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Clan Hope (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Hope

Clan Crest: A broken terrestrial globe surmounted by a rainbow issuing out of a cloud at each end, all Proper

Clan Motto: At Spes Infracta (Yet my hope is unbroken)

Origin of Name: 'Hop’, Middle English

Lands: Fife

Region: Lowlands

Historic Seat: Craighall, Fife

Clan Chief: Sir Alexander Hope of Craighall Bt.

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Hope Clan History

Hope is most likely a Scottish name derived from the word "hope." This means'small valley' in Middle English. Another theory is that it is derived from 'oublon,' which is French for 'hop,' and may have come from the Picardy family de H'oublons. Whatever the origin of their name, this borders family was among those added to the Ragman Roll, the oath of fealty given to Edward I in 1296.

The main line can be traced back to John de Hope, who reportedly traveled from France with Magdalen, James V's first wife. In 1560, John settled in Edinburgh and was appointed to the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Charles I appointed Sir Thomas Hope, John de Hope's grandson, as Lord Advocate. They took the name 'Hope of Craighall' after purchasing the estates of the same name in the Fife parish of Ceres. His contribution to Scottish law was enormous, and his works are still referred to by Scottish lawyers today. He had two sons appointed to the Supreme Court and was created Baron of Nova Scotia in 1638. He was also the author of the National Covenant. His eldest son took the title 'Lord Craighall' after his death in 1646. Lord Craighall became a trusted advisor to Charles II, and his counsel was especially useful in his dealings with Cromwell.

The Craighall estates were sold by the sixth Baronet to Sir Thomas Hope, Earl of Hopetoun, in 1792. The eighth Baronet is best known for transforming Edinburgh's former plague pits into the 'Meadows' park.

South Queensferry's Hopetoun House. Home of the Marquess of Linlithgow, a member of Clan Hope's Hopetoun branch. Between 1912 and 1918, the sixteenth Baronet was MP for Midlothian and served in both the Boer War and the Great War.

Sir Thomas Hope's younger son established the Hopetoun branch of the family and settled in West Lothian. When the frigate Gloucester sank, his son perished at sea. According to legend, he died in order to save the Duke of York, James VII. Sir Thomas' grandson was a young member of parliament for Linlithgow, quickly rising to the Privy Council and becoming Earl of Hopetoun, Viscount Aithrie, and Lord Hope by 1703. Around this time, one of William Adam's most famous houses, Hopetoun House, was built for the family.

In the 18th century, the Earl of Hopetoun's estates expanded rapidly, including most of West Lothian, as well as parts of East Lothian and Lanarkshire.

The fourth Earl, who had a distinguished military career, particularly during the Peninsular War, collaborated with Sir Walter Scott in welcoming George IV to Scotland during his visit in 1822. Hopetoun House is hosting a lavish reception for the Monarch.

On the other side of the world, the name John Aidrian Hope is well known; the seventh Earl was the first Governor General of the Australian Commonwealth in 1900. He was created Marquess of Linlithgow two years later. From 1936 to 1943, the second Marquess served as Viceroy of India. The family is still residing at Hopetoun House.

The Hope family's chiefly line lives on through the Baronets of Craighall.

Hope People and Places

Clan Hope People

Hope, William

The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that British and Commonwealth forces can receive. During the Crimean War, he was 21 years old and a lieutenant in the 7th Regiment (later The Royal Fusiliers), British Army when the following deed occurred, for which he was awarded the VC.

Lieutenant Hope went to the aid of the adjutant, who was badly wounded outside the trenches, on June 18, 1855, in Sebastopol, Crimea. After discovering that moving him was impossible, even with the assistance of four men, he ran back across the open ground, under heavy fire from enemy batteries, and procured a stretcher to bring the wounded officer in. His Victoria Cross can be seen at the Royal Fusiliers Museum in the Tower of London, England.

Marquess of Linlithgow, 2nd

Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow (1887-1952)

Linlithgow served on the Western Front during World War I, and then in a variety of minor roles in the Conservative governments of the 1920s and 1930s, including Chairman of the Royal Commission on Agriculture in India and Chairman of the Select Committee on Indian Constitutional Reform.

He succeeded Lord Willingdon as Viceroy of India in 1936. Linlithgow carried out the plans for local self-government embodied in the Government of India Act of 1935, resulting in government led by the Congress Party in 5 of the 11 provinces, but the princes' obstinacy prevented the full establishment of Indian self-government.

With the outbreak of World War II, Linlithgow's call for unity resulted in the resignation of the Congress ministries. Disputes between the British administration and Congress eventually led to the Quit India movement in 1942, which resulted in massive Indian civil disobedience. Linlithgow put down the riots and arrested the Congress leaders.

During this time, he had to sit through a sermon delivered by the then Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan of India attacking his attitude toward Congress and Home Rule; the peroration of the sermon led to uncontrollable laughter in church as the bishop gestured at the viceregal pew and said, "...and all we have left is an array of blasted Hopes."

His seven-year tenure as viceroy was the longest in Raj history when he retired in 1943. He passed away in 1952.

Hope Tartans

Tartan, I hope you're well.

Tartan Vere Hope

The tartans listed below are also appropriate.

Ancient Weir

Weir Contemporary

Hope Crest & Coats of Arms

Crest of the Hope Clan:

Crest Description: A broken terrestrial globe surmounted by a rainbow emanating from each end of a cloud, all Proper

Coats of Arms of Hope:

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.