| Clan Eliott | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Elloch, Eloth | |||
 Crest: Raised fist holding a sword | |||
| Motto | Fortiter et recte (Boldly and rightly)[1] | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Borders | ||
| District | Dumfries and Galloway | ||
| Plant badge | White hawthorn[1] | ||
| Pipe music | "All The Blue Bonnets Are Over The Border",Sir Walter Scott | ||
| Chief | |||
.svg) | |||
| Margaret Eliott of Redheugh | |||
| 29th Elliot Clan Chief | |||
| Historic seat | Redheugh Tower[2] | ||
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Clan Eliott is aBorder ReiverScottish clan.[3]
The origins of the Eliotts is surrounded in obscurity.[3] The Eliotts suddenly appear as a distinct clan with a chief in the late 15th century.[3] The lack of information is believed to be due to the destruction of their old castle at Stobs in a fire in 1712.[3] All of the family documents, with one exception were lost in the fire.[3]
According to tradition theEllots (as the name was originally spelled) came from the foot of Glenshie inAngus and that they moved toTeviotdale during the time ofRobert the Bruce.[3] Such a move would have been exceptional; however an event in 1320 gives some credence to the story.[3] In 1320William de Soulis, one of Scotland's most powerful nobles was convicted of treason against Robert the Bruce.[3] He was imprisoned for life and his lands ofLiddesdale along with the great fortress ofHermitage Castle were made over to Bruce's illegitimate son,Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale.[3] Bruce would have needed to ensure his hold on such a strategically important frontier by encouraging the settlement of a loyal and tested clan - such as theEllots.[3]
It is known that Ellot of Redheugh was living in the early 1400s.[3] In 1426 John Elwalde of Teviotdale is recorded.[3] In 1476 Robert Ellot of Redheugh appears as the tenth chief of the clan.[3] From that time onwards the formal history of the clan can be said to have begun.[3] Robert Ellot built a strong tower on a cliff overlooking the ford onHermitage Water in 1470.[3] This was just one of about one hundred strong towers that were dotted around Liddesdale which belonged to the Ellots and which they shared with theClan Armstrong who were anotherBorder Reiver clan.[3]
Robert Ellot, the thirteenth chief was killed at theBattle of Flodden in 1513.[3] The Eliotts supportedScott of Buccleuch at theBattle of Melrose in 1526.[4] However, in 1565 a deadly feud arose between the Ellots and their neighbours, theClan Scott.[3] Scott of Buccleuch executed four Ellots for the minor crime of cattle rustling.[3] In response three hundred Ellots rode to avenge the fate of their kinsmen.[3] During the battle losses on both sides were heavy but eventually the two clans came to terms with each other.[3]
Another feud took place between the Ellots andJames Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the future husband ofMary, Queen of Scots.[3] A skirmish took place around Hermitage Castle in which the earl was wounded.[3] In reprisal, in 1569, a royal force of nearly four thousand men devastated the Ellot's lands.[3]
In 1603 theUnion of the Crowns marked the end of the border reivers.[3] Many people were executed and many of the Borderers found new lives inUlster when much of that province was colonised.[3]
Robert Eliott of Redheugh left his broad lands in Liddesdale and went into exile inFife.[3] The use of the letter "i" in the Ellot surname was introduced in about 1650.[3]
In 1666 Sir Gillbert Eliott of Stobs was created aBaronet of Nova Scotia byCharles II of England.[3] He became chief of the Clan Eliott in 1673.[3]
In 1764 thethird Baronet remodelled the old Tower of Stobs into a mansion house.[3] His second son wasGeorge Augustus Eliott who was rewarded for a spirited defense ofGibraltar in 1782.[3]
A branch of the chief's family acquired the lands of Minto in 1703.[3]Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto was a diplomat who served inCorsica andVienna.[3] He later became Governor General ofBengal.[3]
The chief of Clan Eliott is Madam Margaret Eliott of Redheugh, 29thChief of the Name and Arms of Eliott.[5] The present chief is the daughter of Sir Arthur Eliott, eleventh baronet and twenty-eighth chief of Clan Eliott.[3] There is no bar on females succeeding to Scottish chiefships but the baronetcy passed to a male heir.[3]
Thecrest badge used by clan members consists of a crest encircled by a strap and buckle containing a motto. The crest is a raised fist holding a sword, while the motto isFORTITER ET RECTE (translation from Latin: "Boldly and Rightly").[6]
| Tartan image | Notes | Tartan image |
|---|---|---|
 | Clan Elliot tartan. There are two different versions of the Elliot tartan available today. Although very similar, the two vary slightly. The modern tartan and the ancient tartan vary in the intensity of the colors. The ancient version uses lighter colors, as the dyes were made from plants and berries. The dark stripes appear to be a dark burgundy or brown, and the blue is a lighter shade. The modern version (pictured at left) makes use of the stronger, modern chemical dyes and therefore result in a brighter, bolder color. On this one, the dark stripes appear almost black, and the blue is almost a sapphire blue. Also, the width of colored bands differs, with the ancient tartan being more condensed, with finer lines. |  |
