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{{short description|Lowland Scottish clan}}
{{Infobox Clan
{{About|the Scottish clan||Swinton (disambiguation)}}
|image badge =Swintonbadge.gif
{{lead too short|date=November 2015}}
|clan name =Clan Swinton
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
|chiefs crest =On a boar's head erased fessways erased Or, armed Argent, langued Gules
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
|chiefs motto =J'Espere, Je Pense
{{Infobox clan
|region =[[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]]
| image badge = Clan member crest badge - Clan Swinton.svg
|district =[[Berwickshire]]
| clan name = Clan Swinton
|origins =Anglo-Saxon
| chiefs crest = A boar chained to a tree<ref name=nisbet>{{cite book |last=Nisbet |first=Alexander |title=A System of Heraldry |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Blackwood |date=1816 |volume=1 |page=315 |url=https://archive.org/details/systemofheraldry01nisbuoft/page/315}}</ref>
|image arms =Swinton-of-Ilk.jpg
| chiefs motto = ''J'espere'' ("I hope")<ref name=nisbet/>
|chiefs name = Rolfe William Swinton 36th of that Ilk<ref name="swintonfamilysociety.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.swintonfamilysociety.org/web%20charts%20Jan%202005/Swint%20Ch.01-3/SWINTON_Ch01F-1_Sh2.pdf|title=www.swintonfamilysociety.org swinton tree|format=PDF}}</ref>
| region = [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]]
|chiefs title = [[Chief of the Name and Arms]] of Swinton.<ref>[http://www.burkes-peerage.net/familyhomepage.aspx?FID=0&FN=SWINTONOFTHATILK burkes-peerage]</ref>
| district = [[Berwickshire]]
|seat = Calgary, [[Canada]].<ref>[http://www.clanchiefs.org/p/chiefs.html clanchiefs.org]</ref>
| image arms = Swinton of that Ilk arms.svg
|historic seat =[[Bamburgh Castle]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}
| chiefs name = Rolfe William Swinton of that Ilk<ref name="ScotClans">[http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-swinton/ Clan Swinton Profile] scotclans.com. Retrieved 15 December 2013.</ref>
| chiefs title = [[Chief of the Name and Arms]] of Swinton.<ref>[http://www.burkes-peerage.net/familyhomepage.aspx?FID=0&FN=SWINTONOFTHATILK burkes-peerage]</ref>
| seat = New York, United States.<ref name="Coventry">Coventry, Martin. (2008). ''Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans''. pp. 565–566. {{ISBN|978-1-899874-36-1}}.</ref>
| historic seat = Swinton House, Berwickshire<ref name="Coventry"/>
}}
}}
'''Clan Swinton''' is a [[Scottish clan]] of the [[Scottish Lowlands]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton">Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The [[Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs]]). pp. 334–335.</ref>

[[Image:Bamburgh castle268.jpg|200px|thumb|upright|Bamburgh Castle, the ancient seat of the Swinton Family<ref>|Name=Swinton Family Society| url=http://www.swintonfamilysociety.org/web%20charts%20Jan%202005/Swint%20Ch.01-3/SWINTON_Ch01C_Sh3.pdf</ref>]]

'''Clan Swinton''' is a Lowland [[Scottish clan]] and founder of [[Clan Gordon]], [[Clan Elphinstone]], [[Clan Arbuthnott]] and [[Clan Nisbet]]. Being a Border family they were prominent [[Border Reivers]].


==History==
==History==
===Origins===


===Origins of the clan===
The Swinton family is so ancient that nobody really knows how far back it goes. The Swintons appear to be of [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] origin, descended from the nobles who were prominent in the ancient Kingdom of [[Northumberland]] which straddled the present day border between [[England]] and [[Scotland]]. Ancestry can be traced back to [[Eadulf I of Bernicia]], [[King of Northumbria]] who accepted [[Alfred the Great]] as overlord in 886 making the family one of the oldest in both England and Scotland.


The Swinton chiefs are likely to have been of [[Anglo-Saxon]] origin, possibly descended from the prominent nobles of the kingdom of [[Northumbria]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> The kingdom of Northumberland straddled the modern day border between Scotland and [[England]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> According to tradition the name was acquired for their bravery in clearing the country of [[wild boar]], with the family arms alluding to this legend.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> However, the name is more likely to have been of territorial origin: the village of Swinewood in the county of [[Berwickshire]] was granted by [[Edgar, King of Scotland]], son of [[Malcolm III of Scotland]] to [[Coldingham Priory]] in 1098 following the [[Norman Conquest]] of England to the south .<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
It was famously [[Eadulf Rus]], the first recorded ''of Swinton'', who murdered [[William Walcher]], [[Bishop of Durham]] and the new [[Earl of Northumbria]].


In around 1136/7, Ernulf de Swinton received one of the first private charters recorded in Scotland which confirmed his property from [[David I of Scotland]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> This is one of two original charters of David kept in the [[cartulary]] of Durham, both to Ernulf, wherein he is told to "''hold his lands as freely as any of the king’s barons''", and importantly is termed ''Miles'' in both, making him the first recorded instance of a Scottish [[Knight]].<ref>Anderson, James. (1705). ''An historical essay showing that the Crown of Scotland is imperial and independent''.</ref>
They are said to have acquired the name Swinton 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 [[County of Berwick|Berwick]] was granted by a charter from Edgar, son of King [[Malcolm III of Scotland]], to Liulf of Bamburgh Coldingham Priory in 1098. Liulf's family was that of the [[Earl of Northumberland|Earls of Northumberland]] from whom also came the [[Clan Dunbar]]. 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"<ref name="Fraser">{{citation | url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?as_brr=0&id=mHwTAAAAIAAJ&q=hugo+son&pgis=1 | page=72 | title=Papers from the collection of Sir William Fraser | first1=William | last1=Fraser | first2=James Robert | last2=Nicolson Macphail | publisher=Scottish History Society | year=1924}}</ref> that Cospatrick was the father of Hugo (Hugh) de Swinton, who was also the ancestor of the [[Clan Arbuthnott]]. Hugo acquired the lands of Arbuthnott from Walter Oliphant about 1150, tradition has it that Hugo's mother was an Oliphant.<ref name="Fraser" />


Of note, the charters reference Ernulf's father (Udard), grandfather (Liulf) and great-grandfather ([[Eadulf Rus|Eadulf]]) as holding the land before him.<ref>Misc.Ch. 564. & 565, Cartulary of Durham, http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ead/dcd/dcdmisch.xml</ref> [[Eadulf Rus|Eadulf]] is believed to have been granted the land by his cousin [[Malcolm III of Scotland]] in return for military support against [[Macbeth, King of Scotland|Macbeth]]. This, according to 20th century historian [[James Lees-Milne]], would make [[Eadulf Rus|Eadulf]] the first subject of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] whose land ownership could be proved, and means the Swinton Family would by this hypothesis be one of only five (see [[Arden family]], [[Berkeley family]], [[Grindlay family]], [[Wentworth family]]) that could trace its unbroken land ownership and lineage to before the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]], making it one of the oldest landed families in Britain.<ref>Burke, Sir Bernard. A Genealogical & Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, 18th Edition, Volume 1</ref><ref name=":122">{{cite book |last=Greenlee |first=Ralph Stebbins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=puDIDwAAQBAJ&q=genealogy+of+greenlee&pg=PA1 |title=Genealogy of the Greenlee Families in America, Scotland, Ireland and England. |publisher=Privately Printed |year=1908}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PsccAAAAMAAJ Sir Bernard Burke: ''A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry'': Vol.I: ''Wentworth of Vaucluse'': pp.95-97]</ref>
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.


[[File:Baronswinton.jpg|thumb|upright|The Bookplate of Sir John Swinton, titled 'Baron of Swinton'<ref name="Heraldry">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSeEWjQCTIAC&q=bookplate+swinton&pg=PA506| title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry | isbn=978-1-60239-001-0 | author1=Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles | date=2007-05-01| publisher=Skyhorse Publishing }}</ref>]]
===Kin===


The clan has held the Baronies of Swinton and [[Cranshaws]]. The latter is now separated from the clan. The family holds [[Scottish feudal barony|Feudal Barony]] status with numerous charters confirming this.<ref name="Electricscotland">[http://www.electricscotland.com/HISTORY/nation/swinton.htm The Scottish Nation – Swinton] electricscotland.com. Retrieved 17 March 2014.</ref>
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 Elphinstone]]
*[[Clan Gordon]]
*[[Clan Nisbet]]
*[[Clan Arbuthnott]]

Further Kin:
*[[Clan Dunbar]]
*[[Clan Bruce]]
*[[Clan Douglas]]

Royal Kin:
*[[Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany]]
*[[King of Northumbria]]
*[[Earl of Bernicia]]

[[Image:Baronswinton.jpg|200px|thumb|upright|The Bookplate of Sir John Swinton, titled 'Baron of Swinton'<ref name="Heraldry">{{citation | url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xSeEWjQCTIAC&pg=PA506&lpg=PA506&dq=bookplate+swinton&source=bl&ots=GxzQ2BwPM8&sig=LCz4HoLG5TUjbvhG05YyqhZO3Pg&hl=en&ei=lZ3lSuzEDJvSjAer2OShBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=bookplate%20swinton&f=false| title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry}}</ref>]]

===Title===
The clan has held the Barony's of Swinton and Cranshaws. The latter is now separated from the clan. The family is commonly thought to have [[Feudal baron|Feudal Barony]] status with numerous charters confirming this.<ref name="Electricscotland">{{cite web |title=The Scottish Nation - Swinton |url=http://www.electricscotland.com/HISTORY/nation/swinton.htm}}</ref> 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''".<ref name="Electricscotland" /> However, this having been said, the status of the family is still unclear with some sources granting [[Feudal baron|Baronial]] Status, others grating [[Lord of Parliament]] status and finally some granting [[Laird]] status.

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 Elphinstone]] and [[Clan Arbuthnott]], 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===
===Wars of Scottish Independence===
Henry de Swinton appears on the [[Ragman Rolls]] as one of the nobility swearing fealty to King [[Edward I of England]] in 1296. He was joined in this by his brother, William, priest of the church of Swinton. However later the Swintons would support [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert the Bruce]] during the [[Wars of Scottish Independence]].


In 1296 Henry de Swinton and his brother, William, priest of the church of Swinton, appear on the [[Ragman Rolls]] swearing fealty to [[Edward I of England]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> Henry's great-grandson was [[Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk|Sir John Swinton]] who was a distinguished soldier and statesman during the reigns of [[Robert II of Scotland]] and [[Robert III of Scotland]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> In 1388 he was a commander at the [[Battle of Otterburn]] where the Scots were victorious.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> His second wife was [[Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar]] but they had no children.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> His third wife was Princess Margaret who bore him a son, [[Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
===*Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk===


===France, Hundred Years War===
Sir John Swinton, great-grandson of Henry, was a distinguished soldier and statesman in the reigns of [[Robert II of Scotland]] and [[Robert III of Scotland]].


[[Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk]] was a warrior who fought at the [[Battle of Baugé]] in France and is credited with killing the [[Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence|Duke of Clarence]], brother of [[Henry V of England]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> The incident appears in a poem by [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]], ''The Lay of the Last Minstrel''.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> However Swinton was later killed in 1424 at the [[Battle of Verneuil]] in France.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
He was one of the greatest fighters of his time. In his hot youth, the Borders being too quiet for him, he had signed on with John of Gaunt. He made an interesting agreement with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, which included the following among other terms:


===Modern history===
*a) Swinton was not to be required to fight against his own country.
*b) He was to be given double pay, and free transport for himself, his horses and his men.
*c) 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".


In 1567 Sir John Swinton was one of the Scottish barons who signed the bond of protection of the infant [[James VI of Scotland]] against the [[Earl of Bothwell]] on his marriage to the child's mother, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
This unusual "contract" shows that Sir John must already have acquired a solid reputation as a fighter, perhaps in Prussia or Spain or even both, some time before 1371, when it was made.


In 1640 Sir Alexander Swinton, the 22nd chief, became sheriff of [[Berwickshire]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> He died in 1652 but left six sons and five daughters.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> His second son was another [[Alexander Swinton]] who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Scotland in 1688 and took the title Lord Mersington.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
Sir John fully justified the trust placed in him, through his conduct in a series of campaigns and particularly at Noyon (between Amiens and Paris) when he fought his way single-handed into the town. Legend says he was the hero who, according to Froissart, 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.<ref>http://www.oldandsold.com/articles32n/northumbria-10.shtml</ref>


The eldest son, [[John Swinton (died 1679)|John]], was colonel for the regiment of Berwickshire, and in 1651 he was taken prisoner at the [[Battle of Worcester]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> His brother, Robert, died attempting to carry off [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s standard.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> In 1655 John was appointed by the Lord Protector to the Council of State he established to assist in ruling Scotland.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> He was said to have been Cromwell's most trusted man in Scotland and his involvement with Cromwell led to his being tried for treason in 1661.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> He escaped execution but his estates were forfeited and he was imprisoned for six years.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> He was succeeded by his son, Alexander in 1679 but he died without issue.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
About this time, he married a young wife, Joan, who died without children and whose jewels were stolen by Alice Perrers, Edward III’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.<ref>http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ferniehirst/8f.htm</ref>


Alexander's brother, Sir John, succeeded as the twenty-fifth Laird of Swinton.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> After a successful career as a merchant in [[Holland]] he returned to Scotland in the wake of the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 which brought [[William III of England|William of Orange]] to the throne with his wife, Queen Mary.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
He was a commander at the [[Battle of Otterburn]] in July 1388 when the Scots won the day and defeated the English, although their leader, the [[James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas|Earl of Douglas]], 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"'''<ref>http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/Otterburn.pdf</ref>.


Swinton sat in both the Scottish Parliament and, later, in the British, at Westminster.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> He was appointed as the President of the Committee for Trade in Scotland.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> John Swinton, the twenty-seventh Laird, became a member of the Supreme Court in 1782, taking the title Lord Swinton.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/>
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.<ref>http://books.google.co.uk/books?pg=PA487&lpg=PA487&dq=Sir%20John%20Swinton%20otterburn&sig=fYSJJAOr5WL8aRETYQi_-z2BSCs&ei=_LvuStKlJ8nj-Qb9yO3rCw&ct=result&id=yshsAAAAMAAJ&ots=rdSxIrwxV4&output=text</ref> He was appointed one of the ambassadors extraordinary by King Robert III. to negociate a treaty with the court of England, for which they got a safe conduct from King Richard II. for themselves and sixty knights in their retinue, 4th July, 1392. He was afterwards employed upon another negociation, and obtained a safe conduct from King Henry IV. to go to England, with twenty horsemen in his retinue, 7th July, 1400.


The modern Swintons have produced some notable public figures. Captain [[George Swinton]], descended from the [[Kimmerghame House, Berwickshire|Swintons of Kimmerghame]], a cadet of the chiefly house, was [[Lord Lyon King of Arms]], and Secretary to the [[Order of the Thistle]] from 1926 to 1929,<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Swinton"/> [[Ernest Dunlop Swinton|Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton]] was the author of ''[[The Defence of Duffer's Drift]]'' and was one of the driving forces behind early [[tank]] development and training in [[World War I|WWI]]. [[Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton]] is regarded by many as the father of modern television.<ref name=Electricscotland /> A prominent member of the family is the actress [[Tilda Swinton]], who is a great-granddaughter of Captain George Swinton.
The gallant bearing and heroic death of the Lord of Swinton, at the fatal battle of Homildon, 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:


==Clan Chief==
''"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 brare countrymen! what fascination has seized you to-day, that you stand like deer to he 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."''<ref>http://books.google.co.uk/books?pg=PA487&lpg=PA487&dq=Sir%20John%20Swinton%20otterburn&sig=fYSJJAOr5WL8aRETYQi_-z2BSCs&ei=_LvuStKlJ8nj-Qb9yO3rCw&ct=result&id=yshsAAAAMAAJ&ots=rdSxIrwxV4&output=text</ref>


The chief of Clan Swinton is Rolfe William Swinton, 36th [[of that Ilk]].<ref name="ScotClans"/> His son, Maxim Jasper Swinton, is in line to be the 37th of that Ilk.
{{Infobox Clan
|clan name =Swinton of Kimmerghame
|image badge =Swintonbadge.gif
|chiefs motto =J'Espere, Je Pense
|region =[[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlands]]
|district =[[Berwickshire]]
|image arms =Swintonkimmerghamecampbell.JPG
|chiefs name =Major-General Sir John Swinton KCVO OBE
|seat =[[Kimmerghame House, Berwickshire]]
}}


==Clan Castles==
===Later 15th century and Hundred Years' War===
Swinton’s second wife was the [[Earl of Douglas|Countess of Douglas]] and [[Earl of Mar|Mar]], 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.


*Swinton House in [[Swinton, Scottish Borders|Swinton]], [[Berwickshire]] is a classical mansion dating from 1800.<ref name="Coventry"/> However it stands on the site of a castle that was destroyed by fire in 1797.<ref name="Coventry"/> The lands had been held by the Swintons since the time of Malcolm Canmore ([[Malcolm III of Scotland]]) in the eleventh century.<ref name="Coventry"/> The property had passed to the [[Clan Macnab]] by the nineteenth century.<ref name="Coventry"/> The chiefly Swintons now live in New York, USA.<ref name="Coventry"/>
===*Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk===
*[[Cranshaws Castle]] was held by the Swintons from 1400 to 1702.<ref name="Coventry"/>
During the [[Hundred Years' War]] he was a doughty warrior who fought and led the Clan Swinton at the [[Battle of Baugé]] against the English in [[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]], brother of King [[Henry V of England]]. The incident appears in '''Sir Walter Scott'''’s poem, ''‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’'':
*[[Kimmerghame House]] and estate was bought by Archibald Swinton on his return from India serving under [[Robert Clive|Clive]], along with [[Manderston House]] (though this was later sold in favour of Kimmerghame) in the second half of the eighteenth century. A new house was commissioned by the family and built by [[David Bryce]] in 1851, although it was badly damaged by fire in 1938 and only partially rebuilt.<ref name="Coventry"/> Until 2018, the [[laird]] was Major-General [[John Swinton (British Army officer)|Sir John Swinton]], a former [[Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire]] and the father of the actress [[Tilda Swinton]].

*Little Swinton near [[Coldstream]], site of a castle once held by the Swintons but destroyed by the English in 1482.<ref name="Coventry"/>
*''"And '''Swinton''' laid the lance in rest,<br />That amed of yore the sparkling crest<br />Of Clarence's Plantagenet"''.<ref>http://theotherpages.org/poems/notes.html</ref>
*Mersington Tower near [[Greenlaw]], site of a castle originally held by the [[Clan Kerr]] and then by the Swintons.<ref name="Coventry"/> It was burned by the English in 1545.<ref name="Coventry"/> Alexander Swinton, Lord Mersington was amongst those who led an attack on the [[Holyrood Palace|Chapel Royal]] at Holyrood during a Protestant riot in 1688.<ref name="Coventry"/>

*Stevenson near [[Peebles]], site of a tower house originally held by the Swintons but passed by marriage to the [[Clan Sinclair]] in the seventeenth century.<ref name="Coventry"/>
However Sir John Swinton was killed when the Clan Swinton fought at the [[Battle of Verneuil]] 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 Bothwell]] 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 [[Berwickshire]]. 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]] in 1651, he was taken prisoner, and his brother, Robert, died in an attempt to carry off [[Oliver Cromwell]]’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. He died in 1679 and was succeeded by his son, Alexander, who later died without issue.

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 Revolution]] of 1688 which brought [[William III of England|William of Orange]] to the throne with his wife, Queen Mary.

===18th century===
His father’s forfeiture was rescinded, and Swinton sat in both the Scottish Parliament and, later, in the British, at Westminster. He was also a founder of the [[Bank of Scotland]]. 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]]. 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 Orczy]], when she wrote [[The Scarlet Pimpernel]] in 1905 loosely based the story of the hero, Sir Percy Blakeney, on the life of Samuel in [[France]] during the [[French Revolution]] where, with his wife they assisted in the escape by some of the noblility who were in danger of going to the [[guillotine]].

===Modern history===
[[Image:Kimmerghameswinton.jpg|thumb|upright|Kimmerghame House before the fire]]
The modern Swintons have produced some very notable characters. Captain George Swinton, descended from the Swintons of Kimmerghame, a cadet of the chiefly house, was [[Lord Lyon]], [[King of Arms]], and Secretary to the [[Order of the Thistle]] from 1926 to 1929. Major-General Sir [[Ernest Dunlop Swinton]] was the mind behind the [[Tank]].

===*Major-General Sir [[Ernest Dunlop Swinton]]===
During the war with Germany few names were more widely known than that of General Swinton. 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-mans land"'''.

In a speech made by General Swinton in Berwick at the opening of an exhibition of the tank, 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<br>The Swintons kept us in disorder.<br>Their martial ardour they revealed<br>By pinching cows from many a field.<br><br>Now to the changing mood of time<br>Comes to our ears a nobler chime.<br>It's mainly due to Swinton's skill<br>That we have beaten Kaiser Bill!"''<br><ref>http://www.oldandsold.com/articles32n/northumbria-10.shtml</ref>

===Modern History cont.===
Archibald Campbell-Swinton, an Edinburgh Lawyer, designed the grounds for the new [[Fettes College]], this being the reason why one of the boarding houses is called Kimmerghame. [[Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton]] formulated the ideas for the modern form of [[Television]]. Sir [[Samuel Swinton Jacob]] was a key architect on many of India's buildings. Major-General Sir John Swinton, who still resides at [[Kimmerghame House, Berwickshire|Kimmerghame]], is the Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire, and father of the actress [[Tilda Swinton]]. The present chief is a Canadian currently living in [[London]], Rolfe William Swinton 36th of that Ilk<ref name="swintonfamilysociety.org"/>

==See also==
*[[Scottish clan]]
*[[Swinton]]
*[[Border Reivers]]
*[[Clan Arbuthnott]]
*[[Clan Gordon]]
*[[Clan Elphinstone]]
*[[Kimmerghame House, Berwickshire]]
*[[Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton]]
*[[Ernest Dunlop Swinton]]
*[[George Swinton]]
*[[Samuel Swinton Jacob]]
*[[Tilda Swinton]]
*[[The Scarlet Pimpernel]]


==Notes and references==
==Notes and references==
Line 154: Line 72:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070319211927/http://www.myclan.com/clans/Swinton_133/default.php My Clan – Swinton]
*[http://www.swintonfamilysociety.org/index.html www.swintonfamilysociety.org] - Swinton family Society
* [http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/swinton2.htm Electric Scotland – Swinton]
*[http://www.myclan.com/clans/Swinton_133/default.php http://www.myclan.com/clans/Swinton_133/default.php]
*[http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/swinton2.htm http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/stoz/swinton2.htm]


{{Scottish clans}}
{{Scottish clans}}


[[Category:Clan Swinton| ]]
[[Category:Scottish clans|Swinton]]
[[Category:Scottish clans|Swinton]]
[[Category:Boars in heraldry]]

[[Category:Scottish Lowlands]]
[[pl:Swinton (ród)]]

Latest revision as of 01:31, 21 March 2024

This article is about the Scottish clan. For other uses, see Swinton (disambiguation).

Clan Swinton
Crest: A boar chained to a tree[1]
MottoJ'espere ("I hope")[1]
Profile
RegionLowlands
DistrictBerwickshire
Chief
Rolfe William Swinton of that Ilk[2]
Chief of the Name and Arms of Swinton.[3]
SeatNew York, United States.[4]
Historic seatSwinton House, Berwickshire[4]

Clan Swinton is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.[5]

History[edit]

Origins of the clan[edit]

The Swinton chiefs are likely to have been of Anglo-Saxon origin, possibly descended from the prominent nobles of the kingdom of Northumbria.[5] The kingdom of Northumberland straddled the modern day border between Scotland and England.[5] According to tradition the name was acquired for their bravery in clearing the country of wild boar, with the family arms alluding to this legend.[5] However, the name is more likely to have been of territorial origin: the village of Swinewood in the county of Berwickshire was granted by Edgar, King of Scotland, son of Malcolm III of Scotland to Coldingham Priory in 1098 following the Norman Conquest of England to the south .[5]

In around 1136/7, Ernulf de Swinton received one of the first private charters recorded in Scotland which confirmed his property from David I of Scotland.[5] This is one of two original charters of David kept in the cartulary of Durham, both to Ernulf, wherein he is told to "hold his lands as freely as any of the king’s barons", and importantly is termed Miles in both, making him the first recorded instance of a Scottish Knight.[6]

Of note, the charters reference Ernulf's father (Udard), grandfather (Liulf) and great-grandfather (Eadulf) as holding the land before him.[7] Eadulf is believed to have been granted the land by his cousin Malcolm III of Scotland in return for military support against Macbeth. This, according to 20th century historian James Lees-Milne, would make Eadulf the first subject of Scotland whose land ownership could be proved, and means the Swinton Family would by this hypothesis be one of only five (see Arden family, Berkeley family, Grindlay family, Wentworth family) that could trace its unbroken land ownership and lineage to before the Norman Conquest, making it one of the oldest landed families in Britain.[8][9][10]

The Bookplate of Sir John Swinton, titled 'Baron of Swinton'[11]

The clan has held the Baronies of Swinton and Cranshaws. The latter is now separated from the clan. The family holds Feudal Barony status with numerous charters confirming this.[12]

Wars of Scottish Independence[edit]

In 1296 Henry de Swinton and his brother, William, priest of the church of Swinton, appear on the Ragman Rolls swearing fealty to Edward I of England.[5] Henry's great-grandson was Sir John Swinton who was a distinguished soldier and statesman during the reigns of Robert II of Scotland and Robert III of Scotland.[5] In 1388 he was a commander at the Battle of Otterburn where the Scots were victorious.[5] His second wife was Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar but they had no children.[5] His third wife was Princess Margaret who bore him a son, Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk.[5]

France, Hundred Years War[edit]

Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk was a warrior who fought at the Battle of Baugé in France and is credited with killing the Duke of Clarence, brother of Henry V of England.[5] The incident appears in a poem by Sir Walter Scott, The Lay of the Last Minstrel.[5] However Swinton was later killed in 1424 at the Battle of Verneuil in France.[5]

Modern history[edit]

In 1567 Sir John Swinton was one of the Scottish barons who signed the bond of protection of the infant James VI of Scotland against the Earl of Bothwell on his marriage to the child's mother, Mary, Queen of Scots.[5]

In 1640 Sir Alexander Swinton, the 22nd chief, became sheriff of Berwickshire.[5] He died in 1652 but left six sons and five daughters.[5] His second son was another Alexander Swinton who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Scotland in 1688 and took the title Lord Mersington.[5]

The eldest son, John, was colonel for the regiment of Berwickshire, and in 1651 he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Worcester.[5] His brother, Robert, died attempting to carry off Oliver Cromwell's standard.[5] In 1655 John was appointed by the Lord Protector to the Council of State he established to assist in ruling Scotland.[5] He was said to have been Cromwell's most trusted man in Scotland and his involvement with Cromwell led to his being tried for treason in 1661.[5] He escaped execution but his estates were forfeited and he was imprisoned for six years.[5] He was succeeded by his son, Alexander in 1679 but he died without issue.[5]

Alexander's brother, Sir John, succeeded as the twenty-fifth Laird of Swinton.[5] After a successful career as a merchant in Holland he returned to Scotland in the wake of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which brought William of Orange to the throne with his wife, Queen Mary.[5]

Swinton sat in both the Scottish Parliament and, later, in the British, at Westminster.[5] He was appointed as the President of the Committee for Trade in Scotland.[5] John Swinton, the twenty-seventh Laird, became a member of the Supreme Court in 1782, taking the title Lord Swinton.[5]

The modern Swintons have produced some notable public figures. Captain George Swinton, descended from the Swintons of Kimmerghame, a cadet of the chiefly house, was Lord Lyon King of Arms, and Secretary to the Order of the Thistle from 1926 to 1929,[5] Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton was the author of The Defence of Duffer's Drift and was one of the driving forces behind early tank development and training in WWI. Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton is regarded by many as the father of modern television.[12] A prominent member of the family is the actress Tilda Swinton, who is a great-granddaughter of Captain George Swinton.

Clan Chief[edit]

The chief of Clan Swinton is Rolfe William Swinton, 36th of that Ilk.[2] His son, Maxim Jasper Swinton, is in line to be the 37th of that Ilk.

Clan Castles[edit]

  • Swinton House in Swinton, Berwickshire is a classical mansion dating from 1800.[4] However it stands on the site of a castle that was destroyed by fire in 1797.[4] The lands had been held by the Swintons since the time of Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm III of Scotland) in the eleventh century.[4] The property had passed to the Clan Macnab by the nineteenth century.[4] The chiefly Swintons now live in New York, USA.[4]
  • Cranshaws Castle was held by the Swintons from 1400 to 1702.[4]
  • Kimmerghame House and estate was bought by Archibald Swinton on his return from India serving under Clive, along with Manderston House (though this was later sold in favour of Kimmerghame) in the second half of the eighteenth century. A new house was commissioned by the family and built by David Bryce in 1851, although it was badly damaged by fire in 1938 and only partially rebuilt.[4] Until 2018, the laird was Major-General Sir John Swinton, a former Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire and the father of the actress Tilda Swinton.
  • Little Swinton near Coldstream, site of a castle once held by the Swintons but destroyed by the English in 1482.[4]
  • Mersington Tower near Greenlaw, site of a castle originally held by the Clan Kerr and then by the Swintons.[4] It was burned by the English in 1545.[4] Alexander Swinton, Lord Mersington was amongst those who led an attack on the Chapel Royal at Holyrood during a Protestant riot in 1688.[4]
  • Stevenson near Peebles, site of a tower house originally held by the Swintons but passed by marriage to the Clan Sinclair in the seventeenth century.[4]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ a b Nisbet, Alexander (1816). A System of Heraldry. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: Blackwood. p. 315.
  2. ^ a b Clan Swinton Profile scotclans.com. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  3. ^ burkes-peerage
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Coventry, Martin. (2008). Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans. pp. 565–566. ISBN 978-1-899874-36-1.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 334–335.
  6. ^ Anderson, James. (1705). An historical essay showing that the Crown of Scotland is imperial and independent.
  7. ^ Misc.Ch. 564. & 565, Cartulary of Durham, http://reed.dur.ac.uk/xtf/view?docId=ead/dcd/dcdmisch.xml
  8. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard. A Genealogical & Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, 18th Edition, Volume 1
  9. ^ Greenlee, Ralph Stebbins (1908). Genealogy of the Greenlee Families in America, Scotland, Ireland and England. Privately Printed.
  10. ^ Sir Bernard Burke: A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry: Vol.I: Wentworth of Vaucluse: pp.95-97
  11. ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1 May 2007). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-001-0.
  12. ^ a b The Scottish Nation – Swinton electricscotland.com. Retrieved 17 March 2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clan_Swinton&oldid=1214770077"