John Seton

Sir John Seton (* after 1278; † August 4, 1306 in Newcastle upon Tyne ) was an English knight and rebel. He switched sides during the Scottish War of Independence , whereupon he was executed after his capture .

Origin and heritage

John Seton came from a gentry family who apparently named themselves after Seton in the North Riding of Yorkshire . He was a younger son of his father of the same name, Sir John of Seton , who died before July 7, 1299. As a result, his older brother Christopher Seton inherited the family's estates in Yorkshire and Cumberland .

Photograph of the ruins of Tibbers Castle, defended by John Seton in 1306 (2016)

Role in the Scottish War of Independence

In 1301 John Seton was a knight in the English army in Scotland during the Scottish War of Independence. Before 1305, his brother Christopher married a sister of the Scottish nobleman Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick . John Seton was one of Bruce's companions in February 1306, along with his brothers Christopher and Humphrey Seton . They were involved in Dumfries' murder of John Comyn . Bruce declared himself King of Scots a little later. Probably John and his brother Christopher were present at the coronation in Scone . Thereupon they were declared enemies of the English king. Seton was involved in the occupation of Dumfries Castle and in the capture of Richard Siward , the Sheriff of Dumfriesshire . Bruce then appointed him in command of Tibbers Castle , the castle that was also occupied by Richard Siward. Despite Bruce's defeat at the Battle of Methven in June and the ensuing escape of Bruce, the crew of Tibbers Castle defied the English troops' call to surrender. Tibbers Castle was then besieged and conquered, while John Seton was captured. The King of England had the supporters of the Rebellion punished mercilessly by Bruce. John Seton was brought to Newcastle and executed along with 15 other rebels, including John of Cambo . While most of the rebels were merely hanged , Seton was cruelly dragged to the execution site and then hanged on special orders from the king as punishment for his involvement in the murder of Comyn .

Individual evidence

↑ AAM Duncan: Seton, Sir Christopher (c. 1278-1306). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 208.
↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 98.
^ Matthew Strickland: Treason, Feud and the Growth of State Violence. Edward I and the War of the 'Earl of Carrick', 1306-07 . In: Chris Given-Wilson, Ann J. Kettle, Len Scales (eds.): War, government and aristocracy in the British Isles, c.1150-1500 . Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 2008, ISBN 978-1-84383-389-5 , p. 109.
^ Matthew Strickland: Treason, Feud and the Growth of State Violence. Edward I and the War of the 'Earl of Carrick', 1306-07 . In: Chris Given-Wilson, Ann J. Kettle, Len Scales (eds.): War, government and aristocracy in the British Isles, c.1150-1500 . Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 2008, ISBN 978-1-84383-389-5 , p. 102.

personal data
SURNAME	Seton, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Seton, Sir John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English knight and rebel
DATE OF BIRTH	after 1278
DATE OF DEATH	4th August 1306
Place of death	Newcastle upon Tyne

[1] AAM Duncan: Seton, Sir Christopher (c. 1278-1306). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

[2] Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 208.

[3] Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 98.

[4] Matthew Strickland: Treason, Feud and the Growth of State Violence. Edward I and the War of the 'Earl of Carrick', 1306-07 . In: Chris Given-Wilson, Ann J. Kettle, Len Scales (eds.): War, government and aristocracy in the British Isles, c.1150-1500 . Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 2008, ISBN 978-1-84383-389-5 , p. 109.

[5] Matthew Strickland: Treason, Feud and the Growth of State Violence. Edward I and the War of the 'Earl of Carrick', 1306-07 . In: Chris Given-Wilson, Ann J. Kettle, Len Scales (eds.): War, government and aristocracy in the British Isles, c.1150-1500 . Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 2008, ISBN 978-1-84383-389-5 , p. 102.