Alexander of Menteith (d. bef. 1306), a Scottish nobleman and member of the
Stewart family, he was the
Earl of Menteith.
Life
Alexander was the eldest son and heir of
Walter Bailloch Stewart and
Mary I, Countess of Menteith and was the
Mormaer or
Earl of Menteith succeeding his mother the
de jure countess.[1] The first mention of him in records is with his brother
John de Menteith in a compact dated on 20 September 1286, at
Turnberry,
Carrick, between
Bruce and the
Stewarts.[2] In another writ, of uncertain date, granted by their father to
Kilwinning Abbey, he and his brother are styled Alexander and
John de Menteith.[3] Alexander joined with his father in a charter granting the church of
Kippen to the
Cambuskenneth Abbey situated within the earldom as a place of burial; the writ being dated 1286.[4] He was appointed the
Sheriff of Dumbarton in 1288. Prior to succeeding his father, Alexander was at
Norham in 1291, and was among those who swore fealty to
Edward I. Alexander was with his brother John at the
Battle of Dunbar on 27 April 1296, and fled to
Dunbar Castle where he and others were taken prisoner and he was committed to the
Tower of London. His detention was not long, however, and he was liberated after promising to serve the English King, meeting with him at
Elgin 27 July 1296.[2] He repeated this promise, and swore fealty at
Berwick a month later, on 28 August, as Alexander Comes Meneteth.[5] Alexander then gave over two of his sons, Alan and Peter, as hostages.[1] Alexander seems to have retired from public life after this, tending only to his family affairs.[6] He died before 1306.[1]
Family
He married a lady named Matilda (Maud),[7] a daughter of
Robert, Earl of Strathearn,[8] and together they had the following children:
Peter, who in 1296 was a hostage in England with his brother Alan. He accompanied King
Edward to
Flanders, and took part in the French campaign of 1297, where he may have been killed.[10]
Alan Durward = Margery of
E of Athol I Scotland
I
I
Colban = Anne = Sir
William
E of Fife I Durward I de Ferrers
d. 1270 I I (2nd husband)
_______________I I___________________________________________________________
I I
I ______________________________________________________ I
I I I I I
I
Alexander = Matilda Sir
John de Menteith Elena = John I
I E of Menteith I of Strathearn I de Drummond I
I I __I______________________ I
I I I I I I I
I I John Walter Elena Joanna I
I I = Gillespie I
I I Campbell I
__I________ __I____________________________________________________ I
I I I I I I I I
Duncan Margery =
AlanMurdochMargaret Malise Elena = Sir
William
E of I E of E of =
Alexander de Menteith of I de Ferrers
Fife (d. 1289) I Menteith Menteith de Abernethy Methlick I d. 1325
I I I I
I ___I I I
I I I I
DuncanAlan Walter de Menteith Anne
E of E of Menteith of Methlick de Ferrers
Fife heir of Fife, 1315 d. aft 13 Jul 1364 =
Edward le
I I Despenser
I I
Mary = Sir
John John de Menteith
C of de Graham d. bef 1394
Menteith d. 1346
References
^
abcGeorge Edward Cokayne, The complete peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times, Vol. VIII (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1932), p. 662
^Augustin Theiner, Vetera monumenta Hibernorum et Scotorum historiam illustrantia, (Rome: Vatican, 1864), p. 258
^Registrum Monasterii S. Marie de Cambuskenneth, A, Parts 1147-1535 (Edinburgh, 1872), p. cxxix
^Instrumenta publica sive processus super fidelitatibus et Homagiis Scotorum; Domino Regi Angliae Factis, A.D. MCCCXCI–MCCXCVI [Ragman Roll, Parts 1291-1296] (Edinburgh: 1834), pp. 103, 119
^The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, ed. James Balfour Paul, Vol VI (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909), pp. 133–34
^George Edward Cokayne, The complete peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times, Vol. VIII (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1932), p. 664
^
abcJ. Ravilious, The Earls of Menteith: Murdoch, Earl of Menteith and the Ferrers family of Groby, The Scottish Genealogist (March 2013), Vol. LX, No. 1, pp. 12-25
^George Edward Cokayne, The complete peerage; or, A history of the House of lords and all its members from the earliest times, Vol. VIII (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1932), p. 665
^
abcThe Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, ed. James Balfour Paul, Vol VI (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909), p. 134
^J. Ravilious, The Earls of Menteith: Alexander, Earl of Menteith and Sir Alexander de Abernethy, The Scottish Genealogist (September 2010), Vol. LVII, No. 3, pp. 130–139
Brown, Michael, The Wars of Scotland, 1214-1371, (Edinburgh, 2004)
J. Ravilious, The Earls of Menteith: Alexander, Earl of Menteith and Sir Alexander de Abernethy, The Scottish Genealogist (September 2010), Vol. LVII, No. 3, pp. 130–139.
J. Ravilious, The Earls of Menteith: Murdoch, Earl of Menteith and the Ferrers family of Groby, The Scottish Genealogist (March 2013), Vol. LX, No. 1, pp. 12–25.