Frasers of Philorth > Volume 2

26 THE ABERNETHIES OF ABERNETHY AND OF SALTOUN,
another embassy to the King of France, 1 and for his good services he
received a grant of the manor of Wylughton (Wyleighton), with its castle,
from King Edward, 2 but before the end of the year a Papal Bull, 3 command-
ing the King to restore all the former Templars' lands to the Hospitallers,
obliged him to give up the manor, which had belonged to that order, but he
doubtless obtained compensation for the loss of it.
At this period he was certainly not idle, for he and Henry de Belmont
went on a second mission to the King of France in 1313 ; 4 and in the same
year he was again sent to Pope Clement v., 5 to whom his credentials
authorised him verbally to explain certain matters, which he appears to have
accomplished successfully, for in the succeeding year the King wrote a letter
of thanks to the Pope respecting the affairs treated of in that embassy.
There is no record of the death of Sir Alexander de Abernethy; the
latest mention of him is found in 1315, when he witnessed a charter granted
by the Countess of Athol, 6 if indeed it were he, and not another of the name,
for the charter is dated at Arbroath, and a forfeited rebel could scarce have
got a safe-conduct, but he probably did not long survive that year, dying
while still a comparatively young man, for it is not likely that so active a
career as his would have suddenly ceased from any other cause.
The name of his wife is not known, and he left no male issue ; but
although, as already stated, Ms lands in Scotland had been forfeited, and
were granted to Eobert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, 7 the King's natural son, after
the death of that Eobert at the battle of Dupplin, the three daughters of Sir
Alexander, who married Scotchmen, seem to have regained the greater part,
if not the whole, of his estates, which were divided among them. 8
These three daughters were —
Margaret, for whose marriage with Boger de Mobray, as conducive to
concord between England and Scotland, a Papal dispensation was requested
1 Rymer's Fosdera, vol. iii. p. 39-4. 7 Robertson's Index, p. 15, No. 3.
2 Ibid. p. 404. 8 This fact, in conjunction with the charter
3 Ibid. p. 456. of 1315 being dated at Arbroath, might infer
4 Ibid. p. 408. the possibility of Sir Alexander de Abernethy
5 Ibid. p. 436. having made his peace with King Robert, and
G Antiquities of Aberdeenshire, vol. ii. p. returned to Scotland, but there is no record
313. of his having done so.