John de Strivelyn ( fl. 1327 – 15 August 1378), also called John Stirling or Johannes de Strivelyn, was a medieval Scottish knight in English service.

Military career

Stirling was first mentioned in the aftermath of the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seized ...

in 1333. In March 1335 Stirling was appointed commander of a joint Anglo-Scottish force besieging

Loch Leven Castle Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296� ...

. He was absent around the 10 June, celebrating the feast day of

St Margaret Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to: People In chronological order: * Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304) * Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093) * Saint Margaret of England (died 1192) * Saint Margare ...

, when the defending Scots made a successful sortie. Nevertheless, the castle surrendered by the end of the summer. Afterwards, in September 1335, Stirling was ambushed near

Linlithgow Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...

, captured and imprisoned in

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumba ...

. He was ransomed within a year, was made a

banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight ("a commoner of rank") who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the penn ...

of England on

Saint John's Eve Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56–57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of J ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and entered King's service. On 10 October 1335 Stirling signed an indenture contract with King Edward and received

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

and shrievalty of Lothian on 2 November. As the warden of the Castle, Stirling has repeatedly petitioned the king for the pay due to the garrison. In May 1336 he conducted a sortie across the Forth against the Scottish forces besieging

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...

Castle and drove them away. Stirling's service in Edinburgh came to an end in March 1338 when he was captured during a foray. By the autumn of 1338 Stirling was able to rejoin the king's forces, this time in the Low Countries. He must have stayed with the king until late autumn of 1339 and returned the islands to participate in a winter expedition to Scotland. Next winter, 1341/2, Stirling joined King Edward's campaign in Scotland after the fall of Edinburgh Castle. In October 1342 he transferred to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

and fought in the

Breton War of Succession The War of the Breton Succession (, ) was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April ...

until the end of January 1343. On 29 July 1343 Stirling was appointed sheriff of Northumberland but didn't take the office due to a bad wound and was relieved sometime after February 1344. From January 1345 until February 1346 he was the keeper of

Berwick Castle Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England. History The castle was commissioned by the Scottish David I of Scotland, King David I in the 1120s. It was taken by the English forces under the terms of the Tr ...

. In July 1346 Stirling joined King Edward in his expedition to the continent, culminating in

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...

and the siege of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

. In March 1347 he moved back to the

Scottish Marches Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras, characterised by violence and cross-border raids. The Scottish Marches era came to an end during the first decade of the 17th century ...

and served until October.

Military retinue

As a knight banneret, Stirling has led a personal 'banner' during several campaigns.

Family

Around 1327 or 1328 John de Strivelyn married Barnaba, daughter of Adam Swinburne of Northumbria. He was succeeded by his daughter Christiana, who married John de Middleton.

Lands held

He has held the manor of East Swinburne as a tenant, which was disputed at the time. He was succeeded by his daughter Christiana, who married John de Middleton. On 8 October 1335 King Edward granted Stirling a number of Northumbrian manors forfeited by John de Middleton, including Belsowe (

Belsay Belsay is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. The village is about 5 miles from Ponteland on the A696, which links the village with Newcastle upon Tyne and Jedburgh. The population of the civil parish was 436 at the 2001 censu ...

). On 12 July 1336 the king granted Stirling several manors (this time in Scotland) redeemable for 200 marks if the Scots retake them. Stirling claimed this annuity from 27 September 1342, receiving a rent from the customs of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

. On 19 April 1340 Stirling received two manors, in Berwick and Roxburghshire, forfeited by Margaret de Abernethy, countess of Angus (wife of

John Stewart of Bonkyll Sir John Stewart (died 22 July 1298), the brother of James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland, Sir James the 5th High Steward of Scotland, was a Scottish knight and military commander during the First Scottish War of Independence. Origins Sir ...

earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

(d. 1331) and daughter of Sir

Alexander de Abernethy Alexander de Abernethy (after 1271 – c. 1315) was a Scottish baron. He was a son of Hugh de Abernethy and Maria de Ergadia. Alexander was a descendant of abbots of Abernethy; his great-grandfather Laurence, great-grandson of Gillemichael, Earl ...

, the fourth

Lord of Abernethy The Lord of Abernethy was from the 12th century to the 14th century the hereditary holder of the church and lands of the Scottish monastery at Abernethy. It gradually evolved alongside the title Abbot of Abernethy, displacing that term in extant ...

). On 29 May 1343 Stirling received a rent from Aymer de Valence's estates in Yorkshire until the majority of David de Strathbogie, Valence's great-great-nephew. On 20 December the king confirmed Stirling's acquisition of another Yorkshire manor,

Faxfleet Faxfleet is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Brough, and at the start of the Humber, on the north bank, where the River Ouse and the River Trent meet. With Yokefleet and Bellasize, Fa ...

, partly refunding the 200 mark annuity. On 22 November 1347 Stirling was granted a few more tenanted lands around Berwick, formerly held by the Morays of Petty. On 5 August 1352 Stirling has bought outright the estate of

Newton-by-the-Sea Newton-by-the-Sea is a civil parish in the county of Northumberland in Northern England. The parish is about 8 miles northwest of Alnwick, and lies on the coast between the larger settlements of Embleton and Seahouses. Newton-by-the-Sea is in t ...

from a Thomas de St. Maur. In 1361 Stirling received a number of properties in Newcastle as dowry of his second wife Jacoba, a co-heiress of Richard de Emeldon, former mayor of Newcastle killed at Halidon Hill.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:John De Strivelyn 1327 births 1378 deaths Scottish knights Knights banneret of England