Monday, June 29, 2020

My Maternal 17th. Great Scottish Grandfather, Lord Willam Somerville, of Linton and Carnwath


 Lord WILLIAM de SOMERVILLE, promiscuously designed of Linton and Carnwath, who was one of the noble Scotch heirs that were appointed sureties for king David's ransom, anno 1357.

He had vast possessions in lands, and being a man of parts, was in great favour and highly esteemed by King Robert II.

He married Catharine, daughter and heiress of Maxwell, in the county of Stirling, which is confirmed by a charter under the great seal, Willielmo de Somerville militi, et Catharinae Maxwell, sponsae suae, totam medietatem baroniae de Manwell, cum pertinen. jacen. infra vicecomitatum de Stirling, &c. dated anno 1371.

By her he had issue two sons.
He died anno 1403, and was succeeded by his eldest son
Source: Peerage of Scotland

The Somervilles claim descent from William de Somerville, given Carnwath by David I of Scotland in the 12th century.  Wikipedia

Name: Lord William Somerville, Baron of Linton and Carnwath. Son of Sir Thomas Somerville of Linton and Carnwath, Scotland and Elizabeth Douglas
Born: 1340 in Linton, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Married: 1371 in Stirling, Aberdeenshire, Scotland to Catherine Maxwell
Children: (2) Baron Thomas Somerville, and William Somerville
Died: 1403 in Linton, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Buried: 1403 in Linton Church Cemetery, Linton, Scottish Borders, Scotland

Linton, Roxburghshire, Scotland 

Linton Parish Church Cemetery, Roxburghshire, Scotland



History of the name

The name itself comes from a French village of the same name in Normandy, France. In 1066 the Lord of Somerville, Sir Gualtier de Somerville joined William the conqueror on his invasion of England, for his support Sir Gaultier de Somerville was given land in the North of England. By the 12th century, the Somervilles were granted land and title of lord in Scotland and were at one time among the noble families of Scotland. Alternatively, Somerville can also be a Scottish or Irish clan surname.

The Irish House of Somerville began when William Somerville came to Ireland in 1690. William was an Episcopalian minister forced to flee from his manse when it was attacked by Covenanters. William brought his sons William and Thomas with him to Ireland. While the younger William returned to Scotland, his brother Thomas stayed in Ireland.

Thomas would be educated at Trinity College in Dublin eventually earning a BA in 1711. He entered the church of his father and was ordained a minister at Cloyne Cathedral in 1715. It was in 1732 that Thomas was made the rector of Myross and Castlehaven. It was his son Thomas who by becoming a very successful merchant with Newfoundland and the West Indies was able to build up the Irish house of Somerville to the ranks of landed gentry a class out of which the Somerville clan had dropped for five generations.

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Clan Somerville History

This name Somerville derives from a town in Normandy, near Caen. During the Norman invasion of England in 1066, Sir Gaulter de Somerville accompanied the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror.

William de Somerville, the second son of Sir Gaulter, came to Scotland with David I and was created Lord of Carnwath, receiving the lands near Carnwath in Clydesdale. He died around 1142 and was buried at Melrose Abbey. Another William de Somerville was said to have killed the last serpent in Scotland, and went on to obtain the lands of Linton from Malcolm IV, around 1174. He later became Chief Falconer to the king and Sheriff of Roxburgh. At the Battle of Largs in 1263, a Sir William de Somerville, fifth of that name, fought for Alexander II, driving back the Norse invasion.

The William de Somerville who fought at Largs, his son, Sir Thomas, was among the many Scottish nobles who were pressured into signing the Ragman Roll, pledging allegiance to England’s Edward I in 1296. However, in 1297, he joined Sir William Wallace in Scotland’s fight for independence. The peerage of Lord Somerville was created for Sir Thomas, and probably in 1435, though this is uncertain.

The 3rd Lord Somerville, John, successfully fought the English at the Battle of Sark in October, 1448, where he was wounded. He was also present at the siege of Roxburgh in 1460, where James II was killed. John, the 4th Lord, died in 1523 without issue and his brother, Hugh, succeeded him. He was taken prisoner after the rout at Solway Moss in 1542. He was later released.

His son James – later the 6th Lord Somerville – opposed the Reformation and voted against the Scots Confession (a Confession of Faith) proposed in Parliament, which was drawn up by John Knox in 1560. James fought on the side of Mary I at the Battle of Langside, on May 13,1568, where he was severely wounded. Hugh Somerville, who became 7th Lord in 1569, also supported Queen Mary, but his allegiance changed and went to her son, James VI. Somerville was then appointed a Privy Councillor by the King.

Being in the King’s favor, the Somervilles started living beyond their means, accumulating a big debt and causing them to sell their Carnwath estates. After the 1606 Union of the Crowns, the Scots nobility was ranked, however, the name Somerville did not appear.

By 1723, the Somerville peerage was eventually acknowledged by the House of Lords and John, the 13th Lord Somerville, stood for election as a representative peer of Scotland. He built the elegant House of Drum which still stands on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Other noted Somervilles include Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780-1872), from Jedburgh, who was a science writer and mathematician as well as a great pioneer of women’s education. Oxford University’s Somerville College, which was established in 1879, is named after her. source: Clan Somerville

Linton, Roxburghshire, Scotland







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