Document 5/0/0 (Stevenson, Docs., ii, no. 444)
- Description
- [Anonymous, probably Alexander of the Isles] These are the injuries committed by Sir Alexander of Argyll and his accomplices against the grace and will of the lord king of England at Elgin, that is, they obtained and laid waste to our lands by command of the same [Alexander] and killed the men of the same land, and burned it. We received by mandate of the king that all the nobles of the Isles and of Argyll were subjugated to his rule, and especially Ruairi, son of Alan, who by our frequent advice refused to come to the king’s peace and was obstructed by Sir Alexander of Argyll, from whence we pursued the said Ruairiand the rest were put to flight by ships; afterwards, he promised and granted fealty to the lord king by his letters patent [handed over] to us which we have sent to the king for inspection. Finally, Roland, son of Alan, brother of the same Ruairi (who had personally presented his fealty to the lord king in his court), came with a band of armed men, banners raised, to our men serving in the king’s army and killed many of them, and plundered their goods and ships. The said Roland and Ruairi also plundered the lands of the king of Skye and Lewis, and killed the men inhabiting those islands, and burned it and violently oppressed the women, and burned neyfs serving the king within the immunity of churches, and made the said islands worthless so that the king will be able to gain little or nothing from his ferme. We, on the other hand, are setting out with our force to the said pirates and disturbers of the peace to civilize and subdue those who, against the majesty of the lord king, were prepared to carry through as much. We pray to the king that by his letters he instruct the nobles of Argyll and Ross that they may come to our aid, if we may have the need of their aid against the said malefactors. And because we do not have our own seal at the time of composing this present document, we have appended the seal of Juliana our spouse.
- Firm date
- June 1297
- Probable date
- June 1297?
- Source for Data Entry
- Stevenson, Documents, ii, no. 444
- Trad. ID
- Stevenson, Docs., ii, no. 444
- Calendar number
- 5/None/None
- Charter type
- Petition
- Language
- Latin
- Original (contemporary)
- yes
- Notes
- Also printed, Rot. Scot., 40-41
Calendar: CDS, ii, no. 904