Ulah Valley Brand

Geneolo^col^lbr^

Brigham Young University

Do

i^ot

Circ!sff3te

GIFT OF

Utah CountyGenealogical and Historical Society

>

Digitized by the Internet Archive

2009 with funding from Brigham Young University

in

http://www.archive.org/details/concerningsomescOOinne

/!..;

c^.

o-,

C
>^v^

-Z^^^^

c
-^

/f^

Concerning some Scotch Surnames.

CONCERNING

'^l^,

PROVO. UTAH

TO

JAMES MONCREIFF,
Lord Advocate of
Scotland^

ESQ., M.P.,

and Dean of the Faculty of

Advocates.

My

Dear Lord Advocate^

This
trifle

nvas written at your desire,

it to

and you did me

Notables at
attend.

the honour to

read

an assembly of Scotch
nvas

" Ulbster Hall,' ivhen I

myself unable

to

Having

thus stood godfather

to

the
it

young stranger, you

into the

will not object to

your gossip sending

ivorld under
is

the protection of your

name.

If my production

a fault,
it is

have at
little

least the

poor

Frenchwoman

s excuse, that

a very

one.

I have

the honour to be,

Very faithfully yours,

C.

Concerning

Some Scotch Surnames,

OW
^^
John,

that

we

all

have Surnames, we are

it

apt to forget that

was not always

so.

^ggggjggg^

We

cannot easily realise the time when

Abigail, were
reflect that

Thomas and Andrew, Mary and

is

each satisfied with a single name, nor

the use of two

not a refinement dating from an

obscure and unknown antiquity, but quite within

the reach of record and history.

The Normans
us

are thought to have been the

first

Family Names
ill

general.

to introduce the practice of fixed surnames

;

among

and

certainly a

little

while before the Conquest,

some of those adventurers had taken family names

from their chateaux in Normandy.
there
"

Neither

is

any village

in

Normandy," says Camden, "that

gave not denomination to some family

in

England."

But that these Norman surnames had not been of

long standing
it

is

very certain, for at the Conquest

since the
first

was only

60 years

band of North-

men rowed up

the Seine, under their leader Hrolf,

whom
name
Used in France
A. D. looo
;

our history books honour with the theatrical

of Rollo, but

who was known among

his people

as " Hrolf the Ganger."

in

But whether

in imitation of the

Norman

lords,

England, a.d.
1060; here,
1 100.

or from the great convenience of the distinction, the

C.

use of fixed surnames arose in France about the

year 1000, came into England sixty years

with the

later,

or

Norman Conquest, and reached us

1 1

in Scot-

land, speaking roundly, about the year

00.
in

The
number

first

examples of fixed surnames

in

any
"

in

England, are to be found

the Con-

queror's Valuation
in

Book

called

Domesday.

Yet

England," again to quote the judicious Master

" certain
it is,

Camden,

that as the better sort, even

from the Conquest, by

little

and

little

took surnames,

so they were not settled

among the common people fully until about the time of Edward the Second." We had our share of those dashing Norman
who
introduced

adventurers
of
chivalry

among

us the customs

and the surnames they had adopted

When
from
their

Introduced.

paternal

castles
for

across

the
in

Channel.

They made a rage

English princess

knighthood

both ends

of our island, and turned the ladies' heads.

An
who

declined

to

marry a
in

suitor

"had not two names ;"* and here

became the
reigns
I.
;

Scotland they

favourites

and companions of our sove-

witness the courtiers

his

who surrounded David

Briis,

and

grand -sons, whose names

Morevil,
Vipont,

and

Balliol,

Quinci,

De De

De UmpJiravil, De Berkelai, De De Vaux, and a hundred others

stories of

still thrill

on our tongues, and bring up

knightly feats of arms, of the battle-field, and the

tilting-ground.

On
style

the

Continent, especially in

France, this
origin

Territorial Sur-

names.

of surname,

showing

its

territorial

especially where
*

marked by the De, so much valued

Henry

I.

wished to marry his natural son Robert to Mabel,

one of the

heiresses of

FItz-Hamon.
to

The
shame

lady demurred,

"

It

were

me

a great

To
" Whereupon,"

have a lord withouten his twa name."

Robert of Gloster.

says

Camden, " the King,

after

his father,

gave him the

name of

Fitzroy,
his

who

was Earl of Glocester, and the only

worthy of

age in England."

Our Countess of Carrick, who

laid

violent hands

on

Sir

Robert de Bruce, and married him, must have

been of the same mind with Mabel Fitz-Hamon.

Scotch Surnames.

by our neighbours

is
;

considered as almost the

absolute test oi gentry

and many a pretty Frenchin

woman

has given herself and her fortune

exchange
aristo;

for little

more than the empty sound of the

cratic prefix.

With us
is

it

has never been so

and
have
terri-

our difference

not merely of language.

We

never recognized the principle of raising these

torial

names

into

an

aristocracy

of

gentry

top cream of society.

We
De

have no higher
Clifford, or

England
than

not even
Spensers,

Vere,

names Nevil
in

our

Fitzgeralds,

Stuarts,

Butlers,

names which cannot have a

Their E rafixed.

territorial origin.

The

era of fixed surnames does not rest only

It

on the authority of Camden.

can be proved by a
It

thousand records, English and Scotch.

seems to

me

it

is

almost sufficiently proved, when

of Stuart

we can
by

show the race

no surnames

families in opulence

already and power

later,

first

of Scotch

distinguished

for several generations after the

Nor-

man
I

conquest.*

Much

the ancestors of the

princely line of
* Alanus dapifer,

Hamilton were known as Walter

whom we now know
(thanks to George
family of Fitz-

Chalmers) to have been a son of the great

Norman

Alan, was content to distinguish himself in Scotland by the addition

of his
office alone.

His son styled himself Walter Fitz-Alan, and

Walter's son was called Alan Fitz- Walter, with the addition of

Whence Derived.
Fitz-Gilbert,

and Gilbert Fitz-Walter, before

it

oc-

curred to them to assume the

name
on

their

kinsmen

had borne
here,

in

England.

But you must allow me

and

for the present, to rest it

my

mere

asin

sertion, that

surnames were

first

used among us

the twelfth century, and

the following one.
in
It

came

into general use in

disposes of a host of fables

which our forefathers delighted, and some of

first

which were not unworthy of the

decade of Livy.

And
As

so

much

for the

Time.

to the derivation of surnames,

beg you to
families.

Lands named
before Persons.

remember, that places were named before

You have
plainly.

only to examine any of those names which

serve for lands

If

and

also for persons, to

see this

you found the name of

CriiicksJianks, or

Prettyinan, Black-viaiitle, or Great-head, you would

not hesitate.
SenescaUus Scotia

These are evidently coined

for persons,

Steivard Stuart from

fixed

their hereditary office,

which soon became the

In like
bearings,

surname of

their descendants.

manner, when they complied with

till

the fashion of armorial

after their settlement in

which was not

two generations

Scotland, they adopted the fess chequee (the checquer^ used for com-

puting, before the introduction of Arabic numerals), in allusion to

their office at the

Exchequer

table.

Scotch Surnames.

and you

find

no such names of land, or

for

the
little

double purpose.

But then you can have as

like Church-hill, Green-hill,
first

doubt that names

Hazel;

wood, Sandilands, were

given to places

and

when you

find

them borne both by lands and persons,

terri-

you will conclude the persons took them from the

tories.

In general, then,

when a

place and a family

have the same name,

it is

the place that gives

name
rule,

to the people, not the family to the place.

This

which

will not

be disputed by any one who has

bestowed some study or thought on the subject, has

very few exceptions.
afterwards.
Some
Fables
disposed of.

may

point out

some of these

In the meantime, this enables you to

banish, without hesitation, another class of fables, the

invention of a set of bungling genealogists, who,

by

a process

like

that which

heralds call cafitittg

catching at a sound

pretend that the Douglases

Gaelic word, said to

had

their

name from a
at all
beast,

mean a
first

dark grey man, but which never could be descriptive

of a
called

man
For

That

the Forbeses were at

because they killed a great bear

" I

That Dalyellxs from a Gaelic word, meaning,

dare"

That
origin

the Guthries were so called from the

homely

of gutting three haddocks for

entertainment,

King David

the Second's

when he landed very

hungry on the Brae of Bervie from

age *

his

French voy-

These clumsy inventions of a

late age, if they

were really meant to be seriously credited, disappear when we find from record that there were very
ancient territories, and even parishes, of Douglas,

Forbes, Dalyell, and Guthrie, long before the

names

came

into use as family surnames.

i*

* In honour of the loyal hospitality of his entertainer, the mon-

arch became poetical, and pronounced

" Gut Thy name

three
shall

be!"
fables.

J
-j-

Hector Boece

is

answerable for

many of these

It

is

ht
It

who invented the Forbes etymology and the story of the bear.
Ls

he

who brought

the

homo

agrestis with his

at

two sons and

their

plough-yokes to stay the rout

Luncarty, and gave them the name

of Hay, a century or two before our great nobles had surnames.

Later authors, with
fable

whom

goes honest Nisbet, take a bit of Hector's

:

and add a circumstance

The old countiyman, after the battle

a surname to his posterity."
his narratives

of Luncarty, lying on the ground, wounded and fatigued, cried

Hay I Hay

" which word became

is

The
and be

old fabler

careful to

hang

on popular pegs

sure, whenever he makes some prodigious assertion, he " the annals " ostentatiously. Thus, when his visionary quotes Dane King Camus is to be disposed of, he provides him an honour-

able burial, with the sculptured stones of

Aberlemno

for a

monuthe

ment.

To

that local association, he adds the personal one of the

origin of one of our most distinguished families.

He makes

hero of the

field,

a gallant youth

named

Keth, egregius adolescens

;

Keth nomine, ut ab annalibus traditur

and he then and

But passing from these vulgar fables,

it

cannot be

doubted that the great majority of our gentle names

are territorial
Surnajiies from Normandy.

and

local.

Of

those

now

extant only

a few are the surnames imported from Normandy.

The names

of Bruce
if

and Barclay, Lindsay and

But how
left

Sinclair, indeed,
still

not so great as they once were,

of ancestral nobility.

mark houses Take

the

many have gone down

trace
!

the

stream

and

no

single

district

of the

Border.
Viponts,

The De

Vescis, the

De

Morevils, the
the

De

De Normanvils,
greater than
all,

the
the
in

Avoids,

Randolphs

De

Balliols, are

names now
Tweedside,
I fear it is

unknown,
where

even

the

traditions

of

their forefathers ruled as princes.

against Mr. Aytoun's theory of the high antiquity of

there bestows on

him

the lands in Lothian,

which

did, in truth,

some

centuries later, give

name

to the family of Keith Marischal.

In the

same way he plays with the name of Scrimgenur; and invents a fancy
pedigree for the Stuarts.

The

story of

Graimus

(the ancestor of the

Grahains) breaking through the

rity It
is

Roman

wall, he gives

on the autho-

of his great ally Veremund

UTi

Veremundus prodidit.
derives from certain Irish

the same with places and whole countries, as Buchan, where he

deals in Gaelic

etymons

Ross, which he
helped
to resist

soldiers called Rosii,

who

the

Romans

Caithness,

from Cathus,

insignis populi

dux of the same age

all

without foun-

dation in chronicle or tradition, and contrary to probability and

reason.


From

Scotch Places.

our extant ballads, that these names are not found

in

them.

Only the De Suits s have had the fortune of

being sung in Border minstrelsy, where they are not

represented amiably, being of the unpopular, indeed,
unpatriotic faction.

The

other

names have

either dis-

appeared, or have suffered a change of a curious kind.

The grand
Veitch.

old

Norman name
still

of

De
is

Vesci

is

now

De

Vere, once

greater,

with us Weir.
till

De

Montealto has come through several steps,

in

it

has rested

the respectable but not illustrious

is

namt

of

Mowat.

Vallibus

De Monte-fixo De Vaux De Vaus

Musc/ict.

De

by
has
in

the

simple

blunder of taming a
the shape of Vans
;

letter

upside down, has assumed

while

De

Belassize, carrying us

back

to the times of the Crusades,

into the less

our homely

mouths degenerated
of Belsches.
It

euphonious name
Scotch Local Names.

would seem as

if

the surnames taken from

places at

home were
Our own

of a hardier growth than those

Norman
tongue.

appellations

which

tried

a Scotchman's
less

local
all

names have changed

indeed hardly at

from

the places that gave Cujiningthe

them

birth.

The Morays, Crawfurds, and

Dtinbars, Homes,
Moncrieffs, can

hames,

the

and
still

Dimdases,

Wemysss and

point, without

lO

Scotch Surnames,

hesitation, to the castles or lordships

from whence

they had their surnames*

Habitats of

Names.

It

would be

useful,

but beyond

my

present pur-

pose, to give the localities of our

more noted names.

You must
district

not hope to find them confined to the

their birth.

where they took

The

Campbells,

to

be

sure,

who

first

settled in Argyll,

still

predomi-

nate there; but a

name almost
in

as great, that of
native

Gordon, has
while

left

no trace

their

Merse,
of

they have

colonized the northern

shire

Aberdeen, rising upon the ruins of the ancient race

of StratJibolgy.

The De Moravias
and
Perthshire,

{Murrays), at

one time the great lords of Moray, have scattered

into Sutherland

and

left

no landed

man
ruled
still

of their
;

name

in the province

where they once

Suiclairs are
;

and so with many

others.

The

in Caithness, their ancient

Earldom

the Rosses
;

in the

county which gave them their

name

but the

Burnetts and Irvines on Dee-side, the Erasers in the

Aird, and the Chisholmes, their neighbours,
all

trans-

planted from the south, have thriven more vigorously

in

their beautiful northern glens.

Scott has given

us a rhyme that assigns wide bounds for the Kenne* See some
lists

of

territorial

surnames of Scotch families

in the

Appendix.

Not
dies,^

Stationary.

who,

think,

were at

first

bailies of the great

Earls of Carrie.

The Grahams

of the Debateable

Land, the Annandale Johnstons, the Elliots and

Armstrongs on the East Marches, the

Scotts,

and

the Kerrs, have only changed their peel towers of

fence into palaces,

and

cultivate the valleys

where

their moss-trooping fathers lived

**

on

the good old plan

that have the power.

That they should take

And
I

they should keep

who

can."

am

not sure but the middle and lower classes

of the agricultural population are more stationary in

or about their hereditary settlements than the lords

of the soil
testing the

but we have not so good means of

their

permanency of

names, f

Though

the majority of our ancient family

names

are territorial,
* Scott's
in

we have many

large classes of excep-

the

memory had played him somewhat false. The distich earliest shape we have it, and which was undoubtedly his
'Twixt Wigtoune and the town of Aire,

original, runs

And laigh down by the cruives of Cree You shall not get a lodging there.
Except ye court wi' Kennedy.

f
side,

list

of

all

the parishioners of the parish of Leochel on

is

Don-

who voted

in the election of a parish clerk in 1524,

all their

presei-ved.

The

minister finds

names

still

in the parish in i860, except-

ing one or two only.

Teste Jos. Robertson.

12

Scotch Surnames.

tions,
I

and the

origin of

most of them

is

not doubtful.

have said that surnames came into pretty general

use
I

among

us in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

wish you would turn back with

me

through the few

intervening centuries, and fancy yourselves dwelling

Scotch

Burgh of

in

a Scotch town

in the

time of King William the

II.

the thirteenth

century.

Lion, or his son

Alexander

The

place to which
is

you

will

be pleased to bear

me company

little

burgh by the sea-shore, and where a

river's

mouth

gives shelter to a few rude fishing boats,

and one

or two barks of larger size, whose decks and taller

masts shew them to be seagoing

craft,

native busses,

or farcosts of Bruges or Antwerp, unloading wine

and

fine cloths,

and waiting

for

a return cargo of

Scotch wool and hides, with some barrels of salmon.

Our fancy burgh

leading from the

consists but of one straggling street,

little

haven up to the ditch and

castle,

drawbridge of a turreted

which the King has

built for the protection of his burgesses,

whom

he

greatly cherishes.

The houses

of the burghers are

low, but built of stone, with tall gables to the street,

thatched and warm.

Half way up the

around
it,

street,

and with a

little

space

stands the small squat church which has

built,

been lately

of stone, after the

new

fashion.

3 "

Burgh of the Middle Ages.

Not
far

from the church

is

the town hall, where the

;

burghers meet to take counsel

the cross, for royal

;

and burghal solemnities

the tolbooth, where the
jail
toll

the tron, or weigh-house

and custom dues are taken;

contumacious

and

stocks, for repressing the

rather than for punishment, which

was summary.
and

Beside the river stand mills of more than one kind,

some

for corn, others

for dressing cloth

skins,

driven
chinery.

by

the stream

by means

of a simple

ma-

Well,
ings.

we must

not pause longer upon the buildlittle

Who
It is
fair

dwell in this

Scotch

" Fair-port

of the thirteenth century?

gree.
;

don't ask their pediall

mixed enough but

show the stalwart

limbs,

complexion, open countenance of the

northern peoples.

There are Scots and

Picts, Britons

and Saxons, Angles and Danes, now mixed

together,
is

and rapidly adopting a common tongue, which

one

day to speak good

half the world.

sense, not without

some

music, over

What are

they doing, these burghers ?

their

Much

to the

same purpose as

descendants of

our times.

They

plough, and sow, and reap, and

bake, and brew.

it

They

spin, with rock

and

distaff,

is true,

not with the spinning-jenny, and weave,

their

and

stitch

coarse cloth into coarse clothes.

14

Scotch Surnames.

They buy and

pend upon
fight,
Inhabitants,
it,

sell, too,

though

in

a small way.

De-

they love and hate, and marry, and

just like ourselves.
their little

and die and are buried,

in all

Now,
lives,

these acts

and events of

how named.

how
?

are our burghers distinguished from each

at the time of our visit, fixed
call

other

Remember,

surnames
exist.

^what

we

family

names

do

not yet

Each man and woman has only the name given at baptism, and these are not numerous enough
to serve
apostles'

the purpose of a growing society.

The

and

New

Testament names, and those of

the favourite personages of the Old, are soon ex-

hausted.

The known
to

saints
too.

and martyrs of the

Church come have named

an end

The men
girls

of the north

have a hankering
their

after their old heathenism,

and

boys and

after the heroes

Still,
;

and
tion

heroic ladies of their mythology.

popula-

and transactions increase rapidly

and num-

bers bearing the

names of John and James, Andrew

each other most inconveniently,

and Thomas, Thor, Oggu, and Leysing, Orm, Grim,

and Grimketil

^jostle

and compel the adoption of a remedy.

be?

The territorial

What is it to fashion of the Norman and Saxon

much
concern with

lords,

who form

the rural gentry around them, does

not suit them, for they have not

From Personal
land

dualities.

15

at least not as proprietors.

offer,

But numerous

methods

when

the necessity of the thing be-

comes manifest

Among
of English,

the foremost of our

townsmen

are for-

From

Country.

eigners or travelled Scots.

These take the names

now

written Inglis, Fleming, French,

is

Welsh (an epithet which

recognized in

its

Latin

shape of Wallensis, and gives

rise to the illustrious

name
land,

of Wallace).

Some bear

the surname of Ire-

and even of Cornwall.

Oddly, some of our

who have wandered into England, return among us bearing the name of Scott, which had
people

been given them

there.

Most

of these are moss;

troopers on the Border, not addicted to letters

but

one has already gone beyond his age

earned the reputation of a warlock.

in science,

and

In after years

they are to produce a greater wizard.*

Next, there
is

the distinction of size

John
among

Mickle,
in

Personal Qualities

size.

and John

Little, or

John Small; More and Beg

Gaelic, but I

presume only personal appellations, not

till

family names,

some Highlander so distinguished

for personal qualities

came

to settle

the surby-

* Michael Scott, the wizard of Bahvearie, was knighted

Alexander III.

five

hundred years and more before the Lay of the

Last Minstrel was published.

i6

Scotch Surnames.

named Saxons, and

all

left his

name

to descendants not

of his

own

stature.

Need

I tell

you that we have

;

still

Micklejohns of the size of ordinary mortals

and

who once hunted with Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, now bakes excellent pies in Leith Street. A Northman who was the first colonizer of Ednam in the Merse, was named Thor.
that Littlejohn,

His

seal, to

be seen

in Mr.

H. Laing's shop, repre-

sents

Thor himself

seated, with his

good sword on
be doubted,

his knees, and, lest the likeness should

the legend around

is

Thor me mittit amico.

Merse man

But
shire.

another Thor had the lands of Tranent in this

So

to distinguish himself, the

calls

him-

self

even
in

in charters

and most formal

writs

Longus,

Thor

Thor

the Lo7tg.

The Longs were good

read in Clarendon, but
Scotland.

men

England, as you

may

not better than the

Colours.

Langs and Laings of

Then we have
and
Blackies,

the colours

the families of Blacks

Whites, and Whytocks

Greys, Browns,

{Dow
Reds

or Dtiff
{Reids,

and Bam,

in Gaelic),

Ruddimans), Greens.
chooses to be yellow.
Stark,
*

Blue

is

rare,

and no man

and

Stout,

and Strong, and Strang,* and

first

The
his

Strangs of Balcaskie, in Fife, had sent an offshoot into

Orkney, which produced our

to

Scotch engraver.
Sir

He

thought

fit

do

name

into English,

and became

Robert Strange.

From Personal ^alities.

yolly, tell their

17

own

history,

and we have no

diffi-

culty in understanding

how they become

hereditary.

Some names
more

expressing disagreeable qualities are

difficult to

understand, since at the period of

assuming fixed surnames, the individual ought to

have had a vote
* Our
east

in

applying his own appellation *

dependent upon to-names
Fisher
to-fiatnes.

coast

fisher-towns are

(agnomina) for distinguishing individuals.

Blackwood's Magazine (March

papers

842 why

A very curious paper

are

in

there

no such

now

?)
:

among

other peculiarities of the

"

Fisher folk," gives

the following

" The
are seldom

fishers are generally in

want of surnames
Buckie [Cowie

There
There

more than two or

three surnames in a fish-town.

in
is

are twenty-five

George Cowies

the

name of an
their fisher

ancient fishing-village].

The

grocers in 'booking'

customers, invariably insert the nick-name or tee-nzmty and, in the

case of married

men, write down the

wife's along with the husband's

their parents inserted

name.

Unmarried debtors have the names of

with their own.

occur
:

In the town-register of Peterhead these signatures

Elizabeth
.
. .

Taylor,

spouse

to

John Thomson,

Souples

Agnes Farquhar, spouse to W. Findlater, Stouttie. " It is amusing enough to turn over
.

the leaves of a
:

grocer's ledger

and

see

the tee-na.mes as they

Collop,

come up
King,

Buckie,

Beauty,

Bam,

BiggeJugs,

Helldom, the

the Pro'vost,

Rochie, Stoattie, Sillerton, the Smack, Snipe, Snuffers, Toothie, Todlonvrie.

Ladies are occasionally found

who

are gallantly

and exqui-

sitely called

the Cutter, the Bear, etc.

in

Among

the twenty-five
doodle,

George Cowies
**

Buckie there are George Cowie,

George

Cowie, carrot, and George Cowie, neep.

A stranger had

occasion to call on a fisherman in one of the

"

"

Scotch Surnames.

The
his

first

Wiseman must have stood

as high in

own esteem

as his eminent namesake of WestGood-ale)

minster.

Goodman and Goodall (perhaps

find our ancestors

are also self-complacent names.

I

do not

named

after the Saints

Buchan

fishing-villages of the

name of Alexander White.

Fite lives
?

Meeting

a girl, he asked

" Could you tell me fa'r Sanny " Filk Sanny Fite?" " Muckle Sanny Fite," " Filk muckle Sanny Fite ?" " Muckle lang Sanny Fite."
" Filk muckle lang Sanny

Fite."

fat

" Muckle lang gleyed Sanny Fite" shouted the stranger. " Oh! it's Goup-the-Lift'' ye're seeking," cried the girl, "and the deevil for, dinna ye speer for the man by his richt name at
*

ance

Mr. Forbes

Irvine,

who directed my attention

to this very curious

paper, has also supplied the follovsring note from the records of
Justiciary. alias

At the

Spring Circuit, Aberdeen,

indicted for assaulting
villages

in 1844,

John Geddes,
**

" Jock Jack," was

locus
delicti

John Cowie,

Punt"

The

was near the

of Port-Gordon and

Buckie, on the Banffshire coast.

Some of the

witnesses were

Margaret Cowie,

"Pum"

(daughter of the person assaulted).

John Reid " Joccles."

James Green, " Rovie."

John Geddes, " Jack son."

Alexander Geddes, " Duke."

John Reid, " Dey"

all

described as fishermen.

Patronymics,

19

of their birth-days (as in France), but

many have
Summer,

names from
Another
nymic.

the season of birth, as Spring,

Winter, Yule,
class of distinctive
is

names

is

the patro-

Patronymics.

Of two Johns one

Thomason

the Son of John, the

other of Thomas, the one becomes John jfo/inson,

the other John

or Thomson,

For a time
A t first fluctuating.

they fluctuate.
Walter,

Alan the son of Walter had a son

Walter Alanson, just
as, I

who

called himself

beheve, they do in Shetland to this day.*

But gra-

dually the race find

it

convenient to take a fixed

ancestor.

surname from one well-known

This pro-

cess gives rise to a large class of surnames,

and no
it

doubt very

ancient,

though the manner of

de-

stroys the proof of sameness of lineage arising from

identity

of name, as

it

is

evident

several Johns

and Thomases might give

bearing the same name.
to place Fitz (or
* I
filius)

rise to different families

The Norman

fashion

was
Fitz

before the ancestral name, and

= son.

am

informed by Lord Neaves,

who was

formerly Sheriff of

Shetland, that within a few years patronymics were very

in those islands,

common

and varied every generation.

titles in

produced in the Registration Court

son,

Thus he used to see favour of Magnus John(the original

whose father was

called

John Magnus' son

of
in

Manson), and so alternately for many descents.

those families were

The women
etc.

known only

as

Mary, John's daughter,

20

Scotch Surnames.

some great
this form,

families in
is

England and Ireland

retain

which

also approved for the

hero in sentimental novels.

fashions, like the

name of the But with us, the Norman

by the
Sofi.

French language, were of short preindicating the descent

valence.

We preferred

mark of the
Anderson

genitive case, or the affix of the

all

word

Thus, Adamson, Adams, Adie,

is

mean

the same.

the

same as Andrews.

Richardson,

Richards, Dickson, Dickenson, Dick, Dickens, Dickie,

are different

ways of expressing the descendants of

his

Richard,

whom

friends

called

affectionately

Dick.*

So Johnson,

Jones,

Jack,

Jackson.

So

Davidson, and Davy; Rodgers, and

Hodges, and

Hodson ; Sim, and Simson, and so through the whole

catalogue of names formed upon this principle, which
* It

is

curious

how many of these

Is
it

patronymics are derived from

affectionate diminutives as

Dickson, Wilson, Watson, Robson,

it

Jackson, Tomson.
not so

connected with the practice which, were

affected,

common, would seem

of writing the Christian names

in diminutive shape, even in deeds

and papers of importance, which

was

in use chiefly I think

about the time when such writings began

?

to be

drawn

in the

vernacular

Wyntoun

speaks of
that

"

Schir

Davy

de Lindesay," and of " oure kyng

received shape of the

Dawy," but

was perhaps the

name

in

our speech.

So perhaps we must not

judge of the

common

fashion from the familiar nicknames given in

our old family but

histories, as

Wylie Wat, and

Christell for Christopher,

we

cannot, in such a matter, refuse the authority of the records

Celtic Patronymics.

are very numerous.

Other patronymics are not so

obvious in their origin.

Pray

notice,

Lawson

is

not

the son of law, or of the lawyer, but of Lawrence, just

as the son of

Magnus
is

in

our northern

isles

becomes

Manson.

Laurie

another shape of Laurenceson,

or M'Kenzie.
origin,

Kennedy of Kennethson

Of
by the

this family,

though of later

are the

Highland patronymics
prefix

those which
son,

marked descent

Mac, expressing

which continued

fluctuating
lands,

much

longer than the Sons of the lowinto un-

and most of which were only fixed

in the last century.

changing surnames

It is

under-

stood, I believe, that they assert the descent from

some

heroic or famous ancestor

plain advantage

over the unpretending Sons of Tom, Dick, and Jenkin.

The
(

of the Irish, literally grandson, and the

in

Ap

of the Welsh,
descent.

like

manner, express abstractly

of Parliament, which give us {temp. Jac. III.) " Robin Balmanno,"

" Sanders Chalmers,"

etc.

and, in the same reign,

we have

a pro-

cess of treason against the

Homes and

other followers of Alexander

Duke of Albany, where the persons indicted under the names " Symonem Salman," and so forth, are cited by their ordinary recognized names of Sym Salmon, Will of Leirmont, Pait Diksone
" the
laird,"

Dik of Rowlis, Dik of Ethingtonison, Ringan of

etc.

Wranghanie,

22

Scotch Surnames.

Change to Fixed Surnames.

Irish.

In 1465, an Act of the Parliament of Ireland ordained " that every Irishman dwelling betwixt or

among Englishmen,
Uriel,
in apparel,

in the counties of Dublin,

like to

Myeth,

and Kildare, should go

one Englishman

and shaving of his beard above the mouth, should swear allegiance, and should take to him an
English surname of a town, as
;

Sutton,

Chester,

Trym, Skryne, Corke, Kinsale or colour, as White, Blacke or arte or science, as Smith or Carpenter; or
;

office,

as

Cooke or

Butler,

and that he and

his issue

should use the same."

Welsh.

As

to a similar change

in

Wales,

will

take

leave to quote Master

years, in the time of

Camden

once more.

" In late

King Henry VIIL, an ancient

worshipful gentleman of Wales being called at the pannell of a jury by the name of Thomas Ap Wil-

liam

Ap Thomas Ap
etc.,
;

Richard

Ap

Hoel

Ap Evan

Vaghan,
old

was advised by the judge

to leave that

manner

whereupon he afterwards called himself

Moston, according to the name of his principal house,

and

left

that surname to his posteritie."

That was
practice

the exception, however; and a more

common

among Welsh

families

is

to take one of their

many

ancestral names, with a prefix of Ap.

sometimes absorbed oddly

into the

The Ap is ancestral name


Highland and Island

'Tribes.

23

Ap Rice becomes Price chard Ap Owen, Bowen Ap

thus
; ;

Ap

Richard, Prit-

Hugh, Pugh.

Though our Highlanders

rally

in their

names genehave

Highland.

put forward descent of the clan from some

heroic or even mythical personage,

some

tribes

different

manner of surname. seem

to

of the abbot)

The M'Nads (sons have their ancient name as

Strathfillan or Glen-

representing the old

dochart,

Abbots of

who had become

descent

secularized,

and appropri-

ated the lands which belonged to the monastery.

Some such

may be

expressed in the

name

of M'Phersoii, which

means the sons of the parson,

and others
while

M' Vicar, and

some of the
they pass
Campbell.
I

other clerical surnames, as well as in

chief,
;

M'Intosh, the sons of the

greatest septs, not content with the

Celts,

name recognized among

have another by which

Cameron, Eraser,

in the outer world, as

must leave

to

more competent hands the

and Island
sur-

curious subject of our Highland

names, and the endless variety of shapes they assume.

I

would submit only one or two observations

I.

The

greatest clans were not the earliest to

fluctuat-

assume uniform fixed surnames, instead of

ing patronymics.

The Macdonalds and

others

had

24

Scotch Surnames.

no recognized general surname

last century.

till

almost within the

The

earliest fixed

Macs

have met

with in record and charter are M'Gilleane (M'Lean),

M'Leod,
Adoption of Chiefs Name.

M'Intosh, M'Neill,

Mackenzie,

M'Dowal,

M'Nachtan.
2.

Where

the settlement of a powerful southern

is

family within the Highland border

the sudden spread of their

followed

by

name through

the neigh-

bouring glens, we
inhabitants were

may presume
extirpated,

not

that the former

but that

the native

population (having in truth no surnames) readily

adopted that of

their

new

lords.

Even

after sur-

names had become common

in the

Highlands,

we

find the adoption taking place

I

by

written

compact

have seen petitions of some small clans of the

Braes of Angus, to be allowed to take the name of

Lyon, and to be counted clansmen of the Strathmores,

Many

families

and small

tribes of Breadal-

bane

in the sixteenth

century renounced their natural

heads, and took Glenurchy for their chief.

Many
a

more, in Argyll and the

Isles,

must have

suffered

change from awe of Maccallummore.

The Gordons

are hardly settled in the "aucht and forty dauch"

of Strathbolgy
of

when the whole country round

is full

men

calling themselves Gordon.

From
But

Callings.

this is digression

and

must pray you

once more to return to our thriving Scotch burgh of

the thirteenth century.

The

church, with

its

establishment, has originated

Namesfrom
Calling.

several of our names.

Men

merely dwelling there

are called at Church or of Kirk

Church.

shortening,

by the

common
Kirk.

process, into the

Clerks, so called

surnames of Church and

from their learning, however

they spell their name, are not necessarily in orders,

and

will

leave honourable

families

descended of

them.

Bishop and Parsoji, Friar and Monk, are

surnames, perhaps marking patronage.

church
officer.

Jore

Dewar
is

Proctor
is

is

Deiichar,

curiously

connected with the custody of

are Singers, Sangsters
this class I

relics.

In the choir

(shortened into Sang).

Of

suppose

the
of
it

name
too,

of

St.

Michael,

Michel, Mitchell, and,

perhaps of the

Celtic section of the inhabitants, are

men who
and

take
Gil-

the fine

names of

Gillies (servant of Jesus),

christ (Christ's servant) Gilmichael, Gilmory, or Gil-

mour
cop

(servants of St. Michael

and Mary), Gillecalum

and Malcolm
and

(servant of Columba), as well as Gilles-

Gillespie (the Bishop's servant).

The medical

profession

is

represented already.

Medicine.

John Barber not only trims the beard but breathes

26

Scotch Surnames.

a vein, draws a tooth, and performs other surgical

offices.

His descendant, bearing

his

name,

is

to sing

the glorious career of

Brucethe

Scotch Odyssey.

Another practitioner
called physician),
is

(I

suppose he would now be

the Leech.

He

holds lands

and gives service as Mediciis Regis, the King's Leech, and the surname of him and
his family has
is

become

fixed as Leech; kindred to which

probably the

Trades.

name of Leechman. The Merchant Guild has many members.

fixed surnames

They
,

are in truth the capitalists of our burgh, and have

known on the High

Street, "

where

merchants most do congregate."

Among

these are

Merchant, Mercer (sometimes Messer), Monypenny,

Chapman, Cheape,

Seller, Scales, Clinkscales.

Down
Mill,

at the Mills

by the

river side there is

busy population.

John of the Mill has become John

Another has taken the name of Miller,

office

The unpopular
mill

of gathering in the multures or

dues gives the name of Multerer, afterwards to

become Mutter,
where cloth
of Fuller

Walkers are not named from their

pedestrian feats, but from the walking or fulling mill

is

dressed, which affords the

good name
the

also.

The sturdy burgher who put

and

salmon

into barrel for exportation,

also barrels

From
our good home-brewed
Cooper.

Callings,

27

ale,

is

known as William
the
barrels is

His

man who hoops

call

John

Girdwood.
officer

The English

him Hooper.
I

The

who stamps

the barrels (and

would have you

know

that the "brand of

Aberdeen" passed current

is

through Europe in the fifteenth century),

the Brander.

named

Some

of his descendants are people

of good account round Elgin at the present day.

He

is

sometimes known as John Brand

" for short-

ness

;"

and we have a respectable colony descended

from him, and using that surname, on the coast of

Forfarshire.

Beside these worthies in the cooperage

is

another

important trade, that of curing and dressing the

skins of our cattle.

Here we have people bearing

and Skinner.
are, in

with good right the names of Barker, Tanner, Currier

(sometimes shortened into

Ctirry),

You

will not

doubt that there

our thriv-

ing community, several Butchers, whose

name

is

generally

written

as

well

as

spoken,

Biitchard

Bakers

in plenty,

whom we
who

call

Baxters; makers

of ale of both sexes,

think their Scotch

name

of Brewster quite as good as the southern Brewer

shoemakers and weavers,

in the vernacular, Stiters

is

and

Websters.

The dyer

with us a Litster.

The

28

Scotch Surnames.

Southrons have borrowed the name (making

without knowing
Cooks, Kitchens
its

it

Lister)

meaning.

We have in our village,

Tailors]

and Kitcheners,
{i.e.,

Turners,

Saddlers, Lorimers

bridle makers), Glovers.

Of

workers in wood we have Wrights (whom the English

call

Carpejiter),

Cart-wrights, Sievewrights, Joiners,

is

Sawers.

The

old trade-name of Glasenwright

to

die out, but

we have numerous Masons,

affording

Sclaters,

Plumbers,
surnames.

all

respectable

and enduring

Two
their

important handicrafts at the time of our

visit

imaginary

are soon to disappear, leaving only

names

to their posterity.

The maker
is

of bows,

the chief

arm of

war,

is

called

Bowyer and sometimes

to

Bowmaker

(one of that family

be known a

century later as

Abbot

of the Monastery of Inch-

colme, and continuator of John of Fordun's Scotch

Chronicles).

The arrow-makers (whom

to survive

the French

name

Flechier from fleche), are with us

known as
flourish

Fletchers,

a name that

is

and

long after their good weapons have given

fore
Smith.

way

be-

"the villanous Saltpetre."

The

chief artisan of the

community

is

the Smith,

a stalwart man, whose descendants are to increase

and multiply

till

they replenish the earth.

We must

Smiths and Smyths.

not quite take our idea of him from the

29

modern

attendant of the forge and anvil, nor even from

Longfellow's fine portrait of the village blacksmith
" Under
a spreading chestnut tree,
;

The village smithy stands The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinevvy hands

And

the muscles of his

brawny arms

Are

strong as Iron bands.

" Toiling

rejoicing

sorrowing,
life

Onward through
Each morning
sees

he goes

some task begun.

it

Each evening

sees

close

Something attempted, something done.

Has earned

a night's repose."

Among

our forefathers, as

among

the ancient Greeks,

the Smith's

was a

craft of mystery, if not of magic.

Remember, he forged the armour

temper that
iron

that guarded the

heads of warriors, and welded the sword of such

it

scorned enchantment, cut through

and

brass,

and yet severed a hair upon water.

In Wales he was

In the ancient laws of England, the Smith's person

was protected by a double

one of the great
officers

penalty.

King and Queen.

In

who sat in the hall with the our own Highland glens I have

heard more legends of supernatural smith-work than

30

Scotch Surnames.

ever I could gather of Ossian.

der, then, that the family of
it

We

must not wonnor that

Smith

is large,

assumes many forms of spelling

in our

low counGaelic *
still

try talk, as well as the shape of Gow,

and probably
is

Cowan, among those whose mother tongue

Minstrels.

Amidst some business and

bustle, there is

much
away

leisure in our infant society;

fire

and how can the

be better whiled

long evenings by the winter

tedious

when than

the wine gets sour, and chess and tables

in rehearsing the

deeds of valiant an!

cestors or the adventures of a pilgrimage or crusade

He who

has composed the romance or

it.

lay,

does not

always sing

The Bard and

the Harper are alike

honoured; and both are to leave descendants, though

the former

may

change their spelling

I fear,

for the worse,

and both may,

depart from the calling that

gave them their surnames.^

* The punctilio of orthography
grandfathers, and
still
is

of very modern date.

Our
In the

more, our grandmothers, used wonderful license,

not only with their neighbours' names, but with their own.
sixteenth century,

when

writing had become a

common

accomplish-

ment, a
a single

man

often spelt his

own name

six or seven different

is

ways

in in

letter.

The surname

of the Stirlings (of Keir)

found

their family papers, spelt in sixty-four different manners.

No wonder

that the

name of Smith should

nm

through the shapes of Smith,

Smyth, Smythe.

f The

historian of an extant family of the ancient

name of Baird,


From
Signs.

31

The necessity of some

are

distinction before

surnames

common,

gives rise to a curious custom in our

distinguish themselves

burgh.
ings

Men

and

their dwell-

by signs

or cognizances.

It is not only inns

and

Names from
Signs.

shops or booths that exhibit these emblems; burghers

and gentry of

all classes

do the same.

This gives

us a class of names
Scotland.

common

to France, England,

and

John at the Bell becomes John

Bell,

and the Lamb, a

tion with the

favourite cognizance, in connec-

symbol of Saint John, originates the

its

family

of

Lamb, and

affectionate

diminutive

Lamhy a name once of good repute as a native name in Angus, though those who bear it in modern
times have sought a French origin, and
spell
it

L'Ami.

The same custom gave rise among our neighbours in the south, to the name of Angel, and

even the strange one of Devil, neither of which

we

have

affected.

But we have Kittgs and Bishops, and

even a few Popes in our Presbyterian Scotland

names probably
not
satisfied

to

be traced to a similar

origin.

A
But

with such a probable connection with

the

Muses,

claims for them,

kindred with Boiardo the Italian poet.

we had Bairds
poetic origin.

or Bards, landed men,

much

earlier

than suits that

A more tempting
et sans reproehe,

etymon from Bayard, the cheva-

Uer sans peur

historian.

had not occurred to the Auchmedden

little

clan of these last, pronounced Paip, exists in

I conjecture that

Caithness and Orkney*

practice has given
origin

the

same

to

many

of our
it is

names
to this

commencing with Samt,-\ and probably

custom that we owe a large class of names that are not

otherwise easily to be accounted for

mean

the

family names derived from names of animals.

if

Even

we suppose
spell

that

some

accidental relation to the

animals suggested the names of Hare and 2)^^ (which

we

absurdly Doig), Brock, our Scotch shape of

Badger, and the well-known names of Swan, Eagle,

Heron, Peacock, and Craw,

origin for

we cannot adopt such an

of

the

surname

Oliphant (the

Scotch

shape of Elephant), or of Lion, the name of the

noble family of Strathmore, whose family tradition

does not point to any foreign source, but

who can

hardly allege an encounter with the royal beast in

* Alexander Pope, whose Christian name smacks of a Scotch
descent, did not repel the advances of his Caithness namesake,

Mr.

Paip,
text,

who
is

claimed him for kindred.

Against the theory

in the

the fact, that the

Norsemen

called Christian priests

papas

and some of the

such.

islands are

named Papey from

early settlements of

f In
James,

a country town of Spain, the booths of the traders are

distinguished by oval medallions of saints swinging in front

St.

St.

John,

St,

Andrew each known

by

his received cogni-

zance, but without

name

inscribed, either of saint or shopkeeper.

From Rural
the forests of Angus.

Situations.

33
for

They bore

their

coat

armour the Lion of Scotland, and

have exhibited a

may

perhaps

lion over their gate, as,

we know,

they constructed in the shape of a lion that curious

silver

cup

still

preserved at Glammis, and which

is

the prototype of the " blessed bear of Bradwardine."*

But now we have

set

up our burgh with a good

leave
it

stock of surnames, and

we must
offer

them

to in-

crease and multiply, or to decay as

for I

may

happen,

have only time to

you a few observations

originate in burgh or

upon names which did not

town.

Where names
called

are seeking, people are naturally

by the name of the place where they have been

live.

bom

or

So you cannot wonder

that, in

our

own

dear country, we have

Woods, and Forrests,

many

Hills and Glens, Craigs,

is

Mountain
hills

a more English

form of HilL

We

have the

too near, and like

them too

well, to give

them grand sounding names.

all

The Moor has

*

given names to families in

the

Moors.

The
is

affixing

of cognizances on their houses by

to the

citizens,

not
in

traders,

well

known

French antiquary.

It

was common
I

Spain, and seems to have been often used in England.

seen evidence of the practice in Scotland, but

have not

we were

not slow to

follow the fashions of our neighbours in such matters.

34
three kingdoms.

Scotch Surnames.

With us they have enjoyed our

good

usual license of spelling, but the origin and sense of

the word
Sir
is

the

same whether
it,

it is

spelt as the

Thomas More used

or like the Irish Anacreon,

I

Moore, or our antique Scotch Muir.

that, in all its shapes, the
literature.

have observed

name

connects itself with

One

of our best Greek scholars of the

last century

was Professor Moor of Glasgow.

Our
of

foremost Grecian
Zeluco,

now

is

a Mure.*

The author

and

his

more

illustrious " for

son (Sir John Moore)

difference,"

added an

e to the

name

and some

such cause has produced the various reading, Moir,

still

distinguished for the strong propensity to litera-

ture.
Offices.

Of names
trj'

derived from

office, first in

this coun-

comes Stewart, variously

it

spelt, though,
till

as

have

already told you,

was not

after several generaFitz.- Alans

tions that the^ Fitz-Walters

and

took that

name
office

destined to become so illustrious, from their

of steward of the royal household.

We
Mure of

have names derived from

all

other offices of

* It must be remembered

this

was written

in

1857.

William

Caldwell, the accomplished historian of Greek, literature

accomplished in a

way

so rare

among Scotch country gentlemen,

died in the spring of i860.

From
high and of low degree.

Office.

35
of keeper of the

The

office

Wardrobe gave name

cut

to a family of Wardropers,

since shortened into Wardrop, just zs Forrester

was

The keepers of the Napery became Naperers (cut down to Naper).'^ The great office of Ostiar, or Durward, gave name to a powerful but, even yet, family, now extinct or sadly decayed
down
into Forrest.
;

the Deeside peasant believes that the church bell

of Coul rings of
dies
;

and

name to

the

own accord when a Durward am inclined to trace another old Angus same source. The Doorward may have
its

become Huissier, and Huissier

shape of Wischart.
I
office

easily took the Scotch

beg you

to observe that the dignity of the

has no bearing on the grandeur of the family

it

that adopted
is

for

a name.

The name

oi Sheriff

by no means higher than

*

that of Dempster,^ though

Na peer non pareilU is

name rendered

the childish etymology of the genea-

logists for the

Illustrious

by John Napier of Merchistime.

ton,

and borne by many

a gallant
their

man of our own

first

f The Dempsters had

name from

their office.

Keraldus was

hereditary Judex (translated Dempster^,

of Angus, then of the

line

Court of the Kings of Scotland

and a long

of Dempsters held

the lands, called from their ancestor Keraldston

in virtue of that office, the duties of

(now Carriston),
in Parlia-

which they discharged

'justice in the

ment.

Judex was perhaps done into

South.

36
the latter

Scotch Surnames.

was the mere organ

for

pronouncing the

sentence of the court, while the former was, and

still
is,

a high

officer

of the Crown.

The
the

great

office

of Chamberlain

gave

rise

to

different

shapes of the
Chamberleyn.

name

of Chambers,
is
;

and Chalmers, and

so

Constable

not

high

a name

with us as in England

but Baillie has acquired

respect from being borne

by some good men and

most

amiable

women.

The Memoir
is

of

Grizel Baillie (I
it

hope the book

is

as well

Lady known as

deserves to be),

better than a patent of nobility.

official

must not detain you with other

in

names.

We

have Marshalls
high.

middle

life,

and Porters quite as

The

first

tailor

who

did

me

the honour to

dress

me
is

in

man's apparel was a Chancellor.

Mr.

Laird

no more dignified than Mr. Tennenf.

The

Gentleman, the Knight, and the Barron, are quite on

a
Rural Occupations.

level.

Rural pursuits and

occupations

predominate
Grieve,

among

us.

Thus we had Tennant, Farmer,

Carter, Shepherd,
its

and Fairgfieve ;'^

* Grie've

Shearer,
;

Har-

may have

origin in a higher office

perhaps the

Shire-grieve or Sheriff.
are estates called

Beside Elgin, and again near Forres, there

I take to have

" Greeship Lands," which

been

attached to the office of Sheriff

at each of these burghs.

when

there were sheriffs and courts

From

the Chase.

n
Bowman was
;

rower, Tasker, Thrasher, or Thrashie.

man in charge of the Bow, or cattle Husband, he who cultivated the portion of soil which derived from him the name of husband-land, a measure
the

known

in the

Merse and Lothian.

Granger has

his

name from
of a farm.

looking after the grange, or homestead

We
and the

had

naturally

many names from

hunting

chase.

We

had no Grosvenofs, but we

have Tod-hunter, not quite equivalent to a Leicestershire

master of hounds, now shortened into Tod,

Fischer,

Hunter and

Falconer and

Fowler.

The

Falconers called their domain Halkerston (Hawker's

town),

and a family of reputation derived

Fullerton.

its

surname

from the town of the Fowler

The parkcharge of

keeper became Parker, and the

the warren, Warrener, or

officer in

Warrender, equivalent to

the

Norman De Warrenne. The guardian of the forest took many shapes of name Forrester, Forster,
and even
Forret.

Foster, Forrest,

We
last

have Archers,
speaking per-

and

Stalkers,

and Spearmans, the

haps of more warlike occupations.

I

have said that the rule of persons being named

from places
exceptions.

not

places from persons

has

a few
Hamilton.

The most

remarkable

is

Hamilton.

38

Scotch Surnames.

We

can mark

in records

the race of Fitz-Gilbert

settling

down

into the fixed

surname of Hamilton;

and, soon afterwards, the piece of land, then called

the Orchard, probably a portion of their demesne
of

Cadyow, acquiring from them the name of Hamilwhich has since attached to the dependent village,

ton,

as well as to the palace,

now

richer in noble

works

of art than any other in Scotland.

Town and
Ville.

much more common way of affixing personal names upon lands was by subjoining the word town The settlers or the French ville to the family name.
of Teutonic speech took the former
;

the Normans,

who used

French, the

latter.

Thor, Orm, Dodin,

and Leving, Edulf and Edmund, known as early

settlers in Lothian,

have

left their

names

in Ormiston,

and

Thurston,

and Duddingston, and Livingston,

Eddleston and Edmonston; names of places, most

of which have again conferred territorial

names on

extant families.

The

Vill of the

Norman

settler

has sometimes
Maccus, a per-

among

us taken the shape of well.

sonage of large possessions

in the reign of

David

I,,

seems to have used both modes of denominating

land.

his

One
;

of his places he called Maccustun,

now

Maxton

another Maccusville, which soon became

Undergoing Changes.

39

Maxwell.

Afterwards, his descendants, or at any

rate the holders of his lands, took the territorial style

of

De Maxwell.

third step has been taken in

this case,

by again adding town

same manner.

to the family

name

and producing Maxwellton.

are formed in the

Boswell and Freshwell

One word on the From lating names.

chal,

confusion occasioned

by

trans-

Trafislated

N^ames.

the French Le-fevre and Mare-

have come some additions to our own large clan

of Smiths, and

De
la

We made De
Two
in

many Woods. Roche and De Rupe into Craig.

Bois has given us
descent, but settled

brothers.

Frenchmen by

an American town, are even now Mr.

Street.

De

la

Rue

and Mr.

But the change was worse when

the pedantic attempt to render

our scholars

made

our homely names

classical.

The

Matriculation book

of our Edinburgh University in the seventeenth cen-

tury

is

subscribed

by a student whom mortals

while

called

Blyth, but who, aiming at something higher, writes

his

own name Hilarius;

another christened

Colin Caldwell, subscribes the oaths of admission as

Colinus a fonte gelido.

This became
classical

still

more

intolerable

when the

affectation
lost

adopted a Greek dress.

of the real

We

have almost

memory

name

of one of

40

Scotch Surnames.

the great leaders of the Reformation, whose paternal

name

of Schwartzerdt (black earth) has permanentlyin

its

merged

Greek shape of MelanchtJwn; while

another has gone through the double process of

translation through Latin into Greek, passing in at

one end of the mill as Didier, and coming out

Erasmus.
similar.

well-known instance of our own

is

Wisckart, the historian of Montrose, chose

to read his
ise
Irish instatues.

name

as Wise-heart, and then to Helen-

it

into Sopho-cardius.

Of late years we have changes

and from other motives.
will

of a different kind,
will allow

If

you

me, I

take

my examples

from our Irish cousins, whose

mixed

Celtic population,

and some other circum-

stances not altogether unlike our own, give rise to

curious tricks of transmutation.
translated into
English.
is

Irish

names are
is

Thus Shannach

Fox.

Mac-Clogh-ree

now Kingstone.

But much more

common

is

the Irishing of Norman-English names.

Joscelin de

Thus a known personage,

done into Nangle),
which
in
is

Angelo

(first

succeeded by MacGostelin,
Costello,

one or two descents becomes

in literature.

a name now known

Sir

Odo

the arch-

deacon had a son Mac-Odo, now vulgarized into

Progress of Change.
Cody.

41

Sir

Waleran Wellesley gave

rise to

a sept

of Mac-Falrans.

Of another
on evidence an
Irish

class is the

change (whether founded

to pronounce)

De Montmorrnci.

it is

not for

me

by which
living in

gentleman of the name of Morris,

Paris,

became De Montmorenci, and persuaded

his

Irish relatives to follow his example.

They acquired

at least a good

name

but the descendants of the

premiet baron Chretien called a council of the family,

and published an Act enumerating

they recognized as genuine
cousins were not included.

all

those

whom

in

which the Irish

One more
Dublin

story from across the

channel.

M'Alpin.

citizen (I think

a dealer in snuff and tobacco),

about the end of

last century,

had

lived to a

good

age and
penny.
vailed

in

good

repute, under the

name

of Half-

He

throve in trade, and his children prein

on him

his

latter

years to change the

name which they thought undignified, and this he did by simply dropping the last letter. He died
and was buried as Mr. Halpen.
the

The

fortune of

family did

not

recede,

and the son of our

retail

citizen

thought proper to renounce

dealing,

and

at the

same time looked about

for

a euphonious

change of name.

He made

no scruple of dropping

42
the unnecessary
to

Scotch Surnames.

h,

and that being done,

it

was easy

go into the

Celtic rage,

which Sir Walter Scott

just raised to a great
streets as little
full

and the Lady of the Lake had

height
;

and he who had run the

(in

Kenny Halfpenny came out

Rob Roy

tartan, I trust), at the levees of the

day as Kenneth

MacAlpift, the descendant of a hundred kings.

Conclusion.

But to retum and to conclude.

In one sense
is

it

may

be true that the age of chivalry

gone.

The

high-born knight

may

no longer put on his armour

the jdcquerie^ unblamed.

of proof, and ride

down

We

look for better things of gentle blood now.

it

But we value

all

the more.

Without absurdreason to be

ly glorifying ourselves,

we have some
Whilst

proud of our Scotch names.

we

give

up

without a struggle the antiquity claimed for families

by our
ing
that

genealogists

whose
to

youngest fable dated

from Malcolm Canmore, while there were not want-

some who ascended

Noah
little

we
;

can boast
the

we have among

us

many
is

still

bearing

names, and descended of the

that fought with Bruce.

band of heroes
I

What

more

think

we

can say that while

we

are alive to the interest of a

* Froissart's name for the peasantry, the class composed of the

" yacques

hon-hommes."''

Conclusion,

43

long descended line of worthy ancestors, as

much

as

our neighbours,

we keep
it

that feeling in our hearts

It

and do not blazon

to the world.

never inter-

feres with the transactions

life.

and

affairs of

every-day

Above

all,

there

is

no exclusion of new blood.

suppose the descendants of a James Watt or a

Robert Burns would not change the honour of their

descent for the highest

name

of

Norman

chivalry.

From
Brunton.

Scotch Places.

45

Carruthers.
Carstairs.

Buchan. Buchanan.
Buntine, Bontlne.
Burnett, Burnard,

Carswell.
Cathcart.
Cheislie.

Burton.

Chisholme.
Clapperton.
Clayhills.

Bum,
Byres.

BiuTis, Buraes, Burness.

Cleghom.
Calder, Cawdor, Caddell.'

Cleland.

Calderwood.
Cairncross.

Clephane.

Cochran.

Callander.

Cockburn.

Cameron.
Carkettle.
Carlisle.

Colquhoun

Colvil, valgarized Colvin.

Copland.

Carmichael.
Carnegie.
Carrick.

Cowie.
Craig, Craigie.

Crauford.

Carron.

Cranstoun.^

'

The

northern Cawdors were disguised as Cadells and cU

Cadella even in our old chroniclers, and they have kept that variety

permanently

in the South.

So

Lincoln^ in

Norman French, took

the shape of Nicolle.

called
'

There

are Napiers, in the North, vulgarly

Lepers

euphonia causal

We

almost forgive the old condemned canting arms of

the sake of the Cranstoun's crest and motto
shalt

ovu" heralds, for

a crane fishing

and " Thou

want

e're I

want."

46
Crichtoun.

Scotch Surnames.

Dunbar.

Crombie.
Crosbie.

Dundas.
Dunlop.

Cullen.

Durham.
Durie.

Cuninghame.

Dykes.
Dalgarno.
Dalgleish.

Easton.
Eccles.

Dalmahoy.
Dalrymple.
Dalyell.

Edington.

Edmonston.
Elphinston.

Dean, Dein, Deinis.

Denham, Denholm.
Dennistoun, Danielstoun.

Erskine.

Dingwall.

Falrholme.
Fairie, Ferry.
Fairlie.

Dinwoodie.
Dollas, Dallas.

Don.
Douglas.

Fiddes, Futhes, Fuddes.

Fife.

Downie.

Forbes.
Forrest, Forrester, Foster, Froster.

Drummond.
iDrysdale, Dryfesdale.

DufFus.'
^

Forsyth.

The
name

old lordship and castle of the

De

Moravias, which

give

to the people called Duffus, are themselves generally

referred to a Gaelic

Etymon.

In charters older than might be

supposed, I find the place written Dufhus^ suggesting the homely

origin of columbarium or dove-cot.

From

Scotch Places.

47

48
Kilgour.

Scotch Surnames.

Kirko.
Kirkpatrick, Kilpatrick.

Kincaid.
Kincardin.

Kirkwood.

Kinloch.
Kinnaird.

Knowes, Knox, KnoUis.

Kyle.

Kinnear.
Kirkaldie.

Kyninmonth.^
Laidlaw.
old bishops of St. Andrews, in the twelfth century,

The

had

their great officers

;

named

like those

of royalty.
butler
;

Odo was

the bishop's seneschal

Hugo, pincema or
;

William, the

chamberlain

Gamelin, the doorward

GeofFry, the dapifer

William, the marischal.

a race
in

From that Odo the seneschal, descended of Odos and Adams, who held the office hereditarily, and,

progress of time, took the surname of Kininmonth, from the

lands attached to their hereditary office.

One

of their descendants,

James of Kinninmond, of

that ilk, knight, in

1438, presented a
in these

claim of right to certain Fife notables, acting as friendly arbiters

between him and the Lord Prior of St. Andrews

words

" Rycht worschippfull lord and derast

of that
like,

maistir,

Jamys of Kyninmond
discrete con-

youre humble servand rycht mekly besekis youre hee

lordschip,
sale,

and your worschipfull convent, and youre

reverence of

at the

God,

that ye

wald do me law and

:

resoune in favorabill manere in thir poynctis

that the purtenence that I

That

is

to

say,
in

want of the lordschip of Kyninmond,

sen I

the

first

Monniacky medow,
it

am

possessit
Iterrii

of part of

it,

conis

sidering that
fiindin a

did

yow

never

proffit,

sen Ovirmalgask

tenandry in yowr awin court of the fornemyt lordschip,

Iteniy

that I micht have fre recourse therto, with youre emplesance.

youre bailyery, landsteuartry, marschalry, I clame thir poynctis in

fee

and

heritage, with houshald for

me and twa

gentilmen, twa

From
Lamont.
Landels.
Langlands.

Scotch Places.

49

Lithgow.
Livingston
{^de villa

Levin't).

Lizars
sows.

[de

Lysurls),

Le-

Law.
Lawder.
Learmonth.
Leask.
Leith.

Lockart, Loccard, Lockhart.*

Logan.
Logic.
Lothian.

Lennox.
Lentron.
Leslie, Lescelin.

Lumsden.
Lundy, Lundin.
Lyall.

Letham.
Lichton, Leighton.
Liddell.
Linkletter.

Lympitlaw.

Lyne.

Maine.
Maistertoun.

Linton.

yemen, with

the
hir,

boyis

folowand

my

wyfe, and twa gentillafFeris

;

women

with
;

with

sic

houshald as

a falcoune and a
;

goishawk

a braiss

of greuhundis, and a coppil of rachis

the

best chaumer, the best stabill, next

fee

my
in

lordis, witli fourty

all

pund of

folowand

thir

offices.

And

thir

fornemyt poynctis

that I micht haf a gracious

and a favorabUl deliverance, but pre-

judice, I besek

youre hee lordschip and grace at the reverence of

God, our Lady and Saynctandrow."

'

The

last spelling

has given

rise

to the

" canting " arms of

the ancestor of the
in

the lock and the heart, and to the

myth about

Lockhaits securing the Bnice's heart which Douglas perilled

the fight with the Moors.

From

Scotch Places.

From Norman

Places.

53

54
Campbell.'
Charteris,

Scotch Surnames.

Cheyne,
de
Chartreux,
de

le Chene.'"'

Corbet.^

domo Carthus'tanorum, Charter house.

Cumin, Cumming,

Comyn.*
first

This name, now so numerous and powerful,

record in the end of the thirteenth century.

appears on

The

earlier history

of the family, and the origin of the name, are unknown.

not local, at
least,

It

is

not derived from any Scotch

*

locality
its

(for

Castle Campbell, formerly the

Castle of Gloom,' took

name
not

from the family

in virtue

of an

Act

of Parliament), and I

am

aware that the peculiar and very ancient heraldic bearing (the
G'tron)

affords iiny probable theory

of connection with Conti-

nental or English families.

Like
is

all

names of

families settled in

the Highlands, Campbell

claimed by the Seanachies as Celtic,

and an etymology and legend are furnished on demand.

same time with numerous Norman

The

appearance of the Campbells (already evidently full-blown gentry),

at the
settlers
;

their alliance

with the

Norman Bruce
Norman.
It

the sound and spelling of their name,

little

which seems only another shape of Beauchamp, leave

that
it is

doubt

would

require

some evidence

to get over

the presumption.
*

Reginald

le

Chen, father and son (giving between six cross

figures,

crosslets a
settlers in

bend chaiged with three

perhaps mullets), early

the North, seem Normans, but the derivation of their

name
^

is

uncertain, perhaps akin to

Du

chesne,

An old name in the

One

South. Their cognisance was a Corbeau.

of the numerous families ruined by their adherence to

the Balliols and the English party in the wars of the succession and

independence.

Fordun

says, before their fall, there

were thirty-two

knights of that surname in Scotland, including, I presume, the lords

of their three great earldoms, Buchan, Badenoch, and Menteth.

From Norman
Grant, Graunt,
le

Places.

5 5

Grand.^

Lovel.^

Haig.
Hamilton, de Hambledon.^

Maule.*

Montgomery.^

Hay, de

la

Haye.

Mowbray.^
Mortimer, de mortuo mari.

Lindsay, de Lindeseye. Lyle,

^

Mowat,

de monte alto.

De

I'isle.

Muschet, de monte Jlxo.

The

first

who

appear on record are Laurence and Robert,

et

" called Grant"

Dominis Laurentlo

Roberto

did'ts

Grant

witnesses in the bishop's court a.d. 1258.

At a
it

later period the

Grants are found

settled

on the barony of Strathspey

as

church

vassals, until at the

Reformation they acquired

(Leicester)

in property.
is

The English guessed. They had

*

pedigree of Hamilton
in

only

been for three generations settled

Scotland

before taking any fixed surname.

Their power and consequence

not,
I

were of comparatively
marriage, by
"^

late

date,

think, before the royal

which they acquired the earldom of Arran.

in

The The

Lovels were considerable lords

Angus, the North,

and on Tweedside, now, I suppose,

*

extinct.

Maules, themselves Normans, derived their chief posinheriting,

sessions

from

through an heiress, the property of the

de Valo'ines.
like

great family of
^

De

Valon'i'u,

The

Montgomeries,

so

many of

the Ayrshire and

Renfrewshire families, came as followers of the Stuarts.

They had

grants from them, both in their Lothian territory and in their

great western lordships.
^

No

doubt a branch of the great English-Norman family,

settled early at Barnbougle,

coast.

and sent a cadet to the opposite Fife

56

Scotch Surnames from

Norman

'Places.

Muschamps, de Muscamp.'

Somervil,

Summemlle.

/'
Noi-vel,

de Normanvil

Umphiavil, de Umphraville/

'

Ramsay, de Rameseie.
Russell.

Vans, Vaus, Vaux, de Vaux.

?;.

Veitch, de Vescl' (?)

Ross, Ros, Rose, de Rods.*

Vipont, de vekri ponte.^

Sinclair,

de Sancto Clare.

Weir, de Vere.

A great
Ross.
'

name of old

in

Teviotdale, now, I suppose, extinct.

Distinguished from the Scotch Rosses by giving the three

water-budgets for arms, instead of the Lions of the old Earls of

I have set

down

the

name of the

great

Norman

barons,

who

held Redesdale " by the sword," and became Earls of Angiis by

marriage with the heiress of the old Earls and Marmors,
extant names, because in
this, as

among

in

so

many

other instances, the

grand old name may luik unobserved in the misunderstood appellation

*

of some peasant's or burgher's family.

The

early seals of the

De

Vescis, before marshalling arms

for a

on shields had become common, have a bunch of vetches

cognizance.
*

A
it

good old name on the Borders, now,

has taken some humble shape.

I think, extinct,

unless

Index of Surnames.
000

Abercrombie, 44.
Aberdeen, 44. Abernethy, 44

Bain, 16.
Balderston, 44. Balfour, 44.
Ballantyne, 44. Ballindean, 44.
Ballingall,

Adams, 20. Adamson, 20.

Adie, 20.
Ainslie, 44.

44.
i.

Balliol, 3, 8, 53.

Alanson, 19.
Allardice, 44. 'Alves, 44.

Balmanno, 2

Balneaves, 44. Balnevis, 44.

Balsillie,

Anderson, 20.

Andrew, 14. Andiews, 20.

Angel, 31.
AnstiTJther, 44.

44. Bannatyne, 44. Barber, 25.

Barclay, 8.

Ap-Hugh, 23. Ap-Owen, 23.

Ap-Rice, 23.

Bard, 30. Barker, 27. Barron, 36.

Bassinden, 44. Baxter, 27.

Ap- Richard,

23.

Arbuthnot, 44. Archer, 37.

Beaton, 53.

Beg, 15.
Belassize, de, 9.
Bell, 31.

Armstrong, 1 1 Auchinleck, 44.

Auchniutie, 44. Avenel, 8.

Belsches, 9.
Berkelai, de, 3, 53.

Aytoun,

8, 44.

Baillie, 36.

Berwick, 44. Bethune (Beton), 53. Binning, 44.

Bishop, 25, 31.

Bisset, 53.

Brisbane, 44.

Broad wood, 44.

Brock, 32.
Brodie, 44. Brounlie, 44.

Blacadder, 44. Black, 16.

Blacke, 22.

Black-mantle, 5. Blackburn, 44.

Blackball, 44. Blackie, 16.

Broun, 16. Bruce, 8, 53.

Bmnton, 45. Brus, 3, 53.

Buchan, 4^. Buchanan, 45.
Buntine, 45.

Blackwood, 44.
Blair, 44. Blue, 16.

Blyth, 39. Boece, 7. Bog, 44.

Burnard, 45. Burnett (Burnet), 10, 45. Burn, 45.

Burns, 45.

Boig, 44.
Bois, de, 39.

Bumes, 45.
Burness, 45. Burton, 45. Butchard, 27. Butcher, 27.
Butler, 4, 22.

Boncle,

44

Bontine, 45.

Boog, 44.
Borland, 44. Borthwick, 44.
Boswell, 39. Bowen, 23.

Byres, 45. Byset, 53.

Bowmaker, 28.

Byseth, de, 53.

Bowman, 37.
Bowyer, 28.
Boyle, 53. Brackenrigg, 44.

Caddell, 45,
Cairncross, 45. Calder, 45.

Braidwood, 44.
Brand, 27. Brander, 27.

Calderwood, 45. Callander, 45.

Caldwell, 39.

Brewer, 27.
Brewster, 27. Bridges, 44.

Cameron, 23, 45.

Campbell, 10, 23, 54.
Cai kettle, 45.
Carlisle,

45.

Index of Surnames.
Carmichael, 45. Carnegie, 45.
Carpenter, 22, 28.
Carr, 47. Carrick, 45.
Carriston, 35.
Clifford, 4.

59

Clinkscales, 26,

Cochran, 45. Cockburn, 45.

Cody, 41.
Colquhoun, 45.
Colvil, 45.

Canon, 45.
Carruthers, 45.
Carstairs, 45.

Colvin, 45.

Carswell, 45. Carter, 36.

Comyn, 54. Constable, 36.

Cook, 28. Cooke, 22.
Cooper, 27. Copland, 45.
Corbet, 54. Corke, 22.

Cartwright, 28.
Cathcart, 45.

Cawdor, 45.
Chalmers, 36.

Chamberleyn, 36. Chambers, 36.

Chancellor, 36.

Cornwall, 15.
Costello, 40.

Chapman, 26.
Charteris, 54.

Cowan, 30.
Cowie, 17, 45.
Craig, 33, 39, 45.
Craigie, 45. Cranstoun, 45. Crauford, 45.

Chartreux, 54. Cheape, 26.

Cheislie, 45.

Chene,

le,

54.

Chester, 22.

Craw, 32.
Crawfurd, 9. Crichtoun, 46, Crombie, 46.
Crosbie, 46.

Cheyne, 54. Chisholme, 10, 45. Chretien, 4 Church, 25.

1

Church-hill, 6.

Cruickshanks, 5.
Cullen, 46.

Clapperton, 45.
Clayhills, 45.

Cumin, 54.

Cleghorn, 45. Cleland, 45. Clephane, 45. Clerk, 25.

Cumming, 54.
Cuninghame, 46. Cunninghame, 9.
Currier, 27,

Index

62
Gray, 47.
Great-head, 5. Green, 16.
Greenhill, 6, 47.

Index of Surnames.
Heron, 32.
Herries, 47. Hilarius, 39.

HQl, 33.
Hislop, 47.

Greenlies, 47. Grey, 16.

Grieve, 36.

Grim,

4.

Hodges, 20. Hodson, 20. Hogarth, 47.

Grimketil, 14.

Home,

9, 47.

Grosvenor, 37. Grote, 47.

Guthrie, 6, 47.

Hooper, 27.
Hop-pringle, 47.

Horsburgh, 47. Houston, 47.

Hadden, 47.
Hagart, 47. Haig, 55. Halcro, 47.

Howburn, 47. Howden, 47. Hume, 47.

Hunter, 37.

Halden, 47. Halfpenny, 41.

Halket, 47. Halkerston, 37, 47.

Husband, 37.
Huissier, 35.

Hutton, 47.

Hyndshaw, 47.
Inglis, 15.

Halkhead, 47.
Hall, 47. Halpen, 41.
Innes, 47.
Ireland,
i 5,

Halyburton, 47.

Hambledon,

de, 55.

Irvine, 10,

47.

Hamilton, 4, 38, 55. Hare, 32.

Harper, 30. Harrower, 36.

Jack, 20.

Jackson, 20.

James, 14.
Jardine, 47.

Hay, 7, 55. Haye, de la, 55. Hazelwood, 6. Hedderwick, 47.

Hepburn, 47.
Heriot, 47.

Jellybrands, 47.

John, 14. Johnson, 19, 20.

Johnston, 11, 47. Joiners, 28.

Index of Surnames.
Monte-fixo, de, 9. Monteith, 50.

65

M'Gilleane, 24.

Montgomery, 55. Montmoienci, de, 41. Monypenny, 26. Moor, 34. Moore, 34.
Moravia, de, 10.

MacGostelin, 40. M'Intosh, 23, 24. Mackenzie, 21, 24.

M'Lean, 24. M'Leod, 24. MacNab, 23. M'Nachtan, 24.

M'Neill, 24.

Moray, 9, 50. More, 34. More, John, 1 5.

Morevil, de, 3, 8. Morris, 41.

MacOdo,

40.

M'Pherson, 23. M'Vicar, 23.

Nairn, 50. Nangle, 40. Naper, 35.
Neaves, 44. Naperers, 35.

Mortimer, 55. Morton, 50.

Moscrop, 50. Moston, 22. Motherwell, 50.

Mountain, 33.

Nevay, 50.
Nevil, 4.

Mow,

50.

Mowat, 9, 55. Mowbray, 55.

Muir, 34.
Multerer, 26.

Newall, 50. Newbiggin, 50.

Newton, 50.
Nisbet, 7, 50, Norie, 50.

Mure, 34, Murray, 10, 50. Mu scamp de, 56. Muschamps, 56. Muschet, 9, 55. Mutray, 50.
Mutter, 26.

Norman vil,
Norvel, 56.

de, 8, 56.

Ochiltree, 53.
Ochterlony, 50.

Oggu.

14-

MacAlpin, 42.
MacClogh-ree, 40. Macdonald, 23.

Ogill, 50.

Ogilvie, 50.

Ogstoun, 50.
Oliphant, 32.

M'Dowal, 24.
MacFalran, 41.

Orm,

14,

. . . . .

..

. .

..

..

Ormiston, 38, 50. Orr, 51.

Primrose, 51.
Pringle, 47. Pritchard, 23.

Orrock, 5 Osburn, 5

i i

Proctor, 25.

Paip, 32. Papey, 32. Pantoun, 5

Pro van, 5 i Pugh, 23.

Purdic, 51.
1 i

Purees, 5

Pargillies, 5

Park,

QuiNCi, DE, 3.

Parker, 37. Parson, 25.

Patullo, 5
I

Rait, 51.
Ralstoun, 5 I. Rameseie, de, 56.

Peacock, 32.
Peddie, 51.
Peeblis, 51.

Ramsay, 56.
Randell, 51.

Pender, 51. Pennycuik, 5

Pendrich,
Pentland, 51. Pepdie, 51.
Pitblado, 5?.
Pitcairn, 5
r,

Randolph,
i

8.
1

Rankeillor, 5

5 i.

Rankin,

i.
i

Rattray, 5

Ray, 5 I Red, 16. Redpeth,

Reid, 16.

Pittendreich, 51.
Plenderleith, 51.

Reidheuch, Rentoun,

Plumber, 28.
Polloc, 51.

5 1.

Richards, 20.

Pont, 51.
Pontiff, 44.

Richardson, 20.
Riddell, 5
I

Pook,

Riddoch, 51.
Robson, 20. Rochead, 5 i Rodgers, 20.

Pope, 31.
Porter, 36.
Porterfield, 51.

Preston, 5

i.

Prettyman,
Price, 23.

5.

RoUand, 51.
Rollo, 2, 51.

Index

Index of Surnames.
Tullos, 53. Turner, 28.

69

Wardrop, 35.
Wardropers, 35.

Tweedle, 53. Tynedal, 52. Tynto, 53.

Tyrie, 53.

Wark,

53.

Warrener, 37. Warrender, 37.

Watson, 20.

Wat, 20.
UCHILTREE 53.
Uddart, 53.

Watt, 43.

Wauchope,

53.

Udney, 53. Udward, 53.

Umphravil, 56. Umphravil, de,
3.

Webster, 27.

Umphraville, de, 56.

Wedderlurne, 53. Weir, 9, 56. Welsh, 15. Welsh names, *Ap.' 22.

Ure, 53.
Urie, 53.

Wemyss,

9, 53.

Urquhart, 53.

Vallibus, de, 9. Vans, 9, 56.

Vaus, 56. Vaus, de, 9.

White, 16, 22. Whitehead, 53. Whitelaw, 53. Whytford, 53.

Whytock,

16.

Wilson, 20.

Vaux, 56. Vaux, de,

Winlaw, 53. Winram, 53.

Winter, 19. Winzett, 53.
Wischart, 35, 40. Wise-heart, 40.

3, 9, 56.

Veitch, 9, 56. Vere, de, 4, 9.

Vesci, de, 8, 9, 56. Vipont, de, 3, 8, 56.

Wiseman,

18.

Vipont, 8, 44, 56.

Wood,

33, 39, 53.

2
i

Wotherspon, 53.

Waddell,
Wallace,
i

53.
5.

Wranghame,

Walker, 26. Walkinshaw, 53.

Wallensis,
i

Wright, 28. Wryttoun, 53.

Yule,

19.

Wardlaw,

53.

Just Riblished, in

One

Vol.,

Demy

8vo.

Price 10s. 6d.

Scotland in the Middle Ages.

SKETCHES OF EAELY SCOTCH HISTORY, AND
SOCIAL PROGRESS.
By Cosmo
Innes, F. S. A.,

Professor of History In the University of Edinburgh.

L Early History
Burghs.
III.

to

the

Reign of David L

11.

Scotch

Vestiges of Ancient Law.

IV. Ancient

Constitution of Scotland.

V. Early Dress and Manners.

VL

Language and

Literature.

With 3 Majis,

Illustrative

of the Civil and Ecclesiastical

Divisions in the Tenth

"

and Thirteenth

Centuries.

We

have discussed only a few of the points suggested

to us

by Professor

Innes's most interesting book.

The

autlior has

accumulated much pleasant

and fresh information

'

in

two chapters on Early Dress and Manners,' and on

it.'

Architecture and the Arts connected with

" The

Examiner,

May

12,

1860.

" Contrary to the usual practice in our days, this book contains more than
it

professes

and

it is

almost as valuable and interesting to an

Gentleman's Magazine.

Eiiglit^h reader

as to a Scotch one."

" Professor Innes, of Edinburgh, has given to the world a portly volume,
ostensibly on Scottish historj', but truly on the growth of order
in Europe,

and authority
historical

commencing with Charlemagne, which the

There
is

serious

student will find anything but dry reading.

indeed

much

of the

manner

of lively discourse about

it.

Perhaps

this

may

be the result of the

sketches that compose the

work having been

spirit,

originally prepared for lectures

to a class in the university to

which the Professor

here

we have

a charming, and, in

is attached, at any rate, an original book." TAe Leader.

" Mr. Innes has contributed a worthy volume to the national literatureone, too, which once taken
reader."
'

up

will not readily be laid

down by the

interested

Glasgow Courier.

A very useful and instructive volume, full of correct information respectMorning

this

ing the mediaeval state of Scotland."

"

Post, April 9, 18G0.

No

Scotsman should be without

life.

book

and

it is full

of incidental

descriptions of mediaeval English

We have never
is

met in one book any-

thing like the varied mass of information which

in this beautifully printed volume."

most pleasantly conveyed

Livei^ool Courier.

" Excepting

in

'

Chalmers's Caledonia,'
the laborious

we know no work where so much

infor-

may

be found

and while

George Chalmers spread his

mation over three great quartos, Mr. Innes has given his in a portable and
readable octavo volume.

We

need hardly add that we consider the work

it

indispensable to every student of Scottish history, while

may

be read with

pleasure

by

all classes."

Inverness Courier, Feb. 16, 1860.

in our literature.
It is true that

" This work was a desideratum

histories of Scotland in the

we have

middle ages, but we did not possess a work written

as this

is

under the light that has been thro^Ti upon past events by recent

antiquarian research.

As one

of our

most eminent antiquarians, and as a

most successful student of the philosophy of history, there are few who are
so well fitted to write the early history of our country as Professor Innes.

And, although he has not thought proper

secutive shape,

to

throw those sketches into a con-

we

get from

them more

really reliable information regarding

our forefathers than from any similar production."

14, 1860.

Banffshire Journal, Feb.

" Altogether this volume must prove of the highest interest to the antiquarian reader, while
student.
rity,
it

will also be

found

full of

singular instruction for the

Seeing

the latter

how every statement is here verified by an original authowill learn the true way of pursuing his researches to the best
critical
all

advantage, while, at the same time, he will perceive that the closest

accuracy does not at

rical

diminish

tiie

interest or the picturesqueness of histo-

narrative." Manchester Weekly Guardian.

"

We regard, therefore,
it

the

'

Scotland of the Middle Ages

lore, of

'

as au accession

to our historical

and antiquarian

the greatest value and importance

and we daresay amongst us able

a
fl

will be admitted that

Mr. Cosmo Innes was the only

man

to write it

His intelligent researches have already thrown

)od of light

on

many

obscure times and events in our Scottish History."

Feb. 23, 1860.

Glasgow Daily Herald,

"

We

have read the book with great pleasure, the pleasure which arises
satisfied

from curiosity legitimately excited and agreeably

ing bias or exaggeration
;

without misleadit

aud we think

all

who
pay

look through

will find

their views of Scottish history refreshed,

and

their perceptions sharpened

on

points to

which professed
28, 1860.

histories generally

insufficient attention."

The Press, April

"

We

have reason

to congratulate ourselves that

the Professor of History

circle of

of the Edinburgh University did not confine these lectures to the

his class.

They overflow with

curious and recondite information, and

we can

only regret that they are not more copious, and that the lecturer has refrained

from giving his opinion, as well as his data.

For a

living, breathing historj'

of the people of Scotland, he has gone whither he urges his pupils to go for
their information,

not to the book-shelf, but to old chronicles, old records, and,

and other memorials
of the progress of

older

still,

to sepulchral, architectural,

civilization

and

art

among

the ancient population."

The Globe, June A, 1860.

" Considered as a formal treatise on Mediaeval Scotland, the only fault

we

should find with Professor Innes' book would be that he goes too lightly over
the ground, and merely sketches

many

things which
is

we should

like to see

thoroughly worked
self to

out,

and which clearly no man

better fitted than

him-

work

out.

But, considered as what they really are, sketches addressed

to a youthful audience, purposely intended to stimulate, rather

than to

satisfy,

the desire for knowledge,

merit.

this

'

sketchiness

'

becomes no

fault at all,
is

but a

Professor Innes' whole

way
a

of dealing with his subject

perfectly

adapted to his purpose.

vigorous, and earnest.
times,

His lectures are simple and straightforward, manly,

He shews

warm and

generous appreciation of past

senti-

which at the same time never degenerates into antiquarian or

mental unreality.

He speaks as a
And

Scotchman, proud of his country, but with

nothing of that pettiness and narrowness into which a provincial patriotism

is

so apt to dry up.

is,

Professor Innes, moreover, thoroughly

knows what

history
to
it.

where

it is

to be found, and what his

tells his

own

duties are with regard

He knows and

audience, that neither the picturesque narra-

tive nor the eloquent lecture can do the

work

of real study of original records.

He

tells

them, moreover, that original records do not consist exclusively of

;

books, that history cannot be studied only in libraries

ruins, grassy

but that crumbling

mounds, and craggy

charters.

hill-tops

may

often teach as

much

as

chronicles

and

Professor Innes evidently belongs to that class of

inquirers of

whom

Dr. Guest exhibits the highest type, the happy union of

the in-door scholar and of the out-door antiquary.

characters are separated, the

Whenever those two

work

of neither of

them can be properly done.

its

Professor Innes, in short, has given us a thoroughly good book in

kind.

We
June

very seldom meet, except when dealing with the very

first

own mag-

nates of historj', with one which

dian,
20, 1860.

we can

so unreservedly approve."

Guar-

Ill

the Press, uniform with " Scotland in the Middle Ages,"

Sketches of Early Scotch History.

By COSMO
IN:^fES, F.S.A.

Professor of History in the University of Edinburgh.

Contents.
1

The Church

its

Old Organization,

Parochial and Monastic.

2.

Universities.

3. Social
4.

Habits and Morals.

Family History.

5.

Topography and

Statistics.

r^-

UNIVER^^^^^^ BR,GH AM YOUNG

2226 3 1197 21320

Date Due
time. recall at any are subject to library items Ail

Brigham Young

Univeisity