There has been one creation of a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

with the surname Clerk () (as distinct from Clark, Clarke and Clerke). It was created in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia by Letters Patent dated 24 March 1679, for John Clerk of Pennycuik (or Penicuik; see Penicuik House). His father, the merchant John Clerk, had returned from Paris in 1647 with a considerable fortune and purchased the lands of

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh a ...

in Midlothian. The 1st Baronet acquired the lands of Lasswade, Midlothian, in 1700. The second Baronet built Mavisbank House near Loanhead between 1723 and 1727. The 3rd Baronet, James, laid out plans for a new town in 1770, inspired by the local plans for a New Town in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

which were by then coming into reality. The rebuilding included a new church, St Mungos, in 1771, reputedly by Sir James himself. The family are said by Anderson (1867) to date from at least 1180 AD when one of them appeared as a witness to a donation to Holyrood Abbey by

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 ...

. John Scougal is known to have painted at least two portraits of the first baronets. A number of the lineage are buried in Penicuik Old Parish Churchyard, with both a memorial gateway and a mausoleum to their memories.

Clerk of Penicuik (1679)

Sir John Clerk's grave, St John's Edinburgh

* Sir John Clerk, 1st Baronet (died 1722) * Sir John Clerk, 2nd Baronet (1676 – 1755) * Sir James Clerk, 3rd Baronet (died 1782) without issue * Sir George Clerk-Maxwell, 4th Baronet (1715 – 1784) succeeded his brother * Sir John Clerk, 5th Baronet (died 1798) without issue *

Sir George Clerk, 6th Baronet Sir George Clerk of Pennycuik, 6th Baronet (19 November 1787 – 23 December 1867) was a Scottish politician who served as the Tory MP for Edinburghshire, Stamford and Dover. Background Clerk was the son of Cpt. James Clerk (d.1793), t ...

(born 1787) nephew of the 5th Bt *Sir James Clerk, 7th Baronet (1812 – 1870) *Sir George Douglas Clerk, 8th Baronet (1852 – 1911) *Sir George James Robert Clerk, 9th Baronet (1876 – 1943) *Sir John Dutton Clerk, 10th Baronet (1917 – 2002) *Sir Robert Maxwell Clerk, 11th Baronet (born 1945) Appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Midlothian by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

:The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is George Napier Clerk (born 1975)

Clerk of Penicuik (1679)

See also

References

Further reading