Clan Charteris is a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Goidelic languages, Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official ...

of the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

History

Origins of the Name

The claimed origin of the name Charteris is that it is from the city of

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Origins of the Clan

William, a son of the Lord Chartres, is said to have come over with the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

. William's son or grandson came to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

with the retinue of

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

. An early reference to the name is found in a charter of around 1174 to

Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed ...

. In this charter the name appears written in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

as ''de Carnoto''. A charter dated 1266 gives evidence of four generations of Charterises: Robert de Carnoto, a knight who is said to be the son of Thomas, who was the son of another Thomas, who was the son of Walther. In 1280 Sir Thomas de Charteris was appointed

Lord Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. His ...

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Andrew de Charteris rendered homage to

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

and appears on the

Ragman Rolls Ragman Rolls are 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 favour of Balliol ...

. However, he soon took up the fight for Scottish independence. As a result, his estates were forfeited to

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...

, who was the English-sponsored King of Scotland. Andrew's son, William Charteris, was a supporter of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

and was with Bruce when Comyn was killed at Dumfries in 1306. Sir Thomas Charteris was a faithful supporter of the Scottish Crown and was appointed ambassador to England. He was appointed as Lord High Chancellor of Scotland in 1342 by

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, becom ...

and was killed at the

Battle of Durham The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy loss ...

in 1346.

16th century and clan conflicts

In 1526 a feud arose with the

Clan Kirkpatrick Clan Kirkpatrick is a Lowland armigerous Scottish clan. There are several variations of the Kirkpatrick name: Kilpatric, Kilpatrick, and Gilpatrick. The names Kirkpatrick and Kilpatrick may have been interchangeable at one time. The clan is re ...

(Kilpatrick). It is recorded in Pitcairn's ''Criminal Trials of Scotland'' that John Charteris of Amisfield, along with his brother and two sons, were charged with the murder of Roger Kilpatrick, son of Alexander Kilpatrick in March 1526. In 1530 a more notable dispute took place, when Sir Robert Charteris, the eight Laird, fought a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

with Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig, which has been described as one of the last great chivalric contests. The king himself watched the duel which was fought with such fury that Charteris's sword was broken and the king had to send his men to part the combatants. Another branch of the clan were the Charterises of Kinfauns, who disputed the chiefship with their cousins of Dumfriesshire. The Charterises of Kinfauns are said to have received their lands as a reward for supporting Robert the Bruce against the English. However, they came into a feud with the

Clan Ruthven The Clan Ruthven () is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 310 - ...

who often disputed the authority of the Charterises. The Ruthvens held considerable sway over Perth from their

Huntingtower Castle Huntingtower Castle, once known as Ruthven Castle or the Place of Ruthven, is located near the village of Huntingtower beside the A85 and near the A9, about 5 km NW of the centre of Perth, Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland, on the main ...

. In 1544 Patrick, Lord Ruthven was elected as

Provost of Perth The is a list of provosts of Perth. Perth is a city in Scotland, and the role of provost is similar to that of a mayor in many other countries. History The Merchant Guild of Perth was chartered in 1210, and the post of provost may have originated ...

but at the intervention of Cardinal Beaton, Ruthven was deprived of the office and Charteris of Kinfauns was appointed instead. The city refused to acknowledge Charteris and barred the gates against him. Charteris along with Lord Gray and the

Clan Leslie Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan. The progenitor of the Clan, Bartolf'','' was a nobleman from Hungary, who came to Scotland in 1067. He built a castle at Lesselyn, from which the clan name derives. Clan Chief, the Earl of Rothes From 1 ...

then attacked the town. However, they were repulsed by the Ruthvens, who were assisted by the Moncreiffs. As a result, Ruthven remained Provost of Perth until 1584, when William Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie was executed. John Charteris had been killed by the earl's heir on Edinburgh High Street in 1552.

17th century and civil war

Sir John Charteris of Amsfield was appointed one of the Commissioners of Parliament to confirm the

Treaty of Ripon The Treaty of Ripon was an agreement signed by Charles I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the Scottish Covenanters on 28 October 1640, in the aftermath of the Second Bishops' War. The Bishops' Wars were fought by the Covenanters to ...

in 1641. John supported the

National Covenant The National Covenant () was an agreement signed by many people of Scotland during 1638, opposing the proposed reforms of the Church of Scotland (also known as ''The Kirk'') by King Charles I. The king's efforts to impose changes on the church i ...

but did not rise against the king. As a result, he was imprisoned in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1643 but was released in March 1645. He afterwards joined the forces of

James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three ...

and was with the royal forces when they were surprised at the

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 Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, ...

in September 1645. John's brother, Captain Alexander Charteris was one of Montrose's staff and was with him on his ill-fated campaign in

Caithness Caithness ( gd, Gallaibh ; sco, Caitnes; non, Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland to the west and is otherwise bounded by ...

in 1650. Alexander Charteris was captured with Montrose and was executed by ''

the Maiden The Maiden (also known as the Scottish Maiden) is an early form of guillotine, or gibbet, that was used between the 16th and 18th centuries as a means of execution in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device was introduced in 1564 during the reign of ...

'' in Edinburgh on 21 June 1650. The family estates then passed through an heiress to Thomas Hogg, who later assumed the name of Charteris.

18th and 19th centuries

Colonel Francis Charteris who was the male representative of the family, bought lands near Haddington, which he renamed Amsfield to recall his ancestor's family seat in

Nithsdale Nithsdale (''Srath Nid'' in Scottish Gaelic), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost th ...

. He left an only daughter, Janet, who married the

Earl of Wemyss Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created in ...

. Their second son was Francis Wemyss who later assumed the name Charteris. The Charteris estates near Haddington have since been sold, although

Gosford House Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast. It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was t ...

is still the seat of the Earl of Wemyss and March, chief of the name and arms of Charteris.

Chief

Since 2008, the family's chief has been The Right Honourable James Donald Charteris, Earl of Wemyss and March, Viscount of Peebles, Lord Wemyss of Elcho, Lord Elcho and Methil, Lord Douglas of Neidpath, Lyne and Munard.

References

External links

http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/atoc/charteris2.html
{{Scottish clans

Charteris Charteris is a Scottish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Thomas Charteris (d. 1346), Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England * Archibald Hamilton Charteris (1835-1908), Scottish theologian, founder of ''Life and Work'' mag ...

Scottish Lowlands