| Clan Durie | |
|---|---|
 Crest: A crescent Or | |
| Motto | CONFIDO (I trust) |
| Profile | |
| Region | Lowlands |
| District | Fife |
| Chief | |
 | |
| Andrew Durie of Durie[1] | |
| Chief of the Name and Arms of Durie | |
| Historic seat | Burntisland Castle |
Durie is a Scottish family of theScottish Lowlands, not aScottish clan as sometimes reported.[2]
The origin of the surname is often said to be from theFrenchDu Roi',.[2] but this is known to be an error. Nor were theyNormans,[2] or "travelled toScotland in 1069 as part of the entourage ofQueen Margaret of Scotland".[2] Modern historical research shows that in 1260 or shortly thereafter, a younger son of the Earl of Strathearn was granted the land in Fife already called Durie and took the name, becoming “of Durie” or, in the Anglo-French used in documents of that time, “de Durie”.[1] A much-quoted reference to the Duries being inFife from 1119 is based on a mis-reading of a carved stone.[2]
The Duries had the estate of Craigluscar which is near Dunfermline, Fife and the lands called Durie in the parish of Scoonie nearLeven, Fife.[2] A house that was built in Craigluscar possibly around 1520 has a stone bearing the initials of George Durie and his wife Margaret Bruce.[2] The family's prominence in Fife is found in charters throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.[2] In about 1258 Duncan de Dury was a witness forMalise, Earl of Strathern.[2] Others bearing the name who appear in documentary evidence include Francis de Douery (c.1250), Malisius de Douery (c.1350), Michael de Douery (c.1373), John de Douery (c.1406) and Richard de Douer (c.1405).[2] It is from Richard de Douer that the main chiefly line is descended from.[2]
In 1382 Burntisland Castle (now known asRossend Castle) was built and it includes a tablet over the entrance bearing the Durie arms and the date 1554.[2]
Burntisland Castle was the most extensive of Durie properties and in 1563 it was occupied byMary, Queen of Scots.[2] However it was confiscated by the Crown during theScottish Reformation.[2]
George Durie reached high offices in church and state, becoming Commendator and the lastAbbot of Dunfermline before the Reformation.[2] He also appeared in Parliament between 1540 and 1554, was appointed an Extraordinary Lord in 1541, became Lord of the Articles, a member of the Governor'sSecret Counsale in 1543, a Lord of Council and Session andKeeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland.[2] George Durie was a staunch supporter ofMary, Queen of Scots and as a bitter opponent of the new faith he brought his own cousin, John Durie, a monk to trial for proclaiming the new teaching.[2] The Queen and her mother, theQueen-Dowager wrote several letters to George Durie while in distress and sent him on diplomatic missions to the court ofFrance.[2] Durie later fled there taking with him the relics of Queen Margaret forsafe keeping.[2]
George Durie's brother wasAndrew Durie who wasAbbot of Melrose andBishop of Galloway.[2] Andrew Durie was despised by the religious reformerJohn Knox and was imprisoned inEdinburgh Castle in 1580.[2] Meanwhile,Robert Durie, minister of Anstruther, was exiled for attending a proscribed General Assembly of the Church.[2]
George Durie's sons, John and George, were both educated at the Scots' Colleges inParis.[2] There is little doubt that John was theJesuit Durie who was implicated in a conspiracy to release Mary, Queen of Scots and deposeElizabeth I of England.[2] Another of George's sons was Henry Durie who held the lands of Craigluscar and from whom the main line of the family runs.[2] His wife was MargaretMacBeth who was renowned for her skill with herbs.[2] Margaret was attended royal births atDunfermline Palace and was a favourite ofAnne of Denmark.[2]
In the late 17th century another George Durie was a Captain in KingLouis XIV of France'sScots Guards and also a provost ofDunfermline.[2]
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The Duries were chiefless for some time until the recognition ofLt-Col Raymond Durie of Durie in 1988.[2] He established his descent through his grandmother, Elizabeth Durie of Craigluscar from Abbot George.[2] Raymond had a distinguished military career which spanned 35 years withArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His actions were distinguished during theChinese Civil War andJapan's invasion ofChina.[2] He died in 1999 and the chieftainship passed to his son,[citation needed] the present chief Andrew Durie of Durie,CBE[3]
The main seat of the family of Durie of that Ilk was Durie in the parish ofScoonie, just outsideLeven, Fife. Another branch, that of the present Chief, had Craigluscar, nearDunfermline, Fife. Briefly, they heldRossend Castle (Burntisland, Fife)[4] and Grange (near Kinghorn, Fife).
