Mary Bruce (abt. 1288 - bef. 1323)

Born about 1288 in Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 1323 before about age 35 in Scotland

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Biography

Mary Bruce is a member of House of Bruce.

Family and Early Life

Mary was a daughter of Robert de Brus, Lord Annandale and, by right of his wife, earl of Carrick, and Marjory (Margaret) of Carrick,^[1][2] She was a younger sister of Robert I, King of Scots. Her exact birthdate is unknown but estimated to have been sometime around 1288, making her about 18 years of age when she was imprisoned by the English in 1306 and 26 years of age when she had her first child in 1314.

After her brother's defeat at the battle of Methven, the Bruce women (including Mary; her eldest sister Isabel, countess of Buchan; her sister Christian; her sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (who was sixteen years of age);^[3] and the ten-year-old Princess Marjorie Bruce (the daughter from Bruce's first marriage) sought sanctuary in the church of St Duthac at Tain but they were forcibly removed from the church by William, earl of Ross, and sent under heavy guard to London.^[4] From there they were separated and each sent to different locations, making any rescue more difficult. Queen Elizabeth was initially placed under strict confinement at the royal manor at Burstwick in Holderness.^[5] She was allowed at least some physical comforts (although she was placed in solitary confinement and allowed to speak to no one but the Engish guard who brought her rations) due to the fact that her father, Richard de Burgh, earl of Ulster, was one of the English king's most faithful men.^[5] Princess Marjorie, because she was so young, was sent under guard to the priory of Watton In Yorkshire where she remained until her release in 1314.^[6] Christian, who was widowed when the king had her husband drawn, hanged, and beheaded at Dumfries, was sent to the Gilbertine nunnery of Sixhills in Lincolnshire.^[7]

King Edward's rage over Robert Bruce's rebellion was then directed primarily at Isabel and Mary. Elaborate arrangements were made to imprison each of them in cages of wood and iron.^[7] Edward's directions for Isabel's punishment were as follow:

"Because she did not smite with the sword, she shall not perish by the sword. But because of the unlawful crowning which she made, let her be kept most fastly in an iron crown, made after the fashion of a little house, whereof let the breadth and length, the height and the depth, be finished in the space of eight feet; and let her be hung up for ever at Berwick under the open sky, that all they who pass may see her, and know for what cause she is there."^[8]

Mary was confined under similar conditions at Roxburgh Castle, where she remained in her cage for almost four years.^[9] In the spring of 1310 there were tentative plans to exchange her for an English prisoner being held in Scotland,^[10] but the king would not release her. In 1312 another exchange was suggested but again these plans were unsuccessful.^[11] Mary was not finally released and permitted to leave England until 1314, when her brother's stunning victory at Bannockburn gave him enough political leverage to negotiate her release in exchange for English nobility taken captive by the Scots during that battle.^[12]

Marriage to Neil Campbell

She married (first), as his third wife (see Research Notes), Neil Campbell, Knt. of Lochow and Ardskeodnish, the eldest but illegitimate son of Colin Mor Campbell.^[2][13][14] There were at least two children from this marriage:

• John Campbell, earl of Atholl;^[15] born c.1315 (See Research Notes);^[16] married (1) Margaret de Glenorchy;^[17][18] married (2) Joan de Menteith;^[16][17][19] died 19 July 1333 at Battle of Halidon Hill^[16][19]
• Dougal Campbell; married with issue (wife's name unknown)^[17][20][21]

An undated charter was issued under which Robert I King of Scotland granted "all the lands quhilks were David Earl of Athole’s" to "Sir Neill Campbell and Mary his spouse sister to the king and John their son".^[22].

This marriage was to last only two years. Neil Campbell died shortly after 26 April 1315, when he was one of the barons in Parliament at a meeting which settled the succession of the crown of Scotland.^[17] (The Scots Peerage gives his date of death as "about 1316.")^[16]

Marriage to Alexander Fraser

Mary de Brus married (second) about 1316, Alexander Fraser of Touchfraser and Cowie, eldest son of Andrew Fraser, Sheriff of Stirling,^{[2][21][23][24]} and one of her brother's most loyal supporters. There were at least two sons from this marriage:

• John Fraser, the heir, of Touchfraser;^[2][25] born c.1317 (15 yrs of age at his father's death);^[26] married with issue (wife's name unknown)^[26]
• William Fraser^[2][25] of Cowrie and Durris; born c. 1318;^[26] married Margaret Moray; ^[26] died 1346 at Battle of Durham^[26]

Robert I, King of Scotland, granted land at Auchincarnie to "Alexandro Fraser militi" and "heredibus suis inter ipsum et quondam Mariam de Brwce sponsam suam, sororem nostram" by a charter dated 22 Sep 1323^[27].^[28]

Alexander Fraser had been knighted on the eve of the battle of Bannockburn,^[24] attended the Scottish parliament of 1318 when the order of succession to the crown was determined, and on 10 December 1319 was appointed Chamberlain of Scotland (an office which he held until 5 March 1327).^[24][25] In 1320 his seal was appended to the Declaration of Arbroath, asserting Scotland's independence.^[24][25] He held the hereditary office of sheriff of Stirling, but was also sheriff of Kincardine and keeper of the king's park in Cowie Forest.^[25] Fraser was arguably one of the most important Scottish nobles north of the Forth.^[25]

Death

Mary de Brus died sometime before 1323.^[2][29] Her husband, Alexander Fraser, died nine years later at the battle of Dupplin Moor.^[24][29]

Research Notes

Marriages of Neil Campbell: Campbell married (first) Margaret, widow of Hubert de Multon, sometime after February 1301/2.^[30] At the same time that permission was granted for their marriage, Campbell was granted custody of Hubert de Multon's lands in Cumberland until Multon's heir reached his majority.^[30] Although there have been no sources found to confirm that this marriage actually took place, The Scots Peerage suggests that it did and that Campbell's eldest son Colin was the son of Neil Campbell and Margaret.^[20] The Red Book of Scotland also states that Colin was the son of Neil Campbell and Margaret Multon.^[17] Either this first marriage was soon afterwards annulled, or Margaret died before Campbell married once again c.1303. Campbell's custody over the Multon lands in Cumberland was revoked by the king when Campbell left for Scotland to join the army of Robert the Bruce.^[31]

Campbell married (second) c.1303 Alyse (who was at that time a minor), the youngest daughter of Andrew Crawford. The wardship of Alyce and her older sister was in dispute: Robert de Keith had purchased it from John Balliol, king of Scotland. When Balliol was deposed, Robert the Bruce gave the girls' wardship to Neil Campbell. Keith protested this, and the matter was given to a group of auditors and the bishop of Dunblane to decide. Before a decision could be made, Campbell married Alyse Crawford and was called before the Council for contempt.^[32] Because Alyse was a minor, it is uncertain if this marriage was ever consummated.

The Scots Peerage references an old tradition that this Campbell also married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Cameron of Lochiel, however it disproves this story on the grounds that there was (at that time) no family known as Cameron of Lochiel. That name didn't appear until 1320, and the family lived in Fifeshire.^[20] Stevens-17832 15:11, 11 March 2024 (UTC)

Birthdate of 1st son, John Campbell: John was said to be about 20 years of age when he was killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.^[16] However, because his mother was not released from her captivity in England until after the Battle of Bannockburn (which was fought in June 1314) his birthdate was most likely to have been no earlier than 1315. Stevens-17832 22:08, 16 March 2024 (UTC)

Possible third son? Some sources assign a third son named Duncan to Neil Campbell but no reliable sources have been found supporting this son. The Scots Peerage does not include him as a child of Neil Campbell, saying simply that "the evidence for Duncan is not satisfactory."^[20] Stevens-17832 14:58, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

• Duncan Campbell was originally attached as a child of Neil and Mary de Brus, but has been removed until reliable sources can be found to indicate he belonged in this family. Stevens-17832 21:55, 18 March 2024 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author (2011), vol. 3, pp. 527-528 SCOTLAND 4.viii. Mary de Brus
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} 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. 604-605 BRUS 7.ix. Mary de Brus.
3. ↑ Penman, Michael. Robert the Bruce. New Haven: Yale University Press (1918), p. 98
4. ↑ Barbour, Bruce. 2:57-59, 74; Chronicle of Fordun, 2:334-335, cited in Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p. 123
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p. 123
6. ↑ Palgrave, Docs. Hist. Scot., 359; Foedera, 1, 4:59, cited in Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p. 138, fn.93.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p. 124
8. ↑ Passio Scotorum, 175-176, cited in Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p. 125.
9. ↑ Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), pp. 125-126.
10. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 3, p. 25, no. 131 (30 Mar 1309/10).
11. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881),vol. 3, p. 49, no. 244 (8 Feb 1311/12).
12. ↑ Walker, Sue Sheridan (ed.). Wife and WIdow in Medieval England. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (1993), p.126.
13. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 2, p. 434.
14. ↑ MacGregor, Gordon. The Red Book of Scotland. Scotland: by the author (3rd ed. 2024), vol. 2, p. 492.
15. ↑ Robertson, William. Robertson's Index. Edinburgh: Murray & Cochrane (1798), p. 62, no. 29
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 1, pp. 434-435.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4} MacGregor, Gordon. The Red Book of Scotland. Scotland: by the author (3rd ed. 2024), vol. 3, pp. 172-173.
18. ↑ Robertson, William, and Frederick Campbell, 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, ... Edinburgh : Murray & Cochrane 1(798), p. 44, no. 7.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} 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. 604-605 BRUS 7.ix.a. John Campbell.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. 1, p. 324.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} Chalmers, George. Caledonia. Paisley: Alexander Gardner (1887), vol. 2, p 589, fn p.
22. ↑ Robertson, William, and Frederick Campbell. 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, ... Edinburgh : Murray & Cochrane 1(798), p. 26.
23. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol 7, pp. 426-427
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4} Paton, Henry.Fraser, Alexander (d. 1332). Dictionary of National Biography online archive edition (1889).
25. ↑ ^{25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5} McGladdery, C.A. Fraser Family. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online edition (23 Sep 2004). Available here by subscription.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol 7, pp. 429
27. ↑ Fraser, Alexander The Frasers of Philorth. Edinburgh : by the author (1879),vol. 2, Appendix of Charters, 3, p. 198.
28. ↑ Robertson, William, and Frederick Campbell, 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, ... Edinburgh : Murray & Cochrane 1(798), p. 26.
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1} Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol 7, pp. 428
30. ↑ ^{30.0 30.1} Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents pertaining to Scotland.; GRO Scotland, 1881), vol. 2, p. 328, no. 1289.
31. ↑ Calendar of the Patent Rolls. Edw. I 1301-1307. London: H.M. Stationery Office (1898), p. 448, June 20 (Dunstable).
32. ↑ Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents pertaining to Scotland; (GRO Scotland, 1881),vol 2, p. 362, no. 1406

See also:

• Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 2, p. 495, no. 1851 (7 Nov 1305).

• Bain, Joseph (ed.). Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland. Edinburgh: H.M. General Register House (1881), vol. 3, p. 25, no. 131 (30 Mar 1309/10); pp. 46-47, no. 227 (15 Oct 1310/11); p. 49, no. 244 (8 Feb 1311/12); p. 51, no. 248 (5 Mar 1311/12); p. 66, no. 340 (2 Nov 1313).

• Barbour, John. The Bruce. A.A.M. Duncan (transl.). Edinburgh: Cannongate Books (1997, rv 2007), pp. 100 (fn), 310 (fn).

• Brayley, E.W. The Graphic and Historical Illustrator... London: J. Chidley (1834), p. 90, Nov. 1315.

• Fraser, William. Registrum Monasterii S. Marie de Cambuskenneth, A.D. 1147-1535. Edinburgh (1872), pp. 315-316.

• The House of Argyll and the Collateral Branches of the Clan Campbell, from the Year 420 to the Present Time. Glasgow : J. Tweed (1871), pp. 21-24 [Note: use this source with caution. It states that after Mary Bruce's death, Neil Campbell married the daughter of John Cameron of Lochiel, by whom he had a son named Duncan. Since it is well established that Mary Bruce outlived Campbell and then was married to Alexander Fraser, The House of Argyll is clearly in error. It also provides no sources for this theory.]

• Palgrave, Francis (ed.). Documents and Records Illustrating the History of Scotland. London: Commissioners of the Public Records (1837), vol. 1, pp. 307, 356-359.

• Wikipedia: Mary Bruce.