332 The Swintons of that Ilk, by A. Campbell Swinton. 



to Halidon Hill. -'For this" observes Sir Walter, "there 

 was an obvious reason, for who would again venture to introduce 

 upon the scene the celebrated Hotspur, who commanded the 

 English at the former battle ?" " There are, however," he adds, 

 " several coincidences which may reconcile even the severer anti- 

 quary to the substitution of Halidon Hill for Homildon. A 

 Scottish army was defeated by the English on both occasions, 

 and under nearly the same circumstances of address on the part 

 of the victors, and mismanagement on that of the vanquished ; 

 for the English long-bow decided the day in both cases. In both 

 cases also a Gordon was left on the field of battle ; and at Hali- 

 don as at Homildon, the Scots were commanded by an ill-fated 

 representative of the great house of Douglas." The Douglas 

 who fought at Homildon, and not only lost an eye in the battle, 

 but was taken prisoner, was Archibald, the fourth Earl, surnamed 

 Tine-man, i.e. Zose-man, fromhis repeated defeats and miscarriages. 

 From him, ^ir John Swinton had obtained in 1401, a charter of 

 the lands of Cranshaws. In the title to the lands he is styled by 

 the Earl, " our beloved kinsman" (dilectus consanguineus noster). 

 This designation he seems to owe to the fact that he had married 

 the widow of Douglas's grandfather, who was the famous William, 

 first Earl of Douglas. The lady was Margaret of Mar, sister of 

 Thomas, the last male heir of Mar. She was the mother of 

 James, second Earl of Douglas and Mar, the hero of Otterburn, 

 and of Isabel Douglas, who figured conspicuously in the recent 

 case regarding the succession to the Mar Peerage. In virtue of 

 his marriage, Sir John Swinton was, according to the custom of 

 the times, styled Lord of Mar* Along with his wife he is found 

 confirming a grant of Drumlanrig, which had been given by his 

 step-son, Earl James, to a natural son, from whom descended 

 the Dukes of Queensberry. By this lady Swinton had no issue. 

 His second wife was the Lady Margaret Stewart, daughter of 

 King Eobert the Second, by whom he had a son, 



XII., also Sir John, in whose favour there is a precept of 

 sasine of the lands of Cranshaws by Archibald Earl of Douglas, 

 dated 10th August, 1412. Like his father he was a distinguished 

 soldier, though it was on foreign fields that his valour was prin- 

 cipally displayed. Shortly before the death of the Regent, 

 Eobert Duke of Albany, in 1419, a select body of six or seven 

 thousand Scots was sent to the assistance of the King of France, 



