Difference between revisions of "Clan Hunter"

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{{Clan
 
{{Clan
|image badge =
+
|image= [[File:Hunterbadge.jpeg|270px|]]
 
|name = Clan Hunter
 
|name = Clan Hunter
|crest = A greyhound sejant Proper, gorged with an antique crown Or
+
|crest = [[File:Clancrest.jpg|270px|]] A greyhound sejant Proper, gorged with an antique crown Or
|chiefs motto = Cursum perficio (Latin) - I have completed the course
+
|clanmoto = Cursum perficio (Latin) - I have completed the course
|chiefs slogan =
 
 
|warcry = Haud at Hunds o Hunterston
 
|warcry = Haud at Hunds o Hunterston
 
|district = [[Ayrshire]], [[Isle of Arran]], [[The Cumbraes]]
 
|district = [[Ayrshire]], [[Isle of Arran]], [[The Cumbraes]]
 
|region = [[Scottish Highlands]] and [[Scottish Lowlands]]|Highlands and Lowlands]]
 
|region = [[Scottish Highlands]] and [[Scottish Lowlands]]|Highlands and Lowlands]]
|origins =
+
|caption = Crest Badge of a Member of Clan Hunter
|location = x
+
|location = Hunterston, North Ayrshire
|country = x
+
|country = Scotland
|preceding =
+
|preceding = Neil Aylmer Hunter of Hunterston
 
|gaelic names = Clann an t-Sealgair (clan), Mac an t-Sealgair (surname)
 
|gaelic names = Clann an t-Sealgair (clan), Mac an t-Sealgair (surname)
|image arms = Hunter of Hunterton arms female.svg
+
|plantbadge =Sea Pink, Armeria Maritima
|plant badge =Sea Pink, Armeria Maritima
+
|chief = Pauline Natalie Mullen Hunter of Hunterston
|animal =
 
|pipe music =Hunters March
 
|chiefs name = Pauline Natalie Mullen Hunter of Hunterston,<ref name="burkespeerage">{{Cite web|url=http://www.burkespeerage.com/familyhomepage.aspx?FID=0&FN=HUNTEROFHUNTERSTON|title=burkespeerage.com: Hunter}}</ref>
 
 
|chiefs title = [[Chief of the Name and Arms]] of Hunter and 30th Laird of Hunterston.Praefectus Venatorus Regis.
 
|chiefs title = [[Chief of the Name and Arms]] of Hunter and 30th Laird of Hunterston.Praefectus Venatorus Regis.
|chiefs gaelic title=
 
|seat = [[Trearddur Bay]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.clanchiefs.org/p/chiefs.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726201953/http://www.clanchiefs.org/p/chiefs.html|url-status=dead|title=clanchiefs.org: Hunter|archivedate=26 July 2011}}</ref>
 
|historic seat = [[Hunterston Castle]].
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''Clan Hunter''' is a [[Scottish clan]].<ref name="ScotClans">[http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-hunter/ Clan Hunter Profile] scotclans.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013.</ref><ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter">{{cite book |last1=Way |first1=George |editor1-last=Squire |editor1-first=Romilly |title=Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia |date=1994 |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers |isbn=978-0-00-470547-7 |pages=172-173 |edition=Illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Collins_Scottish_Clan_Family_Encyclopedi.html?id=D6mUQgAACAAJ}}</ref>
 
  
==History==
+
==Clan Hunter==
 +
Clan Hunter is a Lowland Scottish Clan. The original Clan lands are on the Firth of Clyde at Hunterston in North Ayrshire and have remained in the possession of the Hunter family since 1110.
  
===Origins of the clan===
+
== Clan Chief ==
It is likely that the Hunters went to [[Scotland]] with [[David I of Scotland]] upon his invitation and were given lands named Hunter's Toune.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
Pauline Natalie Hunter is the 30<sup>th</sup> laird of Hunterston and Chief of Clan Hunter. Madam Pauline is active in the promotion of Scottish heritage worldwide and committed to the preservation of Hunterston Castle for all future generations of the extended Hunter family.
 +
[[File:Madam Pauline Hunter.jpg|left|thumb|'''Madam Pauline Hunter, Chief of Clan Hunter''']]
  
In 1296 Aylmer le Hunter of the county of [[Ayr]] appears on the [[Ragman Rolls]] submitting to [[Edward I of England]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Early History===
 +
The ancestors of the early lairds of Hunterston were Norsemen. They came to Normandy in longships with Rollo (c.860-930 AD) and conquered the region, laying siege to Paris in 911 and settling in Northern France with Rollo taking the title Duke of Normandy. Guilielmus Venator (William The Hunter) was born in Venables in northern France and is named as one of the witnesses, with Hugh de Morville, at an inquisition in 1116 by David, Prince of the Cumbrians (later King David I of Scotland) regarding lands pertaining to the Church of Glasgow. William is known to have come to Scotland from Normandy after the conquest of England in 1066. Many of the ancient Scottish lowland families have similar Norman origins. Norman Venator the 2nd laird, is referred to in a Royal Charter of King Alexander III of Scotland dated 1271 confirming that he had previously been granted lands in the Barony of Ardneil on the coast of Ayrshire by King Malcolm IV of Scotland (1153-65). Ardneil farm neighbours Hunterston land and would have been in the possession of the lairds at that time. The 3rd laird, Venator (The Hunter) was named in charters of King Alexander II of Scotland who reigned 1214-49 and John Deo Venator the 4th laird, was a witness to a deed in the Glasgow Church records of 1233.
  
A charter signed by [[Robert II of Scotland]] on 2 May 1374 has survived that confirmed a grant of land to William Hunter ''for his faithful service rendered and to be rendered to us in return for a silver penny payable to the Sovereign at Hunterston on the Feast of [[Pentecost]]''.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> To this day the Laird of Hunterston, chief of Clan Hunter keeps silver pennies, minted in the reigns of Robert II and [[George V]] in case of a royal visit on the day appointed for payment of her rent.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> The William Hunter who received this charter is reckoned to have been the tenth Hunter of Hunterston.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> In earlier records both William Hunter and Norman Hunter appear using the [[Latin]] form of the name, ''Venator''.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Taking Sides===
  
===15th and 16th centuries===
+
Aylmere le Huntar, the 8th laird was one of the Scottish Magnates who signed the famous Ragman Rolls in 1296, as an act of homage in submission to King Edward 1st of England. John Huntar, the 14th laird was killed at the Battle of Flodden on 9th September 1513 in the service of the Scottish Crown. Kentigern (Mungo) Huntar of Huntarstoune, the 16th laird died fighting for Mary, Queen of Scots at the Battle of Pinkie 10th September 1547. He was named after Kentigern, a 6th century Apostle of the Scottish Kingdom of Strathclyde, also known at Mungo who founded and is the Patron Saint of the City of Glasgow. His son Robert Huntar the 17th laird, also fought for Mary and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Langside (1568). Surviving, he became a supporter of the Reformed Religion (Protestantism). He died in 1581. Robert’s brother James is considered the founder of several genealogical branches of the extended Hunter family (Abbotshill, Barjarg, Thurston, Doonholm, Auchterarder and the Hunter-Blair baronets).[[File:Hunterston Castle tower.jpg|thumb|222x222px|'''Hunterston Castle'''|alt=|left]]
  
The Hunters were hereditary keepers of the royal forests of [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] and [[Little Cumbrae]] by the fifteenth century.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> The family appear to have held this office from an early date and also claim a long descent from people who held similar offices in England and [[Normandy]] before they came to Scotland.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Hunterston Castle===
 +
Hunterston Castle consists of a cluster of buildings of different historical periods attached to the main Peel tower, representing a history of the Hunter family living and farming at Hunterston for over 900 years. The tower is the oldest section dating from the 13th century. The exact year of original construction is unknown but it likely replaced an earlier wooden structure. There is no protective moat around the building as it was surrounded by an adjacent area of marshland that was drained in the 1820s by the 25th laird to create arable farmland
  
During the sixteenth century the Hunters rendered chiefly military service.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> John Hunter, the fourteenth Laird was killed with his king at the [[Battle of Flodden]] in 1513.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> His son was Robert who was '' trouble with sickness and infirmity'' and was excused from military service in 1542 by [[James V of Scotland]], providing that he sent his eldest son in his place.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> His son was Mungo who was killed at the [[Battle of Pinkie Cleugh]] in 1547.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Hunterston Brooch===
  
===17th century===
+
[[File:Clan Tartan and Hunterston Brooch.jpg|thumb|'''Hunterston Brooch and Tartan''']]Found whist digging drains at Hunterston in the autumn of 1826, the Hunterston Brooch is famous because of its beauty and size [4] [5]. Made of silver, partially gilded and inset with gold filigree and studded with Amber, the brooch is in almost perfect condition with only the point of the pin, some of the amber studs and all of their gold caps missing. The style and workmanship date to about AD 700 and it is considered an outstanding piece of design and craftsmanship combining both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon features in a period which artistically was a golden age in the British Isles. The original brooch is prominently displayed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh to show inscriptions on the reverse and is regarded as one of their most important national treasures [6]. It is possible the owner, a person of high status to possess such a fine object, was a victim fleeing the Battle of Largs (1263).[[File:Clan Hunter 08.jpg|left|thumb|'''Royal Charter dated 1374''']]
[[File:Hunterston castle.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Hunterston Castle]], historic seat of the chiefs of Clan Hunter]]
 
Successive generations of Hunters were more peaceful Lairds and tended to their estates and looked after their tenants.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> Robert Hunter who was a son of the twentieth Laird graduated at the [[University of Glasgow]] in 1643 and was minister of [[West Kilbride]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> He bought lands and founded the Hunters of Kirkland branch of the clan.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
 
  
A grandson of the twentieth Laird was another [[Robert Hunter (governor)|Robert Hunter]] who served under [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]] and was [[List of colonial governors of Virginia|Governor of Virginia]] and later [[List of colonial governors of New York|Governor of New York]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Royal Charter===
 +
William Huntar of Ardneil, the 10th laird was granted a Royal Charter by King Robert II of Scotland (1371-1390) signed in Stirling on the 2nd May 1374. This Charter is preserved at Hunterston with the original Royal seal intact. It remains the oldest document in the possession of Clan Hunter [7] thus consolidating their unbroken link with the lands at Hunterston. In Scotland, all lands were forfeit to the Crown in times of war. Afterward, being restored in exchange for services to the reigning Monarch. William was born in 1350.[[File:Hunterston Castle attic.jpg|thumb|'''Hunterston Castle attic''']]
  
===18th and 19th centuries===
+
===Clan Tartan===
 +
Known as the Hunter of Hunterston Sett [8], the design for our Clan tartan was chosen to incorporate a green hunting base with blue representing the proximity of Hunterston to the sea. The narrow gold (yellow) stripes signify the Chief’s appointment as Royal Huntsman and red is taken from the lanyards of the hunting horns in the Chief’s coat of arms.
  
The family suffered from financial problems in the early eighteenth century.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> These problems were resolved by yet another Robert Hunter, a younger son of the twenty second Laird who succeeded to the estate and managed it well.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> He was succeeded by his daughter, Eleanora, who married her cousin, Robert Caldwell.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> He assumed the name Hunter and together they improved the estate and built the present Hunterston House.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> Their son had two daughters: Jane Hunter who married Gould Weston and Eleanor who married Robert William Cochran-Patrick.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
+
===Industrial Activity===
 +
Following the construction of a Nuclear powered electricity generating plant on Hunterston land in 1954, the area has become synonymous with industrial development. This continues today to impact the small area of original Clan lands remaining in the possession of the Hunter family.
  
===20th century===
+
===Clan Hunter Society===
[[File:Aylmer Hunter-Weston.jpg|thumb|Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston]]
+
Set up in 1983, the Clan society [11] extends interest through branches worldwide to all those of Scottish Hunter surnamed descent. A regular presence at highland games and other Scottish cultural events is supported by the voluntary membership.
Jane Hunter-Weston died in 1911 and was succeeded by her son, [[Aylmer Hunter-Weston|Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston]] who served on [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Kitchener]]'s staff during the [[Mahdist War|Egyptian War]] of 1896.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> He also served in the [[Boer Wars]] and also as a [[division (military)|divisional officer]] of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] in [[World War I]].<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/> Also during that war he served during the [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli landings]] and later commanded the 8th Army on the Western Front.<ref name="Clan.Encyclopedia.Hunter"/>
 
  
==Post clan activity==
+
===Links===
 +
www.clanhunterscotland.com
  
As times became more settled the Hunters devoted more time to farming their extensive lands, although they still produced soldiers of distinction over the generations. Gould Hunter-Weston, husband of Jane Hunter-Weston (26th Laird) fought in India at Lucknow in 1857 and their eldest son, [[Aylmer Hunter-Weston|Aylmer]] (27th Laird) was a well-known general in the First World War. He later became Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire. During her tenure as Clan Chief, Eleanora (28th Laird) fought in the courts, but lost, a [[compulsory purchase order]] for land at Hunterston to build a nuclear power station.
+
www.facebook.com/clanhunteruk
 
 
The last Clan Chief, Neil Hunter of Hunterston and of that Ilk, along with his wife Sonia, Madam Hunter of Hunterston, continued the fight against industrialization. He was well known for his sailing prowess and represented the United Kingdom in two Olympic Games, winning a silver medal at [[Sailing at the 1956 Summer Olympics|Melbourne in 1956]]. Like many Hunters before him he was in true tradition an expert in archery.
 
 
 
Lady Pauline Hunter of Hunterston and of that Ilk is the 30th Laird and Chief of Clan Hunter. Her mid-19th  century [[ancestor]] is  reported in May, 1859 as furthering the  philanthropic tradition of Clan Hunter; "The Lady of Hunterston tries to elevate and benefit her  neighbours in the  village of  West  Kilbride",  while  her husband, the [[Laird]] of Hunterston, "seeks the good of his  tenants by provoking emulation amongst them, as regards the quality of their stock".<ref>{{cite web |title=Memorial to Hunters of Hunterston |url=http://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/13751019.Memorial_to_Hunters_of_Hunterston/ |publisher=2 July 2013 - Largs and Millport Weekly Times Scotland UK |accessdate=22 June 2018 |quote=The Isle of Cumbrae Pipe Band followed by the Clan Hunter colour party, the Reverend Gordon Fyfe, Clan Chief and 30th Laird Lady Pauline Hunter of Hunterston and a Guard of Honour from...}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Effort To Elevate |url=https://www.genesreunited.co.uk/searchbna/results?memberlastsubclass=none&searchhistorykey=0&keywords=lady%20hunterston |publisher=Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald Ayrshire, Scotland - 14 May 1859 |accessdate=24 June 2018 |quote=who seeks the good of his tenants, by provoking emulation amongst them, as regards the quality of their stock; and the Lady of Hunterston, who tries to elevate and benefit her neighbours in the village of West Kilbride, by originating, furnishing, and supplying....}}</ref>
 
 
 
==Clan seat and castle==
 
 
 
The seat of the chief of Clan Hunter has been at [[Hunterston Castle]] for over 800 years.
 
 
 
==See also==
 
*[[Scottish clan]]
 
*[[Barony of Ladyland]]
 
*[[Barnweill Church]]
 
 
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
 
 
==External links==
 
*[http://www.clanhunter.org.uk/ Official website of the Hunter Clan Association in the UK]
 
*[http://clanhuntercanada.com/ Official website of the Hunter Clan Association in Canada]
 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120329051333/http://hunterston.eu/hunterclan/ Detailed Information on the Hunter Family History /]
 
*[http://www.hunterston.eu/ Detailed information about the Hunterston area – home of the Hunter Family and Clan]
 
*[http://www.clanhunter.com/ Unofficial website of Clan Hunter]
 
*[http://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-hunter/ Clan Hunter ScotClans]
 
 
 
{{Scottish clans}}
 
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter}}
 
[[Category:Scottish clans]]
 
[[Category:Scoto-Norman clans]]
 

Latest revision as of 14:16, 17 October 2020

Clan Hunter
Hunterbadge.jpeg
Location

Hunterston, North Ayrshire

Country

Scotland

Crest
Clancrest.jpg A greyhound sejant Proper, gorged with an antique crown Or
War Cry
Haud at Hunds o Hunterston
Chief

Pauline Natalie Mullen Hunter of Hunterston

Preceding Chief

Neil Aylmer Hunter of Hunterston

Region

Scottish Highlands and Scottish Lowlands

Plant Badge

Sea Pink, Armeria Maritima

Clan Moto

Cursum perficio (Latin) - I have completed the course


Clan Hunter[edit]

Clan Hunter is a Lowland Scottish Clan. The original Clan lands are on the Firth of Clyde at Hunterston in North Ayrshire and have remained in the possession of the Hunter family since 1110.

Clan Chief[edit]

Pauline Natalie Hunter is the 30th laird of Hunterston and Chief of Clan Hunter. Madam Pauline is active in the promotion of Scottish heritage worldwide and committed to the preservation of Hunterston Castle for all future generations of the extended Hunter family.

File:Madam Pauline Hunter.jpg
Madam Pauline Hunter, Chief of Clan Hunter

Early History[edit]

The ancestors of the early lairds of Hunterston were Norsemen. They came to Normandy in longships with Rollo (c.860-930 AD) and conquered the region, laying siege to Paris in 911 and settling in Northern France with Rollo taking the title Duke of Normandy. Guilielmus Venator (William The Hunter) was born in Venables in northern France and is named as one of the witnesses, with Hugh de Morville, at an inquisition in 1116 by David, Prince of the Cumbrians (later King David I of Scotland) regarding lands pertaining to the Church of Glasgow. William is known to have come to Scotland from Normandy after the conquest of England in 1066. Many of the ancient Scottish lowland families have similar Norman origins. Norman Venator the 2nd laird, is referred to in a Royal Charter of King Alexander III of Scotland dated 1271 confirming that he had previously been granted lands in the Barony of Ardneil on the coast of Ayrshire by King Malcolm IV of Scotland (1153-65). Ardneil farm neighbours Hunterston land and would have been in the possession of the lairds at that time. The 3rd laird, Venator (The Hunter) was named in charters of King Alexander II of Scotland who reigned 1214-49 and John Deo Venator the 4th laird, was a witness to a deed in the Glasgow Church records of 1233.

Taking Sides[edit]

Aylmere le Huntar, the 8th laird was one of the Scottish Magnates who signed the famous Ragman Rolls in 1296, as an act of homage in submission to King Edward 1st of England. John Huntar, the 14th laird was killed at the Battle of Flodden on 9th September 1513 in the service of the Scottish Crown. Kentigern (Mungo) Huntar of Huntarstoune, the 16th laird died fighting for Mary, Queen of Scots at the Battle of Pinkie 10th September 1547. He was named after Kentigern, a 6th century Apostle of the Scottish Kingdom of Strathclyde, also known at Mungo who founded and is the Patron Saint of the City of Glasgow. His son Robert Huntar the 17th laird, also fought for Mary and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Langside (1568). Surviving, he became a supporter of the Reformed Religion (Protestantism). He died in 1581. Robert’s brother James is considered the founder of several genealogical branches of the extended Hunter family (Abbotshill, Barjarg, Thurston, Doonholm, Auchterarder and the Hunter-Blair baronets).

Hunterston Castle

Hunterston Castle[edit]

Hunterston Castle consists of a cluster of buildings of different historical periods attached to the main Peel tower, representing a history of the Hunter family living and farming at Hunterston for over 900 years. The tower is the oldest section dating from the 13th century. The exact year of original construction is unknown but it likely replaced an earlier wooden structure. There is no protective moat around the building as it was surrounded by an adjacent area of marshland that was drained in the 1820s by the 25th laird to create arable farmland

Hunterston Brooch[edit]

Hunterston Brooch and Tartan

Found whist digging drains at Hunterston in the autumn of 1826, the Hunterston Brooch is famous because of its beauty and size [4] [5]. Made of silver, partially gilded and inset with gold filigree and studded with Amber, the brooch is in almost perfect condition with only the point of the pin, some of the amber studs and all of their gold caps missing. The style and workmanship date to about AD 700 and it is considered an outstanding piece of design and craftsmanship combining both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon features in a period which artistically was a golden age in the British Isles. The original brooch is prominently displayed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh to show inscriptions on the reverse and is regarded as one of their most important national treasures [6]. It is possible the owner, a person of high status to possess such a fine object, was a victim fleeing the Battle of Largs (1263).

Royal Charter dated 1374

Royal Charter[edit]

William Huntar of Ardneil, the 10th laird was granted a Royal Charter by King Robert II of Scotland (1371-1390) signed in Stirling on the 2nd May 1374. This Charter is preserved at Hunterston with the original Royal seal intact. It remains the oldest document in the possession of Clan Hunter [7] thus consolidating their unbroken link with the lands at Hunterston. In Scotland, all lands were forfeit to the Crown in times of war. Afterward, being restored in exchange for services to the reigning Monarch. William was born in 1350.

Hunterston Castle attic

Clan Tartan[edit]

Known as the Hunter of Hunterston Sett [8], the design for our Clan tartan was chosen to incorporate a green hunting base with blue representing the proximity of Hunterston to the sea. The narrow gold (yellow) stripes signify the Chief’s appointment as Royal Huntsman and red is taken from the lanyards of the hunting horns in the Chief’s coat of arms.

Industrial Activity[edit]

Following the construction of a Nuclear powered electricity generating plant on Hunterston land in 1954, the area has become synonymous with industrial development. This continues today to impact the small area of original Clan lands remaining in the possession of the Hunter family.

Clan Hunter Society[edit]

Set up in 1983, the Clan society [11] extends interest through branches worldwide to all those of Scottish Hunter surnamed descent. A regular presence at highland games and other Scottish cultural events is supported by the voluntary membership.

Links[edit]

www.clanhunterscotland.com

www.facebook.com/clanhunteruk