Clan Scrymgeour
Encyclopedia
Origins of the Clan
The name Scrymgeour is believed to derive from the Old English word 'skrymsher' which means 'swordsman'. The clan appears to have been well established in FifeFife
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...
long before their connection with the city of Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
where the chiefs of the clan would later become the Earls of Dundee
Earl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1660 for John Scrymgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope. At his death in 1668, Duke of Lauderdale declared that the first Earl had no heirs-male, and had the crown seize all of his lands...
and the hereditary royal standard bearers.
According to the herald, Sir Iain Moncreiffe the Scrymgeours are probably descendants of the great MacDuff Earl of Fife and that they may have claimed their office as standard bearer from their early Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origins. It was customary for Celtic armies to be accompanied by sacred holy relics usually borne by a hereditary keeper. It is believed that the Clan Scrymgeours may have carried the pastoral staff of St Columba which was later replaced by a consecrated heraldic banner.
Wars of Scottish Independence
During the Wars of Scottish IndependenceWars 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....
the Clan Scrymgeour were supporters of Sir William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
. They were confirmed as banner bearers by Sir William Wallace and Parliament on 29 March 1298. The document in which this is recorded is the only contemporary document to have survived in which the names of William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
and Robert the 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...
are mentioned together. At this time the chief of the clan was Alexander Scrymgeour he was later captured by the English and hanged in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 1306 on the direct orders of 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...
. He was succeeded by another Alexander Scrymgeour who rode as royal banner bearer when the clan fought at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314.
Large amounts of land came to the Scrymgeors at Glassary in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
in around 1370 with the marriage of Alexander Scrymgeour to Agnes, heiress to Gilbert Glassary.
15th Century
In the 15th century the Clan Scrymgeour continued to prosper and the chief who was the seventh constable of Dundee acquired the lands of Dudhope in 1495. They would go on to build a castleDudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle is an extended late medieval tower house located on the southern face of Dundee Law in Dundee, Scotland.-History:The castle was originally built in the late 13th century by the Scrymageour family, with the original castle being a smaller tower house...
in this land which would remain as their seat until 1668.
16th Century & Anglo-Scottish Wars
In the 16th century 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...
the Clan Scrymgeour fought against the English 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. As the chief was just an infant the clan was led by his nephew, John Scrymgeour. John was mortally wounded.
Sir James Scryngeour received a new charter to his estates at Holyrood House on 25 November 1587. He was confirmed in all of the family's grants of houners with lands, privileges and titles being destined to his male heirs bearing the name of Scrymgeour.
17th Century & Civil War
Sir James Scrymgeour was also sent to DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to negotiate the marriage of King James VI to Princess Anne and in 1604 he was appointed a commissioner to negotiate a political union with England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after Queen Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth 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...
died without heir and King James of Scotland became the King of England too. He died in 1612 and was succeeded by his son John Scrymgeour.
John Scrymgeour entertained James VI at Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle is an extended late medieval tower house located on the southern face of Dundee Law in Dundee, Scotland.-History:The castle was originally built in the late 13th century by the Scrymageour family, with the original castle being a smaller tower house...
in 1617. He was raised to the peerage by King Charles I as Viscount of Dudhope and Baron Scrymgeor of Inverkeithing in November 1641.
During the Civil War the second Viscount of Dudhope was sent with the Scottish Covenanter forces to assist the Parliament of England against Charles I. He led the Clan Scrymgeour at the Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
in July 1644, where he received a fatal wound.
He was succeeded by his son, also called John. This John Scrymgeour supported 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...
cause and commanded a cavalry regiment from the clan, under the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
in 1648. He also fought at 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 escaped after the royal defeat and joined the army of General Middleton in the Scottish Highlands. He was eventually captured in 1654.
At the restoration of the crown in 1660 he was rewarded with the title Earl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1660 for John Scrymgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope. At his death in 1668, Duke of Lauderdale declared that the first Earl had no heirs-male, and had the crown seize all of his lands...
. He died in 1668 without issue and all of his castles, lands, estates and royal office were seized by the Duke of Lauderdale upon a legal pretext. Lauderdale sent soldiers to carry off all of the Clan Scrymgeour charters and papers from Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle is an extended late medieval tower house located on the southern face of Dundee Law in Dundee, Scotland.-History:The castle was originally built in the late 13th century by the Scrymageour family, with the original castle being a smaller tower house...
. He then declared that there were no lawful heirs and the estates were reverted to the crown. Lauderdale then had all of the estates given to his brother by the crown.
The estates should have gone to a John Scrymgeour of Kirkton who was the great-grandson of the fifth Constable of Dundee.
18th Century
The grandson of the rightful John Scrymgeour of Kirkton, David Scrymgeour of Birkhill, Sherriff of Inverness married Cathrine, daughter of Sir Alexander Wedderburn of Blackness. Their son succeeded in 1788 as heir of the line of David Wedderburn of Wedderburn. Therefore the Scrymgeours gained the Clan WedderburnClan Wedderburn
-Origins of the Clan:The first person by the name of Wedderburn to appear on record in Scotland is Wautier de Wederburn, who rendered homage to King Edward I of England on the Ragman Rolls in 1296. The lands of the Clan Wederburn lay in Berwickshire. References can also be found to John de...
family's title and estates.
The Scrymgeour family continued to assert their rights to their ancient titles which were taken from them. At the coronation of King Edward VII, Henry Scrymgeour-Wedderburn carried the standard 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...
20th Century
Henry Scrymgeour's grandson succeeded in a case before the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
gaining back the Scrymgeour's Dundee estates and gaining the title of 11th Earl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1660 for John Scrymgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope. At his death in 1668, Duke of Lauderdale declared that the first Earl had no heirs-male, and had the crown seize all of his lands...
. In 1954 he was also created by the peer of the United Kingdom as Baron Glassary to enable him to take up Government office and became Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Clan Chief
The current chief of Clan Scrymgeour is Alexander Henry Scrymgeour of Dundee, the 12th Earl of DundeeEarl of Dundee
Earl of Dundee is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1660 for John Scrymgeour, 3rd Viscount Dudhope. At his death in 1668, Duke of Lauderdale declared that the first Earl had no heirs-male, and had the crown seize all of his lands...
has followed his father into politics in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Clan Seat
The Scrymgeour family seat is still at Birkhill north of CuparCupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
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...
. The clan seat was once at Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle
Dudhope Castle is an extended late medieval tower house located on the southern face of Dundee Law in Dundee, Scotland.-History:The castle was originally built in the late 13th century by the Scrymageour family, with the original castle being a smaller tower house...
until the Scrymageour family sold the castle in 1668 to John Graham of Claverhouse.
Clan Septs
Spelling variations and septsSept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of the Clan Scrymgeour include:
Scirmechour, Scrimgeour, Scrimiour, Scrymgeour, Scrymsour, Skrimagour, Skrimshire, Skymezour.
North American spelling is Scrimger.