Alexander de Abernethy (after 1271 – c. 1315) was a Scottish baron. He was a son of Hugh de Abernethy and Maria de Ergadia. Alexander was a descendant of abbots of Abernethy; his great-grandfather Laurence, great-grandson of Gillemichael, Earl of Fife, was the first to style himself Lord (''dominus'') His daughter Margaret married John Stewart of Bonkyll, the new Scottish

earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

. Alexander swore

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fealty" also r ...

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

in 1291, presumably on the death of his father, Hugh. Between 1301 and 1303 he was appointed warden of Scotland between the

Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotl ...

and the

Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ...

. He joined the expedition in 1303 to

Strathearn Strathearn or Strath Earn (), also the Earn Valley, is the strath of the River Earn, which flows from Loch Earn to meet the River Tay in the east of Scotland. The area covers the stretch of the river, containing a number of settlements in ...

and in 1304 to

Menteith Menteith or Monteith () is a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the River Teith, Teith and the River Forth, Forth. Historically, the area between Callander and Dunblane was known in English by the si ...

to put down uprisings. He lost the office in King Edward's ordinances of 1305 but supported Balliol's claims over

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

's. He was ordered to join the expedition of

John of Brittany John of Brittany (; 1266 – 17 January 1334), 4th Earl of Richmond, was an English people, English Nobility, nobleman and a member of the Ducal house of Brittany, the List of rulers of Brittany#House of Dreux, House of Dreux. He entered r ...

to defend

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

against

Robert Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...

and was absent from King Robert's first

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1309. In June 1308 he was appointed warden of Scotland between the Forth and

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

together with Edward Hastings; and in July 1310 - warden between the Forth and the mountains. He was also contracted to serve from September in Berwick and

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

under the command of Sir John de Segrave. He received

Clackmannan Clackmannan ( ; , perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. The town is within ...

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling ( ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling.Registers of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. It borders Perthshir ...

from

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

in 1310, was Constable of

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

at least in mid-1311 and led the unsuccessful defence of the town against

Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (Norman French: ; ; Modern Scottish Gaelic: or ; 1280 – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 struggle for the Scottish cro ...

in 1312. In 1314 Abernethy was forfeited and attached to the earldom of Angus, so Alexander went to England and died by the end of 1315. He also held the positions of the Sheriffdoms of Kincardine,

Forfar Forfar (; , ) is the county town of Angus, Scotland, and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million-pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town had a population of 16,280. The town ...

and

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and joint warden between the Forth and

. He married Margaret de Menteith, daughter of

Alexander, Earl of Menteith Alexander of Menteith (d. bef. 1306), a Scottish nobleman and member of the Clan Stewart, Stewart family, he was the Earl of Menteith. Life Alexander was the eldest son and heir of Walter Bailloch Stewart and Mary I, Countess of Menteith and was ...

. Lady Margaret de Abrenythy was a lady of the court of

Isabella of France Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of Edward II of England, King Edward II, and ''de facto'' regent of England from 1327 ...

, Queen of England, 1311/12. She resided in England as late as 30 Jan 1324/5, when a record in the Calendar of Patent Rolls dated at Langley stated, ' 860. The K. signifies that he has granted leave to Margaret de Abernethy to visit Scotland, to treat with her friends there as to recovery of her hereditary lands. Langley. 'Cal. Patent Rolls, 18 Edw. II. p. 2, p. 87, m. 32 They had issue: * Margaret de Abernethy, wife of

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus, Lord of Bonkyl, ''jure uxoris'' Lord of Abernethy (died 9 December 1331) was a medieval Scottish nobleman. Stewart was the son of Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll, great-grandson of Alexander Stewart, 4th Hig ...

. * Mary de Abernethy, wife of (1) Sir Andrew de Leslie, and (2) Sir David de Lindsay.

Notes

Sources

* Joseph Bain (ed.) ''Calendar of documents relating to Scotland'', volume 3; * C. A. McGladdery, ‘Abernethy family (per. c.1260–c.1465)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', OUP (2004); * Cal. Patent Rolls, 18 Edw. II. p. 2, p. 87, m. 32. * Bain, Cal. Docs. Scotland III:157, no. 860. * Charles J. Leslie, Historical Records of the Family of Leslie (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1869), p. 37. * J. Ravilious, The Earls of Menteith: Alexander, Earl of Menteith and Sir Alexander de Abernethy, The Scottish Genealogist (September 2010), Vol. LVII, No. 3, pp. 130–139. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abernethy, Alexander De 1270s births 1310s deaths Nobility from Perth and Kinross Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence 13th-century Scottish nobility 14th-century Scottish nobility Scottish feudal barons