Maxwell vs Douglas feud clash in Dumfriesshire 1510

History & Significance

Clan Maxwell is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. However, as the clan does not currently have a chief, it is considered an armigerous clan.

The claimed origin of the name Maxwell is that it comes from Maccus Well, a pool in the River Tweed near Kelso, Scottish Borders. Maccus or Magnus in Old Norse was believed to be a Norse chief who lived during the reign of David I of Scotland.

Sir John Maxwell was Chamberlain of Scotland but he died without issue and was succeeded by his younger brother, Aymer. From Aymer's sons sprang many branches of the family throughout south-west Scotland.

Sir Herbert Maxwell appears on the Ragman Rolls of 1296, swearing fealty to Edward I of England. Herbert's son, Eustace Maxwell held Caerlaverock Castle as a vassal of the English, however he later followed Robert the Bruce to the Battle of Bannockburn.

Eustace's descendant, another Sir Herbert, was created Lord Maxwell in about 1440. He took a seat as a Lord of Parliament. A branch of the clan, the Maxwells of Monreith descend from his second son and they were later created baronets in 1681. John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

The fifth Lord Maxwell intrigued with King Henry VII of England. In 1526 the Maxwells supported Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus at the Battle of Melrose where they defeated the forces of Sir Walter Scott. However, by 1542 King James V of Scotland had appointed him Warden of the Marches. Also in 1542 Lord Maxwell was captured at the Battle of Solway Moss.

John Maxwell, the seventh Lord Maxwell was a devout Catholic throughout the Scottish Reformation and he was linked to a number of plots to restore Mary, Queen of Scots to the throne. After Mary was executed in 1587 and after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, Lord Maxwell continued to correspond with Philip II of Spain trying to gain support for a Catholic revolution. However Maxwell was killed in 1593 in a feud with the Clan Johnstone of Lockerbie. (See: Battle of Dryfe Sands). The feud continued and the next Lord Maxwell shot Sir James Johnstone. Maxwell's brother, Robert, succeeded to the Maxwell title and was created Earl of Nithsdale in 1620.

Lord Maxwell was also at feud with the powerful Clan Douglas over the Earldom of Morton, which he regarded as his inheritance. For this quarrel he was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle in 1607. After escaping, he shot Sir James in the back during a meeting held "under trust", and he fled to France. He was convicted of treason in his absence and sentenced to death. On his return to Scotland in 1612 he was arrested, and was beheaded at Edinburgh on 21 May 1613.

The ground they fought on

The site of Maxwell vs Douglas feud clash in Dumfriesshire 1510 lies on Stewartry Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Permian. The rock here is sandstone, breccia and conglomerate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Maxwell vs Douglas feud clash in Dumfriesshire 1510

Torthorwald Castle

Scheduled monument · ~2.6 mi

Torthorwald Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortress located in Dumfriesshire, south-western Scotland, dating to the Norman period following the twelfth century. The monument consists of a substantial earthen mound with an associated bailey, representing a characteristic form of early medieval milit…

Holywood, cursus 1250m SSE of

Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

Holywood cursus is a Neolithic monument located in Dumfriesshire, in the south-west of Scotland. The site consists of two parallel banks and ditches forming an elongated enclosure, a form characteristic of cursus monuments constructed during the Early Neolithic period, roughly 3800–3600 BC. These…

Carzield,Roman fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~3.1 mi

Carzield is a Roman fort situated in Dumfriesshire in south-western Scotland. The site occupies ground underlain by the Stewartry Group, a geological formation of Early Permian age composed of sandstone, breccia and conglomerate that would have provided stable foundations for the fort's construct…

Holywood,cursus,linear earthwork,pit alignment & enclosures 975m SE of

Scheduled monument · Post-Medieval · ~3.1 mi

Holywood is a complex linear earthwork comprising a cursus, pit alignment and associated enclosures situated in Dumfriesshire, southern Scotland. The monument occupies ground underlain by sandstone, breccia and conglomerate of the Stewartry Group, bedrock formed during the Early Permian period. T…

West Gallaberry,Roman camp & native promontory settlement

Scheduled monument · Roman · ~3.8 mi

West Gallaberry is a Roman camp and native promontory settlement in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The site occupies a naturally defended position on Early Permian bedrock of the Stewartry Group, comprising sandstone, breccia and conglomerate. This geological foundation provided stable ground for both…

East Hill Farmhouse,stone circle

Scheduled monument · Bronze Age · ~5 mi

East Hill Farmhouse is a Bronze Age stone circle located in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The monument consists of standing stones arranged in a circular configuration, typical of ritual and ceremonial sites constructed during the Bronze Age period. Stone circles of this type served important com…

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Battles near Maxwell vs Douglas feud clash in Dumfriesshire 1510

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• History of the Burgh of Dumfries - Chapter XVI · electricscotland.com
• Robert (Maxwell) Sixth Lord Maxwell (1510-1552) · WikiTree
• Clan Maxwell · Wikipedia