| Clan Guthrie | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gutraidh ("Windy place.") | |||
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| Motto | "Sto pro veritate." ("I stand for the truth.")[1] | ||
| Profile | |||
| District | Angus[1] | ||
| Chief | |||
 | |||
| Christian Guthrie of Guthrie,[2] | |||
| 23rdChief of Clan Guthrie | |||
| Seat | Via Margutta 51A, 00187 Rome (Italy).[2] | ||
| Historic seat | Guthrie Castle.[1] | ||
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Clan Guthrie is aScottish clan.[1]
The family of Guthrie took their name from thelands of the same name in the county ofAngus and their name is one of the oldest in that county.[1] The origin of the nameGuthrie is not known, although there is a tradition that the lands were named Guthrie by an early king of Scots, after a fishermangut three fish to serve his hungry monarch.[1][3]
In about 1178William the Lion granted the lands of Gutherin toArbroath Abbey.[1] The family were royal falconers and subsequently purchased these lands.[1]
The Laird of Guthrie was sent toFrance in 1299 to inviteWilliam Wallace to return to Scotland.[1] The mission was successful and Guthrie landed with Wallace atMontrose, Angus.[1] The early charters of the Guthrie family have since been lost but it seems certain that they obtained the Barony of Guthrie fromDavid II of Scotland.[1]
In August 1442, Alexander Guthrie of Guthrie witnessed a charter by Alexander Seton, lord of Gordon to Lord Keith.[1] He acquired the lands of Kincaldrum nearForfar in 1446 and became Baillie of Forfar.[1]Sir David Guthrie of Guthrie was armour bearer to the king, captain of the guard and was appointed Lord Treasurer of Scotland in 1461.[1] He also obtained a charter under the great seal to buildGuthrie Castle in 1468 and in 1473 was appointed Lord Chief Justice of Scotland.[1] David greatly increased the Guthrie estates and founded a collegiate church at Guthrie which was confirmed in aPapal bull of 1479.[1]
David's son, Sir Alexander Guthrie, was killed at theBattle of Flodden in 1513.[4][1] In 1567 the Guthries signed a bond upholding the authority of the infantJames VI of Scotland against that of his mother,Mary, Queen of Scots.[1] Around the same time the Clan Guthrie were feuding with their neighbours, theClan Gardyne.[1] Alexander Guthrie had been assassinated atInverpeffer and the Guthries retaliated.[1] The feud lasted until 1618,[5] when the Guthries were saved from their actions by a royal pardon.[1]
In the early seventeenth century the estate passed through cousins until 1636 whenJohn Guthrie, Bishop of Moray became the eleventh chief of Clan Guthrie.[1] Guthrie had been ordained at Perth and had become minister of St Giles inEdinburgh in 1621.[1] He took up residence atSpynie Palace in 1623 and was consecrated Bishop of Moray.[1] During theScottish Civil War he was forced to surrender his castle to the forces ofColonel Monroe, retiring to his own estates in Guthrie.[1] His third son, Andrew, fought forJames Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose but was captured at theBattle of Philiphaugh.[1] Andrew was sentenced to death and beheaded by the Scottish "Maiden" in January 1646 in St Andrews.[1] Andrew's daughter, Bethia, married a kinsman, Francis Guthrie of Gagie, and as a result the title and estates remained with the Guthrie family.[1]
Henry Guthrie, Bishop of Dunkeld, was a cousin of John Guthrie, the Bishop of Moray.[6]
The Guthries were religious leaders in the time ofMartin Luther and were champions ofPresbyterianism against the Roman Catholic Church.[7] They were ready to back up their beliefs with their lives and were true to their reputation of 'holding a sword in one hand, a Bible in the other'.[7]
James Guthrie, who was of the chiefly family, was aCovenanter minister who became one of that movement's early martyrs.[1] He was ordained the minister of Lauder in 1638 and moved toStirling in 1649.[1] He preached openly against the king's religious policies and was stripped of his office by the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, whose authority Guthrie had challenged.[1] He continued to preach until 1661 when he was sentenced to death and executed.[1]
A branch of the Clan Guthrie were the Guthries of Halkerton who held their barony by right of the office of royal falconers in Angus.[1] However this title and office were only relinquished under the terms of the Heritable Jurisdictions Act in 1747.[1]
John Douglas Guthrie of Guthrie served in the cavalry during the 1882 Egyptian campaign.[1] He married Mary, daughter ofDuncan Davidson of Tulloch.[1]
Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Guthrie of Guthrie was the last chief of Clan Guthrie to live atGuthrie Castle.[1] He was born in 1886, he became a distinguished soldier, commanding the 4th Battalion theBlack Watch and was awarded theMilitary Cross.[1][5]
Guthrie Castle was purchased by the [de la] Peña family in 1984. There is an active fraternal organization, Clan Guthrie USA, dedicated to preserving and promoting Guthrie heritage.[8]
The previous chief was Alexander Ivan Bedini Guthrie of Guthrie 22nd of that Ilk, who inherited the title from his grandmother Moira Guthrie of Guthrie in 1990. Born inLondon in 1967, he was educated inItaly andEngland and attendedUCL; he lived betweenRome,Monte Argentario and theUK. Guthrie of Guthrie died in London ofCOVID-19 on 23 March 2020.[9] He was succeeded by Christian Guthrie of Guthrie, 23rd of that Ilk,[2] as the 23rd Chief of Clan Guthrie.
| Tartan image | Notes |
|---|---|
 | Ancient (AKA Dress) Tartan. A dark blue and green plaid with red/orange stripes. |
 | Battle (AKA Weathered) Tartan. The same pattern, but primarily brown and bluish gray with red striping. |
 | Modern Tartan Follows the same pattern, but is primarily dark navy & dark green with red stripes. |
Although the Guthries of Guthrie were the main line of the family, many offshoots existed, some of them mentioned in an old rhyme: "Guthrie o' Guthrie and Guthrie o' Gagie Guthrie o' Taybank an'Guthrie o' Craigie."[15]
Clan Guthrie USA is a nonprofit, fraternal organization of over 400 Guthrie families who have joined to promote and preserve their common heritage.[16] The organization participates in Scottish Highland festivals, sells Guthrie merchandise, publishes a quarterly newsletter, sponsors special events (such as Scotland reunion tours), and maintains a Guthrie genealogy database.[8]
