Special thanks to Eilean Malden, a leading authority on Scottish heraldry from the Heraldry Society of Scotland and editor of the 2016 book "An Ordinary of Scottish Arms from Original pre-1672 Manuscripts," for her review of this article to corroborate these findings and for contributing additional images and text from her research on this subject.
In my research on the heraldry of my direct ancestor, Sir John Stewart, a Scottish knight who was killed at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, I encountered several conflicting descriptions of his arms. To clarify the confusion, I explored a variety of sources, and here are the results of my research.
Sir John was the second son of Sir Alexander of Dundonald, the 4th High Steward of Scotland, and his wife Margaret, the daughter and heiress of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll. As will be demonstrated, Margaret did not receive the title and estate of Bonkyll until after the passing of her father.
The arms are described using the traditional Norman French terms that are the standard for heraldic blazons. Additionally, the color scheme on the arms uses some color approximations for metals, with gold approximated as yellow, and silver approximated as white. A Glossary at the end of this post provides a brief description of relevant heraldic terms.
There was no standard spelling system at this time and words were recorded according to the likes and dislikes of the scribe. Thus, several variants of the spelling of "Bonkyll" are used in the sources, including Boncle, Bunkle, Bonkylle, Bonkhill, Bonkyl, etc.
The Arms of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll (d. ca. 1300)
In the Lord Marshal’s Roll of 1295, the arms of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll is shown as:
“gules, 3 buckles or”
(shield red, 3 buckles gold)
The arms of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll[1]
Nearly 400 years later, Sir Alexander Nisbet, paraphrasing Lord Lyon Sir James Balfour, incorrectly recorded the arms of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll as:
“sable, three buckles or”
(shield black, three buckles gold)
The incorrect arms of Sir Alexander de Bonkyll[2]
However, the earlier contemporary coat of arms with a red shield is regarded as the correct arms.
Sir Alexander had died by the end of April 1300. An inquisition document of King Edward I of England dated April 27, 1300, regarding "the late Sir Alexander de Bonkehille's manor of Ulvesby," (now Uldale in Cumbria), notes that "[t]he manor is in the King's hands, as Margaret daughter and heir of Sir Alexander remains with the King's enemies in Scotland."[3]
Margaret’s husband, Sir John Stewart, was killed at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 before she had inherited the Bonkyll estate and titles from her father. It is therefore incorrect to assume that Sir John Stewart would have had the right to designate himself “of Bonkyll.” No contemporary evidence exists to indicate that Sir John Stewart ever inherited the Bonkyll estate.
After Sir John Stewart's death at the Battle of Falkirk, his wife Margaret remarried David, Lord of Brechin. The couple reconciled with King Edward I, who sent a letter to the Lord Chancellor of England in July 1304 stating:
The King to Master William of Greenfield, chancellor, as David of Brechin and Margaret, his wife, Scottish rebels, have come to his peace, and David has done homage and fealty, he commands that the English lands of Alexander of Bunkle, father of Margaret, whose heir she is, be restored to them.[4]
Margaret died about 1304 when the lands of Bonkyll went to her eldest son, Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll (d. 1319). Remarkably, after the death of Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll in 1319, his widow Christian was still alive and laying claim to the lands and manor of Uldale.[5]
The Arms of the High Stewards of Scotland
The coat of arms used by the High Stewards of Scotland – including Sir John’s brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, - is blazoned:
"or, a fess chequy argent and azure"
(shield gold, a horizontal band checkered with silver and blue)
The arms of the High Stewards of Scotland[6]
The earliest usage of these arms comes from the seal of his great-grandfather, Alan Fitz Walter, the 2nd High Steward of Scotland.
The arms of Sir Alan Fitz Walter (1140-1204)[7]
The Arms of Sir John Stewart (d. 1298)
As the second son of the High Steward, Sir John would have been expected to differentiate his arms from those of his elder brother. The system of such differentiation was in its infancy and it is highly probable that the bend seen on the seal dated to 1296 was an attempt at such differencing. The strongest evidence for the arms of Sir John Stewart come from his seal, which he affixed to the "Ragman Rolls" in 1292 and in 1296. In heraldic terms, the blazon shown on the wax impression (excluding colors) is:
"a fess chequy surmounted with a bend"
(shield, a horizontal band checkered with a diagonal band)
Sir John’s seal from 1292[8]
Sir John’s seal from 1296
The distinguishing feature of Sir John's arms from that of the High Steward of Scotland is therefore the bend, or diagonal stripe: a plain bend with no charges on it. His seal bears the inscription “S’ JOHANNIS SENESCALL,” or "Sir John Stewart."
An anonymous shield in the Collins Roll dating to 1296 almost certainly belongs to Sir John.[9] The blazon is:
"or, a fess chequy argent and azure surmounted by a bend gules,"
(shield gold, a horizontal band checkered with silver and blue surmounted by a diagonal band red)
A modern rendition of the coat from the Collins Roll[10]
The Styling of Sir John Stewart (d. 1298)
As previously noted, Sir John did not have the right to style himself as “of Bonkyll,” and records during his lifetime do not refer to him as such.
In contemporary documents, Sir John is often referred to as “knight.” The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, Volume 1 (1306-1424) describes Sir John Stewart as the late militis dilecto et fideli nostro, translated as “our beloved and faithful knight.”[11]
Two documents in 1290 list him among the nearly fifty “Barons of the Realm of Scotland,”[12] and a charter from 1296 mentions a donation to be rendered from John’s lands.[13] However, if Sir John was a baron, it is unclear which lands he held. There is no mention of a territorial designation for him in any contemporary medieval documents, including in a reference to him after his death when his son Sir James Stewart was being granted the lands of Perceton and Warwickhill in Ayrshire.[14]
The most common descriptor given to him in medieval documents is “the brother of James the Steward of Scotland.”[15] Referencing him as Sir John Stewart, brother of James the Steward of Scotland (d. 1298), or a similar variant, is the preferred designator since this is consistent with contemporary medieval documents.
The Arms of Sir Alexander Stewart, the First "Stewart of Bonkyll" (d. 1319)
Sir Alexander, the oldest son of Sir John Stewart and Margaret de Bonkyll, was the first who could be styled “Stewart of Bonkyll.” The arms almost certainly originated with him if he was choosing to acknowledge the properties he had inherited from his mother in 1304 by including the buckles in his coat of arms. A letter patent from King Edward II of England dated April 30, 1312, is the first known source that mentions "Alexander the Steward lord of Bonkel."[16]
In the 1880 book The Stewarts of Appin by J.H.J and D. Stewart, the authors make the following observation and quote from the medieval Scottish poem "The Brus" by John Barbour (ca. 1320-1395):
There are many proofs in records that this Sir John Stewart married the daughter and heiress of Sir Alexander of Bonkyl, or Bonckhill, as the name afterwards was spelled, and that he was killed in 1298; but it appears that his father-in-law did not die till about 1300. Thus Sir John was not universally styled de Bonkyl by contemporary writers, but in Barbour and other authorities his son Sir Alexander Stewart was so called:
“For off Bonkle the Lord thar was,Alysander Stewart hat he.” –Barbour[17]
Sir Alexander remains a shadowy character in history. His father had been one of the strongest supporters of the exiled King John Balliol against the English and their King, Edward I. Because of his father's long allegiance to King John, Alexander fought under John MacDougall of Lorn against Bruce but was captured by his cousin James Douglas in 1308 and was given a royal pardon. He died circa 1319.
Sir Alexander’s son John was created 1st Earl of Angus in 1329 and was using a seal bearing the bend with 3 buckles, as did his son Thomas, the 2nd Earl.
The seal of Thomas Stewart in 1352
When Thomas died in 1361, he left only two daughters Margaret and Elizabeth. Margaret became the Countess of Angus in her own right, along with the title Countess of Marr as the widow of Thomas, Earl of Mar. Her seal shows the coat of arms of Marr and the coat of arms of Angus (Stewart of Bonkyll).
The seal of Margaret Stewart as Countess of Mar and Angus in 1415
The blazon for “Stewart of Bonkylle” in several sources is:
"or, a fess chequy argent and azure surmounted by a bend gules charged with three buckles or,"
(shield gold, a horizontal band checkered with silver and blue surmounted by a diagonal band red charged with three buckles gold)
From the Lindsay of the Mount Armorial, 1600/1601[18]
The earliest sources that explicitly depict the "Stewart of Bonkyll" arms include The Lindsay Armorial, 1542-1555[19] and The Slains Armorial, dated to 1562-5.[20]
The Bruce Roll of 1332[21] shows these same arms but does not explicitly identify them as “Stewart of Bonkyll,” or Earl of Angus, although the arms are recorded with an elite group of Earls and Lords.
From the Bruce Roll, 1332
Other Derived Arms Used by Descendants
The Stewart of Bonkyll line failed in Margaret, great-granddaughter of the original Sir John. She had a son, George Douglas, who became 1st Douglas Earl of Angus (ca. 1380-1403). Subsequent Earls of Angus used a red bend with gold buckles in their arms, as shown in:
From the Lindsay Armorial c 1542[22]
From the Lutzelbourg Armorial 16th century[23]
From the Scots Roll ca. 1455[24]
From the Slains Armorial ca. 1561-3.[25]
A variant, most probably an artistic mistake, recorded a black bend with three gold buckles from the the Seton Armorial, 1590/1591; and the Armorial of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Secundus), 1600/1601.[26]
In Kings and Nobilities Arms Vol. II (ca. 1638), the Marquis of Douglas still included the “Stewart of Bonkyll” arms, but they are recorded with a black bend and gold buckles.
From Kings and Nobilities Arms Vol. II[27]
Another variant used by the Earls of Angus has a blue bend as shown in the Hamilton Armorial, ca. 1560 and Forman’s Armorial, ca. 1563. The Dunvegan Armorial, ca. 1600 shows the arms of the Earls of Angus but does not indicate tincture.
From the Hamilton Armorial[28]
From the Dunvegan Armorial[29]
From the Forman/Workman Armorial[30]
Another even breaks the heraldic rules by having a white bend with gold buckles on it.
From the Dublin Armorial of Scottish Nobility c 1593[31]
The present-day arms of the city and shire of Angus preserves the red bend of the original “Stewart of Bonkyll” arms.
Arms of the City of Angus with the "Stewart of Bonkyll" arms in the lower left quadrant.[32]
In addition to the Stewarts of Bonkyll and Earls of Angus, the “Stewart of Darnley” descendants of Sir John’s second son, Sir Alan Stewart of Dreghorn, also adopted a variant of his arms. The arms of Sir John’s descendant Sir John Stuart of Darnley in the 14th century Armorial de Gelre are very similar to Sir John’s except that the bend is reduced in width to a cortise.
From the Armorial de Gelre, 14th century[33]
Sir John’s third son, Sir Walter, had a son who was designated “of Dalswinton” and was granted the lands of Garlies in the time of King David II. The “Stewart of Garlies” arms are depicted with a red engrailed bend as shown in the Lindsay Armorial, 1542-1555; Queen Mary’s Roll, ca. 1562, and the Slains Armorial, ca. 1562-5.[34]
From the Lindsay Armorial c. 1542[35]
From the Slains Armorial c. 1562-5
Erroneous Claims about the Arms of Sir John Stewart
Sir Alexander Nisbet, a renowned 17th-18th Century heraldist and antiquarian, seems to have erroneously assumed that Sir John Stewart inherited the lordship and arms of Bonkyll through his wife, Margaret of Bonkyll. In Nisbet's 1722 book "A System of Heraldry", he writes:
Sir JOHN STEWART, second son to Alexander Lord High Stewart of Scotland, and full brother to James Lord High Steward, married Margaret, daughter and heir to Sir Alexander Bunkle of that Ilk, about the year 1294; who, in her right, became possessor of many lands, and especially those of Bunkle in the Merse, after which he was designed Sir John Stewart of Bunkle; as also, he composed his armorial bearings with them, viz. or, a fess cheque, azure and argent, surmounted of a bend sable, charged with three buckles or; for which their issue carried buckles, as the Stewarts Earls of Angus, and now, the Douglases, as descended of them; and others descended of Stewart of Bunkle place the buckles upon their borders: Of which before at the name of Stewart.[36]
The erroneous arms of Sir John Stewart proposed by Sir Alexander Nisbet[37]
However, as has been shown, no contemporary evidence is known to support the claims that Sir John Stewart was styled "of Bonkyll," or that he incorporated the Bonkyll gold buckles into his arms. Additionally, the supposed marriage date of 1294 is much too late, considering that Sir John and Margaret already had 8 children by Sir John's death at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. These errors were subsequently repeated by Sir Robert Douglas in his 1764 “Peerage of Scotland.”
In their 1889 book “The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland” by David MacGibbon and Thomas Ross, incorrectly use the styling “of Bonkyl” for Sir John, and they incorrectly claim that Sir John was also lord of Garlies. They write:
In 1263 the barony was bestowed by King Alexander III on Alexander, the fourth Hereditary High Steward of Scotland. In 1283 it passed to his second son, John, known as “John of Bonkyl,” from his having married Margaret, daughter and heiress of Sir Alexander Bonkyl of Bonkyle, now Buncle, in Berwickshire. With his descendants the barony of Garlies has ever since remained, giving title to the Earl of Galloway’s eldest son.
However, this claim to the barony of Garlies is not corroborated by contemporary medieval sources.
Conclusion
The preceding evidences suggest that:
- Sir John Stewart should not be styled "of Bonkyll," but simply as Sir John. In medieval texts he is referred to as “the brother of the Steward,” and this relationship should be used to differentiate him.
- His arms are the High Steward's arms with a red bend as the mark of difference.
- The "Stewart of Bonkyll" arms likely originated with Sir John's son, Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll.
- The "Stewart of Bonkyll" arms consist of the High Steward's arms with a red bend from Sir John's arms and with three gold buckles from the Bonkyll arms.
The arms of Sir John Stewart (d. 1298)
The arms of Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll (d. 1319)
Glossary of Relevant Heraldic Terms
- Heraldry: The system used to describe and regulate armorial bearings.
- Arms: Armorial bearings, or coat of arms, which display a heraldic achievement.
- Blazon: A description of heraldic bearings using the Norman French heraldic terms.
- Escutcheon: The shield, the primary component of armorial bearings.
- Ordinaries: Geometrical figures that run across the shield:
- Fess: A horizontal band.
- Bend: A diagonal band.
- Cortise: A narrow diagonal band.
- Variations of the Field: A pattern within the field of the arms.
- Chequy: A checkered pattern.
- Charge: An object placed on the arms, such as Buckles.
- Tinctures: Colors used on the arms:
- Or: Gold
- Argent: Silver
- Azure: Blue
- Gules: Red
- Sable: Black
[4] https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/8263/
[5] https://archive.org/details/calendarofdocu03grea/page/130/mode/2up
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armorial_of_the_House_of_Stuart#/media/File:Arms_of_Stewart.svg
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_fitz_Alan#/media/File:Alan_fitz_Walter_(seal_01).png
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_fitz_Walter,_2nd_High_Steward_of_Scotland#/media/File:Alan_fitz_Walter_(seal_01).jpg
[8] “Sir John Stewart.” The Stewarts of Appin, J.H.J and D. Stewart, 1880. P. 46.
[9] Collin’s Roll (Q 401) Society of Antiquaries, MS 664 v.3 f.20.
[10] https://web.archive.org/web/20160629082243/http://www.briantimms.fr/Rolls/collins/collins09.html No. 401
This was previously proposed as Sir John Stewart’s arms by Bruce A. McAndrew in his "The Sigillography of the Ragman Roll," 1999. http://www.clanstrachan.org/history/Ragman_SEALS.pdf
[11] Register of the Great Seal of Scotland Volume 1 (1306 – 1424). Thomson, J. Maitland (John Maitland). (1882 1914). Edinburgh H.M. General Register House 1912. Charter # 39 dated to c 1315 – 1321.
[12] https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/6984/
https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/6983/
[13] https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/6752/
[14] https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/source/10402/
[15] https://www.poms.ac.uk/record/person/7516/
[16] Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland by; Joseph Bain, , 1826-1911, Great Britain. Public Record Office; Great Britain. General Register Office (Scotland) Vol III # 272.
https://archive.org/details/calendarofdocume03edin/page/54/mode/2up/search/bonk Item 272.
[17] https://archive.org/details/stewartsappinby00stewgoog p. 47.
[18] https://archive.org/details/facsimileofancie00lind
[19] The Lindsay Armorial: The Armorial Register of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, Lyon King of Arms from 1542-1555, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. Adv. MS. 31.4.3. https://archive.org/details/facsimileofancie00lind
[20] The Slains Armorial is in private possession. http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/slains.html
[21] The Bruce Roll, College of Arms, RR 25 B of 1332. http://www.heraldry-scotland.co.uk/bruce.html
[22] https://archive.org/details/facsimileofancie00lind
[23]Lutzelbourgh Armorial, Bibliotheque - médiathèque de Nancy B543956101M01727.
[24] The Scots Roll, Wriothesley Heraldic Collections. Vol. Iii. Add MS 45133 : 1460-1564.
[25] The Slains Armorial, in private possession.
[26] The Seton Armorial NLS, 1590/1, Edinburgh Acc 9309 (SN 266) on loan from Sir David Ogilvie.
Armorial of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Secundus), 1600/1. Earl of Crawford &Balcarres’ Library, Location V 6.
[27] Kings and Nobilities Arms Vol. II (ca. 1638), Lyon Office, Edinburgh MS 021.
[28] The Hamilton Armorial (c 1561 - 4) the College of Arms, RR 19 F/B/02.
[29] The Dunvegan Armorial (1582) MacLeod of MacLeod, Dunvegan Castle, Skye.
[30] The Forman/Workman Armorial Lyon Office, Edinburgh Ms 017 or P. The entry remains unfinished; perhaps the artist was unsure of the tincture.
[31] The Dublin Armorial of Scottish Nobility ca. 1593. The Genealogical Office, Dublin GO MS 36.
[32] https://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Angusshire
[33] https://uurl.kbr.be/1733715
http://www.mundusheraldicus.fr/Gelre.php?id=704&aff=10
http://wappenwiki.org/index.php/Gelre_Armorial_Folio_64
[34] Lindsay Armorial: the armorial register of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, Lyon King of Arms from 1542 to 1555 National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh Adv.MS.31.4.3
Queen Mary’s Roll, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh and NLS, Edinburgh Adv Ms 34.4.16 Original lost (ca. 1562); copy made by Sir James Balfour, Lyon (1630 - 54)
The Slains Armorial in private possession (ca. 1562 - 5).
[35] https://archive.org/details/facsimileofancie00lind
[36] https://archive.org/details/systemofheraldry01nisbuoft p. 402
[37] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arms_of_John_Stewart_of_Bonkyll_(d._1298).svg
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