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Clan Sempill (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Sempill

Clan Motto: Keep Tryst

Lands: Renfrewshire

Clan Chief: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Sempill

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Sempill Clan History

The origins of the surname Sempill are unknown, but it has been recorded in Renfrewshire since the 1100s. It has been suggested that the name is a corruption of St Paul's, but this explanation has left many disappointed. Others believe Sempill was a descriptive name for a humble or simple person.

During the 13th century, a Robert de Semple was mentioned twice. Around 1246, he was a witness to a charter to Paisley Abbey, and later, as the chamberlain of Renfrew, he witnessed a charter of the Earl of Lennox.

Clan Sempill supported King Robert the Bruce during Scotland's 14th-century wars of independence from England. Bruce gave land to Robert de Semple's two sons in exchange for their services. The elder, Robert, was given lands taken from the Balliols near Largs in Ayrshire, while the younger, Thomas, was given half of Longniddry.

The Sempills fought on the king's side at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488, during the rebellion against James III. Sir Thomas Sempill was killed in the line of duty. James IV made John, Thomas's son, Lord Sempill after he inherited his father's estates. During the Anglo-Scottish Wars, John was killed fighting against the English at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513. His son William succeeded him as Lord.

Robert Sempill, son of William, was the constable at the royal Castle Douglas, and he led his Sempill men in the disastrous Battle of Pinkie Cleugh near Musselburgh in 1547, in which the Scots were crushed by the English. The English apprehended Robert. This was the final encounter between the Kingdoms of Scotland and England.

Initially loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Sempills turned against her at the Battle of Carberry Hill in 1567 and again a year later at the Battle of Langside. On both occasions, the Queen's opponents were victorious.

During the 1745-1746 Jacobite rebellion, the Sempill clan fought alongside the British government at the Battle of Culloden. The Sempills served in the 25th Regiment of Foot, now known as the King's Own Scottish Borderers.

Lord Sempill, the 21st Chief, is the current Clan Chief.

Sempill Places & People

The elder Robert Sempill (circa 1530-1595)

Scottish ballad-writer, was most likely an illegitimate cadet of the noble house of Sempill or Semple.

Little is known about his life. He appears to have traveled to Paris. He was most likely a soldier, and his name appears in the Lord Treasurer's books in February 1567-1568, indicating that he held some office at the Scottish court, and his writings show that he had an intimate knowledge of court affairs. He was an outspoken critic of Queen Mary and the Catholic Church. Sempill was present at the siege of Leith (1559-1560), and was in Paris in 1572 before being driven away by the St Bartholomew massacre. He was most likely present at the siege of Edinburgh Castle, serving with James Douglas, Earl of Morton's army.

The younger Robert Sempill (1595–1663)

Scottish poet, son of Robert Sempill, matriculated at the University of Glasgow in March 1613.

He fought for the Stuarts during the Civil War and appears to have suffered significant financial losses under the Commonwealth. He died between the years of 1660 and 1669. He married Mary Lyon of Auldbar, the daughter of Sir Thomas Lyon. Francis Sempill, his son, was also a writer.

His fame stems from the ballad "The Life and Death of Habbie Simpson, Piper of Kilbarchan," written around 1640. It's an interesting snapshot of the time, and it revived the popular six-lined stanza, which was later popularized by Allan Ramsay, Robert Fergusson, and Robert Burns (see, for example, Burns' Poor Mailie's Elegy). Before 1700, two broadside copies were printed, and it appeared in James Watson's Collection of Poems (1706-1710). In the same stanza, Sempill is said to have written an epitaph for Sawney Briggs, Habbie Simpson's nephew.

Sempill Tartans

Sempill Tartan

Sempill Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Sempill Crest

Coats of Arms for Sempill:

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.