Clan Johnstone
Encyclopedia
Origin of the name
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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 were involved in many battles on the Scottish borders.
Johnstone comes from "John's toun", not "John's stone" or "John's son." Historically, "Johnston
Johnston (surname)
Johnston is a surname which in most cases is a habitational surname derived from several places in Scotland, however it can most also be a variant of the surname Johnstone. The surname is most common throughout Scotland and Ireland.-Etymology:...
" has been an alternate spelling of the surname. The first known person of this name was John of Johnstone, who in 1174 gave his name to the lands of Annandale
Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway
Annandale is a strath in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, named after the River Annan. It runs north-south through the Southern Uplands from Annanhead to Annan on the Solway Firth and in its higher reaches it separates the Moffat hills on the east from the Lowther hills to the west...
in Dumfrieshire which he had been granted.
His son, called Gilbert Johnstone ("Gillibertus de Johnistoun") appears on records between 1194–1214 and onwards, presumably taking his surname from the town his father had established - "Johnstone" or "John's toun".
Gilbert's Grandson called Sir John Johnstone was a Knight of the county of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
. Sir John Johnstone signed the Ragman Roll of King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1296.
At this time Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
was known as St Johnston and Johnstonburn in East Lothian was then called Jonystoun. These two areas have records of the Johnstone Clan. A third area of Johnstones which came from Stephen the Clerk and Margaret the heiress of Sir Andrew Garioch used the family name of Johnston.
Wars of Scottish Independence
In roughly 1280, William Wallace gave the Lochmaben castle to Johnstone of Eskdale, who apparently was his kinsman. Sir John Johnstone, grandson of the aforementioned Sir John, was a highly active leader on the border and resisted the English quite well from 1377 through 1379. He fought against the English armies at the Battle of Solway MossBattle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
in 1378. The Johnstones were also at the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
in 1388.
15th century & Anglo-Scottish Border Wars
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Battle of Sark
The Battle of Sark was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, following the Battle of Otterburn of 1388...
during the Anglo-Scottish Border Wars. http://www.google.com/books?id=jOEgAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=label:johnston#PRA1-PA33,M1
Adam's son supported King James II of Scotland
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
in putting down the Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
. They won their lands of Buittle and Sannoch near Threave Castle
Threave Castle
Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, 2.5 km west of Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland...
as a reward.
John Johnstone the eldest son of Adam was progenitor of the Annandale branch and his brother Matthew who married the daughter of the Earl of Angus
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is currently held by the Duke of Hamilton.-Mormaers:...
was progenitor of the wester Hall branch of Johnstones. John's offspring would become the main chief Johnstone family.
16th century & clan conflicts
There had been a long running feud between Clan Johnstone and the Clan Maxwell. The feud came to a head on 7 December 1593 at the Battle of Dryfe Sands near LockerbieLockerbie
Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
. The Clan Maxwell army approached the Johnstone town of Lockerbie. Johnstone kept most of his men hidden, just sending a handful of men out on horseback to taunt and provoke the Maxwells. The Johnstones attacked, taking the Maxwells by surprise as they were attempting to ford the river Annan. The Clan Maxwell fared badly that day. In all, it is said that up to 700 Maxwells were killed, but this may be an exaggerated number. Those who escaped wounded were said to bear the marks of "Lockerbie Licks." Their chief, Lord Maxwell, who was one of the most powerful men in southern Scotland, was slain in cold blood by the Johnstones when he asked for mercy and offered to surrender. Although Sir James Johnstone escaped punishment from the King for his actions, he did not escape the unforgiving hand of the next Lord Maxwell, son of the chief who was killed at Dryfe Sands. In 1608, Lord Maxwell shot Sir James in the back during a meeting held “under trust,” which rendered him an outlaw. Lord Maxwell was later captured and executed by hanging.
The Clan Johnstone also had a long feud with the Clan Moffat
Clan Moffat
-Origins of the clan:The Moffats are an ancient Borders family who were influential and powerful as far back as the time of Sir William Wallace. The ancestor of the Moffats most likely gave their name to the town of Moffat in Dumfriesshire. The origin of the name itself is thought to be Norse...
who were another Scottish border clan who were raiders and reivers, and conducted long-running feuds with their neighbours. Their greatest enemies were the Clan Johnstone. The feud climaxed with murder of the Clan Moffat chief in 1557, Robert Moffat. The Clan Johnstone then went on to burn the local church with the most important members of the Moffat family inside, slaughtering anyone who tried to escape. Thus, in one blow the powerful Clan Moffat was almost wiped out. Seventy years later all of the Moffat's lands were passed to the Johnstones due to the Moffats having massive debts.
17th century & Civil War
During the Civil War, the Clan Johnstone supported the RoyalistCavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
cause of King Charles. In 1633, King Charles I awarded lordship to the Johnstone chief, Sir James Johnston, as the Lord Johnstone; ten years later Charles made him the Earl of Hartfell. After King Charles I was defeated in the Civil War, both the Johnstone chief and his eldest son were imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton, and sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high.-Iron Age:...
and Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. However, after the Stuart Monarchs returned to the throne, King Charles II rewarded the Johnstones' loyalty by granting Lord Hartfell the titles of Earl of Hartfell and Annandale, Viscount of Annan, and Lord Johnstone of Lochwood, Lochmaben, Moffatdale and Evandal. The Johnstones were later Jacobites.
18th century
By the 18th century the Clan Chief of Johnstones had been raised from the rank of Lord to Earl of Annandale and Secretary of State. John the second of the Wester Hall branch was made a Baronet of Nova Scotia.Clan chief
- Clan chief: The 11th Earl of Annandale and HartfellEarl of Annandale and HartfellThe title Earl of Annandale and Hartfell was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1661 for James Johnstone.In 1625, the title of Earl of Annandale had been created for John Murray, but it became extinct when his son James died without heirs....
, Lord Johnstone, 26th Chief of the Name and Arms of Johnstone, 11th Hereditary Steward of Annandale and 11th Hereditary Keeper of Lochmaben Palace.
See also
- Scottish clanScottish clanScottish 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...
- Annandale, Dumfries and GallowayAnnandale, Dumfries and GallowayAnnandale is a strath in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, named after the River Annan. It runs north-south through the Southern Uplands from Annanhead to Annan on the Solway Firth and in its higher reaches it separates the Moffat hills on the east from the Lowther hills to the west...
- Earl of Annandale and HartfellEarl of Annandale and HartfellThe title Earl of Annandale and Hartfell was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1661 for James Johnstone.In 1625, the title of Earl of Annandale had been created for John Murray, but it became extinct when his son James died without heirs....