A kerfuffle in Galloway

Sometime between November 1299-May 1300, Robert de Bruce resigned his position as Guardian of Scotland. This was due to the potential return of John Balliol as King of Scots, which ran counter to Bruce's own desire to be king. 

Not that Bruce had abandoned the Scottish cause (or at least, not yet). He was still prepared to summon his men to defend Scotland against Edward I: for instance, he frequently called up his tenants of Melrose abbey, inside the lordship of Carrick, to do this service. 

Even so, Bruce's decision must have dismayed his friends. While he held the post of Guardian, there was a counter-balance to the Comyn faction. Now Bruce had stepped down, the Comyns reigned supreme. 

This was the situation when Edward came north again in the summer of 1300. On this occasion his intention was not to 'conquer Scotland', as such, but to reinforce the fragile English hold on Galloway in the south-west. The constable of the English garrison at Lochmaben (a former Bruce castle) had appealed desperately to the king for aid, especially against the threat of the rival Scottish garrison at Caerlaverock (pictured). 

The conflict in Galloway is a fascinating sub-plot of the Scottish wars. Edward had previously tried to exploit political divisions by restoring Thomas of Galloway, a bastard son of the last Celtic lord of Galloway, to power. Thomas had lain in a Scottish prison for over sixty years, and we can imagine the state of the poor befuddled old chap, tottering off home with a charter of liberties thrust into his hands. Once he had served his purpose, Thomas was yanked back into custody and probably died in prison. 

Edward's policy worked to an extent, and he enjoyed the consistent support of two important local kindreds, the MacCans and the Macdoualls: it should be remembered that Galloway was not an integral part of Scotland at this time, and many of the local dynasties never accepted the Bruce kings. 

Just to complicate matters further, Galloway was also important to the Comyn faction: many of Balliol's demesne lands had been held there, so control of the region was as vital to them as it was to the English.