William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton (died 1454) was an important political figure in the late medieval

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a ...

Life

The son of Sir John Crichton of Crichton, William Crichton is first attested to as one of the Scots noblemen and gentry who were given safe passage into England to meet

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of R ...

, following the latter's release from captivity. Crichton was one of eighteen gentlemen to receive the honour of knighthood at the coronation of King James on 21 May 1424, and was later made a

Gentleman of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...

(). In 1426, Crichton, described as a knight and chamberlain (), along with William Fowlis, the royal almoner, and Thomas de Cranston, King's

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...

, were sent as envoys to the court of Eric III of Norway to negotiate a continuation of the peace between their respective countries. Upon his return he was appointed governor of

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. ...

, Master of the Royal Household and by 1435 Sheriff of Edinburgh. In 1437 Crichton, as Keeper of Edinburgh, had control of the six-year-old

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

and by 1439 had himself proclaimed

Lord Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

. During the King's minority,

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas (c. 1391 – 26 June 1439) was a Scottish nobleman and general during the Hundred Years' War. Life Douglas was the son of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, eldest daughter of ...

was Regent. In 1440, after his death, Crichton and Sir Alexander Livingston invited the 16-year-old

William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas William, 6th Earl of Douglas (c. 1424 – 24 November 1440) was a Scottish nobleman. In addition to his Earldom of Douglas, he was Earl of Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, an ...

and his brother to dinner in

, and murdered them, despite the young King's pleas for their lives. This brutal incident of murder and betrayal of hospitality has become known as the ‘ Black Dinner’ and was an inspiration for the "Red Wedding" massacre in the Game of Thrones series. Crichton was sent in 1448 to the continent, accompanied by the Secretary of State, John de Ralston

Bishop of Dunkeld The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first ...

and Nicholas Otterburn who would latterly assume that position. The purpose of this embassy was not only to ratify 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 as ...

between Scotland and France, but to find a bride for the as yet unmarried King James. Crichton and his company proceeded on to the

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...

, where they negotiated with Duke Philip for a suitable match for the King. Mary of Guelders, daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and niece of Duke Philip was chosen. Crichton escorted the future Queen back to Scotland, where they landed at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

on 18 June 1449. In 1450 he made a considerable loan to James II. He also invested his wealth in Crichton Castle, adding to it and transforming it into an impressive courtyard castle. William, 1st Lord Crichton died before July 1454.

Marriage and issue

Lord Crichton had, by his wife Agnes (Maitland?), three children:Balfour Paul vol iii, p 61
/ref> * Sir James Crichton of Frendraught, who succeeded his father as 2nd Lord Crichton *Elizabeth Crichton, married Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly *Agnes Crichton, married Alexander Lyon, 2nd Lord Glamis

Crichton in fiction

Crichton is portrayed as the villain of the story in ''Black Douglas'', a 1968 novel by Nigel Tranter. He also features throughout ''The Lion's Whelp'', a 1997 novel by the same author. In addition, Crichton has a role in the 1899 novel ''Black Douglas'' by

Samuel Rutherford Crockett Samuel Rutherford Crockett (24 September 1859 – 16 April 1914), who published under the name "S. R. Crockett", was a Scottish novelist. Life and work He was born at Little Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway on 24 September ...

References

Sources

* Balfour Paul, Sir James, ''Scots Peerage'' IX vols. Edinburgh 190

*'' The Complete Peerage, The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom : extant, extinct, or dormant'' ed. George Cokayne et al. London 1910 * Fraser, Sir William, ''The Douglas Book'' IV vols. Edinburgh 1885

* Thomas Rymer, Rymer Thomas, ''Fœdera'' XVI vols, The Hague 173

*''Regesta Diplomatica Historiae Danicae'',

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters {{Infobox organization , name = The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters , full_name = , native_name = Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab , native_name_lang = , logo = Royal ...

, Copenhagen 1889. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crichton, William, 1st Lord Crichton Lord chancellors of Scotland 15th-century Scottish people Ambassadors of Scotland to France 1454 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Peers created by James II of Scotland Year of birth unknown Medieval Scottish diplomats 15th-century diplomats