Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch
Encyclopedia
Sir Walter Scott, 1st of Branxholme, 3rd of Buccleuch (c. 1495–killed 4 October 1552), known as "Wicked Wat", was a nobleman of the Scottish Borders
and the chief of Clan Scott
who briefly served as Warden of the Middle March. He was an "inveterate English hater" active in the wars known as The Rough Wooing
and a noted Border reiver
. He was killed in the streets of Edinburgh in a feud with Clan Kerr
in 1552. His great-grandson was Sir Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch
, the "Bold Buccleuch" (1565–1611), a border reiver famed for his role in the rescue of Kinmont Willie Armstrong
.
, 2nd lord of Buccleuch, and Elizabeth Kerr, daughter of Walter Kerr of Cessford. The elder Sir Walter succeeded his grandfather, David Scott, 1st lord of Buccleuch, as baron of Branxholme
in 1492 and died before 15 April 1504.
The younger Walter was knighted on the field at the battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513, where he lost many of his kinsmen. He was named heir to his father 27 October 1517, and was appointed Baillie of the lands of the Melrose Abbey
in 1519, a position that was soon after made hereditary and confirmed in Rome in 1525.
He was warded in Edinburgh in 1524 following a dispute with Margaret Tudor
, the Queen Dowager
of James IV
, regarding her dower lands in Ettrick Forest
, but he escaped the same year and associated himself with the opposing party of her husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
and Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
. He received letters of pardon under the Privy Seal, 9 May 1526, for an attempt to capture the Earl of Arran.
Later that year the young king James V
enlisted Scott's help to free himself from the tutelage of the Douglas
faction led by Angus. Scott led 600 lances to intercept the king and his train, which included Kerrs of Ferniehurst and Cessford
, but was defeated by Angus's forces at Darnick
near Melrose on 25 July. The Scotts lost 100 men and were driven off, hotly pursued by the Kerrs. In the pursuit, a rider in Scott's service killed Kerr of Cessford, an action that led to a bloody feud between the Kerrs and Scotts that would culminate 26 years later in Scott's murder. Scott was exiled for his role in the affair under a penalty of £10,000 Scots, but he was pardoned under the Great Seal on 10 February 1528, and by Act of Parliament on 5 September 1528.
In October 1532 the Earl of Northumberland
burned Branxholme Tower, and Buccleuch retaliated by leading 3000 lances on a formidable raid into England. In 1535 he was accused of assisting the English Warden Lord Dacre
, and warded in Edinburgh, 19 April 1535, at the King's will, but was released before 13 May 1536, though again imprisoned in 1540.
In a short-lived attempt to resolve the Scott-Kerr feud, in 1530 the widowed Sir Walter married as his second wife Janet Kerr, daughter of Andrew Kerr of Fernihirst, widow of George Turnbull of Bedrule. They had no children. They were divorced, and she was still living in 1555.
Sometime before June 1544, he married his third wife, Janet Beaton
or Betoun (1519–1569), daughter of John Beaton of Creich, widow of Sir James Crichton of Cranston Riddelm and divorced wife of Simon Preston of Craigmillar. Their children were:
Later, Dame Janet favoured the alliance of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and Mary, Queen of Scots, and was said to have infiuenced them by witchcraft.
son Prince Edward
, and became active in the wars with England later known as The Rough Wooing
. He was made Keeper of Newark Castle
for nineteen years in 1543. In 1545, Scott joined the unlikely alliance of Arran and Angus against the invading English at the Battle of Ancrum Moor
, leading a contingent of borderers in the ambush and rout of the English forces.
Scott also fought in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
on 10 September 1547. Following the Scottish defeat, Scott submitted to Edward VI, now king of England, with the consent of the Regent, Governor Arran, but in 1548 the English took and burned Newark. Scott's mother, Elizabeth Kerr, was burned to death when the tower of Catslack was fired by the English on 19 October 1548.
In 1550 Scott was made Warden of the Middle Marches, and in 1551 Warden and Justiciar of Liddesdale
.
, the "Bold Buccleuch" (1565–1611).
by Dorothy Dunnett
. He appears in the first novel of the series, The Game of Kings and his death is a key plot point in the third novel of the series, The Disorderly Knights.
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
and the chief of Clan Scott
Clan Scott
Clan Scott is a Scottish clan. Clan Scott is not a Highland clan but Lowland, from the Borders region of Scotland. Families and clans from this area prefer to be known as Borderers instead of Lowlanders.-Origins:...
who briefly served as Warden of the Middle March. He was an "inveterate English hater" active in the wars known as The Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing
The War of the Rough Wooing was fought between Scotland and England. War was declared by Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to force the Scots to agree to a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scotland benefited from French military aid. Edward VI continued the war until...
and a noted Border reiver
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
. He was killed in the streets of Edinburgh in a feud with Clan Kerr
Clan Kerr
Clan Kerr is a Scottish clan that played an important role in the history of the Border country of Scotland.-Origins:The origins of the name Kerr are disputed as being either:*Caer *Ciar...
in 1552. His great-grandson was Sir Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Baron Scott of Buccleuch was a Scottish nobleman and famous border reiver, known as the “Bold Buccleuch” and leader of Kinmont Willie’s Raid...
, the "Bold Buccleuch" (1565–1611), a border reiver famed for his role in the rescue of Kinmont Willie Armstrong
Kinmont Willie Armstrong
William Armstrong of Kinmont or Kinmont Willie was a border reiver and outlaw active in the Anglo-Scottish Border country in the last decades of the 16th century....
.
Early life
Walter Scott was the son of Sir Walter Scott of BuccleuchBuccleuch, Scottish Borders
Buccleuch is a hamlet off the B711, on the Rankle Burn, to the north of the Craik Forest, by Phenzhopehaugh Hill, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Selkirkshire....
, 2nd lord of Buccleuch, and Elizabeth Kerr, daughter of Walter Kerr of Cessford. The elder Sir Walter succeeded his grandfather, David Scott, 1st lord of Buccleuch, as baron of Branxholme
Branxholme Castle
Branxholme Castle is a five-storey tower at Branxholme, about 3 miles south-west of Hawick in the Borders region of Scotland.- History :The present castle is land owned by the Clan Scott since 1420. The Earl of Northumberland burned the first castle in 1532. The next held out against the English...
in 1492 and died before 15 April 1504.
The younger Walter was knighted on the field at the battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513, where he lost many of his kinsmen. He was named heir to his father 27 October 1517, and was appointed Baillie of the lands of the Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey is a Gothic-style abbey in Melrose, Scotland. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks, on the request of King David I of Scotland. It was headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Melrose. Today the abbey is maintained by Historic Scotland...
in 1519, a position that was soon after made hereditary and confirmed in Rome in 1525.
He was warded in Edinburgh in 1524 following a dispute with Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, the Queen Dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
of James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
, regarding her dower lands in Ettrick Forest
Ettrick, Scotland
Ettrick is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, located around south-west of the town of Selkirk.-Local area:...
, but he escaped the same year and associated himself with the opposing party of her husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
and Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was the 4th Earl of Lennox, and leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox. His grandson was James VI of Scotland....
. He received letters of pardon under the Privy Seal, 9 May 1526, for an attempt to capture the Earl of Arran.
Later that year the young king James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
enlisted Scott's help to free himself from the tutelage of the Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
faction led by Angus. Scott led 600 lances to intercept the king and his train, which included Kerrs of Ferniehurst and Cessford
Cessford
Cessford is a village off the B6401, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.The placename is from Gaelic 'ceis' and means 'the wattled causeway over the ford'; spellings vary between Cesfuird, Cesford, Cessfoord, Cessfuird, and Cessfurde....
, but was defeated by Angus's forces at Darnick
Darnick
Darnick is a village near Melrose in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.Places nearby include Abbotsford, Buckholm, Eildon, the Gala Water, Galashiels, Gattonside, Lindean and Newtown St. Boswells....
near Melrose on 25 July. The Scotts lost 100 men and were driven off, hotly pursued by the Kerrs. In the pursuit, a rider in Scott's service killed Kerr of Cessford, an action that led to a bloody feud between the Kerrs and Scotts that would culminate 26 years later in Scott's murder. Scott was exiled for his role in the affair under a penalty of £10,000 Scots, but he was pardoned under the Great Seal on 10 February 1528, and by Act of Parliament on 5 September 1528.
In October 1532 the Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, KG was an English nobleman, active as a military officer in the north. He is now primarily remembered as the betrothed of Anne Boleyn, whom he was forced to give up before she became involved with King Henry VIII.-Early life:He was eldest son of Henry...
burned Branxholme Tower, and Buccleuch retaliated by leading 3000 lances on a formidable raid into England. In 1535 he was accused of assisting the English Warden Lord Dacre
Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre
Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre was an English aristocrat notable for his conviction and execution for murder.Dacre was the son of Sir Thomas Fiennes and Jane Sutton daughter of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley...
, and warded in Edinburgh, 19 April 1535, at the King's will, but was released before 13 May 1536, though again imprisoned in 1540.
Marriages and children
Scott married, first, before 4 September 1523, Elizabeth Carmichael who died before 1530. They had two sons:- David, to whom his father conveyed the lands and baronies of Branxholme, Rankilburn, Eckford, and Kinkurd, 20 October 1528. He died before 1544, unmarried.
- Sir William Scott of Kincurd (died May 1552), who married Grisel, second daughter of John Beaton of Creich, sister of his father's third wife. Father of Sir Walter Scott, 4th of Buccleuch (c. 1549 – 17 April 1574). Grandfather of Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of BuccleuchWalter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of BuccleuchWalter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Baron Scott of Buccleuch was a Scottish nobleman and famous border reiver, known as the “Bold Buccleuch” and leader of Kinmont Willie’s Raid...
In a short-lived attempt to resolve the Scott-Kerr feud, in 1530 the widowed Sir Walter married as his second wife Janet Kerr, daughter of Andrew Kerr of Fernihirst, widow of George Turnbull of Bedrule. They had no children. They were divorced, and she was still living in 1555.
Sometime before June 1544, he married his third wife, Janet Beaton
Janet Beaton
Janet Beaton, Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh was an aristocratic Scottish woman. She was a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell....
or Betoun (1519–1569), daughter of John Beaton of Creich, widow of Sir James Crichton of Cranston Riddelm and divorced wife of Simon Preston of Craigmillar. Their children were:
- Walter
- David
- Janet
- Grisel
- Margaret
Later, Dame Janet favoured the alliance of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and Mary, Queen of Scots, and was said to have infiuenced them by witchcraft.
Rough Wooing
After the death of James V in 1542, Scott was among those who opposed the proposed marriage of the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, to Henry VIII'sHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
son Prince Edward
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, and became active in the wars with England later known as The Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing
The War of the Rough Wooing was fought between Scotland and England. War was declared by Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to force the Scots to agree to a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. Scotland benefited from French military aid. Edward VI continued the war until...
. He was made Keeper of Newark Castle
Newark Castle, Selkirkshire
Newark Castle is a large, ruined tower house standing in the grounds of Bowhill House, in the valley of the Yarrow Water three miles west of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. In addition to the keep, sections of a gatehouse and wall survive....
for nineteen years in 1543. In 1545, Scott joined the unlikely alliance of Arran and Angus against the invading English at the Battle of Ancrum Moor
Battle of Ancrum Moor
The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1545. The Scottish victory put a temporary end to English depredations in the Scottish border and lowlands.-Background :...
, leading a contingent of borderers in the ambush and rout of the English forces.
Scott also fought in the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
on 10 September 1547. Following the Scottish defeat, Scott submitted to Edward VI, now king of England, with the consent of the Regent, Governor Arran, but in 1548 the English took and burned Newark. Scott's mother, Elizabeth Kerr, was burned to death when the tower of Catslack was fired by the English on 19 October 1548.
In 1550 Scott was made Warden of the Middle Marches, and in 1551 Warden and Justiciar of Liddesdale
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
.
Murder
Scott was walking in the High Street of Edinburgh on 4 October 1552 when a band of Kerrs and their retainers attacked him. John Hume of Coldenknowes ran Scott through with his sword, "shouting to one of the Kerrs 'Strike! Ain strike for they [sic] father's sake!'", and when the wounded Scott was found to be alive his body was repeatedly stabbed until he died. He was succeeded by his grandson, also called Sir Walter Scott (d. 1574), son of William Scott of Kincurd and father of Sir Walter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of BuccleuchWalter Scott, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Baron Scott of Buccleuch was a Scottish nobleman and famous border reiver, known as the “Bold Buccleuch” and leader of Kinmont Willie’s Raid...
, the "Bold Buccleuch" (1565–1611).
Representation in fiction
Scott plays a significant role in the historical fiction series the Lymond ChroniclesLymond Chronicles
The Lymond Chronicles is a series of six novels, written by Dorothy Dunnett, which were first published between 1961 and 1975. The series is set in mid-sixteenth century Europe and the Mediterranean and tells the story of a young Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond, from 1547 through...
by Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò...
. He appears in the first novel of the series, The Game of Kings and his death is a key plot point in the third novel of the series, The Disorderly Knights.