Clan Wemyss is a Lowland

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from 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 structure recognised ...

History

Origins of the clan

The surname Wemyss is derived from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

''uaimh'' which means ''cave''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The

Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...

). Published in 1994. Pages 342 - 343. It is believed to be taken from the caves of the

Wemyss, Fife Wemyss ( ) is a civil parish on the south coast of Fife, Scotland, lying on the Firth of Forth. It is bounded on the north-east by the parish of Scoonie and the south-west by the parish of Kirkcaldy and Dysart and its length from south-west to ...

, by the Firth of Forth, where the Wemyss family made their home.

Wemyss Castle Wemyss Castle (pronounced eems is situated in Wemyss on the sea cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland. Wemyss Castle is considered to be a multi-period building, and today's castle includes many elements ...

in Fife has been the seat of the chiefs of Clan Wemyss since the twelfth century. The chiefs are one of the few noble families who are descended from the Celtic nobility through the

Clan MacDuff Clan MacDuff or Clan Duff 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. ...

Earls of Fife. Sir Michael Wemyss along with his brother, Sir David, and also Scott of Balwearie were sent to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

to bring back the infant Queen Margaret, the "Maid of Norway", in 1290.

Wars of Scottish Independence

Sir Michael Wemyss swore fealty 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 vas ...

in 1296 but then changed his allegiance to

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 ...

. As a result, Wemyss Castle was sacked by the English. He also witnessed the Act of Settlement in 1315 of the Scottish Crown by Robert the Bruce. Michael's son, Sir David Wemyss, was amongst those who appended their seals to the famous

Declaration of Arbroath The Declaration of Arbroath ( la, Declaratio Arbroathis; sco, Declaration o Aiberbrothock; gd, Tiomnadh Bhruis) is the name usually given to a letter, dated 6 April 1320 at Arbroath, written by Scottish barons and addressed to Pope John ...

in 1320. Sir David was also one of the guarantors for the release of

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, beco ...

from English imprisonment and his son was one of the hostages sent for the king's ransom.

16th century and Anglo-Scottish Wars

In 1513 Chief Sir David de Wemyss was killed leading the Clan Wemyss at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

. His grandson was Sir John Wemyss who fought under the Earl of Arran at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. John was a great supporter of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, and it was at the newly enlarged

that she first met her future husband,

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottis ...

. Sir John was made lieutenant of Fife,

Kinross Kinross (, gd, Ceann Rois) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, around south of Perth and around northwest of Edinburgh. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Kinross-shire. History Kinross's origins are conn ...

and

Clackmannan Clackmannan ( ; gd, Clach Mhanainn, perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. ...

in 1559. He led his men in the queen's army at the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

in 1568. His great-grandson was another John Wemyss who was born in 1586 as second-born, but eldest-surviving son of Sir John Wemyss of that Ilk, by his second wife Mary Stewart.

17th and 18th centuries

John Wemyss was knighted in 1618 and created a

Baronet of Nova Scotia This is a list of baronetcies in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. These were first created in 1624, and were replaced by the Baronetage of Great Britain in 1707. This page lists baronetcies, whether extant, extinct, dormant (D), unproven (U), ...

in 1625. This included a charter to the barony of New Wemyss in that province of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He was later advanced to the title of

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 i ...

and the patent was presented to him at Dunfermline personally by

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

. John Wemyss was also a Privy Councillor, High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

, and one of the Committee of the Estates. John Wemyss died in 1649 and was succeeded by his only son,

David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss (6 September 1610July 1679) was an army officer. He was the only son of John Wemyss, 1st Earl of Wemyss and Jean Gray (d. 1640), daughter of Lord Gray. As Lord Elcho, a title he held between 1633 and 1649, he com ...

. David Wemyss, the second earl spent a lifetime nurturing the resources of his estate, in particular his salt and coal mines. He also built a large harbour at

Methil, Fife Methil (Scottish Gaelic: Meadhchill) is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as ov ...

and greatly extended Wemyss Castle where he entertained Charles II of England in 1650 and 1651. He died in 1679 and was predeceased by his son so the estates fell to his daughter,

Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss Margaret Wemyss, 3rd Countess of Wemyss and Countess of Cromarty (1 January 165911 March 1705) was a Scottish peer. Margaret was the daughter of David Wemyss, 2nd Earl of Wemyss and Margaret Leslie, daughter of John Leslie, 6th Earl of Rothes. Sh ...

. Margaret married her cousin, James Wemyss, Lord Burntisland. Their son was David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss who succeeded his mother in 1705.

Jacobite risings

David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss was nominated as one of the trustees for the

Treaty of Union The Treaty of Union is the name usually now given to the treaty which led to the creation of the new state of Great Britain, stating that the Kingdom of England (which already included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland were to be "United i ...

with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1707 he became Vice Admiral of Scotland.

James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss (30 August 169921 March 1756) was the son of David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss. On 17 September 1720, he married Janet Charteris, heiress of the great Colonel Francis Charteris, and they had four children: * Dav ...

married the heiress of Colonel Francis Charles Charteris. During the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took ...

the earl's son,

David Wemyss, Lord Elcho David Wemyss, Lord Elcho and ''de jure'' 6th Earl of Wemyss (12 August 172129 April 1787), was a Scottish peer and Jacobite, attainted for his part in the 1745 Rising and deprived of titles and estates. One of the few Jacobites excluded fro ...

, joined the Jacobite leader, Charles Edward Stuart in

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

. Lord Elcho accompanied Stuart into

and was also present at the Battle of Culloden. He then escaped to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and took part in Charles Edward Stuart's state entry into

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In his absence he was convicted of treason and his estates were forfeited to the Crown. He died in Paris in 1787. Consequently, the earl was instead succeeded by his second son, Francis, who changed his surname to that of his mother which was Charteris. It is from Francis that the present

Earls 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 ...

and chiefs of

Clan Charteris Clan Charteris is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins of the Name The claimed origin of the name Charteris is that it is from the city of Chartres in France. Origins of the Clan William, a son of the Lord Chartres, is ...

are descended. Meanwhile, the chiefship of the Clan Wemyss and the estates in Fife devolved upon the 5th earl's third son,

James Wemyss (1726–1786) James Wemyss (23 February 1726 – 10 May 1786) was a Scottish naval officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1763 to 1784. Early life Wemyss was born on 23 February 1726. Wemyss was the third and youngest son of James Wemyss ...

, who was MP for Sutherland and married Lady Elizabeth Sutherland in 1757.

Modern history

James Wemyss's great-grandson married Millicent, daughter of

Lady Augusta Gordon Lady Augusta Gordon (''née'' FitzClarence; 17 November 1803 – 8 December 1865) was a British noblewoman. Born the fourth illegitimate daughter of William IV of the United Kingdom (then Duke of Clarence and St Andrews) by his long-time mistres ...

, and illegitimate granddaughter of

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

. Their grandson, Michael Wemyss, married Lady Victoria Cavendish-Bentinck, last surviving god-daughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

Castles

in Fife is still the principal seat of the chief of Clan Wemyss. *

Elcho Castle Elcho Castle () is located close to the south bank of the River Tay approximately four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland, in the region of Perth and Kinross. It was maintained by Clan Wemyss from its construction around 1560 until it was p ...

is owned by the Wemyss Lord Elcho.

Clan Chief

the chief of Clan Wemyss is Michael Wemyss of Wemyss who married Charlotte Bristowe, the daughter of Colonel Royle Bristowe of Ickleton,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

Clan Septs

Spelling variations and septs of the Clan Wemyss include: Elcho, Vemis, Vemys, Vemyss, Veymis, Weemes, Weems, Weemyss, Weimes, Weimis, Weims, Weimys, Wemes, Wemeth, Wemis, Wemise, Wems, Wemyes, Wemys, Wemyss, Wemysse, Weymes, Weymis, Weyms, Whymes, Whyms, Wymes, Wymess, Whims, Wims, and Wymbs (County Sligo, Ireland),

References

External links

Clan Wemyss at ElectricScotland.comClan Wemyss at ScotClans.com
{{Scottish clans Wemyss