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Clan Carnegie (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Carnegie

Clan Crest: A thunderbolt, Proper, winged, Or

Clan Motto: Dred God

Origin of Name: Placename, Angus

Lands: Angus

Historic Seat: Elsick House, Aberdeenshire

Clan Chief: His Grace the Duke of Fife

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Clan Carnegie History

The Carnegies were named after the area around Carmyllie, Angus. The family who adopted this name, however, were previously known by the place name Balinhard, which is also in Angus.

The Balinhards can be found in records dating back to 1230. Walter de Maule granted John of Balinhard the lands and barony of Carnegie in 1358. He was known as John the First of Carnegie and lived until 1370. His successor was John Carnegie of that ilk, and a direct family line ran from him until 1530.

Duthac of Carnegie purchased a portion of Kinnaird's lands in 1409, and an important Carnegie line developed in this area.

In 1513, John of Kinnaird fought and died at Flodden. In 1547, his son Robert was appointed as a judge. During the Battle of Pinkie, he was taken prisoner. After his release, he was knighted and appointed as Scotland's ambassador to France in 1556.

He was the first of the Carnegies to assert that his forefathers were cup bearers to the Kings of Scotland. This royal office is commemorated in the family crest, which depicts an ancient cup.

Sir David Carnegie, 8th of Kinnaird, was created Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird in 1616. He was created Earl of Southesk in 1633. Cromwell imprisoned the second Earl James for his Royalist beliefs. He was dubbed the 'Black Earl' because he learned magic at Padau.

Sir James Carnegie of Pittarrow, the distinguished soldier, was descended from a younger son of the 1st Earl of Southesk. This line was created Baronets of Nova Scotia in 1663. Lord Southesk and Glengarry collaborated closely in the Jacobite Army during the 1715 Rising.

In these times, the Carnegie tartan, based on the Glengarry tartan, was adopted. Today, the family seat is Kinnaird Castle in Angus, home to the current chief, David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife.

The Earl of Southesk, the future chief of Clan Carnegie, lives at Kinnaird Castle near Brechin.

Clan Carnegie Places & People

People of the Carnegie Clan

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)

America's most famous philanthropist and industrialist referred to his birthplace in Dunfermline as "the most sacred spot to me on Earth." When his family was forced to emigrate from Scotland and settle in Pittsburgh in 1848 due to unemployment, he began working the bobbins in a cloth mill throughout his adolescence until he escaped to become a telegraph messenger in 1850.

He soaked up all business knowledge he could get his hands on and mortgaged his family's home to purchase shares recommended by an employer. We might not have known about him today if the stock had dropped. However, as his wealth grew, he focused his investments on industries critical to America's growth.

He understood the importance and needs of expanding railroads because he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He was involved in the manufacture of locomotives, sleeping cars, and, most importantly, steel.

In 1901, he was approached by the newly formed United States Steel Corporation, which hoped to combine America's steel production. He scribbled his offer for Carnagie Steel on a scrap of paper and handed it to their representative, Charles M Schwab. Carnegie later said that Schwab should have asked for $100 million more. 'You'd have gotten it,' he was told, despite the fact that the figure on the paper was $400,000,000.

Carnegie wrote in his book "Gospel of Wealth" that "the man who dies rich, dies disgraced," and he spent his retirement distributing his fortune. He recalled how he had been greatly aided by free access to the library founded by Colonel James Anderson while working at the Pittsburgh telegraph office, and how he had spent an estimated £70.95 Million on philanthropic ventures that included 2,811 libraries 'for the masses'. The beautiful, copper-domed building that houses the expanding Mitchell Library in Glasgow is one such example, with the man himself laying the foundation stone.

Clan Carnegie Tartans

The Carnegie tartan is said to be a variant of the MacDonnell of Glengarry tartan, which was adopted by James Carnegie, 5th Earl of Southesk, during the 1715 rebellion. The only difference appears to be that in the Carnegie, the Glengarry white turns yellow.

It is possible, however, that this minor difference was caused by the passage of time.

The term 'ancient' refers to the dye shades, which are typically lighter, whereas'modern' refers to the use of darker dyes.

Threadcount: Y/4 G4 R4 G4 R4 G12 K12 R4 B12 R4 B4 B/6

Carnegie the Elder

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Carnegie Contemporary

Clan Carnegie Crest & Coats of Arms

Carnegie Clan Crest

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

Proper, winged thunderbolt, Or

Coats of Arms for the Clan Carnegie

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.