House of Burnett

Scottish clan family

The House of Burnett (Burnet, Burnette, Burnard, Bernard) is a Lowland and Border Scottish family composed of several branches. The Chief of the Name and Arms of Burnett is James Comyn Amherst Burnett of Leys.

It remains uncertain if the name of Burnett is of Saxon or Norman origins. It has been suggested that the name Burnett is derived from the Old French burnete, brunette, which is a diminutive of brun meaning "brown", "dark brown". Another proposed origin of the name is from burnete, a high quality wool cloth originally dyed to a dark brown colour. There is also evidence which suggests that Burnett stems from the English surname of Burnard, a derivative of the Anglo Saxon name "Beornheard".

There is documented evidence of the family of Burnard in England from the Norman Conquest in 1066, but not before. These are found in the Domesday Book, the Chartulary of St Neots Priory and in charters concerning the Waltham Abbey. Roger Burnard was the Domesday tenant of Alrichesey and also held a manor in Rodedie hundred, Hampshire and the manors of Celdretone and Coteford in Wiltshire; all of which were held of William De Ow. He, his wife Margaret and his son Odo were named in several charters of St. Neot's and in one there is a mention of a daughter, Magilia Burnard. Among the English who came north in the train of David I of Scotland were Burnards who settled in the County of Roxburgh and owned the considerable barony of Farningdoun (aka. Fairnington). They were benefactors of Melrose Abbey and other religious houses.

c. 1200 Roger Burnard of Faringdoun gave two grants of land of that barony; one being witnessed by his sons Geoffrey, Walter, Ralph and Richard. Ralph, his son and heir appears in the Episcopal Records of Glasgow in 1208 as providing fuel in the form of peat to the Bishop of Glasgow. In 1252 Richard Burnard of Farningdoun sold the Eastmeadow of Faringdoun to the Abbey of Melrose, confirmed in a charter of Alexander III of Scotland that same year.

The Burnards or Burnets owned lands in Peeblesshire named for them, Burnetland. An indicator of when this family became of Barns is from the will of William Burnet of Barns, Treasurer Clerk of Scotland, dated 30 April 1656 stating that his predecessors had held Barns for three hundred years. This would date the family's connections to Barns to at least 1356. At times the family of Burnet of Barns and that of Leys have contended for the chiefship of the House of Burnet. But before he died Roxburgh surrendered to the English and it was assumed John Burnard was a traitor who joined the English. As a result, his lands were forfeited and given to Alexander Maitland. When David II was released from captivity the truth was known and the lands were restored by royal charter to John Burnard's nearest kinsman, William of Dishington.

Burnetts who settled in the north east of Scotland are primarily located in Kincardineshire and Aberdeenshire. These branches stemmed from the family of Leys, the ancestors of the present Chief of the Name of Burnett, James C. A. Burnett of Leys.

Alexander Burnard, almost certainly of Farningdoun, is considered "The first of the Deeside Burnards, or Burnetts as they were later called". This was about the time the Burnard or Burnett family first took up residence on an artificial island called a crannog, on the Loch of Leys. The history of the family from this time onward is recorded in detail. During the next three centuries the Burnetts came to gain prominence in the area by making connections with the church, granting lands and other endowments. His son, Alexander Burnet of Leys was the first 'Baron of Leys' during the reigns of James II of Scotland, James III and James IV. In 1553, Alexander Burnet of Leys, the ninth lord of Leys began construction on Crathes Castle, which was finished by his great grandson, another Alexander, the twelfth lord, in 1596. Alexander Burnett, 12th Laird of Leys (d. 1619), Laird of Crathes Castle, acquired Muchalls Castle about 1600 and commenced its early 17th century reconstruction. Having died in 1619, the completion of Muchalls Castle was carried out by Alexander Burnett's son, Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet. Ownership of Muchalls Castle passed from the Burnett of Leys family about 1882. Crathes remained in the ownership of the Burnett family descendants for over 350 years, until 1952 when Sir James Burnett, 13th Baronet gave it to the National Trust for Scotland as part of Scotland's heritage.

There were no known seals for Burnett of Leys before 1621. In 1550 Burnet of Burnetland (later Barns) appealed to the then Lord Lyon King of Arms to change his motto to that already in use by Burnett of Leys, Virescit vulnere virtus (strength draws vigour from an injury). Apparently successful, the Burnett of Leys lord then began using the motto Alterius non sit qui potest esse suus (he would not be another's who could be his). The earliest arms for Burnett of Leys was found on a carved panel dated to some thirteen years later showing the impaled arms of Burnett and Hamilton commemorating the marriage between Alexander Burnett (1500–1574) and Janet Hamilton (d.1557). The next progression was that of Thomas Burnett of Leys, knighted in 1620, whose seal of Bore a shield with holly leaves and hunting horn, set within foliage decoration with his name and rank but no crest or motto. In addition to the current motto, displayed beneath the supporters, was the motto above the hand, knife and crest, apparently ignoring the ruling of 1550 by the Lord Lyon Sir David Lindsay, the previous Burnett motto: Virescit vulnere virtus. Appearing in folio 122 in the first volume were the arms of Sir Thomas Burnett, 3rd Baronet (1663–1714). This version had no supporters and only one motto: virescit vulnere virtus The third matriculation of the Burnett arms were granted to him on 22 May 1967 with changes: a silver shield with three holly leaves, black hunting horn decorated in gold with a red strap, and the crest is a hand with a knife pruning a vine. The crest sits on a red baronial chapeau, symbolising the baronies of Leys and Kilduthie. Above the crest is the established motto: Verescit vulnere virtus and the kilt of the highlander supporter is the official Burnet of Leys tartan. When Sir Alexander died in 1806 s. p. his estates passed to the immediate younger brother of his heir of that line, Alexander, second son of Sir Thomas Burnett of Leys. By this marriage he became almost as considerable a laird as his brother Sir Thomas. He was known as a peacemaker and negotiator in his time.

This branch descends from Robert Burnet, Lord Crimond, another brother of Sir Thomas Burnett, 1st Baronet. He was the third son of Alexander Burnet, above mentioned, and Katherine Gordon. Robert studied law in France for several years and in 1617 was admitted to the Scottish Bar. Thomas was a writer in Edinburgh and married Margaret Pearson, daughter of John Pearson, a merchant in Edinburgh. He purchased Kemnay from Sir George Nicolson, Lord Kemnay, a Lord of Session in 1688. The older residence that the newer mansion replaced, was built by Sir Thomas Crombie, had been owned previously by the Auchinlecks and the Douglases of Glenbervie. The current laird of Kemnay is Susan Letitia Burnett, 9th of Kemnay. efn|Susan Letitia Burnett, 9th Laird of Kemnay is the author of Without fanfare: the story of my family In 1642 James married Isobel Forbes who died a short time later after which James married secondly Elizabeth Irvine, daughter of Robert Irvine of Monboddo and Elizabeth Douglas of Glenbervie.

This branch is apparently descended from William Burnett of Craigour, Wester Camphill and Tillihaikie who fell at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. His son Andrew Burnett succeeded him to the lands of Camphill. In 1605 these lands were part of the Leys estate and at that time William Burnett, the son of Andrew Burnett held Camphill as a tenant. John Burnett acquired these lands by assignation from William Innes of Kinnermonie who had a charter for Elrick in 1663. The barony of Elrick included the lands of that estate, along with the mill and croft, Smiddieland and Broomiebrae of Elrick, the lands and town of Monacabback, Ord and Scrogley of Monacabback and the lands of Snellen.

The first of Kirkhill, in the parish of Dyce near Aberdeen, was Alexander Burnett (1620–1685), the son of Thomas Burnett, merchant, and his wife Margaret Johnston. As a Baillie of Aberdeen Alexander Burnett was designated Polls or Poles indicating a merchant with strong trading ties to Poland, a designation his son, the 2nd laird Thomas took as a nickname.

Gilbert Burnet (1643–1715), a Scottish historian, author, theologian and the Bishop of Salisbury. He was educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen where he studied law, divinity and history. He was the author of Of the Origin and Progress of Language (6 vol., 1773–92). His pre Darwinian theories traced the origins of man to the orangutan earning him a reputation as an eccentric. Major General Sir James Burnett, 13th Baronet was a colonel of the Gordon Highlanders and commanded a brigade during the World War I. In 1983 he was appointed Dingwall Pursuivant of Arms, and from 1988–2010 he served as Ross Herald of Arms. William, Prince of Wales (b.1982)
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (b.1984)

The Burnett family of the chiefly line now resides in the House of Crathes, close to Crathes Castle. In the early 17th century the Burnetts acquired Muchalls Castle.