Sir John Lyon of Glamis (4 November 1382) was a Scottish nobleman who was

Chamberlain of Scotland Holders of the office of Lord Chamberlain of Scotland are known from about 1124. It was ranked by King Malcolm as the third great Officer of State, called ''Camerarius Domini Regis'', and had a salary of £200 per annum allotted to him. He ancien ...

between 1377 and 1382. He is regarded as the progenitor of the Chiefs of

Clan Lyon Clan Lyon is a Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 202 - 203. ...

Family origins

Sir John Lyon was the son of Sir John Lyon (born ), feudal baron of

Forteviot Forteviot () (Ordnance Survey ) is a village in Strathearn, Perth and Kinross on the south bank of the River Earn between Dunning and Perth. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross. The population in 1991 was 160. The present village ...

and

Forgandenny Forgandenny (Scottish Gaelic ''Forgrann Eithne'', 'Over-Bog of Eithne' n ancient female Gaelic name is a small village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, located four miles south of Perth, Scotland, Perth. Perth is a 20-minute bus ride from Forg ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, and Curteton and Drumgowan in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

. Sir John is widely accepted as being the progenitor of

, a claim verified by renowned historian Sir

Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, (9 April 1919 – 27 February 1985), Chief of Clan Moncreiffe, was a British Officer of Arms, historian and genealogist. Biography Moncreiffe was the son of Lieutenant-Commander Gerald ...

. His origins were French, his surname being an anglicised version of the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

family "de Leonne".

Career and death

In addition to being

Thane Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...

Glamis Glamis is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located south of Kirriemuir and southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. History The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric t ...

, Lyon was ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' Thane of Tannadyce. As such, he was among the most powerful nobles in

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

. Upon his marriage to Princess Jean, he acquired the estates of

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; ) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Known as the place where K ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

. He was first appointed to a position at the Scottish court sometime prior to 1368 in the reign of David II, when he was given the responsibility of examining the records of the Chamberlain. He was appointed Keeper of the Privy Seal upon the accession of Robert II; from c. 1375 he was the Keeper of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

and was appointed

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

in 1377, both positions he was to hold until his death. From at least as early as 1367 he started to acquire various properties, from the Earl of Ross in 1367, from John de Hay in 1368. He acquired the thanage of

from his future father-in-law in March 1372. He was knighted sometime prior to 1377. He was killed (perhaps rather treacherously) on 4 November 1382 during a quarrel with Sir James Lindsay of Crawford, nephew of the King, near Menmuir in

Marriage and children

In 1376, Sir John Lyon married Princess Jean, a daughter of Robert II, by his wife

Elizabeth Mure Elizabeth Mure (est. born 2 March 1320 - died before May 1355), a member of Clan Muir, was the first wife of Robert, High Steward of Scotland, and Guardian of Scotland (1338–1341 and from October 1346), who later became King Robert II of Scot ...

. The Princess was the widow of Sir John Keith, eldest son of the

Earl Marischal The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland. History The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held ...

. Sir John Lyon and the Princess had only one child, a son, also Sir John Lyon. This marriage gave Sir John the lands of Kinghorn, Fife. Furthermore, it enabled him to adopt the armorial bearings of a lion rampant within the double tressure of Scotland. In commemoration of the important union, the Lyon crest alludes to Princess Jean. On 28 June 1445, his grandson, Patrick Lyon was created

Lord Glamis Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are e ...

. In 1606, Patrick, 9th Lord Glamis was created

Earl of Kinghorne Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

References

Bibliography

* * 1340s births 1382 deaths Year of birth uncertain Nobility from Angus, Scotland 14th-century Scottish nobility Lord high chamberlains of Scotland Political office-holders in Scotland

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 ...

{{Scotland-noble-stub

Family origins

Career and death

Marriage and children

See also

References

Bibliography