Stiven De Johnston is said to have been the founder of the Johnsons of Hilton.

Life

Stiven is first recorded in a genealogical account of the Johnsons of Hilton. He is said to have lived during the reign of

King David II 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 ...

, meaning that he was alive between 1331 and 1368. Johnston lived in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

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 ...

during this time. He is said to have been the brother of the laird of Johnston considering that he shared the same surname and was later able to procure a position of power in

. Throughout his life he was known as the "clerk" due to his love of knowledge and research. His knowledge earned him a secretary position to the

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. The ...

during this period of time.

Marriage

Stiven de Johnston married to Margaret, the heiress of the Garioch. Through his marriage he obtained a variety of land including Caskieben, Crimond, and Kinburn. He renamed the lands that he obtained as Johnston. This started the Johnston aristocracy in

. Their marriage produced multiple offspring including John de Johnston who later went on to rule the family as a patriarch following the death of Stiven de Johnston.

Legacy

Stiven de Johnston is considered to have started the Johnstons of Hilton clan in eastern and northern Scotland, although there is still some debate as the Johnstons of Hilton name at Hutton Hall was not formally adopted until the 17th century. Considering that Stiven de Johnston was the first recorded property owner in Aberdeenshire with a last name of Johnston along with the substantial amount of land that he owned began the creation of multiple Johnston

Scottish clans 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 ...

which later spread throughout Scotland. His role as a patriarch through the acquisition of Scottish lands allowed the Johnston surname to spread through areas other than just the lowlands.

Sources

People from Aberdeenshire {{DEFAULTSORT:De Johnston, Stiven