Treasonable practices against the life of Robert the Bruce brought
about the downfall of the Celtic Earls. The Black Parliament, which
sat at Scone in August, 1320, condemned Joanna, daughter of Malise, the
last Earl, to perpetual imprisonment. She had married Warrenne, Earl
of Surrey--appointed Guardian of Scotland by Edward I. in 1296--and in
1334 her father resigned his Earldom of Strathearn to his son-in-law.
For the doing of this he was forfeited and attainted, in 1345, "as an
enemy to the King and Kingdom of Scotland." The fief reverted to the
Crown. Next year was fought the Battle of Durham, and David II. was
carried captive to London, where he remained for eleven years. While
in England he bestowed the forfeited Earldom of Strathearn upon his
nephew, Robert, the High Steward of Scotland, afterwards King Robert
II. On his accession to the throne, in 1370, Robert II. transferred
the Earldom to David, the eldest son of his second marriage to Euphemia
Ross, the widow of Randolph, Earl of Moray. Earl David took the title,
Earl Palatine, in 1375, and his only daughter, Euphemia, who succeeded
him in 1389, styled herself "_Senescalli Comitissa Palatina de
Strathearn_." She married Patrick Graham, who was killed at Ferntower,
in 1413, by Sir John Drummond of Concraig, Steward of Strathearn, and
kinsman of James I., whose mother was Annabella Drummond. The only son
of Patrick Graham and his wife, Euphemia, was Malise Graham, who, as
Earl of Strathearn, became security along with twenty-seven others for
the payment of the ransom of James I. He was detained as a hostage in
England for thirty years, and meantime his estates and title were
resumed by the King, on the ground that they did not descend to the
heir-female. To compensate him for this, he was created Earl of
Menteith. The annual rental of his estates as Earl of Strathearn was
set down in the Durham Schedule at 500 merks. The schedule was drawn
up in the year 1424.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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