Clan Galbraith

Clan Galbraith
Crest:bear's head couped argent muzzled azure
Motto	AB OBICE SUAVIOR "Gentler Because of the Obstruction" or AB OBICE SAEVIOR "Fiercer Because of the Obstruction"
Profile
Region	Lowlands
District	Stirlingshire
Clan Galbraith no longer has a chief, and is anarmigerous clan
Historic seat	Culcreuch Castle
Last Chief	Galbraith of Culcreuch

Clan Galbraithis aScottish clan.The clan does not have achiefrecognised by theLord Lyon King of Arms.Because of this, the clan is considered anarmigerous clan,and as such Clan Galbraith has no standing underScots Law.The clan-name of Galbraith is ofGaelicorigin, however its meaning denotes the bearer as ofBrythonicorigin, as opposed to Gaelic. The early Galbraiths were centred in the Lennox district, which spans the Highland and Lowland border of Scotland. The 17th chief of the clan brought ruin to the clan in the late 16th and early 17th century, and eventually lost his lands and fled Scotland for Ireland. His grandson, the 19th chief, was the last chief of Clan Galbraith.

Origin of the clan

Inchgalbraith,on the west side ofLoch Lomond,was the stronghold of early recorded Galbraiths.

The surnameGalbraithis ofGaelicorigin. The name is derived from the elementsgall( "stranger" ) +Breathnach( "Briton" ), meaning "British foreigner". The elements used in the surname would denote the differences between theGaels—who have been generally thought to have begun migration toScotlandin about the 5th century—and the nativeWelshspeakingBritons,particularly those of theKingdom of Strathclyde.The Strathclyde Britons remained a distinct ethnic group from both theHighlandGaels andLowlandAnglesuntil the 14th century.The former capital of the Kingdom of Strathclyde wasDumbarton( "Fortress of the Britons" ), in theLennox.

InScottish Gaelicthe Galbraiths are calledna BreatannaichorClann a' Bhreatannaich,meaning "Britons" and "Children of the Britons".The early Galbraiths held lands in theLennox,in the area ofLoch Lomond,north ofDumbarton.The stronghold of these early Galbraiths was on the island ofInchgalbraithwhich is located on the west side of Loch Lomond about 2 miles south-east ofLuss.TheheraldistIain Moncreiffe of that Ilkspeculated that theArmsof the Galbraiths—which borethree bears' heads—may allude to the British nameArthurthat is thought by some to mean "bear".

History

Culcreuch Castle,formerseatof the chiefs of Clan Galbraith.

The man who is considered to be first chief of Clan Galbraith was Gilchrist Bretnach who married the granddaughter of the firstEarl of Lennox.

The fourth chief, SirWilliam Galbraith of Buthernock,married a sister of "Black Comyn"who was head of the most powerful family in Scotland at the time.Sir William, however, sided against the Comyns when he had a part in the rescue of the boy kingAlexander IIIfrom Comyn's control.Ultimately Sir William rose in power to become one of the co-Regents of Scotland in 1255.Sir William's son, the fifth chief of the clan, Sir Arthur, supportedRobert the Bruce,and also married a sister ofSir James Douglas.'Good Sir James Douglas' is famous for perishing inSpainagainst theSaracens,while leading a small band of Scottishknightscarrying Bruce's heart to theHoly Land.

A branch of the Galbraiths heldCulcreuchin Strathendrick in 1320, and before the end of that century had inherited the leadership of the clan.In 1425 the ninth chief, James Galbraith of Culcreuch, joined the rebellion ofJames Mor Stewartagainst KingJames I of Scotland,in support of the overthrown regentMurdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany.As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled toKintyreand theIsle of Gigha,where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich or M'Vretny ( "son of the Briton" ).

In 1489 the twelfth chief, Thomas Galbraith of Culcreuch, was captured byJames IVand hanged.

Fall of the clan

The Galbraithtartan.

The 17th chief of Clan Galbraith, Robert Galbraith of Culcreuch, brought ruin to the clan. Sometime before 1593 Culcreuch's widowed mother married, against his wishes, the chief of theClan MacAulay,Aulay MacAulay of Ardincaple.Culcreuch's animosity towards Ardincaple was so much that Culcreuch was said to have "gevin vp kindnes, and denunceit his euill-will to him [Ardincaple] with solempne vowis of revenge".In spring of 1593, Culcreuch purchased acommission of Justiciary,(a commission offire and sword), to pursue theClan Gregorand "their ressetters and assisters".Both the MacAulays andColquhounswere suspicious of Galbraith's real intentions, and on 3 May 1593 the lairds of the two clans complained that Culcreuch had only purchased the commission under counsel from George Buchanan and that Culcreuch had no intentions of actually harassing the MacGregors. It seemed more likely that the Galbraiths, allied with theBuchananswould direct their vengeance against the MacAulays and Colquhouns, under the guise of hunting and clearing the Clan Gregor from the Lennox.Ultimately Robert Galbraith's letter of commission was taken from him.In 1612 Robert and his wife, likely from pressure from higher up, gave up possession of West Milligs, to his mother, who had married Ardincaple.Thus West Milligs, which adjoined Ardincaple (modern dayHelensburgh) and had been held by the Galbraiths of Culcreuch since at least the mid 15th century,was lost to the MacAulays of Ardincaple.

In 1622, Robert Galbraith, Laird of Culcreuch, was in debt to his brother-in-law (whom he attempted to assassinate), was denounced as a rebel, and forced to give upCulcreuch Castle.Galbraith then fled Scotland forIrelandwhere he died ten years later, leaving nothing for his son to inherit, and his grandson the 19th Chief of Clan Galbraith was the last of his line.

Modern clan symbolism

Today members of Scottish clans may show their clan allegiance by wearingScottish crest badgesandclan tartans.But usually not: the vast majority of the Scottish population of any surname show no crest or badges and demonstrate no such “clan allegiance”. The long history of Scotland's chiefly lineages exploiting clan members in the name of kinship, as personal troops and as disposable economic units, and the continuation of exploitation into the 20th century, explains this. The crest badge deemed suitable for clan members to wear contains theheraldic crestofa bear's head couped argent muzzled azure,and theheraldic mottoAB OBICE SUAVIORwhich translates fromLatinas "gentler because of the obstruction".The motto is derived from a phrase inOvid'sMetamorphoses"ab obice saevior"(" fiercer because of the obstruction ", describing a river which when dammed only flowed more violently), but inverted by changing"saevior"(" fiercer ") for"suavior"(" gentler "), according to John D. Christie, reflecting the bear's muzzle on the heraldic crest.The "Galbraith" tartan is known by several different names, includingRussell,MitchellandHunter.The tartan was known as Galbraith in the collections of theHighland Society of London.The tartan is recorded by William Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn as aHunterin 1819, and aRussellin 1847.

See also

• Galbraith
• Culcreuch Castle