Early History of the Carlile Family

THE Carlile Family, there is reason to believe, takes its origin in the Royal House of Scotland. and, as will later appear, has been connected by marriage with the Royal House of England and with that of France.

There has been considerable uncertainty with regard to the early Kings of Scotland, but we may claim that doubts come to an end, to a great extent, with the accession of the Scottish King Kenneth Mac.Alpine to the Pictish throne in A.D. 844.' With that date, then we may be content to begin the. History of the Carlile Family, which, for the first 200 years, is the History of the Scottish Royal Family.

Kenneth Mac Alpine united the Picts and Scots, and, in effect, established one kingdom for Central Scotland. He died in 860, leaving a son, who came to the throne in 863. and is known as Constantine 1. He died in 877, leaving a son, Donald 11, who reigned 889-900. Donald had a son, Malcolm 1, who reigned 943-954. Malcolm's son, Kenneth 11, reigned 971----995 and later came his son. Malcolm 11. who reigned- 1005----1034 Malcolm 11 had. a daughter, Bethoc, or Beatrice, married to a Chieftain Crinan, or Cronan, who as either secular Abbot of Dunkeld or Abthane (Superior Lord) of Dul (near Loch Tay) and Steward of the Isles.

Crinan-and Bethoc, are supposed to have had two sons the elder being that Duncan King of Scotland." who has been immortalized by Shakespeare in his. play - “Macbeth." and the younger, Maldred (probably identical with Hildred), who removed to Cumbria previously to the Norman conquest of England. Crinan was slain in 1045.Hildred, or Maldred, was, it seems, Lord of the Barony of Carlyle (including the site of the modern City of Carlisle), and of other lands. He became known by, the local name Carlyle. or Caerluel (meaning “fortress on the lake '), a name which is found spelt in from forty to fifty different ways in early times.

Hildred. or Maldred, married Aldgitha, daughter of Uchtred, Earl of Northumberland. by Elgifa, daughter of the English King Ethelred the Unready. Uchtred was slain by Cnut in 1016 Ethelred's descent from Alfred the Great is a matter of public history. and may be shortly stated as follows :-Alfred's son. King Edward the Elder, was the father of King Edmund King Edmund's son. King Edgar, was the father of Ethetred the Unready. Thus the Carlile family became connected by marriage with the Royal House of England.

Hildred, or Maldred, had a son Gospatrick. who became Earl of Northumberland. and, it is supposed, a younger son. Odard, or Uchtred. who died in his father's lifetime. leaving two sons. Robert, who was perhaps Sheriff of Cumberland. 1 158-1 974. and a younger son. Richard. Robert had a son, Ade, or Adam. who was the first of. the family to live in Annandale, having received a grant of lands at Kinmount in. Cummertrees from William Bruce.

Ade. or Adam, Carlyle married Matilda (whose family name is unknown) and died in 1213. leaving, a son.'Eudo (some writers say grandson; perhaps there. were two Eudos). who died in 1230 This son. or grandson. was followed by a son. Sir William de Carlyle, whose son, William the Younger, married Sapience, and died before 1274 Sir William Carlyle, son of William the Younger, sold most of his lands in England and removed to Annandale. where he settled at Kinmount and married Margaret, fifth daughter of Marjorie, or Martha, Countess of Carrick. and of her second husband Robert Bruce, styled Earl of Carrick in right of his wife. An account of the lineage of Lady Margaret Carlyle, whose eldest brother was King Robert 1 of Scotland (showing also her descent from the Capetian King Henry 1 of France) . Lady Margaret Carlyle's nephew, King David ll of Scotland, aged four. married Joan, daughter of Edward 11 of England, aged six.

In some histories Gilbert de Carlyle is mentioned as being the father of Lady Margaret's husband, but there is no evidence to show that Gilbert, was connected with the main stem.

Sir William Carlyle (d. about .1326) and Lady Margaret had two sons, William and Thomas.

The elder son. Sir William. called Laird. of Luce (near Hoddam), is supposed to have been killed at the Battle of Lochniaben in 1333. He left a son, John. who is said to have been killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill later in the same year 1333. Thomas, younger son of Sir William and Lady. Margaret Carlyle. was killed at the Battle of Neville's Cross. n  car Durham in 1346. while gallantly defending the person of his sovereign. King David II.

William son of John (d. 1333 succeeded to his father's estates. and seems to have been succeeded by his soil. another Sir John. The latter was one of the arbitrators who. on 2 June, 1428, decided a dispute between Sir Herbert Maxwell and John Sinclair. Sir. John Carlyle  probably died in 1436, and was. succeeded by his son. William Carlyle, of Torthorwald, near Dumfries. Torthorwald.

Castle consisted solely of a tower, 5 1 ft by 28 ft., the walls 'being of enormous thickness. This William Carlyle was one of the suite of Princess Margaret of Scotland when she went to France in 1436 to be married to the Dauphin, afterwards Louis X1 of France. William gave a bell to the town of, Dumfries. bearing an inscription (in Latin) ,”William Carlyle,  Laird of Torthorwald. caused me to be made in honour of St. Michael, in the year of our Lord, 1443. The bell is now in the Observatory Museum at Dumfries, William died about t 1463 leaving three sons, John, Adam, and James, and a daughter, Margaret, married to the third Baron Drumlanrig. John the. eldest son. of William, was married about 1432 to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn. She died before 1436. In the nineteenth century a Miss Mary, Manuela Kirkpatrick of this family. married a Spaniard, Don Cipriano (afterwards.Conde Montijo and Duque de Peneranda) and became the mother of Marie Euginie de Guzman y de Portocarrero, Condesa de Teba Marquesa de Moya, etc, and now widow of Napoleon Ill, Emperor of the French. John was knighted about 1449, was Keeper of Lochmaben Castle, and held the office of Master of the Queen's Stable. Adam. the second son, was the ancestor of the Paisley Carliles. and Is dealt with later.

This Sir John Carlyle was active in suppressing the rebellion of the Earls of Douglas in Annandale in 1455, and received the lands of Pettinain or Pettynan  in Lanarkshire for the share he took in the battle of Arkinholm (now Langholm in Eskdale). and for taking the Earl of Ormond prisoner. In 1470 or 1471, James 111 raised him to the peerage as Lord Carlyle of Torthorwald, with remainder to his heir’s male, and he took his seat in Parliament on 6 May, 1471, in Edinburgh. By a Charter of 3 December. 1473, the town of Torthorwald was erected into a free burgh of barony, to be called the town of Cairleille or Carlyle, and markets and fairs were. established. Thereafter the Castle. of Torthorwald appeared as the Castle of Carlyle, and the parish church of Torthorwald was described as the Church of Cadyk.  The burgh of Carlyle was about 37 miles W.N.W. from the city of Carlisle. In modern times the name Torthorwald has been resumed in respect of the hamlet, and Carlyle as a local name is extinct. Lord Carlyle of Carlyle went to France on a mission for the Scottish government in 1477. and as a recompense he received several grants of land from the Crown. He died about 1500  having married three times, (1) Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, (2) Janet, daughter of Robert, second Lord Maxwell and (3) Margaret Douglas, widow of Sir Edward Maxwell. of Monteith By the second wife he had John, Master of Carlyle, who predeceased him and there was another son of the second wife and two sons of the third wife, all of whose male lines are believed to have become extinct.

John, Master of Carlyle, had a son William, who became  second Lord Carlyle. and. another son Robert, of whom nothing is known except that he is named in his grandfather's will. William married Janet daughter of John, Lord Maxwell. and died in 1525 leaving an eldest son, James who became third Lord Carlyle. James married Janet daughter of Sir James Scrimgeour, and died without issue before 27 December, 1529, when he was succeeded by his brother Michael, fourth and last Lord Carlyle of Carlyle. Michael, fourth Lord, died in 1575.or 1579. He had four or, as some writers say. five sons and one daughter. The eldest son William, Master of Carlyle. died in his father's lifetime, leaving an only child. a daughter, Elizabeth, who succeeded to the estates and married Sir James Douglas of Parkhead, who assumed the title of Lord Torthorwald. Their son, James Douglas, was raised to the Peerage by James V1 as Lord Torthorwald. He sold the estates to the Drumlanrig family about 1620 The title Viscount Torthorwald is now among the titles used by the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry.

The younger sons of Michael. fourth Lord Carlyle, not having any of the family lands, did not attempt to claim the family honours: or has any such attempt been made seriously by any of their descendants, all of whom, in the male line, are believed to be now dead.

The: interesting question: Who has now the best claim to the dormant title. Lord Carlyle of Carlyle"?

In order, however, to trace the history of the Paisley Carliles, which is the object of this book. we must now return to Adam Carlyle second son of. William Carlyle of Torthorwald and younger brother of John, first Lord Carlyle of Carlyle. He died before Nov., 1500 and was succeeded by his son, Adam, who married Ellen Carruthers,, Of Mousewald. near' Dumfries., and was one’ of the executors of the will of his uncle (John'. first Lord). He' had a charter, dated 1499, of lands at Bridekirk (between Annan and Ecclefechan) and elsewhere.  Alexander. son: of Adam, the younger, had a charter of Bridekirk and Limekilns estates, in 1543, from Michael. fourth Lord Carlyle and was succeeded. in these estates by his son Adam. This last-mentioned Adam had two sons., the elder. Alexander. married Sibill Carruthers. and died without male issue the younger. Robert. or Herbert. of Bridekirk. was born in 1558 and died' in 1632. Robert, or Herbert, was a great hunting man. and held the Office of 'Master Huntsman to James V]. It is recorded that he received the sum of £100 (English) for taking hounds from Scotland to the King in England.' Robert, or Herbert's, eldest son Adam married his first cousin Blanch, daughter of Alexander and Sibill Carlyle. Adam and Blanch are believed to have had three children. the eldest. William, of Bridekirk whose male line is now extinct. it daughter. Sarah. and a son. Adam. who removed to Annan, became a Baillie there, and died in 1685 aged 59. This Adam was the ancestor of the Paisley family but before dealing with his descendants we may pause to mention that the male line of the second son of Robert. or Herbert. of Bridekirk, named above (James of New Park). became extinct with the death of the celebrated Rev. Dr. Alexander Carlyle (1722-1805). He was author of the well known Autobiography and was Minister of Inveresk. near Edinburgh. Sir Walter Scott said that he was com  called - Jupiter " Carlyle from. having %.it to Gavin Hamilton, the painter. as a model for the god Jupiter. This sitting. however, is improbable, as it is not referred to in-the Autobiography

Robert. or Herbert, of Bridekirk's third. son was Lodowick Carlell or Carliell; courtier and playwright during the  reigns. of Charles 1 . He was Keeper of Richmond and St. James Parks. and was buried at Petersham Thomas Dekker, the dramatist (1570 circ - 1637). dedicated one of his plays to Lodowick, who is addressed as - the noble lover (and deservedly beloved) of the --,Muses." Malch met. in London. 1631).

 1 We now return to the important statement that Adam, Annan. ancestor of the Paisley family, was second son of Adam and Blanch of Bridekirk. This fact was overlooked by Nicholas Carlisle , when writing his family history. He says: ---The Carlyles of Annan (which covers  Paisley ) are descended from the Bridekirk family whom they considered their chief. but he does not show title connexion We are indebted for the discovery of the missing link to Miss C. I. Johnstone, it member of the old Dumfriesshire family of Johnstone of Galabank.' Adam Carlyle. Baillie of Annan, married Janet Muirhead. And died in 1685 (see Biographical Notice), His eldest son. James Carlyle. married Margaret Spence. and left an eldest son John. who removed to Paisley changed the spelling of his name to Carlile and became the founder of the Paisley Carliles the further history of which family is recorded in the accompanying Biographies and Tables of Pedigree. We may mention that James and Margaret Carlyle had a younger son, Thomas, who was the ancestor of the Carlyle family now living at Waterbeck, Ecclefechan. The relationship of Thomas Carlyle of Chelsea. essayist and historian, to the Paisley Carliles is considered in Note C to this .Introduction

 We have now shown the Carlyles springing from the Royal House of Scotland, moving into the north of England. and becoming connected by marriage with the Royal House of England; then moving into the south of Scotland and becoming connected by marriage with the Royal House of France. It only remains to say that after being in the south of Scotland for some four or five hundred years. the majority of that part of the family. with which we are here concerned, removed to the south of England, where they became and are settled: thence they have sent off-shoots to Australia, New Zealand. and other parts of the world.

 NOTE A.  LINEAGE OF LADY MARGARET (BRUCE).

                     WIFE OF SIR WILLIAM CARLILE

This subject may be considered in divisions :-(i) The two House of Bruce. and (2) The Royal House of France (Capetian Line).

1--- The house of Bruce

Robert de Brus, a Norman Knight of Norse origin, came over to England with William the Conqueror, and, dying. soon afterwards, left a son. Adam, who for his valiant services received front the King the Barony of Skelton, Yorkshire, and the Lordship of Cleveland, He died about 1080 and was succeeded by his son Robert, first Baron of Cleveland (often confused with his grandfather). who married Agnes, daughter of Fulk, second Baron Paganell, of Dudley. This Robert Bruce was a powerful baron, having no less than ninety-four lordships in Yorkshire. He had a charter from David 1 of Scotland, about 1124, of the lands of Estrahanent (Strathannan or Annandale). Robert's. second son, Robert le Meschin (or the younger). received a grant from his father of the Annan 1 dale estates of the family in 1138, when the son was fourteen  wars of age. Robert le meschin married Euphemia, and had two sons, the younger of whom, William, succeeded to the Annandale Estates about 1194 and made a grant of the Kinmount property there to Ade or Adam Carlyle.

 William Bruce married Christina, and. died about 1215 leaving a son Robert Bruce, called - “The Noble," who married Isobel, second daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon Robert Bruce the Noble lived at Hatfield, near Harlow, Essex, and at Totttnham (Bruce Castle). Middlesex. He died in 1245, and his widow died in 1251 leaving their son (b., 1210 Robert, Lord of Annandale, called - The Competitor," one of, the unsuccessful competitors for the Scottish .Crown in 1292. His second wife, Christina, was great-niece of Ade, or Adam. Carlyle Robert Bruce. “the Competitor”, died in 1295, leaving a son of his first marriage, Robert Bruce (b. 1245), married under romantic circumstances to Marjorie, or Martha (then aged fifteen), widow of Adam de Kilconquhar. and eldest, daughter and heiress. of Earl of Carrick, whose principal seat was Turnberry Castle, on the Ayrshire coast. This Robert Bruce became Earl of Carrick by right of his wife, Marjorie (d. 1292). He swore fealty to Edward 1 of England, in 1296, as ' le veil Comte de Carrick," and died in 1304. There were twelve children of Robert and Marjorie five sons and seven daughters. The eldest son was Robert Bruce (b. 1274), who as “le jeune Comte de Carrick" swore fealty in

1296 (with his father) to Edward 1. and in 1306 became King of Scotland as Robert 1. and died in 1329 The fifth daughter of Robert ("it viel Comte) and Marjorie was Margaret (Lady Margaret Bruce) who married Sir William Carlyle.

 2.- The Royal House of France (Capelian Line).

Coming now to the second division of the Lineage of Lady Margaret Bruce, we find that she was connected. with the Royal House of France through her great-grandmother, Isobel, daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon, and wife of Robert Bruce the Noble. David Earl of Huntingdon. was the youngest brother of Malcolm 1V and William the Lion, both Kings of Scotland. The father of these three brothers was Henry, Prince of Scotland (d. 1162). the eldest son. of King David 1 (d. 1953), David being the grandson of King Duncan Prince Henry married Adeline. or Adama daughter of William de Warenne second Earl of Surrey, by Isobel. or Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh. the Great. Count (by right of his wife Adelaide) of Vermandois and Valois. Hugh was a Crusader, and was the third son of -Henry 1 of France by his third wife, Anne. daughter of Jaroslaf Grand Duke of Russia. Lady Margaret Bruce was therefore in the eighth generation of descent from a King of France (Capetian Line).

NOTE B. THE DORMANT TITLE OF LORD CARLYLE

 01: CARLYLE

An interesting question arises, Who has now  the best claim to the dormant Scottish title. Lord Carlyle of Carlyle?

We have seen that the last person to use this title was Michael, fourth Lord (d. 1575 Or 1579), who was a descendant of the eldest son of John. first Lord. Michael. fourth Lord. left the following sons:

(1.) William, Master of Carlyle, who died in his father’s lifetime, leaving an only child. a daughter. Elizabeth, from whom sprang the title Lord Torthorwald.

(2.) Vichael of Locharthur whose line is extinct.

(2a.) Edward of Limekilns. There is no evidence of the existence of this alleged third ton. The Limekilns family appears to have been cadets. of the Bridekirk family.' Notwithstanding this, however, the Rev. Joseph Dacre Carlyle, Oriental Scholar and Vicar of Newcastle- upon -Tyne, who was Of the Limekilns family interested himself about the year 1796 in the revival. in his own person. of the dormant title. Lord Carlyle but he abandoned all thoughts of, the peerage on the death, in 1798, of his only son.      At the time when Nicholas Carlisle wrote his family history '(1822) he was of opinion that the right to the title would pass to Carlyle of Newton Aird, also a member of the Limekilns family but this opinion has been shown to be incorrect by, among others. the late Mr. Thomas J. Carlyle of Waterbeck. who wrote a Review of Nicholas Carlisle's book in 1881. William Carlyle. of Newton Aird, who was born in 1759, died leaving an only son Thomas (b.1803).'who was a member of the Scottish Bar. and later on Apostle of the Catholic Apostolic Church. In Irving's division of the world into twelve parts, named ;after the twelve tribes of' Israel. this Thomas Carlyle

was Apostle of the tribe of Simeon (North Germany)Thomas, the historian, called him his “double goer."  Thomas of the Scottish Bar, died on 28 January, 1855, and was buried at Albury, Surrey. His collected writings were published in 1878. His two sons, Archibald and Hildred Edward. are both dead without male issue. The Limekilns branch would appear to he now extinct in the male line. so that it is a matter of academical interest only whether that branch was descended from. a son of Michael, fourth Lord Carlyle, or whether 'it was a junior branch of the Bridekirk. family. The third son of Michael. fourth Lord. was:

 (3) John of Boytath. George Carlyle, a descendant of this family, was found (in effect by the House of Lords on 21 February, a 770 to be heir male of Michael, fourth Lord Carlyle George died (so far as it is known) without a child, leaving two brothers, Joseph and Lionel who appear to have lived at Travalah, Llan-Sannah, near Abergele.. Co. Denbigh, of whom nothing further is known.'  The suit which was decided by the House of Lords in 1770 was commenced in order to ascertain the heir mate of the last of the Locharthur family, who died in 1763 The Limekilns family did not appear in the case which fact seems to show that they did not consider themselves to be senior to the Boytath family. Nicholas Carlisle does not refer to any other members of the Boytath family as being alive in his day.

(4)Peter of whom nothing is known except that he was alive in 1594. Having exhausted the male descendants of the eldest son of John, first Lord Carlyle. we come now to his younger sons and their descendants.

John, first Lord Carlyle, had three younger sons; by the second wife one. Robert of Pettynane, who left daughters but no son, and by the third wife two. John and George, of whom Nicholas Carlisle, mentions nothing later than the year 1509.

Assuming then a.. seems probable. that Joseph and Lionel. and other members (if any). of the Boytath family and Peter, son of Michael. fourth Lord and John the younger and George younger sons of John. first Lord Carlyle, all died without male issue, the claim to the dormant Scottish peerage must be traced through the Bridekirk family, that is to say, through Adam, younger brother of John, first Lord Carlyle. It was at one time thought that; the last male of the Bridekirk family was Rev. Dr. Alexander Carlyle, of Inveresk, who died in 1805 but there is now reason to believe that Adam, head of the. Annan family, was not only a member, of the Bridekerk family, but was senior to the branch from which Dr. Alexander Carlyle. of Inveresk, was descended. ( It seem s therefore probable that the best claim to the dormant peerage is in the head of the old Annan family that is, in the heir male, of John Carlile, who removed from Annan to Paisley early in the eighteenth century. In other word the headship of the Paisley Carliles (see the accompanying Tables of Pedigree) and the best claim to the peerage would appear to belong to the same person. It should be emphasized that this note is Written on the presumption that Nicholas Carlisle was justified in saying that the title was granted by charter with remainder to heirs male. In early, Scottish peerage's it is more usual to find that the title was purely territorial, that is to say, followed the land, and female succession was recognised in dignities as well as lands (set J. Riddell, Inquiry into the Law and Practice in Scottish Peerages, 1842, at pp. 561 and 596, and George Wallace. Nature anti Descent of Ancient Peerages connected  with the State  of Scotland Edinburgh, 1785).

Lord  Chelmsford pointed out in. the Wiltes peerage case, in 1869 the difference between Scottish and English law as to the use of the words -heirs male in grants of peerages (see Law Reports, House of Lords, Vol. 4. at0. 955), In the present (Carlyle) case we are dealing with Scottish honours granted by the Crown before the Scottish Act of 'Parliament of' 1587. and with limitation (as is stated by Nicholas Carlisle). to .heirs male. There is no doubt that in some early Scottish peerages such a grant has been held to allow  of descent being traced through a, brother of the original grantee as would be necessary here

NOTE C. RELATIONSHIP OF THOMAS CARLYLE

OF CHELSEA TO THE PAISLEY FAMILY.

One of the best known 'Carlyles of modem times (outside the Paisley family) was Thomas of Chelsea (1795---1881), essayist and historian. The question is often asked whether Thomas was related to the Paisley family. The answer is that he was so related, but remotely. It is quite clear that he considered himself to be connected with the, main stem, as is shown by the following references to the subject:

(1.) The historian's grandfather Thomas. he tells us, used to hunt with the Laird of Bridekirk (that. is Adam, d. 1734. who was a relative of the Paisley family).”partly in the character of kinsman."'

(2.) The historian went to Paisley several times in his youth with his friend Edward Irving, to certain Carliles (so they spelt their name, Annan people of a century back), rich enough old men of religious moral turn, who received me as a cousin

(3)”Today,'' he' says. in 1842. I have lain on a sofa and read the whole history of the family of Carlyle.' Positively not so bad reading. I discover there what illustrious genealogies we have: a whole regiment of Thomas Carlyle’s wide possessions all over Annandale. Cumberland, Durham, gone all now into the uttermost ,wreck, absorbed into Douglasdom and Drumlanrigdom. Two of us have written plays, one could carve organ ns sculpture horses.' I suppose I too must have been meant for a duke. but the means were dropped in the passage, Froude adds: ,Though he (Carlyle) laughed when he spoke of it, he was clearly not displeased to know that he had noble blood in him. Rustic as he was in habits. dress, and complexion, he had a knightly; chivalrous temperament. and fine natural courtesy ; another sure sign of good breeding was his hand, which was small. perfectly shaped, with long fine fingers and aristocratic finger nails."

(4.) The historian, interested himself in. the history of the family. and wrote. in 1854 Short Notices as to the Early History of /he Family of Carlyle whirl, the Conqueror found is England, and a Branch of which was ennobled in Scotland with a pedigree from Hildred de Carlyle to Elizabeth, m., Sir James Douglas of Parkhead.'

(5)When told in late life that a  Dumfries antiquary (probably the. late Mr. Gracie) had,. traced his relationship to the Lords Carlyle, the historian said that on the whole he thought that it was correct. The work of this Dumfries antiquary cannot now be found.

(6.) The historian used the Carlyle crest on his bookplate, as may be seen at Carlyle House, Cheyne Row, London.

M r. W. L. Carlyle, of Waterbeck, informs us that Janet Carlyle, the historian's step-mother, was probably more, nearly connected with the Paisley family than the historian's father. The historian says of his step-mother that she was “a very distant kinswoman of his father," and that her father was a professor of religion. What the historian's executors thought of the whole subject is shewn by the fact that the gravestone at Ecclefechan has had carved on it the, Carlyle armorial bearings and the motto “Humilitate."

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