Clan Pollock
Encyclopedia
Clan Pollock is an armigerous Scottish clan
whose origin lies in a grant of land on the southern bank of the River Clyde
, courtesy of King David I
, to the sons of Fulbert the Saxon from Walter fitz Alan, the 1st High Steward of Scotland
, in the 12th century. It is among the oldest recorded surnames in Scotland. The clan is now considered to be a sept of Clan Maxwell and members are therefore entitled to wear the Maxwell tartan.
, Shropshire
, England
. Fulbert came to Scotland with Walter fitz Alan in about 1136 and fought for Scotland at the Battle of the Standard
at Northallerton
in 1138. Fulbert's sons were granted land in Renfrewshire
for the service of their father, a knight to Walter Fitzalan, reconfirmed in a charter in 1157 by Malcolm IV
. The family name is retained in placenames such as Pollok
, Pollokshields
and Pollokshaws
, all situated to the south side of the River Clyde, between Glasgow
city centre and Paisley
.
The church of Pollock was given to the monks of the Priory of Paisley
in 1163 by Petrus de Polloc, eldest son of Fulbert. As part of a dowry for one of his daughters, Petrus bestowed the barony of Rothes upon her. Robert de Polloc, Fulbert's third son, gave the church of Mearns to the Priory of Paisley. John de Polloc was a signatory to the Ragman Rolls
subscribing allegiance to King Edward I of England
in 1296. John Pollock of Pollock fought on the side of Mary, Queen of Scots, at the Battle of Langside
on 13 May 1568, only a few miles from Pollock Castle
and, as a result, was forfeited of some of his lands. John Pollock, his son, was killed on 7 December 1593 at the Battle of Dryfe Sands near Lockerbie
during a battle between Clan Maxwell and the Clan Johnstone
. Robert Pollock of Pollock was knighted and made 1st Baronet of Pollock
by Queen Anne
in 1703 for his services to the crown.
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...
whose origin lies in a grant of land on the southern bank of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, courtesy of King David I
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
, to the sons of Fulbert the Saxon from Walter fitz Alan, the 1st High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
, in the 12th century. It is among the oldest recorded surnames in Scotland. The clan is now considered to be a sept of Clan Maxwell and members are therefore entitled to wear the Maxwell tartan.
Origins of the Clan
The clan can trace its origin to Fulbert the Saxon, a vassal knight of Walter fitz Alan from OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Fulbert came to Scotland with Walter fitz Alan in about 1136 and fought for Scotland at the Battle of the Standard
Battle of the Standard
The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, in which English forces repelled a Scottish army, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire. The Scottish forces were led by King David I of Scotland...
at Northallerton
Northallerton
Northallerton is an affluent market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...
in 1138. Fulbert's sons were granted land in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
for the service of their father, a knight to Walter Fitzalan, reconfirmed in a charter in 1157 by Malcolm IV
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
. The family name is retained in placenames such as Pollok
Pollok
Pollok is a large district on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It was built to house families from the overcrowded inner city...
, Pollokshields
Pollokshields
Pollokshields is a district in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conservation area which was developed in Victorian times according to a plan promoted by the original landowners, the Stirling-Maxwells of Pollok, whose association with the area goes as far back as...
and Pollokshaws
Pollokshaws
Pollokshaws is a district on the southside of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The housing stock mostly consists of some sandstone tenement housing, tower blocks and modern brick tenement-style buildings...
, all situated to the south side of the River Clyde, between Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
city centre and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
.
The church of Pollock was given to the monks of the Priory of Paisley
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
in 1163 by Petrus de Polloc, eldest son of Fulbert. As part of a dowry for one of his daughters, Petrus bestowed the barony of Rothes upon her. Robert de Polloc, Fulbert's third son, gave the church of Mearns to the Priory of Paisley. John de Polloc was a signatory to the Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls
Ragman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
subscribing allegiance to 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. John Pollock of Pollock fought on the side of Mary, Queen of Scots, at the Battle of Langside
Battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside, fought on 13 May 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history, bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel, in which a mother fought her brother who was defending the rights of her infant son...
on 13 May 1568, only a few miles from Pollock Castle
Pollock Castle
Pollock Castle was a tower house castle built by the de Pollocs in c. 12th or 13th century and became the seat of Clan Pollock, near Glasgow, Scotland. The castle appears on Timothy Pont’s map , as a castle named Pook and also appears on Joan Blaeu’s map of 1654.The castle was rebuilt between 1686...
and, as a result, was forfeited of some of his lands. John Pollock, his son, was killed on 7 December 1593 at the Battle of Dryfe Sands near Lockerbie
Lockerbie
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...
during a battle between Clan Maxwell and 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...
. Robert Pollock of Pollock was knighted and made 1st Baronet of Pollock
Pollock Baronets
There have been five Baronetcies created for people with the surname Pollock, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and four in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Three of the Baronetcies are extant as of 2010....
by Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
in 1703 for his services to the crown.
Clan profile
- Clan chief: Clan Pollock has no chief, and is an armigerous clanArmigerous clanAn 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...
. - Chiefly arms: A saltire Vert, 2nd, 3rd and 4th or buglehorns stringed and garnished.
- Motto: Audacter et strenue. The motto translates from Latin as "boldy and earnestly".
- Crest: A boar, shot through with an arrow proper.
- Tartan: Pollock Ancient and Pollock Modern.
Notable Descendants
- Robert de Polloc, the son of Fulbert, used his seal about 1208. It shows a boar pierced by a dart and it is in the British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. The inscription starts at the top left and reads Sigillum Roberti De Polloc. - John de Polloc signed the Ragman RollRagman RollsRagman Rolls refers to the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favor of Baliol in November 1292; and again in 1296...
subscribing allegiance to Edward IEdward I of EnglandEdward 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. These four rolls consisted of thirty-five pieces sewn together; the originals have perished but a record of them is preserved in the Public Record OfficePublic Record OfficeThe Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
. - John Pollok fixed his seal, showing the Pollock arms, in 1453 on the charter of St Andrews College.
- Sir Robert Pollock of Pollock, knighted and made Baronet of Pollock, Member of Parliament.
- James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. - Leonidas PolkLeonidas PolkLeonidas Polk was a Confederate general in the American Civil War who was once a planter in Maury County, Tennessee, and a second cousin of President James K. Polk...
, Confederate general and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. - Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st BaronetSir Frederick Pollock, 1st BaronetSir Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet PC , was a British lawyer and Tory politician.-Background and education:...
, British jurist and politician. - Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet, British jurist.
- Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet, British Field Marshal and victor of the Battle of Kabul (1842).
- Hugh MacDowell PollockHugh PollockHugh MacDowell Pollock PC , was an Ulster Unionist member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 until his death in 1937....
(1852–1937), Northern Ireland Minister of Finance. - Sir Michael PollockMichael PollockAdmiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Patrick Pollock GCB, LVO, DSC was a British officer in the Royal Navy who rose to become First Sea Lord from 1971 to 1974...
, British Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord. - Graeme PollockGraeme PollockRobert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricketer. - Shaun PollockShaun PollockShaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
, South African cricketer.