He is the first of his name to have borne the title of
Earl of Menteith in his own right. He was the only son of Sir Patrick Graham of
Kincardine. Patrick was the younger brother of
Sir Robert Graham; both of them being sons of Sir Patrick Graham, ancestor of the
Earls and Dukes of Montrose. They are believed to have been direct descendants of
John de Menteith, laird of
Ruskie, younger son of
Mary I, Countess of Menteith and her husband,
Walter "Bailloch" Stewart. Sir John Menteith had become infamous for handing over Sir
William Wallace to the English during the
Wars of Scottish Independence after he was betrayed by his servant
Jack Short. The younger Sir Patrick Graham married
Euphemia Stewart, Countess Palatine of Strathearn, and became in her right
Earl of Strathearn. Their son Malise, whose name was an
anglicisation of the
Gaelic name
Maol Íosa, was born about 1407, or perhaps later. It is through his mother that he descends from Robert II. During the earlier years of his life he bore the title
Earl of Strathearn, and as such was proposed as a hostage for King
James I; he was named among those who welcomed King James at
Durham in March 1424. The King, however, took advantage of the Earl's minority, and deprived him of the earldom of Strathearn, making him Earl of
Menteith instead. The charter of the new earldom was dated 6 September 1427. His reduction of land from all of Strathearn to just Menteith was likely an indirect result of the death of
Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany who was said to have died in Stirling Castle in 1420. The lands named in the grant to be part of the reshaped earldom, many of which can still be identified, indicate that he received the newly constituted earldom comprehended the whole of
Aberfoyle parish and a portion of that of
Port of Menteith. But this was only the smaller half of the original earldom, the remainder being annexed to the Crown. Two months after receiving the charter, in November 1427, Earl Malise entered
England as a
hostage for King James I, and was confined in the castle of
Pontefract, where he was not released until 17 June 1453. During this period, in April 1440, he was assessed for taxation under the alien subsidies.
James, Lord Hamilton, who had married the Earl's sister, Euphemia Graham, widow of
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas, was the chief agent in obtaining the release, and received a grant on 17 December 1453 of the lands in the lordship of Kinpont,
West Lothian. The Earl in the charter styles himself Earl of Menteith and Lord of Kinpont, the latter being a very early possession of the Graham family, which had descended to him through his father.
Scottish Parliament The Earl appears on various occasions in his place in
Parliament, but little is known of his history except that he appears to have become involved in debt. He is said to have been present at the
Battle of Sauchieburn on 11 June 1488, and to have fought for the King; but this is doubtful, as he must then have been above eighty years of age. In the retour of his grandson to the estates on 6 May 1493, Earl Malise is said to have died at the peace of King
James IV of Scotland. The exact date of his death is not known, but he was dead before 19 May 1490, perhaps not very long before that date, when a gift was made to John Home of Earlston of the ward of the lands of
Gilmerton, held of Malise, Earl of Menteith, and then in the King's hands by his decease.
Personal The Earl was at least twice married. His first wife is said to have been Janet de Rochford. On 19 April 1471 Janet, Countess of Malise, Earl of Menteith, is held to be entitled to her
terce from Kinpont, belonging to her son Patrick. She probably died not long afterwards, but this is uncertain. In 1490 the Countess of Menteith was named Marion, and she survived her husband, marrying John Drummond before 17 May 1491. She was still alive in 1530, dying between 28 April and 23 August in that year. The Earl had a great many children, but was succeeded by his grandson,
Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith. ==Citations==