Margaret de Seton, heiress of Seton

*!! It seems that the above named parents for Margaret were actually her grandparents. She was the daughter of Sir Alexander V (quintus) and not of Sir Alexander IV (quartus) & Christian Cheyne.

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There is a charter which appears to have been overlooked in the connection.
On 16th April 1346 Sir William Douglas of Liddesdale bound himself to make certain payments to Sir
Alexander de Seton, Knight, Lord of that ilk, (i.e. to the Sir Alexander Seton quartus, who was defender
of Berwick), in consideration of the marriage of Alexander de Seton, son of umquhile (deceased) Sir John de Seton, heir of the said Alexander with Margaret, daughter of the deceased Sir William de Ruthven. This charter obviously shows that, in April 1346, both the sons of old Sir Alexander, viz Sir Alexander quintus and Sir John, were dead; also that the heir male to the estate was then Alexander Seton, sextus, son of Sir John. Moreover, the fact of Alexander sextus being styled heir, also shows that Alexander quintus had left no male issue. But, as stated above, Alexander sextus himself died, or was killed in the year of the charter, when he was married.
This relationship may be regarded as the only one that can be accepted:
Sir Alexander IV. "quartus" ob 1349 had issue:
(1) Sir Alexander V. "quintus" ob 1332, his daughter Margaret married Allane de Winton.
(2) Sir John, dead before 1346. His son, Alexander VI, married Margaret Ruthven.
(3) William. Drowned at Tweed.
(4) Thomas. Hanged in Berwick.
The only possible doubt is whether Margaret, who undoubtedly succeeded, was the daughter of Sir Alexander V "the son", or of his brother "Sir John", or possibly of the other brother William who was drowned at Berwick.
It is assumed that the succession as shown above is correct, in spite of any statements by other
authorities.
Source: "The House of Seton" Vol 1, page 98.

Margaret, Lady of Seton. Thee succession to the estates of Seton after the death of Sir Alexander de Seton, the defender of Berwick, about 1348/9, is uncertain. All his sons had predeceased him, and the property devolved on Margaret who was probably the daughter of Sir Alexander, the son who was killed at Kinghorn in 1332. Information about her is based on the works of Andrew de Wyntoun and Pordun, and must be regarded as partly based on hearsay.
According to de Wyntoun 1, Margaret Seton was abducted in or after 1347 by one Alan de Wyntoun, with the result that there was severe local trouble. According to Pordun a hundred ploughs were laid aside in Lothian while the matter was under discussion, and he describes it as "Wyntoun 's war". Lord Hailes says "some favoured the ravisher, others thought to bring "him to punishment." It is further stated that William of Murray, whose sister had married Sir Alexander Seton, aided the young couple and took them into Edinburgh Castle of which he was Governor. This seems more than doubtful if Margaret Murray was really the mother of Margaret Seton.
The question is, who was Alan de Wyntoun?
There had been an "Aleyn de Wynton" who had sworn fealty to Edward I. in 1296, among the barons of the county of Edinburgh; and a "Thomas de Wynton" who did likewise, among the barons of Ayrshire. A "Robert de "Winton" had a charter of Hirdmanston before 1300 from Robert I, and "Ingelram" and "Hugo de Winton" appear in a charter of 1343. In days when the use of the surname was by no means established, and a man was known by the name of his lands, it is often impossible to ascertain his relationship. There is however no doubt that the estate of Winton had been in the hands of the Setons for several generations, and the Scots Peerage considers it may well have been given to a younger son, who then assumed the territorial name. This Alan de Wyntoun may well have been a descendant of the Philip de Seton, who owned Winton and died about 1195. Fordun further narrates that complaint was made to the King, and that Alan was apprehended. Margaret was then subjected to the ordeal of being blindfolded and made to choose between a sword and a ring. She chose the latter and Alan had a providential escape, unless the blindfolding was not efficiently carried out. They were then regarded as wed. Nevertheless the Lady Margaret's relations, according to Fordun, made life so intolerable for Alan de Wyntoun that he went abroad, assumed the Cross, and is said to have died in Italy. It is probable, as the Crusades had stopped, that he went as a pilgrim. As he passed through London on his way abroad, Alan de Wyntoun left 400 ducats of gold with one Nicholas Zucull a Venetian merchant. In 1363 his son "William of Wyntoun" authorised Adam Wymondham a citizen, and Nicholas Nogrebon, a Venetian to recover the money.
The document states that Alan had died on his way to Mount Sinai, when about to visit the tomb of St. Katherine there.
It Is not known when Margaret Seton died.
Source: "House of Seton" Vol 1, page 99.

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About 1311 Sir Alexander married Christian, daughter of Cheyne of Straloch in Aberdeenshire.
By her he had four sons:
1. Thomas hanged by the English at Berwick in July 1333.
2. William drowned at Berwick while trying to set fire to English ships. Wyntoun says of him "Than Williame off Setoun faucht sa fast among "the schippys, quhill at last his fadyv into the "Se saw him drown"
3. Sir Alexander quintus "the son". He was so called to distinguish him from his father. It was apparently he who was sent on a mission to Newcastle in 1323, and was styled by Robert I his "bachelor" . He was killed, opposing the landing of Edward Balliol, at Kinghorn on 6th August 1332. Sir Alexander married Jean, daughter of Sir Thomas Haliburton of Dirleton, and by her probably had a daughter Margaret, who carried on the succession.
4. Sir John of whom nothing is known. Maitland says he married Elizabeth heiress of Sir Cecil Ramsay
of Parbroath, and founded the cadet branch of Seton of Parbroath.
Source: "The House of Seton" Vol 1, page 95.

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Margaret, Lady of Seton, presumably sister (or possibly first cousin) of Alexander de Seton, the husband of Margaret de Ruthven, and granddaughter of the ex- Governor of Berwick, was married, apparently in or after 1347, to Alan de Wyntoun, who may perhaps have been a distant kinsman of her own.
Andrew de Wyntoun tells of the abduction in that year of the young lady of Seton by Alan de Wyntoun (whom some have supposed his own relative), and gives a circumstantial account of what followed. He relates "that for that maryage fell gret stryffe"; that "Wyntoun's war," as it was called, was such that "in Lowthyane as men sayde Ma than a hundyr plwys war layde"; and adds that William of Murray in Edinburgh Castle heartily supported and aided the aggressor. Bower, writing perhaps forty years later, follows Wyntoun (except that he gives a different and much less probable date for the affair), and adds that Alan de Wyntoun was brought before the King's Court, at the instance of the young lady's relatives, to answer for forcible abduction; that the fate of the convicted culprit was left to her decision, a sword and a ring being presented for her choice; and that she chose the latter, after which the marriage took place. Her husband assumed the cross, apparently while still a young man, owing (according to Bower) to intrigues against him on the part of her relations, and died in the Holy Land.
The issue of this marriage was:
1. William.
2. Margaret (or Christiana), who is supposed to have been married to George, tenth Earl of Dunbar.
Source: "The Scots Peerage" Vol 8, page 570.

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Margaret de Seton

• Birth: about 1325 - Seton, East Lothian, Scotland
• Parents: Sir Alexander IV Seton, Knight (b.c. 1266 and d. 1350)
• Married: Alan de Wyntoun circa 1347.

Children of Margaret de Seton and Alan de Wyntoun

1. Sir William de Seton, 1st Lord Seton+ d. c Mar 1409/101 Married Janet Fleming
2. Christian de Seton+ 2 . Married George Dunbar, 9th Earl of Dunbar1

Notes

• Sir William Seton, 1st Lord Seton (d. c. 1410), created 1st Lord Seton in 1371. (son of son of Alan de Wyntoun and Margaret de Seton).

Citations

1. [S37] Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1285. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition.
2. [S37] Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, volume 1, page 1205.

Links

• http://www.thepeerage.com/p26256.htm#i262558

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http://www2.thesetonfamily.com/history/The_Lords_Seton.htm

The Lords Seton

Before the Lords were created, the family maintained a tradition of Knights, for thirteen generations until the mid-14th century, and passed this training hereditarily to every son of the House. Eventually the direct male-line of the Seton's ended with the heiress Margaret de Seton, who married her cousin Alan de Winton, himself a Seton descended from Philip de Seton who had recieved the Charter of the Lands of Winton in 1169, and who's branch of the family had taken their name of Winton from their estate of Winton which they had recieved in patrimony.

Their son, Sir William Seton was knighted prior to becoming the 1st Lord Seton and was the first ever and first created Scottish Lord of Parliament, which made the Lord's Seton the Premier Baron's of Scotland.

...

[MTD]

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• Earls of Winton

Maternal ancestors of the 1st Lord Seton

• Walter "Dougall" de Seton (b.c 1060, Scotland)
• Alexander de Seton (b.c.1087)
• Philip de Seton (b.c. 1135)
• Alexander II Setoun de Wintoun, Knight (b.1164)
• Adam de Seton (b.c. 1190 and d. 1249)
• Christopher de Seton (d.1269)
• Christopher de Seton (d.1298)
• Christopher de Seton, Knight (b.1240 and d.1307)
• Alexander de Seton, Knight (b.c. 1242 and d. 1307)
• Sir Alexander IV Seton, Knight (b.c. 1266 and d. 1350)
• Margaret de Seton (b.c. 1325) (married Alan de Wyntoun)