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Highland Scottish clan

Clan Sutherland also known as House of Sutherland is a Highland Scottish clan whose traditional territory is the shire of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland. The chief of the clan was also the powerful Earl of Sutherland, however in the early 16th century this title passed through marriage to a younger son of the chief of Clan Gordon. The current chief is Alistair Sutherland who holds the title Earl of Sutherland.

The current chief of the clan is Alistair Charles St Clair Sutherland, 25th Earl of Sutherland, son of Elizabeth Millicent Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland. Since 2022, the heir presumptive of the chief is his elder daughter, Lady Rachel Elizabeth Sutherland, Mistress of Sutherland, after the premature death of Alexander Charles Robert Sutherland, Lord Strathnaver, only son of the 25th Earl.

The progenitor of the Clan Sutherland was a Flemish nobleman by the name of Freskin, David I of Scotland who was brought up in the English court, employed such men to keep hold of the wilder parts of his kingdom and granted to Freskin lands in West Lothian. Hugh's younger brother, William de Moravia of Petty, was progenitor of the Clan Murray. Previously to this younger sons of the family had also taken the surname 'Sutherland', thus creating the cadet branches of the Clan Sutherland. Kenneth de Moravia, 4th Earl of Sutherland (Kenneth Sutherland) was killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. William, 5th Earl of Sutherland was killed by the Mackays in 1370 in feud which lasted for the next four centuries. It was also during the time of Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland that the Battle of Drumnacoub was fought in 1431 where Angus Du Mackay, chief of Clan Mackay defeated Angus Murray and the Sutherlanders on the slopes of the mountain Ben Loyal near Tongue, as described by 17th century historian Sir Robert Gordon, 1st Baronet. This battle is also mentioned by the historians George Buchanan (1506 1582) and the 18th century John Pinkerton who quoted the 15th century chronicler, Walter Bower. Henry Sutherland of Torboll, received from Robert Sutherland, 6th Earl of Sutherland the £40 lands of Torboll which Henry's father, Nicholas Sutherland, 1st of Duffus had resigned to the earl. Henry Sutherland's son was Alexander Sutherland, 3rd of Duffus who visited his chief, John Sutherland, 7th Earl of Sutherland who was being held hostage at Pontefract Castle in England for the ransom money of James I of Scotland. According to Gordon, during the time of John Sutherland, 7th Earl of Sutherland, the Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet was fought where John MacDonald of Islay, Earl of Ross invaded Sutherland and was defeated by the Clan Sutherland, led by the earl's brother Robert Sutherland, and the Murrays of Aberscross. According to Gordon, during the time of John Sutherland, 8th Earl of Sutherland, the Clan Sutherland joined the Clan Mackay in their victory over the Clan Ross at the Battle of Aldy Charrish in 1487. However, 19th 20th century historian Angus Mackay disputes the Sutherland's presence at the battle stating that it would be unlikely that the Earl of Sutherland at the time would have assisted against the Rosses as he was married to a daughter of the Ross chief of Balnagowan, and also that the feudal superiority of the Sutherlands over the Mackays "nowhere existed save in his own fertile imagination".

William Sutherland, 4th of Duffus was killed fighting against the English at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. In 1517, Elizabeth Sutherland, 10th Countess of Sutherland married Adam Gordon, younger son of Gordon of Huntly. Sir Robert Gordon also states that at the battle, the Sutherland force had been led by Alexander Sutherland, brother of Elizabeth, 10th Countess of Sutherland. Whatever the truth, the following year in 1518 or 1519, Alexander Sutherland claimed the Earldom of Sutherland for himself and rose up against his sister Elizabeth, 10th Countess of Sutherland and her husband Adam Gordon, but he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Alltachuilain. On March 25, 1525, Elizabeth Sutherland, 10th Countess of Sutherland and her husband Adam Gordon granted to William Sutherland, 5th of Duffus the lands of Torboll and Pronsy which had previously belonged to the late Hugh Sutherland of Pronsy. William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus, as the new Laird of Skelbo and having entered into a fresh acquisition of territory gave a bond of manrent to Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland on September 4, 1529, which acknowledged that the Master of Sutherland had received him as a tenant and vassal in the lands. According to the book Conflicts of the Clans which was published in 1764, in 1542 the Battle of Alltan Beath took place where the Clan Mackay were defeated by the Clan Sutherland. According to historian Sir Robert Gordon, in 1542, chief Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver was captured by the Gordon Earls of Sutherland and Huntly, and imprisoned in Foulis Castle. However, this is disputed by historian Angus Mackay. In 1545, at Dingwall, the Earl of Sutherland entered into a bond of manrent with John Mackenzie of Kintail for mutual defense against all enemies, reserving only their allegiance to the youthful Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1547, John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland led the clan against the English army at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. In 1586, the Battle of Leckmelm took place where the Sutherlands, Mackays and MacLeods defeated the Clan Gunn. Alexander Sutherland, 8th of Duffus supported George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness at the Battle of Torran Roy in 1570 against the Murrays of Aberscross who were the principal vassals of Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland. William Sutherland, 9th of Duffus ratified the existing bond that his great grandfather William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus had entered into with Alexander Gordon, Master of Sutherland, a writ that related to the barony of Skelbo, which he held from the Earls of Sutherland. In 1588, Castle Sinclair Girnigoe withstood a siege by the Earl of Sutherland and in 1590 George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, invaded Sutherland resulting in the Battle of Clynetradwell.

In the 17th century the Clan Sutherland began to acquire the reputation for enthusiastic and pious Protestantism. This is probably what made the Gordon Earls of Sutherland begin to distance themselves from their Gordon Earl of Huntly (Clan Gordon) cousins who were Catholics and later Jacobites. In 1645, John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland led the clan against the Royalists at the Battle of Auldearn but was defeated. In 1650, the Clan Sutherland along with the Clan Munro and the Clan Ross joined forces with the Scottish Argyll Government to fight against James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose and his royalist army of foreigners, who they defeated at the Battle of Carbisdale. In 1685, John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland, raised men of the Clan Sutherland to oppose Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll's expedition that was known as Argyll's Rising.

In 1719, a detachment of men from the Clan Sutherland fought for the British Government at the Battle of Glenshiel where they helped to defeat the Jacobites. The Earl and chief of Clan Sutherland had been of the surname Gordon ever since the early 16th century, however John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland resumed the surname of Sutherland, and was officially recognized as chief of Clan Sutherland by the Court of the Lord Lyon in 1719. General Wade's report on the Highlands in 1724, estimated the clan strength at 1,000 men.

The Clan Sutherland also supported the British Government during the Jacobite rising of 1745. At the start of the rising William Sutherland, 17th Earl of Sutherland and chief of Clan Sutherland reconciled with their ancient enemies, the Mackays, settling the ancient feud. During the rising, Jacobites under George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie occupied the Sutherland's Dunrobin Castle, Three companies of Sutherland local militia fought at the battle. The first was of around 80 men, captained by Robert Macallister who was a senior factor for the Earl of Sutherland and whose lieutenant was Hector Munro of Novar and ensign was John Mackay from Golspie. The second was commanded by Lieutenant William Sutherland of Sciberscross and included around 70 men. The third included around 80 100 men and was captained by Robert Gray who was another factor to the Earl of Sutherland. However, despite all these efforts by the Earl of Sutherland to defeat the Jacobites, including his victory at Littleferry, he struggled to prove to the parliament in London that he had not had Jacobite sympathies. Eric Sutherland, 4th Lord Duffus remained loyal to the Crown and gave intelligence of the rebels to the Earl of Sutherland. According to James Balfour Paul, he did not take part in any military operations. According to William Fraser, he was a captain in the Earl of Sutherland's regiment. James Balfour Paul stated that Eric Sutherland, 4th Lord Duffus' relations with the Earl of Sutherland's family were extremely friendly. The case was heard by the House of Lords on 21 March 1771 and it decided in favour of Elizabeth. Alexander Sutherland of Sciberscross, an army officer, fiercely opposed the clearances and was the source of much of the London press's critical coverage of the clearance events in Sutherland. Upon the death of the fifth Duke of Sutherland, the chiefship of the clan and the earldom of Sutherland devolved upon his niece, Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland. Skelbo Castle, near Dornoch, Sutherland, is now a ruinous castle that was held by the Sutherlands of Skelbo. In 1308, the castle was captured by Robert the Bruce. The Sutherlands of Skelbo acquired the Lordship of Duffus in the fourteenth century. This Sutherland family were forfeited for their part in the Jacobite rising of 1715 and the property then passed to the Earls of Sutherland. (The name of the original line of Earls of Sutherland was "de Moravia" which means "of Moray" or "of Murray"). Aberscross Castle was held by the de Moravia (Murray) family from when they first moved to Sutherland at the end of the twelfth century.