Reginald (le Cheyne) le Cheyne IVth of Inverugie (bef. 1270 - abt. 1345)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Reginald (le Cheyne) le Cheyne IVth of Inverugie is Notable.

Family and Early Career

Reginald le Cheyne was the eldest son of Sir Reginald le Cheyne and Mary de Moravia, the daughter of Sir Freskin de Movavia.^[1][2] As a very young man, Reginald was present with his father in 1284 at the gathering of Magnates Scotiae who agreed to accept the Princess Margaret of Norway as Queen of Scotland, and both father and son were signatories to that document.^[3] Reginald supported Baliol's army in the ill-fated Battle of Dunbar, where he was eventually captured and transported as a prisoner to Kenilworth Castle.^[4] Although his father and his uncle Henry, Bishop of Aberdeen, had also supported Baliol, they swore fealty to Edward I after the defeat at Dunbar and remained loyal to England until Edward's death. Edward in return appointed them to politically important offices in Scotland, and their influence would have been more than enough to get the young Sir Reginald released from prison, but he steadfastly refused to swear fealty to Edward in order to be released.^[1] He remained imprisoned for about three years, finally obtaining his freedom in 1299 as part of a prisoner exchange.^[1]

Following his release, he returned to Caithness determined not to have anything to do with the political activities of his father and uncle. Instead he began earning a reputation as one of the greatest hunters/sportsmen in Scotland.^[5] Shortly after his father's death, however, Sir Reginald le Cheyne became an avid supporter of Robert Bruce.^[5] In April, 1320 he was one of the Scottish barons who signed the letter to the Pope famously known as the Declaration of Arbroath.^[6] His name was 36th in the list of signatories to that document, ^[7] and a portion of his seal remains appended to it.

Estates and Positions Held

In 1323 Sir Reginald le Cheyne received a grant from King Robert I of the lands of Strabrok which had once been held by his mother, Mary de Moravia.^[8] In 1330 he served as the Justiciar of Moray (and also, at some point, seems to have been justiciar of Caithness),^[9] and three years later he fought in the Battle of Halidon Hill,^[7] once again being captured by the English army. This time, his lands of Straybrok were forfeited to the crown and, in 1336, Edward III gave them to Sir William Moubray,^[10] who had married Elena le Cheyne (Sir Reginald's sister). In the Earl of Haddington's collection there is a charter (undated) giving to Sir Reginald le Cheyne the lands of Dalmeny once held by Roger Moubray.^[9]

This Sir Reginald le Cheyne died sometime around 1345, when his estates in Caithness, Moray, Buchan, and Lothian passed to his two daughters.^[9]

Marriage and Children

There is some uncertainty regarding the identity of Sir Reginald le Cheyne's wife. [see research notes] James Balfour Paul names her as Mary,^[11] seeming to confuse her with Mary de Moravia (this Sir Reginald's mother), who was married to Sir Reginald le Cheyne, 3rd of Inverugie. Archibald Cheyne, genealogist for the Cheyne family, named her as Helen Strathearn, a daughter of Malise, seventh earl of Strathearn, by his third marriage. That her name was Helen is proven by a papal dispensation given in 1353 (eight years after Reginald's death) for her (second) marriage to Sir David de Graham.^[12] However, proving that her surname was Strathearn is more problematic. James Balfour Paul says that Malise, seventh earl of Strathearn, was married "at least twice" and had no known issue with his second wife, Joanna Menteith, who survived him.^[13]

There were two children from this marriage: [see research notes]

• Mary (or Marjory) le Cheyne^[14][15] b. c1310; m. 1337 Nicholas, 2nd son of earl of Sutherland^[16]
• Mariot le Cheyne^[14][15] b. c1315; m(1) Sir John de Douglas;^[17] m(2) 12 Mar 1368/9 Sir John de Keith, son of Edward de Keith, marischal of Scotland^[18]

These daughters were coheiresses and after Sir Reginald's death his estate was divided between them: the Sutherlands of Duffus receiving the barony of Duffus, the majority of Reginald's lands in Caithness, and the lands of Auld Wick as part of Mary's inheritance;^[19][20] and the Keiths of Inverugie eventually receiving the baronies of Inverugie and Strabrok and the lands of Ackergill in Caithness as part of Mariot's inheritance.^[17]

Folklore Surrounding Sir Reginald

Sir Reginald le Cheyne, 4th of Inverugie, was known as a patriot and a warrior,^[21] but it was his skill as a hunter for which he will be remembered and for which he was called the "Morar no Shien" (the Great Cheyne).^[22] An old statistical account of the parish of Halkirk contains the description of a chest which he had planted in the mouth of the stream below his castle for catching salmon as they entered and left the loch. Whenever a salmon became entangled in the chest, a cord fixed to the inside of the chest and that ran up to the castle would set a bell ringing inside the castle to alert the family that they would be having fresh salmon for dinner that night.^[23]

Another, less salutary legend, involves Sir Reginald's two daughters. Because he was the last male in the Cheyne line, he was anxious to produce a male heir. It is thought that he married rather late in life, and that his wife Helen was much younger than he.^[22] When his first born child turned out to be a daughter, in his anger and disappointment he ordered the infant to be drowned. His wife, however, secretly sent the baby off to be raised by a nurse. The second child was also a girl, and also ordered to be killed. Lady Cheyne again was able to intervene and have her daughter secretly taken from the castle. According to family legends, twenty years later a 'grand entertainment' was held at Sir Reginald's castle near Lochmore and Lady Cheyne made sure both of the girls received invitations. They were beautiful and charming, having been educated at the Convent of Murkle near Thurso, and caught the attention of many of the other guests. Reginald, whose wife had never conceived another child, believed by then that he had been cursed by god for ordering his two children to be murdered. When he was told that Mary and Mariot were actually his own daughters, he was thunderstruck. He made them his co-heiresses and, after his death, they received all of his various estates.^[22][23]

Research Notes

Reginalds conflated

The confusion among different authorities, including James Balfour Paul, about which spouses and children belonged to which of the Sir Reginald le Cheynes seems to have stemmed from three generations of Sir Reginalds, and was exacerbated by the fact that both the second and third generation were frequently referred to in charters while their parent was still living as "Reginald Cheyne, younger." Sir Reginald le Cheyne, younger (3rd of Inverugie) can be identifed by his political affiliations (he supported Edward I of England); he married Mary de Moravia, and his heir was Sir Reginald le Cheyne, younger (4th of Inverugie). Sir Reginald le Cheyne (4th of Inverugie) was imprisoned for three years after Dunbar because he refused to swear fealty to Edward and, after his father's death, became a staunch supporter of Robert Bruce; he was married to Helen _______, and his two daughters were his co-heiresses. By tracing the passage of the Cheyne estate through each generation it is possible to distinguish between each Sir Reginald.

Birth order of daughters

Archibald Cheyne, the family genealogist, believed that Mariot was the eldest daughter,^[20] and James Balfour Paul, the Lord Lyon, believed the eldest daughter was Mary. The Lord Lyon's position seems to be based on the fact that Mary inherited as part of her portion of her father's estate the Castle of Auldwick, which was for many years the stronghold of the Cheyne estates^[24] and suggests that Mary held precedence over her sister. Alexander Nisbet, writing in 1816, believed that Mariot was the eldest daughter because she received (and the Keiths received through her) the lands of Inverugie.^[25] Unless a reliable, previously undiscovered source is found it is not possible to determine which of the sisters was born first.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p. 38.
2. ↑ Skene, William. Notes on the Earldom of Caithness. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. 12 (November), pp. 571-576.
3. ↑ Foedera, i, II, 638 (charter). Acknowledging Margaret of Norway as legitimate heir to Kingdom of Scotland.
4. ↑ CDS, ii, no. 742. List of Scottish prisoners taken at Battle of Dunbar.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p. 39.
6. ↑ Brown, K.M. et al (eds.). Arbroath: record of assembly. Records of the Parliament of Scotland to 1707. available here.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p. 40.
8. ↑ RRS, v, no. 238 (charter). Gift of lands of Strathbrock from King Robert to Reginald Cheyne, which had been resigned by Mary, daughter of the late Freskin of Moray, knight, and spouse of the late Reginald Cheyne, knight....
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p. 41.
10. ↑ Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London. Edinburgh: HM's General Register House (1881), vol. 3, pp. 241-242.
11. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol 6, p. 34.
12. ↑ Regesta 224:1353, Calendar of Papal Registers Relating to Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 3 (1342-1362) ed. W.H. Bliss and C. Johnson (London, 1897), pp. 500-516 British History Online.
13. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 8, p. 251.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931).
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Sutherland, G.M. Notes on Caithness History: the Cheynes. The Celtic Magazine (A.W. Mackenzie, ed.), 1879, vol. 5, p. 273.
16. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 3, p. 191.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} RMS, I, no. 228 (charter). David King of Scots has given Mariota Cheyne, wife of the late John Douglas half the barony of Strabrock and a quarter part of the earldom of Caithness...
18. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. The Scots Peerage . Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, pp. 33-34.
19. ↑ RMS, i, no.142 (charter). David, king of Scots, has inspected letters patent of King Robert I regarding the inheritance of Mary Cheyne in Duffus....
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p. 43
21. ↑ Sutherland, G.M. Notes on Caithness History: the Cheynes. The Celtic Magazine (A.W. Mackenzie, ed.), 1879, vol. 5, p 272.
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1 22.2} Cheyne, Archibald Ythan. The Cheyne Family in Scotland. Eastbourne: V.V. Sumfield (1931), p.42.
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1} Sutherland, G.M. Notes on Caithness History: the Cheynes. The Celtic Magazine (A.W. Mackenzie, ed.), 1879, vol. 5, p. 273.
24. ↑ Sutherland, G.M. Notes on Caithness History: the Cheynes. The Celtic Magazine (A.W. Mackenzie, ed.), 1879, vol. 5, pp. 271-272.
25. ↑ Nisbet, Alexander. A System of Heraldry. Edinburgh: w. Blackwood (1816), vol. 1, p. 421

See also:

• Cheyne One Name Study.

• Douglas, Sir Robert. The Peerage of Scotland. Edinburgh: R. Fleming (1764), entry for earls of Strathearn,p. 653.

• Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical DIctionary of Scotland. Transcribed in St. Fergus, Banffshire: Historical Description, by UK Genealogy Archives, available online.

• Nisbet, Alexander. A System of Heraldry. Edinburgh: w. Blackwood (1816), vol. 1, pp. 128-129, 236, 254, 281, 421.

• Wikipedia:Reginald le Chen (died 1345)

• Wikidata: Item Q28003143, en:Wikipedia