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Clan Strachan (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Strachan

Clan Crest: A demi stag springing, Or, holding a thistle in his mouth, Proper.

Clan Motto: Non Timeo Sed Caveo (I Fear Not But I Am Cautious)

Origin of Name: Place name, Kincardineshire

Clan Chief: None, armigerous clan, Last Chief was Sir Richard Strachan

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Strachan Clan History

Strachan is derived from the Kincardineshire lands of Strachan or Strathachan. This area was once part of the ancient Pictish kingdom of Circind's northern border. The clan was first mentioned in 1200, when Walderus de Stratheihen granted lands to the church of St Andrews. the first recorded to use the territorial designation of 'de Strachan' is Ranulf de Strachan, who was a witness to a charter of Thomas de Lundie. The Christian names would indicate that the family was of Norman descent. Waltheof de Strachan granted the Priory of St. Andrews in Fife permission to build a church and town hall within the village in 1230. The bishop of St. Andrews consecrated the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Strachan in 1242. Ranulf deStrachan succeeded Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, as Sherif of Banff in 1264. An Alexander III charter from 1278 confirms that John de Strachane (son of Ranulf de Strachane) gave lands to the Abbey of Dunfermline.

When King Alexander III died in 1286, the country was thrown into long-term turmoil and an ongoing conflict with England, as the country's larger neighbor fought to dominate the country's future. With Robert the Bruce's murder of the Red Comyn in 1306 and Bruce's rise to power, the Strachans found themselves on the wrong side of history. Through the Earldom of Buchan, the Comyns and Strachans may have had blood ties. Bruce was fighting a war on two fronts: against the English and against supporters of Comyn's heirs' claim to the throne. Comyn's supporters were subjected to a'scorched earth' campaign by Bruce. After consolidating the lowlands, Bruce turned his attention north and devastated the area around Kincardineshire, effectively ending Comyn's support in the North-East. After being defeated at the Battle of Inverurie in 1308, the 'de Strachan' Barons were initially disinherited.

The Strachans may have been among the forces that took the field on the English side at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, but they, along with other Scots nobles, defected to Bruce on the eve of the battle.

This did not help the Strachan cause, and in the years following the battle, Bruce set about exacting vengeance on those who had opposed his rise to power. Sir Alexander Fraser was given the barony of Strachan by him in 1316.

After the capture of Robert the Bruce's son David by the English, the family was restored. By 1355, nearly all of the families who had previously benefited from the Strachans had reaffirmed their allegiance, gaining various lands and privileges. Thornton, Monboddo, Glenkindie, Carmyllie, and Lenturk were the five most powerful Strachan Houses after this time.

Adam Strachan married Margaret Mar and was given the lands of Glenkindie as a result. Strachans are now considered a sept of the Mar Tribe.

Sir James Strachan of Monboddo married Agnete, heiress of Kinkardine's Barony of Thornton. Duncan, his elder son, inherited the lands of Monboddo, while his younger son received the lands of Thornton.The Strachan Baronetcy of Thornton was established in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia in 1625 for Alexander Strachan, a Commissioner of the Exchequer and a favorite of King Charles I. Colonel Alexander Strachan, Alexander's son, was a cavalry officer who distinguished himself in 1646 by defending Thornton against the Marquis of Montrose. He was appointed Commissioner and advisor to the King after transferring his allegiance to Charles II in 1650. In 1663, the Baronetcy passed into the line of Monboddo.

Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet, was made a Knight of the Bath for his actions during the Battle of Trafalgar, and he was granted Freedom of the City of London in 1810.

The Strachan title and baronetcy became extinct in 1845, after the last Chief, Admiral Sir Richard John Strachan, died in 1828, leaving no heir. The name is now recognized as an Armigerous clan, and the current head of the clan is Major Benjamin Strachan, who has written a history of the clan titled 'A History of the Strachans'.

Thornton Castle in Aberdeenshire, 2 miles west of Laurencekirk, was formerly the Clan Seat. It was purchased by Alexander Crombie in 1804 and is still inhabited.

Strachan Places & People

Clan Strachan Locations

Thornton Castle is located near Laurencekirk. In 1309, it was passed to the Strachans.

Claypotts Castle is located near Dundee. The Strachans built it, and the Grahams later took over.

Clan Strachan Individuals

Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB (1760-1828) was a Scottish statesman.

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, he served in the Royal Navy, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.

Strachan, the eldest son of Lieutenant Patrick Strachan RN and a daughter of Captain Pitman RN, was born in Devon in 1760. Strachan joined the Royal Navy at the age of twelve in 1772, serving first aboard HMS Intrepid. He went on to serve in a variety of ships on the North American Station, first aboard HMS Preston under Commodore William Hotham, then aboard HMS Eagle, Lord Howe's flagship.

When his uncle died on December 26, 1777, he inherited the baronetcy. Strachan was promoted to command of the cutter HMS Lizard in 1783, and then to captain of the frigate Naiad. Strachan returned to England in 1793 and was appointed to command the frigate HMS Concorde, which joined a squadron patrolling off Brest under the command of Sir John Borlase Warren in the spring of 1794. On April 23, 1794, the squadron engaged a rival squadron of four French frigates and captured three of them.

In 1802, he was given command of HMS Donegal. Under Nelson's orders, he was promoted to senior officer at Gibraltar and assigned to watch the combined French and Spanish fleet at Cadiz. Strachan was promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue on November 9, 1805. When both Houses of Parliament voted to thank those who fought at Trafalgar on January 28, 1806, Strachan and his command were specifically mentioned. On 29 January, he was made a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath (KB), and the City of London granted him freedom and a sword of honor.

Sir Richard Strachan died on February 3, 1828, at his home in Bryanston Square, London. In 1812, he married Louisa Dillon, with whom he had at least one daughter but no son. When he died, the baronetcy became extinct.

Hew Francis Anthony Strachan (born 1949) is a professor.

Scottish military historian best known for his work on British Army administration and First World War history. Hew Francis Anthony Strachan was born on September 1, 1949, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Strachan worked as a merchant seaman for The Ben Line Steamers from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of a Sudan antiquities survey in 1973. He attended Corpus Christi College in Cambridge.

Strachan was commissioned by Oxford University Press to write a history of World War I, and he completed the first of three volumes, The First World War: Volume 1: To Arms, in 2001 to widespread acclaim. Strachan is widely regarded as one of the world's authorities on the subject. Strachan makes the controversial claim that the First World War was caused more by blunder and indecision than by German aggression.

Professor Strachan is the Chichele Professor of War History at All Souls College, Oxford University. From 1992 to 2000, he was Professor of Modern History at the University of Glasgow. He is a Royal Society of Edinburgh and Royal Historical Society Fellow. In 2006, he was appointed deputy lieutenant of Tweeddale.

Gordon David Strachan (born 1957)

Former Scottish footballer turned football manager. He is currently the manager of Celtic, where he has led the club to three consecutive Scottish Premier League titles (2006, 2007 and 2008). He played for Dundee (1974-1977), Aberdeen (1977-1984), Manchester United (1984-1989), Leeds United (1989-1995), and Coventry City (1995-1997) during a successful playing career. He also has 50 Scotland international caps and is a member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame. Strachan was an aggressive, skilful right-sided midfielder and the father of footballer Gavin Strachan.

Zoe Strachan (born 1975)

Scottish novelist who was born in Ayrshire and now lives in Glasgow. Her previous novels include Negative Space and Spin Cycle. In 2003, Negative Space received a Betty Trask Award.

Strachan Tartans

Strachan

Strachan Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Strachan Crest:

Crest: A demi-stag springing, Or, holding a thistle in his mouth, Proper.

Coats of Arms of Strachan:

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.