Clan Swinton
Encyclopedia
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...
and founder of Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
, Clan Elphinstone
Clan Elphinstone
Clan Elphinstone is a Lowland Scottish clan-Origins of the Name:The Clan Elphinstone is believed to have originated from Airth in Stirlingshire. The surname Elphinstone derives from the territory of Elphinstone in the parish of Tranent, East Lothian. The original name is thought to have been 'de...
, Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott is a Scottish clan or family from the area of Kincardineshire in the lowland northeast of Scotland.-Origin of name:From the place name Aberbothenoth, which lies on a narrow peninsula on the north side of the river Bervie...
, Clan Nisbet and the Greystoke Family. Being a Border family, they were prominent Border Reivers
Border Reivers
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
.
Origins
The Swinton family are widely acknowledged as being one of the oldest landed families in Britain. They are the direct descendants of the Anglo-Saxon royal House of Bamburgh, Kings of Northumbria from 547-867 AD. This family later became Lords of Bamburgh and Earls of Northumbria. It was Eadulf RusEadulf Rus
Eadulf Rus was an 11th-century Northumbrian noble. He was either the son or grandson of Gospatric , possibly the man who soon after Christmas 1064 was allegedly killed on behalf of Tostig, Earl of Northumbria...
of Bamburgh who was first granted the Barony of Swinton
Swinton, Scottish Borders
Swinton is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is in the former county of Berwickshire, around south-east of Duns, and north-west of the Anglo-Scottish border.-History:...
around 1060 by his cousin King Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
, as reward for the military support he had given the King.
The Swintons are said to have acquired their name for their bravery and clearing the area of Wild Boar. The chief's coat of arms and the clan crest allude to this legend. Although the name is thought more likely to be of a territorial origin. The village of Swinewood in the county of Berwick
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
was granted by a charter from King Edgar, son of King Malcolm, to Liulf of Bamburgh at Coldingham Priory in 1098. Liulf's family was that of the Earls of Northumberland
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders were the House of Percy , who were the most powerful noble family in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages...
from whom also came the Clan Dunbar
Clan Dunbar
-Origins of the Clan:The Clan Dunbar descends from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria, grandson of Crínán of Dunkeld and Seneschal of the Isles and nephew to King Duncan I of Scotland, who became Earl of Northumberland after his father’s death. William the Conqueror deprived Gospatric of the title in...
. Liulf's grandson Ernulf is said to be the first instance of a Scottish knight, and was succeeded by Cospatric(k). It is "practically certain" that Cospatrick was the father of Hugo (Hugh) de Swinton, who was also the ancestor of the Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott is a Scottish clan or family from the area of Kincardineshire in the lowland northeast of Scotland.-Origin of name:From the place name Aberbothenoth, which lies on a narrow peninsula on the north side of the river Bervie...
. Hugo acquired the lands of Arbuthnott from Walter Oliphant about 1150, tradition has it that Hugo's mother was an Oliphant.
Sir Alan de Swinton, 6th of Swinton, obtained a charter from Bertram, Prior of Coldingham for the Barony of Swinton during the reign of King William the Lion. The tomb in Swinton Church is believed to be his. Edulph de Swinton received a charter, one of the first recorded in Scotland, confirming his property at Swinton from David I around 1140.
Kin
It is believed that the majority of the border families came from one stock; this is a point that Nisbet makes clear. He makes reference to the similarities between the arms of the Border families. It is widely accepted that this one stock from which the families originated from was the Swinton Family thus founding: Clan ElphinstoneClan Elphinstone
Clan Elphinstone is a Lowland Scottish clan-Origins of the Name:The Clan Elphinstone is believed to have originated from Airth in Stirlingshire. The surname Elphinstone derives from the territory of Elphinstone in the parish of Tranent, East Lothian. The original name is thought to have been 'de...
, Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
, Clan Nisbet and Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott is a Scottish clan or family from the area of Kincardineshire in the lowland northeast of Scotland.-Origin of name:From the place name Aberbothenoth, which lies on a narrow peninsula on the north side of the river Bervie...
. Further Kin: Clan Dunbar
Clan Dunbar
-Origins of the Clan:The Clan Dunbar descends from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria, grandson of Crínán of Dunkeld and Seneschal of the Isles and nephew to King Duncan I of Scotland, who became Earl of Northumberland after his father’s death. William the Conqueror deprived Gospatric of the title in...
, Clan Bruce
Clan Bruce
Clan Bruce is a Scottish clan from Kincardine in Scotland. It was a Royal House in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland.-Origins of the Clan:...
and 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...
. Royal Kin: Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, King of Northumbria and Earl of Bernicia.
Title
The clan has held the Barony's of Swinton and CranshawsCranshaws
Cranshaws is a village on the B6355, near Duns, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Berwickshire.Of Cranshaws Castle only the tower remains, at Cranshaws Farm on Cranshaws Hill....
. The latter is now separated from the clan. The family is commonly thought to have Feudal Barony
Feudal baron
Feudal baron may refer to:*English feudal barony*Scottish feudal barony*Irish feudal barony...
status with numerous charters confirming this. Indeed, Mr. James Anderson, the compiler of the Diplomata Scotiae, in his Historical Essay of the Independency of the crown of Scotland, says that among the many charters of Scots families in the chartulary of Durham, there are two original ones of David I., to the proprietor of Swinton, wherein he is termed Miles, and was to "hold his lands as freely as any of the king’s barons". Indeed, Sir John Swinton of that Ilk, sitting in the Parliaments of both Scotland and Great Britain, is witnessed without fail in the list of Barons attesting certain documents.
The clan may be well documented and been prominent in the history of the Nation, but it has never come to possess as much land or power as other Scottish families. However, many of the families who trace their ancestry back to the Swinton Family, namely Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon
Clan Gordon, also known as the House of Gordon, is a Scottish clan. The chief of the clan was the powerful Earl of Huntly, now also Marquess of Huntly.-Origins:...
, Clan Elphinstone
Clan Elphinstone
Clan Elphinstone is a Lowland Scottish clan-Origins of the Name:The Clan Elphinstone is believed to have originated from Airth in Stirlingshire. The surname Elphinstone derives from the territory of Elphinstone in the parish of Tranent, East Lothian. The original name is thought to have been 'de...
and Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott
Clan Arbuthnott is a Scottish clan or family from the area of Kincardineshire in the lowland northeast of Scotland.-Origin of name:From the place name Aberbothenoth, which lies on a narrow peninsula on the north side of the river Bervie...
, do hold status. Therefore, the name Swinton itself may not hold any huge title or land power as such, but its power lies in its ancient lineage and reputation.
Wars of Scottish Independence
Henry de Swinton, as one of the 13 claimants to the Scottish Throne put forward by 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...
, appears on 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...
as one of the nobility swearing 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 1296. He was joined in this by his brother, William, priest of the church of Swinton. However later the Swintons would support 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...
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....
.
Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk
Sir John SwintonSir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk
Sir John Swinton, great-grandson of Henry de Swinton who appears on the Ragman Roll, was a distinguished soldier and statesman in the reigns of Robert II of Scotland and Robert III of Scotland. -France, Hundred Years War:...
, great-grandson of Henry, was a distinguished soldier and statesman in the reigns of Robert II of Scotland
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
and Robert III of Scotland
Robert III of Scotland
Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
.
France, Hundred Years' War
He was one of the greatest fighters of his time. In his youth, the Borders being too quiet for him, he had signed on with John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of LancasterJohn of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster , KG was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
. He made an interesting agreement with John of Gaunt which included the following among other terms:
- Swinton was not to be required to fight against his own country.
- He was to be given double pay, and free transport for himself, his horses and his men.
- The Duke was to replace any of his horses that were lost or taken. In return, he was to have one-third share in the ransom of Swinton’s future prisoners and in his other "profits of war".
This unusual "contract" shows that Sir John must already have acquired a solid reputation as a fighter, perhaps in Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
or Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
or even both, some time before 1371, when it was made.
Sir John fully justified the trust placed in him, through his conduct in a series of campaigns and particularly at Noyon
Noyon
Noyon is a commune in the Oise department in northern France.It lies on the Oise Canal, 100 km north of Paris.-History:...
(between Amiens and Paris) when he fought his way single-handed into the town. Legend says he was the hero who, according to Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
, leaped the barrier gates at Noyon and for love of the fray fought the chivalry of France for more than an hour "alone against them all" - "giving many grand strokes with his lance." When the army began to move and he had to rejoin it, he cleared the way with a thrust or two, sprang back, and mounting, with his page in front, cried : "Adieu, adieu, Seigneurs, grands mercis!" and spurred away.
About this time, he married a young wife, Joan, who died without children and whose jewels were stolen by Alice Perrers
Alice Perrers
Alice Perrers was a royal mistress whose lover and patron was King Edward III of England. She acquired significant land holdings. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Edward's consort, Philippa of Hainault.-Life and Family:...
, Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
’s mistress (who also stole the King’s rings from his fingers as he lay dying). He appealed to the King for their return, but they could not be traced, and it is not altogether surprising that he returned to Scotland soon after.
Battle of Otterburn
He was a commander at the Battle of OtterburnBattle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
in July 1388 when the Scots won the day and defeated the English, although their leader, the Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...
, was slain. The Scotichronicon, talking of the battle, mentions "a very experienced, strong, and brave Scot", John Swinton, who carved a path through the English: "Because of this the Scots were able to penetrate the English line with their spears, so that the English were forced to give ground to this strong force".
It is related of Sir John, that in the wars with the English, he visited the enemy's camp, and gave a general challenge to fight any of their army.
Appointments
He was appointed one of the ambassadors extraordinary by King Robert III to negotiate a treaty with the court of England, for which they got a safe conduct from King Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
for themselves and sixty knights in their retinue, 4 July, 1392. He was afterwards employed upon another negotiation and obtained a safe conduct from King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
to go to England, with twenty horsemen in his retinue, 7 July, 1400.
Battle of Homildon Hill
The gallant bearing and heroic death of the Lord of Swinton, at the fatal Battle of Homildon Hill, have afforded a subject for the poetic genius of Scott, and are the materials on which he founded the drama of "Haledon Hill". Pinkerton thus records Swinton's fall:"The English advanced to the assault, and Henry Percy was about to lead them up the hill, when March caught his bridle, and advised him to advance no farther, but to pour the dreadful shower of English arrows into the enemy. This advice was followed with the usual fortune; for in all ages the bow was the English weapon of victory, and though the Scots, and perhaps the French, were superior in the use of the spear, yet this weapon was useless after the distant bow had decided the combat. Robert the Great, sensible of this at the battle of Bannockburn, ordered a prepared detachment of cavalry to rush among the English archers at the commencement, totally to disperse them, and stop the deadly effusion. But Douglas now used no such precaution; and the consequence was, that his people, drawn up on the face of the hill, presented one general mark to the enemy, none of whose arrows descended in vain. The Scots fell without fight and unrevenged, till a spirited knight, Swinton, exclaimed aloud, "O my brave countrymen! what fascination has seized you to-day, that you stand like deer to be shot, instead of indulging your ancient courage, and meeting your enemies hand to hand? Let those who will, descend with me, that we may gain victory, and life, or fall like men." This being heard by Adam Gordon, between whom and Swinton there existed a deadly feud, attended with the mutual slaughter of many followers, he instantly fell on his knees before Swinton, begged his pardon, and desired to be dubbed a knight by him whom he must now regard as the wisest and boldest of that order in Britain. The ceremony performed, Swinton and Gordon descended the hill, accompanied by only one hundred men, and a desperate valour led the whole body to death. Had a similar spirit been shewn by the Scottish army, it is probable that the event of that day would have been different."
Later 15th century and Hundred Years' War
Swinton’s second wife was the Countess of DouglasEarl of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the extinct title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland...
and Mar
Earl of Mar
The Mormaer or Earl of Mar is a title that has been created seven times, all in the Peerage of Scotland. The first creation of the earldom was originally the provincial ruler of the province of Mar in north-eastern Scotland...
, but they had no offspring. His third wife was Princess Margaret, daughter of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany who served as Regent from 1406 to 1419. The Princess bore Swinton a son, later Sir John Swinton of Swinton, reckoned to be the fifteenth Lord of the name.
Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk
During the Hundred Years' WarHundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk
Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk
Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk was a son of Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk and Princess Margaret, daughter of Robert, Duke of Albany who served as Regent....
was a doughty warrior who fought and led the Clan Swinton at the Battle of Baugé
Battle of Baugé
The Battle of Baugé, fought between the English and the Franco-Scots on 21 March 1421 in Baugé, France, east of Angers, was a major defeat for the English in the Hundred Years' War...
against the English in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1421, where the French-Scottish forces were victorious. Although the credit for this is claimed by others, he is said to have been the knight who slew the Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. The first three creations were in the Peerage of England, the fourth in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the fifth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The title was first...
, brother of King Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
. The incident appears in Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's poem, "The Lay of the Last Minstrel
The Lay of the Last Minstrel
"The Lay of the Last Minstrel" is a long narrative poem by Walter Scott. -Overview:...
":
- "And Swinton laid the lance in rest,
That amed of yore the sparkling crest
Of Clarence's Plantagenet".
However, Sir John Swinton was killed when the Clan Swinton fought at the Battle of Verneuil
Battle of Verneuil
The Battle of Verneuil was a battle of the Hundred Years' War, fought on 17 August 1424 near Verneuil in Normandy and was a significant English victory.-The black time:...
in France in 1424.
16th century and Mary Queen of Scots
Sir John Swinton was among the band of Scottish barons who signed the bond of protection of the infant King James VI of Scotland in 1567 against the Earl of BothwellEarl of Bothwell
The title Earl of Bothwell has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. It was then created for Francis Stewart in 1587...
on his marriage to the child’s mother, Mary, Queen of Scots.
17th century and Civil War
In 1640 Sir Alexander Swinton, the 22nd chief, became sheriff of BerwickshireBerwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
. He died in 1652, leaving six sons and five daughters. His second son, Alexander, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Scotland in 1688, taking the title, ‘Lord Mersington’.
The Swintons supported the Royalists during the Civil War. The eldest son, John, was colonel for the regiment of Berwickshire, and 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 was taken prisoner, and his brother, Robert, died in an attempt to carry off Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
’s standard.
John was later appointed by the Lord Protector to the Council of State he established to assist in ruling Scotland in 1655. He was said to have been "Cromwell's most trusted man in Scotland". His involvement with Cromwell led to his being tried for treason in 1661, and although he escaped the block, his estates were forfeited and he was imprisoned for six years.
An extract from Volume 2 of The Heart of Midlothian
The Heart of Midlothian
The Heart of Midlothian is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818, under the title of Tales of My Landlord, 2nd series, and the author was given as "Jedediah Cleishbotham, Schoolmaster and Parish-clerk of Gandercleugh"...
by Sir Walter Scott, a cadet of the Family of Swinton on his Mother's side, explains the tale of Judge Swinton, as the Quaker was known.
"The celebrated John Swinton, of Swinton, nineteenth baron in descent of that ancient and once powerful family, was, with Sir William Lockhart of Lee, the person whom Cromwell chiefly trusted in the management of the Scottish affairs during his usurpation. After the Restoration, Swinton was devoted as a victim to the new order of things, and was brought down in the same vessel which conveyed the Marquis of Argyle to Edinburgh, where that nobleman was tried and executed. Swinton was destined to the same fate. He had assumed the habit, and entered into the Society of the Quakers, and appeared as one of their number before the Parliament of Scotland. He renounced all legal defence, though several pleas were open to him, and answered, in conformity to the principles of his sect, that at the time these crimes were imputed to him, he was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity; but that God Almighty having since called him to the light, he
saw and acknowledged these errors, and did not refuse to pay the forfeit of them, even though, in the judgment of the Parliament, it should extend to life itself."
"Respect to fallen greatness, and to the patience and calm resignation with which a man once in high power expressed himself under such a change of fortune, found Swinton friends; family connections, and some interested considerations of Middleton the Commissioner, joined to procure his safety, and he was dismissed, but after a long imprisonment, and much dilapidation of his estates. It is said that Swinton's admonitions, while confined in the Castle of Edinburgh, had a considerable share in converting to the tenets of the Friends Colonel David Barclay
David Barclay (Quaker)
Col. David Barclay , of Mathers, St Cyrus, Kincardineshire in Scotland, was 1st Laird of Urie near Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, Scotland, and father of Robert Barclay, the eminent Quaker apologist...
, then lying there in the garrison. This was the father of Robert Barclay
Robert Barclay
Robert Barclay was a Scottish Quaker, one of the most eminent writers belonging to the Religious Society of Friends and a member of the Clan Barclay. He was also governor of the East Jersey colony in North America through most of the 1680s, although he himself never resided in the...
, author of the celebrated 'Apology for the Quakers'."
He died in 1679 and was succeeded by his son, Alexander, who later died without issue. There is a theory that another of Swinton's sons took the name Sinton, founding that family.
18th century
Alexander’s brother, Sir John, succeeded as the twenty-fifth Laird of Swinton who, after a successful career as a merchant in Holland, returned to Scotland in the wake of the Glorious RevolutionGlorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
of 1688 which brought William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
to the throne with his wife, Queen Mary. His father’s forfeiture was rescinded, and Swinton sat in both the Scottish Parliament and, later, in the British, at Westminster. He was appointed as the President of the Committee for Trade in Scotland and was also a founder of the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
. John Swinton of that Ilk, the twenty-seventh Laird, became a member of the Supreme Court in 1782, taking the title, ‘Lord Swinton’.
His fourth son, Archibald Swinton, a Captain in the Honourable East India Company's Service, married Henrietta Campbell of Blytheswood and acquired the estates of Kimmerghame and Manderston
Manderston
Manderston House, Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland, is the home of Adrian Bailie Nottage Palmer, 4th Baron Palmer. It was completely rebuilt between 1901 and 1903 and has sumptuous interiors with a silver plated staircase...
. It was Henrietta who brought in the Campbell arms now borne in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the Swinton of Kimmerghame arms.
A little known fact concerns Captain Samuel Swinton, husband of Félicité Jean le Febre. Baroness Emma Orczy, when she wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
in 1905, loosely based the story of the hero, Sir Percy Blakeney, on the life of Samuel in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
where, with his wife they assisted in the escape by some of the nobility who were in danger of going to the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
.
Modern history
The modern Swintons have produced some very notable characters. Captain George SwintonGeorge Swinton
Captain George Sitwell Campbell Swinton, DL was a long serving Scottish politician and officer of arms.Swinton was born in Edinburgh, the second son of Archibald Campbell Swinton of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire, and Georgiana Caroline Sitwell, daughter of Sir George Sitwell, 2nd Baronet of Renishaw....
, descended from the Swintons of Kimmerghame, a cadet of the chiefly house, was Lord Lyon King of Arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
, and Secretary to the Order of the Thistle
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
from 1926 to 1929. Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton was the mind behind the Tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
.
*Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton
During the war with Germany few names were more widely known than that of General Ernest Dunlop SwintonErnest Dunlop Swinton
Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, KBE, CB, DSO, RE was a military writer and British Army officer. Swinton is credited with influencing the development and adoption of the tank by the British during the First World War. He is also known for popularising the term "no-mans land".-Early life...
. It had long ceased to be a secret that he was the author of some remarkable military stories published after the Boer War, and for a time he was the "Eyewitness", who described battles in France and Belgium and coined the phrase "No man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
".
At the opening of an exhibition of the tank in Berwick by General Swinton, Colonel Summers, who was present, in a speech full of humour recited a few impromptu lines about the Swintons. They ran:
- "Of old along the Scottish Border
The Swintons kept us in disorder.
Their martial ardour they revealed
By pinching cows from many a field.
Now to the changing mood of time
Comes to our ears a nobler chime.
It's mainly due to Swinton's skill
That we have beaten Kaiser Bill!"
Modern History cont.
- Archibald Campbell-Swinton, an Edinburgh Lawyer, designed the grounds for the new Fettes CollegeFettes CollegeFettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, this being the reason why one of the boarding houses is called Kimmerghame. - Alan Archibald Campbell-SwintonAlan Archibald Campbell-SwintonAlan Archibald Campbell-Swinton, FRS was a Scottish consulting electrical engineer. He described an electronic method of producing television in a 1908 letter to Nature.-Biography:...
formulated the ideas for the modern form of TelevisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. - Sir Samuel Swinton JacobSamuel Swinton JacobSir Samuel Swinton Jacob was an English engineer, architect and writer, active in India and best known for the numerous public buildings he designed in the Indo-Saracenic style.-Early life and education:...
was a key architect on many of India's buildings. - Major-General Sir John SwintonJohn Swinton (British Army officer)Major-General Sir John Swinton, KCVO, OBE, DL was Major-General Commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District.-Family and military background:...
, who still resides at KimmerghameKimmerghame House, BerwickshireKimmerghame House is a 19th-century mansion in the Scottish Borders, located south-east of Duns by the Blackadder Water. It is the home of the Swintons of Kimmerghame. The house was designed in the Scottish Baronial style by David Bryce in 1851...
, is a former Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire, and father of the actress Tilda SwintonTilda SwintonKatherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
known for both arthouseArt filmAn art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
and mainstream films. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance in Michael ClaytonMichael Clayton (film)Michael Clayton is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Tony Gilroy, starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack...
.
The present chief is a Canadian currently living in London
London
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...
, Rolfe William Swinton 36th of that Ilk