Clan Nesbitt (or Clan Nisbet) is a

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 recognise ...

of the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian an ...

that is recognised by 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 gran ...

.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 The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC) is the organisation that represents the Chiefs of many prominent Scottish Clans and Families. It describes itself as "the definitive and authoritative body for information on the Scottish Clan System ...

). Published in 1994. Pages 290–291.

History

Origins of the clan

The surname Nesbitt is derived from the barony and lands near Edrom in

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...

. The lands are likely to have been named after a geographical feature such as a nose-shaped hill or nose-shaped bend. In clan circles the name is best known through the work of

Alexander Nisbet Alexander Nisbet (bapt. 23 March 1657; died 7 Dec. 1725) was a Scottish lawyer and antiquarian. He is remembered for his works on the subject of heraldry, which are generally considered to be some of the most complete and authoritative ever pr ...

(1657–1725), who was one of the greatest authorities on Scottish heraldry. Alexander Nisbet established his connection to the chiefly line of the clan and he is regarded as authoritative on the pedigree of his own family. He stated that ''the lands of Nesbit were of ancient denomination for, in the reign of King Edgar, son of

Malcolm Canmore Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head ...

, in whose reign surnames came first to be hereditary, they were donated to the monks of

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Acco ...

to pray for the soul of his father, and for the health of his own.'' The historian George Fraser Black listed William de Nesbite as a witness to a charter by Patrick,

Earl of Dunbar The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom ...

Coldingham Priory Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predec ...

in about 1160. From 1219 to 1240 Thomas Nisbet was Prior of Coldingham.

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Philip de Nesbit appears on the

Ragman Rolls Ragman Rolls are the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favour of Balliol ...

submitting 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 vassal o ...

. Also appearing on the rolls are James, John and Adam Nisbet. It is likely that Adam was the Nisbet of that Ilk who received a charter from

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

for the land of Knocklies with the feudal obligation of providing one knight for the king's army. Adam or possibly his son of the same name continued in royal favour, distinguishing himself in defending the

in the service of

David II of Scotland David II (5 March 1324 – 22 February 1371) was King of Scots from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five, and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, bec ...

15th and 16th centuries

Adam was succeeded by Philip Nisbet, who appears in important charters of the Earls of Dunbar. Philip was succeeded by his son Adam. Adam's great-grandson was another Philip Nisbet who married a daughter of Haldane of Gleneagles and their heir was Alexander Nesbit.

17th century and Civil War

Alexander Nesbit was a royalist who was devoted to Charles I of England. Nesbit was appointed sheriff of Berwickshire, however when the king's policies led to military confrontation with his Scottish and English subjects, Nesbit and his sons joined the king's standard at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Nesbit's eldest son, Philip, was abroad when the civil war broke out but when he returned he was knighted and given command of a regiment. Philip Nesbit was lieutenant governor of

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yo ...

during the

Siege of Newark Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road bypasses the town on the line of t ...

that was carried out by General David Leslie, Lord Newark. When Nesbit left Newark he became an officer for

James Graham, 1st Marquess 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 Three ...

. Montrose was surprised by a strong force of

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covena ...

cavalry at the

Battle of Philiphaugh The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, ...

where Philip Nesbit was captured. He was then executed at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

on 28 October 1646. Two of Philip's brothers, Alexander and Robert, were also killed during the Scottish Civil War. The youngest brother, Adam, survived and he was the father of the heraldic writer,

18th and 19th centuries

initially trained as a lawyer but soon acquired a passion for history and heraldry. In 1702 he published his first work, an essay on cadency. His great work was ''System of Heraldry'' which was published in 1722 with more editions following in 1742, 1804 and 1816. Nisbet died in 1725.

Clan branches

Related branches of the Nisbet family became established at

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles ...

in Edinburgh,

Dirleton Dirleton is a village and civil parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick (east), Gullane (west), Fenton Barns (south) and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, ...

in East Lothian, Greenholm in Ayrshire, and Carfin and Cairnhill in Renfrewshire. In the 17th century, many Nisbets went to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and, often via Ireland, to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...

Clan tartan

According to the

Scottish Tartans Society The Scottish Tartans Society (STS) was a society committed to the recording and preservation of woven tartan designs from around the world; it maintained the ''Register of All Publicly Known Tartans''. The society was first formed in 1963 and ex ...

the ''Nesbett'' tartan is identical to the ''Mackintosh'', and similar to the ''Dunbar'' sett, which both appear in the '' Vestiarium Scoticum''. There is however no historical link between the Nisbetts and

Clan Mackintosh Clan Mackintosh (''Clann Mhic an Tòisich'') is a Scottish clan from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The chiefs of the clan are the Mackintoshes of Mackintosh. Another branch of the clan, the Mackintoshes of Torcastle, are the chiefs of Cla ...

to explain why the tartan is based upon that Mackintoshes.cottish-tartans-world-register.com2115]">; see also: The ''Vestiarium'' was a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

forgery, first published in 1842 by the Sobieski Stuarts. Even though it has since been proven forgery, the ''Vestiarium'' is still the basis of many of today's clan tartans.

Clan chief

The clan was chiefless for four centuries following the loss of the Nesbitt lands during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

. In 1994 the Lord Lyon recognised Robert Anthony Ellis Nesbitt as

Chief of the Name and Arms The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard c ...

of Nesbitt (or Nisbet). After his death in 2000, his son Mark Nesbitt (born 1961) became Chief.

Clan profile

*Arms: Argent three boars heads erased Sable, armed Argent and langued Gules. *Crest: A boar passant Sable, armed Argent and langued Gules *Motto: ''I byde it'' ("I endure it") *Plant badge: ''

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

Clan castles / ancestral lands

* Nisbet Castle, Berwickshire ** Nisbet House, Nisbet, Berwickshire *

Dirleton Castle Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by the ...

, purchased in 1663 by lawyer John Nisbet when it was already a ruin, Nisbet built nearby Archerfield as his country residence.

Variant spellings

Nesbitt, Nesbit, Nisbet, Nisbett, Nisbeth (Sweden and Denmark), Naisbitt, Nezbeth

Clan society

The Nesbitt/Nisbet Society was founded in 1980 by Prof John A. Nesbitt, of Iowa. The British Isles branch was founded in 1983, the North American branch in 1985, and the Australian branch in 1986. Each branch also serves neighbouring regions, and all three work closely together. Total membership is 400+ families. Each branch organises gatherings, those in the British Isles usually held in locations with historic family associations; those in North America in association with one of the well-known Highland Games. Membership is open to all, whether descended from or related to N/Ns, or interested in the family.

Notes

The name “Nesbit” is not related in any way to those with the spelling of Nesbitt, Nesbett, Nisbet or any other such spelling. Nor does it fall under this clan or their septs. We can trace our family name ‘Nesbit’, with only one spelling, in a single churchyard going back to the early 15th century.

References

* * *

External links

Nesbitt/Nisbet Society (United Kingdom)Nesbitt/Nisbet Society (Australasia)Nesbitt/Nisbet Society (North America)
{{Scottish clans Nesbitt Boars in heraldry