The Johnstone Family has its beginnings in ancient Scotland, in the western borders in the region of Annandale, which was inhabited by the Celts, in the county of Dumfriesshire. In 1124, King David I of Scotland granted to the first Robert de Bruce, a Norman, the Lordship of Annandale and 200,000 acres. His descendent, the eighth Robert de Bruce, would lead the Scots in their heroic fight against England which gave them their independence. The de Bruce family was to play a pivotal role in the identification and formation of the Johnstone family. The two families were to become close allies over the years. Five hundred years after granting the title of the Lordship of Annandale to the De Bruce family, King Charles II was to grant it to Lord James Johnstone, the Chief of the Johnstone Clan.
One of the Norman Lords arriving in Scotland in the 1100s was a man named "John". At that time surnames were not being used. They did not appear until 1,000 AD. The first people in Scotland to acquire surnames were the Norman Nobeles, who came from France with William the Conqueror and were of Viking ancestry. The "John" mentioned, had lands granted to him by the Bruce family. Documents show the name as simply "John", that being the only name he had. Those lands became known as "Johnstun" or "John's town". "Tun" from the Celtic language translates to "town" or "lands".
His son Gilbert was to first use the surname Johnstun in the period from 1170 - 1194. Gilbert was the first member of the family of Johnstone who took the surname, derived from the lands called after his father John.
The foregoing account is supported by Fraser in his book, The Annandale Family Book of Johnstones, where he states: "Either from the first Bruce of Annandale, who settled there in 1124 or his immediate successor, 'John', father of Sir Gilbert Johnstone, obtained the lands of Johnstone. They were situated in the heart of Bruce's great Lordship, and not far distant from his famous castle of Lochmaben. 'John' of the single name, who either by inheritance of gift from Robert Bruce, received lands in Annandale and bestowed his own name on them, calling them 'Johnstun', now 'Johnstone', both estate and parish. His son Gilbert is called indifferently Gilbert, son of John, or Gilbert de Johnstune".
The book,"Tabular Genealogy of the Direct Line of Descent of the Johnstones of Johnstone, Earls and Marquises of Annandale", sets out in much detail the lineage of the family from John to the present Chief, Patrick Andrew Wenworth Hope Johnstone of Annandale. This document is (or was) available at the Moffat Museum in Moffat.
"John, who gave name to Johnston or Johnstone in the Parish of Johnstone in the Lordship of Annandale and Shire of Dumfries, Gilbert son of John is named in writs dated after 1194, and John must therefore have been a prominent settler before that date, circa 1170 - 1194."
"Gilbert was later to be knighted. The name Johnstone was to not only belong to the Lord, but the people who gathered under the Lordship. The clan system evolved as a grouping under the family of persons who, for various reasons, sought the protection and prestige of the overlord".
The Johnstone family from its beginnings has been noted for its respect of kinship. There was great pride in the family. They made the chief's quarrel their quarrel, and if need be, they would fight to the death. It was a legacy of the Celtic blood, something which would not be understood by an outsider.
The border area of Scotland, just north of England, was to be home to many clans, and one of the most dynamic and boisterous was the Johnstone family, who over the centuries were to feud off and on with their neighbors, the Maxwell family.
|
|
One account tells of Robert Bruce who in hiding from the English, when an illiterate member of the Johnstone Clan learned that there was treachery afoot which would disclose Bruce's whereabouts to the English. He was able to get a message to him, telling of the danger and to flee. The message was a spur to which the Johnstone had tied a feather. Bruce understood the message and left immediately.
In 1297 William Wallace (Brave Heart) was to lead a rebellion against England and take the first steps toward nationhood for the Scots. The Johnstones' and Bruce's rallied behind Wallace. After the execution of Wallace, the younger Bruce assumed leadership of the Scottish forces and led them to victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The Battle of Bannockburn was a decisive event in Scottish history. Bruce and the Scots defeated the English and established Bruce on the throne of Scotland.
The colorful history of the Johnstones continues in their occupation in times of peace. For the next 300 years the Border areas of both England and Scotland were to be part of every battle between the two countries.
In the periods of peace, the inhabitants on both sides of the border had no means with which to feed and protect their families. They became known as "reivers" as they took to raiding each other in order to survive. The word reiver is an obsolete term that means "to plunder or rob."
Reiving was about the only occupation of the Borders. On either side of the border, a raid on a farm left the victim with only one alternative....starvation. For men whose sole wealth lay in their herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, there was only one obvious answer, and that was to replace the stock from someone else. Reivers would must members of the clan, waiting for an appropriately dark night, would ride over the border to raid, in order to not only replenish their loss, but also to wreak revenge. The numbers involved might vary from a few close family members to an army recruited from the clan or a group of friendly clans.
The seat of the Johnstone family home was Lochwood Tower. Lochwood Tower is situated on the northern boundary of the Parish of Johnstone, in a wood of oaks and surrounded by deep bays and marshes. In its proximity, about a mile away, is the River Annan. The following stanza from local poetry describes the environment:
Where placid Annan peaceful flows
And laves its low-laid level vale,
The Lochwood's lofty towers arose,
Where dwelt the Lords of Annandale,
On Johnstone Moor, midst wavering grass
The towering fortress frowned afar,
Surrounded by a deep morass,
A safe retreat in time of war.
Other local poets have described the oaks in the wood near Lochwood as having stately grandeur. One of the oaks has a girth of 17.5 feet.
The reverend oak takes back
The heart to elder days of holy awe,
Such oaks are they, the hoariest of their race,
Round Lochwood Tower, the Johnstone's ancient family seat,
Bow'd down with age, and all o'er
With scurft moss and parasitic hair.
The Johnstone stronghold was to experience the effects of raids and border warfare and in particular the feuds. In 1585 Lochwood tower was the scene of a destructive, deliberate fire set by Robert Maxwell. The fire destroyed the charter chests with all the family title documents, charters, etc. Their destruction made the task of writing the history of the early members of the family from the 12th century to the 16th century, one of much difficulty.
Lochwood Tower was rebuilt after the Maxwell torching and again inhabited by the Johnstone Family. It continued to be their principal residence until an accidental fire about the year 1710 destroyed it. After this, it was not to be rebuilt, but gradually began to deteriorate and now lies in ruins.
As the centuries progressed, the family immigrated from Scotland to various parts of the world. In the 1600's, members of the Johnstone family were among the earliest settlers of Northern Ireland. It appears t be here that the "e" was dropped from the name, and it evolved to Johnston. In the late 1600's and 1700's, immigration began to the United States and Canada, particularly the area of Nova Scotia.
One of the most colorful of the Johnstones of that era was George Johnstone, who was born in Annandale. At age 17 he fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Then at age 22, when he was on a ship in route to Australia, he met a beautiful 16 year-old Jewish girl, Esther Abrahams, who was being transported to Australia because she had stolen a piece of lace valued at 50 shillings. That meeting was the beginning of a love affair that was to last their lifetime. In Australia, the couple were to prosper. George was to become Lt. Governor of the New South Wales colony and the two were to own a large estate named Annandale, after George's birthplace. Additionally, Esther was to become a founding member of the Great Synagogue of Sydney.
Sir Walter Scott, one of the most popular novelists of all times, wrote often of the Johnstone Family. In The Fair Maid of Perth, written in 1828, he writes tongue-in-cheek:
Within the bounds of Anndale,
The gentle Johnstones ride,
They have been there a thousand years,
A thousand more they'll ride.