Clan Eliott
Encyclopedia
Clan Eliott is a borderclan
. The Elliotts, with the Armstrongs, were the most troublesome of the great Scottish Border families in the Middle Ages. The principal family in the early days was the Elliots of Redheugh, who often held the captaincy of Hermitage Castle — still to be seen, squat and impregnable, on the moors south of Hawick. One of the Elliots of Redheugh, forefather of the Elliots of Arkleton, fell at Flodden (the beautiful lament for that disaster, The Flowers of the Forest, was written by Jane Elliot, sister of Sir Gilbert Elliot, first Baronet of Minto in the 18th century).
After the pacification of the Borders in the early 1600's, many Elliots were hanged, outlawed and banished, with a number heading to Ulster in the 1609 plantation. The Redheughs became Stobs and then Minto. The Mintos took the right side during the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and were rewarded with knighthood and titles and became part of the political establishment.
in Angus
although the Old English form of Elwold also appears in Scotland
. Little is known of the early history of Clan Eliott because few records survive. This could be because the Eliott's Castle Stobs was burned down in 1712.
Legend has it that the extra "t" in Eliott arose when a branch of the Eliotts adopted Christianity. The t was in reality meant to be a cross. The differences in spelling can be distinguished in this rhyme:
Robert Bell in "The Book of Scots-Irish Family Names" adds:
"For double L and double T, the Scots should look across the sea!" He pointed out that 71 of 76 births of children by that name in Ireland in 1890 spelt it "Elliott." Elliot(t)s emigrated or were sent to Ireland in the early 17th century after the unification of the English and Scottish crowns. The Elliot(t)s were notorious reivers - cattle thieves - in the Scottish-English border area and, as such, a thorn in the side of both governments. Many settled in county Fermanagh
.
the Clan Eliott who lived in the north in Glenshire moved to Teviotdale in the Scottish Borders. If this unusual move occurred it may have been in order to protect King Robert the Bruce's son who was also called Robert. This Robert Bruce had become Lord of Liddesdale
. The previous Lord of Liddesdale, William de Soulis was serving life imprisonment for treason.
This account must be considered of dubious reliability since there are no written references to the Eliotts prior to the 15th century, and as noted above the name may well be an Anglo-Saxon one and not derived from the river in Glenshire at all. It is not exactly unheard of for an origin myth to be manufactured from a similar sounding name, particularly when it offers the chance of a flattering association with Scotland's most famous monarch.
in Liddesdale. In 1476 the tenth chief of Clan Eliott was Robert Ellot of Redheugh. The Eliotts became famous as one of the great Scottish "riding" clans.
During the Anglo-Scottish Wars
the 13th chief Robert died when he led the Clan Elliot in support of King James IV of Scotland
at the Battle of Flodden Field
in 1513 fighting against the English.
In 1565 Scott of Buccleuch of Clan Scott
executed four men from Clan Eliott for cattle rustling.
was made a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1666. Another Gilbert Elliot, of Minto
, was created Baronet in 1700 and made a Lord of Session in 1705.
, who as governor of Gibraltar
in 1779, conducted the heroic and successful defence of the Rock when it was besieged by Franco-Spanish forces, and Sir Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Baronet
, who was created 1st Earl of Minto
: he followed his father into politics and in 1794 was made Viceroy of Corsica
. In 1807, Lord Minto was appointed Governor General of India
.
(1845-1914), is remembered in the sporting world for having broken his neck riding in the Grand National
. The mishap had no permanent effects and he was Governor-General of Canada
before succeeding Lord Curzon as Viceroy of India in 1905. He was the chief architect of the Morley-Minto Reforms, regarded as dangerously radical in some circles at the time though, as it turned out, insufficient to stem the tide of Indian unrest.
The crest badge used by clan members consists of a crest encircled by a strap and buckle containing a motto. The crest is a raised fist holding a sword, while the motto is FORTITER ET RECTE (translation from Latin: "With strength and right").
The ancient version uses lighter colors, as the dyes were made from plants and berries. The dark stripes appear to be a dark burgandy or brown, and the blue is a lighter shade.
The modern version (pictured at right) makes use of the stronger, modern chemical dyes and therefore result in a brigher, bolder color. On this one, the dark stripes appear almost black, and the blue is almost a saphire blue.
Also, the width of colored bands differs, with the ancient tartan being more condensed, with finer lines.
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...
. The Elliotts, with the Armstrongs, were the most troublesome of the great Scottish Border families in the Middle Ages. The principal family in the early days was the Elliots of Redheugh, who often held the captaincy of Hermitage Castle — still to be seen, squat and impregnable, on the moors south of Hawick. One of the Elliots of Redheugh, forefather of the Elliots of Arkleton, fell at Flodden (the beautiful lament for that disaster, The Flowers of the Forest, was written by Jane Elliot, sister of Sir Gilbert Elliot, first Baronet of Minto in the 18th century).
Scotland
The Elliots were one of the great riding clans of the western Scottish borders. There were different banches of the clan over time. But leadership resided initially with the Redheugh Ellots (Robert Ellot who fell at Flodden in 1513 had been their 12th chief). This clan built strong towers around their base in Liddesdale and held Hermitage castle south of Hawick at times as well.After the pacification of the Borders in the early 1600's, many Elliots were hanged, outlawed and banished, with a number heading to Ulster in the 1609 plantation. The Redheughs became Stobs and then Minto. The Mintos took the right side during the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and were rewarded with knighthood and titles and became part of the political establishment.
Ireland
The Elliots, dispossessed in the Borders, settled as tenant farmers in Ulster, manly in Fermanagh. Here they formed a cohesive group, strong enough to ride out the 1641 rising. They perpetuated their Border traditions, large close-knit family groups with intense clan loyalties and ongoing feuds. Today the Elliotts, together with the Armstrongs and the Johnstons from the Borders, comprise three of the five most common names in Fermanagh.England
The Elliott name, generally as Elliot, was also present south of the border, in Northumberland and in Durham as the coal industry started to attract miners there. There are also accounts of Elyot as a surname in southern England in the early 1300's.Clan History
The Elliots have existed as a Clan with a recognized Chief at least from the time of King Robert the Bruce (1306-1329) to the present day. There are many famous people who bear the name of Elliott.Origins of the name
The name Eliott is believed to derive from the village of EliotArbirlot
Arbirlot is a village in a rural parish of the same name in Angus, Scotland. The current name is a contraction of Aberelliot - mouth of the Elliot. It is situated west of Arbroath. The main village settlement is on the Elliot Water, 2.5 miles from Arbroath. There is a Church of Scotland church and...
in Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
although the Old English form of Elwold also appears in 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...
. Little is known of the early history of Clan Eliott because few records survive. This could be because the Eliott's Castle Stobs was burned down in 1712.
Legend has it that the extra "t" in Eliott arose when a branch of the Eliotts adopted Christianity. The t was in reality meant to be a cross. The differences in spelling can be distinguished in this rhyme:
The double L and single T
Descent from Minto and Wolflee,
The double T and single L
Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell.
The single L and single T
The Eliots of St Germains be,
But double T and double L,
Who they are nobody can tell.
Robert Bell in "The Book of Scots-Irish Family Names" adds:
"For double L and double T, the Scots should look across the sea!" He pointed out that 71 of 76 births of children by that name in Ireland in 1890 spelt it "Elliott." Elliot(t)s emigrated or were sent to Ireland in the early 17th century after the unification of the English and Scottish crowns. The Elliot(t)s were notorious reivers - cattle thieves - in the Scottish-English border area and, as such, a thorn in the side of both governments. Many settled in county Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
.
14th century & Robert the Bruce
Scott of Satchells in 1688 reported that in the time of King Robert the BruceRobert 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...
the Clan Eliott who lived in the north in Glenshire moved to Teviotdale in the Scottish Borders. If this unusual move occurred it may have been in order to protect King Robert the Bruce's son who was also called Robert. This Robert Bruce had become Lord of Liddesdale
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
. The previous Lord of Liddesdale, William de Soulis was serving life imprisonment for treason.
This account must be considered of dubious reliability since there are no written references to the Eliotts prior to the 15th century, and as noted above the name may well be an Anglo-Saxon one and not derived from the river in Glenshire at all. It is not exactly unheard of for an origin myth to be manufactured from a similar sounding name, particularly when it offers the chance of a flattering association with Scotland's most famous monarch.
15th & 16th centuries
The chief of the clan was usually appointed as Captain of Hermitage CastleHermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The Castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric in Scotland....
in Liddesdale. In 1476 the tenth chief of Clan Eliott was Robert Ellot of Redheugh. The Eliotts became famous as one of the great Scottish "riding" clans.
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...
the 13th chief Robert died when he led the Clan Elliot in support of King James IV of Scotland
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
at the Battle of Flodden Field
Battle 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 fighting against the English.
In 1565 Scott of Buccleuch of Clan Scott
Clan Scott
Clan Scott is a Scottish clan. Clan Scott is not a Highland clan but Lowland, from the Borders region of Scotland. Families and clans from this area prefer to be known as Borderers instead of Lowlanders.-Origins:...
executed four men from Clan Eliott for cattle rustling.
17th century
Gilbert Eliott of StobsEliott Baronets
The Eliott Baronetcy, of Stobs in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 3 December 1666 for Gilbert Eliott. The third Baronet sat as Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire. The Eliott Baronets share a common early Ellot ancestry with the nearby Earls...
was made a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1666. Another Gilbert Elliot, of Minto
Earl of Minto
Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1813 for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto. The family descends from the politician and judge Gilbert Elliot, who served as a Lord of Session under the judicial title of Lord...
, was created Baronet in 1700 and made a Lord of Session in 1705.
18th century
Of the chiefs' direct line, several were distinguished as judges and empire builders. The most famous were Gen. George Augustus EliottGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB was a British Army officer who took served in three major wars during the eighteenth century. He rose to distinction during the Seven Years War when he fought in Germany and participated in the British attacks on Belle Île and Cuba...
, who as governor of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1779, conducted the heroic and successful defence of the Rock when it was besieged by Franco-Spanish forces, and Sir Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Baronet
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto PC , known as Sir Gilbert Elliott between 1777 and 1797 and as The Lord Minto between 1797 and 1813, was a Scottish politician diplomat....
, who was created 1st Earl of Minto
Earl of Minto
Earl of Minto, in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1813 for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Baron Minto. The family descends from the politician and judge Gilbert Elliot, who served as a Lord of Session under the judicial title of Lord...
: he followed his father into politics and in 1794 was made Viceroy of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. In 1807, Lord Minto was appointed Governor General of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
19th century
His great-grandson, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of MintoGilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 17th.-Early life and career:Minto was born in London, the...
(1845-1914), is remembered in the sporting world for having broken his neck riding in the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
. The mishap had no permanent effects and he was Governor-General of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
before succeeding Lord Curzon as Viceroy of India in 1905. He was the chief architect of the Morley-Minto Reforms, regarded as dangerously radical in some circles at the time though, as it turned out, insufficient to stem the tide of Indian unrest.
Clan castle
The seat of the Earl of Minto is Minto House, in Hawick, and of the Eliot of Stobs, chief of the clan at Redheugh. A Council ordered demolition of Minto house was started in September 1992. Sections of the historic Minto House were deemed unsafe.Clan profile
The chief of Clan Eliott is Margaret Frances Boswell Eliott of Redheugh, Chief of the Name and Arms of Eliott.The crest badge used by clan members consists of a crest encircled by a strap and buckle containing a motto. The crest is a raised fist holding a sword, while the motto is FORTITER ET RECTE (translation from Latin: "With strength and right").
The Elliot Tartan
There are two different versions of the Elliot tartan available today. Although very similar, the two vary slightly. The modern tartan and the ancient tartan vary in the intensity of the colors.The ancient version uses lighter colors, as the dyes were made from plants and berries. The dark stripes appear to be a dark burgandy or brown, and the blue is a lighter shade.
The modern version (pictured at right) makes use of the stronger, modern chemical dyes and therefore result in a brigher, bolder color. On this one, the dark stripes appear almost black, and the blue is almost a saphire blue.
Also, the width of colored bands differs, with the ancient tartan being more condensed, with finer lines.
Famous Elliots
- Little Jock ElliotLittle Jock Elliot-Synopsis:John Elliot of Park was a famous Scottish border reiver and infamous plunderer and cattle 'lifter' from the powerful Elliot family along the lawless Scottish border with England in the mid 16th Century...
- "Wha daur meddle wi' me?"Nemo me impune lacessitNemo me impune lacessit is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army. The motto also appears, in conjunction with the collar of the Order of the Thistle, in later versions of the Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland and subsequently in... - Sir John Eliot was an early defender of the powers of Parliament against the King in the years before the Civil War.
- Sir George Elliot was a successful Victorian miner owner from Durham who became adviser to Prime Minister Disraeli.
- George Eliot was the pen-name of the Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans.
- T.S. Eliot came to England from America and made his reputation as a modern poet with The Waste Land in 1922.
- Herb Elliott was the Australian athlete who won the Olympic 1,500 meter gold medal in 1960.