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Edgar Family History (as I know it)
The Edgar Clan is made up of 3 main lines, all very closely related. They are the Edgar’s of Wedderlie, Edgar’s of Keithock and the Edgar’s of Rathwell. I have very little information on the Edgar’s of Rathwell and would be grateful if anyone out there can supply this. The Edgar Clan directly descends from Maldred, cousin of MacBeth the Scottish King. Through Maldred the Edgar line began. See the Geneology to trace the line.
Wedderlie Line
The original Edgar line and Head of the Clan until about 1750, both Rathwell and Keithock Edgar lines are descended from this original root. The 1st Edgar to claim some notoriety is Sir Richard Edgar. He was close to Robert Bruce Earl of Carrick who became King Robert I (1306-1329). Sir Richard was a supporter of Robert Bruce and a Scottish Laird. In February 1306 with a party of about 75 selected horsemen, Richard Edgar amongst them, arrived at Dumfries to seek out the Red Comyn. Robert Bruce entered the Monastery, where John Comyn had installed himself, with his brothers Nigel and Thomas, brother-in-law Sir Christopher Seton and several close supporters, one of whom was Richard Edgar. They waited for Comyn to arrive from the nearby castle which he promptly did with a group of his own supporters and relatives. Bruce and Comyn retired to the Chapel with several from each party. During the ensuing argument over John Comyn’s betrayal of Robert Bruce to King Edward of England Robert Bruce kills Comyn by stabbing him in the chest with his dagger. The family motto “Maun Do It” and the gauntleted fist with the dagger pointing down apparently stem from this incident. The tale goes that at the moment when Robert Bruce grasped his dagger Sir Richard shouted “Maun Do It”. What is notable is that from this point forward Sir Richard was a very close friend and supporter of the soon to be King. He was a witness at Bruce’s second marriage, a witness at his coronation and was awarded the lands and estates of Wedderlie in 1327. Sir Richard is recognized as a notable figure at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 by King Robert. The Wedderlie lands remained in the Edgar family until 1733 when they were sold to Lord Blantyre. The next notable character in the Wedderlie Edgar history is Sir James Edgar, private secretary to King James II, James VII, father of Charles Edward Stewart popularly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. James Stewart resided in Rome under the protection of the Pope after fleeing Scotland. James Edgar was his most loyal and trusted servant during these times. James was the chief conspirator and master-minded the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. On the suppression of the civil war of 1715 James Edgar made his way to Keithock and borrowed a suit of labourer’s clothes from a tenant named Bell. In this disguise he reached the continent where he subsequently returned the clothes. The farmer preserved the clothes as s memorial to the adventure. As it turns out John Edgar b June 29, 1725, a favorite nephew of Sir James made has way to the same farmer 30 years later to use the same suit of clothes to escape after the failed rebellion of 1745. Traveling between Rome and Scotland through France under the protection of King Louis Sir James met with the Kings supporters in Scotland on a regular basis. He was assisted in his efforts by the rest of the Edgar clan with a notable reference to another John Edgar of Rathwell as one of James Edgar’s couriers or messengers. For his lifetime of service to King James and his son Charles he was given by the King himself many of the Edgar family heirlooms. Special note should be made of the Gold snuff box as this was a Stewart family heirloom when it was given to James Edgar in the 1700’s. An anecdote of John Edgar the nephew of Sir James occurred while he was Postmaster General of Edinburgh during the occupation by Prince Charles in 1745. One of his duties was to examine all letters leaving town. In the letter a young lady writes to a friend mentioning the rebels were in town 1000 strong. John Edgar asked the Prince whether the letter might be forwarded. “Add a ‘0’ ” was his reply, “and let it go.” Keithock Line
The Keithock line is a close branch of the Wedderlie line with many family members keeping in close contact. The Keithock estate is located just North of Brechin, Scotland. The estate was sold in 1790 with very little known of its entire history except that it was once part of the noble house of Lindsay. The new Laird of Keithock was David Edgar b. 1624 when he purchased the estate from his cousin Thomas in about 1680. At that time the Estate had been owned by Edgar’s since January of 1613 when Edgar of Keithock 1st appears on the tax roles. The name Edgar is found in the area as early as 1202 – 1218 when the signatures of Robert and Thomas Edgar appear attached to the Charters of the Bishop of Brechin. In about 1817 the Edgar coat of arms and titles were transferred from Wedderlie to Keithock joining the lines back together. Thomas Edgar b. 1775 made the application to the Lyon King of Arms as the representative of the oldest surviving branch of the Wedderlie line upon the death of Rear Admiral Alexander Edgar. The head of the Edgar Clan at that time was Sir James Edgar, b 1777. Rathwell Line
Very little is known to me of this line. There is a mention of John Edgar of Rathwell who assisted James Edgar during his planning of the rebellion of 1715. John Edgar was known to England as one of those used as a messenger between King James and his supporters in Scotland. 3 swordsmen were hired to waylay John Edgar, a notable swordsman, in France. When they attacked him he threw his plaid (Tartan cloak) over their heads and ran them through. He then continued on his journey. One of the men survived and the English pressed the French to arrest John Edgar the next time he passed through France. He was arrested, however, the trial was somewhat of a farce when it was shown that the 3 men had ambushed John Edgar. He died a prisoner in Stirling Castle. John’s son, another John Edgar was noted for his part in a colossal folly. It seems that young John was being sought by the troops of King George and with a group of the Edgar clan eventually made their way to Perth. They then stole an English frigate by killing the watch while the crew was ashore. Thinking themselves very smart they sailed off into the night. Being Scottish clansmen from the hills they had no idea how to sail the ship and were eventually overhauled in the Carribean by an English Sloop of War. The smaller vessel captured the then sick and half starved Edgar group. Apparently the group was hanged at Port Royal now Kingston Jamaica. Oddly enough there are a number of Edgar families in the Barbados and the story is they are descended from some who escaped from the frigate. General Comments
There seems to be a significant amount of material with respect to various Edgar lines spread throughout the world. We will continue to try and gather, document and post information as it becomes available. If anyone has any additional information, tales, anecdotes, knowledge of relics, heirlooms, photographs, letters, etc. Please let me know so I can try and include them in this collection of information. Christopher Thomas Edgar info@clanedgar.com |
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