Clan Galbraith
Encyclopedia
Clan Galbraith is a Scottish clan
. The clan does not have a chief
recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms
. Because of this, the clan is considered an armigerous clan
, and as such Clan Galbraith has no standing under Scots Law
. The clan-name of Galbraith is of Gaelic origin, however its meaning denotes the bearer as of British origin, as opposed to Gaelic. The early Galbraiths were centred in the Lennox district, which spans the Highland and Lowland border of Scotland. The 17th chief of the clan brought ruin to the clan in the late 16th and early 17th century, and eventually lost his lands and fled Scotland for Ireland. His grandson, the 19th chief, was the last chief of Clan Galbraith.
The surname Galbraith is of Gaelic origin. The name is derived from the elements gall ("stranger") + Breathnach ("Briton"), meaning "British foreigner". The elements used in the surname would denote the differences between the Gaels
—who have been generally thought to have begun migration to Scotland
in about the 5th century— and the native Welsh
speaking Britons, particularly the those of the Kingdom of Strathclyde
. The Strathclyde Britons remained a distinct ethnic group from both the Highland
Gaels and Lowland
Angles
until the 14th century. The former capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde was Dumbarton ("Fortress of the Britons"), in the Lennox
.
In Scottish Gaelic the Galbraiths are called Breatanuich or Clann-a-Breatannuich, meaning "Britons" and "Children of the Britons". The early Galbraiths held lands in the Lennox
, in the area of Loch Lomond
, north of Dumbarton. The stronghold of these early Galbraiths was on the island of Inchgalbraith
which is located on west side of Loch Lomond about 2 miles south-east of Luss
. The heraldist Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk
speculated that the Arms
of the Galbraiths —which bore three bears' heads— may allude to the British name Arthur
that is thought by some to mean "bear".
The man who is considered to be first chief of Clan Galbraith was Gilchrist Bretnach who married the granddaughter of the first Earl of Lennox
.
The fourth chief, Sir William Galbraith of Buthernock, married a sister of "Black Comyn
" who was head of the most powerful family in Scotland at the time. Sir William, however, sided against the Comyns when he had a part in the rescue the boy king Alexander III
from Comyn's control. Ultimately Sir William rose in power to becoming one of the co-Regents of Scotland in 1255. Sir William's son, the fifth chief of the clan, Sir Arthur, supported Robert the Bruce, and also married a sister of Sir James Douglas
. 'Good Sir James Douglas' is famous for perishing in Spain
against the Saracens, while leading a small band of Scottish knights carrying Bruce's heart to the Holy Land
.
A branch of the Galbraiths held Culcreuch
in Strathendrick in 1320, and before the end of that century had inherited the leadership of the clan. In 1425 the ninth chief James Galbraith of Culcreuch joined the rebellion of James Mor Stewart against King James I of Scotland
, in support of the overthrown regent Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany. As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled to Kintyre
and the Isle of Gigha, where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich of M'Vretny ("son of the Briton") .
In 1489 the twelfth chief, Thomas Galbraith of Culcreuch, was captured by James IV
and hanged.
The 17th chief of Clan Galbraith, Robert Galbraith of Culcreuch, brought ruin to the clan. Sometime before 1593 Culcreuch's widowed mother married, against his wishes, the chief of the Clan MacAulay
, Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple
. Culcreuch's animosity towards Ardincaple was so much that Culcreuch was said to have "gevin vp kindnes, and denunceit his euill-will to him [Ardincaple] with solempne vowis of revenge". In spring of 1593, Culcreuch, purchased a commission of Justiciary
, (a commission of fire and sword), to pursue the Clan Gregor and "their ressetters and assisters". Both the MacAulays and Colquhouns
were suspicious of Galbraith's real intentions, and on May 3, 1593 the lairds of the two clans complained that Culcreuchh had only purchased the commission under counsel from George Buchanan and that Culcreuch had no intentions of actually harassing the MacGregors. It seemed more likely that the Galbraiths, allied with the Buchanans
would direct their vengeance against the MacAulays and Colquhouns, under the guise of hunting and clearing the Clan Gregor from the Lennox. Ultimately Robert Galbraith's letter of commission was taken from him. In 1612 Robert and his wife, likely from pressure from higher up, gave up possession of West Milligs, to his mother who had married Ardincaple. Thus, West Milligs (which adjoined Ardincaple (modern day Helensburgh
) had been held by the Galbraiths of Culcreuch since at least the mid 15th century, was lost to the MacAulays of Ardincaple.
In 1622, Robert Galbraith, Laird of Culcreuch, was in debt to his brother-in-law (whom he attempted to assassinate), was denounced as a rebel, and forced to give up Culcreuch Castle
. Galbraith then fled Scotland for Ireland
where he died ten years later, leaving nothing for his son to inherit, and his grandson the 19th Chief of Clan Galbraith was the last of his line.
s and clan tartans. The crest badge suitable for clan members to wear contains the heraldic crest of a bear's head couped argent muzzled azure, and the heraldic motto AB OBICE SUAVIOR which translates from Latin
as "stronger when opposed". The "Galbraith" tartan is known by several different names, including Russell, Mitchell and Hunter. The tartan was known as Galbraith in the collections of the Highland Society of London
. The tartan is recorded by William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn as a Hunter in 1819, and a Russell in 1847.
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...
. The clan does not have a chief
Scottish clan chief
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the Scottish clan. From its perceived founder a clan takes its name. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and...
recognised by the 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...
. Because of this, the clan is considered an armigerous clan
Armigerous clan
An armigerous clan is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognized as such by Lyon Court...
, and as such Clan Galbraith has no standing under Scots Law
Scots law
Scots law is the legal system of Scotland. It is considered a hybrid or mixed legal system as it traces its roots to a number of different historical sources. With English law and Northern Irish law it forms the legal system of the United Kingdom; it shares with the two other systems some...
. The clan-name of Galbraith is of Gaelic origin, however its meaning denotes the bearer as of British origin, as opposed to Gaelic. The early Galbraiths were centred in the Lennox district, which spans the Highland and Lowland border of Scotland. The 17th chief of the clan brought ruin to the clan in the late 16th and early 17th century, and eventually lost his lands and fled Scotland for Ireland. His grandson, the 19th chief, was the last chief of Clan Galbraith.
Origin of the clan
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
—who have been generally thought to have begun migration to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in about the 5th century— and the native Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaking Britons, particularly the those of the Kingdom of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
. The Strathclyde Britons remained a distinct ethnic group from both the Highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
Gaels and Lowland
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
until the 14th century. The former capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde was Dumbarton ("Fortress of the Britons"), in the Lennox
Lennox (district)
The district of Lennox , often known as "the Lennox", is a region of Scotland centred around the village of Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire, eight miles north of the centre of Glasgow. At various times in history, the district has had both a dukedom and earldom associated with it.- External...
.
In Scottish Gaelic the Galbraiths are called Breatanuich or Clann-a-Breatannuich, meaning "Britons" and "Children of the Britons". The early Galbraiths held lands in the Lennox
Lennox (district)
The district of Lennox , often known as "the Lennox", is a region of Scotland centred around the village of Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire, eight miles north of the centre of Glasgow. At various times in history, the district has had both a dukedom and earldom associated with it.- External...
, in the area of Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
, north of Dumbarton. The stronghold of these early Galbraiths was on the island of Inchgalbraith
Inchgalbraith
Inchgalbraith is an islet in Loch Lomond.- History :Inchgalbraith, is as its name implies, connected with Clan Galbraith, and was one of their strongholds. The remains of their ancient castle can still be seen on it. It is possibly a crannog.- Geography :...
which is located on west side of Loch Lomond about 2 miles south-east of Luss
Luss
Luss is a village in Argyll & Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond.-History:Historically in the County of Dunbarton, its original name is Clachan dubh, or 'dark village'...
. The heraldist Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk
Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk
Sir Rupert Iain Kay Moncreiffe of that Ilk, 11th Baronet, CVO, QC was a British officer of arms and genealogist. He used various forms of his name: His columns for Books and Bookmen wete signed Iain Moncreiffe; Royal Highness is by Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Bt.; Simple Heraldry is by...
speculated that the Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Galbraiths —which bore three bears' heads— may allude to the British name Arthur
Arthur
Arthur is a common masculine given name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur....
that is thought by some to mean "bear".
History
Earl of Lennox
The Mormaer of Lennox or Earl of Lennox was the ruler of the long-lasting provincial Mormaerdom/Earldom of Lennox in the Medieval Kingdom of the Scots. The first Mormaer is usually regarded as Ailin I , but the genealogy of the Mormaers gives earlier names...
.
The fourth chief, Sir William Galbraith of Buthernock, married a sister of "Black Comyn
John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lord of Lochaber or John "the Black", also known as Black Comyn, a Scottish nobleman, was a Guardian of Scotland, and one of the six Regents for Margaret, Maid of Norway...
" who was head of the most powerful family in Scotland at the time. Sir William, however, sided against the Comyns when he had a part in the rescue the boy king Alexander III
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
from Comyn's control. Ultimately Sir William rose in power to becoming one of the co-Regents of Scotland in 1255. Sir William's son, the fifth chief of the clan, Sir Arthur, supported Robert the Bruce, and also married a sister of Sir James Douglas
James Douglas, Lord of Douglas
Sir James Douglas , , was a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence.-Early life:...
. 'Good Sir James Douglas' is famous for perishing in 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...
against the Saracens, while leading a small band of Scottish knights carrying Bruce's heart to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
.
A branch of the Galbraiths held Culcreuch
Culcreuch Castle
Culcreuch Castle is a Scottish castle close to the village of Fintry, near Loch Lomond. It has been the home of the Barons of Culcreuch since 1699, was turned into a hotel, venue and visitor attraction in the 1980s. -History:...
in Strathendrick in 1320, and before the end of that century had inherited the leadership of the clan. In 1425 the ninth chief James Galbraith of Culcreuch joined the rebellion of James Mor Stewart against King James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
, in support of the overthrown regent Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany. As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled to Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
and the Isle of Gigha, where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich of M'Vretny ("son of the Briton") .
In 1489 the twelfth chief, Thomas Galbraith of Culcreuch, was captured by James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
and hanged.
Fall of the clan
Clan MacAulay
Clan MacAulay is a Scottish clan. The clan was historically centred around the lands of Ardincaple, which are today consumed by the little village of Rhu and burgh of Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute. The MacAulays of Ardincaple were located mainly in the traditional county of Dunbartonshire, which...
, Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple
Aulay Macaulay of Ardincaple
Sir Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple was a Scottish laird, knight, clan chief, and a shire commissioner. He was the son and heir of Walter MacAulay Ardincaple, who was the laird of Ardincaple and chief of Clan MacAulay...
. Culcreuch's animosity towards Ardincaple was so much that Culcreuch was said to have "gevin vp kindnes, and denunceit his euill-will to him [Ardincaple] with solempne vowis of revenge". In spring of 1593, Culcreuch, purchased a commission of Justiciary
Commission of Justiciary
A commission of justiciary was a method of law enforcement employed in Scotland, in particular in the 16th and 17th centuries.In an era when the practical reach of central government was limited, the issuing authority would issue a commission to a single individual or a number of individuals...
, (a commission of fire and sword), to pursue the Clan Gregor and "their ressetters and assisters". Both the MacAulays and Colquhouns
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...
were suspicious of Galbraith's real intentions, and on May 3, 1593 the lairds of the two clans complained that Culcreuchh had only purchased the commission under counsel from George Buchanan and that Culcreuch had no intentions of actually harassing the MacGregors. It seemed more likely that the Galbraiths, allied with the Buchanans
Clan Buchanan
Clan Buchanan is an Armigerous Scottish clan whose origins are said to lie in the 1225 grant of lands on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond to clergyman Sir Absalon of Buchanan by the Earl of Lennox.-Origins:...
would direct their vengeance against the MacAulays and Colquhouns, under the guise of hunting and clearing the Clan Gregor from the Lennox. Ultimately Robert Galbraith's letter of commission was taken from him. In 1612 Robert and his wife, likely from pressure from higher up, gave up possession of West Milligs, to his mother who had married Ardincaple. Thus, West Milligs (which adjoined Ardincaple (modern day Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
) had been held by the Galbraiths of Culcreuch since at least the mid 15th century, was lost to the MacAulays of Ardincaple.
In 1622, Robert Galbraith, Laird of Culcreuch, was in debt to his brother-in-law (whom he attempted to assassinate), was denounced as a rebel, and forced to give up Culcreuch Castle
Culcreuch Castle
Culcreuch Castle is a Scottish castle close to the village of Fintry, near Loch Lomond. It has been the home of the Barons of Culcreuch since 1699, was turned into a hotel, venue and visitor attraction in the 1980s. -History:...
. Galbraith then fled Scotland for Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
where he died ten years later, leaving nothing for his son to inherit, and his grandson the 19th Chief of Clan Galbraith was the last of his line.
Modern clan symbolism
Today members of Scottish clans show their clan allegiance by wearing Scottish crest badgeScottish crest badge
A Scottish crest badge is a heraldic badge worn to show allegiance to an individual or membership in a specific Scottish clan. Crest badges are commonly called clan crests, but this is a misnomer; there is no such thing as a collective clan crest, just as there is no such thing as a clan coat of...
s and clan tartans. The crest badge suitable for clan members to wear contains the heraldic crest of a bear's head couped argent muzzled azure, and the heraldic motto AB OBICE SUAVIOR which translates from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as "stronger when opposed". The "Galbraith" tartan is known by several different names, including Russell, Mitchell and Hunter. The tartan was known as Galbraith in the collections of the Highland Society of London
Highland Society of London
The Highland Society of London is a charity registered in England, with "the view of establishing and supporting schools in the Highlands and in the Northern parts of Great Britain, for relieving distressed Highlanders at a distance from their native homes, for preserving the antiquities and...
. The tartan is recorded by William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn as a Hunter in 1819, and a Russell in 1847.