Armigerous clan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An armigerous clan or Family, is a Scottish clan without a chief with matriculated arms.

The term "armigerous clan" is something of a misnomer. Under Scots law only individuals may be armigerous, matriculated by Lord Lyon, King of Arms. In common usage, an armigerous clan is a clan or family which has, at some point, had a chief with matriculated arms but due to a number of reasons, no longer has a chief.

While there are a number of reasons why a clan may have no chief the most common are listed below.

  • Following the 1745 Jacobite Rising and the dismantling of the clan system, many of the chiefly lines of clans and families were lost. Due to gaps in the genealogical evidence, it has thus far been unable to prove a direct descent to current claimants.
  • Over time, some smaller clans were absorbed and became a sept of the larger clan. While the smaller clan retains a clan crest, it owes allegiance to the chief of the larger clan. Some of these smaller clans now wish to be identified separately from the larger clan, however, proving a genealogical link to the chiefs before absorption is very difficult.
  • As Scots law and English and Welsh law differ over inheritance, some individuals are barred from being matriculated as chief.
  • As punishment for acts against the monarch, it was possible for chiefs to be stripped of land and titles. Though often restored to later generations of the family, this was not always the case.

There are currently over 200 armigerous clans and families of Scotland.


Clan/Family Motto Incumbent
Abercromby
Abernethy
Adair
Adam
Aikenhead
Ainslie
Aiton ( AYTON ) Decerptae dabunt odorum ( Roses plucked will give sweet smell )
Anderson Stand Sure
Armstrong Invictus maneo
Arnott Sereputum Et Completum
Auchinleck
Baillie Quid clarius astris.
Baird
Balfour
Bannatyne
Baxter
Bell
Belshes
Bethune
Beveridge Perseverando
Binning
Bisset
Blackadder
Blackstock
Blair
Blane
Blyth
Boswell
Brisbane
Bryce Let Justice be Done (sept of MacFarlane)
Buchanan Clarior hinc honos (Henceforth the honour shall grow ever brighter
Byres
Cairns
Calder
Caldwell
Callender
Campbell of Craignish The Much Hon. Bruce Campbell of Craignish
Carruthers
Chalmers
Cheyne
Clelland
Clephane
Cockburn
Congilton
Craig
Crawford Tutum Te Rebore Reddam (I will give you safety by strength)
Crosbie
Cunningham
Dalmahoy
Dalrymple
Dalziel
Dennistoun
Don
Douglas
Dunlop
Edmonstone
Fairlie
Falconer
Fenton
Fleming
Fletcher
Fotheringham
Fullarton
Galbraith
Galloway
Garden
Gartshore
Ged
Gibsone
Gladstains
Glas
Glen
Glendinning Have Faith In Christ
Haliburton
Halkerston
Halket
Hepburn
Heron
Herries
Hog
Hopkirk
Horsburgh
Houston In Vicis ("In Time")
Hutton
Inglis
Innes Be Traist
Kelly
Kincaid
Kinloch
Kinnaird
Kinnear
Kinninmont
Kirkcaldy
Kirkpatrick
Laing
Lammie
Langlands
Learmonth
Little
Livingstone
Logan Hoc majorum virtus.
Logie
Lundin
Lyle
MacAulay Dulce periculum
MacBrayne
MacDuff "Deus juvat"
MacEwen "Reviresco" -I flourish again
MacFarlane This I'll Defend
MacFie
MacGillivary Touch Not This Cat {Reportedly two members of Chiefs Lineage married into Creek Nation-see Alexander McGillivray and William McIntosh}
MacInnes The Much Hon. Bruce Campbell of Craignish
Mackie
MacLellan
Macneil of Barra Vincere vel Mori / Buaidh no Bas (To Conquer or Die) Ian Roderick MacNeill
MacQuarrie An T'Arm Breac Dearg (The Red Tartaned Army)
MacQueen (Reportedly Chiefs immigrated to New Zealand)
MacRae "Fortitudine"
Masterton
Maule
Maxton
Maxwell
McCorquodale
MacCulloch
McIver
McKerrell
Meldrum
Melville
Mercer
Middleton Fortis in arduis ( Strong in adversity )
Moncur Virtuti non Armis Fido
Monteith
Monypenny
Mouat
Moubray
Mow
Muir
Muirhead
Nairn
Neish
Nevoy
Newlands
Newton
Norvel
Ochterlony
Orrock
Paisley
Paterson
Pennycook
Pentland
Peter
Pitblado
Pitcairn
Pollock
Polwarth
Porteous I Byde My Time
Porterfield
Preston
Pringle
Purves
Rait
Ralston
Renton
Roberton
Rossie
Russel Virtus Sine Macula
Rutherford
Schaw
Seton
Skirving
Somerville Fear God In Life
Spalding Sept of the Clan Murray.
Spottiswood
Stewart
Strachan Non timeo sed caveo (I do not fear but am careful).
Straiton Surgere tento (I strive to rise)
Strange
Sweeny
Sydserf
Symmers
Tailyour
Tait
Tennant
Troup
Turnbull
Tweedie Thole and Think
Udny All my hope is in God
Vans
Walkinshaw
Wardlaw
Watson
Wauchope
Weir
Whitefoord
Whitelaw
Wishart
Wood Defend
Young
macquarrie /gander Turris Fortis Mihi Deus (God is my strong tower)


[edit] See also