| Clan Colville | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Motto | Oblier ne puis (I cannot forget)[1] | ||
| Chief | |||
 | |||
| Charles Colville | |||
| The Rt Hon TheViscount Colville of Culross | |||
| Historic seat | Kinnaird Castle | ||
| |||
Clan Colville is a LowlandScottish clan.[2]
The Clan Colville chiefs are of ancientNorman origin.[2] The name is probably derived from the town of Colville inNormandy.[2] The first of the name to appear in Scotland was Philip de Colville who is found as a witness to a charter toDunfermline Monastery some time before 1159.[2] In 1174 Phillip de Colville was one of the hostages used for the release ofWilliam the Lion under theTreaty of Falaise.[2] Phillip was also granted the baronies of Oxnam and Hecton inRoxburghshire as well as lands inAyrshire.[2] Phillip's son was Thomas de Colville who between 1189 and 1199 was a witness to several charters of William the Lion.[2] Thomas was unjustly suspected of treason and was imprisoned inEdinburgh Castle but he later regained royal favor and died on his own estates in 1219.[2] Thomas's son was William de Colville who acquired the barony of Kinnaird inStirlingshire which remains the chief's seat to this day.[2] In 1228 William de Colville granted a lease of the part of his barony to theAbbot of Holyrood which was confirmed in a charter byAlexander II of Scotland.[2]
The heiress of Sir William Colville was E'stace.[2] She was married toSir Reginald Cheyne, an elderly knight who died in about 1291, leaving her considerable wealth.[2] E'stace appears on theRagman Rolls of 1296 swearing fealty toEdward I of England.[2] She is recorded on the Ragman Rolls as holding lands inAberdeen,Ayr,Banff,Forfar,Inverness andKincardine.[2] The foundation of the fortunes of the Colvilles is attributed to E'stace's considerable abilities byAlexander Nisbet.[2]
A grant made toMelrose Abbey by E'stace de Colville was confirmed in 1324 by Robert Colville who is described asBaro baronial de Ochiltree which meansBaron of the barony of Ochiltree.[2] The baron made donations to the monks ofKelso Abbey and his barony of Ochiltree was confirmed byDavid II of Scotland in 1350.[2]
In 1436 Thomas Colville of Oxnam, who was probably Robert's grandson, was selected to accompanyPrincess Margaret, daughter ofJames I of Scotland for her marriage to theDauphin of France, laterLouis XI of France.[2] Robert Colville had also been one of the hostages for the release of James I from English captivity four years earlier.[2]
Sir Richard (or Robert Colville) killed John Auchinleck in 1449.[2] Auchinleck was a favourite of theEarl of Douglas (chief ofClan Douglas) and to avenge Auchinleck's fate, Douglas laid waste to all of the lands that belonged to Colville and besieged and took his Kinnaird Castle, with a great loss of life.[2]
In 1513 Robert Colville of Hilton was killed at theBattle of Flodden.[2] His son was Sir James Colville of Ochiltree who in 1527 was appointed to the office of Comptroller of the Royal Household.[2] In 1530 he exchanged his lands of Ochiltree for the lands of East Wemyss and Lochorshyre withHamilton of Finnart.[2] He was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court as Sir James Colville of Easter Wemyss.[2] However he was later accused of treason and his estates were annexed by the Crown, but in 1543 the forfeiture was recalled.[2]
Sir James Colville, third of Easter Wemyss was a distinguished soldier who fought inFrance for the Prince of Navarre, laterHenry IV of France.[2] In 1582 he returned toScotland withFrancis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, loaded with commendations from his French patrons.[2] In 1604 Sir James Colville was raised in the peerage with the title 'Lord Colville of Culross', which the chiefs still bear today.[2] The second Lord Colville died without issue in 1640 leaving the title to his cousin as heir.[2] However his cousin did not assume the title and it remained dormant until 1723.[2]
In 1709 John Colville,de jure seventh Lord Colville, served as a soldier at theBattle of Malplaquet which was a great victory forJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.[2] He was made heir to the second Lord Colville in 1722, but a petition to the king claiming the Peerage was referred to the House of Lords for an enquiry.[2] In 1723 the House found in favour of Colville, who was placed on the Roll of Peers.[2] He continued his military career and commanded a battalion at thesiege of Cartagena, where he died in 1741.[2] Colville left a large family who all had successful military careers.[2]
During theJacobite rising of 1745 Charles Colville supported the British Government and commanded the 21st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots Fusiliers) at theBattle of Culloden in 1746.[2] He died in 1775 having achieved the rank of lieutenant general.[2]
In 1731Alexander Colville, 7th Lord Colville of Culross joined the Navy.[2] He soon obtained his own command and by in 1744 became captain ofHMS Leopard (1741), a fifty gun frigate.[2] He was later promoted to commodore and obtained command ofHMS Northumberland (1750) and sailed to America in 1755 during theSeven Years' War.[2] In 1759 Colville forced the French to raise thesiege of Quebec and retreat.[2] In 1769 Colville was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.[2]
Charles Colville served with distinction during thePeninsular War and also at theBattle of Waterloo.[2] His two elder brothers died without issue and so his son,Charles Colville, 1st Viscount Colville of Culross, succeeded to the peerage.[2] This Charles Colville was Chief Equerry toQueen Victoria and Lord Chamberlain toQueen Alexandra of Denmark. He was created Viscount Colville of Culross in 1902.[2]
The brother of the second Viscount wasSir Stanley Colville who was rear admiral and commander in chief atPortsmouth between 1916 and 1919. Stanley Colville received some of the country's highest honors, including Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.[2]
Mark Colville, 4th Viscount Colville of Culross, gained the title in 1945, and served as a Home Office Minister under Edward Heath and was a member of the UN Human Rights Commission. He died in 2010 and was succeeded by his son,Charles Colville, 5th Viscount Colville of Culross, a member of the House of Lords who is currently theClan Chief.
