Association with Scotland In the mid 12th century a Thomas de Londoniis settled in Scotland. His ancestor was believed to be William de Londres the 1st lord of Kidwelly. It is most likely, by examination of dates, that Thomas was the son of William de Londres. He could have been no less than his grandson. Thomas was married to Escheyne, daughter of Uchtred de Molle, who was in turn the son of Liulf de Molle. Note that there are some claims that Uchtred is descended from Crinan, the father of the ill-fated Duncan King of Scotland who was murdered by Macbeth. Thomas de Londoniis and Escheyne de Molle were known to have had three children, Malcolm de Lundin, Phillip de Lundin and Escheyne de Molle. In 1160, King Malcolm IV of Scotland granted the barony of Lundie in Forfar to Malcolm de Lundin. This barony contains the fore mentioned Lundie Hill. He granted the barony of Lundin in the parish of Largo in Fife to Malcolm’s brother Philip. Escheyne de Molle was certainly married twice; firstly, to Robert de Croc; secondly to Walter Fitz Alan, the first hereditary high steward of Scotland. The following lines were written by the historian, George Macaulay Trevelyan (1876-1962), about Walter Fitz Alan and Eschyna de Molle. And Walter, in the silence of the centuries, stands unconsciously between, singing his Te Deum for the yet ungathered greatness of his race; in the lofty, fair Abbey, raising his instinctive thanks to God through the psalms of the Benedictine monks. A clear, distinct figure, standing out in high relief; silent, too, as a sculptured form, but full of brave beauty and repose. "Eschine de Londonia, lady of Molla," becomes the wife of the Steward. That she was beautiful and worthy of her lord, we are entitled to believe. One of the privileges of fiction which history has a right to claim is this faith in the beauty, grace and virtue of all those who have come down to us from remote traditionary times without contrary imputations. Particulars having been denied us, we philosophically generalise, and accept the individual for the type. The woman, veiled in the obscurity of eight centuries, becomes the ideal lady. Norman, by no means, she; ~ Scoto-Saxon, with eyes softly blue; some Celtic fervour and devotion spiritualising her face; her aspect generous, and features pearly fair, with the rosy flush of Northern breezes, like a soft dawn, lighting them into the purest human sweetness; reasonable and benign; no fickle impulses, no exacting egotism, no self-worship; a woman of household pleasures ~ to be loved by her husband with a constant love, to be tenderly revered by his vassals. Her brown lashes droop not coyly: they are lifted with modest, serene trust in herself and in her world. Her thoughts keep company with her. Such must Eschine de Londonia be. Here is the De molle line which is closely associated with Lundie as in our Robert Lundie who married the Elizabeth Sibbald and obtained Balgonie Castle.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 18:03:35 +0000
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