Alexander Seton (died 1332)

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Sir Alexander Seton (d. 1332), also known as Alexander de Seton, was a 13th–14th-century noble. He was married to Margaret Murray. He died during the Battle of Kinghorn on 6 August 1332.

Alexander Seton
Died(1332-08-06)6 August 1332
Kinghorn Wester, Fife, Scotland
Spouse(s)Margaret
FatherAlexander Seton
MotherChristian Cheyne

Life edit

Alexander was the eldest son of Alexander Seton and Christian Cheyne. Alexander married Margaret Murray, and died without issue. Alexander's sister Margaret, who became the heiress of Seton after the deaths of her brothers, married Alan de Wyntoun, and their eldest son William adopted the name and arms of Seton.[1] Alexander's brother Thomas was given as a hostage during the Siege of Berwick in 1333 and was executed, due to the terms of the hostages being broken.[2] During the same siege, another brother, William, drowned during an attack on the English fleet.[3] Alexander's father, was the Governor of Berwick who surrendered Berwick after the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.

Seton was serving under Donnchadh IV, Earl of Fife in a force of 1,000 men attempting to oppose the landing of Edward Balliol, at Kinghorn Wester (now Burntisland), Fife on 6 August 1332.[4] While leading a charge on foot at the head of a force of 300, Alexander was killed.[4][5] Different contemporary sources variously give the total Scottish losses as 90, 900 or 1,000.[4][6]

Citations edit

  1. ^ Henderson, p. 260.
  2. ^ Nicholson 1961, p. 31.
  3. ^ Nicholson 1961, p. 31, n. 4.
  4. ^ a b c Lawrie, p. 85.
  5. ^ Dalrymple, p.362
  6. ^ DeVries 1998, p. 116 n. 28.

References edit

  • DeVries, Kelly (1998) [1996]. Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century: Discipline, Tactics, and Technology. Woodbridge, Suffolk; Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 978-0851155715.
  • Dalrymple, David Sir (1776), Annals of Scotland : from the accession of Malcolm III surnamed Canmore, to the accession of Robert I, Printed by Balfour & Smellie for J. Murray, London, retrieved 14 May 2012
  • Henderson, Thomas Finlayson. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 51 - Seton, Alexander (fl.1311-1340).
  • Lawrie, John. The history of the wars in Scotland, from the battle of the Grampian Hills in the year 85, to the battle of Culloden in the year 1746. (1783)
  • Nicholson, Ranald (1961). "The Siege of Berwick, 1333". The Scottish Historical Review. XXXX (129): 19–42. JSTOR 25526630. OCLC 664601468.