Clan Charteris

Last updated

Clan Charteris
MottoThis is our Charter [1]
Profile
Region Scottish Lowlands
Chief
The Right Honourable James
Earl of Wemyss and March
Seat Gosford House, East Lothian
Clan branches
Charteris of Dumfries [2]
Charteris of Kinfauns [2]
Rival clans

Clan Charteris is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. [2]

Contents

History

Origins of the Name

The claimed origin of the name Charteris is that it is from the city of Chartres in France. [2]

Origins of the Clan

William, a son of the Lord Chartres, is said to have come over with the Norman conquest of England. [2] William's son or grandson came to Scotland with the retinue of David I of Scotland. [2] An early reference to the name is found in a charter of around 1174 to Kelso Abbey. [2] In this charter the name appears written in Latin as de Carnoto. [2]

A charter dated 1266 gives evidence of four generations of Charterises: Robert de Carnoto, a knight who is said to be the son of Thomas, who was the son of another Thomas, who was the son of Walther. [2] In 1280 Sir Thomas de Charteris was appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland by Alexander III of Scotland. [2]

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Andrew de Charteris rendered homage to Edward I of England and appears on the Ragman Rolls. [2] However, he soon took up the fight for Scottish independence. As a result, his estates were forfeited to John Balliol, who was the English-sponsored King of Scotland. [2] Andrew's son, William Charteris, was a supporter of Robert the Bruce and was with Bruce when Comyn was killed at Dumfries in 1306. [2] Sir Thomas Charteris was a faithful supporter of the Scottish Crown and was appointed ambassador to England. [2] He was appointed as Lord High Chancellor of Scotland in 1342 by David II of Scotland and was killed at the Battle of Durham in 1346. [2]

16th century and clan conflicts

In 1526 a feud arose with the Clan Kirkpatrick (Kilpatrick). [2] It is recorded in Pitcairn's Criminal Trials of Scotland that John Charteris of Amisfield, along with his brother and two sons, were charged with the murder of Roger Kilpatrick, son of Alexander Kilpatrick in March 1526. [2]

In 1530 a more notable dispute took place, when Sir Robert Charteris, the eight Laird, fought a duel with Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig, which has been described as one of the last great chivalric contests. [2] The king himself watched the duel which was fought with such fury that Charteris's sword was broken and the king had to send his men to part the combatants. [2]

Another branch of the clan were the Charterises of Kinfauns, who disputed the chiefship with their cousins of Dumfriesshire. [2] The Charterises of Kinfauns are said to have received their lands as a reward for supporting Robert the Bruce against the English. [2] However, they came into a feud with the Clan Ruthven who often disputed the authority of the Charterises. [2] The Ruthvens held considerable sway over Perth from their Huntingtower Castle. [2] In 1544 Patrick, Lord Ruthven was elected as Provost of Perth but at the intervention of Cardinal Beaton, Ruthven was deprived of the office and Charteris of Kinfauns was appointed instead. [2] The city refused to acknowledge Charteris and barred the gates against him. [2] Charteris along with Lord Gray and the Clan Leslie then attacked the town. However, they were repulsed by the Ruthvens, who were assisted by the Moncreiffs. [2] As a result, Ruthven remained Provost of Perth until 1584, when William Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie was executed. [2] John Charteris had been killed by the earl's heir on Edinburgh High Street in 1552. [2]

17th century and civil war

Sir John Charteris of Amsfield was appointed one of the Commissioners of Parliament to confirm the Treaty of Ripon in 1641. [2] John supported the National Covenant but did not rise against the king. [2] As a result, he was imprisoned in Edinburgh in 1643 but was released in March 1645. [2] He afterwards joined the forces of James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose and was with the royal forces when they were surprised at the Battle of Philiphaugh in September 1645. [2] John's brother, Captain Alexander Charteris was one of Montrose's staff and was with him on his ill-fated campaign in Caithness in 1650. [2] Alexander Charteris was captured with Montrose and was executed by the Maiden in Edinburgh on 21 June 1650. [2] The family estates then passed through an heiress to Thomas Hogg, who later assumed the name of Charteris. [2]

18th and 19th centuries

Colonel Francis Charteris who was the male representative of the family, bought lands near Haddington, which he renamed Amsfield to recall his ancestor's family seat in Nithsdale. [2] He left an only daughter, Janet, who married the Earl of Wemyss. [2] Their second son was Francis Wemyss who later assumed the name Charteris. [2] The Charteris estates near Haddington have since been sold, although Gosford House is still the seat of the Earl of Wemyss and March, chief of the name and arms of Charteris. [2]

Chief

Since 2008, the family's chief has been The Right Honourable James Donald Charteris, Earl of Wemyss and March, Viscount of Peebles, Lord Wemyss of Elcho, Lord Elcho and Methil, Lord Douglas of Neidpath, Lyne and Munard.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Wemyss</span> Titles in the Peerage of Scotland

Earl of Wemyss is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in 1697. The holder of the title is sometimes known as the Earl of Wemyss and March, but the titles are distinct.

The Battle of Tippermuir was the first battle James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, fought for King Charles I in the Scottish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During the battle, Montrose's Royalist forces routed an army of the Covenanter-dominated Scottish government under John Wemyss, Lord Elcho. The government side took heavy losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss</span> Scottish peer

Francis David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March, styled Lord Elcho from 1916 to 1937, was a Scottish peer, landowner and conservationist. From 1946 to 1991, he served as chairman of the board and then president of the National Trust for Scotland.

William Ruthven, 2nd Lord Ruthven was a Scottish nobleman. He served as an Extraordinary Lord of Session and Keeper of the Privy Seal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Ruthven</span> Lowland Scottish clan

The Clan Ruthven is a Lowland Scottish clan.

Francis Wemyss Charteris was a Scottish landowner who claimed to be 7th Earl of Wemyss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss</span> British politician

Francis Richard Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss GCVO DL GCVO, styled as Lord Elcho between 1853 and 1883, was a British Whig politician. He founded the Liberty and Property Defence League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elcho Castle</span> Castle in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, UK

Elcho Castle is located close to the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland, in the region of Perth and Kinross. It was the maintained by Clan Wemyss from its construction around 1560 until it was put into the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the early 20th century, though was not occupied for the entire time. In around 1830 it was re-roofed and a nearby cottage constructed. The castle has been a scheduled monument since 1920 on the grounds of being "a particularly fine example of a Medieval tower-house", and the cottage became a listed building in 1971 in recognition of it's national importance. The castle is unusual in that it has both en suite guest accomodation like a mansion, but also a large number of gun loops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Moncreiffe</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Moncreiffe is a Highland Scottish clan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Wemyss</span> Lowland Scottish clan

Clan Wemyss is a Lowland Scottish clan.

David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss was a Scottish peer and Member of Parliament who served as Lord High Admiral of Scotland from 1706 to 1714.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wemyss, Lord Elcho</span> Scottish Jacobite earl (1721–1787)

David Wemyss, Lord Elcho and de jure 6th Earl of Wemyss, was a Scottish peer and Jacobite, attainted for his part in the 1745 Rising and deprived of titles and estates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinfauns Castle</span> Historic site in near Perth, Scotland

Kinfauns Castle is a 19th-century castle in the Scottish village of Kinfauns, Perth and Kinross. It is in the Castellated Gothic style, with a slight asymmetry typical of Scottish Georgian. It stands on a raised terrace facing south over the River Tay. The house is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Kirkpatrick</span> Lowland Scottish clan

Clan Kirkpatrick is a Lowland armigerous Scottish clan. There are several variations of the Kirkpatrick name: Kilpatric, Kilpatrick, and Gilpatrick. The names Kirkpatrick and Kilpatrick may have been interchangeable at one time. The clan is recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon, however the clan does not currently have a chief so recognised. The surname Kirkpatrick is also a recognized sept of Clan Douglas and Clan Colquhoun.

Elcho Priory was a medieval Cistercian priory in Perthshire, Scotland, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Francis Wemyss Charteris, Lord Elcho was a Scottish nobleman and Member of Parliament.

Henry Lindsay, 13th Earl of Crawford also known as Harry Charteris, was a Scottish landowner and courtier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie</span> Scottish aristocrat

Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie was a Scottish aristocrat. The dates of the birth and death of Dorothea Stewart are unknown.

References

  1. ↑ Clan Charteris Profile scotclans.com. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Way, George of Plean; Squire, Romilly of Rubislaw (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. Glasgow: HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 100–101. ISBN   0-00-470547-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.