Baillie Clan Crest
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CREST: A boar’s head erased Proper issuing from a naval crown Or embowed MOTTO: Quid clarius astris TRANSLATION: What is brighter than the stars? VARIATIONS: Bailey |
| The Baillie family is one of Scotland’s most historic and influential clans. With roots dating back to the medieval times, the Baillies have played an important role in the history of Scotland and its people. From prominent government positions to military service and contributions to the arts, the Baillies have left a lasting legacy. | |
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| The name Baillie is derived from the French word “baillie,” meaning bailiff or steward. This was an important office during medieval times and one of the earliest records of the name appears in 1311, with the mention of William de Baillie as a juror in a case concerning land in Lothian. Family tradition holds that the Baillies of Lamington were descended from the great house of Balliol, Lords of Galloway and former kings of Scotland. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.
William Baillie of Hoprig was knighted by King David II in 1357 and received a royal charter to the barony of Lamington in 1368. This began the family’s rise to prominence and from William are descended several branches of the Baillie family, including Carphin, Park, Jerviston, Dunrogal, Carnbroe, Castlecarry, Provand and Dochfour. One of the most notable Baillies was Alexander Baillie, who fought at the Battle of Brechin in 1452. He was rewarded by the Earl of Huntly with the lands of Dunain and Dochfour near Inverness and was appointed constable of Inverness Castle. The Baillie family played a prominent role in the Highland capital and formed alliances through marriage with many notable local families. Cuthbert Baillie of Carphin served as Lord High Treasurer to King James IV in 1512 and Sir William Baillie of Provand became Lord Provand in 1566, serving as Lord President of the Court of Session from 1565 until his death in 1595. Despite this rise to power, the family also suffered during times of political unrest. Sir William Baillie of Lamington, who married Janet Hamilton, daughter of James, Earl of Arran and Duke of Chatelherault, saw his family’s fortunes decline after the Battle of Langside in 1568. General Baillie, grandson of Sir William, was defeated by the Marquess of Montrose at the Battles of Alford and Kilysth in 1645. The Reverend Robert Baillie, a Protestant minister and chaplain to the Covenanter armies in 1639, was a renowned figure in religious and civil liberty. Robert Baillie of Jerviswood was also a strong Protestant and was ultimately arrested and executed for conspiracy to commit high treason. His family was forced to flee to Holland, but the estates were eventually restored after the overthrow of James VII in 1688. Lady Grizel Baillie, the wife of George, the ill-fated Laird of Jerviswood’s son, was a renowned poet and songwriter who died in 1746. The family eventually succeeded to the earldom of Haddington, a title they still hold today. In 1894, James Evan Baillie of Dochfour married the daughter of the first Baron Burton, a prominent Victorian industrialist, and the peerage has since passed to the Baillie family. |
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