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Clan Dalziel (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Dalziel

Gaelic Name: Dailgheal, meaning ‘white meadow’

Clan Crest: A dagger paleways Azure, hilted and pommelled Or

Clan Motto: I Dare

Region: Lowlands

Historic Seat: House of the Binns, Linlithgow

Clan Chief: None, armigerous clan

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Dalziel Clan History

The most common derivation of the name Dalziel is the Gaelic 'dal-gheail', which means 'white meadow' and refers to the color of the local soil. Over 200 different spellings of this name have been recorded.

The name is derived from Lanarkshire, but it is also found in Shetland, where it is named after the island of Yell (the two are most likely unrelated). The clan coat of arms depicts a hanged man, which is thought to be inspired by an event during King Kenneth II's reign. A member of the court entered enemy territory to retrieve the body of a King's friend. This occurrence also inspired the clan's motto, "I Dare."

Thomas de Dalziel appears in the Ragman Roll in 1296, pledging allegiance to the English King at the time, Edward I. A Thomas de Dalziel is also mentioned as fighting alongside Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. If these are references to the same man, we must assume he switched sides at some point.

Sir William de Dalziel and Sir David Lindsay competed in the London Bridge Tournament in 1390. Sir William had lost one eye in the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and it is said that he proposed that all contestants have one eye removed for the sake of equality! The Laird of Dalzell (a descendant of Robert Dalzell) fought for Mary Queen of Scots at Langside in 1568. After purchasing the Carnwath Estate in 1630, his heir, Lord Dalzell, was made Earl of Carnwath by Charles I in 1639.

In 1635, Robert Dalzell, the second Earl of Carnwath, was granted a charter that elevated all of Dalzell's lands to the status of barony. He was later convicted of treason for betraying Parliament in the presence of the King. He was stripped of his title, rank, and land, as well as fined 100,000 Scots merks. His son Gavin inherited the title, but had to sell Dalzell Castle and lands to his cousin James Hamilton of Boggs.

Sir Robert Dalzell, the fifth Earl, lost his title and lands in the 18th century after fighting alongside James Francis Edward Stewart in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.

The Binns' Thomas "Bluidy Tam" Dalyell

Sir Thomas Dalyell of West Lothian, who belonged to one of the family's oldest branches, fought for Charles I during the Civil War. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London after participating in the Battle of Worcester in 1651. After escaping, he went to Russia and worked as a cavalry general for the Tsar. He returned in 1666, when he was made a knight.

Charles II appointed him as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Scotland. In 1681, he formed the Scots Grays regiment, which defeated the Covenanters at the Battle of Rullion Green.

The House of Binns (main image), near Linlithgow, was built by Sir Thomas's father in the early 17th century, with various later additions. Many Royals have visited the house, including five of Queen Victoria's children. The King's Room was decorated in preparation for a visit by Charles I, but he never used it because he chose to stay at Linlithgow Palace instead.

Although the family retains the right to live in part of the property, it was donated to the National Trust for Scotland in 1944.

Dalziel Places & People

Dalziel Clan Members

General Tam (Thomas) Dalyell (1615 – 1685)

General of the Scottish Royalists. Known by the nicknames 'Bluidy Tam' and 'Muscovite de'il'. Dalyell was born in the Scottish county of Linlithgowshire.

At the age of 13, he appears to have joined Charles I's expedition to La Rochelle in 1628 and later rose to the rank of colonel. When Charles I was executed in 1649, it is said that he refused to shave his beard as a penance for his countrymen's behavior. He was imprisoned at Carrickfergus in 1650, but was granted a free pass, and after being expelled from Scotland, he remained in Ireland.

He witnessed the surrender of his men at the Battle of Worcester (1651), and he himself was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He escaped in May and took part in the Highland rebellion in 1654. Dalziel then fled to Russia, where he fought in the wars against the Turks and Tatars for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

He returned to Britain after Charles II's restoration. In 1666, he was appointed commander-in-chief of Scotland, with the mission of putting down the Covenanters. At the Battle of Rullion Green, Dalziel defeated them. He was cruel to the defeated, imprisoning 1200 covenanters in Greyfriars Kirkyard, among other things, earning him the moniker Bluidy Tam. The General obtained several of his opponents' forfeited estates.

He was appointed a privy councillor on 3 January 1667 and represented Linlithgow in the Scottish parliament. In 1681, he was given a commission to join the regiment that became known as the Scots Greys.

According to legend, "Bluidy Tam" occasionally played cards with the Devil. The Devil threw the card table at the General during one of these games. The Devil failed, and the Table flew through the window, landing in a pond on the grounds of the House of the Binns. This story has been passed down through generations of Binns residents. Following a particularly severe drought, a marble-topped card table was seen poking through the pond's low waters in 1870.

Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns, 11th Baronet (born 1932) is a Scottish politician who served in the House of Commons as a Labour member from 1962 to 2005. Dalyell was born in England but raised near Linlithgow, West Lothian, in his mother's family home, The Binns.

Dalyell attended The Edinburgh Academy and Eton College before serving in the Royal Scots Greys during his National Service. He then attended King's College. After the Suez Crisis in 1956, he joined the Labour Party and was elected to the House of Commons in June 1962. When Sir Edward Heath retired following the 2001 General Election, he became Father of the House. From 1975 to 1979, he was a member of the European Parliament.

He was opposed to Scottish devolution and posed the famous "West Lothian question"; from 1978 to 1979, he voted against his own government over 100 times, despite a three-line whip. Dalyell has been vocal in his opposition to imperialism, arguing against action in Aden, the depopulation of Diego Garcia, the Falklands War (particularly the sinking of the General Belgrano), the Gulf War, and action in Kosovo and Iraq, saying, "I will resist a war with every sinew in my body."

Dalyell was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh by the staff and students on March 7, 2003.

Through the daughter of the 1st Baronet Dalyell of the Binns, he is 6th cousin to Harry S. Truman.

Dalziel Tartans

Wilsons of Bannockburn created the Dalziel tartan, which was registered in 1822. The tartan is also known as George IV tartan, Dalzeil tartan, and Dalzell tartan.

Dalziel Contemporary

Dalziel Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Dalziel Coat of Arms

Worn by everyone with the same name and ancestry

Description of the Crest:

A paleways Azure dagger, hilted and pommelled Or

Coats of Arms for the Clan Dalziel

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.