Morville lands

Who he is

Name

Roland of Galloway, in right of his wife Helen (Elena) de Morville

Title

Lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale; constable of Scotland

Since

1196, on the death of Helen's brother William de Morville, constable 1189-1196

Born

See Galloway

Family

Helen is the daughter of Richard de Morville (constable, died 1189) and Avice de Lancaster, granddaughter of Hugh de Morville, David I's constable and founder of Dryburgh and Kilwinning. Her English inheritance is disputed; Roland is suing for it in 1200.

Confidence

high

The constableship and the Scottish Morville lands passed to Roland through Helen. The Morvilles' burgh of Irvine and their castles at Irvine and Lauder are the centres.

Overlord

King William

What it holds

• Cunningham: Irvine (burgh and castle), Largs, Kilwinning (abbey of the Morvilles), Stewarton, Dalry, Beith lands
• Lauderdale: Lauder, Thirlestane, Channelkirk lands
• Lands in Lothian (Saltoun and others; thin)
• The constableship of Scotland
• Patronage of Dryburgh and Kilwinning abbeys

How it was acquired

Royal grants to Hugh de Morville under David I; inherited by Helen in 1196.

Allies and rivals

The Stewart (neighbour in Renfrew and Kyle Stewart); the Morville kin in England.

How things stand that morning

Held by Roland and Helen.

Wealth

Irvine's burgh and harbour; wool of Lauderdale. No figures.

Military

Knights' fees of Cunningham and Lauderdale; the constable commands the host under the king. No numbers.

Threats

• Roland's death in December 1200 (Alan succeeds)

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 19 December 1200Roland dies; Alan of Galloway becomes lord of Cunningham and Lauderdale and constable.Depends on: Natural death Stopped by: Only a change in his circumstances

Places of note

• Irvine: Morville burgh and castle
• Lauder: Centre of Lauderdale
• Kilwinning Abbey: Tironensian abbey of the Morvilles

Where the sources disagree

• The assignment asks whether William de Morville is constable: he died in 1196; on 1 January 1200 the constable is Roland.

Evidence: Inheritance and office well attested; the Lothian lands are thin.

On the map: Cunningham drawn along the later bailiary; Lauderdale approximate.

Primary sources for Scotland

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Chronicle of Holyrood, Anonymous (canons of Holyrood, Edinburgh) (about 1150 to 1170, with later additions). Gives nothing for 1200: its original text ends in 1163 and the few additions stop before William the Lion's last decades. Read online
• Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Kings of Mann and the Isles, Anonymous (monks of Rushen abbey, Mann) (about 1257, with continuations to 1316). The only native record of the kingdom of Mann and the Hebrides. Read online
• History of English Affairs, William of Newburgh (about 1196 to 1198). Ends in 1198, so it gives no 1200 entries of its own; the Stanley continuation has only a line or two for 1200. Read online
• Saga of the Earls of Orkney, Anonymous (Icelandic) (about 1200 to 1230; surviving text mainly from Flateyjarbok, about 1390). The saga's last chapters are about Earl Harald Maddadsson, who in 1200 held Orkney under King Sverre of Norway and Caithness under William the Lion: his long rule, his quarrel with the Scottish king that cost him Caithness in 1196 to 1197, his recovery of it, and the maiming of Bishop John of Caithness and the king's revenge in 1201 to 1202. Read online
• The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
• The Great Life of Saint Hugh of Lincoln, Adam of Eynsham (about 1210 to 1215). The last book is a day by day account of Hugh's final year by the chaplain who was with him: his dealings with John at the start of the reign, his journey to France and the Grande Chartreuse in 1200, his illness in London, his death at the Old Temple on 16 November 1200 and the funeral at Lincoln on 23 November attended by King John, William the Lion of Scotland, three archbishops and a crowd of bishops and earls. Read online

2 more in the sources library for The British Isles.