Genealogical account of the family of Edmonstone of Duntreath

24 GENEALOGICAL ACCOUNT OF
The next authentic notice of Sir John Edmonstone probably refers
to the second of the name. Like his father, he seems to have been much
employed, for in 1404 (temp. Robert III.) he was appointed one of the
Commissioners, together with Matthew Glendinning, Bishop of Glasgow,
Sir James Douglas of Dalkeith, and others, for negotiating a truce with
England for a year, during which a congress was to be held in order to
bring about a peace. For this they received full powers, dated ' Linlithgow,
24th August, 1 5 year of our reign.' x It seems probable that the secret nego-
tiation 2 Tytler speaks of, for surrendering the Earl of Northumberland and
the Lord Bardolph, who had taken refuge in Scotland after the battle of
Shrewsbury, in return for Murdoch (Shakespeare's Mordake, Henry IV.),
Albany's eldest son, and the Earl of Douglas, who had been taken
first at Homeldon and afterwards at Shrewsbury, was committed to the
above persons. On the death of Robert the Third, 1408, when the Regent
Albany wanted to establish his power by permanent peace with England,
he sent as Commissioners, John Montgomery of Ardrossan, John Douglas,
the Earl's brother, and John Edmonstoune, knight, who succeeded in
negotiating the Earl of Douglas's release on the payment of a thousand
merks ransom, and leaving a sufficient number of hostages, and the follow-
ing year we find a passport for William Hay, hereditary Sheriff of Peebles
(Vicecomes), John Edmonstone, and William Borthwick of Ledgewood,
knights, invested with powers for settling a peace, or at least a truce, between
England and Scotland, dated Westminster, 27th April 1409. The restora-
tion of the Earl of Douglas seems now to have been finally arranged, but
matters still remained in a very unsettled state between the two countries. 3
Previous to these transactions, we find Sir John Edmonstone's name as one
of the cautioners to Haco V., King of Norway, for Henry Sinclair, who had
been appointed by that King Earl of Orkney and Shetland, having been so
nominated likewise by the King of Scotland, for maintaining order and
keeping down piracy in the islands. This was in 1379.
This gentleman 4 had the honour of contracting a Royal alliance, for
1 Rymer's Federa. Abercromby, Martial Lond., and Tytler's History of Scotland, vol. iii.
Achievements, vol. ii. page 222. page 1 69.
2 Tytler, History of Scotland, vol. iii., p. 153. * Abercromby, Martial Achievements, vol.
3 Rymer's Federa et Rotuli Seotie, in Tur. ii. page 400.