Richard Siward (died 1311), Lord of Kellie, was a 13th-14th century

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

noble. He was the son of the English adventurer

Richard Siward Richard Siward (died 1248) was a distinguished 13th-century soldier, adventurer and banneret. He rose from obscurity to become a member of King Henry III's Royal Council and husband of Philippa Basset, the widowed countess of Warwick. Origins L ...

and his wife, the wealthy heiress and widow

Philippa Basset Philippa Basset, Countess of Warwick (died c. October 1265), was a 13th-century noblewoman and heiress. She was the wife firstly of Henry (II) de Newburgh, earl of Warwick and after his premature death she was married to Richard Siward a soldier ...

countess of Warwick, who had married in 1230. His parents divorced in 1242 and young Richard remained in the custody of his father by the terms of the settlement. The Siwards moved north to Scotland after this, where King Alexander II offered the elder Richard a place in his household and gifts of land in

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, including Kellie and lands in

Aberdour Aberdour (; Scots: , gd, Obar Dobhair) is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. It is on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, looking south to the island of Inchcolm and its Abbey, and to Leith and Edinburgh beyo ...

. On his death in 1248 the young Richard remained in Scotland, presumably as a royal ward. He inherited no share of his mother's lands. He was the constable of

Wigtown Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. I ...

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

and

Kirkcudbright Castle Kirkcudbright Castle, was a castle that was located on the banks of the River Dee, in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. A motte and bailey castle was built in the 12th century, however this was replaced with another castle in the 13th century to the so ...

s in 1292. Richard was captured at the Battle of Dunbar on 27 April 1296 and held prisoner in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

until he was released in August 1297. His son John was kept as a hostage for the good behavior of his father. In 1298 Siward either built a new phase of

Tibbers Castle Tibbers Castle is a motte-and-bailey castle overlooking a ford across the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. To the east is the village of Carronbridge and to the north west is a 16th-century country house, Drumlanrig Castle. Possi ...

, a fortification under English control. He was the

sheriff of Fife The Sheriff of Fife was historically the office responsible for enforcing law and order in Fife, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, following the Jacobite ...

in 1305 and the

sheriff of Dumfries A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

and the constable of Dumfries Castle in 1306. After Robert the Bruce killed John Comyn, he captured several English-held castles including Tibbers. Siward was arrested along with several other English officials.Penman

Family

Richard from his first marriage had four children, those known are Richard and John. He married secondly Mary, the widow of Simon Fraser (d.1291) and they had no issue.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Siward, Richard 13th-century births 13th-century Scottish people 14th-century Scottish people Medieval Scottish knights Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence Prisoners in the Tower of London Sheriffs in the United Kingdom 1311 deaths Scottish sheriffs