Archibald Douglas (the Tyneman)
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Sir Archibald Douglas (before 1298 – 19 July 1333) was a Scottish nobleman, Guardian of Scotland, and military leader. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" (
Old Scots Early Scots was the emerging literary language of the Northern Middle English speaking parts of Scotland in the period before 1450. The northern forms of Middle English descended from Northumbrian Old English. During this period, speakers refe ...
: Loser), but this may be a reference to his great-nephew
Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, Duke of Touraine (c. 1369 – 17 August 1424), was a Scottish nobleman and warlord. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman" ( Old Scots: Loser), but this may be a reference to his great-uncle Sir ...
. He fought and died at 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 ...
.


Early life

The younger son of Sir William "le Hardi" Douglas, the Governor of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed, and his wife, Eleanor de Lovaine, Douglas was also half-brother of "the Good" Sir James Douglas,
King 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 eventuall ...
's deputy. The earliest mention of Douglas is in 1320 when he received a charter of land at Morebattle in
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
and Kirkandrews in Dumfriesshire from King Robert. In 1324, he was recorded as being granted the lands of Rattray and Crimond in Buchan and the lands of Conveth, Kincardineshire, already being possession of
Cavers Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...
in Roxburghshire,
Drumlanrig Drumlanrig (Scottish Gaelic: ''Druim Lannraig'') is a settlement in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, which is best known for nearby Drumlanrig Castle. The earliest record for Drumlanrig is from 1384, spelled ''Drumlangryg''. There are a number o ...
and Terregles in Dumfriesshire, and the lands of West Calder in
Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...
. By the time of his death, he was also in possession of Liddesdale. History then keeps quiet about Douglas except whilst serving under his older brother, James, in the 1327 campaign in Weardale, where his foragers ''"auoint curry apoi tot levesche de Doresme"''- overran nearly all the
Bishopric of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
. ''( Scalacronica)''


Second War of Independence

Following the death of King Robert I and his half brother's crusade with the dead king's heart, Douglas once again becomes of note. He was made guardian of the kingdom since he was "the principal adviser in...the confounding of the king" as much as he was heir to his brothers influence after Murray's capture. During the Second War of Scottish Independence,
Edward Balliol Edward Balliol (; 1283 – January 1364) was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356. Early life Edward was the eldest son of John Ba ...
, son of King John Balliol, had invaded Scotland with the backing of Edward III of England, inflicting a defeat on the Scots at the
Battle of Dupplin Moor The Battle of Dupplin Moor was fought between supporters of King David II of Scotland, the son of King Robert Bruce, and English-backed invaders supporting Edward Balliol, son of King John I of Scotland, on 11 August 1332. It took place a lit ...
. Douglas served under Patrick V, Earl of Dunbar leader of the second army that aimed to crush the smaller Balliol force. Following the rout of the Earl of Mar's force Dunbar did not engage the disinherited but retreated allowing Edward Balliol to be crowned at Scone, thus probably avoiding another crushing defeat. As a sweetener to the English, Edward Baliol agreed to cede the county, town and castle of Berwick to England in perpetuity. However Douglas led the Bruce loyalist defeat on Balliol at the
Battle of Annan The Battle of Annan, also known in the sources as the Camisade of Annan, took place on 16 December 1332 at Annan, Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. Edward Balliol had seized the Scottish crown three months earlier after the Battle of Duppl ...
, forcing him to flee back to England.


Battle of Halidon Hill

Edward III came north to personally command his army, thus making the violation of the peace treaty official, and laid siege to Berwick-upon-Tweed. However, a temporary truce was declared with the stipulation that if not relieved within a set time, Sir Alexander Seton, the governor, would deliver the castle to the English. Douglas raised an army to relieve the beleaguered defenders of Berwick. As a feint to draw the English away he invaded Northumberland, but was forced to return to Berwick when the English refused to be lured. On 19 July, Edward's army took positions at the summit of Halidon Hill, a summit some mile and a half north of the town with commanding views of the surrounding country. Douglas' numerically superior force attacked up the slope and was slaughtered by the English archers, a prelude, perhaps, to the battles of Crécy and Agincourt. The English won the field with little loss of life, however by the close of the fight, countless Scots common soldiery, five Scots Earls, and the Guardian Douglas lay dead. The following day Berwick capitulated. Archibald was succeeded by his son, William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas.


Marriage and issue

Sir Archibald Douglas married Beatrice de Lindsay, daughter of Sir Alexander de Lindsay of Crawford, South Lanarkshire, an ancestor of the Earls of Crawford. They had three children:Maxwell, p. 75 * John Douglas (d.b. 1342 in the retinue of David II of Scotland in France) * William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas * Eleanor Douglas married five times – #
Alexander, Earl of Carrick Alexander Bruce, Earl of Carrick (died 19 July 1333) was an illegitimate son of Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick, younger brother of King Robert the Bruce, and Isabella, daughter of John de Strathbogie, 9th Earl of Atholl. According to ''The Brus'' ...
, natural son of
Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 st ...
, King of Ireland (k. 1333,
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 ...
) # Sir James de Sandilands, ancestor of the Lords of Torphichen (d.b. 1358) # Sir William Tours of Dalry (d.b. 1368) # Sir Duncan Wallace of Sundrum (d.b. 1376) # Sir Patrick Hepburn of Hailes, ancestor of the Earls of Bothwell


Notes


References

* Balfour Paul, Sir James. '' The Scots Peerage IX vols.'' Edinburgh. 1907 * Maxwell, Sir Herbert. ''A History of the House of Douglas Vol. I''. Fremantle, London. 1902 * Brown Michael. ''The Black Douglases, War & Lordship in Late Medieval Scotland''. Tuckwell Press, East Linton. 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Archibald 13th-century births 1333 deaths 13th-century Scottish people 14th-century Scottish people Guardians of Scotland Archibald Douglas Lords of Liddesdale People from Douglas, South Lanarkshire People from West Calder Scottish deaths at the Battle of Halidon Hill Year of birth uncertain