Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
History
Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
Wallace, William, Sir, -1305
[70] The Charter of Wallace, by which Scrimgeor held the Constabulary
of Dundee, is still in existence, and will be given in vol. ii. of
this work. The seal affixed to the instrument is that of Baliol, and
accompanies, as a frontispiece, the present volume.
The peculiarities of a constable’s office, are thus enumerated in
_Bray’s History of Surrey, vol. iii. p. 136_. “In an instrument of
William de Wickham, dated at Eshu, 19. January 1379, 3. Richard II.,
by which he appointed William de Wimbledon constable, the duty of
his office is stated to be, to keep, govern, and oversee the castle,
together with the manor, lordship, lands, franchises, liberties, parks,
chases, warrens, &c. belonging to the same; also to hold the courts and
to prosecute, challenge, claim, and defend all rights and franchises
belonging to the bishop and church of Winchester within the said
bailiwick.”
[71] The following is a copy of the “band of manrent” alluded to, from
the original Latin, in the possession of the family of Somerville.
“Be it kend till all men be thir present letters, me, Sir Walter of
Newbigging, and me, Sir David of Towie, for all the dayes of our lyves
to be obleidged and bound be the faith of our bodies and thir present
letters in mandred, and sworne counsell as brothers in law, to be with
one another in all actiones, causes, and quarrills pertaineing to us,
both in peace and in warr, against all that lyves and dyes, excepting
our alleadgeance to our soveraigne lord the king. In witnes of the
whilk thing, and of ther present letters, wee have hung to our sealles,
att Aberdean, the twentieth day of Apryle, the year of God 1281, before
ther witnesses, William Somervill, our brother, and John Somervill and
Thomas Stelfeir.” To this band of mandrey is appended two sealles, very
legible and knowne, for the Somervills and Barclayes differed nothing
from what they are at present, save a little in the placeing of the
armes.“--_Memorie of the Somervills_, vol. i. p. 75, 76.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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