Marjorie, Countess of Carrick and mother of Scottish King Robert the Bruce

Robert the Bruce, King Robert I of Scotland, was born on July 11, 1274 at Turnberry Castle into the Scottish nobility. He claimed the Scottish throne in 1306 as the fourth great-grandson of David I of Scotland.  As king he lived to see Scotland as an Independent Nation and reigned as the King of Scots until his death in 1329. Along with William Wallace, Robert the Bruce became a symbol of Scottish resistance to English domination. The forces of Robert the Bruce, who were heavily outnumbered by the English army of King Edward II won a decisive victory at Bannockburn on 24th of June 1314, one of the most important battles in Scottish history. Robert died on 7 June 1329 and his body is buried in Dunfermline Abbey and his heart is buried in Melrose Abbey. 

Through his mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, who lived from about 1245 to 1292, he could claim an ancient Gaelic lineage. She was descended from the Gaelic Earls of Carrick and was the daughter and heiress of Niall, Earl of Carrick and Margaret Stewart. She owned Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland and had the reputation for being strong and determined. It is said that when her first husband, Adam of Kilconquhar, died during the Eighth Crusade in 1271, the handsome Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale, came to the castle to tell her the news. Marjorie was very taken with him, so much so that she held him captive until he agreed to marry her. After their marriage at Turnberry Castle in 1271 he became Earl of Carrick. 

They went on to have twelve children together, two died in childhood. One of the ten who survived included the oldest son, Robert, who went on to become King Robert the Bruce. An older sister, Isabel, married King Eric II and became Queen of Norway. One of his younger brother's, Edward Bruce, was crowned High King of Ireland in 1316, and was killed in battle in 1318. When Marjorie died in 1292,  her husband transferred Carrick (originally part of the Kingdom of Galloway) to their eldest son, Robert.