Clan Guthrie is a

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 family of Guthrie took their name from the lands of the same name in the county of

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

and their name is one of the oldest in that county. The origin of the name Guthrie is not known, although there is a tradition that the lands were named Guthrie by an early king of Scots, after a fisherman ''gut three'' fish to serve his hungry monarch. In about 1178

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

granted the lands of Gutherin to

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, who ...

. The family were royal falconers and subsequently purchased these lands.

Wars of Scottish Independence

The Laird of Guthrie was sent 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 ...

in 1299 to invite

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...

to return to Scotland. The mission was successful and Guthrie landed with Wallace at

Montrose, Angus Montrose ( , gd, Monadh Rois) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Situated north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen, Montrose lies between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers. It is the northernmost coastal town in Angus ...

. The early charters of the Guthrie family have since been lost but it seems certain that they obtained the Barony of Guthrie from

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 ...

15th century

In August 1442, Alexander Guthrie of Guthrie witnessed a charter by Alexander Seton, lord of Gordon to Lord Keith. He acquired the lands of Kincaldrum near

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a pop ...

in 1446 and became Baillie of Forfar. Sir David Guthrie of Guthrie was armour bearer to the king, captain of the guard and was appointed Lord Treasurer of Scotland in 1461. He also obtained a charter under the great seal to build Guthrie Castle in 1468 and in 1473 was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Scotland. David greatly increased the Guthrie estates and founded a collegiate church at Guthrie which was confirmed in a Papal bull of 1479.

16th century and clan conflicts

David's son, Sir Alexander Guthrie, was killed 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 ...

in 1513. In 1567 the Guthries signed a bond upholding the authority of the infant James VI of Scotland against that of his mother,

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 ...

. Around the same time the Clan Guthrie were feuding with their neighbours, the Clan Gardyne. Alexander Guthrie had been assassinated at Inverpeffer and the Guthries retaliated. The feud lasted until 1618,Clan Guthrie History
scotclans.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013. when the Guthries were saved from their actions by a royal pardon.

17th century and civil war

In the early seventeenth century the estate passed through cousins until 1636 when John Guthrie, Bishop of Moray became the eleventh chief of Clan Guthrie. Guthrie had been ordained at Perth and had become minister of St Giles 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 ...

in 1621. He took up residence at

Spynie Palace Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years in Spynie, Moray, Scotland. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th century. It is situated about 500 m from the locat ...

in 1623 and was consecrated Bishop of Moray. During the Scottish Civil War he was forced to surrender his castle to the forces of Colonel Monroe, retiring to his own estates in Guthrie. His third son, Andrew, fought for

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 ...

but was captured 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, ...

. Andrew was sentenced to death and beheaded by the Scottish "

Maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

" in January 1646 in St Andrews. Andrew's daughter, Bethia, married a kinsman, Francis Guthrie of Gagie, and as a result the title and estates remained with the Guthrie family. Henry Guthrie, Bishop of Dunkeld, was a cousin of John Guthrie, the Bishop of Moray. The Guthries were religious leaders in the time of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

and were champions of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

against the Roman Catholic Church.Clan Guthrie History
guthrie.org. Retrieved 5 September 2013. They were ready to back up their beliefs with their lives and were true to their reputation of 'holding a sword in one hand, a Bible in the other'. James Guthrie, who was of the chiefly family, was a Covenanter minister who became one of that movement's early martyrs. He was ordained the minister of Lauder in 1638 and moved to

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

in 1649. He preached openly against the king's religious policies and was stripped of his office by the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, whose authority Guthrie had challenged. He continued to preach until 1661 when he was sentenced to death and executed.

18th and 19th centuries

A branch of the Clan Guthrie were the Guthries of Halkerton who held their barony by right of the office of royal falconers in Angus. However this title and office were only relinquished under the terms of the Heritable Jurisdictions Act in 1747. John Douglas Guthrie of Guthrie served in the cavalry during the 1882 Egyptian campaign. He married Mary, daughter of Duncan Davidson of Tulloch. Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Guthrie of Guthrie was the last chief of Clan Guthrie to live at Guthrie Castle. He was born in 1886, he became a distinguished soldier, commanding the 4th Battalion the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

The clan today

Guthrie Castle was purchased by the e laPeña family in 1984, and is now a venue for

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s, business meetings, and

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

. There is an active fraternal organization, Clan Guthrie USA, dedicated to preserving and promoting Guthrie heritage.

Clan Chief

The previous chief was Alexander Ivan Bedini Guthrie of Guthrie 22nd of that Ilk, who inherited the title from his grandmother Moira Guthrie of Guthrie in 1990. Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1967, he was educated in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

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 ...

and attended UCL; he lived between

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Monte Argentario Monte Argentario is a ''comune'' (municipality) and a peninsula belonging to the Province of Grosseto in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence and about south of Grosseto. The peninsula is connected with the mainland by thre ...

and the UK. Guthrie of Guthrie died in London of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

on 23 March 2020. He was succeeded by Christian Guthrie of Guthrie, 23rd of that Ilk,Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs - select "Guthrie" from the drop down list and click "View"
clanchiefs.org. Retrieved 5 September 2013 as the 23rd Chief of Clan Guthrie.

Tartans

Clan Castles

* Guthrie Castle: Is a historic site, and is well known in Scotland.Guthrie Castle
guthriecastle.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013. Located near

in Angus, the castle was built in 1468 under a warrant granted by King James III of Scotland to his treasurer, Sir David Guthrie.Clan Guthrie - Castles
guthrie.org. Retrieved 5 September 2013. It originally consisted of only the square tower, and a yett (entrance gate). The yett was a symbol of trust in an era when the King wasn't anxious for his subjects to be heavily fortified. The tower has walls 14 feet thick, which discouraged invaders until the invention of modern artillery. It is believed that the family stopped living in the tower, and built a house close by around 1760. In 1848, John Guthrie, with the help of architect David Bryce, connected the tower and the house.Guthrie Castle
angushead.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013. Major renovations were carried out by John and Harriet Maude Guthrie in the 1850s. Later, the railroad which ran from Forfar to Guthrie actually had tracks passing along the top of the main gate. Guthrie Castle was sold in 1984 to the Penna family. After 19 years as their private residence, the family opened the castle to the public (by prior reservation).Guthrie Castle - Haunting Beauty
scotland.com. Retrieved 5 September 2013. Today, it's a popular venue for weddings and special events, including golf on the property course. The castle has a reputation of being haunted. The ghost was last seen by one of the present members of the Guthrie family when she was a little girl. There have been other experiences since the Peña family first inhabited it in September 1984. *Gagie House: Near Dundee, was built in 1614. It served as the dower house for the Laird-to-be of Guthrie Castle. The eldest son of the Laird was often given Gagie on his marriage, and he lived here until his father died. He then moved with his family into Guthrie Castle, and his eldest son took up residence in Gagie House. Gagie has been altered in each century, but still maintains its 17th-century charm. The garden wall was originally a defensive bamkin wall, and is attached to the house. In the garden is the summer house, built by John and Jean Guthrie in 1762. Gagie contains a number of family portraits that formerly graced the walls of Guthrie Castle. They were purchased by the Friends of the Guthrie Castle when they were auctioned upon the sale of the castle. Gagie is now owned by the Smoors, and they welcomed visiting Guthries. According to Clan Guthrie USA's May 2013 newsletter, Gagie house is now for sale. *

Torosay Castle Torosay Castle is a large house situated south of Craignure on the Isle of Mull, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. Castle History The buildings and gardens were listed by Historic Scotland in 1987. The agency indicates that the property was ori ...

: Located on the Isle of Mull, Torosay Castle was acquired in 1865 by Arburthnot Charles Guthrie, a wealthy London businessman. It served as his getaway. The castle has over 60 rooms, and is surrounded by an estate of over 12,000 acres. Torosay was sold in 2012 to the McLean Fund and closed to the public for a year. Opening with a private family dinner in December 2013. Christopher Guthrie-James, former Laird of the Estate said "it was with a sense of relief, rather than regret, that we sold the family home at Torosay." Kenneth Donald McLean sixth Laird has spent more than £1 million restoring the castle and gardens.

Branches of Clan Guthrie

Although the Guthries of Guthrie were the main line of the family, many offshoots existed, some of them mentioned in an old rhyme: "Guthrie o' Guthrie and Guthrie o' Gagie Guthrie o' Taybank an' Guthrie o' Craigie."

Clan Guthrie USA

Clan Guthrie USA is a nonprofit, fraternal organization of over 400 Guthrie families who have joined to promote and preserve their common heritage.Welcome to Clan Guthrie - Membership
clanguthrie.org. Retrieved 5 September 2013. The organization participates in Scottish Highland festivals, sells Guthrie merchandise, publishes a quarterly newsletter, sponsors special events (such as Scotland reunion tours), and maintains a Guthrie genealogy database.Clan Guthrie (home page)
clanguthrie.org. Retrieved 5 September 2013.

References

External links

Clan Guthrie USA
{{Scottish clans Guthrie