Cumin seeds
(In Scotland)
The first member of the Comyn family to really make an impact in Scotland was William Cumin, a clerk in the chancery of Henry I of England.
(Note: the surname was spelled 'Cumin' in the 12th century, 'Comyn' in the 13th).
William first appears in about 1121 among a list of witnesses to a gift by Ranulf, Chancellor of England. He was a protégé and pupil of Geoffrey Rufus, chaplain to Ranulf, who became chancellor in 1123.
His origins are obscure. The condiment cumin, a plant of the parsley family cultivated in the Levant for its aromatic seed, was much in use when William makes his first appearance. Perhaps the family originated as spice merchants, and derived their name from the condiment. Total speculation.
The Cumins may have come from Normandy. A Bernard Comin and his family held land near Rouen in 1175, while a Richard Commin served as archdeacon of Evreux in the 1160s, and a Nicholas Comin was a canon of Coutances in 1185. Other than the coincidence of naming, there is no proven link between any of these men and William Cumin.
Wherever they came from, the Cumins were not a noble family with vast lands in Normandy. This makes them distinct from the Bruces, Morevilles and other members of the Norman aristocracy who settled in Scotland.
Although he did well in England, William sought to establish his family north of the border. By 1136 he was chancellor of Scotland. Two of his nephews, William and Osbert, were installed as knights at the court of David I by 1140.
William was now very much David's man. In 1138 he fought in the Scottish army at the Battle of the Standard near Northallerton, where he was captured. Thanks to the papal legate, Alberic, William was set free in September and returned to Scotland.
Despite his defeat, David was able to exploit King Stephen's weakness in England and secure the earldom of Northumberland, via the Second Treaty of Durham in 1139. This handed William the opportunity to try and gain the bishopric of Durham.
It is fair to say that William's efforts proved, um, controversial. We shall look at that next.
