Clan Carnegie

Clan Motto

Dred God

Chief

HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF FIFE
(now represented by his son the Earl Southesk)
Elsick House
Stonehaven
Kincardineshire
AB3 2NT Associated Names

The History of the clan

The Gaelic for Carnegie is ‘cathair an eige’ which translates as ‘fort at the gap’. The early history of the de Balinhards is uncertain and all that is clearly known is that their lands were situated near Arbroath. John de Balinhard is generally considered as the progenitor of the chiefly branch of the Carnegies. One of the earliest Carnegies on record was c.1230 when the Abbeys of Arbroath and Balmerino take note of a Carnegie.

John, 1st of Carnegie, lived during the late 14th century and his line continued to include Duthac de Carnegie who came into possession of some of the lands of Kinnaird in Forfarshire c.1401 and later obtained a charter from Robert, who was the Duke of Albany and Governor of Scotland in 1409, confirming his lands. In 1513 the Carnegies lost another member of their family in an important battle when John Carnegie Of Kinnaird fought and died at Flodden.

The Carnegies were Jacobites despite the fact they took no part in preventing the Revolution of 1688, the 4th Earl disapproved of the Royal Court. He married Mary, who was the daughter of an Earl of Lauderdale. The 9th Earl was elevated to the peerage of the U.K. in 1869 where he chose the title of Earl Balinhard, paying homage to the early ancestors of the Carnegies.

One of the most famous Carnegies was Andrew, who moved to the colony of America to establish his fortunes which he quickly did. His great wealth contributed to many free libraries in Scotland and he was also responsible for large donations to a number of charities. The 11th Earl died in 1992 and his son succeeded him. He decided that the subsidiary title of the dukedom borne by the heir apparent would be the Earl of Southesk.