Features: Scottish Clan Early Genealogy - Clan Lindsay

Motto: Endure Fort (Suffer bravely)
Historic Seat: Crawford Castle, Edzell Castle
District: East Lothian
Associated Surnames: Auchinleck, Byers, Cobb, Deuchar, Downie, Fotheringham, Leeds, Summers, Sumner, Waddell
Associated Tartans:

Early Lindsay Genealogy and History:
(Excerpt from "The Scottish Clans and Their Tartans", James Grant, 1906)

Randolph, Sire de Toeny, living 1018, descendant of Ivar, Jarl of the Uplanders, is said to be the ancestor of this family. From him descended Sir David Lindsay of Crawford, living 1340, who had two sons (1) Sir Alexander of Glenesk, father of David, created Earl of Crawford 1398, and (2) Sir William of the Byres. The grandson of the first Earl - David, third Earl - left two sons, Alexander, fourth Earl, and Walter of Edzell. The fourth Earl was succeeded by his son David, fifth Earl, who was created Duke of Montrose, 1488. His son John, sixth Earl, did not succeed to the Dukedom, and fell at Flodden¹ 1513; when the Earldom went to his uncle Alexander, seventh Earl, who was succeeded by his son David, eighth Earl. The latter had a son Alexander, known as the Wicked Master, who was killed in a broil with a cobbler of Dundee, December 1542.

In consequence of his son's behaviour the eighth Earl resigned his title to the King, who regranted it to him, with the provision that at his (the eighth Earl's) death, it should go to his cousin David of Edzell, great-grandson of the above-named Walter of Edzell. Accordingly on the eighth Earl's death in November 1542, David of Edzell became the ninth Earl; but he generously obtained a regrant of the title to David, son of the Wicked Master, who became tenth Earl, 1558, to the exclusion of the ninth Earl's descendants. David, tenth Earl, had three sons: (1) David, eleventh Earl, father of David, twelfth Earl; (2) Henry, thirteenth Earl, father of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth Earls. On the death of the last-named Earl the title went to the Lindsays of the Byres, passing over the Edzell family. (3) Alexander, created Lord Spynie 1690, whose line failed with the death of his grandson George, third Lord, 1671.

We will now return to the Edzell family. David, ninth Earl of Crawford, left two sons: (1) Sir David of Edzell whose line failed, 1744, and (2) John of Balcarres, father of David, created Lord Lindsay of Balcarres, 1633, whose son Alexander was created Earl of Balcarres, 1651. This Earl's grandson James, fifth Earl of Balcarres, left two sons (1) Alexander, sixth Earl, who also became twenty-third Earl of Crawford, 1808, on the failure of the direct line of Lindsay of the Byres. His great-grandson is James Ludovic, twenty-sixth and present Earl of Crawford and Balcarres. (2) The second son of the fifth Earl of Balcarres was Robert, grandfather of Sir Coutts Lindsay, Bart.², and also of Robert James, created Lord Wantage, 1885.

The first of the Lindsays of the Byres was Sir William, mentioned at the beginning of this article. He had two sons; the younger, Andrew, was ancestor of the well-known Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, Lyon King of Arms; the elder, Sir William, was father of John, created Lord Lindsay of the Byres, 1445. His third son, Patrick, fourth Lord, left two sons, the younger, William of Pyetstone, was ancestor of the ninth and tenth and present Earl of Lindsay; the elder, Sir John, left two sons, John, fifth Lord Lindsay of the Byres, and David, ancestor of the seventh and eighth Earls of Lindsay. The fifth Lord's descendant John, tenth Lord, was created Earl of Lindsay 1633, and also became seventeenth Earl of Crawford, 1652, as above mentioned. He left two sons (1) William eighteenth, whose line ended with his grandson John, twentieth Earl; and (2) Patrick of Kilbirnie, father of John, created Viscount Garnock, 1703. His grandson, George, fourth Viscount, became twenty-first Earl of Crawford. He left a son, George, twenty-second Earl, at whose death the Earldom of Crawford once more jumped to the Balcarres family (as stated above), descendants of the ninth Earl who so honourably got the title returned to the son of the Wicked Master.

(End excerpt)

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Footnotes:

¹ The Battle of Flodden (1513): The Battle of Flodden Field was fought on 9 September 1513, in Northumberland England between an army of Scots under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey. Read more about the Battle of Flodden at Wikipedia.

² Bart.: Baronet