Elliot
Clan Crest: Raised fist holding a sword
Clan Motto: Fortiter Et Recte (Boldly and rightly)
Origin of Name: Hewbrew, Elias
Clan Badge: White hawthorn
Lands: Borders
Region: Liddisdale
Clan Chief: Madam Margaret Eliott of Redheugh
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Elliot Clan History
The Elliots are a notorious and powerful Border Clan with a colorful history. From the reign of King Robert the Bruce (1306-1329) to the present day, they have had a recognized Clan Chief.
The Elliots' origins are shrouded in mystery. A large part of their history was destroyed when a fire destroyed their old castle at Stobs in 1712. Unfortunately, all of the family documents were destroyed in the fire.
Stobs Castle (Old Stobs Castle)
This surname was thought to be derived from the name of an ancestor. 'Alot's son,' he says. Prior to 1500, it was usually written as 'Elward' or 'Elwold' in Old English. This was pronounced 'Ellot', and it is still pronounced that way in parts of the Scottish Borders. By 1600, phonetic spelling had nearly completely replaced Old English spelling. The Clan was known as 'Ellots' until around 1650, when it was changed to 'Elliot'.
CELTIC-BRITISH ANCESTRY
Elliots were among the thousand or so Bretons who formed William the Conqueror's invading army's left flank in 1066. With the Conqueror, a distinguished Knight named Sir William Aliot arrived in England. The Conqueror bestowed an honorable coat of arms on de Aliot as a reward for his loyalty. The Eliots of Southern England are descended from this branch because land was disrupted after the conquest, and a vast territory in Devon was where the Eliot (the name would have been spelled differently) first settled.
One thing is certain: the Elliots would have been numerous, and their power would have spread quickly, as they settled in South Wales after its conquest by FitzOsbern, as well as the old marcher counties of Monmouth, Hereford, and Gloucester. Other Elliot companions brought variant names from Brittany, which became popular in England and Scotland. Many Elliots worked as mercenaries for the Normans. Their fighting skills were passed down from generation to generation, and they became wealthy and well-known for their professional military services to kings and magnates.
The connection between all Elliots (Eliots, Eliotts, and Elliotts), English, Welsh, and Scots is a great mystery. The identity of the first Aliot/Eliot Anglo-Breton kin to settle in Scotland is unknown.
They used the same name format and surnames as the Normans. The names included d'Aliot, also spelled d'Eliot in England and Brittany, and companions whose uncorrupted Breton surnames were Allegot and Elegot, names now found in smaller numbers, primarily in Finistère in the Aliot.
So, unlike many other Clans and Families, Elliots can claim a Breton ancestry rather than Norman. Elliot DNA projects have demonstrated that at least 40% of Elliots tested are of Celtic-Brittonic origin (rather than Celtic-Gaelic). Many Elliot ancestors still live in Brittany today.
PERTHSHIRE
According to Elliot tradition, the Ellots were first discovered in Scotland, and some would have taken their name from a small town written by various spellings; Alyth, Alight, and Alyght, pronounced as Eliot at the foot of Glenshee in Angus, Perthshire. This is no longer in existence. The First Earl of Buccleuch, Walter Scott of Satchells, wrote in his 'True History of several honorable families of the right honorable name of Scot, in the shires of Roxburgh, Selkirk, and others adjacent, gathered out of ancient chronicles, histories, and traditions of our fathers':
'Elliot was their antiquitie,' they said.
Which is located in Angus, near Glenshie;
They came here with the brave King Robert Bruce;
That was three hundred and eighty years ago;
They were twelve great families, I hear my goodsir tell, and they lived in West Teviotdale* (*an old way of describing Liddesdale).
Their leader was a well-known Baron.
Reid-heugh, which is now known as Lariston, was designed.'
A charter of Robert I in 1319 confirms the existence of a thanage of Alyth in the early fourteenth century.
Early maps show evidence of this, and it is possible that someone other than the Elliots named Elliot Water in Angus. There is some debate about whether this is related to the location of Alyth.
Elliott Waters
Walter d'Alyth (pronounced d'Elliot) was the baron 'of renown' of The Brae, which is visible just to the north of Alyth.
He gave up these lands in 1306, when he sided with Robert the Bruce. The Brae was given to Balliol supporter Adam Brunyng before being inherited by his son, substitute judge John Brunyng, who sided with Bruce. Bruce took land from some people and gave it to others. During these times, the Ellots were staunch supporters of Bruce. A loyalty that was about to pay off handsomely.
LIDDISDALE
William de Soulis, a powerful nobleman who owned the lands of Liddisdale in the Scottish Borders, was found guilty of treason against Robert the Bruce in 1320. His lands, including the impressive fortress of Hermitage Castle, were confiscated.
Soulis is said to practice dark arts and kidnap children for use in his rituals at Hermitage Castle. It was thought that Soulis couldn't be killed by ordinary means, so when an irritated Bruce exclaimed, ""Soules! Soules! Go steep him in brew!" He was boiled in molten lead in a cauldron suspended above a large fire by the locals."
Robert the Bruce's illegitimate son, Robert, was given the lands and castle. Liddisdale was strategically important, and he required settlement by a loyal clan to ensure his hold on these lands. This is how the Ellots were transferred from Perthshire to Liddisdale, according to legend.
Liddisdale
Clan Ellot's Chieftain was simply known as Elward - Old English for Ellot.
REDHEUGH ELLOTS OF REDHEUGH
In 1312. According to Scott of Satchels, writing in 1688, Robert the Bruce granted a charter to a chief of the Elliots for the lands of Redheugh. Elliot Laird of Redheugh and Larriston was the first. Redheugh is mentioned in a Rent Roll of Liddesdale in 1376, which adds to the evidence.
The main tower and settlement of the 'original' Elliots is Redheugh. Nothing of the Tower remains, and little is known about its construction. Another Elliot enigma.
Three local informants identified this location in 1858 as the location of Redheugh Tower, which belonged to the Elliotts (Name Book 1858).
The name is derived from the names of the farm's burn, the 'Rede' (red), and the 'heugh' (bank) on which the tower stood. The location is a typical defensive position. The Eliotts of Redheugh are the main Scottish Elliot family, and the Chiefs are descended from them.
Ellots of Redheugh have been recorded since at least the early 1400s, if not earlier. In 1426, John Elwalde of Teviotdale is mentioned.
Robert Ellot of Redheugh appears as the tenth chief of the clan in 1476, so this dates their stay here. The identities of the first nine chiefs are unknown. Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and Lord of Liddesdale, was a close friend and adherent of Robert (10th), and his eldest son was Captain of Hermitage Castle. Archibald Douglas, also known as the Red Earl of Angus, was Scotland's most powerful man at the time. In 1488, he led a successful noble rebellion against King James ll in the Battle of Sauchieburn, in which the king was killed. Their devotion was to the English King. In exchange for his services, Robert Ellot received several estates in Liddesdale in 1479. In 1497, Robert Elliot, the 10th Chief, died of old age. He is remembered for only having one son, who died during his lifetime. Robert Elliot, his grandson, was the 12th Chief from 1497 until his death in 1516.
In direct succession, there were seven Robert Ellots or Elliots of Redheugh. In 1470, the 13th Chief (Robert Ellot) constructed Redheugh Tower on a cliff overlooking the ford on Hermitage Water. This was just one of about a hundred strong towers owned by the Ellots and shared with the Clan Armstrong, another Border Reiver clan.
In 1513, Robert Elliot was killed at the Battle of Flodden. (In the 18th century, Jane Elliot, sister of Sir Gilbert Elliot, first Baronet of Minto, wrote The Flowers of the Forest, a beautiful lament for that disaster. The Elliots of Arkleton are descended from Robert Elliot's third son.
CASTLE OF HERMITAGE
Hermitage Castle (c/o ScotClans)
At the entrance to the Liddesdale Valley, Hermitage Castle guards the Scottish border of Middlemarch. The Elliots settled nearby on a property known as Lariston. In his book The Steel Bonnets, The Story of the Border Reivers, George MacDonald Fraser wrote, "Hermitage has been called the guard house of the bloodiest valley in Britain." When you see this fortress, you can really feel its history; it's not a "chocolate box" castle.
Clan Ellot's subsequent chiefs served as castle captains.
THE CENTRAL MARCHES
The Reivers of the Border
The Elots held the "Middle March" border with England, with their Chief usually appointed Captain of Hermitage Castle in Liddesdale, and they became famous as one of the great "riding" clans of the Scottish borders.
During the late medieval and early modern eras, the English/Scottish border was known as the Scottish Marches, and it was marked by violence and cross-border raids. In 1249, Henry III of England and Alexander III of Scotland signed a treaty to try to control the border between Scotland and England. On both sides, there was to be a buffer zone. The territory was divided into Marches:
The Marches.
Edward I of England appointed the first Lord Warden of the Marches in the late 13th century, who was tasked with overseeing these regions and keeping their monarch's domain secure, but also wanted to use these clans for battle.
Families or clans switched allegiances depending on what suited their interests, so support for the English or Scottish thrones was not determined by which side they were on. They were more connected to other border families than they were to whose bottom was on which throne. This created a slew of issues for the English and Scottish Crowns.
For a time, powerful local clans ruled the Debatable Lands, a region on the border between England and Scotland where neither monarch's law applied.
The Elliots, along with the Armstrongs, were the most troublesome of the great Scottish Border families in the Middle Ages, with the Redheugh branch being the most powerful. They could raise an army that was said to be superior to anything the Crown could do.
Border Clans/Families culture and traditions were clearly identified. There are many wonderful legends and very specific customs to this area.
FEUDS AND ALLIES OF THE CLAN
The Eliotts supported Scott of Buccleuch at the Battle of Melrose, but their support for the Scotts was short-lived, and a bitter feud between the Elliots and the Scotts ensued. Scott of Buccleuch sentenced four Ellots to death for the minor offense of cattle rustling. In response, three hundred Ellots rode out to avenge their kin's deaths. Both sides suffered heavy losses during the battle, but the two clans eventually reconciled.
During a feud with the Scotts of Buccleuch, supporters of Mary Stuart, they were once in the pay of Queen Elizabeth, who described them as "stout Elliots." Following the lynching of John Armstrong of Gilnockie by James V in July 1533, the Elliots, Armstrongs, and other Border allies were hostile to the Stuart monarchs.
Another feud erupted between the Ellots and James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, Mary, Queen of Scots' future husband. The earl was injured during a skirmish around Hermitage Castle. In retaliation, a royal force of nearly four thousand men devastated the Ellot's lands in 1569.
THE EARLS OF MINTO & STOBBS ELLIOTS
The Elliots of Stobs are descended from Gawain Elliot of Stobs, who was descended from the Elliots of Redheugh in the late 16th century. They have been the most important of the many cadet houses since the 17th century, when Border plundering was finally abolished. Gilbert, known as "Gibbie wi' the gowden gartens," succeeded Gawain as Laird of Stobs, and the baronets and earls of Minto are descended from one of his sons.
Gilbert Elliot, 1st Earl of Minto
Of this line, several of whom were distinguished as judges and empire builders, the most famous were George Elliot, vegetarian and teetotaller, who as governor of Gibraltar in 1779 conducted the heroic and successful defence of the Rock when it was besieged by Franco-Spanish forces, and Gilbert Elliot, first Earl of Minto, a notable Governor-General of India in the early 19th century.
His great grandson, Gilbert, fourth Earl of Minto (1845-1914), is remembered in the sporting world for having broken his neck riding in the Grand National. The mishap had no permanent effects and he was Governor-General of Canada before succeeding Lord Curzon as Viceroy of India in 1905. He was the chief architect of the Morley-Minto Reforms, regarded as dangerously radical in some circles at the time though, as it turned out, insufficient to stem the tide of Indian unrest.
The seat of the Earl of Minto was Minto House (above), in Hawick, and of the Elliot of Stobs, chief of the clan at Redheugh.
THE UNION OF CROWNS AND DISPERSAL OF THE CLAN OVERSEAS
The Union of the Crowns was the end of the Border Reivers. The Clans and Families of the Borders were problematic for Scotland and England and the Union meant the treatment of those that lived in these areas was harsh. Many people were executed and there was mass emigration over to Ulster. Emigration happened in such numbers to one place which produced who we call ‘Ulster Scots; . This part of history was similar to the Highland Clearances but happened over a longer time. People on both sides of the border suffered. The Border way of life was decimated.
Robert Eliott of Redheugh left his broad lands in Liddesdale and went into exile in Fife The use of the letter “i” in the Ellot surname was introduced in about 1650.
In 1666 Sir Gillbert Eliott of Stobs was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles II of England. He became chief of the Clan Elliot in 1673.
In 1764 the third Baronet remodelled the old Tower of Stobs into a mansion house. His second son was George Augustus Eliott who was rewarded for a spirited defense of Gibraltar in 1782.
A branch of the chief’s family acquired the lands of Minto in 1703. Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto was a diplomat who served in Corsica and Vienna. He later became Governor General of Bengal.
The independence of character of specifically the Elliots made them very successful in Britain's expansion overseas. They were among the leaders of this and have prospered well, spreading the Clan throughout the world.
Elliot Places & People
People of Clan Elliot
Jean Elliot (1727-1805)
Author of "The Flowers of the Forest" and thought to be the last owner of an Edinburgh sedan chair. She refused to have her name attached to her most famous poem when it was published. However, both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott named the author.
1st Earl of Minto, Sir Gilbert Elliot (1751-1814)
Sir Gilbert Elliot was born in Edinburgh and educated there as well as at Oxford and elsewhere before becoming an English Barrister and MP in his twenties. In the 1790s, he was Viceroy of Corsica before returning to his passion of Indian affairs, and by 1806 he was appointed Governor-General of the country.
While exercising caution in India, he was making dramatic moves elsewhere, supporting missions to Afghanistan and Persia, and asserting the British Empire's claim to Mauritius and the Spice Islands.
He was created Earl of Minto in 1813, but died soon after.
4th Earl of Minto Gilbert John Elliot (1847-1914)
Before joining the army in 1867, Gilbert John Elliot was born in Edinburgh and educated at Cambridge and Eton. He rode in Britain's most famous horse race, the Grand National, four times, finishing fourth in 1847. In 1883, he was appointed military secretary to the Governor General of Canada. He became Governor General himself fifteen years later, a position he held until 1904.
Elliot moved to India to become Viceroy for six years after achieving great success and prosperity in Canada. For the first time since the Empire's arrival, the Morley-Minto reforms gave Indians a say in the governance of their own country.
Walter Elliot (1888-1958)
Walter Elliot, the Scottish Secretary of State, was born in Lanark and graduated from Glasgow University and Glasgow Academy in medicine and science. He served with distinction in World War I before entering politics as the Conservative MP for Lanark.
He helped establish agriculture boards as Minister of Agriculture beginning in 1932. His tenure as Secretary of State for Scotland began in 1936, and he oversaw the Scottish Office's relocation to Edinburgh during his two-year tenure. Later, he served as Lord High Commissioner to the Church of Scotland's General Assembly twice and received honorary degrees from all of Scotland's universities.
He died at his Hawick home.
Clan Elliot Locations
The following locations have historical or current ties to Clan Elliot:
Redheugh Tower was the historic seat of Clan Elliot's chiefs, the Elliots of Redheugh.
Minto House (main image) was the ancestral home of the Elliot Earls of Minto. It was, however, demolished in 1992.
The Eliots of Stobs were based in the Tower of Stobs.
Elliot Tartans
The Elliot tartan was first documented in Clans Originaux in 1880, and then again 26 years later in Johnston's 'The Tartans of the Clans and Septs of Scotland' in 1906.
Ancient Elliot
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Elliot Contemporary
Elliot Crest & Coats of Arms
Clan Elliot Coat of Arms
Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry
Description of the Crest:
Fist raised, sword in hand
Coat of Arms of Clan Elliot
A word about Coats of Arms:
A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.
ELLIOT (simple)
On a bend in gules, Azure, or a baton
By ScotsTee
Read more:
⇨ Clan Edmonstone (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind
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