Clan Urquhart
Encyclopedia
Urquhart is a Highland Scottish clan
. They traditionally occupied the lands in the district and town of Cromarty
, a former Royal Burgh
with an excellent natural harbour on the tip of The Black Isle. Chiefs of the Clan were Barons and hereditary Sheriffs of the county for hundreds of years. Today the Clan is an international body organized in part by the Clan Urquhart Association, with Clan members in Scotland, England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and America. The current and 27th Chief of Clan Urquhart, Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart, is one of four Scottish Highland Chiefs that are American citizens.
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The name Urquhart
is of ancient Gaelic origin, believed to be derived from Airchartdan. This has been variously translated as "upon a rowan wood" (copses of rowan trees are common in Glen Urquhart
, the Clan's place of origin according to oral tradition) and the "fort on the knoll," perhaps alluding to Castle Urquhart and/or the previous neolithic forts upon which it was built. Some suggest the Urquhart family derive their name from the district of Urquhart on the Black Isle, located on the north side of the Great Glen. Earlier phonetic spellings include Urchard; the name, first recorded in the 13th century in a Charter from King Robert the Bruce to allow William de Urquhart of Cromarty to build Cromarty Castle, was written down long before the development of early modern English
in the 16th to 17th centuries.
"As legend has it, in the days when wild boar, wolves and bears still roamed the Scottish Highlands a mighty warrior named Conachar Mor ruled over a swathe of territory near Inverness, on the northwest side of Loch Ness. A scion of the Royal House of Ulster, *Conachar became a hero in the folklore of the region for his strength and valour after he and his faithful, but aged hound An Cu Mor slew a ferocious wild boar that had long terrorised the Great Glen.
It is said that Conachar and his sword lie buried somewhere in what is today Glen Urquhart, and Conachar's feat is reflected in the boars' heads adopted as part of the heraldic achievement of the Chief of Clan Urquhart, who regards Conachar Mor as the founder of his clan.
Clan Urquhart took its name from Airchartdan or Urchard, as Conachar's territory was named when St. Columba visited the area in the 6th century, bringing Christianity to a hitherto heathen land. Later a castle was built there, overlooking Loch Ness, Scotland's most famous loch. Urchard became Urquhart, and the area became known as Glen Urquhart. Today the remains of Urquhart Castle stand as an imposing monument to the past and a symbol of the ancient connection between Clan Urquhart and Glen Urquhart. The castle and glen serve as constant reminders to Urquharts throughout the world that their name had its origin here.".
Conachar Mor's son succeeded him as O'Conachar Mor, the second Urquhart, and so on down to the first Urquhart recorded in historical documents, William de Urquhart mentioned above. It has been tenuously suggested Conachar Mor's two other sons went on to become the founders of Clan Mackay
and Clan Forbes
.
the Clan Urquhart fought at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
in 1547, where nine sons of the Chief died in battle. This was the last major battle between the Royal Scottish and Royal English armies. Clan chiefs from Clan Munro
, Clan Hunter
, Clan Colquhoun
, Clan MacFarlane
and Clan Farquharson
also died at this battle.
In 1649 a body of Covenanters, opposed to Parliament, assaulted and took control of the town of Inverness and Inverness Castle
. Commanded by Sir Thomas Urquhart
of Cromarty, Colonel John Munro of Lemlair
, Colonel Hugh Fraser
, and Thomas Mackenzie
of Pluscardine, they then expelled the garrison and razed the fortifications. On the approach of the parliamentary forces led by General David Leslie, they retreated back into Ross-shire. (See: Siege of Inverness (1649)
).
By 1651 Scottish Royalist Covenantors had become disillusioned with Parliament. The Clan Urquhart fought at the Battle of Worcester
in 1651 where the Chief, Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty, was taken prisoner. The Clan had always been Stuart loyalists; further, Sir Thomas was knighted by Charles II, and was an active member of the King's court. During his subsequent captivity at the Tower of London
ordered directly by Oliver Cromwell
, Sir Thomas published several books in an effort to demonstrate his value to society to secure his release. In 1662 he returned to Scotland on parole to find that his estate had been ruined and pillaged. Probably as a condition of his final release, Sir Thomas spent the rest of his life in Holland. The Chiefship then passed briefly to his brother Alexander before falling to the Urquharts of Craigston, a family near Turriff in Aberdeenshire.
and later serving the exiled King James.
At the death of James Urquhart of Cromarty in 1741, the chiefship passed to the Urquharts of Meldrum near Aberdeen. After the Meldrum line ended with Major Beauchamp Urquhart, who was killed in action with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in 1898, the Chiefship passed to his cousin of the Urquhart of Braelangwell line, Francis Fortesque Urquhart of Urquhart, a notable figure in literary circles at Oxford University. Upon his death in 1934, the Chiefship lay dormant until 1959 when another descendant of the Braelangwell line, Wilkins Fisk Urquhart of that Ilk, who was descended from a George Urquhart who emigrated to America in the 18th century, established his rights with the Lord Lyon. He was succeeded by his son in 1974, the 27th Chief, Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart. The seat of the clan is Castle Craig
on the Cromarty Firth. It was presented to the 26th clan chief by Major Iain Shaw of Tordarroch – the Shaws had been a neighbouring clan of the Urquharts in earlier times.
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...
. They traditionally occupied the lands in the district and town of Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
, a former Royal Burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
with an excellent natural harbour on the tip of The Black Isle. Chiefs of the Clan were Barons and hereditary Sheriffs of the county for hundreds of years. Today the Clan is an international body organized in part by the Clan Urquhart Association, with Clan members in Scotland, England, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and America. The current and 27th Chief of Clan Urquhart, Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart, is one of four Scottish Highland Chiefs that are American citizens.
Origins of the name
Urquhart (surname)
Urquhart is a Scottish surname. It is a habitational name, that can be derived from any of four places with the name. One such place is located in Fife, and is recorded in 1128 as Pettnaurcha, which is a Pictish-Gaelic name meaning "the portion of the shot"...
is of ancient Gaelic origin, believed to be derived from Airchartdan. This has been variously translated as "upon a rowan wood" (copses of rowan trees are common in Glen Urquhart
Glen Urquhart
This page refers to the geographical area of "Glen Urquhart"For other meanings of the term, see Glen Urquhart Glenurquhart or Glen Urquhart is a glen running to the west of the village of Drumnadrochit in the Highland council area of Scotland-Location:Glenurquhart runs from Loch Ness at Urquhart...
, the Clan's place of origin according to oral tradition) and the "fort on the knoll," perhaps alluding to Castle Urquhart and/or the previous neolithic forts upon which it was built. Some suggest the Urquhart family derive their name from the district of Urquhart on the Black Isle, located on the north side of the Great Glen. Earlier phonetic spellings include Urchard; the name, first recorded in the 13th century in a Charter from King Robert the Bruce to allow William de Urquhart of Cromarty to build Cromarty Castle, was written down long before the development of early modern English
Modern English
Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, completed in roughly 1550.Despite some differences in vocabulary, texts from the early 17th century, such as the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible, are considered to be in Modern...
in the 16th to 17th centuries.
Origins of the clan
The apical ancestor of Clan Urquhart was Conachar Mor, founder of the Clan. According to an historical address by the current Chief,"As legend has it, in the days when wild boar, wolves and bears still roamed the Scottish Highlands a mighty warrior named Conachar Mor ruled over a swathe of territory near Inverness, on the northwest side of Loch Ness. A scion of the Royal House of Ulster, *Conachar became a hero in the folklore of the region for his strength and valour after he and his faithful, but aged hound An Cu Mor slew a ferocious wild boar that had long terrorised the Great Glen.
It is said that Conachar and his sword lie buried somewhere in what is today Glen Urquhart, and Conachar's feat is reflected in the boars' heads adopted as part of the heraldic achievement of the Chief of Clan Urquhart, who regards Conachar Mor as the founder of his clan.
Clan Urquhart took its name from Airchartdan or Urchard, as Conachar's territory was named when St. Columba visited the area in the 6th century, bringing Christianity to a hitherto heathen land. Later a castle was built there, overlooking Loch Ness, Scotland's most famous loch. Urchard became Urquhart, and the area became known as Glen Urquhart. Today the remains of Urquhart Castle stand as an imposing monument to the past and a symbol of the ancient connection between Clan Urquhart and Glen Urquhart. The castle and glen serve as constant reminders to Urquharts throughout the world that their name had its origin here.".
Conachar Mor's son succeeded him as O'Conachar Mor, the second Urquhart, and so on down to the first Urquhart recorded in historical documents, William de Urquhart mentioned above. It has been tenuously suggested Conachar Mor's two other sons went on to become the founders of Clan Mackay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
and Clan Forbes
Clan Forbes
Clan Forbes is a Lowland Scottish clan from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-Origins:Concerning the origin of this Scottish clan, John of Forbes, the first upon record, seems to have been a man of importance in the time of William the Lion, and was the father of Fergus, from whom the clan are descended....
.
16th century and 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...
the Clan Urquhart fought 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, where nine sons of the Chief died in battle. This was the last major battle between the Royal Scottish and Royal English armies. Clan chiefs from Clan Munro
Clan Munro
-Origins:The main traditional origin of the clan is that the Munros came from Ireland and settled in Scotland in the 11th century and that they fought as mercenary soldiers under the Earl of Ross who defeated Viking invaders in Rosshire...
, Clan Hunter
Clan Hunter
Clan Hunter is a Scottish clan which has its seat at Hunterston in Ayrshire. It has historical connections with both the 'Highlands' and 'Lowlands' of Scotland due to several centuries of operation in some of the formerly Gaelic speaking Scottish Islands including Arran, Bute and the Cumbraes...
, Clan Colquhoun
Clan Colquhoun
Clan Colquhoun is a Highland Scottish clan.The clan motto shown above in the crest best translates to "if I can."-Origins of the clan:In the 13th century Maol Domhnaich, Earl of Lennox granted the lands of Colquhoun, located in Dunbartonshire, to Humphry de Kilpatrick...
, Clan MacFarlane
Clan MacFarlane
Clan MacFarlane is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan claims a descent from the old line of the Earls of Lennox. For some time there had been some controversy as to the descent of these earls, with both Gaelic and Anglo-Saxon origins given. Though today it is accepted that Clan MacFarlane is of...
and Clan Farquharson
Clan Farquharson
Clan Farquharson of Invercauld is a Highland Scottish clan. The clan hails from Aberdeenshire and is a member of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:Farquhar - from the Gaelic 'fear' and 'char' meaning 'dear one'...
also died at this battle.
17th century and Civil War
Inverness Castle
Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness, in Inverness, Scotland. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a...
. Commanded by Sir Thomas Urquhart
Thomas Urquhart
Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty was a Scottish writer and translator, most famous for his translation of Rabelais.-Life:...
of Cromarty, Colonel John Munro of Lemlair
Lemlair House
Lemlair House was originally built as a fortified seat for the chief of the Clan Munro in 1643. However it soon became the home of Colonel John Munro of Lemlair, a near relative of the chief. Lemlair is situated halfway north of Dingwall and south of Evanton, and is just a short distance from...
, Colonel Hugh Fraser
Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
, and Thomas Mackenzie
Clan MacKenzie
Clan Mackenzie is a Highland Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire.-Origins:The Mackenzies, a powerful clan of Celtic stock, were not among the clans that originated from Norman ancestry. Descendants of the long defunct royal Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, they...
of Pluscardine, they then expelled the garrison and razed the fortifications. On the approach of the parliamentary forces led by General David Leslie, they retreated back into Ross-shire. (See: Siege of Inverness (1649)
Siege of Inverness (1649)
The siege of Inverness that took place in 1649 was part of the 17th century Scottish Civil War that was in itself part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms....
).
By 1651 Scottish Royalist Covenantors had become disillusioned with Parliament. The Clan Urquhart 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 where the Chief, Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty, was taken prisoner. The Clan had always been Stuart loyalists; further, Sir Thomas was knighted by Charles II, and was an active member of the King's court. During his subsequent captivity at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
ordered directly by 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....
, Sir Thomas published several books in an effort to demonstrate his value to society to secure his release. In 1662 he returned to Scotland on parole to find that his estate had been ruined and pillaged. Probably as a condition of his final release, Sir Thomas spent the rest of his life in Holland. The Chiefship then passed briefly to his brother Alexander before falling to the Urquharts of Craigston, a family near Turriff in Aberdeenshire.
From the Jacobite uprisings to modern times
The Urquharts supported the Jacobite Risings of 1715, with the 15th chief, James Urquhart of Cromarty, participating at the Battle of SheriffmuirBattle of Sheriffmuir
The Battle of Sheriffmuir was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rebellion in England and Scotland.-History:John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar, standard-bearer for the Jacobite cause in Scotland, mustered Highland chiefs, and on 6 September declared James Francis Edward Stuart as King...
and later serving the exiled King James.
At the death of James Urquhart of Cromarty in 1741, the chiefship passed to the Urquharts of Meldrum near Aberdeen. After the Meldrum line ended with Major Beauchamp Urquhart, who was killed in action with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in 1898, the Chiefship passed to his cousin of the Urquhart of Braelangwell line, Francis Fortesque Urquhart of Urquhart, a notable figure in literary circles at Oxford University. Upon his death in 1934, the Chiefship lay dormant until 1959 when another descendant of the Braelangwell line, Wilkins Fisk Urquhart of that Ilk, who was descended from a George Urquhart who emigrated to America in the 18th century, established his rights with the Lord Lyon. He was succeeded by his son in 1974, the 27th Chief, Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart. The seat of the clan is Castle Craig
Castlecraig
Castlecraig, also known as Craig Castle and Castle Craig, is a 16th-century fortification located on the north shore of the Black Isle in northern Scotland. It is on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth, north-east of Culbokie and north of the city of Inverness...
on the Cromarty Firth. It was presented to the 26th clan chief by Major Iain Shaw of Tordarroch – the Shaws had been a neighbouring clan of the Urquharts in earlier times.
Castles
- Castle CraigCastlecraigCastlecraig, also known as Craig Castle and Castle Craig, is a 16th-century fortification located on the north shore of the Black Isle in northern Scotland. It is on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth, north-east of Culbokie and north of the city of Inverness...
, although in ruins is still the current seat of the Chief of Clan Urquhart. A 15th century tower originally occupied by the Urquharts of Braelangwell and Newhall that overlooks the Cromarty Firth from the north shore of the Black Isle. Braelangwell House was built in 1801 by the Urquharts of Braelangwell, then Chiefs of the Clan, on the much older Braelangwell estate, which was held by a branch of the clan for several centuries prior. - Craigston CastleCraigston CastleCraigston Castle, Turriff, Aberdeenshire is a historic home of the Urquhart family. It was built 1604-1607 by John Urquhart of Craigfintry, known as the Tutor of Cromarty. The castle is composed of two main wings flanking the entrance and connected by an elevated arch, and surmounted by a richly...
in Aberdeenshire, and the present-day Cromarty House on the hill above the Black Isle town of CromartyCromartyThe Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
was built from the stone and timbers of the former Urquhart stronghold of Cromarty Castle. - Despite its name Urquhart CastleUrquhart CastleUrquhart Castle sits beside Loch Ness in Scotland along the A82 road, between Fort William and Inverness. It is close to the village of Drumnadrochit. Though extensively ruined, it was in its day one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland, and remains an impressive structure, splendidly...
, one of the most famous castles in the highlands that sits beside Loch NessLoch NessLoch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
, was never associated with the Clan Urquhart. Urquhart Castle in fact belonged to the Clan GrantClan Grant-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of Siol Alpin, and descend from the 9th century Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scots; and also of Norse origin, from settlers who are the descents of Haakon inn Riki Sigurdarsson , Jarl of Hladr, Protector of Norway ,-Origins:The Grants are one of the clans of...
..