Clan Johnstone is a Border Reiver

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 ...

.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). Published in 1994. Pages 178 - 179.

History

Origins of the clan

The Clan Johnstone were once one of the most powerful of the Border Reiver Scottish clans. They originally settled in Annandale and for over six hundred years they held extensive possessions in the west of the Scottish Marches, where they kept watch against the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The first of the clan to be recorded was John Johnstone, whose son, Gilbert, is found in records after 1194. Sir John Johnstone was a knight of the county of

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...

. He is found on the Ragman Rolls of 1296, swearing 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 va ...

. In 1381 his great-grandson son was appointed Warden of the Western Marches.

15th century and clan conflicts

The Warden's son was Adam Johnstone who was the first Laird of Johnstone. Adam Johnstone fought at the

Battle of Sark The Battle of Sark, alternatively called the Battle of Lochmaben Stone, was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, since the Bat ...

in 1448. Adam's son fought for

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

in the desperate struggle against the

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. Th ...

and was instrumental in suppressing that rebellion against the Crown. The king rewarded him with the lands of Buittle and Sannoch near

Threave Castle Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, west of Castle Douglas in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. Built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim, it was a stronghold of ...

that had previously belonged to the Douglases of

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or ...

16th century and clan conflicts

The Johnstones had a long feud with the Clan Moffat who were another Scottish border clan.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). Published in 1994. Pages 274 - 275. In 1557 the feud climaxed with murder of the Moffat chief, Robert Moffat. The Johnstones then went on to burn the local church with the most important members of the Moffat family inside, slaughtering anyone who tried to escape. The Clan Moffat was almost wiped out and seventy years later all of the Moffat's lands were passed to the Johnstones due to the Moffats having massive debts. Unlike many of their neighbours who raided each other's lands, the Johnstones only raided England. However they did have a feud with the Clan Maxwell in 1593 when

Lord Maxwell Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

was killed along with many of his men at the Battle of Dryfe Sands. Later in 1608, in a meeting to reconcile their differences, Lord Maxwell treacherously killed Johnstone. Maxwell was later captured and executed by hanging. As of June 2020 the link is redirected to an unrelated site.

17th century and Civil War

In 1633,

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 ...

created James Johnstone, chief of Clan Johnstone as Lord Johnstone of Lochwood. Ten years later he was created Earl of Hartfell. He joined

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 Th ...

after the

Battle of Kilsyth The Battle of Kilsyth, fought on 15 August 1645 near Kilsyth, was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The largest battle of the conflict in Scotland, it resulted in victory for the Royalist general Montrose over the forces of t ...

in 1645 but was captured at the Battle of Philiphaugh. His son, James, was imprisoned for some time in

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dum ...

, Glasgow Castle, St Andrews Castle and

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

. However

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...

later created him

Earl of Annandale and Hartfell Earl of Annandale and Hartfell is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1661 for James Johnstone. In 1625, the title of Earl of Annandale had been created for John Murray, but it became extinct when his son James died without heirs. J ...

. Another branch of the Clan Johnstone were the Johnstones of

Caskieben Caskieben ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Gasach beinn'' "Wooded Hill", later Keith Hall) Caskieben was a palisaded tower built by the Garviach family during the 12th-century Norman expansion into Scotland. It stood on a low, circular mound surrounded by ...

. Sir George Johnstone of

was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1626. The third baronet fought for William of Orange at the

Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ga, Cath na Bóinne ) was a battle in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II of England and Ireland, VII of Scotland, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and J ...

in 1690.

18th century

William Johnstone, third Earl of Hartfell and second Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, was raised to the rank of Marquess of Annandale in 1701. William Johnstone held many important state offices including President of the Privy Council and Secretary of State.

James Johnstone, 2nd Marquess of Annandale James Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Annandale and Hartfell and 2nd Marquess of Annandale (c.1687–1730) was a Scottish politician who sat in the British House of Commons briefly in 1708 before being disqualified as eldest son of a Scottish peer. John ...

, died in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

in 1730. He had enjoyed the family estate and dignities for only nine years. He was succeeded by George, 3rd Marquess of Annandale, who was found in 1747 to be incapable of managing his affairs and a curator was appointed. Upon his death in 1792 the family titles became dormant and the estates fell upon his grand-nephew,

James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun FRSE (23 August 1741 – 29 May 1816), known as Viscount Aithrie from 1742 to 1781, was a Scottish Representative Peer and military leader. Life Hopetoun was the son of John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun ...

Clan chief

*Clan chief: The 11th

, Lord Johnstone, 26th Chief of the Name and Arms of Johnstone, 11th Hereditary Steward of Annandale and 11th Hereditary Keeper of Lochmaben Palace. Several unsuccessful attempts were made in the 19th century to revive the Annandale titles and it was not until 1971 that any progress was made, based on a charter of 1662. The Annandale Johnstones were confirmed as chiefs of Clan Johnstone and in 1982 the

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants ...

recognised Major Percy Johnstone of Annandale as baron of the earldom of Annandale and Hartfell and of the lordship of Johnstone, Hereditary Stewart of the Stewartry of Annandale, and Hereditary Keeper of Lochmaben Castle. Then in 1985 a case was presented to the House of Lords in which the Court found in favour of Major Percy Johnstone's son, Patrick, as chief of the name and arms of Johnstone.

Tartan

References

External links

Clan Johnston/e in America

Clan Johnston/e in Ireland.Clan Johnston/e in Europe.
{{Scottish clans

Johnstone Johnstone ( sco, Johnstoun,
gd, Baile Iain) is a town ...