Clan Innes

Clan Innes is a highland Scottish clan that is considered to be armigerous, which means, they do not have a chief currently recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.  The Clans name is derived from the place name Innes in Moray Scotland.  It is believed that the clan descended from a Flemish knight named Berowald who was granted the lands of Innes by Malcolm IV of Scotland in the 12th century.

In 1226 Berowald’s grandson, Walter, took the surname Innes and was granted a charter of recognition by then king Alexander II.

The Clans motto is Be Traist, meaning be faithful, and, the Innes crest features a boar’s head erased proper.

The historic seat of the clan was Innes house built by Sir Robert Inness in the mid 16 hundreds.  The Innes family owned the house until 1767 when Sir James Innes went bankrupt and sold the estate.  The castle still stands and is privately owned by the Tennant family.  The estate is not open to the general public but can be rented for weddings and corporate events.

The last chief of the clan was James Innes-Ker.  James was born James Innes in 1736 but changed his name to Innes-Ker, after he inherited the title Duke of Roxburghe.  Because of the double-barreled surname the Lord Lyon will not recognize the Innes-Ker ancestors as Innes clan chiefs.

The Clan Innes Society was founded on July 29th, 1984 in Alexandria, Virginia at the Virginia Scottish Games.  The goal of the society is to study the genealogy of the family and preserve the culture of the clan.