Clan Glendinning

Glendinning is a lowland Scottish Clan originating in the historic Dumfriesshire County of Scotland.  The surname Glendinning is derived from the lands of that name.  The progenitor of the clan is considered to be William Douglas, the second son of the 1st Lord Douglas.  Due to the close ties with the Douglas Clan many consider Glendinning to be a sept of that clan.  The Lord Lyon King of Arms considers Glendinning to be a separate armigerous clan, meaning it does not presently have a chief.

The motto of the clan is “Have faith in Christ”, and the clan’s crest features a maunch upon the point of a sword.

The historic seat of the clan was Glendinning Tower located in Westerkirk, Dumfriesshire.  It is believed that Archibald Glendinning, 3rd son of Sir Simon Glendinning, established the family in Westerkirk. The Gleninnings controlled these lands until 1703 when the Johnstone Clan took control of the parish.  According to the Blaeu map of 1654 the Glendinning tower stood 450 metres to the South of the modern farmhouse that is now located at Glendinning.  Currently, only ruins of the tower remain.

Glendinning was accepted as a sept of Clan Douglas in 1975 by the Clan Douglas Society of North America, therefore ancestors of the Glendinning line are welcome to join their Society.  There is no current Glendinning clan association but the Glendinning family website contains information about the clan and it’s ancestry.