Colquhoun Family Line

Colquhoun Family Line

________________________________________________________________________________

Grandy's 11x Great-Grandmother:

My 13x Great-Grandmother:

Laila Laemmel-Gordon's 14x Great-Grandmother:

Catherine Anne Colquhoun (1522 - 1601)

Catherine Anne MacFarlane

Catherine Colquhoun

Katherine Anne Colquhoun

Also known as: "Katherine", "Annie"

Birthdate: ca. 1515-1522

Birthplace: Luss, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic / Presbyterian

Date of Marriage: July 17, 1543

Family

Spouse:

Duncan MacFarlane, 13th Baron of Arrochar (1520 - 1547)

Duncan MacFarlane, 13th Baron of Arrochar, 10th Chief

Also known as: "Duncan Macfarlane of that Ilk", "McFarlane"

Birthdate: ca. 1520

Birthplace: Annochar, Dumbarton, Argyle, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic / Presbyterian

Titles of Nobility: 10th Clan Chief and 13th Baron of Arrochar 1544-1547

Military Service: (fought in numerous battles - see info in family line)

First Marriage

Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss married Helen Erskine. The Scots Peerage A record of the marriage has not been found but Helen is identified as the mother of Sir John Colquhoun of Luss in a dispensation of marriage for her grandson Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss dated 13 July 1509. Helen Erskine is identified as "quandam Helenam Erskyn" in this deed and it would appear, therefore, that she died before this date. Protocols

According to William Fraser, it was Jean Erskine who married Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss .The Chiefs of Colquhoun, i, pp. 55-70 However, James Balfour Paul correctly identifies her as Helen Erskine. The Scots Peerage, v, pp. 606-07

Children of the First

Sir John Colquhoun of Luss, Kt.

Walter Colquhoun

Patrick Colquhoun of Drumskeoch

Humphrey Colquhoun

Archibald Colquhoun

Agnes Colquhoun of Luss

Elizabeth Colquhoun of Luss

Second Marriage

Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss married Marion Baillie.

Evidence from the Protocol Book of Cuthbert Simons

13 July 1509: Dispensation for a marriage between Humphrey Colquhoun of Luss and Helen Graham, daughter of the Earl of Montrose.Liber Protocollrum M Cuthbert Simonis, A.D. 1499-1513, protocol number376 on pp. 295-96

Published Evidence

Joseph Bain, FSA (Scot). and Reverend Charles Rogers, LL.D., Liber Protocollrum M Cuthbert Simonis Notarii Publici et Scribae Capituli Glasguensis, A.D. 1499-1513. Also Rental Book of the Diocese of Glasgow, A.D. 1509-1570, Vol. II (Grampian Club, London, 1875), 537 pp. including indexes

Genealogical Accounts

William Fraser, The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country, Vol. I (Edinburgh, 1869), 417 pp. including index

Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyon King of Arms, The Scots Peerage etc., Vol. V (David Douglas, Edinburgh, 1908), 640 pp.

Darryl Lundy's Peerage

Sir John Colquhoun, 9th Laird of Colquhoun, 11th of Luss (1420 - 1478)

Sir Ian Colquhoun

Sir John Colquhoun of Luss

Birthdate: 1420

Birthplace: Camstradden, Luss, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Occupation: 24 March 1465-6, Knight. Comptroller of the Exchequer, of half of the lands of Kilmendoning, in the shire of Dumbarton.

Title of Nobility: 1474 Made Great Chamberlain of Scotland (Third highest office in commonwealth, ranking next to those of Chancellor and Justicar).

Honors: 1474, Scotland, Lord High Chamberlain.

Occupation: Sheriff of Dumbarton

Title of Nobility: 7 September 1477 Appointed Governor of Castle of Dumbarton.

Sir John Colquhoun, 8th Laird of Colquhoun, 10th of Luss (1370 - 1439)

Iain of Luss

Sir John "8th of Colquhoun and 10th of Luss" Colquhoun

Birthdate: 1370

Birthplace: Colquhoun, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Christened: October 22, 1360 at Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Title: Governor of Dumbarton Castle - appointed governor of the castle of Dumbarton, by King James I, for his fidelity to that king during his imprisonment in England.

Occupation: Appointed Governor of the Castle of Dumbarton by King James I

Children:

1. Sir Robert Colquhoun 7th of Colquhoun, 9th of Luss 1366–1408

2. Mary Colquhoun 1367–1456

3. Sir John Colquhoun 8th of Colquhoun, 10th of Luss 1370–1439

4. Patrick Colquhoun of Glens 1372–

5. Christian Colquhoun 1374–

Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, 4th Laird of Colquhoun (1280 - 1330)

Umphridus De Colquhoun

Humphrey de Colquhoun, Knight

Sir Humphrey IV de Colquhoun, Knight

Sir Humphrey de Colquhoun, 4th of Colquhoun

Sir Humphrey de Colquhoun 4th Laird of Colquhoun

Sir Humphrey "4th Colquhoun of that Ilk" Colquhoun

Also known as: "Umfredus de Culchoun, miles", "Umfrai de Kilwhone, Knight"

Birthdate: circa 1280

Birthplace: Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Event: Succeeded Ingelramus 1308 Luss, Dunbarton, Scotland. Received charter from King Robert the Bruce. He received a charter of the barony of Luss from King Robert the Bruce in 1308 for special services and for never having deserted the king's interest.

Title of Nobility: Baron of Dumbarton

Military Service: Fought with Robert the Bruce at Battle of Bannockburn 1314, Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Event: Received charter from Bruce for his good services performed in battle - received Sauchy in Stirlingshire aft. 1314.

Event: Had charters of Colquhoun and Sauchy from Robert I, the bruce from 1306 to 1326 Luss, Dumbarton, Scotland

Death: after 1330 in Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Parents:

Sir Ingelramus de Colquhoun, 3rd of Colquhoun

1250-1308

[mother unknown]

Family

Spouse:

[wife unknown]

Children:

1. Sir Robert of Colquhoun 5th Lord of Colquhoun, 7th of Luss 1310–1390

About Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, 4th Laird of Colquhoun

Humphrey Colquhoun was the 4th Laird Colquhoun from 1308-1330.

He was born about 1280, though that date is by no means certain. The name of his mother is unknown.

From the 1844 book, The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country, by Sir William Fraser, written for (at that time) the current Laird, James Colquhoun of Colquhoun and Luss, Baronet:

Humphrey of Colquhoun, who flourished in the reign of King Robert the Bruce, succeeded Ingelramus about the year 1308 and may be presumed to have been his son. He received a charter of the barony of Luss from King Robert the Bruce in 1308, for his special service, and for never having deserted Bruce's interest.

On the 26th April 13098, he was witness to a charter by King Robert the Bruce, which confirmed to Robert Wischart, Bishop of Glasgow, all the churches, lands, rents, possessions, and goods pertaining to that Bishop. In this charter, he is designated "Umfredus de Culchoun, miles."

This charter, dated at Arbroath, to which Humphrey of Colquhoun, knight, was witness, is worthy of special notice, from its connection with the history of the times in which he lived, and with events in regard to which he doubtless took a deep interest.

Robert Wischart, Bishop of Glasgow, in whose favour it was made, was a strenuous defender of the independence of Scotland.

Humphrey of Colquhoun was in the army of Bruce at Bannockburn; and the valour and skill he then displayed attracted the special notice of his sovereign, who granted him a charter of Sauchy, in Stirlingshire, for his good service performed in battle.

Sir Humphrey of Colquhoun was also witness to a charter by Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, to John of Luss, granting him certain privileges and immunities within the bounds of his lands of Luss. This charter is undated, but it was confirmed by King Robert on 6 March 1316, from which it may be presumed that it was granted shortly before that date.

There is a Malcolm Culchone who received from King David II (1329 - 1371) a charter of the lands of Gask, and of 13s. 4d. out of the lands of Balmelyn, in the shire of Aberdeen; but whether he was related to Sir Humphrey of Colquhoun we are unable to determine. In 1329, Malcolme of Culchone, who received annually 10 pounds from the royal exchequer till he should be otherwise provided for, was paid by the chamberlain, during the last term of his account for that year, the sum of 100 shillings. In the year 1357, there was paid by Sir Robert of Pebles, the Chamberlain of Scotland, to Malcolm of Culwone, who is probably the same person as the preceding amount, the sum of 6 pounds, 13s, 4d. for the King's use.

We do not know the name of Humphrey’s wife but his heir was Robert Colquhoun, the 5th Laird Colquhoun.

Umfrai de Kilwhone, Knight rendered homage to the king in 1296. Sir Umfredus de Kelquon witnessed a confirmation charter by King Robert to Sir John Colquhoun in 1308. He received a charter of the barony of Luss from King Robert the Bruce in 1308 for special services and for never having deserted the king's interest. On 26 Apr. 1309 he was a witness to a charter by King Robert where he was called "Umfredus de Culchoun, miles" which confirmed to Robert Wischart, Bishop of Glasgow, all the churches, lands, rents, possessions, and goods pertaining to that bishopric.(1) The good bishop was a staunch supporter of Scottish independence and was taken prisoner by the English at the castle of Cupar in 1306. The bishop was still in prison when the charter was granted and King Robert expresses his feelings towards him under his long imprisonment: "Since it would be a pernicious example, and dissonant to reason, to render evil for good, much more since it is a laudable demonstration of gratitude to show favor to those who have deserved well by a suitable recompense, we, deeply pondering, as we are bound, the imprisonment and chains, the persecutions and weariness which the venerable father, Lord Robert, by the grace of God, Bishop of Glasgow, has hitherto constantly endured and still patiently endures, for the rights of the Church and of our Kingdom of Scotland, we have freely granted to the said Lord Bishop all his churches, lands, rents, possessions, and good".(2) The poor bishop was not released until after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Having gone blind while in prison, he died only two years after his release.

Sir Humphrey was in the Bruce's army at Bannockburn and due to his good service performed in that battle he was granted a charter to Sauchy, Stirlingshire.

Sir Humphrey was a witness to a charter from Malcolm, 5th Earl of Lennox to Sir John de Luss which was confirmed by Robert the Bruce in 1316.(3)

The following reference is to the creation of a house ad opus Culquhanorum, by order of King Robert Bruce:

"Item, in construccione cujusdam domus ad opus Culquhanorum Domini Regis ibidem, 10 solidi." Mr. Tyler in a note says that Culquhanorum is "an obsure word, which occurs nowhere else - conjectured by a learned friend to be 'keepers of the dogs', from the Gaelic root Gillen-au-con - abbreviated, Gillecon, Colquhoun." (4)

Issue-

· 4I. ROBERT- m. ______ LUSS

Ref:

(1) Registrum Episcopatus Glasguensis- Vol. I, p. 220

(2) Ibid- p. 36

(3) Cartularium Comitatus de Levanax- p. 22

(4) Extracted from the Compotum Constabularii de Cardross, vol. I, in the accounts of the Great Chamberlains of Scotland, under date 30 Jul 1329, as quoted by Mr. Tyler in the appendix to the second volume of his "History of Scotland"

The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country- William Fraser, Edinburgh, 1869- Vol. I, pp. 7-9

"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

Ingelram was a witness to a charter to the lands of Luss from Malcolm, 4th Earl of Lennox to Malcolm de Luss between the years 1292 and 1333.(1) He received a charter from King Robert the Bruce to Salakhill (Sauchie), Stirlingshire, the part formerly given to Osbert, son of Forsynth, amounting to 100/ for the service of two bowmen and three suits of court being reserved. The charter is undated, however, must have been granted after Mar. 1306 when King Robert began his reign.(2)

Issue-

· 4I. HUMPHREY-

Ref:

(1) Cartularium de Levenax- p. 24

(2) Harleian MSS- No. 4628, 2, at the British Museum

The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country- William Fraser, Edinburgh, 1869- Vol. I, pp. 6-7

"The Scottish Nation"- William Anderson, A. Fullarton & Co., Edinburgh, 1880

Robert de Colquhoun, 2nd Laird of Colquhoun (1220 - 1280)

Sir Robert de Colquhoun, Knight

Sir Robert "Robert 2nd of Colquhoun" Colquhoun

Also Known As: "Robertus de Colquhoun", "said by tradition to be the first to take the name Colquhoun"

Birthdate: 1220

Birthplace: Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Event: Inherited, 1260, Colquhoun & Kilpatrick lands

Death: 1280 in Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Parents:

Umfridus de Kilpatrick I, of Colquhoun

1190-1260

Isobell [unknown]

1190-

Family

Spouse:

Jean [unknown]

1220-

Also known as: "Joan"

Birthdate: circa 1220

Birthplace: Luss, Dumbarton, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Marriage: [date unknown] [location unknown]

Death: [unknown]

Immediate Family:

Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

Children:

1. Sir Ingelramus de Colquhoun 3rd of Colquhoun 1250–1308

About Robert de Colquhoun, 2nd Laird of Colquhoun

Note: Humphrey de Kilpatrick's son is said by tradition to be the first to take the name Colquhoun

Umfridus de Kilpatrick I, of Colquhoun (1190 - 1260)

Umfridus de Kilpatrick de Colquhoun

Umphredus de Kilpatrick

Umfrai de Kilwhone, Knight

Sir Umfredus de Kelquon

Humphry de Colquhoun

Umfridus de Kilpatrick, 1st of Colquhoun

Umfridus de Kilpatrick, 1st Laird of Colquhoun

Also known as: "Umfredus de Culchoun, miles", "Sir Humphrey", "Sir Umfridus Colquhoun", "Humphrey de Kilpatrick and de Colquhoun", "Hunfrið of Colquhoun", "Umfridus de Kilpatrick", "Sir Hunfrio de Colquhoun", "Umphirous De Kilpatrick"

Birthdate: circa 1205

Birthplace: Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Event: Inherited, 1240, Colquhoun lands

Event: Obtained Charter Lands of Colquhoun, circa 1246, Dunbartonshire, Scotland Charter obtained from Maldouen, Third earl of Lennox. Translation of Charter---name changed to Colquhoun.

Title of Nobility: Humphrey of Kilpatrick was granted the barony of Colquhoun in the 13th century.

Death: 1249 in the Lennox, Kingdom of Scotland

Parents:

Gilbert de Kilpatrick

1150-1220

Annabelle [unknown]

1150-

Family

Spouse:

Isobell [unknown]

1190-

Lady Isobell (Kilpatrick) de Colquhoun

Birthdate: 1190

Birthplace: Luss, Dumbarton, Stratclyde, Scotland

Denomination: (probably) Roman Catholic

Date of Marriage: 1218

Place of Marriage: Luss, Dunbarton, Scotland

Death: [date unknown] in Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Immediate Family:

Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

Children:

1. Robert Colquhoun, 2nd Laird of Colquhoun 1220–1280

About Umfridus de Kilpatrick I, of Colquhoun

The name Colquhoun is territorial in origin from lands of this name in Dumbartonshire. In 1246, during the reign of Alexander II, Humprey de Kilpatrick obtained from Malcom, Earl of Lennox, a grant of the lands and barony of Colquhoun, in the parish of Old or West Kilpatrick, pro servitio unius militis, etc., and in consequence assumed the name of Colquhoun, instead of his own.

The original seat of the family was not on Loch Lomond side at all. Dunglass Castle, just below Bowling on the opening Firth of Clyde, at the spot where the old Roman Wall is believed to have had its western end, was the early seat of the race, and the three-mile stretch down the western shore of the Firth thence to Dunbarton rock formed the old barony of Colquhoun from which the family took its name.

Some five centuries ago, however, the laird of Colquhoun married the heiress of the older lairds of Luss, and thus by and by the headquarters of the family were removed to Loch Lomond side.

Dunglass Castle, situated in West Dunbartonshire on a rocky cliff overlooking the River Clyde.

About Humphrey de Colquhoun

Hunfrið of Colquhoun (a tentative portrait)

Umfridus de Kilpatrick—the earliest recorded patriarch. The toponymic byname de Kilpatrick may refer to Old Kilpatrick, a traditional birthplace of St. Patrick situated within Lennox. The name Umfridus is likely a Latin transliteration of the name Hunfrið, altered by adding the Latin “-us” suffix. This name seem largely of Germanic (Old English) tradition: Hunfrið is from the P.Germanic elements hun (warrior/strength) and frið (peace)—later replaced with the Norman-Germanic variation, Humphrey. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Scottish lowlands became a welcome place for many English refugees. Indeed, the Lowlands began to form as a distinct ethno-linguistic region of Scotland following this period in history. Thus, it seems possible that Hunfrið is a refugee of Angle stock* or that Hunfrið’s family came to the area as a result of royal policies which arranged for notables to come north and take up placed within the ‘aristocracy’ of Scotland. In fact, in 1222 Alexander II of Scotland led an army into the region of Argyle (the lords of which usually paid homage to the kings of Norway), subduing the region to his throne and subsequently distributed their lands among his officers and their men.** It seems likely these events had a major impact for Hunfrið, considering the proximity of Argyle to his former residence in Kilpatrick and that he came to acquire lands in this region around 1230.

Indeed, during the reign of Alexander II (1214-1249), Humfrid of Kilpatrick pro servitio unius militis to the king, obtained from Maldouen (Maol Domhnaich), First Earl of Lennox, a charter of the lands of Colquhoun, situated in the parish of Old (or West) Kilpatrick, within the earldom of Lennox and shire of Dumbarton:

"To all his friends, and men present and to come, Maldouen Earl of Lennox, greeting: Let all men present and to come know, that I have given, granted, and by this present charter have confirmed to Umfridus de Kilpatrick the whole land of Colquhoun, by its right divisions, with all its just pertinents, to be held by him and his heirs of me and my heirs in feu and heritage, freely, quietly, fully and honourably, in wood and plain, in meadows and pastures, in pools and mills, in fishings, and in all other easements belonging to the foresaid lands; he and his heirs rendering therefrom to me and my heirs the third part of the service of one knight for every service and exaction; before these witnesses, Sir Walter, Steward of our Lord the King, Malcolm my son, Gillaspec Galbraith, Hamelyn, Malcolm, Duncan, my brothers, Malcolm Beg, Doven my chamberlain, Fergus Maccomyng, and many others."***

Upon acquiring the lands of Colquhoun from Gilbert (fl.1150-1220), Laird of Colquhoun, apparently Hunfrið moved into Dunglass Castle, dropped his original surname of Kilpatrick, and adopted that of Colquhoun. Indeed, the adoption of toponymic bynames from the lands one acquired was a normal practice during the High Medieval Period. Hunfrið is thus our earliest recorded ancestor, a wandering Angle.

It has recently come to my attention that the name Hunfrið was the Old English variation of the name, which was then replaced with the Norman version Humphrey. I am uncertain if “Umfridus” should be understood as a Latin translation of the Old English name Hunfrið or if it should be understood as a Latin translation of the Norman name Humphrey. It would be helpful to see the sources with the original written form. It still remains possible that Umfridus is a descendent of those Normans who came to the Isle of Britain after William’s conquest in 1066.

Later problems with the region prompted attempts by Alexander to persuade Ewen, Lord of Argyle, to sever his allegiance to Haakon IV of Norway. When Ewen rejected these attempts, Alexander sailed with an army to compel him but he died in route of fever on the island of Kerrera on July 8th, 1249.

William Fraser, The Chiefs of Colquhoun and Their Country, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, 1869), 4-5. http://www.archive.org/stream/chiefsofcolquhou01fras#page/n5/mode/2up.

[The above sketch was done by me, James Paul Calhoun. I am currently in graduate school. Will return to do more thorough research when more time is available.]

Little is known about Gilbert, except that he was the Lord of huge tracts of land of the name Colquhoun, in Dumbartonshire, Scotland, born around 1150 AD. (Subsequently, the family name "Kilpatrick" was changed to "Colquhoun.")

As a result of his fueding with other clans these lands were forfeited to the crown in 1220 AD and acquired by Umfridus de Kilpatrick of Colquhoun, our first direct ancestor in this line. There is relatively little known about the early Colquhouns and nothing is known of their wives until the time of Sir Robert de Colquhoun (1350-1390), who married the heiress of Luss, thus adding that title and the accompanying lands to the Colquhoun estate. Sir John (or Iain) Colquhoun (1408-1459) held the office of Governor of Dumbarton Castle and married Jean Erskine, the daughter of Lord Robert Erskine.

His grandson, also Sir John or Iain (1459-1478) succeeded him and held the positions of Comptroller of the Exchequer (1460),Sheriff of Dumbartonshire (1471) and Great Chamberlain (1474) He was killed at the siege of Dunbar. The claim made that his wife, a Boyd, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boyd and Princess Mary of Scotland seems to be false (see notes below),however, another Boyd, Agnes (d. July 18, 1584 at Edinburgh), the daughter of Robert, the 5th Lord Boyd and his wife Mariota Colquhoun, was the descendant of this pair. (Agnes Boyd married Sir John Colquhoun XIII & XV of Luss, on Nov.15, 1564). This heritage is particularly interesting because Princess Mary's father, James II of Scotland, was the son of James I, whose marriage into the English royal house is a particularly dramatic and romantic tale: James, b. July 1394, had been sent to safety in France by his father, Robert III shortly before the later's death in 1406. The young Prince was captured by the English, however and held until1424, during which time he met and fell in love with Joan Beaufort, the granddaughter of John of Gaunt, who was the son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. The poem 'The Kinges Quaire' is reputed to have been written by James I about his captivity and romance with Joan

Umfrai de Kilwhone, Knight rendered homage to the king in 1296. Sir Umfredus de Kelquon witnessed a confirmation charter by King Robert to Sir John Colquhoun in 1308. He received a charter of the barony of Luss from King Robert the Bruce in 1308 for special services and for never having deserted the king's interest. On 26 Apr. 1309 he was a witness to a charter by King Robert where he was called "Umfredus de Culchoun, miles" which confirmed to Robert Wischart, Bishop of Glasgow, all the churches, lands, rents, possessions, and goods pertaining to that bishopric.(1) The good bishop was a staunch supporter of Scottish independance and was taken prisoner by the English at the castle of Cupar in 1306. The bishop was still in prison when the charter was granted and King Robert expresses his feelings towards him under his long imprisonment: "Since it would be a pernicious example, and dissonant to reason, to render evil for good, much more since it is a laudable demonstration of gratitude to show favour to those who have deserved well by a suitable recompense, we, deeply pondering, as we are bound, the imprisonment and chains, the persecutions and weariness which the venerable father, Lord Robert, by the grace of God, Bishop of Glasgow, has hitherto constantly endured and still patriently endures, for the rights of the Church and of our Kingdom of Scotland, we have freely granted to the said Lord Bishop all his churches, lands, rents, possessions, and good".(2) The poor bishop was not released until after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Having gone blind while in prison, he died only two years after his release.

Sir Humphrey was in the Bruce's army at Bannockburn and due to his good service performed in that battle he was granted a charter to Sauchy, Stirlingshire.

Sir Humphrey was a witness to a charter from Malcolm, 5th Earl of Lennox to Sir John de Luss which was confirmed by Robert the Bruce in 1316.(3)

The following reference is to the creation of a house ad opus Culquhanorum, by order of King Robert Bruce:

"Item, in construccione cujusdam domus ad opus Culquhanorum Domini Regis ibidem, 10 solidi." Mr. Tyler in a note says that Culquhanorum is "an obsure word, which occurs nowhere else - conjectured by a learned friend to be 'keepers of the dogs', from the Gaelic root Gillen-au-con - abbreviated, Gillecon, Colquhoun." (4)

Children:

1. Umfridus de Colquhoun 1st Lord of Colquhoun 1190–1260

About Gilbert de Kilpatrick

Little is known about Gilbert, except that he was the Lord of huge tracts of land of the name Colquhoun, in Dumbartonshire, Scotland, born around 1150 AD. (Subsequently, the family name "Kilpatrick" was changed to "Colquhoun.")

As a result of his fueding with other clans these lands were forfeited to the crown in 1220 AD and acquired by Umfridus de Kilpatrick of Colquhoun, our first direct ancestor in this line. There is relatively little known about the early Colquhouns and nothing is known of their wives until the time of Sir Robert de Colquhoun (1350-1390), who married the heiress of Luss, thus adding that title and the accompanying lands to the Colquhoun estate. Sir John (or Iain) Colquhoun (1408-1459) held the office of Governor of Dumbarton Castle and married Jean Erskine, the daughter of Lord Robert Erskine.

His grandson, also Sir John or Iain (1459-1478) succeeded him and held the positions of Comptroller of the Exchequer (1460),Sheriff of Dumbartonshire (1471) and Great Chamberlain (1474) He was killed at the siege of Dunbar. The claim made that his wife, a Boyd, was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boyd and Princess Mary of Scotland seems to be false (see notes below),however, another Boyd, Agnes (d. July 18, 1584 at Edinburgh), the daughter of Robert, the 5th Lord Boyd and his wife Mariota Colquhoun, was the descendant of this pair. (Agnes Boyd married Sir John Colquhoun XIII & XV of Luss, on Nov.15, 1564). This heritage is particularly interesting because Princess Mary's father, James II of Scotland, was the son of James I, whose marriage into the English royal house is a particularly dramatic and romantic tale: James, b. July 1394, had been sent to safety in France by his father, Robert III shortly before the later's death in 1406. The young Prince was captured by the English, however and held until1424, during which time he met and fell in love with Joan Beaufort, the granddaughter of John of Gaunt, who was the son of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. The poem 'The Kinges Quaire' is reputed to have been written by James I about his captivity and romance with Joan.

Research Notes

Gilbert nor his wife are found in The chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country, Volume I. That book starts with the person attached as a son Humphry Colquhoun and covers a vast amount of Colquhoun family history - Lenover-1 00:57, 23 December 2015 (EST) [1]

Sources

WikiTree profile Kilpatrick-75 created through the import of pshinn geneology 2011-6-7.ged on Jun 11, 2011 by Paul Shinn.

WikiTree profile UNKNOWN-89262 created through the import of YOUNG.ged on Jul 12, 2011 by Zak Young.

↑ William Fraser, The chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country, Volume I (Edinburgh: James Colquhoun, 1869), p. 4-5, digital images, https://archive.org/stream/chiefsofcolquhou01fras#page/n37/mode/2up. Internet Archive https://archive.org : accessed 22 December 2015).

References:

https://www.geni.com/people/Gilbert-de-Kilpatrick/6000000005597651993

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GCHF-2L4

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Colquhoun-82

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Colquhoun Clan

Colquhoun Clan Crest: A stags head.

Gaelic Name: Maca’Chobaich

Motto: Si Je Puis (If I can)

Badge: Hazel

Lands: Loch Lomond-side

Origin of Name: Placename, Dunbartonshire

Pipe Music: The Colquhoun’s March

Clan Chief: Malcolm Colquhoun of Luss Bt

Colquhoun Modern Tartan

Dumbarton Rock, Dumbarton Castle, Scotland

Clan Colquhoun History

The territory of the Colquhouns is in Dumbartonshire, and the principle families of the name are Colquhoun of Colquhoun and Luss, the chief of the clan, a baronet of Scotland and Nova Scotia, created in 1704, and of Great Britain in 1786; Colquhoun of Killermont and Gardcadden; Colquhoun of Ardenconnel; and Colquhoun of Glenmillan. There was likewise Colquhoun of Tilliquhoun, a baronet of Scotland and Nova Scotia (1625), but this family is extinct.

The origin of the name is territorial. One tradition deduces the descent of the first possessor from a younger son of the old Earls of Lennox, because of the similarity of their armorial bearings. It is certain that they were anciently vassals of that potent house.

The immediate ancestor of the family of Luss was Humphry de Kilpatrick, who in the reign of Alexander II, not later than 1246, obtained from Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, a grant of the lands and barony of Colquhoun, in the parish of Old or West Kilpatrick, pro servitio unius militis, &c., and in consequence assumed the name of Colquhoun, instead of his own. His grandson, Ingelram, third Colquhoun, lived in the reign of Alexander III.

His son, Humphry de Colquhoun, is witness in a charter of Malcolm, fifth Earl of Lennox, in favour of Sir John de Luss, between the years 1292-1333. The following remarkable reference to the construction of a house ad opus Culquhanorum, by order of King Robert Bruce, is extracted from the Compotum Constabularii de Cardross, vol i., in the accounts of the Great Chamberlains of Scotland, under date July 1329, as quoted by Mr Tytler in the appendix to the second volume of his History of Scotland: "Item, in construcccione cujusdam domus ad opus Culquhanorum Domini Regis ibidem, 10 solidi." Mr Tytler in a note says that Culquhanorum is "an obscure word, which occurs nowhere else - conjectured by a learned friend to be 'keepers of the dogs', from the Gaelic root Gillen-au-con - abbreviated, Gillecon, Culquhoun."

Sir Robert de Colquhoun, supposed by Mr Fraser, the family historian, to be fifth in descent from the first Humphry, and son of a Humphry, the fourth of Colquhoun, in the reign of David Bruce, married in or previous to the year 1368 the daughter and sole heiress (known in the family tradition as "The Fair Maid of Luss") of Godfry de Luss, lord of Luss, head or chief of an ancient family of that name, and the sixth in a direct male line from Malduin, dean of Lennox, who, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, received from Alwyn, second Earl of Lennox, a charter of the lands of Luss. The Luss territories lie in the mountainous but beautiful and picturesque district on the margin of Loch Lommond, Sir Robert was designed "dominus de Colquhoun and de Luss," in a charter dated in 1368; since which time the family have borne the designation of Colquhoun of Colquhoun and Luss.

He is also witness in a charter of the lands of Auchmar by Walter of Faslane, Lord of Lennox, to Walter de Buchanan in 1373. He had four sons, namely - Sir Humphry, his heir; Robert, first of the family of Camstraddan, from whom several other families of the name of Colquhoun in Dumbartonshire are descended; Robert mentioned in the Camstradden charter as "frater junior"; and Patrick who is mentioned in a charter from his brother Sir Humphry to his other brother Robert.

The eldest son, Sir Humphry, sixth of Colquhoun, and eighth of Luss, is a witness in three charters by Duncan, Earl of Lennox, in the years 1393, 1394 and 1395. He died in 1406 and left three sons and two daughters. Partick, his youngest son, was ancestor of the Colquhouns of Glennis, from whom the Colquhouns of Barrowfield, Piemont, and others were descended. The second son, John, succeeded his eldest brother. The eldest son, Sir Robert, died in 1408, and was succeeded by his brother. Sir John Colquhoun was appointed governor of the castle of Dumbarton, by King James I, for his fidelity to that king during his imprisonment in England. From his activity in punishing the depredations of the Highlanders, who often committed great outrages in the low country of Dumbartonshire, he rendered himself obnoxious to them, and a plot was formed for his destruction. He received a civil message from some of their chiefs, desiring a friendly conference, in order to accommodate all their differences. Suspecting no treachery, he went out to meet them but slightly attended, and was immediately attacked by a numerous body of Islanders, under two noted robber-chiefs, Lachlan Maclean and Murdoch Gibson, and slain in Inchmurren, on Loch Lommond, in 1439. By his wife, Jean, daughter of Robert, Lord Erskine, he had a son, Malcolm, a youth of great promise. He died before his father, leaving a son, John, who succeeded his grandfather in 1439. This Sir John Colquhoun was one of the most distinguished men of his age in Scotland, and highly esteemed by King James III, from whom he got a charter in 1457 of the lands of Luss, Colquhoun, and Garscube, in Dumbartonshire, and of the lands of Glyn and Sauchie, in Stirlingshire, incorporating the whole into a free barony, to be called the Barony of Luss; and in the following year he obtained from the king a charter erecting into a free forest the lands of Rossdhu and Glenmachome. From 1465 to 1469 he held the high office of comptroller of the Exchequer, and was subsequently appointed sheriff principle of Dumbartonshire. In 1645 he got a grant of the lands of Kilmardinny, and in 1473 and in 1474, of Roseneath, Strone, &c. In 1474 he was appointed lord high chamberlain of Scotland, and immediately thereafter was nominated one of the ambassadors extraordinary to the Court of England, to negotiate a marriage between the Prince Royal of Scotland and the Princess Cicily, daughter of King Edward IV. By a royal charter dated 17th September 1477, he was constituted governor of the castle of Dumbarton for life. He was killed by a cannon-ball at the seige of Dumbarton Castle, probably in 1478. By his wife, daughter of Thomas, Lord Boyd, he had two sons and one daughter. His second son, Robert, was bred to the church, and was first rector of Argyle from 1473 to 1499. The daughter, Margaret, married Sir William Murray, seventh baron of Tullibardine (ancestor of the Dukes of Athole), and bore to him seventeen sons.

His eldest son, Sir Humphry Colquhoun, dies in 1493, and was succeeded by his son, Sir John Colquhoun, who received the honour of knighthood from King James IV, and obtained a charter under the great seal of sundry lands and baronies in Dumbartonshire, dated 4th December 1506. On 11th July 1526 he and Patrick Colquhoun his son received a respite for assisting John, Earl of Lennon, in treasonably besieging, taking, and holding the castle of Dumbarton. He died before 16th August 1536. Byhis first wife, Elizabeth Stewart, daughter of John, Earl of Lennox, Sir John Colquhoun had four sons and four daughters; and by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of William Cunningham of Craigenda, he had two sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Sir Humphry Colquhoun, married Lady Catherine Graham, daughter of William, first Earl of Montrose, and died in 1537. By her he had three sons and two daughters. His son James, designated of Garscube, ancestor of the Colquhouns of Garscube, Adam and Patrick. His eldest son, Sir John Colquhoun, married, first, Christian Erskine, daughter of Robert, Lord Erskine; and secondly, Agnes, daughter of the fourth Lord Boyd, ancestor of the Earls of Kilmarnock. He died in 1575.

His eldest son, Humphry, acquired the heritable coronership of the county of Dumbarton, from Robert Graham of Knockdollian, which was ratified and confirmed by a charter under the great seal in 1583.

In July 1592, some of the Macgregors and Macfarlanes came down upon the low country of Dumbartonshire, and committed vast ravages, especially upon the territory of the Colquhouns. At the head of his vassals, and accompanied by several of the gentlemen of the neighbourhood, Sir Humphry Colquhoun attacked the invaders, and after a bloody conflict, which was only put an end to at nightfall, he was overpowered by his assailants, and forced to retreat. To quote from Mr Fraser’s Chiefs of the Colquhouns – "He betook himself to the castle of Bannachra, a stronghold which had been erected by the Colquhouns at the foot of the north side of the hill of Bennibuie, in the parish of Luss. A party of the Macfarlanes and Macgregors pursued him, and laid siege to his castle. One of the servants who attended the knight was of the same surname as himself. He had been tampered with by the assailants of his master, and treacherously made him their victim. The servant, while conducting his master to his room up a winding stair of the castle, made him by preconcert a mark for arrows of the clan who pursued him by throwing the glare of a paper torch upon his person when opposite a loophole. A winged arrow, darted from its string with a steady aim, pierced the unhappy knight to the heart, and he fell dead on the spot. The fatal loophole is still pointed out, but the stair, like its unfortunate lord, has crumbled into dust". Sir Humphry married, first, Lady Jean Cunningham, daughter of John, Lord Hamilton, by whom he had a daughter. Having no make issue, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Alexander.

In Sir Alexander’s time occurred the raid of Glenfinlas, and the bloody clan conflict of Glenfruin, between the Colquhouns and Macgregors, in December 1602 and February 1603, regarding which the popular accounts are much at variance with the historical facts. The Colquhouns had taken part in the execution of the letters of fire and sword issued by the crown against the Macgregors some years before, and the feud between them had been greatly aggravated by various acts of violence and aggression on both sides.

In 1602, the Macgregors made a regular raid on the laird of Luss’s lands in Glenfinlas, and carried off a number of sheep and cattle, as well as slew several of the tenants. Alexander Colquhoun, who had before complained to the privy council against Earl of Argyll for not repressing the clan Gregor, but who had failed in obtaining any redress, now adopted a tragic method in order to excite the sympathy of the king. He appeared before his majesty at Stirling, accompanied by a number of females, the relatives of those who had been killed or wounded at Glenfinlas, each carrying the bloody shirt of her killed or wounded relative, to implore his majesty to avenge the wrongs done them. The ruse had the desired effect upon the king, who, from a sensitiveness of constitutional temperament, which made him shudder even at the sight of blood, was extremely susceptible to impressions from scenes of this description , and he immediately granted a commission of lieutenancy to the laird of Luss, investing him the power to repress similar crimes, and to apprehend the perpetrators.

"This commission granted to their enemy appears to have roused the lawless rage of the Macgregors, who rose in strong force to defy the laird of Luss; and Glenfruin, with its disasters and sanguinary defeat of the Colquhouns, and its ultimate terrible consequences to the victorious clan themselves, was the result".

In the beginning of the year 1603, Allaster Macgregor of Glenstrae, followed by four hundred men chiefly of his own clan, but including also some of the clans Cameron and Anverich, armed with "halberschois, powaixes, twa-handit swordies, bowis and arrowis, andwith hagbutia and pistoletis", advanced into the territory of Luss. Colquhoun, acting under his royal commission, had raised a force which has been stated by some writers as having amounted to 300 horse and 500 foot. This is probably an exaggeration, but even if it is not, the disasters which befell them may be explained from the trap into which they fell, and from the nature of the ground on which they encountered the enemy. This divsted them of all the advantages which they might have derived from superiority of numbers and from their horse.

On the 7th February 1603, the Macgregors were in Glenfruin "in two diviions", writes Mr Fraser – "One of them at the head of the glen, and the other in ambuscade near the farm of Strone, at a hollow or ravine called the Crate. The Colquhouns came into Glenfruin from the Luss side, which is opposite Strone – probably byGlen Luss and Glen Mackurn. Alexander Colquhoun pushed on his forces in order to get through the glen before encountering the Macgregors; but, aware of his approach, Allaster Macgregor also pushed forward one division of his forces and entered at the head of the glen in time to prevent his enemy from emerging from the upper end of the glen, whilst his brother, John Macgregor, with the division of his clan, which lay in ambuscade, by a detour, took the rear of the Colquhouns, which prevented their retreat down the glen without fighting their way through that section of the Macgregors who had got in their rear. The success of the stratagem by which theColquhouns were thus placed between two fires seems to be the only way of accounting for the terrible slaughter of the Colquhouns and the much less loss of the Macgregors.

"The Colquhouns soon became unable to maintain their ground, and, falling into a moss at the farm of Auchingaich, they were thrown into disorder, and made a hasty and disorderly retreat, which proved even more disastrous than the conflict, for they had to force their way through the men led by John Macgregor, whilst they were pressed behind by Allaster, who, reuniting the two divisions of his army, continued the pursuit".

All who fell into the hands of the victors were at once put to death, and the chief of the Colquhouns barely escaped with his life after his horse had been killed under him. One hundred and forty of the Colquhouns were slaughtered, and many more were wounded, among whom were several women and children. When the pursuit ended, the work of spoliation and devastation commenced. Large numbers of horses, cattle, sheep, and goats were carried off, and many of the houses and steadings of the tenantry were burned to the ground. Their triumph the Macgregors were not allowed long to enjoy. The government took instant and severe measures against them. A price was put upon the heads of seventy or eighty of them by name, and upon a number of their confederates of other clans:- "Before any judicial inquiry was made", says Mr Fraser, "on 3d April 1603, only two days before James VI left Scotland for England to take possession of the English throne, an Act of Privy Council was passed, by which the name of Gregor or Macgregor was for ever abolished. All of this surname were commanded, under penalty of death, to change it for another; and the same penalty was denounced against those who should give food or shelter to any of the clan. All who had been at the conflict of Glenfruin, and at the spoliation and burning of the lands of the Laird of Luss, were prohibited, under the penalty of death, from carrying any weapon except a pointless knife to eat their meat". Thirty-five of the clan Gregor were executed after trial between the 20th May 1633 and the 2nd March 1604. Amongst these was Allaster Macgregor, who surrendered himself to the Earl of Argyll.

By his wife Helen, daughter of Sir George Buchanan of that ilk, Alexander had one son and five daughters. He died in 1617.

The eldest son, Sir John, in his father’s lifetime, got a charter under the great seal of the ten pound land of Dunnerbuck, dated 20th February 1602, was created a baronet of Nova Scotia by patent dated last day of August 1625. He married Lady Lillias Graham, daughter of the fourth Earl of Montrose, brother of the great Marquis, by whom he had three sons and three daughters. His two eldest sons succeeded to the baronetcy. From Alexander, the third son, the Colquhouns of Tillyquhoun were descended.

Sir John, the second baronet of Luss, married Margaret, daughter and sole heiress of Sir Gideon Baillie of Lochend, in the county of Haddington, and had two sons, and seven daughters. He adhered firmly to the royal cause during all the time of the civil wars, on which account he suffered many hardships, and, in 1654 was by Cromwell fined two thousand pounds sterling. He was succeeded in 1676 by his younger son, Sir James -–the elder having predeceased him – third baronet of Luss, who held the estates only four years, and being a minor, unmarried, left no issue. He was succeeded in 1680 byhis uncle, Sir James, who married Penuel, daughter of William Cunningham of Balleichan, in Ireland. He had, with one daughter, two sons, Sir Humphry, fifth baronet, and James. The former was a member of the last Scottish Parliament, and strenuously opposed and voted against every article of the treaty of union. By his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Patrick Houston of that ilk, baronet, he had an only daughter, Anne Colquhoun, his sole heiress, who, in 1702, married James Grant of Pluscardine, second son of Ludovick Grant of Grant, immediate younger brother of Brigadier Alexander Grant, heir apparent of the said Ludovick.

Having no male issue, Sir Humphry, with the design that his daughter and her husband should succeed him in his whole estate and honours, in 1704 resigned his baronetcy into the hands of her majesty Queen Anne, for a new patent to himself in life rent, and his son-in-law and his heirs therein named in fee, but with this express limitation that he and his heirs so succeeding to that estate and title should be obliged to bear the name and arms of Colquhoun of Luss, &c. It was also specially provided that the estates of Grant and Luss should not be conjoined.

Sir Humphry died in 1718, and was succeeded in his estate and honours by James Grant, his son-in-law, under the name and designation of Sir James Colquhoun of Luss. He enjoyed that estate and title till the death of his elder brother, Brigadier Alexander Grant, in 1719, when, succeeding to the estate of Colquhoun of Luss, and resumed his own, retaining the baronetcy, it being by the last patent vested in his person. He died in 1747.

By the said Anne, his wife, he had a numerous family. His eldest son, Humphry Colquhoun, subsequently Humphry Grant of Grant, died unmarried in 1732. The second son, Ludovick, became Sir Ludovick Grant of Grant, baronet, while the fourth son James succeeded as Sir James Colquhoun of Luss, the third son having died in infancy. He is the amiable and very polite gentleman described by Smollett in his novel of Humphry Clinker, under the name of "Sir George Colquhoun, a colonel in the Dutch service". He married Lady Helen Sutherland, daughter of William Lord Sutherland, son of the Earl of Sutherland, and by her he had three sons and five daughters. In 1777 he founded the town of Helensburgh on the firth of Clyde, and named it after his wife. To put an end to some disputes which had arisen with regard to the destination of the old patent of the Nova Scotia barontcy, (John Colquhoun of Tillyquhoun, as the eldest cadet, having, on the death of his cousin german, Sir Humphry Colquhoun, in 1718, assumed the title as heir male of his grand father, the patentee), Sir James was, in 1786, created a baronet of Great Britain. His second youngest daughter, Margaret, married William Baillie, a lord of session, under the title of Lord Polkemmet, and was the mother of Sir William Baillie, baronet. Sir James died in November 1786.

His eldest son, Sir James Colquhoun, second baronet under the new patent, sheriff-depute of Dumbartonshire, was one of the principle clerks of session. By his wife, Mary, daughter and co-heir of James Falconer, Esq. Of Monktown, he had seven sons and four daughters. He died in 1805. His eldest son, Sir James, third baronet, was for some time M.P. for Dumbartonshire. He married, on 13th June 1799, his cousin Janet, daughter of Sir John Sinclair, baronet, and had three sons and two daughters. Of this lady, who died October 21, 1846, and who was distinguished for her piety and benevolence, a memoir exists by the late Rev. James Hamilton, D.D., London.

"Some time after Sir James’ succession". Says Mr Fraser, to whose book on the Colquhouns we have been much indebted in this account, "significant testimony was given that the ancient feud between his family and that of the Macgregors, which had frequently led to such disastrous results to both, had given place to feelings of hearty goodwill and friendship.

On an invitation from Sir James and Lady Colquhoun, Sir John Murray Macgregor and Lady Macgregor came on a visit to Rossdhu. The two baronets visited Glenfruin. They were accompanied by lady Colquhoun and Misses Helen and Catherine Colquhoun. After the battlefield had been carefully inspected by the descendents of the combatents, Sir J.M. Macgregor insisted on shaking hands with Sir James Colquhoun and the whole party on the spot where it was supposed that the battle had been hottest. On the occasion of the same visit to Rossdhu, the party ascended Ben Lommond, which dominates so grandly over Loch Lommond. On the summit of this lofty mountain, Sir John M. Macgregor danced a Highland reel with Miss Catherine Colquhoun, afterwards Mrs Millar of Earnoch. Sir John was then fully eightly years of age".

His eldest son, Sir James Colquhoun, the fourth baronet of the new creation, and the eight baronet of the old patent, succeeded on his father’s death, 3rd Feb 1836; chief of the Colquhouns of Luss; Lord-lieutenant of Dumbartonshire, and M.P. for that county from 1837 to 1841. He married in June 1843, Jane, daughter of Sir Robert Abercromby of Birkenbog. She died 3rs May 1844, leaving one son James, born in 1844. He, as fifth baronet, succeeded his father, who was drowned in Loch Lommond, December 18, 1873.

The family mansion, Ross-dhu, is situated on a beautiful peninsula. To the possessions of the family of Colquhoun was added in 1852 the estate of Ardincaple, purchased from the Duchess Dowager of Argyll. According to Mr Frasr, the three baronets of Luss, before Sir James, purchased up to no less than fourteen lairdships.

Robert, a younger son of Sir Robert Colquhoun of that ilk, who married the heiress of Luss, was the first of the Colquhouns of Camstrodden, which estate, with the lands of Achirgahen, he obtained by charter, dated 4th July 1395, from his brother Sir Humphry. Sir James Colquhoun, third baronet, purchased in 1826 that estate from the hereditary proprietor, and re-annexed it to the estate of Luss.

The Killermont line, originally of Garscadden, is a scion of the Camstrodden branch.

Another Account of the Clan

BADGE: Braoileag nan con (arbutus uva ursi) Bear berry.

SLOGAN: Cnoc Ealachain (or Cnoc an t-seilich).

PIBROCH: Caismeacha Chloinn a’ Chompaich.

IF the battle of Glenfruin remains the most outstanding, triumphant, and disastrous landmark in the history of Clan Gregor, it remains also the most notable in that of their old enemies, the Colquhouns. Every day, all summer through, a great stream of tourists makes its way up the silver reaches of Loch Lomond, and strangely enough the two interests which most engross the attention of the pilgrims are the associations with Rob Roy on the eastern shore of the loch and the memories of the great battle which the Colquhouns fought with the MacGregors in Glenfruin on the western side. This wide "Glen of Sorrow," as its name means, opens away among the hills some three miles above Balloch, at the southern end of the loch, and, while its "water" has become famous among anglers within recent years, the interest of the glen to most passers-by must remain for all time that of the great clan conflict in which the Colquhouns suffered so severely at the hands of their invading enemies.

Sir Walter Scott, who, it is said, had been treated with somewhat scant courtesy on the occasion of a visit which he paid to the residence of the Colquhoun chief, has put the triumph of the clan’s old enemies into a nutshell in his famous MacGregor boat-song in Rob Roy:

Proudly our pibrochs have thrilled in Glenfruin,

And Bannochar’s groans to our slogan replied;

Glen Luss and Rossdhu they are smoking in ruin,

And the best of Loch Lomond lie dead on her side.

Widow and Saxon maid

Long shall lament our raid,

Think of Clan Alpin with fear and with woe;

Lennox and Leven glen

Shake when they hear again

Roderich vich Alpin dhu, Ho ieroe!

The ultimate result of the battle was very different from what might have been expected. While the MacGregors were hunted and harried through all their fastnesses, the Colquhouns quietly settled again on their lovely loch shore, and their subsequent fortunes illustrated well the old saying, "Happy is the nation that has no history." From the foot of Glenfruin to the head of Loch Lomond, and over the hills along the whole side of the Gareloch and Loch Long to Arrochar, stretch the fair mountain possessions of the Chiefs of Colquhoun at the present hour. On Gareloch side the fair garden city of Helensburgh has risen on their estate; and their possessions include not only their ancient lands of the time of the battle of Glenfruin, but also the territories of the Macaulays at Ardencaple, and of the wild MacFarlanes at Arrochar. There is no lovelier avenue in the Highlands than that from the south gateway below Glenfruin, which winds along the silvan shores of the loch for a mile and a half, to Rossdhu, and thence for another mile northwards on the road to Luss. Rossdhu itself stands, a stately seat, on its promontory, with deer park and noble woods about it; and the Colquhoun village of Luss, at the foot of its own beautiful glen, remains, in spite of the streams of tourists who pass it by in steamers and motor cars, one of the most sequestered and unspoiled spots in all the Highlands.

Curiously enough the original seat of the family was not on Loch Lomond side at all. Dunglass Castle, just below Bowling on the opening Firth of Clyde, at the spot where the old Roman Wall is believed to have had its western end, was the early seat of the race, and the three-mile stretch down the western shore of the Firth thence to Dunbarton rock formed the old barony of Colquhoun from which the family took its name. Some five centuries ago, however, the laird of Colquhoun married the heiress of the older lairds of Luss, and thus by and by the headquarters of the family were removed to Loch Lomond side.

Here the heads of the house seem to have steadily increased in prosperity, and the followers of their name to have grown in numbers. For the most part they appear to have been a peaceful race, and it was not until towards the end of the sixteenth century that they began to be mixed up in the distressful business of the making of history. Sir Humphrey Colquhoun, the chief of that time, in 1582 purchased the heritable crownership or coronership of Dunbartonshire, to be held blench of the Crown for the annual fee of one penny; and it was this Sir Humphrey who, ten years later, first came into conflict with Clan Gregor. In face of an assault by the MacGregor clansmen from the other side of the loch, he was forced to take refuge in his strong castle of Bannochra, of which the ruin is still to be seen in Glenfruin, and here, it is said, he fell a victim to the treachery of his servant. This man, in lighting the chief up the stair at night, so managed his torch as to throw the light upon his master, and make him a mark for the arrow of an enemy outside, by whom Sir Humphrey was shot at and slain.

The story goes that the death of the chief was brought about by his second brother, John. At any rate an entry in the diary of Robert Birrell, burgess of Edinburgh, dated 30th November, 1592, mentions that "John Cachoune was beheidit at the Crosse at Edinburghe for murthering of his auen brother the Lairde of Lusse." Further confirmation of the tradition that John was the guilty man is to be found in the fact that Sir Humphrey was succeeded, not by his second but by his third brother, Sir Alexander Colquhoun.

This chief, Sir Alexander, was the man who figures in the great contest with the MacGregors at Glenfruin. In his introduction to Rob Roy Sir Walter Scott lays the blame of beginning the feud upon the Colquhouns. His narrative runs, "Two of the MacGregors, being benighted, asked shelter in a house belonging to a dependent of the Colquhouns, and were refused. They then retired to an outhouse, took a wedder from the fold, killed it, and supped off the carcase, for which they offered payment to the owner. The Laird of Luss, however, unwilling to be propitiated by the offer made to his tenant, seized the offenders, and by the summmary process which feudal barons had at their command, caused them to be condemned and executed." Sir Walter adds that "the MacGregors verified this account of the feud by appealing to the proverb current among them, execrating the hour when the black wedder with the white tail was ever lambed." There is at the same time another and probably a truer account of the outbreak of the trouble. It would appear that the MacGregors were instigated to attack the Coiquhouns by Archibald, Earl of Argyll, who had his own ends to serve by bringing trouble on both clans. As a result of the constant raids by the MacGregors, thus brought about, Sir Alexander Colquhoun in 1602 obtained a licence from James VI. to arm his clan. On the 7th of the following February the two clans, each some three hundred strong, came face to face in battle array in Glenfruin. The battle was so much a set affair that Alastair MacGregor divided his force into two parties, he himself attacking the Colquhouns in front, while his brother John came upon them in the rear. The Colquhouns defended themselves bravely, killing among others this John MacGregor; but, assailed on two sides, they were at last forced to give way. They were pursued to the gates of Rossdhu itself, and 140 of them were slain, including several near kinsmen of the chief and a number of burgesses of Dunbarton who had taken arms in his cause.

According to a well-known tradition, some forty students and other Dunbarton folk had come up to witness the battle. As a watch and guard MacGregor had set one of his clansmen, Dugald Ciar Mhor, over these spectators. On the Colquhouns being overthrown, MacGregor noticed Dugald join in the pursuit, and asked him what he had done with the young men, whereupon the clansman held up his bloody dirk, and answered, "Ask that!"

The MacGregors followed up the defeat of the Colquhouns by plundering and destroying the whole estate. They drove off 600 cattle, 800 sheep and goats, and 14 score horses, and burned every house and barnyard and destroyed the "Haill plenishing, guids, and gear of the four-score pound land of Luss," while the unfortunate chief, Sir Alexander Colquhoun, looked on helpless from within the walls of the old castle of Rossdhu, the ruin of which still stands on its rising ground behind the modern mansion.

Retribution, swift and terrible, however, was visited upon the MacGregors. Some sixty Colquhoun widows in deep mourning, carrying their husbands’ bloody shirts on poles, appeared before James VI. at Stirling. It has been suggested that this parade was not all genuine, that these women were not all widows, and that the blood on the shirts had not been shed in Glenfruin. But the King was sufficiently moved, and forthwith letters of fire and sword were granted against the MacGregors. Their very name was proscribed and the sheltering of one of the clan was made a crime punishable with death. While his men were hunted with dogs along the hills, the chief, Alastair Gregor, was induced across the Border by the promise of his false friend, Argyll. The latter had given his word that he would see him safely into England, whither the King had by that time removed his court; but no sooner was MacGregor across the Border than Argyll had him arrested and carried back to Edinburgh, where on 20th January, with four of his henchmen, he was tried, condemned, and hanged at the Cross, while all his possessions were declared forfeited.

A few years later a drama of another kind was carried out at Rossdhu. The son of the chief who fought at Glenfruin was made a baronet. Sir John Colquhoun married Lilias Graham, eldest sister of the great Marquess of Montrose, and he returned the King’s favour by proving a devoted loyalist in the Civil War, for which action he was fined £2,000 by Oliver Cromwell. Besides this, Sir John had another trouble in hand. He appears to have run away with a younger sister of the Marquess of Montrose, Lady Catherine Graham, who had taken refuge at Rossdhu. He was accused of having used the Black Art for the purpose of enticing her, and of having employed, among other witches and sorcerers, one Thomas Carlippis, whom he kept as his ordinary servant. Along with certain love philters, he is said to have used a certain jewel of gold set with divers diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones, and from this fact one may doubt whether there was much necromancy after all in the attractions with which he overcome the scruples of the fair young lady. As a consequence, however, the gay baronet was outlawed and excommunicated, and, what with the expense of his love-jewels, his fines as a Royalist, and other extravagances, he was presently forced to dispose of his life-rent of the estates, and it was only with difficulty that possession was recovered by the bargaining of his shrewd brother, Humphrey Colquhoun.

The male line of the Colquhouns came to an end with Sir John’s grandson, Sir Humphrey. This laird was a member of the last Scottish Parliament and an ardent opponent of the Union with England. He had an only daughter, Anne, who was married to James Grant of Pluscardine, second son of the Chief of the Grants. He was most anxious that his daughter should inherit his honours and estates, instead of his nephew, John Colquhoun of Tillie.Colquhoun, now Tilliechewan, near Balloch. To secure this he resigned his baronetcy and estates into the hands of the King, and in 1704 received a new charter securing the life-rent of these possessions to himself and entailing them afterwards upon his daughter and son-in-law. Then, in order that the name and estate of Colquhoun should at no time become merged with those of the Grants, he provided that if at any time the Laird of Colquhoun should succeed to the lairdship of Grant, the Coiquhoun estate should at once pass to the next Colquhoun heir.

Curiously enough, Sir Humphrey was not long dead when his daughter’s husband succeeded his elder brother as Laird of Grant. Thereupon the Colquhoun estates passed to Anne’s second son, Ludovic Grant, who forthwith took the name and designation of Sir Ludovic Colquhoun. By and by, however, Sir Ludovic’s elder brother died, and he himself became Laird of Grant, and had to resign the Luss estates to his younger brother, the third son of Anne Colquhoun. Then came a curious incident. A poacher was charged at Dunbarton Sheriff Court with trespass on the lands of Sir James Colquhoun, Bail., of Colquhoun and Luss. The lawyer who defended him pleaded that the indictment was irrelevant, as the accuser was not Sir James Colquhoun, Bart., and he won his case. The fact was that in arranging for the succession to the estates, Sir Humphrey Colquhoun had failed to provide for the simultaneous succession to the baronetcy, which now really belonged to the descendant of his nephew, John of Tillie-Colquhoun. The Laird of Luss, however, was made a baronet of Great Britain in 1786, and by the failure of the line of Tillie-Colquhoun, the original baronetcy afterwards returned to his descendant.

In more recent days the Lairds of Luss have played a not less distinguished part in Scottish affairs. They have been members of Parliament and Lords Lieutenant; one was a Principal Clerk of the Court of Session, and another a Sheriff Depute of Dunbartonshire, while one member of the family, John Colquhoun, was author of the well-known open-air book, The Moor and the Loch, and his daughter, Mrs. L. B. Walford, is one of the best-known novelists of our time. In 1847, when Queen Victoria visited Dunbarton Castle, she was received by Sir James Colquhoun as Lord Lieutenant. The carriage in which he drove her Majesty from and to the landing-place is still kept in the coach-house at Rossdhu, and a picture representing Sir James in the act of receiving her Majesty still hangs in the hall.

Alas! this same Sir James, twenty-six years later, came to his end in a way which is recalled yet as one of the most tragic of Loch Lomond’s memories. On the 18th of December, 1873, with five of his keepers he had gone to the Colquhoun deer island of Inch Lonaig to secure Christmas fare for his tenants and friends. On his return in the heavily-loaded boat he had reached Inch Tavanach, the "Monk’s Island," off Luss, when, in a sudden storm the boat was swamped and all on board perished.

Sir lain Colquhoun, the present possessor of the estates and holder of the title, is the third successor since then. Before the war he held a commission in the Scots Guards, and was a noted athlete, winning the light-weight boxing championship of the British army. On the outbreak of war in 1914 he went to the front in France, where he greatly distinguished himself, won the D.S.O. with bar, was mentioned in dispatches and held the rank of Major. He is now Lord-Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire.

Septs of Clan Colquhoun: Cowan, Kilpatrick, Kirkpatrick, Macachounich, MacCowan.

https://sites.google.com/site/goodwhiskytastingsbelgium/home/history/official-scottish-clans-and-families/colquhoun?overridemobile=true

Rossdhu Castle

A ruined square tower house on the west shore of Loch Lomond, Rossdhu Castle lies behind the 18th green of the Loch Lomond Golf Course, close to Rossdhu House, 2 miles (3 km) south of Luss in Argyll and Bute. The castle was built by Sir John Colquhoun of Luss in 1457 on land which had been in his family's possession since the 13th century. In the 16th century, Rossdhu was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87). The castle suffered a fire in the late 18th Century and was quarried for stone for Rossdhu House, where the family moved in 1773. The ruins were stabilised in 1997. Nearby is the Chapel of St. Mary of Rossdhu.

Clan Colquhoun

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Colquhoun

Colquhoun Tour Part 1

https://dougcahoon.wixsite.com/clan-colquhoun-tour/tour-part-1

Colquhoun Tour Part 2

https://dougcahoon.wixsite.com/clan-colquhoun-tour/tour-part-2

Colquhoun Clan History

http://www.rampantscotland.com/clans/blclancolquhoun.htm

Colquhoun Clan

https://www.scotsconnection.com/clan_crests/colquhoun.htm#:~:text=Colquhoun%20Clan%20Crest%3A%20A%20stags%20head.&text=His%20son%2C%20also%20Sir%20John,and%20the%20lands%20of%20Kilmardinny.

Colquhoun History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

https://www.houseofnames.com/colquhoun-family-crest

Colquhoun

http://heraldry.celticradio.net/search.php?id=91

http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/gregor/Enemies.htm