THL Dominic McMorland

[There is conjecture if the prefix “Mc” would have been used during this time period of Scotland in relation to a place-name (Morland roughly translates to “Land by the sea”), so it is much more likely that “Dominic Morland” or “Dominic of Morland” would have been used.]

--Persona Still Under Construction--

Dominic was born 17th of May, 1367 to the second wife (the fourth son overall) of a minor Scottish nobleman. His father held land between the harbor-towns of Troon and Ayr on the Firth of Clyde in South-Western Scotland. Being the fourth son, Dominic was given no lands for inheritance, only some monies, armament, and mount. In 1375, at the age of eight, he was sent for fosterage to an uncle and his wife who resided at Dundonald Castle. Dundonald Castle was a favorite home of King Robert II, and housed a large retinue of knights, squires, and man-at-arms. Dominic spent his adolescence there as a groom and eventually a squire learning the chivalric arts.

In 1385, answering the call of the Earl of Carrick, he and the rest of the retinue leave Dundonald to join the massing army and Edinburgh. After the failed invasion of Northern England and the destruction of Edinburgh, Dominic joins the small (300 mounted and 2000 foot troops) division commanded by the Earls of Douglas, Dunbar, and Moray rallying at Aberdeen. They make a flying raid back into Northumberland with the hope of diverting English attention from the bulk of the Scottish forces at Carlisle. After some very successful plundering, Dominic and the rest of the division met the sons of the Earl of Northumberland (Sir Henry “Hotspur” and Sir Ralph) and a brief but tense parlay ensued. For the next three days, Dominic and the rest of the Scots competed against the English in jousts and other tests of skill. As relations deteriorated, the Scottish mobilized and continued their pillaging of the English countryside, but stalled attempting to take the tower of Otterburn. On the night of August 19th, 1388, Hotspur attacked the Scots still engaged in the tower siege with 800 horse and 8,000 foot troops. Even though they were caught completely unaware, the Scots were able to repel the much larger English force and eventually beat them into submission. During the battle when the Earl of Douglas had been killed, Dominic joined a small band of Scots who recovered the Douglas banner from the Earl’s killers and lead a charge into the English forces. They were able to rally enough Scottish troops to break through the English line and take Hotspur prisoner, thereby forcing the English to surrender. On the 20th of August, Dominic was given special Commendation (which cannot be discussed for SCA reasons) for his part in the Battle of Otterburn.

Dominic had befriended some of the men of the French contingency that had assisted the Scots and was very intrigued by their tales of the continent. Having no land and very little money, he decided to join them when they returned to France in the fall of 1388. Dominic traveled France for twelve years competing in various tournaments and gaining renown. Possible tournaments he may have competed in or attended as an observer include the Hastiltude at Paris, Tourney at St. Ingelvert, and Queen Isabella’s Joust at Paris. Even though there was a tense truce between England and France at that time, Dominic engaged in some of the chevauchees (raids into English-held territories for plunder) for entertainment and monetary gain.

In 1401 after hearing of Edinburgh again falling to the English, Dominic returned to Scotland. He arrived in Edinburgh after the English had withdrawn, leaving the city in ruins. He learned of the imprisonment of David the Duke of Rothesay by his uncle Robert, Dominic offers his services to the royal family still in Edinburgh Castle, notably David’s young son James. When they learn of the death of David, and the fear that James may be next, Dominic leaves Edinburgh with a large contingency of knights to raise support for the young prince.

By 1402, they have joined with a very large army commended by the Earl of Douglas (the younger) poised to invade England. The Scots met, once again, with an English force commanded by Hotspur at Homildon Hill. Douglas turned out to not be the tactician his father had been; Dominic and the rest of the vanguard watched in dismay as Douglas ordered them to wait behind the line and instead sent the foot soldiers down the hill for the initial engagement. These unarmored or lightly armored troops were preyed upon by the English bowmen as they advanced. By the time the Scottish vanguard was ordered to charge the archers, the footmen had been decimated. Safe from the arrows, Dominic and many of the other armored cavalry rallied behind Sir John Swinton for a final charge. The charge was a failure, and Dominic was pulled from his saddle and forced to surrender. Eventually, after paying a substantial ransom, he is allowed to return to Scotland with the Earl of Douglas.

Dominic returned to Edinburgh and was again given a place among the retinue of James at Edinburgh Castle. In February of 1406, Robert the Duke of Albany, who was still attempting to take the Scottish throne, laid siege to the castle. The Duke’s forces soon overrun the city and many of James’s supporters are killed. Still wishing to protect the prince, Dominic joins his small party fleeing Edinburgh. They made their way up to North Berwick with the hope of contracting a ship to take James to France. By mid-March, they sailed for France. On the 22 of March 1406 while bounding Flamborough Head off the coast of Yorkshire, their ship is overtaken by pirates. Dominic and the rest of the man valiantly attempt to protect the young prince, but they are all killed. Dominic’s body was thrown into the sea and James was delivered to the King of England.

Points of interest during Lifetime:

1369: Charles V confiscates Aquitaine.

23 February 1371: David II dies at Edinburgh Castle. He is succeeded by his nephew, Robert Stewart who becomes King Robert II, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty that is to rule Scotland for most of the next three hundred years. Robert II is the grandson of Robert the Bruce by his daughter Marjory.

1375: June: Further truce to last for 2 years and covering all of France.

1375-77: A peace council meets in Brussels. Cardinals as negotiators; the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of Burgundy attend. Territorial compromise is reached but the sovereignty of Guyenne is still unsettled.

1377: January 27: Parliament convened. First poll tax granted (4p on everyone above the age of 14): extremely unpopular. Duke of Anjou and Constable invade Guyenne. August: French fleet returns and burns Hastings; beaten off at Southampton and Poole. Uproar in England.

1379: Lord Neville of Raby, Lieutenant, arrives in Bordeaux, raids in style of the French, sails up the Gironde and recaptures Mortagne. Said to have retaken over 80 towns in his lieutenancy, which lasts hardly more than a year.

1381: Peasants' Revolt in England.

November 1384: An ailing Robert II is sidelined in favor of his own eldest son and heir, John, Earl of Carrick, who becomes Guardian of the Kingdom.

June 1385: The Scots under the Earl of Carrick, supported by a French army, invade northern England but are pushed back as far as Edinburgh, which is destroyed in retaliation by the English.

1387: Chaucer writes Canterbury Tales.

August 1388: The Earl of Carrick leads the Scots into Cumberland and Northumberland. This culminates with the Battle of Otterburn, a victory for the Scots but with the loss of their battlefield commander James, Earl of Douglas, the Earl of Carrick's most powerful ally in southern Scotland.

December 1388: John, Earl of Carrick, who has been injured while riding, is replaced as Guardian of the Kingdom by his younger brother Robert, Earl of Fife.

April 1390: Robert II dies, and is succeeded by his eldest son John, Earl of Carrick. He becomes, confusingly, King Robert III because the Scots feel John is an unlucky name for a King: and because for him to become John II would acknowledge John Balliol as John I, and so revive a claim to the throne that had been sold to Edward III of England in 1356.

17 June 1390: Alexander Stewart, youngest son of Robert II and younger brother of John, Earl of Carrick (now Robert III) and Robert, Earl of Fife, destroys Elgin Cathedral. He is better remembered as the "Wolf of Badenoch".

September 1396: In an effort to halt one of the many clan feuds dividing the Highlands, Robert III arranged a fight to the death between 30 warriors from each of the Clans Kay and Chattan on the edge of Perth in front of spectators. 11 Clan Chattan emerge alive and one man of Clan Kay escapes by swimming the River Tay. This is later called the Battle of the Inch.

1398: Robert III's eldest son, David, is created Duke of Rothesay, and Robert III's younger brother, Robert, Earl of Fife, is created Duke of Albany.

1399: The General Council takes power from Robert III, now in poor health, and gives it instead to David, Duke of Rothesay, who they make the King's Lieutenant.

1400: The Duke of Rothesay bigamously marries Mary Douglas. The father of his spurned first wife gains support from Henry IV of England and an English army easily takes Edinburgh, except for the castle, before withdrawing.

1400: Geoffrey Chaucer dies.

1400-05: Owen Glen Dwr rises against English rule in Wales.

1401: David, Duke of Rothesay is captured by his uncle Robert, Duke of Albany and imprisoned in St Andrews Castle. He is subsequently moved to the Duke of Albany's home at Falkland Castle in Fife.

1402: March: David, Duke of Rothesay dies at Falkland Castle as a result, the General Council decides, of "Divine Providence". Others say the cause is starvation. This leaves David's 7 year-old brother James as heir to the throne still held by Robert III. There are fears that James in turn will not be safe from the ambitions of his uncle Robert.

1405: Jean Froissart dies

February 1406: An army of James' supporters is defeated by the Duke of Albany at Edinburgh. James is taken for safety to Bass Rock, off North Berwick.

22 March 1406: James is captured by pirates off Flamborough Head in Yorkshire while en route to sanctuary in France. They then hand him over to Henry IV of England.



	THL Dominic McMorland Micah P. Nelson Email: Dominic at Thescorre dot org

	Companion of the Gage (w/Grant of Arms) Companion of the Golden Alce Companion of the Keystone Award of Arms	09/20/03 07/06/02 09/08/01 09/30/00

Persona dates (late14th - early 15th C.): b.17 May, 1367 d.22 March, 1406

[There is conjecture if the prefix “Mc” would have been used during this time period of Scotland in relation to a place-name (Morland roughly translates to “Land by the sea”), so it is much more likely that “Dominic Morland” or “Dominic of Morland” would have been used.] --Persona Still Under Construction-- Dominic was born 17th of May, 1367 to the second wife (the fourth son overall) of a minor Scottish nobleman. His father held land between the harbor-towns of Troon and Ayr on the Firth of Clyde in South-Western Scotland. Being the fourth son, Dominic was given no lands for inheritance, only some monies, armament, and mount. In 1375, at the age of eight, he was sent for fosterage to an uncle and his wife who resided at Dundonald Castle. Dundonald Castle was a favorite home of King Robert II, and housed a large retinue of knights, squires, and man-at-arms. Dominic spent his adolescence there as a groom and eventually a squire learning the chivalric arts. In 1385, answering the call of the Earl of Carrick, he and the rest of the retinue leave Dundonald to join the massing army and Edinburgh. After the failed invasion of Northern England and the destruction of Edinburgh, Dominic joins the small (300 mounted and 2000 foot troops) division commanded by the Earls of Douglas, Dunbar, and Moray rallying at Aberdeen. They make a flying raid back into Northumberland with the hope of diverting English attention from the bulk of the Scottish forces at Carlisle. After some very successful plundering, Dominic and the rest of the division met the sons of the Earl of Northumberland (Sir Henry “Hotspur” and Sir Ralph) and a brief but tense parlay ensued. For the next three days, Dominic and the rest of the Scots competed against the English in jousts and other tests of skill. As relations deteriorated, the Scottish mobilized and continued their pillaging of the English countryside, but stalled attempting to take the tower of Otterburn. On the night of August 19th, 1388, Hotspur attacked the Scots still engaged in the tower siege with 800 horse and 8,000 foot troops. Even though they were caught completely unaware, the Scots were able to repel the much larger English force and eventually beat them into submission. During the battle when the Earl of Douglas had been killed, Dominic joined a small band of Scots who recovered the Douglas banner from the Earl’s killers and lead a charge into the English forces. They were able to rally enough Scottish troops to break through the English line and take Hotspur prisoner, thereby forcing the English to surrender. On the 20th of August, Dominic was given special Commendation (which cannot be discussed for SCA reasons) for his part in the Battle of Otterburn. Dominic had befriended some of the men of the French contingency that had assisted the Scots and was very intrigued by their tales of the continent. Having no land and very little money, he decided to join them when they returned to France in the fall of 1388. Dominic traveled France for twelve years competing in various tournaments and gaining renown. Possible tournaments he may have competed in or attended as an observer include the Hastiltude at Paris, Tourney at St. Ingelvert, and Queen Isabella’s Joust at Paris. Even though there was a tense truce between England and France at that time, Dominic engaged in some of the chevauchees (raids into English-held territories for plunder) for entertainment and monetary gain. In 1401 after hearing of Edinburgh again falling to the English, Dominic returned to Scotland. He arrived in Edinburgh after the English had withdrawn, leaving the city in ruins. He learned of the imprisonment of David the Duke of Rothesay by his uncle Robert, Dominic offers his services to the royal family still in Edinburgh Castle, notably David’s young son James. When they learn of the death of David, and the fear that James may be next, Dominic leaves Edinburgh with a large contingency of knights to raise support for the young prince. By 1402, they have joined with a very large army commended by the Earl of Douglas (the younger) poised to invade England. The Scots met, once again, with an English force commanded by Hotspur at Homildon Hill. Douglas turned out to not be the tactician his father had been; Dominic and the rest of the vanguard watched in dismay as Douglas ordered them to wait behind the line and instead sent the foot soldiers down the hill for the initial engagement. These unarmored or lightly armored troops were preyed upon by the English bowmen as they advanced. By the time the Scottish vanguard was ordered to charge the archers, the footmen had been decimated. Safe from the arrows, Dominic and many of the other armored cavalry rallied behind Sir John Swinton for a final charge. The charge was a failure, and Dominic was pulled from his saddle and forced to surrender. Eventually, after paying a substantial ransom, he is allowed to return to Scotland with the Earl of Douglas. Dominic returned to Edinburgh and was again given a place among the retinue of James at Edinburgh Castle. In February of 1406, Robert the Duke of Albany, who was still attempting to take the Scottish throne, laid siege to the castle. The Duke’s forces soon overrun the city and many of James’s supporters are killed. Still wishing to protect the prince, Dominic joins his small party fleeing Edinburgh. They made their way up to North Berwick with the hope of contracting a ship to take James to France. By mid-March, they sailed for France. On the 22 of March 1406 while bounding Flamborough Head off the coast of Yorkshire, their ship is overtaken by pirates. Dominic and the rest of the man valiantly attempt to protect the young prince, but they are all killed. Dominic’s body was thrown into the sea and James was delivered to the King of England. Points of interest during Lifetime: 1369: Charles V confiscates Aquitaine. 23 February 1371: David II dies at Edinburgh Castle. He is succeeded by his nephew, Robert Stewart who becomes King Robert II, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty that is to rule Scotland for most of the next three hundred years. Robert II is the grandson of Robert the Bruce by his daughter Marjory. 1375: June: Further truce to last for 2 years and covering all of France. 1375-77: A peace council meets in Brussels. Cardinals as negotiators; the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of Burgundy attend. Territorial compromise is reached but the sovereignty of Guyenne is still unsettled. 1377: January 27: Parliament convened. First poll tax granted (4p on everyone above the age of 14): extremely unpopular. Duke of Anjou and Constable invade Guyenne. August: French fleet returns and burns Hastings; beaten off at Southampton and Poole. Uproar in England. 1379: Lord Neville of Raby, Lieutenant, arrives in Bordeaux, raids in style of the French, sails up the Gironde and recaptures Mortagne. Said to have retaken over 80 towns in his lieutenancy, which lasts hardly more than a year. 1381: Peasants' Revolt in England. November 1384: An ailing Robert II is sidelined in favor of his own eldest son and heir, John, Earl of Carrick, who becomes Guardian of the Kingdom. June 1385: The Scots under the Earl of Carrick, supported by a French army, invade northern England but are pushed back as far as Edinburgh, which is destroyed in retaliation by the English. 1387: Chaucer writes Canterbury Tales. August 1388: The Earl of Carrick leads the Scots into Cumberland and Northumberland. This culminates with the Battle of Otterburn, a victory for the Scots but with the loss of their battlefield commander James, Earl of Douglas, the Earl of Carrick's most powerful ally in southern Scotland. December 1388: John, Earl of Carrick, who has been injured while riding, is replaced as Guardian of the Kingdom by his younger brother Robert, Earl of Fife. April 1390: Robert II dies, and is succeeded by his eldest son John, Earl of Carrick. He becomes, confusingly, King Robert III because the Scots feel John is an unlucky name for a King: and because for him to become John II would acknowledge John Balliol as John I, and so revive a claim to the throne that had been sold to Edward III of England in 1356. 17 June 1390: Alexander Stewart, youngest son of Robert II and younger brother of John, Earl of Carrick (now Robert III) and Robert, Earl of Fife, destroys Elgin Cathedral. He is better remembered as the "Wolf of Badenoch". September 1396: In an effort to halt one of the many clan feuds dividing the Highlands, Robert III arranged a fight to the death between 30 warriors from each of the Clans Kay and Chattan on the edge of Perth in front of spectators. 11 Clan Chattan emerge alive and one man of Clan Kay escapes by swimming the River Tay. This is later called the Battle of the Inch. 1398: Robert III's eldest son, David, is created Duke of Rothesay, and Robert III's younger brother, Robert, Earl of Fife, is created Duke of Albany. 1399: The General Council takes power from Robert III, now in poor health, and gives it instead to David, Duke of Rothesay, who they make the King's Lieutenant. 1400: The Duke of Rothesay bigamously marries Mary Douglas. The father of his spurned first wife gains support from Henry IV of England and an English army easily takes Edinburgh, except for the castle, before withdrawing. 1400: Geoffrey Chaucer dies. 1400-05: Owen Glen Dwr rises against English rule in Wales. 1401: David, Duke of Rothesay is captured by his uncle Robert, Duke of Albany and imprisoned in St Andrews Castle. He is subsequently moved to the Duke of Albany's home at Falkland Castle in Fife. 1402: March: David, Duke of Rothesay dies at Falkland Castle as a result, the General Council decides, of "Divine Providence". Others say the cause is starvation. This leaves David's 7 year-old brother James as heir to the throne still held by Robert III. There are fears that James in turn will not be safe from the ambitions of his uncle Robert. 1405: Jean Froissart dies February 1406: An army of James' supporters is defeated by the Duke of Albany at Edinburgh. James is taken for safety to Bass Rock, off North Berwick. 22 March 1406: James is captured by pirates off Flamborough Head in Yorkshire while en route to sanctuary in France. They then hand him over to Henry IV of England.



*********

THL Dominic McMorland

Micah P. Nelson