Origins of the clan The origins of the Brodie clan are mysterious. Much of the early Brodie records were destroyed when
Lewis Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Huntly pillaged and burnt
Brodie Castle in 1645. It is known that the Brodies were always about since records began. From this it has been presumed that the Brodies are ancient, probably of
Pict ancestry, referred to locally as the ancient
Moravienses. The historian Dr. Ian Grimble suggested the Brodies were an important
Pictish family and advanced the possibility of a link between the Brodies and the male line of the
Pictish Kings. Early references show that the Brodie lands to be governed by a
Tòiseach, later to become
Thane. Part of the Brodie lands were originally
Temple Lands, owned by the order of the
Knights Templar. It is uncertain if the Brodies took their name from the lands of Brodie, or that the lands were named after the clan. After the Tòiseachs, whose names are lost, we find a reference to MacBeth, Thane of Dyke in 1262; next, in 1311, a
Latin reference to
Michael, filius Malconi, Thanus de Brothie et Dyke. It is unclear if Macbeth, Thane of Dyke, is of the same line as Michael. Accordingly, the Brodie Chiefs claim descent from Michael's referred father, Malcome, as First Chief and Thane of Brodie. Michael Brodie of Brodie received a charter from
Robert the Bruce confirming his lands of Brodie. The charter states that Brodie held his thanage of Brodie by the right of succession from his paternal ancestors. Clan Brodie joined the royal army led by the
Earl of Atholl against the rebel son of the
Lord of the Isles,
Aonghas Óg. However, in 1481
Aonghas Óg defeated them at Lagabraad, killing 517 of the royal army. Thomame Brodye de iodem, the 11th chief, was killed defending against the English invasion at the
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. In 1550, Alexander
"the rebel" Brodie of that Ilk, the 12th chief, with his clansmen, and the assistance of the Dunbars and Hays, attacked
Clan Cumming at Altyre, seeking to slay their chief, Alexander Cumming of Altyre. As a result, he was
put to the horn as a rebel for not appearing to a charge of waylaying, but was pardoned the year following. In 1562, the said Alexander
"the rebel", joined
Clan Gordon and
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly in his rebellion against
Mary, Queen of Scots. They were defeated at the
Battle of Corrichie. Huntley died, Brodie escaped but was denounced a rebel, and his estates declared forfeited. For four years the sentence of outlawry hung over his head, but in 1566, the Queen having forgiven Clan Gordon for their disloyalty, included Alexander Brodie in the royal warrant remitting the sentence against them, and restoring them their possessions. Nearby, on the Downie (Dounie) Hillock, there are the remains of an Iron Age fort.
Alexander "the good" Lord Brodie of Brodie, the 15th chief, was a
covenanter during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An ardent
presbyterian, his faith led him to be responsible for acts of destruction to
Elgin Cathedral and its paintings. He was judge in trials of
witchcraft, sentencing at least two
witches to death. He was commissioner for the apprehension of
Jesuits and Catholic priests and the plantation of
Kirks. He served on the committees: of war for
Elgin,
Nairn,
Forres, and
Inverness; of estates; of the protection of religion; and of excise. Lord Brodie was elected Commissary-General to the Army. Clan Brodie was part of the
covenanter army in 1645 that lost the
Battle of Auldearn to
Montrose. After the defeat of the covenanters,
Clan Gordon sacked
Brodie Castle and besieged Lethen House. The Brodies of Lethen held successfully for twelve weeks. Lord Brodie of Brodie went twice to
The Hague to seek the return of the exiled King
Charles II of Scotland, first in 1649, then, with a larger party in 1650, returned successfully with the King.
Oliver Cromwell was eager to enrol Brodie into his regime. Tempted, Lord Brodie resisted
Oliver Cromwell's summons to discuss a union of
Scotland and England, writing in his diary "
Oh Lord he has met with the lion and the bear before, but this is the Goliath; the strongest and greatest temptation is last.". Lord Brodie was the target of an unsuccessful
royalist plot for his capture in 1650. He was the author of a diary revealing a complicated, yet devoted mind, torn by temptation and doing what he believed to be right. Alexander Brodie of Lethen went south with a contingent of men. He commanded a troop with some credit at the disastrous
Battle of Dunbar (1650).
18th century and Jacobite uprisings During the
Jacobite rising of 1715,
James Brodie of Brodie, the 18th chief, refused to surrender his horse and arms to Lord Huntley. Lord Huntley threatened the "
highest threats of military execution, as that of battering down his house, razing his tenants, burning their corns, and killing their persons." if Brodie did not comply. Clan Brodie continued to resist, holding fort in the now rebuilt
Brodie Castle. Unable to secure enough cannon and gunpowder to proceed with an assault, Lord Huntley was forced to abandon his threats. During the
Jacobite rising of 1745, the Brodie chief was
Alexander Brodie of that Ilk, 19th chief of Brodie,
Lord Lyon King of Arms. Naval
Captain David Brodie, of the Brodies of Muiresk branch was
master and commander of the
Terror and the
Merlin (10
guns), later
captain of (60
guns), and HMS
Strafford (60
guns). He was credited with the capture of 21 French and Spanish
cruisers or
privateers. {Portrait of Cap David Brodie}. By 1774, the Brodie
estate was in financial trouble and sold by judicial sale.
James Brodie of Brodie, the 21st Chief, was married to Lady Margaret Duff, daughter of
William Duff, 1st Earl of Fife. The
Earl of Fife came to the rescue, purchased the estate, returning half to The Brodie. In 1788,
Deacon William Brodie was executed. Deacon Brodie was a descendant of the Milton branch of Clan Brodie.
19th century and India James Brodie of Brodie's younger brother, Alexander, left for
India to seek his fortune. He returned from
Madras a very rich man and purchased the estates of Thunderton House in
Elgin, Arnhall in
Kincardineshire, and The Burn. He married a daughter of
James Wemyss of Wemyss by Lady Elizabeth Sutherland, daughter of the
William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland and had an only child, a daughter, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Brodie was an heiress, and in 1813 married George Gordon,
Marquess of Huntly who became, on his father's death in 1827, The
5th Duke of Gordon. George and Elizabeth did not have any children, and on his death in 1836, the line of the
Dukes of Gordon became extinct, leaving Elizabeth the last Duchess of Gordon. After her husband's death, the Duchess joined the
Free Church of Scotland, and was its most prominent benefactor. The Duchess was
"much respected and beloved by the people of Huntly and the surrounding district." and lived
"a remarkably unaffected, charitable, and Christian life". James Brodie of Brodie's son, James Brodie, younger of Brodie, went to
India and worked for the
East India Company. He built a mansion in
Madras, on the banks of the
river Adyar, and named it Brodie Castle (
Madras) {Photo}. This property still stands and has become the college of
Carnatic Music. James (the younger) died in
India in a boating accident on the
Adyar River in 1801/02. On the death of the Duchess of Gordon in 1864, The Brodies of Brodie became beneficiaries of the Gordon estate; inheriting much of the Gordon
moveable property.
Recent history A rare pontifical document was discovered in
Brodie Castle in 1972 and is now housed in the
British Museum. The document is thought to date back to 1000 CE, and shows evidence of associations with
Durham. the 25th Chief, sometime a stage actor, died in 2003, having bequeathed Brodie Castle to the
National Trust in 1978; because his descendants were unhappy with this transfer, no Brodie now resides at the castle, the family wing being prepared for holiday letting. The 26th Chief, Ninian Brodie of Brodie's son, Alastair Ian Ninian, who also died in 2003 aged 61, lived in Cambridgeshire and worked in I.T., having dissociated himself from his position and family after his 1986 divorce from his first wife, Mary-Louise (née Johnson), an Australian socialite, who subsequently lived with their children in Paris; his son is the present 27th Chief, Alexander Tristan Duff Brodie of Brodie. Following the dissolution of her marriage, Mary-Louise Brodie – who had been displeased by the transferring of Brodie Castle to the National Trust – initiated legal proceedings against her father-in-law in order to secure a financial settlement she considered to be her children's birthright. Her former husband avoided any involvement in the situation, but their children also took their grandfather to court seeking financial contribution to their education and lifestyle; Alexander Brodie sought to have the transfer of Brodie Castle to the National Trust overturned, but met with no success. ==Traditions and legend==