Origins of the clan The clan can trace its origin to Fulbert, a vassal knight of Walter fitz Alan from
Oswestry,
Shropshire,
England. Fulbert came to Scotland with Walter fitz Alan in about 1136 and fought for Scotland at the
Battle of the Standard at
Northallerton in 1138. Fulbert's sons were granted land in
Renfrewshire for the service of their father, a knight to Walter fitz Alan, reconfirmed in a charter in 1157 by
Malcolm IV. The family name is retained in placenames such as
Pollok,
Pollokshields and
Pollokshaws, all situated to the south side of the River Clyde, between
Glasgow city centre and
Paisley. The church of Pollock was given to the monks of the
Priory of Paisley in 1163 by Petrus de Polloc, eldest son of Fulbert. As part of a dowry for one of his daughters, Petrus bestowed the barony of
Rothes upon her. Robert de Polloc, Fulbert's third son, gave the church of
Mearns to the Priory of Paisley. John de Polloc was a signatory to the
Ragman Rolls subscribing allegiance to King
Edward I of England in 1296. John Pollok of Pollok fought on the side of
Mary, Queen of Scots, at the
Battle of Langside on 13 May 1568, only a few miles from
Pollok Castle and, as a result, was forfeited of some of his lands. John Pollok, his son, was killed on 7 December 1593 at the
Battle of Dryfe Sands near
Lockerbie during a battle between Clan Maxwell and the
Clan Johnstone.
Robert Pollok of Pollok was knighted and made
1st Baronet of Pollok by
Queen Anne in 1703 for his services to the crown.
Genetic history The Polk-Pollock-Pogue DNA Project commenced in 2009 and now has some 400 participants. The project website is maintained at FTDNA and can be accessed there. According to the Polk-Pollock-Pogue DNA Project website the original Pollock family male line's
Y chromosome is
haplogroup I-M223. Stating "Based on paper trail family research and on its larger diversity it is clear that the I-M223 branch is the one that actually traces back to the original family of Renfrewshire. Among the persons belonging to this group are the descendants of Robert Polke (c.1638-1703), the immigrant from
Ireland to the eastern shore of
Maryland." Some notable descendants of Robert Polke include
Trusten Polk the 12th
Governor of Missouri and
Charles Polk the 27th and 30th
Governor of Delaware.
Notable Descendants Some notable descendants include
Thomas Pollock (1654-1722),
colonial governor of
North Carolina,
Sir Robert Pollock (1665-1735), 1st Baronet,
Alexander Hamilton (1775-1804), a
founding father of the United States,
Oliver Pollock (1737-1823), merchant and inventor of the ($)
dollar sign,
James Pollock (1810-1890),
governor of Pennsylvania,
Trusten Polk (1811-1876), 12th
governor of Missouri and
Charles Polk (1788-1857), 27th and 30th
governor of Delaware. ==Clan profile==