The Barony of Clackmannan

1358 – 1403 Sir Robert Bruce - 2nd Baron of Clackmannan

Sir Robert Bruce inherited the Barony after his father's death. As a minor when his father died, he was put under the care of "appropriate men" who were Sir Robert Erskine & Sir John de Menteith. He received his charter for the lands of Clackmannan from King David II in December 1359. He received a further charter for the lands of Rait, in Perthshire from King David II in January 1368. He received a third charter for the Lands of Kennet, Grassmainston, Pitfoulden, Carse & Gragory from King Robert II in October 1375. Sir Robert granted a charter for the lands of Kennet, Pitfoulden and Cruicket to his youngest son who became Thomas Bruce 1st of Wester Kennet, Pitfoulden and Cruicket.

Sir Robert Bruce was captured and killed on 23rd July 1403 at the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Barony passed from father to son

1403 – 1405 Sir Robert Bruce - 3rd Baron of Clackmannan

Sir Robert Bruce inherited the Barony of Clackmannan and its lands at the death of his father. He received the charter of the Lands of Rait from King Robert III in 1393. Died around 1405.

Barony passed from father to son

1405 – 1428 Sir David Bruce - 4th Baron of Clackmannan

Sir David Bruce renounced the rights to the mills of Clackmannan from the Canons of Cambuskenneth on October 6th, 1406. Died around 1428.

a1 Sir Robert Bruce, 2nd Baron Clackmannan & Rate; proprietor of lands of Kennet & Isobell Stewart

a1b1 Sir Robert Bruce, 3rd Baron of Clackmannan <1389 - d<1406
x NN mistress

a1b1c1 Thomas Bruce, 1st of Wester Kennet, Pitfoulden and Cruicket.

xx Annabelle Scrymgeour

a1b1c2 Sir David Bruce, 4th Baron of Clackmannan, who succeeded.
a1b1c3 Alexander of Stanehous and Airth

From the Charters of Clackmannen

9th December, 1359
is the first charter yet known containing any grant of the Castle and Barony of Clackmannan. It was made by King David Bruce to and in favour of his beloved and faithful cousin, ("dilecto et fedeli consanguineo nostro,") Robert de Bruys of the Castle and Barony of Clackmannan, the lands of Grasmenston, Gartlove, Wester Kennet, Hillend, Carsehill, Greys, Park Meadow, Dry- field, Tullygarth, Pitfoulden, and others, within the Sheriffdom of Clackmannan (.It Is probable that he may have been the son of Sir Robert de Bruce mentioned in Nos. 1.[above] and 2,who was living between 1326 and 1330. Robert de Bruce, it will be observed, who obtains the lands of Clackmannan, is not called "Dominus," or Sir, in the first charter ; he therefore was probably very young at the time of his father's death, (which Chalmers, in his MS. notes to Douglas' Peerage of Scotland, fixes in 1332), and this may account for a period of 27 years before we again find among the present existing charters any notice of Clackmannan or the Bruces. On the authority of Johnston's MS., before quoted, this second Robert is stated to have married Isabel, daughter of Sir Robert Stewart of Rosyth Castle, a second cousin of King Robert II.

1363 — From the Acts of Parliament of this date, vol. 1, p. 168, " Robert de Bruce "is then stated to be proprietor of the lands of Kennet.

20 Oct. 1364. — A Crown Charter by King David Bruce to and in favour of " Robert de Brays," who is again styled " consanguineo nostri" of the lands of Grassmynston, Gartlove Carse, "La Park meadow," Crage Roy,Dryfield,and others, with the pertinents all lying within the Sheriffdom of Clackmannan.

17th Jan. 1367. — A Crown Charter by King David II to and in favour of Robert de Bruys who is again designed " consanguineo nostro," granting the lands and barony of Rate in the county of Perth to be holden of the King and his successors in fee and heritage, and in free barony for service of 3 suits at the King's Courts at Perth — granted at Restenneth on the above date.

2 May 1389 Thomas obtains Kennet from his father .— Charter of Robert de Bruys of Clackmannan and Rate to and in favour of Thomas de Bruys, his son, where- by " for good services" he grants the said Thomas the lands of Wester Kennet and others for payment to his said father of a silver penny yearly. In the history of Noble British Families, part 3, p. 15, it is stated that Robert de Bruce died about this period, and the next Charters of resignation were probably made by the possessor of the estate on succeeding thereto. [WHY, THO?]

4th Oct., 1393 — Crown Charter of Resignation by King Robert III., proceeding on the Rocuratory of Resignation of Robert de Bruys, whereby the King new grants the lands and Barony of Clackmannan, and all the pertinents, to Robert de Bruys, whom failing, to David Bruys, his eldest son, and the heirs male, procreated or to be procreated, of his body, whom failing, to Thomas Bruys, also his son, and the heirs male of his body, to be held of the King and his successors in fee and heritage.

By this Charter, Robert deBruys had gone through the ceremony of resigning or giving them back to the King during his life, and the King then made a new grant of them to him, and his two sons, and their heirs male.

10th June, 1393 — Charter by Robert de Bruys, Lord of Rate and Clackmannan, to his " beloved son, Thomas de Bruys," and his heirs, and assigns of an annualent of ten merks, payable furth off his lands of Tullygarth, lying in the county of Clackmannan, and that in con- sideration of a certain sum of money paid to him, the said Robert de Bruys, in his urgent necessity. To be holden of the said Robert de Bruys and his heirs redeemable on payment of the sum of 25 merks.

18th February, 1399 — Crown Charter of Resignation and Confirmation by King Robert III., ratifying and confirming the Char- ter No. 9, granted by Robert de Bruys to his son, Thomas, of the lands of Wester Kennet, Pitfoulden, and the Cruikitland, all lying in the county of Clackmannan. From this time the estate of Kennet con- tinued separate from that of Clackmannan, and although the families continued on the most intimate terms, and the heiress of Kennet, in 1568, married one of the cadets of Clackmannan, the estates have never been united. https://archive.org/stream/collectionstowar1868clac/collectionstowa...

Sir Robert Bruce, 3rd Baron of Clackmannan & Rate (died c. 1405)[1] was the son of Sir Robert Bruce, 2nd Baron of Clackmannan & Rate and Isabel Stewart of Fife.

Robert Bruce was born into the Scottish aristocracy in Clackmannan, Scotland. He married the daughter of John Scrimgeour of Dudhope, by whom he had at least three children:[2]

• David Bruce, who succeeded his father as 4th Baron of Clackmannan;
• Edward Bruce, who married Agnes, the daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Airth of Airth;
• James Bruce, later Bishop of Dunkeld.[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bruce,_2nd_Baron_of_Clackmanna....

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BRUCE, EARLS OF ELGIN AND AILESBURY Balfour Paul, James, ed. (1906). The Scots Peerage, Vol. III. Edinburgh: David Douglas. pp. 467–468. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.

Sir Robert de Brus, the elder son, succeeded his father ante 1389, as in that year he gave a charter to his natural son Thomas of the lands of Wester Kennet, which charter was confirmed by Robert in 1399. Sir Robert had upon his own resignation a charter " from Robert III of the lands of Rait in Perthshire to himself, in liferent, and to David, his eldest lawful son, and the heirs-male of his body in fee, whom failing, to his own nearest heirs whatsoever, date Linlithgow 12 August 1393. He had also a charter ' from the same King of the lands of Clackmannan, etc., to himself, in liferent, and to David his lawful son, and the heirs-male of his body, in fee, whom failing, to his son Thomas, and his heirs-male, whom failing, to return to the King, dated 24 October 1394. In both these charters he is styled ' consanguineus,' and his son David is so termed in the last. Sir Robert died before 1406. His wife is said to have been a daughter of Scrimgeour of Dudhope, Constable of Dundee, but there is no proof of this. He had issue : —
1 . David, who succeeded.
2. Alexander of Stanehous and Airth, who in an original birthbrief from Charles I., dated 23 July 1633, to Adam Bruce, ancestor of the Comtes de Bruce in France, is styled ' legitimate son of Sir Robert Bruce of Clackmannan, Knight.' It is evident from the charter of 1394 to his father, Sir Robert Bruce of Clackmannan, that at that date Alexander was not born, as the remainder was, after David his lawful son, to Thomas his [natural] son, there being no mention of Alexander. Alexander was the founder of the baronial house of Bruce of Airth, and was ancestor of the following cadet branches, viz. Earlshall, Kinnaird, Auchenbowie, Powfoullis, Leth- bertshiells, Waltoun, Comtes de Bruce in France, Kincavel, Bangour, Stenhouse, Newtoun, Benburb, and Downhill.

Had three sons;

DAVID (Sir), his heir; James, Bishop of Dunkeld; ALEXANDER, of Stenhouse and Airth, of whom we treat.

The above ALEXANDER BRUCE was first of the house of AIRTH.