John Graham, Earl of Menteith (died 28 February 1347) was a

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 ...

nobleman. Graham became

Earl of Menteith The Mormaer or Earl of Menteith was the ruler of the province of Menteith in the Middle Ages. The first mormaer is usually regarded as Gille Críst (or Gilchrist), simply because he is the earliest on record. The title was held in a continuou ...

by courtesy of his wife, Mary Menteith, Countess of Menteith in her own right, daughter of Alan Menteith, 7th

Life

John was a son of

John de Graham Sir John de Graham (died 22 July 1298) of Dundaff was a 13th-century Scottish noble. He was killed during the Battle of Falkirk. He was the son of David de Graham and Agnes Noble and was born in the lands of Dundaff, Stirlingshire, Scotland. ...

and Marjory Halliday. He accompanied David II in his invasion of England in 1346. He was present 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 lo ...

and, when the archers were almost within bowshot, earnestly urged the King to send a body of cavalry to charge them in flank. His advice was unhappily disregarded and when the archers were about to direct their deadly volleys on the serried ranks of the Scottish spearmen, the Earl exclaimed, Give me but a hundred horse and I engage to disperse them all; so shall we be able to fight more securely''.' His appeal was, however, unheeded and hastily leaping upon his horse, and followed only by his own retainers, he rushed upon the advancing bowmen but his gallant attack was not supported. His horse was killed under him and after bravely, but vainly, striving to arrest the advance of the enemy, he was compelled to retire to the main body of the Scottish army. After a stout battle, which lasted for three hours, the Earl was taken prisoner, along with his sovereign, and was imprisoned 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 citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. By the direct orders of the English King,

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

, he was tried and condemned as a traitor, on the plea that he had at one time sworn fealty to the English King, and was drawn, hanged, beheaded and quartered. This is mentioned in

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his long-running series of novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also writ ...

's novel,

Vagabond Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, waste picker, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western ...

Marriage and issue

By his wife the countess of Menteith, Graham had issue: *

Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith (c. 1334 – c. 1376) was a Scottish noblewoman. She held the title Countess of Menteith in her own right, having inherited the title c. 1360 from her mother, Mary, Countess of Menteith, who was married to ...

Balfour Paul, vol vi, pp137-138
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References

Notes

Sources

James Balfour Paul Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926. Life James Balfour Paul was educated at Royal High School, Edinbur ...

, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

: founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom'' IX vols. Edinburgh 1904 {{DEFAULTSORT:Menteith, John Graham, Earl Of 1340s deaths Executed Scottish nobility People executed under the Plantagenets by hanging, drawing and quartering People executed under the Plantagenets for treason against England Prisoners in the Tower of London Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Menteith

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

14th-century Scottish earls