Clan Tweedie
 | This article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(January 2015) |
| Clan Tweedie | |||
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 Crest:A bull's head. | |||
| Motto | "Thol and Think"( "Thole" is an old Scottish word meaning "suffer" or "endure" ). | ||
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| Clan Tweedie no longer has a chief, and is anarmigerous clan | |||
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TweedieorTweedyis aScottish clanname. The Clan Tweedie does not currently have a chief recognized by theLord Lyon King of Armsand is therefore considered anArmigerous clan.However the surname is also considered aseptof theClan Fraser.The name is derived from the lands of Tweedie which were along the Valley of theRiver TweedinPeebleshirein theScottish Borders.
History[edit]
Mythical origins of the clan[edit]
Scottish tradition ascribes the origin of the Tweedie name to be that of a water sprite in the River Tweed. Legend tells of a husband who went off to fight in thecrusadesand while he was away his young wife became pregnant and so he returned home to find he had a son. His wife then told him that she had gone down to the banks of the River Tweed and had been accosted by a fairy of the river and become pregnant by him. Her husband, for whatever reason, chose to believe this story but on the condition that the son kept the surname of Tweedie.[1][2]However the family name was certainly derived from the lands of Tweedie whether the story about the water fairy or spirit is true or not.[3]
Early history[edit]
The Tweedies have a history of being a powerful and domineering family, whose principal seat wasDrumelzierin Tweeddale. The first recorded Tweedie is John de Tueda as he describes himself in the reign ofAlexander II(1214–1249), who afterwards had a Charter fromAlexander III(1249–1286), granted him under the name of John de Tuedy. He was the owner of lands on the River Tweed from which the family took their name, and even then the family connections and possessions were widespread and powerful
Finlay de Twydyn appears in theRagman Rollsof 1296 swearingfealtyto KingEdward I of England,[3]and his son Roger of Twydyn, received a charter to the house and lands ofDrumelzieraround 1320.[3]The family held these lands for over 300 years.[3]Chambers in hisHistory of Peebleshiredescribed the Tweedies as being asavage raceand another commentator of the eighteenth century described them as being apowerful and domineering family.[3]
Tweedie of Drummelzier[edit]
The main centre of the Tweedie family until the 17th century was at Drummelzier, with other branches living atWrae,Stobo,Dreva,Fruid and other forts andpeel towersalong the valley. The early history is one of lawlessness, typical of the Scottish borders at that time, with deadly feuds with neighbouring families, particularly theVeitch's. The Tweedies would charge tolls on travellers passing through their territory, be accused or the victims ofcattle rustling,and become embroiled in affrays, often fatal, in the streets ofEdinburgh.
A major incident occurred in 1524 when a large group of Tweedies were involved in the slaughter ofLord Fleming(chief ofClan Fleming) and the abduction of his sonMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming– the dispute concerning the latter's intention to marry Catherine Fraser who in fact ended up marrying James Tweedie of Drummelzier. In 1592 another James Tweedie of Drumelzier was accused of the murder ofGeddes of Glenhegdonin Edinburgh.[3]The complaint against him states that it was not known how many slaughters had been committed by James Tweedie of Drumelzier and his friends.[3]The ancient quarrel with the Veitches still broke out at times, and in 1611 attracted the notice ofKing James,one of whose last acts before leaving for England was to visit the district of Upper Tweedale with a view to staunching this bloody feud. However a year later it is said James Tweedie lay dead after a duel with Veitch of Dawick.
The fortunes of the Drummelzier family declined, and in 1633 the last Tweedie of Drummelzier was forced to sell the Barony of Drummelzier toLord Hay of Yester.
Tweedie of Oliver[edit]
The Tweedies ofOliver Castledescend from a younger son of Drumelzier and they obtained their lands in the parish ofTweedsmuirfrom the preceptor ofTorphichenin the 14th century.
In 1524 Thomas Tweedie of Oliver Castle was implicated in the murder of Lord Fleming (chief ofClan Fleming) which erupted into a bloody feud between the two families.[3]Thomas was exiled from Scotland for three years in 1521.[3]His son William is said to have been implicated in the conspiracy to murderRizzio,the favourite ofMary, Queen of Scots.He and Adam Tweedie were among the body of armed men who, headed byDarnley,Morton, Ruthven, and others, on the night of 9 March 1566, rushed into the Palace at Holyrood and in the Queen's presence assassinated David Rizzio, her foreign Secretary and favourite musician. Along with the other conspirators, they were summoned on 19 March following to appear personally before the King and Queen and the Lords of the Secret Council to answer for the crime.
Subsequently, the Tweedies of Oliver adopted a more settled existence as comparatively prosperous landowners. In 1745 the Laird of that time, Thomas Tweedie, and other members of the family were careful to avoid any involvement in theJacobite risingwhen Highland clans crossed the valley. However Tweedies attestation to the considerate and respectful behaviour Captain John Burnet of Colonel Grant's Highland Regiment on that occasion may have contributed to the latter's subsequent pardon.
Later descent from Oliver[edit]
This Thomas Tweedie married Mary Stevenson daughter of Alexander Stevenson ofVenlaw CastleTheir eldest son James inherited Oliver, but the line died out with Lawrence Tweedie (died 1837) who bequeathed Oliver to his nephew George Stodart provided he took the surname Tweedie and quartered the arms. The resulting Tweedie-Stodart descent has also since died out.
Thomas Tweedie's second son, another Thomas who lived at Kingledoors, is the antecedent of most of the Tweedies of Oliver descent through his son Alexander. Of Alexander's three sons, Thomas Stevenson Tweedie (1784–1855) became a surgeon in theEast India Company.He had a family through anAnglo-Indianwife which he later disowned, and another family in Scotland. He added largely to the Quarter estate by purchasing many ancient possessions of the family,Kingledoors,Glenrath andWrae,and also Rachan. His brother Maurice Tweedie (1787–1867) was a major general in the Indian Army who was Resident atTanjore,served through theCoorg Campaignand other fighting, and commanded troops atPenang,Singapore,andMalacca.The third brother Michael Tweedie (1791–1874) also a soldier served in theRoyal Artilleryduring thePeninsular War(1808–14). He married Frances Forbes and moved the Kent, establishing the RawlinsonRolvendenline.
Michael Tweedie's son, another Michael Tweedie (1836–1917), was a major-general in the 1850s, throughout theCrimean Warand during theIndian Mutiny.His sonAdmiral Sir Hugh Tweedie(1877–1951) had a distinguished naval career in theRoyal Navy– he was aide-de-camp toKing George Vin 1925 and retired as an admiral in 1936, but was recalled at the outbreak of World War II. He was created aKnight of the Bath,in addition to holding theFrench Legion of Honourand the JapaneseOrder of the Rising Sun.Michael Forbes Tweedie, grandson of the first Michael Tweedie, is noted as the author of the Tweedie family history in 1902. Another descendant of the first Michael Tweedie was the naturalistMichael Tweedie,director of the Raffles Museum in Singapore.
Another Tweedie line, which is closely connected to Oliver, stems from Alexander Tweedie (died 1740) of Nether Minzion via his son James. James’ son Alexander Tweedie (1759–1811) moved to Dreva, and his son James Tweedie of Coates gave rise to families in Scotland and Chicago. A second son Thomas Tweedie (1760–1848) moved to Patavan and also had widely dispersed descendants.
Several others with the name Tweedie, identified inPeebles,surrounding areas of Peebleshire and Edinburgh up to the 19th century are most likely offshoots of the Tweed valley family.
Tweedy of Essex, The Hoo, Kempston, and Widmore Lodge[edit]
The branch descends from a George Twedye, born c. 1430, who was recorded in theHerald's VisitationofEssex1558 and 1612 as coming"owt of Scotland frome a howse called Dromelzane".His arms were noted asQuarterly 1st & 4th Argent a saltire engrailed Gules a Chief Azure (for Twedye); 2nd & 3rd Azure a Cross pattee ermine between 3 Cinquefoils Or, (for Fraser)– a heraldic reference to the Tweedie connection with theFrasers.George's exact relationship to the Tweedies of Drummelzier has not been established. His great grandson, William Twedy, died in 1605 and is buried at Little Sampford,Essex.His memorial describes him as a distinguishedmilitary commander first underQueen Elizabethof glorious memory in suppressing the tumults of the north of England, next under the invincible hero the Lord Baron de Willoughby in France, and lastly under the auspices of the illustriousEarl of Leicester,in the Netherlands, and was Warden of the military works atBergen-op-Zoom.
The family remained inEssexuntil the 16th century, when it moved to Yorkshire before returning to the South of England in the 18th century. The family was centred onBromley,Kent. Colonel George TweedyHEIClived at Bromley House, John Newman Tweedy lived at Widmore House and his son, Arthur Hearne Tweedy, at Widmore Lodge. The family's connection with Bromley is commemorated by the naming of Tweedy Road in the centre of the town.
Arthur Hearne Tweedy died in 1925 unmarried, and the family is now represented byCaptainChristopher John Tweedy, late of theBlack Watch.
Other branches[edit]
In addition to the Tweedie families listed above, Michael Forbes Tweedie recorded the following pedigrees in his bookThe History of the Tweedie or Tweedy Family:
- The Descendants Of The Rev. William King Tweedie, D.D.
- Tweedy Of Cornwall.
- Tweedie Of New Brunswick.
- Tweedy Of Cloonamahon.
- Tweedie In Quothquan, co.Sligo, Ireland.
- Alexander Leslie Tweedie.
- Tweedie in Dreva and Minzon, and of Coats
- Alexander Gladstone Tweedie.
- Tweedie From Lindores.
- Andrew Tweedie in Edinburgh
- Tweedie in Broughton Mains
See also[edit]
Tartan[edit]
- Tartan: There is no registered tartan for this clan, but the Fraser tartan may be worn.
As at 2007 seven other Tweedie/Tweedy Coats of Arms have been registered at the Lyon Court, Edinburgh[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^Sir Walter ScottThe Betrothed
- ^The Lay of the Last Minstrel. Appendix, Canto ', Stanza Xiii
- ^abcdefghiWay, George and Squire, Romily. (1994).Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia.(Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, TheStanding Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 466–467.
- ^Sir James Balfour Paul's Scottish Ordinary
- ^An Ordinary of Arms Volume II 1902–1973
External links[edit]
- Michael Forbes TweedieThe History of the Tweedie or Tweedy Family(1902) Web Archive
- Tweedie & Tweedy Genealogy
- Tweedie and Tweedy Coats of Arms (20 variants)
