Clan Bissett

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Clan Bissett
MottoAbscissa Virescit (That torn down re-grows) [1]
Arms of Bissett of Beaufort.svg
Clan Bissett has no chief, and is an armigerous clan
Historic seat Aboyne Castle [2]
Clan branches
Bisset of Aboyne (historic chiefs) [3]
Bisset of Lessendrum (senior cadets) [3]
Mac Eoin Bissett family (Ireland)
Rival clans
Earls of Atholl (13th century)

Clan Bissett (Bisey, Byset, Bisset or Bissert) is a Scottish clan. The clan is recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms but does not have a clan chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law. [3] Clan Bissett is considered an armigerous clan, meaning that it is considered to have had at one time a chief who possessed the chiefly arms; however, no one at present is in possession of such arms. The surname Bissett is also considered a sept of the Clan Fraser of Lovat.

Contents

History

Origins of the clan

The surname Bisset is believed to be of Norman origin and was brought to Scotland when William the Lion returned from captivity in England, accompanied by the Biseys. [3] The Bysets settled in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in England. [4] They appear with other Norman families to have successfully established themselves and gained land in Morayshire, Scotland. [3] The power of the family spread and persons bearing the surname witnessed several charters in the 13th and 14th centuries. [3] A charter of Alexander III of Scotland to Paisley Abbey was witnessed by Thomas de Bissat. [3]

The rising fortunes of the family were eclipsed however by a feud with the Earl of Atholl. [3] In 1242 at a tournament held at Haddington, Walter Byset, Lord of Aboyne was defeated by the youthful Earl of Atholl (possibly Padraig, Earl of Atholl). [3] Allegedly, Byset, in a fit of anger murdered the earl while he slept and then set fire to his house to conceal the crime. [3] Walter Byset and his nephew John then fled to Ireland and then to England. [3] The feud followed the two fugitives as a pardon was later granted to the son of the Earl of Atholl for killing some Bysets in Ireland. [3]

Habakkuk Bisset was a lawyer and Writer to the Signet during the reign of James IV of Scotland. [3]

20th and 21st centuries

The principal line of the clan is now that of Bisset of Lessendrum, one of the oldest families in Aberdeenshire. [3]

Clan profile

Castles

The following is a list of castles known to have been in the ownership of the family:

Scotland
Ireland

Peerages

Related Research Articles

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat (1667–1747)

Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat, nicknamed 'the Fox', was a Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, known for his feuding and changes of allegiance. In 1715, he had been a supporter of the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides and supported the Stuart claim on the crown of the United Kingdom. Lovat was among the Highlanders defeated at the Battle of Culloden and convicted of treason against the Crown, following which he was sentenced to death and subsequently beheaded.

Lord Lovat

Lord Lovat is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser. The holder is also the Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat.

Clan Gordon Scottish clan

Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan is the powerful Earl of Huntly, and now also the Marquess of Huntly. During the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 13th century, the Gordons supported William Wallace in the cause of independence. In the 15th century, the chiefship of the clan passed to an heiress, who married into the Seton family and her male descendants assumed the surname Gordon and continued as chiefs of the clan. The Gordons assisted in defeating the rebellion of the Earl of Douglas also in the 15th century. In the 16th century, the Gordons as Catholics feuded with their Protestant neighbors the Clan Forbes and also defeated at the Battle of Glenlivet, the Protestant Earl of Argyll. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of the 17th century, the Gordons supported the Royalist cause. During the Jacobite rising of 1715 the Clan Gordon was Jacobite. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, their chief, then the Duke of Gordon, pledged his support to the British-Hanoverian Government, but his clan remained Jacobite.

Beauly town in Inverness, Scotland

Beauly is a town in the Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness, on the River Beauly, 5 miles (8 km) west of Inverness by the Far North railway line.

Clan Fraser of Lovat Highland Scottish clan

Clan Fraser of Lovat is a Highland Scottish clan. The Clan Fraser of Lovat has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century, but Lovat is in fact a junior branch of the Clan Fraser who were based in the Aberdeenshire area. Both the Clan Fraser and the Clan Fraser of Lovat have their own separate clan chiefs who are recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms under Scottish law. The Clan Fraser of Lovat in Inverness-shire has historically dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict involving Scotland. It has also played a considerable role in most major political turmoils. "Fraser" remains the most prominent family name within the Inverness area.

Beaufort Castle, Scotland Baronial style mansion built in 1880 and incorporating older building work

Beaufort Castle or Castle Dounie is a Baronial style mansion built in 1880 and incorporating older building work. It is situated on the right bank of the River Beauly near the town of Beauly in Inverness-shire and is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Kiltarlity and 13 mi (21 km) west of Inverness. There has been a castle on the site since the 12th century. Beaufort is the traditional seat of the Lords Lovat.

Bisset is a surname of Scottish origin.

Beauly Priory

Beauly Priory was a Valliscaulian monastic community located at "Insula de Achenbady", now Beauly, Inverness-shire. It was probably founded in 1230. It is not known for certain who the founder was, different sources giving Alexander II of Scotland, John Byset, and both. The French monks, along with Bisset, had a strong enough French-speaking presence to give the location and the river the name "beau lieu" and have it pass into English.

Clan Straiton, also called Straton or Stratton, is a Lowland Scottish clan. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan.

Clan Stewart Scottish clan

Clan Stewart is a Scottish 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.

The Aird is an area of the County of Inverness, to the west of the City of Inverness. It is situated to the south of the River Beauly and the Beauly Firth, and to the north of Glenurquhart and the northern end of Loch Ness.

Clan Fenton Scottish clan

Clan Fenton is a Scottish clan. It does not have a clan chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law. Clan Fenton is considered an armigerous clan, meaning that it is considered to have had at one time a chief who possessed the chiefly arms, however no one at present is in possession of such arms. the arms of Fenton of that Ilk are blazoned as: Gules, a bend engrailed Argent.

Red Bay Castle

Red Bay Castle is situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on a headland projecting into the sea north of Glenariff situated on the road to Cushendall.

Clan Gardyne Lowland Scottish clan

Clan Gardyne, also known as clan Garden, is a lowland Scottish clan from Angus. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is an armigerous clan.

Mac Eoin Bissett family

The history of the Bissett family in Ireland can be studied independently from that of the originally identical family in Scotland, because of their unique experience following their arrival in Ulster in the early or mid-13th century. Here, while still remaining involved in Scottish affairs, the Bissetts would establish themselves as the Lords of the Glens of Antrim and quickly become equally, then eventually more involved in the politics of the Irish province, becoming among the most Gaelicised of all the so-called Anglo-Norman families in Ireland. The heads of the leading branch of the family soon adopted the Gaelic lineage style Mac Eoin Bissett, by which they are known in the Irish annals, and which translates as "Son/Descendant of John Byset", after a prominent ancestor born in Scotland. In a number of English and Anglo-Norman sources the same head of the family is referred to as the Baron Bissett, also with variants.

Lovat Castle was a castle in the Highlands of Scotland, near Kirkhill and Beauly. The castle stood on the south bank of the River Beauly. Originally known as Beauly Castle, it was built by the Bissets in the 11th-12th century. The castle came into the Fraser's hands with the marriage of Simon Fraser to a Bissett heiress in the 13th century.

John Byset the Elder, Lord of the Aird was a Scoto-Norman nobleman who is the progenitor of the Bissett family of the Glens of Antrim in medieval northeastern Ireland, present-day Northern Ireland.

Walter Byset, Lord of Aboyne was a Scoto-Norman nobleman.

John Bissett of Lovat

John Bissett, Lord of Lovat was a Scottish nobleman.

Simon Fraser, 6th Lord Lovat (1570–1633) Scottish courtier and landowner.

References

  1. Clan Bisset Profile scotclans.com. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Coventry, Martin. (2008). Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans. pp. 44 - 45. ISBN   978-1-899874-36-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 362.
  4. "Battle Abbey Roll - Byseg". 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.

Further reading