Margaret de Bonkill and her kinsmen (husbands)
John P. Ravilious
Hello All,
There has been mention in a number of past SGM threads
of the alleged relationship between Margaret de Bonkill
and her two husbands, Sir John Stewart (k. at Falkirk,
1298) and Sir David de Brechin (executed 1320). The
principal evidence on the matter to hand (until of late)
was the Scots Peerage account for the lords of Brechin,
which raises more questions than it answers [1].
Following a recent conversation with Andrew MacEwen,
I located the record of an inquisition in July 1305
concerning the rectory of Ulndale, Cumberland. This was
taken by Andrew Stuart from the account given by Joseph
Nicolson in 1777: concerning the matter of the
relationships between Margaret de Bonkill and her
husbands, the jury found with regard to Hugh de
Roucestre, Sir David de Brechin's nominee as rector
of Ulndale,
" The said Hugh in like manner
propounds, that the said Sir David de
Brighyn is patron, and ought to present to
the same by the law and custom of England;
for that he did marry the said Margaret,
and during that marriage had children by
her; in evidence whereof he produced certain
letters and transcripts of the Bishops of
St. Andrew, Dunkeld, and Brechyn, and a
transcript of the Bull of the late Pope
Benedict of blessed memory, under the seals
of the Archdeacon of St. Andrews and the
Official of Brechyn; by which it appears,
that, notwithstanding the affinity and
consanguinity between the said Sir David
and Margaret, the said Pope Benedict
dispensed, that they might marry. " [2]
Based on the inquisition, we know the dispensation
was granted some time between 22 October 1303 and 7 July
1304, the period during which Benedict XI was Pope. The
actual text of the dispensation has not been published
to the best of my knowledge, but from the con-
temporaneous statement that a dispensation was required
due to 'the affinity and consanguinity between the said
Sir David and Margaret,' we know that Sir David de
Brechin was in fact related to both Margaret de Bonkil
and Sir John Stewart (k. 1298).
There appear to be few points in the Brechin
pedigree where we would expect to find a link with the
Stewarts, or the Bonkills. A Stewart marriage to a
child (illegitimate or otherwise) of either Henry,
Earl of Northumberland or of his son David, Earl of
Huntingdon would not likely have gone unremarked in
the historical record. Neither this possibility or
that involving a connection with the de Cornhill
family can be totally discounted, but neither seems
likely.
The pedigree of the Bonkill family is not well
known, but there is significant evidence of their
association with the Comyn family. Adam de Bonkill
was a witness [together with Hextilda, 'sponsa mea',
Odinel my son, Bernard fitz Brian, and Geoffrey
Ridel] to a charter of Richard Comyn, granting the
church of Lyntunruderic to Kelso priory, dated
1152x1159 [3]. Ranulf de Bonkill, evidently Adam's
son, was a witness to the charter of William Comyn,
Earl of Buchan and Richard Comyn's son, granting the
church of Kennaukin, the lands of Kenmuckeveth in
Kennochyr and others to the priory of St. Andrew,
ca. 1212x1233, and the subsequent confirmation by
his widow Marjory [4]. This association continued
into the next generation: Alan Young noted the
existing of these connections at least, stating that
"The influential Bonekil family, represented in the
1244 list by Ranulf and Walter, were regularly in
the following of Richard Cumin and his father
William Comyn, earl of Buchan." [5]
Andrew MacEwen some time ago suggested that there
was a Comyn-Stewart connection before the struggles
for influence ca. 1249-1255, based on Stewart
holdings of former Comyn lands. While no marriage
can be proven based on this suggestion, based on the
passing of these lands and the known association of
the Comyns and Bonkills it seems most probable that
the Comyn family would provide the link between
Margaret de Bonkill and her two husbands. Consider-
ing the chronology of the generations involved, I
conjecture that Richard Comyn had at least two
daughters, one (Joanna) married to Alexander Stewart
(d. 1283) and the other to Adam de Bonkill,
evidently grandson of Sir Ranulf de Bonkill. The
resulting relationships (see chart below) would
have placed Sir John Stewart and Margaret de Bonkill
in the 2nd and 3rd degrees of consanguinity.
Margaret and Sir David de Brechin would then have
been related in the 3rd and 4th degrees of
consanguinity, and 3rd and 3rd of affinity.
[NOTE: the following is conjectural. Relationships
conjectured are shown thus: .........: ]
1) NN = William Comyn = 2) Marjory
I Earl of Buchan I C of Buchan
_______I__ I____
I I I
Richard Jean = William Alexander = Elizabeth
Comyn E of Ross E of Buchan I de Quincy
:........................ I
: : I
: Adam de = NN I_________
: Bonkil I [Comyn ?] I
:........ I I
: I I
Alexander = Joanna Alexander = NN William = Elena
Stewart I de Bonkil I de Brechin I Comyn
I I I
I ___________I _________I
I I I
1) Sir John = Margaret de = 2) Sir David de
Stewart I Bonkil I Brechin
I I
V V
If these relationships can be proved or corrected,
it would affect the ancestry of a number of interested
(and sometimes interesting) descendants. Should
anyone note any additional relevant sources or
suggestions for additional research (including any
hitherto unnotice publication of the dispensation of
1303/04), that would be welcome as always.
Cheers,
John
NOTES
[1] SP II:221, which states in part following the death
of Margaret de Bonkill, ' Brechin, it seems,
questioned the validity of her first marriage, and
his own was also doubtful, but he had obtained a
papal dispensation.'
[2] Andrew Stuart, Genealogical History of the Stewarts,
from the earliest period of their authentic history
to the present times (London: Printed for A.
Strahan, and T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, in the
Strand, 1798), pp. 46-47. This was drawn from
Joseph Nicolson, History and Antiquities of the
Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland (London:
printed for W. Strahan, 1777), II:131-2. Having
read both account, it can be stated that other
than certain differences as to spelling and a
slightly more extended introduction by Nicolson,
the account in Stuart is accurate.
The complete text of this account as given by
Andrew Stuart:
' In the year 1305, on the death of Sir Robert de
Depyng, the rector of the parish of Ulndale in the
county of Cumberland, Sir David de Brigham, Knight,
presented Hugh de Roucestre, clerk, to the rectory
of Ulndale; while at the same time Thomas de Lucy
presented to that rectory Sir David de Cringledike,
chaplain; whereby the church became litigious,
which gave rise to an inquisition being taken
thereupon by the clergy of the deanry of Allerdale
at Wigton, at the chapter held there on the 20th
July 1305. Upon which inquisition the return made
by the jury was as follows:
" The jurors say, that the said church is void,
and hath been void from the feast of St. Dunstan
last past by the death of Sir Robert de Depyng
late rector of the said church; and they say,
that Sir Alexander de Bonkyl last presented the
said Robert to the said church. That it is
worth communibus annis 18l. a-year. Also they
say, that the said Sir Alexander had a daughter,
Margaret, who is now lately dead, and that in
her father's lifetime she was married to Sir
John, brother of the Stewart of Scotland, to
whom she had children (as is said); and so it
seemeth to them, that the eldest son of the
said John and Margaret ought of right to be
the true patron thereof; but that the church
is litigious; for that Sir Thomas de Lucy has
presented Sir David a chaplain, a man
sufficiently known, honest, and of good
behaviour to the said church, which presentee
asserts the right of presentation for that
time to belong to the said Thomas, because
the manor of Ulndale is in his hand by reason
of the death of the said Margaret, daughter
and heir of the said Alexander, who held the
said manor with the appurtenances of the
said Thomas de Lucy by the service of cornage,
which yields wardships and relief; and that
Sir David de Brighyn, who now presents the
said Hugh to the said church, was never
married to the said Margaret in the face of
the church. The said Hugh in like manner
propounds, that the said Sir David de
Brighyn is patron, and ought to present to
the same by the law and custom of England;
for that he did marry the said Margaret,
and during that marriage had children by
her; in evidence whereof he produced certain
letters and transcripts of the Bishops of
St. Andrew, Dunkeld, and Brechyn, and a
transcript of the Bull of the late Pope
Benedict of blessed memory, under the seals
of the Archdeacon of St. Andrews and the
Official of Brechyn; by which it appears,
that, notwithstanding the affinity and
consanguinity between the said Sir David
and Margaret, the said Pope Benedict
dispensed, that they might marry. Of
the condition of the said Hugh, as to his
birth, they know nothing; and that he is
an Acolyte, and otherwise of good
behaviour, as they believe. Other things
touching the said inquisition they leave
to your fatherly goodness." '
[3] J. H. Round, Origin of the Comyns, in The Ancestor,
X:108, cites Liber de Calchou, p. 226.
[4] Liber Cartarum Sancti Andree, pp. 251-2, 252-4.
[5] Alan Young, Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The
Comyns, 1212-1314 (East Linton: Tuckwell Press,
1997), p. 46.
* John P. Ravilious