Ada de Warenne - Marriage and Motherhood

Marriage and Motherhood

Ada and Henry were married in England in 1139. They had seven children:

• Malcolm IV, King of Scots.
• William the Lion, King of Scots
• Margaret of Huntingdon married 1) Conan IV, Duke of Brittany and 2) Humphrey III de Bohun.
• David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon married Mathilda (Maud) of Chester. Through their daughter, Isobel, they were the direct ancestors of the renowned Scottish King, Robert the Bruce.
• Matilda of Huntingdon, born and died 1152.
• Marjorie of Huntingdon, married Gille Críst, Earl of Angus.
• Ada of Huntingdon, married Count Floris III of Holland.

As part of her marriage settlement, the new Countess Ada was granted the privileges of Haddington, amongst others in East Lothian. Previously the seat of a thanage Haddington is said to be the first Royal burgh in Scotland, created by Countess Ada's father-in-law, David I of Scotland, who held it along with the church and a mill.

In close succession both her husband and King David died, in 1152 and 1153 respectively. Following the death of Henry, who was buried at Kelso Abbey, King David arranged for his grandson to succeed him, and at Scone on 27 May 1153, the twelve-year-old was declared Malcolm IV, King of Scots. Following his coronation, Malcolm installed his brother William as Earl of Northumbria (although this county was "restored" to King Henry II of England by Malcolm in 1157), and the young dowager-Countess retired to her lands at Haddington.

On Thursday 9 December 1165 King Malcolm died at the age of 25 without issue. His mother had at that time been attempting to arrange a marriage between him and Constance, daughter of Conan III, Duke of Brittany, but Malcolm died before the wedding could be celebrated. One of Ada's daughters, Margaret, was married twice:

• (1) 1160, Conan IV, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond (d.1171)
• (2) Humphrey III de Bohun of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, Hereditary Constable of England.

Following his brother's death Ada's younger son William became King of Scots at the age of twenty two. William the Lion was to become the longest serving King of Scots until the Union of the Crowns in 1603.