Gillespie
Gillespie
Motto: "A certa anchoram salutis"
Translation: A sure anchor to safety.
Gillespie is an anglicized Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic meaning 'servant of the bishop'.
The name was anglicized from the Gaelic name Mac Giolla Easpuig (Irish) and Mac Gille Easbaig (Scots Gaelic) both meaning son of the servant of the bishop.
Due to the fact that it was an occupational title rather than a hereditary surname suggests that it may have had two separate origins. If this is true then the Irish Gillespie's would have no connection with the Scottish Gillespie's.
This plaid is claimed as a 'Gillespie' by Scott Adie, and is registered as #1361 on the House of Tartan website.
The Gillespie name is ancient, its origins dating probably from 5th century Ireland. It is widely thought to be made up of two Gaelic words, "Filid," a druidic bard, and "Asbuig," a bishop.
"FilidAsbuig" = Gillespie
The Filid were druidic bards, attached initially to the courts of the Irish tribal kings, who were called the "Rig" in their Celtic communities. Each Rig had an 'honour price' in a legal system where the weight of testimony depended on the witness's aristocratic pedigree. In applying the ancient law of the Celts, the "Brehon" code, a Rig's Filid recited in court from memory his master's genealogical origins to ensure that the Rig's testimony would take priority over that of any of his subjects.
The Filid also entertained their kings' guests with poetry and with tales rich in moral content on the winter nights between Samain (1st November) and Beltain (1st May.) These poets were clearly able to perform remarkable feats of memory in a society where nothing was written.
By the second half of the 7th century, most of the Filid had converted to Christianity. St. Patrick's first learned convert had been the 5th century Filid, Dubthach. Patrick cleverly shaped his scriptural teaching, based on Roman Canon Law, to the Celtic traditions of the Brehon code: he progressively involved the talented Filid in the settlement of disputes arising from the complexity of integrating the dictates of Rome with those of these ancient Celtic societies. A century later, a long way up Great Glen to Inverness from his Ionian retreat, St. Columba used similar tactics in converting the Pictish king's, Bridei's, druid, Broichan, to Christianity.
For the following centuries up to the Synod of Cashel in 1101, the Bishops, the Asbuig, of this Celtic society with its tradition of orally recited law, now attempting to integrate Canon Law with the Brehon Code, used the Filid to establish their own honour price in the courts. The honour price of a Bishop, Asbuig, came close to that of a tribal king, Rig.
In 1111, the Synod of Rathbeasail accorded the province of Armagh, which included Dal Riada (the area of Argyll in today's Scotland) a total of 12 sees. During the following critical surname period marked by the Normanization of the Scots, there were arguably 12 FilidAsbuig in the service of the 12 bishops responsible for these dioceses extending from Donegal and Down in Ireland, to Argyll in Scotland. These men, who were to have offspring bearing their names, were conceivably deacons, and not under full orders.