William Comyn (1163 - 1233) was

Lord of Badenoch {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Lord of Badenoch was a magnate who ruled the lordship of Badenoch in the 13th century and early 14th century. The lordship may have been created out of the territory of the Meic Uilleim, after William Comyn, ju ...

and 1st

Earl of Buchan The Mormaer () or Earl of Buchan () was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male l ...

. He was one of the seven children of

Richard Comyn Richard Comyn (died c. 1179) was a Scottish noble of unknown parentage who is known to have been the nephew of William Cumin. Biography Richard was probably born between 1115 and 1123. In 1144, William Comyn gave him Northallerton Castle, whic ...

, Justiciar of

Lothian Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

, and wife Hextilda of

Tynedale __NOTOC__ Tynedale was a local government district in Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 census. The main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. The district contained part of ...

. Born in Altyre,

Moray Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...

, Scotland, he died in

Buchan Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire. Etymology The ge ...

and is buried in

Deer Abbey Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. It was founded by 1219 under the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, who is also buried there. History There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests, ...

. William made his fortune in the service of King

William I of Scotland William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...

fighting the Meic Uilleims in the north. William witnesses no fewer than 88

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

s of the king. William was

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Forfar Forfar (; , ) is the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town had a population of 16,280. The town ...

(1195–1211),

Justiciar of Scotia The Justiciar of Scotia (in Norman-Latin, ''Justiciarus Scotie'') was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. ''Scotia'' (meaning Scotland) in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and Riv ...

(1205–1233) and warden of

(1211–12). Between 1199 and 1200, William was sent to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to discuss important matters on King William's behalf with the new king,

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 ...

. William was appointed to the prestigious office of

, the most senior royal office in the kingdom, in 1205. Between 1211 and 1212, William, as Warden of Moray (or ''Guardian of Moray'') fought against the insurgency of Gofraid mac Domnaill (of the Meic Uilleim family), whom William beheaded in Kincardine in 1213. Upon finally destroying the Meic Uilleims in 1229, he was given the Lordship of Badenoch and the lands it controlled. His younger son

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

married Isobel, the daughter of

Roger de Valognes Roger de Valognes (died c. 1141–42) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who held lands around Benington in Hertfordshire, a tenure that made Roger the feudal baron of Benington. In 1136 he was a supporter of King Stephen of England's seizure of the ...

, becoming Lord of Kilbride which formed a third branch of the Comyn family. William helped oversee the construction of St Mungo's Cathedral in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and after his death, Marjory continued his work there.

Earl of Buchan

During his time as Warden of Moray, Comyn's success may have been a reason for his marriage to

Marjory Marjory is a female given name, a variant spelling of Margery or Marjorie Marjorie is a female given name derived from Margaret (name), Margaret, which means pearl. It can also be spelled as Margery (name), Margery, Marjory or Margaery. Marjorie ...

(a.k.a. ''Margaret''), Countess of Buchan, sometime between 1209 and 1212. Her father,

Fergus, Earl of Buchan Fergus of Buchan was the last native Gaelic Mormaer of Buchan, and only the third to be known by name as Mormaer. Biography Fergus appears to have had strong connections in Fife, and it is possible that his father (if he was his father) Colbán ...

(died c.1214), had no male heirs and so in marrying his daughter to William he ensured a suitable line for his titles before his death. Through this marriage, William took management of the mormaerdom (earldom) of Buchan.

Deer Abbey

Founded in 1219 by Comyn as a Cistercian house,

later a monestary, bringing "Cistercian monks from Kinloss Abbey near Elgin to establish the new monastery." After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

of 1560, the abbey was secularized, becoming the barony or Altrie.

Family tree

The marriage of William and Sarah Fitzhugh, William's first marriage, is believed to have produced six children. This marriage is associated with the Lordship of Badenoch. The marriage of William and

Marjory, Countess of Buchan Marjory, Countess of Buchan, also known as Margaret of Buchan, was a Scottish noblewoman. Biography She inherited the earldom from her father, Fergus, Earl of Buchan, who died without male issue. Marjory was married to William Comyn, Lord of Ba ...

, produced seven children and is associated with the

Earldom of Buchan The Mormaer () or Earl of Buchan () was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male l ...

. For the historian Alan Young, William's life, and particularly his marriage to the Countess of Buchan, marks the beginning of the "Comyn century". ''NB. Children are ranked according to either accounts showing a specific rank in the order of Williams children's birth or according to the earliest available date the child was thought to have been born.'' # ''Father:''

(b.c.1115–1123 d.c.1179); # ''Mother'': Hextilda of Tynedale (a.k.a. ''Hextilda FitzUchtred'' or ''Hextilda FitzWaldeve'') (b.1112–1122 d.c. 1149–1189). First married Malcolm, 2nd Earl of Atholl, making their son Henry, 3rd Earl of Atholl, William Comyn's half-brother. ## William ##* ''First marriage,'' 1193. Sarah Fitzhugh (a.k.a. ''Sarah filia Roberti'') (b.1155–1160 d.c.1204). ##*# Richard (b.c.1190–1194 d.c.1244–1249). Marriage, name unknown, daughter of

John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch John Comyn (Cumyn) ( – ) was Lord of Badenoch in Scotland. He was Justiciar of Galloway in 1258. He held lands in Nithsdale ( Dalswinton, a Comyn stronghold, and Duncow) and Tynedale. Life The Comyn family were in effective power in ...

(b.c.1220 d.c.1277) ##*# Jardine Comyn, Lord of Inverallochy (b. during or before 1190) ##*# Walter, Lord of Badenoch (b.1190 d.c.1258). Married Isabella, Countess of Menteith ##*# Johanna (a.k.a. ''Jean'') (b.c.1198 d.c.1274). Married c.1220, William I, Earl of Ross (a.k.a. ''William de Ross'') (b.c.1194–1214 d.1274) ##*# John Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Angus (died 1242). Married (c.1242)

Matilda, Countess of Angus Matilda of Angus, also known as Maud, was the daughter of Maol Choluim, Earl or Mormaer of Angus and, as his heiress, was countess of the province in her own right. Marriages and issue She married John Comyn, but he died in France in 1242. They ...

(aka. ''Maud'') (b.c.1222, d.1261) ##*#

David Comyn, Lord of Kilbride David Comyn, Lord of Kilbride was a son of William Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, later the Earl of Buchan, and inherited the barony of Kilbride from his wife Isobel, the daughter of William de Valognes. He died in 1247. Life David was a younger ...

(died 1247). Married Isabel de Valoigne (d.1253) ##* ''Second marriage,'' c.1209–1212.

(aka. ''Margaret''), Countess of Buchan (a.k.a. ''Margaret Colhan of Buchan'') (b.c.1184 d.c.1243–1244) ##*# Idonea (a.k.a. ''Idoine'') (b.c.1215–1221). Married 1237 Gilbert de Haya of Erroll (a.k.a. ''Gilbert de la Hay'') (d.1262) ##*# Alexander, Earl of Buchan (b.c.1217 d.c.1289–1290). Married Elizabetha de Quincy (a.k.a. Isabel) (b.1220 d.1282) ##*# William (b.c.1217) ##*# Margaret (b.c. 1218–1230). Married Sir John de Keith, Marischal of Scotland (b.1212 d.1270) ##*# Fergus, Lord of Gorgyn (b.c.1219–1228 d.). Married 1249, unknown wife. ##*## Margaret Comyn (b.c.1270) ##*# Elizabeth (b.c. 1223 d.1267). Married

Uilleam, Earl of Mar William of Mar, also known by the name Uilleam mac Dhonnchaidh (Anglicized as "William, Duncan's son"), was the mormaer of Mar in medieval Scotland from 1244 to 1276. His father was Donnchadh of Mar. Uilleam was responsible for the construction ...

(d.1281) ##*# Agnes (b.c.1225). Married 1262, Sir Philip de Meldrum,

(a.k.a. ''Philip de Fedarg'' or ''Philip de Melgarum'')

Death

Comyn died in 1233 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was buried in the new church at Deer Abbey.

Notes

References

* Young, Alan, ''Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1213-1314'' (East Linton, 1997) {{DEFAULTSORT:Badenoch, William Comyn, Lord of 1160s births 1233 deaths Nobility from Moray Lord chancellors of Scotland

William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan William Comyn (1163 - 1233) was Lord of Badenoch and 1st Earl of Buchan. He was one of the seven children of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian, and wife Hextilda of Tynedale. Born in Altyre, Moray, Scotland, he died in Buchan and is buried in ...

Norman warriors Scoto-Normans Year of birth uncertain 12th-century Scottish nobility 13th-century mormaers Peers jure uxoris Earls or mormaers of Buchan