| Spouses and relationship events |
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| Married:2 | | Beatrice Lindsay (-before 1352) | |
| Married:3 | after 1350 | Christian Menteith (-around 1387) | |
| The circumstances of the marriage are briefly recounted in a dispensation for their marriage dated 6 March 1355. In some private quarrel, then so prevalent in Scotland, Sir Robert had wounded and imprisoned Walter Menteith and his brother, cousins of Christian, while some of their party were slain. To appease the feud thus engendered, a marriage was, with King David's consent, arranged between Sir Robert and Christian, for which they asked a dispensation from Rome, as she and Beatrix Lindsay were related in the fourth degree. The dispensation was applied for in the time of Pope Clement VI, who died (6 December 1352) before issuing it, and they were deceived by the clerk who was intrusted with the application, and who wrote that he had finished his business. The parties taking this to mean the dispensation was obtained, married, and had issue, but discovering their error, they renewed their petition, which was now granted, the marriage being declared valid and the children legitimate. It would thus appear that Sir Robert had issue by his second wife, but they apparently did not survive, as she is usually said to have had no issue by him. |
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| He was one of the most prominent members of his family, held a high position in public affairs, and added largely to the family possessions. He does not appear on record until about 1343, when he is a witness to a charter by Sir John Maxwell of Pencaitland to the monks of Dryburgh. He had then attained the honour of knighthood. After the battle of Neville's Cross in 1346 he appears to have acted as High Chamberlain of Scotland, though he is not definitely so named until 1350. He held the office continuously until 1357, and again some years later, from April 1363 to 11 December 1364. He was very active in promoting the release of King David II, and his son and heir was one of the hostages for that King in 1354. Later, in 1357, he was one of the Scottish Plenipotentiaries sent to treat with England as to the King's ransom, and he also ratified the final treaty for his release, his son again being a hostage. Two years later he applied to the Papal See for a dispensation and release from a vow he had made to bear arms against the Saracens in the Holy Land, and to visit Mount Sinai (St. Catherine's convent), pleading that on account of the King's business and the frequent wars he was unable to go. The reply, on 11 August 1359, was that if a date for his going was fixed, it might be postponed for a year. But there is no evidence that he ever left Scotland on such an errand, though he was employed on not a few embassies, chiefly to England, but also to the French and Papal Courts. On one such occasion, when in England in 1363, he received the gift of a gold or gilt cup valued at £9, 18s. 6d. He was again a special ambassador there in 1369.8 |
| He received various grants of estates. From Robert, High Steward of Scotland, he had a charter of lands in the holding of Erskine, not dated, but confirmed by King David II on the last day of February 1351-52. In 1358 he had a charter from Thomas, Earl of Mar, of the lands of Garioch. In 1359 King David restored to Sir John Menteith the barony of Strathgartney, and Sir John must have granted it to Sir Robert, now his brother-in-law, but the King, about 1366, transferred it to John Logie, the son of his second Queen, Margaret Drummond or Logie. In 1368 Sir Robert received a special charter conferring on him and his wife the lands of Alloa under peculiar circumstances. In 1367, by an Act of Parliament all Crown lands held or rented by subjects were revoked to the King's hands to augment his revenue and aid in paying off his ransom. Sir Robert Erskine then held lands called the Park of Clackmannan, the Forest of Clackmannan, the ' Pool ' arid town of Alloa and others, which fell under the scope of the Act. But on 22 June 1368 King David regranted these lands of Alloa and Galbardstoun, Isle of Clackmannan, on the west side of the Water of Little Dovan, in exchange and recompence for the lands of Strathgartney ; and he granted the New Park near Stirling, and the land called Breuhalgh (Brewhaugh), in the Forest of Clackmannan, in exchange for the Old Park near Stirling, adding to the grant, in consideration of Sir Robert's services, the lands of Ferrytoun, the meadow of Clackmannan, and a portion of the royal park on the east side of the water of Little Dovan. These lands, including the ' Pule ' or ' Pow,' the port of Alloa, have ever since been in the possession of Sir Robert's descendants.9 |
| Sir Robert was an active partisan of the High Steward in his claim to the throne on the death of King David II in February 1370-71, and is said to have materially contributed to a peaceful solution by restraining his stepson William, Earl of Douglas, who pretended also to the vacant throne. But the reasons of this episode or the ground of Douglas's claim have never been stated, and remain still an historical mystery. Sir Robert did homage at the coronation of the new King in 1371, and was also present when, in 1373, the succession to the Crown was secured to the Stewart family. His loyal services were acknowledged, and perhaps stimulated, by an important bond of Robert, Earl of Fife, with consent of his brother John (afterwards King Robert III), binding the Earl to be a faithful friend to Sir Robert and his family, a bond sworn on the gospels and sealed by both brothers at Perth on 7 February 1372-73. In 1373 also he exchanged for an annualrent of 100 yearly the lands of Ednam, of which, with the lands of Nisbet, he had some years before received a charter from King Robert, then Steward of Scotland, but he now resigned Ednam in the King's hands, retaining Nisbet, which remained in the family for some time longer. The 100 was made good to him from the custom duties of Aberdeen, while he also received a payment of 500 merks as compensation for giving up the keepership of Stirling Castle. Sir Robert had other lands, notably the barony of Kinnoull, the patronage of the church of which he granted in January 1361-62 to the Abbey of Carabuskenneth. He had also the Malers east and west and Kintulach in Perthshire, the latter of which he also bestowed, in September 1361, on the same abbey.10 |
| Sir Robert was a frequent attender of Parliament and Council up to 1384, and he died between Whitsunday and Martinmas 1385.11 |
| certainly | The information is supported by primary sources. |
| probably | The information is supported by secondary sources which is most likely based on primary sources. |
| possibly | It is unclear if the secondary source cited is based on primary sources, or the information is an assumption well supported by other evidence. |
| likely | The information is only found in secondary sources with questioned quality, or there is a reason to suspect the information is wrong. Or the information is a likely assumption based on other evidence. |
| apparently | The information is doubtful and poorly documented, but still most likely correct. |
| perhaps | The information might be correct or it might be wrong. It is not supported by any trustworthy sources. It might me an assumption. |
| disproved | The information is proven to be wrong. |