• General Notes

  Sir Adam Morham, Lord of Morham
  
  Sir Adam Morham was the father of Sir Thomas Morham, this fact being proven by the statement of Sir Thomas found in his Neubotle Abbey charter (# 100). Sir Adam Morham was born about 1215-1220, being the younger son of John Malherbe, Lord of Morham, and his spouse Ada.
  
  Adam de Morham begins to be found in a number of charters by the mid 1240's, and was the Lord of Morham before 1246. The earliest of these is a charter to Arbroath Abbey, in which he confirmed an earlier grant of his elder brother John de Morham. The subject of both charters was a memorial made to the Church of Panbride in honor of the memory of King William the Lion. In his charter, Adam de Morham states that he is the brother and heir of John de Morham. His older brother had been married to a daughter of Malcolm Loccard, but appears to have died very young (circa 1240) and sans progeny. Though undated, this Arbroath charter (#25) of Adam de Morham must have been made between 1242 and 1244.
  
  The next charter of Sir Adam Morham is found in the Liber S. Marie de Neubotle, in which he confirms the 1241 grant that his mother Ada de Colville had made of lands in Kinnaird to Neubotle Abbey. Adam's charter was confirmed by King Alexander II in 1246, and was probably written in 1245. In this charter, Adam de Morham was already being stated as the Lord of Morham. He refers to his mother Ada as a noble or high born lady, and that she was a widow at the time she made the original Kinnaird charter. (Ada was twice widowed, her first husband was John Malherbe, the Lord of Morham, and her second husband was William Colville of Kinnaird). Another Neubotle charter of Adam de Morham was also confirmed in 1246. In this charter, Adam gives rights of the Mill of Stenhouse (near Dunipace, Stirlingshire) as a gift to the Abbey. (Dowry is mentioned in this charter, and it seems likely that it was made near the time of Adam's marriage). In addition to his title of "Lord", other documents use the term "militis" in reference to Adam de Morham, confirming the fact that he had also been knighted.
  
  A final Neubotle charter (#89) done circa 1245-50 is of considerable interest. In this confirmaton charter, Adam de Morham is found for the only known time to use the Morham's ancestral family surname of Malherbe. He is styled as "Adam Malherbe, Lord of Morham" in this charter which concerns the land of Bereford as held by his ancestors. This charter has been erroneously dated as much earlier in a few sources. Proof that the Adam "Malherbe" of this charter is indeed Sir Adam de Morham is found in the Neubotle charter #100 of his son Thomas. Thomas Morham clearly indicates that this earlier charter (#89), was done by his father Sir Adam de Morham.
  
  Sir Adam de Morham appears in two Yester charters (#15 & 16) relating to Sir Hugh Giffard "the wizard". In the first of these he appears as a witness to a charter dated July 30, 1250. In a later second charter, Sir Adam de Morham grants lands to Hugh Giffard for the formation of his park beside Yester Castle. Morham lands adjoined the Yester estates, and the land granted in this charter to Hugh Giffard was for an annual fee of five pence! Lord Adam de Morham is also found as a witness to a Coldingham Priory charter of Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, written cica 1250.
  
  In 1249, Adam de Morham was appointed one of twelve Scottish knights who met with twelve English knights forming a commission to swear to the observance of the law of the marches. On Feb. 4, 1257, Adam de Morham and Robert Stuteville, the dean of Dunkeld, are sent as envoys by King Alexander III of Scotland to his father-in-law King Henry III of England. The young King Alexander asks for credence for the bearers of the document which the two envoys are to deliver to King Henry III. The document pertained to the bitter dispute over the regency and guardianship of the King of Scotland. (The details of this dispute among the nobles of Scotland are discussed at greater length in the companion Giffard of Yester web site).
  
  Sir Adam de Morham is found in three charters of Cambuskenneth Abbey. The subject of the charters was his granting of land within and without the town of Dunipace to the church of St. Mary of Cambuskenneth. The second charter was in the form of letters sent by Adam de Morham to the Abbey, which appointed John, the clerk of Sir Hugh Giffard, to be his procurator to deliver and covent the charter in his absence. The three Cambuskenneth charters (# 81-83), have been badly mis-dated in some major sources as being circa 1200. A study of the charter witnesses gives absolute proof the true dates were between 1253 and 1269. In tracing the genealogy of the Morham family, getting the correct dating of charters has proven crucial in being able to place all the individuals into their proper generations. The Cambuskenneth charters provide evidence that Dunipace in Stirlingshire had come into the Morham family holdings during the generation of Adam de Morham and his elder brother John de Morham.
  
  The only known child of Sir Adam de Morham is his son and heir Sir Thomas Morham. The family name of his wife has yet to be discovered, but some evidence found indicates that her christian name was Mariota. The evidence was discovered in a 1375 Yester writ pertaining to earlier Morham lands. The reference said one portion of Morham land in Duncanlaw was "anciently" called the deceased Sir Thomas Morham's land, and then further qualified in the description that he was the son of Mariota. The charter concerned lands inherited from Sir Thomas Morham the "elder", thus providing the clue that Mariota was likely the wife of Adam de Morham and the mother of Thomas. The death date of Sir Adam de Morham remains unknown.
  
  
  
  Adam de Morham's Letter to the Abbot of Cambuskenneth (1253-1269)
  
  OMNIBUS CHRISTI fidelibus hoc scriptum visuris vel audituris, Adam de Morham, miles, salutem in Domino: Noueri univuersitas vestra me constituisse Johannem Clericum domini Hugonis Giffard procuratorem meum ad instituendum et sasinandum plenarie dominum Richardum abbatem de Cambuskynneth, et conuentum eiusdem loci, quas Marinus Forestarius et Patricius Bercarius, et filius eiusdem Patricii et Willelmus de Rowe per rectas diuisas suas, et exteusas infa villam et extra de Dunypais tenuerunt, in puram et perpetuam elemosinam, et ad tradendum dictus abbati et conuentui, nomine meo, cartam meam eisdem super donatione mea de predictis terris confectam sicut prsonaliter interessem; gratum et ratum et firmum habens et semper habiturus quicquid predictus Johannes Clericus inde fecerit: In cuius rei testimonium presenti sigillum scripto meum apposui.
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  Bruce & Barbara Morrison
  
  Lexington, Kentucky
  
  Contact: NUbrubun55 (at) webtv.net
  
  © August, 2004
  
  
  
  Primary Sources:
  
  Registrum S. Marie Cambuskenneth; Declaration of Arbroath; Ragman Rolls, 1296; Liber S. Marie de Neubotle; Calendar of writs preserved at Yester House 1166-1503; Liber S. Thome de Arberbrothoc; Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland; Regesta Regum Scottorum, Vols. I, II, V, & VI; Calendar of the Laing Charters 854-1837; Liber S. Marie de Dryburgh; Liber S. Marie de Melros; Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland; Hand Acts of Alexander II; Hand Acts of Alexander III, the Guardians & John; Deeds relating to East Lothian, Wallace-James; Anglo-Norman Families, Loyd; The Surnames of Scotland, George F. Black.

Details of Adam's family with <Unknown>