Marjorie Bruce
Encyclopedia
Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus (1296 – 2 March 1316) was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce
, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar
, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty
. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland
gave rise to the House of Stewart
. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland
.
Her mother, Isabella, a nineteen-year-old noblewoman from the Clan Mar
, died soon after giving birth to her. Her father was then the Earl of Carrick
. Marjorie was named after her father's mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick
.
According to legend, her parents had been very much in love, and Robert the Bruce did not remarry until Marjorie was six years old. In 1302, a courtier
named Elizabeth de Burgh
became her stepmother.
On 27 March 1306, her father was crowned King of Scots at Scone, Perthshire, and Marjorie, then nine years old, became a Princess of Scotland.
Three months after the coronation, in June, 1306, her father was defeated at the Battle of Methven
. He sent his female relatives (his wife, two sisters and Marjorie) north with his supporter the Countess of Buchan, but by the end of June the band of Bruce
women were captured and betrayed to the English by the Earl of Ross
.
As punishment, Edward I
sent his hostages to different places in England
. Princess Marjorie went to the convent
at Watton
; her aunt Christina Bruce
was sent to another convent; Queen Elizabeth was placed under house arrest
at a manor house
in Yorkshire
(because Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster
, her punishment was lighter than the others'); and Marjorie's aunt Mary Bruce
and the Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages, exposed to public view, Mary's cage at Roxburgh Castle
and Countess Isabella's at Berwick Castle
. For the next four years, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Christina, Mary and Isabella endured solitary confinement
, with daily public humiliation for the latter two. A cage was built for Marjorie at the Tower of London
, but Edward I reconsidered and instead sent her to the convent. Christopher Seton, Christina's husband, was executed.
Edward I died on 7 July 1307. He was succeeded by his son, Edward II
, who subsequently held Marjorie captive in a convent for about seven more years. She was finally set free around 1314, possibly in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn
(23 June – 24 June 1314).
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
distinguished himself in the battle and was rewarded the hand of the adolescent princess. Her dowry
included the Baron
y of Bathgate
in West Lothian
. The original site of Bathgate Castle, which was part of the dowry, can be found on the grounds of Bathgate Golf Club. The site is protected by the Historic Scotland organisation and the Club is debarred from carrying out any excavation work on the site without prior permission.
Two years later, on 2 March 1316, Marjorie went horse-riding near Paisley, Renfrewshire
while heavily pregnant. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground at a place called "The Knock." She went into premature labour and delivered the child at Paisley Abbey
, surviving the birth by a few hours at most.
She was nineteen at the time of her death, like her mother, who was also nineteen years old when she died in childbirth.
At the junction of Renfrew Road and Dundonald Road in Paisley, a cairn
marks the spot where Marjorie reputedly fell from her horse. She is buried at the abbey.
Her son succeeded his childless uncle David II of Scotland
in 1371 as King Robert II
. Her descendants include the House of Stuart
and all their successors on the throne of Scotland, Great Britain
and the United Kingdom
.
and Robert J. Harris features Marjorie Bruce as its protagonist. In it, Marjorie is imprisoned in a cage. Although there is a preface stating that it is fictional, many have taken it to be a true story.
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar
Isabella of Mar
Isabella of Mar was the first wife of Robert the Bruce and the grandmother of Robert II of Scotland, founder of the royal House of Stuart...
, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
Walter Stewart was the 6th hereditary High Steward of Scotland. He was also the father of King Robert II of Scotland.-Biography:...
gave rise to the House of Stewart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
.
Early life
Clan Mar
Clan Mar is a Scottish clan from the Grampian Highlands, sometimes referred to as the Tribe of Mar. The chiefs of the clan held the position of Mormaer of Mar from the 1130s to the early 15th century as the original Earls of Mar...
, died soon after giving birth to her. Her father was then the Earl of Carrick
Earl of Carrick
The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
. Marjorie was named after her father's mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick
Marjorie, Countess of Carrick
Marjorie of Carrick was countess of Carrick, Scotland, from 1256 to 1292, and is notable as the mother of Robert the Bruce.-Marriages:...
.
According to legend, her parents had been very much in love, and Robert the Bruce did not remarry until Marjorie was six years old. In 1302, a courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
named Elizabeth de Burgh
Elizabeth de Burgh
Elizabeth de Burgh was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert I of Scotland.-Life:She was born in Dunfermline, Fife in Scotland, the daughter of the powerful Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and his wife Margarite de Burgh...
became her stepmother.
On 27 March 1306, her father was crowned King of Scots at Scone, Perthshire, and Marjorie, then nine years old, became a Princess of Scotland.
Imprisonment (1306–1314)
Battle of Methven
The Battle of Methven took place at Methven in Scotland in 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence.-Comyn's Death:In February 1306, Robert Bruce and a small party of his followers killed John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, before the high altar of the Greyfriars Church in Dumfries...
. He sent his female relatives (his wife, two sisters and Marjorie) north with his supporter the Countess of Buchan, but by the end of June the band of Bruce
Clan Bruce
Clan Bruce is a Scottish clan from Kincardine in Scotland. It was a Royal House in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland.-Origins of the Clan:...
women were captured and betrayed to the English by the Earl of Ross
Uilleam II, Earl of Ross
Uilleam II of Ross was the second successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt, as Mormaer of Ross .In 1284 he joined with other Scottish noblemen who acknowledged Margaret of Norway as the heir of Alexander....
.
As punishment, Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
sent his hostages to different places in England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
. Princess Marjorie went to the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
at Watton
Watton, East Riding of Yorkshire
Watton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The village is situated on the A164 road, about north of Beverley and south of Driffield. According to the 2001 UK census the civil parish of Watton had a population of 238....
; her aunt Christina Bruce
Christina Bruce
Christina Bruce the second daughter of Robert de Brus, jure uxoris Earl of Carrick and Marjorie of Carrick, and an older sister of King Robert the Bruce....
was sent to another convent; Queen Elizabeth was placed under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
at a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
(because Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster
Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster
Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught , called The Red Earl, was one of the most powerful Irish nobles of the late 13th and early 14th centuries.-Early life:...
, her punishment was lighter than the others'); and Marjorie's aunt Mary Bruce
Mary Bruce
Mary Bruce was the younger sister of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. During the First War of Scottish Independence, she was captured by the English and imprisoned in a cage at Roxburgh Castle for about four years...
and the Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages, exposed to public view, Mary's cage at Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
and Countess Isabella's at Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.The castle was founded in the 12th century by the Scottish King David I. In 1296-8, the English King Edward I had the castle rebuilt and the town fortified, before it was returned to Scotland...
. For the next four years, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Christina, Mary and Isabella endured solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, with daily public humiliation for the latter two. A cage was built for Marjorie at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, but Edward I reconsidered and instead sent her to the convent. Christopher Seton, Christina's husband, was executed.
Edward I died on 7 July 1307. He was succeeded by his son, Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
, who subsequently held Marjorie captive in a convent for about seven more years. She was finally set free around 1314, possibly in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
(23 June – 24 June 1314).
Marriage and death
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
Walter Stewart was the 6th hereditary High Steward of Scotland. He was also the father of King Robert II of Scotland.-Biography:...
distinguished himself in the battle and was rewarded the hand of the adolescent princess. Her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
included the Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
y of Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
in West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
. The original site of Bathgate Castle, which was part of the dowry, can be found on the grounds of Bathgate Golf Club. The site is protected by the Historic Scotland organisation and the Club is debarred from carrying out any excavation work on the site without prior permission.
Two years later, on 2 March 1316, Marjorie went horse-riding near Paisley, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
while heavily pregnant. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground at a place called "The Knock." She went into premature labour and delivered the child at Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
, surviving the birth by a few hours at most.
She was nineteen at the time of her death, like her mother, who was also nineteen years old when she died in childbirth.
At the junction of Renfrew Road and Dundonald Road in Paisley, a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
marks the spot where Marjorie reputedly fell from her horse. She is buried at the abbey.
Her son succeeded his childless uncle David II of Scotland
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
in 1371 as King Robert II
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
. Her descendants include the House of Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
and all their successors on the throne of Scotland, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Ancestry
Marjorie in fiction
The young adult novel Girl in a Cage by Jane YolenJane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
and Robert J. Harris features Marjorie Bruce as its protagonist. In it, Marjorie is imprisoned in a cage. Although there is a preface stating that it is fictional, many have taken it to be a true story.
External links
- Bannockburn article (National Trust for ScotlandNational Trust for ScotlandThe National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotland's natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to...
) contains some information on Marjorie Bruce.