ROBERT DE COMINES.

Robert de Cuminis, created earl of Durham in 1069, as Orderic Vital informs us, came from Comines in Flanders. "In the third year of his reign king William gave the county of Durham to Robert de Comines, who soon afterwards entered the city, with great confidence, at the head of five hundred men, but the citizens assaulted early in the night and massacred Robert and all of his troops, except two who escaped by slight. The bravest were unable to defend themselves; taken at a disadvantage, at such an hour, and overwhelmed by numbers." King William in a discourse on his death-bed says "one thousand troops were slain." The ill-fated earl left either sons or kinsmen, as the name long survived in the north of England. Hugh Cumin witnessed the charter of Rievaulx abbey, York, temp. Henry I. Otard Cumin witnessed one in the time of king Stephan. William Comyn became chancellor of Scotland in 1133. John Commin was elected bishop of Dublin in 1181 a and John Cummin witnessed an accord between Henry II and Robert de Torigny, abbe of Mont-St-Michel, on 14 July 1166. William Cumin attested a charter in behalf of the monks at Bordesley at Westminster, c. 1128, and Baldwin de Comines occurs in Normandy in 1197 as witness to an agreement executed by Philip, count of Namur. William Comyn, son of Richard Comyn, judiciary of Scotland, became, c. 1210, earl of Buchan in right of his second wife, Margaret, countess of Buchan, He died in 1233. His descendants were famous in the annals of Scotland; they included the earls Angus, and the Comyns of Badenoch. Hence the earls of Buchan.

--(This name appears on the Falaise Roll).