William de Vaux, of Dirleton^{[1, 2]}

Abt 1321 - 1392  (~ 71 years)

• Name	William de Vaux  [3, 4]
  Suffix	of Dirleton
  Born	Abt 1321	Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland   [4]
  Gender	Male
  Alt. Death	Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland   [3]
  Alt. Death	Dvp - Predeceased His Father   [5]
  Alt. Death	Abt 1392	Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland   [4]
  Name	William de Vallibus
  Name	William de Vaux  [6]
  Name	William or Thomas Vaux or Vallibus  [7]
  Died	1392	Dspm - Died Without Male Issue
  Person ID	I14840	Clan current
  Last Modified	11 Dec 2022

  
  

  Father	William de Vaux, Lord of Dirleton,   b. 1298, Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland ,   d. 1364, Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland  (Age 66 years)
  Mother	Catherine Douglas,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F56561	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Margery,   b. 1304, Lothian, Moray, Scotland ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	+ 1. Agatha de Vaux, heiress of Dirleton,   b. Abt 1325, Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland ,   d. 1355, Dirleton Castle, Dirleton, Haddingtonshire (now East Lothian), Scotland  (Age ~ 30 years) + 2. dau. Vaux,   b. 1380,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	1 Nov 2019
  Family ID	F10054	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  The first stone castle was built by the De-Vauxs after 1240 and was based on Coucy-le-Chateaux in France, north of Paris. Interestingly this design of a large Donjon and lesser D-plan towers was also used in the construction of Bothwellcastle near Glasgow and Kildrummy castle in Grampian. Showing that the Scots were open to new ideas in castle design from Europe. In 1298, Dirleton was besieged by Bishop Beck on behalf of King Edward I of England (Hammer of the Scots). News of William Wallace's defeated at the battle of Falkirk was used to try and force a surrender of the castle but the De-Vauxs continued to resist. More English troops and materials for building siege engines were landed at the coastal fortress of Dunbar castle then transported overland to the siege. With the extra magonels and trebuchets the castle walls were breached and entered by storm. Surprisingly, the De-Vaux were allowed to flee with their lives. By 1311, Dirleton was re-captured by the Scots and in accord with King Robert the Bruce's policy of slighting castles to prevent their use by the English, three of the great towers were thrown down to almost ground level and the upper levels of the remaining towers partly torn away. With the arrival of the Halyburtons, through marriage to the De-Vauxs in the 1350's.Dirleton was greatly rebuilt though not in such a grand scale as the original De-Vaux's plan. A new Halyburton gatehouse with conical roofed bartizans (like the original entrance to Dalhousie castle, near Bonnyrigg) was added to the south facing entrance. The postern east-facing gate was blocked up with a great hall/kitchen and storage vaults built across the stumps of three of the earlier towers. The base of these three towers can still be traced today. Not only did the Halyburtons leave their building work as testimony to their presence in history but they were also involved in many documented battles, events and plots too confusing to explain in any great detail.

  
  

• Sources

  [S474] Colquoun_Cunningham.ged, Jamie Vans. [S124] Burkes Peerage 2000, (Burke's). [S6] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, vans1 (Reliability: 3). [S146] Geni, (http://www.geni.com). [S6] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Vans1 (Reliability: 3). [S6] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Halyburton1 (Reliability: 3). [S6] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, Hepburn1 (Reliability: 3).