The surname gordon was first found in berwickshire an ancient county of scotland, presently part of the scottish borders council area, located in the eastern part of the borders region of scotland, where legend has it that they were granted lands by king malcolm ceanmore, successor to macbeth, in 1057, thus placing bearers of the name in. The gordons were a british army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994 when they amalgamated with the queens own highlanders to form the highlanders seaforths, gordons and camerons. Clan books discover your roots in your very own clan or family history book. A castle was first established on the site of the estate in 1479 by george, second earl of huntly, the great, great grandson of sir adam gordon, who had fought with robert the bruce at the battle of inverury in 8. At its simplest a clan is an extended family, kinship ties binding closely, different branches of the same family tree, different surnames linked through a common shared history. The gordon family became involved in a deadly battle for power between the king and the douglases.
The subject of septs is a contentious one and one which is difficult to resolve with any degree of historical accuracy. Aug 03, 2016 clan gordon, also known as the house of gordon, is a scottish clan. While the family organization in scotland calls itself the house of gordon, most publications use the more common clan gordon as does the book scottish clan and family encyclopedia considered the authority. Clan books english family names books scottish gifts. During the reformation, they fought with the men of mary queen of scots, resulting in huntly dying in battle and his son being beheaded before her. Another possibility is from a similarly named place in normandy. The clan gordon was at one point one of the most powerful. The origins of the clan gordon and their place in history scottish clan minibook. Alphabetical list of scottish names associated with clans and. Gordon is a village in the old county of berwickshire, scotland and is now part of the scottish borders council. The original gordon castle is said to have stood in the village of gordon, in the scottish borders, although today there is no trace of the first stronghold. The history of the ancient, noble, and illustrious family of gordon, from their first arrival in scotland, in malcolm iii.
Shop gordon tartan fabric, clothing and accessories and discover their history. So imagine my delight when we were given the minute book for clan gordon no. The chief of the clan was the powerful earl of huntly, and now also the marquess of huntly. There are also endless variations of scottish surnames and the list below is neither comprehensive nor definitive but is intended solely as a guide to the possible connections a name may have to a recognised clan or family featured in detail elsewhere. The constitution of the ladies auxiliary states that the objective of the organization was to promote social and. Giving visual impetus to this saga are numerous period illustrations printed in. This interactive clan map includes clan motto, tartan, history and geographical area of dozens of scotlands clans. In the 15th century, the chiefship of the clan passed to an heiress, who married into the seton family and.
Clan gordon was reported to have been one of the most powerful of all scottish clans and indeed still is and the fact that they have been linked to a great many castles seems to support this suggestion. This now brings us to the next adam gordon, who was the first of the gordons to be verifiably recorded in scottish history. The gordon clan is originally from normandy, where their ancestors are said to have had large possessions. If you belong to the clan gordon then this clan book is ideal for you makes a great gift idea. Gordon was the 50th most frequent surname at the general register office in 1995. You may checkout scottish tartan kilts for sale here. Gordon clan book a name with a number of possible points of origin, the gordons hold a prominent place in the pages of the drama that is scotlands frequently turbulent history.
The castle there became known as huntly and sir alexander gordon was created earl of huntly in 1449. In his late teens he moved to london and during this period he developed his passion painting. A selection of almost 400 printed items relating to the history of scottish families, mostly dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. These films are presented by the noted scottish author and broadcaster, carl macdougall. Historian angus mackay in his book of mackay 1906 compares two different genealogies of the early chiefs of the clan mackay. Clan gordon tartan print by rr mcian this print is from a series of sketches by the renowned highland artist r. We have broken down this article to talk about scottish clan tartan history and its complete background. The history of the gordon family begins in the boernician tribes of ancient scotland. Bydand abiding, steadfast, an adjectival use of the middle scots present participle of bide or a contraction of the scots phrase bide and fecht, meaning stay and fight. Gordon is a village in the scottish borders area of scotland, within the historic county of berwickshire. Clan chief sir john gordon was killed leading the clan at the battle of otterbum, where the english were defeated in 88. For scots across the globe, buying a great scottish clans dvd will be like owning a piece of family history. His son sir alexander gordon was the first gordon to be designated of huntly.
The village sits on the crossroads of the a6106 earlston to duns road and the a6089 edinburgh to kelso road. Clan gordon has connections to both the scottish borders and aberdeenshire, with many of their 149 castle sites sprinkled across the northeast of scotland. Shortly after its publication, the book was denounced as a forgery and the stuart brothers compilers who claimed to be bonnie prince charlies. Highland dress and tartan were used as part of a clans identity, and today scottish clan tartans can still be seen at highland games or at traditional scottish weddings. Their nearregal status earned their chiefs the still used nickname cock o the north. Every weekend, carl macdougall, will tell the story of one of scotlands famous clans. What we do we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to create, stimulate and sustain an interest in scotland, its history, traditions and culture. The order of scottish clans was founded in 1878 in st. The matted print will fit frame size 8 x 6 inches 20 x 15 cm and is in very good condition. The village sits on the crossroads of the a6106 earlston to duns road and the a6089 edinburgh to kelso road, it is 6 miles east of earlston and 4 miles west of greenlaw at grid reference nt64764306. Authored by our very own experienced journalisthistorian these books describe the origins of your family name in a light hearted and informative fashion. His paintings depicted events and scenes of drama and conflict from scotlands.
Gordon clan book scottish, irish and english family names. Beautifully photographed in high definition, they are accompanied by a specially recorded music soundtrack. The gordon family lived on the lands of gordon, in the former county of berwickshire, since ancient times. First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. From about the twelfth century, they were particularly identified with berwickshire, in the borders. This location is derived from the galloroman personal name gordus. The centuries are pushed back to chronicle the clans exciting past. Includes memoirs, genealogies and clan histories, with a few produced by emigrant families. While the family organization in scotland calls itself the house of gordon, most publications use the more common clan gordon as does the book scottish clan and family encyclopedia considered the. Clans, tartans, regiments from rampant scotland directory.
Gordon is certainly the oldest surname in my family tree, as it was the name of an ancient family of probable norman origin that later became a powerful clan in the north of scotland. See more ideas about scottish clans, family crest and crest tattoo. The ruin of huntly castle stands where the river bogie meets the deveron. Because the gordon family did not start as a clan, it is often referred to as the house of gordon, a name more tied to its norman descent. A concise history of the ancient and illustrious house of gordon ca gordon 1734 pdf file 9 mb the gay gordons,some strange stories of a famous scots family, bulloch 1908 pdf file 21 mb gordon book.
It was the seat of the chief of clan gordon for 500 years and even today shows the builders wealth and standing. During the wars of scottish independence in the th century, the gordons supported william wallace in the cause of independence. Makes a great gift not only for anyone belonging to clan gordon but also anyone interested in reading about the past. The origins of the clan gordon and their place in history scottish clan mini book. There is little doubt that bearers of gordon came to britiain with the normans, and it is generally thought that they descend from the place named gourdon in saoneetloire, normandy, but the oldest. Surnames regarded as septs subbranch of the gordon clan include addison, adie, aitcheson, aitken, barrie, cullen, eadie, edie, geddes, huntly, mavor, milne, todd. During the wars of scottish independence clan gordon supported robert the bruce and fought at the battle of halidon hill in 33. This section covers clans, clan societies, families, tartans, kilts and highland dress generally. The print book illustration also includes a small potted history of the clan as well as details of the clans badge, slogan and arms. These are extremely useful but usually only provide basic information tartan, crests, septs, and perhaps war cries. Clan gordon, also known as the house of gordon, is a scottish clan. There are an awful lot of scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it. The idea of a clanspecific tartan emerged fairly lateon in the history of the clan system, around the 18th century.
Gordon clan crest, bydand motto, gordon family gifts. The clan gordon tale is one of conflicting sides and bloody feuds with neighbouring clans, which spans the length of scotland and beyond. It is 6 miles 10 km east of earlston and 4 miles 6 km west of greenlaw gordon was served by trains on the berwickshire railway from 1863 to 1948. Some gordons claim to be clan gordon while others house of gordon out of personal preference or bias. The name gordon historically belong to anglo norman descent. The centuries are pushed back to chronicle the clan s exciting past. From the great antiquity of the race, many fabulous accounts have been given of the descent of the gordons. Scott clan history and tartan scotland history, clan. Links to regiments and scottish historical reenactment organisations and scots at home and abroad are also here. Its accuracy is not known for certain, but the story is certainly plausible. The first is by sir robert gordon, a 17thcentury historian and the second by alexander mackay of blackcastle, an 18th to 19thcentury historian who had access to the charters and historical documents of the mackay chiefs family. Ebenezer erskine of stirling, 16801754, and the rev. The fee for taking the gordon name was a bow a meal, hence the name bow a meal gordons.
Scotland is world famous for its clan system, which has its origins in a network of families who were loyal to a clan chief, often meeting at gatherings which became the precursor of todays highland gatherings. Take your pick from the widest selection of scottish clan crests available, with over 240 highland. As today i am covering the history of clan tartans or clan gordon. Alphabetical list of scottish names associated with clans. Most of this earliest history of the family has been taken from the book history of the house of gordon, vxiii vols. The chief of the clan is the powerful earl of huntly, and now also the marquess of huntly. Sep 04, 20 so imagine my delight when we were given the minute book for clan gordon no.
Clan gordon the clan gordon castle in morayshire also the gordon clan tartan and some clan history and pictures and paintings. The gordon clan motto is bydand which means remaining. Elsewhere, the genealogy section of rampant scotland directory also contains references to some clanfamily histories while clanfamily histories section. This book depicts a gripping often grim clan struggle set paradoxically amongst some of the worlds most stunning scenery. The origin of the gordon clan in scotland was not gaelic. Giving visual impetus to this saga are numerous period illustrations printed in sepia. The history of my scottish line is included here in a separate narrative, but much of it is somewhat speculative. The vestiarium scoticum was published in edinburgh in 1842 and purported to reproduce an ancient manuscript on the clan tartans of scotland, complete with colour illustrations. During this time the douglases burned huntly castle and devastated the gordon lands but the gordons didnt give up and soon defeated their. The origins of the clan system are ancient, historians suggesting they date back at least years long before scotland was a nation.
Scottish crest badges have only been worn by clan members on the bonnet since the 19th century. The board of directors of house of gordon usa therefore invites you to join our clan society. Henry erskine, of chirnside, berwickshire, 16241696, and his wife, margaret halcro of orkney, 16471725, and their children, the rev. Today, scottish crest badges are commonly used by members of scottish clans. The gordon highlanders took its name from the clan gordon and recruited principally from aberdeen and the northeast of scotland. Discover the history and origin of your scottish clan and family history with these fun entertaining and easy to read mini books. I have charted out the gordon lines for your use and would like anyone who has gordon history books that can do look ups. Clan gordon moved from berwickshire to dominate northeast scotland under their clan chief and were prominent in the jacobite risings founding a regiment whose name is held in awe. Belong to clan gordon trace back your familys history with tales which tell of the stirring history of this clan. The family of gordon is an ancient clan whose lineage dates back to the reign of king robert the bruce in the 14 th century. The scottish surname gordon may be derived from several locations. Gordon book histories of scottish families national.
The name emerges in scotland in late 12th century from the parish of gordon in berwickshire. However, much like clan tartans, scottish crest badges do not have a long history, and owe much to victorian era romanticism, and the dress of the highland regiments. Clan grant is a highland scottish clan which inhabited land in northern scotland since 16, although the clan is known to have existed farther back than that. During the various times of personal financial hardship in scotland particularly in the aftermath of the jacobite rebellions many grants moved elsewhere, mostly across the former british empire including canada, the united. We have over 250 scottish, irish and english clan mini books and booklets including campbell, mcdonald, thomson, armstrong, burns, buchanan, boyle, middleton, jenkins and many more. There are links to web sites with long lists of clans and families in the sections later on this page. Castles feature hugely in the history of clan gordon and many of the castles are still to be seen today, both renovated and restored or as ruins. Louis, missouri, as a fraternal and benefit society for americans of scottish descent and to preserve scottish traditions and customs. This clan book features the origins of clan gordon and delves into their place in history.
10 833 210 1001 1430 728 339 679 806 876 443 178 17 456 299 350 564 537 786 1162 1051 1485 448 1144 1232 1372 823 965 1139 118 404