Clan Borthwick (Borthwick Tartan)

1. About Clan Borthwick (Borthwick Tartan)

2. Clan Borthwick History (Borthwick Tartan)

The name Borthwick appears to have originated in Roxburghshire near Borthwick Water, but the family who adopted it is among the oldest in Scotland.

Others contend that they may have been originally Hungarian, while some speculate that they may have arrived in Britain with the Roman legions.

The more widely accepted claim is that they landed in Scotland in 1067 along with Edgar the Aetheling, a Saxon, and Margaret, Edgar's sister, who had already wed Malcolm Canmore in 1071. Margaret rose to power and eventually achieved sainthood.

Sir William Borthwick joined Lord James Douglas in 1330 on their journey to the Holy Land as part of Robert the Bruce's crusade.

After they were attacked by the Moors in Spain, he returned home. Borthwick is thought to have killed their leader, and as a reminder of the incident, a moor's head now serves as the crest.

The family became influential in Scotland very fast. Sir William Borthwick acquired a charter confirming his ownership of the territories in Midlothian and the Borders in 1410.

The First Lord Borthwick was sent to England in 1425 together with other nobles as stand-in hostages for James I of Scotland's ransom.

He created one of Scotland's most impressive fortified homes, and the Borthwick Family still owns the castle.

The original Lord Borthwick passed away approximately 1458, and the Borthwick old church has his tomb.

In 1513, while serving alongside James IV, William, 4th Lord Borthwick, was slain at the Battle of Flodden.

His son William succeeded him, and he was granted control of Stirling Castle as well as responsibility for the protection of James V the infant.

Lord John Borthwick supported Mary of Guise, the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was opposed to the Scottish Reformation.

Despite having strong ecclesiastical principles, he was excommunicated for his opinions, and William Langlands, a court officer, was sent to deliver the letters to the curate of Borthwick.

He was apprehended by slaves of Borthwick, who threw him into the mill dam and made him eat the letters (which had been made more appetizing by being drenched in wine).

He was then sent away with a warning that all future correspondence would "a' gang the same gait."

Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge at the castle, and when opposition forces arrived, the queen fled while posing as a pageboy.

The Borthwicks continued to support the monarchy during this time. In the civil war, they backed the royalists as well, and following the Battle of Dunbar in 1650, the Roundheads besieged Borthwick Castle.

Lord Borthwick was given terms by Cromwell, and he and his family were given permission to depart. However, the male line fell short after this, and the title was forfeited.

Henry Borthwick of Neathorn reclaimed it in 1672, but he also passed away without leaving a successor.

When Major John Borthwick of Crookston was acknowledged as Borthwick of that Ilk by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, in 1986, the title was restored after several disputed claims.

John took over as CEO after his father passed away in December 1996.

3. Clan Borthwick Tartans

The Borthwick tartan has reportedly been worn since the 1950s, according to the Clan.

R/16 K8 N40 K56 N40 K8 R40 G/8 Thread Count

Borthwick

The Major John Henry Stuart Borthwick (later to become Lord Borthwick in 1986) commissioned Lochcarron to create a dress version of the tartan for special occasions and female members of the clan, which resulted in the Borthwick dress tartan.

Threadcount DG/28 K8 W28 K8 W/16 K4 R32 K8

Borthwick Dress

4. Clan Borthwick Crest & Coats of Arms

4.1 Clan Borthwick Crest

Worn by all of the name and ancestry

4.2 Clan Borthwick Coats of Arms

Note on Coats of Arms: A coat of arms is given to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist.

With the exclusions listed above, the weapons depicted below are personal weapons. The only person authorized to use these weapons is the grantee.

Arms of Lord Borthwick

5. Clan Borthwick Places & People

5.1 Clan Borthwick Places

After receiving King James I's approval, Sir William Borthwick, 1st Lord Borthwick, began construction on Borthwick Castle in 1430.

It is regarded as one of Scotland's largest and best-preserved remaining medieval castles. It lies around 12 miles south-east of Edinburgh, close to the town of Borthwick.

Clan Borthwick's ancestral home is the castle.

5.2 Clan Borthwick People

Sir Algernon Borthwick, 1st Baron Glenesk (1830- 1908)

Conservative British journalist who eventually became the Morning Post's (The Daily Telegraph's) proprietor.

As the editor of the Post's son, Peter Borthwick, Algernon was sent to King's College School before beginning his career in 1852 as the paper's Paris correspondent. After his father's death, he took over as editor until becoming the owner in 1876.

He wed Alice Beatrice Lister on April 5, 1870, and the couple had two children: Lilias Margaret Frances Borthwick (1871–1955) and Oliver Borthwick (1873–1905). Alice Beatrice Lister died in 1898.

He was elected MP for South Kensington in 1885 and joined Lord Randolph Churchill's coalition, which was known for its conservatism at the time.

He was knighted in 1880 and made baron of Glenesk in 1895. Glenesk died, and the title was abolished; he was interred in the East Finchley Cemetery.