The Ragman Rolls of Scotland

The Ragman Rolls of Scotland were two documents created in 1296 and 1291 by King Edward I of England, in which prominent Scottish landowners, churchmen, and burgesses swore allegiance to Edward and affixed their seals to the parchments. These documents were created during a time of political turmoil in Scotland, following the death of Queen Margaret in 1290.

After the death of Queen Margaret, there were a number of claimants to the Scottish throne. With several marriage alliances between Scotland and England, the two countries had diplomatic relations. However, it became obvious that Scotland could not make a decision without risking all-out clan wars. In an effort to prevent this, King Edward I of England offered to hear the claims of the claimants and decide who had the most valid claim.

When the Noblemen who were involved met with Edward at Norham on Tweed in 1291, Edward insisted that they sign an oath of allegiance to him. This was partly because he was afraid of making an unpopular choice and causing a riot among the Scots. The document signed by most of the noblemen is called the first and smallest of the Ragman Rolls.

However, the situation in Scotland did not improve with the selection of John Balliol as king. Balliol resisted the demands of Edward and in 1296, the English King overran Berwick-upon-Tweed and defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar. He then marched across Scotland as far as the Moray Firth, capturing castles and removing precious items such as the Stone of Destiny, the Scottish crown, and the Black Rood of St Margaret, as well as huge archives of Scotland’s national records.

On August 28, 1296, Edward again called together the Scots royalty and armies and asked them to swear allegiance to him and to sign another Ragman Roll. This document, known as the second and largest of the Ragman Rolls, was signed by most of the leading Scots of the day, including Robert Bruce, the sixth Lord of Annandale, his son, the 2nd Earl of Carrick, and William Wallace’s uncle Sir Reginald de Crauford. It contained almost 2000 signatures, making it one of the most valuable documents for future researchers.

The name “Ragman Rolls” is thought to have been derived from the ribbons attached to the seals on the parchments. However, it is also believed that the name may have been derived from an earlier record compiled for the purposes of Papal taxation by a man called Ragimunde, whose name was corrupted to Ragman. The name “ragman roll” survives in the colloquial “rigmarole,” a rambling, incoherent statement.

The Ragman Rolls were a significant historical document as they recorded the oaths of allegiance to King Edward I by the Scottish nobility, and they also recorded the submission of Scotland to English rule. They were also important in that they provided a record of the Scottish nobility at the time, and they have been used by genealogists and historians to trace the lineage of many Scottish families.

However, the Ragman Rolls also served as a reminder of the brutal subjugation of Scotland by England, and they were seen as a symbol of English oppression by the Scottish people. This led to a great deal of resentment towards the English, and it was one of the factors that contributed to the rise of Scottish nationalism sentiment in the centuries that followed.