Clan Chisholm ( ; , ) is a Highland

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure r ...

History

Origins

According to Alexander Mackenzie, the Clan Chisholm is of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

and

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

origin. Tradition stating that the Chisholms were a Norman family who arrived in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

after the conquest of 1066., the original surname being De Chese to which the Saxon term "Holme" was added. According to the ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia'' the Chisholm name was known in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

since the reign of Alexander III. In early records the name is written as "de Cheseholme", eventually later becoming '' Chisholm''. In

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

the earliest recorded person of the family is on the

Ragman Rolls The 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 Ball ...

as "Richard de Chisholm del Counte de Rokesburgh", referring to the Clan Chisholm's seat in

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

. One of the earliest recorded members of the family was John de Chesehelme, who in 1254 was mentioned in a bull of

Pope Alexander IV Pope Alexander IV (1199 or 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death. Early career He was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne, Italy, Jenne (now in the Province of Rome ...

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Richard de Chesehelme rendered homage 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 (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

and appears on the

. Sir John de Chesholme led the clan at the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

in 1314 against the English. Robert Chisholm fought against the English at the

Battle of Neville's Cross The Battle of Neville's Cross took place during the Second War of Scottish Independence on 17 October 1346, half a mile (800 m) to the west of Durham, England. An invading Scottish army of 12,000 led by King David II was defeated with heavy lo ...

in 1346, was taken prisoner with King David II and probably not released until eleven years later when his royal master returned to Scotland. In 1359 after being knighted by the king he succeeded his grandfather as Constable of

Urquhart Castle Urquhart Castle ( ; ) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, southwest of Inverness and east of Drumnadrochit. The present ruins date from the 13th to t ...

, and later became Sheriff of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

and Justiciar of the North. This Robert was the last Chisholm to hold lands in both the North and South of

. He divided his estates among his younger children. Robert's son was Alexander Chisholm who married Margaret, heiress of the lands of Erchless.

Erchless Castle Erchless Castle is an L-plan castle in northern Scotland, near Struy, Highland. The current building was built in about 1600.

Conflicts

The Chisholms became well known for

cattle raiding Cattle raiding is the act of stealing live cattle, often several or many at once. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination ...

. In 1498 Wiland Chisholm of Comar and others carried off 56 oxen, 60 cows, 300 sheep, 80 swine and 15 horses belonging to Hugh Rose of the

Clan Rose Clan Rose () is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands. History Origins of the clan The chiefs of the Clan Rose were a Normans, Norman family. They had no connection to the ancient Celts, Celtic family of Clan Ross. They derive from Ros, nea ...

. In 1513, Wiland Chisholm of Comar and Sir Alexander MacDonell of Glengarry were with Sir Donald MacDonald of Lochalsh on his return from the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...

when he decided to attack the

. Some sources say that Macdonald occupied the castle for three years despite the efforts of the

Clan Grant Clan Grant is a Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch, Grant of Grant, and several cadet branches, such as Grant of Glenmoriston. History Origins The Chiefs of Clan Grant descended from Normans who arrived in Scotland during the medie ...

to dislodge him and his companions. John Chisholm, doctor in surgery, was appointed as chief and principal surgeon to king

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

in September 1573.Amy L. Juhala : ''The Household and Court of King James VI of Scotland, 1567-1603'', University of Edinburgh, 2000. Sir James Chisholm of Dundorn was one of king James VI's

masters of the household Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

Civil War

In 1647, Alexander Chisholm was appointed to the committee which arranged the defence of

on behalf of the

Covenanters Covenanters 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. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

against the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gover ...

. In 1653 the Chisholms stole cattle from the clans

Munro A Munro (; ) is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevi ...

and

Fraser Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal ...

, they were however captured and brought to court where they were ordered to return all they had stolen and pay the Chief Munro of Foulis and Chief Fraser of Lovat £1000 interest each. After the Stuart restoration in 1660, Alexander followed his father as a justice of the peace, and in 1674 was appointed Sheriff Deputy for Inverness. Once again his duties brought him up against the MacDonalds, for in 1679 he was ordered to lead a thousand men of the county to quell a disturbance created by some members of said clan, and in 1681 he was given a commission of fire and sword against them.

Jacobite risings

Jacobite rising of 1715

During the

Jacobite rising of 1715 The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart, James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland ...

, Roderick Maciain Chisholm, supported the Jacobite cause. Chisholm of Crocfin led two hundred clansmen at the

Battle of Sherrifmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Historic Scotland under the Sc ...

in 1715 where they were defeated. Men of the Clan Chisholm were among a group of 400-500 men, which included the Mackenzies and MacDonalds, who led by Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus, marched on

Tain Tain ( ) is a royal burgh and parish in the County of Ross, in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. Etymology The name derives from the nearby River Tain, the name of which comes from an Indo-European root meaning 'flow'. The Gaelic n ...

where they proclaimed the Pretender.

Jacobite rising of 1719

Some members of the clan took part in the

Jacobite rising of 1719 The Jacobite Rising of 1719 was a failed attempt to restore the exiled James Francis Edward Stuart to the throne of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain. Part of a series of Jacobitism, Jacobite risings between 1689 and 1745, it was supported ...

. A landing was made on the west of Scotland, and according to one account, the Chisholms were employed as scouts. They were not present at the

Battle of Glen Shiel The Battle of Glen Shiel took place on 10 June 1719 in the Scottish Highlands, during the Jacobite rising of 1719. A Jacobitism, Jacobite army composed of Highland levies and Spanish Marine Infantry, Spanish marines was defeated by British gover ...

, which ended that Jacobite rebellion. Much of Roderick's lands were afterwards forfeited to the Crown. With a number of other chiefs, Roderick obtained a royal pardon in 1727, but he was never allowed to regain his estates, which his brother administered until 1743, when it was transferred to Roderick's eldest son, Alexander Chisholm, younger of Comar.

General Wade Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer and politician who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Al ...

's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 150 men.

Jacobite rising of 1745

During the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, Roderick again supported the Jacobites. His youngest son, Roderick Og Chisholm led the clan at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

, leading a very small regiment of about 80 clansmen, of which 30 were killed, including himself. One of the 14 Jacobite battle flags taken at Culloden, which were later burnt in Edinburgh, was a white linen banner of this regiment.Reid, Stuart (2000). ''Like Hungry Wolves - Culloden Moor 1746''. With colour plates by Gerry Embleton. Windrow & Greene Ltd. Two of Roderick's other sons James and John were Captains in the British army under the

Duke of Cumberland Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British royal family, named after the historic county of Cumberland. History The Earldom of Cumberland, created in 1525, became extinct in 1643. The dukedom w ...

Clan seat

The

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of Clan Chisholm was originally at Comar Lodge and then at

Erchless Castle Erchless Castle is an L-plan castle in northern Scotland, near Struy, Highland. The current building was built in about 1600.chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

is Andrew Francis Hamish Chisholm of that Ilk, thirty-third Chief of Clan Chisholm. The following is a list of some of the previous chiefs of Clan Chisholm.

External links

Clan Chisholm Society

References

Notes Bibliography * {{Scottish clans Boars in heraldry