Sir Ingram de Umfraville (''fl.'' 1284–1320) was a Scottish noble who played a particularly chequered role in the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

, changing sides between England and Scotland multiple times, throughout the conflict.

Life

Ingram was the son of Robert de Umfraville of Collerton and Eva de Balliol. In 1284 he joined with other Scottish noblemen who acknowledged Margaret of Norway as the heir of King Alexander III.''Foedera'', p228 Ingram adopted the arms of Baliol and inherited the estates of Ingram Baliol on Baliol's death, being Foston in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, Wharrington-upon-Tees in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

as well as the barony of Urr in Galloway and Red Castle in

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

. He was one of the ambassadors who established the '

Auld alliance The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance"; ; ) is an alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting a ...

' with France and Scotland in 1295. He was present at the siege of Berwick in 1296 with King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

and fought on the English side during the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William Wal ...

in 1298. Fighting on the side of Scotland he participated in the

siege of Stirling Castle There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, a strategically important fortification in Stirling, Scotland. Stirling is located at the crossing of the River Forth, making it a key location for access to the north of Scotland. The c ...

in 1299. He was appointed joint

Guardian of Scotland The Guardians of Scotland were regents who governed the Kingdom of Scotland from 1286 until 1292 and from 1296 until 1306. During the many years of minority in Scotland's subsequent history, there were many guardians of Scotland and the post was ...

on 10 May 1300 together with William Lamberton, Bishop of St Andrews, and John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch. He resigned the next year and was replaced by John de Soules. He participated in the siege of

Lochmaben Castle Lochmaben Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Lochmaben, the feudal Lordship of Annandale, and the united county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was built by Edward I in the 14th century replacing an earlier motte and bailey castle, and lat ...

in September 1301. In 1303 he again became an ambassadors to Paris, and, upon returning from France in 1304, Ingram had his lands forfeited to King Edward I, who gave them to Sir Henry de Percy. He received his lands back upon

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

declaring himself King in 1306. Ingram switched sides to the English and in 1307 became one of their commanders in the Carrick and Galloway area and held the Bruce and his small army in the hill country south of the Forth. King

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to ...

made Ingram Guardian of South and West Scotland. Edward Bruce defeated Ingram during the

Battle of the River Dee The Battle of the River Dee was a battle fought on 29 June 1308 during the Scottish Wars of Independence near Buittle, on the banks of the River Dee, Galloway, Scotland. Sir Edward de Brus having been left in command in Galloway, Edward led a ...

in 1308. He fought on the side of the English at the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was ...

in 1314. After the battle Ingram fled the field to

Bothwell Castle Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle wa ...

, where he was captured and later ransomed. Ingram left Scotland in 1320 and obtained safe conducts from Edward II to travel to France.

Family and issue

Ingram married Isabella, widow of

Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí (died ×1296) was a leading figure in the thirteenth-century kingdoms of the Isles and the Scotland. He was a son of Ruaidhrí mac Raghnaill, and thus a member of the Clann Ruaidhrí branch of Clann Somhairle. Ailéan wa ...

of Garmoran and had the following known issue: *Eva de Umfraville, married Phillip de Mowbray, had issue. *Isabella de Umfraville

Notes

Citations

References

* * Rymer, Thomas,''Foedera Conventiones, Literae et cuiuscunque generis Acta Publica inter Reges Angliae''. London. 1745. (Latin

Guardians of Scotland Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence Signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath Ingram {{Scotland-noble-stub