| Clan Wemyss | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Je pense (I think) [1] |
| Chief | |
| Michael Wemyss of that Ilk [1] | |
| Seat | Wemyss Castle |
Clan Wemyss is a Lowland Scottish clan.
| Clan Wemyss | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Motto | Je pense (I think) [1] |
| Chief | |
| Michael Wemyss of that Ilk [1] | |
| Seat | Wemyss Castle |
Clan Wemyss is a Lowland Scottish clan.
The surname Wemyss is derived from the Scottish Gaelic uaimh which means cave. [2] It is believed to be taken from the caves of the Wemyss, Fife, by the Firth of Forth, where the Wemyss family made their home. [2] Wemyss Castle in Fife has been the seat of the chiefs of Clan Wemyss since the twelfth century. [2] The chiefs are one of the few noble families who are descended from the Celtic nobility through the Clan MacDuff Earls of Fife. [2]
Sir Michael Wemyss along with his brother, Sir David, and also Scott of Balwearie were sent to Norway to bring back the infant Queen Margaret, the "Maid of Norway", in 1290. [2]
Sir Michael Wemyss swore fealty to Edward I of England in 1296 but then changed his allegiance to Robert the Bruce. [2] As a result, Wemyss Castle was sacked by the English. [2] He also witnessed the Act of Settlement in 1315 of the Scottish Crown by Robert the Bruce. [2] Michael's son, Sir David Wemyss, was amongst those who appended their seals to the famous Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. [2] Sir David was also one of the guarantors for the release of David II of Scotland from English imprisonment and his son was one of the hostages sent for the king's ransom. [2]
In 1513 Chief Sir David de Wemyss was killed leading the Clan Wemyss at the Battle of Flodden. [2] His grandson was Sir John Wemyss who fought under the Earl of Arran at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. [2]
John was a great supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, and it was at the newly enlarged Wemyss Castle that she first met her future husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. [2] Sir John was made lieutenant of Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan in 1559. [2] He led his men in the queen's army at the Battle of Langside in 1568. [2] His great-grandson was another John Wemyss who was born in 1586 as second-born, but eldest-surviving son of Sir John Wemyss of that Ilk, by his second wife Mary Stewart. [2]
John Wemyss was knighted in 1618 and created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1625. [2] This included a charter to the barony of New Wemyss in that province of Canada. [2] He was later advanced to the title of Earl of Wemyss and the patent was presented to him at Dunfermline personally by Charles I of England. [2] John Wemyss was also a Privy Councillor, High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and one of the Committee of the Estates. [2] John Wemyss died in 1649 and was succeeded by his only son, David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss. [2] David Wemyss, the second earl spent a lifetime nurturing the resources of his estate, in particular his salt and coal mines. [2] He also built a large harbour at Methil, Fife and greatly extended Wemyss Castle where he entertained Charles II of England in 1650 and 1651. [2] He died in 1679 and was predeceased by his son so the estates fell to his daughter, Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss. [2] Margaret married her cousin, James Wemyss, Lord Burntisland. [2] Their son was David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss who succeeded his mother in 1705.
David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss was nominated as one of the trustees for the Treaty of Union with England. [2] In 1707 he became Vice Admiral of Scotland. [2]
James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss married the heiress of Colonel Francis Charles Charteris. [2] During the Jacobite rising of 1745 the earl's son, David Wemyss, Lord Elcho, joined the Jacobite leader, Charles Edward Stuart in Edinburgh. [2] Lord Elcho accompanied Stuart into England and was also present at the Battle of Culloden. [2] He then escaped to France and took part in Charles Edward Stuart's state entry into Paris. [2] In his absence he was convicted of treason and his estates were forfeited to the Crown. [2] He died in Paris in 1787. [2] Consequently, the earl was instead succeeded by his second son, Francis, who changed his surname to that of his mother which was Charteris. [2] It is from Francis that the present Earls of Wemyss and chiefs of Clan Charteris are descended. [2] Meanwhile, the chiefship of the Clan Wemyss and the estates in Fife devolved upon the 5th earl's third son, James Wemyss (1726–1786), who was MP for Sutherland and married Lady Elizabeth Sutherland in 1757. [2]
James Wemyss's great-grandson married Millicent, daughter of Lady Augusta Gordon, and illegitimate granddaughter of William IV of the United Kingdom. [2] Their grandson, Michael Wemyss, married Lady Victoria Cavendish-Bentinck, last surviving god-daughter of Queen Victoria. [2]
As of 2011 [update] the chief of Clan Wemyss is Michael Wemyss of Wemyss who married Charlotte Bristowe, the daughter of Colonel Royle Bristowe of Ickleton, Essex.[ citation needed ]
Spelling variations and septs of the Clan Wemyss include: Elcho, Vemis, Vemys, Vemyss, Veymis, Weemes, Weems, Weemyss, Weimes, Weimis, Weims, Weimys, Wemes, Wemeth, Wemis, Wemise, Wems, Wemyes, Wemys, Wemyss, Wemysse, Weymes, Weymis, Weyms, Whymes, Whyms, Wymes, Wymess, Whims, Wims, and Wymbs (County Sligo, Ireland),
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.
Clan MacDuff or Clan Duff is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan does not currently have a chief and is therefore considered an Armigerous clan, which is registered with the Lyon Court. The early chiefs of Clan MacDuff were the original Earls of Fife, although this title went to the Stewarts of Albany in the late fourteenth century. The title returned to the MacDuff chief when William Duff was made Earl Fife in 1759. His descendant Alexander Duff was made Duke of Fife in 1889.
The Clan Ruthven is a Lowland Scottish clan.
Francis Wemyss Charteris was a Scottish landowner who claimed to be 7th Earl of Wemyss.
Francis Wemyss Charteris Douglas, 8th Earl of Wemyss, 4th Earl of March, known as the Earl of March from 1810 to 1826 and as the Earl of Wemyss and March from 1826 to 1853, was a Scottish peer.
Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands.
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.
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 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 its national importance. The castle is unusual in that it has both en suite guest accommodation like a mansion, but also a large number of gun loops.
Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan. The progenitor of the Clan, Bartolf, was a nobleman from Hungary, who came to Scotland in 1067. He built a castle at Lesselyn, from which the clan name derives.
Clan Charteris is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
Clan Erskine is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
Clan Scrymgeour is a Highland Scottish clan.
Clan Stewart is a Scottish Highland and Lowland clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Clan Chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Because the clan has no chief it can be considered an armigerous clan; however, the Earls of Galloway are now considered to be the principal branch of this clan, and the crest and motto of The Earls of Galloway's arms are used in the Clan Stewart crest badge. The Court of the Lord Lyon recognises two other Stewart/Stuart clans, Clan Stuart of Bute and Clan Stewart of Appin. Clan Stuart of Bute is the only one of the three clans at present which has a recognised chief.
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.
John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss (1586–1649) was a Scottish politician.
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.
Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss and 7th Earl of March DL, styled Lord Elcho from 1883 to 1914, was a British Conservative politician.
James Wemyss was a Scottish naval officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1763 to 1784.
Francis Wemyss Charteris, Lord Elcho was a Scottish nobleman and member of parliament.
