Clan Charteris
Encyclopedia
Origins of the Name
Chartres, the French city famed for its cathedral, is claimed as the origin of this name. William, a son of the Lord of Chartres, is said to have come to England with the Norman Conquest, and his son or grandson came north to Scotland with the retinue of David IDavid I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
. One of the earliest references to the name is found in a charter to the Abbey of Kelso around 1174, where the name appears in its Latin version, de Carnoto.
Origins of the Clan
One of the earliest references to the name Charteris is found in a charter to the Abbey of Kelso around 1174, where the name appears in its Latin version, de Carnoto. In 1266 a charter of confirmation provides evidence of four generations: Robert de Carnoto, knight, is said to be the son of Thomas, who was himself son of Thomas, son of Walther. Sir Thomas de Charteris was appointed Lord High Chancellor of Scotland by Alexander III of ScotlandAlexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
in 1280, the first person to hold this office who was not also a clergyman.
Wars of Scottish Independence
Andrew de Charteris rendered homage to Edward I of EnglandEdward 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 the Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
of 1296, but soon took up arms to fight for Scotland’s independence, for which later his estates were forfeited to Balliol, the English-sponsored King of Scots. During the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
his son, William, was an adherent of King Robert Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
and was with him when John Comyn was slain at Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
in 1306. Sir Thomas Charteris
Thomas Charteris
Sir Thomas Charteris styled "of Amisfield", was a Scottish nobleman. He supported the Bruce family and was appointed ambassador to England. In 1342 he was appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland by Dvaid II. He was killed in 1346 at the Battle of Neville's Cross....
was appointed Lord High Chancellor by David II of Scotland
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
.
16th century & clan conflicts
Feud with Clan Kilpatrick 1526, A feud appears to have developed between the Charterises and the Clan KilpatrickClan Kirkpatrick
Clan Kirkpatrick is a Lowland armigerous Scottish clan. There are several variations of the Kirkpatrick name; Kilpatric, Kilpatrick, and Gilpatrick. The names Kilpatrick and Kirkpatrick may have been interchangeable at one time. The clan is recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon, however the clan...
of Kirkmichael. In Pitcairn’s Criminal Trials of Scotland it is recorded that in March 1526 John Charteris of Amisfield, his brother and his two sons were charged with the murder of Roger Kilpatrick, son of Sir Alexander Kilpatrick of Kirkmichael.
Dual with Sir James Douglas of Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
1530, A more noble dispute occurred in 1530, when Sir Robert Charteris, the eighth Laird, fought a duel with Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig from Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
in what was said to have been one of the last great chivalric contests. It was fought with all the observance of a medieval tournament with heralds and the king himself watching from the castle walls. The joust was apparently fought with such fury that Charteris’ sword was broken and the king had to send his men-at-arms to part the combatants.
Battle with the Clan Ruthven 1544, In 1544 the Ruthvens who held considerable sway over Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
from their nearby Castle of Huntingtower, often disputed the authority of the Charterises, which led to a bitter and bloody feud. In 1544 Patrick, Lord Ruthven, was elected Provost of Perth, but at the instigation of Cardinal Beaton, who suspected Ruthven of Protestant sympathies, he was deprived of the office, and John Charteris of Kinfauns was appointed in his stead. The city declined to acknowledge Charteris, and barred the gates against him. Charteris, along with Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray
Patrick Gray, 4th Lord Gray was a Scottish landowner and Sheriff of Angus active during the war of the Rough Wooing as a supporter of the Scottish Reformation.-Family:...
and Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie
Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan.-Origins:The family name comes from the Leslie lands of Aberdeenshire and was to become famous in Germany, Poland, France and Russia...
, gathered their forces and attacked the town. They were repulsed by the Ruthvens who were assisted by their neighbours the Clan Moncreiffe
Clan Moncreiffe
-Origins of the Clan:The Moncreiffes are of great antiquity, and possibly descend through a female stem of the Celtic Royal Dynasty. The name Moncreiffe is derived from the Barony of Moncreiffe in Perthshire. Their lands take their name from the Gaelic name Monadh Croibhe meaning hill of the sacred...
, and Charteris was forced to flee. The Ruthvens remained Provosts of Perth until William Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie, was executed in 1584. In 1552 John Charteris had been killed by the earl’s heir in the High Street in Edinburgh.
17th century & civil war
The Clan Charteris led by John Charteris of Amsfield initially supported the Covenanters however they refused to take up arms against King Charles I, for this John Charteris was imprisoned in Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
for two years. When he was released he joined the 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...
James Graham
Clan Graham
Clan Graham is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands.-Origins:Legend has it that the first Graham was one Gramus who forced a breach in the Roman Antonine wall known as Graeme's Dyke in 420 A.D...
the 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
where the clan fought at the Battle of Philiphaugh
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.-Prelude:When...
in 1645. John's brother Alexander Charteris also followed Montrose and was captured and executed in Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
in 1650. Alexander met his end at the hands of ‘the maiden’ Scotland's own guillotine. This gruesome device is still on display in Edinburgh's Museum of Antiquities.
Chief
Clan Chief: The 13th Earl of Wemyss and the 9th Earl of MarchJames Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss
James Donald Charteris, 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March, is a member of the Scottish peerage, the 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March.Neidpath was educated first at Eton....
, who is also Viscount of Peebles, Lord Wemyss of Elcho, Lord Elcho and Methel, Lord Douglas of Neidpath, Lyne and Munard, Baron Wemyss, Baron Douglas of Amesbury
Branches of the Clan
Another branch of the Charteris family which long disputed the chiefship with their Dumfriesshire cousins were the Charterises of Kinfauns in Perthshire. They are said to have received the lands of Kinfauns as a reward for supporting the cause of Robert the Bruce against the English.Another branch of Charteris live on the Isle of Wight and TTelford Shropshire although they are thought to be descended from the Lord of Amisfeld's natural daughter.