Frasers of Philorth > Volume 2

108 APPENDIX OF CADET FAMILIES.
of which he produced the confirmation by that King ; but the Magnates, in
Parliament assembled, declared that the whole earldom of Fife had fallen
into the guardianship of Alexander III. at the death of Malcolm the Earl, on
account of the minority of his son Colban, and that the same King had it
in ward during the minority of Duncan, Colban's son ; and that Duncan
having died in 1288 seized of the earldom, it was at the time of their decision
in the guardianship of King John Baliol, on account of the infancy of Duncan,
the then Earl.
They, therefore, again deprived Macduff of the estates, and sentenced him
to imprisonment for infringing the royal prerogative, but reserved power to
him to bring an action for their recovery against the young Earl, when he
should be of age, or against any of his descendants. 1
In accordance with the harsh measures of that age, these lands were
immediately seized, and Sir Andrew Eraser, with a party of his followers,
acting doubtless under the royal authority, plundered the house and estate
of Eareys of money, jewels, arms, cattle, and other moveables to the value
of two hundred marks, — no inconsiderable sum in those days.
Macduff's imprisonment, if he ever underwent it, and did not make his
escape, could have been of no long duration ; and having already experienced
the benefit of appealing to Edward I., he resolved upon a renewal of that
measure, and again applied to him, which produced an order from Edward to
Baliol to attend him, wherever he might be in England, on the morrow after
Trinity Sunday, to answer the complaint of Macduff. 2
Baliol not having obeyed this order, a second was sent to him, command-
ing him to appear in Edward's presence on the 14th of October; 3 and that
also being disregarded, a third, dated November 22, 1293, summoned him to
attend on the morning after Trinity Sunday 1294, and it is in this last
mandate that the plundering of the house of Bareys by Sir Andrew Fraser is
mentioned. 4
The third order to King John Baliol had been preceded by one from
Edward to the Bishop of St. Andrews, desiring him to deliver over the
1 Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. i. p. 89.
2 Rotuli Scotia?, vol. i. p. IS.
3 Hailes' Annals. 4 Rotuli Scotire, vol. i. p. 20.