Burnetts of Leys

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The Burnetts of Leys are a branch of the Scottish clan Burnett from Deeside, near Banchory in Northeast Scotland. From the early 14th century to the mid 16th century the family occupied a lake dwelling on the Loch of Leys, and resided here or on land near the lake for over 200 years. It is from this lake that the family eventually acquired the title “of Leys”.[1]

The family’s exact origin is debated to this day, as the origin of the surname Burnett itself is disputed. It has been proposed that Burnett is derived from an Old French word, “burnete” which refers to a dark brown colour.[2] However, there is evidence which suggests that Burnett stems from the English surname of Burnard, a derivative of the Anglo-Saxon name “Beornheard.”[3] The latter theory is accepted by the National Trust for Scotland, which traces the Burnetts of Leys to an original Alexander Burnard of English ancestry, who had arrived in Deeside by 1323. On this topic the Trust states: “There is proof beyond all reasonable doubt that the Saxon family of Burnard, which flourished in England before the Norman Conquest, were forbearers of the first Alexander Burnard who settled on Deeside”[4] In support of this theory, evidence has been gathered from the Domesday Survey, the Chartulary of St. Neots, and certain charters of the Abbey of Waltham, to trace the Burnard family from the Norman Conquest to the thirteenth century.[5]

In this time The Burnards are seen to migrate north to the Scottish border country with a number of other Norman English families during the reign of David I. They soon move on to the Northeast of Scotland, where Alexander Burnard settled near Banchory. This Alexander Burnard is considered “The first of the Deeside Burnards, or Burnetts as they were later called.”[6] Alexander was a follower the famous Robert the Bruce, who “took the throne (as Robert I) and freed Scotland from the yoke of English rule.”[7]. For his services to the king he was rewarded in 1323 with land in Banchory and a position as the Royal Forester of Drum[8]. This is when the Burnard or Burnett family first took up residence on an artificial island called a “crannog,” on the Loch of Leys.[9]

The history of the family from this time onward is recorded in detail. During the next three centuries the Burnetts came to gain prominence in the area by making connections with the church, and acquiring more land. By the early 17th century the famed Crathes Castle had been commissioned by the family and completed. The castle eventually became known as “the seat of the ancient family of Burnett of Leys”[10]. Crathes remained in the ownership of the Burnett family decedents for over 300 years, until 1952 when it was given to the National Trust for Scotland as part of Scotland’s heritage.[11]

Throughout their lengthy history, the Burnetts of Leys family “were not the most ambitious or violent of families, but they were men and women of culture and warmth; they had their ups and downs, so their story is very much the history of Scotland in Miniature”[12][12]. Among the descendants of this family were “generals, admirals and judges, a bishop or two, and even a governor of New York”[13]. Today there are numerous descendants from this branch of the Burnett clan, who live worldwide, and can trace their lineage back to the Burnetts who lived on the Loch of Leys.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ The National Trust for Scotland. 1988. Crathes Castle and Garden. Edinburg: Marketing Services Division of the National Trust for Scotland. 5.
  2. ^ P. H. Reaney. 1967. The origin of English Surnames. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 247.
  3. ^ Ernest Weekly. 1916. Surnames. New York: E. P. Dutton and Company.
  4. ^ National Trust for Scotland. 1969. Crathes Castle, Fifth ed. Edinburgh. 3.
  5. ^ Ibid., 3.
  6. ^ The National Trust for Scotland. 1988. Crathes Castle and Garden. Edinburg: Marketing Services Division of the National Trust for Scotland. 3.
  7. ^ The Volume Library, 1996 ed.. Vol. 1 S.v. "Robert the Bruce", 760.
  8. ^ The National Trust for Scotland. 1988. Crathes Castle and Garden. Edinburg: Marketing Services Division of the National Trust for Scotland. 3.
  9. ^ National Trust for Scotland. 1969. Crathes Castle, Fifth ed. Edinburgh. 4.
  10. ^ Ibid., 3
  11. ^ The National Trust for Scotland. 1988. Crathes Castle and Garden. Edinburg: Marketing Services Division of the National Trust for Scotland. 6-9.
  12. ^ Ibid., 3.
  13. ^ Ibid., 3.

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