed the whole tenant of Cleveland.
He became
increasingly disillusioned of King John and in February 1216, he had to flee Skelton Castle to avoid capture by the king. He became
further disillusioned by King John when he abrogated the Magna Carta, for in
1217, he was in open rebellion with those who opposed the king. He fled Skelton
Castle shortly is was taken by the monarch's forces. After King John's death,
Peter had Skelton Castle and his lands restored to him by the new King Henry
III by 1219.
William
de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale (d 16 July 1212)
Lord of
Annandale, 1194 to 1212
William de
Brus was the second but eldest surviving son of Robert de Brus, 2nd Lord of
Annandale.
His elder
brother, Robert III de Brus, predeceased their father, never holding the
lordship of Annandale. William de Brus thus succeeded his father when the
latter died in 1194.
William de
Brus possessed large estates in the north of England. He obtained from John,
King of England, the grant of a weekly market at Hartlepool, and granted lands
to the canons of Gisburn.
He married
Christina, daughter of Uhtred of Galloway, and had by her three sons Robert de
Brus, John de Brus and William de Brus.
William de
Brus died on 16 July 1212 and was survived by his wife Christina who went on to
remarry, as his second wife, Patrick I, Earl of Dunbar.
Peter ll
de Brus, Baron of Skelton (c 1185 to 13 September 1241)
Lord of
Skelton and Cleveland, 1211 to 1241
Peter
married Helewise, sister of William de Lancaster, Baron of Kendall.
In 1211
Peter ll de Brus
Some of the
Yorkshire barons held no continental lands, and had little interest in Johnm’s
overseas interests. William de Mowbray and Peter de Brus refused to join the
overseas adventure to Poitou or to pay war taxes in 1214.
He served as
a justice for Yorkshire, and also entered into litigation with the prior of
Guisborough, the abbot of Byland and the bishop of Durham; this latter over
rights of wrecks on the Hartness coast (present day Hartlepool).
These barons
were prominent amongst the northern barons who forced the Magna Carta on John
in 1215.
John’s unpopular
methods of raising taxation came to a head by the barons insistence that King
John signed Magna Carta at Runnymede in June 1215. It included a resolution of
countless grievances of the day, but it also embraced some fundamental legal
principles which have passed through to contemporary legal doctrine, including
that No Freeman shall be taken, or imprisoned … but by lawful judgment of his
peers.
Magna Carta
imposed restraints on monarchy; might be taken as the first example of a
written constitution, which was unusual across Europe at that time; and
represented a contract between monarchy and the community of the realm, which
started to emerge as a distinct legal entity.
Mowbray was
on the council of 25 barons set up under Magna Carta.
He died
whilst on crusade.
Robert de
Brus, 4th Lord of Annandale (c1195 to 1232)
Lord of
Annandale, 1212 to 1232
Robert’s
uncle died before becoming Lord of Annandale, and therefore his father,
William, inherited the title, becoming 3rd Lord of Annandale.
In about
1219 Robert married Isobel of Huntingdon, the second daughter of David of
Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, by which marriage he acquired the manors of
Writtle and Hatfield Broadoak, Essex in England. They had 2 sons and a
daughter, Robert, Bernard de Brus of Exton, and Beatrice de Brus (who married
Hugo de Neville)
Robert died
in 1232, and was survived by his wife Isabella. He was buried in the family
mausoleum at Guisborough Priory.
Robert de
Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale (c1215 to 31 March 1295)
Lord of
Annandale, 1232 to 1292
He was a
justice and constable of Scotland and England, a regent of Scotland, and a
claimant to the Scottish throne in 1290 to 1292 in the Great Cause. He
is commonly known as "Robert the Competitor".
Robert was
son of Robert Bruce, 4th Lord of Annandale and Isobel of Huntingdon. Widely
known as Robert the Noble, he was also grandson of David of Scotland, and
great-great-grandson of King David I of Scotland.
In addition
to Annandale, Robert was Lord of Hartlepool
(also then known as Hartness) in county Durham, and Writtle and Hatfield
Broadoak in Essex.
His first wife,
Isabella of Gloucester and Hertford, brought to him the village of Ripe, in
Sussex, and his second wife the Lordship of Ireby in Cumberland.
His
possessions were increased following the defeat of Simon de Montfort at the
Battle of Evesham in 1265, when a series of grants included the estates of
former rebel barons. Henry III also re-appointed Robert a Justice, and
Constable of Carlisle Castle and keeper of the Castle there in 1267, a position
he had been dismissed from in 1255. Robert sought a pardon from Alexander and
probably joined the princes Edward and Edmund on their crusade.
On 3 May
1273, Robert married his second wife, Christina de Ireby, the widow of Adam
Jesmond, the Sheriff of Northumberland. This marriage added estates in
Cumberland and dower land from her previous husband to the Brus holdings.
Following the marriage, Robert appears to have restricted himself to the
management of the family's northern possessions, leaving the southern to his
sons.
Robert Bruce
was Regent of Scotland some time during minority of his second cousin King
Alexander III of Scotland (1241–1286) and was occasionally recognised as a
tanist of the Scottish throne. He was the closest surviving male relative to
the King since Margaret of Huntingdon's descendants were all females up until
birth of Hugh Balliol sometime in the 1260s. When Alexander yet was childless,
he was officially named as heir presumptive, but never gained the throne as
Alexander managed to beget three children.
The
succession in the main line of the House of Dunkeld became highly precarious
when towards the end of Alexander's reign, all three of his children died
within a few years. The middle-aged Alexander III induced in 1284 the Estates
to recognise as his heir-presumptive his granddaughter Margaret, called the
"Maid of Norway", his only surviving descendant.
The need for
a male heir led Alexander to contract a second marriage to Yolande de Dreux on
1 November 1285. All this was eventually in vain. Alexander died suddenly, in a
fall from his horse, when only 45 years old, in 1286.
Alexander’s
death ushered in a time of political upheaval for Scotland. His three-year-old
granddaughter Margaret, who lived in Norway, was recognised as his successor.
However, the then-seven-year-old heiress Margaret died, travelling towards her
kingdom, on the Orkney islands around 26 September 1290. With her death, the
main royal line came to an end and thirteen claimants asserted their rights to
the Scottish throne.
After the
extinction of the senior line of the Scottish royal house (the line of William
I of Scotland) David of Huntingdon's descendants were the primary candidates
for the throne. The two most notable claimants to the throne, John Balliol and
Robert himself represented descent through David's daughters Margaret and
Isobel, respectively.
Robert
pleaded tanistry and proximity of blood in the succession dispute. He descended
from the second daughter of David of Huntingdon, whereas John Balliol descended
from the eldest, and thus had the lineal right. However, Robert was a second
cousin of kings of Scotland and descended in fourth generation from King David
I of Scotland, whereas John Balliol was a third cousin of kings and descended
in fifth generation from King David I, the most recent common ancestor who had
been Scottish king. The ensuing 'Great Cause' was concluded in 1292. It gave
the Crown of Scotland to his family's great rival, John Balliol.
Soon after
the death of young queen Margaret, Robert raised a body of men with the help of
the earls of Mar and Atholl and marched to Perth with a considerable following
and uncertain intentions. Bishop William Fraser of St. Andrews, worried of the
possibility of civil war, wrote to King Edward I of England, asking for his
assistance in choosing a new monarch.
Edward took
this chance to demand sasine of the Scottish royal estate, but agreed to pass
judgment in return for recognition of his suzerainty. The guardians of Scotland
denied him this, but Robert Bruce was quick to pay homage. All the claimants
swore oaths of homage, and John Balliol was the last to do so. The guardians
were forced to concede and were thus reinstated by Edward.
Judgment
processed slowly. On 3 August 1291 Edward asked both Balliol and Bruce to
choose forty auditors while he himself chose twenty-four, to decide the case.
After considering all of the arguments, in early November 1292 the court
decided in favour of John Balliol, having the superior claim in feudal law, not
to mention greater support from the kingdom of Scotland. In accordance with
this, final judgement was given by Edward on 17 November.
On 30
November, John Balliol was crowned as King of Scots at Scone Abbey. On 26 December
1292, at Newcastle upon Tyne, King John swore homage to Edward for the kingdom
of Scotland. Edward soon made it clear that he regarded the country as his
vassal state.
The Bruce
family thus lost what they regarded as their rightful place on the Scottish
throne.
Robert
resigned the lordship of Annandale and his claim to the throne to his eldest
son Robert de Brus. Shortly afterwards, in 1292, the younger Robert's wife
Marjorie of Carrick died and the earldom of Carrick devolved upon their eldest
son, also called Robert, the future King.
In 1292,
Robert held a market at Ireby, Cumberland, in right of his wife. The following
year he had a market at Hartlepool,
county Durham within the liberties of the Bishop of Durham.
Sir Robert
de Brus died at Lochmaben Castle and was buried at Guisborough Priory.
Peter III
de Brus, Lord of Skelton, Danby, Kirkby, Constable of Scarborough Castle (1240 to 18 September 1272)
Lord of
Skelton and Cleveland, 1241 to 1272
Peter III de
Brus was the son of Peter II de Brus and Hawise de Lancaster.
Peter
married Hillaria, daughter of Peter de Maulay, Lord of Mulgrave and Isabella de
Thornham.
He died
without issue on 18 September 1272.
He died
without issue.
Following
his death, his four sisters became co-heiresses of the de Brus estates. The de
Brus estates were divided amongst four daughters, Agnes, Lucia, Margaret and
Laderina. The first two daughters stayed within the Cleveland area. Agnes
married into the de Fauconberg family and inherited Skelton castle and nearby
estates, whilst Lucia married into the de Thweng family of Kilton castle.
Agnes, the
eldest, married Walter de Fauconberg and took, as her share, the manors of Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and
Kirkleatham.
Lucia, the
second sister, married Marmaduke de Thweng taking with her the manors of Yarm, Danby and Brotton.
Margaret,
the third sister, married Robert de Ross and had, as her share, the barony of
Kendall.
Laderina,
the youngest, married John de Bellew and had for her share the lordship of
Carlton amongst other holdings.
Robert de
Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale (1243 to 1304)
Lord of
Annandale, 1292 to 1304
When
Robert’s father, the 5th Lord of Annandale, was captured in 1264, along with
Henry III of England, Richard of Cornwall, and the future Edward I of England
at the Battle of Lewes, Sussex, Bruce negotiated with his uncle Bernard Brus,
and cousin Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, both supporters of Simon de
Montfort, over the terms of the ransom. Following the Battle of Evesham, in
August 1265, both Bruce and his father profited from the seizure of the
rebellious barons' possessions, including those of Bernard. The younger Robert
acquired lands in Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Bedfordshire.
Robert and
his younger brother Richard are known to have received letters of protection,
in July 1270, to sail with Edward for crusade that August, and are presumed to
have taken the cross, with Edward, at Northampton in 1268. They were joined by
their father, who had sought pardon from Alexander III, but their date of
return from Acre is less certain
There is a
legend that the 27-year-old Robert de Brus was a handsome young man
participating in the Ninth Crusade. When Adam de Kilconquhar, one of his
companions-in-arms, fell in 1270, at Acre, Robert was obliged to travel to tell
the sad news to Adam's widow Marjorie of Carrick. The story continues that
Marjorie was so taken with the messenger that she had him held captive until he
agreed to marry her, which he did in 1271.However, since the crusade landed in
Acre on 9 May 1271, and only started to engage the Muslims in late June, the
story and/or his participation in the Ninth Crusade are generally discounted.
What appears
to have happened is that in about 1271 Robert’s father obtained the hand of
Marjorie of Carrick, the young widowed heiress of Niall of Carrick, 2nd Earl of
Carrick for Robert.
Around this
time his mother died.
The younger
Robert and his step-mother do not appear to have got on, with Robert recorded
as trying to withhold dower lands, after his father's death in 1295. This may
be one of the reasons why the father appears to have independently managed the
possessions in the North, as well as intermittently holding the position of
Constable of Carlisle, while Robert appears to have confined himself largely to
the management of the southern and Midland possessions, with his brother
Richard who independently held Tottenham and Kempston, as well as commanding a
Knight banneret for Edward. Richard is recorded as receiving a number of wards
and gifts of deer and to have sought permission to empark the forest at Writtle
at this time. Robert, while not part of Edward's household, became an envoy and
mouthpiece for Alexander III at court, swearing fealty on Alexander's behalf,
to Edward at Westminster for Alexander's lands in England, in 1277, as well as
following Edward to Gascony Robert is also recorded as following Alexander to
Tewkesbury, in the autumn of 1278.
In February
1284, Bruce attended a convention at Scone, where the right of succession of
Alexander III's granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway was recognized.
He supported
his father's claim to the vacant throne of Scotland, on the death of the Maid
of Norway in 1290. The initial civil proceedings, known as the Great Cause,
awarded the Crown to his father's first cousin once removed, and rival, John
Balliol. In 1291 he swore fealty to Edward I as overlord of Scotland. In 1292,
his wife, Marjorie, died. In November, his father, Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of
Annandale—the unsuccessful claimant—resigned his Lordship of Annandale, and
claim to the throne to him, allegedly to avoid having to swear fealty to John.
Annandale
was seized, by King John Balliol, and given to John "The Red" Comyn,
Lord of Badenoch.
In 1296
Annandale was re-gained. Robert married Eleanor.
He died in
Easter 1304 Easter en route to Annandale and was buried at Holm Cultram Abbey,
Cumberland.
House
Fauconberg
Agnes de
Brus, wife of Walter de Fauconberg, First Baron Fauconberg (c 1220 to 1304)
New Lord
of Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham, 1272 to 1304
Walter was
the eldest son of Piers de Fauconberg and Margaret de Montfitchet. He was
summoned to parliament in 1295.
Through his
wife Agnes, he inherited the Barony of Skelton.
He fought in
the wars in Flanders and was a signatory of the Baron's Letter to Pope Boniface
VIII in 1301.
Walter died
in 1304 and was buried at Nunkeeling Priory,
Robert
the Bruce, King of Scotland (11 July 1274 to 7 June 1329)
Lord of
Annandale, 1304 to 1329; King of Scotland 1306 to 1329
Robert the
Bruce was the son of the 6th Lord of Annandale. He was the grandson of the Robert Bruce
who had been one of the competitors for the throne after the death of the Maid
of Norway.
His father
had been on the English side when Edward moved against Balliol, but he had
subsequently joined Wallace's revolt. When Wallace gave up the Guardianship of
Scotland in 1298, Robert became joint Guardian with Sir John Comyn of Badenoch
(Balliol's nephew).
On 25 March
1306, Robert the Bruce was chosen to be King of Scots and to lead the fight for Scottish independence against Edward
I of England.
A few weeks
before his coronation, Robert killed his greatest rival for the crown, his
joint Guardian, in a Dumfries church, during the last of many arguments between
them. For this murder, Robert was outlawed by Edward I and excommunicated by
Pope Clement V.
His reign
did not begin well. He was defeated by the English at Methven in Perthshire;
his wife, daughter and sisters were imprisoned; and three of his brothers were
executed by the English. Robert fled westward to the Antrim coast. The story of
Robert drawing inspiration from a persistent spider mending its web in a cave
dates from the sixteenth century.
The tide
turned on the death in 1307 of Edward I, the self-styled 'Hammer of the Scots',
who was succeeded by his less effective son Edward II.
From 1307
onwards, with energy and determination, Robert waged highly successful
guerrilla warfare against the English occupiers, establishing control north of
the Forth, and gradually won back his kingdom; by 1314, Stirling was the only
castle in English hands.
His campaign
culminated in resounding victory over Edward II (whose larger army of 20,000
outnumbered Robert's forces by three to one) at the Battle of Bannockburn,
near Stirling on 24 June 1314. Bannockburn confirmed the re-establishment of an
independent Scottish monarchy.
Scots Wha
Hae or Robert
Bruce’s Address to His Troops at Bannockburn:
|
Scots,
wha hae wi’ Wallace bled, Scots,
wham Bruce has aften led, Welcome
to your gory bed, Or to
victorie. |
Now ’s
the day, and now’s the hour; See the
front o’ battle lour; See
approach proud Edward’s power, Chains
and Slaverie. |
Wha
will be a traitor-knave? Wha can
fill a cowards’ grave? Wha sae
base as be a Slave? Let him
turn and flie. |
Wha for
Scotland’s king and law, Freedom’s
sword will strongly draw, Free-Man
stand, or Free-Man fa’, Let him
follow me. |
By Oppression’s woes and pains! By your Sons in servile chains! We will drain our dearest veins, But they shall be free! |
Lay the
proud Usurpers low! Tyrants
fall in every foe! Liberty
’s in every blow! Let us
Do—or Die! |
Two years
later, his brother and heir presumptive, Edward Bruce, was inaugurated as High
King of Ireland (which increased pressure on the English), but was killed in
battle in 1318.
Even after
Bannockburn and the Scottish capture of Berwick in 1318, Edward II refused to
give up his claim to the overlordship of Scotland, and so in 1320 the Scottish
earls, barons and the 'community of the realm' sent a letter to Pope John XXII
declaring that Robert I was their rightful monarch.
The Declaration of Arbroath
has become perhaps the most famous document in Scottish history.
...we
gather from the deeds and books of the ancients, that among other distinguished
nations our own nation, namely of Scots, has been marked by many distinctions.
It
journeyed from Greater Scythia by the Tyrrenhian Sea and the Pillars of
Hercules, and dwelt for a long span of time in Spain among the most savage
peoples, but nowhere could it be subjugated by any people, however barbarous.
From there it came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the
Red Sea and, having first driven out the Britons and altogether destroyed the
Picts, it acquired, with many victories and untold efforts, the places which it
now holds ...
It warned:
were he
to desist from what he has undertaken and be willing to subject us or our
kingdom to the king of the English or the English, we would strive to expel him
forthwith as our enemy and as a subverter of right, his own and ours, and make
someone else our king who is equal to the task of defending us.
In 1324, the
Pope recognised Robert as king of an independent Scotland. Two years later, the
Franco-Scottish alliance was renewed in the Treaty of Corbeil, by which the
Scots were obliged to make war on England should hostilities break out between
England and France.
In 1327, the
English deposed Edward II in favour of his son Edward III and peace was then
made between Scotland and England with the treaty of Edinburgh and Northampton,
which began with England's total renunciation of all claims to superiority over
Scotland. Robert had achieved all he had fought for: ejecting the English,
re-establishing peace and gaining recognition as the true king.
By that
time, King Robert was seriously ill, probably with leprosy, and he died at
Cardross, Dunbartonshire on 7 June 1329, aged 54. A few days later, in response
to an earlier request by him, the Pope granted permission for Kings of Scots to
be anointed at their coronation. Scottish kings had previously been enthroned
in a mainly secular ceremony at Scone. This was a clear acknowledgement that
the Pope recognised Scotland's independence.
Robert I was
buried at Dunfermline and, in fulfilment of his dying wish, Sir James Douglas
set out to carry his heart to the Holy Land.
Walter de
Fauconberg, Second Baron Fauconberg (1260 to 1318)
Lord of
Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham, 1304 to 1318
John de
Fauconberg (1290 to
1349)
Lord of
Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham, 1318 to 1349
While
Skelton Castle and estate was in the hands of John, in the 13th year of the
reign of Edward II, John obtained a licence from the king to move the market
from Sunday to Saturday.
Walter de
Fauconberg (d 1361)
Lord of Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham, 1349 to
1361
Sir
Thomas de Fauconberg (1345
to 1407)
Lord of Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham, 1361 to 1403
He inherited
two-thirds of the estate, whilst his mother, Isobel, received the other third.
In 1403 the
estate, by reason of Sir Thomas’s insanity, was put into the custody of King
Henry IV who, later, placed it in the custody of Robert and John Conyers. In
1407 the estate was settled on the House Conyers.
The
estate of Skelton, Marske, Upleatham and Kirkleatham was in the custody of the
King from 1403 to 1407
Walter de
Fauconberg (d 1407)
Joan Fauconberg (c1406 to 1490)
Joan married Sir William Neville (died 1462)
She inherited the estate as an
infant. She was described as an ‘idiot’ from birth. The castle passed, via her
marriage, to her husband, Sir William Neville, who was made Earl of Kent by
Edward IV in 1461. They made alterations to the castle in 1428.
House
Conyers
Alicia
Neville (1437 to
1490)
John
Conyers was Lord of Skelton, 1407 to 1469
Alicia
was Lady of Skelton from 1469 to 1490
Alicia married Sir John Conyers (1435 to 1469), later Lord
Conyers.
Alicia was the daughter of Joan
Fauconberg and Sir William Neville. She and her husband passed over the
inheritance in favour of their son, William.
Sir
William Conyers (1468
to 1524)
Lord of
Skelton, 1490 to 1524
He inherited
the castle in 1490.
He married
Lady Anne Neville (1475 to 1550).
Sir
Christopher Conyers
(c1491 to 14 June 1538)
Lord of
Skelton, 1524 to 1538
He married
Anne Dacre (1501 to 1548) and they had four children, Jane (1522 to 1558),
Leonard (1524 to 1577), John (1525 to 1557) and Elizabeth (1531 to 1558)
John,
Lord Conyers (c 1525
to 1557)
Lord of
Skelton, ? to 1557
He married
Maud Clifford. They had four daughters, Ann (1540 to 1567), Elizabeth (1545 to
1572), Catharine (1554 to 1622) and Margaret (b1556).
On his
death, the estate was shared between his daughters. He had no male heir.
Ann married
Anthony Kempe, Catharine married John Atherton (Sheriff of Lancashire) and
Elizabeth married Thomas D’Arcy.
It would
seem that Lord Conyers died intestate and no provision had been made by him for
an equitable division of his possessions and lands which included areas beyond
Skelton.
There is a
record of friction between the husbands of the 3 daughters regarding their
shares and it is said that they deliberately allowed the Castle to fall into
disrepair.
There
appears to have been some doubt, though, as to who exactly owned the Castle.
An attempt was
made to divide the Castle itself into 3 equal parts between the above 3
families or their descendants.
‘The
goodly chapel, one of the jewels of this Kingdom, rudely went to the ground,
with the fair hall and large towers; so that now scarcely are the ruins of a
chapel to be seen’.
The
Atherton - D’Arcy interest 1576 to 1577
Anthony Kempe, the husband of Anne
Conyers sold their part of the Skelton Estate to Robert Trotter. Robert was the
son of a Robert Trotter senior of Pickering and married to Margaret who came
from Pudsey.
Graves History states that the
remaining two thirds which had been inherited by the other two Conyers
daughters remained in their descendants until the year 1656, when by exchange
or purchase the whole became the property of Robert Trotter and his descendants.
John Atherton, possibly in
conjunction with his brother-in-law’s family, the D’Arcys, opened Springbank
alum works at Slapewath c.1603-1604. This was probably the first alum works in north-east Yorkshire.
In 1577, Anthony Kempe (1529 to 1597)
sold his share in the estate, including the castle, to Robert Trotter
The
Trotter family interest
The
Trotter Family Arms
Robert
Trotter (d 1611)
Lord of
Skelton, 1577 to 1611
A document
(North Yorkshire Record Office, Stapleton, Skelton 73) has survived showing
that in 1584 Robert Trotter was living in just one section of Skelton Castle
and that he appointed independent persons to carry out the difficult task of
dividing the building into 3 equal parts. It was not until 1656 that the
Trotter family would acquire full possession of the Skelton Estate by purchase
or exchange.
14th
Julie 1584. Skelton castell devided in the yeare above said by William Ackrigge
and Leonard Diggles at the appointment of the Lord thereof. What follows seems to have been a
basic description of a plan which has not survived. No painting of the Castle
has ever been found and unfortunately it is impossible to form a clear picture
of what the Castle looked like from this document, but several notable features
are mentioned.
First for
one part to begin at the upper end of the HALL and so Eastward and with all the
rooms thereunto both above and below, except the low room in the HUMBLE TOWER
and also all the rooms and houses Northwards of that side with the ground from
the corner of HUMBLE TOWER to the East jambs of both the BACK GATES.
And also
another piece of ground adjoining to the said part of the East side of the
BASSE COURT [a term for the Bailey, outer court] from the corner of the GATE
HOUSE to the East corner of the BATTLEMENT of the BRIDGE, leaving a a
sufficient way of 6 yards broad in the BASSE COURT.
And so
through the INNER GATES to all the house and 5 yards broad all alongside
through the INNER COURT to be a common way to every part from the fore GATE to
the back GATE or POSTERN.
Also for
another part the WEST TOWER with all the rooms in it and also two rooms
adjoining towards MR TROTTER HIS HOUSE one above and another below to a certain
BUTTRESS on the West side of MR TROTTER HIS HOUSE between the said house and
the WEST TOWER
also the
STABLES without in the BASSE COURT and a piece of ground in the said BASSE
COURT on the west side of the way between the fore GATE and the inner GATE.
And also
one piece of ground in the INNER COURT from the “HALE” PORCH corner of the West
part to the middle way towards the corner of the CHAPEL.
And so
Westwards to the South side of MR TROTTER his doors for to serve to make an
inner court to the said part.
And the
“moitie” of the low part of HUMBLE TOWER with all the Stones in the outer GATE
HOUSE.
Also for
the third part beginning at the BUTTRESS on the West side aforesaid where MR
TROTTER dwelleth and so Eastward with all the rooms adjoining both above and
below the CHAPEL.
And the
ground lying on the West side of the two Northern-most GATES leaving a way to
pass through all the GATES 6 yards broad with the remainder of the ground lying
between the HALL PORCH aforesaid and the CHAPEL corner layne
and the
“moitie” of the low part of the HUMBLE TOWER.
And
whereas the said part has not so much grounde as the other two parts in
consideration whereof to have the GARDEN place adjoining on the said part as it
is all made lying on the West side of the said house.
Regarding an
area outside the Castle building, The West part of the HALL to the South
part of the Castle with the GREAT CHAMBER and a CHAMBER PARTITIONED WITH A
GREAT WAINSCOAT HAVING TWO WINDOWS, THE ONE DIRECT AGAINST THE OTHER, with the
South part of the house, the South West part of the OUTER COURT with STABLES
AND GRANARIES [spelt “garners”] and other housing joining to the GRANARIES,
going up BAGDALE [the valley on the East side of the Castle, the stream in
which was dammed to create the moat] to the high land viz
In 1603
there was a record of the Recusants, who refused to take the sacraments of the
Church of England. They included Robert Trotter Esquier, Margaret his wife ;
noncommunicants this last yeare
Skelton Old Church. Here lies y
bodie of Robert Trotter of Skelton Castle Esqvyer who lived at y age of 81
yeares and died in Year of Our Lord God 1611.
Henry
Trotter (d 1623)
George
Trotter
Lord of
Skelton, 1623 to ?
Edward
Trotter (d 1708)
Lord of
Skelton, ? to 1708
Edward
married Mary Lowther
From 1668 to
1671 he was involved in opening Selby Hagg alum
works, near present day Hagg Farm, and Saltburn Alum House, behind
Cat Nab, on behalf of his father-in-law, Sir John Lowther.
John
Trotter
Lawson
Trotter
Lord of
Skelton, ? to 1727
He was a
grandson of Edward and Mary and died without issue, the estate passing to his
sister, Catherine Trotter.
The Hall
Stevenson (later Wharton) Family interest
Joseph
Hall (d 1733)
Lord of
Skelton, 1727 to 1733
Joseph married
Catherine Trotter
He came into
possession of the castle and estates in 1727 by his marriage to Catherine,
sister of Lawson Trotter, and by purchasing land, in 1730, from Lawson Trotter.
John Hall (d 1785)
Lord of
Skelton, 1733 to 1785
He added Stevenson as his surname
after his marriage to Anne, the daughter of Ambrose Stevenson and Ann Wharton.
John was an author and friend of
Laurence Sterne, who wrote “The Life and Times of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman”.
He had a reputation for throwing wild
parties for his friends (including Lawrence Sterne, Zachary Moore and Panty
Lascelles) who were known collectively as the “Demoniacs”.
He was something of a hypochondriac
and wouldn’t get out of bed if there was an east wind blowing. The story goes
that Sterne paid a youth to fix the weathervane so it never showed an east
wind. The castle at this time was in a state of disrepair, earning for itself
the nickname “Crazy Castle”.
Joseph
William Hall Stevenson (d 1786)
Lord of
Skelton, 1785 to 1786
Joseph
married Ann, daughter and heiress of James Foster, Drumgoom, Co. Fermanagh,
Ireland
John Hall
Stevenson (21 June
1765 – 29 May 1843)
Lord of
Skelton, 1786 to 1843
He was born at Skelton Castle on 21 June 1765, and took the
surname and arms of Wharton only, by royal sign manual, May 3, 1788. He was the
son of Joseph William Hall Stevenson and changed his surname to Wharton in order to inherit his
great-great-aunt Margaret Wharton’s estate at Gilling, near Richmond, Yorkshire.
John Wharton
was educated at the Royal School, Armagh, Trinity College, Dublin and Lincoln's
Inn. He succeeded his father in 1786, and inherited the ruinous Skelton Castle.
During his
tenancy he rebuilt both the castle and the church at considerable expense. He
demolished the old Skelton Castle and between 1788 and 1817 built a similarly
named Gothic country house in its place.
In October
1790, John Wharton married in Oct. 1790, Susan Mary Anne, daughter of Major
General John Lambton, of Lambton, County Durham, and they had two daughters,
Susan and Margaret, Margaret married Thomas Barrett in 1815, but they had no
children.
For 36 years
he was MP for Beverley in the East Riding. He stood no less than nine contested
elections for Beverley, on the Whig interest.
The first
was at the general election of 1790, when he was returned at the head of the
poll, which terminated as follows: John Wharton, esq, 908; Sir James Pennyman,
460; William Egerton, esq, 379.
In 1796 he
gave way to Mr. Tatton, but on that gentleman’s death, in 1799, he contested
the seat with Mr. Morritt, of Rokeby Park, but was defeated by 512 votes to
369.
In 1802 he
came in at the head of the poll, and Mr. Morritt was excluded, the numbers
being John Wharton, esq, 736, General Burton, 690; J. B. S. Morritt, esq, 626.
In 1806 he
won by 641 votes over Lieutenant General Vyse’s 609.
In 1807 he
was defeated by Capt. R. W. H. Vyse’s 1012 to his 739 votes.
In 1812 he
won with 805 votes over Charles Forbes’ 731.
In 1818 he
won again with 826 over K. C Burton with 669.
In 1820 he won again with 657 votes.
In 1826 he
was excluded from the representation by a poll in which he received 588 votes
to 1030 received for John Stewart.
By 1826 he was
so deeply embarrassed in his pecuniary affairs, that he was immediately
arrested, and for the last fourteen years he has remained a prisoner within the
rules of the Queen’s Bench.
He had run
up large debts and was confined in Fleet Debtors Prison, London. His property
at Skelton, excluding that which was entailed and the library, which was
mortgaged, was auctioned to pay his debts. He died in 1843, childless.
An inquest
was held on his body, and it was concluded that he had for many years suffered
from a painful disease of the bladder, and an inquest was returned of Natural
Death.
John
Thomas Wharton (1795
to 1871)
John Thomas
Wharton was the son of John Hall Wharton’s third brother, the Rev. William Hall
Wharton, M.A., Vicar of Gilling, and Charlotte, daughter of Thomas, first Lord
Dundas. He was born in York on 9 March 1795.
John married
Charlotte, eldest daughter of H W Yeoman.
His uncle,
John Wharton died childless and in poverty in 1843 and Skelton devolved to John
Thomas Wharton of Gilling.
John Farndale
wrote in 1864 that Kilton formerly
belonged to the Twings and Lumleys, who were lords of the manor. Dr Waugh, Dean
of Carlisle, and Miss Waugh, into whose hands the estate came, sold it to Mrs
Wharton, and this lady made a present of it to the late J Wharton, Esq, of
Skelton Castle, MP for Beverley, a gentleman of memorable name.
Thanks to
the discovery of ironstone
all across East Cleveland, and the royalties associated with its extraction
from under his land, he was able build the estate back up.
He died at
Tadcaster on 25 September 1871, aged 76.
William
Henry Anthony Wharton
(14 November 1859 to 12 December 1938)
Lord of
Skelton, 1900 to 1938
William
married Harriot Emily Yeoman
He was
Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, the Green Howards,
prior to the outbreak of the First World War.
Margaret
Winsome Wharton
(1894-1991)
Lady of
Skelton, 1938 to 1991
She married
Captain Christopher Hilyard Ringrose.
Mrs Ringrose
Wharton took an active part in running the estate and supported many activities
in the local community. There were no children from this marriage and so the
estate passed to Anthony.
Anthony
Charles Philip Wharton (b 1946)
Lord of
Skelton, 1991 to date
Anthony is
the son of Lawrence Humphrey Wharton, grandson of Philip Thomas Wharton,
great-grandson of James Charles Wharton who was a brother of John Thomas
Wharton and is the current owner of Skelton Castle.
or
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This page is
accompanied by Brus chronology which also
provides reference to sources.