Sir William FitzWarin (died c. 1299) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

soldier active during the

First War of Scottish Independence The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty ...

. He was the constable of

Urquhart Castle Urquhart Castle (; gd, Caisteal na Sròine) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, south-west of Inverness and east of the village of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins dat ...

(1296-1297) and after the English defeat at the

Battle of Stirling Bridge The Battle of Stirling Bridge ( gd, Blàr Drochaid Shruighlea) was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence. On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne ...

on 11 September 1297, he was appointed constable of

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 ...

, which he later surrendered and was 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 Dum ...

Life

FitzWarin was made

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

of Urquhart Castle following the English invasion of Scotland in 1296. Alarmed at the rebellion led by

Andrew Moray Andrew Moray ( xno, Andreu de Moray; la, Andreas de Moravia), also known as Andrew de Moray, Andrew of Moray, or Andrew Murray, was an esquire, who became one of Scotland's war-leaders during the First Scottish War of Independence. Moray, he ...

, the English appointed

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

, Reginald le Chen ordered his principal lieutenants, including FitzWarin to a meeting at

Inverness Castle Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...

on 25 May 1297 to discuss how to deal with Andrew Moray. After the meeting FitzWarin returned to Urquhart Castle accompanied by his escort of men-at-arms. A few miles south of Inverness, his party was ambushed by a force led by Andrew Moray and Alexander Pilche. With the loss of a number of men and horses, FitWarin was fortunate to escape with his life to the safety of Urquhart Castle. The next day the castle was besieged by Moray, who demanded its surrender. Euphemia, the Countess of Ross unexpectedly arrived on the scene with her retinue. The countess, whose husband was held by King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

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 sep ...

,Calendar of Documents, ed. J.Bain, vol.2, no.742, pp.176-8. advised Moray to surrender. Moray refused, however she did not move against Moray. Although her advice was ignored, her actions were later commended to the king by FitzWarin. Moray, with no heavy siege equipment available to him, tried to take the castle in a night attack and having failed, was forced to abandon the siege. He left FitzWarin in possession of the castle. Following the siege, FitzWarin wrote to King Edward in July 1297: "''Some evil disposed people have joined Andrew Moray at the castle of'' Avoch'' in Ross''." Urquhart Castle was again besieged by Andrew Moray and with little supplies the castle garrison was eventually starved into submission. Present at the

on 11 September 1297, he survived the defeat of the English army at the hands of the Scots under

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...

. He was appointed, by John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey the leader of the English army, to the constabulary of Stirling Castle, with Marmaduke Thweng as his deputy, following the rout of the English army. FitzWarin, with Marmaduke Thweng surrendered Stirling Castle and were committed as prisoners to Dumbarton Castle. FitzWarin was later exchanged for Henry St Clair, Baron of Roslin in a

prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conventions Under the Geneva Conven ...

. FitzWarin died some point around 1299.

Family

William FitzWarin married

Maria de Ergadia Maria de Ergadia (died 1302) was a fourteenth-century Scottish noblewoman. She was Queen consort of Mann and the Isles and Countess of Strathearn. Multiple marriages Maria was a daughter of Eóghan Mac Dubhghaill, Lord of Argyll, and thus a ...

(d. 1302), daughter of Eóghan of Argyll. She had previously been the wife of

Magnús Óláfsson, King of Mann and the Isles Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wi ...

(d. 1265),

Maol Íosa II, Earl of Strathearn Máel Ísu or Malise II (Modern Gaelic: ''Maol Íosa''; died 1271) is the fifth known mormaer, or earl, of the Scottish region of Strathearn. He was the son of Robert, 4th Earl of Strathearn. Biography Malise first appears on record in 1244, wh ...

(d. 1271), and Hugh,

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 ...

(d. 1291/2). William is known to have had the following issue: *Robert, (died 1297) - Killed during the siege of Urquhart Castle. *John, (died c. 1297) William FitzWarin and his wife Maria de Ergadia were buried at

Greyfriars, London In London, the Greyfriars was a Conventual Franciscan friary that existed from 1225 to 1538 on a site at the North-West of the City of London by Newgate in the parish of St Nicholas in the Shambles. It was the second Franciscan religious ...

.Higgitt, p. 19.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:FitzWarin, William Year of birth missing 13th-century English people Medieval English knights English people of the Wars of Scottish Independence 1299 deaths