Mesnieres in Normandy was the original home of the Norman family whose name was transformed to Manners, the surname of the Dukes of Rutland. A branch of this family moved into Lothian and then gradually into the Highlands of Scotland, where they became known first as de Meyneris, and eventually as Menzies. Robert de Meyneris […]
There are different opinions as to the origin of this surname. One connects it to a placename near Duns in Berwickshire, another suggests that it is derived from the old Scots word ‘gowk’ meaning cuckoo and that it is connected to Cukooburn in Roxburghshire. It would seem strange then that the crest is indeed a […]
The name Ross derives from the ancient Celtic word “Ros”, meaning “a promontory”, in this case the lands of Easter Ross. The clan is known to Highlanders as Clann Aindreas – the sons of Andrew. The traditional progenitor of the clan was Fearchar Mac an t Sagairt which is translated as “son of the priest”. […]
The surname Preston comes from the barony of Preston, or Prestoun, which was later called Gourtoun, and then finally Craigmillar in Midlothian. In 1222, Alured de Preston is recorded as a witness to a charter, and sometime between 1240 and 1250, Lyulph, son of Lyulph de Preston had a charter for a piece of land […]
The surname Wishart is the same as the old French name Guischard which derives from the old French word Wischard, meaning ‘prudent’, ‘wise’. Around the start of the 13th century, a grant of the mill teind to Cambuskenneth Abbey was witnessed by William Wischard. Cambuskenneth Abbey, near Stirling In 1245 John Wischard was recorded as […]
In Gaelic, dubh means black, and glas means grey. These are the main shades used in the tartan. The earliest recorded Douglas seems to be William of Douglas, whose name appears as a witness to charters between 1175 and 1211 around Lanarkshire, but from whom he was descended is unknown. An 1814 etching of Hermitage […]
Of ecclesiastic origin, this is a name derived from the gaelic Macaphersein, meaning “Son of the Parson”. The clan itself is reputed to have been founded by Murdo Cattenach, a priest of Kingussie in Badenoch. The MacPhersons formed part of the great Clan Chattan, and frequently disputed the leadership of this federation with the MacKintosh […]
The name derives possibly from the town of Gray in Haute-Saone, France. The first of the name in Scotland is Hugo de Gray in 1248, who was witness in a charter by Walter de Lundin. John Gray, mayor of Berwick, witnessed a gift of land to the Hospital of Soltre between 1250-66. Henry Grey of […]
Also found as Buttar and Butters, this surname is common in Fife and Perthshire, and may be connected with the old name Buttercask, the name of a village in the parish of Ardoch. Butter was the name of an old family in Perthshire, particularly Pitlochry, where they possessed the lands of Fascally, and the Butters […]
The clan Rose originates from the Norman family ‘de Ros’ who first settled in the district of Nairn in the middle of the thirteenth century. Through marriage to the de Bisset family, Hugo de Ros established his home at Kilravock, which has remained the designation of the chief and the family’s home to this day. […]
