Clan Cumming
|
Clan Comyn/Cumming Crest: A lion rampant or, in his dexter paw a dagger Proper |
Clan Cumming, also known as
Clan Comyn, is a
Scottish clan from the central
Highlands that played a major role in the history of 13th century Scotland and in the
Wars of Scottish Independence where they were among the clans who defeated the English at the
Battle of Roslin in 1303.
Origins of the name
There are two theories as to the name
Comyn. Firstly that it was derived from the town
Comines,
Flanders, which is in Northern France and that the Comyns were among the settlers who came over after the Norman invasion of England. The other theory suggested by experts is that the name came from a herb called
cummin (
cumin) which was spelt
comyn in early times.
Clan history
This clan is believed to descend from Robert of Comyn, or
Comines, a companion of
William the Conqueror who accompanied him in his conquest of
England. Shortly after his participation in the
Battle of Hastings, Robert was made
Earl of Northumberland, and, when
David I came to
Scotland to claim his throne, Richard Comyn, the grandson of Robert, was among the Norman knights that followed him.
Richard Comyn quickly gained land and influence in
Scotland through an advantageous marriage to the granddaughter of the former Scottish king
Donald III, Hextilda of Tynedale. Richard's descendants continued the Comyns' rise to power through marriage, and, at the close of the thirteenth century, the Comyns were the most powerful clan in Scotland, members of the holding or having held thirteen Scottish earldoms, including those of
Buchan,
Menteith, and
Angus, and several lordships, including the
Lordship of Badenoch. The
Lords of Badenoch represented the chief line of the clan and ruled their vast lands from their impregnable island stronghold of
Lochindorb Castle.
John "the Black" Comyn
After the death of the last descendant of the royal line of
David I, the clan chief
John "the Black" Comyn was one of six competitors for the crown of
Scotland due to his connection to King
Donald III. A Comyn ally,
John Balliol, was chosen as king, and Balliol's sister was soon married to the
Black Comyn.
John "the Red" Comyn
The Wars of Scottish IndependenceThis marriage produced a son,
John "the Red" Comyn, and, upon the exile of the Balliols by
Edward I of England, the
Red Comyn was left as the most powerful man in
Scotland and the legitimate royal successor, having a double claim through the male and female lines.
During the
Wars of Scottish Independence John the Red acted as co-leader of the Scottish forces with his rival
Robert the Bruce after the death of
William Wallace and achieved some notable successes against the
English, including at the
Battle of Roslin. However,
Robert the Bruce, desiring to secure his claim to the throne, murdered the Red Comyn at a meeting at a church in
Dumfries in
1306. This led to a bitter civil war between the Bruce's faction and the Comyns and their allies that eventually resulted in the Comyns' power being completely broken at the
Battle of Inverurie.
15th and 16th centuries
At the beginning of the fifteenth century, Clan Cumming had been reduced to simply another Highland clan, although the Cummings, as the name is now often spelled, continued to play a significant part in the history and culture of the
Badenoch,
Strathspey, and
Aberdeenshire regions of
Scotland.
Clan conflicts
The taking of Castle Grant, 14th century; Originally a Comyn Clan stronghold,
Clan Grant traditions tell us that the castle was taken from the Comyns by a combined force of the Grants and MacGregors. The Grants and MacGregors stormed the castle and in the process slew the Comyn Chief - and kept the Chief's skull as a trophy of this victory. The skull of the Comyn was taken as a macabre trophy and was kept in Castle Grant and became an heirloom of the Clan. (In the late Lord Strathspey's book on the Clan, he mentions that the top of the cranium was hinged, and that he saw documents kept in it.) Clan tradition predicts grave things if the skull ever leaves the hands of the family - prophecying that the Clan would lose all of its lands in Strathspey.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Cummings carried on significant, and bloody, feuds with
Clan MacPherson,
Clan Shaw, and
Clan Brodie over lands in
Nairnshire.
The Clan participated in the
Battle of Glenlivet at the service of
Clan Gordon in 1594.
During the late sixteenth and throughout the seventeenth century, members of the clan were known for their musical talents and served as the
hereditary pipers and fiddlers to the Laird of Grant of
Clan Grant.
After the death of
John "the Red" Comyn, the chieftainship fell on the Cummings of
Altyre, and it is retained by this family to the present. The current Chief is Sir Alastair Cumming, Bart. The clan seat is at *
Altyre,
Moray,
Scotland.
 |
Comyn plant badge: Cumin plant |
*Motto:
Courage*Slogan:
"An Cuimeanach! An Cuimeanach!"
*Pipe Music: "Willie Cumming's Rant"
*Proverb:
"Chad's bhios maide anns a' choill cha bhi foill an Cuimeanach." ("So long as there is a stick in the wood, there will be no treachery in a Cumming.")
*Animal Symbol:
Lion*Plant Badge:
Cumin plant
*
Cuimean (Surname)
Cuimeanach (Singular)
Na Cuimeanaich (Collective)
Na Cuimeanaich Clach na Cearc (Cummings of the Hen Stone)
Clann a'Ghaill (Children of the Lowlander)
Clan Cumming has several recognized tartans:
image:Cumming_Modern.gif|Cumming (Modern)image:Cumming_Hunting.jpg|Cumming (Hunting)image:Cumming_Weathered.jpg|Cumming (Weathered Hunting)image:Cumming_Ancient.jpg|Cumming (Ancient Hunting)*Quarterly, 1st & 4th, three garbs Or (Cumming); 2nd & 3rd, Argent, three bends Sable, each charged with as many roses of the field (Penrose); overall, in an escutcheon Argent, is placed the Arms, Crest, Motto and Supporters of Gordon of Gordonston
*Cumming of Altyre
*Cumming of Culter
*Cumming of Inverallochy
*Cumming of Logie
*Cumming of Regulas
*Bad(d)enoch
*Buchan
*Boghan
*Chaney(ay)
*Chesney
*Cheyne(y)
*Common(s)
*Comyn(s)
*Cowman(s)
*Cummin(s)
*Cummings
*Farquharson
*MacCheine
*MacCheyne(y)
*MacChesnie
*MacCummin(s)
*MacCumming(s)
*MacNiven(s)
*MacSkimman(on)
*Niven(son)
*Nivison
*Russell
*Skimman(on)
Several towns and settlements in
Scotland are associated with Clan Cumming.
*
Cardow,
Moray,
Scotland*
Cummingstown,
Moray,
Scotland*
Cumminstown,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Ellon,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Kingussie,
Inverness,
Scotland*
Peterculter,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Rosehearty,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Turriff,
Aberdeen,
ScotlandClan Cumming was one of the leading castle-building families of Scottish history and are associated with many castles in
Scotland,
England, and
Ireland.
*
Balvenie Castle,
Moray,
Scotland*
Bedrule Castle,
Roxburgh,
Scotland*
Blair Castle,
Perth,
Scotland*
Cadzow Castle,
Lanark,
Scotland*
Castle Grant,
Inverness,
Scotland*
Castle Roy,
Inverness,
Scotland*
Dalswinton Castle,
Dumfries,
Scotland*
Delgatie Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Drum Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Dumphail Castle,
Moray,
Scotland*
Inverallochy Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Inverlochy Castle,
Lochaber,
Scotland*
Kinedar Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Kirkintilloch Castle,
Strathclyde,
Scotland*
Lochindorb Castle,
Inverness,
Scotland*
Machan Castle,
Lanark,
Scotland*
Mains Castle,
Strathclyde,
Scotland*
Northallerton Castle,
Northumberland,
England*
Pittulie Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Rait Castle,
Nairn,
Scotland*
Ruthven Barracks,
Inverness,
Scotland*
Slains Castle,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Swords Castle,
Dublin,
Ireland*
Urquhart Castle,
Inverness,
ScotlandClan Cumming is associated with several religious sites in
Scotland.
*
Altyre Kirk,
Moray,
Scotland*
Deer Abbey,
Aberdeen,
Scotland*
Glasgow Cathedral,
Strathclyde,
Scotland*
Inchmahome Priory,
Perth,
Scotland*
Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
*
Alexander Cummings, Scottish inventor
*
Alfred Cumming, Governor of Utah, USA 1858-1861
*
Alison Comyn, Irish Television Presenter
*
Andrew Boyd Cummings, American naval officer
*
Burton Cummings, Canadian musician (from
The Guess Who)
*
Candy Cummings,
Hall of Fame baseball player
*
Constance Frederica Gordon-Cumming, Scottish travel writer
*
E. E. Cummings, American poet
*
Ehrinn Cummings, Canadian model
*
Captain Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming, Founder and First Director of
MI6*
Homer Cummings, American politician
*
Jim Cummings, Voice Actor, notably Dick Dastardly and Tigger
*
John "the Black" Comyn, Scottish nobleman
*
John "the Red" Comyn, Scottish patriot
*
John Scott Cummings, British politician
*
Nathan Cummings, Founder of
Sara Lee and the
Nathan Cummings Foundation*
Robert Cummings, American actor
*
Roualeyn George Gordon-Cumming, Scottish traveller and sportsman
*
Ruth A. Cumming, Glaswegian Rockabilly
*
Walter J. Cummings, American federal judge
*
William Cumming, delegate to the
Continental Congress*
Prof. William Cumming, O.B.E.,Head Chemistry Dep. Royal Tech. College, Glasgow, now Strathclyde Uni.
*
Clan Buchan*
Clan Gordon*
Clan Grant*
Clan Lamont*
Clan MacDougall*
Clan MacNab*
Clan MacNaghten*
Clan Sutherland*
Clan Brodie*
Clan Bruce*
Chattan Confederation*
Clan MacKintosh*
Clan Shaw*
Battle of Glenlivet*
Battle of Roslin*
Buchan*
Earl of Buchan*
Clan Cumming Society of America*
Clan Cumming Society USA, Midwest Region*
Clan Cumming Society of Canada*
Clan Cumming (Electric Scotland)*
Clan Cumming (My Clans)
