Généalogie and Heritage

Source: Origins of de Brus / Bruce - Pickerings of Yorkshire

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Type	Valeur
Titre	Origins of de Brus / Bruce - Pickerings of Yorkshire

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http://www.pickeringsofyorkshire.com/ Published on 2013/12/15 by HazelPickering

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As seen in Origins, it is not known where the family that took the name de Brus and later Bruce came from, but there is little doubt that their origins were Scandinavian, and more particularly Norwegian. There is no documentary evidence of a direct descent from the Earls of Orkney nor of their arrival in Normandy with one of the waves of Scandinavian settlement. The fact that the first Robert de Brus was lord of the important fief of Brix on the Cotentin peninsula, from which he took his name, has led some historians to suggest that the de Bruses were a junior branch of the Dukes of Normandy, thus guaranteeing their loyalty. Owing to the lack of reliable evidence, there is some doubt as to whether Robert and his son Adelme accompanied William II of Normandy to England (see Brix), or whether it was Robert’s grandson who was the first to set foot on English soil following the battle of Tinchebray. The rest of the family, including Robert’s other sons, remained in Normandy, founding a separate branch whose name evolved with that of the town where they had originally settled, so that the French branch is now called de Brix and the British branch has been anglicised to Bruce. Documentary evidence abounds regarding Adelme’s son, known in Britain as Robert I de Brus, a staunch follower of King William’s son, Henry I. He had either already been given or been promised lands in England for his contribution to the young king’s victory over his brother at Tinchebray in 1106. This would account for the late appearance of Rober de Bruis as landholder in the Domesday Book, some thirty years after its original issue in 1086. Not only did he receive vast lands in England, but also in Scotland, becoming joint Lord of Skelton in Yorkshire and Annandale in Dumfriesshire. These lordships were divided between his elder sons Adam I and Robert II and, notably after the battle of the Standard where they fought on opposing sides, the two branchesof the family gradually went their different ways, adopting different coats of arms. By the early years of the 12th century Robert I Brus had been granted lands in Eskdale and established his first caput at Castleton. Sometime before 1119 he received the manor and strategically situated castle of Skelton, to which his caput was later transferred. In 1124 he was granted lands in Annandale including Annan castle, which the de Bruses used as a base before flooding compelled them to move to the higher ground offered by Lochmaben, where they built a stronghold. These holdings are just early examples of the vast estate that the de Bruses were to accumulate in England and Scotland by the mid 13th century.

As seen in Origins, it is not known where the family that took the name de Brus and later Bruce came from, but there is little doubt that their origins were Scandinavian, and more particularly Norwegian. There is no documentary evidence of a direct descent from the Earls of Orkney nor of their arrival in Normandy with one of the waves of Scandinavian settlement. The fact that the first Robert de Brus was lord of the important fief of Brix on the Cotentin peninsula, from which he took his name, has led some historians to suggest that the de Bruses were a junior branch of the Dukes of Normandy, thus guaranteeing their loyalty.

Owing to the lack of reliable evidence, there is some doubt as to whether Robert and his son Adelme accompanied William II of Normandy to England (see Brix), or whether it was Robert’s grandson who was the first to set foot on English soil following the battle of Tinchebray. The rest of the family, including Robert’s other sons, remained in Normandy, founding a separate branch whose name evolved with that of the town where they had originally settled, so that the French branch is now called de Brix and the British branch has been anglicised to Bruce.

Documentary evidence abounds regarding Adelme’s son, known in Britain as Robert I de Brus, a staunch follower of King William’s son, Henry I. He had either already been given or been promised lands in England for his contribution to the young king’s victory over his brother at Tinchebray in 1106. This would account for the late appearance of Rober de Bruis as landholder in the Domesday Book, some thirty years after its original issue in 1086. Not only did he receive vast lands in England, but also in Scotland, becoming joint Lord of Skelton in Yorkshire and Annandale in Dumfriesshire. These lordships were divided between his elder sons Adam I and Robert II and, notably after the battle of the Standard where they fought on opposing sides, the two branchesof the family gradually went their different ways, adopting different coats of arms.

By the early years of the 12th century Robert I Brus had been granted lands in Eskdale and established his first caput at Castleton. Sometime before 1119 he received the manor and strategically situated castle of Skelton, to which his caput was later transferred. In 1124 he was granted lands in Annandale including Annan castle, which the de Bruses used as a base before flooding compelled them to move to the higher ground offered by Lochmaben, where they built a stronghold. These holdings are just early examples of the vast estate that the de Bruses were to accumulate in England and Scotland by the mid 13th century.