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 Pringle Clan has been recorded since 1270, an early form of the name being Hoppringill. The family held many lands around Galashiels, where the name is first recorded in a charter granted during the reign of Alexander III. The Hoppringles were allied to the Earls of Douglas, serving as squires – at the Battle […]
The surname Mouat, also seen spelled Mouatt, Mowat, Mowatt, is a name of Norman origin, Mont Hault, or in Latin Monte Alto, meaning ‘of the high mount’. It was in Wales where the Monte Altos first settled, and where Mold is a shortened version of their territorial name. Robert Montealto is the first of this […]
It is generally thought that the name of Seton derives from the village of Sai, near Exmes in Normandy. Another school of thought, however, argues that the clan derives its name from the ‘sea town’ of Tranent, near Edinburgh. The family fortunes of the Seton family were secured at an early stage by marriage into […]
Born around 975, Crinan of Dunkeld was the Thane and Seneschal of the Isles. He was the father of King Duncan I, and grandfather of Gospatric. Gospatric was given the Earldom of Northumberland in 1067 by the recently arrived William the Conqueror. 19th century engraving of the ruins of Dunbar Castle In 1072 however, the […]
It has been suggested that the name Haldane originates from a phrase meaning ‘Half-Dane.’ It is certainly an ancient Scottish surname dating back to around the 12th century with the manor of Hauden being granted to the family around this time by William the Lion. A cadet branch of the family are reported to have […]
This name is found in a number of variants throughout Scotland – in the northern isles Moar is common, while the Aberdonian spelling of Moir is to be found on and around the east coast. In the lowlands, neither of these spellings is to be found, though the name Muir is very widespread. The gaelic […]
The name Kinninmont has a regional origin, with the name deriving from the lands of Kinninmonth in Fife. William I of Scotland (top) granted a charter for those lands to Odo, a seneschal to the Bishop of St. Andrews, between the years 1189 and 1199. An 1841 publication tells us that on the original charter, […]
The first recorded person of the name was William de Firsith on the Ragman Roll in Berwick on the 28th August 1296. Much of the records of Clan Forsyth were destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in the Civil War, therefore little is known. In the 14th century during the Wars of Scottish Independence Robert de Forsyth […]
The surname Pollock, or Pollok, is of territorial origin. It was taken by Peter, eldest son of Fulbert, or Fulburt, who was given a grant of Upper Pollock in Renfrewshire, and went on to take his name from the lands. The lands were given to him sometime between 1150 and 1153, during the reign of […]
