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Recently there was some discussion about the first Gordon to come to Scotland. I will
be sending several messages concerning the descendency of this line in the hope that it
will be of interest to members of the list.
History of the House of Gordon, XVIII Vols. by Edward Gordon of Cairnfield
Vol. I
p. 1 "About this collection -
The manuscripts of the History of the House of Gordon, compiled by the late Edward Gordon
of Cairnfild, were placed by his son, George Gordon of Cairnfild, in the Library of
King’s College, Aberdeen, Scotland.
The House of Gordon, in Scotland, obtained a complete set of photocopies of the
approximate two million - word manuscript in 1973..."
P. 2
[From author’s introduction: "...Similarly and even more so may John Malcolm
Bulloch be described as ‘the onlie begetter’ of this account of the Gordons, for
without his enthusiasm, indefatigable research, untiring patience, and vast correspondence
with all quarters of the globe, no such account would have been possible. It is the more
strange that he had no Gordon blood in him, yet it is to him that those who read what
follows, and are of Gordon descent, may acknowledge their indebtedness for the story of
their family...A considerable number of families, however, have never appeared in print,
and his notes about them with, in some cases, manuscript accounts of them were left to the
Aberdeen University..."]
The Name of Gordon
p. 114+
It has been stated by some authorities that the family name originated from that of the
parish in Berwickshire where the earliest Gordons held their lands, this opinion being
based on the general ground that during the eleventh and twelfth centuries Normans and
other foreigners who came to Scotland had no family name, and that their descendants too
their name from the lands granted in return for services to the Crown, or acquired
otherwise. While there certainly numbers of such cases, it is rather a large assumption to
say that it was universal....The family historians declare that it was Sir Adam who gave
his name to the district and mention the existence of a tribe in Flanders in the time of
Julius Caesar who styles it the Gorduni. Such charters as are known to have exited
relating to the early Gordons give their name down to 1376 as de Gordun. Each side may
have its own opinion, and in any case the name is of respectable antiquity. While all that
need be remarked here is th!
at originally spelt Gordun, it came to be written Gordoun or Gordoune as late as the
eighteenth century so that in its pronouncement any stress should be on the first
syllable...
The Main Stock - Origin
p. 127....The name has been known in France from a very early date, and family historians
are agreed that one or more served under Charlemagne. Straloch says that he had a
secretary of the name of Gordoun, while the Records of Aboyne state that a Duke de Gordoun
was Constable of France and General in Brittany under him. C.A. Gordon in his Esncise
History, quoting Duhlessis ‘Annales de France’, gives some further details about
the latter stating that his name was John, that Charlemagne created him in 790 duke de
Gordoun, and High Constable, that he conquered Brittany, and died at his castle of Moret.
...
P. 129
In view of the existence of the Gourdons in France, the opinion of the Gordon family
historians that the first to come to Scotland, Adam, was of French origin may be accepted.
He appears to have been one of the French and Norman knights visiting or attached to the
Court of Edward the Confessor when Malcolm Canmore fled there for refuge after the seizure
of the throne of Scotland by Maelbeatha or Macbeth in the year 1040. Malcolm was well
received by the Saxon king who entertained him for a number of years and assisted him to
regain the throne in 1057 by support of a number of troops under the Earl of Northumbria.
Adam accompanied this body, and from him come the Scottish Gordons described this work. As
will be seen later, he and his descendants settled from some three centuries on lands in
Berwickshire to which he gave his name.
p. 131 I. Adam de Gordun
In the year 1040, Duncan I., King of Scotland, was defeated and slain near Elgin by
Maclbeatha, Maormer of Moray (Shakespeare’s Macbeth) who certainly had some claim to
the throne being a grandson of Malcolm II. The son of Duncan, malcolm Canmore fled to
England and was received at the Court of Edward the Confessor where he lived for some
fifteen years. Risings took place against Maclbeatha, who incidentally was not the villain
Shakespeare made him out to be, and one of the most powerful lords, Duff, Thane of Fife,
went to England and persuaded Malcolm to make an effort to regain the throne. Edward the
Confessor granted Malcolm the aid of some ten thousand men under Siefried, Earl of
Northumberland, and with these and some French and Norman knights then at the English
Court, Malcolm marched into Scotland. Eventually he met Maclbeatha at Lumphanan, some
twenty miles west of Aberdeen, when the usurper was defeated and slain in 1057.
It was in this manner that the Gordons first came into Scotland for among the foreign
knights who accompanied Malcolm was Adam de Gordun who, for his services in aiding Malcolm
to regain the throne, was granted lands near the lower Tweed, and these lands were called
Gordon after his name. We hear no more of Adam till 1093 when Malcolm Canmore invaded
England and was defeated and killed near Alnwick. Among the slain was Adam who left a son
-
II. Adam de Gordun
William Gordon of Harperfield states that this Adam is mentioned in two charters of the
Chartubary of Kelso. The first in or about 1130 by Adam ‘Filius Adae de Gordun’
grants lands specially limited, apparently for the site of a church and cemetery for the
parish of Gordun, and extensive pasturage to the Abbey of Kelso founded by King David in
1126. The other is a confirmation to the monks of the Church of St. Mary of Kelso,
"the church of St. Michael of Gordun with the whole of its parish namely of Gordun
and of Spotheswode (Sottiswode)" and "so long as the abbot and convent of Kelso
are willing, the men of the other Gordon, that is to say of Adam, may take the church
sacrements there, and there their bodies shall be buried; and again when they please, they
shall return to their mother church of Houm."
(Spottiswode in the modern parish of Westeuther is five miles northwest of West Gordon,
and Houm (Home now called Hume) four miles to the east. From the above charters it would
appear that the church of Houm was the only one to cater for an extensive district and
this being found inconvenient, a new church was established more centrally for the
inhabitants of the Gordon lands. The phrase, "the men of the other Gordun," one
may take to refer to Adam’s retainers. The new Church of St. Michael was entrusted to
the Abbey of Kelso for the care of the parish thus founded).
Vol. I
P. 131 Adam, 2nd of that Ilk
Adam, 2nd of that Ilk [Adam, 1st of that Ilk having died in 1093 when Malcolm Canmore
invaded England] died in 1138 at the Battle of the Standard [remind me to send info about
this battle]. He left 2 sons, Richard de Gordun and Adam of Huntly & Faunes. (The two
latter places, Faunes presumabley being what is now marked on the maps as Fans, lie just
west of West Gordon; and no doubt were the lands granted to Adam for his maintenance. The
accounts give only the Richard’s descendants to any extent, but the two families were
reunited into one four generations later.
P. 132 Richard, 3rd of that Ilk
Richard de Gordon, according to the Records of Aboyne, died in 1170. He left a son.
Thomas, 4th of that Ilk
Sir Thomas, as he seems to have been knighted as well as his father, was present when his
sovereign, William the Lion, was taken prisoner at Alnwick in 1173, and on the king’s
return from a year of captivity, was one of his most constant supporters during the
remainder of his reign amid the ever recurring revolts in Galloway, Ross, Caithness, and
other parts of the crown. He died about the same time as King William, that is 1214, and
was succeeded by his son.
Thomas, 5th of that Ilk
This Thomas, styled the younger, was married to Marjory according to the charters at the
time. He was knighted by Alexander II and died in 1258 leaving a daughter, Alicia, who
married her third cousin, Adam of Huntly & Faunes. According to the Proney M.S., Adam,
brother of Richard, 3rd of that Ilk, was succeeded by Alexander, designated Huntly, who
had two sons, William and Adam. Sir William was one of the officers in command of the
first Scots contingent of 1000 men that went to the Crusades. He died before Tunis while
on the way to Palestine, leaving his lands to his brother Adam who did not long survive
him, and was succeeded by his son Adam, the husband of Alicia.
P. 133 Adam of Huntly, 6th of that Ilk
and Alicia
Adam of Huntly ....left Scotland to assist Louis IX of France [in the Crusades]. ...Sir
Adam died before reaching Palestine...Alicia died in 1280...They had a son.
P. 134 Adam de Gordun, 7th of that Ilk
Adam de Gordun married an Englishwoman named Marjory and in her right possessed an estate
in England for which he had to do homage to the English King [Henry III]. Alexander of
Scotland had died the previous year [1286] and his grand daughter, the young Maid of
Norway, died in 1290 leaving the throne vacant. The matter was referred to Edward I [of
England] who decided in favor of John Balliol to whom Adam adhered.
["Braveheart" fame] ...he [John Balliol] raised an army in the West which was
joined by Adam whose Berwickshire lands were plundered by the English during Edward’s
victorious invasion of Scotland. When, on the 28th of April 1296, the armies met on the
field of Dunbar, Adam was one of the large number which fell in that fight so fatal to
Scottish independence. He left a son.
P. 135 Adam de Gordun, 8th of that Ilk
He escaped from Dunbar...and was compelled to surrender at Elgin on the 28th July. His
mother, Marjory, had no option but to submit and swear fealty before Edward I which she
did on 3rd September. When, in the spring of 1297, Sir William Wallace commenced his noble
and patriotic struggle, he was joined by Adam who shared his hardships and brilliant
exploits. He distinguished himself at Stirling Bridge, but again had to see Scotland under
the feet of the English after Falkirk, a defeat due mainly to the jealousy and treachery
of some of the Scottish nobles.
P. 135-37
1308 was an eventful year for Sir Adam. Edward I had died the previous year but he
continued his adherence to his successor, Edward II from who he reserved [grant of land
and to John Balliol].
During same year he was able to be of service to Robert the Bruce. He secured from Edward
II the release of Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews and Primate, who had been imprisoned in
1306 for his part in the coronation of Bruce, and also by his exertions saved the life of
Sir Thomas Randolph...[a major follower of Bruce’s].
The death of John Balliol in 1314 released Sir Adam from fealty to him and he sought an
interview with Robert Bruce. He took service under Randolph who was created Earl of Moray,
fighting under his banner at Bannockburn in June, 1314. His services were rewarded by the
King granting him new lands [Strathbogie] and employing him on state affairs of high
importance...
Sir Adam and Sir Edward Maubisson were chosen to carry the Proclamation of Arbroath,
setting forth the grievances suffered from the English and praising the character and rule
of Robert..., to the Pope.
He left by his wife, Annabella, at least four sons and a daughter. Of these, the eldest
son, Alexander succeeded to the Gordun lands, while William, the second son got Stichell
as settled by charter of 1315 and from him are descended the Gordons in Galloway (Vol. XII
& XIII). John and Thomas became priests and died unmarried; the daughter, Mary,
married Sir Walter Hambledon of Cadzow.
P. 138 Alexander de Gordun, 9th of that Ilk
...died 17 October 1346 at Durham when King David invaded England. He left a son, John.
King David was captured.
P. 139 John de Gordun, 10th of that Ilk
Also taken prisoner at Durham and shared his sovereign’s captivity. It was not until
1357 when ransom was paid that he was released. King David confirmed in a charter dated
20th March 1357/8 "confirming to John de Gordun the donation which King Robert I had
made to his grandfather, Sir Adam, of the lands of Strathbogie."
He married a lady of the name of Elizabeth and died before 1375, leaving three sons, John
who succeeded him; Adam and Robert, both of whom died without issue (Adam entered the
church and became Vicar of Cramond).
P. 139-40 John de Gordon, 11th of that Ilk
After the death of his father, his eldest son received from King Robert II a fresh charter
of the lands of Strathbogie. This charter, dated the 13th July, 1376, is of great
importance. In it, he is designated as Joannes de GORDON .
Sir John, according to the Record of Aboyne, lived until 1394. He married Elizabeth
Somervell by whom he had four sons, Adam, who succeeded to the estates and John [see p.
142]. Alexander and Roger who were killed at Hamildon Hill in 1402 leaving no issue.
P. 141 Sir Adam de Gordon, 12th of that Ilk
[See Sir Walter Scott’s drama of Hamildon Hill] Adam married Elizabeth, daughter of
Sir William Keith, Great Marshal of Scotland and a younger sister of Muriella, wife of the
Duke of Albany. This marriage later brought extensive lands into the hands of the Huntly
family. They had a son, John, and a daughter, Elizabeth.
John de Gordon, 13th of that Ilk
Of the last Gordon of that Ilk, there is hardly any record, and indeed has been overlooked
by most genealogists, for he did not survive his father more than a few years. He married
Agnes, daughter of James Douglas, Lord of Dalkeith, and died in 1408 without issue. The
estates consequently passed in the terms of the charter of 1376 to his sister, Elizabeth
[see Vol. II, Seton-Gordons]
Return to her uncle, John, the progenitor of the other families of the north
Sir John de Gordon, brother of Sir Adam (12th of that Ilk)
P. 142
There appears to have been a good deal of confusion in the minds of family historians
about this uncle of Elizabeth, the heiress. In the ‘Records of Aboyne’ it is
stated that Sir John was an elder brother of Sir Adam whom it styles as Huntly and that it
was he and not his father who was killed at Otterburn. As a reason for the estates passing
to Adam’s daughter, it claims that her uncle’s sons, commonly known as
‘Jock & Tam,’ were illegitimate, but this, as will be shown later, was not
actually the case, and they would have been entitled to succeed in terms of the charter of
1376. The only logical conclusion is that this Sir John was a younger and not an elder
brother. To add to the confusion, he is styled in certain documents of his time as John de
Gordoun, Lord of the same, and one can only conclude that he had a life portion of that
part of the Berwickshire lands actually called Gordon, while the head of the family had
taken the title of Huntly.
As we have seen, his father and brother were kept too busy in the south, looking after
their interests there and defending the eastern March from raids across the Border, to
attend to their more recently acquired estate in the north [Strathbogie], so it was
entrusted to the younger John, a presumption that is strengthened by the fact that the few
documents referring to him deal only with places in the north. One can well imagine that
he had a difficult task for the Strathbogie inhabitants were still Celts (Picts_, still in
their hearts faithful to their former chief, the Earl of Atholl, and not at all inclined
to accept the rule of this newcomer from the south. Yet he did manage to win them over by
adopting to a certain extent their ways, marrying the daughter of one of them, and
defending them from the onslaughts of their wilder neighbors to the south and west by a
band of whom he is said eventually to have been slain. Unfortunately, no record of his
accomplishment has been p!
reserved; if any exited, it was destroyed in the later burning of Strathbogie castle by
the Douglas, Earl of Moray, but Sir John’s wise management is evinced by his niece
Elizabeth having no trouble when she and her husband came to take possession of
Strathbogie.
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