Clan Menzies
Encyclopedia
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Menzies
Menzies is a Scottish surname probably derived, like its Gaelic form Méinnearach, from the Norman name Mesnières.The name is historically pronounced , since the was a surrogate for the letter . Today it is often given its spelling pronunciation...
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Clan Menzies ; , a member is a Mèinnearach) is a Highland Scottish clan
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...
.
Origins of the Clan
Mesnières in NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
was the original home of the Norman family whose name was transformed to Manners, which was the surname of the Dukes of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
. A branch of this family moved into Lothian in 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...
and gradually into the Scottish Highlands
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...
, where they first became known by the name Meyneris and eventually as Menzies.
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The first Chief of Menzies was Sir Robert de Meyneris who became Chamberlain to King Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
in 1249. The Menzies clan also became allies with the Earl of Atholl
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer of Earl of Atholl refers to a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl , now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from...
and Clan Murray
Clan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
. Sir Robert de Meyneris son, called Alexander, was granted lands and property in Strathtay. He was later also granted lands in and property in Weem
Weem
Weem is a village on the B846 near Aberfeldy in Perthshire, Scotland.The name Weem is derived from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'....
. However the Castle Weem was built there two centuries later
Wars of Scottish Independence
In the 14th century during the Wars of Scottish IndependenceWars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
Clan Menzies supported Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
. The Clan Menzies achieved further success by supporting Robert the Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
right up to his death by which time their lands stretched from Aberfeldy almost as far as 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...
.
16th Century
Weem was plundered in 1502 by Stewart of Garth during a dispute over the ownership of lands in Fothergill. Janet Menzies had married a Stewart about a century earlier, and Garth claimed the lands as part of her tocher, or dowry. Menzies appealed to the Crown, and James IVJames 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...
found in his favour, ordered Stewart to make restitution, and erected the Menzies lands into the free barony of Menzies in 1510. In 1540 James Menzies of Menzies married Barbara Stewart, daughter of the third Stewart Earl of Atholl and cousin to Lord Darnley, the future King Henry.
In the sixteenth century, King James IV of Scotland
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...
granted a charter converting the Menzies' lands into a barony. By now the clan was Gaelic speaking and the chief became known as "Am Mainnearach" meaning "The Menzies".
17th Century & Civil War
During the English/Scottish Civil War the main part of the Menzies from Weems joined forces with Clan CampbellClan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
in support of the Scottish Argyll government. Despite both their Stewart and royal links, the Menzies chiefs opposed Charles I, and the Clan Menzies was harried by James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman and soldier, who initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed...
. The great marquess sent a messenger to him seeking to enlist support but, whether by accident or design, the envoy was wounded. Montrose retaliated, and in the skirmishing which ensued the Menzies chief was fatally wounded. His son, a major in the Army of the Covenant, was killed when Montrose caught Argyll unprepared at the Battle of Inverlochy (1645)
Battle of Inverlochy (1645)
The Battle of Inverlochy was a battle of the Scottish Civil War in which Montrose routed the pursuing forces of the Marquess of Argyll....
.
However the Pitfoddels branch of Menzies supported the Royalist Marquis of Montrose. The Menzies of Pitfoddels carried the Royal Standard at the Battle of Invercarron in 1650, fighting in support of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose.
By 1651 the Scottish Covenanter Government had become disillusioned with the English parliament and decided to join the royalists instead. At the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
a brother of Chief Alexander Menzies died fighting as a royalist.
In 1665, Sir Alexander Menzies was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia. His brother, Colonel James Menzies of Culdares, ancestor of the present chief, was a veteran of the civil war who, it was claimed, had survived no less than nine serious wounds.
Major Duncan Menzies of Fornock led the charge which broke the line of the government troops at the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
in 1689 (though there were also many Menzies on the opposing side).
18th Century & Jacobite Uprisings
During the Jacobite rebellions the main part of Clan Menzies remained neutral. However branches of the clan such as Menzies of Shian and Menzies of Pitfodel fought in battles on the side of the Jacobites.At the end of the eighteenth century, the Menzies name gained momentary prominence when James Menzies, a merchant in Weem, was one of the leaders of a protest by thousands of men and women against the Militia Ballot Act, passed in fear of a French invasion in the wake of the Revolution of 1789. The Act compelled all men between the ages of nineteen and twenty-three to submit to a ballot as recruits for the army. Menzies and his citizen army forced Sir John Menzies and the Duke of Atholl to swear that they would not implement the Act, and even tried to arm themselves with weapons from the Campbell castle at Taymouth. But they were no match for regular troops, scattering at the first sign of serious opposition.
Clan Chief
The current chief of Clan Menzies is David R.S. Menzies of Menzies.
Castle Menzies
Castle MenziesCastle Menzies
Castle Menzies in Scotland is the ancestral seat of the Clan Menzies. It is located a little to the west of the small village of Weem, near Aberfeldy in the Highlands of Perthshire, and was formerly known as Weem Castle.-History:...
in 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...
is home of the Menzies Clan. It is located in the small village of Weem
Weem
Weem is a village on the B846 near Aberfeldy in Perthshire, Scotland.The name Weem is derived from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'....
, near Aberfeldy in the Highlands
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...
.
The sixteenth century castle, restored by the Menzies Clan Society, has been the seat of the Chiefs of Clan Menzies for over 400 years. It was strategically situated, and it was involved in the turbulent history of the Highlands. Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
Pretender to the throne, rested for two nights in the castle on his way to the Battle of Culloden
Culloden
Culloden may refer to any of the following:*Culloden, Highland, a village in Scotland**The Battle of Culloden, a battle which took place there in 1746...
in 1746, where the Jacobite clans were essentially broken by a British army equipped with cannons.
The restored castle is architecturally fascinating, a splendid example of the transition between earlier rugged fortress and later mansion house. It served as a hospital for the Polish army in exile during World War II.
Clan Septs
Spelling variations, names associated with the clan and septsSept (social)
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of the Clan Menzies include:
Dewar
Clan Dewar
Clan Dewar is a Lowland Scottish clan who settled near Edinburgh. Legend has it that they won their lands after killing a wolf which had terrorised the area.-Origins of the Clan:...
, Deware, Dewere, Jore, MacAndeoir, MacIndeoir, MacIndeor, MacIndoer, MacJore, MacKmunish, MacMean, MacMeans, MacMein, MacMeinn, MacMen, MacMenzies, MacMin, MacMina, MacMine, MacMinn, MacMinne, MacMinnies, MacMinnis, MacMonies, MacMonnies, MacMyn, MacMyne, MacMynneis, McMenzies, McMenzie, Mainzies, Makmunish, Makmynnes, Manzie, Manzies, Maynhers, Mean, Meanie, Meanies, Means, Megnies, Meignees, Meigneis, Meigners, Meignerys, Meignes, Meignez, Mein, Meine, Meineris, Meingnes, Meingzeis, Meingzes, Meinn, Meinyeis, Meinyies, Meinzeis, Meinzies, Menees, Mengues, Mengyeis, Mengzeis, Mengzes, Mengzies, Mennes, Mennie, Menyas, Menyeis, Menyheis, Menyhes, Menzas, Menzeis, Menzes, Menzeys, Menzheis, Menzhers, Menzies, Menzis, Meygners, Meygnes, Meyneiss, Meyner, Meyneris, Meyners, Meyness, Miners, Minn, Minnis, Minnish, Minnus, Monsie, Monzie, Munnies.