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Clan Urquhart (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Urquhart

Gaelic Name: Urchurdan

Clan Crest: Issuant from a crest coronet, Or, a naked woman from the waist upwards, Proper, brandishing in her desxter hand a sword, Azure, hilted and pommelled, Gules, and holding in her sinister hand a palm sapling, Vert

Clan Motto: Meane weil speak weil and doe weil

Origin of Name: Placename, Ross-shire

Clan Badge: Wallflower

Lands: Ross-shire and Inverness-shire

Clan Chief: Colonel Wilkins Fisk Urquhart of Urquhart USAF (Ret.)

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Urquhart Clan History

Urquhart is of Gaelic origin and has been variously translated as 'by a rowan wood' or 'fort on a knoll'. The Urquhart family takes its name from the Urquhart district in Cromarty, which is located on the north side of the Great Glen. This was originally Airchart, a location mentioned in Saint Columba's life.

R.R. McIan's 19th-century depiction of an Urquhart clanswoman

Although Craig Castle is the traditional seat of the clan, Urquhart Castle, located nearby on the shores of Loch Ness, is far more well-known. Conachar of the royal house of Ulster once owned Urquhart castle and traveled to Scotland to aid King Malcolm III. According to legend, Conachar was attacked by a wild boar but was saved by his hunting dog, who died in order to save his master. It is thought that the wild boar on the Urquhart arms represents this.

They are of minor importance in Scottish history but of ancient origin, having traditionally descended from a seafaring tribe. Indeed, the writer Sir Thomas Urquhart compiled his own genealogy and claimed to be the 143rd direct descendant of Adam and Eve.

During the reign of William Wallace, William de Urchard is said to have defended the Moote of Cromarty against supporters of the English claim to the throne. The Urquhart chiefs were hereditary sheriffs of Cromarty beginning with the reign of David II of Scotland.

Sir Thomas Urquhart, a renowned seventeenth-century writer and considered one of the most eccentric geniuses in Scottish history, epitomizes the family history of erudition and learned pursuits. He traveled Europe collecting written works and was captured by the English when he returned. While imprisoned in the Tower of London, he published Rabelais' first book, one of the world's translation masterpieces. He died in 1660, allegedly as a result of a fit of laughter while celebrating the Restoration.

Captain John Urquhart of Craigston was a wealthy man, but the source of his fortune is unknown.

His family dubbed him "the pirate." He served in the Spanish Navy, and it is likely that he made his fortune from the prize money paid for captured enemy vessels. He narrowly escaped death in the 1715 Battle of Sheriffmuir while fighting for the Jacobites. The Urquharts of Craigston rose to such social prominence that they commissioned the great Henry Raeburn to paint their family portraits.

Colonel James Urquhart was a principle Jacobite agent in Scotland who was also wounded at Sheriffmuir. After his death in 1741, the chief title passed to his cousin William Urquhart of Meldrum, who, despite being a Jacobite, avoided Culloden.

Major Beauchamp Urquhart, the last of this line, died in the Battle of Atbara in Sudan in 1898. Wilkins Fisk Urquhart, a descendant of the Urquharts of Braelangswell, established his right to be Chief of the Clan Urquhart in 1959.

Wilkins Fisk Urquhart of Urquhart, younger, is now the chief of the clan. He lives in the United States.

Urquhart Places & People

Clan Urquhart Locations:

Cromarty Castle, owned by the Urquharts, was demolished in 1772, and Cromarty House (above) was built on the site.

Dingwall, Castle Craig. Urquharts are the owners.

Craigston Castle is located in Aberdeenshire. Urquharts is still in charge.

Clan Urquhart Individuals:

Sir Thomas Urquhart (1611-1660).

He was a child prodigy who enrolled at Kings College in Aberdeen at the age of eleven. He was the author of the Urquhart family tree and a well-known Rabelais translation. He died in 1660, allegedly as a result of a fit of laughter while celebrating the Restoration.

Captain John Urquhart (born in 1696)

A man of great wealth, the origins of his fortune were shrouded in mystery, though he was known as "the pirate" within the family. He joined the Spanish navy and most likely made his fortune from prize money for capturing enemy ships.

Major Bauchamp Urquhart died in 1898.

He was the last of the Meldrum Urquharts and a well-known soldier. He was killed in the Battle of Atbara in Sudan.

Urquhart Tartans

Urquhart, the Ancient

Urquhart Contemporary

Ancient Urquhart Broad Red Urquhart

Urquhart Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Urquhart Crest:

Issuant from a crest coronet, Or, a naked woman from the waist upwards, Proper, holding a palm sapling in her sinister hand and a sword, Azure, hilted and pommelled, Gules, in her desxter hand. Vert

Coats of Arms of Urquhart:

Chief of Clan Urquhart, Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart

Arms: Or, three erased boars' heads Gules, armed Proper and langued Azure.

The crest is a naked woman from the waist up. Proper holding a palm sapling Vert in her sinister hand and a sword Azure hilted and pommelled Gules in her dexter hand

MEANE WEIL, SPEAK WEIL, AND DO WEIL.

Two greyhounds are supporters. Gules with collars and leashes reflexed over their backs Or on a compartment adorned with a wallflower with four yellow petals.

A mermaid Proper, tail-part Gules, crined Or, holding a harp Or, is the badge.

Matriculated at the Lord Lyon's Court on April 16, 1959, and March 12, 1999. Lyon Register, volumes 43, 44, 45, 46, and 83, folio 55.

Urquhart

B.S.A.E., PE Thomas Urquhart III

Arms: Per fess Or and Argent, on a fess Azure, three boar's heads erased Gules armed Proper and Langued Azure, and two mullets Gules, a cartwheel Or spoked Gules.

Crest: a rising falcon Proper

Always with Honour is our motto. Always with Bravery

Matriculated at the Lord Lyon's Court on January 24, 2006. Lyon Register, folio 57, vol. 86.

"These Arms were matriculated from my Grandfather, Thomas Urquhart's, Arms."