Dundas Clan Crest
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CREST: A lion’s head affrontée looking through a bush of oak Proper MOTTO: Essayez TRANSLATION: Try TARTAN: Blue and Black ground, Green checks, Red and Black lines. VARIATIONS: N/A |
| The Scottish Clan Dundas is a noble and ancient clan that has a long and fascinating history dating back to the early medieval period. The Dundas family is said to be descended from Helias, son of Hutred, who was a younger son of Gospatrick, Prince of Northumberland.
The first reliable records of the family date back to the reign of William the Lion when Serle de Dundas appears in deeds of that period. From that time forward, the family played an important role in Scottish history, producing many notable figures. |
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| One of the most important figures in the Dundas family was Sir James Dundas, the first Lord Arniston. He was a loyal subject of the Scottish king, but he vehemently opposed the king’s interference with the Church of Scotland and the reintroduction of bishops. As a result, he was one of the first signatories to the National Covenant. He was later offered a seat on the supreme court bench, but he refused to sign the declaration required by law in 1663, which led to his resignation. His eldest son, Robert Dundas of Arniston, took the title ‘Lord Arniston’ in honor of his father.
Another notable figure from the Dundas family was Henry Dundas, first Viscount Melville. He was a distinguished politician who served as Lord Advocate, Treasurer of the Navy, and Secretary of State for the Home Department during the time of the French Revolution. He was raised to the peerage as Viscount Melville and Baron Dunira in 1802, and his town mansion in St Andrew Square in Edinburgh is now the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The Dundas family has produced many other notable figures over the centuries, including soldiers, judges, and politicians. The family has also played an important role in the Scottish legal system, with no less than two Lords President of the Court of Session coming from the Dundas family. The Dundas family has several principal branches, including Dundas of Blair Castle, Arniston, Duddingston, and Fingask. The family has also been ennobled, with Sir Thomas Dundas of Kerse being created Lord Dundas of Skea in 1794, and his descendants becoming first Earls and then Marquesses of Zealand. The second Marquess was even Secretary of State for India from 1935 to 1937. Today, the present chief of the Dundas family lives abroad, but many of the great Dundas houses, including Dundas Castle and the splendid eighteenth-century mansion of Arniston, are still homes of members of the family. The history of the Scottish Clan Dundas is a testament to the enduring legacy of this ancient and noble family. |
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