Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn (1276–1346), also known as Maurice Moray or Murray, was a Scottish nobleman. Moray was the eldest son of Sir

John de Moray of Drumsargard John de Moray (died c. 1322), Lord of Drumsagard, was a Scottish noble. He was the eldest son of William de Moray of Drumsagard. He obtained the lands of Abercairney, Aberrochil, Rossiechill, Eggie and Egglesmachan upon his second marriage. ...

and his wife Mary, daughter to Malise, 7th Earl of Strathearn. He appears in sources for the first time in 1335 as one of the leaders of the patriotic party in Scotland. By this point he had become a powerful military leader, being styled by

Walter Bower Walter Bower (or Bowmaker; 24 December 1449) was a Scottish canon regular and abbot of Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, who is noted as a chronicler of his era. He was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian, in the Kingdom of Scot ...

"Lord of Clydesdale". In 1335, Moray met with other Scottish nobles to reject the terms of peace offered by

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

, and to reaffirm their resistance to English rule. He consequently had his lands forfeited by

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 B ...

, who bestowed them on English knight

Anthony de Lucy Anthony de Lucy, 1st Baron Lucy (also spelt Luci; 1283–10 June 1343) was an English nobleman who served as warden of Carlisle Castle and Chief Justiciar of Ireland. Biography Lord Lucy's coat of arms. The fish are pikes, and thus form a ...

. According to Bower, he was present at the siege and taking of Perth in 1339 where he is styled Lord of Clydesdale. The same year, Moray is recorded as having slain a knight named Godfrey Ross, the Sheriff of Ayr and Lanark, who had killed his brother. In 1341 he was present at the parliament held at

Scone A scone is a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash. The scone is a basic component ...

, which was the first after the return of

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

from France. In 1342, the English surrendered

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

to the Scots, and Moray was appointed as its keeper. He substantially strengthened and provisioned the castle, spending the then enormous sum of £150 on equipment. In the words of

Andrew of Wyntoun Andrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun (), was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and, later, a canon of St. Andrews. Andrew Wyntoun is most famous for his completion of an eight-syllabled metre entitled, ...

, he "inforyst it grettumly, for riche he was and full mychty". Moray received considerable grants of land for his services, and was evidently a favourite of King David. In 1344, David assigned Moray the earldom of Strathearn, which had been forfeited by Moray's uncle Earl Malise. Earl Maurice was killed at the

Battle of Neville's Cross The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy los ...

on 17 October 1346.

Marriage and issue

Earl Maurice married Joan de Menteith, the daughter of Sir John Menteith of Ruskie, who had been married twice before; firstly to Moray's grandfather Malise, 7th Earl of Strathearn, and secondly to

John Campbell, Earl of Atholl John Campbell, Earl of Atholl (died 1333) was a Scottish nobleman. Background John, also known as Iain, was the son of Sir Neil Campbell by his wife Mary Bruce. His grandparents were Sir Cailean Mór Campbell, Afraig of Carrick, Robert de Brus, ...

. They had only one daughter, Joan, who married firstly Thomas de Moray, Knt., of Bothwell, and secondly Archibald, 3rd Earl of Douglas, aka "Black Archibald the Grim". After Maurice's death Joan married William, 5th Earl of Sutherland.

References

*Anderson, Rev'd John, "Moray, Earl of Strathearn", in Sir James Balfour Paul (ed.
''The Scots Peerage''
Volume VIII, (Edinburgh, 1911), pp. 255–8 * Penman, Michael A., "Murray, Maurice, earl of Strathearn (d. 1346)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, May 200
accessed 27 February 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moravia, Maurice de Scottish deaths at the Battle of Neville's Cross People from South Lanarkshire Earls or mormaers of Strathearn 1346 deaths 14th-century Scottish earls Year of birth unknown 1276 births Maurice People of Stirling Castle