Haldane Clan Crest
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CREST: An eagle’s head erased Or MOTTO: Suffer TRANSLATION: N/A VARIATIONS: N/A |
| The Scottish Clan Haldane has a long and storied history, dating back to the 12th century. The clan takes its name from the Gaelic eaglais, meaning a church, which refers to the lands the family originally held near Gleneagles. While the clan’s origins are humble, they rose to prominence over the centuries through their service to the Scottish crown and their involvement in Scottish politics.
One of the earliest known members of the Haldane family was Bernard, son of Brien, who was granted the manor of Hauden by William the Lion between 1165 and 1171. A descendant of Bernard is believed to have settled in Strathearn and acquired lands that were later incorporated into the barony of Gleneagles, where the chiefs of the clan still reside today. |
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| The Haldanes played an important role in the struggle for Scottish independence. Aylmer de Haldane swore fealty to Edward I of England in 1296 but soon allied himself with Robert the Bruce in the fight for Scottish freedom. Sir John Haldane, third of Gleneagles, was Master of the Household under James III, sheriff principal of Edinburgh, and Lord Justice General of Scotland beyond the Forth. He even claimed the earldom of Lennox through his marriage to Agnes, daughter of Murdoch Menteith of Rusky.
The Haldanes also embraced the Reformation and played a prominent part in the political upheavals that followed the overthrow of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1585, they were part of the force that laid siege to Stirling Castle in an attempt to persuade the king to rescind the sentence of banishment on the Earls of Angus and other unruly Protestant nobles. James Haldane, brother of the Laird of Gleneagles, led an attack on the west port of the castle and engaged Sir William Stewart, colonel of the Royal Guard, driving him back. On the point of victory, however, Haldane was shot by Colonel Stewart’s servant. The Haldanes continued to serve Scotland well into the 17th and 18th centuries. Sir John Haldane, the eleventh Laird, was a professional soldier who fought for Prince of Orange in the Netherlands and was knighted by Charles I in 1633. He represented Perth in Parliament and was fervent in his support of the National Covenant. He is credited with building the present House of Gleneagles. The Haldanes have produced remarkable individuals over the years, including Patrick Haldane, who was Professor of Greek at the University of St. Andrews and rose to be Solicitor General for Scotland in 1746. He was nominated to the Supreme Court Bench, but his appointment was opposed on the grounds that the Crown did not have the right to appoint a judge without the consent of the Court itself. The matter was taken to the House of Lords, which ruled in favor of the Crown. The estates of the Haldanes passed to the cousin of the eighteenth Haldane of Gleneagles, Admiral Adam Duncan, Viscount Duncan of Campersown, in 1820. One of Britain’s most celebrated naval heroes, he took his title from his most renowned victory, at the Battle of Camperdown in 1797. The Haldanes have continued to play a prominent role in Scottish society, with Sir James Haldane, a descendant of the clan, founding the University of Edinburgh’s New College in 1843. |
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