Marjorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland

https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2013/09/28/marjorie-bruce-pri...

MARJORIE BRUCE

Note about imagery: Though many web sites present this as a portrait of Marjorie Bruce, it isn't. This is the princess from Jost Haller's "St. George Slaying the Dragon," from c. 1445 -- about 150 years later than Marjorie, and a different country. (painting at Wikipedia)

Poor Little Marjorie Bruce

Genealogics: Marjorie Bruce

[NOTE: Please maintain this as a separate profile from that of Margaret Bruce, possibly her younger half-sister.]

Margorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland was born circa 1297 and died on 2 March 1316 at Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in childbirth. She was buried at Paisley Abbey, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. (3) Marjorie was named after her father's mother, Marjorie of Carrick.

• Parents: eldest daughter of Robert I Bruce, King of Scotland by his first wife, Isabella, Lady of Mar (her only child; she died shortly after giving birth). (2)
• Paternal grandparents: Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie of Carrick, 3rd Countess of Carrick.
• Maternal grandparents: Donald, 6th Earl of Mar and Helen ferch Llywelyn.(1)

Married:

1. in 1315 to Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, son of James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland and Gille de Burgh.

Child of Margorie Bruce, Princess of Scotland and Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland:

1. Robert II Stewart, King of Scotland+ b. 2 Mar 1315/16, d. 19 Apr 1390

Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland united Clan Stewart and the royal House of Bruce, giving rise to the House of Stewart. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland.

Brief Biography

from: Children of Robert Bruce: Blog, by Laura Vosika, author of the "Blue Bells Trilogy"

Most sources agree Marjory was born in December of 1296, the same month Longshanks invaded Scotland and took Berwick. As an author, I could hardly write better foreshadowing for the life Marjory would lead. In June 1306, at the age of 9, she was captured at St. Duthac in Tain, north of Inverness, while trying to escape to safety in Orkney. It is all too easy to imagine the terror of a 9 year old girl, separated from her father, who she knows is fighting not just for his kingdom, but for his life, seeking safety in a church with her aunts and step-mother, and seeing armed men storm into what should have been a place of refuge and safety. It is easy to imagine the terror of wondering what had become of her Uncle Nigel who had tried to protect them, still under attack back at Kildrummy; or what would become of Sir John of Atholl, who had whisked them away from Kildrummy for safety, or her aunts and step-mother.

We know that two of the women captured in the church that day–Isobel MacDuff and Mary Bruce, Marjory’s aunt–would spend years living in cages hung on castle walls. Edward I had a similar cage built for Marjory at the Tower of London, but in a rare moment of softness, reconsidered and instead ordered her held in solitary confinement in the nunnery at Watton. There, the young Marjory lived, virtually alone, for 8 years. She was released after Bannockburn in 1314, when she was still 17, in exchange for English prisoners held by the Scots.

The following year, she married Walter, the 6th High Steward of Scotland, who was only 22 himself at the time, but one of the heroes of Bannockburn. She very quickly became pregnant. The following March, she rode her horse in the late stages pregnancy, fell when it reared, and delivered the future Robert II by c-section on March 2, 1316, according to Electric Scotland. (link6)

She died at the age of barely 19, having spent close to half her life in near-solitary confinement. It hardly gets more tragic than this.

her death

from "Women in History of Scots Descent - Marjory Bruce"

"Whether through rashness, fearlessness or ignorance of the possible consequences, Princess Marjorie went out riding near Paisley while heavily pregnant. Her horse, taking fright at something, reared up, Marjorie was thrown violently to the ground and immediately went into premature labour. Her only child, the future Robert II, was delivered at the roadside by Caesarean section (the first authentic record of such an operation being performed since the birth of the eponymous Julius Caesar). The beautiful Marjorie died within a few hours, aged only about 19 years and 3 months, on 2 March 1316. Her last words are reported to have been 'He's a laddie; I ken he's a laddie; he will be king'. Her improbable dying prophecy eventually came true, but not for another fifty-five years."

Links

1. Medieval Lands: Kings of Scotland (Bruce)
2. the peerage.com
3. The Bruce Children
4. Wikipedia: Marjorie Bruce
5. History of Paisley: Marjory Bruce
6. Women in History of Scots Descent: Marjory Bruce
7. Heir presumptive
8. Paisley Abbey: Cradle of the Royal House of Stewart
9. Sewell's Descent of the Kings of Scotland

Citations

1. [S323] Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, 1904), volume I, page 14. Hereinafter cited as The Scots Peerage.
2. [S323] Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage, volume 1, page 8.
3. [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 209. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Family.
4. [S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family, page 214.

Sources

1. Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons; Page 225; G929.72; C6943ra; Denver Public Library; Genealogy
2. The Royal House of Stuart; Page ix; G929.7; A224ro; (oversized) Denver Public Library

Marjorie Bruce

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Bruce

Spouse Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland Issue: Robert II of Scotland

Father Robert I of Scotland Mother Isabella of Mar

Born 1296

Died 2 March 1316 (aged 19–20)

Burial Paisley Abbey

Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus (1296 – 2 March 1316) was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland. Her father remarried, after a certain period of time, Elizabeth de Burgh.

Early life

Her mother, Isabella, a nineteen-year-old noblewoman from the Clan Mar, died soon after giving birth to her. Her father was then the Earl of Carrick. Marjorie was named after her father's mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick.

According to legend, her parents had been very much in love, and Robert the Bruce did not remarry until Marjorie was six years old. In 1302, a courtier named Elizabeth de Burgh became her stepmother.

On 27 March 1306, her father was crowned King of Scots at Scone, Perthshire, and Marjorie, then nine years old, became a Princess of Scotland.

Imprisonment (1306–1314)

The Priory of Watton, where Marjorie was imprisoned under Edward I
Three months after the coronation, in June, 1306, her father was defeated at the Battle of Methven. He sent his female relatives (his wife, two sisters and Marjorie) north with his supporter the Countess of Buchan, but by the end of June the band of Bruce women were captured and betrayed to the English by the Earl of Ross.

As punishment, Edward I sent his hostages to different places in England. Princess Marjorie went to the convent at Watton; her aunt Christina Bruce was sent to another convent; Queen Elizabeth was placed under house arrest at a manor house in Yorkshire (because Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster, her punishment was lighter than the others'); and Marjorie's aunt Mary Bruce and the Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages, exposed to public view, Mary's cage at Roxburgh Castle and Countess Isabella's at Berwick Castle. For the next four years, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Christina, Mary and Isabella endured solitary confinement, with daily public humiliation for the latter two. A cage was built for Marjorie at the Tower of London, but Edward I reconsidered and instead sent her to the convent.[1] Christopher Seton, Christina's husband, was executed.

Edward I died on 7 July 1307. He was succeeded by his son, Edward II, who subsequently held Marjorie captive in a convent for about seven more years. She was finally set free around 1314, possibly in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn (23 June – 24 June 1314).

Marriage and death

Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland distinguished himself in the battle and was rewarded the hand of the adolescent princess. Her dowry included the Barony of Bathgate in West Lothian. The original site of Bathgate Castle, which was part of the dowry, can be found on the grounds of Bathgate Golf Club. The site is protected by the Historic Scotland organisation and the Club is debarred from carrying out any excavation work on the site without prior permission. Every year on the first Saturday of June, the town of Bathgate celebrates the marriage of Marjorie and Walter in their annual historical pageant, just before the town's procession and Newland festival. Local school children are given the parts of Marjorie, Walter and other members of the court. After the pageant, everyone joins the procession along with Robert the Bruce on horseback.

Two years later, on 2 March 1316, Marjorie was riding in Gallowhill, Paisley, Renfrewshire while heavily pregnant. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground at a place called "The Knock." She went into premature labour and delivered the child at Paisley Abbey, surviving the birth by a few hours at most.

She was nineteen at the time of her death, like her mother, who was also nineteen years old when she died in childbirth.

At the junction of Renfrew Road and Dundonald Road in Paisley, a cairn marks the spot near to where Marjorie reputedly fell from her horse. While the reputed place of her death is now referred to as Knockhill Road, with nearby roads of Bruce Way, and Marjorie Drive named in her honour. She is buried at Paisley Abbey.

Her son succeeded his childless uncle David II of Scotland in 1371 as King Robert II. Her descendants include the House of Stuart and all their successors on the throne of Scotland, England and the United Kingdom.

Marjorie in fiction

The young adult novel Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris features Marjorie Bruce as its protagonist. In it, Marjorie is imprisoned in a cage. Although there is a preface stating that it is fictional, many have taken it to be a true story.

References

1. Scott, Ronald McNair, Robert the Bruce, p. 87

External links

Bannockburn article (National Trust for Scotland) contains some information on Marjorie Bruce.
Bathgate Castle and Old Hall Knowe

Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, was born the 11th of July 1274, and died June 7, 1329. He married first Isabella, eldest daughter of Donald, tenth Earl of Marr. Their daughter, Marjory, Princess Royal of Scotland, fell into the hands of the English 1306, and was detained a prisoner in charge of Henry Percy till 1314, when she was conducted to Scotland by Walter, the sixth high steward of Scotland, to whom she was married in 1315. She died in March, 1316. Her husband, Walter, born in 1294, brought a noble body of men to the aid of Bruce. In the battle of Bannockburn he and his cousin, Sir James Douglas, commanded the Third division. The same year he was appointed to receive, on the borders, the Queen of King Robert, Marjory, his daughter, and other illustrious Scottish prisoners. On that occasion he formed an attachment for the Princess. He died April 9, 1326. "Had he lived," says an old writer, "he might have equaled Randolph and Douglas; but his course of glory was short." The only child of the Princess Marjory was Robert Stuart, King of Scotland, born March 2, 1316.

Source: The Descent Of General Robert Edward Lee From Robert The Bruce, Of Scotland. 
By Professor Wm. Winston Fontaine, of Louisville. 
(From the Southern Historical Society Papers)

Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus (December, 1296 – 2 March 1316) was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland.

Source=
http://www.patrickspeople.co.uk/ancestors%20of%20isabella%20gordon/...

The wife of Donald of the Isles, was Princess Margaret Stuart, granddaughter of King Robert the Bruce, through his daughter, the Princess Marjorie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald,_South_Ayrshire

The village is mostly known for Dundonald Castle, which was built in the 14th century by king Robert II, on the ruins of a castle built earlier (in 1260 by his grandfather, Alexander Comyn. It served the Scottish kings for 150 years

In the late 13th century, Walter Stewart, the 6th High Steward of Scotland, who fought alongside Sir William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence, was rewarded for his loyalty to King Robert the Bruce by a marriage with Princess Marjorie Bruce, the king's daughter. Walter and Marjorie had a son, Robert Stewart, who became Earl of Strathearn and Menteith. Robert Stewart nearly didn't make it into this world. His mother, Princess Marjorie, was thrown from her horse while she was pregnant. She died from her injuries and Robert was born by an emergency Caesarean section. When Robert the Bruce's son, King David II, died without any male heir then Robert Stewart, Earl of Strathearn and Menteith, was next in line for the throne. He became King Robert II of Scotland, and founder of the Royal House of Stewart, which ruled Scotland for over three hundred years and in 1603 under King James VI became the ruling dynasty of the combined thrones of the United Kingdom. King James VI of Scotland became known as King James I of the United Kingdom and was the patron of the King James Bible. The primary residence of the early Scottish kings was Stirling Castle. In the days of Robert the Bruce, Stirling castle would have been primarily a wooden structure. It was in the time of King Robert II that a stone structure began to replace the earlier wooden one. The North Tower of Robert II's era still stands as part of the castle today.

Robert The BRUCE King Of Scots b: 11 JUL 1274 in Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland.  He married firstly to Isabella Of MAR b: 1276 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  They had the following daughter: Has Children Marjorie BRUCE Princess Of Scots b: ABT 1297 in Scotland.  Marjorie was only child of Robert I "the Bruce" King of Scotland from his marriage to Isabella of Mar. Marjorie was held hostage in the Tower of London by King Edward the Longshanks in order to compel surrender from her father, Robert the Bruce. Marjorie was later freed and married Sir Walter Stewart who was a young knight and sixth family holder of the High Steward of Scotland. This marriage produced a son Robert Stewart who was to later become Robert II, King of Scotland (1371-90). Robert's birth was considered something of a miracle since he was delivered by caesarean section Marjorie died from a fall from her horse.  Princess Marjorie married in 1315 in Scotland to Walter STEWART 6th High Steward Of Scotland b: 1293 in Scotland.  They had the following child: Has Children Robert STEWART King Robert II of Scots b: 02 MAR 1316 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland King Robert The Bruce married secondly in 1302 to Elizabeth DE BURGH b: ABT 1280 in Ulster, Ireland.  They had the following children:

Margaret BRUCE b: ABT 1317 in Scotland

Matilda BRUCE b: ABT 1320 in Scotland

David BRUCE, King of Scots b: 05 MAR 1324 in Dunfermline Palace, Fifeshire, Scotland.  David was the only surviving son of his father, King Robert "the Bruce". He was married to Princess Joan of England at the age of four(!) and ascended to the throne of Scotland at age five. Thomas Randolph, earl of Moray, was appointed as his guardian. On Randolph's death, David became vulnerable to attack by Edward Balliol, who was being backed by Edward III. David and Joan fled for safety first to Dumbarton Castle and then to France, where they lived in exile for seven years. David led an invasion into Northumberland and captured Hexham, but was captured and taken prisoner by the English, where he was imprisoned for eleven years. Meanwhile Robert the Steward (later King Robert II) ruled in his absence. David died without children and the throne passed to Robert the Steward.

John BRUCE b: OCT 1327 in Scotland. He died young.
From:

Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus (1296 – 2 March 1316) was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart. Her son was the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II of Scotland. Her father remarried, after a certain period of time, Elizabeth de Burgh.

Her mother, Isabella, a nineteen-year-old noblewoman from the Clan Mar, died soon after giving birth to her. Her father was then the Earl of Carrick. Marjorie was named after her father's mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick.

According to legend, her parents had been very much in love, and Robert the Bruce did not remarry until Marjorie was six years old. In 1302, a courtier named Elizabeth de Burgh became her stepmother.

On 27 March 1306, her father was crowned King of Scots at Scone, Perthshire, and Marjorie, then nine years old, became a Princess of Scotland.

Imprisonment (1306–1314) The Priory of Watton, where Marjorie was imprisoned under Edward I

Three months after the coronation, in June, 1306, her father was defeated at the Battle of Methven. He sent his female relatives (his wife, two sisters and Marjorie) north with his supporter the Countess of Buchan, but by the end of June the band of Bruce women were captured and betrayed to the English by the Earl of Ross.

As punishment, Edward I sent his hostages to different places in England. Princess Marjorie went to the convent at Watton; her aunt Christina Bruce was sent to another convent; Queen Elizabeth was placed under house arrest at a manor house in Yorkshire (because Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster, her punishment was lighter than the others'); and Marjorie's aunt Mary Bruce and the Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages, exposed to public view, Mary's cage at Roxburgh Castle and Countess Isabella's at Berwick Castle. For the next four years, Marjorie, Elizabeth, Christina, Mary and Isabella endured solitary confinement, with daily public humiliation for the latter two. A cage was built for Marjorie at the Tower of London, but Edward I reconsidered and instead sent her to the convent.[1] Christopher Seton, Christina's husband, was executed.

Edward I died on 7 July 1307. He was succeeded by his son, Edward II, who subsequently held Marjorie captive in a convent for about seven more years. She was finally set free around 1314, possibly in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn (23 June – 24 June 1314). Marriage and death Paisley Abbey

Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland distinguished himself in the battle and was rewarded the hand of the adolescent princess. Her dowry included the Barony of Bathgate in West Lothian. The original site of Bathgate Castle, which was part of the dowry, can be found on the grounds of Bathgate Golf Club. The site is protected by the Historic Scotland organisation and the Club is debarred from carrying out any excavation work on the site without prior permission. Every year on the first Saturday of June, the town of Bathgate celebrates the marriage of Marjorie and Walter in their annual historical pageant, just before the town's procession and Newland festival. Local school children are given the parts of Marjorie, Walter and other members of the court. After the pageant, everyone joins the procession along with Robert the Bruce on horseback.

Two years later, on 2 March 1316, Marjorie was riding in Gallowhill, Paisley, Renfrewshire while heavily pregnant. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground at a place called "The Knock." She went into premature labour and delivered the child at Paisley Abbey, surviving the birth by a few hours at most.

She was nineteen at the time of her death, like her mother, who was also nineteen years old when she died in childbirth.

At the junction of Renfrew Road and Dundonald Road in Paisley, a cairn marks the spot near to where Marjorie reputedly fell from her horse. While the reputed place of her death is now referred to as Knockhill Road, with nearby roads of Bruce Way, and Marjorie Drive named in her honour. She is buried at Paisley Abbey.

Her son succeeded his childless uncle David II of Scotland in 1371 as King Robert II. Her descendants include the House of Stuart and all their successors on the throne of Scotland, England and the United Kingdom.

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/wih10.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Bruce

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 18 2017, 14:41:59 UTC

MARJORY BRUCE

The Scots Peerage etc. Volume VI, p. 197

https://www.paisleyabbey.org.uk/history/explore-the-abbey/marjorie-...

Marjory Bruce Stewart
BIRTH Dec 1296
Argyll and Bute, Scotland
DEATH 2 Mar 1316 (aged 19)
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
BURIAL
Paisley Abbey
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
MEMORIAL ID 44045811

Family Members
Parents

Robert the Bruce
1274–1329
Isabella Of Mar
1277–1296

Spouse
Sir Walter "6th High Steward" Stewart
1293–1326 (m. 1315)

Siblings
Margaret Brus Glen
1320 – unknown
Sir Robert Bruce
unknown–1332

Half Siblings
David II King of Scots
1324–1371
John de Brus
1324–1327
Matilda de Brus Isaac
unknown–1353
Elizabeth Bruce Oliphant