Clan Crichton is a

Lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

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 ...

that historically ruled Dumfries.

History

Origins of the clan

One of the earliest baronies around

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

was formed from the lands of '' Kreitton'' and is mentioned in charters of the early 12th century. In 1128 Thurstan de Crechtune witnessed the foundation of

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...

. A presumed descendant, Thomas de Crichton, is listed 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 ...

of 1296, swearing fealty 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 ...

. Thomas's three sons each extended the family's holdings. The second son, William, married Isobel de Ross who was the heiress to the barony of Sanquhar in

Dumfriesshire Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...

15th and 16th centuries

In 1464 Sir Robert Crichton of Sanquhar was sheriff of the county of Dumfries. From 1468 to 1469 he was also Coroner of

Nithsdale Nithsdale (), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale (landform), dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost their administrat ...

. In 1487 his eldest son, Robert Crichton, was created a peer with the title Lord Crichton of Sanquhar by

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

. Another descendant of Thomas de Crichton was Sir William Crichton who in 1439 was appointed to the office of Chancellor of Scotland, during the minority of

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his fathe ...

. Crichton organised the infamous "

Black Dinner Clan Douglas (Gaelic: ''Dùbhghlas'') is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in ...

" at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

of which he was constable. The Earl of Douglas and his brother were invited as guests of honour to a royal banquet at the castle, where King James was in residence. After the dinner the two Douglases were dragged from the boy king's presence and executed on Castle Hill. The

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas ( Gaelic: ''Dùbhghlas'') is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also ...

, never slow to take revenge, laid siege to the castle, which Crichton surrendered to the king, and a truce was declared. The Douglases would go on to make an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Crichton, who was later given the title

Lord Crichton The Lordship of Parliament of Crichton (Lord Crichton) was created in the Peerage of Scotland around 1443 for William Crichton, who was Chancellor of Scotland (1439–1443 & 1448–1454). The third lord made the lordship become forfeited in ...

The second Lord Crichton obtained the barony of Frendraught in Banffshire through marriage. The third Lord Crichton sided with the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on younger sons in the Scotland, Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of House of Stuart, Stuart and House of Hanover, Hanover. History ...

in his rebellion against his own brother,

. Crichton garrisoned

Crichton Castle Crichton Castle is a ruined castle near the village of Crichton in Midlothian, Scotland. It is situated at the head of the River Tyne, south of the village of Pathhead, and the same distance east of Gorebridge. Constructed as a tower house in ...

against the king, but the rebellion failed and as a result the Crichton estates were forfeited for treason. In about 1552, William Crichton, third Lord Sanquhar, was killed in the house of the

Regent Arran In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

, by

Lord Sempill Lord Sempill (also variously rendered as Semple or Semphill) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in circa 1489 for Sir John Sempill, founder of the collegiate Church of Lochwinnoch. Sempill was killed at the Battle of Flodden ...

(chief of

Clan Sempill Clan Sempill is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.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). Publishe ...

). The sixth Lord Sanquhar died in disgrace, having been accused of being involved in the murder of a

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

master who had blinded Crichton in one eye years before.

James Crichton James Crichton, known as the Admirable Crichton (19 August 1560 – 3 July 1582), was an alleged Scottish polymath noted for his extraordinary accomplishments in languages, the arts, and sciences before he was murdered at the age of ...

is perhaps the most celebrated member of the Clan Crichton. He is known in history as "Admirable Crichton" due to his superb mental and physical prowess. He is said to have mastered all of the knowledge of his time and been able to speak and write in ten different languages, all by the age of twenty; he was also a feared swordsman. James Crichton studied at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

then travelled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he challenged professors of the city to dispute with him on any branch of science or literature, offering to answer in any of his ten languages. The following day he was declared champion at a public

joust Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism. The term is derived from Old French , ultim ...

. In 1582 Crichton was set upon by a gang, of which he killed five. Recognizing the sixth—the gang leader—as one of his own students, he dropped his guard, whereupon he was stabbed in the heart.

17th century and Civil War

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...

another

James Crichton, 1st Viscount Frendraught James Crichton, 1st Viscount Frendraught (born died 1663) was a Scottish peer. Life He was the eldest son of James Crichton of Frendraught, by Elizabeth Gordon, eldest daughter of John Gordon, 13th Earl of Sutherland. He was descended from Wi ...

supported the royalist

James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subseq ...

. Crichton was present at Montrose's defeat at the

Battle of Carbisdale The Battle of Carbisdale (also known as Invercarron) took place close to the village of Culrain, Sutherland, Scotland on 27 April 1650 and was part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought by the Royalist leader James Graham, 1st Marque ...

(also known as the Battle of Invercarron) in 1650. It is said that Crichton gave his horse to Montrose so that he could escape. Crichton was taken prisoner.

Modern history

The double-barrelled surname originates from the fact that the chiefs are direct descendants of the

Maitland family Clan Maitland is a Lowland Scottish clan. History Origins of the clan The name Maitland is of Norman origin and was originally spelt Mautalent, Mautalen, Matulant or Matalan, it translates as "evil genius". It is claimed that the Maitlands d ...

, the

Earls of Lauderdale Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. History The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The se ...

, and

Clan Makgill Clan Makgill is a Lowland Scottish clan.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). Published in 1994. Pages ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Captain

Frederick Maitland General Frederick Maitland (3 September 1763 – 27 January 1848) was a British Army officer who fought during the American War of Independence, the Peninsular War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Dominica. Life The youngest son ...

married Margaret Dick. Dick's grandmother was an heiress of

of Rankeilour and a descendant of

of Clan Crichton through inter-marriage. One of their direct descendants Charles established his right to the chiefship and was recognised by a

Lyon Court The Court of the Lord Lyon, or Lyon Court, is a standing court of law, based in New Register House in Edinburgh, which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All ...

decree in 1980. Members of the extended Maitland-Makgill-Crichton family include distinguished military officers, many of whom served in the various Scottish regiments during both World Wars, such as Major-General Edward Maitland-Makgill-Crichton and Brigadier

Henry Maitland-Makgill-Crichton Brigadier Henry Coventry Maitland-Makgill-Crichton, (29 June 1880 – 29 September 1953) was a Scottish senior officer in the British Army. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Maitland served as an officer in the Royal Scots Fu ...

Clan Chiefs

''Incomplete list'' *Charles Maitland-Makgill-Crichton (1942–1992) *David Maitland-Makgill-Crichton (b. 1972)

Clan castles

was the seat of the chief of Clan Crichton from the late 14th to 15th century. *

Sanquhar Castle Sanquhar Castle, now a ruin, was built in the 13th century; the ruins are situated north east of Dumfries overlooking the River Nith. Situated on the southern approach to the former royal burgh of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Sco ...

was built by the Crichtons in the 13th century. *

Blackness Castle Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Falkirk, Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness ...

was built by the Crichtons in 1445. *

Monzie Castle Monzie Castle is a castellated mansion, near Monzie in Perth and Kinross, Scotland that incorporates an L-plan castle, L-plan, early 17th-century building that was enlarged in 1797–1800. It is a category A listed building. The current house ...

is the residence of the current chief of Clan Crichton. *

Frendraught Castle Frendraught CastleCoventry, Martin (1997) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Goblinshead. p. 184 or House is a 17th-century house, about east of Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and west of Largue, on the site of a 13th-century castle. History Ki ...

was the home of the Crichtons of Frendraught between around 1460 and 1676. *Crichton Chateau is the current residence of the self proclaimed chief of the American sector Michael Crichton.

References

External links

Official website
{{Scottish clans Crichton Scottish Lowlands