Red Comyn
Preserved but no longer current.
Sir John Comyn of Badenoch, nephew of John Balliol, king of Scotland, so called from his ruddy complexion and red hair, to distinguish him from his kinsman "Black Comyn," who was swarthy and black- haired. He was stabbed by Robert Bruce (1306) in the church of the Minorites at Dumfries, and afterwards dispatched by Lindesay and Kirkpatrick.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Red Comyn” mean?
Sir John Comyn of Badenoch, nephew of John Balliol, king of Scotland, so called from his ruddy complexion and red hair, to distinguish him from his kinsman "Black Comyn," who was swarthy and black- haired. He was stabbed by Robert Bruce (1306) in the church of the Minorites at Dumfries, and afterwards dispatched by Lindesay and Kirkpatrick.
Is “Red Comyn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.