William (Comyn) Comyn Earl of Buchan

Born [date unknown] in Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1233 in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

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William (Comyn) Comyn Earl of Buchan was an inhabitant of Medieval Scotland. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

William Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Earl of Buchan

Family and Land Holdings

William was the second but eldest surviving son and heir of Richard de Comyn and Hextilda Fitz Uchtred.^[1] The exact date of his birth is unknown, but at his father's death he inherited the family estates in Scotland, including lands in Pebblesshire and Tynedale in Northumberland.^[2][3] Sometime around 1200 he received from William the Lion the lordship of Lenzie (north of Glasgow) for the service of one knight,^[4] and was made lord of Kirkintilloch (also north of Glasgow) which considerably expanded the family's holdings in the north.^[5] In addition, he held strategic lands in Machan, in the Clyde valley south of Glasgow.^[6] With his marriage to Marjorie, heiress to the earl of Buchan, in 1212 he became the first Anglo-Norman earl in Scotland and practically all of Buchan, a vast area in north-eastern Scotland, came under his control.^[4]

Political Career

Beginning in 1178, William Comyn witnessed eighty-eight charters of William the Lion, at least twenty-six of them being at Forfar between 1180 - 1211 when he served as sheriff of that region.^[7] The office of sheriff was appointed by the king, and its duties included carrying out the king's will in all matters involving military, financial, judicial, and administrative affairs.^[7] In 1205 he was made justiciar of Scotia, the highest ranking royal office in northern Scotland.^[8] His father had previously served as justiciar of Lothian, and William's appointment cemented his family's strong connection with the Scottish monarchy. Comyns were eventually to serve as justiciars of Scotia for 66 of the 100 years between 1205 and 1304.^[9]

His high status was evidenced when a treaty of peace was concluded in 1209 between King John and William the Lion, and each king chose one knight to "...take an oath on the agreement with their hands on the Holy Gospel by the souls of the two kings." William Comyn, justiciar of Scotia, swore on behalf of William the Lion.^[10] In the following years he further proved his loyalty to the king by crushing several rebellions in Moray.^[11]

Comyn's ecclesiastical patronage reflected the wide range of his land-holdings. He founded Deer Abbey in Buchan, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary,^[2] but was also a major contributor to the religious houses at St Andrews, Arbroath, Dryburgh, Cambuskenneth, and the church of St Kentigern in Glasgow.^[12]

First Marriage and Children

Historians have been unable to identify the name of William Comyn's first wife,^[13][1] [See research notes] however there were at least five children from this marriage:

• Richard Comyn; d. bef. Jul 1249^[14]
• Walter Comyn, earl of Menteith; m. c.1233/4 Isabella, countess of Menteith;^[15][1] d. Nov 1258^[15][16]
• David Comyn, lord of East Kilbride; m. bef. Oct 1215 Isabel de Valognes;^[17][18] d. bef. 7 Aug 1247^[19]
• William Comyn, clerk^[15]
• Jean Comyn; m. William, earl of Ross^[1][18][20]

Second Marriage and Children

Comyn married (secondly) Marjory, Countess of Buchan, daughter of Fergus, 4th Earl of Buchan, sometime around 1212.^[21][2] There were at least six children from this marriage:

• Alexander Comyn, 6th earl of Buchan; m. Elizabeth Quincy;^[22][23][24] d. 1289^[25][24]
• Sir William Comyn^[18][11]
• Fergus Comyn^[18][11]
• Idonea Comyn; m. Gilbert de Haya^[11][26]
• Elizabeth Comyn; m. bef. 1233 William, earl of Mar;^[27][18] d. 1267^[27]
• Agnes Comyn; m. Philip Meldrum of that Ilk^[26][27][28]

Death

William Comyn, earl of Buchan, died in 1233 and is said to have been buried before the high altar of the church of the Abbey of Deer.^[11] His countess survived him, dying before 1244, when William's son and heir Alexander Comyn succeeded his mother in the earldom.^[11]

Research Notes

Identity of William's First Wife

• Sir James Balfour Paul suggests she could possibly have been a daughter of Robert Fitzhugh, although this cannot be substantiated and is based only on a single entry in the Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland from the year 1201-2 which reads: "Northamptonshire. William Cumin accounts for 25 marks and a palfrey for having to wife the younger daughter of Robert fitz Hugh, with a reasonable part of the frank tenement which was the said Robert's. He has paid into the treasury 20 marks, and he owes 5 marks and a palfrey."^[29] There is nothing, however, to connect the William Cumin in this entry to the William Comyn of this profile, and Balfour Paul acknowledges that the name of William's first wife cannot be ascertained.^[1] Charles Cawley also suggests that Comyn's first wife may have been a Fitzhugh, but gives no sources for this.^[30]
• The profile of Sarah FitzHugh attached as William Comyn's first wife appears to be completely unsourced, and it is highly unlikely she was the woman referenced in the Calendar of Documents for two reasons: her family was from northern Scotland (almost 340 miles from Northamptonshire) and her profile lists the date of her marriage as 1187, while the entry in the Calendar was for 1201-2. Even if she were the same woman, however, there is no evidence that she was married to the subject of this profile. Lacking any reliable sources, she is being disconnected as a spouse of William Comyn. Stevens-17832 20:09, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 1, p. 505
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 2, p. 252.
3. ↑ Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 1, p. 144, #809.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 19.
5. ↑ R.R.S., II, pp. 4060407, cited in Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 19.
6. ↑ Kelso Liber, p. 17, #13, p. 10, #9, cited in Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 20.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 20.
8. ↑ Moray Registrum, p. 14; R.R.S, II, p. 535, cited in Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 21.
9. ↑ Barrow, G.W.S. The Kingdom of the Scots. New YorK: St Martin's Press (1973), pp. 137-138.
10. ↑ Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 21.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 2, p. 253.
12. ↑ Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 28.
13. ↑ Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. x (Comyn family pedigree).
14. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 1, p. 506
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2} Young, Alan. Comyn, Walter, earl of Menteith. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition, 23 Sep 2004. Available by subscription here.
16. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 6, p. 129.
17. ↑ Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 1, p. 112, #632.
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4} Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 29.
19. ↑ Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 1, p. 318, #1717.
20. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 7, p. 233.
21. ↑ Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), pp. 19, 22.
22. ↑ Close Rolls of the Reign of Henry III 1268-1272. London: H.M. Stationery Office (1938), p. 8, no. H.
23. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 2, pp. 254-256
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study In Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol 1, pp 3-4 BUCHAN 8. Elizabeth de Quincy.
25. ↑ Young, Alan. Comyn, Alexander, sixth earl of Buchan. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition, 23 Sep 2004. Available by subscription here.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1} S.H.S. Misc., vol. IV, pp. 318, 347-8 cited in Young, Alan. Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314. East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press (1997), p. 29.
27. ↑ ^{27.0 27.1 27.2} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 2, p. 254.
28. ↑ Henderson, John A. History of the Parish of Bancchory-Devenick: Banchory Lands. (1890). Available at Electric Scotland.
29. ↑ Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 1, p. 52, #318.
30. ↑ Cawley, Charles. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Comyn.

See Also:

• Barrow, G.W.S. The Anglo Norman Era in Scottish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1980).

• Cawley, Charles. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Kings of Scotland 1034-1290, Hextilda.

• Young, Alan. William Cumin: Border Politics and the Bishopric of Durham1141-1144. Borthwick Papers No. 54, University of York Institute of Historical Research, p. 28.