Clan Stirling is a

Scottish clan 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 ...

of the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...

History

Origins of the clan

The Scottish town of

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 ...

and

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

lie at the crossroads of Scotland and this could account for the derivation of the name which means ''place of strife''. Appearing in a charter of

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

in around 1147 is Thoraldus who held the lands of

Cadder Cadder (Scottish Gaelic: ''Coille Dobhair'') is a district of the town of Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is located 7 km north of Glasgow city centre, 0.5 km south of the River Kelvin, and approximately 1.5 km nort ...

. His descendant was Alexander de Strivelyn, fifth Laird of Cadder who died in 1304.

Wars of Scottish Independence

During the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

Alexander's heir, Sir John de Strivelyn, was killed at the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seized ...

in 1333.

15th and 16th centuries

The grandson of Sir John de Strivelyn was Sir William who had two sons. The succession passed through his eldest son, also called William, for four generations. After this it passed to a grandson of the second son, Sir John de Strivelyn, third Laird of Cragernard. Sir John was the governor of the royal

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 Dumba ...

and sheriff of

Dumbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders P ...

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...

appointed him as Comptroller of the Royal Household and armour bearer. He was knighted in 1430. His son, William, acquired from the

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first earl ...

the lands of Glorat. William also held

and this appointment passed to his son, George, who defended it for the Crown between 1534 and 1547. George fought at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...

and died of wounds received there. In 1581 Malcom Kincaid of

Clan Kincaid Clan Kincaid is a Scottish 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 186 - 187 ...

was killed by a Stirling of Glovat (Glorat).

17th century and civil war

George's great grandson was Sir Mungo Stirling of Glorat who was a staunch supporter of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. In recognition of his bravery Charles knighted Sir Mungo. Sir Mungo's son was George Stirling who was 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 1666. The Stirlings of Keir had acquired the lands of Keir in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

in the mid 15th century when Prince James, son of

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. ...

rebelled against his father and Sir William Stirling of Keir was one of his supporters. Sir William Stirling's descendant, Sir Archibald Stirling of Keir was a prominent lawyer who supported the king during the Scottish Civil War and on the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of the monarchy in 1660. The Stirling of Garden branch of the clan descend from this Sir Archibald Stirling. He was also appointed to the Supreme Court with the title Lord Garden. His third son, James Stirling (1692 – 1770), was a prominent mathematician.

18th century and Jacobite risings

During both 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 The House of Stuart, ori ...

and 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 Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

the Stirling Lairds of Keir fought for the Stuarts. James Stirling of Keir was tried for high treason after the "Gathering of

Brig o' Turk Brig o' Turk ( gd, Àird Cheannchnocain) is a small rural village historically in Perthshire and today within the council area of Stirling, Scotland. It is situated in the Trossachs, a range of hills on the A821 road. Features Brig o' Turk ...

" in support of James Stuart's abortive invasion of 1708, but acquitted. His estates were forfeited for his part in the rising of 1715 but they were later restored. Walter Stirling of Faskine served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet by

George III of Great Britain George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. The Stirling of Faksine branch of the clan claimed descent from a nephew of

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 ...

but they were in fact a collateral branch of the Stirlings of Cadder. James Stirling of Drumpellier fought in the war against America in 1812 and was later made

Governor of Western Australia The governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of the monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. As with the other governors of the Australian states, the governor of Western Australia performs constitutional ...

Modern history

The Stirling family's historic connection with

continued into the twentieth century when in 1927 Sir George Stirling of Glorat was appointed keeper of the castle. Stirling of Garden was

Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk. This office replaced the Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire in 1975. *Edward Younger, 3rd Viscount Younger of Leckie 1975–1979 (previously Lord Lieutenant o ...

(until 2005). Sir

David Stirling Sir Archibald David Stirling (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British army, a mountaineer, and the founder and creator of the Special Air Service (SAS). He saw active service during the Second World War. ...

of the Stirling of Keir branch of the clan was the founder of the British special forces regiment, the

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...

, in World War II.

Clan chief

The current chief of Clan Stirling is Francis Stirling of Cadder, Chief of the Name and Arms of Stirling.

Clan castles

* Cadder Estate was the ancient seat of the chiefs of Clan Stirling. * Drumpellier House *

Keir House Keir House is a large country house near Stirling in central Scotland. It is located in the parish of Lecropt, north-west of Bridge of Allan, in the former county of Perthshire. The estate was home to the Stirling family from the 15th to the 2 ...

, several chiefs of Clan Stirling from the 15th century onwards have been sheriffs of Dunbarton. * Glorat House, Home to the Stirlings of Glorat

Spelling variations

:''Note: Clan Stirling has no recognized septs.'' Spelling variations of the name Stirling include (among others): Staereling, Stairline, Stairling, Starlin, Starling, Stairlink, Sterline, Sterling, Sterlink, Sterlline, Sterlling, Sterllink, Steuline, Steuling, Steulink, Stewline, Stewling, Stewlink, Stirine, Stiring, Stirink, Stirline, Stirling, Stirlink, Strifelan, Strifeland, Strifelane, Strifelant, Strifelen, Strifelend, Strifelent, Strifelind, Strifelint, Strifelyn, Strifelynd, Striffelan, Striffeland, Striffelane, Striffelant, Striffelen, Striffelend, Striffelent, Striffelind, Striffelint, Striffelyn, Striffelynd, Strivelan, Striveland, Strivelane, Strivelant, Strivelen, Strivelend, Strivelent, Strivelind, Strivelint, Strivelyn, Strivelynd, Sturline, Sturling, Sturlink, Styrline, Styrling, Styrlink.

References

External links

Clan Stirling Online
{{Scottish clans

Scottish Lowlands