Clan Russell is a Scottish

armigerous clan An armigerous clan (from armiger) is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognised as such by Lyon Court. Be ...

, with claimed origins in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. It has ancestral ties to the English

Dukes of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Franc ...

, and has numerous descendants in Great Britain and America.

History

Origins of the clan

Scottish author George F. Black believed the surname Russell may be derived from ''roux'' which means ''red''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''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 an organisation that represents many prominent Scottish clan chief, clan chiefs and Scottish clan chief#Chief of the Name and Arms, Chiefs of the Name and Arms in Scotland. It claims to be the pr ...

). pp. 453. Other writers claim it to be derived from the Norman place name de Rosel. The name Rufus was commonly found among the Anglo-Normans (from Le Roux a nickname for someone with red hair). Between 1164 and 1177 Walter Russel witnessed a charter in favour of

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the River Cart, White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, base ...

. Mentioned in a charter of about 1180 is John, son of Robert Russell of Duncanlaw. In 1259 Robert Russell witnessed a deed relating to the lands of Threipland.

Wars of Scottish Independence

In 1296 Robert Russell appears 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 ...

giving 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 ...

. Historian

William Anderson William Anderson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Anderson (artist) (1757–1837), painter of marine and historical paintings * William Anderson (theatre) (1868–1940), Australian stage entrepreneur * William Anderson (1911–1986 ...

stated that the name of Russell came to

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

with one Rozel who was an English baron who fought at the siege of Berwick and the

Battle of Halidon Hill The Battle of Halidon Hill took place on 19 July 1333 when a Scottish army under Sir Archibald Douglas attacked an English army commanded by King Edward III of England () and was heavily defeated. The year before, Edward Balliol had seized ...

in 1333. Rozel subsequently settled in Scotland and obtained the estate of Aden. His family was styled 'Russell of that Ilk'.

17th, 18th and 19th centuries

Patrick Russell was married to a sister of Archbishop Sharp and in 1680 he purchased the lands of Moncoffer in

Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...

. From him descend the Scottish Barons of Aden, Aberdeenshire. The Russell of Ashiesteel family in

Selkirkshire Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It de ...

were particularly distinguished in military service. Between 1756 and 1767 Colonel William Russel of Ashiesteel was adjutant general of the army of

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

and served under General Lord Clive. His son was Major General Sir James Russel who also served in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and commanded a brigade of cavalry at the

Battle of Mahidpur The Battle of Mahidpur was fought during the Third Anglo-Maratha War between the Indore State of the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company at Mahidpur, a town in the Malwa region, on 21 December 1817. On 21 December 1817, t ...

. Alexander Russell was an eminent doctor and naturalist and in 1756 published a ''Natural History of Aleppo''. In England, another family, the descendants of Rufus became

. The third son of the sixth Duke was John Russell who studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

where he greatly admired the independent and democratic philosophy of the Scots. In politics he was the architect of the first

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...

and served as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

. He was created

Earl Russell Earl Russell, of Kingston Russell in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 July 1861 for the prominent Liberal politician Lord John Russell. He was Home Secretary from 1835 to 1839, For ...

in 1861. His grandson was

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...

who was one of the great philosophers of the twentieth century.

Coats of Arms

File:Russell of that Ilk version 2 arms.svg, Russell of that Ilk Russell of that Ilk Arms.svg, Russel of that Ilk, another version File:Russell of Ashiestiel version 2 Arms.svg, Russell of Ashiestiel File:Russell of Ashiestiel Arms.svg, Russell of Ashiestiel, another version File:Russell of Blackbraes Arms.svg, Russell of Blackbraes File:Russell of Charlton Park arms.svg, Russell of Charlton Park File:Russell of Kingseat Arms.svg, Russell of Kingseat

Castles

*Ashiesteel House, three miles west of

Galashiels Galashiels (; , ) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive history in the textile in ...

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 ...

is a mansion that incorporates a tower house dating from the seventeenth century.Coventry, Martin. (2008). ''Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Clans''. pp. 509. . It was owned by the Russles but was later home to

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

who wrote several of his works there. * Banff Castle, east of

Banff, Aberdeenshire Banff () is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff, Aberdeenshire, Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county ...

was originally owned by the Clan Comyn but later passed to the Sharps and then the Russells. Little remains of the original castle and a

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

mansion was built there in the eighteenth century. *Montcoffer House, two miles south of Banff, is a mansion dating from 1670. The Russels sold it to the Duff Duke of Fife in 1750. It was remodelled in 1825. *Aden House, a mansion ten miles west of

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

in Aberdeenshire, is now a ruinous shell that dates from 1832. The present building had replaced an old castle. The Russells sold the house and most of the estate it in 1937. The grounds were said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the daughters of one of the owners. *Blackhall Castle, was two miles west of

Banchory Banchory (, , ) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, historically in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee. Prehistory and archaeology In 2009, a farmer discovered a short ...

and was a strong castle but nothing now remains. It was held by the Russells and then by the

Clan Hay Clan Hay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Garadh or MacGaradh'') is a Scottish clan of the Grampian, Grampian region of Scotland that has played an important part in the history and politics of the country. Members of the clan are to be found in most parts ...

References

{{Scottish clans Russell