Being a border family whom, after the introduction of the feudal system in Scotland, came under the Lordship of the family of Robert de Brus (Bruce). Interest was piqued after a conversation about the Norman influence on Scottish society and when it began. Of interest to us, the Lordship of Annandale was established in 1124 by David I (r.1124-1153) and the Bruce family held it for nearly 200 years, with a break of only a year, when the family Comyn was in post. However, prior to this, Carruthers had lived and tended these lands in their own right.
Interestingly, it was this feudal link and historical alliance that has caused the claim that Carruthers, who had ‘heidsmen’ going back before the Norman arrival in Scotland, were a sept of Bruce. As that has been covered in blogs here in the past and is not the kernel that sits at the centre of this blog, we will leave it to your own research.
Carruthers did of course pledge fealty to Bruce as was the law of the land and under them became Foresters and Stewards of Annandale and Keepers of the Trailtrow Preceptory for the Hospitallers and guardians of the Old Kirk Ford at Hoddom. As such our role was well recognised as being considered integral to the defence and function within the region of Annadale itself under the Bruces.
NB: Medieval foresters and related officers (wardens, verderers, keepers) had law‑enforcement and judicial roles limited to “forest law”: they patrolled, arrested or detained offenders, seized evidence, imposed fines or brought cases, and fed cases into special forest courts (inquisitions and forest eyres). Their authority applied to offences against the vert (trees/rights) and venison (game), not to ordinary criminal law outside the forest jurisdiction, although as they patrolled woodlands, they also maintained sightlines and beacons and reported or raised alarm about raiders into their lands.
For those regular readers, you will note in our previous writings regarding a clan seat, that this concept was also introduced into Scotland by the Normans. Their arrival and influence changed the way that Scots lived their lives for many centuries. We have always claimed that the feudal system was introduced by them and that is accurate, but was it transitional or did it take an immediate act? Was it the decision of David I alone, who had himself lived under the feudal system in England and saw its benefits, or did a societal change begin prior to that thus allowing a gradual move away from Celtic law and governance? Was there was another player in this, oft forgotten, and did a woman play an important role?
The Feudal System
The feudal system in England had a clear starting point, as it was introduced after the conquest of William the Conqueror in 1066. His system of governance was based on his claim to the ‘whole of England’, in which he initiated a pyramid system of control with the monarch at the top. He redistributed lands and titles to men loyal to him, much to the distress of the Anglo-Saxon nobles, in exchange for military service and support. These Norman nobles subsequently granted smaller portions to knights, within their own lands. As such the holding of lands was strongly tied to an obligation for military support. The introduction of the feudal system was quite abrupt in its onset in England and as it was strongly imposed by the monarchy throughout the country.
The introduction of the feudal system in Scotland, however, was far more gradual, and not originally as complete as it was down south. This new system of governance never really took hold in all areas during its initial onset, especially in the highlands. Prior to David I’s arrival with his Norman entourage, Scotland had a Celtic system governed by local lordships, heidsmen and chiefs, which had served its peoples for centuries and was not given up easily. This system was based on clan/family ties, kinship and tribal landholding and depending on the region, local control was influenced by either Anglo-Saxon Northumbria or in others, a strong Gaelic tradition. However, unlike the highlands, the lowlands and borders underwent an easier transition with local families either being displaced by in-coming Norman Lords or absorbed into the feudal system as vassals. Carruthers themselves emerged in the records as initially feudal tenants, attaining lands and barony status in their own rights. Their rise was tied to the holding of land in return for service, rather than pure kinship authority as it had under the old Celtic system. The Riever mentality of course, which existed for nearly 300 years all along the Anglo-Scottish borders, was also based strongly on clan/family ties, kinship and land owbership so it seems some deep seated loyalties and cultures never really die.
However, the changes from the old system of governance did happen and were further enhanced by the actions of one particular monarch that we draw your attention to today or more importantly his wife. The monarch is Malcolm III (Malcolm Canmore) (r. 1058–1093) a Gaelic speaker as was the language of the court at that time, whose seat and therefore the capital of Scotland, was in Dunfermline.
Malcolm was the founder of the Royal House of Dunkeld, which governed Scotland for approximately 200 years. His son, David I, became King of Scotland and was he who invited into our country those Norman knights, many of whom were second sons, with the promise of lands and titles and with them the Feudal system of governance.
Malcolm’s exposure to the culture of the Anglo-Saxons came through his wife, Queen Margaret of Scotland, later to become St Margaret. Margaret was a member of the Anglo-Saxon royal family and through her influence encouraged the ways and language of her people to be embraced by King Malcolm and his court, which infused into the nation itself.
Margaret of Wessex (Queen of Scotland)
Margaret of Wessex, a pious Christian was brought up in Europe, where her father, Edward (son of Edmund Ironside), was in exile. The family returned to England in 1054 in the hopes that Edward would be recognized as the heir to King Edward the Confessor, but after his death and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, it became clear that Margaret’s family would not succeed to the English throne. She, along with her mother, sister and brother fled north. After a storm they landed in Fife, at what is now called St Margaret’s Hope, near Queensferry on the Firth of Forth in 1068. They were welcomed by the King of Scots, Malcolm III, whose palace was nearby at Dunfermline. She eventually married Malcolm Canmore 2 years later in 1070 and had through her marriage, had 8 children: 6 boys and 2 girls with him. Three of her sons went on to become Kings of the Scots and her elder daughter became Queen of England when she married Henry 1, the third son of William the Conqueror.
Margaret had been brought up in Christian courts, first in Hungary and then in England, especially in the discipline of the Benedictines, which influenced her to establish a Benedictine abbey in Dunfermline. She lived her life according to their rules, with an emphasis on prayer, fasting, and caring for the poor. However, she showed respect for the native Celtic church, and with the support of her husband, managed to reconcile its practices with those of the Roman church.
Interestingly, it is said that due to her inability to grasp the language of the Scottish court i.e. Gaelic, the Scots language, which came from the same Anglo-Saxon root as used in the lowlands and borders, became more dominant. This eventually replaced Gaelic as the language used in court circles, which led to the decline of Gaelic in Scotland. This shift is reflected in the names of their children, which marked a drastic change from the Norse or Gaelic names that had been the established tradition previously, even as recently as his first marriage.
As such the system of governance used by the Anglo-Saxon before the introduction of Norman feudalism was embraced in a large part by Malcolm. Anglo-Saxon governance was characterized again by a hierarchical system with the king at the top, followed by his nobles and local lords. These in turn managed the land and justice in their regions. The king’s council, known as the ‘witenagemot‘, advised on policy and legal matters, while local assemblies called moots applied laws to specific cases. As we can see, not a huge step from there to the feudalism of the Normans.
Therefore, it is apparent that Margaret was a key cultural and ecclesiastical bridge whose reforms helped prepare Scotland for Norman-style feudalism. She promoted Roman church practices, founded monasteries and invited Continental clergy, standardized liturgy and clerical organization, and reshaped court culture toward Anglo‑Norman/continental norms — all changes that made Scotland more compatible with the social and legal structures that underpinned feudal rule.
Margaret, herself lived a very pious and devout life and was known for her charity and compassion for the poor of Scotland. She was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250 for her good works, and her shrine, which still sits in Dunfermline, is a point of Catholic pilgrimage.
Her dynastic impact reinforced the shift to feudalism and a more controlled system of governance in Scotland: her children (notably David I) carried on her reforms and later granted lands to Norman and Anglo-Norman followers, formalizing feudal landholding and administration in Scotland. Together Margaret’s religious, cultural, and familial influence laid the groundwork for the fuller Normanisation and feudalisation of Scotland in the 12th century, which lasted in part last until the 21st century.
In Summary
Queen Margaret through her influence on Malcolm Canmore, who himself was known as a strong king, allowed the future transition of Norman feudalism to take root in many parts of Scotland, mainly the lowlands and borders. Her Anglo-Saxon roots influenced the Scottish church, language and governance, which opened the door for the acceptance of the dovetailing of Norman feudalism into Scottish culture for many centuries to come.
It was in this environment that her sons were raised and later continued with her ideas of reform. As such, although instrumental in its transition and acceptance, the full feudal transformation was carried out mainly by her son David I. David I had spent much of his youth in England under Norman influence. As king, he actively invited Norman and Anglo-Norman knights into Scotland. It was then that names such as Robert de Brus, appeared in Annandale, Hugh de Morville in Lauderdale and Walter Fitz Alan in the area around Renfrew and the rest as they say is history.
It was David who brought feudalism to Scotland by granting the lands and titles to Anglo-Norman knights and through them introducing those all-important feudal military obligations which set out a military buffer zone against England as such feudalism was as much about defence as crown control. He also introduced the building of castles and Burghs (early towns) like Annan. Lochmaben and Dumfries with sheriffdoms to run the judiciary. The church was also reformed with the building of abbeys and monasteries which acted as economic and cultural anchors, and introduced feudal land ownership, which Carruthers would have held.
Therefore, this system’s transition was greatly helped by the influence of a Scottish Queen – Margaret of Wessex which ensured that the basics were already in place and had been established in both the court and the church for over 30 years prior to David’s return with his Norman knights in tow.
With regards Carruthers and all other landed families especially in the lowlands and borders, they found themselves absorbed into a system of rule that would shape their life for many generations to come and further influence their mention incorrectly as a sept of a Norman family.
NB: Feudalism in its true form, started to decline from the late medieval period, with major earlier steps including 18th‑century reforms after the 1745 Jacobite rising and the Land Tenure Reform (Scotland) Act 1974 that paved the way for full abolition. This occurred in full as late as 2004 after the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act. Although the Act came to parliament in the year 2000, feu duties and most superior rights were only extinguished on 28 November 2004, around 900 years after its introduction.
Promptus et Fidelis
Non Sto Solus
