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KIRKPATRICK
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he name of Kirkpatrick is
common in Dumfries-shire, where it is derived from a chapel
in the Church of the Convent of the Minorite Friars (Greyfriars
Church) dedicated to St Patrick in the parish of Closeburn.
The name is thus literally derived from this place, the
church of Patrick, to forever commemorate the bloody deed
that took place in that church in 1306. Whether fact or
legend it is what adds colour to Scottish history that
fascinates people around the world. |
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According to tradition, the
family of Kirkpatrick of Closeburn has held lands in this
dale since the ninth century. They first appear in records
in the twelfth century, when Ivone de Kirkpatrick witnessed
a charter of the Bruce family. Alexander II granted a
charter of conÂfirmation to Ivone of his lands. |
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Roger Kirkpatrick was one of the attendants of Robert the Bruce at
Dumfries when he met and slew the Red Comyn. Kirkpatrick is
said to have met The Bruce rushing out of the church
exclaiming that be believed he had killed Comyn. Kirkpatrick
drew his dagger with the words, “I’ll mak siccar” or “I mak
sicker” meaning “I’ll make sure” and went into
Patrick’s church and finished the task! This became the
Clan motto and is surprisingly one of the few Scottish Clan
mottos that is in Scots dialect. The Clan crest is described
in heraldic terminology as “A hand holding a dagger in pale
distilling drops of blood, Proper. Roger’s bold and gruesome
act is therefore commemorated forever in the annuals of
Scottish history for all to know. |
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In 1314 he was sent
as an emissary
with Sir Neil Campbell to
England and in recompense the family received the lands of
Redburgh. In 1355 Sir Roger Kirkpatrick distinguished
himself by taking Caerlaverock and Dalswinton Castles from
the English, thus preserving Nithsdale. His kinsman, Sir
James Lindsay, in a private quarrel in 1357, murdered him.
The title passed through a nephew to Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick,
who had a charter of resignation to the baronies of
Closeburn and Redburgh from Robert, Duke of Albany, in 1409.
His grandson, another Sir Thomas, was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Solway Moss in 1542. The estate again passed
through a cousin and in 1685 Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of
Closeburn, for his fidelity to the cause of Charles I, was
created a Baronet of Nova Scotia. |
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The mansion house built by
the first Baronet was later destroyed by fire. Sir James,
the fourth Baronet, sold the estate of Closeburn. William
Kirkpatrick, a descendent of the Kirkpatrick of Conheath,
was a wine merchant in Malaga in Spain, who married the
eldest daughter of a Belgian baron. His great-granddaughter,
Eugenie, became the last Empress of France when she married
Napoleon III. |
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The names Kirkpatrick and
Kilpatrick have long been associated with the Clan Colquhoun
although there is also a strong connection with the Clan
Douglas.
There is no current Clan
Chief of the Kirkpatrick’s or a Clan tartan. They are
considered, by Lord Lyon as a lowland
armigerous Scottish Clan. There are
several variations of the Kirkpatrick name; Kilpatric,
Kilpatrick, and Gilpatrick. |
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Written and researched by Louis James
Elder.
http://www.celticstudio.com e-mail: orders@celticstudio.com |
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Clan
Tartans