east-lothian-1924/05-031

Transcription

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (SCOTLAND) COMMISSION.

castle - of which nothing survives in the present building (No. 3) - was one of those
in which Edward II. had a garrison in 1311, while of the others occupied by the
same King the value of Dunbar as a port is obvious (cf. No. 36), while Dirleton
and Yester could serve as local bases.
In any struggle between the kingdoms East Lothian thus occupied an invidi-
ous position ; there the power of the invader on this side was first felt. It was
therefore prominent in the successive phases of the War of Independence, and
the first great military blow to the Scots was struck in their defeat at Dunbar
in 1296, where the local issue was possession of the castle covering the port.
We have noted above the castles in the district garrisoned for Edward II.,
in 1311, these being a legacy from his father's administration. It is clear
that East Lothian was subdued to the English King. Certain magnates of
the district, however, must be excepted : even in the days of Edward I.
Alexander de Lindsay had been relieved of his manor of Byres and Thomas
Randolph of that of Broxmouth for their adherence to the nationalist side. ¹
Walter de Bickerton (cf. No. 1) was an early supporter of Bruce. By 1312 other
local landholders had gone the same way ; Sir Robert de Keith, who had done so
three years before and so had his barony of Keith given to others, and Godfrey
of Coalstoun, who had left English allegiance along with Keith. But the most
powerful magnate Patrick 9th Earl of Dunbar, was still English and with Sir Adam
de Gordon of Berwickshire, Justiciar of Lothian, was envoy to Edward II on behalf
of the district, which was suffering equally at the hands of "the enemy," that
is the insurgent Scots under Bruce, and the garrisons of Berwick and Rox-
burgh in English occupation. Among the Berwick oppressors was Thomas de
Pencaitland, an East Lothian gentleman, who could serve as ' guide ' to the
plundering columns. Thus to the Scots Lothian was enemy country, and,
when a truce was dearly bought from Bruce, forthwith the English forces of
occupation also would treat the people as enemies. The Lanercost chronicler
notes such a truce in 1311-12 on behalf of " the county of Dunbar next to
Berwick," where they " were still in the King of England's peace," and no
doubt hits off the situation correctly when he explains that Scottish acquies-
cence in English rule was but " feigning," either because England " was the
stronger party or in order to save the lands they possessed in England."
There was apparently another truce in 1313, and Edward, in reply to the above
petition, promised to come for the relief of Lothian in the following year. But
that became the year of Bannockburn, after which the English interest in this
quarter dissolved fast. By 1316-17, the Earl of Dunbar and March was a ' rebel '
to England and about the same time, or earlier, " Schir Adam of Gordoune . . .
wes becummyne a Scottis man." ²
A significant fact here is that the triumph of Bruce brought no great
change in the territorial families of East Lothian, the only important dis-
appearances being those of de Ferrers from Falside and la Zouche from Tranent
(cf. p. xx). The later stage of the War of Independence, the struggle
against Edward Balliol as King and Edward III. of England, witnessed a
more compact and persistent opposition to that faction on the part of the
East Lothian lords and lairds. In 1334 the constabulary of Haddington was

1 Cal. Docts. iii. No. 258.
2 Ibid. No. 536 ; Barbour's Brus xv. 333-4.

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CorrieBuidhe- Moderator, Douglas Montgomery

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