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The Setons,
Ireland and
the Barony of Barnes
Sir Alexander got from his royal uncle, King Robert
Bruce, important grants of land for services rendered by his father,
and also
certain honorable and uncommon additions to his paternal
coat
of arms. A little later he received another grant — this
time of the
Barony of Barnes, including Easter and Wester Barnes in East Lothian for his own services, particularly in Ireland, whither he had accompanied the king's
brother,
Edward Bruce in his quest to claim that country's Crown.
The appeal of the Irish chieftains for deliverance from
their
English conquerors, the Scottish expedition to Ireland,
the crowning of Edward Bruce as King of Ireland in 1316, his
victorious
march at the head of a small army of Scotchmen, with
very little native assistance, from Carrickfergus
to Limerick, his unsuccessful
siege of Dublin, his retreat northward, and his final
defeat and
death with nearly all of his followers at the battle of
Dundalk, on
October 5, 1318, is one of the most chivalrous episodes,
as it was
one of the most ill-advised measures, in the history of
Scotland.
Sir Alexander Seton was one of the thirty-nine nobles
and
others who assembled in Parliament at the Abbey of
Arbroath on
April 6, 1320, and addressed that famous letter to Pope
John
XXII. at Avignon, which is one of the most spirited and
patriotic
documents in history. It induced the Holy See to
recognize the
independence of Scotland and the title of King Robert
Bruce.
His descandant, Sir William Seton was the first
created and made lord in the parliament, and he and his posterity to have a vote
therein, and be called Lords.'
In a manuscript of the British Museum, Sir William Seton
is
styled 'Wilhelmus primus Dns. Seton,' and several other
documents confirm the title to him.
The 1st
Lord Seton belonged to the third Order of Saint Francis,
and dying in February, 1409, was buried in the Church of
the Franciscan Friars in Haddington (the later burial place of
the Seton's of Barnes), to whom he left by will six
loads of
coal weekly, out of his coal-pit of Tranent, and forty
shillings
annually to be charged to his estate of Barnes. His
widow is
described as a virtuous and energetic woman, who got
husbands
for four of her daughters, and built a chantry on the
south side of
the parish church of Seton, prepared a tomb for herself
there, and
made provision for a priest to say mass perpetually for
the repose
of her soul.
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ARMS OF SETON OF BARNES,
Heirs of the Earldom of Dunfermline and the
Lordships of Urquhart and Fyvie, Baron's of
Barnes and Hailes and the Priory of Pluscarden:
Quarterly: 1st and 4th Or, three
crescents within a double tressure flory
counter-flory Gules (Seton) 2nd and 3rd
Argent, on a fess Gules three cinquefoils Argent
(coat of augmentation for the title of
Dunfermline and descent from the Hamilton's of
Sanquhar) |
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The lands of Barnes were then to remain with the
Seton family for the next four centuries, primarily with
the head of the Household, The Lord Seton, and later
passed to
the 3rd son of the 7th Lord Seton, Sir John Seton, Lord
Barnes, a diplomat in Spain who founded the branch of
the Seton's of Barnes and who died in 1594.
For the third Lord Seton. George Seton and first
of the name of George, Maitland wrote:
"This George was tane presoneir be the Phlemmenis,
induellaris of
Dunkirk, and was spulyeit of all his geir and subftance
; he being in
his voyage to France. For the quhilk caus, to be
revengit on the said Flemmyngis, he cost ane grit schip,
callit the Aquila, and held lang tyme mony man of weir
thairin vpon the sey ; and gat sindry revengis vpon the
said Flemmyngis, and flew dyuerss of thame. The haldin
of the said fchip and men of weir wes aa cofllie to him,
that he wes compellit to wodset and annalie the
barony of Barnis, the toun, mainis, and milne,
of Wincheburgh, certane landis in Langnetherie, and
certane in Tranent."
For the 5th Lord Seton, and third of the name of
George:
This George lousit the landis of the
Barnis, the Manis of Wincheburgh and the milne of the samin, and certane landis in
Tranent, wodset be his fader. He compleitit, alfo, the
jammay hous of Seytoun fra the first jaistis vp (quhilk
was sundit and biggit vp tua hous hicht affoir be Lord
Johne, his forgrandschir), and rasit the turngreifs
thair-of, and reparit all the haul grit dungeoun. And
als he theikit the queir of Seytoun with stane, and
reparalit the famin wyth glafing win- dowis ; maid the
daskis thairin and cyleringis aboue the altaris, and
pauimentit the said queir ; and gave to it certane
vestmentis, ane haill compleit stand of clayth of gold,
and vtheris of vther silkis.
The lands of Barnes having passed from the 7th Lord
Seton, fifth of the name of George, to his 3rd son, Sir
john Seton who founded the Seton's of Barnes line.
Sir Richard Maitland of Lethington wrote in his
'History', that this Sir John Seton was a brave young
man who after being sent to France and Rome for his
education: "he went to Spain, to the court of King
Phillip the Second, by whom he was made a Knight of the
Order of St. James, or of
St Iago (Jago), at that time, the order of
knighthood in that kingdom of greatest esteem. In memory
whereof, he and his heirs, has a sword in their coat of
arms, being the Badge of that Order.
King Phillip also preferred him to be gentleman of
his bedchamber,
and Cavalier de la Boca (which is Master-Household): he
also carried the golden key at his side, in a blue
ribbing : all which, were the greatest honours King
Phillip of Spain could give to any of his subjects,
except to be made a Grandee of Spain. He had a pension
granted to him and his heirs of two thousand crowns
yearly: when I, the writer hereof, was at the King of
Spain his court, I was certainly informed of the truth
of all this.
The said Sir John, in the heights of his favour with
King Phillip of
Spain, was commanded home by King James the Sixth,
unwilling to
want so gallant a subject out of his court and service.
At his return
home, he preferred him to be Treasurer of his House; was
in great favour with his Majesty. (He was also
created Lord Barns (1587 to 1594) of the Lords of
Session in Parliament as an Ordinary Lord, in the place
of his younger brother Alexander promoted. He was
likewise created Master of the Kings Household, like
that of his father, and Master of the Kings Horse.
It was not doubted, if he had lived some time after
the King's coming to the crown of England, he would have
highly advanced him in honour and fortune; but he died
before King James went from Scotland. He made an great
building at the Barnes, vault height, before his death
intending that building round a court. He married
the eldest daughter to the Lord Forbes, by whom he had
two sons and one daughter. His second son dyed a young
man. He himself dyed in the strength of his age, a young
man; and was buried in the College Kirk of Seton. "
The Seeton's of Nova Scotia then, descend
from the Seton's of Barnes, from Sir John Seton, 3rd son of George 7th Lord Seton.
The
incomplete spanish-style castle on a ridge in the Garleton Hills of
East Lothian, Barnes Castle lies a half-mile (1 km)
southwest of Athelstaneford and 2 miles (3 km) northeast
of Haddington. Sir John Seton of Barnes began constructing
the castle in the late 16th century, but he died in 1594
with the walls barely reaching 5m (16 feet) and only the
vaulted basement completed. Thus the castle is often
referred to simply as 'The Vaults'. The walls are laid
out in a highly formal symmetrical style, which was very
advanced for its time, defining a square, intended to
enclose a courtyard, with well-defined castellated corner towers.
The low-lying ruin is still a prominent landmark and is
now a dumping ground for disused farm equipment.
The extensive ruins, near the farm-house of Barny-mains,
about two miles from Haddington,is a specimen of these
fortified granges. This place was erected by Sir John
Seton of
Barnes.* The buildings
are situated on a bold promontory, stretching from the
high lands of Garleton ; and from the arched stone roofs
of the under storey, are commonly called " the Vaults."
These vaults surround a spacious square, where the
beeves, and other beasts of pasture, belonging to the
barony, might repose in security, free from the knife of
the marauder, while the nut-brown ale lay un-rippled in
the adjoining catacombs.
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Barnes Castle,
East
Lothian |
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rendering by Andrew Spratt | |
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