Legend states that the original ancestor of the Drummond clan was a noble Hungarian who settled in Drymen in Stirlingshire; however, this appears to have no basis in fact. The earliest known head of the clan, Malcolm Beg, is believed to have been of west Highland descent; therefore, the origin of this clan is most probably Celtic.1 Malcolm Beg's eldest son, who was named Malcolm, used the name "de Drummond." His son, also a Malcolm, fought at the battle of Bannockburn, 1314. Facing an English cavalry charge during the battle, Malcolm Drummond threw caltrops on the ground, thus breaking the charge of the cavalry. After Bannockburn, the Drummonds were rewarded by King Robert I with lands in Perthshire, which became the home of the Drummond clan.2 John Drummond, the grandson of the Drummond who fought at Bannockburn, married Mary of Montifex. Aside from his three sons, he had a daughter named Annabella, who married the John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, who became King Robert III of Scotland. She was the mother of King James I of Scotland. Her aunt, the sister of her father, was Queen Margaret Drummond, the wife of King David II.3 Sir Malcolm Drummond, the eldest son of John, married Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar. He obtain Stobhall from his aunt, Queen Margaret, who first obtained it from King David II. Stobhall was not, as has been supposed, obtained by way of his father's marriage to Mary of Montifex.4 Sir Malcolm was murdered, 1403, by a band of Highland marauders, said to be led by Alexander Stewart, the natural son of the Wolf of Badenoch.5 He was succeeded by his brother, John. The great-grandson of this John, also named John, became the 1st Lord Drummond.6 John, 1st Lord Drummond, judiciary of Scotland, a Privy Councillor, constable of Sterling Castle, was created a lord of Parliament, January 29, 1487/8. One of his daughters was Margaret Drummond.7 Margaret Drummond is said to have been privately married to King James IV. Buried in Dunblane Cathedral, Margaret was poisoned in 1501 by means of a meal. The reason for this murder and its perpetrators have never been ascertained, but many think she fell victim to the jealousy of certain nobles who feared the exaltation of the Drummond clan by a public acknowledgment of the marriage.8 A descendant of John Drummond, James Drummond became the 1st Earl of Perth on February 11, 1605. He married Isabel, the daughter of the 1st Earl of Winton. He died on December 18, 1611, leaving only a daughter. His successor was his brother, John Drummond. John was succeeded by his second son, James, the 3rd Earl of Perth. He was succeeded by his son, James Drummond, the 4th Earl of Perth.9 The Drummonds were staunch supporters of the Stuart kings. James Drummond, the 4th Earl of Perth, married Lady Jane Douglas, the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Douglas, on January 18, 1670. He was appointed lord high chancellor of Scotland in 1684. Upon the accession of King James VII, he converted to the Catholic Faith. He was one of the founding knights at the revival of the Knights of the Thistle in 1687. When King James VII abdicated, the earl was held as a prisoner in Sterling Castle for almost four years. He went to Rome upon his release in 1693, then to France, where he was made the Duke of Perth.10 The 2nd Duke of Perth, James Drummond, was one of the first to join in the rising of 1715. James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth, supported Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. After having commanded the left flank at the battle of Culloden and the defeat of the Jacobite forces, the Duke of Perth died onboard the French ship La Bellone on his passage to France, May 13, 1746.11 The brother and heir of the 3rd Duke of Perth, John Drummond, became the 4th Duke of Perth. He commanded the left wing of the Highlanders at the battle of Falkirk.12 He was succeeded by his uncle, John Drummond. John, the 5th Duke of Perth, was succeeded by his half-brother, the son of the 4th Earl of Perth and his third wife, Lady Mary Gordon.13 This titular dukedom became extinct when the 6th Duke, Edward Drummond, died in 1760. With him ended all male descendants of James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth; the chiefship of Clan Drummond passed to descendants of the Earl of Melfort.14 The brother of the 1st Duke of Perth, John, 1st Earl of Melfort, was highly favored by King Charles II. Like his brother, he too converted to the Catholic Faith, becoming a Catholic in 1686. King James VII made him secretary of state for Scotland, 1684, and Earl of Melfort, 1686. After the Revolution of 1688, he had great influence with King James VII. John was with the king in his campaign in Ireland in 1690. He was made Duke of Melfort in 1694, with the condition that all his titles should descend to the children of his second wife, Euphemia Wallace, the children of the first wife being Protestants. He was recognized by King Louis XIV as a French peer, the Duc de Melfort, in 1701.15 John Drummond, the eldest son of the second wife of the Duke of Melfort, claimed the titles of his father in 1695. He married Marie Gabrielle, Comtesse de Lussan, only daughter of Jean d'Audibert, Comte de Lussan, on May 25, 1707. He participated in the rising of 1715.16 After the death of the 6th Duke of Perth, de jure 9th Earl of Perth, the earldom of Perth passed to James, the grandson of the 1st Earl of Melfort and his first wife, Sophia Maitland, heiress of Lundin. His father was Robert Drummond-Lundin. Having assumed the name of Drummond only, James became chief of the clan.17 His son, also a James, succeeded his father as the 11th Earl of Perth and chief of the clan. The Drummond estates were restored to him, 1785, by the Court of Session and Parliament, as he was the nearest male heir of Lord John Drummond, 4th Duke of Perth. He was created a peer of Great Britain, as Lord Perth, 1797.18 James Louis Drummond was the grandson of John Drummond, 2nd Duc de Melfort, and Marie Gabrielle, Comtesse de Lussan. On the death of Lord Perth, 1800, he became the chief of Clan Drummond. He tried to make a claim on the earldom of Perth; however, his claim was unsuccessful. He was succeeded by his brother, Monsignor Charles Edward Drummond, 5th Duc de Melfort, Comte de Lussan, and de jure 13th Earl of Perth, as well as the 5th Earl of Melfort. He took proceedings in the Court of Session for the recovery of the lands, lordship, and barony of Drummond and earldom of Perth. His actions were dismissed in 1808, as he could produce no title to sue, as well as the fact that he was a Catholic prelate, which meant he could not bring his claim before the House of Lords. He died on April 9, 1840; his nephew George Drummond succeeded him.19 George Drummond, 14th Earl of Perth and 6th Earl of Melfort in Scotland and 6th Duc de Melfort in France, established before the Conseil d'Etat in France, and the Tribunal de la Seine, his lineage from the earls and dukes of Perth and Melfort. He also established his right of succession to the French Honors of duke of Melfort, comte de Lussan, and baron de de Valrose. George Drummond, Duc de Melfort, Comte de Lussan, and Baron de Valrose in the peerage of France, was restored by an Act of Parliament to the earldom of Perth by the special command of Queen Victoria, which passed both Houses unanimously and received the Royal Assent on June 28, 1853. When he died without surviving male issue, the French dukedom became extinct, the Scottish earldom of Melfort became dormant, and the earldom of Perth passed to William Drummond, 11th Viscount of Strathallan. The title of comte de Lussan passed to his only surviving daughter.20 James Eric Drummond was born in 1876. He became the 16th Earl of Perth and chief of Clan Drummond in 1937. He was a well known diplomat and served as the first secretary-general of the League of Nations. Lord Perth, a Catholic, served as the British ambassador to Rome from 1933 to 1939. During World War II, Lord Perth served as chief advisor on foreign publicity at the Ministry of Information. He died in 1951.21 Born May 13, 1907, John David Drummond, the 17th Earl of Perth, played an important role in modern Scottish affairs. Lord Perth was born in London and brought up by his aunt, the Catholic Duchess of Norfolk, at Arundel Castle. He was a descendant, in the maternal line, of Saint Thomas More. He was educated at Downside and Trinity College, Cambridge University. He succeeded his father as 17th Earl of Perth in 1951. He was able to buy back the family home, Stobhall Castle, which he purchased from the Earl of Ancaster in 1953. One obituary recalled how Lord Perth was stopped at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and told by an official in Westminster Abbey that he was not dressed properly; thereupon, Perth informed the official that he was dressed in Scottish earl's robes in the style of 1632. As a member of the House of Lords, he enthusiastically supported Scottish self-rule. Lord Perth was the representative of Great Britain at the last of nine Requiem Masses for Pope Pius XII in Rome in 1958. He also represented Queen Elizabeth II at the Requiem Mass for Pope John XIII in 1963. Lord Perth died on November 25, 2002.22 The present clan chief and eldest son of the late John David Drummond, 17th Earl of Perth, is John Eric Drummond, 18th Earl of Perth. The chief of Clan Drummond is known by the ancient Gaelic patronymic An Drumanach Mór (the Great Man of Drymen). Like many of the Highland clans, the Drummond clan rose to power because of their support for Robert Bruce; however, there were clans who fell from power because of their unwavering support for King John Balliol and the peace that had been made with the English king. For a completely different view of the struggle between Scotland and England, please see my page on the history of Clan Comyn, at one time the most powerful clan in all Scotland. Copyright © 2004-2008 Fr. Scott Archer 1
MacKinnon, Charles. Scottish Highlanders. (New
York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1984) 143. |
