I have always wondered if there was a line of demarcation to separate the Highland Scot from the Lowland Scot. Not long ago, I came across a map that answered my question and cleared up my misconceptions. My literal interpretation of
Highland meant, to me, that
those clans lived in the mountainous areas to the north and west of Scotland.
Knowing full well that our ancestors moved around with an amazing frequency, my
confusion only multiplied as I tried to follow my Scottish ancestors from place
to place and then finally to Nova
Scotia. The following map shows distinctly where the
highland meets the lowland.
The Clan Carmichael has its seat in Lanarkshire, which is situated roughly between Glasgow and Edinburgh and to the south. Here the
Carmichaels were known as the Earls of Hyndford. They
shared this area and were in close association with the Clan Douglas, from whom
they received their lands c. 1374-1384. This location definitely makes them a
member of the Lowland Scots.
Lanark was once known as Clydesdale because of the River Clyde and its influence on the area. It is here that Flemish stallions were brought to breed with the local stock mares and the beginnings of a bigger and stronger breed of draft horse had its beginnings. But I get carried away. That is another story for another time.
Carmichaels are said to
have been in Lanark since the 13th century or earlier. It is noted
that there were at least two branches of Carmichaels,
one was Carmichael of Carmichael and the other was Carmichael of East End and
Thankerton. It is believed there was a
separation from the senior line around 1500, when the new branch took up
residence at East End. In the 17th century,
during the civil wars, Lord Carmichael supported King Charles I, but his family
had split loyalties. Two of his sons were Royalists and another two supported
the parliamentarians. Sadly, the two sides fought at the Battle of Marston Moor
where one of the Royalist Carmichael sons was killed, another John Carmichael,
fighting against his older brothers. Clan Chief
Richard Carmichael was able to exchange some lands in 1989, adding the East End
lands to the Carmichael estate.
East End House
My first Carmichael doesn’t come from either of these places but much farther north in Abelour, Banffshire, on the
Firth. But before I tackle my direct ancestors, I think it would
be interesting to know more about the Clan in it’s earlier years. Sir John de
Carmichael received the charter of lands in Lanarkshire from Sir James Douglas,
in the late 14th century, as a reward for supporting the Douglas claim to the Scottish throne. This also
established him as the 1st Baron of Carmichael. Through other royal
charters and acquisitions, the estate grew to about 14,000 acres, at their
One of the Clan’s most notable figures is Sir John Carmichael of Meadowflat, who later became the first Clan Chief of
Carmichael. In addition to Carmichaels living at East End and Meadowflat, there were other families of the
name living at estates in Balmedie, Ponfeigh, Westraw, Skirling and Mauldslie. This
Sir John, different from the paragraph above, was the son of the 2nd
Baron Carmichael. Sir John was a knight and a warrior in the Scottish Army who
fought with the French against the English, during the Hundred Years’ War. In
1421, Sir John engaged in combat with the Duke of Clarence, brother of King Henry
V. He unhorsed the Duke, breaking his spear. With the death of the Duke, the
English army fled in leaderless disarray. The French granted Sir John the
crest, depicting the broken spear grasped by a gauntlet. The motto is Tout Jour
Prest (too zhure pray) which means Always Ready. This badge can be worn with
pride by all Carmichaels and by those who bear
allegiance to the Clan Chief.
Cadet families which include Meadowflat in Lanarkshire and Balmedie of Fife, also include Carmichaels who became MacMichaels in
Several of the following web sites have photos of the
East End house and the Carmichael Estates.