Dalziel Clan Crest
|
|
CREST: A dagger, erect, proper, pommel and hilt, or MOTTO: I Dare TRANSLATION: N/A VARIATIONS: Dalzell TARTAN: Red ground, green checks, white lines |
| The history of the Scottish Clan Dalziel is a fascinating one that spans several centuries. With over 200 different forms of the name recorded, the Dalziel clan has a long and storied past that is deeply rooted in Scottish history and culture.
The name Dalziel is derived from the Gaelic “dal-gheal,” which means “white meadow,” a reference to the color of the local clay soil. The name is of territorial origin from the old barony of Dalziel in Lanarkshire, but it is also found in Shetland, where it is believed to have originated from the island of Yell. |
|
 |
|
| Purchase @ Redbubble Purchase @ Amazon.com Purchase @ Amazon.co.uk |
|
| The first recorded member of the Dalziel clan was Thomas de Dalziel, who was listed as a baron of Scotland in the Ragman Roll of 1296. He swore fealty to Edward I of England but later joined Robert the Bruce in the fight for Scottish independence.
One of the most notable members of the Dalziel clan was Sir Thomas Dalyell of The Binns in West Lothian. He was a cavalier officer who fought for King Charles I during the civil war, and after the king’s execution, he vowed never to shave again, a vow that he kept. His long white beard reached almost to his girdle, and in contemporary descriptions, he was referred to as “the White Lady.” Dalyell fought with the royalist forces at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, where he was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He later escaped and went to the Continent, where he served as a general of cavalry in the Tsar of Russia’s army. His fierce reputation was put to good use when he was charged with suppressing the Covenanters, and his dragoons destroyed effective Covenanter resistance in the Battle of Rullion Green near Edinburgh. The House of the Binns was built by Dalyell’s father in 1623 and has been altered several times. Its present form dates from around 1820 and is still the home of the Dalyell family. The current baronet is Tam Dalyell, a prominent Labour Member of Parliament. Another notable member of the Dalziel clan was Sir Robert Dalzell, who was created Earl of Carnwath in 1639. His son, Robert, the second Earl, was an active supporter of the Marquess of Montrose, commander of the forces of Charles I in the civil war in Scotland. The fifth Earl, Sir Robert, fought with the Old Pretender in the Jacobite rising of 1715, resulting in the forfeiture of his title and estates. The Dalziel clan’s coat of arms features a hanged man, said to have come from the time of Kenneth II, when a member of his court retrieved the body of the king’s friend from a gibbet in enemy-held territory with the words, “I Dare,” which is now the family motto. The history of the Scottish Clan Dalziel is a rich and fascinating one that is deeply intertwined with Scottish history and culture. With notable members like Sir Thomas Dalyell and Sir Robert Dalzell, the Dalziel clan has played an important role in Scotland’s past and continues to do so today. |
|
Citations:
|
|
