Let us begin to peel back the
origins of the Acheson surname by first observing a brief history
of the situation present in the region of this surnames first
To the best of this authors knowledge, and in concurrence with most credible historical and genealogical accounts investigating any of the descendant branches; the Acheson surname is documented first in the Scottish lowlands, in the region of Berwickshire. The earliest documented confirmation of the surname known to this author is presently in the late-fourteenth century in North Berwick. Earlier citations are said to exist, but this author has not yet had an opportunity to research them (mentions of variations of the Acheson surname have been alluded to as early as the 11th century).
The Achesons have long been recognized as a distinguished Sept of the lowland (and later highland) Scottish Clann Gordon. As a Clann Sept, Achesons are likely interrelated by marriage and/or blood at one or more points, probably from very early on in their collective history (when the Clanns were well formed and had distinctive land holdings). We might surmise therefore, that as fate and providence guided the early Clann Gordon, so might have it guided the early Achesons. In the end the reader must decide if indeed the tides of the Gordon Clann and Acheson fortunes rose and fell together in any harmony.
We begin our investigation with Clann Gordon, and the first recorded citation of a Gordon located by this author: An Adam Gordon, presumably of a family of Norman or Flemish extraction, was granted land in Long-Gordon in Berwickshire by Malcolm Canmore III (King of Scotland from about 1040 to 1093 A.D.). Legends pertaining to the origin of the boars head device on Gordon Coats of Arms state that the first Gordon (most likely the aforementioned Adam or one of his ancestors) either saved a Scottish king from an attacking boar, or killed a boar which was distressing some of the kings subjects in the Merse (a hilly, marshy area in southernmost Scotland). Hence the boars head thereafter appears on the family battle shields. Adam died in battle fighting side by side with King Malcolm in 1093 (who also died) probably either in combat against King William of England (second son of William the Conqueror), or possibly while warring in Norman France (anyone know for certain?). The Gordons were evidently closely related to their nearby neighbors the Swintons "of that Ilk", who like them bore three boars heads on their battle shields (perhaps the Gordons were even a descendant branch of the early Swintons, or vice versa).
It should be mentioned that it is possible that the Gordon surname was not originally derived from a Norman or Flemish surname, but instead may have been local, translating from the Anglish- Gor Din as "Hill Fort"; though little credence is given to this possibility by most historians. More likely it is from abroad, from the Manor of Guerdon in Normandy, who transplanted some of their family at least as far north as Hampshire, England under the name Gurdon at just about this period in history. Indeed, the early Scottish Gordons surname, when referred to in Norman documents, is often spelled as de Gurdon or de Guerdon.
Baron Richard Gordon a grandson
(or perhaps a great-great-grandson as cited by an alternate source)
of the aforementioned Adam held lands in Berwickshire (along the
Scottish borderlands with England), and gave land to the monks
of St. Mary at Kelso in 1150 and 1160 A.D. The Gordons also held
the nearby lands of Huntly Wood about this time and Huntly village
(which no longer exists). One of Richards "kinsman",
a Bertram de Gordoun killed King Richard I of England (Couer de
Lion) at Chalus, France in 1199 (apparently with a random crossbow
bolt shot). Circa 1189 and/or 1199 A.D. an Adam Gordon witnessed
the signing of a charter (he being a likely close relation of
Baron Richard Gordons). The name Adam has from ancient times
been a peculiarly favored name among the Gordons.
Alexander Gordon (Richards son and heir) earned the gratitude of King Alexander I of Scotland by killing or capturing a group of traitors who had tried to murder the King. For this Alexander received the lands of Stitchel in the Merse (southern most Scotland).
Thomas Gordon (another of Richards sons) is said to have confirmed his fathers grant of lands to the monks at Kelso (where King James Stewart III was later crowned at 9 years of age).
At least two of Alexanders sons participated in the Eighth Crusade in 1270 in Palestine as members of the 1000 Scottish auxiliaries sent by King Alexander III under the leadership of King Louis IX (or XI) of France. William Gordon, the eldest son, actually led the Scots contingent in the crusade, but was apparently killed in the holy land. His younger brother Adam, Alexanders second son, survived the eighth Crusade. This Adam Gordon later inherited the chieftainship and his fathers estates (of Gordon and Stitchel), and may have married a cousin Alicia IV (she described as a Gordon heiress). The family crest and motto are thought to have resulted from these participations in the Crusades.
Adam Gordon (of the eighth Crusade) also had a son named Adam to whom he passed his lands and titles. This Adam won fame during the wars with Henry III of England by facing Prince Edward (later King Edward I- AKA "Longshanks" & "Hammer of the Scots") in chivalrous personal combat in 1266 A.D., and fought him to a draw (Adam at least was wounded).
His son, Adam, (fourth generation since Baron Richard, and then reigning chief) has been said to be the ancestor of all the Gordons living today. His wifes name was Marjorie, and she may have been a McDuff.
This Sir Adam aided William Wallace in recapturing the Castle of Wigton in 1297 (of which he was later made Governor). He had been a close supporter of the Lord of Badenoch, "the Red Cummin" whom Robert the Bruce killed outside of Dumfries kirk. At first Sir Adam tried to avenge his friend the Comyns death, and supported the Balliol claim to the Scottish throne. As such he served under the English King Edward I (with whom his father had dueled) as Judiciary of Lothian in 1305. Sir Adam also apparently held a seat in the English council at Westminister. In 1309 "Sir Adam de Gordon" had leave to possess a private chapel from the monks at Kelso Abbey (to whom his ancestor Richard had granted lands).
After the death of King Edward
I, an unwise English commander so harried the Gordon lands along
the border (and even imprisoned Chief Adam himself at some point),
that in 1313 Sir Adam sided with Robert the Bruce, and supported
him loyally thereafter. He later led his Clann at the battles
of Slioch, and Bannockburn (June 24, 1314).
For their services, the future King Robert the Bruce awarded Sir Adam large tracts of McDuff lands in the highlands; forfeited by the Earl of Atholl. These lands consisted mainly of the lordship of Strathbogie, and the Cairngorm territories in the northeastern highlands; located principally in the shires of Banff and Aberdeen.
In 1320 Sir Adam was one of the Scots ambassadors (along with Sir Edward Mabuisson) who laid the Declaration of Independence sealed at Arbroath before the Pope to help gain papal recognition of Scotland as a sovereign state. He also fought to have the Bruces excommunication removed- for the Bruces having killed Comyn on church grounds. Thereafter (ca 1390), though still holding the family lands in Berwickshire and the Merse, the Chief of the Gordon Clann kept his seat of power at Strathbogie, whose capital was renamed Huntly by the new owners, to commemorate their Berwickshire lands. Sir Adam was eventually killed at the battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.
Sir Adam left at least three sons: John (the eldest) who was ancestor of the Gordons of Buchan; who had at least two sons Jock and Tam (who were the forefathers of the Gordon Earls and Marquesss of Aberdeen).
Sir Adams second son was Baron Adam who is said to have survived the slaughter of Halidon Hill, and apparently inherited the Huntly estate in Strathbogie, the Berwickshire lands, and the cheiftainship. He married Margaret Fraser, who for her husbands gallantry during the War of independence, gave to him Aboyne as a gift (and so the Gordons soon became a mighty power in Deeside). Margaret was the daughter of the Marischal of Scotland, and Fraser heiress of Aboyne. Her grandmother was a sister of the Bruce. Sir John de Gordon, grandson of Adam who died at Halidon Hill, obtained a confirmation of his lands from King David II (perhaps he was the Adam above's son, or else by one of his brothers). He or his successor obtained another confirmation of the lands in 1376 from King Robert II. As the families primary interests still lay on the border at this time, John was eventually killed on a moonlit night in 1388 at Otterburn when the English retaliated for his burning of the village of Roxburgh.
Then next in succession was
Adam Gordon who died at Homildon Hill after being Knighted by
fellow Baron Sir John Swinton, where both fell gallantly charging
the English host in 1402.
A third son of Sir Adam (who died at Halidon Hill 1333) was William (a younger son), who inherited the lands of Stitchel in the Merse, and who was ancestor to the Viscounts of Kenmure (a castle built on the west bank of the Dee River in Galloway).
Upon the death of Adam, (who died at Hamildon Hill), the legitimate Gordon line appears to have passed on to his sister Elizabeth's husband for some reason (rather than reverting back up a few generations). She had married Alexander Seton, the second son of Sir William Seton of Seton in 1408. Sir Alexander was made Lord Gordon in 1429 in the first known list of the Lords of the Scottish Parliament. Their son Alexander was made Earl of Huntly and assumed the Gordon name.
The legitimate descent of the old Gordon surname was continued by the Gordons of Lochinvar of Galloway, later Viscounts of Kenmuir, and the Earls and Marquesss of Aberdeen.
In 1445 George Gordon (2nd son
of Alexander Seton "Gordon") became the 2nd Earl of
Huntly. As a result of his father Alexander having been sent to
England as one of the hostages in 1424 held for the ransom of
James I, George was married to the Princess Joanna Stewart (daughter
of King James I).
In 1451 Sir George received the former Cumming lands of Badenoch from his brother in lawJames II (King of Scotland), as well as grants of land in Moray and Inverness shire. During this period the Scottish Crown was weak, and James Stuart II began trying to undermine the powerful Douglas Clann. As a result, the Gordons held virtual autocratic sway over northeastern Scotland, much as the Campbell Clann did in the west. King James II murdered the chief of Clann Douglas at Stirling Castle, which in turn provoked a rebellion headed by the Earls of Crawford and March.
While the Gordons were away from their lands to the north helping the King with his troubles in the south, their landholdings in Strathbogie were raised (raided) by the enemy, and Huntly Castle was burned. By 1452 Huntly earned the Kings gratitude by defeating the rebels at Brechin, though two of Huntly's brothers were killed there. King James II was so grateful that he gave his sister Lady Annabella, in marriage to Huntlys son, who would inherit the Earldom in 1470. Gordon power grew unchallenged at this time, and Huntly Castle was soon rebuilt.
In 1462 the burghers of Aberdeen entered into a "bond of manrent" with the 1st Earl of Huntly. By this agreement, the Earl was to protect the city in return for hospitality whenever he would visit, and for contributions to the Gordons army when necessary.
As it should happen the level plains of Aberdeen allowed the Gordons to breed horses, thereby allowing the Clann to have mounted cavalry, which was almost unheard of among highland Clanns. Use of the port of Aberdeen would also prove beneficial in years to come, as a passageway to continental Europe (particularly during the Reformation, when Gordon Catholicism alienated them from most of Scotland).
The 2nd (by numbering 3rd?) Earl of Huntly, Sir George Gordon, was Chancellor of Scotland from 1498 to 1500. It was said to have married Annabella Stuart before March 10, 1459, though divorced her in 1476. Sir George may have died in 1501, while his son Alexander appears to have inherited the lands and title in 1502.
The 3rd Earl of Huntly, Sir Alexander Gordon, commanded one wing of the Scots army at Flodden on Sept. 9, 1513, and managed to survive the battle (in which King James IV was killed along with many distinguished members of the Scottish Peerage). A younger son of the 2nd Earl George named Adam was wed to Elizabeth the heiress to the Earldom of Sutherland, and so eventually the Gordons held that Earldom as well. A daughter of the 2nd Earl, Lady Catherine Gordon, married Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne in 1496. After Warbecks hanging at Tyburn in 1499, Lady Catherine went on to marry three more times.
When Alexander the 3rd Earl of Huntly died in 1523, he was apparently succeeded by his grandson George (he perhaps the son of a daughter?, or a deceased son?). [Note: There is some confusion of facts during this time period as alternatively the Lord of Huntly was also listed as a Lord John Gordon who died in 1517 (not 1523), but apparently without heir. The aforementioned Lord John, "Master of Huntly" was married to Margaret Stuart (an illegitimate daughter of King James IV; this is believable especially since Earl Alexander had fought w/ James IV at Flodden), though John and Margaret had no offspring.]
However his parentage, George the 4th Earl of Huntly was made Lieutenant of the North, and became Chancellor in 1546 or 47, gaining a grant to the Earldom of Moray in 1548. Once when the Queen Regent, Mary of Guise (Mary Queen of Scots mother), was visiting her friend Earl George at Huntly Castle in Strathbogie, she called him "Cock of the North", a term which all of the Gordon Chiefs adopted thereafter. He was general of the forces on the borders to oppose those of Henry VIII under Norfolk, against whom he had many victorious encounters.
During the Reformation the Scottish Clergy were wealthy, and so unpopular that Protestantism spread very rapidly among the common people. Many of the nobles also turned Protestant in the hope of seizing church lands. The Scottish King attempted to stop this, but ultimately failed. He asked for French soldiers to help crush the Scottish revolt, but Queen Elizabeth of England stepped in and helped the Protestant Scottish nobles win a decisive victory in 1560. A year later, the beautiful Mary Queen of Scots returned from France to find Protestantism well established. For a few years there was relative peace, until Queen Marys conduct eventually provoked a revolt, upon which she fled to England, to Queen Elizabeth (who shortly threw Queen Mary in prison for nineteen years!)
Sir George Gordon, the 4th Earl of Huntly fought against the new religious changes that were in vogue in Scotland and abroad, and soon became known as a leader of the Catholic party. One would think that this might have won him favor with Mary Queen of Scots (and indeed the 4th Earl George even tried to marry a son to Mary), but Marys brother Lord James Stewart turned her against him, and persuaded her to deprive the Earl of Huntly of the Earldom of Moray (which James Stewart then took for himself).
As a consequence, soon afterward a dispute began between one of George Gordons sons and the Ogilvy Clann, which resulted in further estranging the Gordons from Queen Mary. Huntlys followers in Moray refused to surrender their castles at Inverness and Findlater to Mary, and so the Gordons were made outlaws. In 1562 the Earl of Huntly rose in rebellion and on October 28, rode with 500 of his men to Corrichie, where they were defeated by 2000 Royalist troops. Though he was taken alive, the Huntly Earl soon died of apoplexy (a ruptured blood vessel in he brain) on the battlefield. His embalmed corpse was taken to Edinburgh several months later and was subjected to public humiliation.
The 5th Earl of Huntly (name
unknown), was successful in making peace with the Queen and became
High Chancellor in 1565. His eldest aunt, Lady Margaret Gordon
(a Catholic), married the 8th Lord Forbes. Lord Forbes later disowned
his wife due in part to their religious differences (he being
a Protestant). The Gordons and Forbes eventually came to blows
in a battle in 1572 in Clatt, Aberdeenshire, where the Gordons
won the day, and where a brother of Lord Forbes was killed. Although
Protestanism had prevailed in Scotland, the 5th Earl of Huntly
succeeded in maintaining his inheritance; and soon after died
while playing football in 1576.
The 6th Huntly Earl (name also unknown) managed to anger the Mackintosh Clann by building a castle at Ruthven in Badenoch, and simultaneously quarrelled with Clann Grant of Ballindalloch. These two Clanns united against the Gordons, and gained additional support from the Earl of Moray (son-in-law of the 4th Huntly Earls enemy James Stewart).
Huntly murdered the Earl of Moray in 1592, evoking public outrage. He was then accused of involvement in a Jesuit plot and as a result the Earl of Argyll (a Campbell) gathered 10,000 men and marched against Huntly (and his ally the Earl of Errol), whose combined forces numbered less than 4000. On the 4th of October, 1594 the Huntly and Errol Earls met and destroyed Argylls army at Glenlivet. In the battle Argyll lost over 500 men (including two cousins, and Macneill of Barra), while Huntly lost only 14 men. As a result of this Counter-Reformation Rising, Huntly Castle was burned for the second time in 1595.
In spite of his victories, George the 5th Earl of Huntly surrendered to James VI (who was a Catholic), and was pardoned soon afterward. By 1599 the Lord of Huntly was created Marquis of Huntly, and Lieutenant of the North. Huntly Castle in Strathbogie was rebuilt in 1602 and a large home on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh was later owned by George by/before 1630. This building (after some restoration) still stands today by Canongate, and is called the Huntly House.
The 6th Earl and 1st Marquis Georges son, also named George, became the 2nd Marquess in 1636. He was Captain of the Scottish guard under Louis XIII, and he and his Clann followed Charles I during the wars of the Covenant which began in August of 1642 after the Puritan Parliament wrestled control of the nation away from the Episcopalian King Charles I. The Covenant Wars were a series of religiously motivated battles generally pitting Protestants against Episcopalians and Catholics.
The Gordon Cavalry (known as the Gordon Horse) played a decisive role in Montroses bedraggled highland army during the Covenant Wars. As highlanders have always been known for their sturdy infantry, the Gordon cavalry was a rare exception to this rule from amongst the Highland Clanns. The Gordon Horse distinguished themselves at the battles of Auldearn, and Alford, where unfortunately the Gordon heir fell.
It has been said however, that had not Sir George Gordons self-importance (for he was indeed powerful) impeded co-operation between he and Montrose, that the war for Scottish Independence might have ended differently. As a result of his support of the troubled line of Catholic and Episcopalian Stuarts, at the end of the war the Scottish Parlaiment seized Huntlys properties in 1645. A short time later Charles I was executed, and the Marquis of Huntly was captured in 1647. He too was beheaded two years later in Edinburgh. Scottish emigrants or "planters" (as they were called) including many of the Gordon Clann voluntarily removed, or were forced to emigrate to Ireland or other parts of the world during this period.
During Cromwell's Protectorate, while the legitimate Stuart line of Scottish Kings found refuge in France, their loyal supporters back home in Scotland became known as Jacobites (From the Latin "Jacobus" for followers of James- "the king over the water" as he was joking called).
With the Restoration of the
monarchy after Cromwells Protectorate, there came something
of a revival of Gordon fortunes. Lord Charles Gordon, a younger
son of the executed Marquis, was made Earl of Aboyne in 1660,
and the present line of Marquis are descended from him.
Sir George Gordon of Methlie and Haddo (northward of Aberdeen
on the northwest coast) was made Earl of Aberdeen in 1682 (he
being descended from Patrick Gordon of Methlie (cousin of the
Earl of Huntly) who fell at Arbroath in 1445), and in 1684 George
was made the 4th Marquis of Huntly. He was eventually created
Duke of Gordon. During the revolution George held Edinburgh Castle
against the Williamites for a year before being starved out. His
defense of the castle was a stirring event in Scottish history.
During the Second Jacobite uprising of 1715 the Gordons again cast their fortunes with the now "Pretender" Stuart Kings. The 2nd Duke of Gordon followed the "Old Pretender" at Sherriffmuir, and was taken prisoner by the government. His son, Lord Huntly, along with Gordon of Glenbucket, and General Gordon of Auchintoul, gathered 500 cavalry, and 2500 infantry for the Jacobite army. Viscount William of Kenmure, head of the border family of Gordon, was the Jacobite commander in southern Scotland until his defeat at Preston, and subsequent execution on Tower Hill. Most of the Highland Gordons, and Clann Gordon in general backed the Stuart claim to the Scottish throne, and fought bravely on their behalf.
At least one branch of the Gordon
Clann in southwestern Scotland (those of Earlstoun, Gordonstoun,
and Kenmuir) allied with the Hanovarian usurpers during some of
the Covenant Wars; though perhaps in part because they were not
as well protected in the lowlands, and partly because many had
converted to Protestantism.
Most of the Gordons remained staunch Jacobites, though the 3rd Duke was the first to be Protestant, and did not rally during the final 1745 Jacobite uprising (he may have even fought for the Hanoverian King).
The 3rd Dukes uncle Lord Lewis Gordon, along with Gordon of Glenbucket, and Gordon of Park, led the Gordon Clann for Bonnie Prince Charles Edward Stuart with two battalions. They defeated a force at Inverurie in December of 1745, and fought at fateful Culloden. Though weighty participants in the uprising, the Gordons in general suffered relatively mild reprisals upon the uprisings failure. Lord Lewis (also Louis) fled and died in France in 1754 (he likely left with the exiled Prince Charles Edward Stuart).
During the sad years of the highland clearances that followed, most of the highland clanns were eventually forced to leave Scotland for other parts of the world, as the old clann system was outlawed and dismembered. Many highland Scots did not survive these difficult years, and the long ocean voyages. Most Scots who had loyally supported the Stuarts were dispossed of their lands, homes, worldly possessions, and often of their lives. A great many Gordon Clannsmen were similarly subjected to this fate.
Some Gordons yet clung to bits of their former power, or were able to revive their fortunes. In 1777 a unit called the 81st Gordon Highlanders were first raised by Col. William Gordon (son of the Earl of Aberdeen), but were disbanded in 1783.
In the year 1794, the 4th Duke of Gordon raised the 92nd Gordon Highlanders, selecting as their tartan that of the Black Watch, adding a yellow stripe for the "Gey" Gordons (Gey meaning overwhelming or self-important). The 92nd eventually gained a measure of immortality by their famous charge at Waterloo, while hanging onto the stirrups of Scots Greys for greater impetus.
Other notable Gordons include
the mother of the famous poet Lord Byron, who was Catherine Gordon
of Gight (northeastern Scotland near Haddo Castle north of the
port of Aberdeen). Lady Catharine inherited the castle and its
lands, only to have to sell them off in 1787 to pay off her husbands
The Gordon Dukedom eventually became extinct in 1836 after the 5th Duke, but the Huntly Marquisite passed to the Earls of Aboyne (lineally descended from George, fourth son of George the 2nd Marquess, who was raised to the peerage by Charles II for his many loyal services), and he also assumed the Clann chieftainship.
A new Duke of Gordon was created of the Duke of Richmond in 1876.
Additionally at least ten gentlemen of this Clann were made baronets: Gordon of Gordonstoun, Gordon of Cluny, Gordon of Linsmore in 1625, Gordon of Lochinvar in 1626, Gordon of Park in 1686, Gordon of Dalpholly in 1704, Gordon of Earlstoun in 1706, Gordon of Embo in 1631, Gordon of Halkin (by succession) in 1813, Gordon of Niton in 1818.
During the period of the British Expansionist Empire in the North African Sudan, one of Britains most popular military heroes was Charles George Gordon. His ancestors had fought for Prince Charlie in the "45", and later for King George before Quebec. He himself had participated in the Crimean War where he earned the nickname of "Chinese Gordon" for his work as commander of the miscellaneous defenders of Shanghai during a rebellion. For his last command, Charles was sent to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to oversee a British troop withdrawal (though he was temperamentally unsuited to the task). Instead of organizing the withdrawal he attempted to defend the city, and did so dramatically, enduring about nine months of seige, until the city finally fell just two days shy of reinforcement in late January of 1884. By this time Charles Gordon had been put to death by the opposing force, and the Sudan was thereafter lost to Britain.
An elderly Lady Duff Gordon and her husband Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon were aboard the ill fated HMS Titanic, where Lady Gordon gained infamy for her unintentionally callous comments made while witnessing the scene from a lifeboat (she vocally lamented the loss of her dog, while people were dying around her). She survived, though I am uncertain if he did.
In the modern day; Gary I. Gordon, descended from the Clann Gordon (though born in Lincoln, Maine, USA) was posthumously awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for service above and beyond the call of duty in Mogadishu, Somalia on Oct. 3, 1993. A Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and while serving as Sniper Team Leader, Gary and a fellow team member voluntarily sacrificed their lives in a valiant attempt to save 4 downed comrades, one of whom survived to tell the tale. See link for more details about this truly heroic Clannsman.
One final item of interest pertaining to the Gordon Clann is the existence of a purebred line of bird hunting dog dating from the early 1700's called the Gordon Setter, which arguably has "the best nose in the business". Its medium stature is similar to an Irish setter, though mostly black since it was crossed with a bloodhound. Gordon Setters were typically a dog for the aristocracy, and is a rare breed today. The Chief Herald's father possesses one, and I shall attempt to scan in an image of "Lettie" at a later date for those curious.