Clan Colville
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Clan Colville is a Lowland Scottish clan.
Origins of the Clan
The name Colville is believed to be of ancient Norman origin. It is believed to be derived from the town of Colleville -Sur-Mur in Normandy, France. The word "Col" meaning dark and swarthy and the word "Ville" meaning Village or "Castle on the Hill".
Clan Conflicts and History
The fisrt Colville found in Scotland was William De Colville. He is noted as receiving the Baronies of Ochiltree and Oxnam. He also received baronies in Oxnam and Heton in Roxburghshire together with other lands in Ayrshire. William de Colville also received the barony of Kinnaird in Stirlingshire.
In 1174, Phillip De Colville was sent to Scotland as a hostage for the release of William the Lion. He apparently took up residence in Scotland and established the two noble lineage’s of Culross and Ochiltree.
In 1405 on the 20th August Sir John De Colville and his wife Alice D'Arcy from Arncliff, Dale, England were beheaded at Durham. For what reason is not known.
For many years the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on good terms. Both families built castles on opposite sides of the River Lugar. In 1449 during the reign of King James II of Scotland the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on friendly enough terms that a rope was passed beetween the two castles over the river. Communications were often sent back and fourth on the rope by means of a ring to which a message was attached. Often fights occourd between the families on the messages sent back and fourth on the rope.
This came to a climax when Sir Richard Colville killed John Auchinleck. It is belived that Auchinleck sent Colville a wraped parcel containing the bones of a sheep head. The Colvilles saw this as an insult and the family frienships were over. From now on it was nothing but war between the two families.
The Laird of Auchinleck at this time was at this time going to pay a vist to his powerful allie Lord William Douglas of the powerful Clan Douglas. Whe Colville learned of this he sent his son Richard Colville to carry out his act of revenge. Sir Richard Colville and his clan waited for at a quiet part of a road and ambushed Auchinleck and his followers. The Earl of Douglas did not wait for judje and jury and took matters into his own hands and flew to avenge his friend. The Earl of Douglas at the head of Clan Douglas attacked the Colvilles. Men were killed on both sides. Douglas laid siege and levelled Colville's Ochiltree Castle to the ground and put Colville and his men to the sword.
Douglas dragged the captured Colville Knight of Ochiltree back to Cumnock. The group was about to cross a stream when as legend has it Sir Richard Colville remarked that a witch had forseen that he would die at this very spot. Douglas fulfilled the prophecy by putting Colville to death on the spot.
However Douglas to would later suffer for his acts as he was stabbed to death by the King himself at Stirling Castle.
After this the Clan Colville decided to rebuild in a new area. Those chose a stretch of land that filled the angle between where the River Lugar and River Burnock meeet.
In 1498, Hugh Campbell of Loudon from Clan Campbell, Sheriff of Ayrshire also had a family feud existing between the Clan Campbell house and the Colville's of Ochiltree. So the Campbell's had a advantage over the Colville due to the backup of his law officials. Sir William Colville appeal to the Royal Authority, to grant he and his tenants exemption from the jurisdiction of the Campbell sheriff.
The feud that started between the Clan Colville and Clan Douglas went on for many years and in the end in 1502 Robert and Henry Douglas we ordered to labor, occupy and restore the lands of Farnesyde and Hardane, because of the oppression against Sir William Colville, and for the theft of oxen from Sir William Colville. Plus this wasn’t the last they saw of punishment. In the same year John and William Douglas were convicted of oppression and convocation of the lieges upon Sir William Colville, basically murdering Colville. Along with there conviction was George Haliburton for the part of slaughter of Sir William Colville of Ochiltree.
In 1513 Robert Colville the successor of William Colville was respected as a man of high charachter and was honoured of his sovereign. He was the stewart of Queen Margaret and master to the houshold of King James IV of Scotland. He led the clan at the Battle of Flodden Field against the English where he was slain with the King.
In 1530, Sir James Colville transferred the barony of Ochiltree to Sire James Hamilton of Finnart and years later it was passed to Andrew Stewart, Lord Evandale.
Civil War
In 1675 after the Civil War the Montgomerys who were crippled by debts after supporting the Royalists against Oliver Cromwell sold the Lordship and Manor of Newtown to Captain Robert Colville for £10,640.
Jacobite Uprisings
The Clan Colville with the majority of Scotland supported the British Government during Jacobite Uprisings. In 1744, Robert Colville, under the influence of his mistress, sold Newtownards to Alexander Stewart for the sum of £42,000. In 1746, Honorable Charles Colville fought at the Battle of Culloden, commanding the British 21st Regiment of Foot which was made from Scottish soldiers, and he obtained the rank of lieutenant general before his death in 1775.
Its worth noting aswell that a Colville named Alexander served in the navy, becoming a captain in 1744. He was promoted to the rank of commodore and given command of the Northumberland. He held the rank of Vice Admiral for a decade.
The Clan Today
Today, Lord Colville, Viscount Colville of Culross a member of the House of Lords, is currently the Clan Chieftain. The title is held by this family and Lord Colville (the 13th Lord Colville of Culross) gained the title in 1945.
See Also
External Links
- [http://www.geocities.com/clancolville/]
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