Drummond Clan

Drummond Clan Crest: Out of crest coronet, a goshawk, wings expanded.

Drummond Clan Motto: Gang Warily (Go Carefully)

Drummond Clan History:
A surname which originates from the lands of Drymen in Stirlingshire, taken from the Gaelic 'dromainn', meaning 'high ground.'  The Drummonds are alleged to descend from Yorik, a Hungarian prince who accompanied Princess Margaret Atheling to Scotland in 1068. The surname appears regularly as a witness in the early charters of the earls of Lennox, the first being Malcolm, Chamberlain of Lennox, who witnessed charters by Maldwin,3rd Earl of Lennox, between 1225 and 1270. Gilbert de Drummond of Dumbarton and Malcolm de Drummond swore allegiance to Edward I of England in 1296.

Regardless of this, however, the Drummonds fought with Robert the Bruce against the English and, after the Battle of Bannockburn, were rewarded with lands in Perthshire. In 1364, Margaret Drummond, widow of Sir John Logie, married David II, son of Robert the Bruce, as his second wife. Three years later, her niece, Annabella Drummond, married John, High Steward of Scotland, who later became Robert III.

Sir John Drummond was an influential figure during the reigns of James III and James IV, his daughter becoming mistress of the latter and, according to rumour, his wife. She was seen by certain courtiers as an obstacle to the King's marriage to Mary Tudor and poisoned with her sisters.  Sir John, in the meantime, had been created Lord Drummond.  After James VI had been crowned James I of England, Lord Drummond was created 1st Earl of Perth. the 2nd Earl was a Privy councillor to both James VI and Charles I, and the 3rd Earl fought with the Marquis of Montrose and was taken prisoner by the English at Philiphaugh. Following the Restoration, James, 4th Earl of Perth, was appointed Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. However, on the accession to the throne of James VII, he declared himself a Catholic which meant that when the King abdicated, he was imprisoned in Stirling Castle and later exiled to Rome. James later summoned him to Paris and created him Duke of Perth, and his brother John, Duke of Melfort. The 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Perth both supported the Jacobite Uprising which culminated in the confiscation of their estates.  However, in 1853, George Drummond (1807-1902) was reinstated as 14th Earl of Perth

William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585-1649) was a celebrated poet and contemporary of the English poet Ben Johnson. Thomas Drummond (1797-1840) was born in Edinburgh and became Under-Secretary for Ireland. Having begun his career with the Royal Engineers, he helped to develop the Drummond Light which is associated with ordnance surveys. James Drummond, 16th Earl of Perth (1976-1951) was the first Secretary General of the League of Nations.
 
Places of Interest:

Dunblane Cathedral, Stirlingshire. Margaret Drummond, daughter of the 1st Lord Drummond, is buried here.

Stobhall, Perth. Fourteenth century castle and seat of the earls of Perth.

Drummond Castle, Muthill, near Crieff, Perthshire. Built in 1491, but destroyed after the Jacobite Duchess of Perth sheltered Prince Charles Edward Stuart here in 1745. The estate eventually passed through the female line to the earls of Ancaster who added a Victorian mansion in 1890. Today it is the residence of Lady Willoughby de Eresby, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ancaster who died in 1983. Her brother Timothy, the heir apparent, went missing at sea in 1963.

Megginch Castle, north east of Perth. Built in the 15th century for the Hays of Erroll, it was sold in 1664 to a branch of the Drummond Family who were Hereditary Sheriffs of Strathearn. The 3rd Drummond of Megginch was the first Member of Parliament for Perthshire in the first UK parliament after the Act of Union in 1707.

Hawthornden, near Roslin, Midlothian.  Built for the Abernethy family, it was, from 1598 onwards, the home of the Drummonds of Hawthornden. Today it has become a literary retreat.

Associated family names (Septs): Begg, Brewer, Cargill, Dock, Doig, Grewar, Gruar, Gruer, MacCrouther, MacGrewar, MacGrouther, MacGruder, MacGruer, MacGruther, MacRobbie, MacRobie, Mushet, Robbie.

Surname distribution in Scotland: The Drummond surname is most commonly found in The Outer Hebrides, Stirlingshire, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Edinburgh City and the Lothians (Linlithgowshire, Edinburghshire, Haddingtonshire), Perth and Kinross (Perthshire and Kinross-shire) and the Borders (Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire and part of Midlothian).

Clan Drummond membership certificates