In 1291, There were a number of claimants to the
Scottish throne and King Edward I of England "volunteered" to hear their
case and decide who had the most valid claim. Those involved met Edward
at Norham on Tweed in 1291. Edward insisted on all the nobles signing an
oath of loyalty to him. Some declined but many signed what was the first
(and smaller) of the "Ragman Rolls"
When Balliol began to resist
the demands of Edward in 1296, the English King over-ran
Berwick-upon-Tweed and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar. He
then marched across Scotland as far as the Moray Firth, capturing
castles and removing such precious items as the Stone of Destiny, the
Scottish crown and huge archives of Scotland's national records.
On 28 August, 1296, Edward held a "parliament" at Berwick. All the
prominent Scottish landowners, churchmen and burgesses were summoned to
swear allegiance to Edward and sign the parchments and affix their
seals, many of which had ribbons attached. Prominent people as Robert
Bruce, 6th Lord of Annandale, his son, the 2nd Earl of Carrick and
William Wallace's uncle, Sir Reginald de Crauford (all of whom signed in
1291, but not 1296). In total, 2,000 signatures were inscribed, making
it a most valuable document for future researchers.
It is
suggested that the term "Ragman Rolls" derived from the ribbons attached
to the seals on the parchments but the name may also have been derived
from an earlier record compiled for the purposes of Papal taxation by a
man called Ragimunde, whose name was corrupted to Ragman.
Douglas
signatories:
Douglas (Duglas), Frefkyn de (del counte de Linlefcu).
(Linlefcu is now Linlithgow, a town 20 miles west of Edinburgh) A
square bag, with massive lock and hand holding it
Douglas (Duglas), Dominus Willelmus de (miles), (William de Douglas,
chiualer). Painted arms date from the Balliol Roll of 1334 for Sr
de Douglas: Argent, on a chief Azure, three stars of six points Argent,
pierced Gules
Douglas (Duglas), William de (del counte de Lanark).
Douglas (Duglas), William fiz(1) Andreu de (del counte de Linlefcu).
William le Hardi Douglas was
initially the only Scotsman of rank who refused to sign the Ragman Roll.
However, we was to sign it twice in 1296: the
first time was in Edinburgh on 10 June; the second was on 28 August in
Berwick on Tweed.
Notes:
1. "Fitz is a prefix in patronymic surnames
of Anglo-Norman origin. This usage derives from the Norman fiz / filz,
pronunciation: /fits/ (cognate with French fils < Latin filius), meaning
"son of"...
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