Sir Alexander Seton, also known as Alexander de Seton (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1311 – {{circa, 1348) was the Governor (sometimes referred to as the Keeper or the Captain) of Berwick.

Life

In August 1309, Sir Alexander Seton, knight, opposed Robert de Bruce, as evidenced by a Charter of Donation from John de Strachan, made a Perth (Lang, 927). Perth was an English supply base and garrison town until 1313. Moreover, the Strachan Family (likely his cousins) were also known to have been close allies of John Comyn, Earl of Buchan, and were staunch supporters of the Comyn Cause. Alexander Seton took part in

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 ...

's 1315 campaign in Ireland.Seton, Bruce Gordon. ''The House of Seton'', Vol. I, Lindsay and MacLeod, Edinburgh, 1939
/ref> He signed the

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath (; ; ) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John XXII. It constituted King Robert I's response to his excommunication for disobey ...

of 1320 asserting the independence of Scotland.

Berwick-upon-Tweed

{{Campaignbox Second War of Scottish Independence In 1327 he was said to be appointed keeper of

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

. For how long is unclear as on 21 March King Robert applied for a Safe-Conduct for him to go to England for negotiations. In 1331 Sir Robert de Lawedre of The Bass was Keeper of the Scottish Marches and Custodian of the Castle of Berwick-upon-Tweed, receiving a fee attributed to those positions, at Pentecost, of £33.6s.8p. He is also described as Sheriff of Berwick, for which he received a further payment. He was still holding those positions the following year as mentioned by the historian of the town. In March 1333

Edward Balliol Edward Balliol or Edward de Balliol (; – January 1364) was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356. Early life Edward was the el ...

, son and heir of King John Balliol, and Henry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, along with their supporters and those of the late

John Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red ( 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

invaded Scotland with the tacit support of

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. The army advanced quickly towards Berwick, which was placed under siege. In 1333 Alexander Seton was again governor of the town of Berwick,Anderson, 1861, p.436. while Patrick de Dunbar, Earl of March was entrusted with the defence of the castle. After a long siege, an agreement to surrender Berwick within a certain time unless it has been relieved was obtained. Alexander's son, Thomas Seton, was given as a hostage. A small party of Scots led by Sir William Keith managed with some difficulty to make their way across the charred ruins of the old bridge to the northern bank of the Tweed and were able to force their way through to the walled town, which sat below the castle. Guardian of the Realm Archibald Douglas, who had crossed the Border into England in order to draw Edward, viewed this as a technical relief and sent messages to Edward calling on him to depart. King

viewed it differently, and as the town had not surrendered by the agreed date, saw this as a breach of the agreement and hanged Thomas Seton within sight of the besieged and his parents. Another treaty was agreed to so as to protect the other hostages. Berwick was eventually surrendered after the defeat of the Scots at the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seized ...

on 19 July 1333. In this month, in a double tragedy, Seton's son William drowned in an attack upon the English fleet at Berwick, again in sight of his father. Alexander was present in

's parliament on 10 February 1334 and witnessed the (temporary) cession of Berwick to the English. He had a Safe-conduct to go to England, 15 October 1337, and in August 1340 he was one of the hostages for John, Earl of Moray. He entered the

Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

, after 1341 and was styled Master of Torphichen in 1345 after being appointed to the charge of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem House of Torphichen by the

Hélion de Villeneuve image:Elie de Ville Neuve.jpg, Hélion de Villeneuve Hélion de Villeneuve (27May 1346) was a France, French-born Grand Master (order), Grand Master of the Knights of St. John. He was the brother of Roseline of Villeneuve, OCart. Hélion died on t ...

, Grand Master at Rhodes. Alexander obtained an temporary dispensation granted on 6 February 1346-47 by

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI (; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death, in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1 ...

, permitting Alexander to choose a confessor. As a Knight of the Order he was granted safe-conduct dated 12 August 1348 to enable him to visit King

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scotland from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, be ...

, who was imprisoned within the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. Alexander seems to have died shortly afterwards.

Marriage and issue

He married Christian, daughter of Francis le Cheyne of Straloch; they had issue:Seton, Robert. ''An Old Family: Or, The Setons of Scotland and America'', Brentano's, 1899, p. 43
{PD-notice * Thomas, executed outside Berwick in 1333 during the siege. * William, drowned July 1333 in an attack upon the English fleet at Berwick, during the siege. * Margaret, the heiress, married Alan de Wyntoun, and had issue. Their children took the surname of Seton. *

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, killed opposing the landing of

at Kinghorn, 6 August 1332. * John of Parbroath, died c. 1327.

References

{{Reflist *{{DNB, wstitle=Seton, Alexander (fl.1311-1340) {{DEFAULTSORT:Seton, Alexander People from Berwick-upon-Tweed 13th-century Scottish nobility 14th-century Scottish nobility Signatories to the Declaration of Arbroath Members of the pre-1707 Parliament of Scotland Scottish knights