The essays in this book, all by distinguished historians, illuminate the main activities, preoccupations and aspirations of the families whose territorial power and local leadership made them a central factor in medieval Scottish society. Issues discussed include the influence of Anglo-Norman England on earlier medieval Scotland, patterns of land accumulation by the aristocracy, noble residences, the legal and administrative aspects of baronial lordship, clientage, and dealings between magnates and the Church.

Throughout, the essays stress the importance of recognising that, before the Wars of Independence, the nobility of Scotland was closely bound by ties of kinship and property with the nobility in England and emphasise that the common assumption of perpetual opposition between baronage and the Crown is a myth. First published in 1985, these essays remain essential reading on the subject.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Illustrations
• Abbreviations
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 Charter Evidence and the Distribution of Mottes in Scotland
  • Appendix I
  • Appendix II
• 2 The Earldom of Caithness and the Kingdom of Scotland, 1150–1266
• 3 The Early Lords of Lauderdale, Dryburgh Abbey and St Andrew’s Priory at Northampton
  • Appendix
• 4 The Charters of David, Earl of Huntingdon and Lord of Garioch: A Study in Anglo-Scottish Diplomatic
• 5 The Familia of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland
  • Appendix
• 6 The Political Role of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland
• 7 The Balliol Family and the Great Cause of 1291–2
• 8 James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260(?)–1309
  • Appendix I
  • Appendix II
• 9 The Scottish Medieval Castle: Form, Function and ‘Evolution’
• 10 Extinction of Direct Male Lines among Scottish Noble Families in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
  • Appendix
• 11 William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, and his Family: A Study in the Politics of Survival
  • Appendix
• 12 Crown versus Nobility: The Struggle for the Priory of Coldingham, 1472-88
• 13 Taming the Magnates?
• Index