Clan Barclay

Clan Barclay is a lowland Scottish Clan originating in the Aberdeenshire district of Scotland.  The surname Barclay is based on the location name Berkely in Gloucestershire.  The name in Old English means “woodland clearing”.  It is believed that Roger de Berchelai was the first member of the family to come to England, arriving with William the Conqueror in the 11th century.    In 1069 Roger moved to Scotland and was granted the lands of Towie in  Aberdeenshire.

The motto of the clan is Aut Agere Aut Mori which means “Either action or death”, and the crest features a hand holding a dagger emerging from a chapeau.

The historic seat of the clan is Towie Barclay Castle located near Turriff Scotland.  The castle was built by the Barclay family in 1593.  According to legend the castle was cursed after the Barclay Clan’s pillage of a nunnery in the 12th century. Famous Scottish Laird Thomas the Rhymer wrote  “Towie Barclay of the Glen Happy to the maids But never to the men”.  It is believed that the curse was the reason that the castle was sold in 1753 to the Earl of Findlater, who then, fearing the curse, resold it.  The castle was purchased in the 1970s by musician Marc Ellington who spent 7 years restoring the castle.

There were several branches of the Barclay family in Scotland and they had competing claims to the chiefship of the clan. In 1517 Walter Barclay became the first Barclay of that Ilk, however his branch of the clan quickly declined and the Towie-Barclay branch of the clan claimed the chieftainship. It currently resides with this branch.

Clan Barclay International is a website and an organization that connects clan members, shares clan histories and provides genealogical resources to clan members.

Further Reading:

The Barclay Curse
The Legend of Alexander Barclay and the Battle of the Red Harlaw

The Top Ten Brutal Scottish Clan Massacres
Top 10 Haunted Scottish Castles
Top 10 Surprising facts you may not know about Scottish Clans