Clan Carnegie
Clan Carnegie (Carnegie Tartan)
Crest: A thunderbolt, Proper, winged, Or
Motto: Dred God
Origin of Name: Placename, Angus
Lands: Angus
Historic Seat: Elsick House, Aberdeenshire
Clan Chief: His Grace the Duke of Fife
1. Clan Carnegie History
The Carnegies derived their name from the region around Carmyllie, Angus. However, the family originally bore the earlier adopted place name of Balinhard, also situated in Angus.
Records trace the Balinhards back to 1230. In 1358, Walter de Maule granted the lands and barony of Carnegie to John of Balinhard, who became John the 1st of Carnegie and lived until 1370. John Carnegie of that Ilk succeeded him, and a direct family line continued until 1530.
In 1409, Duthac of Carnegie acquired a portion of the lands of Kinnaird, laying the foundation for an influential Carnegie lineage in the area.
John of Kinnaird perished at Flodden in 1513. His son, Robert, became a judge in 1547 and was taken captive during the Battle of Pinkie. Upon his release, he was knighted and appointed Scotland’s ambassador to France in 1556.
Robert was the first of the Carnegies to claim descent from the cup bearers to the Kings of Scotland. This ancestral role is commemorated in the family arms, featuring an ancient cup.
In 1616, Sir David Carnegie, 8th of Kinnaird, was elevated to Lord Carnegie of Kinnaird. In 1633, he was granted the title of Earl of Southesk. The second Earl, James, was imprisoned by Cromwell for his Royalist allegiance, earning him the moniker ‘Black Earl’ due to his study of magic at Padua.
Sir James Carnegie of Pittarrow, a distinguished soldier, descended from a younger son of the 1st Earl of Southesk. In 1663, this line was bestowed with the title of Baronets of Nova Scotia. During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Lord Southesk collaborated closely with Glengarry in the Jacobite Army.
The Carnegie tartan, modeled after the Glengarry tartan, was adopted during this period. Kinnaird Castle in Angus serves as the family seat today, housing the current chief, David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife.
Kinnaird Castle, located near Brechin, serves as the residence of the Earl of Southesk, who is set to become the future chief of Clan Carnegie.
2. Clan Carnegie Tartans
The Carnegie tartan is believed to be a modification of the MacDonnell of Glengarry tartan, allegedly embraced by James Carnegie, the 5th Earl of Southesk, who played a role in the 1715 rebellion.
The primary distinction lies in the Glengarry white, which transitions to yellow in the Carnegie tartan. Yet, it's plausible that this subtle alteration occurred over time.
In tartan terminology, 'ancient' denotes lighter dye shades, while 'modern' signifies the utilization of darker dyes.
Threadcount Y/4 G4 R4 G4 R4 G12 K12 R4 B12 R4 B4 R4 B/6
Carnegie Ancient
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Carnegie Modern
3. Clan Carnegie Crest & Coats of Arms
3.1 Clan Carnegie Crest
Worn by all of the name and ancestry
Crest Description:
A thunderbolt, Proper, winged, Or
3.2 Clan Carnegie Coats of Arms
A note on Coats of Arms:
Under Scottish heraldic law, a coat of arms is granted to an individual, with the exception of civic or corporate arms. There is no concept of a "family coat of arms." The arms depicted below are personal and can only be used by the individual to whom they were granted.
CARNEGIE, Earl of Southesk
Argent, an eagle, displayed, Azure, beaked and membered, Gules, bearing on its breast an antique covered cup, Or
4. Clan Carnegie Places & People
4.1 Clan Carnegie Places
4.2 Clan Carnegie People
Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
America’s most renowned philanthropist and industrialist cherished his Dunfermline birthplace as 'the most sacred spot to me on Earth.' When economic hardship compelled his family to immigrate from Scotland and settle in Pittsburgh in 1848, he toiled away his teenage years working the bobbins in a cloth mill until he broke free and became a telegraph messenger in 1850.
He absorbed every ounce of business knowledge he encountered and staked his family’s home to purchase shares suggested by an employer.
Had the shares plummeted, his name might not have echoed through history. Yet, with his burgeoning wealth, he strategically invested in industries vital to America's expansion.
Having cut his teeth at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, he grasped the significance and demands of the burgeoning railroads. He delved into the production of locomotives, sleeping cars, and most notably, steel.
In 1901, the nascent United States Steel Corporation sought to consolidate America's steel production. He jotted down his asking price for Carnegie Steel on a scrap of paper and handed it to their envoy, Charles M Schwab.
Schwab accepted, although Carnegie later lamented not requesting an additional $100 million. "You'd have gotten it," he was assured, even though the figure on the paper was $400,000,000.
Carnegie espoused in his 'Gospel of Wealth' that 'the man who dies rich, dies disgraced' and spent his retirement disbursing his fortune.
He recalled how he had been immensely aided by free access to the library established by Colonel James Anderson while at the Pittsburgh telegraph office and poured an estimated £70.95 million into philanthropic endeavors, including 2,811 libraries 'for the masses.' One such manifestation is the resplendent, copper-domed structure housing the expanding Mitchell Library in Glasgow, its cornerstone laid by the man himself.
5. Associated Names
The Carnegie family branches into Carnegie of Southesk and Carnegie of Northesk.