Clan Anstruther
Encyclopedia
Clan Anstruther is a Scottish clan
from Anstruther
in Fife
, in the east of Scotland
.
, which was adopted as a familial name.
granted the lands of Anstruther to William de Candela in the early 12th century. There are a number of suggested origins for William but research points to the Normans in Italy. It is known that William I of England
sought assistance from William, Count of Candela, who sent his son. It is likely that this son was William de Candela, who received the grant of land from Alexander.
William de Candela's son, also William, was a benefactor to the monks of Balmerino Abbey. The site now occupied by the Scottish Fisheries Museum
in Anstruther was a gift from William. The next generation of the family, Henry, no longer styled himself , de Candela, being described as 'Henricus de Aynstrother dominus ejusdem' in a charter confirming grants of land to Balmerino Abbey.
Henry Anstruther accompanied Lois IX to the crusades
and swore fealty to King Edward I of England
in 1292 and again in 1296.
in 1513 during the Anglo-Scottish Wars
.
His second son, David, fought at the Battle of Pavia
in 1520 in the service of Francis I of France
in the French Scots Regiment. This line ended with the death of the last Baron d'Anstrude in 1928.
Andrew's great-great-grandson, Sir James Anstruther was chosen as a companion to the young James VI of Scotland, who appointed him Hereditary Grand Carver, a title still held by the head of the family today. In 1595 he became Master of the Household.
following the Union of the Crowns
in 1603 where he was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath
. Sir James's second son, Sir Robert, served as a diplomat for both James I and Charles I.
Sir Phillip Anstruther, the second son of Sir Robert, led the Clan and fought as Royalist
s during the civil war, and received Charles II
at Dreel Castle after his coronation at Scone in 1651. Phillip Anstruther was later taken prisoner after the Battle of Worcester
in 1651. He was excluded from Cromwell's Act of Grace
and his estates were confiscated. They were restored to him after the restoration of the monarchy
by Charles II.
. Airdrie House and Newark Castle
in Fife also belong to the Anstruthers.
Scottish clan
Scottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs recognised by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which acts as an authority concerning matters of heraldry and Coat of Arms...
from Anstruther
Anstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, in the east of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Origin of name
From the town of AnstrutherAnstruther
Anstruther is a small town in Fife, Scotland. The two halves of Anstruther are divided by a small stream called Dreel Burn. Anstruther lies 9 miles south-southeast of St Andrews. It is the largest community on the stretch of north-shore coastline of the Firth of Forth known as the East Neuk,...
, which was adopted as a familial name.
Origins of the Clan
Alexander I of ScotlandAlexander I of Scotland
Alexander I , also called Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim and nicknamed "The Fierce", was King of the Scots from 1107 to his death.-Life:...
granted the lands of Anstruther to William de Candela in the early 12th century. There are a number of suggested origins for William but research points to the Normans in Italy. It is known that William I of England
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
sought assistance from William, Count of Candela, who sent his son. It is likely that this son was William de Candela, who received the grant of land from Alexander.
William de Candela's son, also William, was a benefactor to the monks of Balmerino Abbey. The site now occupied by the Scottish Fisheries Museum
Scottish Fisheries Museum
The Scottish Fisheries Museum is an award-winning museum in Anstruther, Fife, that records the history of the Scottish fishing industry and its people from earliest times to the present day....
in Anstruther was a gift from William. The next generation of the family, Henry, no longer styled himself , de Candela, being described as 'Henricus de Aynstrother dominus ejusdem' in a charter confirming grants of land to Balmerino Abbey.
Henry Anstruther accompanied Lois IX to the crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
and swore fealty to King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1292 and again in 1296.
16th Century & Anglo-Scottish Wars
In 1483, Andrew Anstruther of Anstruther confirmed the right to a barony and fought against the English at the Battle of Flodden FieldBattle of Flodden Field
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
in 1513 during the Anglo-Scottish Wars
Anglo-Scottish Wars
The Anglo-Scottish Wars were a series of wars fought between England and Scotland during the sixteenth century.After the Wars of Scottish Independence, England and Scotland had fought several times during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In most cases, one country had attempted to...
.
His second son, David, fought at the Battle of Pavia
Battle of Pavia
The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–26.A Spanish-Imperial army under the nominal command of Charles de Lannoy attacked the French army under the personal command of Francis I of France in the great hunting preserve...
in 1520 in the service of Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
in the French Scots Regiment. This line ended with the death of the last Baron d'Anstrude in 1928.
Andrew's great-great-grandson, Sir James Anstruther was chosen as a companion to the young James VI of Scotland, who appointed him Hereditary Grand Carver, a title still held by the head of the family today. In 1595 he became Master of the Household.
17th Century & Civil War
William, the elder son of Sir James Anstruther, accompanied Sir James to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
following the Union of the Crowns
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...
in 1603 where he was made a Knight of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. Sir James's second son, Sir Robert, served as a diplomat for both James I and Charles I.
Sir Phillip Anstruther, the second son of Sir Robert, led the Clan and fought as Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
s during the civil war, and received Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
at Dreel Castle after his coronation at Scone in 1651. Phillip Anstruther was later taken prisoner after the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
in 1651. He was excluded from Cromwell's Act of Grace
Cromwell's Act of Grace
Cromwell's Act of Grace or more formally the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was proclaimed at the mercat cross in Edinburgh on 5 May 1654...
and his estates were confiscated. They were restored to him after the restoration of the monarchy
Restoration (Scotland)
The Restoration of the monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the government of occupation that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
by Charles II.
Clan Chief
The Chief of Clan Anstruther is Tobias Alexander Campbell Anstruther of that Ilk and of Balcaskie.Clan Castles
The Chief's seat remains at BalcaskieBalcaskie
Balcaskie is a 17th century country house in Fife, Scotland. It lies around 2 km north of St Monans, and is notable chiefly as the home and early work of architect Sir William Bruce. Robert Lorimer, an admirer of Bruce, called the house "the ideal of what a Scottish gentleman's home ought to be"...
. Airdrie House and Newark Castle
Newark Castle
Newark Castle may refer to:*Newark Castle, Fife, Scotland*Newark Castle, Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, Scotland*Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire, England*Newark Castle railway station, Nottinghamshire, England*Newark Castle, Selkirkshire, Scotland...
in Fife also belong to the Anstruthers.
Clan Profile
- Crest: Two arms in armour holding a pole-axe with both hands gauntleted Proper
- Motto: Periissem ni periissem (I would have perished had I not persisted)