SCOTLAND HISTORY

Clan Chisholm:

Origins of the Clan:

The early Scottish Chisholms were not to be found in the Highlands, but owned land near the English border. In 1296, in the Ragman Rolls, John de Chesolm (Chesehelm) was described as "of the county of Berwick" and Richard de Chesolm (Chesehelm) as "of the county of Roxburgh", while in 1335 Alexander de Chesholme was called "Lord of Chesholme in Roxburgh and Paxtoun in Berwickshire."

Wars of Scottish Independence:

Robert Chisholm fought against the English at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, was taken prisoner with King David II and probably not released until eleven years later when his royal master returned to Scotland. In 1359 Robert Chisholm succeeded his grandfather as Constable of Castle Urquhart, and later became Sheriff of Inverness and Justiciar of the North. This Robert was the last Chisholm to hold lands in both the North and South of Scotland. He divided his estates among his younger children.

Clan Conflicts:

The Chisholms became well known for cattle raiding. In 1498 Wiland Chisholm of Comar and others carried off 56 oxen, 60 cows, 300 sheep, 80 swine and 15 horses belonging to Hugh Rose of the Clan Rose. Later Wiland Chisholm of Comar and Sir Alexander MacDonald of Glengarry were with Sir Donald MacDonald of Lochalsh on his return from the Battle of Flodden Field when he decided to invade the Clan Urquhart. Some sources say that Macdonald occupied Urquhart Castle for three years despite the efforts of Clan Grant to dislodge them.

Civil War:

In 1647, Alexander Chisholm was appointed to the committee which arranged the defence of Inverness on behalf of the Covenanters against the Royalists. In 1653 the Chisholms stole cattle from the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser, they were however captured and brought to court where they were orderd to return all they had stolen and pay the Chief Munro of Foulis and Chief of Clan Fraser £1000 interest each. After the Stuart restoration in 1660, Alexander followed his father as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1674 was appointed Sheriff Depute for Inverness. Once again his duties brought him up against the MacDonalds, for in 1679 he was ordered to lead a thousand men of the county to quell a disturbance created by some members of the clan, and in 1681 he was given a commission of fire and sword against them.

Jacobite Uprisings:

During the Jacobite uprisings the Chisholms sided with their old enemies the Clan MacDonald in support of the Jacobites against the British Government. The Clan Chisholm took part in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Clan Cochrane:

Origin of name:

The name Cochrane is believed to originate from the lands of Coueran, Cochrane near Paisley in Renfrewshire.It is also believed that some people of the name MacEacherns changed their name to Cochrane when they came to the Scottish Lowlands to conceal their identity. Another theory is that after fighting so ferociously in a battle, an early family member was praised by his leader as ‘brave fellow’. In the Gaelic they spoke he would have pronounced him 'coch ran'. Another Gaelic manipulation of the words ‘battle cry’ or ‘the roar of battle’ leads to Cochrane

Cochranes in Scotland:

The first recorded Cochrane in Scotland was Waldeve de Cochrane who witnessed a charter in favour of the 5th Earl of Menteith in 1262.

15th Century: In 1456 Robert Cochrane of Cochrane resigned the lands of Cochrane to his successor Allen Cochrane who received a charter from King James II of Scotland. Edward Cochrane was accused but cleared of having anything to do with the detention of King James III of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle in 1482.

17th Century: Sir William Cochrane was created 1st Earl of Dundonald in 1669. After the death of the 7th Earl, the descendants of Sir William's second son became the Earls.

Napoleonic Wars:

The Cochranes are known to have played an important role during the Napoleonic Wars. Most notably Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860) the 10th Earl of Dundonald who joined the Royal Navy at the age of 18. He was known as Lord Cochrane, he became famous when he captured a Spanish Frigate whose crew out numberd his six to one, with 32 heavy guns. He followed this by defending Trinidad Castle against the French in 1808.

Clan Colquhoun:

History:

In 1241, the time of Alexander II, Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, granted the lands of Colquhoun in Dunbartonshire to Humphrey of Kilpatrick. Humphrey’s son Ingram is the first person recorded as taking Colquhoun for his surname. Around 1368, Luss, on Loch Lomond, was acquired by Sir Robert Colquhoun through marriage. From then on the chiefship has been described as of Colquhoun and Luss. His grandson Iain Colquhoun of Luss married Margaret, the daughter of the Earl of Lennox. When James I returned from English imprisonment a few years later in 1424, one of the people he took his vengeance upon was the unsupportive Lennox. The position of Lennox was decimated and Iain of Luss took advantage of this to win the King’s favour by capturing Dumbarton Castle from Lennox. By 1427 he was Sheriff of Dumbarton and by 1439 he was dead, like his King, killed by those he had treated so badly. By way of compensation, James II made Luss a free barony for Colquhoun’s grandson Sir Iain. It remained this way until the Rising of 1745.

Clan Conflicts:

In 1424 the Clan Lennox was decimated and Iain Colqhoun of Luss took advatage of this to win the King's favour by capturing Dumbarton Castle from Lennox. Luss was raided by the thieving Clan MacGregor in 1603, leading to a bloody battle and defeat of five hundred Colquhoun men, three hundred of whom were on horseback, by four hundred MacGregor men at Glen Fruin. Over two hundred of the Colquhoun men were lost when the MacGregors, who had split into two parties, attacked from front and rear and forced the horsemen onto the soft ground of the Moss of Auchingaich. It meant the proscription of the Clan MacGregor. It wasn’t until the eighteenth century that the enmity between the clans was laid to rest when, at Glen Fruin on the site of the massacre, the chiefs of the Clan MacGregor and Colquhoun met and shook hands. The Clan Colquhoun were among the clans who fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, where the Colquhoun Chief was killed. Clan chiefs from Clan Hunter, Clan Macfarlane and Clan Farquharson also died at this battle. A good clan chief was expected to lead by example, this meant being first into battle at the head of the clan. For this reason many clan chiefs died during battle. Because of the awful number of Scottish lives lost at the Battle of Pinkie the 10th of September is known in Scotland as 'Black Saturday'.

17th Century:

The 11th Laird of Luss, Sir John Colquhoun, became a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1625. Seven years later, however, he vanished along with Lady Catherine Graham, his wife’s sister. He was accused of using Witchcraft and sorcery to woo her and so, wisely, never returned to clear his name.

Clan Colville :

Origin of name:

The name Colville is believed to be of ancient Norman origin. It is believed to be derived from the town of Colleville -Sur-Mur in Normandy, France. The word "Col" meaning dark and swarthy and the word "Ville" meaning Village or "Castle on the Hill".

Clan Conflicts and History:

The fisrt Colville found in Scotland was William De Colville. He is noted as receiving the Baronies of Ochiltree and Oxnam. He also received baronies in Oxnam and Heton in Roxburghshire together with other lands in Ayrshire. William de Colville also received the barony of Kinnaird in Stirlingshire. In 1174, Phillip De Colville was sent to Scotland as a hostage for the release of William the Lion. He apparently took up residence in Scotland and established the two noble lineage’s of Culross and Ochiltree. In 1405 on the 20th August Sir John De Colville and his wife Alice D'Arcy from Arncliff, Dale, England were beheaded at Durham. For what reason is not known. For many years the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on good terms. Both families built castles on opposite sides of the River Lugar. In 1449 during the reign of King James II of Scotland the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on friendly enough terms that a rope was passed beetween the two castles over the river. Communications were often sent back and fourth on the rope by means of a ring to which a message was attached. Often fights occourd between the families on the messages sent back and fourth on the rope. This came to a climax when Sir Richard Colville killed John Auchinleck. It is believed that Auchinleck sent Colville a wraped parcel containing the bones of a sheep head. The Colvilles saw this as an insult and the family frienships were over. From now on it was nothing but war between the two families. The Laird of Auchinleck at this time was at this time going to pay a vist to his powerful allie Lord William Douglas of the powerful Clan Douglas. Whe Colville learned of this he sent his son Richard Colville to carry out his act of revenge. Sir Richard Colville and his clan waited for at a quiet part of a road and ambushed Auchinleck and his followers. The Earl of Douglas did not wait for judje and jury and took matters into his own hands and flew to avenge his friend. The Earl of Douglas at the head of Clan Douglas attacked the Colvilles. Men were killed on both sides. Douglas laid siege and levelled Colville's Ochiltree Castle to the ground and put Colville and his men to the sword. Douglas dragged the captured Colville Knight of Ochiltree back to Cumnock. The group was about to cross a stream when as legend has it Sir Richard Colville remarked that a witch had forseen that he would die at this very spot. Douglas fulfilled the prophecy by putting Colville to death on the spot. However Douglas to would later suffer for his acts as he was stabbed to death by the King himself at Stirling Castle. After this the Clan Colville decided to rebuild in a new area. Those chose a stretch of land that filled the angle between where the River Lugar and River Burnock meet. In 1498, Hugh Campbell of Loudon from Clan Campbell, Sheriff of Ayrshire also had a family feud with the Colville's of Ochiltree. The Campbell's had the advantage over the Colvilles due to the backup of his law officials. Sir William Colville appeald to the Royal Authority, to grant he and his tenants exemption from the jurisdiction of the Campbell sheriff. The feud that started between the Clan Colville and Clan Douglas went on for many years and in the end in 1502 Robert and Henry Douglas we ordered to labor, occupy and restore the lands of Farnesyde and Hardane, because of the oppression against Sir William Colville, and for the theft of oxen from Sir William Colville. Plus this wasn’t the last they saw of punishment. In the same year John and William Douglas were convicted of oppression and convocation of the lieges upon Sir William Colville, basically murdering Colville. Along with there conviction was George Haliburton for the part of slaughter of Sir William Colville of Ochiltree. In 1513 Robert Colville the successor of William Colville was respected as a man of high character and was honoured of his sovereign. He was the stewart of Queen Margaret and master to the household of King James IV of Scotland. He led the clan at the Battle of Flodden Field against the English where he was slain with the King. In 1530, Sir James Colville transferred the barony of Ochiltree to Sire James Hamilton of Finnart and years later it was passed to Andrew Stewart, Lord Evandale.

Civil War:

In 1675 after the Civil War the Montgomerys who were crippled by debts after supporting the Royalists against Oliver Cromwell sold the Lordship and Manor of Newtown to Captain Robert Colville for £10,640.

Jacobite Uprisings:

The Clan Colville with the majority of Scotland supported the British Government during Jacobite Uprisings. In 1744, Robert Colville, under the influence of his mistress, sold Newtownards to Alexander Stewart for the sum of £42,000. In 1746, Honorable Charles Colville fought at the Battle of Culloden, commanding the British 21st Regiment of Foot which was made from Scottish soldiers and is today the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He obtained the rank of lieutenant general before his death in 1775. Its worth noting as well that a Colville named Alexander served in the navy, becoming a captain in 1744. He was promoted to the rank of commodore and given command of the Northumberland. He held the rank of Vice Admiral for a decade.

Clan Corbett :

History:

Clan Corbett, a Scottish clan, is a sept of the Clan Ross. The first Corbet in Scotland came from Shropshire, and settled in Teviotdale under Earl David in the first quarter of the 12th century. He is said to have obtained the manor of Foghou which he held as a vassal under the Earls of Dunbar. Robert Corbet appeared in Scotland in about 1116 as one of the retinue of Earl David, who later became King David I. The authoress, Augusta Corbet, who wrote The Family of Corbet - Its Life and Times, says that Robert was the son of Roger and grandson of Hugh. It is said he belonged to the family which held Drayton in Northamptonshire. Robert Corbet was a witness in the instrument or Inquisition made by David, Prince of Cumberland, into the lands belonging to the old Church of Glasgow, and is also a witness in other deeds of David when he was king of Scotland (1124-53). ,'The Cumberland or Cumbria of those days extended to the Clyde, and included Glasgow, which David incorporated into Scotland. David appears to have allotted lands in Roxburghshire to Robert Corbet, where his descendents were 'great lords of several generations. For many centuries the Corbets held lands in the Scottish Borders and often had divided loyalties between the thrones of Scotland and England, a political necessity in the troubled Border country. By the late 13th century, the Corbets owned land in the Castle Douglas/ Dalbeattie areas in addition to their traditional tenures. A century later, Constantine Corbet owned lands in Fife and a Walter Corbet owned lands around Lochmaben. By the late 16th century, Corbets owned lands in Clydesdale, with Symont Corbet's will showing land held near Hamilton (1574). In 1745 the Corbetts supported the British Government. When Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland. Robert Corbet, then provost of Dumfries, rode out with his men to meet him and warned the Prince to stand aside as Dumfries would have nothing to do with him. He apparently returned to Dumfries and locked the gates against the Prince! Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Corbetts were busy in Scotland in a variety of occupations, including shipmasters, tanners, tailors, schoolmasters, weavers, etc. In 1784, James Corbett was a weaver in Larkhall and in Hamilton, other Corbetts were prospering in the late 1700's. Janefield, part of the Tollcross eatate and now a cemetery, was occupied and farmed by a James Corbett in 1751.

Clan Cranstoun :

Origins of the name:

The name Cranstoun comes from the Barony of Cranstoun in Midlothian. The family owned lands in the counties of Edinburgh and Roxburgh.

History:

The first known person of the Cranstoun family was Elfric de Cranstoun who was a witness to a charter by William the Lion in Holyrodd in about 1170. Around that time he also appears in a deed between Robert de Quincy and the Abbot of Newbattle. The Cranstouns of that Ilk prospered until they became mixed up in the unstable political situation of 1592. Thomas and John Cranston were amongst those accused of treason for assisting the Earl of Bothwell in his attack on the palace of Holyrood House. The Croanstoun family are known to have lived up to their motto "thou shalt want before I want" as they are known to have often taken part in the boarder clan raids of England.

Civil War:

The Clan Cranstoun took the side of the Royalists during the Civil War. The clan was led by chief, third Lord Cranston at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 where he was captured. He launguished in the Tower of London. All of his estates were forfeited apart from a small amount that were left for his family and children.

Napoleonic Wars:

James, eighth Lord Cranstoun, was a distinguished officer in the Royal Navy who commanded HMS Bellerophon in a squadron of only seven ships which was attacked on 17 June 1795 by a French fleet three times larger. After a running battle which lasted more than twelve hours, the French were completely defeated, and eight ships of the line were destroyed. Lord Cranstoun was later appointed Governor of Grenada, but before he could set foot upon the island, he died, it is believed of lead poisoning, in 1796. The peerage became extinct in 1813.

Clan Crichton :

Early Crichtons:

Thurstan de Cechtune was a witness to the foundation of the Abbey of Holyrood House by King David I of Scotland in 1128. Thomas de Crichton swore fealty to King Edward I of England in the Ragman Roll of 1296. Thomas had three sons each of whom extended the family holdings. His second son William Crichton married Isabel de Ross who was heiress to the barony of Sanquhar in Dumfrieshire.

15th Century:

A descendant of his Robert de Crichton of Sanquhar was sheriff of Dumfries in 1464 and coroner of Nithsdale from 1468 to 1469. His eldest son Robert Crichton was created a peer with Lord Crichton of Sanquhar by King James III of Scotland in 1487.

Clan Conflicts:

Another descendant of Thomas de Crichton was Sir William Crichton who was also the Chancellor of Scotland during the minority of King James II of Scotland. Following the death of his rival the Earl of Douglas sir William Crichton organised the infamous Black Dinner at Edinburgh Castle which he was also governor of at the time. The young King James was in residence and the new Earl of Douglas and his brother were invited to dine at the royal banquet. After dinner the two Douglases were dragged out to Castle Hill and executed. The Clan Douglas then laid siege to Edinburgh Castle. Crichton perceiving the danger surrendered the castle to the King and was raised to the title of Lord Crichton. The 2nd Lord Crichton obtained through marriage the barony Frendraught in Banfshire. The third Lord Crichton joined the Duke of Albany in his rebellion against his royal Brother King James III of Scotland which culminated in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. In 1571 Clan Crichton took the side of Clan Forbes in their long feud against Clan Gordon. By 1571 the feud had got to the point where other clans began taking sides. Other opponents of the Gordons such as Clan Keith and Clan Fraser also joined forces with Clan Forbes. However the Clan Leslie, Clan Irvine and Clan Seton who had their own feuds with the Forbeses joined forces with Clan Gordon. The feud culminated in two full scale battles in 1571; The Battle of Tillieangus and the Battle of Craibstone. It was at the Battle of Tillieangus that the 6th Lord Forbes's youngest son known as Black Aurther Forbes was killed. Legend has it that "he stooped down to quench his thirst and one of the Gordons gave him his death blow through an open joint in his armour". 1582, Perhaps the most celebrated Chrichton was James who lived within the reign of both Queen Mary and King James VI. He was also a superb equestrian, a feared swordsman and accomplished in all social graces. It is claimed that 50 doctors put questions to him of mind bending complexity which he answered with ease and the next day he attended a public joust and became champion of the field. At a carnival in 1582 Crichton was set upon by a gang of masked bandits who discovered that his reputation was not vanity. He promptly killed 5 of his attackers and turned to dispatch the 6th on discovering that his opponent was none other than his young pupil, Vincenzo, he dropped his guard and Vincenzo stabbed him in the heart.

Civil War:

During the Civil War Clan Crichton supported the Royalist James Graham the 1st Marquess of Montrose. The Clan Cricton fought at the Battle of Invercarron. It is said that Chief Frendraught Chrichton gave his horse to Montrose during a battle at Invercarron so he could evade capture. Crichton was taken prisoner but, considering the fate of Montrose was probably fortunate that he died of his wounds before he met a similar end.

Clan Cumming / Comyn:

Origin of name:

There are two theories as to the name Comyn. Firstly that it was derived from the town Comines, Flanders, which is in Northern France and that the Comyns were among the settlers who came over after the Norman invasion of England. The other theory suggested by experts is that the name came from a herb called cummin (cumin) which was spelt comyn in early times.

Clan history:

This clan is believed to descend from Robert of Comyn, or Comines, a companion of William the Conqueror who accompanied him in his conquest of England. Shortly after his participation in the Battle of Hastings, Robert was made Earl of Northumberland, and, when David I came to Scotland to claim his throne, Richard Comyn, the grandson of Robert, was among the Norman knights that followed him. Richard Comyn quickly gained land and influence in Scotland through an advantageous marriage to the granddaughter of the former Scottish king Donald III, Hextilda of Tynedale. Richard's descendants continued the Comyns' rise to power through marriage, and, at the close of the thirteenth century, the Comyns were the most powerful clan in Scotland, members of the holding or having held thirteen Scottish earldoms, including those of Buchan, Menteith, and Angus, and several lordships, including the Lordship of Badenoch. The Lords of Badenoch represented the chief line of the clan and ruled their vast lands from their impregnable island stronghold of Lochindorb Castle.

John "the Black" Comyn:

After the death of the last descendant of the royal line of David I, the clan chief John "the Black" Comyn was one of six competitors for the crown of Scotland due to his connection to King Donald III. A Comyn ally, John Balliol, was chosen as king, and Balliol's sister was soon married to the Black Comyn.

John "the Red" Comyn:

The Wars of Scottish Independence This marriage produced a son, John "the Red" Comyn, and, upon the exile of the Balliols by Edward I of England, the Red Comyn was left as the most powerful man in Scotland and the legitimate royal successor, having a double claim through the male and female lines. During the Wars of Scottish Independence John the Red acted as co-leader of the Scottish forces with his rival Robert the Bruce after the death of William Wallace and achieved some notable successes against the English, including at the Battle of Roslin. However, Robert the Bruce, desiring to secure his claim to the throne, murdered the Red Comyn at a meeting at a church in Dumfries in 1306. This led to a bitter civil war between the Bruce's faction and the Comyns and their allies that eventually resulted in the Comyns' power being completely broken at the Battle of Inverurie.

15th and 16th centuries:

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, Clan Cumming had been reduced to simply another Highland clan, although the Cummings, as the name is now often spelled, continued to play a significant part in the history and culture of the Badenoch, Strathspey, and Aberdeenshire regions of Scotland.

Clan conflicts:

The taking of Castle Grant, 14th century; Originally a Comyn Clan stronghold, Clan Grant traditions tell us that the castle was taken from the Comyns by a combined force of the Grants and MacGregors. The Grants and MacGregors stormed the castle and in the process slew the Comyn Chief - and kept the Chief's skull as a trophy of this victory. The skull of the Comyn was taken as a macabre trophy and was kept in Castle Grant and became an heirloom of the Clan. (In the late Lord Strathspey's book on the Clan, he mentions that the top of the cranium was hinged, and that he saw documents kept in it.) Clan tradition predicts grave things if the skull ever leaves the hands of the family - prophecying that the Clan would lose all of its lands in Strathspey. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Cummings carried on significant, and bloody, feuds with Clan MacPherson, Clan Shaw, and Clan Brodie over lands in Nairnshire. The Clan participated in the Battle of Glenlivet at the service of Clan Gordon in 1594. During the late sixteenth and throughout the seventeenth century, members of the clan were known for their musical talents and served as the hereditary pipers and fiddlers to the Laird of Grant of Clan Grant.

Clan Cunningham:

Origins of the Clan:

The first known Cunningham was Warnebald Cunningham and then his son Robertus Cunningham. Robertus received the lands of Cunningham between the years 1160 and 1180. The Clan Cunningham were well settled in their lands and the parish of Kilmaurs by the late 13th century.

Scottish-Norwegian War:

The Clan Cunningham fought for King Alexander III of Scotland at the Battle of Largs in 1263. As a result, for this service Hervy de Cunningham, the son of the Laird of Cunningham received a charter from the King confirming all of their lands.

14th Century & Wars of Scottish Independence:

During the Wars of Scottish Independence the Clan Cunningham supported King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Although their name previously appears on the Ragman Roll in 1296 where they swear allegiance to King Edward I of England. As a reward for supporting King Robert the Bruce of Scotland the Clan Cunningham were given the lands of Lamburgton to add to their existing lands. Later during the 14th century Sir William Cunningham of Kilmaurs was one of the Scottish noblemen who were offered to the English as a substitute for the captured King David II of Scotland His son William married Margaret, the elder daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Denniston and through her acquired substantial lands, including Finlaystone in Refrewshire and Glencairn in Dumfriesshire.

15th Century & Clan Conflicts:

In 1421 Henry Cunningham the third son of William Cunningham leads the Cunninghams at the Battle of Beauge. Sir Williams grandson Alexander Cunningham was made Lord Kilmaurs in 1462 and later made the first Earl of Glencairn. During the revolt against King James III of Scotland Alexander brought a substaintial force to support the King and defeated the rebels at the Battle of Blackness. In 1488 the Clan Montgomery burned down the Clan Cunningham's Kerelaw Castle. Also in 1488 Alexander Cunningham the first Earl of Glencairn is killed leading the clan in support of King James III of Scotland at the Battle of Sauchieburn. Soon after King James IV of Scotland revokes all titles given out by his father over the last twenty years. Alexander Cunningham's son Robert Cunningham is stripped of his title of 2nd Earl of Glencairn.

16th Century & Clan Conflicts:

During the 16th century the long running feud continued between the Clan Montgomery and the Clan Cunningham. Eglington House was burned down and the Montomery chief, 4th Earl of Eglington was killed by the Cunninghams. The government of King James VI of Scotland eventually managed to get the rival chiefs to shake hands. In 1526 Cuthbert the 3rd Ealr of Glencairn is wounded in a failed attempt to rescue King James V of Scotland from the Clan Douglas at the Battle of Linlithgow. In 1542 William Cunningham the 4th Earl of Glencairn leads the clan where against the English at the Battle of Solway Moss where he is captured. He was released for a ransom of £1000. The fifth Earl of Glecarirn also called Alexander Cunningham was a Protestant reformer. He was also a patron of the reformer John Knox. In 1556 John Knox performed the first Protestant Reformed Communion service on Easter Sunday under a Yew tree at Finlaystone for the 5th Earl. In 1568 Alexander Cunningham the 5th Earl of Glencairn leads the clan at the Battle of Langside near Glasgow. The Clan Cunningham fought against Mary Queen of Scots at the Battle of Carbery Hill where she was defeated. The Chief of the Clan Cunningham was one of the commanders at this battle. Alexander Cunningham is also reported to have ordered the destruction of the Chapel Royal at Holyrood.

17th Century & Civil War:

In 1643 Chief William Cunningham leads the clan at the Battle of Kilayth to rescue the King from Oliver Cromwell but he is defeated. During the Civil War the Clan Cunningham supported King Charles II. The ninth Earl of Glencairn, William Cunningham, raised a force of over 5000 in 1653 to oppose General Monck, who was the governor of Scotland. In August of the same year William Cunningham went to Lochearn in Perthshire where he met with some of the Chiefs of the Highland clans, with a body of men he then took possession of Elgin in 1654.

18th Century & Jacobite Uprisings:

During the Jacobite Uprisings the Clan Cunningham supported the British government. The Cunninghams fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 where Captain Cunningham was responsible for the British artillery which fired Grapeshot at the advancing Jacobites.