Origins of the clan The Swinton chiefs are likely to have been of
Anglo-Saxon origin, possibly descended from the prominent nobles of the
kingdom of Northumbria. Of note, the charters reference Ernulf's father (Udard), grandfather (Liulf) and great-grandfather (
Eadulf) as holding the land before him.
Eadulf is believed to have been granted the land by his cousin
Malcolm III of Scotland in return for military support against
Macbeth. This, according to 20th century historian
James Lees-Milne, would make
Eadulf the first subject of
Scotland whose land ownership could be proved, and means the Swinton Family would by this hypothesis be one of only five (see
Arden family,
Berkeley family,
Grindlay family,
Wentworth family) that could trace its unbroken land ownership and lineage to before the
Norman Conquest, making it one of the oldest landed families in Britain. The clan has held the Baronies of Swinton and
Cranshaws. The latter is now separated from the clan. The family holds
Feudal Barony status with numerous charters confirming this.
Wars of Scottish Independence In 1296 Henry de Swinton and his brother, William, priest of the church of Swinton, appear on the
Ragman Rolls swearing fealty to
Edward I of England. Henry's great-grandson was
Sir John Swinton who was a distinguished soldier and statesman during the reigns of
Robert II of Scotland and
Robert III of Scotland. In 1388 he was a commander at the
Battle of Otterburn where the Scots were victorious. His second wife was
Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar but they had no children. His third wife was Princess Margaret who bore him a son,
Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk.
France, Hundred Years War Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk was a warrior who fought at the
Battle of Baugé in France and is credited with killing the
Duke of Clarence, brother of
Henry V of England. The incident appears in a poem by
Sir Walter Scott,
The Lay of the Last Minstrel. However Swinton was later killed in 1424 at the
Battle of Verneuil in France.
Modern history In 1567 Sir John Swinton was one of the Scottish barons who signed the bond of protection of the infant
James VI of Scotland against the
Earl of Bothwell on his marriage to the child's mother,
Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1640 Sir Alexander Swinton, the 22nd chief, became sheriff of
Berwickshire. He died in 1652 but left six sons and five daughters. His second son was another
Alexander Swinton who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Scotland in 1688 and took the title Lord Mersington. The eldest son,
John, was colonel for the regiment of Berwickshire, and in 1651 he was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Worcester. His brother, Robert, died attempting to carry off
Oliver Cromwell's standard. In 1655 John was appointed by the Lord Protector to the Council of State he established to assist in ruling Scotland. He was said to have been Cromwell's most trusted man in Scotland and his involvement with Cromwell led to his being tried for treason in 1661. He escaped execution but his estates were forfeited and he was imprisoned for six years. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander in 1679 but he died without issue. Alexander's brother, Sir John, succeeded as the twenty-fifth Laird of Swinton. After a successful career as a merchant in
Holland he returned to Scotland in the wake of the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 which brought
William of Orange to the throne with his wife, Queen Mary. Swinton sat in both the Scottish Parliament and, later, in the British, at Westminster. He was appointed as the President of the Committee for Trade in Scotland. John Swinton, the twenty-seventh Laird, became a member of the Supreme Court in 1782, taking the title Lord Swinton. The modern Swintons have produced some notable public figures. Captain
George Swinton, descended from the
Swintons of Kimmerghame, a cadet of the chiefly house, was
Lord Lyon King of Arms, and Secretary to the
Order of the Thistle from 1926 to 1929,
Major-General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton was the author of ''
The Defence of Duffer's Drift'' and was one of the driving forces behind early
tank development and training in
WWI.
Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton is regarded by many as the father of modern television. A prominent member of the family is the actress
Tilda Swinton, who is a great-granddaughter of Captain George Swinton. ==Clan Chief==