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The Armstrong Clan Society
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Dedicated to the Armstrongs, Crosiers, Fairbairns, Grosiers, Nixons and those interested in these surnames. Armstrong Clan Society - One Hundred Thousand Welcomes! |
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The Armstrong Clan Society has been organized to: 1) Seek friendship and unity among Armstrongs and associated families. 2) Provide for the preservation of Armstrong artifacts unique to the family and to maintain a library. 3) Serve as a genealogical and historical recorder of the membership, 4) Provide quarterly news, Armstrong history and genealogy via The Armstrong Chronicles, 5) Establish geographic membership representation. Membership All Armstrongs, Croziers, Fairbairns, Groziers and Nixons, regardless of spelling, and their descendants, are eligible for full membership in The Society. All others interested in furthering the goals of The Society may become associate members. In the United States and Canada, dues are $25 per year, including two adults and all minor children. In all other countries dues are $35 per year, payable in US funds. You can click here to download a membership application in PDF format and view more membership information. Any questions? Email Peter Armstrong at parmstrong2@sc.rr.com or mail to Peter A. Armstrong 128 Essex Dr Summerville, SC 29485 Lord Lyon, King of Arms, Recognizes an Honorable Company On September 24, 1984 the Lord Lyon, King of Arms granted warrant to the Lyon clerk to matriculate in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland in the name of Armstrong Clan Society, Inc. "acting world-wide and in particular within the United States of America" to further the interests of the Armstrong family. Matriculated in the 8th day of February 1985 in the 110th page of the 62nd volume of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland.
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The Lands of Johnnie Armstrong Known As "Of Kilnockie"This article is from the
1996 Christmas issue of the Milnholm Cross and Trust Topics, the
newsletter of the Armstrong Trust. It was written by Alan Armstrong, then
the Chairman of the Armstrong Trust and republished in The Armstrong
Chronicles, April, 2005. The first we ever hear of Johnnie is in 1525, recorded in The Book of
Carlaverock. Therein is a Charter (or "Letter of Entries") given
by Robert Lord Maxwell in favour of John Armstrong, of Lands in Eskdale
dated 4th August. Transcribed into modern English it
reads: "Be it known to all men by the
present letters, I Robert Lord Maxwell, warden of the West March of
Scotland against England and having of our Sovereign Lord the King the
lands and lordship of Eskdale, have taken and reserved, and by the tenor
of the present letters takes and reserves to my loving friend Johne
Armistrang, tenant in free heritage to the lands underwritten with their
attachments, that is to say, the lands of Dalbetht, the lands of ScheId,
the lands of Dawblane, the lands of Staplegortoun, the lands of Langholm,
and the lands of Teviotshelis, with their attachments, lying in the
Lordship of Eskdale, within the Sheriffdom of DumJries; And also for the good and thanliful
service done and to be done and to be done to me and my heirs by the said
John Armistrang and his heirs, I grant me to have entered him to the said
lands, in fee and heritage, to be held of me and my heirs as Lords of
Eskdale for evermore, after the form of his infiefment; In witness of
which thing to this my letter of entries, subscribed with my hand, my seal
is hung, at Dumfries, the third day of August, the year of God 1525, before the witnesses John, Abbot of Dundranan, Sir Herbet
McBrare, chaplain, Herbert Gledstanis, Andrew Herries and James Anderson,
with many others. In response to this Charter, John
Armstrong on the 2nd November of the same year with his hand at the pen
and under his seal gave a Bond of Manrent to Robert Lord Maxwell binding
Johnnie to carry out certain services as follows: "Bound himself and
his heirs to Lord Maxwell, his heirs in return for the lands mentioned in
the Charter. To give his and those of his family and retainers and
servants complete allegiance; before all others his true allegiance to
Robert Lord Maxwell's sovereign Lord the King; to take his true and plain
part in all manner of actions to his uttermost power, and nothing write,
hear, or see to the detriment of his lord-in the event of hearing, seeing
anything to such detriment, will stop such actions and will inform his
lord in all possible haste; in the event of not carrying out these duties
the lands were to be forfeit to Lord Maxwell." On the same day as the bond of Manrent
was given, Robert Lord Maxwell made a gift to Johnnie of the non-entry
lands in Eskdale, associated with the lands mentioned in the Charter under
the same terms. These lands had been awarded by the Scottish King to
Maxwell on their forfeiture by the Lindsays and Humes plus the lands of
Wauchope, on which the Lindsays had built a castle next to the present
kirkyard, nothing of which remain but a few scattered stones. Within the
lands awarded to Johnnie was another castle at Staplegorton, of early
Norman construction, on a motte of which today only the motte remains. It
was probably of a wooden construction in poor condition and this brought
about the building of Langholm Castle in a more convenient position to
guard the passes south from Hawick, east from Eskdalemuir and from
Lockerby. The land granted was a vast area
stretching from the boundary of the Debatable land northwards up the Esk
Valley, almost to Eskdalemuir joining with the lands at the head of the
river Teviot near Carlenrig where eventually Johnnie was caused to be hung
by his seventeen year old King. This land frand comprised about 120 square
miles which must have brought
in to Johnnie considerable sums in rents and tacks. Many have conjectured
on how Johnnie amassed his supposed fortune, to live in the manner he did,
without taking this income from his lands into account, and the Victorian
historians did not look to the lands he held but put his income down to
reiving throughout the English Borderland of which reiving there is not a
single recorded complaint, except the burning of Netherby, the record of
which is mentioned later in his article. Doubtless Johnnie could afford it and
commissioned his brother to build the Castle of Langholm as a base for his
operations but even this is not clear for elsewhere he is referred to as
"of Staplegorton". Why Lord Maxwell made this grant of land is
unknown. We are led to believe that Johnnie was recently married, and
there being insufficient land for his father, the Chief and laird of
Mangerton, to give to his second son, some arrangement had been arrived at
for Johnnie to serve Lord Maxwell. Another conjecture bearing in mind that Thomas, elder brother of
Johnnie, had handed over to Maxwell the lands of Mangerton, on the death
of the old Chief, was this by way of compensation to the stronger and more
outgoing brother? On the 18th February 1528, only three years later The Book of
Carlaverock relates that Johnnie resigned the lands with the following
document: "Be it known to all men by these
presents, I Johne Armestrand, have made, constituted and ordained and by
these present letters made constituted and ordained the worshipfull men,
Robert Lesley, Sir Alexander Jardine, my very lawful and irrevocable
procurators, representatives, factors special general procurators and
errand bearers; give grant and commit to my said procurators and to each
of them, conjointly and severallyh, my very lawful free and plain power
and special mandate, expressly bidding and charging, for me and in my name
to waive, purely and simply resign, quitclaim, give and deliver by staff
and baton, and these my letters of procuratory and resignation for me and
my heirs, all and whole the lands of Langholm and the non-entries of the
same, with the pertinands lying in the lordship of Eskdale, the which
non-entries I have of one noble and mighty lord, Robert lord Maxwell and
suchlike to resign and release all my right claim and possession which I
have, or may have, to the said lands of Langholm and non-entries of the
same in the hands of our Sovereign lord the King, our lord of the said
lands, in favour of the said Robert lord Maxwell and his heirs, for their
hereditable infiefing of our sovereign lord in the said lands of Langholm,
with the pertinands and for hereditable sessing to be given to the said
Robert Lord Maxwell and his heirs by our said sovereign lord s precept thereuntil; The which lands of Langholm and
non-entries of the same with the pertinents, I the said John Armstrong,
give up, purely and simply resign, give and deliver, and all my right,
claim and possession therof from me and my heirs by the tenor of these
present letters, in the hands of our said sovereign lord, as in the hands
of the overloards of the same, in favour of the said Robert Lord Maxwell
and his heirs for the hereditable infiefing and seizing of our said
sovereign lord to be had in the said lands of Langholm with the pertinants;
as said is; and generally all and sundry other things to do use,
exercise and hand that to the office of procurator in such things
ordained, is know to
pertain, and that which I myself might do, and were I personally
present, firm and stable and for to have all and whatsoever thing my
said procurators or any of them, conjunctly or severally, does or leads to
be done in the forsaid but any revocation. In witness of which my seal is
hung to these present letters at Dumfries the 18th day of February, 1528
before witnesses-Edward Maxwell, brother to the said Lord Maxwell,
John Maxwell, John Lindsay, James Guthrie and Hertbert Blenstanes with
divers others “. (The following are
comments by author, Alan Armstrong) One wonders what happened here? Why use
agents? Was Johnnie' departing on some perilous journey? Was Maxwell
forced by the Crown to demand return of the lands? Were the lands returned
because Johnnie had broken his bond? There is nothing in the records to
indicate any reasons. In 1528 Maxwell was still supporting the Armstrongs,
for he refused to allow at a Warden Court complaints against the
Armstrongs of Liddesdale, and suffered a march against him by Angus the
Warder of the Scottish Middle Marsh, who also held bonds of Manrent from
certain Armstrongs, for not executing his orders to Maxwell to put into
operation orders to suppress the Armstrongs. Was the withdrawal of the
land the price Maxwell had to pay for this? By 1530, just over two years later,
Johnnie is dead, hung by the neck at Carlenrig on what appears to have
been once his own lands held of Maxwell. Maxwell himself at the time was
in ward in Edinburgh, yet within a month was free and benefiting by the
grant of all Johnnie's goods, movable and unmovable, debts, tacks(rents),
obligations, sums of money, gifts of non-entries and all items pertaining
to him. (Reg. Sec Sig., Vol viii, folio 195). This of course included the
lands of Nether and Over Thorniewhats. But what of Gilnockie? The lands of
Nether Thorniewhats upon which the castle of Gilnockie was built, and the
lands of Over Thorniewhats were the property of the Prior of Canonbie, and
let to Maxwell. Was this another benefaction of Maxwell to our forebear?
The Armstrongs had built another tower at Over Thorniewhats the site of
which lies close to the present farmyard and who were still living there
in the early 17th century. These two lands extended to about 5 square
miles. What of Hollows? Hollows indeed lay
within the boundaries of the Debatable lands, for that boundary lay
northwards of Hollows to Scotland proper, which did not start until the
Irvine Burn and the Lower portion of the Tarras Water at whose junction
with the Esk the boundary crossed. It was not until 1550, after Johnnie's
death, that arrangements commenced for the division of the Debatable land. New 30 Oct 2006 |
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