Hostarius (Scotland)
Encyclopedia
The Hostarius was an office in medieval Scotland
whose holders, eventually hereditary, had the theoretical responsibility of being warden of the king's door, i.e. protecting the king's property.
The following is a list of hostarii
The family of "Durward" (a later name for hostarius), may have held the office hereditarily after Thomas of Lundie, and certainly kept the title as a surname (in Norman French, l'Ussier ("the Usher"); in English
, Durward) The office was no longer hereditary by the second half of the 13th century, and indeed by this point there were many hostarii. Unlike many other hereditary royal office holders, the "Durward" family were not of Anglo-Norman
or French
origin, but of native Gaelic
origin, being a sept of the native comital dynasty of Mar.
Medieval Scotland
*Scotland in the Early Middle Ages*Scotland in the High Middle Ages*Scotland in the Late Middle Ages...
whose holders, eventually hereditary, had the theoretical responsibility of being warden of the king's door, i.e. protecting the king's property.
The following is a list of hostarii
- Malcolm de MolleMorebattleMorebattle is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B6401, seven miles south of Kelso, Scottish Borders, beside the Kale Water, a tributary of the River Teviot.The nearby Linton Loch was drained in the 19th century to improve agriculture....
, uncle of Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of ScotlandAlan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of ScotlandAlan fitz Walter was hereditary High Steward of Scotland and a crusader.Alan was the eldest son of Walter fitz Alan by his spouse Eschyna de Londoniis, of Molla & Huntlaw, and succeeded, upon his father's death in 1177, as High Steward of Scotland.Alan fitz Walter accompanied Richard the Lionheart... - Jocelin, reign of William the Lion
- Thomas de LundinThomas de LundinThomas de Lundin, often referred to as Thomas l'Ussier or Thomas Durward , was a 13th century Scottish nobleman.Thomas takes his name from the villa of Lundie in Angus , and was one of two known sons of Máel Coluim of Lundie . His father had married a daughter of Gille Críst, Earl of Mar...
(son of Máel Coluim son of Gille Críst, Earl of MarGille Críst, Earl of MarGille Críst of Mar is the fourth known Mormaer of Mar, 1183–1203.His relationship to the previous Mormaer, Morggán, is not totally clear; but Gille Críst was not the son of Morggán, and so his succession could probably be explained by operations of Gaelic succession, but as we know almost nothing...
), d. 1231 - Alan DurwardAlan DurwardAlan Hostarius was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two Gaelic comital families.Alan was one of the most important...
(son of Thomas), d. 1275
The family of "Durward" (a later name for hostarius), may have held the office hereditarily after Thomas of Lundie, and certainly kept the title as a surname (in Norman French, l'Ussier ("the Usher"); in English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
, Durward) The office was no longer hereditary by the second half of the 13th century, and indeed by this point there were many hostarii. Unlike many other hereditary royal office holders, the "Durward" family were not of Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
or French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
origin, but of native Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
origin, being a sept of the native comital dynasty of Mar.
Sources
- Balfour Paul, Sir JamesJames Balfour PaulSir James Balfour Paul, KCVO was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926....
, Scots PeerageIX vols. Edinburgh 1904.http://www.archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01paul - Hammond, Matthew H., "The Durward family in the thirteenth century", in Steve Boardman and Alasdair Ross (eds.), The Exercise of Power in Medieval Scotland, c.1200–1500, (Dublin/Portland, 2003). pp. 118–37