Clan Napier
Encyclopedia
Clan Napier is a Scottish clan
originally from lands around Loch Lomond
, but with presence in Stirlingshire
, Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire
and Kincardineshire
.
. One theory holds that a “naperer” is "a person in charge of table linen in a royal or manor house” and that the original Napiers must have been “naperers” from England or France. The other theory is that the name Napier is a derivative spelling of “Nae Peer.” In 1625, Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston
, the first Lord Napier
, presented an affidavit to the College of Heralds, in which he described this origin of the name Napier, as having been bestowed by the king (probably Alexander II
) on one Donald Lennox in recognition for acts of bravery. He states:
, granting lands at Kilmahew in Dumbartonshire to John de Naper, sometime around 1290. During the Wars of Scottish Independence
this John Napier was probably one of the few defenders of Stirling Castle
during the Siege of Stirling Castle
who were forced to surrender to the English led by King Edward I of England
in 1304.
, near Edinburgh
. The first Laird of Merchiston, Alexander Napier, obtained a charter to the lands of Merchiston in 1436. The Napiers of Merchiston would produce Provosts of Edinburgh, numerous admirals and generals, as well as John Napier, the 8th Laird of Merchiston
, inventor of logarithms. Merchiston Castle
in Edinburgh still stands, as centerpiece to Napier University’s
Merchiston
campus.
John Napier of Rusky
, the 3rd Laird of Merchiston was killed, in service to the king, leading the Clan Napier at the Battle of Sauchieburn
on 11 June 1488.
Sir Alexander Napier, the 5th Laird of Merchiston, led the clan when they fought at the Battle of Flodden Field
in 1513, but he was there slain.
Alexander Napier, the 6th Laird of Merchiston died when the Clan Napier fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
in 1547.
in 1645. He was over 70 years of age.
The Kilmahew Napiers were the progenitors of most of the Napiers in the United States, when, sometime between 1650 and 1655 a Patrick Napier, who is recorded, in 1649, as being an apprentice to Dr Alexander Pennycuik, surgeon-general to the Scottish Army at the Battle of Dunbar (1650)
, emigrated to America. After the Civil War, Archibald Napier, 2nd Lord Napier
supported the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654.
The Napiers held lands at Kilmahew for 18 generations. The estate was sold in 1820.
is Major the Right Honourable Sir Francis Nigel Napier, KCVO, K St J, DL, Hon. D Lit. 14th Lord Napier, 5th Baron Ettrick, and 11th Baronet of Nova Scotia
.
, a saltire
engrailed cantoned of four roses Gules
, barbed Vert
; 2nd & 3rd, Or
, on a bend
Azure
, a mullet
pierced between two crescent
s of the Field, within a double tressure flory counterflory of the Second (see article on heraldry
). The chief of the clan is the only person permitted to use these arms.
The original arms of Napier (as seen in the picture of John Napier on this page) were: Argent, a saltire engrailed between four roses gules, barbed vert. These arms bear striking similarity to the arms of the Clan Lennox
(see origin of the clan, above, for explanation). The arms of the current chief are the Napier arms quartered with a differenced
version of the Scott coat of arms, added when the Napier family absorbed the Scott Baronetcy of Thirlestane (see Lord Napier
).
, a Pipe band
based in Perth
, Australia, has worn the Napier tartan
since 1966.
The University of Queensland
Pipe Band at Emmanuel College
, a pipe Band
based in Brisbane, Australia, has worn the Napier tartan
since 1998.
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...
originally from lands around Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
, but with presence in Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
, Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
and Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
.
Origins of the Clan
There is some debate about the origin of the name NapierNapier (surname)
Napier is a surname with an English, Scottish or Polish origin. The British surname Napier is derived from an occupational name for someone who sold or produced table linen; or for a naperer which was a servant who was responsible for the washing and storage of linen in a medieval household...
. One theory holds that a “naperer” is "a person in charge of table linen in a royal or manor house” and that the original Napiers must have been “naperers” from England or France. The other theory is that the name Napier is a derivative spelling of “Nae Peer.” In 1625, Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston
Archibald Napier, 1st Lord Napier
Archibald Napier, 1st Lord Napier was the 9th Laird Napier of Merchiston. In 1627 he was created Lord Napier of Merchiston and Baronet of Nova Scotia.-Biography:Archibald Napier was the son of John Napier and Elizabeth Stirling....
, the first Lord Napier
Lord Napier
Lord Napier, of Merchistoun, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for Sir Archibald Napier, 1st Baronet. Earlier that year, he already held the Napier Baronetcy, of Merchistoun in the County of Midlothian, created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. The titles remained united...
, presented an affidavit to the College of Heralds, in which he described this origin of the name Napier, as having been bestowed by the king (probably Alexander II
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
) on one Donald Lennox in recognition for acts of bravery. He states:
Wars of Scottish Independence
The earliest reference to Napiers in Scotland is in the charter of Malcolm, Earl of LennoxMaol Choluim I, Earl of Lennox
Mormaer Maol Choluim I of Lennox ruled the Mormaerdom of Lennox, between 1250 and 1303.He was an early supporter of the Bruces, and appeared before Edward I of England in 1292 amongst the supporters of Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale...
, granting lands at Kilmahew in Dumbartonshire to John de Naper, sometime around 1290. 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....
this John Napier was probably one of the few defenders of Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
during the Siege of Stirling Castle
Sieges of Stirling Castle
There have been at least sixteen sieges of Stirling Castle, a strategically important fortification in Stirling, Scotland. Stirling is located at the crossing of the River Forth, making it a key location for access to the north of Scotland...
who were forced to surrender to the English led by 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 1304.
15th century
Another branch of the clan appeared in MerchistonMerchiston
Merchiston is a prosperous, mainly residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The housing is primarily a mixture of large, late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian villas – several of the latter by Edward Calvert – together with a smaller number of Victorian tenements and...
, near Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The first Laird of Merchiston, Alexander Napier, obtained a charter to the lands of Merchiston in 1436. The Napiers of Merchiston would produce Provosts of Edinburgh, numerous admirals and generals, as well as John Napier, the 8th Laird of Merchiston
John Napier
John Napier of Merchiston – also signed as Neper, Nepair – named Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish mathematician, physicist, astronomer & astrologer, and also the 8th Laird of Merchistoun. He was the son of Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston. John Napier is most renowned as the discoverer...
, inventor of logarithms. Merchiston Castle
Merchiston Castle
Merchiston Castle or Merchiston Tower was probably built by Alexander Napier, the second Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier...
in Edinburgh still stands, as centerpiece to Napier University’s
Napier University
Edinburgh Napier is one of the largest higher education institutions in Scotland with over 17,000 students, including nearly 5,000 international students, from more than 100 nations worldwide.-History:...
Merchiston
Merchiston
Merchiston is a prosperous, mainly residential area in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The housing is primarily a mixture of large, late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian villas – several of the latter by Edward Calvert – together with a smaller number of Victorian tenements and...
campus.
John Napier of Rusky
Ruskie
Ruskie is a village in the Stirling council area, Scotland. Location: . Postal code: FK8. It is located 2.8 miles/4.5km from Thornhill.-External links:** in Google Maps...
, the 3rd Laird of Merchiston was killed, in service to the king, leading the Clan Napier at the Battle of Sauchieburn
Battle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles...
on 11 June 1488.
16th century & Anglo-Scottish Wars
During the Anglo-Scottish WarsAnglo-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...
Sir Alexander Napier, the 5th Laird of Merchiston, led the clan when they fought 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, but he was there slain.
Alexander Napier, the 6th Laird of Merchiston died when the Clan Napier fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
in 1547.
17th century & Civil War
During the Civil War Archibald Napier, 9th Laird of Merchiston, fought in the Battle of PhiliphaughBattle 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. He was over 70 years of age.
The Kilmahew Napiers were the progenitors of most of the Napiers in the United States, when, sometime between 1650 and 1655 a Patrick Napier, who is recorded, in 1649, as being an apprentice to Dr Alexander Pennycuik, surgeon-general to the Scottish Army at the Battle of Dunbar (1650)
Battle of Dunbar (1650)
The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...
, emigrated to America. After the Civil War, Archibald Napier, 2nd Lord Napier
Archibald Napier, 2nd Lord Napier
Archibald Napier, 2nd Lord Napier was a Scottish peer and the grandson of John Napier of Merchiston.-Biography:Archibald Napier was a nephew of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose and supported him in his Royalist endeavors. When Montrose left Scotland for Norway in 1646, Archibald Napier...
supported the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654.
The Napiers held lands at Kilmahew for 18 generations. The estate was sold in 1820.
Castles
- Kilmahew CastleKilmahew CastleKilmahew Castle is a ruined castle located just north of Cardross, in the council area of Argyll and Bute. Kilmahew is named for its patron saint, Mochta .-History:...
, Cardross, Dunbartonshire, is the ancestral home of the Napiers of Kilmahew. It is now a ruin. - Merchiston CastleMerchiston CastleMerchiston Castle or Merchiston Tower was probably built by Alexander Napier, the second Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier...
, Edinburgh, is the ancestral home of the Napiers of Merchiston. It is the centre of the Merchiston Campus of Napier University. - Other castles built or owned by the Napiers include Culcreuch CastleCulcreuch CastleCulcreuch Castle is a Scottish castle close to the village of Fintry, near Loch Lomond. It has been the home of the Barons of Culcreuch since 1699, was turned into a hotel, venue and visitor attraction in the 1980s. -History:...
(Fintry, Stirlingshire) and Lauriston CastleLauriston CastleLauriston Castle is a 16th century tower house with 19th century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland.-History:...
(Edinburgh).
Napiers
- John Napier, 8th Laird of MerchistonJohn NapierJohn Napier of Merchiston – also signed as Neper, Nepair – named Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish mathematician, physicist, astronomer & astrologer, and also the 8th Laird of Merchistoun. He was the son of Sir Archibald Napier of Merchiston. John Napier is most renowned as the discoverer...
– inventor of logarithms - Sir Robert NapierRobert Napier (judge)Sir Robert Napier was an English-born judge in Ireland.. He was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1606 and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament for Dorchester , Bridport and Wareham ....
, an eminent lawyer, was constituted by Queen ElizabethElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, in Ireland, in 1593. - James DuttonJames Dutton, 1st Baron SherborneJames Naper Dutton, 1st Baron Sherborne , was a British peer.-Background:Sherborne was the son of James Lenox Dutton , of Sherborne, Gloucestershire, by his second wife Jane, daughter of Christopher Bond.-Political career:Sherborne was elected Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1780, a...
, 1st Baron Sherborne, Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire 1780–1784, son of James Lenox Naper of Ireland who changed his surname to Dutton in order to inherit his maternal uncle's Sherborne estate. - General Charles NapierCharles James NapierGeneral Sir Charles James Napier, GCB , was a general of the British Empire and the British Army's Commander-in-Chief in India, notable for conquering the Sindh Province in what is now Pakistan.- His genealogy :...
– A statue of him still stands in Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
. - Admiral Charles NapierCharles Napier (naval officer)Admiral Sir Charles John Napier KCB GOTE RN was a Scottish naval officer whose sixty years in the Royal Navy included service in the Napoleonic Wars, Syrian War and the Crimean War, and a period commanding the Portuguese navy in the Liberal Wars...
– or “Black Charlie,” who served during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. - Robert Napier, Baron of MagdalaRobert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of MagdalaField Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.-Early life:...
– was awarded an hereditary peerage for his efforts to rescue British diplomats in AbyssiniaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. - Robert NapierRobert Napier (engineer)Robert Napier was a Scottish engineer, and is often called "The Father of Clyde Shipbuilding."-Early life:Robert Napier was born in Dumbarton at the height of the Industrial Revolution, to James and Jean Napier...
– a marine engineer often considered the “father of Clyde Shipbuilding.” - Francis NapierFrancis Napier, 10th Lord NapierFrancis Napier, 10th Lord Napier and 1st Baron Ettrick, KT, PC , was a Scottish polyglot, diplomat and colonial administrator. He served as the British Minister to the United States from 1857 to 1859, Netherlands from 1859 to 1860, Russia from 1861 to 1864, Prussia from 1864 to 1866 and as the...
– chaired the Napier CommissionNapier CommissionThe Napier Commission, officially the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands was a royal commission and public inquiry into the condition of crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.The commission was appointed in...
in 1883.
Clan chief
The current chief of the clanScottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
is Major the Right Honourable Sir Francis Nigel Napier, KCVO, K St J, DL, Hon. D Lit. 14th Lord Napier, 5th Baron Ettrick, and 11th Baronet of Nova Scotia
Francis Nigel Napier, 14th Lord Napier
Major Nigel Napier, 14th Lord Napier, 5th Baron Ettrick, KCVO, DL is a Scottish soldier and courtier. He is the son of Lt.-Colonel William Francis Cyril James Hamilton Napier, 13th Lord Napier, 4th Baron Ettrick and Violet Muir Newson, daughter of Sir Percy Wilson Newson, 1st Bt.Lord Napier is...
.
Heraldry
The Clan Napier does not possess a coat of arms. In Scotland it is primarily individuals that are granted coats of arms. The arms of the Clan Chief, or to give him his full title, Chief of the Name and Arms of Napier are: Quarterly, 1st & 4th, ArgentArgent
In heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
, a saltire
Saltire
A saltire, or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross or letter ex . Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on such a cross....
engrailed cantoned of four roses Gules
Gules
In heraldry, gules is the tincture with the colour red, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of vertical lines or else marked with gu. as an abbreviation....
, barbed Vert
Vert
The colour green is commonly found in modern flags and coat of arms, and to a lesser extent also in the classical heraldry of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period....
; 2nd & 3rd, Or
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
, on a bend
Bend (heraldry)
In heraldry, a bend is a coloured band running from the upper right corner of the shield to the lower left . Writers differ in how much of the field they say it covers, ranging from one-fifth up to one-third...
Azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
, a mullet
Mullet (heraldry)
In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced...
pierced between two crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
s of the Field, within a double tressure flory counterflory of the Second (see article on heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
). The chief of the clan is the only person permitted to use these arms.
The original arms of Napier (as seen in the picture of John Napier on this page) were: Argent, a saltire engrailed between four roses gules, barbed vert. These arms bear striking similarity to the arms of the Clan Lennox
Clan Lennox
-Origins of the name:The name Lennox in gaelic comes from the place of the same name. The clan name comes from the title of Earl of Lennox which commanded the vale of Leven between the 12th and 15th centuries.-15th century:...
(see origin of the clan, above, for explanation). The arms of the current chief are the Napier arms quartered with a differenced
Cadency
In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. Cadency is necessary in heraldic systems in which a given design may be owned by only one person at once...
version of the Scott coat of arms, added when the Napier family absorbed the Scott Baronetcy of Thirlestane (see Lord Napier
Lord Napier
Lord Napier, of Merchistoun, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for Sir Archibald Napier, 1st Baronet. Earlier that year, he already held the Napier Baronetcy, of Merchistoun in the County of Midlothian, created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. The titles remained united...
).
Trivia
The Western Australia Police Pipe BandWestern Australia Police Pipe Band
The Western Australia Police Pipe Band is a grade one pipe band based in Perth, Australia.The Officer In Charge of the Band is Brett Bale and the Pipe Major is Paul Hughes.-History:...
, a Pipe band
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
based in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia, has worn the Napier tartan
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
since 1966.
The University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
Pipe Band at Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, University of Queensland
Emmanuel College, University of Queensland is a residential college of the University of Queensland in St Lucia, Queensland, Australia. It was the first residential college established at the University of Queensland and the ninth college nationally...
, a pipe Band
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
based in Brisbane, Australia, has worn the Napier tartan
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
since 1998.