John (Graham) Lord of Dalkeith and Abercorn and Eskdale (abt. 1275 - 1337)

Born about 1275 in Scotland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died 25 Apr 1337 at about age 62 in Scotland [uncertain]

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John (Graham) Lord of Dalkeith and Abercorn and Eskdale signed the Declaration of Arbroath. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

John (Graham) Lord of Dalkeith and Abercorn and Eskdale is a member of Clan Graham.

Birth

John was born circa 1275 to Nicholas Graham of Dalkeith and Eskdale and Mary Strathearn, daughter of Malise, earl of Strathearn (not related to Malise I, Earl of Menteith).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} This marriage may have also produced a daughter, Isabel (see Research Notes), who married Walter Stewart, sixth High Steward of Scotland, from whom the royal name of Stewart derived through his first wife, Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I.^[6][1]

Marriage

John married Isabella, of unknown parentage and together they produced two children, John and Sybilla (or Isabel), who allegedly married Sir William More.^{[1] [7][3][8]} Other sources, however, have indicated that John and Isabella also had a daughter named Margaret (see Research Notes), who married William Douglas, lord of Liddisdale (according to Paul Balfour, William's only confirmed wife was a woman named Elizabeth).^{[9][1][10][2]} Yet, in William Robertson's Index, in a charter granted by David II, at some date after 1329, it is noted that John of Dalkeith resigned the lands of Kilbothok and Newlands to William Douglas. Moreover, he forfeited the barony of Abercorn to his alleged son-in-law, William More.^[11] It is possible, however, that Abercorn, Kilbothok, and Newlands were resigned to William More and William Douglas by John's son, John, which is an area requiring further research. However, through this transfer, whether completed by John or his son, it seems feasible that William Douglas may, in fact, have been the husband of John's daughter Margaret, which would have kept the lands in his immediate family, as did the transfer of Abercorn to his son-in-law, William More.

Notable Events

Scotland's Coronation Chair & Stone of Scone

Following the Scottish alliance with the French in an attempt to thwart the aggression of Edward I, Edward moved aggressively against the Scots and defeated them at the Battle of Dunbar and the Massacre of Berwick. While pillaging the country, capturing castles and seizing precious items such as the Stone of Scone and the Scottish crown, the brilliant but ruthless Edward declared himself overlord of Scotland. Not satisfied with bloodlust, Edward humiliated the Scots by holding a parliament (of sorts) on 28 August, 1296 at Berwick-upon-Tweed, where he extorted acts of fealty and homage from John Balliol and other prominent Scots. All the leading Scottish churchmen, burgesses, and landowners were thus forced to swear allegiance to Edward and sign parchments, known as the Ragman Rolls, to which they affixed their heraldic or armorial seals.^[12] Although not a signatory of the Ragman Roll of 28 August, John is listed in a letters patent of the same date, where he, among others, swore fealty to Edward I at Berwick, where "having come to the faith and will of their lord, Edward, king of England, promise to serve him well and loyally; and each one performed fealty to their lord the king."^[13][12]

Yet, the Ragman Roll mentioned above does include John's father, Nicholas's seal, as well as David and Patrick of Dundaff and Kincardine's seals. It is likely that Patrick and David were Nicholas's nephews (and John's cousins), as David's father of the same name was deceased circa 1270.^[3] While the Graham seals of Nicholas and Patrick display "on a chief three escallops,"^[14] David's seal shows a "crusilly, three escallops," which are in keeping with a description of John's shield of arms: A boar head couped, muzzle downward, on a chief three escallops. At top and on either side of shield is a boar head couped.^[15]

Despite John's sworn fealty and allegiance to Edward I, punitive measures continued, whereby John relinquished his lands to Edward loyalists, as indicated in the following charter dated 20 October 1299. While this occurred approximately three months after the Battle of Falkirk (22 July 1299), it is unknown, but a possibility that the forfeiture was a result of John's breach of fealty and participation in this battle:

John of Graham, the knight, son and heir of Sir Nicholas of Graham, gave, granted and by this his present charter established, for himself and his heirs, to Melrose Abbey, the whole land of Eskdale conveyed to the monks by his ancestors, which the monks held before his time, for the salvation of him and his wife, and the souls of his relatives, ancestors and successors. Additionally, he gave, granted and by this his present charter established to the monks all the right and claim which John or his ancestors had, or John or all his heirs and successors will be able to have in perpetuity, to any right of title in the lands of Eskdale. Additionally, he revokes by the present [charter] whatever right, he and his ancestors had, and he and his heirs and sucessors will be able to have, within the bounds and marches of the land by reason of any reservations or customs. He also grants the aforesaid so that the monks of Melrose may have and possess everything in free, pure and perpetual alms, unbound from all secular service, exaction and demand, and from all annoyance and impediment by him, his heirs, his successors, his bailies and all his men. He and his heirs and successors will be able to extract nothing for the lands, etc. except the support of the prayers of the faithful. John promises warrandice, and additionally, he wishes that whenever brigands or malefactors may be sentenced to death by the monks’ bailies in the court of the abbot and convent, the penalty of death, following the law of the country, is to be carried out at the gallows of Westerkirk by the chosen bailies of John and his heirs and successors, without any opposition.^[16]

Five years hence, Edward I was once again preparing a Scottish offensive, given Bruce's defection, Balliol's impotence, and assorted intrigues that would take Edward deep into northern Scotland. As Sir John Comyn, former guardian of Scotland, was unable to establish an effective counterattack, Comyn entered into conditional arbitration with Edward I, stipulating there be no disinheritances or retribution of Balliol supporters.^[17] John, a supporter of Balliol, was one of a number of nobles who surrendered with Sir John Comyn at Strathord on 9 February 1304.^[1] Although many Scottish estates had been granted to Edward's loyalists by this time, he consented and allowed the Scots to redeem their forfeited lands at the exorbitant rate of two or three times their annual value.^[17]

Battle of Bannockburn (Scotichronicon, 1440s)

It appears that some of John's estates had, in fact, been restored to him, for his lands were once again confiscated, this time by Edward II twelve days prior to the Battle of Bannockburn, for Edward had deemed John a rebel and enemy, and thus granted his lands to favorite Hugh Despenser in a charter dated 12 June 1314.^[18] While a surely embittered John rose to the cause and fought in the Scot's victorious Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the forfeiture of his inheritance would have been a cruel loss once again, as was Edward II's refusal to recognize Scotland's independence.^[19]

Declaration of Arbroath

Declaration of Arbroath

Despite the victory at Bannockburn, the abuse of Scottish barons continued through the political machinations of Edward II and in an act of righteous defiance, John Graham, seven additional earls, and 31 barons, placed their seals on the Declaration of Arbroath on 6 April 1320. Written in response to the Wars of Scottish Independence, this declaration of sovereignty written to Pope John XXII, demanded Scotland's release from the feudal control exerted by the Norman kings and a reversal of the excommunication of Robert I, with the lawful right to select another king if Robert I proved unfit.^{[20][21][1][22]}

Following the death of the incompetent Edward II, the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton was signed in 1328, whereby Edward III acknowledged long sought Scottish independence and recognized Robert I as king of Scotland.^[23] Unfortunately, John's activities following the placement of his seal on the Declaration of Arbroath are unknown and he appears to have faded into the twilight of history having led a life filled with political intrigue, service to his country, and a prodigious passion for Scottish independence.

Death

John Graham died in Scotland on 25 April 1337; his burial location is unknown. His son and heir, John, became the last mormaer of Dalkeith, Abercorn, and Eskdale, finally resigning Dalkeith in favor of William Douglas on 6 January 1341/2, thus ending the elder branch of the family of Graham through the direct male line.^[1][24]

Research Notes

Prior to the Cambuskenneth charters of 1361, where the family surname was spelled Graham for the first time and thereafter, the family name had been previously spelled Grame or Graym, as shown on earlier seals and charters.^[25]

There is some dispute regarding Isabel Graham Stewart's parentage, where historians Cawley, Graham, and Weir have stated that she was not John's sister, but his daughter.^[7][3][8] Unfortunately, none of these authors provided source/s for this claim. Cawley further stated that "the primary source which confirms Isabel's parentage. . .has not yet been identified." Despite this disagreement, the facts alone seem to support the possibility that either Nicholas or John could have been Isabel's father. If Isabel married Walter Stewart (b. 1292 - d. 1327) some time after Marjorie Bruce's death in 1316,^[26] the norm would suggest that her date of birth would have occurred some time around or between 1295-1300. If this supposition is correct, Nicholas as her father would have been 50 plus years at the time of her birth, her mother at least 46, and her brother John in his early to mid twenties. If Isabel was born instead within a few years of John, she would have been approximately 15 years older than Walter and in her late thirties when she gave birth to their first of three children.^[27][26] It is also possible that she was, in fact, the daughter of John who would have been approximately 20-25 years old at Isabel's birth, if the 1295-1300 date-of-birth range is correct. Had she been married to Walter Stewart, who died in 1327, she could have been remarried to William More by the time Abercorn was transferred to him some time after 1329.^[11] In either event, without a primary source that definitively declares Isabel's parentage, this is a mystery that may remain unresolved.

There is evidence of pedigree entanglement regarding John Graham and Isabella's daughter Margaret, whereby she has been conflated with Margaret, wife of Hugh, Earl of Ross. Balfour Paul stated that Margaret, who married Hugh, Earl of Ross, was one of possibly four children of David de Graham,^[28] but, according to Cawley:

Balfour Paul claims that her parentage and marriage are confirmed by a charter of her son Hugh Earl of Ross which names Patrick de Graham "avunculus meus," but assumes that this means that her father was David Graham. From a chronological point of view, this seems improbable. It is more likely that Earl Hugh addresses Patrick de Graham as "avunculus," meaning his wife’s uncle, in which case his wife was the daughter of one of Patrick’s brothers (the other being John of Dundaff).^[29]

It seems more likely that Margaret Graham (Ross) was a member of the younger branch of the Graham pedigree through Alan, younger son of William de Grame (the first of the Graham line) and not from Peter, William's eldest son. It is from the elder branch that John, Earl of Dalkeith, Abercorn, and Eskdale descended, as well as sisters, Sybilla and Margaret Graham.^[3] Sir William Douglas of Liddesdale, (b. ca. 1300 d. 1353)^[30] son and heir of Sir James Douglas of Lothian, is usually said to have married Margaret, sister and coheir of John Graham of Dalkeith, Abercorn, and Eskdale. This was Margaret's first marriage (she likely died prior to 1352, as William Douglas was married at this time to a woman named Elizabeth).^{[1][10][2][9][31]} It seems more likely, therefore, that Margaret Graham (Douglas) and not Margaret Graham (Ross), is the sister of John Graham and daughter of John Graham, the elder.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Balfour Paul, J. (1909). The Scots peerage: Founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom (Vol. VI, pp. 195-197). Edinburgh: D. Douglas. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online]; accessed 1 November 2020.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Douglas, R. (1764). The peerage of Scotland : containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom, from their origin to the present generation: collected from the public records, and ancient chartularies of this nation, the charters, and other writings of the nobility, and the works of our best historians ... (p. 479). Edinburgh: R. Fleming. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 8 November 2020.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Graham, L. (2020). House Graham: From the Antonine Wall to the Temple of Hymen (Fig. 1.1). Retrieved from Clan Graham Society (Available online); accessed 14 November 2020.
4. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (n.d.). Nicholas Graham, knight (Pone 10889, no. 11967). Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020 2020.
5. ↑ Cawley, C. (21 September 2020). Scotland, mormaers, earls, lords (Ch. 7 Strathearn, sec. A-Malise, no. 2-Mary). Retrieved from Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020.
6. ↑ Scottish Monarchs. (n.d.). Marjorie Bruce. Retrieved from English Monarchs (Available online); accessed 21 November 2020.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Cawley, C. (21 September 2020). Scotland untitled nobility (Graham, Henry II de Graham, sec. 1. i.). Retrieved from Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (Available online); accessed 20 November 2020.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Weir, A. (2008). Britain's royal families, the complete genealogy (p. 215). London: Vintage Books. Retrieved from the personal library of Pamela Moen; accessed 8 November 2020.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Hume, D. (1820). The history of the house and race of Douglas and Angus (p. 91). London: Unknown. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 14 November 2020.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Cokayne, G. E. (1910). The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom: Extant, extinct, or dormant (Vol. I; p. 310). London: The St. Catherine Press. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 8 November 2020.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Robertson, W. (1798). An index, drawn up about the year 1629, of many records of charters, granted by the different sovereigns of Scotland between the years 1309 and 1413... (pp. 40, 54). Great Britain, General Register Office (Scotland). Edinburgh: Murray & Cochrane. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 18 November 2020.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Rampant Scotland. Ragman Rolls from those published by the Bannatyne Club in Edinburgh in 1834. (Available online); accessed 11 November 2020.
13. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (28 August 1296). Instrumenta publica (pp.139-41). Calendar no. 6/2/222. Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020.
14. ↑ McAndrew, B. A. (1999). The sigillography of the Ragman Roll (pp. 703, 706). Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 129, 663-752. Retrieved from The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (Available online); accessed 11 November 2020.
15. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (n.d.). Seal-matrix: John Graham, knight, son of Nicholas Graham (SW II, p. 381). Calendar P/Grah/4, record matrix 9589. Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020 2020.
16. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (n.d.). Son of Nicholas Graham (familial relationship) (20 October 1299). Calendar no. 3/254/11, Melrose Liber, no. 377. Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020 2020.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Rose, A. (2003). Kings in the north: The house of Percy in British History (p. 161). London: Orion Books, Ltd. Retrieved from the personal library of Pamela Moen; accessed 11 November 2020.
18. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (n.d.). Forfeit of lands of John Graham in Scotland (12 June 1314). Calendar no. 1/28/0, CDS, iii, no. 361. Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 22 November 2020.
19. ↑ Graham, L. (2020). House Graham: From the Antonine Wall to the Temple of Hymen (p. 35). Retrieved from Clan Graham Society (Available online); accessed 14 November 2020.
20. ↑ National Records of Scotland. (2005). The Declaration of Arbroath: 700th anniversary display. Retrieved from the National Records of Scotland: Available online; accessed 4 October 2020.
21. ↑ Douglas, R. (1764). The peerage of Scotland: Containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom, from their origin to the present generation: Collected from the public records, and ancient chartularies of this nation, the charters, and other writings of the nobility, and the works of our best historians (p. 481). Edinburgh: R. Fleming. Retrieved from Internet Archive: Available online; accessed 30 September 2020.
22. ↑ Burns, W. (1874). The Scottish war of independence, its antecedents and effects (Vol. 1, pp. 297-304). Glasgow: James MacLehose. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 28 December 2020.
23. ↑ Johnson, B. (n.d.). The Anglo-Scottish wars (or wars of Scottish independence). Retrieved from Historic UK (Available online); accessed 17 November 2020.
24. ↑ People of Medieval Scotland 1093 - 1371. (n.d.). John Graham, son of Nicholas Graham. Calendar no. 6/2/222. Retrieved from POMS (Available online); accessed 9 November 2020 2020.
25. ↑ Graeme, L. G. (1903). Or and sable: A book of the Graemes and Grahams (p. xxvi). Edinburgh: W. Brown. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 14 November 2020.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1} The Stewart Society (n.d.). History of the Stewarts. Retrieved from The Stewart Society.org (Available online); accessed 21 November 2020.
27. ↑ Balfour Paul, J. (1904). The Scots peerage: Founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; Containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom (Vol. I, p. 14). Edinburgh: D. Douglas. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online); accessed 7 November 2020.
28. ↑ Balfour Paul, J. (1909). The Scots peerage: Founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom (Vol. VI, pp. 209-211). Edinburgh: D. Douglas. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online]; accessed 1 November 2020.
29. ↑ Cawley, C. (21 September 2020). Scotland, earls created 1162-1398. (Ch. 1, sec. B, Hugh de Ross). Retrieved from Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (Available online); accessed 30 November 2020.
30. ↑ Editors of Britannica. (20 July, 1998). William Douglas, 1st earl of Douglas. Retrieved from Britannica (Available online); accessed 30 November 2020
31. ↑ Balfour Paul, J. (1909). The Scots peerage: Founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom (Vol. VI, p. 342). Edinburgh: D. Douglas. Retrieved from Internet Archive (Available online]; accessed 2 December 2020.