Autumn Clan Home Castle Berwickshire Scotland

Tour Scotland Autumn travel video of the Clan Home castle, with Scottish music, on ancestry visit to Berwickshire. The Home family descends in the male line from Cospatric I, died after 1073, the Anglo Danish Earl of Northumbria. His descendant William de Home, son of Sir Patrick de Greenlaw, the second son of Cospatric III, Earl of Lothian, adopted the surname following his acquisition of the lands of Home in Berwickshire in the early 13th century, through his marriage to his second cousin Ada, the daughter of Patrick I, Earl of Dunbar. William's arms featured the silver lion of Dunbar but with a green field instead of a red field, in reference to his lands of Greenlaw. In the 14th century, William's descendant Sir Thomas Home married Nichola, heiress to the Pepdies of Dunglass.From this marriage the Homes acquired the lands of Dunglass, where they built the Collegiate Church of Dunglass, still extant today, and also began quartering their arms with those of Pepdie, being three green " papingoes " or parrots in a silver field. This is one of the earliest examples of quartering in Scottish heraldry. Sir Thomas and Nicola had two sons. The first, Alexander, succeeded to the chieftaincy of the family, while the second, David, founded the family's principle cadet branch, the Homes of Wedderburn. In 1402, Sir Alexander Home of that Ilk and of Dunglass was captured at the Battle of Homildon. Later he followed the Earl of Douglas to France but was killed in battle in 1424. Most of the principal cadet branches of the clan are descended from his three sons. In 1473 his great grandson was made Great Chamberlain of Scotland and Warden of the Marches, and also created a Lord of Parliament under the title Lord Home. He joined Prince James' rebellion against his father King James III, and had a commanding role in the Battle of Sauchieburn which resulted in the death of the king. In 1513, the 3rd Lord Home and his followers formed part of the army levied by King James IV to invade England. Lord Home led the vanguard of Scottish knights at the Battle of Flodden, and while he was fortunate enough to escape the slaughter many of his family and supporters did not. Lord Home was arrested for treason after being accused of conspiring with the English and he and his brother were executed in October 1516. Their heads were then displayed on Edinburgh Tolbooth. The title and estates were later restored to another brother, George Home. During the politics of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Homes, like many others, shifted their allegiance more than once. Lord Home had supported the marriage of the Earl of Bothwell to Mary but he later led his men at the Battle of Langside against the queen. Then in 1573 he was arrested and convicted of treason against the young James VI of Scotland. He was released from Edinburgh Castle only after his health had failed, dying a few days later. His son, Alexander, the sixth Lord Home, was devoted to James VI and was a royal favourite throughout his life. During the Jacobite rising of 1745 the eighth Earl of Home joined British government forces under Sir John Cope at Dunbar. He later fought at the Battle of Prestonpans. The earl rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and was appointed Governor of Gibraltar where he died in 1761. The current Clan Home chief is the Right Honourable David, Earl and Lord of Home, Lord of Dunglass, and Baron Douglas. The previous clan chief was his father, the 14th Earl, better known as Alec Douglas Home, who was Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and an important politician from the 1930s to the 1970s.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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