Clan Johnstone is a Border Reiver

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 ...

.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 178 - 179.

History

Origins of the clan

The Clan Johnstone were once one of the most powerful of the Border Reiver Scottish clans. They originally settled in Annandale and for more than six hundred years they held extensive possessions in the west of the

Scottish Marches Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern era, characterised by violence and cross-border raids. The Scottish Marches era came to an end during the first decade of the 17 ...

, where they kept watch against the English. The first of the clan to be recorded was John Johnstone, whose son, Gilbert, is found in records after 1194. Sir John Johnstone was a knight of the county of

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

. He is found 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 ...

. In 1381 his great-grandson son was appointed Warden of the Western Marches. The Johnstones are believed to be of Norman and

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

descent. The great grandfather of John Johnston(e) was

Siward, Earl of Northumbria Siward ( or more recently ; ) or Sigurd (, ) was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname ''Digri'' and its Latin translation ''Grossus'' ("the stout") are given to him by near-contemporary texts. It is possibl ...

who was a Norse man who married Ælfflæd (Bernicia) of Northumbria.

15th century and clan conflicts

The Warden's son was Adam Johnstone who was the first Laird of Johnstone. Adam Johnstone fought at the

Battle of Sark The Battle of Sark, or the Battle of Lochmaben Stone,, pp. 18-19, 27 was fought between Scotland and England on 23 October 1448 or 1449. It was a decisive Scottish victory, the first since the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and the last pitched ba ...

in 1448. Adam's son fought for

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 ...

in the desperate struggle against 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 ...

and was instrumental in suppressing that rebellion against the Crown. The king rewarded him with the lands of

Buittle Buittle is an ecclesiastical and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland, in the traditional county of Kirkcudbrightshire. It lies to the west of the Urr Water, between Dalbeattie and Castle Douglas, ...

and Sannoch near Threave Castle that had previously belonged to the Douglases of

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

16th century and clan conflicts

The Johnstones had a long feud with the

Clan Moffat Clan Moffat is a Border Scottish clan of ancient origin. The clan was leaderless and obscure from the mid 16th century until 1983, when Francis Moffat of that Ilk was recognised as the hereditary chief of the clan by Lord Lyon King of Arms.Way ...

who were another Scottish border 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 274 - 275. In 1557 the feud climaxed with murder of the Moffat chief, Robert Moffat. The Johnstones then went on to burn the local church with the most important members of the Moffat family inside, slaughtering anyone who tried to escape. The Clan Moffat was almost wiped out and seventy years later all of the Moffat's lands were passed to the Johnstones due to the Moffats having massive debts. Unlike many of their neighbours who raided each other's lands, the Johnstones only raided England. However they did have a feud with the

Clan Maxwell Clan Maxwell is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands and is recognized as such by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. However, as the clan does not currently have a chief, it is considered an armigerous clan. History Origins of the clan The cla ...

in 1593 when Lord Maxwell was killed along with many of his men at the Battle of Dryfe Sands. Later in 1608, in a meeting to reconcile their differences, Lord Maxwell treacherously killed Johnstone. Maxwell was later captured and executed by hanging. As of June 2020 the link is redirected to an unrelated site.

17th century and Civil War

In 1633,

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

created James Johnstone, chief of Clan Johnstone as Lord Johnstone of Lochwood. Ten years later he was created Earl of Hartfell. He joined

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 ...

after the

Battle of Kilsyth The Battle of Kilsyth, fought on 15 August 1645 near Kilsyth, was an engagement of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The largest battle of the conflict in Scotland, it resulted in victory for the Royalist general Montrose over the forces of ...

in 1645 but was captured 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, ...

. His son, James, was imprisoned for some time in

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

, Glasgow Castle,

St Andrews Castle St Andrews Castle is a ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing ...

and

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 ...

. However

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

later created him Earl of Annandale and Hartfell. Another branch of the Clan Johnstone were the Johnstones of Caskieben. Sir George Johnstone of Caskieben was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1626. The third baronet fought for William of Orange at the

Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...

in 1690.

18th century

William Johnstone, third Earl of Hartfell and second Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, was raised to the rank of Marquess of Annandale in 1701. William Johnstone held many important state offices including President of the Privy Council and Secretary of State. James Johnstone, 2nd Marquess of Annandale, died in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1730. He had enjoyed the family estate and dignities for only nine years. He was succeeded by George, 3rd Marquess of Annandale, who was found in 1747 to be incapable of managing his affairs and a curator was appointed. Upon his death in 1792 the family titles became dormant and the estates fell upon his grand-nephew, James Hope-Johnstone, 3rd Earl of Hopetoun.

Clan chief

*Clan chief: The 11th Earl of Annandale and Hartfell, Lord Johnstone, 26th Chief of the Name and Arms of Johnstone, 11th Hereditary Steward of Annandale and 11th Hereditary Keeper of Lochmaben Palace. Several unsuccessful attempts were made in the 19th century to revive the Annandale titles and it was not until 1971 that any progress was made, based on a charter of 1662. The Annandale Johnstones were confirmed as chiefs of Clan Johnstone and in 1982 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 Officer of State, Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scotland, Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...

recognised Major Percy Johnstone of Annandale as baron of the earldom of Annandale and Hartfell and of the lordship of Johnstone, Hereditary Stewart of the Stewartry of Annandale, and Hereditary Keeper of

Lochmaben Castle Lochmaben Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Lochmaben, the feudal Lordship of Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway, Annandale, and the united county of Dumfries and Galloway. It was built by Edward I in the 14th century replacing an earlier mo ...

. Then in 1985 a case was presented to the House of Lords in which the Court found in favour of Major Percy Johnstone's son, Patrick, as chief of the name and arms of Johnstone.

Tartan

References

External links

Clan Johnston/e in America

Clan Johnston/e in Ireland.Clan Johnston/e in Europe.
{{Scottish clans

Johnstone Johnstone (,
) is a town in the

Gaelic families of Norse descent