Carruthers: List of the 17 'Unruly Clans' of the Scottish Border
Although their were other Riding Families in the border lands of Scotland, only 17 were ever named a Clan.
In 1587 the Parliament of Scotland passed a statute: "For the quieting and keping in obiedince of the disorderit subjectis inhabitantis of the borders hielands and Ilis." Attached to the statute was a Roll of surnames from both the Borders and Highlands.
The Borders portion listed 17 'clannis' with a Chief and their associated Marches: During the time of the Border Reivers, from the 13c -17c, the Anglo-Scottish border was split into three Marches: the East, the Middle and the West. The Western Marche was deemed to be the most dangerous, unpredictable and violent place to live.
Carruthers as a Clan, albeit smaller in numbers than the Armstrongs, Johnstons, Douglas's or Maxwell's, were large compared to their other neighbours, being able to put 300-400 highly trained light cavalry on the field when necessary. They therefore played their part in the mayhem that were the lives of a Reiver family as well as in the wars and battles that came to the Anglo-Scottish border. So much so, out of all the Clans living on the Scottish side of the border, Carruthers was one of those named in the listing of the unruly Border 'Clannis' mentioned.
The list of the 17 are :
Middle March - Armstrong, Elliott, Nixon and Crozier
West March - Scott, Beattie(son), Little, Thomson, Glendenning, Irvine, Bell, Carruthers, Graham, Johnstone, Jardine, Moffat and Latimer.
Below is some information on those clans and families listed as unruly in the 1587 Act with whom we shared our lands and our lives.
The tartans have been sourced, where possible from the Scottish Tartan Register: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/
The crests have been taken from an excellent site on all things clan related - ScotWeb: https://www.scotweb.co.uk/
In 1587 the Parliament of Scotland passed a statute: "For the quieting and keping in obiedince of the disorderit subjectis inhabitantis of the borders hielands and Ilis." Attached to the statute was a Roll of surnames from both the Borders and Highlands.
The Borders portion listed 17 'clannis' with a Chief and their associated Marches: During the time of the Border Reivers, from the 13c -17c, the Anglo-Scottish border was split into three Marches: the East, the Middle and the West. The Western Marche was deemed to be the most dangerous, unpredictable and violent place to live.
Carruthers as a Clan, albeit smaller in numbers than the Armstrongs, Johnstons, Douglas's or Maxwell's, were large compared to their other neighbours, being able to put 300-400 highly trained light cavalry on the field when necessary. They therefore played their part in the mayhem that were the lives of a Reiver family as well as in the wars and battles that came to the Anglo-Scottish border. So much so, out of all the Clans living on the Scottish side of the border, Carruthers was one of those named in the listing of the unruly Border 'Clannis' mentioned.
The list of the 17 are :
Middle March - Armstrong, Elliott, Nixon and Crozier
West March - Scott, Beattie(son), Little, Thomson, Glendenning, Irvine, Bell, Carruthers, Graham, Johnstone, Jardine, Moffat and Latimer.
Below is some information on those clans and families listed as unruly in the 1587 Act with whom we shared our lands and our lives.
The tartans have been sourced, where possible from the Scottish Tartan Register: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/
The crests have been taken from an excellent site on all things clan related - ScotWeb: https://www.scotweb.co.uk/
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The term Armigerous has been used to define a 'Clan' without a chief and although not an entity in Scottish law, the term is now in common usage since the publication of Way and Squires Encyclopedia. I have therefore used the same but it is important to recognise that, although the 'Clans' may see themselves as such, a Clan is a legal entity in Scotland and can only be recognised as such if a Clan Chief (of that name) has been recognised by the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. The fact that many of the 'Clans' below have no Chief, they are recognised in name only.
Irvine was the last 'armigerous' clan to have a clan chief recognised by the Lyon and as such is a legal entity in Scottish law, paving the way for others to follow if they so choose.
Once a Clan you can no longer claim to be sept of any other family or clan, Carruthers is a Clan in their own right.
Irvine was the last 'armigerous' clan to have a clan chief recognised by the Lyon and as such is a legal entity in Scottish law, paving the way for others to follow if they so choose.
Once a Clan you can no longer claim to be sept of any other family or clan, Carruthers is a Clan in their own right.
The 17 'Unruly Clans' named in the 1587 Act of the Scottish Parliament
(accepting tartans for lowland clan and families are a relatively new concept, these are the tartans registered to the names)
(accepting tartans for lowland clan and families are a relatively new concept, these are the tartans registered to the names)
Clan: Armstrong
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Mangerton) Argent, three pallets Azure.
Crest: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.
Motto: Invictus Maneo (I remain unvanquished)
District: Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Mangerton
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Armstrong
The Armstrong name has a mythological origin, in that it is said their heroic progenitor, Fairbairn, saved his king of Scotland in battle, and not from a wild beast as is the case with another Border clan - the Turnbulls. It is said that, dressed in full armour, he lifted the king onto his own horse with one arm after the King’s horse had been killed under him in battle. The family crest, an arm clinched, records this act of heroism that was said to have been rewarded with a grant of lands in the Borders region and the famous Armstrong name.
The first specific reference locating them in Liddesdale, which would become their family seat, is in 1376. Liddesdale was also the seat of their unquestioned power in the region that allowed them to expand into Annandale and Eskdale to accommodate their growing population. It is reputed that by 1528 they were able to put 3000 horsemen in the field.
The Armstrongs’ relationship with subsequent Scottish kings was turbulent to say the least. The most notorious event in this uneasy relationship occurred in 1530. John Armstrong, known in history as ‘Gilnockie’, was persuaded to attend a meeting at Carlingrigg with King James V who, unknown to Gilnockie, had the malicious intent to silence the rebellious Borderers. The ruse succeeded as Gilnockie and fifty followers were captured.
The Royal order to hang them was issued and despite several pleas for the King to be lenient in exchange for obedience, it was carried out. Defiant to the last, Gilnockie said these words directly to King James V:
“I am but a fool to seek grace at a graceless face, but had I known you would have taken me this day, I would have lived in the Borders despite King Harry and you both.” His defiance is commemorated and echoed in the soulful popular Border ballad, “Johnie Armstrong“:
“Farewell! my bonny Gilnock Hall
Where on Esk side thou standest stout !
Gif I had lived but seven yeirs mair
I wad a gilt thee round about
John Murdered was at Carlinrigg
And all his gallant companie;
But Scotland’s heart was ne’er sae wae
To see sae mony brave men die.” ( Scotweb)
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Mangerton) Argent, three pallets Azure.
Crest: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.
Motto: Invictus Maneo (I remain unvanquished)
District: Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Mangerton
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Armstrong
The Armstrong name has a mythological origin, in that it is said their heroic progenitor, Fairbairn, saved his king of Scotland in battle, and not from a wild beast as is the case with another Border clan - the Turnbulls. It is said that, dressed in full armour, he lifted the king onto his own horse with one arm after the King’s horse had been killed under him in battle. The family crest, an arm clinched, records this act of heroism that was said to have been rewarded with a grant of lands in the Borders region and the famous Armstrong name.
The first specific reference locating them in Liddesdale, which would become their family seat, is in 1376. Liddesdale was also the seat of their unquestioned power in the region that allowed them to expand into Annandale and Eskdale to accommodate their growing population. It is reputed that by 1528 they were able to put 3000 horsemen in the field.
The Armstrongs’ relationship with subsequent Scottish kings was turbulent to say the least. The most notorious event in this uneasy relationship occurred in 1530. John Armstrong, known in history as ‘Gilnockie’, was persuaded to attend a meeting at Carlingrigg with King James V who, unknown to Gilnockie, had the malicious intent to silence the rebellious Borderers. The ruse succeeded as Gilnockie and fifty followers were captured.
The Royal order to hang them was issued and despite several pleas for the King to be lenient in exchange for obedience, it was carried out. Defiant to the last, Gilnockie said these words directly to King James V:
“I am but a fool to seek grace at a graceless face, but had I known you would have taken me this day, I would have lived in the Borders despite King Harry and you both.” His defiance is commemorated and echoed in the soulful popular Border ballad, “Johnie Armstrong“:
“Farewell! my bonny Gilnock Hall
Where on Esk side thou standest stout !
Gif I had lived but seven yeirs mair
I wad a gilt thee round about
John Murdered was at Carlinrigg
And all his gallant companie;
But Scotland’s heart was ne’er sae wae
To see sae mony brave men die.” ( Scotweb)
Clan: Beattie(sons)
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a chevron gules between three mullets azure pierced of the field,
in chief a crescent moon of the third
Crest: a batwing proper
Motto: Lumen Coleste Sequamur (Let us Follow the Light of Heaven)
Sept of: McBain
District: Langholm
Tartan: Beatty
The evidence points clearly that they were derivatives of Clan Beattie, Sept of McBain. It has also been suggested that it is a a shortened and changed version of McBeth although this has been debunked many times.
Beattie is a surname, meaning "one who held land on condition of supplying food to those billeted on him by the chief"; "public victualler”, originating in the Scottish Borders.
Beat’a is apparently the original name. The family were reivers and it is believed that their name Beat’a was derived from the family tradition that was shouted at everyone that translates as “Let’s beat everyone in our path.” Actually, it is more logical that the clan cry was the family name.
Beatties are definitely lowlanders, not highlanders. However, given the activities of reivers, it is not surprising to find some Beattie families in areas outside of border country after the expulsion of the clans. Beattie may indeed be derived from Bate which in turn is a derivation of Bartholomew.
Ancestors of the Border Beatties were Saxon refuges from the Norman Conquest. They escaped from London or Northumberland in the eleventh century.
In 1070 Princess Margaret of the English House of Alfred and her Saxon followers fled England from the onslaught of the Norman Conquest. Their ships were driven north to Scotland and the Firth of Forth. She was taken to the court of Malcolm III, King of Scotland in Dunfermline. Margaret married Malcolm and her followers setttled in the Dumfriesshire area.
Others believe that Arkil of Northumberland who moved across the border in 1066 to escape the Normans was the founder of the some of Bartholomew, Battisouns and Beatties of the Dumfriesshire area. Whichever story you believe, the Saxon origin is clear.
The town of Langholm in Dumfriesshire is where "the Beattie are of the Borders is centered...Being seventeen miles north of Hadrian's Wall and only eight miles from the present day England - Scotland border, it has seen a great deal of varied history.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a chevron gules between three mullets azure pierced of the field,
in chief a crescent moon of the third
Crest: a batwing proper
Motto: Lumen Coleste Sequamur (Let us Follow the Light of Heaven)
Sept of: McBain
District: Langholm
Tartan: Beatty
The evidence points clearly that they were derivatives of Clan Beattie, Sept of McBain. It has also been suggested that it is a a shortened and changed version of McBeth although this has been debunked many times.
Beattie is a surname, meaning "one who held land on condition of supplying food to those billeted on him by the chief"; "public victualler”, originating in the Scottish Borders.
Beat’a is apparently the original name. The family were reivers and it is believed that their name Beat’a was derived from the family tradition that was shouted at everyone that translates as “Let’s beat everyone in our path.” Actually, it is more logical that the clan cry was the family name.
Beatties are definitely lowlanders, not highlanders. However, given the activities of reivers, it is not surprising to find some Beattie families in areas outside of border country after the expulsion of the clans. Beattie may indeed be derived from Bate which in turn is a derivation of Bartholomew.
Ancestors of the Border Beatties were Saxon refuges from the Norman Conquest. They escaped from London or Northumberland in the eleventh century.
In 1070 Princess Margaret of the English House of Alfred and her Saxon followers fled England from the onslaught of the Norman Conquest. Their ships were driven north to Scotland and the Firth of Forth. She was taken to the court of Malcolm III, King of Scotland in Dunfermline. Margaret married Malcolm and her followers setttled in the Dumfriesshire area.
Others believe that Arkil of Northumberland who moved across the border in 1066 to escape the Normans was the founder of the some of Bartholomew, Battisouns and Beatties of the Dumfriesshire area. Whichever story you believe, the Saxon origin is clear.
The town of Langholm in Dumfriesshire is where "the Beattie are of the Borders is centered...Being seventeen miles north of Hadrian's Wall and only eight miles from the present day England - Scotland border, it has seen a great deal of varied history.
Clan: Bell
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Provesthaugh) Azure a fess between three bells Or
Crest: A hand holding a dagger, paleways Proper.
Motto: I beir the bell,
Signum Pacis Amor (Love is the token of peace).
District: Middlebie
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Bell
The origin of the Bell Clan in Scotland does not seem to have been definitely recorded. Numerous data have been collected and digested on the subject but we can only surmise at its actual origins.
There are various theories that the name Bell came from the old French town of Belle, or from a Frenchman named Gilbert La Fitz Bel and later William Le Bel, or from a shortening of "Isabel", or from the sign of a bell on an inn, or from the priests of the Druid agricultural deity Baal, or maybe from the moors of Denmark and the dales of Norway.
All the stories are interesting and intriguing, but absolutely improvable. No matter the beginning, the Clans Bell forebears settled in the southwest of Scotland not later than the early 1100s, more likely the 1000s, and became typical Borderers in pursuit of their survival. They populated the 40 square mile area now called Middlebie Parish in Dumfriesshire where more than thirty major families and their numerous sub-families have been identified. There is an old Scot's saying, "As numerous as the Bells of Middlebie."
The spelling of the name seems to have varied with the recorder of the event as it ranged from Bel, Bellis, Belle, Beall, Beal, Beale and Bale to Bell. We have found many families whose name has been spelled Bell who have changed the spelling to Beall, Beal and Beale. The genealogical histories of many show both spellings in the family tree. In one early document, the scribe spelled Bell four different ways. He was going to get it right no matter what!
Blacks "The Surnames of Scotland" states, "The name Bell was common on the Scottish Border for centuries and the Belles are included in the 1587 list of unruly clans in the West Marches. Families of the name long predominated in the parish of Middlebie, insomuch that, the "Bells of Middlebie" was a current phrase throughout Dumfriesshire."
The Bells of the old West Marche Clan, were one of the eight great riding families of the Scottish Border since the early 1100s, were allied with the best border families through blood and friendship. Their land holdings were extensive, and to survive, they engaged in the 'reiving' of the period and participated in many battles against the English. Declared "unruly" by the Scottish Parliament, many of the Clan emigrated to the Ulster Plantation after 1610. After William Bell, called "Redcloak" and Chief of the Clan died in 1627/28, the chief-ship became dormant; without leadership, the Bells ceased to exist as an official clan and became Armigerous.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Provesthaugh) Azure a fess between three bells Or
Crest: A hand holding a dagger, paleways Proper.
Motto: I beir the bell,
Signum Pacis Amor (Love is the token of peace).
District: Middlebie
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Bell
The origin of the Bell Clan in Scotland does not seem to have been definitely recorded. Numerous data have been collected and digested on the subject but we can only surmise at its actual origins.
There are various theories that the name Bell came from the old French town of Belle, or from a Frenchman named Gilbert La Fitz Bel and later William Le Bel, or from a shortening of "Isabel", or from the sign of a bell on an inn, or from the priests of the Druid agricultural deity Baal, or maybe from the moors of Denmark and the dales of Norway.
All the stories are interesting and intriguing, but absolutely improvable. No matter the beginning, the Clans Bell forebears settled in the southwest of Scotland not later than the early 1100s, more likely the 1000s, and became typical Borderers in pursuit of their survival. They populated the 40 square mile area now called Middlebie Parish in Dumfriesshire where more than thirty major families and their numerous sub-families have been identified. There is an old Scot's saying, "As numerous as the Bells of Middlebie."
The spelling of the name seems to have varied with the recorder of the event as it ranged from Bel, Bellis, Belle, Beall, Beal, Beale and Bale to Bell. We have found many families whose name has been spelled Bell who have changed the spelling to Beall, Beal and Beale. The genealogical histories of many show both spellings in the family tree. In one early document, the scribe spelled Bell four different ways. He was going to get it right no matter what!
Blacks "The Surnames of Scotland" states, "The name Bell was common on the Scottish Border for centuries and the Belles are included in the 1587 list of unruly clans in the West Marches. Families of the name long predominated in the parish of Middlebie, insomuch that, the "Bells of Middlebie" was a current phrase throughout Dumfriesshire."
The Bells of the old West Marche Clan, were one of the eight great riding families of the Scottish Border since the early 1100s, were allied with the best border families through blood and friendship. Their land holdings were extensive, and to survive, they engaged in the 'reiving' of the period and participated in many battles against the English. Declared "unruly" by the Scottish Parliament, many of the Clan emigrated to the Ulster Plantation after 1610. After William Bell, called "Redcloak" and Chief of the Clan died in 1627/28, the chief-ship became dormant; without leadership, the Bells ceased to exist as an official clan and became Armigerous.
Clan: Carruthers
Clan Chief: Armigerous (A petition for matriculation of the Holmains Arms, by the senior of that line is currently with the Lyon Court)
to have Chief recognised)
Arms: (of Holmains) Gules, two chevrons engrailed between three fleur d-lis, Or
Crest: A seraphim volent Proper.
Motto: Promptus et Fidelis (ready and faithful)
District: Middlebie
Historic Seat: Moswald, Holmains, Dormont
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Carruthers (registered 2017), can use Bruce
An ancient Clan from Britannic ancestry Carruthers is a lowland Scottish Clan of the West March of the Scottish Borders in and around Dunfriesshire (Gaelic - Siorrachd Dhù Phris).
The most accepted origin of the surname of Carruthers, according to wikipedia, suggests it arose in Dumfrieshire and it appears to alluding to the ancient Briton fort called Caer Rydderch or Rythyr. This hypothesis was promalgated by the historian George Fraser Black who asserted that this means fort of Rydderch, with Ryderch appearing to be a form of personal name. The Carruthers of Dormont further suggest through family legend, that the Carruthers family may be descendants of ColeHen, King of Cumbria (or Old King Cole as he became known) because one of his sons, Rhideris, built a caer, or castle, near Ecclefechan.
The clan is officially recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, in Edinburgh, however, as the clan does not currently have a clan chief that is it is considered an armigerous clan according to Way and Squire in Scottish Clan & family Encyclopedia.
Although the last chief was killed in a border raid in 1548, making Carruthers an armigerous clan and passing the seniority to Carruthers of Holmains, a direct and senior descendent of that line has placed his petition to matriculate their Arms, with the Lyon Court in Edinburgh. Once successful, the Chief becomes a legal entity and the clan no longer classed as armigerous.
The Clan could raise 400 light Cavalry and when needed to did, to defend against English Incursions as well as in Battles fought on Scottish soil
We were one of the 17 named Border Clans in the 1587 Act of the Scottish Parliament of unruly Clans and one of the 77 listed historic riding surnames of Border Reivers recorded by George MacDonald Fraser in his book, The Steel Bonnets (1989)
Much more information is available on this site.
Clan Chief: Armigerous (A petition for matriculation of the Holmains Arms, by the senior of that line is currently with the Lyon Court)
to have Chief recognised)
Arms: (of Holmains) Gules, two chevrons engrailed between three fleur d-lis, Or
Crest: A seraphim volent Proper.
Motto: Promptus et Fidelis (ready and faithful)
District: Middlebie
Historic Seat: Moswald, Holmains, Dormont
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Carruthers (registered 2017), can use Bruce
An ancient Clan from Britannic ancestry Carruthers is a lowland Scottish Clan of the West March of the Scottish Borders in and around Dunfriesshire (Gaelic - Siorrachd Dhù Phris).
The most accepted origin of the surname of Carruthers, according to wikipedia, suggests it arose in Dumfrieshire and it appears to alluding to the ancient Briton fort called Caer Rydderch or Rythyr. This hypothesis was promalgated by the historian George Fraser Black who asserted that this means fort of Rydderch, with Ryderch appearing to be a form of personal name. The Carruthers of Dormont further suggest through family legend, that the Carruthers family may be descendants of ColeHen, King of Cumbria (or Old King Cole as he became known) because one of his sons, Rhideris, built a caer, or castle, near Ecclefechan.
The clan is officially recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, in Edinburgh, however, as the clan does not currently have a clan chief that is it is considered an armigerous clan according to Way and Squire in Scottish Clan & family Encyclopedia.
Although the last chief was killed in a border raid in 1548, making Carruthers an armigerous clan and passing the seniority to Carruthers of Holmains, a direct and senior descendent of that line has placed his petition to matriculate their Arms, with the Lyon Court in Edinburgh. Once successful, the Chief becomes a legal entity and the clan no longer classed as armigerous.
The Clan could raise 400 light Cavalry and when needed to did, to defend against English Incursions as well as in Battles fought on Scottish soil
We were one of the 17 named Border Clans in the 1587 Act of the Scottish Parliament of unruly Clans and one of the 77 listed historic riding surnames of Border Reivers recorded by George MacDonald Fraser in his book, The Steel Bonnets (1989)
Much more information is available on this site.
Clan: Crosiers/Croziers
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Azure, a cross between four fleur d-lis, Or
(Use Armstrong: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.)
Crest: A stags head cabbosed Proper
Motto: Crucem Enim Clavem
District: Liddesdale
Sept of: Armstrong
Tartan: Crozier
With the Armstrongs, Elliots, and Nixons. Some sources cite the surname as a sept of the Armstrong clan, but the Scottish Parliament in 1587 identified the Croziers as a middle march clan.
An armigerous clan is a clan without a chief, and a sept is a clan which follows a chief. So an armigerous clan like Clan Armstrong, since it does not have a chief, does not have septs. Clan Crozier, not having a chief by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, is an armigerous clan allied with the far more populous Clan Armstrong.
The family of Crozier settled in Liddesdale and the debatable lands from the 12th to the 15th centuries. There is mention of Locus Croyser on the rent roll of the Lordship 1376. On 21 Dec 1414, letters of safe conduct were granted to Willian Croyser of Scotland and during the reign of James 1, another Willian Croyser was Canon of Dunkeld in Perthshire. William Crozier was listed as Archdeacon of Teviotdale in 1427.
During the early 16th c. the Croziers occupied lands in upper Liddesdale and Teviotdale living near Riccarton and near a burn of the save name the ruins of an ancient tower once remained. They also owned Haddishouse.
From the West March the Croziers along with the Nixons and Armstrongs, migrated to Fermanagh in Northern Ireland attaining such status as High Sheriff. (Crozier)
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Azure, a cross between four fleur d-lis, Or
(Use Armstrong: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.)
Crest: A stags head cabbosed Proper
Motto: Crucem Enim Clavem
District: Liddesdale
Sept of: Armstrong
Tartan: Crozier
With the Armstrongs, Elliots, and Nixons. Some sources cite the surname as a sept of the Armstrong clan, but the Scottish Parliament in 1587 identified the Croziers as a middle march clan.
An armigerous clan is a clan without a chief, and a sept is a clan which follows a chief. So an armigerous clan like Clan Armstrong, since it does not have a chief, does not have septs. Clan Crozier, not having a chief by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, is an armigerous clan allied with the far more populous Clan Armstrong.
The family of Crozier settled in Liddesdale and the debatable lands from the 12th to the 15th centuries. There is mention of Locus Croyser on the rent roll of the Lordship 1376. On 21 Dec 1414, letters of safe conduct were granted to Willian Croyser of Scotland and during the reign of James 1, another Willian Croyser was Canon of Dunkeld in Perthshire. William Crozier was listed as Archdeacon of Teviotdale in 1427.
During the early 16th c. the Croziers occupied lands in upper Liddesdale and Teviotdale living near Riccarton and near a burn of the save name the ruins of an ancient tower once remained. They also owned Haddishouse.
From the West March the Croziers along with the Nixons and Armstrongs, migrated to Fermanagh in Northern Ireland attaining such status as High Sheriff. (Crozier)
Clan: Elliot
Chief: Margaret Elliot of Redheugh
Arms: Gules on a bend Or a baton Azure
Crest: A hand couped at the wrist in armour holding a cutlass in bend Proper
Motto: Fortiter et Recte (Boldly and rightly)
District: Dumfries and Galloway
Historic Seat: Redheugh Tower
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Elliot
The name Eliott is believed to derive from the village of Eliot in Angus although the Old English form of Elwold also appears in Scotland. Little is known of the early history of Clan Eliott because few records survive. This could be because the Eliott’s Castle Stobs was burned down in 1712.
Legend has it that the extra “t” in Eliott arose when a branch of the Eliotts adopted Christianity. The t was in reality meant to be a cross. The differences in spelling can be distinguished in this rhyme:
The double L and single T
Descent from Minto and Wolflee,
The double T and single L
Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell.
The single L and single T
The Eliots of St Germains be,
But double T and double L,
Who they are nobody can tell.
Robert Bell in “The Book of Scots-Irish Family Names” adds: “For double L and double T, the Scots should look across the sea!” He pointed out that 71 of 76 births of children by that name in Ireland in 1890 spelt it “Elliott.” Elliot(t)s emigrated or were sent to Ireland in the early 17th century after the unification of the English and Scottish crowns. The Elliot(t)s were notorious reivers - cattle thieves - in the Scottish-English border area and, as such, a thorn in the side of both governments. Many settled in county Fermanagh. (Scotweb)
Chief: Margaret Elliot of Redheugh
Arms: Gules on a bend Or a baton Azure
Crest: A hand couped at the wrist in armour holding a cutlass in bend Proper
Motto: Fortiter et Recte (Boldly and rightly)
District: Dumfries and Galloway
Historic Seat: Redheugh Tower
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Elliot
The name Eliott is believed to derive from the village of Eliot in Angus although the Old English form of Elwold also appears in Scotland. Little is known of the early history of Clan Eliott because few records survive. This could be because the Eliott’s Castle Stobs was burned down in 1712.
Legend has it that the extra “t” in Eliott arose when a branch of the Eliotts adopted Christianity. The t was in reality meant to be a cross. The differences in spelling can be distinguished in this rhyme:
The double L and single T
Descent from Minto and Wolflee,
The double T and single L
Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell.
The single L and single T
The Eliots of St Germains be,
But double T and double L,
Who they are nobody can tell.
Robert Bell in “The Book of Scots-Irish Family Names” adds: “For double L and double T, the Scots should look across the sea!” He pointed out that 71 of 76 births of children by that name in Ireland in 1890 spelt it “Elliott.” Elliot(t)s emigrated or were sent to Ireland in the early 17th century after the unification of the English and Scottish crowns. The Elliot(t)s were notorious reivers - cattle thieves - in the Scottish-English border area and, as such, a thorn in the side of both governments. Many settled in county Fermanagh. (Scotweb)
Clan: Glendinning
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of that Ilk) Quarterly, Argent and Sable, a cross parted per cross indented counterchanged of the 2nd and 1st.
Crest: A maunch Or, upon the point of a sword
Motto: Have Faith in Christ
District: Westkirk, Dumfriesshire
Historic Seat: N/A
Sept of: Douglas
Tartan: Douglas
This name originated in the area of Westerkirk in Dumfriesshire.
Prior to 1286 a charter was granted by John Macgill of that Ilk to Adam de Glendonwyn of his part of the lands and baronies of Clifton and Mertobel in Roxburghshire. Sir Adam obtained a discharge of all bygone feu-duties from Archibald Douglas, lord of Galloway in 1313, and John of Glendonwyne and Symoun of Glendonwyne were two of the ‘borowis’ for the earl of Douglas’s bounds of the West March in 1398.
William de Glendonwyn was rector of Crawfurdjon in 1450 and was canon of the church of Glasgow in 1467.
Symon of Glendynwyn was one of the conservators of the truce between Scotland and England in 1451.
The ‘Glenuningis’ were named among the unruly clans on the West March in 1587, and Robert Glendonying was retoured heir in lands in the parish of Balmaghi in 1599. John Glendinning joined Montrose and consequently was outlawed with his lands forfeited. The direct line is said to have ended in 1720, but William Glendonwyn of that Ilk is mentioned in 1798.
There is evidence of ancestral and Clan relationships between those with the names of Glendinning, Little and Elliot with a strong French connection.
The 17th century historian, Scott of Satchells, described a transplantation from Angus to the Borders of “twelve great families.” The Elliots of Redheugh were the predominant family, and their Breton origin has now been well established. Historians have found that Anglo-Bretons and therefore Scots-Bretons, were notoriously late in adopting surnames. In the case of the Elliots, the adopted surname, “Elwald” was used interchangeably with the old Breton toponym-based surname, and eventually abandoned.
There is now suggestion that those families which were not settled on Redheugh lands adopted their own new surnames, based on local toponymic or geographic features, as the Flemish Douglas progenitor had done, taking his name from lands surrounding Douglas Water. The Glendinnings took their name from their new home, and the Littles took their name from the Liddel. This is shown in the close relationship between the Douglases, the Elliots, Glendinnings and Littles.
The Breton origin of the progenitor of the Stewarts, Walter fitzAlan (of Dol, Brittany), has always been known, but now we can at last identify more Scots of Breton origin, whose settlement in Scotland, like that of so many feudatories of Norman, Flemish and Picard origin during the reign of William the Lion, has been described by one distinguished historian as a “tidal wave”.
William especially favoured Flemings like Freskin (Clan Murray) and his nephew Theobald, founder of the powerful Douglas family, and Beorwald, founder of Clan Innes. Most mercenaries or professional soldiers of this period were either Flemish or Breton, given land instead of pay by a cash-strapped William I.
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of that Ilk) Quarterly, Argent and Sable, a cross parted per cross indented counterchanged of the 2nd and 1st.
Crest: A maunch Or, upon the point of a sword
Motto: Have Faith in Christ
District: Westkirk, Dumfriesshire
Historic Seat: N/A
Sept of: Douglas
Tartan: Douglas
This name originated in the area of Westerkirk in Dumfriesshire.
Prior to 1286 a charter was granted by John Macgill of that Ilk to Adam de Glendonwyn of his part of the lands and baronies of Clifton and Mertobel in Roxburghshire. Sir Adam obtained a discharge of all bygone feu-duties from Archibald Douglas, lord of Galloway in 1313, and John of Glendonwyne and Symoun of Glendonwyne were two of the ‘borowis’ for the earl of Douglas’s bounds of the West March in 1398.
William de Glendonwyn was rector of Crawfurdjon in 1450 and was canon of the church of Glasgow in 1467.
Symon of Glendynwyn was one of the conservators of the truce between Scotland and England in 1451.
The ‘Glenuningis’ were named among the unruly clans on the West March in 1587, and Robert Glendonying was retoured heir in lands in the parish of Balmaghi in 1599. John Glendinning joined Montrose and consequently was outlawed with his lands forfeited. The direct line is said to have ended in 1720, but William Glendonwyn of that Ilk is mentioned in 1798.
There is evidence of ancestral and Clan relationships between those with the names of Glendinning, Little and Elliot with a strong French connection.
The 17th century historian, Scott of Satchells, described a transplantation from Angus to the Borders of “twelve great families.” The Elliots of Redheugh were the predominant family, and their Breton origin has now been well established. Historians have found that Anglo-Bretons and therefore Scots-Bretons, were notoriously late in adopting surnames. In the case of the Elliots, the adopted surname, “Elwald” was used interchangeably with the old Breton toponym-based surname, and eventually abandoned.
There is now suggestion that those families which were not settled on Redheugh lands adopted their own new surnames, based on local toponymic or geographic features, as the Flemish Douglas progenitor had done, taking his name from lands surrounding Douglas Water. The Glendinnings took their name from their new home, and the Littles took their name from the Liddel. This is shown in the close relationship between the Douglases, the Elliots, Glendinnings and Littles.
The Breton origin of the progenitor of the Stewarts, Walter fitzAlan (of Dol, Brittany), has always been known, but now we can at last identify more Scots of Breton origin, whose settlement in Scotland, like that of so many feudatories of Norman, Flemish and Picard origin during the reign of William the Lion, has been described by one distinguished historian as a “tidal wave”.
William especially favoured Flemings like Freskin (Clan Murray) and his nephew Theobald, founder of the powerful Douglas family, and Beorwald, founder of Clan Innes. Most mercenaries or professional soldiers of this period were either Flemish or Breton, given land instead of pay by a cash-strapped William I.
Clan: Graham
Clan Chief: The Most Noble James Graham. Duke of Montrose
Arms: Quarterly, 1st and 3rd Or on a chief Sable three escallops Or
Crest: A falcon Proper, beaked and armed Or, killing a stork Argent, Armed Gules
Motto: Ne Oublie (Do not forget)
Sept of: None
District: Dryfesdale
Historic Seat: Mugdock Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Graham
There is a tradition that the first Graham was one Greme who broke the Roman Antonine Wall driving the Roman legions out of Scotland. However the likely origin is that the chiefs of Clan Graham were of Anglo-Norman origin. The Manor of Gregham is recorded in William the Conquerors Domesday Book.When David I, claimed the throne of Scotland, Graham was one of the knights who accompanied him. Sir William Graham was present at the erection of Holyrood Abbey, witnessing its foundation charter. The first lands that the chiefs of Clan Graham appear to have held were around Dalkeith in Midlothian. Sir Nicholas de Graham attended the Parliament of 1290 where the Treaty of Birgham was signed.
The Clan Graham fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 where Sir Patrick de Graham of Kincardine was the only man of all the Scots not to retreat and instead fought to the death.
Sir John de Graham, was a friend and follower of William Wallace. Sir John de Graham is regarded as hero for rescuing Wallace at Queensbury. Sir John de Graham was regarded as Wallace's right-hand man and Wallace was at his side when Graham was killed in 1298 at the Battle of Falkirk. John de Graham's name is still perpetuated in the district of Grahamston. The grave of Sir John de Graham in Falkirk churchyard is still to be seen, with table stones of three successive periods above it. One great two-handed sword of Sir John the Graham is preserved at Buchanan Castle by the Duke of Montrose. Another was long in possession of the Grahams of Orchil and is now treasured by the Freemason Lodge at Auchterarder.
The Clan Graham also fought against the English at the Battle of Durham in 1346, in support of King David II of Scots.The Grahams acquired the lands of Mugdock north of Glasgow, where they built a stout castle around 1370.
The clan Grahams, who were formidable fighter, played a major part in the history of Scotland as a whole and fought also at the battles of Sauchieburn, Flodden, Pinkie Cleugh, Tippermuir as well as the the Battle of Aberdeen the Battle of Inverlochy (1645) , the Battle of Aldern the Battle of Alford, the Battle of Kilsyth, Battle of Carbondale,Battle of Drumclog, Battle of Bothwell Brig and the Battle of killikrankie.
The Clan Graham took no side in the Jacobite Uprisings and remained neutral throughout. Highlanders can thank James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose for the repeal in 1782 of the Dress Act 1746 prohibiting the wearing of highland dress. He persuaded Parliament to remove the law forbidding Scots to wear their tartan.
Clan Chief: The Most Noble James Graham. Duke of Montrose
Arms: Quarterly, 1st and 3rd Or on a chief Sable three escallops Or
Crest: A falcon Proper, beaked and armed Or, killing a stork Argent, Armed Gules
Motto: Ne Oublie (Do not forget)
Sept of: None
District: Dryfesdale
Historic Seat: Mugdock Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Graham
There is a tradition that the first Graham was one Greme who broke the Roman Antonine Wall driving the Roman legions out of Scotland. However the likely origin is that the chiefs of Clan Graham were of Anglo-Norman origin. The Manor of Gregham is recorded in William the Conquerors Domesday Book.When David I, claimed the throne of Scotland, Graham was one of the knights who accompanied him. Sir William Graham was present at the erection of Holyrood Abbey, witnessing its foundation charter. The first lands that the chiefs of Clan Graham appear to have held were around Dalkeith in Midlothian. Sir Nicholas de Graham attended the Parliament of 1290 where the Treaty of Birgham was signed.
The Clan Graham fought at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296 where Sir Patrick de Graham of Kincardine was the only man of all the Scots not to retreat and instead fought to the death.
Sir John de Graham, was a friend and follower of William Wallace. Sir John de Graham is regarded as hero for rescuing Wallace at Queensbury. Sir John de Graham was regarded as Wallace's right-hand man and Wallace was at his side when Graham was killed in 1298 at the Battle of Falkirk. John de Graham's name is still perpetuated in the district of Grahamston. The grave of Sir John de Graham in Falkirk churchyard is still to be seen, with table stones of three successive periods above it. One great two-handed sword of Sir John the Graham is preserved at Buchanan Castle by the Duke of Montrose. Another was long in possession of the Grahams of Orchil and is now treasured by the Freemason Lodge at Auchterarder.
The Clan Graham also fought against the English at the Battle of Durham in 1346, in support of King David II of Scots.The Grahams acquired the lands of Mugdock north of Glasgow, where they built a stout castle around 1370.
The clan Grahams, who were formidable fighter, played a major part in the history of Scotland as a whole and fought also at the battles of Sauchieburn, Flodden, Pinkie Cleugh, Tippermuir as well as the the Battle of Aberdeen the Battle of Inverlochy (1645) , the Battle of Aldern the Battle of Alford, the Battle of Kilsyth, Battle of Carbondale,Battle of Drumclog, Battle of Bothwell Brig and the Battle of killikrankie.
The Clan Graham took no side in the Jacobite Uprisings and remained neutral throughout. Highlanders can thank James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose for the repeal in 1782 of the Dress Act 1746 prohibiting the wearing of highland dress. He persuaded Parliament to remove the law forbidding Scots to wear their tartan.
Clan: Irving/Irvine
Clan Chief: David Charles Irvine of Drum
Arms: Agent, three small sheaves of holly, two and one, Vert, each consisting of as many leaves slipped and banded Gules
Crest: A sheaf of holly consisting of nine leaves Vert slipped banded Gules.
Motto: Sub Sole Sub Umbra Virens (flourishing both in sunshine and in shade)
District: Langholm and Aberdeensire
Historical Seat: Bonshaw Tower, Drum Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Irvine
From the Brythonic word ‘ir-afon’ which means ‘green water’ comes Irvine. The surname has territorial origins and derives from both Irving, in Dumfriesshire and Irvine in Ayrshire.
Robert de Hirewine witnessed a Charter in 1226, and another Charter from the Bishop of St Andrews was witnessed in 1260 by Robert de Iruwyn. A family tradition claims that there is an ancestral connection through Crinan the Thane, Abbot of Dunkeld, with Duncan, the Scottish king allegedly murdered by Macbeth.
As early as 1018, the Irvines were settled, through marriage, on lands between the River Esk and the River Kirtle, south east of Lockerbie, in Dumfriesshire, and here they built the Tower of Bonshaw. As neighbours and supporters of the Bruce Family at Lochmaben, the Irvines were granted the Forest of Drum in Aberdeenshire by Robert I. Alexander, 3rd Laird of Drum, fought at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, engaging in single combat with Hector Maclean of Duart. Both died as a consequence. In Aberdeenshire, their rival clan was the Keiths who resided just across the river Dee. The current Chief, David Irvine of the Name, decided to finally end the feud with the Keiths as it had never been amicably settled, so after 600 years in 2002 he met with the 13th earl of Kintore, Chief of Clan Kieth.
The 4th Laird was knighted for his role in negotiating the release of James I from captivity in England. The 7th Laird fell at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. The 10th Laird, a supporter of Charles I, was Sheriff of Aberdeen. Over the ensuing years Drum Castle was continuously attacked and ransacked for its Royalist associations.
The 14th Laird fought for the Jacobite Cause at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715 and, after his death, the Drum Estate passed to a kinsman, although his successors too supported the exiled Stuarts. On his death in 1975, Henry Quentin Forbes Irvine, 24th and last Laird of Drum, bequeathed Drum Castle and 300 acres of ground to the National Trust for Scotland.
David Irving (1778-1860), born at Langholm in Dumfriesshire, wrote The Life of George Buchanan. Edward Irving (1792-1834) was born at Annan, and became Minister of the Caledonian Church in London.
Surname distribution in Scotland: The highest concentrations of the Irvine name occur in Shetland (Zetland), Renfrewshire, Argyll and Bute, Stirlingshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Places of Interest: Bonshaw Tower, south east of Ecclefechan, Dumfriesshire. 15th century Irvine stronghold. Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire. Home of the Irvines of Drum for over six and a half centuries. Today it is managed by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.
Clan Chief: David Charles Irvine of Drum
Arms: Agent, three small sheaves of holly, two and one, Vert, each consisting of as many leaves slipped and banded Gules
Crest: A sheaf of holly consisting of nine leaves Vert slipped banded Gules.
Motto: Sub Sole Sub Umbra Virens (flourishing both in sunshine and in shade)
District: Langholm and Aberdeensire
Historical Seat: Bonshaw Tower, Drum Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Irvine
From the Brythonic word ‘ir-afon’ which means ‘green water’ comes Irvine. The surname has territorial origins and derives from both Irving, in Dumfriesshire and Irvine in Ayrshire.
Robert de Hirewine witnessed a Charter in 1226, and another Charter from the Bishop of St Andrews was witnessed in 1260 by Robert de Iruwyn. A family tradition claims that there is an ancestral connection through Crinan the Thane, Abbot of Dunkeld, with Duncan, the Scottish king allegedly murdered by Macbeth.
As early as 1018, the Irvines were settled, through marriage, on lands between the River Esk and the River Kirtle, south east of Lockerbie, in Dumfriesshire, and here they built the Tower of Bonshaw. As neighbours and supporters of the Bruce Family at Lochmaben, the Irvines were granted the Forest of Drum in Aberdeenshire by Robert I. Alexander, 3rd Laird of Drum, fought at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, engaging in single combat with Hector Maclean of Duart. Both died as a consequence. In Aberdeenshire, their rival clan was the Keiths who resided just across the river Dee. The current Chief, David Irvine of the Name, decided to finally end the feud with the Keiths as it had never been amicably settled, so after 600 years in 2002 he met with the 13th earl of Kintore, Chief of Clan Kieth.
The 4th Laird was knighted for his role in negotiating the release of James I from captivity in England. The 7th Laird fell at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547. The 10th Laird, a supporter of Charles I, was Sheriff of Aberdeen. Over the ensuing years Drum Castle was continuously attacked and ransacked for its Royalist associations.
The 14th Laird fought for the Jacobite Cause at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715 and, after his death, the Drum Estate passed to a kinsman, although his successors too supported the exiled Stuarts. On his death in 1975, Henry Quentin Forbes Irvine, 24th and last Laird of Drum, bequeathed Drum Castle and 300 acres of ground to the National Trust for Scotland.
David Irving (1778-1860), born at Langholm in Dumfriesshire, wrote The Life of George Buchanan. Edward Irving (1792-1834) was born at Annan, and became Minister of the Caledonian Church in London.
Surname distribution in Scotland: The highest concentrations of the Irvine name occur in Shetland (Zetland), Renfrewshire, Argyll and Bute, Stirlingshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Places of Interest: Bonshaw Tower, south east of Ecclefechan, Dumfriesshire. 15th century Irvine stronghold. Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire. Home of the Irvines of Drum for over six and a half centuries. Today it is managed by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.
Clan: Johnstone
Clan Chief: Lord Patrick Johnstone of Annandale
Arms: Argent, a saltire Sable, on a chief Gules, three cushions Or
Crest: A winged spur Or
Motto: Nanquam Non Paratus (Never unprepared)
District: Annadale
Historical Seat: Lochwood Tower
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Johnstone
There were a number of "John's towns" in Scotland but the earliest record of the surname is a John Johnstone at the end of the 12th century Later, Sir John Johnston of Dumfries signed the Ragman Roll in 1296, along with most of the other Scottish landowners, swearing allegiance to King Edward I. The family grew in stature and Sir John's descendants were appointed as a warden of the western marches in 1381.
Adam Johnstone was named Laird of Johnstone near the beginning of the 15th century and took part in the Battle of Sark in 1448. Adam's son assisted King James II in his struggle with the Douglas family and was rewarded with land near Threave Castle, which had previously belonged to the Douglases. Adam's eldest son (another John) was the ancestor of the Annandale branch of the family while another son Mathew is said to have married a daughter of the Earl of Angus (chief of the Red Douglases) and his descendants formed the Westerhall branch.
The Johnstones were one of the many Border families who frequently raided the north of England over the centuries. They also became involved in one of the many Border feuds with the Maxwells, which was only resolved by the intervention of King James VI in 1623.
James Johnstone, the chief of the clan, was made Lord Johnstone of Lochwood in 1633 by King Charles I and Earl of Hartfell in 1643.King Charles II elevated him to Earl of Annandale, and Lord Johnstone of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandal. In 1701, a descendant was raised to the rank of Marquess of Annandale.
In early times, the city of Perth was called St John's Toun (the local football team is still called St Johnstone) and when surnames became more frequent, many of the people from there took the name Johnstone. When the MacGregor name was proscribed (banned) a number of that clan took the name Johnstone.
Other Johnstones are to be found in Strathspey, unconnected with those in the Borders. This family supported the Jacobite cause in 1715 and 1745. The head of this branch now lives in America.
In more modern times, Tom Johnston, a Labour politician, was a successful Secretary of State for Scotland during the Second World War.
Clan Chief: Lord Patrick Johnstone of Annandale
Arms: Argent, a saltire Sable, on a chief Gules, three cushions Or
Crest: A winged spur Or
Motto: Nanquam Non Paratus (Never unprepared)
District: Annadale
Historical Seat: Lochwood Tower
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Johnstone
There were a number of "John's towns" in Scotland but the earliest record of the surname is a John Johnstone at the end of the 12th century Later, Sir John Johnston of Dumfries signed the Ragman Roll in 1296, along with most of the other Scottish landowners, swearing allegiance to King Edward I. The family grew in stature and Sir John's descendants were appointed as a warden of the western marches in 1381.
Adam Johnstone was named Laird of Johnstone near the beginning of the 15th century and took part in the Battle of Sark in 1448. Adam's son assisted King James II in his struggle with the Douglas family and was rewarded with land near Threave Castle, which had previously belonged to the Douglases. Adam's eldest son (another John) was the ancestor of the Annandale branch of the family while another son Mathew is said to have married a daughter of the Earl of Angus (chief of the Red Douglases) and his descendants formed the Westerhall branch.
The Johnstones were one of the many Border families who frequently raided the north of England over the centuries. They also became involved in one of the many Border feuds with the Maxwells, which was only resolved by the intervention of King James VI in 1623.
James Johnstone, the chief of the clan, was made Lord Johnstone of Lochwood in 1633 by King Charles I and Earl of Hartfell in 1643.King Charles II elevated him to Earl of Annandale, and Lord Johnstone of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandal. In 1701, a descendant was raised to the rank of Marquess of Annandale.
In early times, the city of Perth was called St John's Toun (the local football team is still called St Johnstone) and when surnames became more frequent, many of the people from there took the name Johnstone. When the MacGregor name was proscribed (banned) a number of that clan took the name Johnstone.
Other Johnstones are to be found in Strathspey, unconnected with those in the Borders. This family supported the Jacobite cause in 1715 and 1745. The head of this branch now lives in America.
In more modern times, Tom Johnston, a Labour politician, was a successful Secretary of State for Scotland during the Second World War.
Clan: Jardine
Chief: Sir William Murray Jardine of Applegirth
Arms: Argent, a saltire Gules, on a Chief of the last three mullets of the 1st pierced of the 2nd
Crest: A spur rowel of six points proper
Motto: Cave Adsum (Beware I am present)
District: Applegirth, Annandale
Historic Seat: Spedlings Tower, Jardine Hall
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Jardine
The surname Jardine is derived from jardin which is Frencfor garden or orchard. However the genealogist, Black, has suggested that this does not mean that they were gardeners, but that they resided near to a garden.
The du Jardon family came over to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. The name is first found in Scotland in charters to Kelso Abbey and Arbroath Abbey prior to 1153, when Wimfredus de Jardin appears as a witness.In about 1178 Humphrey de Jardin witnessed a charter by Robert Bruce to Arbroath Abbey.
The name Jardine is also found in the form of de Gardinus and Patrick de Gardinus was chaplain to the Bishop of Glasgow during the early thirteenth century.[Sir Humphrey de Gardino witnessed a registration of the lands of Annandale in 1245.
Another variant of the name is found in the Ragmans Rolls of 1296 where Jorden del Orchard appears rendering homage for his lands in Linlithgow to Edward I of England.The chiefly line of the Clan Jardine appears to have been established by the fourteenth century at Applegirth on the River Annan in Dumfriesshire. Their first stronghold was Spedlings Tower which was abandoned in the late seventeenth century. From there the family moved across the river to Jardine Hall. This was allegedly to escape the ghost of a miller who had been left to starve to death in the tower's dungeon.
Sir Alexander Jardine of Applegirth was actively involved in defending the Scottish borders againstEnglish Incursions. In 1524 Sir Alexander Jardine, along with Lord Maxwell attacked an English host near Carlisle and routed them, taking nearly three hundred English prisoners. However Alexander's son, John Jardine, faced English retribution in 1547 when Lord Wharton, with a force of over five thousand, overran Annandale. The Jardine lands were ravaged and he was forced to submit. Later that year the Jardines and some French troops harried the English and exacted a terrible retribution. The Jardines followed the Clan Johnston in supporting Mary Queen of Scots. However, when the queen married the Earl of Bothwell the Jardines declared allegiance to the infant James VI of Scotland.
For the support of his clan, Jardine was to receive a pension from the Archbishop of Glasgow, but it was never paid.
Chief: Sir William Murray Jardine of Applegirth
Arms: Argent, a saltire Gules, on a Chief of the last three mullets of the 1st pierced of the 2nd
Crest: A spur rowel of six points proper
Motto: Cave Adsum (Beware I am present)
District: Applegirth, Annandale
Historic Seat: Spedlings Tower, Jardine Hall
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Jardine
The surname Jardine is derived from jardin which is Frencfor garden or orchard. However the genealogist, Black, has suggested that this does not mean that they were gardeners, but that they resided near to a garden.
The du Jardon family came over to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. The name is first found in Scotland in charters to Kelso Abbey and Arbroath Abbey prior to 1153, when Wimfredus de Jardin appears as a witness.In about 1178 Humphrey de Jardin witnessed a charter by Robert Bruce to Arbroath Abbey.
The name Jardine is also found in the form of de Gardinus and Patrick de Gardinus was chaplain to the Bishop of Glasgow during the early thirteenth century.[Sir Humphrey de Gardino witnessed a registration of the lands of Annandale in 1245.
Another variant of the name is found in the Ragmans Rolls of 1296 where Jorden del Orchard appears rendering homage for his lands in Linlithgow to Edward I of England.The chiefly line of the Clan Jardine appears to have been established by the fourteenth century at Applegirth on the River Annan in Dumfriesshire. Their first stronghold was Spedlings Tower which was abandoned in the late seventeenth century. From there the family moved across the river to Jardine Hall. This was allegedly to escape the ghost of a miller who had been left to starve to death in the tower's dungeon.
Sir Alexander Jardine of Applegirth was actively involved in defending the Scottish borders againstEnglish Incursions. In 1524 Sir Alexander Jardine, along with Lord Maxwell attacked an English host near Carlisle and routed them, taking nearly three hundred English prisoners. However Alexander's son, John Jardine, faced English retribution in 1547 when Lord Wharton, with a force of over five thousand, overran Annandale. The Jardine lands were ravaged and he was forced to submit. Later that year the Jardines and some French troops harried the English and exacted a terrible retribution. The Jardines followed the Clan Johnston in supporting Mary Queen of Scots. However, when the queen married the Earl of Bothwell the Jardines declared allegiance to the infant James VI of Scotland.
For the support of his clan, Jardine was to receive a pension from the Archbishop of Glasgow, but it was never paid.
Clan: Latimer
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent a saltire Sable
Crest: A stag Proper, couchant before a holly bush Proper
Motto: Reviresco (I grow strong again)
District: Nithsdale
Historic seat: Caerlaverock Castle
Sept of: Latimer
Tartan: Maxwell
The Clan Latimer are closely linked with the Clan Maxwell and are classed ass a sept of the same. On the borders of Scotland, as elsewhere during the turbulent Middle Ages, survival often depended on the protection afforded by the allegiance given to a powerful local noble. In this way, families with claims of ancient heritage to their lands could prevent falling prey to more powerful predatory neighbours. The price of such protection often involved military service with the noble in his quarrels or feuds or if he was required to provide armed service to the crown.
In this way, many families who lived on lands in areas dominated by the Maxwells became associated with them for generation after generation. Thus we would find families traceable to Dumfrieshire or Nithsdale or parts of Galloway or areas in Ayror around present Glasgow who would have ridden to war under the Maxwell banner.
This name is derived from old English and French words meaning, literally, one who knows Latin. Black tells us that the Latimeris were “among the unruly clans of the West Marche in 1587.”
The unruliness of 1587 is well documented. John, Lord Maxwell, was abroad seeking to ally the interests of the Catholic Lords in Scotland with the invasion plans of the Spanish Court, and his cousin William Maxwell, Lord Herries, was appointed Warden of the West Marches in his place. Herries was declared a rebel by the Scottish parliament for his failure to appear and answer their questions about the unrest on the border. The West Marche was in a state of near-rebellion, fomented to a large extent by the Maxwells in an effort to push their Marianist agenda. The Latimers were evidently party to this.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent a saltire Sable
Crest: A stag Proper, couchant before a holly bush Proper
Motto: Reviresco (I grow strong again)
District: Nithsdale
Historic seat: Caerlaverock Castle
Sept of: Latimer
Tartan: Maxwell
The Clan Latimer are closely linked with the Clan Maxwell and are classed ass a sept of the same. On the borders of Scotland, as elsewhere during the turbulent Middle Ages, survival often depended on the protection afforded by the allegiance given to a powerful local noble. In this way, families with claims of ancient heritage to their lands could prevent falling prey to more powerful predatory neighbours. The price of such protection often involved military service with the noble in his quarrels or feuds or if he was required to provide armed service to the crown.
In this way, many families who lived on lands in areas dominated by the Maxwells became associated with them for generation after generation. Thus we would find families traceable to Dumfrieshire or Nithsdale or parts of Galloway or areas in Ayror around present Glasgow who would have ridden to war under the Maxwell banner.
This name is derived from old English and French words meaning, literally, one who knows Latin. Black tells us that the Latimeris were “among the unruly clans of the West Marche in 1587.”
The unruliness of 1587 is well documented. John, Lord Maxwell, was abroad seeking to ally the interests of the Catholic Lords in Scotland with the invasion plans of the Spanish Court, and his cousin William Maxwell, Lord Herries, was appointed Warden of the West Marches in his place. Herries was declared a rebel by the Scottish parliament for his failure to appear and answer their questions about the unrest on the border. The West Marche was in a state of near-rebellion, fomented to a large extent by the Maxwells in an effort to push their Marianist agenda. The Latimers were evidently party to this.
Clan: Little
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Meikledale) Sable a saltire Argent
Crest: A demi lion Sable powdered with saltires Argent, armed Gules, in dexter paw a cutlass Proper and in sinister a saltire Argent
Motto: Concedo nulli ( I yeild to no one my trust) or Fidei coticula crux (The cross is the touchstone of faith)
District: Dumfrieshire
Historic Seat: Meikledale
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Little
The clan does not currently have a Chief and is therefore considered an armigerous clan. The Clan Little Society had a Guardian in place of a clan chief but since his death in 2007, no suitable successor has appeared.
Little is a descriptive name and was originally written in latin documents as parvus meaning little or small. Given that the name is descriptive it is impossible to find any clear origin of the Little name in Scotland. However there is association with clans Glendinning and Elliot with suspicion that they were of French or Norman descent.
In the 12th century David 1st, King of Scots appointed Walter FitzAlan, an Anglo-Norman from Shropshire, as High Steward of Scotland. In his capacity as Steward, Walter granted lands at Cairntable, Ayrshire to Alan Little, a former neighbour on the Shropshire-Cheshire border.
However, by 1300, records show that the Littles had settled in Dumfriesshire where Nicol Little was recorded as Conservator of the Peace for Lochmabenston in the Scottish West March of the Anglo-Scottish border. Sometime before 1426, Simon Lytil was granted tenure of Meikledale, Sorbie and Kirktoun in Ewesdale, Dumfriesshire by the then regent, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany. The grant was confirmed in 1426 shortly after James 1st returned from his captivity in England. Simon Little, 1st Laird of Meikledale, is therefore considered to be the first chief of the name. It is also reputed that the sister of William Wallace married a Little.
Members of the Little clan became established in Ewesdale, Eskdale and Wauchopedale. Following the Clan Douglas forfeiture as tenants-in-chief,following the Battle of Arkinholm in 1455, the Eskdale-Ewesdale lands passed to the Clan Maxwell. The exceptions were the homes of the Littles at Meikledale and the Elliots at Arkelton, which were not feudal property.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Littles migrated throughout the United Kingdom and to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Meikledale) Sable a saltire Argent
Crest: A demi lion Sable powdered with saltires Argent, armed Gules, in dexter paw a cutlass Proper and in sinister a saltire Argent
Motto: Concedo nulli ( I yeild to no one my trust) or Fidei coticula crux (The cross is the touchstone of faith)
District: Dumfrieshire
Historic Seat: Meikledale
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Little
The clan does not currently have a Chief and is therefore considered an armigerous clan. The Clan Little Society had a Guardian in place of a clan chief but since his death in 2007, no suitable successor has appeared.
Little is a descriptive name and was originally written in latin documents as parvus meaning little or small. Given that the name is descriptive it is impossible to find any clear origin of the Little name in Scotland. However there is association with clans Glendinning and Elliot with suspicion that they were of French or Norman descent.
In the 12th century David 1st, King of Scots appointed Walter FitzAlan, an Anglo-Norman from Shropshire, as High Steward of Scotland. In his capacity as Steward, Walter granted lands at Cairntable, Ayrshire to Alan Little, a former neighbour on the Shropshire-Cheshire border.
However, by 1300, records show that the Littles had settled in Dumfriesshire where Nicol Little was recorded as Conservator of the Peace for Lochmabenston in the Scottish West March of the Anglo-Scottish border. Sometime before 1426, Simon Lytil was granted tenure of Meikledale, Sorbie and Kirktoun in Ewesdale, Dumfriesshire by the then regent, Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany. The grant was confirmed in 1426 shortly after James 1st returned from his captivity in England. Simon Little, 1st Laird of Meikledale, is therefore considered to be the first chief of the name. It is also reputed that the sister of William Wallace married a Little.
Members of the Little clan became established in Ewesdale, Eskdale and Wauchopedale. Following the Clan Douglas forfeiture as tenants-in-chief,following the Battle of Arkinholm in 1455, the Eskdale-Ewesdale lands passed to the Clan Maxwell. The exceptions were the homes of the Littles at Meikledale and the Elliots at Arkelton, which were not feudal property.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Littles migrated throughout the United Kingdom and to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Clan: Moffat
Chief: Jean Moffat of that Ilk,
Arms: Sable, a saltire and Chief Argent
Crest: A crest coronet and issuing therefrom a cross crosslet fitchée Sable surmounted of a saltire Argent
Motto: Spero Meliora (I hope for better things)
District: Moffat, Dumfriesshire
Historic Seat: Moffat
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Moffat
The Moffats are an ancient Borders family who were influential and powerful as far back as the time of Sir William Wallace. The ancestor of the Moffats most likely gave their name to the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire. The origin of the name itself is thought to be Norse. William de Mont Alto, progenitor of the Movats, married the youngest daughter of Andlaw, who came to Scotland from Norway during the tenth century. Over the years the name softened to Montealt, then Movat, through Movest, eventually settling at Moffat in its modern form. In the twelfth century the family was of sufficient importance to be designated in deeds and records as ‘de Moffet’, showing the family were considered to be principal lairds, or landowners.
In 1268, Nicholas de Moffet was Bishop of Glasgow, and the armorial bearings of the different branches of the family seemed to indicate a connection with the church. Robert the Bruce, as Lord of Annandale, granted four charters of land in the barony of Westerkirk to the Moffats in 1300. One of these was to Adam Moffat of Knock who was granted ‘the same Barony in Eskdale’. Both he and his brother fought at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, along with many Moffat clansmen. They remained the Lairds of Knock until 1609, when the land was sold to the Johnstones. They were also tenants of Midknock for six hundred years, until 1905. In 1336 the king of England granted a safe conduct to William de Moffete and others described as ‘coming as ambassadors from David de Brus’ – in fact, David II, son of Robert the Bruce. In 1337, Walter de Moffet, Archdeacon of Lothian, was appointed ambassador to France.
Although there were Moffats in Moffat before 1300, the names of the earliest lairds are not known. They were granted the feu of Granton (not to he confused with the port on the River Forth) and Reddings in 1342 by Sir John Douglas, Lord of Annandale. These remained the principal holdings of the family until 1628, when the lands passed to the Johnstones as a result of overwhelming debt. Other properties of the Moffats in Upper Annandale were Corehead, Ericstane, Braefoot, Meikleholmside, Newton, and Gardenholm. The Moffats also held the lands of Auldtoun, now known as Alton. One Robert Moffat, born there around 1560, was designated ‘Moffat of that Ilk’, but there were no Moffats in Auldtoun after 1672, and little is known of what happened to this branch after that time.
In 1759, the last Moffat in Gardenholm died and the family moved to Craigbeck in modern Moffatdale. Two brothers, James and David Moffat, moved from Granton to Crofthead in Moffatdale sometime after 1658. James’s son, William, was the progenitor of the Craigbeck branch of the family. The Moffats were tenants of Crofthead and Craigbeck until 1920, when Francis Moffat, who died in 1937, purchased Craigbeck and Garrowgill, thus restoring a landed position to the descendants of Granton after three centuries of landlessness. In 1909 this Francis also bought Bodesbeck, which had been Moffat land in 1589, almost a hundred years prior to the acquisition of Crofthead and Craigbeck. His son, William, added to the estate by the purchase of Hawkshaw in Tweedsmuir in 1911, and Fingland in 1935. When he died in 1948 he was one of the biggest sheep farmers in southern Scotland, owning some ten thousand acres. His son, Francis, remained in Craigbeck until 1977, when it was sold on his retiral from farming. Bodesbeck, Hawkshaw and Fingland are still farmed by Moffats.
Another branch of the Moffat family farmed Garwald in Eskdalemuir. This was first leased to them in 1744, and they remained there until 1950. They were also at Craick in Borthwick Water for more than a century from 1817. The Garwald Moffats have now died out in the male line. Other lands settled by Moffats as the family scattered were Sundaywell and Lochurr. They were there from the latter part of the seventeenth century for over three hundred years. They were very successful farmers and founders of the renowned Lochurr herd of native Galloway cattle.
The Moffats, like many other Borders families, were raiders and reivers, and had many feuds with other clans. Their most notable enemies were the powerful Johnstones. In 1557 the Johnstones murdered Robert Moffat, possibly then the clan chief, and burned a building in which a number of leading Moffats had gathered. They slaughtered all those who tried to escape. From that date the Moffats were considered a leaderless clan, until 1983, when the late Francis Moffat, after many years of research, was recognised as hereditary clan chief, and the Lord Lyon confirmed to him the undifferenced arms of Moffat of that Ilk. His daughter, the present chief, succeeded to the title on his death in April 1992.
Moffats have branched out all over the world, many achieving fame, such as the Reverend Robert Moffat who was patriarch of African missions and founded the Kuruman mission. His daughter married David Livingstone.
Chief: Jean Moffat of that Ilk,
Arms: Sable, a saltire and Chief Argent
Crest: A crest coronet and issuing therefrom a cross crosslet fitchée Sable surmounted of a saltire Argent
Motto: Spero Meliora (I hope for better things)
District: Moffat, Dumfriesshire
Historic Seat: Moffat
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Moffat
The Moffats are an ancient Borders family who were influential and powerful as far back as the time of Sir William Wallace. The ancestor of the Moffats most likely gave their name to the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire. The origin of the name itself is thought to be Norse. William de Mont Alto, progenitor of the Movats, married the youngest daughter of Andlaw, who came to Scotland from Norway during the tenth century. Over the years the name softened to Montealt, then Movat, through Movest, eventually settling at Moffat in its modern form. In the twelfth century the family was of sufficient importance to be designated in deeds and records as ‘de Moffet’, showing the family were considered to be principal lairds, or landowners.
In 1268, Nicholas de Moffet was Bishop of Glasgow, and the armorial bearings of the different branches of the family seemed to indicate a connection with the church. Robert the Bruce, as Lord of Annandale, granted four charters of land in the barony of Westerkirk to the Moffats in 1300. One of these was to Adam Moffat of Knock who was granted ‘the same Barony in Eskdale’. Both he and his brother fought at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, along with many Moffat clansmen. They remained the Lairds of Knock until 1609, when the land was sold to the Johnstones. They were also tenants of Midknock for six hundred years, until 1905. In 1336 the king of England granted a safe conduct to William de Moffete and others described as ‘coming as ambassadors from David de Brus’ – in fact, David II, son of Robert the Bruce. In 1337, Walter de Moffet, Archdeacon of Lothian, was appointed ambassador to France.
Although there were Moffats in Moffat before 1300, the names of the earliest lairds are not known. They were granted the feu of Granton (not to he confused with the port on the River Forth) and Reddings in 1342 by Sir John Douglas, Lord of Annandale. These remained the principal holdings of the family until 1628, when the lands passed to the Johnstones as a result of overwhelming debt. Other properties of the Moffats in Upper Annandale were Corehead, Ericstane, Braefoot, Meikleholmside, Newton, and Gardenholm. The Moffats also held the lands of Auldtoun, now known as Alton. One Robert Moffat, born there around 1560, was designated ‘Moffat of that Ilk’, but there were no Moffats in Auldtoun after 1672, and little is known of what happened to this branch after that time.
In 1759, the last Moffat in Gardenholm died and the family moved to Craigbeck in modern Moffatdale. Two brothers, James and David Moffat, moved from Granton to Crofthead in Moffatdale sometime after 1658. James’s son, William, was the progenitor of the Craigbeck branch of the family. The Moffats were tenants of Crofthead and Craigbeck until 1920, when Francis Moffat, who died in 1937, purchased Craigbeck and Garrowgill, thus restoring a landed position to the descendants of Granton after three centuries of landlessness. In 1909 this Francis also bought Bodesbeck, which had been Moffat land in 1589, almost a hundred years prior to the acquisition of Crofthead and Craigbeck. His son, William, added to the estate by the purchase of Hawkshaw in Tweedsmuir in 1911, and Fingland in 1935. When he died in 1948 he was one of the biggest sheep farmers in southern Scotland, owning some ten thousand acres. His son, Francis, remained in Craigbeck until 1977, when it was sold on his retiral from farming. Bodesbeck, Hawkshaw and Fingland are still farmed by Moffats.
Another branch of the Moffat family farmed Garwald in Eskdalemuir. This was first leased to them in 1744, and they remained there until 1950. They were also at Craick in Borthwick Water for more than a century from 1817. The Garwald Moffats have now died out in the male line. Other lands settled by Moffats as the family scattered were Sundaywell and Lochurr. They were there from the latter part of the seventeenth century for over three hundred years. They were very successful farmers and founders of the renowned Lochurr herd of native Galloway cattle.
The Moffats, like many other Borders families, were raiders and reivers, and had many feuds with other clans. Their most notable enemies were the powerful Johnstones. In 1557 the Johnstones murdered Robert Moffat, possibly then the clan chief, and burned a building in which a number of leading Moffats had gathered. They slaughtered all those who tried to escape. From that date the Moffats were considered a leaderless clan, until 1983, when the late Francis Moffat, after many years of research, was recognised as hereditary clan chief, and the Lord Lyon confirmed to him the undifferenced arms of Moffat of that Ilk. His daughter, the present chief, succeeded to the title on his death in April 1992.
Moffats have branched out all over the world, many achieving fame, such as the Reverend Robert Moffat who was patriarch of African missions and founded the Kuruman mission. His daughter married David Livingstone.
Clan: Nixon
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Mangerton) Argent, three pallets Azure.
Crest: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.
Motto: Invictus Maneo (I remain unvanquished)
District: Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Mangerton
Sept of: Armstrong
Tartan: Armstrong
Scottish and English. Upper Liddesdale, Bewcastle, Line rivers. Often described as having many "loose men". Chief branch, Steile.
The sons of Nick were a troublesome breed, and an important part of the Armstrong-Elliot-Nixon-Croser confederacy. Although a smaller and less compact family than the Armstrongs, they were important enough to have Thomsons, Glendennings, and Hunters living "under them", which is another way of saying associated with them. Like other Liddesdales, they sometimes allied with England.
Notables: Fingerless Will Nixon, Archie of the Steile, Ill-drowned Geordie.
Common on West Marches of the borders,
Nixon is considered a sept of two different clans - Armstrong and MacNicol. Technically, though, the Armstrong association is not a sept-clan association, but rather an associated family situation.
The Nixons, along with several other families like the Crosiers, Crozers, Fairbairns, and Groziers, lived in the lands controlled by the Armstrong Lairds (which happened to be on the border with England). They rode with them on cattle raids, fought in wars with them, and otherwise served as members of the clan. Over time, Nixons were on both sides of the border with England, and often crossed back and forth, either moving or raiding. During the Highland Clearances, the Armstrong chiefs and their families were hunted down and killed, and the remainder of the families were scattered. Many went to Ireland, and then on to America.
The other group of Nixons, the MacNicol Nixons, lived on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of Scotland. The MacNicols were loosely associated with the MacLeods and the McDonalds at different points. The main MacNicol stronghold was a place called Scorrybreac, the name of which is their war cry. Recently, the MacNicol family associations of the world pooled their money and bought back some of the land, including the castle. The current clan chief lives there now. (The Steel Bonnets)
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: (of Mangerton) Argent, three pallets Azure.
Crest: An arm from the shoulder, armed proper.
Motto: Invictus Maneo (I remain unvanquished)
District: Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Mangerton
Sept of: Armstrong
Tartan: Armstrong
Scottish and English. Upper Liddesdale, Bewcastle, Line rivers. Often described as having many "loose men". Chief branch, Steile.
The sons of Nick were a troublesome breed, and an important part of the Armstrong-Elliot-Nixon-Croser confederacy. Although a smaller and less compact family than the Armstrongs, they were important enough to have Thomsons, Glendennings, and Hunters living "under them", which is another way of saying associated with them. Like other Liddesdales, they sometimes allied with England.
Notables: Fingerless Will Nixon, Archie of the Steile, Ill-drowned Geordie.
Common on West Marches of the borders,
Nixon is considered a sept of two different clans - Armstrong and MacNicol. Technically, though, the Armstrong association is not a sept-clan association, but rather an associated family situation.
The Nixons, along with several other families like the Crosiers, Crozers, Fairbairns, and Groziers, lived in the lands controlled by the Armstrong Lairds (which happened to be on the border with England). They rode with them on cattle raids, fought in wars with them, and otherwise served as members of the clan. Over time, Nixons were on both sides of the border with England, and often crossed back and forth, either moving or raiding. During the Highland Clearances, the Armstrong chiefs and their families were hunted down and killed, and the remainder of the families were scattered. Many went to Ireland, and then on to America.
The other group of Nixons, the MacNicol Nixons, lived on the Isle of Skye, off the coast of Scotland. The MacNicols were loosely associated with the MacLeods and the McDonalds at different points. The main MacNicol stronghold was a place called Scorrybreac, the name of which is their war cry. Recently, the MacNicol family associations of the world pooled their money and bought back some of the land, including the castle. The current clan chief lives there now. (The Steel Bonnets)
Clan: Scott
Chief: Richard Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, The Duke of Buccleuch
Arms: Or, on a bend Azure, a six pointed star between two crescents of the First
Crest: A stag trippant Proper, attired and unguled Or
Motto: Amo (I love)
District: West Teviotdale, Ewesdale, Eskdale, and Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Dalkieth Palace/Bowhill House
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Scott
The Latin word “Scotti” originally denoted the Irish Celts and later the Gaels in general.The earliest certain record of the name was of Uchtredus filius Scotti, who lived around 1130. From him were descended the Scotts of Buccleuch and the Scotts of Balwearie.
The Scotts married well and acquired more lands and in time became one of the most powerful border clans.
As with most Borders families, the Scotts quarrelled regularly with their neighbours and would gather for battle at Bellendean, near the head of the Borthwick Water in Roxburghshire. “A Bellendaine” is cited in ballad books of the time as their war cry, and it is also the slogan of the clan Scott upon the standard of the “Bold Buccleuch”, as they are known.
The Scotts had become one of the most powerful of all the Border clans by the end of the fifteenth century and the chief could call upon a thousand spears to support him. Like most of the Border Reiver clans the Scotts quarrelled with their neighbours, in particular the Clan Kerr. The feud came to an end when Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst married Janet Scott who was the sister of the tenth Laird of Buccleuch. Clan Elliot was also seen as a rival clan.
The importance of the Scott clan is shown in the splendid marriage of Anne Scott to James, Duke of Monmouth (the illegitimate son of King Charles II) and in the fact that he adopted the name Scott when the marriage was agreed. The Scott family is known today for the internationally acclaimed Buccleuch art collection housed in the three great houses of the family. (Scotclans)
Chief: Richard Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, The Duke of Buccleuch
Arms: Or, on a bend Azure, a six pointed star between two crescents of the First
Crest: A stag trippant Proper, attired and unguled Or
Motto: Amo (I love)
District: West Teviotdale, Ewesdale, Eskdale, and Liddesdale
Historic Seat: Dalkieth Palace/Bowhill House
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Scott
The Latin word “Scotti” originally denoted the Irish Celts and later the Gaels in general.The earliest certain record of the name was of Uchtredus filius Scotti, who lived around 1130. From him were descended the Scotts of Buccleuch and the Scotts of Balwearie.
The Scotts married well and acquired more lands and in time became one of the most powerful border clans.
As with most Borders families, the Scotts quarrelled regularly with their neighbours and would gather for battle at Bellendean, near the head of the Borthwick Water in Roxburghshire. “A Bellendaine” is cited in ballad books of the time as their war cry, and it is also the slogan of the clan Scott upon the standard of the “Bold Buccleuch”, as they are known.
The Scotts had become one of the most powerful of all the Border clans by the end of the fifteenth century and the chief could call upon a thousand spears to support him. Like most of the Border Reiver clans the Scotts quarrelled with their neighbours, in particular the Clan Kerr. The feud came to an end when Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehurst married Janet Scott who was the sister of the tenth Laird of Buccleuch. Clan Elliot was also seen as a rival clan.
The importance of the Scott clan is shown in the splendid marriage of Anne Scott to James, Duke of Monmouth (the illegitimate son of King Charles II) and in the fact that he adopted the name Scott when the marriage was agreed. The Scott family is known today for the internationally acclaimed Buccleuch art collection housed in the three great houses of the family. (Scotclans)
Clan: Thomson
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a stag’s head cabossed Gules attired Or and on a chief Azure and on a chief Azure a cross crosslet fitchy Or between two spur-rowells Argent
Crest: A thistle Proper
Motto: Pro Patria (For one’s country)
District: Eskdale, ~Liddesdales
Historic Seat: N/A
Sept of: Mactavish?
Tartan: Thompson/Thomson/MacTavish
There are lots of Thom(p)sons around, it is one of the most common names in Scotland today, Thom(p)son is popular in the Borders, Lothians, Perth/Argyle. Even in Shetlands where the name was ‘Thomason’ ’Son of Thomas’.
The name Thom(p)son is patronymic, in that the next generation is named after the father’s personal name. So means literally ‘son of Thom’. Because of this there is no single originating family named Thomson responsible for all the Scottish Thom(p)sons found today. So there is no original place to pin point on a map like other Clans & Families. Therefore not all Thom(p)sons are linked.
Thom(p)sons were located in the West March of the borders. They were among the border Clans listed with lairds (not the same as chiefs) in the 1587 and 1594 Acts of the Scottish Parliament.
The Thomsons of Eskdale were a rather small fifteenth-century clan closely aligned with the larger families of Beattison and Nixons. In the 1540s the English Lord Wharton reported to the Earl of Shewsbury that the Batysons, Thomsons, and Lytles of Esskdayle have made raiding (reiving) forays on several English towns.
In 1547 the English Lords Lennox and Wharton crossed the Esk River to subdue the south of Annandale and Castlemilk. The continuing reiving on the borders resulted in several lairds and clans being forced to give an oath of obedience to the King of England. In Carlisle Cathedral Library, there are lists of the names including 166 Beatties and Thomsons who had surrendered to the English King. The 1551 peace accord created the Debatable Lands between the Esk and Sark rivers which belonged to neither kingdom. So this was neither Scotland or England. People living in this area were only allowed to graze cattle, goats and pigs. They were not allowed to erect any building. The Lords warden of both England and Scotland frequently made raids into the area to destroy temporary buildings and apprehend those who tried to live there. Can not begin to imagine how hard life would have been for them. This is one of the reasons why so many from the area ended up emigrating to other Countries. (Scotclans)
The US Clan MacThomas Society has been working to get the Thom(p)sons recognised as a Clan of the borders through the auspices of the Lyon Court. Like the Irvines, they quote the 1587 Act as evidence of their status. As a work in progress, fhey have been granted arms – these are corporate arms for the Society. Members of the Society will be able to use the society crest.
Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a stag’s head cabossed Gules attired Or and on a chief Azure and on a chief Azure a cross crosslet fitchy Or between two spur-rowells Argent
Crest: A thistle Proper
Motto: Pro Patria (For one’s country)
District: Eskdale, ~Liddesdales
Historic Seat: N/A
Sept of: Mactavish?
Tartan: Thompson/Thomson/MacTavish
There are lots of Thom(p)sons around, it is one of the most common names in Scotland today, Thom(p)son is popular in the Borders, Lothians, Perth/Argyle. Even in Shetlands where the name was ‘Thomason’ ’Son of Thomas’.
The name Thom(p)son is patronymic, in that the next generation is named after the father’s personal name. So means literally ‘son of Thom’. Because of this there is no single originating family named Thomson responsible for all the Scottish Thom(p)sons found today. So there is no original place to pin point on a map like other Clans & Families. Therefore not all Thom(p)sons are linked.
Thom(p)sons were located in the West March of the borders. They were among the border Clans listed with lairds (not the same as chiefs) in the 1587 and 1594 Acts of the Scottish Parliament.
The Thomsons of Eskdale were a rather small fifteenth-century clan closely aligned with the larger families of Beattison and Nixons. In the 1540s the English Lord Wharton reported to the Earl of Shewsbury that the Batysons, Thomsons, and Lytles of Esskdayle have made raiding (reiving) forays on several English towns.
In 1547 the English Lords Lennox and Wharton crossed the Esk River to subdue the south of Annandale and Castlemilk. The continuing reiving on the borders resulted in several lairds and clans being forced to give an oath of obedience to the King of England. In Carlisle Cathedral Library, there are lists of the names including 166 Beatties and Thomsons who had surrendered to the English King. The 1551 peace accord created the Debatable Lands between the Esk and Sark rivers which belonged to neither kingdom. So this was neither Scotland or England. People living in this area were only allowed to graze cattle, goats and pigs. They were not allowed to erect any building. The Lords warden of both England and Scotland frequently made raids into the area to destroy temporary buildings and apprehend those who tried to live there. Can not begin to imagine how hard life would have been for them. This is one of the reasons why so many from the area ended up emigrating to other Countries. (Scotclans)
The US Clan MacThomas Society has been working to get the Thom(p)sons recognised as a Clan of the borders through the auspices of the Lyon Court. Like the Irvines, they quote the 1587 Act as evidence of their status. As a work in progress, fhey have been granted arms – these are corporate arms for the Society. Members of the Society will be able to use the society crest.
Other Major Border Clans/Families living in the West and Middle Marches, not mentioned in the 1587 Act
Clan: Douglas
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a mans heart ensigned of an Imperial Crown Proper, and on chief Azure, three stars of the field
Crest: On a chapeau, a green salamander surrounded by fire
Motto: Jamais arrière (Never behind)
District: Lanark
Historic Seat: Douglas Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Douglas
Clan Douglas, also referred to as the House of Douglas, is an ancient family from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan.
The Douglases were once the most powerful family in Scotland. The chiefs held the titles of the Earl of Douglas, and following their forfeiture the chieftancy devolved upon the Earl of Angus (see also: Duke of Hamilton). The 4th Earl of Morton held the chieftaincy during the 16th century, the Earldom of Morton was then a subsidiary title of the 8th Earl of Angus after the 4th Earl’s forfeiture and death in 1581.The family’s original seat was Douglas Castle in Lanarkshire, but they spread to many properties throughout Southern and North-Eastern Scotland.
Two of the greatest of the Flemish families to immigrate to Scotland were Murray and Douglas. The founder of Murray was a Fleming named Freskin, who was granted land in West Lothian and Moray by David I of Scotland. Although they were first recorded in the 1170s, the Douglas family names consisted of Arkenbald and Freskin, and were undoubtedly related to the Murrays, and to be of Flemish origin. Though the Flemish origin of the Douglases is not undisputed, it is often claimed that he was descended from a Flemish knight who was granted lands on the Douglas Water by the Abbot of Kelso, who held the barony and lordship of Holydean. However this is disputed, it has been claimed that the lands which were granted to this knight were not the lands which the Douglas family came from.
The undisputed ancestor of the modern lineage is William of Douglas, whose name appears as a witness to charters between 1175 and 1211 around Lanarkshire, including a charter by the Bishop of Glasgow to the monks of Kelso. There is also record of his son, Sir John de Douglas, and his grandson Sir William de Douglas, believed to have been the third head of the family, was the father of two sons who fought at the Battle of Largs in 1263 where the Norwegians were defeated by the Scots.
A hugely important family, their history is the fabric upon which Scotland was built but the recession of the 1870’s greatly damaged the Douglas family estates. Indeed, the 9th Marquess had to sell his seat of Kinmount in Dumfriesshire.
For a while, they married daughters of rich industrialists to prop up the family finances but the 1929 depression saw the end of Douglas family seats in Scotland with the 1931 sale of Grangemuir, just north of Pittenweem in Fife. Grangemuir is now a ruin and a caravan park. The descendents of that final seat, taken by William Robert Keith Douglas, are buried in the Douglas family graveyard in Dunino, just south of St. Andrews. The family papers are additionally lodged in the special collections of St. Andrews University Library. Interestingly, many of the Douglases spontaneously & individually converted to Roman Catholicismduring the 20th century.
By the 1950’s, the Douglas family was completely broke and had to take jobs which have mostly been in teaching or academia. The current head of the Douglas family, David Harrington Angus Douglas, 12th Marquess of Queensberry, was Professor of Ceramics at the Royal College of Art in London.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent, a mans heart ensigned of an Imperial Crown Proper, and on chief Azure, three stars of the field
Crest: On a chapeau, a green salamander surrounded by fire
Motto: Jamais arrière (Never behind)
District: Lanark
Historic Seat: Douglas Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Douglas
Clan Douglas, also referred to as the House of Douglas, is an ancient family from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan.
The Douglases were once the most powerful family in Scotland. The chiefs held the titles of the Earl of Douglas, and following their forfeiture the chieftancy devolved upon the Earl of Angus (see also: Duke of Hamilton). The 4th Earl of Morton held the chieftaincy during the 16th century, the Earldom of Morton was then a subsidiary title of the 8th Earl of Angus after the 4th Earl’s forfeiture and death in 1581.The family’s original seat was Douglas Castle in Lanarkshire, but they spread to many properties throughout Southern and North-Eastern Scotland.
Two of the greatest of the Flemish families to immigrate to Scotland were Murray and Douglas. The founder of Murray was a Fleming named Freskin, who was granted land in West Lothian and Moray by David I of Scotland. Although they were first recorded in the 1170s, the Douglas family names consisted of Arkenbald and Freskin, and were undoubtedly related to the Murrays, and to be of Flemish origin. Though the Flemish origin of the Douglases is not undisputed, it is often claimed that he was descended from a Flemish knight who was granted lands on the Douglas Water by the Abbot of Kelso, who held the barony and lordship of Holydean. However this is disputed, it has been claimed that the lands which were granted to this knight were not the lands which the Douglas family came from.
The undisputed ancestor of the modern lineage is William of Douglas, whose name appears as a witness to charters between 1175 and 1211 around Lanarkshire, including a charter by the Bishop of Glasgow to the monks of Kelso. There is also record of his son, Sir John de Douglas, and his grandson Sir William de Douglas, believed to have been the third head of the family, was the father of two sons who fought at the Battle of Largs in 1263 where the Norwegians were defeated by the Scots.
A hugely important family, their history is the fabric upon which Scotland was built but the recession of the 1870’s greatly damaged the Douglas family estates. Indeed, the 9th Marquess had to sell his seat of Kinmount in Dumfriesshire.
For a while, they married daughters of rich industrialists to prop up the family finances but the 1929 depression saw the end of Douglas family seats in Scotland with the 1931 sale of Grangemuir, just north of Pittenweem in Fife. Grangemuir is now a ruin and a caravan park. The descendents of that final seat, taken by William Robert Keith Douglas, are buried in the Douglas family graveyard in Dunino, just south of St. Andrews. The family papers are additionally lodged in the special collections of St. Andrews University Library. Interestingly, many of the Douglases spontaneously & individually converted to Roman Catholicismduring the 20th century.
By the 1950’s, the Douglas family was completely broke and had to take jobs which have mostly been in teaching or academia. The current head of the Douglas family, David Harrington Angus Douglas, 12th Marquess of Queensberry, was Professor of Ceramics at the Royal College of Art in London.
Clan: Hendersons (Mac Eanruig)
Clan Chief: Alistair Henderson of Fordall
Arms: Parted per pale dancette Or and Sab;e, on chief Argent a cerscent Azure between two Ermine spots
Crest: A cubit Proper the hand holding an estoile Or surmounted by a cresecent Azure
Motto: Sola Virtus Nobilitat (Virtue alone ennobles)
District: Liddesdale
Historical Seat: Fordell Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Henderson
There are three origins for the Scottish surname of Henderson. The Hendersons who lived in the Scottish Borders seem to be simply the sons of Henry, and here the name is often found in the variant of Henryson. Although these Hendersons were not a significant power in the Borders they were still classed as a riding clan. In about 1374 William Henderson was chamberlain of Lochmaben Castle. He is believed to have died in about 1395.
There were also Hendersons who were septs of the Clan MacDonald of Glen Coe and septs of the Clan Gunn in the far north of the country. There is no known connection between the Hendersons of Clan Gunn and Clan MacDonald or the Hendersons of the Scottish Borders.16th century. In 1513 James Henderson of Fordell was killed along with his eldest son at the Battle of Flooded.
The clan spread from Dumfriesshire to Liddesdale, however they do not appear in the list of border clans that were named by Parliament in 1587, when it was attempting to suppress the Border Reivers. From the Dumfrieshire family of Hendersons descended James Henderson or Henryson who became Lord Advocate in about 1494.e was later appointed to the Bench. He acquired lands in Fordell, Fife and erected a mansion (Fordell Castle ). Fordell became the designation of the Lowland Henderson chiefs and it is from them that the present chiefs are descended.[
The Chief of Clan Henderson is Alistair Donald Henderson of Fordell, an environmental engineer specialising in air pollution control who lives in Melbourne, Australia. The Chief is recognised by Lord Lyon King of Arms, and is a member of the Standing Council Of Scottish Chiefs.
Clan Chief: Alistair Henderson of Fordall
Arms: Parted per pale dancette Or and Sab;e, on chief Argent a cerscent Azure between two Ermine spots
Crest: A cubit Proper the hand holding an estoile Or surmounted by a cresecent Azure
Motto: Sola Virtus Nobilitat (Virtue alone ennobles)
District: Liddesdale
Historical Seat: Fordell Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Henderson
There are three origins for the Scottish surname of Henderson. The Hendersons who lived in the Scottish Borders seem to be simply the sons of Henry, and here the name is often found in the variant of Henryson. Although these Hendersons were not a significant power in the Borders they were still classed as a riding clan. In about 1374 William Henderson was chamberlain of Lochmaben Castle. He is believed to have died in about 1395.
There were also Hendersons who were septs of the Clan MacDonald of Glen Coe and septs of the Clan Gunn in the far north of the country. There is no known connection between the Hendersons of Clan Gunn and Clan MacDonald or the Hendersons of the Scottish Borders.16th century. In 1513 James Henderson of Fordell was killed along with his eldest son at the Battle of Flooded.
The clan spread from Dumfriesshire to Liddesdale, however they do not appear in the list of border clans that were named by Parliament in 1587, when it was attempting to suppress the Border Reivers. From the Dumfrieshire family of Hendersons descended James Henderson or Henryson who became Lord Advocate in about 1494.e was later appointed to the Bench. He acquired lands in Fordell, Fife and erected a mansion (Fordell Castle ). Fordell became the designation of the Lowland Henderson chiefs and it is from them that the present chiefs are descended.[
The Chief of Clan Henderson is Alistair Donald Henderson of Fordell, an environmental engineer specialising in air pollution control who lives in Melbourne, Australia. The Chief is recognised by Lord Lyon King of Arms, and is a member of the Standing Council Of Scottish Chiefs.
Clan: Maxwell
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent a saltire Sable
Crest: A stag Proper, couchant before a holly bush Proper
Motto: Reviresco (I grow strong again)
District: Nithsdale
Historic seat: Caerlaverock Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Maxwell
The name is taken probably from Maccuswell, or Maxwell, near Kelso, Scotland, in the barony of Holydean. The name Maxwell originates from Maccus, a Norse chief and son of Undweyn, who gave his name to Maccuswell, a pool of the river Tweed near Kelso bridge. A grandson of Maccus, John Maxwell, became chamberlain of Scotland before dying in 1241, to be succeeded by his brother Aylmer. From Aylmer sprang many branches of the family throughout the south-west of Scotland.However, as the clan does not currently have a chief it is considered an Armigerous Clan. Maxwell was at one time one of the most powerful clans in the borders, with feuds against their rivals the Johnstons and others, being supported by Clan Carruthers at times.
The twenty or so generations of direct male lineage known as the Lords Maxwell were the chiefly line of the Maxwell family from the birth of the name in the twelfth century with Herbert de Maccusweil to the fifth Earl of Nithsdale and William his son in the eighteenth century. We have looked at Herbert and his son Aymer elsewhere on this site so we now deal with Sir Herbert de Maxwell of Maxwell, Caerlaverock and Mearns. This noble was firmly in the camp of John Balliol who was his overlord in the Southwest. He was also Judiciary of Galloway and to further complicate things he was also the Sheriff of Dumfries. These powerful posts enriched Herbert’s power but pulled him in two opposing directions during the wars of independence. John Balliol became the puppet King of Scots in 1292 under the auspices of Edward I, but went to war with the English in 1295,. The ‘rebellion’ was put down by the English king with alarming speed as the Scots nobles fought amongst themselves.
Sir Herbert Maxwell appears on the Ragmans Rolls of 1296, swearing fealty to Edward I ofEngland. Herbert's son, Eustace Maxwell held Caerlaverock Castle as a vassal of the English, however he later followed Robert the Bruce to the Battle of Bannockburn and tough at his side.
However Herbert and his son John were amongst the many who swore fealty to Edward in 1296, which was true to their Anglo sympathies in light of their only being two or possibly three generations removed from the Norman/English court themselves. In 1300 the English besieged Caerlaverock. It is not known if the Maxwells were in command of it at the time but some six years later they were compensated by the new King Robert the Bruce for it being disabled. Sir Eustace Maxwell was head of the family by this time. He was still uncertain as to where his loyalties lay. He had on one side of him the English in Annandale under the Earl of Northampton and the deposed king, John Balliol’s family and supporters on the other. King Robert I eventually prevailed and the country was again at an uneasy peace. Sir Eustace was one of the knights who accompanied ‘the good’ Sir James Douglas when he took the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy land after his death in 1329 and is reputed to have been the knight who recovered the heart in its silver casket from the battlefield in Spain where the mission floundered and Sir James was killed.
In 1333 King David II’s army was defeated by Edward III of England at Halidon Hill. The English army was supported by Edward Balliol, son of the deposed King John, who Edward had crowned King of Scots. After the defeat, Sir Eustace Maxwell sided with his old overlords family and for some years supported the usurper’s crown but when David returned to Scotland in 1340 he reverted to his former loyalty. He died in 1342 and was succeeded by his brother Sir John. Sir John Maxwell was with King David at his defeat at Nevilles Cross in October 1346 and was taken prisoner with his king. He died in captivity within the year and his son Sir Herbert became Lord of Maxwell. Herbert was restored to Caerlaverock by the English king in 1347 having first sworn fealty. In 1353 William, Lord Douglas invaded Galloway and crushed the Balliol supporters finally. Sir Herbert quickly reversed his loyalty to the captive King David and died a few weeks later. He was succeeded by his brother Sir John and the Maxwell Lords were ever loyal to the line of Bruce thereafter. The Balliols then disappear from history and the Douglas family became the principle power in the south-west with an adherent Maxwell family in their train.
Archibald Douglas the Grim, a son of the good Sir James Douglas was conferred in the Lordship of Galloway when Robert II mounted the throne in 1371. Under Archibald, Sir John’s son Robert Maxwell became, Steward of Kirkcudbright and with Archibald and the Earl of Douglas threw the English out of Annandale in February 1384. The English army returned to Scotland later that year under John of Gaunt and burnt Edinburgh and other towns on the Eastern border. But a huge army under Douglas countered and burnt Carlisle and Durham, two cities of greater value than all those in Scotland. Sir Robert Maxwell rebuilt Caerlaverock and fortified it again reprisal attacks but the English were on the run and the Scots under the Douglas’s raided into England on a regular basis despoiling the land and returning with a great wealth of booty. The Lords of Maxwell gained greatly under their warlike overlords in an uncertain time in dangerous lands.
It is probably a good time to explain something of the rank and title of the Lords of Maxwell. Up until this time the head of the Maxwell family is known as Lord of Maxwell. That is, that he is the Lord of the lands of his paternal barony of Maxwell in Roxburghshire. He was also the Lord of Caerlaverock, the barony and castle of that name in the county of Dumfries, but sometimes he was deprived of this holding and so is not always known as such. These lordships are not however Lords of Parliament or Barons as in the modern sense of the word but are old Scottish Baronies and Lordships. In addition to these two principle baronies they were lords of the lesser baronies of Mearns in Renfrewshire and Pencaitland in the county of Haddington. All young men of rank were knighted and therefore know as Sir John or Sir Robert etc. This said, Sir Robert Maxwell of Maxwell, Caerlaverock, Mearns and Pencaitland was a very important Scottish noble of the first order and amongst the thirty most powerful men in Scotland.
Sir Robert’s son Sir Herbert, was created a Lord of Parliament around 1440 as Lord Maxwell. In the 1420’s the Douglas power in the Southwest was beginning to fail as jealous Lords close to King James took advantage of the absence of the Earl of Douglas who had ventured to France at the head of 10,000 men for the service of the French king, Charles. There he was killed in battle in 1424 and Galloway came under the power of his mother, Margaret, sister of James I. The powerful Douglas family had many cadets but as each came to lead the mighty house they were cut down by the power hungry courtiers that surrounded the monarch. William, the eighth Earl of Douglas was the last of his house to hold absolute power in the Southwest in 1452 he was summoned to Stirling by James II and murdered by James and his supporters at a banquet. Upon the ashes of the fallen Douglas family the Lords Maxwell rose to power.
Clan Chief: Armigerous
Arms: Argent a saltire Sable
Crest: A stag Proper, couchant before a holly bush Proper
Motto: Reviresco (I grow strong again)
District: Nithsdale
Historic seat: Caerlaverock Castle
Sept of: N/A
Tartan: Maxwell
The name is taken probably from Maccuswell, or Maxwell, near Kelso, Scotland, in the barony of Holydean. The name Maxwell originates from Maccus, a Norse chief and son of Undweyn, who gave his name to Maccuswell, a pool of the river Tweed near Kelso bridge. A grandson of Maccus, John Maxwell, became chamberlain of Scotland before dying in 1241, to be succeeded by his brother Aylmer. From Aylmer sprang many branches of the family throughout the south-west of Scotland.However, as the clan does not currently have a chief it is considered an Armigerous Clan. Maxwell was at one time one of the most powerful clans in the borders, with feuds against their rivals the Johnstons and others, being supported by Clan Carruthers at times.
The twenty or so generations of direct male lineage known as the Lords Maxwell were the chiefly line of the Maxwell family from the birth of the name in the twelfth century with Herbert de Maccusweil to the fifth Earl of Nithsdale and William his son in the eighteenth century. We have looked at Herbert and his son Aymer elsewhere on this site so we now deal with Sir Herbert de Maxwell of Maxwell, Caerlaverock and Mearns. This noble was firmly in the camp of John Balliol who was his overlord in the Southwest. He was also Judiciary of Galloway and to further complicate things he was also the Sheriff of Dumfries. These powerful posts enriched Herbert’s power but pulled him in two opposing directions during the wars of independence. John Balliol became the puppet King of Scots in 1292 under the auspices of Edward I, but went to war with the English in 1295,. The ‘rebellion’ was put down by the English king with alarming speed as the Scots nobles fought amongst themselves.
Sir Herbert Maxwell appears on the Ragmans Rolls of 1296, swearing fealty to Edward I ofEngland. Herbert's son, Eustace Maxwell held Caerlaverock Castle as a vassal of the English, however he later followed Robert the Bruce to the Battle of Bannockburn and tough at his side.
However Herbert and his son John were amongst the many who swore fealty to Edward in 1296, which was true to their Anglo sympathies in light of their only being two or possibly three generations removed from the Norman/English court themselves. In 1300 the English besieged Caerlaverock. It is not known if the Maxwells were in command of it at the time but some six years later they were compensated by the new King Robert the Bruce for it being disabled. Sir Eustace Maxwell was head of the family by this time. He was still uncertain as to where his loyalties lay. He had on one side of him the English in Annandale under the Earl of Northampton and the deposed king, John Balliol’s family and supporters on the other. King Robert I eventually prevailed and the country was again at an uneasy peace. Sir Eustace was one of the knights who accompanied ‘the good’ Sir James Douglas when he took the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy land after his death in 1329 and is reputed to have been the knight who recovered the heart in its silver casket from the battlefield in Spain where the mission floundered and Sir James was killed.
In 1333 King David II’s army was defeated by Edward III of England at Halidon Hill. The English army was supported by Edward Balliol, son of the deposed King John, who Edward had crowned King of Scots. After the defeat, Sir Eustace Maxwell sided with his old overlords family and for some years supported the usurper’s crown but when David returned to Scotland in 1340 he reverted to his former loyalty. He died in 1342 and was succeeded by his brother Sir John. Sir John Maxwell was with King David at his defeat at Nevilles Cross in October 1346 and was taken prisoner with his king. He died in captivity within the year and his son Sir Herbert became Lord of Maxwell. Herbert was restored to Caerlaverock by the English king in 1347 having first sworn fealty. In 1353 William, Lord Douglas invaded Galloway and crushed the Balliol supporters finally. Sir Herbert quickly reversed his loyalty to the captive King David and died a few weeks later. He was succeeded by his brother Sir John and the Maxwell Lords were ever loyal to the line of Bruce thereafter. The Balliols then disappear from history and the Douglas family became the principle power in the south-west with an adherent Maxwell family in their train.
Archibald Douglas the Grim, a son of the good Sir James Douglas was conferred in the Lordship of Galloway when Robert II mounted the throne in 1371. Under Archibald, Sir John’s son Robert Maxwell became, Steward of Kirkcudbright and with Archibald and the Earl of Douglas threw the English out of Annandale in February 1384. The English army returned to Scotland later that year under John of Gaunt and burnt Edinburgh and other towns on the Eastern border. But a huge army under Douglas countered and burnt Carlisle and Durham, two cities of greater value than all those in Scotland. Sir Robert Maxwell rebuilt Caerlaverock and fortified it again reprisal attacks but the English were on the run and the Scots under the Douglas’s raided into England on a regular basis despoiling the land and returning with a great wealth of booty. The Lords of Maxwell gained greatly under their warlike overlords in an uncertain time in dangerous lands.
It is probably a good time to explain something of the rank and title of the Lords of Maxwell. Up until this time the head of the Maxwell family is known as Lord of Maxwell. That is, that he is the Lord of the lands of his paternal barony of Maxwell in Roxburghshire. He was also the Lord of Caerlaverock, the barony and castle of that name in the county of Dumfries, but sometimes he was deprived of this holding and so is not always known as such. These lordships are not however Lords of Parliament or Barons as in the modern sense of the word but are old Scottish Baronies and Lordships. In addition to these two principle baronies they were lords of the lesser baronies of Mearns in Renfrewshire and Pencaitland in the county of Haddington. All young men of rank were knighted and therefore know as Sir John or Sir Robert etc. This said, Sir Robert Maxwell of Maxwell, Caerlaverock, Mearns and Pencaitland was a very important Scottish noble of the first order and amongst the thirty most powerful men in Scotland.
Sir Robert’s son Sir Herbert, was created a Lord of Parliament around 1440 as Lord Maxwell. In the 1420’s the Douglas power in the Southwest was beginning to fail as jealous Lords close to King James took advantage of the absence of the Earl of Douglas who had ventured to France at the head of 10,000 men for the service of the French king, Charles. There he was killed in battle in 1424 and Galloway came under the power of his mother, Margaret, sister of James I. The powerful Douglas family had many cadets but as each came to lead the mighty house they were cut down by the power hungry courtiers that surrounded the monarch. William, the eighth Earl of Douglas was the last of his house to hold absolute power in the Southwest in 1452 he was summoned to Stirling by James II and murdered by James and his supporters at a banquet. Upon the ashes of the fallen Douglas family the Lords Maxwell rose to power.
