Clan Nesbitt
Encyclopedia
Clan Nesbitt is a Scottish clan
recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms
and first mentioned in a Scottish charter of 1139. It is a lowland
family centred in Berwickshire
, East Lothian
, Edinburgh
and Ayrshire
, with a significant historical presence in Northumberland
and Durham
. The clan has a chief
, Mark Nesbitt of that Ilk, and active clan associations in the British Isles
, North America
and Australasia
.
The lowland family of Nesbitt or Nisbet has its roots in the county of Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. Like the families of Home and Swinton, its descent can be traced from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria
(d. 1073). In 1139 King David I confirmed a charter (now in the archives of Durham Cathedral
) granting the lands of Nisbet to Aldan de Nisbet, the founder of the line of Nisbet of Nisbet (i.e. Nisbet of that Ilk).
In the 12th century, castles were built by the Nisbet family at West Nisbet, two miles south of the town of Duns, and at East Nisbet, now known as Allanbank, southeast of Duns on the Blackadder Water. The castle at East Nisbet has long gone, but at West Nisbet the original pele tower was incorporated into the east end of a magnificent new fortified mansion house, built by Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk (c. 1580-1660) in the 1630s. Nisbet House
still stands, with an 18th century tower (with fine interior plasterwork) added to its west end. The house is in private ownership.
project is co-ordinated by Tom Nesbitt. Testing of about 75 individuals (by 2009) has identified three major and distinct DNA groups:
DNA Group One. The group borne by Mark Nesbitt, the Clan Chief. Several members in the US match his DNA code
DNA Group Two. This very large group appears to be from Northern Ireland. In the early 18th century, their descendants immigrated to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland along with thousands of Scots-Irish settlers.
DNA Group Three. This large group appears to be connected to both Scottish and English NN families moving outward from the Borders. Also connected are the descendants of Alexander Nisbet born 1731 at sea on route to America, who settled in North Carolina. Also includes the descendants of the Greenholm line from end of 1500's
and the English Civil War
. Chief Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk was a fervent supporter of Charles I
, but was to lose three sons, as well as his newly built tower house. The family motto, "I byd it" (I endure it) was all too appropriate. The eldest son, Sir Philip Nisbet, was executed in Glasgow after the Battle of Philiphaugh
; Col. Robert Nisbet was captured after fighting in support of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
and executed at Edinburgh
in 1650.
Major Alexander Nisbet was killed at the Siege of York
in 1644. His youngest son, Adam Nisbet, had one son, Alexander Nisbet (1657–1725), the well-known author of A System of Heraldry. Nisbet "The Herald" died unmarried, and is commemorated by a memorial in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
In 1679 Capt. John Nisbet, of Ayrshire, helped win the Battle of Drumclog
when John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
, also known as Graham of Claverhouse was defeated and a number of his men put to death. However, later the Covenanters, for whom Capt. John Nisbet fought, were defeated by the English in Lanarkshire and Capt. John Nisbet was compelled to hide. He was betrayed, and captured by Lieut. Nisbet and executed in Edinburgh
in 1685.
and become Rector
of St. Martin's Micklegate. The Reverend Philip was a fervent Covenanter and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause. The future history of the family was to centre on York, then London, with the spelling changing to Nesbitt in the 1830s.
Distinguished members of the clan include E. Nesbit
, the children's writer (The Railway Children
), Alexander Nisbet, heraldic writer, Murdoch Nisbet
of Hardhill, who translated the New Testament into Scots, Mary Nisbet (Lady Elgin), Robert Chancellor Nesbitt
, M.P. and historian, and Frances Nisbet of Carfin, who married Lord Nelson
.
in Edinburgh, Dirleton
in East Lothian, Greenholm in Ayrshire, and Carfin and Cairnhill in Renfrewshire. In the 17th century, many Nisbets went to Ireland
and, often via Ireland, to North America
.
The Manor of Nesbit two miles south of Stamfordham, Northumberland is first mentioned in 1213. In 1240 part of the land was held by Walter de Nesbit; in 1256 a Walter Nesbit and a Thomas, son of Adam Nesbit, held land from the Priory of Hexham. These names are certainly reminiscent of those carried by the Berwickshire family, but disappear from the locality by the 16th century. There was a pele tower at Nesbit, held by Sir Thomas Grey but gone by 1540.
Further evidence for an early group of the family in England is from the life of Thomas Nesbitt, a Durham monk who became Prior of Coldingham (1447–1456), and whose uncle was a Hull wine-merchant.
the Nesbett tartan is identical to the Mackintosh, and similar to the Dunbar sett, which both appear in the Vestiarium Scoticum
. There is however no historical link between the Nisbetts and Clan Mackintosh
to explain why the tartan is based upon that Mackintoshes. The Vestiarium was a Victorian era
forgery, first published in 1842 by the Sobieski Stuarts. Even though it has since been proven forgery, the Vestiarium is still the basis of many of today's clan tartans.
. In 1994 the Lord Lyon recognised Robert Anthony Ellis Nesbitt as Chief of the Name and Arms
of Nesbitt (or Nisbet). After his death in 2000, his son Mark Nesbitt (1961-) became Chief.
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...
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...
and first mentioned in a Scottish charter of 1139. It is a 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 ....
family centred in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, 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....
, 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...
and Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, with a significant historical presence in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. The clan has 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...
, Mark Nesbitt of that Ilk, and active clan associations in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
Origins of the clan
The surname of the Berwickshire line derives from the hamlets of East Nisbet and West Nisbet, Berwickshire. Interestingly, until the 16th century, the lands are most often spelt Nesbit, which has a claim to be the original spelling. Some bearers of Nisbet/Nesbitt (and variant) names may originate from the village of Nisbet in Roxburghshire.The lowland family of Nesbitt or Nisbet has its roots in the county of Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. Like the families of Home and Swinton, its descent can be traced from Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
(d. 1073). In 1139 King David I confirmed a charter (now in the archives of Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England, the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093...
) granting the lands of Nisbet to Aldan de Nisbet, the founder of the line of Nisbet of Nisbet (i.e. Nisbet of that Ilk).
In the 12th century, castles were built by the Nisbet family at West Nisbet, two miles south of the town of Duns, and at East Nisbet, now known as Allanbank, southeast of Duns on the Blackadder Water. The castle at East Nisbet has long gone, but at West Nisbet the original pele tower was incorporated into the east end of a magnificent new fortified mansion house, built by Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk (c. 1580-1660) in the 1630s. Nisbet House
Nisbet House
Nisbet House is a 17th-century mansion in the Scottish Borders. It is located on the north side of the Blackadder Water, south of Duns, in the Merse, a low-lying part of the former county of Berwickshire. It was built in about 1630 by Sir Alexander Nisbet, ancestor of the heraldic authority...
still stands, with an 18th century tower (with fine interior plasterwork) added to its west end. The house is in private ownership.
DNA results
An active DNA genealogyGenetic genealogy
Genetic genealogy is the application of genetics to traditional genealogy. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level of genetic relationship between individuals.-History:...
project is co-ordinated by Tom Nesbitt. Testing of about 75 individuals (by 2009) has identified three major and distinct DNA groups:
DNA Group One. The group borne by Mark Nesbitt, the Clan Chief. Several members in the US match his DNA code
DNA Group Two. This very large group appears to be from Northern Ireland. In the early 18th century, their descendants immigrated to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland along with thousands of Scots-Irish settlers.
DNA Group Three. This large group appears to be connected to both Scottish and English NN families moving outward from the Borders. Also connected are the descendants of Alexander Nisbet born 1731 at sea on route to America, who settled in North Carolina. Also includes the descendants of the Greenholm line from end of 1500's
17th century & Civil War
The family of Nisbet of that Ilk lost its estates in the Wars of the Three KingdomsWars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
and the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Chief Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk was a fervent supporter of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, but was to lose three sons, as well as his newly built tower house. The family motto, "I byd it" (I endure it) was all too appropriate. The eldest son, Sir Philip Nisbet, was executed in Glasgow after the Battle of Philiphaugh
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquess of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, restoring the power of the Committee of Estates.-Prelude:When...
; Col. Robert Nisbet was captured after fighting in support of 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...
and executed at 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 1650.
Major Alexander Nisbet was killed at the Siege of York
Siege of York
The Siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York during the English Civil War, between the Scottish Covenanter Army and the Parliamentarian Armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association on the one hand, and the Royalist Army under the Marquess of Newcastle on the other...
in 1644. His youngest son, Adam Nisbet, had one son, Alexander Nisbet (1657–1725), the well-known author of A System of Heraldry. Nisbet "The Herald" died unmarried, and is commemorated by a memorial in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
In 1679 Capt. John Nisbet, of Ayrshire, helped win the Battle of Drumclog
Battle of Drumclog
The Battle of Drumclog was fought on 1 June 1679, between a group of Covenanters and the forces of John Graham of Claverhouse, at High Drumclog, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.- The battle :...
when John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee
John Graham of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee , known as the 7th Laird of Claverhouse until raised to the viscounty in 1688, was a Scottish soldier and nobleman, a Tory and an Episcopalian...
, also known as Graham of Claverhouse was defeated and a number of his men put to death. However, later the Covenanters, for whom Capt. John Nisbet fought, were defeated by the English in Lanarkshire and Capt. John Nisbet was compelled to hide. He was betrayed, and captured by Lieut. Nisbet and executed in 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 1685.
18th to 19th centuries
The family's male line continued through Sir Alexander's brother, the Reverend Philip Nisbet, who had moved south to YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and become Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St. Martin's Micklegate. The Reverend Philip was a fervent Covenanter and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause. The future history of the family was to centre on York, then London, with the spelling changing to Nesbitt in the 1830s.
Distinguished members of the clan include E. Nesbit
E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television...
, the children's writer (The Railway Children
The Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
), Alexander Nisbet, heraldic writer, Murdoch Nisbet
Murdoch Nisbet
Murdoch Nisbet was a notary public in the diocese of Glasgow who created one of the earliest Scots translations of the Bible. Living in the parish of Loudoun, Ayrshire, Nisbet's work as a notary public brought him into contact with local religious dissidents. He participated in a conventicle where...
of Hardhill, who translated the New Testament into Scots, Mary Nisbet (Lady Elgin), Robert Chancellor Nesbitt
Robert Chancellor Nesbitt
Robert Chancellor Nesbitt was a distinguished solicitor in the City of London, and a Unionist politician and member of legal, financial and Church of England bodies in the early 20th century....
, M.P. and historian, and Frances Nisbet of Carfin, who married Lord Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
.
Clan branches
Related branches of the Nisbet family became established at DeanDean Village
Dean Village is a former village immediately northwest of Edinburgh, Scotland city centre. It was known as the "Water of Leith Village" and was a successful grain milling hamlet for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents...
in Edinburgh, Dirleton
Dirleton
Dirleton is a village and parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick , Gullane , Fenton Barns and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, Archerfield Estate and the Firth of Forth...
in East Lothian, Greenholm in Ayrshire, and Carfin and Cairnhill in Renfrewshire. In the 17th century, many Nisbets went to 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...
and, often via Ireland, to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The surname in England
The origins of the family in England are unclear. Nesbit is an ancient place name in northern England. The manor of Nesbit Hall, Hesleden, County Durham, is recorded as of 1350. The township of Nesbit, north of Doddington, Northumberland, is recorded by 1242, and was held by the de Vesci family. The township of Nesbit in the parish of Hart, ward of Easington, County Durham, is recorded since 1311. In all three cases there is no evidence of use of Nesbit as a surname, although Philip Nisbet, ancestor of the current clan chief, came to Easington as rector in 1644.The Manor of Nesbit two miles south of Stamfordham, Northumberland is first mentioned in 1213. In 1240 part of the land was held by Walter de Nesbit; in 1256 a Walter Nesbit and a Thomas, son of Adam Nesbit, held land from the Priory of Hexham. These names are certainly reminiscent of those carried by the Berwickshire family, but disappear from the locality by the 16th century. There was a pele tower at Nesbit, held by Sir Thomas Grey but gone by 1540.
Further evidence for an early group of the family in England is from the life of Thomas Nesbitt, a Durham monk who became Prior of Coldingham (1447–1456), and whose uncle was a Hull wine-merchant.
Clan tartan
According to the Scottish Tartans SocietyScottish Tartans Society
The Scottish Tartans Society , now defunct, was a society committed to the recording and preservation of woven tartan designs from around the world; it maintained the Register of All Publicly Known Tartans. The society was first formed in 1963 and existed for about 40 years...
the Nesbett tartan is identical to the Mackintosh, and similar to the Dunbar sett, which both appear in the Vestiarium Scoticum
Vestiarium Scoticum
The Vestiarium Scoticum was first published by William Tait of Edinburgh in a limited edition in 1842...
. There is however no historical link between the Nisbetts and Clan Mackintosh
Clan MacKintosh
Clan Mackintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes were also chiefs of the Chattan Confederation.-Origins:...
to explain why the tartan is based upon that Mackintoshes. The Vestiarium was a Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
forgery, first published in 1842 by the Sobieski Stuarts. Even though it has since been proven forgery, the Vestiarium is still the basis of many of today's clan tartans.
Clan chief
The clan was chiefless for four centuries following the loss of the Nesbitt lands during the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. In 1994 the Lord Lyon recognised Robert Anthony Ellis Nesbitt as Chief of the Name and Arms
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...
of Nesbitt (or Nisbet). After his death in 2000, his son Mark Nesbitt (1961-) became Chief.
Clan profile
- Arms: Argent three boars heads erased Sable, armed Argent and langued Gules.
- Crest: A boar passant Sable, armed Argent and langued Gules
- Motto: I byde it ("I endure it")
- Plant badge: OakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
Clan castles / ancestral lands
- Nisbet Castle, Berwickshire
- Nisbet House, Nisbet, Berwickshire
- Dirleton CastleDirleton CastleDirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh...
, purchased in 1663 by lawyer John NisbetJohn Nisbet, Lord DirletonJohn Nisbet, Lord Dirleton was a Scottish judge.Admitted as an advocate in 1633, he was sheriff-depute of Edinburghshire from 1639. He defended James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose in 1641. He was appointed Lord Advocate and raised to the bench with the judicial title Lord Dirleton in 1664. He...
when it was already a ruin, Nisbet built nearby ArcherfieldArcherfield Estate and LinksArcherfield and Archerfield Links are a country house and pair of golf courses in the parish of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland...
as his country residence.