Clan Marjoribanks - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Origins

The story often told of the origins of the surname Marjoribanks, and even supported by respectable authorities, is that Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, brought into her marriage with Walter Stewart in 1315 lands in Dumfriesshire which became known as "Marjorie's Banks"; unfortunately no such lands formed part of Marjorie's dowry. An alternative explanation is that lands in the area of Ratho (which undoubtedly were Marjorie's) were granted to an early Marjoribanks in the 16th century; this is true enough, but the surname had already been current for at least 50 years.

This attractive myth was almost certainly invented by a junior branch of the Marjoribankses (represented now by Marjoribanks of Lees) in the 17th century to bolster their claim to gentility. The reality is perhaps more mysterious. The first known Marjoribanks, Philip "de Merioribankis de eodem," i.e. "Marjoribanks of that Ilk," appears in 1485 as the holder of the "five merklands of Merioribankis of ancient extent." He was probably a Johnstone who distinguished himself from the many other Johnstones of the area by adopting this patronymic. There have been many explanations of the origin of this place name (it is now Marchbank Farm in the parish of Kirkpatrick Juxta near Moffat); it may even have been adopted as a token of respect to Marjorie, since the Bruces at one time owned land in the area. But this is a problem which may never be convincingly solved.

The name is usually pronounced ‘Marchbanks’, and Alexander Nisbet

Alexander Nisbet

Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....

asserts that the family who acquired the lands of the princess and took her name were originally kin to the Johnston Lords of Annandale. He finds evidence for this in the family’s coat of 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...

, which incorporates a gold cushion and a star. The Clan Johnstone

Clan Johnstone

-Origin of the name:Clan Johnstone is a Lowland Scottish clan. 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" has been an alternate spelling of the surname...

's coat of arms bears three gold cushions, and in heraldry a star often alludes to a spur

Spur

A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...

-rowel, which is part of Lord of Annandale

Lord of Annandale

The Lord of Annandale was a sub-comital lordship in southern Scotland established by David I of Scotland by 1124 for his follower Robert de Brus...

’s crest (heraldry)

Crest (heraldry)

A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....

16th century

The Marjoribanks came to prominence in the early sixteenth century, when the Court of Session

Court of Session

The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....

, the civil section of the Supreme Court of Scotland, was reinstituted in its modern form by King James V of Scotland

James V of Scotland

James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...

in 1532. Thomas Marjoribanks of that Ilk, son of Philip Marjoribanks, was one of ten advocates appointed as procurators

Procurator Fiscal

A procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...

, or pleaders, before the Lords of the Court of Session. Four centuries before the introduction of legal aid the Scottish Courts recognised the need for the poor to be represented by able lawyers, and in March 1535, Thomas was appointed advocate

Advocate

An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...

‘for the puir’ with a salary of £10 Scots per annum. He willingly accepted the post, but waived his right to the salary. His public-spirited nature was rewarded when he became Lord Provost

Lord Provost

A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...

of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

in 1540, representing the city in the Parliament of Scotland

Parliament of Scotland

The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...

of that year, and again in 1546. He had acquired land at Ratho

Ratho

Ratho is a village and civil parish in the west of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Newbridge and Kirkliston are other villages in the area. The Union Canal passes through Ratho. Edinburgh Airport is situated only 4 miles ...

near Edinburgh

Edinburgh

by a charter of 1539 which enabled him, ten years later, to assume the title, ‘Lord Ratho’, on his appointment as a judge. He became the Lord Clerk Register

Lord Clerk Register

The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century.The Clerk-Register was from ancient times the principal Clerk in the kingdom, from whom all other clerks, whatever their government positions, and who were essentially his...

and acquired more land at Spotts and in Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway

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...

17th to 18th century

After Lord Ratho died, the chiefship

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...

devolved on his grandson, Thomas, who sold Ratho in 1614. The family acquired lands at Balbardie around 1624. Christian Marjoribanks, Ratho’s great grandniece, married George Heriot

George Heriot

George Heriot was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as founder of George Heriot's School, a large private school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to Heriot-Watt University, as well as several streets in the same city.Heriot was the court goldsmith...

, goldsmith and financier to King James VI of Scotland, founder of the famous Edinburgh school George Heriot's School

George Heriot's School

George Heriot's School is an independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, with around 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff and 80 non-teaching staff. It was established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, by bequest of the royal goldsmith George...

which still bears his name. Heriot was so wealthy that he reputedly kept his purse filled with gold, and to the citizens of Edinburgh he was known as ‘Jinglin’ Geordie'.

Andrew Marjoribanks of Balbardie and of that Ilk was another distinguished lawyer who was appointed Writer to the King in 1716. He acted as agent for Lord Torphichen

Lord Torphichen

Lord Torphichen is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created by Queen Mary in 1564 for Sir James Sandilands , with remainder to his heirs and assigns whatsoever. Sandilands had previously served as Preceptor of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta in Scotland, and...

and was commissary

Commissary

A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...

of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

, an important post in the administration of estates of the deceased.

19th to 21st century

Andrew Marjoribanks grandson, Alexander, brought the family full circle when he acquired the Barony of Bathgate

Bathgate

Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...

, which had also formed part of Princess Marjorie’s dowry. He was convenor of Linlithgowshire (now called West Lothian

West Lothian

West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....

) for over thirty years, and in 1824 voluntarily surrendered his baronial rights to allow Bathgate to become a burgh

Burgh

A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...

, with Alexander as its first Lord Provost

Lord Provost

. Alexander was ultimately succeeded by his seventh son, the Reverend Thomas Marjoribanks, Minister of Lochmaben

Lochmaben

Lochmaben is a small town in Scotland, and site of a once-important castle. It lies four miles west of Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway.-Notable people:*Angus Douglas - Scottish internationalist footballer...

and later of Stenton

Stenton

Stenton is a parish and village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is bounded on the north by parts of the parishes of Prestonkirk and Dunbar, on the east by Spott and on the west by Whittingehame. The name is said to be of Saxon derivation. In earlier times, when names were often written phonetically,...

in East Lothian

East Lothian

East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....

. In 1861 he sold the estates of Balbardie (including Balbardie House

Balbardie House

Balbardie House was a country house in West Lothian, Scotland, near to the town of Bathgate. Designed by Robert Adam, this great neoclassical mansion was demolished in two stages in 1954 and in 1975....

) and Bathgate to the trustees of Stewart’s Hospital (now part of Stewart's Melville College

Stewart's Melville College

Stewart's Melville College is an all boys boarding and day private school situated in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland...

). His eldest son, Alexander, succeeded in 1869, but although he married twice, he died childless and was succeeded by his brother, the Reverend George Marjoribanks who was also minister of Stenton

Stenton

. Two more ministers of religion were to hold the chiefship until it passed to William Marjoribanks of that Ilk father of the present chief. Will Marjoribanks was an ecologist and worked on major conservation projects for the government of Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

in Khartoum

Khartoum

Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...

.
His brother was the diplomat Sir James Marjoribanks

James Marjoribanks

Sir James Alexander Milne Marjoribanks KCMG was a career diplomat in the British Foreign Service and became British ambassador to the European Economic Community...

who was the Ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

to the European Economic Community

European Economic Community

The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...

at the time of Britain's negotiations to enter the EEC.

Other Branches of the Marjoribanks Family

A George Marjoribanks (hypothesised to have been the son of George Marjoribanks, a junior member of the family of Marjoribanks of Balbardie and of that Ilk) took part in the Jacobite rising

Jacobite rising

The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...

and fought with the Scottish army against the English at the Battle of Preston (1715)

Battle of Preston (1715)

The Battle of Preston , also referred to as the Preston Fight, was fought during the Jacobite Rising of 1715 ....

. He was captured and transported to Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

in 1716. Many of his descendants now live in the USA, in particular, North and South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

, where there are regular meetings of the Marjoribanks family.

A junior line of the Marjoribanks family called Marjoribanks of Lees is descended from James Marjoribanks, a younger son of Thomas Marjoribanks of Ratho and Joseph Marjoribanks, a wine and fish merchant in Edinburgh who died in 1635. Joseph's son John Marjoribanks matriculated the arms of Marjoribanks of Leuchie in 1673. A century later the arms were re-matriculated as Marjoribanks of Lees by Edward Marjoribanks of Lees. His son, Sir John Marjoribanks, was Lord Provost of Edinburgh and became a baronet, his grandson David, Baron Marjoribanks was elevated to the peerage as was another grandson Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, 1st Baron Tweedmouth. These titles have since become extinct but there are several descendants of the Marjoribanks of Lees line living in England and the Channel Islands today.

External links

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