Clan Chisholm (pronounced / ˈtʃɪzəm/ ) ( gd, Siosal, IPA: �ʃis̪əɫ̪ is a Highland

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

According to Alexander Mackenzie, the Clan Chisholm is of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and Saxon origin. Tradition stating that the Chisholms were a Norman family who arrived in

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 ...

after the conquest of 1066., the original surname being De Chese to which the Saxon term "Holme" was added. According to the ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia'' the Chisholm name was known in the Scottish Borders since the reign of Alexander III. In early records the name is written as "de Cheseholme", eventually later becoming '' Chisholm''. In

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

the earliest recorded person of the family is 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 i ...

as "Richard de Chisholm del Counte de Rokesburgh", referring to the Clan Chisholm's seat in Roxburghshire. One of the earliest recorded members of the family was John de Chesehelme, who in 1254 was mentioned in a bull of

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death in 1261. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne (now in the Province of Rome), he ...

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Richard de Chesehelme 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 vas ...

and appears on the

. Sir John de Chesholme led the clan at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 against the English. Robert Chisholm fought against the English at the

Battle of Neville's Cross 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 los ...

in 1346, was taken prisoner with King David II and probably not released until eleven years later when his royal master returned to Scotland. In 1359 after being knighted by the king he succeeded his grandfather as Constable of

Urquhart Castle Urquhart Castle (; gd, Caisteal na Sròine) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, south-west of Inverness and east of the village of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins dat ...

, and later became Sheriff of Inverness and Justiciar of the North. This Robert was the last Chisholm to hold lands in both the North and South of

. He divided his estates among his younger children. Robert's son was Alexander Chisholm who married Margaret, heiress of the lands of Erchless.

Erchless Castle Erchless Castle is an L-plan castle in northern Scotland, near Struy, Highland. The current building was built in about 1600.

Conflicts

The Chisholms became well known for cattle raiding. In 1498 Wiland Chisholm of Comar and others carried off 56 oxen, 60 cows, 300 sheep, 80 swine and 15 horses belonging to Hugh Rose of the

Clan Rose Clan Rose (''Clann Ròs'') is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. History Origins of the clan The chiefs of the Clan Rose were a Norman family. They had no connection to the ancient Celtic family of Clan Ross. They derive from Ros, near ...

. In 1513, Wiland Chisholm of Comar and Sir Alexander MacDonell of Glengarry were with Sir Donald MacDonald of Lochalsh on his return from 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 ...

when he decided to attack the

. Some sources say that Macdonald occupied the castle for three years despite the efforts of the Clan Grant to dislodge him and his companions.

Civil War

In 1647, Alexander Chisholm was appointed to the committee which arranged the defence of Inverness on behalf of the Covenanters against the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

. In 1653 the Chisholms stole cattle from the clans

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...

and

Fraser Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal e ...

, they were however captured and brought to court where they were ordered to return all they had stolen and pay the Chief Munro of Foulis and Chief Fraser of Lovat £1000 interest each. After the Stuart restoration in 1660, Alexander followed his father as a justice of the peace, and in 1674 was appointed Sheriff Deputy for Inverness. Once again his duties brought him up against the MacDonalds, for in 1679 he was ordered to lead a thousand men of the county to quell a disturbance created by some members of said clan, and in 1681 he was given a

commission of fire and sword {{not to be confused, Justiciar A commission of justiciary was a method of law enforcement employed in Scotland, in particular in the 16th and 17th centuries. In an era when the practical reach of central government was limited, the issuing auth ...

against them.

Jacobite risings

During the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...

, Roderick Maciain Chisholm, supported the Jacobite cause. Chisholm of Crocfin led two hundred clansmen at the Battle of Sherrifmuir in 1715 where they were defeated. Some members of the clan took part in the

Jacobite rising of 1719 The Jacobite Rising of 1719 was a failed attempt to restore the exiled James Francis Edward Stuart to the throne of Great Britain. Part of a series of Jacobite risings between 1689 to 1745, it was the only one to be supported by Spain, then at wa ...

. A landing was made on the west of Scotland, and according to one account, the Chisholms were employed as scouts. They were not present at the

Battle of Glen Shiel The Battle of Glen Shiel ( gd, Blàr Ghleann Seile) took place on 10 June 1719 in the West Scottish Highlands, during the 1719 Jacobite Rising. A Jacobite army composed of Highland levies and Spanish marines, was defeated by British troops, rei ...

, which ended that Jacobite rebellion. Much of Roderick's lands were afterwards forfeited to the Crown. With a number of other chiefs, Roderick obtained a royal pardon in 1727, but he was never allowed to regain his estates, which his brother administered until 1743, when it was transferred to Roderick's eldest son, Alexander Chisholm, younger of Comar.

General Wade Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Alliance before leading the construction of barra ...

's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 150 men. 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 ...

, Roderick again supported the Jacobites. His youngest son, Roderick Og Chisholm led the clan at the Battle of Culloden, leading a very small regiment of about 80 clansmen, of which 30 were killed, including himself. One of the 14 Jacobite battle flags taken at Culloden, which were later burnt in Edinburgh, was a white linen banner of this regiment.Reid, Stuart (2000). ''Like Hungry Wolves - Culloden Moor 1746''. With colour plates by Gerry Embleton. Windrow & Greene Ltd. Two of Roderick's other sons James and John were Captains in the British army under the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British Royal Family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom ...

Clan seat

The seat of Clan Chisholm was originally at Comar Lodge and then at

Erchless Castle Erchless Castle is an L-plan castle in northern Scotland, near Struy, Highland. The current building was built in about 1600.chief is Andrew Francis Hamish Chisholm of that Ilk, thirty-third Chief of Clan Chisholm. The following is a list of some of the previous chiefs of Clan Chisholm.

External links

Clan Chisholm Society

References

Notes Bibliography * {{Scottish clans Boars in heraldry